tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891531040151622302024-02-19T00:10:06.322-05:00Memory NewsMemory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-46068690187549171652012-08-21T17:34:00.000-04:002012-08-21T17:34:23.721-04:00And The Richest Member Of Congress Is …<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Hill, a political news site, unveiled its annual list of the 50 richest lawmakers on Tuesday. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, held on to the top slot with a cool $290.5 million.</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/96228783-e1345564975179.jpg?w=402" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="United States Capitol Building" border="0" class="attachment-single-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="227" src="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/96228783-e1345564975179.jpg?w=402" title="United States Capitol Building" width="402" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">“McCaul remains in the stratosphere of the very richest members of Congress,” said The Hill, noting that his wealth “stems from several family trusts,” and that his father Lowry Mays founded Clear Channel Com</span><span style="font-size: small;">munications. His value actually rose by $3 million in 2011, the time period covered in the list.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">McCaul is far ahead of his challenger, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the wealthiest Democrat in Congress, who reported a net worth of $198.8 million last year. That’s a $5 million increase from the year before, even though in 2010 he only made No. 3. Much of Kerry’s wealth comes from his wife, an heir to the Heinz Ketchup estate.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, dropped one notch from 2010 but still placed third. The Hill said his wealth plunged about $80 million to $140.6 million. He is the founder of Directed Electronics, a maker of car security systems and also has a high-yield trust worth $50 million as well as bond holdings. He took on $50 million worth of personal loans last year, which The Hill said was the main reason his estate took such a big hit.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, come in fourth, with $91.1 million, after his wealth soared by $25 million last year. His portfolio includes a blind trust and tech company holdings.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The fifth richest lawmaker is Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat and former Virginia governor, with $85.9 million. The Hill said his assets include investment funds, bonds and a $1 million life insurance policy.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rep. Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin and a candidate for the vice presidency, is worth a relatively paltry $2.2 million and didn’t make the cut.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even though Democrats make up three of the top five on The Hill’s list, Republicans outnumber Democrats, 31 to 19.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-7957237671469097432012-08-21T17:29:00.000-04:002012-08-21T17:29:52.181-04:00Nicki Minaj Joins ‘American Idol’ Cast as Judge<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rapper Nicki Minaj is joining songstress Mariah Carey as the newest judge of <em>American Idol</em>.<a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/nicki-minaj-joins-mariah-carey-as-new-american-idol-judge-2012208"><br />
</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/nicki-minaj.jpg?w=400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Courtesy: KTLA News" border="0" class="attachment-single-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="225" src="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/nicki-minaj.jpg?w=400" title="Nicki Minaj" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Multiple sources say Minaj has yet to sign off on the deal, but is expected to be in the judges seat when Season 12 premieres this winter. Other judges reportedly up for consideration are singer Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams, a singer and producer who has worked with the likes of Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg).</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Long-time judge Randy Jackson will assume the role of a mentor this season.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Minaj is currently prepping for a tour in October following the release of her latest album in April.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Minaj is currently prepping for a tour in October following the release of her latest album in April.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-40359726251464494072012-08-13T15:39:00.000-04:002012-08-13T15:39:38.369-04:00They nailed it! Fans pay artistic tribute to Olympics<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gabriela Medina even <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-825971'>painted her toes to match</a>! "I love supporting and cheering on my team," said the Wesley Chapel, Florida, resident. Medina likes to create nail art for various holidays, and says, "you have to have a steady hand." Appropriately, the college student aspires to be a surgeon. " src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807091922-olympic-nail-art-12-vertical-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not since the days of American track star Florence Griffith Joyner has nail art been front and center as an Olympic style trend like it is at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletes are showing their competitive spirit through flag-decorated nails and colors meant to mimic the medals they aim to win.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But these special motifs aren't just for Olympians.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Samantha Tremlin is one of many nail art fans getting into the spirit of the 2012 London Olympics with funky fingertips. She wasn't crazy about the Olympics before the summer games came to her country this year. But since then, the manicure fanatic who goes by "the Nailasaurus" has been honing her technique of recreating tiny Union Jack designs.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Nail art is a hobby of mine, so as the Olympics are quite a big event and being held in my home country this year, I thought I would show some support for Team Great Britain!" said the 21-year-old Cardiff, Wales, resident, who shared her handiwork.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"This year it's very close to home. It feels as though the games have united every single person in the country with all excitement and pride we're feeling."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From swimmers Missy Franklin and Rebecca Addlington to archers, cyclists and weightlifters, athletes everywhere are sporting patriotic nail decor at the games, thanks in part to British "nail queen" Sophy Robson, whose team of nail artists is providing services to athletes and their guests in "grooming salons" in the Olympic Village.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It was such fun working with the athletes," said Robson, who designed a menu of 207 country flags to choose from in a partnership with corporate sponsor P&G. "There are no egos involved and they are just excited to have something represent their country on their nails."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even if you're not in London or Europe, participating in the nail art trend connects viewers to the revelry, celebrity nail technician Deborah Lippmann said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's a way that everyone can feel like they're a part of the experience in a supportive way, no matter where you are," said Lippman, whose eponymous nail polish brand is sold worldwide.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's not as permanent as a haircut and having 10 fingers means the opportunity to sport various themes, with one finger dedicated to the American flag in support of country and the other to Usain Bolt because he's just that cool.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The appeal for fans is probably the same as it is for athletes: you can show off your patriotism without saying a word, said Lisa Bailey, the blogger behind the DIY resource Nail Art 101.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Nail art can have the stigma of being for "prissy" girls or girls who are afraid to get down and dirty," Bailey said. "These women are showing that you can have hot nails and still break world records! It's no longer just for princesses and rich girls."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Da-Hae West, 25, is from South Korea, but she lives in London. She wrote "Republic of Korea" in Korean on her nails, accompanied by the national flag.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's a small way to show my support!" she said in an iReport.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Allison Fitzpatrick of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been experimenting with nail art for about two years as a way to "spice up the average manicure," the 29-year-old said in an iReport. It's also a great way to feel connected to the games, especially since athletes are also wearing nail art, she said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"With the Olympics being such an inspiring event I wanted to be able to add some of that inspiration to my everyday life," she said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Whether the design is the iconic Olympic rings, the Union Jack to celebrate the host city or a recreation of gold medalist Missy Franklin's patriotic nails, nail art is a fun and creative way to show support for the athletes right here at home."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph21" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the home-court advantage, the Brits probably claim the most enthusiastic Olympic-themed nail art. Plus, there's a lot of room to play around with the Union Jack, as nail art enthusiast Jenny Pasha of London demonstrated with her gold studded set of nails.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph22" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I wanted to create a set of nails that were unique and showed off my support for Team GB," said Pasha, who documents nail art inspiration on her blog.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I have done Union flag nails many times in the past, but for the Olympics everyone's goal is to go for a gold medal, so I decided to do an all gold set of nails," she said. "I am very proud to have the Olympics in my hometown and I love to show my pride through my nail art!"</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Olympic athletes have been spotted sporting patriotic or Olympic-themed manicures throughout the games, and fans wanted to get in on the fun. Click through the gallery to see the most creative, elaborate and patriotic Olympic nail art." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807045344-olympic-nail-art-10-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Jenny Pasha of London created this studded manicure in support of Team GB. "I have done Union flag nails many times in the past, but for the Olympics, everyone's goal is to go for a gold medal, so I decided to do an all gold set of nails," she explained." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807044923-olympic-nail-art-7-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Pasha shows off the other half of her <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-824644'>elaborate gold manicure</a>. She says it took her about two hours to create the design." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807045104-olympic-nail-art-8-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="American swimmer Missy Franklin's nails inspired this <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-824158'>patriotic design</a> by Allison Fitzpatrick. "Nail art is a great way to feel like you are part of the Games," said the Charlotte, North Carolina, resident." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807044132-olympic-nail-art-5-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fitzpatrick created an equally stunning manicure featuring the Union flag "to celebrate the host city" of London." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807043503-olympic-nail-art-2-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Samantha Tremlin also wanted to show support for her home country of Great Britain. It took her about an hour to <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-824621'>paint this manicure</a> that features the Olympic rings, Union flag and logo for London 2012. "It feels as though the Games have united every single person in the country with all the excitement and pride we're feeling. The opening ceremony was just fantastic and made me so proud to be British," she said." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807045542-olympic-nail-art-11-vertical-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Siobhan Durkin of Birmingham, England, turned her nails into 10 little Union flags to "get behind my country" in the Olympics. She's been into nail art for <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-825459'>about a year</a>. " src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807043759-olympic-nail-art-3-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Maria Maslin painted her mother's nails to <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-825520'>reflect several of the countries</a> competing in the Olympics this year. "I tried to be diverse with the countries I picked in order to represent a large span of the world," she explained. From left, the flags represented are Germany, Italy, United States, Spain, South Africa, Great Britain, Israel and Japan. On her thumbs are the Olympic flag and Ireland." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807092040-olympic-nail-art-13-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt=""I'd consider myself somewhat of a tomboy," said Sonia Silva of San Diego. "I thought it'd be cool to try to put a sporty spin on a girly hobby, and I decided to try Olympic themed nail art." The <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-825575'>little gold medals</a> are especially cute!" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807043931-olympic-nail-art-4-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Silva shows off another of her designs, complete with a unique American flag French manicure. " src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807043208-olympic-nail-art-1-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Da-Hae West lives in London, but is originally from South Korea. Her thumb features the South Korean flag, and the rest of her fingers <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-825451'>spell out</a> "Republic of Korea" in Korean." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807044716-olympic-nail-art-6-good-vertical-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Jayne Lim designed her manicure to represent her home country of Canada and her host country, Great Britain. "What better way to <a href='http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-824372'>celebrate and show support</a> for the London Olympics than with nail art?" said the Vancouver resident. "It lasts longer [and] is more subtle than face paint, and I can't be wearing Olympic regalia 24/7!"" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120807045207-olympic-nail-art-9-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /></span> </div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-46485242164083106262012-08-13T15:33:00.000-04:002012-08-13T15:33:06.705-04:00Why Olympians bite their medals<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Russia's Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina bite their medals after winning gold in the duets free routine final during the synchronized swimming competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809104629-medal-biter-russia-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a familiar pose by now: Fresh-faced Olympian grins while pretending to take a bite from the hard-won gold medal hanging around his neck.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But why do athletes feign chomping on their prized medallions, anyway?</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most likely to satisfy the pose-hungry media, says David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. There are only so many things to do with a medal, and the excited champions are usually appeasing requests from the gallery of Olympic photographers when they bite down on their booty.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's become an obsession with the photographers," says Wallechinsky, co-author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics." "I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don't think it's something the athletes would probably do on their own."</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="" name="em1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><br />
</span><div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand25" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: left; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 27px 0px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="" name="em3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand35" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: left; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 27px 0px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He's seeing the practice more this year than ever before, especially among swimmers -- though he has no idea why.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photogs have caught star gymnast Gabby Douglas, track champ Sanya Richards-Ross and swimmer Ryan Lochte giving their medals some tooth. Lochte's shots sometimes feature the added bonus of a jewel-encrusted "grill."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's not just an Olympic phenomenon, though. Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal famously gnaws his trophies when he wins.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Historically, the practice of biting into metal seems to have its roots in money counterfeiting. Money handlers would bite down on coins to test their authenticity, said David W. Lange of Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Gold is a relatively soft metal and would show wear when distressed.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since coins have not contained precious metals for about the past 50 years, it would be silly to try munching on them nowadays.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how much of an Olympic gold medal is actually gold? It varies by the Games.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year, the gold medal consists of 1.34%, or about 6 grams, of gold. The remainder is 93% silver and 6% copper.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The amount of gold used to make a medal shrunk after each of the two World Wars, according to Olympic medal collector and expert Jim Greensfelder. Gold medals were made of solid gold at three Olympics -- in 1904, 1908 and 1912 -- but the medals themselves were smaller.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Silver medalist Michael Tinsley of the United States and gold medalist Felix Sanchez of Dominican Republic bite their medals after the men's 400-meter hurdles final." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809074427-medal-biter-sanchez-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Serena Williams of the U.S. poses on the podium with her gold medal after defeating Russia's Maria Sharapova in the women's singles gold medal match." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809074348-medal-biter-williams-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="South Korea's Kim Jang-mi bites her gold medal on the podium after victory in the women's 25-meter pistol final." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809073638-medal-biter-jangmi-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /> </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gold medalist France's Teddy Riner bites his medal after winning a judo event." src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809073943-medal-biter-riner-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /></span> </div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-6339302836669140522012-08-13T15:29:00.000-04:002012-08-13T15:29:29.794-04:00Stressed-out men find heavier women attractive<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Stressed-out men find heavier women attractive" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809115349-stressed-man-work-computer-story-top.jpg" /> </div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The study</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eighty-one heterosexual, white men, aged 18 to 42, were put into two groups. The first group took the Trier Social Stress Test, which increased stress levels by asking participants to take on the role of a job applicant in front of a hiring committee. The second group was sent to a room to wait quietly.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both groups were then shown images of women with various body mass indexes. Study participants evaluated the women's attractiveness on a scale of 1 (very unattractive) to 9 (very attractive). They were then asked to select the woman they found most attractive, the largest woman they found attractive and the smallest woman they found attractive.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span id="more-41694" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The results</strong></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While both groups rated underweight women the same, the men with more stress gave significantly higher ratings to women in the normal and high BMI categories than their calmer counterparts. The stressed group's picks for the largest woman they found attractive was also much heavier, on average, than the control group's picks.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The take-away</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not much, if we're being honest. Scientists have long known that a society's ideal body size is shaped by their access to resources. Larger women are preferred when there is a threat, like limited food, because their bodies signify the ability to survive in hostile environments. In today's world, that threat can be as simple as the possibility of unemployment.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even hunger has an impact on the male mind - previous studies have shown that hungry men find heavier women attractive, according to the study. (Yet another reason to keep the chocolate in your hands!)</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-14559195430701348312012-08-13T15:26:00.000-04:002012-08-13T15:26:05.148-04:00Jennifer Aniston engaged to actor Justin Theroux<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120813024253-aniston-justin-horizontal-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Jennifer Aniston hasn't always been lucky in love, but she may have finally found her prince in<a href='http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/12/showbiz/aniston-engaged/index.html?hpt=en_c1' target='_blank'> fiancé</a> Justin Theroux. Here's a look back at some of Jen's men:" border="0" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120813024253-aniston-justin-horizontal-gallery.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jennifer Aniston is heading back to the altar, after accepting a marriage proposal from Justin Theroux, representatives from both actors said Sunday.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The love life of Aniston, who was married from 2000 to 2005 to actor Brad Pitt, has been a subject of tabloid fodder for years, where she has been linked to a number of men, including musician John Mayer and comedic actor Vince Vaughn.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 43-year-old actress has kept busy since departing the hit NBC sitcom "Friends" in 2004, including roles in films such as "Horrible Bosses," "Marley and Me" and "The Break-Up." Still, fans questioned whether she'd find a soul mate, especially after Pitt united with actress Angelina Jolie and their family grew.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Having experienced everything you don't want in a partner over time, it starts to narrow down to what you actually do want," the actress told InStyle earlier this year. "As I get older, I realize what qualities are important in love and what suits me. And what I won't settle for.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Justin Theroux had an amazing birthday Friday, receiving an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston, accepted his proposal of marriage," Theroux's representative Ina Treciokas said Sunday.Her quest ended Friday, when she got engaged to Theroux on his 41st birthday, Aniston's representative Stephen Huvane said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theroux has established himself in Hollywood on several fronts. According to the entertainment website IMDb.com, he was a screenwriter for the films "Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man 2" and "Rock of Ages" and has been in a number of films and TV series since the mid-1990s. These include "American Psycho," "Mulholland Drive," "Zoolander" and, most recently, "Wanderlust" along with Aniston.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px 24px 19px 186px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-46871872947278960292012-08-06T16:19:00.000-04:002012-08-06T16:19:14.134-04:0011-year-old girl married to 40-year-old man<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before their wedding ceremony begins in rural Afghanistan, a 40-year-old man sits to be photographed with his 11-year-old bride. The girl tells the photographer that she is sad to be engaged because she had hoped to become a teacher. Her favorite class was Dari, the local language, before she had to leave her studies to get married.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">She is one of the 51 million child brides around the world today. And it's not just Muslims; it happens across many cultures and regions.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photographer Stephanie Sinclair has traveled the world taking pictures, like the one of the Afghan couple, to document the phenomenon. Christiane Amanpour spoke with Sinclair about a book which features her photographs called, "Questions without Answers: The World in Pictures by the Photographers of VII."</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_3801" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 205px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_025a1.jpg"><img alt="Faiz, 40, and Ghulam, 11, sit in her home prior to their wedding in the rural Afghnanistan on Sept. 11, 2005. " class=" wp-image-3801 " height="146" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_025a1.jpg?w=195&h=146" style="border: 2px solid black;" title="Afghanistan" width="195" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Faiz, 40, and Ghulam, 11, sit in her home prior to their wedding in rural Afghanistan in 2005.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amanpour asked Sinclair if the 11-year-old Afghan girl married in 2005, and others like her, consummate their marriages at such an early age. Sinclair says while many Afghans told her the men would wait until puberty, women pulled her aside to tell her that indeed the men do have sex with the prepubescent brides.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sinclair has been working on the project for nearly a decade. She goes into the areas with help from people in these communities who want the practice to stop, because they see the harmful repercussions.</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_3803" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 323px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/sinclair_brideswpp_001a.jpg"><img alt="Whenever I saw him, I hid. I hated to see him," Tahani (in pink) recalls of the early days of her marriage to Majed, when she was 6 and he was 25. The young wife posed for this portrait with former classmate Ghada, also a child bride, outside their mountain home in Hajjah. " class=" wp-image-3803 " height="201" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/sinclair_brideswpp_001a.jpg?w=313&h=201" style="border: 3px solid black;" title="Sinclair_BridesWPP_001a" width="313" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>"Whenever I saw him, I hid. I hated to see him," Tehani (in pink) recalls of the early days of her marriage to Majed, when she was 6 and he was 25. The young wife posed for this portrait with former classmate Ghada, also a child bride, outside their mountain home in Yemen.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Yemen, a similar picture. Tehani and Ghada are sisters-in-law photographed with their husbands, who are both members of the military. Like most of the girls, Tehani didn’t even know she was getting married, until the wedding night. She was six years old.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tehani describes how she entered the marriage, “They were decorating my hands, but I didn’t know they were going to marry me off. Then my mother came in and said, ‘Come on my daughter.’ They were dressing me up and I was asking, ‘Where are you taking me?’”</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sinclair says, “This harmful, traditional practice of child marriage is just so embedded in some of these cultures that the families don't protect them as they should.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The subjects do know they’re being photographed and Sinclair tells them the topic she is working on. She does tell them that there is teen pregnancy in places like the U.S., but for the societies she’s photographing it’s even worse that 13-year-old girls are pregnant and unmarried.</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_3809" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 179px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_040a1.jpg"><img alt="Nujoud Ali, two years after her divorce - when she was only eight years old - from her husband, more than 20 years her senior." class=" wp-image-3809 " height="137" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_040a1.jpg?w=169&h=137" style="border: 3px solid black;" title="StephanieSinclair_040a" width="169" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Nujoud Ali, two years after her divorce in Yemen – when she was only ten years old – from her husband, more than 20 years her senior.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another one of the photographs Sinclair took is of a Yemeni girl named Nujood Ali. In a rare turn of events, Ali managed to get a divorce at age 10.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“A couple months after she was married, she went to the court and found a lawyer – a woman named Shada Nasser and asked her to help her get a divorce, and she was granted [it],” Sinclair says. “It's definitely rare and Nujood became kind of an international symbol of child marriage, because she was able to do this. And I think she's inspired a lot of other girls and other organizations to support these girls, to have a stronger voice.”</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_3811" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 280px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_010a1.jpg"><img alt="Leyualem, 14, is wisked away on a mule by her new groom and groomsmen in Ethiopia." class=" wp-image-3811 " height="162" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_010a1.jpg?w=270&h=162" style="border: 3px solid black;" title="StephanieSinclair_010a" width="270" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Leyualem, 14, is wisked away on a mule by her new groom and groomsmen in Ethiopia.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sinclair has documented the practice outside of the Muslim world. In a Christian community in Ethiopia, she captured the image of a 14 year-old girl named Leyualem in a scene that looks like an abduction. Leyualem was whisked away on a mule with a sheet covering up her face. Sinclair asked the groomsmen why they covered her up; they said it was so she would not be able to find her way back home, if she wanted to escape the marriage.</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_3808" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_007a.jpg"><img alt="Kaushal,10, and Rajni, 5, participate in the marriage ceremony in Northern India." class=" wp-image-3808 " height="182" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_007a.jpg?w=230&h=182" style="border: 3px solid white;" title="StephanieSinclair_007a" width="230" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Kaushal ,10, and Rajni, 5, participate in the marriage ceremony in Northern India.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sinclair travelled to India and Nepal, and photographed child marriages among some Hindus.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A five-year-old Hindu girl named Rajni was married under cover of night: “Literally at four o'clock in the morning. And her two older sisters were married to two other boys,” Sinclair says. “Often you see these group marriages because the girl and the families can't afford to have three weddings.” In the five-year-old girl’s case, Rajni will continue to live with her own family for several years.</span></div><div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_3814" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 200px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_006a1.jpg"><img alt="Rajni, 5, was woken up around 4 am to participate in the wedding ceremony in India." class=" wp-image-3814 " height="167" src="http://cnniamanpour.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/stephaniesinclair_006a1.jpg?w=190&h=167" style="border: 4px solid black;" title="StephanieSinclair_006a" width="190" /></a></span><div class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Rajni, 5, was woken up around 4 am to participate in the wedding ceremony. Here, she is carried by her uncle to her wedding in India.</strong></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Girls aren’t always the only ones forced into marriage. Sinclair wanted to photograph child marries in India and Nepal, because sometimes the boys entering a marriage are also young. “And often they're victims just as much of this harmful traditional practice,” she says.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sinclair told Amanpour that she hopes her photographs would not only highlight the problems to westerners, but also show people in the areas where this takes place that if the girls continue to be taken out of the population to forcibly work at home, that their communities suffer as a whole.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It's a harmful traditional practice that is slowly changing. We just want to have it change even faster.”</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-64234284750578889762012-08-05T11:29:00.000-04:002012-08-05T11:29:02.704-04:00Magnet experiment saves baby big surgery<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="In late 2009, doctors placed a magnet on either side of Patrick's intestinal blockage. Though the procedure was experimental, Dr. Eric Scaife was successful at removing the membrane without extensive surgery. " border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto006" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120802124708-divricean-magnets-xray-vertical-gallery.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto;" width="270" /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><cite id="galleryCaption006" style="display: block;">In late 2009, doctors placed a magnet on either side of Patrick's intestinal blockage. Though the procedure was experimental, Dr. Eric Scaife was successful at removing the membrane without extensive surgery. </cite><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The day after Nelly Divricean gave birth to twin sons Andrew and Patrick, doctors gave her terrible news: one of her tiny, premature babies was in serious trouble.</span> </div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Something's wrong," the doctors told her. "We think Patrick has a blockage. We need to move him to a different hospital."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A blockage somewhere inside Patrick's intestines was preventing him from moving his bowels. Doctors needed to fix it before his intestines ruptured and he died.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Weighing just 4 pounds, Patrick was too small for a major surgery that could solve the problem permanently, so doctors moved him from Salt Lake City's Intermountain Medical Center to nearby Primary Children's Medical Center, where a section of his intestines was temporarily diverted into a colostomy bag.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Because he couldn't poop, they had to make a way," Divricean said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few months later, Divricean and her husband, Michael, brought Patrick back to his surgeon, Dr. Eric Scaife.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"OK, what do we do next?" she asked him.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife took an X-ray and what he saw wasn't good. A thin, hard membrane was blocking a section of Patrick's intestines -- the result of a rare birth defect called rectal atresia that occurs in one out of every 5,000 babies.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We need to remove it," the doctor told the couple.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife described to Patrick's worried parents a long, technically difficult surgery. Patrick would be cut open through his abdomen and vertically along his tailbone. Once inside, Scaife would remove the membrane and then piece together two sections of intestines.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He had his concerns. It was a big operation on a little baby. The surgery might cause scarring, or it might injure nerves in Patrick's pelvis that could lead to incontinence.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If Patrick was Scaife's son, what would he do? Divricean asked the surgeon.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife told her he'd think on it and give them an answer the next week.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Hopefully, they'll come up with something that will save Patrick or will give us a better option at least," Divricean thought as she waited for the week to pass.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>A better option</strong></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A week later, Scaife had an idea.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instead of removing Patrick's blockage, he wanted to break through it -- with two powerful magnets.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the hands of children, strong magnets have proven dangerous, even deadly. When swallowed, they've passed into the intestines, and their attraction to each other has forged a hole in tissues.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It occurred to Scaife that in the skilled hands of a surgeon, magnets might be a useful tool instead of a hazard. If he placed a magnet on either side of Patrick's blockage, their attraction might make a hole and destroy the membrane, allowing stool to pass.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife's idea was untested and unproven -- but if it worked, Patrick wouldn't need surgery.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph21" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"A magnet's a wonderful thing," said Dr. R. Adam Noel, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Louisiana State University Heath Science Center in New Orleans. "They can be used in very clever medicine."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph22" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surgeons have used magnets to bore drainage holes in intestinal tissue, lengthen the esophagus and straighten dips in chests.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For Scaife's idea to work, he would need to find the perfect magnets. They had to be strong enough not to slip off the membrane and sized just right to create the hole.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph24" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I'm not quite sure how we get them," he told the couple.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph25" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So the Divriceans went shopping.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph26" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We went to Toys R Us," Divricean said. "They just had some that were too big."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph27" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few more toy stores later, not finding what they needed, they realized kiddie magnets weren't going to cut it. Divricean searched the Internet and bought industrial-strength magnets from an online company.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph28" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The couple then made an appointment for Patrick's procedure.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph29" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>The procedure: 'It made sense'</strong></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph30" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the hospital, Patrick went back under the X-ray machine. Scaife, along with a radiologist who was helping him, could see the blockage.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph31" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What they were about to do next was an experiment. The magnets they wanted to place inside Patrick weren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a medical device, and Scaife knew of no one who had performed the procedure.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph32" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Innovation, even with simple magnets and a pretty simple kind of procedure, is not easy. It's tricky, so you have to proceed cautiously, even when the parents are saying, 'Yeah I'd like to do that. It sounds better,'" said Art Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University's School of Medicine.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph33" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"If you're doing unapproved experiments, or something novel, the risk is enormous, especially with a child."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph34" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife had consulted his colleagues and determined that if the magnets slipped and somehow created a hole in Patrick's intestines, he would be forced to do the operation he was trying to avoid. Otherwise, he didn't see a downside to the procedure.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph35" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"This certainly did not go through, sort of, formal medical channels," Scaife said. "But there was very clearly, I think, an informed consent ... it made sense to them, it made sense to me, and I think with that kind of clear understanding we proceeded."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph36" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scaife and the radiologist maneuvered the magnets into position.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph37" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We just dropped the magnets in like coins into a slot, and they immediately clicked together," he said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph38" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the next few days the force of the magnets applied pressure to both sides of the membrane, pinching it and draining it of blood until it weakened and broke.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph39" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The magnets had made the hole that Scaife was expecting. They were still connected a week later when Scaife took them out. Sandwiched between them was a wafer-thin disc of membrane tissue.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph40" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We couldn't believe that that really worked," Divricean said. "It was just something really amazing."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph41" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the procedure, Divricean took Patrick into her arms. Holding him, she knew he was spared a complicated, invasive surgery.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph42" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It worked out well -- really well -- for him," Scaife said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph43" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The procedure was covered by insurance, Divricean said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph44" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In December 2009, nearly six months after Patrick was born, he had a bowel movement in a diaper for the first time.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph45" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We took pictures of the diaper," Divricean said, laughing. "We thought we were crazy doing that, but we were so excited."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph45" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph45" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="Patrick relaxes after his surgery in December 2009. " border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto008" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120802124054-divricean-patrick-after-surgery-horizontal-gallery.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto;" width="640" /><img alt="Patrick enjoys some fresh snow in February. " border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto0011" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120802123206-divricean-patrick-snow-february-2012-horizontal-gallery.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto;" width="640" /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-6863580413479152142012-08-01T14:36:00.000-04:002012-08-01T14:36:02.110-04:00Computer hacking for 8-year-olds<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <img alt="Kids learn how to search for vulnerabilities in mobile games at Def Con 20 in Las Vegas." border="0" height="360" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120730031952-def-con-kids-2012-story-top.jpg" width="640" /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The hacker who goes by the pseudonym CyFi won't share her real name and declines to be photographed without her signature aviator sunglasses. </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the annual Def Con hacking conference here Friday, Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency and head of the U.S. Cyber Command, brought CyFi on stage during his keynote address and called her "the most important person for our future."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">CyFi is 11 years old.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the second year in a row, Def Con organizers included a full schedule of Def Con Kids programs for beginner hackers ages 8 to 18. The children and teens, who must be accompanied by a parent, learned how to pick locks, competed to find the most bugs in mobile apps and learned about digital forensics by investigating a mock crime scene in a hotel room. Some skilled young hackers also taught classes and gave talks.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To kick off the conference, Def Con founder and veteran hacker Jeff Moss welcomed the kids with a talk on the ethics of hacking and rules for how to stay out of trouble with the law.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I think it's harder for you guys now than it was for me," Moss told a room of kids and their parents.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moss started the conference in 1992 because he wanted an open place for hackers to meet in person and share information. Twenty years later, the young attendees from Def Con's early years have grown up, established careers and started families.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now they bring their own children to Def Con to soak up the knowledge and culture, but this new generation faces a different set of rules and a maze of new laws -- not to mention parents who are savvy enough to know what they're up to and keen on keeping their progeny out of trouble.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Navigating the law</strong></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I just want to open it, but don't want to see what's on the other side," a young woman told and Moss and Lauren Gelman, an attorney who works in the field of Internet law and policy.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many of Def Con Kids' school-age hackers are driven by the challenge of finding vulnerabilities in security systems and networks, not stealing information or money, or selling their knowledge to third parties. These "white-hat" hackers report any issues they find directly to the developers or relevant companies so they can be more secure.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But good intentions aren't always enough when it comes to staying out of legal trouble.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When Moss was starting out, computer technology wasn't widely understood by law enforcement, and laws weren't yet in place that classified his actions as illegal.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Technically, I wasn't committing any crimes. I wasn't stealing any money, wasn't trying to break anything," said Moss. The U.S. and international governments have since drafted complicated laws that criminalize many aspects of hacking.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, Gelman pointed out that in many cases, the rules are still not clear or current, and that current laws are far behind what Def Con attendees are doing. She recommended the kids avoid breaking laws by asking for permission before testing any systems, and if that's not possible, to find a situation where they can ask for approval.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The lawyer perspective and mother perspective and ethics perspective is you can get in a lot of trouble if you don't ask for permission." Gelman is married to journalist and former hacker Kevin Poulsen and has two children.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moss has his own test for deciding whether to hack something: "My rule of thumb is, do I completely own it? If yes, I can hack it."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If hackers are unsure whether they are breaking the law, Gelman suggests they check the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) site, which spells out rules for everyone from bloggers to coders. The 22-year-old organization also provides legal assistance for those who do get in trouble, taking on some cases itself or referring people to attorneys.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Building a reputation</strong></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Breaking the law isn't the only concern Moss, Gelman and parents have for the budding hackers -- true anonymity online is harder to come by and a bad reputation can follow these kids into adulthood.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph21" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moss warned the kids that everything they do online now until they die will be backed up to the cloud. "That makes life more difficult for you guys, because if you get in trouble now, you're screwed."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph22" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Twenty years ago, hackers could operate in the shadows without leaving much of a trail. Chat logs weren't recorded for long and hackers' handles weren't easily traceable to their real-life identities. Now, most communications that take place online are stored permanently and some can be dug up by law enforcement and human-resources departments.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph23" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moss was just a kid himself when he got started with computers.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph24" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At 13, his father brought home an IBM computer for the family. By 14, Moss was online creating a new identity for himself, conversing with adults who were oblivious to his real age and spoke to him like an equal.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph25" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I couldn't drive a car, but I could have conversations about politics with people in Russia," he said.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph26" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In those days, if someone made a mistake or needed a fresh start, they could create a new online identity. Moss got a do-over at an early age and recreated himself online as Dark Tangent, which grew into a trusted and respected identity he still uses now.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph27" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, a fresh start is harder to come by and old communications can surface at any time. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg learned this the hard way when embarrassing instant-message conversations from his college days were made public years later.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph28" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Your reputation is the most important thing you own," said Moss, urging the young hackers to behave ethically, not because it will make their parents happy, but because they are the ones who will have to live with the results.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph29" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Hacking for good</strong></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph30" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With so many dangers, why would parents encourage their children to hack at all? Def Con Kids organizers believe in the good that can come from hacking, including making the country more secure and helping encourage freedom of speech around the world.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph31" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Technology can really change the world," said Gelman, citing the liberation-technology movement that encourages hackers to help people spread messages from countries where online communication is restricted.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph32" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The U.S. government sees the potential in these bright young minds as well.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph33" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Department of Defense ran the digital forensics program at Def Con Kids, hoping to encourage more education and interest in the field. And Alexander met with three of the children before going on stage to give his keynote address.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph34" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"This is our future," Alexander said of the kids. "What you're doing here to help train those folks is absolutely superb, and you should be proud."</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-24943068615691886552012-08-01T14:30:00.000-04:002012-08-01T14:30:44.543-04:00Meet the man who started #NBCFail<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="" border="0" height="360" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120801021231-nbcfail-creator-steven-marx-story-top.jpg" width="640" /> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Steven Marx wasn't that mad. And with only 17 Twitter followers, the 48-year-old certainly wasn't popular when he reportedly created the #NBCFail hashtag. </span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But that online conversation would become one of the dominant storylines of the London Olympics, particularly among people who like to mock NBC's sportscasters and in the United States where viewers were upset with the network for delaying its broadcasts of the games to show them in prime time.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marx, a Web designer in Peoria, Illinois, is credited by the blog Mashable with creating that conversation in reference to the London Games. "Interesting how NBC never mentions you need a cable/satellite subscription w/MSNBC/CNBC to view any coverage online. We're screwed. #NBCFail," Marx wrote on his Twitter account on July 26, the day before the Opening Ceremonies in London.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He was surprised by the heated and hilarious conversation that followed.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em1"></a></span> <div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand15" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><cite class="expCaption"><span> </span></cite></span> </div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I don't know to what extent I can take credit," he told CNN by phone on Tuesday. "I don't know how it works, if people saw my hashtag and used it or if other people came up with it on their own and added to it.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It's kind of fun for me. I've been working in the field of technology for 20 years now and it's finally fun for me to get my 15 minutes of Internet fame."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marx was on vacation in New Mexico when someone sent him a message on Twitter telling him that bloggers were crediting him with starting the #NBCFail topic.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He found it amusing in part because he wasn't all that mad at NBC, just annoyed that he couldn't watch Olympic programming live and online for free. It sounds as though he almost feels bad about playing a small role in unleashing the fury of the Internet on the U.S. broadcast network.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"In some ways it's showing some of the worst sides of what this instant media can do," he said, adding: "It's sort of that mob mentality that Twitter encourages. I think in this sense it's showing the bad. But in the Occupy (Wall Street) movement, it showed the good that Twitter can do for organizing. Even though it's made me slightly famous, I'm not necessarily thrilled with what's happened. I'm not terribly impressed with NBC, but that's not new this year."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some online writers have said that watching the #NBCFail hashtag has become more fun that watching the actual Olympics.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And plenty of others have taken up the torch of teasing NBC, too. A feed called @NBCDelayed posts constant "breaking" updates about old news, making fun of the fact that the Olympics are shown on a several-hour delay in the United States.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"BREAKING: Underdog Jamaican bobsleigh team loses control and crashes," that feed wrote on Tuesday night in reference to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-70148409548893980812012-07-27T22:30:00.000-04:002012-07-27T22:30:24.482-04:00CHECK OUT SNAKE WITH 3 HEADS IN INDIA<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <br />
</h3><div class="post-body entry-content"> <div style="float: right; padding: 4px;"> <div class="fb-share-button fb_iframe_widget " data-href="http://gistfactory.blogspot.com/2012/02/check-out-snake-with-3-heads-in-india.html" data-type="box_count"><span style="height: 59px; width: 61px;"></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuw-TU-FZ2A2HOc-XfkhqlZVMcXMM1UZXVBP3CroZojugebgviKbf8i3duPa6QzY7xZVssX6eRE3uDXxSM85BXP8XWg-2wgJ3UHqeEPQ4k93Lon5tW-IDdHx0UBpaRqQYx87FnjxBYt5E/s1600/416911_10150571317098994_89278513993_8985949_657709122_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuw-TU-FZ2A2HOc-XfkhqlZVMcXMM1UZXVBP3CroZojugebgviKbf8i3duPa6QzY7xZVssX6eRE3uDXxSM85BXP8XWg-2wgJ3UHqeEPQ4k93Lon5tW-IDdHx0UBpaRqQYx87FnjxBYt5E/s1600/416911_10150571317098994_89278513993_8985949_657709122_n.jpg" /></a></div></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-41068382914366785302012-07-27T22:28:00.000-04:002012-07-27T22:28:05.161-04:00Cuban Man '24' Proud Of His 4 Extra Fingers, Toes<div class="margin_bottom_10 relative" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"></span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;">They call him "Twenty-Four." Yoandri Hernandez Garrido's nickname comes from the six perfectly formed fingers on each of his hands and the six impeccable toes on each foot.</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/338727/thumbs/r-12FINGERED-MAN-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="12fingered Man" border="0" height="166" id="img_caption_938729" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/338727/thumbs/r-12FINGERED-MAN-large570.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Hernandez is proud of his extra digits and calls them a blessing, saying they set him apart and enable him to make a living by scrambling up palm trees to cut coconuts and posing for photographs in this eastern Cuban city popular with tourists. One traveler paid $10 for a picture with him, Hernandez said, a bonanza in a country with an average salary of just $20 a month.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It's thanks to my 24 digits that I'm able to make a living, because I have no fixed job," Hernandez said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Known as polydactyly, Hernandez's condition is relatively common, but it's rare for the extra digits to be so perfect. Anyone who glanced quickly at his hands would be hard-pressed to notice anything different unless they paused and started counting.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hernandez said that as a boy he was visited by a prominent Cuban orthopedist who is also one of Fidel Castro's doctors, and he declared that in all his years of travel he had never seen such a case of well-formed polydactyly.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"He was very impressed when he saw my fingers," said Hernandez, who is the only one in his family to be born with extra digits.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a part of the world where people's physical traits are often the basis for nicknames – even unflattering ones like "fatty" or "shorty" – "veinticuatro" ("twenty-four" in English) is not an insult but rather a term of endearment, and Hernandez, now 37, said his uniqueness has made him a popular guy. He has a 10-year-old son with a woman who now lives in Havana, and his current girlfriend is expecting his second child.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Since I was young, I understood that it was a privilege to have 24 digits. Nobody has ever discriminated against me for that," he said. "On the contrary, people admire me and I am very proud. I have a million friends, I live well."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nevertheless, it occasionally caused confusion growing up.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"One day when I was in primary school, a teacher asked me how much was five plus five?" Hernandez recalled. "I was very young, kind of shy, and I didn't say anything. She told me to count how many fingers I had, so I answered, "12!"</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The teacher was a little upset, but it was the truth," he said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hernandez said he hopes he can be an example to children with polydactyly that there's nothing wrong with them.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I think it's what God commanded," he said. "They shouldn't feel bad about anything, because I think it's one of the greatest blessings and they'll be happy in life."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-50201133820385437562012-07-26T12:26:00.000-04:002012-07-26T12:26:54.195-04:00Is the government doing enough to protect us online?<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="A panel of security experts debated the role of government in online security at the annual Black Hat conference. " border="0" height="360" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120725103930-black-hat-hacking-the-future-panel-story-top.jpg" width="640" /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More than 400 million people trust Google with their e-mail, and 50 million store files in the cloud using the Dropbox service. People manage their bank accounts, pay bills, trade stocks and generally transfer or store huge volumes of personal data online. Who is ultimately in charge of making sure all this information is secure: the government, the companies or the users?</span> </div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At a lively panel discussion at the annual Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, computer security experts discussed the roll of the government in online security. The debate centered on whether the U.S. government should take the lead in setting security standards for the industry or whether companies are responsible for their own security and that of their users.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I lose my cool when I hear people from the government say people from the private sector need to stand up. Providing for the common defense is what the government is supposed to do," said security systems expert Marcus Ranum.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/10/tech/web/internet-down-eagleman/index.html"> </a></span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The U.S. government is considering various security bills that address online security standards.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em1"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em2"></a><cite class="expCaption"><span></span></cite></span> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One controversial bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, would allow private companies to share data with government agencies when there is an attack or breach, without fear of lawsuits from customers over the shared data. However, several civil liberties groups believe the bill needs more restrictions on how the government can use that shared information.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Creating laws isn't the only way the government can push for greater security. It can also use its significant financial sway on major companies.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The government is an enormous purchasing agent in our industry. Why can't the NSA come up with a security standard that they like?" asked Bruce Schneier, security critic and author. "Let them go to the operating system companies, the database companies, the cloud providers, and say if you want the government business, you have to adhere to this."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Opponents of the government-control approach say corporations are responsible for their own security online, just as they would be for the physical security of their offices or property. Law enforcement is there to respond to incidents, not make sure the doors are properly locked, they contend.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of the enthusiasm for the government to take the initiative on cyberthreats is rooted in distrust of big Internet companies.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At one point, Jennifer Granick, the director of civil liberties at the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, asked the large audience of security professionals who they trusted less, Google or the government? The majority raised their hands for Google.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I fear Google more than I pretty much fear the government," said panelist Jeff Moss, the founder of Black Hat and DEF CON. "Google, I'm contractually agreeing to give them all my data."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For now, mutual distrust between the government and the private sector is keeping the two sides from working together as effectively as possible, and the public could suffer because of it.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The biggest risks right now are not the bad guys," said Schneier. "They are the good guys who are not doing enough."</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The users do have some responsibility to protect their data online, but the panelists agreed that regular people will usually bypass any extra steps, even if they are in their best interest, in the name of convenience.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-62444076895388530782012-07-26T12:22:00.000-04:002012-07-26T12:22:50.299-04:00Aurora heroes: Three who gave their lives<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="Jon Blunk, Alex Teves and Matt McQuinn were killed in the Aurora shooting, as they used their bodies to shield their girlfriends." border="0" height="360" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120725075838-aurora-three-split-story-top.jpg" width="640" /> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great evil often brings out the best in good men, men like Todd Beamer on Flight 93, Medal of Honor recipient Michael Murphy in Afghanistan and now the Aurora three -- the three young men, each in different parts of theater nine, who gave their lives to protect their girlfriends.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Twenty-five-year-old Jon Blunk was sitting next to his girlfriend, Jansen Young, at the midnight premiere of "The Dark Night Rises" when the gunman (who shall remain nameless) opened fire in the dark theater. Blunk instinctively pushed his girlfriend to the ground and threw his body on top of hers. Blunk, a security guard, served eight years in the Navy and was in the process of re-enlisting in hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL, family and friends said. He was killed in the gunfire; his girlfriend survived.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Twenty-four-year-old Alex Teves dived on top of his girlfriend, Amanda Lindgren, when the gunfire erupted. Covering her body, he took the bullets so they did not harm her. She survived the massacre; he did not.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Matt McQuinn, 27 years old, threw his body in front of his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, as the shooting continued. Yowler survived with a gunshot wound to the knee; McQuinn's body absorbed the fatal shots.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">These men were three of the 12 innocent people killed early that morning. Their incredible sacrifice leaves us asking: Why? Why would a young man with his entire life ahead of him risk everything for a woman he has no legal, financial or marital obligations to?</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Hanna Rosin so eloquently pointed out in a recent article, calling it chivalry would be a tremendous understatement. By all appearances, these men believed that a man has a responsibility to protect a woman, even to the point of death. They believed that there are things in life worth dying for and the innocent woman sitting next to them was one.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em2"></a></span> <div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand18" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="" border="0" class="box-image" height="120" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120725113522-evexps-nat-pkg-colo-memorial-site-cross-maker-00005912-story-body.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" width="214" /><cite class="expCaption"><span>Meet the man behind the Aurora crosses </span></cite></span> </div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em3"></a></span> <div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand28" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="" border="0" class="box-image" height="120" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120725012220-exp-widow-of-colorado-shooting-victim-00023810-story-body.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" width="214" /><cite class="expCaption"><span>Widow's kids struggle to understand</span></cite></span> </div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=389153104015162230" name="em4"></a></span> <div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand38" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="" border="0" class="box-image" height="120" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120725013522-ac-harlow-aurora-babysitter-hero-00020222-story-body.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" width="214" /><cite class="expCaption"><span>Babysitter tried to save youngest victim</span></cite></span> </div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">They believed, to put it simply, in a code of honor. They put the lives of the women before their own, an old fashioned notion to be sure, but certainly an honorable one (if you have any doubt, ask the survivors). Their instincts were to protect, not run away.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From all accounts, these young men were average, working men in their 20s. (We know a little about Jon Blunk, but not much, and we know even less about the others.) Like all men, they had their own struggles. After his death we learned that Blunk had an ex-wife and two children living in Nevada. He was scheduled to visit them to resolve marital issues. This isn't to take anything away from Blunk or the other two heroes, but to illustrate that, in spite of shortcomings, men can still recognize what it means to be a good man and act like one.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is especially important given the state of many men today. Record numbers of men aren't working or even looking for work. Record numbers aren't marrying or even acting as fathers to their children. These men need heroes to imitate whom they can relate to in everyday life, not just make-believe superheroes who catch their imagination for an hour or two. They need heroes like the Aurora three.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While much of the media obsesses over the psychology and motivations of this deranged killer, we should hold the Aurora three high. It is only by telling their story that this code of honor will survive for future generations of men. "The world is forwarded by having its attention fixed on the best things," Matthew Arnold wrote.</span></div><div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In an age when traditional manhood has been increasingly relegated to fiction -- capes, masks and green screens -- these three men stand as real-life heroes. Their actions remind us that good triumphs over evil, not just in movies, but also in reality.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-43669609795461116262012-07-23T14:41:00.000-04:002012-07-23T14:41:26.271-04:00Why men fall asleep after having sex<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/D4/78C3E9D97A221FBA1A5BAB6CFBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Frustrated woman with sleeping man (© Stockbyte / Getty)" border="0" height="231" src="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/D4/78C3E9D97A221FBA1A5BAB6CFBE.jpg" title="Frustrated woman with sleeping man (© Stockbyte / Getty)" width="308" /></a>Here’s some news from the world of science that could settle some old disputes in the battleground of the marital boudoir. Throughout history, unsatisfied wives and girlfriends have wondered why their otherwise-perfect male partners roll over and fall straight to sleep after sex instead of engaging in endless chit-chat. A team of researchers from Inserm in France believe they have the answer: it seems that men just can’t help it. Brain scans showed that after orgasm, the thinking area of men’s brains actually shuts down. Other parts then send a message out that the job is done, to let the body know that its interest in sex is no longer required. Then, (just in case even further explanation is needed), the brain is hit with surges of oxytocin and serotonin, nature’s own “shut up and go to sleep” chemicals, rendering dudes all but powerless against the urge to crash</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-27998837880323806922012-07-22T13:42:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:42:05.843-04:00Alleged Shooter James Holmes' Dating Profile Details Are Too Revealing<div class="articleDetails post clearfix" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px; color: #666666; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><address style="border: 0px none; display: inline; font-style: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Posted by <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne Sager</strong></address> <span class="date" style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on July 21, 2012 at 11:50 AM</span></span></div></div><div class="articleBody clearfix" style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="James Holmes" class="userImageRight" height="371" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/07/21/11/1t/ah/po96bsm17o.jpg" style="border: 0px none; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="283" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It happens every time. A tragedy like the <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">massacre at the midnight showing of</strong> <em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Dark Knight Rises</strong></em> occurs, and suddenly the name of the suspect and every detail of his (or her) life is plastered on every TV screen, their face on every website. It's been no different with <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">alleged gunman</strong> <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">James Holmes</strong>, the 24-year-old medical school drop-out who cops say <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">opened fire in a Colorado theater</strong>.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We now know more about Holmes than we do about members of our own families. And that's not just some cliche, folks ... unless you know the penis length of the male members of your clan? Didn't think so. But thanks to an <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adult dating site profile</strong>Holmes set up, that's one of the details about the alleged shooter that's out, one that I really wish I could "unknow" right now.</span></div></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-35408429666289564032012-07-22T13:41:00.002-04:002012-12-29T14:04:33.379-05:00Theater Shooting Victim Jessica Gwahi's Near Miss Makes Her Death Even More Tragic<div class="articleDetails post clearfix" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<img alt="Jessica Gwahi" class="userImageLeft" height="189" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/07/21/10/7r/9x/po3hlgrs00.png" style="border: 0px none; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="295" />The heartbreaking stories coming out of <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Aurora, Colorado</strong> right now are too numerous to count. And yet we keep coming back to that of <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jessica Gwahi</strong>. O<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong>ne of 12 victims shot to death by a gunman who opened fire on innocent people as they watched <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Dark Knight Rises</em></strong>, the young sports writer, who wrote under the name <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jessica Redfield</strong>, had just narrowly escaped being killed in a similar situation in <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</strong> last month.</div>
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The twisted irony of it is inescapable. The death of a 24-year-old is unspeakably sad. But I can't help wondering if Jessica Gwahi's story fascinates as much because of how she makes us feel about ourselves. Take a look at <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">one of her last Tweets</strong> to the world:</div>
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Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-82556038199029168472012-07-22T13:37:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:37:37.497-04:00Kim Kardashian’s Military Dress Hugs Her in All the Wrong Places<div class="articleDetails post clearfix" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px; color: #666666; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="articleBody clearfix" style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Kim Kardashian and Kanye West" class="userImageRight" height="366" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/06/19/11/dt/7x/povzk4wogs1fc2p.jpg" style="border: 0px none; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="226" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July 4th is almost here, and it looks like the queen of reality TV, Ms. <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kim Kardashian</strong> herself, is celebrating a little early. On Sunday, Kim strolled around Paris with her main squeeze<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kanye West</strong> wearing <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a military style green dress</strong> with gold buttons, black boots, and her hair pulled back. Looks seriously Armytastic, don't you agree? Could Kimmy be paying tribute to our country and troops <em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">already</em>?</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK OK, I jest. But wow -- talk about a dress that <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">does Kim absolutely NO favors</strong>. Don't get me wrong, I think the 31-year-old Dash doll is absolutely beyond gorgeous. Come on now, though. All that pulling across the front ... it's no bueno. Something tells me this military-inspired dress was one of those<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">want</em> not <em style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">need</em> items</strong>, if you know what I mean.</span></div></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-87857766067486836402012-07-22T13:34:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:34:39.898-04:008 Things Moms Need to Toss From Their Closets if They Want to Feel Sexy<div class="articleDetails post clearfix" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border: 0px none; color: #666666; margin: 0px 0px 21px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div id="top-share-tools" style="border: 0px none; clear: both; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"><div id="share-tools-not-full" style="border: 0px none; float: right; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="shareTool facebook" style="border: 0px none; clear: none; display: inline-block; margin: 3px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"><fb:like action="recommend" class=" fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" font="" href="http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/140700/5_things_moms_need_to" layout="button_count" ref="post_top" show_faces="false" style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="130"><span style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; height: 50px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 130px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></span></fb:like></span></div></div></div><div class="articleBody clearfix" style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="cardigan and mom jeans" class="userImageLeft" height="361" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/07/19/16/2q/5t/po4o5kkeo0.jpg" style="border: 0px none; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" width="244" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're like pretty much every other mom I know, then odds are good that you have a few pieces of clothing in your closet that do a much better job collecting dust and sitting on the hanger than they do making you feel like a<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">fashion queen</strong>.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And in addition to those items that we cling to in the hopes that we'll one day be able to wear them again, there are also certain clothes that really do nothing for our style &<strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">make us look much older and frumpier</strong> than we actually are.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It can be so hard to part with our favorite duds for many different reasons, but if moms really want to salvage their fashion sense and look like a million bucks on any given day, here are <strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8 things moms need to remove from their closets</strong> and get rid of once and for all.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. 10-year-old jeans</strong> -- C'mon, you know you have a pair of jeans sitting on your shelf that hugged you in all the right places about 10 years ago, but simply don't fit at this point in your life, and probably never will again. Hanging on to them is only killing your self esteem. It's time to break up with them and move on to a new pair that fits your body NOW. (It'll be a miracle if I ever learn this one.)</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Dress from your bridal shower</strong> -- When it comes to keeping the dress I wore to my own shower almost 10 years ago, I'm guilty as charged. I won't even tell you what size the damn thing is because it will make me cry, but the dress is another ego blow that I need to part with. If you are clinging to a frock from a special occasion in your past -- let it go before you go insane. Trust me.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. "Mom" cardigan</strong> -- You know that cardigan sweater that keeps you warm on days when the office AC is cranked to the max? Yeah, it may get rid of your goosebumps, but it also makes you look about 20 years older.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Baggy sweats</strong> -- It can be so tempting to throw on a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt because of the comfort factor, but nothing says, "I've totally let myself go" like an outfit that looks & feels like frump-city.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5. String bikini from your honeymoon</strong> -- This one is along the same lines as the jeans and bridal shower dress. Let. It. Go. Invest in a brand new tankini or one-piece instead.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6. "Mom" jeans</strong> -- For the love of God, PLEASE throw away anything remotely resembling mom jeans. The rule of thumb I like to use is if you are unable to see your belly button after putting your jeans on -- you're wearing mom jeans. Unacceptable.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Granny panties</strong> -- Ok, so these may be in your dresser and not your closet, but they still count. Granny panties are called "Granny" panties for a reason -- because there's nothing sexy about them. Throw them away and buy yourself a whole load of comfortable & chic lace thongs.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Pants with pleats</strong> -- Pleats are a serious fashion disaster -- period. No further explanation needed.</span></div><div style="border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What items in your closet are totally killing your fashion confidence?</span></strong></div></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-81804657328395183822012-07-22T13:32:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:32:02.523-04:0073-Year-Old Woman With a 20-Year-Old Body<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6az9Kb0B-I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you still doubt that exercise keeps you young, just look at Ernestine Shepherd, a 73-year-old bodybuilder from Baltimore, Maryland. I swear, that's a 24-inch waist and there's not an ounce of fat or sag anywhere on her.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it's not just her six-pack abs, her perfectly sculpted back, or her powerhouse arms and legs, but her perfect skin, posture, and energy.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She wasn't always this way. She started working out at age 60. Now she runs 80 miles a week, bench-presses 150 pounds, does bicep curls with 20-pound dumbbells, and eats 1,700 calories a day of mostly vegetables and lean protein.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If this isn't inspiration to stay fit, I don't know what is.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-54827342947739550402012-07-22T13:26:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:26:52.274-04:00Sean Paul on music and real life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V7q8Yi0Cry3Tpuvh05Smo4E2uQYciYEIftNlHh9bLnSWW07Yy5wXjLDlGUFtaJ1niiaW-5bEmnxuNOzKv1-apDHfoAEXvtXhJDHHeS8K2Td1W5OYKoNP2bionBfD2fgbiZpX4VqDBtNp/s1600/425466_373524572674718_1866709891_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V7q8Yi0Cry3Tpuvh05Smo4E2uQYciYEIftNlHh9bLnSWW07Yy5wXjLDlGUFtaJ1niiaW-5bEmnxuNOzKv1-apDHfoAEXvtXhJDHHeS8K2Td1W5OYKoNP2bionBfD2fgbiZpX4VqDBtNp/s320/425466_373524572674718_1866709891_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NEW YORK — The ladies love dancing to Sean Paul's contagious dancehall grooves. Guys like him for making women move on the dance floor.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After three years without dropping an album, the dancehall don is back with "The Trinity." Paul talked to The Associated Press about his music, violence in Jamaica and why his album may surprise fans.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> "We Be Burnin" is a smash single, but behind the groove is a message. Do you think that message gets buried?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> Dancehall music is perceived as party music, which it is because of the rhythm, but there are messages that do come through or a purpose of an artist saying something to the world. People usually don't get the messages because of the partying.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> Is making music for men and women something you always strive to do?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> I show I can rock it in a hard-core way, but the vibe is smooth. Dudes can appreciate the hard vibe on a song like "Gimme The Light," but it sounds so sweet that girls dance to it. Sometimes another artist can't get away with making songs like that.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> What do you say about the fellas that just play the wall at the club and don't get on the dance floor?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> I've seen dudes like that, but to tell you the truth I'm like that at times too. Maybe there's a new move people are doing and you're just not with it, but things like that are natural. There are times where I've hated dances that come out in Jamaica. After a couple months of everyone doing it though, I see myself swinging in the same way. People have too much pride sometimes. After a while, you have to let loose.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> Why is the album named "The Trinity?"</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> Because it's my third album; it took three years since "Dutty Rock" dropped for it to come out; and it was all produced in the Third World. It has three moods: partying, addressing the critics/haters and a somber mood.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> Do you believe that this album completes the full circle?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> Yeah, because it's more on the dancehall vibe. I'm more reggae. "Dutty Rock" was "Dutty Rock." I did songs with Beyoncé and Busta Rhymes and I felt like a rock star. So that was that vibe.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 15px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> Is that why you toned down the huge collaborations with this album?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> I'll tell you the main reason why — it's Jamaican vibe. I'm trying to spread the music to the five million people that know my work now, so they know who inspires me in the Jamaican vibe and who the young kids are coming up. It's like because of reggae music and because I took pride in my culture, I've been to places like Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt twice, Dubai, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, all over the States, Canada and Europe. Some of these places have never even heard dancehall music before! I've helped to change the game. I've made dancehall more popular around the world.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> We recently spoke to Damian Marley about the gang violence in Jamaica. What's your take on it?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> The politicians are there to control this so-called chicken-coop that they got. They try to keep their organizations, so they give kids guns and tell them, "You vote for me in this area." Any young kid could pick up a gun there, especially when you're in the ghetto and have to survive. I'm a peaceful person, but when someone drives bad around me, I get road rage and that's the same thing with them, except they have life rage. They grew up in the slum, in the ghetto. They have a zinc roof and when it rains, the water rushes down to the bedspread. There's one outlet and that's dancehall music. Kids don't have games, so they go out and socialize and that's what keeps us calm.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Q:</strong> Are you comfortable being labeled a dancehall artist?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A:</strong> Definitely. The music I do is dancehall music, although reggae is evident on my album. Reggae is the father of our music and dancehall is something that came out of it, through economic situations in Jamaica where not everyone could be in a band and express themselves.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(My) song "Never Gonna Be The Same" is reggae. A song called, "Time Rolls On," it's talking to the leaders of everything — government, gangs and religion — and it's saying as time rolls on, when will we ever live together? When will we ever care about each other? For thousands of years (politicians) told us, "Follow us, follow us, we're leaders and we're going to do the right thing." Then they lead us into war with each other, time and time again.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The song asks questions like, "Muslims and Christian, Buddhist and Hindu, Rastafari and Jew — when will we ever share one God?" It's very conscious music, which I'm not known for. I'm known to rock the crowd. As I said though, this album shows growth and proves that I can talk about real life.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-20382519791076936122012-07-22T13:22:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:22:40.507-04:00From Snoop Dogg to Neil Diamond, Seattle is music city this week<div class="block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="summary" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #575757; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seattle is awash in music this summer. This week alone, Snoop Dogg, Dirty Projectors, Neil Diamond, Fiona Apple and Big K.R.I.T. are all in town.</span></div></div><div class="clear" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="st_image_carousel" id="PhotoContainer" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #303030; float: right; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 315px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="ImageBox" id="ImageBox" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 14px 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 298px;"><div class="ImageDiv" id="image_2018718633" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 298px;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="popup_enlarge" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2018718633.html" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(188, 92, 35); background-color: transparent; color: #09334b; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="popup_enlarge"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Busy man Snoop Dogg will play the Showbox SoDo. " class="pic" height="269" src="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2012/07/17/2018706375.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Busy man Snoop Dogg will play the Showbox SoDo. " width="296" /></span></a></div><a class="popup_enlarge" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2018718633.html" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(188, 92, 35); background-color: transparent; color: #09334b; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="popup_enlarge"><img align="left" alt="Enlarge this photo" class="ui" height="12" src="http://seattletimes.com/art/ui/1024/v_2011/icons/enlarge.gif" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="21" /></a><div class="credit" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="clear" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="caption" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Busy man Snoop Dogg will play the Showbox SoDo.</span></div></div></div></div><div class="backgrounds" id="stBackgroundLabel" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #303030; float: right; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px 17px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 298px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div class="vspacing" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><ul class="iconbglink" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 8px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li class="Related_story" style="background-image: url(http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/1024/v_2011/icons/internal_story-s.gif); background-position: 4px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 8px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 25px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/rss/musicnightlife.xml" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(188, 92, 35); background-color: transparent; color: #09334b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Music & Nightlife </span></a></li>
</ul></div><div class="body" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why did half the entertainers in America suddenly decide to show up in Seattle this week? Just as we're recovering from the Capitol Hill Block Party, along comes a new gauntlet: Snoop Dogg, Dirty Projectors (with Wye Oak), Neil Diamond, Fiona Apple and Big K.R.I.T. Sorry, but there's no way we could get all these folks on the phone, not to mention find space for them in the paper, so what follows is a bonsai version of Seattle's musical garden this week.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Snoop Dogg with Dyme Def and Jay Barz</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite a relentless touring schedule (it seems like he's in Seattle every year), reality TV shows, B-movies and ubiquity on pop radio, the California rapper, amazingly, has not worn out his welcome. It must be the voice. Snoop's slinky way with a word and a phrase captivated America's suburbs in the gangsta-rap heyday of the early '90s, and he's casually ridden out trends since. Now that popular hip-hop is softer and party oriented, Snoop is riding that wave, too. His recent album with Wiz Khalifa, the popular rapper who is like a 20-years-younger Snoop clone, sounds like it was made as effortlessly as possible.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dirty Projectors with Wye Oak</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yelp-y voiced singer-<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 1.4em;">guitarist-mastermind David Longstreth and vocalists Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle make a glorious racket as one of the foremost bands inheriting the David Byrne/Talking Heads mantle of making African-influenced punk rock. The Dirty Projectors' last album "Bitte Orca" brought Longstreth's polyrhythmic arrangements together with the arty pop of Bjork and traces of Mariah Carey's sound for a big critical hit. New album "Swing Lo Magellan" focuses more on programmed drum beats, while still presenting a rock band creating its own idea of soul music. It's a little disjointed but pretty brilliant.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neil Diamond</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Cherry, Cherry," "Sweet Caroline," "I'm a Believer," "Red, Red Wine" — hard to get more mainstream than that. Neil Diamond's eminently singable hits are as familiar as air and water. Columbia Records has announced a compilation of the crooner's very best for December. But before that you can see the Kennedy Center honoree and Las Vegas fixture in the flesh, right here in the Emerald City.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fiona Apple with Blake Mills</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apple reigns as the current queen of poison-pen pop songwriting, a title she has assumed every three to seven years since 1996, whenever she has decided to put out an album. The new installment (take a breath), "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do," is critically acclaimed, like the others. Musically stripped-down to mainly piano and voice, it centerpieces Apple's singing style, still startlingly seething, full of love and fury. Her old-fashioned songs match the elegant Paramount, but her angry rapper-esque vibes are all up in your face.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Big K.R.I.T. with Casey Veggies, Big Sant and Tito Lopez</span></strong></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we talk about Mississippi producer/rapper Big K.R.I.T., there is some debate as to which goes first, producer or rapper. Which is he better at? Like Kanye West, or locally, Palaceer Lazaro from Shabazz Palaces, K.R.I.T. does both. Popular opinion says producing is K.R.I.T.'s strong suit. And in this case popular opinion is correct. If he doesn't have a muddying live band interpolating his sound at Neumos (fingers crossed) and decides to plug his beats straight into the mixing board, the banging speakers should do poetic justice to his country rap tunes. And he's no slouch on the microphone. Pay attention past the barrage of southern rap slang and you'll catch an uplifting, never</span></div></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-38144657465412613492012-07-21T23:18:00.000-04:002012-07-21T23:18:56.173-04:00Cops: Weeks of planning went into shootings at Colo. Batman screening<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://m.static.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=alex-johnson44BC8D06-1F62-ED1B-55E5-AE36CD1E6E05.jpg&width=380" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="407" id="alex-johnson44BC8D06-1F62-ED1B-55E5-AE36CD1E6E05.jpg" src="http://m.static.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=alex-johnson44BC8D06-1F62-ED1B-55E5-AE36CD1E6E05.jpg&width=380" width="380" /></a> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A graduate student's attack in a sold-out theater near Denver showing the new Batman movie, in which 12 people were killed early Friday, was the culmination of two months of meticulous planning that included a potentially deadly booby trap left in the suspect's home for investigators, authorities said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fifty-eight other people were injured, many of them seriously, in the shootings shortly after midnight at the Century 16 Movie Theaters complex in Aurora, Colo. Earlier reports had said 59 people were injured, but police revised that number at a news conference Friday night. All but a small handful of the injured had been shot, Police Chief Dan Oates said. Thirty people remained in area hospitals Friday night, 11 of them in critical condition, after a carefully orchestrated attack in which the suspect, identified as James Eagan Holmes, 24, bought all of his weapons and ammunition legally beginning in May.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Late Friday, the family of Alex Sullivan, 27, said in a statement that he was among the dead, the Denver Post and The Associated Press reported. Heart-wrenching photographs taken earlier Friday showed Sullivan's father, Tom, grieving and pleading for information about his son. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Federal and local enforcement officials said Holmes was sheathed in a helmet, a gas mask, a tactical bulletproof vest, throat and groin protectors and tactical gloves. All of the gear was black.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Holmes was armed with two .40-caliber Glock handguns, a Remington 870 single-barrel pump shotgun, a Smith & Wesson AR-15 assault-style rifle and as many as 6,000 rounds of ammunition, Oates said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The scene also appeared to have been specially targeted for maximum carnage — the local premiere of one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year, "The Dark Knight Rises," the third in the series of director Christopher Nolan's Batman films.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a statement, Nolan expressed "profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community."</span></div><div class="inlineVideo photo_align_right" data-contentid="12864472" id="vine-inlineVideo__12864472" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aurora, Colo., Police Chief Dan Oates says the suspect in the theater shootings bought his weapons and ammunition legally.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After he was arrested outside the theater, Holmes told police that he was the Joker, a reference to one of the most prominent villains in the Batman canon, a law enforcement official told NBC News on condition of anonymity. (The official said the suspect had dyed his hair red or orange, which isn't typically associated with the green-haired Joker character, who doesn't appear in "The Dark Knight Rises.")</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aurora police said Holmes also booby-trapped his apartment with an elaborate network of wire-connected bottles containing an unknown liquid, presumably intended to go off when authorities arrived to canvass his home.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Holmes told police about the trap before they arrived, however, and investigators hadn't entered the apartment Friday night. They were analyzing gases and examining photographs of the scene to figure out how to deal with the materials and had decided to defer any action until Saturday at the earliest, Oates said.</span></div><div class="inlineCode photo_align_left" data-contentid="12859943" id="vine-inlineCode__12859943" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="bio"> <div class="biocontent"><span style="font-size: small;">Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.</span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It's not something I've ever seen before," said Oates, who said that the area was evacuated and that police were expected to remain on the scene "for hours or days."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Holmes, a graduate student from San Diego who was in the process of withdrawing from the neuroscience program at the University of Colorado-Denver medical school, put up no resistance when he was arrested in a parking lot at the theater, police said. He retained legal counsel and wasn't answering investigators' questions, they said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We are confident he acted alone," Oates said of Holmes, who was scheduled to appear in Arapahoe County District Court on Monday morning to face unspecified charges. Authorities refused to speculate on his possible motive.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of those killed was Jessica Ghawi, a sportswriter who survived a June 2 mass shooting at a mall in Toronto in which two people were killed and seven others were injured. Ghawi blogged under the name Jessica Redfield.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Defense officials told NBC News that a sailor at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora was missing and presumed to have been killed. A second sailor and two airmen from Buckley were also shot. Their identities and conditions weren't available.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong></strong>Authorities said the gunman appeared at the front of the theater at 12:39 a.m. (2:39 a.m. ET), about 20 minutes into the film, and released two canisters of gas. Witnesses told reporters that the gunfire erupted during a shootout scene. Authorities responded within a minute and a half, Oates said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It was mass chaos," witness Jennifer Seeger told TODAY. The gunman shot the ceiling and then "he threw in the gas can, and then I knew it was real."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Witnesses said the gunman entered the theater at Aurora Town Center through an emergency exit door. But a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the suspect bought a ticket and went in as part of the crowd. He is believed to have propped open an exit door as the movie was playing, the official said.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aurora is a suburb less than 10 miles east of downtown Denver and just 15 miles northeast of Littleton, near the scene of what had been the worst mass shooting in Colorado: the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, when two gunmen killed 12 fellow students and a teacher and wounded 26 other people before killing themselves.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Three of the suspect's four weapons were found in his white Hyundai parked at the back entrance to the theater; one of the handguns was found in the theater.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Law enforcement officials told NBC News that the weapons were legally bought from local stores of two national chains — Gander Mountain Guns and Bass Pro Shop — beginning in May.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oates didn't say what kind of magazines were used, but he said "many, many rounds were fired." Some rounds penetrated an adjoining theater and injured at least one person, he said.</span></div><div class="inlineVideo photo_align_block" data-contentid="12862764" id="vine-inlineVideo__12862764" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jennifer Seeger, who sat in the second row of the theater when the gunman arrived, tells NBC's Brian Williams about her ordeal.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">James Yacone, the FBI's agent in charge in Denver, said there was no indication of a link to terrorism. Holmes wasn't on any federal law enforcement watch lists, authorities told NBC News, and Oates said he had no police record beyond a speeding ticket last year.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The few people who had any contact with Holmes described him as a recluse who lived with his shades drawn and who, when he did meet someone, revealed little.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"He kept to himself, didn't like a lot of attention," said Melvin Evans, a neighbor.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another neighbor, Kaitlyn Fonzi, said, "We never heard anything abnormal until midnight this morning, when we heard loud techno music playing" from Holmes' apartment.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>'Pain and grief ... too intense for words'</strong>Gov. John Hickenlooper said at a news conference that "our hearts are broken as we think of the friends and family of the victims of this senseless tragedy." He called the shootings "the act of an apparently very deranged mind."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The pain and grief (are) too intense for words, but we can't let it keep us from our lives," Hickenlooper said. "We are going to come back stronger from this, but it is obviously going to be a very long process."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">President Barack Obama cut short a campaign visit to Florida to return to Washington ahead of schedule.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He called for reflection after the attack. "There are going to be other days for politics," Obama said during an abbreviated appearance in Fort Myers, where he led a moment of silence on behalf of the victims and their families.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong></strong></span>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-26232877582811761942012-07-19T12:25:00.000-04:002012-07-19T12:25:36.619-04:00Madonna puts gun to her head in on-stage stunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/120718-madonna-gun.380;380;7;70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/120718-madonna-gun.380;380;7;70.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Material Girl keeps pulling out the props on stage. While Rome caught an eyeful of her backside, and Paris was treated to a nipple the other night, Madonna and her dancers flashed big shiny guns on stage in London's Hyde Park, during Monday's stop on her increasingly controversial MDN</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A tour.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when we say guns we don't mean their arms.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously the uproar over Lindsay Lohan's recent girl-next-door-with-gun photo shoot wasn't foremost on Madonna's mind when she pressed her revolver to her temple.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sigh...</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, what do you know, making gestures suggestive of self-harm aren't really in favor these days.Packing presumably unloaded heat is nothing new for the pop icon, who brandished an AK-47 assault rifle during a show in Tel Aviv in May and brought out the smaller gun for effect while performing "Gang Bang." (Ironically, she brought out the rifle during "Revolver.")</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After Lohan's second photo shoot this year featuring her and a gun (but the first in which she pointed it toward her open mouth), the national suicide hotline Hopeline told E! News, "When a celebrity uses suicide and specifically the means to do it as a joke, it is grossly irresponsible and is a disgrace. It also must be met with an immediate rebuke from the mental-health community. This is no joking matter. Lives are at stake."</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389153104015162230.post-6665839518023598822012-07-19T12:16:00.002-04:002012-07-19T12:16:34.118-04:00The true worth of TV stars: $1 million per episode? Get Ashton Kutcher a raise!<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/110927-ent-kutcher3-hmed.380;380;7;70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/110927-ent-kutcher3-hmed.380;380;7;70.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chelsea Handler is the most overpaid celebrity on TV and Ashton Kutcher should be asking for a hefty raise, according to a semi-scientificstudy conducted by The Los Angeles Times.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Times’ study divided the salaries of TV personalities by the average number of viewers their show attracts, ranking them according to how much money they make per viewer. Handler, who makes $12 million, attracts only 718,000 viewers on average, which works out to the comedienne earning an astonishing $16.70 for each viewer – the most of any TV personality.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the study fails to account for the fact that some performers tape 200 or more episodes per year (Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” for example) or the importance of attracting a young demographic (we’ll give you that, Chelsea) or the fact that all salaries are unofficial and based on “agency sources and reported figures” as the Times concedes, the study nonetheless provides an interesting look into the rather incomprehensible, illogical world of TV.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to the findings, it seems that Handler, David Letterman and Anderson Cooper are maximizing personal gain, rounding out the top three in most money per viewer; however, “Jersey Shore’s” Snooki, “Modern Family’s” Ty Burrell and “Two and a Half Men’s” Kutcher are giving their networks a real bang for their buck with some of the lowest per viewer earnings. Then again, it’s hard to think Burrell and Snooki’s million-dollar annual salaries are reason to groan. And while Kutcher pulls in only $1.16 per viewer, with a $17 million salary he ends up making about $1 million for each of his twenty-two minute episodes. All of a sudden, the floppy-haired star doesn’t seem so underpaid.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It really does seem impossible to gauge how much a star deserves though. “Judge Judy’s” Judith Sheindlin makes the most of any TV personality: $45 million annually. How's that work, you might ask? The supreme ease and profit in syndicating “Judge Judy” is probably the best answer. But other questions abound.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why should Stephen Colbert earn only one-third of Jon Stewart’s salary for making essentially the same show? And how did Keith Olbermann make what the Times estimates to be $56 per viewer when helming “Countdown” on Al Gore’s Current TV?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps paychecks hinge less on economic sense and more on an entertainer’s “it” factor and potential drawing power. The Times notes that “intense competition makes network executives do increasingly desperate things.”</span></div><div class="inlineCode photo_align_right" data-contentid="12795064" id="vine-inlineCode__12795064" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #333333; float: right; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 25px 10px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/likebox.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftodayclicker&width=292&colorscheme=light&show_faces=false&border_color&stream=false&header=false&height=62" style="border-style: none; height: 62px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 292px;"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-follow-button" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.1340179658.html#_=1342714209737&id=twitter-widget-15&lang=en&screen_name=TODAY_Clicker&show_count=true&show_screen_name=true&size=m" style="border-width: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 256px;" title="Twitter Follow Button"></iframe></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, Olbermann's short-lived gig pulled Current TV into the spotlight, Letterman has helped make CBS the most-watched network thanks in part to his show’s late-night domination, and Stewart pulls in youngsters and provides a widely watched platform for movie stars and authors alike to discuss their projects and crack a few jokes.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.8em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we can roll our collective eyes at Chelsea Handler’s $16.70 per viewer salary for “Chelsea Lately,” perhaps someone over at E! knows exactly why she deserves so much. It just goes to further prove how complex the TV industry is. Either that, or Handler has one hell of an agent.</span></div>Memory Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16855930960920409325noreply@blogger.com0