A slow, painful divorce process at Rutgers, Toyota's bad run continues and unusual protests in Mogadishu

- They may not like each other, they may both want their contentious relationship to end, but Rutgers and men's basketball coach Fred Hill can’t seem to call it quits just yet. The two sides are attempting to negotiate Hill’s exit amidst allegations of academic issues within the basketball program and reports that at least one basketball player failed a drug test, along with the incident last month when Hill got into a profanity-laced tirade with visiting coaches at a Rutgers home baseball game against Pittsburgh. Having not been fired yet, Hill received a letter Monday from athletic director Tim Pernetti as he continued working, overseeing the team's weightlifting program and making calls in his office. Pernetti, clearly busy honing his writing skills the past few days, also released written a statement on Monday, saying that the situation with Hill was "an internal personnel matter. We have no further comment at this time.'' However, sources close to the situation claim that Pernetti's letter to Hill alleged numerous breaches of contract, including the academic issues and failed drug test. It’s being reported that Pernetti was required to give Hill written notification of any alleged contract violations and that Hill would have 30 days to address those allegations, so this may be the start of that process. Pernetti could suspend Hill with pay if he so chooses, but perhaps he is electing to focus all of his energy on finding a way to fire Hill with cause and not fanning the flames further. If the university chooses to fire Hill for cause, he would have 14 days to file an appeal to the university president. As with all cases like this, money is obviously at the hear of this case. If fired, Hill could be owed upwards of $1.8 million and right now, reports have the school’s buyout offer at just one-third of that, $600,000. No one expects him to stay on as coach in any event, so how awkward must it be for his staff, players and everyone else Hill crosses paths with in between now and whenever he’s fired? What do you say to a guy who is chugging along, doing his job even though it’s blatantly clear (even to him) that he is going to be fired sooner rather than later? The situation is even more tenuous for the university because the signing period for incoming recruits begins Wednesday. Top recruit Gil Biruta already wants out of his letter of intent and current star player Mike Rosario wants to transfer. Not a great time to be a Rutgers basketball fan, I have to say………….

- A great run of things just keeps getting better for Toyota. The government wants a piece of the company’s backside, vehicles with Gas Pedals of Death are still under recall and being repaired, lawsuits on account of those GPOD are undoubtedly forthcoming and now, the company is stopping sales of its 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV because of concerns over an increased rollover risk during a turn. Consumer Reports first raised the red flag on the matter, issuing a safety warning on the expensive SUV. The magazine says it was conducting routine tests on the vehicle when the problem occurred and it is serious enough to urge consumers not to buy the GX 460 until the problem has been remedied. The "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" is a designation rarely handed out by the magazine, not having been issued since 2001, on the Mitsubishi Montero Limited. Toyota, which has to be accustomed to making these sorts of statements of late, issued a written statement in regards to the report. "We're concerned with the results," said Toyota in a statement, adding that the company will try to duplicate Consumer Reports' test "to determine if appropriate steps need to taken." Later in the day, the decision to stop sales of the GX 460 was announced less than three months after it went on sale. About 5,000 GX 460s have been sold in that time. Those owners are advised by Consumer Reports to approach exit ramps with caution. Despite suspending sales of the GX 460, Toyota insists that the vehicle "meets or exceeds all federal government testing requirements.” That would seem to be irrelevant if, as Consumer Reports claims, that the vehicles electronic stability control program fails to keep the vehicle in line during a severe handling maneuver, allowing it to slide almost completely sideways and potentially leading to a rollover. Electronic stability control (ESC) is a computerized system controlling the brakes and accelerator to maintain vehicle control in sudden maneuvers. In the Consumer Reports test, the SUV was going over 60 miles per hour and occurred during tests conducted by four different Consumer Reports test drivers. The result was the same even when a second vehicle was used for the test. Just another great moment for Toyota in a period when the hits just seem to keep on comin’……………

- I’m not a huge fan of trends started by celebrities. Why the heck would I mimic or emulate someone’s style or behavior just because they are famous? Famous people aren’t any smarter or automatically more stylish than the rest of us and I don’t know them, so I don’t have any reason to want to be like them. However, I do find a certain trend that has popped up recently among Hollywood’s famous faces very interesting and the latest follower of the trend is none other than the walking costume closet explosion herself, pop tart Lady Gaga. At a recent event for M.A.C's Viva Glam, Lady Gaga said, "I can't believe I'm saying this -- don't have sex. It's not really cool any more to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent. It's OK not to have sex, it's OK to get to know people. I'm celibate, celibacy's fine." Interesting, especially given her image and suggestive lyrics and videos. In other words, she seems to be doing a whole lot of steering others toward lots of sex and yet saying it’s okay not to hop into bed with everyone you see. Nothing like mixes messages, eh? Feel free to work this concept into your music, Lady G. She is far from the only famous face supporting the concept of celibacy, joining a list that includes Bristol Palin, daughter of air-headed former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima Adriana Lima (a big abstinence practitioner prior to getting married a year ago) famously told GQ, "Sex is for after marriage. [Men] have to respect that this is my choice. If there's no respect, that means they don't want me." "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson recently offered up some bizarre thinking in an interview when he said that he was Catholic and that had adopted abstinence. He said, "'Twilight' is a big metaphor for sexual abstinence. The success of the 'Twilight' books comes from the fact that fans can lust after Edward and yet, certainly in the first book, there's no actual sexual contact between him and the series heroine." Other famous names on the abstinence bandwagon include Lenny Kravitz, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Whether you agree with the trend or not, there’s no denying that it is both curious and admirable to see people for whom the opportunity to get some is much more frequent and available decide to abstain from it in order to stick to their principles…………

- Although I do love traditional protests and riots - marching, chanting, signs, throwing rocks, lighting things on fire, storming buildings and clashing with police - I have an open mind when it comes to social dissidence. Unusual and original protests are always welcome and that’s certainly what took place in Mogadishu on Tuesday as roars, growls and galloping hooves replaced music on some of Mogadishu's radio stations in a protest of a ban on music imposed by Islamic extremists. Muslim militant groups showed their extremist side in declaring that music is un-Islamic demanding that it be banned. In response to threats from those groups, , played those animal noises in protest on the same day Mogadishu's 14 private radio stations stopped playing music after Hizbul al-Islam, an Islamic extremist group, issued a 10-day ultimatum. The ultimatum received more weight because it was backed by the main militant group al-Shabaab, which has been linked to al Qaeda. Several of the radio stations reportedly received calls warning them that there would be consequences if they failed to comply with the ban within 10 days. In response to those threats, Radio Shabelle, Tusmo and Hornafrik all elected to air the animal noises, ocean waves and gunfire as background noises for their announcers. A radio station director who elected to remain anonymous because of safety concerns, said the stations were unhappy about the ban but were forced to comply "because of fear for our lives." In a country full of rebel and extremist groups, coping with uncertainty and threats is much more a way of life than it is in the United States or other Western nations. There is no way to fully grasp the experience of having a well-armed, bad-intentioned group with lots of weapons and the commitment to use them demand that you stop doing something or else you will be killed. Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991 and extremist groups like Hizbul al-Islam become that much more dangerous. So keep up the good fight, Mogadishu radio stations, and stay alive, amigos…………

- Perhaps no computer maker updates its hardware and software more often than Apple, so going nearly a year without updating and revising its popular MacBook Pro laptop line is quite a departure from the norm for Steve Jobs and Co. That changed Tuesday as Apple unveiled its newest MacBook Pro laptops, highlighting faster processors and longer battery life while reminding consumers that the lappers are useful in areas the much-hyped iPad just doesn’t get the job done. The update affects all three MacBook Pro models: 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch. Users who have been yearning for Intel's new Core i5 and i7 processors will be happy to see those devices in the new 15- and 17-inch models. So as to not leave more budget-conscious customers out of the fun, Apple says the 13-inch has a "groundbreaking" built-in battery that can go 10 hours without recharging and a graphics processor they say is 80 percent faster than the current model's, while the the 15- and 17-inch Pros are up to 50 percent faster than current models according to Apple. "The new MacBook Pro is as advanced on the inside as it is stunning on the outside," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president for worldwide marketing, said in a written statement. "With faster processors, amazing graphics and up to three more hours of battery life, the new MacBook Pro delivers both performance and efficiency." The new models are now available through the online Apple Store and at authorized Apple dealers, with prices set at: $1,199 (13-inch, 2.4 GHz processor), $1,499 (13-inch, 2.66 GHz), $1,799 (15-inch, 2.4 GHz), $1,999 (15-inch, 2.53 GHz), $2,199 (15-inch, 2.66 GHz) and $2,299

(17-inch, 2.53 GHz). As always, for a few extra dollars, you can also upgrade the hard drive, add extra RAM and add a few other custom options to your MacBook Pro. The overall appearance of the lappers, it should be noted, hasn’t changed, so this upgrade is mainly on the inside…………