Kathy Griffin's show axed, the Jets v. Revis Island and Communist world powers unite

- Spain’s royal family is embroiled in controversy, but maybe a little found gold from centuries gone by could buy some favor with the masses? Getting their hands on that gold will be difficult, but if they play their cards right, the wealth of treasures found in a 1622 shipwreck whose treasures were originally intended to shore up the finances of the struggling Spanish Empire could be theirs. Ironically enough, that empire was weakened by economic calamity at home and staggering under the debt from years of war in the Middle East and present-day Spain in hurting financially as well. The shipwrecked vessel is the galleon Buen Jesus y Nuestra Senora del Rosario, one of 28 ships in the Tierra Firme fleet that was sailing from the New World back to Spain, laden with colonial treasures. Eight of the ships were sunk by a powerful hurricane off the Florida Keys, killing 500 people and delivering a kill shot that essentially closed down the Golden Age of Spain. The shipwreck "is the most important Spanish galleon to be found because of what its loss meant," explained Sean Kingsley, a marine archaeologist who has been studying the wreck. "Its loss broke the Bank of Madrid at a time when there was 300 percent inflation in Spain, and it was in serious debt for its endless wars," Kingsley said. "Spain never recovered." For now, the ship's bounty is now on display at the Tampa, Fla., headquarters of Odyssey Marine Exploration after the group’s explorers recovered the treasure. The impressive collection includes more than 6,000 pearls, silver coins bearing Spain's imperial stamp, bars of almost-pure gold and long strands of glittering gold necklaces. There were also parrot feathers and ceramic jars filled with olives among the wreckage, which was first discovered in 1965 when shrimp fishermen pulled up pottery and other artifacts in their deepwater nets. However, the wreck remained buried at 1,300 feet below the surface for nearly five decades until a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, allowed archaeologists to begin the slow recovery process from aboard the research vessel Seahawk. Now about returning that gold to the hurting economy of present-day Spain……

- Communist powers unite! China and Russia are planning to unite and use their collective Communist powers to establish a cross-border Amur leopard reserve this year. China’s Jilin Province Forestry Department announced plans for the reserved over the weekend and is engaged in discussions with the Land of Leopard National Park in Primorsky Territory of Russia on a cooperative agreement to protect the big cat.
 "If everything goes smoothly, we suggest signing an agreement with the park in June," explained Jiang Jinsong, a provincial forestry department official.
 "We hope to promote the cooperation as soon as possible," added Alyona Salmanova, head of the science department at Land of Leopard National Park. As all nature lovers know, the Amur leopard lives in the border area of China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula and it is a subspecies of the Panthera genus. The World Wide Fund for Nature claims that the Amur leopard population has dwindled to around 50, qualifying the car as one of the world's most endangered species. 
 Russian authorities claim that Land of Leopard National Park was set up early in 2012 at the order of Russian despot and avid lover of nature-related PR stunts Vladimir Putin. Russia’s leopard park borders Hunchun in Jilin province and lies along one of the migration routes for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.
 Both China and Russia have been focused on finding ways to protect the wild cats in recent years, with a present focus on joint monitoring, information sharing and personnel exchanges between Russia's Primorsky Territory and China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.
 The WWF – no, not THAT WWF, which is now WWE – says it fully supports the cross-border Amur leopard reserve and hopes the new agreement will help these beasts rebuild their population……..

 

- There hasn’t been enough drama around the New York Jets this offseason and someone needs to fix that. Enter embattled cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has been on the trading block all offseason while he continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee following a complete tear of his ACL last season. While the team shops him and can't find a suitor, the Jets are adamant that Revis show up for their offseason conditioning program, which begins April 15. The Jets still would like to trade him before or during the April 25 draft, but until he no longer wears green and white, the team plans to enforce language in his contract that requires him to participate in the voluntary workouts to collect bonus money. That could be a point of contention with Revis, who has been rehabbing with his personal trainer in Arizona and would prefer to stay there to keep his rehab on track while also avoiding the certain awkwardness if he showed up to the workouts. At stake in this game of workout chicken is $3 million in bonus money, part of the deal Revis received when he renegotiated his contract in 2010 following his second holdout in three years. A clause in that deal requires his attendance in all offseason activities -- even non-mandatory workouts. He must attend approximately 80 percent of the workouts or else forfeit $1 million workout bonus, a $1 million roster bonus (triggered March 17, but payable at a later date) and a $1 million reporting bonus at the start of training camp. The three bonuses are linked together, so attendance is suddenly an important topic for Revis. The clause is part of the Jets’ sly plan to keep him on his best behavior through the end of his deal. General manager John Idzik has been adamant that the team’s primary concern is Revis' health, which is partially true because he’s a lot more desirable in a trade if he’s the All-Pro, shutdown corner who earned the nickname Revis Island and not the dude who underwent ACL surgery last October. "I think as we get into the offseason program -- it's all voluntary -- but you would hope that most of your players want to be there and be in the building and get the juices flowing with our staff and everybody that we have," Idzik said of Revis’ fate in late February………

- If only Kathy Griffin's response to her talk show being canceled was as colorful as the comedienne’s language tends to be in most other settings. The show, “Kathy,” debuted on Bravo last year and has battled its way through two seasons. There will not be a third. Bravo announced the cancellation and Griffin referenced the decision over the weekend during her stand-up act at Cincinnati's Taft Theatre. She informed the clearly biased crowd of the news and many booed, prompting a tongue-in-cheek joke from Griffin  "predicting the demise of Bravo.” She added that she had been informed the day before that her show would not be back for a third season and after her performance in Cincinnati, she responded to a tweet about the cancellation, writing, "Sad but tru." Her TV show debuted in April 2012, airing at 10 p.m. on Thursdays to relatively decent reviews. However, when the second season premiered Jan. 10, its ratings dipped and it was relegated to the later time slot of 11:30 p.m. starting Feb. 28. Its 24-episode run concluded with the final episode of Season 2 on March 28 and across its two seasons, “Kathy” averaged 500,000 total viewers. Those aren't the sorts of numbers that inspire even a basic cable network to bring a show back and the cancellation represents the second time Bravo has bade farewell to one of Griffin’s shows. She previously starred in the network’s reality show “My Life on the D-List” for six seasons and will continue to be a part of what Bravo has going on through her comedy specials, which will include a new special to be taped next weekend and air this summer. She also reportedly shot a pilot for CNN alongside her New Year's Eve co-host Anderson Cooper last month……..

- Since when is paying for a project costing tens of millions of dollars important? And so what if that project is being built to care for veterans, the men and women who have given so much to their country and deserve its full support? In Aurora, Colo., paying for a new Veterans Administration Hospital simply does not rate as a top priority even though the facility is beginning to take shape. Some of the subcontractors working on that project have raised a red flag in the early going, claiming they have yet to be paid for their efforts. By yet to be paid, take that to mean their allegedly unpaid bill now rests around the $41 million mark. “Companies are on the brink of going bankrupt if they already haven’t. Jobs are being lost and the stress on families is unimaginable,” said Small Business Administration spokesman Greg Lopez. Rather than pay the bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs and its prime contractor, Kiewit Turner, are trying to divert attention from their welching ways by accusing one another of being responsible for the delays. Whomever is on the hook for the $41 million is stiffing more than 30 subcontractors, some of them veteran-owned companies. “A lot of them have been waiting over a year to get paid,” Lopez added. The SBA has been in the middle of the mess for the past two months, trying to negotiate an agreement. Colorado’s entire Congressional delegation has also weighed in, sending a letter to the VA last month demanding to know its plan to “remedy nonpayment issues.” The VA’s response was to explain that Kiewit is responsible for paying its subcontractors. Kiewit’s stance is that the VA must work through a backlog of paperwork before payments can be made. As part of the negotiation process, Kiewit included a clause prohibiting all involved parties from speaking on camera about the situation……

Civil rights GPS bracelets, Mexican cartel assassination hijinks and insulting Detroit with the truth

- Been trying to locate your favorite civil rights activist and had trouble because some extremist whack job has kidnapped them? Good news is here. A group known as Civil Rights Defenders has issued its first batch of GPS bracelets that will alert its headquarters, other nearby activists and everyone who follows the group on any of its social media outlets if the bracelet’s owner is ever kidnapped. A batch of five bracelets were issued during the Civil Rights Defenders’ conference, Defenders’ Days, held April 2-5. The CRD plans to issue 55 of the bracelets over the next year and a half and describes them as a personal alarm that is part of what it is calling the “Natalia Project.” The project is named in honor of Natalia Estemirova, a human rights defender who was murdered within 24 hours of being kidnapped in 2009. Since her death, CRD officials have suggested that if the authorities were alerted about Estemirova’s kidnapping sooner, her death could have been prevented. Robert Hårdh, the executive director of Civil Rights Defenders, said the bracelets  “give us an opportunity to react faster and extend our hands-on protection further.” Equipped with GPS tracking, the bracelets can be activated manually, or if an attacker forcefully removes it from the activist’s wrist. Once a bracelet is activated, a signal with the wearer’s location will be sent to the CRD headquarters in Stockholm. Alerts will also be sent out to other CRD activists in the same area as the abductee and an automatic notification will be sent out throughout the Natalia Project’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. All together, the alerts could potentially reach hundreds of thousands of people instantly, according to CRD officials. In their idealist world, this would also put pressure on the attacker because the world would (theoretically) be aware of the attack. Before the organization can distribute more bracelets, it must raise more money and it is asking anyone who can help to support the Natalia Project to donate to the cause……

- It has been an uncharacteristically down year for the Detroit Red Wings. The chief attraction in Hockeytown is mired in seventh place in the Western Conference standings as the NHL winds toward the end of its strike-shortened, 48-game regular season. While that would be enough to get Detroit into the playoffs and give them hope for a title run, the Red Wings are clearly going to need a boost to put them over the top and be a real playoff threat. Maybe controversial prospect Riley Sheahan can be that spark. The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Sheahan from their American Hockey League affiliate and his first game with the top club this season came Sunday when Detroit hosted the St. Louis Blues. If his name sounds familiar but you’re the type of person who doesn’t care about hockey and especially doesn’t scour the scores and statistical leaders of the American Hockey League, know that there is good reason to recall Sheahan’s name. See, after he was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NHL draft and one game for the Red Wings last year, he was dispatched to the minors after pleading guilty to drunken driving in December 2011 following an infamous traffic stop. When he was arrested, he was rocking the costume of the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky and Grand Rapids (Mich.) police said at the time Sheahan had a blood-alcohol level of 0.30, nearly four times the legal limit and yet, still not enough to justify a grown man being dressed as a Teletubby. During his time this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Sheahan 35 points in 67 games and perhaps his drunken antics can inject life into a moribund Red Wings season………

- Same old, same old in Mexico. While the world spins on and much changes, life south of the U.S.-Mexico border remains largely the same – at least in regards to drug cartels and gang activity. So, who’s trying to assassinate whom this week in the name of keeping their powdery product moving smoothly from Point A to Point B? The targets in this week’s saga of gang violence are/were federal legislators David and Ricardo Monreal, who are also brothers. According to Assistant Attorney General Mariana Benitez, Mexican authorities have arrested a group of armed men suspected of plotting to assassinate the two leftist lawmakers. Benitez confirmed that members of the gang were arrested Thursday at a hotel in downturn Mexico City. Like good low-level gang bangers, these meatheads have already confessed to planning to kill the brothers Monreal. “Early today the raid was successfully carried out without violence, and apart from the individuals arrested ... guns and communication equipment with which they planned to carry out the assassinations were seized," Benitez said. The Monreal brothers became targets because the district they represent lies in the central state of Zacatecas, a key drug trafficking route. Senator David Monreal belongs to the Labor Party, which belonged to a leftist coalition backing Andres Lopez Obrador, the former leader of the Democratic Revolution Party and runner-up in last year’s presidential election. Ricardo Monreal belongs to the Citizen Movement party and was a campaign manager for Lopez Obrador and both have been outspoken against the cartels and their reign of violence both locally and across Mexico. Police have remained tight-lipped about any details regarding the plot and with the cartels’ history of trying to put a bullet in the head of anyone who stands in their way, the odds seem high that whoever is behind this plot will try again………

- No one has confused Detroit and utopia in a long, long time, but that doesn’t mean the locals are all right with outsiders rubbing their face in the Motor City’s down-and-out status. That extends beyond the city limits to Detroit Metro Airport, where officials have come under fire for their decision to pull a free newspaper from terminals over a headline that appeared to slam Detroit. At the center of the controversy is The Metropolitan, a local entertainment and culture magazine. The publication recently ran headline “Detroit, the Most Miserable City in America,” which was meant as an ironic rebuttal to an article in Forbes magazine. Either airport workers and travelers don’t read Forbes or don’t have a great sense of humor because airport spokesman Mike Conway said the airport received many complaints from customers, employees and volunteers about the issue. “You don’t have to explain the concept of sarcasm to me. I get sarcasm; I understand what sarcasm is; I laugh when I watch Monty Python movies, so I know what irony is and sarcasm is,” Conway said. “This just landed flat.” Yes, he just made a Monty Python reference and yes, that is an incredibly dated reference to make, but don’t allow that to completely undercut Conway’s case. The angriest group seems to be the Airport Ambassadors group, which takes on the daunting task of boosting Detroit’s image amongst those passing through the airport. “Their mission is to help customers that are lost or have questions or whatever. But their whole objective is to help the image of Detroit," Conway added. "They see this publication that says Detroit is the most miserable city in American, and, as one of them out it, we have 150 destinations out of this airport around the world. People around the world are connecting here." Conway took the ultimate responsibility for the decision to pull The Metropolitan, but airport censorship can’t hide the fact that Forbes has a point………

- Continuity was the theme at the movies this weekend as only one new (and one not really new) movie darkened the doorstop of the top 10 on the earnings list. “Evil Dead” debuted in first place, banking $26 million by attempting to scare the life out of those brave enough to go and see it. Second place belonged to the family flick “The Croods,” which tallied $21.1 million for a three-week tally of $125.8 million. That was enough to outmuscle Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his cohorts in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” which dipped to third with $21 million as Johnson shifted his focus to competing at WrestleMania XXIX. Through two weeks, “G.I. Joe” has banked $86.7 million. The return of “Jurassic Park” to theaters in 3D form was met with mild interest from fans, who bought enough tickets to stake it to fourth place with $18.2 million in its “debut.” Fifth place was the landing spot for “Olympus Has Fallen,” down one spot from last weekend after earning $10.1 million to up its overall domestic total to $71.1 million. “Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor” somehow lingered in the top 10 for the second straight weekend, making $10 million for an overall domestic haul of $38.3 million through two weeks. The occupant of seventh place was “Oz The Great and Powerful,” owner of $8.2 million in weekend revenue and $212.8 million overall after five weeks in theaters. “The Host” occupied eighth place with $5.2 million and its modest two-week total stands at $19.7 million. “The Call” rang up $3.5 million to rank ninth for the frame, elevating its cumulative domestic total to $45.4 million and counting in four weeks. “Admission” earned the final spot in the top 10 with a $2 million weekend that left its cumulative total at $15.4 million after three weeks. “Spring Breakers” and “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” both dropped out from last weekend’s top 10………

Reading bus drivers, man band tours in trouble and dark energy in outer space

- The Chicago Cubs will not become the Rosemont Cubs any time soon. Negotiations between the storied, perpetually disappointing franchise and the city of Chicago seem to have moved past their rockiest point and an agreement on a $500 million overhaul of Wrigley Field is all but done. Sources have broken down the deal as containing  $300 million in renovations at Wrigley, more night games, a parking lot and a $200 million hotel nearby. Best of all for Chicagoans, the team has agreed to pick up the entire tab to renovate Wrigley after its conditions for such a deal were met. The process was ugly at times in recent months, but the deal is expected to be completed by Monday, when the Cubs have their home opener for the 2013 season. Included in the tentative agreement is a video scoreboard inside the park in left field and another sign in right field, both of which could still cause issues with the freeloaders who watch games from the famed rooftops across the street from the stadium. Owners of several of the affected buildings have threatened to sue if the renovation does anything to obstruct their view, but the city forged ahead because team chairman Tom Ricketts has said he'd be willing to pay for the entire project if the city would agree to those two terms. As part of the overhaul, the are also expected to build a 300-space parking garage on the site of a gravel lot at a nearby cemetery to address long-running complaints by neighbors about the lack of parking game days. None of this will do anything to end the Cubs’ 105-year World Series championship drought, but it should end the team’s claims that it spends as much as $15 million a year just to keep up with the repairs on the 99-year-old stadium, which is the second-oldest in Major League Baseball. The Ricketts family bought the Cubs in 2009 for $845 million and has been negotiating with the city ever since in its quest to renovate Wrigley. Recently, Rosemont (Ill.) Mayor Bradley Stephens suggested a spot  near O'Hare International Airport would be willing to let the Cubs have 25 acres free of charge to build a replica of Wrigley Field, but that offer is now a moot point……..

- The waters are sinking but the rage is rising in Argentina following massive floods that killed at least 57 people in the province and city of Buenos Aires and left a wide swath of wreckage in its wake. Argentine police and soldiers continue to search from house to house and even up in trees and roadside ditches for bodies as the hellacious rains finally stopped and water levels receded. In a city of nearly 1 million people, accounting for everyone is going to be difficult. Factor in a short supply of safe drinking water and more than a quarter-million people without power in the immediate aftermath of the storm and life just became much more complicated in Buenos Aires. Even those who survived must now cope with the damage done when their homes and possessions disappeared under water reeking with sewage and fuel that rose more than six feet high. Piles of broken furniture, ruined food and destroyed cars were common sights throughout the city and the locals are none too happy with how their government is dealing with the crisis at this early stage in the process. Although resident Cristina Fernandez, Gov. Daniel Scioli, Social Welfare Minister Alicia Kirchner and the mayors of Buenos Aires and La Plata visited the city to survey the damage and reassure citizens, they were loudly booed when they attempted to speak with victims. Many yelled "go away" and "you came too late." An angry crowd forced Kirchner and the governor to flee after Kirchner told the mob, "I understand you, I understand you're angry.” Scioli said the death toll had risen to 51 people in and around La Plata, but claimed nearly all of the missing had been accounted for. Even the capital’s two major hospitals were flooded, leaving mobile hospitals to care for the injured and government workers to hand out donated water, canned food and clothing. Hepatitis shots were being given at 33 evacuation centers, along with spraying would kill mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, according to Provincial Health Minister Alejandro Collia. "The humanitarian question comes first. The material questions will be resolved in time," Scioli added while promising loans, tax exemptions and subsidies for the victims. In total, 16 inches of rain fell on La Plata in just a few hours late Tuesday and early Wednesday — more than has ever been recorded there for the entire month of April. The rainfall simply overwhelmed the sewage and storm drain systems in both Buenos Aires and La Plata and now it’s the locals who are feeling swamped……..

- Discovering the dark secrets of the universe is one of the many goals of science and a team of astronomers led by David Jones, an astronomer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. believe they have made a discovery of one of the oldest objects ever found. The team believes their discovery could eventually provide insights that will unlock the secrets of dark matter and dark energy and at this point, any new source of energy is a welcome find. The old object at the center of the study is a supernova located 10 billion light-years from Earth. According to Jones, the supernova strengthens the case for the existence of dark energy, which is a mysterious force thought to be responsible for pushing galaxies away from each other at increasing speeds and is believed to be prevalent throughout the universe. NASA’s Hubble space telescope provided the image of the supernova and it is one of the most distant stellar explosions ever observed. According to Jones’ report, the image also offers new proof that dark energy is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. The supernova even has a catchy name that would fit nicely on a T-shirt or coffee mug: UDS10Wil. It was identified as part of a three-year Hubble program called the CANDELS+CLASH Supernova Project. The project began in 2010 and is nearing its conclusion, having achieved modest success in capturing images of very distant supernovae. So far, the CANDELS+CLASH project has uncovered more than 100 supernovae of all types that exploded from 2.4 to over 10 billion years ago. UDS10Wil is one of nine newly found supernovae that appear to be Type Ia supernovae — so-called standard candles. With this new evidence, astronomers can now explore the theory that at the expansion of the universe is accelerating due to dark energy and also gain a better understanding of how stars and supernova come to be………

- Unbelievably, amazingly, a reunion tour for man-banders more than 20 years past their fleeting brush with fame has not started off well. New Men on the Block are back, again, and their show in New York on Friday night did not go so well for one member of the group. Jonathan Knight left the stage and left confused fans in his wake after his mid-show exit. The five-member man band was shuffling through some of their old-school pop crap from the late '80s and early '90s and a few songs from their crap-tacular new album “10” when fans noticed that Knight seemed out of it. The other four members of the group were popping and locking their hearts out, but Knight stood uncomfortably in the background, texting on his phone and not paying attention. When the man band got fans' arms waving with the "Hangin' Tough," he did not join in and lingered at the back of the stage. The other members -- Knight's brother, Jordan, plus Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre and Donnie Wahlberg – did not seem surprised by the development and put their arms around him for support. However, the support only went so far and when Jordan Knight said his brother was going to sing "Survive You" from "10," Jonathan Knight tried to sing the song but failed, walking off stage as the rest of the group continued singing. Fans chanted for Knight's return, but he never came back and with a history of struggles with anxiety, one has to wonder how he’s going to survive the rest of the tour or this summer’s man-band extravaganza tour with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men. Earlier in the day, Knight tweeted a message containing the hashtag "I feel naked," which he later chased with a tweet saying, "I'm sorry......" He’s sorry and should everyone with a low enough level of self-respect to attend the show be………

- Dallas Area Rapid Transit authorities clearly do not appreciate their employees’ attempts to better themselves through education. If they did, they would not have sent out a warning to all DART drivers advising them not to follow the sample of a driver who was caught apparently reading a book while driving. The video first appeared online and as of Friday, DART officials said they were still working on identifying the driver in the picture. Before determining identity or even verifying that the picture was authentic and not doctored, DART officials used the image in a bulletin sent to all its drivers titled “Distracted Driving.” DART Vice President Tim Newby vowed to bring this self-educating, self-bettering bus driver to justice. “We will take action with this individual employee,” Newby said. Perhaps valuing the element of surprise, Newby did not specify what disciplinary action would be taken pending a thorough investigation of all of the circumstances surrounding the incident. Newby also expressed surprise over the incident because the agency has recently placed a heavy focus on curbing distracted driving behaviors and addressing the issue at this quarter’s safety meetings. In the past year, 16 DART drivers have been cited for using an electronic device while driving, according to agency records, but the number of passenger complaints from riders about distracted drivers is down significantly. However, when does DART want its drivers to read books, learn and better themselves? Also, how great is it for any transportation agency to have drivers who can multitask? DART is viewing the problem from the wrong angle and if there really is a problem, maybe they can assign another employee to read aloud to drivers or at least turn the page for them to keep them from having to look down as much……..

Target v. FAT women, Miecraft hits 10 million sales and Spain's royal family drama

- Dear overweight women: In addition to trying to shed a few pounds, now would be a wonderful time to shed that extra-thin skin some of you seem to be wearing. In a world where oversensitivity and political correctness reign, this might be the most laughable instance yet of people taking exception that shouldn’t have been offensive in the least. Target, the slightly classier big brother of mass retailing behemoth Wal-Mart, has a small-but-vocal group of customers on its hands who want apologies, vengeance and God knows what else from the company merely because its online store labeled a color choice for one of its plus-size dresses as “Manatee Gray.” Even though Target spokesman Joshua Thomas correctly pointed out that Manatee Gray is a common color name for many of Target’s products and its website does in fact list towels, sheets, rain boots and T-shirts available in Manatee Grey, angry Twitter users chose to react first and think later when they began lighting Target up for what they perceived as mocking the size and appearance of plus-sized women by using the word manatee in describing the color of a plus-sized item when the standard size of the same item was called “Dark Heather Gray.” Target explained that two different teams responsible for the standard and plus-size Mossimo Kimono maxi dress and did not coordinate on color names, which sounds like a plausible explanation. What are the odds that a major retailer is going to deliberately offend a massive chunk of the populace in the world’s fattest country by tongue-in-cheekedly mocking them with a manatee reference? Nevertheless, Target responded to the initial tweet about the mix-up and quickly fell on its sword, writing, “We apologize for this unintentional oversight and never intend to offend our guests. We've heard you, and we're working to fix it ASAP.” Nothing to apologize for, Target, nothing to apologize for……….

- Billy Bragg is feeling snarky.  The British folk rocker and political activist released his first new album in five years, “Tooth & Nail,” on March 18 and as he tours to promote the album, he has a lot on his mind, namely new Sunderland FC manager Paolo Di Canio. Non-soccer fans may not know much about Sunderland, but the team has generated some unintended buzz for itself by hiring a man who has previously admitted he is a "fascist." Di Canio, who was hired on Sunday, does not believe that being a fascist makes him a racist. Not everyone agrees with him and his hiring cost politician David Miliband resigned as the club's vice-chairman over his appointment. Bragg, who just released his first album in five years, is no fan of the hire either and he took a few minutes to record a video message before his performance at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle Wednesday night to address the subject. “Paolo Di Canio says he's not a racist, he's a fascist as if that somehow makes it respectable,” Bragg says in the video, which is already inline. “Well I've got a message for you, Mr. Di Canio: All you fascists are bound to lose.” He then launched into a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “All You Fascists Born to Lose.” With Bragg, the Dean of Durham and others ripping Sunderland for the hiring and excoriating him as a human being, Di Canio releases a statement that saw him in full retreat and denying virtually everything he has previously said on the topic of fascism. “I am not a racist and I do not support the ideology of fascism. I respect everyone. I am a football man and this and my family are my focus. Now I will speak only of football,” Di Canio said in the statement. Now that he’s tackled that vital issue, Bragg can get back touring to promote an album that sees him returning to the rootsy sound of his and Wilco's “Mermaid Avenue” recording sessions……..

- An era in Detoit sports ended Thursday, even if few took time to notice. Detroit Lions place-kicker Jason Hanson retired from football after 21 seasons in the NFL, all with the Lions. At the age of 42, Hanson walks away having played more games with one team -- 327 -- than any other player in NFL history. However, spending his entire career in the Motor City also means Hanson walks away without having won a single playoff game. Although the Lions made the postseason a whopping five times in his 21 years with them, they never won a single playoff game and only reached the postseason once in the past decade. Hanson had previously expressed interest in returning to the Lions in 2013, but his interest seemed to wane when the team reportedly did not offer him a deal higher than the NFL's veteran minimum. He explained to the team's website that a heel injury that first developed during the 2012 season and lingered into the offseason made his decision easier and he chose to walk away from negotiations that had stalled out. "It was time to make a decision," Hanson said. "It was the right time to step away. Each time I'd start to push [the heel], I'd kind of short-circuit. I realized that at this point of my career, I don't want to perform in a compromised way. It's not good for the team. I lost a little of my desire to play injured.” An athlete who loses their will to prepare and to play through pain is one who needs to walk away, but that isn't always the case and Hanson wasn’t exactly slipping in his final season. He converted 32-of-36 field goal attempts last season, including three from 50 yards or more. He clearly has enough left in his leg to keep going, but playing for a team that won four games last season and will almost certainly be favored to finish last in its division again next season, combined with the heel injury, finally pushed him over the edge……….

- Life for Spain’s royal family continues to be drama-filled and at this point, perhaps no member of the family is safe. Princess Cristina became the latest casualty of a financial corruption scandal involving her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, as she has been slapped with preliminary charges for her alleged involvement in the case. Her indictment marks the first time since democracy was restored in Spain in 1975 that a direct member of King Juan Carlos' family has faced preliminary charges of any kind, in any case. Urdangarin, the king's son-in-law, is at the center of the drama as he remains a suspect in the fraud scandal that has created serious issues for the embattled royal family. Urdangarin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but the judge in the case clearly believes that Princess Cristina had some role in the process as her husband allegedly diverted public funds earmarked for a non-profit foundation for private use. Following the filing of charges against the princess, the Royal Household issued a statement saying it was surprised that the judge had changed his mind after ruling last year that there were insufficient grounds to name the princess as a suspect with preliminary charges in the case. In an 18-page ruling released this week, the judge explained that further investigation since last year had led to the decision to bring preliminary charges. Interestingly, prosecutors then announced that they will appeal the judge's order to place preliminary charges on the princess and the Royal Household statement also said that it is in "absolute conformity" with that decision. According to the judge's order, Princess Cristina will be questioned on April 27 regarding "the handling and destination of funds obtained" through her husband's foundation and also a separate company. Urdangarin, who was granted the title of Duke of Palma when he married Princess Cristina, the king's youngest daughter, in 1997, was ordered to deposit a joint bond of 8 million euros ($10.8 million) for potential civil damages in the case against he and a former business associate, Diego Torrres. No indictments have yet been filed and the preliminary charges could eventually be dropped, but the case seems likely to move ahead with or without Princess Cristina as one of the defendants. Judge Jose Castro is leading the investigation at a local court in Palma de Mallorca, in Spain's Balearic Islands……….

- It isn’t cheap and it isn’t the product of a major gaming company, but that doesn’t mean Minecraft isn't an unstoppable force at the moment. As Thursday turned into Friday and the indie gaming phenomenon forged against in its fifth month of release, it surpassed 10 million downloads and that total doesn’t even include the units bought and played on Xbox 360. Making its success all the more impressive is the fact that Minecraft has only been available as a full-version download since November 2011. In the past five months, it has flown off digital shelves despite being priced at $26.95 a copy and turned its creator into a true digital success story. Swedish programmer Marcus "Notch" Persson created Minecraft and his risen to a status as one of gaming’s rock stars of the moment. He financed virtually the entire operation himself, so selling copies of the game at $27 a pop and moving 10 million of them has undoubtedly made him a very rich man and should allow him to finance his next great idea, whatever it may be. For the non-gamers out there who don’t know anything about Minecraft, it is a virtual world that allows players to build and mine in a virtual environment that has the look and feel of an 8-bit game from the early 80s. Its success has even extended to YouTube, where videos of players showing off their Minecraft accomplishments and discussing their love for the game have become common. In a sense, it has become a sort of cult favorite amongst gamer dorks and has given aspiring gamers such as Persson hope that they too can come up with a concept that the masses will embrace some day……

Bombs beneath Berlin, "Arrested Development" returns and New Yorkers defend their area code

- Once-gone television shows are making quite the comeback in recent weeks. “Veronica Mars” is getting one (and possibly two) movies made after fans donated millions of dollars to fund it via a Kickstarter campaign, decommissioned British spy series “Spooks” is generating traction for its own feature film and now cult favorite “Arrested Development” is experiencing its own revival. The series, which was critically acclaimed during its three-season run and built a small-but-rabid following, will debut May 26….on Netflix. It’s an unusual step because episodes won't be shown on any over-the-air or basic cable network, but will air exclusively through the online video streaming service. Fans of the show have been pushing for the show’s return since it went off the air in 2006 and while seven years is a long time to pine for a defunct show and campaign for its return, the efforts have paid off. During its initial run from 2003-2006, the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, as part of a total haul of six Emmys. Also working in the show’s favor as it returns to the air – metaphorically speaking – is that the entire cast, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Cera, David Cross and others, are on board. Lead writer and series creator Mitchell Hurwitz is also back to pen more wacky tales about the off-kilter Bluth family. Netflix will air 14 episodes as part of a short season and has not given any official word on whether there will be any other episodes beyond that. Getting even a short revival is more than good shows such as “Everwood” and “Ed” received despite impassioned efforts by their fans to keep them alive, so “Arrested Development” fans deserve plenty of credit for that………

- Few people are prouder of where they live and the identity that location gives them than New Yorkers. Be they from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Manhattan, Harlem, Staten Island or any other section of NYC, those who live around the city take immense pride in being a New Yorker. That pride even extends to the phone number they use, as evidenced by the reaction to the 212 area code finding its way outside New York City’s city limits. The prefix is popping up not only in other parts of New York state, but in other states as well. Residents who have heard about the development have expressed outrage, but they need to direct their ire at Internet phone company Vonage. Vonage is the one assigning 212 numbers to people in other states and although not every New Yorker has one of the numbers (some have been assigned 347 numbers), the 212 area code has become synonymous with the city. Unfortunately, this subway train appears to be rolling down the tracks with little chance for anyone to stop it. Companies such as Vonage purchase a set of phone numbers from a federally regulated company, through a regional intermediary, and in this case some of those numbers happen to begin with 212. Who is assigned one of these numbers depends entirely on a person who already has one canceling their number. Working from a strictly mathematical point of view, 212 numbers were all taken 15 years ago. New 212 numbers only become available when a current one is canceled, somewhat like a choice pair of season tickets for the Green Bay Packers becomes available. Worse still for New Yorkers, the Federal Communications Commission is considering a proposal that would give Internet phone companies direct access to available numbers, enabling 212 numbers to be more easily available to non-New Yorkers…….

- Blame it on the clouds, yeah, yeah. That is precisely what Dave Turner, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory, have done when it comes to global warming. The NOAA team has identified the real culprit behind the record-shattering level of ice melting in Greenland in 2012 and they believe it is none other than low, thin clouds. If true, this research could also be important in solving climate mysteries elsewhere in the Arctic. Should the ice sheet covering Greenland melt completely (not happening any time soon or remotely soon), the 720,000 cubic miles of ice being turned into liquid form would raise global sea levels by an estimated 24 feet. That’s definitely an extreme outcome, but one scientists have on their radar after the summer of 2012, when Greenland saw an extraordinarily large amount of melting across nearly its entire ice sheet. It was the largest melt in the region since scientists began tracking melt rates there in 1979 and ice core records, while not conclusive, suggest melting events so extreme have only occurred once every 150 years or so over the past 4,000 years. “The July 2012 event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air, but that was only one factor,” Turner explained. “We show that low-level clouds were instrumental in pushing temperatures up above freezing.” He and his colleagues analyzed temperature data from the ICECAPS experiment run at Summit Station atop the Greenland Ice Sheet at about 10,500 feet above sea level, where melting occurred on July 11, 2012. Blaming low-hanging clouds might seem like a reach, as such clouds typically reflect solar energy back into space, the NOAA team's computer models suggest these clouds can be both thin enough to allow sunlight to pass through to heat the surface while simultaneously being thick enough to trap thermal radiation emitted upward by the surface. It’s a two-edged meteorological sword, but it is theoretically possible. Most climate models minimize the occurrence of these clouds, but this study suggests that this type of cloud is present about 30 percent to 50 percent of the time over both Greenland and across the Arctic, said Ralf Bennartz, lead author of the study and an atmospheric physicist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "A very narrow range of cloud thickness allows for amplification of surface warming," Bennartz said. "This shows how well we have to understand individual components of the climate system, such as clouds, in order to accurately understand the system as a whole." As usual, more research is needed and more dollars must be spent for further clarity on the subject……..

- Another day, another forgotten World War II bomb founded and disposed of in Germany. The most recent neglected incendiary device to be found and safely detonated by bomb disposal experts was taken care of in central Berlin on Wednesday as nearly 840 people were evacuated and a team moved in to defuse the device. The target of the mission was s a Russian-made aerial bomb weighing in at 220 pounds, unearthed just two meters away from a train track leading into the city's main train station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof. A spokesman for the bomb disposal team said afterward that the device could have blown a crater 3 to 4 meters wide and 3 meters deep if it had gone off. Defusing the bomb took about 25 minutes, with the team first unscrewing its mechanical fuse and then disarming the device itself. It was found near Heidestrasse, a lightly populated street in the former "no man's land" framed by the two opposing sides of the Berlin Wall, between East Berlin and West Berlin. This particular case was more intricate because a depot for freight trains and a row of houses framed the site on opposing sides. The speed with which the process of disposing of the bomb was impressive, as it was found Tuesday afternoon by a bomb disposal team that was checking out a construction site near Hauptbahnhof and roads in the area were quickly closed as experts spent the night assessing the best way to deal with the device. Some trains traveling to and from Hauptbahnhof were delayed Wednesday, according to Holger Auferkamp, spokesman for national railway operator Deutsche Bahn, but Berlin's metro system was not affected. It was a scene that has played out both in Berlin and other cities in the nearly 70 years since Allied forces stopped dropping bombs on then-Nazi Germany and Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies routinely contract private bomb disposal teams to check that sites are safe when building works are planned. The latest Berlin bomb was significantly smaller than others found across Germany, including a 550-pound bomb discovered in central Munich last August that had to be detonated where it lay because the fuse was unstable. Another large bomb was found and detonated in the city of Koblenz, situated on the Rhine and Moselle rivers, in 2011 and forced the evacuation of 45,000 residents. These incidents are all part of the price a nation pays for once being ruled by the worst human being ever to live………

- CAN YOU DIG IT? And then take it down, burn it and put up a more accurate version of it to serve as a monument to the accomplishments of one of the greatest players in the history of your NBA franchise? Both questions are in the laps of the Los Angeles Lakers just days after the team unveiled Shaquille O'Neal's retired No. 34 jersey the Staples Center rafters Tuesday night before their game against Dallas. With O’Neal on hand, the team unveiled the banner showing O’Neal’s jersey number on the front of an oversized replica of the uniform he wore with the Lakers. There was just one problem with the tribute….the team mistakenly put O'Neal's last name and number on the front of a jumbo-sized replica Lakers home jersey, rather than on the back. All of the other retired jerseys hanging in the rafters at Staples center feature the player’s last name and number on the back of a uniform, just the way it was when they were playing. All the other retired numbers also appear on scoop-neck style jerseys where the back is pretty much identical to the front, while O'Neal was commemorated with a post-1999 Lakers jersey after the uniforms were redesigned and a V-neck was added to the design. The difference was obvious as the banner was being unveiled as the "Superman" theme song blared through the arena and the team has already admitted its error and is working to fix it before the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. "The new jersey will be ready and installed prior to Friday's game," a team spokesman said. Along with the new banner for Staples Center, the team will also need to replace the O'Neal jersey recently hung up at the team's practice facility because of the same error……

Florida's misguided war on stoners, David Beckham the martyr and quitting a reality diving show

- Sea lions can dance. Why that’s important is a question that researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz's marine laboratory may want to answer next. These fine research-dollar wasters have been studying what appears to be the first sea lion that can move its body to the beat of a wide range of music and they have published their findings in the American Psychological Association's academic journal. UC Santa Cruz psychology graduate student Peter Cook made the riveting discovery that a non-human mammal can bob its head to the rhythm of a song and the world will never be the same – in some way, probably. The dancing animal in question is Ronan, a female sea lion born in the wild in 2008 who was rescued from the San Luis Obispo area in 2009. Ronan arrived at UC Santa Cruz's Long Marine Laboratory in January 2010. Working with Cook in the Pinniped Cognition and Sensory Systems Laboratory, Ronan was trained her to bob her head to a beat with simple tracks for about three months. After the three-month training period, she was able to maintain the beat on her own and keep time to new music. Previous studies had shown that synching movements to a beat was limited to birds that can also mimic vocal noises. "This is kind of a new frontier," Cook said. After extensive testing in multiple settings, Cook determined that Ronan's head movements were not mimicry or a trained behavior. Ronan’s musical tastes can use some work, as her favorite track appears to be Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland." What’s next for Cook, aside from earning his PhD and becoming an even bigger squanderer of research money? "We're thinking about other animals you could do this with," he said. He also believes that his study proves that the brain mechanisms to keep the beat may be more widespread than humans and birds…….

- World, it’s time to feel bad for David Beckham. Yes, the same David Beckham who is making more than $46 million a year, playing at the highest level of international soccer, is one of the most famous athletes in the world and is married to a smoking hot former pop singer. Beckham, now playing for Paris Saint-Germain, may have just played in a Champions League quarterfinal clash with Barcelona on Tuesday, but he has it rough. He may reside in one of Paris' finest hotels, occupying a suite at Le Bristol that features marble bathrooms and one of the world's best chefs and costs thousands of dollars per night, but life is not easy. In fact, Beckham is painting himself as a sort of martyr for as long as he remains in the City of Lights. "That's the sacrifice I have to make as a father and as a husband, being away from my family," he explained. "It is only for a short time, but it's difficult being away from the children every single day. But they understand it. They understand that daddy works hard." Yes, his wife Victoria and their four children all live in London, which is a quick flight or train ride from Paris, but they could be in Paris in a second if Beckham were committed to being there long term and wanted to have them around. He could also take less money to play for a team somewhere in England, but he doesn’t seem to have an interest in that either. He joined PSG in January on a five-month deal, but PSG President Nasser Al-Khelafi has expressed an interest in having the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star back next season. The club's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has also spoken about bringing back the veteran midfielder, who should be happy to be playing soccer for a team cares about again after spending X seasons playing for the L.A. Galaxy of Major League Soccer. "To be asked to come and play here was obviously an honor and something that I was excited about. They have big plans at the club, and rightly so," Backham added. He has appeared in six games for his new team so far, but only two as a starter………

- Now it comes out. North Korea has been scrappy and combative of late, threatening to nuke South Korea and the United States using the nuclear weapons it doesn’t have, delivered by the long-range missiles it doesn’t possess. Young dictator Kim Jong Un has issued all sorts of extreme threats and hoisted a giant middle finger to the world as it continues to demand the immediate cessation of North Korea’s nuclear program. However, the most sinister part of the plan is sliding under the radar and might have gone unnoticed entirely if not for reports from South Korean media outlets. In news that should shake the world to its core, it is being reported that North Korea has ordered its diplomats in some number of foreign embassies, including at least one in Eastern Europe, to sell illegal drugs on the streets. A defector who spoke to South Korean intelligence is the source of these claims and this person alleges that each diplomat was sent about 44 pounds of various illegal drugs and instructed to raise $300,000 from the sales. Even more curiously, the diplomats were allegedly told to forgo their ambassadorial responsibilities in favor of pushing illicit drugs in order “to prove their loyalty and mark the birthday of nation founder Kim Il Sung on April 15.” Unloading that many drugs in a short amount of time and raising money for what is surely an even more sinister plot is a lot to ask, as is replicating the plot from a 15-year-old, bomb-tastic Dave Chappelle movie (“Half Baked”). The idea of embassies around the world turning diplomats into instant drug dealers and expecting them to move large quantities of meth or coke in short order is hilarious on some level, but North Korea is already active selling state-manufactured drugs, typically high-quality meth, in China. The country needs cash in light of the economic sanctions imposed on it by the United States and United Nations, so cooking up meth in a Pyongyang trailer park (or its equivalent) is a plausible alternative. A secretive government office called “Room 39” is believed to be responsible for income from such endeavors and that office appears to be in an increasingly desperate position………

- What’s worse than agreeing to be on a reality TV show with a bunch of other C-listers and has-beens, with all of you trying to master an irrelevant sport that people only care about for three days every four years when the Summer Olympics roll around? Going on that show and quitting in the third episode, that’s what. Enter reality TV personality and former Playboy skank Kendra Wilkinson, who walked away from ABC’s new reality diving show “Splash” during Tuesday night's broadcast rather than participate in her team dive with assigned partner Rory Bushfield, an extreme skier. The pair were to dive from the 23-foot board, but that height was too much for a woman who makes her money taking her clothes off in front of the camera or allowing a basic cable network to film the goings-on of her daily life. “I wish I could do it for everybody, but I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry everybody. This just won't be a happy ending for me,” Wilkinson said when she walked off the platform. "It's very bittersweet. One thing I don't do is quit and this is the first time in my life I quit something. So I'm not happy that I quit. Trust me, this will haunt me for the rest of my life.” Haunt you for the rest of your life? It’s a reality diving show that might last two or three seasons and will be immediately forgotten once it’s off the air, if not before. There is plenty of her life that Wilkinson should be haunted by, but quitting a reality diving show should not be at the top of the list. The rest of the distinguished cast, including comedian Louie Anderson, retired NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actress Nicole Eggert, soccer player Brandi Chastain Nickelodeon star Drake Bell reigning Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb, went on with the show and judges David Boudia, a London Olympic U.S. Gold medalist, and Steve Foley, an Australian Olympic athlete and USA Dive Team director, didn’t appear devastated by Wilkinson’s exit. Now, a woman who admits she doesn’t even know why she’s famous can devote more time to solving that mystery……….

- State legislators in Florida are really wasting their time on this one. In a misguided quest to shut down Sunshine State stoners, members of the Florida legislature have introduced a bill prohibiting the sale of bongs in their many forms. This bill, HR49, sailed through the House Business and Professional Regulation subcommittee on Wednesday. Its sponsor is Darryl Rouson, a self-described former drug addict who says the accessibility of the pipes at hundreds of stores across Florida helps perpetuate drug addictions. Rouson argues that the pipes can be used to inhale crack cocaine, hash and meth as well as marijuana and he wants them banned. Following the hearing, the Democrat said he wants to “take away the convenience of addicts being able to go to the local corner store and buy utensils that can be used for illegal ingestion of drugs.” The bill would ban the sale of: metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic smoking pipes, with or without screens, permanent screens, or punctured metal bowls, water pipes, carburetion tubes and devices, chamber pipes, carburetor pipes, electric pipes, air-driven pipes, chillums, bongs, ice pipes and chillers. The idea of ridding a state of drugs is a nice one, but this bill has no hope of accomplishing that.  While the state currently allows retailers to sell the pipes if at least 75 percent of their sales come from tobacco products or they have no more than 25 percent of “certain drug paraphernalia” sales, the bill would remove that exception and make any sale a first-degree misdemeanor, with second and subsequent violations would jump to a third-degree felony. Without a doubt, the single biggest fallacy of this bill is its gross underestimation of those on the business end of bongs after they are purchased. So what if devices manufactured for smoking chron are made illegal to sell? Stoners are the MacGyvers of the drug world. Buying a bong is merely one of many ways stoners can get their bake on. If a glass bong or water pipe isn't available, they will improvise. Give them an empty paper towel roll, apple core, empty soda can, empty bottle or any one of hundreds of household items and they will turn it into a way to get their mellow on. There is nothing that will stop potheads from baking and they really don’t care what they use to deliver the product to their lungs. So legislators can waste time and effort on this bill, but there simply isn't any point to it……….

A Rolex for a catcher, China White's new meaning and a "Glee" star to rehab

- The pendulum is swinging both directions on the issue of gun control in the United States. Some states and lawmakers are on the warpath against firearms, seeking to get guns off the streets and enact bans on assault weapons. Others, it seems, are making sure that toting a gun is not just a right, but a mandate. Enter the small northern Georgia city of Nelson, where packing heat is no longer an option. The community's five-member council voted unanimously Monday night to require the head of virtually every household to own a firearm. Council members mirrored a similar law in nearby Kennesaw, which had had its law on the books since 1982. Nelson’s über-tiny population of 1,300 will now be well-armed should any criminals looking to hone their skills before moving up to the big leagues in Atlanta or thieves who can’t read a map and end up in the middle of nowhere with nothing better to do than rob a bunch of small-town dwellers of their Garth Brooks album collection, every house in town will be prepared to deal with the threat. "In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore," the ordinance said. The only exceptions to the new law are those with physical or mental disabilities, "paupers," felons, and those who oppose gun ownership based on belief or religious doctrine. In other words, be legally barred from owning a gun or find a god who says you can’t have one because otherwise, it’s time to strap up. Councilman Duane Cronic said the law would give residents the ability to protect themselves and their property "without worrying about prosecution for protecting themselves." Yosemite Sam would be so proud…….

- See, “Glee” IS enough to drive someone to drink or get high. Sorry, Ryan Murphy, but the joke was there and it would have been a crime not to make it. With the popular high school singing/dancing drama filming the final few episodes of its fourth season, cast member Cory Monteith has checked into a rehab facility to deal with unspecified substance abuse issues. Monteith, who plays Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series, has battled addiction issues before. In 2011, he admitted to first entering rehab in 2002 at the age of 19. He also claimed that he began skipping school at 13 to drink and smoke pot and to bouncing between 12 different schools growing up, including alternative programs for troubled teens. "I burned a lot of bridges," he said. "I was out of control." During that 2011 interview, Monteith said he had a "serious problem" and was using "anything and everything, as much as possible." He relayed the story of his mother and friends staging an intervention when he was 19, after which he claims to have remained sober for a while before he returned to using drugs. He then hit rock bottom with what he called his "crystallizing event," which included him stealing a significant amount of money from a family member. After his addiction issues became public in 2011, he sought to use his troubled past as a way to help children who might be heading down the same path. Now that he’s in rehab, he won't appear in the final two episodes of the current season and his character’s absence will be explained in the plotlines. "Cory is a beloved member of the 'Glee' family and we fully support his decision to seek treatment," the show's network said in a statement. "Everyone at the show wishes him well and looks forward to his return." His co-star and girlfriend Lea Michele also expressed support for Monteith’s decision, saying, "I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision." Ironically, this is the very sort of drama-drenched story line that would play very well on the show………

- China White has taken on a whole new meaning in the Dongchuan district of Kunming, Yunnan province. There’s no heroin involved here; only a heavily polluted stream that has turned white on account of all the garbage that has been dumped or washed into it over the years. Reports from the region has placed blame for the water’s unnatural color chance on wastewater discharged by nearby mining industries. Locals noticed the water beginning to change color and began calling the small river the “milk river” because runoff from a nearby mine turned the water white. Having a polluted and possibly dangerous river is a problem for these folks because the river is their only source of drinking water and farmers use it to irrigate their fields. In other words, everything they eat or drink is going to be polluted in some way and there is very little they can do about it. Pollution problems are commonplace in China and images of über-polluted air clogging the skies over Beijing and other major cities have become commonplace. Measuring the smog in the air in such industrial cities on any given day is a true test of the limits of science, but water pollution poses an entirely different kind of threat. It may not be the fourth leading risk factor for deaths in the country the way air pollution is, but it’s a growing problem. In March thousands of dead pigs were found floating in a Shanghai river, tainting the main source of water for the city’s residents. Rivers around the country of more than 1 billion are routinely filled with algae, trash or water turned unnatural colors by factory runoff and chemical spills. Fishermen, farmers and villagers have no choice but to continue using the water and do whatever they can – perhaps boiling all water before using it – to purify the swill in their cup. State media have claimed that the government will spend 100 billion yuan ($16 billion dollars) over three years to deal with Beijing’s pollution, but pouring money into cleaning up the water is another obvious need for the Communist nation……..

- Before the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics could begin their respective seasons with an opening day matchup, Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and A’s catcher John Jaso had some unfinished business to take care of. Jaso was a member of the Mariners last season and he was behind the plate for Hernandez’s perfect game last August against the Rays. As athletes often do when a teammate helps them reach a milestone, Hernandez wanted to do something special for his former battery mate and he made good on that plan on Monday when he presented Jaso with a shiny new Rolex. About 90 minutes before first pitch of the Mariners' 2-0 season-opening win in which Hernandez pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings, he had a clubhouse attendant deliver the gold watch from Seattle's side to the Oakland clubhouse. "Getting to be a part of it is way bigger than this, but this is definitely a really nice gesture," Jaso said. "He really didn't have to. I was really just happy with being behind the plate. He came through." Buying the watch definitely didn’t put a strain on Hernandez’s budget, as he signed a $175 million, seven-year contract in February. "He was pretty excited," Hernandez said after the game. "He's a great guy. I had to do something for him." Ironically, Jaso also had the first hit of the game for the A’s, doubling to center with one out in the fourth after Hernandez retired the first 10 batters of the game. After the watch was delivered, Jaso showed it off for media members and teammates. "It is pretty heavy. It's got to be real," he said. "The watch I own, I think it's a Timex, so this is a bit of an upgrade. I think there's a bit of tradition with the Rolex. I knew he was going to come through." The words "perfect game" and the date -- "8/15/12" are engraved on the back of the watch and Jaso said he planned to thank Hernandez in person as soon as he has a chance……….

- The images on the screen of new notebook computers will be getting a definite upgrade in the near future. Chip maker Nvidia has announced the addition of five graphics processing units (GPUs) for notebook computers, focused on conserving battery life using a trio of technologies that run in the background and increase performance. The new GT 720M and 735M models were the primary focus from the standpoint of budget and mid-range notebooks, while the 740M, 745M, and 750M models are geared more toward the high-performance market and toward users who demand more power. According to Nvidia, all five of the new GPUs will come with its GPU Boost 2.0 technology that adjusts the chips' clock speed to maximize graphics performance. "GPU Boost is dynamic and requires no end-user input or settings," Nvidia's product manager, Brian Choi wrote in a blog post. "You just use your notebook as you normally would and it silently works to give you performance bumps of up to 15%. It does it safely, on the fly and behind the scenes." All five of the new devices contain power-enhancing features to extend battery life. Those features include Nvidia's Optimus technology that enables longer battery life by switching the GPU on and off so it runs only when needed and its Geforce Experience software, which adjusts in-game settings for the best possible performance and visual quality specific to a user's notebook specifications. The Geforce Experience software also has the added benefit of automatically keeping chip drivers up to date. The new GPUs are already on the market and as part of its announcement, Nvidia said all leading notebook manufacturers, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, will soon begin using them………

Attacking elephants at Paris museums, flashing panhandlers in Portland and RGIII throws Twitter haymakers

- Times are tough everywhere and odds are that any place these words are read, people can be found standing on street corners and near expressway exit ramps holding signs asking drivers to help them out with some spare change. However, it’s unlikely that any of those panhandlers are going about generating income the way one Portland (Ore.) woman is at Southwest 7th Avenue and Clay Street between Portland's university and downtown districts. In a city where it is not illegal for women to go topless in public, this unidentified woman has taken to flashing drivers in the hopes that they’ll chip her off a few dollars. The woman appeared to be working with a man who stood nearby and held a sign saying they needed food. A local television station learned of the odd sight and went to the scene, filming at least one motorist giving the woman money for her, um, entertainment services. Unfortunately, the woman did appear to be wearing pasties and according to Portland police, what she’s doing is perfectly legal -- as long as she's not intending to arouse anyone. Portland passed its law as a sort of move toward gender equality on the grounds that it is a double standard to only allow men to remove their shirts in public. Portland Police spokesman Mike Marshman said the woman’s use of pasties leaves "no question to the legality." "She is covering the part up that would arouse people [according to the law]," Marshman said. The state of Oregon’s public indecency law merely prohibits the exposure of "genitals" with "the intent of arousing the sexual desire of the person or another person,” something this bizarre display seems to avoid. Of course, there is a precedent for this sort of exchange happening and it’s called Mardi Gras, a week of flashing in exchange for “currency” (beads). Maybe an upcoming episode of “Portlandia” can make use of this potential plot line………

- Paris is a city of life, culture, fashion and energy….and idiots who break into museums and assault historical artifacts with power tools. Alongside the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, the City of Lights now has a kook who has been arrested for allegedly breaking into Paris' Museum of Natural History and hacking off a tusk from a centuries-old elephant skeleton with a chainsaw. This fool was apprehended early Saturday when a neighbor of the Left Bank museum alerted authorities after hearing the sawing sound at around 3 a.m. The suspect, described as being in his early 20s, didn’t exactly have much of a defense to mount after police discovered the tusk in his possession when they arrested him soon afterward outside the museum. There aren’t many centuries-old elephant tusks floating around Paris or elsewhere and having one in your backpack right after one was stolen from a Paris museum is awfully difficult to explain. Paris prosecutors' office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said police did not know the suspect’s motive, but museum official Jacques Cuisin believes the skeleton can be repaired. Cuisin explained that the skeleton, which was draped under a plastic covering Saturday, belonged to an elephant that Portugal's king gave to French King Louis XIV in the late 17th century. One would have to imagine that when donating the skeleton, the Portuguese king would not have been thrilled to know that a couple of centuries and change later, an idiot would sneak into a museum in the middle of the night and attempt to thieve one of its tusks like he was a poacher in some Third World African nation taking down a live elephant and slicing off its tusks for sale on the black market……..

- Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has already been called “superhuman” by his orthopedic surgeon, the acclaimed Dr. James Andrews, and now he’s rushing to the aid of his alma mater like a superhero after it’s top-ranked women’s basketball team suffered a shocking NCAA Tournament loss to end its season. Griffin, who played collegiately at Baylor, was quick to jump on Twitter Sunday night and defend Lady Bears center Brittney Griner after her top-seeded team was upset by No. 5 Louisville. The second-year NFLer, who is recovering from two torn knee ligaments sustained in a playoff game against Seattle, has been a vocal supporter of the women's basketball team since his playing days at Baylor. His tweets came in response to what he perceived as unfair criticism of Griner and Louisville's style of play. Griner, the consensus player of the year in women’s college basketball, o was 4-of-10 from the field and scored 14 points -- far below her average of 33 in the first two games of the tournament. With her struggling, Baylor lost 82-81 after a furious rally merely to get back into the game. Griffin tweeted after the game that "them girls were LITERALLY throwing elbows, slaps &" and that "for every (3-pointer) they made, they threw 6 elbows, 5 straight lefts, 4 right hooks & 3 roundhouse kicks, 2 jumping knees, & 1 superman punch at B. Griner's abdominals. Aiming for her face but couldn't reach &…there's a difference in being physical.” When some of his followers and the rest of the Twitterverse took exception to his words, Griffin had something for them as well. "To those who are mad and lose respect for me because I support my school and support my friends & I would rather have the guts to stand up for them, then to have that respect for sitting down & saying nothing,” he added. Baylor coach Kim Mulkey also blasted the officials after the game, saying in her postgame press conference that “if they go past this round of officiating, it will be sad for the game.” Going down in defeat when your team was considered a virtual lock to reach the Final Four is bitter, but at least the Bears know they have an unfailing friend in RG III……….

- Orlando Bloom is diversifying. There are only so many “Pirates of the Caribbean” films an actor can star in before he needs to find something else to do with his career and Bloom has found the next step in his thespian evolution. He will make his Broadway debut as Romeo in an interracial production of Romeo & Juliet, starting Sept. 19. Bloom will star opposite Tony-nominated actress Condola Rashad (Juliet) in the classic Shakespeare play, which will begin previews at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Aug. 24. “They could have been any number of different ethnicities,” director David Leveaux told. “The two actors I wanted to be together producing sparks just happened to be those two and I followed my nose in casting the families.” The play will feature an all-black Capulet family and an all-white Montague clan and thus instill the added dimension of racial prejudice and social norms to the famed tale of doomed romance. “There was nothing simple about that choice but I’m not about to turn a contemporary version of Shakespeare into a sociological or political point,” Leveaux said. “We know there are families from one background or another who would reject their children getting together with someone from another group. Romeo and Juliet reject that notion. It is still the case that children try to oppose the cultural expectations thrust upon them, the rigidity of tribes, the rigidity of fundamentalism.” Bloom is one of a long line of famous Hollywood faces who ventured to the Great White Way in search of theatrical success, although he has a ways to go to match the success of someone such as Hugh Jackman……….

- Digital censorship: The next frontier? In Saudi Arabia, it just might be. Saudi officials are considering tech-blocking popular Internet messaging applications such as Skype, Viber and WhatsApp if telecommunication providers there don't comply with rules and regulatory conditions. A statement from Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission broke the news and issued a thinly veiled threat toward such apps. "The Commission emphasizes that it will take appropriate action regarding these applications and services in the event of failure to meet those conditions,” the statement said. No specifics were given as to how the applications in question violate ant laws, but the statement did emphasize the need for service providers in the country to quickly "work with the developers of these applications to meet regulatory requirements." The announcement came after reports last week that the country's telecommunications regulator, had asked Saudi telecom companies to allow the government to monitor those applications and had set a Saturday deadline for them to respond. While details are scarce and rumors plentiful, Saudi social media users have not waited around for more information before they respond. Bloggers, Twitter users and Facebook users have decried the alleged regulations and many have expressed fatigue over what they view as the latest in a series of such moves and policies by the government. Many believe the announcement is in part a response to recent demonstrations that were organized in Saudi Arabia were done through the use of WhatsApp. Saudi Arabia’s population is trending younger and younger by the year and technology use is skyrocketing as a result. With more freedom and more avenues for self-expression, a restrictive regime obviously must find a way to keep its citizens in line. In 2010, the government faced off with BlackBerry and threatened similar restrictions and the showdown proved to be much about next to nothing………