Movie news, more obesity dangers and NFL rule-breaking

- Comic book adaptations are cinematic gold for Hollywood at this point and a solid opening weekend for Thor continued that trend as the action epic garnered $66 million to top the box office race and more than double up its nearest competitor. While it didn’t match the feat of that film, Fast Five, in earning more in its debut last weekend than the rest of the top 10 movies earned combined, the solid start went a long way toward justifying Thor’s whopping $150 million budget. As for Fast Five, it fell off 62 percent but still made $32.5 million to place second and raise its cumulative total to $139.8 million and counting after just two weeks. The first newcomer of the top 10 was Jumping the Broom, a wedding-themed “comedy” largely lacking in humor that still managed to make $13.7 million in its debut weekend. Fellow newcomer Something Borrowed registered a fourth-place finish with $13.2 million, essentially on par with expectations for the film. Rio slid from second place to fifth in its fourth weekend of release despite a 44 percent drop, adding $8.3 million to its coffers to make its four-week total a robust $114.9 million. As for the rest of the top 10, it consisted of: Water for Elephants (No. 6 with $5.6 million and $41.6 million for three weeks of release), Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family (No. 7 and justifiably plummeting in its third week with $3.9 million for a $46.8 million cumulative total), Prom (living down to expectations at No. 8 with a scant $2.5 million and just $7.9 million through two weeks), Soul Surfer (exceeding expectations by still hanging around at No. 9 after five weeks and adding $2.1 million to raise its running tally to $36.7 million) and Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (No. 10 with $1.9 million and an abject failure through two weeks with an awful $6.7 million). Dropping out of last week’s top 10 were Insidious (No. 11) and Source Code (No. 12)………….


- America’s biggest property owner is in a deep hole right now. The bills are piling up, debts are mounting and expenses are soaring. What’s a property owner to do when in this sort of financial pinch? Liquidate assets, of course. That the property owner in question is the federal government makes little difference. Whether it was a wealthy billionaire or the monstrously oversized bureaucracy charged with leading the country, massive debts plus unused assets equals a need to sell. And so, the government is now looking to sell a significant chunk of its real estate portfolio. The Obama administration has compiled a list of 14,000 buildings that agencies can afford to lose along with a new plan on Wednesday that will help move the process along. To help facilitate the massive effort, proposed legislation has been set forth to create a Civilian Property Realignment Board, an independent commission based on the similar panel that was used to close military bases. That group would then recommend buildings to close or demolish and if the plan goes the opposite direction that most government plans do - i.e. actually working - it would save taxpayers will an estimated $15 billion over the next three years. At present, government agencies must meet 20 requirements before unloading property and the process is supervised by the Office of Management and Budget. One truly bizarre condition currently included in the sale process is first offering up unused structures as housing for the homeless, said OMB Deputy Director Jeffrey Zients. That sort of bureaucratic red tape, the typical resistance to any decision on any subject in a political environment and the budget crisis gripping the nation and making everyone’s primary focus surviving in the short term have combined to create an environment where waste via property inertia is a given. In other words, if the government owns a building, it’s going to take an immense and supernatural force to dislodge it from the government’s grip. "For too long, the American people's hard-earned tax dollars have gone to waste," Zients said. "It's simply unacceptable." As part of the process of unloading the thousands of unwanted properties, the government on Wednesday released a map with a partial list of properties that are on the auction block. The properties cover a wide range of real estate options, from office buildings to vacant land. Some of the buildings have so little value that they will simply be destroyed and the government will save millions of dollars on operating costs. The administration estimates that at least $15 billion can be saved by the end of next year if Congress approves the legislation. Zients said 60 percent of the savings would be used to reduce the federal deficit, while the other 40 percent would be used to finance additional property sales. If only this blatantly obvious problem had been realized sooner…………


- Really, Iran? Really? Oppressing your own people isn't enough, now you have to offer your oppression services to other nations seeking to quash uprisings of their own? According to western diplomatic sources in Damascus, that’s exactly what Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are up to these days. The sources claim Iran is playing an increasingly active role in helping the Syrian regime crack down on pro-democracy protesters in their quest to oust President Bashar al-Assad from power. Syrian forces backed by tanks engaged anti-government groups over the weekend, but it was the notion that Iran is advising al-Assad's government on how to crush dissent that raised more eyebrows. Dissent within Syria is at heightened levels, as evidenced by tanks rolling through three new flashpoint towns on Sunday and confirmation that four women had been shot dead in the first use of force against an all-female demonstration. Senior U.S. officials have noted a "significant" increase in the number of Iranian personnel in the country since protests began in mid-March, during which time door-to-door raids have been carried out and led to multiple arrests of opposition members. The tactic is eerily similar to those used to quash Iran's "green revolution" in 2009. Human rights groups estimate more than 7,000 people have been detained in total since the uprising began and 800 others are said to have died, up to 50 of them during last Friday's "day of defiance.” Iran has interjected itself into someone else’s business because it is concerned about losing its most important ally in the Arab world and a valuable conduit for weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Similar allegations against Iran were lodged last month by senior White House officials, who accused Iran of complicity in intercepting or blocking internet, mobile phone and social media communications between the protesters and with the outside world. For the record, Syria has denied seeking or receiving assistance from Iran to crush the uprising. In fact, Iran is the only party to officially weigh in on the subject, issuing a statement Friday through its foreign ministry stressing Syria's "prime role" in opposing Israel and the U.S. because American policy towards Syria was based on "opportunism in support of the Zionist regime's avarice.” The Sunni-Shiite dynamic is also in play, as Syria’s population is 75 percent Sunni and any help from a heavily Shiite nation (Iran) could cause further anti-government sentiment. Arbitrary arrests and unnecessary shootings can also have that effect, of course. Shooting and killing four women at a demonstration in the village of Merqeb is another guaranteed means of infuriating the populace, and that occurred Sunday as well. Rage and indignation are not in short supply for protestors, but they are being hampered by the lack of a national leader and organization. Assad has labeled them part of a foreign conspiracy to cause sectarian strife, plotted by "armed terrorist groups,” which seems a bit over the top. In truth, it is difficult to know exactly what is going on in Syria on a daily basis and who is winning in the conflict because the government has banned nearly all foreign media. The true picture is probably even uglier than anyone could imagine at this point……….


- For anyone shocked by allegations from six NFL agents that some teams are ignoring the league's mandate banning them from contacting undrafted rookies following the NFL Draft on the weekend of April 28, here’s a bit of advice: Wake the heck up. For the non-diehard NFL fan, the issue is simple to explain. Following the draft each April, teams scramble to sign players who went undrafted and these players often have a significant impact on their new team. With the league in the midst of an ugly lockout, however, teams aren't allowed to contact these undrafted rookies. As much as that hurts teams, the true victims are the undrafted rookies, who are now left to work out on their own, with no football income and unlike their football brethren who have a team, they have no teammates to rely upon. Six agents representing an unspecified number of those undrafted rookies told Pro Football Weekly that teams contacted them about their clients, actions NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said would be considered tampering. Teams cannot talk to any players, signed or unsigned, for any reason for as long as the lockout continues. The scene following the draft is typically described as a feeding frenzy amongst teams seeking quality rookies who somehow managed to slip through the cracks during the draft. One agent who spoke to Pro Football Weekly went so far as to say the days following the draft were almost like a normal, non-lockout year. The best part of the story, however, is three of the agents in question claiming team representatives contacted them from personal cell phones so the records would be harder to trace if the NFL decides to audit teams' phone records in any tampering investigation. What, no calls from pay phones at rest stops along the turnpike? Why not buy some of those wacky fake glasses with the big, plastic nose and bushy eyebrows to disguise yourself and then leave a coded message taped under the lid of a trash can in a local park for the agent to find? Morse code and smoke signals are also hard for the league to trace in a potential tampering investigation, so those could also be viable options. In the meantime, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis will hear oral arguments June 3 on the NFL's request to keep its lockout in place until a new deal is worked out. Before then, judges Duane Benton, Kermit Bye and Steven Colloton will rule on whether to maintain the temporary stay they issued last Friday. No decision is expected soon, so teams may want to brush up on their covert communication techniques if they’re going to continue cheating while the lockout is in place. Personally, I’ll be training some messenger birds just in case any NFL team decides to go that route and wants to throw some business my way…………


- Dangers for becoming FAT are all around us, especially if that “us” happens to reside in the United States. With so many threats lurking every day and around every corner, what’s a person to do? There is no easy answer, but parents of infants and toddlers now have one more area to focus on when it comes to preventing their child from becoming America’s next obese adult: the baby bottle. A new study suggests that parents who still give their child with a bottle of milk when they're 2 years old may be steering them toward obesity by the time they're in kindergarten. Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia analyzed data from 6,750 Ohio participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, all born in 2001. Dr. Robert Whitaker and Rachel Gooze of Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia worked with Sarah Anderson, an epidemiologist at the Ohio State University College of Public Health, to examine the data and come up with recommendations on how to address the problem. They recommended that weaning them at the appropriate time might help reduce elevated obesity rates among U.S., with most experts agreeing that appropriate time is by the age of 12 to 14 months. In ripping the bottle from children, parents should instead address their underlying hunger and nutritional needs, Whitaker and Gooze suggested. Additionally, they recommended that pediatricians begin advising patients of the suggested new timeline for weaning children off their bottles. The reason bottles are so harmful to a child’s chances to maintain a healthy weight as they grow is that an 8-ounce bottle of whole milk contains 150 calories, or 12 percent of a healthy 2-year-old's daily dietary needs, the study’s authors wrote. Shoving an extra bottle into junior’s hands to quiet him when he’s hungry and fussy stacks up the calories quickly and a FAT child is too often the result. In the study, 22 percent of children till used a bottle for drinking or took a bottle to bed by the age of two and when they were measured at age 5 1/2, almost 23 percent of the prolonged bottle users were obese, compared with just 16.1 percent of children weaned at a younger age, with obesity defined as being in the 95th percentile or higher for height and weight among children of the same sex. Even after Whitaker and his fellow researchers accounted for factors such as participants’ mother's weight, the child's birth weight, whether the child was breastfed, the age at which the child began eating solid food, and how much time the child spent in front of television or computer screens, the difference remained. Adding it all up, upsetting a child by refusing to cave in and give him or her a bottle doesn’t seem like such a bad option…………

A billionaire gathering, NASA trying to delay irrelevance and another Ohio State scandal

- There was a party this weekend at the Miraval Resort in Tucson this weekend and if you weren’t invited, don’t feel bad. All but a select group of 69 individuals or couples were excluded from the gathering on account of, well, not being an American billionaire interested in philanthropy. This group of über-wealthy souls came together at the behest of billionaire investor Warren Buffett as part of a get-together from which all media members were banned. Buffett and his friend Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates issued a challenge to the country’s wealthiest individuals and couples last summer and Buffett said Friday that the private gathering was a great chance for the billionaires who have pledged to give away at least half their wealth to meet each other, hang out, share ideas and be rich. Buffett confirmed that he knew only about 12 of the 61 people at the dinner at before arriving. "They all more than fulfilled my expectations," Buffett said. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was also in attendance and said the conversation at her table included a discussion about the biggest mistakes people had ever made as philanthropists. Other attendees included Tashia Morgridge, a retired special education teacher, who works with her husband, Cisco Systems chairman John Morgridge, to give money to improve U.S. education through the Denver-based Morgridge Family Foundation and George Kaiser, a Tulsa, Okla., philanthropist who aids early childhood education and social services programs. Kaiser led a session (see, even rich people gatherings have boring components like “breakout sessions”) on applying analytical business practices to philanthropy. Other topics included education, the environment and the philosophies of giving. One thing America’s non-billionaires might be surprised to learn about this elite group is that they have no plans to work together to pool their philanthropic dollars. "There's a strong desire in this group to learn from each other," said Jean Case, CEO of the family foundation started by her and her husband, America Online founder Steve Case. Steve Case chipped in with a few ideas for the group on the topic of using social media to encourage giving. The most interesting point raised during the event came from Chuck Feeney, a New Jersey philanthropist Buffett called the spiritual leader of the group, who spoke about his plans to give all his money to charity. "He wants his last check to bounce," Buffett said. Sounds like a good life plan…………


- As the 11th season of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" winds toward its healthy conclusion, the show will be airing its final few episodes with trainer Jillian Michaels, the woman known as "America's toughest trainer." Michaels announced prior to the season that it would be her last training the orca-FAT contestants on the reality weight-loss series because she wanted to move on and pursue other career and personal ambitions. Those other ambitions appear to include a quasi-takeover of the daytime talk show genre, as Michaels has inked a multi-year contract giving her a co-host seat on CBS TV Distribution’s "The Doctors" starting next season. The series provides medical advice to sick and unhealthy people as well as those struggling with common medical issues. It is a spinoff of another CBS TV Distribution show, a small-time series called “Dr. Phil.” Coincidentally, Michaels will also become a special correspondent on "Dr. Phil." Because both shows are extremely popular with the daytime television crowd, Michaels should have little trouble stepping from one of the most popular reality shows on television into a different genre. Predictably, her commentaries and pieces for both shows will focus on wellness, prevention and lifestyle dynamics. No word on whether she will be keeping her “Biggest Loser” staples of jumping on top of treadmills to berate the FAT people running on them, dropping to the floor to get in the face of FAT people who aren’t giving enough energy in their workout or making disgusted faces at the lack of weight loss by FAT people being weighed in on a digital scale on steroids to keep their place on a reality weight loss show…………


- Dammit, Adel al-Othmani, hippies did NOT need this. There are still far too many people who use the phrase “Damn hippies!” any time they see a person with long hair doing something they disagree with or find inappropriate. Never mind the fact that hippies haven’t really existed in their true form for nearly four decades, these kooks need a go-to phrase to express their disgust and disdain. With hippies fighting an uphill battle already, al-Othmani allegedly showing up last week disguised as a guitar-toting hippie and carrying out the bombing of a popular tourist cafe in Marrakesh, Morocco is only going to make matters worse. Witnesses said al-Othmani walked into the cafe wearing a wig and carrying a guitar and the two bags in which he had hidden the explosive devices that killed at least 17 people. “He looked like a hippie,” said an unidentified official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official said al-Othmani ordered an orange juice and left the cafe without the bags. “He used a mobile phone to detonate the bombs afterward,” the official said. On Thursday, the Moroccan Interior Ministry announced the arrest of three Moroccans in connection with the attack, which took place on April 28 in Djemma el Fna square. The ministry also postulated that the chief suspect in the bombing, al-Othmani, had links to Al Qaeda. Great, so now al-Qaeda is picking on hippies to. Does anyone else want to take a run at these long-persecuted souls? Would the Taliban or Hamas care to have one of their members dress in a tie-dye shirt, wear a long-haired wig and blow up some hospital or drop some explosives in the back of a flatbed truck as it passes through the heart of a busy city? Never mind the fact that this bombing will only make life more difficult for Moroccan leader King Mohammed as he tries to prevent political uprisings similar to those elsewhere in the Arab world; think about the impact on the world’s few, true remaining hippies. How are they supposed to live their relaxed, low-key lifestyle of pot, acoustic guitars, braided hair and tie-dye t-shirts if everyone they meet begins eyeing them as a potential terrorist? Does anyone think about potential consequences before they act these days or is it “Bomb now and let the hippies deal with the fallout” if you feel like killing a few people? Honestly, just an all-around depressing story…………


- Technical issues or a dying government agency trying to stave off its inevitable demise? NASA could be telling the truth in explaining its decision to postpone the launch date for the space shuttle Endeavour’s final mission……..or they could be dragging their feet because they have but two chances left to shoot people into outer space and want to stay relevant for a while longer. Endeavour's first launch attempt on April 29 was called off due to a supposed technical malfunction with one of the shuttle's power systems. Making the problem sound official wasn’t too difficult for the NASA brainiacs; they just tossed around technical-sounding explanations like a malfunctioning auxiliary power unit located in the hard-to-reach rear, or aft, section of the orbiter and everyone bought it. That allowed them to postpone the launch until at least 11:21 a.m. on May 10, when Endeavor may or may not lift off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Maybe the launch happens or maybe ground crews are once again called out to remove a supposedly faulty component, called the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2) box, from the shuttle's aft compartment. In between now and the alleged new launch date, technicians will evaluate data from the inspections and will install a new LCA-2 box and make any necessary repairs. The postponement will also affect several other big events on the ground and in space: the launch of an unmanned rocket, the undocking of a Russian spacecraft from the International Space Station and preparations for NASA's next and final space shuttle mission. "The forensic testing began," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said. "They're preparing to put a new box in, but they have to get some other issues prepared and ready first." In addition to those “other issues,” NASA must also factor into its decision-making process activities at the neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where unmanned rockets lift off into space. NASA could also decide it needs more time to evaluate the power system failure and push the launch back even further than May 10. However, that would create problems because the mission could then conflict with the undocking operations of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which is scheduled to depart the space station May 23. "If we go on May 10, the full 14-day mission is unaffected, but the two extension days are affected because the undockings would be on the same day," Beutel said. "We're having to work very closely with the space station program on this, and there a whole bunch of factors involved. Ultimately it will be up to the space station program and what their priorities are." Regardless of when Endeavor finally launches, NASA still has one launch left before its space shuttle program is officially dead. The STS-135 flight of the shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch June 28 to the International Space Station. The orbiter has been rejoined with its orange external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, on May 10 and eventually rolled out to the launch pad. "We're all waiting to see how the repairs to Endeavour go," Beutel said. "Even if we get over to the Vehicle Assembly Building on the 10th, if for some reason Endeavour launches past the 13th or 14th, there's a potential to affect Atlantis' roll to the pad." That’s the way to do it, NASA. Just continue delaying everything for as long as possible and hope no one notices what you’re up to…………


- Well lookee here, if it isn't The Ohio State University’s athletic department in the middle of another sh*t storm even though the bigger sh*t storm facing its football program is still a long way from being over. While the football program prepares its defense for an August hearing with the NCAA over rules violations involving five current players and coach Jim Tressel, the athletic department’s director of compliance is reviewing at least 50 car sales to Buckeyes athletes and relatives to see if they met NCAA rules, according to multiple media reports. Those reports allege that Aaron Kniffin, a salesman who received game passes from Ohio State athletes, handled many of the deals at two different dealerships and some of the sales do not appear to have been conducted in legal fashion. For example, a 2-year-old Chrysler 300 with fewer than 20,000 miles was titled to then-sophomore defensive player Thaddeus Gibson in 2009 and documents show the purchase price as $0. That would be a problem because athletes are prevented from receiving special deals not available to other students and cannot trade autographs for discounts. Since both the dealership Gibson “bought” his car from and the other dealership in question both display signed Ohio State memorabilia in their showrooms, certain questions are being asked about Gibson’s and other transactions. In explaining his “purchase” of the car, Gibson said he did not know why the title showed a zero for the purchase price and said he was still paying for the car. In Ohio, as in most every state, the law requires dealers to report accurate information about all car sales for tax purposes. In launching its investigation of the car sales, the compliance department at Ohio State claimed it had no evidence of players getting special treatment in vehicle sales. "Consistent with our standard procedures, we are nevertheless reviewing these sales to assure ourselves that our policies were adhered to," said Douglas Archie, associate athletic director for compliance, in a statement Saturday. Another OSU player tied to the potential rules violations is one of the chief troublemakers in the football program’s other ongoing scandal, quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor’s mother and brother also purchased cars from the dealerships and Kniffin also loaned his own car to Pryor for a three-day test drive to Pryor's home in Jeannette, Pa. In a huge coincidence, Kniffin and the owner of one of the dealerships he worked for, Jason Goss, have attended seven football games as guests of players, including the 2007 national championship game and the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Call me crazy, but it’s starting to sound an awful lot like Tressel is running one of the most corrupt, dirty programs in college football……….

Leaders who can't take hints, MLB's onslaught of drunks and delusional movie directors

- Memo you Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh: Take a hint, realize no one wants you around and beat it. So far, Saleh has refused to take that hint and done his best to ignore a growing outcry from opposition groups to resign. Instead, he described his opponents as "outlaws" and told a large gathering Friday that he will resist calls to leave office. At the same time, tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators gathered nearby in the capital, Sana'a. Tens of thousands of protestors gathered in the streets following Muslim prayers after a Gulf Arab plan to end Yemen's political standoff fell through in recent days. That plan would have had Saleh handing over power to a deputy and resigning within a month of signing the initiative. After Saleh left office, a unity government including opposition members would have been put in place. Both sides confirmed last week that they agreed to the deal, but Saleh found a loophole by insisting he would sign the deal only as leader of the ruling General People's Congress party, but not in his capacity as president - as required by the plan. In other words, he would love to agree to the previously agreed-upon agreements, but President Saleh won't be signing as per the deal’s stipulations. In his place will be General People's Congress party leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, who technically doesn’t have the juice to sign the agreement. Even after officials with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council attempted to revive the pact, Saleh turned them away and instead declared on Friday he would "strongly defend the constitution." Saleh definitely does not seem concerned in the least about the 140 people who have died in anti-government unrest since January, nor does he seem worried about the very real possibility that many more people will die in the weeks and months ahead if he continues to dig in and refuse to leave office……….


- For those with an unnatural fear of suffering any type of aneurysm or stroke, now would be a good time to stop drinking coffee, blowing your nose or having sex. Those routine activities can cause sudden spikes in blood pressure, new research has shown. The study, conducted by the American Heart Association, suggested those spikes in blood pressure could, in turn, lead to broken blood vessels in the brain -- or even a stroke. Researchers examined 250 participants who had suffered a ruptured aneurysm for a period of three years. They found certain activities, such as drinking coffee, exercising vigorously, blowing your nose and having sex, were associated with a sudden increase in blood pressure and an increased risk of rupture. On the question of whether coffee is dangerous because of the caffeine content, the study found that coffee in general and the caffeine contained it in are equally to blame. A person learning of this study might also wonder if the AHA is suggesting they stop blowing their nose, exercising and having sex. No, researchers insist. They don’t want people to avoid these positive or beneficial behaviors across the board. After all, the risk in overall population of getting an aneurysm is low - about 2 percent. Still, of the six million people who suffer aneurysms each year, 40 percent of which are fatal. Controlling blood pressure by other means, i.e. eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight, also help with the problem. The findings do pose an interesting quandary for someone who might be at higher risk for an aneurysm or stroke because of the inherent Catch-22: Staying healthy and avoiding excess body weight are good for avoiding aneurysms and yet behaviors typically used to achieve those ends could lead to the very thing you’re trying to avoid. Asking people to avoid sex if they are at risk for an aneurysm seems even more unlikely because if there’s one thing most people enjoy more than their morning coffee, their daily workout or getting congestion out of their stuffed-up head by blowing their nose, quality love-making would be it…………


- Overreaction is, in many senses, the name of the game in every single major American professional sport these days. The issue may be steroids, it may be game-specific things like instant replay or concussions, but reactions to these concerns are expected to be swift, immediate and decisive. That approach is fine, but perhaps Major League Baseball is taking it too far by insisting on a stipulation that would enable commissioner Bud Selig to discipline players who are involved in alcohol-related incidents as part of a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union. "This certainly has been something that we've been discussing in our ongoing collective bargaining talks," league spokesman Pat Courtney said. Those talks are aimed at avoiding the sort of labor turmoil currently entangling the NFL and once its playoffs end in June, the NBA. Both leagues’ collective bargaining agreements are ending and so far, the NFL and its players have come nowhere close to a new agreement. So why is MLB so intent on making its negotiations even more difficult by insisting on a clause allowing the commissioner to further disciple players who are in alcohol-related incidents such as DUI arrest? Could it be because six active players have been cited already this year for driving under the influence? Maybe. But Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Atlanta's Derek Lowe, Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo and Austin Kearns, Oakland's Coco Crisp and Seattle's Adam Kennedy all earning a DUI in the first two months of the season isn't embarrassing to the sport, right? Fans don’t care that a player on their favorite team is out on the road so beered up that their blood-alcohol content is twice the legal limit, thus rendering them a significant threat to everyone else on the road……right? Selig currently has no power to suspend players for alcohol-related offenses even though baseball's drug policy does include a provision for discipline for players linked to "drugs of abuse." The six DUI arrests recorded this season have featured players of varying degrees of prominence, with Cabrera's easily the highest-profile incident. He was charged during spring training in February on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting an officer without violence. Choo came close almost entirely on the epic blood-alcohol level of .201 he scored during his arrest early Monday. Lowe’s arrest was impressive because he showed immense stupidity by racing another car down an Atlanta street while drunk. Taken all together, it may be possible to see why Major League Baseball is a bit concerned about the issue…………


- Why not, “Terminator 5” director Justin Lin, why not? You’re trotting out the blatant cash grab of a fifth installment in a series that has been dead for years, so why not recycle the entire cast of the original? Your leading man is a 63-year-old, one-dimensional actor who has spent the better part of the past decade in politics, so how high can your standards possibly be? After securing Schwarzenegger’s services, however, Lin went out of his way to deny rumors that Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn would return in their roles as Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese for the film. "No. I don't know where that came from. Everything has just been between me and Arnold, you know? Just us going out and trying to find the right partners. I have certain elements, but it's never been about, 'Hey, let's bring everybody back!' I just don't process that way," Lin explained. He went a step further by suggesting the movie may in fact ignore everything that happened in the past two “Terminator” films, “Terminator 3” and “Terminator Salvation,” both of which were sans Schwarzenegger. "To me, thematically, there are certain things that I want to see in a Terminator movie. A lot of that does draw back to creating this timeline that is an extension, closer tonally to the first and second movies. But to me, it's not as mathematical as, 'Hey, let's get everybody back together and we'll shoot the movie,'" the director stated. Sure thing, J. Just know that everything you’ve said in this space makes up the single worst idea you could have. What is a fifth installment of a movie franchise if not an obvious attempt to cash in on everything that has come before it in the series? You make multiple sequels because the franchise has name value and you can wring more cash out of it without having to expend the time and energy necessary to write and produce a top-notch movie. Say what you will about it being just you and the Gover-nator in this mess, but refusing to play to your strengths when you’ve so clearly sold out already and to do so over pride, that’s foolish…………


- College students actually like books? Wow. That is truly stunning news. Most of those enrolled at the fine colleges and universities around the United States are interested in the opposite sex, beer, bongs, parties, sleep and doing just enough to pass their classes, in that order. Yet there are the students and faculty at the University of Denver, throwing an adult temper tantrum because ongoing renovations at the university’s Denver Penrose Library is not only creating excess dust and noise, but also leading to a restructuring and reorganization of the library itself. As part of that renovation, more than 80 percent of the library’s books will be taken off the shelves and moved to storage. Why move the books if it’s a library, you ask? For more computers to do research or more study carrels? Nope. The reason the library is shoving its books into some dank, dark storage room is so it can open up more space for gathering spots. According to library staff members, the books are being moved in part because just 20 percent of the books see 80 percent of the usage. The books being stored are those rarely used, but that hasn’t stopped students and faculty from loudly bemoaning the decision. Graduate students have been especially vocal on the subject because many of the books being archived are ones they (allegedly) need for their studies. So far, the primary response from the library staff has been to tell any complainer that the stored books can be quickly retrieved by request. “We are not getting rid of any of the books. The books are obviously not being destroyed. They’re going to be stored and I should point out this is not new,” DU dean Nacy Allen stated. However, the school has heard the outcry and its provost recently stated that the 80-20 ratio is open to discussion and could change. Here’s hoping that happens so the students can get what they want and go right back to ignoring those books……….

Skype on the auction block, election fortune reversals and common perils of reality dancing show competitors

- Who wants Skype? If everyone can’t agree on who gets it, then it’s either time to cut it in half and give a piece to the two interested parties or else, sit down at the freaking negotiating table and figure this mess out. Right now, both Google and Facebook are rumored to be in the battle for either a joint venture (no, Willie Nelson, not that type of joint venture) with Skype or an outright acquisition. Any deal is said to be worth some $3 to 4 billion and Skype is also in the midst of seeking an initial public offering, which could raise up to $1 billion for the company. The IPO is expected to take place sometime in the second half of the year, but it is unclear whether a deal with either potential suitor could change those plans. One way or the other, Skype is bound to infuse some much-needed cash into its operation. However, a joint venture or buyout would provide the company with a guaranteed influx of cash, whereas an IPO would be subject to the erratic nature of the stock market. Skype is also expected to analyze the performance of other companies attempting to go public in the next few months and use that information to help make a decision on its future. This isn't the first time Skype has been down this financial road, as eBay acquired the company in 2005 for $2.6 billion and planned to integrate the service into its auction and PayPal businesses. That plan never came to fruition and in 2009, eBay sold off 65 percent of its stake for $1.9 billion. Now, the rest of Skype is on the block and Facebook CEO Mark Zurckerberg is said to be heading up internal discussions about a potential buyout. Google’s early talks with Skype have reportedly been more joint venture-oriented, a plan Facebook is believed to be amenable to as well. A potential bidding war between two of the biggest giants in the tech world could be the best possible option for Skype and drive the ol’ asking price up even higher. Maybe this time, the buyer will actually end up using what it paid such a handsome rate for, eh eBay……….


- It all comes around eventually. The United States and its electoral system took so much flack for W. thieving the 2000 presidential election from verified inventor of the Internet Al Gore by buying, er, um, winning a court battle in Florida, but it turns out that America isn't the only place where the supposed will of the people can be changed by The Man. Welcome to the club, Ivory Coast, where Wednesday the Ivory Coast Constitutional Council ratified the results of a presidential election showing that Alassane Ouattara won, reversing an earlier decision to reject them. A court’s initial rejection of the electoral commission’s results from the November 2010 poll were the spark that ignited a four-plus-month power struggle between Ouattara and incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo that led to thousands of deaths and displaced more than a million people. Perhaps the violent struggle could have been avoided if the court had made this decision in the first place, but credit to the council for getting it right. Constitutional Council president Paul Yao N’Dre said the organization now accepts Ouattara as the election’s rightful winner. “The Constitutional Council . . . proclaims Alassane Ouattara president, takes note of decisions made by [him] and declares them all valid,” Mr N’Dre announced. “The Constitutional Council invites the president, Alassane Ouattara, to take an oath in front of an official audience as soon as possible. All decisions contrary to this one are null and void.” Those had to be tough words for N’Dre, a staunch Gbagbo ally, to say. He had rejected electoral commission results showing Ouattara won with an eight-point margin, upholding Mr Gbagbo’s complaint that the vote was unfair. Wiping out more than half a million votes sounds decidedly W.-esque, but in fact an Ivorian court made that decision by erasing more than half a million votes in Ouattara strongholds to declare Gbagbo winner in December. Oddly enough, that decision was widely condemned around the world and from the United Nations. A bloody struggle ensued between Ouattara’s forces and Gbagbo’s supporters, raging on until Gbagbo was captured last month. Gbagbo remains in captivity in the pro-Ouattara north awaiting trial for alleged crimes during the struggle and made the oh, so noble gesture last week of asking his supporters to put aside their political squabbles and help restore the economy. Following his magnanimous proclamation, N’Dre later met Ouattara at his temporary base in a nearby hotel and came out of the meeting saying Ouattara would take the presidential oath in front of the council on Friday. Here’s hoping this election reversal of fortune works out better for you than it did for the United States, Ivory Coast…………


- Ballsy play, Johnny Depp, ballsy play. Waltzing into Oprah’s own house and ripping her gimmick from her on national television takes stones. When one is the star of a forthcoming blockbuster film, perhaps taking such a gamble isn't as much of a risk as it might seem. Depp appeared Thursday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and out-Oprahed Oprah, giving everyone in attendance free passes to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The film will be released on May 20 and Depp is making the rounds promoting the film, hence his sitdown with Oprah. It was Winfrey’s final Harpo Hookup show as her syndicated talk show winds down and she takes the final steps of her transition to running her new OWN network full-time. Depp was in a good mood on the show and spoke positively about the experience of making “On Stranger Tides” and the possibility of the series continuing. "This is the fourth one," he said with a laugh, "so I can keep going." The latest “Pirates” film sees Depp up with Penélope Cruz on the search for the Fountain of Youth. His Captain Jack Sparrow character is forced to work with old enemies and tackle other assorted challenges in yet another quest to recapture the Black Pearl and bring back his beloved crew. In addition to pimping his new project, Depp also joked about the challenge of getting himself into the role of Jack Sparrow. "It boils down to story, script and filmmaker," Depp said of future “Pirates” films. "It's not something where I would say, 'Let's shoot it next month to get it out by Christmas 2012.' We should hold off for a bit. They should be special, just like they are special to me." The studio has definitely been hitting it hard in promoting the film, as a new clip following Captain Jack on a daring escape hit Yahoo! on Monday and MTV news had a still image from the movie showing Captain Jack sailing some dangerous seas. Still, nothing trumps going on Oprah’s show and ripping her own gimmick……….


- So much for one caring citizen trying to a) have some harmless fun or b) rectify a problem local powers that be were too busy or indifferent to address. When a busy New Haven, Conn. street proved too dangerous for pedestrians to cross safely and local authorities refused to rectify the problem, one bold soul stepped up with a can of spray paint (or 12) and did their job for them by painting a technically unofficial crosswalk at the intersection of Whitney and Audubon. Locals had asked city officials for a blinking light, crosswalk, red light, slow sign for children or adults crossing and been turned down each time, leaving the common man to fix the problem. However, it appears the only thing the city of New Haven dislikes more than fixing problems that could kill its citizens is one of those citizens fixing the problem on his or her own. Alderman John Elicker called the unofficial crosswalk “not the best way to approach the problem,” even though he admitted the intersection is “problematic” and needs to be addressed. "It's one of the busiest intersections in the city both for pedestrians and vehicles. Right now it's a two block expanse where there's no crosswalk, there's no safe way for people to cross the street," Elicker said. The latter portion of that statement would suggest necessitated gratitude if someone provided a safe way to cross the street, yet the city has spat in the face of this anonymous problem-solver by covering up the self-created crosswalk. "A simple crosswalk would not be suited for this location," said James Travers, New Haven interim transportation director. Hey Jimbo, if you want that interim tag removed from your freaking title, then you had better come up with a superior solution to this dilemma because right now, you’re part of the problem and not the solution. Still, the only person in power who cares enough to even lie about having a potential solution in the works is Travers, who claimed he has been talking to the city's engineer about a solution since before the now-covered crosswalk was painted. “I think in this particular intersection we have the opportunity to do something here that not only increases pedestrian mobility but decreases the speed of vehicles," Travers lied. To quote Ron Burgundy, Jim Bob, I don’t believe you…………


- Hines Ward probably should have seen it coming. He was pulled over and briefly detained by police in North Hollywood early Thursday morning in the classic case of DWADWTDLSC case. What does that stand for, you ask? Driving While A Dancing With the D-List Stars contestant, of course. Everyone knows that when you make a freaking spectacle of yourself by appearing on reality dancing show, you’re essentially inviting the cops to pull you over at will and harass you even if you’ve done nothing wrong. And so Ward was briefly detained at gunpoint Thursday in a supposed mix-up over a reported stolen car. He was released without being arrested, police said, and wasn’t exactly chatty when asked about the incident. "There's not a story. It was a misunderstanding and the police apologized to me. I didn't get arrested. I don't have a reaction to a non story," he wrote in a text message to a reporter. According to police, Ward and a female friend were stopped in her car at about 1:30 a.m. in North Hollywood because she had reported the car stolen on April 19. The two had just left a North Hollywood restaurant before being pulled over, officer Sara Faden said. Ward was ordered out of the car at gunpoint by officers, who cuffed him and questioned both of them before releasing the two after the woman was able to prove the car was hers, Sgt. Maria Morrison said. "She had gone somewhere, misparked it, reported it stolen and found it later" but failed to cancel the police report, Morrison said. Right, because we all forget where we parked our car, search for it for a few minutes and then say, “F*ck it, I’m reporting it stolen just in case and if I find it later, sweet!” Ward was described as cooperative while he was detained, one might guess due to his knowledge that a reality dancing show contestant tooling around a neighborhood like North Hollywood in a certain type of luxury car is really asking for it…………

Salte debates, raging sports parents and a day for Star Wars dorks

- Sports are about many things for kids: learning team play, learning to play by the rules, competing, physical fitness…….and raging sports parents looking to go Mike Tyson on someone’s ass if they dare to do anything less than bow down and kiss their child’s feet on a daily basis. Robert Rodriguez, a parent of a player on this year’s Miami Springs Senior High baseball team, is one such parent and he wasn’t about to take it lying down when his son didn’t make the cut for the team’s tournament roster. In the Florida high school baseball, coaches must trim their roster to 20 players for the postseason and in a climate where playing baseball year-round is common and the sport is extremely popular, most teams have more than 20 players on their roster, hence the rule. Rodriguez’s son Ian didn’t make the cut, like three other dedicated players who had practiced, played and been a part of the team all season long. The difference for Rodriguez’s son was his old man’s willingness to not only confront his coach on the decision, but to get criminal with it. Rodriguez, who stands about 6 feet tall and weighs in at a flabby 300 lbs., confronted Miami Springs coach Jason Moris, who stands all of 5’3″ and 140 lbs. He waited outside the school to do so and after Moris parked his car and got out, Rodriguez approached him and the two started talking. From there, the conversation quickly escalated to confrontation and punches were thrown. Predictably, the much-larger Rodriguez got the best of the exchange and Moris ended up with several cuts and bruises on his face. Looking at pictures of Moris after the fight, a logical person would assume he was the one who called police to the scene, but in fact it was Rodriguez. Why would a man who had just jumped and beaten up another person call the cops? For some bizarre reason, he believed the law would be on his side in the debate. Officers who responded to the call disagreed and after doing some top-notch police work, they determined that Rodriguez was the aggressor and charged him with battery. Oh, and it may stun you to learn that young Ian Rodriguez was a promising member of the pitching staff for Miami Springs and played regularly during the season, only to fall out of favor with the coaching staff because of a high number of disciplinary issues. With a stellar role model like dear old dad, how could this kid possibly be anything other than a model citizen and teammate…………


- Few actions in life are more pointless and perfunctory than asking North Korea to do anything it feels like doing. In short, Pyongyang does what Pyongyang wants and if you want to stop it, be prepared for war. As such, South Korea's unification ministry is asking North Korea to stop its cyber attacks is both futile and a bit funny. The “request” came a day after the South’s prosecutors accused the North of hacking a South Korean financial firm's banking system. South Korean prosecutors accused North Korean hackers of crippling the network of the country's agricultural banking cooperation, Nonghyup. That was the latest in a series of increasingly malevolent cyberattacks on the South, leading South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman to issue the following statement: "We're strongly urging North Korea to immediately stop its indiscreet cyber terrors such as hacking our private financial firm's computer network. In the future, we will keep taking necessary measures to strengthen our competence to deal with the North's cyber terror with related departments.” Umm, lots of luck with that “strong urging.” North Korea not only doesn’t care that the crash of Nonghyup's computer system affected millions of customers and left them unable to use the bank's credit cards and ATMs for more than a week, they’re laughing their butts off about the situation. Dictator Kim Jong Il and Co. revel in causing international mayhem and no matter what happens, they win. At a minimum, they disrupt lives and businesses and at best, they spark World War III. This latest round of attacks came just over a month after North Korea was also blamed for disrupting Global Positioning System signals in the South in an attempt to disrupt joint military drills by South Korean and United States forces. But just to give South Korea a bit of support in its futile endeavor, I too will ask the North to stop its attacks and play nice…………


- Every town has its resident kook. The cause this kook espouses may vary from place to place, but the bottom line is a delusional, misanthropic loser who alienates everyone around them with far-fetched, irrational views and a generally prickly demeanor. For city of Bradenton, Fla., that kook’s cause is defending his (or her) turf against outsiders. Not outsiders in the sense of illegal immigrants crashing America’s borders - unlikely as Bradenton is in the central part of the state on Florida’s west coast - but outsiders in the form of tourists. Whoever this fool is, he or she recently wandered around downtown Bradenton placing business cards on several cars with out-of-state license plates parked outside of a restaurant, with the message, "Florida Native. If you don't live here, go home” emblazoned on the cards. The card is signed by "Cracker, local resident." Why this moron is so against his town’s primary source of income is not clear, but the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce responded to the incident by flying into immediate damage control mode. “Our local economy is dependent on tourism," said Jacki Dezelski, the Vice President of East County and Community Development for the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce. "If we didn't have visitors come to us through travel and tourism, most of us would not be able to enjoy restaurants we go to year round, museums, attractions, retails businesses." That statement is truer than “Cracker” probably realizes or would admit, as Manatee County had 2.5 million visitors in 2010, injecting $708 million into the local economy. Local business owners understand the importance of tourism as well and employees at the restaurant where “Cracker” launched his or her campaign agree with the chamber of commerce. “They are a base source for our business," said Donna Jullerat, who works at Popi's Place VI. "They are the ones that give us the most revenue that we need throughout the year. We rely on them." Not only do the town and its businesses rely on tourists, but chamber of commerce officials say locals pay less taxes because of Bradenton’s tourism revenues. Oh, and there’s also the question of why “Cracker” is so intent on protecting Bradenton as if it’s some sheltered, isolated community with a rich, proud tradition and lifestyle that would be irrevocably polluted and ruined if someone from Georgia, Maine, Colorado or Texas visited for a few days. Hey kook, thousands of snow birds flock to cities around Florida every year and they keep your hurricane magnet of a state going. Dial back the anger a bit, spend your time and money on something other than misguided crusades and work on finding yourself a remote cabin in the woods where you can channel your inner hermit…………


- Did that special dork in your life look a little happier than normal today? Or perhaps they were merely less crabby than usual about being one of society’s biggest pariahs, never kissing a girl and having skin paler than a sheet of plain white paper. The reason for that, in case you’re not up on your dork holidays, is today’s date: May 4. Why is May 4 so big for the nerd community? Because it doubles as Star Wars Day. The explanation for that is simple: a lame Star Wars-related pun which doubles as today's proper greeting: "May the Fourth be with you." Yes, an idiotic pun is the excuse Star Wars dorks are using to call off work, gather with their small circle of pale, no-girlfriend-having losers and spend more than 12 hours watching all six films in the franchise from start to finish. They are dressing up as Yoda, or Jobba the Hutt, or Luke Skywalker, or a wookie and they are living it up with light saber fights and imaginary pod races. The rest of the world may be laughing mercilessly at them, but that’s their reality every single day of the year. That mocking will undoubtedly be fueled by the upcoming Star Wars-themed documentary The People vs. George Lucas. The project chronicles several obsessed fans' love for the Force and their outrage at Lucas for daring to dishonor the first three films’ legacy with the three prequel movies that launched last decade. Other parts of the documentary detail fan tribute films, controversial characters in the various installments of the franchise and Lucas’ decision-making process in creating the prequels. The People vs. George Lucas opens May 6 in New York with screenings scheduled throughout the summer, but one has to wonder whether Star Wars dorks will receive this news in the basements in which they dwell, communing on Internet message boards and Facebook fan pages to hash over their favorite film as if anything has changed since the 47,755 previous debates they’ve had over the exact same issues…………


- Time to revise the case for/against salt and its health benefits/dangers once again. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who consumed less salt were actually more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke. The research, an observational study tracking 3,681 Europeans who originally had no hypertension, also found that people consuming more sodium didn’t have a higher risk of hypertension - i.e. high blood pressure. Although those salt lovers did see a slight increase in systolic blood pressure over a period of about six years, the change was not deemed significant. Ultimately, this great effort should serve to further muddy the waters when it comes to the merits and drawbacks of salt consumption and even its authors were unable to definitively conclude what salt intake does to the body. “If you propose what I’d call an invasive measure like reducing salt intake in the population, you have to consider not only the potential benefits, but also the potential harms,” said Jan Staessen, a professor of medicine at the University of Leuven in Belgium and one of the study’s authors. Staessen also believes that recommendations for healthy people to cut sodium intake are extrapolated from short-term studies and from findings in people who already have hypertension. He and his fellow researchers warned that their findings may not even apply to African-Americans, who may be more salt-sensitive than white Europeans. What they don’t know is why lower sodium intake might raise heart risk or whether decreasing sodium intake by a significant amount truly does activate “some of the systems that conserve sodium, which are known to have a negative influence on cardiovascular outcomes.” The study has already drawn an onslaught of criticism from places like the Harvard School of Public Health, which calls its conclusions “most certainly wrong” and blames its authors for citing an “unreliable measurement of sodium intake,” among other issues. The Centers for Disease Control responded to a request for comment by stating that the small number of cardiovascular events seen in the study makes it difficult to draw any conclusions. Even the president of the American Heart Association rejected the study’s findings and stood behind his organization’s current recommendation to consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. In other words, I wouldn’t look for the U.S. government to alter its dietary guidelines calling for those at higher risk, including adults aged 51 and up, to stick to that same limit, not based on this study. The lone voice crying out in support of it? None other than the Salt Institute, which hailed the study as “debunking claims by the FDA and others pushing for population-wide reductions in salt consumption.” Perhaps the debate could be settled by a large clinical trial that randomly assigned people to eat either a low-sodium or normal diet and tracked their health over many years, but that is “not feasible,” says Staessen. Oh well. The world will have to continue doing what is has done all along, namely ignoring what science tells them and believing whatever they want to believe………

Ranking the world's hottest hotties, Big Brother stopped in Connecticut and dangers of Facebook

- Compiling a list of the 100 hottest women in the world probably doesn’t suck. The editors at Maxim, be they male or female, likely enjoy that particular task more than just about anything that comes across their desk in a given year. Poring over large color photographs of the sexiest women alive in painstaking fashion and then debating their merits wouldn’t seem to be an especially arduous task. Once again, those editors have soldiered through the challenge and come up with a satisfactory list of the 100 hottest females currently walking the earth. The No. 1 entry on the list was Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who has parlayed her modeling success and ability to wear revealing lingerie in jaw-dropping fashion into a role in the upcoming film “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” To top the Maxim list, she had to beat out last year’s winner, pop tart and musically talentless hack Katy Perry, who fell to third place on this year’s list. Asked about landing at the top of the list, Huntington-Whitely took it in stride as would be expected from a woman who has had people telling her for years how hot she is. “It's a great title to have for a year and you can have some fun with it, I think,” she stated. Perry was also edged out by actress Olivia Munn, who has scored roles on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and an NBC sitcom this year and ranked second on Maxim’s list. She somehow managed to increase her hotness quotient enough to rise up from No. 8 last year and climb those six spots to second place. Fourth place went to a woman who is consistently esteemed to be much hotter than she actually is, actress Cameron Diaz, who hasn’t been in a good movie for longer than most people can remember and yet stays in the public eye enough to rank high on lists such as the Maxim list. Fellow actress Mila Kunis, who ironically is best-known for her role as the voice of Megan on Fox’s animated series “Family Guy,” was fifth on the list. Other top 10 entries were swimsuit model Bar Rafaeli (sixth) and actresses Anne Hathaway (seventh), Natalie Portman (eighth), Cobie Smulders (ninth) and Jennifer Lawrence (tenth). A bit further down the list was the newly minted Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate Middleton, who ranked 26th and managed to beat out noted hotties like Sophia Vergara, Brooklyn Decker and Nicole Scherzinger on the list. Also among the top 100 are a smattering of athletes and musicians, all of who can be scanned in the latest issue of the magazine……….


- How dare 47 medical workers help people in need after those people - who just happened to be pro-democracy protestors demonstrating against the government - were injured by excessive force administered by security forces? Thankfully, Bahrain's justice minister has stepped in and begun the process of beating some sense into these 23 doctors and 24 nurses, announcing they will be charged with acting against the state during the recent unrest in the Gulf kingdom. Khaled Bin Ali Al Khalifa alleged that the 47 medical professionals “had promoted efforts to bring down the Sunni monarchy and spread false news.” A very different story is being told by activists, who say the doctors and nurses are being punished for treating pro-democracy protesters hurt in clashes with security forces. The crackdown on opposition groups extended further Monday, when two ex-MPs from main Shia opposition group Wifaq were arrested. Matar Matar and Jawad Fairuz were ripped from their homes in the evening and had not been heard of since. Matar was clearly asking for retribution from the government because he had the gall to continue speaking out against Bahrain's heavy-handed clampdown on demonstrators, the imposition of martial law as of Mar. 15 and the bringing in of troops from neighboring Sunni-ruled Gulf states to keep the peace. The scene became even more chaotic last month when Bahraini forces stormed the Salmaniya Medical Centre in Manama - the country's largest hospital because the hospital had become a shelter for demonstrators and doctors were daring to provide accurate information on the number of dead and wounded. That gave the government a clear path to declare that the facility had been "overrun by political and sectarian activity.” All of a sudden, doctors, nurses and staffers began disappearing and no information was provided until Tuesday’s news conference in which Sheikh Khaled read out the charges facing the medics: promoting efforts to bring down the government, harming the public by spreading false news, embezzlement of public funds, forcefully occupying a public building, incitement and participating in illegal protests. But wait, there’s more! All 47 alleged criminals are also being charged with "assault that led to death” for supposedly causing the deaths of two protesters by inflicting additional wounds to one and performing unnecessary surgery on another. Right, because the vicious beatings, rubber bullets, truncheons and other legalized weapons security forces used on the protestors had nothing to do with their deaths. Blame the deaths on people who tried to save beaten, bloodied and mortally wounded protestors. Bahraini authorities deny any human rights abuses in the uprising and seem to have no problem scapegoating a group of innocent medical professionals…………


- Facebook has been bad-mouthed for plenty of faults - being a drain on workplace productivity, causing kids to stay up late wasting time instead of sleeping, providing a staging ground for cyberbullying - but until now, no one has spoken ill of Mark Zuckerberg’s creation in quite the fashion WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange did in an interview with a Russian news outlet. Assange, no stranger to intense scrutiny and criticism, claimed Facebook, Google and Yahoo are actually tools for the U.S. intelligence community. Assange took pointed aim at Facebook, saying the information Facebook houses is a potential treasure trove of information for the U.S. government if it tries to build up a dossier on users. "Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented," Assange said. "Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence." Ironically, WikiLeaks has its own Facebook page and when WikiLeaks released a controversial batch of confidential documents last year, Facebook refused to shut down that page because it did not "violate our content standards nor have we encountered any material posted on the page that violates our policies." Facebook backed WikiLeaks when many other companies in the United States, including PayPal, blocked the company's accounts. Assange levied other serious criticisms against online search giants Google and Yahoo, saying both "have built-in interfaces for U.S. intelligence." Left out of the tirade was Twitter, which has been a source of trouble for WikiLeaks of late. Earlier this year, the Justice Department sent a court order to Twitter, requesting it deliver information from accounts of activists that allegedly had ties to WikiLeaks. That access was granted in March when a federal judge ruled in favor of the seizure. The government was able to access the accounts without a search warrant because it obtained a 2703(d) order, allowing investigators to secure online records that are "relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation." Getting information from Facebook is much easier for the U.S. intelligence community, Assange believes. Merely using "legal and political pressure" on Facebook is enough for it get what it wants. For what it’s worth, Facebook quickly disputed Assange’s allegations and insisted it does only what it is legally obligated to do, nothing more. If nothing else, it’s something to mull over as you’re posting that wacky new picture to Facebook of you as a 400-lb. person with the “fat app” or tending to your crops in FarmVille…………


- Score one for the common man and strike a blow against Big Brother. A bill that would have taken the whole “someone is always watching” angle several steps too far died in Connecticut Tuesday. The bill would have enabled cities and towns with populations of 60,000 or more to install cameras at intersections to catch red-light violators, but it was dealt a death blow when the state legislature's judiciary committee failed to call it for a vote. Any freedom-loving, anti-establishment soul would have flown into a near-homicidal rage over the possibility of this bill becoming law, but for the sake of fairness, why did it fail? According to committee Co-Chairman Gerald Fox III (D-Stamford), the decision not to vote on the bill came after discussions with proponents who doubted they had enough support for the measure due to questions of effectiveness and civil liberties that had been raised. While it was easy to see possible benefits for the state - with a minimum fine of $124 per violation sure to generate much-needed revenue - and the bill’s prior approval by two other committees, passing such a measure would have been extremely controversial for any legislator willing to attach their name to it. Oh, and it just so happened that two of the biggest proponents of the bill were two out-of-state companies that provide cameras and services for such electronic enforcement efforts. Hmm, conflict of interest much? Spending tens of thousands of dollars lobbying to sell an idea that might overstep various lines and civil liberties standards is much more palatable for someone who doesn’t live in the affected area and wouldn’t have to deal with the new reality this bill would have created. Tuesday was the deadline for the judiciary panel to vote on the bill. It had been before them for a week and while Fox said it would be technically possible to revive the proposal as an amendment to some other bill between now and the end of the legislative session June 8, he did not seem to hold out hope for that happening. "We have a month to go" before legislative adjournment, Fox said, “But personally, I would say this is going to be a difficult year for this." This year, next year, pretty much any year when you’re planning on asking your citizens to willingly have their privacy violated and their freedoms eroded by the electronic eye of Big Brother. Probably best to pass on that one…………


- When no one expects you to win a playoff series in any sport and you surprise a favored team to advance, the natural tendency is to talk some junk and thump your chest a bit. However, it’s typically the players who are running their mouths and not a guy in a suit who is charged with being the public voice of the team in the event of any sort of controversy or trouble. Yet after the Atlanta Hawks eliminated the Orlando Magic in their first-round playoff series, Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche has been the one making the biggest waves for his team. Following a Game 6 defeat that ended the series, the Hawks turned their focus toward their next opponent, the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, but Triche was more focused on comments made by Magic guard Jameer Nelson after he was caught telling Bulls star Derrick Rose "catch you in the second round" after the two teams met on April 10. That slip of the tongue wouldn’t have matter if the Magic had delivered against Atlanta, but they looked uninspired and inept in losing the series and now, Nelson has some free time on his hands. Remembering his ill-fated words to Rose, Triche decided to take a run at Nelson and get a public dig in at him in the process. He took to Twitter early Monday to announce that he was leaving two tickets for Nelson at Game 1 of the Hawks-Bulls series in Chicago. “Things that make me happy about this job," Triche tweeted. "Taking a page out of Jerry Glanville's book, I think I'll follow through on Jameer's request to catch Derrick Rose in the 2nd round." His tweet was an allusion to Glanville’s habit of leaving tickets at will call for Elvis while coaching the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The difference in this case is Nelson is still alive and Elvis is presumably dead, along with the fact that an ABC microphone didn’t pick up Elvis virtually guaranteeing a win in an NBA playoff series that had yet to start. After winning a series that was a repeat of a matchup they lost last season, the Hawks did have reason to celebrate and players recognized the significance of their win. "They never give us a chance," Josh Smith said after Thursday's victory. "They never talk about the Hawks. They talk about Orlando, Chicago, Boston and Miami. We're always sneaking under the radar." For the record, the Hawks defeated the Bulls in Game 1 and although Triche said Nelson didn't use the tickets to Game 1 as far as he knew, he suggested he might leave more tickets for him for Game 3 in Atlanta. That would be a bad idea, of course. It was a semi-humorous gag the first time, but a second time would make Triche (and anyone else involved) look like a classless d-bag…………

Stopping "The Hangover: Part 2," athletic camaraderie and Oregon football felons

- Anyone who has ever competed in a road race or triathlon understands the sense of camaraderie and community that exists amongst competitors. The connection between those who put on bibs and tech shirts is hard to understand for anyone who hasn’t taken part in such an event, but the story of Tampa resident Teresa McCoy as she competed in the Meek and Mighty Triathlon in St. Petersburg Sunday may help illustrate the point. McCoy was chugging along in the bike part of the triathlon, the second leg of the event, when she saw two police two officers huddled over a man with whom she had chatted briefly before the race began. The officers were concerned that the man might be having a seizure and being a nurse herself, McCoy immediately offered her assistance. "As I rode past them I said 'I'm a nurse. Do you need any help?'" she said. "And they said 'yes.' I work in the cardiac lab, so I see this every day, but I don't normally see it out and about." Yet she jumped right into action, checking for a pulse. When she couldn’t find one, McCoy began CPR and called for a defibrillator. One shock with the paddles revived the man, whose family asked that he not be identified. Paramedics quickly arrived on the scene and loaded the man into an ambulance while McCoy, ever the competitor, hopped back on her bike and finished the race. Afterward, she credited God for putting her in the right place at the right time to help save a life. "I was supposed to be in North Carolina this weekend, but I changed it to last weekend and I felt like God put me there today and I was his angel," she said. Not that completing a triathlon is anything other than a great feat worthy of respect and admiration, but completing a triathlon and saving a life in the process would seem to be a great way to spend one’s Sunday…………


- So about those discipline issues within the Oregon football program……..umm, yeah. Maybe those issues aren’t quite as resolved as head coach Chip Kelly, the athletic department’s and school’s higher-ups would liked to have believed. Early last year, four UO players were arrested within a one-month span and linebacker Kiko Alonso was the fourth and final player to end up in the back of a squad car, sporting the silver bracelets. He was arrested for driving under the influence and that DUI arrest led to Kelly suspending him for the entire 2010 season. The program has had several players arrested over the past few years, most notably former UO quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who was ultimately dismissed from the team following a second run-in with the law and finished his career at the University of Mississippi. Alonso’s arrest was a black eye the program didn’t need, but if he had abided by the rules and stayed out of trouble, he would have been allowed to return to the team for the coming season. That became a moot point after he was arrested Sunday in Lane County and charged with burglary, criminal mischief and criminal trespass. Now, he no longer has to worry about getting back onto the field for the Ducks because he is no longer a member of the team. There was no way to duplicate the poor timing of his first arrest, which came hours after Kelly held a news conference to address the slew of incidents involving his team and said he was implementing a tougher disciplinary policy as a result, but Alonso still managed to look like a complete bonehead. Not only did he miss out on the Ducks’ run to the BCS National Championship Game in January, but now he’s ruined his football career with another ugly incident to add to his rap sheet. Every elite college football program needs a few felons and knuckleheads, but Alonso truly went above and beyond the call of duty in that respect…………


- You fight the pope and the pope wins. That’s just how the Catholic church rolls and a controversial Australian bishop has learned that lesson in difficult fashion. Bishop William Morris of the Toowoomba diocese, west of Brisbane, has been fired by Pope Benedict XVI for calling on the church to consider ordaining women and married men. The Vatican said in a statement Monday that the pope had "removed from pastoral care" the outspoken Morris, a move that was swift and stern even by Vatican standards. Typically, the Vatican asks wayward church leaders to resign benevolently announces the pope has accepted their resignations. Kicking a leader to the curb and then announcing it to the world indicates a special level of outrage and disgust and Morris received those reactions by arguing a shortage of priests should prompt the church to consider ordaining women and married men. He reportedly published a letter recently saying he was being removed for a 2006 message to the faithful in which he outlined his argument, which stands in direct conflict with the stance of Benedict and his just-beatified predecessor, John Paul II, that only celibate men can be ordained in the Roman Catholic church, although married men in the Latin rite church loyal to the pontiff can become priests. The Vatican has also made a habit of welcoming married Anglican priests who have converted to Roman Catholicism in the past few years, but Morris’ case went well beyond that point. It was apparently his recent letter that led to his removal after numerous complaints were lobbied with the Vatican, which launched an investigation. Morris has insisted he never wrote a letter of resignation, which may explain the unusual announcement of his dismissal. He is far from the only church leader removed from his post, but the only one ousted in such public and confrontational fashion. Hopefully he is happy with the stance he has taken and believes it was worth losing his job over, because he’s now on the outside looking in and has no way to continue the fight he started………….


- Duuuuuuuuuddddde. Not cool, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, not cool. What’s up with vetoing most provisions of a bill to establish state licensing for cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana because she “did not want to put state employees at risk of federal prosecution.” Gregoire admitted she was swayed by a legal opinion issued earlier this month by federal prosecutors threatening to crack down not only on dispensary owners and growers, but also on state regulators enforcing the proposed law. It was a weak stance taken by a governor unwilling to back the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature, which passed the bill in response to a recent increase in the number of storefront dispensaries that are neither explicitly permitted nor banned under the 1998 voter-approved state law legalizing the hippie lettuce for medical purposes. Had the governor grown a pair and done the right thing, the bill would have directed the state Health Department to devise a system for regulating and licensing medical marijuana dispensaries and directed the state Agriculture Department to do the same for growers. Instead, Gregoire’s spineless actions left just a few minor provisions of the bill intact, including one allowing collective gardens for medical marijuana patients of up to 45 plants total but no more than 15 per person. Previously, the law authorized a 60-day individual patient supply of up to 24 ounces and 15 plants. Washington had a golden chance to vault itself near the front of the pack amongst the 15 states and the District of Columbia with statutes decriminalizing marijuana for medical reasons. Only a few of those states - Colorado, New Mexico, Maine and Rhode Island among them - also have licensing and regulatory controls over medical marijuana suppliers. Colorado remains one of the stoner, er, medicinal marijuana champions with some 800 state-licensed dispensaries and growers. The number of growers and dispensaries has spiked since the U.S. Justice Department said in October 2009 that it would no longer prosecute patients who use medical marijuana, or shops that dispense it, in states that have legalized it. However, the Justice Department has been bumping its gums of late about cracking down on what it considers illegal drug activities conducted under the guise of state medical marijuana laws. That approach was highlighted early on by a March raid of marijuana greenhouses and dispensaries in 13 cities across Montana in a purported strike against large-scale drug trafficking. Some blame in Washington’s fumbling of the pot ball has to rest with the state’s two U.S. attorneys, Jenny Durkan of Seattle and Michael Ormsby of Spokane, who said in a legal opinion that new state controls on medical marijuana cultivation and distribution would not render growers, dispensary operators or even their landlords and financiers immunity from federal prosecution and civil actions. In fact, these two legal lotharios wrote that "state employees who conducted activities mandated by the Washington legislative proposals would not be immune from liability" from prosecution. Gregorio cited similar stances taken recently by federal prosecutors in Colorado and Rhode Island and summarily took the easy way out of the dilemma. "I will not subject my state employees to prosecution. That would be irresponsible on my part," Gregoire stated. "That's the clear reason for what I'm doing." Whatever helps you sleep at night, governor. Just know that when federal agents raid dispensaries in your state and those working at the dispensaries are fed to the proverbial wolves, they will do so without the support of one powerful person who could have given them some backing - you……………


- At least one person exists who believes that “The Hangover: Part II” should not happen - at least not until a certain legal issue is resolved. S. Victor Whitmill, an award-winning tattoo artist whose best-known work is the monstrosity adorning the left side of former heavyweight boxing champion (and “Hangover” guest star) Mike Tyson, has sued Warner Bros. over the similar-looking facial art on Ed Helms' character in "The Hangover: Part II." Whitmill, whose lawsuit calls the Tyson design "one of the most distinctive tattoos in the nation," is asking for an injunction to stop the release of the film, set to open in the United States over Memorial Day weekend. "When Mr. Whitmill created the Original Tattoo, Mr Tyson agreed that Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the Original Tattoo," the complaint states. "Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. — without attempting to contact Mr. Whitmill, obtain his permission, or credit his creation — has copied Mr. Whitmill's Original Tattoo and placed it on the face of another actor ... This unauthorized exploitation of the Original Tattoo constitutes copyright infringement." The suit was filed Thursday in federal court in Missouri and should generate even more publicity for an already overhyped film regardless of the verdict. Warner Bros. declined to comment on the suit and will allow its litany of overpriced attorneys to fight the battle in court. All humor aside, the case does offer up some unique legal precedents. Copyrighted works are protected no matter where they are displayed and outside of the full-upper-body tattoo Wentworth Miller’s “Prison Break” character Michael Scofield sported for the first three seasons of Fox’s now-defunct drama, Tyson’s ink has received as much camera time as any body art in the entertainment world. Whitmill does have his copyright registration for the "Original Tattoo" and a copy of that registration was attached to the lawsuit, along with Tyson's signed release granting rights in the work. He also submitted photos of himself applying the tattoo to Tyson in 2003 in Las Vegas. Further boosting his case, Helms’ character receives the tattoo in the movie as a direct comedic reference to Tyson, who played a key role in the first installment of the film. The two designs are extremely similar, making it difficult for Warner Bros. to argue that any resemblance is a mere coincidence. One option would be arguing that the copyright is invalid, which could be difficult. The studio could also argue that it altered the tattoo’s design just enough to avoid copyright infringement, or that its use in the film is "transformative," meaning it is depicted in a larger context and thus a fair use, or as a parody. Along with seeking damages for the use of the tattoo design in the film, Whitmall is seeking additional compensation for its use in advertising materials and trailers. The lawsuit also asks for an injunction to stop the movie's release and that could lead to a repeat of an incident from several years ago in which Warner Bros. was forced to pay a large settlement to the author of the source material for its "Dukes of Hazzard" film when a judge issued an injunction weeks before the film's release………….

Movie news, another hit for America in the space race and conventions are loser magnets

- Great writing it may not have, a hard-to-figure-out plot it may be lacking and stellar acting it may not possess, but the fifth (yes, fifth!) installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise opened in thunderous fashion over the weekend, earning more than the rest of the top 10 combined with an $83.6 million take that may not have taken it to the break-even point (blame the $125 million budget) but was as impressive a debut as any film has posted so far this year. A whopping $22,950 per-theater average was impressive as well and even if the predictability and unoriginality of the film eventually catches up with it, that won't take away from an outstanding first weekend. Last weekend’s top film, Rio, fell off 45 percent to finish second with $14.4 million. That effort pushed it past the $100 million mark after three weeks at $103.6 million. Third place and about 50 spots higher than it should be based on quality of the movie was Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family, which made another $10.5 million despite being the same damn Madea movie Perry has put out about five times previous. For two weeks, Big Happy Family has made $41.1 million. Water for Elephants was fourth for the weekend with $9.2 million and has scored $32.3 million for two weeks of work. Last among the top five was newcomer Prom, which was universally panned by critics and made a measly $5 million in its debut. Even with a meager $8 million budget, that’s not the sort of opening that gets a film labeled as a success. The rest of the top 10 consisted of: Hoodwinked TOO! Hood vs. Evil (No. 6 with $4.2 million in its first weekend), Soul Surfer (No. 7 in its fourth weekend with $3.3 million after a 39 percent drop from the previous frame), Insidious (No. 8 with $2.7 million, a 48-percent decline from last weekend and yet enough to elevate the film’s cumulative take to $48.3 million for five weeks), Hop (No. 9 and dropping like a rock at this point with $2.6 million and a running tally of $105.2 million through five weeks) and Source Code (No. 10 as its thoroughly mediocre run continued with $2.5 million and $48.9 million overall for five weeks in theaters). Dropping out of the top 10 from last weekend were African Cats (No. 11), Hanna (No. 12) and the über-awful Scream 4 (No. 13). The weekend’s most disappointing debut title easily went to Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, which proved a dreamy Brandon Routh isn't enough to carry a movie by making a robust $885,000 for a per-theater average of $1,011……………


- Conventions tend not to draw out the cream of society’s crop. Typically, they serve only to gather its misfits, rejects and outcasts from the fringes, from the corners of the map and from the rocks they’ve been hiding under. Fans of cult favorite movies like Star Wars have their conventions and Comic-Con draws in legions of dorks to let out their inner fanboy and shake in awkward nervousness if they happen to pass within 10 feet of one of the half-dozen female attendees to the event. With so many freaks and misfits gathering in one place for virtually any convention, this weekend’s Texas Frightmare Weekend was really the definition of what one of these loser gatherings is all about. The sight of hundreds of zombies lurching through the streets of Irving, Tex. would look absurd on any day, but it nonetheless marked the start of the convention and the misfits were out en masse. Well-known personalities from around the horror community (yes, a horror community exists) came to take part, along with memorabilia collectors, horror fanatics and Halloween fanatics. Those fanatics showed up in full horror regalia, with fake blood, ooze, slime, bile, wounds, etc. Some participants in the zombie lurch admitted to spending several hours working on their costume and makeup. Others elected to take non-lurching means of transportation to the convention, including many who showed up in tricked-out hearses. That’s right, these weirdos are taking the vehicle normally reserved to give deceased people a final, respectful last ride to their last resting place and turning it into a freak show on wheels to pay homage to their favorite horror movies and television shows. However, once horror fans arrived at the convention there was still plenty of fun to be had. They could hit up any number of specialty vendors to buy memorabilia or get pictures and autographs from their favorite horror film stars. The original Freddie Kruger, Robert Englund, was on hand to sign and pose with his legions of adoring fans. Sadly, the convention was the admitted highlight of the year for many of them and now they will go back to their disappointing daily lives working dead-end jobs and dreaming of next year’s event………


- Did anyone even notice that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was gone? Sure, there wasn’t enough angry bravado, oppressive dictatorial action and overall tyranny emanating from Iran over the past week, but the world has been so wrapped up in uprisings elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa that no one noticed that Ahmadinejad had not been seen at work for more than a week, amid reports of a rift with the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. The rift led to a weeklong boycott by Ahmadinejad and the confrontation came to light after supreme leader ejected the dismissal of Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi last month. Moleshi was forced to resign on Apr. 17, but he was promptly re-instated by the supreme leader. Having been smacked across the nose like a misbehaving puppy whose master whacked him on the snout with a rolled-up newspaper, Ahmadinejad responded by staging a boycott of his official duties. As the first week of the boycott wore on, the dictator was pressured by conservatives within the government to return to work and stop pouting like a petulant 7-year-old. He finally complied Friday by chairing a cabinet meeting, ending a week in which he was not seen in public, missed two cabinet meetings and canceled a visit to the holy city of Qom. A letter from some 300 high-ranking government officials urging Ahmadinejad to resume his duties and respect Ayatollah Khamenei's decision seemed to facilitate the end of the boycott and national media within Iran reported that a group of conservative lawmakers met with Ahmadinejad on Saturday and in that meeting, the maniacal dictator reportedly renewed his allegiance to Ayatollah Khamenei. Now, Iran can turn its hate, rage and misanthropic attitude back in the direction it is usually channeled: at the world…………


- Budgets are shrinking for all manner of non-essential services and programs across the United States now that, ya know, we’re racking up trillions of dollars in debt and for once, the people in power are trying to do something about the problem. The prime target for those budget cuts has been all things outer space, with NASA winding down its final few missions sending humans into space and searching for ways to keep exploring the final frontier sans homosapiens. But NASA isn't the only outer space entity to suffer from budget cuts and now the world's only radio telescope array specially designed to detect potential signals from distant worlds has been shut down because the money to continue operating it ran out. The search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe now has one less weapon after the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, headquartered in Mountainview, Calif., ceased operations early in April. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer for the group that runs the northern California facility, explained that the timing of the shutdown was especially bad because astronomers there were anticipating an onslaught of possible new research targets from the dozens of potentially life-supporting planets newly detected by NASA's Kepler space telescope orbiting distant stars in the Milky Way galaxy. "It's a frustrating thing to know that there are worlds out there that may have life, intelligent life, and not be able to look for them," Shostak stated. Shostak said the Kepler telescope has unearthed about 50 potentially habitable planets beyond the solar system in the Milky Way, sparking speculation among the scientific community that some 500 million such worlds could exist in the galaxy. Using the Allen Telescope Array, named for Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen, would have been a great way to explore those new finds. With its 42 dish-like antennas about 20 feet in diameter, operated as one large radio telescope in the Cascade Mountains east of Reading, Calif., the system could have provided valuable clues in the search for life beyond Earth - if you’re among those who believe it exists. The Allen array isn't the only telescope complex capable of searching for extraterrestrial signals in deep space, but it is the only one designed specifically for that purpose and it was dedicated to that research around the clock. Unfortunately, Allen isn't as much of a benefactor of the facility as he once was and with government funds drying up, there is no support left to finance the effort to listen for a distinct, repeating pattern of electromagnetic signals, emanating from space that could indicate a source created by intelligent life. The reason the array was impacted by budget cuts is its connection to the Radio Astronomy Lab of University of California, Berkeley, which has been impacted by recent state budget cuts for university. Unless a rich philanthropist steps up and chips off the $1.5 million a year it costs about to operate the array and at least $1 million to cover the related cost of the SETI research, yet another American edge in the world of all things outer-spacey will have gone by the wayside and the rest of the world will be able to blow right by the U.S. and keep on going……….


- In a truly shocking turn of events, many Division I schools are allegedly distorting the number of students participating in sports so they can comply with Title IX, a federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools and opened academic and sports opportunities for women. Typically, being in compliance with Title IX means cutting men’s sports and adding women’s sports no one cares about or notices simply so there is a balance on campus in terms of opportunities to play sports for men and women. Colleges and universities can comply in one of three ways: 1) show proportionality of female athletes to female students on campus,
2) demonstrate a history of increasing sports for women or 3) prove it has met the interest and ability of the underrepresented group. A report surfaced last week that many schools are deliberately padding the roster’s of their women’s teams with unqualified players or even men. A New York Times investigation found that some schools continued counting athletes who no longer wanted to compete or never played for that team. Others listed male practice players, who provide warm bodies to fill out practices and push female players harder, as women. Federal participation statistics from all 345 institutions at the Division I level showed these and other disturbing trends and many administrators admitted that schools have been engaging in such Title IX end-arounds since the law was passed in 1972. Some prominent women’s basketball programs, including defending national champion Texas A&M and Duke, are among the teams that take advantage of a federal loophole that allows them to report male practice players as female participants. Now might also be an opportune time to ask if Title IX is actually accomplishing its stated goal of equality within college sports. Seeing as women now comprise 53 percent of the student body at Division I schools and yet make up just 46 percent of all athletes, the answer would seem to be no. That seems unlikely to change as long as teams continue engaging in "roster management” instead of reducing the roster of men’s teams or adding new women’s sports. Just don’t expect to hear anyone whining because their college or university hasn’t “achieved equality” by adding that much-needed women’s golf team………….