Learning from movies, another corrupt IMF leader and Smiths-inspired comic books

- She hasn’t been on the job long, but International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has proven quite a bit. Sure, what she has proven is largely negative and not at all encouraging, but proving something is proving something no matter its nature. Selected to lead the IMF after the ouster of Dominque Strauss-Kahn in the midst of a scandal based on allegations that he raped a housekeeper at a New York City earlier this year, Lagarde became the second straight Frenchman (or French person for the politically correct) to lead the organization and after just a few weeks on the job she may have already brought her own scandal to the party. The Court of Justice of the Republic, a special tribunal qualified to judge the conduct of France's government ministers while in office, is investigating allegations that Lagarde may have abused her position as finance minister in France by approving a $440 million payout to a controversial businessman and Nicolas Sarkozy supporter. Lagarde allegedly approved the payment to Bernard Tapie, a convicted soccer match fixer and tax cheat who supported her governing UMP party. If the charges are true, they could cost Lagarde her position while also proving she has a huge pair of stones and freaking nerves of steel. After all, knowing this massive scandal was lurking out in the ether, waiting to be discovered, she still campaigned hard to replace Strauss-Kahn soon after his arrest. Yes, Strauss-Kahn was at the time facing a crime that could lead to as many as 25 years in prison if he were convicted, but Lagarde is also facing a criminal trial of her own, as well as a possible jail sentence. The world is going to get the impression that all French politicians and government officials are integrity-less scumbags who have neither character nor the ability to obey the laws they are supposed to enforce. Lagarde is not the first politician of any nationality to be tied to unsavory characters with large bank accounts, but associating with Tapie was a fairly reckless and stupid move. The former head of sports apparel company adidas’ French arm, Tapie received his alleged boost from Lagarde after claiming he was cheated out of millions by Credit Lyonnais bank when adidas was sold in 1993. Lagarde stepped in and ordered a panel of judges to arbitrate and the panel ultimately awarded Tapie the aforementioned massive payout. Opposition members were enraged and Lagarde was accused of using tax dollars to do favors for political friends. The story eventually quieted down, but has now been revived with Lagarde in a much more important political position. If she’s ultimately forced to step down as head of the IMF, it might be an advantageous time to see a non-corrupt, law-abiding, non-Frenchman to lead the group………..


- Comic books have attained a significant amount of mainstream success and acceptance over the past several years, with Comic-Con growing to the point that the dorks who sustained it for so long began to lament the invasion of the non-nerd world into their own private, pale, pasty, never-kissed-a-girl club. Oddly enough, melancholy British rockers The Smiths have also maintained a certain among of relevance with younger demographics despite not having been together and a viable factor on the music scene since the ‘80s. So maybe it makes sense that a selection of songs by The Smiths have been turned into a series of comic book stories - but it still seems weird for some reason. Unite And Take Over: Comic Stories Inspired By The Smiths is the name of the project and it is being led by Shawn Demumbrum, who has collated 13 artist and writer pairings - one for each song in the comic book adaptation. The comic book will include graphic novel takes on ‘Girlfriend In A Coma’ and ‘How Soon Is Now?’ and contributors include Christian Vilaire, Henry Barajas, Jeff Pina and Shelby Robertson. Fittingly enough, the project will be unveiled at the Tucson Comic-Con on Nov. 5-6. Demumbrum has stated that the comic book won't feature literal re-tellings of the stories in the songs and will instead used the tracks as "an inspiration, a jumping-off point, a theme or a mood.” Asked what inspired him to adapt the music of one of the most dour, macabre bands of their era into comic book form, Demumbrum said: “As a teen in the '80s, one of my favorite soundtracks was the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. While training for cross country, I played the cassette over and over on my Walkman as I ran. There was always something about The Smiths' 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'. It tapped into my teenage psyche, a combination of loneliness and yet hopeful optimism, that only Morrissey's vocals seem to capture.” That’s the very take so many Smiths fans have expressed about the band’s music over the years and while converting their angst to graphic novel form may be a leap, it just might be one worth taking…………


- Hewlett-Packard has never been accused of making good or even average computers, but that hasn’t stopped the company from wading into the fast-growing tablet market. Now that the HP TouchPad has debuted, HP is seeking ways to effectively do battle with the iPad and one of the obvious choices is slashing prices on a lesser TouchPad model in the hopes of luring in customers. HP has selected this strategy and will employ it for a three-day sale designed to generate buzz and sales for its first major tablet offering. For a three-day span beginning Friday, customers will be able to purchase the 16 GB model of the TouchPad for a $100 discount from its full $499.99 price. Coupled with this week’s webOS 3.0.2 update for tablets, there might never be a better time to purchase a substandard tablet running a terrible operating system. Along with the $60 price cut HP announced earlier this week and an additional discount being offered exclusively at Staples stores on both the 16 and 32 GB models of the TouchPad, there is really no way anyone should be purchasing one any time soon without receiving a sizeable discount. Some tech observers and pundits have wondered if the multiple price cuts have shown that the TouchPad was never meant to sell for its original price point, but it’s hard to blame HP for aiming high with its first serious foray into the tablet market with the growing popularity of tablets and the success of the iPod and Android tablet offerings. Eventually users will discover that HP tablets are much like HP desktop and laptop models - chintzy, flimsy, poorly made and not worth the time or money you pay to get them - but for now, riding the feel-good wave of tablet love should sustain HP and offering significant discounts will keep that love flowing for as long as possible…………


- Movies can save lives, believe it or not. In addition to saving your life by being the only person in the theater for a midnight showing of Zookeeper instead of venturing out onto busy city streets or bars where other living, breathing human beings are bound to be and possibly ending up in a deadly bar fight or shooting on the street, movies can also teach valuable life and survival skills to keep you alive in dangerous wilderness situations. For Portland, Ore. resident Pamela Salant, a movie she watched no long before a camping trip to Bear Lake may have saved her life. Salant was airlifted out of the woods on Tuesday afternoon by an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter crew after having been missing since Saturday night, when she split off from her boyfriend in search of a campsite near Bear Lake. After the two separated, Salant suffered a 50-foot fall into the Lindsey Creek drainage and broke her lower left leg in two places. She was hiking along the drainage line because she believed it led to the lake. After falling and sustaining the fracture to her tibia, she has to survive until she could be located and Salant turned survival techniques she recently saw in a movie to help her stay alive. She survived on berries and caterpillars and drank from the creek before rescuers found her in the same area where she fell. In addition to her broken leg, she also sustained cuts from pulling herself along the ground down the drainage toward the Columbia River to safety and was covered with insect bites. Her boyfriend, Aric Essig, recalled last seeing her after the two of them arrived at the lake to camp for the evening. "I walked all around the lake expecting to meet up with her at some point, and I walked all the way back to the camp and just didn't see her," Essing said. The break that led searchers to Salant came when two shoe prints were discovered along a trail, one found one on Sunday and a second on Tuesday. "Two shoe prints over a three-day period just to find one shoe print, then another, now we've got hopefully a direction of travel and that's exactly what we followed," Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler said. Despite her battered and bruised conditions, Salant is in stable condition and according to a statement released through the hospital, does no plan to speak to the media until next week. A sheriff’s detective said that Salant told him that she could hear the rescue helicopter and knew she had to find a clearing where searchers could find her. To get there, she had to traverse a waterfall. She was able to do so by continuing to rely on the same resource she had turned to all weekend long: the movie "Touching the Void," which is a story about a man surviving in the Andes after being injured. Besides chowing down on bugs, Salant also used the movie’s lesson of covering herself in moss to stay warm after sundown. Had she been watching cinematic garbage like “Cowboys & Aliens” or “The Change-Up,” Salant might not be alive today to share her story…………


- Life is not always easy for college athletes. Coping with high expectations on the field or court, time management issues with squeezing practices, games, studying and fitting a social life into the 168 hours of a given week can lead to a high amount of stress. Succeeding in those endeavors becomes more difficult when not properly equipped and no tool is more vital or essential than a good computer. How else can a student waste hours on YouTube videos, Facebook conversation and status updates and random tweets if they don’t have a good tablet or laptop? Oh, and they can use their computer for late-night cram sessions and last-minute research paper writing as well. UCLA senior basketball player Jerime Anderson understands this reality well and he went to great lengths to ensure that he had a good laptop for the coming semester. Knowing he needed a good lapper and realizing he didn’t have one, Anderson went out and found one……which worked right up until campus police tracked him down Tuesday evening and demanded that a) he turn that laptop over to them because it was stolen and b) he put on a pair of the silver bracelets and take a ride down to the station for stealing the computer. Anderson was arrested and charged with suspicion of grand theft after officers and the computer’s owner used a tracking device on the computer, valued at $1,541, to locate it and Anderson. He was booked at the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station and released on $20,000 bail. (Allegedly) stealing a laptop is probably not a wise move for a player who was a lowly backup last season with modest averages of 5.1 points and 2.6 assists, as coaches don’t tend to extend opportunities for expanded roles to players whose names have landed on the police blotter during the offseason. UCLA coach Ben Howland has already barred Anderson from all team activities following the arrest and suspended the senior from the Bruins' game against Loyola Marymount on Nov. 11. Anderson could miss additional games depending on the outcome of the case and Howland issued the requisite statement condemning his player’s actions. "This is a disappointing and unfortunate situation for Jerime," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said in a statement. "We have a high standard and code of conduct that our student-athletes are expected to follow. He knows that he has made a huge mistake and that he has not represented himself, our program or UCLA in a manner that is required." He may have done (and not done) all of the above, but he did take the initiative to make sure that he was properly geared up for the semester ahead…………

Thin-skinned MLB managers, the Big Ego tour postponed and Kosovo chaos

- Coaches and players in any professional sport go into every game - especially road games - knowing that the other team’s fans are going to do everything possible to get under their skin. Whether sober or rip-roaring drunk, those fans will talk junk about players’ and coaches’ families, personal appearances, on-field performance and off-field antics. Knowing this, athletes and coaches realize they will have to put up with a lot and not react because the instant fans know they’re under a guy’s skin, they quadruple their efforts. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa should be as aware of this fact as anyone, having spent most of his adult life in Major League Baseball, but he either forgot or was so enraged over various events in St. Louis' 8-7, 11-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night that it temporarily slipped his mind because LaRussa went off on a group of belligerent fans (and others) following the contest. His primary target for rage was reporters who suggested that Cardinals pitcher Jason Motte intentionally hit Brewers star Ryan Braun with a pitch in the seventh inning after the Cardinals’ own star, Albert Pujols, was hit with a high pitch in the top half of the inning. But after ranting at reporters who quizzed him on whether Braun was hit intentionally, LaRussa turned his attention on some fans seated near the St. Louis dugout for at least part of the game. "It's going way too far when they start cursing your family and the funniest one, the guy's yelling, 'I hope you get shingles again,'" La Russa said. "That's just stupid. But when you watch and you ignore our guy get drilled when the other guy gets a little stinger, it's irritating." Hmm…..no one mentioned LaRussa’s 2007 DUI in which he mangled the alphabet worse than any drunk driver in recent memory? But I digress…..according to LaRussa, Brewers officials removed several fans near St. Louis' dugout during the game. For the record, the shingles reference alluded to the 66-year-old manager dealt with shingles for nearly two months earlier this season, missing six games because of the condition. Before his tirade wrapped up, LaRussa also illustrated how thin his skin is by taking a run at the Brewers TV broadcasters for their take on the seventh inning's events. "You would hope that the guys that work for the Brewers have enough guts and enough integrity to call the game as it is instead of worrying about their paycheck," La Russa said. What, you want Brewers broadcasters to side with your team after it intentionally drilled one of their best players with a pitch? Forget for a second how absurd that is and ask yourself, Tony, why you’re allowing some beered-up fans and opposing broadcasters to rankle you that badly…………….


- The Two Ginormous Egos tour will have to wait for a bit. Okay, so technically Kanye West and Jay-Z aren’t calling their upcoming joint tour by that name, but it would be fitting. Of the two, Jay-Z has the game and resume to back up his ego, but they have teamed up for a collaboration called 'Watch The Throne' and are set to tour the United States under the name The Throne. That tour will have to wait, even if no one is quite sure why. The tour was originally scheduled to begin in Detroit on Sept. 22, but will now start a full month later at Atlanta's Philips Arena on Oct. 29. Stories about the postponement are circulating and the juiciest rumor is that the rappers are "barely speaking to each other" after an argument over fees for the tour. Knowing Kanye West’s massive ego, he probably insisted Jay-Z pay fees to have him on the tour and to have the privilege of sharing the same stage with the “legendary” Kanye West. Jay-Z, a savvy businessman for certain, moved quickly to quash the rumors in a radio interview on Monday. “ I know that we're doing something right now. Yes, we get on each other's nerves, but that's part of pushing each other. We push each other. The people who have a problem with Kanye or myself are the people that are complacent in life,” Jay-Z stated. “People don't like to be pushed. It's, like, annoying. It's a thing when people are pushing you to be greater, and we push each other to be greater. So of course there are times when we're in the studio, we're yelling, but that's about it. I would never disrespect that man. I have so much respect for him.” Very smart, J. Put the onus back on those doing the criticizing and speculating and suggest that it’s their own complacency and lack of passion that’s the problem. Even with the tour delayed, the duo will still release the album 'Watch The Throne' on August 8. The current single 'Otis' samples 'Try A Little Tenderness', made famous by legendary soul singer Otis Redding, and has been tearing up the charts. When the tour does get underway, it will roll across the Dirty South (Atlanta, Greensboro) before winding up the east coast for stops in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C. before sweeping across the Midwest and reaching the west coast. If the two headliners are able to get along and share the stage and the spotlight, that is………….


- The news is not good in the northern reaches of Europe, where killer salmonella is on the loose and terrorizing the populace. Well, technically it isn't terrorizing the populace, but there is a new strain of Salmonella resistant to the most powerful antibiotics. This mutated salmonella has been found in the United Kingdom, France and Denmark, but the outbreak emerged in Africa before spreading to Europe. Somewhere along the way, the strain picked up antibiotic resistance, according to a team of international researchers. These alarmists have called on health officials to step up monitoring to stop the "superbug" spreading globally. "We hope that this publication might stir awareness among national and international health, food, and agricultural authorities so that they take the necessary measures to control and stop the dissemination of this strain before it spreads globally, as did another multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella, Typhimurium DT104, starting in the 1990s," explained Dr. Simon Le Hello of Institut Pasteur in Paris. No offense to the good doctor, but if you really want to stir awareness and action, stop letting the public in on the secret that most of the millions of salmonella infections a year are not serious, causing only mild stomach upsets. Make people believe that everyone is in danger of the same salmonella fate typically reserved for the elderly or in people with weakened immune systems - likely death (just kidding, old people). One American state should be oddly thrilled over this new salmonella strain, as the strain shares its name: Kentucky. The strain, known as S. Kentucky, has developed resistance to the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, which is the go-to remedy for the most severe Salmonella cases. French researchers began studying the strain after identifying a few cases in travelers returning from Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania. Previous data suggests S. Kentucky arose in poultry in Egypt in the 1990s, then spread to farm animals in various parts of Africa and the Middle East. And no, still no word on how Kentucky was involved in this mess. Whatever name it is assigned, the strain seems to have jumped to Europe and most new cases of late seem to have been acquired there. Cases have been reported in England, Wales, Denmark and France. Of course, the response of most Americans is going to be, “Whatever. Let me know when this actually affects me.” Keep up the indifference, America…………


- Boston Logan International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States, but the Trasnportation Security Administration is about to do something that could make the process of going through security checkpoints even slower there. On-the-job training began Tuesday for officers in the TSA's expanded behavior detection program, a pilot initiative to use the practice of simple conversation between agents and passengers as a means to identify terrorist whack jobs who want to blow up or hijack planes. The pilot program will be in place in the airport's Terminal A for 60 days and Logan Airport will be its only location. The basic premise is having agents - in between inappropriate and “You should probably buy me a drink first” gropings - talk with passengers to spot potentially high-risk travelers by looking for suspicious behavior and facial expressions of tension, fear or deception. "The majority of passengers will experience a casual conversation with a behavior detection officer after they provide their boarding pass and ID," said TSA spokesman Greg Soule. "A small portion of passengers may get selected for an extended conversation and if the behaviors are still being exhibited, they may receive additional screening. In some cases, they may be referred to law enforcement." Sounds like a bitchin’ good time at the airport, no? In actuality, more than 3,000 behavior detection officers are already deployed at airports across the nation as part of the Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program, Soule said. What makes the program at Logan different? As opposed to merely observing passengers, officers will interact directly as a means of detecting possible threats. Logan was a logical choice because the TSA’s behavior analysis program started there in 2003 and was ultimately expanded to more than 160 airports nationwide. The success or failure of the Logan initiative will help the TSA determine whether to expand it to other airports. Soule refused to tease any of the questions travelers may face and would say only that the process will involve a casual greeting. Many security experts are likening the program already used in Israel, where passengers are aggressively questioned by security agents. In fact, Israeli airline El Al ensures that every passenger is interviewed by a well-trained agent before check-in. Passengers at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport are often questioned by more than one security officer and interact with security personnel while waiting in line at the ticket counter as opposed to not seeing officers until they pass through a security screening point. Critics of the new program at Logan Airport have expressed concern about possible profiling (the go-to complaint for airport security haters), but the TSA of course insists no such thing will happen…………


- Fear the wrath of mighty NATO and cower, all creating unrest in Kosovo! The organization with no real teeth and no perceptible muscle behind its threats and decrees has seen the tumult in Kosovo, where border violence left a Kosovar policeman dead and inflamed tensions with Serbia, and is sending several hundred German and Austrian troops to Kosovo to supplement peacekeeping forces already there. Tensions are running high and have been ever since Kosovar special police units in armored cars swept into two border control stations under the cover of night to assert a ban on Serb products. Worrywart European Union officials panicked and pleaded for assistance and NATO obliged with its package of German and Austrian troops. There are big-time issues in play in Kosovo, with many citizens in stark opposition to what they perceive as a cover campaign by Belgrade, Serbia's capital, to gain control of the already-partitioned Serb-majority northern chunk of Kosovo. Haggling over bans on Serb products is a much smaller concern in the bigger battle in the fight centered on Pristina, Kosovo's capital. The official position in the capital is that their independence is not viable without the borders recognized by 77 states, 22 of which are European Union members. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo because it views the Kosovo region north of the Ibar river, a stronghold of Serb hard-line enclaves, as irreconcilable with the Albanian-majority government of Pristina. To the contempt of Kosovars, Serbia currently blocks Kosovo-stamped products from entering its borders, even though Serb products are sold freely throughout Kosovo. The Serbs further infuriated the Kosovars by pulling out of planned talks in June over resolving trade issues. Pristina's Hashim Thaci government responded by ripping Serbia for its unfulfilled requirement to accept free trade and dropping a ban of its own Serb products until the issue is reconciled. The incoming German and Austrian troops will supplement the 8,000 peacekeepers currently in Kosovo. Troops have resided in Kosovo since the NATO-led incursion in 1999 that followed former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's push to "ethnically cleanse" – Albanians from Kosovo, a historic heartland of Serb national identity. The United States continues to support Kosovo but professed ignorance to Thaci’s plan to assume border point authority. Serbia is worried the dispute will affect its path to full EU membership and wishes to see the matter resolved for that and other reasons. The one potential solution that seems destined to infuriate everyone is a compromise that would involve the partition of Kosovo, something deeply opposed by its citizenry. But hey, a good compromise is one in which both parties feel as if they lost something………….

Why to drink wine, mouthy NFL coaches and unpopular rulings in Israel

- Anyone who has spent even a short amount of time in Europe knows that alcohol in some form plays a huge role in nearly every country and culture. Beer in Germany, sangria in Spain, wine in France…..liquid courage is huge in European cultures. Thus, it comes as no surprise that when a new study suggested that grapes contain compounds that block chemical changes in the body associated with causing skin damage and drinking wine could have benefits in preventing skin damage like sunburn, wrinkles, and skin cancer, that research came from Spain. Spanish researchers from the University of Barcelona conducted the study on compounds known as flavonoids, which help prevent the skin from forming "reactive oxygen species." Those species are what react with UV rays to destroy cells and cause sunburn. "This study supports the idea of using these products to protect the skin from cell damage and death caused by solar radiation," study director Dr. Marta Cascante, a biochemist at the University of Barcelona, said in a written statement. In their findings, Cascante and her team advocated that drinking red wine was an effective way to gain the benefits of the flavonoids contained in grapes. But what of non-boozing cultures where people - gasp - may not like red wine? Cascante and her team found that authors say eating grapes is just as effective. She also suggested t that these "encouraging results should be taken into consideration" to develop new skincare products. For those who do like wine, these findings provide even more reason to hit the hooch because another chemical in wine, resveratrol, has been associated with lowering levels of bad cholesterol and protecting the blood vessels' linings. To read more about these (possibly) exciting findings, stroll over to the magazine rack in your living room and sort through your assortment of scientific magazines and journals for the May 11 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.…………


- The twists and wonders never cease in the interminable saga of the West Bank and who controls it. For the first time, Israel's Supreme Court has formally ordered the dismantling of an illegal West Bank settlement, much to the surprise of all involved. The decision certainly ranks as a stunner for the Israeli government, which had asked the court for more time in order to organize the evacuation and construct alternative housing. However, the government had already conceded that the Migron outpost, just north of Jerusalem and home to about 250 settlers, was illegally built in 1999 on top of private Palestinian land. It was not until 2006, when the advocacy group Peace Now first filed a lawsuit against the settlement, that the issue went to court. Since then, the government has dragged out the process as much as possible by seeking delays and ignoring repeated deadlines to evacuate the settlers. After the latest deadline was ignored, the court decided it had tolerated just about enough insolence and as a result, the justices decided Tuesday that the settlement should be demolished by March 2012. Should the court’s decision be enforced, it would be the first evacuation of an entire settlement since 2005, when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip. That is a much bigger if than many may suspect, as previous court orders, including one to evacuate an illegally built, Jewish-occupied apartment building in an Arab-dominated Jerusalem neighborhood, have gone unenforced. Making the difficult decision was not out of the ordinary for Israel's Supreme Court, which is frequently asked to enforce disputed or extremely unpopular policies that Israel's lawmakers and officials do not have the courage to tackle themselves. At least someone has the kahones to do what is necessary…………


- Testy, testy. Robert Pattinson and Summit Entertainment have been in an uproar ever since leaked images from the upcoming "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" hit the Internet. Even though adapting a movie from a book series means fans know what is going to happen before a movie has a single scene filmed, Pattinson and the studio were enraged when images were released from Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Pattinson) honeymoon scene and some of the final shots of the flick when Bella transforms into a vampire. Pattinson was asked about the leak shortly after it happened and was already in full-fledged rage mode. "It's just ridiculous. I literally can't believe that it happened," he said. "I want the 'Twilight' troops to mobilize, all the good fans, and find out who these little sh--s are and just hack into their computers and destroy them. ... I'm being genuinely serious, 'Twilight' fans." Hmm, did anyone test Pattinson for steroids during or after the filming of this movie? Someone sounds a bit ‘roid-ragerific. Summit clearly shared his anger and hired law firm Keats McFarland & Wilson LLP to search four continents (North America, South America, Europe and Australia) to find the people responsible for the leak. Director Bill Condon called the entire incident a "deeply upsetting" experience and Pattinson went so far as to claim he people involved in the incident could not even be considered fans. "It's raw footage; it's not even what people are going to see," he said "Why do this maliciously? You're not a fan. You're just a di*k." As of Monday, Pattinson’s and Summit’s long-running (not really) nightmare is over because the production company issued a press release Monday announcing that it has tracked down some of the alleged people responsible for and has taken legal action. In the release, Summit identified Daiana Santia as allegedly being involved in the group that stole the images and footage, which were captured in the town of Posadas in northern Argentina. The investigation to find others involved in the theft is ongoing, but civil action has already been filed in the U.S. and Argentina, while criminal action has also been filed in Argentina. “While we very much appreciate the legions of committed fans of the franchise and encourage them to create community online, we cannot ignore that property was stolen," Summit Executive Vice President David C. Friedman said. "It is not fair to the majority of fans that want to see the final chapter of the 'Twilight Saga' film franchise fully realized by the filmmaker and dedicated cast and crew to have these images out and available on the Internet." Honestly……shut it, Friedman. The leak will have no effect whatsoever on the number of people who go to see the film, so you and your acting talent-deprived leading man should go and roll a fattie, get baked and chill out because you’re not making Citizen Kane, Jaws, The Shawshank Redemption or The Usual Suspects here. It’s a freaking teeny-bopper vampire romance soap opera on the big screen, so dial your outrage down accordingly…………


- Thankfully for Perrysburg, Ohio resident Mariann Lang, boom did not go the dynamite (if that joke sailed over your head, search for “Boom goes the dynamite on YouTube). Laing was doing what so many Americans have done over the summer months, cleaning out her garage. Getting rid of old crap to make room for new crap is an American summer tradition and Laing was doing her part to keep it going when she moved a box whose contents she did not know. "I found a box, and I moved it, and I thought, 'well there's nothing in that,'" Laing said. "I opened it up, and there was something in it." That something was dynamite - more specifically, 30 lbs. of the stuff that goes boom. The decaying dynamite was inside a box stored in a cupboard and although its appearance had deteriorated some, Laing knew enough not to mess with it. "It was grey, and it looked like fat sausages, and it said 'Danger' on them! So that's why I didn't touch it," she said. She then made a second consecutive wise decision by calling the bomb squad in to deal with her find. Sergeant Mark Fry with the Toledo Police Bomb Squad was among the officers who responded to the call and found the 30 lbs. of explosives waiting. "If it would have detonated, I wouldn't be standing here," he said. Not only was the dynamite a potential hazard, but Fry said when dynamite decays, everything it seeps onto becomes potentially explosive. "When I first went down there in the suit and moved it out to the back where we disposed of it, that was probably the riskiest part. When the dynamite decays, not only does it become motion sensitive, but so does everything around it," Fry stated. As a precaution, the bomb squad shut down the entire street and evacuated neighboring houses. Alas, the dynamite was dealt with sans any trouble and save for a few tense moments for Laing and her family, no damage was done…………


- Suffering through a four-plus month lockout has made NFL fans appreciate their favorite sport all the more, even the more mundane part of the league’s offseason. Having the possibility of missing part or all of the season hovering overhead has turned the most blasé free agent signing into an event worth celebrating. Something else that was missing during the lockout was the always-welcome smack talking coming from the brothers Ryan, Jets head coach Rex and Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob. With no games, practices or team activities, the Ryans simply didn’t have much to talk about. Now that the player transactions have started again, both of the men have begun to bump their gums again and it’s Rob who has unleashed the most interesting quip thus far. His Cowboys haven’t signed any big-name free agents and instead have focused on resigning some of their own players while adding more affordable pieces around them. The biggest headlines in Dallas have centered on who is leaving town, not who is arriving. Key veterans like Roy Williams, Marion Barber and Leonard Davis have been cut while elsewhere in the NFC East, one of Dallas’ biggest rivals has quickly become the shining star of the preseason. The Philadelphia Eagles landed All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin and other high-profile pieces in defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and Vince Young on the free agent market and Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie by trade - all in the past week. Those moves have elevated the Eagles to division favorites in the minds of many observers - just don’t count Rob Ryan among them. "I don't know if we win the all-hype team," Ryan said after Monday's second practice. "That might have gone to someone else, but we're going to beat their ass when we play them." He did not mention the Eagles by name, but figuring out which team he was referring to doesn’t exactly take brilliant deductive reasoning skills. Jenkins quickly deduced who Ryan was speaking about and took to Twitter to issue his response. "Talk is cheap. Let them talk. We are focused here and I could care less. We are worried about ourselves n getting better. He must be nervous," Jenkins tweeted. For the record, the two men can settle their differences on the scoreboard when the Cowboys visit the Eagles on Oct. 30 and host Philadelphia Dec. 24……………

Kings of Leon quit, something called SlutWalk happens and doing battle with Apple

- Hey world, North Korea is ready to sit down and chat again about its disputed nuclear program - just as long as the rest of the six-nation negotiations understand that the process is basically going to involve Pyongyang denying every accusation and allegation and giving a giant middle finger to everyone else seated around the mahogany conference table where they sit. Actually, maybe this round of talks will be different. After all, North Korea did say Monday in a statement issued by its foreign ministry that it was ready and eager to resume the currently stalled six-nation negotiations as soon as possible. The statement said Pyongyang "remains unchanged in its stand to resume the six-party talks without preconditions at an early date." As an extra incentive to re-start the talks, the statement added that North Korea was willing to implement a de-nuclearization deal reached in September 2005 in exchange for aid. Hmm…..sounds like someone’s communist utopia isn't functioning quite as well as expected. Perhaps a meeting with South Korean officials on the sidelines of a security conference held in Indonesia last month and conversations with U.S. officials in New York on the issue last week had more of an effect that originally thought. Both the U.S. and North Korea characterized last month’s talks as constructive and businesslike. Still, the other parties in the six-nation negotiations -- involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, can be forgiven if they have reservations about the North Koreans’ level of commitment to the process. It was Pyongyang that pulled out of the last round of talks in April 2009 despite agreeing in 2007 to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for aid during an earlier round of negotiations in Beijing. North Korea hit the eject button on the initial round of talks in an apparent hissy fit after the U.N. Security Council chastised it for launching a rocket and imposed sanctions on several North Korean firms. The official story from Pyongyang was that it had only launched only a communications satellite. Everyone not residing within North Korean borders and on the wrong side of the sane/crazy line claimed that Pyongyang had test-fired a long-range missile under the pretext of launching a satellite into space. Matters became more complicated and tense in April 209, when North Korea expelled U.S. nuclear experts and International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors monitoring the Yongbyon nuclear complex, conducted a nuclear test in May 2009 and test-fired several ballistic missiles. Restarting the talks may not be as simple as the North Koreans hope, as Japan, South Korea and the U.S. have all insisted they would be willing to do so only after North Korea honors its previous commitments to roll back its disputed missile and nuclear programs, and guarantee it will not engage in any further provocative actions. In other words, half past never…………


- If anyone actually cared at all about women’s professional golf, Yani Tseng would be a freaking rock star. as is, the LPGA Tour is not even an also-ran in sports conversation and its events are so far past ignored and irrelevant that no GPS could successfully navigate the route. And so Tseng toils on in obscurity and on Sunday, she accomplished something in total obscurity that no other golfer - male or female - has ever accomplished. In winning the Women's British Open for the second straight year, Tseng became the youngest golfer ever to win five majors at the age of 22. Even Tiger Woods (back when he used to be good and win tournaments) did not win five majors by the same age. For her milestone victory, Tseng easily bested runner-up Brittany Lang by four strokes. She shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272 and finished the round off with a birdie to complete a masterful final round which she entered trailing third-round leader Caroline Masson of Germany by two strokes. "It's very special to win here at Carnoustie where so many great players have made history," said Tseng. "I was a little nervous before the start, but then I hit a good tee shot and I felt good. I feel that, having been in this position in a major a few times before, I am getting more mature and can handle the pressure better." Making her feat even more impressive, Tseng actually dropped a shot with a three-putt on the first hole of the final round and missed a 3-footer for par. From there on, she was rock steady while Masson fell apart and shot a choke-tastic 78 to finish seven shots off the lead. "It's so great making history on this golf course and I feel wonderful right now," Tseng said of her feat of winning five majors at such a young age. "It feels really good and I hope to keep winning. Next year there are another four majors and I will try and organize and keep working hard." Now, if only she played a sport that people outside of LPGA players’ family members and tour employees paid any attention to……………


- Every important social movement must begin somewhere and must also find a way to capture the attention of the general public in order to generate support and interest. The SlutWalk movement has both of those items checked off its “to do” list and its name alone has generated an immense amount of buzz and controversy for the group. The SlutWalk movement has its origins in an ugly incident in Toronto in April in which a police officer suggested to a sexual assault victim that women should stop dressing like sluts if they don’t want to be attacked. The meat-headed, imbecilic , knuckle-dragging simpleton who uttered those words can't be derided or ripped enough, but his asinine comments did give rise to a grassroots movement that has reached out not only across Canada, but North America and even Asia. A SlutWalk even took place Saturday at Portland’s Terry Schrunk Plaza and dozens of individuals - not just women - gathered to take a stand against sexual violence and the misconceptions surrounding it. Participants gathered at the plaza and walked a predetermined route through town to raise awareness of the issue, many dressing in the very sort of attire that apparently makes certain women a target for sexual assault. Local organizer Sophia St. James said the group wants the message to reach all groups and communities. "It's just not women that get raped or assaulted: it's men too,” St. James said, adding that the group wants to embrace all sexual assault victims regardless of their lifestyle or gender. Further illustrating the movement’s global appeal, a similar event was held Sunday in New Delhi, India and hundreds of Indians gathered to hold their own SlutWalk. Such an event was definitely needed (and more likely are as well) with crime statistics in India showing a dramatic rise in the number of rape case and authorities saying most cases still go unreported because the victims are afraid of being blamed. Getting the point out that those who rape and violently assault will do so regardless of what a potential victim is wearing is important even if it is just one step in combating a much larger problem…………


- Has there been a solid, believable and honest explanation yet as to why Kings of Leon ejected from their gig in Dallas on Friday or is the bullsh*t spin cycle still being employed to diffuse the messy situation? What is known at this point is the band pulled the plug on its concert after lead singer Caleb Followill left the stage midway through the band's set last week, telling a confused audience, "I'm trying to sing but I haven't got a voice, I've got nothing." The crowd was understandably upset over not getting the concert they paid and waited in line for, leading bassist Jared Followill to tell the angry concertgoers, "I don't know what to say. It's not our fault. It's Caleb. He can't play.” Way to pick your brother up when he’s hurting, J. The entire band then disappeared from the stage at the Gexa Energy Pavilion. Other accounts of the situation had Caleb Followill telling the audience, "I'm gonna go backstage and I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs." Regardless of what was said, the show did not go on and the official reason given for the cancellation was that Caleb was suffering from "heat exhaustion and dehydration." The band must not be on the same page as management, though, because Jared Followill later told Twitter followers, "There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed,” before adding, "I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade." Immediately after the Dallas debacle, the band also cancelled a gig at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas, the following evening and Monday canceled the rest of their U.S. tour, scheduled to run through Sept. 12 before shows in Canada and abroad. Considering the far-too-mainstream, even pop-sounding effort on their fifth studio album 'Come Around Sundown,’ released in 2010, perhaps some time away from their adoring fans and the music world will do some good for the Kings…………


- Few tech companies do battle with Apple and live to tell the tale (that tends to happen when a company has more money than the dysfunctional U.S. government), but Adobe is attempting to do exactly that and so far, may have adapted enough to hold onto its market share or at least stay afloat. The showdown between Adobe and Apple was over Adobe’s Flash program (used to create and display animations for the most part), which Apple banned from inclusion in its operation systems), although Adobe still makes Flash for those OS on its own. Adobe has stood by Flash, but seems to be working on a Plan B for the future with the development of a new tool that developers can use with HTML5--Adobe Edge. Flash was labeled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs as an outdated dinosaur that will soon become extinct, but it has remained the spark of a larger battle between the proprietary Adobe platform and the emerging HTML5 standard. Tech dorks have taken up positions on both sides of the issue and while the reality of the situation is clear, no one is budging - except perhaps Adobe. HTML5 is a Web standard and Adobe Flash is a proprietary development platform and that alone should eventually dictate that HTML5 will bypass Adobe Flash and reign as the dominant platform for Web-based animation and interactive content. Flash will never be used on iPad or iPhone models and with both becoming increasingly popular, Adobe would miss out on a huge segment of the market if it didn’t come up with an alternate solution. A statement from Adobe explained the development of Adobe Edge, its answer to Apple’s challenge: "Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the first public preview release of Adobe Edge, a new HTML5 web motion and interaction design tool that allows web designers to bring animation, similar to that created in Flash Professional, to websites using standards likes HTML, JavaScript and CSS." Oddly enough, Adobe is following the example of Apple’s chief rival in rolling out Edge. Like Microsoft and its über-crappy Internet Explorer browser’s latest editions, Adobe is releasing Edge as a pre-beta platform preview. "While in public preview, Adobe Edge will be a no-charge download that Web designers are encouraged to explore and provide feedback on, to help shape future preview releases," the Adobe statement reads. Engaging developers in the process should lead to an finished product that is more well-received by the tech dorks who will be using it regularly. As for Flash, it soldiers on for the time being, unwanted by some but still beloved by many…………

Bad news for potheads, NBAers cleared to go abroad and movie news

- A bad weekend for drug addicts and lovers everywhere just got worse. Less than 48 hours after Honduran anti-drug officials seized a cocaine-filled submarine containing 7.3 million tons of the Colombian nose candy, state and federal authorities in northern California announced a sweeping campaign that over the past few weeks raided dozens of marijuana farms in and around the Mendocino National Forest. Melinda Haag, U.S. attorney for Northern California, announced the attack at a press conference Friday. Haag claimed more than 460,000 pot plants were destroyed and 101 people arrested in the raids, which supposedly came in response to a proliferation of marijuana farms that are destroying ecosystems and scaring hikers away. "The Mendocino National Forest is under attack by drug traffickers," Haag said at the news conference. "Visitors to the forest are increasingly intimidated by the prospect of armed drug traffickers and illegal cultivation sites. I've warned people who come up here during the summer to be careful when they go hiking." Oh, so some hybrid-driving, granola-eating, tree-hugging nature hippies are afraid of running into a drug trafficker or two out on the trails, eh? What about all of the loveable stoners out there who just want to veg out on their couch, get baked, do a few bong rips and watch Beavis & Butthead reruns while slamming a bag of Cheetos? Who’s looking out for them? Stoners aren’t looking to hurt anyone, so why is The Man so intent on jamming them up? “There are those who believe that growing marijuana is a harmless, peaceful activity in harmony with nature," Haag proclaimed. "This notion is, in a word, wrong." No Haag, you’re the one who is wrong. You can take your little Operation Full Court Press, as you dubbed it, and cram it up you…..well, you get the point. All told, state and federal authorities targeted 56 growing sites across six Northern California counties and in addition to the nearly half a million put plants and more than 100 arrests, agents also seized 27 guns, 11 vehicles and large quantities of fertilizers, chemical pesticides and rat poison. Not only did agents and officers seize all of this, but also ripped up 22 miles of irrigation pipes and 13 man-made dams used for marijuana farms raided in the operation. Farms of this type have existed in California forests for years, but suddenly they’re a huge issue that has to be tackled now. Hopefully all involved in this little sting operation are pleased with themselves because millions of stoners won't be……whenever they sober up and finish with their all-important game of hacky sack……….


- There are many weekends wherein movie fans have ample reason to be ashamed when they look at the box office earnings list, but none more so than this particular three-day frame. When a movie about war between cowboys and aliens is not only green-lit and released by a studio but is also the top-earning film for a weekend, the world of cinema is in a dark, dark place. Such is the case this weekend, when the über-crappy Cowboys & Aliens debuted in first place with $36.3 million, beating out fellow newcomer The Smurfs for the top spot. Smurfs landed in second place in its opening frame with a modest take of $36.2 million, somewhat disappointing considering the marketing push Sony put behind the film. Captain America, last weekend’s top movie, slid to third place after debuting in the top spot just one weekend ago. This time around, the superhero flick garnered $24.9 million, a 62-percent decline. Dork magnet Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 finished fourth, padding its overflowing coffers with another $21.9 million to blow right past the $300 million mark in domestic earnings at $318.4 million and counting after three weeks. Crazy, Stupid, Love was the third newcomer in the top five and made $19.3 million in its first weekend with Steve Carrell leading the way. The latter half of the top 10 was equally unimpressive, populated by: Friends With Benefits (No. 6 with a scant $9.3 million in its second weekend of release and $38.2 million for two weeks of work), Horrible Bosses (No. 7 with $7.1 million and $96.2 million in cumulative earnings for four weeks), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (falling four spots to No. 8 with $5.9 million and a whopping $337.9 million in domestic earnings after just five weeks), the absurdly and exponentially awful Zookeeper (No. 9 with $4.2 million and $68.7 million one month into its one-month-too-long-and-counting run in theaters) and Cars 2 BV (No. 10 with $2.3 million and $182 million for its first six weeks of release). Dropping out of the top 10 from last week were the mega-disappointing Winnie the Pooh (No. 11), Midnight in Paris (No. 12) and Bad Teacher (No. 14)……………


- The Chinese government was bound to go back to what it knows best. After being drenched by the towering wave of public criticism over last month’s high-speed train crash and the government’s reaction, Chinese authorities have reverted to their usual form by attempting to quash any and all dissent and criticism. To make that happen, they have put in place a virtual news blackout on the disaster except for positive stories or information officially released by the government. You know, the sorts of positive stories that are always plentiful and easy to find in a major disaster where 40 people die and nearly 200 more are injured. Courtesy of the Communist Party’s publicity department, those stories will be the only ones that can be told from here on out. Spineless newspaper editors were forced to scrap their planned front page layouts for their Saturday editions after the decree from the commies came down Friday. Instead of investigative articles and commentaries about the accident that killed 40 people in eastern China, cartoons or innocuous news stories were frantically crammed into the suddenly open white space on newspaper pages. The blackout even affected Xinhua, the government’s news agency, which reportedly had to postpone the publication of an article on the crash. How the government went this long without muzzling the media and trying fruitlessly to prevent any negative or critical pieces on the crash is something of a mystery. The crash and subsequent coverage of it has become something of a symbol for many Chinese of growing concerns about whether the government is sacrificing people’s lives and safety in pursuit of fast-paced economic development and hiding its failures under a cloak secrecy or an onslaught of propaganda. Twitter has become a forum for these complaints, a site for 140-character mini-rants on how the rescue effort after the train crash was mishandled. Dozens of journalists now have reason to join the chorus of outraged because they too have been silenced and many took to the Internet to voice their anger. That anger has largely been focused on the government’s unrelenting drive to construct high-speed rail lines as part of the world’s largest public works project. At least one bold voice ignored the government’s “happy news only” mandate on Saturday. The Beijing-based Economic Observer rolled out nine pages of accident coverage, highlighted by a report labeling the Railway Ministry as a runaway operation and a reconstruction of the events in Wenzhou from the viewpoint of dozens of survivors. An accompanying commentary carried the headline: “We are all passengers in this high-speed train.” Passengers, perhaps……but heading in which direction? After all, only Thursday, Premier Wen Jiabao proclaimed during a press conference in Wenzhou that the “investigation into the accident should be open, transparent and monitored by the public.” Hmm, sounds like a conflicting message to say the least…………


- Hot dogs are disgusting, there is no doubting that reality. Cramming various animal parts and meat products into a small tube with a quasi-food casing and then dropping it onto a bun for consumption just sounds wrong and according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, it could be more than wrong - it could be deadly. The Washington, D.C. group preventive medicine and a vegan diet, so their take on hot dogs is admittedly skewed in a negative direction. Keep that in mind while listening to the group’s confrontational campaign focused on none other than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The PCRM unveiled a billboard last week near the famed race track bearing the advisory: "Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health." On the billboard is a picture of hot dogs in a cigarette pack inscribed with skull and crossbones. The PCRM would have the public believe that there is a strong link between colorectal cancer and hot dogs, so strong that hot dogs should come with a "warning label that helps racing fans and other consumers understand the health risk," just like cigarettes. Those words of wisdom were spewed out by Susan Levin, the committee's nutrition education director. Oddly enough, most health experts don’t agree with that assessment. "It is not necessary to eliminate consumption of red or processed meat; rather the message is that these foods should not be the mainstay of your diet," American Cancer Society guidelines state. In other words, hot dogs may not be health food, but neither are they toxic merchants of death like cigarettes. Yes, they are high in salt and if a person was to eat hot dogs every day for every one of their meals, then hot dogs could definitely lead to hypertension and heart disease. One lingering question about the PCRM’s campaign is why the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is at the heart of the effort. Hot dogs are definitely a big part of events at the race track and last year, more than 1.1 million hot dogs were sold during the Indianapolis 500. Not only does the committee want the public to stop eating hot dogs, but deli meats, ham, sausage, bacon and pepperoni are also on the list. Lots of success in achieving that goal, you vegan kooks…………


- The threats have been made by NBA players from the league’s superstars to its role players and now, the words can officially be matched by action. As the Association’s lockout drags on and all involved parties seem resigned to a long and contentious work stoppage, players have taken the idea of playing abroad during the lockout to varying degrees. Some, like Nets All-Star guard Deron Williams, have signed contracts with foreign clubs. Others, like Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Oklahoma City forward and reigning NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, have merely teased the idea of playing in a foreign professional league. Hovering over all of those situations was the legality of such moves - until now. FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, announced Friday it would clear NBA players under contract to play in its leagues during the work stoppage, provided the deals they sign come with opt-out clauses. Players can now earn a living playing basketball while the NBA remains on hiatus, but must do so at their own risk of injury. "As the world governing body for basketball, we strongly hope that the labor dispute will be resolved as soon as possible, and that the NBA season is able to begin as scheduled," secretary general Patrick Baumann said in a statement. "In view of our role to promote basketball worldwide, we support any player wishing to play the game, wherever and whenever. We do so while obviously taking the interests, rights and obligations of all parties into account." To this point, many league executives have laughed off the idea of players going abroad, believing it to be nothing more than a negotiating ploy on the part of the players. Even after Williams signed a deal with Turkish club Besiktas -- which is also courting Bryant - that belief remained unchanged. Union executive director Billy Hunter has endorsed the idea as well and players are confident that signing with foreign teams will boost their negotiating position because owners will see that their players have options elsewhere. "Our players are gratified by today's announcement by FIBA, although it comes as no surprise," Hunter said in a statement. "We have consistently advised our members that in the event of a lockout they would have the right to be compensated for playing basketball irrespective of whether they were under contract to an NBA team or not. We have encouraged all of our players to pursue such opportunities and will continue to do so." Pursuing those opportunities is one thing, but finding them will likely be much different. Most foreign leagues have a quota on the number of American players allowed on a roster and few professional teams outside the United States are financially solvent enough to pay NBA players suitable wages. However, with the lockout not close to ending in any way, shape or form, other options are still needed. The league and players have not met at all in recent weeks and won't get back to the bargaining table until Monday…………

Driving up the cost of coke, apologizing for idiotic remarks and what your web browser says about your IQ

- Umm, about that whole “calling the commissioner of the National Football League a ‘crook’ and a ‘puppet,’” Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison didn’t really mean it. Harrison, who lashed out at the commissioner in a controversial interview that appears in August's Men's Journal, spoke about his remarks following the Steelers' walk-through Friday morning. Harrison admitted he should not have said what he said about the commissioner, whom he ripped for being everything short of the anti-Christ or an axe murderer. "The interview that I did and the comments that I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate, at the least," Harrison said. "They were way out of line, and I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time. Any comments that I made that offended anyone, I apologize." Ah, the “IF I offended anyone, I apologize” standby for an athlete or public figure who has made regrettable remarks. Go ahead and assume that IF you’re apologizing in the first place, then you said something that offended someone. Also, people tend to get offended when you call them a crook, a puppet and essentially, the devil. That Harrison was angry surprised no one because he was the most-fined player in the NFL last season because he could not or refused to adjust to the league’s increased focus on cracking down on hits to the head and defenseless players. Instead, Harrison seemed to relish being the poster boy for the campaign and delivered one over-the-top, dangerous hit to a defenseless player after another, then became livid at Goodell after his fines totaled $100,000. He followed those fines with controversial remarks and even staged a totally unbelievable debate over possibly retiring because he couldn’t cope with the “new NFL” before predictably backing down. While making his apology Friday, Harrison said he hasn't spoken to the NFL or to Goodell about his statements. The league has not commented on possible fines or a suspension for the remarks and Steelers president Art Rooney II stated that he had talked with Harrison about the remarks but that the team will keep any discipline internal. But with such a fine, thoughtful apology, how could anyone still be angry at Harrison…………


- What does the Web browser you use say about you? If a new study by tech research company AptiQuant is accurate, it could be a solid measure of your IQ points - at least if you use what could easily be classified as the world’s worst browser, which just happens to be made by the creator of the world’s worst operating system. The study tested the IQs of users and grouped the results according to which browser respondents used and surprise, surprise, they found that Internet Explorer users are generally dumber than Chrome and Firefox users. AptiQuant, the self-proclaimed "world leader in the field of online psychometric testing," found that users of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera were all slightly above average in IQ test results, but Internet Explorer users tended to rank lower on the IQ scale. And before you dismiss the results as skewed and not representative of the general browser-using public because they include a small sampling, know that there are factual reasons why the results make sense. Browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Opera are generally used by professionals and other well-educated, tech-savvy individuals, whereas Internet Explorer is the default browser on Windows-based computers, with Windows being the aforementioned world’s worst OS. Thus, Internet Explorer tends to be used by inexperienced and clueless computer users, many of whom don’t even realize there are other options. The numbers are even more staggering when the data is broken down amongst different versions of Internet Explorer. Older versions of the browser, such as IE6 and IE7, has users who scored lower than users of more recent versions, such as IE8 or IE9. So who are the smartest browser users on the Internet? That would be Opera users, who recorded the highest IQ scores of all the browsers. Chrome and Safari users posted similar scores, both slightly behind those of Opera users……….


- Don’t start complaining when the price of an eight ball of coke goes through the roof, Hondurans, because you need look no further than your own government for the cause of the trouble. See, it was your own authorities who seized 7.3 tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible craft seized off the country's Caribbean coast. Specifically, look in the direction of presidential guard chief Col. Rene Osorio and his crew, who seized the drugs and have been unloading them since Wednesday. Some of the blame also goes on the U.S. Coast Guard patrol that detected the vessel Wednesday off the coast of the sparsely populated province of Gracias a Dios, near the Nicaraguan border. Had these meddling Coast Guard members simply looked the other way and thought of all the friendly neighborhood coke dealers and cokeheads who were waiting on the product from that submarine-like fiberglass craft, they might have acted differently than they did. Instead, they stopped it and detained its five crew members. To their credit, the crew members didn’t go down without a fight and did so by……looking to go down, literally. Realizing the noose that was tightening around their collective neck, the crew members attempted to sink the vessel. Sadly, their efforts failed and The Man got to pin another gold star on his vest by taking control of enough Colombian nose candy to boost the overall haul of their most recent campaign against coke to 13.8 tons, with a total value of at least $500 million. That is a whole lot of Bolivian marching powder, quite possibly enough to last Lindsay Lohan through the filming or her next two or three movies…………


- Did he or didn’t he………..and better yet, why should anyone care either way? The last of those three is the appropriate question with rumors that “rapper” Soulja Boy purchased a $55 million G5 jet as a birthday present for himself last week making the rounds. The big difference with this rumor? It was apparently Soulja Boy and members of his crew who started the rumor. He, a member of his management team named Shai Storm and his personal assistant all implied to TMZ that he had dropped the cash on the private jet as a 21st birthday gift to himself. To further perpetuate the rumor, Soulja Boy went on a radio show Friday in Miami and was coy in answering questions about the story. He told the DJ he was "G5 status" but never directly confirmed or denied the jet tale. In fact, it wasn’t until his personal mouthpiece, Greg Miller, issued an “official” statement about the G5 rumor that any definitive word was given. The statement claims the "elaborate rumors" are "not true." That would be well and good - if Soulja Boy himself had not said the exact opposite to TMZ earlier in the week, answering a direct query on the subject by declaring, "Hell yeah ... I bought it."
Storm has dropped off the radar entirely, insisting all media inquiries from this point forward go through Miller. Again, one could easily get swept up in whether the rumor is true or false, or even ask why anyone who go to such lengths to build an elaborate fairy tale about purchasing a G5, only to have the story unravel so quickly. One could ask those questions, but by simply taking a step back and asking, “Why the hell should I give a damn about a D-list, bubble gum pop rapper with no game who is nothing more than the flavor of the week and whether or not he blew $55 million on a private jet even though he’s a one-hit wonder who probably won't make $55,000 once the remainder of the fame from his lone “hit” fades the rest of the way?” Ask that question and the drama all goes away…………


- No matter what neighborhood around the United States you go to, you’re bound to find that one über-annoying neighbor whom everyone else just hates and wants to go away yesterday. In the Fair Oaks neighborhood in Sacramento, the neighbors in question are small, too numerous to count and equipped with stingers. A massive swarm of bees took up residence in a vacant house early in the spring and literally overran the place, building hives and putting down roots. Angry neighbors first reported the problem to local law enforcement in April, but no one did anything about the problem and people simply went about their lives because the bees weren’t creating a big enough menace to inspire them to take action. Finally, the bees became belligerent enough to spur the locals to action and they called in beekeepers to help remove the insects. Resident Meg Helton, who lives across the street from the infested house, attempted to get her family from their house to their car to leave for their family vacation but was unable to get both of her children in the car in time and one was stung nearly 20 times. The family retreated to the house and unfortunately, the bee keeper who was hired for the cleanup did not enjoy much better fortune. Despite entering the house decked out on protective gear, he was forced to retreat after being stung more than 20 times. After fleeing in fear, the flustered beekeeper declared it could take as long as a week to fully clear the house of all bees. A local TV news reporter who attempted to cover the story was also stung half a dozen times in the face while attempting to do his job. If only someone had noticed this mounting problem months ago and that observant person had access to some sort of advanced, futuristic communication device allowing him or her to summon people with the ability to come and deal with large quantities of bees…………

Rock stars and guns, lift weights to prevent diabetes and brawling mayors

- On the one hand, two dudes with checkered pasts - one of whom has a criminal record and thus cannot legally own a gun - should probably know better. On the other hand, when those two men are Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Poison frontman Brett Michaels, can anyone truly expect more from them than rolling up on a shooting range in North Carolina to unwind during some down time on their joint U.S. tour? While crisscrossing the country, Lee and Michaels apparently decided to unwind by hitting a shooting range in Rowan County, N.C. and that would have been fine if Lee didn’t have a rap sheet that includes domestic violence and indecent exposure charges and oh yeah, an entry on that rap sheet for illegal possession of a firearm. Unfortunately, those with criminal records cannot own, possess or carry a gun in the state of North Carolina. State laws make it illegal "for any person who has been convicted of a felony to purchase, own, possess, or have in his custody, care, or control any firearm." Ironically enough, the two men were accompanied to the shooting range by a former police officer who either didn’t know about the legal issues associated with the visit or was simply too star struck to care. The entire incident probably would have gone unnoticed had meddlesome local TV station WSOCTV not brought it to the attention of police. In an official statement, the station rather boastfully proclaimed, “The sheriff and local police chiefs didn't know about it until we brought it to their attention. It could be illegal if any of those men have criminal records that prohibits them from using guns. There were officers from the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, Salisbury and Spencer police departments with the rockers. We found that out when the sheriff and both chiefs called me to say they’re now investigating. The sheriff wants to know if the pictures show bad judgment, a policy problem or a crime.” Hmm……I know who showed bad judgment on this one…..aside from Lee and Michaels. It’s WSOCTV, which should have simply kept its mouth shut. Yes, a story like this might boost your ratings for a day or two, but in the end you’re doing more harm than good and simply kicking a couple of has-been rockers when they’re down. Who was injured by Michaels and Lee shooting some paper targets at the range? No one, that’s who. Still, WSOCTV would not have had this golden chance at a pub grab if Lee and Michaels had simply known and followed the law…………


- There is now an additional reason to get off the couch and work out, world. Not only can lifting weights help you get that cut, chiseled physique all the ladies (or fellas) will enjoy, but pumping iron may reduce your chance of contracting type II diabetes. A new study released Thursday suggests that increasing your muscle mass could do more in decreasing your risk than simply reducing your body fat. Researchers at UCLA state in the report that building muscle mess has a direct link to a person’s likelihood of contracting type II diabetes. "Our findings suggest that beyond focusing on losing weight to improve metabolic health, there may be a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle mass," says assistant professor Preethi Srikanthan, of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Medical experts have long known that reducing your body fat will reduce your chances of getting type II diabetes, but the way in which people go about reducing body fat could be the key. Researchers in the school's division of endocinology studied 13,644 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III in search of a connection between higher muscle mass and the bodies' insulin resistance. One warning sign of the onset of diabetes is the body's resistance to absorbing insulin. In their study, scientists found that for every 10-percent increase in a person’s muscle mass, there was an 11-percent decrease in the bodies' resistance to insulin. Additionally, an increase in muscle mass also amounted to a 12-percent decrease in pre-diabetes, a condition associated with people on the edge of contracting diabetes due to their blood's high glucose levels. The findings could offer hope to the 79 million Americans the American Diabetes Association says currently have the pre-diabetes condition. Nearly 26 million Americans presently have type II Diabetes and combined, the two conditions comprise one-third of the country’s population. Decreasing the amount of obese and overweight Americans is a great solution to the problem, but anyone who has been in the immediate vicinity of a fast food restaurant or all-you-can-eat buffet of late can attest to what a difficult endeavor that is. Convincing many Americans to exercise is a war in and of itself, but perhaps doing some biceps curls and dead lifts will be easier than talking them into running, biking, swimming or other activities that require them to venture into the great outdoors……….


- Never has there been a prouder day for someone to call themselves a resident of Sheboygan, Wisc. Contrary to popular belief, having a mayor who is (hopefully sober enough to be) governing by day and brawling in local bars by night is freaking awesome. How many Americans regularly lament the lack of concern and interest on the part of their elected officials, a general disinterest in fighting for anything worthwhile? Mayor Bob Ryan is a man who will fight and while he may have been fighting mostly out of a drunken belligerent-ness, at least he was fighting over the weekend. While out on the town Saturday night, Ryan apparently found himself in the middle of a bar brawl and also passed out at some point in the evening. No one is clear in which order the events happened, but Ryan isn't attempting to deny what went down at a bar near Elkhart Lake. He also readily admits to having a drinking problem, something he has copped to numerous times in the past but has simply never gotten around to addressing. In fact, he addressed the matter in October 2009 and vowed to stay off the sauce from that point on. "Alcohol will never again play a role in my future," Ryan told the Sheboygan City Council at the time. He went on to apologize for his abuse of alcohol after a video surfaced of him apparently drinking and making inappropriate comments at a local bar. In light of breaking those promises and proving himself to be the angry drunk guy everyone is looking to avoid when they go to the bar, many residents are calling for Ryan’s resignation. He has no plans to give those people what they want and went on a local radio station Thursday to state his intentions to remain in office, "I do not blame the council for asking for my resignation. What I did is indefensible....I'm not proud of it," Ryan said. "I'm not proud of that," said Ryan. "I'm humiliated by that. If it happens again, I need to walk away.” Yes, if it happens again for the umpteenth time, then he definitely needs to walk away because then it would just be ridiculous to keep going. This was just one isolated incident - that the mayor characterized as part of "a three-day drinking session." That “drinking session” also included a series of inappropriate remarks to a female bartender before passing out. The city council is moving ahead with efforts to oust Ryan from office regardless of his opinion on the matter and council members have decided to introduce a resolution asking the mayor to step down at a meeting next week. Like any good, “functional” alcoholic, Ryan insists alcohol has not affected the way he does his job. He vows to remain sober for the rest of his term and days the "fishbowl" he lives in helps keep him sober. What fishbowl he’s referring to, no one is sure. After all, dude is the mayor of Sheboygan, Wisc., not New York City………..


- One too many times to the well, Oklahoma University athletic department, one too many times to the well. Asking the NCAA for leniency after committing your first major rules violation might fly depending on the infraction and the NCAA’s mood at the time, but doing so a second time in a five-year span for the same program - men’s basketball - is too much of a reach. But there OU athletic department officials are, pleading with the governing body for collegiate athletics to spare them severe sanctions despite two major rules violations in its men's basketball program. In making the request, OU officials hope to avoid harsh penalties that can be applied to a “repeat offender” under NCAA bylaws, penalties that include a minimum of having the sport dropped for one or two seasons with no scholarships provided for two seasons. The hail Mary for the Sooners is being sent to the NCAA infractions committee, which has the authority to override such a designation. To win over the committee, the school needs to explain how, despite admitting that it does qualify under the description of repeat violator -- having two major infractions cases within five years in the same sport - it should not get a punishment smackdown from the NCAA. "This is an isolated incident involving a single member of the coaching staff, who clearly knew his lack of action to prevent or report the violation was not acceptable," the university said in a summary disposition report put together jointly with NCAA investigators. In the latest case, the school claimed former assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro broke NCAA rules by failing to report that a player had received an impermissible extra benefit and followed that brilliant decision up by lying to Oklahoma and NCAA enforcement staff during the investigation. The name of the player involved was redacted from the report, but former player Keith "Tiny" Gallon said in multiple interviews that he took $3,000 from a Florida financial adviser to pay for his high school transcripts and allow him to attend college. The previous NCAA violations came under the regime of serial rule breaker and liar Kelvin Sampson, who made thousands of illegal phone calls and sent many more illegal text messages to recruits during his time in Norman. Corruption and rule-breaking seems to run in the family at OU, so to speak, as the football, men’s and women’s gymnastics team have also had major rules violations in the past five years. The gymnastics violations are no surprise because anyone who knows college sports knows that the gymnastics recruiting game is as dirty, big-dollar and corrupt as they come. In spite of that rampant rule-breaking both department-wide and within the men’s basketball program, the school believes previous cases show the most severe penalties "are not appropriate in this case." In lieu of those sanctions, OU asked the NCAA to place the program on two more years of probation, vacate its wins from the 2009-10 season and take away one scholarship, two official visits and 10 in-person recruiting days during the upcoming academic year. Lots of success winning that argument……….


- Not that starting an international war is ever a desirable option, but now would be an excellent time to attack for any nations out there that have been eyeing an invasion of Turkey. The country’s entire military command resigned Friday, although the reason for the mass exodus wasn’t immediately clear. Local media began reporting the resignations early in the day and by midday, the head of the armed forces, and the army, naval and air commanders had tendered their resignations to the government. While no explanation was given, the move likely has tied to the recent string of arrests of active and retired officers by the government, which has accused the detainees of organizing an Internet-based plot to undermine the country's leadership. Relations between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government and the military were strained before the arrests and shockingly, dropping dozens of current and former officers into Turkish prisons did nothing to improve the relationship. Regardless of the cause, having the highest-ranking military officials in any country walk out on the job cannot be considered a good thing despite any questions about the military’s loyalty. Oh, and Turkey happens to be in one of the most combustible regions of the world, precariously situated between the Middle East - always on the verge of all-out war - and Africa, where a despotic regime is overthrown every other day or so. Any country with a grudge against Turkey or a score to settle might want to break out those plans for a strike and put things into motion before the conflict between the military and government are resolved. Not saying it’s time to start a war, I’m just saying…………

Quitting due to corruption, blown MLB calls and angry actors

- Nothing screams innocence for a high-ranking political official accused of corruption quite like resigning one day after being implicated in a $3.5 billion scandal. Credit for this reputation-boosting move goes to the chief minister of Karnataka state, B. S. Yeddyurappa, who quit Thursday, one day after anticorruption investigators implicated him in a probe involving the illegal mining of iron ore. Karnataka is an important southern state in India, so its chief minister resigning in scandal is kind of a big deal. Yeddyurappa made the decision because he felt he had lost the support of his party, the Bhartiya Janata Party, which is the main opposition party at the federal level. That can often happen when an anticorruption panel releases a report accusing someone and their family of receiving $2 million in illicit payments from a mining company and selling a piece of land at an inflated price. The resignation is merely the latest in a string of them among members of the party in recent months as part of a series of corruption scandals involving government licensing, natural resources and public projects. Other senior members of the coalition government have already lost their jobs and are now awaiting trial. A party spokesman said Yeddyurappa was hoping to stay in office until Sunday, although it’s unclear what good an embattled, scandal-ridden lame-duck leader could do with a few extra days in office. That will probably be the message party leaders deliver when they meet with him on Friday to persuade him to leave earlier. Getting out now would probably be wise on Yeddyurappa’s part, as the sh*t might truly hit the fan in a few months after a newly approved ombudsman’s office to investigate corruption is up and running, a move the cabinet also approved Thursday. Even the creation of the office wasn’t enough to placate a group of activists who undertook a hunger strike for the expressed purpose of pushing authorities to create the office. Those activists dismissed the proposed measure as “toothless” because the office would not be able to investigate the prime minister and would not have enough independence. The BJP reversed field on Yeddyurappa after initially standing behind him and announced Thursday morning that it had “advised” the leader to resign after considering the panel’s report. But hey, it is a 25,000-page report and reading it would take a long time. Karnataka state ombudsman Santosh Hegde also accused other state leaders and corporations of wrongdoing, including illegally mining iron ore, indicating the corruption is much more widespread than a few dirty government officials. This sounds like a scandal that has the potential to deliver more interesting headlines for some time to come…………


- Actors who have made tens of millions of dollars over the course of careers spanning decades don’t have much need to sue anyone, right? Not if the actor in question is Joe Pesci and not if you drastically altered your appearance for a movie role only to have the movie’s producers then inform you that you’ve been downgraded into a lesser role with a smaller paycheck and that role does not necessitate you changing your appearance. Pesci is livid over the sleight and Pesci has filed a lawsuit against the producer of Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father, for $3 million. He was originally slated to play the role of Angelo Ruggiero in the drama about the son of Mafia boss John Gotti, Sr. As part of his preparation for the role, Pesci gained 30 pounds. His lawsuit claims that only after he gained that weight did producers offered him $1 million instead and a lesser role. Rather than play the part of Gotti’s right-hand man, he was to be relegated to some second-tier part. Not only was it a major blow to his ego (probably a large part of the lawsuit because losing the weight he gained would not be that difficult), but Pesci clearly saw it as a reason to fight. Marc Fiore, CEO of Fiore Films rejected the claims and said, “Before we had a deal, Mr. Pesci walked away.” That statement doesn’t tell anyone anything and now that a lawsuit has been filed, it’s safe to say that the studio won't be saying anything worth listening to for the remainder of the case. Despite the suit, the project is moving forward and a cast featuring John Travolta, Al Pacino and Kelly Preston will do their best to keep co-star Lindsay Lohan from going on a Jack-and-coke (the Colombian nose candy, not the soda) bender for the duration of the film. And yes, Lindsay Lohan is attached to a project and she’s not the one making the biggest waves………….


- When your new handheld video game system bombs out abysmally, you face some difficult decisions and if the failure is profound enough you just may have to slash the price by nearly one-third. Nintendo found that out the hard way with its latest handheld gaming system, the 3DS, which will now retail for $169.99 instead of the original sticker price of $249.99 after falling well short of matching the sales success of its predecessors -- the DS, DS Lite and DSi. Nintendo announced that the new price will go into effect Aug. 12 and the company hopes it will boost sagging 3DS sales in the United States. Thus far, the 3DS has sold just 830,000 units in the U.S. since its March 27 launch It’s primary drawing point, 3-D viewing without the need for 3-D glasses, hasn’t been that much of a draw so far. Those who have already purchased a 3DS may not like the idea of the price dropping $80 and for that reason, Nintendo is planning to give them something of a thank you gift. "These Nintendo 3DS owners represent some of Nintendo's most loyal customers, and Nintendo is rewarding them for getting in on the action early with 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop," Nintendo said. That sounds great except…….these customers have to use "a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11" to get the free games, which Nintendo is terming its "Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program." However, those free games will be selected by Nintendo and not by users themselves. Half of the free games will be available in September and the remainder will be downloadable some time between then and year’s end. While admitting to the 3DS’ failure in the U.S., Nintendo tried to aid its case by point out that it has sold more than 4 million 3DS systems worldwide since the device launched in February in Japan. That’s awesome - except that last year, Nintendo sold more than 27 million DS consoles. "We feel the price change and several prominent software releases by the end of the year will definitely change the situation," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata proclaimed. That was an allusion to several high-profile titles for the 3DS set to launch this year, including new Super Mario and Mario Kart games. All of that sounds great, but probably not enough to pull Nintendo out of its full-fledged nosedive………….


- Major League Baseball seems to believe it is “doing the right thing” when it admits after the fact that an umpire has blown a call and altered the outcome of a game with the bad call. To be fair to MLB, other major professional sports leagues occasionally do the same thing and the gesture is equally hollow every time. Tuesday night’s (Wednesday morning, actually) blown call by home plate umpire Jerry Meals in Atlanta's 4-3, 19-inning win over Pittsburgh gave MLB a golden chance to issue one of its patented meaningless mea culpas and sure enough, Bud Selig and crew obliged. Meals conceded after the game that he missed the call when Atlanta's Scott Proctor hit a ground ball to third base, where Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez fielded it and threw home to catcher Michael McKenry, who seemed tag to baserunner Julio Lugo in plenty of time for the out. Meals inexplicably ruled Lugo safe, sparking a near-brawl between he and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and his coaches, all of whom were understandably livid. Replays showed McKenry clearly tagging Lugo before Lugo reached the plate, but the backward-thinking brass in the commissioners office have an inexplicable vendetta against technology and are looking to keep it out of the sport as much as possible. The loss was especially tough to digest for the Pirates, who are looking to break an MLB-record streak of 18 straight seasons with a losing record and are unexpectedly contending in the National League Central. The team filed a formal complaint hours after the game and MLB executive vice president for baseball operations Joe Torre said it appeared Meals missed the call. Meals himself conceded as much after watching a replay of the play. "After coming into the locker room, I reviewed the incident through our videos that we have in here and after seeing a few of them, on one particular replay, I was able to see that Lugo's pant leg moved ever so slightly when the swipe tag was attempted by McKenry," Meals said. Meals’ admission should satisfy Hurdle, who had all but insisted on an apology from the 14-year umpiring veteran for the missed call. "I think that would be appropriate," Hurdle prior to Meals’ statement. "It would be professional. It would be respectful. And then we could all move on." Added to the growing list that includes umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call at first base last season in a Tigers-Indians game that cost Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game, this latest incident should be enough to push Selig, Torre and their crew to expand replay in baseball, but as always it won’t be………….


- Wednesday was not nearly as exciting as it should have been for residents of Grand Rapids, Mich. When a truck full of food falls from an overpass and that food cargo is spilled all over the road below, an all-out bonanza should ensue, especially when that food is an easily perishable item that spoils quickly in summer heat. Thus, when a semi-truck full of yogurt fell from a I-196 overpass in Grand Rapids, residents should have bum rushed the spot and after making sure they were not interfering with rescue workers extricating the trapped driver from his demolished truck, gone hog wild on the yogurt. Oh, and the driver was fine, so no worries there. Even though his truck his the guardrail and flew up and over, falling all the way to Garfield Avenue below, the driver was fine and after several minutes, emergency crews were able to cut him from the mangled cab of the truck, conscious and communicating. Fuel also spilled from the truck as it fell from the bridge and the area reeked of diesel fuel, but a hazardous materials team was able to clean up the spill before it filtered into a nearby storm sewer. Sadly, there was no a massive cleanup effort amongst the locals to scoop up armfuls of yogurt and either eat them or rush them to the nearest refrigerator for safe keeping. Had the spill been ice cream, doughnuts, Doritos or beer that was strewn across Garfield Avenue, one has to imagine that there would have been dozens of fistfights right there on the street amongst portly Americans looking for their free piece of some fatty, fried or otherwise unhealthy food items. Instead, the sight of bland, unexciting yogurt fired up next to no one and a great opportunity went largely unnoticed and missed. Next time the world marvels at how FAT we are collectively, America, just recall incidents like this one and the entire problem will be explained very succinctly…………

Arson in Kosovo, science confirms the obvious (again) and South Carolina football stupidity

- Memo to military and government officials in Kosovo: Next time, either use fireproof materials or simply stop provoking your region’s ethnic Serbs. For the second time in three years, those ethnic Serbs have set fire to a border crossing post in northern Kosovo. The second incident took place Wednesday, more than three year after the same border post was burned down in 2008 by local Serbs after Kosovo declared independence. Wednesday’s uprising came after Kosovo's government said it had regained control of that station and one other, which probably was not a wise move - at least not without drastically upping security at the post and preparing for the inevitable attempt to burn it to the ground. Oliver Ivanovic, Serbia's state secretary for Kosovo, said no one was hurt in the incident but worried that the arson would spark other like-minded acts against government and military properties. "One act of violence produces more violence. I am afraid we are entering a spiral of violence," he fretted. That sentiment would seem to have some merit as Wednesday’s violence came just one day after a Kosovo police officer was shot in the head and died on Tuesday in clashes between the police and local Serbs opposing Kosovo's efforts to take control of its border posts. Now, to the cynic it would seem that Serbs in the area are extremely angry and territorial and have no intention of allowing the government or anyone to take control of anything they believe to be theirs, but a more resonant message underlies Wednesday’s violence if one listens closely enough. “Oh, so you think you now control this border post? We’ll show you that you control nothing more than a smoldering heap of ashes, you insolent a**holes………….


- This explains so very much. South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia has been suspended an astonishing six times by coach Steve Spurrier for various off-field indiscretions, including showing up drunk to an athletic department function and being kicked out for acting like…..well, a drunken idiot. He returned to working out with the team in June and during SEC media days last week, Spurrier said he expects Garcia to return to the team full-time for the start of preseason practice. "Stephen has done well," Spurrier said. "He has some guidelines he must follow to be reinstated in August. He's done everything we've asked. He's certainly behaved very well, gone to all the workouts from what I understand. I guess we don't want to kick him out for stupidity.” Explaining how Garcia has been given so many second chances and managed to f*ck them all up became much easier after South Carolina quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with nuisance conduct for allegedly "facing Main St. urinating on the street curb and roadway," at 1:31 a.m. ET Tuesday in Greenville as two police officers looked on. According to the report, another officer was called to the scene and approached Mangus, who was "unsteady on his feet and he had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person." Wait, a guy taking a leak on a public street at 1:31 a.m. was drunk? Wow. If there was any doubt of his inebriated state at that point, it was erased when the officer began questioning him and Mangus' speech was slurred and he failed to provide the officer with "straight answers." He was hit with a ticket for $470, handcuffed and taken to the Greenville County Detention Center. That led to the requisite apology via written statement in which Mangus said, "Last night I acted irresponsibly and I deeply regret my actions. I take full responsibility. I would like to publicly apologize to Coach Spurrier, (athletic director) Eric Hyman, the entire team and everyone associated with the University of South Carolina." Hmm, so a drunk and disorderly coach who works directly with quarterbacks and his No. 1 player at the position was just suspended for drunk and idiotic conduct……I sense a connection. Maybe Mangus and Garcia can commiserate over their woes during Mangus’ sudden wealth of free time, as he has been suspended indefinitely. One lingering question from the arrest is what Mangus, a 42-year-old dude, was doing out well past midnight, drunk and stumbling from a bar. As it turns out, he was doing what all convention goers do when they get out of boring meetings and brainstorming sessions. See, he was in Greenville for the annual South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association convention and decided to go out and blow off some steam at the end of the day. Oh, and also setting a solid example for his players to follow…………


- Science has done it again. Stunning the world is part of what the scientific community does and unearthing nuggets of wisdom that no one with an IQ south of 22 could have surmised in their lifetime comes easily to those in lab coats and goggles, toting clipboards and burning through research dollars. This new discovery is as earth-shattering as ever because no one ever could have imagined that individuals who dislike the size of their nose and seek plastic surgery to rectify the problem might be more likely to show signs of mental illness. This über-revealing study found that approximately one in three people seeking rhinoplasty — commonly called a nose job — have signs of body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health condition in which a person has an unnatural preoccupation with slight or imagined defects in appearance. Its scope is limited because its findings are based on a study of 266 patients evaluated by plastic surgeons in Belgium over a 16-month period, but making broad generalizations about a much larger group of people based on the actions and characteristics of a much smaller group is what science is all about. Study participants all made appointments to discuss a rhinoplasty procedure and were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess their symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder. What researchers found was that among patients seeking the procedure specifically for medical reasons, just two percent exhibited symptoms of the disorder. The rate was exponentially higher - 43 percent - for those having surgery purely for cosmetic reasons, 43 percent showed signs of the disorder. Yes, people with an unreasonable preoccupation and distress about their bodies also were more likely to have negative feelings about noses that were relatively normal. Reading more about this exhilarating research won't be difficult, as you will only need to consult the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that has undoubtedly already landed in your mailbox. As is to be expected, the scientific community’s response to the study has been to suggest follow-up research to examine the link between BDD and plastic surgery. Previous studies have shown the figure to be close to 10 percent, meaning this new research falls well outside the norm. Oh, and it also provides another built-in excuse for any narcissistic, superficial jackass who insists on carving up their body with dozens of plastic surgery procedures on their way to looking like a human Barbie doll……….


- The dream has long lived in the hearts and minds of Americans from coast to coast and citizens of every nation on God’s great Earth and now, that dream can be realized. An entire town in South Dakota is for sale and you can score the entire operation for less than most NFL veterans make in a season. For a mere $799,000 (less if your haggling skills are good), you can purchase Scenic, South Dakota - the whole, unpopulated town. Sure, Scenic may not offer much - a dance hall, a jail and a handful of out-buildings - but imagine the cachet of being able to say you own your own town. Donald Trump may own a lot of things, but even he can't say he owns an entire town. Enough land and golf course property to form several towns, yes, but an actual town, no. What’s the story behind Scenic being for sale? "They've decided to sell and move on," said Dave Olsen, a realtor with Coldwell Banker, who is hoping to sell the property. The sale includes the "kit and kaboodle," said Olsen. The means a total of 46 acres - 12 composing “downtown” Scenic and 34 surrounding the center of this thriving metropolis - located about 50 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota. Anyone considering such a purchase has to be asking a few important questions and the answer to the most important questions is a resounding “yes.” As in yes, Scenic does have its own saloon where you and your friends can re-enact scenes from classic spaghetti westerns. It also has a dance hall, museum, bunkhouse, two stores, a train depot, jails (one abandoned) and a handful of out-buildings. Not only can you re-enact scenes from old westerns, but you can imprison your friends afterward and it may even be quasi-legal (probably not). Acting quickly on this rare offer is essential because it is currently posted on buyscenicsd.com, which offers video tours of various locations. The entire world can get in on this sale and that means Scenic likely won't last long on the open market, not after would-be buyers see the cow skulls adorning the sign for the Longhorn Saloon, which advertises tobacco, lunch and dancing -- in that order. Clearing out of town won't take long for the current residents, as the population has slowly dwindled to less than 10 people. All of them are related to Twila Merril, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Running the town has become too much for the family, Olsen explained. "It's really an interesting place and there's so much history," he said of the town. "All it needs is a little population -- and ingenuity." Sounds like a typical desperate realtor with big deal locked in his crosshairs………….


- Oh, Parents Television Council, how you slay us with your easily mockable ridiculousness. If you’re not bombarding World Wrestling Entertainment and its sponsors with square-tastic complaints about how violent WWE action is and how inappropriate it is for children, you’re launching crusades against some other entity or show responsible for bringing un-wholesome, non-Bible thumper material to the small screen. The latest of those crusades is what brings the PTC to the world’s attention at the moment. Depending on how closely you follow ratings-challenged television networks with one or two good shows on their entire programming schedule, you may or may not known that NBC is readying a new drama called “The Playboy Club” for launch this fall. The program has already created waves in über-conservative and caffeine-hating Salt Lake City, Utah, where the local NBC affiliate steadfastly refuses to carry the show because it does not fit with the station’s core values. Alternative plans have been created to rectify that situation, but the PTC still has its tighty-whities in a bunch over the show and is lambasting the Peacock for putting “Playboy Club,” starring Eddie Cibrian as a candidate for district attorney who frequents the titular establishment and soon finds his life entangled with that of a Playboy bunny, on local stations across the country. Predictably, this is a twofold effort in which the organization is also leaning on local stations to not air the show. At the core of this push are supposedly alarming statistics provided by the PTC claiming that 200,000 Americans are “porn addicts,” and 56 percent of divorce cases can be blamed not on lack of love but on “one person” having "obsessive interest" in pornography. In PTC leaders’ minds, airing this show makes NBC and its affiliates avid supporters of the demise of the American family. Never mind that viewers won't see anything 1/100th as offensive or revealing as the porn they can access any time they want on their smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers, dammit, the Parents Television Council will not be denied. According to the PTC, NBC affiliates have responded with “canned responses” to previous pleas. Anyone wanting to play an active role in taking a blowtorch to the existence and survival of the American family as we know it can tune in to the debut of “The Playboy Club” on Monday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m., assuming your local affiliate does not cave under the immense influence of the mighty Parents Television Council…………