George Takei to Guest on 'Will & Grace' Alongside Britney Spears

from StarTrek.com

George Takei recently filmed an episode of Will & Grace, playing himself as a guest on a gay-themed talk show hosted by Jack McFarland on the fictional "Out TV" network. And an action figure of Takei's Star Trek character plays a role.

Takei says, "The character is named George Takei, but he's actually a wonderfully comic creation by the wonderfully inventive writers on Will & Grace."

We had heard last week that the propmaster of W&G was making calls around town trying to find an action figure of Captain Sulu . They succeeded, and Takei tells us that "something interesting" will happen to that action figure. He laughs, "They don't refer to it as an 'action figure,' they refer to it as a 'doll.' But I don't want to say anything else, because I want people to see the show."

Takei's W&G segment will air on NBC Thursday, April 13, and also guest-stars Britney Spears. It is the same episode that received a bit of controversy recently when reports surfaced that Spears would play a Christian conservative sidekick to Jack, one who starts a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's." After an uproar from religious groups, NBC made assurances that the offending jokes would not be in the show.

LOCAL UPDATE - Zoo Shut Down Plan in Place

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

The Detroit Zoo closing is under way, and many different officials are saying different things.

The City Council said it is not ready to hand over control of the zoo; Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said the city cannot afford to keep the zoo; Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said that the metro park system could handle the zoo; and zoo officials say something needs to be done fast.

Though deadlines have passed, the city is moving ahead with the process, and has put together a
shutdown plan.

Wednesday, the director of the Detroit Zoo will receive a call from the city Human Resources Department, advising zoo officials to enact the shutdown plan.

The plan is written out in stages:

Stage one
Layoffs will include administrative staff and guest services.

Stage two
Layoffs will include seasonal staff, gardeners and zookeepers.

Stage three
Layoffs will include remaining zookeepers and the animals will be moved.

Stage four
Layoffs will include zookeepers and veterinarians.

The entire shutdown process could take about 12 months. Zoo officials are going back to the state to see if they can receive aid. If the zoo begins to lay off employees, it can call them back, but once the animals are moved, the process will be harder to stop, according to the station's reports.

The zoo will remain open to the public through May 1, 2006.

Canadian Universities Show Concern Over WiFi Safety

A Canadian university has limited Wi-Fi networks on campus, not out of information security concerns, but because the long-term safety of the technology is "unproven".

Fred Gilbert, president of Canada's Lakehead University, made the order on the basis of possible health risk from the technology, especially to young people. Inconclusive studies into possible links between radio transmissions and leukemia and brain tumors from, among others, scientists for the California Public Utilities Commission, led Gilbert to make the "precautionary ban".

The Ontario University makes limited use of WiFi only in areas where fibre-optics links can't reach. Gilbert says he want to see conclusive evidence that the technology is safe before he'll be prepared to approve its wider use.

Robert Bradley, director of consumer and clinical radiation protection at Health Canada, said documents due to be published this year should establish that WiFi networks operating at below current regulatory limits poses no risk to humans.

Happy President's Day

Judge to Decide on Circumcision for 8 year old Boy

from United Press International

An Illinois judge has halted the circumcision of an 8-year-old boy while his father contests the mother's plan for the operation.

The judge granted a temporary restraining order on the operation Friday.

The mother has said two doctors agreed with the circumcision, saying it will prevent medical problems. The father fears it will harm his son both emotionally and physically. He called it an "unnecessary amputation."

Circumcisions, usually performed on newborns, aren't common worldwide and have ebbed recently in the United States where about 60 percent of boys now get the procedure compared to 90 percent in 1970.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now takes a neutral stance on the issue, leaving it up to parents.

Critics of circumcision call it a human rights violation and unnecessary, while those in favor say it is healthy for males.

Martha Places Blame for 'Apprentice' Flop, Donald Lashes Back

from MSNBC

The biggest mark on Martha's rep these days is her prime-time failure on "The Apprentice." Martha blames it on "Apprentice" overload. She says she was supposed to have started out by firing Trump on the air, clearing the way for her show to be the sole "Apprentice."

"Having two 'Apprentices' was as unfair to him as it was unfair to me," she says. "But Donald really wanted to stay on."

Trump refuted the domestic diva would have given him a pink slip, citing the fact that he co-owned the show featuring him as a boardroom boss.

"I wish she would be able to take responsibility for her failure," said Trump.

LOCAL - Detroit Zoo Could Close

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

City Council has rejected a proposed agreement to transfer daily operations of the Detroit Zoo to the Detroit Zoological Society, a move the mayor's office says means the zoo could close.

The 7-2 vote came Saturday night following two days of City Council discussions. The plan was part of an effort by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to narrow a municipal budget deficit. Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said Sunday that the zoo likely will close, though it wouldn't happen immediately.

The zoo hasn't received official word from Detroit about what the vote means for the facility. But she said it was up to the city to decide what would happen.

Under the agreement, Detroit would have maintained ownership of the zoo, which is located in the suburb of Royal Oak. The mayor's office said the deal would have saved the city about $5 million each fiscal year.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a private group that provides fundraising and program development for the zoo.

Kids Paid Teacher Money to Skip Gym Class

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

A gym teacher at a Florida middle school may have found an unusual way to supplement his income.

Officials in Pensacola said he let kids skip his class if they paid him $1 a day. Authorities said Terence Braxton took the payments between September and December, and that he may have collected thousands of dollars.

The principal of Ward Middle School learned of the scheme from a parent and began an investigation in December. The principal then contacted authorities and placed Braxton on administrative leave. Braxton then resigned.

Braxton was being sought on bribery charges. He turned himself in Thursday.

Those charges accuse him of taking about $230 from a half dozen students. But a sheriff's spokesman said his take from sixth- to eighth-grade boys and girls was probably much greater.

Would You Have Sex With a Goat to Join a Fraternity?

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

Some Bowling Green, Ky., police officers found more than they bargained for after stopping by a Western Kentucky University fraternity party.

The officers discovered a live goat stuffed into a storage room of the Alpha Gamma Rho house with no food or water, standing in its own urine and feces. The authorities cited 19-year-old Trenton Dakota Jackson with a second-degree count of cruelty to animals.

Some of the students told police the goat was going to be used in a hazing ritual. Brian Peyton, the president of Western's Alpha Gamma Rho chapter, said the goat was brought in as a prank, to make some pledges think they would have to have sex with it.

The fraternity has been ordered to stop all activities during an investigation. Alpha Gamma Rho has been cited for hazing three times since 1996. The executive director of Alpha Gamma Rho's national organization in Kansas City, Mo.has also suspended the fraternity chapter.

LOCAL - Pilots Seeing Lasers While Flying

from Yahoo News

Police are on alert after more than a dozen pilots reported someone shining a laser light at the plane while descending into Metro Airport.

The incident occurred in the Dearborn and Dearborn Heights areas, where 16 pilots reported seeing the laser pointer lights near the tower at Metro Airport.

Apparently the lights were being flashed at planes on their final approach into the Detroit area. The first instance reported was near the Home Depot in Dearborn Heights, then a short time after the light originated from a neighborhood near Telegraph Road and Lehigh Road, according to police.

Police say shining a laser pointer at a plane is a felony and could lead to a dangerous situation.

Apparently the same incident occurred about six months ago. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FAA are investigating, and local police have assigned additional patrol vehicles to the reported areas, according to the station's reports.

Huge Lottery Jackpots

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

The nation's two multi-state lotteries are both sporting big jackpots this week.

First, Wednesday night's Powerball kitty has grown to more $300 million after weeks with no top winner. That game is played in 28 states, Washington and the Virgin Islands.

And the Mega Millions game had no top winner Tuesday night, hiking that jackpot to $145 million for Friday night's drawing. Mega Millions is played in 12 other states.

Willie Nelson Releases Gay Cowboy Song

from WDIV Detroit Channel 4

Country music outlaw Willie Nelson released a very different sort of cowboy anthem on Valentine's Day.

Nelson, who has been singing about cowboys for more than 25 years, has released what may be the first gay cowboy song by a major recording artist.

It's called "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)" and may be the first gay cowboy song by a major recording artist. But it was written long before this year's Oscar-nominated "Brokeback Mountain" made gay cowboys a hot topic.

"Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)" sounds just like a "regular" Willie Nelson song, except for lyrics like: "Inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out." It song features choppy Tex-Mex style guitar runs and Nelson's deadpan delivery of lines, including: "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?"

The song is available on iTunes and debuted Tuesday on Howard Stern's Sirius show.

Scientists Studying Saturn Lightning Storm

from My Way News

Researchers are tracking a gigantic storm on Saturn that is unleashing lightning bolts more than 1,000 times stronger than those found on Earth.

Using instruments aboard the international Cassini spacecraft, scientists from the University of Iowa first spotted the storm on Jan. 23.

But since the spacecraft was not in the right position to photograph the storm, scientists enlisted the help of amateur astronomers who confirmed a storm was raging in the ringed planet's southern hemisphere.

Researchers recorded 35 consecutive episodes since the storm was first detected. Each episode lasted about 10 hours.

It's unclear how such lightning storms originate, but scientists think it might be related to the planet's warm interior.

Scientists hope to get a better view of the storm when the spacecraft executes a flyby near Saturn in the coming weeks.

Cruise and Holmes Deny Split

Calling a forthcoming Life & Style report that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have broken up "100 percent false," the celebrity couple said on Valentine's Day that they are still very much together.

The Life & Style cover story, which shows the couple in an embrace with the words "Split!" emblazoned across the cover, cites unnamed sources who claim that the couple called off the wedding but planned to "keep up the charade of a romance until after their baby's birth," sleeping in separate bedrooms in Cruise's home in Beverly Hills, California.

Life & Style's sources suggest that the couple will publicly stay together through the summer but announce a separation afterward, in which they'd share custody and Cruise would provide for both Holmes' and the baby's financial well-being.In a joint statement issued through their publicist, Cruise and Holmes said that the Life & Style cover story is full of "malicious fallacies."

Shannen Doherty in Car Crash

Actress Shannen Doherty complained of pain after a car crash that sent another driver to the hospital.

The former "Charmed" and "Beverly Hills 90210" star was driving a Range Rover, trying to make a left turn onto Pacific Coast Highway at 10:17 a.m. Monday when she collided with a Ford Mustang driven by James Warren Paul.

Paul was taken by ambulance to an area hospital. Doherty, 34, complained of pain after the crash, but declined treatment. Doherty was arrested for drunken driving in 2001 and ordered to serve five days on a work-release program after pleading no contest to the misdemeanor charge.

Hunter Shot by Cheney has Heart Attack

The 78-year-old lawyer wounded by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident suffered a mild heart attack Tuesday after a shotgun pellet in his chest traveled to his heart.

Harry Whittington was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit and will be watched for a week to make sure more of the metal pellets do not reach other vital organs. He was reported in stable condition. Whittington suffered a "silent heart attack" where blood flow is obstructed, but without the classic heart-attack symptoms of pain and pressure.

The doctors said they decided to treat the situation conservatively and leave the pellet alone rather than operate to remove it. They said they are highly optimistic Whittington will recover and live a healthy life with the pellet in him.

2 Dead in Pakistani Cartoon Riots

Pakistani security guards have shot dead two protesters in Lahore during unrest over Western newspaper cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

The shots were fired by guards at a bank as crowds attacked Western targets, including fast-food outlets.

'Brokeback' Satire

My friend Lisa sent me several satirical Brokeback Mountain cartoons. I would like to feature a few over the next couple of days.

Plane Crashes into House

A single-engine plane that appeared to have been performing an aerobatic stunt lost control and crashed into a suburban home Sunday, killing at least two people and sparking a fire that gutted the house in Roseville, Cailf.

The crash left a gaping, smoldering hole in the two-story house it directly hit and set fire to an adjacent house, damaging the garage and attic.

One body was visible in the wreckage.

Placer County Deputy Coroner T. Sinclair confirmed that two people were on the plane, and a teenage boy who lived in the house was unaccounted for. Neighbors said the boy's family was out of town for the weekend, and it was unclear if he was home at the time.

Sinclair said no one could have survived the crash, but he was unable to confirm any deaths Sunday because the Federal Aviation Administration wasn't allowing officials into the wreckage to retrieve bodies until Monday.

The plane -- which the FAA identified as a 1996 Glasair II -- appeared to be doing an aerobatic maneuver when it crashed just before 11:30 AM.

Child Mistakes Ecstacy for Candy, Shares Them

A 10-year-old boy thought he was giving candy to his friends on the school bus.
But prosecutors in Fort Wayne, Ind., said the youngster was actually passing out the illegal drug Ecstasy.

Investigators are trying to figure where the kid got the pills. Some of the students put the pills in their mouths but spit them out because they tasted bad. Some students reported stomachaches and one felt tingling down the arms. The driver then collected the bag of pills.

Police estimate the value of the stash of more than 130 Ecstasy tabs at about $3,000.
The Forest Park Elementary student who passed out the Ecstasy told police that he got the pills from the house where he goes to wait for the bus.

The hallucinogenic pills were about the size of an aspirin and had a check mark on them, similar to the Nike swoosh trademark.

Authorities have yet to file charges in the case.

Human Skull Found in Airport Luggage

Checkers at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday came across what they think is a human skull in a piece of luggage.

A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Customs and Border Protection identifies the passenger as woman who had arrived on a flight from Haiti. He told a Miami television station that she has not been charged, but there's been no public explanation yet of where the skull came from.

VOTE 'Will & Grace' Fan Favs

In March, NBC will be airing fan favorites of "Will and Grace." To vote go to the link below. You must have a valid email address (that you'll have to give in order to vote) and you an only vote once.

And if you love me you'll vote for 'Gypsies, Tramps, and Weed.'

http://www.nbc.com/Will_&_Grace/Finale/vote/fan_fave_clip_1.shtml

VP Cheney Shoots Fellow Hunter

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets. Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday.

The accident occurred Saturday at a ranch in south Texas where the vice president and several companions were hunting quail. It was not reported publicly by the vice president's office for nearly 24 hours, and then only after it was reported locally by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on its Web site Sunday.

Katharine Armstrong, the ranch's owner, said Sunday that Cheney was using a 28-guage shotgun and that Whittington was about 30 yards away when he was hit in the cheek, neck and chest. Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time and according to Cheney's spokesperson, the 'Vice President didn't see him.'

Record Breaking Snow in NYC

A record-breaking storm buried sections of the Northeast under more than 2 feet of snow on Sunday, marooning thousands of air travelers and making even a walk to the corner store treacherous.

The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, the most for a single storm since record-keeping started in 1869. The old record was 26.4 inches in December 1947.

Wind gusting as high as 60 mph blew the snow sideways and raised a risk of coastal flooding in New England. And in a rare display, lightning lit up the falling snow in the New York and Philadelphia areas, producing muffled winter thunder.

Chaos Increases Along Mexican Border

Twenty one people were injured, eight of them seriously, when a van pursued by US police near the Mexican border crashed head-on with a truck.

A total of four vans suspected of carrying illegal immigrants from Mexico were fleeing US border patrol officers when one of them lost control and swerved into the oncoming truck.

Of the 28 people aboard the van, 21 were injured in the crash, eight of them seriously.

The accident took place in Otay Mesa, in eastern California.

In an unrelated story, Mexican criminal syndicates are stepping up their attacks on American agents patrolling the border as officials of the Homeland Security Department intensify efforts to stem the flow of immigrants and drugs into the United States. In recent months, scores of Border Patrol agents have been fired upon or pelted with large stones as well as with cloth-covered stones that have been doused with flammable liquid and set ablaze. Since October, agents have been attacked in more than 190 cases.

Most of the attacks have occurred along the Mexican border near San Diego, but shootings have also been reported along the border in Texas near the cities of Laredo and McAllen. In the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, there were 778 attacks on agents, up from 374 in the previous fiscal year.

This week President Bush asked Congress to increase the Homeland Security Department's budget by nearly 6 percent. The Border Patrol would receive an extra $459 million to hire 1,500 new agents, bringing the total force to about 14,000. An additional $410 million would be allocated to add 6,700 beds for detainees so fewer illegal immigrants would have to be released before being deported. Another $100 million would be spent on cameras, sensors and other detection technology.

As for the violence on the border, the officials said Mexico had deployed 300 federal officers along its side of the border to help out. But many of the Mexican gangs remain entrenched.
Last week, immigration officials announced that they had seized a cache of weapons, including materials for 33 explosive devices, assault weapons and machine gun assembly kits, in Laredo. Officials believe the weapons were intended for criminals in Mexico.

LOCAL - Boy Admits to Stabbing Own Mother

A 16-year-old boy from Rochester Hills pleaded guilty Friday to murdering his mother by stabbing her 111 times last year after she discovered he was trying to learn how to make a bomb.

Under a deal with prosecutors, Christopher Dankovich agreed to serve up to 34 years in prison. Had he been convicted of first-degree murder, Dankovich would have faced a mandatory life term.

Dankovich was 15 when his mother, Diane Michele, 50, was found dead last spring in her home in Rochester Hills. The teen was arrested later that day at his family's cabin in St. Helen, more than 100 miles away.

UPDATE - First Grader Suspended for Sexual Harassment

A 6-year-old boy who was suspended after being accused of sexually harassing a classmate transferred to a new school Friday after officials apologized to his parents.

Officials at Downey Elementary School apologized at a meeting Thursday, said the boy's mother, Berthena Dorinvil. The boy was suspended Jan. 30 for three days after school officials said he put his fingers under a female student's waistband.

The boy's mother had called the suspension outrageous and said she couldn't even explain the accusation to her son because of his age.

Brockton schools define sexual harassment among students, in part, as "uninvited physical contact such as touching, hugging, patting or pinching." School officials had refused to transfer the boy, so the parents enlisted the help of an educational advocate.

Ken Gets a Makeover

Will a new look help Ken win Barbie back?

Mattel, maker of the world's best-selling doll, is hoping shoppers, and not just Barbie, will fall in love with Ken's new look.

Ken has been given two new looks that he describes as edgier and more sophisticated. The first includes torn jeans, a leather jacket, vintage T-shirt and boots. The second look, described as Ken's "everyday" style, included board shorts, white T-shirt and sun-kissed hair.

According to Mattel, Ken has gone through this transformation to show Barbie that he is a changed man.

The makeover comes after Barbie and Ken split a few years ago.

Will the new look bring Barbie and her long-time beau back together?

Mattel is hinting a Valentine's Day reunion may be in the works. The new Ken doll will be available in stores beginning March 1.

First Grader Suspended for Sexual Harassment

A 6-year-old boy is getting a lesson on the meaning of sexual harassment long before he'll be able to spell it. The first-grader was suspended for three days for sexual harassment after he put two fingers inside a classmate's waistband.

The boy told her he only touched the girl's shirt after the girl touched him. Experts say only in rare, troubling cases can children that young truly sexually harass one another.

Brockton, Mass. school officials have not commented beyond a statement from Superintendent Basan Nembirkow that said sexual harassment charges are always investigated and officials are trained to deal with them.

Man Kills Himself on Airplane

Florida man hanged himself in mid-flight aboard a United Airlines plane after being accused of arson at a Miami car dealership.

Flight 209 from Washington to Los Angeles was diverted to Denver on Wednesday after the body of Gerald Georgettis was discovered hanging in the jet's lavatory.

Georgettis drove through a car showroom in Miami last Saturday in a new Ford Escape he had recently bought there. He then poured gasoline on the vehicle and set it and several other vehicles ablaze. He was apparently upset at the financing deal he had got. No one was hurt, but he was charged with arson and criminal mischief.

UB313 May Be Bigger Than Pluto

German astrophysicists have concluded a space body located in the outer reaches of the solar system is 435 miles larger than Pluto, the smallest planet. Their research puts more pressure on the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to classify the object as the 10th planet in our solar system.

The object, tentatively named 2003 UB313, is an icy body that lies beyond the planet Neptune. The claims of a 10th planet have re-ignited a debate over just how many objects should be called planets -- there is no official definition.

A number of astronomers dispute whether Pluto, discovered in 1930, should really be classified as a planet, because it is so dissimilar from the other eight planets in our solar system. They believe Pluto should be classified only as a Kuiper Belt object, part of an array of icy debris left from the formation of our solar system some 4.5 billion years ago. The IAU, the official arbiter of such disputes, has classified Pluto as a planet and have declined to demote it.

Thousands of Kuiper objects have been discovered, and more are being found all the time. The New Horizons spacecraft, launched on January 19, is on a 10-year journey to explore Pluto, its moons and the Kuiper Belt

UPDATE - Vampyre Governor Candidate Arrested

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Julie Carpenter had been fired from her job as a public school bus driver because she was viewed as a bad role model for students. If you recall, Carpenter is a Wiccan and accused the school district of going on a 'witch hunt.' The story also reported that Carpenter's husband, John Sharkey, was campaigning for Governor of Minnesota. Sharkey claims to be a member of the 'Vampyre Party.'

He's a self-proclaimed Satanist, and promises to impale terrorists and other criminals on the steps of the state Capitol. Recently, a sheriff's dispatcher saw some news coverage of Sharkey's campaign and recognized the name he used as a pro-wrestler, Rocky Flash.

It just so happened that Sharkey had several warrants out on him. He was arrested in Princeton, Minn. on two Indiana warrants, one for escape, another for stalking.

Cindy Sheehan Arrested Moments Before State of the Union

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Tuesday in the House gallery after refusing to cover up a T-shirt bearing an anti-war slogan before President Bush's State of the Union address.

According to a blog post on Michael Moore's Web site attributed to Sheehan, the T-shirt said, "2,245 Dead. How many more?" -- a reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. She was asked to cover it up in order to stay for the speech, but she refused.

House rules bar demonstrations in the galleries.