Pam Anderson Files for Divorce

from TMZ

TMZ has learned that Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from husband Kid Rock. Anderson, who is represented by celebrity hotshot lawyer Neal Hersh, cited irreconcilable differences. The couple was married August 3, 2006.

Earlier this month, Anderson suffered a miscarriage.

It looks like there was a rush to the courthouse. Kid Rock also filed divorce papers this morning, 53 minutes before her docs were stamped by the clerk. Sources tell TMZ both Pam and Kid were in a race to get their papers filed first. The process server for Kid was at the courthouse when it opened at 8:30 AM and filed five minutes later. Interestingly, Pam and Kid Rock gave different dates of separation. She says they split on November 21. He says November 26. There was not a prenup, however, the two were married for such a brief period of time it will probably have little impact.

Pam's website offers a short statement confirming the divorce, saying "Yes, it's true. Unfortunately impossible."

Women Talk 3 Times More than Men

from the Daily Mail

It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men. In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices. Also, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.

Humpback Whales Have "Human-like" Brain Cells

from CNN

Humpback whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins. This might mean such whales are more intelligent than they have been given credit for, and suggests the basis for complex brains either evolved more than once, or has gone unused by most species of animals. The finding may help explain some of the behaviors seen in whales, such as intricate communication skills, the formation of alliances, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage.

The Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York studied the brains of humpback whales and discovered a type of cell called a spindle neuron in the cortex, in areas comparable to where they are seen in humans and great apes. Although the function of spindle neurons is not well understood, they may be involved in cognition -- learning, remembering and recognizing the world around oneself. Spindle cells may be affected by Alzheimer's disease and other debilitating brain disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. The researches found spindle neurons in the same location in toothed whales with the largest brains, which the researchers said suggests that they may be related to brain size. Toothed whales such as orcas are generally considered more intelligent than baleen whales such as humpbacks and blue whales, which filter water for their food.

The humpbacks also had structures that resembled "islands" in the cerebral cortex, also seen in some other mammals. These islands may have evolved in order to promote fast and efficient communication between neurons. Spindle neurons probably first appeared in the common ancestor of hominids, humans and great apes about 15 million years ago, and they are not seen in lesser apes or monkeys.

Most Unusual Sick-Day Excuses

from Careerbuilder.com

A new survey by CareerBuilder.com finds 32 percent of workers have called in sick to work when feeling fine. One in 10 admitted to doing so three times or more in the last year. One in four workers said they consider their sick days to be equivalent to vacation days and treat them as such. Comparing genders, women were more likely to take a sick day when they were feeling fine. Thirty-seven percent of women called in sick with bogus explanations compared to 26 percent of men, the survey said. On the employer side, men were more likely to terminate an employee for an unexcused sick day, CareerBuilder reported. Thirty-five percent of men said they have fired an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse compared to 15 percent of women.

Workers who are chronic offenders may be running out of ideas. Forty-one percent of hiring managers said they have received unusual or suspicious sick day alibis. Sixty-two percent did not believe them, according to the survey. When asked to share the most unusual excuses employees gave for missing work, hiring managers offered the following examples:

1) Employee was poisoned by his mother-in-law.
2) A buffalo escaped from the game reserve and kept charging the employee every time she tried to go to her car from her house.
3) Employee was feeling all the symptoms of his expecting wife.
4) Employee called from his cell phone, said he was accidentally locked in a restroom stall and no one was around to let him out.
5) Employee broke his leg snowboarding off his roof while drunk.
6) Employee's wife said he couldn't come into work because he had a lot of chores to do around the house.
7) One of the walls in the employee's home fell off the night before.
8) Employee's mother was in jail.
9) A skunk got into the employee's house and sprayed all of his uniforms.
10) Employee had bad hiccups.
11) Employee blew his nose so hard, his back went out.
12) Employee's horses got loose and were running down the highway.
13) Employee was hit by a bus while walking.
14) Employee's dog swallowed her bus pass.
15) Employee was sad.

Jesse Jackson Wants to Ban "N-Word"

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is calling on the entertainment industry to stop using the racial slur that Michael Richards used against hecklers in a Los Angeles comedy club. Jackson and others told reporters Monday that they'll meet with television networks, film companies and musicians to talk about the n-word.

Jackson is also asking the public not to buy a DVD box set of the seventh season of "Seinfeld." The set was released last week, the same week that former Seinfeld star Richards was videotaped unleashing a racist rant against the black hecklers. Richards had made several apologies, including one Sunday on Jackson's syndicated radio show. He has said he's not a racist, and that he was motivated by anger.

Asked about free-speech issues, Jackson said the word is "unprotected."

Teen Creates Fusion Reactor in Home

from the Detroit Free Press

On the surface, Thiago Olson is like any typical teenager.
He's on the cross country and track teams at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills. He's a good-looking, clean-cut 17-year-old with a 3.75 grade point average, and he has his eyes fixed on the next big step: college.

In the basement of his parents' Oakland Township home, tucked away in an area most aren't privy to see, Thiago is exhausting his love of physics on a project that has taken him more than two years and 1,000 hours to research and build - a large, intricate machine that , on a small scale, creates nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is when atoms are combined to create energy.

92 Year Old Woman Dies in Police Shootout

from Breitbart

A 92-year-old woman was shot to death Tuesday after she fired at three narcotics officers trying to serve a warrant at her house. Neighbors and relatives said it must have been a case of mistaken identity. Police said they had the right address.

Police said the woman, whose name was not released, was the only person home at the time, and had lived there for about 17 years. As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, striking each of them. One was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert.

New US Passport Requirements

from Breitbart.com

Nearly all air travelers entering the U.S. will be required to show passports beginning Jan. 23, including returning Americans and people from Canada and other nations in the Western Hemisphere. The date was disclosed Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an interview with The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department plans to announce the change on Wednesday.

Until now, the department had not set a specific date for instituting the passport requirement for air travelers, though the start had been expected to be around the beginning of the year. Setting the date on Jan. 23 pushes the start past the holiday season. The requirement marks a change for Americans, Canadians, Bermudans and some Mexicans. Currently, U.S. citizens returning from other countries in the hemisphere are not required to present passports but must show other proof of citizenship such as driver's licenses or birth certificates.

Visitors from most countries in the hemisphere are required to show passports. However, people from Canada, Bermuda - and those from Mexico who enter the U.S. frequently and have special border-crossing cards - have been allowed to use other forms of identification, including driver's licenses.

Under a separate program, Homeland Security plans to require all travelers, including Americans, entering the U.S. by land or sea to show a passport or an alternative security identification card starting as early as January 2008.

Presidential Staffers: Troube in Hawaii

Presidential Motorcade Drivers Crash

from the Honolulu Advertiser

Two of the three Honolulu Police Department motorcycle officers involved in a crash while escorting President George W. Bush to Hickam Air Force Base are in serious condition at The Queen's Medical Center.

The motorcycles reportedly slipped indvidually on a rain-slicked roadway at about 7:10 a.m near the base entry area. City Emergency Services transported two of the officers to the medical center. Police officials said that by mid-morning two of the officers were in serious condition and the other was in good condition.

from KTV Honolulu TV 4

White House Staffer Robbed, Beaten In Waikiki

The acting director of the White House Travel Office was robbed and beaten in Waikiki early on Tuesday morning outside a nightclub. Pitts' passport and international phone were also taken. Pitts left the bar alone. He walked through International Marketplace, where he was confronted by three men beaten up and robbed, according to a source familiar with the case. His friends went looking for him and found him lying in a pool of blood.

People familiar with Waikiki said muggings happen occasionally. Police said they have no evidence of an increase in violence against tourists. Pitts accompanied President George W. Bush on a brief visit to Hawaii. The stop came after an eight-day trip to Asia.

Bush Daughter Robbed

from abc News

First Daughter Barbara Bush had her purse and cell phone stolen as she had dinner in a restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, even though she was being guarded by a detail of Secret Service agents.

It was not the only mishap on the two-week trip to Argentina by Barbara (right) and her twin sister Jenna (left).

A Secret Service agent on the advance detail got into an "altercation" with someone after a night out and was badly beaten, according to the law enforcement reports. The Secret Service said today the incident was an attempted mugging that occurred while the agent was on his own time. The agent is doing fine.

The purse snatching took place on Barbara's first night in town while she was dining in the picturesque San Telmo neighborhood. According to the reports, the Secret Service agents failed to notice the incident.

The Secret Service would not comment on the purse snatching, and the First Lady’s office said they would not comment on any personal trip made by the daughters. There have been recent reports, however, that Jenna Bush has been living and working in Panama as an intern for UNICEF.

School Bus Plunges Off Overpass, 3 Dead

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

A school bus carrying more than 30 high school students plunged 30 feet off an interstate Monday and overturned, killing three and injuring at least 22. The bus ended up below the I-565 overpass. Photographs and videotape from the scene show the front end of the bus completely destroyed.

Ambulances transported the injured to Huntsville Hospital and Crestwood Medical Center. The bus was taking students from Lee High School to the Center for Technology in Huntsville. There was no immediate word on what may have caused the bus to plunge off the interstate in downtown Huntsville.

Great White Swallows Seal Whole

from Daily Mail

Many times in the Jaws movies, viewers have shuddered at the awesome power of the Great White Shark. But this unfortunate cape fur seal got to experience those infamous teeth only once - and they were the last things it saw. In astonishing footage for the BBC's Planet Earth series, the 12ft shark is seen swallowing its victim in virtually a single gulp. Such is the impact as it blasts through the surface from the deep that both hunter and prey fly six feet clear of the water.

The cape fur seal is an inquisitive and friendly animal and will often accompany scuba divers.
The dramatic ambush was captured on camera near South Africa's Seal Island, six miles from Cape Town. Packs of Great Whites, each weighing up to a ton, hunt around the island, and the BBC's camera team filmed every stage of the grisly process for next Sunday's program.

Kramer Goes Mel Gibson

from TMZ

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Kyle Doss, an African-American, and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it. The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."

Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"

The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a nigger." One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."

After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust.

Universal Sues MySpace

from AP

Universal Music Group has sued MySpace.com, claiming the online social-networking hub illegally encourages its users to share music and music videos on the site without permission.
The recording company is seeking unspecified damages, including up to $150,000 for each unauthorized music video or song posted on the Web site. The lawsuit is the latest legal salvo in a wider conflict between established media against Internet companies whose technology is challenging the traditional ways music, video and other content are distributed and consumed.

In its complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, Universal Music contends MySpace, a unit of News Corp., attempts to shield itself from liability by requiring users agree to grant the Web site a license to publish the content they upload to the site. Users, however, have no such authority over works they don't own. The Web site also "encourages, facilitates and participates in the unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, distribution and public performance," according to the suit.

Universal contends that much of the media posted by users of MySpace is not user-generated at all, but actually music and videos stolen from copyright owners. MySpace issued a statement saying it is in full compliance with copyright laws and is confident it will prevail in court. In the complaint, Universal singles out features on the Web site that enable users to save copies of videos to their profile pages or share them with others on the site. Universal Music also claims the MySpace Video and MySpace Music services also enable users to access copyright material without permission.

MySpace is currently testing technology aimed at enabling content owners to flag videos on the site that they find contain unauthorized copyrighted material. The flagged content is then removed by MySpace. The company expects to roll out the feature in a few weeks. Currently, MySpace takes down content from its users' pages when it receives a notice from a copyright holder.

'Casino Royale' - 3 Scoops (3/4)

movie review

For a long time now, the James Bond franchise has been operating with a license to overkill. That license has been revoked by Casino Royale. It doesn't even feel like a Bond film as we have come to expect them, in their numbing, increasingly gadget-dependent gigantism. No death rays from space this time. No invisible car. For once, most of the laws of physics are given due respect.

A renewed sense of engagement informs director Martin Campbell's tough, absorbing adaptation of the 1953 Ian Fleming novel, the one that started the whole 007 business. Daniel Craig is just right in the role, which has been rethought in ways that connect with the Bond Fleming actually wrote -- not in terms of physical appearance, but in terms of charismatic heartlessness with a hint of a soul underneath.

This isn't one of those Bond entries in which hundreds of extras get mowed down every other set-piece. The violence is rapid, personal, and a key torture sequence relates more to Abu Ghraib than the comparatively ticklish scene in Goldfinger in which Gert Frobe threatens Bond's boys with a laser.

The screenplay is set in the present day, trading the novel's Russian Communist baddies for an Albanian funder of international terrorism. Bond is a hot-tempered newbie in this outing, only lately having earned his hallowed double-0 status. On the trail of terrorist loan shark, Bond botches an assignment in Uganda early on in the picture. It's worth it for the audience: The first extended action sequence has Bond racing, on foot, in pursuit of a bomb maker. The villia is an ace practitioner of "free running." As he darts, leaps and bounds all around a construction site with Bond on his tail, the sequence builds beautifully.

Under the watchful eye of M (Judi Dench) and aided by a fellow operative, Bond arrives in Montenegro with British Treasury functionary Vesper Lynd by his side. There, in the swank hotel and gaming establishment of the title, he squares off in a multimillion-dollar poker game. (It was baccarat in the book.) Also, The romance between Bond and Lynd, played by French actress Eva Green, is taken very seriously.

Casino Royale is not perfect. It's long and the opening-credits sequence is truly lame. But all in all, its the best Bond film since Live and Let Die (1973).

PS3 Frenzy

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

The wait for Sony's next-generation PlayStation 3 came to an end at midnight Friday, at least for the lucky gamers who were able to grab a console. Sony promised only 400,000 systems for Friday's nationwide launch -- raising the possibility that a lot of people would go home disappointed, despite being willing to spend $500 or $600 for the system.

In Indianapolis, television station WRTV reported that Meijer department stores and Wal-Mart completely sold out of their allotments just after midnight. The station said that people reported that sellers on eBay -- which had tried to limit fraudulent listings -- were getting tens of thousands of dollars. In many places, tents were erected outside Best Buy as gamers lined up with anticipation of the store's opening. Some people in line in Indianapolis said they were getting PS3 for their own personal use, while the budding entrepreneurs in the crowd quietly admitted they would be reselling theirs at astronomical profit.

In West Hollywood, Calif., Nathaniel Lord spent more than $700 on a console and game after camping out for three nights at a Best Buy. The California Institute of the Arts graduate said after making his purchase he was going to down another energy drink and log on as soon as he gets home. The launch is not the only big news in the video game world. Nintendo's Wii system -- which is less powerful than Sony's but features new methods of game play with a new kind of motion-sensing controller -- goes on sale Sunday.

Police said a gunman robbed a teenager of his new game system in a the parking lot of a mall near Allentown, Pa. The 17-year-old victim told police said he was in the back seat of a car at the Lehigh Valley Mall when he was robbed Friday.

A Webster, Mass., man is expected to recover after being shot while waiting for a chance to buy a new PlayStation 3 outside a Wal-Mart in Putnam, Conn. Two gunmen tried to rob a group of people waiting for the store to open. Twenty-one-year-old Michael Penkala was taken to University of Massachussets Medical Center after the shooting. The assailants fled.

A store in the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Englewood didn't get a chance to offer customers a few of the hotly awaited consoles. Five of the units were stolen by robbers last night as the EB Games store was closing up.

Fresno, Calif., police said they were forced to declare unlawful assembly outside a store that was selling the new console after customers got unruly. One youth was arrested but there were no serious injuries Thursday. People began getting in line as early as Tuesday morning for Friday's launch of the new video game system.

Columbus, Ga., dentist Dr. Murray Newlin was so determined to buy 15 pieces of the latest video game hardware as Christmas gifts that he hired people to stand in line for him. But the west Georgia man's plan fell apart when other customers complained. He said he wanted the games for his grandchildren.

from CNN

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said that a staff member for former Sen. John Edwards -- a vocal critic of the retailer -- asked his local Wal-Mart store for help in getting the potential 2008 presidential candidate a Sony PlayStation 3. Edwards said a volunteer did so by mistake. Edwards said that the volunteer "feels terrible" about seeking the game unit at Wal-Mart a day after his boss criticized the company, saying it doesn't treat its employees fairly.

Edwards said the volunteer was "a young kid" unaware of what he called flawed Wal-Mart policies. He called the Wal-Mart statement an effort to divert attention from its own problems.

Judge Forbids Couple from Smoking in Home

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

A Colorado judge has upheld a homeowners association's order barring a couple from smoking in the town house they own. Colleen and Rodger Sauve, both smokers, filed a lawsuit in March after their condominium association amended its bylaws last December to prohibit smoking.

A Heritage Hills No. 1 Condominium Owners Association was responding to complaints from the Sauves' neighbors who said cigarette smoke was seeping into their units, representing a nuisance to others in the building. In a Nov. 7 ruling, Jefferson County District Judge Lily Oeffler ruled the association can keep the couple from smoking in their own home.

Gay Penguin Book Meets with Mixed Reviews

from WDIV Detroit TV 4


A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children -- and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own. Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book -- available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis -- tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out. For now, "And Tango Makes Three" will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.

US Town Bans Foreign Flags

from Reuters

A Nevada town passed a law this week making it illegal to fly a foreign nation's flag by itself, the latest swipe by a U.S. community at illegal immigrants. The town council of Pahrump, which lies in the Mojave Desert west of Las Vegas, voted 3-2 to make flying any foreign flag above the U.S. flag or alone an offense punishable by a $50 fine and 30 hours' community service.

The meeting also pushed through measures to deny services to illegal immigrants and make English the official language in Pahrump, a commuter town of 40,000 residents some 60 miles west of Las Vegas. Supporters said they passed the measure to hit back at Hispanic demonstrators who carried Mexican flags when they marched in U.S. cities earlier this year to press for rights for 10 million to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the shadows.

Hispanic groups slammed the flag ordinance as a blow to first-amendment rights to free speech but thought it unlikely that the community would enforce it. In passing the bylaw, the town joined several other communities from California to Pennsylvania that have passed laws curbing illegal immigrants in recent months. Among them are Escondido, in southern California, and Hazleton in Pennsylvania, where councilors barred landlords from renting to undocumented aliens and denied them access to services.

In Texas, where a third of the citizens are Hispanic, the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch this week enacted laws fining landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and making English the official language. Texas lawmakers preparing for the next legislative session in January filed bills this week to block state assistance to illegal immigrants and their children and to tax money transfers to Mexico, according to the bills.

NASA Plans Movie Style Asteroid Deflection

from Guardian Unlimited

NASA is drawing up plans to land an astronaut on an asteroid hurtling through space at more than 30,000 mph. It wants to know whether humans could master techniques needed to deflect such a doomsday object when it is eventually identified. The proposals are at an early stage, and a spacecraft needed just to send an astronaut that far into space exists only on the drawing board, but they are deadly serious. A smallish asteroid called Apophis has already been identified as a possible threat to Earth in 2036.

A 1 billion ton asteroid just 1 km across striking the Earth at a 45 degree angle could generate the equivalent of a 50,000 megaton thermonuclear explosion. Attempting to break it up with an atomic warhead might only generate thousands of smaller objects on a similar course, which could have time to reform. Scientists agree the best approach, given enough warning, would be to gently nudge the object into a safer orbit.

A Univ in Toronto Allows 2 Profs to Toke Up at Work

from CNN

The use of medical marijuana has given two Toronto professors the right to something that many students could only dream of -- access to specially ventilated rooms where they can indulge in peace.

The two, at the esteemed University of Toronto and at York University to the north of the city, suffer from chronic medical conditions that some doctors say can be eased by smoking marijuana. They are among nearly 1,500 Canadians who have won the right to use the drug for health reasons. Using human rights legislation, the two petitioned their employers for the right to light up in the workplace. They faced a legal struggle, but the universities eventually agreed.

Man Claims Taco Bell Drugged Him

from WCBS New York TV 2

It all started with tacos and a movie and allegedly ended up as a hospital trip and testing positive for drugs. It does sound strange, but one man says it happened to him. He claims the soft tacos he bought at a fast food chain contained some sort of drug.

Phillip Daggett says he grew ill after eating a soft taco he ordered from a Taco Bell in Fall River over the weekend. Daggett says he began feeling very strange shortly after eating one of his tacos. He claims he suffered from stomach cramps and numbness in his mouth and lips. He says his symptoms were so intense; he was almost not able to speak properly.

Daggett says he checked another taco he bought and noticed a strange white powder in the meat. Worried about the mysterious powder and his slurred speech, Daggett says he went to the hospital where he allegedly tested positive for opiates, a form of morphine.

Taco Bell is currently investigating Daggett's claim.

BK Manager Stalks, Shoots Customer

from WCBS New York TV 2

A Burger King restaurant manager is being charged with shooting a teenage boy dead after the two argued and the boy spit in the manager's face. Police say 16-year-old Shaka Walcott and 45-year-old Ronald Johannes had been arguing for more than a week. Police say the teenager returned to the Bronx Burger King Saturday night and was shot several times in the chest by the manager.

Witnesses say Johannes also was injured in the fight and he left the scene while the teen-ager writhed on the ground. Police say Walcott was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. They said Johannes was bleeding from gunshot wounds when he stumbled back to his home, where they arrested him.

Johannes is charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. Customers at the Burger King, however, said Johannes was difficult to deal with and used to kick them out.

Guiliani Eyes Presidential Bid

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a moderate Republican best known for his stewardship of the city after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has taken the first step in a 2008 presidential bid. The former mayor filed papers to create the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Inc., establishing a panel that would allow him to raise money for a White House run and travel the country. The four-page filing, obtained by The Associated Press, lists the purpose of the nonprofit corporation "to conduct federal 'testing the waters' activity under the Federal Election Campaign Act for Rudy Giuliani."

Giuliani was widely praised for leading the city during and after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He has said for months that he would wait until the end of the 2006 elections to decide whether to embark on a White House bid. The former mayor is a moderate who supports gun control and abortion rights, stands that would put him at odds with the majority of GOP conservative base. Still, the Giuliani brand remains strong; he headlined fundraisers for Republican candidates nationwide and his travel has done little to deny 2008 ambitions. During a visit earlier this month to Columbia, S.C., Giuliani dodged the question.

Lost Luggage Reaches New High

from ABC News

The amount of luggage lost by the airlines has soared recently, and with Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, the numbers could escalate. Lost luggage is a huge and growing problem in the United States. In the last few months, airlines broke an all-time record for the amount of mishandled luggage.

Any frequent flier will tell you that checking luggage can be a gamble, and those odds are getting much worse. After authorities in Britain uncovered the terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners in August, stringent carry on rules were put in place, which meant an immediate 20 percent increase in checked luggage. The heavy load overburdened baggage handlers and led to a spike in lost items.

Now, a report just out from the Transportation Department reveals passenger complaints of mishandled luggage have gone up dramatically. In September, more than 380,000 passengers reported luggage problems, up more than 90 percent from last year. Some airports, like McCarran in Las Vegas, are betting on new technology to increase the odds of finding that lost luggage. The airport is installing radio frequency readers, like those used by retailers to track inventory. All outgoing baggage is being tagged, so the airport can find out if a bag doesn't make a flight before the passenger hits the ground.

Eva Longoria Loves Beyonce On Screen

from Stuff (New Zealand)

Beyonce Knowles and Eva Longoria will play lesbian lovers in a new movie. The gorgeous stars have revealed they are set to star in sexy Victorian drama Tipping The Velvet.

Director Sofia Coppola is hoping to bring Sarah Water's novel about sexual repression to the big screen and is desperate for Beyonce and Eva to take the roles of a 1890s music hall star, Kitty Butler, and her lesbian lover Nan Astley. Beyonce, 25, thinks it is time the world was treated to a classic lesbian love story.

Massive OTC Pain Pill Recall

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

A major manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills Thursday after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or illness. Perrigo Co. said it discovered the metal bits during quality-control checks. The company passed 70 million pills through a metal detector and discovered the metal in about 200 caplets. The fragments ranged in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long.

The recall effects bottles containing various amounts of 500-milligram caplets. Consumers can determine if they are in possession of a recalled product by locating the batch number printed on the container label. Perrigo bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of store-brand nonprescription drugs. The Allegan, Mich., company did not disclose the chains for which it manufactures the store-brand acetaminophen.

Wal-Mart, Kroger and CVS are among the big chains that sold the painkiller.

Acetaminophen is best known as the drug in products sold under the Tylenol brand but is widely available in generic versions. The recall does not affect Tylenol.

For batch details follow the link below:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/perrigo/perrigobatchlist.html

Bush to Meet with Big 3

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

President George W. Bush will meet with leaders of Detroit's three automakers Tuesday.
General Motors Corp. Chairman Rick Wagoner, Chrysler Group Chief Executive Tom LaSorda and Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally are expected to explore a number of issues with the president, namely health care, trade and energy concerns.

The automakers have expressed frustration over the past several months with the administration's approach to problems such as legacy costs -- the higher price tag U.S. automakers pay for health care and pensions because of its older workforce.

The Bush administration has contended that the U.S. economy, including manufacturing, was firing on all cylinders, and the president has said that Detroit's automakers needed to build more relevant vehicles.

696 Speed Limit Increased

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

New speed regulations went into effect Thursday on Interstate 696. The speed limit for cars is up to 75 mph, and that is for the entire length of the freeway.

The maximum speed limit for trucks is also higher at 60 mph, up from 55.

MDOT said the increase in the truck speed is supposed to make the freeway safer because of the small difference between truck and car speed limits

Mexico Legalizes Gay Civil Unions

from Reuters

Mexico City approved homosexual civil unions on Thursday, legalizing gay partnerships for the first time in the world's second-largest Roman Catholic nation. The capital's municipal assembly, controlled by left-wing legislators, voted for the measure 43-17 as hundreds of rival protesters demonstrated noisily outside the building. The move paves the way for same-sex civil unions in the city of 8.6 million people early next year. The local congress in the northern state of Coahuila, bordering Texas, began debating a similar plan to legalize gay unions this week

The measures in Mexico City and Coahuila are modeled on France's civil code and provides property, pension, inheritance and even co-parenting rights. But they stop short of allowing full marriage or adoption of children. Outside the assembly hall, gay activists with rainbow-color flags and Christian opponents of the law exchanged barbs. Authorities in Mexico's powerful Catholic Church have condemned gay union. Some 90 percent of Mexico 107 million people are Catholics and conservative evangelical groups are also winning adherents. Only Brazil has more Catholics.

'Borat' Lawsuit

from TMZ

Two anonymous plaintiffs are suing 20th Century Fox and One America Productions, claiming members of their college fraternity were interviewed to become part of the smash "Borat" film. The plaintiffs -- listed as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 -- were allegedly assured the film would not be shown in the U.S. and their identities would not be revealed.They were both selected to appear in the movie and, according to the suit, taken "to a drinking establishment 'to loosen up' and provided alcoholic beverages." They claim they signed the movie releases after "heavy drinking."

The suit claims both men were then taken to a motor home where they were filmed, all the while "encouraged to continue drinking."The movie features a scene in a motor home where Cohen gets drunk with three frat boys and the group watches the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape while inebriated.The plaintiffs claim they suffered "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community..." because the movie was indeed released in the U.S.The suit asks for unspecified damages.

Arizona Rejects Gay Marriage Ban

from MyWay News

In a triple setback for conservatives, South Dakotans rejected a law that would have banned virtually all abortions, Arizona became the first state to defeat an amendment to ban gay marriage and Missouri approved a measure backing stem cell research.

UPDATE SD Rejects Tough Abortion Ban, Others Reject Gay Marriage

from MyWay News

South Dakotans rejected a toughest-in-the-nation law that would have banned virtually all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest - defeating one of the most high-profile state measures facing voters.

The outcome was a blow to conservatives, although they prevailed in five other states where voters approved constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage. Among them was Wisconsin, where gay-rights activists had nursed hopes of engineering the first defeat of such a ban. Eight states had ban-gay-marriage amendments on their ballots; Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia joined Wisconsin in approving them, while results were pending in Arizona, Colorado and South Dakota. Similar amendments have passed previously in all 20 states to consider them.

Holiness Believer Dies from Snake Bite

from Breitbart

A woman who was bitten by a snake at a church that neighbors say practices serpent handling died of her wounds hours later. Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said the reptiles are handled as part of religious services.

Long died at University of Kentucky Medical Center about four hours after being bitten. Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine.

Police said they had not received any reports of snake handling at the church.

Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible that says a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed.

Britney Spears Files for Divorce

from TMZ

Britney Spears has filed for divorce from husband Kevin Federline. Celebrity news Web site TMZ.com first reported the filing and obtained the legal papers filed by Spears.

The singer cited "irreconcilable differences" in the petition and is asking for both "legal and physical custody" of the couple's two children, 1-year old Sean Preston and 2-month-old Jayden James. The couple, who married in 2004, has an "iron-clad pre-nup" and Spears has hired celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser for her case. Wasser has represented the likes of Angelina Jolie and Nick Lachey.

9 States Approve Eminent Domain Measures

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

Land use was a hot issue for voters in this election.

It was part of backlash against a 2005 Supreme Court ruling allowing New London, Conn., to buy up homes to make way for a private commercial development.

Nine states, including Michigan, approved eminent-domain measures to bar or restrict the government from taking private property for a private use, while California rejected the idea.

Arizona's winning measure went beyond the others, requiring state and local authorities to compensate property owners if land-use regulations lowered the value of their property. Idaho rejected a similar measure.

Democrats Control House, Await Senate Results

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

The Senate was still up for grabs Wednesday morning after Democrats wrested 28 House seats from Republican control in a historic midterm election. Two Senate races remained outstanding Wednesday morning in Virginia and Montana. Democrats need to win both those states to take a Senate majority.

Republicans and Democrats have dispatched lawyers to Virginia, where votes from four precincts and uncounted absentee ballots from the Senate race will be counted Wednesday day.

Also, or the first time in 12 years, Democrats have a majority of the nation's governorships.
They've won the races in Massachusetts, Ohio, New York, Arkansas, Colorado and Maryland, reversing the GOP's six-seat advantage and giving them an edge in places considered vital to the 2008 presidential race. Democrats also held onto vulnerable seats in Iowa, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin. In Massachusetts, Deval Patrick will be the first black governor of his state and just the second elected black governor of any state.

The Republican winners include California's Arnold Schwarzenegger. There will be nine women as governors, including Republican Sarah Palin in Alaska.

Midterm Election Projected Results

from WDIV Detroit TV 4
MI Results, unofficial exit poll projections

Gov Projected winner: Granholm

U.S. Sen Projected winner: Stabenow

Atty Gen Projected winner: Cox

Sec of State Projected winner: Land

Prop 1 Conservation and Recreation Funds: Projected Yes

Prop 2 Affirmative Action: Too close to call

Prop 3 Establish Mourning Dove Hunting Season: Projected No

Prop 4 Prohibit Eminent Domain: Projected Yes

Prop 5 Establish Mandatory School Funding Levels: Projected No

Neil Patrick Harris: "I'm Gay"

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

Neil Patrick Harris tells People magazine's Web site that he's "quite proud" to say he's "a very content gay man" living his life to the fullest. He said he's speaking out now because of recent speculation and interest in his private life and relationships.

Harris stars on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. As a teen he played the namesake doctor on the series Doogie Howser, M.D.

Man Ordered to Wear "Sex-Offender" Shirt

from Reuters

A Delaware judge ordered a man who twice exposed himself to a 10-year-old girl at his workplace to wear a T-shirt with the words: "I am a registered sex offender" in bold letters.

Russell Teeter, 69, who pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent exposure, also was sentenced to 60 days in jail. The unusual T-shirt was requested as punishment because there was concerned about Teeter exposing himself to children at the gardening business he runs with his wife. Teeter has had at least 10 prior convictions dating back to 1976 for exposing himself to children and had been diagnosed as a compulsive exhibitionist.

Teeter, who has 30 days to appeal the sentence, will have to wear the T-shirt at work for 22 months after he gets out of jail.

Dolphin with Vestigial Fins

from the Daily Mail

As they leap over the waves and perform their extraordinary acrobatic feats, dolphins are the embodiment of water-borne grace. Yet, almost incredibly, this was not always their element. Experts believe that the dolphin's ancestor was a dog-like creature which roamed the earth many millions of years ago. And now the extraordinary discovery of a bottlenosed dolphin with an extra set of flippers has provided living proof of the theory. At first glance it looks like any other of its kind. But closer inspection reveals a rogue set of rear fins.

Each the size of a human hand, the fins are thought to be the remains of a pair of hind legs, adding to evidence that dolphins once walked on all fours. While dolphins with odd-shaped lumps jutting out near the tail have been caught before, this five-year-old bottlenose is thought to the first with a full second set of fins.

Scientists have so far been unable to tell whether the four-finned dolphin, caught in fishermen's nets off Japan's Wakayama province a week ago, uses its extra set of fins when swimming. The creature, 9ft from nose to tail, is now in a tank at a whaling museum where it will undergo both X-ray and DNA testing.

Recent fossil finds support the belief that, 50-million years ago, forerunners of the present deep-sea mammals had limbs and were quick on their feet. It is thought the dolphin's land-loving ancestors first crawled into the sea to escape predators or seek food between 50-million and 35-million years ago. Their hind legs became smaller and smaller before eventually disappearing altogether. The new aerodynamic shape reduced drag in the water, speeding their swimming. Further evidence of the dolphin's past as a land-dweller comes from its inability to breathe u under water, and the bones of its fins, which are very similarly jointed those in the human hand.

'Borat' 4 Scoops

Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genius. As Borat Sagdiyev, a TV journalist from Kazakhstan who is the least politically correct character imaginable, Baron Cohen spits out the most outrageous racist and sexist statements he can think of. Yet it’s the reaction of most of his unknowing victims that proves to be the most interesting aspect of Borat. The defiantly unapologetic and laugh out loud funny Borat is not for the easily offended or for those who don’t get Sacha Baron Cohen’s satirical humor. If even one scene from the trailer or TV commercials has upset you, do not go see Borat. Nothing is off-limits – not feminists, Jewish people, Pentecostals, homosexuals, or politicians. If there’s a way to stir the pot and use this shocking mockumentary to make us examine our values, Borat goes for it.

Once in America, Borat proceeds to skewer Western values at every turn. From inquiring of a gun store owner which gun to buy to kill Jews, to carrying on a conversation with the head of a rodeo about killing all homosexuals and then whipping up that rodeo crowd by praising America’s “war of terror,” Borat’s just as offensive as the genuinely shocking responses he elicits.

Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles don’t cheat when it comes to laying it all on the line. Borat is placed in the most volatile situations possible, sometimes barely escaping being hauled off to jail and even once being wrestled to the ground by the police. Yet not once over the course of the film does Sacha Baron Cohen break character. Like him or loathe him, Baron Cohen delivers an absolutely amazing performance and one audiences won’t forget. It is without a doubt one of the best performances by an actor in 2006, maybe even of the decade.

Baron Cohen’s brilliant film skewers anti-Semitism and racism while delivering some of the biggest laughs of the year. Borat leaves you chuckling while at the same time thinking about the root causes of prejudice and bigotry, and for that reason Borat’s a must-see.

A little thing mainly unknown abour Baron Choen: He wrote “A Case of Mistaking Identities – the Jewish Black Alliance” as his thesis. The piece examined the nature of cooperation between the African-American and Jewish communities and suggested ways to improve relations in the current day. Baron Cohen's professor described it as a major work of importance on the civil rights movement and is suggested reading for history students in Cambridge.

CRIMESTOPPERS

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

Birmingham police are involved in an international search for a man who they said sexually assaulted a 7-year-old boy. On Oct. 4, a concerned parent contacted the Birmingham police Department, telling them she believed her 7-year-old son had been sexually assaulted. A child forensic interviewer questioned the boy, who detailed several sex acts that took place.

The man the boy singled out in each alleged assault is Claudio Luigi Caffelli, 25, whose last known address is 2281 W. Lincoln St. in Birmingham. Caffelli denied all allegations, and when the case was turned over to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office on Oct. 26, warrants were issued. Officials believe that Caffelli has fled the country. Caffelli's cell phone provider used a GPS tracking device that traced Caffelli's line to Peru.

Caffelli, who is originally from Italy, has coached a youth soccer team in the area for years, but according to police, he met the boy through family friends. Caffelli is charged with three separate counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, each count carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Anyone with information should call the Birmingham Police Department at 248-644-3405 ext. 218.

Devil's Knight in Saginaw

from Breitbart

Sixteen houses, most of them vacant, burned during a pre-Halloween arson spree on what is known as Devil's Night. Widespread arson fires on the night before Halloween, dubbed Devil's Night, started years ago in Detroit. Saginaw, a city of about 60,000 residents, later began seeing copycat arsons.

At least five of the 16 fires this year were rekindles; symptomatic of a fire department understaffed to deal with the high volume of fires. Almost all the blazes are likely to prove to be arson.

The 2000 U.S. Census found 28.5 percent of the city's population was living below the poverty line, well over the state average of 10.5 percent.