10 Tongue In Cheek New Year Wishes Messages For 2009

It is going to be a tough year, not only for Americans, but for all the world. Here are 10 tongue in cheek New Year wishes for 2009. Let's hope that these wishes come true!

1.Wishing You Luck In Finding A Job
2.Wishing You and Yours Stay Out of Bankruptcy
3.Wishing you Luck On Collecting Your Stimulus Check
4.Wishing George Bush a quick move from the White House to Dallas, Texas
5.Wishing Barack Obama good luck in finding a new Minister
6.Wishing that the jobs in India come back to the United States in 2009
7.Wishing the Palestinians and Israelis Peace On Earth
8.Wishing the Pakastanis and Indians Peace On the Border
9.Wishing Wall Streeters a Little Big of Bonus
10.Wishing the Economy a Very Merry Return

Michael Jackson Gravely Ill - Needs Transplant

M.J. is gravely ill - NO not Michael Jordan, the other M.J. - Michael Jackson. Sources claim he is suffering from potentially fatal health issues. According to a new biography by Ian Halperin, Michael Jackson is reportedly in desperate need of an emergency transplant operation to save his life from a rare lung condition.
Michael suffers from a rare hereditary condition called Alpha-1 anitrypsin deficiency. He also suffers from emphysema and hastointestinal bleeding.
He’s had it for years, but it’s gotten worse,” Halperin told In Touch magazine. “He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it … [But] it’s the [gastrointestinal] bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him.”
Halperin also claims that the “Thriller” and “Bad” singer can barely speak and is 95-percent blind in his left eye.
Earlier this year, Jackson was photographed in a wheelchair. A few weeks ago, he was spotted receiving help walking, while wearing a Zorro style mask.
Just this month, Reuters reported that the gates of Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch and one of the white gloves first unveiled in his 1983 "Billie Jean" video are going up for auction in a 2,000-item sale organized by the self-styled King of Pop.
And just last month, Michael Jackson and a son of the king of Bahrain signed an out-of-court settlement on Monday ending a legal dispute under which the prince sued the pop star saying he reneged on a recording contract and owed him $7 million after breaching a signed contract.
On the bright side, the world is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Thriller .

Could it be that the 80's icon is ready to bow out!

Expert Warn Passengers Not To Fly

Some airline experts strongly suggest that potential airline passengers avoid flying airlines that are not part of the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). They cite the fact that pilots will be reluctant to report anomolies and errors fearing repercussions from the airlines.

American Airlines is the latest major airline to drop out of a federal safety program designed to encourage voluntary reporting of pilot errors before they resulted in crashes. AA joins Delta Airlines and US Airways in abandoning the Aviation Safety Action Program, or ASAP, which allows pilots to admit mistakes without fear of being punished.

The goal of the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is to enhance aviation safety through the prevention of accidents and incidents. Its focus is to encourage voluntary reporting of safety issues and events that come to the attention of employees of certain certificate holders.
To encourage an employee to voluntarily report safety issues even though they may involve an alleged violation of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), enforcement-related incentives have been designed into the program. An ASAP is based on a safety partnership that will include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the certificate holder, and may include any third party such as the employee’s labor organization.

American Airlines had taken part for 14 years, and its program was used as a model at other carriers in the U.S. and abroad.

The pilots' union at American, the Allied Pilots Association, charged that American was using the program to discipline captains for inadvertent safety lapses, putting their jobs at risk. The union sought language to strengthen job protections for pilots who reported errors.
"We will not accept any process that labels our pilots as reckless, and discipline for inadvertent safety events must stop," union official Kevin Cornwell said at the time.

Tim Wagner, a spokesman for AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, said Friday the company preferred not to change provisions of the program but that the union balked and refused to extend the agreement. He said a self-reporting system from NASA is still in place.

Acting FAA chief Robert A. Sturgell said, "it is disheartening to see some of our carriers and pilot unions abandoning these programs at a time when we need them the most," Sturgell said. "I encourage you to separate safety from the labor issues and put these programs back in place."

Homme Found Dead At Home

It's always a bad time for bad news, especially when the news is about a death. It is even more shocking when it is someone young with a full life ahead of them. And then add someone that you've seen on TV and wow - it's hit's home.
The latest tragedy struck Todd Homme, 23, a contestant of the Lifetime's Blush: The Search for the Next Great Makeup Artist was found dead at his New York home. The cause of his death is still under investigation.
Homme was found by his partner Neal Krogh, on Saturday night. Medical examiners couldn't confirm the cause of death of the seemingly healthy Homme. "He went to sleep basically and never woke up," Homme's mother Marianne Amster told TV Guide, "He was all excited about what was going on with the show. He was up all night, went to sleep during the day and he died in his sleep. I went to the medical examiner early today, and they took tissue samples from his organs and the doctor said they couldn't find anything wrong with him. No drugs, alcohol or pills."
The services will be held Wednesday with the burial scheduled the following day at noon. The finale of Lifetime's reality show is scheduled to air today.
The final episode of the Reality show is scheduled to air Tuesday, December 23, 2008. The winner gets a professional artist contract with Max Factor, a cash prize of $100,000 and the opportunity to be the makeup artist for an upcoming InStyle photo shoot.

Case Closed On Son Of America's Most Wanted Host

It's a sad ending to the case of Adam Walsh, the son of America's Most Wanted host - John Walsh. Authorities are closing the book on his abduction in south Florida more than 25 years ago.
Walsh's parents, including America's Most Wanted host John Walsh, will be in Hollywood to speak about the new developments, along with detectives, at a 2:30 press conference, police said.
Adam Walsh was abducted in 1981 from what was then called the Hollywood Mall. Despite his parents' pleas and efforts, the child was never found. Parts of his body were recovered in a canal more than 100 miles away from the mall.
No one was ever convicted of the abduction and murder.
John Walsh has found strength by helping solve countless cases using the popular show "America's Most Wanted".
John is a remarkable man. It must be so difficult to talk about heinous crimes knowing that his own tragedy will never be solved.

Dead Ledger's Dark Knight Breaking Records

The blockbuster movie "Dark Knight" was the biggest hit in theaters this year. The outstanding performance of Heath Ledger and his untimely death have created a mystique that is expected to make it the best selling DVD and Blu-Ray film of the year.
Warner Bros is pushing hard on promotions to reap more profits that took in over $530 million in the box office. The DVD sales has already translated in over 3 million copies of “The Dark Knight” sold in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on Tuesday, its first day of release. Twenty five percent of these sales were Blu-ray. It is projected to exceed the record-breaking 7.2 million DVD and Blu-ray debut week for “Iron Man.”
The film’s success at the retail level is likely to improve if it garners significant Academy Awards nominations. Though “The Dark Knight” is widely considered a frontrunner in the race for the Best Picture and Best Director awards, the picture only received one Golden Globe nomination — a posthumous nod to Heath Ledger’s supporting role as The Joker. This could only be a bump in the road to Oscar glory, though, as the tastes of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science have diverged significantly in the past. The Academy is more likely to reward The Dark Knight’s enormous commercial success in a time of economic uncertainty.
Despite blockbuster success of “The Dark Knight” in theaters, industry analysts are closely monitoring the movie’s sales in the home video market in order to take the temperature of the audience’s willingness to spend in the midst of a recession. Though sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs have dropped 5 percent in the past year, the market remains strong relative to other sectors of the retail economy.

I Digg, Digg, Digg, Then I'm Dugg In The Ground With No DIGG-Nity

How can you compete with the Top DIGGers to get your posts on the Front Page of DIGG?

Do you sell your soul? Go bankrupt buying DIGG points? Join the DIGG mafia? Beg the Top 100 for some DIGGS? Subscribe to a 1000 RSS feeds in every category available? Give up my BLOG submissions? Pay an Informant for News before the rest of the world gets it? Hook up a neural network between the News RSS feeds, my Brain and my computer? Buy a Stadium Pal, put tootpicks in my eyes and nail myself to my office chair?
You see, I'm a Newbie at this thing. I've submitted about 250 or so post and I can't seem to get even a couple Digss. I started by writing very original content from my Blogs with catchy titles, then I started to rapid-fire submissions of late breaking news. All to no avail - What am I to do!
So, I googled the DIGG tips, tricks, etc. to get to the front page.

They say to learn how to "game" (it's seems like cheating and it's got a dirty feel - kind of like a politican, or sports star or Blue Chip CEO). "They" say to have eye catching titles, to have original content, to DIGG others and they will DIGG you, to get 15 friends and DIGG each others stuff. To buy DIGGS (What!), and finally, some even say to go elsewhere.

I also discovered some believe this whole DIGG thing is a conspiracy - that it's controlled by the "DIGG mob". That if any of the top 50 DIGGers give a post a DIGG - it is almost certain to get to the Front Page. People talk about the algorithms employed, the number of DIGGS you need, the style of your story, that you should avoid BLOGs if you want to get the Front.

Well, since reading all this stuff I have decided to continue submitting. I have decided not to stop to the sneaky, sleaks tricks, and to not sell out - just to get to the front page. I'm going to keep it real and original and let my talents (or probably the lack there of) to decide my fate.
You know, I'm probably naive but I feel better now after venting. Sure, I DIGG, DIGG, DIGG but I will not be DUGG in the ground without DIGG-nity - nope.

Only 1 DIGG? Oh Well - maybe I am!

Caylee Anthony Body Found 5 Minutes From Home

According to various national news services, the remains of Caylee Anthony have been found less than a five minute walk from her home in Florida. According to sources, the body was found 40 feet from a highway by maintenance worker.
Although the body has not officially been identified, investigators believe it is the remains of Caylee.
Tim Miller, the founder and director of EquuSearch, said the remains "appear to be Caylee, but with any case, we have to wait until a positive ID is made."
"It looks like finally it's over with," Miller said.
Orange County deputies said a meter reader found the remains of a young child this morning in the area of S. Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive -- less than 1/4 mile from the Anthonys' home on Hopespring Drive. Spokesman Jim Solomons of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said the remains were found in a bag.
TV Guy Hal Boedeker's commentary on the Casey Anthony case coverage Todd Black, the spokesman for Casey Anthony's defense attorney, said the utility worker picked up the bag and a skull rolled out of it. Residents said duct tape was found around the skull, but those reports have not been confirmed by law-enforcement official.
"We certainly hope it isn't [related to the Anthony case]," Black said. "If it is, it is a sad day."
Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary is at the crime scene and said, "we are trying to put it all together." The sheriff also said there are no other cases of missing children in Orange County.
Beary said the FBI was notified and their investigators told him the discovery is a top priority for the agency's lab.
Dr. Lee Jantz, coordinator of the forensic anthropology center at the University of Tennessee, told the Associated Press that it is more difficult to identify a child's body than an adult's.
Jantz said the first thing medical examiners will do is compare photos of the child with the skull, in hopes of making a bone structure comparison. In high-profile cases the DNA of the bones will also be tested.
Anthony's defense attorney Jose Baez, walked out of Orange County Jail shortly after 1:33 p.m. and he was surrounded by media cameras and reporters. He would not speak about the remains. He said he would comment later today.
EquuSearch volunteer Deborah Smith said she searched the area three times and had "a bad feeling" because Anthony had mentioned her daughter was nearby.
"It still feels like she's, she's close to home," Anthony told her brother Lee Anthony in a recorded telephone conversation in July. "That's still my best feeling at the moment."
Smith said the area where the remains were found is "really wet and steep and there's lots of snakes back there."
Three-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony was reported missing July 15. Anthony was indicted in October on first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to law enforcement.
Anthony is being held without bail at the Orange County Jail.
Cindy and George Anthony have insisted that their granddaughter is alive.
Captain Angelo Nieves of the sheriff's office said investigators "right now cannot confirm the sex of the child." Nieves said lead investigator John Allen called George and Cindy Anthony about the discovery. The Orange County Jail was also notified.
Nieves said forensic detectives are inspecting the remains. A medical examiner and FBI detectives are also at the scene.
Sheriff's office patrol cars are blocking Suburban Drive at Hopespring Drive. Yellow crime scene tape surrounds a section of woods near the intersection.
EquuSearch spokeswoman Mandy Albritton said their workers did not check that location earlier because it was submerged in water when they had looked in September. When they returned in November, the site had been fenced off.
Check back for updates.

Top 3 Reasons For Sleazy Politics

Sleazy politics seems to be the name of the game these days. The latest example is the arrest of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Rod had the audacity to involve his chief of staff in a rouse to put the Illinois Senate seat recently vacated by president-elect Barack Obama.

Before we go on we need to understand the definition of sleazy. Sleazy is defined as morally degraded; "a seedy district"; "the seamy side of life"; "sleazy character". Other definitions include dishonest or corrupt; disreputable.

Sleazy politics occur at all levels of government - and seems to peak at the highest levels of elected office.


Why do we continue to see this behavior in our politicians? Here are three reasons:



Power


Political scientists have frequently defined power as "the ability to influence the behaviour of others" with or without resistance. It seems that all politicians have an innate mentally to control their circumstances.


But there are those that abuse that power for personal gain and for even just an adrenaline rush. In addition, having the ability to affect executive, judicial and even legislative actions may give them a feeling of omnipotence.



Money


This is an obvious reason that politicians are considered sleazy. Some politicans abuse their position in an attempt to enrich their lives via bribes.
In defense of most politicans, it must be difficult to refuse money and bribes from lobbyist, organized crime, other politicians, financial companies and private sector interests. But to take a risk knowing that the world and media are in your face, is just amazing.



Ego


It seems impossible to be a politican without having a huge ego. It is common place for politicans to lose a political fight and hold grudges. Those with super big egos may seek revenge at any cost.
With all this being said, politicians are a microcosm of the population and the media focuses on those in office. You can be sure that sleaze bleeds into the private sector as well - it's just that the media focuses on our public officials. And that should continue.



Politicians are elected to represent our interests - not their own!

Tribune Bankruptcy - Will the Chicago Cubs Be Sold?

According to the Washington Post, the media giant Tribune Co. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware Court today, Monday, December 8, 2008.
This business move will allow Tribune to stay in business while it seeks better terms from its creditors.
The Chicago-based company owns a coast-to-coast empire with television stations and newspapers in most of the nation's largest cities. Its holdings include the Los Angeles Times; cable television superstation WGN in Chicago; the Baltimore Sun; and WDCW-50 in Washington, the CW affiliate. The company also owns the Chicago Cubs.
Tribune assumed some $13 billion in debt when real estate mogul Sam Zell engineered an employee-owned transition to private ownership one year ago this month. Hopes were high among employees that the company could be re-engineered to be a news company of the 21st century.
But sharp drops in advertising revenue, a decline in almost all of the nation's newspapers in recent years, have put the company in danger of being unable to meet its debt covenants, according to a source close to the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Tribune is privately held.
"Over the last year, we have made significant progress internally on transitioning Tribune into an entrepreneurial company that pursues innovation and stronger ways of serving our customers," chief executive Zell said in a statement today. "Unfortunately, at the same time, factors beyond our control have created a perfect storm -- a precipitous decline in revenue and a tough economy coupled with a credit crisis that makes it extremely difficult to support our debt."
The company has hired investment bank Lazard and law firm Sidley Austin to consult on the bankruptcy.
"We believe that this restructuring will bring the level of our debt in line with current economic realities, and will take pressure off our operations, so we can continue to work toward our vision of creating a sustainable, cutting-edge media company that is valued by our readers, viewers, and advertisers, and plays a vital role in the communities we serve," Zell said. "This restructuring focuses on our debt, not on our operations." The company said it has enough cash to keep going but will secure additional credit from Barclays in case economic conditions worsen.
In November, the company reported a $124 million third-quarter loss, compared with an $84 million profit in the same period of last year.
Tribune is on the hook for about $1 billion per year in loan repayments. The company is eyeing a big payment in June 2009, which had worried analysts.
It's no secret that the ongoing financial crisis and the tightening of the credit markets forecasted almost certain doom over the media giant. Believe it or not, the unemployment situation was also a big factor for this financial move - newspapers depend on help-wanted ads. With less help wanted postings the less advertisement monies they receive.
Venerable newspaper chain Knight Ridder was swallowed in June 2006 by rival chain McClatchy Co., which has watched its stock price lose 90 percent of its value since then. Over the same period, shares of The New York Times Co. are down more than 60 percent, while shares of The Washington Post Co. are down more than 40 percent.
Today, the Times Co. said it would stake its new Manhattan headquarters as collateral for some $250 million in new loans the company seeks.
Tribune has been raising cash by putting assets up for sale. The Cubs and their storied Wrigley Field are on the block and the company hopes for a spring sale, with an expected price tag of several hundred million dollars. However, the pool of potential bidders has shrunk since the team went on the market, as the credit crisis has put financing in doubt for such a large deal.
The Cubs and Wrigley are not included in the bankruptcy filing, the company said today.

Vice President Dick Cheney Indicted

The current president of the United States, Dick Cheney, has been indicted in Texas on 7 charges, all involving federal prisons in South Texas. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who also served under president George W Bush has also been indicted on the same charges.

According to the Associated Press, the indictment returned Monday has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.

The seven indictments made public in Willacy County on Tuesday included one naming state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. and some targeting public officials connected to District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra's own legal battles.

Regarding the indictments targeting the public officials, Guerra said, "the grand jury is the one that made those decisions, not me."

Guerra himself was under indictment for more than a year and half until a judge dismissed the indictments last month. Guerra's tenure ends this year after nearly two decades in office. He lost convincingly in a Democratic primary in March.

Guerra said the prison-related charges against Cheney and Gonzales are a national issue and experts from across the country testified to the grand jury.

Cheney is charged with engaging in an organized criminal activity related to the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds financial interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees because of his link to the prison companies.

Megan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cheney, declined to comment on Tuesday, saying that the vice president had not yet received a copy of the indictment.

The indictment accuses Gonzales of using his position while in office to stop an investigation in 2006 into abuses at one of the privately-run prisons.

Gonzales' attorney, George Terwilliger III, said in a written statement, "This is obviously a bogus charge on its face, as any good prosecutor can recognize." He said he hoped Texas authorities would take steps to stop "this abuse of the criminal justice system."

Another indictment released Tuesday accuses Lucio of profiting from his public office by accepting honoraria from prison management companies. Guerra announced his intention to investigate Lucio's prison consulting early last year.

Lucio's attorney, Michael Cowen, released a scathing statement accusing Guerra of settling political scores in his final weeks in office.

"Senator Lucio is completely innocent and has done nothing wrong," Cowen said, adding that he would file a motion to quash the indictment this week.

Willacy County has become a prison hub with county, state and federal lockups. Guerra has gone after the prison-politician nexus before, extracting guilty pleas from three former Willacy and Webb county commissioners after investigating bribery related to federal prison contacts.
Last month, a Willacy County grand jury indicted The GEO Group, a Florida private prison company, on a murder charge in the death of a prisoner days before his release. The three-count indictment alleged The GEO Group allowed other inmates to beat Gregorio de la Rosa Jr. to death with padlocks stuffed into socks. The death happened in 2001 at the Raymondville facility.

In 2006, a jury ordered the company to pay de la Rosa's family $47.5 million in a civil judgment. The Cheney-Gonzales indictment makes reference to the de la Rosa case.

None of the indictments released Tuesday had been signed by Presiding Judge Manuel Banales of the Fifth Administrative Judicial Region.

Last month, Banales dismissed indictments that charged Guerra with extorting money from a bail bond company and using his office for personal business. An appeals court had earlier ruled that a special prosecutor was improperly appointed to investigate Guerra.

After Guerra's office was raided as part of the investigation early last year, he camped outside the courthouse in a borrowed camper with a horse, three goats and a rooster. He threatened to dismiss hundreds of cases because he believed local law enforcement had aided the investigation against him.

The indictments were first reported by KRGV-TV.

Recount For Franken Coleman In Minnesota

The race for Minnesota's U.S. Senate spot has got into an automatic recount. The race between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken will require a recount - but the Senator does have appear to have a slim margin

The Senator declared himself the winner after Tuesday's election but Franken said he would let the recount play out, hoping it would erase the incumbent's 475-vote lead out of nearly 2.9 million ballots. State officials said the recount wouldn't start until mid-November and would probably take weeks.

"Yesterday the voters spoke. We prevailed," Coleman said Wednesday at a news conference. He noted Franken could opt to waive the recount.

"It's up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct," Coleman said, telling reporters he would "step back" if he were in Franken's position. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said the recount would cost 3 cents per ballot, or almost $90,000.

As counties and Ritchie's office reconciled their unofficial vote totals Wednesday, Coleman's margin fluctuated but was at 475 votes Wednesday afternoon: Coleman had 1,211,642 votes, or 41.99 percent of the total votes cast, while Franken had 1,211,167 votes, or 41.98 percent.

Dean Barkley of the Independence Party was third with 15.16 percent.

Minnesota state law allows automatic recounts in races decided by a half-percentage point or less.

Al Franken is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, writer and progressive political commentator. e gained fame as a writer and a performer for Saturday Night Live, eventually writing and appearing in several films. Since then, Franken has become more known for his political commentary, writing numerous bestselling books and hosting a nationally-syndicated radio show on Air America Radio.

On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008.[1] The seat is currently held by Norm Coleman.

California - Say YES To Proposition 2

Prop 2 will end the practice of "boxing" baby calfs for veal and breeding pigs and hens in "crammed" cages. A bonus to Propostion 2 is that it will put some teeth in the laws to combat farm waste and fecal matter that is running off into our streams, rivers and other bodies of water.

If you are a pet owner, love animals or just a normal human being, you need to vote Yes and protect these animals - because they can't protect themselves. If it's any consolidation, the Humane Society, is in full support of this bill. Your vote means a lot!

Here is what proposition 2 stands for ...

The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effects these operations can have on surrounding communities. Factory farms often spread waste on the ground untreated - contaminating our waterways, lakes, groundwater, soil, and air. Environmental leaders like Defenders of Wildlife, the Planning and Conservation League, Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club support Prop 2.
Improving our health and food safety.

We all witnessed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows exposed by a Chino slaughter plant investigation this year, prompting authorities to pull meat off school menus and initiate a nationwide recall. Factory farmers have put our health at risk by allowing these terrible abuses, and now are recklessly telling us it's okay to keep animals in overcrowded, inhumane conditions.

Proposition 2 is being opposed, as you would suspect, by big business and the businesses that run these slaughterhouses. And as you can image, they have their lobbyists and the funds to put up a good fight to the proposition.

Come on California, the rest of the country is watching. California has been known to blaze the trail on protecting humans - now it's time to take it to the next step!

Vote Proposition 2 and protect our animals and the environment.

Iverson To Be Traded To MOTOWN

The president of basketball operations of the Detroit Pistons, Joe Dumars, is looking to trade for Allen Iverson, currently a member of the Denver Nuggets.

The trade would sent Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billups from the Detroit Pistons to the Colorado Nuggets in exchange for Mr. Iverson.

According to unconfirmed sources, the trade is very close. All players involved where not present at this morning's shoot-around.

It seems that Joe Dumars is insistent on breaking up his team since they lost to the eventual NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

The Pistons did win 59 games last year under Flip Saunders, but Dumars feels he needs Iverson to solidify his team.

A former league MVP with Philadelphia in 2000-01 and nine-time All-Star, Iverson is without peer as an offensive player but off-the-court problems and maturity issues have plagued the diminutive one since he arrived in the City of Brotherly Love from Georgetown in 1996.

Iverson, who will become a free agent in the offseason, will arrive in the Motor City with plenty of defensive-minded players. In fact, Prince and Wallace can be torturous at that end of the floor. But, unlike Snow, Lynch and Hill, the Pistons' big time defenders aren't offensively challenged. Prince and Wallace, especially, need their touches.

Meanwhile, the Pistons already have Richard Hamilton, the game's best player at moving without the ball, at the two spot, meaning Iverson will be forced to take over Billups' role as the quarterback of the team.

A shoot-first guy, Iverson isn't likely to care about getting the ball to his new teammates in spots where they can succeed, something Billups excelled at.

Opus Is Dead: The Comic Strip

First it was King of the Hill and now it's Opus, the comic strip. It appeared for the last time today, but the final destiny of the beloved penguin's 'final paradise' had to wait for the Humane Society to update its website.

It is an interesting strategy for Berkeley Breathed, who started the Sunday Comic strip on paper, many years ago. I thought he would wind up with the Peanuts comic strip character "Snoopy", considering all the comic's references to Peanuts and a recent appearance at the Charles Schulz Museum.

For those who aren't familiar with Opus - Opus the Penguin (Opus T. Penguin) is a character in the comic strips and children's books of Berkeley Breathed, most notably the popular 1980s strip Bloom County. Breathed has described him as an "existentialist penguin" and the favorite of his many characters. Until November 2, 2008 he ran in the comic strip Opus.

Is Loretta Lynn In Contact With Johnny Cash?

Loretta Lynn, the legendary country performer, has spent here whole life with ghosts and is believed to be a true psychic. The story goes, that she first became aware of her special powers back when she was 14 years old and pregnant. While living away from home, she began to predict letters from her mom, and would predict the day they were delivered.

Over the years she has had many premonitions, including a vision of her dad in his coffin. She learned the following morning that her father had died of a stroke. On a return to her former home, she encountered his ghost, sitting on the front porch.

Kind of eerie, don't you think.

Back in 1967, as fate would have it, she and her husband got lost on a road in the Tennessee countryside. It is then when she discovered Hurricane Mills. And whether it was really fate or just coincidence, Hurricane Mills had it's own ghosts. The history of the estate goes back to the 1800s and the Civil War. 19 confederate soldiers are buried on the property. Her oldest son is said to have waken from his sleep to the sight of a soldier standing at the foot of his bed.

Other secrets of Hurricane Mills discovered included a "slave pit" which is a cramped, dark, cellar with iron bars that was located under the front porch. It is said that disobedient slaves were put in there for punishment. Strange sounds and footsteps are said to be heard coming from the slave pit. Loretta also repeatedly straightens pictures on her walls, only to have them mysteriously shifted

Fast forward to Halloween, 2008. the Globe magazine says Loretta Lynn is haunted by Johnny Cash.

Now, we all know the globe is a gossip tabloid, but could there be some truth to this story? A ghostly thought!

King of The Hill Dead After 13 Years

Oh Hank, say it ain't so!

It seems that after 13 seasons, Fox has decided to cancel it's King Of The Hill television program. But one more round of 13 episodes are still ahead, to be aired sometime during the 2009-2010 season.

King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It centers around the Hills, a suburban Methodist family proud of its Texas heritage. Unlike many animated sitcoms of its type that generally tend to feature unusual or impossible events, King of the Hill attempts to retain a realistic approach, seeking humor in the otherwise conventional or sometimes even mundane.

Judge and Daniels conceived the series after a successful run with Judge's earlier Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, and the series debuted on the Fox Network on January 12, 1997, becoming an early hit. The series' popularity has also led to syndication by many local affiliates and the FX network as well as a number of international networks. The show has risen to become one of FOX's longest-running series, and the second longest-running American animated series, behind The Simpsons. In 2007, it was named by Time Magazine as one of the greatest television shows of all time.[1] The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments. King of the Hill has won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for seven since its inception.

The thirteenth season began airing on Sunday September 28, 2008. One month later Fox said its most recent 13-episode order would be its last; the final episodes are expected to air 2009-10 TV season.[3]

Hank Hill, the star of the animated series, is a propane salesman who just loves the Dallas Cowboys. His wife, Peggy, works as a substitute spanish teacher, a real estate agent, freelance writer and is also a Boggle champion. They have a son, Bobby, who is a chubby 13 year old with a wacky sense of humor. Peggy's niece, Luanne, was taken in by the Hills after her mom was sent to prison for "stabbing her husband [Luanne's father and Peggy's brother, with a fork.

King of the Hill uses the standard set-up of a situation comedy or "sitcom" as its premise, depicting a family and their lives in a typical American town. It documents the Hills' day-to-day-lives in the small Texas town of Arlen, exploring modern themes ranging from parent-child relationships, to friendship and loyalty, to justice, envy, and hubris. As an animated sitcom, however, King of the Hill's scope is generally larger than that of a regular sitcom.

It will be sad to see King of the Hill go after all these years.

eSnips And Web 2.0

Snips are a great way to share content, promote and sell your creations and form social niche communities, all based around specific areas of interest. eSnips are part of the new frontier of the Internet, called Web 2.0. Members can upload and share content in any file type from one centralized profile, in folders representing their different areas of interest, and can determine the audience for each folder.

Web 2.0 is meant to be a "social" environment, free of spam, and one that focuses on communications with people with similar interests. The term "friend" is often used to reflect these relationships.

eSnips is structured into Profiles, Folders, Communities, Social sharing capabilities and an eSnips Marketplace. It was founded by the former founders of shopping.com. They started the new diretion with the creation of NetSnippets, which was an internet search and organization tool that was sold to schools, libraries and research facilities.

The company headquarters is currently in Israel and its team is composed of 13 full-time members, divided into R&D, Marketing and Technical support. eSnips was founded by the former founders of shopping.com. eSnips morphed from the original search engine design

According to wikepedia, in February 2008 eSnips installed Audible Magic. This system was supposed to automatically recognize copyrighted audio using a database of copyrighted tracks. In reality, however, it blocked lots of original music and even non-music content. For some users it blocked 100% of their uploads, even when they didn't even contain any music, only speech. eSnips support has not yet reacted to these complaints and problems in any meaningful way.

Tax Cut Facts: The Obama-Biden Plan

The U.S. presidential election is just a few days away! Do you know who to vote for? Do you know what the candidates stand for? Are you up on what the candidate plan to do to cut taxes and stimulate the economy? Well, here is an explanation of the Barack Obama Tax Plan from a neutral unbiased source. It is based on a complete review of the Obama Blueprint for Change plan.

Barack Obama's Tax Plan focuses on taxing the richest Americans, those who make over a quarter of a million dollars a year, to help out the middle and lower class. The plan would allow middle and lower class families by tripling the earned-income credit for low wage earners. It would increase work incentives for most Americans too.

Barack Obama's tax cut plan is to help redistribute the wealth from the very rich to Americans who really need it, without significantly impacting the lifestyles of the rich. Some experts tout the plan as an effective, simple method to help mainstreet America. Others believe it is a socialist approach of wealth redistribution.

Here are comments about the Obama Tax Plan from expert sources ...
Rea Hederman Jr., a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation "said the middle class would likely pay less under Mr. Obama's plan than Mr. McCain's." [NY Sun, 8/15/08].

Obama’s tax calculator is “a very simple gadget that’s the most useful thing I’ve seen on any political website in a while.” [Forbes.com, 10/08]

Not only will the Obama Tax Cut Plan help middle and lower class Americans, it will promote and support those domestic companies that keep jobs in the United States, simply by providing tax cuts and tax incentives. This is a critical part of Obama's plan to prevent jobs from being shipped overseas.

Obama Blueprint for Change has clear cut initiatives to reform health care, promote alternative energies, provide immediate tax rebates for Americans and stimulate the economy. He also has detailed steps to address the social issues of education, ethics in government, addressing the mortgage crisis and promoting innovation in technology.
Here is more on his plan:

Provide generous tax cuts for lower and middle-income seniors, including eliminating income tax on American seniors who earn less than $50,000 a year. His plan will address homeowners by giving tax breaks to homeowners who do not itemize deductions when filing income tax. His tax plan, know as the Blueprint or Change, will provide healthcare to the uninsured. The plan will provide financial assistance for families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth. It also addrses the need for simplification of the application process for financial aid.

His well thought plan will benefit small businesses by eliminating their capital gains taxes. It calls for cutting corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States. Tax rewards will be given to businesses that spend money on innovation and new technologies.

A major concern of Barack Obama and most Americans is the complex tax system. Obama's plan will dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, His tax simplification section will enable more than 40 million to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant.
Tax Relief For Middle Class Families will include:

• $1,000 Tax Credit for 95% of Americans
• A refundable $4,000 American Opportunity Tax Credit
• Universal 10% Mortgage Interest Tax Credit
• Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000
• Provide Health Care Credits
• Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit
• Give Tax Credits for Clean Vehicle
• Simplify the tax reporting System

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's "Blueprint for Change" addresses over 25 topics and issues that Americans deem important.