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.