BJ Services

BJ Services

BJ Services closing price of $15.43 a share on Aug. 28, it's still well below its highs of more than $30 a share during 2008 as Baker Hughes moves to take advantage of relatively low valuations in the sector. Baker Hughes /quotes/comstock/13*!bhi/quotes/nls/bhi (BHI 35.31, -2.78, -7.30%) said BJ Services /quotes/comstock/13*!bjs/quotes/nls/bjs (BJS 16.49, +1.06, +6.87%) shareholders will receive 0.40035 of a share of Baker Hughes as well as cash in the amount of $2.69 in exchange for each of their common shares. "The combination is not surprising given the complementary businesses between the two companies," analysts a Pritchard Capital Partners said. "We believe strategically Baker Hughes will help BJ Services capture international pressure pumping, and a diversified suite of services is also becoming more important as a competitive requirement with majors and larger independents."

"Strategically, taking Baker Hughes' money and running is good option for BJ Services," Tudor Pickering Holt analysts said. "(It) was going to be hard road for BJS given too much U.S. capacity will keep 2010 stand-alone earnings depressed." Baker Hughes expects to realize annual cost savings of approximately $75 million in 2010 and $150 million in 2011. Baker Hughes expects the combination to add to earnings in 2011. "Our two companies have highly complementary products and services with very little overlap," said Chad Deaton, chairman, president and chief executive of Houston-based Baker Hughes. Baker Hughes ranks as the heftiest hardware maker for drilling and BJ Services, a component of the Philadelphia Oil Service Index /quotes/comstock/10y!i:osx (OSX 173.11, -5.32, -2.98%) , specializes in gear and expertise for extracting oil and gas from shale both on land and off shore.

The Houston-based drill bit and oil services giant's acquisition comes as energy companies place bets that the worst of slack demand and credit woes are over and that activity will once again pick up. In a hopeful sign, Baker Hughes' weekly rig count rose by 14 rigs to 999 in the U.S. in the past week. Oil service shares have been fighting their way back from their lowest levels in five years the financial crisis and slowing economy created a supply glut in the energy markets, and much lower demand for drilling. "The transaction further enhances Baker Hughes' position as a top-tier global oilfield services company," said Denton said. "BJ Services broadens our portfolio by adding products, technologies and talented people that are key to helping our customers unlock value in their reservoirs, particularly in unconventional gas and deepwater fields. It will better position us to drive international growth and to compete for the growing large integrated projects by incorporating pressure pumping into our product offering."

Susan Haskell

Susan Haskell

Susan Haskell won the Outstanding Lead Actress Daytime Emmy on Sunday, in what could be one of the most competitive categories of the year. Haskell returned to One Life to Live and found herself in the midst of the controversial "Rapemance" storyline. It's culmination–which featured an amnesiac Marty Saybrooke pulling a gun on Todd Manning (Trevor St. John)–was the submission that won her the award. Her performance beat out The Young and the Restless' Jeanne Cooper in dual roles, Debbie Morgan's Angie reuniting with Jesse (Darnell Williams) on All My Children, Maura West's scenes opposite of Michael Park on As the World Turns and Susan Flannery's Stephanie Forrester at Eric Forrester's hospital bedside on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Haskell's Outstanding Lead Actress win is the first in the category from One Life to Live since Erika Slezak. She joins the ranks of notable One Life to Live actresses who have won the award, including: Judith Light, Robin Strasser, Erika Slezak and Hillary B. Smith. Lead acting prizes went to Susan Haskell of "One Life to Live" and Christian LeBlanc of CBS' "The Young and the Restless." The Emmy telecast, which was shown on The CW, also saluted "Guiding Light," which ends its 72-year run in broadcasting (radio and television) next month. Jeff Branson of that drama shared the supporting actor prize with Vincent Irizarry of ABC's "All My Children." Other notable winners: "Rachael Ray" for entertainment talk show, "The Tyra Show" for informative talk show and Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab" for game show. Meredith Vieira of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- another Disney property -- was named best game-show host.

Leah Lust

Leah Lust

Leah Lust, has filmed scenes for five features. One is titled My First Sex Teacher. Five-minute snippets of her rubbing baby oil on another naked woman are also spreading online. Occasionally, Shepherd sits in front of a webcam to do whatever guys on the other end of the Internet tell her to do. Tiffany Shepherd, a former teacher at Port St. Lucie High School, claims her teaching contract was not renewed because of her second job as a bikini-clad mate with Smokin' Em Charters. This photo of Shepherd is from the fishing charter's Web site Tiffany Shepherd, 31, is no longer in the classroom or serving booze to fishermen. In porn films, she's now playing a part she knows well: teacher types or the wife-next-door. Since her sacking made national news 15 months ago, Shepherd says she hasn’t been able to find a mainstream job.

Here are pictures of Tiffany Shepherd who allegedly now is also Leah Lust claims a report. Is Leah really Tiffany Shepherd? Fired teacher Tiffany Shepherd allegedly now works as Leah says a Florida report. Tiffany Shepherd was that teacher you may remember from May 2008 that was fired for being a hostess on fishing trips. Shepherd had taught biology at Florida’s Port St. Lucie High School. Shepherd was covered in press May 2008 as the “bikini hostess” teacher, strangely fired from a teaching job simply because her second job involved serving sandwiches and drinks to patrons on fishing boats. She had taken the innocent job then as a divorcee to support her three son:s “I can make $600… in two days’ fishing. That’s a week’s pay for me. You don’t wear jeans or slacks to go fishing…. I wasn’t doing anything wrong.” School officials said Shepherd was let go now because of her second job but because she was missing time at her first job with them!

Anand Jon Alexander

Anand Jon Alexander

Anand Jon Alexander will learn what his sentence will be for sexually assaulting aspiring models he lured to Los Angeles, only to be turned around and sent to New York where he faces similar charges. Alexander, 35, is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Prosecutors have asked that he be imprisoned for the maximum possible under the law – three terms of 53 years and six months to life. He was convicted in November of 14 counts including forcible rape. Some of his victims, who ranged in age from 14 to 21, are expected to speak. Prosecutors said Alexander often found women online, baited them with promises of glamorous photo shoots and other modeling work, only to fondle or rape them at his Beverly Hills apartment. His sentencing caps a tumultuous post-verdict saga that included allegations of juror tampering by his sister, Sanjana, juror misconduct and Alexander's decision to represent himself.

In July, Superior Court Judge David Wesley found juror Alvin Dymally and Sanjana Alexander in contempt of court after determining Dymally appeared to want a romantic relationship with her when he spoke to her by phone twice during the trial and offered his help. Dymally also gave her a note in a courthouse cafeteria, asking her to call him. She did but refused to meet with him alone. The judge held her in contempt for contacting the juror and failing to report the misconduct. A hearing will be held in September. Wesley, however, did not grant Alexander's motion for a new trial, saying there wasn't any proof the phone conversations swayed the verdict. The designer has been featured on the television show "America's Next Top Model" and worked with such celebrities as Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige. His Web site lists dozens of celebrity A-listers as clients, including Hilton, who is described as a fan of Alexander's hand-printed jeans, which sold for more than $700.

Beverly Hills police began investigating Alexander in March 2007 when a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted in his apartment. During the trial, prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony from women who made the accusations against Alexander. Defense attorneys argued many of women were lying about what happened to them and sought revenge against Alexander when they didn't get modeling jobs. Born in India, Alexander graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York and launched a fashion line in 1999. Alexander was convicted last November of 14 counts including forcible rape with victims ranging in age from 14 to 21. According to court documents the fashion designer often found women online, enticed them with promises of a high fashion career along with photo shoots and other modeling work. However his promises of entrance into the glamorous world of high fashion were empty ones and he'd end up fondling or raping them at his Beverly Hills apartment.

Darin Brooks

Darin Brooks

Darin Brooks for his win as Outstanding Younger Actor and his funny speech! How cute was he with his win and the reaction he had after realizing he made a boo boo? Brooks became the first Days of Our Lives actor to win Outstanding Younger Actor since Billy Warlock won in 1988. He won out over fellow Days of Our Lives star Blake Berris, All My Children's Cornelius Smith Jr., Guiding Light's EJ Bonilla and 2007 Daytime Emmy Younger Actor winner Bryton James (McClure). The irony is that One Life to Live's Kristen Alderson and Brandon Buddy–both snubbed of nominations this year–presented the award. The 36th annual Daytime Emmy Awards heated up Hollywood at the historical Orpheum Theatre -- "The Insider" has your list of the award winners!

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series- Vincent Irizarry, "All My Children" and Jeff Branson, "Guiding Light" Supporting Actress in a Drama Series- Tamara Braun, "Days of Our Lives" Informative Talk Show- "The Tyra Banks Show" Younger Actor in a Drama Series- Darin Brooks, "Days of Our Lives" Younger Actress in a Drama Series- Julie Berman, "General Hospital" Game-Audience Participation Show- "Cash Cab" Talk Show Host- Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters, "The View" Writing Team in a Drama Series- "General Hospital" Performer in a Children's Series- Kevin Clash as Elmo, "Sesame Street" Game Show Host- Meredith Vieira, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" Lead Actress in a Drama Series- Susan Haskell, "The Bold and the Beautiful"

UFC 102 Live Stream

UFC 102 Live Stream

UFC 102 Live Stream Online.The battle of two former champions will be the main fight of this UFC 102 which will be unfolding in our eyes on August 29, 2009. Randy Couture will prove to the world that he is still better than Antonion Rodrigo Nogueira in this installment of UFC 102 Live Stream. Both of the fighters were defeatd in the previous fights. UFC 102 Live Stream Online will be the hottest search terms in the internet as the event will be live via PPV on August 29, 2009 (10PM ET / 7PM PT) at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. UFC 102 Live stream or UFC 102 Live Pay Per View? In our experience, it is just very advantageous to watch the UFC 102 Live through Payperview because of the assurance that you will have it while if you are seeking for the UFC 102 Live Stream Online, it will be like chaff in the wind sometimes because there’s no stream at all. Why risk yourself in watching UFC 102 Live Stream if you can order it in Payperview basis.

Where can you watch UFC 102 free live streaming online? If you want to watch UFC 102 live stream online for free, then just read on and find the links below. Anyway, UFC 102 is set on August 29 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. Fans in the area will definitely be able to watch UFC 102 live. But for those in other parts of the world, you can just stay tuned to this website. We will give you a live stream coverage, UFC 102 fight video replay links and UFC 102 play by play broadcast live on event day itself. So be sure to come back here for the UFC 102 free live stream and replay videos. UFC 102 results and UFC 102 live stream. If Thiago Silva was gun-shy in his first fight since losing for the first time against Lyoto Machida in January, he certainly didn’t show it in the UFC 102 co-main event at the Rose Garden Arena, as he blasted Keith Jardine into defeat in just 95 seconds Saturday night.

Decided

Decided

Decided against dismissing charges against two former Alaska lawmakers who say their corruption convictions in a bribery case resulted from prosecutorial misconduct. In court documents filed Friday in Anchorage, prosecutors and defense attorneys said they couldn't agree on how the cases against former Reps. Pete Kott and Vic Kohring should proceed. The disagreement leaves U.S. District Judge John Sedwick to decide later this year or in 2010 whether Kott and Kohring should get new trials on charges of taking bribes from an oil-field contractor. Their convictions were challenged because the same team of prosecutors handled a related case against former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, whose conviction for failing to disclose gifts from the contractor was thrown out because evidence was withheld.

Attorneys for Kott and Kohring had sought dismissal of all charges based on the failure of prosecutors to turn over favorable evidence. The U.S. Justice Department asked Sedwick to release Kott and Kohring from prison pending a determination of whether the government's failure to fully disclose information about oil executive Bill Allen and others had tainted the trials. Allen, the founder and former chairman of the now-defunct VECO Corp., was the government's star witness against Stevens, Kott and Kohring in their bribery trials. The charges against Stevens were dismissed but Kott and Kohring have appealed their convictions to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Based on instructions from the 9th Circuit, Sedwick must rule on whether the government breached its obligations to turn over evidence, and, if so, whether it prejudiced the case against Kott and Kohring.

If the answer is no to either question, Sedwick could order the men back to prison. But if the answer is yes, Sedwick would have to determine a remedy, most likely new trials or dismissal of the charges. Under a schedule accepted by all sides Friday, Kott and Kohring would file motions arguing their cases by Sept. 30. Prosecutors would have a month to respond, with final defense replies due by Nov. 13. Oral arguments would be scheduled in November or December. Allen is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 after pleading guilty to bribery in 2007. The Lori Drew case has finally been decided. Background about the case is here. In previous posts (here and here), I argued that the CFAA should be held to be unconstitutionally vague.

UFC 102 torrent

UFC 102 torrent

UFC 102 torrent and Simpson Vs Herman. Rising middleweight prospect Aaron Simpson continued to impress at the Rose Garden Arena Saturday night, as he spoiled the homecoming of Ed Herman via second round TKO in UFC 102 preliminary action. It was the second straight stoppage win for the 35-year old former All-American wrestler, who halted Tim McKenzie in April. “I’m a little older now, so my days are numbered, but it’s one fight at a time,” said Simpson, when asked what’s next for him. Despite a rousing ovation from his hometown fans, Herman seemed loose as the bout began and he countered well when Simpson shot in with quick shots to the head. For his part, Simpson kept working, lifting and then dropping Herman with a thud that gave him the upper hand. Herman fought well off his back, eventually getting to his feet, but the heavy handed Simpson kept coming, and he dropped Herman with under two minutes left.

Herman quickly regained his senses and made it to his feet, but Simpson again attacked with a takedown followed by ground strikes, putting an exclamation mark on a big round as Herman limped back to his corner, apparently hurting his left knee. Herman came out for round two, but after throwing a right kick that Simpson caught, the “A-Train” followed with a right hand down the middle that dropped Herman. As Simpson moved in for the finish, referee Yves Lavigne had seen enough, halting the bout at 17 seconds of the second round as Herman grasped his knee in pain. History was made last night when battle hardy Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated twelve year older and fight favourite Randy Couture in UFC 102 main fight. Randy Couture was aiming to make a history but failed.But despite his loss, the fight would be among the most intense fights that the MMA fans had seen in any recent fights. The two fought courageously and like always one has to be a winner and so Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was.

Randy Couture gave his hometown crowd everything he had on Saturday night, and they gave it right back, cheering him with thunderous ovations from the moment he entered the arena until the final horn sounded. But in the end, it wasn't enough. The 46-year-old Couture was knocked down twice by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and narrowly escaped several submission attempts over the course of a thrilling three-round battle in front of a raucous crowd at UFC 102. Though Couture fought his way back from the brink each time, he came up short on the judges' scorecards, losing a unanimous decision to mark his second straight defeat in the Octagon. The victory proved that the 33-year-old Nogueira still has some life left in his career, at least as long as he's healthy. He acknowledged that a staph infection hurt his performance against Frank Mir in December, but tonight he looked like the "Minotauro" of old when he dropped Couture with a straight right in the third round and nearly finished him with a torrent of hammer-fists before the former champ recovered.

Ironman Louisville 2009

Ironman Louisville 2009

Ironman Louisville. The next day 15 of us signed up together.Little did I realize what the following year of life and training would become. Little did I even realize how much I would change in a years time. The up’s and down’s in life both personally and professionally all the while I had Ironman as my goal. So as you read this I’m well into the race and I’m really thankful for all your well wishes and prayers. Thank you Randy and Chris Elrod for walking with me through this entire process. Randy… our runs together mean more to me than any other time we have to hang and talk….Well besides all the wine, food and good porch time:)

Dan Perkins, who is racing as well in Ironman Louisville, thanks for all the advice and encouragement. This is Dan’s 10th Ironman! Thanks to my co-workers for putting up with me, especially my boss, Steve- not only is he a great boss but his friendship never fails and his guidance is always solid. My family… I know you think I’m nuts but thanks for always looking after me. Thanks to the Franklin and Frisco Campus… You all are amazing and I’m going appoint Mary Graham and Sheila Walsh as chief prayer warriors. And last… those friends of mine I’m talking to everyday in some form or another. I could go on for days about how thankful I am for you.It’s like this. Today starts a new chapter of dreaming the impossible dream and walking it out. It’s about learning what Determination really means. What it means to push to the limit and keep going. It’s about redeeming today for a life that has been changed and giving a new meaning to this day August 30.

Jaycee Dugard Pictures

Jaycee Dugard Pictures

Jaycee Lee Dugard-Miracles still happen on the earth. It happened with Jaycee Lee Dugard.Jaycee Lee Dugard was found after being kidnapped for 18 years. Today, she has been reunited with her mother and is staying in a motel in Antioch, California. Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped in South Lake Tahoe. Her stepfather was said to have been a witness to the abduction. A fact that made him a former suspect for the crime. Although no one has seen current pictures of Jaycee Lee Dugard, the nation waits anxiously. Her photo had been age progressed using technology currently available. In addition to viewing pictures and photos of Jaycee Lee Dugard, her current photo, compared to the age progression picture could prove enlightening for other missing children cases. The picture of Jaycee Dugard as a child was used by many missing children organizations. Her face, though we haven’t seen how she has aged, has already been familiar to many.

Jaycee Dugard has two children, ages 11 and 15 that were born to her captor, registered sex offender, Phillip Garrido. Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido are expected to be formally charged in the case tomorrow. Jaycee went by the name ‘Alissa’ while she was being held captive and was forced to live in a shed that was secluded in the back of the Garrido home. One of the prevailing questions as this case unfolds is how was a registered sex offender able to live under the radar for 18 years with a child he kidnapped, and then father two children with her. Though the world anxiously awaits to hear Jaycee Dugard’s story or to hear her speak, it is imperative that she receives the medical and psychological attention needed. It might be years before Jaycee Dugard is ready to speak to the media.

Basilica

Basilica

Basilica is a high MUST. Old Town is part of Quito sightseeing and you can't miss the 35m high Basel. This huge Gothic church is huge! 150m long x 35m wide. It's located on a hill, northwest from the main square. You can climb the towers and get an amazing view of the whole city. Don't be afraid of all the stairs you have to climb. There's also an elevator, hahaha. Although you take the elevator, you'd need to climb some stairs at the top in order to reach the very very top. The whole architecture of the Basel is impressive. Well Gothic architecture is that way. There's a courtyard where you can find some stairs going down. There are catacombs under the Basel and former presidents of Ecuador were buried there. Take a close look at the gargoyles. Instead of the regular ones, you'll find iguanas, turtles and lamas. When I was there, it was a gorgeous and sunny day, but even though it can get a bit windy, specially at the top in the afternoon.

If you are sightseeing around Old Town. I'd suggest to visit the Basilica first. Since it's on a hill, it would be easier to walk down later, hehe. The bad thing is that the other churches you'd see later wouldn't be as pretty as the Basilica :) We headed out to “old town Quito” our first stop was the: The Basilica del Voto Nacional , or simply ‘the Basilica’. Consecrated in 1988 (though still technically unfinished) the church stands on a steep hill to the northeast of the old town and can be seen from almost everywhere in the city, particularly at night when it is illuminated Mourners dressed in black and in dark suits, taking cover under umbrellas, are entering the church where Sen. Edward M. Kennedy will be remembered this morning. President Obama, who arrived in Boston on Friday night, left his hotel early today, dressed in a dark suit and overcoat, to walk across the street to the Fairmont Copley Plaza for a 10-minute private visit with Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy.

Kennedy Funeral Schedule

Kennedy Funeral Schedule

Kennedy Funeral Schedule-The final chapter in the extended emotional farewell to US Senator Edward Kennedy is under way in a basilica in Boston.Saturday as dozens of Congressional colleagues gathered at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Kennedy-Funeral-ScheduleMuseum.Mr Kennedy, who died of brain cancer on Tuesday, will later be buried in Washington near his assassinated brothers, ex-President John and Robert. Earlier, some 50,000 people paid their respects before the Massachusetts senator’s flag-draped coffin during a two-day public viewing at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library. Among the guests invited to Saturday’s Roman Catholic Mass are former Presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as some 80 serving and former senators.

While White House aides would not reveal the content of the US president’s eulogy, Mr Obama was expected to focus on Mr Kennedy’s 47-year political career. Ahead of the service, family members had gathered for a brief prayer at the John F Kennedy library. Senator Kennedy’s widow Vicki fought back tears as the coffin was then removed to be taken to the basilica. At the basilica, the flag-draped coffin was then carried into the service by an honour guard of eight servicemen. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the Archbishop of Boston one of the most senior members of the US Catholic Church, is expected to lead the final prayers of commendation. Mr Kennedy’s coffin is being attended by some 11 pallbearers and 29 honorary pallbearers. Famed tenor Placido Domingo has been invited to sing at the service, accompanied by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. After the funeral, Mr Kennedy’s body is to be flown to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, before being driven past the US Capitol and along the National Mall for his burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Fantasy Football cheat sheets

Fantasy Football cheat sheets

Fantasy Football cheat sheets that everyone is going gaga about on the web as of this writing? For this, we have Wikipedia to the rescue with this short overview: "Fantasy football is a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a league. The person who creates the league is called the commissioner, and that person invites other owners into his/her league. Each team drafts or acquires via auction a team of real-life American football players and then scores points based on thoseplayers' statistical on-the-field performances. A typical fantasy league will employ players from a single football league, such as the NFL or an NCAA division. Leagues can be arranged in which the winner is the team with the most total points at the end of the season, or in a head-to-head format (which mirrors the actual NFL) in which each team plays against a single opponent each week. At the end of the year, win-loss records determine league rankings or qualification into a playoff bracket. Most leagues set aside the last weeks of the regular season for their own playoffs."

Fantasy football is now part of the fabric that ties everyone together and gets people watching the NFL, (well at least the stat ticker at the bottom of the screen) which is by far the number one sports league in the world. Fantasy football leagues are all about one upping your buddies, having fun watching games (every game counts now or at least the stats), trash talking, and allows fans to experience the highs and lows of “legalized gambling”. The number of people involved in leagues are staggering with an estimated 35 million people participating in fantasy football leagues. Of that group the majority are males in the marketing bonanza demographic of between the ages of 25 and 54, but we are also seeing more women competing with the men for stats superiority. And when you talk about the dollars involved in fantasy football (over $250 million dollars spent on gaming services around fantasy sports), leaving sponsors and advertisers start drooling.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's death -- Acute Propofol intoxication. The report says "other conditions contributing to death: Benzodiazepine effect." Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs (see below) used to treat anxiety and insomnia. The Coroner did not release the full autopsy report -- just a press notice. It goes on: The drugs PROPOFOL and LORAZEPAM (Ativan) were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson's death. Other drugs detected were: Midazolam (Versed), Diazepam (Valium), Lidocaine (topical anesthetic) and Ephedrine (used to treat hypotension associated with anesthesia). The final Coroner's report, including the toxicology report, will remain on security hold, per the LAPD. "The Jackson family again wishes to commend the actions of the Coroner, the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies, and looks forward to the day that justice can be served."

The Los Angeles County coroner's office officially ruled the death of Michael Jackson a homicide and said he died of "acute propofol intoxication." According to a statement from the coroner: The "manner of death has been ruled homicide. Cause of death was established as acute propofol intoxication. Other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine. The drugs propofol and Lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson's death. Other drugs detected were midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine, and ephedrine. The final coroner's report includes a complete toxicology report will that remain on security hold at the request of the Los Angeles police department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office" Homicide refers to a death at the hand of another person, but does not necessarily translate to criminal charges. In court papers, the Los Angeles Police Department has identified Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician at the time of his death, as the target of a manslaughter investigation.

Sources familiar with the multiagency investigation have stressed that a manslaughter prosecution is not inevitable, given Jackson's history of drug use, health problems and other challenges in the case. According to an affidavit unsealed in Houston last week, Murray told police that Jackson spent his last hours pleading for a dose of a powerful anesthetic. Murray said he resisted -- fearful that the pop star had developed a dangerous addiction to propofol. Instead, Murray administered the sedatives Valium, lorazepam and midazolam -- five times over six hours. But none put Jackson to sleep and he continued to demand his "milk," the word the doctor said the pop star used for propofol. Murray said he finally relented and at 10:40 a.m. added the drug to Jackson's intravenous drip, according to the records. That dose -- mixed with the cocktail of other sedatives in the pop star's system -- was enough to kill him, the coroner's office concluded in a preliminary toxicology report, according to the court records.

MD Lottery

MD Lottery

Lottery games, the Ping-Pong balls get all the attention. They carry the numbers that determine if players of games such as Lotto, Fantasy 5 and Cash 3 are winners. Few people pay attention to the machines used to select the balls. At least, not until something goes wrong, as happened last week when a Lotto ball was selected . . . and then fell back into the machine's mixing chamber. In an instant, the machine, manufactured by Garron Lottery Products in Baltimore, was the center of attention. The company, formerly a division of a plastics company by the same name that made everything from high-end museum display cases to precision parts for defense contractors, had no comment. Company officials did not return repeated calls to discuss their lottery machines. Garron has a solid track record and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of lottery machines, said Jackie Barreiros, Lottery director of public affairs. The company has earned about $237,000 from the Florida Lottery over the past decade.

The Florida Lottery has three machines for each of its games: Lotto, Mega Money, Fantasy 5, Cash 3 and Play 4. Before each drawing, one of the three machines and the set of balls to be used are randomly selected, Florida Lottery officials can't remember a problem such as the one that occurred last week. The Lottery conducts routine maintenance on the machines and occasionally has to make repairs, such as replacing an acrylic part or motor switch, Barreiros said. An inspection of the Lotto machine used in last week's drawing discovered an issue with the third feeder tube. It was corrected, and the machine was put back in service, she said. Florida is one of 14 states that use Garron machines for its lotteries, according to the company's Web site. They are also used by lotteries in Egypt, Guatemala, Leeward Islands, Malta, Nigeria, Russia, Saipan and Uzbekistan, according to the company's Web site.

In Lotto, six numbers are drawn, one at a time, with air pushing them from the mixing chamber into small chambers where the numbers are displayed on camera during the 11:15 p.m. drawings on Wednesday and Saturday nights. But as last Saturday's numbers were being selected, hostess Michele Lyles stood behind the machine for a few seconds as the third ball drawn failed to appear at the end of the chamber. She finally called out the ball as 48. "The number 48 ball actually made it all the way into the top chamber -- where the winning numbers are displayed -- for a quick moment," Barreiros said. "It happened very fast, but our security staff was able to see it when viewing the tape very slowly." The ball remained in the tube until Lyles released the air to let it drop back into the mixing chamber, Barreiros said. Then the final three balls were drawn. "Any ball that enters the display tube and rises above the top of the mixing chamber is the winning number for that display tube," she said "Therefore, the ball was declared a winning number."

Rancho Palos Verdes fire

Rancho Palos Verdes fire

Rancho Palos Verdes. More than 1,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes. The fire broke out shortly after 8:00 p.m. Thursday and is burning near Ocean Trails Drive and Palos Verdes Drive, near the Trump National Golf Club, according to Captain Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Evacuation orders have been issued for the streets of Portuguese Bend, Amber Sky, and Crest Road in Rancho Palos Verdes, Captain Sam Padilla of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told KTLA. According to Padilla, five water-dropping helicopters are working to put out the flames. Six structures were spotted burning in the fire, though fire officials have not released an official count. Brown told KTLA some the damaged structures were outbuildings like garages and sheds. At least three homes were damaged, he added. Crews planned to assess the damage and have an official report later in the day, he said.

Several homes in the area of Cintring and Spur Lanes are threatened and are in the direct path of the fire, according to officials. Wind conditions in the area are said to be light, and blowing from the south. The area is said to be very dry. A command center, set up to provide information on the blaze to the media at the Trump National Golf Course, was forced to move due to the fast-moving flames. At least 100 acres have been consumed by the fire, Los Angeles County Fire Officials said. As of Friday morning, the fire was holding at 100 acres, according to Brown. About 2,000 to 3.000 residents have been evacuated, including 1,500 who were placed under mandatory evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Most of the hundreds of homes affected are in the central area of the Rolling Hills Estates. An evacuation center has been set up at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School at Hawthorne and Silver Spur.

Animals evacuated by the flames may be brought to Howlett Park at 25852 Hawthorne Boulevard. The Terrenea Resort, a luxury hotel a couple miles from the fire, also opened its door to locals who had to evacuate. The fire quickly went from a single alarm to three alarms in just under thirty minutes.Several homes and structures are burning in Rancho Palos Verdes fire. As per latest report at least six house have been already burned into ashes. Reportedly the fire is strengthening continuously due to the dryness of the area and already consumed more than 75 acres. This deadly fast moving brush fire spread out in Rancho Palos Verdes about 8.00 pm today and within thirty minutes the fire quickly went from a single alarm to three alarms strength. To avoid the killer flame evacuations are underway in an emergency basis. At present 5 water-dropping helicopters are in the air and more than 250 firefighters in the land are fighting rigorously to put out the flames.

Shawn Hornbeck

Shawn Hornbeck

Shawn Hornbeck was returned to his family, four and a half years after being kidnapped. His parents believe this latest case proves families of missing kids should never give up hope. It really gives you a big boost because it vindicates everything that we’ve been saying,” said Craig Akers, Hornbeck’s stepfather. That you shouldn’t give up hope, that it’s possible those kids are out there. Like Jaycee Dugard, Shawn Hornbeck was also 11-years-old when he was kidnapped. His parents searched, and hoped and prayed for his safe return. Then four and a half years later, he and another boy were found in the home of Michael Devlin. Hornbeck’s parents said the child’s return is not the end of the ordeal. It’s the beginning of the healing process. The first year Shawn was home was almost as hard as the four and a half years of him being gone,” said Hornbeck’s mother, Pam Akers. “For me as a mother, all the nightmares that I had the whole time he was gone, I finally found out they were true. So you have to live with that. And you have to live with, how do you heal?

Almost 2,000-miles away from where Jacyee Dugard disappeared, another family knows what it's like to have a child disappear and the feeling to hold them in their arms again. It was the miracle in Missouri. Shawn Hornbeck was returned to his family, four and a half years after being kidnapped. His parents believe this latest case proves families of missing kids should never give up hope. "It really gives you a big boost because it vindicates everything that we've been saying," said Craig Akers, Hornbeck's stepfather. "That you shouldn't give up hope, that it's possible those kids are out there." Like Jaycee Dugard, Shawn Hornbeck was also 11-years-old when he was kidnapped. His parents searched, and hoped and prayed for his safe return. Then four and a half years later, he and another boy were found in the home of Michael Devlin. Hornbeck's parents said the child's return is not the end of the ordeal. It's the beginning of the healing process.

Big Brother 11 HOH Winner

Big Brother 11 HOH Winner

Big Brother 11 HOH Winner-Big Brother 11 is down to 5 houseguests after Russell was evicted by a vote of 3-0. Russell kept his promise to raise hell if he was put on the block after the veto competition. Russell was put up as a replacement nominee for Kevin, so going into this episode, Natalie & Kevin are up against each other for eviction and my heart is pounding, as I know that Russell is going to flip out any second. Despite Russell’s past behavior, he takes the loss well. Jeff then gives him one of the more insulting goodbye messages in the history of Big Brother. It always seems odd when people willingly kiss off votes which they may need in the end. When it comes time for the HOH contest, Jordan will have to fight even harder as Jeff is not eligible to compete. In the HOH challenge the houseguests have to transfer enough cocoa into bowls to remove their marshmallows while they run across slippery graham crackers.

Since the mugs hold only 8 ounces of liquid when they are full and the bowls hold 16 gallons, this is going to be one l-o-n-g challenge. And then of course it starts to rain followed by Julie announcing that there is going to be a new twist to the HOH that may impact everybody. Week 8 in the Big Brother house, this week’s HOH winner is….drumroll please….KEVIN!Kevin, the mild mannered, colorful token gay of the house (whom I LOVE by the way) is the new HOH of the Big Brother house. Kevin’s HOH status will most likely flip the house being as he and Natalie have formed a Final 2 pact, and have vowed to evict Jeff (the former HOH) if they got power. Looks like they got their wish. Now will they break their promise to Jeff and put him up this week? Who do you think Kevin is going to put up this week? Jeff & Jordan? Jeff & Michelle? Or do you think he will turn on his own ally and put Natalie & Jeff up?

Really, this would be the best move on their part, to evict Jeff, because he is absolutely their strongest competition. By far. Jordan and Michelle are both weak players compared to him. As scary as it is, I am starting to think that Natalie just might win this! Funny thing is, as much as I can’t stand Natalie, I am in a Big Brother “pool” and was drawn her name. So if she wins – I win! I am still surprised Gnat has made it as far as she has in the game. They should have evicted her long ago. She is very good at stirring things up and not getting her hands dirty!And how about Lydia going into the Jury House with Jessie? Wasn’t that a joke? After she was evicted he talked mad shiz about how she was going to lay into him as soon as she saw him, but that is hardly what happened. She put a little show on for the camera but she was obvious THRILLED to have a week alone with her manboy. Hell, she is probably on her back as we speak!

Kidnapped Girl Found

Kidnapped Girl Found

kidnapped 18 years ago got a call she never expected: On the other end was the child she had long thought was dead. Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted from in front of her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991, was privately reunited with her mom Thursday night. "It's an absolute miracle. Can you imagine this after 18 years?" said Jaycee's stepfather, Carl Probyn. Cops arrested a 58-year-old religious fanatic and convicted rapist, Phillip Garrido, who they say kept Jaycee hidden in a "secret backyard" and fathered two children with her - one the same age as the victim was when she vanished. In their first conversation Wednesday night, Jaycee gave her mother a double jolt, Probyn said. "I have something to tell you. I have babies," Jaycee told Terry Probyn, 50, who asked how many. Also arrested was Garrido's wife, Nancy, who police charge was with Garrido when they snatched Jaycee on June 10, 1991, as she walked to her school bus stop.

"I gave up hope for 18 years, just went into recovery mode," said Carl Probyn, who witnessed the abduction but was too far away to stop it. "Now, I just won the lotto. It's just unbelievable." Probyn said his estranged wife called him soon after getting word from the FBI that Jaycee was safe and healthy. "She said, 'They found Jaycee. She's alive,'" said Carl Probyn, 60, now of Riverside in Southern California. "We cried for about two minutes." In an interview with KCRA3, Garrido on Thursday night urged people to wait for more details about the case to come out before making a judgment. "What's kept me busy the last several years is I've completely turned my life around," he said. "And you're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, the victim - you wait. If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backwards and in the end, you're going to find the most powerful heartwarming story."

Lt. Fred Kollar of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said Garrido and his wife kept Jaycee for nearly two decades hidden the backyard of their home in the suburban San Francisco town of Antioch. "My understanding is they went directly to that property right after the kidnapping," Kollar said. "The children were born there and they lived there since." He said that Jaycee, now 29, and her two daughters, ages 11 and 15, were kept in a shack and two tents hidden behind a tree-lined, 6-foot-tall fence at the rear of the suspects' backyard. Kollar said a plastic tarp covered the entrance to the covert camp, which had an outhouse and an outdoor shower. The suspect Phillip Craig Garrido (above photos left) and his wife Nancy Garrido (above photos right) will be charge of by the police in abducting Jaycee Dugard. Phillip Craig Garrido was convicted in 1971 for kidnapping and rape. Watch the Jaycee Dugard police press conference for additional details.

Jaycee Lee Dugard photos

Jaycee Lee Dugard photos

Jaycee Lee Dugard photos as well as the press conference video that was held after the kidnapped girl was found years later by showing up unannounced at a police station in northern California. Read her biography, see the pictures and Jaycee Lee Dugard press conference video, and hear the moving story of how she was eventually found in that Antioch backyard. The name of her (alleged) kidnappers are Phillip Craig Garrido and Nancy Garrido, age 58 and 54 respectively. He is a registered sex offender who served prison time during her captivity for an unrelated sex offense. He also had a prior sex offense in the 1970s which reportedly caused his ex-wife to divorce him. The pictures below of Jaycee Lee Dugard are from her childhood and include police enhancements of what she might have looked like at age 20. Read much more here and here and here.

As a biography Jaycee Lee Dugard was born May 3rd, 1980. She was abducted June 10th, 1991 at the age of 11 years old from a bus stop in the sleepy town of South Lake Tahoe near Nevada. At the time she was only 4′6″ tall and weighted 80 pounds. Jaycee spent the next 18 years living in a sound proof shack in the backyard of her abductors, reportedly at Phillip Garrido’s address: 1550 Walnut Avenue, Antioch California, where he lists “Gods Desire” as a church there that he owns. She raised two children of her own in the backyard shanty, adding two more victims to the abductor’s list of heinous crimes. The young daughters of Jaycee Dugard are now 11 and 15 years old themselves. There is no word yet if her daughters were similarly the victims of sex crimes by their mother’s abductors. An alert police officer in Berkeley California finally busted this case in conjunction with a parole officer. The daughters were in the backseat of his car during a routine traffic stop. He got suspicious when he ran a background check and discovered that Phillip Craig Garrido was a registered sex offender. After contacting the parole officer and questioning by police, the case was busted wide open in a few days.

Jaycee Lee Dugard was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was walking from home to a bus stop when a vehicle approached and quickly grabbed her. An uncle gave chase on a bicycle by the car sped away. Police were unsure of that story until now, and the uncle remained under a cloud of unfair suspicion. In addition to the good news that is Jaycee Lee Dugard found alive, a rejoicing piece of news for the family is that his name is finally cleared. Jaycee Lee Dugard’s Pictures confirmed she is alive. See Jaycee Lee Dugard’s pictures that went missing in 1991, from age 11 till to date. The child returns home as a mother of two. See the voyage of pain through her pictures. Jaycee Lee Dugrad who was last seen on June 10, 1991 before being abducted by two unidentified persons in some grey sedan at South Lake Tahoe, approached sheriff’s office on Wednesday 27 August and revealed her identity before the police. Earlier today, she had a press conference at 3 pm today whereby, she brought the facts to daylight as to how and whom she would claim her 18-years-sentence as a Sex-Slave.

Hurricane Danny

Hurricane Danny

Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Danny is likely to be formed into the season's second hurricane later in this weekThe eye of Tropical Storm Danny was located approximately 445 miles east of Nassau and 775 miles south to southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. .Currently, the Tropical Storm Danny is at 45 miles per hour. It is not a Category 1 hurricane which requires wind speeds of at 75 miles per hour. Danny was expected to follow a northwesterly track through Thursday, staying north and east of the Bahamas. The storm was then expected to turn north on Friday before curving to the northeast over the weekend, the forecaster AccuWeather.com said, on a similar path of last weekend's first hurricane of the 2009 season, Bill.

Danny previously was used to name a July 1997 hurricane that brought record rain fall for Alabama, at least 36.71 inches on Dauphin Island. That storm was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Danny Hurricane Danny - The latest tropical storm of 2009, TS Danny, is expected to become Hurricane Danny By Friday morning as the storm approaches the North Carolina coast. According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Danny, or Hurricane Danny by then, will make a fast run up the Eastern Seaboard and reach the coast of Maine just 24 hours later. This storm path could have a devastating effect on coastal beaches along the North Carolina coast and also in New England as the wind and wave action from the quick moving storm could cause massive beach erosion.

Kathleen K.C. Neill

Kathleen K.C. Neill

Kathleen K.C. Neill has managed to get herself arrested while working as a photographer's model. That's certainly an unusual outcome for simply standing in front of a lens but there was indeed a reason. Kathleen K.C. Neill was not just working as a photographer's model you see, she was working as a nude model. In public. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The attitude of the cops was that even though it was in the department of arms and armor her behaviour was not 'armless (ahem). Her lawyer does have a point when he says that given that the museum is packed to the rafters with nude pictures she's not really done anything reprehensible. The phto shoot that Kathleen K.C. Neill was taking part in appears to have been part of a series called "Nude Yorkers" being shot by the 22 year old Zach Hyman.

Hyman is on record as stating that he always has bail money on him when he photographs his nude subjects in public settings and that his lawyer is on speed dial. He's been doing this for some time and had not, up until now, actually had any arrest problems. What makes this arrest and its location all the more delicious is that Hyman has claimed that his interest in nudes was fired by the pictures in the....yes, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A nude model who was posing for Zach Hyman's camera inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was arrested for public lewdness. The model is Kathleen K.C. Neill, 26 years old. Neill's lawyerssay that the arrest was ridiculous because the MET is full of nude paintings, so why would another nude woman inside it be arrested?

Repose

Repose

Repose in a presidential library he helped develop in tribute to one of his slain brothers. About 20 people were lined up before the library opened at 9 a.m. Thursday. Kennedy’s body will travel the 70 miles from Cape Cod to lie in repose at the library he helped develop in tribute to one of his slain brothers. Austin Howe, a 15-year-old a high school student from Laurel, Md., came with his father to see the museum and pay his respects to the senator, who died Tuesday at age 77 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Howe says Kennedy was “someone who made a difference.” Family members will attend a private Mass at Kennedy’s Hyannis Port compound at noon Thursday, and the motorcade is scheduled to leave around an hour later.

As Sen. Edward Kennedy's family prepares for his public memorials, people are already visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston to pay their respects. Kennedy's body will travel the 70 miles from Cape Cod to lie in repose at the library he helped develop in tribute to one of his slain brothers. Austin Howe, a 15-year-old a high school student from Laurel, Md., came with his father to see the museum and pay his respects to the senator, who died Tuesday at age 77 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Family members will attend a private Mass at Kennedy's Hyannis Port compound at noon Thursday, and the motorcade is scheduled to leave around an hour later. Howe says Kennedy was "someone who made a difference."

Danyl Johnson X Factor

Danyl Johnson X Factor

Danyl Johnson admits he had given up his hopes for stardom. But then students at an arts school in Reading, England, gave their teacher a morale boost. Drama and dance instructor Johnson now carries the heady title of “the next Susan Boyle” after wowing the judges — including the notoriously hard-to-please Simon Cowell — when he performed in the opening round of a British forebear to “American Idol,” “The X Factor.” Appearing in his first U.S. TV interview, the man with a million-dollar smile and voice to match told TODAY’s Matt Lauer and Ann Curry Thursday he’s still processing his sudden fame — and revealed how his students gave him the push to make one last grab at the brass ring. “I’ve been singing for about 10 years now, and I didn’t really get much interest,” Johnson said live via satellite from London. “I thought that dream had gone past.

Johnson is now a household name in music circles, even though he’s just one show into his reality TV competition run. Performing the Beatles classic “With a Little Help From My Friends,” the teacher showed a veteran’s performing chops and a voice that got Cowell to give him what may have been the first standing ovation in all of his various TV judging duties in England and the U.S. After his performance, Cowell said, “Danyl, that was single-handedly the best first audition I ever heard.” The estimated 11 million viewers evidently agreed — Johnson became front-page news in the British papers overnight. His performance has also become a viral sensation: Within days, a YouTube clip of his singing had attracted a million viewers. Johnson can do little but shake his head over the fuss — he’s used to singing in front of dozens, not millions. He had an ill-fated stab at stardom in the British “boy band” Street Level, and he actually auditioned for “The X Factor” in 2006, but was kicked to the curb before he even got to perform for Cowell and his fellow judges.

But after his students spurred him on, Johnson told Lauer and Curry, he decided he wasn’t going to let his chance to shine go to waste. The TV premiere of “The X Factor” meant Johnson got to perform before a live audience of 2,000, by far the biggest crowd he had ever sung before. He wasn’t about to turn into a shrinking violet. “I just wanted to have fun on stage, and not just sing a song, but entertain a crowd,” Johnson said of the leaps and twists he made during his performance. “It’s the first time I’ve had a crowd, and [I wanted] to have a good laugh and make sure they had a good time.” But while Johnson is an overnight sensation, he still has his work cut out for him before he can claim “The X Factor” crown — and reach the dizzying heights achieved by Susan Boyle. Shy, retiring pub singer Boyle became a pop-culture phenomenon on “Britain’s Got Talent” last spring, gaining some 200 million views on YouTube during her run on the show.

Billy Gillispie

Billy Gillispie

Billy Gillispie has been arrested for a DUI early Thursday morning. Gillispie’s passenger, a male friend of his (no, not like that) was cited for alcohol intoxication. The former savior of UK basketball and the man who was supposed to dominate the landscape of college basketball (according to the message board masses) was pulled over around 2:30 am in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. When asked to take a breathalyzer test, Billy G. refused. The best part about this whole thing? When asked what he was doing, Gillispie reportedly said they were returning from playing golf. Also, confirming that Gillispie has indeed successfully stolen attention away from Rick Pitino and John Calipari, “billy gillispie” is currently the most searched for term in the world according to Google Trends. This also begs the question: which is worse, 2 vacated Final Fours or 4, count ‘em 4, DUI arrests? Police have charged former Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie with drunken driving.

Police dispatcher Todd Sparrow said Lawrenceburg police arrested Gillispie and took him to the nearby Franklin County Regional (Ky.) Jail. Gillispie, who was driving a 2009 white Mercedes, was pulled over around 2:45 a.m. ET in Kentucky. He refused to take a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test, WLEX-TV in Lexington is reporting. Gillispie, 50, reportedly told police that he and his male passenger were returning from a golfing trip. The passenger was reportedly charged with public intoxication. It is the third time that Gillispie has been arrested on alcohol-related driving charges. However, in one case the charge was dismissed and in the other he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, reckless driving. Gillispie, who was fired March 27, was working under a seven-year memorandum of understanding but hadn't signed a formal contract during the two years he coached the Wildcats.

Gillispie sued the University of Kentucky Athletics Association in federal court in Dallas on May 27, claiming fraud and breach of contract. Gillispie claims the school never intended to sign him to a long-term deal. The school has denied the allegations. He is seeking at least $6 million -- about $1.5 million per year for four of the five years he says were left on his agreement. The University of Kentucky countersued Gillispie, claiming it doesn't owe him pay because he never signed a contract. UK's lawyers are asking the court to rule that the two-page memorandum of understanding Gillispie signed after his hiring in 2007 was not the equivalent of a full contract. The athletics association has asked a federal judge in Texas either to dismiss Gillispie's lawsuit over his firing or to move the case to Kentucky. In a motion filed in federal court, the association's attorneys say the school has minimum contact with the state of Texas, giving the court there no jurisdiction to hear Gillispie's claims.

Rabelaisian

Rabelaisian

Rabelaisian figure in the Senate and in life, instantly recognizable by his shock of white hair, his florid, oversize face, his booming Boston brogue, his powerful but pained stride. He was a celebrity, sometimes a self-parody, a hearty friend, an implacable foe, a man of large faith and large flaws, a melancholy character who persevered, drank deeply and sang loudly. He was a Kennedy. Kennedy was a figure of novelistic tragedy. All the potential for greatness he possessed he squandered because of his inability to transcend his own all too human weaknesses. Chappaquiddick was only the worst of it. He did, of course, achieve a kind of greatness, and one shouldn't try to take that away from him. But it's hard to think of him this morning without thinking about what might have been had he been able to bear the burden of history and his slain brothers' legacies. He could have done so much more with what he had been given. He was a Kennedy. RIP.

And so, the last brother of that mythical generation of Kennedys is gone, and of the children of Joe and Rose, only Jean Kennedy Smith remains. After the death of his brothers, and until the election of Obama, Teddy Kennedy was the iconic American liberal. We always like to say that it's the "end of an era" when a historically significant figure passes, but in Sen. Kennedy's case, it really is true. Whatever else one might say about him, Ted Kennedy was a survivor. He endured the rise and fall of American conservatism, though he did not live to see his signature issue -- health care for all -- become a reality. I thought this bit from the NYT obit was spot-on: Mr. Updike's long-established reputation as an exquisite stylist has been used as a stick to beat him with, by readers and critics who seem to wish he were Robert Stone, or at least Joyce Carol Oates. Perhaps because Mr. Updike's verbal precision and delicacy are unaccompanied by conventional restraint (he's as sexually forthright as Henry Miller, for all the latter's Rabelaisian bluster), even admirers of his fiction balk at fixing his star in the firmament occupied by the ambitious, life-seizing likes of Saul Bellow and Joseph Heller or Philip Roth and Thomas Pynchon.

Victoria Reggie Kennedy

Victoria Reggie Kennedy

Victoria Reggie Kennedy is of Lebanese degeneration as her grandparents were actually from Beirut and were Maronites who settled in Crowley after migrating to the United States. The grandparents of the Victoria Kennedy had become the important role player in the local church of Roman Catholic but their children did not adopt this line and they got involved in politics and business. After completing her education from the law school, Victoria Reggie Kennedy joined Judge Robert A. Sprecher who was the judge in Chicago of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, for a prestigious post. Being an attorney, Victoria got her specialization in banking law. Grier C. Raclin was her first husband who was a telecommunications attorney. She got married with Grier in a church of Crowley, Louisiana in 1981 in which around 400 guests were invited. Victoria Reggie Kennedy has two children from her first husband Grier C. Raclin. The first meeting between Ted Kennedy and Victoria was when she got a summer internship in the senate office of mailroom the year after completing her graduation. They got engaged in March 1992 and married on 3rd July 1992.

Victoria Anne Reggie Kennedy was born in Crowley, Louisiana on February 26, 1954. She is the widow of late Ted Kennedy and a lawyer. She was born to Edmund M. Reggie who was a banker and judge of Louisiana and Doris Ann Boustany Reggie who was a national committee woman for the Democrats. She was 2nd of the six children of the couple. AGE — 77; born Feb. 22, 1932, in Boston; died Aug. 25, 2009, in Hyannis Port, Mass. Bachelor’s degree, Harvard University, 1956; law degree, University of Virginia Law School, 1959. First elected to the Senate in a 1962 special election to fill the vacancy left when his brother, John F. Kennedy, became president. Sen. Kennedy was re-elected to six-year terms in 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006. Married to second wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, in 1992; children, Curran, Caroline, Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick. Divorced from his first wife, Joan, in 1982. “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” — Addressing the 1980 Democratic National Convention.

Mass Lottery

Mass Lottery

Mass Lottery,Mega Millions: The $252 million Mega Millions jackpot numbers were drawn amid lottery fever across the country. The winning Mega Millions lottery numbers were: 3, 12, 19, 22 and 40 with the Mega Ball, 2. The unusually high lottery prize has drawn in players in each of the 12 participating states as people dream of getting rich off their $1 investment. With jackpots of this size, you start to see people who don’t normally play a game like Mega Millions buying a ticket,” said Dominick DeMarco, a spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery. They may notice it’s over 100 million, and they’ll say, ‘OK, I’ll take a shot at it. The publicity of large jackpots from local newspapers and vendor signs help bring the lottery to the attention of new players, he said.

The $252 million Mega Millions jackpot numbers were drawn amid lottery fever across the country. The winning Mega Millions lottery numbers were: 3, 12, 19, 22 and 40 with the Mega Ball, 2. The unusually high lottery prize has drawn in players in each of the 12 participating states as people dream of getting rich off their $1 investment. "With jackpots of this size, you start to see people who don't normally play a game like Mega Millions buying a ticket," said Dominick DeMarco, a spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery. "They may notice it's over 100 million, and they'll say, 'OK, I'll take a shot at it.'" The publicity of large jackpots from local newspapers and vendor signs help bring the lottery to the attention of new players, he said.

Chappaquiddick

Chappaquiddick

Chappaquiddick Island on Martha's Vineyard. He swam to safety leaving 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, a campaign worker on brother Robert Kennedy's campaign. Her body was found in the submerged car 10 hours later. Sen Kennedy told the police that he was driving Kopechne to the ferry after a party on the island when his car left the unfamiliar road. But his failure to report the accident dogged his subsequent attempts to run for the American presidency. A judge found that there probable cause to believe that Kennedy operated his motor vehicle negligently ... and that such operation appears to have contributed to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne."An attempt to explain his actions on national television was much watched but did not dispel doubts. In the 13-minute appearance, he denied "immoral conduct" and said he was not drunk.

Sen Kennedy, who was then 37, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended sentence plus a year's probation. However he was re-elected the following year with 62 per cent of the vote. Chappaquiddick Incident History-The “Chappaquiddick incident” refers to circumstances surrounding the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a chappaquiddick-incident-historyformer campaign worker for the assassinated U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York. On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick, a small island connected via ferry to the town of Edgartown on the adjoining larger island of Martha’s Vineyard. Kopechne’s dead body was discovered inside an overturned car belonging to Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy of Massachusetts under water in a tidal channel on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. After the body was found, Kennedy gave a statement to police saying that on the previous night he had taken a wrong turn and accidentally driven his car off a bridge into the water. He pled guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury, and received a suspended sentence. The incident became a national scandal, and may have affected the Senator’s decision not to run for President in 1972.

Vicki Kennedy

Vicki Kennedy

Edward Kennedy turned to his wife for help. In two cases 30 years apart, his first wife and then his second wife — opposites in personality and strengths — both rallied to his cause. In 1964, when Kennedy spent months in the hospital recovering from a broken back, it was his first wife, Joan, then 28, who hit the campaign trail to push his re-election to the Senate. Kennedy had won the Massachusetts seat, once held by his older brother John, two years before in a special election. In 1994, when Ted Kennedy's political career had crested short of the White House and his reputation was tarnished by years of hard living, another woman stood by him. Vicki Kennedy campaigned for the senator in a tough re-election fight against businessman Mitt Romney, in a strong anti-incumbent year. To Vicki, politics has come so naturally that she has been spoken of as a possible successor to her husband. To Joan, political life came less easily — and at great personal cost.

Ted Kennedy met Joan Bennett in 1957. She was a student of piano, a part-time model, and a college friend of his sister Jean. John Kennedy called her "the dish." Blond and stylish, she joined Ethel and Jackie as Kennedy wives: fashionable, attractive, pitching in on the Kennedy political agenda and publicly ignoring rumors of frequent infidelity on the part of their husbands. "What she was up against with Ted Kennedy was not easy," says J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot. The course of Joan and Ted Kennedy's 24-year marriage included the assassinations of his brothers John and Robert; the bone cancer of their son Edward Jr., then 12 years old; multiple miscarriages; rumors of Ted's philandering; and Joan's battle with alcoholism.Throughout, Joan was open about her own demons: trying to fit in with the Kennedy clan, fearing for her husband's safety. She went to a psychiatrist when it was taboo in Washington, and admitted it. When she joined Alcoholics Anonymous, she revealed that, too.

"My personality was more shy and retiring," she said in her 1985 biography, Living with the Kennedys: The Joan Kennedy Story. "And so rather than get mad or ask questions concerning the rumors about Ted and his girlfriends, or really stand up for myself at all, it was easier for me to just go and have a few drinks and calm myself down as if I weren't hurt or angry." In July 1969, on the way home from a party, the senator's car went off a bridge at Chappaquiddick on Martha's Vineyard, drowning Mary Jo Kopechne, a young woman who worked on his brother Robert's presidential campaign. Ted Kennedy, who did not contact the police until eight hours afterward, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. It was an incident that irreparably damaged Kennedy's reputation, but in the manner of some political wives, Joan Kennedy stood by him and traveled with her husband to Pennsylvania for Kopechne's funeral. A month later, she suffered her third miscarriage.

Standard Hotel New York

Standard Hotel New York

Standard Hotel New York and High Line Standard Hotel. High Lane Park seems to continue reorienting itself. It has amazed many the way it has transformed it and its surroundings. The new High Line Park seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. First, it converted an old railroad track into a beautiful architectural park that serves as an excellent summer retreat from the hot and muggy sidewalks. Now, it is offering up some new heat by providing some shockingly candid views into the rooms at The Standard Hotel. In 2004, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park. On June 13, 2005, the U.S. Federal Surface Transportation Board issued a certificate of interim trail use, allowing the city to remove most of the line from the national railway system. On April 10, 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presided over a ceremony that marked the beginning of construction. The project is being undertaken by New York-based landscape firm of James Corner, Field Operations, with plant-selection advice from Piet Oudolf of the Netherlands, and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The High Line is a 1.45-mile (2.33 km) section of the former elevated freight railroad of the West Side Line, along the lower west side of Manhattan, which has been redesigned and planted as a greenway. The High Line runs from the former 34th Street freightyard, near the Javits Convention Center, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to Gansevoort Street in the Meat Packing District of the West Village. The High Line was built in the early 1930s by the New York Central Railroad to eliminate the fatal accidents that occurred along the street-level right-of-way and to offer direct warehouse-to-freight car service that reduced pilferage for the Bell Laboratories Building (now the Westbeth Artists Community) and the Nabisco plant (now Chelsea Market), which were served from protected sidings within the structures (illustration, right)[citation needed]. It was in active use until 1980. The Standard Hotel, which towers over the newly opened High Line park, features floor-to-ceiling windows - and guests with a penchant for leaving the curtains wide open when they shouldn't.

Stanley Gifford

Stanley Gifford

Stanley Gifford was born in Newport County, Rhode Island, USA on September 18, 1898. It is a strong believes that Stanley Gifford is the biological father of all time favorite actress Marilyn Monroe. Working on Gladys Monroe Baker was started by the Charles Stanley Gifford at consolidated films after the divorce case was filed from his wife Lillian Priester. Stanley Gifford was charged by his wife Lillian Priester in the divorce petition that he was in addiction of drugs and also had a secure sexual relationship with a low character woman Gladys as an affair with Gladys was started by the Gifford earlier that spring. It is also a strong believe that she was deserted by the Stanley Gifford when he was informed about her pregnancy on Christmas Eve 1925.

And Marilyn Monroe had also a strong believe throughout in her life the Stanley Gifford was her father. Stanley was settled in Riverside County, California and was the owner of some apartments as well. Late on, he moved to San Jacinto where he started and operated a successful business of Red Rock Daily in the 1960s. According to the employees of Stanley Gifford, it seemed that Marilyn would come to Palm Springs, California on some occasion, riding her chauffeur limo and would place an order to her father Stanley Gifford. Stanley Gifford was died in Hemet, Riverside County, California on February 27, 1965.

Melanie Griffith

Melanie Griffith

Melanie Griffith has checked into a rehab facility, her rep confirms to PEOPLE. "She is there to reinforce her commitment to stay healthy," says her rep Robin Baum. "This is part of a routine plan that was designed between her and her doctors years ago." Griffith, 52-year, checked into Utah's Cirque Lodge Rehab Facility, the previous temporary home of Lindsay Lohan and Kirsten Dunst. While her publicist cited Griffith's "commitment to stay healthy" as the reason for her admission, FOXNews.com's Pop Tarts learned that she checked herself in part because husband Antonio Banderas, 49, would have no more of her erratic behavior. One possible example? Someone who had recently worked with her told Pop Tarts that Griffith "had a multitude of crazy demands, including insisting everything around her, from the food to the flowers, be yellow." So that would make her diet lemons, bananas, and ... what else, yellow squash?

Ready to get the help she needs, 52-year-old Melanie Griffith has just checked herself into rehab. Her rep says, “She is there to reinforce her commitment to stay healthy. This is part of a routine plan that was designed between her and her doctors years ago.” Making this her third rehab time, she will be staying at the Cirque Lodge in Utah. Back in 2000, Griffith released a statement that said, “My doctor has referred me to the Daniel Freeman Hospital to step down from the prescribed medication that I have been taking for a neck injury.” Griffith is married to Antonia Banderas and was brought into a life of show-biz with her family and is best known for her role in 1988’s Working Girl. “Overcoming addictions is tough but it can be made easier if you have someone that can offer support,” Griffith wrote on her Web site once. “My husband and family supported me so much through this journey and continue to do so.”

Heather Podesta

Heather Podesta

Heather Podesta is the striking DC lobbyist who has made a name for herself as one of the toughest sharks in Washington waters. Sometimes with and sometimes against husband and fellow lobbyist Tony Podesta, Heather is having the summer of her life, according to a Washington Post profile. The article paints Heather as the ultimate insider, constantly trading in the currencies of power, influence and good old cash. Heather Podesta is high-profile for a lobbyist and earlier this year, she and her husband donated Shepard Fairey's "Hope" portrait of Barack Obama to the National Portrait Gallery. She's also donated more than $48,000 so far this year to various political candidates and groups, and her life consists of nearly non-stop fundraisers. But Heather Podesta is enjoying the heavy workload, with the intersection of health care, economic reform, and environmental reform creating a perfect storm for Washington lobbyists.

"This is a very good time to be a Democratic lobbyist ... it's incredibly exciting to be able to engage with Democrats and really see things happen," Podesta told the Post. "It's always a good time to be Heather Podesta." When President Obama began vilifying lobbyists during his campaign, Heather took offense and commissioned a Gothic-style scarlet L, which she wore as a mark of pride. She says the L soon became a hot item and she gave away more than 100 of them. Time blogger Karen Tumulty has already pointed out that it's risky for lobbyists to flaunt their influence in huge feature stories, and ponders what the fallout might be for Podesta. "Commonsense rule #1 for influence peddlers: Don't flaunt it," Tumulty writes. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives should be like criminal juries: neutral and closed to the world. The only people they should listen to are their superiors and the American people. Any other influence could sway a particular iniative in the direction of a motivated individual with an agenda or axe to grind, otherwise known as a lobbyist.

Avi Ben Stella Car Crash

Avi Ben Stella Car Crash

Avi Ben Stella HoaxAvi Ben StellaAvi Ben Stella SnopesAvi Ben Stella Accident-We know that man on moon is the America’s one of the most iconic images.Though, it sparked a heated debate over whether the moon landing was staged or not, and all it happened by 40 years ago. An astronaut in a giant white suit stands next to an American flag on the moon’s surface: one of America’s — and MTV’s — most iconic images. Photos and footage of Neil Armstrong’s first walk on the moon 40 years ago changed the way people all around the world looked at space. It also sparked a heated debate over whether the moon landing was staged or not, one that continues to leak through in pop culture even today.

Part of that disbelief was of course fueled by a general feeling that something as amazing as a man walking on the moon was the stuff of science fiction. There were also rumors that the whole thing was filmed on a Hollywood set. These factors led to a memorable scene in the James Bond film “Diamonds Are Forever” in which Agent 007 drives a moon buggy off a model set where something that looks suspiciously like the moon landing is being filmed. Though brief and in many ways informed by pre-existing suspicions, it is believed that this scene contributed to the Apollo moon hoax theory that continued to flourish. The conspiracy inspired the 1978 release of “Capricorn One,” a Peter Hyams film about a hoax Mars landing segment that ends with the lie being publicly exposed.

In the past decade, the moon conspiracy theory has made a marked comeback in American pop culture. The Robin Williams comedy “RV” claimed the title vehicle was parked in the camp where NASA faked the moon landing. In “National Treasure: The Book of Secrets,” the answer to the Apollo hoax was allegedly answered inside the Book of Secrets (now only Nicholas Cage knows the truth). Even “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” that long lost Brendan Fraser comedy from 2003, got in on the action when Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck find a tape labeled “Moon Landing Dress Rehearsal” in Area 51. “Please say tehillim for Avi Ben Stella–a 12 year old boy who was in a very serious car accident and is now in critical condition. He is lying in a coma.”This is not new really, as there have been countless of apparent accident victims, sickness and terrible news. Why 12 yr old Avi Ben Stella has reached epic proportion beats me.