PEOPLE WITH EXOTIC ANIMALS SCARE ME

The Daily Mail reports on the bizarre story of Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen, the South African woman who lives with 11 orphaned cats. However, these are not your typical house cats; they consist of four cheetahs, five lions and two tigers. The Daily Mail has some incredible photos as well as more details. Apparently the cats are just allowed to roam freely and have been integrated into the normal family life. However, this seems like a situation that could quickly spiral out of control if these cats suddenly remember that they’re wild animals.

Click on link to  see photos :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1195888/I-share-home-11-cats–cheetahs-lions-tigers.html

How About Leaving Las Vegas … ?

A guy is defending himself before a grand jury by claiming that he ran up a $14.75 MILLION DOLLAR DEBT to Vegas casinos because they served him free drinks and drugs. Even if every word is true, who goes to Vegas NOT knowing that they serve free drinks to keep you at the table? What happened to saying, you know, “no, thanks, I’m good”?

Vitamins are bad for you?

If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like vitamins C and E.

That is the message of a surprising new look at the body’s reaction to exercise, reported on Monday by researchers in Germany and Boston.

Exercise is known to have many beneficial effects on health, including on the body’s sensitivity to insulin. “Get more exercise” is often among the first recommendations given by doctors to people at risk of diabetes.

But exercise makes the muscle cells metabolize glucose, by combining its carbon atoms with oxygen and extracting the energy that is released. In the process, some highly reactive oxygen molecules escape and make chemical attacks on anything in sight.

These reactive oxygen compounds are known to damage the body’s tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body’s decline.

The body has its own defense system for combating oxidative damage, but it does not always do enough. So antioxidants, which mop up the reactive oxygen compounds, may seem like a logical solution.

The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Ristow, a nutritionist at the University of Jena in Germany, tested this proposition by having young men exercise, giving half of them moderate doses of vitamins C and E and measuring sensitivity to insulin as well as indicators of the body’s natural defenses to oxidative damage.

The Jena team found that in the group taking the vitamins there was no improvement in insulin sensitivity and almost no activation of the body’s natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage.

How honest are you?

Take 20 wallets. Fill each with $43.77 (enough change for a TTC ride and a little extra for good measure), photo ID, baby pictures, a grocery list, receipts, a contact number, an ATM card, a fancy hankie and a handwritten love note. Now “lose” the wallets in high-traffic areas across Greater Toronto where people work, play and pray.

Now wait. Would the one stashed beside the $197 bottle of Fonterutoli “Siepi” in the Vintages section of the Summerhill LCBO stand a better chance of being returned than the wallet dropped on the pedestrian bridge in Humber Park?

Would lawyers-in-training at Osgoode Hall out-Samaritan the patrons of the Parkdale Public Library? Over a two-week period, the Toronto Star conducted this admittedly unscientific experiment to challenge the city’s honesty. Of the 20 wallets dropped, 15 have been returned so far. We’re trying to reach two additional callers who left messages before this story went to press. The exercise yielded some surprising results. For one, honesty is different than goodness. Goodness is bigger.

It’s going out of one’s way to return that lost item. It’s empathizing with someone you’ve never met. And, boy, is Toronto good. In fact, so many concerned citizens called repeatedly that our special phone line (the emergency contact number left in the wallet) was almost instantly clogged with messages.

“Hi. It’s James again. I just wanted you to know that in case I’m in the TTC, just leave a message and I’ll call you back. Please call.” That was James Song, 21, who had gone to the Eaton Centre with a buddy hoping to chat up a pretty clerk he had met earlier that week at the Yogen Fruz.

She wasn’t there but a wallet was – abandoned by the big fountain in the lower level. Song, who’s taking a year off his studies in chemical engineering at the University of Toronto and later admitted he could’ve used the money in the wallet, waited by the fountain for 20 minutes, hoping to spot the woman whose photo ID he found inside. “I’m like, how is this person going to get their groceries done?

That’s all I was thinking,” he says. Paul Dowell, a brawny realtor who looks like he makes a living lifting homes instead of selling them, left his office in Don Mills mid-morning last week to come downtown, fetch the wallet from his house and hand deliver it to its owner less than four hours after finding it in the Beaches. “It wasn’t a big deal,” he says. “I was working on taxes.” Dowell found the wallet on a boardwalk bench just outside Kew Gardens Tennis Club.

“Losing my wallet myself, I know how insane it is, not knowing who’s got your identity,” he says after learning the real story. Ken Gallinger, the Star’s ethics columnist, estimated we’d see no more than half a dozen wallets returned. On hearing the results, he offers an explanation: “It’s hard to do bad to someone with a name and a story. I would think the more you put in a wallet that connects it to a real person, that just adds to the motivation to return it.”

Lorraine Methven, principal of the Toronto Island School, found the wallet aboard the Ongiara ferry on her ride home after school. “I was thinking, here is a person who has either a child or a grandchild,” she says. “I know if I lost something and somebody returned it, I’d be quite ecstatic. I wanted to do the same for somebody else.” Silvana Fazzolari also put herself in the wallet owner’s shoes. Her husband found the wallet when they returned their shopping cart at Whole Foods Market in Oakville. She offered to track down the owner, explaining to her husband: “It’s best that I call because this is a woman’s wallet.

Maybe the woman wouldn’t feel comfortable calling a man to get her wallet back.” But before you start feeling too warm and fuzzy, sociologist Robert Brym warns about drawing sweeping conclusions, although he did say 17 out of 20 is “impressive.” “Twenty cases is an awfully small sample,” Brym says. “The results are almost certainly going to be idiosyncratic. On the whole, though, my guess is that in harder economic times, people would be more inclined to take the money.” Fact is, these results are not recessionary results – numerous studies link times of economic crises with a rise in crime.

A StatsCan study using crime data from 1962 to 2003, for example, found that years with higher rates of inflation tended to have higher rates of financially motivated crimes. Of the 15 wallets returned, one dropped in the public reception area of The Globe and Mail was missing the cash. A Globe spokesperson said last night the person who picked up the wallet found no money in it “and we have it on video surveillance.” Another lost wallet sparked a fraud probe by the criminal investigation branch of the Durham Regional Police.

Dropped by the Star outside a Shopper’s Drug Mart in Whitby, the wallet was found hours later, the cash surprisingly intact, a few blocks away in the parking lot of a TD Canada Trust. (We had help from TD Bank Financial, whose donation of inactive debit cards made the wallets truly authentic). “They tried to use the (debit) card,” Const. Roxanne Yelle says of the unidentified person who found it. A Whitby man picked up the wallet, discarded in the parking lot and reported it to police. “It’s quite a good thing you’ve done … just to see who the Good Samaritans are out there.”

The five wallets still missing include one dropped at a sidewalk fruit stand on Yonge St., just north of Eglinton; one left at eye level on the book stacks at Osgoode Hall Library and one left on a table at a Tim Hortons in Vaughan. If you’ve found one, it’s not too late to call. Father Paul McGill of St. Basil’s will forgive you. We dropped a wallet by the prayer candles in his church. A parishioner found it after morning mass, took it to the parish office, and the church receptionist called us.

Our experiment reminded Father McGill of co-ordinating a food drive with high school students in Windsor. “They were all gung-ho to go to this very wealthy neighbourhood. And they were shocked by how little they collected. … It was a real learning lesson for them,” he said. “People who have experienced deprivation tend to be more generous than the very wealthy.” Similar wallet experiments conducted by Reader’s Digest and the Chicago Sun-Times did note that people in affluent areas were less likely to return found property than those in lower-to-middle class areas.

Our pattern of discovery showed that downtowners were quicker than suburbanites, and that more wallets were returned by men than women. Discuss. What we can say is in Toronto – now, in the worst recession since the Depression – honesty is not about the rich, or the poor. It’s everywhere, and it’s overwhelming. “I think,” says Father McGill, “most people in their conscience know what the right thing is.”

Sean Hannity Wants to Be Waterboarded….*cricket*

From FOX News Channel yesterday…italics are mine…

GRODIN: You’re for torture?

HANNITY: I am for enhanced interrogation. (oh ok, so if we call it something different and PC sounding, it’s ok)

GRODIN: You don’t believe it’s torture. Have you ever been waterboarded?

HANNITY: No, but Ollie North has. (and you brought up Ollie North for what reason?)

GRODIN: Would you consent to be waterboarded? We can waterboard you?

HANNITY: Sure. (sure? Like sure like ‘sure I’ll do a hot dog eating contest…sure I’ll try rock climbing…’)

GRODIN: Are you busy on Sunday?

HANNITY: I’ll do it for charity. I’ll let you do it. I’ll do it for the troops’ families. (you’ll be tortured for charity to benefit the troops? Somehow I don’t think the troops will appreciate that)

Only in Idaho

An eastern Idaho judge who lost patience with the disruptive behavior of a defendant ordered court officials to tape the man’s mouth shut with duct tape during a court hearing. The unusual move was ordered by 6th District Judge Peter D. McDermott during a probation violation hearing for Nicklas Frasure, 23.
Frasure was convicted of felony theft in 2008, but the judge retained jurisdiction for sentencing depending on Frasure’s response to treatment. In October, Frasure was released from a state mental hospital in Blackfoot.

He is accused of violating his probation by not taking prescribed medication.

During the hearing, witnesses told the judge that Frasure’s behavior had been strange and erratic since his release from the state hospital. They also said he has not been taking his medication and has been consuming alcohol, factors also contributing to mood and emotional swings.

Probation officer Julie Guiberson testified that Frasure is a threat to himself and others.

During Monday’s hearing, Frasure interrupted the proceedings with repeated verbal outbursts and unusual behavior and ignored several orders from McDermott to restrain himself. After another series of outbursts, McDermott told bailiffs to silence Frasure.

The bailiffs then found a roll of duct tape, tore off a piece and put it over Frasure’s mouth, according to the Idaho State Journal.

“He’s obviously not mentally competent,” Frasure’s lawyer Kent Reynolds told the judge.

Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert from Idol

Alright Fine, We’ll Talk About the Tea Parties

I didn’t want to give these idiots any relevancy, but since the nutjobs are sprouting up all over the place, I guess I’ll take some time to respond, however inane their arguments are.

Ok so I think the best way to do this is to just rattle off some facts (and some opinions) in list format for ease of reading:

Here’s are 10 questions for all you people at these so-called T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already…cute isn’t it?) Parties ranting and raving about wasteful spending and deficits–

1. Why all of a sudden are  you upset about paying taxes?
2. Why all of a sudden are you upset about government spending?
3. Why all of a sudden are you upset about the bailout and the stimulus package?
4. Where have you been over the past eight years?
5. Where have you been while GWB and his Republican administration racked up the largest deficit in our country’s history?
6. Where were you when GWB and his administration would not include Iraq in the normal budget and would only pay for it with “emergency spending money” so he could hide the billions that were being funneled to private contractors (aka his friends) over in the Gulf to rebuild and secure a nation that we had just irresponsibly attacked for no good reason?
7. Where were  you when GWB passed the first stimulus package?
8. Where were you when Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt (i.e. more than equaled the entire debt burden produced by the previous 200 years of American history?
9. Where were you when GWB doubled it after Clinton eliminated it?
10. Where were you when Reagan (because of his insane cut taxes/raise spending economics) was forced to raise taxes TWICE to avert a fiscal catastrophe?!

I don’t mind if  you are worried about government spending. I will respect your views as much as their are LOGICAL and VIABLE with facts, history, and reality. But you Republicans and Libertarians and Fox News nuts at these tea parties don’t have facts, history, or reality on your side.

You protest when there is a Democrat in the Oval Office and a Democratic Congress. But you’re silent when there is a Republican President and/or Congress. You are currently a party that is living in a heaping pile of lies, revisionist history, and alternate reality.

You’re not protesting spending. You have rallied behind deficit spending for the past 30 years. You are protesting the fact that you lost the election in embarassing form. You are protesting because you are sore losers and you’re not willing to allow the “other side” even 100 days to try to right this enormous ship that has been diverted off track by your leaders.

Rather than taking to the streets to allegedly protest wasteful spending (by, ironically, wastefully spending on millions of tea bags), why don’t you all take some time to READ FACTS and LEARN HISTORY and deal with REALITY. Just for a change. Just to see where it leads you. You might upset your other ignorant, fire-breathing friends and family members, but you might just feel a little better inside yourselves.

Wesley Snipes goes to Prison

Wesley Snipes was sentences to 3 years in prison following his conviction last year on 3 misdemeanor tax stuff.Snipes asked the judge if he could leave the country for “work” but was not granted permission. In November he took matters into his own hands and went to Dubai for the Atlantis, The Palm hotel opening. How was he caught? He wore a yellow suit and walked the red carpet

…. what  a dumbass!!!

AIG and the Irony of Socialism

Last night, I was thinking about this whole AIG fiasco and our global economic situation, and I was struck by a simple, yet profound concept that I wanted to share and get insight on from all of you. So here goes…

It’s amazing to me how these laissez-faire capitalists at all these banks, at all these stock exchange companies, at all these fortune 500 companies are the BIGGEST proponents of capitalism and the BIGGEST detractors from the socialistic ideas of “fairness” and “sharing” and “spreading the wealth around” when it comes to sharing PROFITS. But then when the bubble bursts and they are in trouble, they flip around and become the BIGGEST fans of socialism when it comes to sharing LOSSES.

So let me just get this straight and let’s be honest about this — these huge conglomerates, these CEO’s who are making millions upon millions of dollars, living on Park Avenue, having limo service, spending $10,000 on one meal, flying private gulfstream jets, living the LIFE as they reap profits hand over fist will cry and scream from the highest heavens if you DARE to, as Barack Obama did during the campaign, suggest that we need a bit of wealth spreading to get down to the middle and lower classes to even the playing field. Yet, when these same CEOs and executives mismanage funds, steal, rape and pillage from the corporate coffers, and scam the American people, causing a global economic crisis, they are the FIRST to have their filthy, gluttonous hands held out to receive government funds to save their companies. THAT is SOCIALISM at its WORST.

And I understand that we NEED to bail out AIG. I get all the facts and figures showing the dominoe effect that would result if a company as huge as AIG were to fail. So I RELUCTANTLY accept the fact that we the American people will need to bail this company out this time.

BUT…two things:

(1) I REFUSE to stand by and allow this to happen without seeing some real change in the way we do business in this country, and if these so-called capitalist loving executives and bankers don’t like it, screw them. We need STRICT regulations and STRICT anti-trust rules so this kind of thing cannot happen again. and

(2) We need to reform our teaching and our thinking so that we do not ALLOW these people to play with out minds and demean us when we talk about things like fairness and even-handedness. Because what have we gotten out of their “system” of doing business? Nothing but a complete rift between the classes (which they love by the way), an utter lack of respect  for values such as vision, long-term success, and investment, and a greed that is so deep and so pervasive that even we little people forget to stand up and fight against it.

We have grown accustomed to this madness. Not any longer. I cannot stand by any longer, and I am proud today to have a President who is willing to say “enough.” Who is willing to stand up in front of the American people, in front of these CEO’s and say, “ok, we need to clean up this mess, but that’s only the beginning. The party’s over fellas, and we are going to be changing things around here because we cannot, as a nation, a global economy, and as individuals be submitted to this type of torturous bubble and bust economy any longer.” It’s not worth it and it’s not healthy….for anyone. So go on and get your bailout, but know that things are going to be changing…if only we keep talking about it and keep demanding it.

Expensive Purina One bill!

n one of this week’s more bizarre stories, a Nebraska man was arrested for smoking marijuana out of a bong that had his cat stuffed inside. The man, who claims he was trying to calm down his hyperactive pet, faces animal cruelty charges but thankfully the cat, who was understandably disoriented, seems to be on the road to a full recovery:

“This cat was just dazed,” Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. “She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society.”
Schomaker told deputies 6-month-old Shadow was hyper and he was trying to calm her down. The contraption she had been stuffed inside was 12 inches by 6 inches. Shadow was timid but in good condition Monday at the Capital Humane Society, executive director Bob Downey said.

MSNBC’s Tamron Hall covered the story and was unable to stifle her giggles as she introduced the “sad but true” story. The network evidently felt the story lacked a certain realism because they played the sound of gurgling water over the anchor’s report. Anchor Contessa Brewer couldn’t quite believe that the cat was stuffed inside the bong, but as Tamron informed her, “I understand you can make a bong out of anything.” There were then more giggles all around.

Source

The greedy may be coming to his senses!

Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers finally reached some common ground in their negotiations, a source close to the talks told ESPNdeportes.com’s Enrique Rojas.

After multiple failed attempts, Ramirez and the Dodgers agreed to general terms Tuesday on a two-year, $45 million deal, a source told Rojas. Another source told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that obstacles still remain to completing the contract.

Agent Scott Boras told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that while he has been in daily contact with Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, no agreement has been reached.

“We are in discussions and we have no deal in place,” Boras said.

Boras would not elaborate further on the status of the talks.

The outfielder was expected to travel to Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The Los Angeles Times reported that Ramirez is scheduled to meet with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on Wednesday.

Los Angeles announced last week that Boras had declined the team’s fourth offer to the star outfielder — a one-year, $25 million contract with a $20 million player option for 2010.

Source

Cassie’s Warning Re: Ann Coulter

So I’ve been sick for like 3 days straight – hence my absence on the airwaves. But sickness surely doesn’t keep my from the news, blogging, or CNN. So I’m attempting to rest on the couch this evening with a comfy blanket and a mug-full of warm chai – or as redundancy-lovers like Starbucks like to call “chai tea” – and I decide to exert all my extra energy to reach for the remote and click on CNN to catch Larry King Live.

I don’t know why I like to torture myself watching the King, but tonight I find a little more “joy” in the fact that Joy…yes she has earned the “I-go-by-one-name-only” status…Joy from “The View” is filling in for T-Rex.

I think to myself “oh how joyful, how joyous, joy to the world” until I see that Ann Coulter is the first guest in the lineup. Why did my joy-osity suddenly vanish? Well, because Ann Coulter is…an extreme conservative? Eh. That’s of no concern. A Rush Limbaugh lova? That’s sick, but still doesn’t phase me. A national bestseller? Ok, well that says more about the crazies that buy her books than it says about her, but whatevs. A raging bitch at times? Oh that’s actually great because it discredits her. What took the joy out of seeing Joy on Larry King Live was the fact that no matter how much we progressives want to deny it or hide from it, Ann Coulter (1) does  her homework, (2) knows facts upon facts upon facts that she can twist and turn to her benefit, and (3) a lawyer’s dream, she does not ever accept her opponent using inaccurate words against her.

You have to understand the power of words, and to her credit, Ann Coulter gets it. She may have views that you don’t agree with, but if you cannot keep up with her spinning and dodging and weaving facts and figures and if you cannot use the exact correct words to attack her credibility and her arguments,  you will be eaten alive. And unfortunately Joy is just so sweet and so gooey and so lovable and her NY accent is so congenial, but none of it, NONE OF IT, noooooone of it matters when she is faced with the snapping jaws of the Piranha called Ann Coulter.

She even admitted herself, she doesn’t technically have a day job, so she has the benefit of sitting around all day listening to press conferences, looking at various blogs and newsites, reading this and that and the other thing and compiling it all together to come up with her own philosophy. I guess my grandpa would call her a “whipper-snapper” – she may have ideas that are far out in right field, but she is sharp and quick and she does not mince words.

So advice to all y’all progressives or anyone else who aspires to fill in for the King or to take on the Coulter – leave the name-calling, the accusations, the gossip, and the generalizations at home…do your homework, know your facts and figures, be calm, cool, and collected, and try to catch her in her own spin. It’s been done before. It can be done again.

13 year old dad?!

Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.

He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.

The shy lad, whose voice has not yet broken, said: “I thought it would be good to have a baby.

“I didn’t think about how we would afford it. I don’t really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me £10.”

Little family … Alfie, Chantelle and baby Maisie

Lee Thompson

Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, added: “When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried how people would react.

“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”

Alfie’s story, broken exclusively by The Sun today has sparked a huge political storm with Tory leader David Cameron saying: “When I saw these pictures this morning, I just thought how worrying that in Britain today children are having children.

“I hope that somehow these children grow up into responsible parents but the truth is parenthood is just not something they should be thinking about right now.”

Secret

PM Gordon Brown refused to comment directly on the story but said it was important that the Government did all it could to prevent teenage pregnancies.

Alfie’s dad Dennis yesterday told how the lad does not really understand the enormity of his situation — but seemed desperate to be a devoted and responsible father.

He wanted to be the first to hold Maisie after the hospital birth. He tenderly kisses the baby and gives her a bottle.

And Dennis, 45, said: “He could have shrugged his shoulders and sat at home on his Playstation. But he has been at the hospital every day.”

Maisie was conceived after Chantelle and Alfie — just 12 at the time — had a single night of unprotected sex.

They found out about the baby when Chantelle was 12 weeks pregnant.

But they kept it a secret until six weeks later when Chantelle’s mum Penny, 38, became suspicious about her weight gain and confronted her.

Devoted … Alfie holds and cuddles Maisie

Lee Thompson

After that Alfie’s family told only those closest to them for fear he would be “demonised” at school.

Chantelle gave birth to Maisie on Monday night after a five-hour labour at Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex.

Last night she told The Sun: “I’m tired after the birth. I was nervous after going into labour but otherwise I was quite excited.”

Chantelle told how she discovered she was expecting after going to her GP with “really bad” stomach pains. She said: “Me and Alfie went. The doctor asked me whether we had sex. I said yes and he said I should do a pregnancy test. He did the test and said I was pregnant. I started crying and didn’t know what to do.

“He said I should tell my mum but I was too scared.

“We didn’t think we would need help from our parents. You don’t really think about that when you find out you are pregnant. You just think your parents will kill you.”

But Penny figured out what was going on after buying Chantelle a T-shirt which revealed her swelling tum.

Chantelle admitted she and Alfie — who are both being supported by their parents — would be accused of being grossly irresponsible. She said: “We know we made a mistake but I wouldn’t change it now. We will be good loving parents.

“I have started a church course and I am going to do work experience helping other young mums.

“I’ll be a great mum and Alfie will be a great dad.”

Caring … Alfie bottle feeds his little daughter

Lee Thompson

Chantelle and Maisie were released from hospital yesterday. They are living with Penny, Chantelle’s jobless dad Steve, 43, and her five brothers in a rented council house in Eastbourne. The family live on benefits. Alfie, who lives on an estate across town with mum Nicola, 43, spends most of his time at the Steadmans’ house.

He is allowed to stay overnight and even has a school uniform there so he can go straight to his classes in the morning.

Alfie’s dad, who is separated from Nicola, believes the lad is scared deep down.

He said: “Everyone is telling him things and it’s going round in his head. It hasn’t really dawned on him. He hasn’t got a clue of what the baby means and can’t explain how he feels. All he knows is mum and dad will help.

“When you mention money his eyes look away. And she is reliant on her mum and dad. It’s crazy. They have no idea what lies ahead.”

Dennis, who works for a vehicle recovery firm, described Alfie as “a typical 13-year-old boy”.

He said: “He loves computer games, boxing and Manchester United.” Dennis, who has fathered nine kids, told how he was “gobsmacked” when he discovered Alfie was to be a dad, too.

He said: “When I spoke to him he started crying. He said it was the first time he’d had sex, that he didn’t know what he was doing and of the complications that could come.

“I will talk to him again and it will be the birds and the bees talk. Some may say it’s too late but he needs to understand so there is not another baby.”

Lovely

Chantelle’s mum said: “I told her it was lovely to have the baby but I wish it was in different circumstances. We have five children already so it’s a big financial responsibility. But we are a family and will pull together and get through.

“She’s my daughter. I love her and she will want for nothing.”

Last night Michaela Aston, of the anti-abortion Christian charity LIFE, said: “We commend these teenagers for their courage in bringing their child into the world.

“At the same time this is symptomatic of the over-sexualisation of our youngsters and shows the policy of value-free sex education just isn’t working.”

Today Sussex Police and the local council’s children services said they have investigated the case and pledged continued support for the young parents.

Britain’s youngest known father is Sean Stewart. He became a dad at 12 when the girl next door, 15-year-old Emma Webster, gave birth in Sharnbrook, Bedford, in 1998. They split six months later.

idiot!!!!

Jennifer Figge, a 56 year-old extreme athlete from Boulder Colorado, has become the first woman to swim the Atlantic Ocean, the Guardian reports. She swam the 2,000 miles from Cape Verde Islands to Trinidad over 24 days, although she only swam for 19 of those days due to rough seas. She made the journey inside a 19-foot by 14-foot cage to protect her from sharks, which she did not encounter during the trip. Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926, inspired Figge, who kept Ederle’s picture on board. Frenchman Benôit Lecomte holds the record for swimming 3,716 miles from Cape Cod to Brittany in 73 days in 1998.

Britney not going on tour

It is rumored that if K-Fed does not let Britney take the kids with her on tour she is cancelling it… Hope you all saved your receipts!!!!!

SAVE THE ZOO’S?!

Congress has moved to prevent money from the proposed $825 billion stimulus package from being used for zoos, aquariums, golf courses, swimming pools and casinos, an effort to ensure the bill funds only what it calls the “highest quality” infrastructure projects.

“The purpose of this bill is to direct funding at projects that are primarily and clearly aimed at benefiting the economic conditions of communities and the public at large,” the bill states. “The federal government and all other levels of government are directed to look with a skeptical eye at projects that don’t meet that test.”

CNN revealed last month that a list of “ready to go” stimulus projects endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors included museum and zoo renovations, aquatic centers, skateboard parks and bike and horse paths. One of the zoo projects in the report is a $4.8 million polar bear exhibit at the Providence, Rhode Island, zoo.

The House Appropriations Committee added those restrictions last week after criticism from watchdog groups like the National Taxpayers Union, which monitors government spending.

“To the people supporting them, these proposals aren’t a joke,” said Pete Sepp, the group’s vice president. “But to the taxpayers funding them, yes this will be a joke for them, only they won’t be laughing.”

The restrictions in the bill appear meant to address reports about some of the projects endorsed by the U.S. mayors, Sepp said.

The stimulus bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has been placed on the congressional fast-track. It could come to a vote in the full House of Representatives as soon as Wednesday, and Democratic leaders have said they aim to get the package to President Obama‘s desk for enactment by Presidents Day. Watch Obama say he’s optimistic after discussing the bill with GOP leaders »

“A historical level of transparency, oversight and accountability will help guarantee taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and Americans can see results for their investment,” Rep. Dave Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who leads the Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

The committee also added language that would prevent any money given to the state of Illinois from being handled by the state’s impeached governor, Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich faces federal charges accusing him of attempting to trade or sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Obama after his November election, and the state Senate began his trial Monday. The governor denies any wrongdoing and has skipped his impeachment trial to proclaim his innocence on the talk-show circuit.

The measure sets up project monitoring, including a government-wide recovery program Web site, where all announcements for grant competitions, formula grant allocations and competitive grant awards must be listed. In addition, government agencies must publish on the site, “a description of all infrastructure projects, and the total cost and the justification for using stimulus money.”

The strict rules require that the notification include “the name of a person to contact at the entity if there are concerns with the investment and an e-mail address for the federal official in each agency whom the public can contact,” the bill states. “Also included within the notification must be a certification from the mayor or governor or other chief executive, as appropriate, that the investment has received the full review and vetting required by law and that they accept responsibility that this investment is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.”

A Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board will be created “to review management of recovery dollars and provide early earning of problems,” according to a summary of the bill provided by the appropriations committee. The board will include inspectors general and deputy cabinet secretaries.

The stimulus package is already being taken up by key committees in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid — from casino-heavy Nevada — said he is not concerned about the House restrictions on money going to casinos.

“Casinos are a huge part of Nevada’s economy and create a lot of jobs,” Reid told CNN on Tuesday. “But none of the spending in this bill is earmarked for any casino, so this provision is largely symbolic.”

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Blagojevich the maniac!!!!!

Impeachment proceedings against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are scheduled to begin Monday in the state Senate, but the embattled governor is expected to skip the trial and instead appear on several television programs.

Blagojevich is facing federal corruption allegations, including trying to trade or sell the Senate seat that became vacant after Barack Obama was elected president.

The second-term Democratic governor has denied wrongdoing.

In his first live prime-time interview, Blagojevich will appear Monday on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

He spoke with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday morning and appeared later on ABC’s “The View.”

On “Good Morning America,” Blagojevich said he considered appointing Oprah Winfrey as Obama’s Senate replacement.

“She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way become president,” he said. “She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators.” Watch Blagojevich say he’s done “nothing wrong” »

The governor said Winfrey was one of several candidates he had considered for the position.

Blagojevich eventually picked former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace Obama. Senate Democrats initially disputed seating Burris due to the cloud over Blagojevich, and Illinois’ secretary of state refused to sign off on the appointment.

But Illinois’ highest court validated Burris’ appointment earlier this month, and Senate Democratic leaders recognized it.

Blagojevich on Monday restated his complaints about what he called the “unconstitutional” impeachment trial, which he said “denies me the right to call witnesses to defend myself and prove my innocence.”

He said he is certain the Illinois Senate will vote to remove him from office and said he expects they will demand he step down “relatively soon.”

Earlier this month, the Illinois House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach him. Blagojevich has said the vote was politically motivated.

Under the Illinois Constitution, the House can vote to impeach an executive or judicial officer, but it is the Senate that conducts the trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to convict an officer of an impeachable offense.

According to a federal complaint issued in December, Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris — who also was arrested on federal corruption charges — were “conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits” for the governor by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a U.S. senator to replace Obama.

“I’ve got this thing and it’s [expletive] golden,” Blagojevich allegedly said in one recorded phone conversation, referring to his authority to appoint, according to the complaint. “I’m just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing.”

When asked about those alleged quotes, Blagojevich told ABC that federal prosecutors “took snippets of conversations completely out of context.”

“When the whole story comes out, you’ll see that the effort was to work to have a senator who can best represent Illinois,” he said.

In an interview over the weekend with NBC’s “Today,” Blagojevich said his December 9 arrest took him by surprise, but he is drawing inspiration from people such as Nelson Mandela, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

“I thought it was actually a friend of mine who was playing a practical joke,” he said of his arrest. “Unfortunately it wasn’t. And then the day unfolded and I had a whole bunch of thoughts — of course my children and my wife — and then I thought about Mandela, Dr. King, Gandhi and tried to put some perspective in all of this, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

Blagojevich has said his basic rights are being violated because he cannot challenge assertions in the House impeachment report. Watch Blagojevich demand a fair trial »

Blagojevich also is asking for a change in a Senate trial rule that he said is preventing him from calling witnesses such as Valerie Jarrett, a confidant of President Obama; Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.; and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel, claimed Blagojevich, agrees that he did not break any laws.

State Sen. Matt Murphy, part of the nine-member committee that put the Senate trial rules together, called Blagojevich’s complaints “the theater of the absurd.” iReport.com: Do you trust your political leaders?

“What you’ve seen here … is a cynical effort on the part of this governor that’s perfectly consistent with his actions over the last six years, to try and further undermine the faith in this process that the people already have,” Murphy said.

Blagojevich missed deadlines this month for answering the impeachment charge and for filing a motion to dismiss, a spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton has said.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a douche bag

Barack Obama has not yet taken office, and Rush Limbaugh is already rooting for his failure. On his radio show last Friday, Limbaugh said, “I disagree fervently with the people on our [Republican] side of the aisle who have caved and who say, ‘Well, I hope he succeeds.’”

Limbaugh told his listeners that he was asked by “a major American print publication” to offer a 400-word statement explaining his “hope for the Obama presidency.” He responded:

So I’m thinking of replying to the guy, “Okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.” (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here’s the point. Everybody thinks it’s outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, “Oh, you can’t do that.” Why not? Why is it any different, what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don’t care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: “Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.” Somebody’s gotta say it.

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Coming up this week.

-Wednesday Kayla from The Bad Girls Club on Oxygen calls in

-Thursday Frangela will be in-studio to share there thoughts on the economy, Bush, Obama and celeb gossip… Oh and to talk about “He’s just not that into you”

-Friday Matt has your over/unders for this weekend in sports

-Karus will be breaking down the Hollyweird scene

And of course, Tim and Cassie got you covered on ALL the news to help you talk around the water cooler… to who ever is there!