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Friday, December 31, 2010
2011 Resolution #3: Read 100 Unread Books
In an effort to talk about the power of goal-setting along with some methods of setting and achieving goals, I?m going to discuss my three resolutions for 2011 this week. Over time, any voracious reader winds up with a list of books that they intend to read someday, but they find themselves reading more urgent [...]
What's your favourite New Year's Eve song?
From Destiny's Child, to New York Dolls, what will you be spinning at midnight tonight?
Gaz Mayall
DJ, Gaz's Rockin' Blues (appearing at the Tabernacle, London)
Aulde Lang Syne, The Trojans
"We recorded it in 1994 because I thought if the day comes when I'm not playing with my band [British ska outfit the Trojans] I need to have that one up my sleeve. I can't imagine Hogmanay without bagpipes. It starts slow and I like to stop the music when I play it and then everyone sings along ? it's completely chaotic and nuts."
Gemma Cairney
Presenter, BBC 1Xtra
Bug a Boo, Destiny's Child
"Sod the nibbles, grab your glass of cava and play the song from the album that inspired me to never, ever be one that wasn't shaking booty on the dancefloor [The Writing's On the Wall]. You'll be surprised how many people ? predominately female ? start screaming. Bug a Boo brings out the inner beast, which is perfect on a New Year's Eve tear-up."
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Newsreader, Channel 4
Fools Gold, The Stone Roses
"For a 40-year-old man from the north of England it has the obvious attraction of taking me back to both my 'roots', and to early adulthood. I was 19 when it came out, going to university and working in 'Yoof TV' at the same time. It conjures happy, carefree late nights, dancing until the early hours and behaviour best forgotten except when feeling nostalgic. And it has the added advantage of being quite a slow dance track, so you can happily jig along with dignity or go into the full 1989 act, depending on how much energy you have and how many inhibitions have been shed."
Broken Hearts
DJ duo
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!), The Beastie Boys
"Our ideal NYE track. It perfectly captures the euphoric atmosphere and lets people embrace their inner adolescent. It also has a personal resonance for us, as we first bonded over vodka and our shared love of the Beastie Boys."
Kissy Sell Out
DJ, Radio 1 (appearing at The Arches, Glasgow/City Nightclub, Edinburgh)
Shout, The Isley Brothers
"I was watching Wedding Crashers the other day and it opens with it. It's so singalong; if you try and play something serious such as Love Will Tear Us Apart people don't really get it. They just want to lose it and jump about the place. You gotta give people what they came for."
Anna Greenwood & Sean Rowley
Guilty Pleasures DJs (appearing at Guilty Pleasures Masked Ball, Komedia, Brighton)
Jump, The Pointer Sisters
"It's New Year's Eve, ergo one wants to hear music that makes you feel giddy and silly. There is no room for obscure indie B-sides here, if you please. The Pointer Sisters looked like three top aunties in lam� wrap-dresses having the time of their lives. Ruth Pointer was in fact a grandma when this track came out, putting paid to the ageists out there. Thumping beat, top synth stabs, ace euphoric vocals."
Jack Savidge
Friendly Fires (appearing at Bugged Out at XOYO, London)
Love is in the Air, John Paul Young
"It starts off subdued and quiet, so just after midnight everyone can get on with hugs and wishing each other a happy new year. Then it surges upwards and there's a huge explosive moment. More so than any other time of the year, there needs to be some kind of watershed to give the sense of moving into the future."
Barry Stilwell
DJ (appearing at Tapestry, London)
Personality Crisis, New York Dolls
"I love David Johansen's strangulated yodel on the intro, which is perfect after the countdown and because I usually veer towards the glam/punk end of the scale on New Year's Eve. It has to have a dynamite intro; descending piano and screaming guitar. Also, if anyone sums up total abandon and good times, it's the Dolls."
Krissi Murison
Editor, NME
Sound and Vision, David Bowie
"I can't think of a single moment when listening to this song wouldn't be appropriate, so the first three minutes of 2011 makes as much sense as any other."
Joe Goddard
Hot Chip (appearing at The Hoxton Pony, London)
She Can't Love You, Chemise
"I'd love to be able to say that the best thing about DJing on New Year's Eve is the bonhomie, the joie de vivre, the possibility of hope for a better tomorrow . . . But the honest answer is the cash and the fact that the crowd is in a good, if a little boisterous, mood. Chemise sounds like she's having fun while she's singing. It's charming and full of hooks."
John Kennedy
DJ, Xfm
In The Midnight Hour, Moloko
"An absolutely brilliant soukous version of the Wilson Pickett classic. It has a ridiculously infectious rhythm that gets even the most reluctant feet moving while doing a spot of air cowbell. The soaring guitars just go higher and higher, which makes it ideal for the last half-hour build up to the chimes. I've tried and tested it many times, and it works a treat."
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The G2 Quiz of 2010: Lost in Showbiz
Know your way around the crazy world of celebrity? Alexis Petridis tests your knowledge. View the answers here
1 Hello ladies! Are you nonconformist, spirited and erotic? Looking for a hot young stud interested in the "structure of reality" and "chopping up human brains"? Of course you are! Then we've got the guy for you! But whose online dating profile is this? NB: only women from countries who've gone through political turmoil need apply!
2 Gavin Henson expressed reservations about taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year. Was it because:
a he has no sense of natural rhythm.
b he was concerned about looking effeminate.
c he was afraid of getting an erection while dancing.
3 Eva Longoria and Tana Ramsay both turned to which
globally-noted relationship/lifestyle guru for help this year?
4 "The limited list of wedding guests is in stark contrast to that of her previous wedding," tutted Now magazine. "Then she did anything but scrape the barrel with guests including Vanessa Feltz." Who?
5 Whose stepdaughter did her bit to smash the patriarchy with a cookbook called How To Feed A Man, which advised ladies to freeze Bolognese sauce "so you can be the perfect woman and say: 'No problem, darling. I'll just rustle something up."?
6 Which love-rat premiership footballer allegedly enjoyed the romantic company of a self-styled white witch, who apparently once made a love potion out of human hair, peppermint essence and rose petals?
7 Which US TV star reinvented herself as an authority-baiting transgressive rock star, stopping along the way to set fire to a bag containing her recently castrated dog's testicles?
8 The BBC was forced to deny which rapper had signed a deal to make a cameo appearance in EastEnders? "I really wanted Peggy to throw me out of the pub," he was reported to have said.
9 And which rapper was supposed to have launched a bid for the Christmas number one with a single featuring the legendary commanding and stentorian tones of David Beckham?
10 Who took to Twitter to declare someone who disagreed with him about smoking in front of children a "phaedophile (sic) lover"?
11 Lucky old Harry Styles of The X Factor's One Direction was recently offered "spiritual advice" by which celebrity? Clue: you wouldn't accept spiritual advice from her even in a hypothetical situation in which every other potential spiritual adviser in the world had been eradicated.
12 Who was the celebrity face of Burger King's delectable-sounding �4.99 aftershave Flame?
13 Whose defence on being arrested with a handbag containing marijuana and cocaine was that (a) she was sharing the handbag and (b) she thought the cocaine was chewing gum?
14 Who claimed that a Hollywood star she interviewed had asked her to sign "some kind of sex contract"?
15 Who responded to the ongoing recession by cutting her backstage demand for a �200 bottle of champagne to a backstage demand for a �150 bottle of champagne?
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Live venues close as�'overbearing licensing laws' bite
Industry anger over licensing act 'inaction' as some of London's best live venues are forced to close
The Luminaire, one of London's best-loved live music venues, closed its doors this month providing further evidence that the small gig scene is struggling.
Venues that have closed include Jilly's Rockworld and the Music Box in Manchester, Sawyers in Kettering, Northamptonshire, and The Cellars at Eastney, a small Portsmouth pub being sold by Enterprise Inns because it is not making enough money.
The Barfly in Cardiff has hosted its last band. Hundreds of pubs hosting music, have also closed recently.
The music trade organisation UK Music today condemned the government for its failure to liberate small live venues from what it claims are overbearing licensing laws.
Under the Licensing Act 2003, every venue that puts on live music, from large concert halls to restaurants employing a pianist, must go through a licensing process that many regard as expensive and over-complicated.
A year ago, the then Labour government started a consultation to see if venues with a maximum 100-person capacity could put on live music without a licence.
Campaigners claim such an exemption could save struggling small venues hundreds of thousands of pounds each year.
However, despite a pledge to "cut red tape" by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, UK Music has become increasingly frustrated at the "inaction". Feargal Sharkey, the former lead singer of the Undertones and now chief executive of UK Music, said: "The licensing act is failing small venues and that is having a huge impact on the future of the live industry.
"We have one of the most successful creative and commercial music industries in the world, but the first step for many live acts is to be able to play in front of a few of their mates in a local pub.
"Things cannot continue like this, not without long-term consequences. It's a good thing the Beatles weren't trying to make it in 2011."
A private members' bill, by Lord Clement-Jones, is working its way through the Lords but campaigners fear that it could take years to change legislation, whereas the licensing minister could make the exemption in just 40 days, said Sharkey.
He claimed an exemption for small premises would help the livelihood of pubs, clubs, bars and village halls as well as young artists and jobbing musicians.
Research carried out by PRS for Music ? the Performing Right Society of composers, songwriters and music publishers ? found that pubs that provide music take on average 44% more money than pubs that do not, a figure which rises to 60% at the weekend.
Live music nights proved to be the greatest draw, with one in four publicans reported increased takings of between 25%-50%.
Paul Stokes, associate editor of NME, said: "Everyone talks about live music being buoyant, but there have been a lot of consolidations with a small number of companies running the majority of venues and that makes it more difficult for independent venues."
Horace Trubridge, assistant general secretary of the Musicians Union, said that although large venues such as the O2 were thriving, smaller-scale pubs and clubs were feeling the pinch. "People are worried about their jobs, and paying for live music is in danger of being seen as something of a luxury. At a grassroots level things aren't as good as they were a few years ago, and it is set to get a lot worse."
A live music exemption for small venues would throw a lifeline to struggling business, he said. "In the past 10 years there has been a realisation you can't make money from recorded music, but you can make a living from playing live.
"But now bands are struggling to get into the area because there are fewer venues. Agents and promoters are more wary of putting new bands and unsigned acts on their bills."
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Eddie Murphy's Ex-Wife Nicole is Deep in Debt
Filed under: News
Nicole Mitchell Murphy, ex-wife of legendary comedian Eddie Murphy, is nearly flat broke and on the verge of losing the mansion awarded to her in her divorce settlement.
As part of the couple's 2006 divorce settlement, Nicole received a one-time payment of $15 million, which she has reportedly blown through in a span of four years. Nicole has also been slapped with five IRS tax liens totaling nearly $850,000. In an effort to drum up some much-needed cash, the opulent 9,200-square-foot Spanish estate in Calabasas, Calif., that she lives in has been put up for sale for about $7 million.
Nicole and Eddie were married for 13 years and had five children. Instead of receiving monthly alimony payments at the time of their divorce proceedings, Nicole opted for a one-time pay out.
Over the years, Nicole has also made some pretty bad money moves, like investing quite a bit in an Internet jewelry business, a venture that quickly spiraled downward.
Uncle Sam isn't the only entity gunning for the 42-year-old stunner; she also has to settle an outstanding debt of $600,000 with a legal firm. A landscaping company also has its hands out claiming that Nicole owes $60,000. Nicole owns a Los Angeles-area home as well, and she reportedly owes $5 million on it.
She is currently engaged to former New York Giants-turned actor Michael Strahan. Maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the financially strapped Nicole after all?
Time will tell... stay tuned.
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Statement by the President on the Terrorist Attack in Pakistan
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
“I strongly condemn the outrageous terrorist attack in Khar, Pakistan. Killing innocent civilians outside a World Food Program distribution point is an affront to the people of Pakistan, and to all humanity. The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in this difficult time, and will strongly support Pakistan’s efforts to ensure greater peace, security and justice for its people.”
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Family under the microscope
Celebrities are disastrous role models for vulnerable children
It's the season for the children to clamour on Saturday night to watch one or other of the reality TV "entertainment" talent shows, culminating in the Christmas final and anointment of yet another "star". Is it harmless fun or should you be trying to get them to watch something more wholesome? Should you also be refusing to fork out for the celebrity magazines and other commercial exploitations of the modern idols who clutter our media?
The good news is that the studies suggest that most young people do not engage in celebrity worship. Three kinds have been identified. About 15% of young people have an "entertainment-social" interest, just chatting with friends about their celebrity and enjoying what they offer. This does not seem to do any harm, or be a sign of any.
The 5% who feel that they have an "intense-personal" relationship to the celebrity may see them as their soul-mate and have frequent unwanted thoughts about them that border on the compulsive. They are at heightened risk of depression and anxiety. In the case of mid-teenage girls, they are also more liable to be unhappy with their bodies (often idolising a woman with a "better" one).
The 2% with a "borderline-pathological" interest are liable to say they would spend several thousand pounds on a napkin or paper plate the celebrity used, or are willing to do something illegal if the celebrity told them to. This group are most likely to be seriously disturbed.
On the whole, celebrity worship seems to be more an effect of prior difficulties than a cause of them. Perhaps more significantly, a remarkable study of the narcissism of celebrities themselves strongly suggests that our role models are far from desirable as people for our children to emulate. Although done in America, the study almost certainly would apply here.
Full-blown narcissism is a state of "me-me-me" attention-seeking grandiosity. Feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are reversed and compensated for by exhibiting their opposite. The study measured narcissism in 200 celebrities, and in 200 young adults with MBAs. These results were compared with a nationally representative sample using the same questionnaire.
Sure enough, the celebrities were significantly more narcissistic than the MBAs and the general population. There were four kinds of celebrity included in the sample. The most narcissistic were the ones who had become famous through a reality TV show (particularly high on "exploitativeness" and "vanity"), next came comedians (highest on "exhibitionism" and "superiority"), then actors and, least of all, musicians.
Interestingly, the narcissism was not correlated with how long the celebrity had been famous, strongly suggesting that becoming famous was not making them narcissistic ? it was already the case beforehand. The celebrities were significantly more narcissistic than the MBAs. These latter were chosen for comparison as a group known already to be that way inclined. Sure enough, in turn, the MBAs were significantly more narcissistic than the general population.
People who get to the top or into the public eye tend to be narcissists. It is most unfortunate that they are the very ones who the young are strongly encouraged and inclined to emulate. Watching them cavorting about on TV (or, indeed, being bossed about by MBAs at your workplace) is a disastrous role model for the vulnerable.
The sort of people who are ruthless, self-seeking and workaholic also tend to be desperate and lonely. If your child reads about their idols, they will have noticed how miserable or messy their lives often are. It can't hurt to point this out.
Narcissism and celebrity study: Young, SM and Pinsky, D, 2006, Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 5, 463-71.
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Executive Order -- Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the laws cited herein, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. Pursuant to the Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011 (H.R. 3082), which I signed into law today (the "Continuing Appropriations Act"), the rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)) are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:
(a) The General Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5332(a)) at Schedule 1;
(b) The Foreign Service Schedule (22 U.S.C. 3963) at Schedule 2; and
(c) The schedules for the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (38 U.S.C. 7306, 7404; section 301(a) of Public Law 102–40) at Schedule 3.
Sec. 2. Senior Executive Service. The ranges of rates of basic pay for senior executives in the Senior Executive Service, as established pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5382, are set forth on Schedule 4 attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Sec. 3. Certain Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries. The rates of basic pay or salaries for the following offices and positions are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:
(a) The Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5312–5318) at Schedule 5;
(b) The Vice President (3 U.S.C. 104) and the Congress (2 U.S.C. 31) at Schedule 6; and
(c) Justices and judges (28 U.S.C. 5, 44(d), 135, 252, and 461(a), and section 140 of Public Law 97–92) at Schedule 7.
Sec. 4. Uniformed Services. The rates of monthly basic pay (37 U.S.C. 203(a)) for members of the uniformed services, as adjusted under 37 U.S.C. 1009, and the rate of monthly cadet or midshipman pay (37 U.S.C. 203(c)) are set forth on Schedule 8 attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Sec. 5. Locality-Based Comparability Payments. (a) Pursuant to section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, the Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-84; 5 U.S.C. 5304 note), and the Continuing Appropriations Act, locality-based comparability payments shall be paid in accordance with Schedule 9 attached hereto and made a part hereof.
(b) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement these payments and to publish appropriate notice of such payments in the Federal Register.
Sec. 6. Administrative Law Judges. Pursuant to section 5372 of title 5, United States Code, the rates of basic pay for administrative law judges are set forth on Schedule 10 attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Sec. 7. Effective Dates. Schedule 8 is effective January 1, 2011. The other schedules contained herein are effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2011.
Sec. 8. Prior Order Superseded. Executive Order 13525 of December 23, 2009, is superseded.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 22, 2010.
2010 Rewind: A Year to Remember
Filed under: News, Profiles, President Obama
Ahhh... 2010 was a very good year for news stories galore. Folks and their shenanigans never gave us a news-less day. Life-altering situations, pearl-clutching gasps, history book fodder, and moments that were world-changing made 2010 a year that many of us will never forget!
Here are some of this year's scandalous and off-the-beaten-track headlines that made you couldn't get enough of...
1) Seattle Officer Punches Girl in Face During Jaywalking Stop: I Would Have Punched Her, Too
Seattle Police Department got put on the map when an officer punched a young girl right in her smacker (pictured above). The teen and her friends were jaywalking, they were approached by a cop, some words were exchanged, and the rest was caught on video. The NAACP got involved, the police chief defended his employee's actions, the victim probably nursed a sore lip and the lesson that is supposed to be learned here was probably ignored.
2) Four Teenagers Charged in Beating Death of Chicago Student
Senseless murders are commonplace practically everywhere on the map. But last September, who didn't tear up after reading about the murder of 16-year-old Chicago resident Derrion Albert, an honor student and all-around nice guy, who was brutally beaten up by four hooligans for trying to help a friend who had gotten caught up in a melee. The beating is a true example of self-hatred taken to entirely obscene and pitiful level.
3) Students Punished With Paddling, Suspension for Prom Dresses
So you think you've heard everything? WRONG! Were you as angry as I was when you read the story about the 25 students at Oxford High, in Calhoun County, Alabama who violated their school's strict prim and proper, anti-hustler's ball, prom dress code (pictured above). The teens were allowed to party but had to pay a steep price after all was said and done. The head honcho at the school principal, Trey Holladay, gave them a bizarre choice -- either a three-day suspension or a paddling for breaking his rules. Which would you have chosen?
4) Kim Kardashian's Sex Tape Comes Back to Haunt Her...Reggie's Mom Says, 'No Marriage!'
We all seem to love those Kardashians, especially Kim. Okay confess, how many of you ate it up when you heard that Kim's ex, Reggie Bush didn't put a "ring on it" because his mommy forbade him? Reportedly, Reggie's mom and his family are pretty low key, conservative folks and the sex tape starring Kim and her other ex Ray J, did not exactly set well with them all. Apparently, Reggie's mom just couldn't forgive and forget the tape. It doesn't matter now, Reggie and Kim are kaput and the sex videotape has probably been transferred onto a DVD. Rewind, rewind, rewind.
5) Britain's Brainiest Family is Black and Has 9-Year-Old High School-Bound Twins
These kinds of stories just make you proud! A set of 9-year-old twins, Paula and Peter Imafidon, prodigies who are about to enter high school and make British history as the youngest to do so. The couple's oldest daughter, Anne-Marie, is now 20, but at age 13, she won a British government scholarship to take undergraduate courses at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Christiana, 17, their other daughter, is the youngest student ever to study at the undergraduate level in any British University at the age of 11. Youngest daughter, Samantha, now 12, passed two rigorous high school-level mathematics and statistics exams at the age of 6. When brains were handed out, the Imafidon family were certainly out there front and center.
6) Inner City School Gets 100% of Its Black Men in to College
Just think, a public, all-male, all-African American high school in the city of Chicago called "The Urban Prep Academy for Young Men," located in Englewood was able to get all of their 107 seniors accepted in to 72 different colleges across the country. The model school that nurtures young minds and breaks down all mental barriers should serve as a blueprint for especially urban learning institutions. All you need is a dream and it can be done.
7) Bishop Eddie Long Pictures Paint an Uncomfortable Image
There were some interesting photos which surfaced of poor Bishop Eddie Long (who looks great in spandex BTW), who has been accused of luring four young men into sexual relationships when they were teenage members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Bishop Long who is long known for not holding his tongue when he speaks of his revulsion of gay people was depicted on cell phone photo shots wearing clingy spandex that outlines his muscular frame. Did he allegedly send the accusing victims the shots because he wanted to show off his good fashion sense or did he want to drive the point home that working out is a must? Whatever the case, the mega church leader is still in a sink or swim situation. Someone throw the good bishop a life-preserver!
8) Love Handles Save Woman's Life
Here is an interesting case where being overweight can actually be a good thing. Samantha Lynn Frazier was strolling into a local Atlantic City, New Jersey bar when she heard two loud blasts. The 35-year-old woman suddenly felt a sharp pain on her left side. When the baffled woman grabbed her midsection and gazed down at her hands, she noticed that they were bloodied. When she was taken to a nearby hospital. the attending physicians told the Florida resident that the extra fatty layer deposited around her waist was actually her saving grace. No sirree, no more Weight Watchers anything for Ms. Frazier, fat is where it's at baby!
9) I Married a Loser: Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?
Successful women who get betrothed to, then eventually marry men who, well, aren't exactly the pick of the litter eventually do come to realize that they married losers. Take famed 'Stella Got Her Groove Back' writer Terry McMillan and her ex Jonathan Plummer, celeb Star Jones and Al Reynolds (hmmm...now what do these two ex-hubbies have in common besides failed marriages?), Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown; these women who have great careers and big social circles ended up with men who were not on par with them. It's unfortunate that when it comes to logic versus emotion, the latter seems to win out all of the time!
10) Father Fights to Overcome Stroke for Son
At only 43 years young, Reginald Thomas (pictured above with son) suffered a massive stroke. Talk about drive, determination and a overwhelming devotion to his 8-year-old son, Thomas, a single dad who was left paralyzed on one side of his body and speechless, was hell-bent to get himself well enough to care for his child. The prognosis was bleak. Yet two months later, and after exhausting therapy sessions, he began walking with a cane and could speak again. He lost his job but all is not sunk; Thomas can see some light at the end of his tunnel. He is considering a North Carolina move to start over and will continue to be there for his son whom he adores. Who says there aren't enough good black men out there?
11) Woman Stabs Husband Over Bad Sex
Michelle Thomas, 26, had sex with her common-law husband and was not satisfied, so she stabbed him with a pair of scissors. Her man refused to press charges or seek medical treatment. I betcha this won't be the last time ole Shelly goes for those paper cutters!
12) Aimee Michael: Daughter and Mother Get Long Prison Sentences for Hit and Run
Aimee Michael (pictured above, left) was the cause of a massive car accident in Atlanta, a chain reaction that caused the deaths of five people, including a newborn baby, a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old. After being sideswiped by another car, Michael's BMW hit another car, causing it to collide head-on with another vehicle. Michael is going to prison, because after causing this terrible accident, she fled the scene and tried to cover up the evidence. Aimee Michael's mother, Sheila (pictured above, right), was given eight years in prison for her role in the cover up. The lesson learned here is that driving is a privilege which should never be abused.
13) Fitness Chain Sues Tiki Barber, Calls Him 'Worthless'
Cad-about-town Tiki Barber was hit with a $1-million lawsuit by a fitness company that has rendered him "worthless overnight" as its spokesperson, because he cheated on his pregnant wife Ginny. The couple is now history and Barber should hold his head down in shame whenever he steps into the light of day!
14) Maia Campbell Arrested
Beautiful, talented and the product of a privileged family, Maia Campbell (pictured above) somehow took a very wrong turn from an acting career that could have spiraled upwards. She wound up on drugs and everything in her life faded to black. The 33-year-old has seen the inside of a jail cell more than once and if she does not try to get some help pronto, she might just meet a fate that is tragic.
15) Haitian Parents Reunited With Baby Rescued From Rubble
Four days after Haiti's earthquake, infant Jenny was rescued from the rubble and pulled from the arms of a dead woman. The baby was brought to the University of Miami medical center in terrible condition, and doctors did not expect her to survive, even though doctors called her "a miracle." On April 7, Jenny was reunited with her parents, who had believed she was dead. Talk about chills!
16) Old White Man Beats Young Black Man on Bus: Video Storms the Web
An allegedly racist comment by an elderly white man (pictured above) sparked a fight on an Oakland, California bus that spread all over YouTube. The comment involved the 67-year-old man asking a young black man to shine his shoes. There was a great deal of yelling back and forth before the elderly man moved to the front of the bus. The younger man followed him, and before long, a fight broke out, but it didn't quite go as expected. To the surprise of everyone, the older white man landed a flurry of punches that caused numerous injuries to the face of the younger man. The old man has become a legend on YouTube since the incident took place. Everyone is the age of their heart and this senior was about the same age as his young opponent!
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2011 Resolution #2: Play Music
In an effort to talk about the power of goal-setting along with some methods of setting and achieving goals, I?m going to discuss my three resolutions for 2011 this week. Another of my 2010 resolutions was to learn to play the piano, which is something I feel is coming along very well. For 2011, I’ve [...]
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Spare Change: Stock-Market Genius Edition
I’m a stock-market genius! On December 1st, I wrote about an idiotic USA Today article, which tried to convince readers that investing on the first day of the month was a sound strategy. “Stock investors looking for a trading pattern that all but guarantees a profit need look no further than the first trading day [...]
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More Things 2011 Should Leave Behind
Filed under: News, Opinion, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Yes, there is more to leave behind in 2011. Hopefully you have checked out yesterday's list and here is the rest!
But first, here are some Honorable Mentions that didn't make the cut, but still need to be left behind as well.
Antoine Dodson
Skinny jeans on Men
All news articles about single black women
Blue tooth devices in your ear
Celebrities in tax trouble
Now where did I leave off?
12. Fake A** Disability (FAD)
There is no doubt that there are some people who have disabilities that render them unable to work. HOWEVER, if I meet one more person who is on disability for a "learning disability" or because your back is too bad from that accident "back in 1986," I'm gonna scream. Never mind, since you've been on FAD you've had two kids. You can get arrested on an assault charge for fighting in front of your building, but can't get a job? Somehow you and your ilk feel as though you should be living off the rest of us workers and I am sick of it. Where's your pride? In 2011 please say no to FAD.
13. Law & Order Spin-Offs
It's been like 78 years. Special Victims, Criminal Intent, Los Angeles, United Kingdom. You've had a good run. Just let it go.
14. Obesity
Big and beautiful my a**. At least one person, Michelle Obama, has had the balls to come forward and actually tell the American people to their faces: "You are too fat and so are your dumb kids." Good for her. It is true! Hey everybody, I implore you to take 5 minutes and look at yourself in a three-way mirror. I want you to take full account of what you see. I even challenge you to take a picture of yourself in that mirror with one of your fancy phones. I then want you to ask yourself, "Do you like what you see?" Not, does my man like it, or does my woman like it? But do YOU really like what you see? Or is it actually pretty gross?
It's time we all embraced our health and and decided we want to live long, strong vibrant lives. All this "thick" and "stocky" and "husky" and "big beautiful woman" and "whole lotta man" foolishness was real cute in 2010 but in 2011, its time to decide that we want to toss out destinies tied to diabetes and blood pressure meds and finally proclaim that we want to live better.
If your friends, your man, your woman, your mama, your daddy, your friends won't tell you, I will: Obesity. is. not. hot.
15. Tattoos about the face or neck
What is really the big disconnect here? When did tattoos on your neck and face become hot? And are they REALLY hot on anyone other than a professional athlete, rapper or ex-con? And even in that group, in ten years they will look just as stupid. With that in mind I want to let you know that all of you grown people, who have chosen to get tattoos above your clavicle, look a hot a** ghetto mess.
I'm just saying it because no one really wants to tell you, because unlike clothes or a hair style or even a gold toof in front, you can't change it, and you're stuck, so telling you will really accomplish nothing except making you feel bad. But please know, without any shadow of a doubt, tattoos about the face or neck are the precise reason why your a** cannot get hired. It's not discrimination, it's not the recession, its because you have a DUMB A** PAIR OF LIPS ON YOUR NECK. I wouldn't hire you either. Grow up in 2011.
16. Drug Commercials
It seems that every week, there is some new ailment that I need a new drug for, that I am supposed to ask my doctor about. Nowadays if my mouth is dry, or my legs are restless or my eyelashes aren't full enough, I'm supposed to ask my doctor to give me some drugs. We've become a nation of wusses who treat the side effects of one drug with another drug. Was it really that difficult to get to sleep in 2010 that we needed 5 different sleeping pills? Never mind many of the drugs have side effects worse than the problem they are treating. Are you really willing to withstand side effects like compulsive gambling, suicide, night terrors, or eating raw bacon, just to remove the dark circles under your eyes? Forget the drugs, I have an idea, next time you're sleepy: count sheep, b**ches.
17. 3D-F*cking- Movies
There was a time when a movie being in 3-D was a special event. You were so excited to wear your little red & blue 7-11 paper glasses to a picture show. 3-D was a huge deal and going to see a 3-D movie was a momentous occasion, you never knew when the next 3-D would come out so you made sure you didn't miss this one.
Now I can tell you when the next 3-D movie is coming out: ANY FRIDAY OF 2010.
I mean, good lord. I actually find it hard to recall movies that WEREN'T in 3-D anymore. Don't get me wrong, 3-D is cool but I thought it was intended to be used in films where its novelty and effect would best complement the on-screen content. Like Jason, in Friday the 13th, shooting that friggin' arrow in your eye in Part 3. Now THAT's 3-D. Having some asexual animated creature merely appearing in front of me for shits and giggles, I could do without. Call me when you can put Idris Elba in my lap. Now THAT would be a special feature. But I digress...
And now, 3-D television is around the corner. Soon we'll have Bad Girls fighting, Idol auditions, and Jersey Shore trash getting drunk right in our living rooms. Can't wait.
18. Closeted and Con-men Clergy
First of all, do not hate on my alliteration. What more is there to say? From the Catholic priests having butt-sex with little boys to mega churches allowing their members to be foreclosed upon while the pastor drove Bentleys, it's been a rough year for religion in 2010. Decent people who run decent churches have been eclipsed by the hit parade of creeps, crooks, and crazy men proclaiming to be messengers of God who have proceeded to craft a message, not for the benefit of the congregants, nor for the benefit of God, but for the benefit of himself. The preacher offers to pray for those being foreclosed and in return he'll "pray for you." A growing number of these bastards are leading to the disillusionment of a generation and a community who sees churches as institutions who exploit the very communities that support them.
19. Crazy, Dumb and/or Retarded Political Candidates
Lord knows I love reading up on the fanciful exploits of former senatorial-candidate AKA my future baby daddy (oops!) Alvin Greene. No, it isn't lost on me that Greene isn't the coldest beer in the fridge. And usually, someone like Greene is an anomaly, but this year, he barely even stood out among the groundswell of kooks suddenly deciding to run for office. Greene, O'Donnell, Angle... PLEASE, go back to whatever you were doing in 2009, we can't take you anymore.
I guarantee you, most of these folks weren't thinking about politics, nor could they spell it, before a black man became elected president.
20. Fussing and Fighting
This year we have we have witnessed unprecedented efforts on the part of some that some to create disharmony. In 2011, we must make a decision to work together.
Whether it's in the halls of Congress, your kid's school, your job, your relationship, your family or your neighborhood -- we've all seen the progress we make when we agree to work together.
Not sell out, not give in, but compromise. In a country where we've created a cottage industry of disagreement, if we have learned anything in 2010, it's what can happen if we actually put away our ultimatums and pouty whines and actually work together. We can never get what we want all the time (except maybe if you're Rihanna, Beyonce, or Jay-z).
So... in the interest of creating the best lives we can for ourselves in the best country in the world, I encourage you to work together in the coming year.
I know you hate him or you hate her. I know you should have had that job. I know that guy ripped you off. I know they lied to you and that car was a piece of crap.
But consider what peace of mind is worth to you?
Is it really that bad if your daughter gets home 30 mins later than your custody agreement?
Is it really a capital offense if your woman spoke to her ex as she passed him by at a restaurant last week?
What is peace worth?
That's what we should ask ourselves as a society.
Whether it's a domestic disagreement or world affairs, at the end of the day, we must all ask ourselves how do I want to live? Is being right more important than being happy? Is a political victory worth your integrity? Is winning that argument worth another night of strife? Is your ego worth the adoration of your son or daughter? I don't know about you, but I'll take peace any day.
Why don't we all try for peace in 2011? I have a feeling if we all try for peace, we can't lose.
Happy New Year People.
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Emma Roberts' Nobu Night
Looking to satisfy her growling tummy, Emma Roberts was spotted picking up some takeout food in Los Angeles yesterday (December 30).
The ?Hotel for Dogs? actress braved the chilly weather as she hit up Nobu restaurant and looked cute and casual sans makeup.
In career news, Emma?s new movie ?Twelve? was released on DVD in stores this past Tuesday (December 28).
Also starring 50 Cent, Chace Crawford, and Rory Caulkin, ?Twelve? is about a young drug dealer who watches as his high-rolling life is dismantled in the wake of his cousin's murder, which sees his best friend arrested for the crime.
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Statement by the Press Secretary, 12/27/2010
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
We are deeply concerned that a Russian judge today has indicated that for a second time Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev will be convicted. We are troubled by the allegations of serious due process violations, and what appears to be an abusive use of the legal system for improper ends. The apparent selective application of the law to these individuals undermines Russia’s reputation as a country committed to deepening the rule of law. The Russian government cannot nurture a modern economy without also developing an independent judiciary that serves as an instrument for furthering economic growth, ensuring equal treatment under the law, and advancing justice in a predictable and fair way.
The Obama administration stands in solidarity with the many people in the Russian government, in the legal system, and in civil society who are committed to strengthening the rule of law and deepening the commitment to universal values enshrined in the Russian constitution. Russia’s failure to keep this commitment to universal values, including the rule of law, impedes its own modernization and ability to deepen its ties with the United States.
President Obama has spoken frequently with President Medvedev about this case and others as part of their ongoing conversation about President Medvedev’s important campaign to strengthen the rule of law and modernize Russia’s political and economic system. We will continue to monitor closely the next stages in this case, including the fairness of the sentences and the review by higher courts during the appeals process.
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Statement by the President and First Lady on Kwanzaa
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
Michelle and I extend our warmest thoughts and wishes to all those who are celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today is the first of a joyful seven-day celebration of African American culture and heritage. The seven principles of Kwanzaa -- Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith -- are some of the very values that make us Americans.
As families across America and around the world light the Kinara today in the spirit of umoja or unity, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.
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Happy holidays from Unclutterer!
We wish everyone who celebrates Christmas a merry one, and the rest of you we wish a joyful couple days off from work!
Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland's Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.
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Out With The Old, In With The New: Start an Automatic Savings Plan
Throughout the month of December, The Simple Dollar is posting a daily series focusing on specific activities you can do right now to set the stage for a great 2011. Out with the old, in with the new. 30. Start an automatic savings plan to bank that money. Yesterday, we discussed how to calculate exactly [...]
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Spare Change: Stock-Market Genius Edition
I’m a stock-market genius! On December 1st, I wrote about an idiotic USA Today article, which tried to convince readers that investing on the first day of the month was a sound strategy. “Stock investors looking for a trading pattern that all but guarantees a profit need look no further than the first trading day [...]
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The G2 Quiz of 2010: Lost in Showbiz
Know your way around the crazy world of celebrity? Alexis Petridis tests your knowledge. View the answers here
1 Hello ladies! Are you nonconformist, spirited and erotic? Looking for a hot young stud interested in the "structure of reality" and "chopping up human brains"? Of course you are! Then we've got the guy for you! But whose online dating profile is this? NB: only women from countries who've gone through political turmoil need apply!
2 Gavin Henson expressed reservations about taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year. Was it because:
a he has no sense of natural rhythm.
b he was concerned about looking effeminate.
c he was afraid of getting an erection while dancing.
3 Eva Longoria and Tana Ramsay both turned to which
globally-noted relationship/lifestyle guru for help this year?
4 "The limited list of wedding guests is in stark contrast to that of her previous wedding," tutted Now magazine. "Then she did anything but scrape the barrel with guests including Vanessa Feltz." Who?
5 Whose stepdaughter did her bit to smash the patriarchy with a cookbook called How To Feed A Man, which advised ladies to freeze Bolognese sauce "so you can be the perfect woman and say: 'No problem, darling. I'll just rustle something up."?
6 Which love-rat premiership footballer allegedly enjoyed the romantic company of a self-styled white witch, who apparently once made a love potion out of human hair, peppermint essence and rose petals?
7 Which US TV star reinvented herself as an authority-baiting transgressive rock star, stopping along the way to set fire to a bag containing her recently castrated dog's testicles?
8 The BBC was forced to deny which rapper had signed a deal to make a cameo appearance in EastEnders? "I really wanted Peggy to throw me out of the pub," he was reported to have said.
9 And which rapper was supposed to have launched a bid for the Christmas number one with a single featuring the legendary commanding and stentorian tones of David Beckham?
10 Who took to Twitter to declare someone who disagreed with him about smoking in front of children a "phaedophile (sic) lover"?
11 Lucky old Harry Styles of The X Factor's One Direction was recently offered "spiritual advice" by which celebrity? Clue: you wouldn't accept spiritual advice from her even in a hypothetical situation in which every other potential spiritual adviser in the world had been eradicated.
12 Who was the celebrity face of Burger King's delectable-sounding �4.99 aftershave Flame?
13 Whose defence on being arrested with a handbag containing marijuana and cocaine was that (a) she was sharing the handbag and (b) she thought the cocaine was chewing gum?
14 Who claimed that a Hollywood star she interviewed had asked her to sign "some kind of sex contract"?
15 Who responded to the ongoing recession by cutting her backstage demand for a �200 bottle of champagne to a backstage demand for a �150 bottle of champagne?
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Teena Marie Dead at 54
Filed under: News, Obituaries
UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that an autopsy on R&B singer Teena Marie revealed no trauma, but it likely will be weeks before toxicology reports return that could shed light on Marie's cause of death.
Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said her body showed no signs of trauma and no illegal drugs were found in the Pasadena home where she died.
The L.A. County Coroner's Office found diazepam, more commonly known as Valium, which can be used to treat seizures at Marie's home, but friends say she had stopped taking the medicine because of side effects and had resorted to herbal remedies instead.
TMZ reports that Marie was afraid of sleeping by herself because of the seizures and needed to have another person lie next to her. When her body was discovered, she had gone to her room to take an early-afternoon nap by herself. Alia checked on Marie at around 1 p.m. and she seemed fine. But when the young woman checked on her mom again two hours later, she found her unresponsive.
Nicknamed "Lady T" and "the vanilla child," Marie grew up in the predominantly black area of Oakwood on the west side of Los Angeles. Marie began singing at the tender age of 2 and grooved off Motown tunes. It was said that Marie's soulful voice was a God-given gift that she fine-tuned as she perfected her craft.
Marie, whose real name was Mary Christine Brockert, started her career as an actress and even had a stint on the famed TV comedy 'The Beverly Hillbillies." With singing as a constant baseline, she even sang at the wedding of rock and roll great Jerry Lee Lewis at age of 10.
In 1976, Marie got her long-awaited career break, when she was introduced to legendary Detroit producer Hal Davis, who got her an audition with Motown head honcho Barry Gordy. Marie recorded numerous unreleased songs with various producers, but she happened to catch the ear of Rick James, who would go on to be her mentor. Marie became the first white act signed to the Motor City hit-making label.
Marie's debut album, 'Wild and Peaceful,' was her first top 10 R&B hit, which included a duet with James called 'I'm a Sucker for Your Love.' Marie's image did not appear on the album cover or anywhere else on the packaging, so folks assumed that she was black. Record execs erroneously thought that black consumers would not want to buy music that was recorded by a white artist. They continued to keep Marie in hiding, so to speak, until she appeared with James on the TV hit dance show 'Soul Train' in 1979.
Black audiences came to love and accept Marie and revere her vocal pipes. She went on to record such mega Motown hits as 'I Need Your Lovin,' 'Behind the Groove,' 'Ooh La La La' and 'Square Biz.'
James and Marie continued to work together throughout her Motown years. In 1980, the duo produced the killer slow jam of all time, 'Fire and Desire.' The collaboration gave rise to unconfirmed rumors that the two singers were romantically involved. The duo's last appearance together was on the 2004 'BET Awards' show, and later that year James died suddenly of pulmonary and cardiac failure.
Following differences with Motown, Teena moved to Epic Records in 1983. She later sued Motown for restricting her artistic control, resulting in the passing of the Brockert Initiative, or the Teena Marie Law giving artists greater control over their careers.
The year 1994 marked the end of Marie's recording career. She made the decision to devote time to her daughter. Ten years later, in 2004, Teena launched her comeback album 'La Dona,' which went gold, proving Marie was still a musical force to be reckoned with. 'Still in Love' from the album earned Marie a Grammy Award nomination for best R&B vocal performance in 2005.
In 2009, Marie released what would be her final album, 'Congo Square,' on Stax/Concord Records. The artist described the album as "personal and spiritual" and indicated that it was more jazz-influenced than most of her previous work. 'Can't Last a Day,' a duet with Faith Evans, leaked to the Internet in March 2009. The album reached the top 20 on Billboard's Top 200.
Over the last few years, Marie worked the Las Vegas strip as a headliner and made several club and concert appearances. In an interview with the Associated Press last year, Marie admitted to successfully overcoming a battle with prescription drugs.
Lady T, your silky, soulful vocals will certainly be missed. Rest in peace.
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