Bcs championship and Rosebowl both in Pasadena this year !!!

The Big Ten champion Buckeyes will meet the Pac-10-winning Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in a pleasantly traditional finish to two remarkable seasons.

Predictions- Organ 31 to 24

The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will mark the culmination of yet another thrilling college football season by featuring an exciting match-up between the No. 2 BCS-ranked Texas Longhorns versus the No. 1 BCS-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide who will compete for the national title.

Predictions- Texas 38 to 34

All Smartphones are the same now here some detail on Nexus

tipster just sent in these Nexus One screenshots that supposedly confirms two things: that Google will sell it unlocked and unsubsidized for $530, and that Google will sell it by themselves. Plus, some other very interesting details. UPDATE

Some of the most important bits of info we extracted (assuming the tipster is accurate, and it seems like he is). Oh, and take a look at our hands on with the device in case you haven't familiarized yourself with it yet.

• Yeah, it's $530 unsubsidized. Google's not going to be selling the phone at cost, like so many people considered. They're not going to save us from the "making money off of hardware" culture we've got right now, so this is basically just another Android handset, albeit a really good one
• If you want it subsidized, you'll have to sign up for a 2 year mandatory contract and pay $180 for the phone
• There's only one rate plan: $39.99 Even More + Text + Web for $79.99 total
• Existing customers cannot keep their plan if they want a subsidized phone; they have to change to the one plan, and this only applies to accounts with one single line
• If that doesn't fly with you, you have to buy the $530 unlocked version—this actually might save you money over two years if you already have a cheap plan
• Family plans, Flexpay, SmartAccess and KidConnect subscribers must buy the phone unlocked and unsubsidized for $530
• You can only buy five Nexus One phones per Google account
• There is language in the agreement of shipping outside the US
• Google will sell it at google.com/phone, which explains what they were doing with that page a few weeks ago
• Google will still call it the Nexus One apparently, and not the Google Phone

And here is a big one:
• If you cancel your plan before 120 days, you have to pay the subsidy difference between what you paid and the unsubsidized price, so $350 in this case. Or you can return the phone to Google. You also authorize them to charge this directly to your credit card.

One weirdness in the Terms of Sale that we quickly glanced through was that Google made sure you acknowledged that the manufacturer is HTC, and not Google.

Bullets aint got no name vol 3

Nipssy hussle is an up and coming west coast gangsta hip hop artist who has some undeniable skill to his craft. Brings you back to some classic NWA. A little harsh but has real talent as a lyricist. This last mix tape is no exception
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Somali Pirates Release Chinese Ship After Payment

A Chinese ship with 25 crewmembers is said to be heading to a safe port after being released by Somali pirates late Sunday.

The European Union's anti-piracy force says the bulk carrier De Xin Hai and its crew members are in "good condition" after nearly 70 days in captivity.

The EU statement Monday said the ship was released off the port town of Hobyo and is now sailing toward a safe port, which it did not identify.

Neither the EU nor a separate statement from China's foreign ministry made mention of a reported $4 million ransom payment. Pirates told journalists they had received the money, reportedly dropped from a helicopter.

China's statement says the ship was rescued, without giving any details.

The foreign ministry says the ship is now under the protection of Chinese naval escorts.
Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars over the past two years hijacking ships for ransom.

The EU says the pirates are now holding a total of eight ships and 213 crewmembers hostag

Senate passes health care bill

How CODMW2 should be played using the right perks and tactics

Hip-Hop Honey Of the Week

Taliban blow up Pakistan girls school

The Taliban blew up a girls' school in Pakistan's Khyber district, where troops are fighting against militants in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday.
Militants detonated explosives overnight at the government-run school in Bazgarah town, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Peshawar, capital of the violence-plagued North West Frontier Province.
"The building had 21 rooms. All have been completely demolished," local administration chief Shafeerullah Wazir told AFP by telephone.
There were no casualties because the property was empty at the time.
"Taliban and their local allies are responsible. They are destroying educational institutions to avenge the military operation against their hideouts in the area," said Wazir.
"This was the ninth educational institution blown up in Khyber over the past six weeks," he added.
Islamist militants opposed to co-education and subscribers to sharia law have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan in recent years.
The fabled Khyber tribal region is the main land bridge to neighbouring Afghanistan and the principle supply route for NATO troops fighting an eight-year Taliban insurgency across the border.
Pakistani troops launched an offensive in Khyber in September in a bid to flush out the Taliban and homegrown militant group Lashkar-e-Islam (Army of Islam) led by local warlord Mangal Bagh.
The United States is increasing pressure on Pakistan to crack down more on militants hunkered down in its lawless tribal belt, branded the most dangerous place on Earth and the chief sanctuary of Al-Qaeda.

Bleach ! I will not lose. one of my favs.

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Cabreara a Brave now?

With a surplus of quality starting pitching, the Braves have the flexibility to explore deals that can help them upgrade in other areas.

Apparently, they are willing to trade off a starter to add an experienced outfielder with a World Series Championship under his belt.

According to the New York Daily News, the Braves are finalizing a deal that will send right-hander Javier Vazquez and left-hander Boone Logan to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera, lefty Mike Dunn and a Minor Leaguer.

The New York Post reports the Minor Leaguer is right-hander Arodys Vizcaino.

The Braves have not officially announced the deal.

If it is finalized, the Braves would be parting with one of the anchors to their rotation. The 33-year-old Vazquez was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 starts for Atlanta last year.

Starting pitching anchored the Braves in 2009. Their rotation topped the National League with a 3.52 ERA.

FBI Probes Hack at Citibank

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing a computer-security breach targeting Citigroup Inc. that resulted in a theft of tens of millions of dollars by computer hackers who appear linked to a Russian cyber gang, according to government officials.

The attack took aim at Citigroup's Citibank subsidiary, which includes its North American retail bank and other businesses. It couldn't be learned whether the thieves gained access to Citibank's systems directly or through third parties.

The attack underscores the blurring of lines between criminal and national-security threats in cyber space. Hackers also assaulted two other entities, at least one of them a U.S. government agency, said people familiar with the attack on Citibank.

The Citibank attack was detected over the summer, but investigators are looking into the possibility the attack may have occurred months or even a year earlier. The FBI and the National Security Agency, along with the Department of Homeland Security and Citigroup, swapped information to counter the attack, according to a person familiar with the case. Press offices of the federal agencies declined to comment.

Joe Petro, managing director of Citigroup's Security and Investigative services, said, "We had no breach of the system and there were no losses, no customer losses, no bank losses." He added later: "Any allegation that the FBI is working a case at Citigroup involving tens of millions of losses is just not true."

Citigroup is currently 27%-owned by the federal government.

The threat was initially detected by U.S. investigators who saw suspicious traffic coming from Internet addresses that had been used by the Russian Business Network, a Russian gang that has sold hacking tools and software for accessing U.S. government systems. The group went silent two years ago, but security experts say its alumni have re-emerged in smaller attack groups.

Security officials worry that, beyond stealing money, hackers could try to manipulate or destroy data, wreaking havoc on the banking system. When intruders get into one bank, officials say, they may be able to blaze a trail into others.

U.S. Economy Grew at 2.2% Annual Rate Last Quarter

Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The economy in the U.S. expanded in the third quarter at a slower pace than anticipated as companies curbed spending and cut inventories at an even faster pace, reductions that have set the stage for acceleration in growth.

The 2.2 percent increase in gross domestic product from July through September compares with a 2.8 percent gain previously reported by the Commerce Department in Washington.

Improved consumer spending combined with a record drop in stockpiles this year will promote increases in production that may keep the world’s largest economy growing well into 2010. At the same time, companies such as Dell Inc. point to gains in business investment that signal growing confidence the expansion will continue.

“We are really starting to see the mechanisms for a sustained recovery come into place,” said Robert Dye, a senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh. “We are starting to see investment numbers come back.”

Stock-index futures trimmed earlier gains after the report. The contract on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.3 percent to 1,111.5 at 9:00 a.m. in New York after having been up as much as 0.6 percent.

The 2.8 percent projected pace of growth was based on the median estimate of 73 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from gains of 2.5 percent to 3.7 percent. The GDP report is the third and final for the quarter. The government’s advance estimate two months ago was 3.5 percent.

Economic Slump

The economy shrank 3.8 percent in the 12 months to June, the worst performance in seven decades. The four consecutive decreases through the second quarter mark the longest stretch of declines since quarterly records began in 1947.

This month’s revisions also showed a bigger gain in earnings than first estimated. Third-quarter corporate profits increased 10.8 percent rather than 10.6 percent, marking the biggest gain in more than five years.

Productivity gains have boosted company earnings as payrolls are reduced. Labor costs fell at a 2.5 percent rate last quarter, capping the biggest 12-month drop in seven years, Labor Department figures showed earlier this month. Productivity, a measure of employee output per hour, surged at an 8.1 percent pace percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in six years.

The economy has lost 7.2 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Payroll cuts peaked at 741,000 in January before receding to 11,000 in November.

Unemployment Forecast

The unemployment rate last month fell to 10 percent, from a 26-year high of 10.2 percent in October. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg this month forecast the jobless rate will remain above 10 percent through the first half of next year.

The elevated jobless rate is one reason Federal Reserve policy makers said last week they would keep their benchmark interest rate low for an “extended period.”

Another reason was that prices aren’t accelerating. The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, increased less than forecast. The measure, which is tied to consumer spending and strips out food and energy costs, rose at a 1.2 percent annual pace following a 2 percent increase in the prior quarter.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, rose at a 2.8 percent pace last quarter, compared with the 2.9 percent rate forecast by economists and a 0.9 percent decline the previous three months. Spending added 2 percentage points to third-quarter growth.

First Jesus-era House Found In Nazareth, Archeologists Say

NAZARETH, Israel — Days before Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus – a find that could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy.

The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres (1.6 hectares). It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Based on clay and chalk shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a "simple Jewish family," Alexandre added, as workers at the site carefully chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls.

Nazareth holds a cherished place in Christianity. It is the town where Christian tradition says Jesus grew up and where an angel told Mary she would bear the child of God.

"This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with," Alexandre said. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his cousins and friends, she said. "It's a logical suggestion."

The discovery so close to Christmas has pleased local Christians.

"They say if the people do not speak, the stones will speak," said a smiling Father Jack Karam of the nearby Basilica of the Annunciation, the site where Christian tradition says Mary received the angel's word.

Alexandre said workers uncovered the first signs of the dwelling in the summer, but it became clear only this month that it was a structure from the era of Jesus

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US Stocks Rise Broadly

U.S. stocks climbed Monday as merger activity and stock-ratings upgrades helped fuel a rally across all sectors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 110 points, or 1.2%, to 10448 as all 30 of its components climbed. Alcoa surged 8.7% after Morgan Stanley raised its investment rating on the stock. Intel gained 3.1% after an upgrade from analysts at Barclays.

The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 1.2%. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.3%.

The market's broad gains were led by the materials and health-care sectors. The gains in the materials sector came despite a decline in gold futures, as Morgan Stanley noted positive signs for aluminum pricing in its upgrade of Alcoa's shares. Also lifting the sector, copper futures were higher.

The health-care sector's gains came after the Senate voted Monday to advance health-care legislation in an initial procedural vote, beginning a process that puts the bill on track for passage later this week.

A wide range of health-care stocks rose, including health insurer Aetna, which was up 4.6%. Pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer rose 2.6% and Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager, climbed 3.8%.

Also lifting the health-care sector, Sanofi-Aventis agreed to buy consumer drug maker Chattem for $1.9 billion, a 34% premium to the Tennessee company's price on Friday. American depositary shares of Sanofi-Aventis edged up 0.6%, while Chattem jumped 33%.

Meanwhile, crude oil futures rose. The dollar strengthened against both the euro and the yen and Treasury prices sank.

Winter Solstice 2009: Facts on Shortest Day of the Year

Today is the winter solstice and the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It's all due to Earth's tilt, which ensures that the shortest day of every year falls around December 21.

But it's not all about astronomy.Since ancient times people have marked the winter solstice with countless cultural and religious traditions—it's no coincidence the modern holiday season surrounds the first day of winter.

Solstice in Space: Astronomy of the First Day of Winter

During the winter solstice the sun hugs closer to the horizon than at any other time during the year, yielding the least amount of daylight annually. On the bright side, the day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days leading up to the summer solstice.

"Solstice" is derived from the Latin phrase for "sun stands still."

That's because—after months of growing shorter and lower since the summer solstice—the sun's arc through the sky appears to stabilize, with the sun seeming to rise and set in the same two places for several days. Then the arc begins growing longer and higher in the sky, reaching its peak at the summer solstice.

The solstices occur twice a year (around December 21 and June 21), because Earth is tilted by an average of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun—the same phenomenon that drives the seasons.

During the warmer half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. The northern winter solstice occurs when the "top" half of Earth is tilted away from the sun at its most extreme angle of the year.

Being the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice is essentially the year's darkest day, but it's not the coldest.

Because the oceans are slow to heat and cool, in December they still retain some warmth from summer, delaying the coldest of winter days for another month and a half. Similarly, summer doesn't hit its heat peak until August, a month or two after the summer solstice.

Saints Lose. There can be only 1 !

As Drew Brees and his Saints teammates walked off the field following their first defeat of a thrilling season, the Louisiana Superdome crowd offered the kind of appreciative applause a pitcher receives after losing a no-hitter in the late innings.

At 13-1, the Saints remain in control of the race for the top overall playoff seed in the NFC. What remains to be seen is whether they'll be playing like the best team in the conference when the post-season begins.

"Certainly we did not play our best game tonight, far from it," Brees said after the Saints' 24-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. "Moving forward, we understand what's on the horizon. We know there's a lot of things we need to improve upon right now, but we're just excited to get back on the field and make up for what happened today."

The squad that appeared invincible in a Monday night 38-17 dismantling of the New England Patriots last month has looked vulnerable in each of its last three games.

First came a stunning comeback in a 33-30 overtime win in Washington - made possible when the Redskins' Shaun Suisham missed a 23-yard field goal attempt that could have iced the game near the end of regulation. In Atlanta, New Orleans needed a pair of late defensive stops to escape with a 26-23 victory.

The Saints fell behind early for a third straight time Saturday night against Dallas, a playoff contender that was good enough to stop the Saints from coming back.

The Saints trailed 24-3 before Mike Bell's short touchdown run with 12:35 to go. Although New Orleans pulled within one score on Brees' seven-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore with eight minutes left, Dallas could have - should have - put the game away with a nearly six-minute drive deep into Saints territory that set up a 24-yard field goal try with 2:19 left. Like Suisham, Nick Folk shanked it, granting Brees his latest chance to march the Saints down the field for a late tying score.

Actress Brittany Murphy dies at 32

Brittany Murphy died early Sunday morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Murphy starred in such films as "Clueless", "8 Mile" and "Don't Say a Word". She was 32. RIP

U.S. prosecution links drugs to terrorism

Reporting from Washington - Three men alleged to be Al Qaeda associates were charged Friday with conspiring to smuggle cocaine through Africa -- the first U.S. prosecution linking the terrorist group directly to drug trafficking.

The three suspects, who were charged in federal court in New York, are believed to be from Mali and were arrested in Ghana during a Drug Enforcement Administration sting. Although U.S. authorities have alleged that Al Qaeda and the Taliban profit from Afghanistan's heroin trade, the case is the first in which suspects linked to Al Qaeda have been charged under severe narco-terrorism laws, federal officials said.

The 18-page complaint describes a convergence of mafias and terrorists in northwest Africa that has caused increasing alarm among European, African and U.S. investigators.

Cocaine traffic has risen sharply in West Africa in recent years. Exploiting states that are weakened by corruption, poverty and violence, Latin American mafias have made the region a hub for moving cocaine across the Atlantic and into the booming drug markets of Europe.

Old Town Pasadena Video Art

PASADENA - The public is invited to stroll through One Colorado in Old Pasadena to enjoy an unusual outdoor art display.

The eco-theme video art exhibit was created by Pasadena City College's Alex Kritselis, dean of the college's visual arts and media studies division, and Velocity Filmworks President Joey Forsyte. It is entitled, "Don't Blow It/A Rising Tide." It was publicly unveiled Thursday.

Thirteen video projectors display images such as jellyfish and other ocean scenes on windows and glass doors of buildings throughout the shopping center.

"We hope people see how beautiful the world is, to remind us of what we're trying to preserve," Kritselis said in a statement. "We hope to seduce viewers into taking time for contemplation and seeing something anew by melding the moving image with the existing architecture. We also like the element of surprise."

The artwork will be on display from sunset to 1 a.m. every night through Jan. 3, including Christmas and New Year's Day.

Democrats Clinch a Deal on Health Bill

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said on Saturday that they had clinched an agreement on a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and that they were on track to approve the legislation by Christmas over fierce Republican opposition.

As the Senate convened in a driving snowstorm, Democratic leaders said a breakthrough came when Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, agreed after 13 hours of negotiations on Friday to back the bill, making him the pivotal 60th vote.

“Change is never easy, but change is what’s necessary in America,” Mr. Nelson said during a morning news conference. “And that’s why I intend to vote,” he said, “for health care reform.”

If Senate Democrats could win passage of their bill, it will need to be reconciled with a version adopted last month by the House, and Mr. Nelson issued a pointed warning that he would vote against the measure if any changes were not to his liking.

Because the Democrats nominally control 60 seats in the Senate — the precise number needed to overcome Republican filibusters — every senator in the Democratic caucus effectively has veto power over the bill. No Republican is willing to support it

The legislation, the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system in more than a generation, seeks to extend health benefits to more than 30 million uninsured Americans by expanding Medicaid and providing subsidies to help moderate-income people purchase private insurance.

The bill also impose tight new regulations of the health insurance industry, barring insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions and limiting how much extra they can charge for people based on their age.

The majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, racing against the clock to complete the bill by his self-imposed holiday deadline, introduced a 338-page package of last-minute amendments, including the key provisions needed to win Mr. Nelson’s support.

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Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse?

"The convergence I see here is the apocalyptic expectations, if you will, along with the fact that the environment is in the front of many people's minds these days," Lynn Garrett, senior religion editor says. " of the appeal of these earth religions is that notion that we need to reconnect with the Earth in order to save ourselves."

But scholars are bristling at attempts to link the ancient Maya with trends in contemporary spirituality. Maya civilization, known for advanced writing, mathematics and astronomy, flourished for centuries in Mesoamerica, especially between A.D. 300 and 900. Its Long Count calendar, which was discontinued under Spanish colonization, tracks more than 5,000 years, then resets at year zero.

"For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Fla. To render Dec. 21, 2012, as a doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."

Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time," Journalist Lawrence Joseph writes.

But scholars doubt the ancient Maya extrapolated great meaning from anticipating the alignment — if they were even aware of what the configuration would be.

Astronomers generally agree that "it would be impossible the Maya themselves would have known that," says Susan Milbrath, a Maya archaeoastronomer and a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. What's more, she says, "we have no record or knowledge that they would think the world would come to an end at that point."

University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says the 2012 phenomenon comes "from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own."

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US drones hacked by Iraqi insurgents

One of America's most sophisticated weapons in the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the unmanned drone, has been successfully hacked by insurgents using software available on the internet for $26 (£16).

Insurgents in Iraq have intercepted live video feeds from the drones being relayed back to a US controller and revealing potential targets.

A US official said the flaw had been identified and fixed in the last 12 months.

The problem only came to light after the US found hours and hours worth of videotaped recordings on militant laptops late last year and earlier this year.

The insurgents used software programmes such as Skygrabber, developed by a Russian company, originally intended to download music and videos from the internet.

The drones, which cost about $4.5m each, have become one of the most important parts of the US armoury. Their use by the US military has increased 600% in the last five years.

They are able to hover over suspect locations and missiles can be launched against alleged militants in Iraq and alleged al-Qaida and Taliban members in Afghanistan and in the border region of Pakistan.

The potential problem with the hacking was that insurgents, if they knew the locations being targeted, would be able to take evasive action.

A US source with knowledge of the programme today confirmed the report, first disclosed by the Wall Street Journal, but said that the quality of the pictures seen by the insurgents would have been of limited value. The source said the pictures would have been fuzzy, making it near impossible to determine the location of a target in the deserts or mountains.

The US air force is responsible for drones in Iraq and Afghanistan and the CIA for those in Pakistan. The CIA ones are reported to have been encrypted while some of the air force ones have not.

The Pentagon had been aware of the problem for at least a decade but assumed the insurgents would not have had the technical knowledge to hack into the drones.

The drones, from being a relative novelty at the start of the decade, have become one of the favourite methods of the US military and the CIA in tracking and killing suspected insurgents. Their use in Pakistan is particularly controversial, in part because some Pakistanis see it as US infringement of the country's sovereignty but also because civilians are often hit.

Pakistan security officials said that a drone, assumed to be American, fired seven missiles today at a cave complex, a compound and a vehicle, killing 12.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, asked about the hacking of drones, indicated the problem had been addressed. He said: "The department of defence constantly evaluates and seeks to improve the performance and security of our various ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] systems and platforms. As we identify shortfalls, we correct them as part of a continuous process of seeking to improve capabilities and security. As a matter of policy, we don't comment on specific vulnerabilities or intelligence issues."

The first the US apparently knew about the hacking was last year when they found video feeds from a drone on the laptop of a Shia militant allegedly backed by Iran. The US and Britain have both accused Iran for years of interfering in Iraq.

More laptops were found in the summer that suggested insurgents sharing the video feeds.

While the US is hinting that Iran, with its sophisticated technology, is the explanation, it could simply be that an Iraqi searching for a football game or other broadcast came across the signal.

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He who controls all the money has all the power

In Fritz Springmeier's book Bloodlines of the Illuminati, he argues that the Rothschild family is one of 13 dynastic bloodlines linked to the Illuminati. New World Order conspiracy theories present the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Phipps', DuPonts, Vanderbilts, Bush family, etc. as the real rulers or would-be rulers of the world.[25

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Reid Fights for 60th Vote on Health Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid struggled to win over the last Democratic vote on health-overhaul legislation as uncertainty grew about whether the measure can be brought to a vote before Christmas.

After more than two weeks of debate, Mr. Reid (D., Nev.) remained a vote short of the 60 votes needed to ensure passage of the White House-backed initiative.

The focus Wednesday was on Sen. Ben Nelson, the conservative Nebraskan who stands as the only undecided member of the party's 60-member caucus, which includes two independents. Democratic leaders were confident Wednesday that Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, would support the bill after a move to drop plans to expand Medicare.

Mr. Nelson, meanwhile, voiced concerns about proposed taxes and cuts in Medicare payments to health-care providers. He is demanding the bill's limits on insurance coverage for abortion be further tightened.

Until I can see more details, I'm not going to know whether I can support the bill," said Mr. Nelson, who met privately Tuesday with President Barack Obama. The senator said the president spoke persuasively. But Mr. Nelson said he wasn't won over and questioned whether there was time for a vote before Christmas, the goal of Democratic leaders and the White House.

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican, urged Mr. Nelson to oppose the bill, warning it would impose big costs on the state. "The bottom line is the current Senate bill is not in Nebraska's best interest," he said in a letter sent to the senator.

Mr. Reid was also trying to clear the way for approval in the coming days of a handful of must-pass budget bills, including a catch-all measure funding Pentagon operations and extending soon-to-expire jobless benefits, among other things.

The bill, which cleared the House Wednesday, also includes an extension of the Patriot Act, which gives law enforcement additional antiterrorism powers. It is widely supported in the Senate. But Republicans are forcing Mr. Reid to go through the motions of closing off debate, action that will take time away from the health bill this week.

The Senate also needs to approve legislation that would raise the government's $12.1 trillion debt ceiling.

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Iraq Auctions Development Rights to Oil Fields

BAGHDAD — During an auction of Iraq’s best undeveloped oil fields that concluded Saturday, Baghdad awarded international companies development rights to seven fields that within a few years could nearly double the country’s oil production.

The revenues from production would be critical to helping this oil-dependent country rebuild from the war, but significant obstacles remain to the development of the fields, including continuing violence.

While ExxonMobil and other American-based oil companies registered for the auction, none came away with a development deal on Friday or Saturday. But both ExxonMobil and California-based Occidental Petroleum are part of groups that have recently won oil field deals in Iraq.

After a week during which bombings killed more than 100 people in a single day in Baghdad, the government seized on the auction — conducted under intense security — as an unmitigated success that would be felt for generations.

“Now the Iraqi people can be assured of their future, the futures of their sons and the futures of their grandsons,” said Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraq’s oil minister, who was embattled before the auction for failing to significantly increase the country’s oil production levels, which stands at 2.5 million barrels a day.

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Alimony=Fail!

LOS ANGELES — A judge ordered Nas to increase his payments to his soon-to-be ex-wife, Kelis, and their infant son to $51,101 a month Wednesday.

The ruling came after two days of testimony about the musicians, during which both were portrayed as cash-strapped. Nas had been paying Kelis nearly $40,000 a month since July.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Cunningham III issued his ruling after hearing detailed testimony about the musicians' finances, recording deals and significant tax debts. Nas and Kelis both were in court and testified Wednesday.

Nas' attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said after the hearing that the rapper benefits from the changes. Nas, whose real name is Nasir Jones, will no longer have to pay $13,000 a month for the former couple's Los Angeles home.

Kelis, who real name is Kelis Rogers, has been living at the Los Angeles home with the couple's son, Knight, in recent months and has installed recording equipment at the house.

Her attorney, Laura Wasser, said she was "thrilled" with the ruling.

Rogers recently signed a $175,000 contract to make new music with Interscope records, although her attorneys argued most of the money went to Rogers' former managers and she received only about $50,000. Rogers, who gained fame for the song "Milkshake," downplayed her new music, telling Jones' attorney that the only song she'd recently made debuted on Twitter.

For his part, Jones said he didn't expect to release a new album in 2010. New albums create an influx of cash for musicians, who receive a spike in royalty payments and touring proceeds, accountants for both musicians testified.

Jones, considered one of rap's most popular and talented artists, released his last studio album in 2008.

He owes his current manager up to $700,000 and owes millions to the Internal Revenue Service, according to testimony Wednesday.

Rogers hasn't filed a tax return in years, which made calculating her income difficult.

Health care issues: The cost of health insurance

A look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: How much do Americans who have employer-sponsored health insurance pay in premiums? What do their employers pay? Would that change if the system is overhauled?

THE POLITICS: Health care costs have been increasing. For Americans and the businesses that insure most of them, that translates into higher insurance premiums. The average premium cost for employer-provided insurance has doubled since 2000. These days, coverage for an individual with employer-provided insurance costs on average $4,824 a year, with the employee paying $779 of that amount, according to a 2009 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. For a family plan, the premium is $13,375 with the employee paying $3,515. Under current law, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that in 2016 average premiums for employer-based insurance will rise to about $7,500 for a single policy and about $19,000 for a family policy.

WHAT IT MEANS: Numerous factors will affect the cost of insurance under proposed health care bills, making their impact hard to predict. But President Barack Obama has vowed to lower the cost of health care. The legislation would set up exchanges where companies would compete for customers. It also would provide subsidies for lower-income people.

Citi Bank Bailout

A year after accepting two taxpayer bailouts, Citigroup is racing to raise billions of dollars in the stock market to repay the aid, a crucial step in freeing itself from Washington’s grip.

Even if Citigroup were to pay back all or part of its bailout funds — a move some analysts warn might be premature — the giant financial services company would still be beholden to the government because of other federal support it is receiving.

Citigroup is redoubling its efforts to reimburse taxpayers now that Bank of America and many other of its big rivals have repaid the bailout money they received last year at the height of the financial crisis.. Doing so would help Citigroup shed the stigma associated with being the last Wall Street giant still tied to Washington.

If Citigroup can persuade the government that it is strong enough to stand on its own by repaying the money, and persuade investors to buy new shares, the accomplishment would be another milestone in the recovery of the nation’s financial industry. Few analysts had expected Citigroup to repay the government so soon.

Playoffs are here! Fantasy football and what to do

We're into the final quarter of the NFL regular season and the final three weeks of most fantasy seasons, with the playoffs starting this week for many leagues.

And if you think you've figured out this NFL season, try explaining how the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers could both fall in key games to losing teams the same week.

Of course, you can't see those wild ones coming. And succeeding in the final weeks will require navigating a few more unexpected twists. Let's take a look at a few critical questions that could go a long way in determining how your league pans out.


When will the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints clinch home field?
The Colts could wrap things up at home against the Denver Broncos, which means they would have nothing to play for in your semifinal and championship weeks.

Their undefeated streak adds another element of uncertainty, and it seems inconceivable Indianapolis would let its key players take a full month off.

What is clear is Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai and Reggie Wayne will get some rest in at least the two final games. If you count on them, and you don't have a backup plan, you need one quick. If your trade deadline has passed, you will have to try to pick up players such as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith or Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess, who have enjoyed late-season success.

Drake and Lupe

For any new mixtapes drop me a line and ill find it.

Obama Pushes New Job Stimulus

President Barack Obama pressed forward with an expansion of his $787 billion stimulus plan Tuesday, unveiling job-creation proposals that largely build on the initial package, including a hiring tax credit that his own party jettisoned as unworkable and some business owners deemed ineffective.

In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Mr. Obama avoided calling his jobs push a new stimulus plan. But White House officials acknowledged that the president was taking stimulus components that he believed worked best and extending or amplifying them.

These include putting an additional $50 billion toward infrastructure spending, ramping up Treasury Department lending to small businesses through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, extending tax credits for business investment and offering state and local governments a fresh lifeline.

Other ideas that weren't in the February stimulus legislation include a tax credit that rewards companies for hiring workers and tax rebates for individuals who make their homes more energy efficiency.

Legalize Mary Jane

Marijuana. Most people see it as a recreational drug and are skeptical of its tangible, medical benefits for patients with chronic pain, including those whose use of prescribed narcotics often leaves them vulnerable to addiction.

Take, for instance, the story of Janice Beecher. A Colorado resident since 1968, she suffers from osteoarthritis and chronic back pains. Until recently she had to take up to four oxycodone just to be able to make it through the day. Fortunately for her, she received a permit to use marijuana legally and is now able to live without debilitating pain and able to go days without taking the highly addictive oxycodone. Janice explained to me that "the blessing comes with the knowledge that I can pick what works for me at the dispensary. I don't have to just take what I can get on the black market."

It's cases like Janice's that compel us to come together and make truly common sense policy and regulations for a reasonable market for medical marijuana. The Colorado constitution now allows for the dispensing of medical marijuana, but currently the state does not have the oversight, regulations or authority to properly control the program. We need to propose a model that will not only destigmatize medical marijuana by working to keep it out of the hands of those who would only seek to use it recreationally, but more importantly to create a fair and regulated market that is best for the patients who can benefit immensely from it.

To work out the legislation on the issue, there are a number of interested parties whose concerns must clearly be addressed. First and foremost, we need to address the needs of patients and map out who can write prescriptions and how one can purchase legal marijuana. Further, we need to better think through the regulation of the medical dispensaries, where they can be located and how they should generally operate--after all, we are trying to regulate a medicinal drug, not perpetuate 'head shops.'

Lupe Fiasco Mixtape Enemy of the State

Lupe Mix Tape Enemy of the State

Baghdad bombings

A series of coordinated attacks struck Baghdad Tuesday, including two suicide car bombers and another vehicle that blew up near government sites. At least 118 were killed and hundreds wounded in the worst wave of violence in the capital in more than a month, authorities said.

A total of five attacks, which also included a suicide car bomb on a police patrol, showed the ability of insurgents to strike high-profile targets in the heart of Baghdad and marked the third time since August that government buildings were targeted with multiple blasts that brought massive bloodshed.

The bombings reinforced concerns about shortcomings in Iraqi security as U.S. forces plan their withdrawal, and parliament held an emergency session with many lawmakers demanding answers for apparent security lapses.

Iraq's military spokesman blamed the carnage on an alliance of al-Qaida in Iraq and members of Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party.

Google goggles

Lindsay Lohan's Muse PHOTOS: Threesomes, All Fours, Butt And A Breast

Lindsay Lohan is busy not acting and has posed for a spread in Muse Magazine. Inspired by the relationship between Johnny Depp and Kate Moss, the photos reflect debauched times, a threesome, one of Lohan's breasts and her butt.
FOR ALL PHOTOS CLICK HERE

Bryant Gumbel says during TV appearance that he has lung cancer

Bryant Gumbel says he's recovering from lung cancer surgery and treatment.

The former "Today" show anchor says a malignant tumor and part of his lung were removed two months ago. He revealed his condition to Kelly Ripa while he was subbing for co-host Regis Philbin on "Live With Regis and Kelly" on Tuesday.

Gumbel says he had preferred to keep his condition private and only told Ripa backstage to explain why he couldn't dance with her during a segment on the show.

The 61-year-old Gumbel says he's meeting with his surgeon and oncologist next week and hopes to be cleared to play golf soon

Tiger Woods Paid For Alleged Mistress's Plastic Surgery, Magazine Says

Life & Style reports that Tiger Woods paid for liposuction for one of his many alleged mistresses. The magazine says that Woods gave Jamie Jungers (PHOTOS), a 26-year-old blonde, thousands of dollars, which she used on thigh liposuction.

Here is the press release:

Jamie Jungers is enjoying the perks of being one of Tiger Woods' mistresses. The multimillionaire athlete lavished big bucks on the aspiring model, which she spent on plastic surgery. An insider tells Life & Style,"Tiger gave Jamie thousands of dollars. She took that money to get liposuction on her thighs." According to reports, Jamie, 26, met Tiger in Las Vegas in July 2005 while she was working for Trashy Lingerie as a "Trashy Girl." They reportedly carried on their affair for more than a year even though Jamie was engaged. Jamie has not commented on any of the allegations. For more breaking news on Tiger Woods, pick up the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands tomorrow.

Obama economic reform

Reporting from Washington - President Obama today proposed to spend money on job creation available because of smaller than expected corporate bailouts, in part by building roads, expanding credit for small business and encouraging energy-efficient home projects.

In a morning address at a nonpartisan Washington think tank, Obama unveiled a mix of proposals that he said would generate the greatest number of jobs while generating the greatest value for the economy.

"There is only so much government can do," Obama said. "Job creation will ultimately depend on the real job creators: businesses across America. But government can help lay the groundwork on which the private sector can better generate jobs, growth and innovation."

The total financial cost of the proposal hasn't been determined, according to administration officials familiar with the package that the president described. Obama only meant to draw the broad strokes of the overall plan, said one, adding that the White House plans to work with members of Congress to determine the size and scale of many of the components.

But administration sources suggested the cost would be partly -- and possibly mostly -- offset by $200 billion which the federal government was supposed to lose on the Troubled Assets Relief Program but now expects to recoup.

"That means we have space to do these proposals and to have a lower deficit than what we were expecting," said one administration official who requested anonymity to speak about the thinking at the White House.

In his morning speech at the Brookings Institution, Obama called for tax cuts to encourage additional business investments next year, with a particular focus on struggling small business.