Thursday, February 3, 2011

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A son of former Enron President Jeff Skilling has been found dead in his Southern California apartment.

Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna says 20-year-old John Taylor Skilling was found dead Tuesday after he failed to meet friends for a dinner and they called police.

Jeff Skilling's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, confirmed to CNBC that the young man was his client's son. Petrocelli did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press.

Bertagna said Thursday that bottles of medication were found near Skilling, who had been distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend.

Authorities are awaiting a toxicology report to determine the cause of death. That could take four to six weeks.

Skilling was studying at Chapman University in Orange.

His father is serving a 24-year sentence in federal prison for fraud, insider trading and conspiracy.
By the time Fernando Torres actually signed his contract with Chelsea on Monday, there were less than 15 minutes of the transfer window remaining. The clock was ticking, and when he put pen to paper, there was relief more than joy. His situation had reached a point of no return, he was in a corner, and yet the risk of having to return felt real. At times during deadline day, Torres had doubted the deal would go through. But a tense and difficult day -- a tense and difficult few months -- finally ended well for Torres. He got what he wanted.

Well, sort of. This was not the way that the Spaniard had pictured it, nor the way he planned it. He didn't want to leave this way. Under different circumstances, he would have preferred not to leave at all. But the circumstances were what they were. They were not good. Liverpool was not what he thought Liverpool should be and he was not prepared to wait for the club to be once more. That, in a nutshell, is why he wanted to depart Anfield. In the end, the desire simply to leave -- and leave as soon as possible -- overshadowed all else.

Monday was a day of helicopters, tears and arguments, with obstacles to overcome. With each hurdle cleared, the finishing line drew nearer. The first and most significant, the price. Then there was the wait while Liverpool sought a replacement. Few were happier that Andy Carroll was joining Liverpool than the man whose No. 9 shirt he would take. Then there were negotiations over Sunday's clash -- the Reds didn't want Torres playing for Chelsea against them. Legally, that was impossible, but Liverpool sought an informal agreement. That was the one concession it did not get.

If Torres had any doubt as to the way Liverpool fans would receive him on Sunday, confirmation came with the images breathlessly beamed live by Sky Sports News and reproduced in newspapers everywhere. There they were burning his shirt, flames flickering around that No. 9.


Move over Shaunie O’Neal and the ‘circle’ of girls from VH1′s Basketball Wives, there’s a whole new clique of housewives set to take over the social scene of Miami. Bravo TV has decided to take its Housewives franchise to warmer climates by heading south to Miami and picking a new crop of hot housewives.

At point in the newest installment in the housewives franchise is Larsa Pippen, the wife of retired NBA star Scottie Pippen, who is being declared the “hottest NBA wife” by the network. The hot mom-of-four beat out fellow NBA wives Eva Longoria and supermodel Adriana Lima to lay claims to the title. The network gives no source for her ranking as the hottest NBA wife, so it looks like she may have given herself the title!

Do you think Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lara Pippen is the hottest wife in the NBA?

Obama Triggers Blackouts ?

Obama triggers outages, (AP) - More than a dozen new industrial facilities to federal control of air pollution and greenhouse gases responsible for global warming after a senior EPA official told a federal court of a long delay in central California would not escape to meet rules.

The reversal of the EPA is Obama under fire from Republicans for a host of new regulations on air pollution that they say will kill jobs and projects. Republican leaders in the House and Senate on Wednesday unveiled legislation to prevent the agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. It is the latest in a string of legislative initiatives aimed at undermining the EPA.

"This means a change in the position of the EPA has taken in this case," EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy said in the document was filed in U. S. District Court Monday. In a statement, the agency said it was neither fair nor appropriate for devices with applications in the last phase of the evaluation standards that have recently entered into force requirements.

About 10 to 20 installations of hundreds waiting for pollution permits may be exempted from new rules, the EPA said. But it is unclear how much the threshold would be to control global warming gases trigger encountered.

Judging by reports from Cairo, the west does not understand that one of the greatest antiquity collections on Earth is in danger If petrol bombs were being thrown in St Marks Square in Venice , or outside the British Museum , what would reports say? We would never stop hearing about the threat to humanity’s cultural heritage. Yet, as I scan the news sites for the latest reports from Cairo, it is strange how little stress has been placed on the unique importance and fragility of the contents of the Egyptian Museum, which stands at the very heart of the unfolding tragedy. That is why I must reiterate my previous attempt to draw attention to this silent witness and victim of events . No, works of art are not people. The violence to protesters who had been so peaceful is nightmarish. But a nightmare scenario is also unfolding for the antiquities of Egypt . As I already stressed earlier this week, the collection of the Egyptian Museum is one of the greatest on Earth. This is where the golden mask of Tutenkamun is kept; the mummies of the pharaohs, and so much more. The image that has haunted me all week is of a very ancient and very spooky tomb statue in the museum: it keeps coming to mind because I have seen nothing like it anywhere else – and because it is made of wood. Old, dry wood. All these treasures could vanish in smoke so easily. My initial assumption was that the western media were downplaying the museum because it seemed less important than the lives at stake and the future to be won. It was even being said that to draw attention to looting was to do the propaganda work of the regime. But now I am starting to wonder if people in the west even know or care what is in that building. It is a great museum. And it is in peril. Museums Egypt Egyptology Protest Hosni Mubarak Egypt Art Sculpture History and history of art Jonathan Jones guardian.co.uk
Update: Kenneth Cole has removed the offending tweet and issued an apology on his Facebook Page: “I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

 Canada announced the beleaguered telecom regulator to be a controversial decision to end effectively "unlimited" internet plans in the wake of complaints from consumers and the Harper government's threat to amend the rule again and again.

"In light of these requests and concerns and clear of Canadians, the Committee decided to implement use-based billing to wholesale customers delayed by at least 60 days," said Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein CRTC Commons committee Thursday.

"[We], and the launch of our own movement, and a review of our decision."

His announcement comes less than one day after the Minister of Industry notice delivered to the alarm CRTC Ottawa, will scrap its resolution if the regulator does not resolve themselves.

Tony Clement made the surprise announcement late Wednesday via his Twitter account.

The conservative government has a significant interest in the CRTC ruling that led to the reaction of consumers and large-scale and attracted the attention of all political parties in Ottawa.

Lil Wayne - Green & Yellow (Green Bay Packers)


A GLOWING orb filmed hovering over the skyline of Jerusalem has left UFO experts dumbfounded.

The circular object was seen descending slowly over the holy city's iconic Dome of the Rock before flickering and shooting skyward like a rocket.

Similar clips have been seen before and debunked as hoaxes.

But this latest sighting has proved more difficult to dismiss — as it was recorded from FOUR different perspectives.


Some UFO enthusiasts believe the videos - which have taken the internet by storm - are final proof that aliens exist, while others say the unidentified object was the Hebrew god Elohim.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that flying over the Dome of the Rock landmark — an ancient Islamic shrine — is forbidden.

Jamie Carragher is the bookies' favourite to be the first Liverpool player to foul Anfield old boy Fernando Torres on Sunday when they clash with bitter rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Bookmakers William Hill rate the no-nonsense Scouser at 6/1 to foul his former team-mate, who moved to Chelsea for £50 million on the final day of the transfer window earlier this week.

The Spanish striker is set to make his debut against his former club, while Carragher is set to return after three months out with a dislocated shoulder.

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "Of course not one Liverpool player will wish Torres anything other than a successful career at Chelsea, nor will any of them wish to be found guilty of foul play against him.

"But it is inevitable that one or more of them will foul him, and we rate Jamie Carragher as the most likely to do so first."

Second on the list is Martin Skrtel at 7/1, while Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is 9/1.

The odds for the first Liverpool player to foul Torres are: Jamie Carragher 6/1; Martin Skrtel 7/1; Sotirios Kyrgiakos 7/1; Daniel Agger 8/1; Lucas 9/1; Steven Gerrard 9/1; Martin Kelly 10/1; Fabio Aurelio 11/1; Glen Johnson 11/1; Jay Spearing 11/1; Raul Meireles 11/1.
Now that Britney Spears has revealed the cover and title choice for her anticipated new album, Femme Fatale, what do fans think? Well, many seem to be of the opinion that Spears' coy look and bold album name are a "flawless" and "perfect" decision on the part of the pop star, who is set to release the collection in March. When people took to MTVNews.com to comment on the article about the title release, a majority of the fans noted they couldn't be happier about it.

"Love the album name and the cover," Kevin J wrote. "It's great to see that fire in her eyes again and if everything I've been reading is true I'll soon get to see it back in her dancing too."

Caitie added, "Never, ever let down by Britney. You got this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Commenter Priscila was excited to see Spears channeling femme fatale power for the album. She wrote, "OMG! I'm so excited! I need it [now]! Awesome title, I always loved that Velvet song and hoped that Britney would cover it. I'm grateful her new album will have a 'femme fatale' vibe!"

Meanwhile, IfUSeekPeanut noted that this album proves that the singer is the heir to the pop queen throne. "Yes!! Legend just like Madonna!! ... The picture is hot!!"

Ayluvhue114 wrote, "The cover itself speaks [who's] the real Goddess of beauty! It's classy and flawless!"

Booklady noted, "I can't wait to see her new video and for Femme Fatale to be released! #TeamBritney."

Salizarrr, meanwhile, is just excited to see what happens next in the Femme Fatale age of Britney, writing, "Britney's album is an escape and I can't wait to listen to it. I wanna pre-order the deluxe version already! I wonder what the second single will be."
Our World Is China compilation is intended as a celebration of China’s New Year. The ultimate idea for this compilation came from our Chief Marketing Officer. In the midst of a casual conversation with our Brand Content and Online VP, she simply asked, in light of our recent World Is Africa and World Is India CDs, if we’d ever considered doing something for Chinese New Year. That was it! She’d figured it out in one inspired swoop.

So began the task, much like our other globally-themed compilations of presenting an introduction to a certain country or continent’s music, while simultaneously aiming to reveal the span of China’s sound and how it influences and is influenced by music from around the globe. We’ve had much success with the world genre beginning way back in 1997 with our African (Africaffé), Cuban (Café Cubana, Más Café Cubana) Italian (Ciao Amore!, Bella Luna) and Parisian-themed compilations (Rendezvous à Paris, Paris Magnifique). These compilations have always served as both a primer and a deeper dive into the richness of each culture.

For China I looked to both my substantial collection of Asian music and cinema. I was equally as inspired by Jia Zhangke’s Still Life (2006), concerning the destruction of a small village on the Yangtze River in the wake of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, as I was by a Beijing indie rock showcase I saw at the 2010 South By Southwest Music Festival. Again, not everyone wants to hear an entire compilation of Chinese punk and indie rock, but it all served to influence what eventually became this compilation.

The tension in the streets of Cairo has not changed, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting the vehicle he and his CNN crew were traveling in was set upon and attacked. “Situation on ground in #egypt very tense. Vehicle I was in attacked. My window smashed. All ok,” the AC 360 host reported via Twitter just about 12:45 Thursday.

Cooper spent most of Wednesday night reporting from an undisclosed location for safety after being repeatedly punched in the head during an attack by members of a pro-government mob.

Today’s incident comes amid widespread reports that journalists in Egypt have been targeted not only for harassment and physical violence, but also arrest. As The New York Times‘ Nicholas Kristof warned, “to my reporting brethren in Egypt: there are reports that police are raiding hotels looking for journalists. Be careful!”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum says it will open the world's first exhibit devoted to rock's most influential female artists.

The show opening May 13 at the museum in Cleveland will feature women ranging from Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin to Melissa Etheridge and Lady Gaga.

"Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" will spotlight more than 50 female artists and fill two floors of the hall with artifacts and video telling the story of how women have shaped the history of popular music. Throughout the year, the museum will offer educational programming on the role women have played in rock and roll.

A benefit concert is planned for May 14. Performers will include Cyndi Lauper and Wanda Jackson.
Heavy gunfire has erupted amid the clashes between regime supporters and anti-government protesters, and people have been seen carrying away at least one person.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) - Egypt's prime minister apologized for an attack by government supporters on protesters in a surprising show of contrition Thursday, and the government offered more concessions to try to calm the wave of demonstrations demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

Vice President Omar Suleiman promised that Mubarak's son, Gamal, will not seek to succeed his father in presidential elections in September, state TV said. The prospect that the president intends to hand power to his son has been opposed by many Egyptians.

Also, the prosecutor-general banned travel and froze the bank accounts for the former interior minister whose police led a bloody crackdown against the protesters last week and against two other former ministers who were among the unpopular millionaire businessmen wielding heavy influence in the previous government.

Witnesses say police have opened fire to break up an anti-government protest in Yemen, and security officials say one protester has been critically wounded.

It was not immediately clear whether the police were using live ammunition or rubber bullets.

The security officials say two others demonstrators were also wounded in the eastern town of Mukalla, but no details were immediately available.

The protest in Mukalla was one of several anti-government demonstrations across Yemen Thursday. Tens of thousands joined in the protests, chanting "down, down with the regime."

The marches were among the largest yet against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaida. Earlier this week, the president promised not to extend his term beyond 2013 in an attempt to defuse calls for his ouster.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of Yemen's president staged dueling demonstrations on Thursday, underscoring deep divisions in a nation seen by the Obama administration as a key ally in its fight against Islamic militants.

Scuffles and stone-throwing erupted briefly between the two sides, but police intervened to keep the sides apart and there were no reported casualties. The relative calm contrasted with Egypt on Wednesday, where supporters of President Hosni Mubarak and anti-government protesters battled in Cairo's central square.

A secret U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks indicates that in 2009 the U.S. ambassador to Jordan had little faith in King Abdullah II's promises to initiate reforms in his country.

The Norwegian daily Aftenposten on Thursday published an October 2009 cable by U.S. Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft, who wrote that Abdullah "as a progressive reformer often fails to match up with his actions on the ground."

After several street protests, Abdullah on Tuesday bowed to public pressure and fired his government but the country's powerful Muslim opposition said the changes didn't go far enough.

Aftenposten said in December that it had obtained the entire trove of 250,000 uncensored U.S. diplomatic documents that WikiLeaks has been distributing.
After a crazy day where cold weather killed our generator (and our live shots), we're hoping for better results today. That's our 'live truck' above... and as of 5:30am it was up and running! Excellent news because we have some great story lines from some key players to tell you.

First, Steelers starting safety Ryan Clark will be playing the big game without two of his organs – as in 'body parts.' He had his spleen and gall bladder removed three years ago and now he's got quite an upbeat outlook now. I love the quote he gave us what he told doctors when he was fighting for his life. We'll explain.

Also, Green Bay receiver James Jones – his story is right out of a movie – from living in homeless shelters as a kid to playing on the game's biggest stage. He predicted it would happen, when he was just five years old.

And that's not all. The players are also complaining about the cold like we are which is amusing.

It's gonna be another cold one today and unfortunately the winter coats my wife sent by courier haven't arrived yet so I'll be freezing again. But it'll still be exciting because after all, it's the SUPER BOWL and it only happens once a year!

The Verizon iPhone 4

It’s the same phone. The only difference is the network. And Verizon’s network is better.
That’s it in a nut.

Here’s the whole story. I’ve been using a Verizon iPhone 4 since Friday morning. I was in San Francisco through Sunday morning, and I’ve been home in Philadelphia ever since.


First, it’s not really the same phone. For one thing, the Verizon iPhone currently runs an ever-so-slightly newer version of iOS. (More on this below.) For another, the Verizon iPhone 4 is, technically, different hardware. The existing iPhone 4 only supports GSM networks. The new Verizon iPhone only supports CDMA. Thus, the two phones have entirely different 3G networking components. The external antenna is also different. I find the CDMA iPhone 4’s antenna to be more aesthetically pleasing, because it’s symmetrical, but it’s a very subtle change. In every other regard, the two phones are identical. They feel the same, they look the same. They perform the same. They have the same battery life.

The spot features a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the all-new 2012 Passat in the driveway. It leverages humor and the unforgettable Star Wars™ score to create an emotional commercial.


Last night, as many people around Australia, I was watching television and watching the news on the Internet after the cyclone Yasi movements in North Queensland.

In this era of the internet was an amazing number of people set up Web cameras in various places, as the terrible images and audio, before they finally cut due to the loss of power. Ingham was one of the webcams to show only the black color display, but the sound was a passing cyclone nothing less than the cry of nature in its most terrible.

I went to bed and slept light, hope and pray for good news this morning, but my head did not expect too much.

This morning brought the news that the worst has not happened, but all that talk about "dodging bullets," Yasi was not overvalued. Yes, the city of Cairns is lucky enough to witness the full force of the storm to get, but the cities of Mission Beach, Tully, Innisfail, Ingham and Cardwell nobody talk about the bullets, except to the extent that no one is deceased.

Take this in Cardwell:



WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Sesame Street" will have an address near the nation's capital.

The group behind the popular TV show is teaming up with the National Children's Museum to create exhibits and bring Big Bird and Elmo to the museum's future home outside Washington at the National Harbor in Maryland.

Sesame Workshop, the New York-based nonprofit group behind the show, has created traveling exhibits before. But the partnership to be announced Thursday will be its first home at a museum.

Museum President and CEO Kathy Dwyer Southern says the "Sesame Street" characters will serve as virtual guides to the museum for children who visit. They'll also be included in a new Early Learners gallery and a planned international gallery.

The $182.6 million museum is slated to open in 2013.