I'm rather surprised by this move, as Leigh's a good agent. But from what I'm reading in a number of areas, Leinart seems to think he should be the number one pick of the NFL Draft and go to the Houston Texans.
Obviously someone's really fibbing to Matt regarding his chances of being drafted either by the Texans, Saints, or Jets. His best bet is with the Gang Green, but even they may select Jay Cutler, who tests as well as Leinart in workouts.
If Tom Condon, who was hired by Hollywood Agency CAA, told Leinart he could get the Texans to sign him over Reggie Bush, that would be a terrible lie, or the dumbest action the Texans could take. But if the Texans are thinking of trading the pick, anything could happen. But Matt will not be the first selection of the 2006 NFL Draft.
I wonder how much this is connected with Leinart's showing up at events like The Atlanta Playboy Party. I wonder if Leigh was just trying to reign his client in and it became too much for the USC Prima.
We'll find out soon.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Matt Leinart At Playboy Party In Atlanta During Cable Convention - Sees Ex Girlfriend and Gets Jealous - From MySpace
I found this on a MySpace post on tghe site of a guy who calls himself "Doubledown!" (david2d) and lives in Atlanta. The actual post can be seen with a click on the title post link above.
For those who like stories, here it goes:
My friend from CNN took a job a several months ago as a VP for Playboy. We met up a last month in Miami (WMC) and then again last Saturday as he was in Atlanta for a cable tv convention. He sent me an invite for this Playboy party that they'd be sponsoring during the National Show. Well, I've been to 3-4 Playboy parties and they were are virtual hoax they sucked so bad. However, as time neared, it became apparent that this was going to be the actual Playboy Enterprises, not local girls with buddy-ears on.
I invited a couple of girls and put everyone on the list. Both invited wingmen couldn't make it. This was no time for the B-list, so I figured I'd just hangout with the girls. One came early but had to leave, the other came so late that she missed the entire fashion show and most of the rockparty that followed (both of which were too great for words).
Anyway, back to the story. The first girl is one I meet at the best-of-the-best tryouts (some reality show for models) a few weeks prior. I invited her out a few times but always got the "oh, wish I could, call me next time!" response....I'm no rookie, she probably has a boyfriend...but who cares! She's a 6'0 stunning beauty who answers when I call, so she's always invited. Anyway she meets me there around 10pm. I introduce her to the VP, we get some drinks, vip bands, it's totally on!! She's hotter than 90% of the girls working the event.
I claim the sweetest table there and we start having a blast (James's lawyer friend was with me and had 2 hotties with him also). Once we set-up shop, two cameramen start taking pics of us. The show hadn't started yet, so everyone was just watching us. All of a sudden Matt Leinart walks up, cool right? The Heisman winner and soon to be top5 pick in NFL! Well he goes right to Jessica, they hug and start talking like they know each other. (Ok, I really need to start asking people more questions...didn't know, or remember, that she was from LA). Turns out she dated him - during the national championship season! As an LSU fan I threw-up in my mouth a little when I heard that, but I was ready to move-on and party. She wasn't.
There must have been a lot of unresolved issues because it ruined both of their nights! They both got pale and neither could shake it off. *He didn't know she lived here - and - she had no reason to suspect he'd be at the freakin Atlanta Playboy party for a cable tv convention.* The karma was so bad that she left and my crew broke into pieces. James was working the big wigs, so I was all alone for like 45 mins during the party of the freaking year.
Leinart didn't seem to like me, obviously thought I was dating his ex. Haha sucka! Anyway, VP James, the girls, and the lawyer all showed up separately but at the exact same time. Then Brandon (listed on myspace friends) stepped-in as my dependable wingman and it was back on! Great, great, great, great party! Forgot my camera but here's treo phone pic of the ice sculpture...will update this if can get my hands on one of those paparazzi photos early on.
NFL COMMISSIONER SEARCH COMMITTEE APPOINTED
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
WWW.NFLMedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NFL-21 4/5/06
COMMISSIONER SEARCH COMMITTEE APPOINTED
NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE appointed an eight-member committee to lead the
search for a new commissioner, the NFL announced today.
The eight members of the committee are:
• Al Davis, Oakland Raiders
• Lamar Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
• Woody Johnson, New York Jets
• Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
• Robert Kraft, New England Patriots
• Mike McCaskey, Chicago Bears
• Jerry Richardson, Carolina Panthers
• Dan Rooney, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jerry Richardson and Dan Rooney will serve as co-chairs of the committee.
Commissioner Tagliabue announced on March 20 that he will retire by the end of July.
The next regularly scheduled league meeting will take place on May 23-24 in Denver.
# # #
Monday, April 10, 2006
John Kerry Sends Email Asking President Bush To "Tell The Truth" About Iraq
I just got this email from the office of Senator John Kerry
Dear Zenophon,
"Tell the truth. Fire the incompetents. Get out of Iraq. Have health care for all Americans. These are pretty simple messages, and they're worth fighting for today."
That's what I said yesterday when I appeared on "Meet the Press" to push our call for two deadlines and an exit from Iraq.
You and I both know it will take a massive citizen effort to force a President bogged down in this war to change his course - but doing so is our moral responsibility.
I urge you to join me today in calling for the withdrawal of American combat troops by the end of 2006 - and sooner than that if Iraqi politicians allow the civil war to grow and continue to delay, squabble and jockey for their own political turf while our brave soldiers sacrifice life and limb every day to create the conditions for democracy.
Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now
Fortunately, more and more people are stepping forward to join in our call to bring our troops home by the end of this year. Political leaders like Russ Feingold, Max Cleland, and Gary Hart have endorsed our plan -- and grassroots support for our call to action is growing.
Still, the President and his administration remain frozen in place, boxed in by George W. Bush's stubborn refusal to admit that he has America on the wrong course in Iraq. The President seems content to endlessly wait for various political factions in Iraq to get their act together.
That's totally unacceptable. And you and I have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to make George W. Bush do what he likes to do the least - and that's confront reality head-on.
Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now
I'm not suggesting that this will be easy. The fact is, it would be far easier to challenge the President on other topics if all we were interested in is scoring political points.
But, no one in 2006 -- Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative -- can refuse to step forward and offer clear ideas on Iraq. And, with 133,000 courageous American men and women putting their lives on the line for democracy in Iraq, it is essential for you and other members of our three-million person johnkerry.com community to take action.
I need you to join me in leading an all-out effort to turn this President's wrong-headed policy on Iraq around. And ask your friends and family to do the same by forwarding this email to them.
Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now
Our soldiers have done their jobs. They can't resolve political differences between Iraqis in an escalating civil war. It can't be done militarily; it can't be done from a Humvee or a helicopter. It can only be accomplished by a dramatic change of course, turning away from George W. Bush's aimless "stay for as long as it takes" approach. You and I have to try to make this administration change their approach before it's too late.
I urge you not to wait another day before signing onto this profoundly important fight for a better way.
Sincerely,
John Kerry
P.S. Late Saturday night I went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The Wall is a powerful reminder of our moral obligation to tell the truth. As you walk down the ramp, you find yourself literally engulfed as the Wall, tens of thousands of names etched on it, gets higher and higher.
There are far too many people whose names are on the Wall who died after leaders in Washington knew that our policy wasn't working. We need to get Iraq right for our soldiers today before we let history repeat itself.
NFL TO IMPLEMENT "FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING"
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
WWW.NFLMedia.com
NFL TO IMPLEMENT "FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING" DURING
SEVEN OF FINAL EIGHT SUNDAYS OF 2006 SEASON
ALLOWS TEAMS TO PLAY THEIR WAY ONTO NBC SUNDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
The NFL this season will implement for the first time in its history a primetime "flexible scheduling"
element on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and in Week 17.
Flexible scheduling will ensure quality matchups on Sunday night in those weeks and give surprise
teams a chance to play their way onto primetime.
The 2006 NFL schedule will list start times for all Sunday games during the "flex" weeks as 1:00 PM
ET, except for games played in the Mountain or Pacific Time zones, which will be listed at 4:05 PM ET
or 4:15 PM ET.
The NBC Sunday night time slot for "flex" weeks will list teams as "TBD."
Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to
games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.
Just as the six major college football conferences have done for many years, the NFL now will have
additional flexibility to move the start times of games on Sundays, using a 12-day notice format.
For example, a game scheduled for Sunday, November 26 could move from a 1:00 PM ET kickoff to
an 8:15 PM start, but the change would be made and announced no later than Tuesday, November
14.
The NFL has commonly moved games between 1:00 PM ET and 4:15 PM ET (eight times last
season) on Sunday afternoons. The new practice allows the NFL to employ flexible scheduling to
include one of its primetime package of games – on Sunday evenings.
Sunday afternoon games, as in the past, can still be moved between 1:00 and 4:05 or 4:15 PM ET.
In Week 17, in order to ensure a Sunday night game with playoff implications, the decision to move
the start time may be made on six days notice.
CBS and FOX will each be able to protect a total of five games in the seven weeks of flexible
scheduling, but not more than one game in any week.
During the 2005 regular season, the NFL conducted a study with mock flexible scheduling. An eightperson
task force consisting of team executives, one from each division, was consulted on a weekly
basis. In addition, television network partners and the NFL's broadcasting department participated
weekly in the process.
-- more --
"NFL Flexible Scheduling 101"
- Begins Sunday, November 12, 2006 (Week 10)
- In effect Weeks 10-15 and Week 17.
- Not in effect Week 16 due to holiday weekend.
- Only Sunday afternoon games in Weeks 10-15 and 17 are subject to being
moved into the Sunday night window.
- The majority of games on Sundays will be listed at 1:00 PM ET during flex weeks
except for games played in Pacific or Mountain Time zones which will be listed
at 4:05 or 4:15 PM ET.
- No impact on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night games.
- The NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC) and announce on
12 days notice the game being moved to 8:15 p.m. ET and may also announce
games moving to 4:15 p.m. ET.
- Week 17 start time changes could be decided on 6 days notice to ensure a game
with playoff implications.
- The NBC Sunday night time slot in "flex" weeks will list teams as "TBD."
- Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in flex weeks are subject
to change 12 days in advance (6 days in Week 17) and should plan accordingly.
- NFL schedules all games.
- CBS and FOX each get to protect a total of 5 games in the 7 weeks of flexible
scheduling, but not more than one game in any week.
- Teams will be informed as soon as they are no longer under consideration or
eligible for a move to Sunday night.
# # #
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Bush Ordered CIA Leak: MSNBC
Libby: Bush himself authorized leak on Iraq
Former Cheney aide says president OK’d giving prewar intel to media
EXCLUSIVELY ON MSNBC.COM
Updated: 1:11 p.m. ET April 6, 2006
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney’s former top aide told prosecutors that President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case.
Before his indictment, I. Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the CIA leak that Cheney told him to pass on information and that it was Bush who authorized the disclosure of information to reporters about prewar intelligence on Iraq.
The authorization came as the Bush administration faced mounting criticism about its failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the main reason the president and his aides had given for going to war.
Libby’s participation in a critical conversation with Miller on July 8, 2003, “occurred only after the vice president advised defendant that the president specifically had authorized defendant to disclose certain information in the National Intelligence Estimate,” the papers by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald stated. The filing did not specify the “certain information.”
'Unique' circumstances
“Defendant testified that the circumstances of his conversation with reporter Miller — getting approval from the president through the vice president to discuss material that would be classified but for that approval — were unique in his recollection,” the papers added.
Libby is asking for voluminous amounts of classified information from the government in order to defend himself against five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI in the Plame affair.
He is accused of making false statements about how he learned of Plame’s CIA employment and what he told reporters about it.
Her CIA status was publicly disclosed eight days after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of twisting prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.
In 2002, Wilson had been dispatched to Africa by the CIA to check out intelligence that Iraq had an agreement to acquire uranium yellowcake from Niger, and Wilson had concluded that there was no such arrangement.
Libby says he needs extensive classified files from the government to demonstrate that Plame’s CIA connection was a peripheral matter that he never focused on, and that the role of Wilson’s wife was a small piece in a building public controversy over the failure to find WMD in Iraq.
Fitzgerald said in the new court filing that Libby’s requests for information go too far and the prosecutor cited Libby’s own statements to investigators in an attempt to limit the amount of information the government must turn over to Cheney’s former chief of staff for his criminal defense.
According to Miller’s grand jury testimony, Libby told her about Plame’s CIA status in the July 8, 2003, conversation that took place shortly after the White House aide — according to the new court filing — was authorized by Bush through Cheney to disclose sensitive intelligence about Iraq and WMD contained in a National Intelligence Estimate.
The court filing was first disclosed by The New York Sun.
Former Cheney aide says president OK’d giving prewar intel to media
EXCLUSIVELY ON MSNBC.COM
Updated: 1:11 p.m. ET April 6, 2006
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney’s former top aide told prosecutors that President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case.
Before his indictment, I. Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the CIA leak that Cheney told him to pass on information and that it was Bush who authorized the disclosure of information to reporters about prewar intelligence on Iraq.
The authorization came as the Bush administration faced mounting criticism about its failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the main reason the president and his aides had given for going to war.
Libby’s participation in a critical conversation with Miller on July 8, 2003, “occurred only after the vice president advised defendant that the president specifically had authorized defendant to disclose certain information in the National Intelligence Estimate,” the papers by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald stated. The filing did not specify the “certain information.”
'Unique' circumstances
“Defendant testified that the circumstances of his conversation with reporter Miller — getting approval from the president through the vice president to discuss material that would be classified but for that approval — were unique in his recollection,” the papers added.
Libby is asking for voluminous amounts of classified information from the government in order to defend himself against five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI in the Plame affair.
He is accused of making false statements about how he learned of Plame’s CIA employment and what he told reporters about it.
Her CIA status was publicly disclosed eight days after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of twisting prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.
In 2002, Wilson had been dispatched to Africa by the CIA to check out intelligence that Iraq had an agreement to acquire uranium yellowcake from Niger, and Wilson had concluded that there was no such arrangement.
Libby says he needs extensive classified files from the government to demonstrate that Plame’s CIA connection was a peripheral matter that he never focused on, and that the role of Wilson’s wife was a small piece in a building public controversy over the failure to find WMD in Iraq.
Fitzgerald said in the new court filing that Libby’s requests for information go too far and the prosecutor cited Libby’s own statements to investigators in an attempt to limit the amount of information the government must turn over to Cheney’s former chief of staff for his criminal defense.
According to Miller’s grand jury testimony, Libby told her about Plame’s CIA status in the July 8, 2003, conversation that took place shortly after the White House aide — according to the new court filing — was authorized by Bush through Cheney to disclose sensitive intelligence about Iraq and WMD contained in a National Intelligence Estimate.
The court filing was first disclosed by The New York Sun.
Katie Couric - CONGRADULATIONS! You Deserve It!
I thought I'd post this as I've not seen anyone do it. Congradulations, Katie! And thanks to CBS and its president Leslie Moonvies for constant forward thinking.
Some people think the evening TV news anchor is supposed to be a man. I say that's stupid. I don't get how some can think of themselves as smart and yet constantly fall into the kind of "box" thinking that keeps the best person for a job from getting that position.
I'll never understand that aspect of the human condition.
But I digress.
I think Couric will show that she is worth -- more than worthy -- of the place held by Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Bob Schieffer (who I really liked in the position).
Best of luck, Katie.
Brian Doyle - What Was This Guy Thinking? A 14- Year Old?
I really don't understand why there are grown men who find 14-year old girls -- or younger -- sexually attractive. What is it? Power? I just can't understand how a person lets their brain get wired to think in those terms.
And do they know how much such a view can wreck their lives? Do they care? Wow, it's something else, indeed that men -- and women, if you think about all the teacher sex scandals -- are drawn to kids. Weird.
Homeland Security official arrested in child sex sting
Sheriff: Suspect chatted online with detective posing as teen girl
Wednesday, April 5, 2006; Posted: 11:38 a.m. EDT (15:38 GMT)
Department of Homeland Security deputy press secretary Brian J. Doyle faces extradition to Florida.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Department of Homeland Security official was arrested Tuesday night on charges of using his computer to seduce a child after he allegedly struck up sexually explicit conversations with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, authorities said.
Brian J. Doyle, 55, is charged with seven counts of use of a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor, according to the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff's Office.
Doyle, a deputy press secretary, will be placed on administrative leave, although it's unclear if it he will be paid, a department official said.
And do they know how much such a view can wreck their lives? Do they care? Wow, it's something else, indeed that men -- and women, if you think about all the teacher sex scandals -- are drawn to kids. Weird.
Homeland Security official arrested in child sex sting
Sheriff: Suspect chatted online with detective posing as teen girl
Wednesday, April 5, 2006; Posted: 11:38 a.m. EDT (15:38 GMT)
Department of Homeland Security deputy press secretary Brian J. Doyle faces extradition to Florida.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Department of Homeland Security official was arrested Tuesday night on charges of using his computer to seduce a child after he allegedly struck up sexually explicit conversations with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, authorities said.
Brian J. Doyle, 55, is charged with seven counts of use of a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor, according to the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff's Office.
Doyle, a deputy press secretary, will be placed on administrative leave, although it's unclear if it he will be paid, a department official said.
Bill Gates Work World Is Almost Paperless....But That's True For Most Internet CEOs
According to CNN, Bill Gates doesn't need lot of paper in his office. But neither do I. He remarks that e-mail is the preferred way to communicate, but does that mean a lot of misunderstandings? I too use email, but it still doesn't beat the phone for complete understanding.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Boot Camp: Mac's Now The World's Best Computer For Everyone - Not Just Us Applephiles!
The battle between Mac and Microsoft is officially over! This is a milestone in Apple's storied history.
Madonna Tickets - Madonna's In Concert In May! Hooray!
Madonna, the undisputed Queen of Pop, is in concert, starting at The Forum in Inglewood, just outside of LA on May 21st. Get tickets with a click here.
Bengals Finally Land Big DT: It's Sam Adams
Teammates thrilled with Adams signing
BY MARK CURNUTTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Sam Adams' signing Monday was greeted warmly by the players he'll line up beside.
The 335-pound defensive tackle, who officially signed a three-year contract, could make a major contribution in improving the defense.
"A guy like Sam Adams is going to help you. I've talked to JT (John Thornton) and (Bryan Robinson)," defensive end Justin Smith said on the first day of the team's offseason strength and conditioning program "We're all excited. We just want to have a good football team.
"The better people you have, the better team you have. All the things you want in a 'D' tackle, he's him. He's been a part of some great football teams, successful football teams. Any time you get a guy like him it's going to be good."
Adams will be a 13th-year player in 2006. He was voted to three Pro Bowl teams in the past six seasons, beginning in 2000 when he started for Super Bowl-winning Baltimore. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was the Ravens' defensive coordinator.
Adams was a Pro Bowl alternate for Buffalo in 2005. He started the first eight games before being slowed by an ankle injury that forced him to miss two games.
He has made 150 career starts in 12 seasons with 179 career games.
"We're excited to have Sam join the Bengals," Lewis said. "His abilities, both physically and mentally, will upgrade our defensive unit."
Though he had yet to sign Monday morning when reporters were allowed in the locker room, Adams already had a locker. A placard reading "Adams 95" hung above one stall. He will wear No. 95.
In Adams' three-year contract, the first year is worth almost $4 million if he reaches all incentive clauses.
Adams is expected to play primarily against the run, a weakness for the Bengals even after three years under defensive guru Lewis.
The signing of former Tampa Bay safety Jackson and the return of healthy free safety Madieu Williams also should help significantly.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Sandi Thom - Sing On The Webcam, Get Discovered By Sony Records! It Really Happened
Webcast singer snapped up by Sony - CNN.com
Tuesday, April 4, 2006; Posted: 9:42 a.m. EDT (13:42 GMT)
LONDON, England -- A British singer has signed up by a major record label after broadcasting live performances from her living room on the Internet.
Sandi Thom, 24, is now on the books of RCA/SonyBMG after signing with the label at her flat on Monday night.
She built up a daily audience of more than 100,000 people around the world.
Speaking on British television, Sandi said she could not believe what had happened and that her life had "changed dramatically."
"I don't think I have quite realized it just yet," she told GMTV.
"It has obviously changed for the better. "I have managed to get massive amounts of exposure through using the Internet and that is something that people have struggled to do for years."
Several record labels had approached the aspiring star following her Webcasts, which were broadcast on 21 consecutive nights.
RCA label director Craig Logan said: "Sandi is a very talented artist with an already unique story.
"We're very excited that we're now going to be a part of that story as she develops into a major artist."
Debra Lafave Meet Rachel Holt - She Had Sex With Her Student 28 Times in One Week! -
What's up with all this?
Underage Outrage - From The Smoking Gun
Cops: Teacher had sex with 13-year-old student 28 times in one week
APRIL 4--Meet Rachel Holt. The 34-year-old Delaware teacher is facing rape charges for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old student 28 times during a one-week period last month. Holt, a science teacher at Claymont Elementary School, allegedly had sex with the boy, a student in her class, at her Wilmington home. According to a probable cause affidavit filed today in Justice of the Peace Court, the boy's father contacted cops yesterday afternoon and told them his child was having "inappropriate contact" with Holt. Last night, in an interview at New Castle County police headquarters, Holt admitted she had intercourse with the boy 27 times and performed oral sex once during the last week of March. She also revealed that another student, 12, had watched her having sex with the boy and that she had provided both boys with beer. Holt is being held in a local lockup in lieu of $560,450 bail.
Underage Outrage - From The Smoking Gun
Cops: Teacher had sex with 13-year-old student 28 times in one week
APRIL 4--Meet Rachel Holt. The 34-year-old Delaware teacher is facing rape charges for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old student 28 times during a one-week period last month. Holt, a science teacher at Claymont Elementary School, allegedly had sex with the boy, a student in her class, at her Wilmington home. According to a probable cause affidavit filed today in Justice of the Peace Court, the boy's father contacted cops yesterday afternoon and told them his child was having "inappropriate contact" with Holt. Last night, in an interview at New Castle County police headquarters, Holt admitted she had intercourse with the boy 27 times and performed oral sex once during the last week of March. She also revealed that another student, 12, had watched her having sex with the boy and that she had provided both boys with beer. Holt is being held in a local lockup in lieu of $560,450 bail.
"King Kong" - DVD Sales Push Film To Fourth Highest Grossing In Universal's History
`King Kong' DVD Sets Sales Record - Associated Press
Apr 04 4:18 PM US/Eastern
LOS ANGELES
It took heat during the holidays for failing to reach the supremo- blockbuster status that many predicted, but "King Kong" can do some supersized chest-thumping now.
Released as a single DVD and two-disc set on March 28, the Peter Jackson film logged Universal's best first-week sales in studio history, in six days selling 6.5 million copies for a take of more than $100 million.
The previous record-holder was "Meet the Fockers," a studio spokeswoman said.
The film's brisk DVD sales add to its worldwide box-office haul of $550 million. Its ticket sales make "King Kong" the fourth highest- grossing film in Universal's history, following "Jurassic Park," "E.T." and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."
Universal Pictures is owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal.
Justin Berry - Child Porn Star Blows Whistle On Sick Trade
Yippee! This dark area of the Internet is finally getting a lot of good light shown on it. Now, the FBI needs to go in and arrest the consumers and pronto.
April 5, 2006
House Hears Online Child Porn Testimony
By Roy Mark http://www.internetnews.com
WASHINGTON -- The testimony was stark and dark yesterday as Congress took one of its periodic looks at child pornography on the Internet.
Specifics replaced the usual generalities with the focus on pay-for-view live webcams of underage children -- including infants and toddlers -- engaging in sexual acts. In some cases, the parents of the children shot and produced the videos.
Congressional estimates put the online child pornography business at $20 billion a year and growing. Online or offline, child pornography is illegal in the United States and most other countries.
"Of all the hearings that we've done ... I've never been more revolted in preparing for a hearing than in reading the materials that I've had to read for this one," House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) said.
Highlighting the sparsely attended hearing was the testimony of 19-year-old Justin Berry, who was featured in a December New York Times series on child exploitation over the Internet and the author of the story, Kurt Eichenwald.
"Like most people, I gave little thought during my life to the scourge of child pornography. But, I now know we are fighting a losing battle," Eichenwald said. "The predators are sophisticated in the use of computers and talented in the manipulation of children."
He added, "They count on our willingness to avert our eyes from the unpleasant to succeed in their pursuit of illegal images of minors."
For Berry, it began when he was 13 years old after he received a webcam as part of signing up for a broadband account.
"No teenager ever contacted me but many child predators did," Berry said. "I believed these people were friends. They taught me about the wish list on Amazon and began buying me presents."
According to Berry, the seduction was slow, beginning with a man offering him $50 to take off his shirt live on Berry's webcam. Before it was over, Berry's father was producing live video of his son having sex.
"My Dad? He said he was helping me maximize my profit potential," Berry said.
Eichenwald said his research showed that Berry was not an isolated case.
"Hundreds of minors have been lost to the lure of performing in online pornography. They include children from every walk of life -- wealthy and middle class, honor students and those struggling with their grades, children of divorce and with intact families," he said.
Eichenwald said the only shared characteristic he found was "a loneliness that these minors feel is alleviated by meeting people online -- and in person -- through their webcam business."
Beyond the sexual exploitation of children, Eichenwald said one of the most troubling aspects of his research was that "major American and international companies" were advertising on portals promoting underage pornographic webcams.
"The advertisements appeared immediately above images used by boys and girls to market their pornographic sites," he said. "Apparently, these companies were attempting to win business both from customers and teenagers themselves, as they offered services to help efficiently run for-pay sites."
The New York Times reporter specifically named webcam manufacturers Logitech and Creative and Verotel, an international credit card processing company, as advertisers on the portals.
"I even found a company that provided streaming video to sites operated by minors, on condition that its president be allowed to watch the pornographic performances for free," Eichenwald said.
Lawmakers were appropriately shocked.
"What kind of society do we have if we can't protect infants from sexual exploitation?" Barton asked. "One of the witnesses' material shows that almost half of the incidents of sexual exploitation of children are by family members. What kind of family is that?"
Rep. John Dingell, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said through a statement, "Let's be clear about this. This is not about pornographic images of adults. The Internet has regrettably provided the medium for the exponential growth in these deplorable crimes."
In addition to webcams, Dingell also noted, "Some of these chat rooms provide an opportunity to trade images. Unfortunately, the price of admission is often new material: hence, the ease of contact via the Internet has contributed to the incentives and growth of the horrendous abuse endured by these young victims, usually within their own homes."
Barton promised hard questions for the Department of Justice and other law enforcement officials who are scheduled to testify on Thursday morning.
"I just don't understand it. This is one where you can expect the subcommittee and the full committee, if we need to, to do everything possible," he said. "And I mean everything, not just hold hearings."
April 5, 2006
House Hears Online Child Porn Testimony
By Roy Mark http://www.internetnews.com
WASHINGTON -- The testimony was stark and dark yesterday as Congress took one of its periodic looks at child pornography on the Internet.
Specifics replaced the usual generalities with the focus on pay-for-view live webcams of underage children -- including infants and toddlers -- engaging in sexual acts. In some cases, the parents of the children shot and produced the videos.
Congressional estimates put the online child pornography business at $20 billion a year and growing. Online or offline, child pornography is illegal in the United States and most other countries.
"Of all the hearings that we've done ... I've never been more revolted in preparing for a hearing than in reading the materials that I've had to read for this one," House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) said.
Highlighting the sparsely attended hearing was the testimony of 19-year-old Justin Berry, who was featured in a December New York Times series on child exploitation over the Internet and the author of the story, Kurt Eichenwald.
"Like most people, I gave little thought during my life to the scourge of child pornography. But, I now know we are fighting a losing battle," Eichenwald said. "The predators are sophisticated in the use of computers and talented in the manipulation of children."
He added, "They count on our willingness to avert our eyes from the unpleasant to succeed in their pursuit of illegal images of minors."
For Berry, it began when he was 13 years old after he received a webcam as part of signing up for a broadband account.
"No teenager ever contacted me but many child predators did," Berry said. "I believed these people were friends. They taught me about the wish list on Amazon and began buying me presents."
According to Berry, the seduction was slow, beginning with a man offering him $50 to take off his shirt live on Berry's webcam. Before it was over, Berry's father was producing live video of his son having sex.
"My Dad? He said he was helping me maximize my profit potential," Berry said.
Eichenwald said his research showed that Berry was not an isolated case.
"Hundreds of minors have been lost to the lure of performing in online pornography. They include children from every walk of life -- wealthy and middle class, honor students and those struggling with their grades, children of divorce and with intact families," he said.
Eichenwald said the only shared characteristic he found was "a loneliness that these minors feel is alleviated by meeting people online -- and in person -- through their webcam business."
Beyond the sexual exploitation of children, Eichenwald said one of the most troubling aspects of his research was that "major American and international companies" were advertising on portals promoting underage pornographic webcams.
"The advertisements appeared immediately above images used by boys and girls to market their pornographic sites," he said. "Apparently, these companies were attempting to win business both from customers and teenagers themselves, as they offered services to help efficiently run for-pay sites."
The New York Times reporter specifically named webcam manufacturers Logitech and Creative and Verotel, an international credit card processing company, as advertisers on the portals.
"I even found a company that provided streaming video to sites operated by minors, on condition that its president be allowed to watch the pornographic performances for free," Eichenwald said.
Lawmakers were appropriately shocked.
"What kind of society do we have if we can't protect infants from sexual exploitation?" Barton asked. "One of the witnesses' material shows that almost half of the incidents of sexual exploitation of children are by family members. What kind of family is that?"
Rep. John Dingell, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said through a statement, "Let's be clear about this. This is not about pornographic images of adults. The Internet has regrettably provided the medium for the exponential growth in these deplorable crimes."
In addition to webcams, Dingell also noted, "Some of these chat rooms provide an opportunity to trade images. Unfortunately, the price of admission is often new material: hence, the ease of contact via the Internet has contributed to the incentives and growth of the horrendous abuse endured by these young victims, usually within their own homes."
Barton promised hard questions for the Department of Justice and other law enforcement officials who are scheduled to testify on Thursday morning.
"I just don't understand it. This is one where you can expect the subcommittee and the full committee, if we need to, to do everything possible," he said. "And I mean everything, not just hold hearings."
Tom Delay's Out OF Politics? I Don't Believe It!
I can't believe Delay's really getting out of politics. I'll be he's just changing his position from donor-receiver to donor-giver. You don't just give up the scene. I'll bet he's figured out a way to really stick around the pull some strings. But as a private person, he can do all of that, in...well, private.
He's not going anywhere. He's just moving to a place where there's less scrutiny of what he does.
49ers Stadium Issue - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Works To Change The Rules of The Prop D Game
S.F. seeks go-ahead for 49ers stadium
Bill would let city ask court to OK changes to '97 ballot measure
Charlie Goodyear, SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration wants to let a judge rather than San Francisco voters decide whether the 49ers can move forward with a new stadium project that is different from the one the city's electorate approved in 1997.
At the request of the mayor's office, state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, quietly introduced legislation last month that would let the city seek a Superior Court ruling that the 49ers and the city can legally proceed despite changes from what was presented to voters nine years ago.
A top real estate development aide to the mayor said the Newsom administration is not trying to avoid public scrutiny, but merely to settle at the outset important legal questions that will have direct bearing on the feasibility of a new stadium project and presumably on how or if the 49ers will proceed.
"In no way does it short-circuit the public vetting or approval process through multiple city commissions and multiple stops at the Board of Supervisors," said Michael Cohen, a former deputy city attorney who oversees military base reuse projects for the mayor's economic development office.
"It doesn't limit anyone's ability to sue or stop the project," said Cohen. "It simply allows us to validate that what we're doing is consistent with voter-approved measures."
Passage of Migden's legislation would save the team and its City Hall backers a return to the city ballot -- and the time, money and uncertainty that go along with it -- for an on-again, off-again project with a controversial political history in San Francisco.
Peter Detwiler, staff director for the state Senate's Local Government Committee, which is scheduled to take up Migden's bill, SB1842, on Wednesday, said he has found no precedent for what the Newsom administration is asking.
"If the stated reason for the legislation is, 'We're worried about whether (the new) mixed-use development falls within' " what voters approved, Detwiler said, "why don't we just ask the voters?"
At stake are a voter-approved $100 million public subsidy for the stadium, the fate of 77 acres of public parks and recreation space, and perhaps the future of the 49ers in San Francisco.
In June 1997, city voters passed two measures that were supposed to pave the way for a new stadium and mall at the site of the city-owned stadium at Candlestick Point that has been home to 49ers games since 1971.
Proposition D, which passed with only 50.4 percent of the vote, authorized $100 million in city bonds to help finance the new stadium. Proposition F, which passed with 50.3 percent of the vote, rezoned city land under and around the existing stadium -- creating the Candlestick Point Special Use District -- to allow construction of a larger stadium and a shopping and entertainment mall.
According to campaign assertions of the 49ers and then-Mayor Willie Brown -- which were supported by the city controller in a written statement included in the official ballot pamphlet sent to voters -- the mall, which was to be developed by Mills Corp., would eventually generate enough new sales-tax revenue to pay off the city bonds and their interest payments. After the vote, however, the project hit several snags as team owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. became embroiled in a federal corruption probe, questions surfaced over the proposed development's economic feasibility, and quibbling started over who should pay for shoring up parts of the development site sitting on landfill.
Last year, Newsom signaled he wanted the 49ers to decide whether to proceed with the project by October of this year and before the team's lease runs out in January 2007.
The team said last year it wants to stay at Candlestick and brought in Lennar Corp., one of the country's biggest homebuilders, to discuss adding residential housing to the development -- something not explicitly approved by voters in 1997. A study expected to be completed by Lennar this summer will detail exactly how much housing could be included in the project's plans.
Now, city officials have turned to Migden to help secure legal assurances and move the project forward.
An aide to Migden said she was willing to carry the legislation because of the prospect of bringing additional housing to a city where demand keeps prices high.
"The city did ask us to carry it," said Migden spokesman Eric Potashner. "Of interest to the senator is the opportunity to create more housing."
Cohen, of the mayor's economic development office, said Monday that the legislation is intended to save the city time and money as well as uphold the will of the voters.
"This is a very good government efficiency measure," he said.
A representative for the 49ers indicated Monday that the team would like the legality of a development project that differs from the 1997 version to be settled at the outset.
"We certainly share the mayor's sense of urgency for this project," said 49ers spokeswoman Lisa Lang. "We've spent a great deal of time and money on this project over the past few years."
The Newsom administration's handling of the matter already is raising eyebrows at City Hall, however.
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said he was erroneously listed by Migden's office as a supporter of her bill and has concerns that a judge might rule on the development plan before supervisors have their say.
"The legislation in its current form is putting the cart a little bit before the horse," Peskin said Monday.
Cohen emphasized that the team has yet to present a formal development plan for the site or select a builder for the mall portion.
"We hope to know whether the 49ers and their development partners think there is even a feasible project or not before the start of the next football season," he said.
Monday, April 03, 2006
I'm Having A Lot Of Fun!
HA! Someone saw my post reporting an article on marriage problems for black women, and assumed I was having a problem. That person was also too much of a coward to reveal their name. Well, while the Bay Area does make finding a wife a bit of a chore, that says nothing for bachelor life; it's totally fun. So, if that's the "problem," I'll take it!
Heck, I love the idea of marriage, but I'll be damned if I jump into anything without looking first. After all, it's supposed to be forever, not for one year.
Heck, I love the idea of marriage, but I'll be damned if I jump into anything without looking first. After all, it's supposed to be forever, not for one year.
Wait. Didn't We Already Do This With Iraq? - Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism - Wash Post
I think there's a twisted logic here. We've already done a good job of keeping any terrorist units out there active. Attacking Iran will just make things worse. It's time we close the tent on the Mid East as there's so many problems here -- like New Orleans after Katrina.
Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism
U.S. Experts Wary of Military Action Over Nuclear Program
By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 2, 2006; Page A01 - Click on the link for the rest.
As tensions increase between the United States and Iran, U.S. intelligence and terrorism experts say they believe Iran would respond to U.S. military strikes on its nuclear sites by deploying its intelligence operatives and Hezbollah teams to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide.
Iran would mount attacks against U.S. targets inside Iraq, where Iranian intelligence agents are already plentiful, predicted these experts. There is also a growing consensus that Iran's agents would target civilians in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, they said.
U.S. officials would not discuss what evidence they have indicating Iran would undertake terrorist action, but the matter "is consuming a lot of time" throughout the U.S. intelligence apparatus, one senior official said. "It's a huge issue," another said.
Citing prohibitions against discussing classified information, U.S. intelligence officials declined to say whether they have detected preparatory measures, such as increased surveillance, counter-surveillance or message traffic, on the part of Iran's foreign-based intelligence operatives.
But terrorism experts considered Iranian-backed or controlled groups -- namely the country's Ministry of Intelligence and Security operatives, its Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah -- to be better organized, trained and equipped than the al-Qaeda network that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Iranian government views the Islamic Jihad, the name of Hezbollah's terrorist organization, "as an extension of their state. . . . operational teams could be deployed without a long period of preparation," said Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism.
The possibility of a military confrontation has been raised only obliquely in recent months by President Bush and Iran's government. Bush says he is pursuing a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but he has added that all options are on the table for stopping Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Speaking in Vienna last month, Javad Vaeedi, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, warned the United States that "it may have the power to cause harm and pain, but it is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if the United States wants to pursue that path, let the ball roll," although he did not specify what type of harm he was talking about.
Government officials said their interest in Iran's intelligence services is not an indication that a military confrontation is imminent or likely, but rather a reflection of a decades-long adversarial relationship in which Iran's agents have worked secretly against U.S. interests, most recently in Iraq and Pakistan. As confrontation over Iran's nuclear program has escalated, so has the effort to assess the threat from Iran's covert operatives.
U.N. Security Council members continue to debate how best to pressure Iran to prove that its nuclear program is not meant for weapons. The United States, Britain and France want the Security Council to threaten Iran with economic sanctions if it does not end its uranium enrichment activities. Russia and China, however, have declined to endorse such action and insist on continued negotiations. Security Council diplomats are meeting this weekend to try to break the impasse. Iran says it seeks nuclear power but not nuclear weapons.
Former CIA terrorism analyst Paul R. Pillar said that any U.S. or Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory "would be regarded as an act of war" by Tehran, and that Iran would strike back with its terrorist groups. "There's no doubt in my mind about that. . . . Whether it's overseas at the hands of Hezbollah, in Iraq or possibly Europe, within the regime there would be pressure to take violent action."
Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism
U.S. Experts Wary of Military Action Over Nuclear Program
By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 2, 2006; Page A01 - Click on the link for the rest.
As tensions increase between the United States and Iran, U.S. intelligence and terrorism experts say they believe Iran would respond to U.S. military strikes on its nuclear sites by deploying its intelligence operatives and Hezbollah teams to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide.
Iran would mount attacks against U.S. targets inside Iraq, where Iranian intelligence agents are already plentiful, predicted these experts. There is also a growing consensus that Iran's agents would target civilians in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, they said.
U.S. officials would not discuss what evidence they have indicating Iran would undertake terrorist action, but the matter "is consuming a lot of time" throughout the U.S. intelligence apparatus, one senior official said. "It's a huge issue," another said.
Citing prohibitions against discussing classified information, U.S. intelligence officials declined to say whether they have detected preparatory measures, such as increased surveillance, counter-surveillance or message traffic, on the part of Iran's foreign-based intelligence operatives.
But terrorism experts considered Iranian-backed or controlled groups -- namely the country's Ministry of Intelligence and Security operatives, its Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah -- to be better organized, trained and equipped than the al-Qaeda network that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Iranian government views the Islamic Jihad, the name of Hezbollah's terrorist organization, "as an extension of their state. . . . operational teams could be deployed without a long period of preparation," said Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism.
The possibility of a military confrontation has been raised only obliquely in recent months by President Bush and Iran's government. Bush says he is pursuing a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but he has added that all options are on the table for stopping Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Speaking in Vienna last month, Javad Vaeedi, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, warned the United States that "it may have the power to cause harm and pain, but it is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if the United States wants to pursue that path, let the ball roll," although he did not specify what type of harm he was talking about.
Government officials said their interest in Iran's intelligence services is not an indication that a military confrontation is imminent or likely, but rather a reflection of a decades-long adversarial relationship in which Iran's agents have worked secretly against U.S. interests, most recently in Iraq and Pakistan. As confrontation over Iran's nuclear program has escalated, so has the effort to assess the threat from Iran's covert operatives.
U.N. Security Council members continue to debate how best to pressure Iran to prove that its nuclear program is not meant for weapons. The United States, Britain and France want the Security Council to threaten Iran with economic sanctions if it does not end its uranium enrichment activities. Russia and China, however, have declined to endorse such action and insist on continued negotiations. Security Council diplomats are meeting this weekend to try to break the impasse. Iran says it seeks nuclear power but not nuclear weapons.
Former CIA terrorism analyst Paul R. Pillar said that any U.S. or Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory "would be regarded as an act of war" by Tehran, and that Iran would strike back with its terrorist groups. "There's no doubt in my mind about that. . . . Whether it's overseas at the hands of Hezbollah, in Iraq or possibly Europe, within the regime there would be pressure to take violent action."
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