Dr. Dean Ornish Says That Exercise Can Reverse The Aging Process

I just ran accross the article by Dr. Dean Ornish where he explains that regular excercise can actually cause the reversal of the aging process, especially when combined with a good diet. He writes:

"You don’t need to read this column to know that exercise is good for you. You probably already know that regular, moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. What you may not know is that new research is showing that exercise beneficially affects your genes, helps reverse the aging process at a cellular level, gives you more energy, makes you smarter, and may even help you grow so many new brain cells (a process called neurogenesis) that your brain actually gets bigger.

Really.

So does improving your nutrition. A diet high in sugar and saturated fat diminishes neurogenesis, whereas other foods increase it, including chocolate (in moderate amounts), tea and blackberries, which contain a substance called epicatechin that improves memory. Small amounts of alcohol increase neurogenesis, whereas larger amounts decrease it. Chronic emotional stress decreases neurogenesis, but stress management techniques increase it. Drugs such as nicotine, opiates and cocaine decrease neurogenesis, whereas a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 1995 showed that cannabinoids (found in marijuana) increase it, at least in rats. (Uh, what were we just talking about?)"

Check it out, then get to the gym!

Zbigniew Brezinski - Foreign policy Guru stumps for Barack Obama - CNN

Foreign policy expert stumps for Obama

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Providing a much-needed boost to a candidate whose judgment in international affairs has been called into question, former President Carter’s National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brezinski, introduced Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, during a campaign stop in Clinton, Iowa on Wednesday.

“I’m here today because I strongly believe that the next election is not just to choose a new president,” Brezinski said. “The choice that you will be making will define America’s role in a historically new era. We have elections every four years, but only once in a while is a new president facing the opportunity to shape a new sense of direction for America,” explained Brezinski.

Brezinski, who stood out for his relatively hawkish views in an administration that often emphasized human rights, told the crowd that by invading Iraq the “United States has become engaged in what is essentially a colonial war in the post-colonial era.” He also opined that the Iraq war “has discredited America worldwide,” and warned that the conflict in Iraq might spread to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Saying Obama “was not, like many others, a Johnny-come-lately” with regard to realizing that the Iraq war was a so-called “fool’s enterprise,” Brezinski told the members of the crowd that they had the opportunity to change the world by supporting the Illinois senator.

In August, Brezinski supported Obama during a foreign policy spat between the Illinois senator and his chief rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York. In addition to advising President Carter, Brezinski also was adviser to officials in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

– CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Pats Bill Belichick issues Apology, says he's spoken with Goodell

Belichick issues apology, says he's spoken with Goodell

ESPN.com news services

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- This videotape needs no interpretation: New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick walked out of his news conference on Wednesday when pressed repeatedly about the sideline spying scandal that landed him on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's crowded docket.

Ten minutes before his regular availability, Belichick issued a one-paragraph statement apologizing to his team and confirming that he has spoken to Goodell about an "interpretation" of league rules that ban videotaping of the opposing sideline.

"Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players," Belichick said. "Following the league's decision, I will have further comment."

It was not clear whether Belichick was apologizing for his actions or the distraction it has caused his team as it prepares for Sunday night's marquee game against San Diego. But if he thought -- or even hoped -- that the standing-room crowd of media was there to talk about the Chargers, he failed to prepare in the manner that has made him one of the most successful coaches in the history of the league.

Never one to relish his interactions with the media, Belichick grimly refused to respond to a half-dozen questions about the scandal, possible punishments and the potential effect on his team. Begging for a football question, he seemed ready to abort the news conference after just a few minutes at the podium.

Cheatwave

In August, ESPN.com ran a comprehensive package on cheating in sports. Jeffri Chadiha wrote the NFL portion of the package. Among the ways NFL coaches try to gain an advantage was trying to descramble signals sent from coach to player:

"When Marty Schottenheimer coached the Cleveland Browns in the late 1980s, he routinely sent a scout to watch the signals opposing teams used to relay messages from coaches to players. When the scout returned, Schottenheimer's staff would watch the game film and match the signals to the plays that followed.

"[Herm] Edwards said the same is true today. It's common for coaches to watch standard game tapes [which include shots from the press box and end zone angles], sideline tapes [which usually wind up on highlight shows and include footage of players and coaches talking on the sidelines] and even the television shows of opposing coaches for tips."

"Any questions about the Chargers?" he pleaded in his standard, other-things-to-do monotone. "Want to talk about the football game? If not, I think that statement pretty much covers it."

It appeared that there were none, before one reporter asked about Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

The prospect of defending against the reigning NFL offensive player of the year is not the sort of thing that usually cheers up opposing coaches.

But Belichick smiled.

"I think the Chargers are a concern. Their football team is a concern. That's what we're concerned about," he said. "Whatever happens out there Sunday night, out there on the field, that's when everybody will make their statement."

After another 15 minutes of football questions, though, the subject returned to the spying scandal.

"Is there any other question on the Chargers?" Belichick said before walking out. "OK. Yep. That's all. OK. Thank you."

NFL security confiscated a video camera and tape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on Sunday when he was working on the New York Jets' sideline during New England's 38-14 victory. The league has confirmed that it is investigating whether the Patriots were taping the Jets' defensive coaches as they signaled to players on the field.

However, league sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Goodell has already determined that the Patriots have violated league rules when they videotaped defensive signals by the Jets' coaches.

Goodell is considering severe sanctions, including the possibility of docking the Patriots "multiple draft picks" because it is the competitive violation in the wake of a stern warning to all teams since he became commissioner, the sources said. The Patriots have been suspected in previous incidents.

"It's really hard to say [they should] forfeit games," Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "Draft picks would hurt a lot of teams; take away their first or second-round pick -- that would be a stiff penalty to make sure nobody does it again.

"You would hope that, during their run, when they were winning all their Super Bowls, all that stuff wasn't going on. You look back in the past, and we played them in the championship games, and you kind of wonder. It seemed like they were a step ahead of us at all times, but those games are behind us. There's nothing we can do about it. You just look forward and see what the commissioner will do."

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, a co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee, said the league is trying to keep technology from overtaking the game.

"If they are in fact found guilty of this, it only shows that the steps the league has taken are good steps," Fisher said. "There's no place for it. Everybody clearly understands the rules. The competition committee's responsibility is to protect the integrity of the game. With technology the way it is right now, things could get out of hand in a matter of weeks if we don't protect the integrity of the game."

Jets coach Eric Mangini, a former Belichick assistant, also declined to comment. Asked if he had any knowledge of such shenanigans while he was in New England, he followed the form of his mentor.

"As I said with this whole issue, it's a league issue and they are handling it," Mangini said. "And we are really focused on the Ravens."

Patriots players also tried to focus on their game.


How it came to light?


NEW YORK -- A story in Wednesday's New York Daily News claims that Jets coach Eric Mangini, a former New England assistant under Bill Belichick, came armed with keen knowledge of the team's surveillance methods -- and finally decided to act.

"[The Jets] knew they did it," the Daily News wrote, citing a person with knowledge of the situation, who sent the newspaper an e-mail. "They caught the guy a year ago, but couldn't do anything about it. When Eric came, he said that's what they used to do. Bill is going to be [ticked] at Eric. He kissed and told."

Sunday's game was the fifth time Mangini has coached against Belichick since joining the Jets.

-- ESPN.com news services

"I'm the last person in the world to know any of that stuff, anyway," offensive lineman Matt Light said. "I could care less what happens outside of my little world."

But Goodell doesn't have that luxury.

In a busy year for his misbehaving minions, the commissioner has already banned Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for the entire season after repeated run-ins with police. Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick has been suspended indefinitely while he faces a likely jail term for his role in a dogfighting ring.

The Bengals had 10 players charged with crimes during a 14-month span, and both receiver Chris Henry and linebacker Odell Thurman are currently suspended. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer wants Goodell to be consistent with his punishment, whether the offender is wearing a uniform or not.

"Hopefully there's a harsh enough penalty that it's not worth it to try to cheat and try to get any advantage that you're not allowed to get," Palmer said. "I hope the commissioner is just as harsh on them as he's been on individual players for making mistakes."

Other players reacted strongly.

"It just makes you wonder how long they've been doing this and has it really helped them win some games?" Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said on a conference call with Wisconsin media. "That's no different from the cheating ref in basketball."

Last November during New England's 35-0 victory in Green Bay, the Packers caught Estrella shooting unauthorized video told him to stop.

"When you look back, it's scary," Packers cornerback Al Harris said. "I don't want to say anything wrong towards their organization, because I think highly of their coaching staff and their personnel, but if that's the case, that's not right. I would consider it cheating. I honestly would."

Belichick sidestepped questions about the commissioner's timetable and about whether he had any contingencies in place should he get suspended -- the most drastic of the potential penalties Goodell could consider. The coach also refused to discuss whether he worried that the scandal -- dubbed "videogate" in the press room, of course -- would distract his players.

Also at stake is the legacy of the NFL's latest dynasty, one that memorably rejected individual on-field introductions before its first Super Bowl victory, instead "choosing to be introduced as a team." Stressing individual discipline and salary cap selflessness in a league where they tend to be in short supply, the Patriots won three NFL titles in four years and held themselves up as a model organization.

Now, they're being accused of cheating.

"That's not going to tarnish this team," running back Kevin Faulk said. "We know what we do and how hard we work."

Linebacker Chad Brown, who re-signed for a second stint with the team this week and landed in the middle of the tumult, acknowledged it would be embarrassing if the allegations turn out to be true. But he also said the videotaping is an offshoot of the gamesmanship all teams indulge in.

"I think that all the facts should come out before people judge this organization," Brown said. "I think we do things the right way."

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN's Chris Mortensen was used in this report.

New England Patriots Accused Of Stealing Signals From Jets - ESPN and Other Sources

I personally think Commissioner Goodell should take the game away from the Patriots. That's terrible. It also cloud's the whole "Bill Belichek's a Genius" talk. Here's John Clayton ...

According to league sources, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the New England Patriots violated league rules when it videotaped defensive signals by New York Jets coaches during the Patriots' 38-14 win Sunday. There will be a hearing with the Patriots -- mostly likely by phone by the end of the week -- and then a ruling by the commissioner that could cost New England draft picks. Here are some questions and answers on the incident:

What is the commissioner's stance?
Such spying is a serious infraction. It's cheating and could affect the outcome of games. Goodell established a strict player conduct policy, and he wants coaches and team employees to also live up to a high standard.

What rules did the Patriots allegedly violate?
The "Game Operations Manual" states that "no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game." The manual states that "all video shooting locations must be enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead." NFL security officials confiscated a camera and videotape from a New England video assistant on the Patriots' sideline when it was suspected he was recording the Jets' defensive signals. Taping any signals is prohibited. The toughest part usually is finding evidence to support an allegation.

What could the punishment be?
Goodell must come down hard on this one because he clearly has evidence. ESPN has reported that Goodell is considering severe sanctions, including the possibility of docking the Patriots "multiple draft picks." That could mean a combination of a second-rounder and something else, maybe a fifth-rounder. The commissioner could push the penalty over two years, but he can't treat this lightly by just taking away a second-day draft choice. The Patriots are good. They had only two draft choices -- a first- and a second-round pick -- make the team this season. Fining them just a fourth-round choice wouldn't hurt them much.

What advantage could a coach get by stealing defensive signals?
Any good coach with knowledge of the defensive play calls from the sideline can adjust his blocking schemes and come up with the appropriate counter measures. You've seen quarterbacks and coaches study photos of defensive alignments after each possession. If there is a way to pick up defensive signals, a quarterback can make the right audibles and get out of a bad play. Knowledge is everything.

Belichick is the best in the business at taking information and turning it into strategy. He's the best coach in football at knowing the strength and the weakness of a player and putting him in a position to succeed. Give him a signal or two and he will know how to burn a team with a big play at the right time. A coach that smart is always looking for an edge.

Why will owners be upset about this?
First, many owners may feel Belichick beat them by cheating. That may be hard to take, but that's life. What is going to upset them even more is this incident could cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. This incident will probably lead to having a defensive player on the field with a radio helmet to receive defensive signals from the sideline. Using hand signals to relay defensive calls is an outdated concept. The offense can use modern technology. Why can't defenders? It's going to cost money to equip defenders. Thanks to this incident, owners may have to start paying for that advancement next year.

What will be Belichick's defense?
That's hard to say because there won't be an open hearing. In fact, the hearing is supposed to be done by phone as early as late this week. The commissioner doesn't have to supply details of the Patriots' position. He just has to render a decision. Bringing Belichick to New York would be a circus. There is no reason to have a circus involving this one. The video either says the Patriots were spying or not. Goodell will listen to Belichick's defense and then deliver his penalty.

What will be the longterm effect on Belichick and the Patriots?
Although this is embarrassing, you can't take away what this franchise can do. They may have the best team in football. Robert Kraft is one of the league's best owners. The team has three Super Bowl rings and a great chance to get a fourth. Other great organizations have paid penalties for violating league rules. The Broncos lost a draft choice for violating the salary cap with John Elway. The Steelers once had to forfeit a third-round draft choice for working out in shoulder pads in the offseason. The Patriots may lose a draft choice or two. And whether or not the Patriots videotaped the Jets' defensive signals, Belichick won't be any less of a coach.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

General Petraeus Opening Statement - IRAQ Hearings

Senator Hillary Clinton Questions General Petraeus - IRAQ Hearings

Senator Barack Obama Questions General Petraeus - IRAQ Hearings

Remembering 9-11 - WTC Ground Zero Tour | Bill Chachkes

Venessa Hudgens! Vanessa Hudgens! Who's Vanessa Hudgens?

Ok. I've never heard of Vanessa Hudgens until Techorati introduced me to her and (of course) some kind of sex-related content. So, ever the student of Internet Marketing, I decided to dig in and see what the fuss was all about with the idea that I could learn a thing or three.

Who's Vanessa Hudgens?

Well, she's...

Vanessa Anne Hudgens, (also known simply as) Vanessa Hudgens, (born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California) is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in 2003 and appeared in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in the 2006 hit Disney Channel film, High School Musical. Hudgens also began a music career and released her debut album, entitled V, in 2006. In 2007, Hudgens became the spokesperson for Neutrogena.[1]...

According to a Wikiepedia entry -- at least the part that doesn't look doctored, if you know what I mean.

And ShowBuzz says "Hudgens portrayed Gabriella, the brainy love interest of Zac Efron's basketball star in the first two "High School Musical" made-for-cable movies. The two are said to be dating in real life.

"High School Musical 2" attracted more than 17 million viewers for its Disney Channel premiere in August, the most-watched television program of the summer."

Wow! 17 million viewers!

But a look at the blogs reveals a lot more juicy stuff.



TMZ.com reports that she took nude photos a while back and they surfaced on the Internet. Apparently, TMZ liked her body so much the labeled the report under the tag "Hot Bodies." Meanwhile, a new report claims that Vanessa sent nude photos of herself to some guy named Zac Efron

For all the huff, Vanessa's MySpace page contains no visible appology, but a lot of fan sympathy.

Ok, for me, this is a story of a desire for Internet visibility. Yep. That's right. It should come as no surprise that with this stunt Vanessa's broken out of her teen-pop-culture roots, right as she's turned 18 years old. Think about it.

Now, she can secretly approve the "leak" of nude photos of herself, then sit back and watch as her Internet traffic numbers rise up -- which if you look at the Alexa graph and focus on September, has happened.

Vanessa's the latest in a long line of young women who've bared it all online and reaped the rewards, from Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (who really just bared the beaver) and a certain Louisville Cheerleader. The list goes on, and it will keep going on.

What's interesting to see is the number of teenage copycats on YouTube who dance wiggling their butt to the camcorder, or showing other parts on more risque sites, or those that join the i-Friends network, then spam the hell out of people who want nothing to do with their webcam activities.

I'm serious about this.



What Vanessa, Paris, and other pop-teen stars are doing is saying to their fans -- girls -- it's ok to show off before the camera and tease society for attention and in some cases profit. You'd have to be naive to say I'm making this up. Heck, you're reading about Vanessa to start with, right?

This is Internet Marketing at it's pure form best -- controversial, viral, unfortunate, and culture changing. It's too late to say we don't want this to happen -- we not only allowed it, we created the technology to cause it. Blogs, websites, YouTube, Blip.tv, and other systems have raised the bar of what can be shown quickly and publicly. The "me" culture has morphed into the attention culture, and we're all a part of it.

We're either making content, or consuming content, and the content we want most is generally that showing someone else doing something..sexy.

But now that I know who Vanessa Hudgens is, I'll tell you what -- she can sing!

Capital Hill Police Attack Black Reverend For No Reason At Petreus Hearing

The Capital Hill Police went way over the line here. I mean way over the line. This guy's not even resisting them and they tackle him. Typically stupid law enforcement training -- they see a large Black man and think they have to tackle him. Wild video. They stopped him from entering, while they let other people come in.

Take a look for yourself:



And read this story...

WASHINGTON - September 10 - Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, was attacked by six capitol police today, when he was stopped from entering the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, where General Petreaus gave testimony today to a joint hearing for the House Arms Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee on the war in Iraq.
After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with “I will not be arrested today.” According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, “football tackled” him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital.
Rev. Yearwood said as he was being released from the hospital to be taken to central booking, “The officers decided I was not going to get in Gen. Petreaus’ hearing when they saw my button, which says ‘I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.’”
Capitol Police are not saying what the charges are, but an inside source has said that the charge is assaulting a police officer. Rev. Yearwood is scheduled to be transferred to Central Processing to be arraigned tomorrow morning.

...And pass it on to your congressional people!

BOMBSHELL - Clinton To Give Back $850,000 From Norman Hsu-Linked Donors - Drudge Report / AP Wire

Between this and the Peter Paul matter, it's shaping up to be an interesting political race and this is the turning point.

Clinton to Return $850,000 Raised by Hsu
Email this Story

Sep 10, 10:28 PM (ET)

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks during a Democratic forum hosted by...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign said Monday it will return $850,000 in donations raised by Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who is under federal investigation for allegedly violating election laws.
Clinton, D-N.Y., previously had planned only to give to charity $23,000 she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac.
The FBI is investigating whether Hsu paid so-called straw donors to send campaign contributions to Clinton and other candidates, a law enforcement official said Monday.
"In light of recent events and allegations that Mr. Norman Hsu engaged in an illegal investment scheme, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to return the money he raised for our campaign," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement Monday night. "An estimated 260 donors this week will receive refunds totaling approximately $850,000 from the campaign."
Wolfson said the Clinton campaign also will vigorously review its fundraisers, including thorough criminal background checks, in the future. "In any instances where a source of a bundler's income is in question, the campaign will take affirmative steps to verify its origin," he said.
The amount that the campaign identified as raised by Hsu would make him one of her top fundraisers. During the first six months of this year, her presidential campaign raised $52 million from individual contributors, second to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who raised $58.5 million.
While Clinton will return the money raised by Hsu, Wolfson said the individual contributors could make new donations.
"We will accept their contributions and ask them to confirm for our records that they are from their own personal funds," he said in an e-mail.
Since 2004, Hsu has donated $260,000 to Democratic Party groups and federal candidates, and raised hundreds of thousands of additional dollars. He was regarded as a top party fundraiser until recent reports surfaced that he was wanted on a warrant in California in connection with a 1991 grand theft charge.
Federal authorities are examining whether Hsu leaned on investors to contribute to political candidates after paying them big earnings from a shady business venture he was running, the law enforcement official said. Such a scam - using conduit contributors known as straw donors - is a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, which limits how much money individuals can give to candidates and political committees.
The FBI may be looking at other potential charges as well, according to the law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
In addition to the $260,000 he contributed to federal candidates, Hsu also contributed at least $330,000 to state Democratic candidates and state party committees and ballot initiatives during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles. Among the state officials who received money were New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Both have said they would divest their campaigns of the donations.
Additionally, last week Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he would donate nearly $40,000 in contributions, and Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said he had donated a $1,000 contribution to a charity that helps soldiers.
The purpose of Hsu's business venture was unclear. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that it was an investment pool that had recently drawn the suspicion of associates who questioned its legality.
An attorney for Hsu did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Hsu remained hospitalized in Grand Junction, Colo., where he has been since failing to show up for a California court hearing last week. It was unclear when he might be returned to California to face charges.
Hsu pleaded no contest in 1991 to accusations that he defrauded investors of $1 million. He was facing up to three years in prison when he skipped town before his sentencing in 1992. He finally surrendered to the arrest warrant Aug. 31, but disappeared before last week's hearing where he was expected to turn over his passport and ask a judge to cut his $2 million bail in half.
Wolfson said the Clinton campaign was "unaware of Mr. Hsu's decade-plus old warrant," despite what he described as a thorough review of public records.
Since Thursday, Hsu has been at the Colorado hospital, when he was taken from an eastbound Amtrak train for treatment of an undisclosed ailment. He'd failed to show up for the hearing a day earlier. He is expected to be taken to the Mesa County Jail in Colorado to await extradition proceedings in state court once he is well enough to leave the hospital.
---
Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Ground Broken on "New Medaowlands"

Tuesday September 4th was a red letter day for the Jets, Giants, and the New Jersey Sports and Expsition Authority. The ground was broken on the site of the new stadium that will be shared by both NY teams. Currently the stadium is referred to as the "New Meadowlands, but the NJSEA and the Teams are working on a Naming Sponsorship that could Net close to 250 million dollars over the life of the agreement. For the average fan, the concern is weather or not they will be priced out by Personal Seat leases(PSL's). The new complex will feature a 100,000 square foot Tailgate plaza, improved access roads, a "Great Wall" of Colored panels that will be interchangeable for each team, and an additional 4,500 regular seats, plus 200 assorted luxury boxes.

The new Stadium will host at least 20 NFL games per season, more than any other stadium in the nation, as well as numerous other events ranging from college football to international soccer, concerts and more – as many as 80 a year, in addition to Giants and Jets games.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, State Senate President Richard Codey, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Carl Goldberg, former Authority Chairman and current Rutgers Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, plus Giants President and CEO John Mara, Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch, and Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson.

Robert Duvall To Host $2,300-Per-Person Event For Rudy Giuliani

From one Godfather to another - Robert Duvall is set to host a $2,300 event for Ex-New York Mayor and Republican Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani. According to the Washington Times...

We opened yesterday's mail to see that Academy Award-winning actor and director Robert Duvall and his fourth wife, Luciana, will host a high-end cocktail party at their country home in The Plains, Va., later this month to benefit Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani.

The invitation to the Sept. 20 gala requests a campaign contribution of $2,300 per guest, which gets you a photo with the candidate (and maybe even the celebrated actor). Others can fork over $1,000 ($500 if you're younger than 35) to mingle about the Middleburg-area estate and listen to Mr. Giuliani's remarks.

Mr. Duvall, who is a descendant of both Robert E. Lee and George Washington, announced his support for Mr. Giuliani earlier this week.

Paula Zahn Likes To Spend Money - $25 Million

Ex-CNN Star Paula Zahn's ex-hubby claims that he didn't spend $25 million, but that she spent it all -- mostly on a mansion in Conneticut.

Life's not the best for Zahn. She's lost her CNN gig, and is going through all of this. I don't believe she's all bad for one moment, but this is personal. The only thing I have to go by is how all of the New York limo drivers tell me how nice she is, and that she takes time to talk with them.

Maybe she just has poor choice in men. Gotta get the cha-ching outta her eyes!

Scary Amazon Clinton Book Offers - From 9/11 and Sex to Murder

Folks, I'm not -- not making this up. As I was reading about Kathleen Willey's claim of theft by the Clintons on WorldNetDaily, I saw this description of books available at Amazon.com:




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special offers:

"Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine" by Candice E. Jackson.

'Mega Fix': The dazzling Clinton political deceit that led to 9-11

Finally, Hillary in her own (unedited) words

Hillary's attempt to muzzle Farah, other Net journalists

Was Ron Brown murdered? How 1 man's death saved the Clinton presidency and Hillary's future

This is pretty freaky stuff. You don't see Obama or Edwards or even Mike Gravel with this kind of book trail!

Kathleen Willey Blames Theft On Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton

Kathleen Willey's about to come out with a book on the Clinton's in November called "Caught In The Crosshairs" or words to that effect. In the New York Post and WorldNetDaily, she claims that her home was broken into and a copy of the manuscript was stolen -- presumably by the Clintons.

Frankly, she probably lost the thing in her place.

Unvision Debate - Democrats debate on Hispanic channel

Democrats debate on Hispanic channel
Hopefuls discuss immigration, diplomacy, trade

By Ray Quintanilla | Tribune staff reporter

MIAMI—The nation's Latino voters took center stage Sunday as the Democratic presidential candidates debated on Spanish-language television for the first time, courting a voting bloc that has often backed Democrats but was split when President Bush won re-election in 2004.

Much of the night focused on two front-burner issues to Hispanics: immigration reform and promoting U.S. relations with Latin America, especially Cuba and Venezuela.

"We have to start lifting the embargo against Cuba," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Latino who chided Univision—the broadcast network sponsoring the forum—for not letting him answer questions in Spanish.

"As president, I would pay attention to Latin America and associate myself with the democratic movements in Brazil, Argentina and Chile," he explained, criticizing Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut for supporting immigration reform legislation that included construction of a barrier along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Obama called the fence a necessary part of border security and pledged to create "a pathway" to legalization for illegal immigrants in the United States within his first year in the White House. That vow generated applause from the audience of several hundred at the University of Miami.

Clinton took the issue a step further, saying she would speak out against a wave of anti-Latino sentiment as the nation struggles to reach consensus on immigration. "We must treat people with dignity," Clinton said, adding that her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, is a Latina.

"The Cuban people deserve freedom and democracy," Clinton said. "We need to do all we can to work with our friends to ensure a peaceful transition."

Dodd, a former humanitarian worker in the Dominican Republic, said the political transition in Cuba has already begun and called for lifting travel restrictions because "it's hurting us. We do not need to fear Fidel Castro. Are we going to sit on the sidelines or be a part of the transition?"

Former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska called on the U.S. government to stop deportation raids against suspected illegal immigrants, saying immigrants are being turned into scapegoats for U.S. failures at home and around the world.

Gravel said he would reach out to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "Did we forget our CIA tried to depose him?" Gravel asked. "We are doing the same thing in Iran."

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said the United States could "pull the rug" out from under Chavez by "being a force for good and healing" across Latin America.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio called the North American Free Trade Agreement a major problem between the United States and Mexico. If elected, he would scrap it, he said, and replace it with an agreement that enables workers to form unions to promote better living standards on both sides of the border.

"I will cancel NAFTA," Kucinich said. "Immigration reform should mean a path to legalization, not walls," he added.

The Latino vote is growing and gaining political muscle, especially in California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Arizona—home to many of the nation's 44 million Hispanics.

The Pew Hispanic Center says about 54 percent of Latino eligible voters were registered in 2006, up from 53 percent in 2002. In the 2004 general election, 7.6 million Latinos cast ballots. Bush captured about 40 percent of the vote, enough to help him defeat Sen. John Kerry.

During Sunday's debate, the moderators asked questions in Spanish that were translated into English for the candidates. The candidates' answers were delivered in English and translated into Spanish for viewers.

Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who just returned from a trip to Iraq, did not attend.

Bill Clinton Twitter Page

Someone made this Bill Clinton Twitter page and it's too funny! Here's some of the entries...

I'm going to BUNNY RANCH in NV; w/ my Clark Kent glasses, no one should know its me...it has been such a long time...LADIES, HERE I COME!!! 12:37 AM August 24, 2007 from web
I wasn't going to say anything, but the cat is out of the bag...KARL ROVE will now be the architect that will take HILLARY to the WH! WE WIN 12:00 AM August 14, 2007 from web
"THE VIEW" picks Whoopi to replace Rosie the Psycho. HEY LADIES...I WAS AVAILABLE!!! I would have loved a tickle fight with Elisabeth! 12:21 AM August 04, 2007 from web
Once Hillary is President, I will have a lot of time on my hands...I think I'll make some extra cash throwing PASSION PARTIES in the WH! 12:54 AM July 23, 2007 from web

Oprah Winfrey's Big Party Makes $3 Million For Senator Obama, Sept 8th - LA Times / Other Sources

Huff Post / AP --

ONTECITO, Calif. — Oprah Winfrey rolled out the red carpet Saturday for Barack Obama at a gala fundraiser attended by high-wattage stars that was expected to raise $3 million for the Democratic presidential candidate.

The most powerful woman in show business celebrated her favorite candidate with 1,500 guests at her palatial estate in this coastal enclave south of Santa Barbara. Tickets to the sold-out private event went for $2,300 apiece, keeping them within campaign finance limits.

Stevie Wonder performed for guests, who included Sidney Poitier, Forest Whitaker, Chris Rock, Cindy Crawford, Jimmy Connors, Linda Evans, Dennis Haysbert and many others. Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry also were expected, though it was unclear if they were in attendance. The media were barred from the fundraiser.

Visitors were bused to Winfrey's secluded home from an equestrian center about 10 miles away. A solid line of limousines, BMWs, Bentleys and a few hybrid Priuses disgorged well-dressed guests. Some sported stiletto heels despite official instructions to wear flat shoes for walking on Winfrey's meadow.

Earlier in the day, Obama made a quick, lunchtime stop to speak to a crowd of about 1,000 eager supporters who gathered on a hillside overlooking the Pacific at Santa Barbara City College. It was his only public appearance of the day.

Obama, wearing his usual white shirt open at the collar and sleeves rolled up, shook his way down a line of outstretched hands as the song "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" blared from speakers.

He spoke for about 20 minutes, hitting his core themes of optimism and accountability.

"What's called for is a level of responsibility and seriousness that we haven't seen in a very long time," he told the cheering crowd, which included college students in short sundresses and big sunglasses and older couples in peace symbols.

A woman standing in front of the stage appeared to faint as Obama spoke about Iraq. The candidate paused and asked the crowd to make way for firefighters.

One supporter shouted, "You're a good man," leaving Obama momentarily at a loss for words.

"Well, I'm not the only one stopping to help her," he said, sounding almost embarrassed.

He talked briefly about his last trip to California in August, when he spent a morning helping a home health care worker clean a house, wringing out mops and making breakfast through a program sponsored by SEIU, the Service Employees International Union.

"Listening to her talk about the hardships of her life, talking about her struggles without a trace of self-pity ... I thought, there is the essence of what America is about, this generosity of spirit," Obama said.

Then it was off to a private luncheon and on to Winfrey's cocktail-hour shindig, where a different brand of very American generosity would be on display.

Obama already enjoys the support of Hollywood moguls like David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Winfrey's fundraiser is another chance for him to tap California, which was his top donor state from April through June with a total take of $4.2 million.

Obama has raised more than $58 million for his White House bid. Forbes magazine estimates that Winfrey, the Chicago-based talk-show host, is worth about $1.5 billion.

Winfrey is a well-known fan of Obama, calling him "my favorite guy" and "my choice" on CNN's "Larry King Live" last year before he announced he would run for president.

San Francisco Macy's Passport Video Features Bauer's Limosine

This is a video that promotes Macy's Passport -- the fashion show to end all shows -- at Fort Mason, September 19th, 2007. The short message contains images of the Lexus 400h Hybrid Car, the rage for those going green, and can be rented at the page for Macy's Passport

Women For Obama - San Francisco Fundraising Event For Barack Obama

On Friday September 7th San Francisco played host to an event called "Women For Obama." Some newspapers described the event as "Senator Obama's attempt at courting the Women vote." Well, first, for all who were there, it was more than an attempt - it really hit the mark. Second, it drew over 3,000 people, some -- like myself -- paying from $25 to as much as $2,300 to see hear, and greet the Senator. Third, like every Obama event, it was more than a political speech, it was part happening, part teach-in, part love fest, and part convention, with the Senator as ringleader.

One has to attend an event like this to really tangibly understand the impact he has on people. Senator Obama is the best example of how individuals and the human sprit that rests in all of us matter. When some of the mainstream media asks "Is America ready for.." I automatically know the person asking the question is either inhuman, blind to the human sprit, or some combination of both.

The event itself was put together by a vast combination of people, lead by San Francisco District Attorney Kamela Harris, and a group of people called "Women For Obama," and of which my friend Rosa Cabrera (who started another group called "Rise Up For Obama) was part of -- and gave a good speech. But the most impressive aspect of the event to me was the number of college-age young women who were there -- at least a thousand of the 3,000 people. Moreover, many adults brought their kids to see him, so the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium had a vast combination of little ones running around.

Obama's speech started off almost pro-forma, but then he got rolling. He talked about familar themes like ending the Iraq War, but attacked the idea of his "lack of experience" by explaining that at times having too much experience -- in Washington -- causes one to make mistakes, like the Iraq war. Obama also emotively talked about his mother's battle with ovarian cancer and how she was more worried about her medical bills than her own health, thus fueling his desire to have Universal Health Care for all Americans.

But the real star of the event, other than the Senator himself, were the thousands of people, many representing online groups formed on BarackObama.com, which came together to form a successful event. When the story of this campaign is written, it will be of how everything from event planning to fundraising was driven from a great website system that's frankly without peer. It's the Obama campaign's secret weapon, and it's only secret because many in politics still don't understand how to use the Internet -- but they do and they're getting better at it each month.

Peter Paul V. Hillary Clinton - Case Argued In CA Appellate Court, LA, Today

Remember when I told you the story of Peter Paul v. Hillary Clinton? Well, the case of campaign finance fraud has hit the appellate court today. NoBoddie's fool's got the story right:

Hillary Clinton and funny money go together like Bill Clinton and anything with big boobs.

The California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, will hear arguments about whether Hillary Clinton should be a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Hollywood mogul Peter Paul.

Attorneys for each side will also debate the inclusion as evidence of a videotape in which Clinton can be heard agreeing to plan a fundraiser, which was later determined to be illegal by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

Paul's legal counsel, the United States Justice Foundation (USJF), filed a brief in July. It said the videotape "captures the very commission of a crime, namely, that of knowingly soliciting, coordinating and accepting federal campaign contributions far in excess of the legal limit of $2,000."

Paul is appealing a California Superior Court ruling that dismissed Hillary Clinton from an earlier lawsuit under a statute that protects politicians from harassing or frivolous lawsuits. Paul's legal team argues the statute does not apply to a political figure who violates the law.

This harks back to Galagate, an August 2000 Hollywood event that was titled the "Bill Clinton Farewell Tribute" but was in fact a fund raiser for Hillary and featured performances by Cher, Diana Ross and Melissa Etheridge. It took in $1.5 million for Hillary's Senate campaign.

After failing to properly report the money raised, Clinton's campaign finance director, David Rosen, was accused of lying to the FEC and the Clinton Senate campaign had to pay a $35,000 fine to the FEC.

Paul said:

"Everything I complained about in 2001, and she denied, was supported in the Rosen trial and the FEC. Only her direct knowledge continues to be denied, and the tape contradicts that. Hillary's obstruction is worse than Nixon's obstruction in Watergate."
For the last six years,Clinton's staff has denied that she played a role in planning the fundraiser. Yet the videotape shows Paul and two others speaking with Hillary Clinton on speaker phone as she expresses enthusiasm about the event and telling Paul to contact her aide any time to further plan details.

In a written declaration for the California court filed on April 7, 2006, Clinton said that she did not remember discussions with Paul about the fundraiser.
"I have no recollection whatsoever of discussing any arrangement with him whereby he would support my campaign for the United States Senate in exchange for anything from me or then-President Clinton. I do not believe I would make such a statement because I believe I would remember such a discussion if it had occurred."
(Hillary, the 'smartest woman on earth' apparently has convenient memory lapses)

If Clinton helped to plan the event, it could legally constitute a direct hard money donation to her Senate campaign, rather than to her joint fundraising committee, "New York Senate 2000."

If that is the case, the donation from Paul would be more than a thousand times the legal limit for an individual donation. Knowingly soliciting an individual contribution of $25,000 or more is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Be still my heart.

"The Clintons represent the worst in modern American politics: ruthless ambition over a desire to serve; preoccupation with political funding over a fair system; opportunism over principle; betrayal of any cause or policy over taking a stand; and a desperation to gain and keep office over any obligation to honor its responsibilities." -- Christopher Reed, in the Los Angles Times.

But there's more...

Stay tuned.

Eddie Debartolo's Sports Agency Gathering Talent To Rep

In December of 2006, former 49ers owner Eddie Debartolo formed a new sports agency, and its been making waves with deals ever since. Take Troy Smith and Jerry Rice. DSE sports agents, Ralph Cindrich and Brian Kopp, have signed 2006 Heisman Trophy Winner Troy Smith. Smith, an Ohio native who led the Ohio State University Buckeyes to a 25-3 record.

Rice, regarded as perhaps the greatest wide receiver in National Football League history and a former Dancing With the Stars contestant, signed on recently with DeBartolo Sports & Entertainment (DSE). DSE will negotiate and manage Rice's endorsement deals, appearances and public relations. Rice, 44, played most of his 21-year career for the 49ers before retiring last year.

Indianapolis Colts Regain Super Bowl Form, Top N.O. Saints 41-10

The key was the defense and a gaggle of second-year and third year players that stepped in to make the Colts even better than last year.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Indianapolis Colts looked just as formidable on offense as they did when they won the Super Bowl last season.

And even better on defense.

Shaking off a sluggish first half, the Colts outscored New Orleans 31-0 after intermission in Thursday night's NFL opener to beat the Saints 41-10. At the same time, they served notice to New England, San Diego and other highly touted teams that losing six players who started the Super Bowl last season hasn't slowed them down a bit.

Four of them were on a defense that didn't allow a touchdown Thursday night.

"All offseason, that's what everyone talked about, that the defense has lost all these guys," said Peyton Manning, who threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns. "A lot of young guys played good tonight. It's only one game and there's a long way to go, but we played really well tonight."

Playing against his hometown team, Manning threw two TD passes to Reggie Wayne and another to Marvin Harrison. Joseph Addai ran for 118 yards on 23 carries and that super-quick defense shut down Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the explosive New Orleans offense.

The game was tied 10-10 after a sloppy first half.

But Manning led two quick TD drives in the first 8:49 of the second half as the Colts put up 24 points in 20 minutes after intermission. On the first drive, Manning hit Harrison for 42 yards to set up a 2-yard TD run by Addai. Then the Super Bowl MVP came right back to throw a 28-yard TD pass to Wayne.

"NFL games are 60 minutes long. We were a little out of synch in the first half," coach Tony Dungy said. "They played us defensively a little different than we thought. We knew we had to run the ball a little more."

Another major player -- for both sides -- was New Orleans cornerback Jason David, who started for the Colts in their Super Bowl win over Chicago and then left as a free agent. He was victimized by Harrison on a 27-yard TD pass in the first half and again by Wayne on both his scores, the second a 45-yarder in the fourth quarter.

But David also produced the Saints' only TD, stripping Wayne after a second-quarter completion, picking up the ball and returning it 55 yards for the score.

"We don't do that," Manning said when asked if he deliberately went at David. "We had the right calls at the right time. With Marvin and Reggie, you're always going to throw it to those guys. If you have a good day, they say you're picking on one guy. We really don't do that."

David said he had to get used to a new scheme in New Orleans but didn't have any excuses.

"Any time you come back and play a team you used to play for, you want to play your best game," he said. "I didn't play my best game tonight. All the plays you saw tonight ... that's on me. There's nobody else to blame but me."

Wayne finished with seven catches for 115 yards.

"The joke in the locker room is that I scored on both sides of the ball," Wayne said of his run-ins with his former teammate. "I gave him a free touchdown, so I guess that was the appreciation we gave him."

The game finally put the focus back on football after an offseason dominated by player discipline problems and long suspensions, most notably involving Michael Vick and Adam Jones. Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was at the game, said beforehand, "I think we're ready now to get the focus back on football."

It took a little while before Manning got the Colts' offense focused.

Manning was just 8-of-17 for 101 yards in the first half, 66 of those yards on two completions: the 27-yard TD to Harrison, plus 39 on a throw to tight end Dallas Clark that set up Adam Vinatieri's 33-yard field goal that tied the game at 10.

But the Saints, who reached the NFC title game last season before losing to Chicago, could never get their potent offense going.

"I thought at halftime, being on the road and with all that went on we were in good shape," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "But we had some miscues. Our inability to convert third downs and keep the ball hurt us."

Colts TE Dallas Clark is such an integral part of this offense. The Saints played a ton of Cover 2, but could not account for Clark in the passing game. Indianapolis used very few three receiver sets on first and second down, but created the same effect by splitting Clark out wide. The Colts also added a new wrinkle by putting Clark on one side and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne on the other and it helped produce Harrison's first quarter TD catch.

In the third quarter, Clark drew the safety playing quarters coverage up while Wayne filled the void on his deep post for a huge touchdown that all but sealed the Colts victory.

Clark isn't known as a top blocker, but he was effective in sealing the edge for Indianapolis' stretch play. This play abused New Orleans which -- out of fear -- was reluctant to bring an extra defender into the box. Clark did a little of everything, including even getting a first down carrying the ball on an end around, and simply put, was instrumental in this win.
They had just 112 total yards in the first half, and Bush and Deuce McAllister each had just 21 yards rushing before intermission against a made-over Indianapolis defense. That unit included undrafted rookie Ed Johnson at defensive tackle in place of Anthony McFarland, out for the season with a knee injury.

Both finished with just 38 yards, Bush on 12 carries and McAllister on 10. Brees was 27-of-40 for 183 yards and two interceptions.

"It just felt like we never got in synch," Brees said. "We felt we hadn't accomplished much in the first half so we were chomping at the bit to get out there and sustain some drives. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe we needed to get our butts kicked tonight to get a little fire going."

The only score by the New Orleans offense was a 34-yard field goal by Olindo Mare in the second quarter after a nine-play, 36-yard drive. From the middle of that quarter until the middle of the fourth, the Saints ran just one play in Indianapolis territory and that was for a 2-yard loss.

Indy linebacker Freddy Keiaho, replacing departed free agent Cato June, was outstanding.

In the second quarter, he drove through a blocker, carrying him into Bush and dropping the runner for a 5-yard loss. In the third quarter, he picked off a pass that led to a 33-yard field goal by Vinatieri that made it 27-10 in the first minute of the final quarter.

The Colts took a 7-0 lead on the Manning-to-Harrison TD in the first quarter. David's play tied the game, and Mare's field goal put the Saints up 10-7. That lasted until the late drive keyed by the Manning-Clark hookup.

Then the Colts took over completely in the second half.

The Manning-Wayne 45-yarder made it 34-10 five minutes into the fourth quarter and Matt Giordano's 83-yard interception return closed the scoring.

Apple's I-Phone Comes Down In Price $200! - WSJ

Steve Jobs Offers
Rare Apology,
Credit for iPhone

By NICK WINGFIELD - Wall Street Journal
September 7, 2007; Page B1

Many people stood in long lines to get Apple Inc.'s iPhone -- and paid a lot for it. In the end, Steve Jobs concluded that such loyalty counted for something.

Responding to a flood of emails complaining about a surprise iPhone price cut, Mr. Jobs apologized publicly and said Apple will offer a $100 credit at Apple stores to all iPhone users who paid the original price. "Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these," Mr. Jobs wrote in a letter posted yesterday on Apple's Web site.

The unusual move followed Apple's announcement Wednesday that it was cutting $200 off the price of its $599 iPhone. In online discussion forums throughout Wednesday and yesterday morning, early buyers had vented their frustration with how quickly Apple had cut the price of the iPhone, which went on sale June 29. Mr. Jobs said in the letter that he had received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who were upset.


Apple and AT&T also said yesterday that customers who had purchased the $599 iPhone, with eight gigabytes of storage capacity, at one of their stores within 14 days of Wednesday's price cut can choose a $200 cash refund instead of the $100 store credit. People who bought a low-end $499 iPhone model within the 14 days can return it for a full refund instead of taking the credit. Apple on Wednesday said it was discontinuing the low-end iPhone, with four gigabytes of storage, as most of its customers preferred the eight-gigabyte model.

"I think this is absolutely the right move," said Christopher Kercher, an attorney in New York who paid full price for an iPhone shortly after it went on sale and was among those who were upset by the timing of the price cut. "They needed to reach out and make a peace offering."

In the letter, Mr. Jobs insisted the price cut was necessary to broaden the market for the product, but he acknowledged that Apple needed to assuage disappointed early purchasers. Mr. Jobs said further details will be posted on Apple's Web site next week.

The controversy over the iPhone price cut threatened to overshadow Apple's efforts to boost sales of the product during the holidays through a lower price. While technology companies often drop prices on their gadgets over time, Apple has historically introduced replacement models with different industrial designs and improved features rather than discounting existing models. Apple usually makes such changes about a year after a product's introduction, not two months later.

Before the announcement of the $100 store-credit offer, some iPhone shoppers said the timing of the price cut would discourage them from buying Apple products early in the future. "This is like a slap in the face to early adopters," said John Keck, an executive at an advertising agency in Detroit.

Few companies rely on early adopters quite as much as Apple, which has a built a loyal customer base with such ground-breaking products as the Macintosh computer and the iPod music player.

In his letter, Mr. Jobs said that from his 30-plus years in technology he knew that the "technology road is bumpy," and there is "always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price of the new operating system or the new whatever." Still, Mr. Jobs wrote, Apple needs to "do a better job of taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price."

Some Apple customers said Apple's offer, in addition to being good public relations, was a shrewd effort to encourage more business at Apple's online and physical stores because consumers must go there to redeem their $100 store credits. Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi predicted the financial impact of the credits on Apple would be "very modest" given Apple's overall revenue and the number of iPhone users, currently less than a million. Apple shares fell $1.75 to $135.01 in Nasdaq trading yesterday.

Paul Brennan, an institutional investor in Pasadena, Calif., who bought an iPhone when it first went on sale, said he would have preferred "cold hard cash" from Apple, but he added that he felt less angry after Apple's decision to grant a credit. "Something is better than nothing," Mr. Brennan said.

-- Amol Sharma contributed to this article.

Ron Paul Video Mashup Of 2008 Republican Fox Debate

To say that Congressman Ron Paul was effective on Wednesday is an understatement. He managed to establish the terms of debate in the campaign and capture the hearts of his fans on the Internet. This video shows -- amoung other things -- Congressman Paul's exchange with Arkansas Governor Mike Hukabee, the text of which is below the video.



MR. WALLACE: Congressman Paul -- (interrupted by cheers, applause) -- Congressman Paul, your position on the war is pretty simple: Get out. What about, though, trying to minimize the bloodbath that would certainly occur if we pull out in a hurry? What about protecting the thousands of Iraqis who have staked their lives in backing the U.S.? And would you leave troops in the region to take out any al Qaeda camps that are developed after we leave?
REP. PAUL: The people who say there will be a bloodbath are the ones who said it would be a cakewalk, it would be slam dunk, and that it would be paid for by oil. Why believe them? They've been wrong on everything they've said. Why not ask the people -- (interrupted by cheers) -- why not ask the people who advise not to go into the region and into the war? The war has not gone well one bit.

Yes, I would leave, I would leave completely. Why leave the troops in the region? The fact that we had troops in Saudi Arabia was one of the three reasons given for the attack on 9/11. So why leave them in the region? They don't want our troops on the Arabian Peninsula. We have no need for our national security to have troops on the Arabian Peninsula, and going into Iraq and Afghanistan and threatening Iran is the worst thing we can do for our national security.

I am less safe, the American people are less safe for this. It's the policy that is wrong. Tactical movements and shifting troops around and taking in 30 more and reducing by five, totally irrelevant. We need a new foreign policy that said we ought to mind our own business, bring our troops home, defend this country, defend -- (bell sounds) -- our borders --

MR. WALLACE: So if --
(Interrupted by cheers, applause.)

MR. WALLACE: So, Congressman Paul, and I'd like you to take 30 seconds to answer this, you're basically saying that we should take our marching orders from al Qaeda? If they want us off the Arabian Peninsula, we should leave? (Laughter.)

REP. PAUL: No! (Cheers, applause.) I'm saying -- (laughter) -- I'm saying we should take our marching orders from our Constitution. We should not go to war -- (cheers, applause) -- we should not go to war without a declaration. We should not go to war when it's an aggressive war. This is an aggressive invasion. We've committed the invasion of this war, and it's illegal under international law. That's where I take my marching orders, not from any enemy. (Cheers, boos.)

After a couple of other candidates had a crack at the question, Wallace let Huckabee get a little action.

MR. WALLACE: Governor Huckabee, the latest National Intelligence Estimate, which is out recently, says that even if we continue the troop surge -- and we're going to put it up on the screen -- Iraq's security will continue to improve modestly during the next six to 12 months, but levels of insurgent and sectarian violence will remain high, and the Iraqi government will continue to struggle to achieve national-level political reconciliation and improved governance.
Governor, if that's the best we can hope for, should we continue the surge?

MR. HUCKABEE: We have to continue the surge. And let me explain why, Chris. When I was a little kid, if I went into a store with my mother, she had a simple rule for me. If I picked something off the shelf of the store and I broke it, I bought it.

I learned don't pick something off the shelf I can't afford to buy.

Well, what we did in Iraq, we essentially broke it. It's our responsibility to do the best we can to try to fix it before we just turn away because something is at stake. Senator McCain made a great point, and let me make this clear. If there's anybody on this stage that understands the word honor, I've got to say Senator McCain understands that word -- (applause, cheers) -- because he has given his country a sacrifice the rest of us don't even comprehend. (Continued applause.)


Wait a minute, isn't this the famous Colin Powell Pottery Barn rule? Are we supposed to now call it the Mama Huckabee rule? Anyway, Huckabee continued...

And on this issue, when he says we can't leave until we've left with honor, I 100 percent agree with him because, Congressman, whether or not we should have gone to Iraq is a discussion that historians can have, but we're there. We bought it because we broke it. We've got a responsibility to the honor of this country and to the honor of every man and woman who has served in Iraq and ever served in our military to not leave them with anything less than the honor that they deserve. (Cheers, applause.)
MR. HUME: Go ahead. You wanted to respond? He just addressed you; you go ahead and respond. (Continued applause.)

REP. PAUL: The American people didn't go in. A few people advising this administration, a small number of people called the neoconservative hijacked our foreign policy. They're responsible, not the American people. They're not responsible. We shouldn't punish them. (Cheers, applause.)

MR. HUCKABEE: Congressman, we are one nation. We can't be divided. We have to be one nation under God. That means if we make a mistake, we make it as a single country, the United States of America, not the divided states of America. (Cheers.)

REP. PAUL: No. When we make a mistake -- (interrupted by applause) -- when we make a mistake, it is the obligation of the people through their representatives to correct the mistake, not to continue the mistake! (Cheers, applause.)

MR. HUCKABEE: And that's what we do on the floor of the --

REP. PAUL: No! We've dug a hole for ourselves and we dug a hole for our party!

We're losing elections and we're going down next year if we don't change it, and it has all to do with foreign policy, and we have to wake up to this fact.

MR. HUCKABEE: Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor, and that is more important to the Republican Party.

REP. PAUL: We're losing -- we've lost over -- (cheers, applause) -- we have lost -- we have lost 5,000 Americans killed in -- we've lost over 5,000 Americans over there in Afghanistan and Iraq and plus the civilians killed. How many more do you want to lose? How long are we going to be there? How long -- what do we have to pay to save face? That's all we're doing is saving face. It's time we came home!

MR. HUME: Okay, gentlemen. Gentlemen, thank you. (Cheers, applause.)

"You Little Jerk" John McCain Answers Age Question At Forum

Never one to back down from a question, Senator John McCain took this one on with at first a good start, but ended with an unfortunate reference to the questioner as "You little jerk" -- thus cementing that person's place in history.

Oakland's Al Greenberg has a Question For Mitt Romney

2007 Kick-off Party invades NYC Chelsea Hotspot

The NFL Draft Bible and Fieldposition have teamed up to bring you the first NFL season Kick-off Party ever to have it's own Podcast. Recording live from "Flight 151" in the Heart of Chelsea this Thursday night, the Party will feature Football Trivia, $2 Coors light's, and hopefully Lots of Good football fun. Hosted By NFL Draft Bible's CEO Ric Serritella and it's SR. VP, and field scout, as well as Fieldposition.com and SBS Football Personality Dr. Bill Chachkes, the Party and Podcast start at 7 Pm eastern, and is located at 151 8th av bt 17th and 18th streets(Yes Zennie, only a few blocks from Murry's Bagels!!)

Public School Racial Segregation Increasing - Must Change This

This is not the direction America should go in. We must go back to desegregation as a policy and stick with it. It's the best combatant to racism, which is a mental illness.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Public schools in the United States are becoming more racially segregated and the trend is likely to accelerate because of a Supreme Court decision in June, according to report published on Wednesday.

The rise in segregation threatens the quality of education received by non-white students, who now make up 43 percent of the total U.S. student body, said the report by the Civil Rights Project of the University of California in Los Angeles.

Many segregated schools struggle to attract highly qualified teachers and administrators, do not prepare students well for college and fail to graduate more than half their students.

In its June ruling the Supreme Court forbade most existing voluntary local efforts to integrate schools in a decision favored by the Bush administration despite warnings from academics that it would compound educational inequality.

"It is about as dramatic a reversal in the stance of the federal courts as one could imagine," said Gary Orfield, a UCLA professor and a co-author of the report.

"The federal courts are clearly pushing us backward segregation with the encouragement of the Justice Department of President George W. Bush," he said in an interview.

The United States risks becoming a nation in which a new majority of non-white young people will attend "separate and inferior" schools, the report said.

"Resegregation ... is continuing to grow in all parts of the country for both African Americans and Latinos and is accelerating the most rapidly in the only region that had been highly desegregated -- the South," it said.

The trend damages the prospects for non-white students and will likely have a negative effect on the U.S. economy, according to the report by one of the leading U.S. research centers on issues of civil rights and racial inequality.

Part of the reason for the resegregation is the rapidly expanding number of black and Latino children and a corresponding fall in the number of white children, it said.

Contrary to popular belief, the surge in the number of minority children in public schools was not mainly caused by a flight of white students into private schools.

Instead, it said, the post-"baby boom" generation of white Americans are having smaller family sizes.

"During the desegregation period there was a major decline in the education gap between blacks and whites and an increase in college entry by blacks .... That gap has stopped closing," Orfield said.

TRIPLE SEGREGATION FOR LATINOS

The record of successive administration reforms such as the Goals 2000 project of former President Bill Clinton and Bush's "No Child Left Behind" in 2001 "justifies deep skepticism," the report said.

Those changes focused pressure and resources on making the achievement of minority children in segregated schools equal to children in schools that were fully integrated.

School desegregation is a sensitive issue in the United States because of resistance to it from white leaders in the decade after a 1954 Supreme Court decision saying segregated public schools were unconstitutional.

One of the chief complaints of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was that black-only public schools were inevitably starved of resources by local government with the result that black children received inferior education.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority in U.S. schools and for them segregation is often more profound than it was when the phenomenon was first measured 40 years ago, according to the report, "Historic Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation and the need for new Integration Strategies."

"Too often Latino students face triple segregation by race, class and language," it said.

YouTube Metrics and The 2008 Presidential Race

I’m writing this blog post to answer a question posed by Micha Sifry over at TechPresident and also to clear some glaring errors in what was an otherwise interesting article.

Sifry write that she’s “thinking out loud about YouTube metrics, but doesn’t include all of the metrics. Sifry wants to know if there’s a relationship between the number of YouTube subscribers and viewership. The answer is it’s more complicated than that. But before I explain why, I need to clean up these problems in Sifry’s article.

Take a look at this. This article was written on August 16th 2007. This is August 29, 2007. Sifry states that “John Edwards' (You Tube) numbers are somewhat higher than the other leading Democratic candidates because his campaign is using YouTube as the player for videos on his own site, while Obama uses Brightcove and Clinton uses an in-house tool.”

Really?

I wonder which numbers Sifry was looking at?

I created a table that compares the YouTube statistical numbers for the Democratic Candidates with those of the Internet’s top Republican Challenger Ron Paul. Now keep in mind I’m pulling these numbers straight from the channel pages of each candidate’s YouTube page.

Let’s look at the results.

The leader in this area by a massive margin is Senator Obama, who has 11 million channel views. As you can see, the closes follower isn’t that close at all.

Now from this, we should expect Barack Obama’s video views to be so far ahead of everyone else’s that there’s no comparison. Indeed, a look at my own channel statistics, which you can’t see, but I can from my account, shows my overall video views to be ahead of my channel views.

But when I use TubeMogul, the best evaluator and recorder of online video traffic ever constructed, we get results that imply fewer video views than the 11 million subscribers. But here’s the problem – and I think it’s one that Sifry had – but did not see – in looking at YouTube Metrics using TubeMogul. TubeMogul only captures a date range going back six months; Senator Obama’s YouTube channel was established almost one year ago. So while we can’t see Senator Obama’s account to learn how many video views he has, I can safely say that the video views do outpace the channel views.

One major reason for this is something not properly recorded by YouTube – it’s called the embed code. It allows you to install someone’s video on your blog or website. The trouble us, YouTube only records links, not embeds, in video stats.

So an Obama video can be set and then played and replayed and there would be no record of the embed, but high video view stats, higher even than channel views.

On top of all that, Obama has more videos posted on YouTube than many candidates. Ron Paul, the overall view leader, has just 44 videos on his channel. Considering Paul’s popularity, he’s not got enough videos out there to take advantage of it. His view numbers should be far higher than they are, and they would be with 100 more videos.

Finally, it’s very important for candidates to take YouTube even more seriously than they do. It commands 60 percent of the video distribution market share, and the next closest competitor MySpace Videos only has 16 percent of the market, and then Google Video (which really doesn’t count here) has 8 percent. Plus, there are about 70 YouTube-type companies, which makes challenging YouTube’s market share almost impossible (here that NBC!?)

The lesson here is three-fold – first the relationship between YouTube subscribers is more complicated than it seems, second, TubeMogul can only capture part of the picture, not the whole, and third that people do see the candidate message on YouTube, and given the shift in YouTube’s demographics to an older audience and for no other reason than the mainstreaming of YouTube, an audience more likely to vote in the 2008 Presidential Race.

What Black Men Think - A Great Video

This wonderful video was passed to me via a link by a YouTube contributor. You simply must watch it. I'm very happy that we as a group are finally coming together to take control of our image and debunk myths. Click here for more information on "What Black Men Think."

Patriots' Rodney Harrison to be suspended 4 games, reportedly for HGH

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
September 1, 2007

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Rodney Harrison, the frequently fined strong safety who solidified the New England Patriots' defense through back-to-back Super Bowl victories, will miss the first four games of the NFL season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

"Tomorrow, the commissioner will announce I have been suspended," a somber Harrison said in a hastily announced conference call with reporters on Friday night after ESPN.com reported that he had admitted obtaining human growth hormone.

Harrison did not take questions or confirm the banned substance involved.

"I want to make it clear that not once did I ever use steroids," he said. "I did admit to the commissioner that I did, in fact, use a banned substance."

The league issued a statement late Friday night confirming that Harrison is suspended without pay for four games, effective immediately. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Tuesday, Oct. 2, following the previous night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the league said.

The NFL, meanwhile, confired that Wade Wilson, currently the Cowboys' quarterback coach, also admitted to NFL officials that he received illegal drugs.The NFL announced his suspension on Saturday.

According to the New York Daily News, Wilson admitted receiving HGH while working for the Chicago Bears from 2004-06. The league said that Harrison, Wilson and Richard Ryzde, a former doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers, were involved in an internet drug operation being investigated by the Albany (N.Y.) District Attorney's office.

Ryzde was fired by the Steelers. League spokesman Greg Aiello said Saturday that those three were the people affiliated with the NFL involved with the operation.

The Patriots, who lost in the AFC championship game to the Indianapolis Colts last season, are considered favorites to reach the Super Bowl after a series of strong offseason acquisitions, including Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss. Harrison apologized for becoming a distraction to his team as it prepares for the Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets.

"I will be absent from the team for the next four weeks. That is a penalty that I have to serve. I intend to return and do my best to really help this team in any capacity I can help this team get back to winning the championship," Harrison said.

"This is something that Rodney Harrison did, and Rodney Harrison did alone. My teammates didn't do it. As they prepare for the Jets and games after that, I would ask that you give them the respect, not badger them with questions because they don't have any information."

The team had no comment, spokesman Stacey James said.

Harrison also apologized for serving as a poor role model for young football players.

"I sent the wrong message with my actions," he said. "I have not made excuses, nor will I make excuses. I made a mistake and I am very sorry for that. ... I do not condone my behavior. I am very, very embarrassed by it. I am disappointed in myself."

In a 13-year career, Harrison has earned a reputation as one of the NFL's most aggressive players, one feared by opponents for bonecrushing hits they complain are cheap or illegal. The league often agrees, fining him more than $200,000 in his career, including a one-game suspension in 2002 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Oakland's Jerry Rice that cost him a game check of $111,764.

But as much as others hate to play against him, his teammates appreciate the way he practices, plays -- and talks -- at full speed.

On his second day of training camp after joining New England, Harrison took out elder statesman Troy Brown on a route across the middle. Brown threw the ball at him, but a month later a group of Patriots went to coach Bill Belichick and asked him to make Harrison one of the defensive captains.

"It wasn't about me making friends," Harrison said before the 2004 Super Bowl. "It was about me proving that I still had some gas in my tank and I could still play."

But it wasn't just gas in his tank.

As the hits took their toll on Harrison, he turned to banned substances to get back on the field.

"My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge," he said Friday night. "Rather, my use was solely for the purpose of accelerating the healing process of injuries I sustained while playing football.

The injuries came more frequently as Harrison, now 34, got older.

He was sidelined for eight games in 1999 with a shoulder injury. After injuring his ankle in 2002, the Chargers feared his career was in jeopardy and cut him.

Harrison quickly signed with New England and held together the defense for teams that won the 2004 and 2005 Super Bowls, sealing the second victory by intercepting Donovan McNabb with 9 seconds remaining.

But he played in just three games in 2005 before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligaments. He broke his right shoulder blade last season and missed six games, then returned for two more before straining his right knee and missing the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

ESPN.com reported that Harrison's name came up in federal and New York state investigations into an Internet pharmaceutical distribution ring for steroids and other performance enhancers.

George Clooney, Who Raised $1.3 Million For Obama, Calls Him Rock Star

From Huff Post

VENICE, Italy — Barack Obama has the aura of a rock star, says George Clooney, who also had some kind words for other Democratic presidential candidates.

"You've been in a room once in a while with a rock star. He walks into the world, and he takes your breath away. I'd love him to be president, quite honestly," the actor told reporters Friday at the Venice Film Festival, where his legal thriller "Michael Clayton" was premiering.

Larry Craig Makes It Official, Resigns From The Senate

According to various news sources , Idaho Senator Larry Craig annouced that he would resign from the Senate, effective September 30th.

NYC School Teachers Begin School At Akward Time

8 A.M., 8:30 A.M., maybe even 9 A.M. is the typical time for students and teachers to start the school day. In New York City public schools students and teachers start class at 8:02 and 30 seconds. Yes, you heard me right 8:02 and 30 seconds.

In a quest to discover why the added 30 seconds was inserted I sought after Alicia Kaye, my mom and teacher at PS 214 in Brooklyn.

''This change occurred due to our last contract. The New York City teachers union agreed to have its members work 37.5 more minutes a day for four days a week. Additionally, we come in two days in August and give up the Brooklyn/Queens holiday.'' This sounded convoluted to me so I asked what the incentive is for coming in early.

''This change resulted in teachers giving up the equivalent of two weeks a year for a 3% raise. 66% of union members voted in favor of the contract because they were afraid of a strike.'' Kudos to mayor Michael Bloomberg for once again forcing his will on hard working school teachers and allowing them very little freedom. A 3% raise is minimal when you take into account how little teachers in the city are paid.

Larry Craig - Senator Craig To Resign After Whirlwind Week

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig will resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men's room, Republican officials said Friday.

Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning that he will resign effective Sept. 30, GOP officials in Idaho and Washington told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Word of the resignation came four days after the disclosure that Craig had pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his June 11 arrest during a lewd-conduct investigation at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The three-term Republican senator had maintained that he did nothing wrong except for making the guilty plea without consulting a lawyer. But he found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington.


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Although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter favored Lt. Gov. Jim Risch as a replacement, both Otter aides and Risch said no decision had been made.

"I have not been promised the job of U.S. senator, nor has there even been a hint that the governor would appoint me to that position," Risch told the AP. "At this point in time, that discussion is very premature."

Mark Warbis, a spokesman for Otter, said the governor would not comment until he hears from Craig.

Craig's spokesman, Dan Whiting, had said earlier that the senator would announce his career plans Saturday. The spokesman would not say whether Craig intended to resign.

Craig has been out of public view since Tuesday, when he declared defiantly at a Boise news conference: "I am not gay. I never have been gay." But Republican sources in Idaho said he spent Friday making calls to top party officials, including the governor, gauging their support.

There has been virtually none publicly.

Asked Friday at the White House if the senator should resign, President Bush said nothing and walked off stage.

Republican officeholders and party leaders maintained a steady drumbeat of actions and words aimed at persuading Craig to vacate his Senate seat.

GOP lawmakers, hoping to get the embarrassment to the party behind them quickly, stripped Craig of leadership posts on Wednesday, one day after they called for an investigation of Craig's actions by the Senate Ethics Committee. Craig complied with the request.

With his wife, Suzanne, at his side, Craig said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and later pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."

Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year.

Republican officeholders and party leaders wanted Craig to give up his seat in the Senate as soon as possible. Their preference, according to several officials, was for a successor to be selected and ready to take the oath of office when the Senate returns from its summer vacation next week.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig's conduct "unforgivable" and acknowledged that many in the rank and file thought Craig should resign.

Republicans, worried about the scandal's effect on next year's election, suffered a further setback Friday when veteran Virginia Sen. John Warner announced he will retire rather than seek a sixth term. Democrats captured Virginia's other Senate seat from the GOP in the 2006 election and have sought to line up former Gov. Mark Warner to run if the seat became open.

The contest for control of the next Senate was already tilted against Republicans, who must defend 22 of 34 seats on the ballot next year, before the Craig scandal and Warner's announcement.

With a GOP candidate other than Craig, Republicans would stand a much better chance of keeping his Idaho seat in 2008. Idaho is one of the nation's most reliably Republican states. The GOP controls the statehouse and all four seats in Congress, and Bush carried the state in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote.

Risch, the lieutenant governor, served for seven months as governor last year after former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was named interior secretary. Risch had said earlier he was interested in Craig's Senate seat if Craig did not seek re-election in 2008.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, also had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Craig, but the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because Craig has not resigned, said Otter would choose Risch.

Craig served in the House before winning his first Senate term in 1990 and compiled a strongly conservative voting record.

On Thursday, the Minneapolis airport authorities released a tape recording of Craig's interrogation minutes after he encountered a plainclothes officer in an adjacent stall in an airport restroom.

Craig and airport police Sgt. Dave Karsnia disagreed about virtually everything that had occurred _ including whether there was a piece of paper on the floor of the stall and the meaning of the senator's hand gestures.

Craig denied that he had used foot and hand gestures to signal interest in a sexual encounter.

"I'm not gay. I don't do these kinds of things," Craig told the officer. "You shouldn't be out to entrap people."

Karsnia accused Craig of lying and grew exasperated with his denials.

"Embarrassing, embarrassing. No wonder why we're going down the tubes," Karsnia said.

___

Daly reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Todd Dvorak in Boise and David Espo and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.