Jason Taylor Named Walter Payton Man Of The Year

Moments before the kickoff of Super Bowl 42 between the Giants and Patriots, Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor was presented with the Walton Payton Man of the Year award for his substantial contribution in the community and off the field.

Taylor, the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, becomes the third Dolphin to be honored with the Walton Payton award. Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson (1985) and quarterback Dan Marino (1998)were the first two fins to receive the recognition for their hard work when away from the field.

Maria Shriver Endorses Barack Obama

Maria Shriver, wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who recently endorsed Republican John McCain, pledged her support for Democrat Barack Obama this afternoon at an event in Los Angeles that featured Caroline Kennedy, Michelle Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

According to Shriver, "I'm proud to be standing here not just with these women, but with all of you -- different races, different age groups I'm sure, Democrats and independents alike -- because you believe," she said. "You believe in each and every one of yourselves, most importantly. And you believe that you have found someone who believes in you."

California's first lady is the niece of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy who endorsed Obama last week at an event at American University in Washington D.C.

Barack Obama "Yes We Can" Will-I-Am Video A Hit!

Will-I-Am of the Black Eyed Peas has created a beautiful video around Senator Barack Obama's words "Yes We Can". I don't yet know how the video came to be reality -- in other words, when Will-I-Am decided to pull the trigger and make it -- but it's out now and deserves a look. I can't remember when a group of artists have gotten together in this way before.

Here's the video:

7 Crazy Superbowl Predictions that could happen

7 Crazy Super bowl Predictions that could happen
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-NFL Draft Bible.com

7- Patriots WR Randy Moss will be assaulted by a group from the women's anti-defamation league as he leaves a party Saturday Night. He will need a restraining order and a police escort in order to play the game Sunday.

6- Coach Bill Belichick will have his entire coaching wardrobe of 27 Hoodies and two pullover hats stolen by a group of 12 year olds from the Ravenswood Housing Projects In Astoria NY called the "little Giants Mafia".

5- Dallas owner Jerry Jones, still distraught over the Cowboys early exit from the Playoffs, will try to get a new playoff system passed that eliminates the wild card round of the playoffs. He will then take a 4 day skiing trip to Utah with Jeff Lurie, and Dan Snyder. He will break his hand on a fall on the slopes, and Snyder will have him airlifted out by a Fedex copter. Lurie will then try to Rush release a movie epic based on the trip ahead of Steve Tisch's release of the same movie.

4- Jessicia Simpson will break up with Tony Romo and Profess her love for Eli Manning. Her father Joe will throw himself at Archie and Olivia Manning, begging them for a chance at their son. Archie will offer Joe a case of Double Stuff Oreos and a case of Hershey's Chocolate milk and tell him to go home.

3- Tom Petty's Tour Bus will burn down at a Roadside diner in Black Canyon City Arizona the day before the game. No one will be hurt, but Petty will have to borrow Prince's purple guitar to play the halftime show. Gene Simmons from Kiss will tell everyone he could have played a better show. By himself.

2- Tom Brady will throw 7 interceptions in the game, and retire from football in the post game press conference. He will break up with the pinup girlfriend and join a religious cult, giving all his net worth to them.

And the #1 Wacky Super Bowl Prediction is:
The Giants will win 24-21 on a last second Field Goal by Tynes again. Both Scotland and Milton Fl. will claim Tynes a Native son, causing a Lawsuit over both's use of his name on a welcome sign. Tynes will accept a free agent offer to play for the new NFL expansion team in Fairbanks Alaska….

Phil The Groundhog's Day Groundhog Says "Six More Weeks Of Summer"

Well, at least I thought it was funny. The annual tradition of Phil The Groundhog coming out of his hole and telling us how long winter's going to last is upon us once again. This year, Phil says it's six more weeks of winter!

Heath Ledger | Ledger Video Claims To Show Drug Use

I'm not sure what the purpose of making and releasing this video is, but it's out there and claims to show Heath Ledger using and talking about using drugs. Again, I don't know what the reason for this video is, but I also think it's not a good idea to have made it. But that written, it's news..

Kofi Bonner | Candlestick Point Plan For Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco

Kofi Bonner | Candlestick Point Plan For Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco

Kofi Bonner Shows New Homes, Open Space and Jobs Are Part of Transit-Oriented Project to Open Up Southeast S.F. Waterfront

SAN FRANCISCO -- Plans were unveiled by Kofi Bonner of Lennar Corporation at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for an innovative new Candlestick Point neighborhood that would feature as its centerpiece a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers and include an 8,000-10,000 seat arena, new market rate and affordable housing, retail and entertainment uses, public parks and open space, and improved access to the San Francisco Bay shoreline.

The presentation was the first public viewing of the mixed-use/stadium development that was created as part of the 49ers stadium project. "We strongly believe that our proposed plan for Candlestick Point serves both the 49ers and the community of Bayview Hunters Point and we look forward to making refinements to the plan that inevitably occur as a result of the public review process," said Kofi Bonner, president of Lennar Communities Bay Area Urban Division, the company selected by the 49ers and The City to create a new home for the NFL team as well as bring new housing and job opportunities to San Francisco.

On Nov. 8, 49ers co-owner John York surprised the City of San Francisco, Lennar, football fans and the public when he announced that the York family was making Santa Clara their first choice for a new football stadium after almost a decade of team efforts to build a stadium in San Francisco and almost a year of meetings on this specific plan. Mayor Gavin Newsom requested the Board of Supervisors call today's hearing to view and evaluate the various elements of the plan.

The Candlestick Point plan will create a new transit-oriented neighborhood within the existing Bayview Hunters Point community that provides football fans, current and future residents with improved connections to Caltrain, Light Rail Transit, and bus service and provides improved traffic flow, parking and day-of-game experience for 49ers fans traveling to and from the new stadium.

The proposed plan will create 6,500 new homes, a new 8,000-10,000 seat arena, approximately 400,000 sq. ft of retail and entertainment uses, 150,000 sq. ft. of office space, a new 200 room hotel, and over 150 acres of parks and open space. In addition, the new development is expected to provide approximately 3,000 new permanent jobs and preserve the 2,000 day-of-game jobs.

"We created this development with three objectives," said Bonner. "To create a memorable and exciting fan experience for the 49ers faithful, to transform Candlestick Point into a vibrant and viable mixed-use sustainable community that will appeal to our home buyers, and at the same time provide much needed jobs and housing."

At the heart of the game day experience are the new "urban tailgating


" opportunities provided by the various sports bars, restaurants and live music venues clustered along the retail street leading to the stadium plaza. For the traditional tailgaters, the plan includes approximately 3,500 spaces to tailgate -- ranging from the roof of the new parking structure to one of the most beautiful tailgating venues in the world, a revitalized State Park along the San Francisco shoreline.

The plan includes new recreational opportunities for the public through improvements to the Candlestick Point State Park, the creation of walking paths, the expansion of the Bay Trail, new bike paths and water-oriented activities. In addition, the plan also meets one of the City's key objectives for the project - the provision of a significant number of affordable housing units and the replacement of the Alice Griffith Housing Project - also known as "Double Rock".

In preparing the plan, Lennar worked closely with the 49ers to create a phasing plan that would allow the 49ers to play continuously at Candlestick Point and to provide the necessary fan parking. At the opening of the new stadium, Lennar expects to have a significant portion of the development complete, including the main retail and entertainment uses that allow for the "urban tailgate" experience.

"Although the new 49ers stadium is a significant component of a new Candlestick Point neighborhood, it's important to note that even if the stadium is not built, the development stands on its own," Bonner said. "With or without a new stadium, the creation of new homes, parks and transportation will benefit the existing neighborhood and future residents." Lennar is expected to provide the entire infrastructure necessary to support development at Candlestick Point and the revenues from the project are expected to provide a portion of the funding for the construction of the new stadium.

Lennar said the company will work closely with the Mayor's office, Board of Supervisors and other community leaders to help make the project a reality.