Roxxxy sex robot lifesized girlfriend debuts at at AEE 2010

In what's sure to be viewed as a wrong-way direction for social change, "Roxxxy" the robot lifesized girlfriend was introduced at AEE 2010, the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. Roxxxy robot lifesized girlfriend is a anatomically correct facsimile of a woman dressed for sex, and with "servos" and other electronics to make it seem, well, real. It's maker calls it the first "sex robot."

Violet Blue, where are you?

Roxxxy robot lifesized girlfriend was created by former Bell Labs employee Douglas Hines, who's overweight, balding, bespectacled look fits the perfect image of a guy who would make such a thing.

Douglas Hines says that he developed Roxxxy robot lifesized girlfriend after losing a friend in the 9-11 terrorist attack. Just who that friend is, Douglas Hines does not say, leaving one to wonder if he just spent too much money at strip clubs.

Roxxxy robot lifesized girlfriend is designed to respond to touch: a grab of her wrist causes her to "say" something depending on the personality type that's installed. The whole thought bring the question of how Douglas Hines actually tested the product.

Roxxxy robot lifesized girlfriend is the first in what is going to be a line of products by "True Companion", including, for women, a male version called Rocky.

But why make this, really, is anyone's guess.

What is disturbing is that in the video below the Roxxxy sex robot just sits there in an open position. It does nothing and would seem to be the perfect image of what Douglas Hines wants his women to do: nothing and just lay there. Be, well, submissive. In the video, this blogger was longing to see Roxxxy robot slap the crap out of Douglas Hines, but he didn't program it to do that. But perhaps you can because Hines says you can "create your dream personality" to have.



But if it's 2010 and we have Roxxxy sex robot lifesized girlfriend, what will 2020 bring? What this shows is technology replacing the need for human contact in everything from phones where people send texts, to invisible online commenters on forums, to this. Perhaps one good thing is that men who elect to go in this direction tske themselves out of the pool of us who love the real thing.

Stay tuned.

Spider-Man drops Tobey McGuire and Sam Rami; Taylor Lautner?

In what has been viewed as a massive film business blunder, the Spider-Man property dropped Tobey McGuire and Sam Rami after a dispute over script direction. But there's word that Avatar Director James Cameron still has "fire" to do a Spider-Man film. And, speculatively, the stage could be set for Taylor Lautner to be the new Peter Parker.

Taylor Lautner

According to Nikke Finke at Deadline Hollywood, the creative problems led to a dispute that on Monday, officially ended the Spider-Man relationship between Columbia Pictures, Marvel Comics, Tobey McGuire, and Sam Rami, who starred in and directed the first three blockbuster films.

The problems started in December 2009, and with a Spider-Man 4 script written by screenwriters Jamie Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross, that according to Aint It Cool News, had something to do with Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and a baby. It's widely reported that Sam Rami hated the script, and didn't feel he could make a May 11, 2011 deadline with the technical demands it called for.

Finke reports that once Sam Rami said he was out, Columbia Pictures' Matt Tolmach and Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal wanted to "reboot" the franchise, in the way that J.J. Abrams was assigned to reboot the Star Trek franchise.

Reportedly, Rami wanted a script from Spider-Man Producer Laura Ziskin's husband and script writer for the Spider-Man 2 and 3 movies, Alvin Sargent. But Finke reports that her sources said the movie can't be made given the script issue, unless the script could be fast-tracked. To this date, as of this writing, that has not happened. Originally, the date for filming was February, and now it's undetermined. What is sure is that Alvin Sargent's working on a new script that involves Peter Parker in high school.

For several reasons, this blogger thinks Sony and Columbia have Taylor Lautner in mind for the new Peter Parker role. This is a hypothesis, but consider that Taylor Lautner is 17, right at high school age and has a strong 13 to 17 demographic that studios have been hot to capture of late (Miley Cyrus, for example). Moreover, Pascal says - and fans hate - that Sony and Columbia want to explore Peter Parker's teenage years and how he deals with those problems.  That's a perfect vehicle for Taylor Lautner, who's now a hot property after the success of Twilight: New Moon.

In other words, they didn't want to deal with an adult Peter Parker for business reasons.

As for the reaction to all of this, fans are divided over at Aint It Cool News, but some patterns are obvious: first, many didn't like Tobey McGuire as Peter Parker because they didn't feel he matched the comic book version. Second, fans hate the idea of a Spider-Man reboot for a franchise that doesn't need one. Star Trek did and everyone knew it. Differences aside, the Spider-Man formula worked, even if Spider-Man 3 was too heavy on special effects and not on story. Tobey McGuire brought a certain innocence to the role that's hard to replicate.

Who will replace Sam Rami has not been determined, but Aint It Cool News reported a conversation with Avatar Director James Cameron at last year's Comic Con, who told Harry Knowles of AICN that he still has the "fire" in him to do a movie based on a treatment he penned several years ago, and is not intimidated by the success of the first three movies.

Stay tuned. The press release is below:

Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) -- Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012.
Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."

Tom Hayes: Consequences of "gotcha politics" aimed at Senator Reid

Melissa Harris-Lacewell offers an excellent perspective in her piece "What Reid's Race Gaffe Tells Us About Inequality" today at The Nation. Nobody's surprised that the opposition party would leap on such a gaffe, but if they really want to accomplish change they'd be focused on more than one politician. The focus has clearly been a virtual frenzy - a "tar-and-feather the heathen" first, ask questions later approach - the sort of "gotcha" that McCain and other prominent GOP members famously claim to oppose.

Is Senator Reid above criticism? Absolutely not. His choice of language reveals something of his social context and the resultant view of the world. Clearly conversations about race in his circle are lacking, and his experience is insulated from the way most Americans live.

But creating what political theorist Nancy Fraser calls, "a difference-friendly world, where assimilation to majority or dominant cultural norms is no longer the price for equal respect," isn't what the elite right-wing strategists or the supporting talk-show punditocracy is calling for, (or presumably hoping to achieve.) Their goals appear much less lofty: attack the party of the President to weaken his political influence, one member of Congress at a time.

Naturally some of GOP politicos and voters are applauding the response to the gaffe. But rather than the tactics Americans who want to reclaim moral high-ground while rebuilding the leadership role for their country on the world stage need to succeed, these reveal a willingness to return to the arrogant do-anything, say-anything tactics of fear for short-term political advantage that most Americans voted to curtail in 2008.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Mark McGwire's steroids cry means Barry Bonds stays silent

Mark McGwire shocked the Sports World Monday with his explanation that he did indeed take steroids and performance enhancing drugs through his career in Oakland and all the way to his record setting 1998 season when he broke the Single-Game Home Run Record. Mark McGwire issued this statement Monday:

“I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the ’90s, including during the 1998 season. I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.”

The statement turned Major League Baseball upside down, but don't look for former San Francisco Giants Slugger Barry Bonds to say he used steroids anytime soon. To do so, in Barry's mind, would mean that "the system" beat him.

 Barry Bonds wants to beat "the system" because he sees it as racist. This view, and he has some fair reason to assert this, has unfortunately backed him into a corner that he's going to remain in for the rest of his life.

For Barry Bonds to admit any use of steroids absent under immunity, which he should have been granted long ago, is to perjure himself and write his ticket to jail. Anyone who's foolish enough to say or write that Barry Bonds should say he used steroids knows this. Moreover, in Barry's mind, he's already said he didn't know what he was being given. Proving that he did know is next to impossible.

Meanwhile, Barry Bonds rests with the belief that had he been white and broke McGwire's record, there would not have been the tremendous scrutiny placed on him. As one of my blogger friends Hodaka Kajita wrote in 2004, Barry Bonds was the target of sports reporters who "have hoarded Bonds in order to extract a comment that tarnishes his public image."

Of course, Hodaka's blog post caused a good debate, and that will continue today. But the bottom line is Barry Bonds felt he was the target of a racist witch hunt, author David Zirin believed this as well and expressed it in 2006, and I agree with both Bonds and Zirin.

Mark McGwire was given kid glove treatment in part because he's white and in part because he's a nice person. There's no argument here that some of Barry Bonds problems have been caused by the perception that he has an alleged legendary attitude, but even this is in question. Skip Bayless pointed to Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly as the person who stsrted the torrent of "Bad Barry" columns and pres.

Bayless said this is so because San Francisco Giants' Jeff Kent, who didn't at all get along with Bonds at the time, was filling Reilly's notebook with negative Barry Bonds information and Reilly was soaking it up. Meanwhile, it was Jeff Kent who had the bad attitude according to Deadspin.

So all of that can be distilled to this: Barry Bonds is backed into a corner such that talking the way Mark McGuire did on Monday would give him a trip to the slammer for perjury and obstruction of justice.  Bonds has nothing to gain from "pulling a McGuire" and letting his enemies get the best of him.

Meanwhile, the real question is what did the Commissioner of Baseball know about this and when.  I personally don't believe he didn't know what was going on because too much money was at take not to.  All of this was in the middle of a home-run race that fueled the creation of a baseball stadium boom that gave us everything from Camden Yards in Baltimore to AT&T Park in San Francisco.  

AT&T Park is the house that Barry Bonds built.  I believe he knows it and so does MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

Stay tuned.

Breast cancer survivors: Am I cured yet?

Image via Wikipedia

[Republished from DocGurley.com with permission]

October has become so synonymous with Breast Cancer Awareness month that it's almost a total pink-out. Signs, stores, and even scarves urge us to stamp out breast cancer. And following on October's (high) heels this year was the Mammogram Media-Monstrosity (for a bullet-sized version, check out #9 in the Doc Gurley Year in Review: Top Ten Health Lessons of 2009, or, for a more detailed look at the issue, check out the article, Battle of the Breasts: 16 Crucial Facts for You to Know). Now that we're into a new year, it's a good time to reflect on, well, life. Specifically, life after breast cancer. What with all the hula-baloo about prevention and screening, I'm thinking that the people who've already been diagnosed might have been just a wee bit overlooked.

So how do you embrace health post-breast-cancer? And what's with the weird reluctance of doctors to use the C-word ("cured")? Are there important, simple steps you can take to tilt the odds in your favor for living well? These are the kinds of issues you don't hear so much about in the news - despite the fact that shockingly large numbers of us know and love a mother, sister, friend or daughter who's been diagnosed. To cover some of these issues, I had the pleasure of talking with the charming Zennie - who's very interested in this topic on behalf of his mother. More and more we LIVE with diagnoses and diseases. And that's a good thing. But often we're left trying to decipher life-style advice, and, as research shows that our groups of family and friends is crucial to success, lots of us want to know what might help. So here are some recent, positive research results that you can consider when it comes to life after breast cancer.

Obligatory disclaimer: An article (ANY article) is, in no way, a replacement for actual medical care, and should not be mistaken for personal medical advice. When it comes to random, non-customized medical discussion, take to heart the message that the deep voice says (at the end of gazillions of soft-focus pharmaceutical ads) and see your doctor.

1) The "C-word." Or, why won't my doctor say I'm cured? Doctors don't tend to say that anyone is cured, and even just the absence of that word feels like a heartbreaker for many people. Refusing to say you're cured feels like a HUGE statement that professionals may be lacking-faith in your future. But that's not true. So why won't doctors say it? At it's worst, you could say that doctors don't generally pronounce anyone cured because the doctor is worried it will come back to haunt them if a patient relapses - after all, no doctor can tell the future. At its best, you could say that life is a continuum, that finding a breast cancer and treating it is the beginning of a process - a lifelong process of prioritizing your health. So what kinds of things can a person do to promote health after a diagnosis of breast cancer?

2) Should I lose weight? Exercise? Even at 60? What's clear is that being overweight significantly increases your risk of getting breast cancer in the first place. But what about after you've been diagnosed - should you lose weight? The answer is still being debated. But some well-done research shows that obese patients have worse outcomes, even after diagnosis, and even when you control for the same stage of tumor. What is clear is that promoting your health is a good thing. Eating well, walking everywhere, lifting weights three times a week for as little as 20 minutes at a time - all those things are important to your health. Simple steps can make a big difference - cut out all sugar drinks, including those with sugar-substitutes (become an unsweetened water/tea/coffee-only person!) and buy smaller plates to help with portion control. But keep in mind, fixating on weight-loss alone is probably not a healthy approach - instead, focus on nurturing yourself with only the best. You deserve it, and, heck, you're in this for the long-haul. These changes will help protect you from other significant diseases too. Lifting weights, for example, is important since many of the drugs women take after breast cancer can cause osteoporosis, or thinning of your bones. Lifting weights helps combat this. It's never too late to start - exercise and eating well can make a difference, even in the very elderly.

3) Vitamin D? More and more studies are showing a strong connection between low vitamin D, breast cancer and survival - even after diagnosis. In fact, in my opinion, if vitamin D was a patented drug, it would have more ads running continuously than any other pill (and that's saying a lot!). Here's the deal - vitamin D is about the only thing that doesn't just boost your immune system, it also makes it work smarter (a really hard thing to do!). In contrast, indiscriminately boosting your immune system can result in cases where your immune system attacks the wrong thing, or flares in a way that's, frankly, ineffective. But, keep in mind, you CAN overdose on vitamin D - so it's important to know where your body is living, and then optimize it. You want your vitamin D level well into the normal range - luckily, finding out is a simple, easy blood test. Your doctor can help you safely dose up to a good range, then make sure you stay there.

4) Do I have to take pills forever? Here's one of those good new/bad news kind of situations. Women tend to get two very distinct types of breast cancer - those cancers that have a receptor for estrogen, and those that don't. In general, it's much better to get the kind of breast cancer that "feeds" on estrogen. Studies have shown that type of tumor, in large groups of patients, is much more likely to be treatable without recurrence. That's the good news. The "bad" news is that studies also show survival can be definitely improved for groups of patients who take an estrogen-blocking pill for 5 or more years. Even if the tumor comes back! There are now pills that a patient should be taking for ten years after a diagnosis - even if the diagnosis was at age 81! In another of the weird good news/bad news twists, women who get joint pains from taking one of these pills, Femara, are less likely to have the tumor come back (now that's a motivation for enduring some joint pain if there ever was one!).

6) Sleeping, drinking and smoking: The good, the bad and the ugly. Sleep is good for you. While there are no huge, well-designed studies showing a strong link between sleep and disease-free survival from breast cancer, sleep IS associated with a better-functioning immune system, as well as improvement in many other health areas like blood pressure, and diabetes. Many Americans (if not most, in some subgroups) are just not getting enough sleep. Why take the time to make sleep a priority? Sleep is free, has no side-effects, and generally beneficial to your overall health and mood. I believe it's also a marker of other life issues - if you're unable to get enough sleep, there are probably other things impacting your health (like a high-stress life that can result in grab-and-go-bad-food-choices, and a lack of exercise, for example). Alcohol, on the other hand, when it comes to breast cancer, may be bad for you. Most of us have heard that alcohol, in moderation, can be beneficial for some heart disease prevention. [What does "moderation" mean? For women, zero-to-one drinks per night, with a max of less than 7 a week, for sure.] What many of us may not have have heard, however, is that many studies show that alcohol is not good for breast cancer - in fact, the larger the number of alcoholic drinks a week, the worse the risk. If you're living post-breast-cancer diagnosis, when it comes to alcohol, you want to be the picture of moderation. In fact, teetotalling may be the way to go. So if sleep may be the good, and alcohol the bad, smoking is just flat out the ugly. Smoking, and even passive smoke exposure, are associated with breast cancer. Getting a diagnosis can be the wake-up call to help see you through a solid quit. You'll reap mega benefits for ALL your health.

7) Mammograms...what's the point? Once you've been diagnosed with breast cancer, your regular screening becomes even more important. Recurrences can be treated too - and the earlier the better. It's important to not become discouraged (or worse yet, to despair). After the emotional shock of a diagnosis, it can be really hard to remember that finding a cancer is better than NOT finding one (until it's too late...).

So if you know, love, or care about a person who's living with a diagnosis of breast cancer, what can you do to help promote health after treatment is over? Here are some tips - keeping in mind that nagging is never a good way to go, but loving support, and encouragement can make a world of difference!

1) Be eager to move too. Exercise works best when done with a social group, at every age. Take the time to drive grandma to the mall for a gentle stroll each Sunday. Form a lunch-walking or Tai Chi group. Be the person who makes moving fun for those you love! 2) Encourage appropriate testing - mammograms and regular doctor visits (especially waiting for results!) can be grueling rocky experiences without support from those who care. Be aware, and be there, if you care. 3) Help your loved one to remember to ask about a vitamin D test at her next doctor's appointment. Spread the word! 3) Eat well. Just as with exercise, good eating works best when those around you are supportive. Don't be the person who sighs heavily and says, while gazing at the salad, how much nicer some spicy chicken wings would be. But also don't be a criticizer. Mindful nurturing is the way to go when it comes to improving your diet. As Michael Pollan says, "Eat food, not too much. Mostly plants."

What do you think? Got some tips to share for those who care? Post them in the comments section. Get on the Twitter bandwagon and follow Doc Gurley! Also check out Doc Gurley's joyhabit and iwellth twitter feeds - so you can get topic-specific fun, effective, affordable tips on how to nurture your joy and grow your wellth this coming year.



Got a thingie on your doohickey? Or are you pondering how to tell your doctor he's a jerk? Send your burning healthcare questions to Doc Gurley by emailing docgurleyatgmaildotcom. Doc Gurley cannot answer every question, and she cannot practice medicine through a keyboard (not even with her stethoscope pressed firmly against the monitor) but be assured - your questions will be kept strictly confidential and identifying traits are changed.

Breast Cancer detection and treatment: an Interview with Doc Gurley

"Doc Gurley" is Doctor Jan Gurley, who's my colleague at SFGate.com's City Brights blog section, and an expert on all aspects of Breast Cancer detection, treatment, and survival. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing her for a video on Breast Cancer.

Doc Gurley

The reason for my motivation was that my Mom's a Breast Cancer survivor (since 2005) and as an only child, my mind's on constant alert status, making sure that she's OK and ready to basically alter my life if anything happens to her again, which I'm thankful has not been the case.

So, I turned to Doc Gurley with a lot of questions that are not just for people in my situation but really tailored for women who have questions about what to do about Breast Cancer at every stage of our lives.

Doc Gurley wrote a blog on Breast Cancer for Friday's SFGate.com. That companion to this post is here.

Doc Gurley and I met at Lake Chalet Restaurant in Oakland, where we talked by the fireplace in what is called "The Pump Room". Here's the video in two parts:

Part One:



Part Two:

California High Speed Rail defies Jerry Brown's letter

In considering an alternative to the downtown San Francisco terminus for the planned California High Speed Rail System, The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is acting against a letter written by California Attorney General Jerry Brown.

The CHSRA has gained the anger of San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly and residents and businesses around "The Beale Street Alternative", particularly the Rincon Hill Neighborhood Association.

The fear of homeowners is that their properties may be demolished to make way for High Speed Rail in the Rincon Hill Neighborhood area. As stated in the blog Rincon Hill Neighbors by "Jamie",

The remote possibility of the Authority choosing to build a second train station in the Rincon Hill neighborhood, in addition to the already in progress Transbay Transit Center which will extend Caltrain from 4th and King, leaves 424 condo units (disclosure – I own one of those units) in Rincon Hill and South Beach under the shadow of a remote possibility that they will need to be demolished in the future to make way for a high-speed rail station along Beale Street between Harrison and Mission Streets.

San Franciscans have always had the idea that High Speed Rail would be located in downtown San Francisco at the Transbay Terminal. It was to be the centerpiece of a $2 billion redevelopment plan. To that end, a design competition was held, where the competing designed were shown in San Francisco City Hall and a winner was selected. This video discusses the competition:



Now the CHSRA wants to include alternatives sites for study. In a letter dated December 28, 2009, California Attorney General Jerry Brown urged the High Speed Rail Authority not to consider any other site as an alternative and focus on the TransBay Terminal Terminus plan:

"..the Authority need not and cannot consider alternative that would displace the Transbay Terminal as a San Francisco High Speed Rail terminus."

The reason for this is the Attorney General asserts that when the voters approved Proposition 1A it was not intended to approve an action that would replace the Downtown Transbay Terminal plan. But even with the letter, the Beale Street Alternative continues to be active in the Authority's plans, much to the displeasure of Jerry Brown and many San Franciscans.

Stay tuned.

Sarah Palin to join Fox News, gains official wingnut status

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will join Fox News as a contributor, according to Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post. Sarah Palin, who was the GOP vice presidential candidate in the 2008 Election Race, will be used on various Fox shows and will join 2008 GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on Fox News.

This officially solidifies Sarah Palin as a television pundit and moves her further away from being considered a serious candidate for the 2012 Presidential Race. Governor Palin joins Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, thus she risks being considered only a Right-wingnut and not a politician.

If Palin does run, when 2012 approaches every ill-considered comment or quip will be gathered, blasted on television and online, and used against her again and again, wrecking any chance she has of being considered electable.

On a positive note, Kurtz reports that Palin will also host an occasional program that will examine inspirational tales involving ordinary Americans.

For Fox News, the move is genius.  It takes CNN away from the habit of using a Sarah Palin comment as news without feeding Fox News' ratings machine.

No official word on compensation or if Palin will eventually get her own show (and not an "occasional program") as of this writing. After she appeared on The Oprah Show, Palin said she would like to have a talk show of her own.

Stay tuned.

Casey Johnson funeral: Tila Tequila not invited, issues Twitter rant

Adding insult to the injury of the death of her loved one Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson, Reality Show TV Star Tila Tequila was not invited to the funeral for Casey Johnson, according to RadarOnline.com.

Casey Johnson and Tila Tequila in 2009

Casey Johnson was found dead at her home Sunday, January 4th by Tila Tequila, who announced it on Twitter. As of this writing, the LA County Cornorer's Office has not reported an official cause of death and the investigation is continuing, but its known that Casey Johnson suffered from diabetes and drug problems.

Tila Teguila was engaged to be married to Casey Johnson late in 2009, and just weeks before Johnson passed away. Tila Tequila said to RadarOnline Sunday:

"Yes her funeral is today and I can't even see my wife for the last time to say goodbye to her and see her. It's breaking my heart... I'm crying so bad, they are horrible, mean people. Sure, one day I can visit her grave but I will never ever get to see her face again to say goodbye and kiss her before they bury her. I can't talk about this now it's making me cry."

The funeral was hosted by Casey Johnson's father Robert "Woody" Johnson and attended by a small group reportedly including Casey's friend Nicky Hilton. Last week, Tila Tequila called 911 against Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton when they went to recover Casey Johnson's dog from her.

The revelation that she was not invited to the funeral caused Tila Tequila to lash out at everyone using her Twitter page, including herself:

PPL say I need 2 get off twitter & grieve with friends & family...WHERE? I DONT HAVE ANY! Casey was my only family & my Dogs! Worst day ever
about 18 hours ago from web

Why do I tweet so much? Even BEFORE Casey passed away? BECAUSE I HAVE NO FRIENDS! THERE! THE TRUTH COMES OUT! Just pray 4 her please!
about 18 hours ago from web

AND NO FOR THE LAST TIME I HAVE NO FAMILY OR FRIENDS! YES I FINALLY ADMITTED IT! I AM A LOSER! MY DOG & HER WAS ALL I HAD!
about 18 hours ago from web

Im upset. What would YOU do if you were MADLY IN LOVE & then ur fiance died & their family blamed you for it when it was THEIR FAULT? hmm.
about 18 hours ago from web

If I was a GUY as her fiance, I wouldn't be treated like this. They did NOT like lesbians. Neither did Nikky Hilton. Casey told me. SAD!
about 19 hours ago from web

Casey wanted me to Adopt Ava & was already calling me her Mommy. I bet this is all because they are against LESBIANS! So wrong!
about 19 hours ago from web

Sen. Harry Reid racist comments; George Will is wrong

The firestorm over the discovery of Nevada Senator Harry Reid racist comments regarding now-President Barack Obama prove that memories are short. Much has changed since Barack Obama became the 44th President of The United States, specifically attitudes about race and the overall willingness to talk about race and racism.

Harry Reid, the Democratic Senator, is accused of essentially saying that Obama would be a good presidential candidate even though he's African American. According to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, In a new book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin called Game Change, Reid reportedly said this:

“Harry Reid was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately.”

At the time, Harry Reid's comments were both race-concious and racist. ABC News George Will is really wrong when he said "there's not a scintilla of racism in what Harry Reid said. At long last, Harry Reid has said something that no one can disagree with, and he gets in trouble for it."

But what he said, and what George Will rubber-stamped on ABC News' This Week, Sunday, is both race-concious and racist. One is OK, but the other, racism, is not. To be race-concious is to be keenly aware of racial differences in people, but not use that to the detriment of the person who's being judged. To be racist is to put down a person - to reject them or avoid associating with them - because that person's skin color is different.

What Harry Reid said both acknowledged and supported the common view that to be black in America is to be judged by whites, and now some blacks, as less than. That a "common" black person speaks in a certain way and has dark-skin. By contrast, Harry Reid was saying, and George Will is acknowledging, that Barack Obama can "pass" for white and that makes him OK.

That view is racist but it was also very common to hear or read in 2008. Barack Obama's successful campaign challenged people who were used to seeing a "whites only" political arena, and even those considered not racist at all, specifically former President Bill Clinton, were recorded making questionable comments regarding Barack Obama.

Clinton's approach in comparing Obama's run to that of Jesse Jackson's in 1984 was attacked as racist, and doomed Hillary Clinton's presidential run.

And some African Americans, particularly many of those over 40, didn't give Barack Obama a chance to win before the 2008 Presidential Primary started. When Obama performed well during that time, some blacks were quick to say that Obama's "not black." That too is racist and is expressed from a "self-hating black" perspective.

All that is in the past; now we have Obama as president and a new America, where commercials pairing interracial couples are the norm. That wasn't true even as recently as 2008. America has gone through a rapid and far reaching wave of cultural change that continues today, that does not mean the past should be rewritten.

What Harry Reid said was in 2008 was racist; but that does not mean he's racist. Reid has apologized to Obama Moreover Reid, like other Americans, has learned a lot about himself and the country in just over one year.

Mick Jagger hangs with USC Volleyball star Jess Gysin

While USC Football Head Coach Pete Carroll was mulling over a possible return to the NFL that eventually led to his resignation from USC for the NFL Seattle Seahawks, USC Vollleyball star and grad student Jess Gysin was enjoying the beach in her bikini with The Rolling Stones' legendary singer Mick Jagger.

Ok, it's not what you think. A well-dressed for the beach Mick Jagger stopped to take a photo with Jess Gysin and her friends. Jessica Gysin (on the left) put the photo up on the Internet December 27th and via her Twitpic account.

From the looks of the photo, satisfaction was had by all, and Mick Jagger still knows how to find time to be photographed with beautiful women. Jessica Gysin is considered by sports fans at the blog Busted Coverage to be one of the hottest women in college sports.

Pete Carroll resigns from USC for Seattle Seahawks

After a controversial deal struck while The Seattle Seahawks were simultaneously interviewing Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier, Pete Carroll resigns from USC as head coach and is expected to officially become the Seattle Seahawks next head coach on Monday, according to the LA Times and The LA Daily News.

The LA Times reports that Pete Carroll came to agreement on a 5-year $35 million contract.

The news that Pete Carroll was desired as the next head coach of the Seahawks surfaced as far back as last Thursday and was reported that Friday. But to comply with an NFL rule known as "The Rooney Rule", the Seahawks would have to interview with at least one minority candidate.

After saying no to being the minority candidate because he believe the Seahawks wanted Pete Carroll anyway, Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier said "yes" at the behest of the Fritz Pollard Alliance (FPA), which looks at NFL Rooney Rule compliance performance. The FPA was under the impression that because Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke reportedly said to the FPA they would not give general manager duties to Carroll, that meant Carroll was not "the guy" preferred by the Seahawks.

The FPA was wrong.

While Leslie Frazier never got a real shot at a job that wasn't his to start with, soon-to-be former USC Head Coach Pete Carroll gets a job and deal he reportedly wanted, else he was going to remain with the University of Southern California. Pete Carroll returns to pro football and a won-loss record that is the reverse of the one at his storied tenure with USC.

Pete Carroll's NFL record is 33-31 in four seasons with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, and 1997 with the New England Patriots. At USC Pete Carroll's record was 97 wins, 19 losses. A list of Pete Carroll's accomplishments at USC and posted at Wikipedia is worthy of review:

Two BCS Championship Game appearances (win over Oklahoma, and a loss to Texas in 2005)
Two national championships, including the AP 2003 national championship and the undisputed 2004 national championship.
Seven consecutive Associated Press Top-4 finishes
A record six BCS bowl victories
A record seven consecutive BCS bowl appearances
A record seven consecutive years as Pac-10 Champions or Co-Champions
A national-record 33 consecutive weeks as AP's No. 1-ranked team
A winning record of 97–19 (85.6%), including 16–2 against traditional rivals Notre Dame and UCLA
A NCAA record of 63 straight 20-point games
Twenty-five All-American first teamers
53 players selected in the NFL Draft, including 14 in the first round.[49]
Three Heisman Trophy winners (Carson Palmer, 2002; Matt Leinart, 2004; Reggie Bush, 2005)
Four Top-5 recruiting classes
Win streaks for home games (34) and Pac-10 home games (22).
In 2007, USC became the first NCAA FBS team to achieve six consecutive 11-win seasons.[50] In 2008, USC added an unprecedented seventh consecutive 11-win season.
28–1 in the month of November
Only team in history to win three consecutive Rose Bowl Games

With all of this, why leave USC and a job Carroll once said he not leave for the NFL? The consensus is that Pete Carroll wants to make up for his first two failures in the NFL.

Stay tuned.