David Letterman was not invited to Oprah’s “ big gala ” in Chicago on Tuesday night, and the late-night host, whose relationship with the queen of daytime television has never been hunky-dory, is so upset he feels like his head is going to explode. Or so he says. On last night’s show, Letterman first honored Winfrey during his monologue, laying it on so thick in his typical flip style that you couldn’t tell if he meant a word of it. Take a look below. Once he got behind the desk, he shifted gears, ranting about his snub in mock anger. “I spent the last 12 to 15 years kissing up to Oprah,” he fumed. “Honest to God. Every day, I get out of bed and I think, What can I do to suck up to Oprah?” Paul Shaffer consoled Letterman by saying, “I don’t blame you for being upset,” but the host wasn’t finished. “More than upset. Crushed. Disappointed and crushed. I want to bask in the glory that is Oprah, who doesn’t? I say, who doesn’t? So I’m laboring with a broken heart here tonight.” It’s interesting: Oprah is the one person who seems to flummox Letterman. I actually believe him when he once told Jon Stewart, “In the beginning, Oprah frightened me … because she could squash me like a bug. She could put me out of the business. And she hated me, that’s what it was.” As a result, he constantly struggles with the right comic tone whenever her name is mentioned. He seems to be torn between wanting her to like him and resenting the fact that he has to make the effort in the first place, so that even the kindest words come out with traces of bitterness. Did his “rant” seem playful to you, or was his insincerity indicative of their complicated relationship? Source : POP Watch
Continue reading …
Southern Sudan army describes attack on disputed Abyei as an act of war and urges UN mission to protect town’s population North Sudanese troops have seized the contested town of Abyei, increasing fears of conflict as the south Sudan prepares to become the world’s newest country. Northern forces took the town after two days of aerial bombardment and mortar fire which forced the population to flee. A spokesman for the southern army described the attack as an act of war. “We didn’t declare war,” said an army spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer. “The National Congress party [Sudan's ruling party] and the Sudan armed forces declared war on us.” Aguer called for the UN mission in Sudan to protect the people of Abyei, claiming the northern government intended to “displace civilians and commit human rights violations as they did in Darfur”. The escalation of violence at the most volatile spot along Sudan’s contested north-south border comes against the backdrop of a four-day visit by the UN security council to Sudan. Southern Sudan will become independent on 9 July and the UN has expressed concerns about recent violence there and at several locations across the contested border region. Sudanese state television, based in Khartoum, said “enemy forces” had been expelled, and the state news agency Suna reported that Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, had removed the two leaders of the Abyei administration and dissolved the region’s administrative council. The UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan issued a statement on Saturday calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Abyei and urging the north and south to protect civilians in areas where fighting may be ongoing. Southern Sudan’s independence, approved overwhelmingly in a referendum in January, is less than two months away and Abyei’s future is the most important outstanding issue remaining to be settled between north and south. Sudan Africa guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Page Six first reported that Janice Dickinson lost two false teeth at a Southampton restaurant. Huffington Post reported that the 56-year-old supermodel unfastened her falsies to enjoy her food. She told Page Six , “I was so excited talking to (my friend) that I put my teeth in my napkin, and then I couldn’t find them! Did they fall into the soup? These things are so expensive they could feed a small village.” According to the New York Post , Dickinson said she found herself “diving under the table like a porpoise.” She then recruited the entire restaurant to join in the hunt. Once she finally found the back tooth and a “small one in the front” on the floor under the table, Dickinson says she slipped into the bathroom, washed them off, popped them back in and returned, supermodel-style, “flashing her pearly whites.” Earlier this week, a leaked nude photo of Dickinson went viral. Ology reported it was while doing a photoshoot, that Janice just decided to get naked for the cameras. Last week, E! reported Dickinson’s feelings toward Mia Amber Davis, the model and actress who died suddenly after routine knee surgery. Despite how she came off on her since-canceled show, scene-chewing former supermodel Janice Dickinson claims to have had nothing but love for Mia Amber Davis. “My heart goes out to her family,” Dickinson told E! “I am deeply disturbed by this news. I have been sobbing all afternoon. She was a kind, gentle girl. She was gentle and sweet and had a heart of absolute platinum…I am proud to say she was my friend and she had a heart of gold and I loved her dearly. This has really saddened me. Life goes on, but she has touched the hearts of everyone.” Source : Long Island Press
Continue reading …Rosie Perez is suing the producers of “Law and Order: SVU” over injuries she allegedly suffered on set. The “Special Victims Unit” guest star wants NBC to take responsibility for the herniated disc she claims she endured during the taping of a 2009 episode called “Hardwired.” The lawsuit states that during filming, an extra “recklessly pulled, grabbed, yanked, wrenched and/or manhandled” her, CBS reports . Perez, 46, appeared as an upset mother who reaches into another car and starts choking the driver. A school crossing guard intervenes and that’s when the actress was allegedly injured. “The thing to do was taking someone who knows what he’s doing to make it look violent without being violent,” lawyer Brian O’Dwyer tells the New York Daily News. “This person was not a stunt man, he was just an extra.” He also claims she was pressured to continue taping, which may have exacerbated her injuries. “She’s still suffering severe pain, numbness of the arms, and she’ll never be the same despite the surgery.” So far, Perez has already undergone two surgeries, one involving a spinal fusion when bone marrow from her pelvis was transplanted into her vertebrae. With Rosie on the mend, O’Dwyer says the actress hasn’t been able to work for about a year and that damages will be “very substantial.” NBC has yet to respond to the lawsuit. Source: LA Times
Continue reading …
Three Afghan police killed as group of men wearing suicide vests shoot their way into compound on edge of Khost At least three Afghan police officers have been killed after gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan. Three or four men armed with assault rifles and wearing explosives strapped to their bodies shot their way into a compound that houses the traffic department, on the edge of Khost. They killed a police guard as they entered and then took over the second floor of the building, from which they shot at police and soldiers outside, said General Raz Mohammad Oryakhail, the army commander for Khost province. Afghan security forces surrounded the compound, and officials believed some of the attackers were dead. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In southern Afghanistan, US forces shot a governor’s spokesman in the foot as he arrived for work. Zalmai Ayubi said he had been shot for no reason. Nato said Ayubi had grappled with a guard as he “attempted to physically bypass security” at the Kandahar governor’s office. It said an investigation had begun. On Saturday, a Taliban suicide bomber on a mission to target foreign-run medical teams killed at least six Afghan medical students and wounded 23 others after infiltrating Kabul’s main military hospital. No foreign medical doctors or nurses were among the dead or wounded. Nato and Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, condemned the bombing. The UN called it a violation of international humanitarian law. The Taliban have stepped up attacks as part of their spring offensive against Nato, Afghan government installations and officials. Insurgents also have promised revenge attacks after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan this month. Afghanistan Taliban guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Keflavik airport closed after Grimsvotn volcano erupts, but ash plume not expected to cause widespread travel disruption Iceland has closed its main international airport after a volcanic eruption sent a plume of ash, smoke and steam 12 miles into the air. The airport and air traffic control operator Isavia said no flights were taking off or landing at Keflavik airport. A spokeswoman said the ash plume from the Grimsvotn volcano was covering Iceland, but “the good news is that it is not heading to Europe”. She said it was blowing west toward Greenland instead. She said officials were investigating whether Iceland’s other airports could take Keflavik-bound flights. Transatlantic flights were being diverted away from Iceland, and there was no sign yet that the eruption would cause the widespread travel disruption triggered last year by ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano . Grimsvotn, which lies under the uninhabited Vatnajokull glacier, began erupting on Saturday, for the first time since 2004. Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland, said last year’s eruption was a rare event and Grimsvotn was likely to have much less of an effect on international air traffic. “The ash in Eyjafjallajokull was persistent or unremitting and fine-grained,” Einarsson said. “The ash in Grimsvotn is more coarse and not as likely to cause danger as it falls to the ground faster and doesn’t stay as long in the air as in the Eyjafjallajokull eruption.” Iceland is one of the world’s most volcanically active countries and eruptions are frequent. Grimsvotn volcano also erupted in 1998, 1996 and 1993. The eruptions have lasted between a day and several weeks. Iceland Air transport Europe Flights Airline industry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Jack Kevorkian, long-time Royal Oak resident, in hospital with kidney problems
May 22, 2011 No CommentBy Shaun Byron For The Daily Tribune Dr. Jack Kevorkian , the renowned assisted-suicide advocate dubbed Dr. Death , has been hospitalized for unspecified health problems. “ We took him in last night ,” said Kevorkian’s attorney Mayer Morganroth . “ He was in a couple weeks ago, but he was out of the hospital and how he is back in .” Kevorkian, a long-time Royal Oak resident, became a well-known figure during the 1990s for his views on assisted suicide and actions. He was on the cover of news magazines, featured on national news shows and the subject of late-night comedy routines. Throughout the 1990s, he dodged criminal convictions despite several high profile arrests and trials. He helped his attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, achieve national fame. However, the pathologist’s luck turned after he appeared on “60 Minutes,” pushing the issue further than before. In 1999, he was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of 52-year-old Thomas Youk and sentenced to a 10- to 25-year prison term. Kevorkian was found guilty of administering the substance used to kill Youk, a Waterford Township resident. The killing was videotaped and played on national television, prompting newly elected Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca , who had run under the promise of no more prosecutions against assisted suicide cases. He was paroled in 2006 after agreeing not to assist with any more suicides. Kevorkian has reputed to have assisted in 130 suicides. In 2008, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in the 9th District as an independent. S ource : Daily Tribune
Continue reading …Beijing – The Three Gorges Dam continues to cause China major headaches, five years after its completion. The world’s largest dam was constructed at an official cost of 22.5 billion dollars and officially opened in May 2006, but Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was forced to call a cabinet meeting this week to address ongoing geological, social and environmental problems with the hydroelectric project. ‘While the Three Gorges project has brought great and comprehensive benefits, there are problems that must be urgently resolved, such as the smooth relocation of residents, protecting the environment and preventing geological disasters,’ the government said in a statement after the meeting. It was also acknowledged that the dam on the Yangtze River in central China was impacting downstream shipping, irrigation and water supplies. The huge project has disturbed the natural balance of the area served by the Yangtze, which has resulted in frequent landslides, drought and a bottleneck for shipping. Some experts say the Three Gorges Dam is partially responsible for China’s worst drought in 50 years, arguing that the drought in the Yangtze basin has been worsened by the dam upsetting the region’s ecological balance and causing a decrease in rainfall. However, supporters of the project, which has created a vast reservoir stretching for 660 kilometres, say the severe drought problem has actually been eased by water discharges from the dam. Wednesday’s surprise cabinet meeting highlights the level of local discontent and the negative impact the dam is having on the region, with critics saying their worst fears have now been realized. ‘The project has had large negative effects, be they ecological, geological or social, considering the necessary relocation of people,’ Fan Xiao, the chief engineer of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau in Chengdu, told German Press Agency dpa. ‘Even if there are advantages as a result of electricity generation, it is our view that the project will cause more damage in the long term.’ The final load of cement was poured onto the top of the 185-metre-high dam on May 20, 2006. But due to the ongoing criticisms of the project, which reached all the way to the government level, no member of the Communist leadership was present to take part in the celebrations. The forced relocation of 1.2 million people to facilitate the vast reservoir has caused perhaps the greatest resentment towards the project, which resulted in the flooding of 13 large and 140 smaller towns, as well as 1,350 villages. Over a year ago, unexpected landslides caused by fluctuations in the water level of the reservoir led to the announcement that a further 300,000 people would need to be relocated in order to create a natural shelter belt. Many people were forced to move to higher ground, where the land suffers from erosion and is not as fertile. The cost of the latest relocation has yet to be calculated, but is thought to run into the billions. The recent huge earthquake in Japan has also revived fears that the weight of water could lead to a similar devastating event along the Yangtze, although Fan doesn’t agree, due to geological differences between the two areas. ‘It is almost impossible for there to be a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, such as in Japan, at the Three Gorges,’ he said. Fan refused to rule out the possibility of a weaker earthquake, but says the dam is designed to withstand quakes of magnitude 6.0 or 7.0 without sustaining any serious damage. The real danger would come in the unstable region surrounding the reservoir, which could suffer massive landslides. The problem of water pollution has also yet to be resolved. Efforts have been hampered by the huge quantities of rubbish and other debris that have been washed into the river and accumulated at the reservoir. Whether the dam has lived up to its promise of solving flooding problems further down the Yangtze has been cast into doubt, with experts saying its effect has been minimal due to the fact that the size of the reservoir is limited. Navigation has also been adversely affected, with the dam only able to deal with half the shipping tonnage originally envisaged, leading to serious delays. Although the official cost of the project is put at 22 billion dollars, Western experts estimate the Three Gorges cost twice as much, while Chinese critics believe it cost around three times that amount. It is also feared that around 10 per cent of the money spent on relocating people has been siphoned off through corruption. Source : Monster & Critics
Continue reading …Austin Box remembered by former OU teammates as ‘a lot of fun,’ ‘someone you could trust’
May 22, 2011 No CommentAustin Box often played hurt. Always tried to motivate his teammates. And one practice had the entire defense keeled over in laughter — at the expense of defensive coordinator Brent Venables . Box, Oklahoma’s starting middle linebacker who just received his college degree in criminology and sociology last weekend, died Thursday. He was found unconscious by friend J.T. Cobble, who told authorities he feared Box had overdosed on “pain pills.” Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state medical examiner’s office, said Friday the office had begun an autopsy on Box, but official cause of death won’t be determined for days. Funeral services have been set for 11 a.m. Friday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Box’s hometown of Enid. The burial will take place at Enid’s Memorial Park Cemetery. ‘A great guy to be around’ Gerald McCoy was driving home after working out with other former Sooners now in the NFL when the news reached him. “I was driving when I got a text from one of my friends that said, ‘Did you hear about Austin Box ?’” said McCoy, a teammate of Box’s from 2007-09, and now a defensive tackle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I typed his name on Google, and it said they found him unresponsive at his house and flew him to a hospital. First thing I did was immediately start praying, because unresponsive was already not good. Once I started praying, I simply said, ‘God, just let him wake up, let him respond, let his heart beat, something.’ “When they finally said what they said, it was like shock. I watched the guy when he got recruited, I played with him. We weren’t necessarily the closest of friends, but he was my brother because we were teammates. “He was a great guy to be around, a lot of fun.” Atlanta Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton, who played with Box from 2006-07, took pride in watching another native Oklahoman tear it up in practice. “What I remember is he came in as a freshman, and he could run like the wind. He was running with the defensive backs. He was really strong, too,” Lofton said. “I remember thinking, ‘This guy can’t be a freshman.’ It made me proud. I’m from Kingfisher, and he was from Enid. We had that Oklahoma pride. “Austin was just a hilarious, hilarious guy. Always made you laugh, a fun guy to be around.” Box had his teammates laughing hysterically one afternoon during practice. “One day, Coach V (Venables) was real hot, Box had messed up. Coach V was trying to push his buttons, get Box angry, looking to see if he had that mean streak,” recalled former OU linebacker Keenan Clayton, now with the Philadelphia Eagles. “While Coach V demonstrated how to shed an offensive lineman, Box shed Coach V to the ground. It surprised everybody. It went silent. Then everybody cried laughing. It was one of the most hysterical things to come out of practice. The highlight of practice for a few months. We never let Coach V live that one down. “Box was a great kid. He kept the energy alive in the meeting rooms, on the field, off the field; he never complained to Coach V about playing time. He wanted his teammates to do good. “It’s really hard to see him go.” ‘Someone you could go to war with’ Box’s football career was defined by injuries. But also overcoming them. Heading into his redshirt freshman season in 2008, Box was the presumptive starter at outside linebacker. But days before the Sooners’ opener, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, opening the way for Travis Lewis to take his job. The same season, Box re-emerged in the starting lineup at middle linebacker after starter Ryan Reynolds was lost for the season to injury. But in the regular-season finale at Oklahoma State, Box suffered a sprained knee that knocked him out of the lineup again. In 2009, Box dealt with elbow and knee injuries that ultimately kept him out of two games. And in 2010, a preseason disc issue in his back forced him to sit the first five games of the year. But once again, Box fought his way back onto the field, even though the injury was first believed to be career-ending. By Game 10, he had regained his status as a starter and proved to be crucial to OU’s five-game winning streak to close the season. At Oklahoma State, he made a diving interception in the fourth quarter that helped seal OU’s 47-41 Bedlam victory. Then in the Fiesta Bowl, he set the tone by stuffing running back Robbie Frey behind the line on fourth-and-1 on Connecticut’s second possession. “My memory of Box is that he gave it his all,” said the Carolina Panthers’ Nic Harris, who was Box’s Sooner teammate from 2006-08. “He put it on the line. You knew he was going to do whatever it took. You knew he was someone you could trust. “Someone you could go to war with.” Source: News OK!
Continue reading …
Nine police officers among the dead after 10 bombs explode in and around Iraqi capital A series of explosions in and around Baghdad have killed 16 people, including 10 who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of police officers. At least nine of the dead were police. It was the third major attack this month in which security personnel were targeted and took the most losses. In total, at least 10 bombs exploded. The worst single attack came near Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad, where police had gathered after a roadside bomb targeting a passing US military convoy blew up. When the police arrived on the scene, a suicide bomber walked into the crowd and blew himself up, police and hospital officials said. Seven police and three civilians died and 19 people, including 15 police, were injured. Earlier a car bomb exploded in Sadr City , injuring five people. Namiq Khazal, who lives nearby, said: “We woke up to a big blast nearby and the glass windows in front of the house were smashed. My young brother was injured by glass.” Minutes later in Sadr City, a bomb hidden in a pile of garbage exploded, killing one person and wounding five more. Another roadside bomb, this time targeting a police patrol, injured three policemen and four bystanders. Five explosions in the south-western Baghdad neighbourhood of Bayaa killed five people, including two policemen, and injured 15. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attacks came hours before British military operations in Iraq were due to come to an end with the completion of a Royal Navy mission to train Iraqi sailors. Most British forces pulled out of the country in 2009. The defence secretary, Liam Fox, paid tribute to the 179 British personnel who lost their lives in the eight-year deployment. He said of the last mission: “Royal Navy personnel have used their formidable skills and expertise to bring about a transformation in Iraq’s naval force. The Iraqi navy has a key role to play in protecting Iraq’s territorial waters and the oil infrastructure that is so vital to Iraq’s economy, and I am proud of the role British forces have played in making it capable of doing that job.” Iraq guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …