5/19 The Huffington Post | Full News Feed

The Huffington Post | Full News Feed         Starbucks Sued By U.S. Government For Firing Dwarf Working As Barista May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   The U.S. government is suing Starbucks Coffee Company for firing a barista in El Paso because she is a dwarf. When the employee asked for a stool or small stepladder to perform her job, Starbucks denied the request and fired her that same day, claiming that she could be a danger to customers and workers, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Read More...         Dominique Strauss-Kahn Charged: Possible IMF Successors Emerge (PHOTOS) May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   With Dominique Strauss-Kahn facing allegations of attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment in New York, the international media is already rife with speculation about whether or not the embattled International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief will resign or even be dismissed. Meanwhile, as Reuters reports, a list of potential candidates to succeed the Frenchman at the Washington-based institution, which has become heavily involved in bailouts of struggling euro zone countries Greece, Ireland and Portugal, is emerging. Although German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly indicated that Germany would like the IMF's next leader to be European (as has traditionally been the case), others say the pressure to consider a developing country candidate for the role is high. Read More... More on Dominique Strauss-Kahn         Arnold Schwarzenegger Used Santa Monica Office For Late-Night Flings? May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   Arnold Schwarzenegger had numerous, late night rendezvous with various women at his Santa Monica office building ... and some of the women were mysteriously carrying legal-sized manila envelopes ... sources who were present tell TMZ. Read More... More on Arnold Schwarzenegger         George V. Higgins' Widow Sues for Copyright Infringement on Film Version of 1981 Novel 'Rat on Fire' May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   Not surprisingly, a dispute over film rights to the late George V. Higgins's novel "The Rat on Fire'' has ended up in court. Loretta Cubberley, Higgins's widow and executor, has filed a copyright infringement claim against Boston University film professor Jan Egleson and independent filmmaker Robert Patton-Spruill, asserting they have no right to start filming "Rat.'' Read More...         House Republicans Face Backlash At Home Over Medicare Vote May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   WASHINGTON -- House Republicans returning to their districts on Monday faced harsh criticism for voting to turn Medicare, the federal health care program for retirees, into a voucher system. GOP lawmakers faced this same constituent ire mere weeks ago when they first voted to support House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan, which would lower tax rates for corporations and the wealthy while replacing Medicare with private-insurance subsidies for those under 55. Speaking in his home state of Arizona Monday night, freshman Rep. Ben Quayle (R), son of former vice president Dan Quayle, took heat from constituents who demanded to know why he supported turning Medicare over to private insurers. WATCH: Read More... More on House Republicans         Jon Kyl: Debt Ceiling Talks So Far Agreed To $150 Billion In Cuts May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   WASHINGTON -- Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who represents the Senate GOP in White House debt talks, said on Tuesday that a bipartisan group of lawmakers had agreed to about $150 billion in budget cuts so far, with an aim to eventually cut trillions more in order to reach a final deal that would raise the debt ceiling. Kyl said the group "has just gotten started," and found about $100 billion in cuts by comparing the 2012 budget proposals by President Barack Obama and the House GOP. From there, they agreed to about $50 billion in additional cuts from the two plans, he said. Still, the lawmakers, led by Vice President Joe Biden, have a long way to go before making a final plan to cut the deficit, Kyl said. They hope to eventually cut $4 trillion, including a "down payment" of cuts equal to the amount the debt ceiling is increased. The Treasury has estimated the debt ceiling would need to be raised by $2 trillion to meet the White House's request of extending the debt limit beyond the 2012 elections. Read More... More on Jon Kyl         HuffPost Greatest Person Of The Day: Maria Citino Sfreddo Empowers Latina Domestic Abuse Victims May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   Maria Citino Sfreddo has a voicemail greeting that's over a minute long. "Please speak slowly and clearly and I'll get back to you as soon as I can," she instructs in English and then follows with lengthier instructions in Spanish. "I give people options," Maria, the creator of the Head Start Legal Clinic in Chicago, told HuffPost. "That's what I'm there for." Maria, who grew up outside Columbus, Ohio, is not a native Spanish-speaker. "I'm the Italian Maria," she said. "Not a Latina one." Read More... More on Immigration         George Allen Courting Tea Party For 2012 With Mixed Success May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   For his comeback effort, George Allen has undergone a tea-party makeover. Read More... More on Elections 2012         Virtual Snow Days? Schools Experiment With Online Lessons During Bad Weather May 17, 2011 at 3:21 PM   PARKVILLE, Mo. — Could the Internet mean the end of snow days? Some schools think so, and they are experimenting with ways for students to do lessons online during bad weather, potentially allowing classes to go on during even the worst blizzard. "Virtual snow days" would help ease pressure on school calendars. Because districts are required to be in session for a certain number of hours or days, losing teaching time to winter weather can mean extending the school day or cutting short spring break or summer vacation. Read More...         Tina Brown: Newsweek/Daily Beast Will Make Money In 'Two To Three Years' May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   The Daily Beast, Brown reminded her questioner, was conceived in 2008 on a five-year business plan, "on which we are very, very handsomely along the way." Newsweek, meanwhile, "is an iconic global brand," one that landed 40 new ad campaigns in 40 days earlier this year, she said, "so we have absolute confidence, given this new world we're in, given the energy of the Daily Beast digital brand, that we can reactivate Newsweek." And now for the short answer: "In the next two to three years," she said. Kelly repeated her answer for confirmation; Brown nodded. Read More... More on Magazines         World's Oldest Panda Dies: Ming Ming Dead In Chinese Zoo May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   BEIJING -- Chinese state media say the world's oldest panda has died at the age of 34. The Global Times reported that Ming Ming had kidney failure. She had been living at a zoo or preserve in Guangdong province. Read More... More on Animals         Lady Gaga: Institutionalized Religion Impacts Values, Affects Teen Suicide May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   Lady Gaga skirted controversy once the full lyrics and video to her song "Judas" were released, but she's got more to say about organized religion. It may upset some people -- especially those that felt uncomfortable with her act in the first place. In a long feature for The Guardian, Gaga discusses a wealth of topics, including her hyper self-awareness and the message of hope she seeks to send her followers, the attendees of her holy image-drenched concerts. It's almost a religious following, a fact she does not shy away from -- she calls her epic shows "pop cultural church." In some ways, she believes it's a better influence than our more formal religious institutions, as presently constructed. "The influence of institutionalised religion on government is vast. So religion then begins to affect social values and that in turn affects self-esteem, bullying in school, teen suicides, all those things," she told the paper. Read More... More on Lady Gaga         National Bike To Work Week Free Bike Giveaway Rules May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK WEEK FREE BIKE GIVEAWAY OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE REQUIRED TO ENTER OR WIN Read More...         Lisa Edelstein Leaves 'House': Dr. Cuddy Exits Fox Show May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   Don't bother paging Dr. Cuddy; she won't be answering. Lisa Edelstein, one of the leads on the longtime hit FOX medical drama "House," will not return for an eighth season of the show, Deadline reports. While co-stars Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps re-signed following the season, negotiations with Edelstein never reached that point for the show's leading lady. "After much consideration, I am moving onward with a combination of disappointment at leaving behind a character I have loved playing for seven years and excitement of the new opportunities in acting and producing that lie ahead," Edelstein said in a statement (via TV Line). Read More... More on Television         'Granny Bandit' Dodi Wasbotten Pleads Not Guilty To Parking Lot Holdups May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   FONTANA, Calif. — A woman suspected of being the "Granny Bandit" and stealing purses from shoppers at gunpoint in Southern California has pleaded not guilty to four stickups. The San Bernardino Sun says 50-year-old Dodi Wasbotten of Fontana entered the pleas Monday in San Bernardino County. Read More...         The Health Benefits Of Cycling (Plus A Chance To Win A Bike!) May 17, 2011 at 2:45 PM   The average American spends just over 45 minutes a day commuting to and from work, according to one survey -- but instead of the road-rage fueled car trips or shoulder-to-shoulder public transportation commute, what if you started your day off on a better, healthier note? The League of American Bicyclists is the national sponsor of Bike Month -- and this week, May 16-20 is the official Bike to Work Week. Biking to work can be a cheaper (no gas, tolls or public transportation fees), greener and, yes, healthier option. A recent Harvard university study found that biking -- even for as little as five minute each day -- can stave off weight gain for middle aged women, according to Health.com. The researchers followed more than 19,000 women and found that those who started a five-minute-a-day bike ride routine gained 1.5 fewer pounds than their non-cycling peers over a 16-year period. Those who rode for 30 minutes a day kept off 3.5 more pounds than those who didn't bike. "Bicycling is an answer to weight control," lead author Anne Lusk, Ph.D., told Health.com. Read More... More on Bike Culture         Mona Lisa's Model Uncovered? Scientists Hope to Reconstruct Famous Face May 17, 2011 at 2:38 PM   History.com - Archaeologists in Florence, Italy, are digging for the bones of the woman who may have sat for Leonardo da Vinci's iconic and enigmatic "Mona Lisa," which now hangs in the Louvre. With the help of ground-penetrating radar machines, they are on the verge of unsealing a tomb thought to contain the remains of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the most widely accepted candidate for the world-renowned painting's model. The team hopes that facial reconstruction technology will finally put a name to one of the most recognizable and cryptic expressions in portraiture. Over the years, scholars have debated the true inspiration behind what may be the most famous half-smile in history. Proposed sitters for the "Mona Lisa" have included da Vinci's mother Caterina, Princess Isabella of Naples, a Spanish noblewoman named Costanza d'Avalos and Cecilia Gallerani, who posed for an earlier painting, "The Lady With an Ermine." Some of the more provocative theories emphasize the subject's masculine facial features, suggesting that da Vinci based the portrait on his own likeness or that of his longtime apprentice and possible lover, Gian Giacomo Caprotti, known as Salai, who inherited the work after his mentor's death. (In February 2011, the art historian Silvano Vinceti, who is leading the current dig, intriguingly pointed out that the title "Mona Lisa" could be interpreted as an anagram for "Mon [French for 'my'] Salai.") In 2008, researchers at Heidelberg University announced they had cracked the puzzle of Mona Lisa's identify after finding a handwritten note in the margin of a 500-year-old manuscript, penned by a Florentine clerk who admired da Vinci. The note, dated October 1503, states that the artist was working on a portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant's wife whom art historians have long considered the leading candidate for the famous painting's model. When da Vinci bequeathed the portrait to Salai, he referred to it as "La Gioconda," the Italian word for playful, which may also have been a pun on the feminine form of Gherardini's married name. Read More...         Lakeysha Beard Kicked Off Train For Talking Too Loudly (VIDEO, POLL) May 17, 2011 at 2:38 PM   An Amtrak train made an unexpected stop Sunday, as a woman was escorted off for speaking loudly on her cell phone. Lakeysha Beard, 39, was charged with disorderly conduct after she wouldn't stop talking on the 16-hour trip from Oakland, California, to Salem, Oregon. The train was stopped short of its destination. Train operators called police due to passenger complaints, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Beard's car was designated a "quiet car." Read More... More on California         Eater's 'Greatest Burger In America' Has Been Chosen May 17, 2011 at 2:38 PM   What Angelo Sosa (of 'Top Chef' fame) puts on this burger helped him come out on top in Eater's 'Greatest Burger in America' contest. Warning: Don't watch is you're hungry ... Read More... More on Top Chef         Dayton View Academy Student Punished For Delayed Reporting Of Classmates' School Bus Sex May 17, 2011 at 2:38 PM   DAYTON, Ohio — A woman said Monday that an Ohio charter school is punishing her daughter for not immediately reporting that she saw two classmates having sex on a school bus and for changing her seat during the bus trip. Saundra Roundtree told The Associated Press that her 14-year-old daughter told her she changed seats with a boy who wanted to sit beside another girl on a Dayton View Academy school trip last month and then saw the two having sex. Read More... More on Charter Schools         Apple To Exhibit At BookExpo America For The First Time May 17, 2011 at 2:38 PM   Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), which almost never appears at industry conferences unless it is doing the hosting, will exhibit this year at BookExpo America, the largest trade book fair in the United States. The company has a large booth in a prime location, next door to Scholastic and in the same area as major publishers including Random House, Disney (NYSE: DIS) Book Group and Macmillan. BEA's website notes that Apple will be represented by Scott Simpson from Apple's iBookstore. Read More... More on Apple         South Korean Prostitutes, Pimps Rally Against Police Crackdown May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Hundreds of prostitutes and pimps rallied Tuesday near a red-light district in Seoul to protest a police crackdown on brothels, with some unsuccessfully attempting to set themselves on fire. (Scroll down for photos) A crowd of about 400 people, mostly women wearing baseball caps, masks and sunglasses, chanted slogans like, "Guarantee the right to live!" during the four-hour rally. Read More... More on South Korea         Mel Gibson On 'The Beaver' Role: 'I Faked It' May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   CANNES, France — In Mel Gibson's new movie "The Beaver" a hand puppet does most of his talking. At the Cannes Film Festival, Jodie Foster continued to supply most of the words for her pal, though Gibson did share a few wry quips. Foster, director and co-star of the darkly comic drama, spoke for an absent Gibson at Tuesday's news conference for the movie, which arrives after the latest scandal in his private life. Read More... More on Movies         Amanda Knox's Slander Trial Opens In Italy May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   PERUGIA, Italy -- Amanda Knox was back in an Italian courtroom as the slander trial of the American student opened in Perugia. Knox has been convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting British roommate Meredith Kercher and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. She denies wrongdoing and her appeals trial in under way in Perugia, a central Italian town. Read More... More on Italy         Tracy Morgan Back Together With Tanisha Hall, His Kidney Donor (PHOTOS) May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   Comedian Tracy Morgan was looking like a REAL DIRTY DUDE when he broke up with the woman who GAVE HIM HER KIDNEY - Tanisha Hall. Read More...         Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton And Brady Quinn Are All In The Running For Bronco's Starting Quarterback May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   The NFL lockout appears to still be firmly in place after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided in favor of the NFL over the players on Monday night. The appellate court sided with the NFL in a 2-1 vote agreeing that the lockout should stay in place until a full appeal is heard on whether or not it is legal, according to a 9News report. This means that the league may not get back to business until next month or perhaps longer, however, more mediation is scheduled for today between the players and owners with high hopes that a resolution can be reached. In the meantime, veteran safety Brian Dawkins is emerging as a strong-voiced leader, according to The Denver Post, keeping the team morale up and organizing practices to keep unity and Bronco pride high. Read More... More on Tim Tebow         Schwarzenegger Children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher (PHOTOS) May 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM   Tuesday's revelation that former Calif. governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a love child ten years ago with a family staffer has left many wondering about his four children with his estranged wife, Maria Shriver. In a statement, Schwarzenegger said, "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry." Several hours later, Shriver said in a statement, "This is a painful and heartbreaking time. As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment." Read More... More on Arnold Schwarzenegger         P.J. Hairston: Duke Recruiters 'Can't Even Spell My Name Right' May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   The Duke University Men's basketball program typically gets its choice of the nation's top high school recruits. But coveted prospect P.J. Hairston -- that's P-J-H-A-I-R-S-T-O-N -- won't be competing for Coach K and company next fall, at least in part because of a little spelling error. Here's what P.J. had to say about the Blue Devils recruiting process in a recent interview with the Greensboro News & Record: Read More...         LinkedIn IPO Price Jump Ups Value To Over $4 Billion May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   NEW YORK -- The professional networking website LinkedIn is increasing the target price for its initial public offering of stock by about 30 percent in a sign of heavy demand by investors. The increase is encouraging for future IPOs of other social-networking companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Groupon. LinkedIn raised the price range on its shares to $42 to $45 each from $32 to $35. Shares are expected to price Wednesday and begin trading Thursday. Read More...         UCSB Professors Argue Why Their Departments Would Survive A Zombie Attack May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   About 800 students showed up to The Hub at 8 p.m. for the second annual Zombie Debate hosted by Associated Students' Program Board to hear six professors argue why their area of study would be most valuable in surviving a zombie attack. Read More... More on The West         UK Pledges To Cut Carbon Emissions In Half By 2025 May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   LONDON -- The British government on Tuesday pledged to cut the country's carbon emissions in half by 2025 – an ambitious target which could be watered down if other European countries fail to slash their emissions accordingly. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne told Parliament that Britain would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by about 50 percent from benchmark emission levels in 1990, a step that is part of a longer-term legal commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050. Read More... More on United Kingdom         20 LinkedIn Groups For eBook Authors, Publishers And Readers May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   LinkedIn will make its IPO this week, joining the New York Stock Exchange with the new symbol, LNKD. Read More... More on eBooks         Nadler, Levin Join Brooklyn Residents In Call For Tourist Helicopter Ban May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   Tourist helicopters are a real nuisance to people who live along and enjoy the South Brooklyn waterfront. From Brooklyn Heights to Red Hook, residents are calling for an end to the choppers. "It's time to stop the never-ending parade of tourist flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport," said State Senator Daniel Squadron at a rally at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sunday. "Chopper tours can't come at the expense of our neighborhoods' quality of life." Read More... More on Jerrold Nadler         Newt Gingrich's Flame-Out Says As Much About Campaigns As About The Former Speaker May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   WASHINGTON -- The very sharp and largely negative reaction to Newt Gingrich's first days on the presidential campaign trail say as much about the requirements of modern campaigning as they do about the former House speaker's politics. Gingrich, to be sure, has hardly made life easy for himself. His critique of House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's Medicare voucher plan was bound to irritate the conservative base, which is already convinced that the Wisconsin Republican's proposal wasn't getting a fair shake. His call for new, targeted spending measures to encourage economic savings and growth made for a screeching contrast with the party's austerity mindset. By Tuesday, damage had clearly been done. A Wall Street Journal editorial declared -– after an interview with the Georgia Republican, no less -- that "Mr. Gingrich speaks loudly but shrinks from hard choices." An Iowa Republican voter, while literally refusing to stop holding Gingrich's hand, called him "an embarrassment to our party." Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), apparently unprompted, called up CNN to admonish the former speaker for cutting Ryan "off at the knees." Read More... More on Newt Gingrich         Heat-Bulls: Miami Must Make Adjustments, Free Up LeBron, Wade May 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM   Note: Watch my conference final breakdowns with Noah Coslov of CineSport. In the second half of game one against Chicago -- a 103-82 beatdown by the Bulls -- the Heat reverted to their mid-season play: They looked disjointed on offense, tepid on the glass and completely out of sorts in its normally stout half-court defense. Read More... More on LeBron James         10 Worst U.S. Cities for Renters: AOL Real Estate May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   After the housing bubble burst, thousands of families found themselves saddled with underwater mortgages, peak interest rates and a serious shortage of qualified buyers. For the first time in several generations, renting seemed like a welcome alternative for struggling homeowners. Read More...         Dominique Strauss-Kahn Sex-Crime Case: Ex-Prosecutor Explains Charges May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   The case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has shocked both sides of the Atlantic and much of the world. The official charges filed against him in a New York City court include: two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree; one count of attempted rape; and one count each of sexual abuse in the first degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touching. In an interview with TIME's Ruth Davis Konigsberg, Linda Fairstein, the former chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit of the New York County District Attorney's Office (and author of Silent Mercy) explains what that all means and what's next for Strauss-Kahn, who has been denied bail and is now in jail on Rikers Island awaiting a grand-jury hearing. Read More... More on Dominique Strauss-Kahn         Deion Sanders, Eddie George In New College Football Hall Of Fame Class May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   NEW YORK — Deion Sanders and former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr are among the 16 players and coaches selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Sanders was an All-American cornerback at Florida State from 1985-88 before going on to a stellar NFL career. Read More... More on College Football         'Shit My Dad Says' Canceled: Justin Halpern's Father Reacts May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   One would think that, if a network television show based on someone's life was just cancelled, that someone might be very upset. Of course, when that someone got the TV show because he didn't care about things like TV shows, the reaction is a little bit different. Justin Halpern's Twitter sensation, "Shit My Dad Says," first became a book and then, incredibly, a sitcom on CBS starring none other than William Shatner as his cranky, tough talking father. When he got the news that it was canceled after one season, he called his dad to tell him. His reaction? Hilariously typical, according to the transcript Halpern later posted to his blog. Here's an excerpt: Read More... More on Television         Maria Shriver Responds To Arnold Schwarzenegger Love Child Revelation May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   Maria Shriver issued a statement Tuesday in response to her estranged husband Arnold Schwarzenegger's revelation that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff over a decade ago. "This is a painful and heartbreaking time," Shriver said in a statement. "As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment." Schwarzenegger and Shriver recently announced their separation after 25 years of marriage, but failed to give a reason for the split. The Los Angeles Times reports that Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood home earlier this year when Schwarzenegger confessed his paternity. Read More... More on Video         Penguin Gives Name To New Imprint May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   For six months, the new imprint at Penguin Group USA headed by David Rosenthal has remained stubbornly nameless. Read More... More on Bill Maher         Newt Gingrich's Flame-Out Says As Much About Campaigns As About The Former Speaker May 17, 2011 at 1:47 PM   WASHINGTON -- The very sharp and largely negative reaction to Newt Gingrich's first days on the presidential campaign trail say as much about the requirements of modern campaigning as they do about the former House speaker's politics. Gingrich, to be sure, has hardly made life easy for himself. His critique of House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's Medicare voucher plan was bound to irritate the conservative base, which is already convinced that the Wisconsin Republican's proposal wasn't getting a fair shake. His call for new, targeted spending measures to encourage economic savings and growth made for a screeching contrast with the party's austerity mindset. By Tuesday, damage had clearly been done. A Wall Street Journal editorial declared -– after an interview with the Georgia Republican, no less -- that "Mr. Gingrich speaks loudly but shrinks from hard choices." An Iowa Republican voter, while literally refusing to stop holding Gingrich's hand, called him "an embarrassment to our party." Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), apparently unprompted, called up CNN to admonish the former speaker for cutting Ryan "off at the knees." Read More... More on Newt Gingrich         Anne Sinclair, Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Wife, Jumps To Husband's Defense (VIDEO) May 17, 2011 at 1:24 PM   The wife of International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has jumped to her embattled husband's defense, telling French media she had "no doubt his innocence would be proven." According to France24, French TV personality Anne Sinclair left Paris for New York Monday to be close to her scandal hit spouse, who faces allegations of attempted rape, unlawful imprisonment, forcible touching and sexual abuse in New York. "I do not believe for a single second that accusations leveled against my husband," she said in a statement, according to ABC News. Often compared to Larry King and Charlie Rose, the 62-year-old Sinclair is an American expat who hosted "7 sur 7," one of the most successful talk shows in French TV history. From 1984 to 1997, she reportedly interviewed countless global politicians and A-list celebrities, from former U.S. President Bill Clinton to Madonna. She also previously endured sex allegations against her husband in 2008, and is said to have laughed off one of Strauss-Kahn's rumored affairs, coyly stating that "it's important for a politician to be able to seduce," reports ABC News. Read More... More on Video         The 6 Random People You'll Miss Most from College May 17, 2011 at 1:24 PM   By Courtney - Bridgewater State University As finals start to wind down and graduation looms closer most graduates will be reminiscing about the memories they had with their besties. The late night chats, the embarrassing moments, the day you met freshman year as you walked in a giant mass of people to the nearest frat party. But those girls and guys aren't the only ones you'll have to say goodbye to come graduation day; there's also all those randoms you've met along the way that added a little spice to your college career. The ones you see daily but NEVER talk to. Read More...         A Blood Test That Shows How Long You'll Live? May 17, 2011 at 1:24 PM   Ever feel like you're 30 years old but your body is 65? UK newspaper The Independent reported this week on a blood test that claims it can show how fast you're aging -- information that could potentially predict how long you'll live. Sound more like science fiction than a science breakthrough? Well, here's how it works. The test measures the length of a person's telomeres -- structures on the tips of chromosomes that researchers believe can indicate aging. Read More... More on New Research         George Soros Dumps Nearly $800 Million In Gold May 17, 2011 at 1:24 PM   NEW YORK/BOSTON (By Frank Tang and Aaron Pressman) - Billionaire financier George Soros, who called gold "the ultimate bubble," dumped almost his entire $800 million stake in bullion in the first quarter, well before a commodities slump blamed partly on reports he was liquidating his holdings. Famed gold bull John Paulson held his ground, but Soros was joined in the retreat by several other big names, including Eric Mindich and Paul Touradji, according to 13-F filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that provide the best insight into where hedge funds are placing their bets. Read More...         Sony Chief Howard Stringer Likens Hackers To Mujahideen May 17, 2011 at 1:24 PM   NEW YORK -- Security has been restored. Come back and play. This was the message delivered to PlayStation aficionados by Sony's chief executive, Howard Stringer, during a Tuesday morning sit-down with a handful of reporters. Some 36 hours earlier, the company had flipped the switch on its popular online game network, resuming service for many of its customers. Sony had shut the network down three weeks earlier following a brazen breach by hackers who broke into files that held personal information for as many as 100 million customers, including credit card numbers. "We are up and running, and we are safer than ever," Stringer declared, kicking off a vigorous workout of that reassuring phrase. But these declarations soon faded into less comforting acknowledgements about the nebulous threat of hackers in an era of broadening connectivity. Reassurance gave way to resignation about the remaining vulnerabilities -– not just for Sony, but for all companies, not to mention the tens of millions of people increasingly entrusting banking information, photographs, medical histories, libraries and intimate fragments of their lives to the memory banks of the Internet. Read More... More on Hackers         Mike Huckabee Gets Mixed Ratings For Presidential Announcement May 17, 2011 at 1:08 PM   Mike Huckabee's live announcement that he would not be running for president drew a lot of viewers to his Saturday night Fox News show--but Huckabee still lost to CNN in the key A25-54 demographic. Around 2.2 million people tuned into see Huckabee's statement--a very good rating for a cable news show on any day of the week. Moreover, Huckabee topped his timeslot rival--which, on Saturday, was a CNN special about the killing of Osama bin Laden--by over 1 million viewers. However, CNN still topped Huckabee in the demo, drawing 348,000 viewers to his 338,000. That's also a lower percentage of younger viewers than several of his Fox News weekend stablemates, Jeanine Pirro and John Stossel, drew. Read More... More on Mike Huckabee         Elaine's, Famed NYC Restaurant, Is Closing On May 26th May 17, 2011 at 1:08 PM   NEW YORK — Elaine's is shutting its doors. For decades, Elaine Kaufman held court at the restaurant bearing her name with a hand-picked selection of favorite regulars, literary luminaries and celebrities. Read More... More on New York Restaurants         Jennifer Granholm On Arnold Schwarzenegger Love Child News: 'Guys, Keep Ur Pants Zipped' May 17, 2011 at 1:08 PM   Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer some sharp words in response to news that former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a love child with a member of his household staff. Here's what the Wolverine State Democrat wrote in a tweet on the matter: Read More... More on Arnold Schwarzenegger             This email was sent to cbzvdani.delluve@blogger.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here