Husband and wife for just weeks, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were already sounding like an old married couple.
“How am I going to have my career and live in Minnesota?” Kardashian gripes to Humphries in a scene from a preview clip of her E! show Kourtney and Kim Take New York.
“Baby” – Humphries snaps back, “by the time you have kids and they’re in school, no one will care about you.”
Under any other circumstances, their spat over the uncertainty of where Humphries’s NBA career would land them could be written off as the usual heightened-for-TV reality-show drama.
But not long after the episode was shot, Kardashian (31) filed for divorce from the 26-year-old pro basketball player. Now, the verbal exchange provides just one clue of what went wrong.
The pressures of filming the show, being scrutinized by the media, managing conflicting work schedules and rushing into their relationship all appear to have contributed to the demise of the duo’s 72-day marriage.
Following the couple’s honeymoon (which was cut short so Kim could begin filming the latest season of Kourtney and Kim Take New York) the two were already stepping out solo, with Kardashian attending the MTV Video Music Awards alone.
A self-proclaimed ‘workaholic,’ Kardashian traveled constantly during her marriage, which explains why her family didn’t really get a chance to connect with Humphries or observe him and Kim as a couple.
“I’ve only been around him a couple of times” – her sister Khloe recently told PEOPLE. “I’m a very tough crowd. [My relationship with Kris] is a work in progress. It’s not something either one of us is going to fake. I just need to know him more.”

Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries.
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November 1st, 2011 | Posted in Celebrities | Comments Off
The wife and son of financial swindler Bernard Madoff said in their first interview to be broadcast on Sunday that they knew nothing of his estimated 65 billion dollrs Ponzi scheme, but feel shame for his ‘unforgiveable’ crime.
Madoff (73) is serving a 150-year prison sentence after confessing to running a decades-long scheme that bilked investors out of billions, considered the biggest financial fraud in history.
Defrauded Madoff investors have long viewed the convicted swindler’s sons, wife and other family member suspiciously, arguing it is impossible that they did not know about his lies. No family members have been criminally charged.
Madoff’s younger son Andrew told the CBS program ’60 Minutes’ that the family was shocked when his sobbing father confessed his crime to them in December 2008. He said his mother Ruth’s first question was ‘What’s a Ponzi scheme?’
“She didn’t even understand that. I think it was me who answered and said that “It means that it’s all fake’” – Andrew Madoff said. “(Bernard Madoff) followed that up and said ‘Yes, I’ve been lying to all of you – all of these years. I’ve been lying to everybody. I’ve been lying to myself.’”
Mark and Andrew Madoff – who worked at their father’s firm – turned him into authorities and he was arrested on December 11, 2008.
Madoff has insisted he acted alone in running the Ponzi scheme, a fraud in which early investors are paid with money from new ones. Such schemes often collapse when there are too few new investors or too many investors try to cash out at once.

Ruth Madoff.
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October 31st, 2011 | Posted in Celebrities | Comments Off
Although many associate daylight saving time with the last week of October, this year we will fall back in the first week of November.
In most of the United States, November 6 is the day to set your clocks back one hour, which will give you an extra hour of sleep (or of partying on Saturday night) – but the evenings will darken even earlier than they do now. The fall back marks the end of the daylight saving time (DST) period, which now begins the second Sunday of March and ends the first Sunday of November, according to energy legislation enacted in 2005 that extended daylight saving time.
As an article at The Huffington Post pointed out, the official term is daylight saving, but many Americans refer to it in the plural, as daylight savings.
Not all U.S. states and territories observe the confusing daylight saving time ritual. The federal government does not require those in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to change their clocks.
“If Arizona were to observe Daylight Saving Time, the sun would stay out until 9 p.m. in the summer (instead of 8 p.m., as it does now)” – which would be problematic during the months when the Grand Canyon State experiences extreme heat, according to a news story from an ABC affiliate in Arizona quoted by The Huffington Post.
“Daylight saving just brings a smile to everybody’s faces” – U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who co-sponsored the bill extending daylight saving time, told National Geographic magazine in 2007.

Daylight Savings.
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October 30th, 2011 | Posted in Holidays | Comments Off
Concerts marking the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty will be held both on Liberty Island and at Church at the Gateway this weekend.
Yesterday marked the 125th anniversary of the beacon of hope and symbol of freedom in New York Harbor. Soloists Ernestine Dillard and Dave Boyer, the Voices of Our Nation Choir with singers from throughout the country, and the Tulsa Praise Orchestra, which plays Big Band music, performed yesterday and will be at Church at the Gateway tomorrow as part of the “Statue of Liberty Tour.”
Tomorrow, Boyer, Ms. Dillard and the band will perform at the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services. A concert with the soloists, the choir and the band will be at 6 p.m. Free-will offerings will be accepted.
Ms. Dillard is best known as “the woman with the voice who helped heal America” after singing a stunning rendition of “God Bless America” at the internationally televised memorial service for the victims of the federal building bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995.
Big Band vocalist Boyer has performed at four presidential events and with Jimmy Durante, Pat Boone, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

Statue of Liberty.
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October 29th, 2011 | Posted in Holidays | Comments Off
Actress Lindsay Lohan’s father jumped from a third-floor balcony Thursday to try to escape re-arrest, police said, but officers soon caught up with him and took him into custody – again.
Officers detained Michael Lohan after his girlfriend, Kate Major, said he violated terms of his release from jail earlier this week by calling her, the Tampa Police Department said in a statement. Investigators arrested Lohan on suspicion of domestic violence after an incident on Monday night, but they let him out of jail after he posted bail.
Just after 1 a.m. Thursday, Lohan’s girlfriend called police to say Lohan had violated the terms of his release by calling her, the police statement said. Lohan called his girlfriend again while she was talking with police, and she put him on speakerphone – it said.
After prosecutors authorized Lohan’s re-arrest, officers went to a hotel, the Tahitian Inn, where he was staying.
“Upon seeing officers, he jumped out of a third-story balcony in an attempt to escape arrest” – the police statement said.
Officers took him into custody after a short chase and discovered after taking him to jail that he may have broken his foot, police said. Doctors were evaluating him.
Lohan is not expected to be released from Tampa General Hospital Thursday and has been admitted for overnight observation, said Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis.
Police responded to a domestic violence call at Michael Lohan’s home Monday and arrested him for the battery of his live-in girlfriend – police said.
Lohan told reporters Wednesday he “didn’t lay a hand” on his girlfriend.
“I did not hurt her” – he said.
Lohan also said he never was served with a restraining order to stay away from the woman. According to CNN Tampa affiliate WFTS, a Sarasota County judge issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday.

Michael Lohan.
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October 28th, 2011 | Posted in Celebrities | Comments Off
A late afternoon protest called in reaction to the operation that cleared Frank Ogawa Plaza Tuesday morning became a battle over the same ground Tuesday night.
It looks like Oakland will begin and end Tuesday to the scent of tear gas.
After being evicted from Frank Ogawa Plaza Tuesday morning, Occupy Oakland protestors staged a late afternoon rally that began peacefully but later turned into a confrontation with police over the same ground that had been fought over in the morning.
At around 7:45 p.m., police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred demonstrators who had refused to acknowledge an order to disband what officials had determined was an unlawful assembly.
A live blog on InsideBayArea.com follows the afternoon protest and the police response in reverse chronological order.
In addition to the video footage above, a brief clip on YouTube captures the chaos – and foul language – of the tear-gassing.
A stream of Tweets coded #occupyoakland provide updates. The phrase, Oakland PD, was one of the most seached-for terms in the Twitterverse tonight.
It was a raucous day from the start.
Oakland police in riot gear (with help from other units including San Leandro) moved in about 5:00 a.m. to break up an encampment that had refused city orders to vacate the plaza
At least 75 protesters were arrested mostly for misdemeanor offenses, including unlawful assembly and lodging.
At a press conference early Tuesday, interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said the morning operation had gone well.
“There were no injuries to the public or my officers” – he said.
Jordan defended the use of tear gas and nonlethal beanbag weapons Tuesday morning. He said these tactics would be investigated by the department’s internal affairs unit.

Occupy Oakland Protestors.
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October 26th, 2011 | Posted in Politics | Comments Off
Television cameras caught Chris Carpenter shouting something after Mike Napoli flied out to the deepest part of the ballpark to end the sixth inning.
Several Rangers players thought Carpenter was yelling at Napoli, though it’s unclear if that’s the case. The Rangers’ catcher said he didn’t hear anything but was told about it later.
“Somebody brought it to my attention” – Napoli said. “It’s kind of unfortunate. I don’t really know him. I don’t know why he’d be yelling at me like that. I’m not going to get involved in anything like that. I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to make him think that. I’m not going to get involved in that.”
Carpenter continued to yell – just to no one in particular – as he headed back to the Cardinals dugout and was clearly frustrated that the Rangers had tied the score in that inning.
Mitch Moreland saw Carpenter yelling but figured it was more about firing himself up.
“He’s a fiery guy and you’re in the heat of the moment” – Moreland said. “Sometimes that can happen. We don’t react to that kind of stuff. You just go out and play.”

Chris Carpenter.
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October 25th, 2011 | Posted in Sports | Comments Off
Red Ribbon Week kicks off today for about 41,000 Marion County school children, who will honor the week in spirit since there are no red ribbons to hand out for the second straight year.
“Unfortunately, we no longer provide the icon for the event — the red ribbon” – district spokesman Kevin Christian said. “However, kids do understand the spirit of the program and continue to participate.”
The anti-drug campaign will go on as scheduled, with a week’s worth of family events and school activities.
The district used to get a 6,000 dollars grant that was used to purchase 45,000 ribbons for students and teachers, as well as dozens of banners.
Red Ribbon Week, which runs October 24-28, is designed to instill the anti-drug message into students’ minds and hearts.
This year’s theme is “It’s Up to Me to Be Drug Free.”
Events include:
1 – Today, 6 p.m. – Kickoff carnival at Ocala Police Department headquarters; free music, food and entertainment.
2 – Tuesday and Wednesday – “Line Up to Sign Up” invites students to sign pledge banners at their school.
3 – Thursday – “We Rule! We’re a Drug-Free School” day gives schools a chance to develop a red-ribbon slogan and display it via posters, door decorations, videos and other creative ways. It also is “Wear Red” day.

Red Ribbon Week.
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October 24th, 2011 | Posted in Holidays | Comments Off
World leaders hailed the death of former Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi as the end of an era of violence and tyranny, and held out hope for a better future for the North African nation.
As Libyans fired automatic weapons into the air and danced for joy, U.S. President Barack Obama said the death of the man Thursday who had ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 42 years ended a long, painful chapter.
“This is a momentous day in the history of Libya, the dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted” – Obama said, adding that Gadhafi’s demise vindicated the collective military action launched by the West.
Hours after Libya’s interim government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), announced Gadhafi’s death, Obama urged the country to look to the future and build a ‘democratic’ and ‘tolerant’ nation.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also welcomed a chance for Libya’s ‘democratic future’ as he remembered Gadhafi’s victims, including those who died in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Libyan people had fought “to liberate themselves from the dictatorial and violent regime imposed on them for more than 40 years.”
French, U.S. and British forces spearheaded the NATO air campaign against Gadhafi’s military, which has launched nearly 1,000 strike sorties since March 31.
Speaking in Islamabad, Washington’s chief diplomat Hillary Clinton said it was “the start of a new era for the Libyan people” – a sentiment echoed in Beijing.

Moammar Gadhafi.
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October 21st, 2011 | Posted in Politics | Comments Off
The ongoing tragedy that is Scott Hall’s health and addiction problems has garnered the attention of one of the world’s top sports media outlets. ESPN’s E:60 series – which has covered athletes and personalities from a number of sports and sports entertainment franchises including Brock Lesnar, Kimbo Slice, Lee Murray, Dana White and Vince McMahon – looks at the rise and fall of one of professional wrestling’s biggest talents that never quite made it to that superstar level because of personal demons.
In the accompanying article at ESPN.com it’s claimed by WWE’s Executive Vice President of Creative Development and Operations, Stephanie McMahon, that more money has been spent on trying to rehabilitate Hall than anyone else the WWE has tried to help for similar addictions. ESPN writer Ben Houser touches on the various drug and lifestyle problems that seem to have plagued the top end of professional wrestling, especially since Vince McMahon hit it big in the 1980′s with WrestleMania breaking ground for the industry.
Seeing footage again of the Scott Hall of today having to be helped by two human crutches to get to the ring only to have him lay there almost motionless is harrowing, especially when contrasted with the giant physical prowess he exhibited in his peak as Razor Ramon in the then WWF.
In the sample clip from ESPN we see part of an interview with Eric Bischoff who makes the statement that pro wrestling isn’t killing Scott Hall – Scott Hall is killing Scott Hall. There will probably be interviews with friends and associates of Hall, such as Hulk Hogan, and ESPN have shown to deliver the goods on previous episodes of E:60 so make sure you tune in for this must see television.

Scott Hall.
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October 20th, 2011 | Posted in Sports | Comments Off