Columbus Day 2011 events

A variety of celebrations including religious services, a ceremony in a Near West Side park, and the annual downtown parade will be held Monday, October 10, in observance of Columbus Day.
A Mass honoring the Italian born explorer will begin at 9 a.m. that day at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, 1225W. Lexington St., with the Rev. Richard Fragomeni as celebrant.
At 10 a.m., the public is invited to a memorial in Victor Arrigo Park, 801 S. Loomis St., for the placing of a wreath near the statue of Christopher Columbus.
At 12:30 p.m. the official Chicago Columbus Day parade steps off from Balbo and Columbus Drives in the South Loop, with marchers heading north toward Randolph Street. The downtown festivities will end around 2:30 p.m.
The Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans – JCCIA – has arranged bus service to the celebrations, with departures from Casa Italia, 1621 N. 39th Ave. in Stone Park, IL, at 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. Casa Italia also will host the JCCIA’s post parade reception. Cost for the JCCIA transportation and reception is 25 dollars for adults and 10 dollars for children; special rates available for anyone interested in attending the reception only. There will be a cash bar offering beer and wine.
Reservations are advised. Call (708) 450-9050 for information. The year’s parade chair is the counsel general of Italy in Chicago, Alessandro Motta. Parade marshal is Louis Rago, and serving alongside them as honorary parade marshals will be Buddy Valastro, the celebrity baker and cable TV star, and Josette Mentesana Weber, Casa Italia’s chair of culture and education.

Columbus Day 2011 events
Columbus Day.

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Steve Jobs died at 56

“Start it and stick with it; change the world” – said the legendary entrepreneur. And change the world he did. Sadly, Steve Jobs died at his home on October 5, 2011, surrounded by the love of family. His legacy however, remains not only with family, and with his company Apple.
Steve Jobs’ legacy and genius will be studied and implemented by generations of internet startups to come.
The man whom BoingBoing writer, Xeni Jardin said “democratized technology” – once stated – “design isn’t about the way something looks or feels, design is in the way something works.” Jobs was interested in having Apple connect with consumers; he wanted the Mac to be a consumer PC. He wanted to create products that would help the average person use technology.
As Gizmodo’s editor, Matt Buchanan, stated today in a television interview, because of Jobs: “everyone has a computer in their pocket.” This idea alone—making technology hip and simple for the average person—could be a single lesson for internet startups.
However, Jobs’ vision reveals several indirect messages to internet startups.

Steve Jobs died at 56
Steve Jobs.

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Chris Cooley and Tony Romo

Chris Cooley plays for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins play in the NFC East, the same division as the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo is the Cowboys’ quarterback. So it should come as no surprise that the Redskins’ tight end took pleasure in the late-game collapse by Romo against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
But this much pleasure?
“It’s so good” – Cooley said during his weekly appearance on the LaVar and Dukes radio show. “It’s amazing, amazing to watch him choke like that.”
Romo had been enjoying a monster game, with three touchdown passes to help give the Cowboys a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter. But then he mysteriously unraveled, throwing three interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns and the other set up the Lions’ game-winning touchdown – and Dallas loses, 34-30.
Needless to say, Romo probably was feeling pretty bad already without Cooley piling on. But that didn’t stop Cooley.
“I’m just saying, I’m up 24 points in the third quarter, if I’m the head coach, I feel like I could probably just take a knee for the rest of the game, punt it away and there’s no way that Detroit’s gonna drive on you that many times” – Cooley continued. “The only way you’re gonna give up that many points is turnovers, right? It’s hilarious to watch him throw pick sixes too, back-to-back. I loved it.”
Easy there, big guy. Cooley might want to keep in mind that the Redskins (3-1) are just a game up on the Cowboys (2-2) in the standings … and that Dallas already has defeated Washington once this season … and that the two teams meet once again next month.

Chris Cooley and Tony Romo
Chris Cooley.

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Amanda Knox and her verdict

The verdict of Amanda Knox was announced in the Italian court on Monday, and the 24-year-old exchange student was acquitted of murder.
Free from the initial sentence of 26 years in prison, Knox is expected to return to Seattle on Tuesday with her family.
The verdict was delivered one-and-a-half hours after the promised 8 p.m. deadline, an indication that the jury did not have an easy time with the decision.
Knox was found guilty of slander for accusing bar owner Diya ‘Patrick’ Lumumba of carrying out the crime. The judge set the sentence at three years, which she has already served, and ordered Knox to pay 22,000 euros.
Upon hearing the verdict reversal, Knox collapsed in tears, and wept uncontrollably as she was led back to prison by security guards to collect her belongings.
The Kercher family appeared dazed as the verdict was read by the judge after nearly 11 hours of deliberations by the eight-member jury.
Outside the court, hundreds of people gathered to watch the spectacle, many of them upset by the acquittal.
Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were freed as the Italian appeals court overturned both of their guilty verdicts for murdering Knox’s roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007.
Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009 after a ten month long trial, each sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors had demanded that Knox’s sentence be increased from 26 years to life, calling the murder of Kercher a senseless crime and Knox a ‘she-devil’ as they portrayed her as a double-sided, sex-crazed party girl. Kercher’s body was wounded over 40 times with her throat slit.

Amanda Knox and her verdict
Amanda Knox.

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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Live

On Tuesday Weird Al Yankovic Delivers Polka Face was a top story. Here is the recap: The wait is over for ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic fans as he has at last debuted his new video for the song – ‘Polka Face.’
In the song and video, Al performs a polka medley sending up the likes of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Justin Bieber, and Jamie Foxx.
This Saturday, his new special, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Live! The Alpocalypse Tour premieres on Comedy Central and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, October 4th.

'Weird Al' Yankovic Live
'Weird Al' Yankovic.

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Andy Rooney in 60 Minutes

Andy Rooney doesn’t do autographs. That’s the way it was and will be, even after he makes his last regular appearance on ’60 Minutes’ this Sunday. The ’60 Minutes’ commentator will discuss that policy and other aspects of his character that make him America’s favorite curmudgeon in a ’60 Minutes’ interview with Morley Safer to be broadcast Sunday, Oct. 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT. On Sunday’s interview with Rooney, Safer points out that, yes, as people have wondered, Andy is the same way in person as he is on the air. “I say he’s exactly like that” – Safer tells Rooney. “I’ve been out with you, just walking the street and people come up asking for an autograph.” Rooney replies, “Oh, what kind of an idiot wants my name on a piece of paper?” Adding: “I still [don't sign them] and I have no intention of stopping. I just don’t sign autographs” – he tells Safer. Safer’s segment on Rooney will be followed by Rooney’s 1,097th ’60 Minutes’ essay – his last regular appearance on the broadcast.

Andy Rooney in 60 Minutes
Andy Rooney.

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Delonte West talk in Twitter

Though the alleged run with Home Depot didn’t go as planned, former Cavaliers guard Delonte West has found himself some gainful, stateside employment as a stock boy for Regency Furniture.
The DC-based furniture store will provide West with some time-killing, money-making opportunities (allowing the veteran shooting guard to ‘stay afloat durin the lockout’) thanks to his willingnes to work full-time as well as on weekends. The fact that he’s a local NBA player may have also played a part given the entire top half of his application was not completed.
However, the piece de resistance of the entire application, which was tweeted out late Wednesday evening and can be seen to the right, were West’s reasoning for being convicted of a crime, a ‘Misunderstanding,’ and his first day of availabilty, ‘Yesterday.’
How can you not miss this guy?

Delonte West talk in Twitter
Delonte West.

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Doctor Conrad Murray on trial

A lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray, who is charged in the death of Michael Jackson, says the pop superstar caused his own death.
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff told jurors in his opening argument Tuesday that Jackson, of his own accord, swallowed several lorazepam pills on the morning of his death and that was enough to put people to sleep.
He also claimed Jackson self-ingested the anesthetic propofol, creating a ‘perfect storm in his body’ that killed him instantly.
Chernoff told jurors it was not their job to determine whether Murray was a good doctor. He said Murray and Jackson were actually friends and Murray was trying to wean Jackson off of propofol. Jackson, however, took a lethal dose before he died – the lawyer said.
At times during Chernoff’s opening statement Murray appeared to be crying and wiped his eyes with a tissue.
The defense’s remarks came after more than an hour of opening arguments by prosecutors who laid out their case against the Houston-based cardiologist with a multimedia presentation which featured an audio recording Murray made of Jackson under the influence of propofol, and an image of the pop star’s pale body lying on a gurney after he died from an overdose on the drug on June 25, 2009.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and he and his attorneys have denied he gave Jackson anything that should have killed the pop superstar.
A number of Jackson’s family members were in the courthouse for opening arguments – including his father Joseph, mother Katherine, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine, Randy, and Tito.
LaToya Jackson carried a sunflower, Michael’s favorite flower.

Doctor Conrad Murray on trial
Conrad Murray.

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Chris Christie is for president

Speculation around Gov. Chris Christie’s potential presidential run amped up again Monday when former Gov. Thomas H. Kean told a conservative magazine that Christie was thinking about jumping into the campaign.
Kean told the National Review that Christie was ‘very seriously’ looking at a presidential bid.
Yet an adviser close to Christie insisted that Christie is not planning to run, and a major national Republican fundraiser said he has not received any telephone calls from Christie or his people seeking support.
In the National Review article, Kean was quoted as saying – “It’s real. He’s giving it a lot of thought. I think the odds are a lot better now than they were a couple weeks ago.”
Kean has been a career-long adviser to Christie, ever since Christie joined his campaign as a teenager.
“More and more people are talking to him” – Kean told the National Review. “He’s getting appeals from major figures around the country.”
Christie has, of course, denied all year that he will run for president in 2012. He has joked with reporters and attempted to come up with creative ways to more firmly deny that he has any plans or hopes of running.
He has declared himself not ready to serve as president. As recently as last week, Christie talked about how he is not ready to wake up at 5:30 a.m. in Iowa and implied that his wife was against the idea.
Still, the appearance was with another oft mentioned presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, and both men expressed dissatisfaction so far with the Republican field, keeping speculation alive.
Today, Christie will be speaking at the Ronald Reagan Library in California and his speech “uses President Reagan’s transformative leadership to depict how the United States’ role and significance in the world is defined by who we are at home” – spokeswoman Maria Comella said in a statement.
Christie is hosting seven fundraisers around the country this week.

Chris Christie is for president
Chris Christie.

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Arturo Gatti’s death

CBC’s The Fifth Estate has learned that Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti exhibited suicidal tendencies years before his 2009 death in Brazil, just one of several discoveries casting doubts on a private investigation that concluded he was murdered.
Questions have swirled about whether the three-time world boxing champion hanged himself or was slain by his wife ever since his body was discovered on July 12, 2009, in the Brazil hotel room where he was vacationing with his wife (Amanda Rodrigues) and their infant son (Arturo Jr).
Brazilian authorities originally declared it murder and arrested Rodrigues in her husband’s death. She was held in custody for nearly three weeks before an autopsy determined Gatti had committed suicide by hanging himself with his wife’s purse strap.
Private investigators hired by Gatti’s friends, however, concluded in a 300-page report that Gatti was murdered.
But The Fifth Estate has discovered that key facts were missing from the report.
“There are three investigations going on here” – says The Fifth Estate’s Bob Mckeown. “The Brazilians ruled it was suicide, the investigators hired by Arturo’s friends said it was murder, and then there was ours. And we’ll tell you what neither of the others did. Then — murder or suicide — you can make up your own mind.”
In court documents filed in 2006, a former girlfriend Gatti was living with at the time stated that he had ‘attempted suicide by overdosing on cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs’ the year prior.
Hospital records from New Jersey, a state the Montrealer temporarily called home, say that Gatti arrived at an emergency department in an ‘unresponsive’ state, testing positive for cocaine and alcohol.

Arturo Gatti's death
Arturo Gatti.

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