Stocks Fall to Lowest Level in Six Years.

When will the free fall of the stock market end? The Dow was down another 445 points today. This is crazy. With the banking industry and now the automakers on the verge of collapse, some much needed emergency work needs to be done or say hello to Dow 6000, or even 5000. There appears to be numerous challenges, but didn't it all start with the banks making some ill advised mortgage loans a year and a half ago. Then why doesn't the powers to be start with this problem. Force the banks to stop making new construction loans, so that existing home values will stop plummeting. Then give the automakers some of the bailout money. We can't let GM fail, or say hello to 10% unemployment, and a whole lot more problems. Lastly, can't these lawmakers just make some intelligent decisions for a change?

Barack Obama Leads in Four Traditionally GOP States

Word has it that Barack Obama has taken the lead in four states won by President Bush in 2004. This is not good news for John McCain. All the money that Obama has to spend is definitely paying off, as he is pressing his money and manpower advantages in a slew of traditionally GOP states. The plan is not only to win, but to remake the country's political map. McCain is scrambling to defend states where he wouldn't even be campaigning if the race were closer.

Less than a week before Election Day, Obama is benefiting from the country's sour mood and widely viewed as the winning candidate by voters in eight crucial states — Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Can you say President Obama?

Obama Will Win and be the Next President

Although anything can happen in the final weeks leading up to the Presidential election, this race is over. Barack Obama will win.

Why am I saying that? Look at the facts. Obama's lead in the polls is increasing. He has an unprecedented amount of money that is being spent on everything necessary. There are more registered Democrats than Republicans. And finally, all of this economic turmoil is being blamed on President Bush and John McCain.

So it is over. As a matter of fact, it will probably be a landslide victory for Obama. For all of you supporting him, you better be right. A change may be needed. But is it the right change?

President Bush Speaks in Attempt to Calm Stock Market Fears

The latest in news from Wall Street is that President Bush spoke to the nation this morning in an attempt to calm fears about the credit crisis. It was a brief statement acknowledging anxiety among both investors and the general public about the economy.

“We can solve this crisis and we will,” Bush said.

Wall Street wavered in another volatile day Friday, touched off by a global rout on concerns that even lower interest rates won't help end the worsening credit crisis. The Dow Jones industrials dropped below 8,000 shortly after trading began, regained all of that deficit to show an advance — and then declined again.

Frozen credit markets and a loss of confidence in the world's financial system have caused the Dow to tumble 21 percent in just 10 trading days. The blue chip index dropped 678 points Thursday, and is heading to its worst weekly point drop ever.

Friday's gyrations were likely caused by computer-driven buy orders that kicked in when prices had fallen far enough to make some stocks look like attractive bets. But that buying reflected no lifting of the market's deep despair, and selling continued.

Stay tuned as this crisis is far from over.

Government May Buy Ownership Stakes in Banks

We now have the worst credit crisis since the Great Depression on our hands. How did it get this bad? The long and the short of it is greed. However, banks' poor decisions on sub-prime loans certainly played a part. Personally, I feel that the banks are in such bad shape that the government will have to buy shares of the banks to prevent a complete collapse. Can you imagine what would happen if the banking system fails? It would be unimaginable. Certainly another depression would follow.

An administration official, who of course spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the $700 billion rescue package passed by Congress last week allows the Treasury Department to inject fresh capital into financial institutions and get ownership shares in return. This official said all the new powers granted in the legislation were being considered as the administration seeks to deal with a serious credit crisis that has caused the biggest upheavals on Wall Street in seven decades and continues to roil global markets.

So we are left with either a total collapse by the banks or the government owning them. I don't like either option, but the latter might be the lesser of two evils.

O.J. Simpson Found Guilty

O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint on Friday night. Isn't that the words so many people wanted to hear 13 years ago? Was this a case a justice delayed or the "spillover effect?" I don't know whether he is guilty or not, but I do know that there was no way he would be acquitted this time. Too many people have too many strong opinions about him.

The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody. Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison. His attorney said he would appeal.

What a sad story.

Sarah Palin Preparing for Big VP Debate

Well I just knew there would be another top story featuring Sarah Palin. I am hearing that there are calls for her to quit the race. I'm not sure who is doing the calling, but probably liberals pretending to be Republicans. However, she is not quitting, and is actually preparing for her big debate this week.

She spent Tuesday in Republican "boot camp" cramming for this week's vice presidential debate amid mounting concern over whether she is ready for a White House post. The first-term governor of Alaska will face off in St Louis, Missouri, on Thursday against the Democratic vice presidential pick, veteran Senator Joseph Biden, in their sole clash ahead of the November 4 election.

With some Republicans fearing a fiasco, the telegenic but inexperienced Palin is undergoing several days of intensive debate training at the Arizona ranch of presidential nominee John McCain.

In a time-honored tradition of the White House race, Biden was also spending time off the campaign trail preparing for the key debate. No word on whether there are calls for him to quit.

Alaskan Natives Question Sarah Palin's Roots and Support

I continue to be amazed at the media frenzy over Sarah Palin. She has a lot of people nervous. But why? Then we have Joe Biden on the other side that we hear nearly nothing about. Interesting dynamics.

Now we hear about Sarah's Alaskan roots being called into question. She often mentions her husband's roots. But those connections haven't erased doubts about her by some in a community which as been long slighted by the white settlers who flocked to Alaska and dominate its government.

Since she took office in 2006, many Alaska Natives say they've felt ignored when she made appointments to her administration, sided with sporting interests over Native hunting rights and pursued a lawsuit that Natives say seeks to undermine their ancient traditions.
Alaska's population today is mostly white but nearly a fifth of its people are Native Americans — primarily Alaska Natives. Blacks and Asians combined make up less than 10 percent of the state's population.

I wonder what tomorrow's news stories will be about. Let me guess...another Sarah Palin angle, I'm sure.

The Presidential Debate is On

Okay, the first Presidential debate is on. Now that McCain has announced he will attend the debate, let the spin begin....from both sides.

Republican candidate John McCain agreed to attend the first presidential debate Friday night even though Congress doesn't have a bailout deal, reversing an earlier decision to delay the event until Washington had taken action to address the crisis.

With less than ten hours until the debate was scheduled to start, the McCain campaign announced that the Arizona senator would travel to the University of Mississippi. The campaign said that afterward McCain would return to Washington to continue working on the financial crisis.

Obama had always planned to attend the debate and was aboard his plane preparing to take off when McCain's announcement was made. McCain quickly moved to his own private aircraft and headed South with his wife and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his wife, Judith, on board.

The action contradicted the position McCain had taken Wednesday, when he announced, "I'm directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis."

You have to love the spin.

According to Poll, 18 percent of Voters Undecided

Like most elections, this Presidential election will most likely be decided by the so called "Undecideds." So often in close elections, it is not the partisan right or left that make the difference. It is those in the middle. Those people are estimated to be at 18% right now.

With Wall Street in turmoil and the economy not doing well, whichever presidential candidate convinces the makority of persuadable voters that he gets it - and can be trusted to lead the country back to fiscal stability - could win the White House.

A recent AP-Yahoo News poll found that 18 percent of likely voters are up for grabs - undecided or willing to change their minds - little more than five weeks before Americans choose between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

A large chunk of these voters say they are suffering on a personal level from the country's economic woes, and, like everyone else, they say the economy is the top issue. Most haven't decided who would best solve their problems as president; neither candidate has an advantage on handling the economy.
Simply put: Most of these voters are looking for a better life and a leader to help make it happen - and most haven't found what they seek in Obama or McCain.

Sarah Palin Bars Then Admits Reporters to Meetings

Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a magnet for controversy, and I am not sure that there is a good reason. Other than she is obviously someone who scares the democrats. She is well spoken, attractive, intelligent, and not afraid of making the tough decisions. Everyday there are numerous stories about her. Here is the latest one.

Sarah Palin, who has not held a press conference in nearly four weeks of campaigning, initially barred reporters from her first meetings with world leaders Tuesday, but reversed course after they protested.

At first, campaign aides told the TV producer, print and news agency reporters in the press pool that followed the Alaska governor that they would not be admitted along with still photographers and a video camera crew taken in to photograph her meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who are here for the United Nations General Assembly this week. She also was to meet later with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

These sessions and meetings scheduled for Wednesday are part of the Republican campaign's effort to give Palin experience in foreign affairs. She has never met a foreign head of state and first traveled outside North America just last year.

The media were escorted out after about 40 seconds. Campaign aides subsequently announced that reporters would be allowed to accompany photographers into the later sessions with Uribe and Kissinger.
At that point, campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said it was all just a "miscommunication." Earlier, she had said, "The decision was made for this to be a photo spray with still cameras and video cameras only."

Musicians in Plane Crash Expected to Recover

Well it is certainly great news to hear that the two musicians in the plane crash late Friday are expected to make a full recovery. As sad as the tragedy was for those that did not make it, at least these two people will survive.

The medical director of the burn hospital where former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM are being treated says both men are expected to make full recoveries. The two musicians were critically injured in a South Carolina plane crash that killed four people on Friday.

Dr. Fred Mullins said Sunday morning that both men are being treated for second and third degree burns at a Georgia hospital. Mullins says recovery from such burns can take as long as a year. However, he notes the men had no other injuries.

Mullins says Barker was burned on his torso and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, was burned on his hands and part of his head. The doctor says both men are still in critical but stable condition.

Drummer and DJ in Plane Crash

Is it just me or does it seem like planes are becoming less safe. I understand that when there is a plane crash that there is plenty of media attention, but it just seems that there are too many of these fatalities. The latest crash involves a DJ and a drummer from California.

South Carolina officials are saying four California residents died in a fiery Learjet crash that also critically injured former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM.

The Lexington County coroner said Saturday that pilot Sarah Lemmon of Anaheim Hills and co-pilot James Bland of Carlsbad died. Also killed were passengers Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles.
Authorities say the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane headed for Van Nuys, Calif., went off a runway, through a fence and crashed on a nearby road.

Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga.

Beckham Kids Threatened in Kidnapping Plot

Apparently the Beckhams have received kidnapping threats. This is a troublesome thought for all parents. What the average Mom and Dad can do to protect their children is a far cry of the extent David and Victoria are going to. Whatever the case, it is certainly a testament to the love of parents to do whatever they can do to provide security to their kids.

David and Victoria Beckham are taking recent kidnapping threats very seriously. It is being reported that some serious threats were made against their three children, Cruz, Brooklyn, and Romeo. David isn’t taking any chances. When he goes to pick them up at school, he makes sure he has back up, which includes several SUV’s full of large and mean bouncers. It makes it a little difficult for those thinking about taking the kids home with them for a little money.

Good for the Beckhams.

Vermont Candidate Says She Will Prosecute Bush If She Wins

Look, I know there are a lot of Bush haters out there, but give the guy a break. New out of Vermont has some Attorney General Liberal candidate talking about having jurisdiction to prosecute the President for murder if she wins the election. This smells of desperation by a candidate not likely to win. Even the current Attorney General admits she wouldn't have the authority to prosecute the President of the United States. Here is how the story goes.

Charlotte Dennett, 61, the Progressive Party's candidate for Vermont Attorney General, said Thursday she will prosecute President Bush for murder if she's elected Nov. 4. Dennett, an attorney and investigative journalist, says Bush must be held accountable for the deaths of thousands of people in Iraq — U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. She believes the Vermont attorney general would have jurisdiction to do so.

She also said she would appoint a special prosecutor and already knows who that should be: former Los Angeles prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, the author of "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," a new book.
"Someone has to step forward," said Dennett, flanked by Bugliosi at a news conference announcing her plan. "Someone has to say we cannot put up with this lack of accountability any more."

Dennett and two others are challenging incumbent Attorney General William Sorrell, a Democrat, in the Nov. 4 election. Bugliosi, 74, who gained fame as the prosecutor of killer Charles Manson, said any state attorney general would have jurisdiction since Bush committed "overt acts" including the military's recruitment of soldiers in Vermont and allegedly lying about the threat posed by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in speeches that were aired in Vermont and elsewhere.

The White House press office didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday. But Republican National Committee spokesman Blair Latoff denounced Dennett. "It's extremely disappointing that a candidate for state attorney general is more concerned with radical left-wing provocation than upholding the law of Vermont," Latoff said. "These incendiary suggestions may score points among the most fringe elements of American society, but can't be settling for anyone looking for an attorney general."

Anti-Bush sentiment runs deep in Vermont. It's the only state Bush hasn't visited as president, and one whose liberal tendencies make it unlikely he will.
In 2007, the state Senate adopted a resolution calling for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Last March, the towns of Brattleboro and Marlboro voted to seek indictments against Bush and Cheney over the war, and dozens of other towns voted at town meetings to call for his impeachment.

Sorrell, who is seeking a sixth term, said he doesn't believe a Vermont attorney general would have the authority to charge Bush. "The reality is, in my view, that unless the crime takes place in Vermont, then I as the attorney general have no authority under Vermont law to be prosecuting the president," Sorrell said.

12 Year Old Boy Revolutionizes the Solar Cell

we get word now that a seventh grade student may have revolutionized the solar cell. Does anyone else find this absolutely amazing? It even appears to be true. If a twelve year old's mind is that developed at this point, what next, a thirteen year old will discover a cure for cancer? Here is how the story goes:

William Yuan, a seventh-grader from Portland, OR, has developed a three-dimensional solar cell that absorbs UV and visible light. The combination of the two could greatly improve cell efficiency. William's project has earned him a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Library of Congress to accept the award, which is usually given out for research at the graduate level.

Like I said, amazing.

USC Crushes Ohio State 35-3

It was supposed to be a showdown between two of the best teams in college football. USC versus Ohio State had it all. There was tradition, 18 combined national championships, two big game coaches, and 11 potential first round draft picks. However, it didn't live up to the hype as USC rolled to an easy victory. It was another devastating loss for Ohio State on the national stage after back to back embarrassing losses in the past two BCS championship games.

Southern California turned the game of the year into another Trojans’ victory march. Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes, Joe McKnight rushed for 105 yards on 12 carries, and the top-ranked Trojans crushed No. 5 Ohio State 35-3 Saturday night. On this pleasant summer night, one looked like a champion, the other ordinary. “It worked out beautifully for us,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “Over the years, when we prepare this well and we have our guys, we’re hard to beat. It doesn’t matter who we play when we do that. This is what we’re capable of doing, we didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to get there. We had a nice night.” Ohio State played without star tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells, sidelined with an injured right foot. But moving the ball wasn’t the Buckeyes’ biggest problem before the Trojans made it a rout. Instead, they were done in by a handful of crucial mistakes.

A holding penalty nullified a touchdown in the second quarter, and an errant throw by Todd Boeckman was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Rey Maualuga. And with that, the outcome was all but decided by halftime.
“We played as well as we could, with or without Beanie,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “We played against a great team tonight. We were never able to take control on offense or defense. We must now roll up our sleeves and realize we can’t play like this and win.” Now the only question left is: Can anybody left on USC’s schedule beat USC and keep them from playing for a national championship in January for the fourth time this decade? I very much doubt it.

Michael Phelps Tops Celebrity Endorsement Rankings

Is Michael Phelps awesome or what? Watching him dominate the Olympics swimming events was something magical. I don't know what is more impressive, the fact that he won eight gold medals or how he won them. I do not think we will ever see anything like it again. But who knows, I am sure people said the same thing back when Mark Spitz won seven Olympic gold medals. Now comes word that Phelps is the most sought-after celebrity endorser. I can not say that I am surprised.

Phelps ranked number one in terms of endorsement appeal on the first Davie-Brown Index compiled after the Summer Olympics. The index is compiled by a Los Angeles-based talent agency. Phelps, a Towson native, jumped from the No. 1,111 spot, where he ranked prior to the start of the Beijing games. Phelps beat out basketball legend Jordan, who ranked No. 2 in terms of endorsement appeal, and movie star Hanks, who was third. Phelps was No. 10 on the overall index, which is compiled by surveying 1,000 people who are presented with the name and face of a celebrity and asked if they are aware of the individual. Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Will Smith topped the overall list.

The survey found that Phelps is now recognized by nearly 95 percent of U.S. consumers, up significantly from prior to the start of the Olympics. He was ranked second by the agency in terms of influence and third in aspiration and breakthrough — a gauge of how much consumers take notice when they hear or see Phelps. Phelps is the fifth most-appealing celebrity, trailing only Morgan Freeman, Hanks, Smith and Denzel Washington.

However, Davie Brown officials said Phelps’ popularity is peaking and could slow down over time. For now Michael Phelps should enjoy every moment of this. After all, he earned it.

Kanye West Busted For Smashing Paparazzi's Camera

Celebrities seem to have a hard time dealing with the paparazzi. It seems to me that they want to be put up on a pedestal and worshipped, but they don't want any photographers following them around. Come on guys, it comes with the territory. You can't have one without the other. Now it's Kanye West's turn. It sounds like he was mad he didn't win any MTV awards. Here's how the story goes.

Kanye West got into a fight with a photographer and a camera was allegedly smashed on the floor. According to reports on MSM, police arrested West and his bodyguard and they have been held in custody since the incident. Apparently, YouTube has a video of the incident in which a man, alleged to be Kanye West, can be seen grabbing a camera and smashing it violently to the floor. The star was seen after his recent VMA’s performance arguing with MTV staff, angered that he again missed out on an award for the second year running. Police arrested Kanye West shortly before 8 a.m. He and his manager, Don Crowley, were booked for investigation of felony vandalism, although prosecutors will determine what charges they might face.

Most Overpaid Celebrity List

Forbes magazine recently released their most Overpaid Celebrities list. Now this is an interesting thought. Aren't all celebrities overpaid? Are they really worth millions and millions of dollars for what they do? To make matters worse, Americans idolize these people regardless of their shortcomings. Case in point is how many of these sleazy tabloid magazines and newspapers are sold everyday.

Anyway, back to the most overpaid celebrity list. I guess the way it is determined is how much money they earn per each dollar they are paid. Nicole Kidman was named the number one celebrity in Hollywood in the second annual list of least bankable stars by U.S. magazine Forbes, taking the top slot from fellow Australian Russell Crowe. Must be an Aussie celebrity thing. Kidman's films were estimated to only earn one dollar for every dollar the Oscar-winning actress was paid compared with $8 a year ago. By my math, that is quite a drop. "The Invasion" actually lost $2.68 for each and every dollar of the $17 million Kidman was paid. Not very good business there. Maybe the upcoming movie "Australia" will give Nicole a little boost.

Second in the list came Jennifer Garner, whose recent movies have underperformed at the box office. Her movies were calculated to earn $3.60 for every $1 she was paid. Kidman's ex-husband, Tom Cruise, came third in the list with a $4 return for every dollar he was paid, mostly because of the failure of last year's movie "Lions for Lambs." The ranking was compiled by looking at a star's past three movies and dividing their total earnings by the films' gross income to get the actor's payback figure. Making up the rest of the top ten overpaid Hollywood celebrities were Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey, Nicolas Cage, Drew Barrymore, Will Ferrell and Cate Blanchett.

I doubt very much that this breaking news will in any way hurt those tabloid sales.

World's Strongest Magnet Being Constructed

What in the world can you do with the most powerful magnet in the world? Like 18,000 pounds of magnet. Wow. I am sure there are plenty of people who could put this thing to work in some interesting ways. The construction is under way. Read on.

Using the strongest materials known to man, scientists are building the most powerful electromagnet in the world -- one that won't blow up a split second after it's turned on. The entire magnet will be a combination of coil sets weighing nearly 18,000 pounds and powered by jolts from a massive 1,200-megajoules motor generator. Once activated, the new magnet should be about two million times more powerful than the average refrigerator magnet.
"The new magnet at the High Field Lab is a fantastic leap forwards in terms of our capability as a scientific community to explore materials under extreme conditions," said Ian Fisher, a scientist at Stanford University.

Bee Swarm Kills Three People

I have always known that bees could be dangerous since the time I watched "Killer Bees," the movie, many years ago. Now this story out of China reminds me of that movie. What I want to know is what were these people doing transporting bee hives? Just another point to ponder today. Here is how the story goes.

Three people were stung and killed after a truck carrying dozens of bee hives overturned in northeast China and three more were killed on the road as they tried to steer clear of the swarm, newspapers said on Thursday

The truck carrying the bee hives collided with a farm vehicle on Wednesday and overturned near Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, the China Daily said.
Pictures showed thousands of bees swarming around the accident site as workers, wearing protective clothing, cleared the debris.

The East Asia Economy and Trade News said three more people were killed hours later when two trucks collided as they tried to avoid the swarm.
There had been seven deadly accidents on the same section of road in three months, the newspaper said.

A Million People Evacuate Texas Due To Ike

Well we are certainly being reminded that it is hurricane season. Another hurricane is about to wreak its havoc. This time Texas is in its path. These hurricanes need to take a break already.

As Hurricane Ike charged into the Gulf's fueling waters and toward the Texas coast, officials prepared Wednesday to evacuate the first of 1 million residents who could be in the way of the storm's path. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predicted Ike, which has already raked the Caribbean and Cuba, would feed on the Gulf's warm waters and intensify before slamming into Texas somewhere near Corpus Christi early Saturday morning.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck Rips Michelle Obama

You have to love that Elizabeth Hasselbeck. If it weren't for her, "The View" wouldn't have much of a balance when it comes to political views. If candidates and their wives are going to go on the show, they need Elizabeth's voice of reason. Here is the latest on "The View."

"The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the show's token conservative and an ardent supporter of John McCain, appeared at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last week and spoke at an event honoring Cindy McCain. Given that "The View" is a necessary destination for the candidates and their wives this year, Hasselbeck felt qualified to explain the difference between Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama, though she avoided singling Obama out by name:

Cancer Campaign Raises $100 Million

When you combine the forces of names like Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Mariah Carey and others, it is amazing what can be done. Especially in the area of charity work. Take a look at the latest news on what these stars and others have done. The ‘Stand Up to Cancer’ campaign, featuring Jennifer Aniston, Ferrera, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong is now reporting results. The event, which took place on September 8th, raised more than $100 million for its cause. Hosted by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the goal was to raise funds specifically for the development of experimental cancer therapies.

Although Trend Hunter originally previewed a dozen celebs, the event blew past expectations with more than 50 major celebs, including: Jennifer Aniston, Jack Black, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Keanu Reeves, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, and Jack Black. In addition to the Hollywood cast, both McCain AND Obama also appeared. Unlike traditional campaigns, the event was simulcast on ALL three networks. In short, the telethon was an innovative, groundbreaking campaign with groundbreaking results.

New iPods to be Even Thinner

Okay now I hear that the new iPod is even thinner than before. If it gets much thinner, we are going to have to put it on a weight gain program. This is getting ridiculous. I know thin is in, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Oh well, here is the Nano details.

The new Nano is taller and thinner, the new Touch is sleeker and cheaper, and Steve Jobs (yes, he was there) looked peppy, if still a bit thin. In other words, Apple's "Let's Rock" event went down pretty much as expected—and frankly, it was a bit of a letdown.Tech observers and analysts had warned that today's iPod-focused Apple event might be something of dud, short of a breathtaking "One More Thing!"-type announcement. Well, this time, there was no big surprise at the end—unless you call a pair of acoustic songs by special guest Jack Johnson a big surprise.

Instead, we pretty much got what the rumor mongers said we would: A new, tall-and-thin Nano (similar to the first two Nano models), a cheaper and slightly-tweaked version of the Touch, and a new 120GB Classic. iTunes got updated—yes, with a new song recommendation feature, dubbed Genius—and a new iPhone firmware update (with a slew of fixes) is set to arrive. But if you were hoping for, say, a new Apple TV, new MacBooks or MacBook Pros, a new touchscreen MacBook, or an iTunes music subscription service—well, sorry Charlie. Didn't happen. What was notable, however, was that Steve Jobs looked (by all accounts, at least) relatively healthy. A big title card reading "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" appeared before Jobs bounded on the stage, and Gizmodo reports that the Apple CEO looked "skinny, but energetic." That should calm any investors spooked by Jobs' gaunt appearance during June's iPhone launch, not to mention the obit that accidentally hit the wires a couple of weeks ago.

Jennifer Aniston at TIFF

Jennifer Aniston is still hot. She is in the news again. This time is simply for walking the red carpet in a beautiful dress. Even without Brad Pitt, she is doing just fine for herself. Here is the latest story on Jen.

The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off with Jennifer Aniston and other celebrities walking the red carpet. The gallery shows some photos of Jen’s gorgeous black dress on opening night as she left her hotel. Truly earning its name as Hollywood North, Toronto couldn’t be more infused with the glitterati, yet the Canadian city allows for a lot more privacy for the celebs than in, say, LA or NYC.

Of course rumors still whirled that Jennifer Aniston and her ex-husband Brad Pitt were spotted at dinner together—you could almost file that one under world news—but for the most part, Torontonians have been respectful.
While we’re on the topic of Jennifer Aniston, we’re still excited about the news she’ll be returning to TV with guest appearances on 30 Rock.

Former UFC Champion Found Dead

I was shocked to hear that Evan Tanner died. When it comes to death, we just never know when it is our time to go. Tanner was apparently in a desert on a mission to cleanse himself.

Tanner was a former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion. Evan Tanner was found dead near Palo Verde, Calif. on Monday. He was only 37 years old.

Tanner had evidently trekked into the desert on a journey to "cleanse" himself, according to Douglas Vincitorio of Tanner’s management team. "He went out to the desert to do a ‘cleansing’ as he called it. Kind of like ‘Survivorman.’" These short trips were not new to Tanner, said Vincitorio. It is something that he has done numerous times over the years.

"What we were told is that (Sheriff’s officials who found Tanner) believe his motorcycle had run out of gas, so he went to walk out in like 115- to 118-degree heat," Vincitorio said. "He was miles away from his camp. That’s where the helicopter found him. Right now, they just think that he succumbed to the heat."