When St. Patrick's Day falls early in the week, as it does in 2009, the holiday should really be renamed St. Patrick's Days. Since not everyone can duck out of the office early to hit the pubs, or stay out late celebrating with a few pints of Guinness, clever bar owners and promoters tend to stagger events over a few days, giving everyone a chance to party -- and sometimes several chances.
When you're heading out on Tuesday, all the usual caveats apply: Lines will be long, so arrive early. Don't count on dining, because many pubs cut their menus down to the basics (cold sandwiches) and offer limited items, which do sell out. Bring cash, because some bars don't take credit cards in order to keep the bartenders moving faster.
Here's a day-by-day guide to your St. Patrick's Days festivities, starting with this weekend.
Friday, March 13
DC101's Kegs and Eggs party celebrates its 10th anniversary with a free early-morning concert at 9:30 Club with Filter, Hoobastank and Carbon Leaf. It's kind of an odd lineup -- Filter's biggest hits were in the late-'90s, and Hoobastank hasn't had a hit since "The Reason" in 2004. About the only thing they have in common is the Hoobastank has a new CD out, while Filter's "Greatest Hits" drops at the end of the month. Opening is local rocker outfit Carbon Leaf, which seems to play every year. Doors open at 7:15, and the live music runs from 8 to noon.
Saturday, March 14
When we highlighted this festival in this week's Nightlife Agenda, I wrote: With 40 bands, pub games, a rock climbing wall, sideshow acts, restaurant tents and all the green beer you can handle, Shamrock Fest easily takes the title of the biggest St. Patrick's Day party of the year. And with headlining acts like celtic punk veterans Flogging Molly, local Irish rockers Scythian and half the bands on this summer's Dewey Beach calendar (Mr. Greengenes, Burnt Sienna, Junkfood, etc.), it shouldn't fail to entertain. (Top of our must-see list: Girls, Girls, Girls, "the world's first and only all-girl Mötley Crüe tribute band.") However, we have to warn you that if your idea of fun is NOT excessive drinking in a parking lot, or you don't want to be around hundreds of people who think that excessive drinking in a parking lot is the PERFECT way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you might want to steer clear of RFK Stadium today.
With the big event three days away, it's "St. Practice Day" at McFadden's, which includes all-Irish pursuits like beer pong and flip cup tournaments from 7 p.m. on. Besides specials on mini-Guinnesses, mini-Jamesons and mini-Michael Collins cocktails, there's a dance contest at 9, a "team uniform" contest for best St. Patrick's day outfits at 10 and a create-your-own-pitcher at 11.
Union Jack's in Bethesda is combining St. Patrick's Day with Halloween, offering cash and prizes for the "best" and "sexiest" Irish costumes at a midnight contest. (Time to bust out the "Sexy Leprechaun" and "Sexy Darby O'Gill" outfits!) Drink specials include $4 Guinness, $5 Guinness-and-a-shot bombs and, from 5 to 9 p.m., $2 Killian's Irish Red.
The "St. Patrick's Day Pre-Party" at Duffy's is one for the budget-minded, with half-price Guinness and Smithwick's pints from 5 p.m. to close, and $5 shots of Clontarf, my new favorite Irish whiskey. Irish music will be on the stereo all night.
Sunday, March 15
The D.C. St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at noon on Constitution Avenue, and if the stepdancers, bands and Irish groups get you in the mood for a party, walk up to Penn Quarter afterwards. Fado has a live performance by the Wild Rovers at 2:30, while singer-guitarist Andy O' Driscoll takes the stage at the Irish Channel a few blocks away.
One of Alexandria's pre-St. Patrick's Day traditions is the Irish brunch at Murphy's with harpist Carolina Gregg. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pat Carroll and Rocky Guttman perform in the evening.
Monday, March 16
Want to show off your knowledge of all-things Irish? D.C.'s Fado and the Bethesda branch of Ri-Ra are hosting special St. Patrick's Day-themed pub quizzes with prizes like T-shirts and gift certificates. Both start at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 17
Before we get to the pubs: the annual Shamrocks and Shenanigans celebrates a decade of St. Patrick's Day shenanigans this year. Held again at Rumors from 3 to 11, Shamrocks and Shennanigans features deeply discounted drinks, green beads and dancing to top 40 and '80s hits, and some Irish touches, a like a bagpiper, will find their way into the mix, too. The afternoon starts with beat-the-clock Coors Light deals: $1.17 bottles from 3 to 4, $2.17 Miller Lites from 4 to 6, then $3.17 Miller Lites for the rest of the night. Contests include "Best Irish Costume" and "Best Irish Jig." The crowd is on the young side and gets sloppier as the night goes on. The cover charge starts at $5 and will increase.
Tuesday, March 17: D.C. Events
Vintage Guinness ads cover the walls at the 51st
State in Foggy Bottom, lending the appropriate atmosphere for the day. Doors open at 11, and a full lunch (with $3 Yuengling) is served until 2:30. All-day drink specials include $2 Shamrock Shooters and $6 Guinness.
One of Washington's oldest St. Patrick's Day parties is at the Dubliner, the Capitol Hill pub where owner Danny Coleman has been celebrating for 33 years. (Coleman is being honored with the "Gael of the Year" award at this year's St. Patrick's Day parade.) Doors open at 10 a.m., and there are usually lines by mid-afternoon. Inside, there are three smaller satellite bars set up to help ease the crush, and one will be added to the tented outdoor area this year. John McGrath, Morris Minor and the duo of Jimmy Rafferty and Patty Halligan rotate between two stages from 10 a.m. to last call, and the green-clad crowd whoops and hollers all day and all night. There's a $10 cover.
Duffy's opens at noon, and it pays to arrive early: The first 100 customers through the door receive a free T-shirt, and everyone who arrives by 3 gets half-price Guinness and Smithwick's. (There are $2 green Jello shooters for everyone who arrives late.) Since it's right around the corner from the 9:30 club, this is the perfect place to keep partying after Kegs and Eggs. The jukebox plays Irish music, Irish dancers will stop by to show off their steps, and cold sandwiches will be available at the bar. The kitchen crew gets the day off.
Like many other pubs, the Fado in Chinatown is charging a $10 cover. Unlike many other pubs, it's less of a cover than a minimum charge: As you walk in, you're handed a $10 gift card to use at the bar. Doors open at 8 a.m., and managers say there will be dancers and pipers performing throughout the day. Singer Willem Dickey performs from 11 to 3:30, and a DJ spins tunes after 9:30. If you arrive late, be prepared to wait. And wait.
At Ireland's Four Fields, live music plays from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., interrupted only by step dancing performances. All tables will be removed from the pub to make room for the large crowds, and only pre-made cold sandwiches will be served at the bar. There's a $10 cover charge all day.
Irish singer Brian Gaffney -- the former owner of Nanny O'Brien's -- performs from noon until close at the Irish Channel in Chinatown. A condensed menu of "classic Irish dishes" will be offered from lunch on. There's no cover charge.
If you're looking for a party in Dupont Circle, James Hoban's is the place: Doors open at 8 for the kegs and eggs party, and the tented patio area has its own bar. A short Irish menu will be served at lunch and dinner, and a DJ takes over at 7:30. There's no cover charge.
Kelly's Irish Times is easing off the cover charge this year: it's opening at 10 a.m. but not charging a $10 entry fee until 4 p.m. Singer Pete Papageorge picks up his guitar at noon, and a full lunch menu will be served until 2.
"It's just a regular day," reports a manager at Mackey's Public House. Doors open at 11, and there's no live music or crazy entertainment at the D.C. pub. There's no cover, either.
Some people are content to sit in a pub and listen to "The Wild Rover" on St. Patrick's Day. These are not the ones heading for McFadden's at 8 a.m. for a free breakfast buffet and 25-cent draft beers or sticking around for the 9 p.m. "Teeny Weenie Green Bikini " contest. It's a sea of college students, kickball teams and the merely curious, who sneak out of work for $5 Guinness drafts (noon to 7) and pour-your-own pint contests, shot specials, drinking games and a DJ. There will be a cover charge later in the night.
Tourists and locals share space at Murphy's of D.C. on St. Patrick's Day. It's business as usual early in Woodley Park: Doors open at 9 a.m., and there's a regular lunch menu with Irish specials. Then, at 3 p.m., everything changes: Ronan Kavanaugh and other musicians take the stage, and all seats are cleared out to make room for more customers. Drink specials will be offered, though they hadn't been decided at press time, and a limited food menu will be available for dinner. The party goes until 1 a.m.
Singer-guitarist Connor Malone, a fixture in local Irish pubs, performs from 1 to 6 at Nanny O'Brien's. Doors open at 10 a.m., and the $10 cover is enforced once Malone takes the stage. A limited menu of burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs is served all day.
Tuesday, March 17: Maryland Events
In downtown Annapolis, Castlebay Irish Pub has live music from Steve Ports and Ray Weaver from 7 a.m. to midnight. Breakfast will be served early, and there's a limited menu for the rest of the day. Draft beers are $6 all day, while rail drinks are $5. Expect to pay a $5 cover in the morning and $10 once the pub gets busy, usually after 3.
Want to get a taste of the day on your way to work? Doors at Annapolis's Fado Irish Pub open at 7 p.m. for the $3.17 breakfast specials, and WRNR sponsors an 8 a.m. concert by local favorites Jimmie's Chicken Shack. There's also a contest where you could win a trip to Ireland. After lunch, there are Irish dancers and bagpipers (2 p.m.) and a performance by Irish group Fools and Horses (4 p.m.). A DJ takes over in the evening. Expect to pay a $10 cover, beginning sometime in the late afternoon.
In Dublin on St. Patrick's Day, many eyes are on the All-Ireland Hurling and Football Championships. (De La Salle and Portumna clash in the hurling championship, while Crossmaglen Rangers and Kilmacud Crokes meet in the football final.) At Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle in Bethesda, doors open at 10 to show those matches live. After the sports, there's live music from noon to close from Kevin James, Connor Malone and Sean Chyun. A $10 cover will be levied after 5 p.m. Diners should note that a limited menu will be available, and reservations are strongly recommended.
Crofton's Irish Channel starts at 8 a.m. with $4 mimosas and a $6 breakfast buffet during the kegs and eggs party. Lunch is served from 11 to 2. In the afternoon, food options are limited, though there's a $8 buffet of appetizers and snacks. There will be Jameson giveaways and drink specials, and Andy O'Driscoll will be performing between 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There's a $6 cover after 2 p.m.
McGinty's Public House seems determined to show as many facets of Irishness as it can in one day: Beef and Guinness stew and other favorites at lunch, Irish step dancers performing from 4:30 to 6, traditional jigs and reels performed by the teenage fiddlers and pipers of Pete Moss and the Bog Band from 6 to 8:30, then the fiddle-fueled Celtic rock of 40 Thieves from 9 to close. There's plenty of room to dance upstairs, and a cozy bar with darts downstairs A $10 cover will be charged after 6.
Looking for a pub with live music and no cover in Maryland? Head for Bethesda, where Ri-Ra features the Mike Leverone Duo from 2 to 5, the Roger Henderson Duo from 6 to 9 and cover band Cheap Date from 10 to close.
Tuesday, March 17: Virginia Events
Musicians play for 14 hours straight at Ireland's Four Courts on St. Patrick's Day, both on stage in the pub and in a tent in the parking lot set up to accommodate overflow crowds. An Irish lunch is served from 10 to 2, and music begins at 11. After lunch, all chairs are removed from the pub and it becomes standing room only.
It's hard to figure which is the bigger draw at Ireland's Four Provinces on St. Patrick's Day: The live music, with Don Cobert and the band Dirty Pints taking turns all day, or the set meals in the dining room. A three-course Irish meal ($26.95) will be served at 11, 1 and 3. Dinner, served at 5, 7 and 9, costs $10 more. Reservations are recommended, as the timeslots often fill up in advance. The bar opens at 8 a.m. for a kegs and eggs party, with a $10 cover.
Looking for celebrate without too much fuss? Mackey's in Crystal City will be open for business as usual.
Lines are always long for Murphy's of Alexandria on St. Patrick's Day, but with no cover charge at the venerable Old Town pub and live Irish music from longtime Murphy's favorites Rocky Guttman and Pat Garvey all day, it's not hard to see why. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Doors at Ned Devine's and Ned Kelly's open at 11 a.m. with a promise of "Green beer and Irish food." Local singers Phil Kominski and Nate Ihara play from 11 to 7, and a troupe of Irish step dancers performs at 6:30. Alternative rock cover act Scott's New Band takes over from 10 to close. There's a $10 cover after 7 p.m.
The vast Ned Devine's Irish Village, with a main room resembling a movie set of an idealized Irish town square, opens at 5. The precocious youngsters of the School of Rock Band take the stage at 6, followed by rockers Rude Buddha. You'll pay $10 cover whenever you show up.
O'Faolain's opens at 8 a.m. for kegs and eggs -- full Irish breakfast with $4 pints -- but it's not the Animal House-style madness you might expect. "As we also offer free wireless, we get lots of folks who work in the Dulles corridor that will use O'Faolain's as their office for the
day," reports general manager Justin Holohan. "By 9 a.m., they have had breakfast, are drinking pints and working away on their BlackBerries, laptops and PDAs . . . Mind you, by noontime the BlackBerries disappear." The rest of the day is rounded out with live music between noon and 3 and then again from 5 p.m. to close, with an Irish dancing performance at 3:30. There's $10 cover charge from 2 p.m. on unless you have dinner reservations.
As one of the few Arlington pubs offering live music without a cover on Tuesday, O'Sullivan's should prove a popular destination. Doors open at 11, and the music begins at 4. First up is the Michael Patrick Band, followed by the Journeymen at 7 and the Flying Cows of Ventry at 10. A very limited menu will be available, but there will be happy hour specials.
Congratulations are in order for the Old Brogue, which is celebrating its 28th anniversary on St. Patrick's Day. As always, the homey Great Falls pub is splitting itself into three venues on the 17th. The cozy "snuggery" room opens at 8 for a traditional Irish breakfast, accompanied by hammered dulcimer player Jody Marshall. The set-price menu costs $25, though that doesn't include drinks. A large outdoor tent opens at 9 a.m., with its own bar and a limited food selection. (Note: no seats are available in the tent.) The main pub opens an hour later, though the entertainment, featuring singer Ted Garber, doesn't start until 1. Lunch and dinner, which require reservations, are served in the snuggery and feature Irish tunes by Irish singer Sarah Croker. There's a $10 cover if you're not having a meal.
Every St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's Own performs an unusual swap. Managers pull all of the tables out of the dining room and bar to make space for standing-room-only crowds and move diners to a heated tent on the brick patio. Inside, you'll no doubt get to see owner Pat Troy perform his legendary version of "The Unicorn Song" and have the chance to clap along to "The Wild Rover" multiple times. On the patio, breakfast is served at 9, lunch at 11, 1 and 3, and dinner at 5, 7 and 9. There's a $10 cover to enter the main building.
Local cover band Dr. Fu is again the main attraction at Ri-Ra's party, following on a lively (and packed) performance last year at the Clarendon bar. The band takes the stage at 9:30. Doors open at 10 a.m., and there's live Irish music in the afternoon and a $10 cover after 5.
3/13/09
Herb Kent Joins Wendy Williams, New Book “Down the Dial”
It’s not surprising that the author’s voice playing in our head while reading The Cool Gent (Lawrence Hill Books, $24.95) is a familiar one. With the exception of a few months in the 1970s, Kent has been a constant presence on local radio for a staggering 65 years, including his popular weekend dusties shows and a 15-year stint (starting in 1962) as one of WVON’s legendary “Good Guys,” the most influential group of black DJs in the medium’s history. As the radio veteran-turned-author presents colorful anecdotes, music trivia and his broadcasting philosophy in an informal, conversational tone (with the help of journalist David Smallwood), it’s impossible not to hear Kent’s mellifluous vocal tones in your head.
Which makes it particularly jolting when the book shifts to a voice Kent’s fans have never heard before. Sandwiched between tales of his broadcast days, related in his signature ultra-cool manner, is a devastating account of the five months after WVON fired him when, without a radio shift as a stabilizing element, the cocaine and alcohol that had been an integral part of his swinging ’70s experience took over. Though he doesn’t downplay the appeal of the wild lifestyle he led in his heyday (when celebrity status opened doors for sexual exploits, big cars and mountains of cocaine), Kent recounts the bad times in powerfully explicit, humbling detail.
“It was the most vivid part of my life,” Kent recalls. “You can push it to the back of your mind, but it was so degrading and traumatic that no matter how much you are trying to forget, it’s just there.”
Depressed and suicidal, his skinny frame wasting away to skeletal, the out-of-work DJ saw his house and car both literally explode and his possessions reduced to a couple of suits and a grocery bag of 45s. Though a later stint in rehab cleaned him up, he survived that dark period in part by returning to radio (buying brokered time on an obscure station, which he parlayed into huge ratings). But mostly his redemption came from a realization that Herb Kent, who had been run over by a car as a child, and who had provoked drug-induced fistfights with Chicago cops and lived to tell about it, was a survivor.
His rebirth resonates so profoundly because he’s also a trendsetter. Though his radio personality stands as his greatest creation, over the years his innovations have transcended his over-the-airwaves activities. At WVON, he assembled a sketch comedy troupe, and created urban guerilla theater with his infamous Wahoo Man, a sore-covered ghetto bogeyman who jumped out of caskets at nightclubs and high schools. These routines had a profound influence on black Chicago comedians, including Bernie Mac and Tim Reid (who based his WKRP in Cincinnati character Venus Flytrap on Kent). His involvement with Southern Illinois University’s Kappa Karnival helped pave the way for black college festivals like Atlanta’s Freaknic. Kent even created a cross-city bike ride that preceded Critical Mass. But with The Cool Gent, the Mayor of Bronzeville hopes to create a more lasting legacy.
“Hopefully somebody who is in the same place that I was is going to read this, and it just might motivate them to get cleaned up,” he says. “You can continue, but the only place you’ll end up if you do that is six feet under.”
The Cool Gent is out February 1.
Which makes it particularly jolting when the book shifts to a voice Kent’s fans have never heard before. Sandwiched between tales of his broadcast days, related in his signature ultra-cool manner, is a devastating account of the five months after WVON fired him when, without a radio shift as a stabilizing element, the cocaine and alcohol that had been an integral part of his swinging ’70s experience took over. Though he doesn’t downplay the appeal of the wild lifestyle he led in his heyday (when celebrity status opened doors for sexual exploits, big cars and mountains of cocaine), Kent recounts the bad times in powerfully explicit, humbling detail.
“It was the most vivid part of my life,” Kent recalls. “You can push it to the back of your mind, but it was so degrading and traumatic that no matter how much you are trying to forget, it’s just there.”
Depressed and suicidal, his skinny frame wasting away to skeletal, the out-of-work DJ saw his house and car both literally explode and his possessions reduced to a couple of suits and a grocery bag of 45s. Though a later stint in rehab cleaned him up, he survived that dark period in part by returning to radio (buying brokered time on an obscure station, which he parlayed into huge ratings). But mostly his redemption came from a realization that Herb Kent, who had been run over by a car as a child, and who had provoked drug-induced fistfights with Chicago cops and lived to tell about it, was a survivor.
His rebirth resonates so profoundly because he’s also a trendsetter. Though his radio personality stands as his greatest creation, over the years his innovations have transcended his over-the-airwaves activities. At WVON, he assembled a sketch comedy troupe, and created urban guerilla theater with his infamous Wahoo Man, a sore-covered ghetto bogeyman who jumped out of caskets at nightclubs and high schools. These routines had a profound influence on black Chicago comedians, including Bernie Mac and Tim Reid (who based his WKRP in Cincinnati character Venus Flytrap on Kent). His involvement with Southern Illinois University’s Kappa Karnival helped pave the way for black college festivals like Atlanta’s Freaknic. Kent even created a cross-city bike ride that preceded Critical Mass. But with The Cool Gent, the Mayor of Bronzeville hopes to create a more lasting legacy.
“Hopefully somebody who is in the same place that I was is going to read this, and it just might motivate them to get cleaned up,” he says. “You can continue, but the only place you’ll end up if you do that is six feet under.”
The Cool Gent is out February 1.
Helicopter Crash - Search continues for 16 missing people
Searchers on Friday combed the Atlantic Ocean for 16 missing people, a day after a chopper ditched in the frigid waters off Canada, a rescue official said.The S-92 Sikorsky copter had been carrying the people to an oil platform when it slammed into the waters near Newfoundland on Thursday morning.
"We will continue to search until there's absolutely no chance that any survivors will be located," Maj. Denis McGuire of the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax said Thursday. "Until last light (Friday)."
One survivor, identified as Robert Decker, was found and taken to a hospital, but efforts to find more survivors had proven fruitless, McGuire said. No other details about Decker were released.
The body of one person, who has not been identified publicly, also was pulled from the water.
"All we've got is the debris field," McGuire said. "There are no indications of any (more) survivors, but the search will continue."
The Atlantic Ocean water is 400 feet deep at the site where the helicopter hit the water about 30 nautical miles from St. John's, he said.
Helicopters and ships were scouring the debris field Thursday evening, and search-and-rescue technicians were planning to use night-vision goggles and flares overnight.
Officials became aware that the helicopter was having problems shortly after 9:10 a.m. Thursday, when the pilot declared a mayday, McGuire said.
"They declared their mayday and then they hit the water or landed in the water approximately eight minutes later," he said.
About 25 minutes later, a helicopter arrived at the area and discovered the survivor, the body, the overturned helicopter and two empty life rafts, he said.
Though those aboard would have been wearing survival suits that would have kept them dry and were equipped with lights and personal locator beacons, the suits have not helped the searchers. "We have not received any signals whatsoever," McGuire said.
The suits theoretically would allow their wearers to survive 24 hours in the freezing waters -- or until about 9 a.m. Friday -- but the search effort was to continue well beyond that.
At that time, based on water temperature and the size of the search area, officials will decide whether to continue the effort, he said.
Early in the day, high winds and seas hampered the search, but by late afternoon, the weather had improved, although seas were still about 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) and winds were at about 40 knots (46 mph).
Jeri Grychowski of the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax said the debris filled a 6-mile area.
The survivor was taken to the Health Sciences Center in St. John's, Newfoundland.
The helicopter had been heading to the Hibernia offshore oil platform when it went down in what Grychowski called a controlled emergency crash landing.
The pilot reported some technical malfunctions before the crash and radioed that he was turning the chopper around, said Rick Burt of Cougar Helicopters -- the operator of the copter.
Source: CNN.com
Golf - Golfer Stenson Strips for Hole
Swede Henrik Stenson had taken 69 shots (how many else?) in the opening round of the CA Championship before his ball wound up in the mud. It was after his 69 that he stripped down to his boxers in order to avoid getting his clothes wet and sticky.
"Just the way God created me," Stenson said.
"If you are saving a shot, that has to be worth taking your shirt and trousers," Stenson said. "I'm sure I'll hear a few comments and once the pictures get out, I'll hear a few more, no doubt. I'll probably take that to my grave with me. I don't think I scared too many spectators off the course, hopefully."
"Just the way God created me," Stenson said.
"If you are saving a shot, that has to be worth taking your shirt and trousers," Stenson said. "I'm sure I'll hear a few comments and once the pictures get out, I'll hear a few more, no doubt. I'll probably take that to my grave with me. I don't think I scared too many spectators off the course, hopefully."
Kerry Thomas: Convicted Of HIV Spreading
There must be something between Kerry Thomas and HIV. He had the "honor" of being the first man in Idaho convicted for knowingly spreading HIV. Now Kerry Thomas is charged again accused of committing the same crime: knowingly spreading HIV.
It appears that the former BSU player Kerry Thomas did not learn anything from his last conviction. Why would someone in his good mind knowingly spread HIV? Aren't people naturally good?
This time Kerry Thomas is charged on seven counts of knowingly transferring the HIV virus. Each count carries a maximum punishment of 15 years and a $50,000 fine.
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention has a very informative coverage on HIV Transmission. There we learn that "HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly (and now very rarely in countries where blood is screened for HIV antibodies), through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth."
Last year in December the police department learned that Kerry Thomas had been involved in a sexual relationship with a woman.
Jean Fisher, Ada County deputy prosecutor told CNN that he does not know why Kerry Thomas would continue to spread the HIV virus, especially as a man who has been previously convicted and spend years behind bars.
Kerry Thomas' HIV counts have two records. He was charged with 4 counts of HIV transmission and two counts of statutory rape in 1990. In 1996 Thomas was again charged with one count of HIV transmission, and a jury convicted him.
Currently it's not known if Kerry Thomas is in custody due to his HIV related charges. The prosecutors are seeking to designate him as a "persistent violator," therefore Thomas is now facing a life in prison.
Casual contact through closed-mouth or "social" kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV, explains CDC in the same above mentioned place. "Because of the potential for contact with blood during "French" or open-mouth kissing, CDC recommends against engaging in this activity with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing."
It appears that the former BSU player Kerry Thomas did not learn anything from his last conviction. Why would someone in his good mind knowingly spread HIV? Aren't people naturally good?
This time Kerry Thomas is charged on seven counts of knowingly transferring the HIV virus. Each count carries a maximum punishment of 15 years and a $50,000 fine.
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention has a very informative coverage on HIV Transmission. There we learn that "HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly (and now very rarely in countries where blood is screened for HIV antibodies), through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth."
Last year in December the police department learned that Kerry Thomas had been involved in a sexual relationship with a woman.
Jean Fisher, Ada County deputy prosecutor told CNN that he does not know why Kerry Thomas would continue to spread the HIV virus, especially as a man who has been previously convicted and spend years behind bars.
Kerry Thomas' HIV counts have two records. He was charged with 4 counts of HIV transmission and two counts of statutory rape in 1990. In 1996 Thomas was again charged with one count of HIV transmission, and a jury convicted him.
Currently it's not known if Kerry Thomas is in custody due to his HIV related charges. The prosecutors are seeking to designate him as a "persistent violator," therefore Thomas is now facing a life in prison.
Casual contact through closed-mouth or "social" kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV, explains CDC in the same above mentioned place. "Because of the potential for contact with blood during "French" or open-mouth kissing, CDC recommends against engaging in this activity with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing."
Biography Farrah Forke
Farrah Forke, sometimes credited as Farrah R. Forke (born January 12, 1968 in Corpus Christi, Texas), is an American actress known for her role as "Alex Lambert" on the NBC sitcom Wings, and "Mayson Drake" on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She also voices the character Big Barda on the animated television series Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited.
Forke attended The Hockaday School, an all-girls private school in Dallas. She also spent a year at North Side Middle School while living in Elkhart, Indiana.
She entered acting with a role in a Texas production of the musical The Rocky Horror Show.[2] After moving to New York City and studing acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute,[2] she made her feature debut in the 1991 film Brain Twisters (1991). Other roles would include the movies Whispers in the Dark, Heat (1995), and Kate's Addiction (1998), in which she and actress Kari Wuhrer play woman in a lesbian love affair, and the TV-movies Journey to the Center of the Earth (NBC, 1993); Complex of Fear (CBS, 1993); Bionic Ever After? (CBS, 1994), a Bionic Woman movie; and Abandoned and Deceived (ABC, 1995).
She became best known as Alex Lambert, a former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot during Operation Desert Storm who afterward ran a Nantucket Island helicopter service for two seasons on the NBC sitcom Wings. The part was a recurring role during the 1992-93 season, and a regular cast role the following year.
After Wings, Forke played Carey, an office manager for a computer software company, in the 1995 CBS sitcom Dweebs (1995), and then, from 1996 to 1997, a prep school teacher in NBC's Mr. Rhodes.
Forke attended The Hockaday School, an all-girls private school in Dallas. She also spent a year at North Side Middle School while living in Elkhart, Indiana.
She entered acting with a role in a Texas production of the musical The Rocky Horror Show.[2] After moving to New York City and studing acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute,[2] she made her feature debut in the 1991 film Brain Twisters (1991). Other roles would include the movies Whispers in the Dark, Heat (1995), and Kate's Addiction (1998), in which she and actress Kari Wuhrer play woman in a lesbian love affair, and the TV-movies Journey to the Center of the Earth (NBC, 1993); Complex of Fear (CBS, 1993); Bionic Ever After? (CBS, 1994), a Bionic Woman movie; and Abandoned and Deceived (ABC, 1995).
She became best known as Alex Lambert, a former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot during Operation Desert Storm who afterward ran a Nantucket Island helicopter service for two seasons on the NBC sitcom Wings. The part was a recurring role during the 1992-93 season, and a regular cast role the following year.
After Wings, Forke played Carey, an office manager for a computer software company, in the 1995 CBS sitcom Dweebs (1995), and then, from 1996 to 1997, a prep school teacher in NBC's Mr. Rhodes.
Wachovia Bank Improves it's Online Banking
Once I went to Wachovia to open a bank account. This was about three years ago. Being a Bank of America customer and despite low interest rates liking its online banking I asked the representative about Wachovia's online banking. While she said that they are good she acknowledged that Bank of America is the leader in online banking. However, it seems that Wachovia online banking services have gone a long way becoming an industry leader with superior customer satisfaction.
Wachovia online banking is fast becoming the banking method of choice for millions of customers looking to save time. In fact just recently the Wachovia online banking system landed in top place for customer satisfaction as gauged by Keynote System's "Keynote Customer Experience and Service Level Rankings."
What features set Wachovia online banking apart from its competition? Ease of use is what put Wachovia ahead of the rest. Online banking benefits banks by giving customers a way to help themselves. But online banking also has to benefit customers, and if such a program isn't intuitive and easy to navigate, customers won't use it.
That's not a problem at Wachovia. Its web site is uncluttered and neatly categorized which enables users to see at a glance exactly where to go to address their immediate needs. Another area in which Wachovia online banking excels is its access to customer service. Even though the site is easy to navigate, there are times when customers won't know where to go or how to proceed. When that happens, all they need to do is click on the Customer Service link. There customers will find several FAQ's that have been designed to answer the most common questions. There's also a site map and a glossary of terms.
If that's still not enough, customers need only click on the Contact Us link. Again, customers will find their banking needs listed by category. They need only click on the appropriate link and in a split second, they'll have complete contact information including a toll-free telephone number in most cases.
So even though Wachovia online banking customers are dealing with a web site access to a human being is never more than a click away. Besides the ease of use and quick access to customer service, Wachovia online banking is offered absolutely free of charge. Better still, many prospective customers claim that the online banking web site is the feature that helped them choose Wachovia as their bank. No wonder Wachovia tops the list.
Wachovia online banking is fast becoming the banking method of choice for millions of customers looking to save time. In fact just recently the Wachovia online banking system landed in top place for customer satisfaction as gauged by Keynote System's "Keynote Customer Experience and Service Level Rankings."
What features set Wachovia online banking apart from its competition? Ease of use is what put Wachovia ahead of the rest. Online banking benefits banks by giving customers a way to help themselves. But online banking also has to benefit customers, and if such a program isn't intuitive and easy to navigate, customers won't use it.
That's not a problem at Wachovia. Its web site is uncluttered and neatly categorized which enables users to see at a glance exactly where to go to address their immediate needs. Another area in which Wachovia online banking excels is its access to customer service. Even though the site is easy to navigate, there are times when customers won't know where to go or how to proceed. When that happens, all they need to do is click on the Customer Service link. There customers will find several FAQ's that have been designed to answer the most common questions. There's also a site map and a glossary of terms.
If that's still not enough, customers need only click on the Contact Us link. Again, customers will find their banking needs listed by category. They need only click on the appropriate link and in a split second, they'll have complete contact information including a toll-free telephone number in most cases.
So even though Wachovia online banking customers are dealing with a web site access to a human being is never more than a click away. Besides the ease of use and quick access to customer service, Wachovia online banking is offered absolutely free of charge. Better still, many prospective customers claim that the online banking web site is the feature that helped them choose Wachovia as their bank. No wonder Wachovia tops the list.
Reynosa officials wreck shrine to 'Santa Muerte'
Reynosa officials demolished a shrine to the Mexican occult figure the “Santa Muerte” or “Holy Death” that had been built in the median of a busy highway.
The Hora Cero newspaper reported that the demolition took place on a state highway between Reynosa and Rio Bravo on Thursday.
The newspaper reported that the shrine had been built on the median of a busy stretch of highway in the Villas de Imaq subdivision.
The shrine was reportedly built less than a week ago.
Reynosa Public Works Director Guillermo Acebo Salman told Hora Cero that the shrine looked bad and obstructed planned projects in the area.
“Santa Muerte” is a Mexican occult figure whose name means “Holy Death” and resembles the “Grim Reaper”.
Shrines to “Santa Muerte” have been found in drug stash houses on both sides of the border.
Action 4 News reporter Victor Castillo investigated the worship of “Santa Muerte” in a special report last year.
Source
The Hora Cero newspaper reported that the demolition took place on a state highway between Reynosa and Rio Bravo on Thursday.
The newspaper reported that the shrine had been built on the median of a busy stretch of highway in the Villas de Imaq subdivision.
The shrine was reportedly built less than a week ago.
Reynosa Public Works Director Guillermo Acebo Salman told Hora Cero that the shrine looked bad and obstructed planned projects in the area.
“Santa Muerte” is a Mexican occult figure whose name means “Holy Death” and resembles the “Grim Reaper”.
Shrines to “Santa Muerte” have been found in drug stash houses on both sides of the border.
Action 4 News reporter Victor Castillo investigated the worship of “Santa Muerte” in a special report last year.
Source
Gabriel Cardona-Ramirez Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Gabriel Cardona-Ramirez, 22, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Cardona-Ramirez aka “Pelon” aka “Gaby,” a hired assassin or “sicario” for the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, was convicted in August 2008 of conspiracy to kidnap and kill in a foreign country in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956. The charges stem from the kidnapping and murder of two Laredo youths, Jorge Alfonso Aviles, 19, and Inez Villarreal, 14, from a Nuevo Laredo nightclub on March 30, 2006.
Cardona-Ramirez is one of 14 defendants arrested as a result of a 42-count indictment returned in federal court on March 4, 2008. The indictment charges a drug and money laundering conspiracy involving high-ranking members of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, the enforcement arm of the cartel. As part of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges several hit squads or sicario cells operated on both sides of the border and killed members of the rival Sinaloa Cartel in an attempt to forcibly gain control of the Nuevo Laredo-Laredo port of entry and corridor. The indictment remains sealed in part pending the arrest of others charged.
Cardona-Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and Laredo resident, eventually became the leader of one of the sicario cells and is personally charged for his involvement in five murders and four attempted murders committed on the U.S. side of the border as well as the murders of Aviles and Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Cardona-Ramirez was charged with one count of drug conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to kidnap, one count of conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime, five counts of using a firearm in a violent crime, eight counts of interstate travel In aid of racketeering, four counts of using a juvenile to commit a violent crime and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
As part of his plea agreement, Cardona-Ramirez pleaded guilty to count 32 of the indictment admitting his involvement in the kidnapping and murders of Aviles and Villarreal and waived his rights to appeal. In addition to the maximum punishment for the offense — life imprisonment without parole, Cardona was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The court has ordered the federal life term of imprisonment is to be served consecutive to sentences imposed by the state court.
Cardona-Ramirez has been in federal custody without bond since his arrest in April 2006.
Source
Cardona-Ramirez is one of 14 defendants arrested as a result of a 42-count indictment returned in federal court on March 4, 2008. The indictment charges a drug and money laundering conspiracy involving high-ranking members of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, the enforcement arm of the cartel. As part of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges several hit squads or sicario cells operated on both sides of the border and killed members of the rival Sinaloa Cartel in an attempt to forcibly gain control of the Nuevo Laredo-Laredo port of entry and corridor. The indictment remains sealed in part pending the arrest of others charged.
Cardona-Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and Laredo resident, eventually became the leader of one of the sicario cells and is personally charged for his involvement in five murders and four attempted murders committed on the U.S. side of the border as well as the murders of Aviles and Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Cardona-Ramirez was charged with one count of drug conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to kidnap, one count of conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime, five counts of using a firearm in a violent crime, eight counts of interstate travel In aid of racketeering, four counts of using a juvenile to commit a violent crime and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
As part of his plea agreement, Cardona-Ramirez pleaded guilty to count 32 of the indictment admitting his involvement in the kidnapping and murders of Aviles and Villarreal and waived his rights to appeal. In addition to the maximum punishment for the offense — life imprisonment without parole, Cardona was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The court has ordered the federal life term of imprisonment is to be served consecutive to sentences imposed by the state court.
Cardona-Ramirez has been in federal custody without bond since his arrest in April 2006.
Source
Anna Nicole Smith’s Doctors, Boyfriend Charged With Feeding Smith Drugs
On Thursday, California Attorney General Jerry Brown brought drug charges against Anna Nicole Smith’s former lawyer/boyfriend, Howard K. Stern and the drug providing doctors, Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich. The three were charged with 11 felony charges, including unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege in the complaint that Anna Nicole’s boyfriend and doctors all conspired to provide her with scores of prescription opiates, sedatives and sleeping pills, to feed her addiction.Most of the prescription drugs were prescribed to Stern under fictitious names, which were then given to Anna Nicole. Many of the prescriptions mentioned in the complaint were prescribed just days before 39-year-old Anna Nicole was found dead on Feb. 8, 2007, in her hotel room from an overdose.
Police found nearly one thousand pills in Anna Nicole’s hotel room when she died, including muscle relaxants and chloral hydrate, a strong sleeping medication that may have contributed to her death. Shockingly, over 400 muscle relaxers were missing from prescriptions only a couple of weeks old.
Stern and Kapoor surrendered voluntarily Thursday night and posted $20,000 bonds. Eroshevich’s attorney Adam Braun expects his client to turn himself in to California authorities on Monday.
Eroshevich, Anna Nicole’s former psychiatrist, traveled to the Bahamas to provide her boyfriend Stern with the prescription drugs, over a period of six-months. Eroshevich treated Anna Nicole for depression after the death of her 20-year old son, Daniel Smith, who also died from a drug overdose.
Eroshevich prescribed most of the prescriptions found in Anna Nicole’s hotel room upon her death. Braun, Eroshevich’s lawyer claims his client wrote the prescriptions under fictitious names to protect Anna Nicole’s privacy.
Prosecutors are not saying at this point how much time, if any, Anna Nicole’s boyfriend and doctors could spend in prison. These charges come as a surprise to many who have been keeping track of the sad and circus-like death of Anna Nicole and the resulting race to claim paternity of her daughter Dannielynn who may be worth a fortune.
Immediately after Anna Nicole’s death by overdose, it was speculated that assorted charges might be brought against people close to her, but her death was ruled accidental and the authorities took no action at that time
Stern at first, claimed he was the father of Anna Nicole’s daughter, until paternity tests showed the little girl’s biological father was Nicole’s former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead.Attorney General Jerry Brown is expected to make a statement on Friday, regarding the charges.
3/12/09
Man survives Niagara Falls plunge
A man has survived despite plunging 180ft (55m) over Niagara Falls and spending 45 minutes in freezing waters resisting his rescuers.
The unnamed man was seen by tourists to scale a wall and leap into the rapids above the falls.
Shortly afterwards he was spotted in the water near the base of the falls clinging to a log.
The man was eventually pulled from the icy waters and taken to hospital with hypothermia and a head injury.
Canadian officials said he was in a critical condition.
Rescue team
A specially trained falls rescue team had rushed to the man's aid after receiving reports of him going over the Horseshoe Falls, one of Niagara's three waterfalls.
However, the man - who was naked - swam away from them toward the middle of the river, police said.
A private helicopter was called in and used the force of its rotor blades to blow him closer to shore.
The unnamed man was seen by tourists to scale a wall and leap into the rapids above the falls.
Shortly afterwards he was spotted in the water near the base of the falls clinging to a log.
The man was eventually pulled from the icy waters and taken to hospital with hypothermia and a head injury.
Canadian officials said he was in a critical condition.
Rescue team
A specially trained falls rescue team had rushed to the man's aid after receiving reports of him going over the Horseshoe Falls, one of Niagara's three waterfalls.
However, the man - who was naked - swam away from them toward the middle of the river, police said.
A private helicopter was called in and used the force of its rotor blades to blow him closer to shore.
Toyota Financial seeking loans from Japanese government
Toyota Financial Services has reportedly applied for loans equaling $2 billion (200 billion yen) from the state-backed Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Much of these funds would presumably be used to lend money to new car buyers in the United States, Toyota's largest and most profitable market. If granted, Toyota would join American automakers General Motors and Chrysler on the bailout bandwagon.
Last month, Toyota sold roughly $2 billion (200 billion yen) worth of 10-year bonds at rates much less favorable than what the automaker had previously been accustomed to. That and the aforementioned loan request are actions likely taken to shore up Toyota's falling cash reserves, which some have estimated to be as low as $18.5 billion at the end of January.
It's widely expected that Toyota will post a net loss of as much as $3.5 billion (350 billion yen) for the fiscal year ending in March. This would be the Japanese automaker's first ever operating loss for a full 12-month period, and it further proves how dire the current economic conditions are for all around the globe.
Source: Bloomberg
Last month, Toyota sold roughly $2 billion (200 billion yen) worth of 10-year bonds at rates much less favorable than what the automaker had previously been accustomed to. That and the aforementioned loan request are actions likely taken to shore up Toyota's falling cash reserves, which some have estimated to be as low as $18.5 billion at the end of January.
It's widely expected that Toyota will post a net loss of as much as $3.5 billion (350 billion yen) for the fiscal year ending in March. This would be the Japanese automaker's first ever operating loss for a full 12-month period, and it further proves how dire the current economic conditions are for all around the globe.
Source: Bloomberg
Sears Tower name to change to Willis Tower
The Sears Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, will soon become the Willis Tower.
Sears Tower will change its name to Willis Tower under the terms of a new lease signed by global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings.
Willis Group plans to consolidate five area offices and move nearly 500 Associates into Willis Tower, at 233 S. Wacker, initially occupying more than 140,000 square feet on multiple floors.
London-based Willis said its move to the new space, at $14.50 per square foot, will result in significant real estate cost savings, and that there is no additional cost to the company associated with renaming the building.
"Having our name associated with Chicago's most iconic structure underscores our commitment to this great city, and recognizes Chicago's importance as a major financial hub and international business center," said Joseph J. Plumeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Willis Group Holdings.
Sears, Roebuck & Co., now based in Hoffman Estates, finished construction on the office building in 1973 but has not had offices in it since 1992. At the time it was the tallest building in the world. Now, it is the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.
Sears Tower will change its name to Willis Tower under the terms of a new lease signed by global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings.
Willis Group plans to consolidate five area offices and move nearly 500 Associates into Willis Tower, at 233 S. Wacker, initially occupying more than 140,000 square feet on multiple floors.
London-based Willis said its move to the new space, at $14.50 per square foot, will result in significant real estate cost savings, and that there is no additional cost to the company associated with renaming the building.
"Having our name associated with Chicago's most iconic structure underscores our commitment to this great city, and recognizes Chicago's importance as a major financial hub and international business center," said Joseph J. Plumeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Willis Group Holdings.
Sears, Roebuck & Co., now based in Hoffman Estates, finished construction on the office building in 1973 but has not had offices in it since 1992. At the time it was the tallest building in the world. Now, it is the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.
Katie Lee Joel’s Homemade Granola
When it comes to granola, even though it sounds good for you, beware. Store bought granola can be fattening sometimes. As with anything else, you need to read the label and know what you’re eating. Someone who knows this all too well is Katie Lee Joel. Although you may know her as pop singer Billy Joel’s wife or a one-time host to Bravo’s Top Chef, she is a strong personality in her own right, with even a cookbook under her belt.
In a recent issue of Domino magazine, Katie Lee said, “Store-bought granola can be fattening, and if I want a fattening breakfast, I’m going to have pancakes!” To conquer this, she makes big batches of her own recipe (shared below). If you store it in an airtight container, it will keep for months. Perfect for nibbling on, sprinkling over yogurt or eating in a bowlful of milk. With only a little bit of sugar, you can chomp away guilt-free.
Granola
Recipe courtesy of Katie Lee Joel
Yields 8 cups (10-12 servings)
The Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup unsalted hulled sunflower seeds
½ cup unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds
½ cup flaked coconut
¼ cup wheat germ
1-½ cups chopped unsalted mixed nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, etc.)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or canola oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots, figs, prunes, etc.)
Preheat over to 350º. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, cinnamon, and salt. In a small saucepan melt butter in the maple syrup over low heat. Stir in the vanilla. Add to the oat mixture. Add 2 tablespoons water and stir until well combined. Spread the granola evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring at 10-minute intervals to ensure uniform baking, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the pan. Stir in the dried fruits.
The Ultimate Fishing Show - Matt meets big fish in New York
What started as a crazy idea over a couple of beers and is still produced in a Northland shed is about to be seen by an audience of millions.
Matt Watson, a Takou Bay resident and self-proclaimed "stunt-fisherman", has signed a deal with Discovery and Animal Planet to show The Ultimate Fishing Show, which is set to screen in the American autumn, in about October this year.
Watson appeared on an episode of talk show The Late Show with David Letterman a week ago, discussing his production - which screens in New Zealand as The ITM Fishing Show - and some of his crazy fishing exploits.
Footage of Watson's "stunt-fishing" has won popularity and awards on video-sharing website YouTube, which is how Letterman learned of the spirited Northlander.
His stunts included jumping from a helicopter to tackle and tag a marlin underwater.
"It was pretty amazing," Watson said of his appearance on the popular talk-show in New York City. "It was a little bit different to Takou Bay - ok, they were polar opposites."
Despite having fished all over the world, Watson still thinks Northland game fishing is the best. "The great thing here is that we've got the two coasts."
Ideas for Watson's stunts seem to come out of nowhere, but at least he's got a good barometer on whether or not they're winners.
"Once I get an idea, I'm like a dog with a bone, I just can't let go of it. I bring up ideas when I'm sitting around with mates having a beer, and if it makes them spit their beer out, it's probably good enough."
When the Northern Advocate suggested Watson had introduced extreme fishing as Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond had introduced extreme stunts in cars on UK show Top Gear, he laughed.
"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that. But I've never actually even seen it. I'm not a big TV person, and I tried to watch it [Top Gear] once, but I've got a short attention-span and I watched two or three minutes and they were just doing stuff in a studio."
Just getting a cab ride in New York City was exciting enough for Watson - let alone appearing on a world-famous talk show.
During the episode, which screened in the USA two weeks ago, Watson sat casually in the famous chair opposite Letterman, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. When asked what town he was from, Watson said "a beautiful place" called the Bay of Islands.
He recounted the moment he decided fishing for a living was a better idea than being a roof tiler. It came after a nasty accident in which he landed either side of a gutter, and while stuffing bandages down his pants he got a call from mates who'd just landed a yellow-fin tuna.
"But doing my job, you need balls," he told Letterman.
Matt Watson, a Takou Bay resident and self-proclaimed "stunt-fisherman", has signed a deal with Discovery and Animal Planet to show The Ultimate Fishing Show, which is set to screen in the American autumn, in about October this year.
Watson appeared on an episode of talk show The Late Show with David Letterman a week ago, discussing his production - which screens in New Zealand as The ITM Fishing Show - and some of his crazy fishing exploits.
Footage of Watson's "stunt-fishing" has won popularity and awards on video-sharing website YouTube, which is how Letterman learned of the spirited Northlander.
His stunts included jumping from a helicopter to tackle and tag a marlin underwater.
"It was pretty amazing," Watson said of his appearance on the popular talk-show in New York City. "It was a little bit different to Takou Bay - ok, they were polar opposites."
Despite having fished all over the world, Watson still thinks Northland game fishing is the best. "The great thing here is that we've got the two coasts."
Ideas for Watson's stunts seem to come out of nowhere, but at least he's got a good barometer on whether or not they're winners.
"Once I get an idea, I'm like a dog with a bone, I just can't let go of it. I bring up ideas when I'm sitting around with mates having a beer, and if it makes them spit their beer out, it's probably good enough."
When the Northern Advocate suggested Watson had introduced extreme fishing as Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond had introduced extreme stunts in cars on UK show Top Gear, he laughed.
"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that. But I've never actually even seen it. I'm not a big TV person, and I tried to watch it [Top Gear] once, but I've got a short attention-span and I watched two or three minutes and they were just doing stuff in a studio."
Just getting a cab ride in New York City was exciting enough for Watson - let alone appearing on a world-famous talk show.
During the episode, which screened in the USA two weeks ago, Watson sat casually in the famous chair opposite Letterman, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. When asked what town he was from, Watson said "a beautiful place" called the Bay of Islands.
He recounted the moment he decided fishing for a living was a better idea than being a roof tiler. It came after a nasty accident in which he landed either side of a gutter, and while stuffing bandages down his pants he got a call from mates who'd just landed a yellow-fin tuna.
"But doing my job, you need balls," he told Letterman.
Forbes The World's Billionaires #9 - Theo Albrecht
Net Worth: $18.8 bil
Fortune: self made
Source: Aldi, Trader Joe's
Age: 87
Country Of Citizenship: Germany
Residence: Foehr
Industry: Retail
Education: N/A
Marital Status: married, 2 children
Runs discount supermarket group Aldi Nord; firm holding up amid economic downturn. Sales expected to hit $31 billion in 2008. After World War II he and older brother Karl transformed their mother's corner grocery into Aldi. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got the northern Germany stores and the rest of Europe. Unable to operate Aldi stores in U.S., Theo developed discount food store Trader Joe's; now has more than 320 U.S. stores. Also owns stake in Supervalu. Became a recluse after being kidnapped for 17 days in 1971; said to collect old typewriters; loves golf.
Source: Forbes.com
Fortune: self made
Source: Aldi, Trader Joe's
Age: 87
Country Of Citizenship: Germany
Residence: Foehr
Industry: Retail
Education: N/A
Marital Status: married, 2 children
Runs discount supermarket group Aldi Nord; firm holding up amid economic downturn. Sales expected to hit $31 billion in 2008. After World War II he and older brother Karl transformed their mother's corner grocery into Aldi. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got the northern Germany stores and the rest of Europe. Unable to operate Aldi stores in U.S., Theo developed discount food store Trader Joe's; now has more than 320 U.S. stores. Also owns stake in Supervalu. Became a recluse after being kidnapped for 17 days in 1971; said to collect old typewriters; loves golf.
Source: Forbes.com
Dead Weather: Jack White's newest stripe
His new band, Dead Weather, plays a 20-minute set, sounding a lot like a stripped-down version of the White Stripes.
Reporting from Nashville -- Jack White took the wraps off his new band here Wednesday night, launching phase three of his ever-evolving career with a 20-minute live performance by Dead Weather, fronted by the Kills singer Alison Mosshart, at the site of his new Third Man Records headquarters.The private show, attended by about 150 invitees, took place in the downtown building that houses not only the label's offices but a performance space, a record store specializing in vinyl, a photo studio and a darkroom.White, playing drums and singing with Mosshart, is joined in the new group by two of his Raconteurs bandmates, guitarist Dean Fertita (also from Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence.
Reporting from Nashville -- Jack White took the wraps off his new band here Wednesday night, launching phase three of his ever-evolving career with a 20-minute live performance by Dead Weather, fronted by the Kills singer Alison Mosshart, at the site of his new Third Man Records headquarters.The private show, attended by about 150 invitees, took place in the downtown building that houses not only the label's offices but a performance space, a record store specializing in vinyl, a photo studio and a darkroom.White, playing drums and singing with Mosshart, is joined in the new group by two of his Raconteurs bandmates, guitarist Dean Fertita (also from Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence.
During the four-song set, Mosshart writhed at the mike while Fertita and Lawrence provided the heavy blues-rock groove on sibling white single-cutaway Gretsch hollow body guitar and bass. Mosshart joined them with a matching white Bo Diddley cigar box guitar for "So Far From Your Weapon."White took his place at the drums, the instrument on which he first learned to play music. He came out from behind his kit just once, duetting at the mike with Mosshart on "Weapon."The band's debut album, "Horehound," is due in June, and the first single will be "Hang You From the Heavens," which Third Man is issuing on a 7-inch vinyl single as well as making it available for download.
Source: LATimes.com
Mexico drug lord on Forbes rich list with $1 billion
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's most wanted man Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, blamed for thousands of deaths in a drug war, has made it onto the Forbes Magazine list of the world's richest people with an estimated $1 billion fortune.
Guzman, who is just 5 feet tall, escaped from prison in 2001 to set off a wave of killings across Mexico in an attempt to dominate the country's highly lucrative drug trade into the United States.
"He is not available for interviews," Luisa Kroll, senior editor of Forbes, said Wednesday. "But his financial situation is doing quite well."
Forbes placed Guzman at 701 on its list, tied with dozens of others worldwide with riches of some $1 billion.
Guzman, 51, who officials believe changes his cell phone every day to avoid being tracked, is often compared to the late Colombian kingpin Pablo Escobar, whom Forbes has said amassed a fortune of $3 billion before he was killed by police in 1993.
The Mexican smuggler is "basically one of the biggest providers of cocaine to the United States," Kroll said. The magazine based its tally of his fortune on estimates from drug-trade analysts and U.S. government data.
Guzman's prison escape and ability to elude capture for eight years are an embarrassment to the Mexican government.
He has outwitted four major government drives to find him between 2002 and 2007. His escapades are the stuff of legend in the areas he controls and in popular "narcocorrido" songs that glorify drug traffickers.
Mexico's attorney general, Eduardo Medina Mora, told Reuters last week that defeating Guzman's cartel of traffickers from the Pacific state of Sinaloa was a priority in President Felipe Calderon's army-backed drug fight.
Some 7,000 people have been killed in drug violence across Mexico since the start of last year as rival gangs fight each other and Mexican security forces. Guzman's enforcers from the Sinaloa cartel are among the most vicious hitmen.
Forbes said Mexican and Colombian traffickers laundered between $18 billion and $39 billion in proceeds from wholesale drugs shipments to the United States in 2008.
Guzman and his operation likely grossed 20 percent of that -- enough for him to have pocketed $1 billion over his career and earn a spot on the billionaire's list for the first time.
About 90 percent of all cocaine consumed in the United States comes through Mexico. It also is a major source of heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana in the United States.
Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral
New to the service will be the ability to receive SMS text messages sent to your Google Voice number on a mobile device, and sending messages from your Web-based Google Voice inbox.
Google's online voicemail and call management system GrandCentral will be reborn on Thursday as Google Voice, with several new features.
Google's online voicemail and call management system GrandCentral will be reborn on Thursday as Google Voice, with several new features.
The service will remain in private beta for existing GrandCentral users for a few more weeks. But after that Google expects to open Google Voice to the general public.
In an interview at Google's San Francisco office, Craig Walker, senior product manager for Google's voice products, described Google Voice as a service that can help organize chaotic communication channels.
Google Voice, in keeping with Google's mission to organize the world's information, provides a single phone number that routes incoming calls to six of the user's phones at once. It also provides a single online inbox for voicemail messages.
"A telephone number should be personal to you," said Walker. "And with everything in one inbox, you now have only one voicemail to check."
Google Voice inherits GrandCentral's many features, including the ability to screen calls as if in a room with an answering machine, to record calls and access those recordings online, to block unwanted callers, and to receive notifications of voicemail via e-mail or SMS.
It includes various personalization features, such as the ability to set how calls to one's Google Voice number are routed, based on time or caller. It also allows personalized greetings, per user or group, and the ability to personalize the ringing sound that callers hear while waiting for you to answer.
Google Voice also features GrandCentral's WebCall Button, for connecting a would-be callers phone to yours using a Web-based button, the ability to initiate a call from your online address book, and visual voicemail.
Google Voice
Resource: Informationweek.com
'Diggnation' co-hosts talk online video
When Jimmy Fallon appeared as a guest host on "Diggnation" in January to promote his new late-night talk show, he made clear that he was going after a different audience than broadcast TV was used to.
Now, in the second week of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," the "Saturday Night Live" alum is returning the favor. "Diggnation" co-hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose will appear tonight as guests on his show.
"We sort of assumed it was going to be months before we got onto the show," Albrecht said.
The courtship of "Diggnation," a weekly online video show that's wildly popular among the geek crowd, shows how resolute Fallon has been in his quest to attract a tech-savvy audience.
"Late Night" producer Gavin Purcell has said that viewers can expect to see more product placement than they're used to. Purcell, who previously produced "Attack of the Show" on the G4 network, is pushing for gadgets, games and Web services to feature prominently.
In one gag, the camera zoomed in on audience members and then displayed silly fake Facebook status updates above their heads. A blogger from Engadget demonstrated the Palm Pre cellphone on the show. And Fallon used micro-blogging service Twitter to solicit interview questions for Cameron Diaz from fans.
Source: LATimes.com
Now, in the second week of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," the "Saturday Night Live" alum is returning the favor. "Diggnation" co-hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose will appear tonight as guests on his show.
"We sort of assumed it was going to be months before we got onto the show," Albrecht said.
The courtship of "Diggnation," a weekly online video show that's wildly popular among the geek crowd, shows how resolute Fallon has been in his quest to attract a tech-savvy audience.
"Late Night" producer Gavin Purcell has said that viewers can expect to see more product placement than they're used to. Purcell, who previously produced "Attack of the Show" on the G4 network, is pushing for gadgets, games and Web services to feature prominently.
In one gag, the camera zoomed in on audience members and then displayed silly fake Facebook status updates above their heads. A blogger from Engadget demonstrated the Palm Pre cellphone on the show. And Fallon used micro-blogging service Twitter to solicit interview questions for Cameron Diaz from fans.
Source: LATimes.com
Is Kelly Clarkson pregnant, or just gaining weight?
Kelly Clarkson’s appearance on American Idol this evening has set tongues wagging after Clarkson showed what on the surface at least appeared to be a baby bump.
So is Kelly Clarkson pregnant? The answer is we can’t be sure, but it’s more likely just weight gain. Only recently, Clarkson told Us Weekly that she wasn’t interested at the moment in spawning children. She also told Ryan Seacrest that there is no special person in her life at the moment.
Clarkson, rumored by some to be a lesbian, has had a long battle with weight, often putting on the pounds only to lose them again in a semi-regular fashion.
One thing we can say for Clarkson: if she was pregnant, she’d probably share the news; only earlier today, details of an interview she did with Blender Magazine included gems from Clarkson such as she pisses on her self in the shower, and that she analyzes her snot for illness.
3/10/09
From swimsuit competition glamour to parish pulpit clamor
Beauty queen is now a pastor
COTUIT - On a recent Sunday morning, 30-year-old Nicole Lamarche, a former Miss California, stood before a crowd in a simple clapboard church next to a local watering hole. She wore high-heeled boots, her thin figure draped in a black robe.
"I feel so lucky to be your pastor," she proclaimed.
Lamarche became minister of Cotuit Federated Church two years ago, shaking up its stodgy routine and causing quite a stir in this quiet Cape Cod village of about 2,600 year-round residents.
She says four parishioners defected early on, after people Googled her name and discovered her beauty pageant past, but these days residents credit Lamarche with injecting new dynamism into the town and the church.
Lamarche says she understands that for some the "pastor in a swimsuit thing" is hard to swallow, but she simply needed the money. Loyal members of her congregation accept her explanation, buoying her spirits. Plus, says Lamarche, "If you can walk on a stage in your swimsuit, you can do anything."
After a service earlier this year, the congregation gathered for coffee, fruit salad, and cookies in an adjoining reception room, chattering with each other and the pastor who was once Miss Desert Vista.
"Just listen to it," said Pam Bode, a member of the church since 1985. "This is a church that has come alive."
"She's good for God," agreed Norman Knight, a 79-year-old retired welder, one of about a hundred regular members of the church who now attend weekly.
The path from beauty-pageant winner to pastor has not always been smooth. Lamarche grew up going to church near her hometown of Chattaroy, Wash., and joined a campus ministry group when she started college at the University of Arizona. An international relations major, she planned to join the foreign service after graduation.
The minister at her church suggested she consider seminary school instead. She had her doubts, but agreed to attend a "ministry as vocation" weekend at the Pacific School of Religion in California after the minister offered to pay her airfare to Berkeley. She enrolled and started the following year.
But Lamarche needed money, she recalled, and she was drawn to scholarship prizes she heard about in pageant competition.
Her first attempt was for the Miss Tucson title in 2000. Things did not go well. Recently returned from a backpacking trip around Europe, she had what she describes as "a short German haircut."
She cried onstage during the swimsuit competition and wore an old prom dress for the evening wear portion. She walked away empty-handed.
But in 2001, she became Miss Desert Vista, coming in first runner-up for Miss Arizona later that year.
When she moved to California that summer for seminary school, she thought her pageant days were behind her. But the mother of the 1998 Miss California winner found Lamarche on an online message board and convinced her to compete.
Source: Boston.com
COTUIT - On a recent Sunday morning, 30-year-old Nicole Lamarche, a former Miss California, stood before a crowd in a simple clapboard church next to a local watering hole. She wore high-heeled boots, her thin figure draped in a black robe.
"I feel so lucky to be your pastor," she proclaimed.
Lamarche became minister of Cotuit Federated Church two years ago, shaking up its stodgy routine and causing quite a stir in this quiet Cape Cod village of about 2,600 year-round residents.
She says four parishioners defected early on, after people Googled her name and discovered her beauty pageant past, but these days residents credit Lamarche with injecting new dynamism into the town and the church.
Lamarche says she understands that for some the "pastor in a swimsuit thing" is hard to swallow, but she simply needed the money. Loyal members of her congregation accept her explanation, buoying her spirits. Plus, says Lamarche, "If you can walk on a stage in your swimsuit, you can do anything."
After a service earlier this year, the congregation gathered for coffee, fruit salad, and cookies in an adjoining reception room, chattering with each other and the pastor who was once Miss Desert Vista.
"Just listen to it," said Pam Bode, a member of the church since 1985. "This is a church that has come alive."
"She's good for God," agreed Norman Knight, a 79-year-old retired welder, one of about a hundred regular members of the church who now attend weekly.
The path from beauty-pageant winner to pastor has not always been smooth. Lamarche grew up going to church near her hometown of Chattaroy, Wash., and joined a campus ministry group when she started college at the University of Arizona. An international relations major, she planned to join the foreign service after graduation.
The minister at her church suggested she consider seminary school instead. She had her doubts, but agreed to attend a "ministry as vocation" weekend at the Pacific School of Religion in California after the minister offered to pay her airfare to Berkeley. She enrolled and started the following year.
But Lamarche needed money, she recalled, and she was drawn to scholarship prizes she heard about in pageant competition.
Her first attempt was for the Miss Tucson title in 2000. Things did not go well. Recently returned from a backpacking trip around Europe, she had what she describes as "a short German haircut."
She cried onstage during the swimsuit competition and wore an old prom dress for the evening wear portion. She walked away empty-handed.
But in 2001, she became Miss Desert Vista, coming in first runner-up for Miss Arizona later that year.
When she moved to California that summer for seminary school, she thought her pageant days were behind her. But the mother of the 1998 Miss California winner found Lamarche on an online message board and convinced her to compete.
Source: Boston.com
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