Man Survives 500-Foot Fall Into Mine

A man survived a 500-foot fall into a strip mine Friday, astounding rescuers who spent hours on a risky descent into the abyss to bring him back out.
Police said Nathan Bowman was trespassing on coal company property around 1 a.m. Friday when he slipped and fell into the Springdale Pit, an inactive mine about 700 feet deep, 3,000 feet long and 1,500 feet wide.
Bowman tumbled down a jagged slope and then free-fell several hundred feet, his descent broken by a rock ledge not far from the bottom of the pit, said Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney, who helped direct the rescue effort.
"If you look at that drop, there was no way somebody could survive that," Delaney said.
Bowman, 23, of Tamaqua, was in serious condition Friday night at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem. The extent and nature of his injuries was not clear, although rescuer John Fowler said it appeared he suffered a number of fractures.
Bowman and a friend were walking around the pit when he went over the side. The friend called 911, and Coaldale police and firefighters began a frantic search, according to Delaney.
State police got into the act several hours later, using a helicopter, floodlights and thermal imaging to try to pinpoint Bowman's location in the pit, about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
"It got really, really dangerous," Delaney said. "My guys were fantastic; they were heroes, risking their lives in total darkness."
The search was called off at daybreak. Shortly thereafter, Delaney went to the offices of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., which owns the Springdale Pit, to notify officials of the situation.
"I said, 'Let's take a ride over there and show me where it occurred,'" said Fowler, 40, a project manager at the company.
Their luck was better this time.
"Within about three minutes, we found him," Fowler said. "I thought I could hear a muffled call for help. We yelled to him and asked him where he was, and he said he thought he was on a ledge."
Fowler, who moonlights as a state firefighter instructor, and a Coaldale police sergeant scouted a relatively safe route to Bowman and stayed with him until more help arrived.
Two firefighters rappelled down to the ledge, loaded Bowman onto a basket and tied themselves to it. Then all three were painstakingly hoisted up.
Bowman was lucid when he arrived at the top of the pit late Friday morning, wanting his harness loosened, asking that someone call his brother and expressing fear about riding in a medical helicopter, said Sarah Curran Smith, a vice president at Lehigh Coal.
Bowman's survival is "pretty unbelievable," she said. "I think the universe has bigger plans for Nathan. I hope he realizes that."
Bowman faces charges including defiant trespass, according to Delaney.

Amazing Rescues

Firefighters worked for over an hour in March to rescue Shooter, a 2-month-old foal, from a septic tank at a farm in Citra, Fla. Shooter apparently followed his mother, Reba, out of an enclosure. Reba then walked over the tank, and her weight either broke or displaced the cover, and Shooter fell in. He had some minor scrapes but was OK.

Firefighters found Kyson Stowell, 11 months, in a muddy field after a tornado flung him 100 yards away from his home in Castalian Springs, Tenn. in February. The rescuers first thought he was a doll. Kyson suffered only minor injuries. His mother, Kerri Stowell, died in the storm.

A man tosses his 9-month-old nephew out the window of a burning apartment building in Ludwigshafen, Germany in February. The baby, Onur Celar, fell four stories into the arms of a policeman. His parents and uncle also survived the blaze, but his two-year-old brother was killed.

A snowplow driver discovered Thomas and Tamitha Garner after they were stranded for 12 days when their truck got stuck in the snow in southern Utah in January. The couple rationed what little food they had, started the truck occasionally for heat and then spent three days hiking through deep snow in search of help.

Christopher Dominguez walks to an ambulance after a helicopter rescued him and his family from the snowy mountains in Butte County, Calif. in December. He, his father and two siblings spent three nights in sub-zero temperatures after getting lost looking for a Christmas tree. They found shelter inside a drainage pipe and wrote "help" in the snow.

Rescuers help Shneur Zalman Friedman, 8, into an ambulance in August after the Israeli boy spent six hours floating alone at night in the corrosive waters of the Dead Sea. Friedman was swimming with family members when currents swept him away from shore. He was found about 2 miles from shore -- dehydrated and scared but otherwise healthy.

"Subway hero" Wesley Autrey, above, jumped onto the tracks to save a fellow passenger from an oncoming train at a New York City subway station in January 2007. Cameron Hollopeter had fallen between the tracks after suffering a seizure. Autrey rolled Hollopeter into a gap between the rails just as the train entered the station.

Three Days Grace returns home

Brad Walst, Adam Gontier, Barry Stock and Neil Sanderson emerged from the darkness behind the stage into a chiaroscuro light show and a roar of greeting from the 2,000 fans filling the Asphodel-Norwood Community Centre.
Three Days Grace had returned home.
As a black-clad Gontier moved fluidly in and out of the spotlights, the now world-famous band from Norwood launched into a show that included a wide selection of the songs they have written over the course of their rise from a first incarnation as Groundswell in the early 1990s to the release of their most recent CD, "One X. "
Many of the songs, especially from the first album, "Three Days Grace," were about growing up in a small town and the fight to find their own identity and course in life, Gontier told fans.
But with that identity found, the band responded to the needs of the community and returned Saturday, April 19 to play an intimate show for many of the fans who watched them grow as a band to become an award-winning act big enough to set off on a two-year world tour.
At the same time, Three Days Grace helped the Norwood Lions Club raise $50,000 to fulfill its $300,000 commitment to help pay for the multi-million dollar recreation facility, which has become one of the focal points of community activity since it opened in 2004.
Opening for Three Days Grace was another band with an evocative name and roots in the local community. My Darkest Days members Brad Walst, Brendon McMillan and Doug Oliver all went to Norwood District High School and, with the older band as an example, are developing into a musical force in their own right. Together they gave the fans a double-edged performance of music inspired by the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and other alternative, grunge and post-punk rock bands.
Before the show, a lineup of expectant fans stretched from the front door of the community centre and extended around the edges of the parking lot. Among them were Cathy Robitaille of Hastings and Bill Collins of Norwood and his daughter Madison. Robitaille and Collins said the return of the band for a fundraising concert is a boost for the community.
"It is tremendous for the community," said Robitaille, who was wearing a black Three Days Grace T-shirt. "And this is giving local fans a chance to see them up close. They are giving back to the fans."
Judy Langstaff and Dave Mark came from Beaverton to see Three Days Grace, one of their favourite bands.
"We’re big fans, big, big fans," said Langstaff, who was impressed that the band returned to its rural roots for a fundraising concert. "They came back to their hometown to do a concert for a good thing."

Three Days Grace is just amazing.

And now they are finally home. Where they write the best songs. But we all know that they will not be rushing into that too soon. Because unlike most bands, who try to quickly write songs so that they can be aired on the radio super duper fast, Three Days Grace takes a lot of time to create an album. They start writing each song with acoustic guitars and a hand drum. Because they say that if you can take away everything and the song still works, then you have something good on your hands. Three Days Grace makes sure that each song on the album is just right so that there is not just one song that really stands out as being amazing.

For example, look at their album "One-X".

There were many hits on that album. Not just one or two. And they have to keep working like that. Because this is why Three Days Grace has become world popular. And of course, where does all of this happen? In their hometowns. Sitting around campfires. Being with family. This is what inspires their work (along with real life situations of what they have seen and experienced). So I can promise that the next album will be better than the last. Because Three Days Grace only gets better and better!

~Celticsgirl

Odom doesn't want Lakers to fall into trap

So Odom watched Thursday, as the unbeaten playoff teams fell like trees. First came the Orlando Magic, then the Cleveland Cavaliers and, lastly, the Utah Jazz.
Each team was up, 2-0, in their playoff series before losing, something the Lakers look to avoid as they depart to Denver for Saturday's Game 3 against the Nuggets.
"Whenever you have a lead, period, you are going to have a little more confidence," Odom said today at practice. "But if you watched playoff basketball last night, every team that had a 2-0 lead lost. So we are going to have to be really focused to pull this one out.
"That's something that we talked about," he added. "Or we will talk about. Especially on the plane. That's all you have to do is talk."
Kobe Bryant on comparing his drive toward winning his first NBA championship in 2000 with trying to win one now.
"It's different," Bryant said. "The first one, I was so young. Plus, I was sharing that pressure with somebody else. Me and Diesel [Shaquille O'Neal] both had that pressure on us to kind of get it done, he more so than I. Now, the pressure is squarely on my shoulders to try and bring another championship here. It's something that I accept. I think I'm a little hungrier now than I was the first time."
But isn't that a lot of pressure to put on himself?
"It comes with the territory," Bryant said. "You can't be Superman and not deal with the pressure of dropping somebody when you go to rescue them."

Howard has another 20-20 game as Magic beat Raptors

Two playoff games, two 20-point, 20-rebound outings for Dwight Howard. This time there was no question he was the difference maker.

Orlando's 3-point touch evaporated, but Howard's 29 points and 20 rebounds powered the Magic past the Toronto Raptors, 104-103, Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Howard was the first player with consecutive playoff games of 20 points and 20 rebounds since Kevin Garnett in 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"It was tough to come back and try to play the same way I played the first game, said Howard, who had 25 points and 22 rebounds on Sunday.

"But one of the things (coach Stan Van Gundy) has put in my head, and (Magic assistant Patrick Ewing), is just trying to play as dominant as I could on both ends of the floor. Since the last game, the only thing on my mind, when I go to sleep, when I wake up, at the gym with the guys, is to dominate."

Chris Bosh had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, but missed a 19-footer with 1.9 seconds left that could have won the game. Jason Kapono scored 20 points, Jose Calderon had 18 and Carlos Delfino added 16 for the Raptors.

"I knew I was going to have space," Bosh said of the last shot. "The time before I drove the basket and I didn't get a call. I didn't want to put it in the referee's hands. I wanted to get a clean look - I felt like I did a decent job. I got a decent look and just missed the shot."

Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each scored 18 for Orlando. Hedo Turkoglu made the go-ahead layup and finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Orlando won despite shooting 9-of-31 from 3-point range - including a combined 0-of-13 for Turkoglu and Lewis. The Raptors made 11 of 29 3s, four by Kapono.

Toronto, which trailed most of the game, took a 101-100 lead with 1:04 left on three consecutive 3-pointers, one from Delfino and two by Calderon, plus a free throw by Delfino.

But Turkoglu drove the lane for an acrobatic layup to put Orlando back on top, 102-101, then sank two free throws to push the lead to three points. Delfino made another layup to make it 104-103 with 9.6 seconds left, and the Raptors immediately got the ball back after Orlando's Keyon Dooling was called for an offensive foul on the inbounds pass.

Toronto isolated Bosh for the last shot, but it was no good.

For the second straight game, Toronto got buried in a double-digit deficit in the opening minutes - this time from inside.

Though this one ended close, Raptors coach Sam Mitchell promised a lineup change for Game 3 on Thursday in Toronto. He had already changed it for the series by starting 7-foot Andrea Bargnani at small forward instead of rookie Jamario Moon.

"For whatever reason, we're falling behind," Mitchell said. "We just can't do that. It's a different basketball game if the score is tied or if we're down two or three at the end of the first quarter."

The game was much more physical than Sunday's series opener. Turkoglu was called for a flagrant foul in the second quarter defending Bosh. The Raptors star had just stolen a pass and had a clear shot at the basket when Turkoglu caught up with him, pushing Bosh hard to the ground.

Howard picked up a technical in the third quarter jawing with Delfino after the making a layup, plus the foul on the guard in the third quarter.

The Raptors took their first lead of the series in the third quarter, using a 7-0 run to go ahead 64-59. Orlando was 0-for-5 to start the quarter, but regained an 81-71 lead after Nelson's two 3-pointers and Howard's bucket that preceded his technical.

Orlando was only 1-of-5 on 3-pointers in the first quarter after a 9-of-11 performance in Game 1, but opened a 26-8 lead on Nelson's slash to the bucket 8:04 into the game. The Magic had five dunks in the first six minutes - including three in a row on fast breaks off a steal (two by Turkoglu and one from Lewis).

"We definitely need to have a better start," Bosh said. "I think we're too cross-matched - there are too many mismatches early in the game, which triggers that break."

The Raptors, who tied a franchise playoff low with eight turnovers in Game 1, had that many in the first 13 minutes.

But they closed the gap in the second quarter with a 15-5 run over 3:05. Kapono hit two 3s in the span and scored 13 in the quarter. Bosh, guarded by Magic reserve center Adonal Foyle and Howard instead of Lewis, as in Game 1, also had 13 in the period on 4-of-6 shooting. The Raptors finally tied it at 55 with Calderon's layup a minute before the half, then trailed 59-57 at halftime.

Van Gundy said the game was a good taste of the playoffs for his young stars, but he's not comfortable just being up 2-0.

"A series doesn't start until somebody loses a home game," he said. "We've just held court here, that's it. And we're going up there, so there's no cushion whatsoever. Until you break through nothing's really happened."

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson make headlines

Pal: Ashlee Simpson's Going to Have 'Cute, Tiny Kids'

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz may not be confirming a pregnancy just yet, but some of her pals can't quite contain their excitement.

"I think they are a cute couple, and they are going to have cute, tiny kids," Lucy Walsh — the 24-year-old daughter of Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh — told Usmagazine.com at a taping of MTV's Rock the Cradle in L.A. Thursday.

She said she is "super excited" the couple are getting hitched and is "going to have to get planning" on an engagement bash.

Simpson has been ducking pregnancy questions since Usmagazine.com broke the news on April 14.

When asked by Ellen DeGeneres if she were expecting, she joked Thursday, "Do I look like I had 10 cheeseburgers or something ... because I don’t think I do."

Meet Pregnant, Skinny Ashlee Simpson

Here’s Ashlee Simpson on the cover of this month’s Shape. The photo of her skinny belly, for sure, was captured months ago, as was the interview that makes no mention of fiance Pete Wentz.

It’s this magazine cover, suspects MSNBC’s The Scoop, that’s “part of [Ashlee’s] reason for staying mum” about the possible pregnancy.

Um … no.

Not only would Ashlee not even take a magazine cover (especially an unpaid one) into consideration in deciding to announce if she’s in a family way – the only concern is publicity for her new album – but Shape editors would have loved Ashlee to announce that she’s pregnant, so they could shop around their cover as the last pre-baby Ashlee issue.

Ashlee Simpson's Red Bikini Cover

Ashlee Simpson appears in a red string bikini on the cover of Shape magazine.

The ‘Little Miss Obsessive’ singer – who has refused to confirm rumours she is expecting her first child with fiance Pete Wentz – proudly shows off her toned figure on the front of the magazine’s May issue.

In the accompanying interview, Ashlee says: “Now I’m in shape. I never thought I’d be on the cover of a magazine in a bikini but now is the time and place to show the world how I’m feeling about myself.”

The magazine's cover was reportedly shot before the pregnancy rumours emerged.

Ashlee also revealed she has a monthly dinner party with her girlfriends, when everyone has the opportunity to display their culinary skills.

She added: “Last month, my friend showed us how to make the most delicious glazed carrots to go with baked chicken.”

The 23-year-old singer appeared on US talk show ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show' yesterday (24.04.08), but when the host asked her whether she will soon add to her family, she would only reply: “Well, that has been going on for quite a while. That is something that I choose personally not to discuss.”

Pete Wentz: Rockin' Out

Pete Wentz definitely gives rock star a whole new meaning.

At the NME Awards USA in L.A. Wednesday night, the Fall Out Boy frontman sported a T-shirt with the words "Coltan Is a Conflict Diamond" as a way of expressing his opposition toward the selling of diamonds for the purpose of financing illegal military groups.

And Pete clearly practices what he preaches, telling People magazine at the event that the engagement ring he presented to Ashlee Simpson "is not a conflict diamond."

We can only assume it wasn't a cubic zirconia either.

Ashlee Simpson keeps coy about baby reports

Ashlee Simpson is determined to keep people guessing about whether or not she’s pregnant.

The singer is said to be expecting her first child with fiance Pete Wentz, but she’s determined not to let on anything.

She even managed to avoid the question when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show and was asked the question point blank by her host.

"Well, that has been going on for quite a while. That is definitely something that I choose personally not to discuss except for the fact that maybe….Do I look like I had 10 cheeseburgers or something … because I don’t think I do," usmagazine. com quoted her, as saying.

When, pointing to a snap of Jennifer Lopez, DeGeneres then asked, "You’re not going to keep this answer up as long as this woman did...."

Laughing, Simpson replied, "No, I’m not. I swear. I promise you that. I give you my pinky on that."

Okay, I realize that these articles have basically the same idea.

But I got bored and you can just deal with it. I wanted to show all of the rumors that are going around. Of course, most of them are the same thing. That Ashlee Simpson is pregnant with Pete Wentz's kid.

I do think that she might be.

If her friends are saying things about it then I think it might be true. We will just have to watch Pop Fiction this week. If you do not watch Pop Fiction, it is a show where celebritites make up fake rumors about themselves and leak these fake rumors to the press. Then everyone freaks about the news. Only to later learn that it was all a dud.

Avril Lavigne did that once.

She went on the show and made up a rumor that she was pregnant. She went past paparazzi with this thing on to make her look pregnant. The next day, the tabloids were reporting that she was pregnant. Those losers!

~Celticsgirl

Gun Dealer Causes Stir at Virginia Tech

The online weapons dealer who sold one of the guns used in the Virginia Tech shootings visited the campus, a decision the school's spokesman called "terribly offensive."
Dealer Eric Thompson spoke at the school Thursday night as part of a weeklong demonstration in favor of allowing people to carry concealed weapons at colleges.
"For people who want to arm themselves, there shouldn't be policies in place to stop them," Thompson told about 60 students who attended his talk. There were only a few anti-gun questions posed to Thompson, and none of the protests school officials prepared for.
Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said about 20 officers were in and around Whittemore Hall, where the meeting was held, "to make sure everyone's rights are protected." Six officers stood in the lecture hall.
Thompson visited to support a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which advocates weapons on campuses, but said he paid his own way.
A school spokesman denounced the visit in a statement Wednesday, saying it was "terribly offensive" that Thompson would set foot on campus.
"The organizers appear to be incredibly insensitive to the families of the victims who lost loved ones and to the injured students still recovering from this horrendous tragedy," said the statement issued by spokesman Larry Hincker.
Andrew Goddard, whose son Colin was injured in the shootings, said earlier Thursday that it was Thompson's First Amendment right to speak at the school but added: "I think it's rather insensitive of him, though."
Ken Stanton, president of the university's chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, said that he lost a friend in the April 2007 shootings and that it taught him "firsthand the importance of self-protection."
Virginia Tech last week marked the first anniversary of the shootings in a dormitory and classroom building in which 33 died, including shooter Seung-Hui Cho.
Cho bought a Walther .22-caliber handgun through Thompson's Web site, based in Green Bay, Wis. Through another company Web site, Thompson also sold handgun accessories to the man who killed five Northern Illinois University students and himself in February.
Thompson pointed to a student's T-shirt that said "Guns Kill." "They certainly do," he said, but added "focusing on guns and focusing on who sold the guns is not going to solve the problem."
Thompson said he doesn't relish the attention he has drawn since the shootings but said he would not turn away from it because he believes politicians need to allow people to protect themselves.
"I just have a feeling there's a special responsibility I've been given," he said, "to try to help change people's opinions."
Goddard said in a telephone interview that he thought the idea of people carrying concealed weapons on a sprawling campus like Virginia Tech's was "absolutely ludicrous."
"It's straight out of the movies," he said. "Bruce Willis can do it because he doesn't have to worry about people shooting back with live ammunition."
Stanton, a Virginia Tech graduate student, said he began receiving complaints about the planned appearance only after Hincker's statement was issued. He said he had never considered carrying a gun until the shootings, in which his friend Jeremy Herbstritt died.
Members of the student group, which claims a membership of 25,000 nationwide and 200 at Virginia Tech, are wearing empty holsters to classes this week to protest laws and policies that restrict concealed weapons on campuses. Thompson said donations from his customers helped him provide hundreds of holsters on nearly 30 college campuses.
Goddard questioned whether Thompson's motivation was to make money by selling more guns. Thompson said he was selling guns at cost for two weeks to help students afford weapons.

Now that is just beautilous. A gun dealer. Goes to Virginia Tech. How stupid do you have to be to do something like that? Does he live under a rock? I couldn't imagine why anybody would have a problem with him talking about how guns are good...at Virginia Tech. All I can really say here is that this guy is so incredibly stupid. I would put it into other words, but some people might not appreciate it.

Did he think that he could convince people that it is good to have guns. Next he would be saying that the gun didn't kill those students, but instead that Cho did. That guy must have been smoking something before his visit. Only a dumb ass would think that was a good idea. But the part that I love was that he had sold a gun to another person. Who had also killed people with the gun. And then shot themself. I am starting to see a pattern here.

This is just a sign that the world is coming to an end. I mean, look at this. Pathetic. Comepletely pathetic. -_-

~Celticsgirl

Michael Jackson Swears Off Women

If we disregard Michael Jackson's rumored relationship with Brooke Shields and brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, which was criticized by the media and labeled as publicity stunt, one could surmise that the King of Pop has never been a ladies man. Obviously, Jacko didn't get the memo and the former pop star is swearing off woman while he concentrates on reviving his career.
A source close to Jackson has been quoted confirming recent rumors that the singer has also barred his children from the recording studio. "Michael has banned his kids from the recording studio. He realizes this is very important and doesn't want any distractions," an insider claims.
The singer was reportedly dating his children's nanny, Grace Rwaramba, but that relationship is over according to the insider. "He's not going to be involved in any personal relationships with women until he gets this record done. He's dumped the nanny -- she's not around any more."
Jackson has tapped Grammy-nominated producer/singer Akon and RedOne for his upcoming album, which the trio just started working on in a Las Vegas studio.

Wow. I can't say I didn't see this coming. Because we all know that to make it big in Hollywood, you have to date your nanny. That is, if you are a guy. But Jacko just won't stand a chance with the album. He just doesn't have the appeal that he had when he first started in the business. I don't know about you, but i think there is still something between him and the nanny. I mean, come on, he will get with anything that has a pulse. And the nanny is probably the only woman (I can only hope it is a woman) in the world who either doesn't know who he is, or doesn't care about his past with mollesting children.

I can only hope that Jacko doesn't do more creepy stuff. But wait! He is only known for doing creepy stuff. Other than his platinum albums, what is he really known for? Having little boys sleep-over at his house. Getting multiple nose jobs. Getting more nose jobs and plastic surgery. Being sued for sleeping with little boys. Hanging his child over the edge of a hotel balcony for the press to take pictures. Covering his children's faces with masks and scarves when they go into public.

Now that is what Hollywood is about. You can't deny it. But Jacko needs to get some help. Because we can only handle so much wacko from Jacko. All we can do is hope.

~Celticsgirl

O_o Winehouse Arrested on Assault Claims o_O

NO WAY! Amy Wino would get violent?

I can hardly believe it. And who would think that she would get arrested?

~Celticsgirl

British singer Amy Winehouse was arrested on suspicion of assault Friday following reports that she scuffled with two men during a night out in a trendy north London neighborhood, Sky News television reported.

The 24-year-old soul diva, whose stellar career has been complicated by an increasingly chaotic personal life, arrived at a central London police station earlier to answer questions relating to the alleged incident, her representatives said.

Police did not directly confirm that Winehouse was in custody, saying only that a 24-year-old woman was being held on suspicion of assault.

British authorities do not usually name suspects until they have been charged.

Winehouse, wearing a lemon yellow top and ballerina shoes, did not say anything to assembled photographers and cameramen as she walked into the station late Friday afternoon.

Tabloid newspapers reported that Winehouse allegedly hit a man who got in her way while she was playing pool at a bar in the Camden neighborhood and then head-butted another who was trying to hail her a cab in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Winehouse, an admitted marijuana smoker, has previously had problems with the law at home and abroad.

She and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested in the Norwegian city of Bergen in October and held overnight on charges of drug possession.

She was arrested in London in December on suspicion of attempting to interfere with a court case involving Fielder-Civil, but earlier this year police said prosecutors were no longer pursuing the affair.

Fielder-Civil faces charges of perverting the course of justice stemming from a case in which he is accused of assaulting a barman.

Okay, the only problem I really have right now is that this article calls Amy Wino a diva. Compared to what? Whitney Houston? They both have some similarities. They are both infamous for doing drugs and enjoying their liquor. At least Wino admitts that she smoked marijuana. They are both singers. Both are messes.

Hey! I just thought of another diva of that sort....Michael Jackson! I think the three of them should make an album together. Imagine the wonders that behold. The songs would probably be ultimately disturbing. Your ears would probably bleed after listening to the songs. And I am sure that nobody would buy it. So it won't be much different than any other album any of them have made.

~Celticsgirl

Slain Soldier's Parents Sue T-Shirt Maker

The parents of a Tennessee soldier killed in Iraq are suing an Arizona online merchant who included their son's name on anti-war shirts that list names of troops killed in the war.
The lawsuit filed by Robin and Michael Read of Greeneville, Tenn., accuses Dan Frazier of Flagstaff of intentionally inflicting emotional harm by including Spc. Brandon Michael Read's name on casualty lists printed on "Bush lied -- They died" T-shirts without permission and by ignoring a demand to remove their son's name.
The suit seeks $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages. It also asks that Frazier be permanently barred from using Brandon Read's name.
Frazier's free-speech rights ended when he used Brandon Read's name for profit and any reasonable person would consider Frazier's actions outrageous, said the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tennessee.
Read, a 21-year-old member of the Army Reserve, was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq on Sept. 6, 2004.
The family's attorney, Francis X. Santore Jr. of Greeneville, said local court rules prohibited him and his clients from discussing the case beyond a statement in which the parents discussed their son and asked to be left alone while they let the courts "resolve this highly personal situation."
Frazier did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
However, his company's web site says it continues to sell the shirts despite laws passed by Arizona and other states "because we believe the message is important."
The Arizona law was enacted last year. It both generally made it a misdemeanor crime to use dead soldiers' names for commercial purposes without permission and authorized lawsuits.
The law's criminal section was put on hold by a federal judge in Phoenix pending a final ruling on a challenge filed by Frazier on First Amendment grounds.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake acknowledged that Frazier's use of casualties names may increase the hurt of loved ones but said the shirts are political speech.
Though the law permits Frazier to use casualties' names if he obtains permission from designated family members, that amounts to a flat prohibition "given the difficulty and cost of finding, contacting and obtaining consent from the soldiers' numerous representatives," Wake said.
Several states, including Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, have enacted similar laws.
The lawsuit's filing was first reported Wednesday by the Arizona Capitol Times.

Chicago's Violent Spring Grows Deadlier

Authorities found the bodies of five young people Wednesday inside a ransacked house on Chicago's South Side, raising the body count in an already violent spring, police said.

It appeared the three men and two women had been shot, but investigators were waiting for the Cook County medical examiner's office to confirm a cause of death, said Chief of Detectives Thomas Byrne. Autopsies were scheduled for Thursday, the medical examiner's office said.

"This is very serious," Byrne said at a news conference near the two-story house. "There's five victims. There's five families right now that are grieving over this."

All the victims were in their 20s, and they all knew each other, said Deputy Chief Eugene Williams. There were signs of forced entry into the house, which appeared to have been ransacked, Williams said.

A woman visiting the house found the bodies Wednesday afternoon, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

Police did not have offenders in custody but did not believe a killer was on the loose, Bond said. It was possible the victims knew the offender, she said.

"We don't think that the neighbors need to worry," she said. "We believe that it's been contained inside this residence."

Police declined to comment on whether the scene was a murder-suicide.

They cordoned off a section of the residential street as neighbors milled around, talked in groups and watched.

Vanessa Mathis, whose mother lives across the street, said the neighborhood has many older residents and is not a crime-ridden area.

"We've never had anything like this to happen before," Mathis said.

The discovery comes on the heels of a spate of violence in Chicago. Nine people died in 36 shootings over the past weekend.

One man died and three others were wounded, including one of the alleged offenders, in shootings late Monday in a McDonald's restaurant parking lot on the South Side.

The recent violence followed a six-month period during which more than 20 Chicago public school students were shot to death.

Sect Children Face Culture Shock

The hundreds of children from a polygamist compound taken into state custody are on their way to group homes, shelters and residences, but experts and lawyers fear their transition may be much harder than it is for other foster children.
The 437 children taken from the compound in West Texas will be plunged into a culture radically different from the community where they and their families shunned the outside world as a hostile, contaminating influence on their godly way of life.
Many of the children have seen little or no television. They have been essentially home-schooled all their lives. Most were raised on garden-grown vegetables and twice-daily prayers with family. They frolic in long dresses and buttoned-up shirts from another century.
"There's going to be problems," said Susan Hays, who represents a toddler in the custody case. "They are a throwback to the 19th century in how they dress and how they behave."
Buses have already shipped 138 children to group homes or boys' and girls' ranches, but most of the remaining children will be separated from their mothers for the first time when they are sent out of San Angelo in the coming days.
The state Child Protective Services program said it chose foster homes where the youngsters can be kept apart from other children for now.
"We recognize it's critical that these children not be exposed to mainstream culture too quickly or other things that would hinder their success," agency spokeswoman Shari Pulliam said. "We just want to protect them from abuse and neglect. We're not trying to change them."
The children were swept up in a raid earlier this month on the Yearning for Zion Ranch run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon splinter group. Authorities say it believes in marrying off underage girls to older men, and that there is evidence of physical and sexual abuse at the ranch.
The youngsters are being moved out of the crowded San Angelo Coliseum and will be placed in temporary facilities around Texas - some as far away as Houston, 500 miles off - until individual custody decisions can be made.
Those decisions could result in a number of possibilities: Some children could be placed in permanent foster care; some parents who have left the sect may win custody; some youngsters may be allowed to return to the ranch in Eldorado; and some may turn 18 before the case is complete and be allowed to choose their own fates.
Pulliam said the temporary foster care facilities have been briefed on the children's needs. "We're not going to have them in tank tops and shorts," she said.
Pulliam said the children will continue to be home-schooled by the temporary foster-care providers instead of being thrown into big public schools, where they could be bullied because of their differences.
In a related development, an arrest warrant affidavit made public Wednesday shows that a phone number used to report alleged abuse at the Texas retreat had been used previously by a 33-year-old Colorado woman.
It's not yet clear whether authorities suspect Rozita Swinton, of Colorado Springs, made any of the calls that triggered the April 3 raid of the compound.
Texas authorities have said a 16-year-old girl called a crisis center claiming she was abused at the compound. Authorities have not found that girl but say they have found evidence other children were abused.
In February, a woman calling herself "Jennifer" called 911 in Colorado Springs from the same number, claiming that her father had locked her in her basement for days, the document said. Swinton was arrested in connection with that incident on April 16 and later released.

More than 400 FLDS children are in state custody, and officials worry that living in the outside will be diffcult. They are trying to take steps to ease the transition.
Scores of the children have been sent to group homes or boys' and girls' ranches. Others will be separated from their mothers and sent to foster homes around Texas. A state official said children will "not be exposed to mainstream culture too quickly." The following photos illustrate some of the differences between the two cultures.
Daily Family Life: While many children in mainstream culture are familiar with fast-food restaurants, tight schedules and having parents work outside the home, FLDS children have been raised on garden-grown food and are accustomed to twice-daily prayers with their families.
Education: FLDS children are essentially home-schooled, and officials worry they would be bullied if moved immediately into big public schools. Temporary foster parents will home-school them.
Style: "There's going to be problems," said Susan Hays, who represents a toddler in the case. "They are a throwback to the 19th century in how they dress and how they behave." State officials recognize this. "We're not going to have them in tank tops and shorts," said a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.
As the massive custody case moves through the court system, the children face several possibilities. They could be placed in permanent foster care, or turned over to parents who have left the sect. Some may be allowed to return to the sect's compound, while others could turn 18 and leave state custody before the case is resolved.

Ashlee Dodges More Pregnancy Questions

No matter where she goes these days, Ashlee Simpson has to be on the defensive when people ask her whether or not she's expecting a baby. Her latest culprit was the dance-happy Ellen DeGeneres, but Ashlee stood her ground and continued her trip on the vague train.

On Wednesday's 'Ellen' show, DeGeneres poked and prodded the singer about whether she and fiancee Pete Wentz are indeed expecting. DeGeneres bluntly asked: "Are you or are you not pregnant?"

Ashlee, with a smile, issued what has become her standard theme, saying "Well, that has been going on for quite a while. That is something that I choose personally not to discuss."

DeGeneres continues to jab at Simpson with little taunts, then asking "Is it a boy or a girl?" Simpson then turned the tables, asking the audience "Do I look like I had 10 cheeseburgers or something?" She then stood and did a model-like 360, hoping her thin frame would quell the pregnancy questions.

It all ended with Simpson promising that if she is indeed pregnant, she won't wait as long to announce it as Jennifer Lopez did.