8 Outrageous Wedding Sites

Would you marry in a graveyard? For some to-be-weds, a traditional ceremony site just doesn't appeal -- we asked brides to share stories of couples who chose to forgo the norm and wed in a truly unexpected setting. From a racetrack to a department store, here are eight outrageous wedding sites, plus tips for how they can inspire your own nuptials.

The Site: Racetrack

"Two of the members in our drag racing group got married on the track. It was really cute because immediately after they were married, she got into the car (in her wedding gown) and raced him to the end. The back of his car read, 'Just' and hers read, 'Married.'"

Our Take:

It's certainly dramatic, but you don't have to top 200 mph to create an unforgettable getaway. Ride off on bicycles, jump into the backseat of a vintage car, or, if your reception is nearby, have a brass band escort you and all your guests on foot.

The Site: Graveyard

"A hairdresser at a salon I used to go to was married at a cemetery on Halloween. Her bridesmaids and groomsmen all wore purple, black, and orange. She wore a black-and-red-dyed wedding gown, and all of her photos were taken next to headstones."

Our Take:

We love the idea of incorporating some holiday spirit into the wedding day, but you can get the idea across in more subtle ways. Something as simple as using lights to wash the room in color can help set a distinct mood and create a feel of the season without being overbearing with the theme.

The Site: Bookstore

"I saw a couple who got married at a Barnes & Noble because that's where they met. The store didn't close, but they said that for the duration of the ceremony, they wouldn't ring up any transactions."

Our Take:

If you're not fortunate enough to be able to wed in the place you met (exchanging vows in a bar, for example, might not best represent the sanctity of marriage), incorporate your first encounter in other ways. Print his pickup line on the cocktail hour coasters, name your reception tables after that and other significant places from your relationship, or sneak off after the ceremony and take some pics at the exact spot you first exchanged words.

The Site: Hockey Game

"A couple got married in between the first and second periods of a Chicago Wolves hockey game. The groom and groomsmen all wore jerseys, the bride wore a jersey over her dress, and the bridesmaids all carried hockey sticks."

Our Take:

Diehard sports fans have definitely been known to express their love for the game on their wedding day. Other ways to incorporate a sports theme: naming your reception tables after your favorite athletes and ordering a groom's cake in the shape of your team mascot.

The Site: Department Store

"A couple got married at JCPenney in Michigan. The bride walked down the escalator as the aisle, and the wedding was broadcast on the overhead speakers."

Our Take:

While we'd never heard of an escalator entrance, plenty of brides plan a grand entrance for their wedding day. Other ways to personalize the entrance: Walk down a monogrammed aisle runner, line the aisle with glowing luminarias, or enter the room to the sounds of a string quartet playing a rendition of your favorite pop song.

The Site: On Stage

"We got married in a theater on the set of Three Billy Goats Gruff. My husband and I are both actors -- so it made sense to us to get married on the stage. (We even had a stage manager who gave a curtain speech, there was a preshow, and several of our friends sang songs.) Instead of walking down the aisle, I walked over the troll bridge!"

Our Take:

Even without a troll bridge and curtain call, you can still show off your dramatic side. Donate to your favorite nonprofit theater in lieu of wedding favors, incorporate a line from your favorite play in your wedding vows, or steal the show by performing a choreographed routine for your first dance.

The Site: In the Air

"A lot of my skydiving friends have gotten married in freefall. One couple gave out 'Lovers' Leap' invitations."

Our Take:

If the thought of exchanging vows in front of all your friends and family has you nervous enough, seek an adrenaline rush in other ways. Take an adventure honeymoon exploring the jungle in Central America, send out save-the-date pictures of the two of you rock climbing, or add outdoor gear to your registry list.

The Site: Fast Food Restaurant

"Recently there was a story about three couples that all married at White Castle -- you know, the burger chain. They had their individual weddings back-to-back."

Our Take:

The smell of French fries makes our hearts melt too! Another way to satisfy everyone's taste buds: Have your caterer serve mini burgers, fries, and shakes for a late night snack at the end of the reception.

Source of this article:

MSN

I was just feeling lazy today. ^_^

In the news...

Sect Families Reunite After Judge's Ruling

More than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch two months ago began returning to the arms of their tearful parents Monday, hours after a judge bowed to a state Supreme Court ruling that the seizure was not justified.

"It's just great day," said Nancy Dockstader, whose chin quivered and eyes filled with tears as she embraced her 9-year-old daughter, Amy, outside a foster-care center in Gonzales, about 65 miles east of San Antonio. "We're so grateful."

Her daughter and four other children were among the roughly 430 children ordered released after two months in state custody, much of it spent in foster care centers. Because siblings were separated at facilities hundreds of miles apart, it will probably take several days for all the families to be reunited.

Judge Barbara Walther responded to a state Supreme Court ruling last week by signing an order that cleared the children to be released from foster care. Walther allowed parents to begin picking up their children Monday, ending one of the nation's largest child-custody cases.

Dockstader and her husband, James, were headed to Corpus Christi and to Amarillo to pick up their other children. "We'll get the rest of them," said Dockstader, who was clad in a teal prairie dress and clinging to Amy, who wore a matching dress.

Walther's order requires the parents to stay in Texas, to attend parenting classes and to allow the children to be examined as part of any abuse investigation.

But it does not put restrictions on the children's fathers, require that the parents renounce polygamy or force them to leave the Yearning For Zion Ranch run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Late Monday, elder Willie Jessop said the church won't allow underage girls to marry. Jessop said the new policy will forbid any girl to marry who is not of legal consent age in the state where she lives.

Jessop said the church has been widely misunderstood, but he said the church will not sanction marriages of underage girls and will counsel members against such unions. He insisted marriages within the church have always been consensual.

Child Protective Services removed all the children from the ranch after an April 3 raid prompted by calls to a domestic abuse hot line that purportedly came from a 16-year-old mother who was being abused by her middle-age husband. The calls are now being investigated as a hoax, but authorities contended all the children were at risk because church teachings pushed underage girls into marriage and sex.

The church has denied any children were abused, and members have said they are being persecuted for their religion, which believes polygamy brings glorification in heaven.

Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the child-protection agency, said authorities still have concerns about the children's safety, and the investigation into possible abuse would continue.

The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed an appeals court ruling that reversed Walther's decision in April putting all children from the ranch into foster case.

The high court and the appeals court rejected the state's argument that all the children were in immediate danger from what it said was sexual abuse of teenage girls at the ranch.

The Third Court of Appeals ruled that the state failed to show that any more than five of the teenage girls were being sexually abused, and had offered no evidence of sexual or physical abuse against the other children.

Half the children sent to foster care were no older than 5.

All the children, including any underage mothers, will be allowed to go back to their parents, though it's possible some children's attorneys or child-protection officials could pursue further action in individual cases.

It's not clear how many might return to the ranch right away. Many of the parents have purchased or rented homes in Amarillo, San Antonio and other places around the state.

Rod Parker, a spokesman for the FLDS church, said some of the attorneys have advised parents to stay away from the ranch for now, but most families want to return so the children can continue the education they were getting at the sect's schoolhouse before the raid.

Walther's order does not end a separate criminal investigation. Texas authorities last week collected DNA from jailed FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs as part of investigation into underage sex with girls, ages 12 to 15. He has been convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape and is jail in Arizona awaiting trial on separate charges.

The FLDS is a breakaway sect of the Mormon church, which renounced polygamy more than a century ago.

Doctor Calls Kennedy Surgery a Success

After investigating his options with his trademark intensity, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent 3½ hours of risky and exquisitely delicate surgery Monday to cut out as much of his cancerous brain tumor as possible. "I feel like a million bucks. I think I'll do that again tomorrow," the 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat was quoted by a family spokeswoman as telling his wife immediately afterward.

Dr. Allan Friedman, who performed the surgery at Duke University Medical Center, pronounced the operation a success and said it "accomplished our goals." Up next: chemotherapy and radiation, aimed at shrinking whatever is left of the tumor.

"The main goal is to remove as much of the tumor as possible to give any other therapy that we do a better chance of working," said Dr. John Sampson, associate deputy director of Duke's brain tumor center.

The sole surviving son of America's most glamorous and tragic political family was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, an often lethal type of brain tumor discovered in about 9,000 Americans a year.

Details about Kennedy's exact type of tumor have not been disclosed, but some cancer specialists said it might be a glioblastoma multiforme — an especially deadly and tough-to-remove type — because other kinds are more common in younger people.

Cutting a tumor down to size — or "debulking" it — is extremely delicate because of the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that governs movement and speech. But Friedman, who is the top neurosurgeon at Duke and an internationally known tumor surgeon, said Kennedy should not experience any permanent neurological effects.

Doctors said Kennedy was awake for much of the surgery, which begins with opening the scalp and removing a piece of the skull to expose the brain. Sometimes, to avoid damaging areas that control speech, surgeons use a probe to stimulate parts of the brain, then hold a conversation with the patient.

In the following days, Kennedy will probably be given drugs to prevent brain swelling and seizures, which are possible complications of the surgery. The senator will also be closely watched for bleeding and blood clots, because strokes are also a risk, though they are uncommon. He is expected to return to Boston in about a week.

Pete Wentz Explains Why He Denied Ashlee Simpson Is Pregnant

In recent months, there's been an epidemic of celebrities playing coy with the media about big, personal news. Whether it was Jay and Beyoncé, Mariah and Nick, or just about anything regarding Pete and Ashlee, the no-straight-answers, keep-'em-guessing approach has been the rule more than the exception. And fair enough: Celebrities aren't obligated to share personal news with the media.

But last month, Pete Wentz denied to MTV News that his now-wife Ashlee Simpson was pregnant. However, rumors continued to swirl, the couple immediately backed off from directly answering the question, and late Wednesday, the newlyweds finally announced on FriendsOrEnemies.com (as they did with their engagement) that she actually is pregnant.

Couples often wait until the end of a pregnancy's first trimester to share their news. But still, somebody had some 'splainin' to do. Here's what Pete told us via e-mail on Thursday (May 29).

"Every woman, no matter who they are or what they do for a living, has the right to wait at least 3 months before sharing this very personal news," he wrote. "We wanted to wait until after the first trimester and get a clean bill of health from our doctors before confirming anything, just like any other couple.

"Being a boy I have no idea how to respond to such things and my first instinct was to protect her and the baby.

"It's insane that you can't let happy news brew in Hollywood. This wasn't about press or anything. It was about the health of the baby and trying to find a way to be happy with what should be the most happy time of our lives in the middle of a press blitz. I apologize to anyone who felt misinformed but the truth is, the person and growing baby is who I felt most loyal to protect and defend."

Pete Wentz's new bride postpones tour

Ashlee Simpson, the new wife of Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, has cancelled her forthcoming summer tour.

The 23 year-old last week confirmed she is pregnant with the couple’s first child but did not cite the pregnancy as the reason for the cancellation.

A statement said: "After careful consideration, Ashlee Simpson has decided to postpone her summer tour. She is committed to giving her fans the best show possible, and will be back better than ever and ready to rock in the future."

Simpson married Wentz in ceremony in her parents garden in California two weeks ago (May 17) in an Alice In Wonderland- themed wedding.

Wentz, who had previously denied the pregnancy to MTV.com, last week explained his decision to keep the baby news private in an email.

"We wanted to wait until after the first trimester and get a clean bill of health from our doctors before confirming anything, just like any other couple. Being a boy I have no idea how to respond to such things and my first instinct was to protect her and the baby. I apologize to anyone who felt misinformed but the truth is, the person and growing baby is who I felt most loyal to protect and defend."

Final meltdown: Now what after Game 6 disaster?

It all fell apart Friday night. Everything. The game. The series. The Pistons' championship hopes. Maybe even these Pistons as we knew them.

The maintenance crew hoped to sweep confetti off the Palace floor at the end; instead, all that was left were little pieces of the Pistons' swagger.

It was rough, but as far as the Pistons were concerned, it wasn't right. And they have nobody to blame but themselves.

Wherever Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshuan Prince, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace find themselves next season -- and the best guess is still Detroit -- don't ever let them tell you they like it rough, or that they are great in clutch situations, or that they always come through.

Because they had their chance Friday against the Boston Celtics at the Palace.

And it was an utter disaster.

The Pistons had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and blew it. They were outscored, 23-8, to start the quarter. By the time the hurricane had passed through and they could look up at the scoreboard again, they were down seven points with less than three minutes left.

Billups converted a three-point play to cut the margin to four. But then the Pistons had a chance at a defensive rebound, and they couldn't snare it.

Then they got a defensive rebound -- and Prince gave the ball right back to the Celtics, before the Pistons could even pass the halfcourt line. That play would stand out as the worst of the game, except that the Pistons had a few other turnovers just like it.

With a little over a minute left, Billups -- Mr. Big Shot -- had a chance at a huge three-pointer. He missed badly.

Before long, the Eastern Conference finals ended in Game 6, 89-91.

I thought the Pistons would be the tougher, more fiery team Friday, and I expected them to win. They sure proved me wrong.

It will be a long time before the Pistons live this down. It's one thing to lose a series; teams do that all the time, and there is no shame in losing to these Celtics. It's another thing to lose your ability to strut.

Please understand something: This game curled up in the Pistons' laps and begged them to take it. The Celtics' best player, Kevin Garnett, was in foul trouble throughout, and when he was on the floor, he missed shots. The Celtics' primary ballhandler, Rajon Rondo, was in foul trouble, too. Didn't matter. The Pistons didn't force enough turnovers.

But the Pistons only made one serious run in the whole game They should have made another, late in the first half.

This was the same time of the game, you might recall, when Game 5 started to fall apart for the Pistons. With five minutes left in the half, they led by six on the road and really had outplayed the Celtics. They needed to go into halftime with a lead -- for psychological reasons. Instead, Boston went on a 16-4 run to close out the half, and the Pistons spent the third quarter on their shrink's couch, wondering how a benevolent God could let Rondo penetrate into the lane like that. By the time the Pistons launched their comeback, they were looking up a 70-degree hill.

In Game 6, the roles were reversed. The Celtics had the lead. The Celtics were on the road. And the Pistons made a little run, thanks partly to Hamilton's bounce-around-the-rim-forever three-pointer. But they couldn't make a big run.

They couldn't force the Celtics to think about Game 7, because the Celtics always knew they were in Game 6.

Down the stretch, the Pistons kept dumping the ball into Wallace ... or at least, a guy who looked like Rasheed Wallace ... or ... do you know what he looked like? A mime impersonating Rasheed Wallace. He wanted to scream and he couldn't.

Wallace was one technical foul away from an automatic suspension. That alone does not explain his struggles Friday -- he didn't have the lift and mobility he normally does, for whatever reason -- but I think it explains part of it.

Remember last year, against Cleveland? When the series was finally lost, Wallace exploded at the officials in Game 6 and got ejected. He can't keep anything in.

He had to keep it in Friday. He couldn't risk another technical. And the result was another poor performance in a series where he had too many.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars now will have to make some tough decisions about his team, and about coach Flip Saunders, because the easiest change to make is always the coach.

Dumars must ask the same question that fans are asking right now:

Where does this leave the Pistons?

Same place they were in 2006 and 2007.

At home, instead of in the NBA Finals.

Judge Delays Reunions for Sect Families

A Texas judge refused on Friday to sign an agreement that would have paved the way for the first large batch of children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch to return to their parents, dashing hopes raised by a Supreme Court ruling in the case.
Texas District Judge Barbara Walther wanted to add restrictions to the parents' movement and broaden the authority of Child Protective Services to monitor the more than 400 children in foster care before signing an agreement by CPS and the parents that would have reunited the families.
When several parents' attorneys objected and argued that Walther didn't have the authority to expand the agreement, she said she would only sign the initial document after all 38 parents whose case was considered by the Supreme Court signed off — a provision attorneys said would ensure the children stayed in custody at least through the weekend.
The hearing's end was a stunning development after it appeared the parents and CPS had reached an agreement that would allow children to return beginning Monday. The tentative plan technically applied only to the mothers named in an appellate court ruling that found CPS was unjustified in sweeping up the children from the Yearning For Zion Ranch two months ago, but everyone agreed the order would be extended to all but a few specific children.
"There was an opportunity today for relief in this, and it was not granted," said Willie Jessop, an elder for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which runs the ranch.
Attorneys for several of the minors and mothers in custody said Walther's refusal to sign the order would likely result in more appellate court filings.
While Walther said she would issue the order if all the parents signed, attorney Andrea Sloan said that would take days because parents have spread across the state to be close to their children in foster care.
"It's not as simple as going across the street and setting up a booth," said Sloan, who represents several young FLDS women and minors who contend they should be reclassified as adults.
Laura Shockley, an attorney for several children and mothers not part of the original appellate court case, predicted more filings in the Third District Court of Appeals in Austin on Monday. That court ordered Walther to allow the children to return to their parents in a reasonable time, a decision affirmed by the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday.
The agreement between CPS and parents said they would not be allowed to leave Texas until Aug. 31 but could move back to the ranch. It also called for parenting classes and visits by CPS to interview children and parents in the child abuse investigation.
Walther wanted to remove the August deadline and provide for psychological evaluations of the children.
All the children living at the ranch were placed in state custody in early April after CPS said the sect was forcing underage girls into marriage and sex and endangering all the children, including infants and boys.
An appellate court ruled last week that CPS failed to show an immediate danger to justify taking the children from their parents, saying the state failed to show any more than five of the teenage girls were being sexually abused and offered no evidence of sexual or physical abuse of the other children.
The Supreme Court agreed in a ruling Thursday.
Under state law, children can be taken from their parents if there's a danger to their physical safety, an urgent need for protection and if officials made a reasonable effort to keep the children in their homes — standards that were not met in the FLDS case, the appellate courts said.
The Supreme Court justices, however, said Walther could put restrictions on the children and parents to address concerns that they may flee once reunited and that CPS had authority to investigate and intervene in the family's lives to prevent abuse.
Texas authorities, meanwhile, collected DNA swabs Thursday from sect leader Warren Jeffs in an ongoing criminal investigation separate from the custody dispute.
A search warrant for the DNA alleges that Jeffs had "spiritual" marriages with four girls, ages 12 to 15.
Jeffs, who is revered as a prophet, is serving a prison sentence for a Utah conviction of being accomplice to rape in the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to a 19-year-old sect member. He awaits trial in Arizona on similar charges.
FLDS members, who believe polygamy brings glorification in heaven, say there was no abuse at the ranch. The sect is a breakaway sect of the Mormon church, which renounced polygamy more than a century ago.

I guess you could call it political

Kennedy Competes in Sailboat Race

Sen. Edward Kennedy took the helm of his sailboat "Mya" on Monday and rode a stiff southern wind from Nantucket back to Hyannis in a regatta just a week after undergoing a brain biopsy that diagnosed him with cancer.

The Massachusetts Democrat made partially good on a pledge from the prior week by competing in the second half of the "Figawi" boat race between the island and Cape Cod. He missed Saturday's outbound leg but got up early on Memorial Day and took a ferry across Nantucket Sound to compete in the return leg.

Also aboard for the more than two-hour journey were his wife, Vicki, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and relatives including sons Patrick and Edward Jr. and stepdaughter Caroline Raclin.

"It couldn't be a more wonderful day," Kennedy told several dozen well-wishers and a handful of reporters who greeted him dockside just down the street from his family's vacation compound.

The senator said he relished the company of "great friends and family" while Dodd, Kennedy's closest friend in the Senate, and Vicki Kennedy nodded in agreement.

Kennedy and his wife declined to discuss his upcoming treatment. Doctors are considering using chemotherapy, radiation or a combination to treat the tumor that triggered a seizure on May 17. Treatment could start as early as this week.

Kennedy planned to compete in the Figawi even after doctors determined last week that he suffered from a malignant brain tumor.

Kennedy has won the Figawi contest twice.

"He was at the helm the whole way, doing what he always does, guiding the boat to the head of the fleet," said family friend David Nunes of Colorado, an associate who regularly races with the senator and was on the boat as a crew member.

After the race was over, the group sat at anchor off Hyannis Port for an hour before coming ashore. "We always like to rehash the race," Nunes said.

Kennedy has had a limited public schedule since getting out of Massachusetts General Hospital last Wednesday.

Besides skipping the first part of the regatta Saturday, Kennedy also missed a commencement address he was slated to deliver Sunday at Wesleyan University. Instead, he asked Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama to address the graduates — including stepdaughter Caroline — at the Middletown, Conn., campus.

Kudos to you, old man. Keep it up.

Castro Criticizes Obama Over Embargo

Former President Fidel Castro says Sen. Barack Obama's plan to maintain Washington's trade embargo against Cuba will cause hunger and suffering on the island.

In a column published Monday by government-run newspapers, Castro said Obama was "the most-advanced candidate in the presidential race," but noted that he has not dared to call for altering U.S. policy toward Cuba.

"Obama's speech can be translated as a formula for hunger for the country," Castro wrote, referring to Obama's remarks last week to the influential Cuban American National Foundation in Miami.

Obama said he would maintain the nearly fifty-year-old trade sanctions against Cuba as leverage to push for democratic change on the island. But he also vowed to ease restrictions on Cuban Americans traveling to Cuba and sending money to relatives.

He repeated his willingness to meet with Raul Castro, who in February succeeded his elder brother Fidel to become the nation's first new leader in 49 years.

Castro said Obama's proposals for letting well-off Cuban Americans help poorer relatives on the island amounted to "propaganda for consumerism and a way of life that is unsustainable."

He complained that Obama's description of Cuba as "undemocratic" and "lacking in respect for liberty and human rights" was the same argument previous U.S. administrations "have used to justify their crimes against our homeland."

Castro, 81, has not been seen in public since undergoing emergency surgery in July 2006, but he often publishes columns in state newspapers.

Obama's calls for direct talks with Cuban leaders differ sharply from a more hardline policy favored by current President Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, whom Castro also has criticized.

Castro's column came three days after a prominent dissident group wrote an open letter to Obama suggesting that his idea of talking directly with Cuban leaders could help win freedom for prisoners.

"We have great hope that you can contribute to the immediate, unconditional liberation" of prisoners, wrote the Ladies in White, a group formed by relatives of people jailed in a government crackdown on political opposition in 2003.

Bill Clinton Alleges Cover-Up

Former President Bill Clinton said that Democrats were more likely to lose in November if Hillary Clinton is not the nominee, and suggested some were trying to "push and pressure and bully" superdelegates to make up their minds prematurely.?

"I can't believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out," Clinton said at a South Dakota campaign stop Sunday, in remarks first reported by "ABC News."

Clinton also suggested some were trying to "cover up" Sen. Clinton's chances of winning in key states that Democrats will have to win in the general election.

" 'Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.' "

Clinton did not expound on who he was accusing.

The former president added that his wife had not been given the respect she deserved as a legitimate presidential candidate.

"She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence," Clinton said. "And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running."

"Her only position was, 'Look, if I lose I'll be a good team player. We will all try to win, but let's let everybody vote, and count every vote,' " he said.

The former president suggested that if the New York senator ended the primary season with an edge in the popular vote, it would be a significant development.

"If you vote for her and she does well in Montana and she does well in Puerto Rico, when this is over she will be ahead in the popular vote," Clinton said.

"And they're trying to get her to cry uncle before the Democratic Party has to decide what to do in Florida and Michigan," which Clinton said the party would need to do "unless we want to lose the election."

The current requirement to claim the Democratic presidential nomination is 2,026 delegates, a formula that does not take into account delegates from Florida and Michigan, whose contests were not sanctioned by the party because they moved them up earlier on the primary calendar.

But if those votes were counted as cast, Hillary Clinton would still trail rival Barack Obama in the overall delegate count.

The former president said Sunday that the media had unfairly attacked his wife since the Iowa caucuses, repeating an often-used charge that press coverage had made him feel as though he were living in a "fun house."

"If you notice, there hasn't been a lot of publicity on these polls I just told you about," he said. "It is the first time you've heard it? Why do you think that is? Why do you think? Don't you think if the polls were the reverse and he was winning the Electoral College against Senator McCain and Hillary was losing it, it would be blasted on every television station?"

He added, "You would know it wouldn't you? It wouldn't be a little secret. And there is another Electoral College poll that I saw yesterday had her over 300 electoral votes. ... She will win the general election if you nominate her. They're just trying to make sure you don't."

Ontario, Canada

Telus Unlikely to Seek Merger With BCE, Globe and Mail Says

Telus Corp. is unlikely to seek a merger with BCE Inc. whether a planned buyout of BCE by a group led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan succeeds or fails, the Globe and Mail reported, citing unidentified people close to Telus.

Vancouver-based Telus, Canada's second-largest telephone company, isn't interested in a deal with BCE under either scenario because federal regulators would make merger approval conditional on the divestment of the companies' wireless businesses, the newspaper reported. BCE is the country's largest phone provider.

Telus, which considered a bid for BCE last year, would prefer to see its Montreal-based rival burdened with debt if Teachers' record C$52 billion ($52.5 billion) buyout proceeds, the newspaper said, quoting a person who works with both companies. Telus executives declined to comment, the newspaper said.

BCE's bondholders oppose the Teachers' transaction because they say it would load the company with debt and increase the risk of default.

The Supreme Court of Canada is considering whether to hear an appeal by BCE to overturn a May 21 ruling by Quebec's appeals court that blocked the proposed buyout.

Ontario man dead, Penticton resident hospitalized after stabbings

A 27-year-old Ontario man is dead and a Penticton, B.C., man is in hospital after an early-morning fight in which both were stabbed at a beach in the Okanagan city.

RCMP say two groups of men were involved in the incident which ended with the stabbings.

Cpl. Rick Dellebuur says a 23-year-old Penticton man remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

No names are being released at this time.

The Penticton and District Major Crime Units is continuing to investigate.

Ontario Appeal Court tosses ailing autism lawsuit thin lifeline

Parents fighting to have their autistic children receive expensive, specialized therapies within the public education system were tossed a thin lifeline by Ontario's highest court Friday.

In a unanimous ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal essentially handed back the parents some of their claims against the Ontario government and seven school boards, saying they need to be substantially reworked if they are to have any hope of succeeding in their lawsuit.

"I would say it's a mixed outcome," said David Baker, the lawyer representing the parents.

"The issue of charter damages and the issue of negligence (was) reopened - to a degree."

Baker said it was still too soon to say whether the group would now go back to the lower courts to try again on those issues.

The five families are trying to sue the Ontario government and the school boards for negligence and damages, accusing them of failing to provide or properly fund the specialized autism therapies - known as intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) and applied behaviour analysis (ABA) - in schools.

The therapies for autism, a poorly understood neurological condition that causes developmental disability and behaviour problems, can cost between $30,000 to $80,000 a year for each child.

The parents, who say they are forced to go to financial "extremes," filed a $1.25-billion lawsuit in 2004. They argued their children were victims of discrimination because other kids with special needs get therapy and an education within the publicly funded school system.

"The crucial issue is the issue of discrimination," Baker said.

"The reason why children with autism are out of school is that they are not being accommodated by being provided with ABA support while in school."

The court said that argument remains alive, if barely, but will require "substantial redrafting."

In its written ruling, the court was critical of the various claims for their fuzziness, at one point lamenting that the lack of clarity "makes it difficult to know" what the parents want.

"It continues to be difficult to correlate the appellants' allegations of fact with their proposed causes of action," Justice Susan Lang wrote on behalf of the three-member appeal panel.

The plaintiffs were also hoping to be allowed to sue for damages if their class action is eventually certified.

As with several of the other claims, the court ruled they could try again "with the necessary concision."

Taline Sagharian of Richmond Hill, Ont., whose 11-year-old son Christopher has autism, said the court had at least not shut the door entirely on their claims, but the decision needs further study.

"It's a little bit confusing," Sagharian said.

"But we're dedicated to the case, we're dedicated to the cause."

In March last year, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maurice Cullity sided with the provincial government in striking down several of the key claims, including negligence and damages.

The Appeal Court rejected the parents' negligence claims against the Ontario government, but left open the possibility that the school boards might yet be on the hook for how they ran programs aimed at accommodating children with special needs.

The court also tossed out a claim based on age discrimination related to Ontario's now-rescinded decision to pay for ABA for children only until age six.

New Ojibway reserve opens in northern Ontario

Members of an Ojibway community who have struggled for more than century for a home to call their own were celebrating the official opening of a new reserve in northern Ontario on Saturday.

Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek (Lake Nipigon Reserve) consists of 12.5 square kilometres at Partridge Lake, along Highway 11, between Jellico and Geraldton — about a three-hour drive northeast of Thunder Bay.

Almost 70 per cent of the 310 community members now living throughout the region say they're planning to make the new reserve their home.

Chief Yvette Metasinine says her people always thought of themselves as a community, even though they were not part of a reserve.

"We were called 'Lake Nipigon, Various Places,'" she said. "We didn't belong anywhere. We were always recognized by the federal government, but we didn't have a place to call home, I guess"

Elder Mary Ann Nord says she remembers her parents working with the government to get a reserve, but wondered whether the day would ever come.

"Every time we'd get a letter it would say, pretty soon, pretty soon, and then all of a sudden we got it," she said. "I almost started crying."

Unlike most First Nations in Canada, Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek has more elders than children.

Boston Celtics need to win on the road to advance past Pistons

The Boston Celtics simply watched film and talked about adjustments the day after losing at home for the first time in the playoffs.

"Sometimes, I think you need a mental break," Boston coach Doc Rivers said Friday. "So, we're taking one and we'll be fresh." At this point, it's time for Boston to try anything to stop its skid on the road.

If the Celtics don't, they're going home to watch the NBA finals on TV.

The Detroit Pistons ended Boston's home winning streak at nine with a 103-97 victory that tied the Eastern Conference final at one game apiece.

Now, the NBA's top-seeded team will have to take a game on the road - or else.

"If we're going to win this series, we've got to protect the home for the rest of the series and try to get one on the road," Paul Pierce said.

Boston's first chance comes Saturday night at The Palace.

"People are going to say, 'Well, they haven't won on the road. Can they win on the road?' They're going to come in with a great focus," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "We have to have the same focus and hope the adrenaline of the crowd will help us play with even more energy."

If the Celtics lose, they will be the first team to start 0-7 on the road in the playoffs to break a tie for the unwanted distinction with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971 and the Miami Heat in 2004.

"I don't think it's really bothering us, like, psychologically," Pierce insisted Thursday night after Boston fell just short of equaling an NBA record.

The Celtics were a few shots and stops away in Game 2 from matching a league mark by winning their first 10 post-season games at home. Six teams started 10-0 at home in the playoffs, including the 1986 Celtics and 1990 Pistons before both of those teams won titles.

Detroit has been pretty good at home, too, winning five straight since losing the post-season opener a month ago to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"It's going to be crazy," Richard Hamilton said. "We've got the best fans in the NBA. Everybody knows about the Palace at Auburn Hills."

Everybody also knows about Boston's Big Three and Detroit's true team.

Pierce scored 26, Kevin Garnett had 24 points and Ray Allen had a breakout game by scoring 20 of his 25 points in the second half.

"Their three main guys, for the first time in the playoffs, all played well together. Very well," Saunders said. "When we play well, usually it's a team effort and a lot of people are involved. Last night was a prime example of that."

While Boston's trio is going through the rigors of the playoffs for the first time, Detroit's nucleus is doing it for a fifth year in a row and a few key players have been together in the post-season in six straight conference finals.

The four Pistons who helped win the 2004 title each answered Boston's clutch shots in the final minute.

Hamilton made a mid-range jumper, Chauncey Billups scored on a reverse layup off an inbounds play, Rasheed Wallace had a free throw and Tayshaun Prince made two at the line.

Before that decisive stretch, two more Pistons contributed as Antonio McDyess made a jumper midway through the fourth and rookie Rodney Stuckey had six of his 13 points in 3-minute span early in the final quarter.

"What makes Detroit good is you can't really hone in on one guy," Rivers said. "Obviously in the two previous series we've had LeBron (James) and Joe Johnson. Even though they had players around them, clearly they were the focal point.

"(The Pistons) have five for sure, and six guys on certain nights they can go to."

<-- We can't let them win.