EXPENSIVE CELEB DIVORCES

EXPENSIVE CELEB DIVORCES

Breaking up is hard to do, especially when it involves splitting obscenely large amounts of money. Check out the celebri-couples who endured some of the costliest divorces on record.

Tiger Wood's affairs cost him eight figures in his divorce from Elin Nordegren, but can you believe that it's not even in the top three all-time most expensive splits?

BING: See just how much Tiger had to pay for stepping outside his marriage

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: One of Tiger's admitted dalliances was with a neighbor's daughter

It's not always the guy writing the check, of course; Madonna learned that the hard way when she split from her director hubby, Guy Ritchie.

BING: Learn just how much Madonna's split from Guy cost her

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Madonna's first husband has been dating an actress half his age

Take Arnold and Maria. If they do say, "Hasta la vista, baby," then his bank account will be taking a serious blow.

BING: Find out how much Arnold stands to lose if he and Maria divorce

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: What nickname did Arnold's allegedly wandering hands earn him?

As the scriptwriter of "E.T.," Melissa Mathison made bank, but she still took away a tidy sum when she divorced Harrison Ford in 2004.

BING: Find out how much it pays to divorce Harrison Ford

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Did Han Solo get frisky with Princess Leia?

Given that he's already going through another nasty split, it's hard to believe that Mel Gibson's divorce from his wife, Robyn, may not yet even be finalized. The projected numbers, however, are staggering.

BING: Find out how much Robyn stands to win from Mel

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Which 2006 event marked the start of Gibson's lock on tabloid headlines?

Technically, Jerry Hall should have gotten more out of her divorce from Mick Jagger, but then she learned the marriage was ceremonial and not official. Whoops!

BING: Find out how much of his fortune Mick had to part with

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Which rock star did Hall leave for Jagger?

Ouch. Love don't cost a thing, but Jennifer Lopez's short-lived marriage to Cris Judd sure did.

BING: Did divorcing J.Lo make Cris Judd set for life?

FIND: What's the latest on J.Lo's divorce from Marc Anthony?

SEARCH: Judd had been part of the entertainment business too. Find out what he did.

Linda Bollea filed for divorce from her husband of 24 years, Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea, in 2007, but it wasn't until 2011 that a settlement was reached. Let's just say that while Hulk Hogan could hold his own in a wrestling ring, his wife proved a fiercer fighter in the courtroom.

BING: How much did Linda get from her ex-husband?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Watch clips from their reality show, 'Hogan Knows Best'

Janet Jackson may have secretly married Rene Elizondo, but it's no secret today that she ended up paying big when he filed for divorce.

BING: Find out how much Janet had to turn over to Rene

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Jackson is rumored to have a child with another singer/ex-husband. Who is it?

Marcia Murphey was married to Neil Diamond through the most profitable years of his career, so he was singing the blues when he agreed to the divorce settlement.

BING: Just how much did Maria win from the Sweet Caroline hit-maker?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Diamond was 22 on his first trip down the aisle. Who was his bride?

Even after Diandra Luker divorced Michael Douglas in 2000, the two kept fighting over money up to the release of his 2010 film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

BING: How much did Douglas have to hand over to Diandra?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: What happened to the person who stalked Douglas and his current wife?

Actress Amy Irving famously scored a hefty chunk of ex-husband Steven Spielberg's money when a judge ruled that their pre-nup was invalid.

BING: Find out how much Spielberg's legal snafu cost him

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: When the couple was dating, Irving had an affair with which country star?

Paul McCartney's short-lived marriage to Heather Mills ended with a hefty payoff, but that's just pocket change to a former Beatle, right?

BING: How badly did Heather Mills break the McCartney bank?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: What is the suspected reason for the break up of McCartney's first engagement?

This Chicago Bull truly got the horns. If you don't count Rupert Murdoch as a celeb, then it's Michael Jordan who endured the most expensive divorce.

BING: How big of a slam dunk was Juanita Vanoy's settlement?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Why did an old girlfriend sue Jordan?

Cindy Silva made a wise financial decision when she divorced Kevin Costner after hits like "Bull Durham" but before bombs like "Waterworld."

BING: Did Cindy earn so much that she needed her own bodyguard?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Did Costner have a fling during the filming of "Waterworld"?

A royal title doesn't preclude you from going through the same divorce drama as everyone else. But how did it affect Prince Charles and Princess Di?

BING: Find out how much Diana won when she surrendered her tiaras

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Which taped conversations embarrassed the Prince?

Kenny Rogers's divorce from his wife Marianne proved you've got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them and know when to pay off an angry ex-wife.

BING: Find out how much Kenny Rogers had left when he was counting his money post-split

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: How many times has Rogers been married?

Nope, that's not Ted Danson's ex-wife, Casey Coats. It's Whoopi Goldberg, whose affair with Danson broke up his marriage and cost Danson some serious scratch.

BING: Find out how much Ted's affair cost him in his divorce

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: What performance got Danson in hot water in 1993?

Lionel Richie became significantly less rich when his wife split from him in 2004. While Diane Alexander kept the money, she didn't keep his name.

BING: Find out how lucrative marrying Lionel was for Diane Alexander

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: What was the alleged incident that ended Richie's first marriage?

Phil and Jill Collins sound like they go together, but the marriage didn't last. It did, however, produce actress Lily Collins.

BING: Find out how much Jill won in their divorce settlement

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: Why did Collins' first marriage end?

Pro-golfer Greg Norman shared his victory trophy with his wife Laura in 1986. When they split 20 years later, Norman wasn't so glad to share his fortune.

BING: Was divorcing Greg Norman a birdie, or a hole-in-one?

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: How long did Norman's marriage to a tennis star last?

Donald Trump's divorce from Ivana set the standard for high-stakes splits back in 1992, but compared to others on this list, the former Mrs. Trump got a small sum.

BING: Find out how Donald's wallet suffered when they split

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: How much older is Trump than his current wife?

Linda Hamilton married James Cameron in 1997, the exact year he hit it big with "Titanic." Just two years later, she walked away with a good portion of his fortune.

BING: Find out how much James had to sacrifice for freedom

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: How many times has Cameron been married?

Exactly how much do you have to pay your ex in order to hold the record for the most expensive divorce ever? Ask Fox NewsCorp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his former wife Anna.

BING: Find out the dollar figure of the most expensive divorce ever

FIND: See photos of the couple

SEARCH: How many days after the divorce did Murdoch re-marry?

Golf cart runs wild after football game

Golf cart runs wild after football game

Golf cart runs wild after football game, Golf cart goes astray after football game. Patrons at the 5A Division II State High School Championship football game in Texas witnessed the unexpected Saturday night when a golf cart got loose and ran over a group of people near midfield. A worker stopped the cart before it did more damage.

Ray Rice was preparing to face the Cleveland Browns last Sunday when he received a text message from Vonta Leach, his teammate on the Baltimore Ravens.

Leach was concerned about Rice's position on the NFL list of rushing leaders. Seeing Rice in 14th place was unacceptable, so Leach, a fullback, attempted to do something about it.

"He sent me a text before the game and it showed all the guys' rushing numbers," Rice said. "His text was, 'C'mon now, we've got to have a big one this week. Look where you're at.'"

Leach, who led Arian Foster to the NFL rushing title with Houston last season, said, "It was kind of motivation for him and myself."

The ploy produced the desired result. Rice ran for a career-high 204 yards in Baltimore's 24-10 victory to climb into seventh place on the rushing list with 926 yards, 111 behind leader Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville.

Now in his fourth pro season, the 5-foot-8 Rice is Baltimore's biggest offensive star. He leads the Ravens (9-3) with 11 touchdowns and ranks second in the NFL with 1,473 total yards from scrimmage (14 yards behind Chicago's Matt Forte).

Quarterback Joe Flacco has done a fine job this year, but Rice is the key to the Baltimore offense. After the Ravens beat San Francisco 16-6 on Thanksgiving night, linebacker Terrell Suggs outlined Baltimore's best course of action for winning in December.

"As long as we always keep the game plan in our grasp and do what we do best, play Ravens football, feed every defense a lot of Rice, I think we've got a good chance of making a good run at this thing," Suggs said.

Suggs reiterated his stance this week as Baltimore prepared to face the winless Indianapolis Colts.

"The thing is, you want your best players with the ball," Suggs said. "When Ray is getting the ball, good things happen for us. I am not a coach, I am not an offensive coordinator, but I know what wins."

Since coming to the Ravens as a second-round pick out of Rutgers in 2008, Rice has developed into a dual threat. Sometimes he runs the ball, sometimes he catches it. Either way, opposing defenses have their hands full trying to account for him.

"He's been tremendous," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "To say he's an integral part of what they do is an understatement."

Rice broke into the NFL the same time John Harbaugh became Baltimore's head coach. Harbaugh always respected Rice's talent on the field, but over the years he's noticed the running back taking a commanding role in the locker room.

"He's become a tremendous leader as a young guy. But he's not a young guy anymore, is he?" Harbaugh said. "He's a premier player. He's a playmaker. He's a great guy, very mature, and one of the hardest working guys on the team."

Rice amassed a combined 2,041 yards in 2009 and earned a berth in the Pro Bowl, but he believes he's a better football player now because of the knowledge he gained from Leach and Ricky Williams, who has settled into the role of Rice's backup.

"Between Vonta and Ricky Williams, they've been the best thing that's happened to me since I've been a Raven," Rice said. "I learn a lot from Vonta and Ricky. Vonta, essentially, is going to take me where I need to be, and that's in the run game."

Leach made the Pro Bowl last season for the job he did in front of Foster, and Rice is all for seeing Leach make a return trip.

"I'm a fan of sending Leach to the Beach," Rice said, referring to the sandy shores of Honolulu.

Asked to compare Foster to the smaller Rice, Leach said, "Foster is more of an upright runner, and Ray has a low center of gravity. Both of them can be on the field for first, second and third downs. They make people miss, and that's a home run. I've had the pleasure of blocking for both of them. I'm the lucky guy."

Leach has provided holes for Rice to zip through, and Williams, 34, has given the 24-year-old Rice veteran guidance.

"With Ricky, he asks me questions and I ask him questions," Rice said. "We're always picking each other's brain."

But Williams has a hard time picking Rice's best quality.

"He's definitely a great running back, definitely a leader," Williams said. "He's strong, elusive and explosive. When you add all those things together, you understand why he's so effective."

Growing up in New Rochelle, N.Y., Rice often heard he was too small to play football. The refrain was repeated at Rutgers, and many wondered whether he could survive in the NFL.

The question has been answered.

"I've gotten over that part. That's part of the proving part," Rice said. "Look at (5-7) Jones-Drew. Nobody worries about his size anymore because he's packing a powerful punch. I feel like my situation was the same thing. Once you get known as a great football player, you just go from there."

Reindeer meat sells out

Reindeer meat sells out

Reindeer meat sells out, Reindeer meat sells out after protest. Despite outrage from activists, tinned Reindeer meat sold out last week at a London-based store that sells high-class foodstuffs. The pricey snack is described on the tins as an 'indulgent winter treat' coming from a 'farm-raised relative of Rudolph'.For the best smoked reindeer meat in Mittädalen in northern Sweden look up Lars Gunnar Thomasson, 59. Lars is a Sami, one of the indigenous people living in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia who have been herding reindeer and producing reindeer meat since the 16th century.

The Sami are 20,000 strong in Sweden, and 3,000 of them still rely on reindeer to earn a living. Reindeer meat is very tender, low in fat and can be prepared in a number of dishes, including roasts, stews, cold cuts and steaks.
Lars begrudgingly shared his meat-smoking secrets with COLORS: “Cut the reindeer meat into layers, then place it in a bucket with salt and add some sugar. Leave it for 10 days. The day before smoking it, place it in the cooler.
Then hang the meat in the smokehouse and light a fire of old, wet birch wood. Smoke it for 30 to 40 hours.” Lars grins as he continues, “Then circle it three times singing as badly as you can. You see, Caruso could never make meat taste like mine. He sings too sweetly.” Reindeer herders follow the animals’ seasonal migration from high mountains in the spring and summer to forest grazing grounds in the winter. “Reindeer herding is not a normal job,” says award-winning producer Lennart Blindh, 60. “If you choose this work, it’s a different set of values. It’s the freedom to be with nature, where life revolves around the seasons.” But landowners have different values, and in recent years have brought lawsuits against the Sami, challenging their right to let reindeer graze on their property. They want the Sami to pay SKr20 (US$2.80) per hectare for grazing rights.
“It’s ridiculous,” exclaims student Eli Larsdotter Brynhildsvoll, 28. “The herders don’t have that kind of money.
So the landowners want someone else to pay. But who? Everybody thinks the Swedish government is looking out for the Samis, but in the end they’re letting us down.”
An animal welfare group have criticised the Swedish furniture company, Ikea, for selling reindeer meat urging the chain to get it off their shelves.
Ikea have been accused of animal cruelty by Viva! as they claim that modern hunting methods causes the animals stress and are cruelly exploited at the hands of hunters.
The campaigners of Viva!, the Vegetarian’s International Voice for Animals, believe that by selling the meat Ikea is condoning animal cruelty and will continue to do so unless the meat is no longer sold in their stores.
The modern hunting method involves the reindeers being surrounded by helicopters, herded by snowmobiles and then trucked several hundred miles causing them mental stress.
Ikea, with 17 stores in the UK, sells reindeer meat in its food halls, along with other Swedish food products, at £1.75 for 30g of reindeer salami and £2.25 for 100g of reindeer.
A Viva! Spokesman said, “We are calling on the company to withdraw the sales of the meat, due to the cruel exploitation these wild animals suffer at the hands of the huntsmen”.

More than 70% of the slaughtered reindeer are calves, meaning they die before they get to see snow, the animal welfare group claims.
The group used evidence from Uppsala University in Sweden from 2005 to back up the reasoning behind their argument. It demonstrates that the reindeers were caused “considerable physical and mental stress” due to the modern uses of motorcycles, snowmobiles and helicopters in the extensive hunting process.
Viva!’s claims and the evidence from the Swedish university showed that the pain did not stop at the catching process. Once caught the reindeer had to be transported up to 1,000 km only to meet their end.
Ikea’s response go against these accusations denying that they were cruel and strove to make sure they met animal welfare standards.
A statement released by Ikea said that the figure that said that 70% of reindeers being caught were calves represented “a national figure for Sweden” and was not specific to Ikea.
The use of modern machinery was also defended in the statement stating that it keeps the reindeer safe from predators and is used “because of the large size of the reindeer herding area (half the size of Sweden)”.
The charity has already removed Kangaroo and other exotic animals from the shelves of supermarkets to fight animal cruelty.

Therapy dog helps law students

Therapy dog helps law students

Therapy dog eases law students' stress, Therapy dog Zoe works the crowd of law students at UC Irvine, looking for someone to lavish attention upon. The group PAWS, brought therapy dogs to campus Tuesday to de-stress harried students who are studying for final exams starting Friday.

Stressed-out law students found a little comfort while deep in the throes of final exams Thursday when Ella the therapy dog stopped by to offer her services. There already is talk of expanding the program beyond the law school next year.

Is man’s best friend also child’s best therapist?
Bonding with a dog sounds like the perfect remedy for children who have lost their trust in people, and BYU undergrad Trisha Markle wants to quantifiably confirm whether the practice works.

A senior majoring in psychology, Trisha’s mentored research project examines the impact of animal-assisted therapy for children suffering from reactive attachment disorder.

The pilot study she’s co-managing with staff at the Utah State Hospital involves two dogs and a team of handlers that support therapy for children under the age of 10. Trisha supervises the video crew that records and categorizes the children’s behavior, facial expressions and interactions during therapy sessions.


Children struggling with reactive attachment disorder tend to have a history of abuse or neglect. Smiling and initiating conversation often do not come naturally. That’s where dogs come into the picture. The children are taught the way dogs express emotional cues and spend time playing with them, eventually training them to do tricks. Each child is given one-on-one time with a dog.

“The kids are nervous at first, but come to really like the dogs and ask about them when the dogs aren’t there,” Trisha said. “One student was very quiet and shy at the beginning, and now he’s opened up and is more energetic.”

BYU psychology professor Gary Burlingame serves as Trisha’s mentor. Burlingame and several colleagues at BYU are recognized for developing reliable systems to track the progress – or lack thereof – of mental health patients. Trisha also has a mentor in Kaylyn Ellis, who oversees programming for the therapy at the Utah State Hospital.

Animal-assisted therapy is widely practiced, and there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence of its success, but what makes Trisha’s project unique is the quantitative data it will provide through coding and evaluation.

When the pilot study wraps up this fall, Trisha and her two mentors will launch a full-scale study. This will be the first systematic examination on the impact of animal-assisted therapy for reactive attachment disorder.

Professor Burlingame says Trisha’s student mentoring grant from BYU helped Trisha secure an $11,000 co-sponsorship for the study from the Waltham Foundation.

Trisha has a mixed-breed dog of her own back home in the Tri-Cities, Wash. After graduating from BYU, she wants to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Penn St. QB hospitalized

Penn St. QB hospitalized

Penn St. QB hospitalized, Penn State QB hospitalized after fight. Penn State starting quarterback Matt McGloin injured in an alleged fight with wide receiver Curtis Drake. Just when it seemed the situation at Penn State couldn't get any worse, starting quarterback Matt McGloin was hospitalized Saturday after being injured in a fight with a teammate. McGloin was treated and released the same day.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State's football program, still reeling from the fallout of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse investigation, suffered another significant blow when starting quarterback Matt McGloin was briefly hospitalized Saturday after he was involved in an alleged post-practice fight with wide receiver Curtis Drake.
The alleged fight occurred in the team locker room inside the Lasch football building.
The Patriot-News spoke with Paul McGloin, Matt's father, by phone early Saturday evening. He said he was told by doctors that his son was treated for a seizure at Mount Nittany Medical Center and also likely suffered a concussion.
McGloin was released from Mount Nittany Medical Center later in the afternoon and was back at his apartment Saturday night, surrounded by a few teammates, his father and mother, Cathy McGloin.
A source told The Patriot-News that a scuffle broke out between Drake and McGloin in the locker room and Paul McGloin said he believed his son may have suffered his injuries when he hit the floor. The McGloins left their home in Scranton Saturday to visit with their son, arriving in State College around 4 p.m.
PSU athletics released a statement early Saturday evening, confirming the fight and an ongoing investigation by university police.
"Campus police and Penn State's Office of Judicial Affairs will investigate the incident and report results as they would for another other student in an incident on campus,'' read part of the statement.

Paul McGloin said he was alerted to his son's condition by PSU team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli. Paul McGloin also said that results of a CT scan and an MRI performed on Matt "came back negative". "That's good news, when I heard that,'' Paul McGloin added. "It's a big relief.''
Cathy McGloin, reached by The Patriot-News by phone later Saturday night, said her son was feeling better and had just eaten. She also told The Patriot-News her son was treated for a seizure.
Cathy McGloin planned to spend Saturday night in State College with Matt and the family was waiting on more medical updates from doctors.
"Doctor Sebastianelli plans to check on Matt tomorrow and then they're planning to give him some concussion tests,'' Cathy McGloin said.
The Patriot-News contacted Drake's mother, Chante Smith-Roberson, by phone on Saturday night and Smith-Roberson downplayed the alleged incident. She said she spoke with Drake earlier in the day.

"I don't have a lot to say but everything's fine,'' Smith-Roberson said. "This is no big deal. He's doing fine and I think everything's fine. People don't need to make this a big deal, given all that is going on up there.''
Neither PSU head coach Tom Bradley nor acting Athletic Director David Joyner returned a Patriot-News phone call seeking comment.
An emergency team meeting was called at 4:30 Saturday. It did not last long and players and coaches offered little comment on the matter, according to published reports.
The Penn State football website FightonState.com reported that Drake did attend the meeting. McGloin was unable to attend the meeting.
It is unclear whether Bradley or Joyner will address the matter Monday morning in State College during Penn State's scheduled TicketCity Bowl news conference. The Lions (9-3) face Houston (12-1) on Jan. 2 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The alleged fight is just the latest chapter in what has been a troubling six weeks for the university and the football program.
The Sandusky child sex abuse investigation broke on Nov. 4 and Athletic Director Tim Curley was charged with perjury for his role in the investigation a day later. Sandusky is a former PSU defensive coordinator.
The university fired iconic head coach Joe Paterno on Nov. 9 in the wake of the scandal, replacing him with Bradley, a longtime Paterno assistant coach.
Joyner, who heads a six-person search committee formed Nov. 28, is in the midst of a detailed, drawn-out search to find Paterno's permanent replacement.
But after Saturday's locker room incident that left Matt McGloin in need of hospitalization, Joyner may have to put the coaching search on hold.
Another Penn State search, one that involves the search for truth with regard to what took place between McGloin and Drake, is under way.

PETA New Year's opossum drop

PETA New Year's opossum drop

PETA New Year's opossum drop. BRASSTOWN, N.C. – A national animal rights group wants a North Carolina man to abandon his famous New Year's Eve Opossum Drop.The Washington-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Thursday said that Clay Logan's event is "cruel and illegal."
Logan, owner of Clay's Corner near the Georgia state line, hosts the parody of the Times Square Ball Drop as a family-friendly and alcohol-free New Year's Eve party.
The opossum is not actually dropped. It's lowered while inside a Plexiglas box.
Logan was undeterred after hearing about PETA's allegation. He's been down this road before.
In 2005, the group threatened to sue him for not having proper permits to keep a wild animal so he placed a dead opossum in the box and raised it up the pole outside his gas station. The opossum was road-kill.
The crowd, which can number as high as 3,000 with good weather, was not pleased that year and neither was Logan.
"People didn't like it at all," he said. "I got scolded heavy but I said 'Hey, I can't afford to be sued.'"
Logan said he has all his permits, though PETA disagrees.
He said an inspector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited him this week and approved of his care for this year's opossum. He names all of them OP.
"At 10 o'clock we bring the guests in and we will raise him up and he sits there for two hours and looks down on everybody — including PETA — and after it's over with we release him," he said.

Logan said the opossum are not harmed.
Some, he said, even hesitate to leave because they've enjoyed the two weeks of dog food and a dry place to sleep that come with being selected for the party.
He picks his opossum after treeing two or three with a hunting dog. He likes the ones with a lot of white in their fur. He said they tend to be gentle compared to the darker opossums.
Opossums have a natural defense called sulling, which is playing dead. He said none of his opossums have ever played dead during the event.
PETA says Logan doesn't have the proper North Carolina permits to keep an animal captive. It has asked the state Wildlife Resources Commission to stop the event.
An official with the agency didn't immediately return a message on Thursday.
PETA said the opossum "suffers through a barrage of terrifying stimuli" such as fireworks and gunfire.
"Ignorance of the law is not a defense, and cruelty to animals is indefensible," PETA Director Delcianna Winders said in a written statement. "Using a captive opossum as the centerpiece of a raucous party is cruel and illegal."
The party, which is free, includes a church choir, a blessing and a tribute to soldiers.
"We do the Lord's work the first half and then we turn the Devil loose the second half," Logan said
The Devil's part comes with men dressed as women for a beauty contest, he said. Logan's quick to point out the men are not in drag.
"They are southern gentlemen dressed up as southern ladies," he said. "I don't like it to be wrote up as men in drag because these guys will whup you over that."
He said a PETA representative visited him and asked him to use a toy opossum but he declined because of the way the group has treated him in the past.
Logan said he has no plans to cancel.
"It's a New Year's Eve party that you will remember what you done no matter how much fun you have," he said.

Teacher stupid student face

Teacher stupid student face

Teacher stupid student face. A Tennessee teacher suspended earlier this month for allegedly writing the word "stupid" on a student's forehead is now being investigated for other instances of inappropriate behavior, the county school director said today.

"We're trying to get anyone who's witnessed other things," said Matt Eldridge, director of Overton County Schools, adding that the school district is talking with teachers and other faculty members. "At that point we're going to turn it in to our attorneys. They'll come back with what's warranted with [regard to] charges, and what's not."

He refused to describe the nature of the most recent allegations but said they involved "unprofessional conduct."Eldridge would not identify the teacher other than to say that this was his first teaching job out of college and that the teacher had been an instructor at Allons Elementary School in Livingston, Tenn., since August.

Local news outlets have reported the teacher's name is Alex Boles. He could not be reached by phone, and it is unclear whether he has retained lawyer.

During the initial incident, which allegedly occurred Dec. 6, the teacher admitted to writing the word "stupid" on an eighth-grader's forehead after Eldridge confronted him Dec. 8. Boles had written the word backwards, Eldridge said, so that it would be reflected back to the student when the boy looked into a mirror.


Although the word had been written in permanent marker, Eldridge said "the child has hair over his forehead and that's probably why [his parents] didn't see it."

The teacher told Eldridge he was trying to play a joke.

"It was during class and, of course, that's not the appropriate way to joke with any of them," Eldridge said.

He found out about the incident from an employee at another school within the rural district, which serves 3,500 students.

"I did a little investigation," he said. "And someone told me they heard that was true so that next morning I contacted the principal [at the elementary school] and he investigated and found out it was true."

Man date steals car

Man date steals car

Man date steals car. Perhaps she was looking to give someone the key to her heart, but instead on a recent date a Florida woman gave her paramour the keys to her car during a movie. He ended up stealing the vehicle, and when she called him, he laughed about it. Talk about a dating horror story.


Michael Pratt, a 27-year-old resident of New Port Richey, was on a date with an unidentified 35-year-old woman from Zephryhills, according to the St. Pete Times. The two were watching a movie when Pratt asked for her car keys. He had left something in the car he needed to fetch, he explained.

Pratt never came back.


The woman called him. His reply: "I stole your car." He laughed and hung up.

>The 2012 Ford Focus she had been driving was actually a rental, and the woman continued to try to reach Pratt for two more days before finally contacting police.

Four days later, he finally let her know he had abandoned the car in a New Port Richey Walmart parking lot. Police found and arrested Pratt, who had previously served time in prison for grand theft auto.

No word on what movie the two had been seeing, but our money is on a double bill of Gone in 60 Seconds and He's Just Not That Into You.

Dog back to life before buried

Dog back to life before buried

Dog back to life before buried.  His eyes were fixed, he wasn't breathing and he was covered in blood.
There was just only thing left to say - Scamp was dead.
The terrier-Shih Tzu puppy had been hit by a car and apparently so badly injured that he had died on the road.His owner Paul McKinlay wrapped him a blanket and put him under a wheelbarrow to keep other animals away until they could arrange a proper burial in the back garden.
He and wife Rita then sat down with her grandchildren and told them their beloved pet had gone to heaven.
Until the next day, when Scamp woke up.

Mr McKinlay went out to bury his body only to find him sitting where he had been left, staring up and him and and wagging his tail.
They rushed the eight-month-old to the vet and after spending $3,000 on checks to make sure he was OK, they have now brought him home.

Mrs McKinlay said she has told her grandchildren that Scamp is in fact still alive and that his Lazarus-like return from the grave is a special Christmas present for them all.
She claimed that it was the freezing conditions outside their home in Yelm, Washington, which could have caused his body to slow down and keep him alive.
Mr McKinlay said that Scamp escaped when he 'wasn't paying attention'.
He said: 'The next thing I heard a car. I figured he was gone, I figured he had passed away'.
The next morning Scamp was up and fine, despite the fact his eyes had been fixed and he wasn't breathing and he was covered in blood. Tests showed he's okay, and he's back with the family
He went outside, wrapped him in a blanket and brought him indoors.

Mrs McKinlay said: 'It was real sad to watch them (her grandchildren) crying over their dog. We were trying not to cry'.
When her husband rushed in the next day to tell her Scamp was alive, she shouted: 'Oh my gosh'.
She added that the freezing temperatures may have been the reason why the dog survived.
She said: 'It could have slowed down his body functions and made his brain work slow, that's what the vet said, that's what saved his life.
'Christmas is about kids, about miracles, as long as family are together and Scamp is part of our family.'

Pink Bibles uproar Planned Parenthood

Pink Bibles uproar Planned Parenthood

Pink Bibles uproar Planned Parenthood.  LifeWay Christian Resources has decided to pull pink breast cancer awareness Bibles off the shelves of major retailers.

For every pink Bible purchased, one dollar went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation which donates to Planned Parenthood. Last year alone the Komen Foundation gave over half a million dollars in funding to the abortion provider, according to The Blaze.

The Christian Post was emailed a letter Wednesday written by LifeWay President and CEO Thom S. Rainer regarding the matter. It states: “As this project has developed, we realized it was a mistake.”

Rainer goes on to say, “When our leadership discovered the overwhelming concern that some of Komen's affiliates were giving funds to Planned Parenthood, we began the arduous process of withdrawing this Bible from the market.”

LifeWay did say that Komen has assured them that the funding is only used for breast cancer screening and awareness. But the Christian resource company said the partnership with Komen “is not in keeping with LifeWay’s core values to have even an indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood.”

The Komen Foundation issued a statement saying they were sorry to hear LifeWay had decided to end the sale of the Bibles. They also said “LifeWay is a first-year partner that pledged $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure from sales of the pink-covered 'Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Awareness Bible.' LifeWay and Komen for the Cure entered the partnership with the mutual hope that this Bible would have special meaning for women and their families during breast cancer treatment and recovery."LifeWay became aware of the concern over the Bible last week after seeing comments on online pro-life advocacy blogs. They also received numerous emails and phone calls from individuals concerned about the pink version of the Holman Christian Standard Bible.


The Bibles were published by B&H Publishing, which is a division of LifeWay Resources. And LifeWay is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. All of these organizations are heavy hitters in the Christian market, which leaves many wondering how such large Christian organizations missed the Komen-Planned Parenthood connection.

When CP asked Martin King, director of Communications for LifeWay Christian Resources, if LifeWay was aware of the Planned Parenthood connection before the Bible was published, he said he was not sure.

The Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Awareness Bibles have been on the shelves of major retailers like Walmart, Kmart and Target since October. They were released during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

King told CP that the Bibles were being sold in bigger retailers and not sold in LifeWay stores because the “the intent of this was to reach people who probably would not frequent our stores.”

The pink Bibles are currently still on the store shelves. King said LifeWay has “not had the opportunity to meet with the retailers.”

King was unable to comment on the number of Bibles that have been sold already, or how much has gone to the Komen foundation. He did say that LifeWay is “obligated by the packaging around the Bible to give a dollar per Bible sale to Komen,” at least while it is still on the shelf.

Once the Bibles are pulled, LifeWay still plans to put them to good use and is working on a plan for how to do that, King noted. He said he is unsure as to whether or not they will be sold again, but if they are they “won’t be sold with Komen packaging and dollar commitment.”

Susan Tyrrell from Lifenews.com writes, “If you want to give hope to a person with breast cancer, buy her a Bible, buy her a book of inspirational stories to go along with it, but don’t buy her the Komen version of the Bible. The text might be the same, but the funding isn’t.”

Christian Bale attacked in China

Christian Bale attacked in China

Christian Bale attacked in China BEIJING — The actor Christian Bale was assaulted by government-backed guards on Thursday when he tried to visit a blind lawyer who has been illegally confined to his home in eastern Shandong Province.The lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, has emerged as a cause célèbre among the country’s rights advocates, dozens of whom have been similarly roughed up when they tried to break through the cordon that local officials have placed around Mr. Chen’s village.

The encounter, captured by a CNN camera crew who accompanied him on the eight-hour drive from Beijing to Dongshigu village, promises to become a public relations debacle for China, which has been eagerly promoting Mr. Bale’s latest movie, “The Flowers of War,” which premiered last Sunday at the one of the capital’s most important government buildings.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, the movie was partly financed by loans from a state-owned bank and it is the country’s foreign film submission for the Academy Awards. At $94 million, it is also said to be the most expensive Chinese-made film ever. Officials here have expressed hope that it might earn China its first Oscar.

The footage of Mr. Bale’s attempted visit is dramatic. In it, he is seen pleading with the men who guard Dongshigu’s entry points and then retreating as they push and punch him. “Why can I not visit this free man?” he asks repeatedly. The men, dressed in thick green winter coats respond with shouts of “Go away.” Even after they have retreated into their car, the group, which included a translator, was chased for 40 minutes by men in a gray van.

“What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is,” Mr. Bale said.

In recent months, scores of Chinese activists have had similar experiences, although some have endured far more violence, sometimes at the hands of uniformed police who the victims had called for assistance.

None of the journalists, diplomats or rights lawyers who have made the journey to Dongshigu have succeeded in meeting Mr. Chen, 40, who has been imprisoned in his home, along with his wife and child, since his release from prison in September 2010.

A self-taught lawyer, Mr. Chen crossed the line from celebrated lawyer to persecuted dissident after he took on the case of thousands of local women who had been the victims of an aggressive family planning campaign that included forced sterilizations and abortions. In 2006, he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years during a trial that his legal defenders described as farcical. The charges included destroying property and organizing a crowd to block traffic, crimes allegedly orchestrated while he was under house arrest.


Mr. Bale’s encounter with China’s authoritarian system is sure to complicate efforts to publicize the film, part of a government campaign to bolster the country’s so-called soft power. The film, which premieres on Dec. 23 in the United States and Europe, opens this week in China on 8,000 screens and has been accompanied by a herculean publicity effort.

Speaking to reporters after the film’s premiere on Sunday, Mr. Bale — whose credits include “Batman Begins” and “The Fighter” — defended “The Flowers of War” against accusations that it was overly propagandistic. The film depicts Japanese atrocities during their 1937 occupation of Nanjing, a highly emotional topic that is often used by the Communist Party to stir up nationalistic sentiment among ordinary Chinese.

Mr. Bale plays an American mortician who dons the vestments of a Catholic priest in his effort to save young Chinese women who have taken refuge in a Catholic boarding school during the Japanese invasion. By some estimates, 300,000 people died during the ensuing orgy of murder and rape.

“I think that would be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction,” he said of suggestions made by critics that it excessively demonizes the Japanese. “I don’t think they’re looking closely enough at the movie.”

The government has yet to officially react to news of Mr. Bale’s tussle, although it was largely blocked from the Internet on Friday. CNN featured the video on its homepage but the video could not be opened.

It is not the first time that Hollywood, eager to gain a foothold in China’s fast-growing film industry, has found itself entangled in Chinese domestic politics. Last October, a group of American producers shooting a comedy in the county where Mr. Chen is being held were criticized for their partnership with the local Communist Party officials who have orchestrated his detention.

jyoti amge shortest woman

jyoti amge shortest woman

jyoti amge shortest woman. World's shortest woman named, A high school student in India now holds the Guinness Record for the world's shortest woman. Jyoti Amge just turned 18 and says she feels grateful for being small. She plans on getting her degree and wants to be an actress World's shortest woman title changes hands. An Indian woman is celebrating her 18th birthday by winning the title of world's shortest woman from the Guinness World Records.


Guinness representatives on Friday measured Jyoti Amge at 62.8 centimetres tall - 7 centimetres shorter than the 22-year-old American who had held the title since September.

It is not Amge's first Guinness record. Until Friday she was considered the world's shortest teenager, but in turning 18 qualified for the new title.

Guinness says in a statement Amge has grown less than 1 centimetre in the last two years and will grow no more due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

Robber foiled by coffee pot

Robber foiled by coffee pot

Robber foiled by coffee pot, Police are looking for a would-be robber who they say tried to climb in through the drive-through window of a coffee shop. Workers fought back, but the man didn’t retreat to an allegedly stolen car until he was beaned by a coffee pot.After fighting off an attempted robbery last weekend, workers at the Duluth Godfather’s Pizza on London Road have discovered a newfound closeness.

Call it bonding by fear.

"We’re like a family now, and we take care of each other," said David Tyson, 24, who stood bravely between the pizza parlor’s cash register and a man believed to be armed last Saturday night.

According to a criminal complaint filed in St. Louis County District Court this week, five people — three men and two women — entered Godfather’s and ordered food at about 5 p.m.

Store manager Pete Boyechko said the group appeared intoxicated. He told them no food would be prepared unless they produced money to pay for it. When no one offered any cash, the group left the building, at 1623 London Road. Minutes later, however, they returned and attempted to write a check, but didn’t produce proper identification.

The group left the restaurant again, but only for a short time. Soon, one man, identified as Maurice Antonio Garcia, 30, of Crystal, Minn., returned and began arguing with Tyson, the restaurant supervisor.

"The guy was pounding on the register and punched the soda fountain. David stepped in front of him," said Michelle McDonell, 18, who works at the restaurant with her brother, Joe. "The guy was right in his face. When the guy got the register open, David pushed him back and closed it. The guy was swinging his arms the whole time."
Meanwhile, Boyechko called 911 from a back office.

"I heard these smacks and I thought someone was getting hit," he said.

The noise was actually the cash register being struck.

According to restaurant workers and the criminal complaint, Garcia went behind the counter and after the cash register. He was yelling and swearing at Tyson.

Garcia also allegedly put his hand in his trousers, leading restaurant workers to believe he was armed with either a gun or knife. It turned out he had no weapon.

Tension was high. There was no one else in the restaurant at the time.

"I thought one of us wasn’t going to go home that night," Boyechko said.

But Tyson, who has lived in Duluth for only a few months, stood his ground and pushed Garcia away, preventing a potential robbery.

During the altercation, another man in the group re-entered the store and tried to drag Garcia away. The two finally left, but were soon picked up by police, along with the three others in the group.

Police responded in force to the restaurant with at least nine squads.

"They were fortunate the police were in the immediate area and were able to respond quickly," said Sgt. Eric Rish of the Duluth Police Department.

The police presence was a huge relief to the five Godfather’s workers on duty that night.

"When I saw the police lights, my stress level went way down," a relieved Boyechko said.

Wanda runaway cow captured

Wanda runaway cow captured

Wanda runaway cow captured, Runaway cow captured. police captured a 400-pound runaway cow Animal control officers in Connecticut have captured Wanda, a runaway cow who's been on the lam for six months. They used two treats to lure her into a trap.

Talk about milking a story for all it's worth: police captured a 400-pound runaway cow who has been on the lam for the past five months. According to FoxCT, it took 15 people to capture Wanda the runaway cow at a farm in Oxford, CT yesterday. The steaks were high for those involved, who did everything they could to steer clear of hurting the animal, who had escaped capture twice before thanks to her deer friends!
Milford animal control director Rick George says it took two tranquilizer darts to subdue the cow; the 1 year old calf was not injured, except for a bloody nose she received when trying to get out of the feeding pen the group had made to contain her. But the oddest part of an overall odd story (the Post erroneously claimed Wanda was 800 pounds!)

is who Wanda was hanging out with during her five month journey: Wanda had joined up with a herd of deer who acted as her protection. The deer would stomp and snort to alert Wanda to possible danger, George said.
So for one brilliant moment, Wanda the 400-pound runaway cow and her deer best friends were legendairy throughout the forests of Connecticut. We feel we should apologize for all the terrible cow puns in the post—after all, we cud have stopped, but we didn't.

palm sized baby home

Palm sized baby home

Palm sized baby home. Palm-sized baby going home, Palm-sized Baby Among The World’s Smallest. Doctors say one of the smallest babies ever born, Melinda Star Guido, is nearly ready to go home. At birth, she weighed only 9 ½ ounces and could fit in the palm of her doctor’s hand. Since the baby is improving, the hospital is planning to release her.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At birth, Melinda Star Guido was so tiny she could fit into the palm of her doctor’s hand. Weighing just 9 1/2 ounces — less than a can of soda — she is among the smallest babies ever born in the world.

Most infants her size don’t survive, but doctors are preparing to send her home by New Year’s.

Melinda was born premature at 24 weeks in late August and is believed to be the second-smallest baby to survive in the U.S. and third smallest in the world. She spent the early months cocooned in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit in Los Angeles.

Despite hurdles, Melinda lived to her original Thursday due date. Doctors say it is too early to say how she will fare developmentally and physically when she grows up.

For now, her 22-year-old mother sits at her bedside almost every day and stays overnight whenever she can.

On Wednesday, Haydee Ibarra caressed Melinda through the portholes of the incubator where nurses pinned up a homemade sign bearing her name. Now 3 ½ months old and weighing 4 pounds, Melinda gripped Ibarra’s pinky finger and yawned.

“Melinda, Melinda,” she cooed at her daughter dressed in a polka dot onesie. “You’re awake today.”