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NEW YORK, April 16 (UPI) -- Disc jockey Katsuhiro Honda's three pit bulls are bullying smaller dogs on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, his neighbors said. Several dog owners told the New York Post the Japanese hip-hop star's pit bulls Boss, One and Boy are terrorizing and attacking canines in the neighborhood. Celebrity facialist Christine Chin told the newspaper Boss was off his leash when he ripped into Bebe, her 12-pound Yorkshire terrier, this month, sending the smaller animal to the vet to have a $4,000 operation to sew her face back together. "My pet was almost shredded to...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Boyle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=38580 http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/04/15/susan-boyle-overhyped-internet-sensation-or-future-musical-theater-diva/ http://digg.com/d1opbc http://theblacksphere.blogspot.com/2009/02/all-jokes-aside.html http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2501746.0.The_beauty_that_matters_is_always_on_the_inside.php

Methamphetamine use during pregnancy appears to cause abnormal brain development in children, U.S. researchers said. Study author Dr. Linda Chang of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and colleagues used brain scans on 29 3- and 4-year-old children whose mothers used methamphetamine while pregnant and 37 unexposed children of the same ages. The MRI scans used diffusion tensor imaging to help measure the diffusion of molecules in a child's brain, which can indicate abnormal microscopic brain structures that might reflect abnormal brain development. The study, published online in the journal Neurologyscans, showed that children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure had differences...

President Barack Obama, left, greets Mexican President Felipe Calderon upon their arrival and take part in the welcoming ceremony at to the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City, Thursday, April 16, 2009. President Obama is in Mexico for a brief official visit on his way to attend the Summit of the Americas in the Caribbean.

The movie Beer Wars, which explores the challenges of craft beer brewers (and drinkers) in the United States, launches tonight in 440 theaters around the country. I E-mailed with director Anat Baron about the film and what she hopes people get out of it. Excerpts: How did you get the idea for the movie? When I left the beer industry [Baron previously worked for Mike’s Hard Lemonade], it didn’t leave me. I received an invitation to the annual beer industry convention and decided to see if there was a movie there. Are the other filmmakers you used as models for...

« A symposium called Crossroads: The Future of Human Life in the Universe seems timely about now (the site has been down all morning but should be up soon). With the Kepler mission undergoing calibration and CoRoT actively searching for small extrasolar worlds, we’re probably within a few dozen months of the detection of an Earth-like world around another star (and maybe, by other methods, much closer). This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of planetary sciences, but as soon as we accomplish it, a new ‘Grail’ emerges: The discovery of life on these worlds. And then...

Yankee Stadium debuts today. The Indians have just scored 9 runs in the 7th inning to take a 10-1 lead, including a grand slam. NYY bullpen falls apart.

CALIFORNIA CITY - A 250-megawatt solar power plant proposed for a former agricultural site north of the city has run into obstacles in the state permitting process. The company's plan to use fresh groundwater to cool the plant goes against state policy, so at a Tuesday public workshop representatives of the California Energy Commission outlined a series of alternatives that would not rely on fresh groundwater. However, the power plant operator argued that those alternatives are not feasible. Beacon Solar LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, has applied to the state to construct and operate the solar plant...

Investors held off making big moves Thursday after mixed news on the economy outweighed several pleasant surprises from earnings reports. Trading was relatively quiet following a late-day rally the day before. Earnings reports from banks and industrial companies fed hopes that some businesses might be stabilizing, but readings on the labor market and housing didn't provide clear signals on where the economy was heading. In early afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average edged up 10.43, or 0.1 percent, to 8,040.05. JPMorgan Chase & Co. became the latest bank to report results that were stronger than predicted, and investors welcomed...

Cybersecurity Bill Proposes Unprecedented Government Power Over the Internet - A cybersecurity bill introduced today in the Senate would give the federal government extraordinary power over private sector Internet services, applications and software. The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would, for example, give the President unfettered power to shut down Internet traffic in emergencies or disconnect any critical infrastructure system or network on national security grounds. The bill would grant the Commerce Department the ability to override all privacy laws to access any information about Internet usage in connection with a new role in tracking cybersecurity threats. The bill, introduced by...

Chili con carne, better known as chili for short, was named Official State Dish of Texas back in the late 1970s. Why chili and not barbecue or steak? According to Paul Burka, political writer, food guru, and all-around resident curmudgeon of Texas Monthly magazine, the esteemed members of the Texas State Legislature were bribed with beer (probably enough to do the trick) and free chili by a lobbyist for the cause. In his article, "I Still Hate Chili," Burka notes, "(Chili lobbyist) Robert Marsh brewed what he claimed to be the world's largest pot of chili to feed to the...

Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ has topped a new poll of ‘The Greatest Albums of all Time’. The 1982 hit notched up almost one in three of all votes cast by more than 40,000 fans, and 20 percent more than its nearest rival. Paying tribute to the king of pop, DJ Trevor Nelson said there would probably never be another album like it. “Thriller was innovative, groundbreaking and is timeless. I don’t think there will be another album like it - ever,” the Daily Star quoted him, as saying. In the poll, conducted by music channel MTV, Craig David’s ‘Born To Do...

It is time Don Rickles gets his due for his immense contribution to American entertainment. Donald Jay, a.k.a “Don” Rickles, the world’s most loved outrageous comic actor and author, will be awarded with the Legend Award at “The 2009 TV Land Awards”. The announcement was made by Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land, on 31st of March. The most popular candidates of Legend Award are entertainers who have wooed the common public for generations with their ground breaking performances. Don Rickles truly deserves this award. The “The 2009 TV Land Awards” will be held at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal...

"Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they want a war let it begin here." --Captain John Parker, commander of the militiamen at Lexington, Massachusetts, on sighting British Troops (attributed), 19 April 1775

UK copyright laws "needlessly criminalise" music fans and need to be updated, a consumer watchdog says. UK laws that make it a copyright violation to copy a CD that you own onto a computer or iPod should be changed, says Consumer Focus. The call came after global umbrella group Consumers International put the UK in last place in a survey of 16 countries' copyright laws.... "UK copyright law is the oldest, but also the most out of date," said Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus. "The current system puts unrealistic limits on our listening and viewing habits and is...

Conehead Lady GaGa has a hair-raising night out 9:10 am / Apr 15th, 2009 onmyradar Since leaping to fame last year, Lady GaGa has never been one to shy away with her eccentric outfits and flamboyant hairstyles. So when the Just Dance singer decided to enjoy a meal out in Hollywood with her new boyfriend last night, she took the opportunity to debut a new hairstyle. Stepping out in a black T-shirt and wet look leggings, the 23-year-old gave her low-key ensemble a GaGa twist with a tower of plaits on her head.Earlier that day, GaGa's hair was a little...

New York Gov. David Paterson on Thursday introduced a bill to allow gay marriage in the state, likening the effort to civil rights struggles and brushing aside objections from religious leaders. If the bill becomes law, New York will follow Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa in legalizing gay marriage, but the effort is expected to face resistance in the state Senate.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune banned dogs including pit bulls and Rottweilers from military housing Thursday nearly a year after a young boy was bitten to death, joining 12 states and several cities and towns that have adopted bans on specific breeds deemed dangerous. A 24-page order issued by base commander Col. Richard Flateau Jr. prohibits full or mixed breeds of pit bulls, Rottweilers or wolf dogs and any breed with "dominant traits of aggression." New base residents can't keep the dogs and visitors can't bring them in. The ban comes after a 3-year-old boy was fatally...

As a new resident, I have been wondering about my options for firearm ownership and concealed carry in the state of California. Yea, it's an anti-gun state, and there must be more than a few obstacles for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to bear arms, but I am willing to jump through the hoops. Specifically, I would like to know 1) what restrictions are there in regards to assault rifles, 2) are these restrictions limited to certain counties, 3) is concealed carry even an option, and 4) what would you recommend for maximum home protection in this state, without...

by Staten Island Advance Thursday April 16, 2009, 1:02 PM A Port Richmond woman walked away without any jail time while her boy friend remained behind bars in the savage pit bull mauling that killed a 90-year-old World War II veteran. Kim DiPrima, 38, was sentenced today to five years probation under a plea deal made in February when she copped to second-degree manslaughter stemming from the dogs' brutal attack on Henry Piotrowski in the victim's yard on John Street July 1 last year. Ms. DiPrima co-owned the two pit bulls -- Popeye and Brutus -- with her boyfriend and...