by Mike Baron
Ashley Biden snorting coke on video?. Ashley Biden is the daughter of Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden.
A friend of the daughter of veep is attempting to hawk a videotape that he claims shows Ashley Biden snorting cocaine at a house party this month in Delaware.
Ashley, 27, is now caught up in a cocaine video scandal and there is no doubt that this is particularly distressful considering her father has been crusader against drugs. In fact, he is the one who coined the phrase 'drug czar' in 1982 while campaigning for the 'war on drugs'.
An anonymous male "friend" of Biden took the video, according to Thomas Dunlap, a lawyer representing the seller. Dunlap and another man claiming to be a lawyer showed The New York Post 90 seconds of a 43-minute tape, saying it was legally obtained and that Biden was aware she was being filmed. The Post turned down the opportunity to pay for the video.
The fact that the New York Post won't pay for the video doesn't mean there won't be a bidding war for it. Read more here.
If and when the video is leaked we will post it here.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
April Fools Pranks
Plus you can always check out http://www.onecrazyoffice.com for some great office pranks.
by Jessica Madison
Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, the one day of the year where you can get away with elaborate pranks and sophomoric gags alike with some amount of impunity. So as long as there are no serious consequences – that is consequences that last longer than 24 hours – you’re pretty much good to go. Now all you need are some good pranks. So in case you’re like most people (i.e. me) and don’t already have your three-part April Fools’ plans already lain out, here are some quick and easy last minute April Fools’ Day pranks for you to try.
The Old Rubber Band on the Faucet Prank
Not much to explain here. Put a rubber band over the bottom of a faucet, then stand in wait for your unsuspecting target(s) to use the sink. Hilarity ensues. Note: this works best in the morning before your target is fully awake.
Pretend Parking Ticket
Another simple trick. Print out a fake parking ticket. Insert under the windshield wiper of your loved ones, and wait for the response. For a quick result, write “April Fools!” in big bold letters on the back.
Set The Clock Two Hours Ahead
Pretty self explanatory, this works best for family members or with significant others. Simply wait until your target has gone to bed, then change both their clock and their alarm two hours ahead. That way, when their alarm goes off they panic thinking they’ve overslept two hours. At which time you can yell: April Fools!
Related prank: Set their alarm for the middle of the night, then hide their clock in a drawer. Leave a note saying April Fools’ attached to the clock.
Superglue Coins to the Ground
Empire Records anyone? This one is also self explanatory. Glue coins to the ground in a busy area, the sidewalk works well, and wait nearby as people passing by try to pick up the coins.
Pant-Splitting Fun
Find an old piece of cloth. Then place a dollar bill on the floor. When you’re unsuspecting target comes along, stops, and bends down to get it, rip the cloth down the middle. Almost every time the target will reach back in panic to check their pants.
These should give you a good start. Any other ideas you can think of? List them in the comments section.
by Jessica Madison
Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, the one day of the year where you can get away with elaborate pranks and sophomoric gags alike with some amount of impunity. So as long as there are no serious consequences – that is consequences that last longer than 24 hours – you’re pretty much good to go. Now all you need are some good pranks. So in case you’re like most people (i.e. me) and don’t already have your three-part April Fools’ plans already lain out, here are some quick and easy last minute April Fools’ Day pranks for you to try.
The Old Rubber Band on the Faucet Prank
Not much to explain here. Put a rubber band over the bottom of a faucet, then stand in wait for your unsuspecting target(s) to use the sink. Hilarity ensues. Note: this works best in the morning before your target is fully awake.
Pretend Parking Ticket
Another simple trick. Print out a fake parking ticket. Insert under the windshield wiper of your loved ones, and wait for the response. For a quick result, write “April Fools!” in big bold letters on the back.
Set The Clock Two Hours Ahead
Pretty self explanatory, this works best for family members or with significant others. Simply wait until your target has gone to bed, then change both their clock and their alarm two hours ahead. That way, when their alarm goes off they panic thinking they’ve overslept two hours. At which time you can yell: April Fools!
Related prank: Set their alarm for the middle of the night, then hide their clock in a drawer. Leave a note saying April Fools’ attached to the clock.
Superglue Coins to the Ground
Empire Records anyone? This one is also self explanatory. Glue coins to the ground in a busy area, the sidewalk works well, and wait nearby as people passing by try to pick up the coins.
Pant-Splitting Fun
Find an old piece of cloth. Then place a dollar bill on the floor. When you’re unsuspecting target comes along, stops, and bends down to get it, rip the cloth down the middle. Almost every time the target will reach back in panic to check their pants.
These should give you a good start. Any other ideas you can think of? List them in the comments section.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Police: Man Fatally Stabs Sister, Decapitates 5-Year-Old On Birthday
Can someone explain what makes someone do this to another human being? I just can't fathom anything like this. I was a teenager once myself and had all the emotions, but I never wanted to intentionally hurt anyone especially my family, one of whom is only 5 years old.
MILTON, Massachusetts — A man on a rampage fatally stabbed his 17-year-old sister, decapitated his 5-year-old sister in front of a police officer and then turned toward his 9-year-old sister with a knife in his hand before officers shot him dead in what their chief described as "a killing field."
There was no clear motive for the events that unfolded Saturday, the day after the 5-year-old's birthday, in a tony Boston suburb that also is home to Gov. Deval Patrick. But there was no doubt at the carnage wrought by 23-year-old Kerby Revelus against his sisters in the two-family home they shared with their parents and grandmother.
Five-year-old Bianca was killed as a cake for her birthday, which investigators believe was Friday, sat on the kitchen table. Nine-year-old Sarafina dialed emergency services and watched police shoot her brother as her elder sister, 17-year-old Samantha, lay dead on the floor.
Sarafina was hospitalized Sunday with defensive wounds to her hands and stab wounds in her abdomen and one of her legs, police said.
"In policing, we see the raw human emotion every day, but to think that a human being could afflict such an atrocious, violent act on his own family is unbelievable," Milton police Chief Richard G. Wells Jr. said. "When I walked up to the first officer (on the scene), I could see the whole story right in his face. This just told me that this was something very bad."
Saturday's attack came about 24 hours after Revelus had gotten into a fistfight with a man living next door, Wells said.
"Blows were exchanged," he said. "I don't know the cause of it, but we're confident that did happen. He had been agitated in the hours that followed that, going into the day and last night."
Investigators believe Revelus targeted Samantha, a senior at Milton High School, and fatally stabbed her with a household knife while their grandmother, who neighbors say lives on the first floor, was doing laundry in the basement. The children's parents, whose identities weren't immediately revealed, were away; their mother is a nurse at a Boston hospital, Wells said.
Sarafina, a student at the Tucker Elementary School, just behind the house, called police around 5 p.m. local time. An officer on patrol in the neighborhood arrived within a minute, Wells said, and could hear an altercation inside as he reached the second floor. The police dispatcher operator tried to persuade Sarafina to open the door, but when she didn't the officer broke through.
"As the officer entered the door, (Revelus) decapitated (Bianca) in front of him," Wells said. "He actually walked into a killing field. He walked into such carnage, as far as the atrocity of it, I've never seen it."
Within moments, four officers were inside and two of them shot Revelus as he tried to get to Sarafina, Wells said. Revelus fell, still clutching the knife.
Details about the number of shots and who killed Revelus were pending the outcome of an autopsy Sunday.
Revelus had recently served jail time on a gun charge, Wells said, but the details would not be released until courts opened Monday. Neighbors said Revelus was in a car that was pulled over by police and from which one occupant threw a gun into a sewer.
Police had been called to the family's house in 2004 after a domestic violence report that Revelus had punched a woman living there, Wells said.
A neighbor, Norm Walsh, said his daughter Kate Walsh, a New Hampshire police officer, reported hearing two shots as she went outside to bring in groceries from the family car. Moments later, a blood-covered officer emerged carrying Sarafina, seeking towels to stanch her bleeding.
"It's shocking to me," said Norm Walsh, whose son is the same age as Revelus. "He played a lot of pickup hoop in the driveway."
Walsh said the family members had lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and were warm. They were of Haitian descent, as are many residents in the neighborhood, where Creole is spoken alongside English.
"The family is a solid family. Both parents worked; good kids. Completely makes no sense," Walsh said.
Samantha's classmates referred to her by her nickname, Princess, and remarked at her grace, class and friendliness. She had been one of about 20 students who had been at the high school Saturday afternoon to rehearse for a poetry jam on Thursday. Saturday morning, Samantha also had practiced for a school fashion show.
"She had a stage presence like you couldn't believe," classmate Kassi Stein said.
Sobbing, she added: "She had just a soft voice and everyone would lean in to hear what she was saying."
In one of the poems Samantha was to recite, "Acquaintance," she wrote of the strength of women in the face of "ignorant souls."
The poem closed, "So what lousy wind brought you here? What values you offer? She's a woman, a queen, a goddess. Don't treat her like any other."
A two-hour grief counseling session was held at the school Sunday afternoon and will be offered Monday to students and employees.
The officers involved in the case were placed on administrative leave and were receiving counseling from the Boston Police Department.
MILTON, Massachusetts — A man on a rampage fatally stabbed his 17-year-old sister, decapitated his 5-year-old sister in front of a police officer and then turned toward his 9-year-old sister with a knife in his hand before officers shot him dead in what their chief described as "a killing field."
There was no clear motive for the events that unfolded Saturday, the day after the 5-year-old's birthday, in a tony Boston suburb that also is home to Gov. Deval Patrick. But there was no doubt at the carnage wrought by 23-year-old Kerby Revelus against his sisters in the two-family home they shared with their parents and grandmother.
Five-year-old Bianca was killed as a cake for her birthday, which investigators believe was Friday, sat on the kitchen table. Nine-year-old Sarafina dialed emergency services and watched police shoot her brother as her elder sister, 17-year-old Samantha, lay dead on the floor.
Sarafina was hospitalized Sunday with defensive wounds to her hands and stab wounds in her abdomen and one of her legs, police said.
"In policing, we see the raw human emotion every day, but to think that a human being could afflict such an atrocious, violent act on his own family is unbelievable," Milton police Chief Richard G. Wells Jr. said. "When I walked up to the first officer (on the scene), I could see the whole story right in his face. This just told me that this was something very bad."
Saturday's attack came about 24 hours after Revelus had gotten into a fistfight with a man living next door, Wells said.
"Blows were exchanged," he said. "I don't know the cause of it, but we're confident that did happen. He had been agitated in the hours that followed that, going into the day and last night."
Investigators believe Revelus targeted Samantha, a senior at Milton High School, and fatally stabbed her with a household knife while their grandmother, who neighbors say lives on the first floor, was doing laundry in the basement. The children's parents, whose identities weren't immediately revealed, were away; their mother is a nurse at a Boston hospital, Wells said.
Sarafina, a student at the Tucker Elementary School, just behind the house, called police around 5 p.m. local time. An officer on patrol in the neighborhood arrived within a minute, Wells said, and could hear an altercation inside as he reached the second floor. The police dispatcher operator tried to persuade Sarafina to open the door, but when she didn't the officer broke through.
"As the officer entered the door, (Revelus) decapitated (Bianca) in front of him," Wells said. "He actually walked into a killing field. He walked into such carnage, as far as the atrocity of it, I've never seen it."
Within moments, four officers were inside and two of them shot Revelus as he tried to get to Sarafina, Wells said. Revelus fell, still clutching the knife.
Details about the number of shots and who killed Revelus were pending the outcome of an autopsy Sunday.
Revelus had recently served jail time on a gun charge, Wells said, but the details would not be released until courts opened Monday. Neighbors said Revelus was in a car that was pulled over by police and from which one occupant threw a gun into a sewer.
Police had been called to the family's house in 2004 after a domestic violence report that Revelus had punched a woman living there, Wells said.
A neighbor, Norm Walsh, said his daughter Kate Walsh, a New Hampshire police officer, reported hearing two shots as she went outside to bring in groceries from the family car. Moments later, a blood-covered officer emerged carrying Sarafina, seeking towels to stanch her bleeding.
"It's shocking to me," said Norm Walsh, whose son is the same age as Revelus. "He played a lot of pickup hoop in the driveway."
Walsh said the family members had lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and were warm. They were of Haitian descent, as are many residents in the neighborhood, where Creole is spoken alongside English.
"The family is a solid family. Both parents worked; good kids. Completely makes no sense," Walsh said.
Samantha's classmates referred to her by her nickname, Princess, and remarked at her grace, class and friendliness. She had been one of about 20 students who had been at the high school Saturday afternoon to rehearse for a poetry jam on Thursday. Saturday morning, Samantha also had practiced for a school fashion show.
"She had a stage presence like you couldn't believe," classmate Kassi Stein said.
Sobbing, she added: "She had just a soft voice and everyone would lean in to hear what she was saying."
In one of the poems Samantha was to recite, "Acquaintance," she wrote of the strength of women in the face of "ignorant souls."
The poem closed, "So what lousy wind brought you here? What values you offer? She's a woman, a queen, a goddess. Don't treat her like any other."
A two-hour grief counseling session was held at the school Sunday afternoon and will be offered Monday to students and employees.
The officers involved in the case were placed on administrative leave and were receiving counseling from the Boston Police Department.
ShamWow Guy Vince Shlomi Gets Busted In Furry Situation
You would think being a prostitute would be hard enough without having to worry about infomercial stars punching you in the face. When I read this I could not stop laughing. Now I am waiting for Billy Mays to be caught in a gay train prostitution ring. I wonder when Vince Shlomi punched the girl if he said "ShamPOW" Sorry couldn't help myself.
It looks to us like Vince Shlomi is spending all that ShamWow money on prostitutes and fur.
Shlomi, who’s most commonly known as the ShamWow dude, was recently arrested on a felony battery charge after allegedly beating up a prostitute. Dude, no hitting!
According to TheSmokingGun.com:
“Shlomi told cops he paid Harris about $1000 in cash after she ‘propositioned him for straight sex.’ Shlomi said that when he kissed Harris, she suddenly ‘bit his tongue and would not let go.’ Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue.”
But wait! Was Vince wearing the cruel stuff while acting out?
We need YOUR help! If you’re a fur expert, chime in and help us determine if the tacky fur trim is real or fake.
It looks to us like we might have to charge ShamPOW with a felony fur offense!
It looks to us like Vince Shlomi is spending all that ShamWow money on prostitutes and fur.
Shlomi, who’s most commonly known as the ShamWow dude, was recently arrested on a felony battery charge after allegedly beating up a prostitute. Dude, no hitting!
According to TheSmokingGun.com:
“Shlomi told cops he paid Harris about $1000 in cash after she ‘propositioned him for straight sex.’ Shlomi said that when he kissed Harris, she suddenly ‘bit his tongue and would not let go.’ Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue.”
But wait! Was Vince wearing the cruel stuff while acting out?
We need YOUR help! If you’re a fur expert, chime in and help us determine if the tacky fur trim is real or fake.
It looks to us like we might have to charge ShamPOW with a felony fur offense!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Eight killed in North Carolina nursing home rampage
I just don't understand why anyone would go and shoot a bunch of senior citizens when he never worked there, and didn't even know anybody at that facility. It will be interesting to see his reasoning on why he chose to do this terrible act.
(CNN) -- An armed man shot and killed seven patients and a nurse at a Carthage, North Carolina, nursing home Sunday morning before being wounded during a shootout with a police officer, authorities said.
Relatives of the nursing home's patients gathered at a nearby church, where they learned details of the shooting.
Three other people, including the police officer and a visitor to the nursing home, were wounded in the attack, Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie said. The police officer was treated and released, McKenzie said.
The slain patients ranged in age from 78 to 98, Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger said. The man accused of carrying out the attack, 45-year-old Robert Stewart, was in custody, and his condition was unknown Sunday night, McKenzie said.
Stewart was not an employee of the nursing home -- the Pinelake Health and Rehab Center -- and he did not appear to have been related to any of the patients, she said.
"There is still more to be uncovered as far as his purpose in being there," she said.
A witness told CNN affiliate WRAL that Stewart was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and other weapons. The officer who stopped him, Justin Garner, "acted in nothing short of a heroic manner" and probably prevented the carnage from being worse, Krueger said.
Stewart faces eight counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony assault on a police officer, and other charges are pending, she said.
Carthage is about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.
Sunday's killings were the latest in a series of high-profile but apparently unrelated rampages in March, including the killings of 10 people by an Alabama man who was then killed by police. At a southern Illinois church, a man shot and killed the pastor and stabbed two parishioners, and a 17-year-old in Germany killed 15 people in two small towns before dying in a shootout with police.
In Carthage, crisis counselors were setting up in the town's First Baptist Church to aid survivors of the latest killings.
"I don't know the emotion entirely has set in," McKenzie said. "This is a small community built on faith, and faith will get us through."
(CNN) -- An armed man shot and killed seven patients and a nurse at a Carthage, North Carolina, nursing home Sunday morning before being wounded during a shootout with a police officer, authorities said.
Relatives of the nursing home's patients gathered at a nearby church, where they learned details of the shooting.
Three other people, including the police officer and a visitor to the nursing home, were wounded in the attack, Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie said. The police officer was treated and released, McKenzie said.
The slain patients ranged in age from 78 to 98, Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger said. The man accused of carrying out the attack, 45-year-old Robert Stewart, was in custody, and his condition was unknown Sunday night, McKenzie said.
Stewart was not an employee of the nursing home -- the Pinelake Health and Rehab Center -- and he did not appear to have been related to any of the patients, she said.
"There is still more to be uncovered as far as his purpose in being there," she said.
A witness told CNN affiliate WRAL that Stewart was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and other weapons. The officer who stopped him, Justin Garner, "acted in nothing short of a heroic manner" and probably prevented the carnage from being worse, Krueger said.
Stewart faces eight counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony assault on a police officer, and other charges are pending, she said.
Carthage is about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.
Sunday's killings were the latest in a series of high-profile but apparently unrelated rampages in March, including the killings of 10 people by an Alabama man who was then killed by police. At a southern Illinois church, a man shot and killed the pastor and stabbed two parishioners, and a 17-year-old in Germany killed 15 people in two small towns before dying in a shootout with police.
In Carthage, crisis counselors were setting up in the town's First Baptist Church to aid survivors of the latest killings.
"I don't know the emotion entirely has set in," McKenzie said. "This is a small community built on faith, and faith will get us through."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Beware Conficker worm come April 1
In an event that hits the computer world only once every few years, security experts are racing against time to mitigate the impact of a bit of malware which is set to wreak havoc on a hard-coded date. As is often the case, that date is April 1.
Malware creators love to target April Fool's Day with their wares, and the latest worm, called Conficker C, could be one of the most damaging attacks we've seen in years.
Conficker first bubbled up in late 2008 and began making headlines in January as known infections topped 9 million computers. Now in its third variant, Conficker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and virulent... though no one is quite sure exactly what it will do when D-Day arrives.
Thanks in part to a quarter-million-dollar bounty on the head of the writer of the worm, offered by Microsoft, security researchers are aggressively digging into the worm's code as they attempt to engineer a cure or find the writer before the deadline. What's known so far is that on April 1, all infected computers will come under the control of a master machine located somewhere across the web, at which point anything's possible. Will the zombie machines become denial of service attack pawns, steal personal information, wipe hard drives, or simply manifest more traditional malware pop-ups and extortion-like come-ons designed to sell you phony security software? No one knows.
Conficker is clever in the way it hides its tracks because it uses an enormous number of URLs to communicate with HQ. The first version of Conficker used just 250 addresses each day -- which security researchers and ICANN simply bought and/or disabled -- but Conficker C will up the ante to 50,000 addresses a day when it goes active, a number which simply can't be tracked and disabled by hand.
At this point, you should be extra vigilant about protecting your PC: Patch Windows completely through Windows Update and update your anti-malware software as well. Make sure your antivirus software is actually running too, as Conficker may have disabled it.
Microsoft also offers a free online safety scan here, which should be able to detect all Conficker versions.
Malware creators love to target April Fool's Day with their wares, and the latest worm, called Conficker C, could be one of the most damaging attacks we've seen in years.
Conficker first bubbled up in late 2008 and began making headlines in January as known infections topped 9 million computers. Now in its third variant, Conficker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and virulent... though no one is quite sure exactly what it will do when D-Day arrives.
Thanks in part to a quarter-million-dollar bounty on the head of the writer of the worm, offered by Microsoft, security researchers are aggressively digging into the worm's code as they attempt to engineer a cure or find the writer before the deadline. What's known so far is that on April 1, all infected computers will come under the control of a master machine located somewhere across the web, at which point anything's possible. Will the zombie machines become denial of service attack pawns, steal personal information, wipe hard drives, or simply manifest more traditional malware pop-ups and extortion-like come-ons designed to sell you phony security software? No one knows.
Conficker is clever in the way it hides its tracks because it uses an enormous number of URLs to communicate with HQ. The first version of Conficker used just 250 addresses each day -- which security researchers and ICANN simply bought and/or disabled -- but Conficker C will up the ante to 50,000 addresses a day when it goes active, a number which simply can't be tracked and disabled by hand.
At this point, you should be extra vigilant about protecting your PC: Patch Windows completely through Windows Update and update your anti-malware software as well. Make sure your antivirus software is actually running too, as Conficker may have disabled it.
Microsoft also offers a free online safety scan here, which should be able to detect all Conficker versions.
Ice jams make flooding worse around Bismarck, ND
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — With record amounts of water feeding into the Missouri River from swollen tributaries on top of a blizzard, state officials urged evacuations along the river and were considering using helicopters to dynamite an ice jam to ease flooding around Bismarck.
Residents in low-lying subdivisions along the river in Bismarck and Mandan were ordered to leave their homes Tuesday after access roads flooded.
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., called Bismarck "the most urgent threat" in North Dakota because of ice jams north and south of town and heavy snow forecast. Officials did not immediately have an estimate on the number of people forced to evacuate along the river.
President Barack Obama declared North Dakota a federal disaster area, which means the federal government will pay 75 percent of state and local government costs for the flood fight. North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven said the state is grateful for the help.
The Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday cut water releases for the first time ever from the Garrison Dam north of Bismarck to ease flooding.
No water will be released from the upstream dam until the flooding eases in Bismarck, spokesman Paul Johnston said. A reduction in the water releases takes about two days to reach the city, he said.
The move will cut power generation at the dam and force the Western Area Power Administration to buy electricity on the open market to meet obligations to its customers, Johnston said.
The National Weather Service said two ice jams were reported — one just south of Fox Island and one north of Bismarck. Officials said the threat intensified with the blizzard conditions.
"We think putting explosives on the ice jam is the best option," Hoeven said at a news conference Tuesday. "We've identified a demolition team and we are arranging to fly them in to help with the placement of explosives."
Officials also were considering using salt to open up a river channel. Bismarck Mayor John Warford said the city has 1,800 pounds of salt available.
Jane and Michael Pole, of Fox Island, decided not to wait for any worse conditions. "We just grabbed a bag, threw some stuff in and left," Jane Pole said.
The Bismarck area got 7.5 inches of snow since Monday night, with winds gusting to more than 45 mph, the National Weather Service said. The snow was expected to continue into Wednesday morning.
Authorities transferred 146 inmates from the Missouri River Correctional Center, a minimum-security prison along the Missouri River, to the main state penitentiary. Deputy warden Patrick Branson said the river was close enough that officials "felt we had to get all those guys out of there."
Most flood concern earlier had been focused on North Dakota's biggest city, Fargo, and its neighbor Moorhead, Minn., where the Red River's crest of 39 to 41 feet was projected for Friday evening. It was recorded at 33.93 feet early Wednesday.
An emergency dike to protect downtown Fargo was being raised to 42 feet, but the expected crest would still threaten several neighborhoods and hundreds of homes in lower areas.
Hundreds of volunteers were at work on another day of piling sandbags, with a goal of filling nearly 2 million. "We don't see any fear," Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said. "We just see people working very hard."
In Crookston, Minn., about 50 miles northeast of Fargo, ice jams caused a sudden rise on the Red Lake and led city officials to ask about 200 people in low-lying areas to voluntarily evacuate. The city was working to raise its flood protection to withstand the river's crest later this week.
Elsewhere in Minnesota, a faster-than-predicted rise of the Sauk River led to flood warnings and sandbagging in Cold Spring and Sartell.
During a meeting of Fargo city officials, officials worked hard to dispel notions, relayed by a Salvation Army volunteer in the local newspaper, that some residents were afraid.
"Fear is a healthy emotion and creates respect for the situation," Steve Carbno, disaster coordinator for the Fargo chapter of the Salvation Army, said afterward.
"But nobody's bailing," he said. "We are Norwegian, German, stubborn and fighters. This is our place, and we'll stay here."
On the Net:
Monday, March 23, 2009
More women needing cash go from jobless to topless
Darn and I thought those girls liked me too. Everytime I go in there I have to keep telling myself that it is their job to make me feel attractive. No easy feet either. Oh well I only go about once or twice a year anyways.
By KAREN HAWKINS
CHICAGO (AP) — As a bartender and trainer at a national restaurant chain, Rebecca Brown earned a couple thousand dollars in a really good week. Now, as a dancer at Chicago's Pink Monkey gentleman's club, she makes almost that much in one good night.
The tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.
Employers across the adult entertainment industry say they're seeing an influx of applications from women who, like Brown, are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash. Many have college degrees and held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.
"You're seeing a lot more beautiful women who are eligible to do so many other things," said Gus Poulos, general manager of New York City's Sin City gentleman's club. He said he got 85 responses in just one day to a recent job posting on Craigslist.
The transition to the nightclub scene isn't always a smooth one — from learning to dance in five-inch heels to dealing with the jeers of some customers.
Some performers said they were initially so nervous that only alcohol could calm their nerves.
"It is like giving a speech, but instead of imagining everyone naked, you're the one who's naked," Brown, 29, said.
Eva Stone, a 25-year-old dancer at the Pink Monkey, said dealing with occasional verbal abuse from patrons requires "a thick skin."
Makers of adult films cautioned that women shouldn't rush into the decision to make adult movies without considering the effect on their lives.
"Once you decide to be an adult actress, it impacts your relationship with everyone," said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of adult film giant Vivid Entertainment Group. "Once you make an adult film, it never goes away."
The women at the Pink Monkey say dancing at a strip club might not have been their first career choice, but they entered the business with their eyes wide open. The job gives them more control and flexibility than sitting in a cubicle, and "it's easy, it's fun and all of us girls ... look out for each other," Brown said.
In this economy, "desperate measures are becoming far more acceptable," said Jonathan Alpert, a New York City-based psychotherapist who's had clients who worked in adult entertainment.
For some, dancing is temporary, a way to pay for college loans or other bills. Others say they've found their niche.
Dancers at the upscale Rick's Caberet clubs in New York City and Miami can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year — in cash — even with the economic downturn, club spokesman Allan Priaulx said.
Priaulx said 20 to 30 women a week are applying for jobs at the New York club, double the number of a year ago.
Rhode Island's Foxy Lady held a job fair Saturday, seeking to fill about 35 positions for dancers, masseuses, bartenders and bouncers. The Providence Journal reported that more than 150 job seekers showed up to apply for work at the strip club. Foxy Lady co-owner Tom Tsoumas said a recent promotion to cut prices helped the club regain business lost due to the bad economy, forcing it to hire more employees.
Still, analysts say, the industry isn't immune to the economic recession. Business is down an estimated 30 percent across all segments, including adult films, gentleman's clubs, magazines and novelty shops, said Paul Fishbein, president of AVN Media Network, an adult entertainment company that has a widely distributed trade publication and an award show.
"In the past, people have said this industry is recession-proof," said Eric Wold, director of research for financial services firm Merriman Curhan Ford. "I definitely don't see that; maybe recession-resistant."
Strip club dancers and managers said they're drawing in the same number of customers, but fewer high rollers.
"They're not getting the big spenders," said Angelina Spencer, executive director of the Association of Club Executives, a trade group for adult nightclubs. "They're not getting the guys who come in and drop $3,000 to $4,000 a night anymore."
Still, the clubs' operating structure leaves them with low overhead and profit margins of up to 50 percent, Wold said.
Dancers are independent contractors, paying clubs a nightly flat fee depending on how long they work. At the Pink Monkey, for example, dancers who arrive at 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday pay a $40 "house fee," while women who don't arrive until midnight pay $90. And they keep their tips.
Wold and others say it's almost impossible to estimate the size of the adult entertainment industry because few companies are publicly traded. He does pay close attention to three that are: Lakewood, Colo.-based VCG Holding and Houston-based Rick's Caberet, which own clubs, and New Frontier Media, a Boulder, Colo.-based adult film producer and distributor.
All three are profitable.
Rick's Caberet had $60 million in revenue in its 2008 fiscal year, up from $32 million the year before, Wold said, and he estimates VCG will have $57 million for last year, compared with $40.5 million in FY2007. New Frontier Media generates more than $400 million in consumer buying a year.
Larry Flynt, whose half-billion dollar Hustler empire publishes magazines, produces and distributes films and operates a casino, said he's continued to do well. But he doesn't expect those who are solely in the film business to survive.
"A lot of the small studios are out of business now, there's no doubt about that," Flynt said.
Adult magazines also are struggling along with the larger publishing industry, and have to cut pages like everyone else.
But the economic realities aren't keeping jobseekers away.
Vivid Entertainment's Hirsch said the number of women in his business has doubled in the last couple years, with roughly 800 working as adult actresses. "It is more competitive than I've seen it in 25 years," he said.
That doesn't mean all the newcomers are planning on lengthy careers in the industry.
Stone, who has a bachelor's degree in graphic design, took up dancing four years ago to help pay her student loans. She plans to go to graduate school this year to pursue a master's in education.
Brown, meanwhile, has a ready answer for those critical of her career choice.
"I have job security," she said.
By KAREN HAWKINS
CHICAGO (AP) — As a bartender and trainer at a national restaurant chain, Rebecca Brown earned a couple thousand dollars in a really good week. Now, as a dancer at Chicago's Pink Monkey gentleman's club, she makes almost that much in one good night.
The tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.
Employers across the adult entertainment industry say they're seeing an influx of applications from women who, like Brown, are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash. Many have college degrees and held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.
"You're seeing a lot more beautiful women who are eligible to do so many other things," said Gus Poulos, general manager of New York City's Sin City gentleman's club. He said he got 85 responses in just one day to a recent job posting on Craigslist.
The transition to the nightclub scene isn't always a smooth one — from learning to dance in five-inch heels to dealing with the jeers of some customers.
Some performers said they were initially so nervous that only alcohol could calm their nerves.
"It is like giving a speech, but instead of imagining everyone naked, you're the one who's naked," Brown, 29, said.
Eva Stone, a 25-year-old dancer at the Pink Monkey, said dealing with occasional verbal abuse from patrons requires "a thick skin."
Makers of adult films cautioned that women shouldn't rush into the decision to make adult movies without considering the effect on their lives.
"Once you decide to be an adult actress, it impacts your relationship with everyone," said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of adult film giant Vivid Entertainment Group. "Once you make an adult film, it never goes away."
The women at the Pink Monkey say dancing at a strip club might not have been their first career choice, but they entered the business with their eyes wide open. The job gives them more control and flexibility than sitting in a cubicle, and "it's easy, it's fun and all of us girls ... look out for each other," Brown said.
In this economy, "desperate measures are becoming far more acceptable," said Jonathan Alpert, a New York City-based psychotherapist who's had clients who worked in adult entertainment.
For some, dancing is temporary, a way to pay for college loans or other bills. Others say they've found their niche.
Dancers at the upscale Rick's Caberet clubs in New York City and Miami can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year — in cash — even with the economic downturn, club spokesman Allan Priaulx said.
Priaulx said 20 to 30 women a week are applying for jobs at the New York club, double the number of a year ago.
Rhode Island's Foxy Lady held a job fair Saturday, seeking to fill about 35 positions for dancers, masseuses, bartenders and bouncers. The Providence Journal reported that more than 150 job seekers showed up to apply for work at the strip club. Foxy Lady co-owner Tom Tsoumas said a recent promotion to cut prices helped the club regain business lost due to the bad economy, forcing it to hire more employees.
Still, analysts say, the industry isn't immune to the economic recession. Business is down an estimated 30 percent across all segments, including adult films, gentleman's clubs, magazines and novelty shops, said Paul Fishbein, president of AVN Media Network, an adult entertainment company that has a widely distributed trade publication and an award show.
"In the past, people have said this industry is recession-proof," said Eric Wold, director of research for financial services firm Merriman Curhan Ford. "I definitely don't see that; maybe recession-resistant."
Strip club dancers and managers said they're drawing in the same number of customers, but fewer high rollers.
"They're not getting the big spenders," said Angelina Spencer, executive director of the Association of Club Executives, a trade group for adult nightclubs. "They're not getting the guys who come in and drop $3,000 to $4,000 a night anymore."
Still, the clubs' operating structure leaves them with low overhead and profit margins of up to 50 percent, Wold said.
Dancers are independent contractors, paying clubs a nightly flat fee depending on how long they work. At the Pink Monkey, for example, dancers who arrive at 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday pay a $40 "house fee," while women who don't arrive until midnight pay $90. And they keep their tips.
Wold and others say it's almost impossible to estimate the size of the adult entertainment industry because few companies are publicly traded. He does pay close attention to three that are: Lakewood, Colo.-based VCG Holding and Houston-based Rick's Caberet, which own clubs, and New Frontier Media, a Boulder, Colo.-based adult film producer and distributor.
All three are profitable.
Rick's Caberet had $60 million in revenue in its 2008 fiscal year, up from $32 million the year before, Wold said, and he estimates VCG will have $57 million for last year, compared with $40.5 million in FY2007. New Frontier Media generates more than $400 million in consumer buying a year.
Larry Flynt, whose half-billion dollar Hustler empire publishes magazines, produces and distributes films and operates a casino, said he's continued to do well. But he doesn't expect those who are solely in the film business to survive.
"A lot of the small studios are out of business now, there's no doubt about that," Flynt said.
Adult magazines also are struggling along with the larger publishing industry, and have to cut pages like everyone else.
But the economic realities aren't keeping jobseekers away.
Vivid Entertainment's Hirsch said the number of women in his business has doubled in the last couple years, with roughly 800 working as adult actresses. "It is more competitive than I've seen it in 25 years," he said.
That doesn't mean all the newcomers are planning on lengthy careers in the industry.
Stone, who has a bachelor's degree in graphic design, took up dancing four years ago to help pay her student loans. She plans to go to graduate school this year to pursue a master's in education.
Brown, meanwhile, has a ready answer for those critical of her career choice.
"I have job security," she said.
Alaska volcano Mount Redoubt erupts 3 times
Looks like the volcano everyone has been waiting for has finally erupted. Mount Redoubt has done just that, but not just once. So far the count is at 3 eruptions. Most people have to pay extra for the kind of action.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano has begun erupting.
Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say the volcano erupted three times late Sunday and early Monday, with the largest eruption sending a plume of smoke some 50,000 feet above sea level.
Mount Redoubt is roughly 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Geophysicist John Power says "this is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska."
He says no cities have yet reported any ash fall from the volcano, but noted that it's still early.
Geologists say seismic activity around the volcano had been intense in recent days, and expected that the volcano would blow soon.
Power says Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano has begun erupting.
Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say the volcano erupted three times late Sunday and early Monday, with the largest eruption sending a plume of smoke some 50,000 feet above sea level.
Mount Redoubt is roughly 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Geophysicist John Power says "this is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska."
He says no cities have yet reported any ash fall from the volcano, but noted that it's still early.
Geologists say seismic activity around the volcano had been intense in recent days, and expected that the volcano would blow soon.
Power says Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago.
The return of the Smiley Face Killer
By David Brauer
Since Kristi Piehl broke the "Smiley Face Killers" story last May, she lost her job as KSTP-TV's investigative reporter. But ABC's "Good Morning America" doesn't know how to quit her.
Piehl will be on GMA Monday at 7 a.m., the Hutchinson Leader reports, touting a "new direction" for the lurid and dubious tale of serial killers roaming the Midwest, dispatching up to 70 young men whose bodies have never been found.
The smiley face refers to the ubiquitous '70s icon found in the general vicinity of each alleged murder, even though the icon is found in the general vicinity of everywhere.
Authorities have repeatedly checked out the theory, spun by two retired ex-New York cops, and found it wanting. In Minneapolis, police rejected links to the well-publicized Chris Jenkins disappearance. The FBI says there is no proof a killer or killers are at work: "The vast majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings."
In a memorable takedown, then-Minnesota Monitor staffer Steve Perry flayed the story, writing, "Let the record show that Kristi Piehl of KSTP has done her part to bring the yarn to the huddled masses yearning to breathe the vapors of another massive conspiracy." Over at Mpls.St.Paul, Brian Lambert wrote that the theory, "Boggles ... every rational instinct."
Then again, Piehl's story won a regional Emmy Award, which Lambert pronounced "ludicrous."
Nevertheless, this is the sort of "unsolved" situation that grieving parents can't quit, and TV news can't either. In fact, Piehl has officially joined the two: since leaving Channel 5, she and the father of a possible victim have started a website, sfkillers.com. According to the site, working the smiley face cases is now Piehl's full-time job.
Tune in Monday, if you dare, to see whether Piehl's new cottage industry remains a house of cards.
By the way, it will be fun to see how KSTP's local newscasts play a network story from someone they just let go.
Since Kristi Piehl broke the "Smiley Face Killers" story last May, she lost her job as KSTP-TV's investigative reporter. But ABC's "Good Morning America" doesn't know how to quit her.
Piehl will be on GMA Monday at 7 a.m., the Hutchinson Leader reports, touting a "new direction" for the lurid and dubious tale of serial killers roaming the Midwest, dispatching up to 70 young men whose bodies have never been found.
The smiley face refers to the ubiquitous '70s icon found in the general vicinity of each alleged murder, even though the icon is found in the general vicinity of everywhere.
Authorities have repeatedly checked out the theory, spun by two retired ex-New York cops, and found it wanting. In Minneapolis, police rejected links to the well-publicized Chris Jenkins disappearance. The FBI says there is no proof a killer or killers are at work: "The vast majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings."
In a memorable takedown, then-Minnesota Monitor staffer Steve Perry flayed the story, writing, "Let the record show that Kristi Piehl of KSTP has done her part to bring the yarn to the huddled masses yearning to breathe the vapors of another massive conspiracy." Over at Mpls.St.Paul, Brian Lambert wrote that the theory, "Boggles ... every rational instinct."
Then again, Piehl's story won a regional Emmy Award, which Lambert pronounced "ludicrous."
Nevertheless, this is the sort of "unsolved" situation that grieving parents can't quit, and TV news can't either. In fact, Piehl has officially joined the two: since leaving Channel 5, she and the father of a possible victim have started a website, sfkillers.com. According to the site, working the smiley face cases is now Piehl's full-time job.
Tune in Monday, if you dare, to see whether Piehl's new cottage industry remains a house of cards.
By the way, it will be fun to see how KSTP's local newscasts play a network story from someone they just let go.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Coast Guard finds person clinging to overturned boat
Corey Smith, left, and Marquis Cooper are two of the men missing, officials said.
BREAKING UPDATE:
The Coast Guard has found an overturned boat with one person clinging to it. It's unknown if it's the vessel of four missing boaters.
The Coast Guard vessel, Tornado, was traveling from Mississippi on a training exercise, but joined in the search. Coast Guard officials said another boat has left to aid in the search. Officials said if medical attention is needed, a helicopter will be sent out.
PINELLAS COUNTY (CNN) --The search for the four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday night has expanded.
Two NFL players are among four boaters missing off Clearwater.
Coast Guard officials said Monday that three planes are searching the area and the Nantucket, a Coast Guard vessel from south Florida, has traveled to the Gulf and is now aiding in the search.
Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper and NFL free agent Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons, are still missing from the trip, family members and colleagues said Sunday.
Cooper and Smith both formerly played for the Buccaneers. Cooper was with the Bucs in 2004 and 2005 and Smith played for the team from 2002 to 2004.
The Coast Guard began searching around 2 a.m. after it learned that four men -- Cooper, Smith, and former University of South Florida football players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler -- had not returned from their fishing trip Saturday evening as expected.
Rough weather has hampered the effort, but "it's still a very active search," Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Poor visibility from heavy waves forced the search-and-rescue effort to be conducted primarily by air, though authorities deployed patrol boats as well, Close said.
Searchers have expanded their search to 1,600 square miles although they have focused on 750 square miles of open water in the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles west of Clearwater Pass.
From there, the men had left the Seminole Boat Ramp in a 21-foot single-engine boat about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said.
Rebekah Cooper said she became worried Saturday night when she didn't hear from her husband. She called her one of her husband's fishing buddies, Brian Miller, who contacted the Coast Guard with the coordinates of where the men planned to fish.
"Usually I'm on the boat. It's a little difficult wondering if something would have been different if I had been there," Miller said. "Or who knows? They may be just sitting out there with a broken motor -- and that's what we're hoping for."He said it was clear something was wrong when Cooper didn't call Saturday night.
William Bleakley, from Crytal River, played football at USF.
"He should've been within range to use his cell phone, and he knows enough to shut it off when he goes out so the batteries are still there," he said.
Close said weather conditions were relatively good Saturday, "but the weather picked up overnight."
"It's a small vessel for the conditions that are out there right now," Close said Sunday afternoon.
Rebekah Cooper said her husband was aware of Sunday's weather forecast and for that reason picked Saturday for the trip.
"Fishing is his first love, it always has been," she said, adding, "I have a lot of faith in him out there."
Cooper's father said he learned of the situation Sunday morning from his daughter-in-law. His son "routinely stays out on the water 12-14 hours," Bruce Cooper, a sports anchor in Phoenix, Arizona, said in a statement.
Close said authorities had not received a distress signal from the boaters. Close said Cooper owns the boat.
Bruce Cooper called his son an "avid fisherman."
"He goes deep sea fishing any opportunity he gets," Cooper said in the statement. "Two years ago I went deep sea fishing with him. I swore I would never do so again; I didn't like the fact that I couldn't see land. Needless to say I am very concerned. I am praying and hoping for the best."
The boat, a center-console vessel manufactured by Everglades Boats, is billed as "unsinkable," Close said.
The Detroit Lions released a statement acknowledging that Smith was among the missing men, adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the passengers, their families and all those involved in the search efforts."
Schuyler's father, Stu, told reporters that the four men knew each other from working out at a gym, and that his son had accompanied Cooper and Smith on a fishing trip last week that lasted 15 hours.
Bleakley lettered from 2004 to 2006 as a tight end for USF, according to a spokesman for the university's athletics department. Schuyler was a walk-on defensive end for USF in 2006, but he never played in a game, the spokesman said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Will and Nick, as well as the Florida Coast Guard as they continue their search," USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard said in a statement Sunday.
The Coast Guard asked anyone with information on the boaters to contact its St. Petersburg, office at 727-824-7506.
BREAKING UPDATE:
The Coast Guard has found an overturned boat with one person clinging to it. It's unknown if it's the vessel of four missing boaters.
The Coast Guard vessel, Tornado, was traveling from Mississippi on a training exercise, but joined in the search. Coast Guard officials said another boat has left to aid in the search. Officials said if medical attention is needed, a helicopter will be sent out.
PINELLAS COUNTY (CNN) --The search for the four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday night has expanded.
Two NFL players are among four boaters missing off Clearwater.
Coast Guard officials said Monday that three planes are searching the area and the Nantucket, a Coast Guard vessel from south Florida, has traveled to the Gulf and is now aiding in the search.
Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper and NFL free agent Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons, are still missing from the trip, family members and colleagues said Sunday.
Cooper and Smith both formerly played for the Buccaneers. Cooper was with the Bucs in 2004 and 2005 and Smith played for the team from 2002 to 2004.
The Coast Guard began searching around 2 a.m. after it learned that four men -- Cooper, Smith, and former University of South Florida football players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler -- had not returned from their fishing trip Saturday evening as expected.
Rough weather has hampered the effort, but "it's still a very active search," Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Poor visibility from heavy waves forced the search-and-rescue effort to be conducted primarily by air, though authorities deployed patrol boats as well, Close said.
Searchers have expanded their search to 1,600 square miles although they have focused on 750 square miles of open water in the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles west of Clearwater Pass.
From there, the men had left the Seminole Boat Ramp in a 21-foot single-engine boat about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said.
Rebekah Cooper said she became worried Saturday night when she didn't hear from her husband. She called her one of her husband's fishing buddies, Brian Miller, who contacted the Coast Guard with the coordinates of where the men planned to fish.
"Usually I'm on the boat. It's a little difficult wondering if something would have been different if I had been there," Miller said. "Or who knows? They may be just sitting out there with a broken motor -- and that's what we're hoping for."He said it was clear something was wrong when Cooper didn't call Saturday night.
William Bleakley, from Crytal River, played football at USF.
"He should've been within range to use his cell phone, and he knows enough to shut it off when he goes out so the batteries are still there," he said.
Close said weather conditions were relatively good Saturday, "but the weather picked up overnight."
"It's a small vessel for the conditions that are out there right now," Close said Sunday afternoon.
Rebekah Cooper said her husband was aware of Sunday's weather forecast and for that reason picked Saturday for the trip.
"Fishing is his first love, it always has been," she said, adding, "I have a lot of faith in him out there."
Cooper's father said he learned of the situation Sunday morning from his daughter-in-law. His son "routinely stays out on the water 12-14 hours," Bruce Cooper, a sports anchor in Phoenix, Arizona, said in a statement.
Close said authorities had not received a distress signal from the boaters. Close said Cooper owns the boat.
Bruce Cooper called his son an "avid fisherman."
"He goes deep sea fishing any opportunity he gets," Cooper said in the statement. "Two years ago I went deep sea fishing with him. I swore I would never do so again; I didn't like the fact that I couldn't see land. Needless to say I am very concerned. I am praying and hoping for the best."
The boat, a center-console vessel manufactured by Everglades Boats, is billed as "unsinkable," Close said.
The Detroit Lions released a statement acknowledging that Smith was among the missing men, adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the passengers, their families and all those involved in the search efforts."
Schuyler's father, Stu, told reporters that the four men knew each other from working out at a gym, and that his son had accompanied Cooper and Smith on a fishing trip last week that lasted 15 hours.
Bleakley lettered from 2004 to 2006 as a tight end for USF, according to a spokesman for the university's athletics department. Schuyler was a walk-on defensive end for USF in 2006, but he never played in a game, the spokesman said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Will and Nick, as well as the Florida Coast Guard as they continue their search," USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard said in a statement Sunday.
The Coast Guard asked anyone with information on the boaters to contact its St. Petersburg, office at 727-824-7506.
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