The Duggar Family welcomes a new addition

ROGERS, Ark. – An Arkansas woman has given birth to her 18th child. Michelle Duggar delivered the baby girl by Caesarean section Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. The baby, named Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar, weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long.

"The ultimate Christmas gift from God," said Jim Bob Duggar, the father of the 18 children. "She's just absolutely beautiful, like her mom and her sisters."

The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters.

Jim Bob Duggar said Michelle started having contractions Wednesday night. She needed the C-section, her third, because the baby was lying sideways. Jim Bob said both baby and mother were doing well Thursday night.

"We both would love to have more," he said.

The cable network TLC broadcasts a weekly show about the Duggars, called "17 Kids and Counting." Chris Finnegan of TLC — which handles public relations for the Duggar family — said the show's name would be updated to account for the latest addition to the family. He said TLC also will air a show Monday on the baby's delivery.

Jim Bob Duggar is 43, a year older than his wife. Their oldest child, Joshua, is 20.

The other Duggar children, in between Joshua and Jordyn-Grace, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 17; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 12; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 8; James, 7; Justin, 6; Jackson, 4; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 1.

"Our whole family is excited about Jordyn's addition to our family," Jim Bob Duggar said. "She's just perfect in every way."

Top 10 Christmas Toys for 2008

Well, here it is. Every year, consumers try to get that toy for their kids that for some reason, can't be found on retailers shelves. Things like "Tickle Me Elmo" or the Playstation 3 that caused such trauma as any one can remember in years past. Well, this year proves to be no different. So , get ready to fight your way into the retailers isles and make sure you have a full tank of gas for those multiple trips around town. Proving that what you found on-line is only worth a second of truth once you arrive at that "in-stock" location. So here they are: The top 10 toys of Christmas. (In no particular order)

• Videos
• Covers
• Notes
• Links
• Badges
• Widgets
• About
• History

Published by the Toy Retailers Association

Baby Born With Magic potty
This cute little baby has 8 life like functions, she drinks from her bottle, eats special food, needs her nappy changed, cries real tears, uses her potty and even moves her limbs.

Bakugan Starter Pack
These very cool collectable toys will activate when rolled over a metallic card, a little like pokemon cards but with alot more interactivity.

Ben 10 Omnitrix Watch
This watch allows your child to dial the evil aliens from the Ben 10 tv program

Catch Beast
This toy is a massive hit in Japan selling over 1.5million units, this is because this truly genious game allows you to hunt for invisble beasts who live all around your house, simply use the fishing rod like toy to find those beasts and then reel them in when you catch them.

Gourmet Cupcake Maker
This fabulous little gift will allow your children to make and decorate their own cupcakes, this fantastic set contains 4 flavored cupcake mixes, 4 frosting mixes, 1 tube of sprinkles, 1 mixing bowl, 1 spoon/spreader, 4 multi-designed cupcake cups, 1 cupcake cup holder and 2 recipe cards.

Elmo Live
Elmo is back with some new features and completely new technology, Elmo Live can sing, dance, tell stories & even jokes. This truly interactive toy is very expressive watch as he tells stories he will wave his hands, giggle & even blink.

FurReal Biscuit My Lovin pup
FurReal friends have done it again, this time they hace created a life size interactive golden retriever that doesnt leave any mess. This cuddly robot pet dog is as close to the real thing as you can get, clap the dog behind his ears, or on his back and he will wag his tail in delight, Biscuit also blinks moves his head and chomps on his bone

Dance with me Teletubbies!
Eh Oh! the Teletubbies are back, but this time they dance. The teletubbies have two dancing modes: dance with me mode and musical statues mode, join in a game of musical statues with Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La & Po.

On a side note, there was another list I came across while searching for the top 10 toys for Christmas. It is as follows:

1. Biscuit, My Fun Lovin' Pup from Hasbro

2. Speed Racer Sky Jump Track Set from Hot Wheels

3. Pacific EyeClops Night Vision from Jakks Pacific

4. Elmo Live from Fisher-Price

5. Tag Reading System LeapFrog

6. Kid-Tough Digital Camera from Fisher-Price

7. Kota the Triceratops from Playskool

8. Lazer Tag 2-in-1 System from Hasbro

9. Anything Hannah Montana

10. Giddyup N' Go Pony from Little Tikes

Taylor Swift Gets Zip—and Other Grammy Surprises

Los Angeles (E! Online) – John Mayer has a reason to get a date (like he needs one). Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus have a shared reason to grouse. Jennifer Hudson has a reason to smile.

We've outlined the top Grammy nominations. Now we're going to sort through all the Grammy nominations—the noteworthy, the weird, and, yes, the snubs. Here goes:

• Mayer earned his annual ticket to the Grammy party with five nominations, including one for his non-euphemistic duet with Alicia Keys ("Lesson Learned," up for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals), and one for his artistic contribution to The Bucket List ("Say," up for best song written for a movie). • Swift cohosted the "nominations concert," watched ex-Joe Jonas and his brothers score a Best New Artist nod—and got nothing. Not a single nomination. (Her just-released album Fearless wasn't eligible, but some of her earlier released songs were.)

• Like fellow teen Swift, Cyrus didn't rate any nods for her Breakout hits. • One day after her estranged brother-in-law was charged with killing three members of her family, Hudson notched three nominations, including one for her Best R&B Album for her self-titled debut. • Hudson's success helped make for a solid Grammys for American Idol. Fellow alums Jordin Sparks, Fantasia (who dueted with Hudson) and award-favorite Carrie Underwood also represented. Which is good for the show since the likes of Blake Lewis didn't.

• Tia Carrere—yes, that Tia Carrere—scored as many nominations as Mariah Carey, who can be thankful that the Best Gospel Performance category—she's up for a group sing-along—saved her from getting zip. (Carrere, the former Wayne's World vixen, is up for Best Hawaiian Music Album for her collaboration with Daniel Ho.) • Simon Cowell endorsement or no, Leona Lewis, up for three Grammys overall, failed to crack the Best New Artist field. • Where was Robin Thicke's name? Listed in the fine print of Lil Wayne's Album of the Year nomination. Thicke was one of the producers and mastering engineers. He received no other nominations. • At a combined 126 years old, Paul McCartney and James Taylor are this year's Tony Bennetts in the Male Pop Vocal category.

• At 50 years old, Madonna is still the Madonna of the Best Dance Recording category. She's also up for her collaboration, "4 Minutes," with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. • One last age thing: Mayer is the only under-40 nominee for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. • Kylie Minogue and Cyndi Lauper are both up for Best 1980s Survivor Electronic/Dance Album.

• Wayne Brady did not forget the lyrics to "A Change Is Gonna Come," up for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death by Customers

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- A worker at a Wal-Mart in New York City’s Long Island suburbs was killed when a throng of shoppers broke down the doors to the store early this morning and knocked him to the ground.

The event involved a temporary employee and was “a tragic situation,” Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s biggest retailer, said in a statement. “The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if any shoppers or workers have been killed during similar incidents during sales on the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally known as Black Friday.

“We do not know of an incident such as what happened today,” Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based National Retail Federation, said in an e-mail. “It is a horribly tragic situation. Retailers are reminded of the importance of employee safety.”

At least four shoppers were hurt in the melee at the store in the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, about 13 miles (20 kilometers) east of New York City, Nassau County Police said in a statement. The injured include a 28-year-old pregnant woman who was taken to a nearby hospital for observation and three people who suffered minor wounds, police said.

The 34-year-old worker, who wasn’t identified by police, was knocked down by the crowd shortly after 5 a.m. local time and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., the police said. The county medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Temporary Employee

The man was working for a temporary agency on the company’s behalf, Wal-Mart said in the statement.

About 2,000 people had gathered outside the store as it prepared to open, Newsday reported, citing police Detective Lieutenant Michael Fleming, who spoke at a briefing. Shoppers in the back of the line pushed those in the front into the doors, which then came off their hinges, the newspaper said.

Hundreds of people then surged into the store, knocking over the worker and trampling him, Newsday said, citing Fleming. Authorities are reviewing surveillance video and are considering criminal charges although it may be difficult to identify individual shoppers, the newspaper said.

Some people continued to shop despite the efforts of upset store workers, who attempted to get them to leave, Newsday said, citing Kimberly Cribbs, a shopper from Far Rockaway.

Store Closed

The store was later closed by police, said Carolyn Kasdorf, a department spokeswoman.

U.S. retailers including Wal-Mart opened their doors as early as midnight and discounted merchandise as much as 70 percent on the day after Thanksgiving to counter what may be the weakest holiday shopping season in six years.

Retailers promoted “doorbuster” deals to attract customers on Black Friday, so named because the day after Thanksgiving was said to be when retailers started to make their annual profit, having paid off their costs from sales earlier in the year.

The Valley Stream store was offering discounted merchandise including a $128 Magnavox DVD player, a $97 Garmin GPS navigation system and a $69 Samsung digital camera, according to a promotional flyer posted on Wal-Mart’s Web site.

Axl Rose Accuses Dr Pepper of Malpractice

Los Angeles (E! Online) – All is fair in Chinese Democracy, except when the citizens are denied the opportunity to drink what the Dr ordered.

Axl Rose, wholely mum when Dr Pepper announced that it would bestow a free 20-ounce bottle to all Americans when Guns N' Roses' years-in-the-making album finally dropped, is taking the company to task via his attorney after learning that not all customers were served.

The soft-drink slinger had arranged to bestow online coupons to any thirsty freebie-seeker who visited its website on Nov. 23, but the site crashed due to...well, high traffic brought on by people's insatiable desire for free stuff.

The promotion was extended for another day, but the site was unreachable for most of it, per Rose.

And despite what surely is Rose's sympathy for those who have trouble meeting customer demand, his lawyer is calling the attention-getting ploy an "unmitigated disaster which defrauded customers."

In a letter to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc, Beverly Hills-based Alan Gutman demanded that the company extend the promotion and place full-page apologies in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Calling the campaign an "exploitation of my clients' legendary reputation and their eagerly awaited album, Gutman wrote that "mocking undertones" in the Dr Pepper promotion made for a "raw and damaging commercial exploitation of our clients' rights," which was then made even worse by the "shoddy execution of your disingenuous giveaway offer."

Oh, and the band would like some money now, too.

Threatening further legal action if no reparations are made, Gutman requests "appropriate payment...for the unauthorized use and abuse of their publicity and intellectual property rights."

UPDATE: In a statement to E! News, a Dr Pepper rep says: "For us, this was a fun giveaway that has always been about the fans, and we've taken great steps to fulfill it, including:

• extending the window for the giveaway from 24 to 42 hours • Adding a toll-free line to handle consumer requests for the coupons • Setting up an interactive voice recorder to accept coupon requests This was one of the largest responses we have ever received for a giveaway, and we're happy we were able to satisfy the thirst of so many Dr Pepper fans."

Top 10 Black Friday Sites

Well, hopefully you are geared up for Black Friday, as I am on the lookout for great deals. The following sites include a Wii tracker, downloadable ads, and more! So hopefully you find what you need and then some. Happy Thanksgiving!

*Clicking on each picture will take you to the respective site

1. Dealnews.com (Wii Tracker)






2. Amazon.com






3. TGI Black Friday






4. Mahalo






5. GottaDeal.com






6. Black Friday Gear






7. BlackFriday.FM






8. Black Friday Ads






9. iBlackFriday.com






10. Bradsdeals.com

Family's Punching Bag Holds Smelly Surprise

Man Says Bag Filled With Underwear

CINCINNATI -- A Cincinnati-area family got a smelly surprise when they opened a punching bag they purchased earlier this year.

Joe Heckel said he and his son were moving a TKO brand heavy punching bag from their garage to the basement when they decided to see what was inside in case the bag later leaked. But Heckel said that instead of sand or plastic pellets, he found the bag full of men's and women's underwear, some of it used.

"(There were) bras, thongs and bathing suits. We could not believe there were clothes inside instead of sand," he said.

Heckel said the smell was "bad, real bad."

Heckel said that contacting the store where he'd bought the bag didn't go anywhere.

"I called to ask them if they could tell me if these were clean underwear, but I don't think that he believed me," Heckel said. "I said 'I'm a cop, I'm telling you that's what's in there!' He stated that he had never looked in a bag so he didn't know what was in them."

Heckel described the discovery as "gross but kind of funny in a way," and couldn't help but chuckle as he told his story. He and his son finished installing the punching bag after taking pictures, but he says they have yet to use it.

A spokeswoman for the store told partner Web site WLWT.com that they were unaware of what had happened, but asked for Heckel's phone number so they could contact him about the matter.

Attempts by WLWT.com to contact Technical Knockout Inc., the company that owns the TKO brand, have been unsuccessful. A number listed for the company was "unassigned."

But on Thursday, a company representative saw Heckel's story on a Houston Web site and called him.

Heckel said Thursday that the representative told him that the underwear in the bag was a "quality problem" that they were dealing with, and that the people who had made the decision to put underwear in the bags had been fired.

The representative said a new, non-underwear-filled bag would be shipped to Heckel shortly.

Black Friday looking bleak for retailers

In this tough economic time, you look around and notice a ton of stores closing their doors.  

• The Ann Taylor chain of women's clothing stores (which includes Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet stores) said in Novermber 2008 they would expand the scope of a restructuring announced in January 2008 that included the closing of 117 stores (out of approximately 966 locations).



• The Bombay Company chain of imported home furnishings stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2007. All 384 of its U.S.-based stores were closed and liquidated in January 2008 (but new ownership still operates approximately 48 Bombay & Co. stores in Canada).



• The Caché chain of women's specialty apparel stores closed 14 underperforming outlets, but is still has 295 stores across the country and is still opening new stores.



• The Charming Shoppes chain of plus-size women's apparel stores has closed 150 of its approximately 2,360 outlets.



• The Circuit City chain of retail electronics stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2008 and is closing 155 stores across the U.S. (More information about Circuit City's business operations under Chapter 11 protection can be found here.)



• The CompUSA chain of consumer electronics stores was sold to the Gordon Brothers Group restructuring firm in December 2007, and most of its 103 outlets were subsequently closed. In January 2008 many of the remaining assets and the CompUSA brand were sold to Systemax, Inc. which currently operates 23 CompUSA stores in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Puerto Rico, as well as an online store, CompUSA.com. (CompUSA continues to accept gift cards.)



• The Dillard's department store chain closed 20 outlets in 2008 and said it expects more store closures in 2009.



• The Disney Store chain was reacquired by the Walt Disney Co in March 2008; Disney has since closed 98 of its 322 North American stores.



• The Eddie Bauer chain of casual apparels stores shut down 27 outlets in the first quarter of 2008 and planned to close a few more stores by the end of the year.



• The Ethan Allen chain of home furnishings stores closed 12 retail design centers and two service centers in 2008.



• The Foot Locker chain of shoe stores chain closed 274 outlets (out of more than 3,700) in 2007 and another 60 in the first quarter of 2008, with more such closures likely.



• Whitehall Jewelers acquired the remnants of the Friedman's and Crescent chains in early 2008 after that combined company entered bankruptcy, then Whitehall itself filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2008 and began liquidating and closing all 373 of its remaining stores.



• The Gap chain of clothiers (whose brands include Old Navy and Banana Republic) closed 17 stores while opening 37 more during the third quarter of 2008, ending with a total of 3,190 outlets. The company expects to close 115 stores while opening 100 more locations during the 2008 fiscal year.



• The Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video video rental chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2007, just after announcing plans to close 520 stores. In February 2008 the chain announced closings of 400 more outlets, and in April 2008 Movie Gallery said they were shutting down another 160 underperforming stores. The chain emerged from bankruptcy reorganization in May 2008 and currently operates about 3,500 outlets.



• The Home Depot chain of home improvements stores announced in May 2008 that it would be closing 15 underperforming outlets.



• The KB Toys chain of retail toy stores entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2004 and at that time announced plans to close 375 of its outlets. It emerged from Chapter 11 reorganization in August 2005.



• The Kirkland's chain of home decor stores is expecting to close 130 (of its approximately 335) outlets by the middle of 2009.



• The Levitz Furniture chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (for the third time in ten years) in November 2007 and shortly afterwards began the process of closing its stores and liquidating its remaining inventory.



• The Lowe's chain of home improvement stores announced that it was "scaling back" in the sense of opening fewer new outlets in 2008 and 2009 than originally planned, but the company still expects to complete the opening of between 115 to 120 new stores in 2008, with more new stores (and no closures) to follow in 2009.



• The Macy's chain of department stores (which also includes Bloomingdale's) closed 11 (of its approximately 850) outlets in 2008.



• Pacific Sunwear closed 74 underperforming stores in its d.e.m.o. line in 2007 and closed all 154 of its remaining d.e.m.o. stores in 2008. (The company has not so far announced plans to close any of its core Pacific Sunware outlets.)



• The Pep Boys chain of auto supply and repair stores closed 31 low-return outlets (out of approximately 600 stores) at the end of 2007.



• The Sharper Image chain of electronics and specialty gifts stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2008, then began closing and liquidating all 184 of its outlets in June 2008.



• Sprint, a global provider of voice, data and Internet services, announced in January 2008 that it would be closing about 125 of its 1,400 retail outlets.



• Talbots Inc. announced in November 2008 that it was seeking to sell off its chain of J. Jill casual clothier stores. (Talbots has already shed its Talbots Kids, Talbots Mens and U.K. businesses and has closed an additional 28 Talbots stores out of about 1,400 total outlets.) However, we have found no announcement that Talbots is planning to close any J. Jill outlets in the near future: The chain still operates 283 locations, is still opening new stores, and is still selling and redeeming gift cards.



• The Wickes Furniture chain began liquidating merchandise and fixtures at locations nationwide in February 2008 as part of bankruptcy proceedings.



• Wilsons Leather (the Leather Experts) shut down its mall-based locations in 2008, but in July 2008 the Wilsons Leather Outlet Stores (and e-commerce) business was acquired by G-III Apparel Group, which currently operates 119 Wilsons outlets in the U.S.



• Zales Corp, which operates Zales Jewelers, Zales Outlet, Gordon's Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Mappins Jewellers, and Piercing Pagoda, closed approximately 105 retail outlets (out of 2,130) in 2008, half of them kiosks and half of them stores. However, the company also opened approximately 100 new outlets in 2008, so the net change in the number of Zales-operated stores was relatively small.

Dr Pepper to Deliver On Its Free-Soda Promise

Associated Press

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

http://www.drpepper.com/

Black Friday before Friday?

Retailers are launching their Black Friday specials early to motivate budget-conscious buyers. You can normally find the latest Black Friday ads on sites like BlackFriday.info, Bargainist.com, DealTaker.com, BFads.net, and TheBlackfriday.com, so check those out before you go shopping this weekend, because it looks like retailers are slashing prices early this year.

Here's a list of sales happening right now, just to give you an idea:

Walmart: Starting November 8th, Walmart will have in-store specials starting at 8 am. The retailer will be selling several 15.4-inch Compaq CQ50-139WM laptops for $298, Sony's 2GB Walkman player for $49, Samsung's S760 point-and-shoot digital camera in red for $89, a 46-inch Sanyo 1080p LCD HDTV for $798. Check out the flyer here.

Best Buy will also be marking down the eMachines laptop (eMD620-5777) for $299 according to BFAds.net. The laptop includes a 14.1-inch screen, 1GB DDR2, 160GB hard drive, Windows Vista, and AMD Athlon 2650e processor. The site has a side-by-side comparison of this laptop versus the Compaq notebook being sold at Walmart.

Kmart is offering the 32-inch Sylvania LCD HDTV for $440 and the Wii Fit for $90, according to I4U, and Sears has a lot of sales in the electronics department too, so check those out.

Circuit City will be closing some stores this quarter, so it may be running lots of promotions off and online too. Look around between now and Black Friday for more savings.

Joaquin Phoenix: 'I'm done' with acting

At the ripe old age of 34, Joaquin Phoenix is thinking about retirement.

The "Walk the Line" Oscar nominee mentioned his intent to leave acting behind at Monday night's (Oct. 27) Paul Newman benefit for camps for kids, reports "Extra."

"I want to take this opportunity ... also to give you the exclusive and just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor," Phoenix told the entertainment newsmagazine. "I'm not doing films anymore.

"I'm working on my music," he added in explanation. "I'm done. I've been through that."

The actor's rep confirmed that was his client's intention.

Phoenix received a Grammy for his work on the "Walk the Line" soundtrack and is currently recording an album with the British indie rock band The Charlatans. Phoenix, who was also nominated for his supporting role in "Gladiator," next appears opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the romantic drama "Two Lovers," set for release in February.

Madonna & Guy Ritchie's £60M Divorce Settlement

LONDON, U.K. -- Guy Ritchie and Madonna have settled their divorce, according to the U.K. publication, The Sun.

The deal comes just two days after the film director and the pop star announced that they were splitting up after eight years. Ritchie, 40, will reportedly walk away with assets totaling around £60 million including the family’s 1,200-acre estate in Wiltshire as well as the London pub that they bought earlier this year for a reported £2.5 million. He will also get £20 million in cash to compensate for their other London properties, which include two neighbouring houses in Marylebone and two mews cottages in the same area.

Madonna will hold on to her New York and Los Angeles homes and most of her considerable fortune, The Sun reported.

"The negotiations were relatively painless," The Sun quoted a source as saying. "Guy knew what he wanted and Madonna knew what she was keen to keep. There was a spell when Guy was in a mood to dig his heels in, but he decided this arrangement seemed reasonable and a long battle over money would make life unbearable."

Madonna is being represented by divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who formerly represented Paul McCartney in his divorce from Heather Mills. Shackleton reportedly negotiated Madonna's divorce terms during a day of phone calls with Guy's lawyers.

The former couple reportedly expects to reach a compromise over their three kids -- Lourdes, 12, who is the daughter of Madonna and ex Carlos Leon, and sons Rocco, 8, and David, 3.

With the divorce all but out of the way, Guy, who's in London filming "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr., is reportedly ready to move on romantically as well.

"Guy has always been very popular with women," the source said. "They have thrown themselves at him throughout his marriage but he has always been utterly faithful. Now it's all over, he plans to have a little fun - something that has been missing from his life for far too long."

Android: An upsell attempt for Google services

Android may be a freely available open-source operating system, but Google hasn't shied away from the idea that it hopes to profit by subsidizing its development. And with Google's first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 built by HTC, nigh upon us, it's becoming clearer exactly how.

T-Mobile's G1, aka the HTC Dream, is the first phone to go on sale with Google's Android operating system.

T-Mobile's G1, aka the HTC Dream, is the first phone to go on sale with Google's Android operating system.
(Credit: Corinne Schultz/CNET)

Google executives have spoken about Android's indirect benefits: the company wants to use it to accelerate the use and sophistication of mobile Internet browsing. "If the Internet is widely available, that's good for us," co-founder Sergey Brin said.

But judging from my testing of a G1 phone, it appears Google wants a more direct benefit, too: more users of Google's online services. Although there's nothing stopping a G1 owner from using online services from Google rivals such as Microsoft and Yahoo, Google technology is built deeply into the G1 and featured prominently as well.

Search ads are of course Google's bread and butter. Android's Web browser can use others' search engines, but a secondary part of the G1's home screen features a prominent Google search box. There's no option to change the search box to use search from Microsoft or Yahoo.

The hooks get a little deeper when things get more personal. The Android phone asks you for your Google account information when you first start it up, and if you have an account, it immediately slurps in your contacts, calendar appointments, and Gmail messages. At this stage of Android development at least, Yahoo and Microsoft don't get that kind of treatment.

The tie-in to these personal services is telling. Google has trounced its competition when it comes to search, a relatively anonymous act, but it hasn't made as much headway when it comes to more deeply personal uses of its services such as e-mail, photo sharing, and social networking. With Android, Google apparently hopes to establish more of this direct contact with Internet users.

E-mail comes in two tiers on the G1. The upper tier is given to Gmail, which gets its own application; others get relegated to the generic e-mail application. I could connect fine to Yahoo Mail, but lacking a Plus account for free POP access, I couldn't try Microsoft Live e-mail.

Personally, I think the two-tier approach makes sense because Gmail fans (I'm among them) can get accustomed to features not commonly available in ordinary e-mail client software, such as conversation view, the ability to archive and star messages, and sophisticated search abilities. Other e-mail services don't need their own applications.

Google also gets a direct link to its online map service. Here again, though, Google has a bit more to offer than its rivals when it comes to online services. As with search, mapping use is a fairly generic activity at this stage, but geographic information can be very personally useful, especially while on the road, and I wouldn't be surprised if Google Maps became much more tightly tuned to each user's needs and account settings.

With instant messaging, Android is neutral. The software can handle Yahoo, AOL's AIM, MSN Messenger, and Google Talk with equal aplomb.

There are of course other possible places that Google could create direct Android ties to personal services. Orkut, iGoogle, Google Reader, and Picasa Web albums spring to mind.

But it's still early days for Android. At the same time Google or others could write applications that dovetail with these services. And by the same token, given Android's free software development kit and unfettered Android Market for offering new applications, I'd expect mobile applications from Google rivals, too. Whether they'll get prime real estate on future Android phones, though, is another matter entirely.

America Bailout

THIS IS CALLED "FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY'...

OKAY YOU ECONOMISTS, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PROPOSAL!!!

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.
Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve
It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide
Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and
child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It
Dividend.


Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who
lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting
back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of
trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( 'vote buy' ) economic incentive that is
being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S
Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can 'never work.'

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington
DC .

And remember, this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because
$25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Confirmed: Google's Android To Launch Sept. 23

Posted by Eric Zeman, Sep 16, 2008 02:34 PM

I just received an invitation from T-Mobile to a press conference next week. T-Mobile and its partners will formally announce the first Android phone at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

The invitation reads:

You are invited to attend a press conference to witness the official unveiling of the first Android-powered phone from T-Mobile. The event will include presentations from T-Mobile,Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and other company executives and an opportunity for you to get hands-on with the phone during a live product demonstration following the speaking portion of the event.

That's all it needs to say.

Over The Air will be there to bring you the news, complete with pictures and video footage, as it unfolds.

Stay tuned!

If you can't wait, be sure to feast your eyes on this video, shot recently at a London tech event. It showcases a nearly finished version of Android.

Happy 113th Birthday! Amazing!

Thu Sep 18, 1:09 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.

"I'm happy," said Tomoji Tanabe as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. "I'm well. I eat a lot," he added.

Tomoji Tanabe is pictured in his home in Miyakonojo, southern Japan September 12, 2008. The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on September 18, 2008, telling reporters at his home about his joyful life and healthy appetite. Picture taken September 12, 2008.

Tanabe, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male last year, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol.

The former civil servant lives with his son, drinks milk every day and has no major illnesses, although he now writes in his diary only once or twice a month. He used to write on a daily basis.

"His favorite food is fried shrimp, but we've heard that he's cut back on oily food," said an official at his hometown of Miyakonojo, about 900 km (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

"He's said he wants to live for another 10 years, that he doesn't want to die." The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with the number of those aged 100 or older at a record 36,276, a government report last week showed.

Japanese women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, while men rank third after Iceland and Hong Kong.

The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst And Ryan Seacrest to Host The 60^th Primetime Emmy® Awards

In an unprecedented move, all five nominees in the category for Outstanding Reality/Competition Host – Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars), Heidi Klum (Project Runway), Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal), Jeff Probst (Survivor) and Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) – have been named hosts of the 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards airing live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network.
Tune in live to the 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards on September 21 on ABC to see who will win. more info


Download The Complete 2008 Nominations List Here

Keep track of all the late breaking info such as presenters, hosts, and upcoming events right here

About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946 just one month after network television was born. It is a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry.

In addition to recognizing outstanding programming through its Emmy® Award, the Television Academy publishes Emmy® Magazine and stages many industry-related programs, services and year-round events for the television community.

Well, they succeeded. We're still alive.

As you probably are well aware of, the latest particle collider was fired successfully in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday September 10, 2008. A series of trial runs were started by firing two beams of protons in opposite directions around a 17-mile underground tunnel ring. Although the accelerator is still a year from full power, this test proved that it does give physicists much greater power to smash the components of atoms together to learn about their structure.



As a few reports have said about the project being dangerous to levels of "extreme" peril, James Gillies, chief spokesman for CERN said "it's nonsense"

Gillies is speaking about the objections of some who feared that colliding protons could destroy the Earth by creating micro-black holes, subatomic versions of collapsed stars whose gravity is so strong, they can suck in planets and other stars.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being described as the largest physics experiment in history.

Lyn Evans, project leader for the LHC di not want to set a date, but hopes that the experiment will be ready "within a few months."

Eventually two beams will be fired in opposite directions at the same time in the hopes of recreating the conditions a split second after the Big Bang.

CERN

Another day, another disaster?

Well, that's right. Another disaster. We cannot not seem to have a peaceful week. Now we have a squirrel in our basement. It will sit on the back steps, but run down into the basement when you try to set it free. Every time I go looking for it, it's gone. Nowhere in sight. We have 3 dogs, so you would think that there would be a way to catch it, much less the dogs should be able to find it. Know a good way to rid the squirrel menace? All the walls and windows are sealed tight, so we have no idea how it got in.

The week has begun

Well, we made it through Labor Day unscathed. How about you? Did you have a good long restful weekend? We survived taking our oldest Daughter to college over the weekend as well. How about that; a College Road Trip and Labor Day all-in-one? I was very happy to see the gas prices have not sky-rocketed because of the Hurricane Gustav hitting the Gulf Coast. We only spent around $70 for a round-trip this weekend. Hope everyone has a great week, especially since it's one workday shorter.

Have A Safe labor Day

Hope everyone has had a good week. The Presidential primaries have chosen their VP running mates, there is a Hurricane named Gustav, and School is about to start everywhere. Hope everyone stays safe and has a good Labor Day weekend. I will re-post after the long weekend as we are taking our daughter off to College. Happy Friday!

Free Stuff Anyone?

If you're like me and are trying to save a buck or two, then you'll love the idea of a freebie. It does not require the completion of anything, although you may have to register for some of them. The best part of all-it is all shipped direct to you, for FREE! Some you may recognize, but others you may not. Give them a try and let me know what you think. Also, if you have a freebie site you want added here, let me know, and I'll update the post. Happy searching!

Cheap Stingy Bargains

Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder

Wal-Mart

Giveaway Of The Day

The school year has started again

What are your feelings on the cost of school supplies this year? I found them to be reasonable, but not fantastic. The lists seem to be getting longer and more specific as well. Share your thoughts and objections.

Made it through the weekend

Well, it was a very busy weekend. We moved our son's Thomas the Train Bed out of his room and put a "big boy" twin bed it. He was so excited. Moved a lot of furniture around as our oldest Daughter is moving off to College this weekend Aug 29th. Cleaning carpets and trying to maintain order this weekend was a full-time effort. Hope everyone had a pleasant weekend.

Updates

Since I've started this, I wanted to say hello to all my readers. I am looking forward to giving you the very best in infotainment. Let me know what you would like me to discuss or talk about and I'll be glad to.

Jango Jukebox

Psycho Teddy

I wanted to make sure this worked for a friend, so Enjoy!