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Johnny Depp Leaves $4K Tip For Chicago Waiter

2009-06-25T02:47:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp has previously said that money isn't the key to happiness.

But during a visit to a Chicago restaurant, the star certainly brought joy to one unsuspecting waiter with a reported sizable tip.

Depp, his "Public Enemies" co-star Marion Cotillard, director Michael Mann, along with about a dozen other folks -- who were in Chicago last week for the premiere of their new gangster movie -- made a stop at Gibsons Steakhouse around 11:30 PM, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Once the bill came around 2:30 AM -- totaling up to a reported $4,400 -- Depp made sure the man who waited on the group into the late hours was well compensated for his time, as Mohammaed A. Sekhani reportedly received a $4,000 tip from the star.

"He had visited our restaurant several times before while he was filming 'Public Enemies' and he promised me that he would return after the premiere," Sekhani told Radar Online.

According to the longtime Gibsons waiter, Depp and his friends ordered items including shrimp cocktails, Clams Casino, as well as a few expensive bottles of wine.

"He also ordered some $500 bottles of Italian wine and he was in good spirits throughout the evening chatting with Mr. Mann and Miss Cotillard," Sekhani added.

Generous tip aside, Sekhani said he always enjoys waiting on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star each time he visits Gibsons.

"Because he had visited us before he calls me 'Mo' and I know exactly the way he likes to be treated. He may be one of the most famous actors in the world but he is a very 'humble guy' and a really cool dude," the waiter continued. "I have worked with a lot of stars like Sean Connery and Robert De Niro but Johnny Depp is my favorite He is a very soft spoken guy who is very charming and sweet -- when I wait for him he doesn't like to be too fussed over and is not in any way demanding.

When contacted by Access Hollywood, a rep for Depp was not immediately available for comment on the story.

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Cavs land Shaq for Wallace, Pavlovic

2009-06-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal(notes), multiple sources involved in the talks told Yahoo! Sports late Thursday night.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace(notes), Sasha Pavlovic(notes), the 46th pick in Thursday’s draft and cash to the Suns for O’Neal.

Cleveland and Phoenix were both juggling multiple trade possibilities with other teams, with the Cavs involved with as many as six trade scenarios.

Yet the disappointing Eastern Conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic left Cavs GM Danny Ferry with incredible pressure to accumulate talent around James in the final season prior to his 2010 free agency. James has blessed the O’Neal trade, especially because it should give his overmatched frontline a chance to compete with Dwight Howard in the playoffs. Ferry and Phoenix GM Steve Kerr are close friends and had talked off and on about a Shaq deal since the February trade deadline.

O’Neal, 37, makes $21 million next season, and the Suns were determined to move him in a package that would save them money. Wallace made $14 million and could take a buyout to retire, and only $1.5 million of Pavlovic’s $4.9 million salary is guaranteed.

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Pennsylvania Man Survives 500-Foot Fall Into Strip Mine

2008-04-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A man survived a 500-foot fall into a strip mine Friday, astounding rescuers who spent hours on a risky descent into the abyss to bring him back out.

Police said Nathan Bowman was trespassing on coal company property around 1 a.m. Friday when he slipped and fell into the Springdale Pit, an inactive mine about 700 feet deep, 3,000 feet long and 1,500 feet wide.

Bowman tumbled down a jagged slope and then free-fell several hundred feet, his descent broken by a rock ledge not far from the bottom of the pit, said Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney, who helped direct the rescue effort.

If you look at that drop, there was no way somebody could survive that, Delaney said.

Bowman, 23, of Tamaqua, was in serious condition Friday night at St. Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem. The extent and nature of his injuries was not clear, although rescuer John Fowler said it appeared he suffered a number of fractures.

Bowman and a friend were walking around the pit when he went over the side. The friend called 911, and Coaldale police and firefighters began a frantic search, according to Delaney.

State police got into the act several hours later, using a helicopter, floodlights and thermal imaging to try to pinpoint Bowmans location in the pit, about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

It got really, really dangerous, Delaney said. My guys were fantastic; they were heroes, risking their lives in total darkness.

The search was called off at daybreak. Shortly thereafter, Delaney went to the offices of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., which owns the Springdale Pit, to notify officials of the situation.

I said, Lets take a ride over there and show me where it occurred, said Fowler, 40, a project manager at the company.

Their luck was better this time.

Within about three minutes, we found him, Fowler said. I thought I could hear a muffled call for help. We yelled to him and asked him where he was, and he said he thought he was on a ledge.

Fowler, who moonlights as a state firefighter instructor, and a Coaldale police sergeant scouted a relatively safe route to Bowman and stayed with him until more help arrived.

Two firefighters rappelled down to the ledge, loaded Bowman onto a basket and tied themselves to it. Then all three were painstakingly hoisted up.

Bowman was lucid when he arrived at the top of the pit late Friday morning, wanting his harness loosened, asking that someone call his brother and expressing fear about riding in a medical helicopter, said Sarah Curran Smith, a vice president at Lehigh Coal...READ FULL STORY..

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Megan Fox Crowned Sexiest Woman In The World

2008-04-25T01:39:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Actress Megan Fox was named the world's sexiest woman on Wednesday by an annual online poll, while the world's most Googled woman, Britney Spears, barely scraped in at No. 100 after a shocker of a year.

Fox, 21, who starred in last year's hit movie Transformers,grabbed the title from actress Jessica Alba, 26, topping online men's magazine FHM Online's reader poll of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World for 2008.

Alba dropped to No. 3, coming behind American actress and former model Jessica Biel but ahead of Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert who was ranked fourth after appearing in horror movie Captivitylast year. U.S actress and singer Scarlett Johansson, 23, rounded out the top five.

Megan Fox is the deserving winner of this year's FHM title. She's young, she's hot, she's a rising star and her sex appeal has definitely transformed this year's list. She's got a great future ahead of her,said FHM Online U.S. Editor JR Futrell.

Fox debuted on the list at No. 68 in 2006 and was ranked No. 65 last year. But playing the lead female role in Transformers,a blockbuster $700 million hit at worldwide box offices, markedly raised her profile.

Also in the top 10 were Emmanuelle Chriqui, Hilary Duff, Tricia Helfer, Blake Lively and Kate Beckinsale.

Newcomers to the list included Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice from British pop band the Spice Girls, who moved to Los Angeles with her husband, English soccer player David Beckham, last year. She made her debut at No. 99.

Spears, 26, whose career has been buried under an avalanche of personal and mental health problems, managed to make the list at No. 100, a steep decline from 2004 when she was voted the world's sexiest woman.

FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll is now in its 14th year with nearly 9 million votes cast this year by FHM readers worldwide to choose the sexiest women in film, television, music, sports, and fashion.

This year's list also included reality TV stars to reflect the genre's increasing popularity with three girls from the The Hillsmaking the list, including Heidi Montag at No. 44 and Audrina Patridge at No. 80 and Lauren Conrad at No. 95.

From Dancing with the Stars,actress Shannon Elizabeth returned to the list at No. 46 after being absent last year. She was joined by Cheryl Burke at No. 40 and Karina Smirnoff at No. 78, who made their debuts.

It's no surprise to us that so many reality stars made this year's list,said Futrell. 'The Hills' is one of the most popular shows on MTV, and 'Dancing with the Stars' is the No. 2 reality show in America after 'American Idol.' We expect even more to be added next year...READ FULL STORY

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Judge Sentences Snipes To 3 Years For Tax Convictions

2008-04-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on tax charges Thursday, a victory for prosecutors who sought to make an example of the action star by aggressively pursuing the maximum penalty.

Snipes' lawyers had spent much of the day in court offering dozens of letters from family members, friends even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to the good character of the Blade star and asking for leniency. They argued he should get only probation because his three convictions were all misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record.

But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a history of contempt over a period of time for U.S. tax laws, and granted prosecutors the three year sentence they requested one year for each of Snipes' convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return.

In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors, Hodges said.

Snipes apologized while reading from a written statement for his costly mistakes, but never mentioned the word taxes.

I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance, Snipes said.

Snipes said his wealth and celebrity attracted wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat. He called himself well-intentioned, but miseducated.

Snipes was the highest-profile criminal tax target in years, and prosecutors called for a heavy sentence to deter others from trying to obstruct the IRS. The government alleged Snipes made at least $13.8 million for the years in question and owed $2.7 million in back taxes.

Snipes was acquitted in February of five additional charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy. Snipes' co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on both those counts. Kahn, who refused to defend himself in court, was sentenced to 10 years, while Rosile received 54 months. Both will serve three years of supervised release. Snipes will serve one year of supervised release.

Snipes and Rosile remain free and will be notified when they are to surrender to authorities.

Kahn was the founder of American Rights Litigators, and a successor group, Guiding Light of God Ministries, that purported to help members legally avoid paying taxes. Rosile, a former accountant who lost his licenses in Ohio and Florida, prepared Snipes' paperwork.

Snipes maintained in a years-long battle with the IRS he did not have to pay taxes, using fringe arguments common to tax protesters who say the government has no legal right to collect. After joining Kahn's group, the government said Snipes instructed his employees to stop paying their own taxes and sought $11 million in 1996 and 1997 taxes he legally paid.

Prosecutors sought to justify the maximum sentence by raising those and other details from the IRS investigation, as well as a tax loss even for years in which Snipes was acquitted of failing to file a return. Such relevant conduct is allowed by law for a judge's consideration at sentencing.

Criminal tax prosecutions are relatively rare usually the cases are handled in civil court, where the government has a lower burden of proof. Prosecutors said Snipes' case was important to send a message to would-be tax protesters not to test the government...READ FULL STORY

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Best And Worst Cities For Jobs

2008-04-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

The past five years have been a boon to the economies of cities across Florida as housing prices soared and new construction was rampant.

With the housing market scorching, the Cape Coral metro area had the fastest job growth in the country the past five years, at 5.4% annually. Naples is close behind at 4.5% annually, fifth fastest in the country. A look at the 10 metros with the fastest job growth includes a who's who of housing boom towns. Port St. Lucie and Ocala in Florida make the list. So do Las Vegas, Phoenix and Riverside, Calif.

These were housing-juiced economies and were ground zero for the housing boom, says Mark Zandi, chief economist for Economy.com.

As the housing market skidded, the fallout has been severe in these areas. Job growth slowed dramatically in all of these metros in 2007. Housing prices fell 11% in Port St. Lucie in 2007, and they got a 7% haircut in Vegas and Cape Coral.

Foreclosures are also a problem. They reached 4.2% of the homes in Las Vegas in 2007 and 3.8% in Riverside. These were the third- and fourth-highest foreclosure rates in the country among the 100 largest metro areas.

What's next for these cities? We are not going to see a return to 5% annual job growth anytime soon, as the housing mess isn't likely to sort itself out for at least another two years. And with the U.S. potentially in a recession or on its way to one, these economies could struggle, because most are tourist destinations.

There is hope, though, especially for job prospects in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Riverside. These are good fundamentally solid economies and should rebound strongly, says Zandi. Migration to these cities has tailed off, yet they still have some of the highest migration rates in the country. Las Vegas' economy is tied heavily to tourism and gaming, but Riverside and Phoenix have diverse economies, and the population for both metro areas now tops 4 million people.

The recovery in Florida could be a little slower. Zandi points to two underlying problems for most locales: very high and volatile homeowners insurance rates and a complicated property tax system for nonresidents with vacation homes.

One area that is likely to maintain its torrid job growth is Provo, Utah, which had the eighth-fastest job growth the past five years, at 4.2% annually. Provo ranks 11th overall in our ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers. Employment actually accelerated in 2007 and was up 5.5%. Crime rates in Provo are among the lowest in the country, and 31% of the adult population has a college degree, compared with 25% nationally.

Business costs in Provo are 6% lower than the national average. Good news for employers like Intel and Micron, which created a flash-memory joint venture in the area that started production last year. The venture is expected to eventually create 1,850 jobs with a total investment of $3 billion.

Our 10 metro areas with the best job growth increased employment by a cumulative 1 million jobs over the past five years. The story at the other end of the spectrum is not so bright. The 10 metros with the worst job growth lost a total of 286,000 jobs during the past five years....READ FULL STORY

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Can Clinton Still Win?

2008-04-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton should savor the moment. Soon enough, she must face the reality of time and money running out on her once-invincible campaign.

Her win Tuesday in the important swing state of Pennsylvania was hard-fought and decisive. Barack Obama's well-funded effort to shut her down did not come close to an upset.

But despite her victory, the dynamics of the race are the same as they've been for more than two months. Obama remains the front-runner, and that gets more important the closer the campaign comes to the end of the primary season.

He's content to essentially run out the clock with his narrow lead, while she needs something dramatic to happen, said California-based Democratic consultant Dan Newman. A one-run advantage in the first inning isn't a big deal, but a one-run lead in the ninth looms large.

Clinton now faces a dwindling number of contests, and she's at a steep financial disadvantage.

Obama already is spending twice as much on ads airing in North Carolina and Indiana, the two states that come up next, with primaries on May 6. He's even advertising in Oregon, a state that he should win, where voting by mail begins in the first week of May.

Obama can afford to shower every contest with campaign dollars from the $42 million he had at the beginning of April, while Clinton is in debt. She'll have to either persuade donors to give her more money to sustain her long-shot bid or float herself another multimillion-dollar loan.

Then she'll face the uphill battle of convincing the party's elected officials and leaders the superdelegates to reject the front-runner Obama in favor of her.

She has to convince superdelegates that her survival as a candidate doesn't come at the cost of jeopardizing the long-term survival of the party in the fall and in the future, said Democratic consultant Jenny Backus. And that is a tough argument to make.

In Pennsylvania, Clinton won with the support of whites, women and older voters, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Underscoring the race's excitement, more than one in 10 voters Tuesday had registered with the state's Democratic party since the beginning of the year. And about six in 10 of them were voting for Obama.

Some voters had a hard time making up their minds. About a quarter of the day's voters reported having decided within the past week, and about six in 10 of them backed Clinton.

She found reason for optimism in the victory that came even though Obama outspent her 3-to-1 in the state.

He broke every spending record in this state trying to knock us out of this race, Clinton told her cheering supporters. Well, the people of Pennsylvania had other ideas tonight.

But Clinton also went into Pennsylvania with a big advantage the demographics matched her strengths and she started with a steep lead in the polls. She won't have that kind of advantage in the coming contests.

Of the states left, the biggest prize is North Carolina, a state that both sides are predicting Obama will win. Clinton dispatched one of her top state organizers, California and Texas veteran Ace Smith, to North Carolina in an effort to get every vote she can. Smith told reporters last week that getting the percentage spread within single digits would be a victory for Clinton. Obama's also expected to win Oregon and South Dakota.

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2008 Beijing Auto Show Unveiled

2008-04-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

As one of the fastest-growing carmakers on the planet, the Chinese automotive industry has taken an unusual approach to staging international auto shows. Like Geneva and Detroit, it has a major exhibition every year, but like the biennial events in places like Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo, China alternates its big one between Shanghai and Beijing. This year it's Beijing's turn.

The show is a chance for not only the local makers to strut their stuff, but for other global players on hand to show both production and concept cars for both China and international markets.

The most talked about concept at Beijing is the Geely Tiger, which is also known as the Geely GT. This 2-door show car was shown without the Geely badge, leading to some speculation that the automaker has an eye to creating an upscale brand similar to Lexus or Infiniti and that the Tiger would be its flagship model. In any event, this V-6-powered 2+2 is evidence that the Chinese are catching up quickly to the rest of the world and may be a formidable player even in luxury segments.

Relying heavily on its Shanghai design studio, General Motors developed the Buick Invicta show car, which not only hints at what a future LaCrosse midsize sedan might look like, but it also underscores the importance of the Chinese market. Buick actually sells more cars there than it does in the United States. The Invicta brings back an old Buick name from the 1950s and puts it on the flanks of an ultramodern 5-passenger sedan.

Crossovers are the hottest segment in the industry today, and the Audi Q5 made its world debut at Beijing, which shows the universal appeal of these types of vehicles. While the Q5 shares some styling cues with the larger Q7, it has a healthy dollop of station wagon styling, thanks to its thinner pillars and large glass area. The Q5 is intended as a replacement for the Allroad Quattro in Audi's lineup.

Audi wasn't alone with a world debut of a production model. Its Stuttgart-based rival introduced the Mercedes-Benz GLK. This answer to the Q5 in the compact crossover segment has a more truck-oriented design theme. It is boxier, with sharp edges and offers V-6 power in both 2- and all-wheel-drive versions.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) is a multifaceted concern with ties to GM. It also owns the tooling to the Rover 75, which it continues to build today as the Roewe 750. But like Geely, SAIC hopes to expand beyond the Chinese mainland. The new Roewe 550 is a handsome, midsize family sedan that may be the answer to those hopes. Built on a new platform, the 550 is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, which provides good performance and fuel economy...Read Full Story

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Prince William's Bumpy Landing

2008-04-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's the stuff of fantasy: a charming prince arrives at his girlfriend's rural English estate, swooping in on his trusty steed. But when Prince William flew a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter to Kate Middleton's garden earlier this month, he should have known that his romantic gesture wouldn't lead to a fairytale ending. Rather than emerging as the knight in shining armor, William has drawn criticism for his personal use of military craft and reopened a controversy in Britain about his and his brother's privileged role in the armed forces during a time of war.

The trip in question was a 16-mile sortie from a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Hampshire, southern England to a field next to Middleton's house in the county of Berkshire. The Ministry of Defense says the trip was part of a training mission designed to help teach the Prince, who is on a brief detachment to the air force from the army, to fly in combat situations. The Chinook, a $20 million twin-rotor helicopter, has been a mainstay for combat troop transport since the Vietnam War.

But it is up for debate just how official William's training program has been. In a separate trip on April 11, the Prince piloted a Chinook to his cousin's bachelor party on the Isle of Wight in southern England. On that trip, he stopped off at Woolwich Barracks in London to pick up his brother, Prince Harry, who has been stationed there since returning in late February from a 10-week army deployment in Afghanistan's embattled Helman Province.

Prince William, a second lieutenant in the British Army, has been on a four-month, abbreviated training mission with the RAF. His training culminated in an April 11 ceremony in which he was awarded his wings - that is, officially made a pilot - amid fanfare and press attention. But after news surfaced of William's splashy arrival at his girlfriend's estate, the Ministry of Defense was forced to issue a release defending the sortie as a legitimate exercise. Unusually, it gave details of the mission, saying that William did not exit the Chinook at the Middleton property, but simply practiced landings and take-offs.

The Ministry of Defense has also said that the flight to the Isle of Wight, via London, gave William exposure to different flying conditions. But that flight, which William and Harry used to join Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne, for his bachelor party, took place after William had already earned his wings, raising questions about why it was cleared as a training mission.

Several British papers have reported that the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, is furious and has demanded a line-by-line explanation of what happened on these trips and who authorized them. The RAF has long complained about a shortage of Chinook helicopters in Afghanistan. For years officials at NATO have been exhorting its member states to pony up more transport helicopters for that mission, with limited success.

Opposition politicians in the British House of Commons on Monday used news of the trips to highlight again what has become a recurring attack against the incumbent Labour government: that it has failed to provide adequate equipment and support to serving soldiers.

Nick Harvey, defense spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, told the Daily Mail newspaper: [William's trips] are going to leave a lot of people wondering where the priority lies if very serious helicopters are being made available for this sort of thing at a time when they are in such extreme need...Read Full Story...

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American Arrested As Nuclear Spy For Israel

2008-04-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States arrested an 84-year-old American on Tuesday suspected of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s, in a case linked to the Jonathan Pollard spy scandal that rocked U.S.-Israeli relations.

The arrest of Ben-Ami Kadish indicates that Israeli spying revealed by the Pollard case, still an irritant to the U.S. alliance with Israel, may have spread wider than previously acknowledged.

It was bigger than we thought, and they hid it well," said former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova, who prosecuted Pollard.

Kadish acknowledged his spying in FBI interviews and said he acted to help Israel, according to court documents.

He was accused of reporting to an Israeli government handler who was also a main contact for Pollard, an American citizen serving a life term on a 1985 charge of spying for Israel.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, We will be informing the Israelis of this action ... 20-plus years ago during the Pollard case we noted that this was not the kind of behavior we would expect from friends and allies, and that would remain the case today.

Authorities said Kadish was arrested in New Jersey on four counts of conspiracy and espionage after an investigation that began in 2005. The first spy charge carries a possible death sentence.

Kadish made an initial appearance at Manhattan federal court. Looking frail and shuffling, Kadish smiled briefly at the judge who ordered his release on $300,000 bail and restricted his travel.

Kadish did not speak, and his lawyer made no comment upon leaving.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said of the arrest: We know nothing about it. We heard it from the media."

Pollard pleaded guilty in 1986. Israel gave him citizenship in 1996 and acknowledged in 1998 the former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst was one of its spies. Israel has unsuccessfully sought Pollard's release.

Kadish is a Connecticut-born U.S. citizen who worked as a mechanical engineer at the Army's Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey.

His spying lasted roughly from 1979 to 1985, and his contact with the unidentified Israeli handler continued until March of this year, the federal complaint against him said.

Based on circumstances of the case, DiGenova identified Kadish's contact as Yosef Yagur, who has been linked in court documents to the Pollard case. A Justice Department spokesman said he could not confirm that.

The complaint cited Kadish as saying that, unlike Pollard, he received no money from the Israelis.

Kadish used his security clearance to borrow 50 to 100 classified documents from the arsenal's library, the complaint said. He worked from a list provided by the handler, identified in court documents as CC-1. The contact photographed the documents in Kadish's basement.

One classified document Kadish passed on contained information concerning nuclear weaponry," the complaint said. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons but has never acknowledged it.

Another document related to a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet that the United States had sold to an unidentified other foreign country, the complaint said.

A third pertained to the U.S. Patriot missile air defense system. The U.S. military first deployed the system in 1984, and Israel used the system to defend against Iraqi missiles in the 1991 Gulf war.

The complaint said Kadish kept contact with CC-1, met him in Israel in 2004, and spoke with him by telephone on March 20 of this year, after his first FBI interview. It said the handler told him to lie to U.S. authorities: Don't say anything ... What happened 25 years ago? You don't remember anything," CC-1 was quoted as saying.

The complaint said the handler worked as the Israeli consul for science affairs at its Consulate General in New York from 1980 to November 1985.

During the late 1970s, he worked for Israeli Aircraft Industries, an Israeli government contractor, the complaint said. It said the handler left the United States when Pollard was arrested and had not returned.......Read Full Story

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Idol singers who sing first may not last.

2008-04-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

The leadoff performer on an Idol finals night stands a disproportionately greater chance of being eliminated than those who follow, according to an analysis of Idol's seven seasons.

IDOL CHATTER: What do you think of this season's singers?

In 69 finals episodes, 20 singers in the No. 1 spot have been voted off, seven more than would be expected based on statistical probability, says Nick Straguzzi, co-founder of WhatNotToSing.com, which collects and analyzes Idol data. In four out of six weeks this season, the first finalist has been in the bottom three, twice being eliminated. The No. 1 slot is by far the most dangerous for finalists, Straguzzi says.

Eliminations at the other slots came closer to what could be expected at random, except for lucky 7, a spot from which only one has been bounced. And no one in the 11th or 12th spot in a finals week has been eliminated; only one (Kristy Lee Cook) has been in the bottom three.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Idol Ruben Studdard Ken Warwick Michael Johns
Producers decide the singing order except for the finale, which is a singer's choice after a coin flip. (Only one finale leadoff singer, Ruben Studdard, has won Idol.) They vary the order each week to be fair, but also try to arrange singers and their songs to make the most entertaining show, executive producer Ken Warwick says.

It's worked out with two things in mind: where the kid (performed) last week, and if it's a slow, 'dirgey' ballad, I try not to open with that," he says.

Speculation about the danger of the leadoff spot, including fan chatter about a first-performer jinx, grew after the surprise elimination of Michael Johns, 29, who led off two weeks ago. Possible reasons (especially in weeks singers perform once):

Fewer viewers at the start. Idol's ratings grow throughout each show, with more viewers and potential voters watching singers at the end than at the beginning. On April 8, Idol went from 22.8 million viewers in the first half-hour to 26.4 million in the second, a 16% increase.

Judging standards. Viewers compare each singer to the one who preceded him, which helps if you follow a bad performance, says Olivia Fox Cabane of Spitfire Consulting. The problem when you are first is people are comparing you to whatever abstract standards they were hearing before you professional singers or whoever they heard on the radio that day," she says.

The singing-voting gap. Many Idol watchers believe performances later in the show have a stronger hold on viewers than those earlier in the show.

Warwick acknowledges such factors create a little bit of a disadvantage. The order is done as fairly as it could possibly be, but someone has to go first...Read Full Story..

Mondays Buzz You Missed

2008-04-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

Monday usually means rip-the-bandage-off-fast bad news. Luckily, today wasn't too bad. Once Buzz readers became numb again to gas sticker-shock and Midwest aftershocks, they moved on to diplomats and games with Mother Nature.

Pumping Gas, Bleeding Cash

Yes, the Europeans have long paid more. Yes, fossil-fuel consumption should be cut back. But man, current gas prices do suck the cash out of a wallet! Buzz readers glommed onto yet another record-breaking price in the United States an average $3.50 a gallon. The cost of crude also bubbled to new heights, but not for the usual reasons: A pirate rocket hit an empty Japanese oil tanker off the Yemen coast. Although no pirates yelled "avast" and boarded, the maritime aggression pushed landlubbing traders into a whirlpool of panic. Search Engine Journal shows sites that help find cheap gas ... but no tips on pirate defenses.

The Renegade Diplomat

Jimmy Carter went to Syria as a "private citizen," but not many private citizens can list Oval Office on their resumé. Following his meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, the former president delivered the message that Hamas would accept Israel as a "neighbor," but Israel and the U.S. must negotiate directly with what both governments deem a terrorist group. Still, the hopeful development earned the AP story high votes, as well as a Passover thank-you from a Huffington Post writer. Carter gives his own account in an NPR interview including disputing reports that his visit had been discouraged.

Big Blessings, Little Trifles

Pope Benedict XVI left a trail of jubilance, munificence, questions, and trivia. For instance, GearLog poised the question, Who knew that Sprint is a holy wireless carrier? The New York Daily News reported the religious leader's headgear is called a miter,in a story about a local artist who presented a handmade straw hat to Benedict to "wear in the country." And, readers purred over a New York Times' piece on the "pope's fondness for felines.

Also spiking in the Buzz ...

An aftershock registered 4.5 on the Richter scale in the Midwest and on the wire stories. Now people really think Californians are crazy.

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UFC Cuts Disgraceful Fighter

2008-04-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

It was a great night for mixed martial arts on Saturday in Montreal, as an enthusiastic sellout crowd of 21,390 packed the Bell Centre to watch hometown hero Georges St. Pierre reclaim the UFC welterweight title from Matt Serra at UFC 83.

It wasn't such a good night, though, for Kalib Starnes, who spent most of the evening running from Nate Quarry in their middleweight bout. A native of Surrey, B.C., Starnes was booed heavily by the Canadian crowd that had been boisterous in its support of all the other Canadians on the card.

After losing a unanimous decision on scores of 30-26, 30-27, and an unheard-of 30-24, Starnes received even worse news: He was cut from his contract by UFC president Dana White.

He just doesn’t belong in the UFC and after his performance the other night, he should consider a new line of work,White said Monday.

Quarry pressed the action the entire fight as Starnes simply circled and refused to engage. Late in the third round, Quarry pretended to run like he was a track star in trying to find a way to get Starnes to fight.

After the bout, members of Quarry's corner were complaining to Starnes about his lack of activity. Starnes shouted an expletive at one member of Quarry's team, called him a derogatory term for homosexuals and challenged him to a fight.

Starnes couldn't be reached for comment about his performance, but Quarry expressed disappointment with Starnes' lack of effort.

A one-time contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, Starnes was 8-2 going into the bout and had had quality victories over Chris Leben and Jason MacDonald.

I think if you're fighting in the UFC, you've got to come to fight, Quarry told UFC.com in a post-fight interview. I would much rather get knocked out than lose a decision running backwards. No disrespect to Kalib. I know the stress really gets to you. A lot of guys, they focus on not wanting to lose instead of wanting to win. I didn't mean to disrespect him in any way. I just got frustrated because you can't fight when somebody's moving backward that fast....Read Full Story