The Statue of Liberty is tweeting on the social networking site Twitter.com (@statuelibrtynps) and giving e-tours of her innards, just in time for the Fourth of July, when the icon’s crown opens for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Full Story
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According to the New York Times, Brazilian military planes sighted some wreckage floating in the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday morning that could be part of the missing Air France Flight 447, which disappeared Sunday night with 228 aboard, a Brazilian air force spokesman said in a televised address reported by news agencies.
The debris included an airplane seat cushion, a life jacket, some white pieces of material and signs of fuel, the spokesman, Jorge Amaral, said. It was sighted about 600 miles off Brazil’s northeastern coast and about 400 miles northeast of the Brazilian island of Fernando do Noronha, roughly along the plane’s scheduled flight path from Rio de Janiero to Paris.
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GM officially announced this morning that a preliminary agreement has been reached to sell the Hummer brand. No word yet on who's buying.
It said the deal would save about 3,000 jobs in the United States, including those at its 153 domestic dealerships, and that Hummer would remain based in the United States.
GM will also be selling the Saturn and Saab. The Pontiac line will be shut down.
GM plans to move forward with four core brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC.
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An earthquake hit Los Angeles, centered around Lennox California on May 17.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.7 quake was located about a mile east of Lennox, CA, and about 10 miles, south, southwest of the Los Angeles Civic Center. It is the largest quake in the area in nearly a year.
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An Atlanta rapper known as Dolla, was fatally shot at the Beverly Center on Monday afternoon.
The shooting occurred around 3:10 p.m. in the parking structure of the popular Westside mall. Dolla, a rapper whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton II, was shot in the head while he and another rapper, D.J. Shabbazz, were waiting in the valet area, according to Dolla's publicist, Sue Vannasing. A friend who was with the rappers at the Beverly Center as well as a Los Angeles Police Department source also confirmed his identity to The Times.
Two suspects fled from the scene, police said. About two hours later, Los Angeles police detained a “person of interest" as he attempted to board a plane out of Los Angeles International Airport.
Dolla arrived at LAX from Atlanta earlier in the day and went to the Beverly Center to do some shopping, Vannasing said.
He had apparently had a dispute with some people, perhaps at the airport, Vannasing said.
“They followed him to the mall because they knew he was coming," Vannasing said. Los Angeles police officials could not immediately confirm or deny that account.
Dolla was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died, police said.
Dolla was an up-and-coming rapper out of Atlanta who had recorded several singles. He was in town to work on his first album, slated to be released this summer on Jive Records, Vannasing said. His first single, released in 2007, was “Who the [Expletive] is that?" more
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President Barack Obama is calling for credit card reform.
Obama will be addressing a push for credit-card legislation with a town-hall meeting in New Mexico on Thursday after devoting much of his weekly radio address to the topic.
With the Senate scheduled to vote on its credit-card legislation this week, President Obama is embracing complaints from Americans about interest-rate increases, penalties and fees for their cards. He wants Congress to deliver legislation for him to sign by Memorial Day, on May 25.
“I’m calling on Congress … to pass a credit card reform bill that protects American consumers so that I can sign it into law by Memorial Day, there is no time for delay. We need a durable and successful flow of credit in our economy, but we can’t tolerate profits that depend upon misleading working families. Those days are over.”
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The Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer from inside the crown of the statue, that the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island will be re-opened to the public on the Fourth of July.
"This Statue of Liberty really is about hope and optimism for America its also about jobs that come with tourism all over this country and its about President Obama's agenda. So today were announcing that on the 4th of july we will open up the crown of the Statue of Liberty"
The Statue of Liberty has been closed since 911 terrorist attack.
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Dom DeLuise died in his sleep on May 4, 2009 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was hospitalized at the time, suffering from kidney failure and respiratory problems following a long battle with cancer.
He was a comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur, and the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise.
His first acting credit was as a regular performer in the television show The Entertainers in 1964. In the 1970s and 1980s, he often co-starred with Burt Reynolds; together they appeared in the films The Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, Smokey and the Bandit II, The End, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and All Dogs Go to Heaven. DeLuise was the host of the television show Candid Camera from 1991 to 1992.
TV producer Greg Garrison hired DeLuise to appear as a specialty act on the popular Dean Martin show. DeLuise ran through his "Dominick the Great" routine, a riotous example of a magic act gone wrong, with host Martin as a bemused volunteer from the audience. Dom's catch phrase in broken Italian dialect, No Applause Necessary, Sava to the End. The show went so well that DeLuise was soon a regular on Martin's program, participating in both songs and sketches. Garrison also featured DeLuise in his own hour-long comedy specials for ABC. (Martin was often just off-camera when these were taped, and his distinctive laugh can be heard loud and clear.)
DeLuise was probably best known as a regular in Mel Brooks's films. He appeared in The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs & Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Brooks' late wife, actress Anne Bancroft, directed Dom in Fatso (1980). He also had a cameo in Johnny Dangerously as the Pope, and in Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie as a wayward Hollywood talent agent who comes across Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection" in the film's opening scene.
Dom DeLuise was also an avid cook and author of several books on cooking, in recent years he appeared as a regular contributor to a syndicated home improvement radio show, On The House with The Carey Brothers, giving listeners tips on culinary topics. He also wrote seven children's books.
We will definately MISS you!
Watch this funny clip of Dom DeLuise and Dean Martin
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Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza SeguÃn.
While outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years. However, Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.
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According to the Maine CDC, Wednesday morning, three cases of H1N1 (swine flu) were confirmed in Maine. All three people are adults and a recovering in their homes. Two are from Kennebec County and one resides in York County.
Arizona 1 California 14 Indiana 1 Kansas 2 Maine 3 Massachusetts 2 Michigan 2 Nevada 1 New York 51 Ohio 1 Texas 16
TOTAL COUNTS 94 cases 1 death ( Texas )
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The human swine flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, CDC reports additional cases of confirmed swine influenza and a number of hospitalizations of swine flu patients. Internationally, the situation is more serious too, with additional countries reporting confirmed cases of swine flu. In response to the intensifying outbreak, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4External Web Site Policy.. A Phase 4 alert is characterized by confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause “community-level” outbreaks.” The increase in the pandemic alert phase indicates that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased.
CDC is reporting 64 cases of Swine Flu as of April 28, 2009
California - 10 Kansas - 2 New York City - 45 Ohio - 1 Texas - 6
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Reported cases of Swine Flu in United States (As of April 26, 2009)
California - 7 Kansas -2 New York City - 8 Ohio - 1 Texas - 2
Google Flu Trends , a Web service provided by Google.org, has been updating itself with data and news stories about the swine flu pandemic. Social-networking tools such as Twitter have been blazing with members’ posts about the possible spread of the disease. As of April 27, swine flu has killed 103 people in Mexico and spread to the United States, Europe and possibly other locations around the world.
President Barack Obama said Monday that the threat of spreading swine flu infections is a cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm" as the United States undertook close border monitoring to contain it.
Here are the CDC's for limiting your risk of catching the swine flu virus:
* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. * Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. * Try to avoid close contact with sick people. * If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. * Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread that way.
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The New York Daily news reported that the Boston cops branded Philip Markoff, a 22-year-old med student engaged to be married, as the "Craigslist Killer" who murdered Julissa Brismana, a pretty New York masseuse, and attacked at least two other escorts in hotels.
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Thailand's government declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Sunday after arresting a leader of protests that forced the cancellation of an ASEAN summit the day before.
Prime Minister Vejjajiva Abhisit said the government took the decision because the problems threatening stability were escalating. "The government has to declare the state of emergency to restore normality as soon as possible," Abhisit said.
A Sunday school teacher was booked early today on suspicion of murder and kidnapping in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, whose body was found in a suitcase in an irrigation pond.
Melissa Huckaby has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapp...Sandra Cantu disappeared on March 27.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Friday after she drove to the Tracy Police Department to be interviewed. She was booked at 3:25 a.m. today at San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp, where she is being held without bail. Full Story
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying Washington, Tokyo and other world leaders who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology. President Barack Obama warned the move would further isolate the communist nation. Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said. The multistage rocket hurtled toward the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within seven minutes, but no debris appeared to hit its territory, officials in Tokyo said.
Tobacco users are facing a huge financial hit as the single largest federal tobacco tax increase ever go into effect Wednesday, April 1st of 2009. Tobacco taxes are increasing to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children.
Cigarette per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01. Tax on chewing tobacco will go up from 19.5 cents per pound to 50 cents. The total expected to be raised over the 4 1/2 year-long health insurance expansion is nearly $33 billion.
Medical groups are hoping this will help persuade smokers to quit.
Congress is also considering legislation to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco. President Obama, who has agonized over his own cigarette habit, said he would sign such a bill.
A minor earthquake hit San Jose this morning. The US Geological Survey said the temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 4.3.
Here are the stats of the San Jose earthquake, Courtesy of the US Geological Survey
Magnitude 4.3 Date-Time
* Monday, March 30, 2009 at 17:40:29 UTC * Monday, March 30, 2009 at 10:40:29 AM at epicenter * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 37.285°N, 121.620°W Depth 6.2 km (3.9 miles) Region NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Distances
* 18 km (11 miles) N (7°) from Morgan Hill, CA * 19 km (12 miles) E (91°) from Seven Trees, CA * 20 km (13 miles) ESE (117°) from Alum Rock, CA * 25 km (16 miles) ESE (104°) from San Jose City Hall, CA
Summit Photograph: Sukree Sukplang/REUTERS