Keepingitreal

California judge rules early cell phone termination fees illegal

In one of the most significant legal rulings in the tech industry this year, a Superior Court judge in California has ruled that the practice of charging consumers a fee for ending their cell phone contract early is illegal and violates state law. The preliminary, tentative judgment orders Sprint Nextel to pay customers $18.2 million in reimbursements and, more importantly, orders Sprint to stop trying to collect another $54.7 million from California customers (some 2 million customers total) who have canceled their contracts but refused or failed to pay the termination fee. While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that's enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T's two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It's highly probable. Of course, the carriers aren't going to take this lying down. Early termination fees are seen as critical to business, so carriers are expected to look for ways to reclassify the fees (such as by calling them "rates," part of the arcane set of laws that covers the telecommunications industry). The industry is also pushing for the federal government to step in and claim oversight over the early termination fee issue, which would invalidate any state ruling. The FCC is generally more tolerant of such fees, though Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed a plan whereby the fees are decreased the closer you are to the end of your contract. The FCC may also buy the argument that, since carriers are nationally based (and consumers can use their phones anywhere in the country), that a single policy should apply across the nation, rather than creating a patchwork of legislation that could lead to confusion and chaos caused by having 50 different policies. Is the early termination fee dead? Not yet, but it's looking a little haggard. LINK: Sprint early termination fees are illegal, judge rules SOURCE:YAHOO.COM

JENNIFER HUDSON ON GMA

iPhone Blog Buzz 07.31.08

Ludacris releases new Obama Song: He attacks Hillary Clinton as n 'irrelevant bitch.'
Comedians Can't find the Funny with Obama: NY Times article exposes unease with poking fun with Candidate.
OMG Gossip: Whoopi's Whoopie and LC's Sorrow.
Of the Day: The Eyes of a Monster Gaze Upon the Hands of a Monster
Nub Lovin: Actor Kel Mitchell Spoofs Usher's 'Love in the Club'
Foreclosing on the Dead
The Blackout Arts Festival
Shine Magazine: For Beauty Professionals & Enthusiast

Over 2,000 raped last month in Congo’s east: report More than 2,000 rape cases were recorded last month alone in Democratic
Republic of Congo’s violent North Kivu province, a new report said on
Tuesday, highlighting the failure of a U.N.-backed deal to deliver
peace. Many more women and girls were raped but did not report it, the
document added, saying that, since the signing of a January 23 deal
between rebels, militia and government, 150,000 civilians had fled
their homes amid continuing “horrendous violence.” The report by the
Congo Advocacy Coalition, a collection of 64 international and local
aid agencies and rights groups, is the latest damning indictment of an
agreement meant to finally pacify North Kivu, a province in the
mineral-rich east. (Continue Reading…)

Maria Carey, Fergie Promise to 'Love you Long Time' -- But is The Phrase Empowering or Insensitive?
California to sue EPA on greenhouse gas emissions
Starbucks posts first loss, backs '09 profit target
Bush signs housing bill as Fannie Mae grows
Iran's Amadenijad Blames US and the West for AIDS
Poll: Most Californias approve of offshore oil drilling
Movie Review: The undead return in 'The Mummy'
Video: Big Boi f/Mary J. Blige - 'Sumthin's Gotta Give'
Video: Angela Simmons - 'Center of Attention'
Obama Camp Responds to Ludacris Lyrics
Exclusive: Nelly and T.I. Planning Joint Album
The Photoshop Awards: Xtina for Macy's
Halle's Barack Tee + Seal & Heidi in Rome
Exclusive: Monica's New Album Cover
Chris Brown & NeYo get Their Chew on...
Spanish forwad gives up NBA for Olympics
Nike swimmers can wear Speedo at Olympics
Amy Whinehouse's Dad claims her drink was spiked

7/30: Preview of “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Kristen Gates talks about new gig, “Baby Borrowers” ends

The five women from the already-maligned Bravo spinoff reality show “Real Housewives of Atlanta” have done some press, including Entertainment Tonight. I’ll talk to them closer to air date in September.In the meantime, here’s a little teaser from the women themselves via video. NeNe Leakes: “I know the viewers are going to love, love, love the real housewives of Atlanta.”Lisa Wu Hartwell: “We have a lot to offer. We have the music scene. We have the film scene. We have fashionistas. We have athletes. We have everything. It’s hot. It’s hot in Atlanta!”Leakes: “Being in the South is totally different, just being in the South. The women in New York are wound a little tight. Orange County? They were fun. We’re funner.”“More fun,” corrected DeShawn Snow.Snow then added: “We’re five strong dynamic women. We have very strong personalities. We know exactly what we want. You put five people together like that, there will be a couple of disagreements. At the end of the day, we’re like a family, like sisters.”Show starts Sept. 16, but there’s a 30-minute preview tonight at midnight (or, technically, tomorrow) right after “Project Runway.”SOURCE:AJC.COM

DEATH ROW COST OVERRUN: $40 MILLION

The cost of new housing for San Quentin State Prison's growing number of Death Row inmates will exceed estimates by nearly $40 million, and the compound could run out of space soon after it is completed, according to a state auditor's report released Tuesday.The auditor's new $395.5 million price tag for the project, which is expected to be completed by 2011, is new bad news for a state facing billions of dollars in budget shortfalls. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrat-controlled Legislature are still trying to hammer out a spending plan for the fiscal year that began nearly a month ago.California's prison system is already a big-ticket item, representing about 10 percent of roughly $100 billion general fund spending. And with severe inmate overcrowding and claims of inadequate health care for prisoners, a federal receiver appointed by a judge in 2006 has asked the Legislature for an additional $7 billion to get the prison system to run adequately."This is a giant black hole," said Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, chairwoman of the Senate public safety committee. "It's a never-ending gravitational force that'll continue to suck away money that should be spent on local government, education, health and human services and higher education."Seth Unger, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the latest figures for the San Quentin project are estimates at best. He added that the report "does validate that California needs a newly constructed, modern facility to house our condemned inmate population." SOURCE: SFGATE.COM

iPhone Daily Blog Buzz 07.30.08

JL King Part 2: 'Down Low' author/activist launches new book series...Continue Reading Chris Rock's Ex Writing Tell-All...Continue Reading Trial begins for Oprah Dorm Matron: Tiny Virginia Makopo pleads not guilty to indecent assault charges...Continue Reading Negro Ensemble Company attempts comeback: Historic group to launch new season at Signature Theater....Continue Reading Now that Baron Davis wants to learn the L.A. Real Estate Game, he wants to do more than play ball...Continue Reading Commentary: Obama, McCain should help fight black AIDS...Continue Reading Ron Artest is not going home to play for his beloved New York Knicks. Artest didn't get the fairy-tale trade to join his Southern California buddy Kobe Bryant, either. Continue Reading... ORLANDO, Fla. -- The WNBA has received the first A-plus given in Richard Lapchick's annual diversity report card on race and gender.The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport study, which grades professional leagues on the number of participating women and minorities, shows women own three WNBA teams, up two from 2007 and one the previous year. Continue Reading... Tatyana Ali is one reason to pick up the August issue of KING. She talks about everything from working with a prominent 2Pac collaborator to becoming an Obama surrogate. Continue Reading... Chilli of TLC - Maxim Behind the Scenes...Continue Reading Samuel Snow refused to cash the check that the Army sent recently to compensate for wrongly accusing him and 27 others of rioting and lynching an Italian POW during World War II. Besides Snow, only one other former GI survived to see the checks sent out. Saturday, the Army held a ceremony to formally apologize to the soldiers. The next morning, Snow died — but not before hearingthe Army’s apology. “He had a smile so big,” his son told the New York Times. Continue Reading.... WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed a massive housing bill intended to provide mortgage relief for 400,000 struggling U.S. homeowners and to stabilize financial markets. Continue Reading.... NEGRO PLEASE PRESENTS: The Unofficial SDN Tournament Nomination Ceremony...Continue Reading CNN Black in America: Charlotte Conversation Continues...Soledad O'Brien insightful documentary about the challenges, joys...Continue Reading  R. Kelly provides more Laugh-Out-Loud Moments on 13 Leaked Tracks...Continue Reading

House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said. By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow." "Jim Crow," or Jim Crow laws, were state and local laws enacted mostly in the Southern and border states of the United States between the 1870s and 1965, when African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties and were legally segregated from whites. The name "Jim Crow" came from a character played by T.D. "Daddy" Rice who portrayed a slave while in blackface during the mid-1800s.The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day.""African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," the resolution states.The House would also commit itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future," if it passes the resolution.The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.The resolution will not be the first time lawmakers have apologized to an ethnic group for past injustices.In April, the Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, that apologized to Native Americans for "the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect."In 1993, the Senate also passed a resolution apologizing for the "illegal overthrow" of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893. SOURCE:CNN.COM

The Player: In The Beginning

“You have to learn to crawl before you can walk” is a popular saying, especially amongst private sports trainers, and it applies to just about any given discipline. While the Player typically has an assortment of inherent gifts that enhance his pickup expertise, his most vital skills come from experience. You don’t become a legitimate Player overnight, and without a foundation to build upon, you’re heading into battle with a papier-mâché sword and a complete lack of combat tactics knowledge. Therefore, in order to establish a starting point, one must begin a regiment of simple observation and participation. If you’re one of those cocky guys who label themselves a “Player” without actually having the resume to prove it, you need to recognize one very important fact: The women truly worth fighting for, those worth every ounce of effort, can always spot a poser. Men who ignore a Player program of sorts -- like the one I’m prescribing below -- eventually hit a ceiling. They’re too obvious, they try too hard, they only have one technique, they don’t have a patiently honed persona, etc, etc, etc. On the flip side of that coin, the Player is a master pickup artist that has an impressive history of successes and experiences, thereby allowing him to conquer most any given pickup situation. And although it may be painful to recall, every Player remembers his first baby steps and how it all went “in the beginning.” More relevant to today’s class, he’ll tell you just how important they were…

Know what a Player really is

Before you take your first steps into the Player universe, you need to know what you’re striving for. A few important articles worthy of your perusal would be "Player As Gentleman” and “Disarm Her Player Assumptions,” which will give you a better idea of your goal. The most important step is to solidify a reputation worthy of a respectable pickup artist, and you can build your repertoire around that. It’s all too easy to take shortcuts, but it’s merely a temporary solution that inhibits growth. Many guys will attempt to prove their Player status by sleeping with as many women as possible within a certain span of time, but this proves nothing; it’s just adolescent boasting. It’s about the quality, not the quantity, and it’s about reveling in the charms of women while returning the favor tenfold. There’s nothing slimy or sleazy about the Player, and the sooner you come to realize this, the sooner you will realize that words like “restraint,” “respect” and “equality” are essential. More tips on what to do in the beginning... Next >>

Jack White, Alicia Keys to 'Bond' for 'Quantum of Solace'

The next James Bond film has its theme song. Jack White and Alicia Keys have tag-teamed to record "Another Way to Die" for the November release "Quantum of Solace," the second Bond flick to feature Daniel Craig in the lead role.It had been speculated for a few weeks that Keys would be tapped to the perform the song, and now she has a drummer. White will provide the rhythm for the cut and serve as its writer-producer, confirmed in a release today from Columbia Pictures. "Another Way to Die" is hyped as the first duet for a Bond film.White and Keys are the latest Americans to tackle a main Bond song, following Chris Cornell, who did "You Know My Name" for "Casino Royale" in 2006. And like the latter, "Another Way to Die" will be one of the rare Bond theme songs to not actually feature the name of the movie in the title.The announcement brings to end months of speculation as to who would sing the latest Bond theme. Rumors earlier this year had Amy Winehouse doing the honors, but her producer-collaborator Mark Ronson declared her "not ready." Newcomer Leona Lewis had also been rumored to be in the running.The soundtrack to "Quantum of Solace" will be released by J Records, Keys' record label, on Oct. 28. SOURCE:LAT.COM

Chronic homeless population down 15%, U.S. says

WASHINGTON -- The number of chronically homeless people declined by 15% last year, according to a first-of-its-kind government report released Tuesday, though officials cautioned that part of the decline may be attributable to better counting methods.Nationwide, almost 1.6 million people were homeless and found shelter last year, the report found."We're very encouraged by this," said Steven Preston, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose department released the report. "We want to present the facts as we see them, and the facts are really good. . . . We are making progress."The report represents the first time that homelessness has been tracked over the course of an entire year. Prior estimates, starting in 2005, were "point-in-time" snapshots that provided a count of the homeless population on a particular night.The new measure will enable authorities to more effectively allocate funding for homeless programs, officials said. The government wants to make this an annual report, a baseline to measure homelessness, they said.The report defines a chronically homeless person as a disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for at least a year or has been homeless at least four times in the previous three years.The report found that of the nearly 1.6 million homeless who found shelter, either in emergency housing or in transitional living programs, 77% were in "central cities" and the rest in suburban and rural areas. Families with children (typically a mother with two or three children) constitute 30% of this population; minorities make up 64%; and 13% are veterans. Advocates for the homeless warn that counting the population poses challenges. For instance, homeless individuals may not want to be found. In addition, fallout from the housing crisis and economic woes may not have been evident during the time of the study, which was conducted from Oct. 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2007."Families who have been foreclosed upon -- they downsize to a cheaper apartment, move in with friends or relatives, move into an RV and do everything they can before they are on the street," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "It's a two-year downward cycle they're going to be experiencing. There hasn't been a tidal wave yet." SOURCE:LAT.COM

U.S. Blacks, if a Nation, Would Rank High on AIDS

If black America were a country, it would rank 16th in the world in the number of people living with the AIDS virus, the Black AIDS Institute, an advocacy group, reported Tuesday.The report, financed in part by the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, provides a startling new perspective on an epidemic that was first recognized in 1981.Nearly 600,000 African-Americans are living with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, and up to 30,000 are becoming infected each year. When adjusted for age, their death rate is two and a half times that of infected whites, the report said. Partly as a result, the hypothetical nation of black America would rank below 104 other countries in life expectancy.Those and other disparities are “staggering,” said Dr. Kevin A. Fenton, who directs H.I.V. prevention efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency responsible for tracking the epidemic in the United States.“It is a crisis that needs a new look at prevention,” Dr. Fenton said.In a separate report on Tuesday, the United Nations painted a somewhat more optimistic picture of the worldwide AIDS epidemic, noting that fewer people are dying of the disease since its peak in the late 1990s and that more people are receiving antiretroviral drugs.Nevertheless, the report found that progress remained uneven and that the future of the epidemic was uncertain. The report was issued in advance of the 17th International AIDS Conference, which begins this weekend in Mexico City.The gains are partly from the Bush administration’s program to deliver drugs and preventive measures to people in countries highly affected by H.I.V.The Black AIDS Institute took note of that program in criticizing the administration’s efforts at home. The group said that more black Americans were living with the AIDS virus than the infected populations in Botswana, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Namibia, Rwanda or Vietnam — 7 of the 15 countries that receive support from the administration’s anti-AIDS program. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Former Newark Mayor Is Sentenced to 27 Months

NEWARK — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Sharpe James, Newark’s towering yet controversial former mayor, to prison for 27 months at a simmering five-hour hearing in which he rebuked the prosecution for “heartlessly” adhering to a bureaucratic form of justice. The sentence was a fraction of the 20 years prosecutors had requested for Mr. James, who was convicted on fraud charges stemming from the sale of city properties to a former companion for a fraction of their cost.In rendering the sentence, Judge William J. Martini of United States District Court blistered the prosecution, saying he was “shocked and disappointed” by the sentencing request and questioning the contention that the James administration had been corrupt for years.“Don’t talk about a history of corruption unless you can prove it,” Judge Martini, a former Republican congressman, scolded Judith H. Germano, the chief prosecutor in the case. “I don’t want to hear these allegations of a corrupt administration, he’s all-powerful, he didn’t do any good. I’m supposed to throw out the history of a man’s life for misconduct he committed at age 69?”It has long been axiomatic to supporters of Mr. James, a five-term Democratic mayor, that he was Newark’s savior: a powerful yet sometimes vindictive man who improved Newark’s beaten-down image and brought to town the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Prudential Arena and the Newark Bears.Yet Mr. James, 72, who also served for years as a state senator, has long found himself in the cross hairs of the federal government, which has investigated him on a range of corruption allegations for years.Christopher J. Christie, the United States attorney for New Jersey, responded swiftly to Judge Martini’s attacks, wading into precisely the same waters his office had been counseled to avoid.“In seven weeks, Sharpe James will report to federal prison,” Mr. Christie, a Republican, said at a news conference following the sentencing. “In seven weeks, he will be away from the house at the beach, the Rolls-Royce, the romantic strolls down Broad Street to catch the bus with regular people.”Mr. James’s six-week trial this spring covered a host of urban touchstones, from sex to mayoral power to developable real estate. He was accused — and convicted — of helping Tamika Riley, 39, gain access to a city-sponsored program meant to redevelop Newark’s struggling South Ward and not disclosing that she was his romantic partner. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Earthquake rocks Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A magnitude-5.4 earthquake has struck just east of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.Officials say there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The epicenter was 3 miles west-southwest of Chino Hills and 28 miles east-southeast of the Los Angeles Civic Center, which is in downtown Los Angeles, the USGS reports.The epicenter was about 8.5 miles deep. In general, earthquakes closer to the surface produce stronger shaking and can cause more damage than those farther underground. The quake struck at 11:42 a.m. (2:42 p.m. ET), according to the USGS. Kate Hutton, a staff seismologist at Caltech, said 11 aftershocks followed, with 3.8 being the largest and the only one felt, the Los Angeles Times reported.The quake's magnitude classification fluctuated as seismologists reviewed the data. Initially classified as a magnitude 5.8, the quake's intensity was reduced to a 5.6 and then to a 5.4. Because the earthquake magnitude scale is exponential, a 5.8 magnitude quake is four to five times more intense than a 5.4. A 5.4 magnitude quake is considered by the USGS to be "moderate," which can cause slight damage to buildings and others structures. About 500 can happen globally each year, the survey says.There were no immediate reports of injury or damage in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told The Associated Press. San Bernardino County fire dispatch did not have reports of damage, AP said.According to the USGS archives, it's the biggest California earthquake since September 28, 2004, when a 6.0 quake was recorded south of Parkfield, which is about 70 miles northwest of Bakersfield. SOURCE:CNN.COM

HERETV! LESBIAN SEX AND SEXUALITY

July 29, 2008 Los Angeles, CA -- HERE! America’s premium gay and lesbian television network is pleased to announce the premiere of the second season of the critically-acclaimed documentary series Lesbian Sex and Sexuality.  The brand new season of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality will consist of five 30-minute episodes and will make its network debut on Friday, September 5th.  A topic rarely discussed before in television, the exploration of lesbian sexual culture has seen a recent up-rise through hit shows like The L Word, here!’s Dante’s Cove, and the British hit series Sugar Rush – also recently acquired by here! Networks.  Lesbian Sex and Sexuality takes things one step further with focused, doc-style episodes which provide provocative and groundbreaking insights into lesbian sex. The second season of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality covers topics such as lesbian “high camp,” lesbian burlesque, queer porn star Loralei Lee, the difference between butch and femme and everything in-between, the stereotype-killing renaissance of the lesbian one-night stand, lesbian escorts, lesbian sex at The Dinah, and, of course, tons of sexperts – including Sirius Satellite Radio’s Diana Cage and Ourchart.com’s Grace Moon – with tips on the latest sex techniques and the best sex toys to buy! “Lesbian Sex and Sexuality 2 will once again take an unblinking, comprehensive and provocative ride into a world where lesbian desire isn’t whispered but seriously celebrated,” says Producer and Director Katherine Linton. Linton is an award-winning producer whose documentaries have aired on PBS, A & E, Logo, VH1, Bravo, TLC and Discovery Health.  She has been producing socially relevant media for over ten year.  As Senior Producer and host of the series In the Life she brought gay and lesbian issues to a national public television audience as early as 1993.  In her subsequent works she has continued to focus on the stories of the marginalized in society and their struggle to maintain dignity in a mostly hostile landscape.  “Katherine Linton has a knack for un-earthing uniquely entertaining, authentic stories of the community.  We’re incredibly lucky to work with this talented filmmaker and her team,” says Meredith Kadlec, Senior Vice President, Original Programming.here! looks forward to the second season of this provocative and trailblazing series as it breaks stereotypes while continuing to titillate and educate here!’s gay and lesbian audience. Recent and upcoming here! original films, series and specials include: Paradise Falls, a sexy dramatic series that follows the steamy scandals of the residents of a small town in the northern woods; The DL Chronicles, an award-winning series focusing on the diverse stories of men of color who by consequence and by choice, live sexually duplicitous and secret lifestyles; Dante’s Cove, ranked “Best Soap of the Year” by The Advocate; the upcoming films On the Other Hand, Death and Ice Blues from The Donald Strachey Mysteries, a series of original films starring Chad Allen as a gay private investigator; the upcoming second-season premiere of the sexy gay vampire series The Lair; and the original film Shelter, an indie romantic drama about love, family and trying to stay true to yourself.  To sample here!'s programming, please visit here! Video, the broadband portal of here! Networks, at www.heretv.com/videoplayer.

iPhone Blog Buzz Feed 07.29.08

Rap superstar Nelly will likely be the first hip-hop star to get paid for letting their underwear show.The St. Louis-bred artist, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., will be the new spokesmodel for Sean Jean Underwear, the intimates line by fellow hip-hop star Sean "Diddy" Combs.Continue Reading...  WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has approved the Army's request to execute a soldier convicted of rape and murder, the White House announced Monday evening. Continue Reading.... CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. gymnast Paul Hamm will not be going to the Beijing Olympics and defending his all-around title. Continue Reading.... WASHINGTON (AP) -- The businessman arrived at the Treasury Department carrying a suitcase stuffed with about $5.2 million in petrified, nearly unrecognizable bills. He asked to swap it for a cashier's check. Continue Reading... The father of sibling trio THE JONAS BROTHERS is tired of people who don't take diabetes seriously - because he has to watch his teenage son attempting
to manage his insulin levels every day. Continue Reading... Ludacris makes history get's inducted into Georgia's Music Hall of Fame....Continue Reading PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP)  — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell personally informed Buffalo Bills running back    Marshawn Lynch on Monday that he won't be disciplined by the league for a hit-and-run accident that left a woman injured. Continue Reading... Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy," the vibrant and rich song that defined Gnarls Barkley at the Hollywood Bowl..Continue Reading.... If you're in the NYC area this week, then you could attend a fab FREE concert in the city tomorrow!  Chris Brown, Ne Yo and "Dancing With the Stars"Julianne Hough are teaming up with Wrigley's Gum to put on a FREE concert in New York City at the Nokia Center, 1515 Broadway on tomorrow Tuesday July 29, 2008! But note this, the ONLY way to attend this concert is by winning tickets on the radio or by catching a ride on a Wrigley bus at one of 3 NYC pickup locations below. Check out all the following deets if you wanna be on the scene! Continue Reading....KINGSTON, Jamaica(AP) - A Jamaican track and field athlete tested positive for a banned substance and will be removed from the country's Olympic team. Mike Fennell, the president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, declined to name the athlete whose sample tested positive from Jamaica's national athletics trials held last month, but said it wasn't a `major'' member of the Beijing-bound team. A person familiar with the case told The Associated Press that it does not involve star sprinters Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell, nor does it involve a female athlete. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.Continue Reading...

NELLY: NEW FACE OF SEANJOHN UNDERWEAR

FCC ready to take on ISP limits Comcast, other providers told they can't interfere with large downloads and file sharing

(07-28) 18:14 PDT -- The Federal Communications Commission appears poised to crack down on Comcast for its practice of slowing down or blocking large file transfers, which has drawn the ire of consumer groups.FCC Chairman Kevin Martin confirmed in an e-mail that he has the necessary three votes to punish the kind of selective techniques used by Comcast to target heavy peer-to-peer file sharing through software applications such as BitTorrent.The five-person commission is scheduled to vote Friday on an order barring Internet service providers from interfering with or blocking customer traffic. Bloomberg News quoted commission sources who said the FCC would censure but not fine Comcast for its practices, which came to light in autumn.The fact that that FCC appears eager to police this activity cheered on network neutrality proponents, who have resisted efforts by the Internet providers to slow down traffic or charge people for higher use."I think it's a huge victory for consumers because it sets down a baseline principle that the FCC will act if cable or phone companies try to interfere with software and content online," said Marvin Ammori, general counsel for consumer advocate group Free Press, which filed a complaint against Comcast.Comcast was singled out in an Associated Press story in October for blocking and slowing traffic on its network by people who were using peer-to-peer file-sharing applications.The practice is used to share content. As a delivery tool for video, it has become a major source of bandwidth consumption and a headache for Internet providers.Comcast initially denied it was managing traffic but later acknowledged employing limiting measures at peak times.The company said in spring that it would move by the end of the year to a new method that did not target an application such as BitTorrent but slowed down any extreme use at peak times.Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for Comcast, said companies need to manage their networks to ensure that all users have a good experience."We've consistently said it's not a problem you can build your way out of," she said."You need to manage traffic or it will take as much space as you build. You need network management to make sure the network can handle the traffic in a way that works."Fitzmaurice said she's still waiting for the FCC order to know what implications it will have for Comcast and other Internet providers. It's unclear if it will target only Comcast's current strategy, which will be abandoned by the end of this year, and will allow Comcast's broader management approach, and if so how will it be implemented. Even the question of the FCC's authority is at issue. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

iPHONE Blog Buzz Feed 07.28.08

(07-27) 18:54 PDT Knoxville, Tenn. (AP) --A gunman opened fire at a church youth performance Sunday and killed two people, including a man who witnesses called a hero for shielding others from a shotgun blast. Continue Reading... The Bay Area prodigies are coming back, and the Stanford Jazz Festival's got 'em. Continue Reading... Easing up and still easily winning, Usain Bolt is looking like he's right where he wants to be going into the Beijing Olympics.The 100-meter world record holder from Jamaica got off to a fast start in the 200 on Saturday at the London Grand Prix and won in 19.76 seconds. Continue Reading... With Terrell Owens lined up opposite him, Adam Jones was waving his arms in the air to spur on the already energized crowd before the ball was snapped. Then Owens blew past the smiling cornerback. Continue Reading... American basketball players who sat on the bench at the 2004 Olympics will play key roles in Beijing. From left, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant. Continue Reading.... A robber fired shots during the holdup of a Trader Joe's store in Walnut Creek, police said. No one was struck by gunfire during the robbery, which happened at about 9:50 p.m. Saturday at the Trader Joe's at 1372 S. California Blvd. Continue Reading.... BEIJING — Foreign entertainers who have taken part in activities that China deems a threat to its sovereignty will not be allowed to perform here, according to new rules posted Thursday on the Web site of the Ministry of Culture. Continue Reading... Grammy-winning rapper T.I. has teamed up with The Hip-Hop Caucus to present an upcoming voter registration campaign for the 2008 Presidential Election......Continue Reading Ya Heard Blog:Diddy Enlists Homos and Trannies for new Reality Show,....Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Batman buried his rivals at the North American box office for a second weekend on Sunday, racing past $300 million in a record 10 days. Continue Reading... Caroline Kennedy for Obama's Vice President...Continue Reading Review:Diana Ross at the Hollywood Bowl...Continue Reading Fans of Whitney Houston can get a sneak peek at her upcoming album, as the song "Like I Never Left," performed with the ubiquitous one, Akon, has been leaked to the internet. Houston's upcoming Fall release, which includes production work from such current R&B luminaries as Mick Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Stargate (Ne-Yo, Lionel Richie, Elliott Yamin) and will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas). Continue Reading... WASHINGTON -- Small, cheap cellphones have become ubiquitous in the workplace. But federal tax rules governing them date to the days of big handsets, big bills and big hair. Major employers, including the University of California system, have been hit with bills for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes for violating the anachronistic laws. If the rules aren't changed, many employers say they will stop handing out cellphones to their workers. Continue Reading... JL King no longer on the 'The Down Low' (PT 1): But author/activist says black community is still holding his past against him...Continue Reading Awhile back, John Legend declared that he was heading in a new, more mainstream direction with his third studio album, Revolver. And "Green Light," the first single from the album is indicative of where Legend's going. Continue Reading....

Music: Terrence Howard - "Sanctuary"

Terrence Howard's had widely-acclaimed roles in movies like Dead Presidents, Hustle & Flow and Iron Man over the years, but according to him, his first love is actually music: "Music has always been the road that leads to where I’m headed. Music is my own personal form of expression," he said in a recent interview. Well, Terrence is coming out with an 11-song debut album, Shine Through It, via Columbia Records on Sept. 2, 2008, and although he's an extremely talented actor, his singing's apparently nowhere near as great as his film work. Yours truly's been unimpressed with the songs from the album I've heard so far; this seems like a complete vanity project. But to be fair, the first single, "Sanctuary," isn't horrible and has a nice melody. You can stream it by clicking on the link below.SOURCE:ABOUT.COM

• "Sanctuary" (MP3 stream)
• Buy/download the song

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