A single ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing for the $338.3 million Powerball jackpot, lottery officials said. It was the 13th drawing held in the days since a Virginia man won a $217 million jackpot Feb. 6.
Thirteen other tickets worth $1 million each matched all but the final Powerball number on Saturday night. Those tickets were sold in New Jersey and 10 other states. Lottery officials said there was also one Power Play Match 5 winner in Iowa.
The New Jersey Lottery said Sunday that details about the winning ticket would be released Monday, declining to reveal where it had been purchased and whether anyone had immediately come forward. It was the sixth largest jackpot in history.
The numbers drawn were 17, 29, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31. A lump sum payout would be $221 million.
Lottery officials said the 13 tickets worth $1 million apiece – matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball – were sold in Arizona, Florida (2), Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina and Virginia.
Powerball said on its website that the grand prize jackpot has now been reset to an estimated $40 million or a lump sum cash amount estimated at $25 million for Wednesday’s next drawing.
“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”
I’m posting this pic for no other reason other than I ♥BigBeautifulBabies. Especially when they’re wearing adorable little outfits with precious sayings! This little big man’s name is
Nikai
“Who’s on their best behavior, huh? You are! Yes you are, yes you are!…”
Rapper Tone Loc collapsed on stage at a downtown Des Moines performance late Saturday, abruptly ending the show, attendees said.
The seriousness of the incident was not immediately apparent. It happened at the Bridge Bash, being held at the Court Avenue bridge over the Des Moines River.
Three Des Moines Register employees said Tone Loc finished a song, then went to the ground. People attended to him for about five minutes. Fans were asked to leave and the show was shut down.
Loc has had health issues during performances before: The celebrity news website TMZ.com has reported on collapses in 2012, 2011 and 2009 in Texas, Georgia and Florida. In two cases he was hospitalized.
It was a eureka moment yesterday for scientists at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. They announced that they’re confident (as confident as a scientist could be when charting new territory) that they have in fact, discovered what they call the God Particle. You know, the subatomic atom eggheads are saying was responsible for setting the Big Bang into motion!? (the actual moment of the creation of our universe, not the show). Actually the scientific name for it is the Higgs Boson, named for Peter Higgs, one of the physicists who proposed the idea of such a particle existing back in 1964. The God particle is just a great nickname, isn’t it? So anyway, to understand why this so-called discovery is so crucial, we have to understand the theory that it came from. And as much as I love the idea of SCIENCE, I’m nobody’s physicist, so I’ve brought over some friends to explain things to us in the simplest of layman’s terms — a Higgs Boson for Dummies, as it were. Q: So I keep reading about this physics guy named Higgs Boson. Who is he, and why is he in the news all of a sudden? A: It’s not a he. Q: It’s a she? A: No, it’s an it. Q: So… it’s not a person…? A: Correct. It’s a particle. Q: A particle? What’s that? A: A basic building block of stuff. Like an electron. Q: Or like an atom? A: Well, an atom is made up of other, smaller particles. But yes. Sort of like an atom. Q: And how does this Higgs thing fit into that? A: About 40 years ago, physicists tried to put together a theory that would explain why stuff behaves the way it does. They called it the Standard Model. One of the things they imagined would need to be part of that Standard Model was a boson, a type of particle that would allow other particles to do the kinds of things that particles do. Q: And what do particles do? A: They combine together. They form things. Bosons help slow particles down from their natural super-speed and let them join up with other particles and stick together. Q: Okay… A: But for all of these years, it’s only been a theory. This guy named Higgs had proposed that these bosons exist to do this stuff, but no one had ever seen them. Until last Tuesday, when a machine in Switzerland designed to test the predictions of physicists found something that would be consistent with the existence of the Higgs boson. Q: So they saw one? A: They think they saw one. They saw something that could very well be a Higgs boson. Q: Why aren’t they sure? A: The Higgs boson is an unstable particle. As soon as you see it, it’s gone. Q: And why is this exciting? A: Because it would mean that some crazy theory a bunch of physicists came up with 50 years ago to explain the way the world works might actually be true. Q: Thanks. So you’re sure Higgs Boson isn’t just some guy’s name? A: Yes. Almost 100% sure. Q: Cool. A: Cool. h/t The Mind Hut Tu sabe? Muy Bueno! ♦
Well, New York City has finally made its long-awaited push against its organized labor factions by attacking certain union worker’s 401K’s.
The Cultural Institutions Retirement System or CIRS , was formulated as an arrangement dating back to 1962, where the city pays into a pension system that covers dozens of day care centers with city contracts as well as dozens of cultural institutions to the tune of $17 million per fiscal year. Typically, employees covered by CIRS are in unionized positions, like security guards, daycare workers or gardeners, with a portion of their salaries paid for by the city. What The Execs Are Saying… Mark Page, the City’s Budget Director— he’s saying he believes that city day care centers and cultural institutions such as the The Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, and Studio Museum in Harlem may be inaccurately reporting the number of employees that are actually covered by CIRS, and has directed the city’s budget office to temporarily suspend paying into the fund until further investigations are completed. “There is a bunch of money that we have paid for over the years that has been, I guess, nice for those enterprises but not very nice for our taxpayers and what we have actually gotten for our money,” said Page. Lauren Passalacqua, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office — She’s saying that the budget director’s office has “detected potential anomalies in the data provided by these nonprofits related to the payments the city was making for them to CIRS.” In other words the numbers aren’t adding up. “The city has not paid the CIRS bill this fiscal year, and the city is currently conducting a review of payments made to CIRS on behalf of these nonprofits to ensure that proper and accurate bookkeeping records were maintained,” Passalacquasays . Raglan George Jr., executive director of DC 1707 (home care, child care, foster care,workers)— Says that the Budget Director has failed to consider the pension payments of about 1,200 workers who were let go last year because the city had introduced a new early childhood education program. “When they made that decision they never considered the impact on the pensions,” he said of the city officials. Richard Koski, Executive Director of CIRS — Right now, he’s saying that he could not discuss the issue and does not have full details of the city’s concerns, but added, “We’ve been around for 50 years, and I think we do a really good job for the folks who work there,” What The Execs Want Us To Believe… Ms. Passalacqua stated that once the Office of Management and Budget completes its review of the system, she expects that whatever money the city owes the institutions would be paid into the retirement plan. Mr. George remarked that the pension system is well-covered, and that a temporary delay in the city’s payment would not affect people currently enjoying their hard-earned pensions. Mr. Koski says that over 20,000 people, both active and retired, and about 50 cultural institutions are covered under CIRS. He says the plan has been around for 50 years thinks the system has done a really good job so far. The “F” Bomb!… Mr. Page, in a letter this year to the commissioners for the city’s Cultural Affairs Department and the Administration for Children’s Services, wrote that the city’s overall review of the pension plans seems to show that the cultural and day care employees working under a collective bargaining agreement (read: union) were receiving “benefits greater than those afforded to city employees.” In other words making more money that non-unionized workers. And there’s more… The letter said that when the current collective bargaining agreement ends on June 30th of this year, the city would finance pensions only at the same level as non-union city employees regardless of whether or not a new collective bargaining agreement is settled on, and that the city would no longer subsidize benefits like matching the 401(k) contributions of employees. And that pilgrims, is how the middle class working stiff gets #*”@%!!…again! ♦
Things that make me go “Hmmm”… Does buying bigger, firmer, perkier boobs make you more womanly? I mean, I know you probably feel you look more womanly, but is that the same as actually becoming more womanly?…especially when they’re implants? Do men get off on fondling fake boobs as much as they do real boobs? And are they Boobs if they do? Where did the word ‘boobs’ come from anyway and why is it associated with “dumbness”? Do women lose a certain amount of sensitivity after boob surgery? Is it worth it if they do? And wasn’t there a ban on boob implants due to their leaking, for godsakes!!! These are just some of the questions that come to mind when I see Before/After Boobie Surgery pics. And one more thing…are Hollywood male entertainers implanting things into themselves at record numbers as their female counterparts? Hmmm… ♦
Dr. Valter Longo is the Director of the Longevity Institute in Los Angeles Cali. (where else?), as well as professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences there. His life is devoted to the longevity of, well Life! How incredibly kool and sexy huh?! So, Dr Longo’s research has found that by deleting two genes of yeast cells — yeast commonly used by bakers and beer brewers — and putting it on a calorie-restricted diet, he was able to extend the lifespan of that same common yeast cell to 10 weeks instead of its dying at its usual maximum age of just one week! The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics. “So what Amy” you say? Well–while not the discovery of the elusive ‘Fountain of Youth’, the study and its application can quite easily be adapted to the Human genome. People! “We’re setting the foundation for reprogramming healthy life. If we can find out how the longevity mechanism works, it can be applied to every cell in every living organism,” Longo says. “We’re very, very far from making a person live to 800 years of age. I don’t think it’s going to be very complicated to get to 120 and remain healthy, but at a certain point I think it will be possible to get people to live to 800. I don’t think there is an upper limit to the life of any organism.” Thanks Doc, but personally I’ll settle for a sexy, feisty 120 years any day! And maybe you could look me up too, if you’re still around. ♦
This Pepsi video has gone viral. It features Jeff Gordon, a professional NASCAR driver, dressed in a disguise and acting like a regular Joe looking to buy a car. He wanders over to the very powerful Chevy Camero, where he is met by an eager car salesman, looking to make the sale.
And then the fun begins when the salesman suggested a test drive. Not knowing he was dealing with a Superstar driver, laid the foundation for a viral video.
austerity (ô-str-t) n pl -ties 1. the state or quality of being austere 2. (often plural) an austere habit, practice, or act 3. (Economics) a. reduced availability of luxuries and consumer goods, esp when brought about by government policy b. (as modifier) an austerity budget
You’ve heard the word used a lot. Austerity can only work effectively in a poor economy if participated in by all its citizen. But as usual, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan wants austerity to ride on the backs of the middle class and the poor in a proposal he feels will balance the federal budget in 10 years without raising taxes any further. He proposes to do this by executing $4.6 trillion in additional government spending cuts. Same story as last year Mr. Ryan. No one liked it then, no one’s going to like it much now.
Ryan plans to unveil the House Republican budget today, and the details haven’t changed much from the last time he proposed the same cuts for the middle class with no mention of closing loopholes for the rich or reform of the Bush tax cuts which allows the rich to hold onto their dollars at a greater rate than the average citizen.
The House Republican Budget Plan,
Calls for the U.S. government to spend a total of about $41 trillion through 2023, a 3.4 percent annual increase. That compares to the current spending trajectory of $46 trillion over 10 years, a 5 percent annual increase.
Will grant approval to the northern portion of the controversial Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, which he contends will create 20,000 direct jobs and 118,000 indirect jobs.
Will seek to convert Medicare health care for the elderly into a voucher-like system under which seniors receive a subsidy to purchase private insurance or traditional Medicare –with no changes for those 55 or older,– so that the plan contributes savings to achieve balance in a 10-year window.
Will again seek to turn control and funding for Medicaid health care for the poor and food stamps over to states.
Proposes tax reform, with the goal of just two tax brackets: 10 percent and 25 percent.
“Because the U.S. economy will grow faster than spending, the budget will balance by 2023 and debt held by the public will drop to just over half the size of the economy,” said Ryan. Of course it’s a budget the Obama Administration will not be able to sign-off, continuing the stalemate.
Austerity my a_ _! ♦
Dr. Robert E. Bristow
A new study headed by Dr. Robert E. Bristow, director of gynecological oncology at the University of California, says that there are widespread, persistent flaws in the care of women with this disease, which kills 15,000 a year in the United States alone.
About 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed annually, and most of them are being discovered too late for even aggressive treatment to do much good. Worldwide, there are about 200,000 new cases a year.
Oncologists around the country say the main reason for the poor care is that most women are treated by doctors and hospitals that literally lack expertise in the complex surgery and chemotherapy that can prolong life.
“If we could just make sure that women get to the people who are trained to take care of them, the impact would be much greater than that of any new chemotherapy drug or biological agent,” said Dr. Bristow
The study found that about a third of patients received the best possible care, confirming a women’s best course of action would be to consult physicians in hospitals that offer treatment of the disease as their primary care. ♦
Alex Rodriguez is now embroiled in a family feud, as he faces a lawsuit from his cousin Yuri Sucart, who is reportedly seeking $5 million in damages relating to the Yankee superstar’s claim that Sucart provided him with performance-enhancing drugs. He has consulted with his Miami attorney about filing a lawsuit against Rodriguez.
All on the heels of a recent Major League Baseball and DEA investigation into whether A-Rod and cousin Yuri were involved in obtaining performance-enhancing drugs from a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic operated by Anthony Bosch, a name that’s come to be synonymous with the words ‘Big Sports figure accused of using performance enhancing drugs.”
Sports Illustrated reported in February 2009 that Rodriguez had tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 2003 season, when MLB and its Players Association conducted surprise testing to see if the drug had inundated the sport. When Rodriguez tested positive, he dragged Sucart into the controversy.
And the plot thickens… ♦
Up until now the White House has steered clear of mentioning China by name when discussing cyber crime. Not anymore! President Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, demanded Monday that the Chinese government stop the data theft from American computer networks and begin to play by the rules.
“Increasingly, U.S. businesses are speaking out about their serious concerns about sophisticated, targeted theft of confidential business information and proprietary technologies through cyber intrusions emanating from China on an unprecedented scale,” Mr. Donilon said in a wide-ranging address to the Asia Society in New York.
Lukewarm warming words from the big boys on the block, but I suppose one’s government has to be delicate in such matters.
The U.S. “demand” came two days after Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, rejected mounting evidence that his country’s military was involved in cyber attacks on American corporations and some government agencies.
At a daily news conference in Beijing, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, repeated her government’s position opposing internet cyber attacks and said she wanted nothing more than to have an open “constructive dialogue” with the United States and other countries about cybersecurity issues. Perhaps China can create some type of innovative software to help America protect against…Chinese…cyber atta…ok, scratch that. ♦
“My dad was a hero, and heroes never die.” That from Stephan Nemorin, son of slain NYPD Detective James J. Nemorin, during a special Mass at Our Lady of Refuge Church in Brooklyn, Sunday. The mass commemorated ten years to the day, when he and partner Detective Rodney Andrewswere both murdered while conducting undercover gun buys in Staten Island. Dozens of uniformed officers lined Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn, as a bagpipe-led procession filed into the church for mass for the two officers. Christian Andrews recalled his dad teaching him to play chess. “He was teaching me about life. And it took me 10 years to figure that out.” “Thirty-six year old James J. Nemorin and thirty-four year old Rodney Andrews were fatally shot in the back of their heads, killed execution style during an undercover operation in Tompkinsville, Staten Island. The two undercover detectives were the first NYPD officers to die in the line of duty since the World Trade Center attack and the first gunned down since 1998. They were posing as gun buyers to try to arrest those who sell the guns in a dangerous effort to make us safer. For that they paid the ultimate price. They were shot dead by the two people who were supposed to sell them the guns. We do not know if their cover was blown or what happened on that fateful winter night. Most of those details probably died with the detectives when they were shot at point blank behind the head and thrown into a deserted street in Staten Island.”h/t NYPDAngel Ronell Wilson was arrested in 2003 for the murders of the two police officers and was sentenced to die by lethal injection — but due to errors by the prosecution, a federal appeals court reversed the sentence. He’s waiting to be resentenced. ♦
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn launched her mayoral campaign yesterday in her family’s old neighborhood of Inwood in Manhattan, putting strong emphasis on her record of “action” and a pledge to make the city livable for the struggling middle class in NYC. Avoiding perhaps for the time being, the council speaker made no mention — this first time out glad-handing –of the history-making prospects of her candidacy, such as the potential to be the city’s first openly gay and woman mayor. She’s keeping those pair of aces up her sleeve I suspect. “I know I’m the best person, working with all of New York’s 8.4 million people to make this happen. Because if you look at my record, it’s not one of criticism and finger-pointing. It’s one of action, results and delivery,” Quinn said. Quinn did have one heckler, Herbert Goldman, who accused her of ‘playing ‘politics’, voting “yes” to abolishing term limits allowing present NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for a third term in 2008. Term limits were conveniently reinstated in 2010. Many NYers were not kool with that call Christine. Looking to move out from under the huge shadow of Bloomberg, once the campaigning is in full swing, Quinlan says she wants the mayoral election to deal with solutions for everyday struggles in the city, not about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s performance. After all, he ain’t running. ♦
Okay picture this if you can: a reality show based on has-been celebrities and jocks, donning expensive swimwear and participating in a high dive competition to show off their diving form or lack there of. Dumb idea? Well, lucky you’re not an ad exec…‘Splash’is set to air on ABC, March 19th, featuring an “all-star” cast. So don’t quit your day job just yet. The cast for the first show?: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar–Former NBA champion, Louie Anderson–Minnesota native and comedian, Drake Bell–Actor/singer, Chuy Bravo–Chelsea Handler’s assistant, Rory Bushfield–Olympic skier, Nicole Eggert–Actress, Keshia Knight Pulliam–Actress, Ndamukong Suh–NFL player, Katherine Webb–Miss Alabama USA 2012, and Kendra Wilkinson–Reality TV star and former Playboy model) set to air in March with Olympic Gold Medalist diver Greg Louganis serving as mentor and trainer to the competitors. So, that’s one professional swimmer in the whole bunch — and he’s the instructor! Hopefully the worst that will happen is somebody’s bathing suit will ‘malfunction’ after a painful belly flop. ♦
Looks as if President Obama is going to use the opportunity created by the Sequester‘s mandate to cut $46 billion, to begin arguing for deep reductions in programs for budget drainers that have long been on his ‘to-do’ list. His call for such things as closing obsolete military bases, a reduction in deployed nuclear weapons and stockpiles,and scaling back on next-generation warplanes like the F-35, the most expensive weapons program in US history, are likely to much agita at the Pentagon. However, administration officials believe these cuts would unburden the budget considerably and even allow room for more advanced tech warfare programs such as the manufacture of the controversial drone fighters, development of offensive and defensive cyberweapons and a focus on Special Operations forces. Out with the old, in with the new, eh?. ♦
What news may have Republican senator and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell shaking in his booties? Ashely Judd, 44 y.o. media-savvy Hollywood actress and social activist, has told key political figures that she will be throwing her hat into the ring for Democratic senator in Kentucky, her home state. Sources say Judd’s been seen possibly discussing campaign strategies with a top Democratic fundraiser who has ties to President Barack Obama, whom she is an ardent supporter of. There’s talk that there may not be too many competitors for the senate seat because local politicians are either waiting to join the race for governor of KY in 2015, or are too chicken to run up against five-term senator McConnell. You punks! When asked at a private dinner if felt she was tough enough to take on McConnell and the grinding GOP attack machine, Judd said this, “I have been raped twice, so I think I can handle Mitch McConnell.” Well, I do declare! Mitch might just have met his match on who has the strongest will-of-steel. This will not be your grandmother’s Kentucky Derby, I can assure you that! Good Luck Ash! ♦
On Saturday, 17 y.o. Fatawmatt Kaba, of Angola, was on a flight four hours out of Johannesburg on her way to New York’s Kennedy Airport, when she went into labor. After discovering that one of his passengers may be about to deliver a baby right there on his plane, the pilot made an announcement asking if there were any doctors on board. As luck would have it, there were two! And a nurse! Aided by the three passengers and of course his Mom, little Mamel Joella was born somewhere at 38,000 feet over Johannesburg, beating watching the inflight movie by a mile! Late Saturday night, a beaming Ms. Kaba, and her healthy baby boy rested inside a room at Jamaica Medical Center in New York. “I’m very happy,” said Kaba. “I’m fine. He’s fine.” And you thought this stuff only happens in movies. ♦
The US September Census report shows that average household incomes fell by nearly 7 percent from 2001 to 2011, which consequently led to families borrowing more and more dollars to send their children to college, in which tuition has gone up. Is this going to affect the number of medium to poor income students from finishing or even entering the colleges of their choice? Yes. Will this affect the overall level and quality of education that young people will be able receive in this country? Yes. Will this result in lesser paying jobs and the inability to payback said student loans in a timely fashion? Yes. Is there anything being done in congress to circumvent this crisis? NO! ♦
Just when you thought it was safe to get back on the dance floor: Scratchin’ your head wondering how things like the Harlem Shake can go viral? See the flow chart below for data explaining the phenomena… Yeah—I don’t understand it either. But it sure looks kool with all those colors. Bloggers over at Social Flow thought we might be interested. ♦
Icelandic artist Ingvar Bjorn is attempting to beat the Guinness World Record for “the most artists working on a single art installation” by creating The Largest Artwork in the World which will include participants from people all over the social media circuits. The project is in support of UNICEF and the organization’s attempt to bring attention to the plight of many of the world’s poor children and what its doing to help them.
The project started on February 7, 2013, and will attempt to last for 66 days, a day for each year UNICEF has been operating. When the project finishes, it will be painted on a huge canvas and set up for an auction in support of UNICEF.
As a platform on Facebook, The Largest Artwork in the World can be accessed by anyone with an active Facebook user account. Log on and leave your mark.
Right now artist Ross Ashton of The Projection Studio and his Face Britain video projection, holds the Guinness world record. Over 200,000 self portraits were contributed by children all across the country to form a gigantic montage which was projected on to Buckingham Palace in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
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