J.P. Tokoto: Choose is J.P. Tokoto

J.P. Tokoto: Choose is J.P. Tokoto - Tokoto Joins Carolina Family Tokoto gave North Carolina and Roy Williams the nod, becoming UNC's second verbal commitment from the junior class. “I'm going to be a Tar Heel,”

Tokoto gave North Carolina and Roy Williams the nod, becoming UNC’s second verbal commitment from the junior class.

“I’m going to be a Tar Heel,” Tokoto said in an exclusive interview. “I’m going to North Carolina.”

“We feel like North Carolina is the best fit for my family and I,” he added. “The coaching staff is all great guys. I like the team. I like the history and the education I can get at North Carolina. It’s the total package. It’s all there.”

Throughout the recruiting process, Tokoto, a standout at Menomonee (Wisc.) Falls entertained interest and offers from a huge number of schools nationwide. His eight finalists were Connecticut, Marquette, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, UCLA and Wisconsin – however other offering schools included Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Tennessee and Texas.

But Tokoto said UNC’s welcoming approach stood out.

“It was definitely their hospitality and how they great they treated everybody down there,” Tokoto said. “Everybody was happy and very nice. That definitely caught my attention. The campus is beautiful.

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Tonya Harding is Olympic skating champion

Tonya Harding is Olympic skating champion - Former Olympic skating champion Tonya Harding is expecting her first child with husband Joseph Price. The two are expecting a baby boy.

Tonya Harding's reputation plummeted when her ex-husband conspired to attack Tonya's skating competitor Nancy Kerrigan at a practice session during the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships. After an investigation into the assault, in which Ms Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee, Harding received three years' probation, 500 hours of community service and a $160,000 fine. As part of the plea bargain, she was also forced to withdraw from the championships.

Since then Tonya Harding became a regular commentator on truTV's 'The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest".

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Mark Zuckerberg is Pradeep Manukonda

Mark Zuckerberg is Pradeep Manukonda - Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a stalker. The situation got so intense that Zuck went to a judge to request a restraining order against 31-year-old Pradeep Manukonda.

A formal hearing is scheduled for February 22 at Santa Clara County courthouse. The legal filing alleges that the man tried to “follow, surveil and contact Mr. Zuckerberg using language threatening his personal safety.”

Barry Schnitt, a director at Facebook said: “We’re confirming that the restraining order was granted, but not providing any additional details.”

Pradeep has appeared several times at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, reportedly asking for money. He also showed up at Zuckerberg’s home on January 24 and was turned away by security personnel just as he was about to walk up the front steps of the residence.

Despite verbal warnings, Manukonda continued to badger the CEO, sending flowers and a message to Zuckerberg’s sister with an additional message to her brother that included the line: “I am ready to die for you. These are not just words … these are coming from my heart. Please understand my pain.”

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Caliphate of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

Caliphate of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt - is an Islamist transnational movement and the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. The group is the world's oldest and largest Islamic political group, and the "world's most influential Islamist movement." It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and Sufi schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna.

The Brotherhood's stated goal is to instill the Qur'an and Sunnah as the "sole reference point for ... ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community ... and state". Since its inception in 1928 the movement has officially opposed violent means to achieve its goals with some exceptions such as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or to overthrow secular Ba'athist dictators in Syria where they were routinely massacred (see Hama massacre). Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor, says "Unlike the jihadis, it does not believe it is at war with the West. It is conservative and non-violent," and "untested in government and poorly understood - especially in the West". This position has been questioned, particularly by the Nationalist Secularist NDP Egyptian government currently headed by Hosni Mubarak, which accused the group of a campaign of killings in Egypt after World War II to oppose British rule.

The Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, and members have been arrested for their participation in it. As a means of circumventing the ban, supporters run for office as independents.

The Brotherhood condemned terrorism and the 9/11 attacks, but whether or not it has ties to terrorism is a matter of dispute.Its position on violence has also caused disputes within the movement, with advocates of violence at times breaking away to form groups such as the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Group) and Al Takfir Wal Hijra (Excommunication and Migration).

Among the Brotherhood's more influential members was Sayyid Qutb. Qutb was the author of one of Islamism's most important books, Milestones, which called for the restoration of Islam by re-establishing the Sharia and by using "physical power and Jihad for abolishing the organizations and authorities of the Jahili system, which he believed to include the entire Muslim world. The book also reveals that Qutb no longer held the Brotherhood's ideas and that he was closer to the ideas of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is concluded in the introduction and dedication of the book". While studying at university, Osama bin Laden claimed to have been influenced by the religious and political ideas of several professors with strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood including both Sayyid Qutb and his brother Muhammad Qutb. However, once Al Qaeda was fully organized, it denounced the Muslim Brotherhood's reform through nonviolence and accused them of "betraying the cause of Islam and abandoning their 'jihad' in favour of forming political parties and supporting modern state institutions".

The Brotherhood is financed by contributions from its members, who are required to allocate a portion of their income to the movement. Some of these contributions are from members who live in oil-rich countries.

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Race to the Top School

Race to the Top school reform money - Then Kasich said that “Race to the Top” money wasn't in danger. That despite what we claimed that Secretary Duncan had told him it wasn't in danger at all if Ohio repealed it's evidence based school funding model. We called up the U.S.

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Orange County Choppers Foreclosure

Orange County Choppers Foreclosure - All things custom motorcycles harley davidson choppers and bobbers. The foreclosure action by lender GE Commercial Finance Business Property Corp. claims that OCC missed mortgage payments of approximately $96,400 and $14,000 due on July 1 on 2 loans of $11 million and of $1.5 million used to build the Newburgh, NY headquarters. The Orange County (Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is also named as a defendant in the action, since it owns the property under a payment-in-lieu-of taxes arrangement with Orange County Choppers.

IDA gave important tax breaks to OCC in exchange of the company building the headquarters in the New-York State county. The Orange County IDA is not liable for the back mortgage payments because a clause in the lease-back arrangement indemnifies it against default by Orange County Choppers.

OCC lawyer Richard Mahon states that in 2007 the building had an estimated market value of $12 million, but now is worth only $7 million. Consequently, he says that OCC stopped making payments to put pressure on GE Commercial Finance to modify the terms of the 2 loans. Reliable sources tell me that OCC is structured via different independent companies and that assets are substantial and protected. So, don’t assume that OCC or that Paul Senior are broke because their real estate loans are not paid on time…Real estate business as usual, recession style. But it may be more, a 1st step to a Chapter 11 reorganization to adjust to a new economic reality…

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OCC Foreclosure by Key Senator Urges Obama

OCC  Foreclosure by Key Senator Urges Obama: Key Senator Urges Obama To Push Foreclosure Relief In State Of The Union. Sen. Jeff Merkley is urging President Barack Obama to pledge a new round of foreclosure relief during his State of the Union address next week. In a letter to the president obtained by The Huffington Post, Merkley said the administration's current anti-foreclosure programs have proven woefully inadequate, and pushed for a more thorough program to keep families in their homes.

"A record one million families lost their home to foreclosure last year," Merkley wrote. "Next week, Mr. President, you will have the attention of the nation. I urge you to use this opportunity to renew efforts to tackle the national foreclosure crisis."

Merkley's call for presidential leadership on foreclosures comes as infighting among federal regulators appears to have stalled out key reforms to the bank divisions that work with troubled borrowers and process foreclosures.

The FDIC has been pushing to impose new requirements on the operations of those divisions, which are known as mortgage servicers. The agency has been engaged in heated negotiations with other regulators at the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Fed had initially opposed the plan, but agreed to support the rules after a few weeks of negotiations. The OCC, however, which is currently responsible for regulating the largest mortgage servicers -- Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup -- has resisted those rules. The OCC has never publicly sanctioned a mortgage servicer, despite widespread court findings of servicer fraud in the foreclosure process.

The Treasury Department, which had supported the new rules, had expected an agreement between agencies by Friday, Jan. 14, according to a spokesman. That anticipated agreement has not yet come to fruition.

But Treasury itself is engaged in a delicate dance on foreclosure policy -- defending the foreclosure prevention program criticized by Merkley, even as it urges sweeping reform of the bank divisions that participate in that program.

"The goal of the [Home Affordable Modification Program] was to prevent three to four million foreclosures," Merkley wrote, "but to date, fewer than 600,000 homowners have been approved."

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State Of The Union Time

State Of The Union Time 2011 - Before President Obama goes before the nation for the State of the Union address, conservative blogger and former presidential speechwriter David Frum offers him a draft. A real one.

Tuesday night, Senators, Congressmen, Supreme Court Justices, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a few guests (usually invited to be used as emotional props) will join President Obama for his third State of the Union address.


The format is predictable and boring.

Every one will dutifully rise and applaud wildly at the President’s entrance. He will make his way down the aisle at an interminably slow pace that would embarrass a lame tortoise, shaking hands with everyone within reach and pretending to like even his most ardent opponents. Upon being introduced, he will approach the podium to another thunderous round of applause that will last for an absurdly long time. Then, the President will deliver his carefully scripted, politically-driven State of the Union address; glancing between Teleprompters as if he were watching a tennis match. While we will be spared the spectacle of Nancy Pelosi doing her impression of a trained seal when the President even clears his throat, he will still receive a standing ovation from his Democratic colleagues for almost every point he makes. Even the Republicans will occasionally be forced to join in the celebration although they’ll do their best to try to look disgusted the rest of the time. When it’s all over, pundits from both sides will provide us with their translation of what the President just said … as if he had been speaking in a foreign language we didn’t understand.

If the government didn’t control the FCC, these speeches would never be aired. What if we reshaped the State of the Union to reflect the flair of reality TV and let the audience participate in some way? Maybe people would actually watch the address instead of changing channels to see Snooki getting arrested.

For starters, let’s eliminate Teleprompters and the use of notes. Contestants on American Idol don’t get to use a monitor or sheet music. If they forget the words, that’s part of the fun! Republicans and Democrats could wear tribal buffs just like on Survivor. Best of all: Maury Povich could hook the President up to a lie detector to make sure he was telling the truth. In the end, the audience could call an 800 number or text a code to cast their votes for their favorite issue, and the government would be compelled to fix the top two. Oh sure, there wouldn’t be any way of screening people to determine whether they were legitimate citizens who were of voting age, but it doesn’t appear that we do that in our regular elections.

We could also eliminate the useless pomp-and-circumstance at the beginning as well as all of the needless displays of sycophantic support. We could sell the time we saved to advertisers and use the proceeds to help reduce the national debt (think Super Bowl-type revenue). So without further adieu, I think the show would go like this.

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Steve Harvey ex-wife Mary Harvey

Steve Harvey ex-wife Mary Harvey - Posted three videos this weekend in which she went on the attack, calling her former spouse a habitual cheater, who took their son Wynton and left her with nothing.

In one of the videos (posted below), Mary Harvey claims, “He took my Wynton from me; he turned my son against me; had me evicted; thrown out.”

The former Mrs. Harvey says the comedian, who’s written books on relationships, including “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” was a serial cheater who had an affair with Marjorie Bridges while they were still married.

Steve Harvey and Mary Harvey divorced in 2005, and then two years later the “Family Feud” host wed Bridges.

Harvey’s attorney, Bobbie Edmonds, calls Mary’s allegations, “False, misleading, derogatory, disparaging, malicious, explicit and slanderous,” and notes that there are court orders prohibiting both parties from “discussing and releasing information [about their divorce] on the Internet and to the media. We are taking the necessary legal steps to rectify this matter to the full extent of the law.”

Mary Harvey says she’s only speaking now because her ex-husband recently sued her, alleging she was “responsible when Oprah did not give him a TV show.”

She also claims she’s being vocal because her name keeps popping up in stories about her famous ex. “To keep seeing my name referenced when talking about his life – that part of it, I don’t understand,” she says.

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Bengals Carson Palmer

Bengals Carson Palmer - Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati, according to Chris Mortensen on ESPN. Palmer wants out by either being released or via a trade and has threatened to retire if he doesn't get released or dealt.

Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals throws a pass during the NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium on December 26 2010 in Cincinnati Ohio. The Bengals 34-20.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen, Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati. If he's not dealt, Palmer might retire, if he doesn't get released or dealt. Palmer used to be considered one of the young emerging QB's and many felt he was a Top 5 quarterback in the league. Palmer however has been struck with injuries since tearing his ACL against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs a few seasons ago. I have no idea what it would take to get Palmer in a trade, but the Jaguars do have an extra fourth round pick obtained from the Saints during last year's draft.

Until a new CBA is in place however, players cannot be traded. Hypothetically speaking, if one is in place come draft time, would you favor the Jaguars giving up a 3rd or 4th round pick for Carson Palmer?
No, it is not Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco but Carson Palmer. There is also the looming NBA All-Star game. Who was left out of the mid-season classic? Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati,

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What is Hyperbaric chamber?

What is Hyperbaric chamber?

The type of hyperbaric chamber used for HBOT was a hard shelled pressure vessel. It can be semi-portable, one-patient unit to multi-patient units which can treat eight or more patients.

Does anyone have any info on the use of a hyperbaric chamber please? Anyone with first hand experience? How does it work and what effect does it have.

A South Florida clinic where a hyperbaric chamber explosion killed a woman and her grandson has reopened.

Gerri Williams climbs into a soft-cloth hyperbaric chamber in her family room where daughter, Sydney, 8, waits. After years of deteriorating health.

By the time Scott and Gerri Williams brought their two young children to see Dr. Zahangir Khaled at his Methodist Medical Group Pediatric Gastroenterology practice in 2007, their lives were unraveling rapidly. Khaled was the fourth GI doctor the family had seen. “Austin and Sydney had been typical, non-complicated pregnancies. But when Austin was 1.

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Jonathan Knight Is Gay!

Jonathan Knight Is Gay!: Tiffany Outs New Kid On The Block’s Jonathan Knight As Gay! - Last night, early 90s pop icon Tiffany was on Bravos Watch It Happen Live , which now we wish we had, because she had a shocking story to share with Andy Cohen . Bravo’s head honcho asked her if she had ever gotten particularly cozy with any of the New Kids On The Block back in the day and Tiffany just went ahead and blab to the world that she dated Jonathan Knight – until he figured out he was gay! Guess she didn’t know he was keeping that little tidbit on the down low! Check out her appearance on the show (above). Jon, is there anything you’d like to add?

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Salvatore Vitale Rats on Luigi Manocchio

Salvatore Vitale Rats on Luigi Manocchio - Updated hourly by plugged-in parents from the blogosphere, Strollerderby tracks breaking parenting news, adding dynamic discussion and insightful commentary.

I’ve noticed something lately with regard to my 3-year-olds. They tattle on each other. And, to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Usually whatever I’m told is inconsequential and I respond with my standard line: “Don’t worry about him (or her). You just worry about yourself.”

But every now and then, the information I get pertains to a matter I’m glad I found out about. Whenever that happens, I can’t help but to feel conflicted. After all, had the tattler followed my standard line, I wouldn’t have found out about behavior which I’m eager to discourage.

Recently mobster Salvatore Vitale provided authorities with countless leads in a nationwide Mafia sting which led to several arrests, including Luigi Monocchio’s. And in so doing, he gave this father of four an idea pertaining to all this tattling.

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2011 Eddie Aikau

2011 Eddie Aikau - Legend has it that Eddie Aikau is always at night. And it may well happen that in Waimea Bay on the night of Wednesday 19 to Thursday, January 20, 2011 (count 11 hour time difference from Hawaii to 21 hours with us, it was not until 10 am there). All lights are flashing and the organizers are on a war footing in case of waves over 20 feet in favor of big wave riding would be to go tomorrow morning (tomorrow night for us).

But it is not enough of a “mammoth swell” off to Waimea wakes. It is necessary that this wave be well positioned with a northwest. If the swell is “too western”, it is mitigated by the island of Kauai which absorbs some of its passage. This is what happened to the session last Sunday in Waimea, where the waves were much leaner than expected. It is also particularly important that the winds are favorable. It has happened in the past that swell enough to launch the Eddie is tempered by an unfavorable wind.

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Two police killed in Miami

Two police killed in Miami - Two officers were shot to death Thursday in Miami as they served a warrant on a homicide suspect, authorities said.

One officer died at the scene, and the other officer, a female who was shot multiple times, died in surgery, according to Lt. Rosanna Cordero-Stutz of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

She told reporters outside the hospital that a third officer involved in the incident has a minor knee injury.

The officers were "serving a warrant, searching for a violent fugitive," Barry Golden of the U.S. Marshals Service told reporters.

The suspect, who was wanted on a homicide warrant from the city of Miami, was killed in a shootout with the officers, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, a former director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Golden said no one else was being sought in connection with the incident.

Alvarez told reporters the officers worked in a unit that focused on finding career criminals.

"It's a horrible, tragic incident we've seen too often in Miami and everywhere else," he said.

"When there's a violent criminal out there that is willing to give up his life, he will always have the upper hand. ... He chose to shoot it out with police."

The mayor described the officers as "very well-armed and very well-trained ... seasoned police veterans who know their jobs."

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Daniel Peal Murder Investigation

Daniel Peal Murder Investigation - A three-year investigation into the 2002 kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl has identified 27 Pakistanis that played a role - most of whom have escaped justice.

The Center for Public Integrity:

The investigation found that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the architects of the 9/11 attacks, was the man who killed the Wall Street Journal Reporter. It states that Pakistani authorities, in their haste to close the case, knowingly used perjured testimony to pin blame for the act of murder on Omar Sheikh and his three co-conspirators.

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Carlina White Reunited With Family

Carlina White Reunited With Family - Carlina White was just 19 days old when she disappeared from Harlem Hospital on Aug. 4, 1987. Police searched for her kidnappers but never found enough evidence to charge any suspects. Her mother, Joy White, always had a feeling that her baby was alive, her family said.

On Jan. 4, a woman known as Nejdra Nance, who was raised in Bridgeport, Conn., and now lives in Atlanta, contacted White, sending along baby photos that looked nearly identical to shots of Carlina posted on a missing children's website. Nance told White she thought she may be her daughter.

"She said she just had a feeling, she felt different from the people raising her," said Nance's maternal grandmother, Elizabeth White, 71. "She searched, and then she found Joy."

More than two decades ago, a newborn sick with fever was snatched from a New York City hospital, her frantic mother returning to the emergency room to find an empty crib. On Wednesday, police said the baby – now a woman – has been found.

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200 Dead Cows Found In Wisconsin

200 Dead Cows Found In Wisconsin - 200 cows were found dead Friday on a farm in Portage County, Wisconsin. The dead cows had to be removed with semi-trucks. Early speculation is indicating pneumonia as a cause, but tests are still underway.

There's also no explanation yet as to why thousands of blackbirds fell dead out of the sky in Arkansas on New Year's Day, or why millions of fish carcasses fetched up on Maryland's coastline (You'd think 2012 was approaching or something).

The Portage County dairy farmer, whose name hasn't been made public yet, reported the field full of dead cows on Friday. Samples from the animals were sent to a Madison lab for tests.

So what's with the mass cow exit from Earth? Mass sickness? Biblical prophecy? Insidious government conspiracy? Maybe this is a job for Alex Jones. Or Jesse Ventura.

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Where is My Refund?

Where is My Refund? - Click your way through tax season. All you need is a computer and Internet access because the IRS Web site has a wealth of information and support free online tax. Here are the top 10 reasons to visit irs.gov.

Unlimited access – get answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you find that you work on your tax return over the weekend, there is no need to wait to get a form or answer a question – visit the IRS Web site at any time. The website is available all day, every day.
Free use of the file: Allow Free File does the hard work for you with tax software or brand online forms. It is exclusively irs.gov. Everyone can find an option to prepare his or her tax returns and e-file free. If you have done and 58,000 or less, you qualify for free tax software that is offered through a public-private partnership with manufacturers. If you do more or are comfortable preparing your own tax return, there are Free File forms to complete, electronic versions of paper forms IRS. Visit irs.gov / FreeFile to review your options.
Try IRS e-file: After 21 years, IRS e-file became the safe, easy and most common file a tax return. Last year, 70% of taxpayers – 99 million people using IRS e-file. Beginning in 2011, many tax preparers are required to use e-file and will explain your deposit options for you. This is your chance to give it a try. IRS e-file is close to one billion reports processed safely and securely. If you owe taxes, you have payment options to file and pay immediately before the tax deadline. Best of all, to combine e-file with direct deposit and you get your refund in as little as 10 days. More information about e-file is available at irs.gov.

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Alex Lambert Is Homeless

Alex Lambert Is Homeless - One of last season's most adorable American Idol contestants hasn't exactly struck it big since the show concluded.

Alex Lambert, who appeared on the Internet reality show "If I Can Dream," went off on Twitter Monday night, stating that he lacks a consistent roof over his head. He wrote:

I've been kinda homeless! Sleepin on the street and behind buildings. I have a choice to stay and pursue my career or go back to texas and not do music! I'm usually a strong person but I can't take it anymore. I've been goin to coffee shops and other stores so I can tweet to my snaf! Because to be honest! You guys are all I really have!
Alex Lambert, Resembling a couple of college kids, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd posed for a photo shoot in Berlin, Germany today to promote their film “How Do You Know? … Francis Lawrence, the director’s new film Reese’s, Water for Elephants, twittered that he “could not be happier” with the film, which is almost, complete.

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