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In this photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bronx Zoo� s once missing Egyptian Cobra is seen at the Bronz Zoo� s Reptile House, Thursday, March 31, 2011, in New York. After nearly a week after escaping from its cage, the venomous snake was found alive, coiled in a dark Reptile House corner. (AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Julie Larsen Maher)
The 24-inch snake was found coiled in a dark corner of the zoo's reptile house, said zoo director Jim Breheny.
"As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well," he said.
The reptile house had closed last Friday after the snake disappeared and zoo workers couldn't find her.
The snake quickly became the stuff of urban legend. Someone even started pretending to be the cobra on Twitter and sent fake updates to legions of followers.
Breheny said the snake was "resting comfortably and secure" and was being evaluated to make sure she was in good condition.
He said zoo workers put out wood chips that had been used as bedding for mice in order to lure the 3-ounce snake out of hiding.
"We were fairly confident that she would come out and she did," Breheny said.
Breheny said the zoo is evaluating its protocols to make sure the snake doesn't escape again. Zoo officials hope to reopen the reptile house next week.
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Ooyala, the Mountain View-based video services company started in 2007 by a group of ex-Google executives, is powering the online and mobile video distribution for information giant Bloomberg.
Later today at the taping of the Beet.TV Video Strategy Summit, Bloomberg's implementation of the Ooyala player and related services will be discussed as part of a two-hour, high-level conference featuring speakers from AOL, Akamai, ABC Digital, Bloomberg, iVillage, MSNBC.com, MTV, NPD Group, Ooyala, Taboola and Yume.
The session will be Webcast on April 5 at noon EDT on Beet.TV.
I will moderate along with Erick Schonfeld, co-editor of TechCrunch.
Yesterday, we spoke with Ooyala co-founder Bismarck Lepe about developments with Ooyala and its work with the technology blogs it powers, including TechCrunch, GigaOM and Business Insider.
Lepe says that a growing area for online video distribution is the streaming of live, linear programming.
Ooyala has raised $42 million in funding.
Disclosure:� Ooyala and YuMe are the co-sponsors of today's event at Bloomberg.� Last night in Manhattan, Ooyala� sponsored the Beet.TV 5 Year Birthday Party at the Flatiron Lounge.� It was a great time -- wonderful to have so many of the media elite on hand to help celebrate.� AP
You can also find this post up at Beet.TV
�
Follow Andy Plesser on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beet_TV
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I met with my co-founder while still at university. We wrote our first business plan while I was finishing my thesis, and a few weeks after graduation we incorporated the company. Needless to say, the original business plan turned out to be spectacularly wrong. We were planning to build a network based on voice-over-IP, which was probably 10 years ahead of its time. Luckily, we were agile enough to change our business model.
Instead of focusing on technology, we put the customers at the centre of our strategy. Specifically, we lowered our customer acquisition cost by partnering with well-established brands, and made effective use of the Internet to provide good customer service and billing. Glocalnet ultimately went public on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and were able to use our listed shares as a currency to acquire smaller competitors. In the end, Telenor acquired the business.
I got to know many private equity and venture capital firms while still an entrepreneur. One of them was M/C Venture Partners, a Boston-based firm focused on the telecom and media sectors. I joined them in 2001 to set up a European office.
I moved to the UK in 2001. I think the European entrepreneurial community has come a long way in the past 10 years. Many successful entrepreneurs now don?t want to rest on their laurels and either continue founding businesses, or apply their experience and skills as investors. It is also very good to see places like London and Berlin developing into proper entrepreneurial clusters. Nevertheless, we can still learn much from our US colleagues when it comes to thinking big and taking risks. On the other hand, I also admire many entrepreneurs in emerging markets around the world for their incredible desire for success and work ethic.
Returns in the VC business tend to be dominated by the ?home runs?.
Therefore, it is rational that investors chase the next big thing. Of course, VCs are often completely wrong in their assessment of what those big successes will be.
I find it more productive to stay focused on some core principle (in our case the concept of network effects), rather than to chase the fashionable sector of the moment.
I set up Piton Capital with two partners a few years ago. Initially, we were operating as private investors, and then set up a fund which includes external capital in 2010. Our fund is focused on online businesses with network effects ? businesses with a product or service that gets better the more people use it. That could be marketplaces, exchanges, networks, communities, etc. We have been heavily involved in some large successes in this area in the past, such as autotrader, betfair and qxl. We believe that these experiences and our strong focus help us make informed decisions about companies we look at now, and allow us to add more value once we get involved.
Finding and evaluating investments is a heavily people-driven business, and our networks are strongest in Europe, hence our geographic focus. Operating across multiple countries is definitely challenging at times, and it is important for us to work with partners who have a more regional approach.
I am not a huge fan of trying to put labels on companies, but an early-stage company in the Internet world for me is one with an existing product or service, some evidence of user traction, and possibly early indications of monetization. Seed is anything that lacks these components.
The overarching theme in all of our investment is a service that gets better the more people use it. Bullionvault is an online exchange for physical gold ownership. The spread of people buying and selling gold gets narrower as liquidity on the exchange increases. Dawanda is a marketplace for unique items. Choice for consumers increases as more sellers are on the platforms, and demand increases for sellers as more buyers come on.
Likewise for jameslist, a classified marketplace for luxury goods.
fotocommunity is a community for artistically ambitious amateur photographers. More users mean a larger audience for the members? creative output, and more like-minded people to socialize and exchange ideas with.
The team is always important, but especially so at an early stage, when it is essentially all you are buying as an investor. Clearly it?s great if there is revenue and usage traction. If there isn?t, a good explanation as to why that will change going forward certainly helps.
Like most investors, we get a lot more business plans than we can take a serious look at. A good way to get to the top of the pile is for a deal to come in through an existing relationship. Therefore, my recommendation is for entrepreneurs to seek introductions, rather than send plans ?cold?.
Unfortunately, the percentage of pitches by women founders is in the single digits.
Being a small partnership, we can take decisions very quickly. However, I think it is in the interest of both the entrepreneur and the investor to build a relationship before the need for funding arises.�I usually advocate a ?lean startup? mentality ? I like companies with products or services that are compelling enough to attract early usage without heavy sales & marketing spend.
Setting a valuation for an early-stage business is an art rather than a science ? the ?right? valuation is probably one that both the entrepreneur and the investor are slightly unhappy with.
We raised about $6m of early-stage capital in two rounds, and then additional money for growth later on. We went through very distinct capital market environments: Relatively benign early on in 1997, then extremely difficult in late 1998 at the height of the Russian financial crisis, and finally the dotcom bubble years of 1999 and 2000.
As there wasn?t really any venture capital around, our investors were a mix of high-net worth individuals, and some traditional institutional investors.
With hindsight, the mistake we made in funding the business was that we didn?t always spend money wisely, and therefore had to raise too much.
Persistence, action-orientation, ability to deal with uncertainty and risk, competitiveness, ability to see the big picture, flexibility, ability to sell to different constituencies, and above all: luck.
She may have lost her vibe towards the end of her reign, but Meg Whitman grew eBay from $4 million in revenues to $8 billion in about 10 years. She had the benefit of a fantastic underlying business model, but that is a stunning achievement.
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She's out of this world!
Katy Perry is set to premiere the futuristic video for her latest single, E.T., in full at noon Thursday ? but the singer is giving fans an early taste of the video.
In it, the pop star floats through outer space looking equally alien and angelic in a shimmery white gown, vibrant makeup and headpiece. The song finds Perry singing about a "supernatural extraterrestrial" ? and the video finds her encountering a dormant robot and lighting it up with her touch.
After its online premiere, the music video will debut on MTV at 7:53 p.m.
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We see London, we see France, we see so much more than a star's underpants! Nothing brings on a bigger gasp than when news breaks that there's another celebrity caught in a nude photo scandal. As the initial shock wears off and the countless questions start rolling in (Why would any celebrity pose nude? How big is it? Are those real?), the situation becomes a celebrity's worst nightmare.But at the same time, when a body part is inexplicably exposed for the world to see, it can be the biggest career boost a star doesn't need to hire a publicist for. (Other than for damage control, of course.) Here's why.
Although the photos have yet to be revealed, this was exactly the kind of press Christina needed. She's had a less-than-stellar few months -- she botched the national anthem at the Super Bowl, fell on stage at the Grammys and got arrested for public intoxication. As a result, Christina was getting attention for everything but her amazing vocals. When knowledge of these photos surfaced, yes, it did bring more focus to her negative actions, but until the evidence is out there for the world to see, it's all hearsay. The proof is already in the pudding for her past wrongdoings, and it's time for the public to start talking about something new.
Chris Brown is also a great example of nude photos leaking at the perfect time. Ever since he got in a domestic dispute with Rihanna in February 2009, the only attention the press was giving him, whether it was good or bad, had to do with that fateful night. As Brown geared up to promote his new album 'F.A.M.E.,' the last thing he wanted to deal with was more questions about his situation with Rihanna. "It's pointless," he tweeted.
Coincidentally, just two weeks before his CD dropped, nude photos of him also dropped. Instantly, all attention was diverted from Rihanna -- the photos were the perfect distraction to get people talking about something else. (Well, that was until he smashed a window at 'Good Morning America'...)
Nude Pictures Help Shed an Innocent Image
The transition from sweet teen star to edgy adult star is not easy. (Just ask Mischa Barton.) But take it from celebs like Vanessa Hudgens -- the process becomes a lot quicker when nude photos of you are revealed. The 'High School Musical' star just had another set of photos leak -- the first set being in 2007 -- and it sealed the deal that she isn't the same sweet girl Zac Efron courted for five years. Hudgens has left the halls of East High and hasn't looked back.
The "Hey! Remember Me?!" Factor
You don't need to be an A-list celebrity for people to buzz about your leaked photos because let's face it, a scandal, no matter how big, is a scandal -- there will always be interest. Case in point? 'Twilight' star Ashley Greene. In August 2009, a year before she broke teenage hearts by dating Joe Jonas, full-frontal photos of her surfaced on the web. Suddenly, she went from "that girl from 'Twilight' with the short hair that's not Kristen Stewart" to "'Twilight' star Ashley Greene."
Same goes for model Amber Rose. Before her birthday suit photos surfaced online, Amber was solely known as Kanye West's arm candy. Now, people actually know her name -- and what her badonkadonk looks like.
If All Else Fails, Just Say "Oops"
Does the phrase "pulling a Paris" ring a bell? Posed private photos aren't the only kind of naked pics that will keep a star's name alive. Simply going commando, accidentally wearing a see-through shirt or donning a low-cut dress that has potential for a nip slip are sure-fire ways to get people chatting. One false step out of a limo or a quick breeze, and a star's fun night out turns into next day's headlines. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus have all had "oops" moments that were splashed all over the news.
More: Why Celebs Romance Their Agents, And Why It Works
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Celebrity Sex Tapes
When she first moved to Hollywood, Chelsea Handler made a tape that featured her standup routine and a few more intimate acts. The old video shows Chelsea telling jokes, then cuts to a bedroom scene where she appears to have sex with a British man. Her rep claims it was an old demo tape she made as a joke.
Jason Merritt, Getty Images
Jason Merritt, Getty Images
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Leandro Penna and Katie Price head to the VIP Style Awards in Dublin
Leandro Penna has fallen head over heels for Katie Price.�
The Argentinian model met Katie, 32, at Elton John's post-Oscars party in LA last month, and just weeks later flew to England to live with the glamour girl in her Surrey mansion.
'The truth is that she was very nice to me and still is,' says Leandro, 25.
'When we got to England she even asked me if I felt uncomfortable with the press harassment.�
'She took care of me.'
And Leandro insists that Katie - who's mum to Harvey, 8, Junior, 5, and Princess, 3 - isn't the person the press make her out to be.
'She is divine,' he tells Argentinian magazine Caras.�
'Katie is a family girl, humble, and much more normal than everyone thinks she is.'�
TWITPIC Katie Price and friends at dinner with Leandro Penna>>
TWITPIC - Katie Price with Leandro Penna after the Oscars>>
SEE PICTURES The changing face of Katie Price>>
SEE PICTURES Katie Price's hen night>>
SEE PICTURES Is Alex Reid the new Peter Andre?>>
SEE PICTURES Alex Reid and Katie Price's love story in photos>>
SEE PICTURES Peter Andre's night on the town with Nicola McLean and Chantelle Houghton>>
SEE PICTURES Jordan and Peter Andre: A love story in
photos>>
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�
The star was tired of having to reshoot scenes in his new medieval epic "Ironclad" because his steed would not stand still - so he decided to let the beast know who was playing the king.
�
The actor, who plays King John in the film, explains, "The horse in this was a real b**ch... It kept walking backwards just to kind of mess with me... so I punched the horse... I clipped him in the jaw."
�
And the brute force worked on the animal: "After that, that little crapper was on point."
Photo Credits: PR Photos
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Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
Jim Spellman/WireImage; Joel Ryan/AP
The actress, 24, who split from Shia LaBeouf in late October, has reportedly moved on to fellow Brit, Marcus Mumford, lead singer for Grammy-nominated folk band Mumford & Sons.
The couple have recently been spending time together at Mumford's London home and in Buckinghamshire, England, according to the Daily Mail. The pair also spent last week in the Orkney Islands.
Last month, Mulligan was spotted looking cozy with Mumford, 25, during his band's gig at St. Magnus Cathedral in the U.K.
"They were kissing and cuddling in public," an onlooker from the night tells PEOPLE. "They were clearly very fond of each other. They were very, very affectionate to one another."
Mulligan, who otherwise kept a low profile at the show, "was very quiet and just kind of sat behind the scenes," says the onlooker.
Mulligan's rep had no comment.
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Is that really Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell on Twitter? If not, can celebrities stop these impostors?
?C.J, via in the inbox
You definitely have not been reading the authentic comic stylings of Will Ferrell, so sayeth his reps. And it's doubtful we're looking at an authentic Brad Pitt either, given that the A-lister prefers to utter his thoughts unto us mortals via Vanity Fair and W. As for the impostors, well, here's their likely fate:
PHOTOS: Tweet Peeks
Death!
Or maybe just banishment from Twitter. More likely the latter.
First, a briefing: A Twitterer going by @realbradpitt emerged on the social media site a few days?right around the same time that a @willyferrell popped up to promote the Pitt account.
"Everybody follow @REALBRADPITT," the Tweet shrieked. "He just made a Twitter, my personal favorite actor!!!"
Grammar and usage aside, it's safe to say that the statement rang a tad false. Since then, we've learned that Ferrell, in fact, has no Twitter account. At all. (Pitt's people didn't return several requests for comment. In the meantime, @realbradpitt seems to have disappeared. So has @willyferrell. The same person? Likely.)
As for Twitter, it has a policy that specifically addresses impostors?of celebrities, of civilians. Doesn't matter. Twitter usually requires a complaint from the real person before the fake can be ousted?"Twitter processes impersonation reports from the user being impersonated or someone legally authorized to act on behalf of the user/entity"?but it's unclear whether Pitt actually sicced someone on @realbradpitt or not.
If the impostor had displayed a more deft sense of humor, he or she may have been able to hold on to that account. Twitter frowns upon impostors intending deliberate deceit?but it has no problem with parody accounts.
VIDEO: Watch Brangelina Make Out! Sort Of!
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30 March 2011
Mariah Carey being rushed to hospital with signs of early contractions over the weekend was a ''nerve-wracking'' experience for husband Nick Cannon
Mariah Carey being rushed to hospital was a "nerve-wracking" experience for husband Nick Cannon.
The 30-year-old actor explained when the singer - who is expecting twins, a boy and a girl, in the next few weeks - was taken to hospital with signs of early contractions over the weekend, he was very worried.
Nick told the Los Angeles Times: "They're calling it a 'scare', but really, it was just nerve-wracking. We were in the hospital from 4 a.m. until I don't even know.
"The thing with twins is that you want them in their natural incubator as long as possible. They might be ready to come out, but we need them to stay in for a while."
The thing with twins is that you want them in their natural incubator as long as possible. They might be ready to come out, but we need them to stay in for a while.
Despite the 42-year-old star being given the all-clear by medical experts, Nick admitted she is "super ready" to welcome her babies into the world.
He added: "She's super ready."
The actor-and-comedian recently confessed he is concerned he may faint when Mariah eventually gives birth.
Writing on his twitter page, Nick joked: "I am probably going to faint in the delivery room! I need to man up!
"Or maybe I should say WOMAN UP since they are the ones that have to be the strongest in the whole ordeal! I am in awe of my wife!
"People are trying to give me advice for when that day comes. I'm trying to prepare but I get queasy in hospitals LOL. (sic)"
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March 30, 2011 9:18:16 PM
LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Two Reuters journalists are missing in Syria.
Diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi, a Jordanian national based in Amman, had been detained by the Syrian authorities in Damascus on Tuesday.
Photographer Khaled al-Hariri, a Syrian based in Damascus, has not been in contact with colleagues since Monday.
A Syrian official said authorities were working to establish what had happened to the two men.
"Thomson Reuters is deeply concerned about the whereabouts of our colleagues Khaled al-Hariri and Suleiman al-Khalidi," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said.
"We call upon the Syrian authorities to help us urgently in ensuring their safe and timely release. Reuters remains committed to reporting from the Middle East and we are working round the clock to protect our staff in these challenging times."
Khalidi, who has worked for Reuters for more than 20 years in Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Iraq, was last seen in the old city of Damascus on Tuesday. He has not answered his mobile telephone since shortly after 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Tuesday.
Hariri, who has also worked for Reuters for more than 20 years, was last seen arriving at the Reuters bureau in Damascus on Monday morning. He has not been in touch since then and has not answered his mobile telephone.
Their disappearance follows the detention in Syria of two Reuters television journalists, producer Ayat Basma and cameraman Ezzat Baltaji. They were held incommunicado for two days before being released by Syrian authorities on Monday.
Both Lebanese, they were expelled to Lebanon. They had been working in Syria since the previous week.
Reuters correspondent Khaled Yacoub Oweis, a Jordanian who had been based in Damascus, was expelled from Syria on Friday for what a Syrian Information Ministry official described as his "unprofessional and false" coverage of events.
Reuters said it stood by its coverage from Syria, where nearly two weeks of protests have posed the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's 11-year rule.
Also on Wednesday, the Libyan government expelled a Reuters correspondent from Tripoli. Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia expelled the Reuters foreign correspondent from Riyadh. (Reporting by Dominic Evans, editing by Alastair Macdonald)
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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Milla Jovovich, Milla Jovovich Pictures, Milla Jovovich Image Gallery ...
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milla_jovovich_18 viewed 23 times in female celebritis
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The officers had pulled someone over for driving under the influence, on Orangewood Avenue east of Haster Street in Anaheim, when the green 1994 Ford F150 slammed into the back of their squad car just before 2 a.m., Garden Grove police Sgt. William Allison said. The patrol car had its emergency lights activated at the time, Allison said.
The driver of the pick-up truck -- the headlights were off -- tried to get out of the vehicle and run away, but was quickly caught, Allison said.
The other motorist, a 42-year-old Anaheim man who was in the back of the squad car at the time of the crash, appeared to escape injury but was taken to Garden Grove Medical Center to be examined, Allison said.
The pick-up truck's driver broke his nose and suffered cuts to his face, Allison said.
Investigators later determined the driver had crashed into three parked vehicles along Haster Street north of Chapman Avenue before hitting the squad car, the sergeant said.
Anaheim police were handling the investigation into the collision with the Garden Grove police car, while Garden Grove officers took on the hit-and-run accident investigation, Allison said.
Neither driver's name was immediately released.
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She?s gearing up to premiere her new video for ?E.T.? and Katy Perry told MTV that she pays particular attention to how her songs are fleshed out visually.
The ?I Kissed a Girl? songstress explained, "With Teenage Dream, the record in whole, I knew I wanted to give so many different flavors, so many different ideas, and just make a different 'movie' for each song. I feel like I've done that."
And now that she has some experience under her belt, Katy says she loves seeing that those who were once naysayers are now cheering for her.
"It's interesting to see a lot of the commentary that goes along with growth. People are like, 'OK, I like her,' finally, or like, 'Damn, I hate to admit it, but we're on the Katy Perry train,' which is really exciting, and i feel like I worked really hard for that.?
"I knew starting with 'I Kissed a Girl' that it might have taken a little bit longer to get everybody just onboard the Katy Perry train, I guess. But now, I'm having so much fun and I get to be so creative and try different things and expand, and I never play it safe ? in any way, really."
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Sam Cooper and Lily Allen
Bauer-Griffin
Someone who was invited to the nuptials apparently sent the save-the-date card to the British newspapers, leaving Allen, 25, fuming.
"Oh and whoever leaked my wedding invite to the press, you're a [expletive] and your[sic] not invited anymore, have some respect and stay at home," she wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
The card itself amusingly shows Cooper and Allen's faces crudely Photoshopped onto the bodies of a frumpy couple riding a tractor.
Cooper, an upmarket decorator and owner of a building company, reportedly popped the question to Allen over the Christmas holidays, following a rough year for the couple, who in October lost a baby they were expecting.
Allen has been deep in wedding planning of late, reportedly meeting with Karl Lagerfeld in Paris this month to talk about her dress.
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LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County officials are working to satisfy concerns of Native Americans who are outraged over the treatment of human remains found at a county construction site near Olvera Street, an advocate for the Native American community said Tuesday.
The site is the home of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a Mexican-American museum championed by county Supervisor Gloria Molina and set to open April 16.
During construction, at the end of October, human bones were found -- 118 sets of remains were ultimately recovered, according to Dave Singleton of the Native American Heritage Commission.
Singleton recalled comments by Paul Langenwalter, an archaeology professor at Biola University who visited the site with students in November. Many of the bodies Langenwalter saw during that trip, were buried "in the Catholic tradition," but at least two were curled in the fetal position, characteristic of Native American burial, according to Singleton.
At an emotionally charged meeting of the commission Monday, Langenwalter, other archaeologists and Native Americans "expressed levels of outrage" about steps not taken by the county and its consultants to investigate the possibility of a burial ground on the site and about the handling of remains, once discovered.
"They didn't contact us," Singleton said of the county's consultant, Sapphos Environmental Inc., responsible for archaeological survey work. "They know us well."
The commission would have conducted a sacred lands file search and asked county officials to consult relevant local tribes, Singleton said.
County officials were apparently aware that the location was once a cemetery, but believed that all of the bodies had been exhumed and relocated more than 100 years earlier.
Tribal representatives are monitoring the site at the county's request and Singleton said Molina gave those monitors the authority to stop work if they discovered any additional remains in the garden area where work is continuing.
However, questions remain about the handling of the bones found and whether they will be reinterred.
The remains were first sent to Cal State Los Angeles, but when the university asked that they be removed, were relocated to the Museum of Natural History, according to an aide for Molina.
California law dictates that the remains be "treated and disposed of with dignity and respect," said Singleton, but "there are concerns about that."
They are in bags and boxes at the county museum, which Singleton said may also be in violation of archaeological standards. He raised the possibility that the county had also skipped steps required by federal environmental law and disregarded the rules of its own coroner regarding remains.
However, despite yesterday's heated comments, "Communication has improved considerably between the county and all the stakeholders," Singleton said. "It's a work in progress."
The commission did not have a quorum Monday, so it could not take official action.
Following that session, Molina met with members of the Native American community and offered assurances that she would see to it that the remains were better cared for, Singleton said.
Molina was in a closed door meeting of the Board of Supervisors and unavailable for comment this afternoon.
The California Native American Heritage Commission was established by the Legislature in 1976 in an effort to protect burial grounds from vandalism, destruction and invasive scientific research.
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Here's a joke: A priest is giving a homily based on Jesus's command to love your enemies.
"Now," he says, "I'll bet that many of us feel as if we have enemies in our lives," he says the congregation. "So raise your hands," he says, "if you have many enemies." And quite a few people raise their hands. "Now raise your hands if you have only a few enemies." And about half as many people raise their hands. "Now raise your hands if you have only one or two enemies." And even fewer people raised their hands. "See," says the priest, "most of us feel like we have enemies."
"Now raise your hands if you have no enemies at all." And the priest looks around, and looks around, and finally, way in the back, a very, very old man raises his hand. He stands up and says, "I have no enemies whatsoever!" Delighted, the priest invites the man to the front of the church. "What a blessing!" the priest says. "How old are you?
"I'm 98 years old, and I have no enemies." The priest says, "What a wonderful Christian life you lead! And tell us all how it is that you have no enemies."
"All the bastards have died!"
Most of us, sadly, go through life with, for better or worse, and no matter how hard we try, a few people we may feel are our "enemies." Or, more broadly, people seem to hate us. There are people whom we've offended and to whom we've apologized, but who refuse to accept our apologies. There are people at work who we've angered, who are jealous of us or who have set themselves against us. There are people in our families who hold a grudge against us for some mysterious reason that we can never comprehend. And there are people who seem to dislike us or wish us ill for no good reason. It's a sad part of human life.
And it's a hard part of life. And sometimes, when we hear Jesus telling us to love our enemies, it seems to make things even harder.
In the Gospel of Matthew (5:38-48), Jesus contrasts what his disciples had heard in the past with what they must practice as his followers. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye.' But I say to you offer no resistance to one who is evil," he says. "You have heard that it was said that you must love your neighbors and hate your enemies. But I say to you love your enemies." Jesus is trying to move the disciples beyond what they knew into a realm of practice that will help them follow Jesus, to live according to a new law, the law of love.
But there's a problem: it seems impossible! How are we supposed to love our enemies sincerely? Are we really supposed to pray for ... whom? For people who hate us? For people who work against us? For people who want us to fail? It seems almost masochistic -- a surefire recipe for psychological disaster.
A few things might help us understand what Jesus means. Now, I'm not going to water down these passages, but as in all the Gospel narratives, it's important to understand the context of Jesus's comments, and how they may have been understood in his time.
For example, when Jesus talks about someone turning the other cheek, many Scripture scholars feel that he's talking about a particular act. The Gospel of Matthew specifies that the "right cheek." This means the blow comes from the back of the assailant's left hand, and therefore constitutes an insult not a violent assault. So some scholars say that when Jesus says the "other cheek," the idea is that when you're insulted by a slap on the cheek you should turn away and not retaliate. It's not so much an invitation for someone to keep hitting you as it is for you not to retaliate. So that may help us understand things.
Likewise, the word Jesus used when he talks about loving your enemies is not the same word that is used in other discussions of love. In ancient Greek, the language of the Gospels, there are three words for love: first, philios, which was a kind of fraternal or friendly love (and where we get the word Philadelphia) and second, eros, a romantic love.
But the word Jesus uses here is the third kind of love, agape, a sort of unconquerable benevolence or invincible goodwill. We're supposed to agape our enemies. Jesus is asking us to agape people no matter what they do to us, no matter how they treat us, no matter how they insult us. No matter what their actions we never allow bitterness against them to invade our hearts, but will treat them with goodwill.
So it doesn't mean that we have to love our enemies the same way that we speak about "falling in love" with someone or the way we love our family members. It simply means we must open our hearts to them.
And pray for them, too. In my experience, it's easier to agape someone you dislike (or who dislikes you) when you pray for them. Because when you pray for them, God often opens your heart to seeing people the way that God sees them, rather than the way you see them. And you can often have pity for people who may be filled with anger toward you.
But even when you understand all these things, and even if you read Scripture commentaries, these remain difficult things to hear. Even harder to follow. Loving your enemies and pray for those who persecute you is hard. In my life I've found it probably the most difficult thing to do as a Christian. Many years ago, for example, I lived with another Jesuit who simply refused to talk to me. He despised me. And I couldn't figure out why and efforts at reconciliation failed miserably. No matter what I did, nothing changed his attitude.
Over the course of many years, in light of that experience, and in light of meditating on the Gospels, I realized three things about loving your enemies.
First of all, some people may simply dislike you. So it's useless to try to "get" them to like you, much less to love you. It's useless to try to change them. You can be open to reconciliation, but you have no control over whether someone will reconcile with you. Part of this process is embracing your own powerlessness. Letting go is paramount.
Second, turning away from insults, hatred and contempt and "offering the other cheek" is emotionally healthy. Now, some schools of psychology say that you should always give vent to anger (rather than let it fester) but always responding with vituperation or vengefulness is rather a childish thing to do. Only a baby gives vent to his or her anger all the time. You can acknowledge your anger, perhaps express frustration you have in a calm way, but you don't have to respond in kind.
Basically, and to put it less elegantly than Jesus, if your enemy behaves like a jerk toward you, there's no reason you have to act like a jerk toward him.
Third, loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you is liberating. Too often we can find ourselves in pitched battles with the people who hate us, always seeking the upper hand, always noting who's up and who's down, always analyzing every slight. You see this in families and even in office environments, where people are trapped into cycles of vengefulness. It wears both parties down and dehumanizes everyone involved. I've seen couples, for example, whose marriages are utterly destroyed by the inability to forgive; the two become like scorpions in a jar. Jesus is offering us a way out of all that.
So what Jesus is telling us is hard, but it's not impossible. And it's necessary, too, because ultimately he is inviting us not only to forgiveness and charity but to something else: freedom and happiness. So you have heard that it was said, and you have heard that it was said to you by Jesus, who wants you to be happy.
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Hayden Panettiere Leslie Bega Samaire Armstrong Tila Tequila Missi Pyle
Sofía Vergara Cristina Dumitru Melissa Sagemiller Chyler Leigh Keira Knightley
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Jerry Brown ended budget negotiations Tuesday with Republican lawmakers, casting doubt over what steps he and the Legislature will take to close the rest of California's deficit.
Brown issued a statement saying he had halted talks days after GOP leaders released a list of 53 demands they said had to be met in exchange for their support for a special election.
The Democratic governor and majority Democrats wanted to ask California voters in June to extend temporary tax increases enacted two years ago as part of their solution to close the deficit but were unable to get the Republican support needed for a ballot measure.
Brown said he supports some of the reforms sought by Republican lawmakers, including a state spending cap, changes to the pension system for public employees and streamlining business regulations.
But he said after progress was made on those issues, the Republicans issued a much longer wish list that included items not related to the state budget debate and corporate tax breaks that would cost the state billions of dollars a year. The governor concluded that further talks would be fruitless.
"Each and every Republican legislator I've spoken to believes that voters should not have this right to vote unless I agree to an ever-changing list of collateral demands," Brown said in his statement.
State Sen. Anthony Cannella, one of five Republicans who had been talking with Brown in recent weeks, responded by saying he also does not see a path to compromise.
Cannella, R-Ceres, blamed public employee unions, trial attorneys and other Democratic Party supporters for their "refusal to challenge the status quo" on GOP priorities that include pension reforms, a hard cap on state spending and measures to promote job creation.
The Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate showed their frustration with the breakdown in negotiations. The Legislature had reduced the $26.6 billion deficit by about $14 billion through spending cuts and fund transfers ? actions that were taken primarily by Democrats.
Republicans did not even vote for most of the spending cuts.
Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, said Republicans were showing that their true priority was demanding tax cuts for corporations. That was in apparent reference to Republican demands that Brown maintain a corporate tax break referred to as "single sales factor," in which out-of-state companies are allowed to choose their preferred rate of taxation.
Brown and Democratic lawmakers said it amounts to a billion-dollar tax break that takes money from schools, universities and public safety.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said the Republican demands do not reflect the desires of the vast majority of Californians. He also criticized Republican lawmakers for not engaging in budget talks for weeks before coming forward with a list of more than 50 demands, many of which he said have nothing to do with closing the immediate deficit.
"The only thing missing from this list is a pony," Steinberg told reporters. "And we'd give them a pony if they'd give the people the opportunity to cast a vote."
Under a ballot initiative passed last year, Democrats can pass the budget ? but not tax or fee increases ? with a simple majority vote. Steinberg and Perez said they would do that by the constitutional deadline of June 15, but would not say what such a budget would include.
Two Republican votes in each house of the Legislature are needed to place a ballot measure before voters. Brown had been negotiating with five Republican state senators during the past few weeks, but the talks deteriorated over the weekend after the Senate GOP leadership offered its list of demands.
In ending the talks, Brown said he will focus his efforts in the coming weeks on "speaking directly to Californians and coming up with honest and real solutions to our budget crisis." His office did not immediately return a telephone call or emails seeking more information.
Democrats have floated the idea of trying to press forward with a special election on a majority vote rather than the two-thirds, but that would almost certainly be challenged in court. They also have discussed an initiative drive for a special election so voters could consider the tax extensions this fall.
The increases to the personal income, sales and vehicle taxes enacted two years ago are scheduled to expire by July 1.
"You know we're going to consider every option, and we're going to stand up for school kids and teachers and higher education and public safety," Steinberg said. "We've gotten through terrible deficit numbers before; we'll get through this."
Leighton Meester Padma Lakshmi Emmanuelle Vaugier Jennifer Sky Laetitia Casta
Naomi (left) and Wynonna Judd
Matthew Rolston/Oprah Winfrey Network
But with the help of a counselor they've been seeing since last year, the five-time Grammy Award-winning mother-daughter duo ? who star in the new documentary series The Judds, debuting on OWN April 15 ? are stronger than ever.
"[Our therapist] said, 'It's a true miracle how far you've come, and that you all are doing as well as you have [been doing],' " Wynonna, 46, told PEOPLE Monday during a conference call promoting the show, which explores their life on tour again and performing together for the first time in ten years. "He said it's one of the top moments in his profession to see us come as far as we have."
In 2003, Wynonna was charged with DUI. In 2006, her sister Ashley went to rehab for emotional issues. In 2007, Wynonna's estranged husband D.R. Roach was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery against a minor. And last July, Wynonna and Naomi were involved in a head-on collision.
Naomi, 65, echoed her daughter, saying of their progress, "[Our counselor] said in 25 years of being a Ph.D. psychologist, he's never seen people who love each other as deeply and whose intentions are [so] pure."
The Judd matriarch, who calls the show "real" and unscripted, tells her daughter during the call, "We can agree to disagree ... I support who you are because I love you and I know your intentions are good."
As for Wynonna, "I have been in a healing recovery process since 2003," she said. "And of the most important and sacred things on my list of priorities was to heal my relationship with my mother."
Brooke Burke Poppy Montgomery Alicia Witt Katharine Towne Bridget Moynahan
Phelps/AP
Willie Nelson could be singing on a much smaller stage -- in a courtroom.Willie Nelson's pot possession case could end with a small concert ? in the courtroom.
The folk singer, who was busted for misdemeanor marijuana possession last November after Border Patrol found the drug on his tour bus in Texas, may get off easy, TMZ.com reported.
The prosecutor is reportedly willing to let Nelson off with a $100 fine and the court cost if he sings "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" inside the courtroom.
The song, the prosecutor said, would count as the community service Nelson would also have to serve after the minor drug bust.
"You can bet your a-- I'm not going to be mean to Willie Nelson," Hudspeth Country Attorney C.R. "Kit" Bramblett told CNN.
CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW
The final verdict lies in the judge's hands though. She has to sign off on the plea deal ? and for Nelson that might be a bit of a problem.
"My court is not a jester court," Judge Becky Dean-Walker said. "I understand that people are star struck, I'm not one of them."
This slight run-in with the law is hardly the first time Nelson's been buted. In 2006, he was issued a misdemeanor citation for possession of narcotic mushrooms and mariuana in Louisiana.
nmandell@nydailynews.com
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Kylie Bax Avril Lavigne Brittany Snow Amanda Righetti Laura Prepon
With no date set in stone, Jessica Simpson is considering skipping the wedding all together.
Although some say Jessica Simpson rushed into an engagement with fiance Eric Johnson, the singer says she's not looking to get married anytime soon.
"No date has been set," said Jessica via UsMagazine.com. "We've both been married before. We're enjoying our commitment to each other. We want to take our time."
But she's not ruling out an elopement. "I will be part of designing my own wedding gown. We might elope if it gets to that point."
The two met through mutual friends and supposedly the former NFL player just showed up at her house one night to "hang out." Jessica and Eric were engaged less than six months later in November (around the same time as Jessica's ex-husband Nick Lachey).
"I haven't let him leave the house. We got engaged at the house. It's one of those rare stories," Jessica gushed.�Jessica Simpson Is Engaged To Eric Johnson
Jess, who's been known to go both for the artistic singer (Nick Lachey and John Mayer) and the athletic type (Tony Romo), says Eric is the perfect combination. "He's taking art classes at UCLA. He's very artistic. It's nice to have an artistic athlete. You don't find that too much."
The fashion designer paints a relaxed, but cultured picture of their day-to-day life together.
"In my downtime, I'm wearing sweats and on my couch catching up on TV shows. My fianc� is really into art, and I am, as well. We?ve been watching a lot of fun documentaries and going to art galleries and hanging out with some cool painters."
Prenup or not, after Jessica's former frazzled love life we're glad to see she seems to have found the man of her dreams.�Jessica Simpson's Prenup: Over A Million Dollars To Husband
Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Tessie Santiago Monet Mazur Angelina Jolie
Lonely Planet:
Want to get off the beaten path? Then here are 10 places that will stump most travel agents and reward you with original experiences. But remember, these are ?no pain, no gain' destinations so you'll need to be prepared for long transit times there and back -- and you won't be able to recover at a five star hotel after a day of walking up 300m sand dunes or climbing an active volcano.
Read the whole story: Lonely Planet
Abbie Cornish Nichole Robinson Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Tessie Santiago
After years of neglect, it looks like the Florida apartment complex owned by A-Rod is starting to shape up ... tenants say thanks to a little pressure from TMZ.
City officials have finally taken action, ordering some quick changes in the apartment complex -- in particular, the gnarly pool that started to resemble the La Brea Tar Pits.�
We got pics of the progress -- one of the pools has now been drained and the other is still a work in progress.�
There have been numerous other complaints from tenants, including holes in walls, rusty pipes, and overflowing trash.� Several tenants say everyone responsible seemed to step it up after we posted the story last week.
Everybody in the pool -- well, not just yet.
Foxy Brown Cameron Diaz Jenny McCarthy Yamila Diaz Emilie de Ravin
Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and seeing a bleeding man about 8:30 p.m. in the 900 block of North Hickory, near Rosecrans Boulevard, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Bruce Chase of Compton Station said.
The victim, a Hispanic man between 30 and 40-years-old, was not identified, Chase said.
It was unknown if the shooting was gang-related, Chase said.
There were no witnesses at the scene and no suspects were identified early today, Chase said.
Sanaa Lathan Lauren German Kirsten Dunst Malin Akerman Vanessa Simmons
29 March 2011
Willow Smith is joining the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Big Time rush by performing at the Nickelodeon 2011 Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday (02.04.11).
Willow Smith is to perform at the Nickelodeon 2011 Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday (02.04.11).
The 10-year-old singer is joining the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Big Time Rush and taking to the stage to perform a medley of her hits, including 'Whip My Hair' and '21st Century Girl'.
She said: "I'm so excited to be performing at the Kids' Choice Awards. Really hoping I don't get slimed!"
I'm so excited to be performing at the Kids' Choice Awards. Really hoping I don't get slimed!
Willow - the daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith - will join her 12-year-old brother Jaden, who is due to present an award at the event, as well as being nominated for an accolade himself.
With the likes of British comedian Russell Brand, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian and Josh Duhamel also set to hand out gongs at the ceremony, Miley Cyrus is tipped to walk away with at least one award after being nominated in the TV Actress, Singer and Movie Actress categories.
In the musical category, the 'Party in the USA' hitmaker faces tough competition from Selena Gomez, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
Elsewhere, 'The Karate Kid' is up for three awards, with Willow's brother Jaden nominated in the prestigious Movie Actor category for his role as Dre Parker.
Halle Berry Georgina Grenville Jules Asner Dania Ramirez Ivana Bozilovic
Natalie Portman has been accused of contributing to a cover-up involving her participating in Black Swan.
Sarah Lane, the classically-trained dancer who served as Portman's double in this Oscar-winning film, says she appeared in 95 percent of the full body shots throughout the movie, creating an uproar that director Darren Aronofsky is out to quell.
In a statement he released to Fox Searchlight, Aronofsky comes to his star's specific defense, writing:
"Here is the reality. I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math that's 80% Natalie Portman... Even so, if we were judging by time, over 90% would be Natalie Portman."
In the end, the director is seeking to put an end to any controversy, concluding: "Natalie sweated long and hard to deliver a great physical and emotional performance."
Lori Heuring Julie Benz Molly Sims Natalie Portman Bijou Phillips
