Who's hot and who's not

Couples rule People’s
‘50 Most Beautiful’ list

NEW YORK - Couples rule People magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World 2004,” with cover girl Jennifer Aniston and her husband, Brad Pitt, among them
I was an unfortunate looking teenager,” Aniston tells the magazine in an interview. “I never felt beautiful, ever.”

She also says she and Pitt are “absolutely in the process” of trying to have a baby, which includes taking folic acid and setting aside a room in their new house for a possible nursery.

Husband-and-wife pop and reality TV stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey — who are everywhere else these days — also made the list

So did Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen — though technically they’re not a couple — but they are twins, and they co-star in the upcoming movie “New York Minute.”

Another set of sisters — models Alexandra and Theodora Richards, the daughters of Rolling Stone Keith Richards — also made the list.

Halle Berry is among the
the magazine’s beauties for the eighth time, tying Julia Roberts for the most appearances.

Nicole Kidman makes her sixth appearance, and fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman is on the list for the fourth year in a row.

The sports world is represented by New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and U.S. Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch.


And Kwame Jackson, who was fired by Donald Trump on “The Apprentice,” is workin’ it in People.

The 15th annual “Most Beautiful People” issue hits newsstands

The man speaks up : Elton John Says 'American Idol' Vote Is 'Racist'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - British Rock star Elton John (news), a guest judge this month on the U.S. talent hunt TV series "American Idol," said on Tuesday that he found the voting by the national viewing audience "incredibly racist."


John, who heard the wannabe pop stars perform his songs during an appearance on the FOX TV show, added his voice to a chorus of dissent that followed last week's shock exit of black vocalist Jennifer Hudson, considered one of the top talents among those vying for a recording contract.


"The three people I was really impressed with, and they just happened to be black, young female singers, and they all seem to be landing in the bottom three," said John, commenting on the tally in which the lowest vote-getter is eliminated.


"They have great voices. The fact that they're constantly in the bottom three -- and I don't want to set myself up here -- but I find it incredibly racist," John said at a news conference promoting his Radio City Music Hall concert backed by an orchestra of students from London's Royal Academy of Music and The Juilliard School of New York.


The show often gets more than 20 million people voting.


The other two singers grouped in the bottom three of the seven remaining "American Idol" finalists last week were black divas La Toya London and Fantasia Barrino.


The results moved show host Ryan Seacrest to remind viewers that the series was a talent hunt and not a popularity contest.


"America, don't forget you have to vote for the talent," Seacrest said before closing the show. "You cannot let talent like this slip through the cracks."


FOX Television declined to comment.


Black crooner Ruben Studdard won the top prize last year.


FOX Television is part of the Fox Entertainment Group Inc., controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Ltd.

What Name Should You Have? by Lauren

OHHH PPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLLL UUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEZZZZEEEEEEEE Jade? it sounds so cheesy, chinese (?! i know i shouldn;t be saying this,, but it really sound so that.. that i have no better names to call muyself ,.. with the literal translation from the word) Edwina sounds better... ED, EDD, EDDY friends have been calling me ed for yonks. let me see... started off with Elly... and then my e-mail.. and then in poly.. peeps call me Ed.. edwina.. sounds kinda draggy... only teachers call me that. hahahhaa.. nah.. edwina sounds tons better than Jade...

ed snorts, scouffs and puke on Jade... can you imagine. my qtss name tag with the word JADE on it.. OMG..... ed faints.

I took the fruity fruit quiz

made by rav-chan

Check out which fruit you are

Illegal Entry From Mexico to U.S. Rises

SASABE, Mexico - After a four-year decline, illegal immigration from Mexico is spiking as several thousand migrants a day rush across the border in hopes of getting work visas under a program President Bush (news - web sites) proposed. Many also are trying to beat tighter security to come in June.

Mexican migrants walk toward the United States near the town of Sasabe on Thursday, April 1, 2004, in Sasabe, northern Mexico. After a four-year decline, illegal immigration from Mexico is spiking as several thousand migrants a day rush across the border in hopes of getting work visas under a program President Bush (news - web sites) proposed. Many also are trying to beat tighter security to come in June. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

The U.S. border patrol told The Associated Press that detentions — which it uses to judge illegal migration rates — jumped 25 percent to 535,000 in the six months ending March 31 compared to a year ago.


Near Sasabe, a town bordering the Arizona desert that's the busiest illegal border crossing area, an average 2,000 people arrive daily.


On a recent day, at a break in a barbed-wire fence outside Sasabe, about 300 migrants scrambled out of 10 trucks and four vans within 30 minutes with their smugglers, who led crowds along a worn trail. As the sun set, they disappeared into rolling hills that hide the treacherous desert.


Raudel Sanchez, a 22-year-old farm worker, said he wanted to get back to his job at a Minnesota ranch.


Sanchez crossed into the United States through Sasabe three years ago, but says the journey is getting more difficult. He walked three days in the desert and was out of water when he was caught in Arizona and deported.


Undeterred, he said he planned to take a bus to Altar, a northern city about 70 miles from the border where migrants hire smugglers. From there, he planned to head back to Sasabe and cross again.


"It's already very hard to cross, but it's going to be even harder," he said in Nogales. "I need to try again, at least one more time, and if I fail, I'll go back home."


Many migrants are betting on the approval of Bush's migration proposal, which faces an uphill battle in Congress. About 75 percent of those arrested are Mexican, while the rest are from Central America and other places, U.S. customs officials said.


In January, Bush proposed a guest-worker plan that would give legal status to undocumented migrants already working in the United States and to those outside the country who can prove they have been offered a job.


Because it's hard to get a job offer while in Mexico, many are heading north now, hoping to get settled before a program is in place.


Mexicans living in the United States have criticized Bush's proposal. Many say they wouldn't apply, fearing it could be a trap to deport them.


But in Mexico, the program has given many migrants hope that they might be able to seek something better north of the border, and that is enough to convince some to cross now rather than later.


"I want to try and make it to the United States to find out more about the permits because I've heard that with a job it will be easier to get" a visa, said Jaime Ulloa, speaking in Nogales after being deported for a third time. He is trying to get to Florida, where a U.S. farmer has promised him a job picking vegetables.


Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors stricter immigration policies, said the rise in illegal migration also shot up in 1986 when an amnesty was announced.


"Illegal aliens will respond to the messages the government sends," Krikorian said. "When we send the message that we are thinking about amnesty, they decide it may be worth it to try to cross."


Illegal migration had been declining along the U.S.-Mexico border since 2000. U.S. border patrol figures show detentions dropped from 1.6 million in 2000 to 905,000 in the fiscal year that ended last Sept. 30.

There is no exact data on the number of people crossing illegally. But in an indication of increased traffic, 535,000 illegal migrants were arrested along the U.S.-Mexico border from Oct. 1 to March 31, said Gloria Chavez of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau.

In the same period, the border patrol's Tucson sector detained 70,000 more people, an increase of 49 percent.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner attributes part of the jump to increased security. "The main reason we're seeing an increase in apprehensions is because the border patrol is more effective, particularly in the Tucson sector," he said.

But Mexican officials are also seeing an increase. Grupo Beta, a Mexican government-sponsored group that tries to discourage migrants from crossing and aids those stranded in the desert, said 56,000 migrants went through Sasabe in March compared to 41,000 in March 2003.

In Altar, a farming town that has become the gathering point for those heading to Arizona, street vendors sell backpacks, water jugs and salt pills by the thousands.

The modest homes around the plaza, crowded with triple-decker bunk beds, serve as makeshift motels for migrants. They're almost always at capacity, said Francisco Garcia, a former mayor who now volunteers at the town's only migrant shelter.

"We're a town with a population of 6,000, and there have been weeks when we have twice as many people," Garcia said.

Under new security measures, about 300 more U.S. border agents will be deployed by June 1 along the Mexico-Arizona border. The number of border agents assigned to the Tucson sector will eventually increase from 1,800 to 2,500, Bonner said.

Many of the additional agents already have been sent to the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation, an area west of Sasabe where illegal migrant traffic has ballooned, said border patrol spokesman Charles Griffin.

The heightened border security is driving more migrants to more treacherous desert routes between Sonoyta and San Luis Rio Colorado in western Arizona, said Enrique Enriquez, an agent with Mexico's Grupo Beta.

Grupo Beta plans to assign rescuers to Sonoyta in May, Enriquez said. Every year, hundreds of migrants die in the desert, where temperatures soar above 100 degrees in summer.


OMG.. ida luna... is diego ..er...er..er..er..... better check his i.d. before letting him come to your house. before.. he swaps a mexican hat for a knife.

Blog-Tracking May Gain Ground Among U.S. Intelligence Officials

People in black trench coats might soon be chasing blogs.


Blogs, short for Web logs, are personal online journals. Individuals post them on Web sites to report or comment on news especially, but also on their personal lives or most any subject.


Some blogs are whimsical and deal with "soft" subjects. Others, though, are cutting edge in delivering information and opinion.


As a result, some analysts say U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials might be starting to track blogs for important bits of information. This interest is a sign of how far Web media such as blogs have come in reshaping the data-collection habits of intelligence professionals and others, even with the knowledge that the accuracy of what's reported in some blogs is questionable.


Still, a panel of folks who work in the U.S. intelligence field - some of them spies or former spies - discussed this month at a conference in Washington the idea of tracking blogs.


"News and intelligence is about listening with a critical ear, and blogs are just another conversation to listen to and evaluate. They also are closer to (some situations) and may serve as early alerts," said Jock Gill, a former adviser on Internet media to President Clinton (news - web sites), in a later phone interview, after he spoke on the panel.


Some panel and conference participants, because of their profession, could not be identified. But another who could is Robert Steele, another blog booster. The former U.S. intelligence officer said "absolutely" that blogs are valid sources of intelligence and news, though he said authenticating the information in blogs "leaves a lot to be desired."


Steele is founder and CEO of consulting firm OSS.Net, which organized the conference. The OSS '04 conference focused on public sources of intelligence. (OSS stands for open source solutions. In this case, open source is an intelligence term, not a reference to Linux (news - web sites) and open source software.)


China Wants To Block Blogs


The CIA (news - web sites) and FBI (news - web sites) haven't publicly commented about use of blogs in their work, but many D.C. observers believe both agencies monitor certain blogs.


At least one nation, China, is actively tracking blogs. It's also reportedly trying to block blogs. Several press reports earlier this year said the government shut two blogging services and banned access to all Web logs by Chinese citizens.


Many journalists write blogs and use other blogs to help find sources or verify facts and rumors. Blogs hail from just about any spot on the globe. They can provide first-hand insights into local events and thinking, even in parts of the world where there's little official information.


One example is the "Baghdad Blogger."


In March 2003, as U.S. forces stormed Iraq (news - web sites), one of the few sources on the Iraqi viewpoint was a blog written by a person who turned out to be 29-year-old Iraqi architect Salam Pax, though it's not certain that is his real name.


Some reporters followed his blog daily, which gave gritty insights into how the war was shaking the lives of Iraqis.


The U.S. military never publicly acknowledged Pax, but people at the conference say they believe U.S. military officers read the blog.


Some news organizations valued the blog. Britain's Guardian newspaper was so impressed that it hired Pax in May 2003 to write a biweekly column on life in Baghdad. He's still writing it.





Blogs last year also provided information during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. In China, where the SARS (news - web sites) outbreak began, the government at first said little. But health officials and reporters were able to get a sense of what was happening through blogs, as well as from e-mail and cell phone text messages sent to people outside China. This might have spurred China's blog crackdown.

Gill says blogs are a good way to uncover news that regular media aren't covering or can't cover. "Blogs may be the best and only channel for such news stories," Gill said.

NGOs Already Get Attention

Various U.S. agencies already scan the Web sites of so-called nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, for information on political, economic and environmental issues. So tracking blogs isn't a big step. And there are software products and online services for this task.

While blog postings are voluntary and available to anyone to read, some observers say blog monitoring by governments or the media raises civil liberties and privacy issues. One such critic is James Love, director of the Ralph Nader (news - web sites)-affiliated Consumer Project on Technology.

"When you're conducting surveillance where you have no expectation of illegal activity, there has to be some threshold to justify such surveillance," Love said.

Some point to other dangers in using blogs for intelligence or news. Blogs can be used to spread lies or disinformation.

It's hard to fact check a blog account of an event in a remote area like Mongolia. Plus, many bloggers don't use their real names. Confirming identities can be hard.

In Baghdad last September, guerillas fired two surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. military transport, but missed. A blogger in Baghdad who goes by the name "Riverbend" wrote that the plane carried Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was then in Iraq.

The report proved false, but it confused the media.

Determining blog accuracy is the crucial first step to taking it further, warned Tim Witcher, who spoke at the conference. He's the former Seoul, Korea, bureau chief for Agence France-Presse, a news service. "A blog only becomes news when we can be 100% sure that it's true," he said.

Hollywood's Secret Couples

Over the weekend, the newly-camera-shy JENNIFER LOPEZ was out supporting her, ahem -- friend? colleague? boyfriend? -- MARC ANTHONY, at the premiere of his upcoming thriller 'Man on Fire.' But the pretty pair walked the red carpet separately, taking part in what is emerging as the new trend in Hollywood hookups. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony walked the red carpet separately at the premiere of his new movie

Tonight on ET, we take a look inside some of Tinseltown's most secret couples, which The New York Post's Page Six writer PAULA FROELICH says is a movement that's catching on for a very key reason!

"People have seen what happens to relationships when they're too open about them and it's usually a recipe for disaster," she says.

Over the past five years, Lopez and Anthony have gone from amorous to friendly and many are wondering if they're back on the romance track. But after they were recently pictured together holding hands, there's little doubt left in the public's mind that the singing sensations are indeed an official couple. And Froelich thinks the duo is smart to keep it under wraps, considering their pasts.

"Jennifer Lopez is pretty much the queen of public displays of affection and I think after three tries at public coupling she's finally realized, 'Hey if I'm going to make something work, I've got to keep it private.'" The two first dated in 1999 and rumors that they were back together began when the twosome were spotted dining together after the Golden Globe® Awards, just five days after her very public split from ex-fiancé BEN AFFLECK, and only weeks after DAYANARA TORRES filed for divorce from Anthony after a 3-1/2-year marriage.

Lopez's co-star in the upcoming flick 'Monsters-in-Law,' "Alias" star MICHAEL VARTAN, is also involved in a hush-hush relationship. Although the striking blond of the hit spy show is seen quite often on-screen with costar JENNIFER GARNER, fans will have to search far and wide to get a glimpse of them together outside of the office. Garner was married to her "Felicity" costar SCOTT FOLEY for three years and rumors started to fly in May of 2003 -- the same month she filed for divorce from Foley -- that she was, in fact, dating the French-born Vartan. Froelich speculates it was Garner and Foley's split that urged them to stay under the radar. "There were lots of rumors that she was with Michael at the end of her relationship with Scott so they had to keep a very low profile for a while." Couple Michael Vartan and Jennifer Garner are seen together every week on "Alias" yet rarely out and about

The fiercely private GWYNETH PALTROW has kept quiet on her love life since her very public romance with BRAD PITT came to a close in 1997. The Oscar® winner has become even more tight-lipped since her marriage last December to Brit rocker CHRIS MARTIN. Froelich believes the pair were never interested in the limelight from the get go. "They'd been there so often and knew what could happen," she says. "So I think they took it to heart and said, 'We want our marriage to work.'" And just two months before their top-secret Santa Barbara nuptials, the 31-year-old Paltrow told our own STEVEN COJOCARU why she preferred to not go into specifics about their relationship. "The relationship that I'm in is very sacred to me and I just feel like I need to protect it," she said. "Because it's something that's very, very special." The performing pair are expecting their first baby this summer and there's no doubt the bundle of joy will not be crawling any red carpet soon!


Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow had a secret wedding in a Santa Barbara hotel room.

Twenty-two-year-old pop diva and Grammy winner BEYONCÉ KNOWLES has been linked to 34-year-old rapper JAY-Z for nearly two years, yet the pair have never officially announced they are boyfriend and girlfriend. They've always referred to each other as "friend," and Froelich thinks the strategy has worked well. "Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the queen and king of covert coupling," she says. "Their ploy has worked so well, some people in America still believe they're just friends -- by the way, they're not!"



Although always saying they're "just friends," Beyoncé and Jay-Z were spotted together at a Lakers game

What Pattern Are You?

Take My Breath Away by Berlin

Watching every motion
In my foolish lover's game
On this endless ocean
Finally lovers know no shame
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn around and say

Take my breath away
Take my breath away

Watching I keep waiting
Still anticipating love
Never hesitating
To become the fated ones
Turning and returning
To some secret place to find
Watching in slow motion
As you turn to me and say
My love

Take my breath away

Through the hourglass I saw you
In time you slipped away
When the mirror crashed I called you
And turned to hear you say
If only for today
I am unafraid

Take my breath away
Take my breath away

Watching every motion
In this foolish lover's game
Haunted by the notion
Somewhere there's a love in flames
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn my way and say

Take my breath away
Take my breath away

it seems that everyone in their mid life there would be a crisis.. depression and sorts.. but it seems that my lecturer has occupational crisis.... she seems to can;t decide on which occupation she wants to be..
couple of weeks ago she wore this BRIGHT orange shirt with fruits motif on it.. i told ida that it looks like she is some cocktail waitrees in some beach resort, mixing drinks near the pool or the beach. haiz.. once she brought a hat in .. and she wore it.. she looked like a CAR PARK ATTENDENT.. those who give fines to drivers!!!!!!! yest she wore this shirt, and pants and she looked like a cashier in some noble supermaket... or some cold storage personnel selling meat. haiz... is she a lecturer, a car park attendent, a casher at the meat counter, or a cocktail waitrees wating to star alongside in the squeal to Tom Criuse's Cocktail. Cheers Lee Lan.

to lee Lan, i dedicate this song

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego baby why don't we go
Jamaica

Off The Florida Keys
There's a place called Kokomo
That's where you wanna go to get away from it all

Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego baby why don't we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We'll get there fast
And then we'll take it slow
That's where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

To Martinique, that Monserrat Mystique

We'll put out to sea
And we'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity

Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high
Way down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego baby why don't we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We'll get there fast
And then we'll take it slow
That's where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

Port Au Prince I wanna catch a glimpse

Everybody knows
A little place like Kokomo
Now if you wanna go
And get away from it all
Go down to Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take ya to
Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego baby why don't we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We'll get there fast
And then we'll take it slow
That's where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo

McDonald's CEO Dead, COO Takes Helm

CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD - news) Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Cantalupo died of an apparent heart attack on Monday in Florida and the company named Chief Operating Officer Charlie Bell to replace him as CEO.



News of Cantalupo's death shocked investors and the world's largest fast-food company's many restaurant operators, just as his turn-around strategy was beginning to pay off.


McDonald's shares recovered after slumping in early New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites) trade on concern over who would be named successor to Cantalupo, who is largely credited with the company's recent turnaround.



McDonald's also named board member Andrew McKenna, the company's 77-year-old presiding director, as non-executive chairman.


Many on Wall Street have long speculated that Bell, 43, had been groomed to take over McDonald's top post. An Australian, he has also been key to McDonald's revitalization, with an emphasis on its marketing efforts and store refurbishment.


"Charlie is a great operator," said JMP Securities analyst Dean Haskell, who rates the shares "market perform." "He has been with the business from the ground up. He obviously will continue the policies that Jim Cantalupo has begun in turning the company around. We're glad the board moved decisively."


Cantalupo, 60, died while a attending a franchisee convention in Orlando. He came out of retirement in early 2003 to take the helm of the world's largest restaurant company after former CEO Jack Greenberg resigned under pressure.


A near 30-year company veteran, Cantalupo acted quickly to focus on improved food and service that led to a revitalization of McDonald's U.S. market, its largest, which was recovering in recent months after a sustained period of flagging sales.


McDonald's stock, which had been the second-best performer in the Dow Jones industrial average in 2004, slumped 3 percent in early trading, on concern over who would take the helm of a hamburger empire that spans 119 countries and more than 30,000 hamburger restaurants.


RIGHTING THE SHIP


Cantalupo, a former vice chairman and president of the company with experience running its far-flung international operations, came back when McDonald's was struggling.


The company faced falling profits in a saturated domestic hamburger market, the impact from outbreaks of mad cow disease in key markets such as Europe and Japan, waning service, with reports of dirty restaurants and slowing transaction times.


In little over a year, he helped standardize service in the company's some 13,000 U.S. stores, expand the menu with entree-sized salads and all-white-meat Chicken McNuggets, and launch McDonald's first global marketing effort.


He also recognized the importance of defining the role of the fast-food industry within a growing U.S. obesity crisis that saw lawsuits targeting McDonald's and other fast-food chains.


In February, sales growth at U.S. restaurants open more than a year rose to their highest level in 30 years. In 2003, McDonald's reported a profit of $1.47 billion on total revenue of $17.14 billion.


News of the death of the CEO, known for his affable personality, shocked operators of McDonald's restaurants attending the franchisee meeting, which occurs every two years.


"He was such a beloved character," said one McDonald's operator in attendance, who declined to be named. "People were actually crying."





McDonald's shares fell 36 cents to $27.10 in late-morning trade on the NYSE.

Since the beginning of 2004, McDonald's shares are up 10.6 percent, the second best performer in the Dow Jones industrial average. In March 2003, the shares had fallen to a 10-year low of $12.45.

so sad.. i want to help my friends with their probs but it seems that i can't help them at all cos i dun know where to start. haiz... so sad...

HAHAHAHAH i felt so triumphic ( is there such word, if there is, the spelling must be wrong) after calling Calvin "Booze Addict" heheheheh last night.. it all started out like this.

ahem. Su Yan Wei replied by saying that he is going to hold a 18th birthday celebration cum some GMPS gathering... my my my...
so i told that addict that there would be.. and he literally beg me to go
i was like why should i .... you know what was that booze addict's answer : can help to check out who good looking - _- stupid.... freak! and then i told him
must i bring a place card along with me and when i re- intro myself.. i will have to say "Say hi to Wai Foong" how pathetic this guy can be.. he's high... he must have just came back from clubbing..
i was like "hey maybe you can give Maisie another chance. prolly cut down on the smoke and booze." that spastic guy replied " oh probably she could accomodate my needs of going to clubbing." -_- can you imagine that! that was so spastic..
then he asked me why Su Yan Wei never invite him..
DUHZ... why would Su Yan Wei invite him when he is in down under? DUHZ DUHZ DUHZ then i screamed YOU BOOZE ADDICT!" After that i felt triumphant... hahahahahha.. its so obvious that i'm the sober one and he is the drunkard.. ha... accomodate my needs" ed snorts big time.

Wow... golf champ in camp training... ?!

Woods Finishes Training at Fort Bragg

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - For years, Tiger Woods heard his Green Beret father talk
about life in the military and felt the stir of curiosity.


After spending four days at this sprawling Army post, the golf great now
knows some of what Earl Woods experienced as a soldier 40 years ago.


Woods trained with various Army units, fired weapons, awoke early for
4-mile runs and twice jumped from a plane.


By Friday, he was back on familiar ground, hosting
a junior golf clinic and providing one-on-one instruction for eight young golfers.
He seemed completely at ease, smiling often as he tutored
the youngsters and talked about his crash course in the military.


"My father shared a lot of his military experiences with me as
I was growing up," Woods said. "For me it was neat to look
back on history. It's not that I didn't understand what my dad did,
but to physically see what he did just shed a whole new light on it."


That his training was a watered-down version of what his father went
through during two tours of duty at Fort Bragg in the Vietnam era
hardly mattered to Woods. He said the experience alone reinforced
many of the lessons his father taught him.


Earl Woods first trained at Fort Bragg in 1963 following a tour in Vietnam.
The elder Woods also was assigned to a Special Forces unit here before
leaving for another tour in 1970.


On Monday, after finishing 22nd at the Masters, Tiger Woods
flew by private jet to Pope Air Force Base, which is next to Fort Bragg.
Woods was issued a uniform, received briefings on the installation
and attended several social functions on the post, Bragg
spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Buckner said.


By Tuesday morning, Woods was in uniform for three days of training.
The schedule began with physical fitness training at 6:30 a.m. each day.


On Thursday, he completed two tandem jumps with the Golden Knights,
the Army parachute team based here. Woods was attached to an instructor
for the jumps from 13,500 feet.


Reporters were barred from covering the training sessions after
Woods said he wanted the experience to be a private one.


Members of the Golden Knights presented Woods with a plaque
Friday adorned with a photo of the jump. In it, Woods is wearing
a yellow jumpsuit and goggles with his arms outstretched. He's smiling broadly.


"I was so excited. I couldn't wait to go," Woods said.
"I'm one of those people who love to ride roller-coasters,
so to me it's like the ultimate roller-coaster.


"It's an experience I'll never forget. You're going 120 miles
per hour, but it still feels like you're floating."


Also on Thursday, Woods participated in a 4-mile run
with members of the 18th Airborne Corps. Woods and
400 members of the unit finished the cadence-call run in
just over 31 minutes, four minutes better than the standard time.


Woods saw many similarities between military training and
the preparation he does to compete on the PGA Tour.


"The only difference (in the run) was yelling at the top of my l
ungs and singing along with the guys," Woods said. "I'm used to running alone with my MP3 player."





"Throughout the week, I think everyone was impressed
with his physical abilities," Buckner said. "He's a good soldier."

Woods' competition on the golf course will be disappointed to learn
that Woods may have picked up something that will help him
on the putting green during firearms training. Earl Woods said
his son discovered while trying to aim the guns that he is left-eye dominant.

"He's found that out for the first time in his life — here," Earl Woods said.
"It's applicable to golf because you use your dominant eye to determine
the break on a putt. And he could never do that. Now he has that capability."

After conducting the youth clinic Friday, Tiger Woods gave a skills exhibition
for about 4,300 soldiers, students and invited guests, some of whom won tickets in a lottery.

He arrived in a Humvee, sitting at the helm of a machine gun, to
cheers from the audience.

Bragg is one of the nation's largest Army posts, with nearly 47,000 soldiers.
Thousands are currently deployed to places like Afghanistan (news - web sites)
and Iraq (news - web sites).

"I'm just trying to hit the ball into a little bitty cup that's 400 yards away,"
Woods said. "These people here are putting their lives on the line.
That to me is the ultimate dedication. They're doing it for our country to keep all of us safe."

This Love
by Maroon 5

I was so high I did not recognize
The fire burning in her eyes
The chaos that controlled my mind
Whispered goodbye and she got on a plane
Never to return again
But always in my heart

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore

I tried my best to feed her appetite
Keep her coming every night
So hard to keep her satisfied
Kept playing love like it was just a game
Pretending to feel the same
Then turn around and leave again

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore

I'll fix these broken things
Repair your broken wings
And make sure everything's alright
My pressure on your hips
Sinking my fingertips
Into every inch of you
Cause I know that's what you want me to do

today so funny heez

met ida on the bus..
then went up to class.
on the atrium stairs
we were talkin abt
the front of house
how am i going to sell the tix
"HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
just nice there;s this ang moh lect
walking down
he thought i was saying hi to him
and so he replied hi and a confused look
heez
a nice pick up line
EEKS!

OMG I CAN;T BELIEVE MY EYES!!!! THERE IS SOO MANY PEOPLE CONNECTED TO MY LONG LOST PRI SCHZ FRIENDS IN FRIENDSTER. FIRST IT WAS THAT CALVIN SO ASKED MY WHO'S YING FONG.. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh THIS IS SOO FREAKY!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

calvin says:
she was my gf for like a week, and she dumped me// how sad
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
hahahhahahaha
calvin says:
no the whole thing went like this
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
cos she goes to church and you dun....
calvin says:
got her contact thru isabell on icq..
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
uh-huh
calvin says:
so went back to singapore and met up with her
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
uh-huh
calvin says:
started going out with her
calvin says:
den asked her out la
calvin says:
den she agreed..
calvin says:
she took me to her church
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
yeah.... i heard that part
calvin says:
but den my hair was kinda satanic that time
calvin says:
remember?
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
yeah.. i heard spikes and everything
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
didn;t get to see you remember ... miscommunication in qtss
calvin says:
ya the pple in church was quite happy..
calvin says:
wasnt quite happy
calvin says:
ya i remember that..
calvin says:
especially her brother
calvin says:
so she came up with the excuse that her brother didnt approve of the relationship..
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
uh-huh..
calvin says:
for whatever reason i dont know la
Eddy.. eddy.. where art thou Eddy? Time is running out, This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. says:
lolx..
calvin says:
hai.. she made quite an impact..
calvin says:
left a scar..
calvin says:
hahhaha

so thats the end of mystery number one heez i rest my case

so so so .. alors alors alors

I see the similarity between "tHE PRINCE AND mE AND pRINCE wILLIAM (rather the British royal family) -_^


tHE PRINCE AND me pRINCE wILLIAM (and the other royal family)

1. Prince Edward 1. Prince William
( In the show Luke Mably's disguise
name is Eddie Williams.)

2. Eddie Williams was sent to USA, 2. Prince Harry was sent to aAustralia for his
Winsconsin for 'Gap" year. gap year before going into the army.

3. Eddie Williams went to Paige's 3. Prince Harry was sent to farm in Australia
farm

4. Prince Edward was caught in 4. Prince William was said to be dating with a commoner
love with a commoner

5. Prince Edward was linked to many 5. Prince William was linked to many ladies
ladies

6. Prince Edward is hounded by the 6. the royal family in particular are hounded by the paparazzis.
Papparazzis

7. Father give up throne 7. Charles rumored will be giving up throne.

yeah that's all folks.. hope you enjoy the link

DUhz.. this show is of course fictionous. Denmark is of course ruled by the Dannish sovereignity, but if i'm not wrong the Dannish King has not passed on so, the crown prince is still very much in line.
Plus this story is too good to be true.. DUHZ...

oh yeah... it was said that when its Charles turn to take over the throne, he might skip the coronation part and pass the throne to Prince Wiliam straightaway. what didya think? the movie shows that the father gave up the throne cos he;'s too sick.. what do ya think? hmmm..

Dear Trish,
I met a nice man online about a month ago. We go out frequently and seem to get along fairly well, but I have the sense there's something missing. I've only been dating him for a few weeks, but I suspect he's about to give me the boot. How can I tell if he's about to dump me?
- Nervously Waiting

Dear Nervously Waiting,
You didn't give me any specific behaviours that led you to this conclusion, so I can offer only general tips. Before you start ripping up his photographs or eating a pint of your favourite ice cream to soothe the pain, let's examine the situation more closely.

While a woman's intuition is strong, it can be overridden by other emotions like fear or insecurity.

Are you afraid of being dumped? Nobody likes to be, but it's part of dating, and it helps to be as philosophical about it as possible. This relationship is fairly new, so the stakes are still relatively low, aren't they? And isn't it better to know now rather than farther down the road when your lives are seriously entwined? Changing your attitude won't avoid the pain altogether, but it will help you get back in the dating game faster.

Or could it be that your self-esteem is a little low? Are you concerned that he's too good for you? Or simply convinced that this one will end as others have - in a break-up that leaves you gutted? Just because a relationship doesn't work out doesn't mean you're a bad or unworthy person. It just means you need to keep looking. There really is someone out there for everyone. Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find him.

Be sure to check in with your gut before you go any further. Ask yourself if you really think he's going to break up or if you're just overly concerned about harmless behaviours.

Here are a few sure-fire signs that something's up:

He stops calling or checking in and/or stops taking your calls
He's suddenly unavailable for dates
He radically changes his look
He makes a lot of pathetic excuses
If this sounds familiar, it's possible that a break up is in your future. However, it's important to note that there are perfectly good reasons for any of these behaviours. They don't really prove anything but could be solid circumstantial evidence that a crime of the heart is about to be perpetrated.

If you honestly believe he's going to break up with you, you'll need to decide if you want to beat him to it and end the relationship first. But since there's still a margin for error, it might be best to have a non-confrontational conversation with him. Avoid the "state of the relationship" talk; it's far too early for that.

Instead, the next time you're together in a private setting, tell him how you're feeling. Yes, it's scary to put your emotions on the line. And yes, there's a possibility he'll stomp all over your heart. But it's just as possible that he'll appreciate your honesty and either allay your fears or be equally forthcoming about his doubts. As corny as it sounds, honesty is the best policy.

Here are some tips for having the tough conversation:
State the issue positively
Think about what you want or need from him and develop some solutions for remedying the problem. For instance, "When you don't call when you say you will, I feel like you're no longer interested." It's important to take responsibility for the way you feel instead of blaming him - and to take part in improving the situation.
Address your concerns openly
"There's something I want to talk to you about that's really hard for me to discuss. Please hear me out first and don't say anything until I've finished." This sends the signal that this is a serious conversation without putting him on edge.
Choose your words carefully
You don't want to put him on the offensive, so avoid accusatory language like: "I know you're going to break up with me" or "You make me feel...". Once he feels accused - rightly or wrongly - he'll stop listening and start forming his defense. If you're comfortable talking to a friend, ask for his/her help in finding ways to verbalize your feelings in a style that is most comfortable for you.
If this information doesn't make you feel any better, maybe these results will. Match.com surveyed online singles, asking them to look back over their dating lives and determine in which season they were most likely to break up with a romantic partner - or be broken up with. Here's what they said:
Spring 15%
Summer 23%
Autumn 23%
Winter 38%

At least according to the statistics, the odds are in your favour that the boot won't come down any time soon. Consider all this information before you worry another second - or make any decisions. Good luck.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ask yourself this: "If we start dating online, is it acceptable to break up online?" According to a Match.com survey, an email break-up is not an acceptable way to end a relationship: Only three percent said yes; almost two-thirds (63 percent) said no way. Thirty-four percent of those surveyed said email could be a valuable breakup venue, depending on the circumstances.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Is Friendster the 'Next Big Thing'?
Why millions are jumping on this online bandwagon

It used to be if you wanted to win more friends, influence more people or make more money, you bought one of those self-improvement tomes and tried to pump up your personality.

These days, all you have to do is go online and join a "social networking" site. The pumping will be done for you.

If you haven’t yet heard of social networking, stay tuned because it’s the Next Big Thing. New Economy magazine Business 2.0 named it "technology of the year" for 2003, and venture capitalists have started throwing money at social networking startups with a zeal not seen since the first generation of dot-coms came down the pike.

Don’t be surprised if a year from now your everyday conversation is peppered with references to Friendster, Spoke, Ryze, LinkedIn, Tribe.net, ZeroDegrees — or to other sites not yet launched.

The phenomenon is new and it’s hot, but it has a very old soul. In fact, the process that drives social networking is found at the heart of all societies and civilizations: the human need to make common cause, to cooperate with others of the species to achieve a whole variety of goals and meet a whole variety of needs — physical, emotional, social, economic, political.

Degrees of Separation

In our own comparatively gentle times, schmoozing has become the preferred networking method and the rolodex its indispensable tool. The drill by now is familiar: You need help accomplishing something ¬— finding a date, completing a deal — so you call someone in your primary circle of friends and acquaintances, not necessarily because you think they’ll be able to help directly but because they might know someone who can.

You make a call, and another, and another, working your way toward the outer limits of your social reach. Generally, if you keep at it — and persistence is as much a key to success as style — you find who or what you’re looking for.

Social networking sites speed and expand the process through digital technology and the Internet, allowing users to create searchable databases of friends and business contacts. Still, the underlying principle is the same: Who you know now is key to who you’re going to know in the future and to what you’re going to achieve, whether in love or business.

On sites devoted to purely social matters, enrollees are required to provide personal profiles, photos and real names (imagine that!) and encouraged to bring friends along. Of course the friends bring friends who bring friends and before long an impressive and interconnected social universe has been created.

A friendship functions within the network the way it does offline, as a bridge into new relationships — the source of an introduction to a potential date or of a character reference if the ice already has been broken. Members also are free to conduct blind searches of the whole network based on common interests.

The functionality of some of the business-oriented sites is even more impressive. Spoke, for example, analyzes a participating company’s e-mail archives, contact lists, address books and calendars to create a detailed map of all the organization’s internal relationships as well as those emanating out to other companies.

A sales manager might not have a contact at potential customer firm, but by consulting the relationship map discovers that someone else in the company does. The route is pursued, and the sale is made. Shazam!

Welcome to the new world of the uber-schmooze. Get hip to it, and your personal and business lives may never be the same.

Another Internet Bubble?

Millions already have. Silicon Valley-based Friendster, a focus of much marketplace buzz, has enlisted 4 million members since its founding early in 2003 and by year’s end was the recipient of $14 million in venture capital beneficence. At about the same time, its Palo Alto neighbor Spoke Software, a 2002 startup, scored more than $9 million in venture funding.

All the fervor has skeptics talking of a social networking bubble and its inevitable collapse. While such speculation is premature, issues do have to be resolved — functionality and privacy concerns among them — before the sector can be judged a safe bet.

Perhaps the strongest arguments for social networking’s success has nothing to do with the bottom-line success of the companies behind the sites. Rather it’s one of those unintended consequences that’s no less welcome and needed for being unexpected.

By bringing a real-world relationship model online — one where individuals are identified and held accountable — social networking has the potential to make the Internet a healthier, more civil place.

Not yet 10 years into its public history, the Internet’s record as a social venue is a mixed bag, with technology’s boon — e-mail, instant messaging, the online community of chat rooms and message boards — offset by bad tendencies and behaviors.

Identity Crisis

The most lurid feature of Internet life, that an estimated 6 percent of Web users meet the clinical criteria for addiction, is not necessarily the most disturbing. These compulsive souls will conjure their particular obsessions — for porn, gambling, stock trading, auctions — through whatever medium. The Internet has not made them addicts, though its convenience has appeal.

More troubling, because of their numbers if nothing else, are the non-obsessives who get caught in traps that, while certainly of their own making, are constructions unique to the Web.

Internet dating, as it has existed prior to social networking, is for many practitioners a kind of digital meat market. Think "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," only you don’t have to get up, get dressed and endure a smoky saloon.

And let’s be honest about chat rooms, putatively the cyber equivalent of the office water cooler. Yes, they are convenient places to trade information and establish relationships, but that’s not the whole story.

Around a water cooler we deal face to face with people who, if we don’t personally know them, at least are identifiable. This means that bad or boorish behavior has consequences. Not so online, where chat room visitors hide behind pseudonyms, secure in the knowledge that the worst penalty they’ll pay for the worst sort of behavior is banishment from the board.

By making identities known and relationships transparent, social networking has the potential to set a salubrious precedent. And if a few gutsy entrepreneurs make some money in the process, so much the better.

Time is running out for AM Radio according to The Hindu Times and This love is a Bittersweet Symphony and its Harder to breathe. Please be Positivity in this Ordinary World Just because Everything will flow, High and Dry in Rain, Re-offender-ing the Beautiful Ones. I Can't Explain it, So Sally can Wait Just Because She's in fashion and Come Undone; i need to talk to you.

The latest fashion must-have: eyeball jewellery

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Body piercing and tattoos make way -- the latest fashion trend to hit the Netherlands is eyeball jewellery.



Dutch eye surgeons have implanted tiny pieces of jewellery called "JewelEye" in the mucous membrane of the eyes of six women and one man in cosmetic surgery pioneered by an ophthalmic surgery research and development institute in Rotterdam.


The procedure involves inserting a 3.5 mm (0.13 inch) wide piece of specially developed jewellery -- the range includes a glittering half-moon or heart -- into the eye's mucous membrane under local anaesthetic at a cost of 500 to 1,000 euros (270 to 540 pounds).


"In my view it is a little more subtle than (body) piercing. It is a bit of a fun thing and a very personal thing for people," said Gerrit Melles, director of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (www.NIIOC.nl).



The piece of jewellery is inserted in the conjunctiva -- the mucous membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelids and front of the eyeball -- in sterile conditions using an operating microscope in a procedure taking about 15 minutes.


"Without doing any harm to the eye we can implant a jewel in the conjunctiva," Melles said. "So far we have not seen any side effects or complications and we don't expect any in the future."


The Rotterdam-based institute, which develops new ocular surgical techniques in corneal, cataract and retinal surgery, developed and patented the jewellery made with special materials and the surgical procedure.


The institute, which carries out the procedure in cooperation with an eye clinic near the city of Utrecht, said it has a waiting list for people who wanted the implant.

Birthdates which occurred on your SELECTED date of March 05:
1324 David II Bruce king of Scotland (1331..71)
1326 Louis I [the Great] King of Hungary (1342-82), Poland (1370-82)
1512 Gerardus Mercator Rupelmonde (Belgium), geographer/mapmaker
1574 William Oughtred England, mathematician/inventor (slide rule)
1578 Charles d'Albert duke of Luynes premier of France/Governor of Picardië
1585 Johan Georg I elector of Saxon (1611-56) (Peace of Prague)
1637 John van der Heyden Dutch painter/inventor (fire extinguisher)
1658 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac French colonial governor of America
1668 Francesco Gasparini composer
1696 Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Venetian Rococo painter (Isaac's Sacrifice)
1733 Vincenzo Galeotti [Tomazelli], Italian dancer/choreographer
1746 Jacob Wallenberg Swedish writer/naval chaplain
1748 William Shield composer
1750 Jean B G d'Ansse de Villoison French classical (Apollonii Lexicon)
1751 Jan Krtitel Kuchar composer
1756 Thomas Linley composer
1774 Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse composer
1794 Jacques Babinet French physicist/mathematician/astronomer
1805 Theodore Labarre composer
1817 Austen H Layard British archaeologist/diplomat
1824 Elisha Harris US, physician/found American Public Health Association
1824 James Merritt Ives lithographer (Currier & Ives)
1825 John Dunovant Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1825 Joseph Albert German photographer (albertotype)
1828 Johann Gungl composer
1840 Constance Fenimore Woolson Claremont NH, writer (Jupiter Lights)
1843 William F Sudds composer
1845 Alfonse Hasselmans composer
1850 Daniel Brink Towner composer
1852 Lady Isabella Gregory Ireland, writer/playwright (Golden Apple)
1853 Arthur W Foote Salem MA, organist/composer (Suite for Strings in E)
1853 Howard Pyle illustrator/painter/author (King Stork)
1867 Theodor Zöckler German theologist (Stanislauer Anstalten)
1868 Prosper Poullet Belgian viscount/jurist/minister
1869 Michael von Faulhaber cardinal/archbishop of Munich
1870 [B] Franc[lin] Norris US, writer (McTeague, Octopus)
1871 Maria do Carmo Geronimo Brazilian lives to be at least 126
1874 Arthur van Schendel Dutch writer (The World a Dancing Party)
1874 Henry Travers Berwick-Upon-Tweed Northumberland England, actor (Bells of St Mary's, High Sierra)
1877 Malcolm D Whitman tennis champion (US Open-1898)
1879 Walter Long actor (Moby Dick, Sheik, Sea Devils, Dragnet Patrol)
1886 Paul Radmilovic England, swimmer (Olympics-3 gold-1908)
1887 Heitor Villa-Lobos Rio de Janeiro Brazil, composer (Salon Waltz)
1888 Friedrich Schnack German journalist/writer (Rosewood)
1889 Frits Slomp [Frits de Rover], Dutch vicar/resistance fighter
1891 Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson Chicago IL, comedian (Olsen & Johnson)
1893 Emmett J Culligan founder of water treatment organization
1894 Henry Daniell London, actor (Camille, Philadelphia Story, Body Snatchers)
1895 Fritz Usinger German writer (Eternal Struggle)
1897 Mei-ling Soong Madame Chiang Kai-shek
1899 Patrick Hadley composer
19-- Dyango Barcelona Spain, Spanish singer (A Fin Solos)
19-- Jo De Winter Sacramento CA, actress (Dr Lawrence-Gloria)
19-- Ray MacDonnell Lawrence MA, actor (Dr Joe Martin-All My Children)
1900 Ludwig Donath actor (Jolson Story, Jolson Sings Again)
1901 Julian Przybos Polish poet (Sruby)
1903 Lowell Peters Cleveland TN, vocalist (Southernaires)
1905 Gilroy Roberts US chief engraver (1948-64)
1908 Rex [Reginald Carey] Harrison Huyton Lancashire England, actor (My Fair Lady, Dr Doolittle)
1908 Sophie Stewart Scotland, actress (As You Like It, Under the Red Robe)
1909 Sutan Sjahrir premier of Indonesia (1945-47)
1911 Joseph Tomelty actor/playwright (Bedevilled, Moby Dick, Melba)
1913 Yulian Grigor'yevich Kreyn composer
1914 Joan Sterndale-Bennett London England, actress (Those Fantastic Flying Fools)
1916 Horace Ian Parrott composer
1917 Joseph Stone lawyer
1917 Virginia Christine Stanton IA, actress (Tales of Wells Fargo)
1918 Halsey S Colchester British SAS/spy (MI6)/priest
1918 Ranga Sohoni Indian cricketer (pace bowler of late 40's average 101)
1920 Delbert L Latta (Representative-Republican-OH, 1959- )
1920 Leontine Kelly 1st black female bishop (Methodist)
1920 Virginia Christine actress (Mrs Olson)
1921 Berkley Bedell (Representative-Democrat-IA, 1975- )
1922 Ebrahim Maka Indian cricket wicketkeeper (2 Tests 1952)
1922 James Noble Dallas TX, actor (Governor Gatling-Benson)
1922 Pier Paolo Pasolini Bologna Italy, director (Teorema, Pigsty)
1927 Jack [John Joseph Edward] Cassidy Richmond Hill NY, actor (Oscar/Jetman-He & She)
1929 Joan Shawlee Forest Hills NY, actress (Prehistoric Women)
1930 Lorin Maazel Neuilly France, conductor (NBC Symphony Orchestra 1941)
1931 Anthony Headges composer
1931 Barry Tuckwell Melbourne Australia, horn player (London Symphony Orchestra 1955-68)
1932 Walter Charles Marshall scientist
1933 Arlen Dean Snyder Rice KS, actor (Trauma Center)
1933 Norbert Linke composer
1934 James B Sikking Los Angeles CA, actor (Hill St Blues, Star Trek 3, Doogie Howser)
1935 Malcolm J Anderson tennis champion (US Open-1957)
1935 Philip K Chapman Melbourne Australia, astronaut (Apollo 14 support)
1936 Dale Douglass Wewoka OK, PGA golfer (1970 Phoenix Open)
1936 Dean Stockwell Hollywood CA, actor (Quantum Leap, Blue Velvet)
1937 Stephen Fitz-Simon entrepreneur
1938 Fred "Hammer" Williamson Gary IN, NFLer (Chiefs)/actor (Julia)
1938 Paul Evans singer/pedal guitarist (Damascus Road)
1939 Charles Fuller US writer (Zooman, Soldier Story)
1939 Samantha Eggar London England, actress (Collector, Dr Doolittle)
1939 Terry Curry English multi-millionaire
1940 Mary Rose Oakar (Representative)
1942 Michael D[iamond] Resnick sci-fi author (Sideshow, Eros Ascending)
1944 Paul Sands Los Angeles CA, comedian/actor (SCTV, Story Theater, St Elsewhere)
1945 Randy Matson US, shot putter (Olympics-gold-1968)
1946 Michael Warren South Bend IN, actor (Bobby Hill-Hill Street Blues)
1946 Murray Head singer
1946 Rocky Bleier Wisconsin, NFL running back (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1947 Eddie Hodges Hattiesburg MS, actor/singer (High Hopes, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
1948 Eddy Grant Guyana, reggae performer (Electric Avenue)
1948 Jacques Kloes singer (Dizzy Man's Band)
1950 Eugene Fodor Turkey Creek CO, violinist (1972 Paganini Award, 1974 Tchaikovsky Award)
1950 Harvey Jacob Alperin Minneapolis MN, actor (Cocktail)
1951 Rodney Hogg cricketer (prolific Australian wicket-taker 1978-84)
1952 Alan Clark keyboardist (Dire Straits-Sultans of Swing)
1953 Russel D Feingold (Senator-D-WI)
1953 Valery Grigoriyevich Korzun Russian Colonel/cosmonaut (TM-24)
1954 Marsha Warfield comedian/actress (Roz-Night Court)
1955 Marcia McCabe actress (Alice-One Life to Live)
1955 Penn Jillette Greenfield MA, magician (Penn & Teller-Penn & Teller are Dead)
1956 Mark Handley writer (Nell)
1957 Mark E Smith English rock vocalist (Fall-Fall in a Hole)
1957 Tim Holden (Representative-Democrat-PA)
1958 Andy Gibb Manchester England, singer/TV host (Solid Gold)
1958 Bill Timoney TV commercial actor (Addicted to Love)
1961 Dan Stuart US singer/songwriter (Green on Red)
1961 Zeke Mowatt NFL tight end (New York Giants)
1962 Elise Burgin Baltimore MD, tennis star
1962 Robert L Curbeam Jr Baltimore MD, astronaut (STS 85, sk-99)
1963 Eddo Brandes cricketer (Zimbabwe Test pace bowler)
1964 Reggie Williams NBA forward/guard (Denver Nuggets)
1966 Greg Clark CFL linebacker (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
1966 Michael Irvin NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys)
1966 Tracy Kerdyk Coral Gables FL, LPGA golfer (1995 JAL Big Apple)
1967 Nicole Boegman Australian long jumper (Olympics-88, 92, 96)
1968 Marq Mellor Long Island NY, field hockey forward (Olympics-96)
1968 Roman Phifer linebacker (St Louis Rams)
1968 Shjon Podein Rochester, NHL left wing (Philadelphia Flyers)
1971 Amy Peistrup-Matthews Arlington Heights IL, WPVA (Old Orchard-17-1995)
1971 Brian Hunter Portland OR, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1971 Chad Fonville Jacksonville NC, infielder (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1971 James Roberson WLAF defensive end (Rhein Fire)
1971 Jose Mercedes El Seybo Dominican Republic, pitcher (Milwaukee Brewers)
1972 Brandon Hamilton CFL cornerback (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1972 Brian Grant NBA forward (Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings)
1972 Hernan Gumy Buenos Aires Argentina, tennis star
1972 Mikael Tillstrom Sweden, tennis star
1972 Tom Hipsz CFL defensive tackle (Montréal Alouettes)
1973 Nicole Pratt Mackay Australia, tennis star (1995 Futures Australia)
1973 Paul Lieftink Dutch soccer player (NAC, Spakenburg)
1974 Brad Schumacher US, 400 meter/800 meter freestyle (Olympics-gold-96)
1974 Hans Bond Dutch soccer player (FC Volendam)
1974 Kevin Connolly actor (Beverly Hillbillies, Rocky V, Angus)
1975 Chris Silverwood cricketer (England Test pace bowler vs Zimbabwe 1996)
1975 Niki Taylor model (Elle, Marie Claire)
1976 Adriana Serra-Zanetti Modena Italy, tennis star (1995 Moscow semi)
1977 Bryan Berard NHL defenseman (Team USA Olympics-1998, New York Islanders)
1977 Natalie Bevins Miss West Virginia-USA (1997)
1978 Kimberly McCullough Bellflower CA, actress (Robin-General Hospital)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Deaths which occurred on March 05:
0254 St Lucius I Pope (253-54), dies
1291 Sa'ad al'Da'ulah Jewish grand vizier of Persia, assassinated
1561 Carlo Caraffa Italian cardinal, dies at 41
1574 Philip of Saint-Aldegonde Flemish viceroy Holland/Zealand/Utrecht, dies
1576 Don Luís de Requesens y Zuñiga viceroy of Netherlands (1573-76), dies at 70
1605 Clement VIII [Ippolito Aldofireini], Pope (1592-1605), dies at 69
1625 James I (VI) king of England (1603-25)/poet/author, dies at 58
1644 Louise Juliana countess of Nassau, dies at 73
1732 Joseph-François Salomon composer, dies at 82
1770 Crispus Attuks slave, is 1st of 5 killed during Boston Massacre
1778 Thomas A Arne English composer (Alfred, Rule Britannia), dies at 67
1794 Rámon de la Cruz Spanish playwright/translator, dies at 62
1795 Josef Reicha composer, dies at 42
1827 Alessandro Volta Italian physicist (made 1st battery), dies at 82
1853 Georg A Kestner German art collector/diplomat, dies at 75
1873 Marie-Alexis Castillon de Saint-Victor composer, dies at 34
1876 Marie-C-S de Flavigny Agoult [Daniel Stern], Fren author, dies at 70
1893 Hippolyte Taine French philosopher/historian, dies at 64
1893 Richard Samuel Hughes composer, dies at 37
1895 Nikolai Leskow writer, dies at 64
1904 Alfred von Waldersee Prussian field marshal/chief-staff, dies at 71
1919 Jozef Surzynski composer, dies at 67
1932 Takuma Dan Japanese baron/financier/industrial, murdered
1941 Ludwig Quidde German historian/politician (Nobel 1927), dies at 82
1944 Max Jacob French writer, dies in Nazi concentration camp at 67
1947 Alfredo Casella Italian composer/conductor (La Giara), dies at 63
1948 Charles Prince cricketer (5 & 1 in only Test for South Africa), dies
1952 Vladimir Vladimirovich Scherbachov composer, dies at 63
1953 Josef V Stalin soviet leader responsible for 11 million murders, dies at 73
1953 Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev composer, dies at 61
1954 Julian Lowell Coolidge mathematician (Study-Segre school), dies at 80
1956 Erich Itor Kahn composer, dies at 50
1962 Anne C Veth Dutch cartoonist/art critic, dies at 82
1962 Otakar Jeremias composer, dies at 69
1963 Cyril Smith actor (Adventures of Sir Lancelot), dies at 70
1963 Hawkshaw Hawkins country singer (Ozark Jubilee), dies at 41
1963 Patsy Cline country singer (Crazy, I Fall To Pieces), dies in a plane crash at 30
1966 Anna Achmatova Ukrainian poet, dies at 76
1966 Enrique E Ecker Curaçaos/US bacteriologist, dies at 79
1967 Mischa Auer actor (My Man Godfrey), dies at 61 of a heart attack
1967 Mohammed H Mossadeq premier of Persia (1951-53), dies
1971 Winnie Lightner actress (Gold Dust Gertie, Sit Tight), dies at 71
1972 Nils Bjorkander composer, dies at 78
1973 Rupert Crosse actor (Too Late Blues), dies of cancer at 45
1974 Billy Dewolfe actor (Good Morning World), dies at 67
1974 Solomon I "Sol" Hurok US impresario, dies at 85
1977 Lockrem Johnson composer, dies at 52
1977 Moses Pergament composer, dies at 83
1979 Vicente Ascone composer, dies at 81
1980 Jay Silverheels actor (Tonto-Lone Ranger), dies at 60
1980 Winifred Wagner-William German World Festival organizer, dies at 82
1981 Brenda De Banzie actress (39 Steps, Hobson's Choice), dies at 64
1981 Paul Horbiger actor (3rd Man), dies at 86
1982 John Belushi comedian (Sat Night Live), dies of drug overdose at 33
1984 Harry Salter orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at 85
1984 Michael Sklar California, comedian (Laugh-in, Sha Na Na), dies at 39
1984 Tito Gobbi Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca), dies at 68
1984 William Powell actor (My Man Godfrey), dies at 91
1986 Teddy Hoad cricketer (West Indian captain 1930), dies
1990 Gary Merrill actor (Time Tunnel, Huckleberry Finn), dies at 75
1990 Gloria Carter Spann President Carter's sister, dies at 63 from cancer
1991 August de Schryver Belgian politician/founder (CVP), dies at 92
1991 Trijntje Jansma-Boskma oldest person in Netherland, dies at 109
1992 Andrew Samuel child actor (Our Gang), dies at 82
1992 Yevgeny Yevstigneev Russian actor (Welcome Kosta), dies at 65
1993 Diana Ochoa dies after long illness at 80
1993 Peter Bierdrager Dutch Fokker's-test pilot, dies in air crash
1994 Abdullah Al-Sallal President of Yemen (1962-67), dies
1994 Joe Daley jazz tenor/clarinet/flute player, dies at 75
1994 Paul Vincze medallist, dies at 86
1995 Ed Flanders actor (Dr Westphal-St Elsewhere), dies
1995 Marguerite Kelsey English painter/sculptor model (Haunting), dies at 86
1995 Peter John Norton naval diplomat/artist, dies at 82
1995 Vivian Stanshall British musician (Magical Mystery Tour), dies at 51
1996 Joshua Compston art impressario, dies at 26
1996 Khundaqar Mushtaq Amhed President of Bangladesh (1975), dies
1996 Nicolas Cotoner y Cotoner Spanish courtier, dies at 90
1996 Whit Bissell actor (Time Tunnel), dies at 86

On this day...
0254 St Lucius I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1179 3rd Lateran Council (11th ecumenical council) opens in Rome
1461 Henry VI was deposed by Duke of York during War of the Roses
1496 English King Henry VII hires John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) to explore
1528 Utrecht Governor Maarten van Rossum plunders The Hague
1558 Smoking tobacco introduced in Europe by Francisco Fernandes
1579 Betuwe joins Union of Utrecht
1616 Copernicus' "de Revolutionibus" placed on Catholic Forbidden index
1623 1st American temperance law enacted, Virginia
1651 South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm
1684 Emperor Leopold I, Poland & Venice sign Heilig Covenant of Linz
1743 1st US religious journal, The Christian History, published, Boston
1746 Jakobijnse troops leave Aberdeen
1750 1st American Shakespearean production-"altered" Richard III, New York NY
1760 Princess Carolina marries General Charles Christian van Nassau-Weilburg
1766 Don Antonio de Ulloa takes possession of Louisiana Terr from French
1770 Blanche Kelso Bruce sworn in as a US Senator (Mississippi)
1770 Boston Massacre, British troops kill 5 in crowd; Crispus Attackus becomes 1st black to die for American freedom
1783 King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski grants rights to Jews of Kovno
1795 Amsterdam celebrates Revolution on the Dam; Square of Revolution
1795 Treaty of Basel-Prussia ends war with France
1807 1st performance of Ludwig von Beethoven's 4th Symphony in B
1820 Dutch city of Leeuwarden forbids Jews to go to synagogues on Sundays
1821 Monroe is 1st President inaugurated on March 5th, because 4th was Sun
1836 Mexico attacks Alamo
1836 Samuel Colt manufactures 1st pistol, 34-caliber "Texas" model
1845 Congress appropriates $30,000 to ship camels to western US
1849 Zachary Taylor sworn in as 12th President
1856 Covent Garden Opera House destroyed in a fire
1856 Georgia becomes 1st state to regulate railroads
1862 Union troops under Brigadier-General Wright occupy Fernandina FL
1864 1st track meet between Oxford & Cambridge
1868 Arrigo Boito's opera "Mefistofele" premieres in Milan
1868 Stapler patented in England by C H Gould
1868 US Senate organizes to decide charges against President Andrew Johnson
1872 George Westinghouse Jr patents triple air brake for trains
1877 Rutherford B Hayes inaugurated as 19th US President
1894 Seattle authorizes 1st municipal employment office in US
1896 Italian Governor of Eritrea, General Baldissera, reaches Massawa
1896 Italian premier Crispi resigns
1897 American Negro Academy forms
1899 1st performance of Edward MacDowell's 2nd Concerto in D
1900 American Hall of Fame is founded
1903 Definitive treaty for construction of Baghdad railway drawn
1907 1st radio broadcast of a musical composition aired
1908 1st ascent of Mount Erebus, Antarctica
1910 Ramon Inclan's "La Farsa Infantil de la Cabeza del Dragon" premieres
1910 Stanley Cup: Montréal Wanderers beat Ottawa Senators, 3-1
1912 Spanish steamer "Principe de Asturias" sinks northeast of Spain, 500 die
1917 1st jazz recording for Victor Records released
1919 Louis Hirsch & Harold Atteridge's musical premieres in New York NY
1922 "Nosferatu" premieres in Berlin
1923 Montana & Nevada become 1st states to enact old age pension laws
1924 Computing-Tabulating-Recording Corp becomes IBM
1924 Frank Carauna, becomes 1st to bowl 2 successive perfect 300 games
1924 King Hussein of Hedzjaz appoints himself kalief
1927 1,000 US marines land in China to protect American property
1928 Karl Zuckmayer's "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick" premieres in Berlin
1931 Gandhi & British viceroy Lord Irwin sign pact
1933 FDR proclaims 10-day bank holiday
1933 Germany's Nazi Party wins majority in parliament (43.9%-17.2M votes)
1934 Mother-in-law's day 1st celebrated (Amarillo TX)
1935 1st premature baby health law in US (Chicago)
1936 Spitfire makes its 1st flight (Eastleigh Aerodrome in Southampton)
1942 Bosnia Tito establishes 3rd Proletarit Brigade in Bosnia
1942 Dmitri Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, premieres in Siberia
1942 Japanese troop march into Batavia
1943 Anti fascist strikes in Italy
1943 RAF bombs Essen Germany
1944 1st performance of Walter Piston's 2nd Symphony
1945 Allies bombs The Hague, Netherlands
1945 Generals Eisenhower, Patton & Patch meet in Luneville
1945 US 7th Army Corps captures Cologne
1945 US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Gretchen Merrill
1946 Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech (Fulton MO)
1948 Actor Eli Wallach marries actress Anne Jackson
1948 US rocket flies record 4800 KPH to 126k height
1949 Bradman plays his last innings in 1st-class cricket, gets 30
1952 Terence Rattigan's "Deep Blue Sea" premieres in London
1953 Josef Stalin's death announced
1954 "Girl in Pink Tights" opens at Mark Hellinger NYC for 115 performances
1955 Elvis Presley's 1st TV appearance on "Louisiana Hayride" show
1955 WBBJ TV channel 7 in Jackson TN (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 "King Kong" 1st televised
1956 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1957 Eamon de Valera's Fianna Fail-party wins election in Ireland
1957 Sergeant Bilko satirizes Elvis Presley (Elvin Pelvin)
1958 Explorer 2 fails to reach Earth orbit
1958 KDUH TV channel 4 in Scottsbluff-Hay Spring NE (ABC) 1st broadcast
1959 Iran & US sign economic & military treaty
1960 Elvis Presley ends 2-year hitch in US Army
1960 World Ice Dance Championship in Vancouver won by Doreen Denny & Courtney Jones (Great Britain)
1960 World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Vancouver won by Barbara Wagner & Robert Paul (Canada)
1960 World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Vancouver won by Carol E Heiss (USA)
1960 World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Vancouver won by Alain Giletti (France)
1962 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1963 Beatles record "From Me to You" & "Thank You Girl"
1964 Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr, announces a baseball team is moving there
1964 Emergency crisis proclaimed in Ceylon due to social unrest
1965 1st performance of Walter Piston's 8th Symphony
1965 Ernie Terrel beats Eddie Machen in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1966 75 MPH air currents cause BOAC 707 crash above Mount Fuji, 124 die
1966 Bob Seagren pole vaults 5.19 meter indoor world record
1966 Player representatives elect Marvin Miller, as executive director of Players' Association
1966 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1967 WEDN TV channel 53 in Norwich CT (PBS) begins broadcasting
1968 US launches Solar Explorer 2 to study the Sun
1969 Gold reaches then record high ($47 per ounce) in Paris France
1969 Gustav Heinemann elected President of West-Germany
1969 Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw" premieres in London
1970 3 SDS Weathermen terrorist group bomb 18 West 11th St in New York NY
1970 Edison Theater opens at 240 W 47th St NYC
1970 Nuclear non-proliferation treaty went into effect
1972 Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis leaves communist party
1973 Yankee pitchers Peterson & Kekich announce they swapped wives
1974 "Candide" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 740 performances
1974 Ralph Stewart failed in 2nd Islander penalty shot
1976 British £ falls below $2 for 1st time
1978 "Hello, Dolly!" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 152 performances
1978 Landsat 3 launched from Vandenberg AFB, California
1979 Voyager I's closest approach to Jupiter (172,000 miles)
1980 Earth satellites record gamma rays from remnants of supernova N-49
1981 "Bring Back Birdie" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 4 performances
1981 US government grants Atlanta $1 million to search for black boy murderer
1981 World Ice Dance Championship in Hartford won by Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (Great Britain)
1981 World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Hartford won by Irina Vorobieva & Igor Lisovski (USSR)
1981 World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Hartfoed won by Denise Biellmann (Switzerland)
1981 World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Hartford won by Scott Hamilton (USA)
1982 Gaylord Perry (with 297 wins) signs with Seattle Mariners
1982 Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands on Venus sends back data
1983 Bob Hawke (Labour) defeats Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (Conservative)
1983 New South Wales beat Western Australia by 54 runs to win Sheffield Shield
1984 Supreme Court (5-4); city may use public money for Nativity scene
1984 US accuse Iraq of using poison gas
1985 New York Islander Mike Bossy is 1st to score 50 goals in 8 straight seasons
1986 "Today" tabloid launched (Britain's 1st national color newspaper)
1989 19th Easter Seal Telethon raises $37,002,000
1989 Blaine McCallister wins Honda Golf Classic shooting 266
1989 Elly Verhulst runs world record 3000 meter indoor (8 :3.82)
1991 Iraq repealed its annexation of Kuwait
1991 Reggie Miller (Indiana) begins NBA free throw streak of 52 games
1992 Ethic committee votes to reveal congressmen who bounced checks
1993 Boston Celtic Larry Bird undergoes backfusion surgery
1993 Fokker 100 crashes at Skopje Macedonia, 81 die
1993 Former Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry divorces his wife Effi
1993 Marlins beat Astros 12-8 in their 1st spring training game
1994 Dottie Mochrie wins Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Golf Championship
1994 Largest milkshake (1,955 gallons of chocolate-Nelspruit South Africa)
1994 PBA National Championship won by David Traber
1994 Singer Grace Slick arrested for pointing a gun at a cop
1995 21st People's Choice Awards: Tim Allen wins
1995 Estonia Centrumlinkse Coalition party wins parliamentary election
1995 Graves of czar Nicholas & family found in St Petersburg
1995 Marc Velzeboer skates world record 3 km short track (5 :0.26)
1996 Earl Weaver & Jim Bunning, elected to Hall of Fame
1997 Tommy Lasorda, Nellie Fox & Willie Wells for Hall of Fame
1998 Mariah Carey divorces Tommy Mottola

Britney Goes to China?

Britney Spears is looking to expand her touring zone.

According to published reports, the "Oops!" singer's managers are in talks with promoters in China about bringing Spears' sexy stage show to the communist country later this year in what could be one of the biggest American acts ever to play there.
China's Culture Ministry is reportedly mulling an offer from the "Toxic" crooner's camp, though no word when, or even if, it plans to grant its approval. Considering the sexually-provocative costume changes during her current trek, the normally conservative authorities may need some convincing.

But if Spears does get the go-ahead, it would make her one of the few international artists to appear in China, following on the heels of Mariah Carey, who played two dates in Shanghai last November, as well as veteran British rockers Deep Purple, who are due to perform in Beijing and Shanghai this week.

The Rolling Stones were slated for major concerts in those cities as well last year, but had to cancel due to the outbreak of SARS.

Spears publicist and reps for her label, Jive Records were unavailable to comment on the report.

The pop princess, who was sidelined last week by a bum knee that forced her to cancel two weekend performances of her current North American Onyx Hotel tour, has since recovered and is back on the road supporting her latest disc, In the Zone, which has sold over 5 million copies.

Next month, Spears will head across the Atlantic for a two-month European jaunt that will kick off at Wembley Arena in London on April 26 and wrap up in Dublin in June. Along the way, she'll be joined by Wicked Wisdom, a band fronted by Jada Pinkett Smith. The Britster will then return the States where she'll play more outdoor sheds.

When she's not doing it again and again on stage, Spears is making scents. The popster recently signed with Elizabeth Arden to create a fragrance and cosmetic line. The first product--an eau de Brit--is slated to hit store shelves this fall.