Naomi Campbell Testifies About Blood Diamonds
Naomi Campbell testified today in front of a war crimes tribunal for the trial of Charles Taylor, former Liberian ruler.
Actress Mia Farrow claimed that Charles Taylor had given Campbell blood diamonds after a dinner party in 1997.
Naomi Campbell admitted that she had received what she called "dirty looking stones." But she also explained that she didn't know that the stones where blood diamonds or if the gift was from Taylor. Campbell said the "dirty looking stones" where given to her in a pouch with no note explaining from who it was or what it was. Naomi Campbell also mentioned that the case was a "big inconvenience" for her, which shows that she has no idea how many suffered for those "dirty looking stones" she received.
Prosecutors in the case where hoping that Campell would lead them to evidence that Charles Taylor, 62, was selling uncut diamonds (blood diamonds) to buy guns for the Sierra Leon rebels. The Sierra Leon rebels are responsible for killing thousands of civilians during the civil war which lasted from 1991 to 2001. Taylor is being charged with 11 war crims as well as murder, rape, sexual enslavement and recruiting child soldiers. He claims he is innocent of all these charges.
Google Wave, Waves Goodbye
Google announced today that Google Wave will be discontinued.
Google Wave was created as an "innovative communication platform" but in all just seems to confuse users. While Google believed that Google Wave was going to re-invent email many began to call it the email-killer.
Google posted on their blog:
"Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don't plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects. The central parts of the code, as well as the protocols that have driven many of Wave's innovations, like drag-and-drop and character-by-character live typing, are already available as open source, so customers and partners can continue the innovation we began."
What was Google Wave?
Google Wave combined instant messageing with an online document editor. It allowed you to create "live" documents that could be edited live with other people based on an open protocol.
Caroline Giuliani Arrested for Shoplifting
Caroline Giuliani, daughter of former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, was arrested today for shoplifting. Yet another story today after reported on Shannon Marketic who had also been arrested for shoplifting recently.
Caroline Giuliani, a Harvard student and daughter of Rudy Giuliani, was arrested and charged with petty larceny after shoplifting $100 worth of cosmetics at Sephora in Manhattan, New York.
Caroline is a first time offender so her case may just be dismissed eventually or she can be prosecuted.
She has a court date set for August 31st. Neither the Giuliani's or Sephora have commented. However Sephora store managers said that they did not want to press charges.'
Taylor Swift “Mine” Lyrics
Country singer Taylor Swift is working on getting her new album ready called "Speak Now". Her song "Mine" was to be the first single from the album but it was leaked on the internet today.
Taylor Swift said that her song "Mine" was a reflection of her own love life. She feels that when things begin to get serious in her relationships she tends to run away.
Swift commented in a live Ustream chat about her new song, "The song is sort of about finding the exception to that and finding someone who would make you believe in love and realize that it could work out, because I'm never ever going to go past hoping that love works out."
"Mine" lyrics by Taylor Swift
Oh oh ooo o
Oh oh ooo o
You were in college working part time waiting tables
Left to small time never looked back.
I was the flight risk with the fear of fallin
Wondered why we bothered with love if it never lasts
I say ‘Can you believe it?”
As we’re lying on a couch
(?) And I can see it
Yes yes I can see it now
Do you remember we were sitting there about the water
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine
Flash forward and we’d been taking on the world together
And there is a drawer of my things and your place
You learned my secrets and you figured out why I’m (?)
You said we’d never made my parents’ mistakes.
But we’ve got bills to pay
We’ve got nothing figured out
When it was hard to take yes yes
This is was I thought about
Do you remember we were sitting there about the water
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine
Do you remember all the city lights on the water
You saw me start to believe for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine
Woah oh oo
Miss USA 92′ Shannon Marketic Arrested for Shoplifting
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Shannon Marketic, 38, was arrested after being caught steeling $90 worth of items at Target in Denton, Texas. She was arrested and probably with the help of a bail bond she was released on a $500 bond.
She is now facing theft charged of up to $500 according to Denton County records.
Shannon Marketic was Miss USA 1992 but things went down hill from there. She once sued the sultan of Brunie claiming he had held her as a sex slave and was later arrested in 2007 at the DFW Airport for being drunk in public.
Wyclef Jean Running for President of Haiti
Wyclef Jean will be announcing on Thursday at Larry King live that he will be a candidate for President of Haiti.
Currently Rene Preval is the President of Haiti but is forced to leave in February due to the 2-year limit in the country.
Wyclef said on TIME, "If I can't take five years out to serve my country as president, then everything I've been singing about, like equal rights, doesn't mean anything."
However Wyclef Jean can't be too confident in the elections as recently his charity, Yele Foundation, was in a controversy that damaged his reputation as a Haitian goodwill ambassador. It was suspicious that Wyclef's Yele foundation had paid him, Wyclef, $100,00 for a benefit performance.
40 Billionaires Join Giving Pledge
Recently Laura and John Arnold, energy investors, pledged to donate at least half of their fortune to charity by signing with "Giving Pledge."
Giving Pledge is founded by Wareen Buffet along with Bill and Melinda Gates. Their committee it dedicated in encouraging billionaires "giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death," as mentioned on their website. So far there are 40 billionaires who has signed up.
This is truly a great way to gain karma and let the wealth go around, mostly to those who are in need of food, water and clothes. Hopefully these contributions will be used wisely by charities.
So far some of the billionaires that have signed up with Giving Pledge are:
1. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
2. eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam
3. hotels magnate Barron Hilton.
4. media executive Barry Diller and his wife
5. designer Diane von Furstenberg
6. founder of American Century Investments Jim and Virginia Stowers and his wife
and now of course Laura and John Arnold who commented, "We view our wealth in this light -- not as an end in itself, but as an instrument to effect positive and transformative change."
Learn more about the pledge at givingpledge.org.
Alex Rodriguez “A-Rod” Hits 600th Home Run
Alex Rodriguez, aka A-Rod, finally hit his 600th home run.
Alex Rodriguez made history today hitting his 600th home run making him the 7th and youngest player in the MLB to accomplish the goal. His home run today is also made exactly 3 years after he hit is 500th home run.
It took A-Rod 46 at-bats to reach his 600th home run after the 599th. However he is the youngest compared to Babe Ruth.
Prop 8 Ruling on Gay Marriage – Unconstitutional
The federal Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional.
Today many where awaiting the prop 8 decision in California and moment ago Judge Walker communicated the following:
Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
In the absence of a rational basis, what remains of proponents' case is an inference, amply supported by evidence in the record, that Proposition 8 was premised on the belief that same-sex couples simply are not as good as opposite-sex couples. FF 78-80. Whether that belief is based on moral disapproval of homosexuality, animus towards gays and lesbians or simply a belief that a relationship between a man and a woman is inherently better than a relationship between two men or two women, this belief is not a proper basis on which to legislate.
The arguments surrounding Proposition 8 raise a question similar to that addressed in Lawrence, when the Court asked whether a majority of citizens could use the power of the state to enforce "profound and deep convictions accepted as ethical and moral principles" through the criminal code. ... The question here is whether California voters can enforce those same principles through regulation of marriage licenses. They cannot. California's obligation is to treat its citizens equally, not to "mandate [its] own moral code."
Prop 8 had been approved in 2008 declaring that marriage was only between a man and woman.
However Judge Walker notes that marriage in California "never required that individuals entering a marriage be willing or able to procreate."
But the battle for gay marriage in California isn't over as both sides said that they would appeal which may bring the case up all the way to the Supreme Court.
Roger Huerta Get into a Street Fight!
Roger Huerta, UFC veteran and Bellator lightweight, got into a street fight in Austin, Texas with a man that had hit a women.
The man was outside a bar in Texas had punched a women in the face and Huerta wasn't about to let him go easy, he ripped off his shirt and got into a street fight, leaving the man beaten and bloody on the street.
Of course no charges where filed and the guy shouldn't even think of pissing off Huerta again.
The Roger Huerta street fight was features on TMZ, you can watch it here.