Pat Robertson, infuriating the faithful with Alzheimer's comments
Pat Robertson has made many contradictory statements over the years, for example, assume that the September 11 terrorist attacks were God's punishment for abortion and homosexuality U.S. tolerance. His critics are usually those on the opposite spectrum of the politically conservative Christian leaders inside and outside the Christian faith.

But recent statements by television evangelist - condoning divorce when a spouse suffers from Alzheimer's disease - seems to have offended many Christians who believe it violates the sanctity of marriage and that most treasured of the marriage vows: Til death do us part.

The controversy stems from comments Robertson made recently on the "700 Club" program on the network broadcast of the Christian. His comments came in response to a caller who said that a friend start dating other women while his wife is seriously ill with Alzheimer's disease and justifies this by saying that "his wife, because he knew it was gone."

Robertson said he agrees with the man:. "What he says basically correct, I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure it has a deprivation of care and someone is looking after for her. "

His co-host of pressing Robertson that violate the marriage vows. Robertson said that Alzheimer's disease "is a kind of death" and added: "I certainly would not put guilt on you" to choose a divorce in such a scenario.

Comments on Christianity Today's blog news has been almost universal in their criticism and disappointment:

"I am horrified by the response Robertson!" said one.

Many of the commentators said they were outraged, and told how they - or their mother or father - husband lovingly cared for Alzheimer's disease.

"Such irresponsible, callous remarks Robertson. My father took care of my mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 55 years ... until the day he put her ravaged body in the grave. He kept his vow. Be ashamed of yourself, Pat Robertson."

On Twitter, Walter Price, who calls himself a pastor, said: "Pat Robertson in his statement WRONG Alzheimer's Un-Christ, biblical, unfounded so sad."

And Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., wrote in an article in Baptist Press News, "It's more than embarrassing. It's more than cruelty. This denial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Robertson did not respond to an interview request from the Times presented the network broadcasting Christian.

Osama Bin Laden Dead Picture
As it happened with Snoop Dogg's death rumors on Labour Day weekend, another Internet hype surrounding the picture of a dead Osama bin Laden made the rounds this weekend. September 11, ten-year anniversary approaches, the trend in the phrase Web sites that track search queries a day.

Back in May of this year, TMZ reported on the alleged pictures of the dead Osama bin Laden.

They write: "The photo reportedly shows dead Osama bin Laden is already making its way around the internet ... but it seems pretty obvious ... Photos FAKE "

Although Osama bin Laden was gunned down by U.S. troops during a raid in Pakistan, no pictures of Osama bin Laden have been released. Meanwhile, ABC News, wrote recently about the weak by al-Qaeda is still posing security threats.

The White House has not released any official photos of Osama bin Laden's death at this time.

The official told CNN, that the original photographs of Osama bin Laden really exist, showing a gunshot wound to the side of the head.

According to him due to injury, the face of Osama bin Laden was "unrecognizable" in the photo.

The report also noted that the photographs may eventually be released into the world.

Back in May of this year, CNN also reported the false images of Osama bin Laden's death spread on the Internet.

The Guardian reports that Osama bin Laden is dead hoax photo spreads across the Internet, at least two years.

Gavin DeGraw hospitalized after being beaten in New York
Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw is recovering after an attack a group of people on the streets.

Police say DeGraw broke his nose and cut on his face after he was beaten by "unknown assailants men" early Sunday in East Villidzh.Rassledovanie continues.

The statement circulated by his press secretary said Monday night that he was taken to Bellevue hospital in an ambulance and is still hospitalized under observation.

DeGraw was forced to cancel a planned concert Tuesday in Saratoga Springs, NY

DeGraw has a new album, "sweeter", due out in September. He is probably best known for his hit "Chariot."

Dow Jones Industrial Average drops over 500 points amid economy anxieties
Gripped by fear of a new recession, the stock market on Thursday suffered its worst day since the financial crisis in the fall of 2008, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 512.76 points, its ninth-steepest decline ever.

The sell-off wiped out the Dow's remaining gains for 2011. It is down 10 percent from highs in the spring.

Economists said the market fall reflects growing concerns about economic stagnation across the globe.

In trading in Asia early today, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average was down more than 3 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 4 percent.

Recent reports of slowing factory output, smaller growth in the service sector and tight-fisted consumer spending have reinforced doubts about growth. Analysts say the market is jittery -- not jolted.

"It is a witches' brew," said David Swayze, a Delaware lawyer who was on a state task force that rewrote tax laws when Bank of America merged with MBNA five years ago. "Look left, look right, one does not see any bright light that would suggest that we are really turning things around."

Bill Stone, chief investment strategist for PNC Financial, agreed.

"We are continuing to be bombarded by worries about the global economy," he said.

Across the financial markets, the day was reminiscent of the financial crisis in September and October three years ago. Gold prices briefly hit a record high. Oil fell even more than stocks -- 6 percent, or $5.30 a barrel. And frightened investors were so desperate to get into some government bonds that they were willing to accept almost no return on their money.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. said it will begin charging its customers a 0.13 percent fee to hold cash deposits over $50 million because it has seen such a large surge in deposits over the last month. The bank, which has $23.6 trillion in client assets under its custody, said customers have moved money to cash as a safe haven in the past month.

"This is a historic precedent in the U.S. banking system," said Dan Geller, executive vice president at Market Rates Insight, a firm that analyses bank pricing. "At some point, the safety and security of an insured cash deposit becomes so appealing that people will be willing to pay a small premium for that."

It was the most alarming day yet in the almost uninterrupted selling that has swept Wall Street for two weeks. The Dow has lost more than 1,300 points, with almost $1.9 trillion in market value evaporated. Thursday's fall was the steepest point decline since Dec. 1, 2008, the ninth-worst by points for the Dow. In percentage terms, the decline of 4.3 percent does not rank among the worst. On Black Monday in 1987, for example, the Dow fell 22 percent.

Growing concern about the weakening U.S. economy was joined by worry that the troubled economies of Italy and Spain might need help from the European Union.

The European Union has already given financial assistance to help Greece and Ireland pay their debts. A financial rescue package for Italy or Spain might be more than it can handle.

Traders also unloaded stocks before today's release of the government's unemployment report for July, which is expected to show weak job growth and perhaps a rise in the unemployment rate, which is 9.2 percent.

The report is critical, said University of Delaware economist Ed Ratledge. If it's poor, stocks "will crater again." But even bad news that isn't as bad as investors fear could push stocks upward, he said.

The volume and depth of uncertainty in the economy -- whether it's jobs, housing or equities -- now seem to have instilled a high level of fear, said Donald Puglisi, director of Puglisi & Associates securities analysts and portfolio managers in Newark. Each negative report seems to take on a magnified significance, he said.

"It almost looks like we're getting to the point of some panic selling and some cleansing of the system," he said.

Mark Luschini of Janney Montgomery Scott, said his clients saw the move from stocks into cash as "a parking lot to sort things out."

"With the scars of 2008 still fresh," he said, "some clients don't want to miss the chance to pre-empt further damage."

Other market indicators reinforced the risk-averse mood. Gold, which is seen as a safe investment when the stock market is turbulent, set a record price at $1,684.90 an ounce before falling to finish the day at $1,659. The yield on the one-month Treasury bill fell to almost nothing -- 0.008 percent -- as investors were willing to accept paltry returns in exchange for stable investments.

Steep stock market losses like the ones of the past two weeks can be self-reinforcing. But Kevin Cook, senior stock strategist for Zacks Investment Research in Chicago, said investors' worst fears probably won't come true.

"This is not 2008 again," he said. "We don't have a liquidity crisis. We don't have a credit crisis. This is just profit taking."

Cook said he believes the S&P 500, which closed Thursday at 1,200.07, will trade between 1,150 and 1,250 between now and Oct. 1, at least until investors have enough information to determine whether the economy is in recession again.

Local experts cautioned against panic selling, once again saying the best strategy in stocks is a balanced long-term strategy.

Wealth management advisor Paul Baumbach, of Mallard Advisors in Newark, said selling after stocks have already tumbled is too little too late. There are now bargains to be had, he said.

Even taking into account the recent declines, stocks are still considered to be in an impressive bull market that began March 9, 2009, when the market reached its recession low. The Dow closed that day at 6,547. Since then, it is up about 74 percent.

Gabrielle Giffords Votes as House Passes Debt Ceiling Deal

Debt ceiling ball is now in the court of the United States Senate as the House voted 269-161 today to pass the deal agreed by President Obama and congressional leaders yesterday.

While still widespread dissatisfaction with the drama created the Republican refusal to raise the ceiling of debt repayment without similar concessions, and resentment on both sides of the deal, was a very positive emotional event in the midst of all this.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona returned home floor to vote on the bill. It was her first appearance there since she was injured in a head to meet and greet with voters in the city of Tucson in January. She accompanied her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, a close friend of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, The Republic.

Giffords was greeted at the door of the Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and received lengthy applause from colleagues at home. Vice President Joe Biden also stopped by to see her.

When Biden was asked about what he was talking about with Giffords, he joked: "It is now a member of the club crack head like me."

In a statement, Giffords explained why she felt compelled to vote today.

"I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and was deeply disappointed by what is happening in Washington," Giffords said in a statement. "After several weeks of unsuccessful debate in Washington, I was glad to see a solution to this crisis out. I firmly believe that crossing the aisle for the benefit of the American people is more important than political parties. I was supposed to be here for this vote. I could not risk that my absence would collapse our economy. "

Jules Undersea Lodge

The Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo Florida was just recently among the top ten most remote places to stay. When it comes to getting away from it all, this motel is true to that as it requires guests to scuba dive down twenty-one feet through a lagoon for entrance.

Forbes puts Jules Undersea Lodge among The World's Most Remote Hotels list they unveiled just recently. Most other undersea hotels require walking down to them somehow, but not Jules, which requires scuba diving to the former underwater research lab in Key Largo. Apparently the accomodations are pretty slick, although the amount of space for you and the rest of your group isn't too vast.

Other exclusive get away spots include Kokopelli's Cave just outside of Farmington, N.M., Arctic Hotel in Greenland, and The Garvault Hotel in the Scottish Highlands. If you want to get away might as well stay deep underground, embedded in ice, or as far away as possible from the rest of civilization.

The official website for Jules Undersea Lodge features a blueprint of the underwater motel including bedrooms, common room, and of course a "wet room." They offer several different packages for overnight stays which range from $375 to $475 per night. A stay includes all dive gear, a gourmet dinner prepared by the "mer-chef" and breakfast in the morning. The term "sleeping with the fishes" has a whole new meaning now!

Besides being pricey to stay at these places, they offer an isolation factor that most Hiltons, Best Westerns and Holiday Inns don't. Being completely underwater and able to look at the sea life, or 70 feet underground in a cave is definitely one way to get away from the rest of the world!

Meg Whitman

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman responded to potentially explosive allegations that she knowingly employed an illegal immigrant for years Tuesday, dismissing the claims as “a political stunt.”

The accusations came earlier Tuesday during a Los Angeles press conference held by Whitman's former housekeeper Nicky Diaz and Diaz's high-profile attorney Gloria Allred. Diaz worked for Whitman from 2000 to 2009.

Allred claimed Whitman was alerted about a potential problem with the housekeeper's immigration status in 2003, but didn't fire Diaz until last year as Whitman prepared her run for governor. Diaz also claimed that Whitman was abusive during the time that Diaz worked for her.

“I don't feel like someone should be treated this way,” said Diaz. “She treat me as if I was not a human being.”

The timing of the accusations was potentially devastating. Just 24 hours earlier during her first debate with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown. Whitman called for a crackdown on employers and even homeowners who hired illegal immigrants.

Meg Whitman spoke to KTVU shortly at a campaign stop in San Jose after the Allred and Diaz held their press conference to unveil the allegations and responded that the charges were completely fabricated.

“The charges are not true. The charges are absolutely not true,” asserted Whitman. “She was a great employee. We had a great relationship. It is absolutely a lie.” She additionally denied knowing anything about Diaz’s immigration status prior to June of 2009.

“We hired her through an employment agency who had documented a signed 1099, a California drivers license,” explained Whitman. “She represented herself with documents as legal to work in this country. We had no reason to suspect otherwise.”

The Republican gubernatorial candidate told KTVU Diaz kept her immigration status secret until last year, when Whitman announced she was running for governor.

“We had to let her go that very day,” said Whitman. “We said ‘Gosh, Nicky, you can't work for us anymore. I am sorry. I feel terrible about this.’ She has got three children.”

The Whitman campaign said California voters should consider the source of these new allegations: Gloria Allred. Representatives said Allred is part of a Democratic Party sleaze machine.

They also said Allred is known for going public with shameful, sometimes unsubstantiated claims. “She is manipulating Nicky Diaz,” said Whitman. “This is a political stunt.” Whitman went so far as to suggest Brown and Allred might be in cahoots. “I think this is the classic 40-year career politician,” said Whitman. “This is how career politicians do their business.”

Two weeks ago, Brown's campaign alerted KTVU that they had heard Whitman had "housekeeper problems." On Tuesday, his campaign denied having anything to do with Gloria Allred. The Brown campaign said it was just passing along rumors.

KTVU asked Whitman what she would say if she could talk to Diaz after the press conference Tuesday. “If she is listening right now, I am so sorry. I bet you are feeling really badly and it is a shame,” said Whitman. “It is really, really a shame.”

When asked if she thought her housekeeper should be deported, Whitman replied that that was up to immigration officials.

Tyler Clementi

Brown Whitman Debate

A viewing party of east L.A.County Democrats enjoyed watching former California governor Jerry Brown outmaneuver former eBay official Meg Whitman in the first California gubernatorial debate.

The gang at Russ Warner headquarters in Claremont got plenty of applause lines from Brown, who presented as smoother, better informed and -- in his peculiar, dry, pleasure-sucking way -- more energetic than Republican Whitman. (Warner, the host of this TV party, is running for Congressman in the Golden State's 26th district, a seat being defended by David Dreier.)

Whitman's best punch of the night came when she charged Brown with running away from his own record as the "education mayor" of Oakland. In the same flurry she also scored a glancing blow against Brown's opposition to Proposition 13, the state's landmark property tax limitation.

Other than that, it was Brown's night. It goes without saying that Jerry Brown is a zen fascist führer who will send the suede denim police to take away my uncool niece. And my inclination whenever a man and woman compete is to back the woman and find any excuse for her lousy performance. Finally, Whitman's general (very general) references to free market capitalism were just the song I was in the mood for. I even appreciated (without quite converting to) her economic case for the death penalty: that it's cheaper to fry the death row population than to keep them alive.

But I recognized Whitman tonight as a species I got to know all too well during my dotcom days: the dull, untutored powerpointillist with a genius for changing the subject the moment her talking points start to fail. The second time you're using the old Einstein's-definition-of-insanity chestnut in one night is twice too many.

Brown also undermined Whitman's credibility by noting that she cravenly excluded cops and firefighters -- who represent a fourth of the state's total pension liability and are well represented in pension "spiking" and related abuses -- from her plans for pension reform.

While Jerry Brown, like Sen. Barbara Boxer in her debate with Carly Fiorina, waged class warfare against Whitman, he didn't engage in Boxer's vapid and gushy condemnations of outsourcing or try to make an issue of Whitman's wealth. Instead, he described Whitman's contributor base strictly in terms of political quid pro quo. This may or may not have deflected Whitman's very important complaint that Brown is beholden to unions, but it demonstrated his familiarity with the practice of California politics. And in this debate it was Whitman, the career non-voter, who needed to prove her understanding of how government works.

In fact, while it was to be expected that Brown would try to get a few digs in against government employees in this era of Bob Rizzo and the pension buffet, he distanced himself from his union patrons repeatedly, with references to having said no to organized labor several times during his own career. (All of which I'm sure will turn out to be bullshit once somebody checks it out, but still!)

It's not clear whether the remote audience in Claremont (the actual debate was at UC Davis) even registered all that tough-on-unions baloney. My incomplete and informal canvas turned up no private-sector employees and little awareness that California even has a pension crisis that worries both Republicans and Democrats.

I did get a fairly decent level of libertarian recognition, though. One Brown supporter asked if libertarianism is "what Bill Maher is for," while another immediately recognized the "free minds and free markets" slogan as a libtertoid tell and ended our conversation. (Just more support for my campaign to change Reason's slogan to "Arbeit macht frei.")

Except for one query on the candidates' plans to address the state's perpetual water shortage, the questions were uniformly dull, and it was a pretty substanceless debate.

A month ago, if you'd asked me to build a scenario in which one Republican wins a prominent California race and another loses, I'd have picked the hail and well met Whitman as the winner and the weird, offputting Fiorina as the loser. One debate in, I think I might be ready to reverse that.

Frank Sinatra Jr

A popular news journal recently published a report that Frank Sinatra, Jr. has tried to commit suicide. According to the news source the secluded 32-year-old son of Frank Sinatra Jr. is at this time hospitalized after authorities took action to a 911 call for a probable suicide attempt this afternoon in Downey, CA.
Law enforcement sources said the patient who is also known as Frank is the son of 66-year old Frank Jr. He had taken too many pills, but was alert when authorities reached on the spot.
A close family source tells TMZ it was undeniably a “suicide attempt.” We’re told the younger Sinatra has constantly avoided the spotlight that appears with the family name.
Sinatra is now under treatment in the ER at Downey Regional Medical Center.But surprisingly another version is also emerging with news of the suicide attempt of this man who claims to be Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Similac Recall

Abbott Laboratories Inc., the makers of Similac baby formula, is voluntarily recalling certain lot numbers of their powdered baby formula because there is a 'remote possibility' that they may contain small insect parts and beetle larvae.

The beetles were found in the production area of one of their manufacturing facilities that makes Similac. Fortunately, unlike the recent egg recall and the dangers of Salmonella infections, there is not thought to be any immediate health risk from infants drinking this Similac baby formula that might be contaminated. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as a stomach ache or refusal to eat, are possible symptoms of eating recalled formula.

The Similac recall includes certain lots of:
* Similac formula powder product lines offered in plastic containers, including 1.38-lb, 1.45-lb and 2.12-lb containers
* Similac formula powder product lines offered in sizes such as 8-ounce, 12.4-ounce and 12.9-ounce cans
* Similac formula powder in 8-ounce sample cans that could have been given out in doctor's offices and hospitals

The Similac recall does not affect Similac ready-to-feed or concentrated baby formula or any specialty baby formulas, such Similac Expert Care Alimentum or Similac Expert Care Neosure. Up to 5 million Similac-brand powder baby formulas that were sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some Caribbean countries may be affected by the Similac recall though.

If you can get through to their web site, you can check which lot numbers of formula have been recalled at www.similac.com/recall or you can call Abbott's consumer hotline at (800) 986-8850. Recalled baby formula can be returned to Abbott. If you can't verify that your Similac baby formula hasn't been recalled and is safe, you might buy a new container of Similar powdered formula, as long as the store has removed all lots of recalled formula already, temporarily switch to a small size powder (0.6-oz singles), ready-to-feed, or concentrated Similac formula, or temporarily switch to another brand of formula.

Interestingly, there was an article in the New York Times this week - 'Waiter, There's Soup in My Bug,' that talks about a restaurant in Brooklyn that introduces 'New Yorkers to the succulent wonders of edible insects.' I don't know if beetles were on the menu, although beetles are usually considered to be edible. I guess we should be thankful they are recalling these lots of contaminated Similar formula and not charging parents extra for a new line of organic formula with extra protein.

Kenny Mckinley

Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels will speak to the media Tuesday about the death of wide receiver Kenny McKinley.

McKinley was found dead Monday afternoon in a Colorado home. Authorities said it appeared the young wide receiver died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

He was 23.

"Deputies discovered a male in the second-floor master bedroom of the home and determined that male was deceased," the Arapahoe County sheriff's department said in a statement. "Although the death of Mr. McKinley appears to be the result of a self-inflicted gunshot, the investigation into this matter ... is ongoing."

McKinley was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round (141st overall) of the 2009 NFL draft from the University of South Carolina. He attended South Cobb High School in Austell, Georgia.

He played in eight games with the Broncos as a rookie, but was placed on injured reserve before the start of the 2010 season after suffering a knee injury, according to the team.

"Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley," Broncos President and CEO Pat Bowlen said in a statement on the Broncos' website. "He was part of the Broncos family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends."

McKinley is at least the third Bronco to have died since 2007. Cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was fatally shot near downtown Denver, Colorado, on January 1, 2007. Running back Damien Nash, 24, died after collapsing at a charity basketball game later that winter.

McDaniels, the Broncos coach, called the death tragic.

"Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room. This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," McDaniels said.

Lindsay Buziak

The unsolved 2008 murder of Victoria real estate agent Lindsay Buziak will be examined before a huge North America-wide audience Friday night on Dateline NBC, a televised newsmagazine that draws up to 11 million viewers each week.

Buziak was 24 when she was stabbed to death at a Gordon Head home, where she had been lured by a man and a woman claiming to be prospective buyers. Saanich police believe the pair to be contract killers, but have not been able to determine why she was targeted.

Buziak's body was found by her boyfriend, Jason Zailo, 15 minutes after her death.

Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen said the department fully expects the NBC program to bring in tips from viewers.

"We are told in talking to the producers that it will generate tips for us. The numbers, we feel, will be in the hundreds and that is typical of past productions."

Officers are ready for whatever response the show generates, Jantzen said.

"It will be monitored by our detectives. Each and every tip will be acted upon."

He said Saanich police worked with Dateline when the opportunity arose because it was a chance to have the Buziak case presented to more people.

"Our detectives came up against a wall, and decisions were made to move forward with the Dateline production."

The department hopes the show will make a difference, Jantzen said.

"It brings 11 million viewers to the table so it does open up a much-wider audience than just us in southern B.C. and on the Island.

"We want as many people to see this as possible. It doesn't matter to our detectives where you live. We don't know, it could be international for that matter."

Saanich police are dedicated to solving the case, Jantzen said.

"Our detectives feel that there are people out there who know much more than has been shared. We just are looking for the one call that will help send our detectives in the right direction."

Jeff Buziak, Lindsay's father, has expressed frustration that the case remains unsolved. He said last month that he and a private investigator, along with others, have come up with five suspects, and passed their information to police.

Carl Paladino

Carl Paladino toppled his party's favored candidate to win the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, in an unexpected landslide that clears the way for what he promised would be a bare-knuckled contest to try to derail front-runner Andrew Cuomo in November's general election.

With 88% precincts reporting, the deep-pocketed insurgent claimed 63% of the vote against Rick Lazio, a former Long Island congressman whose poorly financed candidacy fell victim to a surge of Tea Party dissent.

"Andrew Cuomo should strap himself into the seat with an extra seat-belt because it's going to be one hell of a ride for him," Mr. Paladino said in an interview Tuesday before delivering a victory speech in Buffalo.

Mr. Paladino's victory was a striking upset for a political novice unknown to most voters six months ago and dismissed by leading party figures as a fringe phenomenon whose candidacy would not be taken seriously by the wider GOP electorate.

The Republican drama was the starkest sign of voter unrest in a primary election that overwhelmingly favored legislative incumbents in Albany. In one of the few competitive legislative races, Pedro Espada, a legally embattled state senator from the Bronx, was trounced by Gustavo Rivera, a 34-year-old Democratic political organizer who portrayed Mr. Espada as a poster child of state government gone awry.

At midnight, Eric Schneiderman, a labor-backed state senator from Manhattan, appeared the likely winner in the Democratic contest for attorney general. He had a slight but widening lead over Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who was seen as the Mr. Cuomo's favored candidate.

In a crowded Democratic field, Mr. Schneiderman, a Harvard-educated lawyer from a wealthy family, pitched himself as the contest's one true liberal candidate, a strategy that could turn into a liability in the general election against Staten Island district attorney Dan Donovan, the Republican nominee who has been endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In the Republican race for governor, most party leaders assumed the nominating contest was settled in June when GOP leaders backed Mr. Lazio at their convention.

But Mr. Paladino, enlisting hundreds of volunteers, petitioned his way onto the ballot and spent millions of dollars on targeted mailings and a blitz of robo-calls and TV ads. He did so by tapping into a personal fortune earned from a career as a major developer in Buffalo.

The 64-year-old also benefited from his raw rhetoric and his threat to wield a sledgehammer upon Albany's establishment. Labeling caps on spending and taxes as "gutless," Mr. Paladino has said that he would slash the state's personal-income tax by 10% and shrink state spending by 20%. In the end, Mr. Paladino touched a nerve in a way that Mr. Lazio, a politician with a more amiable appeal, never achieved.

"They did everything they could to build barricades to stop me, and they couldn't. So I went around them to the people," Mr. Paladino said in an interview. "The entire election is going to be about the ruling class versus the people."

Mr. Paladino will now have less than two months to convince the state's general electorate that he should be governor and not Mr. Cuomo, an enduring and dominant figure in state politics and the son of a former governor, Mario M. Cuomo.

Mr. Paladino, whose campaign has spent months compiling opposition research on Mr. Cuomo, vowed to scrutinize the attorney general's record as a Clinton-era HUD secretary and pressure him to take sharper stands on hot-button issues, like health care.

Mr. Cuomo "should get ready for the vetting," said Mr. Paladino. "He's never been vetted. Nobody has ever compared him side by side with Carl Paladino."

To satirize what it considers Mr. Cuomo's ducking of issues, his campaign has deployed men in duck suits to shadow him at campaign events.

Allies of Mr. Cuomo, who holds a commanding lead in the polls, say the attorney general will counter Mr. Paladino by drawing attention to the latter's record of inflammatory remarks and controversial personal conduct, as well as to his stance against abortion and other socially conservative positions..

In recent months, Mr. Paladino has asserted that Gov. David A. Paterson has "been a drug addict his entire life" and that the Obama administration's health-care overhaul would end up killing more people than the 9/11 attacks. This year, reports surfaced that he had forwarded racist and sexually graphic e-mails to friends.

"They're going to try to marginalize and paint him as an extremist out of touch with the values of New Yorkers," said a person close to the Cuomo campaign.

"If Carl Paladino's personal life becomes an issue, Andrew Cuomo has a very public record as well," said a spokesman for Mr. Paladino, Michael Caputo, who said his campaign was prepared to raise the issue of Mr. Cuomo's contentious divorce from Kerry Kennedy in 2003.

Mr. Paladino said he's prepared for the fight. "Andrew Cuomo is going to be paint me as an extremist? People listen to me and they hear about a government they want, a government...that will cut spending, cut taxes, that will focus on private-sector job creation," he said.

It's a platform that Mr. Paladino said can appeal to Democrats, who outnumber Republicans in New York by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. "All Democrats are not entitlement people," he said. "These are the people who are going to suffer the cost of Obama health care. These are the people who are suffering because they're no jobs."

For the bulk of legislative races, despite widespread discontent with the state Legislature, the power of incumbency proved robust, as few members of the Senate and Assembly across the state lost their seats, based on early results.

But a young political organizer running in his first campaign for elected office did unseat Mr. Espada, a Democrat under investigation for corruption and fraud.

Mr. Rivera, the challenger, was backed by some of the city's most powerful unions and politicians. Mr. Espada has for some become a symbol of Albany's problems.

Mr. Cuomo has filed a civil suit alleging Mr. Espada took $14 million over five years from a nonprofit health clinics he founded in the South Bronx. Mr. Espada also faces a federal probe.

Mr. Espada blamed his defeat on "the powerhouse unions, the outside millionaires," the media and trouble with new voting machines that he said made it difficult for his supporters to vote. "This round goes to them," he said to reporters after conceding. "They've successfully ganged up on me this evening."

Christine O Donnell

Marketing consultant Christine O'Donnell upset Rep. Mike Castle in the Delaware Republican Senate primary tonight, handing the tea party movement a major victory and giving Democrats an unexpected chance to hold the First State seat.

O'Donnell, who is making her third run for the Senate in as many elections, relied heavily on national surrogates -- from the Tea Party Express to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- to fuel a shoestring campaign against the iconic Castle who had held elected office in the state for more than four decades.

"The people of Delaware have spoken," said O'Donnell in her victory speech. "No more politics as usual."

The O'Donnell victory, which was considered a political impossibility as recently as a month ago, is a major boost for Democratic hopes of holding the seat once held by Vice President Joe Biden. New Castle County Executive Chris Coons was unchallenged for the Democratic Senate nomination.

"I'm sad to say the Delaware primary results tonight are straight out of Harry Reid's dream journal," said prominent Republican strategist Mike Murphy of the O'Donnell win.

While the Delaware race was the marquee contest of the night, it was far from the only one on the ledger as seven states and the District of Columbia voted in the final major primaries of the 2010 election.

In New Hampshire, former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte held a narrow lead over attorney Ovide Lamontagne in the battle for the Republican Senate nomination. The winner will take on Rep. Paul Hodes (D) in the race to replace retiring Sen. Judd Gregg (R).

In New York, embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel cruised to victory in a crowded Democratic primary field in the 15th district while Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D) easily beat back a primary challenge from businesswoman Reshma Saujani in the 14th.

Also in the Empire State, tea party favorite Carl Paladino crushed former Rep. Rick Lazio in the fight for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Paladino will be a major underdog this fall against state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is heavily favored in the fall.

But, there is little doubt that O'Donnell's victory is what will dominate headlines tomorrow.

In the wake of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R) primary defeat late last month, Castle went harshly negative against O'Donnell in hopes of using his financial advantage to define her in the eyes of likely voters.

But, tonight's result suggests it was too little, too late for Castle whose political career, which began when he was elected to the Delaware state House in 1966, ends in a shocking defeat.

"This shows that conservative energy at the grassroots is at tidal wave levels," said Vin Weber, a former Minnesota congressman and GOP lobbyist. "It may well cost us the Delaware Senate seat, but the same phenomenon will help Republicans, particularly in House races in November."

State and national Republicans have made no secret of the fact that O'Donnell's questionable personal finances and public misstatements -- she once said she carried two out of the state's three counties in her 2008 race against Biden but she didn't -- made her close to unelectable.

"We congratulate Christine O'Donnell for her nomination this evening after a hard-fought primary campaign in Delaware," said National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Rob Jesmer in a terse statement released after the race was called.

The Delaware result is also a major blow to Republicans' hopes of winning back the Senate majority this fall. To do so, the GOP needs a net gain of 10 seats, which, with Delaware now likely to favor Democrats, means that Republicans need to close to a clean sweep in states like California, Wisconsin and Washington.

Haiti Earthquake Info:

As per latest Haiti earthquake info, the number of casualties in Haiti is increasing at a very high rate. The death toll is expected to rise up to hundred thousands, which will be the highest death toll in a natural disaster. The devastating earthquake has shaken the whole of Haiti and its surroundings.

The shocks of earthquake were so strong that it turned the capital city into debris. The high rise buildings collapsed in seconds and became a dump of rubble. Every here and there dead bodies are lying. Under the wreckage of the buildings, there are human beings who have yet gone to eternal sleep.

It is a reality that nature, some times, becomes so furious that it turns the life of hundreds of thousands into death within seconds and no one can stand against it. The man has progressed a lot, but it can no way protect himself against the disasters of nature. When God wishes to destroy some city or country, no human effort can save it from the fury of God. Let us pray to Almighty Allah that He forgives our sins and send blessings on us.

The recent Haiti earthquake info tells us that after shocks of the earthquake have further shocked the situation and the death toll has been increased many times than with the first shocks of the earthquake.

The initial Haiti earthquake info speaks that the people of Haiti, who have survived the disastrous earthquake, are in dire need of immediate help.

The recent reports show that so far a large number of countries have immediately announced aid packages for the earthquake hit people of Haiti. International Donor Agencies have also come forward to help out the victims in order to provide them shelter, food, medicine etc.

Teddy Pendergrass Car Accident:

Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."

He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.

Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin&the Blue Notes.

In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released it first single, "I Miss You," in 1972 and then released "If You Don't Know Me by Now," which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as "Love T.K.O.," "Close the Door" and "I Don't Love You Anymore," he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.

His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.

"Turn Off the Lights" was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass - tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.

Pendergrass, the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums, made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.

Following the car accident, it was 19 years before Pendergrass resumed performing concerts. He made his return on Memorial Day weekend in 2001, with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City, N.J.

Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren.

Haiti Earthquake Picture:

An outpouring of well wishes and support for the Haitian people has swept the web in the wake of a devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. And just like the Eureka earthquake, tweets have quickly spread moving and gut-wrenching TwitPics of the disaster.

The headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake and a large number of U.N. personnel are missing, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said late Tuesday.

Alain Le Roy told reporters that U.N. troops, mostly from Brazil, were surrounding the wreckage of the five-story building trying to rescue people, but "as we speak no one has been rescued from this main headquarters."

"The main building that was the headquarters building has collapsed," he said. "We know clearly it is a tragedy for Haiti, and a tragedy for the U.N., and especially for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti."

"We know there will be casualties but we cannot give figures for the time being," Le Roy said.

Between 200 and 250 people normally work at the peacekeeping headquarters, located on the road from the city to the hillside district of Petionville, but the quake occurred a little after 5 p.m. local time and the U.N. does not know how many were still in the building, deputy peacekeeping chief Edmond Mulet said.

"For the moment, a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for," Le Roy said in an earlier statement.

He told reporters that among the missing is Hedi Annabi, the head of the U.N. mission in Haiti who was in the building at the time of the quake.

Mulet, who was Annabi's predecessor in the Haiti post, said the headquarters building, on the road from the city to the hillside district of Petionville, was constructed of reinforced concrete in the 1960s. It was previously the Christopher Hotel.

Le Roy said other U.N. installations in the impoverished Caribbean nation were also seriously damaged including the headquarters of the U.N. Development Program where many people were wounded.

The U.N. logistical base near the airport and a U.N. hospital run by Argentine troops were damaged but not severely, and the hospital was receiving people hurt in the earthquake, Mulet said.

The U.N. officials said many other buildings in Port-au-Prince were also damaged including the National Cathedral, National Palace, national Parliament building and the Hotel Montana.

Le Roy, the undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, said "contacts with the U.N. on the ground have been severely hampered as communications networks in Haiti have been disabled by the earthquake."

The U.N. Peacekeeping Department is still in the process of gathering information on the extent of the damage and the status of U.N. personnel following the "catastrophic earthquake," he said in the statement.

Susanna Malcorra, the undersecretary-general responsible for staffing and equipping U.N. field-based peace operations, said "all communications to Port-au-Prince are down" and the U.N. has only been able to contact the peacekeeping mission via satellite phones, which are also being used for operational purposes on the ground.

"That's part of the reason why it's hard to have a full picture of the situation, plus the fact that it's night there," she said.

Malcorra told reporters that an assessment will be made early Wednesday morning of whether the airport in Port au Prince is fully operational. If it isn't, relief supplies can be brought into the country from the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Le Roy said the United States, France and Canada are mobilizing assistance to the quake victims and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet Wednesday morning with top U.N. officials to coordinate the U.N. response.

Ban spoke by telephone late Tuesday with U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice and "they agreed to closely coordinate rescue and assistance efforts with other international partners," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the secretary-general's special envoy for Haiti, also called Ban to discuss the unfolding disaster, Nesirky said.

The secretary-general "is anxiously awaiting further news about missing U.N. staff and about the people of Haiti," the spokesman said.

In a statement earlier, Ban said, "My heart goes out to the people of Haiti after this devastating earthquake. At this time of tragedy, I am very concerned for the people of Haiti and also for the many United Nations staff who serve there. I am receiving initial reports and following developments closely."

Haiti has been besieged by violence for most of this decade, but crime has decreased somewhat thanks to the rebuilding of the country's police force and the U.N. peacekeeping force brought in after a bloody 2004 rebellion.

Le Roy said the mission includes 7,000 peacekeeping troops, 2,000 international police, 490 international civilian staffers, 1,200 local civilian staffers and 200 U.N. Volunteers.

The commander of the U.N. force is out of the country but the deputy commander is "on the spot" and coordinating rescue efforts at the headquarters building, Le Roy said.

Abbi Tatton:

Rumor has it that Abbi Tatton, CNN internet reporter for the Situation Room, has decided to leave the network she has served for nearly ten 10 years.

Abbi Tatton based in Washington DC reports on the latest internet news and is one of the first internet reporters in mainstream TV news, according to Wikipedia.

Abbi Tatton joined CNN in 2000. "Abbi Tatton has worked as a producer on shows including Inside Politics, Crossfire and On the Story," CNN states on its website.

TVnewser reported early on Jan 3 that CNN confirmed Tatton's leaving the network.

Her last appearance on the TV network is to be made on January 9th 2010, Wikipedia says. But some websites reported her departure was on Jan 4th.

A CNN spokesperson was quoted as saying "Abbi is a Situation Room original and has been a wonderful colleague at CNN — both on and off the air — for nearly a decade. We're sorry Abbi has decided to leave the network but we're thrilled she has other opportunities. We truly wish her all the best."

Brockport Shooting:

A Brockport man, formerly of Albion, randomly firing shots from his second-floor window injured a neighbor and a responding police officer Friday before surrendering peacefully, police said.

Police have yet to identify the shooter but sources told The Daily News that it was Scott L. Pescara, 41, an Albion native.

Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn said Pescara began “shooting out the house randomly” early Friday afternoon, hours after a dispute with his wife.

A deputy was hit in his lower right leg and a woman across the street was hit in the shoulder. Both unidentified victims were hospitalized with injuries that aren’t life-threatening, though O’Flynn said the deputy’s leg injury was “significant.”

At least eight shots were fired before deputies arrived.

Police say Pescara’s wife, Jeanine, and their two children were not in the house during shooting, which ended after more than an hour when a negotiator coaxed Pescara out of the house. The children were in school. It was not revealed where his wife was at the time of the shooting.

It was not clear what kind of weapon was fired, though O’Flynn said a handgun was recovered from the snow.

The shooting briefly caused a lockdown at nearby Brockport State College and Brockport Central Schools. Holley Central Schools also were reported in lockdown but that could not be confirmed Friday night.

Orleans County sheriff’s deputies also responded to the scene for assistance.