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| MONDAY • AUGUST 10, 2009 |
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TALIBAN NOW WINNING: The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency’s spiritual home. Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that means U.S. casualties, already running at record levels, will remain high for months to come. Anthony Cordesman, a top U.S. academic and adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, writes in the Times of London that in order to win in Afghanistan, the U.S. should add “anywhere from three to nine brigades above the 21,000 additional forces that President Obama approved in the spring of 2009.” The latter figure represents an additional 45,000 troops.
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DEFICIT GREW BY $181 BILLION IN JULY: Bailouts for financial firms and billions in tax revenue lost because of the recession drove the deficit to a record $1.3 trillion in July, according to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
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OPPOSITION EMERGES TO HOUSE’S JET SPREE: Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials. The resistance to buying eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes comes as members of both chambers of Congress embark on the busiest month of the year for official overseas travel. The plan to upgrade the fleet of government jets, which was included in a broader defense-funding bill, has also sparked criticism from the Pentagon, which has said it doesn’t need half of the new jets.
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 SMART PEOPLE READ THE LBN E-LERT: Feminist attorney Gloria Allred along with approximately 300,000 other “influencers” understand that information is power and the LBN E-Lert is a power-tool.
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LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Hollywood studios and film producers are set to face increasing scrutiny from anti-fraud officials, as a result of a trial involving incidents in Bangkok that could have repercussions across the entertainment sector. Gerald Green, an American film producer, and his wife, Patricia, are alleged to have violated the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying bribes to a Thai tourism official. It is claimed that the alleged bribes were offered to obtain contracts to run an international film festival in Bangkok. ***Two solid freshman performers brought this weekend’s B.O. back to life. Paramount’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” finished the weekend with $56.2 million, and Sony’s Nora Ephron-directed “Julie and Julia” cooked its way a solid $20.1 million. ***Marion Barry, whose career includes four terms as mayor of Washington and a trip to federal prison for possession of cocaine, is the subject of a new documentary on HBO. ***Agent Rob Kim will leave the UTA agency to work with his client, Ed Bernero, the prolific writer/producer/director of such TV series as `Criminal Minds,’ `Third Watch,’ and `Washington Field.’ Kim had been an agent with UTA for 17 years, starting in the mailroom of that percentery. Bernero will stay with the agency. Separately, UTA has signed producer/director Penny Marshall. ***Paramount Pictures and producers Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams have officially lit the fuse on `Mission: Impossible IV,’ setting Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec to write the screenplay. ***A day after ICM signed Al Pacino from CAA, CAA has signed Chris `Ludacris’ Bridges, who recently became an ICM client. CAA will rep him in all areas, including music, acting, endorsements and philanthropy. Bridges has long been repped by Dana Sims, who repped him at WMA and then moved to ICM after the merger and did a fine job broadening the artist in multiple venues.
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LBN COMMENTARY By LESLIE CARD (Film Writer/Director, TV Host): Has the justice system failed us in the incidence of Lily Burk? How many times must we see this scenario played out before we get it? Polly Klass, abducted from her home in Petaluma, California, years ago, was ultimately murdered by an ex-con walking the streets. Four Oakland police officers were murdered this year at the hand of a parolee. Forgetting the debate about the three strike law, the public must be protected from repeat offenders. Aberrant behavior and violent tendencies dont dissipate just because felons are incarcerated. Without rehabilitation, putting these people back out on the street is tantamount to putting a loaded gun in the hands of a psychopath. Hindsight is always 20/20, but as California debates releasing more prisoners, because of budget constraints, lets hope that foresight prevails, and prevents yet another tragedy.
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 LBN-BOOK NEWS: ***L.A. publisher Michael Viner passed away on Friday from cancer. He published Larry King, Gene Simmons, Bill Maher. He produced many Sidney Sheldon works. During OJ’s carnival, Viner’s stream of bios about him, by him, for him, against him, put Michael on Forbes’ list of LA’s top players. Divorced from actress Deborah Raffin, he has the beautiful blond daughter Taylor Rose. About a year ago his Phoenix Publishing Co. was taken over by Westlaw founder Dwight Opperman and his author wife, Julie Chrystyn.
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LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Mariah Carey is said to be scrambling to complete her new album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.” “She’s getting very nervous now that Whitney Houston is coming back,” said our source. We’re told Carey signed with manager Chris Lighty four months ago, but the album still isn’t finished. ***Friends are worried Janet Jackson is eating her troubles away, having lots of food delivered each day to the Atlanta set of the Tyler Perry movie, “Why Did I Get Married Too.”
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 LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By ANDY WARHOL: They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. (1975)
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 LBN-NOTICED: ***Princess Stephanie of Monaco, with her children in tow, bolting from “Hair” in NYC right after the famous nude scene. ***Rafael Nadal on the Air Train at JFK with his tennis rackets and accompanied by a guy and a girl, coming from Madrid and going to another terminal for a flight to Montreal. ***Elle Macpherson with her two boys and two other kids over dinner at Serafina Fabulous Grill in NYC. *** In Chicago for Lollapalooza weekend, Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr stopped into Rockit Bar & Grill for lunch. The Gossip Girl costars enjoyed truffle fries and vodka lemonades. Also in the Windy City, Lindsay Lohan helped Samantha Ronson celebrate her 32nd birthday at Crimson Lounge in Hotel Sax. *** Christina Aguilera, enjoying a family outing with hubby Jordan Bratman and 18-month-old son Max in Los Angeles’s trendy Los Feliz neighborhood. The trio hit up children’s boutique La La Ling for an afternoon shopping adventure. *** Jerry Ferrara and Jamie-Lynn Sigler enjoyed cocktails on the patio at Nobu in West Hollywood. The two didn’t eat dinner, but looked very content together during their night out. Meanwhile, in the dining room, Emma Roberts and a tall, dark, handsome companion were “attached at the hip” and even shared some PDA in front of the adults at their table. *** Natasha Henstridge and fianc Darius Danesh both have mid-August birthdays, and decided to share an early celebration at TAO Las Vegas with their close friends. ***BE AN LBN CORRESPONDENT Send your celebrity sightings to LBNElert@TimeWire.net.
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LBN-HEALTH WATCH: ***According to researchers, people who were heavily exposed to the terror attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, are at greater risk for respiratory problems such as asthma as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rescue and recovery workers were more likely than passers-by to receive an asthma diagnosis, but both groups showed elevated rates of the respiratory disease. Among adults with no prior diagnosis of PTSD, 23.8 percent of the more than 46,000 interviewed for the study reported symptoms after September 11, roughly four times the rate typically seen in American adults. Furthermore, the prevalence of PTSD symptoms has increased over time.
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KANSAS MAN WINS BIG IN LOTTERY FOR 2ND TIME IN ‘09: Edward Williams is the definition of lucky after winning the lottery for a second time in a year. Williams, 47, of Wichita won $75,000 in September playing a $10 scratch ticket. Then on Wednesday, he defied the odds again when matched all the numbers in the Super Kansas Cash drawing to win a jackpot worth nearly $900,000.
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LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the minimum wage was originally 25 cents per hour on Oct. 24, 1938. ***The resurgence of bonus guarantees underscores how difficult it is to control Wall Street pay, despite the public outcry over how taxpayer money is being spent.
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FAMILY, FRIENDS GATHER TO REMEMBER LILY BURK: On a hill overlooking a misty downtown skyline Sunday, a crowd of 500 gathered in the afternoon sunlight to celebrate the life of Lily Burk, cut short by a brutal murder last month. It was a ceremony of song, poetry and heartbreaking tributes to the 17-year-old Los Feliz resident who loved to act, sing and write.
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LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Don Imus, whose radio show has been syndicated by ABC Radio and simulcast on the rural-oriented RFD-TV since December 2007, is said to be near a deal to jump to the Fox Business Network. The move could boost the visibility of the “nappy-headed hos” host. ***Facebook says that 83 of the top 100 U.S. advertisers, such as Coca-Cola and AT&T, are now using the social network to promote themselves. The shift is seen as striking, since companies were initially hesitant to advertise alongside potentially offensive user content. ***Perez Hilton is preparing to debut a second Web site aimed at his vast audience of women in their 20s. The gossip blogger is said to command some $72,000 for a single 24-hour wallpaper-style ad on his site. The new site is a response to “advertisers asking for something different.”
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 LBN-COMMENTARY By DR. DEAN ORNISH (Medical Editor, The Huffington Post, Founder and President of Preventive Medicine Research Institute): Meaningful health reform needs to provide incentives for physicians and other health professionals to teach their patients healthy ways of living rather than reimbursing primarily drugs and surgical interventions.
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 LBN-COMMENTARY By DR. ANDREW WEIL (Founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine): Even worse than its stratospheric cost is the fact that American health care doesn’t fulfill its prime directive — it does not help people become or stay healthy.
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 LBN-COMMENTARY By DICK MORRIS: Jews who identify themselves as Democrats strongly agree with the Israeli position and disagree with President Obama’s on issues such as a Palestinian state, settlement construction, and trading land for peace.
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LBN-COMMENTARY By PETER BART (V.P., VARIETY): Several sectors of our economy are showing signs of life these days, but here’s my forecast for the entertainment business: There will be a significant recovery thanks to increased spending, stepped-up production and an easing of the credit crunch. On the other hand, there will be sharper cutbacks, reduced output and a further pinch in the job market. Confusing? Sure. But if you talk to Hollywood power players those are the sorts of mixed messages you’ll hear.
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LBN-COMMENTARY By VERLYN KLINKENBORG: With e-mail, the Internet, social networking and texting, the hunger for the next electronic blip feels like a full-blown addiction.
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LBN-COMMENTARY By PAUL KRUGMAN: The economy has backed up from the edge of the abyss, with the governments stabilizing role preventing a replay of the Great Depression.
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LBN-COMMENTARY By ERIC ZENCEY: Gross domestic product is a deeply foolish indicator of how the economy is doing it should join buggy whips and VCRs on the dust-heap of history.
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 LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:…..
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DO YOU? Do you have the guts to forward this LBN E-Lert to your friends and family? Do you? Do you?
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 LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Lady Gaga (left), who’s known for her outrageous outfits, might soon be wearing nothing at all. The pop sensation showed up for a TV interview recently wearing a coat made of plush Kermit the Frogs, and told Ryan Seacrest, “I really loved this one . . . because I thought it was [a] commentary on not wearing fur, ’cause I hate fur and I don’t wear fur.” That prompted PETA poobah Dan Mathews to ask her to join the likes of Eva Mendes, Christy Turlington and Pamela Anderson in posing in the buff for the group’s iconic “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” ad campaign. He’s waiting for her answer. ***Kathy Griffin, 48, found herself a hunky date for Sunday night’s Teen Choice Awards — Levi Johnston, 19. Dressed in a pinstripe suit and pink striped tie, the Alaskan teen and father of Sarah Palin’s grandson Tripp arrived hand-in-hand with Griffin, planted a kiss on her cheek for the cameras and did some solo posing as well. ***Elisabeth Hasselbeck of “The View” is the mother of a third child. Hasselbeck gave birth Sunday afternoon in a New York hospital to a boy, named Isaiah Timothy. She’s married to former NFL player Tim Hasselbeck.
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LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***The Milky Way Galaxy contains about 200 billion stars. ***Dolphins are one of the few animals besides humans that mate for reasons other than mere reproduction. ***If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die from Vitamin A poisoning. ***The common guinea pig was first domesticated in about 2000 B.C. by the Incans in Peru as a food source. Modern Peruvians consume an estimate 65 million guinea pigs. ***The St. Bernard dog breed is preferred in China because it yields a better tasting and more economical meat than other breeds.
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LBN-QUOTE: “Repetition is the only form of permanence that nature can achieve.” - George Santayana.
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LBN-HISTORY: On August 10, 1977, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz is arrested and charged with being the “Son of Sam,” the serial killer who terrorized New York City for more than a year, killing six young people and wounding seven others with a .44-caliber revolver.
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LBN E-Lert Edited by Shannon Donnelly
Contributing Editors: George Gutierrez, Grace Son, Rae Benjamin, Randi Carlson & Maria Quimson.
LBN E-Lert Disclaimer: 1.) The LBN E-Lert accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. The LBN E-Lert is not associated with any commercial or political organization and is transmitted via the web for the sole benefit of its subscribers. 2.) Unfortunately, computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient should check this mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses.
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