In gossip news...



Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears linebacker, is having fun being a pal to Paris Hilton.

Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins is a starter again. (more)



Robbins used to be a Pro Bowl player and an all-around football badass, but during Super Bowl week in San Diego last January he missed a practice, was suspended and didn't play in the big game. The world was to find out later that he was suffering from bipolar disorder, a dibilitating mood disease that led him to alcoholism.

Now, after months of repairing himself and seeking treatment for his disease, Robbins is back.

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Getty Images

Pot. Kettle. Black.



It's a twist and a refreshing one at that.

The RIAA are being countersued by Sharman Networks, the makers of the popular peer-to-peer software KaZaa.

During a congressional hearing on illegal sharing of music, the RIAA is alleged to have used KaZaa Lite, an unauthorized copy of Sharman's KaZaa Media Desktop software.

The RIAA responded to the suit with this:

"Sharman Networks' newfound admiration for the importance of copyright law is ironic to say the least. Too bad this self-serving respect stops at its headquarters' door ... and doesn't extend to preventing the rampant piracy on their networks or lifting a finger to educate their users about the consequences of illegal file sharing."

Sharman fired back:

"It's ironic that somebody who's suing 12-year-old girls for copyright infringement themselves blatantly disregard copyright laws," he said. "Who's being more ironic?" (more)

New or old. It's perpetual Republicanism

reducing government regulations on business, protecting companies from class-action lawsuits, exploring new sources of energy and allowing companies to put less money into their employee pension plans

North Korea on Sec. Rumsfeld



"he is just an old man politically illiterate as he cannot measure up the present reality when all the countries are promoting peaceful co-existence, reconciliation and cooperation irrespective of ideologies and beliefs. It is not likely at all that he would speak truth as he is obsessed with wantonly harassing peace and security in different parts of the world and igniting wars. His outbursts, therefore, cannot be construed otherwise than a desperate shrill cry of a psychopath on his death bed." (more)

Baghdad Bob-like, don't you think?

The Koreas at night. Notice how North Korea is darker with less lights when compared to South Korea.

25 years ago today

Monday, September 25, 1978 was a very tough day for San Diego. That day Pacific Southwest Airlines flight 182 was it its final descent when it was hit in mid-air by a small private airplane. Over 150 people died on that day.

By 1978, PSA was the sixth-largest air carrier in the nation, piloting some 3 million passengers a year without ever experiencing an accident. One-way tickets from San Diego to Los Angeles cost $12.75. (more)

San Diego Union-Tribune file photo
An aerial photo shows the swath of destruction caused by the crash of a PSA Boeing 727 into the North Park neighborhood of San Diego 25 years ago today.


San Diego Union-Tribune file photo
The front page of the Sept. 26, 1978 San Diego Union.

California Debate




Arnold: "You should go to an addiction place," rebutting to Bustamante's comment on raising fees and taxes in California to help balance the budget.

At 50 percent, Bush's approval rating is at the lowest level of his presidency and showed him narrowly trailing two potential Democratic re-election challengers. (more)

Pragmatist

Gen. Wesley Clark in Iowa City walked by a woman who told him about the lack of nursing professionals and how she is concerned about the shortage. Gen. Clark responded: "I don't know enough to give you a comprehensive answer at this point. I know enough not to give you a comprehensive answer at this point." (more)

At Penn State University, "when it comes to downloading music or movies off the Internet, students compare it with under-age drinking: illegal, but not immoral." (more)

Aimee Mann fan site

http://preciousthings.51.net/aimee/index.htm

BBC

Diane Arbus: Woman at a Counter, Smoking, N.Y.C., 1962

Norman Mailer: "Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like giving a hand grenade to a baby."

Great photography! Ooh la la. (more) | (even more on Diane Arbus)

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The "real barbecue" wars apparently have begun in New York City according to Julia Moskin. (more)

"The (California) secretary of state is enjoined from conducting an election on any issue on October 7, 2003," a three-judge panel ruled today.


(AP IMAGE)

A waterspout slices through the southern sky near Pentwater, Mich. A strong line of thunderstorms moved through Oceana County. (Associated Press)

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More Caroline


Bob Gruen: Singers Dirty Harry of England and Caroline Taucher of Finland find inspiration at the Patti Smith show at the World Financial Center

A night out in NYC with Tommy

Caroline & Tommy
Miles Ladin for The New York Times - Tommy Stinson, an original Replacement, and Caroline Taucher, a Finnish musician.

(more)

Thoughts of Johnny

"Johnny [had] the rebel soul of a poet and the voice of a convict farm hand," said Paul Westerberg, former lead singer of the Replacements, who playfully added, "He was also really good on 'Three's Company.' " (TV star John Ritter's death was also heavily reported by the news media Friday). (more)

Things do certainly change

Interviewed in the Boston Globe, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson said this about reforming the band for a tour:

"We never had a hit, so it's not like we could go out and make a bunch of money," Stinson says. "The only reason that people ever do those things is for money, and I don't think we could make enough money to make it worth my while."

Accused of false advertising for claiming it was protecting labor rights at overseas contract factories that make its footwear, Nike agreed to settle a suit for $1.5 million. (more)

"I'll tell you what it would mean if the White Sox and Cubs got to the World Series again," said Billy Pierce, who pitched for the 1959 White Sox and won 211 games in his career. "This town would go crazy. It would be the thrill of the century." (more)

Danny Stevens: Punk music was easy and cheap. The groups could draw well and they weren't the type of artists that needed 52 limousines and five tons of cocaine. The black groups were also cheap and had a built-in audience.

Read more about First Avenue, the famed Minneapolis club.

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This image of Bush from Sunday's address to the nation has been making the rounds in different media outlets. This image is one of many Bush images that convey: Is this guy really the President of the United States?

In case you're wondering, SARS has no vaccine, no effective treatment and no reliable point-of-care diagnostic test according to US National Intelligence Council to CIA Director George Tenet. We remain vulnerable.

SARS



A blog entry from May 23, 2003 reported that the coronavirus associated with SARS may have its origins with the masked palm civet. An article published September 5th appears to have confirmed this.

According to Channelnewsasia.com, "New research confirmed civet cats were key spreaders of the deadly SARS virus which many fear could return in winter."

More on SARS: A typical day in the SARS market.

The SARS outbreak, though currently contained, infected more than 8400 people worldwide and caused about 815 deaths. That's 1-in-10 who die after contracting SARS.

small, drunk world



"In the last few years, a new kind of British tourist, lured by cut-rate airlines whose flights can cost as little as $25 or less, has descended on Prague (Czech Republic) in unprecedented numbers, apparently with one goal in mind: to drink as much as possible. Wasted and aggressive, in drag or wearing only underpants, they spend weekends staggering in packs from bar to bar near Wenceslas Square. So troublesome have they become that some places refuse to serve Britons who arrive in large groups." (more)

the golden state



California is the top destination for foreign born peoples who call the States home.

According to U.S. Census Department statistics, "California ranks highest among the 50 states in proportion of population that is foreign born, with more than 26 percent. New York and New Jersey were next. " (more)

the stones circa 1975



In 1975, The Rolling Stones toured America and never-before released photos are now available.

summer: we still have some time, folks


K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune

Summer's not over, yet.

gotta go, gotta go


JOHN GIBBINS / The San Diego Union-Tribune:
"Mexico said the mired Catalina must be moved out of Ensenada harbor this year. The old, sinking steamship is cherished by some as an icon of U.S. history. Built by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley, the Catalina took military units to their assigned boats during World War II."

Speaking of old man Wrigley, take a look at his private island off the California coast.

sex in the kitchen

"Girl, you're in the kitchen cooking me a meal / Something makes me wanna go in there and get a feel." - Sex in the Kitchen, by R. Kelly (more)

labor day blues

"American workers are doing very badly," said Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. "All the trends are in the negative direction. There's high turnover, high instability, a reduction in benefits and a declining loyalty on the part of employers. At the same time, expectations for productivity and quality are going up. It's a bad situation from a worker's standpoint." (more)

american workers: working harder & more hours

"U.S. workers put in an average of 1,825 hours in 2002, compared to between 1,300 and 1,800 in leading European nations. The Japanese, meanwhile, worked about the same length of time as did the U.S. employees." (more)

Alan Greenspan argues that "productivity gains was not only a key driving factor for the boom days of the late 1990s, but also remains a pillar for sustained growth in the years ahead. Greenspan has also repeatedly stated that it was productivity gains that gave the United States a competitive edge against other industrialized countries."