He had been ill recently and died in his sleep at the Detroit house he shared with his wife of 48 years, said Dana Meah, the wife of a grandson. The Wayne County medical examiner’s office also confirmed the death.

With Stubbs in the lead, the Four Tops sold millions of records and performed for more than four decades without a change in personnel.

“Levi Stubbs was one of the great voices of all times,” former Motown labelmate Smokey Robinson said. “He was very near and dear to my heart. He was my friend and my brother, I miss him. God bless his family and comfort them.”

The Four Tops began singing together in 1953 under the name the Four Aims and signed a deal with Chess Records. They later changed their names to the Four Tops to avoid being confused with the Ames Brothers.

They also recorded for Red Top, Riverside and Columbia Records and toured supper clubs.

The Four Tops signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top-40 hits over the next 10 years, making music history with the other acts in Berry Gordy’s Motown stable.

Their biggest hits were recorded between 1964 and 1967 with the in-house songwriting and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Both 1965’s “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and 1966’s “Reach Out” went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart.

Other hits included “Shake Me, Wake Me” (1966), “Bernadette” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love” (both 1967).

A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.

Crystle Stewart, of Missouri City, Texas, runs a party-planning and motivational speaking company, as well as modeling professionally. She says she wants to dedicate her life to international philanthropy.

“I want to talk to people about how to set a goal and achieve it,” she told The Associated Press after the show. “Because I just achieved my goal.”

Stewart edged out first runner-up Leah Laviano of Mississippi and Tiffany Andrade of New Jersey.

Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith relinquished the crown — and the posh New York apartment that comes with it — in a show aired live by NBC with hosts Donny and Marie Osmond from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The network co-owns the parent Miss Universe Organization with Donald Trump.

Smith, a former Miss Tennessee USA, said she was headed to Hollywood.

Stewart was headed for the publicity circuit. She said she was eager to travel and spread her message of self-improvement to young women. She noted she was one of only a handful of black woman crowned Miss USA in the pageant’s 57-year history.

Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been in Las Vegas for nearly three weeks, rehearsing and hyping the 57th annual pageant. After stints in Baltimore and Los Angeles, organizers billed the new venue as a city beloved by the event’s international audience.

Stewart will compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam in July. She also becomes a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer awareness and other causes, while traveling to promote the organization.

Miss USA contestants are scored in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Miss Alaska USA, Courtney Erin Carroll, was chosen “Miss Photogenic USA” based on voting at the organization’s Web site. The other contestants named Miss Ohio USA, Monica Day, “Miss Congeniality.” Unlike the rival Miss America, Miss USA contestants are not asked to perform a talent.

AMBOY, Wash. – A tattered, half-buried parachute unearthed by kids had D.B. Cooper country chattering Wednesday over the fate of the skyjacker, who leaped from a plane 36 years ago and into the lore of the Pacific Northwest.

The parachute is about all most people in this neck of the southwestern Washington woods ever expected would be found as evidence of Cooper’s daredevil escape attempt.

“Hunters are all through here,” Idy Gilbert said Wednesday as she served drinks at Nick’s Bar and Grill. “They find lots of bodies up here all the time, people who are missing. They would have found some bones. All they found was a chute.”
?
In November 1971, a man identifying himself as Dan Cooper, later mistakenly identified as D.B. Cooper, hijacked a Northwest Orient flight, claiming he had a bomb. He demanded and got $200,000, then jumped out the back of the plane somewhere near the Oregon line.

He might have landed in the area where children playing outside their home near Amboy found fabric sticking up from the ground where their father had been grading a road, FBI agent Larry Carr said Tuesday.

The children, responding to a publicity campaign, urged their father to call the FBI, Carr said, and when their find became public this week, it reignited talk of the region’s favorite folk hero.
?
?In Ariel, about 20 miles northwest of Amboy, the Ariel Store has an annual D.B. Cooper party.

Dona Elliot, owner of the store, said Wednesday she thinks Cooper hid out in brush and trees for an accomplice to take him to the airport in Portland, about 60 miles south.

“It’s the perfect place; no one would have looked for him there,” she said.

The T-shirt for this year’s party will have a parachute theme, she said, even though she’s skeptical that the artifact the kids found is Cooper’s.

“It will be 37 years in November,” she said. “There can’t be too much left of that parachute.”

The FBI doesn’t want to excavate the property until it confirms, either through an expert’s examination or scientific analysis of the fabric, whether the chute is the right kind.

If it is Cooper’s parachute, that will solve one mystery – where he apparently landed – but it will raise another, Carr said.

In 1980, a family on a picnic found $5,880 of Cooper’s money in a bag on a Columbia River beach, near Vancouver. Some investigators believed it might have been washed down to the beach by the Washougal River. But if Cooper landed near Amboy and stashed the money bag there, there’s no way it could have naturally reached the Washougal.

“If this is D.B. Cooper’s parachute, the money could not have arrived at its discovery location by natural means,” Carr said. “That whole theory is out the window.”

The FBI doubts Cooper survived because conditions were poor and the terrain was rough, but few signs of his fate have been found.

Locals prefer to think he made it.

“I think he’s out there enjoying his money,” Gilbert said. “Most people here say they think he made it. We may never know.”

Zac Efron

Disney Teen Star Zac Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, California to David Efron and Starla Baskett. He has a brother, Dylan, and has two Australian shepherds Dreamer and Puppy, as well as a Siamese cat named Simon. When he was eleven years old he was cast in the musical Gypsy, a role that lasted for 90 performances. He went on to appear in the stage productions of

Mame, Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Music Man. After leaving the stage he became a cast member of Summerland where he remained until taking a role in the 2006 hit Disney cable movie High School Musical.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus as born November 23, 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee and developed her knack for performing while watching her dad perform. Her dad is country music singer and actor Bill Ray Cyrus. After appearing as an extra in a few of her dad’s projects, she got her first chance to act opposite him in a recurring role on the television series Doc. From there she went on to star on such shows as Love Boat, The Next Wave, and appeared in the Tim Burton film Big Fish.

She is currently starring in Disney Channel’s new live action comedy Hanna Montana where she plays Miley Stewart, a 14 years old girl leading a double life as pop singer Hannah Montana.

In real life Miley recently relocated to Los Angeles from Nashville with her parents, sister Brandi and Noah, brothers Trace and Braison and their dog Loco. The family left all of their animals, which include seven horses, three dogs and two cats back in Nashville under her grandmother’s care.

Now in her spare time in Los Angeles, she enjoys talking on the phone with friends back home. She also follows in her father’s footsteps by writing music, playing guitar and singing. She reports that her musical influences are pop singers Kelly Clarkson, Hillary Duff and Ashley Simpson. Miley also enjoys dancing and cheerleading.

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) — A beagle named Uno was named best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club contest in New York, the first time the breed took the top prize since the event was founded in 1877.

The 15-inch (38-centimeter) tall dog beat out six other highly ranked, highly coifed pooches in the final round tonight. They included standard and toy poodles, a Sealyham terrier, an Akita and an Australian shepherd.

The two-day show at Madison Square Garden began with 157 breeds of dogs among 2,627 entrants. The best in show competition was judged by J. Donald Jones, 75, a former dean of students at Emory University.

Last night, 2-year-old Uno won the hound category, the first beagle to do so in 69 years.

The annual Westminster dog show bills itself as the second- oldest continually run sporting event in the U.S., one year younger than horse racing’s Kentucky Derby. At the Westminster club’s first annual show in 1877 in the Hippodrome at Gilmore’s Garden, 1,201 dogs were entered, according to the club’s Web site.

The Chinese utilise twelve animals to express zodiacal time.

Based on your date of birth, you can see which sign you belong to:

The Rat: 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

The Pig: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

The Ox: 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997

The Tiger: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

The Rabbit: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

The Dragon: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000

The Snake: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

The Horse: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

The Sheep: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

The Monkey: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004

The Rooster: 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005

The Dog: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

The Rat was welcomed in ancient times as a protector and bringer of material prosperity. It is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. Rat is associated with aggression, wealth, charm, and order, yet also associated with death, war, the occult, pestilence, and atrocities.

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat’s natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.

Rats consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.

According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.

Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.

Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective work, acting, and pathology.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

The Diet
Although the recipe varies from source to source the ingredients are generally the same. The Master Cleanse involves eating no solid food. Instead, you drink a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and Cayenne pepper.? This mix can be taken cold, as a cordial, or hot, as a tea. The mix contains some essential vitamins and minerals, and some sugars – avoiding the ketosis experienced on the Atkins diet or from pure water fasting.? As solid food is not eaten it is necessary to help the digestive system eliminate material and avoid constipation. This is achieved in two ways: laxative tea is taken every night, and in the morning, a large volume of lukewarm brackish water serves as a top-down enema.? This passes through the digestive system extremely quickly – 30-60 minutes.? The diet is for a recommended minimum of ten days, although it is not uncommon for people to stay on the cleanse for longer periods of time.

Fasting for such long periods requires careful breaking, as intestinal cultures need to re-develop and mucus linings re-build. This usually involves drinking “full strength” juices for a day or two, while slowly adding in soups, then fruit, vegetables and nuts before resuming a regular diet. This fast break is an ideal time to add probiotics to re-establish a healthy intestinal culture.

The Master Cleanse is said by Stanley Burroughs and later authors to eliminate toxins and congestion that have built up in the body.? It is a fast, not a diet – it is not a complete source of macro-nutrients. It should instead be considered as another form of fasting.

Supporters of the Master Cleanse have credited it with helping them lose weight, increase energy, and even alleviate some chronic diseases.

Some in the entertainment industry have misunderstood fasting as a weight loss diet. Recently, the cleanse received media attention as a result of being embraced by some celebrities. The singer/actress Beyonc? did it for 10 days and lost 22lbs (9kg) for her role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls.? Howard Stern’s cohost Robin Quivers claims to have lost 73 lb using the Master Cleanse. Similarly, Jared Leto says he lost the weight he gained to play ‘Mark David Chapman’ (he gained 62 lbs.) all from the master cleanse.

Criticism
Some critics point to lack of essential nutrients in this fast, citing a deficiency of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

As a result of these deficiencies, individuals on the diet may experience dizziness, delirium, and fainting in the short term, with possible damage to the body occurring in longer-term applications.? Dr. Joel Fuhrman attributes these effects to detoxification, which he says passes after the toxins are eliminated.

Many authors assert the benefits of fasting are related to its lack of nutrients, particularly macronutrients.

Dr. Ed Zimney has asserted that, while toxins (such as mercury from the ingestion of fish) do accumulate over time, lemon juice and maple syrup could “not in any possible way eliminate any of these toxins”.

People with intestinal conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome may experience added discomfort while on the cleanse. However note that this is in fact one of the treated conditions of the fast.

There is a risk that the saltwater “flush” may remove both beneficial and harmful bacteria from the body.? A no-food diet may cause the gut to stop passing food, resulting in constipation, or may make the consumption of food immediately after the fast painful. These are the important reasons to follow the fasts’ instructions correctly.

Medical authorities say that those who try the Master Cleanse to lose weight will gain it back in time.? Beyonc? denounced using the cleanse as a weight-loss program, stating, “I wouldn’t recommend it if someone wasn’t doing a movie … there are other ways to lose weight”.? Proponents of the cleanse do not recommend it solely for weight loss, instead focusing on its alleged detoxifying properties.? Dr. Sunil Patel of Halifax’s Queen Elizabeth Health Centre and other medical professionals have suggested that the cleanse operates as a placebo and has no other health benefits.

Others have claimed that one benefit of the Master Cleanse is that it helps patients re-examine their lifestyle and embrace healthy eating.

?From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the terms of the GNU Free.

On April 4, 2007, during a discussion about the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, Imus characterized the Rutgers University women’s basketball team players as “rough girls” commenting on their tattoos. His executive producer Bernard McGuirk responded in his familiar “urban-speak” vernacular by referring to them as “hardcore ho’s”. The “urban-speak” banter continued with Imus describing the girls as “nappy-headed hos” and McGuirk remarking that the two teams looked like the “jigaboos versus the wannabes” mentioned in Spike Lee’s film, School Daze; apparently referring to the two teams’ differing appearances.? The next day, CBS Radio canceled Imus in the Morning,

Return to radio
On July 8, 2007, the Drudge Report indicated that Imus would return to the air before the 2008 presidential election. The New York Post reported on July 16, 2007 that Imus was in search of a black comedian to join the show upon its return to help cushion racially insensitive comments he might say on the air. The same paper reported on July 27, 2007 that CBS was close to a buyout of Imus’s contract. The report also said Imus’s representatives had contacted Buckley Broadcasting, Citadel Broadcasting, and Clear Channel Communications.? On August 14, Imus reached a settlement with CBS Radio over his contract, leaving him free to pursue other media opportunities.

On November 1, Citadel announced they had agreed to what was reportedly a multiyear syndication contract with Imus. The new Imus in the Morning program would be distributed nationally by ABC Radio Networks, and would be based at Citadel-owned WABC in New York City, beginning in December.? On November 14, the New York Times reported that Imus had agreed to terms with cable network RFD-TV to air a video simulcast of the new radio program.? It is expected that Imus will be joined by longtime associates Charles McCord and, perhaps, Bernard McGuirk.? On December 3, Imus returned to the airwaves on WABC.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the terms of the GNU Free.

Career
Garc?a began acting at Florida International University, but soon went to Hollywood. He started to perform in very short roles, working part-time as waiter and in a warehouse. His chance arose when he was offered a role as a gang member in the first episode of the popular TV series Hill Street Blues. Director Brian de Palma liked his performance in the 1986 movie 8 Million Ways to Die and engaged him the following year for The Untouchables, which made Garcia a popular Hollywood actor. In 1989, Francis Ford Coppola was casting The Godfather Part III. The character Vincent Corleone, the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone, was an exceptional part which many actors wanted. Garcia was not the only one of the few actors capable of carrying the part, but he also bore a resemblance to Robert De Niro, who played the role of young Vito Corleone, Vincent’s grandfather, in The Godfather Part II. The role thus went to Garcia, who earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance and became an internationally acclaimed star.

In the following years, Garc?a has performed in a wide variety of films. He has appeared also in several TV films. While not in the same vein of movie stars dominating the box office, Garcia has remained equally strong in both leading and supporting roles. One of his more well-known films was the 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven, in which he played Terry Benedict, the ruthless Las Vegas mogul who just happens to be seeing the estranged wife (Julia Roberts) of George Clooney’s character. Garc?a reprised the role in the 2004 sequel, although many noted that the part was significantly smaller than the one he played in the first film. He has finished and released The Lost City which he co-wrote, directs, and stars in, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. Upon its release, The Lost City sparked controversy among many in Latin America due to its negative portrayal of the Cuban Revolution, and Che Guevara in particular, who have substantial supporters in the early 21st century Latin America.

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The Tin Woodman in modern fiction
In the 1990 novel The Tin Man, by Dale Brown, the eponymous protagonist is a power-armored vigilante whom the media and police have dubbed The Tin Man for his physical resemblance to the Wizard of Oz character.

The Tin Woodman is a minor character in author Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, its 2003 Broadway musical adaptation and Maguire’s 2005 sequel Son of a Witch. In the book Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, is seen enchanting the axe to swing around and chop off Nick Chopper’s limbs. She does this for a peasant woman who wishes to stop her servant, probably Nimee Amee, from marrying Nick Chopper. This seems to be close to the Tin Man’s origin in the original books, but from the Witch’s perspective.

In the musical adaptation of Wicked the Tin Woodsman is revealed to be Boq, a Munchkin whom the Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose, fell in love with when they were at school together. When she discovered his heart belonged to Glinda, she botched a spell that was meant to make him fall in love with her, but instead shrunk his heart to nothing. To save his life Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West was forced to turn him into tin. Not understanding her reasons, he pursues Elphaba with a single-minded vengeance for his current form. The Tin Woodman’s humble origin in the novel conflicts with him having been the aristocratic Boq.

In Oz Squad Nick was shown in a sexual relationship with “Rebecca Eastwitch” in order to get closer to Nimmie Amee and attempt to elope with her.

In Forever in Oz by Melody Grandy, Chopfyt, with the head of Fyter and the reproductive system of Chopper, abuses his daughter, whom he considers not his. As punishment, Ozma has Chopfyt dismantled.He is a great character.

In the Scifi miniseries, Tin Man, the “Tin Man” is a term dubbed for those who protect the city as law enforcement. The story’s protagonist, Cain, is a Tin Man whose past left him harden and distant from others.

Tin Woodman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the terms of the GNU Free