U.S. News: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Receiver Is Catch-Of-The-Year Candidate

Receiver Is Catch-Of-The-Year Candidate, Anthony Amos makes like an outfielder in a baseball game on this remarkable play. MTSU's Anthony Amos makes his case for the year's best touchdown catch, This week's Touchdown Catch of the Year nominee comes from Middle Tennessee receiver Anthony Amos, who hauled in a one-handed touchdown from quarterback Logan Kilgore during the first quarter against Georgia Tech.

Amos caught the ball like a center fielder robbing hitter of a home run. Even more impressive is that he was aware of his position at the back of the end zone and managed to get one foot in bounds before his momentum carried him out.

Fluke Mishap Again Ends Slugger's Season

Fluke Mishap Again Ends Slugger's Season, Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, hurt last year leaving the batter's box, is hurt this year waiting to get to it. Ryan Howard suffers broken toe in on-deck circle mishap, done for season, For the second year in a row, Ryan Howard's season will end on what would have to be termed a fluky, bordering on bizarre lower body injury.

Of course everybody remembers the torn left Achilles tendon the Philadelphia Phillies slugger suffered while leaving the batter's box on the final play of their disappointing first round loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last October. That led to a long offseason recovery that ended up extending deep into the 2012 regular season after Howard's incision wound developed an infection that required a second procedure to clean it on Feb. 27.

A Distinctive Breed Of Cemetery

A Distinctive Breed Of Cemetery, It's listed as one of the 10 best places to be entombed - especially for certain clients. APNewsBreak: NY pet cemetery deemed historic, Another cemetery has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, but this one's a little different. It has dogs and cats and iguanas and a lion cub.

The 116-year-old Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in the New York City suburbs is the first animal burial ground to win the honor.

The designation "is a fitting way to recognize the longstanding and significant role pets have played in our national history and culture," said Carol Shull, interim Keeper of the National Register.

Player Profits By Committing Nasty Penalty

Player Profits By Committing Nasty Penalty, A defender gets flagged for a dangerous play, but it could have made him a hero. Duke's Jela Duncan has helmet ripped off on the way to the end zone and the play is blown dead, The helmet rule, which requires a player to miss a play if he losses his helmet, has been a big source of debate this season because coaches have contended that defensive players are intentionally trying to rip off helmets for an advantage.

What started out as a safety precaution by the NCAA has actually backfired and created some pretty scary moments, especially today during the Duke-Wake Forest game and the N.C. State-Miami game.

Duke running back Jela Duncan was heading for a possible touchdown when linebacker Justin Jackson grabbed his facemask and ripped the helmet off Duncan's head. Duncan kept running, but the play was called down and Jackson was given a personal foul penalty.

Bacon-Eating Contest's Greasy Spectacle

Bacon-Eating Contest's Greasy Spectacle, The average American eats 18 pounds of bacon in a year. These guys are about to put you to shame. Bacon Festival Takes Over Kansas City, The Kansas City Bacon Festival is a fundraiser by The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City that is made up of a bacon eating contest and a bacon recipe contest. Watch to get inspired by creative bacon dishes that will make your mouth water, and see which of these dishes featuring one of America's favorite foods will take home the blue ribbon.

Surprise Factors That Affect Insurance Rates

Surprise Factors That Affect Insurance Rates, Premiums varied by almost 70% for someone with the exact same driving record, a study finds. When Non-Driving Factors Affect Auto Insurance Premiums, Automobile insurers may use factors unrelated to driving, like education and occupation, in determining rates.

Now, a consumer group is urging state insurance commissioners to restrict insurers' ability to use those factors, arguing that the result has been unfairly high rates for lower-income drivers. Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America, said in a call this week with reporters that premiums should mainly reflect factors like accidents, speeding tickets and miles driven.

The Biggest Story In College Football

The Biggest Story In College Football, He's smart, an artist on and off the field, and clearly the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Geno Smith: The story of the 2012 college football season (so far, at least), One of the questions NFL teams ask about quarterback prospects is, can he make all the throws?

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith made every throw against Baylor. In fact, he went through the whole passing tree in the first half. And then he went through it again in the second half.

Whether he was throwing deep posts, precise out routes or a perfectly thrown fade route to the corner, Smith had one of the best performances against a ranked team that anyone has ever seen in a 70-63 win over Baylor.

Best Pizzerias All Across America

Best Pizzerias All Across America, One eatery follows an 80-year-old family recipe to make a gooey pie many can't resist.America's Best Pizzas, Pizza! We consulted venerable texts and online sources, sought out old-school Formica-table joints and brazen newcomers alike. We ended up with a list of more than 140 places for pizza. There were hundreds of votes cast by a venerable panel of about 20 American chefs, restaurant critics, and pizza authorities, most of whom, including the Los Angeles Times' Jonathan Gold and Chicago Magazine's Penny Pollack. The results are probably going to really bubble your crust, and burn your upskirt. That's just the nature of a list like this.

It may now sport some 20 locations, but the original Regina Pizzeria has been a local hot spot since 1926 when it first opened in the North End of Boston. Their pizzas are made from dough with an 80-year-old family recipe, sauce, whole-milk mozzarella, and natural toppings with no preservatives or additives, and all cooked in a brick oven.??

The Most Unusual Job In College Football

The Most Unusual Job In College Football, Stephen Warner plays a position most fans never notice, but he does things his counterparts don't do. Unconventional attack: La. Tech runs high-flying offense through its center, not QB, One of the most dynamic offensive players in college football has zero touchdowns, zero catches, zero rushes and zero yards.

He's a walk-on who says he got scholarship offers from "Louisiana College and Arkansas I can't remember the name of it."

He's the heartbeat of one of the most explosive teams in the country. And he spent his Thursday at a job fair hoping to make connections in the construction industry.

Meet The Largest Landowner In America

Meet The Largest Landowner In America, This telecom magnate's holdings amount to an area three times the size of Rhode Island. Meet the Largest Landowner in America, On the Colorado High Plains, John Malone sits in a generous -- but not grandiose -- corner office on the second floor of a blocky, granite-faced building in a nondescript corporate park in Englewood. If, in real estate, location is everything, it's curious that the largest private landowner in America chose an office location, an hour from downtown Denver, that ... well, it isn't much. Not much to look at, anyway.

But the building and its location are Malone writ large: standalone, brawny, and commanding views of clean sky and snowcapped mountains shining like chrome in the distance. Malone, 71, whose thick hair is as white and flawless as his wrinkle-free shirt, sits behind his desk wearing an elegant rose-colored tie and tells a visitor, "My wife and I are going to look at something that's for sale on Friday."

Biggest Donors In Presidential Race

Biggest Donors In Presidential Race, Several mega-backers have contributed millions, but one casino magnate is easily the most generous. The presidental race's top donors,From high-flying businessmen to a 21-year-old student, here are the people donating the biggest bucks to the presidential race.

Jon M. Huntsman, Sr. donated over $2 million to the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC for his son’s unsuccessful presidential bid. Huntsman the elder is a well-known philanthropist and businessman who joined with his brother, Blaine, to found Huntsman Container Corporation in 1970.

Puppy Looks For A More Comfortable Bed

Puppy Looks For A More Comfortable Bed, This little guy's simple quest for a place to rest becomes more like scaling a mountain. Pup’s New Bed,Little Jackson, the puppy, climbs on his big brother’s back to take a nap.

Best Ways To Become A Millionaire

Best Ways To Become A Millionaire, Earning a hefty salary is important, but it's actually only part of the equation. What's Your Best Chance Of Becoming A Millionaire?, Inflation may be inexorably eroding the value of a dollar, but achieving millionaire status is still an impressive and motivating goal. More importantly, it's an eminently attainable goal with hard work and careful planning. Here are some of the best ways that a younger person can think of earning a seven-figure net worth over time.

When thinking about how to accumulate a million dollars or more, there are three key issues that people must consider. First, a job must be accessible for it to offer a high likelihood of millionaire status. For instance, playing in a professional sports league dramatically increases the odds of earning enough to become a millionaire, but professional sports employ less than 5,000 athletes (among the big four North American leagues). Likewise, virtually every Fortune 500 CEO gets a million-dollar pay package (or better), but there are only 500 of those jobs available.

Best Ways To Become A Millionaire

What You've Never Heard About 'Cheers'

What You've Never Heard About 'Cheers', One major cast member claims another star relentlessly tried to get him fired. 'Cheers' 30th anniversary: What you never knew about the show, Let's all raise a glass and give a toast to the gang at "Cheers," who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this weekend. Diane Chambers first walked into Sam Malone's Boston bar on September 30, 1982 and viewers couldn't have cared less, actually. "Cheers" debuted dead-last in the ratings (77th out of 77 shows), but NBC stuck with it, and over an eleven-year run, it grew into the top-rated show on television -- and an all-time comedy classic.

The new issue of GQ has a fascinating oral history of the 1982-93 NBC series, with key cast members and producers sharing never-before-told stories. "Cheers" fans should definitely sit down and read the whole piece, but we've collected the best tidbits here, so pull up a barstool and find out what you never knew about the bar where everybody knows your name.

Why Pitcher Is Staring Up At His Mitt

Why Pitcher Is Staring Up At His Mitt, A potentially scary play quickly becomes one for the "never-seen-that-before" file, a writer says. Blue Jays pitcher Chad Jenkins catches ball and glove to complete crazy juggling play (Video), From the "I've never seen that" department comes this play in Friday night's Yankees-Blue Jays battle at Rogers Centre.

It happened in the very first inning with Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson at the plate. Granderson would smack a hard line drive right back at Blue Jays starting pitcher Chad Jenkins, who reacted quickly and made a really impressive stab to catch the ball. However, the force of the hit ended up knocking Jenkins' glove straight into the air, but with ball still secure in glove, Jenkins would catch it up on the way down to complete the juggling catch and record the out.

Alarming Wall Of Bubbles Overtakes River

Alarming Wall Of Bubbles Overtakes River, The huge sudsy tsunami causes panic in China, but officials claim it's nothing to worry about. 50 Foot Foam Wall Takes Over River,

Residents of Xintang, China had to evacuate their homes this week because a 50 foot wall of harmless bubbles floated down a nearby river. Chinese officials are claiming that the soap tsunami was caused by a non-toxic deodorant being washed out of a household garbage can. Yeah, and Soylent Green ISN'T made out of people. Everyone in the town is OK, but here's hoping there aren't anymore bubble monsters in their future. Unless, of course, the monster was invited to their Foam Party.

The True Intent Of Mayan Prophecy

The True Intent Of Mayan Prophecy, Dec. 21, 2012, marks a Mayan calendar milestone, but it doesn't mean what some fear. Experts: Mayas prophesized, but not end of world, As the clock winds down to Dec. 21, experts on the Mayan calendar have been racing to convince people that the Mayas didn't predict an apocalypse for the end of this year.

Some experts are now saying the Mayas may indeed have made prophecies, just not about the end of the world.

Archaeologists, anthropologists and other experts met Friday in the southern Mexico city of Merida to discuss the implications of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which is made up of 394-year periods called baktuns.

Why California Dairies Are Going Broke

Why California Dairies Are Going Broke, Many that had prospered for decades are now selling off herds or facing bankruptcy. Calif dairies going broke due to feed, milk prices, In nearly six decades of running a dairy in central California, Mary Cameron made a name for herself in a male-dominated industry: She led several dairy organizations and was honored as Outstanding Dairy Producer of the Year.

But the 82-year-old Cameron - who still drives a tractor and supervises her Hanford dairy - is on the brink of losing her life's work. She can no longer pay the bills. Her bank has classified her loan as distressed. And she can't afford enough feed for her 900 milking cows and 1,000 heifers.

"I have been in this business for 57 years and I have never been in financial trouble like I am right now," said Cameron, who runs the Atsma-Cameron Dairy with her two sons. "I'm on the verge of bankruptcy. It's horrible and inexcusable."

Aniston's Ridiculous On-Set Disguise

Aniston's Ridiculous On-Set Disguise, Jennifer Aniston tries to smooth talk a border patrol agent while wearing a wacky getup on a movie set. Top Shots of the Week,If you were looking forward to seeing Jennifer Aniston’s upcoming film “We’re the Millers,” you’re probably even more interested after seeing this wacky shot of a frumpily dressed Aniston on set in New Mexico wearing a giant sombrero, cradling a fake baby, and talking to a border patrol agent. The comedy follows a drug dealer who creates a fake family – including a housewife played by Aniston – to help him move a shipment of marijuana into Mexico. Note to Aniston’s character: When trying to keep a low profile, the smaller the hat the better.

Macaulay Culkin Transforms Apartment

Macaulay Culkin Transforms Apartment, The star's jeans provide a hint of what he's been up to at his $2 million home. Macaulay Culkin is now an artist - and you can tell by his pants, Macaulay Culkin looked like he was part of an art project on the streets of New York City earlier this week, wearing paint-splattered jeans that give us flashbacks of bad '80s fashion. But the former child star has a good reason to be rocking the painter look: he's been focusing on a career as an artist - and is so serious about it that he's converted his Manhattan apartment into an art studio.

Still looking thin but not emaciated, Culkin - who in addition to messy, ripped jeans was also wearing a leather jacket and some Johnny Depp-style weathered boots - puffed on a cigarette while trying to evade photographers on Thursday. The "Home Alone" star ended up jumping into a cab, which sped off perhaps to an art supply store?

Schwarzenegger Admits Affair With Celebrity

Schwarzenegger Admits Affair With Celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirms he had a fling in the '80s with a co-star while living with Maria Shriver. Arnold Schwarzenegger confirms 'hot affair' with Brigitte Nielsen, Arnold Schwarzenegger admits that not only did he cheat on Maria Shriver with the family's housekeeper while the two were married, but he also cheated when they were dating and living together - and this time the other woman was none other than Brigitte Nielsen! In his new memoir, Total Recall, which hits shelves Monday, the action star and former California governor confirms that he and the actress had a "hot affair," according to the Associated Press. Schwarzenegger reportedly describes the relationship as a "fling," and says it helped him realize that he wanted to marry Shriver.

Nielsen, who revealed the romance in her 2011 memoir You Only Get One Life, met Schwarzenegger when the two starred in the 1985 movie "Red Sonja." At the time, Nielsen claims, she was unaware that Schwarzenegger was taken. "How serious it was with

Celebrities Hit By The Foreclosure Crisis

Celebrities Hit By The Foreclosure Crisis, A bank foreclosed on this comedian's 10,000 square-foot mansion in Lake County, Florida. Celebrities who have faced foreclosure, "We are seeing foreclosure activity on higher-end homes increase at a faster pace for the past two years," says Daren Blomquist, vice president ofRealtyTrac. From 2007 to 2011, foreclosure activity on homes worth more than a $1 million increased 489%, compared with a 105% increase on properties under $1 million, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based real estate information provider.

Forbes sifted through news reports, foreclosure filings and property listings to uncover examples of high-profile homeowners who face foreclosure or have at some point in the past year or so.

Bullied Michigan Teen Gets Her Revenge

Bullied Michigan Teen Gets Her Revenge, After being the victim of a cruel prank, Whitney Kropp gets the last laugh at her homecoming. Whitney Kropp: Bullied Michigan Teen Shines at Homecoming Game, For bullied high school sophomore Whitney Kropp, looking good was the best revenge.

Earlier this month, the West Branch, Mich., teen said she thought about killing herself after some classmates told her she was nominated to homecoming court as a joke.

On Friday, Kropp had the last laugh. Local businesses rallied around the teen, donating her dress, shoes, jewelry, hair styling and makeup. The 16-year-old was escorted by her father and grandfather to the field, where she confidently took her place in the Ogemaw Heights High School homecoming court.

Troubled Mich. Lottery Winner Found Dead

Troubled Mich. Lottery Winner Found Dead, A woman who pleaded no contest to welfare fraud after winning $1 million died in her home. Michigan $1 Million Lotto Winner Who Was Charged With Welfare Fraud Found Dead, A woman who admitted to receiving food stamps after winning $1 million on a Michigan state lotto game show was found dead today. The circumstances surrounding Amanda Clayton's death were not immediately released by police, but ABC News' Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV reported that sources within the police department said they suspect the woman died of an overdose. An autopsy is pending on Clayton's body, which was found at a home in Ecorse, Mich., police said. Clayton, who became a millionaire after her big win last September, caused outrage earlier this year when it was revealed she was continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid from the state. According to the attorney general's office, Clayton failed to report her winnings and employment while receiving $5,475 in food and medical assistance. "It's simply common sense that million dollar lottery winners forfeit their right to public assistance," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "We will continue to work with local, state and federal authorities to uphold state laws intended to ensure wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars."

Friday, September 7, 2012

Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail

Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail, Well, at least he didn't get her pregnant ... right? Right? The San Diego beautician who says she frolicked naked with Prince Harry is in jail for writing bad checks. Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail