Halle Berry first black woman on Sept. Vogue cover since 1989

By Dylan Stableford


TheWrap.com

Halle Berry is on the cover of the September issue of Vogue -- the first black woman to grace the cover of the magazine's biggest issue since Naomi Campbell in 1989.

Berry, who hasn't given a "proper interview" in three years, is certainly aware of its relative importance:

The only reason she is submitting now, she says, is that Vogue made her an offer she couldn't refuse: the September cover. "What that means for a woman of color and what that means in the fashion world, what that means to pop culture, there was no way I could say, 'No, I'm not going to be on the biggest issue of the year.'"

In fact, Berry and Campbell are the only two black women ever to appear on the September issue's cover, according to FishbowlLA.

It's a step in the right direction for Condé Nast, which took a lot of heat earlier this year over a Vanity Fair cover that celebrated nine of Hollywood's up-and-coming young actresses -- not one of them black ("Where Are Hollywood's Hot, Young Black Women?").

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google and others for patent infringement

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBy Scott Duke Harris

Time was that Silicon Valley companies accused Microsoft of corporate treachery. Now Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has turned the tables, filing a marquee-quality lawsuit Friday that accuses Google, Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Facebook, YouTube and Netflix of patent infringement.

Google, which the lawsuit suggests bit the hand that fed it, fired back with an accusation of its own.

"This lawsuit against some of America's most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace," the Mountain View search giant said in a statement. "Innovation -- not litigation -- is the way to bring to market the kinds of products and services that benefit millions of people around the world."

The matter of who owns innovation is at the heart of the suit filed by Interval Licensing, a Seattle company owned and controlled by Allen that owns the patents that were awarded to Interval Research, a Palo Alto-based company founded by Allen and Xerox PARC veteran David Liddle in 1992.

Over nearly a decade, Interval Research employed 110 scientists who worked at the leading edge of personal computer and Internet technologies, winning about 300 patents. Many companies earn money through licensing patents that they own. The suit did not specify monetary damages Interval is seeking

The lawsuit involves four patents related to the fundamental ways that consumers experience websites.


One enables the navigation of audiovisual data, another enables users to quickly locate information related to a specific subject, and two others relate to how websites present images or information on user's "peripheral attention."

Facebook also issued a response: "We believe this suit is completely without merit and we will fight it vigorously." The social network was accused of infringing on one patent; some others are accused of multiple transgressions. EBay, meanwhile, also promised "a vigorous defense."

Some of the defendants did not make an immediate response.

Interval's lawsuit -- which also names AOL, Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples as defendants -- represents a new venture for Allen, who resigned from Microsoft's board in 2000 but remains a major stockholder. With a wealth estimated to exceed $13 billion, Allen is also widely known today as the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers sports franchises, and the bank roller of the Seattle's Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, an unorthodox cultural venue. He also remains an active investor in technology.


Some of the patents cited in the lawsuit were awarded after Interval Research dissolved in 2000, with some of its employees reorganizing as Interval Media, which closed in 2006.

To underscore Interval's significance in advancing Internet technologies, the lawsuit notes that the company collaborated with and provided funding for Sergey Brin and Larry Page in the research that resulted in Google. Offered as Exhibit 1 in the suit is " a Google screen shot dated September 27, 1998 entitled 'About Google!' that identifies Interval Research in the 'Credits' section as one of two 'Outside Collaborators' and one of four sources of 'Research Funding' for Google."

Brin and Page, the lawsuit further notes, acknowledged Interval's funding in their 1998 research article entitled "Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine" in which they "present Google."

Trailer For Avatar Special Edition: Relive The 3D Magic

Image via Wikipedia By Katey Rich

The new releases hitting theaters on August 27 include the horror movie The Last Exorcism, the long-delayed Chris Brown-starring Takers, and the ludicrous historical epic Centurion. It's slim pickings, to say the least, but if you're not necessarily in the mood for something new you can always turn to Avatar: Special Edition, which will boast 8 more minutes of footage and one last chance to see History's Biggest Movie in eye-popping 3D.

I felt kind of iffy about the idea-- I loved the movie at the time, but 8 months later it all seems a little silly, and giving James Cameron even more of my money just feels shameful at this point. But there's nothing better out there, and after a long year of terrible 3D I'm sure Avatar will just look even more impressive. For those of you ready to watch the Na'vi ride again, there's a new trailer online, offering up a few glimpses of scenes that weren't in the original theatrical cut (at least I don't think they were) and the usual bombastic promises of romance and adventure.

Recovery Act: How Obama's Stimulus Is Changing America

Image via Wikipedia

By MICHAEL GRUNWALD

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - President Obama's $787 billion stimulus - has been marketed as a jobs bill, and that's how it's been judged. The White House says it has saved or created about 3 million jobs, helping avoid a depression and end a recession. Republicans mock it as a Big Government boondoggle that has failed to prevent rampant unemployment despite a massive expansion of the deficit. Liberals complain that it wasn't massive enough.


It's an interesting debate. Politically, it's awkward to argue that things would have been even worse without the stimulus, even though that's what most nonpartisan economists believe. But the battle over the Recovery Act's short-term rescue has obscured its more enduring mission: a long-term push to change the country. It was about jobs, sure, but also about fighting oil addiction and global warming, transforming health care and education, and building a competitive 21st century economy. Some Republicans have called it an under-the-radar scramble to advance Obama's agenda - and they've got a point. (See TIME's special report "The Green Design 100.")

Yes, the stimulus has cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, bailed out every state, hustled record amounts of unemployment benefits and other aid to struggling families and funded more than 100,000 projects to upgrade roads, subways, schools, airports, military bases and much more. But in the words of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama's effusive Recovery Act point man, "Now the fun stuff starts!" The "fun stuff," about one-sixth of the total cost, is an all-out effort to exploit the crisis to make green energy, green building and green transportation real; launch green manufacturing industries; computerize a pen-and-paper health system; promote data-driven school reforms; and ramp up the research of the future. "This is a chance to do something big, man!" Biden said during a 90-minute interview with TIME.

For starters, the Recovery Act is the most ambitious energy legislation in history, converting the Energy Department into the world's largest venture-capital fund. It's pouring $90 billion into clean energy, including unprecedented investments in a smart grid; energy efficiency; electric cars; renewable power from the sun, wind and earth; cleaner coal; advanced biofuels; and factories to manufacture green stuff in the U.S. The act will also triple the number of smart electric meters in our homes, quadruple the number of hybrids in the federal auto fleet and finance far-out energy research through a new government incubator modeled after the Pentagon agency that fathered the Internet. (See TIME's special report "After One Year, A Stimulus Report Card.")

The only stimulus energy program that's gotten much attention so far - chiefly because it got off to a slow start - is a $5 billion effort to weatherize homes. But the Recovery Act's line items represent the first steps to a low-carbon economy. "It will leverage a very different energy future," says Kristin Mayes, the Republican chair of Arizona's utility commission. "It really moves us toward a tipping point." (Watch the video "TIME Polls America: Spend or Cut?")


The stimulus is also stocked with nonenergy game changers, like a tenfold increase in funding to expand access to broadband and an effort to sequence more than 2,300 complete human genomes - when only 34 were sequenced with all previous aid. There's $8 billion for a high-speed passenger rail network, the boldest federal transportation initiative since the interstate highways. There's $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants to promote accountability in public schools, perhaps the most significant federal education initiative ever - it's already prompted 35 states and the District of Columbia to adopt reforms to qualify for the cash. There's $20 billion to move health records into the digital age, which should reduce redundant tests, dangerous drug interactions and errors caused by doctors with chicken-scratch handwriting. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calls that initiative the foundation for Obama's health care reform and "maybe the single biggest component in improving quality and lowering costs." (Comment on this story.)

Any of those programs would have been a revolution in its own right. "We've seen more reform in the last year than we've seen in decades, and we haven't spent a dime yet," says Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "It's staggering how the Recovery Act is driving change." (See where employment will rebound in the U.S.)

That was the point. Critics have complained that while the New Deal left behind iconic monuments - courthouses, parks, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Grand Coulee Dam - this New New Deal will leave a mundane legacy of sewage plants, repaved roads, bus repairs and caulked windows. In fact, it will create new icons too: solar arrays, zero-energy border stations, an eco-friendly Coast Guard headquarters, an "advanced synchrotron light source" in a New York lab. But its main legacy will be change. The stimulus passed just a month after Obama's inauguration, but it may be his signature effort to reshape America - as well as its government. (See pictures of Barack Obama behind the scenes on Inauguration Day.)

"Let's Just Go Build It!"

After Obama's election, Depression scholar Christina Romer delivered a freak-out briefing to his transition team, warning that to avoid a 1930s-style collapse, Washington needed to pump at least $800 billion into the frozen economy - and fast. "We were in a tailspin," recalls Romer, who is about to step down as chair of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. "I was completely sympathetic to the idea that we shouldn't just dig ditches and fill them in. But saving the economy had to be paramount." Obama's economists argued for tax cuts and income transfers to get cash circulating quickly, emergency aid to states to prevent layoffs of cops and teachers and off-the-shelf highway projects to put people to work. They wanted a textbook Keynesian response to an economy in cardiac arrest: adding money to existing programs via existing formulas or handing it to governors, seniors and first-time home buyers. They weren't keen to reinvent the wheel.

But Obama and Biden also saw a golden opportunity to address priorities; they emphasized shovel-worthy as well as shovel-ready. Biden recalls brainstorming with Obama about an all-in push for a smarter electrical grid that would reduce blackouts, promote renewables and give families more control over their energy diet: "We said, 'God, wouldn't it be wonderful? Why don't we invest $100 billion? Let's just go build it!' "

See high-end homes that won't sell.

See pictures of the recession of 1958.

It wasn't that easy. Utilities control the grid, and new wires create thorny not-in-my-backyard zoning issues; there wasn't $100 billion worth of remotely shovel-ready grid projects. It's hard to transform on a timeline, and some congressional Democrats were less interested in transforming government than growing it. For instance, after securing $100 billion for traditional education programs, House Appropriations Committee chairman Dave Obey tried to stop any of it from going to Race to the Top, which is unpopular with teachers' unions.

Ultimately, even Obama's speed focused economists agreed that stimulus spending shouldn't dry up in 2010. And some Democrats were serious about investing wisely, not just spending more. So House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted on $17 billion for research. House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller fought to save Race to the Top. And while the grid didn't get a $100 billion reinvention, it did get $11 billion after decades of neglect, which could shape trillions of dollars in future utility investments. (See 10 big recession surprises.)

It takes time to set up new programs, but now money is flowing to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas, spread successful quit-smoking programs and design the first high-speed rail link from Tampa to Orlando. And deep in the Energy Department's basement - in a room dubbed the dungeon - a former McKinsey & Co. partner named Matt Rogers has created a government version of Silicon Valley's Sand Hill Road, blasting billions of dollars into clean-energy projects through a slew of oversubscribed grant programs. "The idea is to transform the entire energy sector," Rogers says. "What's exciting is the way it fits all together."

"They Won't All Succeed"

The green industrial revolution begins with gee-whiz companies like A123 Systems of Watertown, Mass. Founded in 2001 by MIT nanotechnology geeks who landed a $100,000 federal grant, A123 grew into a global player in the lithium-ion battery market, with 1,800 employees and five factories in China. It has won $249 million to build two plants in Michigan, where it will help supply the first generation of mass-market electric cars. At least four of A123's suppliers received stimulus money too. The Administration is also financing three of the world's first electric-car plants, including a $529 million loan to help Fisker Automotive reopen a shuttered General Motors factory in Delaware (Biden's home state) to build sedans powered by A123 batteries. Another A123 customer, Navistar, got cash to build electric trucks in Indiana. And since electric vehicles need juice, the stimulus will also boost the number of U.S. battery-charging stations by 3,200%.

"Without government, there's no way we would've done this in the U.S.," A123 chief technology officer Bart Riley told TIME. "But now you're going to see the industry reach critical mass here."

The Recovery Act's clean-energy push is designed not only to reduce our old economy dependence on fossil fuels that broil the planet, blacken the Gulf and strengthen foreign petro-thugs but also to avoid replacing it with a new economy that is just as dependent on foreign countries for technology and manufacturing. Last year, exactly two U.S. factories made advanced batteries for electric vehicles. The stimulus will create 30 new ones, expanding U.S. production capacity from 1% of the global market to 20%, supporting half a million plug-ins and hybrids. The idea is as old as land-grant colleges: to use tax dollars as an engine of innovation. It rejects free-market purism but also the old industrial-policy approach of dumping cash into a few favored firms. Instead, the Recovery Act floods the zone, targeting a variety of energy problems and providing seed money for firms with a variety of potential solutions. The winners must attract private capital to match public dollars - A123 held an IPO to raise the required cash - and after competing for grants, they still must compete in the marketplace. "They won't all succeed," Rogers says. "But some will, and they'll change the world." (Watch TIME's video "Google's Energy Initiatives Director Talks Clean Power.")

The investments extend all along the food chain. A brave new world of electric cars powered by coal plants could be dirtier than the oil-soaked status quo, so the stimulus includes an unheard-of $3.4 billion for clean-coal projects aiming to sequester or reuse carbon. There are also lucrative loan guarantees for constructing the first American nuclear plants in three decades. And after the credit crunch froze financing for green energy, stimulus cash has fueled a comeback, putting the U.S. on track to exceed Obama's goal of doubling renewable power by 2012. The wind industry added a record 10,000 megawatts in 2009. The stimulus is also supporting the nation's largest photovoltaic solar plant, in Florida, and what will be the world's two largest solar thermal plants, in Arizona and California, plus thousands of solar installations on homes and buildings.

The stimulus is helping scores of manufacturers of wind turbines and solar products expand as well, but today's grid can only handle so much wind and solar. A key problem is connecting remote wind farms to population centers, so there are billions of dollars for new transmission lines. Then there is the need to find storage capacity for when it isn't windy or sunny outside. The current grid is like a phone system without voice mail, a just-in-time network where power is wasted if it doesn't reach a user the moment it's generated. That's why the Recovery Act is funding dozens of smart-grid approaches. For instance, A123 is providing truckloads of batteries for a grid-storage project in California and recycled electric-car batteries for a similar effort in Detroit. "If we can show the utilities this stuff works," says Riley, "it will take off on its own."

Today, grid-scale storage, solar energy and many other green technologies are too costly to compete without subsidies. That's why the stimulus launched the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a blue-sky fund inspired by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the incubator for GPS and the M-16 rifle as well as the Internet. Located in an office building a block from the rest of the Energy Department, ARPA-E will finance energy research too risky for private funders, focusing on speculative technologies that might dramatically cut the cost of, say, carbon capture - or not. "We're taking chances, because that's how you put a man on the moon," says director Arun Majumdar, a materials scientist from the University of California, Berkeley. "Our idea is it's O.K. to fail. You think America's pioneers never failed?"

See how Americans are spending now.

See pictures of the global financial crisis.

ARPA-E is funding the new pioneers - mad scientists and engineers with ideas for wind turbines based on jet engines, bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into gasoline, and tiny molten-metal batteries to provide cheap high-voltage storage. That last idea is the brainchild of MIT's Donald Sadoway, who already has a prototype fuel cell the size of a shot glass. The stimulus will help him create a kind of reverse aluminum smelter to make prototypes the size of a hockey puck and a pizza box. The ultimate goal is a commercial scale battery the size of a tractor trailer that could power an entire neighborhood. "We need radical breakthroughs, so we need radical experiments," Sadoway says. "These projects send chills down the spine of the carbon world. If a few of them work, [Venezuela's Hugo] ChÁvez and [Iran's Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad are out of power."

Then again, the easiest way to blow up the energy world would be to stop wasting so much. That's the final link in the chain, a full-throttle push to make energy efficiency a national norm. The Recovery Act is weatherizing 250,000 homes this year. It gave homeowners rebates for energy-efficient appliances, much as the Cash for Clunkers program subsidized fuel-efficient cars. It's retrofitting juice-sucking server farms, factories and power plants; financing research into superefficient lighting, windows and machinery; and funneling billions into state and local efficiency efforts. (See TIME's special report "Obama's Agenda: Get America Back on Track.")

It will also retrofit 3 in 4 federal buildings. The U.S. government is the nation's largest energy consumer, so this will save big money while boosting demand for geothermal heat pumps, LED lighting and other energy-saving products. "We're so huge, we make markets," says Bob Peck, the General Services Administration's public-buildings commissioner. GSA's 93-year-old headquarters, now featuring clunky window air conditioners and wires duct-taped to ceilings, will get energy optimized heating, cooling and lighting systems, glass facades with solar membranes and a green roof; the makeover should cut its energy use 55%. It might even beta-test stimulus-funded windows that harvest sunlight. "We'll be the proving ground for innovation in the building industry," Peck says. "It all starts with renovating the government."

The New Venture Capitalists

The stimulus really is starting to change Washington - and not just the buildings. Every contract and lobbying contact is posted at Recovery.gov, with quarterly data detailing where the money went. A Recovery Board was created to scrutinize every dollar, with help from every major agency's independent watchdog. And Biden has promised state and local officials answers to all stimulus questions within 24 hours. It's a test-drive for a new approach to government: more transparent, more focused on results than compliance, not just bigger but better. Biden himself always saw the Recovery Act as a test - not only of the new Administration but of federal spending itself. He knew high-profile screwups could be fatal, stoking antigovernment anger about bureaucrats and two-car funerals. So he spends hours checking in, buttering up and banging heads to keep the stimulus on track, harassing Cabinet secretaries, governors and mayors about unspent broadband funds, weatherization delays and fishy projects. He has blocked some 260 skate parks, picnic tables and highway beautifications that flunked his what-would-your-mom-think test. "Imagine they could have proved we wasted a billion dollars," Biden says. "Gone, man. Gone!"



So far, despite furor over cash it supposedly funneled to contraception (deleted from the bill) and phantom congressional districts (simply typos), the earmark-free Recovery Act has produced surprisingly few scandals. Prosecutors are investigating a few fraud allegations, and critics have found some goofy expenditures, like $51,500 for water-safety-mascot costumes or a $50,000 arts grant to a kinky-film house. But those are minor warts, given that unprecedented scrutiny. Biden knows it's early - "I ain't saying mission accomplished!" - but he calls waste and fraud "the dogs that haven't barked." (See 25 people to blame for the financial crisis.)



The Recovery Act's deeper reform has been its focus on intense competition for grants instead of everybody-wins formulas, forcing public officials to consider not only whether applicants have submitted the required traffic studies and small-business hiring plans but also whether their projects make sense. Already staffed by top technologists from MIT, Duke and Intel, ARPA-E recruited 4,500 outside experts to winnow 3,700 applications down to 37 first-round grants. "We've taken the best and brightest from the tech world and created a venture fund - except we're looking for returns for the country," Majumdar says. These change agents didn't uproot their lives to fill out forms in triplicate and shovel money by formula. They want to reinvent the economy, not just stimulate it. Sadoway, the MIT battery scientist, is tired of reporting how many jobs he's created in his lab: "If this works, I'll create a million jobs!"



Obama has spent most of his first term trying to clean up messes - in the Gulf of Mexico, Iraq and Afghanistan, on Wall Street and Main Street - but the details in the stimulus plan are his real down payment on change. The question is which changes will last. Will electric cars disappear after the subsidies disappear? Will advanced battery factories migrate back to China? Will bullet trains ever get built? The President wants to extend transformative programs like ARPA-E. But would they be substitutes for the status quo or just additions to tack onto the deficit? And would they survive a Republican Congress?

Polls suggest the actual contents of the Recovery Act are popular. But the idea of the stimulus itself remains toxic - and probably will as long as the recovery remains tepid. "Today, it's judged by jobs," Rogers says of the act. "But in 10 years, it'll be judged by whether it transformed our economy."

jbhawthorne.blogspot.com Is Giving Readers A Chance To Earn Free Gifts

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jbhawthorne.blogspot.com

jbhawthorne.blogspot.com is giving it's readers a chance to earn free gift's, as a thanks for being a loyal visitor. 

The Chronicles OF Hawthorne appreciates everyone who visits it's site, and in return has decided to put

random gift items throughout pages on the site.  All you have to do is scroll through pages on this site and look for free items.  I will make it even easier for you by giving you a

hint.  They are mostly located around the page titles.  These gifts include a PlayStation 3, XBox 360 Slim, Nintendo Wii, Tom Tom Navigation, Ipod Touch, and HDTV.  All you have to do is click on the given link,

sign up, and follow the instructions.  If you follow through on these tasks, you will be able to request your gift from that site.  jbhawthorne.blogspot.com appreciates it's loyal reader's and shoppers,  and has decided to

let you in on these gifts as a return.  These items would be great Christmas gifts, so I wouldn't wait for it to be too late.  So sign up for these gifts and continue to be loyal readers and customers.  THANKS AGAIN!

Worst traffic jam ever? Gridlock spans 60 miles

msnbc.com

A traffic jam stretching more than 60 miles in China has entered its ninth day with no end in sight, state media reported.


Cars and trucks have been slowed to a crawl since August 14 on the National Expressway 110, which is also known as the G110, the major route from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, Xinhua News reported.

Officials expect the congestion to continue until workers complete construction projects on September 13, the report said.

State media reported that Chinese drivers have become accustomed to the severe delays, noting a similar jam in July that slowed traffic for close to a month.

Britain's Sky News reported that the snarls have been commonplace since May as a result of a spike in the number of trucks using the roads, with the daily peak reaching about 17,000.

"Insufficient traffic capacity on the National Expressway 110 caused by maintenance construction since August 19 is the major cause of the congestion," a Beijing Traffic Management Bureau spokesman told the Global Times.

Chinese national radio reported Sunday that minor traffic accidents and broken-down vehicles have complicated the traffic mess, Xinhua reported.

Approximately 400 police officers are patrolling the road 24 hours a day in an effort to keep the situation calm, Sky News said.

Concerts?

Motorists have taken to card games or chess to pass the time, Sky News reported. Others joked that "concerts should be held at each congested area every weekend, to alleviate drivers' homesickness," the report said.

Residents from communities alongside the expressway have seen opportunity in the traffic slowdown, setting up food and drink kiosks for the drivers.

Some drivers have complained of price gouging. One truck driver, identified by his last name Huang, told the Global Times that "instant noodles are sold at four times the original price while I wait in the congestion.

"Not only the congestion annoys me, but also those vendors," he added.

© 2010 msnbc.com Reprints

Why 'Piranha 3D' Should Win Every Oscar Category There Is (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post

The trailer for upcoming horror flick "Piranha 3D" is so ridiculous, it's almost brilliant. It looks like it's going to have its fair share of cheesy dialogue and gore, but does that mean it shouldn't win an Oscar? No. In fact, it should win ALL of them. Jerry O'Connell, Paul Scheer, Riley Steele, Kelly Brook and other stars of the movie rallied together to make this video for the Academy's consideration, and we think they had better listen.

Piranha 3D Movie Trailer in Anaglyph

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Egg recall list expands. Check your eggs again.

By Laurent Belsie / August 19, 2010

The Iowa company responsible for a nationwide egg recall has dramatically expanded it, including new plants and eggs sold through Aug. 17. Federal officials warn they could be contaminated with salmonella.

Even if consumers have already checked their eggs based on the original egg recall list, officials at Wright County Egg suggest looking again. One end of each egg carton is stamped with a number starting with a P (which stands for plant). If the number on your carton is P1720 or P1942, look carefully at the three-digit number that typically follows it.


If that number falls within the range of 136 to 229, the eggs are part of the recall. (The numbers represent dates: The 136th day of the year was May 16; the 229th was Aug. 17.)

If you're checking eggs for the first time, also look for these plant numbers from the original recall: P1026, P1413, and P1946. That recall involved date numbers 136 to 225 (May 16 to Aug. 13). (See the Monitor's original story on the egg recall for more details.)

Company officials urge consumers to take any recalled cartons and eggs back to the store for a full refund.

Wednesday's announcement by Wright County Egg, based in Galt, Iowa, represents a large expansion from the original recall, reportedly involving 380 million eggs, up from 228 million originally. Of course, most of those eggs were consumed long ago. Only shell eggs from Wright are being recalled, not its other products.

"Our primary concern is keeping Salmonella out of the food supply and away from consumers," the company said in its statement Wednesday. "As a precautionary measure, Wright County Egg also has decided to divert its existing inventory of shell eggs from the recalled plants to a breaker, where they will be pasteurized to kill any Salmonella bacteria present."

For more information, consumers can go online to the Egg Safety Center (www.eggsafety.org) or call Wright County’s toll-free information line: 866-272-5582, which contains a message with recall instructions for consumers.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

15 Things You Shouldn't Be Paying For

by Phil Taylor

So much money and energy is wasted on things we could get for free. If you're into new, shiny things and collecting stuff, this is not for you. But if you want less clutter in your life and want to keep more of your money, then check out these 15 things you shouldn't be paying for.

Basic Computer Software -- Thinking of purchasing a new computer? Think twice before you fork over the funds for a bunch of extra software. There are some great alternatives to the name brand software programs. The most notable is OpenOffice, the open-source alternative to those other guys. It's completely free and files can be exported in compatible formats.

Your Credit Report -- You don't have to pay for your credit report. You could sign up for one of the free credit monitoring services online to get a quick look at your credit report. You just have to remember to cancel the service before the end of the free trial. Or you could do one better and visit www.annualcreditreport.com, the only truly free place to see all three of your credit reports for free once a year.

Cell Phone -- The service plan may be expensive, but the phone itself doesn't have to cost a thing. Most major carriers will give you a free phone, even a free smart phone, with a two-year contract.

Books -- There's a cool place in your town that's renting out books for free: the library. Remember that place? Stop by and put your favorite book on reserve. And if you don't feel like getting out, visit www.paperbackswap.com and find your books there (small shipping fees apply).

Water -- Besides the monthly utility bill, there's no reason to shell out $1 for every bottle of water you drink. Bottled water is so last decade anyway. We're over it, and into tap, filters, and reusable water bottles. It's cheaper for you and better for the environment.

Credit Card -- With as many credit cards as there are available on the market today, it's easy to avoid a credit card with an annual fee. Unless you're dead set on a particular perk that a fee card brings, skip the annual fee card and pocket that money yourself.

[Why Spending Less Can Make You Happier]

Debt Reduction Help -- Speaking of credit cards, if you're in over your head with credit card help, there are many free sources you can turn to for help with your debt. No one is going to be able to magically wipe away your debts, but there is help out there that will set you up on a debt reduction plan you can handle. Start with a visit to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Basic Tax Preparation -- If your tax situation isn't that complicated, then you should probably be preparing your own tax return using one of the many free online services. It's now common for e-filing to be free as well with many services. You won't even need a stamp.

The News -- Leave it to a blogger to try and kill off traditional print. I'm not anti-newspaper. I just don't find them practical anymore. Skip the daily .50 cents and get your news online. And for you dedicated coupon clippers, you can get most of your Sunday coupons online now too.

Budgeting Tools -- There are many budgeting tools (both online and desktop) that offer up the service for free. Don't ask me how they do this, but who cares. If you're looking to reign in some of your spending, the good news is you can do it for free.

Pets -- This is a controversial one, I know. But there are likely many pets down at your local animal shelter that could use just as much love as the pure-bred types. There may be a small fee due to the shelter for shots and basic care, but you'll have your pet home without paying a mini-fortune.

Shipping -- If you like to buy online, you probably use coupons to get a percentage off of your purchase. Take your skills to the next level and look for coupons or promotion codes that offer free shipping. If in doubt, visit a site like www.freeshipping.org.

Checking Account -- Isn't it nice when a bank takes your money, lends it out to earn money, and then has the audacity to charge you for the service? What a joke. Checking should be free. If yours isn't free then move to one of the many banks that offers a checking account for free. And the same can be said for ATM fees, teller fees, and checks.

DVD Rentals -- Did you know that you can rent DVDs from RedBox locations for $1 a night? And better yet, if you use one of the coupon codes from www.insideredbox.com you can avoid the $1 charge. Free DVD rentals! Most libraries now have free DVD rental as well.

Exercise -- Skip the expensive gym memberships. Visit your local park for a walk or run. Do basic push-up and sit-up programs in your living room. Rent a workout DVD from the library. There are many free workout programs you can download online as well.

Can you think of any other things you should be getting for free? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Five Guys Burgers Dethrones In-N-Out As Top Burger

By ThirdAge News Staff

Five Guys Burgers has been gaining in popularity in recent years, and for those who eat the burgers - there's no surprise there. What is a surprise of readers of the Zagat Survey though, is that Five Guys Burgers wasn't even in the top 5 burgers last year - but in the span of one year, managed to leapfrog everyone else to the top of the list.

Nancy Luna of the Orange County Register has more on this: "Zagat releases the often controversial results of its fast food survey — where chains are ranked in categories ranging from best burger to best value. And this year, Southern California chains took a beating, including Irvine-based In-N-Out and Costa Mesa-based El Pollo Loco. The biggest shocker of the 2010 results comes in the “best burger” category, where Five Guys Burgers & Fries ousted In-N-Out Burger. The timing of the results come as many local burger fans proclaim Five Guys as a worthy rival to In-N-Out.

Image via WikipediaThe Virginia-based chain opened its first O.C. burger joint two weeks ago. More are on the way. Even more noteworthy – Five Guys didn’t even make Zagat’s Top 5 burger list last year. But suddenly it catapulted to the No. 1 position in the burger category, and the No. 2 spot for Best French Fries. (see rankings below)

New, Roomy PlayStation 3 Models Confirmed For North America

kotaku.com

The leaked and now confirmed new versions of the PlayStation 3 coming to other markets are also coming to North America this fall.

The next PS3 slim will by 160GB and sell for $299.99.

A 320GB PS3 bundled with the September-launching PlayStation Move controller and a copy of Move game Sports Champions will be out for $399.99.

A 320GB version went on sale in Japan in late July. The console was white. Pictures of the bundle slated for the U.S., however, show a black 320GB console. We're checking with Sony to see if the 320GB will come out in white in North America.

The current highest-end PS3 in North America is the $350 250GB one. The smaller version is $300, 120GB.

To compare the new fall PS3 models to the currently available ones, check out Kotaku's PlayStation buyer's guide. That guide will be updated in the near future to reflect the new fall-slated hardware models revealed by Sony today.

Send an email to Stephen Totilo, the author of this post, at stephentotilo@kotaku.com.

By The Numbers: The Cast of 'The Expendables'

yahoo.com

This weekend, the action extravaganza "The Expendables" explodes on the silver screen. The flick boasts one of the most impressive casts in recent memory, featuring just about every '80s action icon out there, from Sylvester Stallone -- who directed the movie -- to Bruce Willis to Arnold Schwarzenegger who took a day off from being California's governator for a rare cameo.


Of course, Reagan was president when most of these stars were in their heyday. In spite of all the explosions and physical derring-do, the average age of the cast is 52.5 years old, with the oldest, Stallone, being a year shy of receiving his Social Security check. Yet together, their collective box-office gross is a whopping $10,843,341,908. That's more than the GDP of Mongolia.

So who earned the most at the box office? Who's the youngest? Who earned the most Oscar nominations? Click ahead and check out the cast of "The Expendables," ranked according to box-office gross.

Capone's Cadillac for sale

by Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer

 An armored 1928 Cadillac reportedly once owned by the notorious Chicago gangster will be auctioned.

A 1928 Cadillac thought to have belonged to the notorious Chicago mobster Al Capone will be auctioned Friday in California. Expected to sell for about $500,000, the car is also believed to be the oldest surviving bulletproof automobile.

According to rumor, the car may even have been used briefly by President Franklin Roosevelt after Capone was imprisoned, according to RM Auctions, the firm that plans to auction the car.

How to Retire Comfortably for Under $1,500 a Month

Kathleen Peddicord, On Tuesday August 10, 2010, 2:41 pm EDT


Jason and Elizabeth Pearce moved from Canada to Belize three years ago. They bought a piece of property on the sea. A year later, they built a house. Today, they live in a beautiful Santa Fe adobe-style home with gardens all around.

The pair lives very comfortably, without wants or financial worries. They've had no trouble making friends in their new community because the folks in Belize speak English. They eat out three or four times a week. They barbecue lobster and filet mignon at home. They have reliable Internet to keep them connected to the outside world. By choice, they do not have a television. "I used to think that the news was important," Jason explains. "But not anymore." The retired couple has a maid and a gardener, each of whom visit once a week.

And here's the best part. Jason and his wife are living on their Social Security income alone. In fact, they're living on Jason's Social Security income alone. Elizabeth's Social Security check goes into savings each month.

Everyone's spending habits are different, but here's a sample monthly budget for a couple living a comfortable expatriate lifestyle in Belize:

--Rent: $300

--Utilities, telephone, and Internet: $500 (Your biggest expense in this country.)

--Groceries: $150

--Health insurance: $50

--Entertainment: $100

--Car expenses: $300

One of the most appealing things about Belize as an overseas retirement choice is that it can make sense even if you're nowhere near conventional retirement age. Through Belize's Qualified Retired Persons program you can establish foreign residency as young as age 40.

Belize is a beautiful little country. It's a peaceful, eco-tourist retreat home to more than 540 species of birds, 4,000 species of flowering plants, and 700 kinds of trees. Nearly 40 percent of the country is protected as parkland and natural preserves. Belize boasts the second-largest barrier reef in the world. This incredible underwater resource teems with colorful fish, coral, and unusual marine life, making the waters off this country's coast a fisherman's and diver's paradise.

Despite all these natural attractions, Belize has managed to remain largely off the world's radar. It's a small country of about 350,000 people. It's also a young country, having gained independence from Great Britain in 1981. There are a lot of market niches waiting to be filled. Living here, you'll discover that life can be not only super affordable, comfortable, and adventure-filled, but also full of potential.

Retirees in Belize are finding many interesting and sometimes lucrative ways to fill their days. Lara Lennon moved to Belize from Philadelphia in 2006 and developed a luxury swimwear line, Lemon Crush Belize. "Sitting on a friend's porch in San Pedro chatting about this and that in our tropical lives, I realized something: There existed nowhere in Belize a place to shop for dress bathing suits, the kind glamorous enough for a beach wedding or special enough for a honeymoon," Lennon says.

Lara's swimwear is now featured in luxury boutiques in Belize and internationally. Starting a business takes drive and determination, Lara admits, but she has found the experience in Belize rewarding. "Best of all, I'm right where I want to be--with my friends on a Caribbean island, enjoying life," Lennon says. "Only now in better bathing suits."

Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group. With more than 25 years experience covering this beat, Kathleen reports daily on current opportunities for living, retiring, and investing overseas in her free e-letter. Her book, How To Retire Overseas--Everything You Need To Know To Live Well Abroad For Less, was recently released by Penguin Books.

Holmfirth Lotto winner helps family

An 18-year-old nursery nurse has said she will help her family move out of their council house after becoming Britain's latest lottery millionaire.


Stacey Bywater, from Holmfirth, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, won £1,117,779 in Saturday's Lotto draw with a lucky dip ticket.

She said she wanted to help her sister, who had just lost her job, and give her parents a deposit for a house.

The teenager said she would carry on working, as she loved her job.

Miss Bywater said she wanted to buy a house for her older sister, Kirsty, 21, who had recently lost her job in a department store.

She said she still intended to live with her parents, adding: "I'm only 18 and I don't want to leave them yet."

Miss Bywater said her shopping list also included property to rent out and a soft-top Mini Cooper to drive once she had passed her driving test.

She said the size of her win "scared me a bit, where to put it".

"Other than that I don't think it's hit me yet. I don't think it has sunk in I'm a millionaire."

First Look at Jon Foo as Jin Kazama in Tekken Movie

beyondhollywood.com

With that Chun Li chick and those crazy kids and their juggling dragonballs hogging all the game-to-movie spotlight, it’s easy to forget that they’re also making a live-action movie based on the popular Tekken fighting game. Okay, “forget” is not the right word, pretty much “hoping it doesn’t look nearly as bad as the other two movies” would probably be more in line with what gaming fans are thinking right now.


But just in case you still have hope for this movie, here’s your first look at British actor Jon Foo in character as Jin Kazama from the movie via his official site. And don’t worry, kids. Jon Foo isn’t some fancy schmancy actor they plucked out of TV land to star in this sure-to-be (hopefully) hard-hitting movie. After the pics, check out Foo’s video resume.


Jon Foo action demo from web09 on Vimeo.