Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Justin Bieber


Teen sensation Justin Bieber plans to open his own clothing store at Los Angeles' upmarket outdoor shopping center The Grove. The team behind the Kardashians' new Las Vegas store, Khaos, was helping the pint-size pop star with the concept for his shop, RadarOnline reported Monday. Under the plans, Beliebers would be able to buy sneakers, skateboards, toys ... and even Bieber-branded lollipops, according to the report. "They want to have everything Justin Bieber," an insider was quoted as saying. The 16 year old already designed a nail polish line for Nicole by OPI and launched an assortment of fragrance-infused accessories. -NY Post

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Suspects sought in Oakland bank robbery



Police are looking for two robbery suspects who they said walked into a Northwest Savings Bank in Oakland Saturday afternoon armed with semi-automatic guns and fled with an undetermined amount of cash. According to city police, two men wearing masks entered the bank at 211 N. Craig St. shortly after noon, demanded money from the tellers and left the bank with the cash. They ran behind Little Nipper's Pizzeria, at 216 N. Craig, where they climbed a fence and got into a tan or cream-colored Cadillac, which fled the scene, police said. A gun and an exploded dye pack were found behind the pizzeria, police said. Police described one of the suspects as about 30 years old, 5-foot-8, weighing about 160 pounds. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, dark hoodie and a dark blue mask, police said. The second suspect is 30 years old, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, with a stocky build. He was wearing a dark blue jacket, a brown mask and a black tossel cap. Anyone with information is asked to call Pittsburgh police at 412-323-7151. Callers may remain anonymous.
- Elwin Green

Miss America 2011 - Teresa Scanlan


LAS VEGAS - A 17-year-old Nebraskan too young to cast a ballot has captured enough votes to win the Miss America crown, kickstarting her hopes of going to law school and eventually becoming a politician. "I want to be there making sure that I stand up for what's right, stand up for integrity and honesty," Teresa Scanlan told The Associated Press on Saturday night after becoming the first Miss America from the Cornhusker State. She won a $50,000 scholarship and a year's reign in one of the most visible positions any young woman could seek. Scanlan captured the hearts of seven judges after a night of playing the piano, walking across a Las Vegas stage in a white gown and black bikini, and saying security trumps the public's right to knowledge when it comes to government leaks. She said she'll register to vote as an independent after turning 18 next month, and work toward her goals by going to law school and perhaps becoming a prosecutor, then judge. "At this point, attorneys and politicians are looked down on and have terrible reputations for being greedy and power hungry and I really think it's important for people who have their heart and mind in the right place get into those powerful positions," Scanlan told the AP. "When I talk to kids my age, I don't find very many who are interested in that, because many are just turned off to the idea," she said. "I think it's important that we get a lot more of my generation willing to step up and go into those positions." Scanlan beat out 52 beauty queens from other U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.
- OSKAR GARCIA

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The Palace Guard




As Britain's Prime Minister Harold Wilson arrived at the south portico of the White House last week, he may have had a fleeting fancy that he had come to a banana republic or a Balkan kingdom. On hand to greet him were a squad of White House guards caparisoned in Graustarkian dress uniforms festooned with gold braid and nipped at the waist with black leather gunbelts. The black vinyl hats trimmed in gold suggested, by turns, a Ruritanian palace guard, a Belgian customs inspector, and Prince Danilo in The Merry Widow. President Nixon was impressed during his European tour last year by the shakos and braids of the ceremonial guards he encountered. Nixon—who himself wears, somber grays and blues—had his staff order some kitschily elaborate threads for 150 of his White House police from a Washington military tailor. What did the President think of the uniform? "He likes it," reported Press Secretary Ron Ziegler. Some guests may have wondered whether the White House would soon revert to its old name. For a time, in the 19th century, the executive mansion was known as the President's Palace. - TIME Monday, Feb. 09, 1970

Americans expect a certain degree of formality with the presidency but are leery of too much pomp and circumstance. The gold-trimmed tunics and peaked hats struck many Americans as a comical attempt to emulate the trappings of European royalty. The black hat was first to go, replaced by the soft white hat. The entire uniform was abandoned during the mid-1970s. - The Democratic Underground

Friday, January 14, 2011