A Million Little Pieces Author a fraud?

This is kind of junk if it is true. It seems that James Frey may have embellished his reminiscences according to some charges leveled by the Smoking Gun.

Central to Frey's book, published in 2003, is his assertion that he was charged with assaulting an Ohio police officer with his car, with inciting a riot, with possession of crack cocaine and felony drunk driving -- charges that he wrote resulted in a three-month prison term.

The Smoking Gun, owned by Court TV, reported that most of those claims were not borne out by police records or by interviews with police and court officials. The Web site published the police officer's report of the key 1992 incident which shows Frey was found drunk in his car without a driver's license but did not, as he wrote, serve time the incident or behave in the outrageous manner portrayed in his book.

These seem to be pretty serious charges if they are true and Doubleday is offering a refund for everyone who bought the book directly from the publisher. This is another case of the internet (not the blogosphere unfortunately) finding potential fraud where the main stream media fears to tread. In years past this kind of investigative journalism would be done by 20/20 or some other news show and not by some web page.

I wonder why this is? Is there too much money involved or would it be the wrath of the Oprah that keeps them from looking into things like this? It seems that Doubleday is owned by Bertelsmann AG which seems to have no connection to Oprah at all. However lots of the books on her Book club list seem to come from Doubleday or from Random House which is another Bertelsmann subsidiary. I didn't check them all but many of these Book Club books are Doubleday or Random House books.

Perhaps the main stream media didn't want to upset a good thing by looking too deeply into an Oprah Book Club book. I mean the Oprah Book Club has been quite a boon to the publishing industry providing a much needed boost to their bottom line. It has also made people interested in reading that may not be interested normally. The Book Club seems to serve the same purpose as the Harry Potter books do for younger readers. It has made people read a book instead of watching TV or partaking in one of the millions of distractions we have out there.

Perhaps too much investigation into the facts surrounding one these books will upset that sort of thing. So the MSM takes a pass while the internet (which really has nothing to lose) goes after it with abandon. I wonder if Oprah is going to come out for or against this Frey guy?

MSFT and Mac ink 5 year deal

This should be a good deal for both companies I think.

"We've had many years of success with Office for Mac, and this formal commitment confirms that we're in the Mac business for the long haul," said Tom Gibbons, Microsoft vice president of Consumer Productivity eXperience, in a statement.

I wonder if this new Office for Mac is going to be a better fit now that Macs are using Intel chips in them.

Iran Removes the Seals

It looks like Iran is taking advantage of Ariel Sharon's illness and removed the seals on their uranium enrichment equipment. I don't think Israel will stand for another nuclear power in the Middle East for any period of time. And it looks like we may be stepping in as well:

"If the regime in Iran continues on the current course and fails to abide by its international obligations, there is no other choice but to refer the matter to the Security Council," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Also it looks like Germany and France are going to condemn in the strongest possible terms but do almost nothing again:

French President Jacques Chirac warned Iran it would commit a serious mistake if it ignored the international community on its nuclear program.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Iran was sending "worrying signals" on the nuclear issue.

The key is what the Security Council is going to do. I have my money on slap on the wrist and Iran getting the bomb in about 5 years or so. Then we will have an Iran/Israel hot war soon afterward. Maybe even an nuclear exchange between the two powers.

Herm Edwards in as Coach of Kansas City

Seems like a pretty good move from the Kansas City team and it should be a great fit for Edwards.

Herman Edwards was hired as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, replacing the retired Dick Vermeil and inheriting a team that barely missed the playoffs.

The Chiefs will give Edwards' former team, the New York Jets, a fourth-round draft pick as compensation. Edwards still had two years left on his contract with New York.

He leaves a battered Jets club that where he seemed to be on the bubble of being fired from and goes to a club that barely missed the playoffs. That KC squad is packed with talent and just needs to improve its defense before they become contenders. It also seems that the KC front office might stick with Edwards even though the team doesn't do so well also.

Vermeil retired after going 44-36 in five years but reached the playoffs only once and did not get past the first game.

That means they will have the patience it will take to make the team into a contender. With all the fire-happy teams in the league that patience is a real luxury. I like Edwards too and I am looking forward to watching the KC Chiefs next year.

Toys-R-Us beaten by Wal-Mart; cuts stores and staff

It looks like Toys-R-Us is finally going to succumb to the Wal-Mart effect:

Toy retailer Toys R Us Inc. on Monday said it will close 75 Toys "R" Us stores in the United States and convert 12 others into Babies "R" Us stores, eliminating about 3,000 jobs.

Those piles of low priced toys that Wal-Mart pushes for that low-low price has finally driven Toys-R-Us to cut back stores and fire some workers. This is right after the most profitable part of their financial calendar too. At least they are latching onto the Babies-R-Us concept pretty well though. I think this may still pull in some good money for the moment.

It may be a losing business in the long term though. It seems people are having less children and much of that baby stuff could be carried by Wal-Mart for cheaper as well. Wal-Mart seems to be a kind of company that a consumer can go back to for their entire lifetime. The consumers parent buys them baby stuff, then toys, then video games, then school stuff, then clothing, and then the grown consumer does the same for their family.

Babies-R-Us is only useful for about a year and then the parents go to Wal-Mart to shop. Oh well, I hear that they have pretty good margins there and it brings in decent revenue growth for Toys-R-Us so they are still able to compete in that space.

Marcus Vick Arrested for Pulling a Gun

Now this really is a QB flushing his career down the toilet.

Police said the parents of a 17-year-old boy reported that Vick pointed a weapon at their son and two others during an altercation at a McDonald's in Suffolk, a southeastern Virginia city where Vick's mother lives, Sunday night.

If convicted of all three counts, Vick could be sentenced to up to three years in jail and a $7,500 fine, police spokeswoman Lt. Debbie George said in a statement.

He had an almost sure chance of making it in the NFL and now he is the next Maurice Clarett.

Hostel wins Box Office Wars

I didn't think this film would do as well as this. The movie cost less then 5 million and it has already grossed 20.1 million. I think the horror movie genre will really get some added traction with these kinds of numbers. I wonder if this movie has the legs to do $100 million numbers? If it does then we will really see a rash of splatter movies on the horizon.

Dow cracks 11000

Good looking broad based rally we are seeing here. The Janurary effect is in full swing and the market is going pretty good so far.

Getting a 5% yield

This seems like sensible advice to get a relatively risk-free 5% yield. It is strange that he doesn't list those inflation protected TIPS though. I guess that paragraph got cut or something.

Vick Booted off of VT

Wow VT sure doesn't fool around when it comes to disciplining its players. They actually kicked their star player off of the team for doing this:

On Friday, it was revealed that Vick had been stopped for speeding and driving with a revoked or suspended license in Hampton on Dec. 17, Cpl. James West said. Vick's license had been taken away in August 2004 when he was cited for reckless driving and marijuana possession in New Kent County.

If they kicked every player that was stopped for speeding with a revoked license off of the team then Florida would field a skeleton crew.

Tom DeLay hung out to dry

It looks like he may not be the majority leader when he comes back:

"I would not support him for majority leader," Rep. Ray LaHood told Reuters in a telephone interview from his central Illinois district.

"We need to clean up our House here very quickly or a year from now we'll be the minority party," said LaHood, initially elected to Congress in 1994 when his party won control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

And these are very apt words as well. I have a feeling that if the Repubs don't start flying right they will lose the Senate and maybe the House as well. And they cannot afford to have DeLay in there fighting in court while he is trying to keep their majority. His focus will be too divided to make sure they hold on to their majority. The Pres can't help them because he seems to be more hated then loved right now. They need a strong leader that is 100% focused on the goal.

Lindsay Lohan admits Drug use and being on the Vomit Diet

Ah all my speculation way back when were true. She admits to all this stuff in the new issue of Vanity Fair.

"I was making myself sick. I was sick and I had people sit me down and say 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself,"' she said in the magazine's latest issue, which hit newsstands on Wednesday.

Lohan said she used drugs "a little" but quickly tried to retract the admission and denied that she had taken cocaine. "I don't want people to think that I've done ... you know what I mean? It's kind of a sore subject," she said.

Sharon sent to ICU

It looks like the end could be near for the Prime Minister of Israel.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent brain surgery after suffering a life-threatening stroke with doctors working through the night to stop "massive bleeding." Hadassah Hospital Director Mor-Yosef said he was transferred to intensive care Thursday with stable vital signs.

I wonder what kind of guy this person is:

Sharon's official powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert, who chaired a special Cabinet session Thursday

Is he a force for peace or something else entirely? Or is he just a place holder guy for some other person to come into power.

Splatter Movies back in Vogue

It looks like the low-budget Horror movie is making a comeback. I think this is a great idea as well. I think we have had too much of the wink-wink Scream style horror movies. I was brought up on good old fashioned splatter movie era myself. But with todays special effects and makeup we can really have some great gore-fests now. I am looking forward to catching the movie Hostel when it comes out on Netflix. I'll review it when it does.

Ariel Sharon has Big Stroke

Bad news from the Middle East.

Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, said Sharon suffered "a significant stroke," adding that he was "under anesthetic and receiving breathing assistance." A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in his brain.

This is going to be a serious blow to that centrist Kadima party that they were trying to start in Israel. I wonder if this will usher in a reactionary like Netanyahu his fractured Likud party. Sharon looked like he could lead that Kadima party into some Israeli acceptable peace terms with the Palestinian. Now everything is up for grabs.

TCU Freshmen Kicker Killed

Oh wow now this is weird news.

TCU freshman kicker Kasey Davis was shot to death early Tuesday, his body found in his car by police in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

The 20-year-old player had a gunshot wound to his chest and was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.

Police arrested a suspect near the apartment minutes after getting a description from witnesses. Jeffrey Clay Lasiter had a rifle in the front seat of his car when he was pulled over.

My friend thinks that this was because TCU was able to cover the spread on that game. TCU was favored by 2 and that kick won that game for everyone betting on TCU. Perhaps this Lasiter character was representing shady underworld characters betting on Iowa St. who had paid the kicker to miss that field goal. He made the FG and thus became a big target for these people. I think someone should do a study on this kind of stuff.

The new IMeat?

This is a funny story from here in Hawaii. I have shopped at the Mililani Wal-Mart quite a bit but I never thought they would be selling meat in an Ipod box. I wonder what type of meat it was and if it came from Apple. This article says this:

Cambra says the box was sealed and that it didn't appear to have been tampered with when she brought it home from the Honolulu Wal-Mart where she works.

She says she had put the iPod on layaway so that she could afford the device's hefty $300 price tag.

"I know what I went through to get this for him," said an incensed Cambra. "To open up and find this? I don't know what to say."

"This" appeared to be some kind of sealed fish or meat product, certainly not a state-of-the-art MP3 player.

I think this is Apples new way of getting into the sealed food business.

WIFI matches Ethernet Speed

We may be entering the non cabled age at last.

Wireless networks may be convenient to set up, but wired ethernet has always been faster. Now a new generation of Wi-Fi products is challenging ethernet's superiority for high-bandwidth apps. We sampled some of the first of these Wi-Fi products--Netgear's $180 RangeMax 240 Wireless Router and $100 Notebook Adapter--and found that at close range, even with encryption enabled, data speeds were only a little bit slower than on a standard 10/100 megabits-per-second ethernet network.

Audit Finds FEMA Corrupt

It looks like FEMA needs a real overhaul here.

"When one considers that FEMA's programs are largely administered through grants and contracts, the circumstances created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita provides an unprecedented opportunity for fraud, waste, and abuse," the report said.

It said while Homeland Security was taking steps to manage spending for Katrina, the size of the response and recovery efforts created "an unprecedented need for oversight."

The bad thing is that they were not prepared for a natural disaster of that magnitude even in a worse case scenerio form. Lack of planning just shows that the people at the top of FEMA were incompitent and shouldn't have had that job in the first place. They should have a plan for any possible disaster that happens in the US. If a meteor hits in NW Ohio they should just pull out a folder and put the plan into place. I wonder if they have a plan for another terrorist attack? Probably not depending on the idiots running the ship.

Windows WMF Flaw Found not Patched Yet

This one looks bad because they can execute the code simply from going to the website and currently there is no patch or workaround. I'm staying in the corporate part of the internet until they can get this thing patched.

The attacks can be carried out thanks to a newly discovered vulnerability in those operating systems' handling of corrupted.WMF (Windows Metafile) graphic files, the firms said.

The firms describe the exploit as "zero day," because malicious hackers are taking advantage of it while there is no patch or certified workaround against the vulnerability.