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Written by Joyce L Chow & William Hoehne February 16,2006

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Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Turin Games and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for doping.

New York Bill Bans Call Records Sale

Never Hear of modern earth movers (Picture)

Two Marines Die

Editorial on Brokeback Mountain.

Dancing with the Stars

Medal Count

NBC Losing sweeps

Digital Photographers Would Rather Capture Family Moments Over Celebrity Sightings

Nicole Kidman to Present at 78th Academy Awards

Bond girl and villian finally cast

First Doping removal

Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Turin Games and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for doping, the first athlete caught in the tightest drug net in Winter Olympics history.

Pyleva was favored heading into Thursday's 7.5km sprint to win her second medal of the games. As athletes were walking up to the starting line, an announcer told the crowd that Pyleva was scratched because she had fallen ill.

But it didn't take long for news of the real reason to spread. A urine sample Pyleva submitted after the 15km event on Monday tested positive for the stimulant carphedon, which she said was in an over-the-counter medication she'd taken.

An IOC panel was hastily convened to hear Pyleva's case. Less than two hours after the race went on without her, she was kicked out of the Turin Games.

The 30-year-old Pyleva is one of the biggest stars in biathlon, which typically draws more than 30,000 spectators to World Cup events and is Europe's most popular televised winter sport. She also won gold and bronze medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games

New York Bill Bans Call Records Sale

In the latest wrinkle surrounding online brokers of user call data legislation to ban the access and sale of telephone customer calling records and also hold carriers accountable has been introduced into the New York State Assembly.

The proposed bill – introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Republican state Senator Martin Golden imposes civil penalties on persons convicted of stealing and selling phone records and allow those whose information was sold to sue for damages.

The measure already has more than 20 co-sponsors ad its passage is being given a good chance at the state capitol in Albany; there is also support for the measure from consumer and public interests groups as well as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile.

The measure would prohibit carriers from releasing personal telephone account records to anyone except account holders in order to prevent third parties from selling the records, with the exception of authorization by court order .The law would apply to mobile wireless cellular, land line, satellite and Internet Protocol telephony activities.

Shock over the Internet call details business has prompted other state legislators to look into possible bills, state attorneys general and carriers to file suits, drafting of bills in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to make such transactions illegal and deepening investigations and of regulatory proceedings by the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said federal investigators have identified individuals behind 22 Web pages that may offer criminals, stalkers and any other paying customer the detailed records of private telephone calls. Its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is sending out additional letters to the individuals demanding that the companies provide information about business. William Hoehne

 Never heard of equipment to move dirt

Two Marines Die

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties  The Department of Defense announced today the death of two
Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.


            Killed were:


            Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes, 20, of West Monroe, La.



            Cpl. Rusty L. Washam, 21, of Huntsville, Tenn.



Both Marines died Feb. 14, when a suicide car bomber attacked their vehicle near Al Qa'im, Iraq.  They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division; II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.


BrokeBack Mountain 

This is movie of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 shepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming.

The word that counts most in the movies bio is SHEPHERDING. That made them SHEEP HERDERS not cowboys.

A COWBOY is a hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback. Also called cowman, cowpoke; Also called cowpuncher; also called regionally buckaroo.

A SHEEP HERDER is  a person who herds sheep, especially on an open range; a shepherd.

Cow, Sheep, Cowboy, Shepard.

It is not the story of two cowboys that fell in love but the story of two shepherds that fell in love.

What their jobs were before and after their eventful meeting is really irrelevant to the plot. It is what they were when they first met that counts.

Dancing with the Stars rigged?

Figure it out for yourself with the bio on the celebrity amateur dancer Stacy Keibler.

She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She began dancing when she was three years old and has a background in ballet, tap and jazz. Stacy went to school in Baltimore and was also one of Baltimore's first "Raven Cheerleaders". She stayed with the Ravens for a period of three years before signing with WCW.

She looks as good as she does on the dance floor because she should look that good. Only if a viewer induced miracle like that forced ABC to have a dance off in the first Dancing with the Stars will Drew Lachey have any chance to win.

A shame to in that day in day out he is the best dancer out there. His feet work is exceptional and he takes it seriously plus he has the strain of his wife getting ready to give birth upon him each time he steps out to dance.

But he is short, not blond haired with long legs. Odd are very much against him.

Olympic Medal Count

Norway One Gold Six Silver Six Bronze

Russia Five Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Germany Five Gold Four Silver One Bronze

United States Six Gold Two Silver One Bronze

Canada One Gold Three Silver Four Bronze

Austria Three Gold Two Silver One Bronze

China One Gold Two Silver Three Bronze

Italy Two Gold Three Bronze

Finland Two Silver Three Bronze

Sweden Two Gold One Silver One Bronze

France Two Gold Two Bronze

Netherlands One Gold Two Silver One Bronze

Switzerland One Gold Two Silver One Bronze

South Korea One Gold One Silver One Silver

Estonia Two Gold

Australia One Gold

Slovakia One Silver

Croatia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Czech Republic One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Ukraine One Bronze

Latvia One Bronze

NBC Losing sweeps

Nearly halfway through, it trails behind ABC

February should be NBC’s month but disappointing ratings for its Olympics coverage, compounded by solid performances by its competitors, has the network in a slump.

Indeed, many media buyers had predicted before the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies last Friday that NBC’s ratings would fall short of past Games.

Buyers sensed there were no breakout Olympics stories to capture the attention of viewers.

NBC's struggles are not all that surprising, say media researchers.

“The Olympics rarely go up against original programming, and the other networks decided to put their best products forward,” explains Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom. “It has never gone up against ‘American Idol,’ and I don’t think anyone should be surprised that the older-skewing Olympics should not have any impact on ‘Idol.’

"I look at the Olympics as fallback programming" says Breslow. "It’s like, take your pick of first-run product and if there isn’t anything there, then, great, tune into NBC.”

Says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest: “The problem for NBC is that they are still struggling, putting the Olympics aside. The network has not yet shown that they have hit bottom, although they said they have.”

Indeed, many media buyers had predicted before the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies last Friday that NBC’s ratings would fall short of past Games.

One reason, as Spiropoulos suggests, is that NBC’s faltering ratings weakened its ability to promote the Games.

But also, and beyond the network's control, going into the Games, buyers sensed there were no breakout Olympics stories to capture the attention of viewers. That's turned out to be the case.

“You look at the Winter Games and the biggest superstar that we had has withdrawn, Michelle Kwan, and the outspoken [skier] Bode Miller can’t get his act together," says Breslow. "There’s no real draw, there’s nothing really pulling you in.”

What is surprising is how soundly NBC’s competitors are beating the Olympics in head-to-head competition.


The big question for NBC is whether or not it can bounce back in the next 11 nights of Olympics coverage.

that's unlikely with the Olympics will facing tougher competition in original programs such as the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, “American Idol,” and programs like CBS’s “Survivor.”

Survey Finds Amateur Digital Photographers Would Rather Capture Family Moments Over Celebrity Sightings

A recent survey commissioned by Duracell(R) PowerPix(TM) shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans would be more upset at missing a photo of a family event(1) than one of a celebrity sighting.

Respondents ranked images of a baby's first step (47 percent) or a child's graduation (38 percent) as the most important moments to capture on camera. By contrast, celebrity sightings like Johnny Damon's first at-bat as a New York Yankee (two percent) or the first photo of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's baby (one percent) landed at the bottom of the list. Family moments also scored significantly higher than ego-driven ones: fewer than 10 percent of respondents said that their top priority would be an image of themselves snagging the largest catch on an annual fishing trip.

While the increasing popularity of digital photography has resulted in more snap-shooting to capture spontaneous or "once-in-a-lifetime" moments, battery power remains crucial to the equation. Roughly one-third of respondents indicated that they've missed a memorable moment because their digital camera wasn't powered properly.

In an effort to better meet the needs of today's digital camera users, Duracell has introduced a disposable battery called PowerPix. This new digital camera battery uses advanced NiOx(TM) Technology to deliver up to twice as many pictures as an ordinary alkaline battery in digital cameras. Available in AA and AAA sizes, Duracell PowerPix is sold at mass market, drug, grocery and electronics stores throughout North America. (The suggested retail price of a four-pack is $5.99).

Nicole Kidman to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-winning actress Nicole Kidman will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Kidman, who has been nominated twice for an Academy Award, took home a Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for portraying Virginia Woolf in "The Hours." She also received a nomination in 2001 for her leading role in "Moulin Rouge."

Kidman will be next seen in "The Visiting" and "Fur." Her other film credits include "Cold Mountain," "Dogville," "The Others," "The Portrait of a Lady," "To Die For" and "Dead Calm."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

Nissan Open

They were two shots clear of a group that included Fred Couples who was so sick upon returning from Australia that he stayed in bed Monday and Tuesday, skipped the pro-am Wednesday. He wound up with a 66, then went back to bed.

Also ill was Tiger Woods and it had nothing to do with being allergic to Riviera. Woods, 2-0 for the year but 0-10 at his hometown tournament, recovered from an early double bogey by making four birdies in a five-hole stretch and finished with a 69.

Rounding out the trio of big names under the weather was Ernie Els, who sniffled his way to a 70. The Big Easy made two careless mistakes at the end of his round, missing the green to the right at No. 18 and pulling his approach left of the green, leaving himself little room to get it close.

Justin Rose -7

Dean Wilson -7

Fred Couples -5

Billy Mayfair -5

Jesper Parnevik -5

Bob Estes -5

Rod Pampling -4

Harrison Frazar -4

Rory Sabbatini -4

Chad Campbell -4

Bond Film finally cast 

After months of searching, and with filming on Casino Royale already underway in Prague, the  love interest and a nemesis for Daniel Craig's super spy have ben cast. French actress Eva Green will essay the role of vixen Vesper Lynd.  Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen will play the villainous Le Chiffre.

Martin Campbell, who helmed GoldenEye, announced the Mikkelsen news  at a Wednesday night press conference at the Czech Republic's Brandov Studios flanked by Craig, Judi Dench (who's returning as M) and the film's producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.

"Vesper is a pivotal role in Casino Royale and it takes much more than beauty to make this role work," says Columbia Pictures studio boss Amy Pascal, whose studio is distributing Royale.

"When you think about the great James Bond adventures, of course you think about action and espionage, but you need to have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really needed to up the ante, because this character is very much an equal to Bond and central to our story.

Mikkelsen, 40, is best known for his role as Tristan opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in the 2004 version of King Arthur. After an eight-year stint as a professional dancer, he became one of Denmark's biggest stars with his breakthrough role as a junkie in 1996's Pusher. Other credits include 2000's Flickering Lights, 2001's Shake Your Heart, the 2003 Dogma film Open Hearts and 2004's Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands.

He will play Le Chiffre, the character Ian Fleming variously called "the Number" and "the Cipher" in his franchise-launching novel, Casino Royale. Le Chiffre is a banker for terrorists and criminals who enjoys torture and gives Bond a run for his money at the baccarat tables.