funny pictures and bizarre news

Paris Hilton’s mother — a John McCain donor — on Sunday dismissed as a “waste of money” a television ad that used her daughter and Britney Spears to portray Democrat Barack Obama as more celebrity icon than chief executive.

Kathy Hilton, the mother of the blond socialite-actress, lambasted the Republican presidential candidate’s advertisement in a blog posted on the political Web site Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com).

“It is a complete waste of the money John McCain’s contributors have donated to his campaign,” Hilton wrote.

“It is a complete waste of the country’s time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States,” she wrote.

The McCain ad, titled “Celeb,” asks viewers: “Is he (Obama) ready to lead?”

Hilton and her husband, a scion of the Hilton hotel chain, donated $4,600 to McCain’s November White House bid.

McCain has portrayed himself as an independent-minded politician with a history of bucking authority and said last week that his rival has shown little more than strong speaking skills.

Democrat Hillary Clinton has raised more money from lobbyists than any other presidential candidate while Republican John McCain has more of them assisting his campaign.

Clinton took in $823,087 from registered lobbyists and members of their firms in 2007 and the second-biggest recipient was McCain, who took in $416,321, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group which tracks political giving. Barack Obama, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination, doesn’t take money from registered lobbyists, although he received $86,282 from employees of firms that lobby, according to the center.

McCain has 26 registered lobbyists as campaign advisers or fundraisers compared with 11 for Clinton and none for Obama, according to review of records compiled by Public Citizen, a Washington-based group that favors stronger disclosure laws for lobbyists.

Even as they pledge to rein in special interests, the leading Democratic and Republican candidates are relying on lobbyists to bring in campaign cash by raising money from other donors, a technique known as bundling.

“These bundlers and advisers are central to the financial success of top presidential candidates,'’ said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. “As such, they will essentially carry with them an IOU from the campaign.'’

Lobbyist Bundlers

Clinton’s total from lobbyists is a fraction of what they raise on her behalf; her campaign doesn’t disclose which donations are brought in by lobbyist bundlers.

Heather Podesta, a Washington lobbyist, donated $4,600 to Clinton, FEC records show. She’s raised more than $250,000 for Clinton by tapping her network of contacts and holding fundraisers.

“Most of my attention is focused on raising money and new supporters,'’ Podesta, sister-in-law to President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff John Podesta, said in an interview. “That’s the best way for me to make a contribution.'’

Like Podesta, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Ricchetti has also signed on to be a so-called Hillraiser. Ricchetti’s firm was paid $1.7 million during the first six months of 2007 to lobby on behalf of Amgen Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio, among others.

Won’t Be Swayed

New York Senator Clinton, 60, said during a Jan. 21 debate that she won’t be swayed by her support from lobbyists, saying she has “withstood the full force of corporate lobbyists'’ during her failed 1993 attempt at passing universal health care legislation as first lady and during her Senate career.

“I think I’m independent and tough enough to be able to deal with anybody,'’ Clinton said.

McCain, 71, an Arizona Republican who led the successful 2002 effort to ban corporate and union donations to the political parties, counts as campaign co-chairman former Representative Tom Loeffler of Texas. Loeffler now runs his own lobbying firm, which was paid $2.5 million by such clients as AT&T Inc. and Southwest Airlines.

Last week, former Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, vice chairman of UBS Securities LLC who is registered to lobby for the bank, campaigned in Georgia for McCain.

On the campaign trail, McCain stresses his anti-lobbyist bona fides.

`Special Interests’

“I upset the special interests and Washington lobbyists when I fought for ethics reform and to stop union bosses and corporations from writing million-dollar checks to political campaigns,'’ he said in New Hampshire in November.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 60, has contrasted his experience running a business and a state government with McCain’s tenure in Washington, and has vowed to rein in the influence of lobbyists.

Like former President Ronald Reagan, “I’d go to Washington as an outsider — not owing favors, not lobbyists on every elbow,'’ Romney said at a Jan. 30 debate.

And Romney, too, has registered lobbyists in campaign posts.

Former U.S. Representative Vin Weber, whose firm was paid $3.6 million by such clients as EBay Inc. and General Dynamics Corp., is Romney’s policy chairman. Other advisers include Ron Kaufman, chairman of Washington-based Dutko Worldwide, which was paid $11.2 million by such companies as Allstate Corp. and Target Corp.

Related Video Candidates Make Final Super Tuesday Push CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Los Angeles Obama contrasts with Clinton CNN

`Extra-Curricular Activities’

“Among my many extra-curricular activities, I love public policy,'’ Weber said. “I try to be helpful to candidates.'’

One campaign co-chairman for Illinois Senator Obama, 46, is former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a policy adviser at Alston & Bird LLP. The firm was paid $4.1 million by companies such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Healthsouth Corp.

Daschle isn’t a registered lobbyist, yet has clout. “Some of the most powerful people in Washington’s influence industry aren’t registered to lobby,'’ Krumholz said.

And while Obama doesn’t accept lobbyists’ money, he raised the $86,282 in cash from employees of firms whose business centers on lobbying. He takes in even more money from employees of law firms which also engage in lobbying, including $226,491 from those working for Sidley Austin LLP, his old law firm, which was paid $3.1 million to lobby by clients such as Caterpillar Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc.

For the lobbyists, the return comes if their candidate wins, said Mary Boyle, a spokeswoman for Washington-based Common Cause, which supports stronger lobbying laws.

“They certainly would get access and influence if and when he or she become the next president,'’ Boyle said.

A collection agency tried to collect a $16.96 debt with an letter that addressed its recipient with a four-letter word for excrement. “Dear S—,” began the letter, attempting to collect from an old record club membership. The word was spelled out in the letter, which arrived in an envelope addressed to “S— Face.”

“I’ve never seen anything quite so brazen,” said attorney Kenneth Hiller.

He said his client plans to sue Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Florida, next week.

The borrow-and-spend bubble has popped.

• The U.S. Conference of Mayors predicts 1.4 million additional foreclosures in 2008, triggering devaluation of mortgage-backed securities in the hundreds of billions.
• Credit continues to contract because banks do not yet know how degraded their loan assets will become.
• The Federal Reserve is fighting the credit crisis and potential deflation with massive injections of money, thereby weakening the dollar and fueling inflation.

The U.S. government is living beyond its means.

• The government spends $1.3 billion per day over what it takes in.
• The U.S. debt grew 9.5% last year, surpassing $9 trillion at the end of 2007 — about $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.
• U.S. government liabilities, including net social insurance commitments, now total $53 trillion — $450,000 for each household.
• To bridge the gap, the Federal Reserve “prints” more money.

As more dollars are created and put into the economy, the purchasing power of all dollars is reduced.

• The dollar is backed by only a promise, so it is easy to create more dollars (at the stroke of a keyboard) when spending exceeds income.
• The total number of dollars grew 11% in the last year to $12.6 trillion.
• As of December 2007 the amount of money is growing at an annualized rate of 14.7%.

The purchasing power of the dollar is falling at an accelerating rate.

• The Farm Bureau’s survey shows the cost of a basket of 16 basic grocery items rose by 10.9% in the first three quarters of 2007.
• A gallon of gas is up 39% from a year ago.
• Health insurance premiums rose at double the rate of inflation in 2007.
  
• The dollar is hitting new lows against foreign currencies.

It looks as if San Francisco is about to lose its most eligible bachelor. Mayor Gavin Newsom, 40, proposed to his girlfriend, actress Jennifer Siebel, 33, while they vacationed over the weekend in Hawaii, and she accepted, said Stanlee Gatti, a friend of the couple who spoke with the mayor after he proposed.

A date has not been set, Gatti said.

It would be the first marriage for Siebel, 33, and the second for Newsom, whose four-year marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle ended in divorce in March 2006.

AP Photo: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom smiles as he campaigns in San Francisco in this Nov….

The two were introduced by mutual friends in October 2006. Siebel, who lives in Los Angeles, stood by Newsom after he publicly admitted in February that he had a drinking problem and had had an affair with a former staff member’s wife.

Siebel has a recurring guest spot on the NBC police drama “Life.” She also appears in the 2007 film “In the Valley of Elah,” starring Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron.

A panel reviewing health issues at Nasa has found that US astronauts have been allowed to fly while intoxicated at least twice, an aviation magazine says. The panel also found heavy alcohol use within the 12-hour “bottle to throttle” ban for flight crew, according to Aviation Week and Space Technology.

The independent panel is due to present its findings later on Friday. Nasa has declined to comment on the allegations.

Separately, Nasa confirmed that a contractor had sabotaged a computer.

The damage to wiring in a network box - which is to be taken to the International Space Station (ISS) - was intentional and obvious, the agency said.

However, it stressed that the equipment was not essential and that astronauts’ lives had not been at risk. An investigation is under way.

Warnings

Meanwhile the health panel is preparing to announce its conclusions.

It was set up following the arrest on kidnapping and assault charges of Nasa astronaut Lisa Nowak in February.

The damage is very obvious, easy to detect William Gerstenmaier Nasa Associate Administrator for Space Operations In graphics: Space station

She is accused of attacking her love rival, the girlfriend of a fellow astronaut.

The panel’s findings do not deal with Ms Nowak directly or mention any other crew by name.

According to Aviation Week, the panel found that on at least two occasions astronauts flew after doctors and fellow astronauts had warned that they were intoxicated and posed a flight-safety risk.

The report did not say when the alleged incidents took place, or whether they involved pilots.

Regarding the sabotage allegations, Nasa’s Associate Administrator for Space Operations, William Gerstenmaier, said the computer problem had been discovered earlier this month.

“The damage is very obvious, easy to detect,” he told reporters on Thursday. “It’s not a mystery to us.”

Mr Gerstenmaier said wires had been found cut inside the unit before it had been loaded onto the shuttle.

The computer is designed to collect and relay data from sensors which detect vibrations and forces on the space station’s external trusses.

The equipment had been supplied by a sub-contractor, he added.

Mr Gerstenmaier said engineers would try to repair the hardware before 7 August, when the space shuttle Endeavour is due to fly to ISS, but that the mission would not be delayed.

The damage is believed to be the first act of sabotage of flight equipment Nasa has discovered.

Astronauts working on the space station

The space flights at the centre of the claims have not been revealed

A couple facing a two-year prison sentence for forcing some of their 11 adopted special-needs children to sleep in cages hope to get the children back.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle were sentenced in February on four felony child endangering charges and seven misdemeanors. The couple are free on bond pending appeal.

“We still have an inside shot at getting our children back, which was our goal and we still stand by that,” Michael Gravelle said Wednesday in the couple’s first public comments since they were sentenced.

The Gravelles’ children, who ranged in age from 1 to 14, suffered from problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome and a disorder that involves eating nonfood items.

Authorities removed them in September 2005 from their home in Wakeman, about 60 miles west of Cleveland. The children were placed in foster care in fall 2005.

Sharen Gravelle said she thinks often about the children who the couple said they took in because no one else wanted to do so. “I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye,” she said.

The chance of the couple getting the children back appears remote. About three weeks ago, the Ohio Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of the custody case that put the children into foster care.

Michael Gravelle repeated his past comments that he and his wife made enclosed beds for the safety of the troubled children they adopted.

“They built a case on a lie, 11 kids locked in cages,” he said. “It was not true.”

A jury heard evidence, including testimony from the children, that the Gravelles put them, sometimes for punishment, in small wood-and-wire enclosures.

The Gravelles are out of money for the legal battle and are hopeful they will receive financial support to fight what they say is an unfair conviction.

They say they’re working part-time jobs and have tried without success to sell the house where Michael Gravelle built what prosecutors called cages in the upstairs bedrooms.

Auctioneer Steven Kraus said he is planning an auction July 20 aimed at raising $50,000 for the Gravelles and is seeking donations of items and cash contributions. He believes in the couple’s innocence.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle answer questions during a news-conference, Wednesday, July 11, 2007, in Norwalk, Ohio. Facing a two-year prison sentence and out of money to fund their appeal, the Gravelles, convicted of child endangering for making some of their adopted children sleep in cages, are looking for public help in financing their legal battle. Although the Gravelles drew worldwide scorn for their treatment of their 11 special-needs children, they’re hopeful they will receive support in fighting what they say is an unfair conviction. (Tony Dejak/AP Photo)

The child raised as the eldest in a family is likely to have a higher IQ than his or her siblings, work reveals. A Norwegian team found first born children and those who had lost elder siblings and had hence become the eldest, scored higher on intelligence.

The link, reported in Science, was found by looking at more than 250,000 male Norwegian conscripts.

Experts have disagreed for decades about how birth order might influence intellect and achievement.

Brainier

Supporters of the theory argue the eldest child gets more undivided attention from their parents from an early age.

Others claim differences occur in the womb before birth because with each subsequent pregnancy the mother produces higher levels of antibodies that may attack the foetal brain.

While others claim the relationship between birth order and intelligence is false, being biased by family size - historically, couples with lower IQs have tended to have more children than couples with higher IQs.

We found that it is the son’s social position and not his biological position that counts Researcher Professor Petter Kristensen

Professor Petter Kristensen, at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Oslo, and colleague Tor Bjerkedal, at the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Service, said although the IQ difference they found in their study groups was small, it was significant.

The findings also suggested that the trend was down to social rather than biological differences, they said.

For example, men who were third born but who then lost an elder sibling in early childhood and so were raised as the second born had IQ scores close to those of “genuine” second-borns.

Professor Kristensen said: “We found that it is the son’s social position and not his biological position that counts.”

Frank Sulloway, of the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California, has been studying how upbringing influences personality and intelligence.

He told the Daily Telegraph the higher IQ in the first-born could, in part, be gained by their tutoring of younger siblings.

“In addition, the tendency for first-borns to occupy the niche of a surrogate parent, and to take on the role of the conscientious, self-disciplined and mature sibling may also explain why first-borns have higher IQs,” he said.

Elder siblings may learn through teaching younger ones

A DNA test has confirmed actor-comedian Eddie Murphy is the father of the newborn daughter of Spice Girl singer Melanie Brown, People magazine reported on Friday, citing Brown’s representative.

Brown, 32, gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown in April and listed Murphy as the father on the child’s birth certificate, but the star of movies like “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Dreamgirls” has never publicly acknowledged paternity.

Earlier this month, media outlets reported that Murphy, 46, had taken a DNA test and Brown’s representative, Liza Anderson, told People the results, confirming Murphy’s paternity, were given to Brown on Thursday.

Murphy’s spokesman declined to comment.

Brown, who dated Murphy last summer, was “Scary Spice” in the 1990s all-girl British pop group that scored hit songs such as “Wannabe.” Members of the group have scheduled a news conference for Thursday, sparking speculation that they will reunite for a tour and album.