So long Mr. Wizard

TV's "Mr. Wizard" Dies - The man remembered by a generation of Baby Boomers as TV's "Mr. Wizard" has died at the age of 89. His son-in-law says Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Los Angeles home.

Thanks for the memories Mr. Wizard.


CBS blames sexism for bad ratings - Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package.“I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low.

Secret UN report condemns US for Middle East failures - The highest ranking UN official in Israel has warned that American pressure has "pummeled into submission" the UN's role as an impartial Middle East negotiator in a damning confidential report.

Google agrees changes on privacy - Google on Tuesday made fresh concessions to European Union data protection officials, agreeing to limit the amount of time it keeps users’ personal search data to 18 months.The US internet group also said it would “radically redesign” its policy on keeping information from “cookies” or identifier programmes on individual computers.

Elderly Pa. Women Pose For Risque Photos - Giving sultry looks and sexy smiles to the camera, 12 Pittsburgh-area women recently posed at Monongahela historical sites, baring it all -- or almost all -- to create a charity-driven calendar. The catch? The nearly nude ladies are all in their 70s and 80s, driven to adventure by a desire to raise money for a historical society in Monongahela, a small community 17 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
Grandma...?










Microsoft seeks answer to question "Would global warming make for a good game?" - Though some would have you believe that games are nothing but a breeding ground for murderers, one of the current console contenders is hoping that some of the industry's up-and-comers can convince us that games can change the world. In association with Games for Change—a movement that strives to use games as a means for social change—Microsoft is hosting a competition called the "Xbox 360 Games for Change Challenge" that will seek out new talent for the purposes of creating a game based on the current socio-political climate of the world today.

Judge upholds ruling that 22-year-old suspended student cannot be charged with murdering her newborn son. - A second Los Angeles judge threw out the murder charge against a suspended USC student accused of killing her newborn child on Tuesday. Holly Ashcraft, a 22-year-old architecture major who has stood trial for two years, still faces a June 27 hearing for one charge of child abuse. Ashcraft was arrested in October 2005 after a newborn was found in a Dumpster behind the 29th Street Cafe. DNA evidence proved it was her son.

US Democrats preview new Iraq showdown - Anti-war Senate Democrats Tuesday plotted a new showdown with US President George W. Bush over Iraq, but admitted they had erred by making supporters think they could end the war. "On Iraq, we're going to hold the president's feet to the fire," said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid.

'Cute Knut' Raking in Cash at Berlin Zoo - "Cute Knut," Germany's celebrity polar bear cub, is turning into a moneymaker for the Berlin Zoo, which expects to bring in $3.3 million more than last year due to a dramatic rise in visitors. The 6-month-old bear draws several hundred visitors each day, who line up behind metal gates for his 11 a.m. public viewing. Unfazed by the attention Tuesday, Knut rolled in the dirt under a broiling sun and chewed on the arm of his keeper.











West Nile Positive Mosquito Found In Blair County - The West Nile Virus has been found in Pennsylvania for the first time this summer. State officials say a mosquito sample near Altoona tested positive for West Nile. This is the earliest in the year that the virus has ever been found in the state.

’Bigfoot’ sightings in India - Authorities in India are to investigate claims by terrified villagers that "bigfoot"-type hairy giants are roaming the jungles of the remote northeast, a local official said. The creatures have apparently been spoken of, and occasionally spotted, for years, but a rise in the number of sightings over the past month has prompted authorities to look into the matter further.

"Sopranos" Fans Whack Creator's Wiki Entry - TMZ was checking out Chase's Wiki page this morning, and noticed that the first line read, "David Chase ... is a homosexual American television writer." Now we're all for the gays, but the sexual-orientation thing seemed odd, since Chase has been married to the same woman for over twenty years. Well, it turns out that the entry was "vandalized" by some Wiki thugs, which then caused the Wikipedia folks to clamp down immediately, disallowing any changes to the page. Wikipedia didn't comment on the changes in Chase's entry, but it won't be available again for editing until next Monday.

Paris Hilton's parents bypass line on jail visit - Paris Hilton's parents visited their daughter after breezing past others waiting to see loved ones — an incident that raised new complaints that the heiress is receiving special treatment. Alvina Floyd, one visitor to the at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, waited more than four hours to visit her fiancé. It normally takes two hours, and Floyd, 20, blamed the Hiltons for the delay. Shatani Alverson, 23, said she was hustled out of the jail's visiting room moments after her husband walked in because of the Hiltons. She was told to come back after lunch.

Autism test cases against US begin - Lawyers began arguments yesterday in the first of several test cases that may help decide whether the government should pay millions of dollars to parents of children with autism. Nearly 5,000 parents say that vaccinations caused their children to develop autism and many of their claims have been pending for five years. The hearing was held at the "federal vaccine court" set up by Congress 20 years ago when a series of vaccine scares nearly crippled the industry.