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Lakers beat Celtics at star-studded Staples
Written by: Malia Brown
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics, 87-81, as a celebrity crowd cheered them on.
Game three of the 2008 NBA Finals looked a little more like the Academy Awards than a basketball game.
Everyone from Hillary Duff to David Beckham showed up at the Staples Center Tuesday night to cheer on the home team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Number 1 Lakers fan Jack Nicholson enjoyed the game, as always, from his courtside seat, but was probably more than a little frustrated when Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, kept standing in his way.
American Idol winner David Cook sang the national anthem and shot a few free throws before the game.
Also in the crowd was Toby McQuire, Kristin Davis, Kanye West, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, David Arquette, Fergie, Dyan Cannon, Penny Marshall, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Michael Clark Duncan, and soon-to-be Pixar superstar, Wall-E.
But the biggest star of the night was non-other than the Lakers own Kobe Bryant. This years MVP scored 36 points and lead the team to a 87-81 victory.
Game four will be played Thursday, and aired live from the Staples Center on ABC at 9 PM.

thecelebritycafe.com

Mouctika Paluri, a 12-year-old who attends Creek Valley Middle School in Carrollton, made the national finals two years ago as a representative of Michigan, she finished second in Dallas County last year, and, three years ago, she finished sixth in the nation in a contest for spellers of Indian background.
In fact, when she came to the U.S. from Singapore at age 5 and was tested for academic placement at school, Mouctika even challenged her teachers to increase the difficulty of the spelling test.
"The teacher asked her to spell words like duck and cat ," said Ram Paluri, Mouctika’s father. "She told the teacher she would rather spell interesting words."
Mouctika, who is sponsored by The Dallas Morning News in the national contest that starts today in Washington, says she was inspired to try for the national spelling title when she saw televised coverage of the championship in 2004.
"I thought it would be really cool if I could win, so I started studying," she said.
But in 2006, her performance on the written, multiple-choice portion of the testing meant Mouctika was eliminated before the second round. However, she did get to stand on the stage and spell one word in front of the audience, and she got it right.
"There were so many lights and people, it was kind of nerve-racking," she said. "It’s fun up there."
This time around, she’s better prepared, said Mr. Paluri, noting that his daughter had to go through five rounds of competition to make the national bee. And Mouctika’s enthusiasm for spelling has rubbed off so much that her 3-year-old brother, trained by their mother, is getting interested, too.
Mouctika’s ambitions are fairly modest this year – she hopes to at least make it to the nationally televised final round Friday.

dallasnews.com

Transgender and gay activists are objecting to some members of an American Psychiatric Association (APA) committee that will weigh changes to the definition of gender identity disorder (GID), a diagnosis that activists say is used to treat young trans and gay people with the goal of curing them.
But the members are not easily pigeonholed as anti-gay or anti-transgender and the diagnosis itself has been used to gain medical care and legal protections for some transgendered people.
“Kenneth J. Zucker, Ph.D., is a name that every gay man and lesbian woman should know, especially if they were treated to become ’straight’ at a camp or an ex-gay affirming psychologist’s office,” Autumn Sandeen wrote in a May 7 post on pamshouseblend.com, a website popular with gay, lesbian, and transgendered progressives.
On May 1, the APA named the members of 13 working groups that will consider the various diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the association’s official list of disorders. The DSM has definitions only for diagnoses and does not make recommendations for treatment.
The working groups will write the fifth edition of the DSM, which is scheduled to be published in 2012. Zucker, a leading GID expert, will chair the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group. A sub-working group, chaired by Dr. Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis of VU University Medical Center in The Netherlands, will consider the GID diagnosis.
Zucker is accused by activists of being a proponent of reparative therapy, a purported cure for homosexuality, and of treating children with GID with an eye toward preventing adult homosexuality or transsexuality.
A second working group member, Dr. Ray Blanchard, a psychiatry professor at the University of Toronto, is deemed offensive for his theories that some types of transsexuality are paraphilias, or sexual urges. In this model, transsexuality is not an essential aspect of the individual, but a misdirected sexual impulse. Blanchard is not on the Cohen-Kettenis sub-working group.

gaycitynews.com

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire - May 6, 2008) -
Editors Note: Two photos are included with this press release.
Library and Archives Canada, in collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in the United States, is launching today a unique international exhibition at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa, on the occasion of the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The exhibition entitled 1783: Subject or Citizen? marks the first collaborative educational initiative between the two national institutions.
“The Treaty of Paris changed forever the life of not only one nation, but two,” said the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Ian E. Wilson. “This exhibition tells the story through a unique partnership, one which serves as an elegant metaphor for the special friendship Canada has with the United States.”
This exhibition recounts the story of two nations and sheds light on the individuals and their beliefs in the changing world during this period. The Treaty of Paris not only ended the American Revolution, but also provided the foundation for what was to become the Canadian nation. It shaped the political development and social fabric of our country and led to the creation of new international relationships. The Treaty also greatly affected the lives of North Americans including First Peoples, African-Americans, Loyalists, Patriots and French-Canadians in ways which are still felt today.
The evolution of these societies following the Treaty is clearly outlined in the three key themes featured in the exhibition: “Forming New Identities,” “New Relationships” and “Lives in the Wake of the Treaty.” The curators of the exhibition have provided an introduction to the voices, values and visions that are representative in each unique theme.
1783: Subject or Citizen? contains approximately 60 important documents, half of which were drawn from the Library and Archives Canada collection. Some of the items include maps from 1755, books, paintings, letters and stamps from 1765, a copy of the Loyalist Oath as well as the Quebec Gazette from August 1790. The highlight of the exhibition is the actual Treaty of Paris which has never before been seen in Canada and seldom been displayed even in Washington.

marketwire.com

Durable goods are just that: hard goods; they don’t wear out quickly and can be used over and over again for at least several years. Think your car, TV, refrigerator or computer. These are certainly not disposable, one-time use items.
The opposite of a hard good is (surprise!) a soft good or, if you like, a non-durable good. These are products you use once, like your lunch at McDonald’s, the gas in your car and the ugly sweater your grandmother bought you for your birthday. These items have an intended lifespan short of three years, or are consumed immediately.
Investors pay attention to the monthly durable orders report released by the Commerce Department around the end of each month. When durable goods are strong, it means that U.S. manufacturing is humming along, though economists tend to parse the numbers pretty closely. Big-ticket items can skew the overall results, since an order for, say, 75 Boeing 747s has a bigger impact than 75 iPods. Luckily, the data lets economists break down the sectors.

foxbusiness.com

Sea turtles, piping plovers and other vulnerable species of wildlife are emerging as the winners in a bitter, long-running dispute over beach access on the Outer Banks. And so are the people who’ve grown accustomed to driving their vehicles right up to the ocean to fish, surf or simply enjoy the view.
Last week, the key parties in a federal lawsuit - the National Park Service, environmentalists and an alliance of off-road vehicle users, among others - filed a proposed settlement in Raleigh that strikes a welcome, long-overdue balance between protecting natural resources and preserving a generations-old tradition.
If a federal judge signs off on the deal, ORV drivers and pedestrians would still be able to reach six of the most popular fishing and recreation spots on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. But for part of the year, they would face tougher restrictions on relatively small stretches of the park’s 70-plus miles of shoreline.
Generally, drivers and pedestrians would have to steer clear of identified pre-nesting areas for the piping plover, American oystercatcher, black skimmer and other vulnerable shorebirds and waterbirds between roughly mid-March and mid-July.
Additional restrictions would apply to some backshore areas from March 15 to Nov. 30.
Drivers also would be forbidden on the beach from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during turtle nesting and hatching seasons from May 1 to Nov. 15, with limited access granted by special permits in the latter three months. Turtles making their way between nests and the ocean rely on moonlight as a guide and can be easily distracted by headlights.
The proposed restrictions aren’t as drastic as feared by some ORV users and businesses reliant on fishing and tourism. Derb Carter, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, has repeatedly said the goal of conservationists isn’t to chase off-road vehicles out of the park. It’s to ensure that dwindling populations of birds and turtles have a better chance of survival.

hamptonroads.com

BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) — China’s NationalMeteorological Center (NMC) said early on Saturday that Typhoon Neoguri may landin south China again, in Guangdong Province, on Saturday afternoon.
Typhoon Neoguri, the first to approach south Chinathis year, weakened into a severe tropical storm and landed at Longlou Town,Wenchang City, in the northeast of the island province of Hainan at 10:30 p.m.on Friday, packing winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour.
The latest forecast at 6 a.m. showed the storm centerwas at about 190 kilometers southwest by south from Yangjiang City, Guangdong at5 a.m., packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour.
The national observatory said the storm was moving at10 to 15 kilometers per hour northward, and could make a landfall betweenWuchuan and Taishan, Guangdong on Saturday afternoon or later into the nightwith a weakening force.
The storm would bring downfall or rainstorms ontooffshore areas along Guangdong Province, with rainstorms to be especially severealong western Guangdong coast, according to the NMC.
It also said the northern part of South China Sea,inshore areas along western Guangdong and Qiongzhou Strait would see gusts of39.6 to 61.2 kilometers per hour, with winds at the center to reach 75.6 to 90kilometers per hour.
The NMC asked the storm-affected areas to getprepared against the approaching storm. It said indoor or outdoor assembly suchas school classes and fieldwork should be suspended, and working vessels andthose passing by should return to harbor.
It said people should be evacuated to safe places andwarned of possible geological disasters that could happen due to coming heavyrains.
When Typhoon Neoguri landed in Hainan Province, at least42,000 residents in five major cities had been moved to safe places, and80,000 fishermen and 21,800 boats were recalled from sea, with no casualtiesreported.

news.xinhuanet.com

New site profiles ocean research
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched a Web site this week that features the latest research and photographs from the three West Coast national marine sanctuaries, including the Monterey Bay.
The site offers information about several aspects of California’s offshore waters and includes a photo gallery with more than 2,800 video images, sounds and graphics. It also serves as a place for researchers to share information.
Nearly 100 groups are assisting with postings, including the U.S. Geological Survey and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The site is http://sanctuarysimon.org.
The three sanctuaries featured are the Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank and Monterey Bay.
Open burn season closed
Backyard burn season closed today, according to Cal Fire and the Monterey Bay Air Pollution Control District, which oversee open burn season.
People can be cited for burning out of season and may be liable for all fire suppression costs.
The window to burn debris ended for several reasons, including low amounts of moisture in the region, the number of fires that have escaped burn operations this year, wind conditions and the dry, warm weather,
Campfires will still be allowed in designated campgrounds or in facilities on private property.
Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning may be allowed in some areas if fire officials inspect the burn site and issue a special permit prior to the burn.
Contact your local fire district for information.

mercurynews.com

Augusta, GA (Sports Network) - A steady drizzle gave way to thunderstormsSaturday afternoon at the Masters, causing a 40-minute weather delay in thethird round and leaving behind the prospect of better scoring conditions.
Augusta National has a SubAir system beneath each of its greens to suckmoisture away from the surface. A demonstration on the Golf Channel earlierSaturday showed one of the systems clearing a puddle in about 30 seconds.
Still, some puddles remained not long after the weather delay ended.
“I expect some decent numbers,” said Zach Johnson, the defending champion andan early finisher Saturday. “If you’re swinging well and seeing the lines youcan fire at the pins a little more today because the greens are a little morereceptive.”
Johnson posted a four-under 68, the same number as Boo Weekley. They had thebest scores among the players already finished.
The conditions were favorable for lower scores, Johnson said, and there wereseveral other players on the course at four-under par.
Justin Rose, a co-leader after the first round, continued his precipitous fallwith a 73 on Saturday, though he was among those touting the easier scoringconditions.
“I actually thought it was relatively, dare I say it, easy,” said Rose.”Obviously the greens softened up a touch, [and] I thought the pins forSaturday were accessible. So I thought if you played well out there, I thinkthere is a score.”
Stuart Appleby, who shot a 72, didn’t see much of a difference in the course.
“The greens are obviously softer, but they haven’t been hard generally,” hesaid. “But I think you could get comfortably into the 60s today if you areputting properly.”

sportsnetwork.com

If this year’s Ellie category of General Excellence Online were analogous to Best Picture nominees from this year’s Oscars, then “we’re the No Country For Old Men of the group,” according to Chow.com editor-in-chief Jane Goldman. Why, exactly?
“We’re lean, mean, and we have an independent spirit,” she told us by phone an hour after her Web site was announced as one of the nominees for a 2008 Ellie Award. “What do people say at the Academy Awards when they get nominated: ‘What amazing company,’” Goldman said.
NewYorker.com, RunnersWorld.com, Slate.com, and Babble.com will be duking it out with San Francisco-based, CNET-owned Chow.com on May 1 at the National Magazine Awards here in Manhattan. Given that, per ASME’s own description, the General Excellence Online category “recognizes outstanding magazine Web sites, as well as online-only magazines that feature original content,” and nominated sites must “create a unique magazine environment on the Web,” we asked Goldman whether she thought her once-print, now online-only outlet had any advantage over competitors with a magazine-mirroring online presence [we’re looking at you, New Yorker.] “Truthfully, I don’t know if [entirely] original online content carries more weight with the judges,” she said. “Our online product is quite different than what the print mag was.”

mediabistro.com