Shameful act City striker Adebayor loses it

Adebayor set for FA probe
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor looks set to be suspended following his antics in the 4-2 victory against his former club Arsenal at Eastlands on Saturday.
The Togo international caught former team-mate Robin van Persie in the face with his boot and, after scoring City's third goal, raced 90 metres to celebrate his goal in front of the Gunners fans.
Objects were thrown towards Adebayor by some away fans who were infuriated by the forward's behaviour.
Last season, Arsenal supporters had accused Adebayor of not trying hard enough in some games following his attempts in the summer of 2008 to seal a transfer away from the Emirates Stadium.
FA chief Ian Watmore told the BBC said of the controversy:"I was unimpressed because of the problems between the Arsenal fans and Adebayor.
"We'll look at it on Monday and then bring it to the disciplinary process.
"I thought the stewards did a great job of calming the situation down and it was to Manchester City's credit nothing worse happened.
"Our governance team will take a good look at both of the incidents that have been highlighted and will come to the media with the answers early next week.
"The punishments are the decision of the individual commission, if we get that far."
Van Persie had claimed on Saturday evening that Adebayor had deliberately injured him, issuing a statement that read:"He set out to hurt me today. I do feel lucky that I have not received a greater injury.
"I knew he was aiming for a collision because he changed the angle of his body to allow contact to be made.
"He moved backwards when his natural momentum would have taken him forward. I find that deeply disrespectful.
"The contact was only centimetres from my eye. I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It's bad for the game we all love."
After the game Adebayor had said of his tangle with van Persie:"I was trying to kick the ball. I see him tackling and I don't have time to take my feet back because I'm trying to kick the ball.
"My feet touch his head. I feel sorry for him and even straight away, and at the end of the game, I said sorry."
But he insisted he is not scared of facing the fans when the teams clash again on April 24 next year.
He said: "I can go and play at the Emirates for the return game, why not? I play for Manchester City and if they want me to go and play, I will play."
Van Persie was left with a cut on his cheek after his clash with Adebayor and issued a statement branding the Togo hitman "mindless and malicious".
Adebayor said: "After the game I saw him and said sorry but he didn't even want to speak to me."
Adebayor, who joined City for £25million, is likely to face separate improper conduct charges and faces a SIX-MATCH ban.
In 2006, Gary Neville was suspended for two games and fined £5,000 after he celebrated a late winner for Manchester United in front of visiting Liverpool supporters.
One steward was taken to hospital and fans were injured as trouble flared after Adebayor taunted the visitors at Eastlands.
FA chief executive Ian Watmore said: "I was at the game so I saw it with my own eyes.
"I was pretty unimpressed because the problems between the Arsenal fans and Adebayor are well documented but he still ran the whole length of the field to celebrate."

Serena fined, more punishment possible

NEW YORK – Serena Williams faces an anxious wait to see if she is to be banned from future Grand Slam tournaments following her controversial outburst at the U.S. Open.
Williams was levied with a $10,000 fine by the U.S. Open for unsportsmanlike conduct on Sunday for her foul-mouthed tirade at a line judge the night before, as she slumped to a semifinals defeat to Kim Clijsters. The fine was the maximum possible at this stage.
An additional $500 fine for racket abuse was also imposed by tournament referee Brian Earley, but those on-site punishments could be just the tip of the iceberg for the world No. 2.
A further investigation by the Grand Slam Committee, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday night, has already begun and will prompt serious concern from Williams and her supporters.
The committee has the authority to strip Williams of her entire $350,000 prize purse for this tournament, plus hand down a ban for future Slams starting with the 2010 Australian Open. However, she is expected to be allowed to compete in Monday’s women’s doubles final alongside sister Venus.
A committee administrator will first determine whether Serena Williams’ actions warrant consideration as a “major offense” – a near certainty given the nature of her comments toward the official.
It is likely that she would be charged with “aggravated behavior” for conduct that was “flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a Grand Slam, or is singularly egregious,” according to the Grand Slam rule book.
Williams released a statement on Sunday evening claiming her actions had highlighted her intensity for the game. “Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job,” she said.
“Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly.”
Williams has won 11 Grand Slam titles and is the defending champion at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Madonna Tribute: 'I Felt Jackson's Pain'

Madonna has made a personal tribute to Michael Jackson at an awards show in New York.She told the audience everyone, including her, had been guilty of "abandoning him".
The Queen of Pop described her connection with Jackson and spoke of her regrets at losing touch with the star over time.
She told this year's MTV Video Music Awards: "I felt his pain, I know what it's like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you."
Madonna empathised with Jackson's battle against a "witch hunt" of public attention "so loud you're convinced your voice can never be heard".
But unlike Jackson, she said her anonymous childhood had meant she "was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without being in the spotlight".
The 51-year-old then spoke of her emotions when word of his death had reached her.
She said: "All I could think about in that moment was I had abandoned him.
"We had allowed this magnificent creature who once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks."While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all busy passing judgment, most of us had turned our backs on him."
Madonna's tribute was then followed by a musical celebration of the late star.
A montage of his music videos, including Thriller and Bad, were played on the big screen, while performers dressed like Jackson danced in his signature style on the stage in front.
They were joined by Janet Jackson who came out to perform her part of the song Scream, which she had released as a duet with her brother in 1995.

Bin Laden reportedly calls Obama 'powerless'

WASHINGTON – In a tape released Sunday by al-Qaida's media wing, terrorist leader Osama bin Laden said President Barack Obama is "powerless" to stop the war in Afghanistan.
SITE Intelligence Group, a terrorist-monitoring firm that translated the address, said bin Laden, whose al-Qaida organization was behind the Sept. 11 attacks, blamed the war on the "pro-Israel lobby" and corporate interests.
IntelCenter, another company that monitors terrorist propaganda, said the 11-minute video shows a still picture of bin Laden while audio of the address plays.
Bin Laden's address to the American people comes two days after the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He typically addresses the United States in a message around the Sept. 11 anniversary.
The purpose of his address Sunday, bin Laden said in the SITE translation, is "to remind you of the causes" of Sept. 11, chiefly "your support to your Israeli allies who occupy our land of Palestine."
Bin Laden argued against the claims that the war is necessary for U.S. security, saying current White House officials are merely following the strategy of former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney to "promote the previous policies of fear to market the interests of big companies."
When Obama became president and retained many of the Bush administration's military leaders, such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "reasonable people knew that Obama is a powerless man who will not be able to end the war as he promised," bin Laden said.
"If you end the war, so to it," bin Laden said. "But if it is otherwise, all we will do is continue the war of attrition against you on all possible axes."

Microsofties tweet about a meeting

MICROSOFT EMPLOYEES have been blathering on about Bing 2.0 and ultrathin laptops using Twitter.
During an annual meeting held at a baseball field Microsofties who should have been doodling and trying not to fall asleep decided to tweet about what was going on instead.
The twits' tweets revealed some juicy details about what to expect from the firm in the coming months, including some scant details on the next release of the Vole's search thing, Bing 2.0. "Bing 2.0, out this month, has some exciting new features. Imagine seeing maps plus pics from the neighbourhood of a restaurant to try," tweeted Monte Enbysk, senior editor at Microsoft Office Live. We assume that he had just seen a demo of the new version and that it is due out 'this month'. Monte's status update appears to have been subsequently removed.
Software design engineer Sushil Choudhari was more enthusiastic and apparently listening a bit closer than Enbysk as he narrowed the release date down a bit. "Saw the demo of Bing 2.0, super impressive! Watch out its release next week!!", he twitted. We'll narrow it down further by saying that it will be out soon.
Another commented that he had seen a laptop running Windows 7 that was the 'world's thinnest'. That might have been just a stamped-on Iphone, however.
Who knows what really goes on behind those closed doors.

Kanye West Has Truly Lost It This Time

You know that saying, it takes a village to raise a child?
Apparently, Kanye's village has failed him. He obviously doesn't have a real friend in the world. There does not appear to be anyone who can get through to him, to make him understand that he needs to curb his obnoxious behavior.
I thought it was a joke when Kanye showed up on the MTV Video Music Awards stage next to Taylor Swift, right in the middle of her acceptance speech for Best Female Video for "You Belong With Me." It was the first Moon Man for the 19-year-old country starlet, who has become an equally huge star in the pop world.
"I always dreamed about what it would be like to win one of these one day," Taylor said with surprise. "I never thought it would happen."

As Taylor continued, Kanye interrupted, saying he thought Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video was wrongly overlooked. "Hey Taylor, I'm really happy for you, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."

Taylor looked humiliated. I felt humiliated for her. The audience booed him, and gave her a standing ovation.

I didn't expect Taylor to win that award, and I'm not upset about Kanye's opinion. However, bum-rushing the stage wasn't the appropriate time and place to express his disagreement.

Not only was Kanye's approach disrespectful, it was especially disrespectful because it was directed towards a woman--a teenage girl, actually. Taylor won't turn 20 until December. I can only imagine how her father feels. I'm sure he would like to have a talk to Kanye. I'm not related to her, and I'd like to have a talk with him.

If Kanye wants people to win the awards he thinks they deserve, he should create his own event. He should name it after his website, KanyeUniversecity.com, and webcast it.

Kanye is a guest at the MTV Video Music Awards. He does not determine the winners. The winners are determined by popular vote. Furthermore, aside from the fact that Taylor Swift is a top-selling artist, who has revolutionized teen country pop, she did not have any competition in this category as her competitors Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Pink, and Kelly Clarkson split the pop vote. Taylor had to get 100 percent of the country vote, plus some of the pop vote as well.

It's simple math that even a "College Dropout" should be able to figure out.
Ironically, a MTV writer joked that Kanye's rant was an indication that he might be inebriated. "Kanye West ruins Taylor Swift's big moment," the MTV.com editor wrote. "Further proof that he's on the Hennessy. In my humble opinion, that is."

MTV also reported that Perez Hilton and Hayley Williams started a #TeamTaylor trend on Twitter.
Pink tweeted about her annoyance with Kanye. "Kanye West is the biggest piece of sh-t on earth. Quote me," she wrote. "My heart goes out to Taylor Swift. She is a sweet and talented girl, and deserved her moment. She should know we all love her."

Kanye has previously made award show rants about Gretchen Wilson, Justice and Simian, as well as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, but this was the worst.

I give credit to Taylor. She handled it gracefully. The audience countered him by giving her a standing ovation, and booed Kanye throughout the night whenever his name was mentioned.
Taylor performed "You Belong With Me" live just minutes later. I watched, wondering if she would feel flustered, and if it would show in her performance. But it didn't.
I think she channeled that negative energy into a positive. Good for her.

Fortunately, Taylor got another chance to complete her acceptance speech. When Beyonce accepted the Best Video Award for "Single Ladies," she invited Taylor back on stage.
"Wow, this is amazing," Beyonce said when receiving her award. "I remember being 17-years-old and up for my first MTV award with Destiny's Child. It was one of the most exciting moments in my life. So, I'd like for Taylor to come out and have her moment."
Taylor then joined Beyonce on stage and recited her acceptance speech, only making a subtle reference to the incident. Before rattling off her special thanks, she said, "Maybe we can try this again."

After the awards, Kanye posted an apology to Taylor on his website, KanyeUniversecity.com. "I'M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM," Kanye wrote on his site, AP reported. "I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD'VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED!"
Still, MTV should have thrown Kanye out of the event. Had any other heckler had the audacity to interrupt the broadcast, they would have been thrown out and probably charged. He should not be treated any differently.

This dude needs help.

Jordan thanks motivators

SPRINGFIELD - Michael Jordan’s emotions were on display last night. Jordan wept openly during the acceptance speech of Utah coach Jerry Sloan during Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The tears continued as Jordan took the Symphony Hall stage, but he regained his poise and verbally slam-dunked adversaries, his competitive nature emerging as he raised the possibility of another comeback.
“I don’t look at this moment as a defining moment,’’ Jordan said. “It is simply a continuation of something I started a long time ago. One day you might look up and see me playing a game at 50. Don’t laugh. Never say never - because limits are like fears and they are often just an illusion.’’
Organizers changed halls to accommodate Jordan’s following - from the Basketball Hall of Fame to the 2,611-seat Symphony Hall - for the 50th anniversary induction ceremony. Jordan, David Robinson, and John Stockton were named in the player category and Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer were named as coaches.
“I told friends I was going to come here and say thank you and walk off,’’ Jordan began. “I can’t, no way. There are too many people I have to thank.’’
And Jordan did give thanks, sincerely to friends, and in a perverse way to critics, enemies, and opponents.
First, Jordan paid tribute to his roots, explaining his choice as a presenter, David Thompson, who was a role model when he led North Carolina State to the NCAA championship. Despite the Wolfpack being a rival, Jordan said his University of North Carolina associates “all know I’m a Tar Heel guy.’’
“I’ve had a lot of questions over the last four weeks about why did you pick David Thompson?’’ Jordan said. “I know why, David knows why, maybe you guys don’t. I grew up in North Carolina and when I was 11 years old I was in love with David Thompson. I was inspired by him. When I called him to ask him to stand up to present me, it shocked him.’’
As for competitive spirit, Jordan credited his family.
“It all starts with my parents,’’ Jordan said. “Where did my competitive nature come from? It came from them. They started the fire in me. That fire started in my parents. As I moved on in my career, people added fire.’’
The flames were fanned by what Jordan considered relatively minor slights, often from allies and coaches to outright hostility from foes and outsiders. Jordan has a long memory and he recalled several incidents that pushed him to succeed.
North Carolina coach Dean Smith excluded Jordan from a Sports Illustrated cover because he was a freshman. Leroy Smith was named to the high school varsity team over Jordan. Buzz Peterson was selected as high school player of the year. The 1985 All-Star game freeze out. Media doubters as Jordan failed to win an NBA championship in his first seven seasons. Former Knick coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, who disapproved of their players fraternizing with Jordan. Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause’s assertion that organizations, not one player, win championships. Bryon Russell, who said he looked forward to defending Jordan, then was victimized as the Bulls won their sixth title in 1998.

Facebook strips down to Lite site

The world's biggest social networking site has launched a slimmed-down version for people with slow or poor internet connections.
Facebook has said the Lite site will be faster and simpler because it offers fewer services than the main site.
Initially it is meant to support users in developing countries and where bandwidth constraints make the current version too slow to use.
At the moment it is only available in India and the US.
The company said around 70% of its more than 250 million users were from outside America. Countries in Southeast Asia and Europe are seeing a massive increase in growth where fast internet connections are more common.
News that Facebook was testing the Lite site was first leaked in August.

'Twitter-like'
The options on Facebook Lite are limited to letting users write on their wall, post photos and videos, view events and browse other people's profiles. There are no apps or special boxes.
"It appears, at a quick glance, to be a better site for Facebook newbies or for anyone who finds the current site overwhelming and noisy," said Rafe Needleman at technology website Cnet.
More than 70% of users are outside the United States

"The new layout feels almost Twitter-like."
Terence O'Brien at Switched.com gave the slimmed-down version of what he called "ol' blue" the thumbs-up because it "strips away distractions".
"The simple site loads noticeably faster, is easier to navigate, and is much easier on the eyes thanks to the lack of people sending you 'virtual booze' or asking you to join their 'vampire fraternity'.
"The new layout seems like a direct challenge to Twitter, which can attribute much of its success to is simplicity and portability," said Mr O'Brien.
'Worldwide rollout'
Many industry watchers said they believed that even users with good internet connections might well flock to Facebook Lite because of its new look and ease of use.

"That is what some US users are planning to do," said Eric Eldon of InsideFacebook.com

"Indeed the reaction from US users has prompted Facebook to release it intentionally for US users, something it hadn't previously planned on doing."
Mr Eldon said he believed a "worldwide rollout doesn't seem too far away".
Fans of Facebook Lite have said it is like a return to the early days
Facebook has acknowledged this is a possibility in a statement on the site which said the firm was "working on translating Lite into other languages".
So far those who have posted comments on Facebook seem to like the company's new Lite approach.
"It's good to see Facebook listening to their users," wrote one user.
Another said: "Facebook Lite should be great for college campuses like mine that are hung up on bandwidth."

Having no third-party apps on the site also garnered a fair amount of support.
"The no-apps thing is killer. There's nothing about them I'll miss," noted one user, while another said: "Whatever you do, please, PLEASE do not allow the quizzes, games, or apps to ruin this pristine version of Facebook."

Anyone who switches to Facebook Lite and does not like it can switch back to the fuller version of the site.

Emmanuel Adebayor hits back at Arsenal fans who booed him

Emmanuel Adebayor, braced for a hot reception from travelling Arsenal fans at the City of Manchester Stadium today, took the hostilities a stage farther last night.
The Togo player, who left the Emirates Stadium under a cloud this summer, hit out at the London club’s supporters last night. “Arsenal have a lot of fans who are not fans,” he said. “What is good is that the City fans truly love you.
“Arsenal have fans from America and Jamaica. Today they are Arsenal fans, tomorrow they will be Liverpool fans and after tomorrow they will be Manchester United fans.”
In a direct reference to the breakdown in relations between him and the Arsenal fans towards the end of last season, the striker added: “If you boo your player every weekend, I am very sorry, you are not true fans.”
Adebayor, who was accused of pursuing a lucrative deal elsewhere by some Arsenal supporters, maintained that he had wanted to stay but that the club had decided otherwise.
“Arsenal forced me out,” he said. “I told Arsène [Wenger, the Arsenal manager], ‘No matter what you do, I will not leave the club.’ Arsène told me, ‘You have to leave because financially we are very bad.’ That makes it more painful. Arsène knows I didn’t leave for money. Enjoying my football is more important to me than money.”
Adebayor has made an impressive start for his new club, scoring three goals in four games and faces the chance to enhance his reputation with his new club with today’s game followed by the Manchester derby against United tomorrow week and Mark Hughes, the City manager, is convinced the “upset” Arsenal supporters have caused Adebayor has served only to strengthen the Togo striker’s desire to torment his former club this afternoon and other defences for the rest of the season.
Hughes suggested that Wenger’s knowledge of the striker’s inner workings would count for little if the player continued to scale the heights he is capable of.
“I’m not sure he’s bitter [about the treatment he received from Arsenal's supporters],” Hughes said. “I think he’s upset, it’s certainly something that has affected him quite deeply.
“He has no problem with Arsenal Football Club itself because he sees it as a huge part of his football life and how he developed as a player but you just sense, and he’s said it himself, that he can’t quite understand why the Arsenal fans turned against him.
“That’s maybe why we’re getting the benefit of how he’s playing and his demeanour at the moment because City fans absolutely love him. They’ve never seen a player like Adebayor in a blue shirt, I would suggest.”
Hughes moved for Adebayor after a failed attempt to persuade Samuel Eto’o, the Barcelona striker, to join City this summer, but the manager appears to be more than satisfied with the way things have worked out.
With Roque Santa Cruz some way off a return, Robinho struggling with an ankle injury and Carlos Tévez facing between ten days and three weeks out because of a knee problem that is almost certain to rule him out of the derby against Manchester United, his former club, at Old Trafford a week tomorrow, Adebayor will be the fulcrum of City’s attack against Arsenal.
“He’s in a select band,” Hughes said. “I have looked at many, many top players with huge reputations and I don’t see many up there with the qualities that Ade has got. He has that ability to open up defences despite what the opposition might do.”
Hughes believes City can match Arsenal for “creative and expansive” football, although it is the ability to mix steel with silk that the manager believes will determine how successful his team are this season.
“Good players understand that sometimes you have to batten down the hatches and recognise when the momentum is changing in games and now we have guys who understand when there is a shift in the game,” Hughes said.

Middle age meat eating may protect later abilities

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Meat eaters might happily chew on the findings of a new study out of Japan hinting that eating meat at least every two days during middle age may help maintain independent daily activities when older.
Japanese elderly often live about 7 years with reduced activities of daily living before they die. Therefore, Dr. Yasuyuki Nakamura, at Kyoto Women's University, and colleagues sought to determine whether food intake influenced elders' declining abilities to independently care for themselves.
In their study Nakamura's team assessed meat, fish, and egg intake, and other lifestyle factors, in 1,042 men and 1,274 women. At the start of the study participants were 47 to 59 years old and independently mobile.
The participants had no history of heart disease, which is commonly linked with higher consumption of saturated fatty acids found in meat, the researchers report in the journal Gerontology.
Nineteen years later Nakamura and colleagues assessed activities of daily living, such as independent feeding, dressing, bathing, and mobility, in the study group. During this period, 427 of the participants died and another 75 became dependent due to their inability to care for themselves.
Among the remaining participants, Nakamura and colleagues found eating meat at least twice weekly, compared with less meat consumption, during middle age significantly lessened the risk for impaired physical function.
The researchers did not find the same from eating fish or eggs at least once daily, and noted no impact on mortality from any of the three foods.
These findings held in analyses that allowed for age, gender, smoking, alcohol intake, high blood pressure, diabetes, body mass, blood cholesterol, work history, and area of residence.
Nakamura's team surmises that eating meat at the level reported in this study may help elderly better preserve muscle mass due to increased protein intake which, in turn, may play a role in elders' ability to continue to perform daily activities.

SOURCE: Gerontology, August 28, 2009.

Johnny Depp (in Jack Sparrow costume) surprises Disney D23 Expo audience

Johnny Depp, arguably the biggest movie star in the world, surprised the audience of Walt Disney Co.'s D23 Expo in Anaheim by sailing on stage in his famous pirate regalia.
As 5,000 fans jumped to their feet, the star emerged in full character, with his bleary ballet of the forever besotted Jack Sparrow.
Cracking wise about rum he also said he'd like a little snack -- that nice frog named Kermit who had been on stage earlier and "probably tastes like chicken."
Disney executive Dick Cook played the straight man for the short presentation and it was the least he could do: The "Pirates" franchise has pulled in more than $1 billion in domestic box-office alone and Depp is also on tap for a fourth, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" in 2011. (An earlier version of this post had scrambled title and date -- blame the blackberry!) Depp is also starring "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Lone Ranger" for the Mouse House.
Depp arrived on stage in gliding replica of the Black Pearl pirate ship and, before they saw his famous face, the crowd was cheering at the sight of his silhouette behind a billowing back-lit sail and pumping stage smoke. Depp was the big finale in a program that featured appearances by John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Tim Burton and a performance by Miley Cyrus. Check back here more details on the program, as well as info on Guillermo del Toro's newly announced venture with Disney and Pixar.

Semenya withdraws from race amidst reports she's hermaphrodite

Caster Semenya, the 18-year old at the center of one of the biggest gender scandals in sports history, withdrew from a weekend race in South Africa amidst unconfirmed reports that her gender tests have revealed that she has both male and female sexual organs.
She was scheduled to compete in the 4,000 meters at the national cross country championships in Pretoria. Semenya's coach, Michael Seme, says his runner "isn't feeling well".
Yesterday, unsubstantiated reports from Australia and England said that Semenya's tests showed that she has no womb or ovaries and produces testosterone levels three times higher than a normal woman. The IAAF thinly denies the reports. (The organization's spokesman says he hasn't "seen" the results, which doesn't mean he hasn't "heard" the results. Nor has the IAAF come out and said that the reports are false.)It's another chapter in an unfortunate story. It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalized aspects of Semenya's tale, but let's not forget that she's still just a teenager who is now the centerpiece of an embarrassing worldwide scandal. No matter how things progressed to this point (and we'll get to that later), Semenya is a victim in this story.
But let's operate under assumption that the tests were accurate and that Semenya is a hermaphrodite. If so, then there are three main questions that will need to be answered soon:

1) Will Semenya be stripped of her gold medal?

Probably. It's hard to imagine that the IAAF would allow Semenya to keep the gold after what these tests reveal. The rules explicitly state that a "gender verification" situation has to be approved and overseen by medical authorities. Semenya didn't do this. Fair or not, a rule is a rule.

2) Will Semenya ever be allowed to run again?

Reading the IAAF rules, it would appear that Semenya would be allowed to run if her condition was treated. Whether or not she would want to is anyone's guess. But there's also a chance she could be banned from running based on the answer to the next question.

3) Who knew about this and when did they know?

We haven't gotten this far down the road yet, but the next logical step in the progression of this sordid affair is whether there was a coverup involved. Regardless of whether the intentions of Semenya and her handlers were nefarious, they had to know of her ambiguous gender. Not having ovaries isn't something that goes unnoticed. If they did, then at what point did this turn from an unfortunate medical situation into outright deception?
If Semenya was an innocent running without knowledge of her condition, then there's not much the IAAF could do other than strip her medal and advise her on how to regain eligibility. But if it can be determined that she knew she was running illegally (which would be tough to prove, but I'm starting to get the feeling that people knew -- how else would other coaches have known to order gender tests?) then there could be heavy sanctions down the road.
These questions will be discussed in the coming weeks and will be the center of attention when the IAAF officially releases its findings in November. If you thought the tale of Caster Semenya was strange before, it's just getting started.

Big Brother' Hoax Victims Filmed For Porn

Nine young women have been duped into appearing in internet pornography after starring in a fake Big Brother-style show.

Nine young women have been duped into appearing in internet pornography after starring in a fake Big Brother-style show.
The 16 to 24-year-olds were locked in a house and filmed round-the-clock for two months.
But instead of fame and fortune from becoming reality show stars, naked pictures of the women were sold on the internet.
The scam in Turkey was uncovered when one anxious set of parents contacted police.
Officers raided the luxury villa in Istanbul, where the women were being held, last weekend.
The victims had all responded to an advertisement on the internet asking for contestants for a new Turkish show called Somebody's Watching You.
They signed contracts agreeing to stay at the house for the two-month period and to pay a forfeit of £20,000 if they walked out.
Initially, the women were delighted after moving into the luxury villa, complete with swimming pool.When police arrived at the villa, they could hear the women calling for help from inside.

The victims were released on Sunday and one Turkish man was arrested, as the investigation continued.

Facebook Lite is here. Verdict: Better

As expected, Facebook is slimming down. The new "Lite" version of Facebook is available for users in the United States and India, according to TechCrunch.
The new version of the site appears to be much cleaner and simpler. It appears, at a quick glance, to be a better site for Facebook newbies or for anyone who finds the current site overwhelming or noisy. It also pushes the old-school Facebook apps off a cliff, which is just as well for the newest Facebook-connected services. Try it at lite.facebook.com.
The major visual change in Facebook Lite, compared Facebook "Classic," is simply that most of the the navigation and info page that was on the left of the page is now gone. The user is not distracted by the mostly superfluous details that resided there. The input box is also gone, replaced by buttons (Write, Post Photos, Post Video) that pop down the actual input forms only when needed.
The new layout feels simpler and faster, almost Twitter-like.
Other tweaks that diehards might notice: the "Friends" tab in the top navigation of Facebook Classic is missing in Facebook Lite, replaced by a new "Events" link that opens up a page of invitations.

All pages on the site seem to be affected. They are simpler, easier to read, and faster. They load faster, partly due to what appears to be HTML optimization at Facebook. My profile page in Facebook Lite weighed in at 11K, compared to 44K in the Classic version. However, the smaller pages may also come courtesy of a dramatically decreased advertising load, which I doubt we can count on continuing, once Facebook Lite enters the mainstream.

I like the Lite site more than the old Facebook and am moving over to it now. Nice job, Facebook.

Nicole and Joel Twitter About Son Sparrow

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have taken to Twitter to gush about their newborn son Sparrow.
"What a great day to come back on Twitter," Richie, 27, writes. "Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I love my family!!"
Look back at Nicole Richie's pregnancy days
Madden, 30, is equally excited.
"1st day of his life & my son is already a trending topic on twitter," he Twitters. "That's right son, ur just like your old man."
Sparrow James Midnight Madden - who weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. - was born in the middle of the night early Wednesday morning. The boy joins older sister Harlow Winter Kate Madden, who was born in January 2008.
After giving birth, Richie wrote on her website: "Nicole, Joel, Harlow and Sparrow are all doing well. Thank you for all of your good wishes."

Wenger questions Arshavin logic

Gunners boss disappointed to lose midfielder for key games.Arsene Wenger insists Andrey Arshavin's latest injury problem should never have come about.The Arsenal midfielder is facing up to a spell on the sidelines after aggravating a groin strain while away on international duty with Russia.
He was already carrying the knock when he joined up which his country, but played the full 90 minutes in a World Cup qualifier against Wales on Wednesday.
The talented playmaker will now be forced to sit out fixtures against Manchester City, Standard Liege and Wigan, leaving his club boss unimpressed.
Wenger said: "All the players are not back yet, so we have to wait a bit to see what damage has been done by the international games.
"We lost Arshavin, who played with Russia last night and should not have played.
Helpless
"He will be out for Saturday, for Wednesday and certainly as well for Wigan.
"I took him out at Manchester United because of a groin problem. He did not play in Russia's first game, but played last night against Wales. He should not have played and is injured.
"You can say a lot about it, but it does not do a lot."
Wenger has also responded to the booing endured by Gunners striker Eduardo during Croatia's clash with England.
The striker was a target for abuse from fans following his role at the centre of the recent diving scandal.
Wenger, though, believes the taunts will not have an adverse affect on the attitude of his player.
Good health
"Any situation you face as a top-level player you have to deal with, and you can only do that by being mentally strong," said the Frenchman.
"The situation has been created by the media impact of his case, but that is not the worst.
"The worst thing is that now he is not given penalties when they are penalties. That is much worse.
"The one last night against England (when he was hauled down by Glen Johnson) was a penalty."
Wenger, though, maintained: "I do not believe it will affect his game. He is a player who has gone through much more difficult things than that.
"On the one side, a good way to deal with that is that he is in good health. This is a minor event compared to what he has gone through before."

Microsoft: We haven't bought 'pornography'

Microsoft has responded swiftly to suggestions that its Bing search engine seems to throw up ads alongside the keyword "pornography".
In a post Thursday, I outlined some of the suspicions that surrounded the appearance of ads for Bing next to searches for fleshy entertainment.
A Microsoft representative declared in an e-mail: "Microsoft has not purchased the keyword 'pornography,' and this term has never been in our AdWords account."
This will serve as a considerable relief to many upstanding citizens.The company representative continued: "It is our policy on the Bing marketing team that we do not have any adult content as part of any of our keyword buys or other marketing campaigns."
However, Microsoft has vivid views about how this alleged relationship between "binging" and films featuring somewhat less talented actors naked might have come about.
"The keyword that seems to be triggering these results is 'free videos,'" the Microsoft representative explained. "We are following up with Google to understand why this ad is showing up in these types of queries."
That should be a very interesting conversation. One looks forward to reading a transcript.

Bed sharing 'bad for your health'

Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts.
Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep.
One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed.
Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds.
He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different
Dr Neil Stanley
Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping.
Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same.
"It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different.
"We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?"

Tossing and turning
He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health.
Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise."
He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately.
Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result.

Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard.

Megan Fox, U2 on 'Saturday Night Live' opener

NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Megan Fox and U2 will give Saturday Night Live an attention-getting season opener when it returns on Sept. 26.

U2's third appearance on the NBC show comes just after two sold-out gigs at Giants Stadium on Sept. 23-24. Fox is known for her breakout role in Transformers.

Saturday Night Live will open with four new shows in a row. Ryan Reynolds is the host on Oct. 3, with musical guest Lady Gaga. Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler are hosts in the following two weeks. Regina Spektor and Shakira bring the music.

Saturday Night Live is entering its 35th season. It received a big boost with last year's political season, and Tina Fey's imitation of Sarah Palin.

The Obama Heckler: Who is Representative Joe Wilson?

First, the GOP had Joe the Plumber, now it has Joe the Heckler.
Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, managed to scandalize Congress when he called out, "You lie!", during President Obama's speech on health care to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night.
President Obama was stating that health care reform legislation would not cover illegal immigrants, when Wilson unleashed his outcry of disbelief. Immediately, Democrats unleashed a chorus of boos.
As of Thursday morning, Wilson's website was down. But other than a loudmouth, who is Joe Wilson?

• Wilson is a 5th term Republican from South Carolina’s 2nd District. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 1985-2001, according his biography on Congress.org.

• Wilson has voted along with his party 95.3% of the time he has cast a vote during the current Congress, according to the Washington Post.

• All four of Wilson’s sons serve in the armed forces. He is married to Roxanne Dusenbury MrCrory.

• Wilson's public service career began when he worked on the staffs of Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence, says GOP.gov.

• He graduated with a Bachelors degree from Washington and Lee University in 1969 and received his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1972.

• He is a member of the Armed Services, Education and Labor, and Foreign Affairs committees.

• His Armed Services subcommittees are: Air and Land Forces, and Military Personnel.

• His Foreign Affairs subcommittees are: Europe, and The Middle East and South Asia.

• His Education and Labor subcommittees are: Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, and Workforce Protections.

• Wilson served in both the United States Army Reserves and the South Carolina Army National Guard, according to his Congressional biography. He retired as a colonel in 2003, and before then was the only active Guard member serving in Congress.

VOTING RECORD

The web site Ontheissues.org lists Joe Wilson's stances and voting records in several categories:

• His voting record is rated as "anti public health" by the interest group American Public Health Association.

• Wilson voted against putting mental health on par with physical health, against requiring Medicare to negotiate for drug prices, and for limiting drug prescription benefits for Medicare recipients.

• He also voted to "limit anti-trust lawsuits on health plans and insurers" in March 2008.

• In July 2006 Wilson voted to constitutionally define marriage as between one man and one woman.

• In December 2005 Wilson voted to make the PATRIOT Act permanent.

• In September 2004 he voted for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

• Wilson has a pro-business voting record according to the business federation US Chamber of Commerce. He also has a history of voting for increased oil drilling and against tax incentives for energy production and conservation.

• He also has a highly pro-military voting record according to the grassroots group Peace Action.

• In regards to homeland security he has consistently voted against requiring warrants for wiretapping in the United States and abroad.

Kim Cattrall Gets New Man Candy In 'Sex And The City 2'

NEW YORK, New York -- Kim Cattrall's sexy PR mogul character Samantha Jones may be getting some new man candy in the sequel to "Sex and The City."

(Stop reading NOW to avoid a potential spoiler.)

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Scenes From 'Sex And The City 2'

Sexy salt-and-pepper-haired actor Max Ryan has been brought on to play a European architect, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Max's character -- named Rikard -- will cross paths with Samantha, who ended the first big screen installment of "Sex and The City" single, 50, and as Carrie Bradshaw put it, "fabulous!"

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Guest Stars Of 'Sex And The City'

If Samantha and Rikard do engage in a love affair, it won't be the first time Ms. Jones has tangled with an architect. She almost didn't get a job - or a boyfriend - out of hotelier Richard Wright after bedding his architect.

English-born and European-raised Max, 42, recently starred as Pachenko alongside Jason Statham and Joan Allen in 2008's "Death Race."

"Sex and The City 2" is currently filming in New York City, and is expected to open in theaters next year.

Secrets of the centenarians: Life begins at 100

THIS year, the number of pensioners in the UK exceeded the number of minors for the first time in history. That's remarkable in its own right, but the real "population explosion" has been among the oldest of the old - the centenarians. In fact, this is the fastest-growing demographic in much of the developed world. In the UK, their numbers have increased by a factor of 60 since the early 20th century. And their ranks are set to swell even further, thanks to the ageing baby-boomer generation: by 2030 there will be about a million worldwide.
These trends raise social, ethical and economic dilemmas. Are medical advances artificially prolonging life with little regard for the quality of that life? Old age brings an increased risk of chronic disease, disability and dementia, and if growing numbers of elderly people become dependent on state or familial support, society faces skyrocketing costs and commitments. This is the dark cloud outside the silver lining of increasing longevity. Yet researchers who study the oldest old have made a surprising discovery that presents a less bleak vision of the future than many anticipate.
It is becoming clear that people who break through the 90-plus barrier represent a physical elite, markedly different from the elderly who typically die younger than them. Far from gaining a longer burden of disability, their extra years are often healthy ones. They have a remarkable ability to live through, delay or entirely escape a host of diseases that kill off most of their peers. Supercentenarians - people aged 110 or over - are even better examples of ageing gracefully. "As a demographic group, they basically didn't exist in the 1970s or 80s," says Craig Willcox of the Okinawa Centenarian Study in Japan. "They have some sort of genetic booster rocket and they seem to be functioning better for longer periods of time than centenarians." The average supercentenarian had freely gone about their daily life until the age of 105 or so, some five to 10 years longer even than centenarians, who are themselves the physical equivalent of people eight to 10 years their junior. This isn't just good news for the oldest old and for society in general; it also provides clues about how more of us might achieve a long and healthy old age.
One of the most comprehensive studies comes from Denmark. In 1998, Kaare Christensen at the University of Southern Denmark, in Odense, exploited the country's exemplary registries to contact every single one of the 3600 people born in 1905 who was still alive. Assessing their health over the subsequent decade, he found that the proportion of people who managed to remain independent throughout was constantly around one-third of the total: each individual risked becoming more infirm, but the unhealthiest ones passed away at earlier ages, leaving the strongest behind. In 2005, only 166 of the people in Christensen's sample were alive, but one-third of those were still entirely self-sufficient (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol 105, p 13274). This is good news from both personal and societal perspectives, for it means that exceptional longevity does not necessarily lead to exceptional levels of disability.
Christensen's optimistic findings are echoed in studies all over the world. In the US, almost all of the 700-plus people recruited to the New England Centenarian Study (NECS) since it began in 1994 had lived independently until the age of 90, and 40 per cent of supercentenarians in the study could still look after themselves. In the UK, Carol Brayne at the University of Cambridge studied 958 people aged over 90 and found that only one-quarter of them were living in institutions or nursing homes. Likewise, research in China reveals that before their deaths, centenarians and nonagenarians spend fewer days ill and bedridden than younger elderly groups, though the end comes quickly when it finally comes.
Distinctive minds
Of course, people can live independently without being entirely healthy, and it is true that most centenarians suffer from some sort of ailment. These range from osteoarthritis - which is almost universal and often omitted from studies - to simple loneliness. Neurodegenerative diseases are common too, with around 70 to 85 per cent of centenarians suffering from some form of dementia. But dementia in this group follows a different pattern to the general population. It is more likely to be vascular dementia or rare neurodegenerative conditions such as Pick's disease or Lewy body disease.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is relatively rare among centenarians yet, intriguingly, autopsies reveal that the brains of the oldest old, who had shown no outward sign of dementia, are sometimes riddled with the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease. The basis of this resilience to Alzheimer's is largely unknown. The simple fact is that many people who become centenarians seem able to tolerate damage that would significantly harm less robust individuals, and although many suffer from dementia as death draws near, most remain mentally agile well into their nineties.

Teens Wozniacki, Wickmayer reach US Open semis

NEW YORK (AFP) – Teen upstarts Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium fought through the tension to reach their first Grand Slam semi-finals with nerve-testing US Open triumphs.
Ninth seed Wozniacki, until now the top-ranked woman never in a Slam final eight, ousted 70th-ranked US teen Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-2 while Wickmayer, never before past a Slam second round, beat Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4.
The 19-year-olds will meet in a Friday semi-final with the winner to play for a US Open title Saturday against either defending champion Serena Williams, an 11-time Grand Slam champion, or Belgian Kim Clijsters, back after a two-year layoff to start a family.
Wozniacki shrugged off the cheers at Arthur Ashe Stadium for home-nation hero Oudin and snuffed out her comeback bid early in the second set.
"I was really nervous out there. I'm so happy I fought so well and was able to pull the match out," Wozniacki said. "It was important to keep positive. I knew if I showed emotion she was going to pick up on it."
Oudin, 17, was the giant killer of Flushing meadows, ousting former world number one Maria Sharapova, fourth seed Elena Dementieva and 13th seed Nadia Petrova after dumping former world number one Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon.
But after a 6-1 run in Grand Slam matches where she lost the first set, "Oudini" at last found a trap she could not escape.
"I was a little bit fragile but Caroline made me like that," Oudin said. "She made me frustrated I had to hit a winner on her. Before I would get some free points because girls went for more. Caroline was extremely consistent."
Wickmayer, ranked 50th, joined compatriot and idol Clijsters as the first pair of unseeded women in the last four at the same US Open.
"Playing the semis in a Grand Slam is great," Wickmayer said. "It's amazing.
"When you get to the third or fourth round, you start surprising yourself, but actually, I've been staying pretty calm. I've worked really hard for this. Every match I can win. I'm really excited. I'm really happy."
Wozniacki became the first Danish man or woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, surpassing the 1978 Australian Open women's quarter-finals run by Dorte Ekner as her homeland's best showing.
By winning her 10th match in a row, Wozniacki is assured of rising to a career-high seventh in the rankings. She had been the youngest player in the top 20 and the highest in the rankings never to reach a Slam quarter-final.
Oudin, who made 43 unforced errors to just 20 for Wozniacki, surrendered a break to drop the first set.
The relentless Dane rescued two break points in the third game of the second set when Oudin swatted errant forehands and saved two more to hold in the fifth game, the American sending a backhand wide and a forehand beyond the baseline.
"I knew they were very important moments," Wozniacki said. "Maybe before I would break down, throw my racket. I told myself I have to not show any emotions because if I do that it will help Melanie."
Inspired Wozniacki never dropped another game, breaking Oudin in the sixth game when her forehand nicked the net cord and landed wide and again at the end when the American sent a backhand long to fall in 88 minutes.
Wickmayer, whose mother died of cancer at age nine and whose father gave up his construction job so his daughter could follow her tennis dream, won the last five games against Bondarenko to advance after one hour 41 minutes.
"I missed a few opportunities," Wickmayer said. "I was pretty mad at myself but I kept on fighting, kept hanging in there and I was able to come back."
Wickmayer was broken serving for the first set at 5-4 but broke back in the next game, held for the set and broke Bondarenko to open the second set. The Ukraine 23-year-old broke her twice for a 4-1 edge but never won another game.
"Even if I had a break point she didn't give me a chance to win it. She just played unbelievable. When she was break point down she kept hitting winners," Bondarenko said.
"I don't think I was too nervous but for sure I was nervous a little bit."

‘House’ effect: TV doc has real impact on care Doctors say more patients diagnosing themselves, expecting costly tests

Alexandria Ostrem credits a fake TV doctor with saving her life.
The bubbly 19-year-old from Bellevue, Wash., loves to dance, ride horses — and watch a lot of "House M.D.," FOX TV's hit drama centering on Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant physician known for solving complex cases.
Last March, without any warning, Ostrem began having trouble walking. Remembering a “House” episode featuring a patient with a similar symptom, Ostrem diagnosed herself with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a sometimes fatal autoimmune disorder that attacks the nerves, first causing tingling and often leading to total paralysis. Alarmed, Ostrem dashed to the emergency room where a doctor ran a neurological exam that came back normal. Despite her protest that she believes she had GBS, the doctor sent her home. Even after her symptoms worsened and she checked into Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, her test results continued to come back as normal. But finally, when she was paralyzed nearly everywhere except for some use of her arms, doctors told her they agreed with her self-diagnosis. Her response to treatment proved they — as well as Ostrem — were right.
Her doctors wondered, though, how she knew of a disorder so rare, it inflicts only 1 in 100,000 per year.
“Well, if you watch too much ‘House,’ you tend to get ideas,” said Ostrem, who, two months after the ordeal, says that her main physical reminder of GBS is fatigue.
Though the TV show, which returns for its sixth season on Sept. 21, is fictional, it’s having a real impact on health care in the United States. Doctors say they're seeing a rise in patients who’ve self-diagnosed a condition they saw on “House.” Unlike Ostrem, few are usually right, doctors say, but that doesn’t stop patients from expecting that physicians will run the complex and costly tests, such as those House routinely runs in the pursuit of a diagnosis. Not only are those tests often unneeded, doctors say, they can drive up the overall cost of health care.
Dr. Scott Morrison, a family physician who writes medical reviews of “House” on his blog, politedissent.com, says more patients are visiting his office to tell him what diseases from "House" they think they have rather than having him just assess their health. One patient insisted she had a copper allergy, like the nun she’d seen in the first season of “House” who was allergic to a copper IUD from her sinful past. (Morrison says none of his patients have correctly diagnosed themselves.)

Kelly Clarkson "I'm Not Gay!"

Kelly Clarkson has yet again been forced to deny rumors that she's a lesbian.
The American Idol winner admits that she has no idea where the gossip started, but guesses it came about because she has remained single.
Speaking to Showbiz Spy, she insists: "Oh my God, I'm not gay! Everyone asks me, but being single does not mean being gay!"
Although Kelly claims she doesn't mind the rumors, she does confess that they have had an impact on her love life.
"I don't mind, I don't really care. The only thing is, it kind of hurts my dating life. But I'm not offended by it. I don't know where the rumor came from. I guess it's because I'm single."
And Kelly thinks people who use the stories about her sexuality to try and be offensive are homophobic.
"The only time it annoys me is when people throw it at me to be slanderous. Don't throw it around like you're insulting me."

Facebook's on the Mobile Move

Social networking giant is aggressively looking to extend its wireless reach.PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Android, Google, Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia. There are plenty of mobile platforms and Facebook professes to love them all. At a media event here at Facebook headquarters on Tuesday, the social networking phenom laid out its ambitions in mobile and talked up its current efforts.
Those efforts include launching Facebook Connect for mobile last week and yesterday's announcement of Facebook for the Android platform of mobile devices. Facebook is already on the iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Nokia phones, among others.
Facebook officials say they'll have more platform announcements to make in the next few weeks.
"Mobile is a unique opportunity because you can have the device in your pocket, anywhere you go, which means there's an opportunity for new kinds of applications based on, for example, location," Facebook's director of mobile, Henri Moissinac, told InternetNews.com. Moissinac's not alone in seeing big things ahead for mobile apps. A recent report by ABI Research predicted huge growth in cloud-based mobile applications, particularly location-based services.
Facebook's mobile team is relatively small, but it's grown quickly from what the company said was only a few people two years ago to 15 today. Facebook Mobile was launched in 2006 and the company said there are now over 65 million users worldwide.
Gareth Davis, a Facebook platform manager, said the social networking site's open platform has brought back a surge of smaller "garage" developers who can run with an idea without the barriers of traditional closed or walled-garden systems.
"Independent developers have some incredible ideas we'd never think of," he said. "And these can be people coding at night or as a side business at very low cost." The iPhone, with over 65,000 applications, is the hottest platform for mobile developers right now. In terms of discovery, Facebook takes a different approach than Apple's App Store -- Davis said the company is committed to supporting the idea of social discovery among its users.
So, for example, he says Facebook has no plans to do "best seller" lists like the iPhone App Store does.
"We like social distribution," he said. "Sharing with friends you trust and go to for recommendations is best, not lists."
But Jeremiah Owyang, a partner and analyst at strategy and consulting firm Altimeter Group, said lists and independent editorial oversight can be useful to consumers and Facebook, with so many thousands of applications to choose from, might be making a mistake by not including such capabilities.
"Recommendations from people you know are helpful, but they can also just be more reinforcement of what you already like, so you're not being exposed to other types of applications you might find useful," he told InternetNews.com.
A bigger issue for Facebook, he said, is that a lot of mobile applications being developed are "disposable" -- they don't get used more than a few times because they don't have a lot of depth, like a simple game.
"It's important to Facebook to get more long-term experiences out there to build more loyalty to the platform," Owyang said. "It's a very immature market right now without a lot of business applications."
Still, Owyang added that he sees Facebook making the right moves elsewhere, like with Facebook Connect, which enables mobile, Web and PC app developers to tie their offerings into Facebook accounts and data.
"I like what they're doing with Facebook Connect for mobile because it really extends them beyond the Facebook.com domain," he said.

Five-star England into finals

England booked a place at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa with a comprehensive 5-1 revenge mission over qualification rivals Croatia at Wembley.

The build-up to the game had been as much about avenging the infamous defeat to Slaven Bilic's side on home soil which shattered hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 as it had been about securing a spot in South Africa next summer.

With that in mind, England started like a team intent on revenge and their visitors could not cope with the pace and purpose as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard scored two goals apiece, while Eduardo replied before Wayne Rooney hit a fifth.

The Three Lions came roaring out of the traps and in the eighth minute Josip Simunic hopelessly clobbered Aaron Lennon, starting in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips, inside the penalty area and Lampard made no mistake from the spot.

Gerrard then doubled Fabio Capello's side's lead 10 minutes later when the Liverpool captain meet an inch-perfect cross from the excellent Lennon to give Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje no chance.

Lampard added a third in the 59th minute when nodding in a Glen Johnson cross and Gerrard also grabbed a brace when getting his head to a looping pass from Rooney in the 66th minute.

Eduardo replied for Croatia in the 73rd minute after a bit of a scramble, but Rooney restored England's four-goal cushion when grabbing a simple goal in the wake of a mistake from Runje with 13 minutes remaining.

Capello, the master tactician, selected and was rewarded with a blistering man-of-the-match performance from fleet-footed Tottenham star Lennon, who created two goals, plus a chance for Emile Heskey and one he wasted himself.

And that was before half-time. To say Lennon ran Croatia ragged in front of the world's fastest man would be a supreme understatement.

Even Usain Bolt must have been impressed at Lennon's electric turn of pace. If he had still been careering round Wembley in front of England's delirious fans when his team-mates had disappeared for their break, it would have been no surprise.
Fateful

He was certainly too fast for Simunic as he sped into the box on a fateful eighth minute charge.

Simunic was complaining, but it was a clear penalty and Lampard kept his nerve and drove home from the spot in copycat fashion to his goal against Slovenia last weekend.

Ten minutes later, Lennon was at it again. Hugging the right touchline, then delivering a perfect far-post cross for Gerrard, who headed it straight back where it had come from, and into the far corner.

As things tend to happen in threes and Belarus had already done the Three Lions a favour by holding Ukraine to a draw in Minsk, meaning only a point was required to qualify, the action might have been over. Few would have complained.

But, their lead coming from Lennon, the offensive from England, who maintain a 100 per cent record in qualifying Group 6, continued.

Triumphant on his last visit, Bilic looked beaten and broken this time around as he tried to work out how to stop the onslaught.

Gareth Barry and Lampard forced Runje into flying stops, Lennon attacked the Croatia defence, then raced clear onto Rooney's return pass, only to fluff his shot.

Then Lennon sent Heskey clear. The Aston Villa man had been preferred to the free-scoring Jermain Defoe, his ability to bring others into play not in doubt.

Finding the net remains a problem. Heskey has only done it seven times for his country. Runje prevented him making it eight.

Survivors

In stoppage-time, Heskey latched on to a defence-splitting Lampard pass. This time he got the ball stuck under his feet. Even this night of glory provided Capello with a reminder of the flaws in his team.

Equally, the England coach could not have been too happy at the way his defence completely fell asleep at Darijo Srna's corner after the restart, allowing Mario Mandzukic a free shot at goal which he wasted.

Moments later, Johnson got away with a penalty-box foul on Eduardo. On such moments can entire campaigns turn, as both Steve McClaren and the watching Sven Goran Eriksson testify.

Under Capello, England know exactly where they are going. Before Defoe could replace Heskey, they had scored again, Johnson providing the cross for Lampard to steer into the corner.

Not that they were in the mood to ease off. For Lampard, Gerrard and Barry in particular, as survivors from the last day of McClaren's reign, the pain will never quite go away.

So it must have been very gratifying for Gerrard to see his header loop home midway through the second half.

Eduardo tucked home a consolation for Croatia, who must now overhaul Ukraine in the battle to be runners-up, as Johnson's defensive lapses were exposed when Ivan Rakitic was allowed to cross.

But England begin plans for the World Cup finals with confidence, as Rooney tapped home after a howler from Runje to increase England's tally to nine in two matches against a Croatia team they were not expected to finish above when the draw was made in January last year.

Source: Chris Brown won't perform Jackson tribute

LOS ANGELES – Chris Brown won't perform at a Michael Jackson tribute concert in Austria, contrary to statements by promoters, a person close to the situation said Wednesday. A publicist for Mary J. Blige, also touted for the show, said she won't be there either.
Brown never committed to perform at the concert in Vienna, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Karynne Tencer, a publicist for Blige, said Wednesday that she wanted to attend the Sept. 26 concert, but had another commitment.
Organizers at a press conference in Vienna on Tuesday told reporters that Brown, Blige, Natalie Cole and Akon were among the confirmed artists.
Cole spokeswoman Maureen O'Connor said the singer had discussed it with organizers, but she may have a conflict and is not 100 percent confirmed. A representatives for Akon did not immediately return messages left Wednesday.
A concert spokesman did not immediately return an e-mail message.
Jackson's brother Jermaine, who first announced the concert last month on "Larry King Live," said in London on Wednesday that he was confident Brown would appear. And concert promoter Georg Kindel said that a Los Angeles judge was scheduled to rule Wednesday on whether Brown, 20, could travel to the show.
No motion has been filed with the judge handling Brown's criminal case, court spokeswoman Vania Stuelp said, and the person with knowledge of the singer's situation said none would be filed. Brown, who is serving five years of probation for beating his former girlfriend, Rihanna, would need the judge's permission for any international travel, Stuelp said.
"Chris Brown is working out some situations but he definitely expressed to us that he wants to be here and it's just up to what he's going through with his court case right now but he's definitely going to work that out and be here," Jermaine Jackson said Wednesday at the London press conference. He said "people make mistakes" and Brown deserved forgiveness.
The concert is being billed as the main global tribute for the King of Pop, who died June 25 in Los Angeles.
Jermaine Jackson also said he hoped Stevie Wonder would take part in the show, to be staged in front of a 17th-century palace in the Austrian capital.

Obama On Health: Time For Bickering Is Over

President Barack Obama has summoned Congress to enact sweeping healthcare legislation, declaring the "time for bickering is over".
In a nationally televised address, he said the moment had arrived to help millions who had insurance and many more without it.

The US healthcare crisis lay at the core of America's burgeoning deficit, he said, telling lawmakers the nation had been brought to "breaking point".

And he implored them to act. "I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last... the time for bickering is over," he said.

Obama's speech, to a rare joint session of Congress, comes as his popularity is falling, opposition Republicans are on the attack and his fellow Democrats are divided about what kind of plan to pursue.

The president said the changes he has in mind would cost about $900bn over a decade, "less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans" passed in the 1990s.

While there remain some significant details to be ironed out I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan

President Barack Obama

He spoke in favour of an option for the federal government to sell insurance in competition with private industry.
But he said he was open to alternatives that create choices for consumers.
Obama hopes to rejuvenate his flagging push for an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion healthcare system, which has bogged down in Congress amid a flood of criticism.
He said his reforms were aimed at cutting healthcare costs, improving care, regulating insurers to help protect consumers and expanding coverage to more than 46 million uninsured Americans.
He also reiterated his support for a government-run insurance plan - the so-called "public option" - that has drawn strong opposition from critics who say it would harm insurance companies and amount to a government takeover of the industry.
"While there remain some significant details to be ironed out," the president said, "I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance."
Obama's success or failure may determine whether he has the political clout to press ahead on issues like climate change, arms control and the Afghanistan war.
Sky News White House Commentator Jon-Christopher Bua said: "Tonight President Obama attempted to take back the reigns of leadership on the health care debate.
Obama tried to refocus the debate on the actual reforms that everyone agrees with and away from the "public option" concept.The President made his case for reform on financial grounds citing that our failure to do so put us at a competitive disadvantage in the world marketplace.

He also made his case on moral grounds, invoking Senator Kennedy's memory, declaring it was part of the American character to provide for our fellow citizens in need.

Obama borrowed from the best of both sides of the aisle to finally present a plan that would appeal to most Americans.

He also may have placed the failure to deliver on health care reform squarely in the laps of his Republicans."

Arsenal to appeal Eduardo’s two-match ban

Arsenal are preparing an appeal against the two-match Champions League ban for diving handed to Eduardo da Silva by Uefa yesterday — after a disciplinary hearing that lasted under an hour.
The Croatia striker was found guilty of deceiving Manuel Enrique Mejuto González, the referee, by going to ground under a challenge from Artur Boruc, the goalkeeper, in last week’s 3-1 win over Celtic in the second leg of their play-off round tie.
Arsenal are waiting to see the fine print of Uefa’s judgment before finalising an appeal, but they have begun exploring grounds to do so. Senior figures at the club believe that they are being victimised, because it is unusual for video evidence to be used retrospectively to punish a player for diving.
As it stands, Eduardo will miss Arsenal’s Champions League group matches away to Standard Liège on September 16 and the home match with Olympiacos on September 29.
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Arsenal believe that they are the victims of flawed decision-making processes at Uefa, which they consider to be random and arbitrary. A charge of “deceiving the referee” was introduced in 2006, but in the intervening three years no such charge has been brought against a player in club competition and it is inconceivable that no offences have been committed over that period.
Arsenal will also protest against the severity of the sentence, arguing that if the referee had concluded that Eduardo dived at the time, he would have been given a yellow card, rather than a two-match suspension.
There is further concern at Arsenal over the speed with which Uefa reached its verdict, fuelling fears that the club and the player are being made an example of. Arsenal submitted video evidence as part of their defence, which they believe proves that there was contact between Boruc and Eduardo, as well as a 19-page document, but Uefa’s disciplinary committee delivered its decision in 53 minutes.
Arsenal’s best hope is that Uefa will reduce Eduardo’s sentence on appeal — as it did for the bans that were given to Didier Drogba and José Bosingwa this summer in the wake of their behaviour in the aftermath of Chelsea’s Champions League defeat by Barcelona in last season’s semi-final, second leg — but it appears that European football’s governing body has decided to take a firm stance against diving in this instance.
Arsène Wenger remains furious at the way Eduardo has been treated — the Arsenal manager accused Uefa of conducting a “witch-hunt” last week — and the club outlined their frustrations last night in a strongly worded statement on their website.
“We have been informed that we will receive a ‘reasoned decision’ from Uefa by Thursday of this week,” it read. “Once we receive Uefa’s rationale, we will make a decision on the next steps.
“We have been deeply frustrated by the perfunctory and apparently arbitrary process that Uefa has followed in this instance. We believe it is imperative that Uefa’s explanation for its decision provides clear and comprehensive standards that will be consistently enforced. It is also critical that Uefa provides specific details of the processes it plans to adopt in reviewing all games under its jurisdiction.”
Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, was charged with improper conduct by the FA yesterday for his rant at match officials after his side’s 2-1 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur last month. Benítez was furious with Phil Dowd, the referee, for failing to award two late penalties and claimed that the fourth official, Stuart Attwell, was too young, at 26, to be involved in a Barclays Premier League match. Benítez has until September 15 to respond.

Sharapova returns to US Open with easy victory

NEW YORK – Maria Sharapova simply couldn't bear the thought of a U.S. Open taking place without her.
So while sidelined with a torn shoulder a year ago, she refused to follow the tournament on TV. Basically pretended it wasn't even happening.
On Tuesday night, Sharapova was right where she likes to be: on the Grand Slam stage and in the spotlight. The 2006 U.S. Open champion returned to the tournament with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
"I was in the physical therapy office every single day, and the tennis was on. But I made a point not to watch it," Sharapova explained. "When you're not participating in a tournament that you very much love, and you've had success at, as an athlete and as a competitor, to not be there and not be competing is pretty tough."
Against her 98th-ranked opponent, Sharapova's game was as glittery as her black-and-silver dress, an outfit she described as a tribute to New York's skyline. The three-time Grand Slam title winner produced 29 winners — 23 more than Pironkova. And Sharapova's game was particularly clean in the second set, when she hit 16 winners and only five unforced errors.
Apart from four double-faults, Sharapova showed no signs of the shoulder injury that forced her to have surgery in October and kept off the tour for nearly 10 months.
"This is a Grand Slam. You've got to get going from the first match," Sharapova said. "After being gone, this is what it's all about."
Tell that to Ana Ivanovic. Or Dinara Safina.
Earlier Tuesday, Safina came perilously close to becoming the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose in the U.S. Open's first round. But she eked out a victory over an 18-year-old from Australia who is ranked 167th and needed a wild-card invitation to get into the tournament.
The worst showing ever by a top-seeded woman in New York came last year, when Ivanovic exited in the second round. Now seeded 11th, Ivanovic did herself one worse this time, losing in the first round to 52nd-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).
"It hurts. I can tell you that," Ivanovic said. "I'm sure I will have sleepless nights."
At least the 2008 French Open champion had a big support group in the stands, cheering for her wildly. Safina, in contrast, would look up at her coach for positive body language, and instead, he'd cover his eyes with his hands or turn his head with a wince.
Nearly undone by 11 double-faults and 48 total unforced errors, Safina was a point away from a 4-0 deficit in the third set before coming back to beat Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.
Safina, younger sister of 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, is used to faring well in the early stages of Grand Slam tournaments. Usually, it's later on that problems arise: She is 0-3 in major finals, all lopsided losses, and managed to win only one game against Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals in July.
"I was surprised that, you know, she was giving me free points," said Rogowska, who never has defeated anyone ranked better than 47th.
As Rogowska spoke, her eyes were red, and she fiddled with a well-worn tissue.
"I'm disappointed I lost," she said, "and I didn't expect to say that after playing the No. 1 player in the world. It's a bit weird."
Ivanovic was not the only seeded player who was upset: 276th-ranked Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., knocked off No. 29-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4, 6-0, 6-2; Nicolas Lapentti beat No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-3; and Ivan Navarro beat No. 27 Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).
Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated No. 16 Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-3; and Shahar Peer of Israel eliminated No. 32 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-2, 6-2.
Otherwise, winners included 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, past runners-up Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic, No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 13 Nadia Petrova.
Men's winners included No. 2-seeded Andy Murray, last year's U.S. Open runner-up, who beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 in Tuesday night's last match.
Also advancing were 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and that tournament's runner-up, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, along with No. 10 Fernando Verdasco, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez, No. 16 Marin Cilic, No. 17 Tomas Berdych, No. 22 Sam Querrey of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Taylor Dent of Newport Beach, Calif.
Dent, playing in the U.S. Open for the first time since 2005, eliminated Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-5.
Neither Safina nor Rogowska played particularly well. They combined for 24 double-faults, 113 unforced errors and 15 service breaks over 2 1/2 hours.
"I put a lot of pressure on her serve," Rogowska said, "and it seemed to crumble a bit."
Afterward, Safina found two things to be happy about: She didn't break any rackets — something big brother Marat is known for — and she didn't receive any warnings from the chair umpire. So, yes, the mental fragility she's acknowledged is an issue for her on court was a factor in her play, but at least Safina managed to keep it in check.
"It happens that you have a bad day and you want to ... say, 'I hate everything,'" Safina said. "But at the end of the day, you win the match, even like this — I would say a little bit ugly. But you come in the hotel, and you are like, 'I made it.'"
Rogowska, too, tried to focus on the positive.
A year ago, after all, she was back home in Melbourne, watching the U.S. Open on television. On Tuesday, she was playing in the tournament and nearly winning — against the woman who is ranked No. 1, no less.

"My heart was just going crazy, and I was breathing, like, really fast," Rogowska said. "So next time, I guess, I'm just going to have to learn to stay calm, and, you know, not get too excited."

Sounds like good advice for Safina.

eBay reaches deal to sell Skype

Online auction site eBay has agreed to sell the majority of internet phone company Skype for about $2bn (£1.2bn).
Skype is to be majority-owned by a group of private investors, including Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen and private equity firms.
EBay will keep a 35% stake in the firm, which it has been trying to sell for some time. It has said that Skype had "limited synergies" with it.
The deal values Skype at $2.75bn. EBay bought Skype for $2.6bn in 2005.
The new owners are Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures - which originally invested in Skype - as well as private equity firm Silver Lake and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
They will pay $1.9bn in cash, and give a $125m note to eBay, meaning that it promises to pay that amount on demand or at an agreed time.
For sale
Earlier this year, eBay had said that it planned to spin off Skype and list its shares in the first half of 2010, an announcement many took as a signal that the firm was for sale.
Ebay wrote down the value of the firm to $1.2bn a year after it was taken over.
Including payouts to Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who founded Skype in 2003, eBay paid over $3bn for the company.
Skype's software lets computer and mobile phone users talk to each other for free and make cut-price calls to mobiles and landlines.
Unlike traditional mobile calls, which are transmitted over a cellular network, Skype turns your voice into data and sends it over the internet.
Since being acquired, the number of registered Skype users has risen to 405 million from 53 million, though free user-to-user calls still dominate the service.
The deal should be finalised by the last three months of the year.

THE WAIT IS OVER

Whitney Houston will be performing on Good Morning America Tomorrow, 09/02/09, and we've got a sneak peak of the show! Check out the fantastic video below. The GMA performance airs at 7:00am EST on ABC but be sure to check back here at WhitneyHouston.com for additional behind-the-scenes content! The Diva Returns!

Forget solar panels, it's time for rooftop slime-tanks And offshore 'artificial tree' forests. Apparently

The Institute of Mechanical Engineers has called for the UK to adopt a strategy of "geo-engineering" techniques to extract huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The headline ideas are these: CO2-capturing "artificial trees", growing of biofuel algae on rooftops, and the use of reflective building materials to send solar energy back out of the atmosphere before it can cause global warming.
The IMechE report is called Geo-Engineering – Giving us time to act? In the introduction, it states bluntly that plans to reduce carbon emissions aren't working fast enough. It says that this is because of three things. First, green technologies such as efficient solar power "are still a significant way from being ready". Second, there is a lack of technically qualified people in the UK to take plans forward - specifically, it seems there aren't enough nuclear power specialists to build new nuke stations. Thirdly "and maybe most significant, markets around the world are simply not interested. Green energy is expensive".
The IMechE authors suggest that the only way for humanity to gain some breathing space before a disastrous temperature increase is to consider geo-engineering, the use of engineering on a planetary scale to remove CO2 or heat from the atmosphere. They offer three techniques which they say are the most promising ones.
First up is "artificial trees", essentially building- or goalpost-sized structures through which the wind blows. As air passes through them, the "trees" extract CO2 from it for later sequestration.

According to the report:
A unit based on current technology, the size of a standard shipping container, would capture about one tonne of CO2 per day or 365 tonnes annually ... However, it is conceivable that with further research ... a single unit with a larger collector would be able to capture as much as ten times more [in which case] 100,000 units would be sufficient to capture the whole of the UK's current emissions from non-stationary and dispersed sources [eg, those which it wouldn't be practical to capture at the source].
Or in other words, existing technology would require a million "trees" covering at least 15,000 acres of accessible land (or sea) to do a meaningful job, at an estimated fabrication cost (for landbased jobs) of US$20bn - say £12bn. And the trees are only 20 per cent of the cost of this plan - getting the CO2 out of them uses a third or so of the energy generated by burning the fuel in the first place, and then it has to be transported to an old oil or gas field and stuffed into the ground. The IMechE authors suggest that the "trees" actually be planted offshore among windfarms in the North Sea, so having a ready source of clean power and lots of old fossil fields close to hand - but this would increase costs, just as placing windfarms offshore does.

Chris Brown says he still loves Rihanna

LOS ANGELES – Chris Brown says he remembers beating Rihanna and that a brief interview clip making the rounds online Monday in which he said he didn't recall the incident "is not representative of what I said."
The R&B singer tells People magazine in a lengthy statement that he "misspoke" during the 30-second clip and that he was asked "something like 4 or 5 times" about the altercation with Rihanna during an hourlong interview.
"Of course I remember what happened," Brown said in a statement late Monday. "Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything. But it was and still is a blur."
In his first public interviews on the subject, the Brown told People magazine and CNN's Larry King that his feelings haven't changed for Rihanna since the February beating that left her bloody and bruised.
"I never fell out of love with her," Brown told People. "That just wouldn't go away."
Brown told King in an interview scheduled to air on Wednesday night that he is still in shock about his actions. Brown's mother, Joyce Hawkins, accompanied her son during both interviews.
"When I look at it now, it's just like, wow, like, I can't believe that that actually happened," Brown told King.
Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in June and last week was sentenced to five years of probation, a year of domestic violence counseling and six months of community labor. He will serve his sentence in his home state of Virginia.
A judge also ordered Brown, 20, and Rihanna, 21, to stay away from each other.
A police affidavit and probation report detail the beating, which included Brown hitting, biting and choking Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. The attack occurred in a car after the couple attended a pre-Grammy Awards party.
Brown's interview with People will be published in an issue released on Friday. He told the magazine he called his mother, who was a domestic violence victim, the night of the attack.
"I was distraught. I went to my mom on the same night and told (her) what happened and broke down."
Brown released a video statement last month in which he apologized to fans and said he had repeatedly apologized to Rihanna for the attack.