‘I deeply apologize to the families of the victims.’ By Gil Kaufman Mark Wahlberg Photo: FilmMagic After a controversial interview in the February issue of Men’s Journal magazine went viral this week, “Contraband” star Mark Wahlberg issued an apology on Wednesday for suggesting that he might have changed the course of history on the day of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. In the interview, Wahlberg — who was scheduled to be on the flight from Boston to Los Angeles that morning which ended up crashing into one of the World Trade Center towers — said that if he had been there things might have turned out differently. “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” said Wahlberg, 40, who ended up taking a private charter plane earlier in the week and avoiding the flight that was overtaken by terrorists. “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.'” Excerpts for the interview made their way online on Wednesday and TMZ reported that the Deena Burnett-Bailey, the widow of a 9/11 victim who was killed on United Airlines flight 93 when it crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after terrorists tried to divert it to Washington, D.C., called the comments “disrespectful.” A short time later, Wahlberg issued his apology. “To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible,” said Wahlberg in a statement. Burnett-Bailey’s husband called her from the flight that was overtaken by four al Qeada terrorists and later crashed after several passengers tried to regain control of the aircraft. “I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention.” Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Mark Wahlberg
Gross. The Obama-endorsed Occupy goons started defecating in bank lobbies this week. The Journal reported, via The Examiner: On 11-04-2011, Officers of the Eureka Police Department responded to several crimes involving subjects who appear to be affiliated with the “Occupy … Continue reading → Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gateway Pundit Discovery Date : 05/11/2011 10:02 Number of articles : 2
Jonas Brother’s debut solo album dropped Tuesday. By Jocelyn Vena Joe Jonas Photo: Dave J Hogan/ Getty Images Joe Jonas is living the FastLife on his first-ever solo album, released Tuesday (October 11). The singer, now in his 20s, is no longer singing about the nuances of puppy love. Instead, he’s all grown up, singing about heartbreak and romantic turmoil. “It was scary in the beginning, just because I knew this is my one opportunity to show people my journal: the good and bad of every relationship I’ve been in, you know, [and] what I look for [in relationships],” he told MTV News . After launching onto the scene as one-third of the Jonas Brothers, he’s ready to show the world his pop&B side. Boasting production and writing credits from Rob Knox, Brian Kennedy, Danja and even Chris Brown, Jonas worked closely with his crew and helped co-write almost every song on the album. In the process, he managed to snag up enough of his own solo swagger to get Lil Wayne on the remix of his second single, “Just in Love.” “I feel like this is a good time in my life to be doing this solo project,” he explained. “I’m just ready to play music. I’ve been promoting a lot and hustling around all over America and Europe, talking about the album, and now I just get to play, and that’s my favorite thing to do.” The hustle to spread the gospel of FastLife has been happening for months now. After releasing two singles, “See No More” and “Just in Love,” he recently wrapped up a tour with Jay Sean and will open for Britney Spears in Europe later this month. Jonas said he loves to perform and touring has been a way to get his music out to the masses. That music shows a new side of the star musically. Instead of pop-rock, his songs are R&B and dance tracks reminiscent of fellas like Brown. “A song I’m most excited about right now is a song called ‘FastLife.’ Performing it live is so much fun,” Jonas explained. “Doing a lot of dancing and stuff, it’s cool for people to see; it’s a little bit different. It’s fun for me to be up there doing it. “I feel like it’s a fun dance song. A lot of people want to have fun listening to it and dancing to it,” he continued. “The song is just about pretty much living life to the fullest, enjoying life, going out with your friends and having fun.” Even as he releases the album, he’s always thinking about what else he can do. “I love to make music,” he said. “I’m always creating. It doesn’t stop that creating bug. It’s just something that I always do.” Share your thoughts on FastLife in the comments below!
They do studies on anything these days: Affairs may do more than break hearts — they may break penises as well, a new study says. Sex outside marriage, and sex that occurs under out-of-the-norm circumstances, may increase the risk of penile fractures, said study researcher said Dr. Andrew Kramer, a urologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The heightened risk appears to be due to the unconventional situations, and consequently, locations, surrounding sexual acts, the researchers said. Men in the study who had suffered penis fractures commonly were having sex in unusual settings, including in restrooms or at work, when the injury occurred. The majority were having extramarital affairs. In such atypical situations, sex may be rushed and involve unusual or awkward sexual positions, Kramer said. “All these factors could make the man less able to protect his penis from an unexpected sudden downward thrust leading to the fracture,” Kramer said. A penile facture, or “broken penis,” is an injury that occurs to the erect penis. There are no bones in the penis; the “fracture” refers to tearing or laceration of a fibrous membrane called the tunica albuginea, which surrounds the spongy tissue in the center of the penis. A “fracture” is followed by hemorrhaging, swelling and loss of erection. While previous research has focused on the physiological mechanism of the facture, and how to surgically treat it, no study has looked at exactly what men were doing when they broke their penises. Kramer’s study aimed to fill this gap. Kramer studied 16 cases of penile fractures treated at the University of Maryland Hospital between 2004 and 2011. He reported the findings in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Source
A Georgia middle school adjusted its lessons after a father complained that his daughter’s homework assignment promoted Shariah law. According to the Marietta Daily Journal , the assignment was supposed to teach students at Campbell Middle School about the pros and cons of school uniforms. It featured a letter from a woman who said she is “proud and happy” to be Muslim and to completely cover herself… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 26/09/2011 12:34 Number of articles : 3
Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West rolled up nine each. By Gil Kaufman Lil Wayne Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Lil Wayne is having a moment. On the heels of landing a nearly platinum first sales week for Tha Carter IV, Weezy put up another set of gaudy numbers on Wednesday when he was nominated for a record 18 BET Hip-Hop Awards . How big a figure is that? Wayne’s number equaled the combined total of the next two biggest nominees at the sixth annual show, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa , who each earned nine a piece. Among his nods: Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, MVP of the Year, Track of the Year, Best Club Banger and Viewers’ Choice (“6 Foot, 7 Foot”), Best Featured Verse (“Motivation” by Kelly Rowland) and Hustler of the Year. Right behind Wiz and ‘Ye is Rick Ross , with eight nominations including Hustler of the Year, MVP of the Year, Lyricist of the Year and Reese’s Perfect Combo Award for best collaboration for his verses on Ace Hood’s “Hustle Hard” remix and DJ Khaled’s “I’m on One.” Kanye got lots of love for his visuals and performances, including Best Hip-Hop Video for “All of the Lights,” Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, Video Director of the Year, Producer of the Year, MVP of the Year and CD of the Year for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . Wiz was noticed as Rookie of the Year, Made-You-Look Award for hip-hop style, Verizon People’s Champ Award (Viewers’ Choice) and Best Club Banger for “Black and Yellow,” and two bids for the Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse for his bars on Tinie Tempah’s “Till I’m Gone” and Cee Lo Green’s “Bright Lights, Bigger City.” Other Rookie of the Year nominees include Big K.R.I.T. , Big Sean, Frank Ocean, Diggy Simmons and Tyler, the Creator . The show, which will air on October 11, will be hosted by comedian Mike Epps and feature Maybach Music’s Meek Mill in the cypher. Related Videos 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards Show Related Photos 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards Show Related Artists Kanye West Wiz Khalifa Lil Wayne
‘In many ways, the world as we knew it was ending,’ veteran says 10 years later By Gil Kaufman Matt Gallagher in Baghdad Photo: Matt Gallagher/ Kaboom Back in July 2008, Matthew Gallagher’s popular blog Kaboom: A Soldier’s War Journal was shut down by the military brass after seven months of highly literate and very real posts about the war in Iraq. The plug was pulled after he failed to get the proper vetting for a post titled “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage,” in which he wrote candidly about a conversation with a superior officer, a breach of military protocol. Three years after the flap caused by the shutdown, MTV News spoke to Gallagher — who turned his blog into the memoir “Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War” last year — in the days leading up to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks . We wanted to know how the events of that day changed Gallagher, 28, who currently works as the senior writing manager at the non-profit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and what he’s learned since. “On September 11, 2001, I was a freshman in college at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and I actually slept through the attacks,” said Gallagher, who had stayed up late the night before playing video games. His roommate, who was from the New York area, woke him up to tell him that he needed to watch the news. “Very groggily, I remember asking him, ‘What’s going on? Is the world ending?’ Looking back on it, in many ways the world as we knew it, the world as I knew it, was ending.” He watched as the second of the Twin Towers fell, just two weeks after he’d joined his school’s ROTC program, mostly as a way to pay for his studies. Like most 18-year-olds, Gallagher said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, and didn’t consider himself a gung-ho, “G.I. Joe” type of guy, instead seeing himself as perhaps an Army lawyer. “Like a lot of 18-year-old kids, I figured I’d figure it out,” he said. “9/11 changed that drastically.” Four years later, he was commissioned into the Army Cavalry and, by age 24 he was stationed in Hawaii and getting ready to ship off to the war in Iraq as part of President George W. Bush’s “surge” tactic. Always interested in writing, Gallagher launched the blog in November 2007, just before deployment as a way to “keep some part of myself” and, as its title indicates, as a kind of inside joke against the insurgents. “They’re kind of just travel writings, what I’m seeing, what I’m hearing, what I’m experiencing. What my men are doing,” he said. “Funny, sad, angry.” For the first six months, he said, the writing was positively received both in and out of the military as a means of putting a face to the soldiers on the front lines. That is, until the fateful blog of June 2008, when the soldier posted about a heated, expletive-filled dressing down he got from his battalion commander about a proposed promotion that Gallagher said he didn’t want, because it would have taken him away from his men. “I did the same thing I did the previous six months, I went back to my hooch and I wrote about it,” he said. “Then I posted it. Very naively thinking it wouldn’t get back to him, and of course we all know that’s not how the Internet works. I look back on it now and it was a poor decision, a petulant decision made by a young platoon leader who was exhausted both mentally and physically.” Though there were some debates back home about freedom of speech issues, the blog was summarily shut down by his superiors. With nine months left on his 15-month tour, Gallagher was eventually promoted to captain and then switched to an infantry battalion, where he said he strove to serve out his tour as honorably as he could. After coming home in February 2009, Gallagher made his transition out of the active-duty military and began positing his future. “It was never really an ambition of mine initially [to write a non-fiction memoir],” he said. “I wanted to be a writer, but I kind of wanted to be a fiction writer some day, like 20-25 years down the line. I never thought I’d write a non-fiction memoir about Iraq.” But he realized that the shutdown of his blog had created a furor that gained way more attention than he could have imagined. In fact, a story in the Washington Post drew a lot of readers to the cached blog entries, leading to a number of calls from literary agents about turning it into a book. As a then 18-year-old whose life was profoundly changed by 9/11, Gallagher said the attacks served as a “maturity moment” during a crossroads in his life. “On a macro level, all of a sudden I realized this world is a very serious place, terrible things can happen,” he said. “Evil people do exist, as much as I want to ironically laugh at the simplicity of that statement.” Deciding to join the Army and deploy was part of his journey, one Gallagher suspects was a small tile in a much larger mosaic of life-changing choices. “On a bigger level, 9/11 was a crystallizing moment for my generation … the bubble popped. We were like, ‘Whoa, this is what the real world is like, it’s not all fun and games.’ ” Combined with the subsequent global economic crisis and stagnant unemployment numbers, Gallagher said 9/11 initially showed us that you have to have resolve to carry on. “Through the tragedy and all the loss that people across the country, but especially in New York and D.C. felt … humanity went on. We can honor them and remember them by moving forward.” As part of the “I Will” campaign to commemorate the 9/11 attacks as a national day of service and remembrance, we asked Gallagher how he’ll mark the anniversary on Sunday. “This September 11, I will remember my fallen friends, 1st Lt. Mark Daily and Capt. David Schultz, for their sacrifice, their humor and their service,” he said. What will you do to remember 9/11? Share your thoughts below, and visit 911day.org to upload your video response.
A new study indicates that genes may explain about fifty percent of weight gain that begins in middle age. Researchers studied sets of twins who served in the military during the Vietnam War. Some of the twins were identical and shared the same genes, and the others were non-identical twins.After twenty years of follow-up, the study now shows that genes account for about 1/2 of the weight gain among the men. Environmental factors, such as exercise and diet account for the other 1/2. Researchers say the findings may help explain why some people find it hard to lose weight. I Don’t Have Time To Exercise! Your genes and how they effect your weightA new study indicates that genes may explain about fifty percent of weight gain that begins in middle age. Researchers studied sets of twins who served in the military during the Vietnam War. Some of the twins were identical and shared the same genes, and the others were non-identical twins. After twenty years of follow-up, the study now shows that genes account for about 1/2 of the weight gain among the men. Environmental factors, such as exercise and diet account for the other 1/2.Researchers say the findings may help explain why some people find it hard to lose weight. “We’re not acknowledging the strength of genetic factors in our weight loss strategies,” says James C. Romeis, PhD, professor of health services research at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, in a news release. “You’ve got this genetic thing working against you that helps to explain why you’re so heavy and why you may fail at weight loss programs and diets.” Cancer Patients Must Exercise To Prevent Recurrence In the study, which appeared in a recent issue of the journal Twin Research, researchers studied nearly 8,000 middle-aged, middle-class male twins who enlisted in the U.S. military during the late 1960s.At the time of their enlistment as young men more than 3/4s of them were considered normal weight, 17 percent were overweight, and 2.5 percent were obese or severely obese. Twenty years later, less than half of the men were still considered normal weight. Meanwhile, more than half had become overweight. The study showed that about 50 percent of the weight differences among the men appeared to be caused by genetic factors. Other aspects of their lifestyle and environment accounted for the rest. Although genetics may help to explain why some men gain weight more easily and have a harder time losing it, researchers say it should not stop them from trying to maintain a healthy weight, because weight gain doesn’t just happen overnight.
Today in slow news, a tree was injured. But not just any tree — the picturesque oak featured at the end of the Oscar-nominated drama The Shawshank Redemption , as the location where Red (Morgan Freeman) uncovers money and a note from his beloved inmate buddy Andy (Tim Robbins) after 40 years of imprisonment. No word yet on whether the tree, damaged by high-speed winds and now rotted in the middle, will be cut down. It sits on private property in Mansfield-Richland County, Ohio. [ Mansfield News Journal ]
Jonas gets cozy in Paris for ‘Just in Love With You’ video. By Jocelyn Vena Joe Jonas on the set of “‘Just in Love With You” Photo: KCSPresse/ Splash News Joe Jonas burned the house down in his “See No More” video, but things are looking a little less dramatic on the set of his latest clip, for his single, “Just in Love With You.” A photo of Joe on set in Paris hit the streets and in it, the 21-year-old is seen sharing a kiss with his model co-star at a City of Lights train station. The couple was also spotted getting cuddly on a bridge in the famed French city. The track is a midtempo tune about fighting to keep the one you love that Jonas has been singing at various live performances over the last couple of months. “When I tell you that I would never leave you/ Do you hear what I say?” he croons, before proclaiming his feelings in the chorus: “You are worth too much to lose/ Even if you’re still confused/ Girl, I’m just in love with you.” “See No More” and “Just in Love With You” show both sides of falling in and out of love. When MTV News spoke to Jonas earlier this summer about his debut solo album, Fast Life , which drops in September, he explained that the album would certainly show the many facets of love. “It was scary in the beginning just because I knew this is my one opportunity to show people my journal: the good and bad of every relationship I’ve been in, you know, [and] what I look for [in relationships],” he said. “It was really, really cool to have those experiences [from] all my life [and] to be able to write about it and on my own,” he further explained. “And also on the music side, it was a fun process. It was almost an evolution process, because in the beginning it sounded nothing like it is now. It was totally different and very singer/songwriter, and I naturally love dance music and urban, hip-hop music, so I wanted to be able to make something new for them to hear.” Related Artists Jonas Brothers
