Best Web Content

NEW YORK – Pitcher Javy Vazquez was traded back to the Yankees by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday for outfielder Melky Cabrera, a move that pushed New York’s payroll for next season over $200 million.

New York also got left-hander Boone Logan as part of the deal, and the Braves obtained a pair of pitching prospects, left-hander Mike Dunn and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, along with about $500,000.

The trade leaves New York with an opening in left field, allowing the Yankees to perhaps pursue Mark DeRosa. New York does not appear interested in re-signing Johnny Damon or going after free agents Matt Holliday and Jason Bay.

Atlanta had six starting pitchers and felt free to deal Vazquez, who was 14-10 for the Yankees in 2004. He started 10-5 with a 3.56 ERA that year and made his only All-Star team but faded to a 4-5 record and 6.92 ERA after the break.

His first stint in New York ended miserably, when he relieved Kevin Brown trailing 2-0 in Game 7 of the AL championship series against Boston and allowed a first-pitch grand slam to Damon, then gave up a two-run homer to Damon in the fourth.

Vazquez was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the season in the trade that brought Randy Johnson to New York. He spent one year with Arizona, then went to the Chicago White Sox for three seasons.

Now 33, the right-hander was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 238 strikeouts this year for the Braves, and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Vazquez, whose career record is 142-139 in 12 seasons, will make $11.5 million next year and can become a free agent after the season.

He joins a pitching rotation that includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. New York’s top four starters will combine for $64 million in payroll — more than four teams paid their entire rosters last season.

With the trade and including the still-unfinalized signing of free-agent designated hitter Nick Johnson, the Yankees payroll for next season stands at $200.9 million for 16 signed players. That includes two not expected to make the opening-day roster: pitcher Andrew Brackman and infielder Juan Miranda.

Cabrera had been the Yankees’ starting center fielder for most of the last three seasons. After losing the job to Brett Gardner during spring training this year, he quickly regained it and hit .274 with 13 homers and 68 RBIs, helping the Yankees win the World Series for the first time since 2000. He made $1,425,000 last season and is eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091222/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_yankees_braves_trade

Freshman Democratic House member Parker Griffith of Alabama is switching to the Republican Party, his office said today, another blow to Democrats facing a potentially tough midterm election.

Griffith, 67, was narrowly elected last year from a region of northern Alabama that includes Huntsville and Decatur. President Obama lost the district badly to Republican John McCain.

Griffith, a radiation oncologist, had accumulated one of the most conservative voting records of any House Democrat. He was one of seven Democrats to oppose Obama’s economic stimulus measure early this year.

He was one of 39 House Democrats who voted against a major healthcare bill that narrowly passed. He also voted against an anti-global-warming bill pushed strongly by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

 Democrats will hold 257 House seats to the GOP’s 178 after Griffith’s switch.

Several veteran House moderates have announced their retirements next year, giving Republicans hopes of picking up a significant number of seats in the November elections.

Jim Spearman, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the switch “shouldn’t come as a surprise” considering the way Griffith voted.

  “We will be working strongly to put a Democrat in there,” Spearman said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2009/12/alabama-democrat-changes-to-gop.html

The Illustrations of Tiago Hoisel – http://bit.ly/7fRIcL #design #3d #photoshop #illustration (via @slodiveonline)

Slammed by sluggish sales and mired in debt, some of the nation’s largest restaurant franchisees are likely to seek bankruptcy protection before spring, a restaurant financing expert predicted Tuesday.

But restaurateurs in the Dallas Fort-Worth area seem to be faring better than their counterparts elsewhere, said John Hamburger, whose company publishes Restaurant Finance Monitor.

Hamburger spoke during a “State of the Restaurant Industry” conference call hosted by Janney Montgomery Scott, an investment banking firm.

“A lot of old-line systems are just in a mode of trying to stay alive,” he said. “In January [and] February, you’ll see a rush of stores closing. January and February tend to be tough months, especially in the Midwest.”

Hamburger said he’s seen more than 10 “big” restaurant bankruptcies in 2009, including one of the largest franchisees of Coppell-based CiCi’s pizza. Other casualties included Tavern on the Green, a landmark restaurant in New York’s Central Park, and Max & Erma’s, an Ohio-based hamburger and casual dining chain.

“I would expect about the same number in 2010,” he said, though he declined to identify restaurant operators he considers most vulnerable.

The Texas economy, which remains healthier than most of the nation, is helping franchisees here stay afloat, Hamburger said.

“I haven’t seen that much [difficulty] in Texas, in the D-FW area,” he said.

Some restaurant companies “gorged” on debt before the economy headed south, he said. Many are now turning to discounting to boost traffic, which makes it harder for franchisees to cover costs.

“Discounting is going to hurt those with low volume that are highly leveraged,” he said. “I think it’s killing them. It’s very bad.”

source:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/retail/stories/DN-industry_16bus.ART.State.Edition1.3cf5e79.html

Pitcher Javier Vazquez will return to the Bronx for his second stint as a member of the Yankees after the team acquired the right-handed starter in a deal that has outfielder Melky Cabrera headed to the Atlanta Braves.

News of the trade was first reported by the Daily News on its website Tuesday.

Vazquez went 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA for the Yankees in 2004, before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a deal to acquire pitcher Randy Johnson.

Last season in Atlanta, Vazquez garnered Cy Young Award consideration in perhaps his best season in the big leagues. He went 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA, and his 238 strikeouts were the fourth-most in the majors.

Vazquez will provide durability and consistency to the Yankees rotation. He has thrown at least 198 innings and won at least 10 games in each of the last 10 seasons.

The Yankees will also acquire lefty reliever Boone Logan from the Braves, a 25-year-old with a 5.78 career ERA in four seasons split between the Braves and Chicago White Sox.

Cabrera has grown into a fan favorite since becoming a full-time player in the outfield, in 2006. Last season, he emerged as the starting center fielder after losing out to Brett Gardner in a heated battle for the job in spring training. Cabrera hit .274 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI during the regular season, and was instrumental in the Yankees’ ALCS win over the Los Angeles Angels, hitting .391 with four RBI in the six-game series.

Minor leaguer Mike Dunn, a left-handed pitcher, is headed to Atlanta along with Cabrera and another minor leaguer

source: http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2009/12/ny_yankees_acquire_pitcher_jav.html

BOSTON — Arnold Stang, an actor who appeared alo

ngside

Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra and was known for

his nerdy looks and distinctive nasal voice, has died. He was 91.

Stang died Sunday of pneumonia at Newton-Wellesley Ho

spital in Massachusetts, said JoAnne Stang, his wife of 60 years.

She attributed her husband’s career longevity to his willingness to tackle any professional challenge.

“He was really unique, because he could perform in any rol

e, comedy or drama, he just loved it all,” she said Tuesday. “He always thought of himself just as an actor, not any particular kind of actor, but just an act

or who would play whatever he was asked to play.”

Despite often playing goofy characters, Stang was the consummate professional, preparing the same for his biggest roles and the smallest commercials

“I remember how smart he was, and how hard-working, and how disciplined he was, no matter what the role,” his wife said.

The slight and diminutive Stang started his career on the radio as a teenager and never lost his love of the medium.

JoAnne Stang remembers her husband zipping across Manhattan in the 1940s and ’50s, from radio show to radio show, all live and challenging in their own way because all the acting is done through voice, with no facial expressions or body language, she said.

“That was his education,” she said.

He played alongside Berle on radio and television in the 1950s, starred as Sinatra’s sidekick in the 1955 movie “The Man with the Golden Arm,” and was a member of the ensemble comedic cast of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” in 1963.

The dramatic role alongside Sinatra was one of his favorites, his wife said.

He voiced cartoons, including the lead character in the 1960s cartoon “Top Cat,” and did dozens of commercials, perhaps most notably for the Chunky candy bar.

He appeared in movies alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Cosby and continued acting into his 80s, playing a role in the 1993 movie “Dennis the Menace.”

Stang invented and mischievously perpetuated a story that he was born and raised in the Boston suburb of Chelsea. But his wife said he was really raised in Brooklyn. He lived in the Boston suburb of Needham for the past decade.

In addition to his wife, Stang is survived by son David and daughter Deborah

source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/12/22/entertainment-us-obit-stang_7231849.html

PARIS – French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA said Monday it has agreed to buy US healthcare company Chattem Inc. for about $1.9 billion in cash in a a deal it said would create the world’s fifth-largest consumer healthcare company.

Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis said it will offer $93.50 per share to acquire 100 percent of Chattem, a Chattanooga, Tennessee based maker of consumer healthcare products such as Gold Bond skin care creams and Icy Hot pain relief medecine.

In a statement Sanofi-Aventis said it will launch its public tender offer for Chattem in January, and it expects to complete the acquisition in the first quarter of 2010.

Chattem’s management will remain in place following the takeover, Sanofi-Aventis said.

Sanofi-Aventis said it would maintain both of Chattem’s existing manufacturing facilities in Chattanooga and will continue construction on a third.

Last year Chattem had 488 employees and reported revenue of $455 million.

source:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34508288/

Dr. Love Robin Thicke will entertain his fans in Las Vegas on 31st December. Robin Charles Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American Grammy-Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and occasional actor. Thicke’s albums are noted for their feature of a predominately

Personal life

Robin was born March 10, 1977 to Canadian actor Alan Thicke and his first wife, Days of our Lives actress and singer, Gloria Loring. They divorced when he was seven. Throughout his childhood, he would be exposed to music by Bruce Springsteen courtesy of his father, as well as Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston courtesy of his mother.^[3]

On June 11, 2005, Thicke married his high school sweetheart, actress Paula Patton, whom he met in a teen club at age 14. In October 2009, the couple announced they are expecting their first child, a boy, in May of 2010.

 Music career

[edit] Early years

Before his days as a singer-songwriter, Thicke had written songs for 3T’s “Sexual Attention” (from 1995’s Brotherhood, which Thicke shares co-writing credit with one half of the The Underdogs, Damon Thomas), Color Me Badd’s “Sexual Capacity” off the groups 1996 album, Now & Forever. Brownstone’s “Around You” (from 1997’s Still Climbing) and collaborated with Jordan Knight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs in Knight’s 1999 album Jordan Knight. As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.

[edit] Songwriting, producing and collaborations

Thicke began his songwriting career by penning hits for popular artists such as Christina Aguilera, Mya, Brandy, Marc Anthony, and Jordan Knight.^[1] In 2004, Thicke won his first Grammy Award for his contributions on Usher’s 2004 release, Confessions. During 2006, Lil Wayne was featured on the track “Shooter,” which is a remake from one of his earlier albums; Lil Wayne also has this track on Tha Carter II.

The Thicke original “When I Get You Alone” was performed by Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol 2003 during the competition and at the Idol Grand Final. “When I Get You Alone” was a popular song choice for Sebastian and he put the live idol performance on his four-times platinum debut single “Angels Brought Me Here” which was the fastest selling single in Australia debuting at #1 and immediately breaking an Aria record.^[4] In 2004, Thicke co-wrote with Guy Sebastian, the #1 Hit “Out With My Baby” from Sebastian’s sophomore album, Beautiful Life. Thicke also produced this single for Sebastian.^[5] Thicke was involved in three tracks on Beautiful Life. Other songs Thicke contributed to the album include “Fiend for You”, co-written with Sebastian, and “How”, a Robin Thicke original included on the track listing.

In April 2007, Thicke co-wrote a song with Mexican-American singer Angela Via called “Wrong for You,” a single from Via’s forthcoming album. That same year, Thicke appeared on 50 Cent’s album Curtis, which was released on September 11, 2007, on a song called “Follow My Lead”. He worked with Ashanti on her fourth studio album, The Declaration, which was released on June 3, 2008.^[6][7] Thicke was enlisted by producer Polow da Don to play piano on the Usher track, “Love in This Club”.^[8] Also that year, Thicke reunited with Lil Wayne and was featured on his album Tha Carter III on a track entitled “Tie My Hands”, which Thicke also produced.

At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Thicke was most recently recognized for his work on Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album Tha Carter III, as well as Jennifer Hudson’s self titled debut album. Thicke wrote and produced the song “Tie My Hands” on Tha Carter III, which went on to win Best Rap Album. Thicke wrote and produced the song “Giving Myself” for the album Jennifer Hudson, which went on to win Best R&B Album

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Thicke

Dec. 21, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The final result of the ‘Survivor Samoa‘ had been quite disappointing for the tough guy, Russell Hantz as Natalie White, became the winner of the show. Russell Hantz, the Texas man, who claimed to be one oil tycoon has gained popularity among the viewers for his gaming strategies. Many people presumed him to emerge the winner of the show but he lost.

The Texas millionaire who had cooked up some outstanding strategies for eliminating some tough competitors before the finale round expected that Natalie White and Mick would be no match for him. In the earlier episodes, they shared a good bonding and many people considered that it was the expert guidance of Russell Hantz that helped Natalie White defeat the strong female contestants.

Russell Hantz might have helped her qualify for the finale episode as he did not want to compete with the strong contenders. However, it was to his utter dismay that Natalie White [whom he had assisted in several ways to secure his own win] finally become the cause of his defeat. He was quite assured of his win and considered that if he loses the title against the other finalists, then it would be an absolute shame for him. He considered that no one in the game used better strategies than him. Yet, he never considered that his strategies to win the game would be cause of his ultimate defeat.

Many viewers were also quite astonished to see Natalie White as the Survivor of Samoa winner. The lady had won the maximum jury votes and went home with one million dollar prize money.

Source:

Halfway through the season of Survivor Samoa, one of the most significant turning points came when ex-Marine Sergeant Shannon “Shambo” Waters of the Galu tribe spent a day at Foa Foa where Shambo made key allies to continue her time on Survivor Samoa. When the Survivor tribes merged in Samoa, Shambo played an integral role in shifting the balance of Survivor power to the smaller Foa Foa tribe. As a result, Shambo was able to strategize her way into the final six in Survivor Samoa before Russell and Jaison had to let Shambo go to keep themselves in the Survivor game.

One of the most kindhearted, good natured and often misunderstood tribe members of Survivor Samoa, Shambo was one of the more entertaining Survivor characters in Samoa.

The day after Shambo had her Survivor torch extinguished at tribal council, we caught up with the ex-Marine to find out if Shambo knew she was about to leave Survivor Samoa before the vote, whether Shambo agreed with the final Survivor strategy, and how she endured the Survivor rains in Samoa.

THE DEADBOLT: Hi, Shambo, how are you doing?

SHAMBO: I’m doing good, man. The sun is shining and I have dry socks and shoes on.

THE DEADBOLT: You seemed a little suspicious when Jaison walked away from Russell. Did you know you were going?

SHAMBO: I would say 99.9 percent, because that is the one and only time that Jaison reacted that way and I was really close with J. I love Jaison, he’s an absolutely wonderful, amazing, beautiful human being. And when I snuck up on those guys, he shut up immediately and marched off and wouldn’t even look at me. I went, “Ah, damnit! I am going tonight.” Then I went back to the hut and I asked Russ three different times, three different ways, what the conversation was. But I paraphrased different every time and three times he gave me three different answers.

I started packing my stuff and he goes, “Shambo, what are you doing?” I go, “Baby, I want my sea shells. I need my bracelets and I need to keep Russell’s trinkets he’s been collecting for his daughter before he went out. I just want to know if I’m going.” And he’s like, “I would tell you.” I said, “Russ, you’re so full of crap. You wouldn’t tell me.” I’m like, “You wouldn’t know the truth if it hit you in the head with a hammer. I mean, come on.”

But I love Russ because that was part of his game, being deceitful, and that’s what he felt he needed to do. I knew that he was truly sad to vote me off, but that’s okay.

THE DEADBOLT: So what did you think of Jaison’s rationale that Mick could help them win challenges to get Brett out as opposed to you?

SHAMBO: I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree with that because I was wounded out there, man. I was not in good shape. When I went home on the thirty sixth day, I wasn’t in good shape for the first four weeks I was back in Seattle either.

THE DEADBOLT: Speaking of Seattle, did the rain affect you at all? You must be used to it, right?

SHAMBO: Well, it was a different situation, because I didn’t have the option of putting on dry clothes. I would go back to the Shambo shack, spread some palm leaves on the floor, take off my clothes and lay down with banana leaves on top of me. And was it warm? No, I was freezing to death.

THE DEADBOLT: It doesn’t sound like the tropical paradise.

SHAMBO: It’s not. There were no beautiful waterfalls, no fish, no pretty birds, and those crabs you saw were only about as big as your thumbnail.

THE DEADBOLT: Well, how did the game change for you when Russell Swan went down?

SHAMBO: I was extremely bummed. But we wanted to go to Survivor and challenge ourselves and you could see that Russell was truly in it.

THE DEADBOLT: What was it like when you went to Ponderosa?

SHAMBO: It was a little overwhelming, but in the end everybody was fine and very happy to see me.