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2009 Tour de France results, updates, standings

The recent results of the 2009 Tour de France shows Lance Armstrong moving up to third place. Lance Armstrong confirmed this in Twitter, as he gained precious time in today's stage 3 race.

Current 2009 Tour de France results, updates, standings

* 1. Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank in 9:50:58

* 2. Tony Martin Team Columbia - Htc in 9:51:31

* 3. Lance Armstrong Astana in 9:51:38 at 00:40

* 4. Alberto Contador Astana in 9:51:57 at 00:59

* 5. Bradley Wiggins Garmin - Slipstream in 9:51:58 at 01:00

* 6. Andréas KlÖden Astana in 9:52:01 at 01:03

* 7. Linus Gerdemann Team Milram in 9:52:01 at 01:03

* 8. Cadel Evans Silence - Lotto in 9:52:02 at 01:04

* 9. Maxime Monfort Team Columbia - Htc in 9:52:08 at 01:10

* 10. Levi Leipheimer Astana in 9:52:09 at 01:11

* 11. Michael Rogers Team Columbia - Htc in 9:52:11 at 01:13

* 12. Roman Kreuziger Liquigas in 9:52:11 at 01:13

* 13. George Hincapie Team Columbia - Htc in 9:52:15 at 01:17

* 14. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas in 9:52:16 at 01:18

* 15. Gustav Larsson Team Saxo Bank in 9:52:20 at 01:22

* 16. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi in 9:52:23 at 01:25

* 17. David Zabriskie Garmin - Slipstream in 9:52:26 at 01:28

* 18. David Millar Garmin - Slipstream in 9:52:27 at 01:29

* 19. Jérôme Pineau Quick Step in 9:52:29 at 01:31

* 20. Haimar Zubeldia Astana in 9:52:29 at 01:31

South Carolina Serial Killer Patrick Tracy Burris Shot & Killed by Police in North Carolina

The man suspected of being the South Carolina serial killer who murdered 5 people was shot to death by police investigating a burglary in Gastonia, NC. 41 year old Patrick Tracy Burris was shot and killed by police.  He was identified as the same individual responsible for the murders of 5 people near Gaffney, South Caroline as police matched the bullets in the suspects gun to those used in the SC murders through ballistics tests.

    Authorities did not immediately say where Burris was from.

    “We have him. He’s our serial killer,” Dolan said Monday night.

    Authorities said Burris has had several encounters with law enforcement over the years.

Dolan said the physical evidence leaves no doubt the slain suspect was the person who shot five people to death over six days. But investigators still have no idea why he started the killing spree June 27.

The citizens of Gaffney, SC can sleep more sound tonight knowing that the man who terrorized their community by killing 5 unsuspecting victims is himself dead tonight.

    “We believe a killer is off the streets,” Lloyd said.

Burris was killed early Monday morning in Dallas, North Carolina, after police received a call about a possible burglary in progress, officers there said. At a news conference Monday evening, investigators described him as a “habitual felon” with a record in several states and who was on probation at the time he was killed.

South Carolina Serial Killer Suspect Is Dead, Police Say

The suspect was identified as Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, who was wanted for parole violations. The weapon he used last night in the North Carolina burglary matched the weapon used in the South Carolina shooting, said Gaffney County Sheriff Bill Blanton at a news conference Monday night. The suspect has numerous convictions for armed robbery, weapons possession, forgery and possessing stolen goods.

China Riot in Urumqi: death toll from Xinjiang unrest rises

More than 100 people have been killed and 800 injured in a riot which broke out in the ethnically sensitive far-Western Chinese province of Xinjiang.

The death-toll, which stands at 129, marks a major escalation in the casualty figures from the disturbance which broke out on Sunday night after police tried to disperse a demonstration by members of the Uighur Muslim minority in the provincial capital, Urumqi.

Initial reports said that just three people had been killed in running battles with police that left burned-out cars and buses and several smashed shop-fronts.

Xinhua, the state-operated news service, did not provide any further details as to the composition of the casualty-list between the Uighur minority and ethnic Han Chinese.

Hundreds of arrests had been made, including 10 "key figures" it said were involved in the unrest, while authorities were now looking for 90 others responsible for "fanning" the protests, the agency added.

Authorities said all traffic was cleared from the streets on Monday morning to retain order. Another witness said the city of 2.3 million which is 2,000 miles west Beijing residents was now effectively "on lockdown".

The disturbances come after a year of rising tensions between the dominant Han Chinese authorities and the Uighur ethnic minority - the historical ethnic majority in Xinjiang - who say they have been socially and economically marginalised by Beijing's development policies.

Officials said the riot began when Chinese police tried to break up a sit-in protest calling for an investigation into the deaths of two Uighurs during a fight between Uighur and Han workers at a toy factory in Guangdong province, Southern China last month.

The riot has echoes of clashes last March in the neighbouring province of Tibet where there are similar simmering ethnic tensions between the historic Buddhist population and Han Chinese who have migrated to the region in recent decades.

The Chinese government accused the exiled groups including the World Uighur Congress, of fomenting the violence, a claim which was adamantly denied.

"The violence is a pre-empted, organized violent crime. It is instigated and directed from abroad and carried out by outlaws in the country," said a statement carried by Xinhua.

However Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the World Uighur Congress in exile in Sweden, blamed police heavy-handedness for the riot, saying the protests were peaceful until the authorities began to forcibly remove protestors from the city's main square.

"This anger has been growing for a long time. It began as a peaceful assembly. There were thousands of people shouting to stop ethnic discrimination, demanding an explanation ... They are tired of suffering in silence."

Adam Grode, an American Fulbright scholar studying in Urumqi, told the Associated Press that he heard explosions and also saw a few people being carried off on stretchers and a Han Chinese man with blood on his shirt entering a hospital.

He said police used tear gas, fire hoses and batons to suppress the riot as protesters knocked over police barriers and smashed bus windows.

"Every time the police showed some force, the people would jump the barriers and get back on the street. It was like a cat-and-mouse sort of game," added Mr Grode, 26.

Alim Seytoff, general secretary of the Uyghur American Association, based in Washington D.C., said police and officials were going through university dormitory rooms looking for students involved in the protest that gave way to the riot.

"Urumqi is a tightly controlled city, but the students have access to all sorts of information on the Internet," he said, "There will be a harsh crackdown, but the basic problems won't disappear."

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Chinese troops entering Xinjiang, an act which Beijing describes as a "peaceful liberation" that brought development and economic benefits to the historically poor region which is China's gateway to Central Asia.

Uighur groups however say they have been systematically edged out of society by the influx of Han Chinese that have moved into the region to exploit Xinjiang's oil, natural gas and agricultural resources as part of Beijing's "develop the West" policy.

Last year on the eve of the Beijing Olympics Uighur separatist groups attacked a Chinese police post killing 17 police, according to figures released by state media. Two men were executed for the attacks in the Silk Road city of Kashgar last April.

Beijing said that Uighur separatist groups were running terrorist cells in Xinjiang which have received training from Islamist militant groups in neighbouring Pakistan.

The Uighur issue returned to top of US-China relations last month after Washington refused to send four Uighur men released from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp back to China.

Despite Beijing's objections the men were relocated to Bermuda as U.S. officials have said they feared the men would be executed if they were returned to China. Officials are trying to transfer 13 other released Uighurs to the Pacific nation of Palau.

Saleh Kazemi Photos

Famed NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead in Tennessee, alongside him was 20-year-old Saleh Kazemi, both suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Ever since reports hit of Steve McNair’s death, searches for pics and video of Saleh Kazemi or (Sahel Kazemi) have flooded the Internet, and we’ve got them here.

According to reports, Saleh Kazemi and Steve McNair had a relationship that could be described as dating, even though McNair is married, and Saleh Kazemi has a boyfriend named Keith. Some believe the circumstances of their deaths point to a murder suicide, but officials have yet to confirm it.

The pistol that was allegedly used in the killings was found under Saleh Kazemi’s body. She had a fatal gunshot wound to the head, and Steve McNair had four bullet wounds; two in the head and two in his body.

Saleh Kazemi’s sister told the Florida Times-Union that McNair had planned to leave his wife so that he and Saleh may be together. Apparently McNair and his wife had already been living separately. Saleh’s sister also describes her as “independent, outgoing, and very strong.”

(On a side note: there have also been many errant searches using the name Jaleh Kazemi, who is an Iranian artist and voice over actress. To clarify, the woman found with Steve McNair is in fact Saleh Kazemi.)

Although police have labeled the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair a murder-suicide, there are still questions to be answered.   McNair was married.  He was not seperated and had not filed for divorce from his wife Mechele.  Yet, friends of Kazemi said that he told her he was leaving his wife for her.  Haven't we just gone through this with a few governors and other politicians?  At least they got out before they got shot.

Steve McNair was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds.   20 year-old Sahel Kazemi was also found dead at the Nashville, Tennessee condo.  McNair had several bullet wounds, and Kazemi was found with a single shot to the head.

McNair was 36 and played 13 seasons before retiring in April 2008.  He was married to Mechelle McNair. and they had four sons.  A police spokesman said authorities were still investigating the shootings and questioning everyone with any possible involvement or motive.

Police officers responded at the scene after receiving a call about injured persons inside the condo.  When they arrived at the site, they found a man and woman  shot to death inside the residence.  The condominium is one that McNair often used.

In June, McNair opened a restaurant near the Tennessee State University campus.  It was closed Saturday evening, but it had become a small memorial, with flowers, candles and notes placed outside the door.

On the restaurant's windows were messages: "We will miss you Steve" and "We love you Steve."

May Steve McNair and all who have recently passed on have a smooth transition to whatever is next for them.  And may we all recognize that life is precious and can end at any moment

Riot police on alert ahead of Michael Jackson’s funeral

They fear that hundreds of thousands may gatecrash the Hollywood event, before fighting their way into the memorial service, to be held later at the 20,000-seater Staples Centre.

Details for the funeral have not been released as yet, and there was even speculation that Jacko could be buried in a private ceremony on July 6, as his mum Katherine wanted to avoid pandemonium.

“It looks like Monday morning right now. We have a lot to do but we have to make sure the children get to say goodbye properly,” the Daily Star quoted a relative as saying.

Plans for a funeral procession have already been cancelled to guard against crowd surges or rioting.

Even though there will be almost 2,000 police on the streets, LA city chiefs have admitted that it will be a big task for them.

“We may be overwhelmed,” the chiefs said.

Late on July 5, police were still waiting for a full list of the VIPs likely to attend the funeral.

“Our biggest fear is that it will all turn to violence if things aren’t handled properly,” a police chief said.

“It’s a recipe for disaster. We could have thousands roaming the streets and getting angrier and angrier.

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Steve McNair Shot Dead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, whose most noted drive was the final one of the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head Saturday afternoon in a downtown condominium. Police said a woman was also shot dead.

McNair was 36 and played 13 seasons before retiring in April 2008. Police spokesman Don Aaron said officials tentatively identified the woman, but did not release her name. He confirmed she wasn't McNair's wife, Mechelle.

He said authorities were still investigating the shootings and that no suspects were in custody.

"I don't have any answers for you now as to what's happened, who's responsible," Aaron said.

"There are persons who were around the complex today, visitors, who have been taken to headquarters for questioning, just to see what they know, what they may have seen," he said.

Aaron said officers went to the scene after receiving a call about injured persons inside the condo.

"When police officers arrived in response to that call, they found two individuals who had been shot to death inside the residence," he said.

The condominium is one that McNair was known to frequent, but police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said she didn't know if he was the owner.

About 50 people crowded just beyond police tape outside the complex in the upscale Rutledge Hill neighborhood, some wearing Titans hats. The condominium is located within walking distance of an area filled with restaurants and nightspots, a few blocks from the Cumberland River and within view of the Titans' stadium.

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In June, McNair opened a restaurant near the Tennessee State University campus. It was closed Saturday evening, but had become a small memorial, where flowers, candles and notes had been placed outside the door.

On the restaurant's windows were messages: "We will miss you Steve" and "We love you Steve."

A note attached to a small blue teddy bear read, "We will never forget you, Steve. Once a Titan, always a Titan."

McNair, a four-time Pro Bowler, led the Titans within a yard of forcing overtime in the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in April 2008.

His most noted drive, the last one in that Super Bowl, came when he led the Titans 87 yards in the final minute and 48 seconds, only to come up a yard short of the tying touchdown. Kevin Dyson caught his 9-yard pass, but was tackled at the 1-yard line by the Rams' Mike Jones.

McNair accounted for all of Tennessee's yards in that drive, throwing for 48 yards and rushing for 14. The rest of the yardage came on penalties against the Rams. Before that, he brought the Titans back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game.

"We don't know the details, but it is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the families involved," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

"We are saddened and shocked to hear the news of Steve McNair's passing today," Titans owner Bud Adams said in a statement. "He was one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans. He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl."

"If you were going to draw a football player, the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional, he is your guy," former Ravens and Titans teammate Samari Rolle said. "I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today."

McNair became a nationally known college football star playing for Alcorn State, a Division I-AA school in his home state. His performance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference was so dominant, he became a Heisman Trophy contender and national media flocked to the school in Lorman, Miss., to get look at "Air McNair." He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823).

McNair began his NFL career in 1995 with the Houston Oilers, who eventually became the Titans, and finished with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns. McNair played with pain for several years, and the injuries ultimately forced him to retire.

"On the field, there isn't player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position," the Ravens' Derrick Mason said. "What I have seen him play through on the field, and what he dealt with during the week to get ready for a game, I have never known a better teammate."

During a five-game stretch at the end of the 2002 season, McNair was so bruised he couldn't practice. But he started all five games and won them, leading the Titans to an 11-5 finish and a berth in the AFC championship game for the second time in four seasons.

McNair played all 16 games in 2006, his first season in Baltimore, and guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record. But he injured his groin during the season opener last season and never regained the form that put him in those Pro Bowls.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of today's tragic news regarding the death of Steve McNair. He was a player who I admired a great deal," said New England Patriots senior football adviser Floyd Reese, who was GM of the Titans when McNair played for them. "He was a tremendous leader and an absolute warrior. He felt like it was his responsibility to lead by working hard every day, no matter what."

Titans coach Jeff Fisher was out of the country, taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour to Iraq.

Ozzie Newsome, Ravens executive vice president and general manager, said he immediately thought of McNair's four sons.

"This is so, so sad. We immediately think of his family, his boys. They are all in our thoughts and prayers," he said "What we admired most about Steve when we played against him was his competitive spirit, and we were lucky enough to have that with us for two years. He is one of the best players in the NFL over the last 20 years."

A Drug That Could Give You Perfect Visual Memory

A group of Spanish researchers reported today in Science that they may have stumbled upon a substance that could become the ultimate memory-enhancer. The group was studying a poorly-understood region of the visual cortex. They found that if they boosted production of a protein called RGS-14 (pictured) in that area of the visual cortex in mice, it dramatically affected the animals' ability to remember objects they had seen.

Mice with the RGS-14 boost could remember objects they had seen for up to two months. Ordinarily the same mice would only be able to remember these objects for about an hour.

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The researchers concluded that this region of the visual cortex, known as layer six of region V2, is responsible for creating visual memories. When the region is removed, mice can no longer remember any object they see.

If this protein boosts visual memory in humans, the implications are staggering. In their paper, the researchers say that it could be used as a memory-enhancer – which seems like an understatement. What's particularly intriguing is the fact that this protein works on visual memory only. So as I mentioned earlier, it would be perfect for mapping. It would also be useful for engineers and architects who need to hold a lot of visual images in their minds at once. And it would also be a great drug for detectives and spies.

Could it also be a way to gain photographic memory? For example, if I look at a page of text will I remember the words perfectly? Or will I simply remember how the page looked?

I can't see much of a downside for this potential drug, unless the act of not forgetting what you see causes problems or trauma.

Michael Jackson Second Autopsy

Desiree Rogers Creative Coalition Appearance

NEW YORK — Stepping out in New York City to talk about culture, Desiree Rogers made one thing clear: This White House social secretary doesn't intend to stay closeted in her East Wing office for four years.

"One of the things the president and the first lady want to do is celebrate America," Rogers told The Associated Press as she arrived for an arts event Thursday evening. "So when it comes to arts and culture, we need to be out there. We need to see what people are doing."

Also, she noted, traveling outside Washington is a crucial way to find interesting artists and cultural figures to bring into the White House: "A lot of collaborations are born this way."

Rogers was the main attraction at the annual meeting of the Creative Coalition, a politically active, bipartisan group of entertainment industry figures founded by the late actors Christopher Reeve and Ron Silver. During a cocktail reception, she could barely move for all the well-wishers eager to meet her and press business cards into her hand.

Afterward, in a discussion moderated by actress Dana Delany, Rogers spoke of her dual mission: To both respect history and create new traditions at what she emphasized was "the people's house."

The nation's first black social secretary also spoke about another key way she's different from past social secretaries: She's a special assistant to the president, as well, meaning she's part of both the president's and the first lady's staffs.

"They wanted me to be able to really think about (the job) in a different way," Rogers told Delany. "It's also important that we work as a team."

Rogers, a tall, striking woman who's often noted for her fashion sense _ just like the first lady she works for _ already has made a mark on the job with such events as a poetry jam in May, where poets and playwrights celebrated the spoken word, and Monday's White House jazz concert, where musicians like Wynton Marsalis taught jazz technique and history. Next up, she said: "Country music!"

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told the crowd she'd already organized 150 events at the White House, earning an appreciative whistle. Among them was a sit-down dinner early in the new term for the nation's governors, which she said she initially had no idea how to plan.

"I didn't know where the kitchen was, or where the ballroom was," Rogers said. "They don't leave you any files when you come here." She said she didn't want the governors to just be sitting the whole time, even though people told her they wouldn't dance. "So we got Earth, Wind and Fire," Rogers said. "And by the end, they were doing a Conga line."

Then there was the Easter Egg Roll, before which, she confessed, she'd used her marketing experience as a former executive (her last post was as president of social networking at Allstate Financial) to conduct a focus group _ of kids. But it wasn't easy.

"They were all like, 'Hate that, hate that,'" she said in mock exasperation. "We ended up having hip-hop, Fergie, Ziggy Marley and yoga."

Rogers, who turned 50 this week, also gave a glimpse into her daily life in the White House, which begins with three back-to-back morning meetings: First, the morning meeting in the West Wing of the president's senior advisers, then a social office meeting and then one with the first lady's office.

She told the audience how the new administration is slowly modernizing the place. Many people working in the White House, she said, have been there for years. "Now they have BlackBerrys," she said with a smile.

She also recalled the emotion of Inauguration Day, when she was helping move in the Obama family. "I saw the pride and joy of these people," she said of the White House's black employees. "This gentleman who'd been there 50 years, he's close to retirement, told me: 'I never thought I would see a president the color that I am.'"

The Creative Coalition event was attended by diverse figures in the arts like former talk show host Dick Cavett, actors Tim Daly and Tony Goldwyn, who are co-presidents of the coalition, and Rocco Landesman, President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Delany said she was hugely impressed with Rogers.

Colton Orr A Leaf

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed former NY Ranger tough guy Colton Orr to a 4 year, $4 million dollar contract.  The cap hit will be $1 million dollars a season, and they immediately become “tougher” up front.

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Farrah Fawcett in Memorial

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Funeral of Farah Fawcett

Farrah Fawcett’s private funeral is set to take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles today.

The former Charlie's Angels star, who passed away from anal cancer last week in a Santa Monica Hospital, will become one with the angels today when she's laid to rest at Los Angeles' Our Lady of the Angels cathedral, which was organized by her longtime love Ryan O'Neal.

Farrah's incarcerated son Redmond O'Neal will be allowed to leave prison for a few hours to attend the funeral, thanks to a Superior Court judge allowing him to do so. He will be able to wear plain clothes, but will be escorted by sheriff’s deputies. He is currently serving time for drug related charges. Afterwards he will head back to the clink.

Farrah died last Thursday after a long battle with anal cancer. She was 62.

I wonder if Ryan will show up to the funeral all geeked out. This guy reminds me of Joe Jackson a little bit - just more subtle. Probably because he’s an actor. Didn’t he treat Farrah like hell and get her all into coke? Oh yeah, and his son Redmond might be serving time, but from what I remember Ryan was busted with a little crystal meth at the same time his son was.

Maybe after Ryan realized Farrah was terminal he felt bad for the way he had treated her his whole life. But then again, maybe he also saw it as an opportunity, an opportunity to finance HIS drug habit.  I’m not sure which, but I don’t trust this guy.

Her battle with the disease was documented in Farrah’s Story, which aired this past May and brought about 9 million viewers.

Just days before Farrah passed away, Ryan declared that they had decided to get married, but were going to wait until Farrah was strong enough to walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Natalie Portman Death Untrue

It’s been a tough week for celebrities and their fans, as we’ve lost Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Billy Mays. Last night, I noted on Twitter that “why is everyone dying” was actually a hot Google search term, as apparently the masses think perhaps it’s more than just a coincidence that so many famous people are passing away.

The web is currently abuzz with false rumors circulating that Natalie Portman died this morning after falling off a cliff in New Zealand. This rumor came from the same news organization that claimed Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford died Thursday night following Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett’s deaths. The new source is Global Associated News, which at first glance looks like a legitimate international news outlet, but it’s really more like the National Enquirer.

Although there has been a recent surge in celebrity related deaths (i.e. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays) I can assure you Natalie Portman is very much alive. She was spotted a few nights ago in Los Angeles avoided paparazzi, while carrying on life as usual.

Sometimes I wonder if celebrities want to fake their deaths in order to get out of the spotlight. I can’t think of anyone who’s done that, but I’m sure it crossed a couple people’s minds. The paparazzi can take such a toll on these celebrities, but then again if they do fake their death, they’ll have more paparazzi in their face then ever before.