My Vote for Sports Picture of the Year

Prior to the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open, tennis legend Andre Agassi and the No. 1-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland couldn't resist the temptation to have a friendly 'hit' on the world's most unique tennis court, the Helipad of the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

For Those Staying in Jackson for New Years Eve

What To Do This New Year's Eve in Jackson

by Lynette Hanson, Jackson Free Press
December 28, 2005

Traditionally New Year’s Eve means a celebration with family and friends. Here’s the lowdown about your favorite spots around town. Our advice is to call right away for reservations.

930 Blues Café, 930 N. Congress, 601-948-3344
For $25 each or $35 per couple, join Rick Lawson & Band to celebrate. The price includes hor d’oeurves, a party pack and Champagne at midnight.

AJ’s Seafood Grille, 900 County Line Road, 601-956-2588
Dining along with live entertainment from The Crossroads, 8 p.m. until midnight. There’s a complimentary Champagne toast to ring in the New Year.

Ameristar Casino, Vicksburg, 800-700-7770
Local music favorites Meet the Press ring in the New Year at The Bottleneck Blues Bar. Downstairs in The Cabaret Lounge it’s BB Secrist and the Rockin’ 88s. You can dance in 2006 at either venue. It’s all free.

Bon Ami, 1220 E. Northside Dr., 601-982-0405
It’s BYOB at Bon Ami’s two seatings, 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The price for the six-course meal is $85 each.

Bravo! Italian Restaurant & Bar, Highland Village, 601-982-8111
The six-course prix fixe menu—$65 per person for the 6 p.m. seating, $85 for 9:30 p.m.—can be accompanied by a select, separately priced five-wine flight. With the late seating, you also get party favors and Champagne at midnight.

Copeland’s, 6390 Ridgewood Road, 601-899-0100
At $49.99 for two, you get dinner, live jazz and free Champagne at midnight.

Del Sol, 4659 McWillie Dr., 601-982-4956
Seatings are from 7:30-8 p.m. for the six-course dinner, $65 each, with a cash bar or an optional $20 wine flight.

DeLuca’s, 6792 Siwell Road, Byram, 601-376-0777, 601-376-4677
For $89.95, you get dinner for two and the party at the Backyard Sports Bar with Dreamer, from 9 p.m. until. Party favors and Champagne appear at midnight. The party by itself is $20 per couple.

Eldorado Steakhouse, 653 Eldorado Road, Jackson, 601-936-9413
Their special NYE menu is from 5-10:30 p.m. If this is your first time at the spot that bills itself as “The Gold Standard in Steaks,” call for directions.

Elixir Restaurant & Bar, 4800 I-55 N, 601-981-7896
Elixir has two seatings, $55 each at 6 p.m. and $65 at 9 p.m., with complimentary Spanish sparkling wine at the late seating. There’s also a $20 paired wine menu to compliment the five-course meal.

Headliners, 6107 Ridgewood Road, 601-957-6110
Splendid Chaos plays their New Year’s Eve Party; there’s an appetizer buffet until 10 p.m., a Champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight—all for $25 at the door.

The Hilton, 1001 E. County Line Road, 601-957-2800
Huntington’s is sold out, but there’s still fun to be had at the Hilton’s other venues. Or for $199, you and your significant other can spend the night at the hotel, dine at Wellington’s for dinner and breakfast, and make your way to all the entertainment venues.

The Hunt Club at the Jacksonian Inn, 1525 Ellis Ave. at I-55 S, 601-944-1150
For their New Year’s Eve Celebration and music, call for complete information.

Isle of Capri Casino, Vicksburg, 800-843-4753
Join Ronnie Wolf and the Wolf pack for their New Year’s Eve Party from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. It’s free with a cash bar.

Left Field Sports Grill, 1198 Lakeland Dr., 601-982-9775
Come out for an intimate, romantic evening with acoustic music, a steak dinner with all the trimmings, and a bottle of Champagne. It’s $75 per couple.

Mardi Gras, 824 S. State St., 601-351-3000, 601-982-4850
In the Jazz Bar from 7 p.m.-1 a.m., it’s King Edward & Nolan Struck Band, for $15 each. In the Nightclub from 9 p.m.-2 a.m., it’s Earth Angels, $25 per person or $40 per couple. The French Quarter Party Package, $75 per person, includes dinner, entrance to both music venues, with Champagne and party favors at midnight.

Olga’s, 1679 Old Fannin Road, Flowood, 601-992-1092
The first seating is between 5-8 p.m. for the four-course meal and live piano. Starting at 9 p.m., there’s a second seating that also includes “Name That Tune” trivia fun, party favors, prizes and surprises. All for $45 per person, either seating.

Parker House Restaurant, 104 S. E. Madison Dr., Ridgeland, 601-856-0043
Early seating at $65 per person is between 4:30-8:30 p.m. Late seating, 9-10 p.m., is $75 per person. You’ll get a five-course meal plus party favors and Champagne, late seating.

Rossini Cucina Italiana, 1060 E. County Line Road, 601-899-9111
They’ve got four to seven specials planned in addition to their full regular menu from 5-10 p.m.

Schimmel’s, 2615 North State St., 601-981-7077
Their New Year’s Eve Jam features Pat Brown and Patrice Moncell along with Mr. Jimmy King and the Houserockers. $10 cover begins at 9:30 p.m. Complimentary Champagne. Schimmel’s regular menu will be served along with their NYE Food and Wine Pairing Menu.

Scrooge’s, 5829 Ridgewood Road, 601-206-1211
Celebrate on New York time at 11 p.m. There’s also a free shuttle provided within a 10-mile radius of the restaurant. Call for reservation for this unique service.

Shucker’s, 110 Conestoga Road, 601-853-0105
Join the Big Daddy Band from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. Your $15 cover gets you the entertainment plus party favors and Champagne at midnight.

Stone Pony, 1537 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-859-9999
Karaoke starts between 8-9 p.m. The buffet begins at midnight.

Trio’s, 6954 Old Canton Road, 601-956-5040
Three seatings of their NYE menu are at 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m. There’ll be Champagne at midnight. Call for prices.

Walker’s Drive-In, 3016 N. State St., 601-982-2633
For $70 per person, you’ll get a four-course meal at any of three seatings—6, 7:15 and 9 p.m.

Florida teen skips school, sneaks to Iraq

16-year-old survives his experiment in 'immersion journalism'

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order. Or the moment a Kuwaiti cab driver almost punched him in the face when he balked at the $100 fare.

But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.

And he didn't even tell his parents.

Hassan's dangerous adventure winds down with the 101st Airborne delivering the Fort Lauderdale teen to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, which had been on the lookout for him and promises to see him back to the United States this weekend.

It begins with a high school class on "immersion journalism" and one overly eager -- or naively idealistic -- student who's lucky to be alive after going way beyond what any teacher would ask.

As a junior this year at a Pine Crest School, a prep academy of about 700 students in Fort Lauderdale, Hassan studied writers like John McPhee in the book "The New Journalism," an introduction to immersion journalism -- a writer who lives the life of his subject in order to better understand it.

Diving headfirst into an assignment, Hassan, whose parents were born in Iraq but have lived in the United States for about 35 years, hung out at a local mosque. The teen, who says he has no religious affiliation, added that he even spent an entire night until 6 a.m. talking politics with a group of Muslim men, a level of "immersion" his teacher characterized as dangerous and irresponsible.

The next trimester his class was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it, Hassan said. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism there, too, though he knows his school in no way endorses his travels.

"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he told The Associated Press.

His plan

Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on December 11.

His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies.

Given his heritage, Hassan could almost pass as Iraqi. His father's background helped him secure an entry visa, and native Arabs would see in his face Iraqi features and a familiar skin tone. His wispy beard was meant to help him blend in.

But underneath that Mideast veneer was full-blooded American teen, a born-and-bred Floridian sporting white Nike tennis shoes and trendy jeans. And as soon as the lanky, 6-foot teenager opened his mouth -- he speaks no Arabic -- his true nationality would have betrayed him.

Traveling on his own in a land where insurgents and jihadists have kidnapped more than 400 foreigners, killing at least 39 of them, Hassan walked straight into a death zone. On Monday, his first full day in Iraq, six vehicle bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing five people and wounding more than 40.

The State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens against traveling to Iraq, saying it "remains very dangerous." Forty American citizens have been kidnapped since the war started in March 2003, of which 10 have been killed, a U.S. official said. About 15 remain missing.

"Travel warnings are issued for countries that are considered especially dangerous for Americans, and one of the strongest warnings covers travel to Iraq," said Elizabeth Colton, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Colton said the embassy's consular section can provide only limited help to Americans in Iraq, though once officials learn of a potentially dangerous situation every effort is made to assist.

Inside the safety of Baghdad's Green Zone, an Embassy official from the Hostage Working Group talked to Hassan about how risky travel is in Iraq.

"This place is incredibly dangerous to individual private American citizens, especially minors, and all of us, especially the military, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure this youth's safety, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or even understand it," a U.S. official who wasn't authorized to speak to the media said on condition of anonymity.

Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City. His plan was to take a taxi across the border and ultimately to Baghdad -- an unconventional, expensive and utterly dangerous route.

The teen calls home

It was in Kuwait City that he first called his parents to tell them of his plans -- and that he was now in the Middle East.

His mother, Shatha Atiya, a psychologist, said she was "shocked and terrified." She had told him she would take him to Iraq, but only after the country stabilizes.

"He thinks he can be an ambassador for democracy around the world. It's admirable but also agony for a parent," Atiya said.

Attempting to get into Iraq, Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the border 55 miles away. He spoke English at the border and was soon surrounded by about 15 men, a scene he wanted no part of. On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.

"In one day I probably spent like $250 on taxis," he said. "And they're so evil too, because they ripped me off, and when I wouldn't pay the ripped-off price they started threatening me. It was bad."

It could have been worse -- the border could have been open.

As luck would have it, the teenager found himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line sometime on December 13, and the border security was extra tight because of Iraq's December 15 parliamentary elections. The timing saved him from a dangerous trip.

"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."

He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted on going to Baghdad. His father advised him to stay with family friends in Beirut, Lebanon, so he flew there, spending 10 days before flying to Baghdad on Christmas.

His ride at Baghdad International Airport, arranged by the family friends in Lebanon, dropped him off at an international hotel where Americans were staying.

He says he only strayed far from that hotel once, in search of food. He walked into a nearby shop and asked for a menu. When no menu appeared, he pulled out his Arabic phrase book, and after fumbling around found the word "menu." The stand didn't have one. Then a worker tried to read some of the English phrases.

"And I'm like, 'Well, I should probably be going.' It was not a safe place. The way they were looking at me kind of freaked me out," he said.

It was mid-afternoon on Monday, after his second night in Baghdad, that he sought out editors at The Associated Press and announced he was in Iraq to do research and humanitarian work. AP staffers had never seen an unaccompanied teenage American walk into their war zone office. ("I would have been less surprised if little green men had walked in," said editor Patrick Quinn.)

Wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt in addition to his jeans and sneakers, Hassan appeared eager and outgoing but slightly sheepish about his situation.

The AP quickly called the U.S. embassy.

Returning home

Embassy officials had been on the lookout for Hassan, at the request of his parents, who still weren't sure exactly where he was. One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. The 101st Airborne lieutenant who picked him up from the hotel said it was the wildest story he'd ever heard.

Hassan accepted being turned over to authorities as the safest thing to do, but seemed to accept the idea more readily over time.

Most of Hassan's wild tale could not be corroborated, but his larger story arc was in line with details provided by friends and family members back home.

Dangerous and dramatic, Hassan's trip has also been educational. He had tea with Kuwaitis under a tent in the middle of a desert. He says he interviewed Christians in south Lebanon. And he said he spoke with U.S. soldiers guarding his Baghdad hotel who told him they are treated better by Sunni Arabs -- the minority population that enjoyed a high standing under Saddam Hussein and are now thought to fuel the insurgency -- than by the majority Shiites.

His father, Redha Hassan, a doctor, said his son is an idealist, principled and moral. Aside from the research he wanted to accomplish, he also wrote in an essay saying he wanted to volunteer in Iraq.

He said he wrote half the essay while in the United States, half in Kuwait, and e-mailed it to his teachers December 15 while in the Kuwait City airport.

"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote.

"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."

"I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress," he wrote.

Farris Hassan says he thinks a trip to the Middle East is a healthy vacation compared with a trip to Colorado for holiday skiing.

"You go to, like, the worst place in the world and things are terrible," he said. "When you go back home you have such a new appreciation for all the blessing you have there, and I'm just going to be, like, ecstatic for life."

His mother, however, sees things differently.

"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."

Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death.

His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone."

Cash pours in for student with $1 million Web idea

If you have an envious streak, you probably shouldn't read this.

Because chances are, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old student from a small town in England, is cleverer than you. And he is proving it by earning a cool million dollars in four months on the Internet.

Selling porn? Dealing prescription drugs? Nope. All he sells are pixels, the tiny dots on the screen that appear when you call up his home page.

He had the brainstorm for his million dollar home page, called, logically enough, www.milliondollarhomepage.com, while lying in bed thinking out how he would pay for university.

The idea: turn his home page into a billboard made up of a million dots, and sell them for a dollar a dot to anyone who wants to put up their logo. A 10 by 10 dot square, roughly the size of a letter of type, costs $100.

He sold a few to his brothers and some friends, and when he had made $1,000, he issued a press release.

That was picked up by the news media, spread around the Internet, and soon advertisers for everything from dating sites to casinos to real estate agents to The Times of London were putting up real cash for pixels, with links to their own sites.

So far they have bought up 911,800 pixels. Tew's home page now looks like an online Times Square, festooned with a multi-colored confetti of ads.

"All the money's kind of sitting in a bank account," Tew told Reuters from his home in Wiltshire, southwest England. "I've treated myself to a car. I've only just passed my driving test so I've bought myself a little black mini."

The site features testimonials from advertisers, some of whom bought spots as a lark, only to discover that they were receiving actual valuable Web hits for a fraction of the cost of traditional Internet advertising.

Meanwhile Tew has had to juggle running the site with his first term at university, where he is studying business.

"It's been quite a difficulty trying to balance going to lectures and doing the site," he said.

But he may not have to study for long. Job offers have been coming in from Internet companies impressed by a young man who managed to figure out an original way to make money online.

"I didn't expect it to happen like that," Tew said. "To have the job offers and approaches from investors -- the whole thing is kind of surreal. I'm still in a state of disbelief."

Thanks to Bo Z. for the article

What Men, Women Want on the Web

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Internet users share many common interests, but men are heavier consumers of news, stocks, sports and pornography, while more women look for health and religious guidance, a broad survey of U.S. Web usage has found.

The study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project to be released on Thursday finds men are slightly more intense users of the Web. Men log on more frequently and spend more time online. More men also have access to quick broadband connections than do women.

"Once you get past the commonalities, men tend to be attracted to online activities that are far more action-oriented, while women tend to value things involving relationships or human connections," said Deborah Fallows, a research fellow at Pew and author of the report.

A larger number of men surf the Internet for pleasure, with 70 percent acknowledging they go online to pass time, compared with 63 percent of women. Men are more likely than women to listen to music, view Webcams and pay for digital content.

But women are catching up in several areas measured by the survey, and intensive use by younger women suggests some of the gaps will continue to narrow.

Already, women are heavier users of e-mail, often going beyond the matter-of-fact responses of male correspondents to use e-mail to share stories, solve issues and reach out to a wider network of friends and family.

Both genders look to the Web as a font of information and as an efficient communications tool, said Fallows in an interview.

Overall, the percentage of men and women who use the Web are nearly equal. Roughly 68 percent of men and 66 percent of women report making use of the Web, up from 20 percent of the U.S. population Pew found in 1995, when men made up 58 percent of the online audience.

What puts women off

Over the past decade, men have proved more willing to engage in riskier encounters or transactions, such as joining chat rooms, bidding in online auctions or trading stocks. Auctions attract 30 percent of men versus 18 percent of women.

In addition, 21 percent of males confess to looking at porn online compared with just 5 percent of females, the Pew survey has found. This area is notoriously difficult to measure and may be underreported by survey respondents, Fallows said.

Meanwhile 74 percent of women seek health or medical information online, far more than the 58 percent of men who do so. Thirty-four percent of women seek religious information from the Web versus 25 percent of men. Such differences mirror gender differences in the offline world, Fallows noted.

Men go online more frequently, as 44 percent use the Web several times daily versus 39 percent of women.

Partly this reflects their greater broadband access, requiring less time to wait for dial-up connections. Seventy-eight percent of men have broadband connections at work versus 69 percent of women, although the broadband gender gap narrows among both sexes at home.

In addition, the survey found men feel more in control of their computers. Far more men fix their own computers, for instance. Men also are more likely to be aware of the latest technology jargon -- terms like spam, firewall, spyware, adware, phishing and RSS.

Gender gap -- or generation gap?

Based on responses by thousands of U.S. Web users to a questionnaire covering 90 areas of online activity, the Pew report finds some of the gender differences to be generational. Girls and young women are more facile with technology-intensive activities than older generations of women appear to be.

Eighty-six percent of women ages 18-29 are Web users, compared with 80 percent of men. But 34 percent of men 65 and older use the Internet, compared with 21 percent of elderly women.

By 2004, 22 percent of teenage girls had started a blog, or online journal, versus 17 percent of boys. Yet boys are far more likely to download music or videos, with 38 percent of boys saying they watch online video versus 24 percent of girls.

"Teenage girls may do more or less than boys of certain activities, like downloading, but the important message is that the technology is not standing in their way," the report states. As younger women grow up, women are likely to overtake men in terms of the overall audience, Fallows predicts.

The report cites data from surveys performed by Pew from 2000 through 2005. Some 6,403 respondents took part in 2005.

DJ's lawsuit award isn't so sweet anymore

Former WYCD host's lawyer will fight federal judge's trim of $10.6M verdict to $814,000

DETROIT -- An ex-country music DJ's court victory -- in which she won $10.6 million after she claimed she was sickened by a fellow radio host's use of French perfume -- no longer smells as sweet.

U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh, in a 19-page opinion, reduced former Detroit radio host Erin Weber's award to $814,000.

Steeh said he was tempted to throw the entire verdict out, in part because he questions whether she has a perfume allergy.

"The weight of the evidence does not clearly support a finding of a perfume allergy," Steeh wrote in a recent opinion. "There are many reasons to seriously consider setting aside the verdict in this case."

A Troy lawyer for Weber, Raymond Sterling, said Friday they would seek to have the full amount reinstated by Steeh and by a federal appeals court.

"We don't feel the reduction is justified. We've already filed papers to explain to the judge why he should uphold the original intent of the jury and we intend to also go to the court," Sterling said.

Weber, a former midday host at WYCD (99.5 FM), filed suit in 2002, claiming a chemical allergy that developed after her 1999 exposure to chemicals spilled in a radio studio was exacerbated to the point she could no longer work.

Weber said co-worker Linda Bullard's use of the perfume Tresor by Lancome forced her to take a three-month leave of absence in 2000. Following a third medical leave for an alleged exposure to the offending perfume, she was fired in September 2001 for failing to perform her job. Bullard goes by the radio name Linda Lee.

An all-female jury in May awarded Weber $7 million for punitive damages; $2 million for noneconomic damages; $1.1 million for future economic damages; and $514,000 for past economic damages. In his opinion, Steeh said the size of the verdict "is telling evidence that the jury in this case was inflamed."

"It is unclear whether the jury's prejudice was a result of the peculiar composition of the all-female jury, the defendants' failure to pursue arguments which would have obliterated many of (Weber's) claims or the defendants' failure to focus sufficient attention to the damages issues," Steeh wrote.

But Steeh agreed to award attorneys' fees to Weber. Sterling has sought $630,000; the judge will hold a hearing in January to determine the amount.

Weber claimed exposure to Tresor caused her to lose her voice and take lengthy absences from work. She also said she once "felt an electric shock quell through my entire body" and required heavy medication to combat the effects.

Weber said she has been unable to get another job in radio since she was fired in 2001 and claims Infinity Broadcasting "blacklisted her" -- a claim the company, which owns WYCD, rejects.

Karen L. Mateo, vice president for communication at Infinity Broadcasting, said Friday the company had no comment on the judge's decision to reduce the verdict. "We continue to litigate the case," Mateo said.

Schwarzenegger's Name Off Stadium

Governor's hometown removes letters in middle of night

VIENNA, Austria (AP -- Officials in Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown of Graz quietly, and under cover of darkness, removed giant metal letters spelling out his name on a soccer stadium.

The California governor had asked for his name to be stricken from the 15,300-seat arena after critics in his birthplace, where opposition to capital punishment runs high, scorned him for refusing to block this month's execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams.

Late Sunday night or early Monday, authorities in the southern Austrian city unbolted the 20 letters spelling out the action star-turned-politician's name from Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium. They timed the work to take advantage of the Christmas lull to avoid attracting attention "and keep the media from taking photos," said a local city hall official who declined to be named.

Capital punishment is illegal in Schwarzenegger's native Austria, where many people consider it barbaric. Opposition had run especially high in Graz, whose official slogan is "City of Human Rights."

After Williams' December 13 execution triggered a firestorm in Europe and reignited calls for Graz's stadium to be stripped of Schwarzenegger's name, the governor opted for a pre-emptive strike: A week ago, he wrote a letter to local officials ordering his name to be removed and said he was returning an ornate ring of honor that Graz officials gave him in 1999.

With the Hollywood star's name gone, the sign atop the main entrance to the stadium in Graz, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Vienna, read simply, "Stadium Graz Liebenau," as it was known before it was renamed in Schwarzenegger's honor in 1997.

The overnight removal caught locals by surprise.

"Arnie banished from the stadium's name," was the headline in the Graz daily Kleine Zeitung Monday.

Calls to the city hall in Graz went unanswered on Monday, a national holiday.

Last week, Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl wrote to Schwarzenegger urging him to reconsider his decision to cut ties to the city and to keep the ring. Nagl said he reassured Schwarzenegger that most local residents still admire him despite fierce opposition to his pro-death penalty stance.

Nagl said he was worried that severing ties to Schwarzenegger, one of Austria's most famous sons, potentially could cost the city millions in tourist revenue.

But the movement to scrap Schwarzenegger's name from the stadium, led by local officials of the pacifist Green Party, had gained momentum in recent weeks, and a majority of the city council in Graz was said to support the idea.

The ring arrived at Graz's city hall late last week, and officials were considering putting it on display at a local museum, Nagl told the weekly newspaper Die Woche.

Many Europeans have scorned the United States' use of capital punishment in general, and Schwarzenegger's refusal to grant clemency to convicts on California's death row in particular. They are now waiting to see how Schwarzenegger deals with the scheduled January 17 execution of a 75-year-old inmate.

Schwarzenegger was born in 1947 in the village of Thal just outside Graz, where he began his bodybuilding career. He emigrated to the United States in 1968 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1984, but has retained his Austrian citizenship.

SStarkville Smoking Ban Gains Steam Among Some City Officials

By Paul Sims,psims@cdispatch.com

STARKVILLE - At least two Starkville aldermen are leaning toward passage of an ordinance restricting smoking in public places, while at least two others are still listening to public input, although they acknowledge most people with whom they've talked support the move.

While saying he will keep an open mind, Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins says he's strongly in favor of passage of an ordinance “that provides for a smoke-free Starkville.”

“The smoke-free ordinance is going to provide a healthy environment,” Perkins said.

In November, members of the grass-roots group “Breathe Free Starkville” presented a draft ordinance banning smoking in all public places in the city, including bars and restaurants, citing a health benefit to the community. At the Board of Aldermen's Dec. 6 meeting, restaurant owners objected to the ban, saying it could cripple business by driving it to other communities and create governmental intrusion.

If the ordinance is enacted, Starkville - the home of Mississippi State University - would join at least five other Southeastern Conference communities with at least some restrictions on smoking in public places.

Perkins believes the ordinance is in the community's best interest and doesn't think the ban would push smokers out of the city's eating establishments.

“People who smoke are going to continue to go to restaurants .... I just think that the business climate will continue at its current level,” Perkins said.

Perkins also thinks the board should consider the matter in a straight up-or-down vote rather than going the route of a referendum.

While saying “I always believe the people ... should have a strong voice in government,” Perkins said he doesn't think it's a matter on which to spend the taxpayers' money.

Such a vote would be non-binding, said Ward 3 Alderman P.C. “Mac” McLaurin. McLaurin agrees that a vote “may be an expense that might be insecure.”

The board won't take action on the subject until after the Jan. 19 town hall meeting at 6 p.m. at the Greensboro Center, McLaurin said.

McLaurin says the overwhelming number of people he's had contact with support the ban, but he wants to hear the public input at the town hall meeting and give some consideration to a few of the issues members of the Starkville Restaurant Association have raised.

However, “My inclination at the moment is to support the ban barring something unusual occurring,” McLaurin said.

Both McLaurin and Perkins say the proposed ordinance may need some fine-tuning.

Ward 1 Alderman Sumner Davis says he also wants to hear the public's input at the forum and then “try to make a reasoned and logical decision.”

“Both sides make valid points,” Davis said, adding aldermen have “no clear-cut, easy answer.”

Davis says he hasn't thought through the mechanism by which the board might consider the subject.

“Right now, I'm listening,” said Ward 5 Alderman Matt Cox.

“Whatever we do should be right for Starkville,” said Cox, noting 80 to 90 percent of the people with whom he's had contact support the ordinance.

After Jan. 19, the board will have four choices - do nothing, act on the proposal, draft a new one or send the matter to the people for a vote, Cox said.

Canadian Court Lifts Ban on ‘Swingers’ Clubs

Group sex among consenting adults not a threat to society, it says

OTTAWA - Group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Wednesday as it lifted a ban on so-called “swingers” clubs.

In a ruling that radically changes the way courts determine what poses a threat to the population, the top court threw out the conviction of a Montreal man who ran a club where members could have group sex in a private room behind locked doors.

“Consensual conduct behind code-locked doors can hardly be supposed to jeopardize a society as vigorous and tolerant as Canadian society,” said the opinion of the seven-to-two majority, written by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

The decision does not affect laws against prostitution because no money changed hands among the adults having sex.

‘Bawdy house’ proprietor's appeal
The court was reviewing an appeal by Jean-Paul Labaye, who ran the L’Orage (Thunderstorm) club. He had been convicted in 1999 of running a “bawdy house” — defined as a place where prostitution or acts of public indecency took place.

Labaye — who is still running L’Orage despite his earlier conviction — said he was relieved, and would now go ahead with a new venture with backing from a group of Florida investors.

“We hope clients will be more calm. This will probably lead the way to a good future,” he told reporters, saying he was looking at adding a Jacuzzi and a swimming pool.

Labaye said he had about 2,000 regular clients who paid around $20 ($17 U.S.) a year for a membership card.

Lawyers for Labaye and the owner of another swingers’ club in Montreal argued that consensual sex among groups of adults behind closed doors was neither indecent or a risk to society.

The Supreme Court judges agreed.

“Criminal indecency or obscenity must rest on actual harm or a significant risk of harm to individuals or society. The Crown failed to establish this essential element of the offense. (Its) case must therefore fail,” McLachlin wrote.

In indecency cases, Canadian courts have traditionally probed whether the acts in question “breached the rules of conduct necessary for the proper functioning of society”. The Supreme Court ruled that from now on, judges should pay more attention to whether society would be actively harmed.

Deviant, maybe, but not dangerous
This seemed to ensure there could be no repeat of Labaye’s original conviction for causing “social harm” by allowing degrading and dehumanizing group sex to take place.

The judges said that just because most Canadians might disapprove of swingers’ clubs, this did not necessarily mean the establishments were socially dangerous.

“The causal link between images of sexuality and anti-social behavior cannot be assumed. Attitudes in themselves are not crimes, however deviant they may be or disgusting they may appear,” the judges said, noting that no one had been pressured to have sex or had paid for sex in the cases the court considered.

“The autonomy and liberty of members of the public was not affected by unwanted confrontation with the sexual activity in question ... only those already disposed to this sort of sexual activity were allowed to participate and watch,” they said.

They also dismissed the idea — raised during Labaye’s original trial — that group sex was dangerous because it could result in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

“Sex that is not indecent can transmit disease while indecent sex might not,” they ruled.

Grand Casino pulling out of Gulfport, will remain in Biloxi

GULFPORT — Harrah's Entertainment will not rebuild its Grand Casino in Gulfport, but will concentrate on its resort project in Biloxi, company officials say.

Copa Casino, which operated in the shadow of Grand Casino Gulfport for years, will buy the Grand Casino site and rebuild there. Gulfside Casino Partnership owns Copa Casino, which was located on land of the Port of Gulfport before Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29.

"We're going to build back as fine as anything on the coast," said Rick Carter, who co-owns the Copa with Terry Green. "We're going to do whatever is best suited for the property and do whatever the city leaders of Gulfport want us to do."

Harrah's is selling all its Gulfport land and buildings to the Copa, including two hotels and real estate along U.S. 90.

The Copa also will acquire the land that Harrah's leases from the State Port of Gulfport south of U.S. 90, about 14 acres.

The purchase price was not disclosed. The sale is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2006.

Harrah's, the world's largest casino company, operates Grand Casino Biloxi, which was destroyed by the hurricane. It also owns casinos in Tunica County.

The Legislature has approved inland casinos along the Gulf Coast north of U.S. 90, but Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr is opposed to putting casinos inland.

On Tuesday, Warr said, "The sales taxes in the city are up and we are not depending upon sales taxes from casinos."

Anthony Sanfilippo, president of Harrah's operations in the central United States, said Tuesday that Warr's opposition was not the reason the company decided to pull out of Gulfport.

Sanfilippo said he recently met with the mayor and he "completely understood" his desire to plan for the future and reassess the city's strategic plans.

He said Harrah's will rebuild its Biloxi property from the ground up.

"We are fully committed to this state and are excited about the opportunity to design and develop a first-class resort at our Biloxi site that will complement our substantial entertainment offerings in northwest Mississippi.

"And by selling these assets to our neighbors in Gulfport, we will give the owners of the Copa site the additional space they need to develop an ambitious project of their own. This agreement is a significant step toward the rebuilding of the Mississippi Gulf Coast," Sanfilippo said.

After its merger with Caesars Entertainment this year, Harrah's wound up with casinos in Lake Charles, New Orleans, Gulfport and Biloxi. All are closed because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but the New Orleans property will reopen in February.

Sanfilippo said Harrah's employees who worked at the New Orleans property will be given first priority for jobs with the reopening. Harrah's employees who had worked at the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Lake Charles, La., properties will be given second priority in hiring.

Iran Bans Western Music

Ruling takes country back to Khomeini days

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has banned Western music from Iran's radio and TV stations, reviving one of the harshest cultural decrees from the early days of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Songs such as George Michael's "Careless Whisper," Eric Clapton's "Rush" and the Eagles' "Hotel California" have regularly accompanied Iranian broadcasts, as do tunes by saxophonist Kenny G.

But the official IRAN Persian daily reported Monday that Ahmadinejad, as head of Iran's Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council, ordered the enactment of an October ruling by the council to ban Western music.

"Blocking indecent and Western music from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is required," according to a statement on the council's official Web site.

Ahmadinejad's order means broadcasters must execute the decree and prepare a report on its implementation within six months, according to the newspaper.

"This is terrible," said Iranian guitarist Babak Riahipour, whose music was played occasionally on state radio and TV. "The decision shows a lack of knowledge and experience."

Music was outlawed as un-Islamic by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini soon after the revolution. But as the fervor of the revolution started to fade, light classical music was allowed on radio and television. Some public concerts reappeared in the late 1980s.

Western music, films and clothing are widely available in Iran, and hip-hop can be heard on Tehran's streets, blaring from car speakers or from music shops. Bootleg videos and DVDs of films banned by the state are widely available on the black market.

After eight years of reformist-led rule in Iran, Ahmadinejad won office in August on a platform of reverting to ultraconservative principles promoted by the revolution.

Since then, Ahmadinejad has jettisoned Iran's moderation in foreign policy and pursued a purge in the government, replacing pragmatic veterans with former military commanders and inexperienced religious hard-liners.

He also has issued stinging criticisms of Israel, called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map" and described the Nazi Holocaust as a "myth." (Full story)

International concerns are high over Iran's nuclear program, with the United States accusing Tehran of pursuing an atomic weapons program. Iran denies the claims.

During his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad also promised to confront what he called the Western cultural invasion and promote Islamic values.

The latest media ban also includes censorship of content of films.

"Supervision of content from films, TV series and their voice-overs is emphasized in order to support spiritual cinema and to eliminate triteness and violence," the council said in a statement on its Web site explaining its October ruling.

The council has also issued a ban on foreign movies that promote "arrogant powers," an apparent reference to the United States.

Report: Cell phone talking while driving on the rise

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More people than ever are turning their cars into personal phone booths, with a million and a half drivers gabbing on cell phones at any given time. Women and young people are the most common yakkers.

About 10 percent of the people on the road during the day are using cell phones, up from 8 percent in 2004, the government reported Thursday.

Six percent of drivers were holding the phones to their ears, up from 5 percent last year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which issued the report, recommends that motorists use cell phones while driving only during an emergency.

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia prohibit talking on hand-held cell phones while driving. The new data could add fuel to the debate over whether drivers should be limited in their use of cell phones on the nation's highways.

Cities such as Chicago and Santa Fe, New Mexico, require handsfree devices in automobiles. But eight states -- Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma and Oregon -- bar local governments from restricting cell phone use in vehicles, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Researchers have tried to figure out the possible risks of driving and dialing. A study published by the British Medical Journal in July found drivers using cell phones were four times as likely to get into a crash that could cause injuries serious enough to land them in the hospital.

But the study, conducted by the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, suggested that using a handsfree device instead of a hand-held phone may not necessarily improve safety. Researchers found that both phone types increased the risk.

Industry officials contend cell phones are just one form of distraction: many drivers eat fast food, push buttons on their stereo, apply makeup or talk to other passengers.

"Talking on a cell phone is one of many possible distractions and by narrowly focusing on just this one could create a false sense of security with drivers," said John Walls, spokesman for CTIA -- The Wireless Association.

Matt Sundeen of the National Conference of State Legislatures said state lawmakers have lacked the kind of conclusive data that was used in the past to bolster arguments for tougher drunken driving or seat belt laws.

"You don't have that wide body of accepted evidence yet on the driver distraction debate," Sundeen said.

The NHTSA survey was conducted between June 6 and June 25 at 1,200 road sites across the nation. Trained observers watched vehicles go by and charted what the driver was doing. The ages of drivers are estimates based on their observations.

The survey found that 10 percent of drivers between 16 and 24 were holding cell phones to their ears, compared with 8 percent in 2004. Only 1 percent of drivers ages 70 and above were using handheld cell phones.

Many states have sought restrictions for young drivers using cell phones. Ten states and the District of Columbia carry the prohibitions, with many of the laws approved in the past year.

The National Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, voted in September to recommend that all states make it illegal for teenagers and new drivers to talk on the phone while driving.

Brian Schaffner, 24, who works for a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C., said his cell phone is "almost a part of me" and admits using it behind the wheel. But he doesn't think it affects his driving.

"I'm probably young and arrogant, thinking that I can't hurt myself, but for the most part I feel perfectly safe using when I drive," Schaffner said.

Women were more likely than men to use handheld phones behind the wheel, with 8 percent of women driving and talking into their cell phone, compared with 5 percent of men.

For the first time, the government examined drivers manipulating hand-held devices at the wheel, including dialing, typing a text message or playing a video game. Only 0.2 percent of drivers were observed fiddling with the gadgets.

Richard Roy, a state legislator in Connecticut who sponsored the state's ban on handheld devices, predicted the new data would help states pursuing similar laws.

"It will make it easier for other lawmakers to a get a law passed," Roy said.

Tour Benefits Musicians in New Orleans

Playing music, raising funds

The Associated Press Willie Nelson (from left) Arlo Guthrie, New Orleans Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and Ramblin' Jack Elliot perform Saturday at the final leg of the Arlo Guthrie & Friends "City of New Orleans" tour in New Orleans to raise money for musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.

NEW ORLEANS — Folk singer Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson gave a sold-out crowd something they've needed since Hurricane Katrina — good music, a good time and a reminder of what they love most about this city.

Guthrie welcomed the crowd late Saturday at legendary Tipitina's, his last performance in a two-week railroad tour to raise money for musicians left homeless and without a place to work after Katrina.

"I'm so happy to be here," Guthrie said, drawing hollers and applause.

Crystal Gross was among the 800 or so people at the benefit concert. She said her apartment in the city survived, but she wanted to do her part to help people who were less fortunate.

"Besides, when else do you get to see Willie Nelson at Tip's?" said Gross, who had moved back to New Orleans in July, about a month before Katrina struck.Gross said the city has been glum since Katrina, but Guthrie and Nelson have changed that, at least for the moment.

"It's so good to see people out again. It's good to see people with smiles on their faces," she said.

Inspired by TV coverage of the hurricane's aftermath and by learning that Amtrak had resumed its "City of New Orleans" service to the city, Guthrie hopped a train in Illinois two weeks ago and scheduled performances along the route with other musicians.His 1972 hit, The City of New Orleans, recounts life on the train, with the chorus "Good morning America, how are you? Don't you know me, I'm your native son, I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans."

Guthrie arrived in New Orleans on Thursday and performed at Tipitina's on Friday with Ramblin' Jack Elliott and others. He added that show after finding out that Saturday night's grand finale performance with Nelson was sold out."We are thrilled that we have been able to make some small dent in all that is wrong down here," Guthrie said.

In an interview before the show, Nelson said he hoped his visit would encourage musicians to return and get the New Orleans music scene back on its feet.

"We want to see them come back," he said, "but I want them to have a place to come back to, a place to live."Nelson took the stage after 11 p.m. and, following his set he joined Guthrie with a stirring rendition of the Steve Goodman song City of New Orleans that Guthrie made popular in 1972. The song was based on a train operated by Illinois Central before the creation of Amtrak. The City of New Orleans name was discontinued in 1971, but Amtrak christened an overnight train that runs much of the same route in 1981.

Money and equipment from the Arlo Guthrie & Friends benefit tour will be donated to performers and to churches and schools that have music programs. Tour spokeswoman Cash Edwards did not have definitive figures on how much the tour has raised.The tour is one of several efforts to help New Orleans' musicians. Singer Harry Connick Jr. and saxophone player Branford Marsalis are working with Habitat for Humanity to create a "village" for musicians who lost their homes to the storm.

Drunken Santas Run Riot in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A group of 40 people dressed in Santa Claus outfits, many of them drunk, went on a rampage through Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, robbing stores, assaulting security guards and urinating from highway overpasses, police said Sunday.
The rampage, dubbed "Santarchy," began early Saturday afternoon when the men, wearing ill-fitting Santa costumes, threw beer bottles and urinated on cars from an overpass, said Auckland Central Police spokesman Noreen Hegarty.
She said the men then rushed through a central city park, overturning garbage containers, throwing bottles at passing cars and spraying graffiti on office buildings.
One man climbed the mooring line of a cruise ship before being ordered down by the captain. Other Santas, objecting when the man was arrested, attacked security staff, who were later treated by paramedics, Hegarty said.
The remaining Santas entered another downtown convenience store and carried off beer and soft drinks.
"They came in, said 'Merry Christmas' and then helped themselves," store owner Changa Manakynda said.
Two security guards were treated for cuts after being struck by beer bottles, Hegarty said. Three people, including the man who climbed on the cruise ship, were arrested and charged with drunkenness and disorderly behavior.
Alex Dyer, a spokesman for the group, said Santarchy was a worldwide movement designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas.

2 MS Bars Ranked in Nation's Top 100

Ground Zero, Eight 75 ranked among Top 100 pubs in nation

By Billy Watkins
bwatkins@clarionledger.com

Clarion-Ledger file photo Uniqueness and quality of service helped earn Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale a spot on Nightclub & Bar magazine's Top 100 list. The club, which opened in 2001 and offers authentic Delta blues, is co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman and Bill Luckett.

Here's one thing Hurricane Katrina couldn't blow away: Eight 75's spot on the list of Nightclub & Bar trade magazine's Top 100 establishments in the country.

Eight 75 was located in Biloxi's Beau Rivage resort, which was heavily damaged by the storm Aug. 29 and remains closed.

"Because we work ahead, we had time to pull Eight 75 after Katrina hit," says Taylor Rau, editor of the Oxford-based publication. "But the bar was just too good and deserved its place on there. And it's our understanding that it will reopen at the end of August, which is really good news."Eight 75 joins Clarksdale's Ground Zero Blues Club as the only Mississippi watering holes to make the prestigious list.

"I think it's pretty darn exciting when a juke joint in a town of 21,000 people can be listed right up there with places in Miami, New York, Las Vegas and Chicago," says Bill Luckett, who co-owns Ground Zero along with actor Morgan Freeman. "I'm more impressed the more I think about this list."

Joe Ellis/Clarion-Ledger file photo Eight 75, located in Biloxi's Beau Rivage resort, was named one of the Top 100 nightclubs in the country by Nightclub & Bar magazine. Beau Rivage officials say the resort and the bar should reopen in late August. The players Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale. Open: Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Music performances are held every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. An open mike jam session along with a blues artist is held each Thursday night. Eight 75, Biloxi's Beau Rivage resort. Currently closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. Scheduled to reopen in late August. Known for its Vegas-style lighting and plush decor. Nightclub & Bar magazine. Based in Oxford for the past 21 years, it covers every aspect of the nightclub industry. For information, visit www.nightclub.com on the Web.

Eight 75 and Ground Zero Blues Club earned their spots because of uniqueness and quality of service, Rau says.

"There is a widespread appreciation for authentic Delta blues, and we think Ground Zero Blues Club is singlehandedly spurring a lot of interest across the country," he says. "Of course, having Morgan Freeman's name attached to it doesn't hurt, either."

Freeman is attending a film festival in Dubai, located along the Arabian Gulf Coast, and probably hasn't learned of the honor yet, Luckett says.Ground Zero Blues Club opened May 11, 2001 in a 103-year-old building that used to serve a store and cotton company.

"People from Europe approached me about opening an authentic blues club in Mississippi," Luckett recalls. "I got to thinking about that old saying that sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. They could see something that was right before my eyes.

Clarion-Ledger file photo Ground Zero Blues Club occupies a historic building in Clarksdale.

"Then the roof fell in on a club that Morgan and I used to enjoy frequenting (The Crossroads in Clarksdale) and had to close. So it was up to us to replicate an old juke joint to help produce and perpetuate blues music."

The club has been featured on documentaries, country music videos and news reports on CNN and The Food Network.

"Seems like there is always a camera rolling in here," says Ground Zero manager Rachel Lawton.Some celebrities who have visited Ground Zero: Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Paul Simon and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Eight 75 — which got its name from its address, 875 Beach Boulevard — "was very prolific with its food and beverage operations, added a nice touch of flair and pizazz to the casino overall. It had state-of-the-art lighting, design and decor," Rau says.And it will have it again, advises Mary Cracchiolo, Beau Rivage's assistant director of public affairs.

"Things are subject to change, but as it stands right now the casino will be back Aug. 29, and that is supposed to include Eight 75," she says.

Cracchiolo says she is "honored" by the club's inclusion on the list but not totally surprised."It's a very contemporary nightclub that could hold up to any in Vegas," she says. "It appeals to hip young crowds and also to professionals meeting there for pre-theater drinks. It has it all — plus couches, plasma TV screens and real quality cocktails that our staff learned exactly how to make."

Several factors were taken into consideration while compiling the list, Rau says."It could've been a list of 1,000," Rau says. "Pairing it down was a tough, painful process. But a few things that might keep somebody out: If they're not proficient with marketing, advertising and promotion. If they're not proactive in making a name for themselves in the industry. A poor attitude toward their patrons.

"What we looked at was annual revenue; marketing and ad promotional abilities, through network feedback from guests; uniqueness — in other words, if it's a theme club, is it really going to stand out in the club's locale."

At least four theme clubs made the cut. 115 Bourbon Street Pub is located in Chicago "but has one of the largest and best Mardi Gras parties in the United States," Rau says.B.E.D in Miami offers its patrons plush beds instead of tables and chairs.

Club Deep in Miami features a see-through dance floor located above an aquarium holding several species of fish, including sharks.Beach Bar at the W Hotel in San Diego is a rooftop lounge with sand on the floor and a full-sized volleyball court.

Rau already has heard from several angry nightclub owners, wondering why their nightspots weren't included.

"I tried to be as soft as possible, but I'm very candid," he says. "Sometimes I have to say 'We simply haven't seen an effective means of getting your name out there.' Most of the time they listen because they know we have a pretty good network out there."Nightclub & Bar is celebrating its 21st year in print.

Rau and his staff also produce two other monthly magazines: Beverage Retailer and Salud! y Buen Provecho, a magazine aimed at Latinos. They circulate nationwide and in Canada, Asia and South America."Our primary readers are owners or managers of nightclubs and bars," says Rau, who attended journalism school at the University of Mississippi. "Bartenders. Servers. A lot of supply companies that make serving trays and things like that."

The stories in the current issue range from hard news topics such as McCain Foods earning $5.6 billion in its most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, to a feature about George's Majestic Lounge, a 79-year-old bar in Fayetteville, Ark., known for its library of college yearbooks.

Top 100 nightclubs

1. 115 Bourbon Street Pub (Chicago)
2. 32 Degrees (Philadelphia)
3. AJ's (Destin, Fla.)
4. Ampersand (New Orleans)
5. Ava Lounge (New York)
6. Aria (Boston)
7. Avalon and Spider Club (L.A.)
8. Beach Bar at the W Hotel (San Diego)
9. B.E.D. (Miami)
10. Billy Bob's Texas (Fort Worth, Texas)
11. Blue Martini (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
12. Cabo Wabo Cantina (Lake Tahoe, Nev.)
13. Caramel Bar and Lounge (Las Vegas)
14. Carlos & Charlie's (Lake Travis, Texas)
15. Carousel Bar (New Orleans)
16. Casbah (Atlantic City, N.J.)
17. Chilkoot Charlies's (Anchorage, Alaska)
18. Club Chameleon (Las Vegas)
19. Club Deep (Miami)
20. Coyote Ugly (New York)
21. Crobar (New York)
22. Dave & Buster's (Dallas)
23. Denim (Philadelphia)
24. Dream (Washington, D.C.)
25. e4 (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
26. Eight 75 (Biloxi, Miss.)
27. Elements, the Lounge (Sea Bright, N.J.)
28. Eleven50 (Atlanta)
29. ESPN Zone (Baltimore)
30. Elysium (Detroit)
31. Excalibur (Chicago)
32. Fado Irish Pub (Atlanta)
33. First Avenue (Minneapolis)
34. Flatiron Lounge (New York)
35. Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce (Hollywood, Calif. and Las Vegas)
36. Fox Sports Grill (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
37. Vicci (Austin, Texas)
38. Galapagos (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
39. ghostbar (Las Vegas)
40. Green Parrot (Key West, Fla.)
41. Good Hurt (Los Angeles)
42. Ground Zero Blues Club (Clarksdale, Miss.)
43. House of Blues (New Orleans)
44. ICE (Las Vegas)
45. Jillian's (Dallas)
46. Jimmy'z At The Forge (Miami)
47. Kahunaville (Wilmington, Del.)
48. Key Club (Hollywood, Calif.)
49. Le Passage (Chicago)
50. Light (Las Vegas)
51. Long Street (Columbus, Ohio)
52. Lotus (New York)
53. Mango's Tropical Cafe (Miami)
54. Marquee (New York)
55. Medusa (Seattle)
56. Mercy Wine Bar (Addison, Texas)
57. Midnight Rodeo (San Antonio)/Wild West (Houston)
58. Mickey's Hangover (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
59. Mynt (Miami)
60. Mie N Yu (Washington, D.C.)
61. Nikki Beach (Miami)
62. Ocean Club (Honolulu, Hawaii.)
63. Pangea/The Gryphon (Hollywood, Fla.)
64. Pat O'Brien's (New Orleans)
65. Prey (Los Angeles)
66. Pure (Las Vegas)
67. Pin-Up Bowl (St. Louis, Mo.)
68. Purple Moon (Flint, Mich.)
69. Rain in the Desert (Las Vegas)
70. Remote Lounge (New York)
71. Rise (Denver, Colo.)
72. RockStar (soon to be renamed) (Destin, Fla.)
73. rumjungle (Las Vegas)
74. Senses (Memphis, Tenn.)
75. Sharkeez (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
76. Shelter (Los Angeles)
77. Sherlock's Baker Street Pub (Houston)
78. Six (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
79. Sloppy Joe's (Key West, Fla.)
80. Studio 54 (Las Vegas)
81. Tabu Ultra Lounge (Las Vegas)
82. The Abbey (West Hollywood, Calif.)
83. the bosco (Ferndale, Mich.)
84. The Crocodile Cafe (Seattle)
85. The Dresden Room (Los Angeles)
86. The Funky Buddha Lounge (Chicago)
87. The Greene Turtle (Ocean City, Md.)
88. The Library Bar & Grill (Tempe, Ariz.)
89. The New Crown & Anchor (Provincetown, Mass.)
90. The Ranch (Midland, Texas)
91. The Viper Room (Los Angeles)
92. Tipitina's (New Orleans)
93. Tobacco Road (Miami)
94. Tongue & Groove (Atlanta)
95. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (Nashville, Tenn.)
96. Top of the Mark (San Francisco)
97. Vine Street Lounge (Los Angeles)
98. Whiskey Blue (Los Angeles)
99. World Bar (New York)
100. XYZ (Los Angeles)

Beer-for-votes Conviction Upheld

The state Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a Tallahatchie County man who offered beer and money in a bid to get people to vote by absentee ballot in a 2003 election.

Greg Eason was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $500 in November 2004 on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of voter fraud.

According to the indictment, Eason and Minnie Saulsberry paid people $5 to $10 or provided two or three beers in exchange for votes. The incidents occurred before the Aug. 26, 2003, runoff election for Tallahatchie County supervisor.According to the court record, Saulsberry was sentenced to one year probation and fined $100. She had testified against Eason.

On appeal, Eason argued he was not allowed to attack Saulsberry's bias against him.Appeals Judge Billy Bridges, writing Tuesday for the court, said the jurors were told that Saulsberry had pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Eason.

Bridges said defendants have the right to confront witnesses against them, and the trial judge did not violate that right.

NCAA Reverses Ruling: Sounds Fishy to Me

All Tubby Smith had to do was clean out his desk. Had he done that then this whole Randolph Morris mess would have been solved a lot sooner.

Sure, the suspension would have been the same -- 14 games or roughly half the season for the Kentucky sophomore -- but the entire process could have been wrapped up long ago. Morris might not have ever gone through a week of being told he couldn't play for the 2005-06 season. It was only a week before Thursday's revised ruling but it still had to sting not knowing if he could play this season.

The NCAA requested over the summer the infamous fax that Morris sent to Smith on May 9, 2005, showing that his intentions were to test the process instead of actually leaving for good and signing with an agent.

"We had asked for it but never received a copy of it,'' said Wally Renfro, spokesperson for the NCAA.

So what happened?

According to Kentucky, the fax was misplaced. Smith found it while rifling through his desk this week.

Renfro wanted to make sure it was clear: the new decision to suspend Morris for 14 games instead of the entire season wasn't an appeal to the Student Athlete Reinstatement Committee. Instead, because this was new information, it was a re-consideration from the NCAA staff.

The three-sentence fax, the finding of which could go down as Kentucky's Holy Grail this season if Morris ends up being a savior for the post-challenged Wildcats, put a different spin on Morris' intent.

After thanking the staff for all of their efforts, the last two sentences saved Morris' season when he stated: "I would like to announce my intentions to 'test the waters' in the 2005 NBA draft. My intent is not to obtain an agent so as to maintain my collegiate eligibility.''

The case Morris and Kentucky made revolved around the fact that if he really wanted to leave for good then he would have signed with SFX instead of simply just asking for their advice. Morris claimed he wasn't fully aware of the rules when he took expenses in advance, $7,328.96 from nine NBA teams, as well as going to an SFX-paid $75 workout at a Chicago health club the week of the NBA draft camp. SFX then put out a news release saying Morris was staying in the draft. It wasn't until he went undrafted that Morris decided he should go back to Kentucky.

Morris stated in his initial appeal that he wanted to play college basketball and didn't discuss his options with Smith because of the difficulties of making that call. Not using Kentucky as a sounding board and seeking advice from an agent hurt his case with the NCAA.

The Morris family also included a canceled check for $2,000 to the United Negro College Fund to show that it had started a three-step payment process to pay back the workout expenses. A payment schedule was included with the second payment of $2,500 due on Jan. 31, 2006 and one for $2,828.96 set for March 7, 2006.

Morris said in his personal letter to the NCAA that his intention was to remain at Kentucky for the rest of his eligibility.

When informed of the decision Thursday, Morris was naturally excited. He has practiced throughout the season. He still can't travel until he is eligible. His first game will be the SEC opener against Vanderbilt in Lexington Jan. 10.

Morris will miss Saturday's game against Louisville, Iona (Dec. 23), Ohio (Dec. 30 in Cincinnati), Central Florida (Jan. 3) and at Kansas (Jan. 7).

The Wildcats have been searching for answers in the post. Morris averaged 8.8 points a game last season and clearly wasn't NBA worthy since no team had interest. But he is talented enough to help the Wildcats (6-3), who were in a desperate state for post defense, rebounding and scoring after suffering a 26-point loss to rival Indiana last Saturday in Indianapolis.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com

Yes, I'll Choose Hanging

Methods of Execution Used by States
(click the state to get specific information about the methods authorized)

Method	# of executions by method since 1976	# of states authorizing method	Jurisdictions that Authorize
Lethal Injection	836	37* states + U.S. Military and U.S. Gov't	Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado,Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York*, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, U.S. Military, U.S. Government * New York's death penalty was declared unconstitutional on June 24, 2004.
Electrocution	152	10 states (Nebraska is the only state that requires electrocution)	Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, [Illinois], Kentucky, Nebraska, [Oklahoma], South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
Gas Chamber	11	5 states (all have lethal injection as an alternative method)	Arizona, California, Maryland, Missouri, [Wyoming]
Hanging	3	2 states (all have lethal injection as an alternative method)	New Hampshire, Washington
Firing Squad	2	2* states (all have lethal injection as an alternative method)	Idaho, [Oklahoma], Utah** ** Utah offers the firing squad only for inmates who chose this method prior to its elimination as an option.

Convict's Last Words Accuse His Son

By Kathleen Baydala and Jimmie Gates

J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger Despite the cold steady rain, protesters gathered outside the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman on Wednesday evening to pray for John B. Nixon Sr. and Virginia Tucker, the woman he was hired to kill in 1985. Nixon was executed Wednesday evening after spending 20 years on death row.

PARCHMAN — Condemned killer John B. Nixon Sr. said the state was illegally killing him as needles were being inserted into his arms inside the execution chamber on Wednesday evening.

"I did not kill Virginia Tucker. I know within my heart who did, and it hurts me in my heart to acknowledge it was a son of mine and a Spanish friend of his and another person in Jackson," Nixon said while inside the chamber.

Strapped to a gurney, Nixon began to hum a little and moved his head to the left. The former Utica mechanic sighed twice and drifted out of consciousness from the lethal injection, ending Mississippi's first execution in three years.

The state medical examiner pronounced Nixon dead at 6:25:08 p.m.

"It was quick and fast," said Rankin County Sheriff Ronnie Pennington, who witnessed the execution.

Rick Guy/The Clarion-Ledger Elena Voisin, 8, of Jackson bows her head Wednesday evening at Smith Park in downtown Jackson during a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Virginia Tucker and the man convicted of her murder, John B. Nixon Sr. Nixon was the seventh person executed in Mississippi since the death penalty resumed in 1976. By the numbers 5 U.S. prisoners executed this month 60 U.S. prisoners executed in 2005 1,004 People executed in U.S. since death penalty resumed in 1976 Source: National Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty

Nixon was convicted in Tucker's 1985 slaying inside her Brandon home and had been on death row for about two decades at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in Sunflower County.

"I wish to thank God for the opportunity to have lived long enough to witness this day," said Joey Ponthieux, the victim's son, in a written statement.

At age 77, he became the oldest person executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.Gilbert Jimenez, who later testified against Nixon, and Nixon's sons, John B. Nixon Jr. and Henry L. Nixon, also were convicted in connection with the murder. All three have been released from prison.

Nixon and three others were paid $1,000 each by Elster J. Ponthieux, Joey Ponthieux's father and the victim's ex-husband, to commit the crime.Elster Ponthieux is serving a life sentence for capital murder at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.

Members of Nixon's family, including his sister, Ruth Lee, witnessed the execution. According to witnesses, Nixon's family sobbed quietly. They did not comment afterward.

One of Nixon's daughters, Dorothy Nixon-Clark, remained at her home in Texas on Wednesday but said in a news release that her father's execution "is just and called for. My sympathies go with the remaining family of the victim," said Nixon-Clark, who also wrote about her father's "violent outbursts towards anyone in his path."Thomas Tucker and Joey Ponthieux also witnessed the execution. Tucker remained silent, and Ponthieux said a quick prayer.

For more than two decades, Nixon appealed his conviction several times. Gov. Haley Barbour denied his request for clemency Sunday. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his petition for a stay of execution Wednesday morning.Daryl Neely, Barbour's policy adviser and representative at the execution, said Nixon told him around 5:45 p.m. that he was "ready to go and face what he had coming."

"The fact that he faced execution at age 77 is a result of his own choices," Joey Ponthieux said in his statement. "The idea that any condemned prisoner should have their execution stayed solely on the basis of age, rather than on fact and evidence, is an affront to our legal system and is quite frankly, repugnant."

Throughout the day, Nixon's mood changed, according to corrections officials.In the morning, officers reported he was in a good mood and chatting. But, as the execution time neared, Nixon became somber.

"He's not playing anymore," Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said earlier. "Time is caving in on Mr. Nixon, and it appears to me that he is realizing that."Epps and officials observed Nixon in Unit 17 of the state penitentiary during a portion of his visitation with family members Wednesday afternoon.

The quote Nixon gave his attorneys to pass on — "That I was where I would be/then should I be where I am not/here I am where I must be/where I would be I cannot" — was taken from a Mother Goose poem titled Katy Cruel.

A white van, serving as a hearse, carried Nixon's body away.One of his sisters claimed the body, Epps said.

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Others involved Elster J. Ponthieux is serving a life sentence for ordering John B. Nixon Sr. to kill his ex-wife, Virginia Ponthieux Tucker. He is housed at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County and was first eligible for parole in January 1996. His next parole hearing is in April.

John B. Nixon Jr., son of John B. Nixon Sr., was not at the home when Virginia Tucker was killed. He was released from prison Nov. 25,1989, after serving 3 1/2 years of a five-year sentence for accessory after the fact to capital murder.

Henry L. Nixon, son of John B. Nixon Sr., chased Thomas Tucker as he escaped from the crime scene, firing a shot that grazed his head. He was released from prison June 30, 1995, after serving nine years of a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit capital murder.

Gilbert Jimenez wrestled Virginia Tucker to the ground before she was shot by John B. Nixon Sr. Jimenez agreed to a plea bargain and testified against Nixon Sr. He was released from prison Oct. 28,1994, after serving about 8 1/2 years for conspiracy to commit capital murder.

Development Anticipated in Madison

Development anticipated

Madison's Grandview Boulevard nearly ready to open

By Sylvain Metz
smetz@clarionledger.com

J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger Preparations continue for the opening of additional sections of Grandview Avenue in Madison on Tuesday. The roadway has received new asphalt and landscaping.

MADISON — The southern portion of Madison's latest commercial thoroughfare may be several weeks from opening, but that hasn't prevented motorists from dodging road signs to help break in the new four-lane Grandview Boulevard .

Stretching from Madison Avenue north to the southern end of the Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot on the east side of I-55, this connecting strip will give motorists a north-south corridor between Mississippi 463 down to West Jackson Street in Ridgeland.

Plans call for widening Cotton Hill Road and Sunnybrook Road to help accommodate traffic. Work on that portion of the corridor is at least 18 months away, according to Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler.

The extension of Grandview will open up 150 acres for commercial development, Butler said.

"A lot of people are speculating about what will go in there," she said. Butler said she has reviewed five different developers' plans for the city, each of which includes a Target. So, if that's any indication, "I expect to see a sixth Target" proposed, she said.Madison County Developer Buster Bailey, who owns the land, could not be reached for comment.

The growing retail market is a boon for the city and a welcomed convenience for local residents.

It means "I don't have to drive to Jackson for a lot of these things," said Gluckstadt resident Clayton Roberts. "I think it's fantastic."The opening of the road coincides with the opening of the new 17-screen movie theater just south of the Wal-mart Supercenter. The Grandview, a $15 million movie house owned and operated by Malco Theatres of Memphis, is scheduled to open in mid-January.

In addition to movies, the theater will feature an expanded concession stand, Internet cafe with Wi-Fi, an arcade and party room, said Malco sales and marketing coordinator Karen Scott in a statement.Although scheduled to open this past summer, the construction was hampered by Hurricane Katrina, she said.

Looking on the north side of Mississippi 463, road work has proceeded along Galleria Parkway, home to Parkway East.

Begun in June, roadwork is all but completed on the first 2.5- mile stretch of the parkway which reaches to Bear Creek.The parkway opens 360 acres to commercial and residential development.

Developer Dick Ambrosino estimates the road largely will be completed by the end of the year, barring rain delays.The balance of the 4.8-mile parkway, from a point north of Bear Creek up to Weisenberger Road in Gluckstadt, will be built by landowners.

Ambrosino's development incudes a residential subdivision and retail center.

The subdivision, known as Fontanelle, will be a 277-lot development adjacent to the Galleria that will include a variety of upscale homes.The centerpiece will be two lakes, separated by a weir, totaling 15-20 acres stocked with bass and catfish. The 22- to 23-foot-deep lakes, now completed, will feature water fountains.

So far, Ambrosino said he has more than 40 commitments for homes in Phase I, which will total 83 lots.Construction of the Galleria, which will feature a mix of local and national retailers on 150 acres, is expected to start about a year from now, Ambrosino said.

Total investment is estimated about $500 million.