Cities expected to bounce back in 2011

 

 Employment is forecasted to grow about 3% in these hard-hit metropolitan areas this year.

America's Comeback Cities for 2011 

Hundreds of cities across the country were hammered by the recession, many experiencing double-digit declines in employment, throwing thousands of their residents out of work.
For some particularly hard-hit metro areas, 2011 will bring a dramatic turnaround -- new investment by businesses, growth in the number of jobs and a reblooming of hope.
Recovering all the ground they lost will take years and many of the cities are still suffering with unemployment that exceeds the national average. But these cities are enjoying a surprising and welcome upward bounce.

Orlando, FL. is poised for recovery this year. Photo: Thinkstock

Orlando, Fla.
Population: 2,082,421
Current unemployment rate: 10.8%
Forecast job growth for 2011: 2.9%
Hard-hit during the recession, tourism is improving in central Florida, with more jobs at hotels and restaurants. Health care is growing, too. And a plan is under way to create a life science cluster of medical care and research, focusing on the needs of children and on veterans. After declining by almost 10% in the recession, employment in this tourist mecca will increase by 3% this year.

An auto assembly plant in Chattanooga, TN Photo: VW of America

Chattanooga, Tenn.
Population: 524,303
Current unemployment rate: 8.8%
Forecast job growth for 2011: 3.4%
The renaissance of carmaking in the U.S. will also brighten the picture on Tennessee’s eastern half. Employment in Chattanooga fell by just over 10% from its peak in 2008. But it will bounce up strongly this year. A large new Volkswagen assembly plant will employ up to 3,000, with auto parts and components makers also opening shop. Plus Amazon.com is considering Chattanooga for the location of two large warehouses that would employ a few thousand.

A Nissan auto plant in Nashville, TN Photo: Nissan

Nashville, Tenn.
Population: 1,582,264
Current unemployment rate: 8.8%
Forecast job growth for 2011: 2.8%
Home to music stars and professional athletes, the Nashville metro area will see the accounting and financial services industries add jobs this year, as well as an increase in employment at the U.S. corporate headquarters of Japanese carmaker Nissan. After plunging 7.3% during the recession, employment will climb this year by nearly 3%.

Haunting photos from oil spill disaster

 

One year later, disturbing images from the aftermath are a grim testament to the Gulf's tragedy.

 

 

 

Tina Fey shows off her baby bump

 

The "30 Rock" actress who is five months pregnant with her second child steps out on the town.

Top Shots of the Week

Miss any of the hot celebrity moments from last week? Check out omg!'s Top Shots!

A mansion with a secret elevator for cars

 

A $10 million California estate comes with an unusual feature to lure buyers.

Homes With The Most Outrageous Amenities 

Batman would be proud of this Laguna Beach, Calif. estate's hydraulic car lift. Photo: Realtor.com

Whether a home is newly purchased or long inhabited, an updated kitchen, a new deck or even a coat of fresh paint can make it feel spiffier. When it comes to luxury real estate, however, some homeowners take upgrades to an extreme, spending big bucks on outrageous amenities.
We pulled together a list of upscale abodes for sale or just sold that have been equipped with fantastic, unusual--and in some cases downright wacky--amenities. These are not your typical luxe enhancements like home theaters, wine cellars and game rooms, although most of our estates have those features too. Our friends at Trulia.com, Realtor.com, Sotheby's International Realty and Coldwell Banker Previews International helped us uncover these unique listings.
In Pictures: Homes With The Most Outrageous Amenities The $10 million cliffside dwelling at Point Place in Laguna Beach, Calif., would make Bruce Wayne proud. The driveway has a secret, subterranean entrance below the house's steep perch, inside the cliff itself. Once a car passes through the hidden garage door, a commercial-grade hydraulic lift transports it up and into the house.

This Westlake Village, Calif. home has its own aesthetician's room for facials and waxings. Photo: Realtor.com

Even among snazzy home swimming holes, Las Vegas' $10 million Wood Creek Court residence stands out. It has a full-on water park with sandy beach island, a sunken swim-up bar--even a lazy river. The owners of the $7.4 million French Bastide in Greenwich, Conn., converted an English phone booth into a poolside outdoor shower. Recently Sotheby's International Realty sold a Beverly Hills home, complete with a giant bird-shaped swimming pool, for $4.2 million. As if a winged body of water wasn't enough of a talking point at house parties, the owners also dug out an underwater observation room.

This Oak Brook, Ill. home sports a tree-laden atrium and flowing koi-filled stream. Photo: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Other homes have indoor water works. The $3.4 million Midwest Club estate in Oak Brook, Ill., is on the market for $3.4 million, thanks in part to waterfront views and seven bedroom suites with private living areas and a foliage-lined indoor koi stream. The koi stream warps around a little island holding a ficus tree, while the stream's banks nourish dozens of plants. If you want to access the far side of the room, a stone-tiled bridge will take you there.

The pool shower in this Greenwich, Ct. estate is in the converted phone booth. Photo: Sotheby’s International Realty

High-end homes with outrageous and wacky amenities lure many a gawker, but attracting real buyers can be tricky. Luxury homes with unusual amenities speak to a small niche and can sit on the market for longer periods of time, waiting for the right buyer to come along.
"The quirkier they [extreme amenities] are, the more they complicate the prospects of reselling the property," says Tara-Nicholle Nelson, consumer educator at Trulia.com, a San Francisco-based real estate listing site. However, she also notes, "Some of the extreme high-end home features actually create a clear way for sellers to differentiate their otherwise already highly attractive home from the other uber-opulent homes on the market."
Hall Willkie is president of Brown Harris Stevens, a New York-based real estate firm that represents a $35 million Manhattan townhouse boasting a two-story indoor wall of water. Willkie says both the pool of potential buyers and the selection of homes with opulent amenities are small.
The homes "are the opposite of cookie cutters, so when

What sends up red flags at the IRS

 

 The odds of a tax audit go up if you fail to take these steps when filing your return.

10 Ways to Avoid a Tax Audit

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Worried about extra scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service?
While you can never completely "audit-proof" your business's income tax return, you can take actions that will greatly reduce your chances of being flagged.
Here are 10 ways to avoid a tax audit:
1. Choose your tax return preparer with care. Today, according to the recent National Taxpayer Advocate report, 60% of individuals and even a greater percentage of businesses use paid preparers to do their income tax returns. Yet, preparers now face more intense IRS review. If the IRS believes a preparer is claiming unwarranted deductions or taking other fraudulent steps on clients' returns, then the preparer's clients are at risk for audit.
The IRS has eight tips for choosing a tax preparer. Key among them is to check the preparer's history to see if there has been any disciplinary action. For example, if you use an enrolled agent, check with the IRS' office of Professional Responsibility at opr@irs.gov (include the preparer's name and address).
2. Report all of your income. The IRS uses information returns, such as W-2s and 1099s, to cross-check income reporting. Under its document-matching program, the IRS' computers compare information on the forms with the income reported by taxpayers on their returns. If the information doesn't match, this leads to an automatic audit. But don't panic; it's merely a correspondence asking about the discrepancy. It can be easily cleared up by submitting an explanation by mail if you think you are correct, or paying the tax owed if the omission was your oversight and the IRS is correct.
Sole proprietors, freelancers and independent contractors who use the cash method of accounting may be vulnerable to year-end payment problems. For instance, a sole proprietor that performed work for a client may have received a payment in early January -- but the client might have mailed (and recorded) the payment in December. The client will include the payment on Form 1099-MISC for 2010, but it isn't taxable until 2011. What to do: Include the payment as it is reported on the 2010 return, but then subtract the payment and attach an explanation with the return. Then include the payment on the 2011 return, even though no 1099 will be issued for this year.

Nicolas Cage arrested in New Orleans

 

The Oscar-winning actor is slapped with multiple charges, including disturbing the peace.

Actor Nicolas Cage arrested in New Orleans (AP)

NEW ORLEANS - Actor Nicolas Cage was arrested after he got drunk in the city's French Quarter and argued in the street with his wife over whether a house they were in front of was theirs, police said Saturday.
The couple was in front of a home that Cage insisted they were renting, police said. When she said it wasn't theirs, Cage grabbed her arm, according to a police news release.
Cage started hitting vehicles and tried to get into a taxi, police said. An officer saw that Cage was drunk and told him to get out of the cab. Cage then started yelling at the officer.
The actor has been booked on charges of domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness. He was released on $11,000 bond Saturday.
Representatives for Cage could not immediately be reached Saturday.
Cage has been a frequent visitor to New Orleans, where he has owned property and shot movies. He has also had financial troubles, despite being one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

Dance spoof of royal wedding goes viral

 

Amateur video appears to catch Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth cutting loose.

We'll be the first to admit that the oh-so-serious nature of the royal wedding can be a bit much. Credit T-Mobile for finding a fun way to poke fun at the hype.
The impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton get spoofed in this two-minute ad featuring look-alikes for Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, and, of course, the happy couple.
[ Related: 10 biggest wedding bloopers ]
The buzzy clip looks a lot like an amateur video of the royal wedding. You know the drill. A regal church. Very serious guests sitting patiently. But then the wedding party starts strutting down the aisle in a most un-royal fashion, and the music starts to get funky.
Bridesmaids shake their groove thangs. Prince Charles gets jiggy with it, the Queen busts a move or two, and then Prince Harry (not really, but it looks like him) absolutely OWNS it on the aisle. Finally, Kate and William raise the roof, and all is well in the world.
[ Related: Jerry Seinfeld slams royal wedding ]
The clip has to be seen to be appreciated. So, without further pomp and circumstance, here's a look at the royal wedding we'd all love to see. It's just a few minutes long and sure to be a lot more entertaining than the real thing.
Follow Shine on Facebook for the latest royal wedding updates and enter to win a vacation for two.

 

News Source: Yahoo

HBO series stars' surprising past roles

 

"Lord of the Rings" and "300" fans will recognize some familiar faces in the new epic "Game of Thrones."

Next Photo

Sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts have been looking forward to the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" since it was announced. And now it seems as if the producers had the fans in the back of

Soccer team's intimidating mascot

 

 Portland's Timber Joey fires up the crowd and annoys opponents by using a gigantic power tool

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The Timbers’ mascot and his giant chainsaw are not messing around

The Portland Timbers' soaking wet first home match in MLS against the Chicago Fire showed off their fantastic stadium and fantastic crowd -- the Timbers Army, who belted out the national anthem all on their own. But perhaps the most unique feature of one of the league's new teams is their mascot. Yes, the Timbers' mascot is an actual lumberjack with an actual chainsaw and he actually uses it during matches. His name is Timber Joey and after every Timbers goal he slices a piece off his huge log slab on the side of the pitch. The slices are passed through the stands and presented to the goal scorer after the match.
Before Timber Joey, there was Timber Jim, who began sawing wood for the club back in the 1970s in its NASL days. And now, the intimidating sounds of Joey's chainsaw add to the already impressive roar of Timbers fans and it's enough to make an opposing team think they're about to be chopped up by Leatherface.
When he's not carrying a massive chainsaw, Timber Joey plays rugby and he competed as a professional bare-back bronco rider. Seriously. He also might be Chuck Norris' life coach.

Rare glimpse into Earth's 'black hole'

  

Satellite images provide a stunning view of a place on Earth named for its deep, dark topography.

Satellite Photographs 'Black Hole' on Earth

A Korean satellite has caught an eye-catching view of an island in Mexico known for a deep, rocky hole and waters so dark that they earned it the name Holbox, a name that means "black hole."
The photo was taken by the Korea Multi-purpose Satellite 2, or Kompsat-2, and shows Holbox Island and its Yalahau lagoon at the northeast corner of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. [Photo of Earth's "black hole"]
Holbox Island is a 26-mile-long (42-kilometers) strip of land separated from the mainland by the lagoon.
"The freshwater lagoon has a deep rocky hole that surrounds the island, making the water appear black," officials with the European Space Agency, which is a partner in the Kompsat-2 mission, explained in a statement. "It is thought that Holbox, which in Mayan translates as 'black hole,' was named after the dark lagoon water."

The surprise about Wendy's new fries

 

 

The fast-food chain’s much-hyped Natural-Cut Fries may not be what you think.

Wendy's Natural Cut Fries: Better Tasting, Yes. Natural, No

When Wendy's (NYSE: WEN - News) created its Natural Cut Fries With Sea Salt, which it introduced last fall and is now promoting in new TV ads this week, the company's product development team found a way to leave the potato skins on, make the fries crispier and give them a much tastier flavor. What they didn't manage to do, however, is make the fries an actual all-natural product. That, says CMO Ken Calwell, would be too difficult given fast food customers' demands for items that are cheap and can be hoisted through a car window.

"People are saying they want high integrity ingredients, things their grandmother would have used, that don't look like they came out of a chemistry lab," Calwell explained in an interview with BNET. "But they're also saying I've got a family to feed and can only afford to spend about $4 on my lunch, and I've only got about a minute or two to eat it."
So instead of going the more expensive Five Guys route of making their fries fresh and in-house, Wendy's settled for "natural cut." What this means is that inside the processing plant, the potatoes skip the step of getting steamed at such a high temperature that the skins burst off. Wendy's spuds go straight to the high tech cutters where they're sliced.

©Image courtesy Wendy's

And Then the Not-So-Natural Part
Then come the not-so-natural parts. The fries are sprayed with sodium acid pyrophosphate, a chemical that prevents them from turning brown from two baths in frying oil -- one at the factory and the other at the store. They're also dusted with dextrose, a sugar derived from corn, for similar purposes. For comparison, Five Guy's fries don't need sodium acid pyrophosphate or dextrose because they're only fried once and aren't frozen.
And just like every other large fast food chain, Wendy's frying oil is dosed with dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone-based chemical that helps keep the vegetable oil from getting foamy after countless rounds of frying. (Five Guys doesn't use dimethylpolysiloxane either because their peanut frying oil is more stable than the standard soybean and canola varieties.) Wendy's Natural Cut fries are also frozen like everybody else's, even though it's a big point of distinction for Wendy's that their hamburgers aren't.
Wendy's has also highlighted that it uses "100% Russet potatoes," but John Keeling of the National Potato Council says that this is not a selling point. "Virtually all processed French fries are Russets," he said in an email.
Taste and Compare
But the new fries do succeed in taste tests, even beating those at McDonald's, according to the company's research. Wendy's hired an outside firm to do a national taste test and the results showed that 56% of people taking the test chose Wendy's skin-on fries, whereas only 39% preferred McDonald's (4% had no

Bizarre moment during NBA playoff game

 

 A fan at the Sixers-Heat game in Miami doesn't seem too happy when a player tosses something his way.

The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a 97-89 loss in the opening game of their first-round series against the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon, but the seventh-seeded Sixers acquitted themselves well in defeat. Doug Collins' squad gave the South Beach faithful (well, the ones who were there on time, anyway) an early scare, getting off to a strong start that had LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes), Chris Bosh(notes) and company facing a 12-point deficit after a quarter.

After the Heat predictably rolled back in the second and third quarters to take an 11-point lead into the fourth frame, the Sixers didn't quit and came back hard in the final 12 minutes, thanks in large part to energetic Philly forward Thaddeus Young(notes). The athletic Georgia Tech product found a rhythm in the fourth, attacking the Miami defense to post 12 points (6-for-10 from the floor) in the quarter.

Not even the dreaded flat tire — hastily administered by Heat center Joel Anthony(notes) as Young leaked out for a fast-break bucket — could stop Young. After losing his right sneaker on the play and careening out of bounds, Young ran back onto the court, retrieved the Nike Hyperfuse (thanks, Sole Collector) and, rather than stopping to put it back on, simply chucked it off toward the sideline as he hustled back on defense.

A player choosing defense over sneakers. The ears of coaches everywhere must have been filled with choirs singing hymns of praise.

How true are these controversial claims?

 

Bold statements about the deficit and a suspicious archaeological find are put to a truth test.

Closer Look: Lead codices, spending cuts, and the deficit problem

Welcome to the second installment of "Closer Look," a regular feature in which we'll scrutinize some recent high-profile claims and assess just how well they hold up.
Last time around we took on Donald Trump, Alan Greenspan, and BP. (It might not shock you to learn that none of their claims fared all that well.) This time, we'll take a look at lead codices that some say could shed light on early Christian history; claims about spending cuts in the budget just passed by Congress; and an assertion by President Obama about the origins of our deficit problem.
The lead codices: As we told you last month, some biblical scholars believe a trove of 70 lead codices that turned up five years ago in a remote cave in eastern Jordan may date from the 1st Century C.E. They say that references to the Messiah in the codices--which are made up of wirebound individual pages, roughly the size of a credit card--could bear invaluable testimony to the last days of Jesus' life. Much of the media ate the story up. "Never has there been a discovery of relics on this scale from the early Christian movement, in its homeland and so early in its history," reported the BBC.
But it's looking more and more like the codices are fakes. The "expert" who helped convince the media of that the codices might be authentic turns out to be a fringe figure at best. Meanwhile, Peter Thonemann, a prominent scholar of ancient history at Oxford University, found that two phrases of text in the codices came from an ordinary Roman tombstone on display in a museum in Jordan, suggesting that a forger had simply copied the lines from the tombstone. Thonemann pronounced the codices "a modern forgery, produced by a resident of Amman within the last fifty years or so." Other scholars have also cast serious doubt on the codices' authenticity.
In short, we can't say with absolute certainty that the codices are forgeries--but that's certainly what the balance of evidence suggests. So we've assigned the claim that the codices are an important new archaeological find to the second lowest level on our gauge--one step above flat-out bogus.

Spending cuts: When Republicans and Democrats announced last week they'd come to a last-minute budget deal to avert a government shutdown, they said they'd agreed to $38 billion in spending cuts. The exact figure was important, because Republicans had promised their tea party supporters they'd go further--$100 billion was the original pledge, reduced to $61 billion in the House budget passed in February. So they were at pains to present $38 billion as a good first step.
But an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the deal, which passed Congress yesterday, will cut spending for the year by just $352 million—less than 1 percent of the much-touted $38 billion figure. In fact, when money for emergency military action is factored in, spending may actually go up this year. How can that be? The CBO said that $13-$18 billion of the "cuts" represented money that only existed on paper, in the form of IOUs to government agencies, and wasn't likely to be spent in the near future, or perhaps ever. Other cuts went for projects that wouldn't have paid out for several years—so the money would eventually have been spent, just not this year.
This is a tricky one. On the one hand, many of these cuts will take effect eventually, just not this year. On the other, even when all is said and done, it seems certain that  the $38 billion figure won't pan out. So we'll put the claim this one right in the center of our gauge: midway between airtight, and totally bogus.

Red Cross: At least 800 dead in Ivory Coast

'This incident is particularly shocking in its scope and brutality,' Red Cross official says 

GENEVA — At least 800 people were killed in intercommunal violence in one town in Ivory Coast this week, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday, as rival forces continued to battle for power in the country. 

Fierce fighting appeared to be continuing in Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan Saturday with troops loyal to its iincumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo fending off attacks by forces supporting Alassane Ouattara's rival claim to the presidency.
ICRC officials visited the Carrefour area of Duekoue on Thursday and Friday to assess needs and gather testimony, the Red Cross said in a statement said.
"We have information that at least 800 persons were killed on March 29 (Tuesday) in Duekoue in intercommunal violence," ICRC spokeswoman Dorothea Krimitsas told Reuters. "Our colleagues saw hundreds of bodies ... We strongly suspect that was the result of intercommunal violence."
On Monday, the town was taken by the fighters vying to install the democratically elected Ouattara.
Ouattara's government Saturday denied those fighters were involved.
ICRC officials evacuated 28 bodies to the local morgue and will continue in this work.
Since Monday or so, tens of thousands of people have fled the area.
"This incident is particularly shocking in its scope and brutality," Dominique Liengme, head of the ICRC delegation in the country, said in a statement.

These Homes Will Really Float Your Boat

 

Houseboat living offers the comforts of home without a lawn to mow & with the best water access

Houseboat havens

There are many ways to live on the water, including living in sailboats, yachts, cabin cruisers, houseboats and more conventional-looking homes built on floats.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association's Discover Boating website says that a vessel qualifies as a residence under tax rules if it has basic living accommodations that include a place to sleep (berth), a toilet (head) and a place to cook (galley).
Here's a look at modern and traditional houseboats, as well as where they reside.
around.

   

  

Did You Know These Celebrity Secrets?

Which starlet was born in prison? Who was the muse for a favorite song? We've dug up the dirt for you.

 

 

 

Search: Unbelievably Weird State Laws

 

Regulations against minors playing pinball, lying on city sidewalks, prank-calling pizza orders & other codes that go from fairly odd to all-out legal lunacy.

Search: Weird state laws

Check out this array of crazy codes of conduct from across the nation. Some are no longer on the books (thank goodness), some might be urban legends and others are truly letter-of-the-law lunacy.

 

Ssssearch is over: Missing Bronx Zoo cobra found

Snake that has become a Twitter phenom is in good condition, resting after adventure .

The venomous Egyptian cobra that vanished from her quarters at the Bronx Zoo last week was found on Thursday, safe, sound and all coiled up in a dark corner of the zoo’s reptile house. 

 

The adolescent female snake is in good condition after her weeklong foray into cageless freedom.
“We’re really happy to announce that cobra missing for seven days has been found,” Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo, said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “She’s alive and well ... resting comfortably and secure.”

Emergency landing after hole in fuselage

     

 Southwest Airlines passengers describe the drop in cabin pressure after a rupture in the ceiling.

Fuselage hole forces Southwest emergency landing

PHOENIX – A "gunshot-like sound" woke Brenda Reese as her Southwest Airlines flight cruised at 36,000 feet. Looking up, she could see the sky through a hole torn in the cabin roof.
The Boeing 737 lost cabin pressure after the hole developed Friday, prompting frightened passengers to grope for oxygen masks as the plane made a terrifying but "controlled descent."
A passenger called it "pandemonium." Another watched as a flight attendant and another passenger passed out, apparently for lack of oxygen, their heads striking the seats in front of them.
Officials said Flight 812 lost pressure because of a fuselage rupture. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot made a "controlled descent from 36,000 feet to 11,000 feet altitude."
His safe emergency landing at a military base in Yuma, about 150 miles southwest of Phoenix, drew applause from relieved passengers.
No serious injuries were reported among the 118 people aboard but a flight attendant was slightly hurt, according to Southwest Airlines. The cause of the hole was not immediately known. The FBI called it a "mechanical failure," not an act of terror or other foul play.