Georgia Man Executed, Ending 7-Month Moratorium

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man who killed his live-in girlfriend was executed, the first inmate put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injections.

William Earl Lynd was pronounced dead Tuesday at 7:51 p.m. EDT, Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Mallie McCord told The Associated Press. It came less than an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected efforts to block it.

The roughly three dozen states around the country that use lethal injection held off on carrying out any executions for more than seven months while the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed the constitutionality of the three-drug cocktail that’s used. It was the longest pause in U.S. executions in a quarter century.

The Supreme Court last month upheld the legality of lethal injections.

Lynd, 53, was sentenced to die for kidnapping and shooting his live-in girlfriend, Ginger Moore, three times in the face and head two decades ago. After he buried Moore’s body in a shallow grave near a south Georgia farm, authorities said Lynd fled to Ohio, where he shot and killed another woman who had stopped along the side of the road to help him.

Lynd never denied killing Moore, 26, two days before Christmas in 1988. But his lawyers had sought a last minute reprieve from the courts, arguing that new forensic evidence showed he could not have kidnapped her because she was already dead when he stuffed her in the trunk of her car.

In-Body Wi-Fi Will Call 911 if You Have a Heartattack

The Bluetooth wireless technology that allows people to use a hands-free earpiece while making a mobile telephone call could soon alert the emergency services when someone has a heart attack, Ofcom predicts.

The communications regulator said that sensors could be implanted into people at risk of heart attack or diabetic collapse that would allow doctors to monitor them remotely.

If the “in-body network” recorded that the person had suddenly collapsed, it would send an alert, via a nearby base station at their home, to a surgery or hospital.

However, Ofcom also gave warning in its report, Tomorrow’s Wireless World, that the impact of such technology on personal privacy would require more debate.

The technology, which is being tested now in Portsmouth, could also be used if a patient failed to take his or her medicines. A pill dispenser would send an automatic reminder and, if the pills were not taken within a certain time, an alarm would sound and a message would be sent to the patient’s family or carers.

However, health experts say that they are sceptical about the level of take-up of “in-body” sensors while research into the possible radiation impact of wi-fi networks is going on.

Passenger Jet Makes Terrifying 10,000ft Climb; Pilot ’showing off’ to Child

PARIS - Terrified passengers claim their plane had to dodge another jet by suddenly climbing 10,000ft because their pilot was “showing off” to a boy in the cockpit.

The pilot of the flight to Paris suddenly pitched left at 33,000ft and the crew allegedly announced the Airbus A320, with 143 passengers, had got “too close” to another plane.

Taking passengers into the cockpit is contrary to aviation rules brought in after the September 11 terror attacks.

Air France has now launched an investigation after passengers at the front of the aircraft told how they saw one of the cabin crew escort a French boy, aged about 13, into the cockpit.

Shaun Robinson, 40, from Rossendale, said the jet “rocked and rolled” like in a fairground ride and terrified passengers said prayers aloud while children cried.

He claimed: “The pilot was clearly showing off to this young boy,” said Mr Robinson, who was on a business trip.

The drama began when the Airbus A320 carrying 143 passengers and six crew from Manchester to Paris started its descent into the French capital on Saturday morning.

Passengers say they could see the pilot making movement to the left and the aircraft banked suddenly to the left.

The aircraft pitched back to the right and passengers watched as the boy returned to his seat.

Then, passengers say they heard alarm noises coming from the cockpit, whose door had been shut, and it is claimed the aircraft suddenly climbed 10,000ft.

Mr Robinson said: “Suddenly the pilot made a sharp turn to the left, without warning, and then back again, possibly showing the young French boy how he flew his Airbus A320 plane. Gasps could be heard throughout the rest of the cabin.

“Moments later, the pilot threw his plane into a steep climb. We could hear alarms sounding. The two crew members sitting in front of me - one male, one female - had terror written across their faces and were gripping their chairs.

“After climbing rapidly by another 10,000ft the pilot told us he was far too close to the plane in front and air traffic control urgently asked him to climb, climb.”

Mr Robinson added: “When I spoke to other passengers afterwards when we were collecting our bags they all thought the pilot had been showing off and that he had had to climb so suddenly because he had taken his eye off the ball.

“It was terrifying. We had to circle Paris before we could come in to land.

“The young boy shouldn’t have been allowed into the cockpit in the first place. He had a big smile on his face when he came out and the steward ruffled his hair and took him back to his seat.

“I think it was reckless. The pilot shouldn’t have done it.” Another passenger, from Manchester, said: “They took the kid in there and they’re not supposed to since 9/11. It was a shock to see that first of all.

“Within a minute there was the first swerve. It swerved to the left and then it corrected. Within a couple of minutes of the kid leaving the cockpit, the pilot switched the seatbelt sign on and said he was coming into land.

“Suddenly the engines started revving and we shot back up into the air. The pilot came on and said something about having to avoid another aircraft. It made me feel very uncomfortable. The pilot could have put people’s lives at risk. The safety of the passengers should be paramount.”

A spokeswoman for Air France said: “Air France takes these allegations extremely seriously. We are investigating.”

Colleges Allow Coed Dorm Rooms; Should Parents Be Worried?

Erik Youngdahl and Michelle Garcia share a dorm room at Connecticut’s Wesleyan University. But they say there’s no funny business going on. Really. They mean it.

They have set up their beds side-by-side like Lucy and Ricky in “I Love Lucy,” and avert their eyes when one of them is changing clothes.

“People are shocked to hear that it’s happening and even that it’s possible,” said Youngdahl, a 20-year-old sophomore. But “once you actually live in it, it doesn’t actually turn into a big deal.”

In the prim 1950s, college dorms were off-limits to members of the opposite sex. Then came the 1970s, when male and female students started crossing paths in coed dormitories. Now, to the astonishment of some Baby Boomer parents, a growing number of colleges are going even further: coed rooms.

At least two dozen schools, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and the California Institute of Technology, allow some or all students to share a room with anyone they choose — including someone of the opposite sex. This spring, as students sign up for next year’s room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.

As shocking as it sounds to some parents, some students and schools say it’s not about sex.

3 Babies Found in Freezer; Mom Jailed

OLPE, Germany — A 44-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of killing three of her babies after their bodies were discovered in the family freezer by her grown children looking for pizza, police said Monday.

Police confirmed the grisly find Sunday night in the town of Wenden, near Olpe, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia after the woman turned herself in, officials said.

The three infants are believed to have been born alive, but authorities were awaiting autopsy results to determine how they died, said Johannes Daheim, a spokesman for prosecutors investigating the case.

The woman, her 47-year-old husband and three adult children — two sons, aged 18 and 22, and a 24-year-old daughter — have lived in the town in a single-family home since 1984.

The children discovered the frozen babies on Saturday afternoon while their parents were away for the weekend, investigator Martin Feldmann said.

The 18-year-old and his sister had been looking for a frozen pizza and came across a lot of expired food so decided to clean out the freezer.

The teenager then found three identical packets on the bottom of the freezer and opened one and saw the head and arm of an infant that was wrapped in a hand towel, police said.

FHM’s Top 10 ‘Sexiest’ Women

#1 Megan Fox

Actress Megan Fox arrives at the 7th Annual Breakthrough Of The Year Awards at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater on December 9, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

#2 Jessica Biel

Actress Jessica Biel arrives at the Orange British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House on February 10, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Jorge Herrera/Getty Images)

Bank Robber Fatally Shoots Philly Police Officer

PHILADELPHIA — One suspect was charged and a second was being sought Sunday in the killing of a police officer who was shot with an assault rifle while responding to a bank robbery, police said.

Police Lt. Mel Williams declined to release the name of the suspect, who was charged with homicide. A second man, Eric Floyd, 33, is also wanted on a homicide charge, Williams said. A third suspect was fatally shot by police.

Sgt. Steven Liczbinski, a 12-year veteran, was responding to the robbery of a bank inside a grocery store around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The suspects fled, and opened fire after Liczbinski confronted them a short distance away, authorities said.

About a dozen blue-shirted officers, some wearing white motorcycle helmets, lined both sides of a black hearse and saluted as the married father of three’s body, draped with an American flag, was put inside at the hospital Saturday.

The police motorcycles, some bearing black- and blue-striped flags, then escorted the hearse away.

Mayor Michael Nutter on Saturday declared a 30-day period of mourning for Liczbinski and requested that all flags in the city be lowered to half-staff for that period.

Cruise Ship with 984 Passengers Runs Aground

RIGA, Latvia — The cruise ship Mona Lisa with 984 people on board ran aground early Sunday in the Baltic Sea, off the northwest coast of Latvia, the coast guard said.

Coast guard spokeswoman Liene Ulbina said all the passengers were safe and they were not at immediate risk. Most are German, she said.

Air force and border guards were on standby, but there were no signs of damage to the Bahamas-registered vessel, which was stranded in the Irbe strait outside Riga, a Latvian Coast Guard Service statement said.

Ulbina said coast guard ships had arrived at the scene, but it remained unclear whether they would attempt to evacuate the passengers or try to pull the ship off the ground.

The coast guard said the crew had been inspecting the ship and had not found any signs of damage or oil tank leaks.

SHOCK: Trajedy Strikes at the Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Boy, did Eight Belles hang with the boys. All that heart and her gallant fight, however, ended in the worst of all possible ways: a breakdown, an ambulance on the track. And, with no other choice, she was euthanized by injection.

The day began with hope and pomp. Bolstered by the sentimental support from 157,770 fans and endorsed by presidential contender Hillary Clinton and cheered by daughter Chelsea, the filly finished second in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

She crossed the wire 4 3/4 lengths behind favorite Big Brown. Then, with the second-largest crowd in Derby history still whooping it up, Eight Belles collapsed with two broken front ankles.

The magnitude of what happened was slow to reach the fans at Churchill Downs. Not only was a horse down, but it was the filly. And horse racing — with the memory of Barbaro still fresh and a severe injury to a horse coming only a day earlier on Kentucky Oaks Day — had to confront grief one more time.

“There was no way to save her. She couldn’t stand,” trainer Larry Jones said. “She ran an incredible race. She ran the race of her life.”

Jones’ voice broke and tears glistened in his eyes as he considered his barn without Eight Belles’ head poking out of her stall.

“Losing animals like this isn’t fun. It’s not supposed to happen,” he said. “We’re heartbroke. We’re going to miss her, no doubt.”

YOUR DIME: Congressmen Lease Luxury Cars; Paid By Tax Dollars

Rep. Charles Rangel: ‘My Constituents Appreciate It’

NEW YORK (CBS) ― You may not realize it, but members of the House of Representatives can lease a car and have it paid for by you — the taxpayer. And it’s not just the car, but gas, registration, insurance … the works.

And as CBS 2 HD found out, there’s no limit on how much they can spend.

Congressman Charles Rangel was recently seen getting out of his Cadillac DeVille, which he leases for $774 per month. Then there was Congressman Jose Serrano, getting out of his Buick LaCrosse, which he leases for $317 per month. And how about this one: Congressman Gregory Meeks was recently seen waiting for Congressman John Conyers to step out of Meeks’ Lexus LS460, which Meeks leases for $998 per month.

All those leases are picked up by taxpayers through a little-known program available only to members of the House of Representatives.

You can probably just imagine the kind of reaction CBS 2 HD got from everyday citizens outside Meeks’ Jamaica, Queens office.

“They should all drive cheaper cars, why not?” Richard Candelario said. “I mean, you know, they’re making the money. I mean, we shouldn’t pay for their cars.”

Members of the House who choose to lease through the program have had a great deal of leeway. Congressman Anthony Weiner of Brooklyn, for example, leases a 2008 Chevy impala for $219/month. Congressman Ed Towns of Brooklyn used to lease a Lincoln for $845 per month, but switched to a 2008 mini-SUV made by Lincoln, the MKX, which costs $715 per month.

Principal Accused of Outing Gay Students

MEMPHIS - Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union say Daphne Beasley, the principal of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, went way beyond her role as educator.

The ACLU says in September 2007, Beasley asked her staff to give her the names of students who were couples, heterosexual and homosexual, because she wanted to keep an eye on them to cut down on public displays of affection.

She’s accused of publicly posting the names of those students, including two boys, Andrew and Nicholas, who had just started dating.   The ACLU says that in doing so, Beasley revealed their relationship to other students, teachers and even their parents.

In a letter sent Tuesday, April 29, 2008 to Memphis City Schools, the ACLU says the principal’s actions violated the students’ constitutional rights to equal protection, freedom of expression and association, due process and privacy.

“Our first reaction was wow, this is unbelievable that a principal has gone this far,” says ACLU attorney Christine Sun.   “The constitution protects all of us from the government intruding in our private lives when there isn’t a reason to do that.  This was morally and legally wrong.”

‘D.C. Madam’ Commits Suicide in Florida

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - Deborah Jeane Palfrey, facing a likely prison term of four to six years for running a Washington area call-girl ring, apparently hanged herself Thursday in a storage shed behind her mother’s mobile home in this small Gulf Coast city, authorities said.

Dubbed “the D.C. Madam” after a grand jury in Washington indicted her 14 months ago on prostitution-related racketeering charges, Palfrey, 52, repeatedly told journalist Dan Moldea last year that she would rather die than live behind bars, Moldea said.

He said Palfrey — who was incarcerated for 18 months in California in the early 1990s after being convicted of running a prostitution ring — told him on three occasions: “I’m not going back to jail. I’ll kill myself first. I’ll commit suicide first.”

“Those were her exact words,” said Moldea, who interviewed Palfrey last spring and summer for a possible book.

After a weeklong trial in U.S. District Court in Washington that included graphic testimony by 13 former call girls, Palfrey was convicted April 15 of financial racketx eering, money laundering and using the mail for illegal purposes. Allowed to remain free while awaiting her July 24 sentencing, Palfrey went to Tarpon Springs to stay with her 76-year-old mother, Blanche Palfrey, a widow.

Police in Tarpon Springs, 30 miles north of St. Petersburg, said Blanche Palfrey called 911 shortly before 11 a.m. to report a gruesome discovery in the white shed outside her residence in the Sun Valley Estates Mobile Home Park.

Cher Says She Dated Tom Cruise When He Was a ‘Shy Boy’

CHICAGO (AP) — Cher says she dated Tom Cruise when he was just a “shy boy.” The singer-actress discussed the relationship on an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” taped Saturday in Las Vegas before a crowd of 4,000 people, according to Harpo Productions.

The episode, which also features Tina Turner, will air May 8.

Winfrey plans to feature Cruise during episodes airing Friday and Monday. She told Cher that when she was at Cruise’s Colorado home recently, the actor stressed that Winfrey should say hello to Cher for him.

“So how much of a date was that?” Winfrey asked, according to advance remarks released Wednesday by Harpo Productions.

“Oh, that was a long date,” Cher said. “Really. I lived in his apartment.”

Cher is now 61, Cruise 45.

Obama Outraged by Ex-Pastor’s Comments

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Barack Obama angrily denounced his former pastor for “divisive and destructive” remarks on race, seeking to divorce himself from the incendiary speaker and a fury that threatens to engulf his front-running Democratic presidential campaign.

Obama is trying to tamp down the uproar over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at a tough time in his campaign. The Illinois senator is coming off a loss in Pennsylvania to rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and trying to win over white working-class voters in Indiana and North Carolina in next Tuesday’s primaries.

“I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” Obama told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.

His strong words come just six weeks after Obama delivered a sweeping speech on race in which he sharply condemned Wright’s remarks but did not leave the church or repudiate the minister himself, who he said was like a family member. After weeks of staying out of the public eye while critics lambasted his sermons, the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago made three public appearances in four days to defend himself.

On Monday, Wright criticized the U.S. government as imperialist and stood by his suggestion that the United States invented the HIV virus as a means of genocide against minorities. “Based on this Tuskegee experiment and based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything,” he said.

And perhaps even worse for Obama, Wright suggested that the church congregant secretly concurs.

“If Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected,” Wright said. “Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls.”

Florida Killer Found Dead on Death Row

RAIFORD, Fla. — A former Broward County librarian condemned for fatally beating his girlfriend with a hammer was found dead in his cell on Florida’s death row from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury, authorities said Tuesday.

The body of William Coday, 51, convicted in the 1997 hammer slaying and stabbing of his girlfriend in Fort Lauderdale, was discovered by corrections officers about 2:30 a.m. Monday in his cell at Union Correctional Institution.

“It appeared to be a self-inflicted injury. The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death,” Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said.

Coday had a history of suicidal behavior, said attorney George Reres, who once represented Coday.

Reres said he learned Coday’s death was probably a suicide from a colleague who talked to department contacts. He said he heard Coday bled to death from self-inflicted wounds.

Coday confessed to planning for a month to kill Gloria Gomez in 1997. She was struck 57 times with a hammer and suffered 87 stab wounds.

A jury convicted Coday of first-degree murder in 2002 and recommended a death sentence. The Florida Supreme Court overturned the death sentence in 2006, ruling that the judge shouldn’t have disregarded testimony and evidence from six mental health experts who found Coday to be suffering from serious mental illnesses.

RELATIONSHIP KILLERS: 8 Things You Should Never Say

Are the following eight phrases part of your vocabulary when dealing with the love of your life? Remove these fighting words from your love lingo and you’ll reap the rewards. Don’t, and your relationship just might meet the grim reaper!

“Then I guess we shouldn’t be dating!”

You wouldn’t tell your boss you’re quitting your job unless you meant it, would you? But sometimes, in a relationship, people are tempted to pull out the nuclear option just to get the other person off their backs: “If you don’t like the way I season veal, then you’ll never understand me! We should just break up!”

Save breakup talk for when you truly want to end a relationship, not as a rhetorical weapon. Otherwise, you risk your match taking you up on the offer and leaving you crying over steak for one.

“Why can’t you be more/less like my ex?”

We all have exes that have taught us what we do and don’t like in relationships. But the person you’re with now wants to feel special, not like the sequel to a bad romantic comedy. Don’t make it sound as though you’re still hung up on the past. Tell your current love specifically how you feel and what you want, but in the context of the present.

The Top 5 Male Turnoffs

In our quest to find, attract, and keep our perfect partner, we often wonder what turns men on.  And while it’s important to know how to light a man’s fire, it’s equally important to understand what douses his dating flames.  By being clear about what kind of behavior turns men off, we can be better prepared to keep the spark alive from our first encounter to happily ever after.  What follows are the top five male turnoffs.

Turnoff #1: Flakiness
Guys report that one of the biggest turnoffs when dating a woman is when she either can’t commit to plans or constantly flakes on plans.  If you regularly pencil in your plans with a “maybe” and/or cancel plans at the last minute, you’re giving your guy the impression that he’s tentative in your life, aka “good enough for now.”  Who wants to date someone who makes them feel temporary?  Chances are you don’t, and you shouldn’t be the girl who makes her date feel that way either.

Turnoff #2: Poor communication skills
Raise your hand if you’ve been this girl in your relationship past: your date/boyfriend said or did something you didn’t like, but instead of saying anything, you went along with it.  You may have even said it was “fine.”  But then at some point down the road, you got upset.  Maybe you even blew up at an inappropriate time, causing an argument that completely took your significant other off guard.  Most of us have been guilty of passive aggressive behavior at least once in our dating past.  It happens.  But when you repeat that kind of behavior over and over in any dating/relationship scenario, the only thing you’ll succeed at is sabotaging your efforts.  Just as you deserve to be with someone who’s comfortable communicating his wants, needs, and desires, you, too, should be a healthy communicator.  Don’t say one thing if you really mean another.  Instead, get in the habit of saying what you mean.  Guys appreciate that!

Ads Seek Ex-Soldiers for Smuggling Jobs

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala is investigating radio advertisements seeking elite ex-soldiers, who have been known to work for drug cartels, to smuggle goods into Mexico, officials said on Thursday.

The ads were broadcast in the lawless northern jungle region of Peten, home to a tough military training center for Kaibil soldiers, infamous during Guatemala’s civil war as a brutal guerilla-fighting, special forces unit.

“We invite all citizens who have served in the military and graduated as Kaibils to work securing vehicles transporting merchandise to Mexico,” the radio spot said, according to a local newspaper. The ad gave a telephone contact number.

Former Kaibil soldiers have been lured to work as assassins and run security for powerful drug lords by cash payments that can be as much as 10 times the average army salary, according to a Kaibil commander interviewed by Reuters.

Spokesmen for the Interior Ministry and the army said authorities still were investigating the origin of the radio ads, which may have been transmitted on pirated airwaves.

Created in the 1970s to fight a counter-insurgency campaign against leftist guerrillas during the 1960-96 civil war, the red-bereted Kaibil fighters were made to eat raw dog guts as part of their training. They were accused of massacres during the war, which left more than 200,000 dead.

Miley Cyrus Under Fire for Less-Than-Wholesome ‘Flash’

NEW YORK — Is that Miley Cyrus flashing some skin?

Less-than-wholesome photos of a girl bearing a close resemblance to the 15-year-old superstar are making the rounds on the Internet.

One photo shows the Cyrus look-alike tugging at her white tank top to reveal a green bra. In another shot, she flaunts her bare midriff while draped over a young male, who rests his hand on her hip. Another shot shows her cuddling up to the same guy.

This isn’t the first time risque photos of someone resembling Cyrus have circulated online. In recent months, shots have surfaced of a girl posing in her underwear and bikini.

Cyrus, star of the TV show “Hannah Montana” and role model for countless young girls, is one of the biggest — and most G-rated — acts in the country. Cyrus’ “Best of Both Worlds” tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.

The upcoming “Hannah Montana” movie will be filmed in Tennessee and Los Angeles, beginning early next month. The movie is scheduled for release May 1, 2009.

The actress-singer’s publicists Jill Fritzo and Meghan Prophet didn’t return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. An assistant to Cyrus’ manager, Jason Morey, referred the AP to Prophet.

Wesley Snipes Gets 3 Year Prison Sentence in Tax Case

OCALA, Florida (Reuters) - A “very sorry” Wesley Snipes, star of the “Blade” movies, was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for willfully failing to file U.S. income tax returns for 1999 through 2001.

Snipes was convicted in February on three misdemeanor counts. U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges handed down the maximum sentence and said he felt it was important to create a general deterrent against tax defiance.

“I am very sorry for my mistakes and errors,” Snipes told the judge. “This will never happen again.”

He read a prepared statement, describing himself as an “idealist, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritual-seeking artist” who epitomized the expression “mo’ money, mo’ problems.”

His lawyers tried to give the court three envelopes with checks totaling $5 million, but the judge and prosecutor said they could not accept the payments. An Internal Revenue Service agent collected the money during a recess.

The judge said prison officials would notify Snipes when to begin serving his sentence. Snipes said he would appeal the verdict but prosecutors vowed to oppose any request to allow him to remain free on bond while the appeal is pending.

Prosecutors said Snipes had earned more than $38 million since 1999 but still had not filed tax returns for the years 1999 through 2007 or paid any taxes prior to Thursday.

5 Ways to Become More Attractive

at-trac-tive adj. 1. providing pleasure or delight, esp. in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring. 2. arousing interest or engaging one’s thought, consideration 3. having the quality of attracting

Let’s be honest. Everybody wants to be considered attractive - especially when you’re on the market and trying to find that special someone. On some level, every single person equates attractiveness with more options, better opportunities and, ultimately, greater dating success.

But what’s really at the heart of attractiveness? Is it objective or subjective? Is it just physical? Are there ways to enhance your attractiveness, or are you stuck with what you’ve got? Read on for our take on how to attract the right person into your life by focusing on becoming your most attractive self.

The Beauty Trap We know, we know. Our culture tends to equate attractiveness first and foremost with physical appearance. We are inundated with messages that being attractive means fitting into a cookie-cutter mold of physical beauty. These expectations are unrealistic, frustrating and demoralizing. They make us feel bad about ourselves and send others negative messages about ourselves, which is not attractive. It’s a vicious cycle. We know. That’s why this isn’t another article extolling the virtues of a new haircut or an updated wardrobe (even though we can appreciate a good makeover article as much as anyone). We want to start shifting the conversation and challenge you to look at your attractiveness quotient in a more holistic, more productive way.

In the end, yes, physical appearance is undeniably part of the total attractiveness equation. But it is not the entire picture. Your manner, your outlook, the way you engage people can be just as important as what you look like. Need proof? Think about that average-looking person you know who always seems to captivate members of the opposite sex with a sparkling, winning way. Or think about the physically stunning people you’ve met who turn hideously unattractive once you glimpse a negative disposition or unfriendly attitude.

Woman Loses Million Dollar Check

Million-Dollar Vanishing Act

Monster.com member drc4u files this report:

I worked for six months to close a multimillion-dollar sale. I was walking on air when I picked up the million-dollar deposit check from the client. After getting three executive signatures on it, I rushed back to the office to call my CEO to let him know the deal was done. And there, I discovered I had lost the check. I told my CEO about losing the check, and his response was rather simple: “How are you going to fix it?”

My assistant and I virtually tore my car and office apart, retracing every step. No luck. The next morning, after rehearsing all night what I was going to say, I mustered the courage to call the VP in charge of this project on the client side. As I started to explain this nightmare, my assistant discovered the check on a high shelf behind my desk. In the end, everyone got a big laugh out of it.

The Accidental Salesperson replies: Thanks for welcoming us to your nightmare. Oh, that’s right, you didn’t sleep that night — that makes it even worse.

Posh and Katie Holmes’ Feud Continues as Pair Pretend They Don’t Know Each Other at Party

HOLLYWOOD - Tongues are still wagging in Hollywood that actress Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham are drifting apart.

Katie was notably absent from Victoria’s 34th birthday celebrations last week and now I hear they acted as if they didn’t know each other when they unexpectedly met at The Polo Lounge in LA.

“Tom got up and bear-hugged Victoria, but Katie didn’t get up from the table. It was strange,” a diner said.

A spokesman insists they are still best pals: “They all had a drink together. And Tom and Katie and David and Victoria were all out for dinner together last Friday.” Let’s see if Katie turns up at Posh’s party tonight.

The Cruises famously welcomed the Beckhams with open arms upon their high-profile arrival in Los Angeles in July last year after David signed for LA Galaxy.

But their noticeable absence from Posh’s party comes amid reports the couple are said to be preparing for a trial separation after Holmes found the pressures of being married to the devout Scientologist too much.

Last month it was claimed Katie and Victoria were in the middle of a bitter feud over tattoos and a Vogue front cover.

The fashionable friends apparently fell out after the former Dawson’s Creek actress became jealous after Posh was asked to appear on the front cover of the top magazine.

Prince William Under Fire as He Lands Military Helicopter in Girlfriend’s Garden!

LONDON - Prince William was under fire again after it emerged that he had landed his £10million RAF helicopter in girlfriend Kate Middleton’s back garden during an official military exercise.

Miss Middleton and her parents are said to have watched in delight as the second in line to the throne practised a series of take-offs and landings in the paddock of their sprawling detached home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, earlier this month.

Details of the two-hour stunt emerged just days after the prince was heavily criticised for using another Chinook to fly himself and his brother Harry to a stag weekend on the Isle of Wight.

The revelations have raised questions about the way in which the RAF has allowed the prince to fit his “intensive” four-month training course around his social life.

As well as his cousin’s stag do, William has had time off to go on a boozy boys-only surfing weekend in Cornwall and a week’s holiday skiing in the Swiss alps with his girlfriend.

The RAF has repeatedly refused requests by the Mail to confirm how much William’s attachment has cost taxpayers, arguing that it would take too much manpower to sit down and work the figures out.

The incident is understood to have taken place on April 3 during the final part of the course - codenamed Golden Kestrel - designed to allow army officer William, who one day will become head of the armed forces, to “familiarise” himself with the role of the RAF.

It has also, conveniently, afforded him the opportunity of learning to fly, something that the prince has long desired to do.

Isiah Thomas Fired as Coach of New York Knicks

NEW YORK (AP) — Isiah Thomas was fired as coach of the New York Knicks on Friday after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding Thomas’ dismissal.

Thomas, the coach for two seasons, will remain with the organization reporting directly to new president Donnie Walsh, a rapid fall for Thomas who also was team president a little more than two weeks ago.

Walsh said he informed Thomas of the decision Friday.

“It’s very difficult to be the coach and general manager,” he said. “Maybe it was too much.”

Walsh took over Thomas’ role as team president April 2, and his first big decision was to change coaches as he begins the process of turning around a team that never won a playoff game in Thomas’ tenure.

“I just believe a new voice, a new coach, is necessary to change the direction of the team,” Walsh said. “This is a coveted job. People want to coach here.

The Knicks finished 23-59, matching the franchise record for losses, in their seventh straight losing season.

“I can’t tell you really where we failed,” Walsh said. “The bottom line is we haven’t won, and the team didn’t look like it was motivated to try to win.”