Joe Biden Reports for Jury Duty

Updated Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has traded in the White House Situation Room for a courthouse in Wilmington, Del., where he is waiting to see whether he will be chosen to serve on a jury.

Mr. Biden’s office announced his jury duty in an e-mail that read, “The vice president will participate in the standard jury selection process in his capacity as a private citizen.”

But the waiting room in the courtroom apparently needed no formal announcement, according to the local newspaper, The News Journal of Wilmington. The vice president arrived with Secret Service agents and took calls on a secure phone during a break.

“I don’t consider myself different than any other person,” Mr. Biden told The News Journal. “It is an honor to be a part of the system.”

Mr. Biden’s jury duty comes just a week after Justice Elena Kagan sat for hours in a District of Columbia courtroom waiting to see if she would be called to serve on a jury. She was not.

And last year, a court in Chicago requested that President Obama appear, ready to serve. The leader of the free world replied that he was busy.

Mr. Biden, by contrast, apparently has some spare time.

It seems strange that the person one seat away from the presidency might not be excused by a judge. But the official jury duty instructions on the Web site of the Delaware courts do not say anything about White House service as an excuse.

“Delaware citizens are selected and summoned for jury duty on a random basis,” the Web site says. “The pool of candidates includes citizens who have registered to vote and/or those who have obtained a Delaware vehicle operator’s license and individuals who are issued a state identification card.”

The instructions say, “if you need to be excused from jury duty, or if you want to request another date, follow the instructions on the summons.” Either Mr. Biden did not request to be excused, or the court decided that his excuse was not good enough.

Either way, it would be interesting to see what would happen if Mr. Biden, known to be long-winded from time to time, was actually chosen to serve on a jury.

News From: thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

Aniston and Kutcher Hollywood awards

Aniston and Kutcher vie for Hollywood's worst awards

(Reuters) - If films starring Jennifer Aniston, Ashton Kutcher and the lovelorn cast of "Twilight" left you dumbfounded, you're officially in good company.

All are prominent contenders for the Razzie Awards, an annual competition honoring Hollywood's worst movies, actors and filmmakers, its organizer said on Monday.

Now in their 31st year, the Razzies are run by California movie buff John Wilson's Golden Raspberry Foundation as an antidote to the self-congratulatory seriousness that engulfs Hollywood during Oscar season.

The winners, determined by 600-plus voters, will be announced during a Hollywood ceremony on February 26, the day before the Oscars are handed out. Not surprisingly, most honorees do not attend. Notable exceptions included Sandra Bullock last year for "All About Steve," and Halle Berry in 2005 for "Catwoman." Coincidentally, they went on to win Oscars the next day, albeit for different films.

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the latest installment in the hit franchise about vampires and werewolves, led this year's Razzie field alongside "The Last Airbender," director M. Night Shyamalan's 3D martial-arts fantasy. They each received nine nominations.

"Sex and the City 2," depicting the latest sexual adventures of four aging women, followed with seven nominations.

All will vie for worst picture along with Aniston's romantic comedy "The Bounty Hunter," and the critically reviled parody "Vampires Suck," which both received four nominations.

Aniston will compete for worst actress on the strength of her roles in both "Bounty Hunter" and "The Switch," another unloved romantic comedy. The "Sex and the City" foursome -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon -- received a collective nomination.

The field was rounded out by Miley Cyrus ("The Last Song"), Megan Fox ("Jonah Hex") and Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"). For Cyrus it will be a family affair since her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, was nominated for his supporting role in "The Spy Next Door."

Kutcher was cited for worst actor, also for two movies -- "Killers" and "Valentine's Day." Aniston's "Bounty Hunter" co-star Gerard Butler, also made the cut, as did "Twilight" stars Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson.

News From: www.reuters.com

How Much Are You Over-Paying For Your Auto Insurance

In good times, it's natural that we pay less attention to our individual expenses. But, in today's uncertain times, regardless of our current situation, everybody needs to save as much money as possible.

When it comes to saving money, the best place to start is with your auto insurance.

Most Americans can point to a similar list of monthly expenses, including mortgage or rent payments, auto expenses, utility bills, food & clothing, and so on. Many of these expenses are fixed and can't be changed, so they offer few opportunities to save any significant amounts of money. Financial experts agree, however, that the one monthly expense where people can, with minimal effort, often find a substantial monthly savings is auto insurance.

Auto insurance is a necessary evil that responsible people know they can't live without. In fact, for many of us, it's a payment we make month-in and month-out, and never see the benefit of. That's OK, because the coverage has to be there if we need it--but, it's also makes it all the more important that we don't overpay.

How to make sure your insurance company is not getting rich off you.

Fortunately, today there are online services that let consumers quickly shop for the best rates from a nationwide selection of auto insurance companies, all competing for your business. You simply enter your requirements, and instantly receive quotes from a wide range of reputable companies.

One of the most comprehensive of these services is AutoInsuranceTips.com. They operate a free website service that will find you the best insurance quotes from a wide network of premium insurers. The site also contains a wealth of reference information that helps you understand how different policies work, and how to save the most money possible.

The fact is that auto insurance rates are constantly changing, and for certain policies, rates have actually dropped significantly in the past 12 months. You can be sure, however, that your insurance company is not going to call you up and let you know their rates have dropped. But, with a minimal amount of time on a service such as AutoInsuranceTips.com you may be able to quickly save hundreds of dollars.

So, if you're into saving money, start by finding out how much you're over-paying for your insurance coverage.  Click here to start.

New From: www.howlifeworks.com

New business Sierra Leone war children

New business hope for Sierra Leone's war children

Youths in the village of Robaka are learning traditional farming skills forgotten during the war

Farming in the remote bush of Sierra Leone is hard and punishing work.

Growing crops such as cassava, beans and sweet potatoes requires skill in the often dry and arid climate of West Africa.

Methods of farming in the region have traditionally been handed down from generation to generation.

But Sierra Leone's bitter civil war disrupted much of that transfer of knowledge.
War victims

Alpha Turay was barely five years old when the conflict began two decades ago.

The war forced his family to flee their village of Robaka, in northern Sierra Leone, and seek refuge in the bush.

It also robbed him - and his generation - of their childhood, and the chance to gain a livelihood.
However, a project being run by the charity War Child is aiming to change that.

Almost a decade after the war finally ended, the Dutch-based organisation is helping young Sierra Leoneans to re-learn traditional farming skills.

"The project is helping to educate us," says Alpha Turay. "We're learning agricultural activities - like how to plant crops.

"War Child also helped build a rice hauler for our community, so instead of pounding rice by hand now we have a machine. We're learning skills to earn a living."
Traditional skills

The village of Robaka is located deep in the interior of Sierra Leone.

A settlement of earthen brick buildings, it is surrounded entirely by palm forests and is at least a two-hour drive - over almost impassable roads - from the district capital.

Robaka's inhabitants are poor, but they've come a long way since the civil war, which ended in 2002 after claiming the lives of more than 50,000 Sierra Leoneans.

Life goes on as it always has done - with traditional methods of food production, and other skills, encouraged.
Profit motive

Overseeing War Child's work in the village is local Sierra Leonean Ibrahim Kamara.

He encourages Robaka's youths to see themselves as business-people and entrepreneurs in the making.

"We train them in how to do negotiating skills," says Mr Kamara. "Some of them are business people, but they still grumble about not having profit and the like."

"Whomsoever runs a business wants to maximise profit, and the maximisation of profit starts from negotiation," he adds.
'Helping us to forget'The civil war left tens of thousands of youngsters across Sierra Leone without access to proper education.

Alpha Kanu, a 22-year-old from Robaka, was among them.

The conflict claimed the life of his father. Along with other youths in the village, he now attends school classes, but painful memories of the civil war remain.

"The rebels bombed our house, my uncle's arm was amputated, there was a lot of destruction within the family," he says. "I felt bad about my father's death. But now I've joined this programme and it's helping me to forget."

Alpha Kanu is also busy thinking about his future.

"I want to import goods, and if the chance permits, to buy and sell cars," he says.
Unlocking potential

As evening draws in at the end of another day, both in the fields and the classroom, Robaka's residents - young and old - gather to sing and dance.

Like original methods of farming, cultural traditions - all but forgotten during the war - are being re-learnt.

Sierra Leone's troubled past is being is confronted in places like Robaka.

Strife once brought about by war is being replaced with the hope that Sierra Leone's entrepreneurial potential - and future wealth - can be unlocked by the nation's youth.

News From: www.bbc.co.uk

Stars gather downtown for Salt Lake City Sundance premier

SALT LAKE CITY -- Stars of screen, television and rock and roll were all together for the Salt Lake City premiere of the Sundance Film Festival Friday night. Friday's premier film, "The Music Never Stopped," is based on a real case study of a man who could only relate to life through a certain type of music. The writers, director and cast say it has a message which they believe the film festival will help them spread.

The film follows the struggles of a young man with a benign brain tumor who only connects with the world through the music of his teenage years, the 1960s.

Popular actor J.K. Simmons plays the father. He's "Chief Pope" on TNT's "The Closer," and is also a Sundance veteran -- third time, being the charm, he says.

"They've already made a deal to have the movie distributed," Simmons said Friday night. "The other two times I was here were with really, really nice movies -- hundreds of people saw them. This one, I think, will do a little better than that."




Emmy winner Julia Ormond plays a music therapist.

"The character that I play is based on a wonderful woman called Connie Cimino, and she was basically doing cutting-edge musical therapy based on the belief that music helps to you to tap into a different side of the brain," Ormond explained.

Some of the music that helps the young man was created by rock band The Grateful Dead. Two of the band members came to Friday night's premiere, remembering meeting the real young man whose life this film is based on.

"We were part of this movie, what was it? Twenty-five, 30 years ago? More? And then we just found out we were part of it, and now we're here to be part of it officially," said musician Bob Weir.

"In real life, before the screenplay and all of that, the character in the movie had visited our stage and was transformed by the power of music," musician Mickey Hart said. "This is what the story is all about."

There are more Sundance screenings in Salt Lake, Ogden, the Sundance Resort and, of course, Park City.

News From: www.ksl.com

Robert Redford For No Retirement Plans

Robert Redford For No Retirement Plans video News

Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford kicked off the program's 30th anniversary with upbeat and reflective opening remarks. Sharing the stage at the venerable Egyptian Theater in Park City with festival director John Cooper and Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam, Redford reflected on the program's humble beginnings, its mission of encouraging new and unique voices in film, and its growing global presence through satellite programs in Europe and India.


“In 1980, I wanted to create a space and a place for independent artists with new ideas and new voices to have a place to go,” he said. That vision grew from a maverick no-budget operation that exhibited movies on church pews in borrowed garages to the premiere international showcase for emerging filmmakers. Through it all, he said, the event has retained its “shoestring” mentality. “We are doing it the same way we did 25 years ago. Nothing has changed in terms of the programming. We don't program by commerciality, we program for opportunity and for new fresh ideas and more independence.”


The 10-day festival has evolved to reflect the challenges and opportunities of the multimedia era. Redford praised the New Frontier program, which pushes the cinematic envelope with art installations, videos and other innovative technologies.


"I see the future continuing more as a hybrid. Film will be more of a hybrid experience,” he said, invoking “Howl,” the 2010 festival's opening night presentation. “Last (year) we had a film where we blended three elements: documentary, narrative and animation.” The outlook for Sundance is strong, he said. “we can tell from ticket sales & the word on the street that it’s going to be a very big year, and be very crowded on the streets.”

Redford's vision for the future does not include handing over the reins any time soon. Looking fit at 74, he said he has no plans to step down like fellow septuagenarians Larry King and Regis Philbin.


“I have not thought about retiring,” he said. “I mean, I’m gonna die, but....” he added with a smile.
News From: www.startribune.com