Jennifer Nettles Tied The Knot On Saturday

Sugarland star Jennifer Nettles is a married woman – the singer tied the knot with her boyfriend of two years during an intimate ceremony on Saturday. The Stuck Like Glue singer wore an Alexander McQueen gown as she exchanged vows with former model Justin Miller at a Tennessee chapel nestled in the Smoky Mountains. The [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/jennifer-nettles-tied-the-knot-on-saturday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jennifer-nettles-tied-the-knot-on-saturday

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Doctor to be sentenced for Michael Jackson's death (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Michael Jackson's doctor will face the singer's distraught family and ardent fans one more time when he returns to court for sentencing in the death of the superstar from an overdose of an operating-room anesthetic he was receiving to battle insomnia.

Dr. Conrad Murray's sentencing Tuesday for involuntary manslaughter is the final step in the criminal case launched within days of Jackson's unexpected death in June 2009.

Prosecutors want a judge to sentence the 58-year-old Murray to the maximum four-year prison term. Defense attorneys counter that Murray already faces a lifetime of shame and diminished opportunities and should receive probation.

How long Murray might remain behind bars depends on the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, which would base the decision on good behavior and other factors.

Even without overcrowding and a new state law that will send Murray to county jail rather than prison, a four-year sentence could be cut in half by good behavior.

It remained unclear Monday whether Jackson's family will speak during the sentencing hearing. His mother Katherine and several siblings routinely attended the six-week trial that ended with the conviction on Nov. 7.

Prosecutors portrayed Murray as an incompetent doctor who administered propofol ? an extremely potent anesthetic normally used during surgery ? in Jackson's bedroom without adequate safeguards and botched his care when things went wrong.

The prosecution is also are seeking restitution for Jackson's three children and filed a statement from the singer's estate stating the cost of the singer's funeral was more than $1.8 million. The letter also notes that Jackson would have earned $100 million if he had performed a planned series of comeback concerts in London.

The doctor's fate lies with Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, who will determine the sentence and had harsh words for Murray on the day he was convicted.

"Dr. Murray's reckless conduct in this case poses a demonstrable risk to the safety of the public," Pastor said before the Houston-based cardiologist was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

Pastor also could address Murray's decision to participate in a documentary that was filmed throughout the trial and aired days after Murray's conviction.

Murray states in the film that aired on MSNBC, under the title "Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship," that he doesn't feel guilty about the singer's death because he doesn't think he did anything wrong.

Prosecutors cited Murray's comments in their filing last week urging the judge to impose the maximum sentence.

"Finally, the defendant consistently blames the victim for his own death," the prosecutors said, "even going so far as to characterize himself as being `entrapped' by the victim and as someone who suffered a `betrayal' at the hands of the victim."

Murray's attorneys are relying largely on statements from his former patients to portray Murray in a softer light and win a lighter sentence.

"There is no question that the death of his patient, Mr. Jackson, was unintentional and an enormous tragedy for everyone affected," defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memo. "Dr. Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pall of sadness since the loss of his patient, Mr. Jackson."

Pastor also will review a report by probation officials that carries a sentencing recommendation. The report will become public after Murray is sentenced.

The report may also feature input from Murray, who chose not to testify in his own defense during the trial but was heard in a lengthy interview recorded by police.

Murray's trial was closely watched by Jackson's fans in the courtroom, on social networking sites and via live broadcasts online and on television.

The trial detailed the final hours of Jackson and portrayed him as a talented genius suffering from debilitating insomnia.

The singer selected Murray as his personal physician, and the doctor began giving Jackson nightly doses of propofol two months before the singer's death.

Several doctors who testified during the trial, including Murray's own hired propofol expert, said they would not have given Jackson the treatments in his bedroom and that Murray violated the standard of care multiple times.

___

Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_doctor

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How I Pulled Off a 10-Day London Vacation for $700 [Travel]

Back in September, we published serial traveler Matthew Kepnes' ultimate travel hacking guide, sharing his best tips and advice on how to travel cheaply without sacrificing comfort. The guide inspired many questions, so Matt had an idea: It's one thing to say "Hey, this stuff works," but it's another to actually show how it works. So here's how Matt managed a 10-day trip to London for a measly $700.

Ed. note: While not every hack Matt employs will come easily to all of us, his guide is full of clever methods that can shave dollars off your next trip?to London or elsewhere.

Photo by Andresr/Shutterstock.

The first city on my list is London. I came here for a 10-day trip for a travel conference and thought it would make for the perfect example. London is notorious for being one of the most expensive places in the world to visit. No one goes to London under the assumption that they aren't going to spend a lot of money.
And that's why London is a perfect first place to do this. Because, if you can travel hack London, you can travel hack anywhere.

Using my own travel hacking tips, 10 days in London only cost me 481.21 GBP?$710 USD. That works out to be roughly $70 USD per day. And that's not just my day-to-day expenses. That includes EVERYTHING?my flight to London, my hotel, transportation, food, drinking, and attractions.

Think about that for a second: I had a 10-day vacation in London for $700 USD that included airfare. When was the last time you went to Europe for that little money? When was the last time any real big international trip cost that kind of money?

How Did I Do It?

Before I explain how I did it, I want to take a second to explain some of the ground rules I laid out for myself. I didn't backpack London. My goal was to show the budget travelers of the world?the two-week holiday makers?that you can do London on the cheap without being a backpacker. That saving money isn't all dorm rooms, couchsurfing, and eating pasta.

So, visiting London as a budget traveler, I made three rules:

1. I wouldn't stay in hostels. I wanted to stay in nice accommodation to prove that even a hotel stay can be cheap.

2. I had to eat a few nice meals. When you go on holiday, you want to eat nice food, so I agreed that I would have at least two really nice meals in London.

3. I couldn't say "no" because it was expensive. Many backpackers skip sightseeing because of the cost but I wanted to do all the normal sightseeing activities regular tourists do. You don't go on a short vacation to not sightsee right?

With these ground rules in place, I set off to do London as your average, everyday traveler.

Part One: The Flight

I used my American Airlines frequent flier miles to pay for my flight. A round-trip ticket from Boston to London cost me 60,000 miles, plus a service charge of $165.10 in taxes and fees.

The miles I used were "anytime miles," but American Airlines also offers "OffPeak Miles" (off-season really), and you can actually fly to London for as little as 40,000 miles round-trip.

How do I get so many miles?

I'm a frequent flier, so I can generate a lot of miles per year. I normally fly about 40,000 to 50,000 miles per year, which, compared to most travel writers, is pretty low. But I've written extensively on how to get miles for free. I sign up for bonus credit cards, sign up for deals, use preferred merchants, and sign up for every contest that gives extra miles. All told, I have accumulated over 400,000 frequent flier miles with American Airlines alone through these methods.

While I have written many blog posts on how to get free miles, here's a quick summary of the best methods:

Sign up for a branded airline credit card: Whether you love Delta or fly United and the Star Alliance, all U.S. carriers have a branded travel credit card that gives you 25,000-30,000 points when you sign up and make one purchase. That's a free economy ticket right there. Airline credit cards are the best way to kick start your mileage balance. Often times they offer huge sign up bonuses. For awhile, American Airlines gave you 75,000 miles when you got their branded credit card. Virgin Atlantic has offered 50,000. United has done 40,000. The quickest and best way to gain a lot of free miles is to get one of these travel credit cards.

Watch out for special promotions: I sign up for all airline mailing lists. I always watch out for special 2-for-1 mile deals. Or when they have special card offers to earn extra miles. American Airlines just gave me 1,000 miles for watching a demo on their new shopping toolbar. I once got 5,000 miles for joining Netflix. Often times you get miles for filling out surveys or they will give you a 100% bonus on purchasing miles. Promotions help big time, and airlines seem to always be offering them. Utilizing promotions over the course of a few months can yield big results.

Sign up for a non-airline credit card: Sign up for a non-airline credit card like a Starwood American Express card and you can get 10,000 sign-up points. When you convert 20,000 points into miles, you get a 5,000-mile bonus. I highly recommend signing up for this card too but signing up for any "points" card like the AMEX travel card or a Capital One card will do. Afterwards, you can transfer your sign-up bonus points to the airline you use and redeem them for flights.

For all of these methods, the bonus points take about 6-8 weeks to post from the time you sign up for a credit card. If you want, sign up for my free newsletter?I always post the best mile bonuses on it. Or read Boarding Area, which features all mileage bonuses big and small.

Note: Readers of my blog know I've been in Europe for long time. However, I also went home to Boston in September on a round trip flight from London. I'm using that flight as the basis for this article.

Part Two: Accommodation

I had hoped that by the time I went to London, my Marriott or Starwood points would credit to my account. Marriott is offering a new card with Chase that got me 70,000 points plus 1 free stay for signing up and after the first use. I jumped on this deal but the points took too long to place into my account. On the plus side, I now have 70,000 points and a free night at the Marriott for future use.

A few months ago, Starwood hotels offered a 60,000 points bonus. I signed up but forgot to use the card quickly enough and by the time I remembered, the point transfer took too long.

However, my points didn't get credited in time, so I used more American Airlines miles for this. I used 68,000 points plus $25 USD for 5 nights accommodation in a 4 star hotel. I stayed in a hotel near Hyde Park, a very well-to-do neighborhood in London.

Now, while you can use airline miles for vacations and hotels, you never get as good of a point conversion as you do with flights. Five nights using hotel points would have cost me just 50,000 points. The point here, though, is that by signing up for a branded hotel card, you can use those points to get free hotel stays for your next vacation. Or you can use the bonuses from an airline. Either way, getting free hotel rooms isn't that hard.

For the other 4 nights I was London, I used Wimdu, an apartment rental company. While I normally like hostels, I wanted some peace and quiet while in London as well as a kitchen. The room cost 150 GBP ($238 USD) for 4 nights.

Regarding all these credit cards: While you may get a small short-term ding opening lots of credit cards in a short time, over the long term your credit will be fine so long as you pay off all your cards at the end of the month. Even after opening all these credit cars, I still have a credit score of about 800.

Part Three: Attractions

London is great for sightseeing because so much is free here. It makes sightseeing on a budget really easy. The best museums?British Library, British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Museum of London (just to name a few)?are all free. Hyde Park? Free. Kensington Gardens? Free. It's easy to fill a few days with sightseeing in London without ever spending a penny.

But sadly, not everything is free. For attractions that weren't free, I used the London Pass. This tourist card cost me 54 GBP ($86 USD) for two days of sightseeing. It covers over 32 destinations and offers free public transportation. You can get a pass for up to 6 days (87 GBP). There are hundreds upon hundreds of dollars in savings with this pass. However, I didn't have much time nor the desire to see all 32 spots. I was able to see:

• Westminster Abbey
• Tower of London
• St. Paul's Cathedral
• Ben Franklin House
• Britain at War Museum
• Shakespeare's Globe Museum
• London Tombs

Without this pass, the same attractions would have cost me 104.55 GBP. I saved 50% by using the London Pass and I didn't even use it for everything it offers. This is why in so many of my posts about various cities I always stress getting a city pass if you plan to do a lot of museums and tours. You can save a lot of money by doing so. It's one of the best budget travel tips out there and is all too often overlooked.

Part Four: Food

I didn't want to be the typical backpacker and eat kebabs and pasta for every meal. But at the same time, I know locals don't eat out 100% of the time, either, and a great way to save money is to cook, which is part of the reason I got a place with a kitchen for my last 4 nights. I wanted to mix eating out with cooking a few meals. During my 10 days in London, I spent 103.80 GBP ($165 USD) on food, which broke down the following ways:

I spent 9.11 GBP on groceries, including bread, sandwich meat, vegetables, and pasta. This was enough for 3 dinners and 3 lunches.

I spent 2.20 on water bottles, which I refilled over the course of my trip.

My hotels and serviced apartment provided breakfast, though I did go out for McDonald's one morning. I just love those hash browns.

The rest was spent on dining out. I got pizza one day, went out for good Thai for one dinner, had great Indian one night, ate typical fish and chips the next, had a few Starbucks green teas, and tons of kebabs. They are everywhere in London. According to my friends, you are a true Londoner if you are dining on kebabs, especially if it's after a night out.

As I said, I didn't want to skimp on meals. I ate how I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat. I did look for deals though as any good budget traveler knows that good food doesn't have to be expensive. In London, I found the best way to eat out on a budget was to look for lunch specials. Most restaurants I came across had lunch specials and many pizza places offered a "buy one, get one free" deal on takeaway.

Another great way to save money is to get the Taste Card. This diner's club card offers 50% discounts on thousands of restaurants as well as two for one specials. It can really pay off, especially on those nice meals you'll want to have. You can only live on fish and chips for so long.

Part Five: Transportation

My London Pass covered public transportation for the two days it was valid. And since cabs in London are notoriously expensive even by London standards, I refrained from taking them.

For transportation to Heathrow airport, I took the Heathrow express to get into the city (18.50 GBP) and the London Underground to get out (5 GBP). Around the city, I loaded my oyster card (metro card) for unlimited use within Zones 1-3 for 7 days at a cost of 32.20 GBP. (Everything you really need to see is mostly in Zone 1, but my conference was in Zone 3, so I had get out there.)

Conclusion: How Much Would This Trip Regularly Cost?

Had I fallen into the trap that most people do of booking a "normal vacation," in London, this trip would have cost me three times as much.

A flight to London from Boston right now is currently running around $650 USD.

Currently, the average price of a decently rated 3-4 star hotel in central London is 70 to 100 GBP ($111 to 158 USD) per night. For my 9 night trip, that adds up to around $1,000 USD as I would have gone with the cheapest.

Had I refrained from cooking, I probably would have added about another 70 GBP ($111 USD) on dining out knowing my eating habits.

If you add up all of that plus my transport and food, I would have spent around $2,000 USD. By traveling hacking and cleverly using reward points, I spent 10 days in London for less than the current price of a flight to London, saving myself $1,300 USD! Think about that. I saved 66% off the cost of a normal vacation, and I didn't skimp on anything. I just traveled smart, used reward systems, and everyday frugality to my advantage. I stayed in nice places, dined out well, and saw all the attractions I wanted. I didn't sacrifice comfort.

One the most important points I wanted to get across with this trip was to show people that cheap travel doesn't mean bad travel. I wanted to take a vacation to London that my parents or friends?people who wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in 15 bed dorms to save money?could take. I wanted to travel cheaply without sacrificing comfort.

And I did just that. "Travel Hacking" might not be the best phrase in the world, but the principles behind it are simple and easy. Travel doesn't have to be expensive. Repeat that. Travel doesn't have to be expensive. By investing just a little extra time into planning my trip, I was able to have a wonderful trip for around the cost of the going rate for a flight to London. You don't need to spend thousands traveling. A vacation doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg and the next time you are inclined to think so, just remember that yes, it is possible to travel any cheap and anyone can do it.

Note: One thing that is missing from this article is my conference costs. Most people don't visit London for travel conferences, so I didn't add any costs related to that conference to this post.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6PPZFcy4oM8/how-i-pulled-off-a-10+day-london-vacation-for-700

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Pet Blog By Bocci @ Bocci's Beefs: Morton's National Keep Pets ...

Remember the brand we all grew up with, Morton Salt? With its deep blue box and iconic gal with the umbrella, Morton has been a part of our lives since its beginnings in 1848. Yeah, but what's the tie in with pets, you ask? ?Well, Morton has developed a chloride-free, non-toxic and non-irritating ice melt they've dubbed, Safe-T-Pet ice melt. This year, Safe-T-Pet is sponsoring a public service campaign focused on increasing awareness of pet safety during the winter months and to help support the ASPCA in their efforts to help keep pets safe in homes and in shelters. To that end, Morton is donating $20,000 upfront to the ASPCA and asking all of us to help them donate even more-up to $75,000!

Here's how it works:?

There's a big day coming up soon, and we're not talking Hanukkah or Christmas. It's?National Keep Pets Safe in Winter Day on December 22, and it's the culmination of this marvelous public service campaign.

What we're asking you (and all of your friends) to do is drop over to the Morton Salt Facebook Page and simply "Like" their page and leave a short message saying that "Bocci's Beefs sent you". This will accomplish two things:__ For every "Like" on their Facebook page, Morton Salt will donate an additional $1 to the ASPCA (this part of the campaign runs through January 31, 2012).__ Once Bocci's Beefs gets 50 "Likes", I'll be able to do a giveaway on my blog of two, Morton Safe-T-Pet Winter Kits that include a mini Safe-T-Pet jug, a fleece stadium blanket with Morton logo, an ice scrapper and a retractable leash (retail value of $30). (This part of the campaign only runs through December 22 so hurry over to the Morton FB page and tell them Bocci's Beefs sent ya!) See photo of this handy kit below.

So what about the heart of this campaign-keeping our pets safe in winter? Well, here's one idea straight from Morton's Facebook page where they'll be posting pet safety tips all winter long:

__Don't leave you pet in the car when you're running errands! Most of us know by now that a car turns into a furnace in the heat of the summer, but did you know it turns it a freezer in the winter quicker than you can say, "Dogsicle"?

And my own personal favorite:
__ While your pooch should go outside daily to do his business and get some fresh air, and even take short walks (depending on the breed and severity of the weather), keep an eye on them while they're outdoors and let them in promptly-don't go upstairs, get lost in your work and perhaps forget about your furfriend. Not that Parental Unit ever did anything like that...

As always, thanks for your support.

Source: http://www.boccibeefs.com/2011/11/mortons-national-keep-pets-safe-in.html

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HBT: Rays trade catcher Jaso to Mariners

Given the Rays? struggles behind the plate last season, it didn?t seem all that likely that the team would be content to replace Kelly Shoppach?with Jose Molina and call it a day. They went in another direction Sunday, trading incumbent John Jaso?to the Mariners for reliever Josh Lueke and a player to be named or cash.

Jaso, 28, is known for his on-base skills, and he?ll provide a pretty stark contrast to Miguel Olivo?when he?s in Seattle?s lineup next season, assuming he bounces back. Jaso hit .263/.372/.378 as a rookie in 2010 before slipping to .224/.298/.354 in 246 at-bats last season.

The Rays figure to go get a new starting catcher to replace Jaso, though they do have an internal option in Robinson Chirinos. Ramon Hernandez is still out there in free agency and would make a ton of sense for the club.

The Mariners figure to have Jaso?and Olivo?split time, though not in a straight platoon. While the left-handed-hitting Jaso?should play against the majority of righties, Olivo will get some starts there, too.

In Lueke, the Rays get a power arm, but one the Mariners didn?t value very highly. Lueke?was acquired from the Rangers in the Cliff Lee deal without Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik?having known about his having pled no contest to a false imprisonment charge (after originally facing rape and sodomy charges)?and having served jail time. Lueke throws 92-95 mph, but after he flopped in 32 2/3 innings for the Mariners last season, compiling a 6.06 ERA, it?s no surprise to see him go here. He has the potential to turn into a nice setup man or maybe even a closer for Tampa Bay.

Given that Jaso is always going to be a poor defensive catcher even if he does bounce back offensively, this looks like a win for Tampa Bay. Lueke could very well flame out, but he?s also a candidate to turn into a fine reliever, and the Rays needed to do better than Jaso for a starting catcher anyway.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/27/mariners-acquire-catcher-john-jaso-from-rays/related/

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Add Bluetooth to your non-Bluetooth audio devices with AirBlue

Have an awesome stereo speaker system but no way to get your music to it wirelessly?? That?s where?AirBlue?from Kanex comes in.? Shaped like a hockey puck, it?s a Bluetooth audio receiver into which you can plug a 3.5mm audio cable.? Just pair your iPhone (or any Bluetooth-enabled music player) to AirBlue, and you?ll be able [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/26/add-bluetooth-to-your-non-bluetooth-audio-devices-with-airblue/

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