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Danielle Adams

Delonte West gives Gordon Hayward a wet willie

Earns technical foul for stunt

Delonte West of the Dallas Mavericks earned a most bizarre technical foul on Monday during a game against the Utah Jazz.

During the second quarter, Delonte West and Utah guard Gordon Wayward got tangled up on the Jazz’s defensive end, resulting in a foul on West. As Hayward walked away, West followed him, stuck his finger in his ear, and pushed him.

Refs initially missed the whole thing, but looked back to the tape after the crowd was chanting “Throw him out.” West was called for a technical foul.

After the triple-overtime loss, Delonte West joked that he was trying to remove lint from Hayward’s hair. “I went over the line. I saw some lint in his hair, and I wanted to get it out for him. Seriously, we’re two warriors, man; we’re out there battling,” West said. “I forgot, the NBA is a gentleman’s game, so we’ve got to fight and scrap and do it nicely. Everything is left on the court, though. That’s what it is.”

Hayward, however, was not amused. “I wanted to fight right there, but you can’t do that. It wouldn’t have been the smart idea,” Hayward said. “I’d risk getting a technical foul, getting suspended for the season, whatever. There’s more important things than fighting someone out on the court. The more important thing was getting the win and we were able to do that.”

Levon Helm in final stages of cancer

Wife and daughter ask fans to send prayers and love his way

Levon Helm, former memebr of The Band, is in the final stages of throat cancer. He was first diagnosed with cancer in 1998.

His wife Sandy and daughter Amy posted a note to Levon Helm fans on his website. “Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey. Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration … he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage…”

Arkansas native Levon Helm was picked by Ronnie Hawkins to join his band in 1957, when they united with Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson to form The Band. They eventually parted ways with Hawkins and joined up with Bob Dylan in 1965.

The Band released a string of rock classics with Levon Helm contributing his distinctive Southern drawl to classics such as ”The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” The original members of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

After his initial diagnosis, Levon Helm lost his ability to sing, but he continued to play drums, mandolin and harmonica with his daughter Amy in a series of shows called the Midnight Ramble. The weekly concerts attracted the likes of Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris.

Sarah Silverman aborts burrito

Comedian ignites controversy with abortion tweet

Sarah Silverman is known for cracking edgy jokes about touchy subjects, including the Holocaust and rape. Now, she’s entered the controversial world of abortion.

Last week Sarah Silverman posted two photos on Twitter. The first was making fun of sappy pregnancy photos and featured her with a round belly and the caption, “It’s a burrito!”

About five minutes later she posted a second photo that showed Sarah’s flat stomach. “Got a quickie aborsh in case R v W gets overturned,” she wrote.

Many people were outraged. “@SarahKSilverman your latest joke was tastless and insensitive. Abortion is not something you should be laughing about #shameonyou #sad” tweeted Twitter user RoxJajo.

FOX News Nation labeled it a “sick Sarah Silverman Abortion Hoax” and said that she “joined America’s current War on Women” by posting the pictures. Conservative news aggregation site The Drudge Report ran the headline “Sarah Silverman tweets ‘before-and-after abortion’ photos,” failing to mention that there was, in fact, no abortion, and that it was a joke.

Meredith Carroll, at the babble, said that people are missing the point entirely, which is to poke fun of the perception on the right that the “pro-choice movement is all about – killing life at every opportunity.”

Tax day freebies

Celebrate the end of tax season with free stuff

Tax day, April 17 this year, is a day dreaded among many. On the bright side, many businesses are offering deals to make this dreary day a little brighter.

Marble Slab and Maggie Moo’s are giving away free frozen yogurt from 4 – 7 p.m. on tax day.

You can get two free cinnabites at Cinnabon from 6 – 8 p.m. on April 17.

Fountain drinks and slushies are half-price at Sonic drive-ins all day tax day.

P.F. Chang’s is offering 15 percent off all dine-in and carry out food orders on April 17.

Hooters will have 20 boneless wings for $9.99 on tax day.

McCormick and Schmick’s will be hosting extended happy hour from 3 – 11 p.m. with bar appetizers prices less than $6 and drinks specials including the Bloody Mary Tax Code, the Uncle Same and the Rummy Refund.

Get one free Shanghai Angus Steak on Tax Day at Panda Express if you “like” the page on Facebook and claim the coupon.

Get a free sample of Seattle’s Best Coffee when you “like” the Facebook page through April 17.

“Like” Auntie Anne’s Facebook page to get a buy one signature pretzel get one free coupon.

Get a free value curly fries at Arby’s with a coupon on tax day.

Print this coupon for Boston Market and get a free individual meal when you buy one individual meal and drink.

Bruegger’s is offering a baker’s dozen of bagels and two tubs of cream cheese for $10.40 from April 13-17 with this coupon.

This coupon will get you a free appetizer or dessert with entrée purchase at Chili’s April 16-18.

White Castle has two tax day specials. Buy one get one chicken breast sandwich (through April 28) and a 15 percent off coupon (April 13-17).

Print this coupon for five free pounds of document shredding Office Depot, valid through April 28.

So now that your taxes are (hopefully) all done, stop stressing – go out and celebrate with help from these freebies and bargains.

Virginia Tech massacre remembered

Today marks the five year anniversary of the tragedy that left 33 dead

Virginia Tech students were encouraged to attend class Monday, April 16, marking the first year the school hasn’t suspended instruction to mark the five-year anniversary of the school’s 2007 massacre that left 32 people and the gunman dead.

In the years since the deadliest mass killing in contemporary American history, Virginia Tech classes have been canceled with this being the first year the normal schedule will resume.

Provost Mark McNamee, who chaired a committee that planned memorial events in the years follwoing the shooting, said the return to classes reflects the lives of those slain. “Their passion for education, their desire to do good in the world, their commitment to their disciplines come through so strongly that we felt being in classes was one special way of remembering them onward,” McNamee said. “This is what they did, this is what we do, and it’s important to us.

“My sense is that our students and our faculty are ready for it,” he said.

Virginia Tech marked the five-year anniversary at midnight with the lighting of a ceremonial candle that will remain lit for 24 hours. Gov. Bob McDonnell was scheduled to speak at a campus-wide candlelight vigil. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets stood guard for 32 minutes – one minute in honor of each of the victims, and they will do so again tonight before the candle is extinguished.

At 9:43 a.m. Monday — the time when gunman Seung-Hui Cho began killing 30 students and professors at Norris Hall — McDonnell called for a moment of silence in Virginia. The Capitol Square Bell Tower in Richmond also tolled for each victim.

Also, scheduled for Monday is a picnic, a display of memorial items sent to Virginia Tech from other colleges and universities, performances and an open house at Norris Hall, where the shooter ultimately killed himself.  The former classroom building has been transformed into the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Several locations on campus have also been set aside on campus as “quiet places for reflection.”

Jackie Robinson honored yesterday

MLB remembers the man who broke the baseball color barrier

Jackie Robinson Day was yesterday, April 15. On this day, all Major League Baseball players and coaches donned the number 42, Robinson’s number.

For those who are not avid baseball fans and have no clue who Jackie Robinson is, he was the first black major league baseball player of the modern era. He was initiated into the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. His debut in the MLB ended roughly 80 years of baseball segregation.

Although Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line, he was the recipient of much cruelty from vicious fans and opposing teams. Robinson had promised the Dodgers owner and manager that he would hold his tongue and fists for at least his first two years in the major league, despite the continuing onslaught of abuse. One day the attack was so nasty that Harold “Pee Wee” Reese, shortstop for the Dodgers, walked over to Robinson and put his hand on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but the show of solidarity caused the hecklers to shut up.

Jackie Robinson was a talented baseball player. Over the course of ten seasons he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers’ 1995 World championship. He won MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947 and National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949 – the first black player to receive that honor. He was also selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 – 1954. Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, and in 1997, MLB retired his uniform number across all major league teams.

Outside of baseball, Jackie Robinson was the first black television analyst in MLB and the first black vice-president of a major American corporation. He also helped establish the Freedom National Bank in the 1960s. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his achievements.

Earth Day is right around the corner

Celebrate our planet all year long

Earth Day is April 22; a day, which is celebrated globally by over 192 countries. This day is marked by fundraising concerts, rallies and other events dedicated to raising awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.

Some retailers are offering eco-friendly freebies to promote Earth Day this year. Target is giving away one reusable shopping bag per customer on April 22. Natural beauty brand Origins will be giving away one full-size sample of a cleanser in exchange for a bottle of your current skincare product in honor of Earth Day. They will recycle all bottles and packaging they receive. Barnes & Noble is offering a 20 percent discount on Earth-friendly toys and games from its online store. Chipotle Mexican Grill will give away a free burrito to customers who purchase a lunch bag on Earth Day. The bags are made from recycled Chipotle billboards. The National Park Service is offering free admission to all 397 national parks April 21-29.

Although the observance of Earth Day is a great way to raise awareness, there are many ways you can be greener everyday – not just one day a year.

Eat locally whenever possible. Shop at farmers markets and support restaurants that buy local. Pollution generated from transportation and support local farmers. Plant local plants to cut back on maintenance costs. For example, if you live in the desert, don’t plant a palm tree.

Reduce, reuse and recycle plastics. Get one or two reusable bags for groceries. Use travel mug for your morning coffee – they’ll fill it for you at Starbucks. Buy one steel water bottle instead of buying and using multiple plastic bottles. Use cloth napkins at home, rather than paper.

Use cold water for laundry. You can save 85 percent of energy. Also, line dry your clothes. Next time you purchase an appliance, get an energy efficient model.

Walk or ride your bike rather than drive whenever possible, or try to combine all your errands for the week into one trip. Pay bills online to save paper. Take shorter showers and conserve water.

There are many little things you can do to help conserve the environment – on Earth Day, and every day.

Boston Marathon runners facing higher temperatures

Heat slows runners down

The Boston Marathon is facing 80-degree temperatures today, causing as many as 4,000 runners to sit out this year.

22,426 runners started Monday’s Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, about  80 percent of the registered 27,000. The forecast led organizers to offer to a largely unprecedented deferment into next year’s race.

Forecasts call for 73 degrees at the 10 a.m. start in Hopkinton, 80 degrees at the halfway point in Wellesley by 11 a.m. and 82 degrees at the Back Bay finish line at noon. For the recreational runners expected to be out on the course later that afternoon, temperatures are expected to peak at 84 by 3 p.m..

“We’re asking runners who haven’t run previously to think about tomorrow and maybe coming back next year,” Boston Mayor Tom Menino told attendees at the traditional pre-race pasta dinner at City Hall Plaza on Sunday night. “We don’t want to have any accidents out there, or anybody overtaken by the heat.”

“Only the fittest runners should consider running. The risks that you’ll see tomorrow are simply greater than normal,” BAA executive director Tom Grilk said, advising runners who do line up at the start to slow their pace and focus on finishing rather than having a fast time. “You should adopt the attitude that this is not a race; it is an experience.”

This is not the hottest year for the Boston Marathon though; the 1909 race that came to be known as “The Inferno,” hit 97 degrees, and the 1976 “Run for the Hoses” started with 100-degree heat and finished with spectators sprinkling winner Jack Fultz with garden hoses to cool him down.

Runners who do show up will have access to plenty of water, however. Five-gallon jugs of water already lined the route early in the morning as volunteers and medical staff stood by preparing for the arrival of hot and tired runners.

The last on-course death of a Boston Marathon participant occurred in 2002.

Coachella 2012

Everything you expected and more

Coachella weekend one got off to a gloomy start with an unexpected Pacific storm Friday. But fans didn’t let the rain and wind put a damper on their weekend.

This is the 13th year of Coachella, a three-day music festival that has evolved from a music event into a vacation experience. Coachella’s popularity is such that this year the festival has expanded from one weekend to two with the same lineup both weekends. Over 75,000 wristbands were sold for each weekend. Most of the tickets sold out last June before the lineup was even announced.

The headliner Friday was the blues-rock band, the Black Keys, who opened up their set with “Howlin’ For You.Swedish House Mafia was also a huge attraction on the main stage, keeping fans dancing late into the night.

Saturday’s highlights included Radiohead, rapper Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover of TV series “Community,” and newcomer Azealia Banks, a rapper from Brooklyn, New York, who performed renditions of Amy Winehouse’s hit “Valerie” and Prodigy’s “Firestarter” at the Gobi tent. New Mexico band The Shins also performed as did this year’s winner of the best new artist Grammy, Bon Iver.

Sunday’s line-up featured Florence and the Machine, DJ Shadow, Girl Talk, Beirut, recently reunited At The Drive-In and Avicii. Another popular act was Gotye, whom recently shot to stardom with his hit “Somebody That I Used to Know.”

Coachella is known for surprise cameos, and on Saturday, Usher turned up unannounced to perform “Without You” with David Guetta. AWOLNATION was joined by Macy Gray on their single “Sail.” Rihanna also showed up at the festival, performing “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been” with Calvin Harris on Sunday night. Perhaps the most bizarre cameo of the weekend was a holographic Tupac, who performed with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in the final act of the weekend. Wiz Khalifa also turned up to perform “Young and Wild and Free” with Snoop.

With so many bombshells revealed this weekend at Coachella, will there be any surprises left for the weekend two festival goers?

Allen West makes outlandish claims

Congressman says half the Democrats in Congress are Communists

Allen West, Republican Florida Rep., claimed Tuesday that some 80 House Democrats are members of the Communist Party.

When a moderator asked Allen West what percentage of the American legislature are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialist, West seriously replied, “It’s a good question. I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic party who are members of the Communist Party. It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus.”

Libero Della Piana, a vice-chairman of the national communist Party said that there are no members of the Communist Party in Congress.

This is not the first time Allen West has said something bizarre. He told Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to “get the hell out of America.” Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz got on his bad side he wrote her a letter calling her “the most vile, unprofessional and despicable house member.” He has described President Obama exhibited “third-world dictator-like arrogance.”

Another crazy Allen West stunt? While in the Army he shot a gun next to an Iraqi detainee’s head during an interrogation, which led to his forced retirement.

Tea Party activist Herman Cain, 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have all suggested that Allen West would be a good candidate for the Republican vice-presidential nominee. When CNN asked the Florida congressman about the possibility he replied that he would absolutely “step up to the plate.”

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.