New destination for you.

Mauvila Mansion...near Dauphin Island. My favorite B & B.

Que Bizarro!

MALIBU, California (AP) -- Britney Spears left a live-in rehabilitation facility early Wednesday, less than a day after checking in, according to several reports.
It was the second time in a week that Spears entered a rehab facility and checked out before her first day was finished.
The television news magazine "The Insider" initially reported that Spears called a car service, walked out of the Promises Malibu Treatment Center and left the facility early Wednesday morning. \Later, the TV show "Extra" and the celebrity Web site TMZ.com said the 25-year-old pop star had left the center far short of the usual 45-day stay. TMZ said she couldn't handle rehab and went home.
Entertainment TV shows and Web sites reported Friday that Spears had gone in and out of rehab that week. Some reports identified the facility as Eric Clapton's Crossroads center in Antigua, in the Caribbean, but the AP wasn't able to confirm those reports.
Eddie Michaels, a spokesman for the public relations agency that handles Promises, said he had no comment. He would not confirm that Spears had been there or that she had left.
There was no response to an e-mail sent Wednesday to Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph. On Tuesday, Rudolph said Spears had voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed treatment facility.
"We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time," Rudolph was quoted as saying. He didn't disclose why she entered rehab.
Spears had a meltdown weekend that included shaving her head, tattooing her wrist and clubbing with friends. On Friday night, she sheared off her hair at a salon. Spears was later seen wearing an inexpensive blond wig.
Since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline in November, Spears has been photographed pantyless, wearing skimpy outfits and partying heavily.
Federline's attorney earlier confirmed that Spears and Federline would continue to share custody of 5-month-old Jayden James and 17-month-old Sean Preston this month, following terms of a January custody agreement.
Federline manager Dan Dymtrow said there would be no comment on the latest Spears' departure.

My son-in-law is having a stroke!!!

And my neighbor is laughing with glee!!!

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Mike Krzyzewski knows all about winning streaks and dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference. It had been 11 years since Duke's head coach experienced the sensation of losing four in a row, however.
He plans to approach the Blue Devils' next game _ Wednesday at Boston College _ in much the same fashion as he always does.
"One thing you have to do when you're a coach or a player is keep a positive attitude, prepare, fight and attempt to win the next time no matter what," Krzyzewski said after a 72-60 loss to Maryland on Sunday.
"We've been in that position coming off many wins over the years. Now we're in that position coming off four straight losses. You have to figure it out. The one thing you can't do is feel sorry for yourself."
James Gist had 16 points and 10 rebounds, freshman Greivis Vasquez scored a season-high 18, and Maryland forced 17 turnovers in handing No. 16 Duke its most lopsided defeat of the season.
The Terrapins (18-7, 4-6) trailed early before taking control with a 29-4 run in the first half, then used a late surge to hold off a comeback bid by the skidding Blue Devils (18-7, 5-6).
In the only other game involving a Top 25 team, Washington beat No. 25 Stanford 64-52.
Josh McRoberts scored 20 points and Greg Paulus had 12 for Duke. The Blue Devils' previous three losses were by a combined nine points, but this turned out to be Duke's most lopsided ACC defeat since a 14-point loss to Wake Forest in February 2003.
"Of the four games, the other three we had a chance to win," Krzyzewski said. "This game, something a little more extraordinary had to happen for us to win."
Duke's last four-game losing streak was from Jan. 3-13, 1996.
After the final buzzer, the Maryland fans didn't rush the court _ an indication, perhaps, of Duke's fall from elite status.
Or perhaps the fans were just plain worn out after their rush of emotion at the outset, when they backed the Terrapins' enthusiasm with plenty of their own.
"They played with amazing energy, especially at the start of the game," Krzyzewski said. "The crowd, their team ... our team hasn't experienced that level of energy this season and it knocked us back."
Paulus opened the game with a 15-foot jumper and 3-pointer, but Duke missed seven of its next eight shots and committed seven turnovers while Maryland took control.
After Ekene Ibekwe recharged the crowd by scoring five straight points, Vasquez made a three-point play and a 3-pointer to ignite a 14-0 run that made it 19-7. Paulus snapped the Blue Devils' drought with a jumper, but the Terrapins responded with 10 straight points, including a 3-pointer and a three-point play by Gist, to go up by 20 with 8:54 left in the half.
Duke closed to 58-52 before Ibekwe and Mike Jones had two baskets apiece in a 10-2 spree that made it a 14-point game with 3:33 left.
That was enough to ensure the Terrapins an important victory in their bid to get back into the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence.
"We just hang in there, just play tough and hopefully we'll get a lot more wins down the stretch," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "At the end of the year, you look back and I'm sure this will be one of the special wins. But you try not to get too high after a game like that. You just get ready for N.C. State (on Wednesday)."
And Duke, in turn, will focus on ending its skid at Boston College.
Asked what must happen for the Blue Devils to turn things around, Krzyzewski said, "I'll do whatever I can. I'm not going to punt, let's put it that way."
Washington 64, No. 25 Stanford 52
At Seattle, Spencer Hawes scored 18 points and Jon Brockman added 14 points and 10 rebounds as Washington defeated Stanford.
Washington (16-8, 6-7 Pac-10) kept its flickering NCAA tournament hopes alive by winning for the fifth time in six games. The Huskies have won nine of their last 10 home games against ranked teams.
Stanford's Lawrence Hill scored 15 points after missing all 10 of his shots in Thursday night's loss at No. 14 Washington State. It wasn't enough, as the Cardinal (15-8, 7-5) lost for the third time in four games since beating then-No. 3 UCLA.

Ringling Brothers couldn't do it any better!

WASHINGTON - President Bush will address the nation at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday about his new approach for the war in Iraq, the White House said. Bush is expected to announce an increase of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops.
Bush's decisions, more than two months in the making, already are drawing criticism from new Democratic leaders in Congress who say it is time to begin ending the war, not to send in more U.S. forces.
Now in its fourth year, the war has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 members of the U.S. military and was a major factor in the Republicans' loss of Congress in the November election. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told Bush in a letter last week that "we do not believe that adding more U.S. combat troops contributes to success."
White House press secretary Tony Snow said Monday that Bush "understands there is a lot of public anxiety" about the war. On the other hand, he said that Americans "don't want another Sept. 11" type of terrorist attack and that it is wiser to confront terrorists overseas in Iraq and other battlegrounds rather than in the United States.
Snow said he contacted television networks Monday morning to request air time for the president's speech, to be delivered at the White House. He said the administration welcomes a debate about Bush's new policy.
"I think it's important to get congressional support," the spokesman said. Yet he would not say whether Bush will seek specific congressional approval for his new strategy.
"Rather than me jumping out and talking about resolutions and budget items and all that, I'm not going to do it," Snow said. "But there will be a debate about the particulars in the way forward, as there should be. We welcome it."
Pelosi on Sunday cautioned Bush to think twice before proposing a troop increase, suggesting the new Democratic-controlled Congress could deny him the funding.
But the Senate's top Republican said he believed that Bush will get the money he needs and cast doubt that Democrats would _ or could _ block him. "Congress is incapable of micromanaging the tactics in the war," said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
In issuing her warning, Pelosi made clear that her party supported boosting the overall military size "to protect the American people against any threats to our interests" and would not cut off money for troops already in Iraq.
But Bush will not get a blank check for an open-ended commitment there, she said. Any funding he seeks for additional forces in Iraq _ Bush's expected plan could send as many as 20,000 more U.S. troops _ will get the "harshest scrutiny."
"The burden is on the president to justify any additional resources for a mission," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "Congress is ready to use its constitutional authority of oversight to question what is the justification for this spending, what are the results we are receiving."
"There's not a carte blanche, a blank check for him to do whatever he wishes there," she added in an interview taped Saturday and broadcast Sunday.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress has approved about $500 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and other terrorism-fighting efforts. The White House is working on its largest-ever appeal for more war funds _ a record $100 billion, at least. It will be submitted along with Bush's Feb. 5 budget.
While leading Democrats reaffirmed their opposition to a troop buildup, several did not join Pelosi in suggesting it was possible Congress could deny Bush the money for the additional forces.
"I don't want to anticipate that," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 2008 presidential candidate, said increasing troops would be a "tragic mistake." But he contended Congress was constitutionally powerless to second-guess Bush's military strategy because lawmakers had voted to authorize the commander in chief to wage war.
"As a practical matter, there's no way to say, 'Mr. President, stop,'" said Biden, D-Del., unless enough congressional Republicans join Democrats in persuading Bush that the strategy is wrong.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote in Sunday's Washington Post that boosting troops for an indefinite time was necessary to secure peace in the Mideast.
"When we authorized this war, we accepted the responsibility to make sure they could prevail," he wrote. "Even greater than the costs incurred thus far and in the future are the catastrophic consequences that would ensure from our failure in Iraq."
Pelosi spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation," McConnell and Hoyer appeared on "Fox News Sunday," and Biden was on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Shamefull even for someone with no shame!

Sean "Diddy" Combs wound up in the proverbial dog house over the weekend after it was revealed that his supposedly imitation fur hoodies actually came from real-deal canines.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced late Friday that clothing in Diddy's Sean John fashion line, along with garments made by other name-brand designers, contained the pelt of a domesticated coyote known as a "raccoon dog" that's typically found in Asia.
The nation's largest animal rights watchdog made the determination after a series of mass spectrometry tests.
After the results were made public, a Sean John Hooded Snorkel Jacket sold at Macy's stores and at macys.com and advertised as sporting an "imitation rabbit fur collar" was yanked from shelves.
"I was completely unaware of the nature of this material, but as soon as we were alerted, the garments were pulled off the Macy's floor and Website," Diddy said in a statement released by publicist Hampton Carney. "I have instructed our outerwear licensee to cease the production of any garments using this material immediately. I appreciate the tireless work that the Humane Society does and would like to thank them for bringing attention to this issue."
A spokesperson for Macy's, a unit of Federated Department Stores, confirmed that the mislabeled items had been removed and said the company has a "long-standing policy against the selling of any dog or cat fur" and goes to great lengths to ensure all of its suppliers are clearly aware of that policy.
Sean John wasn't the only label going to the dogs. Eight other fur-lined garments from the likes of Calvin Klein, Baby Phat and MaxMara sold by such retailers as Bloomingdale's, JCPenney, Saks Fifth Avenue and Burlington Coat Factory were also tested and found to have raccoon dog fur.
"First these jackets were falsely advertised as faux fur, and then it turned out that the fur came from a type of dog," said Wayne Pacell, HSUS' president and CEO. "This is an industry-wide problem, and our investigation demonstrates that retailers and designers aren't paying close enough attention to composition of the fur trim they are selling. It's especially problematic when the fur is sourced from China's where domestic dogs and cats and raccoon dogs are killed in gruesome ways, even skinned alive."
Per HSUS, Combs' couture violated the Fur Products Labeling Act, which prohibits the advertising or sale of any fur product that is falsely or misleadingly labeled and could lead the Federal Trade Commission to impose criminal penalties such as fines of up to $5,000 per violation and the seizure of products.
Pacelle said he hoped the scandal prompts Congress to take action by amending the Dog and Cat Protection Act, which prohibits the selling of dog or cat fur in the U.S., to also include raccoon dogs, which are bred in China, where animal-welfare laws are lax.
His group is also calling on Puffy to protect Muffy by removing any kind of fur, real or otherwise, from his line—something the rap impresario might find difficult to do given the widespread popularity of fur coats among his fellow hip-hopsters.
Aside from the fur flying, Combs' celebrated the holiday weekend with his new twins by longtime galpal Kim Porter. Daughters Jesse James and D'Lila were born two minutes apart Thursday in New York, and according to Combs' camp, are, unlike the raccoon dogs, doing "just fine."

Knighthood comes cheaply

DUBLIN, Ireland - Irish rocker and humanitarian Bono will become a knight of the British empire _ but the U2 frontman won't be called "Sir."
Britain confirmed Saturday Bono will receive his honorary knighthood from the British ambassador to Ireland, David Reddaway, in a Dublin ceremony shortly after New Year's Day.
The Dubliner, whose real name is Paul Hewson, won't be entitled to use the title "Sir" because he is not a national of Britain or the Commonwealth of former British colonies.
A spokesman said the 46-year-old singer was flattered by the honor and hoped it will help him open diplomatic doors in his campaign for more Western aid to Africa.
In a letter to Bono released Saturday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the singer's lobbying had forced wealthy nations to focus on increasing aid to Africa.
"I know from talking to you how much these causes matter to you," Blair wrote. "I know as well how knowledgeable you are about the problems we face and how determined you are to do all you can to help overcome them. You have tirelessly used your voice to speak up for Africa."
Blair said he hoped to keep working with Bono "to work together to maintain momentum on Africa, and ensure leaders around the world meet the promises they have made."
The British Embassy in Dublin said the Irish government approved granting Bono the title. The issue is diplomatically sensitive, because Irish officials are legally barred from receiving British royal honors and other Irish nationals have refused nominations on political grounds. Ireland withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1949.
Previous non-British nationals who received knighthoods include Bono's fellow Dubliner and rocker-turned-humanitarian Bob Geldof, Bill Gates, the Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo, Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, former New York Mayor Rudolf Giuliani, and Steven Spielberg.