...Naegleria Fowleri

Naegleria Fowleri or the Brain-Eating Amoeba has claimed 3 lives so far. Christian Strickland, a 9-year-old from Henrico County in Virginia contracted an infection after visiting a fishing camp in his state. He died of meningitis on August 5. Earlier this month, Courtney Nash succumbed to the brain-eating amoeba after diving off a dock into the St. John's River at her grandmother's house in Florida. Usually found in warm, stagnant water in freshwater lakes, ponds, and rivers, the parasite "enters the nasal passages ... and migrates to the olfactory nerves, eventually invading the brain," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It almost always causes meningitis. Symptoms include fever, nausea, stiff neck and a frontal headache. Between 2001 and 2010 32 of these cases were reported and almost all of them ended in death. Though most consider this tragic I see ti as a warning. Who still goes swimming in lakes and ponds? I know swimming pools are not the leanest things in the world but if you MUST go swimming, swim there. There are so many known and unknown things lurking in ponds and rivers and lakes and once you are in there there is very little you can do to protect yourself. So what this is America, things travel and foreign objects enter U.S. water, air, land, etc. daily. I am giving this a Digit Down but I hoe that this is a clear warning to those out there that tend to hang out in that type of swimming water

...Amy Winehouse

Sadly I must report, as if it were breaking news many hours later, the one of my favorite singers Amy Winehouse has died at the age of 27. The 1st British female singer to win 5 Gammys in a night joins Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain, just to name a few, to die at the age of 27. There are conflicting reports that say she died of an overdose, though the police have not given an official reason yet. Though I and many others knew this day was coming, we always hoped it would come later rather than sooner. It was just a week ago that my friend and I were talking and I mentioned that I could not wait for her next album to come out, whenever that may be. I hoped it would be soon and was glad that she checked into rehab, yet again. Now that may never be. I am sure there are some unreleased tracks that her label will put into a commemorative album, but it will not be the same. Though there is Adele, a powerful soul singer, she is not Amy. Amy had anger, angst, hurt an pain that you could hear and her voice and sadly you could see it a lot of times when she was out in public. I hope her loving parents are okay, her father especially who has been by her side through it all. My one wish is that Dr. Drew does not mention this on any of his shows at all, but sense that will not happen I hope he does not talk about her for more than 5 minutes. Now she is gone and we will have only her music to listen to. I am going to choose to remember the good by listening to my favorite songs by her. I am giving this news 2 Digits Down.

...Cash Cab

Death is rarely ever funny. Most of the times it is not the death that is funny but the way that it occurred that is. I read about a man in Canada who was struck by a taxi and later died. The taxi turned out to be one of the faux taxis used for the show "Cash Cab". This was not the American version though, this was the Canadian version. The accident happened as a producer was driving the replica cab back to a storage facility after filming for the day had been completed. The 61 year old man hit by the cab later died at the hospital. Andrew Burnstein, president of Castlewood Productions Inc., which produces the shows Canadian version, had this to say, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his friends and his family. My heart also goes out to the driver of the vehicle, a member of our technical staff, who is shaken and devastated by this tragic accident, as is our entire team." No charges have been filed yet, but the accident is still under investigation. Why was this funny? I have no clue, but I giggled and I am still trying to figure out why. Probably because it was the "Cash Cab" and that show is a tad annoying to me, though I only watch a segment every other other month by accident. This news is sad for that mans family and I am sure they will sue and get a lot of cash from that cab, haha...awwwww cheap. I am giving this a Digit Down.

...Betty Ford

Betty Ford died Friday at the age of 93. I am sure many of you...most of you did not know she was still alive. We all know her for her courageous admission of substance abuse and dependency. She later founded the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., a substance abuse facility. When her husband, former President Gerald Ford, died in 2006, it was the 1st time in over a decade we saw her in public. She will be missed by many and remembered by all who were healed at the center she founded. I am giving this news a Digit Down.

...Huguette Clark

I was 1st turned on to Huguette Clark after this "Today Show" clip last year. Now I have read that she has passed away at the age of 104 in a New York City hospital. Though she lived a long life most of it was very private and some would say sad. In her later years 2 men controlled her estate. Her attorney Wallace Bock and her accountant Irving Kamsler. These men have been accused of possible stealing, cheating and in some way abusing Huguette. I do not know for sure if Ms. Clark was happy or not, but I would hope that in some way she was. I do hope her money goes to those who deserve it, whether it be family, friends or charity. I am sure her homes will be on the market later this year and all of her possessions sorted through and possibly auctioned off.I am giving this news a Digit Down. I just do not feel as if this woman was allowed to live the life she deserved.

...Randy "Macho Man" Savage

This is sad sad news. One of my favorite wrestlers has died at the age of 58. Macho Man Randy Savage, real name Randy Mario Poffo, suffered a heart attack while driving his Jeep with his wife in the passenger seat. He jumped across the lane, somehow missing oncoming traffic, and slammed into a tree. He died later in a Tampa, FL hospital. His wife suffered only minor injuries. The two were married for only a year, in fact they just celebrated their 1st anniversary earlier this month. Macho Man was an icon and a fan favorite from the start. His flamboyant costumes and awesome voice won over millions. I, like many young boys, was a huge wrestling fan in the 90's. I was a WCW fan because they had all of the wrestlers I like, great story lines and bright colors. Macho Man vs. Hulk Hogan was something I always loved watching. Sadly he is gone now and I ma 115% sure he will be missed by all wrestling fans around the world. Below is a video of him doing his famous Slim Jim commercial. I would lie to believe that he is the reason why Slim Jims are still around and eaten by many people. I am giving this sad news a Digit Down.

...The Weekend

What an eventful weekend. Of course it started with the Royal Wedding that I and 2 billion others around the world watched.


Saturday I found out that Ghadafi almost died in an air strike that his his son's home. His youngest son and 3 of his grandchildren died, but he is still alive and willing to negotiate.

Now the icing on the cake, or cherry atop the sundae. Osama Bin laden has been killed. What does this mean? Apparently he was killed in a mansion somewhere in or near Pakistan. If this is true then Pakistan has a lot of questions to answer. Bin Laden has been the face of terror for nearly 10 years now. I remeber where I was when 9/11 happened, and I will never forget. Now I will never forget where I was May 1st 2011 when I heard this news. I saw that the President was going to make a speech...at 10:30PM!


I thought something major had happened, but I did not have this in mind. During the press coverage before the President's speech I found it a little funny that former President George W Bush and his team had a plan for a night like this and how to control the crowd that could have possibly gathered outside of the White House. Surprise surprise a group of people did gather, but it happened under the Obama Administration. All in all this weekend was very eventful, a very news worthy weekend. Two Digits Up for sure.

...Geraldine Ferraro

Before Sarah Pailn and before Hillary Clinton there was Geraldine Ferraro the 1st female candidate to run for Vice President with Walter Mondale in 1984 against Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. In doing so she gave millions of women hope and became the face of the feminist movement. Sadly that face has left us at the age of 75. Ferraro passed away after a 12 year battle with blood cancer. Monday she went to the hospital to have a procedure done to correct a fracture in her back. She developed pneumonia thus delaying the surgery. It was then the doctors knew she did not have much longer to live. Though she did not win the election she did set up many discussion points and proved to be a worthy candidate. Later in life she ran for Senate twice, but was unsuccessful. She was a reporter for CNN and she worked for a consulting firm in Washington D.C. the focused on women's issues. She will be missed by all, friend and foe. I am giving this news a Digit Down.

...Elizabeth Taylor

Sad news this morning, Dame Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79. She died this morning in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure. She had been in the hospital for 6 weeks, but recently her children said she was doing better and feeling better, so much so that they were planning on bringing her home soon. For everything she was on screen she was even more off screen. A mother to 4 children, a grandmother to 10 grandchildren and a great-grandmother to 4. A wife, 8 times over to 7 men. A brand, possibly one of the 1st actresses to brand herself, we all have heard of White Diamond, my mom still loves it. She was a great philanthropist, known around the world for her AIDS work, even starting the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991. Many things will be said about her, 90% good. She was a friend to many, a hero to others and a trailblazer for every actress today. She was the 1st actress to be paid $1 million for a film, Cleopatra. he was nominated for 5 Oscars, she won 2, and she won a special Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. From 12 to now she was in the spotlight and she carried herself as a lady should, with poise and civility. Maybe Sir Elton John summed it up best when he said, “We have just lost a Hollywood giant; more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being.” This is news gets 2 Digits Down.

...Loleatta Holloway

Who is Loleatta Holloway? Well for all of you lovers of disco and 90's house music, she is someone you might know. Most people know her as the voice of the Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch smash hit "Good Vibrations", a song I totally love love love even to this day. She started singing gospel, moved into disco and then R&B. She died last night from an undisclosed illness at the age of 64. She will be missed, but she will always be remembered. Digit Down to this for this news.

...Jack LaLanne

Fitness guru Jack LaLanne has died. If you have not head of him, shame on you. He brought the gym experience tot he living rooms of millions of people and helped them trim down. I have known him mostly for his juicers, which work very well I must say. He was as fit of a man as you could imagine. When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show. At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor. He once said,"I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image." He spent 8 decades helping us out, yes most of his life. I think he did a wonderful job. I hope his wife of 51 years, Elaine LaLanne, will be okay. I am giving this news a Digit Down.
Watch these videos and get inspired.

...John Warhola

Who is John Warhola? Well look at the last name. Now drop the A. John Warhola is the older brother of Pop Artist, and my favorite artist, Andy Warhol. Sadly he died Christmas Eve at the age of 85 after battling pneumonia. He was one of three founding members of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and was its vice president for 20 years. He also helped raise his younger brother Andy. After their father Andrij Warhola died in 1942, John Warhola was tasked with raising his younger brother, Andy, and making sure he attended college. Their father had purchased enough savings bonds to pay for Andy's first two years of college, but told John the rest was up to him. Andrij told John, "Your role is to take care of Andy and make sure he goes to school, because he's going to be successful someday." Obviously he did a great job and the outcome was this magnificent man loved the world over. John's funeral will be held today at the Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church on Pittsburgh's North Side. He will be buried in the family plot at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in suburban Bethel Park. I am giving this news a Digit Down for sure.

...Teena Marie

Sad news, Teena Marie has died at the age of 54. She died Sunday, the day after Christmas. She recently battled an addiction to prescription pills. After her friend and former lover Rick James died in 2004. His death shook her so she said she became addicted to Vicodin, which she had been taking for pain, for about a year. Hopefully this was not an overdose. Teena's influence paved the way for other acts such as Joss Stone, Adele, Amy Winehouse, etc. At the time it was semi rare for a White woman to have such a soulful voice. She created wonderful music, most of which was with the legendary Motown label. She will be missed by the music industry for sure. I am giving this death a Digit Down.

...Elizabeth Edwards

UPDATE: Elizabeth Edwards has died at the age of 61. She was surrounded by family and friends, including her estranged husband John Edwards. I am saddned for her children, but I think they may agree with me, sadly, wehn I say that it was probably time. She had been battling cancer for 6 years and the added stress of her marriage did not help. She will be missed by a lot of people for sure.

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Elizabeth Edwards... Well basically she is telling us goodbye. She received news that her cancer has returned and it has spread to her liver. She has been battling breast cancer since 2004 and for a while it looked like she beat it. Her doctors told her that further treatment would be unproductive, so she has stopped and it seems as if it is only a matter of time before she will be gone. She wrote this on her Facebook page, "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces -- my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined... It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know." As you know her husband, John Edward, had an affair and fathered a child with another woman while running for President in 2008. They have been separated for a while now, but even he is by her side while she goes through this difficult time. I am sure I am not alone in wishing that this did not have to end this way for her, but in the end it may be best. Her family will miss her greatly and so will the people she touched across the nation. I am giving this news 2 Digits Down.

...Kardashian Debt Kard Update

Well it seems as if that too has passed. The Kardashain Kard is no more. The girls were getting a lot of heat for attaching themselves to a card that charges you before you use it.

"Just to buy the card and use it costs $59.95 for six months, or $99.95 for 12 months. That does not include any money on the card. The person buying the card must add money onto it.
The initial feels were just the start. After those six or 12 months are up, it costs $7.95 a month to keep using the card. Users have to pay $1.50 to withdraw cash from an ATM, and $1 to check their balance. Talking to a customer representative on the phone costs $1.50 for each call, and canceling the card costs $6.
Losing the card results in a charge of $9.95. If the loss is reported within two days, then losses are limited to $50. But if the loss or theft is not reported, and the issuer believes the user knew it was lost or stolen, then losses could be as high as $500, according to the terms and conditions on the Kardashian Kard website."

A lawyer for the Kardashians asked that their name and likeness be removed. Apparently thee have worked hard on their images, minus the sex tapes and random acts of stupidity, and they did not want them to be damaged. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the card "predatory" and ordered an investigation. Since the time the card was released earlier this month all financial advisers and consumer agencies warned people not to buy this card. Finally less than a month later the card is gone. This just goes to prove more of my point that the Kardashians are grand opportunist and are all about themselves. Money and fame over anything else. So of course it is not hard for me to give this 2 Digits Down, even if it is dead.

...Leslie Nielsen

About two months ago I was on Wikipedia and I decided to look up one of my favorite actors, Leslie Nielsen. His back story was awesome. I had no clue he was abused as a child by his father. I also did not know he was deaf. Today I found out that he was dead, and I must say that I am truly saddened. He died at the age of 84 due to complications from pneumonia.

As I child I grew up watching Naked Gun movies and to this day I still think they are some of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I watch them pretty much every time they are on and I still enjoy them very much. He has been making movie and T.V. shows for 60 years. Starting with series acting roles, he eventually moved into funny roles, roles that made him a legend. I know that I am not the only one who will miss him. I must admit that two months ago when I looked him up I was just making sure he was still alive. That is how I felt every time I saw him in a new movie or on a show, I was just happy to know that he was still alive. All good things must come to an end, but I am glad he left us with such great memories and laughs galore. Leslie Nielsen...you get 2 Digits Up.

...Paul the Octopus

I have sad news people. Paul the Octopus has died. The octopus who rose to fame after predicting every single game correctly in the World Cup passed away of natural causes in his tank at the ripe old age of 2 1/2. I was a fan, and so was Spain and many others around the world. I was glad when he retired, it is always great to go out on top. I still wish that the aquarium would have mad ea quick buck or two...millions off of him, but they had principals and stuck to them. There is talk that Paul may get a statue or some sort of shrine, which I could see. I am sure he will get some sort of dedication at the aquarium and he will live on forever and ever in pop culture history as well. I am giving this news a Digit Down.

...Tom Bosley

Sad news in TV Land today. Actor Tom Bosley has died at the age of 83 due to heart failure. He was best known for his role as Howard "Mr. C" Cunningham on Happy Days. I remember watching him on television as a child, on Happy Days of course. That was when Nick at Nite was good and actually showed good old television shows and not just shows that failed to stay afloat on television a few years ago and shows that just ended and can be seen on any other channel but for some reason Nick thinks that running marathons of them work so much better, but I digress. I saw him periodically on shows and commercials but I did not know he was 83 or that he was going to die of heart failure, especially since he lost weight recently as well. I am sure his family and cast members and the rest of Hollywood are truly saddened by this news on the heels of another American television parental icon's death over the weekend. I am talking about Barbara Billingsley who played June Cleaver in "Leave It To Beaver." I am giving this a Digit Down because as we know death is rarely ever a good thing.

...Death

In the last 2 days there have been 4 deaths that I have heard, sen and read about.

-Tony Curtis: Actor famous for his works in "Sweet Smell of Success," "The Defiant Ones" and "Some Like It Hot." Also father to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, they look alike. He was 85.

-Arthur Penn: Director and Broadway Producer of Bonnie and Clyde, The Miracle Worker, An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May and All the Way Home, just to name a few. He was a very serious man who was influential in the movie industry. He helped introduce sex and violence in movies in a way they had not been done before. He was 88.

-Greg Geraldo: Comedian known for his duties on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" and most notably Comedy Central Roasts. He was found unconscious last Friday in his hotel room after he missed a scheduled appearance in New Jersey. It seemed as if he had an accidental overdose, but it was not a suicide attempt. Greg's family pulled the plug on him after being in a comma for 4 days. He was 44.

-Seth Walsh: Probably the saddest of the deaths is this 13 year old California boy who hanged himself. He was found by kids hanging from a tree, 9 days later he died. He came out to his friends and they started to bully him. Another case of bullying...

-Tyler Clementi: The most recent death is a Rutgers student who committed suicide by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge after his roommate and his roommate's friend posted a live video feed of him having sex with another guy. Apparently Tyler's family did not know he was gay. The roommate sent Tweets and Facebook updates to others sot hat they could watch as well. The 2 students, Dhraun Ravi and Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy. If found guilty they could face 5 years in prison. More details will be coming out about this in the days to come. He was 18.

As always I will be giving death a Digit Down.

...Jimi Heselden

Ironic? Possibly. Jimi Heselden was the owner of the Segway Company, which he bought just 10 months ago. Apparently while riding on one of his Segways he fell over a 30 foot cliff into a river and died. Immediately questions came up over the safety of the Segway. President George W. Bush and Pierce Morgan have both famously fallen off of them and in America some cities have banned them all together. But beyond this Heselden was known for his generosity. He recently gave 15.9 million to the Leeds Community Foundation, and he is credited with bringing hundreds of jobs to the Leeds area with his development of the Hesco barriers, which is used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Heselden dropped out of school, worked as a coal miner, was laid off, and then founded Hesco Bastion making himself a multi-millionaire. He was only 62 years old. I know for a fact that he will be missed by the people of Leeds and by his friends, family and employees. I am giving this a Digit Down.