The Cure to hit studio in January

TORONTO (Billboard) - The Cure plans to hit the studio in January to record its next album, according to a post from frontman Robert Smith on the group's Web site http://www.thecure.com

"We are still on course for a summer release, as it's all in the preparation," he said.

The-as-yet-untitled effort will be the Cure's first since keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and guitarist Perry Bamonte left the band earlier this year (former guitarist Porl Thompson has since rejoined). It will be the follow-up to 2004's "The Cure," which has sold 317,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Smith also said that he is close to completing the next phase of the band's expanded reissue series, which will include 1984's "The Top," 1985's "The Head on the Door" and 1987's "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, as well as "The Blue Sunshine," a 1983 album Smith and Steve Severin, the guitarist with Siouxsie and the Banshees, created under the name the Glove. The sets should be out by next spring.

Another Guns N' Roses hits package due next month

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Geffen Records has set a December 20 release date for its second Guns N' Roses hits package in less than two years.

The double-disc set "Welcome to the Jungle -- The Very Best of Guns N' Roses" follows "Greatest Hits," which has sold 2.5 million copies in the United States since its release in March 2004, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The track list for the new package has yet to be announced.

Madonna loses plagiarism case

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian songwriter has won a court battle against pop star Madonna after accusing her of plagiarising one of his songs for her 1998 hit single, "Frozen," his lawyer said on Friday.

Salvatore Acquaviva's lawyer said a court in the southern Belgian town of Mons had ordered the country's music stores to withdraw the record from their shelves within the next 15 days.

The court also ordered radio and television stations to stop playing the song, he said.

"(They) cannot broadcast the work 'Frozen' ... under pain of a 150,000-euro fine," he told the local radio network, RTBF.

CONTRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS IN THE G3 CONTEST

Civil Jury Says Blake Behind Wife's Murder

Beware the latest phishing scam

Watch out for a new phishing scam that's going around. You may receive an e-mail purporting to come from the FBI or CIA. The message claims to have logged your IP address at over 30 illegal Web sites. It asks you to complete a form contained in an attached file.

Some are reporting that the attachment was blocked by anti-virus software.

Former Canadian Minister Of Defence Asks Canadian Parliament To Hold Hearings On Relations With Alien "Et" Civilizations

Part One of Two

(PRWEB) - OTTAWA, CANADA -- A former Canadian Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau has joined forces with three Non-governmental organizations to ask the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics -- relations with “ETs.”

By “ETs,” Mr. Hellyer and these organizations mean ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.

On September 25, 2005, in a startling speech at the University of Toronto that caught the attention of mainstream newspapers and magazines, Paul Hellyer, Canada’s Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prime Minister Lester Pearson, publicly stated: "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head."

Mr. Hellyer went on to say, "I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something."

Hellyer revealed, "The secrecy involved in all matters pertaining to the Roswell incident was unparalled. The classification was, from the outset, above top secret, so the vast majority of U.S. officials and politicians, let alone a mere allied minister of defence, were never in-the-loop."

Hellyer warned, "The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. He stated, "The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide."

Hellyer’s speech ended with a standing ovation. He said, "The time has come to lift the veil of secrecy, and let the truth emerge, so there can be a real and informed debate, about one of the most important problems facing our planet today."

Three Non-governmental organizations took Hellyer’s words to heart, and approached Canada’s Parliament in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, to hold public hearings on a possible ET presence, and what Canada should do. The Canadian Senate, which is an appointed body, has held objective, well-regarded hearings and issued reports on controversial issues such as same-sex marriage and medical marijuana,

On October 20, 2005, the Institute for Cooperation in Space requested Canadian Senator Colin Kenny, Senator, Chair of The Senate Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, “schedule public hearings on the Canadian Exopolitics Initiative, so that witnesses such as the Hon. Paul Hellyer, and Canadian-connected high level military-intelligence, NORAD-connected, scientific, and governmental witnesses facilitated by the Disclosure Project and by the Toronto Exopolitics Symposium can present compelling evidence, testimony, and Public Policy recommendations.”

The Non-governmental organizations seeking Parliament hearings include Canada-based Toronto Exopolitics Symposium, which organized the University of Toronto Symposium at which Mr. Hellyer spoke.

The Disclosure Project, a U.S.– based organization that has assembled high level military-intelligence witnesses of a possible ET presence, is also one of the organizations seeking Canadian Parliament hearings.

Former Canadian Minister Of Defence Asks Canadian Parliament To Hold Hearings On Relations With Alien "Et" Civilizations

Part Two

The Canadian Exopolitics Initiative, presented by the organizations to a Senate Committee panel hearing in Winnipeg, Canada, on March 10, 2005, proposes that the Government of Canada undertake a Decade of Contact.

The proposed Decade of Contact is “a 10-year process of formal, funded public education, scientific research, educational curricula development and implementation, strategic planning, community activity, and public outreach concerning our terrestrial society’s full cultural, political, social, legal, and governmental communication and public interest diplomacy with advanced, ethical Off-Planet cultures now visiting Earth.”

Canada has a long history of opposing the basing of weapons in Outer Space. On September 22, 2004 Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin declared to the U.N. General Assembly,” "Space is our final frontier. It has always captured our imagination. What a tragedy it would be if space became one big weapons arsenal and the scene of a new arms race.

Martin stated, "In 1967, the United Nations agreed that weapons of mass destruction must not be based in space. The time has come to extend this ban to all weapons..."

In May, 2003, speaking before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Lloyd Axworthy, stated “Washington's offer to Canada is not an invitation to join America under a protective shield, but it presents a global security doctrine that violates Canadian values on many levels."

Axworthy concluded, “There should be an uncompromising commitment to preventing the placement of weapons in space.”

On February 24, 2005, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin made official Canada's decision not to take part in the U.S government’s Ballistic Missile Defence program.

Paul Hellyer, who now seeks Canadian Parliament hearings on relations with ETs, on May 15, 2003, stated in Toronto’s Globe & Mail newspaper, “Canada should accept the long-standing invitation of U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio to launch a conference to seek approval of an international treaty to ban weapons in space. That would be a positive Canadian contribution toward a more peaceful world.”

In early November 2005, the Canadian Senate wrote ICIS, indicating the Senate Committee could not hold hearings on ETs in 2005, because of their already crowded schedule.

“That does not deter us,” one spokesperson for the Non-governmental organizations said, “We are going ahead with our request to Prime Minister Paul Martin and the official opposition leaders in the House of Commons now, and we will re-apply with the Senate of Canada in early 2006.

AN ABSOLUTELY TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY...

Scrooge was sitting in his office the week before Christmas. He was counting his money, making sure he had made enough profit for the year.

Suddenly, he became aware of an irritating noise. He could not concentrate on anything else. He realized the sound was coming from under his desk.

Looking under the desk, he was surprised to see Jiminy Cricket, playing a tune. He crouched down, and said "Jiminy, What are you doing?"

"I'm singing you a Christmas carol," Jiminy replied, "but I've forgotten the words, so I'm just humming it instead."

"That's not all," said Scrooge. "You're only playing the first bar, over and over again."

Heddroxx

I hear your pain. I also agree with you.

The Eagles' Don Henley says the band will return to the studio early next year to continue work on its long-awaited new album.

Items on the Gift Lists of Pets

5> Dog -- "Anus" by Calvin Klein

4> Goldfish -- a "Boycott Pepperidge Farms" T-shirt

3> Gerbil -- a third birthday

2> Dog -- All I want for Christmas is my two rear TESTICLES!

and the Number 1 Item on the Gift Lists of a Pet...

Bertinelli Divorcing Rocker Eddie Van Halen

LOS ANGELES - Valerie Bertinelli and her rock star husband, Eddie Van Halen, are divorcing after 24 years of marriage, Bertinelli's publicist confirmed Tuesday.

"Yes, that's true. They have been separated for four years and it's amicable," Bertinelli spokeswoman Heidi Schaeffer told The Associated Press. She said the actress would have no further comment.

A divorce petition that Bertinelli, 45, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday cited irreconcilable differences.

The couple wed on April 11, 1981, and have one son, 14-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen. According to the petition, they separated on Oct. 15, 2001.

Bertinelli shot to fame as the sexy 15-year-old daughter of Bonnie Franklin on the hit television show "One Day at a Time," which aired from 1975 to 1984. She rejoined Franklin and Mackenzie Phillips, who played her sister, for a reunion show earlier this year. She was also a regular on television's "Touched by an Angel" from 2001 to 2003.

Van Halen, 50, is one of the most celebrated lead guitarists in rock music. He rose to fame in the late 1970s, along with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony as members of Van Halen.

Just a Little More Patience?

cuthbert1776

It is a neat song - thanks for the link - will try to check it out later.

cuthbert1776

Unfortunately not going to the concert - would like to - just not in the plans - other things going on at the time.

Keniko

Coke to launch coffee-infused Coke Blak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE:KO - news), the world's No. 1 soft drink company, on Wednesday said it will launch a coffee-infused soft drink called Coca-Cola Blak in various markets around the world in 2006.

The news of the launch came hours before Coke Chief Executive Neville Isdell was scheduled to address financial analysts and investors in New York.

The new drink, a combination of Coca-Cola Classic and coffee extracts, will be first launched in France in January before being rolled out in the United States and other markets during 2006.

A Coke spokesperson said Coca-Cola Blak will be a mid-calorie drink, similar to Coca-Cola C2, which was launched in April 2004 and contains half the sugar, calories and carbohydrates of regular colas. The formula for the new beverage is expected to vary based on local tastes.

Hey, angels don't do that!

OTTAWA (Reuters) - One of Canada's leading cinema chains has stopped handing out Christmas wrapping paper to its patrons after parents complained it featured angels fondling each other suggestively, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Famous Players acted after the wrapping paper -- a promotion for the Virgin Mobile phone service -- was handed out to young children.

The paper features a male angel grasping the breast of his female partner, while she has hold of his genitals, as they kiss. Both are fully clothed in white angel attire.

JSW

Let's just call it even, okay?

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish villager who ran away with his friend's wife has offered his own wife in exchange, newspapers said on Thursday.

Farm laborer Cengiz Esme said Gulhan, his wife of 18 years, disappeared a month ago after leaving their village to go shopping in the southern Turkish town of Tarsus.

The 36-year-old said his village friend Mehmet Yaksi had telephoned him the next day and said: "I've run off with your wife .... You take my wife," the Radikal daily reported.

A man was given the job of painting the white lines down the middle of a highway.

On his first day he painted six miles; the next day three miles; the following day less than a mile.

An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have: