Tyrese Is Catching Some Heat

While performing the national anthem for Game 5 of the NBA Conference Finals between the Lakers and Nuggets, Tyrese decided to pull a switcheroo. He replaced the words, "our flag was still there" with "our Lakers were still there." Needless to say, it upset some people. Honestly, I didn't see anything wrong with it and it's so obvious that he meant no harm. I also don't remember anyone claiming when New York Jets fans sing the anthem and end it with, "And the home of the, JETS!" But a lot of people in this country suffer from selective outrage. source

A Public Heath Emergency Has Been Launched For Swine Flu

The U.S. declared a public health emergency Sunday to deal with the emerging new swine flu, much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes.

Officials reported 20 U.S. cases of swine flu in five states so far, with the latest in Ohio and New York. Unlike in Mexico where the same strain appears to be killing dozens of people, cases in the United State have been mild _ and U.S. health authorities can't yet explain why.

"As we continue to look for cases, we are going to see a broader spectrum of disease," predicted Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're going to see more severe disease in this country."

At a White House news conference, Besser and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sought to assure Americans that health officials are taking all appropriate steps to minimize the impact of the outbreak.

Top among those is declaring the public health emergency. As part of that, Napolitano said roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it. Priority will be given to the five states with known cases so far: California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.

Napolitano called the emergency declaration standard operating procedure _ one was declared recently for the inauguration and for flooding. She urged people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."

"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be." source ...Read more

America's Most Violent Cities

Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities:
#1 Detroit, Mich.
Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., metropolitan statistical area
Population: 1,951,186
Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,220

#2 Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. metropolitan statistical area
Population: 1,295,670
Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,218

#3 Miami, Fla.
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. metropolitan statistical area
Population: 2,401,971
Violent Crimes per 100,000: 988

#4 Las Vegas, Nev.
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., metropolitan statistical area
Population: 1,834,533
Violent Crimes per 100,000: 887

#5 Stockton, Calif.
Stockton, Calif., metropolitan statistical area
Population: 684,406

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 885In March 2008, Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with eight felonies, including perjury and obstruction of justice. In August, he violated his bail agreement and was thrown in jail. His actions were deplorable for anybody, but Kilpatrick was no Average Joe–he was the mayor of Detroit.

Unfortunately for the Motor City, Kilpatrick, 38, is just one ripple in the area’s sea of crime. Detroit is the worst offender on our list of America’s most dangerous cities, thanks to a staggering rate of 1,220 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.

“Detroit has, historically, been one of the more violent cities in the U.S.,” says Megan Wolfram, an analyst at iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a Maryland-based risk-assessment firm. “They have a number of local crime syndicates there–a number of small gangs who tend to compete over territory.” source

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