Offenders whose crimes are nonviolent, non serious, and not sexual, with less than two years remaining on their sentences are eligible for the program.

CNN reported that nearly 45% of California’s 10,000 female inmates are eligible for this program, which to effect September 12th. The new law requires all females who are in the program to serve the remainder of their sentence on house arrest or at a substance abuse facility. All inmates in the program will be monitored by an electronic monitor and regular visits from a parole officer. The inmates will be encouraged to seek employment and/or attend classes while completing their sentences.

I feel it is safe to say that those in charge of California believe they have actually found a way to reduce the overcrowding in the prison system. I on the other hand am not so convinced. Only time will tell if the newly instated law will actually help the struggling state or simply make things worse.

We begin in Southern California, where, just in time for spring, Mattel Inc. has released Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie. The doll comes with a set of more than 40 tiny tattoo stickers that can be placed on her body. Also included is a faux tattoo gun with wash-off tats that kids can use to ink themselves.

Come See the Red Dress Collection. Fashion Week 2009. Diet Coke®.
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Barbie – The Quiz
Take the Barbie Quiz. How much do you really know about Barbie?
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We begin in Southern California, where, just in time for spring, Mattel Inc. has released Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie. The doll comes with a set of more than 40 tiny tattoo stickers that can be placed on her body. Also included is a faux tattoo gun with wash-off tats that kids can use to ink themselves.

A spokeswoman for the El Segundo toy maker said it was a great way for youngsters to be creative with their pint-sized gal pal. But some parents are horrified by this body-art Barbie, labeling her the “tramp stamp” queen of playtime.

-LA Times

Barbie-maker Mattel has said the tattooed Barbie provides a way for kids to “be creative” with the doll. Some parents, naturally, see it differently, suggesting that a “Totally Pierced Barbie” or a “Divorce Barbie” could come next.

Barbie has been inked before: Back in 1999, Mattel released a Butterfly Art Barbie that came with a permanent tattoo on Barbie’s stomach.

Hey, at least it’s not pregnant Barbie (which was actually her friend Midge, not Barbie herself). The doll with the removable baby belly caused a far greater outcry from concerned parents and was eventually discontinued.

As for the tattooed Barbie, Mattel says it’s selling better than expected and there are no plans to pull it from the product lineup.

-www.inquisitr.com

I find it amazing that moms are concerned with Barbie having tattoos but could not care less about Barbie’s impossible to attain body. The moms would object to tattooed Barbie need to empower their daughters by teaching them to make decisions on their own, not based on tradition.

I think Mattel is amazing for keeping Barbie up to date with social trends.
Women no longer have to be stay at home, uneducated baby making machines.
We can choose to be a tattooed business woman or a professional athlete and so much more. Times are changing its just unfortunate so many stuffy housewives cannot change too.

LA Times

journalist Muntader Zaidi’s decision to hurl a couple fastballs with his loafers at U.S. President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference on Sunday left no doubt about how he felt.
But his action also elicited a strong wave of mostly positive reaction throughout the Arab world, which gives you an idea how that part of the world feels about Bush and how happy that community is that Bush will be leaving office, having invaded Iraq and taken on policies perceived as pro-Israel and anti-Arab.
Across the Middle East, ordinary people wrote poems and sang praise for Muntader. Some even suggested erecting statues to the guy.

Check out the full story and the response from the people of Iraq, at LA Times.
Despite your political view here in America this video will be how “President” George Bush is remembered for many years to come.

Viacom is the latest media company to get battered by the economic crisis and fall victim to steep declines in advertising and consumer spending. NBC Universal also said today that it was cutting about 500 jobs, or 3% of its global workforce, including 70 from Universal Pictures and its specialty film division, Focus Features. This is part of NBC Universal’s previously announced plan to cut $500 million of its $16.7-billion annual budget.

-LA Times
Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Unfortunately Viacom is not the only company making cuts today.
It is reported that AT&T is laying off 4% of their staff which is around 12,000 jobs.

UPDATED

A fire broke out early this morning at the Body Shop, a landmark strip club in West Hollywood. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the fire was reported at 6:46 a.m. at the club at 8250 Sunset Boulevard.

About 40 firefighters were battling the blaze, said Art Marrujo, a dispatch supervisor with Los Angeles County Fire. Television helicopters showed flames flaring through the roof. Firefighters said they didn’t know what caused the fire.

“It’s too early in the investigation to know,” Marrujo said.

UPDATE: After about an hour, the fire was knocked down at 7:43 a.m., said L.A. County Fire Inspector Frank Garrido. No one was injured. Initial reports showed smoke and fire coming out of the building, with fire in the attic and flames through the roof of the single-story building, Garrido said.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while removing debris and extinguishing hot spots, Garrido said. “No burns, just scratches and cuts,” Garrido said.

Garrido said the final cost of the fire will be determined later this week. Traffic on Sunset Boulevard was rerouted at Harper Avenue as firefighters battled the blaze. No other structures were involved, Garrido said

LA Times

“I think I was unprepared for war,” Bush told ABC News. “In other words, I didn’t campaign and say: ‘Please vote for me. I’ll be able to handle an attack.’ In other words, I didn’t anticipate war. Presidents — one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.”
“the intelligence had been different” on Iraq but declined to speculate on whether he still would have decided to go to war. “That is a do-over that I can’t do,” he said.

Check out the full story at LA Times.com

A 34-year-old temporary employee suffered “an undetermined death” when a “throng of shoppers . . . physically broke down the doors, knocking him to the ground,” according to a statement from Nassau County officials.

He was declared dead at a hospital at 6:03 a.m

LA Times

Are the bargains really that good at Wal-Mart that people really killed to get to them?!

::UPDATE::

Many of spent to looking at our wonderful shopping finds or searching for our holiday decorations.
However the police of Riverside county spent this afternoon searching for the reason behind the two deaths at the Palm Desert Toys-R-Us.
Thankfully the only two people killed today were the two gunmen themselves.

Instead of the usual frantic chaos on Black Friday, the year’s busiest shopping day, mayhem erupted in the electronics department about 11:30 a.m., leaving two men dead in a gunfight and crowds of shoppers ducking for cover……….
The younger of the two lifted up his shirt and flashed his handgun, pulling the handle from his baggy pants pocket. The other man yanked out his own handgun and started chasing him down the aisle and firing, witnesses said.

-LA Times

As part of a plan to slash its 450,000 enrollment by 10,000 students for the 2009-2010 academic year, the 23-campus system, the nation’s largest.
The university typically admits 45,000 to 50,000 freshmen each year; if even half the reductions land on them, it would mean a 10% drop in first-year admissions.
Reed said the Cal State system anticipates $66 million in midyear budget cuts, and further reductions for 2009-2010. He refused to discuss whether a fee hike is in store for next year.

Some campuses, including Sonoma, Channel Islands, Northridge, Chico, San Jose, San Marcos and San Francisco, will continue to take all fully qualified students from their own communities. But students from other parts of California may have to show higher grade-point averages and test scores to make the cut at these and other campuses, officials said.

- Check out the full article at LA Times.com

This is scary!
Like they said the kids who did everything they were suppose to are not going to get accepted.

On the other hand, it could make campuses less crowded and make it easier for the students already admitted to get into classes. I know first hand over the past 3 years tuition has gone up but class section have gone down. But it could also mean less teachers and therefore even less class sections to choose from.

It’s rumored the the University of California campuses will also be making cuts for next fall.