And recently there have been a few semi-scandalous rumors swirling around Timberlake, involving everything from lip-syncing, comments about Kate Moss’ alleged cocaine use, defending Britney Spears often puzzling behaviour and even even mumblings over a gay scandal when Timberlake was with his boy band N Sync. … Timberlake and the Oscars, a Match Made in Tinseltown The question remains, does Timberlake have what it takes to fill the rather large shoes of past Oscar hosts like Douglas Fairbanks, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin or Whoopi Goldberg?

Have you ever stretched the truth on your resume? Maybe just a little? According to the results of a new survey undertaken by careerbuilder.com, more of us have puffed up our resumes that you might think. Just under half of the hiring and HR managers surveyed said they had caught a job candidate lying on a resume, while only eight percent of the job seekers admitted to stretching the truth. Clearly somebody’s not telling the truth here.

The survey notes that if you get caught with a little misinformation on your resume, it’s not going to sit well with the hiring manager. Close to 60 percent of the job decision makers said that they would automatically remove the candidate from consideration. Still, if you like to play the odds, fibbing on a resume did work out for some. Six percent of job applicants who are caught lying still land the job.

IT, Healthcare and Transportation job applicants are most likely to fudge the facts on their resumes. 59 percent of Transportation and Utilities Human Resource managers said they found lies on resumes, while 57 percent of Information Technology employers discovered falsities. And here’s a real shocker, applicants applying for jobs in the Government sector appear to have the lowest rate of embellished resumes. Employers in Government reported just 45 percent. Who says you can’t trust a politician.

The most common lies on resumes were amplifying responsibilities and skill sets, dates of employment and employment history and academic degrees and job titles. Still, not all of the deceit the hiring managers spotted were just little white lies. The survey asked managers to share some of the most memorable or outrageous lies they had spotted on a resume. Some of the big fat ones included: One applicant who claimed to be a member of the Kennedy Family, claiming to be a member of Mensa, submitting work samples that the interviewer actually did and claiming to be Hispanic when the potential employee was 100 percent Caucasian.

So how can you fill-in in the gaps or make your resume stand out from the crowd without puffing it up with embellishments or even out and out lies? According to Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder: “Even the slightest embellishment can come back to haunt you and ruin your credibility. Use your cover letter strategically to tell your story, focusing on your strengths and accomplishments and explaining any areas of concern if needed.”

Researchers at the Microsoft mother-ship in Redmond say they have some pretty hard-core data proving the theory that everyone on Earth is indeed just six degrees away from everyone else.

The research “Worldwide Buzz: Planetary-Scale Views on an Instant-Messaging Network,” used Microsoft Instant Messenger to analyze 30 billion conversations back in 2006. When the numbers were crunched, the data showed that you and I are just six point six degrees away from Lindsay Lohan, Brad and Angelina, Amy Winehouse or Osama BinLaden. Assuming that Osama uses Microsoft Instant Messenger, of course. Seems to me he’d be more of an encrypted SSH tunnel on IRC kind of guy.

Researchers at Microsoft decided an IM client was the way to go to collect their data because of its wide use in both personal and business communication. Microsoft Internet Messenger was probably deployed because, well because, they own it! Some of the other data the researchers collected isn’t surprising and and could easily have been a job for Captain Obvious. Microsoft Researcher Eric Horvitz notes in his findings that, “We find that people tend to communicate more with each other when they have similar age, language, and location, and that cross-gender conversations are both more frequent and of longer duration than conversations with the same gender.”

So outside of the fact that this gives us a new and factually concrete reason to utter the phrase, “Wow, six degrees of separation,” whenever we find out that the busboy at Denny’s knows our Cousin Edna in Elmira, are there any real-world applications for the data? The Washington Post reported that researchers believe the findings could be of use for “political organizations, charity efforts, natural disaster relief and missing-person searches.”

The six degrees of separation theory is based on the idea that everyone is just one step away from everyone they know, two steps out from people known by the people they know, add infinitum ad nauseam. So basically anyone on earth can be connected to anybody else on the globe through a series of acquaintances that will not exceed more than five intermediaries.

The research brief is available online with pretty color charts and funny looking equations that are guaranteed to make your head spin.

Ahhh, it’s a cryin’ shame it’s not 1965 so we could hear Dylan get booed by the uptight folk-nazi’s frothing at the mouth over Bobby playing rock and roll on holy acoustic folkie ground. Or better yet, ‘64 with Skip James pickn’ and moanin’ to “I’d Rather be the Devil.” Well, like they say, “Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.”

This weekend NPR will be streaming quite a few of the performances from many of the artists appearing at the Newport Folk Festival. Unfortunately a large number of the ‘artists’ gracing the stage at Newport this year undoubtedly wouldn’t know what a clawhammer was if it whacked em’ in the head like a coo-coo bird racing towards hell, flying straight out of a Kentucky coalmine disaster.

The Newport Folk Festival has a rich tradition of discovery and paying homage to the history and culture of American traditional music. Over the years the lineup at the festival would read like a who’s who of Blues, Folk and Country music greats. Gracing the stage at Newport through the decades included American music masters like Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger, Rev. Gary Davis, John Hammond, John Lee Hooker, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Mississippi John Hurt, Clarence “Tom” Ashley, The New Lost City Ramblers, Fred Price, Doc Watson, Doc Boggs and Maybelle Carter. Whew!

The Newport Folk Festival was founded in 1959 by folksingers and managers including Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, and former Bob Dylan manager and “landlord” Albert Grossman. This year the festival “sponsors” include T-Mobile, Rhapsody and NBC 10 in Philly. I wonder if Phil Ochs is rolling over in his grave?

Look for sets from Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, Richie Havens and indie rock acts Calexico, She & Him and Dylan’s blue-eyed offspring Jakob Dylan. The webcasts will be streamed live on NPR.org and according to the National Public Radio website, the performances will also be archived and available online at a later date.

Here’s the list of the complete streaming schedule available live on NPR this weekend:

Saturday, August Second:

• 11:30 a.m.: Cowboy Junkies

• 12:30 p.m.: Jakob Dylan

• 1:40 p.m.: Steve Earle with Allison Moorer

• 2:00 p.m.: Trey Anastasio

• 2:50 p.m.: She & Him

• 3:30 p.m.: Stephen & Damian Marley

• 4:00 p.m.: Jim James (of My Morning Jacket)

Sunday, August Third:

• 11:30 p.m.: Willy Mason

• 12:15 p.m.: Brandi Carlile

• 1:20 p.m.: Calexico

• 2:40 p.m.: Gillian Welch

• Texting May Be Hazardous to Your Health… http://tinyurl.com/6×3uzy #

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Can you text and chew gum at the same time? The doc at the local emergency room has his doubts.

According to The American College of Emergency Room Physicians, the elite practitioners that have the privilege of doing everything from removing cell phones in places they shouldn’t be to complaints from toddlers with excess bellybutton lint, it’s time to become concerned about the dangers of “text walking.”

We’ve all seen it firsthand, and maybe, just maybe, you’re guilty of it too. Text walking is the indelicate balance of texting on your cell phone and navigating from point A to point B without looking like a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner pinging off walls, people, parking meters and sometimes Mack Trucks.

The good doc’s at ACEP have seen a big uptick in injuries resulting from text walking, ranging from pedestrians stumbling into oncoming traffic to facial lacerations from tripping over your own two feet. Although text walking may have its comical moments, the ER doctors say it’s no laughing matter. There has been at least one reported death attributed to text walking when a man was killed, distracted by his cell phone as he crossed the street.

This new warning from the American College of Emergency Room Physicians is being released, as kids get ready to head back to school. The ER doctors are afraid that there could be a flurry of text walking injuries involving returning students as they catch up with their friends sending and receiving critically important OMG’s and TTYL’s.

You think this is just an American problem? Oh contraire. According to emergency physician Dr. Paul Walsh: “In Ireland, the government developed advertising specifically targeted at teens for this very reason.” The problem is so bad in urban environments here in the good ol’ USA; the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Sate of Illinois wants to enact a new bill that aims to ban texting or talking on the phone while crossing the streets. In Chicago you could get slapped with a misdemeanor and a $25 fine for walking and using a wireless device while crossing the street. Wonder if that covers GPS too?

It’s doubtless that scurrying urbanites are going to realistically change their text walking habits. It’s just so important that we catch up on the gossip about who’s gonna’ win American Idol and the hygiene habits of Suzy at the Starbucks. With much bravado and chicklet fingered confidence, we’ll boldly proclaim with chest thrust forward in triumphant defiance: “That cross-town bus won’t dare turning me into road kill!”

The ER doctors would just like us to pay more attention to our surroundings. They’re used to seeing us in the emergency room with marbles stuck up our nose or complaining that we have a yellow jaundice tinge to our body parts, only to point out we’ve been eating cheetos without washing before we rubbed our “nose.” Happy texting everyone.

The controversy stirred up by Michael Savage and his remarks concerning autism have made the caustic radio host the subject of front-page news across the US. A Yahoo or Goggle news search will show no end to the commentary and backlash Michael Savage has garnered from reporters, broadcasters and yes, even everyday American’s like you.

The Boston Herald is reporting that sports hero and general all around good guy Doug Flutie, the father of an autistic teen, respectfully lambasted Savage in a press release from the Foundation for Autism saying Savage’s on-air remarks were: “inappropriate and lacking of respect for all families affected by autism.”

Radio and Records, the most influential weekly for the radio broadcasting industry notes that Michael Savage’s remarks on autism have lost him at least one outlet for his combative style of talk radio. Telesouth Communications has canceled Savage’s talk show on all of their “Super Talk Mississippi” stations. It’s a defection of a total of seven Michael Savage affiliates, but it’s not likely to effect the talk host’s rating or monetary bottom line, as the stations are mostly broadcasting to smaller radio markets and represent just a fraction of Michael Savage’s audience.

Still, the flak over Savage’s remarks on autism haven’t been completely ignored by some of Savage’s larger talk radio affiliates. Radio and Records also reports that the vice president and general manager of WOR/New York, Jerry Crowley, Savage’s affiliate in the largest radio market in the US felt the controversy was ‘big’ enough to release the following statement: “The views expressed by Michael Savage are his views and are not those of WOR Radio. As Michael Savage is a syndicated show, the content is the responsibility of the syndicator, which is Talk Radio Networks. Unfortunately, it is impossible for WOR Radio to know the subject matter in advance of airing. WOR is in the business of serving the community in which we broadcast. That is our stated goal, and we will continue to do so. We regret any consternation that his remarks may have caused to our listeners.” Wow. With the ability to write politically and corporately neutral press releases like that, Jerry should consider a run for public office.

The smoke has yet to clear or even to thin out over Michael Savage’s on air tirade. The statements about autism, which some would deem as misinformed or even inflammatory, have consciously or unconsciously created an environment that media personalities lust after with all their spin hungry hearts; tons and tons of press. In just a few days following Savage’s remarks, press wires, newspapers, Internet news portals, TV networks and even the workplace water cooler were abuzz with Savage’s comments. To put it lightly, you can’t buy press like that. Savage has made himself a household name, again.

It’s possible we’ll see a few more stations cancel Michael Savage, and there will undoubtedly be a few advertisers that will pull their commercials from the caustic talk host’s show. Although the General Managers and Program Directors of Michael Savages radio affiliates may seem incensed and will release public statements on how they are outraged or at the very least disagree with Michael Savage’s remarks on autism, the ’smart’ media managers will be popping champagne in their corporate media offices and toasting their good fortune at all of the press their stations are receiving indirectly from the Savage debacle. In the end, all of the controversy will only help Michael Savage. He’s made more people aware of his show, he’ll captivate and incense more listeners, garner higher ratings and in turn, have the ability to charge those advertisers even more to run commercials on his radio network. It’s his job to make a buzz for himself and gather more listeners for the Michael Savage show. And like it or not, from all the press Savage has garnered in the last week, he’s doing a fine job.

Sorry about the lack of updates on the site in the last couple of weeks. I’ve had some server trouble and just haven’t had the time to hash it out. Expect updates and some new content very soon. Until then, here’s a picture of a mailbox shaped like a fishing lure.

• new wikileaks: L Ron Hubbard’s audio on Galactic overload Xenu, earth-people are parasitized by alien body thetans http://tinyurl.com/66xgbd #

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• it’s finally starting to rain again in some logical summertime order here is sfla #

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I really wasn’t sure I should post this, but I almost feel I have no choice. I stumbled across this the other day after reading an article on Memri by Saudi Human and Women’s Rights Activist Wajeha Al-Huwaidar on how a large portion of Middle East population views women. Wajeha said this vid was from Iraq, but after a little more digging I learned it was from Syria. Allegedly the 17-year-old girl was beaten and stoned to death for ‘falling in love” with a young man who did not belong to her particular sect or family/social group. Whatever. This is quite possibly the most brutal thing I have ever seen. Watch it at your own risk. I really have no comment on this vid, draw your own conclusions. I think it’s best that way.