Speaking during a vacation in Hawaii, Obama said: "We will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable."
"We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, to dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us, whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia, or anywhere where they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland."~source
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is shown in this booking photograph released by the U.S. Marshals Service December 28, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/US Marshals Service/Handout
UPDATE 12/28/09 @4:28 EST -- Reuters reported: "A regional wing of al Qaeda claimed responsibility on December 28, 2009 for a failed Christmas Day attack on a U.S.-bound passenger plane, saying it was to avenge U.S. attacks on the group in Yemen. In a statement posted on Islamist websites, the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said it had provided Abdulmutallab in the attempt with a "technically advanced device" but that it had failed to detonate because of a technical fault."
A Nigerian man has been charged with attempting to detonate a bomb on a Northwest Airlines jet traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan.
According to reports the man, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was trying to ignite an explosive when he was overpowered by passengers and crew just before the plane landed. He was found to have a device attached to his body, a device that was believed to have contained PETN, a high explosive that could have destroyed the jet.
Abdulmutallab had spent about 20 minutes in the planes bathroom before returning to his seat, covered himself with a blanket and then attempted to light the explosive. Passengers reportedly heard popping sounds and noticed the man’s pants had caught fire at which time he was swarmed by those around him.
After being detained Abdulmutallab told investigators he had ties with al-Qaeda and had training from the terrorist organization. He went on to say he received the explosive in Yemen, returned to Lagos before traveling to Amsterdam and then boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 bound for Detroit.~TWN
Jennifer was in total shock when she found out she was having another baby. She had wanted some space between the kids’ ages..
Kim Peek, the original Rain Man was not supposed to cross 14. Kim Peek crossed this number almost four times and died at the age of 58. Kim Peek had a severe and fatal heart attack on Saturday. The savant was from Salt Lake City Utah.
The world’s most famous savant who inspired Barry Morrow to write about him and Dustin Hoffman portrayed the character with such devotion that movie Rain Man secured four Academy Awards.
A profound combination of genius and disability Kim Peek was born in Salt Lake City in 1951. At his birth, Kim Peek was diagnosed with a mental disorder but he became mega-savant. Kim Peek was a genius in 15 subjects from literature to geography, from sports to music to numbers.~source
. You can hear all about Justin Beiber from Ellen, Justin, and Usher. This kid is great!
In case you hadn't heard, teen sensation Miley Cyrus will spend Christmas with her family and many European friends in the United Kingdom.
Actress Brittany Murphy Dies at age 32. She reportedly went into cardiac arrest this morning, was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recorded her time of death at 10:04 a.m.
Tiger Woods issued another statement on his website today. He asks for everyone's forgiveness, and informed his fans that he is taking an indefinite break from golf.
Yesterday, ABC announced Diane Sawyer's replacement. Surprisingly, it is George Stephanopoulos. He is the host of ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos." This surprises me because I had him pegged as being a little "too serious" for this Television format. But, I'm sure the decision makers at ABC know what they are doing.Diane Sawyer leaves ABC's 'Good Morning America,' sharing moments from her nearly 11 years on the show. She now heads to the evening anchor chair, replacing the retiring Charles Gibson on 'World News.'~AP
President Obama, currently on Air Force One flying to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize, is stuck between a rock and a hard place: He is accepting the Peace Prize having just vowed an additional 30,000 troops to the war if Afghanistan; meanwhile Norwegians are mad that he canceled a celebratory lunch with King Harald V and is trying to minimize the pomp and press of his visit. Over 5,000 are expected to protest the war in Afghanistan at the award ceremony on Thursday, but 44% of polled Norwegians think it was rude of him to cancel the traditional lunch. Obama will address these contradictions in his 25-minute remarks and donate the $1.4 million in prize money to charity.~source
In reacting to the news, on October 9,2009, that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, the President struck a note of humility and recognized that the award was a nod towards building a world in the future that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. October 9, 2009.
There's another Brady in the bunch.
Gisele Bündchen and husband Tom Brady welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday night.
Brady announced the news to reporters Wednesday after People.com reported the story. The football star called his son's birth "a wonderful experience in my life." He also told reporters happily, "I didn't get much sleep last night," USA Today reports.
Bündchen, 29, and New England Patriots quarterback Brady, 32, were married in a private ceremony in February in Los Angeles. In April, they held a follow-up wedding for friends and family at Bündchen's Costa Rican estate.~source
Just when we thought things would quiet down, this happens. The time 2:30 a.m. must be a dangerous time at Tiger's house during this Holiday season. Tempers might be running high with a mother and mother-in-law staying in the same place, plus one can only imagine the amount of people walking in-and-out of the mansion, and the flurry of activity. A woman, described as being in her 50s with blondish-gray hair, was rushed to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Florida early Tuesday morning, after being removed on a stretcher from Tiger Woods' Isleworth mansion at 2:36 a.m., a source tells RadarOnline.com.
An ambulance was sent to the home after someone inside called 911. The first reports from the scene made the situation appear dire as the woman was said to be on "advanced life support," but now we've now learned the woman has reportedly been released from the hospital.~source
The Tiger Woods Saga continues. Is there an end to the madness? Yes, I think so. There will come a day in the near future when this will be a memory in the minds of the public. The Greatest Golfer in the World will return to what he does best and all will be forgiven.A Florida trooper who suspected Tiger Woods was driving under the influence sought a subpoena for the golfer's blood results from the hospital he was taken to after crashing his SUV, but prosecutors rejected the petition.~AP
This is coming as no surprise to just about anyone at this stage in the game. Add 3 more women rumored to be linked to the richest sports star in the world today. 
The family of murdered British student Meredith Kercher have welcomed the convictions of her killers, saying the jury had made the right decison.
Meredith's brother Lyle told a news conference in Perugia they were "pleased" with the decision but were not celebrating.
He said: "Ultimately we are pleased with the decision, pleased that we've got a decision but it's not a time for celebration."
His mother Arline told a packed room of journalists that on the evidence, she agreed with the guilty verdicts against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito.
She said: "If the evidence has been presented then yes you have to agree with that verdict.
"It's difficult to say but at the end of the day you have to go on the evidence because there's nothing else."
American Knox was sentenced to 26 years in jail and her Italian ex-boyfriend Sollecito was given 25 years.
As the judge read out the verdicts, 22-year-old Knox began shaking and then broke down in tears.
She murmured, "No, no," as she hugged one of her lawyers. She was then led away from the courtroom wailing and screaming.
Both Knox and Sollecito, 25, have said they will appeal against the verdicts.~source
Well... the jury has retired, in Italy, concerning the Meredith Kercher Murder Case. American exchange student, Amanda Knox, has been on trial for the murder of Kercher, the British exchange student and housemate. Actually, Knox and her former Italian lover, Raffaele Sollecito, are facing life in prison for the murder. The family of British student Meredith are due to arrive in Italy later to hear the verdict.
The semi-naked body of the 21-year-old, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was found in a pool of blood with her throat slit in her room in Perugia in November 2007.
American Knox, 22, and her Italian former lover, Sollecito, 25, both deny the charges against them.
A third person, Rudy Guede, 22, from the Ivory Coast, has already been convicted of the murder and sexual violence and sentenced to 30 years in jail.
But prosecutors say he was only one of three killers who acted together, under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol".~source
Life & Style Magazine has named the marketing manager for The Bank nightclub as another woman who has been seeing Woods as his marriage to the mother of his two children Elin Nordegren threatens to implode.
According to the magazine, brunette Moquin hooked up with Tiger more than once at his Las Vegas hotel during the weekend of Oct. 23, 2009.
She is the third woman to be publicly linked to the world’s number one golfer. New York Club promoter Rachel Uchitel and Los Angeles cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs have also been named in shocking reports as women with whom he had affairs.
But, so far, Moquin is remaining tight lipped about her alleged trysts with the multi-millionaire superstar. She told Life & Style: "It's not appropriate for me to comment one way or the other. At this time, I'm just choosing to focus on my job."~source
New "Tiger Scandal Stuff" is coming down the pipes every 5 minutes. Can't you just see the movie in the works? Tiger is a real person, after all. The public has discovered his 'Achilles Heel.' It happens to the best of us. That's life. 
Here's the latest statement from Tiger Woods uploaded to his website. He stresses that he has let his family down and did not stay true to his values. Also, Tiger really wants everyone to know that "domestic violence" did not contribute to his car crash. In other words his wife, Elin, did not attack him regarding rumors about his extra-marital affairs.I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don't share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it's difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.~source
Tiger alert! Tiger alert! Well...wouldn't you know it, a new Tiger Woods rumor has taken hold. This time it's about a 31-month affair with a 24-year-old Cocktail Waitress named Jaimee Grubbs.
The Salahis were interviewed by Matt Lauer of the Today Show Tuesday morning. This Couple insists they were invited to President Obama's first State Dinner. They have documentation to prove it, according to the Salahis.
