UNCLE POOH'S BLOG

(CNN) -- Hundreds of people trying to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend on Atlantic beaches in central Florida encountered an unwelcome surprise: swarms of purplish, stinging jellyfish. More than 800 people at beaches from Cocoa Beach to Cape Canaveral have been stung, Brevard County Ocean Rescue officials said. Assistant Chief Eisen Witcher said the reports began coming in Friday, but as the Memorial Day weekend got into full swing, the numbers increased dramatically. "Saturday, we got about 200 reports. Sunday, we got another 250," he said. All weekend long, countless numbers of jellyfish washed up on shores, standing out against the sand due to their distinctive hue. "They're very visible because of their color," Witcher said. "They come in large amounts, very large groups." Witcher said Brevard County shores are more familiar with Portuguese man o' war and cannonball jellyfish, not this current species, which he said he believes are ...

Washington (CNN) -- Protesting members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were met with an unlikely group of counterprotesters Monday at Arlington Cemetery. Hours before President Barack Obama led the nation's Memorial Day observances at the Tomb of the Unknowns, three members of the Westboro Baptist Church were challenged by others who disagreed with them -- including members claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan. The Kansas-based church has attracted nationwide attention for its angry, anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. military members. Among those counter-protesting at the cemetery's main entrance: About 10 members of a group that claims to be a branch of the Ku Klux Klan from Virginia called the Knights of the Southern Cross. They were cordoned off separately in a nearby area, but drew little attention as they gave out small American flags behind a banner that read "POW-MIA." They said they were there to object to the Westbor...

(CNN) -- Online hackers have pirated the PBS website and posted a false story claiming the rapper Tupac Shakur -- who has been dead for almost 15 years -- is alive and living in New Zealand. The group -- called The Lulz Boat -- also posted what it said were passwords of journalists, login information for the PBS series "Frontline" and sensitive information about PBS stations. The Lulz Boat claims it was "less than impressed" after watching the network's program "WikiSecrets" and "decided to sail our Lulz Boat over the PBS servers for further... perusing." The "WikiSecrets" documentary, which aired last week on the PBS show "Frontline," talked to U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning's father and close friends. Manning, a military intelligence analyst, is suspected of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents that ended up on the WikiLeaks website -- one of the largest leaks of classified material in U.S. h...

(CNN) -- One woman was killed and another injured after they fell from a 10th-floor window at an Atlanta hotel, authorities said Saturday. According to Atlanta Police, witnesses said the two were attending a birthday party early Saturday at the W Atlanta-Midtown. The pair were "play fighting" when they accidentally crashed through the window around 3:15 a.m., according to a preliminary investigation, said department spokesman Officer John Chafee. It was unclear Saturday where they landed. The Fulton County medical examiner identified the woman who died at the scene as LaShawna M. Threatt of Atlanta. The cause of death is pending. The other woman, who was unidentified, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Hotel manager Michael O'Donohue said information on the investigation must come from authorities. "The incident at the W Atlanta early Saturday is very tragic and our thoughts and prayers are with the woman who was injured and the ...

(CNN) -- A study released this week revealed that 47% of Facebook users have swear words on their pages. A survey last week, meanwhile, showed that undergraduate men who talk about alcohol on Facebook tend to have more friends. Whether it's our level of tolerance for swearing or the link between alcohol and bonding with friends, these Facebook studies provide intriguing insights into our online behaviors. And yet I'd argue that Facebook surveys have a more fundamental role. With more than 600 million people actively using Facebook, these studies in fact provide a deeper understanding of our evolving cultural norms: our values, our morals and our changing relationships between one another. Don't believe me? Here are some fascinating Facebook facts that just might serve as a peek into our 21st-century values. 1. 56% of Americans think it's irresponsible to friend your boss on Facebook A survey released in February 2010 showed the majority of Americans don...

Piedmont, Oklahoma (CNN) -- As the sun rose Wednesday over Oklahoma, lighting the trail of destruction left by a string of tornadoes and severe weather, members of the National Guard were already out, searching for a missing 3-year-old. Two of the toddler's siblings were killed as the storms churned through Canadian County. Their mother is in critical condition, said Sheriff Randall Edwards. The children are the latest victims of a ferocious and historic tornado season that has left more than 500 people dead, according to figures from the National Weather Service and local authorities. It is the deadliest tornado season since 1953, when 519 people were killed in twisters. Fifteen of the deaths came in the latest string of storms that passed through Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma Tuesday night. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center warned that storms could strike parts of the region again Wednesday. "Thank God we weren't (there)," said Pas...

Raz B is in the bing or something because he stands accused of molesting a 15 year old boy in China. If you recall, that dude is over there "doing business" for a year. I'm wondering if he met his long lost love over the net or something. Here is the "official" report, if there is such a thing in this day and age: Explosive reports from Beijing, China. We have no joy in reporting this, but Raz B formerly of the Band B2k is wanted in Beijing, China for allegedly molesting a 15 year old boy. Sources claim that these charges stems from an investigation that began on 3-12-2011 that involved a 15 year old boy who alleged the singer both willingly and unwillingly engaged in sexual acts. The report was leaked to us by an anonymous source (We are confident it was Chris Stokes). The sordid 19 page affidavit claims the 25 year old singer engaged in numerous sex acts included sodomy and Urolagnia. Though the legal age of consent in China is 14 (God, help them.)...

(CNN) – Harold Camping is sticking to his apocalyptic guns. In his first radio broadcast since his doomsday prediction failed to pan out in a spectacularly public fashion, the California preacher insisted his was an error of interpretation, not fact. What's more, he has another calculation for the day the world will end - October 21, 2011. Camping had kept a low-profile since Saturday, the day he had forecast for the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. He and his devoted followers have been warning for months that on May 21, a select 2% to 3% of the world's population would be taken to heaven. Those left behind would face months of tribulation before perishing in the Earth's destruction, which Camping said would happen on October 21. This is the basis for his new prediction, which Camping claims is not new at all. He told listeners on his Family Radio broadcast Monday that God is "loving and merciful," and had decided not to punish the humanity with five mo...

Joplin, Missouri (CNN) -- The tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, Sunday killed 118 people, authorities said Tuesday, making it the deadliest single U.S. tornado since modern record-keeping began more than 60 years ago. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said Tuesday morning the death toll has risen to 118 and the number of deaths is expected to rise as rescuers find more bodies in the rubble. A twister in Flint, Michigan, in 1953 killed 116 people, according to the National Weather Service. 2011 set to be deadliest tornado year "We are going to do absolutely everything we can to make sure they recover," said President Barack Obama, who announced on Tuesday that he plans to visit the region this Sunday. Obama said he will let people know "the whole country is going to be behind them." "We are here for you. We're going to stay by you," Obama said. Richard Serino, the second-highest ranking official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said...

A tornado has ripped through the midwestern U.S. state of Missouri, killing at least 89 people and cutting a path of destruction. The powerful twister struck the town of Joplin, about 220 kilometers south of Kansas City, destroying homes, crushing cars and badly damaging a hospital, which had to be evacuated. Officials say they expect the death toll to rise. The strong winds blew debris up to 100 kilometers away. Another tornado in the state of Minnesota killed one person and injured nearly 30 others. The strong line of storms swept across states stretching from Wisconsin to Oklahoma. President Barack Obama called Missouri's governor to express his condolences and pledged federal government support for recovery efforts. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is traveling to Missouri to join FEMA officials already in the state. The White House says the president received multiple updates about the damage on his way to Ireland, where he arrived Monday. He i...

Macho Man Randy Savage -- one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time -- died today in a car accident in Seminole, Florida ... TMZ has learned. TMZ spoke with Randy's brother, Lanny Poffo, who tells us the wrestling legend suffered a heart attack while he was behind the wheel around 9:25 AM ... and lost control of his vehicle. Earlier this month, Savage celebrated his 1-year anniversary with his new wife Lynn. Savage was 58. Macho Man began wrestling in the WWF in 1985 and became a superstar with his trademark catchphrase "Ooooooh Yeaahhhhh." Savage was so popular, he became the spokesperson for Slim Jim in the mid '90s ... and became virtually synonymous with the brand. UPDATE: Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ ... Savage was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median ... through oncoming traffic ... and "collided head-on with a tree." Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, where he died from his injuries. S...

(AllHipHop News) Former Cash Money Millionaire rapper B.G. is facing gun charges, after being indicted by a federal grand jury on gun and obstruction charges yesterday (May 19th). B.G., born Christopher Dorsey, is facing up to 10 years in prison over an incident in November of 2009. The 30-year-old rapper and two other men were arrested when police stopped their car and found three guns, loaded magazines and extended clips. To make matters worse, two of the three guns police found were reported stolen. According to the indictment, B.G. conspired with two other men to get a man named Demounde Pollard to claim ownership of the guns. Pollard, 19, is accused of signing a false affidavit stating that B.G. did not possess the guns. Pollard and another man named Jerod Fedison have already pleaded guilty to the related charges.

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Taliban is claiming responsibility for an attack Friday on a convoy of U.S. Consulate vehicles in northwest Pakistan, saying it was in retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden. A car bomb targeted the vehicles in Peshawar, killing one person and wounding 11 others, police said. The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks in the nation following a raid this month by U.S. commandos that left the al Qaeda leader dead. In a telephone call to CNN, a Taliban spokesman said the remote-controlled car bomb attack was also retaliation over ongoing military operations targeting the militant group. The car bomb, packed with 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives, detonated as the consulate cars passed by in Peshawar, said Liaqat Ali Khan, the police chief. It was unclear whether the vehicles were stationary or moving at the time, he said. The blast killed a motorcycle rider passing by, said Ibrar Khan, a Peshawar police official. The mo...

You've got to admire the tenacity. Not one, not two, but now three court rulings have ordered Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin Harvard graduates who claim Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea, to stick with the $65 million they were awarded in a 2008 legal settlement with the social networking company. Still, the so-called "Winklevi" just won't give up. After a federal appeals court said Monday that it would not reconsider the twins' latest settlement challenge, the brothers announced their intention to take the case to the Supreme Court. But that tenacity may now be flying in the face of legal reality. Though the twins' lawyers have set the Supreme Court in their sites, legal experts say the chances of the court actually hearing the case are slim to none. "I don't think that they're going to get 'friended' by many justices on the Supreme Court," said Joseph Grundfest, a professor at Stanford Law School,...

(AllHipHop News) Rapper Soulja Boy, his record label Interscope Records and MySpace Music are the subjects of a $1 million dollar lawsuit over a canceled concert in Harrisburg, PA. Joseph Sheldon Brewster and his company TrinCity Entertainment, filed the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit claims that TrinCity entered into an agreement to book Soulja Boy for a concert on December 10th, 2010 and paid an advance fee of $16,250 to secure the date. Brewster and TrinCity shelled out another $3,500 for bus transportation to the event and another $8,0000 for television and radio commercials to promote Soulja Boy's performance. The lawsuit claims that reps for Interscope contacted TrinCity and requested the December 10th show be canceled, so that Soulja Boy could perform a show in Hawaii the following weekend. According to TrinCity, reps for Interscope and MySpace agreed to pay $10,000 to offset the advertising costs an...

(AllHipHop News) M-Bone of Cali Swag District didn't seem to be a random drive-by shooting, according to recent reports. KTLA reports that the rapper was shot outside of a liquor store as he sat in a parked car in Inglewood, California on LaBrea. A red Mustang pulled along side of the vehicle that held M-Bone, real name Montae Talbert, and opened fire Sunday evening. The rapper was shot dead. M-Bone was hit twice and pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center. Witnesses told authorities that the car returned to the scene after driving off, seemingly to make sure the victim was dead. TMZ reports that the murder may have started with an e-beef on Twitter after M-Bone took up a relationship with a woman. The man that lived with the woman reportedly didn't like the relationship and began to berate M-Bone on Twitter. The incident may have lead to murder, but no definitive connection has been made, but M-Bone didn't back down from the aggressors.

        Rapper M-Bone (right) was killed Sunday night after a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Los Angeles (CNN) -- Rapper M-Bone of the group Cali Swag District died Sunday night in what police said was a drive-by shooting in his hometown, Inglewood, California. M-Bone, whose real name was Montae Talbert, was sitting in a car in the 400 block of North LaBrea Avenue when a car pulled up next to his and someone fired two rounds that struck the rapper in his head, Inglewood Police Lt. Steve Overly said Monday. Talbert, 22, died later at a hospital, Overly said. Preliminary reports on the model of car that was involved have not been confirmed, he said. Cali Swag District's biggest hip-hop hit came in 2010 with the song "Teach Me How to Dougie." Greg Miller, the rap group's representative, said Talbert was "the victim of a random act of violence." The rapper "was an inspiration to his family, friends and fans," Miller said. "He ...

Rapper Cassidy has been arrested on a probation violation and named a suspect in a murder and two attempted murders in his native Philadelphia. The 28-year-old, real name Barry Reese, was taken into custody in Hacksensack, New Jersey on Saturday after local authorities were alerted to a warrant for his arrest by Philadelphia police. Hackensack Police Department Lieutenant Timothy Lloyd was told the hip-hop star was under a ‘high risk warrant' and may be 'armed and dangerous'. According to local newspaper The Record, a surveillance team was set up outside the hip-hop artist's home in Jersey City following the alert. Police were dispatched when Cassidy was seen leaving the residence at approximately 1:30pm to stop at a local convenience store. His identity was confirmed during a routine felony motor vehicle stop, prompting authorities to make the arrest. It was unclear how Cassidy violated his probation. He was reportedly being held in custody at the Berge...

(AllHipHop News) The debate over Common's appearance at the White House last week continues, as popular Hip-Hop critic/news personality Bill O'Reilly has challenged comedian Jon Stewart to a debate over the controversial issue. Jon Stewart criticized and lampooned Fox News in a rap on his show on Thursday (May 11th), after Common's appearance at the White House during a celebration of American Poetry on Wednesday (May 11th). Fox, O'Reilly and various media outlets have been at odds over Common's appearance, due to the subject matters of his poems and one song in particular, "A Song for Assata" from his fourth studio album, 2000's Like Water for Chocolate. Apparently, O'Reilly is fed up with Jon Stewarts attacks, because he's ready to talk to "The Daily Show" host face-to-face. “I would like to debate you about the Common situation," Bill O'Reilly said on his show The O'Reilly Factor on May 12th. "It's ...

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund and a man considered a likely French presidential candidate, was taken into custody at a New York airport Saturday after a hotel maid said he tried to sexually assault her. Police say at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, a hotel housekeeper entered room 2806 at Sofitel in Manhattan -- a luxury $3,000-per-night, multi-room suite -- when Strauss-Kahn allegedly walked out of his bathroom naked and forced himself on the 32-year-old woman. Strauss-Kahn, 62, was arrested from the first-class section aboard an Air France jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport, just as the doors were closing for takeoff, on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. Strauss-Kahn's lawyer denies the attempted rape, according to The Associated Press. Detectives from the New York Police Department picked up the IMF president from Port Authority police and took him to midtown for questioning. Strauss-Kahn...

A Tucson, Ariz., man is facing federal charges for allegedly unleashing a chemical weapons attack on a couple. Todd Fries, also known as Todd Burns, a contractor who owns a cleaning business, was arrested Friday by the FBI, on two counts of producing a chemical weapon, in an alleged attack that created a cloud of toxic gas that forced the evacuation of a northwest Tucson neighborhood. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department brought in bomb squad crews to secure the area when they made the arrest, ABC affiliate KGUN-TV in Tucson reported. The alleged attack occurred in August 2009, at the home of Myles and Karen Levine, who had previously had dead animals left in their yard and had anti-semitic graffiti painted on their home, according to the Arizona Daily Star. "It feels really good that there's been an arrest made. We've been living pretty much under wraps," Myles Levine told the Daily Star. Carly Riggs, another neighbor who was made sick b...

Charismatic pop star-turned-president Michel Martelly took over Haiti on Saturday, promising to rebuild its earthquake-devastated capital, develop the long-neglected countryside and build a modern army. The 50-year-old performer known to Haitians as "Sweet Micky" was swept to power in a March 20 presidential runoff by Haitians tired of past leaders who failed to provide even basic services, such as decent roads, water and electricity in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Martelly was sworn in during a power outage in front of dozens of dignitaries including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the U.N.'s special envoy to Haiti, and Edmond Mulet, head of the U.N. mission that has maintained order in Haiti since 2004. Also present was Desi Bouterse, the president of Suriname who is on trial for the 1982 executions of 15 political opponents. Former Haiti President Rene Preval took off the presidential sash and put it on Martelly as they shook hands and embra...

(CNN) -- Legendary singer Etta James has been hospitalized with a blood infection, her son told CNN Friday. Sametto James said his 73-year-old mother was admitted to a hospital in Southern California on Monday due to a urinary tract infection that led to sepsis. She remained in the hospital Friday, he said. "She's doing a little bit better, but she's not out of the woods quite yet," Sametto James said. Etta James, best known for her 1961 hit "At Last," was hospitalized in 2010 due to a dangerous staph infection. She was diagnosed in 2009 with Alzheimer's disease.

With crop prices soaring, farmers along the lower Mississippi River had been expecting a big year. Maybe even a huge one. Now, many are facing ruin, with floodwaters swallowing up corn, cotton, rice and soybean fields. And even more farmland will be drowned in the coming days if engineers throw open a spillway for the first time in 38 years, as they are expected to do, sometime over the weekend. Unlocking the spillway would inundate Louisiana Cajun country with as much as 25 feet of water but would ease the pressure on levees downstream, averting a potentially bigger disaster in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Trouble has already found the fields in far northeastern Louisiana, where Tap Parker and about 50 other farmers filled and stacked massive sandbags along an old levee to no avail. The Mississippi flowed over the top Thursday, and nearly 19 square miles of soybeans and corn, known in the industry as "green gold," was lost. "This was supposed to be our good ye...

(AllHipHop News) Fox News' coverage of Common's visit to the White House is being criticized by MediaMatters.org, a non-profit that monitors mainstream media's reporting on various issues. According to stats released, Fox covered the Common White House story as much as they covered the historic floods unfolding along the Mississippi river. Fox mentioned the word "Mississippi" in 50 different segments that aired on the network, while the word "rapper" was mentioned in over 40 different segments. "By contrast, at CNN over the same time span this week, 'Mississippi' was mentioned in approximately 90 on-air segments, while "rapper" was referenced about ten times," a rep for MediaMatters said. "This just highlights how when Fox News chases bogus stories like the Common one, real news gets shortchanged." According to MediaMatters, Fox's story about Common praising a "cop killer" was "bogus"...

Los Angeles (CNN) -- It's official: Ashton Kutcher is filling the gap left by Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men." "I can't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and I believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes," Kutcher said Friday in a statement released by CBS and Warner Bros. Television. "I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!" Kutcher, who gained his early fame on a TV sitcom, "That 70s Show," has more recently been seen on the big screen. His last film was "No Strings Attached," which hit theaters in January. He's also made his mark as a TV executive producer, most notably for MTV's hidden-camera show "Punk'd." "Ashton is a pop culture triple threat -- film star, cutting-edge producer and a social media pioneer," said Nina Tassler, the head of CBS En...

On Tuesday, former tech kingpin Microsoft made the stunning announcement that it would acquire popular Internet phone service Skype for a whopping $8.5 billion in cash. This will be Microsoft’s largest acquisition ever. Skype had been previously owned by eBay which bought the company for $2.6 billion in cash and stock in 2005, before selling 70% of the company to private investors in 2009 in a deal which valued Skype at $2.75 billion. eBay had attempted to both monetize Skype’s business model and integrate it into its auction site, but failed on both counts. For 2010, Skype posted unimpressive revenue of $860 million and $264 million in operating profits with a $7 million loss, which leads many investors to wonder if Microsoft has overpaid. Skype also has $686 million in long term debt, which is now Microsoft’s debt. How can Microsoft integrate Skype into its existing services and monetize it where previous owners have failed?

(CNN) -- Three people are dead after a shooting in a campus parking garage at San Jose State University, spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris said Wednesday. The incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday on the California campus. Harris said university police responded to a report of a possible shooting and found two people dead on the fifth floor of the garage. A third person was taken to a hospital but died upon arrival, Harris said. Harris said it was not clear whether the deceased were students. No identities have been released pending autopsy results. Harris said a campus alert was issued about one hour after the original call was received. She said police secured a perimeter and that the rest of the campus was not in danger. Police do not believe the incident was a drive-by, gang-related nor robbery-motivated shooting, Harris said. San Jose State is a public university with about 30,000 students.

(CNN) -- Twelve suspected members of the Zetas drug gang and a member of Mexico's Navy were killed in a shootout on an island in a lake that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Monday. The Mexican Navy said the shootout occurred Sunday on Falcon Lake, located between Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, after troops patrolling the area spotted a camping area on an island. The suspected drug traffickers used the island for storing marijuana to be transported by boat to the United States, the Navy said in a statement. After the shootout, the Navy said it seized guns, ammunition and bullet-proof vests from the island. Falcon Lake drew the attention of law enforcement authorities on both side of the border last September after an American man on a personal watercraft was reportedly ambushed by attackers and shot in the head.

(CNN) -- The Newark Police Department is being investigated by the federal government in the wake of allegations of discriminatory policing by department officers, according to Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney for the district of New Jersey. The inquiry will evaluate whether the Police Department's practices are in violation of federal law, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Officials have begun conducting interviews and reviewing records to determine whether officers have a pattern of illegal stops and frisks and use of excessive force against civilians. "Our goal is not to blame, but to fix any problems we might find," Fishman said at a news conference Monday. The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey as well as the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, which has conducted similar reviews of law enforcement agencies in New York, Ohio, Washington, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Louisiana and Californi...