Let your mouth speak archive

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Nevada is currently on the fast track to legalizing online gambling. Out of all of the states that have tried to legalize the activity, Nevada seems to be the only one making any headway. In addition to regulating online gambling, the new law also seeks to make mobile gambling legal from players’ hotel rooms.

Currently, venues like the Palazzo and The Venetian allow players to use mobile devices to access casino games from various locations like the bar and the lounge. Now, the new law would make it possible for players to use these devices off the premises of the casino floor and in their own, private rooms.

While no one has voiced opposition to this law as of yet, the state gaming control board has stated that it may create a problem for the risk of underage gambling. Since the gaming is being carried out in a private location, it would be easier for underage patrons to gambling using the device. However, many safeguards can be employed to verify the users’ age.

Many casinos in Las Vegas are in support of the legalization of online gambling. Some of the biggest names in the industry have voice their support and are lobbying for the cause, making Nevada the mostly likely state to legalize playing at online casinos.

The United Kingdom is poised to make some serious changes to the way it regulates its online gambling industry. The government has been looking for ways to ensure that the people of the U.K. benefit from online gambling revenues and licensing fees. To accomplish this, an enquiry was launched into online betting accounts of resident’s in the U.K. and it revealed that there is are quite possibly millions of pounds dormant in some accounts.

It is reported some operators have made withdrawals difficult for players so the government is trying to find a method to reclaim these frozen funds and put them into programs designed to help the general public. The online gambling industry is expecting operators to change their methods in light of the information revealed. Withdrawal terms may lean more towards the side of the customer rather than the operator in the future.

John Penrose, Minister for Tourism and Heritage has received the enquiry results that were compiled by MP Don Foster who was given the task back in July of 2010. "I'll be looking at this report in detail, particularly in light of our work on the regulatory future of remote gambling to see whether we are able to make sure sporting good causes can benefit in the future.” Penrose stated.
Penrose went on to say, "I'd like to thank Don for all his hard work in putting this report together and for everyone in the industry who has contributed with their views," he continued, "The UK government is currently considering its response to a consultation on the Regulatory Future of Remote Gambling in the UK with a view to making an announcement in due course. Any decision on dormant betting accounts and the other issues raised in Foster's report will be made after this,"
The public may not look at the claiming of “dormant” funds as fair but it may benefit them in the long run if online gambling firms change their withdrawal methods and the ‘lost’ funds are used for good causes in the U.K..

A shocking announcement was made by Alec Baldwin yesterday while being honored at a charity function in New York City. He announced his exit of the hit NBC comedy show 30 Rock and dropped a second bomb announcing the end of the show altogether in 2012. For fans of the show, there are just no words.

The quirky show has been on the air since 2006 and has rocked the ratings with Tina Fey’s take on her time as a head writer for Saturday Night Live. The show has achieved serious accolades in the comedy genre year after year including various consecutive Emmy Awards, so why back out now?

If Alec Baldwin leaves then there isn’t really much of a show but according to NY Mag, Baldwin admitted that co-star Tina Fey has plans of ending the show anyway which means that the end is inevitable for the show in 2012.

It seems that Fey had plans to move on to bigger and better things and continue her career writing and creating films. Fans should probably expect another season or two from 30 Rock and let’s just hope they go out with a bang because it’s by far one of the top comedies out there, sniffle sniffle…

Germany may want to follow in the footsteps of neighbors France and Italy in allowing private companies to participate in a regulated online gambling market in their country. However, many online betting firms have balked at the offer, due mainly to a stiff tax rate on sports betting.

This past week, Germany’s federal states reached an agreement to offer seven national betting licenses to private firms. These licenses would be bid on before being awarded.

However, the licenses also come with a rather hefty tax. According to a report by the Press Association, the tax rate on sports betting would be 16.67% on turnover.

“A proposed tax rate of 16% on the stakes placed in sports betting would make it impossible to offer a competitive product,” said Bwin.party co-chief executive Norbert Teufelberger.

Following the merger of Bwin and PartyGaming, the new company currently makes about a quarter of their revenues from Germany, despite the fact that they are not licensed there. Following the news of the German licensing scheme, the price of shares in the joint venture fell by 15%.

According to industry analysts and company executives, sportsbooks would not be able to provide a competitive product given the high tax rate. If a sportsbook attempted to offer their normal odds with the high taxes, the business would be unprofitable. Alternately, raising margins on each bet would make their product unpalatable to bettors, who would continue to use unlicensed sites that offered more standard odds.

According to the new German plan, which is expected to be finalized by June, betting companies would now have the ability to advertise their services at sporting events and in stadiums. However, they would still be restricted from running television advertisements.

The hope is to encourage German bettors to use licensed sites that were regulated by the German government, rather than unlicensed sites. However, Teufelberger expects the opposite will happen if the high tax rates mean regulated sites can’t offer competitive products.

"This would mean that the proposed model would fail to meet its objectives of channeling consumer demand, offering player protection and combating fraud," he said.

The process is familiar by now:

State needs money.
State looks around.
State sees gamblers spending money in a neighboring state.
State says we can build our own casinos and residents will spend their money here.
Opponents scream and yell.
State backs down.

It’s happening on the East Coast, in the Southwest and beyond the West Coast, as the expansion of casino gambling in Florida, Texas and Hawaii all appear to be long shots – for different reasons.

FLORIDA: With online gambling legislation moving through the governmental pipeline, backers of full-fledged Las Vegas-style casinos should be enjoying at least a slight tailwind. But years-long efforts to make it happen were jettisoned this past week when a crippling amendment to enabling legislation was attached to a bill that would have allowed the building of five commercial hotel-casinos. Long story short: The state’s powerful pari-mutuel industry shoveled dirt on the proposal by insisting that tracks also be allowed to operate as casinos, with accompanying table games and slot machines. Las Vegas Sands and Wynn have shown interest in the Florida market, which already has a handful of Indian casinos and numerous casino boats operating off both coasts.

TEXAS: Something has to give when your state is $27 billion in the red and lawmakers would rather give up their shotguns and pickup trucks than talk about raising taxes, so the idea of destination casinos has been floated.

There actually have been several proposals (one would call for seven hotel-casinos, plus slots at bingo halls, race tracks and Indian reservations), but everything is being referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee led by Robert Duncan of Lubbock, who hasn’t yet met a casino he likes and is on record as saying that most conservatives don’t much cotton to gambling. As for liberals, well, there aren’t any in Texas.

HAWAII: The opportunity to raise revenue without raising taxes also resonates in Hawaii - the only state, besides Utah, in the country without some form of legalized gambling. Hawaiians do have the gambling itch, though, and even opponents don’t dispute that casinos have at least a good chance of making money.

The idea is that casinos would supplement an economy that is already dependent on tourism and, at the same time, keep the residents from boarding planes and heading for Las Vegas. Getting a casino-enabling bill through the legislature might be doable, but Republican Gov. Linda Lingle says she would veto it.

After news that Today co-host Meredith Vieira will most likely not renew her contract when it expires later this year, now the rumormill is churning out the news that Matt Lauer, who has been with the Today show since 1994 and held the co-anchor position since 1997, will also be leaving America's most popular morning show.

Lauer's contract expires December 3, 2012 so he'll stick around for a while.

Amid the drama, the Today show released a statement Wednesday, saying, "There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it's not our practice to comment on any of it. Matt Lauer has a long term contract with 'NBC News' and 'Today.'"

There is new speculation that since former Today show host Katie Couric will be leaving the CBS Evening News, that Lauer will be teaming up with her and former Today producer Jeff Zucker.

Meanwhile, People magazine published an article speculating as to who will fill Meredith Vieira's shoes offering such contenders as Today show staple Ann Curry, The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Real Housewives of Atlanta diva NeNe Leakes, Katie Couric and Kathie Lee Gifford or Hoda Kotbe.

Meredith joined the show after Couric left in favor of hosting the CBS Evening News but now Vieira is probably leaving due to a combination of the long hours as well as her husband's battle with both multiple sclerosis and cancer.

"NBC is doing everything they can to convince her to stay," an insider told TV Guide.

As for filling Lauer's shoes, so far there has been no speculation. Earlier this week a representative for Today released this comment: "The Today show anchors are currently under contract and firmly in place."

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The Kansas Supreme Court Friday unanimously struck down a state statute outlawing potential non-regulated gambling devices saying the ban was unconstitutionally broad.

The original statute, created by the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act in 2007, made it a felony to own or operate so-called gray machines outside a state-sanctioned lottery. Gray machines were defined as any mechanical, electro-mechanical or electronic device that could be used for gambling and was not authorized by the Kansas Lottery Commission or linked to the state lottery's central computer system.

Three Wyandotte County business owners - David Dissmeyer, Lester Lawson and Terry Mitchell - challenged the statute claiming it was too broad and vague. On Friday, the state Supreme Court justices agreed. As written, the definition could include everything from spinners in children's games such as Chutes and Ladders or Twister to personal computers and telephones on which it would be theoretically possible to make or place bets, the justices ruled.

Justice Eric S. Rosen, writing for a unanimous Court, said under the statute in question, “Computers with Internet connections are electronic devices that can be used for online gambling. Computers without Internet connections are electronic devices that can be used to play games on which bets can be placed. The computer on which this opinion was drafted is a gray machine because it is electronic, it is capable of being used for gambling, and it is not linked to a lottery central computer system,” Justice Rosen wrote.

Rosen wrote that because the statute allows state lottery officials to confiscate these devices, “this statute, as it is currently drafted, essentially deprives citizens and businesses in Kansas of their fundamental rights to own property.”

The ruling is expected to have little effect on a handful of alleged gaming violations being prosecuted under the overturned statute, because defendants those cases are also facing criminal charges under other statutes not affected by the court’s decision, said Patrick Martin, a Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission spokesman.

Gov. Terry Branstad's plan for a steep increase in the tax on casinos will not even be discussed as lawmakers negotiate over a new state budget and end this year's session later in the month, top Republican and Democratic legislative leaders said.

"As far as the Senate is concerned, we are not particularly interested in raising taxes," said Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. "We're a little surprised that the governor recommended a tax increase and were also a little surprised he's going to single out a single industry for tax increases so he can give breaks to other industries."

"The only gambling discussion that's taking place right now is in the Senate," said House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha.

The tax rate on most casinos is now 22 percent, with a couple paying 24 percent. Branstas proposed increasing the rate for all to 36 percent, which would bring in roughly $200 million. That's the amount of money he needs to find to pay for cutting the corporate income tax rate in half. The two spoke during a taping of Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" program airing later in the weekend.

There's been little enthusiasm for that proposal in the legislature, and both Gronstal and Paulsen said it won't be part of the negotiations as lawmakers bargain for a new state budget to put the finishing touches on this year's session. Lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn April 29.

Though control is split with Republicans running the House and Democrats running the Senate, both Paulsen and Gronstal predicted that lawmakers will be able to work out their differences and avoid the sort of government shutdown scenario facing Congress.

"I'm very satisfied with the progress we've made and I'm very satisfied with the dialogue that's taken place," said Paulsen. "I see a pathway to finding something that meets the needs of the Senate and the House."

Gronstal said Iowa is a very competitive political state, and the legislature is often divided. He pointed to one General Assembly where the Senate was divided 25-25.

"We've got a lot of experience in split government in many different ways," said Gronstal. "Speaker Paulsen and I are smarter than they are in Washington, D.C."

Gronstal said he entered the session understanding that compromise was going to be needed, and that will be the hallmark of the session's closing weeks.

"There's little likelihood of impasse," said Gronstal. "We're used to looking for common ground and compromise, that's kind of the nature of our positions."

"The system in Iowa is designed to lead us to that position," said Paulsen.

One hurdle that lawmakers must clear before adjourning is approving a new map of legislative and congressional districts, a vote scheduled for next week. Both spoke favorably of the initial proposed map.

"As I look at the House map, I see a pathway to Republican control and I can also see a pathway to Democratic control," said Paulsen. "That tells me it meets a certain level of fairness."

"We both kind of don't like what we see, but don't figure there's a way to get to a better map," said Gronstal. "We both look at the map and see no guarantees, but pathways. That's the essence of a fair map."

There is an old saying “if you can’t beat them, join them”. The Provincial governments of Canada are moving ahead to provide online gambling services to their populations. Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario have all started to get into the online gambling business noticing it is a trend that wasn’t going away.

Now Saskatchewan, a prairie province known primarily for the northern forested areas and the southern grain growing areas is considering entering into the internet wagering world.
According to the minister responsible for two publicly owned casinos, Ken Cheveldayoff the province has a renewed interest in creating an online gambling business for the province.
Cheveldayoff commented that he had seen online gambling advertised in media in Saskatchewan, adding, "I think that it's growing. It's there and it's something we're going to have to look at very closely."

It has been estimated that about $30 million is spent every year by people in Saskatchewan that place wagers online. It was noted by Cheveldayoff that if the government was collecting that money, profits could be spent on community programs. "What troubles me is that the profits are leaving the province and can't be reinvested in the good activities that Gaming Corporation, for example, does," Cheveldayoff said. The Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation, a provincial Crown, operates casinos in Regina and Moose Jaw which generated $43 million in profits a little under the projected profit of $50.8 million. The discrepancy was primarily due to a labour dispute last summer affected the number of visitors to the casino in Regina. The casino also shut down a number of table games and reduced operating hours during the dispute.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority also operates casinos in the province with profit sharing agreements in place for those operations. The province also owns and makes substantial sums of revenue from thousands of electronic slot machines or VLT’s, in bars and taverns across Saskatchewan.

Real estate tycoon and reality TV sensation Donald Trump might be serious about his 2012 bid for the presidency. Trump appeared on the Today show yesterday and slammed the current prez. If you saw the seriousness in Trump's eyes yesterday, what began as a funny rumor is winding up to be stark reality. Yes, President Trump could become our Governor in Chief.

Speaking to Meredith Vieira, Trump raved, "He doesn't have a birth certificate or he hasn't shown it. He has what's called a certificate of live birth and that's different. If you look at it, it's not even signed by anybody. Doesn't have a serial number."

However, it has been proven that Barack Obama's certificate of live birth does have a serial number and a stamped signature. Moreover, Hawaiian officials say it carries the weight of law. However, Trump counters that none of the evidence proves that the president was born in Hawaii and that he has investigators out there digging for the truth.

Reportedly, Trump has secured the rights to www-trump2012-com, which was purchased in 2004.

Back in October, Trump told Fox and Friends that China was “ripping this country like no one has ever ripped it before.”

“For the first time in my life, I’m actually thinking about it [running for president]. I see what’s going on with this country and it’s never been worse. What’s happening is a disgrace…I love this country, we have a great country … but it’s not really great like it used to be. Let’s face it, we are no longer respected the way we used to be respected, and if we keep going like this, within 10 years China is going to overtake us easily.”

Trump didn't actually admit that he was running for president on the Today show.

Trump said his involvement with The Celebrity Apprentice is the reason whey he can't announce that he's running.

"It sounds so trivial and I hate to even bring it up. But I'm not allowed to run during the show. It's a great show, and it's got phenomenal ratings. And until that show is over, I can't declare, because otherwise NBC would have to take the show off the air and I think that would be very unfair to NBC," Trump said.

The best part of the interview on the Today show was Bill Cosby's appearance immediately following, who told Meredith Vieira that Trump was "full of it" and that the only thing he was running was "his mouth."

Other Republican contenders could include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and dare we say it, Sarah Palin?

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No, the title of this article is not kidding or lying. In one of the most ironic articles I have ever written it seems that the place where the Federal laws are thought up, passed and enforced may well be the first state in the country to pass it’s own intrastate online gambling bill allowing residents to play poker over the internet. Now this is the same “state” where the White house and Congress have denied players across the country the right to gamble from their homes by passing the UIGEA bill which is still in force today. So how can this be? How can Washington ban online gambling throughout the country but yet make it legal in there district only? This is how; first we must remember that Washington DC is separate from the Federal government because it is located in the “District of Columbia” which does not fall under federal rules and laws. It is partially self-governing but also has to pay taxes like the rest of US residents. The District of Columbia elects their own Mayors and City council and implement their own laws but can be overruled by Congress when they deem it necessary.

The District of Columbia which already runs their own lucrative lottery has decided to add online poker this program. To add online poker to its lottery system, the District will pass their own intrastate gambling law allowing ONLY DC residents access and have experts assuring them that once set up these poker sites will only be accessible to Washington DC residents which makes up almost all of the District of Columbia. So how does the Federal government feel about this endeavor right in their own backyard? Seeing how the Feds are so against any type of online gambling becoming legalized in the country, you can bet they will not be happy with this new development and will most likely try to veto any progress made if they catch it in time! Congress has its hands full right now with the prospect of a government shutdown and it seems they may have forgotten that the deadline to block this possible bill passage passed YESTERDAY! HAHAHA, isn’t it ironic if the Federal Government blocked itself from blocking online gambling for a change! Stay Tuned…

When one of the favorite American Idol contestants, Pia Toscano, was shockingly booted last week, the world was stunned. However, fear not, Pia fans. Spies over at Perez Hilton report that Pia was seen heading into the offices of a record label. Reportedly, Pia will immediately begin recording her debut album with Interscope Records before the public forgets who she is.

"Starting right after the show, Interscope told her they wanted her and first thing [Friday] morning Interscope brass started calling every top songwriter and producer in town to get an album together and rush release it, a source told the media.

And good news for Pia, other Idol contestants who went on to do better than the winners of the shows include Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson and second runner-up, Adam Lambert.

AND – more Pia gossip – she was spotted with Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Mark Ballas at Gulfstream restaurant in Century City. Pia and Mark met because they were both rehearsing and shooting their shows beside each other at CBS Television City in L.A., that is, until Pia got the boot.

Mark is known for being the current partner to Disney star Chelsea Kane and was previously partnered with Bristol Palin. He is also known for an embarrassing moment he had with his prior 17-year-old dance partner, Shawn Johnson, back in 2009.

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Believe it or not there is a new solution to your love woes and it’s a bit reminiscent of your morning breakfast because it’s derived from the seductive scent of frying bacon. A company called Fargginay has created a unisex bacon scented perfume called “Bacon,” which apparently is sure to attract members of the opposite sex with its meaty scent ,but one can only wonder what else you will attract.

The smell and taste of bacon is undeniably attractive to many, hence the creation of bacon ice cream and bacon scented candles, but to douse yourself in the stuff is slightly different. Does the stuff work? Not sure if it really works but if you access the creator’s website you’ll find a few humorous accounts of the stuff being put to good use both as a joke and possible true accounts. One guy claims he used a combination of the bacon scent along with a splash of Davidoff Cool Water for the ultimate seductive potion.

According to the Fargginay website, it was John Fargginay, a French butcher who concocted the stuff together with essential oils and a dash of bacon scent which will do amazing things for your love life. Well, I’m not sure if it will actually attract the opposite sex but it just may awaken something in the person next to you whether it be a desire for a bacon cheeseburger or to maybe gnaw on your neck.

Ahh, at last pork scented fragrances are here at last. :1orglaugh

A Kansas law aimed at keeping gambling machines out of bars and other businesses is unconstitutional because it's broad enough to apply to any computer and even games such as "Twister" and "Chutes and Ladders," the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The law struck down by the justices is part of a 2007 act that also allowed state-owned casinos and slot machines at dog- and horse-racing tracks. The casino and slots provisions aren't affected by the court's unanimous ruling, but the decision creates a possible opening for legislators who'd like to revise them.

The Supreme Court ruled in a challenge to a law outlawing "gray machines" and accompanying statutes that allow the Kansas Lottery to confiscate them and make it a felony for a person to put such machines where they can be used by the public.

The first law defines a gray machine as a "mechanical, electro-mechanical or electronic device" that can be used for gambling, if it is not authorized by the lottery or linked to the lottery's central computer, or if it can simulate a game played on a legal gambling machine. Justice Eric Rosen said any computer -- even the one he used to write the court's opinion -- would qualify.

"Telephones can be used for making or placing bets," Rosen wrote. "Both 'Chutes and Ladders' and 'Twister' children's games use spinners, which are mechanical devices and which can, of course, be used for gambling."

Even before the 2007 law, Kansas outlawed non-lottery gambling machines in bars and other businesses, and made the possession and use of gambling devices illegal.

But Rebecca Rice, a Lindsborg attorney representing bar owners David Dissmeyer, Lester Lawson and Terry Mitchell, said those older laws required the state to show machines were being used for gambling. The older laws also were more precise in defining gambling machines.

Rice said the 2007 law doesn't require the state to show that a machine actually was used for gambling before confiscating it and prosecuting the owner.

"We think everything was outlawed," she said.

In ruling on the bar owners' lawsuit in 2009, Shawnee County District Judge Charles Andrews disagreed, concluding that even under the 2007 law, the older definition of gambling devices applied. But Rosen wrote in the Supreme Court's opinion that the newer law is clear on its face and, "few or no devices, tools or machines are legal" if they're available for public use.

Rice said there's no need for legislators to revise the 2007 law on gray machines with the older laws against illegal gambling still in effect.

"Hopefully, they'll leave it alone," she said.

Key legislators' opinions differed, though they agreed lawmakers should wait to deal with the issue until next year so they have time to study it thoroughly. In theory, legislators could tackle it when they return April 27 from their annual spring break to wrap up their business for the year.

Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican, worried gray machines will proliferate if legislators don't eventually act. But House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, said before taking up the issue, legislators should determine how common the machines are and whether they're likely to become more numerous.

But Davis acknowledged he and other legislators want to re-examine the gambling act for another reason -- hopes of luring a state-owned casino to southeast Kansas and slot machines to dog and horse tracks.

The 2007 act allows one state-owned casino each in the Dodge City, Kansas City and Wichita areas and in the state's southeast corner, as well as slots at three now-closed racetracks.

A casino opened in Dodge City in December 2009, and others are under construction in Kansas City and south of Wichita. But there are no proposals for a southeast Kansas casino and no interest among track owners in installing slots, and some legislators believe the law doesn't make them profitable enough.

Leaders of the Republican majorities in each chamber have resisted debating such issues, but considering a bill to rewrite the law on gray machines would give legislators a chance to consider them.

"That gives me the opportunity," said Rep. Bob Grant, a Cherokee Democrat who can't get a bill out of committee to lower the minimum investment required for a southeast Kansas casino from $225 million to $100 million. "I'm going to take a shot at it -- you bet."

It didn't take long for Cody Brown, the polygamist married womanizer to get his fourth wife Robyn, pregnant after their recent nuptials. The baby will be due in mid October.

"You should have seen the look on his face when we found out," Robyn tells People magazine exclusively. "It was priceless."

This will be the the first for Kody and Robyn, who has three children from a previous marriage. However, this baby will make the family unit itself, a whole lot bigger, making this child the 17th, if you add up the kids Cody has fathered with his three other wives, Meri, his only legal wife, Janelle, and Christine.

"I'm overjoyed," says Kody, 43, about the impending arrival of the new family member. "This connects Robyn and I together in a way that nobody can take away."

The sordid tale of love, multiple marriages and children is all documented on the reality show Sister Wives, which follows the fundamentalist Mormon family in Nevada. Brown, 43, and Robyn, 31, were married last January.

This news might be a difficult pill to swallow for Meri, Cody's first and only wife, who has had trouble conceiving herself and has one child and desperately wants another.

For those that don’t keep up with Madonna’s latest business ventures, the pop diva has started her own clothing line called “Material Girl” where she has hired the newly svelte Kelly Osbourne to become her new spokesperson but is she considering gastric bypass surgery in order to keep her new job and her figure?

Kelly just went through an amazing transformation after becoming part of Dancing With the Stars, which led to her losing 20 pounds and also served as her motivation to keep losing weight and lose a total of 50 pounds altogether. According to Shape Magazine, it was her dance partner during DWTS that helped her change her eating habits and also inspired her to take on the help of a trainer.

Now, according to Jezebel, Kelly is beginning to put some of her weight back on which she feels will hurt her chances to keep her contract with Madonna’s new line of clothing. It sounds like a bit of paranoia on her end but there have been rumors that she is considering having gastric bypass surgery which will definitely curtail her eating habits and help her keep her shape.

Her mother had a similar surgery so if she ever had any questions about taking it on at least she’s got her mom to walk her through it. The surgery involves having a band placed around the upper part of the stomach which limits ones dietary intake but it's only meant for severely obese patients.

The question is would Madonna really drop her if she put on a few pounds? She seems to be all business but maybe she can share some of her own fitness secrets with Kelly before she decides to take on the surgery.

It was about six months ago when Saskatchewan minister Ken Cheveldayoff had indicated that the Canadian province was considering venturing into online gambling. This week the government owned land gambling operator Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation has said pretty much the same thing. In its financial report the corporation has indicated that Saskatchewan may join British Columbia and Quebec and set up legalized and regulated online gambling.

The call for online gambling has been renewed in the wake of a not so satisfactory financial performance from the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation. Though the corporation has recorded a net income of Cdn$43 million in 2010, this was about 15% below target after a slow start in the early part of the year and a 53-day labor dispute. Net revenue for the year was also down by about Cdn$7.8 million from the previous year. The report said that the casino revenues should be maintained in 2011, but the company's outlook for the future without the induction of online gaming looks bleak.

However Cheveldayoff, the minister responsible for the Corporation, cautioned that as of now Saskatchewan was only studying the issue and it was too soon to say if the province would enter the online gambling arena. He added, "We won't be a leader in this area but at the same time we'll have to look and see what's happening and be cognizant of it taking place in our province today. What troubles me is that the profits are leaving the province and can't be reinvested in the good activities that the gaming corporation does."

The other online gambling news from Canada concerns the embarrassing launch of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's (BCLC) online gambling operator Playnow. Last year the Playnow online casino had to shut down within a day after its launch due to a serious security breach in its software. Last month Scott Norman, a senior Corporation I.T. executive, resigned from the organization. The Vancouver Sun insinuated that Norman was the "point person on IT matters" during the security breach crisis and that his departure signaled that he was responsible for allowing the breach to take place.

However, a BCLC spokesperson denied this allegation stating that Norman's departure had "absolutely no connection" to Playnow's launch issues. However, he refused to elaborate on Norman's responsibilities with the company. Norman has also given up his position with the Gaming Standards Association in British Columbia. The association's executive director Michelle Olesiejuk explained this by saying, "He resigned his position at his current company and – if you're not employed by a GSA member company – you can no longer hold the position of a board member." Norman himself was not available for comment.

Taiwan completed a draft gambling bill on Monday in a fresh attempt to bring casinos to the island, which is split between those who are perturbed by the betting industry's drawbacks and others who want jobs.

A referendum in 2009 saw one of Taiwan's outlying islands reject plans for a casino, but it has not deterred similar attempts being made.

Officials said the ministry of transportation and communication has completed a draft of the bill and is scheduled to submit it to parliament for approval in September.

Matsu and Kinmen, two Taiwan-controlled island groups off China's southeastern Fujian province, want to open casinos.

"Casinos are more than gambling," Yang Suei-sheng, a top official from Matsu county's government, told AFP.

"It is an industry which can generate investment and lots of jobs," he said, estimating that the business could bring in more than Tw$10 billion ($345 million) in investment and tourist income, mostly from China.

Tens of thousands of Chinese tourists visit Matsu and Kinmen each year.

Yang admitted that a casino could have negative consequences as claimed by opponents but said he believed they could be offset and in any case Matsu residents will have the final say during a referendum later this year.

The island government pushed through a controversial bill in parliament in January 2009 to lift a decades-long ban on casinos, allowing offshore islands to build them only if approved by local residents in a referendum.

The creators of the upcoming remake of the classic tale of the muscle bound hero who isn’t afraid to wear spandex, Superman, seem to have found him a villain battle against who is down with the kryptonite. He is General Zod who is set to be played by actor Michael Shannon in Zack Snyder’s upcoming release, Man of Steel.

The 36- year-old actor who received an Oscar nomination for his role in Revolutionary Road and also starred in the movie about Joan Jett’s rise to stardom, The Runaways, will be taking on the role of General Zod who was known to many as the villain who knew a little too much about Superman and knew exactly how to bring him down to his knees, in a sense.

The tale behind General Zod is that he is from the same planet as Superman and once served under his army. Because of their history, it has been said that he knows exactly how to get to Superman since they share similar powers but of course one of them uses them for good while the other seems to just go buck wild and destroy everything in sight.

The movie’s director, Zack Snyder, who is responsible for the big time hit 300 and others like the recent release Sucker Punch feels that Shannon is the perfect fit for the role. “Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role,” he said.

Other stars to add to the cast in Man of Steel include Henry Cavill as Superman himself, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Clark Kent’s parents.

Shannon was great in the movie, The Runaways, and totally has the villainesque appeal needed for Zod which just may force me to check it out next year.