Gee, it seems like only yesterday that Star Jones was reveling in all the media attention of her gaudy and over-the-top wedding. Actually it was three and a half years ago. Now, the attention has waned, and I guess marital bliss wasn’t quite what she expected. So Star Jones is seeking a divorce. Now we have the Star Jones Divorce story. It is spreading quickly and should be in the news for awhile to come.

Star Jones Files for Divorce
Former “View” co-host Star Jones has filed for divorce from Al Reynolds, her husband of three-and-a-half years, “Entertainment Tonight” reports.

The filing took place on March 26 in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. Starlet M. Jones versus Al S. Reynolds was marked as an “Uncontested Matrimonial” case by the court and the records were sealed, “E.T.” said.

In a statement released to “Entertainment Tonight,” the 46-year-old former “View” co-host says: “Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. A month ago I filed for divorce. The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone’s life that requires privacy with one’s thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman.”

Jones married Al Reynolds, 39, at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in New York City on Nov. 13, 2004. The wedding, which had 500 hundred guests, three matrons of honors, 12 bridesmaids and four flower girls, came under scrutiny when Jones discussed its sponsors at length on her ABC show.

An attorney, Jones began her broadcasting career as a commentator on Court TV and spent several years as a legal correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show. She joined “The View” in 1997 and on June 27, 2006, announced she would be leaving the show after being told that her contract wasn’t going to be renewed.

Jones also hosted her own show on cable’s truTV (formerly Court TV). She has authored two books: “You Have to Stand for Something, or You’ll Fall for Anything” and “Shine.”

Personally, while I wish her and her soon-to-be-ex-husband luck, I was never impressed with her when she was on “The View.” Her wedding was one big circus of attention and sponsorship. I’m not surprised it didn’t last.

A six-legged kitten was born last week in Florida. His owner named him “Hex” which is quite appropriate. Very clever, I think. The vet called the kitten “a freak” but the owner prefers “Hex.”

Here’s the story:

6-Legged Kitten Born In Fla.
Cat’s Twin Fused While In Womb
MIRAMAR, Fla. — A Florida veterinarian calls a recently born six-legged kitten a freak of nature, but his owner just calls him Hex.

According to the vet, Hex is actually one-and-a-half cats.

He was supposed to have a twin, but half of the other cat fused to him in the womb, leaving him with six legs.

Hex’s owner is trying to establish a fund to help pay to have the extra legs removed.

A Vietnamese girl has been dealing with a steadily growing schwannoma tumor on her face for over ten years. It is a giant tumor. I won’t include a photo because it is quite disturbing. You can click this link, though, if you want to see it. It’s sad because we have a choice about whether or not to look at the photo, and yet this 15-year old girl has to live with this tumor everyday - and know that looking at her face is something that most news services won’t show because of how shocking and disturbing she looks.

Girl to Have Giant Facial Tumor Removed
Surgeons Prepare for 10-Hour Surgery to Remove Enormous Growth
By DAN CHILDS
For most of her life, 15-year-old Lai Thi Dao has lived a life that many teenagers could not comprehend.
For the past 10 years, a slowly growing tumor has gradually consumed the lower part of the Vietnamese girl’s face. As it grew, normal tasks such as talking, eating, drinking and sleeping became increasingly difficult.

Lai has never been to school. And since the tumor is heavy and located on one side of her body, even walking has become a challenge.

Tragically, the growth, known as a schwannoma tumor, started off as little more than a cyst on Lai’s tongue. At this stage, the surgery to remove the growth would have been quick, cheap and relatively painless. But Lai had little access to medical care where she lived, leaving the tumor to continue to grow.

Now, a team of surgeons at the University of Miami is preparing for a marathon 10-hour procedure next Tuesday intended to cut away the growth, which now weighs an estimated 10 pounds and could be the largest recorded tumor of its kind reported in the medical literature.

Now the news is reporting that the tumor is 16 pounds. God bless this young girl and bring her safely through this surgery.

Thomas Sturges has been identified as the guy in the racy photos of Miley Cyrus.

All I can say is, “Please, Miley, don’t go the way of other young stars like Brittney. My two little grandgirls, ages 5 and 7, think you’re wonderful. They want nothing more than to be like you because you’re so funny and cool and talented.”

Here’s part of the story:

Thomas Sturges has been identified as the boy in Miley Cyrus’s green bra photos that were leaked online this week.

Sturges is seen in two of the three pictures in the scandal. In one picture, Cyrus, the Hannah Montana star, is on Sturges’ lap, pulling her shirt up to show her midsection. The second photo has Cyrus just laying on top of Sturges as they cuddle.

The third photo, which caused the most controversy in the scandal, shows Cyrus flashing her green bra into the camera, exposing her underwear top.

It is uncertain if Sturges is Cyrus’ new boyfriend, but he is seen in several cozy photos with Cyrus on her MySpace page and in other leaked photos online.

So back to Miley: “Remember that any photo or video that’s taken will almost certainly end up on the internet. You wanted fame, and lack of privacy is the price of fame. Think about consequences of your actions, and know that there are millions of young people - especially young girls - who look up to you and will emulate you. It’s not all about you. Just remember that.”

I could post the racy photos, but I don’t intend to do that. We don’t need to see Miley showing off her underwear or getting cozy with her boyfriend What we need is for celebrities to understand the far-reaching impact of their actions and to be responsible with the tremendous influence they have.

Today is Earth Day, and many folks are looking for books that they can share with their children to help them learn the importance of caring for our earth. Here are three great book selections for children on Earth Day:

The Wump World by Bill Peet
Ibis: A True Whale Story by John Himmelman
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

There are many other books, but these are three that I can personally recommend.

Robin Roberts is such a good news personality. She brings a lot of heart to whatever she reports. Last summer, she was diagnosed with cancer. She had to undergo chemotherapy which resulted in the typical chemo-related hair loss. Declaring that she didn’t want to make her illness a focus of the ABC’s Good Morning, America that she co-anchors, she started wearing a wig. Chemotherapy ended awhile back, and now that her hair has started growing out, she decided today to dump the wig and go au naturale.

I was watching Good Morning, America this morning and saw Robin Roberts. Apparently, not long after I left for work, she was talking to Diane Sawyer and declared that it was time to dump the wig. She swept the wig off her head and revealed her nearly bald head. You can watch the video here. Very touching and inspiring. She has a dignity and grace about her that makes her almost-bald head a beautiful thing.

The latest thing in jewelry linked to special occasions is a “divorce ring.” And why not? There are promise rings and engagement rings and wedding rings. There are rings to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays and other benchmarks in one’s life.

The “Dear Abby” column in the Chicago Tribune discussed a divorce ring recently.

I pawned my wedding band and engagement ring. The clerk asked if I was going to buy a divorce ring. I had never heard of one. I searched online, found a nice one, ordered it and wear it proudly

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports about a divorce attorney who found and purchased a wedding ring “coffin” .
Nothing celebrates a dead marriage quite like this: a coffin for wedding rings.

Lined with black velvet and covered with a smooth mahogany finish, the miniature wedding ring coffin is just big enough for a wedding band, diamond engagement ring and perhaps a few dried rose petals, tears — or cheers depending on where you’re at on your closure time line.

You can order a wedding ring coffin here. Here’s their spiel on the coffin and its use:

Your Wedding Ring Coffin comes with an engraved brass plaque bearing a message which conveys your final thoughts about your marriage. Choose from one of our standard messages or create your own unique personal message.

Four metal handles which match the brass plaque provide the finishing touch. The split lid gives you the option for an open or closed casket.

Each coffin is tastefully packaged in a quality gift box.

The Wedding Ring Coffin is the perfect way
to close the lid on your dead marriage. It’s time to…

Bury the past and move on to a new tomorrow

There is even a website that tells you how to make a profit from divorce rings:

The design is simple: a thick gold band with a break in the center and three bands of white gold on one side. One band for the year you met your ex. One band for the year you married. One band for the year of the divorce.

Thompson wears his Divorce Ring on his left middle finger.

Check out this website for all your divorce jewelry needs. Divorce jewelry has been in the news before, too.

The world’s oldest known person turns 115 on Sunday, April 20, 2008, and she lives right here in the U.S.A. Her name is Edna Parker, and she has been a widow since her husband died in 1938. That’s EIGHTY years of being a widow. She has also outlived her two sons.

My sister, Janice, sent an email to our family with an article about how older people are generally happier. As people get older they learn to take things in stride and to enjoy what they have. That seems to be the case for Edna Parker.

Here’s the story:

Indiana Woman, Oldest Known Person, Turns 115 on Sunday
Associated Press
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. Maybe it was a lifetime of chores on the family farm that accounts for Edna Parker’s long life. Or maybe just good genes explain why the world’s oldest known person will turn 115 on Sunday, defying staggering odds.

Scientists who study longevity hope Parker and others who live to 110 or beyond - they’re called supercentenarians - can help solve the mystery of extreme longevity.

“We don’t know why she’s lived so long,” said Don Parker, her 59-year-old grandson. “But she’s never been a worrier and she’s always been a thin person, so maybe that has something to do with it.”

On Friday, Edna Parker laughed and smiled as relatives and guests released 115 balloons into sunny skies outside her nursing home. Dressed in pearls, a blue and white polka dot dress and new white shoes, she clutched a red rose during the festivities.

Two years ago, researchers from the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University took a blood sample from Parker for the group’s DNA database of supercentenarians.

Her DNA is now preserved with samples of about 100 other people who made the 110-year milestone and whose genes are being analyzed, said Dr. Tom Perls, an aging specialist who directs the project.

“They’re really our best bet for finding the elusive Holy Grail of our field - which are these longevity-enabling genes,” he said.

Only 75 living people - 64 women and 11 men - are 110 or older, according to the Gerontology Research Group of Inglewood, Calif., which verifies reports of extreme ages.

Parker, who was born April 20, 1893, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest of that group last August after the death of a Japanese woman four months her senior.

A widow since her husband, Earl, died in 1938 of a heart attack, Parker lived alone in their farmhouse until age 100, when she moved into her son Clifford’s home. She cheated death a few months later.

One winter night, Clifford and his wife returned home from a high school basketball game to find her missing. Don, their son, says he discovered his grandmother in the snowy darkness near the farm’s apple orchard. He scooped up her rigid body and rushed back to the house.

“She was stiff as a 2-by-4. We really thought that was the end of her,” he said.

But Parker recovered fully, suffering only frostbitten fingertips.

Fifteen years later, her room at the Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, Ind., about 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis, is adorned with teddy bears and photos of her five grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great grandchildren. She’s outlived her two sons, Clifford and Earl Jr.

During a visit this week, Parker was captivated by a new album of photos and documents from her life that Don’s wife, Charlene, had assembled.

“That’s the boys,” she said hoarsely, tapping a photo of her two late sons in their youth. “Clifford and Junior.”

Her two sisters also are deceased. Georgia lived to be 99, while her sister Opal was 88 when she died.

Parker’s long-lived sisters are typical of other centenarians, according to Dr. Nir Barzilai, director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Institute for Aging Research in New York. Nearly all of them have a sister, mother or other relative who lived a long life, he said.

“Longevity is in the family history,” Barzilai said.

He and other scientists have found several genetic mutations in centenarians that may play a role in either slowing the aging process or boosting resistance to age-related diseases.

Perls said the secret to a long life is now believed to be a mix of genetics and environmental factors such as health habits. He said his research on about 1,500 centenarians hints at another factor that may protect people from illnesses such as heart attacks and stroke - they appear not to dwell on stressful events.

“They seem to manage their stress better than the rest of us,” he said.

A school fight - planned in order to get a video to post online has happened again. This time the kids are only 12 to 14 years old. Is it just me, or does are the kids of today lacking a basic regard for human life?

Here’s the story:

Police: Indiana Beating of 12-Year-Old Posted Online Similar to Florida Attack
Associated Press
CLARKSVILLE, Indiana — A group of middle school girls videotaped the beating of a 12-year-old schoolmate and posted it on the Internet in an attack that authorities believe was inspired by a similar one in Florida, police said.

No charges have been filed and police said they have not yet interviewed all the girls, ages 12-14, who are students at Clarksville Middle School in Indiana. The girls’ identities were not released because they are juveniles.

The victim, who was treated for cuts and bruises at a hospital, was the daughter of a police officer, said Police Chief Dwight Ingle.

Police said the girls lured the victim to a parking lot near a warehouse in the town just north of Louisville, Kentucky, on April 12 and beat her up. The violence was videotaped and later posted on the video-sharing Web site PhotoBucket, Ingle said. It has since been removed.

The video begins with one girl arguing with the victim and escalates into a fight during which the 12-year-old is repeatedly hit in the head as other girls watch and laugh, police said.

Detective Darrell Rayborn said Thursday that police believe the plot was inspired by a similar scheme in which a group of teenage girls in central Florida posted the videotaped beating 16-year-old victim online. Parts of that video have been widely seen on TV and Youtube.

Clarksville school Superintendent Stephen G. Fisher said he did not anticipate disciplinary action against the students because the fight did not occur on school grounds

I’m not a Catholic, and so I’m not sure why Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the USA is so touching to me. CNN just had some footage of his visit to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. There was a children’s choir singing (at least it sounded like a children’s choir - I couldn’t see it, though), and Pope Benedict was walking among some disabled children and blessing them. The children were on either side of the walkway, and he stopped at each child and gave each child his complete attention at that moment, and touched the child’s head with both hands. It was very tender. Seriously. I had tears in my eyes just watching it. Maybe because it was apparent how much his blessing meant to the adults who were with the children. Pope Benedict seems to be a very good person, and I’ve been impressed and touched by his words and actions during his visit here.

I can’t find a photo of his visit to St. Joseph’s today, but here is a photo of Pope Benedict with some children in Brazil.