Guys & Gals, Keep Your Bodies To YOURSELVES!

Something that has been hitting the news recently has been athletes and celebrities being overexposed, in a very bad way. A couple of weeks ago, Portland Trailblazer Greg Oden experienced a PR nightmare when pictures surfaced of his "male parts" (for lack of better words) all over the internet. Oden was embarrassed, and said the pictures were for an old girlfriend, and somehow, were spread on the net. Another kind of situation like this occured when San Antonio Spurs guard George Hill appeared in nude photos on a website, and the pictures seem to have been taken from his mobile phone. There are cases like this everywhere, with the most popular being Kim Kardashian and rapper Ray-J's self made sex tape that surfaced a couple of years back. This caused both stars public embarrassment, and tons of endorsement. Celebrities just can't seem to get away from the camera, and it is a shame! If they don't want creepy middle aged men and young teenage girls treating their bodies like an amusement park, simply quit the dirty play. It's about being thruthful to yourself and having self respect. I'm sure these celebrities don't want the entire world knowing what they have underneath their clothing, so they should probably take my advice.

On a more local level, things like this have happened in high schools. Girls would take photos for their boyfriend, and once they broke up, the boyfriend would show all of his friends what kind of goodies his girl was hiding. This is downright disgusting and should not be tolerated. My word to the wise, BE SMART! Don't let it happen to you. There is no need to send pictures via email, facebook, text message, etc. If only Kim took my advice....

GQ News = CLAV Taking Flight

A few months back, I stressed the importance of networking, especially in the business field. Getting a job is straying away from what you know and focusing more on who you know. If you have a connection or an in somewhere, it could lead to many opportunities. I have a perfect real-life example to discuss. A friend of mine here at Seton Hall, Connor Laverty, had the opportunity to pose for GQ Magazine because one of his friends knew someone who worked for the magazine. Without that contact, Connor would still be playing pickup basketball games hoping for something exciting to happen. As you can see by the picture, Mr. Laverty is a good looking man. Look for him in the April Issue of GQ Magazine. Connor is the next up and coming model!

CONNOR IS THE MALE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTO.

Obama's New 2011 Budget

Today, US President Obama proposed his 2011 Fiscal Year budget he will send Congress. Here are some of the details regarding the $3.8 trillion budget for next year:

Still a little extra in your paycheck
The Making Work Pay tax breaks would be extended for a year. These were part of last year's stimulus and resulted in slightly higher paychecks for 110 million families, the White House said.

More money for education
Obama wants $3 billion more for elementary and secondary education programs and $1.35 billion for his Race to the Top program. Pell grants, which help students pay for college, would increase by $17 billion.

Big-shovel items
The president is seeking more than $100 billion for state and local infrastructure projects and $4 billion for national and regional infrastructure work.

Debt reduction
The president's budget would reduce the nation's debt by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Obama would let the Bush tax cuts expire for high-income families, impose a "financial crisis responsibility fee" on large banks and end fossil-fuel tax subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies. Discretionary spending that is not defense-related would get a three-year cap, saving $250 billion over the next 10 years.

Big incentives for small business
Small businesses would get a $5,000 tax credit for every net new employee hired this year. Startups launched this year would be eligible to halve the tax credit. Businesses also would be reimbursed for Social Security taxes they pay on increased payrolls this year. Companies could earn the credit by raising pay or increasing hours worked.

Defense
To pay for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama is seeking $33 billion in supplemental funds for this budget year and $159.3 billion for next year's. Funding for military families would increase 3 percent to $8.8 billion. The president would appropriate in advance $50.6 billion for veterans' medical care.


Proposed budget savings
• Discontinue the program to build a repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Savings in 2011: $197 million

• End oil and gas company tax preferences. Savings in 2011: $2.6 billion. Over 10 years: $36.5 billion

• End coal subsidies. Savings over 10 years: $2.3 billion

• Terminate program to develop an alternative engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter. Savings in 2011: $465 million

• Terminate production of C-17 transport. Savings in 2010: $2.5 billion

• Cancel the Constellation Systems program intended to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Savings per year: $2.5 billion to $5 billion Read more

• Eliminate subsidies to student loan providers and increase the Department of Education's capacity to make loans directly to students. Savings over 10 years: $43 billion

• Terminate program to build EP-X manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Savings in 2011: $10 million

• End grants to manufacturers of worsted wool. Annual savings: $5 million

• Eliminate grant program for inter-city bus security. Annual savings: $12 million

• End competitive grant program for local communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Savings in 2011: $10 million

• Terminate the Navy's Next Generation Cruiser. Savings in 2011: $46 million

• End Corps of Engineers low-priority construction projects. Savings in 2011: $214 million

• Terminate Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, aimed at fostering "new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Savings in 2010: $1 million