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Josh Kelley gets personal on debut country album

Josh Kelley is out with his first country album _10 years after he set out to make one.

The singer-songwriter says "Georgia Clay," released last week, was worth the wait because what happened after Nashville first turned him down for a record deal prepared him to make the best record of his career.

Kelley, 31, is now married to actress Katherine Heigl, and they've started a family. Both themes play heavily throughout the album.

"It's about me getting married to Katie. It's about us moving three times. It's about us adopting a little baby girl from South Korea who is now 2-years old," he said in a recent interview. "We got her when she was 9 months old and how that completely changed both of our lives."

Kelley wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks. Songs like "Baby Blue Eyes," "Don't You Go," "Two Cups of Coffee" and "Learning You" reflect his love for Heigl.

The couple married in Park City, Utah, on Dec. 23, 2007 and adopted Nancy Leigh, or Naleigh as they call her, in the fall of 2009. Kelley wrote the song "Naleigh Moon" about the moment where she accepted him as her dad.

"It was very touching and immediately turns you into a much more selfless person," he said. "To be an entertainer, you have to be pretty self-absorbed, to do it successfully. It just comes with the territory. It's what happens. I just remember when she came, I quit obsessing about everywhere I thought I should be. I just sort of let life happen, and once I let life happen, things started falling in place."

Kelley's younger brother Charles of Grammy-winning country group Lady Antebellum has seen him evolve as an artist through the years.

"His songwriting, it's a lot more honest, and I think he's a lot less selfish as a human being. I think we all are when we get married," said Charles in a phone interview. "It kind of calms you down, makes you kind of realize what's important in life. I think a lot of those songs reflect that."

The Augusta, Ga., native attempted to get a country record deal when he was a college student at the University of Mississippi, but when the Nashville labels passed him up, he signed with Hollywood Records and moved to Los Angeles.

"I was trying to be country from the very beginning, but everybody knows you've got to pay the bills," he said. "So I let those bluegrass songs become pop songs for as long as they could."

He's now thankful for those unanswered prayers.

Kelley went on to have two top 10 hits on Billboard's adult top 40 chart — 2003's "Amazing" and 2005's "Only You." He met Heigl on the set of his music video for "Only You" when she was cast as his love interest.

Kelley parted ways with Hollywood Records in 2005 and bought a house in Nashville. He set up a home studio and started his own label, DNK Records. That inspired Charles to move to Nashville with hometown friend Dave Haywood, where they soon met Hillary Scott and formed Lady Antebellum. The group benefited greatly from Kelley's busy touring schedule and visits to see Heigl in Los Angeles.

"We were able to just kind of have free reign of all these instruments and studio equipment and kind of develop our sound on our own," said Charles.

Kelley released four albums independently to moderate success. The experience of running a label made him a more helpful artist for the label he's on now, MCA Nashville.

"When you run your own label, you're your own manager, you're the treasurer, the CEO, you're the vice president. I don't know. I wore many, many different hats," he said. "But (now) I'm having the best time of my life only wearing one hat."

From watching his brother's career unfold, Charles Kelley said he had a very realistic view of how hard it is to make it in the music business.

"He's had to hustle kind of his whole career, and I think it shows how resilient he is as an artist," said Charles. "He never gave up, and there were definitely times that I think I probably would've thrown in the towel and called it quits. Josh just isn't that kind of guy. He stuck with it."

The song "Gone Like That" gave Kelley his country music break and led to him signing with MCA in 2009. He wrote and recorded it, intending to pitch it to another artist, but his publisher told him no one else would do it justice. That set the ball rolling for "Georgia Clay."

He is now fully prepared to start from square one as a country artist. Kelley has been touring with Miranda Lambert and will be opening selected shows on the North American leg of Taylor Swift's Speak Now World Tour this summer.

"There was no ego involved in this at all. ... I love it. I love the road. I like showing people what I'm made of," he said. "There's a hunger for me to be playing in front of bigger crowds and to have bigger success."

Rugby star Foden arrested over taxi ruck

England full-back Ben Foden was arrested after an altercation with a London taxi driver, it was confirmed Tuesday.

Foden, 25, was detained on suspicion of causing criminal damage following his arrest in the early hours of Monday morning, police confirmed.

The Northampton player was released on bail on Monday afternoon after spending the night behind bars following the incident along with a friend.

Foden, who has become England's first choice full-back since making his full debut during last season's Six Nations, had been out on the town celebrating Northampton's 39-3 Premiership victory over Wasps on Sunday.

The Rugby Football Union said it would await the outcome of the investigation before deciding if further disciplinary action against Foden would be taken.

"We are aware of the allegations but at the current time this is a matter for the player and his club and we are working with them to understand the facts of the situation," an RFU spokesman said.

"We will wait to see the outcome of any police investigation before deciding if further action is required."

Northampton meanwhile said the club would co-operate with "all relevant authorities" in the investigation.

"Northampton Saints takes any such allegations very seriously and is conducting its own investigation to ascertain all the facts of the alleged incident," the club said.

"The club is working with Ben Foden and his representatives, the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby and will continue to do so during the investigation process.

"Both Northampton Saints and Ben Foden will also continue to co-operate with all the relevant authorities."

New Education, Skills Provide Hope for Unemployed N.C. Resident

Yahoo! News asked readers to share their experiences of unemployment and job-hunting. Below is a story from a reader.

[Your Voice: ]

In 2007, I was happily employed in consumer relations for a tobacco company in Winston-Salem, N.C. But almost overnight, it seemed, heads started to roll and I was not spared. In 2008, I was laid off.

I felt a sinking sense of loss. I had expected to retire from this position. Always able to find a job before, I again started the process. I wasn't aware of the approaching economic crisis or that age discrimination in employment really did exist. My concerns grew as I applied for job after job, only to be rejected for being over-qualified, under-qualified or because the position was filled.

Unemployment insurance of around $250 a week helped for a while, but itcame nowhere close to replacing my salary of almost $30,000. I occasionally write freelance articles. But this can't pay monthly bills of $1,000 or more.

Now, unemployment has expired and life is even more difficult.

Myhusband, disabled due to a brain tumor in 2003, receives a regularbenefit, though minor. Had our three-bedroom mobile home not been paidfor, we would have been in much more dire straits. Luxuries, no matterhow minor, are a thing of the past -- as are some necessities. No moredinners out, and new clothes are rare. I no longer visit my doctor. I'm in my 50s, and forthe first time in a few decades, I am without medical insurance and myhusband needs glasses we cannot afford.

Maintaining a positive attitude, I returned to school in 2009, feeling that God had opened a new door for me. After being out of school for almost 30 years, I went through an adjustment and settled into routine. I applied for any job for which I was remotely qualified. Eventually, scholarships and grants helped with our household finances.

I am fortunate to have assistance from the Forsyth Countystaff. They paid my mileage and tuition until I secured a Pell grant. WIA assists with resume help, job listings and as a supportive sounding board with a kind word when I need it most.

In my two years at Forsyth Tech, a N.C.I earned several certifications in horticulture. Also, through Small Business Administration classes, I learned how todevelop and implement a business plan. Armed with new skills andinformation, I hope I can make a profit from horticulture.

Since becoming certified, I regularly apply for horticulture jobs and in consumer relations. I remain flexible and willing to travel long distances from my residence in Pinnacle. But while I have gotten some positive responses, no one has called with a firm offer.

Right now, I have a stack of five resumes set to go out to greenhouses and horticulture businesses. As the national unemployment rate gradually drops -- as it did, , on Friday -- I remain hopeful.

Nissan Q3 down 15 percent, ups forecast to match consensus

YOKOHAMA (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co's (7201.T) quarterly profit fell 15 percent on a stronger yen and sliding Japanese sales, but the decline was the slimmest among local automakers as a slew of new models helped Nissan beat the sector's growth in key markets.

Nissan, which overtook Honda Motor as Japan's second-biggest automaker last year, has been a standout particularly in China, where a lineup of small cars that qualified for tax incentives fueled 36 percent sales growth last year.

It was also among the few brands to grow in the tepid European market, helped by the new Juke crossover and the older Qashqai SUV.

For the full year to March 31, Nissan, owned 43 percent by France's Renault SA (RENA.PA), raised its operating profit forecast to 535 billion yen from 485 billion yen. That matched the 534 billion yen projection in a survey of 26 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Third-quarter operating profit fell 15 percent to 114.00 billion yen, smack in line with an average estimate of 113.9 billion yen in a Reuters poll of eight analysts. Net profit fell jumped 78 percent to 80.07 billion yen.

Nissan's profits made in China are counted at the operating level, unlike those of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Honda Motor Co (7267.T), because it reports under Japanese accounting rules.

COMPETITION TO HEAT UP

Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn has aggressively pushed Nissan into fast-growing markets such as China, India and Russia, and is credited for raising its profile as a pioneer in electric cars with the launch of the Leaf, the world's first mass-volume electric vehicle, in December.

But a slowdown in China's overall car demand could hit Nissan the hardest after the government pulled the plug on incentives on cars with engines smaller than 1.6 liters such as its Tiida model, at the end of 2010.

Nissan has also outperformed in the U.S. market but is set to face tougher competition this year as Toyota and Honda remodel top-selling cars such as the Camry and Civic.

Honda and Toyota also raised their profit forecasts for this year. Toyota's shares soared 5.2 percent after its earnings announcement on Tuesday and after it was cleared in a U.S. government safety probe.

Nissan's shares have gained 12 percent over the past three months versus a 16 percent rise in Tokyo's transport sector subindex (.ITEQP.T). Before the results were announced, Nissan's shares ended up 2.5 percent at 893 yen.

(Editing by Anshuman Daga and Michael Watson)

N.Z museum mulls options for mummified Maori heads

WELLINGTON (AFP) – For decades, New Zealand has campaigned for museums to repatriate the mummified and heavily-tattooed heads of Maori warriors held in collections worldwide -- now it must decide what to do with the gruesome but culturally valuable relics.

New Zealand's national museum Te Papa has more than 100 of the heads, known as toi moko, in storage in Wellington, along with about 500 skeletal remains plundered from Maori graves as recently as the 1930s.

In Maori culture, the dark swirls and geometric designs of traditional facial tattoos on men recognised high birth and rank, as well as achievements on the battlefield.

Te Herekiekie Herewini, who leads Te Papa's repatriation programme, said the heads of deceased chiefs or family members would be mummified as a way of preserving their spirit, while enemies' heads were preserved as war trophies.

"Initially the mummification of heads and bodies was part of our normal mourning process," he said.

"But when Europeans came, they saw the exotic nature of the heads and they became a coveted trading item because they were of commercial value in Europe, America and Australia."

The heads became so valuable that in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, some Maori hunted members of rival iwis (tribes) and murdered them to supply the burgeoning market in European museums for exotic human remains.

"For some of the iwi, trading in toi moko was strategic in accessing items such as muskets and European tools," Herewini said.

The trade in human heads was banned in the 1830s but over the next century museums turned their attention to skeletal remains.

New Zealand medical students also fed the demand, as they were required to take their own skeletons when they attended overseas colleges, with most of the bones robbed from Maori tombs.

"People would go to known caves or hidden burial sites where they knew Maori remains were and, without permission, they would take them and trade them," Herewini said. "Every museum wanted their own Maori head or Maori skeleton."

The grisly curios continued to be displayed in museums around the world, including New Zealand, until the 1970s.

Herewini said it was around then that Maori began pushing for the repatriation of their ancestors' remains, often meeting fierce resistance from institutions which feared it would set a precedent that could eventually see them forced to return human remains such as ancient Egyptian mummies.

The French parliament last year voted overwhelmingly in favour of returning around 15 Maori toi moko after years of debate about the implications of the move.

"These are much more than simple museum pieces," French lawmaker Michele Tabarot said at the time.

"These are human remains and some of these people were deliberately murdered to satisfy a despicable trade."

Herewini said repatriating remains was an emotional issue for Maori, who had a strong connection to the land and wanted to give the warriors the dignity of a proper funeral.

"For us, it's taking an ancestor back home, so it's the whole process of remembering," he said. "They're family members and it's important for them to be returned home to their resting place.

"The iwi don't know exactly who these people are but they do know they're connected to the land. They think about the different battles they were in, the different lifestyle they lived and the possible connections they have with them directly."

While the remains are returned to their iwi whenever possible, Herewini said that a lack of historical records meant about a quarter of the heads and bones held at Te Papa could not be identified.

They are stored in acid-free boxes in a special area of the museum and never go on display. Even viewing images of toi moko is considered taboo in Maori culture, Herewini said.

Building a permanent mausoleum for the unidentified remains in Wellington is under consideration but the Ngati Kuri tribe, in the country's far north, has put forward an alternative proposal.

They want to bury them near Te Rerenga Wairua, or Cape Reinga, the northernmost point in New Zealand, where Maori believe the spirits of the dead depart for the afterlife.

"It's a special area where there are ancient burial sites," Ngati Kuri Trust chairman Graeme Neho said. "Provided the other iwi agree, we believe placing their final resting place there would be a comfort to them and we would be their guardians."

Regardless of the remains' final destination, Herewiri sad he would continue his quest to return Maori ancestors to their homeland.

"For me, it's about righting a wrong, whether that was committed by Maori or Europeans is really immaterial," he said.

"It's completing the circle and bringing these people back home."