A host of stars from the world of politics, music and film gathered to celebrate former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event in London on Wednesday.Statesmen and Russian oligarchs were to converge at the Royal Albert Hall for the party to celebrate his achievements, hosted by Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey…

tall and is topped with purple-spotted flowers from midsummer through fall, making it the longest flowering of all toad lily species. It is estimated that it should be winter hardy from Zone 5-8, at least.(Image available upon request)Plant Delights Nursery was recently named one of the Top 7 mail order nurseries in the country by…

Los Angeles injury attorney Carl A. McMahan receives the prestigious AV(R) Preeminent(TM) Peer Review Rating(SM) from Martindale-Hubbell(R).Los Angeles, CA (Vocus/PRWEB) February 16, 2011 Los Angeles attorney Carl A. McMahan has received the prestigious AV(R) Preeminent(TM) Peer Review Rating(SM) from Martindale-Hubbell(R).The AV(R) Preeminent(TM) rating is the highest such peer review rating available to any individual lawyer.…

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A graffiti-enhanced poster attributed to secretive British artist Banksy was ripped down in Hollywood, amid sightings of other pieces in a reported pre-Oscars publicity campaign in LA.Banksy is nominated for best documentary for "Exit Through the Gift Shop" at the Oscars, due to be announced on February 27 at the climax…

OTTAWA (AFP) – US and Canadian defense chiefs on Thursday vigorously defended the F-35 fighter jet program, despite criticism over costs and technical delays.Amid a partisan feud in Canada over the government's plans to buy the stealth warplanes, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the continued support of Ottawa and seven other international partners for…

Tucson, Ariz. – Clarence Dupnik, the sheriff in Arizonas Pima County, ignited a national firestorm with remarks about vitriol after the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson. Now, several movements are afoot to oust Sheriff Dupnik from the office he has held for more than 30 years.Soon after the Arizona shooting, Dupnik linked it to…

RIYADH (AFP) – The Saudi stock market, the largest Arab bourse, plunged 6.43 percent to 6,267.22 points on Saturday as tensions soared in Egypt, where deadly anti-government protests continued for a fifth day.The market has been gripped by severe anxiety because of the events in Egypt, traders told AFP, expressing fears that other Gulf markets,…

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Sliding profit margins at Amazon.com prompted mixed reactions from analysts on Friday, a day after it posted quarterly results, though most of them stuck to their top ratings on the world's largest online retailer.The results showed profit margins at the company were sliding, worrying investors and sending its shares down more than…

SEOUL, South Korea – Samsung Electronics, the world's largest manufacturer of computer memory chips and flat screen televisions, said net profit rose 13 percent in the fourth quarter amid higher sales of semiconductors and smartphones as the technology giant rounded out a record year for earnings and revenue.Samsung warned, however, of a cloudy outlook for…

This week, on the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama said Roe "affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters."Sen. Rick Santorum meanwhile sparked a controversy saying abortion is a "civil rights" issue akin to slavery that President Obama should understand. He's right. Slavery was once considered a…