MAC NEWS BRIEFS: ULYSSES 2 WRITING PROGRAM RELEASED (MACWORLD.COM)

Macworld.com - The Soulmen on Monday released Ulysses 2, the newest version of its creative writing program. The update sports a brand new interface throughout, as well as new project templates and project-wide search and replace. In addition, there are dozens of new enhancements and improvements to the browser and editor, such as the ability to add bookmarks, wider export format support, completely reworked preferences, a new startup panel, and more.

INVESTOR OFFER VALUES FACEBOOK AT 6.5 BLN DLRS (AFP)

AFP - A Russian Internet company is offering to buy 100 million dollars worth of stock from Facebook employees in a deal which values the fast-growing social network at 6.5 billion dollars.

DELL: PC DEMAND STABLE STABILIZING (AP)

AP - PC maker Dell Inc. said Monday it expects its fiscal second-quarter revenue to be slightly higher than in the first quarter, when sales plunged 23 percent to $12.3 billion.

OBAMA?S CHIEF AUTO ADVISER STEPS DOWN

Steven Rattner, who has faced recent questions about his firm?s role in a pension scandal, will be succeeded by Ron Bloom.

OFFER PUTS VALUE OF AT LEAST $6.5B ON FACEBOOK (AP)

AP - How much is Facebook worth? A Russian investment firm appears to put it at $6.5 billion to $10 billion.

CANADA'S ALLASTER NAMED WTA'S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE (AFP)

AFP - Stacey Allaster has been promoted to chairman and chief executive of the WTA Tour, the women's tennis circuit announced on Monday, replacing Larry Scott in the job.

MOSAID SUES IBM FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT (REUTERS)

Reuters - Patent licensing firm Mosaid Technologies Inc said on Monday it was taking IBM to court for allegedly infringing on six of Mosaid's U.S. patents.

INTERNET RADIO STAR PANDORA GETS NEW FUNDING DEAL (AFP)

AFP - Popular Internet radio service Pandora on Monday confirmed it is getting millions of dollars in new funding in the wake of clinching a deal on music royalty rates.

STOCKS CLIMB ON OPTIMISM OVER BANK EARNINGS

Shares of Goldman Sachs rose 5.3 percent and Bank of America jumped 9.3 percent, giving a lift to the stock market. The Dow gained 185.16 points.

BARON COHEN'S `BRUNO' BOWS TO $30.6M DEBUT (AP)

AP - Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" strutted to a first-place finish at the weekend box office with a $30.6 million debut.

TAKE TWO REDUCES FORECAST, DELAYS GAME LAUNCH (REUTERS)

Reuters - Take Two Interactive Software Inc reduced its financial forecast for the fiscal third quarter, as it delayed the release of one of its new video game titles and confronted tougher-than-expected retail conditions.

NATALIE PORTMAN ABANDONS ART HOUSE, THUNDERS TO THOR (E! ONLINE)

E! Online - Natalie Portman is nothing if not an equal-opportunity fanboy pleaser.

THE 'WAITING' IS OVER: 'GODOT' ENDS LIMITED BROADWAY RUN (PLAYBILL)

Playbill - The Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which opened to solid reviews on April 30, plays its final performance at Studio 54 July 12 at 2 PM.

BUSINESSWEEK IS SAID TO BE ON THE BLOCK

Business magazines have battled a slump that began three years before that of the overall magazine industry.

AIRLINES, ALREADY SUFFERING, BRACE FOR FURTHER WOES

Cuts in routes and employees may help airlines weather the downturn, but if conditions worsen, some carriers may not survive.

LINCECUM, HALLADAY NAMED ALL-STAR GAME STARTERS (REUTERS)

Reuters - San Francisco's Tim Lincecum and Toronto's Roy Halladay will be the starting pitchers for Tuesday's All-Star Game, Major League Baseball said on Monday.

TAKE-TWO CUTS OUTLOOK ON BIOSHOCK 2 DELAY (AP)

AP - Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. plunged 13 percent in after-hours trading after the video game maker cut its financial outlook, citing lackluster orders from retailers and the delay of a popular new title.

WHITE HOUSE GIVES UPBEAT FORECAST FOR ECONOMY

The Council of Economic Advisers sees robust job growth for the health care and environmental sectors.

RYAN SEACREST = HIGHEST-PAID REALITY HOST EVER! (E! ONLINE)

E! Online - He hasn't nabbed that Primetime Emmy yet, but Ryan Seacrest has landed himself one hell of a consolation prize: The biggest pay raise in reality-TV history.

INTERNET REGULATOR MULLS CYBERSQUATTING BLOCK (AP)

AP - The Internet's key oversight agency is considering a centralized database of trademark holders, to cut down on questionable registrations of new Internet addresses.

AP SOURCES: CUBS EXPLORING BANKRUPTCY FILING (AP)

AP - The corporate owner of the Chicago Cubs is considering having the baseball team file for bankruptcy protection as a legal step to hasten its long-awaited sale, according to two people with knowledge of the process.

WHY IS OPENSOLARIS GATHERING DUST ON A SHELF AT ORACLE? (PC WORLD)

PC World - People outside of IT seldom think of Oracle as a Linux company, but it is.

COMCAST ADDS HBO SHOWS TO WEB PROGRAMMING (REUTERS)

Reuters - Fans of HBO shows such as the 'Sopranos' and 'The Wire' can now watch them online if they are Comcast Corp subscribers, in the latest move by the cable TV industry to make TV programs available on the Web.

NOKIA SURGE EMPHASIZES SOCIAL CONNECTIONS ON AT&T (NEWSFACTOR)

NewsFactor - AT&T and Nokia on Monday announced the Nokia Surge. The companies are touting it as a socially supercharged smartphone empowered over AT&T's 3G network.

MY WORD! (TOY) NEWLY TAGGED "GAME"

My Word! (Toy)
By Out of the Box

Buy new: $6.50
9 used and new from $5.69
Customer Rating:

First tagged "game" by Linda T
Customer tags: card game(3), fast paced(2), fun game(2), word games, games, family game, reading games, spelling, challenging, travel game

#8: BODY GLOVE JUNIORS' SMOOTHIES BIKINI BOTTOM

Body Glove Juniors' Smoothies Bikini Bottom
Body Glove

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#1: BODY GLOVE JUNIORS' SMOOTHIES BABY LOVE TOP

Body Glove Juniors' Smoothies Baby Love Top
Body Glove

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#9: SOLID BLACK SWIMSUIT FULL BOTTOM: SWIMWEAR BOTTOM ONLY

Solid Black Swimsuit Full Bottom: Swimwear Bottom Only
Blue Sky Swimwear

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#3: RAISINS JUNIORS' PARADISE CITY STRINGER BIKINI BOTTOM

Raisins Juniors' Paradise City Stringer Bikini Bottom
Raisins

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#4: WOMEN'S BLUE SKY SWIMWEAR 'AVA' LOW-RISE RING BIKINI: SWIMSUIT BOTTOM ONLY

Women's Blue Sky Swimwear 'Ava' Low-rise Ring Bikini: Swimsuit Bottom Only
Blue Sky Swimwear

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#6: GREEN/BLUE PALM SWIMSUIT UNDERWIRE TOP: SWIMWEAR TOP ONLY

Green/Blue Palm Swimsuit Underwire Top: Swimwear Top Only
Blue Sky Swimwear

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(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#10: 2 PIECE SET: WOMENS BODY GLOVE TANKINI TOP & BOTTOM SET

2 PIECE SET: Womens Body Glove tankini top & bottom set
Body Glove

Buy new: $19.99

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#2: BODY GLOVE JUNIORS' SMOOTHIES SURF RIDER BOTTOM

Body Glove Juniors' Smoothies Surf Rider Bottom
Body Glove

Buy new: $28.50 - $38.00

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#7: GREEN/BLUE PALM SWIMSUIT V-FRONT BOTTOM: SWIMWEAR BOTTOM ONLY

Green/Blue Palm Swimsuit V-Front Bottom: Swimwear Bottom Only
Blue Sky Swimwear

Buy new: $44.00

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

#5: BODY GLOVE JUNIORS' SMOOTHIES SIDEKICK SWIM SHORT

Body Glove Juniors' Smoothies Sidekick Swim Short
Body Glove

Buy new: $46.00

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in String list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

MCGRAW-HILL TRYING TO SELL BUSINESSWEEK: SOURCE (REUTERS)

Reuters - McGraw-Hill Cos Inc is trying to sell BusinessWeek magazine, a source told Reuters on Monday, at a time when media advertising sales are slumping and would-be buyers for newspapers and magazines are scarce.

COMCAST TO STREAM HBO, CINEMAX ONLINE IN TRIAL (AP)

AP - And you thought the HBO hit TV series "Entourage" would never be streamed over the Internet

REPORTER'S FICTION DEBUT FROM HEADLINES (AP)

AP - "Sweet Mary" (Atria Books Hardcover, 242 pages, $24.99), by Liz Balmaseda: Real estate agent and single mom Mary Guevara is preparing for work when U.S. marshals suddenly show up at her door.

MCGRADY SWITCHING JERSEY NUMBERS (AP)

AP - Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady will swap his No. 1 uniform number for No. 3.

MICHAEL JACKSON FANS GATHER AT LONDON'S O2 ARENA (AP)

AP - Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered outside London's O2 arena to pay tribute to the star on what would have been the evening of his first concert.

COLLEGES TRIMMING ATHLETICS COSTS (AP)

AP - Some of the cost-cutting measures undertaken by college athletic departments and conferences:

LG WILL START ITS APPLICATION STORE OUTSIDE THE U.S. (NEWSFACTOR)

NewsFactor - LG Electronics has joined its rival mobile-phone makers in launching its own online store for applications. The Seoul, Korea-based company and world's number-three handset maker will launch the beta version of the app store on Tuesday.

FAWCETT FRIEND TO PUBLISH DIARY (AP)

AP - One of Farrah Fawcett's closest friends, Alana Stewart, is publishing a diary she kept as the actress battled cancer and then died last month.

ADVERTISING: BILLY MAYS IS GONE, BUT HIS INFOMERCIALS GO ON

Even after death, a legendary pitchman will continue to promote products on television.

NATIONALS FIRE ACTA, NAME RIGGLEMAN INTERIM MANAGER (REUTERS)

Reuters - The Washington Nationals have fired manager Manny Acta after making the worst start in Major League Baseball this season, the team said on Monday.

LANDON DONOVAN SELECTED MLS ALL-STAR FOR 9TH TIME (AP)

AP - Landon Donovan is an All-Star for the ninth time in nine MLS seasons.

RUSSIAN COMPANY OFFERS TO BUY FACEBOOK SHARES (AFP)

AFP - A Russian Internet company is offering to buy 100 million dollars worth of stock from Facebook employees in a deal which values the fast-growing social network at 6.5 billion dollars.

CHINA WIDENS INVESTIGATION OF STEEL INDUSTRY

Chinese authorities have detained or questioned at least seven Chinese steel executives in connection with the detentions last week of four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto.

JACQUES LEMAIRE RETURNS TO NJ DEVILS AS COACH (AP)

AP - Jacques Lemaire is returning for a second stint as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

VATICAN LAUDS GOOD/EVIL THEME IN HARRY POTTER FILM (AP)

AP - The Vatican lauded the latest Harry Potter film on Monday, saying "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made the age-old debate over good vs. evil crystal clear.

FROM BIKINI BOTTOM TO POP ICON; SPONGEBOB TURNS 10 (REUTERS)

Reuters - He lives in a pineapple under the sea but has fans in more than 170 countries, a theme-park ride and is one of the best-connected celebrities in the world.

CIT?S SHARES SINK AFTER GEITHNER?S COMMENTS

The diversified lender is in talks with regulators about ways to improve its near-term liquidity.

WESTERN GAS PIPELINE SECURES EUROPEAN SUPPORT

Four European governments signed an agreement with Turkey Monday for a gas pipeline that would reduce Europe?s dependence on Russian gas.

TOP STANFORD AIDE PLANS TO PLEAD GUILTY SOON

James M. Davis, the top lieutenant of R. Allen Stanford, plans to plead guilty to federal charges in an agreement with prosecutors, his lawyer said.

NATALIE PORTMAN JOINS THE CAST OF `THOR' (AP)

AP - "Star Wars" co-star Natalie Portman is storming back into action films with a role in the comic-book adaptation "Thor."

NFL STRIKES IMG DEAL TO SELL INTERNATIONAL TV RIGHTS (REUTERS)

Reuters - The National Football League said on Monday it has signed up IMG Worldwide, the sports and media company, as the agent to license select television rights in certain international markets.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: EMMY'S FOPPISH, GANGSTA, ROBOT HOST WITH THE MOST (E! ONLINE)

E! Online - UPDATE: Better late than never.

A PICTURESQUE START TO BRITISH OPEN WEEK (AP)

AP - Walking up to the 15th green at Turnberry, his ball safely in the middle, Tiger Woods turned to his left and pointed to a spot a few yards off the putting surface.

ONLINE MICROSOFT OFFICE APPS WILL CHALLENGE GOOGLE APPS (NEWSFACTOR)

NewsFactor - In a move to combat the growing use of Google Apps, Microsoft told developers on Monday it will make the key applications in its Office 2010 suite available free online. The announcement came at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS TO HOST CBS' EMMYCAST (AP)

AP - Neil Patrick Harris, who won critical acclaim hosting last month's Tonys, will fill the same role for the prime-time Emmys.

REAL HEAD TO PRE-SEASON TRAINING CAMP IN IRELAND (AFP)

AFP - Real Madrid departed Monday for Ireland where the Spanish giants will stage a pre-season training camp in the wake of a recruitment drive that saw them sign Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.

WORMS STRATEGY GAME SLITHERS ONTO IPHONE (MACWORLD.COM)

Macworld.com - Team17 Software has released Worms for the iPhone and iPod touch. It costs $5 and it's available for purchase and download from the App Store.

CONDUCTOR EXITS LEFT AS BOLSHOI THEATRE'S WOES MOUNT (REUTERS)

Reuters - The music director of Moscow's renowned Bolshoi Theater resigned suddenly on Monday, throwing the future of the institution's grand $1 billion rebuild into chaos.

SAFINA REMAINS ON TOP OF WORLD RANKINGS (AFP)

AFP - Dinara Safina remains top of the WTA rankings released on Monday despite being beaten by third-ranked Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

BIVENS OUT AS LPGA TOUR COMMISSIONER (AP)

AP - The LPGA Tour says Carolyn Bivens is out as commissioner and that Marsha Evans will take over as acting commissioner while the organization looks for a replacement.

DEALBOOK: CHILDREN'S PLACE FIRES BACK AT EX-CHIEF

The Children's Place has dug up a 2002 photo of Ezra Dabah, arm-in-arm with his hand-picked candidate for chief executive, after Mr. Dabah said he didn't socialize with the man.

ABC NEWS' BOB WOODRUFF RETURNS TO IRAQ (AP)

AP - ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff returned to Iraq on Monday for the first time since he was nearly killed there by a roadside bomb more than three years ago.

POLICE EYE WIFE IN GATTI'S DEATH, RULE OUT NOTHING (AP)

AP - Police investigating the death of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti are working on the assumption his wife strangled him with her purse strap while he drunkenly slept.

JUDGE: HATCH CAN'T TRAVEL FOR LATEST 'SURVIVOR' (AP)

AP - A federal judge in Rhode Island says "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch cannot leave home confinement early to star in a 10th anniversary edition of the reality show in Samoa.

GEORGE W. BUSH INSPIRED WRITER TARIQ ALI (REUTERS)

Reuters - Pakistani-born writer, political activist and filmmaker Tariq Ali thought he had switched for good from non-fiction to fiction in 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell but switched back when the United States decided to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.

BB SHOWS MONTREUX FANS WHY HE'S "KING OF THE BLUES" (REUTERS)

Reuters - BB King showed why he is still "King of the Blues" at 83 in a welcome return to the Montreux Festival.

OBAMA TO BE IN FOX BROADCAST BOOTH (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama will be in the Fox broadcast booth for Tuesday night's All-Star game.

STOCKS MOVE HIGHER AHEAD OF BANK EARNINGS

Stocks rose on Wall Street as investors awaited a slew of bank earnings announcements this week.

TIM LINCECUM, ROY HALLADAY TO START ALL-STAR GAME (AP)

AP - Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay were selected Monday as the starting pitchers for the All-Star game.

BULLS SIGN JANNERO PARGO (AP)

AP - Free agent guard Jannero Pargo has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bulls.

GORE BACKS AUSTRALIA ON CLIMATE CHANGE (AFP)

AFP - High-profile climate change campaigner Al Gore on Monday backed Australia's environmental policies and said this year's devastating brushfires were a savage reminder of the need to act.

NATS FIRE ACTA; RIGGLEMAN IS INTERIM MANAGER (AP)

AP - Manny Acta is out, and Jim Riggleman is in as the Washington Nationals manager.

OPEN SOURCE FOR MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS

A

MEXICO SETS RULES FOR MOBILE TELEPHONE BANKING (REUTERS)

Reuters - Mexico's central bank has established rules on paying for goods and services and making other financial transactions through bank accounts associated with mobile telephones.

DODGERS CEO DOESN'T JUDGE MANNY RAMIREZ (AP)

AP - The Los Angeles Dodgers' CEO says slugger Manny Ramirez has "paid the penalty" for violating baseball's drug policy and it's not for her to judge his actions.

NVIDIA RECOMMENDS UPDATING GEFORCE FX 4800, GTX 285 MAC DRIVERS (MACWORLD.COM)

Macworld.com - Nvidia has released what it calls “a critical” update to the Mac drivers for its GeForce GTX 285 and Quadro FX 4800 graphics chip. The driver update is needed to maintain Mac OS X kernel compatibility, and will affect users who plan to update to Mac OS X 10.5.8, according to an Nvidia spokesperson.

SEACREST SIGNS DEAL FOR 'IDOL' AND NEW PROJECTS (AP)

AP - Ryan Seacrest has signed a lucrative new deal that keeps him hosting "American Idol" through 2012 as well as participating in new projects.

APPLE RUMOR: $800 TABLET DUE IN OCTOBER (PC WORLD)

PC World - The rumors may be getting closer to the truth, or vice versa, as a report surfaced from Taiwan today that Apple plans to releases its much discussed tablet computer this October. Guesstimated pricing: $800.

MUSIC STREAMING CHIPS AWAY AT ILLEGAL FILE-SHARING (PC WORLD)

PC World - Online streaming music services such as Pandora, YouTube and Groove Shark are slowly chipping away at piracy, according to reports from the U.K. Though it's unlikely these free streaming sites will obliterate the drive to swap music via peer-to-peer networks, this news should come as heartening to music executives long plagued by those pesky iPod-wearing teens.

UBS AND U.S. GIVEN TIME TO SEEK A SETTLEMENT

A federal judge agreed to delay a hearing on an effort by U.S. prosecutors to force the Swiss bank UBS to turn over the names of wealthy American account holders suspected of offshore tax evasion.

TWITVID VIDEO UPLOAD APP RELEASED FOR IPHONE 3GS (MACWORLD.COM)

Macworld.com - TwitVid.com has announced the release of its eponymous application for the iPhone 3GS, now available for free download from the App Store.

WOODS GETS WESTWOOD, ISHIKAWA (AP)

AP - Tiger Woods can expect even more attention than usual the first two rounds of the British Open. He is playing with Lee Westwood of England and Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa.

"HARRY POTTER" DIRECTOR SAYS FINALE TO BE BEST YET (REUTERS)

Reuters - The sixth "Harry Potter" film opens on Wednesday and is likely to be another hit for the boy wizard series, but with filming started on the finale, British director David Yates says "you haven't seen anything yet."

JOBS STRIKES DEAL TO BRING DOWN, MOVE HOUSE (MACWORLD.COM)

Macworld.com - Steve Jobs is moving house—literally. The Apple CEO has long been seeking to demolish the 84 year old Jackling house, which resides on a plot of his land in Woodside, California, but others have argued the building is a “historic resource.”

WORST-IN-BASEBALL NATIONALS FIRE MANAGER ACTA (AP)

AP - So much for the plan to have Manny Acta's patient optimism lead the Washington Nationals out of the doldrums. The abysmal won-loss record became too much to stomach, costing him his job at the All-Star break and adding another layer of instability to the worst team in baseball.

MICROSOFT TAKES ON GOOGLE WITH FREE OFFICE PROGRAMS (REUTERS)

Reuters - Microsoft Corp will release a free version of its dominant Office software that users can access over the Web, catching up with products that arch rival Google Inc launched three years ago.

OFFICE 2010 LOOKS SOLID AND SMOOTH (INFOWORLD)

InfoWorld - Say what you will about the Windows monopoly, it was Office that made Microsoft's fortune. After all, what's an OS without applications? Over the years, Microsoft evolved a humble word processor and spreadsheet into a tightly integrated suite of groupware and productivity applications. Today you'll scarcely find a business desktop without Microsoft Office installed.

MICROSOFT OPENS EARLY TESTING ON OFFICE 2010 (AP)

AP - Microsoft Corp. is giving a select group of technology-savvy testers an early peek at Office 2010, but it's still keeping Web-based versions of Word, Excel and its other go-to programs under wraps.

IPHONE GAMES FOR 99 CENTS? MEET EA'S 8 LB GORILLA (PC WORLD)

PC World - What's about to make Apple's iPhone quick and tiny and cheap all over? Electronic Arts, that's what, with their maverick new micro-studio, cutely dubbed 8 lb Gorilla. The plan? 99-cent iPhone games to appear in pint-sized installments on a semi-monthly basis. App Store browsers at the ready?

2 JAPANESE BEER AND FOOD GIANTS CONSIDER MERGER

A merger of Suntory and Kirin, if successful, would give rise to a food giant on par with U.S.-based Kraft Foods and Pepsico.

CAT VS. THE COLLAR

My cats have a hold on me. They look at me with those big owl-like eyes and some how get me to buy them stuff. They don’t have many toys; most of them end up beneath the refrigerator anyway. Some times I give in while out and about and pick up a toy or two. On this most recent trip (to the dollar store!) I found some new collars. They don’t go outside, but this is the only way most people can tell them apart (red collar vs. green collar.) Anyway…

I never thought about it before, but why do companies put bells on a cat collar? I know that it’s supposed to help mice so they know when to run away (thank you Tom & Jerry!) But isn’t it like torture for a cat? Here they have this great toy around their neck, but they can’t get it. The more they move, the more noise it makes and they go crazy. Or is it meant for my own entertainment?

Here’s a video of Voodoo trying to get the bell on his collar – feed readers you’ll probably have to join me on my blog.

After laughing at him for a while, I took the collar off and let him attack it a bit. I felt bad keeping it on him. So now they’re both sporting their old collars, which, funny enough, have bells on them, but they don’t seem to notice or care. Weird?

P.S. The 20SB Swag Bundle winners have been announced! Stay tuned for another fun bundle giveaway!

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CHINA?S DETENTIONS OF EXECUTIVES RATTLE INVESTORS

The detention of four Rio Tinto executives on spying charges could have a chilling effect on foreign businesses deals in China.

JACKIE CHAN, JADEN SMITH START 'KARATE KID' REMAKE (AP)

AP - Jackie Chan will play the wise kung-fu master in a Hollywood-Chinese remake of the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid" that kicked off filming in the Chinese capital at the weekend, a movie company publicist said Monday.

DO YOU NEED TO RE-ENROL FOR IRIS?

Users of IRIS - our iris recogntition immigration system - from South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Bolivia and Venezuela can no longer use the facility unless they have re-enrolled for it.

STOCKS RISE SLIGHTLY IN EUROPE AFTER DOWN DAY IN ASIA

Investors are awaiting an onslaught of bank earnings announcements this week.

IMAX FOCUSED ON ASIA AS PART OF GLOBAL EXPANSION (AP)

AP - Megascreen theater company IMAX Corp. is hoping Harry Potter's magic touch will help catapult the company itself into a global smash hit.

RIVAL BIDDER FOR G.M.?S OPEL SAYS DEAL IS NEAR

General Motors? plan to sell its European operations to a Canadian auto parts maker and a Russian bank appeared to be in trouble, when another bidder said it was nearing a deal for the unit.

APPROVAL BY A BLOGGER MAY PLEASE A SPONSOR

When a blogger recommends a product a company has handed her or him, how much disclosure are readers owed? Even the Federal Trade Commission wonders.

CELTIC SUPPORT CANCER-STRICKEN HARTSON (AFP)

AFP - Celtic have sent a message of support to the family of former Scottish footballer of the year John Hartson who is in hospital battling cancer, the Glasgow club's website said on Monday.

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS BEATS EXPECTATIONS

The Dutch conglomerate said sales may show some improvement in the second half after reporting a second-quarter operating profit that beat analyst expectations.

TORO ROSSO TEAMMATE SAYS SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS IS OUT (AP)

AP - Sebastien Bourdais' stint with Toro Rosso is over, according to teammate Jaime Alguersuari.

TV CRITICS WEIGH IN ON EMMY PICKS (REUTERS)

Reuters - With their livelihoods threatened by downsizing and layoffs and bloggers equipped to impersonate them, it's easy to understand why television critics might not feel they receive all the respect they deserve these days.

CHINA'S WEB PORN ARRESTS INCLUDE TECH-SAVVY SITE OWNERS (PC WORLD)

PC World - Chinese porn site owners who tried to hide from Web police by moving their illegal ventures to foreign servers are the latest victims in China's crackdown on online smut.

WISBECH RESTAURANT FINED AGAIN

A Wisbech restaurant is now facing a fine of up to £50,000 after it was caught employing illegal immigrants for the second time in less than a month.

WOODS GET IN ANOTHER PRACTICE AHEAD OF BRITISH (AP)

AP - Tiger Woods had another look at Turnberry as he prepares for the British Open, hopeful of taking possession of a major championship trophy again.