Mammoth Blog

Country musicians Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss will play a high-profile gig next week at the White House.

A spokeswoman for Paisley said Wednesday that he and Krauss, who had a hit duet a few years ago with "Whiskey Lullaby," will participate in the White House Music Series hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.

On Tuesday afternoon, they'll help with an educational workshop for 120 middle and high school students from across the country.

That night, they'll play in the historic East Room for President Obama and his wife, White House staff and members of Congress.

Michelle Obama launched the series to encourage arts and arts education. It featured jazz last month and will continue in the fall with classical music. source>>>

On this day in 1965, the NASA space probe Mariner IV sent back the first close-up photographs of Mars. Live on a Florida TV broadcast of July 15, 1974, newswoman Christine Chubbock announced: "And now, in keeping with Channel 40's policy of always bringing you the latest in blood & guts, and in living color, you're going to see another first -- attempted suicide." She pulled out a revolver and shot herself in the head, dying 14 hours later at a hospital. source>>>

Their haulers were located no more than 25 yards apart in the Sprint Cup Series garage.

But when they climbed out of their respective cars after tangling during Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch were worlds apart in their opinions about what had just transpired between them on the 1.5-mile track.

An angry Busch thought Johnson wrecked him. A much calmer Johnson said Busch "body-slammed" him.
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Race for the lead

The lead changes hands in just a few laps as Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin work the bumper and Johnson and Kurt Busch trade paint.

* Watch video

Objective observers of the incident on Lap 252 of the 267-lap event saw Busch, Johnson and Jeff Gordon go three-wide after Johnson had lost the race lead one lap earlier following contact he absorbed from behind by the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin. When Gordon got under Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet on the inside, with Busch riding high on the outside in his No. 2 Dodge, Johnson appeared to get loose and bump Busch unintentionally.

Busch then appeared to retaliate by deliberately turning into Johnson.

Asked what happened between the pair shortly after climbing out of his car, Johnson replied: "I'm not really sure. I don't think there really was anything. We were all just racing up off of [Turn] 4. The 24 [Gordon] got inside of me and got me a little loose, and then the 2 and I touched. When we touched, he just came down and body-slammed me, trying to get some room from me. But it was just a racing thing. The 24 got inside of me and got me sideways."

Busch described the incident a whole lot differently.

"The 48, we got run into [by him] at Sonoma, we got run into again," Busch said. "I'm starting to lose faith in his ability to be a three-time champion on the track. I'm disappointed. I gave him room and we got pounded into the fence.

"Then we had a left-rear tire rub [as a result of the contact]. Luckily we got a yellow, got 'er fixed, and finished 17th. A couple of runs were spoiled by the 48, but we kept digging."
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Johnson eventually recovered enough to finish eighth, but that was somewhat disappointing for him after losing the lead on the botched restart so late in the race.

"It was one of those days. I probably had this thing won at one point, and then one of those restarts didn't work out so well for us," Johnson said. "Everybody was out of control back there, racing and body-slamming. The 83 [Brian Vickers] and 11 went after it a little bit. We were bump-drafting down the straightaways. That was some wild racing right there. I didn't think we could race like that on a mile-and-half [track]."
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I'm trying to decide what's going on with the 48. I've lost a little bit of respect for him.
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KURT BUSCH

Busch was extremely upset about all the wild racing, which he blamed mostly on Johnson. He also indicated that he's wondering if Johnson has some issues with him.

"It looked like the 48 just ran out of room. We got spun together at Sonoma and got hit here again. I'm trying to decide what's going on with the 48. I've lost a little bit of respect for him. I gave him room -- and he pounded us into the fence coming off Turn 4," Busch said.

"Then we got a tire rub. Luckily we got a yellow to come in and fix it, instead of fencing it. ... I mean, we were running eighth-to-12th and had an OK car. But when he had that bad restart, man, he was like a ping-pong ball just bouncing off guys."

Johnson said he had no doubts that Busch hit him on purpose -- and was making plans to do so again when he thought better of it.

"I don't know if it cost me the win, but he certainly body-slammed me pretty hard," Johnson said. "What's funny is that he was coming to hit me again and he saw the 24 on the apron and I think then he realized I didn't run him up the track on purpose.

"You know, at the end of the race everybody's tempers are high. He's one of those guys whose temper can get away from him. When he first hit me, I was like, 'Man, this is racing. This isn't necessary.' But then he backed off."

Of course, Busch realized nothing of the sort. He made it clear after the race that he didn't appreciate the initial contact caused by Johnson. Asked if he deliberately gave Johnson a retaliatory shot immediately afterward, Busch replied: "I didn't wreck him; I got wrecked."

Busch then was ushered away by Tom Roberts, his public relations man, before he could answer any more questions. Johnson sounded like he thought the incident would be forgotten by the time the two race against each other again in two weeks at Indianapolis. The Sprint Cup Series gets a rare weekend off next weekend.

"First I have to find out if he's mad. I kind of thought it just was a racing thing. But the fact that everybody's asking about it makes me wonder," Johnson said.

"We'll see. We'll talk at some point. The good thing is that you always end up running into each other. You end up talking at driver intros or something. It never fails. You run into somebody on the track and the next week you get put in the back of a pickup truck with 'em [for pre-race driver introductions]." source>>>

If your favorite book happens to be Seabiscuit, you already know the answer to the following question: What are the three legal forms of online gambling in the United States?

The Federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, passed in 2006, put the kibosh on all kinds of online gambling, with the exception of fantasy sports, online lotteries, and horse/harness racing. It actually wasn't the betting that was outlawed, but the transfer of money from a bank to an online gambling site. In any event, for online betting houses in the U.S., the party was over -- sort of.

Online gambling in the United States still goes on -- billions of dollars every year -- it just happens via offshore outfits and offshore accounts. Strictly speaking, in ain't legal, but when you have a feeling about a big football game, or you have a poker itch to scratch, well, you'll find a way to scratch it.

Goldman Sachs in a recent research note to investors estimated that online poker and casino games alone could be worth up to $12 billion in the U.S. The white-shoe investment bank also concluded that because of the tax implications alone, the U.S. market is likely to be legalized sooner rather than later.

That is exactly what U.K.-based Betfair, one of the world's largest Internet gambling companies, is betting on. But rather than wait for all forms of gambling to get the green light, it's making its initial push in the U.S. via horseracing. "We want to bring the Facebook generation to the track," says Gerard Cunningham, who heads up Betfair's U.S. operations.
0:00 /4:19Andreessen launches fund

In January, privately-held Betfair acquired Los Angeles-based American TV Games Network, an online horse race betting company for $50 million. The price tag was so hefty in large part because TVG has its own television channel that broadcasts horse racing to 32 million households across the United States.

Cunningham is currently staffing up in Silicon Valley. The plan is to build a technical team that can combine that television property with a brawnier website, which can stream live horse races to viewers and add all the social media bells and whistles, including Twitter feeds, chat and blogging -- to make the horse-racing experience more akin to watching an episode of "Lost" on Hulu.

In the United States in 2008 about $14 billion was bet on all forms of horse-racing -- $1.5 billion was bet online. Betfair's TVG handled about $500 million of the online transactions. And while it is currently restricted to so-called parimutuel betting in the U.S. (where the house takes a cut of the overall pool of bets), what it hopes to do, as laws allow, is to bring exchange betting to the U.S.

Exchange betting is where Betfair has made its name outside of the U.S., and is what makes Betfair one of the largest pure-play Internet companies in the world. In concept the model is similar to eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500), only instead of providing a marketplace where buyers and sellers are connected, Betfair's model matches up people on both sides of a bet. That bet can range from a match at Wimbledon to the outcome of a political contest. One person proposes a wager and another person (or group of people) take the other side. Betfair makes its money on a 2% to 5% commission paid by the winner. In the year ending April 2008, that amounted to $396 million in revenue and $69.5 million in profit for Betfair.

Like the Goldman Sachs analysis, the Betfair team believes that online gambling will be expanded in the United States, probably on a state by state basis rather than with a sweeping federal law, Cunningham says (hearings on a bill proposed by Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank that would undo most of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement are delayed until at least September).

The technical team he is building in Silicon Valley is therefore taking a very modular approach to what its building online so that various components of online gambling can be turned on and off depending on the laws in individual states (or even countries). So that might mean poker and horseracing in one state, and sports betting in another.

Right now, Betfair is focused exclusively on horse racing in the United States, because that is what is emphatically legal, Cunningham says. "When other forms of gambling become legal, we'll be ready," he says. "Until then, if it's even a grey area we're not going to touch it." To top of page source>>>

A former NBA all-star is accused of passing nearly a million dollars in bad checks at Las Vegas casinos. Thirty-two-year-old Antoine Walker has been charged with three felony counts of passing the bad checks while taking out markers at Caesars, Planet Hollywood, and Red Rock Resort. Under Nevada law, gambling debts are handled as bad check cases. The District Attorney's office is asking a judge for an arrest warrant against Walker. source>>>

The Ultimate Fighting Championship formally announced today that UFC 103 will take place on September 19 in Dallas, and four fights have been set: Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann, Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller, Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg and Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca.

Notice anything missing?

What's missing, of course, is a main event: I like all four of those fights, but none of them really has the sizzle of a main event, especially not on pay-per-view, which UFC.com says this card will be on. Even if the rumored Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic vs. Junior dos Santos fight goes on, I'm not sure that's a main event either. The other rumored fights for the card (Sean Sherk vs. Gleison Tibau, Rafael dos Anjos vs. Matt Wiman and Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal) are all interesting, but not the kinds of fights that draw pay-per-view buyers.

So I'm puzzled. Is Swick vs. Kampmann the main event, with the added bonus of UFC President Dana White saying the winner will get the next shot at George St Pierre's welterweight title? Or is Cro Cop vs. Cigano the main event, with the draw of a legendary heavyweight taking on a young up-and-comer?

Or will another big-name fighter be added to the card? And if so, who could it be, when most of the big names either fought recently or have other fights scheduled? Will Rich Franklin, always a good company guy, jump in on fairly short notice? Will the UFC shock everyone and bring back Tito Ortiz?

I don't know. If all eight of the fights I mentioned above go on at UFC 103, that's actually a pretty decent card for the fans in Dallas to see. I just don't see a main event that can carry a pay-per-view. source>>>

n addition to a likely show in Montreal, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will visit two new Canadian locations in 2010.

UFC CEO and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta said the organization has "penciled in" Vancouver for a June 2010 pay-per-view event, and the executive also gave his "guarantee" the UFC will head to Toronto for what will be the "biggest mixed martial arts event in North America."

The comments, made during a keynote speech at the UFC Fan Expo, were reported by the Canadian Press.

To date the UFC has hosted two events in Canada. Both events took place in Montreal. UFC 83 was held in April 2008 and drew 21,390 attendees (a North American MMA attendance record) for a $5.1 million gate. UFC 97 took place a year later and drew 21,451 for a $4.9 million gate.

Vancouver, home to nearly 2.2 million people, is Canada's third-largest metro area in the country. Toronto, with 5.2 million residents, is the largest.

The Toronto event could take place at the Rogers Centre, formerly the SkyDome, which could seat nearly 70,000 people for a mixed-martial-arts event.

UFC officials are working with local legislators to get needed regulation in place to host the shows. Under the current ownership, the UFC has made significant process in the U.S. A total to 40 states now regulate the sport, and an additional seven are in advanced stages. However, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs has plenty of work ahead of him in Canada, a nation with a strong MMA following. source>>>

Another week, another one-day sale ... Live Nation is continuing its summer "No-Fee Wednesday" promotion, this time by expanding it to include "select" reserved seats as well as festival lawn seats at a flat, "all-in" price stripped of those much-hated add-ons: The Fees.

On No-Fee Wednesday, July 15, It's $29.99 for unreserved lawn tickets and $49.99 for a limited number of reserved seats. As with last week's sale, the price includes parking, a hot dog and a soda.

The impulse seems like the right one, to make concert tickets more affordable to all. Live Nation also wants to create some fresh excitement around concertgoing at a bad time for the U.S. economy. Maybe it's working: More than 500,000 tickets have been sold on Wednesdays since the promotion debuted June 3, says Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin.

But No-Fee Wednesday has also caused headaches, with Live Nation plugging the weekly deal into a complicated grid of tiered prices and pre-existing promotions.

Some consumers are confused, and wary, and they're approaching the sale skeptically, or not at all. Some entertainment writers, self included, are confused. And not without reason. Live Nation could have come with a lot more clarity and detail when they rolled this program out.

On Day 1, June 3, no-fee ticket buyers discovered they would, in fact, pay a fee -- for parking. An outcry followed. Live Nation responded with the "all-in" price for concert, car and two-piece meal (or is it a snack?).

Ticket buyers also found that some discounts cannot be combined: The bargain 4-packs of lawn tickets, for example, retain their fees on Wednesdays. So it's up to the consumer to do trial buys on Wednesday at livenation.com using both scenarios -- 4-pack with fees versus 4 single tickets without fees -- to figure out which is cheaper. That's a nuisance.

And there's this: A few shows offer regular, non-sale lawn seats that cost less than $29.99 even with fees included. What happens to those tickets on No-Fee Wednesdays?

Their price will not go up, says Live Nation's Vlautin. They'll actually drop a little, he says, in keeping with the intent of the promotion.

Vlautin gave the Aug. 12 Mayhem festival (Slayer, Marilyn Manson, et. al.) at Cruzan Amphitheatre as an example. Thursday through Tuesday, a lawn ticket for Mayhem at Cruzan is $9, plus a $6.25 ticket fee and a $6 parking fee (though no free food), for a total of $21.25, or $8.74 less than the $29.99 promotion.

On Wednesday, says Vlautin, that ticket will be $20 flat - parking, hot dog and soda included.

But these alterations don't address every scenario -- like this one, described by someone who e-mailed me last Wednesday about Crue Fest 2, Aug. 27 at Cruzan:

This is kind of strange because yesterday for Crue Fest 2, I could buy a 5 dollar lawn ticket using this promotional code from Subway. Now, that promotion has suddenly disappeared--so my real question now is, is a soda and a hot dog really worth the other 25 dollars? I don't even eat meat, so this Wednesday deal from Livenation doesn't really do much for me :/

Not even counting the e-mailer's diet, there are a couple of variables here. It's possible the $5 Subway promo expired after last Tuesday. That, or it was superseded and canceled out by No-Fee Wednesday.

I followed up on this question today with Vlautin at Live Nation, who wrote back:

"The Subway [discounts] are based on availability, so it's possible that the inventory for that promotion was exhausted.

"But tomorrow [i.e. Wednesday] all other offers are active, so fans should shop around for the best deal on LiveNation.com."

So to answer the original question: yes, No-Fee Wednesday can actually save people a good deal of money. ]

Consider Crue Fest 2 at Cruzan. If you buy a single lawn ticket Tuesday through Thursday, it'll cost you $47.60: the $29.50 base price plus a $12.10 ticket fee and a $6.00 parking fee, and no free food. Buy it tomorrow, and it's $29.99 even.

Of course, it would have been much cheaper with a working Subway promotion code.

Remember, also, there are conditions attached to No-Fee Wednesday. The footnoted fine print of Live Nation's press release reads:

Subject to availability. Participating shows. Does not include any shipping costs. General admission or reserved seats where applicable. Serving size may vary per venue.

Lastly, I've heard stories of No-Fee Wednesday customers who still wound up paying full freight, fees and all.

So a bit of caution and lowered expectation toward this deal makes sense, until Live Nation decides to simplify the rules -- or just shrink all its prices, period. The country's biggest, most dominant concert promoter -- soon to merge with the biggest dispenser of seats, Ticketmaster -- could start by negotating smaller guarantees for artists, then pass the savings on to fans, if it's not already doing so.

No-Fee Wednesday in South Florida covers all shows currently on sale at Cruzan, Pompano Beach and Bayfront amphitheaters, and runs for 24 hours beginning 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, only at livenation.com.

And next week? Here's the latest from Live Nation:

"Instead of picking a new offer for next Wednesday on its own, Live Nation announced that beginning today the company will ask concert fans across the country to go to LiveNation.com and choose the promotion they want for next week's 'No Service Fee Wednesday.' Fans simply go to LiveNation.com and click on the 'You Pick the Next Promotion' button to vote for one of three offers for next Wednesday, July 22nd. Voting will continue until midnight Eastern tomorrow, July 15th, with results announced on the following Monday."
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Online casino affiliates the world over are faced with many potentially lucrative opportunities when it comes to choosing the brands they promote. The reality is that there is a big discrepancy in the service levels offered by the literally hundreds of affiliate programs out there today.

"The quality of service provided by many programs can vary greatly," says Ryan D, Editor at Online Gambling Insider. "While some programs have built up a really good reputation and work hard to differentiate themselves, others can be downright awful."

But what makes a good affiliate program? Is it the quality of the brands they promote, their software, or their people?

"While there are many programs that excel in some respects, only a handful offer a world class service in most areas of affiliate program management," Ryan continues. Once such a program, he believes, is Brightshare.com. "When it comes to offering first grade customer service, quality brands, exceptional creative and usable technology, Brightshare ticks all the boxes, says Ryan. "But the most important ingredient is always people, and in this department, the Brightshare team has very few peers."

"If you are not promoting the Brightshare brands today, you're making a big mistake," Ryan concluded.

About Brightshare and The Jackpot Factory
BrightShare was established in 1999 and has been widely regarded as a leader in the field of casino affiliate marketing. Visit Brightshare.com.

They work exclusively with the Jackpot Factory Group, one of the most respectable gaming groups on the Internet. Established in 1999, the Jackpot Factory boasts five Microgaming Viper casinos including All Slots Casino and All Jackpots Casino, two Spin3 mobile casinos, an online poker room and an online bingo hall. Read more about the Jackpot Factory Group.

About Online Gambling Insider
Online Gambling Insider is an independent gambling guide that prides itself in delivering unique services to the online gambling community. Their $1000 deposit guarantee is the only of its kind in the industry and gives players peace of mind that they have a safety net should their winnings not be paid. The portal reviews many other leading online casino brands including US online casinos.
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Affiliate programme NeoGames Partners is offering one lucky partner a holiday of a lifetime worth up to €4,000 for bringing in at least 50 new depositing players.

NeoGames Partners runs the affiliate programme for two of the world's biggest scratchcard sites, Scratch2Cash.com and Hopa.com, and offers beneficial marketing tools allowing partners to promote the pair in an easy and convenient way. It also offers attractive commission programmes enabling affiliates to earn substantial amounts of money.

To take part and possibly win the vacation, simply sign up at NeoGamesPartners.com and bring in at least 50 new depositing players in July. From there, eligible affiliates will be entered into a random prize draw with the ultimate prize of a holiday anywhere in the world worth up to €4,000 on the line. source>>>

I am very excited to announce the keynote speakers for Affiliate Summit West 2010, which is taking place January 17-19, 2010 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

We will have two keynote speakers for Affiliate Summit West 2010: Dr. Robert Cialdini and Brian Clark.

Dr. Robert CialdiniDr. Cialdini is an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation. And in the field of influence and persuasion, Dr. Cialdini is the most cited living social psychologist in the world today.

Dr. Cialdini is President of INFLUENCE AT WORK, an international consulting, strategic planning and training organization based on the Six Principles of Influence.

I mentioned in a blog post a couple months back on Recommended Reading for Internet Marketers that Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is my favorite business book. If you haven't read it, as well as the other books by Dr. Cialdini, I'd highly suggest you pick them up.

Brian ClarkBrian Clark, also known as Copyblogger, is a ten-year-veteran of Internet publishing and marketing. His companies produce millions of dollars in annual revenue thanks to a mix of online educational content and direct response copywriting, and his influential blog is read by over 67,000 people.

Brian is also the co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress; the Teaching Sells interactive training program; and the creativity blog Lateral Action.

More details soon on registration and sponsorships for Affiliate Summit West 2010 at http://www.affiliatesummit.com.
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It's getting harder for parents to raise financially independent young adults.

Many banks refuse to open individual checking accounts for 16- and 17-year-olds, requiring parents to jointly own the account, even if the youngsters have a job. Colleges urge parents to link their bank accounts or credit cards to the prepaid cash cards that double as their students' ID cards, to ensure a regular flow of funds from the Bank of Mom and Dad.

And under the new credit-card law that goes into effect early next year -- part of a broader move toward aggressive consumer protection -- parents of those under 21 will have to agree to take responsibility for their kids' credit cards unless the young applicants can show they have the income to qualify.

All of this seems to encourage parents to interfere with -- and maybe even bail out -- these young adults. And it comes at an age when the youngsters themselves should be taking on personal responsibility and making their own financial decisions.

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Ryan Heshka

So this is the kind of mean and rotten parent I've become: Recently, I vigorously persuaded my 19-year-old daughter to get her first credit card.

Most young people should consider getting a credit card in college because they will need a credit record to lease an apartment, land a car loan, qualify for a good rate on car insurance and maybe even get a job. My daughter wanted to wait until next year to get a card, but I would have had to cosign for it -- something I was unwilling to do, even though she's very conscientious.

The reason? I believe youngsters need room to make their own mistakes -- and learn from them when the consequences (and dollar amounts) are low. It's a parenting theory I learned from Jim Fay, co-founder of Love & Logic Institute Inc. in Golden, Colo. Since the late 1970s, he has warned about the wrong messages sent by helicopter parents, who swoop in to rescue their kids, and drill sergeants, who tell their children what to do step by step.

If my daughter pays her bills late in college, she will learn quickly about late fees and the impact on her credit score. But if I'm on the account, I'll have to choose between her life lesson and my own credit score.

Cosigning on a credit-card account, as Mr. Fay notes, "is a good way to end up paying the bill."

The new credit-card law will also limit the marketing of card offers to young people, apparently in response to reports that they were running up huge debts. Those same reports prompted Soyeon Shim, a University of Arizona professor specializing in consumer behavior, to survey more than 2,000 freshmen at the school, the first in a longitudinal study funded by the National Endowment for Financial Education.

The survey, published in April, found that 58% of the students had a credit card and an average debt of $169. Generally, they weren't spendthrifts: More than 60% of those with credit cards said they used them a few times a month or less and paid the bill in full every month.

But what jumped out at the researchers was that more than 70% of the students reported a "financially risky" behavior -- in other words, they had made a mistake -- in the past six months, by, for instance, not paying a bill on time, maxing out a credit card or taking out a payday loan.

Dr. Shim notes that the percentage of students reporting a risky behavior was the same for those with credit cards as those without. In other words, it wasn't credit cards that got them into trouble, but other factors.

And what was the greatest influence on the students' behavior? Overwhelmingly, it was their parents. What students learned at home was far more important than what they learned from having jobs or in financial-literacy classes. Students who reported good communication with their parents about money also felt like they had more financial knowledge and more control over their finances, which Dr. Shim believes may lead to greater financial happiness when they are adults.

So what's a parent to do?

Start early. Most banks and credit unions will provide fee-free savings accounts to kids. Grade-school children can understand budgeting basics. Young teens can begin to learn about how credit works. Share the ways you use a credit card and how you pay it off.

Encourage independence. Let kids decide how they spend their allowance or earnings. Some banks, like Wells Fargo, will let you open a joint checking account for kids as young as 13. Some credit unions and banks, like Bank of America, will open an individual checking account for those 16 or 17. If you're in a joint checking account, resist the urge to monitor it online; instead, talk with your teen about budgeting and spending.

Pick plastic wisely. If you want your young teens to learn about using cards -- or they need to have a card to go on a trip -- consider a prepaid card, which works much like a reloadable gift card. Most cards are pricey, with monthly fees, transaction fees or charges to deposit money, so be sure to compare offers carefully.

You can make your older teens authorized users on your credit card, which can help them build a credit record. But first explain your expectations and rules about when they can use it. And when it's time for those young adults to get their own cards, go through the fine print together to understand credit limits, interest rates, due dates, cash advances and the many different ways to amass penalty charges source>>>

I have told my poor hospitalized brother that unless he really needs me today, I am skipping out on rubbing his feet and feeding him to go and see the new Harry Potter movie: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

I was planning to see it alone, but after watching the trailer (below), I'm thinking I need a friend to go with me. I think I may be too scared!

We know that the book series got darker, more intense and more violent as the saga continued so one would expect the movies to do the same. Although "Half-blood Prince" is only a PG where "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was PG-13.

I found a bunch of headlines last night warning parents to beware before taking their kids. Here are a few of them:

New Harry Potter movie could scare younger fans

Parents cautioned about new Harry Potter movie

Missed one or all the movies: Here is a quick summary of all the Harry Potter movies to date.

Here's the Common Sense media guide to the movie. It's pretty detailed. They rated it for 12 and up source>>>

eace, love and neon. Those are the back-to-school buzzwords for a generation too young to remember those fashion themes the first time around, or even the second.

This celebration of feel-good prints, including peace signs, flower power and butterflies, occurs against a backdrop of psychedelic colors and runs straight through toddlers to teens, fueling a 1960s redux by way of the '80s. (There also were a lot of '60s influences in '80s fashion; everything was just bigger and brighter in the "me" decade.)

For today's young, style-conscious set, born during the grunge and techno fashion phases, these are fresh and exciting looks.

"I think the reason the girls like it is this is all something new," says Lece Lohr, co-president of Justice, formerly Limited Too. "And it gives the mother a new reason to spend money because it's something the daughter doesn't already have."

Yet for anyone just a little older, defining '60s silhouettes -- including the miniskirt, shift dress and peacoat -- are must-have classics, and young girls are always looking to emulate what they perceive as "grown-up fashion," says Gloria Baume, fashion director at Teen Vogue.

Justice reports strong sales of tie-dye and peace signs in its spring-summer lineup, so both motifs will move forward for fall, although some colors will be a little muted in keeping with the autumnal season. They'll play off highlighter hues.

Then there are the Woodstock-infused bohemian touches, such as peasant tops and fringe, which lasted into the early 1970s. The young customer isn't a purist about the periods, observes Lohr with a laugh. "I don't think they have any idea that something is from the '60s, '70s or '80s -- they just like it. Because the styles were so extreme, there's something a little bit about it like a costume shop."

There's also a fashion freedom that was celebrated in the late 1960s that kids connect with, says celebrity stylist Art Conn, adviser to "American Idol." "That casual vibe -- that's easy to recreate and keep in that theme."

Sonya Cosentini, the TJ Maxx/Marshalls style expert who collaborated with Conn on the upcoming fall ad campaign, notes that starlets like Nicole Richie, Miley Cyrus, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen all embrace their inner boho, influencing girls everywhere. "The style has been mainstream for a while, but it's hitting big for back to school."

Why now?

Fashion is always cyclical, says Cosentini, but today's economy might be having an effect too, putting shoppers in that "I-don't-need-everything mentality" that ruled the hippie years.

"Because of the economic situation the whole country is in, people are looking for better days, comfort zone," says A.K. LaMonica, senior director of apparel for The Children's Place, which is emphasizing printed corduroy, "artsy-craftsy" silhouettes and rock 'n' roll florals in its girls' collection. "Hearing stories about the '60s makes them think of a time when things were freer and not living under this cloud."

Meanwhile, Rachel Panetta, director of marketing at Stride Rite, points out parallels between the modern environmental movement, strongly influenced by youth, and the peace movement of yesteryear. Children are aware of the world around them -- and they dress accordingly, she says.

Who could argue with a little peace and love? wonders Mindy Meads, president and chief merchandising officer of Aeropostale and its new younger sibling line, P.S. From Aeropostale.

"Kids seems to understand a positive influence," she says. "They totally respond to it. Maybe they don't understand why, but it just feels good and looks good."

Many of the children's looks mimic what's coming down the pike for adult fashion, which also has a rebellious side for fall.

"We do a tremendous amount of research to explore fashion trends. We explore online resources, junior clothing and accessory stores, and runway," Stride Rite's Panetta says. "From these venues we interpret the colors, materials and styles and adapt them into kid-appropriate fashionable footwear."

Expect to see moccasins, hand-stitching and more fringe on girls' feet.

It's harder to recreate a retro feeling for boys, LaMonica explains, but The Children's Place is aiming to do it with faded washes and a few key pieces, including stadium windbreakers.

As for mom, she can try to capture the spirit of the '60s in a way appropriate for her age, knowing the limits of a largely youthful look, Conn says.

"For a mom, tights work for any generation, and so does a fringe boot or a handbag with fringe. That's your nod to the '60s," he says. "You don't want to see mom in a leather headband -- I don't want to see that, and their daughters will run the other way." source>>>

After doing some research, including sitting in on classrooms, Valerie Gilbert thought she knew which third-grade teacher would be perfect for her son, Stanley.

Impressed by that teacher's creative, visually stimulating style, the Berkeley, Calif., mother lobbied on Stanley's behalf. "I did my best to make my opinion known," Gilbert said.

The school, however, placed Stanley in a different class. And to his mother's surprise and delight, the year wound up being so successful for him that Gilbert said she is approaching his pending entry into fourth grade in a new way: by vowing to stay out of the process.

"I'm learning to be more open-minded," she said.

With parents becoming increasingly involved in their children's lives and educations, Gilbert's foray into her son's classroom placement process is not unique, particularly around this time of year when anxieties about the coming school year run high.

Whether such parental input into teacher selection is good for children is open to question.

"Parents should worry less about these kinds of decisions," maintains Dr. Paul J. Donahue, a Scarsdale, N.Y., child psychologist and author of "Parenting Without Fear" (St. Martins, 2007). "Our job as parents is not to make everything perfect for our kids."

Children learn important life lessons -- how to be resilient and adapt to a range of situations -- when required to roll with the punches, Donahue said.

"Our kids are capable and they can cope," he said, adding that in general parents should do less for their kids to help make them stronger as individuals. While a small percentage of children with special needs may benefit from more parental involvement, most kids are bound sometime in life to be in situations that are less than ideal and "they have to learn to deal with it."

Another important lesson learned when parents step back is respecting boundaries, Donahue said.

"The kids need to see that their parents cooperate in the process," he said. "Parents have to follow the rules."

Not everyone agrees.

Sheila Carter, principal at William Hatch Elementary School in Oak Park, Ill., said she welcomes parental input as one of many factors used in trying to create a diverse class with children of mixed abilities. In fact, she solicits it through a memo circulated toward the close of each school year, when the next year's classes are formed.

Carter said she draws the line at unreasonable requests. "I've had a parent almost try to make my class list," Carter said. "Now that's a lot of nerve."

Yet she believes that while she and her teachers do their best to know students and their needs, parents usually have a far deeper understanding of their children and what factors may help or hinder them in school.

"I've heard principals say they don't take requests," Carter said. "Well, I think they are making a serious mistake not listening to parents at all. Who knows the children better than parents?"

Although it's not possible to meet every parental request, giving them credence is also important in building relationships with parents, an essential component in students' success, she said.

There are parents who would rather leave the classroom stuff to the professionals.

Karen White, an Atlanta-area author and mother of two teenagers, said she was so turned off by neighborhood parents discussing the ins and outs of local teachers that it was a factor when she decided to put her children in private school.

"I just thought it was ridiculous with so many other things to focus on," White said.

She said she was raised to believe that learning to get along with a range of people is key to success. "It's so important for your children to know you are there to ground them, but you need to give them the tools to survive in this world once they're out of college," White said.

White said she has never requested teachers. It hasn't always been rosy for her kids, but they are no worse off for it, she said.

"Have my kids had teachers they've absolutely hated? Absolutely," White said. Both, though, have excelled. White's daughter, a high school senior, managed to end a semester of three Advanced Placement classes with a 3.96 grade point average, despite having grievances with two of those three teachers.

Backing off isn't always easy for parents, however. Gilbert -- who is trying for the first time to let the chips fall where they may -- said it's going to take a lot of self control.

"It's primarily about letting go, I'd say," Gilbert said.

"My resolution is to let what happens happen," she said. "Now we'll see if I can actually live up to this." source>>>