IMMIGRATION REFORM PROPOSAL FROM BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS: A bipartisan group of senators put forward an immigration reform proposal on Monday (January 28th) that provides a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people who are now in the U.S. illegally. The measure would also increase border security, allow more temporary workers to stay, and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. The four Democratic and four Republican legislators conceded that a lot of tough negotiations lie ahead to get the measure first through the Democratic-controlled Senate, and then through the GOP-led House, which will be an even tougher battle. But they argued that the chances are better this time around, with polls showing more support than ever for such reform, and in light of the poor showing Republicans had in November with Hispanic voters. President
Obama is set to lay out his own proposals today on immigration reform, most of which mirror the Senate plans.

BRAZILIAN POLICE DETAIN CLUB OWNERS, BAND MEMBERS AFTER NIGHTCLUB FIRE: Brazilian police investigating a nightclub fire early Sunday (January 27th) that killed 231 people on Monday detained the owners of the club and two band members whose pyrotechnics show is believed to have triggered the fast-moving fire by igniting soundproofing insulation on the ceiling. No charges were filed against the four men, but prosecutors said they could be held for up to five days as police interrogate them. Most of the dead were suffocated by toxic fumes that rapidly filled the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria after the band set off a flare. Witnesses said bouncers initially blocked the only working exit because they believed the fleeing customers were trying to skip out on their bar tabs.

EGYPTIAN PROTESTERS DEFY CURFEW: Egyptian protesters defied a nighttime curfew imposed in three towns along the Suez Canal, attacking police stations and ignoring emergency rule imposed by President Mohamed Mursi to end days of clashes that have killed at least 52 people. The violence began last week on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising
that brought down autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak. Huge crowds took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and the three cities where Mursi imposed emergency rule and a curfew on Sunday. The demonstrators accuse Mursi of betraying the two-year-old revolution, while the Islamist leader and his supporters accuse the protesters of seeking to overthrow Egypt's first-ever democratically elected leader through undemocratic means.

BOY SCOUTS CONSIDERING END TO NATIONAL NO-GAYS POLICY: The Boy Scouts of America is considering ending its national no-gays policy in favor of allowing the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout troops the ability to decide for themselves
whether to accept gay scouts and leaders. Monday's (January 28th) announcement
of the possible change comes after years of protests over the no-gays policy, including petition campaigns that have led some corporations to suspend donations to the Boy Scouts. The fight even made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 2000 upheld the organization's right to keep out gay members. That led to the loss of sponsorships by public schools and other entities that have nondiscrimination policies. Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith said the change could be announced as early as next week.

  • The Boy Scouts of America also excludes atheists, a policy that Smith says is not being reconsidered.

SENATE APPROVES $50.5 BILLION AID PACKAGE FOR SANDY VICTIMS: The Senate on Monday (January 28th) approved a long-delayed $50.5 billion aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy, three months after the storm destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The package,
which had gotten caught up in a partisan battle over deficit reduction, passed by a 62-36 vote, with Republicans accounting for all the opposing lawmakers.  The House passed the legislation on January 15th, again mostly with Democratic votes. It now goes to President Obama for his signature.

GROWING NUMBER OF VIRUSES, SECURITY THREATS ON FACEBOOK: A growing number of viruses and other security threats are being spread on Facebook, with bad actors seeing the social media giant's one-billion-and-counting users as an attractive target, FoxNews.com reports. The phishing scams, fake login sites, keylogger apps, and other
threats are designed to look like they come from a Facebook friend, and since many users see Facebook as a protected environment, they are more susceptible to attack. Computer expert Dale Maxfield, who runs the IT company Technical Velocity, told FoxNews.com that Facebook viruses and other security threats rose sharply last October on the news that Facebook had reached one billion users, since hackers particularly target Facebook when there are big
announcements and upgrades. Facebook, however, says an internal virus scanning
system usually removes infections, and they also offer a reward for security researchers who report on known threats. There is also third-party help available, such as ESET Social Media Scanner, which works within Facebook and can scan for potential threats. Experts also say it is important to run a scan of any unknown link before you click on it.

EX-ISRAELI PM SHARON SHOWs BRAIN ACTIVITY AFTER YEARS IN VEGETATIVE STATE: Doctors who conducted tests last week on former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, who was left in a vegetative state seven years ago after suffering a massive stroke, said that the 84-year-old is able to process information and has shown what they called "robust activity" in his brain. The medical team said that brain scans using a functional MRI showed Sharon responding to pictures of his family and recordings of his son's voice, showing he's processing the information. But they cautioned that it's not clear how much he understood, and stressed that the chances of him regaining full capacities are almost zero. Other experts also warned against reading too much into the results, with no-one suggesting
that Sharon's cognitive functions have returned. Sharon has been in a long-term care facility
for years, where he is connected to a respirator. His family has said that he sometimes opens his eyes and moves his fingers.

GRAND JURY WANTED TO INDICT JONBENET RAMSEY'S PARENTS: A grand jury wanted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey in 1999 on charges of child abuse resulting in the death of their six-year-old daughter, JonBenet, believing there was enough evidence to do so, the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper reported Sunday (January 27th). But then-District Attorney Alex Hunter refused to sign off on the grand jury's decision, saying there was too little proof. JonBenet was found dead in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on the day after Christmas in 1996. Although suspicion fell on her parents, they insisted an intruder was to blame and were eventually cleared by prosecutors. The crime remains unsolved.
Patsy Ramsey died in 2006 after a battle with ovarian cancer, and John Ramsey his since remarried. His attorney, Lin Wood, told CNN that Hunter was, quote, "a hero who wisely avoided a gross miscarriage of justice." He also cited the results of DNA testing of evidence found in JonBenet's underwear and underneath her fingernails that in 2008 that ruled out any Ramsey family member's involvement in her death.

HEAT FROM CITIES MAY AFFECT TEMPERATURES FAR AWAY: A new study suggests that heat rising up from big cities like New York, Paris and Tokyo might be warming up winters far away in some rural parts of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia, as well as slightly cooling the
autumns in much of the western U.S., Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.  Cities are warmer than rural areas because of the heat of buildings and cars, along with asphalt and roofs that absorb heat. It's long been thought that the heat stayed close to the cities, but the new study, based on a computer model, suggests instead that the heat travels about half a mile up into the air, where its energy changes the high-altitude currents in the atmosphere that dictate weather. The scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the
National Center for Atmospheric Research who were involved in the research said
that, unlike greenhouse gases that cause global warming, the heat from cities
doesn't change overall global temperatures significantly. Instead, it redistributes some of the heat. The changes seem to vary with the seasons and by region because of the way air currents flow at different times of the year.

TWO NEW BREEDS DEBUT AHEAD OF WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW: Two new breeds of dogs made their official debut on Monday (January 28th), introduced ahead of their
participation for the first time in the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which will begin on February 11th in New York. The breeds are the Russell terrier and the treeing Walker coonhound, which is named for its ability to run raccoons up trees. Westminster's communication director and longtime announcer, David Friel, noted that the two breeds being introduced aren't actually new, but had for the first time met the strict qualifications of the
American Kennel Club for inclusion, which are based on, among other things, the breed's popularity and its geographic distribution around the U.S.

CHECK IT OUT:

EX-NFL PLAYER KWAME HARRIS FACING ASSAULT CHARGES THAT OUT HIM: Former San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Kwame Harris has been charged with felony domestic violence and assault related to an August beating in Menlo
  Park, California, involving a former boyfriend, charges that publicly out him as being gay. Assistant DA Al Serrato said that after a pretrial hearing yesterday (January 28th), a April trial date has been set for the 30-year-old Harris, who played five seasons with the 49ers and one with the Raiders. The charges stem from an altercation outside a restaurant between
Harris and Dimitri Geier, who suffered several facial fractures. Although the two had previously been involved a romantic relationship, they were reportedly just friends at the time of the altercation, which began when Harris got upset after Geier poured soy sauce on a plate of rice. Harris' attorney, Alin Cintean, told The Daily Journal that Harris was the one who was actually attacked, and that he is looking forward to proving that in court. Cintean also
said that Harris identifies as gay but, quote, "is not very public about it." He stated, "He is a very private person. He doesn't like to talk about his personal life."

TOOL GUITARIST PROPOSES TO GIRLFRIEND AT WWE EVENT: Tool guitarist Adam Jones proposed to his girlfriend Korin with a unique ringside event at the WWE Royal Rumble showdown in Phoenix on Sunday night (January 27th).  According to Loudwire, just before the Royal Rumble went on the air at 8:00 p.m. ET, a message appeared on the WWE's giant "titantron" video screen, saying, "Korin, Adam Jones wants to ask you something... 'Will you
marry me?'"

  • With cameras surrounding them, Jones produced a ring and waited for Korin's answer -- which luckily for him was "yes."
  • Jones is an avid WWE fan and once performed the national anthem at the WWE SuperSlam 2011.
  • Just before Christmas, Tool's webmaster posted that the band may be "more than halfway" finished writing the music for their fifth studio effort.
  • The webmaster wrote that he heard some new music without vocals. adding, "Dare I say that it sounded like . . . Tool  (some of it reminiscent to earlier Tool stuff, with other parts pushing the envelope), and I assume that it will sound even more like Tool once the vocal melodies, etc. have been added."

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NEW BLACK SABBATH ALBUM IS FIRST DONE COMPLETELY SOBER: Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler said in a new interview with California radio station KCAL-FM that the band's new album -- the first in 34 years to feature Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and
singer Ozzy Osbourne -- is also the first that the original members of the band have made while completely sober. Butler explained, "None of us have been drinking or doing drugs or anything. It's a bit more professional in that way.  We stuck to a schedule: every day we'd go in at one o'clock and finished at six. Five hours a day and that's it."

  • Asked about the sound of the new album, Butler said, "It's got the feel of the first three albums, back to the basic rawness. The lyrics are about life, death, doom and everything else. You get Prozac with each album . . . "
  • Butler said that the addition of Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk for recording purposes  -- replacing founding drummer Bill Ward -- was producer Rick
         Rubin's idea, explaining, "Rick suggested Brad because he's more in the vein of Bill Ward. We jammed with him and he sounded great with the stuff, so we went with that. We're sort of back to the way we used to be in the 70s and that's Brad's feel -- a sort of jazzy, bluesy feel."
  • Butler also revealed that the reported name of the new Sabbath album, 13, may change, saying, "It was sort of a temporary name, so we had something to refer to. It kinda stuck -- but I don't know whether that's going to be the final title or not . . .
         Originally we were going to put 13 tracks on the album. We ended up doing 16,
         but I'm not sure what's going to be on the album or what isn't."
  • The new Black Sabbath album -- the band's 19th overall -- is due out in June.

SIDE NOTES: Butler also said in the interview that Tony Iommi is continuing to do well with his treatments 14 months after being diagnosed with an early stage of cancer, and that Ozzy is also on the mend after suffering minor burns while putting out a house fire last week.

FORMER EVANESCENCE GUITARIST SUED FOR $500K: Former Evanescence guitarist and co-founder Ben Moody is being sued by Rider Management for $500,000 in unpaid commissions, according to TMZ. Rider claims that it entered into a management agreement with Moody in 2006 that allowed the company to earn commissions on Moody's various musical projects. Ever since leaving Evanescence in 2003, Moody embarked on a career as a
songwriter and producer, composing songs and producing tracks for artists such as Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Celine Dion.

PAUL GIAMATTI BEING EYED FOR 'AMAZING SPIDERMAN' SEQUEL: Sideways actor Paul Giamatti is in talks to play The Rhino in the upcoming sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. The Rhino wears a superhuman suit that makes him invulnerable in addition to superstrength and superspeed.

HULK HOGAN TWEETS CREEPY PHOTO OF HIS DAUGHTER: Hulk Hogan tweeted a photo of his daughter Brooke on Sunday (January 27th) that seemed a bit inappropriate coming from a girl's father. The photo on its own would not have been so bad but Hulk included a
caption encouraging his followers to scope out Brooke's legs.

MEN ACCUSED OF STEALING $65K WORTH OF CHICKEN WINGS: Two men who worked at the Nordic Cold Storage facility in Georgia have been accused of stealing $65,000 worth of frozen Tyson chicken wings. 35-year-old Renaldo Jackson and 26-year-old Dewayne Patterson reportedly pulled an Enterprise rental truck to a bay door and used a forklift to load 10 pallets of the frozen wings into the truck. The men were arrested on theft charges on Wednesday, (January 23rd) and released the same day on bond. (Huffington Post)

71-YEAR-OLD WOMAN ARRESTED FOR PROSTITUTION: A 71-year-old woman in Glastonbury, Connecticut was arrested on prostitution charges after police raided a hotel. Authorities said Sygun Liebhart had been promoting herself as an escort on Backpage.com, under the name Lola. According to reports, the ad read: "Older is Better... A well preserved beauty. All natural and busty 38DD. Sexy, fit, warm and friendly." (NBC)

COMPUTER MODEL SAYS 49ERS OVER RAVENS IN SUPER BOWL XLVII: After running the upcoming 49ers versus Ravens matchup through PredictionMachine.com 50,000 times, the 49ers won the simulation 66.9% of the time and scored an average of seven points more than Baltimore. (CBS)

FACEBOOK PROFILES MAY REVEAL SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS: A new study suggests a person's facebook profile may reveal signs of mental illness that may not be apparent in a session with a psychiatrist. For the study, researchers had 200-college students fill out
questionnaires designed to evaluate their levels of extroversion, paranoia, enjoyment of social interactions and endorsement of strange beliefs. The students were then asked to log onto Facebook, and told they had the option of blacking-out certain parts of their profile before some of it was printed out for the researchers to examine. Researchers found that people who disliked social interactions in real-life usually had fewer Facebook friends and generally communicated on the social network less. They also found that students who took the option of blacking-out certain parts of their profiles were more likely to hold odd beliefs and exhibited higher levels of paranoia. (Fox News)

SUPER BOWL FOOD FACTS (Fox News):

1) Ranch dressing. Move over bleu cheese. Almost 57-percent of Americans who
eat chicken wings say they like to dip their wings ranch dressing, according to
a new National Chicken Council poll. Only about 35-percent go for the bleu
cheese dressing -unless you live in Northeast, where it's nearly 50-percent

2) Pizza. Super Bowl Sunday is the busiest day of the year for pizza
restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. In fact, chains
Papa John's, Pizza Hut and Domino's will sell twice as many pies as they do on
any other day.

3) Potato chips. Wings and pizza are the two most popular Super Bowl
snacks, but potato chips are close behind. Some 11 million pounds of chips are
expected to be consumed on Sunday, as well as an estimated 4 million pounds of
pretzels and 2.5 million pounds of nuts.

4) Avocado. Luckily avocado is a Super Food, because 69.6 million pounds
of avocados are consumed on Super Bowl, according to the Hass Avocado Board.
Now, if you could avoid eating all those chips --but they go sooo good together.

5) Popcorn. Get popping. Americans will eat about 3.8 million pounds of
popcorn while watching the big game, according to the Calorie Control Council.
If you skip the butter, it could be one of the day's healthiest snacks.

6) Hamburgers. The Super Bowl is second-biggest grilling weekend of the
year --the 4th of July is first. Some 14 billion hamburgers will be served up
at parties across the country.

7) Beer. Nothing goes better with football than beer. Some 49.2 million
cases of beer are sold every year on the day of the Super Bowl. No wonder about
six-percent of Americans call in sick for work the next day.