WGC-Cadillac Championship to honor military and their families

The World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship will honor members of our U.S. Armed Forces and their families throughout tournament week as part of the Birdies for the Brave military outreach initiative. Program highlights include free tournament admission, complimentary hospitality and a military appreciation ceremony. The 2011 Cadillac Championship will feature the world's best golfers at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Fla., March 9-13.

As part of Birdies for the Brave, all active duty, retired, and Reserve military members and their dependents will be invited to attend the tournament all week free of charge. Complimentary tournament tickets for military members may be downloaded at www.birdiesforthebrave.com. Veterans interested in attending this year's event may purchase a discounted ticket through the Miami VA by contacting Bill Bray at (305) 324.4455, extension 3619.

Once inside the gates, all military guests and veterans will enjoy complimentary access to the Birdies for the Brave Patriots' Outpost presented by Lockheed Martin, a military hospitality chalet located on the 17th green on the TPC Blue Monster. The Patriots' Outpost will be open from Thursday, March 10, through Sunday, March 13, with complimentary lunch provided each day by Applebee's.

"Attending the Cadillac Championship is a terrific way for our U.S Armed Forces and their families to spend time together," says Don Butler, VP Cadillac Marketing. "Birdies for the Brave is one of many worthy initiatives associated with the tournament and Cadillac is proud to be a part of it all."

This year's tournament will kick off with opening ceremonies on Thursday, March 10, at 10 a.m. on the first tee of TPC Blue Monster, where festivities will include a dedication by representatives from United States Southern Command, an aerial demonstration by the U.S. Army Black Daggers, ceremonial tee shots, and a special presentation to wounded warrior retired Lieutenant Ben Baar, a second generation service member who was injured in Iraq following 21 years in the U.S. Army. Other military outreach activities during the tournament will include the opportunity for uniformed military personnel to serve as announcers on the 9th and 18th greens throughout the week.

Sponsors who are making military outreach activities possible during the Cadillac Championship include Lockheed Martin, Applebee's, Blue Bell Ice Cream, VBrick, Timbar, Tanberg/Cisco, Nature Valley, Johnny Rockets and Pepsi.

For more information on the Cadillac Championship, visit www.worldgolfchampionships.com.

Source http://www.pgatour.com/2011/tournaments/r473/02/21/WGCCadillac-Birdiesforthebrave/

Mickelson to Play in Match Play

Phil Mickelson says he has decided to compete in the Match Play Championship.

Mickelson, who skipped the World Golf Championship event in Arizona a year ago, had said last November he was contemplating sitting out again becauase it might conflict with a family vaction. He said after his final round at Pebble Beach that he would be there.

Lee Westwood will be the No. 1 seed at Match Play, which starts Feb. 23 at Dove Mountain north of Tucson. Martin Kaymer will be the No. 2 seed, followed by Tiger Woods and Mickelson.

The 64-man field is determined by the world ranking that was to be published later Sunday.

Source http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=12907760

Wilson and Bjorn both enter top 60

Mark Wilson won for the second time this season on Monday and moved up 40 places in this week's official world rankings.

Wilson's playoff victory on Monday got him up to 50th in this week's rankings.

Thomas Bjorn claimed a win on the European Tour Sunday at the Qatar Masters. The victory moved the Dane up a staggering 74 spots to No. 60 this week.

Lee Westwood stayed in the first spot, followed by Martin Kaymer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell. Kaymer can once again wrestle that No. 1 spot from Westwood this week in Dubai, where Woods is also teeing it up.

Paul Casey remained in sixth, but Rory McIlroy inched up one to seventh. Steve Stricker fell one to eighth, while Luke Donald and Jim Furyk switched rankings this week with the Englishman in ninth and the American in 10th.

Ernie Els, Ian Poulter, Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson held their places from last week. Robert Karlsson climbed one notch to 15th, while Retief Goosen sank one to 16th.

Francesco Molinari, Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Edoardo Molinari rounded out the top 20.

Source http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/07/2054951/tseng-up-to-second-in-rolex-rankings.html

Michelle Obama Hits Back at Her Fashion Critics

Her wardrobe choices have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

And now Michelle Obama has hit back at the critics who reacted with anger after she chose to wear a British design to a White House formal dinner.

In an interview with Good Morning America, the First Lady insisted she will continue to dress in the clothes that make her comfortable - regardless of the label.

She said: 'Look, women, wear what you love.

'That's all I can say. That's my motto. I wear what I like because...I gotta be in the dress, so...'

Source  http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/02/01/michelle-obama-hits-back-her-fashion-critics

topless woman on golf course jab at Tiger's sex scandal?

Tiger Woods, who has just been through one of the biggest sex scandals in sports history, has been able to catch his breath now that he is no longer front page news. Just when he thought all was quiet, this topless woman surfaces as a reminder of the days that shook his world to the core? No one knows for sure, but one golf fan thinks this is why this woman's image was planted somewhere it should not have been!

Tiger Woods PGA PlayStation Golf game has created a topless avatar for one surprised player! Jo Eley said she “spent ages” creating her likeness in an avatar for the Tiger Woods PGA PlayStation game, just to have the woman, who looks very much like her, come out wearing only short shorts! This avatar was wearing golf shoes, glasses and swinging a golf club, but she was also topless, according to the Sun News.

Jo Eley, who is a big golf fan believes that it was Tiger Woods sex scandal that may have prompted a programmer to put the topless avatar into the game as a joke, according to the Sun. She believes the programer planted a "secret strip" in the game. She said she could not stop laughing and that she cannot get rid of the topless avatar, according to the sun.

To create her virtual self in this virtual world of golf, Jo Eley used the face mapping technology. The avatar does have a remarkable resemblance to Jo, in facial features, but the avatar was only partially dressed!

A spokesperson for the makers of the game, Electric Arts, believe that it was some type of hacker outside of their manufacturing plant that did this to the Tiger Woods game. They say it is impossible to create this topless avatar from their game in its original retail form.

Connecticut fans of Tiger Woods want to see him play this year in the Travelers Championship. This tournament, which is held in Cromwell Connecticut, is the only PGA tour stop in the Nutmeg State. Tiger has not made it to this tournament yet and year after year his fans are hopeful that this will change and Tiger will grace the greens of the Nutmeg State’s tournament with the rest of the pros! Maybe 2011 will be the year!

Source http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-hartford/tiger-woods-news-topless-woman-on-golf-course-jab-at-tiger-s-sex-scandal

Poll: Most want Obama, GOP to work together

Americans overwhelmingly want to see cooperation, not confrontation, between President Obama and congressional Republicans as a new legislative year begins, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds — but they're not particularly optimistic about what they'll get.

One week before the president delivers his State of the Union Address, most of those surveyed don't expect the government to work better now that Republicans have won control of the U.S. House or Obama to do a better job now that he has had two years of experience in the White House under his belt.

Those expectations pose risks for the president and the GOP.

"They've got to find a way to thread the needle and agree on some major issues," says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. Reducing the federal budget deficit, raising the nation's debt ceiling and repealing or revising the health care law loom as divisive debates ahead.

"The issues are big, the differences are large, and the way forward is unclear," Schier says.

Americans are looking for things to get done:

•Eighty percent say the president should work to pass legislation Democrats and Republicans can agree on, even if it's not what most Democrats want. Even 70% of Democrats polled feel that way.

•Eighty-three percent say it's extremely or very important for House Republicans to pass legislation that both parties can agree on. Even 77% of Republicans polled feel that way.

Still, 39% also say it is important for House Republicans to block legislation the GOP disagrees with, including 55% of Republicans. And 53% of Republicans say it's very important for GOP leaders to consider the goals of the Tea Party movement.

The poll of 1,032 adults taken Friday through Sunday has an error margin of 4 percentage points.

No one starts the year with glowing ratings.

Obama's job-approval rating is 47% — precisely where it was in early January — and his favorable rating is 53%, up a bit from recent months. House Speaker John Boehner's favorable rating is 42%, almost exactly where Democrat Nancy Pelosi stood when she became speaker four years ago. Sarah Palin's favorable rating dropped to 38%, the lowest since just after bursting onto the national scene as John McCain's running mate in 2008. In the wake of controversy over her response to the Tucson shooting, her unfavorable rating hit a new high, 53%.

While Americans say they want conciliation, deep divisions remain over how to proceed on the health care law passed last year. House leaders have scheduled a vote for Wednesday on repealing it.

One-third of those polled, 32%, want the law repealed entirely, and 25% say it should be scaled back. On the other side, 24% say the law should be expanded, and 13% say it should be kept as it is.

There is also significant support for a showdown over raising the debt limit, a step that may have to be taken by late March to keep the government out of default. Half say Congress should agree to raise it only if there is an agreement in place on reducing the deficit in the future. Just 16% say it should be raised in any case.

Source  http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-17-poll-obama-house_N.htm

Pet Tips: Passive Smoking Hazardous to Furry Friends

Cigarette smoking is not only bad for your health, it also affects the health of your pets. According to the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific, recent medical research shows that cats and dogs living with people who smoke risk developing cancer, allergies and other illnesses from secondhand smoke.

If you've been on the fence about giving up smoking for the New Year, the Seattle Humane Society urges you to consider these facts:

* There is an increased risk for animals because they not only inhale tobacco smoke, but also ingest the residue that collects on their fur.

* Puppies that eat multiple cigarette butts can die of nicotine poisoning.

* Cats exposed to frequent cigarette smoke are at least twice as likely to develop a fatal cancer called feline lymphoma.

* When grooming themselves, cats are likely to ingest nicotine residue which makes them susceptible to developing oral cancers commonly found in smokers.

* Similarly, secondhand smoking increases the risk of certain cancers in dogs. Dogs with longer noses are at an even greater risk of developing nasal and sinus cancer. Short nosed dogs risk developing lung cancer.

* Due to animal sensitivity to smell, all pets can have severe reactions to smoke particles in the air. Much like their human companions, animals can develop respiratory infections, eye irritation, lung inflammation and asthma as a result of secondhand smoke.

Source  http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlehumane/archives/234846.asp