Extracurriculars

Americans can now buy a bottle of wine out of a vending machine as if it were a Coke or a bag of Cheetos. No surprise how that's playing in France, the self-styled wine capital of the world and a place not known for its tolerance of bourgeois enterprise.

Well, the French are not only turning their nose up at this experiment in Pennsylvania -- the first in the U.S. -- they are downright concerned. In a villa overlooking the Mediterranean in Nice, Charly Bismuth sipped a Bordeaux that he bought from a human being and pondered the potential damage.

"Wine should be had in moderation and should not be so easily available," Bismuth said in French to WalletPop.

"That's great if you're a vagabond," Sonia PIpernos of Paris added.

In all fairness, what might appear to be tacky is actually Pennsylvania's way of working around its relatively strict liquor laws. Before the machines emerged, Pennsylvanians could buy alcohol only in state stores. The first two wine vending machines have popped up in Harrisburg supermarkets, with expansion to Philadelphia planned in September if all goes well.

Kanye West once asked the question, "Why would I join Twitter?" Well, Mr. West, the answer is because you need a way to interact with fans to boost sales of your upcoming album.

And so Kanye West joined Twitter Wednesday, and instantly became the God of the Twitterverse, racking up 90,000 followers in his first eight hours and more than 200,000 followers at the time of this posting.

Although there's no official release date of West's next album, fans are eagerly awaiting its arrival later this year. According to a West Tweet, "The album is no longer called 'Good Ass Job.' I'm bouncing a couple of titles around now."

Also on Wednesday, West performed some preview singles from his new album and freestyles at Facebook headquarters. It was entertaining business, as West, dressed in a black suit and tie, hopped onto a white office table and did what he does best -- perform. The Facebook crew seemed to enjoy his appearance, even though a cell phone went off. Check out some of the videos below.



During the 1920's, photographer Ansel Adams was the custodian of a lodge in Yosemite National Park, so it is no surprise that many of his most iconic landscapes were of features such as Half Dome and El Capitan. Now a California man, Rick Norsigian, believes the 65 glass landscape negatives he bought for $45 at a garage sale were taken by Adams. If so, one estimator puts their worth at $200 million.

There are a couple of reasons to doubt that this figure is grounded in reality, however. First, there is debate that these are indeed authentic Adams photographs.

Those claiming authenticity cite various pieces of evidence from their team of experts, which included, according to the Wall Street Journal, handwriting analysts, a photographer and an art adviser. None, however, were experts on Adams' work.

With casinos sprouting like kudzu across the U.S., many states are looking to gaming taxes to help fill the hole poked in their budgets by the recession. Now, the federal government has raised the stakes by taking the first step toward legalizing online gambling.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the House Financial Services Committee has approved a bill that would allow Internet gaming to be offered by companies licensed by the Treasury Department. The companies will be required to operate from U.S. soil.

Another measure, yet to be passed by the House Ways & Means Committee, would tax online gambling, which could bring in as much as $42 billion in revenue over the next decade. The money would be split between the federal (25%) and state governments (75%).

It's a rare day that Target is the object of consumer scorn, but that day has come. The retailer is under fire for donating money to a political action committee that supports a conservative politician opposed to gay marriage. It's quite a tangled web and Target is now facing a boycott as gay rights groups raise the alarm.

Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to donate to candidates, Target gave $150,000 to MN Forward, an organization that supports Tom Emmer as the Republican Candidate for governor of Minnesota, where Target is headquartered. Minnesota-based Best Buy also donated $100,000 to MN Forward, but Target is the one taking the heat from the gay community, many members of which are pretty upset and surprised. Target is considered a gay-friendly company, extending same-sex partner benefits and sponsoring events in the gay community.

The city of Chicago sponsors one of America's coolest budget travel deals for tourists. It grants free tours of Chicago to vacationers who want one. The volunteer-fed Chicago Greeter program offers individual walking tours of two to four hours, customized to tourists' interests, at no cost.

Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, is being sued for $1,220,500 by Paramount Recording Studios for allegedly breaching a contract. The production company claims that Young failed to pay his bill for using the studio facilities. The seven-figure lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Friday.

Dr. Dre's record company, Aftermath Entertainment, rented the studio from April through June 2010 and failed to make payments, according to Paramount Record Studios.

Aftermath Entertainment has used Paramount Studios for about 10 years. Dr. Dre allegedly agreed to settle the payments by July 13, but Paramount claims he failed to do so, thus leading to the million dollar-plus lawsuit. Dr. Dre was working on his long-delayed "Detox" album.

He also owns Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, a popular consumer electronics imprint. As one commenter on SoundSlam put it, "you would think with the amount of money he's making with these expensive headphones, he'd pay his bills." Either that or he turned the grooves up so loud, he can't hear the creditors knocking.

In 2008, 'Forbes' magazine estimated Dr. Dre's net worth at $15 million.

This toy story began in court. Bratz dolls, the tarted-up line of Barbie rivals that became a billion-dollar enterprise, are returning with a new line after its maker, MGA, won back the trademark rights in an appeals court.

New Bratz dolls are expected to hit stores in late August, according to Associated Press. They'll be trying to attract a new generation of girls, given that Bratz sales hit their high more than five years ago. The post-recession pricing will help: One new set of Bratz, "Passion for Fashion" dolls will retail for $9.99, and two Bratz Boyz will run $10.99 each. The latest set also includes $19.99 "Party" dolls, a set of twins ($24.99) and a spa ($49.99).

MGA is going for a more wholesome look this time, the company said. Even the catalog descriptions impart a certain innocence. Party Doll Cloe, the copy reads, "looks at life through a different lens, always snapping pictures and filming her friends. She's playful, flirty, and down to earth. A super soccer star, Cloe is naturally athletic and always full of energy." The dolls are also more flexible than previous incarnations, MGA said in the AP report.

Move over men of America: There's a woman running the family finances.

A landmark study released today by Prudential Financial concludes that a record number of women in the U.S. - 95%, to be exact - are financial decision-makers.

What's more, 84% of married women are either solely or jointly responsible for managing their household finances, according to Prudential's 2010 study on the Financial Experience & Behaviors Among Women.

The study, administered by Harris Interactive, is significant for several reasons.

It looks like there is one price hike that consumers may yet get to avoid next year. The U.S. Postal Service's plans to raise prices on stamps to 46 cents from 44 cents in January -- a 4.5% increase -- could be in doubt.

In an unprecedented move today, a coalition of 700 mailers acting as the Affordable Mail Alliance followed through on its threat to join together to oppose the rate hike, filing a petition with the Postal Rate Commission and joining some Capitol Hill critics of the rate hike. The commission needs to approve the rate hike for it to take effect Jan. 2.

The move is unusual because normally the 700 mailers each try to win the best rate for themselves and in the process, sometimes counter each other's rate arguments.

New York Governor David Paterson signed it. The new law, which I alerted you to last month, bans homeowners and apartment holders from renting their homes to tourists. The law, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushed for, claiming it would protect vacationers from "unsafe conditions", will affect personal pocketbooks: It will make New York City's hotels, where rooms are routinely $350 a night, nearly the only game in town.

There are solid arguments on both sides of the issue. Housing advocates are rightly upset that some unscrupulous landlords have been forcing legitimate renters out in favor of the more lucrative tourist trade. In fact, a building that I once lived in was largely and unfairly converted to that under-the-table trade.

But instead of crafting a law that cracked down on that practice, the politicians in Albany simply banned by-owner rentals to tourists completely. It's the way of the lazy politician: Rather than repair the plumbing, simply rip it out.

Ten free and legal downloads or streams sure to strike the ear of the cash- strapped college student.

1.Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: "Vocal Chords"
Don't confuse Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. with the race car driver; it's a project shared between Detroit's Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott. Drawing frequent comparisons to Of Montreal and Local Natives, the peculiar pair blends intentionally odd basement production, folk pop and programmed loops that borrow from the soul and hip-hop worlds.

2. Tori Amos: Daytrotter Session
Very few piano players can produce the distinctive sounds Tori Amos so tenderly brandishes whenever she sits behind the keys, nor can many singers come close to her heavenly range. In a rare four-song session recorded live in the Daytrotter studios, the chanteuse turns in a pair of charmingly reflective tunes from her two most recent records, "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" and "Midwinter Graces."

3. Vince Neil: "Tattoos & Tequila"
The Motley Crue front man and former reality show star may be solo at the moment, but that doesn't mean he's leaving the band's stereotypical topics on the shelf. His latest booze-tinged metal tune is sure to find just as much favor in a tattoo parlor as a biker bar, and as cliched as that all may sound, at least Neil still knows how to host a hell of a party.

4. Young the Giant: "My Body"
After steadily ascending the touring ladder alongside Minus the Bear, The Whigs, Ghostland Observatory and Kings of the Leon, the Newport Beach, California quintet lined up a month's worth of home state shows throughout August. Decide if it's worth the flight (or road trip for those in The Golden State) after checking out this youthfully exuberant, beach-inspired indie pop.

5. Paul Collins: "Do You Wanna Love Me"
Long before Fountains of Wayne and even Cheap Trick found acclaim, Paul Collins was holding down the power pop sound as a member of several '70s and '80s giants including Nerves, The Breakaways and The Beat. This fun-in-the-sun sing-a-long keeps in the melodic tradition of all three acts, with updated production courtesy of Jim Diamond (White Stripes, The Go, Dirtbombs).

6. Cut Copy: "Where I'm Going"
These Pitchfork Music Festival alums are working feverishly on a third studio album with mixer Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), though it won't arrive until January of next year. Nonetheless, fans get an early preview of what the band compares to something Brian Wilson might come up with if he were hanging out in London instead of California throughout the 1960s ... and popping ecstasy along the way.

7. Jake Smith: "One False Step"
As one of New Orleans' favorite sons, singer/songwriter Jake Smith has gigged at downtown's historic House of Blues and even the Jazz & Heritage Festival just before Dave Matthews Band and Better Than Ezra. Expect a whole lot of soulful porch pop wrapped around lyrics that suggest it's better to live life according to your own convictions instead of following the crowd.

8. Darker My Love: "Dear Author"
To spread the word before some fall dates with Band of Horses, Darker My Love swaps your email address for a tune off its Dangerbird Records disc "Alive As You Are"(out August 17). Like its tour mates, expect a jarring, distortion-filled jam anchored by unexpected harmonies and a sweet psychedelic aftertaste.

9. Adam Haworth Stephens: "The Cities That You've Burned"
Having already established himself in indie folk/blues duo Two Gallants, Adam Haworth Stephens is gearing up for his solo debut disc "We Live On Cliffs" (landing September 28 on Saddle Creek, also the home of Bright Eyes). Based on "The Cities That You've Burned," faithful can expect him to peel back yet another layer of the group's already sparse sound to unveil a Dylan-inspired storybook songwriting style.

10. Spinner Spotlight: Full CD Listening Party
It may be a slow week for new releases from major players, but there are still plenty of developing and re-formatted faces to explore in full album streams. The latest round includes These United States' "What Lasts," The Books' "The Way Out" and Dan Sartain's "Lives," along with along with the already established lead singer of Ours Jimmy Gnecco, who drops his solo debut "The Heart," and longtime Throwing Muses leader Kristin Hersh, who turns in "Crooked."

Pennsylvania's labor department kept the reality TV world from spinning off its axis by seeing to it that despite some backlash, Kate Gosselin's sextuplets get to toil for a paycheck on the TLC reality show spinoff "Kate Plus 8."

The Department of Labor & Industry announced that no laws are being violated by the kids' appearance on the show, refuting statements by state Rep. Thomas P. Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia). Murt claimed that the 6-year-old children were being unlawfully exploited, the Associated Press reported. He also said state law dictated that kids under 7 could work in film, not on TV. Labor officials countered that the permits they granted kept the kids' hours under control and would enrich their bank accounts.

Only a couple of hours after manger Lou Piniella formally announced his retirement as Cubs manager on July 20, team chairman Tom Ricketts could look out at his beautiful Wrigley Field and see swaths of green.

And it wasn't money. Anything but.

In his first year as team owner, Ricketts has been slapped with a hard, cold dose of reality on a hot summer day that for decades made for a packed ballpark. He witnessed rows of unoccupied green bleacher benches down the right- and left-field lines and in the upper reaches of center field. Longtime ballpark pundits had not remembered empty bleacher seats for mid-summer games, day or night, for a generation.

It's mid summer, and the kids are starting to whine louder than the cicadas. Time to break out the Coke bottles. As part of a year-long campaign to find out what happiness means around the world, the Coca Cola company is asking consumers in 206 countries to design a Coke bottle showing what makes them happy and optimistic. This month, the contest became available to residents in the U.S.

The contest calls for designs executed on a glass (8oz., or 12 oz.) or plastic Coke bottle (12 oz, 14 oz, 16 oz., 20 oz.), asing whatever craft materials and art supplies at hand, to show what makes you happy. For some, that might look like the first day of school, for others perhaps a field of daisies, a sky full of rainbows or a house that's completely paid off.

Winners receive an all-expenses paid VIP trip to New York City to meet Coke's "Happiness Ambassadors," although, if it keeps a bored teen busy for a few hours everybody wins.