The protective housing unit in Corcoran State Prison, about 50 miles south of Fresno, is considered the safest place for an inmate to reside within the California prison system. Designed to protect famous convicts from possible attacks, it houses mass murderers like Charles Manson, and high-profile criminals like Sirhan Sirhan, one of the first inmates placed in the unit, where he passed the time playing chess and working for 13 cents an hour as an administrative clerk.

Goldenpalace. com claims the stick the pop princess urinated on was found in the bathroom bin of an L. A. hotel where the singer had recently stayed. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the U. S. charities; The Candlelighter's Childhood Cancer Foundation and Easter Seal Society, which helps disabled children.

South Koreans believe a person's blood type can determine their dating compatibility - making love very difficult for blood type-B men. South Korean magazines, TV shows and Internet chat rooms have been buzzing about blood types for years. But, these days, the subject of attention is just how difficult it is to strike up a relationship with type-B men. Associating blood types with personality traits has been going on for decades in North Asia. Most of the original interest started in Japan early in the 20th century and it has also taken off in South Korea. While many characteristics are associated with type-B people, the men are getting a reputation that includes, selfish, mercurial and absolutely useless as caring and devoted boyfriends. Type-B women, on the other hand, have bypassed the popular personality opinion. Last fall, a song from singer Kim Hyun-jung called "Type-B Men" soared to the top of the charts. The song had lyrics that said type-B men are quick to get angry and quick to make-up, but in the end, they will break your heart. Kim Nang, author of the best-selling book, "Dating a Type-B Man," lays out strategies for women of various blood types to deal with the pitfalls and pleasures of striking up relationships with type-B men. Another assault in pop culture came earlier this year with the release of the romantic comedy, "My Boyfriend is Type-B", which tells the frustrations of a type-A woman who falls in love with just such a man. In Asia, the subject of linking blood types to personality took off with the 1927 publication of a series of articles by Japanese scholar Takeji Furukawa called "The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type. " The concept hit pop culture and mass media in 1971 when Japanese writer Masahiko Nomi expanded upon Furukawa's ideas and wrote "Understanding Compatibility from Blood Types. " Today, such books on this idea are translated into Korean and filling bookshelves in Seoul. These days, South Korean women's magazines and Internet sites seem to be inundated with the subject of romance with type-B men. According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by Internet portal site www. xyinlove. co. kr, type-B men were considered to be the most difficult type to date and about 40 percent of women said they did not want to marry a type-B man. Kim Tae-suk, a doctor in the department of psychiatry at the Catholic University of Korea, said younger Koreans were buying into defining people by blood types because of what they see on TV, movies and in print. "I can definitively say there is no scientific evidence that links a person's blood type to their character," Kim said.

A Mississippi politician in the midst of his city council candidacy finds himself fighting to keep his campaign signs from being stolen or defaced by fans of a Comedy Central's "The Chappelle Show. " Rick James, the 50-year-old candidate for city council in Hattiesburg, Mississippi not the late "Super Freak" singer, was unaware of comedian Dave Chappelle's satirical routine in which he repeats the phrase, "I'm Rick James, Bitch," until recently. The aspiring politician's "Vote Rick James" signs have become wall decoration for local college dorm rooms and cause for complaints by locals who have the signs in their yards with the B-word scribbled across it. According to James, Chappelle is aware of the incidents but has yet to contact him. Comedy Central responded with a statement apologizing for the missing campaign signs. The statement was sent via email to a friend of the network's at The New York Post after James' wife, Diane, wrote to the channel lightheartedly requesting $700 for the stolen and defaced signs. With less then three weeks left before the May 3rd primaries, James is down to his last 10 signs, and can't afford anymore. "People don't realize I don't have the money to start this up," he said. "If I did, I'd be putting them out in the yard, because my main goal is not to make money off this, but to actually win this campaign. " Despite the local controversy and losses, the James' have kept a good attitude about the whole incident. Their answering machine features music by the legendary pop singer, "Super Freak," and James has joked that his popular name would increase his chances of winning the presidency some day. James said he's in talks with "The Daily Show" to appear in a potential sketch. "I told the producers it would be funny if they sent somebody down to follow me around as I knock on doors campaigning," he said. "I usually say, 'Hi, I'm Rick James,' and it'd be funny if there was someone there to insert that B-word. I'm not going to say it, but if someone else did, that'd be as hysterical as you can get. "