A few weeks ago, South Africa was scarred by extreme acts of Xenophobia. In response, the majority of the country has come together to address the issue head on via e-mail, public service announcements and tolerance training. In record time, officials, celebrities and community members got right on top of the issue and have committed to continuing to work towards a new South Africa. It is because of this swift and collaborative action, that the Xenophobic attacks have appeared to stop, which is refreshing.

Being overweight won't fly: Air India has strict guidelines for it's air hostesses and grounds them if they don't comply. One 5-foot-four-inch woman has been grounded because she weighs 148 pounds and the guidelines state she should weigh 143 for her height.

Full story: CNN.com

How much sleep do you really need?: A study conducted at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, California indicates that people who sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours per night live longer than those who don't. The co-director of research admits there may be other factors to consider and they don't really understand the reasons, but they're continuing their research.

Full story: Time.com

Jam-packed transit systems running on fumes: Charlotte's light rail train is not the only mass transit system that's being overloaded. More commuters all over the U.S. are parking their cars to avoid gas prices, but most transit systems weren't built for the number of people riding today.

Full story: MSNBC.com

Sabathia five-hits Twins en route to seventh career shutout: In MLB last night, the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0. C.C. Sabathia pitched a five-hit shutout, which makes six in a row the Twins have lost. Ben Francisco scored the Indians' single run.

Full story: ESPN.com

Today's confused story about John McCain and Billy Graham brings us another example of how the right-wing blogosphere really works - and how unhinged it has become. On the heels of last week's ludicrous paranoia about Rachael Ray's supposedly terrorist scarf comes today's all-new episode of right-wing lunatics. Former White House staffer Doug Wead and Texas pastor Brian Jacobs claimed that John McCain refused their offer to arrange a meeting with the Rev. Billy Graham. Right-wing bloggers jumped all over the story as if it were straight from the Bible (King James version, natch), and lambasted McCain all day long. Turns out, of course, the story was 100 percent bull.

This just in: McCain and Graham responded to the rumors today in a joint appearance at Disney World. The 71-year-old U.S. Senator of questionable health and mental clarity (who thinks he's fit enough to be President, and feels endless war and tax breaks for millionaires are good for America) joined with the 89-year-old preacher (who sees himself as a Christian spiritual leader although he spent time in Nixon's Oval Office ranting against Jews) and, in a joint declaration, asked their followers to not be fooled by people whose tales are "nothing more than fantasies."

Quake lake water surges through cities: After weeks of trying to safely drain the Tangjiashan lake in the southwestern Sichuan province of China, officials said they've drained the water to a safer level. They are careful to also say that there is still danger if the man-made drainage channels collapse.

Full story: CNN.com

Flash floods inundate Wisconsin town for second time: While the East Coast is sweating and hoping for rain, the Midwest is suffering from flash floods. In Wisconsin, for the second time in ten months the town of Gays Mills is under water. A town 60 miles away had houses torn from their foundations when a lake embankment gave way.

Full story: MSNBC.com

Bionic hand wins top tech prize: The i-LIMB began it's life in 1963 in Scotland to help children affected by Thalidomide. It finally went on sale in July 2007 and has been fitted to more than 200 people including wounded U.S. soldiers.

Full story: BBC News

Griffey simply breathtaking in his prime: At age 38, Ken Griffey, Jr. has joined the ranks of The 600 club. Last night he hit home run number 600 while wearing Babe Ruth's number 3.

Full story: ESPN.com

WCNC-TV reports that a Gaston County woman found her ex-boyfriend's dead body in the trunk of her car.

GASTONIA — A woman searching for the source of a foul odor that had bothered her all weekend found something shocking in the trunk of her car:

The body of her ex-boyfriend.

WCNC-TV of Charlotte reported this morning that Kim Springer discovered the body of Ricky Dale Simmonds at about 6 p.m. Sunday in the trunk of her Ford Taurus sedan. Police said Springer had been bothered by a strong odor all weekend and may have driven the car with Simmonds' body in the back.

Police have not yet determined if Simmonds' death is accidental or the result of foul play or how he got into the trunk.

Simmonds, 49, had an extensive criminal record. The N.C. Department of Correction Web site shows he served nearly six years in state prison on a 1986 manslaughter conviction. He was convicted several times in the 1980s and 1990s for forgery and obtaining property with worthless checks. When he died, Simmonds was on probation for a 2006 forgery conviction in South Carolina.

Gastonia police said Springer had filed a restraining order against Simmonds last week after someone broke into her car.

Maybe I watch too much Snapped (the hit Oxygen series), but something does not compute. How in the hell did this man end up in her trunk? Is someone trying to set her up for his murder? Did she kill him and fake the break in? This has all of the makings of a Lifetime movie or an episode of the aformentioned Snapped.

Could you imagine opening the trunk and finding the asshole who you dumped lying there dead? This was one ex that just wasn't going away. It will be interesting to see how this case turns out.

The NC Division of Air Quality says today's air quality index of 130 means the ozone level is unhealthy for sensitive groups (children, the elderly, etc.) An Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Charlotte, NC, on Monday, Jun 9.

The Charlotte air quality forecast region includes Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union, and southern Iredell Counties.

Here are tips and explanation from state authorities:

Care for the Air

--- Drive less: carpool, vanpool, take the bus, telecommute.

--- Conserve electricity.

--- Pack a lunch or walk to lunch.

--- Avoid idling your vehicle.

--- Refuel and mow after 6:00pm.

Air Quality Index (AQI)

Green...........0- 50 AQI........Good air quality. No health risks are expected. Enjoy outdoor activities!

Yellow.......51-100 AQI........Moderate air quality. Air quality is okay, but unusually sensitive people may be affected, especially when the AQI nears 100.

Orange...101-150 AQI........Air quality is Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups. Children, active adults, and those with heart or respiratory disease, including asthma, should limit outdoor activity.

Red.........151-200 AQI........Unhealthy air quality. Everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor activity.

Purple.....201-300 AQI........Very Unhealthy air quality. Everyone should avoid outdoor activity.

In an interview with OK! magazine, Nigel Lythgoe, the superhoncho of "American Idol," revealed that he fought against letting President Bush appear on "Idol Gives Back" in April. Lythgoe said that after Bush's 2007 appearance on the program, the show's producers were very unhappy about Bush's paltry efforts to alleviate poverty - which is the whole point of "Idol Gives Back" - and were embarrassed to have the President on the program. Lythgoe explained, "We didn't ask the President this year to say anything because we are all a bit embarrassed about him, and the office insisted that, because the [primary] candidates were on it, the President would like to come on and say 'thank you.'" The producers relented, Lythgoe said, "under pressure from the President's people." I guess since Bush's influence has collapsed and he can't boss anyone around in Washington anymore, he had to get his bullying kicks by pressuring a friggin' TV show.

I can hear Preznit Flight-Suit now: "They by-God ain't gonna keep me off that show. Or else, I'll introduce their liberal asses to one of my patented pre-emptive strikes."

Luckily, or maybe not so luckily depending on your opinion of the show, American Idol has so far been able to avoid an occupation by U.S. forces, Halliburton and Blackwater.