Carolina Country Cruizin' with Matt & Dee: 9-11-08 NEVER FORGET

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Seven years have passed since the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. About 3,000 people died in the coordinated attacks that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, left the Pentagon badly damaged and a smoldering gash in a Pennsylvania field where the final hijacked airliner crashed after passengers fought the hijackers. On Thursday, September 11th, the victims of the attack on the Pentagon will be remembered at the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial. VOA's Monaliza Noormohammadi reports.

Evacuations Begin In Texas

Gulf Coast residents in Texas began leaving the area yesterday as Hurricane Ike continues barreling towards the Texas coast. Gathering strength in the open warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Ike is expected to hit land early Saturday somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston, with some forecasts saying it could become a Category 4, with winds of at least 131 mph. Four counties south and east of Houston announced mandatory or voluntary evacuations, and authorities have started moving weak and chronically ill patients by bus to San Antonio, about 190 miles from Houston. A mandatory evacuation was also ordered for the west end of Galveston Island. About a million people live in coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Galveston. And additional 4 million live in the Houston area, to the north.

Lucky Wishbone From Thanksgiving 1984

Item number: 330268649461

Bidding ends: September 12th

With no bids at press time, starting bid: $0.99

Item location: Marion, OH

Seller says: “You may have learned through the years that you should let the wishbone dry for at least three days before you take the chance of breaking it. How much more is your luck increased if you wait a week? How about a year? Let’s say five years. I have one that is 24 years old.”

A Hug

Item number: 220276974502

Bidding ends: September 13th

With no bids at press time, starting bid: $0.99

Item location: Brooklyn, NY

Seller says: “This listing is for one hug from me. Will likely include smile and make you feel warm and happy. I listed UPS as the shipping service, but hugs can only be given in person. Happy bidding! I guess this auction would be considered pick up only, if you have to get it in person.”

The Incredible Shrinking Cereal Box

Have you noticed a few less snaps, crackles and pops in your cereal lately? That’s because cereal boxes – and the amount of cereal inside – are shrinking. In June, Kellogg slimmed down its cereal boxes. Froot Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks all decreased by about 2.4 ounces. Meanwhile, Unilever recently shrank bottles of Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise, Breyers Ice Cream and Skippy, among other items. And while a bag that holds potato chips may not be shrinking, what’s inside is. But consumers are noticing: 75% of those surveyed by Consumer

Reports in July said they noticed packages are shrinking and 71% believed the main reason for downsizing was to hide price hikes from consumers. Yet, half of those surveyed said they’d prefer that manufacturers keep the old package and raise the price. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are shrinking the contents and its packaging AND raising prices.

Prisoner Sues For Pain, Stress Over Moldy Cookies

A Washington state inmate says King County owes him compensation for pain and suffering for allegedly giving him moldy snack food at the jail commissary. Ten-time felon Moses Wiggins III, currently serving a 3 1/2-year sentence for theft at Stafford Creek Corrections Center near Aberdeen, Washington, says he was in the King County jail in Kent, Washington, in June 2007 when he bought a box of Keefe Snack Legends Dunkin’ Sticks. Wiggins said he didn’t notice the mold until he had eaten half the box. He said he spent several days in the bathroom after eating the moldy food.

Many folks know Kellie Pickler is a big hockey fan, but she’s also a huge football fan. Kellie’s new album, appropriately titled “Kellie Pickler,” will be released on September 30th.

Miranda Lambert just had the biggest hit of her career so far with “Gunpowder & Lead,” but her new single really lets fans hear her more vulnerable side on the ballad “More Like Her.” It’s a song that Miranda wrote, and one that she questioned whether to include on her album. Lambert said she wasn’t sure about putting the song on the album because she didn’t want to give away too much of herself.

The pain you see in the video for Keith Anderson’s “I Still Miss You” isn’t acting. Anderson said it was “a hard day emotionally” when he filmed the video, because his mom had nearly died of brain cancer. Keith says she rebounded and was strong enough to have a second brain surgery, giving her an additional two-and-a-half months. She died on June 30th, but lived long enough to see “I Still Miss You” become a hit.

Martina McBride is a mother, wife, country star and good luck charm, her husband John McBride says. Every time Martina sings the national anthem, John keeps track to see if the home team wins or loses. Her performance Sunday at the Tennessee Titans game gave her another win, making her record 26 and 4.

CMA Noms

Kenny Chesney scored seven Country Music Association award nominations yesterday, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. Sugarland and George Strait earned five nominations, while Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson captured four apiece. The CMA awards are set for November 12th and will air on ABC.

Entertainer Of The Year: Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland and Keith Urban.

Female Vocalist Of The Year: Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

Male Vocalist Of The Year: Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, George Strait and Keith Urban.

New Artist Of The Year: Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Lady Antebellum, James Otto and Kellie Pickler.

Vocal Group Of The Year: Eagles, Emerson Drive, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts.

Vocal Duo Of The Year: Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland and The Wreckers.

Single Of The Year: “Don’t Blink” – Kenny Chesney, “Gunpowder & Lead” – Miranda Lambert, “I Saw God Today” – George Strait, “Stay” – Sugarland and “You’re Gonna Miss This” – Trace Adkins.

Album Of The Year: “Carnival Ride” – Carrie Underwood, “Cowboy Town” – Brooks & Dunn, “Good Time” – Alan Jackson, “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates” – Kenny Chesney and “Troubadour” – George Strait.

Song Of The Year: “Good Time” – Alan Jackson, “I Saw God Today” – George Strait, “Letter To Me” – Brad Paisley, “Stay” – Sugarland and “You’re Gonna Miss This” – Trace Adkins.

Musical Event Of The Year: Josh Turner featuring Trisha Yearwood on “Another Try,” Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney on “Every Other Weekend,” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on “Gone, Gone, Gone,” Sugarland featuring Little Big Town and Jake Owen on “Life In A Northern Town,” and Kenny Chesney’s duet with George Strait on “Shiftwork.”

Music Video Of The Year: “Don’t Blink” – Kenny Chesney, “Good Time” – Alan Jackson, “Stay” – Sugarland, “Waitin’ On A Woman” – Brad Paisley and “You’re Gonna Miss This” – Trace Adkins.

Musician Of The Year: Jerry Douglas – Dobro, Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar, Dann Huff – Guitar, Brent Mason – Guitar and Mac McAnally – Guitar.

The Gender Of Your Boss Can Affect Your Stress Level

A new study finds that your boss’ gender can affect just how much pain he or she seems to inflict. Researchers at the University of Toronto used data from a 2005 national survey of working adults in America and compared the stress levels and physical health problems of men and women working in one of three situations: for a lone male supervisor, a lone female supervisor, or for both a male and female supervisor. What they found is that women who had only one female boss reported more psychological distress – such as trouble sleeping, depression and anxiety – and physical symptoms – such as headaches, heartburn and neck and back pain – than women who worked for one male boss. They also discovered that women who had both male and female supervisors also reported more of these symptoms than their peers who worked for a single male boss. Men who worked for a single supervisor, regardless of gender, had similar levels of distress. Men who worked for a mixed-gender pair had fewer mental and physical symptoms than those working for a lone male supervisor.

LeAnn Rimes cancelled her show last night at Tulsa, Oklahoma's B-O-K Center and has also cancelled tonight's show at the St. Louis Verizon Wireless Amphitheater due to tonsillitis, according to Pollstar. The country star cancelled dates early in August for the same affliction and in June for inflamed vocal cords.Miranda Lambert filled in for LeAnn last night.

Tim McGraw will spend today at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio with a performance for military personnel and their families. On such a poignant day in history Tim says, "We can only begin to sympathize the immense sacrifice the soldiers and their families make on a daily basis. We hope our show gives them a brief interlude of their duties and time to enjoy themselves for a little while." More than 25-thousand people are expected to attend.

Die-hard Garth Brooks fans will soon be able to bid to own a portion of the rights to some of Garth's songs. StarVest, a start-up company based in Wisconsin, will auction off partial rights to 18 of his songs, including "Friends in Low Places," beginning next month. Other artists who have song rights up for grabs include Cher,The Monkees and Aerosmith. Some songwriters think the sale of a portion of the rights to fan-investors will offset their income slowdown due to slowing record sales. The partial rights to some of the most popular songs are expected to be sold for as much as 250-thousand dollars.

Gaming and country music are uniting for SingStar Country -- a new game developed for the PlayStation 2. SingStar Country allows fans to sing along to the videos of country stars and be scored by special technology that recognizes pitch, tone and rhythm. Some of the artist featured in the first edition of the game includeAlan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler and Gretchen Wilson. Gretchen says, "This game lets me reach out to all country fans in a whole new way, not only giving them the chance to hear my music, but also to become a part of it." SingStar Country will be in stores on October 28th.

Today I suggested a way for Matt to make some extra money: New Zealand's national airline is offering to pay bald travelers to use their heads -- literally -- in a new advertising campaign. Air New Zealand says it wants 70 recruits to stand in lines in three airports -- while wearing temporary tattoos on the back of their heads so the displays can be seen by people lining up behind them. The airline will pay a thousand New Zealand dollars -- about 660 U-S dollars -- for each walking billboard, a company official said. The tattoos will promote a new system that is meant to reduce check-in waiting times. The tattoos would fade or wash off after about two weeks.

Reba McEntire is planning to release her three-disc set "50 Greatest Hits" next month. The CD will feature her number one hits from her 33-year career, which include"Can't Even Get The Blues," "You're The First Time I Thought About Leaving," "How Blue," "New Fool at an Old Game," and "If You See Him/If You See Her," a duet with Brooks & Dunn. The project also boasts top ten hits, among them "How Blue," "Fancy," "'Til You Love Me," and "Somebody." "50 Greatest Hits" will be in stores on October 28th.

A Nepalese man says he's finally found love. And it only took him 25 marriages to do it. According to "BBC News," 49-year-old Ramchandra Katuwal has been married 24 times over a 16-year period. He says most of the women "ran away," and that he can only remember nine of them clearly. But seven years ago Katuwal married a 23-year-old woman, and they're still together. He blamed the failed marriages on his low-paying job as a porter. When asked why he got married for the 25th time, Katuwal said, quote, "I wanted to have a wife, because a house is not a house without a wife."