Fall is almost here

It's almost that time of year again as fall is here around the corner.

Paul McCartney was inspired by tragedy. He was gonna stop touring as of 2001.

The"Hey Jude" star was considering turning his back on his illustrious career - but the response of people affected by the terrorist attacks to his music made McCartney realise he still has much to offer the world.

He says, "9/11 was really the beginning of it all. Before that I was wondering if I wanted to tour again, dabbling a bit, then 9/11 happened.

"It reawakened something in me. In one way it led to everything that has happened since, the tour of America, Live 8, all that.

McCartney is also not scared of being stalked though a fanatical person jumped on stage to hug him during the Tampa show this weekend. He also fell in the riser where the piano was (to stage crew, get a fence around that!).

But brave McCartney refuses to become a paranoid superstar and lock himself away from the world - he believes fate determines the timing of his death.

He says, "I never get worried about things like that - it wouldn't stop me doing what I do. When your time's up, your time's up. Who knows when that is?"

Will Hillary Rodham Clinton serve out her next term? President Bill Clinton is asking her not to pledge.

"I don't think they should make commitments," Clinton said, referring to people who are "large figures" in their political parties.

Although recent national polls have shown Hillary Clinton as the leading contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, she has said she is focused on her re-election bid and is not thinking about a run for the White House.

In her last campaign, Hillary Clinton pledged to fulfill her term if elected. She has dodged questions thus far asking if she would make the same pledge in her current campaign.

"I think she should just run, put her service out there, put her plans for the future out there and trust the voters of New York to make a judgment," Bill Clinton said during an interview with Russert.

David Gilmour says no to a future Pink Floyd reunion.

Gilmour says, "A reunion? I've been there, done that. Absolutely not."

Bon Jovi has musicians join them on stage at gigs.

Guitarist Richie Sambora says, "Whoever shows up at our gigs has to play- whether it be Elton John or Eric Clapton. It's like a big jam session whether they like it or not.

I think Franz Ferdinand are killer and I love their songs. We'd like to get them on stage to play with everyone."

Dan Bakkedahl makes his debut this week for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

He's there to fill the void left by former Second City actor Stephen Colbert, who's working on a spinoff show that debuts next month.

Bakkedahl, 35, said when he got word of being hired, "I screamed like a little girl, and then I swore like a sailor."

Before his move to New York last week, friends sent him off with a roast at IO, taunting him about his newfound sobriety and even bringing on a piece of (balsawood) wall that they took turns bashing.

Ed Furman, his partner in an improv show called "Trainwreck," joked that Bakkedahl is a natural for New York: "They're both loud, smelly and violent, and neither one's been bombed for a while."

True to form, Bakkedahl used his farewell speech to sneer at the roast audience for its apathy. As admirers rose in a standing ovation, he flipped them off with both hands, then connected his wrists and barked, "You're all slaves!"

Get used to it, America. He's yours now.

Speaking of The Daily Show.

"I can feel it, it's right here," said Merkerson, pointing to her gown's midsection as she accepted the Emmy for actress in a miniseries or movie. "As I was walking up the stairs, I kept thinking, 'AHHHHH!'

She was followed on stage by Emmy winner Jon Stewart, who quipped, "I believe I wrote something, too," and reached for his trousers.

To Ernie Fletcher, how can we move on when you are not indicted or announcing a resignation.

I agree with Bill Clinton. Bush should raise taxes to pay for the rebuilding or we should get out of Iraq.

Former President Clinton believes the Democrats should pounce on and exploit President Bush's refusal to hike taxes to finance Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They should continue to oppose it, and they should make it an issue in the 2006 election, and they should make it an issue in the 2008 election," said Clinton, interviewed on Sunday by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week."

"I think it's very important that Americans understand... tax cuts are always popular, but about half of these tax cuts since 2001 have gone to people in my income group, the top 1 percent. I've gotten four tax cuts. They're responsible for this big structural deficit, and they're not going away, the deficits aren't."

Clinton said America's deficit has forced the United States to borrow "money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, and our tax cuts."

"We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else."

The former president, who is involved in a Katrina relief fund-raising effort with former President Bush, elaborated on the issue of tax cuts, saying leaders should hope "for the sake of our country that the cows don't come home before we have time to rectify" the problem.

"I mean, sooner or later, just think what would happen if the Chinese -- we're pressing the Chinese now, a country not nearly as rich as America per capita, to keep loaning us money with low interest to cover my tax cut, Iran -- I mean Iraq, Afghanistan, and Katrina. And at the same time to raise the value of their currency so their imports into our country will become more expensive, and our exports to them will become less expensive."

He said the United States depends on Japan, China, Britain, Saudi Arabia and Korea "to basically loan us money every day of the year to cover my tax cut and these conflicts and Katrina."

The Independence Party in New York has booted a leader following comments made.

The Independence Party said comments by Lenora Fulani had hurt the party’s credibility. Fulani said earlier this year that Jews "had to sell their souls" for the State of Israel and had become "mass murderers of people of color" to keep it, comments that the party said were "phenomenally offensive."

Fulani also has labeled Zionism "Jewish corporate nationalism." The Independence Party is backing Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his re-election bid this year.

I applaud Talia Leman on her campaign for the relief efforts.

Talia Leman, 10, wants children all over the country to participate in T.L.C., which stands for “Trick-or-Treating for the Levee Catastrophe” by collecting quarters to send for Katrina relief. Hy-Vee, a grocery store chain with 221 stories in seven states, has printed 8.5 million orange grocery bags with a message from Leman that can be used for trick-or-treating.

Charlotte Church has learned to think before she speaks. Thank G-d.

I should know later today whether or not I was appointed to the Student Senate at NKU.