Tim Tebow Heisman Trophy Winner

Tim Tebow needed only two years of college to graduate to Heisman Trophy winner, putting the sophomore in a class by himself.

Florida’s folk-hero quarterback with the rugged running style and magnetic personality won the Heisman on Saturday night to become the first sophomore or freshman to take college football’s most prestigious award.

Since 1935, when Jay Berwanger of Chicago won the first Heisman, every winner had been a junior or senior — until Tebow.

He beat out Arkansas running back Darren Mcfadden, the first player since 1949 to finish second in consecutive seasons. Tebow received 1,957 points and 462 first-place votes to McFadden’s 1,703 points and 291 first-place votes.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was third, and Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel fourth.
A year after Tebow helped Florida win a national title, and in his first season as the Gators’ starter, the chiseled 235-pound quarterback in a fullback’s body put together a historic campaign. He’s the first major college player to run for 20 touchdowns and throw 20 TD passes in the same season.

In an unpredictable college football season, the Heisman race was as unsettled as the national title chase. Tebow emerged as the front-runner even though Florida (9-3) stumbled early.
Six of the last seven Heisman winners picked up their bronze statues on the way to playing in the national championship game. Tebow won’t get that chance this season, but Heisman voters didn’t hold Florida’s failure to defend its national title against him.

McFadden slumped in October before finishing with a huge November, capping his season with a spectacular performance — 206 yards rushing, three touchdowns and a TD pass — in the Razorbacks’ 50-48 triple-overtime win over No. 1 LSU. It seems doubtful the junior with sprinter’s speed will return to Arkansas next year to make another run at the Heisman. Not with some NFL team likely to make him a top-10 draft pick.

Brennan and Daniel each passed for over 4,000 yards and led their teams to breakout seasons.

Homeschooled by missionary parents who run an orphanage in the Philippines, Tebow took advantage of a Florida state law to play for Nease, about 90 miles from the University of Florida campus.

Tebow has worked and preached at his parents’ orphanage since he was 15. He regularly speaks at schools and delivered his message of faith at a prison in Florida earlier this year.
He arrived in Gainesville with superstar status, and Gators fans could hardly wait to see their quarterback of the future.

In a part-time role as a complement to Chris Leak, Tebow played with a fiery passion. He bowled over defenders and bounced around the field, fists pumping and arms waving.
He ran for 469 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, throwing only enough to take advantage of defenses stacked to stop him from running.

This season, the Gators became Tebow’s team and at times he was a one-man offense.

He completed 68 percent of his attempts for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns and continued to run with reckless abandon, even while playing the second half of the season with a very sore shoulder.

Compensating for the Gators’ lack of a reliable tailback, Tebow led Florida with 838 yards rushing and set a Southeastern Conference record with 22 touchdowns. With speed and a strong arm to go with his power and grit, Tebow is part throwback to the days of single-wing football and part 21st century prototype for the position.

Add winning the Heisman as a sophomore, and Tebow is truly one of a kind.

Wayne Dumond Issue Surrounding Huckabee

We just need to get this out of the way this morning.

The Wayne Dumond case is the big news of the day in the Huckabee camp, followed closely by Huckabee not knowing anything about yesterday's NIE Report. The Dumond thing has the potential to be devastating because it is only a matter of time before Dumond's victim's mother appears in a television commercial attacking Huckabee, using Huckabee's own words against him.

Huckabee wrote a letter to Dumond writing, “My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel that parole is the best way for your reintroduction to society to take place.” That there is more to the story will be inconsequential in the coming 30 second ad (oh, you know one is coming).

So, consider this your homework today. First, Byron York is a must read. He captures, very fairly, the issue.

Second, Governor Huckabee's campaign was kind enough to provide a transcript of Governor Huckabee's own remarks on the matter.

Model In A Bottle, Must Have Item!

This is a must have item! Model in a bottle is the perfect accessory for any makeup artist to have handy because it locks your makeup in place! It might sound wierd, but if you get frustrated when your foundation rubs off, or if your perfect eye blend is gone then this is the thing for you. Its a matte finish setting spray that holds your foundation and eye makeup in place throughout the day and night. Several professional artists as well as celebrities use this and the product has also been featured on several tv shows inculding Oprah and the Tyra Banks show.

Peter Davi Surfer Dies at Age of 45

Peter Davi, a legendary big wave surfer, died on Tuesday after having lost his board surfing in an area notorious for its dangerous conditions. Davi died at the age of 45 doing the thing he loved most - surfing.

On Tuesday Davi had been surfing off the coast of Northern California near Pebble Beach in waters known to local surfers as "Ghost Tree." According to various accounts, Davi lost his board and attempted to swim back to shore through the swells. He was knocked unconscious, and his body was found floating in the water by local surfers mid-day on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at 1:30pm PST.

Dangerously high surf charged by storms in the Pacific Northwest exhausted both surfers and rescuers, as 20-foot swells crashed off the Monterey Bay coastline on Tuesday. Not only did Davi lose his life, but dozens of other surfers were also forced from the water due to the inherently dangerous conditions.

The dangerous conditions brought out the biggest daredevils and experts to the waves, and even larger crowds to watch, but it also brought in extra State Park lifeguards, the city's marine rescue crew, firefighters, and paramedics. Nine lifeguards and firefighters were on the lookout for surfers in distress, watching from a cliff at the 2pm high tide. The National Weather Service cancelled the high-surf warning earlier this morning, however have extended a high-surf advisory until 4pm this afternoon.

Davi was on 60 to 70-foot waves when he lost his board, and ultimately died.

Anna Rawson, Golfer and Model Enters LPGA

The only athlete that is both a professional golfer and model, Australian Anna Rawson enters the highest platform of professional female golfers, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).


Rawson ended the Final Round of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament this past Sunday, carding three birdies, which made her first on the conditional status list of the LPGA.


"I am very excited to be apart of this elite and diverse group of athletes," said Rawson, "My continuous goal is to raise the profile of women's golf, and this new phase in my career will allow me to make more strides to do so."


Having already made a global impact on golf followers and drawn in many new fans to the sport, Rawson's experienced a flood of attention throughout the year due to her fashionable style on the course, from her signature wide-brim hats to Tom Ford Sunglasses.


The multi-talented 26 year-old had a very fruitful year from placing second at the Swiss Open on the Ladies European Tour to participating in major fashion photoshoots in a myriad of magazines all over the world, such as GQ Spain, Vogue Japan, Cosmopolitan Finland, and GQ UK.


She was also named "The Most Popular Golfer" on the Ladies European Tour by GOLF Weekly readers and earned the "Golf Babe of the Year 2007" award at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands, before playing in the KLM Ladies Open.


As GQ writer Benjie Goodhart said about Rawson, "They say Tiger Woods made golf popular with people who previously felt excluded from the game. This player could make golf popular with people who hate golf."


ABOUT ANNA RAWSON

Anna has been a stellar golf talent since she was 13, as well as a much sought-after model. After winning the National Dolly Magazine Cover Girl Contest, Anna began her modeling career, making her a rarity in sports, with an impactful mix of femininity, raw athletic talent, and intelligence . Anna graduated from USC before turning pro in golf and is noted for her fashion on the golf course. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

GE Microwave Oven Recall Information

A dangerous microwave recall out today, as General Electric admits the appliance poses a fire hazard in the kitchen.

The company is recalling 92,000 built-in combination wall and microwave ovens.

GE says there have been 35 reports of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire spread to nearby kitchen cabinets. No injuries have been reported.

The brand names affected are sold under the brand names GE, GE Profile, and Kenmore. It's believed the door switch can overheat and ignite.

If you have one of these microwaves, you can call GE (888) 240-2745

Karen Zerby of The Family International, Child Suicide Due To Cult Practices

The suicide of a young man and the murder he committed before he killed himself are being blamed on a cult led by his mother.


Ricky Rodriguez made this video before killing his former nanny and then taking his own life.

Also disturbing, former members who spoke to CNN say they witnessed Ricky Rodriguez having sex with his mother, Karen Zerby, the leader of the sect now known as "The Family International."

The sect's activities and history are detailed in a newly released book, "Jesus Freaks." The sect was founded in California in the 1960s by David Berg, who referred to himself as "Mo," short for Moses. Berg was a self-proclaimed prophet.

Former sect members tell CNN Berg encouraged adult-child sex. More often than not, they say, the chosen child was Rodriguez, the son of Karen Zerby, who Berg called his queen. Zerby became the leader of the sect when Berg died in 1994.

"Jesus Freaks" author Don Lattin says Berg "wanted his child to embrace sexuality, to be a sexual being as an infant and growing up."

Former members say Berg and Zerby wrote about their beliefs in papers distributed to members. It was Berg's how-to guide for raising sexual children. The Family International now says all "questionable publications were officially renounced and expunged between the late 1980s and early 1990s."

In Berg and Zerby's manifesto, Rodriguez was the main character.

Former member Davida Kelley told CNN, "I actually witnessed Karen Zerby having intercourse with her own son, Rick Rodriguez, at age 11." Kelley says she, too, had been abused by Berg, starting at age 5. "You were only required to have actual intimate intercourse with David Berg once you were, like, the mature age of, like, 12," she says sarcastically.

Berg was apparently so obsessed with sex he used it to expand his group around the world. Lattin says Berg sent women out to seduce men and lure them in to accept his gospel of Jesus. Lattin says Berg called the practice "Flirty Fishing."

CNN made several attempts to interview The Family International, but it refused. In a statement, the group acknowledged Berg taught sexual liberty without "instituting safeguards for the protection of minors." But it says that was corrected in 1986 and any infractions are an "excommunicable offense." The group also told CNN all of Davida Kelley's allegations are false and Zerby never abused her son.
Rodriguez, who escaped from "The Family International" in 2001, apparently was so deeply scarred that he was making plans to kill his mother. CNN has obtained a copy of a videotape he made two years ago, in which he warned, "She's gonna pay dearly, one way or the other," while brandishing a knife and loading guns at his kitchen table.

Within hours of finishing the tape, in January 2005, Rodriguez tracked down his childhood nanny, Angela Smith. Former member Kelley says "she was one of the many female adults that had intercourse with Rick Rodriguez."

In his first bloody act of revenge, Rodriguez murdered his nanny. He cut her throat and left her body in his Arizona apartment. But he was still on the hunt for his mother. Lattin says Rodriguez felt the need to take justice into his own hands because "most of the abuse was, like, 20 years ago, so the statute of limitations had expired. Most of it happened outside the U.S., so it's very difficult to prosecute."

A spokesman for the group told CNN its "policy for the protection of minors was adopted in 1986. We regret that prior to the adoption of this policy, cases occurred where minors were exposed to sexually inappropriate behavior between 1978 and 1986."

Some of those exposed to the alleged abuse may have chosen suicide to escape the pain. A Web site set up by people who grew up as children in the cult says at least 30 of them have committed suicide, though CNN has no way of verifying that.

Rodriguez became a part of that group. He failed to find his mother, something his wife says he couldn't live with. Elixcia Munumel remembers their last phone call: "He's like 'Baby, I love you.' He said, 'Come die with me.' "

Rodriguez died alone at age 29 in January 2005 on a deserted road, four years after he fled the sect. A single shot to the head ended the misery he fought so hard to escape. His mother is still the leader of the family. She has not been charged with a crime and lives in seclusion.