WORLD NEWS TREND

If the ongoing saga of Brett Favre keeps you up nights during the off season in breathless anticipation, you may want to check out the international version of the story being played out by David Beckham. Playing for the Galaxy doesn’t appear to be in line with Beckham’s goal of making England’s 2010 World Cup team with America’s lackluster soccer image and Beckham logging so much time on the bench. AC Milan is trying to tempt the star to play on loan starting in January, despite protest from the Galaxy, a move that would bring Beckham back to center stage. Can the U.S. stand the loss of fashion maven, Vicky, though? No, darn it, Europe can’t have her back!

If a lottery had been linked into the internet game of “What Would Your Name Have Been If You’d Been Born to Sarah Palin,” the lucky moniker assigned Zamboni would have apparently hit the jackpot. In an extensive interview with People, Palin revealed that her next-born might have been named after hockey’s favorite piece of hardware, although Todd was hesitant to embrace the name. Although some experts say unusual names give kids a leg up in the world, one wonders in what universe Zamboni would grant such status.

Rumors of Angelina Jolie’s baby-induced paranoia have been feeding gossip rags for months, but the actress may be seriously considering a radical 180 thanks to she and Pitt’s burgeoning brood. Becoming homebound, though, doesn’t appear to be entering the equation, though: ‘In reality my life is a lot more chaotic and adventurous now. Brad [Pitt] and I pilot airplanes, we travel non-stop, we go to difficult places and we have chosen to do it taking all of the kids with us. I feel a lot braver now than when I was an angry young woman.” Wedding bells may be ringing in the near future for the couple, according to the actress, partially to stem the inevitable tide of questions from their kids; however, there’s little doubt they’ll have plenty of curiosity to fill the void.

When John McCain criticizes Obama about meetings without preconditions, he may know more about such meetings that previously believed. Six documents have been uncovered by the Huffington Post revealing a hush-hush meeting between the Republican presidential candidate and brutal Chilean dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, that took place while the Justice Department was seeking the extradition of two of the Butcher’s cronies for acts of terrorism against the US. No evidence has been found that McCain took the leader to task over his human rights violations or anti-democratic actions or that he met with opposition parties as did other senators, such as Ted Kennedy, who took similar — but well-publicized — trips to the region during the same time period. Whether the documents are real or faked, the story should be examined more closely to discover the truth behind the allegations.

What’s a 36-year age difference when love (and about a billion bucks) is involved? Netscape founder Jim Clark, 64, and “Project Runway Australia” host Kristy Hinze, 28, have reportedly decided to swap nuptials after three years of dating. The happy couple will likely register for Viagra, Ensure shakes and enough boxed wine to make wedding night consummation tolerable.

Can’t decide between pizza and week-old birthday cake for lunch? What if I said you could land a free pizza with the help of Digg’s Kevin Rose and without the risk involved in eating moldy chocolate icing? Hmm, that’s a sales pitch rivaling Billy Mays, if I do say so myself. Before clanging beer steins on Diggnation with Alex Albrecht, Rose spent his internet flick days teaching young’ns the fine art of scamming your way to a free lunch on The Broken. Check out the vintage video and enjoy your yummy scammed food!

If Sergey Brin and Larry Page start stocking up on camouflage frocks and firearms, they could assemble an army of Googlers rivaling only the Michigan Militia. Well, they’d probably be a bit less out-of-the-woods-hillbilly and more tech-nerds-gone-Rambo, but either way, you might want to consider taking cover. Google recently added a Dornier Alpha Fighter Jet to their fleet of aircraft that also includes a Boeing 767, a Boeing 757 and two Gulfstream Vs. The pointy-nosed jet comes outfitted with special instruments tailored for NASA missions, so it seems Brin and Page could be planning an attack from space. Or they’re set to conquer Mars.

Battling the millions donated by Mormons to pass California’s Prop 8, Apple has chipped in $100,000 to defeat the measure that would overturn the Golden State’s legalization of gay marriage. A statement released by the company read, in part: “Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue…and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.”

The headlines remain grim for newspapers, as print circulation numbers dropped significantly for the the six-month period ending last month with the Audit Bureau of Circulations reporting a daily circulation drop of 4.6 percent and a 4.8 percent slip for Sunday papers. The San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald took the biggest hits, all reporting circulation drops of at least 7 percent. Only The Washington Post, USA Today and a handful of smaller papers saw numbers that didn’t cause a sinking feeling in the old gut as all remained pretty much flat or reported a tiny increase.

The job axe has predictably emerged again and this time it’s hacking away at the staff over at Revision3. (Hmm, unintended pseudo-Halloween reference there.) The internet television network announced plans to nix long-time channel staples like “Pixel Perfect” and also cut off distribution deals with “Epic Fu” and Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Wine Library.” Don’t worry, Gary Vee’s hyperactive vino shenanigans will still be available for your viewing pleasure at his site.