A torrential downpour that struck Charlotte Saturday afternoon damaged the Mount Rushmore-style sand sculpture bust of President Obama — an ominous beginning to what many fear is a plagued convention.

Workers were trying Saturday afternoon to reform the base of the sculpture, built from sand brought in from Myrtle Beach, S.C., pounding and smoothing out the sand that had washed off the facade of the waist-up rendering of the chief executive.

The sand sculpture was protected from above, and Mr. Obama's face didn't see too much damage. But the storm was so strong that its heavy winds blew the rain sideways, pelting the president's right side and leaving the sand pockmarked and completely erasing his right elbow.

Democrats' choice of Charlotte has drawn criticism from unions who don't like North Carolina's labor laws, and the state seems to be tilting away from Democrats politically.

The large Rushmore-style sculpture drew comparisons to Mr. Obama's 2008 convention in Denver, when he accepted his party's nomination on a stage that looked like a Greek temple.

Human Rights activists in Guatemala said Friday that a joint anti-drug operation between U.S. Marines and the nation's army threatens to revive memories of rights abuses during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war.

A team of 200 U.S. Marines began patrolling Guatemala's western coast this week as part of a joint agreement to catch drug shipments.

"Rural communities in Guatemala are fearful of the military being used to combat drug traffickers because the same techniques are applied that were used in contra (counterinsurgency) warfare," said rights advocate Helen Mack, executive director of the Myrna Mack Foundation. "The historical memory is there and Guatemalans are fearful of that."

Kelsey Alford-Jones of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA noted that Guatemalan armed forces, which were backed by the U.S. during the civil war, committed more than 93 percent of the acts of violence.

It was 50 years ago when the U.S. military last sent any significant aid and equipment into Guatemala, establishing a base to support counter-insurgency efforts during a guerrilla uprising after a CIA-backed coup overthrew democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz in 1954. The movement led to 36 years of civil war that ended in 1996 with the signing of a peace accords between the government and leftist guerrillas.

The conflict left more than 200,000 dead and missing, 93 percent of them as a result of the activities of state forces and paramilitary groups, a U.N. report said. The U.S. pulled out in 1978.

Guatemalan authorities say they signed a treaty allowing the U.S. military to conduct the anti-drug operations on July 16. Less than a month later an Air Force C-5 transport plane flew into Guatemala City from North Carolina loaded with the Marines and four UH-1 "Huey" helicopters.

If the Marines find suspected boats, they will contact their Guatemalan counterparts in a special operations unit from the Guatemalan navy that will move in for the bust. The Marines will not go along on arrest missions, but they do have the right to defend themselves if fired on, U.S. officials said.

"Marines in Guatemala are in a supporting role and we are providing aerial, communications and logistical support to a regional partner who is currently facing strong challenges with illicit trafficking along its coasts. This is not a new role nor the first time the U.S. military supports a partner in this capacity," said Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department in an email response to an AP query.

PETA has branded Lady Gaga and Rihanna as "freaks" after the two pop megastars were spotted wearing clothing and accessories made from animal products.

Rihanna was criticized by the animal rights organization after she took to the streets of London on Thursday wearing a pair of thigh-high snakeskin boots, according to the Daily Express.

"Rihanna may not have a clue that snakes killed for boots are often nailed to a tree and skinned alive. Of course, they can't go on Oprah to cry about it," said a PETA spokesperson, referring to the singer's recent appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.

"Wearing reptile skin is creepy and callous, and it makes her look even more out of touch. She and Lady Gaga seem so desperate to be freaks instead of recognized for their talents that you have to wonder if they realize that they are being laughed at."

Lady Gaga had previously been praised by PETA for her anti-fur stance.

"I hate fur and I don't wear fur," the singer had said on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2009.

However, the animal rights group lambasted Gaga for being a hypocrite last month after she was seen donning a number of fur coats in public.

"These recent photos of you in fox and rabbit and with a wolf carcass make it appear that you have amnesia. What happened? Are your stylists telling you that it's fake, or are you a turncoat?" wrote Dan Matthews, PETA's senior vice president, in a letter published on the group's website.

The "Born This Way" singer has yet to confirm whether or not her fur coats were real, but has defiantly responded to the accusations with a cheeky tweet.

"To those press and such who are writing about whether or not my fur is actually real, please don’t forget to credit the designer Hermes," she tweeted on August 13th.

Lady Gaga and Rihanna are not the first celebrities to have incited PETA's wrath.

Jessica Simpson, Reese Witherspoon and Kim Kardashian have all been criticized in the past for what the nonprofit has deemed ethically irresponsible fashion choices. Kardashian, for instance, was given PETA's "Celebrity Grinch Award" last year for her love of fur.

The divorce settlement between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes reportedly outlines that Holmes will receive $400,000 a year in child support for 6-year-old daughter Suri until she turns 18, but the actress reportedly also negotiated for a sizable trust fund to be set up in Suri's name.

TMZ reported that Cruise will be responsible for expenses that Suri may incur, such as medical and dental care and tuition to the $40,000 a year private school Avenues, where Suri is scheduled to start first grade after Labor Day.

All of Suri's needs will be more than taken care of, but a source tells RadarOnline that Holmes negotiated the trust fund so that her daughter will be able to begin to access some of the funds once she turns 18 years old.

"She just wanted to ensure that Suri would have financial security as she becomes an adult. It's a sizable trust fund, but Suri won't be able to fully legally claim it until she is in her 30s. Tom had no problem with the request and planned on doing it for Suri anyway," revealed the source.

As one of the best-dressed celebrity children, Suri -- who is endlessly doted on and well traveled, and has a penchant for designer clothes -- will likely make good use of the trust fund one day.

Jennifer Lopez's schedule is often quite hectic, but she always manages to find some time to relax and have fun with her kids.

The former "American Idol" judge had a Miami pool day on August 30, where she and her twins, Max and Emme, and beau Casper Smart, lounged in the sun and, of course, played in the water.

With the end of summer right around the corner, it looks like this happy family had the right idea.

Newcomer Darcey Bussell adds some sparkle to the Strictly Come Dancing panel as she joins her fellow judges for a spin round the floor - in a mirrored, glitterball-style dress.

All four judges will be seen dancing together in a new trailer as a taster for the forthcoming series in which Bussell replaces Alesha Dixon.

Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli battle over who can perform the slinkiest moves as they vie for a turn with their new colleague in the BBC One teaser.

The quartet filmed the routine, choreographed by Revel Horwood, at a glamorous country retreat and it is the first time since the launch of Strictly that all the judges have been seen dancing together.

The series returns to BBC One on September 15 when viewers will see the contestants team up with their partners for the first time.

Contestants include former children's TV presenter Johnny Ball - the oldest-ever entrant at 74 - and former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan. Others reportedly taking part are Girls Aloud and Shrek The Musical star Kimberley Walsh and Jerry Hall.

 For the first time in a decade Tanya Angus, who is fighting a life-and-death battle against gigantism, has stopped growing. At seven feet and 400 pounds, she now has some hope.

Angus, a 33-year-old from Las Vegas, was diagnosed with acromegaly, a rare pituitary disorder that causes the body to produce too much growth hormone. It affects about 20,000 Americans.

Since 2010, when ABCNews.com first told her story, Angus has grown an inch taller and gained 30 pounds. Before the disease began its destructive course, she was only 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds.

But for the last year, she has been treated with a drug that has kept the levels of growth hormone in her blood in the normal range.

"This is such good news," Angus told ABC's Las Vegas affiliate KTNV.

Angus has grown so large that she can barely walk and a swimming pool is the only place where she is without pain because she can float there.

"It feels so, like, liberating," said Angus, who is being nearly crushed by her weight. She needs constant care from he family and friends.

Angus has a tumor on her pituitary gland but radiation and three surgeries have done nothing to stop her dangerous growth. One 13-hour operation nearly killed her, and another caused a stroke that took away most of her hearing.

As her body gets larger, so do her other organs. Her heart, lungs, joints and other parts of her body have also grown under the strain of this rare disease.

Doctors say it is one of the worst cases of acromegaly that they have ever seen. Her mother, Karen Strutynski, says it is the "worst in the world."

About 95 percent of the time, the condition is caused by a non-cancerous tumor on the pituitary gland, according to the Pituitary Network Association. Such is the case with Angus, but her tumor is wrapped around her carotid artery, and is inoperable.

Dr. Laurence Katznelson, professor of medicine and neurosurgery at Stanford University Hospital in California and medical director of its pituitary center, did not treat Angus but serves as medical advisor to the online Acromegaly Community.

"Everything gets thicker and the facial features become abnormal," he told ABCNews.com last year when Angus was speaking at a national conference.

Fluid accumulates in the body, causing stress on multiple systems in the body. Patients are more prone to cardiac conditions, hypertension and diabetes.

"They are in a lot of pain because they get severe headaches and their joints can be swollen and develop premature osteoarthritis," he said. "Their mortality rate is two to four times greater than the general population."

 Two of the star quarterback’s longtime teammates from New England’s Super Bowl-winning teams — wide receiver Deion Branch (MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX) and center Dan Koppen — as well as his backup (Brian Hoyer) were cut Friday as the Patriots trimmed players to reach the NFL’s 53-man roster limit.

Branch was one of Brady’s favorite receiving targets on the 2003 and 2004 Patriots teams that captured NFL championships. Branch was traded to Seattle in 2006 following a contract dispute but re-acquired by New England during the 2010 season.

Because of his status as a vested NFL veteran, Branch was given his outright release rather than placed on the waiver wire. If he doesn’t head elsewhere, the 33-year-old Branch could be re-signed after Week 1 of the regular season when his base salary wouldn’t be guaranteed for the entire year. This would give the Patriots both roster and salary-cap flexibility in case they want to release Branch again later in the season to make another roster move.

Branch started 15 games for New England last season, catching 51 passes for 702 yards and five touchdowns. The Patriots also released veteran wideouts Jabar Gaffney and Donte’ Stallworth earlier this week and parted ways with Chad Johnson in the offseason.


Like Branch, the 32-year-old Koppen played on the Patriots squads that won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. The nine-year veteran spent almost all of last season on injured reserve after suffering a leg injury in the Week 1 opener against Miami. Koppen was beaten out by 2011 replacement Dan Connolly for a starting spot during preseason.

Hoyer was the most surprising cut. The Patriots thought enough of Hoyer during the offseason to place a second-round tender on him as a restricted free agent. That greatly limited any potential interest Hoyer would have received from other suitors.

The Patriots, though, decided to hand the backup reins to 2011 third-round pick Ryan Mallett, who didn’t appear in an NFL game as a rookie. Mallett’s perceived upside and Hoyer’s $1.9 million base salary are believed to have figured into New England’s decision to place him on the waiver wire.


Based upon media reports and team announcements, here are some other notable veterans who are now on the market after being cut before Friday night’s 9 p.m. NFL roster deadline:

Denver cornerback Drayton Florence: When released by Buffalo post-draft, Florence drew moderate interest as a nickel cornerback candidate. Even though he couldn't stick with the Broncos, Florence should be signing elsewhere soon because of the league-wide demand for cornerbacks.

Just a day ago we were reminiscing about that time former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into the law the most sweeping curbs on greenhouse gases in the country, rules that drive the federal government's march toward a 54.5 mpg average by 2025. About the same time, Schwarzenegger was in California picking up his new ride, a five-ton Mercedes-Benz Unimog pickup customized to a value estimated at $250,000. The earth underneath its tires will be safe, all right.

Schwarzenegger, the 65-year-old actor and bit player in the recent "The Expendables 2," has long been known as a fan of military-grade trucks, and was a chief reason AM General and General Motors eventually built civilian versions of the Hummer military vehicle. During his time as governor, Schwarzenegger changed his stripes, touting fuel-efficient models and even converting one of his trucks to run on hydrogen.

But after leaving office and some changes in his personal life, Schwarzenegger seems to be exploring the world of high-end machinery again; we caught him earlier thisy month checking out the field at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Thursday's pickup of his diesel Unimog followed a test drive in Germany of the Unimog with its customizer. These trucks aren't sold by Mercedes in the United States, but see duty around the rest of the world as construction, forestry and military haulers, and are renowned for their off-road prowess.

While the $250,000 figure in customizing by German firm Mertec sounds high, it might also involve a fair bit of legal work; newer Unimog U1300s generally aren't legal on American roads; they can barely top 60 mph, and getting one registered for public driving in California may have taken months. Then again, having an ex-governor as a customer couldn't have hurt.

"I'm done," Shia LaBeouf recently told THR. The "Transformers" star no longer wants to make blockbusters for big studios.

"There's no room for being a visionary in the studio system. It literally cannot exist. [The studios] give you the money, then get on a plane and come to the set and stick a finger up your ass and chase you around for five months."

LaBeouf later told USA Today that the quote was taken out of context, but maybe it wasn't: Since Linkin Park played over the end-credits of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," LaBeouf has done everything he can to not star in traditional Hollywood movies. He's the lead in the violent indie "Lawless" (out in theaters now), and next stars in "The Company You Keep" (a.k.a. "The Movie Shia Made With Robert Redford"), "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Drops Acid") and "Nymphomaniac" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Will Simulate Various Sex Acts on Screen"). "Transformers 4" these are not.

But maybe they should be.

This is a dangerous time to be a movie star: Combined, movies led by bona fide icons Johnny Depp ("Dark Shadows"), Tom Cruise ("Rock of Ages") and Adam Sandler ("That's My Boy") were outgrossed in North America this summer by "Ted," Seth MacFarlane's comedy about a foul-mouthed (and computer-generated) teddy bear. The year's biggest hits -- "Marvel's The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hunger Games" -- were ensembles sold on characters, not stars. (Robert Downey Jr. is technically in the class of Depp, Cruise and Sandler, but he still wields the most box-office power while wearing his Iron Man costume.) In a way, movie stars are facing the same issues as talk radio: They're getting older and their fans are getting older. At the same time, young audiences aren't loyal to movie stars, but rather movie moments. (Tom Cruise climbing the tallest building in the world? Check. Tom Cruise singing Bon Jovi? Not so much.) It's enough to make your average blockbuster actor cry into his or her spilled Cristal.

Which is why LaBeouf is so important. Unlike Daniel Radcliffe, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, LaBeouf isn't famous for playing a trademark character. (Do you actually remember what his "Transformers" character was named?) He's famous for being himself -- and he's played variations on his hyper kid persona in everything from "Transformers" to "Indiana Jones" to "Eagle Eye" and "Disturbia." If that sounds familiar, it's because Cruise and Tom Hanks were doing almost the same thing during the '80s and '90s: They each found a note and played it over and over and over again. Cruise and Hanks became their own personal franchises. Why can't LaBeouf?

Well, because he wants to become just another indie actor who looks up to Sean Penn -- complete with the bar fights, love affairs and controversial interviews. Like the USA Today one this week where LaBeouf mentioned doing acid.

"All I'm really trying to say in the most politically sensible way is, 'Thank you so much for giving me the opportunities, I would just like to make movies about people now,'" LaBeouf said, clarifying why he's leaving blockbusters behind. It's just too bad the person he wants to make movies about isn't himself.