Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is now charged with the task of investigating claims that Scientology is a criminal organization that has sanctioned beatings, imprisonments, forced abortions, sexual abuse and fraud. Those sensational claims were made by South Australian senator Nick Xenophon.

After having received letters from eight former Scientology followers who described to him a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality, Xenophon is pushing for an investigation.

Rudd commented:

These are grave allegations. Many people in Australia have real concerns about Scientology. I share some of those concerns."

However, he added that he did not want to rushy into any judgment on the claims:

"We would like to proceed in a cautious and methodical way in examining those matters...and then we'll decide what, if further, parliamentary action is necessary."

Naturally, the Church of Scientology in Australia has denied teh allegations, describing them as a coordinated effort to discredit the church. They have said, however, that they will cooperate with police if a formal investigation is indeed launched.

Upon seeing the pictures from Lindsay Lohan's first collection as Ungaro's "artistic adviser", Emanuel Ungaro was far from pleased. Ungaro sold the fashion house that shares his name in 2005 and hasn't had any contact with the label since then. At a film festival in Lisbon, he was asked what he thought about the collection.

Ungar said:

"Lindsay Lohan's collaboration was a disaster. I am furious but I can't do anything about it. Ungaro is in the process of losing its soul. That happens to a lot of designers. We were the creators and patrons, responsible for the creation and destiny of our houses. But when we gave up our houses, we gave up our souls."

Well, at least they didn't pay her. Rumor is, she works for them for free.

The economy sucks and most of us are a little short on cash. However, that doesn't mean you have to forgo visiting family or taking that much needed weekend vacation. Southwest Airlines makes it easy - and CHEAP - to get where you need to go, rolling out new $25 fares.

The new sale began on Tuesday, and is a part of the airline's fourth-quarter sale. The $25 fare is available on several one-way flights of less than 375 miles. For travel between 375 and 549 miles the price is $50, and for travel between 550 miles and 999 miles the fare is $75.

The new campaign is being heavily promoted and carries with it the tagline:

With fares this low, you should invent a reason to go.

Faires are available for travel between December 2-16 and January 5-February 10, 2010. They are available for purchase through Thursday online. As always, some restrictions apply. Visit southwest.com more information and to purchase tickets.

It's getting to be crunch time. Halloween is just one week away now, and if you haven't already figured out a costume for your children, it's time to get started. Sure, you could probably pick up one up at your local Kmart, but let's be honest - they look and feel cheap. You could make your own, but time is running out. The best solution can be found at your local Children's Place store, where you'll find a great selection of costumes for children, including babies. They're super high quality and affordable.

Available in sizes 0-6 months all the way up to children's size 8, the Children's Place has costumes for both boys and girls. Choose from monsters, monkeys, giraffes, genies, witches, flowers, and pirates, as well as other Halloween themed outfits.

Costume prices range from $22.50 to $29.50 at regular price, but even better bargains are to be had now. All Halloween costumes and clothes are now marked down with a 50% price reduction. You can't beat that.

Photo: 18mm Deco Classic in Rose Gold Case Michele Watch

Instead of looking to their wrists to find out the time, today many people instead pull out their cell phones which are synced with satellites and are more likely to be accurate. Watches, however, still have a very special place in the digital age. While they still tell us the time, watches now are more of a status piece than ever. They are a reflection of our personal style and wealth, and a great accessory to polish up almost any outfit. Finding the perfect watch can be quite a chore. Recently, we were introduced to Michele Watches, which offers watches in both men's and women's styles and are seen on the wrists of Hollywood starlets to business professionals and everyone else in between.

Michele Watches was founded by Jack Barouh, the son of a German watchmaker, Maurice Barouh, who passed on his passion for quality craftsmanship and an expression of style to his son. Michele Watches was launched with the birth of Jack's first child, Michele. At first they created children's watches and expanded from there.

Miley Cyrus has officially quit Twitter. The 16-year-old singer/actress deleted her Twitter page after posting a message that her boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth, her co-star in the film "Last Song, disapproves of the site.

She tweeted:

"FYI Liam doesn't have a Twitter and he wants me to delete mine with good reason."

If you want to see world class art museums, get a great view of Lake Erie, see the best orchestra in the world, and experience the most underated city in the country, now is the time to act. Cleveland has just been named the most affordable destination in the U.S. by travel experts Leisure and Leisure Magazine in their latest rankings of America's Favorite Cities. This marks the first time that Cleveland has been ranked by the magazine as one of the top getaway cities, and may have impact on the tourism industry.

It wasn't all good news for us Clevelanders though. Despite giving us kudos for the great orchestra, the West Side Market, and museums, the people over at Travel and Leisure think that Clevelanders are a bit on the ugly side. Out of the 30 cities listed, Cleveland came in at 28th when ranking attractiveness. Cleveland also fared rather poorly in terms of weather (#29), and people-watching (#28). Cleveland was also ranked dead last on the list of spring break destinations at #30, probably because during March and April there's a good chance of there might still be some lingering snow on the ground.

Italian scientist Luigi Garlaschelli says that he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, an accomplishment that he claims definitively proves that the linen some Christians regard as Jesus Christ's burial cloth is nothing more than medieval fake.

The Shroud of Turin bears an image of a crucified man that some believers say is Christ. On both the back and front, it shows a bearded man with long hair and his arms crossed on his chest. The entire cloth is also marked by what looks to be rivulets of blood from wounds at the wrists, feet, and side.

Garlaschelli, who is due to illustrate his results at a conference this weekend in northern Italy, says of his reproduction:

"We have shown that it is possible to reproduce something that has the same characteristics as the Shroud."

In 1998, speculation was first raised when carbon dating of the cloth dated it from between 1260 and 1390, and scientists have thus far been at a loss to explain how the image was left on the cloth. Garlaschelli was able to reproduce the full size shroud using materials and techniques available in the Middle Ages.

Radical Arizona pastor Steven Anderson previously received national attention when he dedicated an entire sermon to "Why I hate Barack Obama.". One of his parishioners also caught media attention when e brougt an AR-15 to a protest outside of a speech delivered by President Obama. He called Obama a "murderer" and "socialist devil", and said "I'm not going to pray for his good. I'm going to pray that he dies and goes to hell." Due to the content of his sermons, a CNN analylst last week said that he had likely been visited by Secret Service agents. Instead of backing off or facing into obscurity, Anderson decided to step up his game.

On Sunday, Anderson decided not to apologize or retract his inflammatory remarks. Instead, he said:

I hope that God strikes Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy. You know, and I hope it happens today.

Anderson is a pastor at Faithful Word Baptist church in Phoenix, Arizona, which he founded in 2005.

You can view the video footage right here:

JetBlue is taking an innovative approach to ramp up its post-Labor Day travel by offering an all-you-can-fly pass which is good for one month for just $599. Good between September 8 to October 8, those who take advantage of the deal can fly to any or allof the 56 places JetBlue flies to in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and Columbia.