This is a great cheat sheet short shirt for blondes.
Hmmm... saying that five times real fast would be good practice for Peter Piper picked a peck of... oh, never mind.
Jul 12, 2009
Geometry: finding x the easy way
This is a great cheat sheet short shirt for blondes.
Hmmm... saying that five times real fast would be good practice for Peter Piper picked a peck of... oh, never mind.
Michael Jackson sculpture in a Denver park
People in the Denver suburb of Lakewood have been walking past Michael Jackson and his pals for 15 years without knowing it.
The sculpture was commissioned by Michael Jackson 17 years ago and executed by Loveland Colorado artist Jane DeDecker and resides in Addenbrooke Park in Lakewood.
From left, the sculpture shows Gary Coleman, a friend of the sculptor's, Brandi Jackson, Janet Jackson, Macaulay Culkin, Michael Jackson and Brett Ratner.
Denver Post photo by Bill Husted.
Link
The sculpture was commissioned by Michael Jackson 17 years ago and executed by Loveland Colorado artist Jane DeDecker and resides in Addenbrooke Park in Lakewood.
From left, the sculpture shows Gary Coleman, a friend of the sculptor's, Brandi Jackson, Janet Jackson, Macaulay Culkin, Michael Jackson and Brett Ratner.
Denver Post photo by Bill Husted.
Link
Jul 11, 2009
Jul 10, 2009
Ask a dumb question...
Alex Johnson, an outfielder who played for eight different teams in the 1960’s and 1970’s, was asked by a reporter:
“Last year you hit two homers and this year you hit seven. What is the difference?”
“Five,” Johnson replied.
The beauty who turned Obama’s head in Italy...
The girl who Obama oogled in Italy is a 16-year-old Brazilian beauty from Rio de Janeiro.
Link
Obama finds stimulus in Italy
Barack Obama talked of a second stimulus. In this photo he appears to be getting a stimulus of a different kind at the G8 summit as an amused Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, looks on.
Photo taken in L'Aquila, Italy July 9, 2009.
Rupert Murdoch: media cooling on Obama by year end
Rupert Murdoch (pictured), owner of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, says the world's most powerful media moguls are "very bearish" on the economy, but they don't seem to be blaming President Obama for the tough times.
Media mogul Murdoch also predicts opinion of Obama will swing by year's end.
Apart from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, both owned by News Corp., the media "remains very supportive of him, perhaps not of all of his policies," Murdoch told Stuart Varney of Fox Business Network.
Link
Media mogul Murdoch also predicts opinion of Obama will swing by year's end.Apart from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, both owned by News Corp., the media "remains very supportive of him, perhaps not of all of his policies," Murdoch told Stuart Varney of Fox Business Network.
Link
Jul 9, 2009
Graves in Chicago cemetery desecrated and stripped for profit
Authorities say that, over the last several years, more than 100 bodies at Burr Oak cemetery have been dumped "in a massive pile on cemetery grounds" so the plots could be resold.
The photo above shows broken vaults after bodies were disinterred
Burr Oak cemetery was Chicago's first African-American cemetery. It is located in the town of Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.
The four charged are shown below:
(Left to right) Former Burr Oak Cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, grounds foreman Keith Nicks, 45, dump truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59.
The Arizona-based owner of the cemetery, Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.
"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.
Link
The photo above shows broken vaults after bodies were disinterred
Burr Oak cemetery was Chicago's first African-American cemetery. It is located in the town of Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.
The four charged are shown below:
(Left to right) Former Burr Oak Cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, grounds foreman Keith Nicks, 45, dump truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59.
The Arizona-based owner of the cemetery, Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.
"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.
Link
Ooops... White House spells Obama’s name wrong
Someone might want to look into whether an impostor took President Obama's place during his trip to Russia.
In a release touting an agreement between Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev over how to craft a follow-up to the START arms reduction treaty, the White House claimed the document had been signed by one "Barak Obama."
Perhaps the White House should become a little more aquatinted with its principle resident.
Link
A hair raising competition
Models display hair creations during the Europe Cup open 2009 competition in Athens, Greece last month.
Billions in aid to areas that backed Obama in 2008
The spin:
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says, “There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery."
The reality:
Counties that supported Obama last year have reaped twice as much money per person from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package as those that voted for his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, a USA TODAY analysis of government disclosure and accounting records shows. That money includes aid to repair military bases, improve public housing and help students pay for college.
Michelle Obama shows off her $6,000 purse
Back in April Michelle Obama wore a pair of $540 Lanvin sneakers at a Washington food bank. Earlier this week in Russia, she carried a sexy black clutch, which Italian luxury house VBH boasts is their shiny black alligator manila bag – with a retail sticker price of $5,950.
The $5,950 shiny black manila alligator clutch purse is part of VBH's Spring 2009 collection (a smaller version is shown above).
VBH stands for V. Bruce Hoeksema, a very successful Italian designer.
The White House denies the story and claims the purse she was carrying the $875 VBH patent leather clutch.
A $6,000 alligator clutch is just the thing to go with her tank tops.
Link
The $5,950 shiny black manila alligator clutch purse is part of VBH's Spring 2009 collection (a smaller version is shown above).
VBH stands for V. Bruce Hoeksema, a very successful Italian designer.
The White House denies the story and claims the purse she was carrying the $875 VBH patent leather clutch.
A $6,000 alligator clutch is just the thing to go with her tank tops.
Link
Scientists discover Easter Island fountain of youth drug
Articles at the links below reports that:
A miraculous 'elixir of youth' which could extend the human life span by more than a decade is being developed by scientists.
The anti-aging pill was created from a chemical found in the soil of Easter Island - one of the most remote and mysterious places on the planet.
The drug, rapamycin, takes its name from the Polynesian name of Easter Island, Rapa Nui.
The drug was originally identified in soil samples from Easter Island, is a powerful suppressor of the immune system, commonly given to patients to help to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, and its dangers to healthy people would far outweigh any potential benefit.
Unfortunately there are side effects, like you could end up looking like an Easter Island statue.
Uh, well...maybe not. However, there is one serious side effect that may prevent this drug from widespread availability to people seeking a magic ‘fountain of youth’ elixir - it suppresses the immune system.
More of the story here and here.
60 Democrat votes in the Senate? - Think again
An ABC News blog posting, found at the link below, deals with the myth that the Democrats have a 60 a filibuster proof 60 votes in the Senate.
It is true that there are 60 Democrats in the Senate, a majority they have not had since the 1970’s - enough votes to block Republican filibusters.
Not so fast - that number is more realistically 58, or even 57 on some occasions.
Two Democrat Senators haven’t voted in months.
It is true that there are 60 Democrats in the Senate, a majority they have not had since the 1970’s - enough votes to block Republican filibusters.
Not so fast - that number is more realistically 58, or even 57 on some occasions.
Two Democrat Senators haven’t voted in months.
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who is suffering from brain cancer, hasn't cast a vote since March 26. And 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., hasn't voted since May 13.
On May 15th, Robert Byrd was hospitalized for what his Senate office called "a minor infection." A couple weeks later, his Senate office released a statement saying he had contracted an additional staph infection and would need to remain in the hospital. Byrd was finally released on June 30.
So when will Byrd return to the Senate?
It seems as if none of Byrd's colleagues have any idea about his true condition or when he will return to the Senate.
Kennedy's office also cannot say when he will return to the Senate.
And then there is Senator Joe Lieberman (pictured) who can’t always be counted on to vote with the Democrats.
In fact, he may not vote for a second stimulus or for Obamacare.
Also, there will surely be a few other moderate Democrats that will defy the majority.
Link
Jul 8, 2009
Michael Jackson memorial - not our proudest moment
There are numerous articles and YouTube videos of the Michael Jackson memorial at the Staples Center Tuesday.
Most of the reports didn’t bother to mention the sparse attendance.
Disappointed that the huge anticipated crowds did not materialize, tickets were handed out to any and all takers who happened to be near the Staples Center.
There were several Jackson family members and others on stage saying kind words and giving Michael Jackson (upper photo) a musical tribute. It surely must have been a fitting reverie.
It was the speech by Rev. Al Sharpton (lower photo) that was a bit puzzling as he spoke on about Michael Jackson’s "influence" as a black person and how he broke the race barrier in music.
There were literally hundreds of black musicians before Michael Jackson during the last 100 years. Most of them had more talent and morality.
It was not unexpected that Sharpton would inject "race" into the Jackson memorial. But you have to wonder about Sharpton’s complete lack of understanding the irony of his words and the actions of others on the stage at the Staples Center.
The only race barrier Jackson broke was the one he was born with. It was ironic to see all the black people lionizing a man who hated his blackness so much that he turned himself white and “aquired” white children.
He selected a white woman to be the mother of his children. Will the name of the white sperm donor ever be revealed?
At the second link below, Michael Jackson’s dermatologist says he is not sure but he doesn’t think he is the biological father of Michael Jackson’s children.
Link here and here.
Most of the reports didn’t bother to mention the sparse attendance. Disappointed that the huge anticipated crowds did not materialize, tickets were handed out to any and all takers who happened to be near the Staples Center.
There were several Jackson family members and others on stage saying kind words and giving Michael Jackson (upper photo) a musical tribute. It surely must have been a fitting reverie.
It was the speech by Rev. Al Sharpton (lower photo) that was a bit puzzling as he spoke on about Michael Jackson’s "influence" as a black person and how he broke the race barrier in music.
There were literally hundreds of black musicians before Michael Jackson during the last 100 years. Most of them had more talent and morality.It was not unexpected that Sharpton would inject "race" into the Jackson memorial. But you have to wonder about Sharpton’s complete lack of understanding the irony of his words and the actions of others on the stage at the Staples Center.
The only race barrier Jackson broke was the one he was born with. It was ironic to see all the black people lionizing a man who hated his blackness so much that he turned himself white and “aquired” white children.
He selected a white woman to be the mother of his children. Will the name of the white sperm donor ever be revealed?
At the second link below, Michael Jackson’s dermatologist says he is not sure but he doesn’t think he is the biological father of Michael Jackson’s children.
Link here and here.
Straight from the horses mouth
A man checks a horse's teeth during the "Rapa Das Bestas" event in Cedeira, Spain.
Throughout the summer, hundreds of wild horses are rounded up, trimmed and groomed in different villages around Galicia.
High jumping at a Fort Worth rodeo
Norwegian rider Andre Villa performs a jump during a rodeo at the Fort Worth Stock Yards.
Stuart Smalley goes to Washington
First of all, who is Stuart Smalley?
Stuart Smalley is the small-minded character played on Saturday Night Live by Al Franken (pictured) the newly seated Senator from Minnesota.
A report at the link below says:
Stuart Smalley is the small-minded character played on Saturday Night Live by Al Franken (pictured) the newly seated Senator from Minnesota.
A report at the link below says:As the Democrats in Congress – and in the mainstream media – celebrate leftist loon and tax cheat Al Franken’s stolen victory from incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, the rest of us are still recovering from nausea at the very thought of Franken as a "valid" U.S. senator.
After nearly eight tortuous months of refusing to concede defeat to Coleman, Franken’s bully tactics finally paid off – thanks mainly to George Soros and ACORN.
Minnesota voters must be very proud.
Meet Al Franken the new Senator from Minnesota
Jul 7, 2009
The Michael Jackson event: memorial service or requiem for a pedophile?
The event at the Staples Center on Tuesday is described as a memorial service for the King of Pop.
As a result of his child molestation accusations and subsequent trial some of his detractors claim the event is a requiem for a pedophile.
Others are calling it a circus and, as if right on cue, elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus began arriving. The circus will begin on Wednesday at the Staples Center - the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.
The Michael Jackson circus was held today.
The report at the first link below says:
As a result of his child molestation accusations and subsequent trial some of his detractors claim the event is a requiem for a pedophile.
Others are calling it a circus and, as if right on cue, elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus began arriving. The circus will begin on Wednesday at the Staples Center - the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.
The Michael Jackson circus was held today.
The report at the first link below says:
The true extent of the media hype surrounding the death of Michael Jackson has been exposed.
Fox News reports on air that as the Michael Jackson memorial was starting, tickets were being handed out to bystanders, as embarrassingly empty seats inside the Staples Center signaled reality refusing to conform to media-generated expectations.
The report at the second link describes the arrival of the elephants for the circus that doesn’t begin until tomorrow.
Link here and here.
Mountain rescue dogs
Two Saint Bernard dogs sit in the snow on the Great St. Bernard Pass after returning from their winter quarters in Martigny, Switzerland. The dogs will spend the summer on the pass and return to Martigny towards the end of the year.
From Russia with love (with apologies to Ian Fleming and Sean Connery)
It didn’t take long for Barack Obama to misspeak during his appearance in Russia.
Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as president.
Putin surrendered the presidency to protege (and puppet) Dmitry Medvedev last May to take the lesser post of prime minister.
Until Obama’s visit, world leaders have been able to deal with the dual leadership in Russia with little difficulty.
Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as president.
Putin surrendered the presidency to protege (and puppet) Dmitry Medvedev last May to take the lesser post of prime minister.
Until Obama’s visit, world leaders have been able to deal with the dual leadership in Russia with little difficulty.
At a news conference Obama gave a carefully worded reply about the effectiveness of the leadership tandem when a U.S. journalist bluntly asked "who is really in charge here in Russia?"
But minutes later, speaking about Medvedev's objections to a controversial missile defense system planned for central Europe, Obama slipped: "I suspect when I speak to President..eh.. Prime Minister Putin tomorrow, he will say the same thing."
Mr. Obama would be well advised to stick to the script written for him and projected on his teleprompters.
Mr. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to seek a new agreement on reducing their respective nuclear arsenals. While the American media will spin this as watershed diplomacy, reality reminds us that this is a repeat of what was done decades ago.
And the United States president also announced that he reads the poetry of Pushkin. Really? If he were in Athens would he say he reads Zorba the Greek?
Mr. Obama seems more and more to be a combination of Al Gore's grandiosity and Jimmy Carter's cluelessness. 
We were given advance warning when the Temple of Obama (pictured) was set up in the Broncos football stadium for his victory speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Jul 6, 2009
Bright idea street lighting on demand in Germany
Street lights are just a call away in many German towns. They call it “Dial4Light.”
Every night at 11 p.m. the village of Dörentrup in central Germany is thrown into total darkness. For the past few years, the village's cash-strapped local council has been switching off all the streetlights in the village each evening until 6 a.m. the following morning.
No street lights would have residents stumbling around in the dark. But in Dörentrup they have seen the light (pun intended).
They have a program that allows residents to turn on streetlights on demand using their cell phones.
In the first project of its kind in Europe, the residents of Dörentrup can now switch on the lights on a specific street whenever they like.
All they have to do is register for the scheme online and provide a phone number. Then each time anyone needs to see in the dark, they call the Dial4Light number, enter the six-digit code that corresponds to the stretch of road they want lit, and within seconds the lights are on.
After a resident uses the Dial4Light scheme, the street lights in that area stay on for 15 minutes.
Link
A fragment of the Statue of Liberty is pictured in front of the Bodensee lake during a rehearsal for AIDA at the sea stage on June 17, 2009 in Bregenz, Austria.
New glass balconies on Sears Tower 103rd floor
Visitors to the Sears Tower in Chicago are now treated to unobstructed views of the city from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below – for those brave enough to look straight down.
These balconies are not for the faint of heart. Don’t go near them if your are petrified of heights.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet (412 meters) in the air and jut out 4 feet (1.22 meters) from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. They're actually more like boxes than balconies, with transparent walls, floor and ceiling.
The box shaped balconies are made of glass 1.4 inches thick and can hold five tons.
These balconies are not for the faint of heart. Don’t go near them if your are petrified of heights.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet (412 meters) in the air and jut out 4 feet (1.22 meters) from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. They're actually more like boxes than balconies, with transparent walls, floor and ceiling.
The box shaped balconies are made of glass 1.4 inches thick and can hold five tons.
Sears Tower officials have said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to clean: floors.
The balconies are just one of the big changes coming to the Sears Tower in Chicago. The building's name will also. Later this summer the building will become the Willis Tower.
Link
Obama assured of chilly reception in Russian
The Obamamania that has swept much of the rest of the world will it be absent when Mr.Obama meets with Russian president Dmitri Medvedev for a summit meeting.
A recent poll by Russia's Levada Centre found only 23 per cent of citizens believe the US president will "do the right thing in world affairs", with many doubting his promise of change will heal antagonisms between Russia and the West.
Makes a difference when the Russian media doesn’t swoon all over him as the US media does.
A long list of issues – from Nato's eastward expansion, to missile defence, to human rights, to the contest for oil and gas in Central Asia – continue to poison relations between the former Cold War superpowers.
Obama will need to have his teleprompters working as they never have before because the Russians see him for what he is.
Russian news agency Pravda was less than subtle in an editorial summing up the Obama administration, headlined: "Obama: Deceiver, cheat, swindler, liar, fraudster, con-artist."
Yes, Pravda gets it!
Link
Jul 4, 2009
Jul 2, 2009
British comedy actress Mollie Sugden dies at 86
Mollie Sugden was one of a select group of British performers to achieve national treasure status. She was noted for her portrayal of fearsome battleaxes.Sugden was best known for playing the bossy sales lady Mrs. Slocombe (pictured) in the long-running BBC sitcom Are You Being Served.
The innuendo-laden television comedy was successfully exported for several years and is still being shown on public broadcasting stations in America.
Mollie Sugden is shown above at the funeral of her Are You Being Served co-star Wendy Richard earlier this year. Richard lost her long battle with cancer at age 65.
Link
Jul 1, 2009
Watchful eye
A man vacuums near a replica of the face of the Statue of Liberty in the statue's visitor center in New York City.
Tourists will be allowed to visit the top of the statue again beginning July 4th.
Baby gorilla at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha
This 12-day-old gorilla was born to Timu, the world’s first test tube gorilla.
Go after ACORN says judge
A judge in Pennsylvania says somebody has to go after ACORN.
A district judge in southwestern Pennsylvania, who held another ACORN worker for trial on election law violations, urged prosecutors to go after the real culprit, the organization that employed him - ACORN.
A district judge in southwestern Pennsylvania, who held another ACORN worker for trial on election law violations, urged prosecutors to go after the real culprit, the organization that employed him - ACORN.
"Somebody has to go after ACORN," Senior District Judge Richard H. Zoller said about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
The judge said it's happening all over the country. “All you have to do is turn on the television," he said, referring to voter registration fraud charges brought recently against ACORN and its workers in Nevada.
More of the story here.
Worlds longest yard sale
This gigantic four-day yard sale is held every year beginning on the first Thursday of the month of August (this year it will be August 6-9)
This sale is 654 miles long - from West Unity, Ohio to Gadsden, Alabama - along the highway 127 corridor.
One of the photos below shows a life-size Darth Vadar - just the thing for your front entry hall.
Link
This sale is 654 miles long - from West Unity, Ohio to Gadsden, Alabama - along the highway 127 corridor.
One of the photos below shows a life-size Darth Vadar - just the thing for your front entry hall.
Link
Franken declared winner giving Democrats filibuster proof Senate majority
Al Franken (pictured) was given a Senate victory in Minnesota giving the Democrats their magic 60-vote majority.
The Franken win in Minnesota is reminiscent of an election in the Pacific Northwest five years ago.
Remember the 2004 gubernatorial election in the state of Washington? That’s when Christine Gregoire was declared the winner after three recounts. She was behind in the first two recounts until additional ballots were mysteriously discovered in King County.
Al Franken has followed the same path in his Minnesota Senate race against Norm Coleman. After recounts that even produced ballots mysteriously found in the trunk of an election workers car. In on county there were more votes for Franken than registered voters in on the county.
Mr. Franken has managed to pull a “Gregoire” in Minnesota.
As Joseph Stalin once said - elections are not decided by the people who cast the ballots - elections are decided by the people who count the ballots.
One blogger suggested it may be appropriate for Al Franken to publicly thank ACORN for his win.
We reported on the Al Franken saga four times in the past. Two of those reports can be found here and here.
More on the Franken win here and here.
The Franken win in Minnesota is reminiscent of an election in the Pacific Northwest five years ago.Remember the 2004 gubernatorial election in the state of Washington? That’s when Christine Gregoire was declared the winner after three recounts. She was behind in the first two recounts until additional ballots were mysteriously discovered in King County.
Al Franken has followed the same path in his Minnesota Senate race against Norm Coleman. After recounts that even produced ballots mysteriously found in the trunk of an election workers car. In on county there were more votes for Franken than registered voters in on the county.
Mr. Franken has managed to pull a “Gregoire” in Minnesota.
As Joseph Stalin once said - elections are not decided by the people who cast the ballots - elections are decided by the people who count the ballots.
One blogger suggested it may be appropriate for Al Franken to publicly thank ACORN for his win.
We reported on the Al Franken saga four times in the past. Two of those reports can be found here and here.
More on the Franken win here and here.
Meet Al Franken the new Minnesota Senator
Jun 30, 2009
Jun 29, 2009
Racket demolished during tennis tournament
Belgian Kristof Vliegen breaks his racket during a match against Croatian Ivan Ljubicic during the Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Tournament.
Do they ever get their socks clean after playing on a clay court?
Supreme Court overturns Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court
Can’t you just hear conservatives saying, “there, take that Mr. Obama!”Above: firefighters react to SC decision.
Her rulings are simplistic, some of them were reportedly only one or two sentences long. Her rulings were often not bound by case law but by what she thinks the law should say.
As with many other left-wing judges, she was prone to make law from the bench rather than interpret law.
The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is actually rather pathetic. By her won admission, Sotomayor didn't have the intellectual capacity to get into Law School without affirmative action.
Now, her nomination to the Supreme Court is a classic case of an affirmative action president nominating an affirmative action judge to serve on the highest court of the land.
Link
The Supreme Court today narrowly ruled in favor of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who said they were denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision by Judge Sonia Sotomayor (pictured) that had come to play a large role in the consideration of her nomination for the high court.
The city had thrown out the results of a promotion test because no African Americans and only two Hispanics would have qualified for promotions. It said it feared a lawsuit from minorities under federal laws that said such "disparate impacts" on test results could be used to show discrimination.
In effect, the court was deciding when avoiding potential discrimination against one group amounted to actual discrimination against another.
Without leaning on affirmative action, Obama and his handlers could not possibly have selected Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court nominee.
Her rulings are simplistic, some of them were reportedly only one or two sentences long. Her rulings were often not bound by case law but by what she thinks the law should say.
As with many other left-wing judges, she was prone to make law from the bench rather than interpret law.
The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is actually rather pathetic. By her won admission, Sotomayor didn't have the intellectual capacity to get into Law School without affirmative action.
Now, her nomination to the Supreme Court is a classic case of an affirmative action president nominating an affirmative action judge to serve on the highest court of the land.
Link
Bernard Madoff: stripped of stolen riches and given life in prison
An article at the link below reports:
Convicted Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff (pictured) was sentenced to 150 years in prison Monday for a fraud so extensive that the judge said he needed to send a message to potential imitators and to victims who demanded harsh punishment.
Scattered applause and whoops broke out in the crowded Manhattan courtroom after U.S. District Judge Denny Chin issued the maximum sentence to the 71-year-old defendant.
The judge said a conservative estimate of the amount Madoff cost his victims is more than $13 billion.
Bernard Madoff owned several homes including a $6.5 million penthouse in a building on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside shown above.
Now he resides in this cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center prison in New York awaiting transfer to a prison where he will spend the rest of his life.
Before sentencing, one victim said, “Life has been a living hell. It feels like the nightmare we can't wake from.”
Another said, “He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in between. He has no values. He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife Ruth could live a life of luxury beyond belief,”
Link
Most think they are not old regardless of age
A survey by Pew Research Center found that most people say they feel younger than their calendar age.
The average age considered "old" by respondents was 68 -- but there were real differences in perception driven by the respondents' own ages:
More than half of those under 30 say the average person becomes old before 60.
Middle-aged respondents say it's closer to 70.
Those aged 65 and older say "old" is not until 75."What you find is the older people are, the more people push back the age that is old," says Russell Ward, a sociologist who focuses on aging at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and who was not involved in the survey. "It's more in your future. You're not there yet."
But isn’t it how a person feels that determines when a person thinks they are old?
We all know people who look and act much younger than their biological age.
I have often said (with tongue-in-cheek) that sometimes I feel much younger than my calendar years. Other times, however, I get the urge to ship a case of prune juice to the nearest nursing home along with a signed note saying, “hold for arrival.”
Seriously, the secret of aging is to stay young at heart no matter how old the rest of your body is.
Link
Countless Russians jobless as Putin closes casino’s
Vladimir Putin has decreed that every legal casino and slot-machine parlor in Russia will be shut down.
It will be one of the largest mass layoffs in recent Russian history.
Putin’s anti-vice plan will put hundreds of thousands of people out of work in the midst of a global economic crisis.
It will be one of the largest mass layoffs in recent Russian history.
Putin’s anti-vice plan will put hundreds of thousands of people out of work in the midst of a global economic crisis.
The Kremlin has offered the gambling industry only one option for survival: relocate to four regions in remote areas of Russia, as many as 4,000 miles from the capital.
The potential marketing slogans -- Come to the Las Vegas of Siberia! Have a Ball near the North Korean Border! -- may not sound inviting, but that is in part what the government envisions.
None of the four regions are prepared for the transfer, and no casino is expected to reopen for several years leaving the industry’s workers out on the street indefinitely.
Link
Climate Change Bill could haunt Democrats in future elections
As liberal Democrats struggled to win a narrow, party-line approval of climate change legislation, they had to be haunted by a critical question: has the political climate changed since 1993?
Under pressure from the Clinton administration, many House Democrats reluctantly backed a proposed B.T.U. tax pushed by a young inexperienced president.
The ill-fated B.T.U. bill was intended to tax each unit of energy consumed.
When the bill later went down in flames in the Senate, many Democrats in the House got burned when it was seized upon as a campaign issue by Republicans, who took control of the House the next year.
Now that another equally absurd bill, promoted by another young inexperienced president, has squeaked by the House, how many Democrats who voted for it are looking over their shoulders thinking déjà vu?
Whether Democrats realize it or not, the 2010 election campaign officially began with the narrow passage of this climate change bill in the House.
Link
Under pressure from the Clinton administration, many House Democrats reluctantly backed a proposed B.T.U. tax pushed by a young inexperienced president.
The ill-fated B.T.U. bill was intended to tax each unit of energy consumed.
When the bill later went down in flames in the Senate, many Democrats in the House got burned when it was seized upon as a campaign issue by Republicans, who took control of the House the next year.
Now that another equally absurd bill, promoted by another young inexperienced president, has squeaked by the House, how many Democrats who voted for it are looking over their shoulders thinking déjà vu?
Whether Democrats realize it or not, the 2010 election campaign officially began with the narrow passage of this climate change bill in the House.
Link
Jun 28, 2009
TV pitchman Billy Mays dead at age 50
Fox News reported this morning:
Television pitchman Billy Mays (pictured), who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets, died Sunday.
Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Mays reportedly had a very pleasant personality and was very approachable.
However, if you ever watched late-night TV, you knew a different Billy Mays. He would pop up every few minutes in yet another commercial, bellowing as if he thought the whole world has gone a little deaf. That’s probably I why never could get myself to buy OxiClean.
No matter how nice Billy Mays was off camera, he had me reaching for the mute button on the remote more than any other single person.
Link
Jun 27, 2009
House narrowly passes climate energy bill
An article at the link below reports:
Sadly, the House passed the 1,200-page climate bill that congress was not allowed to read.
Despite heated objections by some Republicans, the unread 1,200-page Waxman-Markey climate bill ( pictured) was passed 219-212 in the House on Friday.
300 pages were added to the bill at 3 a.m. making it impossible for congressmen to read the entire bill before the vote.
Minority leader John Boehner (upper photo) was criticized for beginning a short filibuster to give time for his colleagues and aides to scan the unread extra passages and present certain excerpts on the floor.
That’s the Obama way - present a bill containing over 1,000 pages with several hundred pages added just a few hours before the vote.
Shockingly, co-sponsor Henry Waxman (lower photo) objected to Boehner’s reading the bill on the House floor, and tried to prevent it on procedural grounds so that is contents would remain unknown and no one would shift support or delay the bill’s passage.
Ed Markey, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, rose to report that a copy was only available at the speaker’s desk or online, which would require members "to leave the floor to access."
It is possible that the Democrats can see the tides turning in the last couple of weeks and they're rushing things through.
Conservatives and most moderates are hoping the Senate will stop the insanity by defeating this bill.
Link
Jun 26, 2009
Obama promotes climate change bill in face of conflicting data
Obama promotes climate change bill in face of conflicting data
Barack Obama (pictured) defends his assertion that a climate-change measure making its way through Congress would greatly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil even though government figures raised questions about whether he was overstating its effect.
Washington liberals do not want us seek new oil production here at home. In fact they want us to shut down our domestic production while they whine about our dependence on foreign oil. We can’t have it both ways.
Nancy Pelosi is expressing the basic liberal view
Mr. Obama is intent on forcing this bill through congress even though the governments’ own figures show the data behind the bill is flawed.
Why does Obama and the left-wing liberals want this flawed bill pushed through? It’s mostly about power and control over people and businesses.
Mr. Obama warned that it would take a long time for us to see results from this bill.
He even said that ten years from now it won’t even look like much change has taken place. He said it would take twenty to thirty years so see the change he promised.
It will take twenty or thirty years to force U.S. automakers and foreign auto importers to supply electric and/or diesel-electric cars as the only autos available to the general public.
This model could be ordered with teleprompters instead of the solar panels shown above
It is interesting to note that Al Gore has been asked to stay away from Washington during the voting on this bill. He is, however, making telephone calls today from his home in Tennessee to help sway undecided congressmen.
Link
Barack Obama (pictured) defends his assertion that a climate-change measure making its way through Congress would greatly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil even though government figures raised questions about whether he was overstating its effect.
Washington liberals do not want us seek new oil production here at home. In fact they want us to shut down our domestic production while they whine about our dependence on foreign oil. We can’t have it both ways.
Mr. Obama is intent on forcing this bill through congress even though the governments’ own figures show the data behind the bill is flawed.
Why does Obama and the left-wing liberals want this flawed bill pushed through? It’s mostly about power and control over people and businesses.
Mr. Obama warned that it would take a long time for us to see results from this bill.
He even said that ten years from now it won’t even look like much change has taken place. He said it would take twenty to thirty years so see the change he promised.
It will take twenty or thirty years to force U.S. automakers and foreign auto importers to supply electric and/or diesel-electric cars as the only autos available to the general public.
It is interesting to note that Al Gore has been asked to stay away from Washington during the voting on this bill. He is, however, making telephone calls today from his home in Tennessee to help sway undecided congressmen.
Link
Siberian tiger and cubs
Siberian tiger looks after her six newborn cubs in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Not your average port-a-potty
A woman examines a decorated toilet during an art show in Kiev, Ukraine.
The event marked the 100th anniversary of the lavatory.
The Ukrainian-Russian art union that organized the show asked pedestrians to sit on the toilets and think about problems produced by the economic crisis.
No, really - that’s what they said - sit on the toilets and think about problems produced by the economic crisis.
You just can’t make up stuff like this!
Massachusetts housing homeless in motels
The state of Massachusetts is renting motel rooms for a record number of families at a cost to taxpayers of $2 million per month.
The state gives high unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures as the reason the state is taking this action.
It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.
That’s not good enough for homeless advocates because they say families are not getting the support of shelters with living rooms, kitchens, and play areas.
How long before the homeless will be better off than families living in their own homes?
Link
The state gives high unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures as the reason the state is taking this action.
It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.
That’s not good enough for homeless advocates because they say families are not getting the support of shelters with living rooms, kitchens, and play areas.
How long before the homeless will be better off than families living in their own homes?
Link
Jun 25, 2009
Always room for one more
This Time Magazine photo was taken on the outskirts of Abeche in western Chad.
The New York Times and CBS conduct another “push poll”
A New York Times/CBS News poll released over the weekend showed broad bipartisan support for President Obama’s health care reform.
Only problem is, the New York Times/CBS poll over-sampled Obama voters compared to McCain voters. It was another “push poll” designed to get the pro-Obama results they wanted.
The poll showed 72% support for Obama's Health Care Plan but only because it was stacked with Obama supporters.
Link
Only problem is, the New York Times/CBS poll over-sampled Obama voters compared to McCain voters. It was another “push poll” designed to get the pro-Obama results they wanted.
The poll showed 72% support for Obama's Health Care Plan but only because it was stacked with Obama supporters.
Link
Rain check? Who needs a rain check?
A girl runs into water pouring down from a stadium's upper balcony during a rain delay before the start of a Major League baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays in Arlington, Texas, on June 10.
Even Obama supporters say the honeymoon is over
There is a report at the link below titled: “The presidency at five months.”
The Congressional Budget Office's preliminary cost and deficit calculations of the president's overall budget and specific health proposals have sent tremors through the Democratic Party establishment - and the White House is feeling the vibrations.
Last week, both David Broder, The Washington Post's venerable and authoritative political voice, and Chuck Todd, NBC's new important political voice, declared President Obama's honeymoon over.
The previous paragraph is revealing barometer of the political climate in Washington because both Broder and Todd have been “in the tank” for Mr. Obama from the start of the presidential campaign.
The report says it is a commonplace of Washington politics that it is not news when the other party attacks, but it is noteworthy when there is opposition within a president's own party.
Last week, on two of his three major domestic legislative initiatives - health policy and financial re-regulation - strong Democratic Party congressional doubts (and, on some important details, opposition) emerged.
Obama’s early predictions of unemployment rates have turned out to be well under the actual numbers.
Interest rates on Treasury notes needed to finance Obama’s proposed deficits are steadily climbing which is driving up mortgage rates and driving down housing recovery.
His foreign policy hasn’t been any better.
How many foreign leaders has Barack Obama scraped and bowed to on his apology tours?
The media may soon begin to tire of making excuses for him. In that event, the honeymoon will definitely be over.
Link
Jun 24, 2009
Cliff hangers
Death defying South Korean climbers look diminutive as they go rock-climbing on Buckhan mountain near Seoul, South Korea.
Obama says he is an almost cured smoker
The question of his smoking came one day after Mr. Obama signed a sweeping new law that regulates tobacco companies and their marketing to children. By the way, Obama said he doesn’t smoke in front of his children.
After plenty of huffing about puffing, Obama admitted Tuesday that he still sometimes smokes cigarettes, declaring his habit "95 percent cured."
Mr. Obama acknowledged before taking office that he knew smoking is not allowed on White House grounds, telling NBC, "You will not see any violations of these rules in the White House."
Cross-country bus travel may be on the rise
An article at the link below reports the following story:
Boarding a Greyhound bus in Washington, D.C., on a recent evening, luggage in hand and collar undone, David Martinez grabs a seat and pops open his laptop. "This is definitely a step up," says the 26-year-old Harvard graduate, who was headed for New York after interviewing for a job with the U.S. State Department.
It's the new face of bus travel. After years as the ugly stepchild of intercity transportation -- thanks to its long-held reputation as unfriendly, uncomfortable and tawdry -- bus travel is bouncing back.
I rode cross-country busses several years ago when I was in the military. 
Above is a new luxury bus. Below is an old Greyhound Silversides much like the busses I rode many years ago.
Unfriendly, uncomfortable and tawdry was a good description of the bus travel I experienced.
The amenities consisted of heavily worn seat cushions and that’s about it. No lavatories. No air-conditioning. It’s a good thing they supplied ashtrays because the vast majority of passengers smoked. The blue tobacco haze made it nearly impossible to see passengers boarding the bus unless you were in the first three or four seats.
From Chicago on down to Fort Bragg, North Carolina required a transfer to Trailways, which made me wish I was back on the grubby Greyhound bus I boarded in Omaha.
To make matters worse, this was prior to the end of segregation in the South. If there were no seats in the “whites only” section in the front of the bus, I had to stand even if there were vacant seats in the “colored only” section in the back.
JFK and MLK took care of the “whites only” and “colored only” situation but not until after my bus riding days were over.
I’m not sure about bus riding today. No matter how cushy the buses are with amenities like wireless internet service, most of them will still stop at slummy bus depots. Even if some of the depots have been renovated, they will still be located in undesirable areas.
Link
Before rushing out to buy that hybrid car...
Unlike conventional vehicles, the highest-mileage hybrids tend to be a bit sluggish when it comes to acceleration.
If you think the hybrid will drive like any other car - think again! Some hybrids exhibit peculiar driving behaviors.
If you think the hybrid will drive like any other car - think again! Some hybrids exhibit peculiar driving behaviors.
The brakes on some hybrids feel unusual because when the brake pedal is pressed, traditional brakes aren't actually slowing the car, a regenerative motor is recapturing the vehicle's kinetic energy, turning it into electricity to store in on-board batteries.
Hybrids also use electrically-driven power steering. These steering systems often have a less direct feeling that's closer to a video game than a sports car.
These dynamic differences mean that hybrids can feel odd to drive compared to a more traditional vehicle, plus they highlight the complexity that is systemic with hybrid vehicles. The special sub-systems, components, integration, and programming necessary to make hybrids run are nothing short of rocket science.
This complexity is not without cost.
Compare a hybrid vehicle to an otherwise comparable non-hybrid car and the hybrid will cost anywhere from $1750-$5,000 more for small vehicles and up to $15,000 more for larger hybrid vehicles.
There are two negative attributes often associated with hybrids in the minds of potential hybrid buyers:
1. With over inflated fuel-economy claims when the Prius was introduced, how accurate are the new lower mileage estimates? Are the new mileage claims still over inflated?
2. Will fire rescue or police department EMT’s be afraid to use the jaws of live on a hybrid car for fear of electrocution?
Anyone considering the purchase of a hybrid should also know that there are added registration fees in some states.
Buying a hybrid for the savings may not make sense. However, if being environmentally responsible is worth the extra cost, then rush right out and buy that hybrid.
Jun 23, 2009
Anti NATO clown
An anti-NATO activist dressed as a clown faces riot police blocking the access to a bridge in downtown Strasbourg, France, during NATO's 60th-anniversary summit last April.
Carson sidekick Ed McMahon dies at 86
McMahon (shown below with Johnny Carson) had been battling pneumonia and other illnesses.
Outgoing, affable and possessing a robust, baritone voice, McMahon began his career with stints as a bingo caller, carnival barker and boardwalk pitchman before becoming a broadcast announcer and TV host.
Trained as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot during World War II, he flew missions in Korea in the 1950s.
Jun 19, 2009
Cool sealion
This is a 21-year-old male sealion named Rook at the Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo.
Rook is practicing wearing sunglasses for the solar eclipse next month.
(AFP/Getty Images / June 18, 2009)
Car drives among the gondolas in Venice
Bernd Weise of the Amphicar Club Berlin pilots his 1961 Amphicar down the Grand Canal in Venice.
The German-built amphibious car uses a Triumph Herald engine and is capable of over 70 mph by road and 8 knots on water. The driver needs a regular driving license and a boat license.
Jun 18, 2009
New federal climate change report twists data
Dr. Roger Pielke, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado, says the new federal report on climate change is not only wrong, it misrepresents his own research and that it wrongly concludes that climate change is already responsible for an increase in damages from natural disasters.
Dr. Pielke says they are relying on “non-peer reviewed, unsupportable studies rather than the relevant peer-reviewed literature” and for “featuring non-peer-reviewed work conducted by the authors.”
Evidently that’s the only way they can put their data in front of the public with any hope of acceptance.
The Democrats, led by Al Gore in the climate change debate, are determined to promote “man-made global warming” even when the true data no longer supports their claim!
They twist data from scientists like Dr. Pielke to make their “case” and the main stream media is reluctant to print anything that opposes the left viewpoint. Consequently, much of the public actually believes there is such a thing as man-made global warming.
Liberals in Washington are using “junk science,” or in this case “twisted science” to get their cap and trade scheme through congress.
Cap and trade, and the resultant carbon trading, will bankrupt many corporations and make billionaires of a lot of liberal politicians.
More of the story here.
Dr. Pielke says they are relying on “non-peer reviewed, unsupportable studies rather than the relevant peer-reviewed literature” and for “featuring non-peer-reviewed work conducted by the authors.”
Evidently that’s the only way they can put their data in front of the public with any hope of acceptance.
The Democrats, led by Al Gore in the climate change debate, are determined to promote “man-made global warming” even when the true data no longer supports their claim!
They twist data from scientists like Dr. Pielke to make their “case” and the main stream media is reluctant to print anything that opposes the left viewpoint. Consequently, much of the public actually believes there is such a thing as man-made global warming.
Liberals in Washington are using “junk science,” or in this case “twisted science” to get their cap and trade scheme through congress.
Cap and trade, and the resultant carbon trading, will bankrupt many corporations and make billionaires of a lot of liberal politicians.
More of the story here.
NBC not in panic over Conan ratings crash
A New York Post report says Conan O'Brien seems to be losing viewers faster than DavidLetterman is losing his hair.
NBC is shrugging off the Conan crash saying its too early to tell.
When was it too early to tell that the Titanic was sinking after it hit the iceberg?
Jack Paar, the second host of the Tonight Show, was a snob but could be humorous at times.
Johnny Carson was funny. Carson also was the Tonight Show.
Jay Leno was funny util he turned stale.
Will Conan O'Brien last the year?
Depends on how far NBC will allow the Tonight Show to sink in ratings.
Link
NBC is shrugging off the Conan crash saying its too early to tell.When was it too early to tell that the Titanic was sinking after it hit the iceberg?
Jack Paar, the second host of the Tonight Show, was a snob but could be humorous at times.
Johnny Carson was funny. Carson also was the Tonight Show.
Jay Leno was funny util he turned stale.
Will Conan O'Brien last the year?
Depends on how far NBC will allow the Tonight Show to sink in ratings.
Link
He has eaten a Twinkie every day for 64 years
Lewis Browning, a retired milk-truck driver, has been eating one or two Twinkies a day for 64 years. "Had one for breakfast this morning with a banana and a glass of milk," he says in a phone interview from his home south of Indianapolis.
The 22,000 he's eaten have earned him an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and a lifetime supply of Twinkies from Hostess.
President Bill Clinton and the White House Millennium Council selected the Twinkie to be preserved in the nation's millennium time capsule in 1999, calling it an enduring American icon.
How about you? Do you eat Twinkie’s? It’s OK, go ahead and admit it. You won’t be alone.
A report at the link below says that Americans spent $47 million on them in the past 12 months.
There could be a downside to eating too many Twinkies.
Dan White was convicted of shooting to death San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. White’s attorney claimed the shooter was “high” on sugar snack food at the time of the murders. It was dubbed the “Twinkie defense” by the media.
How many sugar snack foods can claim to have a defense in the trial of a double-murderer named after them?
When I first started receiving an allowance as a kid, one thing on my “had to have” list was a package of Twinkies and I have eaten them off and on ever since. It never did make me murder anybody - especially the mayor of a major city.
Link
The 22,000 he's eaten have earned him an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and a lifetime supply of Twinkies from Hostess. President Bill Clinton and the White House Millennium Council selected the Twinkie to be preserved in the nation's millennium time capsule in 1999, calling it an enduring American icon.
How about you? Do you eat Twinkie’s? It’s OK, go ahead and admit it. You won’t be alone.
A report at the link below says that Americans spent $47 million on them in the past 12 months.
There could be a downside to eating too many Twinkies.
Dan White was convicted of shooting to death San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. White’s attorney claimed the shooter was “high” on sugar snack food at the time of the murders. It was dubbed the “Twinkie defense” by the media.
How many sugar snack foods can claim to have a defense in the trial of a double-murderer named after them?
When I first started receiving an allowance as a kid, one thing on my “had to have” list was a package of Twinkies and I have eaten them off and on ever since. It never did make me murder anybody - especially the mayor of a major city.
Link
Hillary met with eight of her predecessors
How often does a Secretary of State have a chance to consult with eight predecessors at one time?
All but one living former secretary of state attended the event. Those present were:
All but one living former secretary of state attended the event. Those present were:
Henry Kissinger
George Shultz
James Baker
Lawrence Eagleburger
Warren Christopher
Madeline Albright
Colin Powell
Condoleezza Rice.
The only one missing was Alexander Haig.
No details about the conversation or menu were immediately available.
Link
Swine flu reported at NBC headquarters
Will the Peacock building 30 Rockefeller Plaza get slapped with a quarantine?
From a New York Observer report:
The human resource department at NBC in New York sent out a bulk email to staffers warning them that a couple of employees at 30 Rockefeller Plaza have come down with the flu.
From the email:
"Recently, like many other companies, we had a few NBC New York employees diagnosed with independent cases of the flu. In these cases, the employees quickly sought medical attention and went home immediately after diagnosis, thereby limiting any possible exposure. They are all recovering well."
A commenter to the Observer report wondered if Chris Matthews (upper picture) or Keith Olbermann (lower picture) had the swine flu - then went on to say “Probably not. Even a virus has its standards.”
Link
Jun 17, 2009
Seeing red
A Chinese paramilitary soldier stands during a welcoming ceremony for visiting Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last May.
Iran unable to shut down Internet
In an attempt to stop stories and images of the riots following a disputed election, Iran has tried to follow the lead of North Korea, China and Cuba to control the Internet as the article at the link below reports:
Iran clamped down Tuesday on independent media in an attempt to control images of election protests, but pictures and videos leaked out anyway — showing how difficult it is to shut off the flow of information in the Internet age.
Restrictions imposed by the Iranian government made social-networking sites such as Twitter and Flickr more prominent and were used to send photos to the outside world of the “robust election debate” that Obama admired.
U.S. State Department even asked Twitter to put off a scheduled maintenance shutdown.
Some foreign journalists were forced to leave Iran because the government wouldn't extend the visas they received to cover Friday's election, in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the landslide winner.
CNN turned in part to the social-networking sites, broadcasting images posted on Facebook and Twitter, and explaining on-air that it was using "creativity" to cover a big event under government restrictions.
More of the story here.
New York takes road rage title from Miami
A recent study shows that New York has overtaken Miami as the U.S. city with the angriest and most aggressive drivers.
Miami was the winner for the last four years but the latest study gave New Yorkers the prize for angriest, most aggressive drivers who tailgate, speed, honk their horns, overreact and lose their tempers.
We wonder how scientific this study was.
Did they go to Miami and count the dents in cars licensed in Miami and then go to New York and do the same for a comparison?
Link
Like raw fish? You may get a 9-ft tapeworm
A Chicago man joins the ranks of those who’ve been infested from eating raw fish in recent years.
One summer day in August 2006, Anthony Franz went to a Chicago area hospital carrying a 9-foot worm.
He did not find it in his garden.Franz is one of the few, but growing number of tapeworm victims in cities across the world who are discovering (or rediscovering) that some of the most popular fish can host parasites.
With more people eating sushi and undercooked fish diets around the world so too has the incidence of worms increased.
The variety of tapeworm that infested Mr. Franz was caused from uncooked seafood, particularly salmon.
Mr. Franz was not available for comment and is suing an Illinois seafood restaurant for $100,000.
More of the story here.
ABC turns programming over to Obama
How to force national healthcare on the backs of Americans in three easy steps.
1. Invite ABC News do a national healthcare infomercial in the White House.
2. Invite questions from call-in viewers - screened by ABC of course.
3. Do not allow equal time for any opposing point of view.
Media watchdogs doubted the show would be balanced.
Media credibility and fairness are at issue with some renaming ABC the "All Barack Channel."
With this ABC infomercial, to be filmed from the White House with no opposing viewpoint allowed, ABC has finally “come out of the closet” proving to America that the network is in bed with the Democrat’s and especially with Barack Obama.
Relations between ABC News and Mr. Obama could not be more intimate as ABC has now dropped any pretense of objectivity in their programming and reporting.
How long before ABC will be renamed Pravda?
Link
Jun 16, 2009
Denver Broncos adjust to life without Jay Cutler
The Denver Broncos, trying to adjust to life without Jay Cutler, has named Kyle Orton as the starting quarterback.
Orton was chosen as the starter over Chris Simms, son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms.
Kyle Orton, is the undistinguished quarterback that came to the Broncos from the Chicago Bears in that blockbuster deal that sent Jay Cutler to the Bears.
(click on picture to enlarge)
Denver cartoonist Drew Litton expresses the sentiments of many Bronco fans in the cartoon shown above.
Sadly, the “good news - bad news” story could be used the other way around as well based on the fact that Chris Simms hasn't played since Week 3 of the 2006 season due to complications from a ruptured spleen while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chris Simms came to Kyle Orton’s defense noting that he was underrated in college and underrated with the Chicago Bears.
Orton will probably be underrated with the Broncos as well.
Link
Orton was chosen as the starter over Chris Simms, son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms.
Kyle Orton, is the undistinguished quarterback that came to the Broncos from the Chicago Bears in that blockbuster deal that sent Jay Cutler to the Bears.
Denver cartoonist Drew Litton expresses the sentiments of many Bronco fans in the cartoon shown above.
Sadly, the “good news - bad news” story could be used the other way around as well based on the fact that Chris Simms hasn't played since Week 3 of the 2006 season due to complications from a ruptured spleen while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chris Simms came to Kyle Orton’s defense noting that he was underrated in college and underrated with the Chicago Bears.
Orton will probably be underrated with the Broncos as well.
Link
Hit by the pitch
Rickie weeks of the Milwaukee Brewers may need to look up the phone number of his dentist after being hit in the face by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez during a baseball game last April.
AP photo via MSNBC
Blade runner in training
He has been called the fastest man on no legs. But Oscar 'Blade Runner' Pistorius got a run for his money when five-year-old Ellie Challis challenged him to a race on their bionic feet.
The British youngster, from Little Clacton, Essex, lost her hands and lower legs after contracting meningitis at 16 months.
Judge von Brunn in no condition for court
James von Brunn (pictured), the 88-year-old who shot and killed a guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, is expected to recover from his wounds.
Mr. von Brunn has been charged with murder, however, a federal judge has ruled that von Brunn is in no condition to appear in court at this time.
Mr. von Brunn has been charged with murder, however, a federal judge has ruled that von Brunn is in no condition to appear in court at this time.Von Brunn's son has come out publicly against him, saying the shooting was unforgivable and he wished his father had died instead.
Erik von Brunn told ABC's Good Morning America that he and his father didn't like each other. The interview followed ABC's release Sunday of comments by the son that his father had long burdened their family with his white supremacist views.
“I loved my father. But what he did was unforgivable,” Erik von Brunn, 32, said.
No-win situation in Iran will haunt Obama
A Yahoo News report says the Obama administration is facing a dilemma over how to respond to Iran's disputed election.
Strong criticism could backfire but a muted response leaves an impression of weakness.
So far senior U.S. officials have given a guarded response to the disputed vote.
Several analysts said on Monday the White House was in a no-win situation but the best option was to stand back rather than inject U.S. views into the Iranian political debate.
The U.S. ability to do harm in Iranian politics is much greater than doing good.
Obama showed his inexperience, or maybe lack of judgement, when he said he was excited by Iran's robust election debate. 
The photo above is from Andrew Sullivan’s blog The Daily Dish.
Was Obama naïve enough to think there would be a fair and uncontested election in Iran? Maybe there wasn’t a chapter about that in his Community Organizing handbook.
The “robust election debate” that Obama admired has killed and injured debaters.
Link
Jun 15, 2009
Pointing the way for Rachel Alexandra
Jockey Calvin Borel appears to be pointing the way for his horse Rachel Alexandra near the finish line just ahead of Mine That Bird at the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore last month.
Harry Reid wants healthcare like the US Postal Service
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) compared his proposed healthcare reform to the relationship between the US Postal Service and private delivery companies.
Apparently, this was supposed to be a positive analogy:
“The Postal Service may not be perfect, but the public option is there, and the private companies, FedEx, UPS, know they cannot rip you off or [be] slacking on their service,” said Reid.
Okay, the first part is correct: the Postal Service isn’t perfect. But why does he think that FedEx or UPS would rip us off if it didn’t exist? If FedEx decided to jack up prices or cut back on its service, consumers would just go to UPS or DHL. New companies would open if they thought they could undercut the current ones or serve customers better.
As we all know, if the government lifted its legal monopoly on paper mail, private companies would rush in to do a better job! The mail would be faster, and cheaper.
Government stewardship usually means: no innovation. The Postal Service now offers overnight delivery (sometimes), but for years they said it wasn’t possible. Only when FedEx arrived did the impossible become possible.
Do we really want a healthcare system that’s run like the U.S. Post Office? Everyone waiting in line for service that is provided basically the same way it was a decade ago? If I get to choose, I’d prefer my healthcare to be provided by FedEx.
Some rural Michigan roads go back to gravel
An Associated Press article in the Chicago Tribune is titled: Rural Mich. counties turn failing roads to gravel.
As Michigan’s crumbling economy, so go some once-paved rural roads now being turned back into gravel.
About a quarter of the state's county road agencies largely left out of the federal stimulus package, which focuses on highways and other major thoroughfares, say they can't afford some costly repaving projects and have crushed up deteriorating roads.
Montcalm County alone estimates it saved nearly $900,000 by converting almost 10 miles of pothole-plagued pavement into gravel this spring.
As one official said, we were throwing good money into bad roads - it had to stop.”
Another said the new gravel road was “smoother than it was before, but wondered how they will maintain it - especially in the winter."
Many politicians doubt motorists would support higher taxes to fund road projects during tough economic times. But without new money, small agencies are left with few choices.
"We don't want to go backward, and I view this as going backward," said Tim Hammill, managing director of the Dickinson County Road Commission in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where 2.5 miles of paved road was converted to gravel last year. "It's depressing."
More of the story here.
U.S. family Christmas photo turns up in Czech advertisement
It's an international mystery: how did a Missouri family's Christmas card photo end up in the Czech Republic, splashed across a huge storefront advertisement?
Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the photo taken of her family last year got sent to family and friends, and was posted on her blog and a few social networking sites. The photo showed her and her husband Jeff holding their two young children.
One of Smith's college friends was driving through Prague when he spotted their life-size faces in the window of a store specializing in European food.
The friend snapped a few pictures and sent them to the Smith family back in Missouri with a note saying it was it's a life-size picture in a grocery store window in Prague!
Mario Bertuccio, who owns the Grazie store in Prague, said the photo was computer generated from a picture found on the Internet.
Bertuccio said he would be happy to write an e-mail with an apology. He also said he would send the Smiths a bottle of good wine if they lived in his eastern European country.
Link
Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the photo taken of her family last year got sent to family and friends, and was posted on her blog and a few social networking sites. The photo showed her and her husband Jeff holding their two young children.
One of Smith's college friends was driving through Prague when he spotted their life-size faces in the window of a store specializing in European food.
The friend snapped a few pictures and sent them to the Smith family back in Missouri with a note saying it was it's a life-size picture in a grocery store window in Prague!
Mario Bertuccio, who owns the Grazie store in Prague, said the photo was computer generated from a picture found on the Internet.
Bertuccio said he would be happy to write an e-mail with an apology. He also said he would send the Smiths a bottle of good wine if they lived in his eastern European country.
Link
Does the new GM need a different name?
A report at the link below wonders if the new GM should start with a new name.
ValuJet was reborn as AirTran. Philip Morris rechristened itself Altria. Blackwater became Xe.
Would a name change work for beleaguered General Motors?It would mean casting aside a brand that stood for almost a century as a symbol of American industrial might, but some marketing experts say it might be just the thing to help the once-mighty automaker make a fresh start.
A University of Chicago marketing professor thinks the brand isn’t in good shape so they have little to lose by changing to a different name.
With GM tarnished by its bankruptcy and its reputation for building cars no one wants, wiseacres have had no trouble coming up with new names.
There’s Groveling Motors, after GM’s appetite for federal bailouts. And General Moneypit. And, perhaps most popular, Government Motors, after the taxpayers’ major ownership stake.
Jun 14, 2009
Hiker falls to his death from Yosemite’s Half Dome
Yosemite National Park officials say a male hiker has fallen to his death while climbing Half Dome.
Park Ranger Scott Gediman says the man fell Saturday afternoon, and that officials believe he was using the cable handrails that help hikers make it up and down the landmark.
Park Ranger Gediman said conditions on Half Dome's granite face were slippery because of rain and hail.(click on picture to enlarge)
Several climbers can be seen negotiating the last leg of the Half Dome climb can be seen on the left of the photo above.
Thirty other Half Dome climbers were being escorted down by rangers for their safety Saturday evening.
Kicking back in the sun
Getting some rays in front of beach huts in Blyth, northeast England.
Newsweek editor says Obama is God
On Hardball, Newsweek editor Evan Thomas (pictured) said, “I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God!
Contrast that with Evan Thomas on the TV talk show Inside Washington, responding to a question on whether the media was unfair to Bush. Thomas said, “Well, our job is to bash the president, that's what we do."
Trash Bush and slobber over Obama calling him a God!
If Newsweek continues these unapologetic liberal promoting practices, The National Enquirer will be a more serious - and accurate - newsmagazine than Newsweek!
Link
Contrast that with Evan Thomas on the TV talk show Inside Washington, responding to a question on whether the media was unfair to Bush. Thomas said, “Well, our job is to bash the president, that's what we do."Trash Bush and slobber over Obama calling him a God!
If Newsweek continues these unapologetic liberal promoting practices, The National Enquirer will be a more serious - and accurate - newsmagazine than Newsweek!
Link
John Hinderaker talks about MSNBC
Speaking of irresponsible media...
Attorney John Hinderaker recently had this to say about MSNBC on Power Line:
Attorney John Hinderaker recently had this to say about MSNBC on Power Line:
MSNBC occupies a curious niche in the media landscape.
It is the first network that has ample financial resources but at the same time, production values are on a par with the average home movie and intellectual standards below those of the typical ninth grader.
It would be interesting to know who comprises their audience.
Don’t hold back John, tell us what you really thing about MSNBC.
Denver Broncos consider selling ads on practice jerseys
The Denver Broncos football team is considering selling advertising space on their practice jerseys.
The NFL says there will be no jersey advertisements on game day. The ads would only be on jerseys worn on the practice field.
We wonder how much that will help. The practices are often closed to the public. Prior to critical games the practices are even closed to the media.
Maybe the Broncos feel they need every dollar they can get because of future ticket sale loss because they let star quarterback Jay Cutler slip through their fingers.
Link
The NFL says there will be no jersey advertisements on game day. The ads would only be on jerseys worn on the practice field.
We wonder how much that will help. The practices are often closed to the public. Prior to critical games the practices are even closed to the media.
Maybe the Broncos feel they need every dollar they can get because of future ticket sale loss because they let star quarterback Jay Cutler slip through their fingers.
Link
Loser in Iran election arrested - that didn’t take long!
The Israeli news reported (at the first link below) that the defeated Ahmadinejad rival has been arrested in Iran.
Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi was reportedly arrested Saturday following the reformist's defeat at the polls by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Supporters of Mousavi, the main challenger to Ahmadinejad, have responded to the election with the most serious unrest in Tehran in a decade and claim that the result was the work of a dictatorship.
Will Jimmy Carter go to Iran and certify the election of Ahmadinejad like he did the election of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela?
Meanwhile, in the United States, Barack Obama was "excited" by Iran's robust election debate as reported by Reuters news (at the second link below).
"We are excited to see what appears to be a robust debate taking place in Iran," Obama told reporters when asked about the Iranian election during an event at the White House.
Jun 13, 2009
Jumping for joy: Bush skydives on 85th birthday
Former President George H.W. Bush marked his 85th birthday on Friday the same way he did his 75th and 80th birthdays: He leaped from a plane and zoomed downward at more than 100 mph in freefall before parachuting safely to a spot near his oceanfront home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Bush made the tandem jump from 10,500 feet with Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott of the Army's Golden Knights, who guided them to a gentle landing on the lawn of St. Ann's Church.
He said he enjoyed it so much that he planned to do it again when he turns 90.
George W. and Barbara Bush wave to him after the jump.
With Barbara Bush after the jump.
When he was president, Bush was an avid jogger, speed golfer, fisherman and tennis player.
He said he has slowed down since then, but he doesn't intend to stop moving.
And all that from a man who won’t eat his broccoli.
He told reporters that he jumped Friday for two reasons: to experience the exhilaration of free falling and to show that seniors can remain active and do fun things.
Link
Bush made the tandem jump from 10,500 feet with Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott of the Army's Golden Knights, who guided them to a gentle landing on the lawn of St. Ann's Church.
He said he enjoyed it so much that he planned to do it again when he turns 90.
George W. and Barbara Bush wave to him after the jump.
With Barbara Bush after the jump.
When he was president, Bush was an avid jogger, speed golfer, fisherman and tennis player.
He said he has slowed down since then, but he doesn't intend to stop moving.
And all that from a man who won’t eat his broccoli.
He told reporters that he jumped Friday for two reasons: to experience the exhilaration of free falling and to show that seniors can remain active and do fun things.
Link
Iran election: landslide win for Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (shown below) has been declared the winner in a disputed election.
The government said on Saturday that Ahmadinejad won Friday's presidential election with 62.63 percent of the vote and Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent of the vote.
Before the ballot counting was over, Moussavi supporters urged the counting to stop because of "blatant violations" and lashed out at what he indicated was an unfair process.
At least Ahmadinejad didn’t use dead people voting and ACORN fraud to win.
Well, he didn’t use ACORN anyway. In a country like Iran you don’t need ACORN to win.
More here.
The government said on Saturday that Ahmadinejad won Friday's presidential election with 62.63 percent of the vote and Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent of the vote.
Before the ballot counting was over, Moussavi supporters urged the counting to stop because of "blatant violations" and lashed out at what he indicated was an unfair process.
At least Ahmadinejad didn’t use dead people voting and ACORN fraud to win.
Well, he didn’t use ACORN anyway. In a country like Iran you don’t need ACORN to win.
More here.
Jun 12, 2009
John Daly: color on the golf course
Pro golfer John Daly shows how to be conspicuous on the golf course.
Blaming Bush doesn’t work anymore
David Axelrod (pictured) senior advisor to Barack Obama, said:
Nobody’s trying to duck responsibility or make excuses.
At the same time Mr. Obama said:
The financial crisis this administration inherited is still creating painful challenges for businesses and families alike.
Blaming a predecessor is not new. Reagan blamed Carter for the poor economy and raging inflation he inherited.
Clinton blamed the first President Bush and the younger President Bush blamed Clinton.
However, former Bush aides argue that Mr. Obama has done it more extensively and routinely than other presidents have, although this is denied by the Obama team.
An article in the New York Times (see link below) reports that at a certain point, a new president assumes ownership of the problems and finds himself answering for his own actions.
Challenges stacking up overseas may increasingly be seen as Mr. Obama’s soon enough too, say advisers, critics and some outside experts.
By sending an extra 21,000 American troops to Afghanistan and replacing the commander there, Mr. Obama has now made that war his, as many analysts in Washington see it.
Also, the forceful (some say anti-Semitic) position toward Israel adopted by Mr. Obama over settlement expansion makes the Palestinian conflict his own problem.
“Whatever problems he inherited walking in the door, they’re his responsibility now,” Mr. Axelrod said. “Nobody’s trying to duck responsibility or make excuses for them.
David Axelrod is Mr. Obama’s senior advisor.
He gets it.
Yet Barack Obama continues to “blame Bush.”
Link
Its official swine flu pandemic has begun
Swine flu is now formally a pandemic, a declaration by U.N. health officials that will speed vaccine production and spur government spending to combat the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.
Thursday's announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal — only that its spread is considered unstoppable.
Since it was first detected in late April in Mexico and the United States, swine flu has reached 74 countries, infecting nearly 29,000 people. Most who catch the bug have only mild symptoms and don't need medical treatment.
More of the story here.
Thursday's announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal — only that its spread is considered unstoppable.
Since it was first detected in late April in Mexico and the United States, swine flu has reached 74 countries, infecting nearly 29,000 people. Most who catch the bug have only mild symptoms and don't need medical treatment.
More of the story here.
Holocaust museum shooter had shocking beliefs
The man who murdered a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum shocked acquaintances with his hateful views.
Shown here is a more recent photo of von Brunn than accompanies most stories of the museum shooting.
Shown here is a more recent photo of von Brunn than accompanies most stories of the museum shooting.The anger of James Wenneker von Brunn was too big for the quiet civility of the small town on Maryland's Eastern Shore where he made his home for much of the past three decades.
The venom that seethed within him spilled over time and again, shocking the people of Easton who bore witness.
They were shocked once more at news of Wednesday's fatal shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, but not at word that the alleged gunman was the 88-year-old white supremacist who once lived in their midst.
One acquaintance said, "Was he capable of this? Yes! Our intuition that he was creepy, that he might go postal, all came back to us when we heard the news."
Mr. von Brunn was a former Navy officer who commanded a PT boat in the Pacific in the last weeks of World War II.
A 1943 graduate of Washington University in his home town of St. Louis, he bounced from one address to another on the Eastern Shore.
He worked in the mortgage and real estate businesses, peddled his paintings of Western landscapes and shared with all who would listen his hatred for blacks and Jews.
More of the story here.
Jun 11, 2009
Want to get up to 600 miles per gallon?
The Twike is a zero emissions vehicle made in Germany.
It is a hybrid, but maybe not what you’d think. It’s a “human-electric” hybrid.
This puddle jumper is not for the faint of heart, not if you want to get 600 miles per gallon anyway.
Near as we can tell, this vehicle is guaranteed to take the fun out of your driving.
It is a hybrid, but maybe not what you’d think. It’s a “human-electric” hybrid.
This puddle jumper is not for the faint of heart, not if you want to get 600 miles per gallon anyway.
Near as we can tell, this vehicle is guaranteed to take the fun out of your driving.
Pedaling extends the range of the vehicle but does not substantially add to the vehicle's top speed.
The vehicle cannot be driven solely by using pedal power. Regenerative antilock braking captures energy from deceleration to recharge computer-controlled batteries.
I wasn’t going to make light of this pedal/electric wonder until I saw the price tag. How many eco-geeks will they find that just happen to have more than $30,000 in their jeans?
We are not sure how Twike is pronounced. Possibly it is meant to sound like “baby talk” for trike.
More here.
Showing off for the ranch hands
Canadian rider Jeff Fehr jumps in front of a cowboy settlement at the historic Bar U Ranch in Calgary, Canada.
China earthquake
Tens of thousands visited the quake devastated town of Beichuan, in southwestern China's Sichuan province.
State leaders laid flowers and survivors burned paper money for departed spirits as a mournful China marked the first anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and 5 million homeless.
Anything goes in Miami Beach - except Mr. Clucky
Mr. Clucky is a rooster that delights tourists and locals alike by riding on his master's handlebars in Miami Beach, Florida.
However, the talented but noisy rooster is being evicted by Miami Beach.
However, the talented but noisy rooster is being evicted by Miami Beach.
In the live-and-let-live annals of Miami Beach, the city has embraced a disparate cast of characters: the cross-dressing former cabbie who jives to '60s hits for change; the woman who walks her iguanas in a pram built for two; and the middle-aged man who makes custom paintings with his toes, to name a few.
But you have to draw the line somewhere, and so the city has decreed that Mr. Clucky -- the bike-riding rooster known for weaving his way through the laid-back crowds at Lincoln Road Mall -- must go.
Fiat Chrysler deal shifting to high gear
After being propped up by $15.5 billion in U.S. Treasury loans between January and May, Chrysler entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April.
The tiny Fiat 500 (shown above with Jim Press, president and vice-chairman of Chrysler) is one of the first cars Chrysler hopes to build in North America through its new alliance with Fiat.
An article at the second link below wonders if Americans can learn to love Fiat.
In Italy, the joke is that Fiat stands for “fix it again Tony.”
How excited will Americans be about buying a tiny Fiat, with a Chrysler name-plate, built in a factory whose principle owner is the United Auto Workers union when It was the UAW’s unrealistic demands, along with GM, Ford and Chrysler’s cave-in to those demands, that got the U.S. automakers in trouble in the first place.
I have been loyal to American automakers - until now. We just replaced a Chrysler built van that served us well for the several years. After more than 200,000 miles it was replaced recently by a Toyota van. We are just not inclined to buy a UAWmobile.
More of the Chrysler/Fiat story here and here.
The deal with the Italian automaker will give Fiat 20 per cent of the new company in return for a transfer of technology, with the stake expanding to 35 per cent if targets are met.
The United Auto Workers union is to hold 55 per cent of the group, the US government 8 per cent and the Canadian government 2 per cent.
The tiny Fiat 500 (shown above with Jim Press, president and vice-chairman of Chrysler) is one of the first cars Chrysler hopes to build in North America through its new alliance with Fiat.
An article at the second link below wonders if Americans can learn to love Fiat.
In Italy, the joke is that Fiat stands for “fix it again Tony.”
How excited will Americans be about buying a tiny Fiat, with a Chrysler name-plate, built in a factory whose principle owner is the United Auto Workers union when It was the UAW’s unrealistic demands, along with GM, Ford and Chrysler’s cave-in to those demands, that got the U.S. automakers in trouble in the first place.
I have been loyal to American automakers - until now. We just replaced a Chrysler built van that served us well for the several years. After more than 200,000 miles it was replaced recently by a Toyota van. We are just not inclined to buy a UAWmobile.
More of the Chrysler/Fiat story here and here.
Jun 10, 2009
Museum shooter von Brunn's ex-wife says his racism 'ate him alive'
Holocaust Museum shooter’s ex-wife speaks about James von Brunn.
The ex-wife of the racist who stormed the U.S. Holocaust Museum described him as an abusive alcoholic whose hatred against Jews and blacks “ate him alive like a cancer. It's all he would talk about.”
The woman, who asked that her name not be used, said when she learned von Brunn allegedly acted on his anti-Semitic impulses, she thought about something he used to say when they were married.
"He used to make the statement that he was going out with his boots on," she said.
"I took it to mean that he wasn't just about to lay down and die of old age. That he was going to go out and try to take some people with him."
She married von Brunn in the mid-1960s and they divorced 10 years later. She said he sipped red wine all day and frequently lashed out with verbal assaults.
von Brunn's age is in dispute. Some media are reporting that he is in his 60s, while The Associated Press says he is 89 years old.
Link
Guard dies in shooting at Holocaust Museum
James Von Brunn, an elderly white surpremist opened fire at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., injuring himself and one guard.
According to reports the guard has died the gunman is in critical condition.
According to reports the guard has died the gunman is in critical condition.
”There were no threats" against the museum, said D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier. "The second he stepped into the building he began firing." Lanier said he was shooting a rifle.
The 89-year-old von Brunn (shown here in a much earlier photo) was released from the federal penitentiary in Ray Brook, N.Y. on Sept. 15, 1989, after serving 5-1/2 years.
He was convicted in 1983 of attempted kidnapping, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in a 1981 incident at the Federal Reserve.
Von Brunn, a Holocaust denier, maintains a racist, anti-Semitic website and wrote a book titled Kill the Best Gentile.
Who says man can’t fly?
This interesting photo shows a man jumping into a public swimming pool in Duesseldorf, Germany as an airplane in the background prepares to land.
UK report First Lady of flamboyance
The London Daily Mail printed a photo of Michelle Obama saying: Her taste for restrained elegance has earned her the title of First Lady of Fashion.
At least she didn’t wear a tank top.
Link
At least she didn’t wear a tank top.
Link
The new Pelosimobile from Congressional Motors
For those special odd-numbered week ends when we will be allowed to drive ...
Jun 9, 2009
Retiring army goat
William Windsor, mascot of England's 1st Battalion, appears at his retirement parade after seven years of UK Army service. The Battalion, known as The Royal Welsh, has had a goat in its ranks for more than 200 years.
Socialists lick wounds as conservatives win across Europe
Note: a correction was made to his posting
Many reporters called the elections a defeat for the “center left.”
One quick observation:
The losers were not center left. They were no more center left than Barack Obama. They were all politically far left!
An AP article at the link below reports:
Conservatives raced toward victory in some of Europe's largest economies Sunday as initial results and exit polls showed voters punishing left-leaning parties in European parliament elections in France, Germany and elsewhere.
Franz Muentefering (pictured) chairman of Germany’s Social Democrats reacts to results of the elections in Germany and across Europe. 
The Social Democrats along with Britain’s Labor Party and Frances Socialists are said to have suffered setbacks of “historic proportions.”
Some right-leaning parties said the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.
Reporters given 12 years hard labor in North Korea
Laura Ling and Euna Lee (pictured), reporters for Al Gore’s Current TV, were arrested in March.
They were sentenced after a closed-door trial for what the state-run North Korean news agency KCNA called the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing."
The United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, and Sweden represents U.S. interests there. The Swedish ambassador told the U.S. State Department that no observers were allowed in the courtroom for the trial, and the ambassador was allowed to see them only three times.
Several senior administration officials said the idea of sending either Gore or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Pyongyang on a mission to get the journalists released has been floated to the North Koreans.
No answer has come so far, but the expectation has been that once the trial ended, the North would accept a visit by either Gore or Richardson to secure the journalists' release, the officials said.
North Korea will probably release the reporters but not before the US pays a huge ransom.
Link
Peering into North Korea
A girl looks through a binocular telescope at a village in the North Korea city of Kaepoong from the Panmunjom demilitarized zone.
Biden: new rail tunnel being built for cars
About that new tunnel that NJ Transit has been wanting for years. It’s the one that the Federal Transit Administration made a huge commitment to on Monday.
“Look, this is designed, this totally new tunnel, is designed to provide for automobile traffic,” Biden said. “It’s something, as you know, up your way, that’s been in the works and people have been clamoring for a long time.”
For cars? Really?
For the record, the tunnel is for trains, and its completion would allow for more NJ Transit trains during peak hours and “one-seat” rides into Midtown Manhattan on lines serving Bergen and Passaic counties.
Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request to clarify his comments.
How many gaffe’s does that make since becoming our “comic relief” vice president?
Wonder if he can spell potato?
Link
Jun 8, 2009
Burger King warming Whopper
Have it your way.
A major Burger King franchise owner puts up controversial signs at its Burger King restaurants.
The franchisee is a Memphis-based company called the Mirabile Investment Corporation (MIC) that owns more than 40 Burger Kings across Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, has described Burger King as acting "kinda like cockroaches" over the controversy.
Burger King has asked MIC to remove the signs. However, MIC's marketing president, John McNelis has said that by the time Burger King lawyers work out how to make that stick we'd be in the year 2020.
Does Al Gore eat at any of the MIC Burger King restaurants? No? I didn’t think so.
Link
A major Burger King franchise owner puts up controversial signs at its Burger King restaurants.
The franchisee is a Memphis-based company called the Mirabile Investment Corporation (MIC) that owns more than 40 Burger Kings across Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, has described Burger King as acting "kinda like cockroaches" over the controversy.
Burger King has asked MIC to remove the signs. However, MIC's marketing president, John McNelis has said that by the time Burger King lawyers work out how to make that stick we'd be in the year 2020.
Does Al Gore eat at any of the MIC Burger King restaurants? No? I didn’t think so.
Link
Job seekers getting the wrinkles out
A clinic in Virginia gave free Botox wrinkle injections to unemployed women looking for work.
Ladies with “wrinkles and a résumé" stood in line Friday at the Reveal clinic near the Pentagon to accept the unusual offer of free Botox injections.
The ladies hope improving their appearance will help, at least psychologically, in future job interviews.
The cost of a single treatment can vary from $300 to $500, according to Reveal. Results typically last four to six months.
One of the job seekers said, “You're more likely to be perceived in a better light if you look good.”
This is especially important in a climate of age discrimination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it received 24,582 complaints of age discrimination in the 12-month period ending in September. That's a 29 percent increase from the previous year.
Link
Ladies with “wrinkles and a résumé" stood in line Friday at the Reveal clinic near the Pentagon to accept the unusual offer of free Botox injections.
The ladies hope improving their appearance will help, at least psychologically, in future job interviews.
The cost of a single treatment can vary from $300 to $500, according to Reveal. Results typically last four to six months.
One of the job seekers said, “You're more likely to be perceived in a better light if you look good.”
This is especially important in a climate of age discrimination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it received 24,582 complaints of age discrimination in the 12-month period ending in September. That's a 29 percent increase from the previous year.
Link
Guinness Record longest running TV ad
A delightful commercial showing a little old lady throwing a tire through a tire store window is the longest running TV commercial according to Guinness World Records.
Joining the ranks of Charmin's Mr. Whipple, Wendy's affable founder Dave Thomas and the Lonely Maytag Repairman, is the little old lady from the Discount Tire ad.
Not only is the Discount Tire ad a winner - it’s funny and it’s also short - only 10 seconds long!
(click on picture to see video)
Joining the ranks of Charmin's Mr. Whipple, Wendy's affable founder Dave Thomas and the Lonely Maytag Repairman, is the little old lady from the Discount Tire ad.
Not only is the Discount Tire ad a winner - it’s funny and it’s also short - only 10 seconds long!
Shootout at Acapulco Mexico Kills 16
Acapulco, the 1950’s and 1960’s premier resort town for America's rich and famous, was the scene of a dramatic shootout.
Nine other people were wounded, including three bystanders.
Roughly 3,000 shots flew, and 50 grenades exploded during the raucous gun battle late Saturday that killed 16 gunmen and two soldiers.
Nine other people were wounded, including three bystanders.
More than a dozen Mexican tourists were evacuated from a neighboring hotel strip frozen in the 1950s, when Elizabeth Taylor held one of her many weddings in Acapulco and John Wayne and "Tarzan" star Johnny Weissmuller threw lavish parties at Los Flamingos Hotel less than 100 yards (meters) from where gunfire broke out.
Several gunmen tried to flee but crashed their car into a military Hummer that was blocking the gate. At one point, more armed men with grenades arrived to reinforce the men in the house, but they died in the shooting, said an army colonel, who led the operation and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
More of the story here.
North Dakota: first June snowfall in 60 years
Snow fell over the week end in Dickinson, North Dakota. It was the first time in nearly 60 years the city had seen snow in June.
It probably ruined Al Gore’s day.
Link
It probably ruined Al Gore’s day.
Link
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