Awesome LA freeway interchange aerial photos

Link here for more freeway photos.

Volunteers needed for chocolate study

It’s gonna be a tough job -- but somebody has to do it.

Calling all chocoholics: British researchers recruiting volunteers willing to eat a bar of chocolate daily for a year, guilt-free and all in the name of science.

British researchers recruiting volunteers willing to eat a bar of chocolate daily for a year, guilt-free and all in the name of science.

The trial starting in June will explore whether compounds called flavonoids found in chocolate and other foods can reduce the risk of heart disease for menopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

Previous studies have suggested dark chocolate is rich in the beneficial compounds linked with heart health but experts note the high sugar and fat content of most commercially available chocolate might cancel out some of the advantages.

Link

The 57 states of Obama are the 57 states of Islam?

Does Barack Obama want to be the president of the 57 states of Islam?

In the confines of a friendly audience in Oregon Mr. Obama strayed form his prepared speech:

"It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

The Times' conscientious Robin Abcarian thought she heard something different there. She checked her tape recorder. It had captured what he had actually said -- 57 states now. A new Louisiana Purchase that's gone unannounced so far? Was he channeling his inner John Kerry-Heinz 57 personality?

Barack Hussein Obama may have been referring to the 57 states of Islam. After all, there will be dancing in the streets of many Arab countries as soon as the junior Senator from Illinois is declared the winner of the Democratic primary.

However, just in case Obama actually doesn’t know how many states he is trying to be president of here in this country, there is a new flag lapel pin (pictured) showing a 57 state flag.

Of course, Obama won’t wear it since he has refused to wear a U.S. flag lapel pin since September 11, 2001.

Link here and here.

Frustrated owners try to sell their gas guzzlers

As gas tank fill ups hit the $75 level, many frustrated owners will try to unload their gas guzzlers.

Some desperate car dealers and consumers are willing to lose thousands of dollars just to get rid of their SUVs.

The following sad story will be typical for people who drive gas guzzling SUV’s and pickups especially, if the vehicle has a loan with a high pay-off balance.

Last July, 20-year-old Sannan Nizami bought a 2007 Toyota 4Runner SUV for $32,000 when it cost about $65 to fill the tank.



Six months later, as a gallon of gas soared to $3.50 and more, and tank refills climbed over $80, Nizami put the vehicle up for sale. He posted it online for $27,000 but received no responses for months.

Frustrated and unable to afford prices at the pump, Nizami last month turned over the Toyota to a dealer who only sells vehicles from private owners.

Nizami is still paying the $450 loan but now is bumming rides to work with a cousin and worrying about making enough from the sale to cover the car loan.

Link

How many blogs are there?

Does anyone really know just how many blogs there are? Probably not.

A recent Google search for the number of blogs turned up links to several web sites that gave estimates ranging anywhere between 50 million to 150 million.

Technorati currently states it is tracking over 112.8 million blogs, a number which obviously does not include all the 7o to 80 million Chinese blogs as counted by the China Internet Network Information Center.

Blog statistics often concern the English language blogosphere but we should not forget about the millions of other blogs that are not always included in estimations.

Many blogs are on AOL, MySpace and other platforms that really don’t attract the general viewing public. If you aren’t a member, chances are you won’t ever see one of those “out-of-the-way” blogs.

There are countless thousands of blogs that get almost no hits. Some get thousands of hits every day.

How can you tell how many viewers (hits) a blog gets? The old standard, and still the best, web site counter is Site Meter. Not all web sites using Site Meter display a link to the number of hits they get. Examples Site Meter links buttons are shown here.

By clicking on the Site Meter button, you can usually see the number of hits.

One estimate to the total number of blogs can be found here.

Wall Drug: a stop off or a destination?

Ted Hustead purchased the only drug store in Wall South Dakota in1931. Wall is a prairie town of 326 people just north of the South Dakota Badlands.

Hustead watched as cars went past his store without stopping as they drove through town on Route 16. Most of the traffic going through town was in the hot weather on their way to and from the Black Hills.

In what turned out to be a stroke of genius, Hustead put a sign on his small store offering free ice water to travelers. Cars began stopping at Wall Drug for the ice water and while they were in the store they were making purchases.

Wall Drug in 1931

A portion of Wall Drug as it appears today

A typical Wall Drug billboard

Wall Drug earns much of its fame from self-promotion billboards. These signs advertising the store can be seen for hundreds of miles throughout South Dakota and nearby states. The early billboard, and some of the new ones, show the number of miles to Wall Drug.

There are also signs in various foreign countries around the world that also show the number of miles to Wall Drug.

UK surveillance cam boom fails to cut crime

The UK is the most surveilled country on the planet. It seems as though there are spy cameras everywhere, but is the surveillance scheme working? Apparently not.

By all reports, the closed-circuit TV network in the UK is an utter fiasco.

CCTV equipment worth billions has failed to cut crime because detectives do not know how to use the images, a senior police officer has said.

Britain has more security cameras than any other European country, with around one for every 14 people!

It was reported that only 3% of London's street robberies have been solved using CCTV images!

Link

Solving America’s obesity problem

(click on cartoon to enlarge)

Diaries show Saddam feared getting AIDS in prison

Excerpts from diaries kept by Saddam Hussein (pictured) while in U.S.-supervised captivity indicate that the former Iraq dictator feared catching “young peoples diseases.”

When Saddam found out his U.S. military guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he wrote that he demanded they stop, according to the excerpts.

Saddam feared sharing a laundry line could make him vulnerable to AIDS and other diseases.

"I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said some soldiers ignored his request.

Saddam wrote thousands of pages while in U.S.-supervised custody.

He wrote how hard it was to have to ask for things, saying it was a serious sacrifice from him to ask for things for the first time in his life.

Saddam was captured by American soldiers on Dec. 13, 2003, just over eight months after his regime was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion. An Iraqi tribunal convicted him of crimes against humanity and he was hanged at the end of 2006.

Link

Country music legend Eddy Arnold dies at 89

Legendary country music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold (pictured) is dead just short of his 90th Birthday.

Eddy Arnold, whose mellow baritone on songs like “Make the World Go Away” made him one of the most successful country singers in history, died Thursday morning, days short of his 90th birthday.

Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville.

His wife of 66 years, Sally, had died in March, and in the same month, Arnold fell outside his home, injuring his hip.

Folksy yet sophisticated, he became a pioneer of “The Nashville Sound,” also called “countrypolitan,” a mixture of country and pop styles.

“I sing a little country, I sing a little pop and I sing a little folk, and it all goes together,” he said in 1970.

Link

American Idol ratings down but show still strong

An article on ABC News online wonders if American Idol has lost it’s mojo.

Ratings for the TV juggernaut are down, but critics say the show is still strong.

The ABC article says:

It's huge. It's gigantic. It's an unmatched ratings machine that other networks would kill for. So why won't the rumors subside? Could "American Idol" really be in trouble?

Katie Lachter started watching "American Idol" during her last year of law school, which was the mercurial Fox talent show's first season. Now in its seventh incarnation, the show's parade of crooning, wannabe pop stars is still appointment TV.

"It's a really fun and an upbeat thing to watch," said Lachter, now a lawyer in New York. Around her law firm, she said, "it's definitely water cooler talk."

Anne Charity hosts a weekly "Idol" party in her Williamsburg, Va., home.

"We're a regular group of six," said Charity, a linguistics professor. "We like [Idol contestant] David Cook, because he's got that rock thing going on."

Lachter, 29, and Charity, 32, are in the heart of a demographic that television executives and advertisers love to court. But these days, that sought-after group of Idol watchers is shrinking:

It's been widely reported that ratings for the Fox Network show are down this season, with a steeper decline among viewers age 18 to 49.

The ratings drop has both "Idol" fans and foes to ask the same question: Is the seven-year ratings juggernaut on its way out?

I watched most of one American Idol show and never went back. I had more interesting things to do such as rearrange my sock drawer and dust the pantry shelves.

I do, however, know better than to put auctions on eBay that close while American Idol is on TV.

It’s a mindless show but my guess is that Fox will keep it going for a few more years.

Link

Street money

Is your city bogged by smog?

Pittsburgh edges out Los Angeles as the most polluted U.S. city according to the American Lung Association’s annual report on air pollution.

Los Angeles smog is shown bwlow:



Top 10 most polluted US cities (By short-term particle pollution):

1) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2) Los Angeles, California
3) Fresno/Madera, California
4) Bakersfield, California
5) Birmingham, Alabama
6) Logan, Utah
7) Salt Lake City, Utah
8) Sacramento, California
9) Detroit, Michigan
10) Baltimore, Maryland / Washington, D.C.

Link

Unique car for sale advertisement

The following is reported to be an actual advertisement found in an Irish newspaper:

Automobile for Sale

1985 Blue Volkswagen.
Only driven 50 miles.
Only first gear and reverse ever used.
Never driven hard.
Original tires.
Original brakes.
Original fuel and oil.
Only 1 driver.
Owner wishing to sell due to employment lay-off.

Click here for a picture of the car.

Empty dream homes flood Las Vegas market

The aging process quickly hits homes in Las Vegas.

There are 600 million-dollar properties built since 2004 on the market -- and many of them are considered outdated.

They blow up aging casinos in this town. Now, some are wondering what to do about yesterday's desert dream homes.



Take the foreclosed million-dollar house realty agent Michael Antos recently showed.

To the untrained eye, the four-bedroom, five-bath retreat may appear top-drawer, shimmering with granite and marble throughout, and with posh touches like a pool with a sandy beach entry.

But Antos pointed out that the house was showing its age. After all, it was built in 2000. In Vegas, that makes it as dated as a coin-operated slot machine.

Link

Baseball star Canseco loses mansion to foreclosure

Former baseball star Jose Canseco (pictured) loses his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino to foreclosure.

Canseco owed more than $2.5 million on the 7,300 square-foot mansion.

Until the 43-year-old Canseco retired in 2001, he was one of the most flamboyant U.S. baseball players.

Canseco was one of the first Major League Baseball players to admit using steroids in his tell-all 2005 book "Juiced."

His personal life has also been controversial with two divorces and several run-ins with the law for violence.

Canseco said a good portion of the money he earned in his heyday went to pay for his divorces. "I had a couple of divorces that cost me $7 or $8 million," he said.

Link

What will you do with your stimulus check?

Fox rethinking American Idol as ratings sag

Although American Idol is now in its sixth year and is by far the most-watched series on TV, ratings are slipping.

Last Wednesday's results show, which saw Irish singer Carly Smithson booted, was the lowest-rated episode in five years, according to trade reports.

"We're not in denial," Fox exec Preston Beckman told Broadcasting & Cable, the TV business weekly. "It's still the biggest show on TV, but that doesn't mean there are things we can't do.

One cable news analyst pointed out after the last week's Pennsylvania primaries, the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama race has gotten so exciting, "it's even beating 'American Idol.' "

That doesn’t say much for ‘Idol.’

In spite of decreased ratings, the Fox mega-hit, minus a little of it’s shine, will probably continue to ‘dumb down’ America for a few more years.

Link

The worst of times at the New York Times

The ‘Gray Lady’ is up to her elbows in financial trouble.

The New York Times was nicknamed the "Gray Lady" for its staid appearance and style. In her heyday the “Lady” was regarded as a ‘newspaper of record’ because it was often relied upon as the ‘official and authoritative reference for modern events.’

In recent years, however, the Times has become editorially slanted to the liberal political left to the extent the paper has become the voice of the radical left-wing of the Democratic Party and as a result has lost much of its prestige.

Is the “Lady” now paying the price for her partisan editorial ways?

A report at the link below says:

New York Times' news room is bracing for a bloodbath in the next 10 days.

The word from inside is that approximately 50 unionized journalists have accepted the buyout proposal, and only another 20 non-union editorial employees have gotten on board.

That means the ax could fall on as many as 30 editorial people in the company's first-ever mass firing of journalists in its 156-year history.

It seems to be the worst of times for the New York Times.

Because of her extreme partisan editorial stance, she will get little sympathy from Republicans and moderate Democrats.

Link

Actor Blake loses court appeal but $30M judgement reduced

Actor Robert Blake (pictured) was acquitted of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley’s 2001 murder in a criminal trial.

Blake was later found guilty of wrongful death in a civil court and was ordered to pay $30 million to the estate of Bonny Lee Bakley.

Mr. Blake had challenged the jury's award in the subsequent civil wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the trial court made procedural errors and jurors committed misconduct.

The Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles found no jury misconduct and no reversible error by the trial court, but concluded that the $30 million in noneconomic damages awarded by the jury to Bakley's estate was excessive.

The court cut the judgement in half to $15 million.

The administrator of Bakley's estate may not consent to the reduction even though Blake filed for bankruptcy before the civil trial began.

Without consent by the Bakley estate to the reduction of the award to $15 million, the case will go back for a new trial on damages.

Blake is best known for his television role as a detective in "Baretta" and a convicted killer in the true crime film "In Cold Blood,"

Link

Origin of baseball term “can of corn”

Baseball fans know that a ‘pop fly’ or lazy fly ball, that is an easy catch, is called a “can of corn.”

The first time I heard the term was while listening to an old radio broadcast replay of a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game. The play-by-play announcer Vin Scully (pictured) said, “on a 3-2 curve ball Pee Wee Reese hit a pop fly into short right field - it’s a can of corn.”

So what does a lazy fly at the ballpark have to do with a can of corn?

The phrase is said to have originated in the nineteenth-century and relates to an old-time grocer’s method of getting canned goods down from a high shelf. Using a stick with a hook on the end, a grocer could tip a can so that it would fall for an easy catch in his apron.

That explains the ‘easy catch’ but where does corn come into the equation?

In the very early days of baseball, the outfield was called the “corn field.” Especially in early amateur baseball the outfield may have been a farm field.

Hospital has one wing and thousands of legs

A tiny hospital in Baralaba, Australia is fighting a poisonous spider infestation.

The Baralaba Multi Purpose Health Service will close for 24 hours starting Thursday morning so officials can fumigate the building to get rid of redback spiders (see photo) that have been found in large numbers in the main part of the hospital.

Redback spiders, common throughout most of the country, have a painful bite and a toxic venom, although an anti-venom is available.

The redback spider looks much like the black widow spider.

Link

Eat well to have a boy. Diet to have a girl

Mom's diet seen as factor in whether her baby will be a boy or girl.

Snips and snails and puppydog tails ... and cereal and bananas?

That could be what little boys are made of, according to surprising new research suggesting that what a woman eats before pregnancy influences the gender of her baby.

It is not proof, but it fits with evidence from test tube fertilization that male embryos thrive best with longer exposure to nutrient-rich lab cultures, said Dr. Tarun Jain. He is a fertility specialist at University of Illinois at Chicago who wasn't involved in the study.

It just might be that it takes more nutrients to build boys than girls, he said.

Link

Ferrari FXX pedal powered go cart

The Ferrari FXX is out of reach for almost everyone unless you happen to have an extra $1,720,000.00 laying around. And that’s not counting tax.

Well, here is the next best thing. It’s a cool FXX pedal powered go-cart by Berg Toys.

This is a very serious toy that even has an on-board chip to measure lap times and top speeds.

Link here and here.

Prius does more environmental damage than Hummer

There was an eye-opening article last year at the link below exposing the ‘not so green’ hybrid car underworld. In doing so, it compares the Toyota Prius to the Hummer.

The intent of the article is not to promote the Hummer but to use the fuel hungry behemoth as a comparison.

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius.

The Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.

When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis.

The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.

The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.

One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.

Link

Drivers can give rude messages electronically

Now you can be nice (or rude) to other drivers the new hi-tech way.

Put this Drive-E-Mocion in your car rear window and communicate with other drivers.

Control this electronic device as you drive. It’s battery operated so there are no wires.

Single or multiple message options are available including smile faces, frown faces, polite words and some words that could get you in trouble.

Link

No more monster busses on Cuba streets

A change for the good under the guidance of Fidel Castro’s brother Raul.

The unwieldy busses (pictured) have been replaced by thousands of new city busses from China. One wonders how long before thousands of Chinese troops will arrive.

First comes the stink of diesel, then a metallic roar, and finally a tower of black smoke that tells you the "camello" (the camel) has reached your stop.

These hulking 18-wheeled beasts, iron mutants made of two Soviet-era buses welded together on a flatbed and pulled by a separate cab, have long been Havana's public transport nightmare — bumpy, hot and jammed with up to 400 passengers at a time.


Camellos have no shock absorbers, and every pothole sends a violent jolt through one's feet. At each stop more passengers crowd in — people carrying infants, backpacks, gardening tools and beer bottles stuffed with black market honey.

With no air conditioning, the tropical heat quickly becomes unbearable, and the stench sets in — fresh sweat and body odor, mixed with exhaust and rotting food. Those seated stick their heads out of the windows.

Link

Coat of many patterns

Valeta’s new jacket. When a quilter decides to make use of scraps, they sometimes make a coat of many colors … in this case, a coat of many patterns.

Obama’s thoughts on Pennsylvania primary

Sopwith Camel WW1 biplane on NY skyscraper roof

This was found here on Google Sightseeing.

There appears to be a biplane, complete with runway on the roof of 77 Water Street, New York City.

Situated in the heart of the insurance district, 77 Water Street occupies the entire East side frontage of Water Street between Governuer Lane to the North of Old Slip to the South.

The property runs all the way through the block to Front Street on the East, covering approximately 60% of an acre. 77 Water Street is located at the foot of Wall Street.

The biplane on the roof is a sculpture designed by Rudolph de Harak and executed by the sculptor William Tarr in 1969.

The plane is a full-size model of a WW1 Sopwith Camel biplane, complete with runway.

It was put there to amuse inhabitants of surrounding skyscrapers including the World Trade Center before 9-11-01.

Click here to see the rooftop plane on Google Maps where you can zoom in and drag the picture around to see surrounding buildings, etc.

Nash Metropolitan the 1950’s sub-compact car

The Nash Metropolitan was a cute sub-compact car made for Nash Kelvinator by Austin in Birmingham, England from 1954 to 1961.

The lower picture shows an artists painting of the Metropolitan rendered for a magazine advertisement. The artist painted the driver to a smaller scale so the car would appear larger.

The diminutive Metropolitan was smaller than the Volkswagen beetle. The Metropolitan had a wheelbase of only 85-inches. It was powered by a 1.2 liter 4 cylinder engine driving the rear wheels through a 3-speed manual transmission

The cute little Metropolitan was available in 2-door hardtop and 2-door convertible models.

Nash originally intended to name this car NKI Custom (NKI - Nash Kelvinator International) before they settled on Metropolitan.

This little “baby Nash” was often referred to as the tiny car with a long name.

The Nash nameplate was removed from the Metropolitan in 1958 when American Motors decided to drop both the Nash and Hudson names.

Cities tampering with traffic lights to generate revenue

Does your city use red light cameras as “ticket traps” to increase revenue? Some cities do.

The traffic light camera controversy intensifies with the report that some cities are illegally tampering with traffic lights to increase revenue from traffic light cameras.

By using shorter yellow lights in order to issue more traffic tickets, cities are also creating accident hot spots.

If the yellow-light times are set below recognized standards, two things will happen -- traffic tickets will increase and accidents, that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, will increase.

The cities that are using their red light cameras as “ticket traps” are:

1. Chattanooga, Tennessee. The city of Chattanooga was forced refund $8800 in red light cameras tickets issued to motorists trapped by an illegally short yellow time.

2. Dallas, Texas. An investigation by KDFW-TV, a local TV station, found that of the ten cameras that issued the greatest number of tickets in the city, seven were located at intersections where the yellow duration is shorter than the bare minimum recommended by the Texas Department of Transportation.

3. Springfield, Missouri prepared for the installation of a red light camera system in 2007 by slashing the yellow warning time by one second at 105 state-owned intersection signals across the city.

4. Lubbock, Texas. KBCD, a local television station, exposed the city’s short timing of yellow lights at eight of the twelve intersections where the devices were to be installed.

5. Nashville, Tennessee. Even without red light cameras, police in Nashville, Tennessee have been earning hundreds of thousands in revenue by trapping motorists in conventional ticket traps at city intersections with the shortest yellow warning time.

6. Union City, California was caught trapping motorists with a yellow signal time 1.3 seconds below the minimum established by state law. As a result, the city was forced to refund more than $1 million in red light camera fines.

Link

No secret at CBS: show dumped after one episode

Did you watch the first episode of Secret Talents of the Stars?

I missed it too but I don’t think we missed much.

Not sure how many shows they filmed but the series was cancelled after the first episode.

It was to be a reality series intended to showcase the unknown talents of stars.

The first airing Wednesday had former "Star Trek" actor George Takei singing "On the Road Again." Only 4.6 million people tuned in -- and thousands tuned away as the hour continued.

The reality show also had Clint Black doing standup comedy and Mya tap-dancing. Danny Bonaduce is among the celebrities whose secret talents will be kept to himself.

Some of the proposed acts included:

- Wrestler Ric Flair salsa dancing

- Professional boxer Joe Frazier singing R&B

- Actress and model Bridget Marquardt soaring as a trapeze artist with the former masters of Cirque du Soleil

- Singer/actress Mya tap-dancing

- Professional boxer Roy Jones, Jr. rapping

- Actress and former Celebrity Cooking Showdown finalist Cindy Margolis performing magic

- Comedian Ben Stein dancing the jitterbug

Warning: to see Ben Stein (pictured) doing the jitterbug could be nauseating.

It’s probably just as well that secret ‘talents’ of celebrities will remain hidden.

Link

Suicide claims two men who shared one heart

This story is about two men who shared the same heart, were married to the same woman and their lives both ended in suicide.

After Terry Cottle killed himself more than 12 years ago, his heart beat on in former Hilton Head Island resident Sonny Graham.

Grateful for the transplant that saved his life, Graham wrote to thank the Cottle family.

Through that correspondence, he met Cheryl Cottle, his donor's widow. Then the unexpected happened -- they fell in love and married.

Earlier this week, the unexpected happened again, when Graham's life ended the same way Terry Cottle's did.

On Tuesday, Graham took his own life at his home in Vidalia, Ga. He was 69.

Last Friday the heart that gave two men life was finally laid to rest.

Link

Vodka Maker Absolut apologizes for ads

An advertising firm in Mexico released an advertisement for Swedish Vodka maker Absolut showing the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico.

The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.



The campaign, which promotes ideal scenarios under the slogan "In an Absolut World," showed a 1830s-era map when Mexico included California, Texas and other southwestern states. Mexico still resents losing that territory in the 1848 Mexican-American War and the fight for Texas independence.

The ads, which ran only in Mexico and have since ended, came as the United States builds up its border security amid an emotional debate over illegal immigration from their southern neighbor.

Link

About that last Clinton - Obama debate

Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to take an objective look at that last debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

It was the first debate between Democratic candidates in recent memory that included tough questions.

The reaction by Democrats was swift and brutal as they showed their outrage toward the moderators (pictured below).



Charlie Gibson is a liberal news anchor for a liberal television network and George Stephanopoulos was once a Clinton insider. How dare they ask tough questions? Tough questions should be reserved for Republican candidates.

Typical of the liberal outrage came from The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Daily News and The Washington Post -- liberal newspapers all:

The Boston Globe called it “A tawdry affair!” link.

The Philadelphia Daily News said it was “A televised train wreck!” link.

The Washington Post described it as “Shoddy, despicable!” link.

There was no such outrage in the liberal media when MSNBC liberal hack Chris Matthews asked totally immaterial and inappropriate questions during a Republican debate.

US friend Berlusconi returned to power in Italy

Silvio Berlusconi (pictured) won a decisive victory last week in Italy's parliamentary election.

The conservative media billionaire returns to power as premier.

The victory in voting Sunday and Monday by parties supporting the 71- year-old Berlusconi avenged his loss two years ago to a center-left coalition.

Berlusconi once said he agreed with the United States regardless of Washington's position. He calls President Bush a friend, and his return to power is lkely to make relations with Washington warmer, no matter who becomes the next American president.

Berlusconi is the fourth conservative world leader to be elected in the last three years. All four are friends of the United States. All four replaced leaders who had contentious relationships with the U.S.

Angela Merkel defeated Gerhard Schröder as Chancellor of Germany in 2005.

Stephen Harper defeated Paul Martin as prime Minister of Canada in 2006.

Nicolas Sarkozy was elected President of France in 2007 replacing Jacques Chirac who retired.

Link to the Berlusconi story here

Texas prison inmate on Idaho primary ballot

A federal prison inmate in Texas has "conned" his way onto Idaho's May 27th Democratic presidential primary ballot.

Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa says Judd qualified for the ballot by submitting a notarized form and paying the required $1,000 fee.

It's Judd's second presidential bid in Idaho. In 2004, he declared as a write-in candidate for president. That requires only the submission of a declaration. He got no votes.

If you are voting in the Idaho Democratic primary, you can choose between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or a Texas federal prison inmate.

Link

Watch Dukes of Hazzard car race in traffic

(click on picture to see video)

In this video an orange '69 Dodge Charger, painted like the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, does a high speed “drift” in city traffic. Don’t try this at home.

British man loses 17th-century violin on train

A retired shipping consultant took a train from London to Bedwyn (about 70 miles west of London). Only thing is, 67-year-old Rob Napier left his $390,000 violin on the train.

The violin was made by master Venetian craftsman Matteo Goffriller in 1698.

Napier said the violin belonged to his mother, who died in 2006. A professional violinist, she bought the Goffriller from a dealer in 1945.

She said later she had wanted a fine instrument to match the quality of those played by her colleagues in the well-known Ebsworth String Quartet, an all-female group, Napier said.

A reward of up to 10,000 pounds (about US$20,000; euro12,000) was being offered for the instrument's recovery, he said.

Link

Zealotry: the real inconvenient truth

Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth has enraged some who claim it is inaccurate propaganda.

If the film is fact, why does Mr. Gore (pictured) refuse to debate any part of the movie? Also, why does Mr. Gore ban the media from his lectures on the environment?

The quotes below are from an article in the Daily Mail (found at the link below) claiming that zealotry over global warming could damage our Earth far more than climate change.

Over the past half-century, we have become used to planetary scares. In the late Sixties, we were told of a population explosion that would lead to global starvation.

Then, a little later, we were warned the world was running out of natural resources. By the Seventies, when global temperatures began to dip, many eminent scientists warned us that we faced a new Ice Age.

But the latest scare, global warming, has engaged the political and opinion-forming classes to a greater extent than any of these.

Link

Homeless man no longer up a tree

A homeless Seattle man living in a treehouse gets a new home just before his eviction.

David "Squirrelman" Csaky has been living in living in a treehouse.

For two years, Csaky, 52, has lived about 30 feet above the ground in a 300-square-foot self-made platform, accessible by a ladder counterweighted with sandbags on pulleys on city land.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer photos by Joshua Trujillo

Csaky outfitted the treehouse with a tent, wood stove, three chairs, shelves and a counter with an unplumbed sink. His pets include Lucky, a rat; Rainbow, a ferret; and Tilt, a squirrel.

He was lately threatened with eviction because the treehouse is a health and safety concern.

Neiboors found a 22-foot RV for Csaky to move into and are looking for a place to park the trailer.

Link

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Quartet

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Quartet
along with the Gaither Vocal Band
Sing Sweet, Sweet Sprit

(click on picture to see video)

She drove drunk on way to Bible study class

Police said a Fremont, New Hampshire woman drove drunk on way to Sunday morning Bible study class.

Mary Lou Kohlhofer failed to negotiate a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through and crashed into a fence doing considerable damage to her car. She was arrested on a charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Arresting officer Rochelle Jones said the aggravated charge was levied because after Kohlhofer displayed signs of intoxication during a field sobriety test, she agreed to take a Breathalyzer test and her blood alcohol concentration was above the .16 threshold for the more-serious aggravated charge. Jones said Kohlhofer "was above the legal limit" and admitted she drank wine before driving.

Link

Hillary’s Kerry-itis

(click on cartoon to enlarge)

Judge throws out part of Dan Rather lawsuit against CBS

Dan Rather’s lawsuit against CBS received a setback Thursday.

A Manhattan judge has dismissed portions of a lawsuit Dan Rather (pictured) has filed against CBS and Viacom.

A lawyer for the defendants, lead outside counsel James Quinn, said the judge's ruling eliminated Rather's core complaints of fraud and breach of good faith and fair dealing.

Mr Quinn said the ruling was a great victory for them and all that's left for Dan Rather is a garden variety contract dispute.

CBS said in a statement: "We are gratified that the court has dismissed the majority of Mr. Rather’s claims.”

Dan Rather filed the suit against CBS shortly after he was fired as news anchor at CBS.

It all started when Rather narrated the September 2004 report that claimed President Bush skirted some of his duties during his National Guard service.

CBS determined the story was neither fair nor accurate.

Link

Fish oils offer Alzheimer's disease hope

Researchers at Aberdeen University in Scotland found that individuals whose diets are high in omega-3 oils do better in mental tests than those without the oils in their diets.

Is this the breakthrough against Alzheimer's disease that medical experts have been looking for?

The Aberdeen University researchers also found a genetic link that explains why some fish oil studies have been inconclusive in the past.

More here.

Driver blames speeding on bad Oreo dunk

Prosecutors learned in court this week that 28-year-old Justin Vonkummer of Millerton, N.Y
had been charged with speeding and driving under a suspended license - not driving under the influence, as a clerk had mistakenly noted in the court records.

A state trooper who stopped the 1993 BMW last fall says its driver, 28-year-old Justin Vonkummer of Millerton, N.Y., blamed his driving problems on an errant Oreo.

Vonkummer told the trooper that an Oreo had just slipped from his fingers as he dunked it in a cup of milk, and that he was trying to fish it out when he lost control of his car.

Link

Burglar played dead at funeral home

With no valuables or cash, the funeral home wondered why anyone would break in during the night.

The funeral home is located in Burjassot, a small town just outside Valencia, Spain.

The burglar tried to fool police by playing dead while lying on a table but two things gave him away. He wore grungy clothes rather than a dress suit. It was his breathing, however, that really gave him away.

Link

All in the Family: Hillary brothers’ profit from Bill’s pardons

A Boston Globe article, at the first link below, says

Hillary Rodham Clinton's brothers, Hugh and Tony, have received payments from four people who obtained pardons or commutations from President Bill Clinton.

Carlos Vignali Jr. (Commutation of sentence)

1995 Convicted in Minneapolis for moving 800 pounds of cocaine.

2001 Commutation granted for time served with a special condition of drug testing during supervised release.

Almon Glenn Braswell (Pardon)

1983 Convicted of mail fraud and perjury about a baldness treatment.

2001 Pardoned.

Hugh Rodham (pictured below with Bill Clinton) returned the $400,000 he received from Vignali and Braswell, after being asked to do so by his family.

Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory (Pardons)
1982 Bank fraud convictions. Reversed by an appeals court in 1984, largely on technical grounds, and then both pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and misapplication of bank funds. Both received probationary sentences.

2000 Pardoned.

Tony Rodham allegedly received $107,000 in loans as compensation for securing the pardons.

An ABC article, at the second link below, wonders if the Clinton’s repaid these amounts on behalf of the Rodham brothers. Then, instead of calling them gifts, the amounts were set up as interest free loans.

That would solve the puzzle of the interest income shown as paid to the Clinton’s by family members on their recently released income tax returns.

The article explains how the IRS imputes interest on such loans that the lender must include on the tax return.

This information probably would have been ignored while the Clinton’s were still in favor with the media. The Clinton’s get no favors from the press now that Barack Obama is the current media ‘super star.’

Link to the Boston Globe article here.

The ABC News article is here.