Fragile

Can males be fragile and still be considered 'a man'? We're taught and see examples of how un-manly it is to be or feel emotional. I feel fragile.

I found out yesterday via someone at the social security administration that my biological father has recently passed away somewhere near Asheville, NC. I hadn’t seen him since 1982. I suspect he died of smoking related ailments. I phoned my mother to tell her and she began freaking out accusing me of lying to her. Her dementia really kicked in. SO I don't blame her. I’m waiting until after this weekend to let my biological brother know. He’s just outta jail less than a month and starting a new job and all this week. I figure I'll tell him Monday, after Christmas. My uncle’s wife called me yesterday to talk to Social Security so my biological mother could receive “survivor’s benefits”. I haven't seen or spoken to her in over 20 years. Last week I spoke to my uncle (on my mom's side) for the first time in 12 years.


Though my biological father's basically been ‘dead’ to me for years, I always had this notion of catching up with him and talking to him. The loss of something I haven’t had in about 30 or 40 years is surprising to me. Even more surprising is the pain and sorrow I feel. I haven’t felt these feelings since I was 6 or so. With him dead now and my biological mother in full dementia, with no other family members to turn to, there’s a ton of unresolved stuff I’ll never begin to understand or find answers to.

There are plenty of kind words, warm thoughts, bible verses, and wise phrases and words to find comfort in I suppose. Personally, I feel so conflicted and divided inside. I feel relief, anger, sadness, lost, regret, violent, confused, heartbroken, emotional, alone – and fragile. Pretty much the usual someone would feel I guess. Still, why do I feel this for someone who basically abandoned me as a very small child and who was last involved in my life 30 years ago? Cue the bible verses and wise, comforting thoughts about God and all the comfort “giving it to Him” will provide I suppose.

I really shouldn't get into this anymore - especially in a public venue like the freaking internet. I swear, I have no idea how much more of this “bad” stuff I can take. I’m embarrassed to be writing this. My wife has enough family/personal crap she’s going through as well. I know I can’t, but I wish I could go back in time and change some things. We did exchange meaningful hugs regarding this new news. I instantly forgot all my pain when my wife began crying for me. I immediately turned into comforter for her. I can't help it, really. I'm no better than anyone and the reaction to her (or anyone else in pain or trouble) was like a reflex. I know that's probably some sort of psychological defect- either that or I'm a complete wuss..

The real issue is that what happens next is up to me. I can choose to try to overcome this as I used to do so well but have seemingly failed to do so recently --- or let this and the recent news/events defeat me and waller in self pity. Which may be what I'm doing now. No matter how much I’ve failed in the past to “right the ship”, I feel I have no choice but to try to overcome this too. Still, when new and unexpected feelings, emotions, and grief hit, it’s pretty hard. It’s even harder when the things I used to find comfort in no longer comfort me or assure me and I know they should. Heck, I know most of the bible by heart and I’ve spent hours comforting other people, so I know the vernacular. I can make people laugh. I know what to tell people; what verses to quote. I know how to ‘sell it’. I don’t mean to take away from the importance and significance of good sayings, words and phrases of comfort, bible verses, etc. Sometimes it’s hard for me to take the medicine I dish out to others during troubled times.
I have to get through the next 3 days here at work with all this emotional crap and conflict within- which isn't easy for ANYONE I know, but my job is kind of unique AND these people are the friendly to your face cutthroat type- not to mention it's CHRISTMAS.

I know, I know things could get MUCH worse for me and still with this and the seemingly impending financial ruin ahead, I remain luckier than most. I am thankful for what I got and I should be.... heck, YOU know the spiel....

Just some too personal thoughts and way too personal observations. A part of me want sot do something horribly predictable like post on facebook "Goodbye dad, I'll miss you". I am SO fortunate to have other 'dads' in my life. I've always thought I was lucky to have them. I care for them so very much. As I care for my friends and all my adoptive family more that they can or will ever know. There are not enough words to express that.

I do know that things happen for a reason and that we don't know why or what. It's a matter of trust and faith, I know.

May God continue to bless us all.

So This Is Christmas......

It’s Friday morning here at work. Thought I’d drop a quick line to say “Hey” and to officially state I am fine.

Have had some life altering instances happen recently- nothing bad or as cool as having a kid, but very interesting
nonetheless.

Me and Jaye Deane are all ready for Christmas. The two dogs are excited about their stockings.

Only 2 more weekends until we celebrate the birth of Jesus and/a visit from ol St Nick. Though it seems like
a very long time until Dec 25th comes. Of COURSE I’m working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the big
gift return event; the day after Christmas. All in all, I am very fortunate to be employed when so many aren’t.

May everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, the ultimate Chanukah (Hanukkah), awesome Festivus,
Happy Kwanzaa, glorious Boxing Day, Winter Solstice, or a happy NON observance of ANY holiday.

I care for you all more than you'll know

HAPPY MONDAY!! 10 toys that likely won't be on holiday wish lists.....

from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40257937/ns/business-consumer_news/

 


The TSA action figures may get up close and personal with travelers.
By Tom Barlow

'Tis the season when toys come front-and-center in our consciousness. In the drive to produce thousands of new toys each year, the industry occasionally missteps, producing toys that anger rather than amuse the buying audience.

Here are ten toys that reached the market over the past few years that probably never should have seen the light of day.

Oh, you mean like the cookie? Oreo Barbie 

More than one toy disaster can be chalked up to cross-marketing, when two products are marketed together. Mattel stepped in it in 1997 while cross-marketing with Nabisco. "Oreo Fun Barbie" was produced to market the cookie, and the doll was garbed in Oreo-labeled clothes with a dandy Oreo-shaped purse. Unfortunately, the doll was produced in two versions, one with a white Barbie, the other with a black one. As the Urban Dictionary explains, Oreo is "an insulting term often used by blacks to derogate other blacks as 'Black on the outside, white on the inside.'" The dolls were widely reviled and quickly withdrawn from the market.


Terrorist figurine
Chalk another one up to our nation's fear of terrorists. BrickArms is a toy manufacturer that makes weapons and figurines compatible with the LEGO universe. One of its warrior dolls, Bandit, (since discontinued) was designed wearing a head scarf, carrying an AK-47, a rocket strapped to his back, and a string of bombs hanging on his chest. Some parents immediately saw an Al Qaeda fighter and protested loudly. No word on Homeland Security's take on this, but the creator, Will Chapman, has not yet ended up in a cage in Guantanamo.


Make sure you talk to it while its mouth is open.  Play-Doh Drill 'n Fill Playset


Want to see your child's face fill with delight? Just tell them it's time to go to the dentist. Not. Despite the most advanced painkillers and attention diverters, the dentist's office is still way, way down the list of children's favorite hangouts, so one has to wonder what possessed Play-Doh to bring to market a kit that allowed kids to play dentist? The kit comes complete with a mouth full of teeth that can be drilled and filled (with Play-Doh, of course). The kit doesn't appear to include a toy hypodermic, so these procedures must be carried out without novocaine. What fun!

Harry Potter and the Vibrating Broom
It's time for Harry Potter fever again, and with it expect a bevy of new toys. None, we can only hope, will be as poorly thought out as the discontinued vibrating Nimbus 2000. This flying broom, the same brand as that ridden during Quidditch matches by Harry himself, looked like the real thing, but, to the discomfort of parents, was built to vibrate as the child rode it. The vibrations "down there" led to many a cheap joke and the ire of parents who didn't want to draw their child's attention to that part of the body any sooner than necessary.


Staring strangers in public places not included. Breast-Feeding Doll

There are a lot of strong arguments in favor of breast feeding, but not every parent would find playing at breast feeding an appropriate activity for his or her youngster. Nonetheless, the Spanish company Berjuan has brought just such a toy to market: the Bebé Glotón. The doll comes complete with a nippled vest that the child can don in order to provide sustenance to the baby. The nipples, in the form of open flowers, even make a sucking sound.



Airport Security Play Set

It would take a child with vast imagination to find any fun whatsoever in the process that adults look forward to like they do a sigmoidoscopy: the airport security checkpoint. This is even more true now that the hand-pats include even the most indelicate parts of the body. Encouraging a child to play as a professional groper seems like a very bad idea.


Mommy's Boob Job
Books always make a fun gift for a child, and many do a fine job of combining entertainment and education. In 2008, however, a plastic surgeon in Florida crossed the line with his book "My Beautiful Mommy." Why? Because the book was written to help explain mom's plastic surgery to children four to seven years of age.
The picture book explains all about mom's new boobs, resculptured nose and liposuctioned tush. What's the lesson here? I can just hear the child saying, "I can't wait until I can pay to have someone make me pretty!"


Just give her the real thing and cut down on housework. My Cleaning Trolley

Sexual stereotyping, once central to the design of American toys, is much less evident today, but here's an example of how it can still appear and set the teeth on edge of the distaff parent. Last year's My Cleaning Trolley set was pink, equipped with a variety of brooms, clothes, sprayer and even a tiny toilet plunger — perfect for those aspiring to minimum-wage night jobs. The capper? On the box, prominently displayed, the words "Girls Only."


Homeless Girl
Mattel's American Girl dolls are more than figurines made of plastic; they are high-price-tag dolls complete with (pricey) wardrobes and, more importantly, comprehensive back stories. One of the dolls, introduced last year, was Gwen Thompson. Her story? She had, until recently, been living with her mom in the family car. Her dad had run out on on Gwen and her mom, and they were subsequently evicted from their home.  The plight of homeless children is sad and real. However, is the life of children, little bundles of insecurity already, made better by playing with a doll that represents their worst fears?


"Crazy For You" Teddy Bear
Over the past 100 years, our society has evolved to the point that it's no longer thought appropriate to make fun of the insane; most of the time, anyway. And we certainly don't want to plant that idea in the minds of our youngsters. Imagine then, the reception by those dealing with mental illness when The Vermont Teddy Bear Company put out a new doll for Valentine's Day in 2005, the "Crazy for You" bear. The bear wore a straight-jacket, begging the question, What would he do with those paws if he were loose?  Like some of the other products in this list, the Crazy For You Bear is a sought-after collectible, listed for $550 on eBay at the time of this writing.

© 2010 AOL Inc. All rights reserved.

REVENGE OF THE HOLIDAY PENGUINS!!

Good day! Stayed up WAY too late watching Craig Ferguson’s ‘Doctor Who’ themes show this morning. The ‘newest’ Dr Who, Tom Smith, made his American TV debut on the talk show. I’m not a fan of Dr Who and haven’t seen an entire episode since the 80’s, but I do like pretty much every and anything Craig Ferguson does. Still like TBS’s ‘Conan’. It is what it is.


So for the next couple of weeks, it’s gonna be “Black Friday” for many stores. Is this just one of those things that we’ll have to get along with? Many of the stores have their super duper low price sales events last weekend through his week, and pretty much into next week before the actual “Black Friday”. I can predict NOW how the media stories, soon following the Friday after Thanksgiving; will be declaring this year’s “Black Friday” sales the lowest in a while or ever. I guess this makes sense to no one else but me.

Another royal wedding is expected to take place next year. Wonder how many stories will be published about the weeding being called off or “steamy” pics of Kate Middleton?

South Carolina’s preterm birthrate fell from 15.5 percent in 2007 to 14.3 percent in 2008. The March of Dimes has set a preterm birthrate goal of 7.6 percent. South Carolina is one of 14 states that received an ‘F’ according to the March of Dimes 2010 Premature Birth Report Card released today.

Saw the trailer for MTV’s LOOSE remake of “Teen Wolf”. This doesn’t look that bad to me really, however, this movie looks to be way short of the Canadian made ‘over-the-top’ and obviously camp version Michael J Fox appeared in in the 80’s.

Green Lantern trailer looks decent; didn’t knock my shoes off. Ryan Reynolds seems a little “flighty” for Hal Jordan to me. I swear, if he’s too funny in this, they might have well cast Will Ferrell in the role.

Some of my friends are beaming about the entire ‘Beatles’ catalogue now available on iTunes. Though on some songs, I’m not a big fan of the re-mastering. It seems some of the bass is too emphasized compared to the way I first heard them and the CD/FLAC versions before the re-doing. Everyone else is probably cool about it.

Bill Nye the science guy fainted during a speech at the ‘other’ USC on the left coast last night. He was taken away before the end of his speech to seek medical help. His current status is unknown at this time.

Well, this happens on many of these weight loss reality shows, but rarely makes headlines. Here’s another one that’s deep in the hoopla. One of the contestants for ABC's new weight-loss reality show had to be taken into medical custody after suffering from dangerous dehydration levels. The 25 year-old woman was reportedly taking diet pills, though ABC denies that the medication that caused her severe dehydration was in any way related to her attempts at weight loss.

Having been a part of the media, it really, really pains me to point THIS out. But all of the recent media headlining, glaring fury over the new TSA procedures at airports is really over-the-top and all about the knee-jerk reaction to something that affects less than 7% of the U.S... Many polls indicate that the percentage of people who aren’t bothered by the “new rules” concerning this brouhaha is around 80%. Most Americans overwhelmingly support those full body scanners. So what’s the deal about the right wingers on talk radio and the evening news shows? My point is that if you listen to talk radio or look at the news outlets, you’d think this is bigger than our economy and healthcare. In trying to point this out, let me add that I personally believe the new rules and procedures are ridiculous. The byproduct of such nonsense? You get video like a 3 year old being patted down and people relating their woes as a result of their own acts of civil disobedience. Listen, police or anybody in authority is capable of terrible injustice and abuse. When these things occur, they must be dealt with swiftly. In my opinion, stop this well meaning ‘crap’ and look for those who usually commit or attempt to commit these types of crimes. Profiling is vital in this area of airline crime deterrents. Then, when white Timothy McVeigh looking terrorists begin blowing things up or flying planes into buildings, then we profile that way.

What say you?

A Little Diddy ...........

So while preparing something to slow cook for dinner tonight, my wife informs me that the handle on our crockpot has broken off (my fault) leaving a metal stub showing. I suggest she uses a damp washcloth or pliers to turn the knob. She tells me "OK" and hangs up. I later call her back after a small amount of time had passed when she tells me she's got the appliance working. I asked her if she used the damp washcloth or the pliers. She responds, "No, I used the hammer".......

For a split second, I was puzzled and bewildered. My mind raced trying to picture how she used the hammer to resolve the issue. A hammer is what I used for most situations ranging from stopped pipes or frozen food or naught pomeranians or whatever. I wondered how she would "bang out" a solution on something like a crockpot..  

She somehow KNEW I was perplexed. Not wanting to keep me in suspense, she then told me "I used the tiny hammer you got me, you know, the claw part"......

I was both relieved and disappointed..

I guess you had to be there...

Happy Tuesday



from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39993685/ns/health-womens_health/ -- Interesting article that kind of made me mad and is an insult to Afican Americans everywhere.


The article states that according to new government statistics, today, seventy-two percent of black babies are born to unmarried mothers. The author of the article, AP’s Jesse Washington, goes on to state in the article:

Statistics show just what that fullness means. Children of unmarried mothers of any race are more likely to perform poorly in school, go to prison, use drugs, be poor as adults, and have their own children out of wedlock. There are simple arguments for why so many black women have children without marriage.

The legacy of segregation, the logic goes, means blacks are more likely to attend inferior schools. This creates a high proportion of blacks unprepared to compete for jobs in today's economy, where middle-class industrial work for unskilled laborers has largely disappeared. The drug epidemic sent disproportionate numbers of black men to prison, and crushed the job opportunities for those who served their time. Women don't want to marry men who can't provide for their families, and welfare laws created a financial incentive for poor mothers to stay single. If you remove these inequalities, some say, the 72 percent will decrease.

WTF?!?!?! How does segregation affect ANYBODY nowadays? So are we to believe that once again, evil whitey, once again, rears his ugly, rich, white head.

You know, it’s my opinion that white men in the past 25 years, have become the NEW “N” word. Add religious and heterosexual to the description and this poor individual who belongs in this group becomes more of a target for vile and disgust. It’s OK to treat whites as evil, to racially discriminated against, to verbally and in some instances physically abuse, tell them to step to the back of the bus (according to MY president, Barrack Obama in reference to Republicans –all of whom which are NOT white) because of the injustices to minorities in the past. It’s acceptable to racially profile white people; to make white jokes and not to provide equal judgment or opportunity to whites because they are white.

Racial crimes of the past here in the US are reprehensible and God knows, I wish I could go back and change things. I remember growing up in foster homes with blacks. I remember getting beat up because of associating with my black friends by both whites and blacks. I recall the stigma of not only being in “a home”, but growing up with Blacks and Hispanics.

I remember going to Columbia, SC when I was 11 to accept an award for writing a poem about Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech for an annual state writing competition named “Maggie’s Drawers”. I remember the applause I got when I was announced and how the applause quickly faded and the rumble of unintelligible conversation in the crowd when this pale fat kid stood up to acknowledge the award.

Things like the above sticks with a person. It’s widely acknowledged that political correctness has run amok. Yet, like the turnstile election and re-election of the same old ‘same old’ in Washington, it’s shrugged off and not dealt with. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We have someone leading our country who is considered by most as “black”. We have specific laws and organizations for people who are not considered Caucasian or “white”. Corporations and businesses, schools, government operated entities hire people because they are not known as being “white” or “male”. Charities and the government provide money and other assistance to people because they are of a certain skin color that is not white or who are not considered Caucasian or male.

I had a situation here at work and without warning and unrelated at all to the situation, I had “the race card” played and brought up. Totally caught me off guard.

There’s no way I can understand the plight or the past crimes against a people because of the color of their skin (or sex). But try walking in a (flawed) christian, heterosexual male’s shoes the past 25 years. It’s like something from a nightmare constantly reading,, hearing, seeing in TV, movies, songs, having general media and hate gr about how evil I am because I’m white and as I got older the hassle of (trying to be) a Christian and heterosexual.

Happy Monday! - Microwave Baby Murderer's Sentence Overturned!

Go HERE to read the whole story --

CINCINNATI (AP) — A state appeals court on Friday reversed a woman's murder conviction in her baby daughter's burning death in a microwave oven.


The 2nd District Ohio Court of Appeals made the ruling in the case of China Arnold, sentenced in 2008 to life in prison without parole for the death of her month-old daughter.

Montgomery County prosecutors were "astonished" at the reversal and will file a motion asking the court to reconsider its decision, spokesman Greg Flannagan said. Prosecutors also had the options of dismissing the case, retrying Arnold or appealing to the Ohio Supreme Court.


Arnold, who remains charged with her conviction reversed, is expected to be transferred within a week or two to the Montgomery County jail, where she would be held pending a bail hearing, her attorney said.


For those of you who usually email or tell me “well, we were/are not in their shoes, we don’t know her situation or how bad she had it”, I say BS. This isn’t one of those situations or incidents.This isn't where someone was wrongly accused , sentenced, and served 30 years for a crime only to have one of the appeals find them guilty through inaccurate DNA or testimony or such.  Much like my opinion on Susan Smith, this woman doesn’t deserve to breath any more. I, as many other people probably do, wonder WHAT these judges think. There’s certain cases where you DO re examine them to make sure justice is properly administered. This is a travesty of justice and a waste of time. Of course, our forefathers didn’t understand the complexities of microwave baby murders when they wrote the basis for our legal system, did they? I suppose we must ignore the obvious to make sure the obscure was followed.

What say you?

Post 2k10 Election Sigh Of Relief!!

Thanks for all the phone calls, emails, and messages regarding my wife’s posting and the posting of others here and on facebook regarding “news” last week. I am humbled and very gracious. And Amy, you are right, BTW..


Dontcha miss the political ads? Well, the predicted Republican wins occurred. We’ll see in January and February whether or not anything actually begins. Does anyone else fine the predicted results of yesterday’s elections eerie? I mean, the results and the prior predictions are nearly exact. Is this just an example of one of those things the (evil) media gets right or something more nefarious? Where are the conspiracy theorists? Besides, the “Big 4”, Pelosi/Reid/Frank/Boxer was all reelected. Christine O’Donnell lost in Delaware. So big whoop, really. Despite what the headlines read today, I personally don’t believe anything is going to happen that will affect us in a meaningful way. During the month of October, I’ve heard Republicans refute this election was 1994/1996 all over again. Sure it’s not.

What a perfect storm this morning here at work. Hardware issues, software issues, email issues, other issues that have made a REAL mess of things this morning. And I’m working at a critical area managing the entire system. Couldn’t do it without that guys and gals out there out and about. I’ve never ever said on here where I work and officially omit it on facebook for a reason.

I know I’m a few days behind, but how about AMC’s “Walking Dead”? I loved it. How about you? Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ rocked as well. Did you see it?

Today in “Young Un” news, an 18-month-old boy survived after falling seven floors and bouncing off a Paris cafe awning into the arms of a passer-by. This was NOT a part of a movie stunt.

 And a 13 year old boy is a proud father in Spain. The 10 year old mother is reportedly doing fine!

California voters declined to make their trendsetting state the nation's first to legalize marijuana use and sales. Which to me, as someone who is NOT a pot smoker, is ridiculous?

How about those San Francisco Giants bringing the Bay City its first World Series?!?!?! You mean you didn’t know? Ohhh, you didn’t CARRRRRRE. I get it. I thought that girl the Giants had pitching for them was phenomenal!

Here’s a funny look at how famous people in American history affected certain comic book storylines.

How sad is THIS story? I mean does this matter? I mean, oh, never mind... Sheen returned back to work after his NYC wackiness, filing for divorce, etc as is nothing happened.

In “Wonder Woman” comic book move news, Tanit Phoenix is rumored to be the forerunner to portray Diana.  Man, if we could JUST go back 15 years and have Lucy Lawless be the main character. I believe Lynda Carter could and should play Wonder Woman's mom in the movie.

Also, here are some “high resolution” pictures from the upcoming ‘Captain America’ movie . I’m happy to see the amount of detail put into the look of the film.

The infamous Cohen brothers have remade the John Wayne cowboy classic "True Grit". It's set for a December 22, 2010 release.

SAY HEY TO ME! COMMENT! HATE

Happy Halloween Eve Eve 2k10

Happy Friday! After a tumultuous beginning of the work week, it looks like this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be pretty decent at work. At least a majority of today and all of Saturday and Sunday.


My Steelers are playing the World Champs Sunday, Halloween night- WHOO HOO!! My Tar Heels are playing national football powerhouse William & Mary Saturday.

The next Batman movie now has a title: “The Dark Knight Rises” Christopher Nolan tells the LA Reporter "Our ambition for the third movie is to complete a story that has begun. This is not starting over, this not rebooting. We’re finishing something, and keeping a consistency with what’s come before has real value." Nolan also reportedly told the paper there will be no Riddler in this film.

Don’t miss this Sunday night’s premiere of AMC’s “Walking Dead”. It’s one of those over hyped things that I’m actually looking forward to seeing. It’s mostly filmed in and set nearby in Atlanta, Ga.

For a laugh, you may want to consider Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity" and "March to Keep Fear Alive" tomorrow at 12 pm ET up in Washington, DC. I’m sure CNN/Comedy Central will cover it live.

It’s been a busy couple of week’s death wise.
•James MacArthur, Danno from (Original) Hawaii Five-O, dies 72

•Lisa S. Blount, actress from 'An Officer and a Gentlemen' Dies 53

•Paul The Octopus dies of Natural Causes, 2 1/2 years old.

•Alex Anderson, creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle dies 90

•Gregory Isaacs, Reggae Singer, Dies 59

•Johnny Sheffield (played Tarzan's son 'Boy') Dies at 79

•Tom Bosley, Happy Days' Dad, Dies 83

•Barbara Billingsley, June Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver", TV mom, dies 94

•Simon MacCorkindale of "Falcon Crest" Dies of Cancer

•Beach music icon General Johnson dies

•Stephen Cannell, prolific TV writer-producer, dies 69

•Joe Mantell, Academy Nominated actor, `Marty,' `Chinatown' dies 94
The latest as of early Friday afternoon is James "Jimmy" Wall. Wall was Captain Kangaroo's stage manager before he convinced the show to create its first black character, Mr. Baxter. Wall, in fact, worked at CBS as a stage manager for nearly 50 years. He played Baxter and another recurring roll on the show until 1978.

What is wrong with the Texas Rangers? Game 3 starts Saturday in Texas. Let’s hope they at least show up and not get shut out or lose by 9 runs!!

More wackiness regarding the filming of “The Hobbit” and New Zealand.

Saw 3D isn’t getting good reviews. I think the 1st couple of movies were interesting, then they seem to become what many serialized horror movies become; caricatures of their old selves.

Space shuttle Discovery is prepared for its final launch into space, which is scheduled for this Tuesday Nov. 2, 2010 from K-S-C,; yo? I’m a big fan of the shuttles and everything NASA, but it’s kinda ironic that leaks and other minor issues are besetting this, the final launch. Maybe they ARE right in mothballing the fleet. It pains me to write that.

Ready for some more McDonald’s law suit craziness? A Brazilian court ruled this week that McDonald's must pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds (30 kilograms) while working there for a dozen years. When this madness comes full tilt to the US, I’m gonna be RICH!!

Hospitals in Indonesia are struggling to cope with scores of injured survivors of a devastating tsunami, including a newly orphaned two-month-old baby found in a storm drain.

Here’s some ‘unpopular’ science - I thought this was hilarious.

Here’s a feel good story..

And finally, when real life sadly imitates art – 2 stories of woe. Though history is replete with these incidents, this week we’re reminded of 2 stories of Hollywierd woe.

What the hell is going on with actor Randy Quaid? Last month, he and his wife were arrested in Santa Barbara, California for felony vandalism while living in a home they used to own without the consent of the current owner. THEN they run up to Canada seeking asylum citing that there are people in Hollywood trying to kill them like they killed actors David Carradine Heath Ledger. Quaid and his wife were arrested in Vancouver last week and jailed on outstanding U.S. warrants related to the felony vandalism charges mentioned above. This wackiness is very much akin to Quaid’s character, Clark Griswold’s cousin Eddie Johnson. Quaid he is not crazy but rather the victim of a criminal conspiracy to take his wealth, and perhaps his life

What the hell is going on with actor Charlie Sheen? It seems that he cannot separate reality from his character “Charlie Harper” of ‘Two and a Half Men’. Kinda sad, really. Now to make his story about an allergic reaction to prescription medication and the subsequent nude rampage more salacious, the female he was with, and also accused of stealing a $100k watch from the actor, is an ‘adult film’ or ‘erotic’ actress.

Now neither of these stories affect my life, nor dare I say, the lives of anyone I know one iota. For the most part, after the usual roll of the eyes and/or one lined water cooler jokes, these stories or events are often dismissed. To me, each one of these situations, and even the ones that involve death, is just one of those things that has always happened and unfortunately always will” There’s nothing we can do but sit back and watch it go by.

When In Doubt, Whip It Out!!

Rainy Day In GreenVegas, SC - 10/25/10

Not your happy, info filled blog today- maybe later. Been busy day here at work. A tornado watch until 1pm ET makes this day a little more interesting. These same storms wreaked havoc in the Dallas, Texas area.

In football, my Tarheels lost to hated Miami over the weekend. My Steelers won. Thanks for a controversial call going OUR way for a change.

Just a quick work rant. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and I'm not better than anyone, I'm more imperfect than anyone I work with. However some of the people I work with are so incredibly stupid, naive it's more pathetic than it usually is in any workplace. Though many of you know what I do and where I work, I have never officially stated what I do or WHERE or whom I work. Some of these people don't read simple instructions that even I can comprehend. And when someone not as smart as these people, people who've been doing this job a hell of a lot longer than I have, when they can't see how utterly stupid their actions are and how already answered their questions already are, then perhaps it's time for me personally to make another change. I must be the faulty cog in the wheel of this organization. After all, this organization has always existed FINE and will exist and operate FINE long after I'm gone.

Ok, enough of the work rant. I really really miss the old me. Where is the life that I recognize?
(insert the Geico commercial with the drill sergeant calling the psych patient a "jackwagon" and suggesting a visit to "namby pamby" land).

WIkileaks released another 40 MILLION (OK, not that much, but a lot) documents concerning the wars overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the numbers and specifics not released or downplayed by the US during these wars is indicative of any nation in any war historically, I wonder what makes the US government any more evil NOW than it (or any nation conducting war in the past) it was in previous wars? The media coverage between all wars pre WW2 and post WW2 is amazing and a stark contrast. Personally, I don't think these contrasts or differences make those who consider or call the US evil or bad for conducting these wars and less patriotic. The very serious "game" of war is conducted like any other game; as in NOT revealing your strategy or your casualty numbers for either side or anything negative. When someone or someone like WIkileaks release this information, it cannot be helped that the information hinders one of the players in some way. You don't reveal everything and every result from playing the game. This whole 'wikileaks' situation reminds me of someone tattle telling in class. If you like that type of thing, then it's OK I suppose. Historically, every great general or those who are/were "good" at their job repeats the fact that wars should never be fought and they should be avoided at any and all costs. I agree with this thinking. I also believe that if you conduct war, there needs to be quick, strong, decisive actions to minimize unnecessary death/injury. To me, just ONE death during a "war" is one too many and that's the precise reason why war shouldn't be conducted in my opinion. But it is also my opinion that if war is to be conducted or fault, while regrettable, civilian casualty is an unfortunate byproduct of war and military "actions". So arguing about whether one or ten or ten thousand people die or have died is kind of inane. One death, whether civillian, military or otherwise is obscene.

What say you?

So This Is Thursday....

The world's longest cat Stewie - 4 ft long

Happy Thursday - or Friday or whenever you're reading this. Not much going on today. Still too freaking warm outside - near 80 degrees approaching Halloween- sheesh! Though it DID get down to around 30 degrees about 94 miles away from here this morning. As of Thursday afternoon, me and the missus have no “big” plans for my bi-weekly Friday/Saturday/Sunday off.


On Yahoo! News this afternoon, one of the afternoon's headlines reads "Obama says elections could set nation's future". NAH, REALLY? How Bush-esque...

What do you think of the "racy" photos at GQ of the cast of TV's "Glee"? I think the pedophilia concerns are kinda muddled because, as with most shows, you have early/mid 20 year olds playing high school teens.

Look for Jimmy McMillan of New York’s The Rent Is Too Damn High (www.rentistoodamnhigh.org/) political party to possibly make a cameo on this weekend's Saturday Night Live.


Conan O'Brien is lining up the expected "big" guest list for the initial week of his show debuting November 8th.


Katy Perry and Jack Sparrow imitator Russell Brand are getting married in India.


Why did NPR fire (terminate the contract of) analyst Juan Williams for telling Bill OReilly that one time on a plane people appearing to be Muslims dressed in religious garb frightened him?


A new study indicates that eating whole grains instead of refined grains may have benefits for your waistline. Will they ever come out with a whole grain cheesecake?

How do you feel about Collin Ferrell being in a "Total Recall" remake?


Looks like the on again/ off again production of "The Hobbit" is becoming just as long and drawn out as the movie/story will be.

Penthouse founder Bob Guccione Sr has died.


And finally, a U.S. satellite has detected increased activity at a North Korean nuclear weapons test site, suggesting it could be preparing for a third test, a South Korean government source was quoted as saying. If we went into Iraq because of alleged WMD's and the argument is being made that even though the WMD's were moved out of Iraq and it's a GOOD thing Saddam is gone, can't we make the same argument concerning Kim Jong Il/Nam/Nong?

Goodbye Howard Cunningham

from http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20435305,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
Tom Bosley the folksy father of Richie Cunningham on the '70s sitcom about the '50s, ABC's Happy Days, died Tuesday in his Palm Springs, Calif., home. On Oct. 1 he had turned 83.




The actor died of a staph infection, according to TMZ, which first reported his death.



Before finding fame on the small screene, Bosley won a Tony for starring as the beloved New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in the Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1959 musical Fiorello!. He also made a memorable mark in the 1964 Peter Sellers cult comedy The World of Henry Orient, as the too-understanding husband of Angela Lansbury's character.



After Happy Days, he would frequently costar with Lansbury on her CBS series, Murder She Wrote.



Reacting to Bosley's death, his Happy Days costar Henry Winkler expressed his sadness, telling Los Angeles's KNX-1070 News Radio, "I'm in shock, I really am. I spoke to him just a few weeks ago and he seemed to be getting his strength back."



Born in Chicago, Bosley was the younger son of a real estate broker father and a former concert pianist mother. "We were fairly wealthy until the stock market crashed," he told PEOPLE in 1979, during the Happy Days craze. "When I was 2, my father lost all his money." His parents divorced nine years later.



Bosley joined the Navy in 1945 at 17 ("I'm the only guy I know who went in as a seaman and came out a seaman"), then enrolled in pre-law at DePaul University. In his first year, he switched to acting.



After stock theater in Illinois (with fellow aspirants Paul Newman and Geraldine Page), he flipped a coin in 1950 to decide between New York and Los Angeles. New York won.



For nine years before Fiorello! he acted off-Broadway and in summer stock while working menial jobs to feed himself. Movie and TV roles followed, and in recent years, whenever there was a Happy Days reunion, he could always be counted upon to appear – and tease his TV son, Ron Howard, about not casting him in his movies.



Bosley married twice. His first wife, Jean, a dancer, died in 1978 (they had wed in 1962). His second wife, the former Patricia Carr, survives him. They married in 1980. He also has a daughter, Amy.



Ironically, Bosley's death comes only a few days after that of another iconic '50s TV parent, Barbara Billingsley, of Leave It to Beaver.

Something Else to See Along With All The Recent Stories Concerning Ghostbusters 3

To accept the award for “Best Horror Movie” at the 2010 Scream Awards, Bill Murray appeared wearing a full Ghostbusters outfit, which even included a proton pack. The award show was held Saturday in Los Angeles, and will air on Spike TV on October 19th at 9pm.

Freaking Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday! 19 days until Halloween! Only another few hours until I get off of work for a couple of days before my weekend playtime. We tied a high temperature record yesterday at 86 degrees. Gonna be 86 or so today as well. Welcome to fall!!

Here's some stuff I saw on the ol interweb today..


On this day in 2000, two suicide bombers attacked the destroyer USS Cole while it was at anchor in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 of its crew members and injuring 39 others.

Remember the story from last week concerning the discovery of an earth like planetin another galaxy? Well, apparently, scientists 2 years ago received a "mysterious pulsing light" from that area. Read more HERE

Lions Gate is offering to merge with MGM..
Another public car crash while filming the upcoming 'Transformer 3' movie- see it HERE

Sony Pictures has just announced Rhys Ifans, the Welsh actor perhaps best known for roles in "Notting Hill", "The Replacements" and several other films, will play the villain in Marc Webb’s "Spider-Man" reboot

Scripts for "The Flash" and Green Lantern 2" are expected to hit Warner Bros. by Christmas.

NBC today pulled the plug on legal drama Outlaw after putting the freshman series on production hiatus last week. It hails from Conan O'Brien's once NBC-based production company Conaco.The remaining 4 original episodes of Outlaw will air Saturdays at 8 PM over the next five week (preempted on October 30th for a previously scheduled Shrek special).

KIM JONG NAM, eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who has said he opposes a chain of empire that would see his younger half brother, Kim Jong Un, succeeding his father.

Kind of an interesting/funny story at CNN for those of us employed.

Matt Damon won't be in the next "Bourne" movie. The franchise's next film, "The Bourne Legacy," will not star Damon or even feature Jason Bourne.
The Gap's new logo is a no go. Belk's new log is a go.

I read over at Whitney Matheson's blog, Pop Candy, over at USA Today that Napoleon Dynamite is coming to Fox television- in the form of a cartoon.

I also read over there that "they" are bringing the old school "Family Circus" cartoon live action style to the big screen.

The NFL has hired former Sports Illustrated model Marisa Miller as their newest spokesperson.

and finally, Good bye Bobby Cox. The longtime Atlanta Braves manager's final game was last night when the Braves fell by one run to the San Fransisco Giants in the NLDS 3-2. I don't belive there is a manager in baseball history who has lost so many "one run" games. Anyway, I'll let the professional sports writers write eleoquent stories abotu Bobby's final game last night. All i can do is publically thank him for all teh great and heartbreakign moments with the Braves over the years and wish him a well rested, satisfying life.

Happy Monday

Just wanted to post some quick tidbits of stuff I found over the weekend...Hope you had a great weekend. More later!

                                               photo by Garry Melendez,  --The State.com

Microsoft is unveiling a new mobile phone operating system today. Unlike many other phones, pretty much all providers will be able to be used.

New research shows that 7% of babies and toddlers have their very own email address.

More research indicates that watchign too much television: whether it's programming or game wise, can be harmful to kids psychologically. Read about it HERE

How about those Tarheels? Congrats to the Gamecocks as well for knocking off The Bammers. USC has the singular historic distinction of knocking off the Number 1 ranked opponent in Basketball (Kentucky in January), Arizona (in baseball September), and now in football in less than a year. The Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1 SEC) are ranked 10th in this week’s Associated Press poll and 12th in the latest USA TODAY/Coaches poll, both released Sunday. Ohio State is No. 1 .

40 year old American from Denver and his drill have made it possible for the Chilean miners to be rescued in a couple of days after a couple of months underground.

As if voters don't have enough to be angry about this election year, the government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients will go through another year (the 2nd consequetively) without an increase in their monthly benefits.

Kim Jong Il's presumed heir, Kim Jong Un made a brief appearance during a parade Sunday. Boy is he fat.

Facebook co-founders Sean Parker and Dustin Moskovitz have donated a total of $170,000 to back Proposition 19, the measure to legalize marijuana in California. Neither, however, is still working at Facebook.

The "King of Rock 'n' Soul" Solomon Burke has died while on tour in Europe. He was 70 years old.

A set of John Lennon's fingerprints being auctioned for at least $100,000 was seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday 30 years after the singer's death. This weekend would have been his 70th birthday. In a week-long discovery, Siegel said the FBI, "with a sense of urgency," was concerned with whether the card had been part of Lennon's file and was lost or missing.

Leona Gage, who in 1957 was named Miss USA but had the title stripped the next day when pageant officials learned she was married and a mother of two, has died in Los Angeles, her son said Saturday. She was 71

Ten people were injured when two rollercoaster cars collided at at Knott's Berry Farm. All have been released from the hospital. A spokewwoman from Knott's Berry Farm says the.

This is like a Robin Cook novel. Hungary's red sludge reservoir is "very likely" to collapse, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Saturday, as many cracks have developed in its northern wall. The town of Kolontar was evacuated because the wall is in such bad shape, and officials have started building dams around populated areas to slow the toxic ooze if the reservoir dumps its remaining 500,000 cubic meters into the countryside. That flood of goo would be about half the size of the first leak, when 184 million gallons of poisonous waste killed seven people and injured 120. The owners of the metals plant whose reservoir burst, flooding several towns in western Hungary with caustic red sludge, expressed their condolences Sunday to the families of the seven people killed, as well as to those injured.

Somali pirates have seized a Japanese-owned cargo ship with 20 Filipino crew members onboard

and finally...

This weekend at the Box Office:

1 The Social Network

2 Life as We Know It

3 Secretariat

4 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

5 My Soul to Take

6 The Town

7 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

8 Easy A

9 Case 39

10 You Again

DC Comics has announced that as of January, 2011, the publisher wll be decreasing prices on their standard length $3.99 titles to $2.99 citing the long term health of the industry as their reason for the new pricing. Not to be outdone, Marvel Comics (less than an hour after their primary competitor announced an across the board drop) also announced at least a partial move away from the often criticized $3.99 price for new serialized superhero comics. When taking into account mini-series, annuals and specials, more than 80% of DC’s comic books will be priced at $2.99.

Read more about it HERE

Study: Your Weight Affects Your Salary « CBS New York- News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of NY

NEW YORK (CBS) – In a country plagued by obesity, eating disorders, and the all-too-common pressure to simply look good, a new study finds that your waist size can play a role in your wallet size.


The study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, shows that skinny women tend to have fatter paychecks than average or overweight women.

The same can’t be said for men, however. Larger men are shown to have larger paychecks than their thinner brethren, according to the study. In fact, as a man’s weight increases, so does his salary — until the point of obesity, when his salary then drops.

The Wall Street Journal reports that in looking at the differences of earnings between men and women of different sizes, the study’s author discovered significant gaps. Women who weighed 25 pounds less than average-sized women in the sampling earned an average of $15,572 more. On the other hand, a woman who weighed 25 pounds more than normal-sized women made $13,847 less than their average counterparts.

Thinner men were just as unfortunate as heavier women, earning $8,437 less than average-sized men.

Guess Who's Coming To The Small Screen?

Looks like Wonder Woman is returning to television. According to the Hollywood Reporter this weekend, David Kelly of 'Ally McBeal' and 'Boston Legal' fame is creating and going to produce the teleplay. The articl reads "Warner Bros. Television is developing a modern-day reboot of the classic DC comic book heroine and is lassoing an unlikely talent to potentially write and produce the superhero project: David E. Kelley." Kelly produced and created such shows as "Boston Legal", "Picket Fences", and "Chicago Hope."

Click HERE and HERE to read more.

This Pink Hippo Walks Into a Bar

HAPPY FRIDAY! You made it!!! This is my weekend to work, however, I'm getting a reprieve of sorts, so for me personally, this is shaping up to be an easy weekend for me despite the head scratching psycho incident I experienced at work yesterday- PRAISE GOD!



It's already October. Reflecting on the year, it's been a bad year; a bad 2 years for people I know and me having pets pass away. Then again, as I get older, it seems I am becoming increasingly aware of death in general; including thoughts of my own mortality. But that's too morbid for any Friday (unless it's Good Friday). Much less today. The weather has finely begun feeling like 'fall'. Looking very very much to the temperatures cooling, the pumpkins and apple festivals, the fall festivals, riding up to the mountains for the color change, etc. Can you tell this is my favorite time of year?



The mighty Tarheels take on the East Carolina Pirates this weekend. The surprisingly undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers take on hated division rival (cliche cliche cliche!) Baltimore Ravens and exhonerated murderer Ray Lewis. Odd that Ray and Ben Roethlisberger have been staying in touch with each other...



Anywho, here's what I saw on the ol interweb early this morning...



A new study suggests Coffee and tea lovers may have a decreased likelihood of developing the most common form of malignant brain tumor in adults



39 years ago today, Walt Disney World opens in Orlando Florida!!



Rahm Emanuel is leaving his job at the White House to concentrate on becoming Chicago's next mayor. Is it me, or like the current Pope, this dude looks like a movie villain?



BBC America is bringing 26 episodes of "Law & Order: UK" to BBC America beginning THIS Sunday at 10:30 p.m. EDT, with subsequent episodes airing Fridays at 9 p.m. EDT, "Law & Order: UK" is unmistakably kin to the "L&O" family and is a successful British spin off of the American version.



I need to see how I can get a job at Paramount. Viacom Inc.'s movie studio, Paramount Pictures, is laying off 53 people worldwide, most of whom are based in Los Angeles, in a move that will save about $10 million a year.



Well, this is good news to ME anyway. Tony DiSanto, the president of programming responsible for everything from "The Hills" to "Jersey Shore" to "Teen Mom," is leaving the network after two decades to join ex-NBC entertainment boss Ben Silverman's new venture. Maybe MTV will begin playing videos again...



In a more LIFE affecting good news, the AP is reporting that Red Cross officials from the two Koreas agreed Friday to hold reunions for families separated by the Korean War amid mixed signals from North Korea on easing tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship. One hundred families from each country will attend the meetings from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 at a hotel and reunion center at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.



Comic-Con staying in San Diego for 5 more years. Anaheim and Los Angeles tired to woo the 40-year-old fan convention, but Comic-Con is staying put with some new perks.



U.S. senators from Wyoming, Idaho and Utah proposed legislation Thursday that would strip federal endangered species protections from wolves in the northern Rockies.



Actress Emma Thompson has joined the cast of “Men in Black 3” as "O", the head of the MIB program.



On this day in history:

1795 – Belgium is conquered by France.

1903 - The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series.

1958 – NASA created to replace NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics).

1992- The USS Saratoga fires 27 missiles at Turkish destroyer TCG Muavenet (DM-357) crippling it causing 27 deaths and injuries. On 29 September 1994, some of the Turkish Navy sailors serving aboard the Muavenet instituted legal action against the United States government. The action encompassed 2 wrongful death claims and 299 personal injury claims. On 20 February 1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling against them.





And FINALLY, from the "Alex Jones" conspiracy files, The US is buying custom-made vans packed with something called backscatter X-ray capacity has riled privacy advocates and sparked internet worries about "feds radiating Americans." "This really trips up the creep factor because it's one of those things that you sort of intrinsically think the government shouldn't be doing," says Vermont-based privacy expert Frederick Lane, author of "American Privacy." "But, legally, the issue is the boundary between the government's legitimate security interest and privacy expectations we enjoy in our cars." American Science & Engineering, a Billerica, Mass.-company, tells Forbes it's sold more than 500 ZBVs, or Z Backscatter Vans, to US and foreign governments. The Department of Defense has bought the most for war zone use, but US law enforcement has also deployed the vans to search for bombs inside the US, according to Joe Reiss, a company spokesman, as quoted by Forbes. On Tuesday, a counter terror operation snarled truck traffic on I-20 near Atlanta, where Department of Homeland Security teams used mobile X-ray technology to check the contents.



What do YOU think??

HAPPY THURSDAY!!! Will be at work today for around 8 hours of training. YAY!!!  Here are some quick hits I saw on the ol interwewb...

RIP Greg Giraldo. He died at a New Jersey hospital Wednesday, four days after being admitted following an accidental overdose of prescription medication. He was 44.

Krispy Kreme has opened it's first store in Thailand.

.

This year's "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame nominees are out. Included are Beastie Boys, Chic, LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, Darlene Love, Donna Summer Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Dr. John and Tom Waits.



Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have revealed to People magazine that the godparent to 2 of their 6 or 8 kids ( I don't know how many) is none other than "The Facts of Life" star Mindy Cohn



While it would take generations foe a ship to reach it, US astronomers said Wednesday they have discovered an Earth-sized planet that they think might be habitable, orbiting a nearby star, and believe there could be many more planets like it in space.



Each of the 6 Star Wars movies are getting re-released in 3-D versions beginning 2012. One a year.



What do you think of the BlackBerry "PlayPad"?



Christopher Nolan has officially confirmed that he is on board to direct the next installment of the Batman movie series



Sig Hansen and the Hillstrand brothers have quit Discovery Channel's 'Deadliest Catch' over a lawsuit in which the network is seeking $3 mil claiming breach of contract, The network alleges the two brothers did not complete work on a planned Catch spin-off, Hillstranded.



Facebook will integrate with Skype to let users of the world's largest social network leverage the VOIP giant's PC-to-PC calling capabilities.



Joss Whedon tells SFX (via MTV News) there are "stipulations and restrictions" in what he can do with the characters in the upcoming "Avenger" movie



Kate Beckinsale will return to the Underworld movie series.



"The Big Bang Theory's" Kaley Cuoco and Jonathan Galecki secretly dated for two years.



Scientists say Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD, is a genetic condition.



Nintendo says its 3DS game machine, packed with glasses-free 3-D technology, won't be ready to go on sale for Christmas, crushing its earnings forecast by more than half.



and finally, Happy 50th birthday to The Flintstones who debuted this day in 1960...

Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark's "History of Modern' release is 100% pure OMD. Hardcore OMD fans won't be disappointed in this release. Lot's of 80's styled synth melodies permeate every song. Though the innovation so evident in the 80's is long gone, OMD delivers a nice effort for their fans.




I really enjoy the edgy guitars in the first track, "New Babies; New Toys". Good lead off tune.



"If You Want It" is an optimistic love ultimatum in the vein of Wang Chung's "Let's Go", but not as emphatic. Lyrically cheesy in some areas, this is a good couples song that could and SHOULD be on any romantic "chick flick" soundtrack. Take your pick. Too bad we don't have ONE more John Hughes film to base this song on. This one would have made a good lead track.



History of The Modern Part I is an OMD opus. To me, it has a starry, religious feel to it.History of The Modern Part II is basically a continuation of HPTM Pt 1, with a very orchestral sound.



I think Macy Gray sings duet on "Sometimes". Actually, it's Macy Gray sound alike Jennifer John (who?. )It works to a degree. Very "Pet Shop Boys" ish.



While RFWK is meant as an homage to Kraftwerk, to me it's a weak attempt. For a successful Kraftwerk effort, check out the last rack, "The Right Side?"



To me, "New Holy Ground sounds very reminiscent of a Roger Waters/Pink Floyd tune. Too short, in my opinion



The Future, Past, and Fore, to me, really takes me back to old OMD. This tune kinda reminds me of 90's Duran Duran produced by Flood



Sister Mary Says is a speedy, quicker pumping solid 80's dance tune. I can't wait to hear the kids nowadays get a hold of this. This one should appear in a few different mixes soon.



Definitely through with revisiting the past, "Pulse" is a sexy venture into Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark 2010. Nearly pop, it's got Timnaland hooks. This one is another candidate for several remixes.



When you het use to the current things with "Pulse", the dripping romantic "Green" takes you back in time a little musically. Lyrically, "Green" shows OMD still knows about heartache and the pain love sometimes brings. I really liked this tune.



"Bondage of Fate" reminds me of the Cure. Like "RFWK", it's forgettable.



The CD is finished by a song, in two parts, named "The Right Side?". Kind of Kraftwerk like in beat and just as lengthy. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, this hypnotic song deals with young lovers escaping their families, friends, and starting anew in a new place.



All in all this release is like receiving a phone call from an old friend, After a long conversation of nostalgia and bridging the time gap between then and now, you realize you how much you really enjoyed that friend. As time goes by, you may begin to recall less and less about the conversationl only remembering the good things you liked about this person. At least until the next time you hear from them. I'm Looking forward to hearing from OMD again.

Happy Wednesday!

It's as Wednesday as can be. When will summer relent? Tomorrow is the 1st official day of "FALL" and yet, we continue with consecutive 90 + degree days!! Slow news day locally as our Greenville, SC area newscasts keep broadcasting stuff that happened over the weekend. Not much going on on the ol interweb today either... Here's what I saw..

Ready for the "BlackPad"? Shares of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion rose 3% in early trading Wednesday on a report in the Wall Street Journal that the company's tablet computer will be out soon. The iPad competitor could be unveiled as early as next week at a developer's conference in San Francisco, the Journal reports, citing unnamed sources.

Blockbuster is expected to file for bankruptcy this week. For real.

Neat update and picture repost on the upcoming "re-imagination" for Godzilla:3D - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/46627

Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder is now a married man.

Virginia is slated to execute Teresa Lewis by lethal injection on Thursday, The Associated Press reported. The 41-year-old woman was sentenced to die after pleading guilty to capital murder for hiring two men to kill her husband and stepson so she could collect a $250,000 life insurance policy.

R.E.M. have just wrapped recording of their 15th album, which they're planning to release next spring. The band has teamed up with producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol), who also produced the band's 2008 LP Accelerate.

Look for the new Orchestral Maneuvers in The Dark next week!! - September 28th. The new CD is called History of Modern. I'll review it ASAP.

Did ya see my review of the new Heart release, 'Red Velvet Car'? http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TYSMJ33GM7KD7QHJJRXCIOUKZQ/blog I’m working on getting better at these reviews- gimme feedback on what you hated or liked about the review or the CD

Italian authorities seized euro23 million ($30 million) from a Vatican bank account Tuesday and said they have begun investigating top officials of the Vatican bank in connection with a money-laundering probe.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler will release a solo single called "Love Lives," which will serve as the theme for the upcoming Japanese movie "Space Battleship Yamato." Tyler, who penned the track after viewing the film's final battle scene, will release it in piano, instrumental and acoustic versions on Nov. 24.

Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy will release new album "Living Proof" on Oct. 26 via Silvertone/Jive, with guest spots by B.B King and Carlos Santana.

According to Whitney Matheson's "Pop Candy" Blog, A new Facebook campaign has started to get Stan Lee on Saturday Night Live.

Paris Hilton has been banned from Japan. The heiress cancelled her Asia tour to promote her fashion and fragrance lines and boarded a private jet back to Los Angeles after being denied entry at Tokyo's airport Wednesday following her drug violation in the U.S

Ryan Seacrest unveils the new "American Idol" lineup today LIVE at 1pm ET. The press conference will be streamed live, via the 'American Idol' website.

In case you haven't heard, the man who inspired the band name 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' has died.

Sir Anthony Hopkins has lost 75 lbs and is donating his "bigger" clothes to charity.

And finally --

On this day in history, Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862- 35 years earlier and Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr. obtained the golden plates, a set of engraved plates that he said was his source material for the Book of Mormon.
Coincidence?

Happy Friday!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!! this is is what interested me on the ol interweb this morning..



OK, forget about the Republican/Democrat/Tea Party/Libertarian/Independent/Spaghetti Monster/Whig parties. According to international tax firm Deloitte Tax LLP, a typical family of four with a household income of $50,000 a year would have to pay $2,900 more in taxes in 2011. The same family making $100,000 a year would see its taxes rise by $4,500. Wealthier families face even bigger tax hikes. A family of four making $500,000 a year would pay $10,800 more in taxes. The same family making $1 million a year would get a tax increase of $53,200. The estimates are based on total household income, including wages, capital gains and qualified dividends. The estimated tax bills take into account typical deductions at each income level.


With 14 mouths to feed and a failed attempt at reality TV, the so-called "Octo-Mom" is going on welfare. RadarOnline.com reports Nadya Suleman is broke, and is struggling to provide for her family.


President Bill Clinton is experimenting with a low-cholesterol, vegetarian diet to fulfill a promise he made to his newly married daughter Chelsea. He says he wants to be healthy for his grandkids.


Billie Mae Richards, the actress who voiced Rudolph in the stop-motion holiday classic, has died. She was 88.


It's the end of As The World Turns. The historic soap opera ends its 54-year run today


Egyptian mews outlets recently ran a photo of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak leading President Obama and other world leaders during Middle East peace talks at the White House. The problem is that like Joaquin phoenix's movie and recent outward persona, it was faked. Mubarak was "photoshopped" into the picture.


Casey Affleck is admitting to what many critics suspected all along: His documentary about Joaquin Phoenix is a fake.


Oprah Winfrey doesn't want her all-expenses-paid Australian trip giveaway to turn into the tax trap that soured her "Everybody gets a car!" show ... in fact, Oprah is making sure none of her new "guests" pay an extra cent to the IRS and will provide money for each guests to take care of their tax responsibilities. The Aussies will apparently still foot the $3 million it costs to to come to the land down under. Meanwhile, 'Judge Judy' tops 'Oprah' again in the newly released daytime ratings making her courtroom series this year's No. 1 daytime show.


Sacha Baron Cohen is going from Borat to "Bohemian Rhapsody." The comedian is set to play Freddie Mercury in a biopic about the iconic Queen frontman. The surviving members of Queen say that Cohen has been in talks to do the role for 2 years.


Warner Bros. is looking to bring "Pinocchio" to life in a live-action feature through producer Dan Jinks with Bryan Fuller tapped to script.


Speaking of the WB, DC Comics And Warner Bros are expected to make a MAJOR announcement in the coming weeks regarding the DC Comics universe. Currently, pre-production ahs begun on "The Flash" and Green Lantern 2 has been green lit.


Earl Scruggs is recovering at a Chapel Hill hospital after being admitted for undisclosed reasons. The 88 year old is a favorite of mine.


Bob Barker fainted at a Los Angeles shooting range and the former 'Price Is Right' host was taken to the hospital. He is reportedly doing well.


Christine O'Donnell not homophobic, says her lesbian sister.


Black Eyed Peas will be the Super Bowl halftime entertainment- according to several "rumor mills" out there..


The FBI has advised a Seattle cartoonist who stirred up a religious storm with a tongue-in-cheek encouragement to draw images of the Muslim prophet Mohammed to go into hiding after a "credible threat" to her safety. She has complied.


Greek police charged two U.S. tourists with desecrating the dead on Thursday after they found six human skulls in their hand luggage at Athens international airport. The two young tourists said they had bought the skulls in a souvenir shop on the island of Mykonos and believed they were fake.


Nathalie Holloway's mom Beth has reportedly confronted Joran Vandersloot at his jail cell in Peru . She spoke to him for about 5 minutes before he ended the meeting because his lawyer was absent.


Remember a few weeks ago when we reported a story about a woman who suffered an acid attack on the face from a stranger? Well, it appears this has been an acid attack hoax, as investigators found out she was lying. And today, the woman named Bethany Storr has admitted that it was all a lie.


Today is the birthday of the US Constitution!! It was approved December 17, 1787. Today used to be called "Constitution Day", but I'm unsure what it's called now. Citizenship Day, I believe.


Happy birthday to Doug E Fresh and Bryan Singer!!!


Today is also National POW/MIA Recognition Day and World Parking Day!!


The Miami Beach Police Department is now in the middle of a violent incident involving "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert after the alleged victim filed a police report stating Lambert threatened to slap him at a nearby beach.


The cast of CBS' "Big Bang Theory" will now get $200,00.00 an episode. At least the top 3 stars will.


On Wednesday's Regis and Kelly show, stud of the moment Jon Hamm (Mad Men) has denied multiple reports that he's the new Superman. He will host Saturday Night Live for a 3rd time on October 30.


and finally, on Stewart and Stephen Colbert are holding opposing rallies in Washington DC on October 30th. Stewart and "The Daily Show" will lead the Rally to Restore Sanity, described as a movement of "people who have been too busy to go to rallies," on the National Mall on Oct. 30. Its aim? To "beg America to stop shouting, throwing and drawing Hitler mustaches on people other than Hitler (or Charlie Chaplin)." Meanwhile, the Colbert National wants "all freedom-loving patriots" to challenge the "dark, optimistic forces" of "The Daily Show" by marching at the same time to Keep Fear Alive. Comedy Central promises a face-off "bigger than Nixon/Kennedy, Ali/Foreman, Aniston/Jolie, 50/Nas, Joe/the Volcano, Alien/Predator, Bunny/Fudd and Ecks/Sever combined."

Hello, It's Tuesday September 14th ALL DAY LONG!!

HOWDY!! Well, I MUST be at work and I MUST be bored to post. Does anyone read these since they' don't come out on a consisten basis? Here's what I'm seeing on the ol interweb this morning...

R.I.P actor Kevin McCarthy.(from Sunday, actually)

An infectious-disease nightmare is unfolding: Bacteria that have been made resistant to nearly all antibiotics by an alarming new gene have sickened people in three states and are popping up all over the world, health officials reported Monday. The U.S. cases in California, Massachusetts and Illinois; as well as two others in Canada all involve people who had recently received medical care in India, where the problem is widespread.

500,000 'gubmint' workers in Cuba are being "laid off".

Producers of high fructose corn syrup want their product renamed to "corn sugar".

Jerry Brown apologizes to former President Bill Clinton over comments made about Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

A new government study adds to the evidence that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative until recently found in many vaccines, does not increase children's risk of autism

An Upson County couple is suing a grocery store chain in federal court, claiming that the husband found a used tampon in his bowl of cereal. According to the complaint, Thomas and Lynn Roddenberry said they bought a box of Chocolate Chip Crunch cereal from the Save-A-Lot store in Thomaston in October 2008.

What's happening in the entertainment realm this morning?

• Lady Gaga's meat dress, donned Sunday night at MTV's VMA show is being discussed all around the web.
• Apparently, like saying the “N” word, it’s OK for black people to dress and perform in “blackface”. http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/2010/09/william-defends-blackface-make-up-at-mtv-vmas-following-criticism.html?rss=rss-kabc-snippet-7665796
• George Michael was sentenced today at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in London to 8 weeks in jail for his July 4 crash into a London clothing store.
• John Mayer quits Twitter
• Penelope Cruz confirms she's pregnant
• Are there shadowy forces trying to Ruin J. Lo's 'Idol' Bid?
• Sofia Vergara tells 'Self' magazine: "I'm Grateful for My Breasts"
• Australian taxpayers are helping Oprah pay for her trip down under so she can do her show for a week -- to the tune of $3 million ($2.7M USD),
• Yet another story on the interweb about how Showtime's once great series 'Weeds' has become an embarrassing parody of its once-smart self...
• Jake Gyllenhaal's "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" is out on DVD--yaaaaaawwwwn!!
• Joaquin Phoenix returns to The David Letterman Show Sept. 22.
• Kaley Cuoco, resident babe of CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" -- broke one of her legs in a horse accident over the weekend.
• Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Suze Orman heading to Oprah Winfrey Network They'll star in a series of specials to coincide with OWN's launch in January. Oprah's website allows you to "Oprah-fy" yourself. Insert a photo of yourself as part of Oprah's new "Oprah-fy Yourself" feature.\
• Sunday night's VMAs were the 3rd-most watched MTV broadcast ever. Ratings were even up 33% from last year despite man-ish looking Chelsea Handler's horrible performance as MC.
• Lindsay Lohan is in talks to return to host "Saturday Night Live" in December. Lohan lasted hosted "SNL" in April 2006.
• Conan has a new ad for his TBS show debuting in November, I think- http://teamcoco.com/blog/conans-first-print-ad-is-a-real-hoot-sorry/


And finally, offended, made to feel uncomfortable around young, half naked or naked male millionaires showering and changing clothes in their locker room reporter babe Inez Sainz. She complained to her boss at and they referred her to The Association of Women in Sports Media in America who asked the league to investigate on her behalf. She’s also been on every major network since yesterday morning regarding this.
To me, she appears to be looking to “score” in regards to her career. That or really, REALLY naive and dumb. I think that these idiots somehow blaming HER for anything because of the way she dressed is also asinine and stupid. In my opinion, it doesn't MATTER what she wore or wears while doing her job. Why is this even mentioned? I really DO know why, I just fail to see how this matters and to me sounds like a sleazy defense lawyer would say defending his client of rape. I think that these idiots somehow blaming HER for anything because of the way she dressed are also asinine and stupid.

As far as I know, she wasn’t fondled or asked or encouraged to DO anything. From what I've read, she experienced “cat calls” and “looks" which she admits made her feel uncomfortable. On all of her estimated 21 television appearances over the last 24 hours, she repeatedly downplayed the extent to which she was bothered by the New York Jets' practice antics and she doesn't plan on suing the NY Jets. Yet, the interviews and complaints on her behalf are still moving forward.

Jets owner Woody Johnson's apology was enough for her she says also adding that she definitely will not be toning down her sexy sideline style.

All in all, she's making great lemonade out of her situation. Sainz, (who has three prestigious graduate degrees from Mexico or Peru), has parlayed the incident into appearances on the talk show circuit. She continued her onslaught of television appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show among others today (Tuesday). Her Twitter account gained thousands of followers -- a jump of over 20 percent in just one day. Google has charted her as the most popular search for an entire day as well – which is very unusual. Women in the media have staunchly come to her defense, making her a sort of figurehead for their movement. Don't be surprised if we see a lot more of the "hottest sports reporter in Mexico" in her signature photo shoots and on our TV sets.

The NFL is investigating the matter..

What say you?


BTW: ines sainz, puppies, dogs, kittens, cats, PS3, Xbox, Halo Reach, bikini, lesbians are all popular tags used when searching stories on the internet today.