It's Wednesday All Day Long!!!

Happy Wednesday!

I'm at work for 12 hours today after a week absence. Let's see how things go. My bosses have been AWESOME. A couple of my co-workers read this, so thanks to you too!!

We're cooling down to the low 90's/upper 80's today. Be aware of the wind chill factor today, please!!!

Today's the last day for free access on my local newspaper's website, www.greenvilleonline.com .

Along with the new ads for most grocery stores taking effect today, here's some stuff I saw on the ol interweb...

The US House has voted to extend the up to $8,000.00 homebuyer credit 3 months; giving new home owners until Sept. 30 to complete their purchases.

You may have already heard that this fall after 25 year, Larry King will hang up the CNN microphone. ALSO- people are already getting use to daytime w/out Oprah. Her ratings this year are the lowest in the 23 year history of her show.

Monday will forever be a sad day in KISStory. Bill Aucoin, who discovered the rock group Kiss and helped build them into a musical and merchandising juggernaut, died Monday in Florida. He was 66. Aucoin died at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Aventura of surgical complications from prostate cancer

There's a story that reports that meat flavored vodkas are quickly replacing fruity ones. The Alaska Distillery in Wasilla just recently launched its Smoked Salmon Flavored Vodka, about a year after the Seattle-based Black Rock Spirits introduced a bacon-flavored vodka.Both savory spirits were intended to complement Bloody Marys, but are finding wider uses among mixologists.

British scientists are now saying the clean up effort in the Gulf may actually be doing more harm than good. The scientists believe that the oil coming out is light crude and the best thing to do is "leave it alone". according to their research, "It might have been better for the environment to have done nothing about the enormous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico except to keep the oil out at sea". Their findings indicate the aggressive cleanup operation, during which oil has been set alight and oil-dispersing chemicals have been dumped into the sea, might be more damaging than the oil itself. Previous experience suggests that containing the oil out at sea but otherwise leaving it alone to disperse and evaporate naturally is better in the long run but is regarded as politically unacceptable, they said. MEANWHILE a Venice, LA boat captain working to rescue sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico says he has seen BP ships burning sea turtles and other wildlife alive.

S Korea's CT&T is announcing plans today to locate it's zero emmisions electric car facility in Duncan SC (Spartanburg County) at Interstate 85 and Hwy 290. initial start up means 370 jobs at first.

"Glee" reality show will air on Oxygen as part of syndication deal for the show. There's also a plan that will allow cameras will go behind the scenes of casting call for new "Glee" singers.

I usually like Rush Limbaugh, but I wish he'd shut up about Elena Kagan. He's complaining she's a blank slate and too much of an unknown. Rush may be found out to be right a lot, but regarding the Kagan "dog and pony show", I say "BIG DEAL!". BTW, congrats on Rush getting married. The story about getting Elton John and his subsequent meetings, dinners with him is great.

20th Century Fox announced on Twitter that Andy Serkis is reteaming with the Weta Digital team ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, King Kong) for Rise of the Apes! He'll do the performance capture for Caesar, portraying the chimp who leads the simian revolt. Set in present day San Francisco, Rise of the Apes is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. For the first time ever in the film series, the movie will feature photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Apes stars James Franco, John Lithgow and Freida Pinto. The movie is scheduled to be released on June 24, 2011.

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) said Tuesday that it plans to release its own tablet, which will be targeted to the business community. The Cisco Cius, as it will be called, will get the networking-equipment maker into the tablet race

Megan Fox has tied the knot with longtime boyfriend Brian Austin Green.

From my "funny- not REALLY funny- only to me" file, Mexican singer Sergio Vega was murdered while on a national tour at the weekend, just hours after denying reports of his death, local Mexican media reported.

Believe it or not, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' is actually struggling in the ratings. According to TV By the Numbers, new and reruns of 'Oprah' crashed to an all-time low last week, pulling in just a 3.0 rating for the worst figures in the show's 24 year history. And before you blame the rerun factor, consider that during the same week last year the show was also in reruns but still pulled in 23% more viewers. So who's the beneficiary of Oprah's woes? 'Judge Judy,'

The FDA has issued a bulletin urging producers to use less antibiotics in meat. The federal recommendation comes amid rising concern that the drugs in animals pose a health threat to humans

Online video site Hulu, under pressure from its media company parents to generate a profit, has launched a $10/month subscription service with access to older episodes of popular television shows. Hulu due for PlayStation 3 in July, Xbox 360 in 2011

Traffic Annie Robards remains the BEST local news anchor on AM 950 or 1330/106.3 FM Newsradio WORD. Catch her on the weekends on Rock 101.1 WROQ!!!

In other stupid movies-in-production news, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who adapted CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS into a film that was far better than it could've been, are taking on a Lego movie for Warner Bros.

The current number for Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight Saga franchise opening Wednesday is 4,416 theaters in North America - the most theaters EVER. That passes Iron Man 2 which scored 4,380 venues.

Yeserday, MapQuest, the Denver-based mapping unit of AOL Inc. is testing a fresh look with features that some might say make it look a whole lot more like, well, Google Maps. The beta version scraps MapQuest's red logo in squiggly writing that general manager Christian Dwyer calls "cheap hotel" font. In its place is a simple font in shades of green and purple. MapQuest was long the leader among websites giving people online directions, but Google Maps surpassed it in 2008.

Researchers say they've found a 10,000-year-old hunting weapon that had been preserved in melting ice near Yellowstone National Park. The spear-like wooden dart was found in 2007, but the University of Colorado didn't announce it until Tuesday

Well, let's see how the day goes. Later!!

HAPPY TUESDAY!

I return to work tomorrow. I'm about 50%- which is really better than some days I've worked, LOL!!

Anyway, here's what I saw last night for today- a day of SHOCKING events!!!

Motley Crue Front man Vince Neil has been arrested in Las Vegas for DUI. SHOCKING! So was Ex-"Melrose Place" star Amy Locane. WHO?!?!!?

The Federal Trade Commerce says scammers stole millions, using virtual companies- REALLY?!?!?! SHOCKING!

The Texas and Arizona governors are of course criticizing Obama's bandage for the border decapitation. I mean 524 National Guard troops to the border.

Steve Carell tells Variety: Next season is definitely my last on "The Office".

Marvel Comics is launching a TV division. Former "Heroes," "Lost" and "Smallville" writer Jeph Loeb will run the division charged with bringing Marvel comics to the small screen.

Speaking of Marvel Comics, Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones has joined the cast of "Captain America: The First Avenger," taking on the role of US Army Colonel Chester Phillips. Phillips is the character who recruits Steve Rogers into the program.

Hip-hop star Method Man pleaded guilty to a tax-evasion charge Monday, writing a chec k on the spot for the final $40,000 restitution payment after owing about $106,000.The former Wu-Tang Clan member was arrested Oct. 9 on charges he failed to pay state and personal income taxes. He pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted failure to pay tax. He was sentenced to a conditional discharge, which means the arrest will be purged from his record if he stays out of trouble.

Here's a sign of pop hell - a week after reaching the chart's summit, Katy Perry's "California Gurls," featuring Snoop Dogg, rewrites the mark for most weekly plays in the 17-year history of Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart. "California Gurls" logged 11,816 plays among the survey's 132 panelists, an average of 90 plays per station ( you hear the song every 1 hour, 51 minutes) , in the chart's tracking week of June 21-27, according to Nielsen BDS. The song passes the 11,224 plays tallied by previous record-holder Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" on the chart dated Feb. 6, 2010.

BTW Katy Perry is topless in the Enquierer magazine. I have pics- WHOO-HOO!

Here are some honest to God, no joke movies on the horizon- Battleship, Magic 8 ball, Rock Em Sock em robots, and Facebook's Mafia Wars game will be turned into a movie.

And when repetitive stories about the Gulf disaster and Kagan confirmation farce gets old, they do stories like THIS- A hiker who was attacked by a black bear in eastern Kentucky said he was about to stab the animal in the eye with his pocket knife when another hiker threw a day pack at the bear and distracted it!

Need international intrigue? - Representatives from China and Taiwan met Tuesday before they were to sign a broad trade deal drawing their economies closer, which Beijing hopes could lead to political accommodation six decades after the rivals split amid civil war. BORING!

How about a STUDY? Hot blobs of magma - the searing liquid rock beneath the Earth's crust - can spread slow-moving ripples that soar hundreds of meters high across the Earth's surface, a new study suggests. This phenomenon, which works on geologic time scales, may explain relatively rapid pre-historical changes in sea level that occurred without the typical waxing and waning of the polar ice sheets, which hold and release water on scales of thousands and millions of years. This unexplained sea level rise is one of geology's oldest mysteries. The Scottie beamed them all aboard and they were saved!

What's up with you?

Happy Monday

Good day! I'm doing better fighting this illness. Thanks for all the email, texts, and phone calls. What a slow, boring news day today. Here's some stuff I noticed this Monday afternoon..

It's now legal to hunt coyotes and wild peegs at night in SC. Whoo-hoo!

Locally, Mayor Knox White said today the city intends to hire assistant city manager John Castile to the top executive position. Castile, 44, has been with the city 15 years and played a key role in some of its most controversial and high-profile projects. The council is scheduled to vote on the issue in tonight’s public meeting.

Elin Woods, soon to be ex wife of Tiger Woods will get a $750 million dollar settlement in her divorce,

Ex KKK Grand Wizard Robert C. Byrd, the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate, a fiery orator and hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to his beloved West Virginia, died Monday. He was 92.

Ghana, the world's leading 900 sex and psychic telephone providers defeated the USA in World Cup Soccer over the weekend. Thus ending the World Cup interest for everyone in America. With apologies to the 27 people here in the US still interested.

Sorry Commies, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Constitution's “right to keep and bear arms” applies nationwide as a restraint on the ability of the federal, state and local governments to substantially limit its reach. In doing so, the justices, by a narrow 5-4 margin, signaled that less severe restrictions could survive legal challenges. FYI- this is the 2nd ammendment of the US Constitution. What's scary to me is that 4 justices wanted to REPEAL it.

Speaking of SCOTUS, Elana Kagan begins her trek today towards a seat on the bench At Kagan's hearings, liberals will seek assurances that she is truly one of their own, while conservatives will test whether she's acceptably within their definition of the mainstream.

Folks in Winston Salem, NC are tired of all the gang graffiti so they're gonna restrict sales of spray paint to teenagers. Of course this course of action has worked SO well for cigarettes and beer...

I missed last night's BET Awards, but I did catch a YouTube video of El Debarge tearing it up. Prince received BET's lifetime achievement award. Ti and Chris Brown also made what the press are calling "comebacks" on the show.

The next DC Animated release will be called "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse," based on the second Superman/Batman story line. The animated "Batman: Under The Red hood" comes out July 27th.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has opened an office in Asheville, NC. I'd thought Asheville would actually BE the headquarters.

Britain's Foreign Office named the United States embassy Monday as the worst offender among diplomatic missions that have racked up 36 million pounds ($54 million) in disputed traffic congestion charges.

Doctors could one day use a blood test to predict decades in advance when women will go into menopause. Here's the story: click HERE

Today's big news in the oily Gulf of Mexico, forecasters say Tropical Storm Alex will likely become a hurricane on Tuesday.

and finally

The online version of the Greenville News will no longer be free as of this Thursday, July 1st. Among the 3 tiered available subscriptions will be access to the GreenvilleOnline.com website for $9.95 monthly, which is the cheapest. I understand that Gannett's back is against the wall. Newspapers everywhere are closing shop. The comments at the website have been predictably against the action. The announcement was like one of those "future endeavors" termination announcements.

What's on your mind?

War Is Upon Us!

NYC Naked Cowboy to Naked Cowgirl: Stop copying me




Tue Jun 22, 9:37 am ET
NEW YORK – New York City's famous Naked Cowboy wants a bikini-clad woman who calls herself The Naked Cowgirl to stop ripping off his trademark.

The Times Square cowboy, whose real name is Robert Burck, is known for strumming his guitar wearing only briefs and a cowboy hat. He has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sandy Kane, who wears a red, white and blue cowboy hat and matching bikini.

Burck says if Kane's going to make money by posing for photos, he wants her to sign a "Naked Cowboy Franchise Agreement." Most of his licensed franchisees are required to pay $5,000 a year or $500 a month and go through a screening process.

Kane, who is in her 50s, is a former stripper who's now a fixture of the city comedy scene. Her real name is Sandra Brodsky. She says she doesn't owe Burck anything.

___

Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com

Tigers, Pandas, and Big Oil- HAPPY SATURDAY!

Happy Saturday! It’s my bi-weekly weekend to work. So far, we’re starting out with a BANG. So be careful out there. Especially at the waterfalls and hiking trails. Since late March, there has been as many or more fatalities on the waterways in upper SC as there were ALL of last year between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There have been more than I care for lost and injured hikers around Table Rock and Caesar’s Head.

Hear about the flooding that wiped out an Arkansas campground? 16 dead/ others missing. Doesn’t get much sadder than this in my book. How sad.

Can’t WAIT until the elections and Gulf Oil spill stories die down. Yahoo! News has a good story that may explain why we haven’t heard too many “Boycott Big Oil” stories or rallies. Click HERE

Former Heavyweight Danny Lopez and the late Howards Cosell join 11 others inducted today into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Though the sport’s popularity is at an all time low due to the UFC/MMA/WWE wresting et al, it’s STILL 85 times more popular

Have you guys seen pictures of those dogs dyed to look like other animals? Kinda cool and creepy at the same time to me.

Speaking of creepy and cool, I was reading Whitney Matheson’s blog about a company that makes customized stuffed dolls. Click HERE or go to http://www.iamastuffedanimal.com/

The Juice’s Lawyers are saying that O.J. Simpson's conviction for robbery and kidnapping was flawed because black jurors were wrongly excluded and the judge was prejudiced against his defense team.

World Cup in South Africa --- yawn…. Seriously, soon you’re gonna hear stories how viewership or interest in the games are WAY up. While increasing viewership from 30k US households to 45k US households may be a 50% increase (numbers are made up, much like the one’s you’ll read about), it’s still MSNBC area numbers. Reruns of the Golden Girls on TVLand get much more viewership. Much like boxing…..

HEY!!

WHOOMP! Here I am!

Happy Friday. I'm beginning my bi-weekly weekend O’ fun here at work. WHere the HAPPIEST people come to work with me!

The A Team and The Karate Kid remakes/ reimaginations are out. I want to go see both.

The 15-year-old Mexican boy who was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent as U.S. authorities came under attack along the border Tuesday was known to authorities as a juvenile smuggler, according to authorities in Mexico cooperating with US investigators. The 15-year-old Mexican boy who was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent as U.S. authorities came under attack along the border Tuesday was known to authorities as a juvenile smuggler, sources close to the investigation told Fox News.

Nikki "Raghead" Haley took the first step towards being SC's first womern gubner by soundly defeating everyone else in the Republican primary AND former "alleged" lovers. SC Democratic Party cries "SHENANIGANS" in regards to unknown new Dem-on-the-block and alleged felony sex committer Alvin Greene's victory over political stalwart Lou Rawls. I mean VIC Rawl. Some SC Dems believe the out of work, living with mom Greene is a plant by SC Republicans. The only flaw I see in that is Jim DeMint is nearly untouchable. It seems to me if there was a plot, the Republicans would try or accomplish this subterfuge on someone who actually had a chance of losing to a Democrat.

SC Rep Jake Knotts says he won't step down for a joke he made about Nikki Haley; calling her a "raghead". He's lucky he didn't call her a "nappy head".

Peru waitress killer Joran Vander Sloot is trying to bargain for his life by claiming he has information on the whereabouts’ of Natalee Holloway. He's been arrested and released a few times over her 2005 disappearance.

The Gulf of Mexico remains the best containment area for all that BP oil spill. My niece and a friend emailed me earlier this week that "BP has put more birds in oil than KFC". British rock star Sting says that like everyone, he's paying attention to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and wonders why such a deep well was approved from the start. He asks, "What were they doing drilling that deep without any safeguards? Who allowed that to happen?"

BP's chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg has been summoned to a meeting with President Barack Obama next Wednesday to answer questions about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

A 16-year-old sailor on a round-the-world journey was adrift in the frigid southern Indian Ocean on Friday as rescue boats headed toward her yacht, damaged by 30-foot waves that knocked out her communications and prompted her to set off a distress signal.

The ex-wife of Gary Coleman filed a petition on Thursday in a Utah court to be appointed as the special administrator of the former child actor's estate

Footage of the upcoming "Thor" movie is online- if you can stomach the Entertainment Tonight fluff. Click HERE

A trailer for the "Green Hornet" film will premiere on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" June 21st. "The Green Hornet himself, Seth Rogen, will be Kimmel's guest that night and will introduce the trailer,"

World Cup has kicked off in South Africa. Yawn.... Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani was killed in an auto accident there early Friday. Sad

Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified US combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks.

Contrary to popular belief, men are more affected by a rocky relationship than their female counterparts, according to new research from Wake Forest University.

And finally, there's SOMETHING going around about my president, Barrack Hussein Obama. I believe that THIS may be a plant by the evil Bush/Cheney Republicans.
Click HERE

Elections and the Whole Enchilada

I am politics weary. Not just from the recent round of election primaries, I mean overall. I remember Obama being touted for a presidential run back in at the democratic national convention. It's kinda like Christmas. You begin seeing ornaments in the stores in August, etc. But our current political system. I don't think this is what our founding fathers expected. I do believe they expected great debate and I do believe they expected evolution within our political system. I think they're mechanisms in place for this evolution. In example, slavery, women's right, et al.

It just seems that nowadays facts get either ignored or glossed over. It's all about which political jersey you wear. Half truths and well intended spread of falsehoods seem to rule nowadays. They're passing legislation and laws without fully reading them in Washington.

Up until this past Tuesday (6/8/10), Obama's been touting that his administration did not underestimate the severity of the Gulf spill and has been acting with the full strength of the US government. This past Tuesday on the "Today Show", he admitted his administration received bad information from BP and others and his administration made bad decisions based on that bad information by NOT react with the sense of urgency that was needed. This admission has been largely ignored. When the bush administration did the very same thing, it was "Bush Lied"; a mantra I to this day STILL hear (and use mockingly).

The political right seem to be putting all their eggs into the Sarah Palin basket. i think this is a big risk.

And another thing, the right exclaims America is headed towards socialism. With what's been happening, the merger of state and corporate powers is called fascism, NOT socialism. Like Ferris Bueller said, "I dislike 'isms'".

All in all, it feels like 1994 again. When people were sick and tired of the same old same old in our country and voted to implement "new blood" and new representation in our state capitals and in Washington. Sound familiar?

I remember talking to a wide eyed, fired up Lindsey graham who was making the transition from SC house to the US House. He has passion and was determine to fight all things left, Bill Clinton, and the Dems. So much has changed.

What about you? What say you?