Big Shot Bob in Texas

Last!

2011-07-04T19:51:00.001-05:00

Last year I entered the Boston Marathon. The race started

and immediately I was the last of the runners.

It was embarrassing.

The guy who was in front of me, second to last, began making

fun of me. He said, "Hey buddy, how does it feel to be last?"

I replied: "You really want to know?"

So I dropped out of the race.

There!

2011-07-04T07:13:00.001-05:00

No Fourth of July Recess for Senate
When some misbehave, whole class suffers.

Outdoorsman

2011-07-03T20:35:00.001-05:00

This morning I waded across a raging river, escaped from a bear in

the woods, marched up and down a mountain, stood in a patch of poison

ivy, crawled out of quicksand, and climbed up an enormous tree!

My friend said, " You must be some outdoorsman!"

"No," I replied, "I'm just a lousy golfer."

Did Sarah Palin Get a Boob Job?

2010-06-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

The Internets are abuzz with speculation over whether Sarah Palin got breast implants.

Compare the above photos of Palin from 2009 (left) and 2008 (center) to the photo at right of Palin at the Belmont Stakes horse race last weekend and judge for yourself.

The peanut gallery is having fun probing this all-important issue:

"She should have started with a brain implant." —commenter Lib2DaBone on Democratic Underground

"I can see Palin's rack from my house!" —AtlasShrugged on Digg

"Nothing says 'just another average American gal' like plastic surgery and racehorse ownership." —Joehoya on Wonkette

"Take it from a chick, man. FAKE! And the boobs are as well." —Freakishlystrong on Wonkette

"Isn't a better question: IS Sarah Palin a boob job?" —The-Brain On Fark

"All she then needs is an 'I wish these were brains' t-shirt." —Damnyooneek on Digg

Did Sarah Palin get new boobs? "No, I'm pretty sure she still has the same followers." —Sobeditor on Twitter

David Letterman's "Top Ten Things Overheard At Rush Limbaugh's Wedding"

2010-06-11T08:25:00.000-05:00

10. "Is this my fourth or fifth wedding?"
9. "Mrs. Palin, please, enough with the celebratory gunfire"
8. "Do you take this woman to be your future ex-wife?"
7. "Oh crap. I'm sitting next to Bill O'Reilly"
6. "They have a tent in case it rains. No wait, those are Rush's pants"
5. "Oh crap. I'm sitting next to Sean Hannity"
4. "I missed the bridal bouquet, but I hope to catch the prenup"
3. "Oh crap. I'm sitting next to Ann Coulter"
2. "It's ironic that a guy named 'Rush' takes 20 minutes to walk down the aisle"
1. "Did he just eat the whole cake?"

100% Guaranteed To Make You Cry

2010-06-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

"...and behold, a white horse..."

2010-06-09T18:10:00.000-05:00

Forget Simon, This Is About Crystal

2010-05-26T13:21:00.000-05:00

This season may have had some rough spots, but could it have ended in a sweeter one?

/div>

‘Centerfield’

2010-05-25T10:12:00.003-05:00

John Fogerty Tells the Story Behind ‘Centerfield’

By TYLER KEPNER

When the Baseball Hall of Fame welcomes a new class this summer, the premier inductee will be Andre Dawson, the former Gold Glove center fielder. But Dawson will not actually play center field in Cooperstown on July 25. John Fogerty will.

The Hall of Fame will announce Tuesday that Fogerty has agreed to perform “Centerfield,” his catchy 1985 anthem to baseball, as part of the induction ceremony honoring Dawson, Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey. In an interview Monday, Fogerty talked about the origins of his signature solo hit.

Fogerty was born in Berkeley, Calif., in 1945, and his older brother, Jim, was a bat boy for the minor league Oakland Oaks. The Giants moved to San Francisco for the 1958 season, and though Fogerty watched Willie Mays, by then he had been smitten with a different set of center fielders. He grew up on stories of the Yankees greats Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. The latter two, of course, played center field.

“Eventually, I sort of adopted the Yankees, and I came to feel that the center fielder seemed to be the king, the head of the tribe, the most special one,” Fogerty said. “I realized center field must be a very special place, especially center field in Yankee Stadium, which seemed to be the center of the universe.”

Fogerty played some grade-school baseball in the Catholic Youth Organization. After his years in Creedence Clearwater Revival and two solo albums, he took about 10 years off from recording. He chose “Centerfield” as the name of his comeback album before he wrote the song.

“Basically, I was reconnecting with that very special feeling I had about center field as a kid,” said Fogerty, who will release a 25th-anniversary edition of the album next month. “People didn’t know what it meant, but it was important to me. It took me awhile to remember about center field and how I felt about it, but once it came into my mind, I thought: ‘Oh, that’s perfect. That’s exactly what I want to say.’”

Writing the title track was easy for Fogerty, who would say, “Put me in, Coach” as part of his everyday conversation. He loved the poem “Casey at the Bat” – he read it to his children – and imagined himself as a member of the “Mudville Nine, watchin’ it from the bench,” a reference to his absence from music.

Mays, DiMaggio and Ty Cobb are mentioned in the song, and Fogerty borrowed from Chuck Berry’s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” in describing a hitter on a home run trot.

“The brown-eyed, handsome man is probably Jackie Robinson,” Fogerty said. “Even if Chuck didn’t say so, it was in my mind.”

Good News!

2010-05-25T08:15:00.001-05:00

Fed is expected to transfer a record $70 billion to Treasury

The Congressional Budget Office said the Federal Reserve's income from mortgage-backed securities and other assets will allow it to send more than $70 billion to the Treasury Department.

"The Federal Reserve's actions to stabilize the financial markets are likely to significantly increase the amount of its remittances over the next few years," the CBO said. Bloomberg (5/24) , CNNMoney.com/Fortune/Street Sweep blog

The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Get started.

HA!

2010-05-18T18:03:00.003-05:00

Great News

2010-02-23T15:07:00.001-06:00

CBO: Up To 2.1 Million Jobs Created Thanks To Stimulus

Democrats saved the economy from the Bush recession

The massive stimulus package passed last year to blunt the impact of the worst U.S. recession in 70 years created up to 2.1 million jobs in the last three months of 2009, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

The package boosted the economy by up to 3.5 percent and lowered the unemployment rate by up to 2.1 percent during that period, CBO said.

One Fewer Hero in the World

2010-02-22T13:17:00.001-06:00

South Dakota Magazine |

We received a note last week about the death of Frank Base in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Base was a South Dakotan and one of the last survivors of World War II's hellish Bataan Death March.

Base grew up in Tyndall and worked as a clerk in a drug store. He enrolled at South Dakota State College in Brookings but left in 1942 to join the Army Air Corps as a medic. He was serving in the Philippines when the Japanese overran American and Filipino defenders on the Bataan Peninsula. They forced 75,000 prisoners of war on a 60-mile march in sweltering tropical heat, often denying them food or water. Stumbling, falling down or even vocal protests were death sentences. Japanese trucks were known to drive over marchers who had fallen. Japanese soldiers sometimes drove past those who were still walking and cut their throats. Base told family members he got smashed in the side with a rifle butt when he misunderstood a Japanese command while planting rice.

By the time Base was freed in 1945 he weighed 85 pounds. He returned to the U.S., got married, and went back to SDSC. He earned a degree in pharmacy and then moved to Hot Springs, where he ran a drug store until 1955 when they moved to Fort Lauderdale.

Here's a link to a larger story on Base that appeared in the Miami Herald.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-22T12:19:00.001-06:00

Photo Credit: Steve Corey, photomorrobay member
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA

You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.

-- C.S. Lewis

65 Years Ago

2010-02-19T21:54:00.001-06:00

Repost
Today marks the 64th anniversary of the Marines landing on Iwo Jima. Here’s a nice read about two Iwo Jima vets whose lives have since crossed paths.

The media doesn’t mark today quite like they do June 6th, but it was no less heroic or important than D-Day. So here’s a thanks to all our vets and personnel in uniform today.

For Iwo Jima vets, it's time to open up

Iwo Jima veterans Jim Wheeler of Falls Church, Va., left, and Tom Cox of McLean, Va.

Former Marines who talked little of bloody battle now fear that it could be forgotten For years, Tom Cox and Jim Wheeler would not talk about where they were 64 years ago today.

”I wouldn't talk about it to my wife for the first 25 years,” Cox said. “If I tried to talk about it, I'd start shaking. I was traumatized, as were a lot of people who were exposed to that horror.”

Both were 19-year-old Marines when the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest struggles of World War II, began on Feb. 19, 1945.

Wheeler was on a ship near the South Pacific island while Cox was landing on Iwo Jima. Wheeler went ashore the next day.

”We didn't like to remember all the carnage, all the dead bodies we saw, and the smell,” Wheeler said. “These were just things we wanted to forget about.”

Tonight the two friends will go to dinner near their homes in northern Virginia to reminisce about their experiences, as they do every year on the anniversary of the battle that American commanders predicted would last a matter of days but in fact raged for more than a month.

”Now that I've started talking about it, you can't shut me up,” said Cox, 83, of McLean. “I guess time heals a lot.”

Read the Rest

"Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God"..............

2010-02-19T21:51:00.000-06:00

by Philip E. Burnham, Jr.

Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God

And on the ninth day, God
In His infinite playfulness
Grass green grass, sky blue sky,
Separated the infield from the outfield,
Formed a skin of clay,
Assigned bases of safety
On cardinal points of the compass
Circling the mountain of deliverance,
Fashioned a wandering moon
From a horse, a string and a gum tree,
Tempered weapons of ash,
Made gloves from the golden skin of sacrificial bulls,
Set stars alight in the Milky Way,
Divided the descendants of Cain and Abel into contenders,
Declared time out, time in, stepped back,
And thundered over all of creation:

"Play ball!"

Sometimes...............Matt Brouwer

2010-02-19T21:47:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I'm afraid of what I might not get to say Sometimes I believe that everything is what it seems And we're just too scared to try Do we have what it takes when hope and clarity melt away To rise above our mistakes If we don't know any other way And we're just too scared to try

When it feels like there is nothing left It feels like this is as good as it gets It feels that way sometimes So let's take a second and catch our breath And realize this isn't over yet It just feels that way sometimes

Sometimes there can be so much more beyond what we see Sometimes I'm amazed how we see the world in different ways And were just too scared to try

When it feels like there is nothing left It feels like this is as good as it gets It feels that way sometimes So let's take a second and catch our breath And realize this isn't over yet It just feels that way sometimes

Nice!

2010-02-18T12:58:00.001-06:00

Check out this lady going after a burglar.

Simon---Ha!

2010-02-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Traffic Snarls for Miles

2010-02-18T07:56:00.000-06:00

Tiger's Mistresses Gather at Yankee Stadium for Press Conference

With Tiger Woods’ much-anticipated press conference set for Friday morning, thousands of the golf legend’s mistresses converged on Yankee Stadium to watch the proceedings on the stadium’s giant Jumbotron.

Traffic snarled for miles as the vehicles filled with cocktail waitresses, restaurant hostesses and Playboy models clogged the streets leading to the storied baseball venue.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the gathering “a first-class headache” and said that he regretted authorizing it.

“You have thousands of angry women in one place, anything can happen,” he said. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d rather host Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.”

Shandi Shanoyne, a former Tiger mistress and thong publicist who organized the Yankee Stadium event, said that the thousands of women at Yankee Stadium were anxious to hear what Mr. Woods has to say.

“A lot of us have been waiting for months for him to text us back,” she said.

Elsewhere, the winner of this year’s Westminster Dog Show, Sadie the Scottish Terrier, received a trophy and permission to bite Michael Vick.

What a Shot!

2010-02-17T13:24:00.000-06:00

Check out the shot made last night by Murray State freshman Isaiah Canaan. Solid call, too.

Toyota Lawnmower Recall

2010-02-17T11:21:00.001-06:00

Ha!

Forgotten War No More

2010-02-17T11:19:00.000-06:00

It's often referred to as the "forgotten war," but at last veterans of the Korean War are finally collecting long-overdue thanks and accolades. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force wants to make sure these veterans are remembered and honored throughout 2010, with a weekend-long celebration slated for June 24-26 in Dayton, Ohio.

Partnering with other organizations in the Dayton area to commemorate the war's 60th anniversary, the highlight of the weekend will be Thursday night's opening Dinner Under the Wings. In addition to dinner in the Modern Flight Gallery, museum staff will also unveil a new Korean War exhibit area. (See a slideshow of the new exhibit under development.)

On Friday, Wright-Patterson AFB presents its sixth annual Freedom's Call Military Tattoo, featuring live music, aircraft fly-overs, and a fireworks show. Admission is free. Preferred parking and seating will be available to Korean War veterans and their guests. And on Saturday, a memorial ceremony will recognize, honor, and remember the service and sacrifice of those who fought in the "Forgotten War" during a 5 p.m. ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in downtown Dayton.

Smoking with Big Shot Bob

2010-02-16T18:43:00.002-06:00

BLIZZARDS BLAMED ON OBAMA

Nancy Reagan Addresses Republicans
Commends them for “just saying no.”

Goldman Sachs Helped Greece Hide Catastrophic Burgeoning Debt
Another example of “Doing God's work.”

Study: Beer Builds Strong Bones
Which you'll need in a barroom brawl.

71% Say Palin Unqualified to Be President
But qualified to be GOP nominee.

Honda Recalls 440,000 for Airbags
Needed to protect Honda drivers from runaway Toyotas.

Sarah Palin Reportedly Bought 4000 Copies of Her Own Book
“She's a voracious reader,” says spokesperson.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-16T16:31:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit: Beth Sargent
Location: Cayucos Pier, Cayucos California

What is life? It is the flash of the firefly in the night. It is the breath of the buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

-- Crowfoot

Good Grief..........

2010-02-16T07:48:00.000-06:00

Kenneth Starr Named President of Baylor

Twelve years after his investigation led to the impeachment of President Clinton, Kenneth Starr now has a presidential title to call his own.

He was named president of Baylor University on Monday. Starr had previously served as dean of the Pepperdine law school in Malibu, California since 2004.

The former appellate court judge and longtime law professor shot to notoriety during his investigations the Whitewater land deal and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. In its public statement, Baylor cited Starr’s “depth of experience” and “his dedication to the highest ideals of the Christian faith” as its reasons for hiring him.

Read it at Associated Press

Vote for Bill White for Governor for Texas

2010-02-15T17:34:00.001-06:00

GORDON DUFF: OUR WAR ON TERROR’S “EMPTY NET”

2010-02-15T13:29:00.000-06:00

February 15, 2010 by Gordon Duff ·

NEARLY A DECADE LATER AND WE HAVE NOTHING

WAS THE ENTIRE “WAR ON TERROR” A RUSE?

By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor

It is 2010 and we know less about 9/11 each day. One “fact” after another comes into question until there are now none remaining. Same thing with the invasion of Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction existed, no “mobile bio-labs,” no nuclear program, no ties to Al Qaida, nothing. It was all invented, we have proven that much in 7 years of looking and not one piece of paper, not one shred of evidence. It turned out that the “yellow-cake uranium” was actually Hostess Twinkies.

We have been in Afghanistan even longer. We have never found those magical “training camps” we were looking for. We never found Usama bin Laden. In fact, we have found nothing at all. What should we have found? If 9/11 was planned in Afghanistan this is what should have been there:

We Are The World Video Of The Day

2010-02-15T13:07:00.001-06:00

It's hard to say anything negative about the We Are the World remake because it was done for charity, but let's be honest: It's pretty much the worst thing ever.

Download the song so the folks of Haiti can get the proceeds and then instantly delete it from your iTunes.

Anyway, here's the version that should've been the remake.

Palin by Comparison

2010-02-14T18:55:00.001-06:00

A (female) reader directed me to a site which uses a simple illustration technique to raise questions about "the cosmetics" of Sarah Palin.

If you click on the photo above, you'll get a sense of how it works.

Now, click through and roll over the examples.

Dear God! Cowboys Coach Wade Phillips Dancing To YMCA In Miami

2010-02-13T18:25:00.001-06:00

The horror…the horror.

I would hate to break to Wade, but the last I heard, G. Jeff Olson was doing just fine as the replacement for Randy Jones as the Cowboy in the Village People.

It’s…terrifyingly hypnotic. But it looks like old Wade’s popular with the ladies. Who knew?

Must-see video: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips dancing to YMCA in Miami [Dallas Cowboys Blog]

Great Story

2010-02-13T13:30:00.001-06:00

Duck Teaches Disabled Boy To Walk (VIDEO)
When Finlay Lomax had a stroke after his premature birth, doctors said he'd never walk again. No doubt you've heard that line before, but have you ever heard of a duck being the one to prove doctors wrong?

Finlay's mother, Becci Lomax, had nearly given up hope until Ming-Ming, a lame duck, gave her son the inspiration he needed, Reuters reported.

"Ming-Ming came into our lives with a splayed leg and needed his own little casting, like Finlay usually has his little cast on," Lomax said. "Finlay's kind of able to see himself in the duck."

WATCH:

The Importance of Marketing

2010-02-12T16:57:00.002-06:00

How about a Happy Feel Good song by one of the greatest guitarist ever for one of the late greatest guitarist ever?

2010-02-12T14:33:00.001-06:00

Ray of Hope

2010-02-12T13:04:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit: Howard Ignatius Photography
Location: Yellowstone National Park

You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

-- Christopher Columbus

Great Ad

2010-02-11T14:40:00.001-06:00

Via Ads of the World.

It Never Stops...........

2010-02-11T09:05:00.000-06:00

The Low-Profile Finance Kings

While everyone was watching to see what kind of money Goldman Sach's Lloyd Blankfein would make this year—it turned about to be $9.7 million—other not so famous names in finance were taking home the bacon.

The biggest earner this year was John Stumpf, the head of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo. He earned $18.7 million in cash and stocks.

The bailout has turned the normal order of compensation upside in finance, as high profile executives receive the same amount and sometimes less as those executives who work for them, The New York Times reports.

Credit card giants did particularly well: Visa's Joseph Saunders made $15.5 million, more than what top execs at Bank of America and Citigroup were paid.

Read it at The New York Times

Ha!

2010-02-11T08:08:00.000-06:00

BofA's $19 Billion Woman (FINS)

Lisa Carnoy is BofA/ML's new co-head of global capital markets.

She helped the bank raise $19 billion to help pay off a TARP loan.

Six million dollar man? So last century.

Cool Ad Watch

2010-02-10T16:33:00.001-06:00

(Hat tip: TDW)

6 to 1...........

2010-02-10T16:30:00.002-06:00

While layoffs have been declining, companies are still reluctant to hire, a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, in December there were once again over six unemployed people for every one job opening in the country.

Drew Brees teaches Pre-Game chant at Lucy’s bar post Super Bowl

2010-02-10T13:20:00.000-06:00

Pretty cool. I guess Drew just rolled up to this place unannounced after the parade because he wanted to celebrate with the locals.

Dog Saves

2010-02-10T13:16:00.000-06:00

Dog Saves Family From Fire That Cat Started…Typical

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (NBC) — A Florida family’s Golden Retriever is being called a canine hero, while the family’s cat should probably be sent to the “dog house.” Bubba, the retriever, started barking when flames erupted inside the Lake Worth duplex just before midnight. Bubba’s loud barks are being credited with waking everyone up and getting them out of the burning house. They believe if not for him they would have died in the fire. The occupants believe the fire may have started when the family cat knocked over a burning candle. The house was heavily damaged.

Game, set, match. I mean how many times do I have to go over this? It’s the classic good vs. evil situation. Dogs save lives. Cats snuff em out. I just hope that Bubba has a security detail for the next couple weeks because you know that that Stewey is going to be gunning for him. Career criminals like Stewey the Cat don’t just go quietly into the night when their plans get foiled like this. He’ll probably poison his food or try to stab him with a kitchen knife. Seriously this is a Cape Fear type situation for poor Bubba.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-10T12:18:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit: Pauline Rosenberg
Location: Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia

What can we do
but keep on breathing in and out,
modest and willing, and in our places?

-- Mary Oliver

Super Dogs.........Love Bulldogs

2010-02-10T12:07:00.000-06:00

Tillman the Snowboarding Dog and Other Beasts of the Winter Olympics

We can't wait for the Winter Olympics. In fact the only thing better is when animals try their hands at the snowy sports.

Four-year-old bulldog Tillman is part of a display team of snowboarding dogs which are currently performing in the U.S., ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics‎ in Vancouver, Canada.

The dogs seem to love nothing more than jumping onto the miniature boards and sliding down the slopes -- even kicking in the snow to make themselves go faster.

Owner and trainer Ron Davis says Tillman first showed an interest in extreme sports when he jumped on a skateboard several years ago. He has since become a Guinness World Record holder with the title of "World's Fastest Skateboarding Dog" and also enjoys surfing.

But if dogs could compete in snowboarding events, we wondered what other winter sports they might be good at. Click through for video evidence of what we found.

Bulldogs love snowboarding ...

As do Beagles ...

What the Billboard Really Says.............

2010-02-10T08:40:00.001-06:00

I Knew He Was Tom Brady's Son....The Cap Gave it Away

2010-02-09T17:26:00.002-06:00

First Photo — Meet Tom and Gisele's Son Benjamin!

The Brazilian magazine Quem got its hands on the first photos of Gisele Bunchden and her son Benjamin, taken during a trip out in Boston at the end of January. So far this is the only image out of little Benjamin, who's looking so cute at just 2 months old!

Gisele, meanwhile, is already getting back to modeling with her first shoot for the Brazilian brand Colcci. She might be giving up a lot of work to stay home with her son, though Gisele said she's feeling ready to pose again after a minute of post-birth doubt.

Tom Brady's son, Benjamin, who looks like he borrowed dad's hat.

Great Stuff...................Click here to find out more! Your request is being processed... DC Snow Time Lapse VIDEO

2010-02-09T16:54:00.000-06:00

YouTube user 'amandareckonwith' posted this time lapse video showing the massive snowfall in Washington DC on February 5 and 6.

The user writes that the video was made with a "Nikon D200 set to make an exposure every 5 minutes. 328 frames at 12 fps."

Send Them Your Love............

2010-02-09T16:47:00.002-06:00

Dear Bob --

Valentine's Day can break your heart -- especially when you're far away from the person you love.

And for our troops and their loved ones, knowing the risks that go with service in wartime only increases the pain of separation.

So, we've got to do everything we can to help make Valentine's Day a joyful one for our troops and those they love.

For months, we've been gathering thousands of Valentine's Day cards to send to our service men and women. It's not too late to add your name and your heartfelt wishes. Act right now to post an online Valentine's Day message with words of encouragement for our service members and their families.

Share your Valentine's Day message with our troops.

For four decades now, I've been spending time with the troops on USO tours. I've seen just how difficult it is for our service members to be apart from their loved ones.

But I've also seen how their faces light up when they hear kind words from supporters like you.

It's easy to place your personal message on the USO Valentine's Day wall -- just share your words of support, and troops and their families will be able to read them online from anywhere in the world.

This is a wonderful way to help our men and women in uniform enjoy a touch of home, no matter where they are.

Add your voice and share a Valentine's Day message with the troops.

Thanks so much for thinking of our troops this Valentine's Day.

Sincerely,

Wayne Newton

Palin's Thinks Bush ............

2010-02-09T16:41:00.003-06:00

In her big speech at the right-wing "tea party convention," Palin had the gall to blame President Obama and Democrats in Congress for the mess that her party created in the first place.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-09T13:24:00.001-06:00

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Haslam
Location: Cayucos, California

Character is formed in the stormy billows of the world.

-- Johann von Goethe

My Opinion.........Good Grief!

2010-02-08T19:26:00.004-06:00

On Sunday, in the wake of Paul McCartney (2005), the Rolling Stones (’06), Prince (’07), Tom Petty (’08) and Bruce Springsteen (’09), Super Bowl XLIV gave us the saddest, most tired musical spectacle yet: the band that pretends to be the Who.

Who Dat Booked The Who for the Super Bowl Halftime Show?

I Like It............

2010-02-08T18:37:00.003-06:00

Ahhhh.............Nice............

2010-02-08T17:36:00.001-06:00

Ellicott City, Maryland, 9.45 am.

The book, The View From Your Window, with 200 of the best window views published by the Dish over the last three years, beginning at dawn and ending at dusk with a foreword by Andrew Sullivan, can be previewed here and ordered here.

Not Today, Not Ever..........

2010-02-08T17:30:00.001-06:00

Bush Billboard Looms Over Highway

George W. Bush is back...in billboard form. Hovering over I-35 near Wyoming, Minn., is an ominous/how'd-anyone-take-him-seriously pic of the former president with the question, "Miss Me Yet?"

There have been no reports as to who is behind the billboard. For all we know Bush put it up after finding a picture of himself as he was about to catch a hamburger at a barbecue. (via NPR)

Ray of Hope

2010-02-08T12:43:00.001-06:00

None but ourselves can free our minds.

-- Bob Marley

Toyota Unveils New Slogan: “Drive a Toyota. You’ll Never Stop.”

2010-02-08T12:41:00.000-06:00

Hopes to Reverse Public Relations Setbacks

TOKYO – Hoping to reverse a series of public relations setbacks, Toyota today unveiled a new slogan, “Drive a Toyota. You’ll Never Stop.”

Company spokesman Hiroshi Kyosuke said that the slogan was chosen after the company considered several others, including “Toyota Puts the Pedal to the Metal. And Keeps it There.”

Mr. Kyosuke said that the company considered, but then abandoned, the slogan, “Toyota. The Last Car You’ll Ever Drive.”

Ha!

2010-02-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

: T.O. to become Ochouno?

Thursday came the news of Chad Ochocinco saying that he wanted to see Terrell Owens sign with the Bengals. During a party in Miami on Friday, which was attended by coach Marvin Lewis, Owens said that he would change his name to Ochouno if he came to Cincinnati. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

The Very Best

2010-02-06T22:33:00.001-06:00

February 7, 2010

Interesting........I lived in Dallas for 3 years during this period.....What a Growth Time

2010-02-06T22:22:00.001-06:00

Dallas "Boomburbs"

download large image (5 MB, JPEG) acquired August 4, 2009

download large image (4 MB, JPEG) acquired August 31, 1984

Historically, as suburbs of big cities grew, they developed into small versions of their parent city, complete with their own urban core: a downtown business and shopping district surrounded by high-density housing. In the late twentieth century, however, the “boomburb” emerged. Boomburbs are suburbs with populations over 100,000 that are experiencing double-digit growth rates. Lacking a true downtown, their growth is sprawling: strip development along highways backed by large-lot subdivisions.

NASA’s Landsat 5 satellite captured these images of three boomburbs—Irving, Carrollton, and Plano—along the northeastern margin of the Dallas Metropolitan area. Between August 31, 1984 (top), and August 4, 2009 (bottom), each of these suburbs grew explosively, filling in the patchwork of agricultural lands to the north and west of Dallas. Irving expanded westward to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport and northward to North Lake. Carrollton grew northwest toward Lake Lewisville, while Plano completely filled the territory between two tree-lined creeks.

According to a 2001 study based on the 2000 Census, Irving had a population of just 2,621 in 1950. Fifty years later, the population had grown to 191,615—an increase of 7,211 percent, making it the fastest-growing boomburb in the country. Carrollton grew from 4,242 residents to 109,576 between 1960 and 2000, while Plano grew from 3,695 to 222,030.

With the exception of Chicago, American boomburbs are a phenomenon of the South and West. Of All American cities, Phoenix, Arizona, is the one with the largest percentage of its metro population (42 percent) living in boomburbs. Phoenix’s fastest-growing boomburb (as of the 2000 census) was Chandler.

Now You Know.............

2010-02-06T16:34:00.001-06:00

The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Max, invented and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946, the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees.

The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's Office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.

Henry was curious and invited them into his office. They refused and instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car.

They persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately. .

The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent.

The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having a label, 'The Goldberg Air-Conditioner, ' on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed.

Now old man Ford was more than just a little anti-Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the Goldberg's name on two million Fords.

They haggled back and forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 Million and that just their first names would be shown.

And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show -- Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max --on the controls.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-05T17:52:00.002-06:00

There's something liberating about not pretending. Dare to embarrass yourself. Risk.

-- Drew Barrymore

Supreme Court Brought to You By

2010-02-05T11:13:00.003-06:00

GOP Breaks Promise to Work Together

2010-02-05T11:11:00.000-06:00

Lone Republican Blocks All Obama Nominees

Maybe it's time to revisit the Senate's arcane rules, which allow any individual senator to block any presidential appointee on a whim.

With dozens of government posts still unfilled, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is reportedly throwing a historically unprecedented temper tantrum by placing a hold on at least 70 presidentially nominated jobs. Shelby's office will not talk to reporters about the reported move, which can be undertaken anonymously, but according to Congress Daily the lawmaker has clashed with the White House over a $40 billion military contract whose recipient is threatening to scrap a planned factory in Mobile, Alabama.

Holds force the Senate to break a filibuster, which requires 60 votes and can slow Congressional business to a crawl even if the vote succeeds.

Read it at Talking Points Memo

Great Story

2010-02-04T21:13:00.001-06:00

Oakland Prospect Retires to Join Priesthood

By TYLER KEPNER

Grant Desme hit 31 home runs and stole 40 bases in Class A last season, and as an encore, he was named most valuable player of the Arizona Fall League. The Oakland Athletics had plans to invite Desme, a 23-year-old outfielder, to spring training next month.

But Desme retired on Friday to become a Roman Catholic priest. In a conference call with reporters, he said he would join St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, Calif., this August.

“I love the game, but I’m going to aspire to higher things,” Desme said. “I know I have no regrets.”

Desme, a second-round pick in the 2007 draft, told Oakland General Manager Billy Beane of his decision on Friday and said Beane was supportive. Desme said his breakout season in 2009 had left him unfulfilled and confirmed his uneasy feelings about continuing with baseball.

In 2008, when injuries limited him to just two games, Desme said he realized his higher calling.

“My injuries, I would say, have been the biggest blessing God’s ever given me,” he said. “For my entire life, I’ve defined myself as a baseball player, and in a way it’s been an idol. When it was taken, it was an eye-opener. It was a shock.”

Desme continued: “Either way, if I played in the big leagues and became a Hall of Famer, it’s still going to end. I really started doing some soul-searching of who I was and who I wanted to be. This is where it has led me.”

Have the Book on Pre-Order with Amazon....

2010-02-04T21:05:00.002-06:00

Willie Mays, at 78, Decides to Tell His Story

By BRUCE WEBER

On the night of April 29, 1961, at dinner in Milwaukee, Willie Mays ate some bad barbecue. He was up all night, sick to his stomach, and so wobbly the next afternoon he told Alvin Dark, the manager of the San Francisco Giants, to erase his name from the lineup. Lew Burdette was scheduled to pitch for the Braves.

Willie Mays is the subject of “Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend,” out next month.

“I didn’t know if I could even swing,” Mays said recently on a brief trip to New York. “But during batting practice, a kid named Joey Amalfitano, he come up to me and says, ‘Try this bat.’ And everything I hit was going out of the ballpark. So I said, ‘O.K., I can play.’ ”

Mays hit four home runs that day — “Two off Burdette, one off Seth Morehead, and one off a kid named Don McMahon,” he said — and he drove in eight runs, maybe the finest day at the plate in a career that has had few, if any, equals.

The story of Mays’s bellyache and Amalfitano’s lucky bat is one of many juicy baseball tales in ”Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend” by James S. Hirsch, to be published in February by Scribner. An exhaustive accounting of Mays’s life, it is the first time Mays has cooperated with a biographer, and its imminent appearance has sent Mays on the promotional trail, an occasion for him to reminisce about his exploits and buff them. That day in Milwaukee, he said, he was robbed by Hank Aaron, who was not even playing his regular position.

Looking forward to reading it.

Great Thinking...............

2010-02-04T17:51:00.001-06:00

Sandwich Sack, Secure! Plastic Zip + Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

Unfortunately, having a zip lock may hold in freshness but it will not stop prying fingers from making off with your lunch.

Perhaps a bit of green (no, not the ‘eco’ kind) will do the trick – or at least get people thinking carefully about whether or not to steal your stuff.

Yes, a few spots of mold may work wonders to protect your precious sandwich when your custom labels, pleading requests and desperate detective work fail to find your regular at-work lunch thief.

Reusable, resealable, one-size-fits-all and ready to go right out of the box (or brown paper bag), these clever little containers from Think of The might seem more like a prank object or gag toy than a functional product but it will almost certainly deter even the hungriest of would-be food hackers.

Ray of Hope

2010-02-04T17:02:00.002-06:00

I dream. Sometimes I think that's the only right thing to do.

-- Haruki Murakami

Future Weather in the Gulf of Mexico for the Super Bowl?

2010-02-04T15:53:00.003-06:00

No Doubt!

2010-02-04T15:26:00.000-06:00

Ladies love men who talk about McDonald's

For men out there who have difficulty approaching attractive women, here's an idea. Try making more small talk about McDonald's! She will almost certainly love it. At least, she loves it in this new McDonald's commercial from DDB (and Tool of North America). File this advice away alongside Wendy's suggestion that beautiful ladies will flirt with you if you bring a smelly bag of fast food onto an airplane.

Great Stuff

2010-02-04T15:22:00.001-06:00

Beer rangers devoted to New Belgium's IPA

To introduce Ranger IPA, New Belgium Brewing's sales crew are being conscripted to don uniforms and appear as "beer rangers" in print and online ads.

They'll also visit bars (where they'll get punched out) and retail outlets (where they'll be asked by disaffected teens to buy booze and then get punched out). Cultivator Advertising & Design in Denver concocted the campaign, along with the mission statement: "To protect. To pour. To partake."

There's a hip-hop video that's so unwatchable, you'll immediate hit replay just to see if it was real. (Your brain dies on the third viewing, but that's when it actually gets kind of good.)

You can also "ranger yourself," but who would do so while sober?

The guys look like Boy Scouts to me. The Scouts would never condone underage drinking.

But it would be a hoot making them say "jumpin' jamboree" 15 times fast, after they've downed some drafts, to earn that IPA merit badge.

Check out the Video

I believe this is correct on Austin and San Antonio.....

2010-02-04T15:10:00.001-06:00

USAToday - Fresno, Calif., tops Men’s Health magazine’s list of America’s “drunkest” cities while Boston, home to the “Cheers” bar where everyone knows your name, was deemed the “least drunk,” besting even Salt Lake City. The magazine, which will publish the list of 100 major cities in i’s March edition, drew upon such data as death rates from alcoholic liver disease, booze-fueled car crashes, frequency of binge-drinking in the past month, number of DUI arrests, and severity of DUI penalties.

See full list below, including grades for each city from A to F

“Drunkest” cities:

Fresno, Calif.
Reno, Nev.
Billings, Mont.
Riverside, Calif.
Austin
St. Louis
San Antonio
Lubbock, Texas
Tucson
Bakersfield, Calif.

“Least drunk” cities:

Boston
Yonkers, N.Y.
Rochester, N.Y.
Salt Lake City
Miami
Newark
Durham, N.C.
New York City
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Manchester, N.H.

Ha!

2010-02-04T14:26:00.001-06:00

Toyota Says Cup Holders Still Working Great

Rest Your Beverages With Confidence, Says Carmaker

TOKYO (The Borowitz Report) – Embattled automaker Toyota today said that despite problems with accelerators and brakes, the cup holders on its most popular car models were “perfectly safe to use.”

“Feel free to enjoy the beverage of your choice and know that you can rest it in one of our cup holders with confidence,” said Tokyo spokesman Hiroshi Kyosuke. “Our cup holders are world-class.”

But Mr. Kyosuke’s upbeat comments about Toyota’s cup holders were undercut somewhat later in the day by congressional testimony from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“You should only feel safe to use your cup holder if your Toyota is parked in your driveway,” Mr. LaHood said. “At 80 miles per hour, the cup holder becomes a rocket launcher.”

Toyota’s stock plunged 17 percent on the Transportation Secretary’s remarks, prompting him to issue the following statement: “Opposite of what I said.”

Great Story

2010-02-03T20:11:00.003-06:00

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Veteran Gives Gift of Sight

A 76-year-old retired optician makes weekly rounds at a veteran's center, repairing eyeglasses for free. As Barry Peterson reports, this Vietnam veteran takes pride in serving his country once again.

Super Hero--------Looks Like Fun!

2010-02-03T17:28:00.000-06:00

Ray of Hope

2010-02-03T14:48:00.001-06:00

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

-- Jane Goodall

Hey, what is Senator McConnell doing on here?

2010-02-03T13:37:00.002-06:00

Really Sad.........

2010-02-02T16:55:00.001-06:00

Wife Of Novacek Died Of ‘Self-Inflicted’ Gunshot

Posted by Brooks

WFAA-TV in Dallas reports the heartbreaking news:

The wife of Jay Novacek, a former Dallas Cowboys tight end, was found dead Monday morning at her mother’s home in Burleson.

Police said LeAnne Novacek died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities found Novacek dead in the bedroom of the home after receiving a call from a family member at 8:37 a.m.

Jay Novacek was not at the residence when police arrived. Police said no suicide note was found.

WFAA Video:

Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com reports, “The Tarrant County coroner’s office said an autopsy would be performed on Tuesday. The police investigation is ongoing.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Novacek's Family.

If you have Sons, Take them to a Monster Jam......

2010-02-02T14:36:00.001-06:00

Monster Jam: HHH Minneapolis MN January 23, 2010 Avenger wins the Free Style.

The crowd goes WILD!

Ray of Hope

2010-02-02T14:20:00.002-06:00

The truth is rarely pure, and never simple.

-- Oscar Wilde

The Republicans' Reagan Amnesia

2010-02-02T08:52:00.001-06:00

by Peter Beinart

The resurgent GOP wants a Gipper purity test. Does the party faithful know he raised taxes, grew the federal government, and granted amnesty to illegal immigrants?

Republicans love hallowing Ronald Reagan’s name. Too bad they know so little about the guy.

Last week in Hawaii, the Republican National Committee almost passed a resolution named after the Gipper. “Whereas President Ronald Reagan believed that the Republican Party should support and espouse conservative principles and public policies,” it declared, only candidates who complied with eight of 10 “Reaganite” principles would be eligible for party funds.

The GOP isn’t as close to a political rebirth as its boosters believe.

And what were those principles, exactly? No. 1—according to the resolution—was “smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes.” Let’s take those from the top. Smaller government: Federal employment grew by 61,000 during Reagan’s presidency—in part because Reagan created a whole new cabinet department, the department of veterans affairs. (Under Bill Clinton, by contrast, federal employment dropped by 373,000). Smaller deficits and debt: Both nearly tripled on Reagan’s watch. Lower taxes: Although Reagan muscled through a major tax cut in 1981, he followed up by raising taxes in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986. In 1983, in fact, he not only raised payroll taxes; he raised them to pay for Social Security and Medicare. Let’s put this in language today’s tea-baggers can understand: Reagan raised taxes to pay for government-run health care.

Then there’s plank number five: Reaganite candidates must “oppos[e] amnesty for illegal immigrants.” Really? Because if you look up the word “amnesty” in Black’s Law Dictionary, you’ll find a reference to the 1986 bill that Reagan signed, which ended up granting amnesty to 2.7 million illegal immigrants.

Then there’s foreign policy. Plank number six demands that candidates back the surges in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what did Reagan do in his biggest confrontation with jihadist terror? When Hezbollah murdered 241 U.S. servicemen in Beirut in 1983, the Gipper didn’t surge; he withdrew the remaining American troops, and fast. Plank number 7 calls for “effective [read military] action to eliminate” Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs. But Reagan condemned Israel’s 1981 preventive strike against an Iraqi nuclear reactor. And plank number nine requires steadfast opposition to abortion. Yet two of Reagan’s three Supreme Court nominees voted to uphold Roe v. Wade. Turns out this Reagan guy wasn’t really that Reaganite after all.

CATHOLIC COFFEE

2010-02-01T21:08:00.000-06:00

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee.

The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."

The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop.. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'."

The third Catholic gent says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says 'Your Eminence'."

The fourth Catholic man then says, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'."

Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men give her a subtle, "Well....?"
She proudly replies, "I have a daughter,

Slim,

Tall,

38D breast,

24" waist and

34" hips.

When she walks into a room, people say, "Oh My God."

How Trillion-Dollar Deficits Were Created

2010-02-01T16:23:00.003-06:00

To understand the looming deficits, The New York Times analyzed Congressional Budget Office projections of the budget surplus or deficit for the years 2009-12, President Obama’s current term.

The budget office has been making estimates for these years for nearly a decade now.

The numbers that appear below are the average annual deficit or surplus for this four-year period.

Click on the graph for a larger size

Ha!

2010-02-01T13:45:00.002-06:00

There's a very simple formula that goes into making a successful commercial. Nudity=people will watch the whole thing.

Bud Light People are the Best!

This is Why There are Helmets for Ice Skateboarders.

2010-02-01T13:37:00.002-06:00

Shaun White crashes at the X Games

Ha!

2010-02-01T08:50:00.001-06:00

In my ongoing attempt to find news that is bullish for agriculture I ran across the following Associated Press story. I don’t know what else to say about the story but I was pretty happy to see my wife thawing pork chops for supper tonight.

Argentine president: Eat pork, spice your sex life.

President Fernandez tells Argentines they'll have a better sex life if they eat more pork.

Unbelievable..........

2010-02-01T08:22:00.000-06:00

$100M Bonus for Goldman CEO?

Goldman Sachs could pay its chief executive Lloyd Blankfein a bonus of up to $100 million, in defiance of President Obama’s insistence that banks limit such huge payouts, according to bankers at Davos for the World Economic Forum.

“This is Lloyd thumbing his nose at Obama,” a banker from a rival company told the Times of London.

Obama has called the mega-bonuses paid by some banks “the height of irresponsibility” and “shameful.”

Blankfein was paid a record $67.9 million in 2007; Goldman’s 2009 profit was $1.8 billion higher than in 2007, which may provide a tiny bit of political cover for a bigger bonus.

Read it at The Times of London

How to Handle GOP Tantrums

2010-01-31T10:43:00.002-06:00

How to Handle GOP Tantrums
by Lee Siegel

The "party of no" is acting out—and getting its way. Lee Siegel on the lessons parenting could teach the president about dealing with the petulant opposition party.

Read Here

Elizabeth Warren Does The Daily Show Again

2010-01-30T17:13:00.000-06:00

By Paul Kedrosky ·

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Elizabeth Warren

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Market Update

2010-01-30T17:10:00.001-06:00

by CalculatedRisk

Since it is the end of January ... here is a market update:

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

The first graph shows the S&P 500 since 1990.

The dashed line is the closing price today. The S&P 500 was first at this level in March 1998; almost 12 years ago.

The market is off 6.6% from the recent peak - not even a correction yet, but keep your Dow 10K hats at the ready (the Dow is down to 10,067)!

The S&P 500 is up 59% from the bottom in 2009 (397 points), and still off 31% from the peak (491 points below the max).

The second graph is from Doug Short of dshort.com (financial planner): "Four Bad Bears".

Note that the Great Depression crash is based on the DOW; the three others are for the S&P 500.

Posted by CalculatedRisk

Summers: "Statistical recovery and a human recession"

2010-01-30T17:07:00.000-06:00

by CalculatedRisk

Quote of the day ...

""What we see in the United States and some other economies is a statistical recovery and a human recession."
Larry Summers, Davos, Jan 30, 2010 (via CNBC)

Click on graph for larger image in new winder.

This graph shows the job losses from the start of the employment recession, in percentage terms (as opposed to the number of jobs lost).

The current employment recession is the worst since WWII in percentage terms, and 2nd worst in terms of the unemployment rate (only early '80s recession with a peak of 10.8 percent was worse).

And the graph is before the annual benchmark revision that will be announced next Friday, and is expected to show the loss of an additional 824,000 jobs.

Barack Obama: Why I Voted for This Guy

2010-01-30T17:05:00.002-06:00

Tom Brookshier dies at 78

2010-01-30T14:36:00.001-06:00

Longtime Eagles defensive back and NFL broadcaster Tom Brookshier died Friday at the age of 78. Brookshier lost a battle with cancer.

Brookshier, one of seven Eagles to have his number retired, was a two-time All-Pro defensive back and played for the Eagles' 1960 championship squad. He spent all seven of his professional seasons, interrupted by a stint in the Air Force, with the Eagles and finished his career with 20 career interceptions.

After his playing days ended, Brookshier teamed with Pat Summerall on CBS's top broadcast team. The pair worked together for most of the 1970s on game broadcasts and also narrated the popular This Week in Football highlight show. He and Summerall parted ways when John Madden was elevated to the top team in 1981, but Brookshier remained with the network until 1987. Most of Brookshier's career was before my time as a football watcher, but I've heard people speak highly of his work on several occasions.

Eagles coach Andy Reid shared his thoughts on Brookshier in a statement released by the team.

"Tom Brookshier is one of all-time greats, both for what he did on the field and for the kind of man he was off the field. I will always remember him for his booming and bright personality. He had an uncanny love for life, a love for his family and a love for the game of football, especially for the Philadelphia Eagles. He bled green and I will always cherish our conversations and the relationship that we fostered throughout my tenure in Philadelphia."

Our condolences go out to Brookshier's friends and family.

“The Agony of Defeat.”

2010-01-29T17:32:00.001-06:00

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the loss to the Saints, and Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle after being sacked and throwing an interception in 1964 against the Steelers.

As a kid, I loved reading about football history and studying black-and-white images of great players from the past.

One photograph has always stuck in my mind: Y.A. Tittle on his knees, blood dripping down his forehead, after losing a game in 1964.

I was never a Giants fan, but I always found that photograph very moving, and couldn’t help but feel bad for Tittle.

For him, fate meant 17 years of pro football, numerous passing records, and two M.V.P.’s, but no championships. Brett Favre at least has a Super Bowl ring, but watching him get brutalized by the Saints made me think of the Tittle photograph, which is widely known as “The Agony of Defeat.”

Read More

Your Odds of Dating a Supermodel:

2010-01-29T09:56:00.000-06:00

The first problem with trying to figure your odds of dating a supermodel is trying to define what separates a regular model from a supermodel, and then figuring out how many supermodels are out there. Luckily for us, Stars-Portraits.com has a list of supermodels, so we’ll just use that as our basis. Stars Portraits counts about 320 supermodels, which seems like a reasonable estimate.

There are about 116 million males 15 and older in the United States, and about 57 million are single. If each of them had the same odds of dating a supermodel, and we assumed that all the supermodels on the list were unmarried and would date an American, your odds of dating a supermodel would be somewhere around one in 178,100. That’s not so good.

But it also ignores that different people will have vastly differing odds. A farmer living in Indiana is not very likely to meet, let alone date, a supermodel. If you really want to date a supermodel, there are a couple things you can do to better your odds:

Move to one of the two fashion capitals of the United States—New York or Los Angeles. The combined population of males 15-and-older in those two cities is about 4.6 million, and of those, just 2 million are single. Already, just by moving, you’ve improved your odds almost 30-fold, to around one in 7,127. That’s still a very low number, but it’s better than what you had before.

Become professionally successful. While it is difficult to precisely define success, the highest income group reported by the US Census is those with incomes greater than $100,000 so that’s what we’ll use. Though we do not have statistics for New York and LA specifically, nationally, 1 in 15.36 men who live alone (because a supermodel presumably wouldn’t want to date a guy who lives with a roommate, or in his parent’s basement) have an income of at least $100,000. So being successful will improve your odds to around one in 150. It’s still a long shot, but compared to our first guesstimate, things aren’t looking so bad!

There are two additional factors which are out of your control, but if you have them going for you, your odds can potentially get even better.

You are tall. Given the height of supermodels, it is unlikely they’ll date a man shorter than six feet tall, unless you are the head of a major power, like the 5’5’’ Nicholas Sarkozy, who is married to the 5’9” Carla Bruni. 1 in 5.05 American men are at least six feet tall, so if you’re lucky enough to fit into that category, your odds of dating a supermodel might increase proportionally, to about one in 34.

You are good looking. Economic and psychological research has shown that attractive people are more likely to date and marry other attractive people, so if you’re good-looking it stands to reason that your chances of being with a model are much improved. Supermodels are some of the most beautiful women on the planet, so they won’t just date anyone, for the most part. Let’s guesstimate that they will generally only consider you a serious prospect if you’re in the top 20 percent of the best-looking men in the room. In that case, your odds might increase to one in 7. Considering that we started at one in 178,100, things are looking pretty good.

All you have to do is be tall, attractive, wealthy, and live in New York or LA and you might have a shot at bagging a supermodel. Or you could just be Tom Brady—that works too.

via bookofodds.com

Typical...........

2010-01-29T07:40:00.001-06:00

When I was a Kid, He was My favorite......He was the Best!!

2010-01-26T21:01:00.004-06:00

Links to Captain 11 Facebook Pages
•Friends of Captain 11 (updated most often)
•Captain 11

The man who signed KELO-TV on the air in May 1953 before going on to host the longest-running children's program in the country has died. Dave Dedrick, also known as Captain 11, passed away in Sioux Falls at the age of 81.

Dedrick was one of the first employees at KELOLAND; his was the first voice to be broadcast when KELO-TV first began broadcasting on May 19, 1953. In addition to his duties as Captain 11, Dedrick also worked as a weather forecaster during nightly newscasts..

In 1955, Dedrick won a coin toss to become the host of a new children's program. He entertained generations of children for 41 years as Captain 11. To this day, fans of the show can recite the opening to Captain 11, which began with, "One man in each century is given the power to control time." And at the end of every show, Dedrick issued a reminder to his young fans:

"Remember, gang. Mind mom and dad, eat everything they tell you to eat, brush your teeth and say your prayers before you go to bed. That's the most important part. So long crew, nice being with you."

It has been leaked..............

2010-01-26T19:48:00.001-06:00

Obama Opposes Pants on the Ground

State of the Union Address Leaked

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - In his first State of the Union Address Wednesday night, President Barack Obama will attempt to reach out to middle class voters by stating his opposition to pants on the ground.

In an advance copy of the President's speech obtained by The Borowitz Report, Mr. Obama uses the phrase "pants on the ground" no fewer than sixteen times.

"My fellow Americans, let's be clear: if you wear your pants on the ground, and your hat to the side, you run the risk of looking like a fool," Mr. Obama says.

"Let us all work together, as Americans, to lift those pants off the ground," the President continues in one of the speech's rhetorical flourishes.

In a similar vein, at one point the President indicates that he will veto any healthcare bill that pays for "gold in your mouth."

Mr. Obama's opposition to pants on the ground is seen by many as an attempt to reach out to Republicans, for whom droopy trousers have been a winning issue.

But so far, early GOP reaction to the President's speech has been muted, if comments by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) are any indication.

"Quite frankly, we were opposed to pants on the ground until he was," Rep. Boehner said. "Now we're for them."

Interesting............

2010-01-26T14:48:00.000-06:00

Hamartia.

The "tragic flaw" described by Aristotle: A leader cannot control his own inner shortcoming, which causes him to achieve the reverse of what he desired.

In "Antigone," the king, Creon, tells himself he is acting in the interest of the city, when actually he is acting to glorify his own ego -- this hamartia destroys him. Brett Favre comes up a bit short of a character in ancient Thebes, but on Sunday he was brought low by hamartia all the same.

It was not enough for Favre's team to reach the Super Bowl -- he had to get the credit. Game tied with 19 seconds remaining, Favre scrambled at about the New Orleans 40-yard line, with open field ahead of him. All he needed to do was run a few yards, hook-slide, call timeout, and the Vikings' strong-legged kicker, Ryan Longwell, had a solid chance to win the NFC championship. But the credit had to go to Favre; he had to throw a spectacular pass at the end, so television announcers would swoon. So he heave-hoed a dramatic across-the-field pass. It was intercepted, and the Saints won in overtime.

Perhaps you are thinking, "It was just a dumb mistake, and the whole thing happened in a couple of seconds." No. Two years of Favre's life built up to that moment. For two years, Favre has insisted that entire NFL franchises, the Jets and the Vikings, become thralls to his celebrity. He has used his stature to demand, demand, demand -- the crux of the demands are always attention and publicity for himself. Now he is brought low.

In two of the past three seasons, Favre has lost in the NFC Championship Game. Each time, his team seemed poised to win at the end; each time, Favre's final play was a disastrous interception. And each of those title losses eventually came in overtime -- to punish Favre for his hamartia, twice the football gods allowed him to come so close, so close, then denied him. Favre has been brought so low, he is now being laughed at in Wisconsin, and he has only himself to blame. Aristotle would not be surprised by the ending of the Favre saga.

If, of course, it was the ending.

The Jinx Strikes Again

2010-01-25T22:13:00.000-06:00

Brett Favre, Mark Sanchez

I Liked these Newspapers this Morning About the Vikings

2010-01-25T19:25:00.001-06:00

Poor Vikings!

Big Shot Bob in Texas

Last!

There!

Outdoorsman

Did Sarah Palin Get a Boob Job?

David Letterman's "Top Ten Things Overheard At Rush Limbaugh's Wedding"

100% Guaranteed To Make You Cry

"...and behold, a white horse..."

Forget Simon, This Is About Crystal

‘Centerfield’

John Fogerty Tells the Story Behind ‘Centerfield’

Good News!

HA!

Great News

CBO: Up To 2.1 Million Jobs Created Thanks To Stimulus

One Fewer Hero in the World

Ray of Hope

65 Years Ago

"Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God"..............

Sometimes...............Matt Brouwer

Nice!

Simon---Ha!

Traffic Snarls for Miles

What a Shot!

Toyota Lawnmower Recall

Forgotten War No More

Smoking with Big Shot Bob

Ray of Hope

Good Grief..........

Kenneth Starr Named President of Baylor

Vote for Bill White for Governor for Texas

GORDON DUFF: OUR WAR ON TERROR’S “EMPTY NET”

We Are The World Video Of The Day

Palin by Comparison

Dear God! Cowboys Coach Wade Phillips Dancing To YMCA In Miami

Great Story

The Importance of Marketing

How about a Happy Feel Good song by one of the greatest guitarist ever for one of the late greatest guitarist ever?

Ray of Hope

Great Ad

It Never Stops...........

The Low-Profile Finance Kings

Ha!

Cool Ad Watch

6 to 1...........

Drew Brees teaches Pre-Game chant at Lucy’s bar post﻿ Super Bowl

Dog Saves

Ray of Hope

Super Dogs.........Love Bulldogs

What the Billboard Really Says.............

I Knew He Was Tom Brady's Son....The Cap Gave it Away

First Photo — Meet Tom and Gisele's Son Benjamin!

Great Stuff...................Click here to find out more! Your request is being processed... DC Snow Time Lapse VIDEO

Send Them Your Love............

Palin's Thinks Bush ............

Ray of Hope

My Opinion.........Good Grief!

I Like It............

Ahhhh.............Nice............

Not Today, Not Ever..........

Ray of Hope

Toyota Unveils New Slogan: “Drive a Toyota. You’ll Never Stop.”

Hopes to Reverse Public Relations Setbacks

Ha!

The Very Best

Interesting........I lived in Dallas for 3 years during this period.....What a Growth Time

Dallas "Boomburbs"

Now You Know.............

Ray of Hope

Supreme Court Brought to You By

GOP Breaks Promise to Work Together

Great Story

Oakland Prospect Retires to Join Priesthood

Have the Book on Pre-Order with Amazon....

Great Thinking...............

Ray of Hope

Future Weather in the Gulf of Mexico for the Super Bowl?

No Doubt!

Ladies love men who talk about McDonald's

Great Stuff

Drew Brees teaches Pre-Game chant at Lucy’s bar post Super Bowl