Happy New Year!

I'm really glad to see 2005.....

Merry Christmas!!

Prison food not a "Good Thing.":

"In a note to fans posted on her personal Web site, Stewart, 63, said she is doing 'fine' and spending her idle time exercising, thinking about the future, writing and trying 'to not eat the bad food.' She didn't elaborate what about prison cuisine she finds particularly distasteful."

Cruise Leaves Big Tip For Accident Victim

Yeah, well.... he's still a Scientologist!

That bastion of journalist integrity, FOXNEWS says "CBS Eyes Couric for Rather Replacement"

New Harry Potter to be released July 16, 2005! Hmm... we leave for the Scout Jamboree on the 17th.. I wonder what everyone will be reading on the plane?

If we have it, and rely on it, then we should also accept the consequences: "President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the navigational technology, the White House said Wednesday.

The GPS system is vital to commercial aviation and marine shipping.

The president also instructed the Defense Department to develop plans to disable, in certain areas, an enemy's access to the U.S. navigational satellites and to similar systems operated by others. The European Union is developing a $4.8 billion program, called Galileo.


The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said."

If they can't use, then we can't use it. Sure, troops, planes and boats rely on it, but what about the ever increasing use of GPS in consumer navigation products? In the event of an emergency, having one of these (working!) might be a huge help to get around ground disasters.

I can't tell if they liked her, or hated her.: " Nursing home staff paid tribute to a 105-year old British woman who had smoked since the age of 15 by cremating her with a packet of cigarettes and laying a large floral cigarette on her coffin.

Marie Ellis died -- of natural causes."

They commissioned a wreath in the shape of a cigarette, made with white and yellow mums.... is that a tribute or a way to get back at her?

Hardee's, Carl's Jr. Cash in with Backlash Burgers:

"Carl's Jr. on Wednesday introduced the Breakfast Burger, a hamburger topped with a fried egg, hash browns, bacon and cheese, that weighs in at 830 calories and 46 grams of fat.

'Obviously, the health of its customers is not one of Hardee's top priorities,' said Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University."

Ok... I give up... I shouldn't be surprised by this anymore!

Toby! Toby! Toby!:

Here's a story about a heart surgeon trying to get McDonald's out of the lobby of the clinic. I applaud him for trying. But the interesting part of this is that this McDonald's serves 12,000 meals a week! Obviously, patients and staff are still buying burgers and fries. A little education might close the franchise faster....

"The Pizza Hut is shuttered, its neon sign collecting dust on the floor. But knocking down the Golden Arches has proved far more difficult for Toby Cosgrove, the new head of the Cleveland Clinic.

A heart surgeon who has cleaned out a career's worth of clogged arteries, Cosgrove didn't think Big Macs, supersize fries and inch-thick, six-cheese pizzas belonged in the lobby of a hospital renowned for its cardiac care. So he decreed the fast-food joints had to go.

In the struggle against obesity, Americans are losing. And among the favorite targets for blame are fast-food chains such as McDonald's. Studies show that consuming large portions of high-fat, salty, sugar-laden foods has helped create a nation in which 64 percent of people are overweight or obese. They often land here at the Cleveland Clinic seeking treatment for diabetes, strokes, heart failure and crippling joint pain."

Blockbuster dropping late fees as of Jan. 1

It's a Netflix revolution!! After years of sticking it to Mom and Pop Video stores, Blockbuster is finally getting some heat. I prefer Netflix anyway... never have to darken the doorstep of a video rental store.

The Monster Thick Burger just keeps rollin' along - as does anyone who eats them!:

"At 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat, Hardee's Monster Thickburger couldn't escape notice in these diet-conscious times. Or the jabs of late-night talk show hosts.

Just a day after the Monster's rollout Nov. 15, Jay Leno quipped on 'The Tonight Show' that the megaburger 'actually comes in a little cardboard box shaped like a coffin.' On David Letterman's 'Late Show,' an actor playing the chief of Hardee's corporate parent, CKE Restaurants Inc., in a sketch clutched his chest, then keeled over when asked of any health risks of a burger that size.

'I don't think any of us anticipated anything like the media uproar we've seen,' says Andy Puzder, the real president and CEO of California-based CKE.

But the word-of mouth advertising, coming on top of a new ad campaign, has had just the impact the company wanted. People have just had to try the Monster. All of it.

'You can certainly say it exceeded all my expectations,' Puzder said of sales, although he declined to offer specifics."

Elephants Raid Tapioca Truck

I probably would have done the same thing... I love tapioca pudding.....

Just like the rest of us: McCain: 'No Confidence' in Rumsfeld
:

"U.S. Sen. John McCain said Monday that he has 'no confidence' in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq and the failure to send more troops."

Diver, 80, Survives 18 Hours in Ocean

Amazing.

Famous atheist as confused as the rest of us: "Those rumours speak false. I remain still what I have been now for over fifty years, a negative atheist."

Does he, or doesn't he? Only his philosopher knows for sure.

Take off your "Livestrong" bracelet before you go to the hospital

"A hospital chain is taping over patients' LiveStrong wristbands because they are yellow -- the same color as the "do not resuscitate" bands it puts on patients who do not want to be saved if their heart stops."

You never see the headline - Agency seeks recall of 600,000 Volvo vehicles, do you?: "Federal safety regulators want 600,000 Dodge Durangos and Dakota trucks recalled because their wheels could fall off, but the auto maker doesn’t believe the defect is dangerous, a company spokesman said."

They don't think that having a wheel fall off is dangerous? Just tell that to the guy who ends up airborne when the front wheel falls off and the car digs into the asphalt.

A few Holiday treats to get you in the mood...

Everything you ever wanted to know about Christmas

Famous Atheist Now Believes in God:
"At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature, Flew said in a telephone interview from England."

Incredible Hanukkah Feats

Amazing stunts related to Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah everyone!!

Found on Sports Illustrated "10 Spot":

"Frustrated by the BCS mess? Then throw your support behind the Tom Bowl. 10 Spot reader Tom Cantrell of DeWitt, Mich., has been inviting the top two teams to play in his personal bowl game to decide the 'real' national championship since 1989. This year, he's asking USC, Oklahoma and Auburn to participate in a three-team round-robin game on Dec. 26, with each squad playing the other for one half. The winner will be the team with the most combined points, with complex overtime rules to break any ties. Alas, this ingenious solution may not bear fruit since no school has accepted a Tom Bowl invite. One problem might be that the game is held at Frank A. Schafer Field in Beal City, Mich., population 345. It also doesn't help that the average temperature there in January is a brisk 20.5 degrees. Still, if the teams accept, the Tom Bowl is projected to smash its attendance record of 14, set when USC and LSU didn't show last season."

I think it's hilarious that 14 people showed up for the "Tom Bowl" last year. Must have been a great tailgate party! (They were probably all brilliant USC fans)

Rumsfeld completely fails our troops
: "'Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?' Wilson asked. A big cheer arose from the approximately 2,300 soldiers in the cavernous hangar who assembled to see and hear the secretary of defense.

Rumsfeld hesitated and asked Wilson to repeat his question."

The "other" Donald certainly blew it in this question and answer session. Instead of helping the troops, promising them more help for their efforts, Rumsfeld essentially tells them to suck it up. "Rumsfeld replied that troops should make the best of the conditions they face..."

Good job, Rummy.

"Yet another soldier asked, without putting it to Rumsfeld as a direct criticism, how much longer the Army will continue using its "stop loss" power to prevent soldiers from leaving the service who are otherwise eligible to retire or quit.

Rumsfeld said that this condition was simply a fact of life for soldiers at time of war."

Here's what I'm hearing Rumsfeld tell these guys: Just deal with it, soldiers. We've got problems at home. Everyone in the administration is cashing out, leaving to pursue book deals and speaking engagements before Bush screws things up so bad no one will want to listen to us. We've got an economy that's diving into the dumpster just as fast as a Falloujah soldier looking for used bulletproof glass. It's Christmas time!! No is buying! There's no confidence in our economy or or in our administration! No one believes we can pull this thing out. So deal with it soldier. Get tough and quitcher bitchin'. We'll remember you the next time we need you - at home. Because we already won the election, we don't really need you right now.

Rumsfeld is making me sick.

This is what I've been saying all along: "Forget trying to manufacture a title game. Send the teams to their traditional bowls and let the voters sort it out. (Sorry, coaches, but in this bowl system your final Top 25 ballots will be public.) If a consortium of computer rankings wants to award its own title, that's fine -- just leave them out of the king-making process."

The BCS system is awful. It makes every other bowl game less than it deserves. It tries to crown one Champion - instead of letting there be 20+ Champions. It should be good enough to claim a Rose Bowl victory. Or a Sugar, Peach or Orange! But to diminish these victories in pursuit of a consensus national champion does a disservice to the student athlete, and to college football.

Another reason to hate telemarketers: "Detroit-area woman received a threatening letter in the mail after hanging up on a telemarketer calling from Texas, according to Detroit TV station WDIV.
"

Wow, Merry Christmas, every one!: "An online casino offered $65,000 Monday for a metal walking cane that an Indiana woman put up for sale in hopes her son would believe his grandfather's ghost would leave their house with it."

The same idio... uh, people who bought the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese sandwich (didn't I already swear that I wouldn't mention that again?) have now purchased dead Grandpa's cane, and his ghost. Pretty soon, they will have their own Museum of Worthless Stuff, which will also include all of their stock certificates.....

And in other Jesus News: "The city council in this border town today is expected to declare Jesus Christ to be surplus property."