This weeks DVD releases

This is a big week for childrens DVD's and the dark horror film "30 Days of Night"-this weeks theatrical releases:

• "30 Days of Night"-Very bloodyand long vampire flick starring Josh Hartnett as Sheriff in a Alaskan town that has a month of darkness and based on a graphic novel-I saw it and it was OK,but it never explained a lot nor did it have a satisfying ending.Still worth a watch.-widescreen
• "Beowulf"-The mystical animated looking action film atarring Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins-a "fairy tale" type story-widescreen
• "The Darjeeling Limited"-From the makers of "The Royal Tennenbaums" stars Anjelica Huston,Owen Wilson and Adrian Brody-widescreen

Other DVD releases this week:

• "Max & Ruby:Berry Bunny Adventures"-Animated childrens favorite on Nickelodeon and Noggin
• "Barbie:Mariposa"-Barbie as flying fairy-animated-widescreen
• "Bratz:Kidz Fairytales"-another little girl favorite-widescreen animated
• "1968 With Tom Brokaw"-Interviews with Brokaw
• "Newhart:The Complete First Season"-featurettes
• "The Fugitive Season One Volume 2"-4 disc set
• "Comanche Moon - The Second Chapter in Lonesome Dove"-2 disc set

The Crash

For some reason my computer keeps crashing so I might not be able to blog for a few days until I have the problem fixed-its driving me whacko!I wish I had DSL

More technical problems

I am again having trouble wuth my internet connection-Im going to try to speed it up somehow and run a virus scan and hope to be back by Monday.

Local Doctor Cleared

Dr.Mahmaud Shirazi was found not guilty yesterday in Wicomico Circuit Court.I learned about it just after the verdict,from a friend who was present at the trial.Today,in the Storychat section of The Daily Times,there is a post from someone claiming to be a juror which states that "he DID do something to her,but there was not enough evidence".

The man has been acquitted and now he faces the daunting task of reclaiming his medical career and recovering legal expenses.I know I might piss people off and that is a risk I will take,but there is not a shred of me that believes he is capable of such a thing.Here is why...

My late Mother not only worked with him,but remained friends with him after he went to practice elsewhere and when he was looking for someone to come in and clean his private home until he found a housekeeper,my Mom referred him to me and I did work for him over a several month period in 2004.I was alone,with him,in his house,on many occasions and he was never improper or inappropriate.During that time,Shirazis partner was my physician and my Mother often went along with me to watch my child when I had an appointment,and more often than not,when I came out of the appointment,I would find Mom sitting in Dr.Shirazis office,drinking tea with him and showing off her granddaughter and just talking.

Fast forward to 2005-my Mother became very ill and was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive GI cancer.So rare,in fact,that no cancer doctor on the Shore could treat it,and Dr.Shirazi,who was her primary doctor as well as her friend,worked with cancer specialists across the bridge to treat her.Sadly,even after an extensive surgery to remove tumors,the cancer persisted and my Mothers health started to fail dramatically and when she became dehydrated from not keeping anything down,Dr.Shirazi admitted her to the hospital and butted heads with the insurance company the whole time whenever they suggested she was well enough to be released.He made his personal phone numbers available to our family members and encouraged us to call him anytime we felt the need.I cannot help but feel that without him advocating for her,she would have been sent home and went downhill alot sooner than she ultimately did.Dr.Shirazi and his efforts contributed to giving my Mother an extra few months with her family,and to stay well long enough to greet her newborn 2nd grandchild,who was born shortly before she passed away.So,in my heart,I do not think he is a "predator".

This is just my story,there are many others who also support the Doctor.One of my coworkers at my PT job,who suffers from diabetes, says he owes his life to Dr.Shirazi.I also know that the courtroom was packed with former patients and supporters.I sincerely hope he is able to rebuild his life and his career,because there are very few physicians as dedicated as I feel he is.I may be sticking my figurative neck on the chopping block but I cannot just sit idly by and not rebut the terrible things being said about someone I know is not a bad person.

NOW do you think he did it?

Yesterday it was released that the late THIRD wife of Drew Peterson,who was found dead in a bathtub in 2004 after starting divorce proceedings,actually did NOT die of natural causes as originally thought.Her body was exhumed and autopsied for a second time and medical examiners have now determined the cause of her death to be homicide.NOW do you think Drew Peterson had something to do with his FOURTH wifes disappearance?I certainly do.

This morning,Drew Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, told CBS' "The Early Show" that the latest autopsy results don't implicate him in the death in any way.HUH?

Let's look at this former police Sgt.'s domestic history.....his SECOND wife claims that when he started becoming abusive during their marriage,he taunted her by saying he could kill her and "get away with it".She did call the cops on occasion but they were all Drews "brothers in blue" and nothing ever was officially reported.

Flash forward to the 3rd wife-Kathleen Savio.In 2002 she filed for an Order of Protection after Peterson allegedly assaulted her,leaving marks.Just two years later,prior to the finalization of their divorce,she winds up dead in a bathtub.Things that make you go hmmmmm......

Meanwhile,wife number FOUR,Stacy,has been missing for over a year and suspicions about his involvement in her disappearance forced Drew Peterson to end a 29 year police career.He says she ran off with a man.Her family insists she would never abandon her kids.Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that at 54 years old,Drew Peterson is a full 30+ years older than Stacy which leads me to believe he has a Svengali complex or something along those lines.

That being said,I hope this new evidence brings alittle more closure to the family of Ms.Savio and whoever took her life faces justice.I might be wrong,but I have had a "hinky" feeling about this dude since he started showing up on all the news shows with his lawyer and the details of his past came out.What do y'all think?

"Wife Swap" on ABC

I very seldom get to watch ABC's reality show "Wife Swap" because I have to rely on an over the air antenna to get 47 and it doesnt always come in clear,but I did manage to catch most of it last night and a Maryland couple were on the show!The Maryland couple,the Phillips, were a retired military colonel and her quiet,devoted husband-this lady had THREE jobs and ran her home like a boot camp and was a strict parent.The other couple,the Blankenships,were like a biker family.The husband (Tim?) was a rock musician who looked like a biker with long hair and tats and all,and his gorgeous wife catered to his every need-waiting on him hand and foot in full makeup around the house.All Hell broke loose towards the end when Tim learned that his wife had taken her "Swap husband" out clubbing and demonstrated "body shots" in a bar with some other guy.
I admit the Colonel Mom was tough on her two teen girls but they were very wise for their age and seemed dedicated to their Dad.At the same time,the Blankenships son was permitted to play video games for hours daily instead of homework,chores,etc.So it is kind of hard for me to pick sides on these type of shows.
I would never invite the world into my home,even for the 50 grand the show awards to each family,so I have some respect for people just baring it all like that on TV but some of the people are extreme.Tim Blankenship felt that since he was the "breadwinner",his wife should cater to him 24-7 and keep the house to his standards and still manage to look like a model from "Outlaw Biker" magazine.
Now I admit I do most of the housework and laundry but my husband cooks for us often and works very long hours so I can spend more time at home,so out of respect for him and all he does I do the "traditional" stuff like get his clothes out for him before bed,make his lunches,etc.I just dont look all that great doing it!LOL.Instead of "Outlaw Baker" centerfold,he is getting a grouchy bitch in sweatpants and slippers.
If you have never seen "Wife Swap" check it out on Wednesday nights at 8 on ABC.

Chocolate peanut-butter cookies.

Unlike Hillary Clinton,who proclaimed once as First Lady that she was not going to just "sit at home and bake cookies",I LOVE to bake-especially cookies.There are literally thousands of cookie recipes to be had and its really a creative and thoughtful thing to do occasionally to give away to friends.My daughter loves to "help" by cracking eggs and mixing dough and it is great fun bonding over something so simple and fundamental as baking cookies.Sure,you can buy ready to bake cookies or cookie dough but only in so many varieties.From scratch you can create almost any kind of cookie.Soo....
Tonight after dinner my daughter and I made a batch of chewy chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips.Its a great recipe and the finished cookie is almost brownie-like in its texture.I prefer the peanut butter chips but you can variate with chopped nuts,M&M candies,or other chips like chocolate,mint,or butterscotch.It is a quite simple recipe and I will include it here:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa(Nestles is best)
2.5 sticks butter
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 10 oz bag peanut butter baking chips(Reeses is best)


Preheat oven to 350
In large bowl whip softened butter,vanilla and sugar-mix in eggs-blend well.
In a second bowl combine flour,salt,baking soda and cocoa-stir in to wet mixture gradually and beat for 4 minutes or until thoroughly blended.Stir in baking chips and drop by teaspoon fulls about 2 inches apart on a nonstick (*)baking sheet.Do not overcook-bake at 7 min or until tops of cookies start to "crack"they will look underdone-set aside to cool until firm.

* The very best baking sheets are the insulated Airbake products.However if you have regular baking sheets Reynolds makes a great baking parchment paper that eliminates those "burnt-bottom" cookies.
Try the recipe and I know you will like the results!!!!I have to hide them from myself!LOL

Five-alarm fruitcake

A woman in Merrimack,NH was arrested Wednesday after she climbed up on a ladder fire truck at the Reeds Ferry Fire Station and refused to emerge from the vehicle.Apparently she broke down on the road near the station and had shoplifted in a local store earlier that day.I think she was either off her meds or on too MANY meds.Maybe she just wanted a ride in the firetruck.She was still charged with trespassing,resisting arrest,and other charges.

Trial of local physician started today

The trial of Dr.Mahmaud Shirazi opened today in Wicomico County Circuit Court.The local doctor was charged in 2007 with assault and sex offenses and he is no longer practicing medicine.I am no judge,and never claimed to be,but I do hope with all my heart he is found to be innocent.Having known him professionally and personally,he impressed me as being a respectable man who genuinely cared about his patients.I will be following the news closely for devlopments.

The birth of the telephone book

This week in 1878,the very first telephone directory,or as plain folk call them,telephone book,was issued by the District Telephone Co. in New Haven,Conneticut.Apparently there were enough telephones in use 130 years ago in that community to warrant having a phone book printed and distributed-not surprising when you consider the average median income of a resident in New Haven,then or now.Back then very few "regular" people even had a line to hook into,much less the money to have a telephone at home.Phone books kind of went out of vogue in the middle of the 1900's,when you could just ask an operator to look a number up for you at an additional charge.When directory assistance fees went up,(the "allowance" of free 411 calls before you got charged varies from state to state)and the internet was ushered in,people started using online services like 411.com,for FREE,and the formerly lucrative directory assistance line of business suffered losses that led us to the largely automated service we have today.

Amazingly,despite all these changes,the telephone book has survived and today its not just the Baby Bell companies issuing directories.Competition has allowed companies like "Yellow Book" to also provide directories to the public,with an emphasis on "yellow pages" or commerical listings.

Personally,while I prefer a phone book,I often rely on the internet for a number,or if I am in a hurry,I do still call 411-but I insist on having a person to talk to when I call.I always seem to lose any phone book in my house in a sea of familar clutter in the magazine racks.Most libraries also have collections of telephone books from all over the country.

As Steve Martin exclaims in "The Jerk"-"I am SOMEBODY now,I am listed in the phone book!!!"

Flashback Movies:"Who framed Roger Rabbit?"(1988)

Eddie & Roger

DVD cover

Last week the 1988 animated and live action movie "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" came on one of the cable channels and my little girl goes"Mama,theres real people in a cartoon!!!!"That is part of what propelled this movie to the number 2 spot on the top movies of 1988,just below "Rain Man".It combined animation and live action in a whodunit style plot that featured "cameos" from dozens of current and past characters from Disney,MGM,Warner Brothers and Paramount.

In the film,which takes place in "Toon Town",Marvin Acme,the owner of Acme Company(where Wile Coyote gets all his rockets!)and owner of Toon Town,is murdered and Roger Rabbit,a character for "Maroon Studios" is framed for the crime.His wife is the sexy Jessica Rabbit.He,along with washed up human detective Eddie Valiant(Bob Hoskins) ,must find a way to clear his name and stop Toon Town from being taken over and torn down.

Numerous injoke references to other cartoons appear in this movie and there are alot of rumors swirling around supposed"hidden messages" in this movie,as well as a crotch-shot by Jessica Rabbit.Allegedly if viewing on laser disc or DVD,you can see the phone number of Disneys Michael Eisner onscreen.The alleged crotch-shot is semi-truth.In an earlier edition of the laser disc and VHS,when Jessica tumbles out of the wrecked cab,she appears to have no undies on and Disney attributed this to a "badly painted animation cel",Subsequent editions are altered,with the 1999 release cels showing her wearing white panties and the 2002 DVD releases edited to keep her skirt discreetly covering her undies.Try it out and see for yourself-the Tv version always has the undies!

Also,Just before Eddie falls off the building, the words "For Good Times, call Allyson 'Wonderland'" can be seen on the wall behind him.
A brief scene consisting of the toon Baby Herman passing by a female (human) extra on the set of the opening cartoon and sticking his middle finger up her dress, and then coming back from under the dress with a drool of spit on his lip. This was edited out of the first DVD edition of the movie, though it can be found on editions of the VHS and laserdisc.Pretty funny,eh?

Some even swear that Daffy Duck utters the "N" word in this movie but he does not-with closed captioning you can clearly see what he is saying and it is NOT "N".

However if you look close during a scene where Eddie is falling from the sky with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny,you can clearly see Bugs flipping off Mickey with a one-finger salute!I am not lying,its there if you look!

While there were plans to do a second film,which would be a prequel set in 1940 and with a Nazi plot,as of 2007 it is not in development,mostly due to high production costs but Frank Marshall has expressed interest on producing it.

The movie also spawned toys,comic books and other collectibles-McDonalds partnered with Disney to distribute dolls from the movie-which have become bona fide Disney Collectibles.

All in all,it is a one of a kind movie and it was quite different from what we were used to in 1988.Disney gambled with it,and it was a success.If you have never seen it,I recommend it-its appropriate for kids as well as adults.

This weeks new DVD releases 2/19/2008

This weeks theatrical releases

• "American Gangster"-extended unrated film also on DVD,stars Denzel Washington,Russell Crowe and Josh Brolin
• "Michael Clayton"-George Clooney in legal drama,widescreen
• "Rendition" War epic stars Reese Witherspoon & Jake Gyllenhal

Other DVDs released this week

• "Chaos"-widescreen
• "Catacombs"-widescreen
• "George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish"
• "Kurt Cobain - About a Son"-widescreen
• "In the Valley of Elah"-widescreen and HD DVD

Also an exciting gangster movie collection is being released this week

Gangsters - The Ultimate Film Collection DVD

Nine-Disc DVD Set - Includes the Movies
Scarface (1983)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Casino (1995)
American Gangster (2007)

Rent some movies this weekend!!!!

Note to Adam on "Big Brother",STFU!

Every now and then,somebody proves the old saying right,that is "It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it" and I think of those as "STFU moments".
I do not watch "Big Brother" because I cannot get CBS(thanks to local blackouts)but I understand it is a controversial and popular reality show.On last weeks Tuesday broadcast,contestant Adam makes a comment basically referring to people with autism as "retards" and Autism United is outraged.
When asked what he would do if he won the prize money,Adam commented he would open a salon for the developmentally disabled so "retards can get their hair done".He should have shut up right then but not this guy-he went on to explain that since he works with devlopmentally disabled persons,its OK for him to use words like "retard" to describe them.Thats as lame an argument as a white guy shouting the "N" word and thinks its OK because he has black friends-NOT!
Attempts by Autism United director John Gilmore to contact CBS have bore no fruit and I am guessing CBS is just as embarassed by it all as Adam SHOULD be.Adam should educate himself and he might learn that many autistic people are extremely intelligent,they are just unable to communicate with the world around them.So,Adam,this weeks STFU goes to you!

How safe are oil refineries?

Aftermath of 2005 BP Texas City Refinery Explosion

Today an oil refinery explosion in Big Springs,TX injured four people,luckily no one was killed in the blast that shook houses for miles around.I could not help but think back to the March 2005 explosion at the BP Texas City Refinery that injured 170 and killed 15.At the time,it was the 3rd largest refinery in the US and had an input of almost half a million barrels a day.

Three subsequent safety incidents at the refinery led to the Baker Panel being formed to investigate the practices at BP Texas city.To date BP has paid out 1.6 billion dollars to victims of the 2005 explosion and they were forced to update equipment at their refinery with safer,more environmentally sound alternatives.

The Alon USA refinery that exploded today only processes a fraction of the crude as Texas City,about 70,000 a day but the impact will still be felt in a market where fuel prices are already staying high.With the record profits being enjoyed by oil companies,why aren't the refineries safer?Since environmentalists block new refineries,why wouldn't the oil companies invest some of their profits into updating and streamlining existing production facilities to ensure they will be up and running?

FORTY candles for Molly Ringwald!

Actress of stage,television and movies Molly Ringwald,will be turning 40 on Monday.She made her acting debut on stage at the age of five and by age six she had recorded songs with her fathers jazz band.Ringwald starred briefly in TV's "The Facts of Life" and then gained notoriety in the mid 80's for her performances in John Hughes teen angst movies.She and other "Brat Packers" starred in Sixteen Candles,The Breakfast Club & Pretty in Pink and those are my absolute favorite Ringwald roles.She also dated Dweezil Zappa,Anthony Michael Hall and Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz during her Brat Pack years.

She is now the mother of a 5 year old girl and she has been quite busy since her daughters birth juggling motherhood and acting with a national touring company in musical stage shows.She had a brief cameo a few years ago in Not Another Teen Movie,which was a satirical comedy that spoofed the teen angst film genre,and she delightfully made herself the in-joke reference to those movies we loved like Pretty in Pink!Unlike her Sixteen Candles character Samantha Baker,I hope nobody in her family forgets her birthday!

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!Part II

Last week Sbynews reported the arrest of a Salisbury man for allegedly attacking an underage girl & I was shocked to learn upon further investigation into the matter that this man is not only a registered sex offender but at the age of 27 has a history of sex offenses,unlawful imprisonment, and assault AND has served very little time behind bars for any of it.Alarmingly,he has a sibling who is right next to him on the Sex Offender Registry for similar crimes!As a Mom,I am disturbed by the fact that there are people serving more time for drugs(non violent)than those who REPEATEDLY prey on kids sexually.
Some of the most infamous and heinous child-killers had a long history of sexual offenses-Arthur Shawcross comes to mind,as well as Richard Davis,the man who murdered Polly Klaas and many others.I remember Carly Bruccia,the girl that the nation saw on the news being led away by a convicted sex offender who was,for some reason,out on the streets in Florida.Why arent we getting the connection there and keeping these creeps in jail longer.
I am not going to name the man arrested in Salisbury because it is already public record and repeating it would serve no purpose.I just encourage everyone to become familair with all the sex offender registry profiles in their areas and be proactive.You never would think in a million years that someone in YOUR neighborhood could do this kind of thing and thats what they count on to get away with their crimes.I will not beat this issue to death but it bears repeating.Until these judges get the clue and start putting sex offenders away with no parole-no early release and no second chances-it is up to the community to keep its children safe.

Dangerous Games

A grisly scene unfolded on a Southern Maryland highway over the weekend-very early Saturday morning.A crowd of about 50 spectators had gathered to watch an illegal street race on Route 210 in Prince Georges county and were in the road watching the 2 racing cars take off when a 3rd driver,in a Crown Vic,whose vision was obscured by auto exhaust,came along and sliced through the crowd,killing eight persons.Witnesses say that bodies were strewn all over the scene and one victim was ripped to pieces,and allegedly a tractor trailer follwing the 3rd car hit some of the victims as well.PG county police say its one of the worst accident scenes they can recall.It is very tragic and my heart goes out to everyone connected to it.
As of yet,no charges have been filed against the 3rd driver but police are looking for the two drivers who were racing one another.Witnesses also say the stretch of road is known for illegal street racing.

Happy Birthday Michael Jordan!

The legendary Michael Jordan turns 45 today,and I recall back to 1985,when he was named Rookie of the Year by the NBA in his early days as a Chicago Bull.Now the former star"Tarheel "collegian athlete is perhaps one of the most well-known and wealthiest athletes in sports history.If I had to name the 5 best-ever NBA players,MJ would be on the list right along with Bill Walton and select others!Happy Birthday to "Air Jordan"-he is getting old and thats no "Bull"!Sorry,couldn't resist!

"More than a theme song..."

Tom Scholz,founder and former member of the classic rock group Boston and a Barack Obama supporter,has asked Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee to cease and refrain from using the Boston hit"More than a feeling" at his campaigning rallies.Barry Goudreau,also a former Boston band member is a Huckabee supporter and he and his band,Capital Offense,have performed "More than a feeling" at Huckabee events-which wouldn't be an issue but for the fact that Scholz fought-and won-a court battle with CBS and the other three members of Boston(including Gourdreau)for the rights to the "Boston" name and all of their songs.Scholz says that using the song implies that he and the band Boston support Huckabee.
In a similar situation,McCain's campaign agreed to stop playing John Mellencamp's songs "Our Country" and "Pink Houses" after the uber-liberal singer asked him to stop.
I can definitely understand how they feel....although Fleetwood Mac appeared with former Pres. Clinton on TV,the Clinton campaigns overuse of "Dont Stop(thinking about tomorrow)" ruined the song for me permanently and I was a Clinton supporter back in 92 lol.

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows my opinion of sex offenders-they are incurable and almost always re-offend and if they are not dealt with harshly,some will escalate their crimes to murder.The recent early release of a convicted sex offender and killer stirred up alot of emotions in me as well as many others.They just do not "stop" offending-ask any cop or parole officer.So I was outraged this morning when I was reading the SPD call-log at SBYNEWS and read about the alleged sexual assault on a young girl on Riverside Drive.Why?Because as a mother I have made it my job to STUDY the sex offender registry often and I recalled the name of the assailant in this police report as one of the 60+ names on the registry for Salisbury(I used to live there and got familiar with the offenders bios!). I got the shock of my life when I realized by his bio where I had seen him before-about 2 years ago I was in the Salisbury Walmart and noticed two weird guys following closely behind unaware "tween"(12-16) girls-they were a little too old to be checking these girls out the way they were,and the girls were oblivious to the guys.I was alarmed because at that time I thought he looked familiar(when I checked the registry later that night,I learned I was correct).I was torn because technically the men were not breaking the law.I could not very well tell the girls and send them into a panic and I did not want to even approach either of the men.Later some suggested I could have reported it to the manager-but what would I report?A hunch?
Now with this latest news,I know I am right!How many times does a guy get to repeat the same stuff before we say "enough!" and put his ass away for a long stretch?If unchecked,many of them get "bored"with simple sex assaults and escalate to deadly force against their victims.I am sick to death of the imbalance in prison sentences.Guys do more time in the pen for selling dope than one who rapes innocent children.Even worse,nonviolent criminals are serving longer mandatory minimum sentences such as "3 strikes" convictions than child MURDERERS.WTF?I do not expect miracles,I just expect harsher sentencing for any crime of this nature.

"The Digital Revolution"

A study released today by Nielsen on the "digital TV readiness" pertaining to the February 2009 transition to all-digital TV signals had some suprising results.They found that older Americans are better prepared for the switch than younger age groups and that by race those most unprepared for it are Hispanics.The outcome of the survey was also influenced by what the industry calls "cable penetration".Ranked by market,NY has the most readiness,with only 3.5 percent of surveyed households who have non-digital sets and get TV "over the air"By comparison,Portland,OR,was the least prepared television market,with 22.4 percent of surveyed households with non-digital TV and UHF signals.
The survey also noted a vital fact that alot of people do not realize.It seems like alot of people think they will have to replace all their TV sets or buy converters and that is simply not true.Homes receiving satellite TV(all digital Directv or DishTV) or digital cable(Comcast,Charter,etc)will have to do nothing.Which leads me to the question-why all the fuss?How many of us actually still only get over the air channels?

Local blogs are filling a void

More than one person has commented in Grapevine this week about the lack of coverage regarding the death of actress Suzanne Pleshette in the pages of The Daily Times and it is all I can do to keep from logging on to Storychat and just screaming in cap letters-THE BLOGS DID NOT FORGET HER!Is it just me,or are local blogs gaining popularity because they are filling a void that other sources are not?My blog is nothing special,its really just fluff and regurgitated pop-culture to some,but I did do a fairly decent tribute to Pleshette,whereas most newspapers just had a small "deaths elsewhere" byline for her.Instead of relying on the mainstream press,people should check out local blogs-they never know what they might learn if they do not read them.

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!

Florists will be swamped,greeting cards and chocolates will fly off the shelves,and some local pizza shops will offer heart-shaped pies!Yes,it is Valentines Day,again!I am not going to start dispensing advice on what to get for your sweetheart-but I am going to encourage everyone to reach out to those special friends or relatives who are single for whatever reason this Valentines Day and let them know you are thinking about them.While its mostly a holiday for retailers,it can also be the loneliest day of the year for those who are single,whether it be by choice or not,so please don't forget them!
NOW-LOL-I will not dispense advice on what to get your hubby or wife,but I will tell you what I want-a sweet card with a handwritten note,and a pint of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge!I have NO idea what to get my hubby and after almost 7 years of marriage I have to admit that while "the bloom is still on the rose",we give each other practical gifts-so I will probably supplement the obligatory greeting card with some new underwear!Hey,men always need new underwear and my man appreciates that kind of thing.He also knows that if he is to buy me some candy,I would rather have it given to me Friday,so he can get it half-price!I know,I'm a cheap biotch but thats cool-I can wait an extra day and we can do something good with the extra $$$ we save!It goes without saying that he will get me roses but thats nothing unusual as I have one of those husbands who will bring me flowers for no reason with no hidden motives!Its funny,because my family owns and operates a floral business so technically I can get all the flowers I want-wholesale-but it still warms my heart to get a fresh bouquet for no reason.
Sooo....that being said-have a great Valentines Day and again,do not forget those people who are alone this year!!!!!

Happy Birthday Jimmy Hoffa,wherever you are!

Tomorrow is not only Valentines Day,it is also what would have been the 95th birthday of the infamous James Riddle Hoffa better known as Jimmy Hoffa,former President of the Teamsters,who has been missing and presumed dead since 1975.To this day,references to Hoffa and his whereabouts are made in films,books and Tv shows.Numerous mob affiliates have confessed to being involved with his disappearance and there are all sorts of wild speculation as to where his final resting place is,the most popular theory being that he was buried in the Meadowlands,where the Giants Stadium stands today!The cable TV show "Mythbusters" debunked the Giants Stadium myth in the 13th episode of the first season of the show,when they used ground penetrating radar to search the field area and came up with zilch!
You can say what you want about Hoffa,and many people might think he was a crook but as a former union member I still have alot of respect for a guy who works his way up from unloading produce trucks to presiding over one of the largest labor unions in the country.
In the spring of 1931,fed up with the conditions under which they worked,Hoffa and his coworkers unloading trucks for grocer Krogers fought back by declaring a work stoppage and Kroger,needing the perishable foods unloaded,had no choice but to negotiate with Hoffa-and they subsequently formed a charter as Federal Local 19341 of the American Federation of Labor.
He may have "gotten in with a bad crowd" in his later life,but there isn't a union member out there who does not owe this man a debt of gratitiude.Personally,I think wherever Hoffa's grave is,he must be rolling in it now to see what has become of the labor unions in our country now.Not only are there less unions and members,but the unions that ARE left are driven by greed and are driving business out of our country and helping to put people out of work(General Motors comes to mind).For those of you who only know what the movies like "Hoffa" tell you,educate yourselves and read one of the many books about this labor pioneer.Happy Birthday,Jimmy,wherever you are!

Take my wife....please.

A Charleston,WV radio station is offering a unique prize in their Valentines Day Contest promotion-a divorce!WKLC Rock 105 is offering the prize with the reminder that only those who really are serious about a divorce enter.Through 4 p.m. on Thursday, Valentine's Day, applications for the free divorce will be accepted on the classic rock station's Web site, http://www.wklc.com. The winning name will be drawn at 5 p.m.Charleston attorney Rusty Webb will be providing filing services,and those who anticipate a messy drawn out legal battle to end their marriage are encouraged NOT to apply because the prize is meant to be a simple divorce-or as simple as it can be!They want to remind their listening public that Valentines Day is not a happy shiny holiday for everyone.I would say they made that point!LOL

This weeks new DVD releases 2/12/2008

Theatrical Releases:

• "Tyler Perrys Why Did I Get Married?"-Janet Jackson and Tyler Perry himself appear in this film,where 4 young black couples vacation together and wax philosophical about their marital issues-widescreen
• "Gone,Baby,Gone"-The directorial debut of the Affleck brothers,Casey and Ben-gritty drama about a missing child and her mothers efforts to find her-Morgan Freeman stars-widescreen
• "No Reservations"-Baby Boom meets romantic comedy in this flick-Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a top tier restaurant chef whose complicated life is complicated further when her orphaned niece comes to live with her-widescreen
• "Becoming Jane"-Anne Hathaway stars in this biographical look at Jane Austin before she became famous-widescreen

Other Releases this week:

Movie Collections:

• "Charlie Chan - Volume Four - Cinema Classics Collection DVD"-includes the following films-· 4 disc set

. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938)
· Charlie Chan in Reno (1939)
· Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)
· Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)

• "Joan Crawford Collection - Volume Two DVD"-5 disc set

· Sadie McKee (1934)
· A Woman's Face (1941)
· Flamingo Road (1949)
· Torch Song (1953)

• "Lubitsch Musicals - Criterion Collection DVD"-4 disc set

· The Love Parade (1929)
· Monte Carlo (1930)
· The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) One Hour With You (1932)

TV on DVD this week:

• "Dallas"The Complete Eighth Season-5 disc set
• "George of the Jungle"The complete original series-2 disc set

Other releases this week on DVD:

• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) - Anniversary Edition DVD"-2 disc set
• "We own the night"(2007)
• "The Bubble DVD"-widescreen
• "In the Shadow of the Moon DVD"-widescreen
• "Romance & Cigarettes DVD"

Remember to rent a movie this weekend!!!!

In memory of two heroic dogs

Sue Feuling,of Winnona,Minnesota,and her young daughter were saved from a fire in their home in the early hours of Friday,February 8th by their two dogs,who sadly lost their own lives in the blaze.The family pets,Bella, a 3-year-old golden retriever/collie mix & Maddie, a 6-month-old golden retriever awoke Sue and her daughter and they were able to get out of the house,but could not coax the dogs out and they perished.The electrical fire gutted her home but Feuling says out of all she has lost,the dogs are what she misses the most and cannot replace.It is believed that the dogs stayed in the house believing Sue's child was still in her room.I wish them both well.

Grisly discovery in Phoenix

In a scene that could have been snatched right out of a horror movie,a corpse was discovered "buried" in a dirt-filled bathtub in an apartment building unit.After the rent stopped coming in august,the owners assumed it had been abandoned and they recently hired other tenants to clean the unit.They discovered it filled with rotting garbage and buckets with human waste in them,and then as they removed dirt from the bathroom tub,they find a partially mummified skeleton.The Maricopa County ME says the body has been there at least several years.The body is believed to be that of the lessee of apartment,who moved in back in 1995 and disappeared in 2001.Another man was seen in his apartment and reported by other tenants but the landlord said that the man identified himself as the original tenant and the rent was paid every month up until August of 2008.
What kind of psychopath could live in an apartment for YEARS,going about their business and living in a place where a dead guy is in the bathroom.Hope the killer had another bathroom to wash up in-then again he shat in buckets and left it there,so he isn't the epitome of good hygiene.It reminds me of 2 or 3 different thriller type movies I have seen!
I have one nagging question though...how did his neighbors not smell the odor of a decomposing body not once and report it?

Update on Million Mile Chevy

I posted previously about Frank Oresnik of rural Wisconsin and his trusty 1991 Chevy Silverado,which was about to pass one million odometer miles.Well,they did it last Friday and film crews from PBS and CBS were on hand to cover it!Frank credited the longevity of his truck to regular oil changes-so many in fact he has had to have the oilpan drain plug screw retreaded several times!Now that the truck has made automotive history of sorts,there is talk of General Motors or Shell Oil purchasing the truck for promotional purposes!Hell,I think for all the free publicity Frank has given GM,they should hand him the keys to a shiny new '08 Silverado,fully loaded with oil changes thrown in,of course!

Beard growing IS a sport in this town.

Delaware,Ohio has a unique way of celebrating the 200th Anniversary of their city and honoring the late President Rutherford B.Hayes,who was born there-they are hosting a beard contest!All contestants started yesterday after being photographed clean-shaven and registering,and the judging will be held on July 5 of this year.The goal is to outdo all the other unshaven competitors and to be the one who most resembles Hayes hirsute facial features.

Chickens come to school to roost....

Call it a prank gone "afowl"......Staff at Northeast High School in Philadelphia,PA arrived Monday morning to find about 50 chickens strutting the halls of the school,pooping all over the place and just destroying it,and no classes were held.A local farmer came to corral the chickens and transport them to the agricultural-tech school in the city.Surveillance tapes are being reviewed for clues as to what person or persons pulled this very filthy prank.

I admit kids do some crazy shit in high school in the name of hijinks but I never heard of anyone loading the school corriders with livestock!lol

A sad twist of irony....

I couldn't help but notice a sad coincidence between the recently departed Roy Scheider and the late author Peter Benchley,who wrote "JAWS".Roy died yesterday,which was February 10 of 2008 and Benchley died on February 11,2006,which was two years ago today!Peter Benchley was a great author but none of his other adapted for film novels were successful as JAWS,in fact,JAWS is considered the very first "summer blockbuster" film.

"Jaws" star Roy Scheider dies at 75

Roy Scheider in "Jaws"1975
Recent photo of Scheider

Actor Roy Scheider died of undisclosed causes Sunday in a Little Rock,Arkansas hospital at the age of 75.Best known for his role as Chief Martin Brody in Jaws and Jaws 2,he had been treated at the hospitals Myeloma Clinic for the past two years.He also played opposite Gene Hackman in "The French Connection" and had a Tv series,Seaquest DSV.His trademark lines in the Jaws movies were" you're gonna need a bigger boat" and "Smile,you son of a bitch!"Jaws was the first movie to break 100k at the box office and kept an entire generation of nervous kids out of the water!

Cooking with booze.....

Grand Marnier Rouge

My hubby and I wanted to roast a glazed pork loin today and of all things we were out of brown sugar,so I tried to come up with an alternative and settled on a shot glass of Grand Marnier added to the BBQ sauce/marinade-(I have added Jim Beam to BBQ sauce and marinades in the past for beef-real good).After 45 minutes in the oven at 400,and wrapped in foil,it came out delectable!There was no need for steak knives because you could cut it with a fork!I seldom imbibe but when I do its the top shelf cognac!I went online and there are numerous recipes dor marinades using stuff from your home bar!I know,its so 70's to keep a bar shelf in your house,especially when you only drink 2 or 3 times a year but its just hospitality!Some tequila,vodka,Kahlua,rum,gin,bourbon,Peachtree and cordial liquor like Grand M is all you need for a basic "budget" bar LOL.I know someone who makes the finest desserts and uses various liquors for cakes and whatnot and its amazing how many uses it has around the house.Then I was reminded of an episode of "Mythbusters" where the proved the myth that vodka was just as good a foot bath for stinky feet as a commercially prepared foot wash product AND a bottle of vodka with cinnamon infused in it is just as effective a mouthwash as Listerine!I wouldn't recommend gargling it before driving and I will stick to the store-bought mouthwash myself!

So the next time you are feeling expiremental in the kitchen try whatever is left over from your New Years Eve party!

Flashback TV:"The A-Team"(1983)

In January of 1983,"The A-Team" premiered on NBC and it ran for five seasons.Col. John "Hannibal" Smith ,Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck ,Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock & Bosco B.A.(Bad Attitude) Baracus were part of an elite Army unit that were on the run after being accused of a crime they did not commit and they were now "for hire" more or less as rogue mercenaries-if you had a problem and if you could find them,you could hire the A Team.LOL.The show had many noteable guest stars over its 4 year run and it has been lampooned many times on various TV shows like "South Park" & "Family Guy".Just hearing the shows theme makes me feel like I am 13 years old again!All 5 seasons are available on DVD for home collections!

PETA gets their feathers ruffled over KFC

A 1980's circa KFC bucket





People for the Ethic Treatment of Animals (PETA) are outraged over a move by Kentucky State Rep. Charles Siler to designate Kentucky Fried Chicken as the official state picnic food.PETA has been embroiled in protests against the KFC chain for years over the alleged mistreatment of meat chickens.Yeah,I guess the slaughtering process leaves little to be desired but how else are you going to eat the chicken without killing,plucking and cleaning it?There are too many legitimate animal rights beefs without PETA going for the jugular of the ginormous Pepsico-owned fried chicken chain started by Colonel Harlan Sanders decades ago.The group even demanded that the Capitol House in Frankfort,KY,remove a bust of Col.Sanders on display!C'mon people,mellow out!We gotta eat!If you do not want to eat meat thats your right and you can just get biscuits or something if you do not want a juicy original recipe 4 piece dinner WITH giblet gravy!I think some of the state designations some politicians introduce are silly and all but KFC is a household name and if the state wants to honor Colonel Sanders then let them at it!

Recent DVD viewing:"The Brave One"

I finally had the chance to watch "The Brave One" this morning and while I am loathe to spoil it for those who haven't seen this new release yet,I would like to just say it is worth a watch,especially if you like Jodie Foster-which I do!She always plays the ballsiest characters and I have liked her since the classic Disney film "Freaky Friday".

In "The Brave One",Jodie Foster plays a woman who is attacked and her fiance killed in Central Park and after getting nowhere with the police,she seeks revenge against criminals while developing a rappport with a police detective(Terrence Howard)along the way.References are made to the infamous subway shooter Bernard Goetz and most people who have been victims of a violent crime will definitely relate to the characters.I got up early and was nodding off when I started watching it but by the first 10 minutes I was wide awake!Go out and rent it,it is good!

Flashback Movies:"The Outsiders"(1983)

"The Outsiders",based on the S.E. Hinton novel of the same name,is perhaps one of the best movies of the 1980's.Amazingly,Hinton began the novel at the age of 15 and she completed it at age 18!

When it was adapted for the big screen,the cast was packed with future big-name stars and the novel literally came to life in stereo sound!

The main character is Ponyboy Curtis,played by C.Thomas Howell and the plot revolves around the ongoing local feud betweeen the poor kids (Greasers) and the rich kids (Socs) in a small Oklahoma town.When Ponyboy and his friend Johnny are attacked and almost murdered by some drunk Socs,Johnny strikes back and kills their attacker and their life on the run begins.Johnny later will be fighting for his life after being severely burned while rescuing kids from a burning building,risking his freedom as he was wanted for murder.The film is punctuated by frequent"rumbles" and a deep friendship across social lines between Ponyboy and a rich girl named Cherry(Diane Lane).Ponyboy and his brother Sodapop(Rob Lowe) live with their brother Darry(Patrick Swayze),who quit school after their parents died to support them all.Their Greaser buddies are all like a big extended family and they are played by Tom Cruise,Matt Dillon,Emilio Estevez & Ralph Macchio.They all grease their hair,wear tight jeans and t-shirts and leather jackets and I believe it is set in the late 50's or early 60's judging by the clothes and cars!

At the end of the film we see aspiring writer Ponyboy reflecting back on the course of events and being inspired to start an English composition about everything that happened.I am shocked that nobody has attempted to remake it,with everything else being revived on film but glad to see it remain untouched.Who could play those characters as well?C'mon,Tom Cruise was good in this,it was before he lost his mind-lol.Naturally,I have it on DVD and think I might dig it out and watch tonight!If you have never seen it,you should rent it sometime,especially if you like 50's themed movies.

Flashback TV:The British Invasion(1964)

On this date in 1964,television and music history was made when The Beatles made their US debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.They had arrived on February 7th at JFK Airport accompanied by producer Phil Spector and others and their appearance set off the British Invasion and invited the pans of critics,who proclaimed the group to be a "fad"!Two days after Ed Sullivan,they appeared in concert for the 1st time in America at the old Washington Coliseum in DC.I will have to dust off my copy of the Beatles Number Ones CD and spin it tomorrow!Yes,I listen to the Beatles-I even have a copy of "Wingspan",from Paul McCartneys Wings.LOL.Nevertheless the Beatles are still one of the greatest groups of all times.

Another amazing dog in the news!

Today the Tampa Tribune reported the story of a Labrador,with the ironic moniker of "Jet",who survived a 6 story fall on New Years Eve 2007.She accidently leaped over a railing in the Tampa airport parking garage and plunged about 70 feet,and then got up!The 2 yr old pooch had a collapsed lung and some contusions and was home the next day!Jet lives in Largo,Fl,with his owners.

Travelin' Tranny

Police in Cumberland County,Maine are searching for a cross-dressing man who is cutting female drivers off on the road with his car and then jumps out in front of them in nothing but womens undies,a garter belt and black high-heeled boots!Cross-dressing is not illegal but jumping in front of moving cars on the roadway is.And he seems to be targeting women who are alone....
Wow,the old adage it takes all kinds is right.......oddly enough the drag queen has a mustache!He was last spotted on Saturday.

Hot topic:Convicted murderer released early today

Daily Times Storychat was abuzz today by readers outraged at the early release of convicted murderer Jermaine Wright,who was sentenced in 2001 for the 1995 murder of tourist Krista Ruggles in Ocean City-she was just 16 years old.Ironically he was serving time in another state for a sexual assault against a minor girl when he confessed the murder to his cellmate!He received credits for his behavior and activities behind the walls at ECI and that,coupled with a lame-ass Alford plea,is how we get to this point-a predator will be back on the streets.The news stated that he would remain on parole until his original sentence is up and required to get some kind of sexual predator therapy but made no mention of whether he will be required to register as a sex offender.I am not pessimistic,I do believe some people can be rehabilitated but violent pedophiles do not fall under that category.How many times has this case been replayed across the country?And by that I mean whenever you see the story of some kid who has went missing or been found dead on the news,and they find the person responsible and they turn out to have a long history of prior sex offenses!Many of them have already been convicted of a sex offense at least once,are on parole and by all rights should have still been locked up!
I do admire Kristas' Dad,Larry Ruggles for the constructive way he has funneled his grief and loss into something positive and is reaching out to schools to make kids aware of predators.As a fellow blogger stated just mere days ago,John Walsh,of Americas Most Wanted,was just an ordinary Dad until the day he lost his son Adam and the difficulties he encountered after his loss made him mad as hell and he rolled with it and today thanks to his efforts,hundreds of criminals have been captured and pressure is put on our lawmakers to get tough on predators.I cannot begin to fathom the pain that the Ruggles family has been through,nor would I want to and I know that there is not a parent out there who does not have strong feelings about Wright being back on the streets.Hopefully all the publicity surrounding his release will be enough to keep him dormant but nevertheless I think I can never say this enough times-Anyone with kids or grandkids,know who your neighbors are!Check your local area for registered offenders online frequently,and just be alert and educate your kids on being proactive for their safety.We cannot instill a fear of the world around them in our kids or put them in a protective bubble-wrap but we can make them aware that there are bad people out there.

Happy Birthday to Joe Pesci!!!

Actor Joe Pesci turns 65 Saturday and I have to say he is one of my all-time favorites,just the characters he has played are hysterical.

He was born in Newark,NJ and was acting in plays in NYC at the tender age of five,and he went on to costar with Connie Francis in "Startime Kids" ,a kids Tv variety show,as a lad of ten.After short stints at barbering,singing and playing guitar in a band,he started appearing in movies and the rest is history!My favorite Pesci character would have to be Vincent LaGuardia Gambini,the cowboy-boot wearing novice lawyer in "My Cousin Vinny" and the late actor Fred Gwynne cracked me up when he asked Vinny "Did you say "yoots"?LOL.

He recorded an album in 1998 titled "Vincent LaGuardia Gambini sings just for you" and a year later announced he would retire from acting to pursue a musical career!Happy Birthday Joey!

Flashback Movies:"Birth of a Nation"

Today is an infamous date in film history-93 years ago D.W. Griffiths highly controversial and inflammatory silent movie "Birth of a Nation" was released.Also known as "The Clansman",it told the story of the Civil War and somewhat glorified the KKK and the terror they perpetrated in that era.The NAACP protested the movie and its release incited violence in some cities-other cities refused to screen it for that very reason.Like it or not,it IS a part of movie history.Despite the controversy,it was designated for preservation in the National Film Library by the Library of Congress in 1992.

Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglas was born a slave so there is no accurate record of his date of birth but it is observed on most calenders as February 8,1818 and I wanted to recognize his birthday because he is an Eastern Shore native who made history and overcame his beginnings to achieve great things.He was born near Hillsboro in Talbot County and was seperated from his mother as an infant,and he never knew his father although some sources claim his father was a white man.

As a young boy,he was taken to live at the historic Wye House plantation and shortly thereafter his owners wife taught him some of the alphabet.Douglas then started learning to read from white children in the area and the rest is history.After escaping Maryland and slavery,Douglas went on to become an author and abolitionist and he also held prominent government posts,serving as a US Marshal,a consul for Haiti and bank president.He also worked as a Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia.He invited scrutiny in 1884 when he married a much younger white woman who was active in the very early feminist movement.He died in 1895 and was interred in Rochester,New York.At a time when it was illegal for blacks to learn how to read and write,he saw education as a means of freedom and pursued it against all odds.He is not just a part of black history or Maryland history but American history as well.

Laura Ingalls Wilder(yes,she was a real person!)

Today marks the birthday of one of my personal heroes-Laura Ingalls Wilder,who was born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin on this day in 1867.Portrayed by Melissa Gilbert on TV's "Little House on the Prairie",Wilder wrote a series of books telling the story of her life as a pioneer girl because she wanted children to know how things were in the "old days" when she was growing up.As a young girl I must have read each of her books several times and I loved them all!Mrs.Wilder started teaching at age 15 in rural schools and went on to run a farm with her homesteader husband and became a staunch libertarian before she started writing her memoirs with encouragement from her daughter,Rose.She died at home in 1957 at her home in Mansfield,Missouri and subsequently her home,the Rocky Ridge Farm,was designated a National Historic Landmark.Today her books live on and are still popular as ever and translated into other languages.

Toe lickin' bandit gets day in court

Carlton Davis,26,of Minneapolis,was sentenced to five years probation yesterday for a robbery/assault back in September 2007,where he robbed a woman of her keys and cell phone as she was leaving work late at night and then told her point blank"Now I am gonna suck on your feet"!UGH!Different strokes for different folks?
A judge warned Davis that if he fails to meet the requirements of his probation he will face 21 months in prison for his crime.The last place this guy wants to go is prison-can you imagine what they would do to him if they found out about his nasty little foot fetish secret?LOL

Passing the buck,literally.

A couple in rural Michigan have been attempting to have a dead ram removed from their property for a week now and every local agency they call "passes the buck".Just one day after noticing the ram carcass in a ditch,they say someone removed the head(Satanists?Trophy hunters?) but alas the body is still decomposing in the ditch.The Sheriffs Dept. referred Mike & Trudy Diller to county roads for removal.County roads told the Dillers that since a sheep is classified as a domestic animal and is not a feral or wild animal,that it is not "roadkill" and therefore is not their problem.The Michigan Dept of Agriculture says they should just bury it themselves if no one steps up,which may sound like a simple solution but EWWWWW......Who wants to scrape up a large decomposing animal out of a ditch and dispose of it?Not me!

"Just take a little off the top"

This week the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that a mother who was unhappy with the results of her sons circumcision cannot sue the hospital for malpractice.
Dawn and David Nelson claim that when their son was born in January 2000,a doctor removed "the most erogenous tissue" and they were not satisfied with the results.Apparently it did not "look right".
Their attorney,Zenas Baer claims they did not consent to the procedure but doctors at Unity Hospital in Fridley,Minnesota,say the Nelsons checked off a box on prenatal forms indicating they wanted a circumcision if the expected baby was male.The Nelsons already reached an undisclosed settlement in their suit against Dr.Steven Berestka for assault,battery and negligence but the suit against the hospital and its parent company was dismissed.Attorney Baer says that the Nelsons will appeal,and added that a second circumcision was performed on the child in question for "cosmetic reasons".
Apparently Zenas Baer has a thing about circumcision-his website proclaims that he "contributes substantial amounts of time to ending the barbaric practice of routine infant male circumcision worldwide, insuring genital integrity for all citizens of the world."HUH?

Dissed by Verizon

I have not been able to post to Blogger at all today because of some ongoing "technical difficulties" and I am starting to get a little fed up!
I am a "dinosaur" in that I still have dial-up internet access and unfortunately that is all that is available to me where I live.Normally I can get at least 40 kbps on that connection,but a couple of weeks ago I started losing bandwidth gradually until I ended up with what I am trying to work with now-a whopping 9.6 kbps-which is next to impossible to do ANYTHING with online.It literally takes over a half an hour to check my email and thats if there is not many messages-pretty bad,huh?I was going to chalk it up to the weather but if that was the case my connection would have improved in a day or so as it usually did before.So,I checked with my internet service provider-they found no problems and directed me to call my telephone provider,hinting that the source of my troubles lie there.
Well,I have called Verizon Repair Service TWICE in the past 10 days and both times was told a techinician would come out.Nobody showed up on either occasion and when I called to check I was told my "trouble report had been cleared".Bullsh*t!!!!The repair rep wanted to argue with me and their stance is that they only guarantee dial tone,nothing else.So basically my bandwidth issues are my problem as far as they are concerned,but I am not buying it.I live about 10 miles away from my local switching office and everyday I ride past those little phone boxes that pop up out of the ground every 30-50 feet and the majority of those boxes along these back roads are battered and not properly sealed closed.Hmmm.....Verizon...wonder if THAT could be the problem?I also think my own outside wiring needs replaced.MY next step is to lodge a complaint with the President of Verizon in Maryland,AND the public service commission,which may sound extreme but after being blown off twice I have a right to be pissed.There is a chance that my internet problems have nothing to do with the phone lines but as a customer who pays extra for Verizons "Guardian" repair plan,I damn well want someone here when they say they will be here,and they have failed,twice!
Sorry to rant,but I am fed up with having only ONE local telephone company to choose from.They do not value their customers because they know they are the only choice.People in my area have been asking for DSL for over 2 years now and we still cant get any headway on that(they cant even maintain the copper lines they already have out here)but a development down the road from us that is barely finished already has DSL.WTF?If they do not care enought to give us DSL then they could at the very least show up for service appointments but apparently even that is too much.Time Warner,Charter,and all the rest of the media companies would have no difficulty getting subscribers if they were to offer services in this market,because people are just fed up with Verizon-myself included!
So unless a miracle happens and I am able to fix my bandwidth issues,I will not be able to blog as much but I will still be here!And if any of you out there reading have any idea what else could be causing my bad connection please clue me in!

Super Tuesday means super stupid bills on the ballots

Today it was reported in national news that in two of the many states holding elections today,there are ridiculous bills on the ballot up for vote.
First of all,in Mississippi,we have a bill from Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier,which would ban restaurantiers from serving obese people.I sh*t you not!another dumb law to save people from themselves that has no merit whatsoever.Read says he never intended for it to ever be voted into law,he just wanted to shed light on what he feels to be an obesity epidemic in his state(an estimated 30% of Mississippians are obese).So why even waste the valuable time debating it or bringing it up at all?
Then over in California,Measure A on the local ballots in Riverside,if passed,would restrict the number of roosters residents can legally own.They say it is to cut down on cockfighting but there was also alot of pressure on the city council by residents who merely complained about excessive noise from crowing roosters.If you live in ANY metropolitan area and your biggest complaint is a crowing cock,then you need to get a life.If the city already allows people to keep chickens its kind of unfair to backpedal now because some neighbors got their feathers ruffled!

Recent DVD viewing

One of the recent DVD releases I have been wanting to see finally came in-it was released on DVD on January 14th but was on back order and that is Alex Haleys"Queen".Fifteen years ago,in February 1993,it aired as a miniseries on CBS and it told the story of the struggle of one woman,the paternal grandmother of writer Alex Haley and followed her life from just before she was born,through slavery and war,love and loss,and concludes with her recovering from a mental illness and seeing her youngest son,Simon,off to college.I watched the entire 2 disc 8 hour series yesterday since I was on the couch recovering from a cold anyways and I hope to eventually add this one to my collection.The book is always better but the miniseries starred the lovely Halle Berry early in her career,as well as accomplished actors such as the late Paul Winfield,Tim Daly,Ann-Margret,Martin Sheen and Danny Glover.

This weeks new DVD releases 2/5/2008

Theatrical Releases this week on DVD

• "The Brave One"-Jodie Foster becomes vigilante after her onscreen boyfriend is murdered by thugs-also on HD
• "Across The Universe"-Jude Law stars as Liverpool native who comes to America in the turnulent 60's,Beatles songs dominate soundtrack-2 disc set,also on blu ray
• "Elizabeth:The Golden Age"-Cate Blanchett returns as Queen Elizabeth 2 in this seqeul to "Elizabeth"(1998)-deleted scenes,also on HD

Other DVD releases this week:

• "The Apartment"(1960)-collectors edition DVD
• "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"-widescreen
• "The Jewish Americans"-widescreen 2 disc
• "Midnight Express-Anniversary Edition DVD(1978)-widescreen
• "The Jane Austen Book Club"-widescreen,also on blu ray

Tv on DVD

• "Beauty & the Beast:The Final Season" -Tv series starring Linda Hamilton-3 disc set
• "McLeods Daughter:The complete 5th season"-8 disc set of WE series
• "Soul Food - The Complete Third Season"-5 disc set
• "Third Watch - The Complete First Season"-6 disc set

Music on DVD

• "Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas - A New Day"-also on blu ray
• "Iron Maiden - Live After Death"-2 disc set

For the kiddies or the kid inside of adults!

• "Go Diego Go! - Diego's Magical Missions " Animated
• "Cowboy Bebop Remix: Anime Legends - Complete Collection"-6 disc set

Go out and rent a movie this weekend!I will be screening "The Brave One".

What is happening to these kids?

It was reported today in national news that a 15 yr old Cockeysville Maryland boy gunned down his parents and two brothers,left and spent an entire day with his friends,and reported his familys deaths upon returning home Saturday evening.He allegedly had been having difficulties getting along with his father,a Towson real estate attorney.Nicholas Waggoner Browning confessed to the slayings to police shortly after his crime was discovered.All their neighbors and friends have commented on what an asset this family was to the community and the boy had no history of violence.
Lots of teenagers argue with their parents.Let's face it,when you are a teenager you pretend your parents do not even exist,lol as if you were hatched out of an egg or something.There are going to be screaming matches and occasional tantrums but KILLING your parents AND your siblings?It is eerily reminiscent of the 1970's Amityville NY DeFeo murders-you know the ones in the "Amityville Horror"house.Was the kid in this case doing drugs?Did he have a mental illness?Or was it something darker that propelled him to commit such horror?He is too young to be charged as an adult in this tragedy and there is no offical word yet on whether he is being represented by an attorney.
I hope this is not indictative of another underlying epidemic of killer kids.In this case,the murder weapon was a gun in the home that belonged to the killers Dad.That opens up another big can of worms if the guns were not properly under lock and key.Browning is being held in a segregated juvenile unit at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson.

NY Giants take the Superbowl and the Patriots by surprise

After trailing slightly behind the undefeated New England through most of the game,the NY Giants came back and won in a 17-14 upset with a mere 28 seconds or so left on the 4th quarter.

The Victory Parade will commence on Tuesday,ironically the same day as primary elections and lots of fanfare is expected-the Big blue has damn well earned it!Eli Manning was named Superbowl 42 MVP and Terry Bradshaw awarded him the keys to a new Cadillac Escalade.I am so psyched and Very,very proud to be a Giants fan tonight after they won their 3rd Superbowl.It proves that nice guys do not always finish last and the underdogs always come back!

Can you believe Alice Cooper is 60?

Legendary shock-rocker Alice Cooper,who was born Vincent Furnier will turn 60 on Monday!He did the whole shock-rock opera burlesque stage show performances decades before Rob Zombie picked up the torch.These days Alice Cooper is a confirmed born-again Christian and hosts a radio show "Nights with Alice Cooper".Rather than decapitate mannequins onstage,he spends his leisure time competing in Pro Am golf tournaments.Cooper,an avid golfer,hits the holes 6 days a week!He is also a restaurantier and has appeared in cameo roles in many films.Happy Birthday Alice!May nothing get "under your wheels" as you celebrate!

90's Flashback Movie:Serial Mom(1994)

"Serial Mom" aired on television tonight and out of all of John Waters' movies this one ranks up there in the top 3."Hairspray" & "Pecker" are one and two,respectively.

"Serial Mom" stars Kathleen Turner as a suburban Baltimore housewife who just snaps one day and starts murdering people.

Sam Waterston is her husband,and Ricki Lake and Mathew Lillard play her kids.Patty Hearst even has a cameo in this movie!Live scenes were filmed at Hammerjacks in Baltimore also.It is a very dark comedy and funny if you like offbeat movies.

This weekends DVD viewing

I try to rent at least one new release every weekend and this week it was "Invasion".It is a new,more advanced take on the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" that is actually a quite decent remake.The transformations are reversible in this movie,unlike the previous versions but they still managed to retain some classic scene re-enactments from the original version in the 50's starring Kevin McCarthy."Invasion" takes place in Washington DC and there are also some nice outdoor scenes in the lovely Georgetown neighborhood.I do not want to blab any more and spoil the movie for those who have not seen it yet!

Craigslist ad leads to arrest

I have heard alot of stories about alot of stupid criminals,but this one takes the cake!A guy in Stamford,Connecticut used the popular online classified Craigslist to advertise marijuana for sale!
His ad touted "Mary Jane in Fairfield County" and offered high-grade marijuana for $440 an ounce and lower-grade herbage for $320 per ounce.
Stamford Police officers spotted the ad and responded under false pretenses as a local painting crew looking for some smoke and Steven Zahorsky,24,agreed to meet them Wednesday at the McDonalds located at an I-95 rest stop.He then delivered an ounce of the "high-test" grass to the undercover officers car and collected $320 from him.Upon his arrest,he insisted he was just there to grab a Big Mac-despite the fact he was in possession of the $320 and the officers number was on his cell phone.The police raided Zahorskys home and seized more marijuana,psychedelic mushrooms,a digital scale,a shotgun and ammunition.Zahorsky was released on bail and faces a trial next month to defend against several drug related charges.
I also nominate him for the list of World's Dumbest Criminals!It's one thing to sell a car or computer or find a roommate on Craigslist but advertising that you have illegal drugs for sale on a site that ANYONE can visit is monumentally stupid!What was he thinking?No one knows.Attempts to contact him by news media found no phone number listed for him.But we all know he has a cell phone!LOL

Now THAT is Chevy Tough!

Frank Oresnik is getting ready to retire his 1991 Chevy Silverado truck-not because it is giving him any problems-but because the truck is a mere 1200 miles away from the odometer hitting the 1 Million Mile mark!

Oresnik purchased the used pickup in 1996 when it had just 41,000 miles on it and he then he drove it for approximately 85,000 miles a year in his business,delivering seafood over an area of 3 states.The truck has been through four radiators, three gas tanks, five transmissions and six water pumps over the last 12 years but still has the original engine which has never been overhauled.Oresnik attributes the longevity of his pickup to regular oil changes and tuneups over the years and I have to agree with him on that point-a vehicle treats you as good as you treat it.

General Motors oughtta use this guy and his reliable Chevy truck for a TV ad!

Even MORE animal hoarders!

For the THIRD time in a little over a week another animal hoarding case has made national news-this time in Bonham,Texas where complaints from neighbors prompted an investigation yesterday by the local police in cooperation with the SPCA.Three dogs and a mind-boggling TWO HUNDRED AND NINE cats were removed from the home,and authorities say they found 40 of the cats together in a single bedroom.The alleged owner,David Wheeler,says he initially started out with 13 cats and they quickly multiplied.Wheeler also added that it was too expensive to spay and/or neuter that many cats AND feed them too.Here's a novel idea for him-don't have A pet,let alone over a dozen,unless you are prepared and able to have them neutered and vaccinated.

Today is the day.....

The public smoking ban in Maryland goes into effect today,and while I understand it's intent,it is not the responsibility of the state to save us from ourselves.Where does it stop?Some strong odors,for example,can cause anaphalactic shock in an asthmatic.Do we ban all personal fragrances?The majority of businesses already had smoking bans in place but the new law limits smoking literally to ones home or car.Some local beaches have enacted smoking bans too.There is no loophole that will allow a business to offer a seperate designated smoking area under the law and that is a little unfair.As long as comparable accomodations are made for non-smokers and the business has enough demand for a smoking area to justify the expense of expansion,why can they not do so?

What is the matter with these people?

I am still reeling after reading about this in the local newspaper yesterday.A Delaware woman and her live-in boyfriend,both 20,were arrested after Friday the boyfriend allegedly bit his girlfriends 10 month old baby girl(not HIS child)for crying excessively.Both the adults had been drinking all evening and the mother was charged for failing to report the abuse because "she did not want to lose her boyfriend"!!!!WTF?
Luckily,an observant family member noticed the injuries and reported the pair to police and child welfare and she was removed from the home and her mothers custody.The mother (and I use that term loosely) was freed on bail but the boyfriend was still being held in Sussex County.
What the hell is wrong with these people?What kind of asshole bites a defenseless and vulnerable infant?And what kind of mother is going to knowingly expose her little girl to that sort of person?Afraid to lose him?I would be plotting his painful torture,not "scared to lose him".My womans intuition tells me that the mother herself was probably victimized by this jerk but thats still no excuse.My thoughts and prayers go out to this little girl!

Whatever happened to the daytime talk shows?

What has happened to the daytime talk show genre that started when Phil Donahue first hit the national airwaves out of a Chicago studio?I am not referring to the cutesy,trendy and hip programs like Oprah,Tyra or Ellen-but the junk food of daytime TV,good ole fashioned trashy ones like Jerry Springer or Maury Povich.Donahue was not trashy but he WAS interesting and never steered away from controversy and therefore always thought provoking.Alas,he is TV history.
But it it seems like that format has faded into obscurity.I have been watching a new show occasionally,"The Steve Wilkos Show".Wilkos,for those of you unfamiliar,is a former Chicago PD officer and was the head of security for The Jerry Springer Show for many years.He often served as a bouncer onscreen when the shoes came off and guests got to brawling onstage.Women in the Springer studio audience often asked to come onstage and either hug steve or kiss his bald head-LOL.He is a handsome man with an air of authority and I honestly like him and his values but I do not enjoy his show.He does confrontational shows with pretty vile guests like child molsesters or a guy who deliberately spreads AIDS.The better part of the show is Steve berating the creeps onstage and there is no studio audience Q&A,just Steve reading emails during the credits.No offense,but if I wanted to watch a big bald dude scream at people,I would go to boot camp LOL.
Also,I adore Steve Wilkos but seeing pedophiles on TV everyday is nauseating....how about something like the old reliable DNA test shows?By watching old Maury shows,you would think some chicks gave more thought to deciding what to get on a pizza than as to who fathered their children.Scandalous,but it made for good trash-tv!Alot of that stuff was staged or exaggerated wildly for ratings but it held your attention.Todays current "hot" daytime talk shows put me to sleep!

He did WHAT in church?

Thomas G.Findler,of Hamilton,NJ was hiding a dirty little secret.....he was sneaking into Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church,where he was a parishioner,to use a nuns' computer to look at internet porno!Wednesday he got busted by a church custodian,who chased him out practically into the hands of a local cop!
Findler,a civilian NJ State Police employee,was charged with theft and burglary.No word on his job,but no doubt if he works in such a sensitive environment like a police agency and has a vicious addiction of any kind,he needs treatment before he is permitted back on the job.Not that I am anti-porno,but theres a time and place like in the privacy of your own home.Normal people do not sneak into a church of all places and access porn.Maybe I am in the minority but I would definitely think I was damned to Hell for disrespecting a house of worship in that manner.I am no prude,but thats kinda sick and blemishes the sanctity of the place.I hope the dude gets some serious therapy!