Pepsi's Social Network Vending Machine

This is cool...maybe.

This week, Pepsi unveiled a new vending machine at a Chicago trade show. With this thing, you can buy a Pepsi product by using the machine's touch screen. You can also send a text and video message to a friend and "buy" that friend a Pepsi. Your friend receives a "gift code number" which can be redeemed at any similar machine.

Sounds a little involved when you are talking about a simple bottle of Pepsi.

Now, if this thing will accept debit and credit cards - Pepsi may be on to something!

Friday Foto - Becca

Becca

It's Friday and I have something a little different, today, for the Friday Foto.

This is Becca.

I know nothing about her. If you can add anything, leave a comment. Before you do, click the image to get the full effect...and have a great weekend!

Royal Teeth

The mouth of Barmy Baz Franks

I can't really get too excited about Friday's royal wedding.

While I always encourage people to publicly declare their love for each other through marriage, these two represent something that is (to me) no longer relevant.

However, I do respect those of you who enjoy a fascination with the Royal Family. Like Barmy Baz Franks, a 29 year old British plumber. Barmy paid a dentist 1,000 pounds for a 6 hour procedure which left a tattoo of William and Kate on his teeth. (Click the image for a better view)

The images will remain on his choppers for 3 months.

Not my "cup of tea" but I respect the guy.  It's good to see a young gainfully employed guy get excited about something. 

Me?  I'll remain curious about the wedding and the hype and try to figure it all out.

Arrested For Singing "Kung Fu Fighting"

Simon Ledger

Here's proof that the world has gone completely bananas!

A 34 year old pub singer, Simon Ledger, was arrested, Sunday, in Sandown, Isle of Wight, after singing "Kung Fu Fighting." A pair of Chinese tourists took offense to the song and called police. Ledger was arrested that night at (and I'm not kidding) a Chinese restaurant.

The song was a huge hit for Carl Douglas in 1974. I remember playing it a billion times on the American Forces Radio Network, Europe!

Now, suddenly, a guy can't sing the song at a beach resort? If convicted, he'll have a criminal record for racially-aggravated harassment!

Tip of the hat to friend, Chip Ramsey, who pointed out this story in The Sun.

Wednesday Foto - Krystle Lina

It's time to break up the week with the Wednesday Foto! Today we feature Krystle Lina. Krysle is from southern California where she is a successful model.

She has a web site, http://www.krystlelina.com/

Click the image to get the full effect and have a good remainder of the week!

Phoebe Snow Passes On

This is sad news. Singer Phoebe Snow died today after a long illness.

She suffered a brain hemorrhage on January 19, 2010 and slipped into a coma, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure. She was 60.

Phoebe is best remembered for her 1975 mega hit Poetry Man. You can hear an original stereo vinyl recording of the song by clicking here. Her performance on this song ranged 4 octaves.

Her career path was drastically changed after giving birth to a severely brain-injured daughter, Valerie. Snow resolved not to institutionalize her but instead care for her at home, which she did until Valerie died on March 18, 2007 at the age of 31.

This lady with a very special voice was a very special person - a rare combination.
She will be missed.

Aflac Duck Finds Its Voice

Aflac Duck - No longer speechless!

I wish I knew that Aflac was auditioning for a new duck voice!

Well, they were and they found one from among 12,500 entries!

The announcement was made, today, that Daniel McKeague, a 36 year old father of three from Hugo, Minnesota has been hand picked to replace actor Gilbert Gottfried and become the new voice of the reinsurance company's duck mascot.

You can hear it by clicking here.

Pabst Blast Blasted By Attorney General

This is a trend among 18 attorneys general in the U.S.

Here's the issue: the alcohol content in one Blast is roughly 4 times that of a regular beer.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says Pabst should not only lower the concentration of alcohol in the drink — around as much as four 12-ounce cans of beer — but also claims that it's marketing to minors with its bright colors, fruity flavors and celebrity endorser, Snoop Dogg.

As an Illinois property owner and taxpayer, I say that Lisa Madigan, as our Attorney General, should do her job - enforce the law.

Pushing around and bullying private business? That's the job of the legislature!

They can easily force Pabst to lower the alcohol content. All they have to do is TAX IT. The Illinois lawmakers are so good at taxing us, I am surprised they didn't think of this by themselves.

They must be busy...stealing and spending us into bankruptcy.

Lindsay's New Role: Morgue Janitor

The Lindsay (Lohan) soap opera continues! On Friday, she was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 480 hours of community service. The community service will be 360 hours at the Los Angeles Women's Center and 120 hours at the Los Angeles Mission Road Coroner's office where she will sweep and mop floors and wash windows. (Sounds like what I did during Basic Training)

The sentence was in response to a probation violation for an alleged jewelry theft. The probation was for a drunk driving conviction.

Her attorneys are appealing Friday's ruling, but the community service begins in about a week. She's out on bail, at the moment.Lohan made bail on Friday within five hours of getting the 120-day jail term.

Lohan still faces a June 3 trial in her grand theft (necklace) charge, which has since been reduced to a misdemeanor, and faces a maximum penalty of an additional year behind bars.

You know, this is all a waste. It's a waste of courtroom time. A waste of talent and good looks on a weirdo. It's also a waste of space on this blog...and space on this blog is FREE!

Monday Photo - Megan Daniels

It's a Monday, following a holiday weekend. I'll do my best to get things started with a picture of Megan Daniels.

Megan is a model/actress based out of Huntington Beach, California.

Click the image to get the full effect - and have a great week!

Charlie Loses A Goddess

Bree & Charlie

Last night, Charlie Sheen told his Ft. Lauderdale audience that one of his 2 goddesses has left him. Bree Olson gave Charlie the word, the old fashioned way - she texted him.

We believe that she returned home to her parents in Indiana.

Before we feel sad for either Bree or Charlie, please remember, each got what they wanted. Bree received fame within the mainstream public. Charlie got ...uh...well, Charlie got... what he wanted.  He was able to give us the impression that he was doing the horizontal mambo with a young, attractive porn star.

Detroit Library's $1,092 Chair

The Detroit Public Library says that it is considering the closing of 18 of 23 branch locations. This would involve many layoffs and reduced service...service to the same people who continue to pay for it!

Yes, times are tough. So tough that the Dretoit Public Library is spending $2.3 nillion on sprucing up a wing of their main location. Among the improvements ws the purchase of 20 European lounge chairs to the tune of $1,092 each.

It must be fun to spend other people's money!

Man Runs Marathon, Then Runs 99 Miles Home

Sam Robson

Sam Robson is a little different. (Different... in a good way...) He ran in last Sunday's London Marathon and did pretty well! He ran the 26+ miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes. For most of us, it would takes days (weeks) to recover from this punishment, but not for Sam!

Right after the race, Sam ran all the way home, 99 miles, to St. Ives. This makes it a total of 125.2 miles of running for 28 year old Sam...in one day!

Why did he do it? Robson, who was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager, used his run to raise at least £3,246 ($5,315) for the UK Epilepsy Society.

Cool story.

Friday Foto - Nicola McLean

This week's Friday Foto is Nicola McLean! Nicola is an enormously successful model, TV personality, mother of two and wife of football/soccer player Tom Williams.

Nicola makes no secret about having breast implants.  
Her "no secret" is safe with us!

Click the image to get the full effect and have a great weekend!

Iran: No Dogs Allowed

Could you imagine a country with no dogs?
There's a law in Iran which is expected to go into effect which will ban dogs! The thinking is that dogs are unclean and are a reminder of the evil western culture.

I'm thinking "Lassie." Now there was an evil TV show!

If you are found with a dog, in Iran, they will take it from you and fine you $100 or more. I think I know the real reason behind the lawmakers' opposition to dogs. Dogs have more common sense.

Gold Fish Races Stopped In Tacoma

Goldfish Races At The Harmon Tap Room

A Tacoma, Washington bar has been pressured by PETA to cease their popular Tuesday Night Goldfish Races.

During the races, fish would swim in troughs and encouraged by the use of squirt bottles.

The Harmon Tap Room received complaints via e-mail and telephone.

 

They caved in.

Isn't it inspiring when a group bullies a legal business?

Oh, the Harmon Tap Room has replaced goldfish racing with beer pong.

Wednesday Foto - Karina Hart

This week's Wednesday Foto features Karina Hart.

Note the nice set of tools in the background. You my have to click the image to see what I'm talking about.

Karina is a very popular model from Eastern Europe.

Have a good remainder of the week!

Unhappy Days

Things aren't so happy for the surviving crew of the iconic TV mega hit "Happy Days." They are suing CBS for unpaid royalties. Apparently, there are slot machines, various articles of clothing and playing cards, etc. being sold around the world with the actors' images. CBS has agreed to pay. The actors say they have not been paid.

The show aired on ABC, but CBS owns the show. The cast members involved are Anson Williams, who played Potsie Weber, Don Most who played Ralph Malph, Marion Ross who played Marion Cunningham and Erin Moran who played Joanie Cunningham.

CBS says that the amount owed to the actors is less than $10,000 for each.
The actors disagree.

It's a mess and it's been growing for years. Ironic that the people who gave us such a fun show should be going through an unhappy legal mess.

The GEICO Gecko

We all know this guy''' or do we? Did you know that Geico Insurance is owned by a company which is owned by Warren Buffett?  It is, but this has nothing to do with the actual gecko.

Jake Wood

The gecko first appeared in 1999 during the Screen Actors Guild strike that prevented the use of live actors. The Martin (Advertising) Agency of Richmond, Virginia created The Gecho. Dan Kelly was the first voice used. His cockney accent was used for shock value - who would expect a gecko to speak with a cockney accent? The voice was replaced by a working class accent provided by Jake Wood, an working English actor. Wood is a married 38 year old father of two.

So, is the Gecko English or Australian? We're not sure, but we do know that his voice is English.

Kate Losing Too Many Pounds?

It's almost a cliche that young women tend to seriously diet immediately prior to their wedding. Or, as in the case around here, they wait until a few months after the baby is born. Either way, brides want to look slender when they say "I do."

There are only 13 more shopping days left before the royal wedding where Prince William and Kate Middleton will "make it legal" and the whole world is watching. I should rephrase that...much of the whole world doesn't give a rat's rear end about the royal wedding, but there are people, all over the world, who will be watching...closely. Kate's mom, Carole, is confirmed to be on the Dukan diet, a French protein-and-lean-meat program that promises dramatic results — and it’s rumored that Kate is, too.

I'm not a royal watcher, however, I have discovered that Kate Middleton's weight has been a topic for the past few years. My opinion? She needs to gain 10-20 pounds. Don't agree? Take a look at the picture!  Is that a picture of Kate Middleton or is it an 8 year old boy wearing a dress and a wig?

I wonder how much she would pay for a Big Mac, right now!

Bogus Liberty on Postage Stamps

The U.S. Postal Service is having a tough time. Losing record amounts of money, last year, is disgraceful. The latest chapter in their "Book of Woes" isn't disgraceful, it's stupid or humorous - at best...you decide...

The Postal Service printed more than 2 billion of the Liberty Stamp that you see here. (Keep in mind that a normal run is 40 million stamps.)

This is a special First Class Forever stamp.  You can buy large quantities of these and "save" if and when the price of first class postage increases. 

The problem is that the picture on the stamp was taken of the Statue of Liberty replica in Vegas. I don't see anything wrong with that. What if they photographed a sketch of Lady Liberty, or what if they took a picture of the real thing and "touched up" the air pollution stains on the statue's face?

Some people are worked up about this. Don't be. The stamp is not being recalled and it will do its job - just fine.

Still upset? Maybe you would feel better if you copy and paste the stamp and use it on your e-mail?

Elvis' Granddaughter For Lee

This may make you feel a little old.

Elvis Presley's granddaughter, 21 year old Riley Keough (Lisa Marie's kid) is modeling for Lee Jeans. Click the picture to get the full effect.

Hawkinsville Marine

This is an emotional story which I encourage you to read. Please click the following link:

Hawkinsville Marine - Military - Macon.com

The Wal-Monster

This item was sent to us by our European Bureau Chief, Benny Brown:

The Emma Maersk, part of a Danish shipping line, is shown in the photos below.
It is no wonder that 'Made in China' is displacing North American made goods big time.

This monster transports goods across the Pacific in just 5 days!! This is one of three ships presently in service, with another two ships commissioned to be completed in 2012.

These ships were commissioned by Wal-Mart to get all their goods and stuff from China.

They hold an incredible 15,000 cartons and have a 207 foot deck beam!! The full crew is just 13 people on a ship longer than a US Aircraft Carrier (which has a crew of 5,000)

With it's 207' beam it is too big to fit through the Panama or Suez Canals ...It is strictly transpacific.  Cruise speed: 31 knots.

The goods arrive 4 days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on a China -to- California run. 91% of Wal-Mart products are made in China . So this behemoth is hugely competitive even when carrying perishable goods.

The ship was built in five sections. The sections floated together and then welded.
The command bridge is higher than a 10-story building
11 cargo crane rigs that can operate simultaneously unloading the entire ship in less than two hours.

Additional info:

Country of origin - Denmark

Length - 1,302 ft

Width - 207 ft

Net cargo - 123,200 tons

Engine - 14 cylinders in-line diesel engine (110,000 BHP)

Cruise Speed - 31 knots

Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 cubic feet)

Crew - 13 people !

First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006

Construction cost - US $145,000,000+

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.

A recent documentary in late March, 2010 on the History Channel noted that all of these containers are shipped back to China , EMPTY. Yep, that's right. We send nothing back on these ships. What does that tell you about the current financial state of this country?