Wednesday Foto - 8/31/11

As I went skimming through possible pictures for this week's Wednesday Foto, I spotted this one.

It kind of "stood out" from the others. Among the other pictures were some recognizable faces. I must admit that, once again, I couldn't figure out who this is! Don't be shocked. You see, I don't get around much, anymore.

If you can help me with the lady's identity, I'd appreciate it! In the meantime, click the picture to get the full effect and have a great remainder of the week!

Government RAIDS Gibson Guitars

The Gibson Guitar company is an American icon. They've been doing business, making some of the finest musical instruments in the world, for generations.

There is a real possibility that they will be forced out of business.

Click here for the story.

Something doesn't seem right.  I think we may be hearing a sour note.

Monday Foto Jenna Pietersen

Fof the final Monday in August, we travel to South Africa in search of Jenna Pietersen.

Jenna is a successful model who says that she is turned off by time, liars, traffic, raisins, plastic surgery, people who whistle, if someone else wakes her up, winter. We will try to remember this.

Click the picture to get the full effect. It's enough to make me want to give up raisins.

Have a good week!

Overcovering Irene

Better safe than sorry. Yeah. Is it just me or was Hurricane Irene over hyped by the media?

Sure there was flooding and plenty of damage. The winds that hit the New York area were measured at 65 MPH. That's strong but, from media reports, we were told to expect much more. As the storm bounced off the middle Atlantic coast and reached cooler water temperatures, it was downgraded. Still, the media were rooting on for "THE BIG ONE." On Sunday morning, the cable news networks brought on the main news anchors to tell the story.  (The big boys seldom work on Sundays.)

Listening to the radio network news on Friday afternoon, it sounded like a science fiction movie or a little bit like Orson Wells' "War Of The Worlds."

The biggest amount of damage caused by this storm came to the media's credibility. There will be more hurricanes. Will we believe the warnings?

Man Turns Self In On Parking Infraction

Michael Andes of Shelton, Connecticut has a thing about local police and local parking violations, saying that they don't enforce parking regulations.

Andes went into action, this week, intentionly parking in a handicapped parking spot near his home. At 2AM, Thursday, he calls the police department and reports the crime. Nothing happened, so he called again, and again. In all, he called at least 15 times.

When officers arrived, Andes yelled and carried on, accusing cops of not doing their jobs. Things escalated to the point where Andes was tased and was charged with second degree breach of peace and interfering with an officer. He was released on a $1,000 bond and given a court date of September 6 at Derby Court. Andes was also given an infraction ticket for parking in a handicap space without a permit.

I was hoping that he would have been charged with puplic intoxication. If this is how he acts when he's sober, then, he's got a problem.

Special thanks to friend, Chris Ludwig, for the "heads up" on this one!

Friday Foto - Unknown

Time for the Friday Foto. This is a feature where I showcase the visual appeal of an aspiring model or actress. Usually it's a young lady with a cult following.

The feature has proven to be so popular that I have expanded it to Monday and Friday posts.

This week is a little different. I do not know the name of the lady in the picture. If anyone can help me, please, submit a comment! In the meantime, click the image to get the full effect and have a great weekend!

Goshen College Bans National Anthem

This story has controversy on several levels. Goshen College is a Mennonite college in Indiana. A few months ago they decided to stop playing the "Star Spangled Banner" at its sporting events. You see, they only recently started the practice of playing the song. Now, college officials say that due to the violent nature of the song, they will no longer play the song. It's been banned. It has been decided that "America The Beautiful" will be played, instead.

For years, the "Star Spangled Banner" has been under attack as a song that is difficult to sing, the words are hard to remember, the melody is taken from an old English drinking song.

What we may want to think about is that the song was written by an American prisoner of war, F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was aboard a British ship during the War of 1812 and he witnessed bravery on the part of the Americans.

It is a song about triumph against staggering odds. It is a song of optimism for the future as it asks the question of the flag's future of waving over the "...land of the free and the home of the brave."

I like the song. I like what it stands for.  It is unfortunate that war was necessary for our nation's survival.    I guess I wouldn't be a very good Mennonite.  

8.23.11 Where Were You?

One of the major stories of the week, so far, has been Tuesday's East Coast earthquake.

No serious injuries were reported.

Is it too late to blame Bush?

Wednesday Foto - Hillary Fisher

We mark the middle of the week with a silly little picture of Hillary Fisher! Hillary is a model. She's done work for Hawaiian Tropics, Budweiser and some other major businesses.

Aside from that, Hilary has a college degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, and her specialty is cakes.

Click the image for the full picture and have a great remainder of the week!

9/11 Wine Distasteful?

There's a small vitner on Long Island, N.Y. who is producing a special wine for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Lieb Family Cellars of Mattituck says that they will donate up to 10% from the sale of each bottle to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

The wine has been formally approved by the Sept. 11 Memorial Board. Each bottle will retail for $19.11.

Poor taste? I think so. I think that anyone or any business that even thinks about profiting directly or indirectly from the obscene events of September 11, 2001 is a creep. (Lieb, you can keep your 10%) This goes beyond wine. For me, it includes music, and any sort of souvenir from this tragedy. There are other ways to make a living and to market a bottle of wine.

It's sad to see dignity defeated by greed. Shame on us.

MLK Memorial Unveiled

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was unveiled, yesterday, on the National Mall in D.C. The granite statue of King stands 30 feet tall and is called "The Stone Of Hope." It's part of a four acre, $120 million tribute to the civil rights leader.

It should be pointed out that the statue is made of Chinese granite and was sculpted by Lei Yixin, a master sculptor from Changsha, China. The statue was made in China and reassembled, here.

Does it sound odd to you that we outsourced this very special project to China?

Get used to it!

Being Grumpy Can Make You Sick

This is the result of a real study! We've heard the expression, "Worried Sick." Now you can get sick from being grumpy.

For the past 15 years, Professor Carsten Wrosch has been paying his mortgage by investigating how emotions affect people. He said: "Bitterness may forecast patterns of biological dysregulation, a physiological impairment that can affect metabolism, immune response or organ function and physical disease."

If you are getting grumpy about your tax dollars going to fund a grant for such research, don't be...the study was done in Canada.

Friday Foto - Ines Cudna

This week's Friday Foto features the famous Ines Cudna. After checking the archives, I can't believe that I have overlooked Ines!

The lady is 27 years old and is known for her acting and her modeling.

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

Wednesday Foto - Demi Rose Mawby

This week's Wednesday Foto comes to us from England...I think.

She's a teenager named Demi Rose Mawby. She's not a model, nor an actress. The best that I can explain it, is that Demi is an "Internet Personality."

With the Internet, it is now possible to be famous because you are famous. It sounds shallow, but it's not. I've been working on this for years!

Click the picture to get the full effect and have a fantastic remainder of the week!

Bachmann Botches Elvis Tribute

Michele Bachmann made a mistake today. It wasn't a slip of the tongue, it was more than that. She's running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States. You would think that she and her people would have their fecal material "together." Apparently not.

At a "Join Team Bachmann" rally in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the event opened with a recording of Elvis' "Promised Land."

Then, she comes out and says, "Before we get started, let's all say 'Happy Birthday' to Elvis Presley today... You can't do better than Elvis Presley and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating taking our country back to work."

The problem is...today is not Elvis' birthday. It is the anniversary of his death. If she didn't know that, OK. You would think that she would surround herself with people who could set a correct theme. I guess, my point is that we should not vote for her nor against her because she made this error. However, we wonder if we want a person as president who relies on people who don't do their homework.

By the way, Presley was born Jan. 8, 1935, and died Aug. 16, 1977.

AC/DC Wine

This seems a bit odd to me. Rockers AC/DC are selling their names to be used as a line of wine.

The Australian band has entered into a partnership with New South Wales, Austrailia-based winery Warburn Estate to produce four bottled varieties, named after some of their hits -- AC/DC "Highway to Hell" Cabernet Sauvignon, AC/DC "Hells Bells" Sauvignon Blanc, AC/DC "Back in Black" Shiraz and AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long" Moscato, .

In other news, Ernest & Julio Gallo have a new CD coming out and are thinking of a concert tour!

Monday Foto - Kacey Barnfield

This week we kick things off with young Kacey Barnfield. She's been an actress since she was 9 years old. The 23 year old Kacey is familiar with people who watch English TV. That doesn't include me, so I'll be clicking on the image to get the full effect.

Have a great week!

Russian Politics?

This is a little complicated. It involves Russian youth who drink beer in public, the Russian President and young women who partially strip...for a cause.

Do I have your attention?

The three little girls in the picture are part of a movement which was sparked by a social media site which is faithful to President Dmitry Medvedev. The prez thinks that young Russian boys should not be drinking beer in public. The trio of lovelies is relaying the message.

The boys are confused.

There is a similar campaign seeking support for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin where girls are also urged to strip (to their bikinis)in public.

Could you imagine what kind of a primary season we could have in the U.S.?

Pawlenty Done

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty quits the Republican campaign for the presidential nomination. He didn't wait too long after finishing third in yesterday's Iowa Straw Poll.

You see, Pawlenty spent plenty of money in Iowa. The hawk eye state was a "test" for him. If he spent big money on commercials, etc, and did not have big results, it would be a big disappointment for him.

It's not ideas, it's money, honey.

If he has any campaign money remaining, where does it go?

Stage Collapses At Indiana State Fair

At least five people were killed, Saturday night as high winds caused a stage to collapse at the grandstand of the Indiana State Fair. The country music act Sugarland was to perform when winds of up to 70 mph caused the stage to sway. Authorities called for an evacuation within 10 minutes of the tragedy. In addition to the four fatalities, at least two dozen people were seriously injured.

The entire fair is closed on Sunday with a memorial service scheduled for Monday.

Soros Sued By Spurned Ex

George & Adriana during happier times.

George Soros is a billionaire businessman. If you listen to Glen Beck, then you know who Soros is. Well, anyway, the 80 year old Soros has a 28 year old ex-girlfriend, a Brazilian Soap Opera Star, named Adriana Ferreyr. The two had been an "on again/off again" item for about 5 years. Let's see, 5 years ago, old George was 75 and Adriana was 23....

Soros, whose net worth is estimated at $14.5 billion, promised Adriana a $1.9 million apartment, on the upper east side of Manhattan. Instead of giving her the apartment, he gave it to another woman!

To make up for this, Soros promised Adriana a larger apartment. He later backed out and bingo! Adriana brings on a $50 million lawsuit!

You've gotta wonder if this guy is really smart enough to be as rich as he is. Didn't Howard Hughes teach is anything?

This is why, as I remember when I was single, I aggressively avoided all contact with Brazilian Soap Opera Stars!

Olympic Pee-er Gets Dumped

Robert "Sandy" Vietze, the 18 year old skier from Warren, Vermont has been booted from the U.S. Ski team.

You may remember that 18 year old Vietze was arrested for urinating on a sleeping 11 year old girl, on a Jet Blue flight from Portland, Oregon to New York City.

Vietze says that he had 8 drinks before boarding the plane. Following his performance, the 6 foot 5 inch, 195 pound preppy pee-er was detained by police at JFK, early Wednesday. Preliminary charges of exposing himself in public were dropped!

That was on Wednesday. Two days later, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President of Athletics Luke Bodensteiner emailed a statement to The Associated Press, saying that Vietze had been dismissed from the team for conduct violations.

Vietze was among the 75 most elite skiers in the nation -- until things went downhill... 

His name was bumped from the team's developmental roster on Thursday.

The leaky loser expressed no remorse Thursday outside his family's palatial Vermont home, where he ignored questions about the incident and showed no interest in apologizing to his victim.

Friday Foto - Natalia Domestico

For this week's Friday Foto, we feature Natalia Domestico. Natalia is a very successful model. Sadly, there are not many pictures of her on the Internet. Even her own website, http://www.nataliadomestico.com/ is a little "light" on pictures. This will probably change in the near future.

Natalia is one smart cookie.  She speaks four languages.  One of them, I'm sure, is yours!

To get the full effect, click the image and have a nice weekend!

UAE Helps Joplin

The largest tornado in the U.S. in more than 60 years damaged 30% of Joplin, Missouri on May 22. 160 people were killed.

As the rebuilding continues in Joplin, school is scheduled to begin next week. The High School and two other schools were destroyed in the tornado. Half of all Joplin school buildings were damaged.

Support has been coming in from around the world. The largest single donation comes from the United Arab Emirates. They are offering $500,000 for laptop computers for students. Insurance is helping, but the total price tag for student computers is $2.7 million. UAE is also offering to "match" additional donations up to $500,000.

While the loss of life can never be "fixed", it is a triumph of the human spirit to see neighbors, from everywhere, help in the recovery effort. It's what we do, here, in the American midwest. It's also what good and decent people do, no matter where they live.

On behalf of the 50,000 people of Joplin, to the UAE and all contributors, we at the blog say THANK YOU!

Wednesday Foto - Monika Kis

It's Wednesday and time for the Wednesday Foto. Today, we travel to Serbia for Monika Kis.

Monika is an actress and a model. I'd like to give you more information, but I don't have any for you!.

As of now, Monika is a mystery.  You may investigate further by clicking the image.

Have a great remainder of the week!

Dirty Dancing Remake

Some things are so special that they cannot be imitated nor enhanced. Dirty Dancing was a low budget classic...a hit movie that wasn't supposed to be. Every part of that story was perfect. The time period was portrayed accurately, the costumes, the language, the acting, the direction, and yes, the dancing, were all perfectly executed. The casting was nothing short of genius!

Why someone would try to redo this picture is beyond me! I can't see any room for improvement.

If Hollywood wants to make a teenage, coming of age, romance, there are many different possibilities. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head.

Do we ever hear of an artist attempting to do a remake of the Mona Lisa? Of course not!

I'd much rather see that we leave the classics alone and see us develop some fresh thought...c'mon, it's Hollywood...we can fake it!