Here are a few pictures from the 35W Bridge collapse site that you will not see anywhere else... my source is a close friend who has unique access.

To all of the Heroes who came out of the woodwork, I would like to give you a belated... THANK YOU!

The shock has started to wear off and people are angry about what happened and are pointing the finger at anyone who could possibly be blamed. As a hard core Dem I find myself in the strange position of defending Bush from those who are now blaming him (see here). Don't get me wrong I don't agree with everything written in the article but it does have a few good points and examples. Every past and present state and federal politician needs to look at their record and decide if they did enough. You as the citizen who elects them needs to look at their records and let your voices be heard. What ever happened here in Minneapolis at the 35W bridge (and in New Orleans) did not just happen in the last four, eight or even twelve years it has been decades of neglect, poor planning and lack of funds that is at fault.

Some 35W collapse photo's that you might not have seen. These are up close and in the wreckage. http://www.conphoto.net/collapse.html

This weekend is usually one of my favorite weekends of the summer. (At least it has been for the last 15 yrs since I moved out of uptown.) This weekend is the Uptown Art Fair combined with two other major art fairs and the Fringe Festival. It is a weekend for every man/woman to get out and appreciate art in all it's forms. This year in the back of my (and I would bet most everyones) mind will be those who have been lost, hurt or are unknown.

edited:8/3/07 10:15pm for grammar (I should not write when I'm tired)

MnDOT feared cracking in bridge but opted against making the repairs

MnDOT feared cracking in bridge but opted against making the repairs: "Fears about bridge safety fueled emotional debate within the agency, according to a construction industry source. But on the I-35W bridge, transportation officials opted against making the repairs."

So the finger pointing has begun. If this turn out to be the cause someone will have to be the sacrificial lamb.

The networks suck!

Having watched the tragic 35W disaster unfold on local news, this morning and late last night I watched as the national news media made it out to be the end of the world! Nightline on their opening video moved Minneapolis/St. Paul around 100 miles north! While the local media really did a great job, all the stations as far as I saw pushed the good Samaritans that turned out to help. The national media hyped shocking photos, videos and half truths turning it into a an even more shocking news event to make money by keeping you riveted to your seat.

Yes it is shocking and wrenches my heart for those who have been hurt or killed. Carrie all night long kept saying that she wanted to go down and help and I also wanted to do what I could, but the mayor has asked everyone to stay away and give it time. If you want to help give blood or $$$ to the Red Cross. A friend of mine did head down there (of course he lives four blocks away so...) this morning and says it's like a zoo. Thousands of people are headed to all locations along the river, (blocking traffic and pulling stretched resources from where they are needed) with cameras in hand hoping to take pic's. People the wreckage will be their for months to come, just wait, damn it. Give the workers the space they ask for to do their work.

Nuff said

Update on Bridge Collapse:

Not much yet, but on CNN.com homepage there is a video from a security camera of the collapse.

Looking north at construction of the Interstate Hwy 35W bridge built in 1967.


I-35W bridge collapses; at least 6 dead: "Star Tribune staff

Kent Kobersteen, Minneapolis Tribune

The Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during the evening rush hour Wednesday, dumping an estimated 50 vehicles into the water and onto the land below, creating a horrific scene of damage, fire, smoke, injuries, frantic rescuers and bloody, terrified motorists"

My prayers go out to everyone... I had a scary wait as Carrie was over an hour late getting home due to the traffic snarl caused by this. I was not too worried because Carrie does not take the freeway but little did I know she was taking a co-worker home tonight and was just a mile or two away on Hi-way 94. I have crossed over this bridge at least a thousand times in my 39 yrs in Minneapolis. I once lived three blocks from the bridge!

Here is a Google map/diagram of the location. The bridge is just south of the blue 35W near the middle of the map. The white blob to the south west of the blue 35W is the Metrodome. The green arrow is near the center of downtown.

StarTribune photo gallery.

StarTribune diagram of bridge collapse.

update: They are now saying at least 60 injured with nine dead and with at least twenty more missing... rescue work has stopped for the night, tomorrow they start recovery. This will be a major traffic problem in the years too come being that there are few other express/freeway access points into Downtown Minneapolis. This is the same interstate that runs from Texas to Duluth, Mn. Life for all who live in the Twin Cities has changed to some degree.

Please, please please... somebody... anybody?

Triumph of the squirrels

Triumph of the squirrels: Squirrels EAT a large DOG? "These are the behaviors that create a sputtering Donald Duck-like frenzy in people as they reach for their shotguns. But they should stop. They need a license ($20), they need to wait for the season opener (Sept. 15) and they need to remember that it's illegal in most cities to fire a gun. (Satisfy all the requirements, however, and Squirrels in Cream Sauce and other fine recipes are at (www.startribune.com/lifestyle.)"

That may be best. If these cute, smart-aleck, determined little rodents ever get organized, it could be our worst nightmare. According to a 2005 BBC report, a stray dog in the Russian village of Lazo was barking at squirrels in a tree when a number of them suddenly descended and attacked, killing the dog. The squirrels ran off, some toting pieces of flesh, the report said. The reason the squirrels snapped was the dearth of pine cones that year. They were hungry.

Squirrels take over the world in 2050!!!

Hey big spender, $210,000 drinks bill | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Hey big spender, $210,000 drinks bill | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "LONDON (Reuters) - A Middle Eastern businessman spent over $210,000 in a five-hour, champagne- and vodka-fuelled spending spree in a London nightclub at the weekend.

Fraser Donaldson, a representative of Crystal, a club favored by Prince Harry, said in 20 years working in the industry it was the biggest bill he'd seen from one customer.

The unnamed big spender entered Crystal at midnight on Saturday with friends -- nine women and eight men -- and ordered a $50 bottle of white wine, a spokesman for the club said.

But before long he was ordering magnums of Dom Perignon at $1,400 each and then called for a Methuselah -- eight bottles in one -- of Cristal Champagne at $60,000 and the party spread.

The festivities ended with a 'night cap' consisting of a Methuselah of Belvedere vodka, which cost $2,800. 'He basically just said, 'keep the drinks flowing,'' the club spokesman said.

When the party left at 5 a.m., the bill was 81,471.50 pounds, which with tax and service added amounted to 105,805.28 pounds -- $218,000. It included the cost of six Coca-Colas.

Car chase ends, but not after suspect stops for cigs | LOCAL NEWS | Phoenix News| azfamily - KTVK| News for Phoenix, Arizona

Car chase ends, but not after suspect stops for cigs | LOCAL NEWS | Phoenix News| azfamily - KTVK| News for Phoenix, Arizona: "One guy was in a hurry today, dangerously weaving through traffic all over north central Phoenix. He really wanted to get away from police, but apparently he wanted a cigarette even more.

Your foot is not the best way to stop a truck but then again the alleged robber was in a hurry.

Jessi Singh was behind the counter when this still unidentified man came running into his store. He was running because police say he used a note to rob a Bank of America at 44th Street and Thomas at about 10 a.m.

Police followed the truck to an address on the 2100 block of East Yale, but before they could move in the suspect took off at high speed. Marked police units backed off and let the helicopter take over the pursuit and that's when the suspect did something very curious. He ran into an AM/PM for his nicotine fix.

“Pack of cigarettes, pack of cigarettes,” the alleged suspect said. “Quick, pack of cigarettes. Here here's 20 bucks. Give me a pack of cigarettes. Please, matches need some matches. Keep the change. Come on. Thank you.”

He was in there for only about 20seconds and took off with a squeal of the tires.

“Then I saw a helicopter and police cars an"

The suspect then returned to the area where police first spotted him and officers were able to knock out a tire with stop sticks.

That's when the suspect gave up and police arrested him, finding cash and an unopened pack of cigarettes inside the truck.

After all that he didn't even get to smoke a cig!

Rolling Stone : The Worst President in History?

Rolling Stone : The Worst President in History?: "George W. Bush is in serious contention for the title of worst ever. In early 2004, an informal survey of 415 historians conducted by the nonpartisan History News Network found that eighty-one percent considered the Bush administration a 'failure.' Among those who called Bush a success, many gave the president high marks only for his ability to mobilize public support and get Congress to go along with what one historian called the administration's 'pursuit of disastrous policies.' In fact, roughly one in ten of those who called Bush a success was being facetious, rating him only as the best president since Bill Clinton -- a category in which Bush is the only contestant."

Ok one last (and very funny) Harry Potter themed story. Here is the best (non)spoiler I have found... enjoy!

Harry Potter spoilers:

[From page 51 of the scanned pirate copy]

Harry and Ron stepped through the painting into the Gryffindor common room in some consternation. "I hope Hermione hasn't passed us completely," Ron said. "I can't believe she took summer classes."

"I would have if I could," Harry said, "but I didn't have the O.W.L.s to manage it. Remember, her last letter said she was going to go on to post-graduate work." They waved to familiar friends and began introducing themselves to the new students. Quite a lot of the younger students kept passing them and then looking back at Harry and stopping dead in surprise.

After eight years, Harry was used to being stared at. The dark Lord Voldemort's attack on him as a baby left him a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, and the reputation of being the only person Voldemort couldn't kill outright did the rest, with some help from the reputation Harry had built for himself since. After discovering he was a wizard and could attend Hogwart's School of Wizardry, Harry had gotten wind of several of Voldemort's evil schemes and had thwarted them all. He had faced death, humiliation, basilisks, dragons, evil wizards, malicious spells, foul odors, the undead, and even the Inland Revenue and remained unscathed. Oddly enough, Voldemort's schemes seemed to be losing oomph, as if he could no longer pull together enough power to get a really good evil plan together. The last attempt had been to place Harry on a chain letter mailing list.

As more and more students kept staring at him, Harry began to realize that there was a different class of attention. He recognized the star-gazers, the well-wishers, the groupies, the jealous, and the envious, but he kept noticing female students looking at him in a funny way, almost as if they were hungry. One pretty blonde student even went so far as to lick her lips and use her hand to smooth out the front of her robe, although Harry hadn't noticed any wrinkles.

Ron noticed it as well. "Cor, Harry! You outta be able to get some serious schtank this year! And we're finally of legal age to learn Sex Magic, so you'll have an excuse and everything."

"But why are they staring at me? Why not both of us?" Harry asked, blushing furiously.

"Well, look at you. You've been playing tournament-class Quidditch for eight years, you're in fantastic shape, you've got the scar (chicks love scars, Harry), and Daniel Radcliffe turned out to be a hunk."

"What?"

"Look, there's Hermione!"

Hermione Granger was standing at the bottom of the steps to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron dashed towards her and then stopped dead. Hermione had changed over the summer. The difference was so great that Harry was forced to realize that he hadn't really been paying attention the last few years. The mass of curly brown hair was still there, but it was arranged in an artful way to frame her face and curl over her shoulders. Her face was more angular, with high cheekbones and clear milky skin. The prominent front teeth were still there, but they only served to push her lips forward in a very interesting manner, making her look as if she was always just about to eat a strawberry. Her robes had changed as well; they fit quite a bit better, for one, and the neckline seemed much more fascinating than before. She had a thin leather belt around her waist, from which hung several small silk pouches and which incidentally accentuated her lush curves. Heavily orchestrated music began playing. "Hi Harry, hi Ron!" she called, and went to hug them both.

"Um, cough, wow, Hermione, you're looking really, um, good," Ron blurted out. Harry just nodded and concentrated on trying to breathe normally.

She preened. "Thanks! I've been studying up on Sex Magic, it's dead easy. Did you get all the stuff on your list for this year?"

Both teens looked down and nodded. "Yes, " said Harry glumly. "We had to go to a different section of Dragon's Alley for it, some shop called Lord Chumley's Marital Accoutrements and Novelties for the Gentleman. I don't even know what half of this stuff does! And a couple of the items sort of look like wands, but I tried swishing them about and almost got arrested!"

"You'll see. The girls get a different list, I got everything at Victoria's Sorceries. I'll show you later, if you're good" she said, not noticing the way both Harry and Ron's eyes widened, "but you've both got to get to "Beginning Erotimancy". I'll see you after." She turned and walked up the stairs with a wiggle.

Ron looked at Harry. "We're in for it, aren't we?"

The two boys ran into Professor Winkledoof's class just on time. This class was all boys, for some reason, and Harry's heart fell as he spotted Draco Malfoy and his goons on the other side of the room. The professor, a short, stocky man with questionable hygiene, was busily making extremely detailed chalk drawings on the blackboard. The drawings appeared to be of some sort of intricate plumbing system, and resmebled slightly the more primitive sketchings Harry had seen in the boy's lavatory. There were several posters hanging about the walls, with mottoes like "Safe Spelling", and "Wrap It Before You Wave It". There was what appeared to be an inflatable witch, a small trampoline and a spool of thick rope over by the closet, and there was a large wooden trunk labeled "Toys" next to Professor Winkledoof's desk, which was almost invisible under the stacks of paintings and etchings. Harry and Ron looked down; at each student's place was a brass spigot maked "Lube", a soft towel, and a small parcel of square foil packages labeled "Lord Chumley's Preventatives - Ribbed". Some of the boys had apparantly already opened theirs and there was a spirited balloon fight going on in the back of the room.

Professor Winkledoof finished his drawing, turned to face the class, scratched himself, and began. "Right! Welcome to 'Beginning Erotimancy'! We'll jump right in to give you a taste, right? Wave yer wand over your goodies and say 'Phallus erectus'!"

Harry looked around to get an idea of what "goodies" was supposed to mean, and then, blushing, he followed instructions. "Phallus erectus!" he commanded. Instantly he felt a strange warmth, which turned into an abrupt and slightly painful swelling and tightening beneath his robes. At first he thought he had inadvertantly transformed part of himself into a snake, but talking to it had no effect. Next to him he could hear Ron waving his wand frantically and mumbling, "Please, dammit, c'mon, don't do this to me..." The boys around him were having varying degrees of success; Harry wasn't surprised to see Malfoy sitting tall in his chair with a smug expression.

Class ended early after an explosion came from the back of the room and Neville's high-pitched shrieks filled the air. "That explosion was a bit... premature, wasn't it Potter?" laughed Malfoy.

The next class was with Professor Snapes ("Aphrodisiacs and their Abuses") but they had more than a half-hour to spend so they went back to the Gryffindor rooms. Harry was still puzzling over what he had seen. "What were those diagrams on the board? You think he's trying to sneak into the pipes of Hogwarts to do some dastardly deed? Maybe there's underground caverns besides the Chamber of Secrets^TM, that diagram looked kind of like the opening of a hidden cavern," Harry said. Ron looked at him with an odd expression.

"You didn't get out much at the Dursley's, did you Harry?"

"No, you know that. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ron said hurridly, "only you might want to, you know, check out the library for some extra biology studying this term."

"Now you sound like Hermione."

"Yeah, and about Hermione. You know how she loves showing off how much she knows about magic, right? I'm thinking that..."

They said the password ("doggin bat!") and entered the common room. Hermione was sitting in one of the high-backed armchairs in front of the fire, studying an odd-looking device. "What sort of magic wand's that, then?" asked Ron.

Hermione smiled a cat smile. "A Hitachi," she said. "Why are you chaps back so early? Finish too soon?"

"No, but Neville did," Harry said. "Madam Pomfrey looked at him and shook her head, said something about cold compresses."

Ron cleared his throat. "Um, Hermione, I was wondering... I mean, it seems that Harry here is a bit, um, lacking, in certain basic instruction, and I was wondering if you could help him out. And me too, if you're not too tired." Hermione seemed delighted, and stood up with a flourish.

"I'd be happy to," she said. She looked closer at Harry, paying particular attention to the chest and arm muscles developed through years of Quidditch. "I'd be very happy to. The only person I had to study with over the summer was Colin, and he wears out too quickly." She reached into one of her pouches, grumbled, and then reached into a diferent one. "Shouldn't have been there... okay, this is the easiest one to master, it's called Attraction. With a small effort you can cast a spell on a person and make them think you're the sexiest thing they've ever seen." She threw a small handful of glittering dust in the air, waved her Hitachi through it and chanted, "Glamourus Meus!"

Suddenly, in Harry's eyes Hermione was stunning. She had already been attractive; now she was maddening. He could feel the snake tranformation in his robes again as he lurched towards her, determined to get her and... and... well, he didn't know exactly what yet, but whatever it was he was going to do it really hard. Hermione smiled at him. "See? Easy. And you turn it off with just a snap of the wand." She jerked her wand between them and down, but it had no effect. She looked at it and ducked around the back of the chair as Harry stepped forward. "Sorry, I'll try that again." She did; it didn't.

Hermione looked up with resigned good humor and held her arms out. Oh, well, something went wrong, and now she had to deal with a lust-crazed Harry Potter. No worries, she had hoped for that anyway, just on somewhat more equal terms. Maybe this way they could get the awkwardness out of the way and then they could... Behind Harry's quivering body she could hear that all the conversation in the room had stopped, and low moans could be heard. She stood up and peeked over the back of the chair.

Everyone in the room was looking at her like a starving dog looking at a steak, and they were all walking stiffly towards the chair. Even some of the figures in the paintings seemed to be trying to climb out of the frames. The fat woman painting slid aside and more boys (and a few girls) from the other Houses came in, followed by several professors. Through the window she could hear Hagrid's great booming voice, "Aragh! I've gone and raised the biggest beast of them all! C'mon, me lad, let's put you to good use!" Even the male owls in the room seemed alert and ready to swoop, and Ron's owl Pidwigeon was scrabbling at the bottom of her robes, trying to find a way in.

Frantically she tore through her pouches, only to find that all of her other powders had been replaced with sugar packets. Someone had sabotaged her spell! And now it looked as though she was going to suffer for it, unless her summer lessons could help her triumph over 65 males (and a few females). She took a deep breath, snapped her head to the side to crack her neck, and stepped forward...

Digg - Harry Potter Leaker Forgets to Remove EXIF Data from Photos. [PIC]: "Harry Potter Leaker Forgets to Remove EXIF Data from Photos. [PIC]

The guy who took pictures of the stolen harry potter book and put them on the net forgot to remove the EXIF data which contains the serial number of his Canon camera which means he can be traced back."

Anyone want to buy a camera real cheap?

So folks are these the last pages of Deathly Hallows (Last Harry Potter Book)?? I don't know but there are photos and more but then again there are dozens of people who say they have gotten hold of copies in advance, and they all contradict each other, go figure!

If you want the spoilers from the same source they are here!

Harry potter...

A new report analyses the measures taken by UK Potter publisher Bloomsbury to keep Deathly Hallows unspoiled.

It is from Tuesday, however, when copies begin to be sent out to retailers, that the most crucial part of the security operation will come into effect.

The trucks Bloomsbury will use are fitted with satellite tracking systems costing up to £1,000 pounds, which will reveal whether any of the vehicles deviate from their intended route. The books are on sealed pallets fitted with alarms to prevent tampering.

A spokesman for Bloomsbury said: “we have a litigation specialist poised 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deal with any breaches. It is our intention to enforce the embargo vigorously and seek an immediate injunction if required.” While experts put the cost of all this at £10 million, the lengths to which publishers have gone are not surprising.

Went and saw the latest movie last night, I like it a lot. It was darker but not as dark as some have made it out to be. Now I enjoy Harry Potter but I have never read one of the books and I'm thinking that maybe I should read Half Blood Prince just so I'll know what the hell everyone is talking about when the rampage over Deathly Hallows happens. My Spoiler prediction is that Harry will not die, but will sacrifice his magic to defeat V... (he who should not be named because I don't know how to spell it and really don't care to look it up!) becoming a Muggle of sort?

Oregon man flies 193 miles on a lawn chair and 105 balloons

Oregon man flies 193 miles on a lawn chair and 105 balloons: "Oregon man flies 193 miles on a lawn chair and 105 balloons"

I'm thinking this will not catch on as a way to beat the airlines!

Happy 4th of July!

Our cabin and some of the fun things we did. Late night campfires, late night antics in the woods and an encounter with the headless horse woman!

Several pic's from a day hike up to Deer Mt. Carrie and I left out with a group of twelve or so but did not make the summit. Being from Minneapolis where the elevation is around 800ft a climb in high elevation to 13,700 proved to much on only the second day. Carrie came down with some altitude sickness and that was the end of our climb... we headed down and waited for the rest of the group.

These pic's where taken on a drive through the mountains/Rockie National Park at about the tree line or above.

Ok I've told you we went on a trip and promised some pic's well here is the start... this one is just so you know where er were. Estes Colorado, YMCA of the Rockies to be precise. I know you may not think of the YMCA as a resort but this one can be. It provides a ton of things to do and in the most beautiful settings! So enjoy the pic's

best of craigslist : Looking for smoking hot girl to share apartment: "I'm looking for an incredibly beautiful girl to share my apartment. Why does my next roommate have to be a gorgeous girl with fantastic funbags? Because I hate my job, that's why.

I spend everyday dealing with complete cockbites, only to come home and deal with one more cockbite fucktard, and I'm tired of it. For once, I want something to look forward to, and it's certaintly not going to be my job.

So if someone has suggested that you should be on America's Top Model, or could be (better yet, have been) in Playboy, than you may just have what it takes to be my next roommate.

In all fairness though, it will take more than just being a scorching hottie to be my roommate, it will also take $700 every month. You will also have to put up with the following:

My friends will always be over to check you out
I will always be trying to check you out
I will move all of your food to the bottom drawer of the refridgerator, just so I can watch you bend over and get it (Oh, yeah! Get those apples from the crisper, you dirty girl!)
I will make every attempt possible to 'accidently' bump into you as you are on your way out of the shower.
I will constantly try to get you drunk so that I can advantage of you. Sadly, in attempting this, I will get"

To read the rest, click above. (It's funny) Oh and by the way I'm back from Colo. so pic's and stories over the weekend!

Well folks where off too Estes Park Colorado for a week in the mountains and then a quick stop at Mt. Rushmore on the return trip, so no posts but wait till you see the pic's! Carrie and I bought a 2 Gig memory card for our camera so we have space for over 3,000 thousand pics... this should be fun!

Baby monitor picks up live NASA video - USATODAY.com

Baby monitor picks up live NASA video - USATODAY.com: "Baby monitor picks up live NASA video"

I wonder how much $$$ NASA spends on it's monitors and how much $$$ it could save buy buying baby monitors?

Nick Coleman: Minneapolis in trouble? Then bash the beggars

Nick Coleman: Minneapolis in trouble? Then bash the beggars:

"'Calling all cars, calling all cars: Citizens report a surly beggar at 9th and Hennepin.

'Oh, yes, there's also a double homicide on Broadway.'"

Bush robbed? Not on my watch! | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Bush robbed? Not on my watch! | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Bush robbed? Not on my watch!"

Now, why couldn't they steal Bush and leave the U.S. the watch! (Yes, I know the watch was not stolen; Bush just chose to insult Albanians by implying they are thieves. Of course we all know who the biggest thief is, the one who stole an election, our good image and our civil rights!)

Californians may be forced to neuter pets | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Californians may be forced to neuter pets | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Californians may be forced to neuter pets"

Next on the agenda is the forced neutering of all Republicans ;)

Eating live frogs, rats cures tummy upsets | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Eating live frogs, rats cures tummy upsets | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Eating live frogs, rats 'cures tummy upsets"

Eating mushrooms and licking frogs will make you forget about that tummy and about anything else also;)

A$$hole of the week ----> "Kenneth Cowan"

This loser tried to swindle and elderly woman but thanks to some "Minnesota Nice" people he was stopped in his tracks. Would you step up if you saw this happen?

kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - Man first cons, then swindles elderly Minneapolis woman:

MyFox Twin Cities | Minneapolis Woman Charged in $2.5 Million Check Cashing

MyFox Twin Cities | Minneapolis Woman Charged in $2.5 Million Check Cashing: "Minneapolis Woman Charged in $2.5 Million Check Cashing"

Has she never heard the saying "take the money and run!!!" Belize here I come!. I really don't know what I would do, yes I would be tempted but in the end I would do the right thing... I think?

Sorry About Our President, George W. Bush | United States Politics and Foreign Policy: "Sorry About Our President"

YouTube - The Facts of Life (you will learn a lot from this)

You have to see this, I learned a lot from it...

That is one big pig... if it's real! Story is HERE.

BlogCatalog Bloggers for Good Fundraising Challenge

Do you remember that teacher who changed every thing for you? Was it the English teacher who told you that you have a novelist/poet stuck inside of you? Or that math teacher who pushed you just a little harder till you found your inner Steven Hawkins? For me it was Miss. Rood, my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher that introduced me to Museums and art galleries on field trips and gave me the confidence to strive for what I want. Now it's time to pay them back... go HERE.


DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack.
Here, teachers submit ideas for materials or experiences that their students need to learn. Individuals like you can choose a project and make it a classroom reality.

3D Animation of Vaginal Child Birth

3D Animation of Vaginal Child Birth: "Animation of Vaginal Child Birth"

Just Watch... I'm not sure why. If your a guy you need to see this (so you know that you MUST buy your wife something nice) and if your a pregnant woman you may want a c-section instead.

Congressman chases down pick-pocket | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Congressman chases down pick-pocket | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Congressman chases down pick-pocket"

How embarrassing for the 18 yr old thief to be ran down by a 61yr old, his time in jail will not be fun.

Swarm of bees forces passenger plane to land | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Swarm of bees forces passenger plane to land | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Swarm of bees forces passenger plane to land"

Now we know what happened to all those missing bees. They ahve developed a thirst for British beer and are drunkly flying into planes!

On the "Who Cares Front..."

Apolo Theater | Dancing With the Stars (Season 4 -- Episode 410A) | TV Watch | TV | Entertainment Weekly: "Apolo Anton Ohno" Has won dancing with the kinda stars...

And Jordin triumphs as youngest Idol ever.

YouTube - Hillary vs Obama



Sorry folks but this is so, funny but true.

PS From Carrie, Mitt Romney, what kind of name is that? Shit Romney.. eeerrr I mean oven mitt now wait I mean...........

Man busted while drunk driving in wheelchair | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Man busted while drunk driving in wheelchair | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Man busted while drunk driving in wheelchair"

Digg - Doctors May Be Third Leading Cause of Death

Digg - Doctors May Be Third Leading Cause of Death

Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US, Causing 250,000 Deaths Every Year This week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

Shrek the turd...eeerrr I mean the Third, or do I? As a devotee to the Shrek movies I had to see the Third and as a devotee I liked it. As a stand alone movie... I would pass or wait for the DVD. Slow, dark with a weak plot and soundtrack. The bad soundtrack is the most disappointing... you have been warned.

PS Happy birthday Carrie my love & best friend! (not to mention my wife)

Fun videos - Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

This girl is singing something... but I forget what it is ;)

Ok Carrie and I are having a little tiff over this one, she wants me to take it down and asks"Why are men so obsessed with boobs?" So leave us your opinion in the comments section.

Train passengers asked to get out and push | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Train passengers asked to get out and push | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "Train passengers asked to get out and push"


This reminds me of a train trip I took in 1994. The trains locomotive failed and we where stranded outside of a small town in Georgia called, if I remember right, Mound. The towns mayor and citizens greeted us with open arms by opening city hall (it was a Sunday) and the womans auxiliary showed up with tons of food, apple pies, cakes , lasagna etc... it was great. They even allowed us to use the phones to call family to let them know we where all right but would be late, very late. After several hours Amtrak came up with two plans to get us to our destination (New Orleans) the first was to wait several more hours for buses to show up and drive us the rest of the way. The second plan was for those adventurous souls who would not mine riding on a train with no electricity. A freight engine had been brought in to bring the train to New Orleans but because the fright engine and the passenger cars use different electrical systems there would be no power. The temperature was a humid ninety plus and there would be no AC or food! So after a quick run to the local store for food and beverages ;) a few hearty souls headed out on the crippled train, myself included. It was dark, hot and very weird. The only light came from back up batteries between the car sections, so of course this is where we all congregated. It turned out to be the best part of my trip. I met a ton of people and we had a party, the beer eerr, I mean beverages where drank fast so that they would not get too warm, food was shared and memories where made. To the cute blond from Sweden, sorry I did not find you in LA a week latter and too the middle aged man from Dallas who bewildered all of us with is ventriloquism, you made our night.

On a side note I just found out that one of my most favorite/ridiculed authors is very ill and has been for a while. For any who do not know Robert Jordan the author of the endless tomes call the Wheel of Time series is suffering from Amyloidosis. My good wishes and prayers go out to you and your family, good luck.

German man found after 7 years dead in bed | Oddly Enough | Reuters: "German man found after 7 years dead in bed"

BERLIN (Reuters) - The decomposed corpse of a German man was found alone in his bed after nearly seven years, police in the western city of Essen said Thursday. Next to the dead man's bed police found cigarettes, an open television guide.

And here is another one:

Bank sells house complete with owner's corpse

updated 5.16.07

Tampabay: Artist's work looked familiar

"If you're in the business of 'clever, ' there's sort of a promise, a covenant: 'I promise to be clever, and you promise to love me and my cleverness, "

A quote by Jim Benton

Green Bay Press-Gazette - Police Calls

Green Bay Press-Gazette - Police Calls: "Theft: A 21-year-old De Pere man was arrested Wednesday for disorderly conduct and shoplifting $10 worth of pregnancy test kits from Woodman's, 2400 Dousman St. When asked by police who the kits were for, the man just sighed.

— Ashwaubenon Public Safety Department"

THE FUTURE

Admittedly, our niche role in the human species might seem marginal, quaint, or even silly at the present time, if you're of a very boring, practical, and short-sighted mindset.

But just wait … wait until the whole world is a giant post-nuclear wasteland populated by clashing tribes of biker warriors all battling over some rare and precious resource like gas or water or fertile women. Then, let me tell ya, the instincts we refused to squelch, the fears that we trained ourselves to ignore, and the skills that we honed in the lost spaces of cities are all going to prove invaluable. And the bozos who didn't get it are going to be sitting on the radioactive surface scratching their tumors and gnawing on rat bones left behind by mutant cockroaches, while WE rule the mighty underground cities that we forged in the lost remains of massive subterranean military installations.

If they're really lucky, maybe we'll allow them to fight one another to the death in the post-apocalyptic gladiator-style games we run for entertainment in order to placate the masses. And all kinds of tough scantily-clad post-apocalypse babes will beg to reproduce with us.

Totally.

This is taken from those great urban explorers here in Minneapolis, The Action Squad!

TwinCities.com - Minneapolis / Strip club chain may buy Schieks after all

TwinCities.com - Minneapolis / Strip club chain may buy Schieks after all:

YOUR TAX MONEY AT WORK!

Minneapolis sent two officers on a cross-country trip to tour seven of the chain's strip clubs. Grant Wilson, of the licensing department, traveled with police investigator David Rodriguez on a four-day trip in late March and early April to get a peek at the sexual contact between customers and employees, customers being allowed to touch their breasts and simulated sex in their laps, stuff like that, "Most guys think it would be a dream assignment, but it was very grueling,' given the late nights, the documentation involved and the travel between two states, he said."

(I did edit the above to tickle the funny bone just a little.)

BlueHour | Priorities: "Priorities"

Damn it's a little dusty around here...

Ok folks (like anyone is gonna actually read this after a three month poof, but here goes) I'm back. My DSL arrived yesterday and here I am. I had a lot of funny pic's and comments stored up but they all seem way to stale now. I even thought about tossing in the towel on this blog and starting new. But it's way to long in the works, so I'll just start plodding along with the pic's and stuff.

So whats new, well Carrie the wife has a new job taking care of squishies or at least that is what she calls them. Squishies are babies, you know those little versions of you and I that we all hope turn out better than we did even though they have the disadvantage of your illegal drug/alcohol/prescription drug/environmentally poisoned polluted genes and mental instability. I on the other hand have chosen to embark on a great new adventure, I'm headed back to school )after fourteen years) to get my MBA and working through a temp agency for spending change. Till later, cya.

Myths replace facts in honeybee decline

The Truth about the honeybee disappearance is now known!!

U.S. Department of Agriculture top bee researcher Jeff Pettis sys that bees are out creating crop circles "and it's working them to death."

We suffered a huge loss in the last move. Due to his constant fighting with Shadow, Carrie and I made the decision to give up Ziggy. This was one of the hardest things I have had to do... I loved him so much, and I know it hurt Carrie to no end. But Shadow is a fifteen year old grumpy old man and would not have adapted well to a new home, Ziggy is young and very charming. We brought him to the humane society after spending weeks trying to find a new home. He looked so hurt when we left him there, thank god he did not cry out I think I would have crumbled. Two weeks latter D my sis in law was with a friend dropping off a stry at the humane society and who does she see, but Ziggy as he was being adopted.

PS Still on dial-up so things are slow... but everything is good. Now all I need is a new job to go along with my decision to head back to school for my MBA... so long to the hotel business (I may work in one while in school but I will not be staying, fourteen years is long enough!)

Just a quick update. Sorry about the lack of posts but yet again we have moved and Shadow our cat shorted out our DSL modem, so we are on dial up, which makes it very hard to post. Everything is good and I have a ton of news and pic's soon to be forthcoming. Till then take care...

Mom: Talking Doll Called My Daughter 'a Slut'

(click pic for ABC's test video)

By MIRI MARSHALL

Dec. 10, 2006 — It's supposed to say sweet things to little girls like, "You're a wonderful friend," but push its button the wrong way and the Little Mermaid Shimmering Lights Ariel doll may say something else — "You're a slut," according to a California mother whose allegation came to light in a newspaper report.

I thought it was only the Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan dolls that where supposed to do that?

Carrie and I where reading the waiters blog when we got talking about coworkers and the drama of them. Here are a few that made our list:

1)At one of my last jobs I had a waiter who pretended to be British and faked his accent and background. It was funny whenever he got upset (which was often) the accent would suddenly disappear and his voice would go up three octaves. He was actually from Wisconsin!
2)Another coworker changed his name and refused to acknowledge anyone who called him by his given name, this included his mother when she visited him at work. He also is a drama queen from Wisconsin! What makes people from Wisconsin so ashamed of their state that they want to reinvent themselves???
3)Then there was the hypochondriac who one day when I walked behind the front desk of the hotel, she had three pill bottles out, was on the phone with her doctors office and had a light box with a reflector shinning on her to treat her SAD. When ever the news reported on some new and bizarre illness she would come down with it!
4)There was many years ago the day care worker who I heard from everyday when I dropped of my niece. She lived with her boyfriend, his two ex girlfriends, their kids, his best friend, brother, mom, grandmother and the grandmothers drunken boyfriend in a two bedroom condo. Everyday she would complain about her living condition to everyone. Thank God I only had to listen to it five minutes a day. I always felt sorry for her coworkers one of which was the boyfriend!

We could go on, the hotel and restaurant business is full of strange drama queens... not to mention the guests.

My heart & prayers goes out to the Kim family. You all have shown such courage and strength during the ordeal. For those who may not have heard this family of four was returning home after Thanksgiving and became stranded in the Oregon mountains. Three family members where rescued on Monday (Dec. 4th!) . James Kim an editor at Cnet had headed out on Saturday by foot to look for help. His body was located this afternoon.

Ogling Breasts Makes Men Live Longer

This is not a joke. It came from the New England Journal of Medicine.

Great news for girl watchers: Ogling over women's breasts is good for a man's health and can add years to his life, medical experts have discovered. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out" declared gerontologist Dr. Karen Weatherby.

Dr. Weatherby and fellow researchers at three hospitals in Frankfurt, Germany, reached the startling conclusion after comparing the health of 200 male outpatients - half of whom were instructed to look at busty females daily, the other half told to refrain from doing so. The study revealed that after five years, the chest-watchers had lower blood pressure, slower resting pulse rates and fewer instances of coronary artery disease.

"Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation," explains Dr. Weatherby. "There's no question: Gazing at breasts makes men healthier." "Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life four to five years."

Is this to good too be true?

Idiot of the week: From The Chimp-o-Matic: If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow.

This is an actual quote from Jan. 1, 2000
--George W. Bush

Thanks waiter for bringing this to my attention. Now everyone call your congressman before you start drinking and ask for his help in making this happen;)

Repeal Day

Repeal Day (December 5th) is not celebrated by anyone in this country, yet it is the only day which truly has any connection with alcohol. December 5th is the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave us all the constitutional right to consume alcohol. I’ve been celebrating Repeal Day for years by forcing this information down the throats of my customers, and now I’m forcing it on you. Here are a few reasons why I think Repeal Day should be a major drinking holiday in the United States.
(Click the text for the reasons!)

Aaaahhhh... such a cute kitten. You did see the kitten, right?


Yeah boss, about that shipment of cars...

Idiot of the week: This guy who fell asleep twenty stories up while washing windows. He may not be a true idiot but sleeping up that high, well it's close.