- There are just certain things in life that you don’t want to do over the phone. Breaking up with someone is one of those things, firing them from a job is another and delivering really bad personal news is one more. Oh, and add proposing to your girlfriend to that list as well. Unfortunately, there are simply times when having important talks over the phone cannot be avoided. For soldiers serving overseas, that reality hits home quickly. So if you want to propose to your special lady friend but are currently deployed in a foreign country, what can you do? You just might have to propose by phone……but even in that case, you probably want to make sure that a) you have the right number and b) that you talk to your girl directly instead of leaving a voicemail. Those words of wisdom would have been very helpful to an unidentified American soldier, evidently deployed in Afghanistan, who called a woman he believed to be his girlfriend on Thursday and proposed to her. What he actually did was call Diane Potts, a 44-year-old mother of three who lives in the northern English city of Gateshead, and ask for her hand in marriage. Thinking Potts was his girlfriend Samantha, the solider laid his heart on the line in a message on Potts’ answering machine. How he didn’t pick up on the fact that he had dialed a British number and could well have heard an outgoing message with a British accent (unless Potts just goes with the factory installed robot voice that comes on the answering machine), I don’t know. But when Potts came home last Thursday and checked her answering machine, she was greeted with this: "I love you so much, I love you with all my heart and I was going to ask you, don’t answer, obviously you can’t answer, but will you marry me?" Potts explained that she ascertained that the man was speaking from a phone booth because the line was static-y. The truly sad note in all of this is that this poor guy likely has no idea of the mistake he’s made. He probably thinks that he’s proposed to the girl he loves and is waiting to get word from her, but she has no idea and unless whoever Samantha is sees the story, realizes what’s going on and responds, it could be a long time before the unfortunate solider is able to call home again. Further tugging on the heart strings, the soldier goes on in his message to speak emotionally about losing a comrade in recent fighting. "One of my guys has just been blown up, so I feel sad, I really feel sad," he explained on the tape. The mystery soldier also hinted that his girlfriend is pregnant, so that might help to narrow the search. "I can’t wait until you give birth to my baby, my little soldier," he says. "I will do everything in my heart and I will try my hardest to fight to protect you. I've got to go back out here now. I love you with all my heart, don't ever forget that, I love you, all right Samantha, I love you, bye, bye." Give credit to Potts for doing everything she can to assist in the search and get the word out so this story has a chance for a happy ending……….
- Did you have a megacity on your Christmas list and see that wish go unfulfilled? If so, you’re not alone. Several cities in southern China, that dream is still out there and may soon become reality. A plan is in place for combining nine cities to create an urban area the size of New Jersey and Vermont combined. Local leaders announced the plan through state media and laid out a plan that would unite several existing cities in the prosperous Pearl River Delta region, including Guangzhou (12 million), Shenzhen (8.6 million), Dongguan (6.9 million) and six smaller cities. Together, those cities account for 10 percent of China’s economy, so put together they could definitely be a dynamic force. Rolling all of that economic might into a city the size of Switzerland could have a great impact or it could cause a lot of problems trying to run and police a municipality of that size. After all, New York City is a city of six million people and keeping it policed and running smoothly is no small task. The populations of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan alone would have more than quadruple the population of Manhattan if they were combined. Considering that China is currently pummeling the United States in most every statistic and measure that matters and that they own a massive chunk of our national debt, maybe it’s time we start taking their cue and steal their ideas. In other words, let’s roll L.A., San Diego and a few of the smaller cities in southern California into one giant city and see how that works for us……….
- It’s been too long since our last egotistical boast from the agent of an NFL player and in these times of need, who can we call upon to fill that void in our sporting lives? Agent Drew Rosenhaus, that’s who! Leave it to the game’s ultimate blowhard to spew all sorts of sunshine up our butts when it comes to one of the players he represents, even if that player is a former elite wide receiver who has spent the past two years behind bars on a gun conviction for blasting a hole in his own leg at a Manhattan nightclub. Of course, the receiver in question is Plaxico Burress, the former New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers receiver who was sentenced to two years in prison on a gun charge and is scheduled to be released on June 6 if he receives credited time for good behavior. According to Rosenhaus, Burress has received interest from multiple teams and claimed back in November that those teams have stayed in contact with him about the availability of Burress while the receiver finishes his prison sentence. Rosenhaus predicted Wednesday that his client will be playing in the NFL next season…..assuming that there is no lockout by the owners and a season actually takes place. "I am not a big advocate of making predictions on teams because so much can change, but I am not afraid to make the following prediction: Plaxico Burress will be playing in 2011," Rosenhaus said. "And he will play very well. And it will be a very happy ending to a very tough, tough story for him." Geez, way to make it sound like the guy is a victim who has been horribly wronged instead of an idiot who showed up at a club, tucked a loaded gun (with the safety off) into the waistband of his sweatpants and shot himself in the leg, then had a teammate drive him to the emergency room for medical care and lied to the doctor about who he was in an attempt to keep the shooting quiet. It seems like much longer than three years since Burress caught the winning touchdown for the Giants over the New England Patriots in the final minute of the 2008 Super Bowl, but it really has been just 36 months. Rosenhaus is extremely optimistic about the prospects for a player who will be 34 when next season begins and hasn't played since the 2008 season, especially with the multiple examples we have of how players struggle to regain their past form in their first year post-incarceration. Even Michael Vick, who had an amazing season this year - his second post-prison - struggled in his first year out of the clink. Working in Burress’ favor is that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled that Burress would be reinstated and eligible to sign with a team upon completing his sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon. His time in prison has been mostly mundane and he has had a satisfactory record, with one "misbehavior report" that cost him a week of phone privileges and 30 days of recreation privileges. He applied for work release twice and was turned down, but come June he will be a free man and we’ll see if Rosenhaus’ ridiculous predictions come true………
- For months now, speculation has been building to a fever pitch over who will replace Steve Carrell on NBC’s hit comedy “The Office.” Carrell made his plans to leave the show known last year and fans went into this season know it would be his last. Show officials have since explain that Carell's Michael Scott character will be gradually phased out in the latter stages of the season and that by the season finale, he will be gone so that the focus of the finale is not solely on his departure and other characters can shine. Still, Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch needs a manager and someone has to fill that void. Thus far, NBC and the show’s producers have been tight-lipped about who that person will be and have suggested that Michael Scott’s replacement could come from within Dunder Mifflin or from outside. Getting a comedy heavyweight seems like a long shot, or at least it did before NBC announced that none other than Will Ferrell will play a visiting branch manager for several episodes this season. That comes on the heels of last week’s revelation that comic Ricky Gervais -- the creator and star of the original, British version of "The Office" -- would make a cameo on tonight's episode. While Gervais is definitely not in the running to replace Carrell, landing Ferrell would be a huge boost for the show. That’s precisely why landing him is such a long shot. Carrell is leaving so he can devote more time to his movie career and it seems highly unlikely that an A-lister like Ferrell (even though many of his films bomb out at the box office) would tie himself down to a regular television gig for any length of time. Doing a few episodes every now and then is one thing, but becoming an integral cast member is something else entirely. As for his character this season, reports claim that Ferrell's character will be "just as inappropriate" as Michael Scott, which should make for some funny television………
- I freaking knew it! For years now, I have refused to dine at Taco Bell because of the quasi-meat product they jam into their tacos, burritos, enchiladas, Mexican pizzas, etc. Big ups to Amanda Obney, a California woman who has filed a lawsuit in a California federal court claiming that the fast food chain’s meat is only 36 percent beef. In the suit, filed by the Montgomery (Ala.) law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles , Obney claimswhat Taco Bell calls “beef” doesn’t meet the minimum requirements set by the USDA to be called “beef," “seasoned ground beef” or anything similar. Coincidentally, Obney is a former Taco Bell manager and she might have a bit of insight into what the quasi-Mexican food eatery serves. Her claims drew an angry response from Taco Bell president Greg Creed, who called the class-action "bogus and filled with completely inaccurate facts." His response came in an official Taco Bell statement that also says the company’s beef contains 88 percent USDA-inspected quality beef. The class-action lawsuit against the company is technically for false advertising in the promotion of its beef items. “The lawyers got their facts wrong. We take this attack on our quality very seriously and plan to take legal action against them for making false statements about our products," Creed fumed. If the facts are wrong, it’s because the lab that Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles had test the samples Obney provided to them either made a mistake in its testing or deliberately falsified results. Obney’s attorneys stated that rather than beef, Taco Bell’s “beef” items are actually made with a substance known as “taco meat filling.” Worth noting in all of this is what Obney is seeking in the lawsuit. She is not asking for monetary damages, but simply that Taco Bell be honest in its advertising to consumers. What is taco meat filling? According to an ingredient list for the substance, it contains: Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate. Wow….that is a long list. As someone who has long questioned the meat merits of the supposed beef Taco Bell uses, I have to admit that I’m not surprised over allegations that Taco Bell saves money by adding fillers because beef is the most expensive ingredient in their products. Even if the company follows through on its vows to take legal action against the “false statements” being made about its food, I’m going to need some hardcore evidence if I’m to believe that they are telling the truth. Creed cannot simply expect us to accept at face value his assertion that Taco Bell simmers 100 percent U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected beef in a “proprietary blend of seasonings and spices” to give it a signature taste and texture. Either way, I think I’ll keep on avoiding the Bell just to be safe………..
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