Combining tats and medicine, college athletics conference musical chairs and MTV one step closer to its dream

- And everyone thought the ginormous game of conference-changing musical chairs that hit major-college athletics earlier this year was over. After Nebraska bolted the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-10 (ironically enough, leaving the Big 12 with 10 teams, the Big Ten with 12 teams and leading the Pac-10 to change its name to the Pac-12 after also adding Utah from the Mountain West), all of the dominoes appeared to have fallen. Notre Dame, always a target for major conferences in football, elected to remain an independent. Other Big 12 schools that were reportedly considering leaving stayed put, allowing the conference to stay alive. But the game has started up again with news that Big 12 member Texas A&M intends to move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, where they hope to begin play in 2012, school officials have said. After just 15 years in the Big 12, Texas A&M is exiting and may be just the first piece in a major expansion effort for the SEC. Sources close to the situation claim the SEC will now pursue Florida State, Clemson and Missouri, which would impact the Atlantic Coast Conference (FSU and Missouri) and Big 12, respectively. The A&M rumors appear to be substantiated by news that the Texas A&M board of regents will convene for a special meeting Monday that includes an agenda item about conference alignment. That listing on the agenda is called: "Authorization for the President to Take All Actions Relating to Texas A&M University's Athletic Conference Alignment, The Texas A&M University System." As with any conference move for any Division I school, A&M’s decision is all about one thing - money - and even those involved in the decision admit it. "There are millions of dollars at stake," Texas Rep. Dan Branch said Friday. "And this could affect students at other schools like Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor." Nice try, Dan-O. No one gives a rat’s ass how the move would affect students; they care how it will affect the bank accounts of the university, as the money made from such a decision won’t be going to any student or athlete. Missouri has denied it is discussing changing conferences, which may be technically true but not account for the SEC’s own plans. "No, no, no," Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said when asked about a possible move. Florida State university president Eric Barron struck a similar tone when pressed about his school leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference for the SEC. "I don't think there is anything to talk about right now," Barron said. "I don't speculate when there's no conversation." Hmm, not really a denial. Still, the Big 12 believes it could withstand the loss of A&M and could seek Houston to fill the void. Losing Missouri as well…..that might be a different story. After all, that might force the conference to actually change its freaking name to more accurately reflect its membership, as rocking the Big 12 moniker doesn’t really fit a conference with eight teams. Ah, the joys of big-time college athletics…………


- The New York City Sanitation Department does not have any forgiveness or compassion for those who dare to transgress against it, even if they happen to be octogenarians dealing with a problem not of their own creation. If the sanitation department were anything other than a bunch of rules-thumping, power-hungry knobs, they would not be hassling poor old Russel Anstett over the problems he’s having keeping his yard clean. Anstett has received multiple summonses for not doing a good enough job cleaning up trash in his yard - even though he’s not the one who put it there. The garbage is routinely thrown into his front yard by motorists and passengers in cars who are stopped at the traffic light at the corner where Anstett’s property is located. Knowing the problem exists, Anstett went so far as to purchase a $500 leaf blower to help keep his yard clean and picks up trash at least three days a week. For an 80-year-old man, that takes a significant chunk of the ol’ energy reserve and so there are times when Anstett’s yard looks less than spectacular. Either sanitation department employees just happen to be past his home at those times or they have it out for the old man, but regardless Anstett has received two summonses for not cleaning, not his own property, but the 18 inches adjacent to the street he's required to take care of. Anstett says he'll appeal the summons and has already written an angry letter to the sanitation commissioner explaining that he's doing the best he can to clean up the trash. In response to a query by a local television news station’s investigative reporter, the sanitation department insisted that Anstett needs to go through the standard appeals process if he has a problem with their summonses. You know, in between spending hours each day cleaning up the crap people dump from their cars into his yard…………


- MTV is one step closer to having its entire lineup composed of mindless reality series featuring the bottom of the social and societal barrel. The network that used to be about music television has canceled The Hard Times of RJ Berger after a two-season run, pulling the plug on the often-edgy series about a dorky high school student (played by Paul Iacono) and his hilarious exploits. The show started off well and developed something of a cult following during its first season. After drawing more than three million viewers in its second-season premiere in March, the forecast was even better for the show’s future. However, ratings steadily declined throughout the short season and May’s season finale drew less than one million people. With R.J. Berger out of the way, MTV can now continue its steady march toward a lineup filled with meatheaded, stereotype-fulfilling losers (Jersey Shore), societal bottom feeders (Teen Mom) and aspiring actors willing to have their staged every move filmed by a camera (Real World). There are (allegedly) some other scripted comedies in the works for MTV, as the network will debut Death Valley on Aug. 29 and the animated Good Vibes in October (along with the return of old standby Beavis and Butt-head) and still has drama/comedy I Just Want My Pants Back and an adaptation of British hit The Inbetweeners are scheduled for 2012 debuts. Of course, no one will be surprised when those shows are canceled after a season or two and MTV replaces them with shows that miraculously find a way to take the reality TV genre to new depths………


- The dream lives. Getting a tattoo is an aspiration of many who are too timid or conservative to take the chance on inking up and less obtrusive medical treatments appeal to one and all. Blending the two together just might be possible thanks to the development of ultrathin electronics that can be placed on the skin as easily as a temporary tattoo. Materials scientist John Rogers of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, believes he and his team have succeeded where others have failed by creating flexible electronics as stretchy and as bendy as human skin, which could eventually pave the way for sensors that monitor heart and brain activity without bulky equipment, or perhaps computers that operate via the subtlest voice commands or body movement. Rogers and his crew are working in concert with other institutions in the United States, Singapore, and China to create a form of electronics that almost precisely matches skin's mechanical properties. These amazing gizmos are known as epidermal electronics and can be applied in a similar way to a temporary tattoo. Placing the device on skin and rubbing it on with water might seem like an odd way to use an electronic device, but that is precisely how epidermal electronics work. They can even be hidden under actual temporary tattoos to keep the electronics concealed. "The skin represents one of the most natural places to integrate electronics," Rogers said. "As the largest organ in our body, and our primary sensory mode of interaction with the world, it plays a special role." Researchers owe the leap forward in epidermal electronics to advances in several areas, including active circuit components - transistors, diodes, and other inherently stiff semiconductors - Rogers and his team have been able to shrink to the size of the tiniest bumps and wrinkles on the skin. Another key aspect of the progress made of late is in the material on which these components are arranged: a sheet of rubbery "elastomer" that mimics the mass, thickness, and elasticity of the skin. The elastomer can stay attached for over 24 hours almost anywhere on the body and when teamed with a computer program capable of predicting all the stresses and strains that arise with different designs of an epidermal electronics device, durability has increased substantially. Experiments have included using a device the size of a postage stamp to a person's chest to pick up the electrical signals produced by the heart. The results were nearly identical to those produced by a hospital electrocardiogram, the researchers say, without utilizing potentially uncomfortable gels or tape. Critics have pointed out the need to test the new epidermal electronics with a range of skin conditions, from dry to sweaty, which will undoubtedly come in time. Until then, let’s all just dream of rocking a bitchin’ dragon tattoo on our right biceps that can also deliver medicine or monitor our body’s vital signs…………


- Oh no, Hamas, anything but that! Don’t make up some asinine rule that foreigners must now obtain visas to enter the Gaza Strip because implementing such harsh measures would surely be too much for the world to bear. But bear it the world must, as Hamas spokesman Ihab Ghussein laid down the new law just one day after the United States warned it would cut $100 million in American aid money if Hamas continues its "unwarranted audits" of local American nonprofit organizations. A cynic might view the back-and-forth as an international pissing match and one that traces its origins to Hamas’ recent decision to shut down a U.S.-financed aide group that refused an audit. Ghussein explained the new law by stating the government must know who is staying in Gaza in order to protect foreigners. Should it be implemented, the visa demand would make it extremely difficult for international aid groups to do their work in Gaza. Both the U.S. and the United Nations consider Hamas a terrorist organization and thus prohibit aid groups having direct contact with Hamas or providing the Islamic group with cash. Gaining a visa to do even the smallest project or conduct minor relief efforts would necessitate both of those activities and in essence, Hamas could be cutting its people off from the aid they so badly need, all in the name of sticking it to the U.S. and other Western nations that refuse to recognize it as a legitimate governing entity. Once again, it warms the world’s heart to see people in power making short-sighted, egotistical decisions that benefit their own selfish agenda while hurting the little guy truly in need of help…………

The power of protest, another Hollywood remake and and urinating Olympic hopefuls

- Score another win for Hollywood’s ongoing campaign to churn out a remake and/or sequel of every movie ever made and eschew any attempt at original creative content. The next film that isn't crying out for a sequel but will get one anyhow because it’s easier than doing something that has never been done is “Bridget Jones,” the franchise that gave Renee Zellweger plenty of attention for packing on the pounds to play the chunky, lovelorn British chick who likes writing in her diary. Although no details are yet available about the project, actor Colin Firth – who plays a character named Mark Darcy in the films — leaked details about the new movie in a recent interview. “I can tell you that Bridget and Mark can’t have children, I think that’s the way it goes on,” Firth said. “So then she makes the huge mistake of going back to Daniel Cleaver [played by Hugh Grant] for long enough to get pregnant. And I think he dumps her, and she’s left stranded, and guess who comes back to rescue her?” Whether those plot points are true or just playful teasing on Firth’s part, the story took on additional credence when it was reported in the spring that author Helen Fielding had begun working on a third “Bridget Jones” novel. “I will be working on both the book and the film but I don’t know if they are the same thing yet. It’s not been decided,” she explained. There was no doubt a new “Bridget Jones” film would be made at some point, not after the series first film, “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” grossed $281 million internationally in 2001 and 2004’s “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” took in $262 million. While those numbers are headed in the wrong direction, the studio that says no to a project that could a) be churned out without having to hire writers capable of new ideas and b) turn a healthy profit no matter how terrible it is will be the first one and become the industry pariah…………


- This will not help anyone making the argument that the American legal system is not a corrupt and fundamentally flawed entity. Thank former Luzerne County (Pa.) Judge Mark Ciavarella for that, as the corrupt courtroom captain was sentenced to 28 years in prison Thursday after being convicted for a scheme to make millions off unjustly incarcerating minors. Ciavarella was found guilty in February of 12 of 39 racketeering and fraud charges for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from friends who owned the detention centers to which he was sentencing juveniles. It was a nice little racket while it lasted, but the scam blew up in Ciavarella’s face after he was confronted by a livid mother outside a courtroom after her son’s conviction. Sandy Fonzo's 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, was sentenced to six months in a detention center for possession of drug paraphernalia despite having no prior record. He was so devastated by the sentence that he never recovered from the psychological effects and later committed suicide. Given that one case alone, 28 years in prison and an order to pay $1 million in restitution do not seem excessive. Now, paying $1 million to anyone while spending what should be the rest of one’s natural life in prison might seem difficult, but Ciavarella did rack up some nice profits with his excessive-sentencing-for-cash operation, so he should be able to swing it. His victims nearly got shortchanged in epic fashion when he and federal prosecutors struck a plea deal in 2009 that would have seen Ciavarella serve just 87 months behind bars. Thankfully, that plea deal was thrown out by a federal judge and the case went to trial. Thursday’s decision had to feel good for Fonzo, who said at the time of her son’s suicide that,"He (Ciavarella) killed his spirit. He crushed him, and he didn't help him.” The images of Fonzo outside the courtroom after Ciavarella was found guilty but allowed to go home until sentencing are still chilling. Television cameras captured Fonzo ambushing the disgraced judge and screaming him down as she surged toward him. "Do you remember me?" Fonzo bellowed. "Do you remember my son? He's gone. He shot himself in the heart, you scumbag!" Yes, Thursday had to be a good day for Sandy Fonzo, along with Ciavarella’s other victims and their families…………


- Dorks….um, er, gamers……good news for you. Technology is your first love and it sustains you when your socially awkward self cannot successfully interact with and incorporate itself into the real world and now, one of the pioneers in the field of first-person shooter games that has become a dork haven is making a comeback. That’s right, Valve Software is bringing back iconic first-person shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which will launch in early 2012 for PCs, Macs, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The updated version of this gaming classic will feature t fresh maps, characters, weapons and game modes, as well as updated content from earlier versions of the tactical-based game. The original version of the game is an interesting story in and of itself, as it started out in 1999 as a lightly-esteemed spin-off of another Valve game, Half-Life, but went on to immense popularity that led the company to turn it into a full-fledged retail game. Hidden Path Entertainment will team up with Valve for the updated version that the two hope will compete with games like Call of Duty and Halo. Hidden Path is best known for games like Counter-Strike Source and Defense Grid: Awakening, which should add some credibility to the effort. No details were immediately available for the cost or exact release date of Counter-Strike, which is mildly disappointing because let’s face it, gamer dorks have very little to look forward to in their daily lives and news like this will send them into an absolute frenzy. The more information they have, the less they will realize how pathetic their friend-less (and least in the non-digital world) existence truly is………..


- The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius , which is Latin for " Faster, Higher, Stronger.” It’s difficult to see where now-former U.S. Ski Team developmental squad member Robert "Sandy" Vietze’s actions on a recent cross-country red-eye JetBlue flight from Portland, Ore. to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport fit into that mantra. Vietze was making the long trip eastward late Tuesday night and into the early morning hours Wednesday and despite being just 18 years old, decided to handle the rigors and stresses of air travel in the tried and true manner of getting absolutely hammered. According to a New York Port Authority Police Department detective, Vietze told him he had consumed five or six beers and two rum and cola cocktails before boarding the flight. The über-drunk Vietze then boarded the plane and as logic would dictate, soon found himself with an abundantly full bladder he had to relieve. Anyone who has flown even once knows that the limited number of restrooms on a plane can make finding an unoccupied lavatory nearly impossible. However, that doesn’t even come close to excusing what Vietze did when he either could not find an open restroom or was too drunk to look for one. He managed to stumble down the aisle and along the way, spotted a sleeping 12-year-old girl who for some odd reason looked like a good target on which to relieve himself. Vietze unzipped his pants and let it rip, at least until the girl’s father returned from taking his other daughter to the restroom and spotted this abhorrent scene. He predictably bolted for Vietze and according to reports of the incident, tried to “wipe him out.” The father, a Stage 4 cancer patient, caught Vietze midstream and unleashed what wrath he could before airline personnel intervened. "F*ck that kid. I don't want him near my family!" he yelled. Why, just because this clown mistook your pre-teen daughter for a toilet? Literally, Vietze was described as “out of it” by the father and admitted to police, "I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg." It didn’t take long for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to kick Vietze off its roster and issue a plain, detached statement about the decision. "Based on the information we have, Sandy Vietze is in violation of the USSA code of conduct and team agreement, and has been dismissed from the team," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President of Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said. In addition to his dismissal from the team, Vietze faces a federal misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn.………


- Score another one for the dissidents! A growing group of protestors doing their thing in Tel Aviv and living in a tent city have scored another win after already racking up a big “W” by causing the establishment of the Trajtenberg Committee. That was not nearly enough to placate these brave opponents of The Man and as of Friday, their efforts have led to a freeze of Israel’s defense budget. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have spent the past few months hinting at a possible increase in the Israel Defense Forces' budget due to the state of unrest that has pervaded the majority of the Arab world, but it appears the massive protests in Israel’s capital city have changed their minds. Gone could be the budget increase destined to fund the defense establishment's ambitious programs for the next five years - for at least one year. Instead, Netanyahu and Barak reportedly nearing an agreement to delay implementation of the IDF's multiyear program and leave the existing budget unchanged for the coming year. In light of the now-unchanging budget, Barak reportedly intends to focus on what he deems the military’s top priorities at the moment: continuing training exercises, limited procurement of advanced munitions, cyber warfare and developing missile interception systems. Of course, linking the world “Israel” and “missile interception systems” immediately leads to connotations of the country’s Iron Dome interception system, which was successful during April's escalation of hostilities with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iron Dome intercepted rockets so effectively that military leaders have backed off the development of more offensive options. Procuring new weaponry is on hold due to budget concerns even though no one is arguing that a shiny, new F-35 fighter jet would be a bitchin’ addition to the Israeli Air Force. The original plan called for the air force to receive its first squadron by 2016, but production delays in the United States have pushed the timetable back by two years. But for now, the focus belongs on the tent protestors and their heroic efforts to enact change. Making their voices heard by camping out and demonstrating makes them heroes to dissidents around the world, even if the rioters in England are currently ripping all of the headlines. Those fires will (literally and figuratively) die down, but the change brought about in Israel should have more staying power…………

Libyan fire sales, the irresponsible Pentagon and what Brad Childress regrets most

- Pentagon, you do a solid job protecting the United States and all, but is it too much to ask that you exhibit even a modicum of capability when it comes to knowing the whereabouts of your experimental hypersonic vehicles over the Pacific? Oh, and you’ve now lost two such crafts in the span of just a few months. This time around, the loss of contact occurred just minutes after the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 was launched from space. The hype around the vehicle was immense, as the HTV-2 was supposed to ride on the back of a rocket to the edge of space, where it would separate and tear through the atmosphere at an impressive 13,000 mph before splashing into the Pacific Ocean, approximately 4,100 miles and 30 minutes later. Had the miraculous occurred and the flight actually worked, it would have shown how missiles of this shape and flight pattern could strike targets halfway around the world almost instantly. That would display significant progress in the Pentagon’s “Prompt Global Strike” plan to attack foes anywhere on the globe in less than an hour. Instead, the HTV-2 is AWOL and there is no spinning this f*ck-up. “There no way you can call it a success. Let’s be blunt about it,” a source familiar with the program admitted. A written statement on the blunder tried to paint it in a positive light by pointing out that the Minotaur IV rocket “successfully inserted the aircraft into the desired trajectory and the HTV-2 transitioned to Mach 20 aerodynamic flight,” and that “more than nine minutes of data was collected before an anomaly caused loss of signal.” Prior to the launch, it was announced that this would be the final HTV-2 test flight before control of the program is transferred to another branch of the military, most likely the Air Force. There, it could die a slow death because the Air Force isn't likely to pour money and effort into an expensive program that hasn’t shown much forward momentum, as of yet. The second HTV-2 flight was even worse than the first, which took place in April and saw Defense Department monitors lose touch with the aircraft after nine minutes in the air. Months and months of testing were supposed to fix the problem, but to no avail. Spending $308 million a pop and receiving such poor results just seems like a waste……the very thing government agencies and entities excel at…………


- Stay classy, Libya. While London is burning (literally and not just in a song by The Clash), your diplomats are attempting - ironically enough - a "fire sale" of properties and luxury cars in London worth up to £100 million in the days leading up to their expulsion. The riots and fire sale may not be directly related, but at the seeds of unrest were growing in London, Libyan embassy officials attempted to sell off nine exclusive properties and 29 vehicles including limousines, Mercedes and other high-end vehicles. The diplomats were expelled last month after the British government announced that it was recognizing the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's only legitimate government and would expel the remaining Tripoli regime diplomats. British intelligence sources tipped NTC staff off to the fact that the so-called fire sale was underway and anti-Gaddafi embassy staff in Benghazi began to hide car keys and lock away title deeds for the homes. The British Treasury assisted by freezing the sale of all Libyan assets in Britain. Among the assets put up for hasty sale were mansions in Mayfair and Kensington as well as estates in the Home Counties. "In the days before their expulsion an instruction came in from Tripoli to sell everything before it became too late," a Libyan opposition official said. The source even went with the ultimate cliché of claiming Gaddafi's envoys tried to sell "anything that wasn't nailed down" in the embassy in Knightsbridge, west London. The bum rush to pawn items became so desperate that expensive Persian carpets and electrical goods including television were sold. Similar reports of “fire sales” have come in from a number of other Libyan embassies across Europe. Money is undoubtedly tight for Gaddafi and his sycophants as they scrap to remain in power even after NTC forces succeeded in cutting off some of the oil supplies that Gaddafi has been diverting to the frontline. It never ceases to amaze what a desperate despot in the final days of his power will do to hold on for just a few days longer……….


- For an NFL coach who was fired at the end of the previous season, there would seem to be plenty to regret. When that team finishes third out of four teams in its division one year removed from playing in the NFC Championship Game, regrets are likely to be even more prevalent. So what does science-teacher-formerly-masquerading-as-an-NFL-coach Brad Childress regret now that his tenure with the Vikings is over? Asked that very question by NFL.com in an interview, Chilly had an answer locked and loaded. Without hesitation, he replied that his biggest mistake was approving the addition of troubled, now-retired receiver Randy Moss to the locker room. Childress believed at the time the veteran-laden locker room could accommodate Moss successfully, but in retrospect he was wrong. "We had good guys, by and large, [but Moss] walked in the locker room and vomited on it," he stated. Wow……a nice vomit blast? Why not top it off with a “he took a dump on everything the organization stood for” reference? For the record, the Vikings acquired Moss from the New England Patriots after starting the 2010 season 1-2. He lasted four unproductive weeks before Childress broke him off without informing owner Zygi Wilf beforehand. "I should have gone up the chain," Childress conceded. Wait……you should have gotten the owner’s approval before essentially firing a guy he just traded a draft pick for and who is signing the checks to pay that player? Good call, Mensa. The Vikings did go 1-3 with Moss and he gave them nothing, so cutting him wasn’t the worst move. He was then by the Tennessee Titans and was worthless for them as well before “retiring” prior to this season because none of the teams he wanted to play for made him a contract offer. Childress didn’t even last the entire season after cutting Moss. He was fired in November n after a 31-3 home drubbing against the Green Bay Packers that dropped Minnesota to 3-7. Curiously, Childress said he had no regrets about coaxing The Ol’ Gunslinger, Brett Favre, back from retirement last season even though Favre was abysmal with 11 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions, plus multiple concussions and injuries. But hey, you can’t regret every single dumb thing you did…………


- Don’t cave in, striking Verizon workers. Do not allow The Man to dictate to you when, where or how you can picket in your ongoing strike against your employer! As negotiations plow forward in New York and Philadelphia between the company and its workers and workers across the state of New York continued picketing Thursday, police informed the striking workers that their tactics had crossed some imaginary line and needed to be scaled back. “This is an injunction from the company limiting our ability to legally strike,” lamented Verizon field technician Mike Mackowski. He and other striking workers were met by police at the picket line in Amherst Thursday morning, telling them the usual 70 workers on the line has to be limited to 15 here. A statewide injunction has imposed this and other ridiculous restrictions on the picketers because Verizon whined about them “taking their picketing too far. A defiant Mackowski vowed, “It did not break the union at all. It probably made us stronger.” The allegations against the workers are at once inspiring and yet completely untrue, ranging from firing a BB gun at workers still on the job in the Bronx to blocking trucks from getting into Verizon facilities and committing more than 70 acts of sabotage to Verizon equipment, including some in Central New York. Were these charges true, they would be uplifting and awesome because who can’t get with striking, mistreated workers lashing out at The Man with some quality sabotage and BB gun shooting? Seriously, BB guns are going to hurt who, again? But let’s give Verizon a chance to defend itself against the indefensible. “We don't want those dangerous situations for anybody and in some cases it was getting a little out of hand to be perfectly honest,” said John Bonomo of Verizon Communications. Nope, not buying it, John boy. Just look at Wednesday’s big, peaceful rally in which thousands of workers gathered to make their voices heard as some of the many CWA and IBEW union members who have been on strike since contract talks broke down over the weekend. The CWA has already field an appeal to the injunction and is hoping for a response within 48 hours. Until them, keep up the acts of sabotage…..er, um, protest…………


- Really? This debate is still going on? How long have conspiracy theorists and idiots with nothing better to do with their time been trying to start the rumor that two puppets on a public television children’s show have a sexual orientation and that orientation is homosexual? The debate with no meaning or purpose whatsoever won't go away and it’s being kept alive in part by Facebook and Twitter. Facebook boasts a Bert and Ernie Get Married Facebook page that is currently home to a heated conversation about the pros and cons of having the Muppets marry. The producers of “Sesame Street” have addressed the issue before, but felt compelled to do so again this week on their own Facebook page, posting the following statement: “Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.” In other words, kooks, stop trying to co-opt puppets designed to educate children about things like reading and counting and jam them into your social agenda. THEY ARE PUPPETS. THEY DO NOT HAVE SEX AND THEREFORE DO NOT HAVE A SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND MORE THAN A ROCK OR A SLAB OR CONCRETE. The most difficult part of the entire situation is whether to feel sorry for the ass hats debating this topic or to find the nearest iceberg to place them on and float them out to sea the way some Eskimos do to deal with their elderly when they are too old and frail to be of any use. For any and all persons who have been involved in this debate at any point in its ridiculous existence, feel free to view this as the optimal time to shut up and go away……..forever……….

Bashing Oakland, Starbucks stops moochers and George Lopez bombs out

- Get the f*ck off the gravy train, customers at New York City Starbucks locations. Just because the overpriced coffee shop offers free Wi-Fi doesn’t mean you can lug your wireless printer, portable speakers, files and other work-at-home items down to the nearest location along with your laptop and run your business from the corner table with the nice view. Belive it or not, some people come into Starbucks only to buy coffee and muffins (and possibly a crappy mix tape CD) and hang out for a few minutes while they eat and drink. Those people want somewhere to sit and leeches who try to set up their entire small business in the coffee shop are taking up space for hours on end. Managers of NYC Starbucks have heard the complaints of those seatless patrons and they have come up with a plan to dislodge the moochers. Effectively immediately, some of the busier Manhattan Starbucks will block their electrical outlets to discourage laptop users from hogging space and to free up seats for other customers. "Customers are asking (for it) .... They just purchased a latte and a pastry and there is nowhere to sit down in some of these really high-volume stores," said Starbucks spokesman Alan Hilowitz. The decision on blocking outlets will be made on a case-by-case basis by individual stores and thus far is a phenomenon limited to New York City, where 6 million people are sharing a far-too-small island and have little patience for inconveniences like no place to drink their $6.75 grande mocha latte with extra foam. "If this is what the store needs to do to support the business, then they're allowed to make the decision to do that," Hilowitz said. "It really is all about the balance." Free Wi-Fi will still be offered for those who patronize Starbucks and for those with newer laptops sporting longer battery life, the outlet ban won't be much of an issue. For everyone else, it’s time to find a new office space, perhaps even a real office…………


- Stunning news comes today from the world of basic cable, where the late-night juggernaut that is The George Lopez Show has bombed out so abysmally that TBS is pulling the plug, effective immediately. The network announced Wednesday that the show’s final episode will air Thursday, bringing the show’s run to a close after two seasons. Part of the problem for Lopez, aside from competing with the likes of Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and David Letterman, may have been moving from the 11 p.m. time slot in its first season to midnight for its second season after Conan O'Brien joined the network to much fanfare. The premise was O’Brien providing a nice ratings boost for Lopez, driving up viewership and making TBS a valid late-night destination. That never materialized, as Lopez’s ratings dropped 40 percent after the change. Since the time swap, Lopez’s ratings have hovered around 0.2, with 400,000 viewers. The time change is undoubtedly part of the problem, but O’Brien’s own nosediving ratings probably did not help. On Monday, O’Brien pulled in an anemic 0.5 rating in the key demographic (ages 18-49) with 715,000 viewers. Those are not the numbers TBS had in mind when it inked O’Brien to a massive deal following his own controversial departure from NBC and promoted his show out the wazoo as he crisscrossed the nation on a comedy tour and tweeted up his new show to the point of oversaturation. Now, O’Brien and midnight airings of whatever syndicated drama TBS will use to fill Lopez’s slot can hold down late nights on TBS, but if O’Brien can’t reverse his own awful ratings, he could soon find himself headed out the door right behind his boy Lopez………


- What sort of fun does once encounter at the hands of China’s repressive communist government as a brave dissident? If you guessed being interrogated more than 50 times during your unjust incarceration and threatened with up to 10 years in jail for inciting subversion, then you’re correct! At least those are the facts being reported about the detainment and treatment of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei , who was released in June amid international outcry over his 81-day detention. Police reportedly subjected him to 50 brutal interrogations, although state media said he was held for economic crimes and released "because of his good attitude in confessing" and a chronic illness, along with agreeing to pay back taxes he had evaded. Anonymous sources claimed the questioning during Ai’s interrogation focused on the proposed "Jasmine Revolution" protests in China in February and writings that could constitute subversion. He was questioned about blog posts and his Twitter feed "line by line.” Those claims line up perfectly with Ai’s family’s contention that his detention was retaliation for his social and political activism. He was one of many dissidents and activists caught up in a massive crackdown apparently triggered by the anonymous call on an overseas website for "Jasmine" protests inspired by the Arab spring. Police interrogators wanted to know if Ai knew who the organizers of the "Jasmine" protests were. He denied any knowledge of them, which seems sensible because the protest call was largely ignored in China. Details of Ai’s whereabouts and condition were nonexistent after plainclothes officers stopped him on April 3 at Beijing Airport and quickly whisked him off into an unmarked car, which transported him to an undisclosed location where he was kept for two weeks. From there, Ai was moved to another location where two officers watched him round the clock, going so far as to monitor him as he slept and insist he put his hands on top of the blanket. The same anonymous source claimed that while in detainment, Ai was not allowed to speak and had to request permission to drink water and use the toilet. When he boldly informed told police their actions were illegal, officers reportedly responded with cryptic remarks about former Chinese leader Liu Shaoqi, who died during the brutal political turmoil which Mao Zedong unleashed in the 1960s. Even on the day he was released, Ai was not-so-subtly reminded he could still face 10 years in jail for inciting subversion to state power and he was forced to agree to conditions including no media interviews, no meetings with foreigners, no use of the Internet and no interaction with human rights advocates for one year from his return home. Sounds like an open invitation to flee the country for greener, less oppressive pastures…………


- Curious links are common in science, where new research and discoveries are consistently flipping the world as we thought we knew it upside down. A new study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association seems to do just that by suggesting that people who have sleep apnea are twice as likely to develop dementia. The study ties in well with sleep experts' long-suspected belief that sleep apnea, a.k.a. sleep-disordered breathing, can deprive the brain of oxygen and thus cause declines in cognitive ability. "This is the first study to show that sleep apnea MAY lead to cognitive impairment," study leader Dr. Kristine Yaffe, professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology at the University of California at San Francisco, said in a written statement. "It suggests that there is a biological connection between sleep and cognition." For some odd reason, the study included only women. Researchers monitored the cognitive ability of 298 women over the age of 65, none of whom had been demented when tested five years previously. They discovered that 32.5 percent of the women had dementia or mild cognitive impairment - with the risk for cognitive impairment almost twice as high in those who had sleep apnea. Despite only studying men, Yaffe and her team believe their results would likely apply to men as well. As alarming as the idea of a sleep disorder one has little control over causing something as terrible as dementia, Yaffe did offer some hope by postulating that getting treated for apnea might help prevent or delay the onset of dementia. For the medically ignorant, sleep apnea is a chronic condition in which the collapse of fleshy tissue in the throat blocks the flow of oxygen during sleep. It is easily recognizable by symptoms that include loud snoring, choking or gasping during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Treatments can often be intrusive, including the common option of wearing an oxygen mask during sleep. Masks tend to be extremely uncomfortable and as many as half of patients eventually stop wearing it. However, if the option is the mask or a higher risk of dementia……………


- Athletes who are about to become free agents are wise to not say or do anything that might harm their market value. Offending, disrespecting or dismissing a potential suitor or the city in which that team plays could well hurt the athlete’s value on the open market, so saying politically correct, nice things about teams and cities one has no intention in hell of ever playing for or in is the typical M.O. Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson either didn’t get that memo or simply doesn’t give a sh*t, because he has already scratched one potential free agent destination off his list and done so with emphasis. As the Rangers ready for a weekend series with the AL West rival Oakland A’s, Wilson made it infinitely clear how he feels about Oakland and its baseball team. "I hate pitching there. The mound sucks, the fans suck. There's no fans there," Wilson said in response to a question about the ample foul territory at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. "It's too bad because the fans that are there are really adamant and they're really stoked on the team and they play drums and they wave flags and that's cool. But, you know, some games you go there and there's like 6,000 people there. It's kind of sad because it's a major league team and there's guys out there that are obviously pretty good players -- guys like (Trevor) Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, obviously they are All-Star pitchers -- and I just wish that the fan base supported them a little bit more." Wow……the mound sucks, the fans suck…..don’t you want to insult their women as well, maybe talk a little junk about how vapid Californians are and how their air is smog-ridden? Maybe get in a good blast on being San Francisco’s ugly little brother of a city? Wilson should get quite a welcome when he starts the series opener in Oakland on Friday, especially after he said the home fans in Arlington make it preferable for him to pitch in the sweltering heat of North Texas than the mild climates of Northern California. "I'd rather pitch here than in Oakland. I like the fans here a lot better, so you don't have to worry about me signing there after the season," Wilson said. "They hate me there anyways so it doesn't matter. The players on their team hate me, whatever; I don't care." He is also well aware that many A’s players don’t like him and he doesn’t give a damn about that either. "It's true, dudes on their team don't like me, I get it," Wilson stated. "We're rivals. We're trying to beat them. When I was here in '05 and the Angels beat us we didn't like that. (The A's) had to watch us celebrate on the field last year; they're not going to like that. I'm sure they think that. Whatever motivates you. I think that about other players on other teams.” Enjoy your visit to Oakland, C.J. - assuming that’s even possible for you…………

A delusional LeBron, lobster karma and streamlining smartphone offerings

- Karma or sheer stupidity? Could the answer simply be “yes”? In the case of Medford, Mass. fishermen and a group of local Buddhists, yes seems to be the perfect answer to the question. See, a group of kooks, er, um, Buddhists decided that the best way to spend their money and support their beliefs on life, freedom and spirit was buying 534 lobsters and setting them free in coastal waters. The group purchased the lobsters from a local seafood wholesaler, took them out on a whale-watching boat, blessed the lobsters and set them free. It’s not an uncommon gesture among animal lovers or those who believe in reincarnation, but the Buddhists made the small mistake of keeping tabs of the location where they released the lobsters on Wheel Turning Day, a day where Karma for positive actions is multiplied many times over. That information ended up in the wrong hands and found its way to the crew of the Gloucester-based Degelyse, a local fishing boat that capitalized on their valuable intelligence by steering straight for the coordinates of where the lobsters were released. The crew began fishing “and caught exactly 534 lobsters, the precise number the monks released” the next day. One might think having the lobsters caught so quickly would rankle the Buddhists, but they apparently understood the risk they ran in releasing the lobsters in that particular locale. “Even if they get captured again, they’ve had a longer life,” said Wendy Cook, a yoga instructor and former director at the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies in Medford, who was on the freedom mission. The fishermen who caught the lobsters knew where to send appreciation for their good fortune, shouting out to the Buddhists and making a request of them. “Thank you and come again next year Mr. Buddhist monks, we would like to invite you back again and again to purchase our lobsters and ‘restock the pond,’” the fishermen proclaimed. The only snag in this circle-of-life-and-death-and-profit story is that the chances the fishermen actually caught a) 534 lobsters and b) the exact lobsters released by the Buddhists are slim to none. Posting a video to that effect could be nothing more than an elaborate joke on the world. If not, the fishermen could be in for some seriously bad lobster karma………….


- While smartphone manufacturers ramp up the battle for market share and try to contend with the iPhone’s growing dominance, paring down one’s offerings doesn’t seem to be the most logical play but that’s exactly what Nokia is doing right now. The embattled handset maker is streamlining its offerings and began the slim down by announcing that it will not launch its newest N9 device—the first and possibly only one based on the MeeGo platform—and that it plans to end sales of its Symbian-based devices as well as low-end Series 40 handsets, as it prepares for a generation of devices it is developing using Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform. Oddly enough, the N9 handset was well-received when it was revealed earlier this year and left many with the impression that the MeeGo-based handset was finally living up to many expectations of what Nokia could do with a smartphone. Its smooth graphics, bright interfaces, easy-to-manage operations and polished design were seen as universally appealing, but Nokia’s strategy for its release was confusing. Revealing the N9 after announcing major strategy shift to Windows Phone made little sense and that reality eventually prevailed at Nokia, which is now electing for a simplified approach and said as much in an official statement which read: “After the very positive reception to the launch of the Nokia N9, the product is now being rolled out in countries around the world. At this time, we will not be making it available in the US. Nokia takes a market-by-market approach to product rollout and each country makes its own decisions about which products to introduce from those available. Decisions are based on an assessment of existing and upcoming products that make up Nokia’s extensive product portfolio and the best way in which to address local market opportunities.” By day’s end Monday, the N9’s demise was joined by a proclamation that Nokia would also cease to sell Symbian smartphones and Series 40 feature phones in the U.S. when it launches the Windows Phone products. Those products are expected to launch by the end of the year. Will those launches be enough to reverse Nokia’s rapid downward sales trends? Nope. The Android, iPhone and BlackBerry will all continue kicking its smartphone ass, but give Nokia a few bonus points for at least trying……….


- Is there a movie Hollywood will not remake? Of course not. No matter how recent or terrible a movie may be, there is a studio willing to remake it because remaking movies means earning money without having to come up with an original concept or do the heavy lifting of actual creative thought in a “never been done before” way. So of course there will be a remake of Dirty Dancing! The only miracle is that this recycled chick flick hasn’t already been done. The reincarnation of the classic dancing movie will be directed by the original movie's choreographer, Kenny Ortega, of High School Musical and Michael Jackson's This Is It fame. The studio behind the project, Lionsgate, must be excited about regurgitating one of the most famous dancing movies of all-time now that crappy reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars are all over networks’ primetime lineups. "Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him," Ortega said in a statement. "I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can't wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats." For those who have somehow been fortunate enough to escape the original version of the movie, it starred Swayze as summer resort dancer instructor Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman, his unlikely dancing partner and love interest. Why is Lionsgate remaking the movie now? Because the original cost just $6 million and has gone on to earn more than $215 million. Extrapolate those numbers out with a $60 million budget (totally reasonable by today’s standards) and the new Dirty Dancing could make $2.1 BILLION! Grey likely won't be a part of the new version, but is nonetheless pumped about it. "I'm so excited about this news, and I think there's nobody better to do this than my beloved Kenny Ortega, who is as responsible as anyone for the success of the first one," Grey said. "I can't wait to see what he's going to do with it." Glad someone is excited about it…………


- North Korea is a menace to the world. No one questions this truth, but the fear comes primarily from the belief that dictator Kim Jong Il will develop a nuclear arsenal and kick off World War III by attempting to nuke South Korea off the map. As it turns out, the threat may come from a very different place, a place that does not (technically) exist in the flesh-and-blood sense. Seems that K.J. Il is looking to mine gold in the world of online games. Reports surfaced this week that the bespectacled despot has developed a team of in-game gold farmers to help raise extra income for his country. This team of hackers, supposedly comprised of North Koreans, South Koreans, and Chinese operatives, have targeted MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online) such as Lineage and the popular Korean game Dungeon and Fighter to amass online credits that can then be sold for high prices. One bizarre rumor had a certain member of the Baldwin family (yes, the acting Baldwins) as a member of the team, but he was supposedly botted in dramatic fashion as DJ K.J. Il declared, “You are worthress Alrec Barwin.” Kooky rumors aside, the raw numbers being tossed out on how much the North Korea MMO tem has amassed are not that impressive - yet. The game farmers have allegedly amassed nearly $6 million by farming for gold and selling said gold on the internet “black market,” where desperate players purchase in-game success with real money. Just half of that money has been transferred to North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang. That won't even buy one intercontinental ballistic missile capable of bombing the living sh*t out of Seoul, so clearly the communist MMO dream team needs to step up its game if it plans to play a vital role in anything beyond covering Kim Jong Il’s budget for oversized burlap sacks doubling as leisure suits and office supplies…………


- LeBron James has been called many things - especially over the past year - but up to now, delusional has not been one of them. That has changed courtesy of comments the Miami Heat star made while back in his hometown of Akron on Monday while leading a charity event that included a bike ride and an educational stop at a local library. While there for the event, James sat down for an interview and expressed what is undoubtedly the first optimistic views on the NBA lockout since it began at the end of June. "I'm preparing for an NBA season," James stated. "I'm preparing for there to be a training camp in the next month. I'm very optimistic that Billy Hunter and the owners and David Stern will figure out a way to come together and for us to have a season. And I'll be ready for it." LeBron is optimistic, but one of the men he mentioned is not, at least not if Hunter’s remarks last week to a conference of attorneys in Baltimore at to be believed. Hunter told attendees that he would bet against there being a 2011-12 season "at this moment.” Stern hasn’t exactly been positive about the fate of the season either, accusing the NBPA of not being serious about reaching a new labor agreement. Maybe James knows something no one else knows and maybe he’s privy to top-secret deals and facts that not even those in charge of negotiations know about, because that’s the only way anyone could be optimistic about the season. Most NBA stars are either on streetball tours of New York (a handful) or have signed/are exploring deals with foreign teams in places like Germany, Italy, Israel, Turkey or China. Nets All-Star Deron Williams has already reached an agreement to play in Turkey and Kobe Bryant is reportedly considering playing in China, as are Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade. What is James doing after coming up very small in a stunning loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals? He says he’s working out twice a day and has sought the help of one of the sport’s legend’s to improve a deficient part of his game. James explained that he's been in Houston at times this offseason to learn post play from one of the game's all-time greats, former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon. "Right now I've just been focusing on being a better player, working on my game every single day," he said. Like I said, the Dallas Mavericks were a great team and they deserved to win that championship. And I'll just use that as motivation coming into this season. I'm doing whatever it takes to just become a better basketball player.” Working on a game that was severely lacking when his team needed it most is a good idea, but mixing in some time with a psychologist for his case of delusions regarding the lockout might also be a good idea as LeBron sketches out his schedule for the next few months…………

Soccer dumbfounds again, new Botox uses and America doomed by its dietary habits

- Soccer, you never cease to amaze and amuse. The so-called “beautiful game” is a sports also-ran for the overwhelming majority of Americans, but every now and then a dose of soccer absurdity reins in even the most avid soccer hater. You know, an absurdity like Spanish club Real Madrid signing a 7-year-old soccer prodigy from Argentina. To be fair, 7-year-old Leonel Angel Coira isn't exactly going to be on the Real Madrid roster any time soon and will attend the club’s soccer academy for the next few years, but that only makes his signing slightly less ridiculous. After all, what exactly did he do to separate himself from the other second-graders on the field? Successfully tie his shoes and kick the ball more than three straight times without tripping over it and falling down? Yes, Real Madrid did sign star Lionel Messi from Argentina when he was a teenager and he is now the best player in the world, but what are the odds Coira comes anywhere close to being an elite player on a global scale? He’s seven freaking years old, after all. There’s as good a chance that he decides in five years that he hates soccer and wants to be an astronaut as there is of him being as good as Messi or anywhere close. Messi may be his idol, but that doesn’t mean a 7-year-old kid won't change his mind in a heartbeat about what it is he wants to do with his life. Banking on a 7-year-old to help you win something similar to the 15 trophies, including three Champions League titles and five Spanish league championships, that Messi has helped Real Madrid win is an idiocy unique to soccer. There’s a reason the NBA isn't knocking on the door of those for whom recess is still a vital part of the school day and NFL teams are going toe-to-toe over some slightly oversized, fast-maturing kid from Orlando who isn't yet old enough to have outgrown his SpongeBob Squarepants phase. Well done, soccer, for proving you’re every bit as absurd as we all remembered you to be the last time we took a few seconds to care about your fringe sport…………


- Learn better dietary habits and this sort of disaster can be avoided, America. That is the lesson being taught to us all by two boys from Stamford, Conn. who turned a simple dinner into a way to burn their family’s home to the ground. Seems one of the boys was outside cooking steaks on the grill, while the other was inside packing for a trip. One of them had also placed some French fry oil on the stove to make a starchy addition to their meal. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way both boys lost track of the stove and hot French fry oil became boiling hot French fry oil, bubbling over onto the stove and sparking an explosive fire that destroyed the home near Village Hill Road and Westford Ave. around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Had the boys been putting together a meal of salad, green beans and tofu, they would not have encountered this problem. A neighbor called the fire department after the boys got their dogs and ran from the house. A state trooper in the area at the time also saw the fire and called it in. How was it that two teenage boys didn’t have a cell phone between them to call 911? "Neither of us had phones that worked at the time, so he drove down to the station and I was banging on all the neighbors' doors," said Jesse Boys. While he banged on those neighbors’ doors, his family’s 100-year-old, wood-frame house burned fast and furiously. Water was trucked in by the nearest fire department, but not in time so save the home. "There was a pond in the area, but it wasn't deep enough to draft. Mostly it was mutual aid companies coming in with tankers to attack the fire," said Stafford fire marshal Tom Finch. To add a healthy dose of danger to the mix, the house also contained ammunition and oxygen tanks that created an even bigger, louder explosion. "All you hear is all the bullets lighting, the oxygen tanks. It wasn't like started hissing and making these noises, it was all of a sudden this giant mushroom cloud and even though we were 100 yards away we could still feel the heat," Jesse Boys said. The best part of the story, however, was the boys’ parents being away on a trip at the time of the explosion. Oh, what a warm and fuzzy family phone call that must have been…………


- Not to crack on a country adamant about putting itself on the fastest path toward a nuclear weapon that could annihilate the enemy of its choosing, but Iran should probably step its game up and stop looking to play the blame game if it expects anyone to take its burgeoning nuclear program seriously. Stepping up definitely does not describe the program at present, with Asgar Jalalian, a member of a special parliamentary committee on the Bushehr nuclear plant in parliament, saying Monday that the country's first nuclear power plant will not start up by late August, as scheduled after one previous delay. Furthermore, Jalalian blamed the delay on Russia, which is building the facility. Blaming communists is typically a no-brainer in any situation, Iran also needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask if some of the blame doesn’t lie within. The 1,000 megawatt plant being built in the southern port city of Bushehr has been beset by one delay after another and that doesn’t even account for the enormous pressure being put on Tehran by the United States and its allies. Those foreign powers have not wavered from their belief that the program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons and Iran has not deviated from its lie, er, um, story that its program is for peaceful uses like power generation. Blaming the Russians is an easy out for Iran, as the plant is indeed being built by Russian company Rosatom. Originally, it was to be finished by 1999, four years after construction of the $1 billion facility began. Twelve years later……not so much. Jalalian ripped Rosatom and admitted that his committee has determined that the late August start-up deadline will be missed and that they had handed over a report dealing with the issue to the parliament. "We believe the Russians are not being honest ... about the plant," Jalalian said. Not being honest? They’re not being honest about a plant the rest of the world believes you are compulsively lying about the purpose of? Boy, that is rich. Speaking of rich….Jalalian claimed Iran had already paid at least twice more than the planned construction costs on the project, and additional funds are being demanded. Part of the problem could be an alleged lack of “financial ceiling, timetable and end date" in the contracts with the Russians, which shows just how inept and naïve Iranian officals were in negotiating those contracts in the first place. When asked to comment on Jalalian’s claims, Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said the company had no comment. The Bushehr project actually hails back as far as 1974, when Iran's U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi contracted with the German company Siemens to build the reactor. The project took a detour in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution brought hard-line clerics to power and work on the plant didn’t move forward again until 1992, when Iran signed a $1 billion deal with Russia to complete the project and building began in 1995. Among its many setbacks since then is the a malicious computer worm that infected laptops belonging to Bushehr employees last year even though Iranian officials denied that the Stuxnet worm had affected the facility. Those nations so vehemently opposed to the plant and its alleged purpose must be extremely thankful that a) the project seems be cursed and b) those responsible for it appear to be ginormous morons………….


- The battle for Botox is on. No longer is the toxin solely for injecting into the cheeks, foreheads and butts of superficial, vapid, looks-obsessed SoCal housewives who dream of reality TV fame. Thanks to pharmaceutical company Allergan, Botox will soon have a new use. Allergan CEO David Pyott spoke last week of a new use for the drug and cited analyst estimates that it could add hundreds of millions to annual sales. That use was identified this week when the Irish Medicines Board gave Botox a positive opinion as a treatment for urinary incontinence caused by spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis. While not as glamorous as taking wrinkles off the face of some 52-year-old, fake-tan-loving Beverley Hills housewife, treating urinary incontinence caused by spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis would give Botox a use that is real, necessary and not just a lame grab at reclaiming one’s youth solely for egotistical purposes. The board gave its endorsement based on a Phase III study that showed Botox injections reduced involuntary bladder contractions and increased capacity, helping to prevent urine leakage, even stopping it altogether in some patients, Allergen said. Under the European Union’s mutual recognition rules, Botox for this new purpose is now eligible for marketing licenses in 14 European countries that work under the guidelines . "Our task now is to work closely with the national health authorities to secure the relevant national licenses so that we can bring this valuable treatment option to patients, as quickly as possible," Allergan European President Douglas Ingram said in a statement. Allergen has also applied for U.S. approval for the same indication, with a decision still pending. Interestingly enough, Botox is also approved for use against muscle spasticity and migraines. Of course, those uses don’t spark enough interest for their own E! reality show…………


- Now that ABC has confirmed the end of its popular night-time soap opera Desperate Housewives, the obvious questions that always arise for shows nearing their end are popping up. Will the romantic hook-ups fans have long demanded come true, will key characters die and who will ride off together happily into the sunset as the final scene ends. There is also the matter of popular characters who have left the show possibly returning for one last episode or a quick final-season guest run. After the network confirmed rumors of the show’s end Sunday, one odd return rumor popped up despite being extremely implausible and nearly impossible given the way this actress’ character left the show. See, Nicollette Sheridan’s character, Edie Britt, was killed off, via electrocution, during the show's fifth in 2009. Working a dead person back into the show isn't impossible (flashbacks, dreams, etc.), but that would not be the only hurdle in the way of Edie Britt showing up on Wisteria Lane again. There is also the lawsuit Sheridan filed against show creator Marc Cherry in 2010, accusing him of assault and wrongful termination. A judge dismissed the assault charge, but the wrongful termination charge is headed for trial, with Sheridan seeking $20 million in compensation. Actors tend not to return to work on shows whose creators they are currently suing, as $20 million lawsuits have a propensity for creating something of a toxic work environment. Cherry’s speculation on a possible Sheridan return (sort of) was news to the actress, who answered questions about it from host Kathie Lee Gifford during a stop on the "Today" show Monday to promote her Hallmark Channel movie, "Honeymoon for One." Queried about the story, Sheridan seem befuddled. "That's news to me," said the actress. "I had an amazing time playing that character. I loved her dearly, but they killed her. She's dead." To top off the entire mini-saga, it seems likely that Gifford merely misinterpreted Cherry’s remarks and intent when he answers a question Sunday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in which a reporter asked him about ways to “invoke Edie without our actually seeing Edie.” Lay the blame for this one on Gifford………..

Riot Watch! London, movie news and cheating with deer-antler spray

- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! London may be gearing up to host next summer’s Olympic Games, but the primary focus of many Londoners over the past few months seems to be finding reasons to burn their city to the ground in their quest to strike back at The Man. Saturday proved to be a great day for such activity, as disturbances broke out in another district of the city late in the day after a peaceful protest against the killing of Mark Duggan in a police shooting led to a massive riot featuring the torching of a double-decker bus, the destruction of police cars and the trashing and looting of a mall in the Wood Green district. The mayhem was centered in north London's Tottenham area and disturbances also broke out in Enfield, about 5 miles north of Tottenham. In the Tottenham riots, several buildings were set ablaze and some truly epic television footage showed a double-decker bus in a massive fireball as police charged through the streets, futilely trying to restore order. Police reported that 26 officers received injuries, most if not all apparently minor, and made 55 arrests. Most of the arrests were for burglary; others were for crimes including violent disorder, robbery, theft and handling of stolen goods. Another inspiring number from the riot was the 49 “primary” fires in Tottenham that London's fire department said it dealt with. Rumors of other riots supposedly being planned in other areas of London circulated on Twitter and Facebook, but none materialized and for now, the violence seems to have died down. Sunday was highlighted by riot and mounted police patrolling the streets with K-9 units. "We do have extra resources out tonight on duty across the capital," police commander Christine Jones said. "We are carefully monitoring any intelligence and ensuring we have our resources in the right places. No one wants to see a repeat of the scenes that we witnessed last night in Tottenham." Wrong-O, Christine. You may not want to see a repeat of those scenes, but riot lovers around the world certainly do. As for fears that the rioting and unrest over the past few months cast a negative light on London with the Olympics looming, don’t worry about that because people are going to watch and attend the Games no matter what. "I hope people will have a fantastic Olympics no matter what happened last night," London Mayor Boris Johnson said. Don’t sweat it, Mr. Mayor. The sight of between 300 and 500 people gathering around Tottenham's police station and lobbing bottles full of gasoline - or petrol for you Brits - at lines of officers formed to protect the station isn't going to turn anyone off to the Olympics. How anyone can not be fired up be rioters taking baseball bats and metal bars and attempting to storm the police station makes no sense. Tottenham was still smoldering - literally - Sunday as streets were littered with bricks and lined with overturned scorched trash cans while burned-out buildings scarred the cityscape. Allow me to be the first to say to everyone who had a hand in Saturday’s dissidence pyrotechnics…..well done…………


- In the battle of the monkey movies (and can you ever have too many of those), Rise of the Planet of the Apes has won an uninspiring and moronic battle thanks to a better-than-expected opening weekend that made it the box office champion for the just-ending three-day frame. For its first foray into theaters, the latest incarnation of an ape film franchise that should have been left dormant made $54 million domestically to clinch first place, beating out The Smurfs for the honor. That left second place for The Smurfs, with a 41-percent decline from its own opening weekend leaving it at $21 million for the frame and with a $76.2 million total through two weeks. Third place was held down by last weekend’s (undeserving) top movie, Cowboys & Aliens. After a whopping 57-percent drop-off from its first week, the bizarrely anachronistic film made a scant $15.7 million to elevate its two-week domestic tally to $67.4 million and counting. The award for worst top 10 film/movie we’d all be better off with if it had never been made for the weekend goes to The Change-Up, which recycled the über-tired premise of the body swap comedy - offering only the “Hey, but ours is R-rated!” twist as a means of enticing moviegoers - and made just $13.5 in domestic earnings against its $52 million budget (a budget clearly not consumed by high costs for talented writers). Last among the top five was Captain America: The First Avenger, which garnered an additional $13 million in its third weekend to up its overall earnings to $143.1 million. The rest of the top 10 consisted of: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (No. 6 with $12.2 million and $342.8 million through its first month in the U.S.), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (No. 7 with $12.1 and a respectable $42.2 million in two weeks in theaters), Friends with Benefits (No. 8 with a measly $4.7 million and $48.5 million cumulative total), Horrible Bosses (No. 9 and a surprising success story as it jumped well over the $100 million barrier with $4.6 million in its fifth weekend of release) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (No. 10 with $3.1 million and $344.1 million to continue as one of summer’s biggest success stories). Dropping out of the top 10 were the mind-numbingly bad Zookeeper (No. 11 and clearly the worst of two awful monkey movies currently in theaters) and Cars 2 (No. 12)…………….


- Athletes looking for an edge will try literally anything they can to make themselves stronger, faster and better, or simply able to recover more quickly from injuries. Still…….spritzing a deer-antler spray under your tongue to gain muscle-building and fat-cutting effects? Whether fans realized it or not, Major League Baseball players have been freely using the spray at nearly no risk and would have continued to do so had MLB not issued a warning requesting players not use the spray because it contained "potentially contaminated nutritional supplements" and had been added to the league's cautionary list of products. In its warning, MLB cited reports from the drug-testing industry but stated the warning was not issued because the spray includes the banned chemical. What the spray does contain is IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor, which cannot be detected in the urine tests used by baseball. Because the players' association has not come to an agreement with MLB on blood testing, substances such as human growth hormone still go largely unchecked. According to news reports, scientists discovered IGF-1 in the velvet of immature deer antlers and in the spray players have been using as an alternative to steroids. IGF-1 is considered a performance-enhancer and its use is prohibited by baseball and the World Anti-Doping Agency, among other governing bodies. It is believed to mediate the level of human growth hormone in the body and MLB said in its warning that the spray can cause players to test positive for the banned steroid methyltestosterone. The spray’s manufacturers tout it as producing "anabolic or growth stimulation," "athletic performance" and "muscular strength and endurance." As always, good to know that athletes will inject, ingest or apparently spray anything into or onto their bodies if it will give them any edge at all…………


- Kooks seeing Jesus or the Virgin Mary in random places in nature or on manufactured products is a never-ending source of amusement for the rest of us who aren’t imagining that sort of nonsense. Jesus and Mary have been seen in everything from tree bark to toast, from grass clippings to potato chips. Now, one of them has supposedly been spotted in the tried and true regalia of hippies everywhere, the de facto uniform for those who refuse to let the ‘70s die…….tie-dye t-shirts. The spotting comes courtesy of Indianapolis resident Carylin Landers, who has been making shirts for about three years as a side business. Her hobby took an allegedly interesting turn last week when she tied a knot in a shirt, bundled it up and dropped it into a vat of dye. When the shirt came out, Landers says it was adorned with the likeness of the Son of God. "I'm not even a religious person," Landers said. "I was shocked at what I saw." She took a picture of the shirt and sent it to her sister, who told her not to dye the shirt again, which she usually does to add more than one color. "I had decided I was only going to do the top of the shirt in the second color, since the image was on the bottom," Landers stated. "I would just hold it out of the dye." Unfortunately, Landers is also an idiot in addition to being delusional and she accidentally dropped the shirt in a dark navy color and thought she'd ruined the image. "I rinsed it when it was done, only to see that the second color didn't touch the face. It only outlined it more," she recalled. Predictably, Landers has received a flood of feedback from fellow kooks who have learned of her “miraculous” find and want to know more about it. Enjoy the moment, kooks, then get over it because you know there is someone else out there who will soon spill a bucket of paint in their garage and have it coagulate in the shape of the Virgin Mary’s visage……….


- In the ongoing quest to ensure that there is literally an app for everything, the makers of GLMPS are hoping the picture-loving world of digital camera, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry users who are perpetually snapping shots to upload to Facebook or Twitter of themselves and their friends doing every mundane activity under the sun will embrace their creation. As anyone who takes picture with any frequency knows well, some of the most photographic moments actually come in the seconds before a picture is snapped. Preening, posing, hair-fixing and posture-shifting make for some hilarious moments pre-photo, but those moments are never recorded and instead, you are left with some posed, stiff picture of you and your crew in a dimly lit bar or in the bleachers of a Major League Baseball game. With the help of GLMPS, that can change. The app enhances the picture-taking process by recording video for the five seconds before a picture is snapped. When a user sorts through their images, they need only to tap the thumbnail of a particular picture to view the five seconds of video that preceded the picture. GLMPS then allows users to share the video on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare or just send it via e-mail. The best news of all? GLMPS is free and as the motto of so many Internet users (and residents of planet Earth in general) remains, “If it’s free, it’s for me,” a free app that does anything remotely useful is always welcome. So if you’ve been searching for that ideal means of embarrassing your prima donna friend who has to look perfect in every picture and insists on retakes if their hair is slightly mussed or their smile isn’t spot-on, GLMPS could be just what you’ve been searching for…………

Burning bills in the street, Favre rumors return and Desperate Housewives' impending demise

- That certainly is one way to express your disapproval of a bill proposed by your country’s legislative body. Indian activists who do not seem to be fans of a new anti-graft bill proposed by their parliament made their feelings known by getting their hands on copies of that bill……and burning it in the streets. Activists demanding an immediate end to widespread corruption burning copies of and denouncing a bill targeting corruption might seem like a contradiction, but those doing the burning railed against the bill as nothing more than lame-duck legislation. Led by badass 72-year-old reformist Anna Hazare, protestors shredded or burned the citizen ombudsman bill, called Lokpal, in western India, even as the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduced it in parliament in distant New Delhi. Hazare, looking healthier the further he gets from her five-day hunger strike that prompted Singh's administration to agree to set up a new institution to tackle corruption, is now threatening to unleash a new wave of agitation starting Aug. 16. For the time being, the target is the anti-corruption bill because Hazare and his followers believe it is too weak to tackle pervasive corruption without being revised to cover the judiciary and lower-level members of the country's bureaucracy. Additionally, protestors at Saturday’s demonstration complained that their recommendations to hold prime ministers accountable while in office have not been accepted. The scope of the bill is extremely limited in its current form, allowing only the filing of complaints against former prime ministers. "We are challenging the authority of the government that wants to impose this bill on the people of India," said Arvind Kejriwal, an anti-corruption protestor. "It's a contempt of public sentiments." Hazare has cleverly taken to mocking the Lokpal bill as "joke pal," saying it has no chance to combat the omnipresent corruption that Indians encounter in their daily lives. Singh and his administration could not have been fired up to see the demonstrations against the bill, especially since they are already dealing with an ever-growing series of scandals. "In a democracy, parliament is a sovereign body; it should be allowed to function and discharge its duty," Singh proclaimed when asked about new rounds of protests over the bill. Yes, but critics would argue it is not doing its job if members are corrupt and out first and foremost for their own personal financial gain. For example, if they are a now-former telecommunications minister accused of being involved in a scheme to sell cell phone licenses at below market value at the height of India's lucrative telecom boom in 2008, that official would not be doing his or her job (former telecommunications minister Andimuthu Raja would be that man). From the outside looking in, it is nothing short of awesome to see the common man speaking out and taking it to the streets in a fight to make India a better place…………


- Ladies, you could soon have another weapon to figure out whether that extremely creepy dude who has been eyeing you and hovering all night at the bar or party actually slipped something into your drink while you were feverishly trying to find a way to get out of his sights. Coasters that change color are one option, but a team led by a professor from Tel Aviv University say they have developed a sensor that looks like a straw or a stirrer that can detect two of the most commonly used date rape drugs with 100 percent accuracy. "It samples a very small volume of the drink and mixes it with a testing solution," said Fernando Patolsky, chemistry professor at Tel Aviv University and co-creator of the device. "That causes a chemical reaction that makes the solution cloudy or colored, depending on the drug." The chemical reaction triggers a small red light, which would be a smart method to alert a woman in a dimly lit bar to the fact that some perv has just tried to drug her rum and Coke. Developing the sensor was a challenge because researchers not only had to make it small and accurate, but the chemical reaction and light turning on needed to occur quickly for obvious reasons. Because the most common date-rape drugs - GHB, ketamine and Rohypnol -- powerful sedatives that are odorless, colorless and tasteless, any means of detecting them would be helpful. Of course, a good wing man (or woman) looking out for you and protecting your drink when you go to the restroom is always the best choice, or finishing your drink before you get up to leave the room. Provided you don’t want to go with either of those choices, specially designed coasters and straws are a solid backup plan………….


- The hits just keep on coming from soap opera fans. Their daytime dramas have been dropping in rapid-fire fashion and now, the closest thing they have to a primetime soap may also be going away. The eighth and next season for ABC’s Desperate Housewives will also be the last, according to a source close to the situation. ABC has yet to comment on the story because it is set to discuss its fall schedule at a news conference Sunday, but canceling the show would surprise no one. Marc Cherry, the show’s creator, resigned as the executive producer in the hopes of “pursuing other projects.” The series’ ratings also declined significantly last season and have been on the down slope for several years. Originally, the plan had been for life on Wisteria Lane to go on for nine seasons after Housewives debuted in 2004. Plans can definitely change for even the most-popular of shows and lasting eight seasons is still an impressive accomplishment in an age where many shows can't even stay on the air for one season. Housewives still maintains a sizeable fan base of about 120 million, but declining ratings and the impending loss of its creator may in fact be too much to overcome. Sources close to the situation have cited a ‘loss of creative spark,’ which could simply be code for running out of storylines and ways to keep the show going while actually moving it forward instead of recycling the same old drama over and over. If this is the final season for the show, it will end its time on the air having won several Emmy's and Screen Actor’s Guild awards through the years. ABC’s only comment on speculation of the end for Terri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Co. has been to call the reports “mostly speculation.” That’s not exactly a stern denial…………


- Brett Favre isn't coming back, really. He promises he has no interest in playing in the NFL ever again, so why don’t you all just take him at his word and leave the Ol’ Gunslinger alone to wear his Wranglers, ride his tractor and hang out on his farm? Well, other than his 571 retirement/unretirement sagas (numbers approximate) and insatiable desire for the spotlight and drama, why doesn’t anyone believe him? Rumors of Favre’s return to the league will likely persist as long as he is alive and walking this earth, so it should stun no one that reports of him coming out of retirement to help the quarterback-challenged Miami Dolphins have cropped up this week. Despite no factual basis, those rumors spiraled to the point that media members from Miami felt compelled to track Favre down in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Friday and ask him to comment on the story. "You're from Miami? Don't you have anything better to do?" Favre asked. Don’t blame them, OGS, blame Dolphins coach Tony Sparano for not killing the story when he had the chance. The Dolphins, whose poo-poo platter of quarterbacks includes inept incumbent Chad Henne, uninspiring free agent signees Matt Moore and Kevin O'Connell and rookie Pat Devlin, became a logical target for Favre’s return - if he were available. Reporters asked Sparano about the idea and while he didn’t say yes to pursuing Favre, he also left the door open for rampant speculation. He was asked if he would "rule out any possibility of interest" in Favre. "I can't rule anything out. OK? So, I mean, we don't rule anything out," Sparano said. "I don't know how you want me to answer that. That'll be all over the news now too, but I'm giving you the only answer I can give you." Had he simply said, “No, we are not pursuing Brett Favre and will not pursuer Brett Favre,” the story (hopefully) would have died there. Instead, the monster was not killed and lives to terrorize Favre-weary football fans for a while longer………….


- November isn't here yet, but wacky election hijinks are as various state issues are voted on in special elections across the United States. Tax levies, referendums and other local issues are being decided in nearly every state and Wisconsin is no exception. The preeminent issue in the Badger State is the recall election facing six incumbent state senators for their part in the über-controversial showdown between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and public unions in which the governor sought to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights. Those senators tied most closely to the mess are facing recall elections amidst pressure from liberals who wish to see them voted out of office. In turn, conservatives are rallying behind the legislators and even offering voting help to those who want their voice to be heard - sort of. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative organization founded by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, is supposedly offering a helping hand to voters who may not be able to make it out to the polls for Tuesday’s vote. AFP sent out what is claimed were absentee ballots to Democratic voters, but those alleged ballots had a few minor issues. First, the ballots directed recipients to mail them to the "absentee ballot processing center" purportedly located at the address on the return envelope. Curiously enough, that return address is a post office box where no election-related entity exists. Voters who actually want to participate in an election by absentee ballot are to return their ballots to the local municipal clerk’s office for counting. Whoopsie, just a minor mistake by a conservative group trying to hoodwink, er, help Democratic voters do their civic duty. But the good news is that anyone using the AFP-provided ballot doesn’t need to worry about their vote being counted if they follow its instructions to the letter because the ballot declares that it must be received by no later than Aug. 11, two days after the actual vote takes place. Not only are the brothers Koch and their cronies trying to tell Democratic voters to send ballots to the wrong place, but they are also providing incorrect dates for voting. Solid move, at least until voters began filing complaints against the organization. AFP had claimed that it was only mailing absentee ballots to members, but those filing complaints say they aren't members of the organization and are, in fact, identified as being "card-carrying Democrats." Additionally, the Government Accountability Board has issued statements warning voters to be on alert for misinformation from groups like Americans for Prosperity. What does AFP have to say for itself? Matt Seaholm, state director of AFP, dismissed the mistake on the date for ballot submission as a typo. As for directing voters to send their ballots to an address for Wisconsin Family Action PAC, an organization dedicated to "advancing Judeo-Christian principles and values in Wisconsin by strengthening and preserving marriage, family, life and liberty," Seaholm didn’t really have an answer for that one. Nice try, Americans for Prosperity, nice try……….

Fire stations burning down, a dream day in Ukraine and angry Tim Tebow

- Mountain City, Tennessee: Incredible irony lives here. Mountain City wasn’t all that different from any other small, remote Tennessee mountain town before Thursday. Its 2,400 residents were living a prototypical small town existence and they even had the small town staple of a volunteer fire department and station to keep their homes safe from fire. They are still living that small town existence today, but their fire station isn't a part of that existence any longer because it burned down early Thursday morning - seriously. The fire station went up in flames and other area fire departments were not able to respond in time to save the building. Station #2 of District Two responded to the fire along with the Trade Volunteer Fire Department, Neva Volunteer Fire Department, Mountain City Fire Department and Doe Valley Volunteer Fire Department, but their combined efforts were not enough. Former Mountain City volunteer firefighter and current Tennessee State Representative Scotty Campbell is now with the Neva Volunteer Fire Department and was one of those who responded to the scene. “When my pager went off this morning I went out to the car, got on my mobile radio and asked the fire members on scene 'what exactly is on fire?'" Campbell recalled.
The fire was accelerated by the presence of piles of fiberglass installation stacked outside. Six fire trucks rushed to the scene, but they were unable to stop the blaze in time to save the station or the three trucks stored inside its three-door garage. But one of those trucks may be to blame. In another dose of heavy irony, fire investigators believe the fire started from an electrical problem in the water tanker truck. The very truck that provides water to put out fires was apparently the source of the problem. Local residents are already concerned about their fire-station-free town landscape and some have expressed concern that their home insurance could go up without a fire station nearby in case of a fire. There is hope for a relatively quick rebound by the Mountain City Fire Department, according to Campbell. "I know a local resident offered some land here at no charge to the fire department. The Volunteer State is already proving itself," Campbell declared.
Volunteer assistance or not, the fire department will still need grants to bridge the gap remaining after the insurance company pays up. Still, the situation could have been much worse, as the Second District Volunteer Fire Department Station #1's firework stand was in a building just a few feet away from the garage where the fire broke out and a propane tank was also just a few feet away. Thankfully, the day wasn’t as explosive as it could have been…………


- Broncos quarterback Tim Richard Tebow is hurt, angry and lashing back at all the haters. The first week of training camp has not gone well for TRT, who entered camp as the odds-on favorite to be the starting QB in Denver for reasons that still aren’t totally clear. After the Broncos used a first-round pick on him in the 2010 draft, he started only three games last season and only then because starter Kyle Orton was injured. Orton is now healthy and still with the team, yet the cult of Tebow’s personality and his immense fan support had made him the people’s choice to start. The consensus was that the Broncos would trade Orton, likely to Miami, to pave the way for Tebow to open the season under center. For a number of reasons, that deal fell through and as he remained in camp in Denver, Orton was vastly outperofming Tebow. The competition wasn’t close and Tebow performed poorly enough that some observers felt third-string QB Brady Quinn looked better than TRT. Resigned to not trading Orton, the Broncos kept him with the first string in practice and declared that he, not Tebow, would be the starter. A spurned Tebow expressed frustration over the decision in an interview with the Denver Post. "My dream, since I was a young boy, of being a starting quarterback in the NFL seemed to be coming true," Tebow said. "Then, I felt like it was grabbed back away." Pressed about his struggles in camp, he admitted to playing poorly but defended his overall effort. "I didn't have a good day on the field (last) Saturday, but I think in the other practices I've thrown well and improved each day," he stated. His tenor was hurt and angry during the interview and part of that anger came from scathing criticism of his game from media members like ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge. Hoge tweeted that "it's embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow." Hoge has since made it clear that he is not attacking TRT personally but sees major flaws in his game and specifically in his throwing mechanics. That wasn’t enough to placate a defiant Tebow, who turned his anger on his critics. "I'm trying to insulate myself from what people in the media are saying, but I've seen some of it, and it hurts because it's coming from people who haven't seen me practice, haven't seen me play, haven't seen what I can do," Tebow told the newspaper. "I did an interview the other day with someone on the NFL Network who said last year I'd never play a down in the NFL. He was wrong. Others who say I won't make it are wrong. They don't know what I'm capable of and what's inside me. My family and my friends have been bothered by what's gone on, and I tell them to pay no attention to it. I'm relying as always on my faith." Faith is fine, Timbo, but faith doesn’t fix a long, looping throwing motion that takes too long to unfold and inaccurate passing that leads to you overthrowing or underthrowing your receivers on a consistent basis. Believing in yourself is good, but whining and showing an unwarranted sense of entitlement is not. Keep your head down, work on your mechanics and stop acting like you had your gig taken from you when it has been clear all along that Orton is the better quarterback right now………….


- If a nation is truly fortunate, it will some day have the privilege of seeing its former political leader put on trial, held in contempt of court and dragged away to jail by a slow-moving police van driving up its capital city’s main avenue while hundreds of police officers on foot surround the van to keep away the leader’s angry supporters. Ukrainians lived that dream Friday when ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was placed under arrest for contempt of court during her abuse of power trial which her allies denounce as politically motivated. A truly amazing scene then unfolded in which police drove Tymoshenko away from the courthouse in a police van as her angry supporters filled central Kiev's main Kreshchatyk avenue, chanting and causing a scene. Their anger would have been better directed at judge Rodion Kireyev of Kiev's Pechersk district court , who approved a prosecution request to arrest Tymoshenko due to repeated order violations. Up to that point, she had been free but required to stay in Kiev. Her freedom ended when she was fitted for a pair of the silver bracelets outside the courtroom and led away to the Lukyanovsky detention centre, where she was reunited with some ex-allies, including former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko and was placed in a special cell for VIP prisoners. As Tymoshenko was driven O.J.-style to her temporary new home, her supporters shouted "Shame!" and pro-Tymoshenko lawmakers brawled with police outside the entrance to the tiny courthouse. "This is a completely unprecedented and illegal action which has no basis," said Sergei Vlasenko, one of Tymoshenko's lawyers. Her top lieutenant Olexander Turchinov went even further, vowing to rally "hundreds, thousands" out on the streets "to fight not only for Yulia but for Ukraine." It is not difficult to see why Tymoshenko has such great support; she was one of the leaders of the pro-Western Orange Revolution in 2004 and nearly won the country’s presidential the next year but lost by a narrow margin to old rival Viktor Yanukovych. Tymoshenko and her rabid followers have suggested that the trial is a vendetta pursued by the new head of state. Vendetta or not, Tymoshenko would have been wise to follow orders from the court - assuming she didn’t want to be arrested for "systematic violations by the accused, including impeding the questioning of witnesses." Tymoshenko went technological with her trial-disrupting hijinks, mocking witnesses and even the judge via Twitter. Oh, and in case you’re wondering what Tymoshenko is on trial for specifically, she is accused of sustaining a loss to Ukraine's budget of 1.5 billion hryvnias ($190 million) when she signed a new energy contract with Russia after a brief interruption of gas deliveries in 2009. Her arrest has upset many Western powers and their anger would likely grow substantially if Tymoshenko is convicted and receives the prescribed sentence of between seven and 10 years in prison. Even without jail time, any guilty verdict would disqualify her from parliamentary polls next year and the next presidential elections in 2015. But in all honesty, is that not a small price to pay for a dream (debacle of a) day come true…………


- Not to bag on one of the longest-running prime time network dramas in television history, but "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is quickly becoming the aging rock band that has switched out its lead singer twice, swapped drummers and changed guitarists over its long run together but is still going by the same band name. The revolving door at the Las Vegas Police Department’s crime lab will continue in the show’s 12th season as Marg Helgenberger, who has played crime-scene investigator supervisor Catherine Willows on for 11 seasons, is set to leave the series in January. Her departure comes as the show is re-casting its leading man role for the second time, adding veteran actor Ted Danson to replace Laurence Fishburne, who lasted a solid couple of years after taking the place of original leading man William Peterson. Danson has been tabbed as the new face of the show and series creator Carol Mendelsohn seems fired up about the move. "You can create a new character on the page, but until the perfect actor comes along and breathes life into it, it's just words," Mendelsohn said in a press release. "We're very excited Ted Danson came along." Even with the regular cast changes, “CSI” is still somehow the most-watched TV series in the world. Perhaps the return of original cast member Jorja Fox to reprise her role as Sara Sidle will help offset the buzzkill of Helgenberger’s exodus. Fox was a regular on the show for the first seven seasons of the series before leaving at the beginning of season 8, but has remained popular with fans and returned to the series periodically for guest appearances since then. Helgenberger originally planned to leave the show at the end of last season, but Mendelsohn convinced her to come back for the proverbial proper send-off for her character. "The combination of that info and me having a hard time letting go of this show and this group of people, I said, 'Yeah, I'm not done playing this character; I'm not done letting go of this group of people," Helgenberger said on Wednesday. That group of people and a nice, FAT paycheck would probably do the trick…………


- Now that most of the world has gone wireless, it’s about time someone invented something to wreak havoc with those wireless networks. Two intrepid souls have accepted this challenge and we can now report that Mike Tassey and Richard Perkins have succeeded where others have failed. The two security researchers have designed a drone capable of sniffing WiFi networks, intercepting phone calls and launching DDoS attacks with jamming signals. Dubbed WASP, or Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform. Their aircraft cost some $6,000 and was built from various hobby materials, including a Styrofoam plane body, plastic propeller, foam tires, as well as standard circuit boards and wires. Yes, you read that list correctly: Styrofoam, plastic, foam and standard wiring. Not exactly military-grade supplies, eh? The WASP also features an IMSI catcher and antennae to spoof a GSM cell tower and intercept calls, along with a network-sniffing tool and 340 million word dictionary to brute-force network passwords. Tassey and Perkins debuted their new toy at the Black Hat 2011 technical security conference, mecca for tech dorks, hackers and imaginary CIA agents in training. The WASP does have the advantage of being programmable with GPS coordinates and Google maps to fly a predetermined course, but it still requires a human controller to take off and land. "It's hard to keep something that's flying from getting over your facility," said Tassey. "[Because] in Starbucks, no one can hear your laptop scream." By the way, both Tassey and Perkins have day jobs as security experts for the federal government and claim they only designed the WASP to demonstrate just how cheap and it easy it is to intercept data transmissions. Point made, fellas…………