Trippy - 'Self Stirring Cup'

How true, y'all.

'Or 'I'm embarrassed' or 'I didn't mean to' ... But the ultimate key to the success of a future career for her is a new - it doesn't have to be a wholesome image - but a new, cleaned-up image and a hot single." The girl's worth millions and probably has "fabulous things" spilling out of her closet, Sanders said, but that's not enough to buy class.'

A new low for Britney Spears

You paid attention during 74% of high school!

68-84% Pretty good, you know that there are libraries and newspapers, and you remember what you've read. You were a child that wasn't left behind!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Something told me not to take this quiz.

Are You A Lush? Your Result: Lush. You drink till you are pacified. You drink enough to keep you mellow and unengaged in any social activities. You are the person in the corner of the bar, at the table, who is quiet, reserved, and always blacked out. You dont remeber the past 4 years of your life, you too need help.
Alcoholic.
Raging Alcoholic.
Babbler and Stumbler.
Obnoxious Drunk.
Drunkard.
Buzzer.
Teetotaller
Are You A Lush? Take More Quizzes

New York State Of Mind, Verbally Speaking

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

It's about friggin' time

GM building plug-in Saturn

General Motors Corp. will introduce new hybrid gasoline-electric autos next year to take sales from Toyota Motor Corp., the leader in the fuel-saving technology.

GM plans three hybrid-electric versions of its Saturn Vue sport-utility vehicle, including one that plugs into an outlet, as part of a new focus on "electrically driven" autos, GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said in a speech today. Plug-in hybrids recharge when the vehicle isn't in use and switch to gasoline when the batteries are drained.

Wagoner is working to counter Toyota's 9-year head start in hybrid-electric vehicles. Hybrids use less fuel and produce less pollution by using a battery and electric motor to supplement a gasoline engine. They are gaining sales as governments crack down on pollution and buyers shift to fuel-sipping vehicles.

"For every automaker it's now critical to have hybrid models," said Eric Noble, president of consulting firm Car Lab in Orange, California. "People are demanding it now. Having hybrids is the cost of doing business." Wagoner, speaking at the Los Angeles auto show, said vehicles that run on a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline also are part of the Detroit automaker's plan to reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil. Within three years, all versions of Hummer SUVs will offer an engine powered by so- called biofuels, Wagoner said today.

Jury duty? Sign me up!

Jurors have food fights, play football while sequestered during murder trial

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Jurors in the trial of a man accused of killing an Indiana University student got "giggly" while sequestered at a hotel, records show - with men racing each other wearing high heels, food fights, football and Frisbee.

The defense is not amused, but may not be able to do much about it.

A judge denied a defense attorney's motion for a mistrial based on the behavior, and a legal expert said jurors' antics did not constitute misconduct.

"There's certainly nothing on the transcript that would amount to reversible error per se on juror misconduct," Craig Bradley, an Indiana University law professor, said Wednesday. "There would have to be some connection shown to the trial."

The Morgan County jury was sequestered for about two weeks and deliberated for about 50 minutes Oct. 30 before finding John Myers II guilty of murdering 19-year-old Jill Behrman. She disappeared in May 2000, and her remains were found three years later in a field. Myers is to be sentenced Friday.

Defense attorney Patrick Baker said he would have "plenty to say" during the sentencing hearing about the jury's behavior.

Just Say 'No' To Ambien

Believe me, I know.

Woman who hit teens had combination of drugs in system

Denver Police say Sandra Maul drove her SUV onto the sidewalk on South Federal Boulevard on November 17, killing 14-year-old friends, Jessie Aguirre and Nhan Nguyen.

The boys were walking home from Lincoln High School when they were hit.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Maul told police she took the sleeping medication Ambien, the day before the accident, but could not remember whether she took it the day of.

Preliminary partial results from a urine sample taken the day of the crash show that Maul did have three different prescription drugs in her system.

They included Meprobamate, a central nervous system depressant, Fluoxetine, an anti-depressant commonly known as Prozac, and Tramadel, a pain medication.

The toxicology program manager told police the combination of the three would likely impair a driver's ability to safely operate a car.

Maul is currently in fair condition at Denver Health Medical Center.

Then how did we start eating onions?

'Our tendency to crave sweets is actually an honest lifesaver, according to food anthropologists. Even the caveman swayed toward the sweet.

"That's how they knew something was safe to eat. If it was bitter or sour chances were higher that it might be a poison or probably wasn't safe," said registered dietician Mary Lee Chin.'

KUSA

Neat-o Image

Post snow storm here.

Cook's Mart Project

Thumb's up on the chicken marsala with prosciutto. Didn't even need to add salt.

Deja Vu. Could you be the love I once knew?

Blind man has deja vu, busting a myth

Case study contradicts theory of optical pathway delay

Deja vu is commonly described as the feeling of having seen something before. In fact, some scientists have long thought that one type of the phenomenon occurs when the image of a scene through one eye arrives at the brain before the image from the other eye.

But researchers have now found a blind man who experiences deja vu through smell, hearing and touch.

The man had deja vu when undoing a jacket zipper while hearing a particular piece of music, and also while hearing a snatch of conversation while holding a plate in the school dining hall.

The discovery is reported in the December issue of the journal Brain and Cognition.

"It is the first time this has been reported in scientific literature," said Akira O'Connor of the University of Leeds. "It's useful because it provides a concrete case study which contradicts the theory of optical pathway delay. Eventually we would like to talk to more blind people, though there's no reason to believe this man's experiences are abnormal or different to those of others."

O'Connor said deja vu is such a convincing sensation that it feels almost inexplicable to the person who has it.

"And because it feels so subjective, psychology, in striving for objectivity, has tended to shy away from it," he said. "But psychologists have gone some way to illuminating things like the 'tip of my tongue' sensation when you can’t think of a particular word. We just wanted to get to the same sort of understanding for deja vu."

O'Connor and his colleague Chris Moulin also study deja vu through hypnosis. They believe the experience is caused when an area of the brain that deals with familiarity gets disrupted.

In one experiment they do, students are asked to remember words, then hypnotized to make them forget. When shown the same word again, they describe feeling as if they've seen it before. About half of test subjects say the sensation is similar to deja vu, and about half of those say it is definitely deja vu.

"It would be really neat to do some neuro-imaging on people during genuine spontaneous deja vu experiences," O'Conner said, "but it's very difficult to get them to have them on demand."

Just for fun

If this doesn't at least put a smile on your face, you're a soul-less robot.

I want a coat...

like the backup singers have.

Danny Devito Drunk On Air

Here

I can almost smell him talking to me from here; like booze and smoke.

I've said it before, but I wish more execs blogged like Andy.

'Is anyone going to be unhappy receiving a 5-pack of Xanax? I can't imagine they would, and if they are, tell them to take one and they should see the light. I don't know where to tell you to get the xanax (except that it should be prescribed to your friend by a doctor), and should warn you that it is apparently highly addictive, but what better way to get through the holidays than with a stash of America's fave chill out pill.

While I am suggesting unconventional gifts, I could take this opportunity to recommend getting your pals an evening with a high end, disease-free companion, but that would be disgusting and degrading and illegal.'

Andy's Blog

Oldie

When I worked retail, this was on ALL the time. The song, not the cartoon.

Awesome

Claim: A clever consumer earned a lifetime of free air travel by taking advantage of a Healthy Choice pudding promotion.

'Though most of this story's appeal comes from the image of the little guy screwing a big corporation, oddly enough, that's not what happened here. In January 2000, American Airlines awarded Phillips the last of 1.25 million free miles, with the balance coming from Northwest Airlines, Delta and United. Because the airlines sell the frequent-flyer miles to Healthy Choice for the promotion for about two cents a mile, they aren't out a thing. Healthy Choice likely also made on the deal, because the value of the publicity surrounding Phillips' pudding run probably exceeds the actual dollar cost incurred by the company for purchasing those miles.

The Wall Street Journal quoted an official of Healthy Choice as saying the frequent-flier offer "met and exceeded expectations," although the company's spokeswoman wouldn't discuss the promotion's sales figures or data about participants.

Kudos to Healthy Choice for handling as professionally as it did what must have seemed a very strange situation. According to Phillips' oft-repeated account, one day the stacks of 500-free-miles certificates just began arriving - no fanfare, and certainly no attempts on the part of the company to back away from the promotion.'

MySpace : Blogger :: Wal Mart : Target

High school students expelled after fight planned on MySpace

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A dozen high school students were expelled for an on-campus brawl over who got invited to a party.

School officials said the fight was arranged on the social-networking hub MySpace.com.

The school board in this St. Louis suburb voted unanimously Monday to expel the Edwardsville High School students through the end of the school year for the Nov. 9 melee. Three were seniors who were barred from graduation ceremonies next spring, Superintendent Ed Hightower said Tuesday.

No one was seriously injured in the fight involving 11 girls and one boy.

Two groups of students had been squabbling for a month about who had been invited to the party, and administrators had been working with them and their parents to avoid a conflict, Hightower said.

Seven students agreed in writing Nov. 6 to stop "disrespecting" each other, keep to themselves and report problems to adults. The students were told they faced police involvement or "exclusion" from the school if they broke the pact.

Just two days later, Hightower said, students posted MySpace messages finalizing plans to fight the next day. The fight ensued as planned in the high school's commons area, Hightower said.

"There were numerous interventions, numerous opportunities for these students to resolve their differences," but they chose to fight instead, Hightower said.

MySpace is grappling with ways to curb the use of the site for such purposes, distributing a guide for school administrators and "letting them know that anything that can happen on a school playground also can happen online," said MySpace's chief security officer, Hemanshu Nigam.

Nifty Idea

School eliminates bullying by letting kids run playground

DENVER - Dealing with bullying is a problem every school faces. However, Teller Elementary claims fights and arguments have disappeared simply by giving children a little responsibility.

"When I first started here eight years ago, the 45 minutes I was out on the playground I was just putting out fires," said Chris Baumgartner, physical education teacher at Teller. "I decided I needed help and with funding the way it is, we weren't going to hire more people to be on the playground."

So, Baumgartner created the P.E. Ace program.

Standing for peace, Baumgartner started tapping 4th and 5th graders to become leaders on the playground during recess. Donning a red shirt and a whistle, 30 older kids teach the younger kids how to play games and activities, volunteering their own lunch and recess time to be student leaders.

"We're teaching them how to be responsible," said Karina Orrellana, 5th Grader and captain of the P.E. Aces. "It stops the kids hurting each other, 'cause they might like want to do something, but after all we keep them all controlled and having making sure they have fun."

"Bullying, fights, arguments, it just doesn't happen," Baumgartner said.

She said the entire school has helped with the effort, keeping the playground safe and giving the younger kids someone to look up to.

"P.E. Aces have to be good role models and they have to be good role models wherever they are, whatever classroom they are in," she said.

Orrellana said becoming a P.E. Ace is a big deal to all the kids at Teller.

"I think a lot of kids want to be a P.E. Ace when they grow up," she said.

Second Grader Coco Hindlemann agrees.

"Working with kids is going to be really fun and teaching them how to play games and activities," Hindlemann said.

She hopes to don the shirt and whistle when she reaches 4th grade.

"They help you learn the activities you're supposed to learn," she said.

Right now, Baumgartner is trying to raise money to expand the P.E. Ace program and purchase more equipment and sweatshirts for the kids to wear on colder days. Other schools have asked Baumgartner about how to start a similar program.

Wonder what the jail time would be, if he did?

Son also rises in testy Webb-Bush exchange

President Bush has pledged to work with the new Democratic majorities in Congress, but he has already gotten off on the wrong foot with Jim Webb, whose surprise victory over Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) tipped the Senate to the Democrats.

Webb, a decorated former Marine officer, hammered Allen and Bush over the unpopular war in Iraq while wearing his son’s old combat boots on the campaign trail. It seems the president may have some lingering resentment.

At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

'I didn't ask you that, I asked how he's doing,' Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn't. It's safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won't be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.

'Jim did have a conversation with Bush at that dinner,' said Webb's spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd. 'Basically, he asked about Jim's son, Jim expressed the fact that he wanted to have him home.' Todd did not want to escalate matters by commenting on Bush's response, saying, 'It was a private conversation.'

A White House spokeswoman declined to give Bush's version of the conversation.

They probably don't want my liver.

I am a donor, though.

'According to Donor Alliance, the coordinating agency in Colorado for organ donors, Emily Keyes will help approximately 100 people through skin, muscle, bone and heart valve donations. She was unable to donate any of her organs because of a mandatory autopsy.

Her twin brother Casey also signed on his driver's license to be a donor. He was not at the school when the shooting happened.

In the weeks ahead, 9NEWS will continue to trace Emily's donations and will keep you informed on the people she is helping after her death.'

KUSA

Cook's Mart Project

I think someone is afraid of salt at the Mart. Their french onion soup is good, but kind of bland.

Oooh. He played the 'Katrina' card.

U.S. governs by 'coercion,' Iran leader writes

In open letter to Americans, Ahmadinejad urges pullout from Iraq

UNITED NATIONS - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter to the American people on Wednesday, accused their government of 'coercion, force and injustice' and urged the United States to pull out of Iraq.

Ahmadinejad's five-page letter also called on Washington to recognize a Palestinian state and cautioned the Democratic Party that, after gaining control of the U.S. Congress, they would be 'held to account by the people and by history.'

The Iranian leader, who wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in May that Bush never responded to, said he was now writing to the American people in friendship because Iran and the United States shared a responsibility 'to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity.'

'Governments are there to serve their own people. No people wants to side with or support any oppressors. But regrettably, the U.S. administration disregards even its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people,' he said.

'It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force and injustice,' Ahmadinejad said.

On Iraq, he said that with a constitution and government now in place, 'would it not be more beneficial to bring the U.S. officers and soldiers home, and to spend the astronomical U.S. military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and prosperity of the American people?'

'As you know very well, many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness,' he said.

Ahmadinejad essentially says the U.S. should leave, that it rid Iraq of Saddam and that was good, and it set up a constitutional government and that was good, but the time has come to leave.

Bottom line: This will embolden those in the Bush administration who say the U.S. should not negotiate with Iran or Syria. They will note that there is little of substance in the letter and that it shows the Iranian president to be unhelpful and worse, particularly in his attacks on "Zionists" both in Israel and in the U.S.

Ahmadinejad has alienated many Americans by calling for Israel’s destruction and repeatedly dismissing the Holocaust as a myth. He also strongly supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese faction Hezbollah, which the U.S. State Department lists as terrorist organizations.

Twice this year, Iran has proposed talks with the United States over Iraq, but Ahmadinejad has said that for such negotiations to take place, Washington must change its behavior. On Sunday, he said Iran was ready to help the United States get out of the 'Iraqi quagmire if the U.S. changes its bullying policy toward Iran.'

Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1979 when, after the Islamic revolution, militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and kept 52 people hostage for 444 days.

Whoa. There's a video for this?

Check out the 'fros.

'Out in the boondocks'

'People put me down, because that's the part of town, I was born in'

Which is further away, Podunk or The Boonies?

Podunk.

When we need to describe a far-away, undeveloped area, we often refer to going to 'Podunk' or 'way out in the Boonies.' (Sometimes another locale like B.F. Egypt is mentioned, but we won't go there. Too far away.)

Podunk has been used as a point of reference since the mid-1800s. The name is derived from the Algonquin word pautunke, which means 'where you sink in mire.'

Native residents along the Connecticut River were referred to as the Podunk. The Record of the Colony of Connecticut shows that the Podunk were ordered to vacate the area in the 1630s so that the land could be used for farming.

Before they could relocate, most of the Podunk perished during a smallpox epidemic. A small town near Ulysses, New York, incorporated circa 1800, also bears the name Podunk. Legend has it that the name came from the sound Bolter Creek's water made when it hit the sawmill wheel.

The Boonies, or more properly the Boondocks, didn't come into use as a generic destination until after World War II. GIs returning from the Philippines brought with them the word bundok, which is Tagalog for 'mountain'. As time went on, the word came to be used to describe any remote, undeveloped area.

By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik

Toddler Tazer

Crystal Air

Creepy, yet poetic, song.

ARTIST: Zager and Evans
TITLE: In the Year 2525


In the year 2525
If man is still alive.
If woman can survive, they may find.


In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies.
Everything you think, do and say, is in the pill you took today.


In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes.
You won't find a thing to chew.
Nobody's gonna look at you.


In the year 5555
Your arms hanging limp at your sides.
Your legs got nothing to do.
Some machine doing that for you.


In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife.
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too.
From the bottom of a long glass tube. Whoa-oh


In the year 7510
If God's a-comin, he oughta make it by then.
Maybe he'll look around himself and say.
Guess it's time for the judgment day.


In the year 8510
God is gonna shake his mighty head.
He'll either say.I'm pleased where man has been.
Or tear it down and start again. Whoa-oh


In the year 9595
I'm kinda wonderin if man is gonna be alive.
He's taken everything this old Earth can give.
And he ain't put back nothing.Whoa-oh



Now it's been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears.
For what he never knew,
now man's reign is through.


But through eternal night.
The twinkling of starlight.
So very far away.
Maybe it's only yesterday.


In the year 2525
If man is still alive.
If woman can survive, they may find.


In the year 3535 {fade}

I'd never get anything done if we did this.

Plus, in my job, we have to document EVERYTHING. If it isn't written, it didn't happen, and that could come back to bite you in the arse. I do have to admit, though, that I have been known to IM people in the next cube.

'Scott A. Dockter knew things were bad when he found himself e-mailing his assistant seated a few feet away. But it was more than his own e-mail habit that prompted the CEO of PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services in Alpharetta, Ga., to launch "no e-mail Fridays."

He suspected that overdependence on e-mail at PBD, which offers services such as call-center management and distribution, was hurting productivity and perhaps sales. So in July, he instructed his 275 employees to pick up the phone or meet in person each Friday and to reduce e-mail use the rest of the time.

That was tough to digest, especially for younger staffers and some senior managers. "We discovered a lot of introverts . . . who had drifted into a pattern of communicating by e-mail," Dockter says.'

Full story here.

Ha!

Someone from Estee Lauder UK found my blog on the post about his crotch comment.

Cook's Mart Project

I got their spicy caesar chicken pasta salad for lunch today, and wow-ee, is it good. Not pretty to look at [it looks like it has been sitting out too long], but it caesar-y with a hint of spicy. The scallions and celery are a nice touch. Needs a bit more salt, but otherwise, yum.

Insouciant is my middle name.

Why Do We Have Middle Names?

'Almost all of us have a middle name, but it seems few people know why middle names exist.

It turns out the use of middle names in the United States is relatively new.

In fact, they were almost unheard of before the late 1700s. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and even Abraham Lincoln did not have middle names.

It was German immigrants who first brought the custom to the U.S. in the early 19th century.

They traditionally gave their kids two names: a spiritual one, usually named for a saint, and a secular one used to be used on a daily basis.

Secular names eventually became known as middle names and by World War I almost all Americans had one.

Today they are used for identification and to tell people apart but middle names are mostly used as a way to honor or preserve family names.'

Today In Compare And Contrast: Photography

Before: [Senior Picture Circa 1993]



After: [Alcoholic Picture Circa 2004]

Some Wal Marts Still Selling Nazi Totenkopf Shirts

'I found myself at Walmart in Cleveland Heights Ohio the other day [Sunday, Nov 26] picking up a new office chair... (ended up going to office max anyway... but that's another story) I was kinda surprised to see the totenkopf shirts still on sale there... so I snapped a quick pic with my phone... sorry for the poor quality but the razr isnt anything great for taking photos. Anyway... thought you might like to know that Cleveland walmarts all seem to have ignored any instruction they may have received regarding taking the shirts off the shelves.'

Consumerist

I miss IHOP...

and their myriad of flavored syrups. They closed the one on Colfax.

Mmm..pancakes.

IHOP changes policy of asking for IDs

QUINCY, Mass.- John Russo has been a victim of identity theft. So when he was asked to fork over a photo ID just to be seated at an IHOP pancake restaurant, he flipped. "'You want my license? I'm going for pancakes, I'm not buying the Hope diamond,' and they refused to seat us," Russo said, recounting his experience this week at the Quincy IHOP.

The restaurant now has agreed to reverse the policy of requiring customers to turn over their driver's licenses before they can order--a rule that was enacted to discourage "dine and dash" thefts.

WCVB-TV in Boston reported the Quincy restaurant's policy had been enacted without corporate approval.

IHOP Corp., based in Glendale, Calif., released a statement Monday night to WCVB that said an employee felt the policy could eliminate the problem of people leaving without paying.

"This was done without the knowledge or approval of management. ... We apologize to any guest who was inconvenienced," the statement said.

Russo said a security guard at the restaurant had "at least 40" licenses in hand when he arrived to eat.

"Identity theft is rampant. I wouldn't want to give my license, with my address or Social Security number to anyone that I'm not familiar with," Russo said. "I'm going just for breakfast."

Beets

I love me some beets.

Health Benefits

'Remember all those legendary Russian centenarians? Beets, frequently consumed either pickled or in borscht, the traditional Russian soup, may be one reason behind their long and healthy lives. These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer.

Promote Optimal Health

The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color - betacyanin - is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets' potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies.

In one study, animals under the double stress of chemically induced colon cancer and high cholesterol were divided into two groups. One group received a diet high in beet fiber while the other group served as a control. The beet fiber-fed animals rose to the challenge by increasing their activity of two antioxidant enzymes in the liver, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase. The liver is the body's primary detoxification organ where toxic substances are broken down and eliminated, a process that generates a lot of free radicals. Glutathione peroxidase and are the bodyguards for liver cells, protecting them from free radical attack, so they can continue to protect us.

In other animal studies, scientists have noted that animals fed beet fiber had an increase in their number of colonic CD8 cells, special immune cells responsible for detecting and eliminating abnormal cells. With the increased surveillance provided by these additional CD8 cells, the animals in one of the studies given beet fiber had fewer pre-cancerous changes.

In stomach cancer patients, when scientists compared the effects of fruit and vegetable juices on the formation of nitrosamines, cancer-causing compounds produced in the stomach from chemicals called nitrates, beet juice was found to be a potent inhibitor of the cell mutations caused by these compounds. Nitrates are commonly used as a chemical preservative in processed meats.'

Also,

Beeturia

'If you start to see red when you increase your consumption of beets, don't be alarmed. You're just experiencing beeturia, or a red or pink color to your urine or stool. No need to panic; the condition is harmless.'

Gotti Diet Indeed

As if no one saw this coming. I think I missed the chapter on snorting Oxycontin, and smoking a doob.

Gotti grandson arrested on drug charges

DIX HILLS, N.Y. (AP) - Frank Agnello, who starred with his mother and two brothers on the reality TV show "Growing Up Gotti," was arrested earlier this month on drug charges, police said.

Agnello, 16, was found with marijuana, OxyContin and morphine pills when authorities pulled him over on a Long Island road for failing to heed a stop sign, Suffolk County police Lt. Donato Mignone said Monday.

The teen, who was driving a rented sport utility vehicle, was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said. He could face up to a year in prison if convicted.

Agnello's attorney, Adam Mandelbaum, said no drugs were found on Agnello during the Nov. 10 arrest in Dix Hills. "The rest of the matter is under investigation," Mandelbaum said.

He said Agnello will plead not guilty at a Jan. 24 hearing in Central Islip.

Mignone said police discovered the OxyContin and morphine pills in the SUV's glove compartment, console and trunk. He said two passengers were also charged.

Agnello was also given a summons for driving without a license, police said.

The teen is the son of Victoria Gotti, daughter of legendary mob boss John Gotti and sister of John "Junior" Gotti. Besides starring in "Growing Up Gotti" with his mother and brothers, Carmine and John, Agnello has written a book, "The Gotti Diet."

John Gotti was convicted of racketeering and murder in 1992. He died 10 years later in a federal prison.

I just realized I am eating bangers and mash.

How funny. While listening to BBC to boot. But my bangers are homemade Italian, and the mash are the seasoned taters I made last night.

Pass me the brown sauce!

Actually, ick, no brown sauce.

Dear Santa....

This is what I want for Christmas. It is a turntable that converts my old vinyl records, in to digital files. It takes the hassle out of trying to convert it using old RCA cables. It eliminates the hum that occurs during the burn process.

I am pretty sure I am on the 'nice' list this year. There was that one incident in Tijuana, but I was the one who came up with the idea of how to dispose of the body. So that should count for something, right?

Oh, and there was that incident with Old Lady Hibbard. She wouldn't get out of my way, and it's not my fault she lost her grip on that stair handrail.

I had an facial appointment that I could NOT be late for.

Besides, I sent a card saying I hope her hip replacement surgery went well. That's being 'nice', right?

So feel free to leave it under the tree on Christmas, or you can also send me a gift card, and I can get it online.


Seasons Greetings!
Pee Wee

Restoration Hardware

Viral Wreath

A follow up on a post from yesterday. The story went viral on the interwebs. I got hits from all over the globe as well.

HOA allowing peace sign wreath

PAGOSA SPRINGS - After a firestorm of controversy, an area homeowners association is allowing a resident to hang a peace sign wreath.

Bill Trimarco told 9NEWS that late Monday night they found a letter on the front door of the home. In the letter, the homeowners association apologized for the misunderstanding and told the residents they did not have to take down the wreath.

Trimarco said he is grateful for the amount of support they have received from around the World. He told 9NEWS support has come from South America, troops in Baghdad and the Netherlands.

The homeowners association had originally said they would charge Lisa Jensen, the homeowner, $25 a day until she removed the peace sign shaped Christmas wreath after reported complaints from other residents.

Some had said the wreath is an Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan.

Some residents who had complained have children serving in Iraq, Bob Kearns, president of the Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs, told the Durango Herald. He said some residents have also believed it was a symbol of Satan. Three or four residents complained, he said.

"The peace sign has a lot of negativity associated with it," said Kearns. "It's also an anti-Christ sign. That's how it started."

Most researchers believe the symbol originated as the logo of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Kearns asked for the resignation of a five-member neighborhood panel that refused to cite Jensen. All five members resigned.

"Somebody could put up signs that say, 'Drop bombs on Iraq.' If you let one go up, you have to let them all go up," Kearns said.

Lisa Jensen said she wasn't thinking of the war when she hung the wreath. Jensen said, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing."

"It was just a Christmas message for peace on Earth," she told 9NEWS Monday. "We didn't put it up as any kind of statement against the war at all."

Jensen, a past association president, calculates the fines would have cost her about $1,000 and doubted she will be forced to pay them. Nevertheless, Jensen had said she would not take it down until after Christmas.

"Now that it has come to this, I feel I can't get bullied," she said. "What if they don't like my Santa Claus?"

"This (wreath) is such a small little thing. We weren't out to fight a battle or anything, but they're (HOA) not going to take that away just at somebody's whim," she said.

The association in this 200-home subdivision 270 miles southwest of Denver had sent a letter to her saying that residents were offended by the sign and that the board "will not allow signs, flags etc. that can be considered divisive."

On Monday, the KYGO morning show told 9NEWS it got several calls from people who would be willing to pay the fine for Jensen.

She also said she had gotten many calls directly from people willing to pay any fines her.

"It's really overwhelming. I'm just so moved by people who reach out like that," said Jensen.

Kearns did not comment on the story directly to 9NEWS.

Finally!

Yay! Cook's Fresh market on 16th Street Mall is finally open. I stopped by on my way home last night to check it out.

For some odd reason, I had a craving for seasoned potatoes, so I stopped by to see. if indeed, I can use this place to do my food shopping as, I needed to get some taters to prepare later.

It's tiny, but has lots in stock. They're frozen appetizers looked amazing. They do have produce, but it's only out in limited display. Luckily, the owner guy, Ed Janos, saw I was looking for something, and was able to get me my taters from the back.

Everyone on staff seemed super-friendly, but I am sure that is just opening day mentality. The place definitely had a lot of lookie-loos, but it wasn't overly crowded.

On my way to check out, I passed their cold prep food items. Yum. Lots to choose from. Ended up just getting a half pint of citrus vinaigrette beet salad.

So I check out, and my total is $2.83 [!]. The beets were $2.25 alone, so I was surprised it wasn't more. Are taters that cheap?

I plan on sampling most of their stuff over the next few weeks. Tonight I have my thoughts set on the lobster ravioli I saw in one of the cases.

I'm stoked they're open, because I am kinda fickle when it comes to food, and instead of having to go to the supermarket and stock up in bulk each week, I can buy as I need things.

Plus, it will be fresher, since it won't be sitting in my fridge for a week [that is if it makes it at all, before spoiling]. It's like the European style of shopping: on a day to day basis.

They also have perfect hours; they're open until 8 PM. [Closed on Sundays]. The people who live in 1600 Glenarm above are lucky. Like their webpage says, it's like having a Dean and Deluca in your building. I'm jealous.

Morning Condition - Rehab

Today's song that was stuck in my head, was Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab'

Chiquitita, you and I go....

Plans for ABBA Museum Unveiled in Sweden

An ABBA museum dedicated to the music, clothing and history of the legendary Swedish pop group and its four members will open in Stockholm in 2008, organizers said Tuesday.

The interactive museum will feature original outfits and instruments used by the group, handwritten song lyrics, a display of different awards, and "all other things we can think of and find," said Ulf Westman, an event consultant who is spearheading the project with his wife Ewa Wigenheim-Westman.

The museum will also feature a studio where visitors can record their own ABBA songs, and an interactive experience that "will recreate the feeling of being at Wembley stadium and seeing ABBA live with 50,000 others," Westman said.

Organizers are still searching for a suitable location for the museum, but said it will open somewhere in central Stockholm during 2008.

Wigenheim-Westman said the idea was inspired by the Beatles museum in London, but that it took nearly two years to convince the former ABBA members - Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Reuss - that it was a good idea.

"It is nice that someone feels compelled to take on our musical history," the four members said in a joint statement. "We think this will be a fun and swinging museum to visit."

The band members will donate the material for the exhibits, but will otherwise not be involved in the project, which will be funded by company sponsors, Westman said.

Stockholm's mayor Kristina Axen Olin said the museum - which is expected to draw 500,000 visitors a year - will make the Swedish capital a more popular tourist attraction for the millions of ABBA fans around the world.

"As a Stockholmer, this is what you have been missing," Axen Ohlin said at a news conference to unveil the plan. "We are convinced that this is important both for Stockholm citizens and for marketing the city."

ABBA is one of the most successful bands in history, having sold more than 370 million albums. While the group has not performed together since 1982, it continues to sell nearly 3 million records a year and the musical "Mamma Mia!" - written by Andersson and Ulvaeus and based on the group's hits - has been seen by more than 27 million people around the world.

How Tomkat Took The Photo

From The WOW Report

Fack that! Black Friday Videos

Black Friday My Arse

There's no way in Hades you would get me to go shopping on Black Friday. A co-worker said they got to the store at 4:30 AM, and had to wait and hour and a half to check out. I lounged around all day, sipping hot chocolate, and watching movies.

'At the Wal-Mart outside Columbus, customers dashing toward 5 a.m. deals pinned employees against stacks of merchandise.

'Oh, my god, stop pushing me, oh, my god,' screamed Linda Tuttle, a 47-year-old employee at the store.'

Consumerist

The Ordinary Boys - 'Lonely At The Top'

Unfortunately, the video doesn't synch with the audio, but you get the song.

I kind of dig it, although it reminds me of Killers/Bravery stuff from about two years ago.

Also, the lead singer has one of those faces, that in some angles is great, but in others, looks like a character from Archie comics.

Morning Condition - The Feeling

Today's morning song that I couldn't get out of my head was, 'I Love It When You Call', by The Feeling. I don't even know the lyrics! I just had the chorus stuck in my head. Not even sure how I feel about the song yet, either

Tu n'est pas, de robot.

Clay and I, were talking about things we take for granted [like refrigeration, and grocery stores], and got to talking about future technologies. It reminded me of this show on Discovery, called 'Robo Sapien'. It's pretty interesting, and scary. If it comes on again, you should check it out.

'In 1998, scientists developed the first neural interface ever implanted into a human brain. Since then neural-interface technology and procedures have evolved to allow a paraplegic patient, Matt Nagle, to control a computer directly with his thoughts. Over time, the neural interface became an extension of his body, allowing him to write emails and surf the Web using only his mind.

The incredible technological advancements being made in neuro-engineering may one day make the paralyzed walk again, replace limbs for amputees and even give speech back to those who have lost their voice.

As more engineers and computer scientists are attracted to this discipline, possibilities for the future become more and more real as the advancing technology pushes boundaries that were seemingly unattainable.

Could humans one day communicate telepathically, cure depression and other psychological disorders, access the Internet or extend human memory all by inserting microchips into the brain?

As the technology evolves, these questions seem less like science fiction and more like reality.'

Holy Moishe!

Fiery Habanero Doritos are a lot more spicy hot, when you are just expecting the original flavored ones. Yaow. They should make the packaging more distinctive.

Damn hippies!

People are retarded. It's just a peace sign, y'all. If I lived down there in her subdivision, I would be putting up peace signs everywhere, out of spite.

Subdivision bans Christmas wreath with peace sign

DENVER (AP) - A Pagosa Springs woman says she will not take down a Christmas wreath that contains a peace sign even if it costs her a thousand dollars.

Her subdivision has ordered it removed. They say residents have complained it is anti-Iraq war.

Lisa Jensen says it is just a general message wishing people well.

Bob Kearns, president of the homeowner's association, says she will be fined $25 for everyday it remains up.

Who are these people?

That continue to fall for these scams? It just can't be elderly types.

CONSUMER REPORTS: Phishing scams grow

KUSA - It looks like an e-mail from your bank or some other business you know, but it's actually a fake - a carefully crafted e-mail designed to scam you.

It asks you to provide your personal information, such as your credit card number or password and can lead to identity theft.

Consumer Reports estimates those so-called phishing scams have cost victims $630 million over the past two years.

Its latest survey finds the median cost per victim is $850. That's 5 times what it was just a year ago.

The Anti-Phishing Working Group, which monitors the problem, reports that in the month of July alone, a record 154 brands were used in phishing scams.

The Computer Crime Task Force says the victims are not always who you would expect. There have been lawyers, judges, police officers, teachers and doctors.

To avoid phishing scams:

Be on guard against e-mails that ask for personal information such as your credit-card number.

Don't reply to the message or click on any links.

And if you suspect a phony e-mail, forward the message to reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

Also, she eats sandwich; paints cabinets Robin's Egg blue

Why is this news? Did her ex survive? She doesn't get parole, yet she gets to live in her own place? So I take it that her ex, probably having killed his first wife, got her to get out of jail early.

There seems like there should be a lot more to this story, then her moving. Yet again, it creates more questions, than answers.

Woman convicted of hiring hit-men to kill husband moves to apartment

Donna Yaklich was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison for hiring two men to kill her husband, Pueblo Police Det. Dennis Yaklich, in 1985.

She was released to community corrections and a half-way house in February 2006, after a 9Wants to Know investigation aired in September 2005 regarding the "suspicious" death of Det. Yaklich's first wife.

Det. Dennis Yaklich was previously married to Barbara Yaklich who died February 14, 1977. The medical examiner at the time determined she died of natural causes.

Because of continuing rumors about how Barbara Yaklich died, 9Wants to Know asked two metro area forensic pathologists to examine Yaklich's autopsy results.

Dr. Tom Henry from Denver and Dr. Michael Doberson from Arapahoe County, both chief coroners, concluded Yaklich's death was from blunt force trauma, not natural causes. The blunt force trauma could have been caused from either an auto accident or a kick or a punch to the stomach area.

Barbara Yaklich was home at the time she died and according to the forensic pathologists would have bled to death within 20 to 30 minutes. The only known adult home with her at the time was her husband, Dennis.

Following the 9Wants To Know report, Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino appointed a statewide task force which came back with the results of the "suspicious" death as part of their examination. Two forensic pathologists concluded Barbara's death was a homicide.

After the 9Wants To Know investigation, Det. Yaklich's second wife Donna was released to a half-way house in February, after being refused parole twice.

Donna Yaklich is now on a 3-year intensive supervision and has moved into her own apartment as of Wednesday night.

Yacklich says she is sorry for all that has happened, but she is very glad that her life has a new beginning.

That would suck.

Imagine being on a tropical vacation, then all of a sudden a coup breaks out. I actually saw a documentary about what you should do if that happens. Big thing is to keep in touch with the Embassy.

Coup fears in Fiji as troops deploy

Military commander has threatened to remove prime minister

SUVA, Fiji - Fears of an imminent coup in Fiji grew on Monday as Australia and New Zealand warned their citizens to avoid travel to the island nation and South Pacific neighbors called a regional crisis meeting.

Small groups of armed soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital, Suva, while others dressed in camouflage uniforms guarded the president's residence. Hundreds of army reservists have been recalled for unscheduled exercises.

Fiji Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes, who is at the center of a stand-off with the nation's defiant military chief, warned that the likelihood of a fourth coup in 20 years had become 'too close for comfort'.

'This week, I think, is going to be a critical turning point in the whole thing,' Hughes told New Zealand radio.

The warning came as police continued investigations into whether military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama should be charged with sedition over his repeated threats to remove Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.

Bainimarama has repeatedly threatened to remove Qarase's elected government unless it drops several pieces of contentious legislation, including a bill that would grant amnesty to those involved in a coup in 2000.

Last week Bainimarama delivered the government a list of non-negotiable demands and a two-week deadline to comply, at the same time threatening a 'clean-up' of the Qarase government.

An upgraded Australian government travel advisory said citizens should consider leaving Suva if they were concerned for their safety. The advisory warns of political tensions which could lead to mob violence and civil disorder.

New Zealand also urged its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Fiji and closed its High Commission in Suva. Embassy staff were moved to the sugar and tourism hub of Nadi on the west coast of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.

Real World Denver - The Premiere

So first up, those kids can't hold their liquor. Sheesh. Hooking up the first night?

Kids, you're at a higher altitude, and will get drunk quicker.

I get a sense of another 'Las Vegas' season here.

As for the editing, it looked like Alex hooked up the next night with Jenn, but there was some discrepency in the editing before that.

When the girls are out on the patio dishing about Alex, Colie makes a comment of, 'I dug him on the first night'.

According to the show, this was chronologically the second day. So why would she say, 'the first night', if it was just the night prior?

I don't think they hooked up the first two nights. Maybe that week; but that's it.

The pizza in the oven leading to Colie finding out about Alex and Jenn was funny.

Especially, them thinking if they separate, and 'play dead', it would all be ok.

Stephen is kind of a punk, but we didn't get to see much of him. We'll have to see if he stays the token religious boy on the show.

Brooke's cute, but the acccent might get tiresome. I love that she was upset that she thought there weren't any gay guys in the house. [I think I saw her buying beers with Davis at Pride].

Tyrie looks like he may be trouble.

Davis is cute, but there's something off-putting about him. Maybe it is a side effect of my run in with him this summer, but there's something about him that's 'off'. He sure loves that baby blue polo shirt. In most pics I see of him, and at Pride, he was wearing it. You could almost make a drinking game out of it: take a shot each time he is seen in that shirt.

Speaking of the summer, it was indeed Alex and Colie I ran in to, at the Foxhole. She was the one who took her shirt off. I also think, the big black guy, may have been Tyrie. I'll have to check the show for tats.

Denver looks good. Although, the house is cringeworthy, and having Jenn and Tyrie go to the house in a horse buggy, doesn't exactly change our cow town image.

Finally, Alex is cute, and a nice guy, but I wouldn't have pegged him as the type to have girls dropping their unmentionables around him.

Looks like this season could go either way; drama and skanky like Vegas, or semi-trashy and boring, like Chicago.

TV Gasm has a cute recap here.

Quizno's Mafia

Geesh. One little post on Quizno's, and my stat tracker goes ballistic. I guess the Quizno's peeps have a 'bloglines' type thing that goes out to their franchisees.

It reminds me of the Panic At The Disco peeps.

I didn't even get that many hits when I posted about Scott Lippit.

'Nuff Said

Happy Turkey Day Y'all.

Sacajawea, where you at?

You don't even want to hear the version I hear in my head.

BBC 1 plays it a lot. Blegh.

Girls Aloud - 'Something Kind Of Ooh'

This cracks me up.

It's Chris Moyles show talking about Dean Gaffney on the UK reality show 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here'. Oh man, I turn red. Coworkers must have thought I was losin' it.

Bizarre dream.

Ugly Betty and I were working at 7-11. A fight broke out between two customers, and a gun was pulled. My biggest concern was that product had been thrown about the store. I was stressing about putting it back on the shelves [?].

Granny had her gun.

2-year-old woman shot to death in Ga. after firing at 3 officers, police say

ATLANTA (AP) - A 92-year-old woman was shot to death Tuesday after she fired at three narcotics officers trying to serve a warrant at her house, officials said.

Neighbors and relatives said it must have been a case of mistaken identity. Police said they had the right address.

Police said the woman, whose name was not released, was the only person home at the time, and had lived there for about 17 years.

As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, striking each of them, said Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman. One was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder.

The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert, police said.

Sarah Dozier, identified as a niece of the woman, told WAGA-TV that there were never any drugs at the house.

"My aunt was in good health. I'm sure she panicked when they kicked that door down," Dozier said. "There was no reason they had to go in there and shoot her down like a dog."

$7 bucks for a fast food sub, should be able to turn a profit.

Wisconsin franchisees sue Denver-based Quiznos Sub

GREEN BAY (AP) - Twenty-eight owners of Quiznos Sub shops in Wisconsin are suing the Denver company, claiming they're being defrauded.

The owners say Quiznos forces them to buy food and supplies from the company at unfair prices and sets retail prices too low for the stores to make a profit.

The federal lawsuit accuses the company of fraud, antitrust violations, breach of contract and racketeering. It seeks millions of dollars in damages.

A spokeswoman for Quiznos didn't immediately return a telephone message today.

The attorney for the Wisconsin shops - Justin Klein - says a similar lawsuit was filed in New Jersey earlier this year by some Quiznos franchisees there.

He says the allegations against Quiznos involve restaurants in many states, but Wisconsin was chosen for one of the first lawsuits because it has good laws that protect franchisees.