Latest
White House Christmas Tree Arrives for Holiday Season
November 27, 2009 · Comments Off
Two Belgian draft horses bedecked in red Christmas bows pulled a traditional horse-drawn carriage up Pennsylvania Ave. today in Washington, DC, stopping at the North Portico of the White House to deliver an 18-1/2 foot Douglas fir which will be used as the White House Christmas tree. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha were on hand to receive the 12-foot wide tree, which will be decorated by thousands of volunteers and used as the personal Christmas tree of President Obama and his family. It will be... [Read the full story]
Animals
Burned Dog Faces Torturers in Court over Animal Cruelty Charges
August 23, 2009 · 9 Comments
A horribly burned and disfigured young dog, Mambo, will have a rare opportunity to face his alleged tormentors in open court in December. Set on fire and left for dead on August 10 in the small French Pyrenees village of Espira-de-l’Agly in southern France, the dog suffered third-degree burns to 50 percent of his body. A local police spokesman said: “Mambo was clearly looking for help when he went missing. He approached the pair because he is extremely friendly, but they showed him nothing but cruelty. He... [Read the full story]
The Dyed Dog Days of China
July 18, 2009 · 5 Comments
The Chinese economy must be doing well, based on these examples of what people are doing with their discretionary income in Wuhan, in the Hubei province. Money spent on pets in China has increased nearly 500 percent between 1999 and 2008. No word on how much these trips to the “beauty parlor” cost, or whether the dyes are harmful to pets. Ironically, the pictures appeared this week just as China drafted its first major animal protection law. The proposed legislation, which will be submitted to China’s... [Read the full story]
Entertainment
Free Kiss Concert on Thanksgiving Eve
November 25, 2009 · Comments Off
The hard rock band KISS has a Thanksgiving Eve treat for us — their first live Internet webcast, which we can all see and hear when the heavy metal band performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California at 7 PM PST tonight, November 25. You can watch the concert for free at the Ustream TV website, and also interact with other KISS fans on Facebook. The iconic band and its leader Gene Simmons are celebrating the release of a new three-song Guitar Hero® track pack. It’s anticipated that the... [Read the full story]
Gene Simmons of Kiss Band Hammers Michael Jackson
July 7, 2009 · 5 Comments
As funeral arrangements were underway for pop star Michael Jackson, Gene Simmons, lead singer and bassist of the heavy metal group Kiss, took great pains to remind us of some of the less savory chapters in Jackson’s life. Simmons told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from Los Angeles on Thursday that he’s sick of celebrity tributes to Jackson and wants to hear from children who accused the King of Pop of sexual molestation. (We did this already, Gene.) Jackson was tried on multiple counts... [Read the full story]
Environment
Two New Endangered Species in Kentucky
November 16, 2009 · Comments Off
An unassuming-looking Kentucky wildflower that grows nowhere in the world but Bullitt County and Jefferson County is on track for federal designation as an endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has released its latest list of candidates eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and two of the top five flora and fauna eligible for candidacy because they face “immediate, identifiable threats” are in Kentucky, according to the FWS. Glade cress, among the top five threatened... [Read the full story]
Cleaner Waters Rewarded with Poisonous Fish
October 5, 2008 · 2 Comments
Wade in the water at your own risk in Tilbury, Essex, in Southern England. Due to lower pollution in the River Thames, environmentalists say that (good news) 60 species of fish have returned to the cleaner waters — and (bad news) the greater weever (Trachinus draco), which has venomous spines lining its dorsal fins and which grows up to 20 inches long, is one of them, having turned up in the Thames for the first time. The less-than-lovely weever lurks in sand and, when stepped on, ejects poison from its spines into... [Read the full story]
Health
Pajamadeen Finally Gets Stuck
November 25, 2009 · Comments Off
No, not with a bill, or in a pothole or in a traffic jam. I’ve found the Holy Grail an H1N1 flu shot. It took seven weeks. As someone who’s had bronchitis since age 12 and who’s had pneumonia several times, I don’t mess around with respiratory illnesses. I thought both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 shot might be hard to find this year. But when I set out on October 1 to get a seasonal flu shot at an Elizabethtown, KY clinic, signs were up everywhere offering the flu shot. One was at a... [Read the full story]
Michael Jackson Death Certificate Released
July 7, 2009 · 1 Comment
Michael Jackson’s death certificate was filed today with the Department of Health Services in Los Angeles. It’s signed by Los Angeles County deputy coroner Cheryl MacWillie, and lists the cause of death as “deferred.” You can see a copy of the death certificate here. While Jackson was embalmed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, the cemetery was listed on the death certificate as only a “temporary” location. Jackson’s body was not returned to Forest Lawn after today’s memorial... [Read the full story]
Holidays
A Thanksgiving Football Postcard with Uncle Sam
November 26, 2009 · Comments Off
Happy Thanksgiving from a turn-of-the-century c. 1907-1915 Uncle Sam! Our readers know of our penchant for unusual vintage postcards, and this one is a winner with its patriotic red, white and blue motif, combined with Uncle Sam ready for the kick-off, football in hand. The artist signed antique post card (Percy, last name illegible) says “World’s 20th Century Champion.” Sports and imperialism are an unusual combination, but here you have it. So finish up the turkey and enjoy the big day’s triple... [Read the full story]
Battle of the Heart-Shaped Islands
February 13, 2009 · Comments Off
The owner of a deserted heart-shaped island featured by Google Earth is being swamped with requests from romantics who want to visit the island of Galesnjak, hastily renamed Lovers’ Island. It’s located in the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Croatia (in the Zadarski Kanal between Zadar and Pasman Island, to be precise). Owner Vlado Juresko, from Preko on Pasman Island, told the Croatian Times that he will make Galesnjak Lovers’ Island available to couples older than 16. It’s unclear where tourists... [Read the full story]
Internet
Beware Michael Jackson Internet Scams
July 6, 2009 · Comments Off
Since the day Michael Jackson died, the public’s thirst for Michael Jackson news has been increasingly exploited by Internet hackers intent primarily on identity theft. Sophos, a highly regarded computer security company, detected the first scam — which was an email promising readers a “breaking news video” — on the same day that the “King of Pop” died. Readers were sent to a bogus Web site. Sophos warns in particular against one Internet virus that arrives in an email with a “Remembering... [Read the full story]
Is It Possible to Crash My Server Blogging About Michael Jackson?
June 28, 2009 · Comments Off
Even as word first came from TMZ that Michael Jackson had died, and long before CNN (and other networks) finally reported the death (supposedly out of a politically correct “abundance of caution” but really because they consider TMZ kind of sleazy, although TMZ and CNN are both owned by Time Warner), the Internet came to a crawl as traffic spiked to unprecedented levels. We began to wonder — if we posted a Michael Jackson story, could we crash our server? (We know, we know, curiosity killed the cat.) The... [Read the full story]
Americana
White House Christmas Tree Arrives for Holiday Season
Two Belgian draft horses bedecked in red Christmas bows pulled a traditional horse-drawn carriage up Pennsylvania Ave. today in Washington, DC, stopping at the North Portico of the White House to deliver an 18-1/2 foot Douglas fir which will be used as the White House Christmas tree. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha were on hand to receive the 12-foot wide tree, which will be decorated by thousands of volunteers and used as the personal Christmas tree of President Obama and his family. It will be displayed in the oval-shaped Blue Room on the State... [Read more]
Sports
Politics
Sarah Palin: Dismantle Canadian Health Care
At a Columbus, OH book signing last week where she appeared to promote her best-selling Going Rogue: An American Life book, Sarah Palin told Canadian comic Mary Walsh that “Canada needs to dismantle its public health-care system and allow private enterprise to get involved and turn a profit.” In her role as Marg Delahunty for her This Hour Has 22 Minutes TV show, Walsh initially had remarked: “We’re from Canada, and we’re just looking for a few words of encouragement for the Canadian conservatives who have worked so tirelessly to destroy... [Read more]
Environment
Health News
Pajamadeen Finally Gets Stuck
No, not with a bill, or in a pothole or in a traffic jam. I’ve found the Holy Grail an H1N1 flu shot. It took seven weeks. As someone who’s had bronchitis since age 12 and who’s had pneumonia several times, I don’t mess around with respiratory illnesses. I thought both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 shot might be hard to find this year. But when I set out on October 1 to get a seasonal flu shot at an Elizabethtown, KY clinic, signs were up everywhere offering the flu shot. One was at a pharmacy here in Tiny Town. Another digital sign... [Read more]
Road Trips
World News
The London Home Michael Jackson Rented for O2 Concerts
The “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, was due to move into Foxbury Manor, a mansion in Kent, by next Wednesday. The home is about 10 miles from London’s O2 arena where he was scheduled to perform through March 2010. According to the Daily Mail, Jackson personally selected this 32-bedroom manor house when he was in London in March to announce the kickoff of his ill-fated “This is It” comeback tour. He rented the house through next February at a cost of about $1.6 million. The three-story, 22,000-square-foot house has 11 massive bedroom suites,... [Read more]
Animals
Entertainment
Free Kiss Concert on Thanksgiving Eve
The hard rock band KISS has a Thanksgiving Eve treat for us — their first live Internet webcast, which we can all see and hear when the heavy metal band performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California at 7 PM PST tonight, November 25. You can watch the concert for free at the Ustream TV website, and also interact with other KISS fans on Facebook. The iconic band and its leader Gene Simmons are celebrating the release of a new three-song Guitar Hero® track pack. It’s anticipated that the Ustream concert could set new viewership records.... [Read more]
Internet
Business News
More Fun and Games with Comcast and MasterCard
Although our regular scheduled programming was interrupted by some road trips, we thought we’d pick up where we left off in the blog, with some thrifty tips for the persistent. Pajamadeen recently saved $159.56 in one day by being…persistent, and we thought we’d share the info on how we accomplished this. We have Comcast’s high-speed cable Internet and TV service. Well, sometimes we have it. Most of the time we have it. But when it goes out, work screeches to a halt and there’s not much to do because there’s nothing that qualifies... [Read more]
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