To some it means NOTHING to be an American.....to others, it means EVERYTHING...

Man born in 1901 in Cuba becomes U.S. citizen

MIAMI - A 105-year-old Cuban-born man who had at least one pending wish finally had it fulfilled — he became a U.S. citizen.

Jose Temprana celebrated by sipping champagne with friends at the Hispanic Community Center in Miami on Friday.

"I feel different," said Temprana, who served 30 years in Cuban jails. "Satisfied, very happy. It was worth the wait."

Temprana has the vitality of a younger man. Nicknamed "El Nino" (The Boy), he rides his scooter to the store to play the lottery, rolls his own cigars, drinks whiskey with neighbors and has a girlfriend.

"He's just got a great spirit," said his neighbor Patti Hernandez. "Everybody's going, `Come on, he can't really be that old.'"

Temprana was born in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio on Sept. 26, 1901. He worked as a sponge diver and lobster fisherman and had eight children with his first wife, who died giving birth to the youngest. He remarried, and his second wife died in 2002.

In 1964, he was imprisoned in Cuba for smuggling weapons from the United States into the island for an insurrection against Fidel Castro. Temprana got out at age 93, applied for a humanitarian visa and flew to Miami.

Once here, he worked to get his citizenship but fell short twice.

"I've wanted ... it since I was 8 or 10 years old," Temprana said.

Wow....and I thought I missed the ending......

James Gandolfini Shot By Closure-Seeking Fan

NEW YORK—Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his portrayal of mob kingpin Tony Soprano on the hit HBO show The Sopranos, was shot to death Tuesday in a Greenwich Village restaurant by a fan unable to accept the open-ended conclusion of the series finale that aired earlier this month.

According to police reports, 28-year-old marketing research assistant Louis Bowen walked into the small Italian restaurant Occhiuto's at approximately 7:40 p.m. and headed directly toward Gandolfini's table. Bowen then drew a snub-nosed .38 revolver from his jacket and shot Gandolfini point-blank in the head three times before dropping the gun and calmly exiting the eatery.

Bowen was apprehended two blocks away by two NYPD officers and reportedly put up no resistance.

"I couldn't let it just hang," Bowen told police in a post-arrest confession released to the media. "Eight years of my life, and a fucking artsy cut to black? It was eating me up inside."

I had to tie up the loose ends, I just had to," Bowen said. "I'm positive this is exactly how [creator and executive producer] David Chase wanted fans to interpret the ending."

NYPD spokesman Charles Krann expressed regret over the Gandolfini slaying, saying that law enforcement "should have known this was coming," considering the heavy foreshadowing of impending doom in The Sopranos' final season and the lack of payoff.

"The symbolism and dialogue clearly conveyed an ominous sense of death and decay," Krann said. "Particularly the scene in the second-to-last episode where Tony and his brother-in-law talk about death. So for Bowen, murdering the actor brought a kind of justice."

"It probably would have all been different had there been a realistic chance of a Sopranos movie," Krann added.

Summer Moon Illusion

This Saturday the Full Moon will again fool our eyes by creating the Moon Illusion which occurs when the Moon is full and of course low in the Horizon. However, it is easy to immediately see for one's self that the effect is an illusion: when the observer's head is upside down (either by standing on one's head or by bending over and looking through one's legs) the moon on the horizon appears smaller. Anyway, this Saturday the weather will hopefully cooperate (especially at the shore) and you will be able to see a larger than usual Moon, although I don't think it will be as big as pictured above.....Now that would be real cool.......mag

click Title Link for more info, or click link below...

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/27jun_moonillusion.htm?friend

Thanks to Teacher Patti for the Heads-Up....

Mag and Heather at VA Beach...with the F-18's

Watching the Athletes playing Field Hockey at the National Futures Tournament this week in VA Beach.... Keeping in touch via Web. Besides Field Hockey this is what we view 24 hours a day ALL Day and Night Long.....As much as I love F-18 fighters,,,,this constant air show can become a "white noise" style constant drone. They are freakin impressive but they never stop......Kinda like vacationing in Iraq without the suicide bombers...crank up the VOLUME and ..enjoy the video.....

Did She Really Want This Public?

We're Aliens to the Milky Way Galaxy

New data is showing that our solar system was not born into the Milky Way galaxy, but we actually belong to another formation known as the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy. This explains why we see the Milky Way at an angle in the night sky instead of being aligned with the sun's rotation.

Why is he in Jail...?, He seems like such a Nice Boy.....

6/25/07 UPDATE: Utah's Public Enemy #1, Curtis Allgier was arrested today for allegedly murdering a corrections officer who accompanied him to a medical appointment at the University of Utah's hospital. Allgier somehow wrestled the officer's gun away and then shot him. After carjacking a vehicle, he led police on a high-speed chase that ended at an Arby's restaurant, where Allgier was apprehended.

FLASH......Announcement from Apple Computers.....

Announcement from Apple

Apple Computer announced today that it has developed a computer chip
that can store and play music in women's breast implants.

The iBoob will cost $499 or $599 depending on cup size.

This is considered to be a major breakthrough because women are always
complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them

Thanks to Billy K from sunny Fla.

I'll leave the spacing up to you

Floating Sand

An interesting story...

Wow....Maybe they are Fair Minded...

ACLU Defends Nazis' Right To Burn Down ACLU Headquarters

NEW YORK—At a press conference Monday, American Civil Liberties Union officials announced that the organization will go to court to defend a neo-Nazi group's right to burn down ACLU headquarters.

ACLU president Nadine Strossen told reporters that her organization intends to "vigorously and passionately defend" the Georgia chapter of the American Nazi Party's First Amendment right to freely express its hatred of the ACLU by setting its New York office ablaze on Nov. 25.

"I am reminded of the words of Voltaire: 'I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,'" Strossen said. "While the ACLU vehemently disagrees with the idea of Nazis torching this building, the principle of freedom of expression must be supported in all cases. If we take away these Nazis' right to burn down our headquarters, we take away everyone's right to burn down our headquarters."

Buddy Carver, president of the Georgia chapter of the American Nazi Party, praised the ACLU for taking on his case. "I would like to thank Ms. Strossen and all the other Ni&*%$-loving bleeding-heart liberals at the 'ACL-Jew' for defending my constitutional right to express my loathing of them with hundred-foot-high flames," said Carver, sporting a tan uniform and swastika arm band. "We must finish the job Hitler was unable to."

ACLU associate director Mel Rosenblatt agreed. "The real danger here is not the American Nazi Party," he said. "The real danger here is what would happen to the rest of us if the Buddy Carvers of this world were not allowed to commit arson against N*%$#*er-loving, bleeding-heart-liberal Jew attorneys."

Making the case all the more controversial is the neo-Nazis' demand that the ACLU's entire 315-person staff be in the building at the time of the blaze.

"Yes, my loving wife Linda and three wonderful children, Ben, Robby and Stephanie, will be devastated when I am killed next month," ACLU attorney Harvey Gross said. "But I recognize that, in a very real sense, it would be a victory for Mr. Carver and his fellow hatemongers if I did not burn to death, because their terrible message of bigotry and intolerance would be all the more effective if suppressed."

Curious GWB - George Bush Raps

Not a bad imitation....cool lyrics.....

After 5 Years In U.S., Terrorist Cell Too Complacent To Carry Out Attack

SAN CLEMENTE, CA—Five years after settling in southern California and trying to blend into American society, a six-man terrorist cell connected to the militant Islamist organization Army of Martyrs has reportedly grown too complacent to conduct its suicide mission, an attack on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

According to cell leader and boat owner Jameel al-Sharif, the potentially devastating operation, which involves breaching the station's reactor core and triggering a meltdown that could rival the Chernobyl disaster, "can wait."

"We remain wholly committed to the destruction of America, the Great Satan," al-Sharif said. "But now is not a good time for us. The season finale of Lost was such a cliff- hanger that we have to at least catch the first episode of the new season. After that, though, death to the infidels."

Though the members of the cell said that they "live only to spill the blood of crusaders who oppress Muslims," they cited additional reasons for the delay, including an unexpired free Netflix trial and nagging lower-back pain.

"I think I'm entitled to a little time to fully enjoy the in-dash MP3 adapter and heads-up display that Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to provide me with," munitions expert Mohammed Akram said of the 2006 Mercury Mariner that is intended to be used as a car bomb during the attack. "Also, I have nine months left on the lease. But after that, I am more than willing to load it with explosives and go to my glory in its all-leather interior and heated seats."

Despite the terrorists' successful assimilation into American society, the FBI has been monitoring the activities of the "San Clemente Six" since late 2005. According to declassified intelligence documents, the cell's status was recently downgraded to "low risk," due in part to a near absence of cell phone chatter to parties other than Moviefone, and last month's online purchase of a hammock.

The BEST Blonde Joke.....Ever.....

A blonde woman was speeding down the road in her little red sports car and was pulled over by a woman police officer who was also a blonde.

The blonde cop asked to see the blonde driver's license. The driver dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated.

"What does it look like?" she finally asked the blonde cop.

The policewoman replied, "It's square and it has your picture on it."

The driver finally found a square mirror in her purse, looked at it and handed it to the policewoman.

"Here it is," she said.

The blonde officer looked at the mirror, then handed it back saying, "Okay, you can go. I didn't realize you were a cop."

Thanks to Dave H for the contribution.....

Biker HS Graduation

A couple of Gradiatin' Seniors about to ride away into the Sunset......congratulations Ladies

SQUIRREL GOES NUTS!.....Believe it or Not....I didn't make up this story......!!!

Crazed squirrel savages 3 people..before Old Guy kills it with his crutch

THEY'RE supposed to be cute, bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

But one nutty rodent showed what can happen when squirrels get mad.

Spitting with rage, it savaged three people as it rampaged through town.

Advertisement

VICTIM No1 was a woman of 70. Squirrel Nutcase sneaked into her home and attacked her so ferociously she fled into the street with the pest still clinging to her hand.

VICTIM No2, a builder, was clawed on his hand and arm and had to fend off the furry ball of hate with a pole.

The squirrel probably saw VICTIM No3 - a frail man of 72 - as an easy target as it mauled his hand, arm and thigh.

But it had met its match in plucky Guenther Mittelbaum.

The OAP (old age Pensioner) fought back and battered the squirrel to death with his crutch.

Guenther, from Passau, south Germany, said: "I got in a lucky blow, saw my chance and crushed it to death."
Expert Terry Nutkins, who lost two fingers in an otter attack, said illness or a desire to protect its young might have made it aggressive.

He added: "It hurts when they bite. They have nasty teeth."

TERROR OF THE TREES

SQUIRRELS chewing electricity lines caused 177 power cuts in Nebraska in 1980

ONE was blamed for killing Princess Michael's cat in London in 1993

THE Indian giant squirrel can grow to a very scary 3ft long

Wow....the Latest in Fashion......Corporate Terrorist Chic.....

Hello.....is this Al Queda..., Is Mr. Bin Laden available........Please tell him that Fatah Jihad Islamabad is calling.., I'll Hold...

Another Good Day of Disc Golf

Went to Rutgers throw play some rounds w/Cubby, Big John, Don & his Kids.....had a great time in spite of the chilly weather....afterwards Cubby gave us a cool showing of his Putting Talent...3 games was all I had time for......next time I want 5-6 rounds..!!!!

photo by Cubby.....click title for his page

UFO Sighting In Salt Lake City?

See The article below....

Hmmmmm...maybe there is something to this UFO business....

A mysterious blimp-like object seen hovering over Salt Lake City on Wednesday was a small craft that was being developed by a resident when it lost power and drifted over the valley, according to police.

The silver, zeppelin-type object was seen by dozens of witnesses at approximately 8:00 a.m. Witnesses reported that the object appeared to be approximately 100 feet long, but authorities say in actuality it was less than 30 feet in size.

The powerless blimp floated over Salt Lake City and eventually went down in the foothills east of downtown. Scott Duehlmeier, who works in the area where the blimp went down, ran over to see what it was. He picked it up and found it to be a balloon-type object.

Salt Lake City Police later contacted a man, Daniel Geery, of Salt Lake City, who claimed ownership of the object and admitted that it was a craft he was developing.

Stickdog Eats a WHOLE Pizza......!!!!!!!!

"The Challenge"

Win a free T-shirt if you can eat, by yourself, one extra, extra large pie!

The Stickdog (Heather) and Erin took the opportunity, with a group of NE HS students, of Senior Cut Day to visit Pete and Elda's in Neptune Beach NJ. While at P & E's Heather and some other valiant Seniors took up the "Challenge" to eat a whole large Pie each to get a Free T-shirt. As you can see....Heather at a sopping wet 115 lbs ATE THE WHOLE THING...and earned the T-Shirt....( I know I would have puked).......good job Heather......Hey Mick you think you could have done it....?????....BTW Jackie.....you're a PIGGY too.....mag

Damn....I thought he looked familiar.......I think I saw one of his commercials...

Shaking Off Amnesia, Gonzales Remembers He's Actually Pool Salesman From Tulsa

WASHINGTON, DC—Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' future was thrown further into jeopardy Friday when he was accidentally struck by a boom microphone, reversing a years-long case of amnesia and causing him to remember his true identity as hotshot Tulsa, OK pool and spa salesman "Cabana Al" Gonzales.

"My God, what am I doing here?" a dazed Gonzales asked reporters in what they assured him was indeed his office. "The last thing I remember is slipping on some wet redwood decking out by the Boswicks' 16-by-48-foot in-ground El Tropico—beautiful pool, that one, with a hefty seven-percent commission attached—and then suddenly I'm waking up three years older, 25 pounds heavier, and defending my actions in the firing of eight federal prosecutors. Somebody has obviously made a really big mistake."

"Clearly, I should not be seventh in line for the presidency," Gonzales said. "Can I go home now?"

"Why the hell would anyone appoint me, of all people, to this position?" Gonzales asked. "All I know about law is a couple of local Tulsa zoning ordinances restricting how big a pool you can put in various-sized suburban lots.

Archived footage from Tulsa local television found by Senate investigators shows him in several local commercials touting "Cabana Al" as "the pool salesman Tulsa trusts" as late as November 2004, mere days before Bush announced he would nominate Gonzales to succeed John Ashcroft for Bush's second term. Furthermore, voluntarily taken polygraph tests indicate that Gonzales has absolutely no idea how he came to be placed in his current job, where he is in charge of a $40 billion budget and more than 110,000 employees.

Samurai: Real Life Application

HIALEAH, Fla. -- A teenager with a brown belt in karate used a samurai sword to scare off a burglar who was after his PlayStation 3 video game console.

Last Friday afternoon, Damian Fernandez and his 15-year-old sister, Deanne Fernandez, were home alone at their northwest Miami-Dade County home while their parents were at work when they heard knocking on the front door. Moments later, two men were prying the front door unlocked, prompting Deanne to hide in her closet."I was so scared," she said.

As her brother slept in the next room, the burglars ransacked their parents' room, taking some jewelry before moving on to what they were really after -- a PlayStation 3. According to a police report, one of the burglars kicked in Deanne's bedroom door. She said she could see his foot through the closet panels. The burglar found the empty PlayStation 3 box and ran out of the room, but Damian was waiting for him." Once I saw him take off running back, I jumped off my (bunk) bed and I grabbed my sword … and I just waited for him," he said.

Damian said he lunged at him with his samurai sword, striking him in the chest.

"He freaked out," Damian said.

The burglar ran out of the house with Damian chasing him down the road. When police arrived, a K-9 officer located the burglar hiding behind a neighbor's palm tree. The second burglar got away.

Oh Comon John....Cut it Out......

McCain Shrugs Off Poll Numbers and Begins Heavy Gay Support...Not that there's anything wrong with that.........

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Arizona Senator John McCain dismissed poll numbers that put him behind Giuliani and Thompson in the bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

McCain hosted a small fundraising breakfast at San Francisco Campton Place this morning. The Republican has spent the last several days shaking hands from Sonoma and Vacaville to Atherton and San Francisco. Various polls show him running second and third.

“If I am the nominee of the party, I will put California in play and compete for it, including the Bay Area. I have addressed many issues and have taken positions that I think people in the Bay Area agree with, especially climate change and men sleeping with and Hugging other powerful men...which is kinda cool to me.....,” he said, speaking after a small breakfast in Union Square. Damn...Look at the Picture......and I thought GW was straight...???????

NJ ROCKS.......How about the ....FRIGGIN EGG-O-MAT

THE EGG-O-MAT

THE EGG-O-MAT
Until recently, one of New Jersey’s most unusual roadside oddities could be found on Mountain Blvd. in the town of Warren. It was the Egg-O-Mat: A 24-hour vending machine offering "Eggs of Distinction."

Now, a mere shell of its former self, the self-service egg dispenser is remembered fondly by local residents who used to travel to the unique device at all hours of the day or night for fresh eggs.

The Egg-O-Mat was built in the early 1950s, and operated by a man named Camillio Epstein. It was refrigerated by an air conditioning unit mounted in the back wall, and offered eggs in a variety of sizes. Though it had not been operational for several years, just seeing it there, right across the street from the Warren library and municipal building, gave a visitor to the town a rare glimpse into the community’s farmland past.

Leaning slightly to the right the last time visited, this roadside oddity was really showing its age. Though some local citizens tried to organize a "Save The Egg-O-Mat" foundation, the kiosk remained in less than eggcellent condition.

During a recent trip to Warren we noticed the Egg-O-Mat’s sign was missing from the top of the weathered wooden structure. We couldn’t tell if it had been plucked off, or if, like Humpty Dumpty, it had toppled on its own. The last time we drove by we were shocked to see that the Egg-O-Mat was gone altogether. We feared that the Egg-O-Mat, like so many of our cherished local landmarks, might have fallen victim to the rampant development so prevalent in our state today.

Fortunately though, one of our readers informed us that the Egg-O Mat has been saved by the Warren Historical Society, and was dismantled and moved to a save location to await restoration. Hopefully all the king’s men will be able to put this Humpty Dumpty back together again.


Read more tales about the Egg-O-Mat in issue #15 of Weird NJ.

Maggotx Disc Golf update

This last weekend Maggotx participated in the Great Eastern Amateur Cup Disc Golf Competition. One of the largest in the East Coast of the US. Your Host ended up in 4th place in the GrandMaster (over 50+) competition. I earned several discs for my borderline talent and had a GREAT day of Disc Golf..........I'll follow up when the results are posted on the WeB.

Yo ...Yo,,....,Can't Eat This..........

Rare blue lobster found in Conn. avoids usual fate

A crustacean with a royal blue shell won the equivalent of the lobster lottery, avoiding the usual fate of boiling water and butter because of its brilliant hue.

A genetic mutation gives 1 of every 3 million lobsters the distinctive blue color, a rarity that flashed like a neon sign at Robert Green when he pulled the spiny decapod out of a trap early Sunday morning in the mouth of the Thames River, near Groton, Conn.

"As soon as it got out of the water, you could see this thing glowing," Green, 46, said yesterday in a telephone interview from his home in Norwich, Conn. "I wasn't going to eat the thing. It was too pretty."

Green took the lobster to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, where it will be kept in a classroom, said Catherine Ellis, curator of fishes and invertebrates.

If Green had decided to try his blue lobster for dinner, he might have been disappointed.

"They all turn red when they are cooked," Ellis said.

Thanks to Boston BokieRoll for the Heads up on the Crustacean

The Solution to All of Our Problems: Chuck Norris

Chuck has made a list of promises that will certainly get him elected in 2008.

• Expose the real WMDs – my fists and feet.
• Resolve the Iraq war by bringing all of our military personnel home immediately, then going over there by myself for "martial arts negotiations."
• Personally smoke out bin Laden by myself and round-house kick him all the way back to America, where my United Fighting Arts Federation will handle the justice issues.
• Turn the Rose Garden into a new fighting ring for the World Combat League, in which liberals and conservatives will fight for legislative leadership and priority.
• Require Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to personally pay for national, comprehensive medical coverage for every American (or meet me in the Rose Garden).

Check out his article for more information. I'll be honest, I'd vote for him!

What do you think....BEST Bud Light commercial or What....

Cute joke

A guy was seated next to a 10-year-old girl on an airplane. Being bored, he turned to the girl and said, "Let's talk. I''ve heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The girl, who was reading a book, closed it slowly and said to the guy, "What would you like to talk about?"

Oh, I don't know," said the guy. "How about nuclear power?"

"OK," she said. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow and a deer all eat the same stuff... grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"

The guy thought about it and said, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

To which the girl replied, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don''t know sh*t?"

Gypsy Moth Infestation

The Maggotx compound as well as most of South Jersey is getting pounded by a huge Gypsy Moth outbreak......The State had better step up to the plate before we lose our woodland to these disgusting voracious creatures.......the embodiment of the living excrement of Hell......

Ohhhhh the Humanity....Did you know they actually have a Canine Freesyle Competition..?

OOOOOOOO,,,,,,,A Purple Frog

Purple frog among 24 new species found in Suriname

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A purple fluorescent frog is one of 24 new species found in the South American highlands of Suriname, conservationists reported on Monday, warning that these creatures are threatened by illegal gold mining.

The two-tone frog -- whose skin is covered with irregular fluorescent lavender loops on a background of aubergine -- was discovered in 2006 as part of a survey of Suriname's Nassau plateau, the conservation group said.

( I hope the guy who discovered this was NOT tripping on Acid.......)

WOW....Hot off the Press.......There's a Country that actually LIKES G.W.........Bush....Well does Albania count as a Country...????

Bush receives hero's welcome in Albania

TIRANA, Albania --President Bush, enthusiastically welcomed as the first U.S. president in this former communist nation, served notice Sunday he is running out of patience with Russia's objections to independence for neighboring Kosovo.

Nearing the end of an eight-day trip, Bush got a hero's reception in this desperately poor country, still struggling to recover from being cut off from the rest of the world for four decades under the harsh rule of dictator Enver Hoxha. Hoxha died in 1985, and Albania emerged from isolation in 1990 but still is one of Europe's most impoverished lands.

Cannons boomed salutes from mountains overlooking the capital. Huge banners proclaimed "Proud to be Partners," and billboards read "President Bush in Albania Making History."

At home, Bush's job approval rating stands at its all-time low. But here, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Bush was Albania's "greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times."

Throngs of people grasped Bush's hands, arms and fingers on the streets of Fushe Kruje, a small town near the airport where he stopped to chat in a cafe with business owners. Unused to such adoring crowds in America, Bush reveled in the attention. He kissed women on the cheek, posed for pictures and signed autographs. Someone reached out and rubbed his gray hair.

"Bushie, Bushie," people shouted. Some of the business people have received small loans under U.S. government programs.

The scene was uncharacteristically wild for a presidential crowd. Bush spokesman Dana Perino said later that the Secret Service assured Bush's safety, as always. "If they didn't think the president was safe, obviously they wouldn't have put him in that position," she said.

I can't Bear it......This is a True story,.....scouts honor

• 1. Teddy bear face designed to be reassuring

• 2. Hydraulic upper body carries up to 227kgs (500lbs)

• 3. When kneeling tracked "legs" travel over rubble. Switches to wheels on smooth surfaces

• 4. Dynamic Balance Behaviour (DBB) technology allows the robot to stand and carry loads upright on its ankles, knees or hips for nearly an hour

Bear robot rescues wounded troops

The US military is developing a robot with a teddy bear-style head to help carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield.

The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) can scoop up even the heaviest of casualties and transport them over long distances over rough terrain.

New Scientist magazine reports that the "friendly appearance" of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease. It is expected to be ready for testing within five years.

While it is important to get medical attention for injured soldiers as soon as possible, it is often difficult and dangerous for their comrades to reach them and carry them back. The 6ft tall Bear can cross bumpy ground without toppling thanks to a combination of gyroscopes and computer controlled motors to maintain balance.

Gary Gilbert, from the US Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre in Frederick, Maryland, said that the teddy bear appearance was deliberate.

"A really important thing when you're dealing with casualties is trying to maintain that human touch."

Vecna is working on other potential applications for the robot technology - including helping move heavy patients in hospital.

HOLY MOLY BATMAN.......The Most Innovative Way yet to save on GAS...!!!!!!

Semi-truck takes man and wheelchair for a ride down Red Arrow Highway

PAW PAW, Mich. -- A 21-year-old man was taken on a wild ride Wednesday afternoon when the wheelchair he was in became attached to the grille of a semi-truck and was taken four miles down a highway at about 50 mph.

Authorities began receiving calls about 4 p.m. that the semi was traveling westbound on Red Arrow Highway, just outside of Paw Paw, with the wheelchair.

"You are not going to believe this, (but) there is a semi pushing a guy in a wheelchair on Red Arrow Highway," an unknown caller told the Michigan State Police.

Police at first believed the calls were pranks. But when troopers responded to the Ralph Moyle Trucking Co. at 39269 Red Arrow Highway where the semi had come to a stop, they noticed the wheelchair with the man sitting in it, still attached.

"It was quite a ride," the man reportedly told police.

"The man spilled his soda pop, but he wasn't upset," Sgt. Kathy Morton of the Michigan State Police said.

Police said the man was unharmed and unfazed by the incident.

The driver was in disbelief when he stepped out of the semi and saw what he had picked up along the way, police said.

"When he saw us, he was like, 'What's going on?'" Morton said.

An investigation revealed the driver had pulled out of a local gas station when the man in the wheelchair pulled in front of the semi, according to police. His wheelchair somehow became lodged by its handles to the front grille.

"Thank God the semi didn't go on (Interstate) 94," Morton said.

Sometimes, Life can be a Real Drag .......Lesson#1..Car VS Pissed off Woman.....Car Wins

Broward Sheriffs Office announces arrest in dragging death of local woman

UPDATE: Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne announced Monday afternoon the arrest of a man at New York's John F. Kennedy airport in the dragging death of Sandra Hall, 44, of Fort Lauderdale.

Hall, 44, was trying to stop the driver of that van, described as a white Dodge Caravan with partial tag C72, authorities said. Instead, the Caravan dragged her along State Road 7/U.S. 441 for about two miles, from just north of Commercial Boulevard until just north of Prospect Road, killing her around 10 p.m. Sunday.

Williams was driving a Cadillac, with Hall in the passenger seat, and Hall's mother Theresa Campbell and sister in the back. They were heading back to their Fort Lauderdale homes from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino after playing the slots and having a few drinks. As he drove northbound from Davie, another driver pulled alongside Williams to let him know his headlights were out. Williams said he was pulling into a Shell gas station at the intersection of Riverland Road to see why the headlights were off when the Dodge Caravan slammed into the Cadillac's rear end. He got out to talk to the van's driver, but that man took off immediately.

Williams said he jumped back into the Cadillac and chased the van, calling police to report the hit-and-run. The Caravan finally stopped at a red traffic light at Oakland Park Boulevard, he said. Williams got out again to confront its driver. That's when the chase turned tragic.

"My wife got out of the car to go stand in front of him, so he wouldn't go nowhere," Williams said.
But when the traffic light changed to green, the unidentified driver began moving forward again. The van took off again and heard his wife protest, saying, "You ain't going nowhere."

Surprised and horrified, Williams chased the van on foot for a short while and begged the driver to stop so his wife could get off safely. Detectives say Hall fell off the minivan's hood and got caught in the undercarriage, Sheriff Ken Jenne said at a news conference Monday morning. The driver then dragged her for about two miles, reaching speeds up to 70 mph in the process and weaving between lanes in an attempt to shake her off. He finally left Hall dead in the 1600 block of State Road 7 in North Lauderdale.

Ring...Ring...Hello.....This is GOD calling..........please pick up the phone..

Man drowns after getting stuck in storm sewer trying to retrieve Cell Phone

A 41-year-old Sheboygan man drowned Wednesday afternoon after getting stuck in a storm sewer while attempting to retrieve a dropped cell phone, police said.

Brett R. Gunn, who weighed more than 300 pounds, was wedged with his head and shoulders underwater in a vertical storm drain in front of his home in the 3200 block of North 12th Street, said Lt. Tim Eirich of the Sheboygan Police Department. There was about 12 inches of water at the bottom of the sewer, police said.

Neighbor Chris Van Erem — who was mowing his lawn at the time — said he saw Gunn kneeling over the sewer moments before he fell in. Police said he had removed the iron grate to retrieve a cell phone. "I didn't know if he had dropped something or what, so I went about my business and moved back to a spot where I was further back in the yard and didn't see him," Van Erem said several hours after the incident. Moments later, a child from the neighborhood ran at Van Erem, waving his arms.

"When I shut off the lawnmower and looked up, I saw (Gunn's) feet sticking up out of the grate, and I ran over and tried to pull him on out," Van Erem said. "Absolutely helpless was the feeling. I couldn't budge him." "I could see his head and his shoulders were completely under the water," he said. "His legs weren't moving. He was completely unresponsive."

The first police officer arrived on the scene moments after, but the officer and Van Erem together couldn't budge Gunn. Van Erem said it ultimately took six firefighters to pull the man from the sewer. Lt. Jeff Johnston said Gunn's cell phone was later found at the bottom of the sewer.

A Hurricane striking the desert in the Middle East and nobody is talking about it...????

Environmental / Meteorological News

Category 5, Tropical Cyclone Gonu

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 June, 2007 : - - As of Monday morning, EDT, powerful Tropical Cyclone Gonu was centered near 20.1 north and 63.7 east; roughly 440 miles southeast of Muscat, Oman. Winds were sustained near 160 mph and movement was to the northwest at around 12 mph.

Gonu is expected to be near the northeastern tip of Oman late Wednesday (U. S. time). It should be somewhat weaker by then with maximum sustained winds down to 115 mph, but still equivalent to a category three hurricane. Maximum significant wave height at 041200Z is 40 feet.

After that, the cyclone is forecast to swirl northeastward along the northern coast of Oman and move into the Gulf of Oman as a tropical storm. While tropical storms have hit Oman in the past, they are rare, and there is no record of a hurricane-strength cyclone striking the country.

The last tropical storm to smack the nation was in June 1996.

HOLY CRAP......Can you think of a Worse Way to Go...???...True Story.....!!!!!!!!!

Indonesian boy killed in Komodo dragon attack


AKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) -- An eight-year-old Indonesian boy died after being attacked by a Komodo dragon in a national park in the east of the country, an official said.

"The dragon bit his waist, tossed him and dragged him. His right leg was badly scratched," Heru Rudiharto of the Komodo National Park said by telephone

He said the boy had been attacked on Saturday after entering a bush for a toilet stop in a fishing village in the national park on Komodo, an island 1,500 km (930 miles) east of the capital Jakarta.

His uncle, who had been mending fishing nets nearby, tried to free him by throwing stones at the dragon, he added.

"However, the boy bled to death half an hour after the attack," added Rudiharto.

The official said it was rare for such attacks on humans, although in the dry season that started in April the dragon's normal prey became more scarce.

"It is very common here to see dragons roaming in the residential area in the national park. But it is very rare that a Komodo dragon kills a human," said Rudiharto.

"Usually, people here only suffer minor injuries."

There are about 2,000 of the protected and endangered dragons living in the wild, mainly on Indonesia's Komodo and Rinca islands, he said.

The dragons, which are agile and have a keen sense of smell, can grow to a length of 3 meters (more than 9 ft) and weigh on average 200 lbs (90 kg), according to data from Honolulu Zoo.

Komodo dragons regularly kill prey such as pigs and small deer and have been known to take down an adult water buffalo.

But they are opportunistic feeders and are prepared to eat anything they can overpower -- including small dragons and occasionally humans.

The mouth of the dragon also has virulent bacteria that means even if its prey survives an attack it will probably die of infection later.

Speling is Fun!

What's missing in this picutre?

New Loch Ness Video......this one's Real (ever hear that before...???)

thanks to Frank S....a Blog contributor

TB or Not TB.....That is the Question..............????

What's with this guy (globe trotting Atlanta Lawyer) Andrew Speaker......they say he has no symptoms but he has Tuberculosis, not only that, but the most extensively drug-resistant variety....not only that but he just got married and his HOT wife's Father works as a microbiologist for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta , incidentally working on ...guess what, .....Drug Resistant Tuberculosis...(COINCIDENCE.....I DON'T THINK SO..!!!)......So, how did the CDC find out he had TB if he didn't cough or have symptoms...???....do you think the Father-in-Law had anything to do w/this..???.......Not only that but against the wishes of the CDC he went overseas for 12 Days on his Honeymoon.....in a plane possibly infecting others (not to mention the hot wife)....When he came back to the USA he entered through Canada, even though he was on a "watch list". The immigration inspector let him re-enter the USA...Now Homeland Protection is investigating....(oh.. and by the way he also attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis).......I don't know about you but I smell a MOVIE........(Hmmmmm...how about Brad Pitt and Jessica Simpson)

click on Title or below for additional info...:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070531/D8PFL1P00.html