Whether called shopping cart, supermarket cart, or grocery cart, to me, they will always be shopping buggies.
I got this story from my pal Jolo. No, not THAT Jolo, this Jolo can read write and jump around in heels. It’s the sort of happy chatty story one finds in small town papers and is actually interesting once you get past the corny ‘My name is Sammy’ angle.
The secret life of Sammy, the sad little supermarket cart
Abuse, theft, filth: What grocery carts — and their owners — endure
By Melanie Vanderveer | Pocono Record Writer | November 10, 2009
Meet Sammy.
He is often abused, infected with viruses and sometimes peed on. His life expectancy is only about five years on average. And you’ll never hear him complaining about any of that.
He works for free, carrying heavy items and running in circles just for you. And he actually enjoys being pushed around. He rarely gets a break and must endure the weather no matter how hot or snowy it is outside.
Sammy is a shopping cart. Yes, a shopping cart. And his family is large and diverse. They wait for you outside your favorite store. And let’s face it: You’d be lost without them.
Do you have any idea about the life of a shopping cart? It’s probably not something you think about on a daily basis, but Sammy wants you to know about his short but important contribution to society.
“Most shopping carts last four to six years in high-volume stores,” said Craig Smith, owner of Premier Carts, a resale distributor of shopping carts in Leawood, Kan. “They can last longer if they are kept inside and taken care of.”
Shopping carts come in different sizes to cater to different people. They come in plastic or metal versions, small and large carts, and even carts specially designed for kids.
This case first came to my attention because the judge ordered a $150 a day makeup artist be hired to cover up Mr. Ditullio many visual, neck and face tattoos. That makeup artist may have prevented an innocent man for paying for a crime he did not commit.
These are truly some of the worst tattoos I’ve ever seen. I have seen kids in elementary school draw stuff on their faces and do a better job. If all his friends had similar tattoos can you imagine how fast they could clear out a Waffle House?
Hung jury in neo-Nazi trial
www.myfoxtampabay.com | 13 Dec 2009, 4:13 AM EST
NEW PORT RICHEY – A jury was unable to come up with a verdict in the case of accused murderer and self professed neo-Nazi John Ditullio.
At 10:40 p.m. Friday night, after almost 11 hours of deliberation, Circuit Judge Michael Andrews declared the jury hung and ordered prosecutors and the defense to return to court at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning.
The jury told the judge that ten of the jurors believed Ditullio to be innocent. The remaining two were convinced he was guilty of killing 17-year-old Kristopher King and stabbing Tricia Wells at her home three years ago.
It’s been three years since 17-year-old Kristopher King was stabbed to death. John Ditullio has spent as many years in jail accused of the heinous murder. But Friday, one witness said she has known for the past two years who really did it.
His name, she said, is Shawn Plott.
“Shawn said to me that he kinda felt bad because he did this and he feels bad that a kid has to go away for this but it’s okay because he wouldn’t ave made it as a Nazi anyway,” testified Samantha Troupe.
Shawn Plott, a fellow neo-nazi to Ditullio, is the man the defense says committed the crimes.
Would one expect the former “Strongest Man in the World” to die in his sleep? No way. Though it’s sad to see him go, he had a full and vibrant life and even on his last morning was “bright and friendly.”
At the height of his career, according to www.oldtimestrongman.com, “some of Rollino’s best lifts include: a teeth lift of 475 pounds, a one-finger lift of 635 pounds, a deadlift of 585 pounds, a curl of 185 pounds, a back lift of 3200 pounds, and a hand and thigh lift of 1500 pounds — all at a bodyweight of only 175 pounds.”
Joe Rollino image from www.oldtimestrongman.com
Joe Rollino from www.oldtimestrongman.com, bending a spike with is teeth in his Coney Island show.
Joe Rollino at age 102.
Joe Rollino, Famed Coney Island strongman, 104 (aka ‘Kid Dundee’) killed after minivan hit
Monday, January 11th 2010 | DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS, By Jill Colvin, Rocco Parascandola and Corky Siemaszko | csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
Joe Rollino, a 104-year-old former Coney Island strongman known as “Kid Dundee” in his boxing days, lost the fight of his life after he was knocked down by a minivan in Brooklyn Monday.
Rollino’s death plunged many Brooklynites into mourning and evoked fond memories of “Old Man Joe,” the short but strapping senior citizen whose craggy face was perennially creased by a smile.
“He was a relic in the neighborhood,” said his friend Eileen Bille, 53, who called him “Puggy.” “There’s not a person from here to Bay Ridge who doesn’t know him. I’m sick to my stomach.”
Rollino was hit as he crossed Bay Ridge Parkway in Dyker Heights after buying newspapers at a deli, as he did each day.
“This morning he was bright and friendly like every morning,” said deli owner Victor Oh. “I see him every morning. I feel like one of my family died.”
In the words of the Mother “I don’t understand why this is getting ‘blowed up’ so big.” Special thanks to my friend at www.sendmeyourhead.com for the nice link that had such great images.
Georgia Couple Arrested For Tattooing Their Six Underage Kids with Guitar String, Homemade Device
January 5, 2010 | /www.cbsnews.com
SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (CBS/AP) Tattooing six of their underage children with a jerry-rigged machine, using a guitar string as the needle, sounded like a good idea to Patty Jo Marsh and her husband Jacob Edwards Bartels at the time.
But the Georgia pair failed to recognize the consequences of their ink-fest, and they were arrested late last year after the biological mother of two of the children complained the tats wouldn’t wash off.
Go figure.
Turns out Georgia state law prohibits both tattoos on children and those created by unlicensed artist.
I guess Masons are still being persecuted, someone tell Dan Brown.
Web result for "Masonic Art."
Fiji freemasons held for sorcery
BBC NEWS | 2009/07/16
A group of freemasons have had to spend a night in jail in Fiji, after local villagers complained they were practising witchcraft.
The 14 men, including eight Australians and a New Zealander, had been holding a night-time meeting on Denerau island.
The New Zealand man told reporters he had spent a “wretched” time in jail, and blamed the mix-up on the actions of “dopey village people”
Police also seized wands, compasses and a skull from the freemasons’ lodge.
Freemasonry is a centuries-old club that practises secret rituals and has more than five million members worldwide.
‘Nothing sinister’
The New Zealander, who did not want to give his name, told the New Zealand Herald that Tuesday night’s meeting was “interrupted by a banging on the door, and there were these village people and the police demanding to be let in”.
Nothing sinister was going on, he claimed, but “such is the nature of life in Fiji” they were taken to a nearby police station.
The freemasons insist they had a permit for the meeting and were released after spending an uncomfortable night there.
Police director of operations Waisea Tabakau told Legend FM News in Fiji that the group was being investigated for “allegedly practising sorcery”, the Fiji Village website reported.
The New Zealand man said that when they were freed the following morning, they were told their release was on the orders of the prime minister’s office.
Emergency regulations imposed by Fiji’s military regime allow police to detain people for up to 48 hours without charge.
“The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here!”
-Steve Martin THE JERK
It is ALMOST that exciting ladies and germs, the new 2010 Miss Fidget calendars are here! 2010 is the 11th annual calendar released by Miss Fidget and this year’s is chock full of extra good holidays, birthdays and special days and 10 years worth of wonderful art.
(click the text below to auto-magically start download.)
Best Wishes for a safe and happy year. If you can make a convincing argument why I should send you a deluxe, numbered, printed, hand bound version, leave a great comment, or contact me otherwise.
What a wonderful way to note the flavor of a year than by viewing the best protest signs of that year. I have so many favorites on this page at Buzzfeed that Sam F alerted me to.
Hormone that affects finger length key to social behavior
Contact: Samantha Martin | samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk | 01-517-942-248 | University of Liverpool | 4-Nov-2009
The hormones, called androgens, are important in the development of masculine characteristics such as aggression and strength. It is also thought that prenatal androgens affect finger length during development in the womb. High levels of androgens, such as testosterone, increase the length of the fourth finger in comparison to the second finger. Scientists used finger ratios as an indicator of the levels of exposure to the hormone and compared this data with social behaviour in primate groups.
The team found that Old World monkeys, such as baboons and rhesus macaques, have a longer fourth finger in comparison to the second finger, which suggests that they have been exposed to high levels of prenatal androgens. These species tend to be highly competitive and promiscuous, which suggests that exposure to a lot of androgens before birth could be linked to the expression of this behaviour.
Antique illustration of how to find the mythic g-spot.
G-spot ‘doesn’t appear to exist’
BBC NEWS | 2010/01/04
The elusive erogenous zone said to exist in some women may be a myth, say researchers who have hunted for it.
Their study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine is the biggest yet, involving 1,800 women, and it found no proof.
The King’s College London team believe the G-spot may be a figment of women’s imagination, encouraged by magazines and sex therapists.
But sexologist Beverley Whipple who helped popularise the G-spot idea said the work was “flawed”.
She said the researchers had discounted the experiences of lesbian or bisexual women and failed to consider the effects of having different sexual partners with different love-making techniques.
“ It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven and pressurise women and men too ”
Study author Andrea Burri
The women in the study, who were all pairs of identical and non-identical twins, were asked whether they had a G-spot.
If one did exist, it would be expected that both identical twins, who have the same genes, would report having one.
But this pattern did not emerge and the identical twins were no more likely to share a G-spot than non-identical twins who share only half of their genes.
I think is a good case of the “buried lead.” Apparently this is the second year they have a Festivus Pole in the State Capital. Massive thanks to Elizabeth Fiend of BigTeaParty.com for this interesting story.
Furor Erupts Over Atheist Display At State Capitol
Comptroller Candidate William J. Kelly Tries To Take Down Sign, Is Escorted From Building
Dec 23, 2009 | cbs2chicago.com
A conservative activist and Illinois comptroller candidate was escorted from the Illinois State Capitol building Wednesday when he tried to remove a sign put up by an atheist group.
William J. Kelly announced Tuesday that he planned to take down the sign put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and on Wednesday, he tried to make good on his plan
But Kelly said when he turned the sign around so it was face down, state Capitol police were quick to escort him away.
Illinois Secretary of State’s office spokeswoman Henry Haupt said Kelly was escorted from the rotunda by state Capitol police, who briefly detained him, wrote an incident report, and directed him to leave the building.
“It doesn’t matter how we feel about the message on a display,” Haupt said. “Our obligation is to protect the property within the state Capitol building, and we would do the same for any other display.”
But Kelly called the sign “hate speech,” and said he does not believe it is appropriate for a sign that “mocks” religion to be placed next to a Christmas tree and also near a nativity scene.
How lucrative is the licensing for Spongebob Squarepants?
July 13th, 2009 | www.infoaddict.com
On July 17, Spongebob will celebrate his 10th birthday as a highly lucrative merchandising juggernaut. Lucrative to the tune of $8-billion a year, which is a pretty incredible number.
But like “The Flintstones” and “The Simpsons” before it, “SpongeBob” has found that the secret to its success lies in its cross-generational appeal. It entertains just as many kids as it does college students and adults with an appreciation for slapstick sponge humor and aquatic double entendres. That demographic transcendence has helped “SpongeBob” maintain its status as the most-watched show on cable, accounting for as much as 30 of the 100 top-rated shows in any given week in Nielsen’s cable ratings, as well as the top-rated animated show among kids 2 to 11 for the past seven years.
What a wonderful story, as the saying goes, couldn’t have happened to nicer ladies.
Harriet Svensson, left, and Siv Wiik, amateur geologists and berry-picking grandmothers, at the site where they found gold. Photo credit Therese Ny/Dagbladet in Sundsvall.
Barren Berry Season Leads to Far Richer Discovery
www.nytimes.com | By JOHN TAGLIABUE | July 12, 2009
OVERTURINGEN, Sweden — It was a lousy blueberry season in 2007, said Siv Wiik, 70, one of a pair of Swedish grandmothers now credited with discovering what experts say may be one of the richest gold deposits in Europe. “That year it was too cold in the spring, so there were few berries,” she said.
Berry picking is a serious business to Mrs. Wiik (pronounced VEEK), who was born in this village of 171, and her friend, Harriet Svensson, 69. For 40 years the two, widows with children and grandchildren, have explored every patch of field and forest clearing in the region, hunting for mushrooms and wild berries — blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cloudberries.
But the women are also amateur geologists. They never leave home for a stroll in forests or fields without their geologists’ hammers, with their 30-inch handles, and their magnifying eyepieces, dangling from ribbons around their necks.
So in that terrible August when the blueberry crop failed, they decided to poke around for minerals. They went to a place called Sorkullen, far down an unpaved logging road, where trees had recently been felled, upending the earth and exposing rock to the air. Using their hammers, they cleared soil from around the stones, digging for about six hours, deeper and deeper, until they found a rock with a dull glimmer.
