Obese Dog Seized From Owners and Sent to Fat Farm

This is just pure bull S!#t, it's not uncommon to see a 9 year old dog or cat for that matter that's "over weight" according to these nuts standards. And to top off what they say, the "picture is worth a thousand words", this dog is heavy but clearly not harmfully obese.

BTW: With the way that the liberal government his headed this may well be happening to children in the very near future if we don't start standing up to this kind of control.

STORY;
Gucci the bull terrier has what many humans have: a severe weight problem. So when her owners in England repeatedly ignored advice on how she could shed more than a few pounds, the local authorities moved in.

After obtaining a court order, they seized the 70-pound dog and took her off to a canine fat farm, where she's been put on a diet and strict exercise regimen with the aim of getting her to shed nearly 30 pounds.

Once Gucci is back to her target weight of 44 pounds and able to run, fetch and roll over in comfort, she will be sent to a new home.

The court order, believed to be the first of its kind issued in England under the country's 2006 Animal Welfare Act, was enforced after a veterinarian in Lancashire, northern England, agreed that Gucci was suffering.

The 9-year-old Gucci was so heavy, according to London's Daily Mail, that she could barely walk down the street and had sore paws from trying to support her weight.

"The animal was suffering through lack of care and exercise," said Karen Bowyer, an animal welfare officer with the Wyre Borough Council in Lancashire, the Mail reported. "There had been previous warnings but it was time to act, and we secured the court order on the basis Gucci was too fat."

According to the council, Gucci's owners were told four times that she had to lose weight, but their warnings were ignored, The Sun of London reported.

"We were not prepared to allow this to continue," Bowyer said.

VIA: AOLNews

Driver Jumps the Toll -- Literally

The only commentary I can come up with for this one is;
'GOOD-GOOG'A-MOOG'A'

When asked if she had been drinking, Villasana reportedly "stated she had one cranberry and vodka last night." ..Erm OK?


Call her the "Duchess of Hazzard."

Police say 22-year-old Yasmine Villasana was driving drunk outside of Dallas when she veered into a sloped barrier in front of a toll plaza and launched her car into a Hollywood-worthy aerial, caught on tape by surveillance cameras.

The Fort Worth, Texas, resident's Chevy Impala took flight early Tuesday and sailed over one vehicle before returning to the roadway, striking the toll plaza, rolling upside down and bursting into flames near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

I just can't stop watching this!


Villasana -- who suffered a broken wrist in the accident -- insists the crash wasn't her fault.

According to a police report obtained by the Dallas Observer, Villasana said she "had been rear-ended as she was approaching the toll plaza, which caused her vehicle to strike the toll booth protector barricade, launch into the air, land on the roadway and catch on fire."

However, the officer who responded to the accident noted that an "inspection of the vehicle did not show evidence of the Impala having damage from a rear-end collision."

Villasana's dramatic vehicle jump might have made Uncle Jesse and the Duke boys proud, but law enforcement officials were nonplussed.

When asked if she had been drinking, Villasana reportedly "stated she had one cranberry and vodka last night."

Officers then issued a breathalyzer test and arrested her on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

VIA: AOLNews

D-DAY- 66 Years Ago

The D-Day invasion of World War II, codenamed Operation Overlord, began on June 6, 1944. The assault was originally planned for June 5th. However, due to poor weather General Dwight Eisenhower decided to move the date of the invasion to the 6th. It was among the largest amphibious assaults ever attempted. Franklin D. Roosevelt, was President of the United States of America.

"Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely"
~~~General Dwight Eisenhower - 6th June 1944 ~~~

D-Day
June 6, 1944

"This operation is not being planned with any alternatives. This operation is planned as a victory, and that's the way it's going to be. We're going down there, and we're throwing everything we have into it, and we're going to make it a success."
~~~General Dwight D. Eisenhower~~~

To "Mr. Mac"- I have not forgotten anything you told me about this great country. I cherish your war stories on those long summer evenings rocking on your porch.

[Breaking] Two N.J. men arrested at JFK airport before boarding plane to join Islamist terrorist group, authorities say

Two New Jersey men intent on killing American troops were arrested Saturday as they boarded flights to link up with a virulent jihadist group in Somalia, authorities said.

The men, both North Jersey residents, were charged with conspiring
to commit an act of international terrorism through a group tied to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, according to officials familiar with the details of the arrests.

Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, of Elmwood Park were apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens before they could board separate flights to Egypt, where they were to start journeys to Somalia. The men were arrested by teams of state and federal law-enforcement agents who have been investigating the pair since October 2006, according to the officials, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the operation publicly.

Late Saturday night, the state homeland security agency confirmed a police action at the airport but gave few details.

"Two individuals were arrested at JFK in connection with an ongoing investigation. At this time, we can provide no further details because the investigation is ongoing. The arrests do not relate to an immediate threat," said Jose Lozano, a spokesman for the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., FBI agents sealed off Alessa’s street in North Bergen. The local police department would say only that an investigation was in progress. FBI agents, North Bergen police and the New York Police Department descended on the home on 81st Street as neighbors looked on. According to property records, Alessa’s parents, Mahmoud and Nadia Alessa, rented the top floor of their house amid a quiet row of middle-class homes. As agents poured in, lights went on throughout the house.

Just over 10 miles away, in Elmwood Park, 20 cars with agents and police arrived at Almonte’s home about 11 p.m. Neighbors emerged from their homes as the racket from the raid broke the silence of quiet Falmouth Avenue. Again, agents turned on lights throughout the house, from the basement to the attic. They also could be seen looking around the exterior with flashlights and also searched the detached garage. Neighbors of Almonte declined to comment, but a couple who appeared to be family members showed up around 11:30 and greeted the agents as if they knew them. The older man was escorted into the house and could be seen embracing one of the FBI agents in the kitchen.

Neither Alessa nor Almonte is married. Both are American citizens, said the anonymous officials.

The men are scheduled to appear Monday in U.S. District Court in Newark.

The arrests were the culmination of Operation Arabian Knight. Details were still sketchy Saturday night, but authorities said the suspects have been under surveillance for some time and were being shadowed by an undercover New York City cop who managed to infiltrate their circle of friends and keep tabs as they consumed jihadist videos and literature, bought airline tickets and prepared to travel overseas.

Officials said the suspects were not planning an imminent attack in the New Jersey-New York area but were believed to be joining with the terrorist fight against Americans in Somalia.

Authorities said the men planned to wage jihad as part of a Somalia-based Islamist terror group called al Shabaab, an organization of several thousand fighters spread through Somalia’s southern region. Al Shabaab, whose full Arabic name means "Mujahideen Youth Movement," has had ties to al Qaeda since 2007, according to national security experts.

Last year, federal authorities in Minnesota charged 14 men connected to a plot designed to entice young Americans to join up with al Shabaab. And, in February, the New York Times reported the group announced it was joining forces with the ‘’international jihad of Al Qaeda."

As in the Minnesota case, investigators believe Alessa and Almonte were recruited by others, who are also now coming under scrutiny. "We hope this will lead to a spider web of arrests," said one official briefed on the case.

Officials said the New Jersey suspects were believed to have led fairly normal lives in North Jersey but then started acting strangely and gravitating toward anti-American sentiment. Their families aided in the investigation after growing worried about the beliefs and actions of the men, officials close to the probe said.

The arrests come on the heels of last month’s attempt to set off a car bomb in Times Square and, before that, the Christmas Day incident in which a 23-year-old Nigerian tried to blow up an airliner by setting off explosives inside his underwear. Both attacks were unsuccessful.

Saturday night’s arrests had been planned for days, officials said, as agents tried to determine the best possible time and place to apprehend the men without interfering in their planning or tipping them off. In order to prove the suspects had "intent" to commit an act of terror, federal prosecutors in New Jersey insisted that the men be allowed to go to the airport and begin the boarding process. That way, there would be less of a chance they could later say they had changed their mind or grown uneasy with their plans.

By early Saturday morning, agents had worked out a strategy of following the men to the airport and tracking them through their security check-in, officials said. After that, they planned to quietly get the men out of public view so their arrests could not be seen by any associates who might have been following them. The men were allowed to make it to the jetway boarding ramps before agents took them into custody.

The arrests and planning were coordinated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multi-agency group that includes agents of the FBI, state homeland security office, New York Police Department, Port Authority police and an assortment of federal security agencies. The investigation began as two separate probes after the FBI and New Jersey homeland security detectives received individual tips about the men, officials said.

In the months leading up to their planned travel, authorities said, Alessa and Almonte saved thousands of dollars, conditioned themselves physically through tactical training and dry runs at paintball fields and acquired gear and apparel to be used once they joined up with al Shabaab in Somalia. The men boasted that they wanted to wage holy war against the United States both at home and overseas, said investigators.

The prosecution of Alessa and Almonte is being led by New Jersey’s new U.S. attorney, Paul Fishman. In a meeting with The Star-Ledger’s editorial board last month, Fishman hinted there were serious national-security investigations on the verge of becoming public, though he declined to say anything more.

"There are cases in the pipeline that are of huge significance," Fishman said.

Somalia has long been a trouble spot for Western nations and, especially, the United States. With the country in tatters because of civil war, the United States sent in troops in mid-1992 and by year’s end the operation had been transformed into a military deployment designed to protect humanitarian efforts.

In October 1993, 18 American soldiers were killed trying to take out key members of the leadership of the warring clan that controlled the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Some have suggested there was a link between that skirmish and bin Laden, although others dispute that.

More recently, the Pentagon’s top commander in the region included Somalia on a small list of countries where clandestine American military operations would be targeted to disrupt militant groups.

Somalia is still caught in the throes of civil war, but there has recently been a renewed effort to bring peace to the lawless country. The United States is backing the current Somali government in its attempt to re-establish law and order.

Al Shabaab has been waging its own militant battle and has been listed on the U.S. government’s roster of international terror organizations.

According to a Council on Foreign Relations briefing, al Shabaab’s leader released a video in September 2008 pledging allegiance to bin Laden and calling for Muslim youth to come to Somalia. In February 2009, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s second-in-command, released a video that began by praising al Shabaab’s seizure of the Somali town of Baidoa. The group will "engage in Jihad against the American-made government in the same way they engaged in Jihad against the Ethiopians and the warlords before them," Zawahiri said.

VIA: NJ.com

Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie at Walmart Store

Oh boy! No comment.

Page 1

Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll's white counterpart at one store and possibly others.

A photo first posted to the humor Web site FunnyJunk.com and later to the Latino Web site Guanabee.com shows packages of Mattel's Ballerina Barbie and Ballerina Teresa dolls hanging side by side at an unidentified store. The Teresa dolls, which feature brown skin and dark hair, are marked as being on sale at $3.00. The Barbies to the right of the Teresa dolls, meanwhile, retain their original price of $5.93. The dolls look identical aside from their color.

Editors at Guanabee.com said the person responsible for the photo told the Web site that it was taken at a Louisiana Walmart store. The person did not return e-mails from ABCNews.com.

A Walmart spokeswoman, who could not verify the exact store shown in the photo, said that the price change on the Teresa doll was part of the chain's efforts to clear shelf space for its new spring inventory.

"To prepare for (s)pring inventory, a number of items are marked for clearance, " spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said in an e-mail. "... Both are great dolls. The red price sticker indicates that this particular doll was on clearance when the photo was taken, and though both dolls were priced the same to start, one was marked down due to its lower sales to hopefully increase purchase from customers."

"Pricing like items differently is a part of inventory management in retailing," O'Brien said.

But critics say Walmart should have been more sensitive in its pricing choice.

"The implication of the lowering of the price is that's devaluing the black doll," said Thelma Dye, the executive director of the Northside Center for Child Development, a Harlem, N.Y. organization founded by pioneering psychologists and segregation researchers Kenneth B. Clark and Marnie Phipps Clark.

"While it's clear that's not what was intended, sometimes these things have collateral damage," Dye said.

Other experts agree. Walmart could have decided "that it's really important that we as a company don't send a message that we value blackness less than whiteness," said Lisa Wade, an assistant sociology professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles and the founder of the blog Sociological Images.

Last year, Wade posted a blog entry on another case where a black doll was apparently priced less than its white counterpart at an unidentified store. Wade said that when white dolls outsell black dolls, it's usually because black parents are more likely than white parents to buy their children dolls of a different race.

"Most white parents wouldn't think to buy a black doll for their child, even if they believe in equality and all those things," she said.

Page 2 HERE

Page 3 HERE

Credit: ABCNews

Mural Ignites Debate on Race, Censorship in Arizona

Here we go again!

In all my years I have never heard so many apologies about race, words, and our American way of life in some incidences then I have heard in the last year. This PC BS has to come to a head.

It's the corrupt Preachers that scream "heathen", it's those that talk the most that want to smash the first amendment, it's the Al Sharpton's and Van Jones' of the world that cry racism at every whim, like black Barbie being cheaper than white Barbie. [hypocrites]

Am I the only one that is sick and tired of this BS

An Arizona school mural designed to promote environmentally friendly transportation has ignited a debate about race and censorship of the arts.

Officials at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Ariz., asked the painters of the mural to lighten the skin of children depicted after a city councilman denounced its prominent portrayal of ethnic minorities. Following protests, the principal apologized today for making the request. "Miller Valley made a mistake when we asked them to lighten the mural. We made a mistake," said Principal Jeff Lane.


The mural shows children walking and cycling in a garden-like scene, with birds flying around them.
"We don't have a racist town," R.E. Wall, who painted the "Go on Green" mural, told AOL News. "I believe we have racist city council."

City Councilman Steve Blair, who says he "can't stand" the word "diversity," criticized the mural on his talk-radio show. He particularly targeted the portrayal of the painting's main figure, a dark-skinned boy in blue jeans and green sweatshirt.

"To depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'" Blair said on a May 21 broadcast, according to The Daily Courier.

The child in question is meant to be a Mexican-American, Wall told AOL News.

When the Courier published an article online about the unveiling of the mural, readers left comments describing the painting as "tacky," "ghetto" and "ugly." On his radio show, Blair said that he had spoken to locals who are offended by the mural and call it "graffiti."

The mural aims to fight childhood obesity by encouraging children to walk or cycle to school. It was paid for by the Prescott Alternative Transportation Organization, with money from the state Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program, The Associated Press reported.

Students examined different options for the design of the mural, before passing on their recommendations to the school's teachers, who had the final say.

"The teachers selected this design because it focused on children and their role in the environment," Lane told the AP.

Wall says that he and his fellow painters from the Prescott Downtown Mural Project, were often harassed by drivers passing by the mural. The motorists shouted racial slurs against the figures depicted, said Wall, adding that the painters were working with school children at the time.

"To us it's children, we don't care what color they are," Wall told AOL News. "But for some people, that's all they see. "

As the controversy grew, school authorities requested the artists lighten the skin tones on the forehead and cheeks of the main boy depicted, and to make the children appear happier.

The school's principal denies that he was motivated by any kind of political pressure relating to racism.


"We asked them to fix the shading on the children's faces," Lane told The Arizona Republic. "We were looking at it from an artistic view. Nothing at all to do with race."

Wall told AOL News that the artists would work to make the most prominent child look more like a Mexican-American but that they "weren't interested" in simply lightening the skin tones.

He says he's glad that the controversy has erupted, as it provides a rallying point for Latinos who have been squeezed by city measures, such as banning soccer in public parks.

"Art shouldn't just be flat pictures of puppies," Wall told AOL News. "Like Picasso said, art should be a hammer that shatters the illusion of the masses."

Credit: AOLNEWS

Be Causious of Old Sun Screen

My son went to the Wallops open house today and enjoyed the show, he says the Blue Angels were spectacular and a special bonus to a great event that Wallops opened to the public today.

He was there early, knowing he would be out in the sun all day he grabbed a bottle of SPF50 sunscreen and covered his exposed skin.

After being out in the sun he noticed he was starting to burn even with the SPF50 sunscreen he'd applied so he checked to the bottle of sunscreen for the date, that's when he found out that he had grabbed a bottle the was 2 years old.

Who would think that it would go bad? He is sunburned pretty bad after spending the day out in the sun even though he thought he took precautions by applying liberal amounts of SPF50 sunscreen.

We view this as a learning experience and just thought I'd pass along the warning to you to check the date on your sunscreen and discard last years bottle.

There are people that would sue I'm sure .... hot coffee comes to mind.

So if you're going out in the sun for any prolonged time make sure to get new sunscreen especially if you have little-ones, don't trust that old bottle of sunscreen.

Enjoy the summer sun, it's not fun having a blistering sunburn.

NAACP calls Hallmark graduation card racist

Why does the NAACP feel the need to keep racism alive and and on the table constantly? If you watch the video they have to put an ear 'against' the talking greeting card to try to find something/anything to scream "racist" about.

The "word" that the NAACP is so upset about is the word "hole" listening here on the computer through crappy speakers and so-so audio quality associated with the video the word is very clearly "hole", the NAACP is arguing that the word is "whore" or "ho" they (NAACP) say they can hear the "r" in the phrase "black hole" the last time I checked there is no "r" in the phrase "black ho". You be the judge.

I say they are just looking to keep racism alive and hunting for a law suit.

A graduation card sold at local stores has been pulled from shelves after a civil rights group raised concerns about the content. The group claims the card's micro-speaker plays a greeting that's racist.

It is a graduation greeting from Hallmark that says, "Hey world, we are officially putting you on notice."

Members of the Los Angeles NAACP did take notice. As characters known as "Hoops" and "Yoyo" banter on, African American leaders hear offensive language.

"And you black holes, you are so ominous. Watch your back," the card vocalizes.

"That was very demeaning to African American women. When it made reference to African American women as whores and at the end, it says 'watch your back,'" said Leon Jenkins of the Los Angeles NAACP.

When Hallmark was reached by phone, they said the card is all a misunderstanding. The card's theme is the solar system and emphasizes the power of the grad to take over the universe, even energy-absorbing black holes.

The card company says the card speaks about the power the grad will wield.

"The intent here is to say that this graduate is not afraid of anything," explained Hallmark spokesman Steve Doyal.

But that's not what some people heard.

"You hear the 'r' in there. 'Whores,' not, 'holes.' The 'r' is in there," said Minnie Hatley of the Los Angeles NAACP.

Hallmark sent Eyewitness News a transcript of what the card says, but Hatley says that the actual audio raises questions.

"It sounds like a group of children laughing and joking about blackness, again," said another NAACP member.

Hallmark is now notifying all of its stores to pull the card. Walgreens and CVS are doing the same.

"In any situation where there is a circumstance that we need to be sensitive to, we try to learn from that experience," said Doyal.

However, NAACP members say they do not want to see the card on store shelves ever again.

Credit: ABC7

"Last Word Of The Week"

There seems to have been alot of heated discussions this week concerning the statement that Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott made this week to the Daily Times concerning the murder a few days ago in Pocomoke. And naturally because Pocomoke is my home town I hear it all!

Don't get me wrong. I like the Pocomoke Mayor. I do, however, think he would fair alot better if he would keep his comments out of the "crime business" and leave that up to his Chief of Police. There are alot of people here in Accomack County quite angry and worked up over this. I hope he left some "wiggle room" to get out of it. "Politics" or not Mr. Mayor you need to have a long talk with OUR Accomack County Sheriff! I think the apologies need to begin there and then with the rest of the law abiding people (like me) that visit your town for one reason or another.
LAST WORD OF THE WEEK Pocomoke mayor's Va. criticism is suspect as written by Ted Shockley, Eastern Shore News:

Last week a Greenbush man was fatally shot in Pocomoke City, Md. The town mayor was quoted in a report before an arrest was made that its violent incidents were the fault of Virginians

"I'm weary of the Virginia violence that pours over into Pocomoke City -- the problems that we've had in the past couple years tend to come from Accomack County, and it's really getting wearisome to our city," said Mayor Michael McDermott.

As it turned out, the man charged with murder resides in a Washington, D.C., suburb of Maryland. In fact, he lived in Pocomoke City in 1993 when he was charged with first-degree murder. The charge was later dropped.

I'm surprised that the Maryland mayor decided to paint our county as a violent badlands before a Marylander was charged with the slaying of Reginald Jerome Handy Jr., 22, of Greenbush.

Instead, maybe Accomack County should be a little wary of having such a lawless place so close to our border.

You would think the self-proclaimed "Friendliest Town on the Eastern Shore" would be a little friendlier with respect to comments about its southern neighbor.

It led me to think of everything that gets on my nerves about Pocomoke City. I could start with all of the Walmart plastic bags blowing through Accomack County. Maybe someday, those plastic bags could come from our soon-to-be-opened Walmart. Right now, they are imported from the north.

I could continue with the outrageously long wait at the traffic light at Walmart in Pocomoke City. Or the Pocomoke Christmas Parade, which I stopped attending because I don't like mixing with hooded mobs on sidewalks after dark. (If you want a much nicer after-dark Christmas parade, go to Chincoteague's or Exmore's instead.)

Or the super-long waits at the former Greene Turtle restaurant on U.S. Route 13. No wonder it's no longer in business.

Sure, all of that seems petty, but I didn't start the pettiness.

The truth is, Accomack County spends a lot of money on everything from cars to meals in Pocomoke City. Accomack County provides a lot of Marylanders jobs at the Wallops industrial complex. For two municipalities in separate states, Pocomoke City and Accomack are pretty close and cooperative siblings.

One wonders if Maryland competition for NASA-related spinoff business and new residents was behind the mayor's criticism of us. People will say anything to lure a job or two.

In reality, the issue of street shootings is more a societal issue than a geographical problem. When it comes to senseless violence, there are a lot of contributing factors that transcend state lines and municipal limits.

The mayoral thing to do would be to help find ways to fix the problem before publicly affixing blame.

NOTE: If you care to leave a comment be sure to think about what you write. I DID NOT post this so the people of Pocomoke (that seem to think they have no use for the mayor ) could have a big time with comments. I merely want everyone to know that Accomack County heard him loud and clear

Dog Surprises Officer After Being Freed From A Fence

Watch til the end.


Hat Tip; Ree

Claims of 14 Sightings of Sasquatch in Virginia

THORNBURG, Va. — Billy Willard says he’s on the verge of a major discovery that could change the way humans think about the natural world, not to mention their need for a creature-proof home security system.

Here in Spotsylvania County, in the forests around Lake Anna, Willard contends there have been 14 sightings in the past decade of that most fabled of cryptozoic beasts: Bigfoot.

Or Sasquatch, as the elusive, apelike brute is referred to in other circles — and on the side of Willard’s blue pickup. The decal on the truck reads “Sasquatch Watch of Virginia,’’ of which Willard is chief pooh-bah (when he’s not earning a living installing and removing underground home oil tanks).

Go ahead, call him a loon, a flake, a huckster. He’s heard it all. But Willard knows what he knows, which is that three people from this area — a woman, her husband, and their granddaughter — told him they saw a shaggy, super-sized figure on two legs gallivanting across their wooded property.

Last month, Willard led a weeklong expedition to the site, where he installed five motion-sensor cameras that will snap photos if and when the big galoot wanders by again.

Willard, 41, says he’d like to lead a tour of the property and introduce the witnesses, really he would. But the woman who says she saw what she believes could have been Bigfoot fears an avalanche of ridicule, which is why Willard is left to deliver his version of what happened a few miles away, in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen.

“We believe we may be close to some kind of major discovery,’’ he said. “All the things they would need are here, fresh water, shelter in the woods. The high concentration of sightings tells me they’re here.’’

He interrupts his monologue to answer his cellphone, the ringtone to which is the country tune “People Are Crazy.’’

Ever since humans began telling stories, they have spun yarns involving life forms that tower above mere mortals, whether it’s the giant of “Jack and the Beanstalk’’ fame, or Goliath, or Frankenstein.

Bigfoot has been a perennial for generations, with hundreds of purported sightings (many of them of supposed footprints), most prevalent in the Pacific Northwest but also popping up in states as disparate as Rhode Island, Illinois, and Alabama.

The myth grew in popularity in 1967, when two men in California filmed what appeared to be a huge and hairy biped walking into the woods, at one point turning its head to glance dramatically at the camera.

In Bigfoot circles, the footage is referred to as the “Patterson-Gimlin film,’’ named for its makers.

In less admiring circles, the short, fuzzy clip is cited as nothing short of poppycock.

Willard knows about the film, and most everything else Bigfoot-related, all of which he’s happy to share at any time, sometimes to the annoyance of his wife, Jeanean, who is prone to blurt out, “Okay, the conversation will have to change.’’

For all of Willard’s certainty about Bigfoot, the buzz has not exactly caught on in the rural hamlets around Lake Anna, where many residents work at the nearby nuclear power plant or in construction or commute to Richmond or Washington.

Behind the grill at Tarheel Pig Pickers barbecue, Mark Lane, 54, giggled.

“When I see Bigfoot water skiing, I’ll believe it,’’ he said. “If they catch him, we’ll put him on the rotisserie and invite everyone in the community.’’

Ron McCormick, president of a home-building company, said people have more pressing concerns, such as plummeting property values and paying bills. “On the other hand, it could bring in tourists,’’ he said as he sat at his desk, playing solitaire on his laptop.

Craig Petrie, 55, mowing grass a few miles away, volunteered that he sometimes hears voices calling his name from below as he tends the cemetery adjoining Wallers Baptist Church, where he holds the titles of head deacon and chief groundskeeper.

But Bigfoot sightings? “Never happened,’’ he said, although he’s open to the possibility, particularly with all the new subdivisions in the area ripping out trees and kicking up dirt.

“If anyone’s going to see him, it’s me, because I’m always on this mower. And if he kills me, they’ll just have to walk a few feet to bury me. It’s convenient.’’

The small but avid universe of Bigfoot enthusiasts includes self-styled investigators who pursue their quest during off hours from their day jobs.

Willard, for example, hosts an Internet radio show and maintains a website from his home in Manassas; he also monitors his Bigfoot hotline for reported sightings (a recent caller announced “I just saw Bigfoot in Reston,’’ before exploding in laughter and hanging up).

More dispassionate scholars are fascinated by the unflagging interest in bogeymen.

“People have a need to think about something like ourselves, something scary, using them as a cautionary tale,’’ said Robert Michael Pyle, whose book “Where Bigfoot Walks’’ explores the history of Sasquatch.

Willard spends countless hours in the woods listening for footsteps, always with a camera, ready to snap a picture.

He brings a set of knives and a hatchet. If he finds a dead Bigfoot, he intends to walk away with the ultimate trophy, DNA evidence, to send a message to those who ridicule the believers: “To give them the final ‘Aha! I told you so.’

www.boston.com

License Plate Falls Off Car At Crime Scene

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A burglary suspect in northern Florida was charged after authorities say they found the license plate from his car at the crime scene. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reports that 49-year-old Gary Browder was already in jail Wednesday for two unrelated counts when he was charged with the burglary.

Police say security camera video from a March gas station break-in shows a sedan pulling up to the store and a man smashing the window and stealing cigarettes. Before the car drives away, the video shows the car's license plate falling off.

Police retrieved the plate and traced it to a vehicle registered to Browder.

www.jacksonville.com

~~Show Your Support For Courtney Bloxom ~~

BAKE SALE @ PARKSLEY FEST

SATURDAY JUNE 5, 2010

BEGINNING AT 10:00 a.m.

LOCATION: PARKSLEY FESTIVAL

Proceeds will go to help her family with the expenses of her medical care. Courtney still remains in a coma and other critical injuries resulting from an automobile accident.

There will also be a few ribbons left for sale and the bracelets that everyone is wearing to show their support for Courtney.

Please show your support for Courtney if only in prayer. For more info and to see the outpouring of love being sent to Courtney and her family go to "Prayers for Courtney Bloxom" on Facebook.

PayPal Millionaire's Rocket Blasts Off On 1st Test Flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A multimillionaire's test rocket has blasted off on its maiden voyage.

SpaceX's brand new Falcon 9 rocket soared off its Cape Canaveral launch pad Friday afternoon. It's carrying a mock-up of the company's spacecraft, named Dragon. The goal is to put the capsule into orbit.

The first attempt to launch the rocket was aborted in the final few seconds earlier Friday.

NASA hopes to use the Falcon-Dragon combo for hauling cargo and possibly astronauts to the International Space Station, once the shuttles stop flying. The first supply run could come next year.

SpaceX — or Space Exploration Technologies — was founded eight years ago by Elon Musk, a South African-born entrepreneur who co-founded PayPal.

www.dailypress.com

Only Woman On Death Row Gets Rejected By Federal Appeals Court

RICHMOND, Va. (CBS/AP) Teresa Lewis pleaded guilty to murder in 2002 for masterminding a plot that left her husband and stepson dead. Prosecutors said her intent was to collect the insurance money and inherit her husband's estate.

Shortly after that, Lewis became the first female death row inmate in Virginia in more than 90 years, but her appeals attorneys argued Tuesday that she should be spared the death penalty, because she was too dependent on drugs and other people to mastermind anything.

James Rocap, Lewis' attorney, argued that her trial attorneys should have presented hundreds of pages of medical and pharmaceutical records showing her increased dependency on prescription drugs following her mother's death, and expert testimony showing that a disorder made her especially dependent on men.

"She was not a person who could have come up with this," Rocap said.

Katherine Burnett, a senior assistant attorney general, painted an entirely different picture of Lewis, saying that she bragged to two friends that she was marrying Julian Lewis, Jr. for his money, came up with the idea to kill him and his 25-year-old son, Charles, and offered the two gunmen sex in return for helping her as well as buying the weapons used in the crime.

The gunmen, Rodney Fuller and Matthew Shallenberger, were sentenced to life in prison.

Lewis' daughter, Christie Lynn Bean, who was 16 at the time, served five years because she knew about the plan but remained silent.

David Furrow, Lewis' defense attorney when she pleaded guilty in 2002, said he had expected the judge to sentence Lewis to life in prison.

But at her sentencing, Circuit Court Judge Charles Strauss said that she appeared cold and emotionless throughout the proceedings, that she seemed to have no other motive besides financial gain, that he saw her as a continuing threat to society, and sentenced her to death.

www.cbsnews.com

Words from a LEGAL Mexican immigrant

This was written by a Mexican who is now a naturalized US Citizen, and I think it's a great explanation of the illegal immigration issue.

Here is the quote:

"If you had tickets to a sports event, concert, Disneyland, or for an airline flight, and when you got to your assigned seat you found someone else was in that seat, what would you do? You would call for a person in charge of ticket checking and have the person in your seat removed. You would properly be asked to show your ticket, and you would gladly and proudly do so, for you have bought and paid for that seat. The person in your seat would also be asked for a ticket, which they would not be able to produce. They would be called "gate crashers" and they would properly be removed.

Now in this huge stadium called the USA we have had millions of gate crashers. We have been asking security to check for tickets and remove the gate crashers. We have been asking security to have better controls in checking at the door. We have asked security to lock the back doors. Security has failed us. They are still looking the other way. They are afraid to ask to see the tickets. Many people say there is unlimited seating, and whether there is or not, no one should be allowed in for free while the rest of us pay full price!

In "section AZ", of "Stadium USA", we have had enough of the failures of Security. We have decided to do our own ticket checking, and properly remove those who do not have tickets. Now it seems very strange to me that so many people in the other 49 "sections", and even many in our own "section" do not want tickets checked, or even to be asked to show their ticket! Even the head of Security is chastising us, while not doing his own job which he has sworn to do.

My own ticket has been bought and paid for, so I am proudly going to show it when asked to do so. I have a right to my seat, and I want the gate crashers to be asked to show their tickets too. The only reason that I can imagine anyone objecting to being asked for their ticket is that they are in favor of gate crashing, and all of the illegal activities that go with it, such as drug smuggling, gang wars, murder, human smuggling for profit, and many more illegal and inhumane acts that we are trying to prevent with our new legislation. Is that what I am hearing from all of the protestors such as Phoenix Mayor Gordon, US Rep. Grijalva, even President Obama? If you are not in favor of showing tickets, (proof of citizenship, passport, green card, or other legal document) when asked, as I would do proudly, then you must be condoning those illegal activities."


Written by a US Citizen, Globe, Arizona.

This makes perfect sense to me. What do you think?

Since Obama has never shown his ticket I guess he feels obligated to not ask others to show theirs.



Hat Tip; Mrs M.

Parksley Spring Festival Is Tomorrow

PARKSLEY SPRING FESTIVAL

Saturday June 5, 2010

If you're looking for something to do tomorrow then downtown Parksley, Virginia

is the place to be because there is plenty to do!!

Town yardsale

Car show (open to any participants)

Amusements

Kids events

Womanless pageant

Creampuff eating contest

Good food (lots and lots of it)

At 9:00 PM a dance at the Parksley Firehouse
country/southern rock band

For more info call: 665-6977 or 709-4655

A Michigan professor sent an e-mail telling Muslim students to leave the country.

The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indred Wichman.

Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association.
The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.
The group had complained the cartoons were 'hate speech.'
============
Enter Professor Wichman.
==========================================
In his e-mail, he said the following:
===============================
Dear Muslim Association,
As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest.
I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called 'whores' in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.
This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Muslims to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile 'protests.'
If you do not like the values of the West - see the First Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.
Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.
Cordially,
I. S. Wichman
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
=============================
As you can imagine,
The Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well.
They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded, that the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty,
And mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen.
Now, the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray.
CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor
Had the right to express his opinion.
==========
For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman,
Saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks.

We are in a war.
This political correctness crap is getting old and killing us.

BP Disaster Reaches Florida's Panhandle Beaches

............ smell of oil hangs heavy in the sea air....... children with plastic shovels scoop up clumps of goo in the waves......... beachcombers collect tarballs as if they were seashells.......watermen can no longer work the waters............ resort towns are almost empty...... and wildlife dies...................

Think about all this when another country in need comes calling..............

Movie At the MarVa Theater

"DATE NIGHT'

In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous.

Friday and Saturday, June 4th and 5th

Show starts: 7:00 PM

Tickets: $5:00 Rated PG-13

Volunteers Relocate Eggs Of Rare Leatherback Turtle

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (AP) — Eggs from a rare leatherback turtle are safer on a North Carolina beach, thanks to the work of volunteers who saw the nesting turtle and moved the eggs to higher ground.

The StarNews of Wilmington reported Thursday that Mary Marwitz of the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol says volunteers saw the turtle earlier this week. She estimated the turtle at 6-feet-long and 800 pounds.

Marwitz watched the turtle for about 30 minutes early Tuesday until she went back out to sea. Volunteers then moved about 70 eggs to an area away from the high tide line. They staked off the nest to alert beachgoers and added grates and fox cages to stop predators from eating the eggs. Leatherbacks are the largest living reptiles in the world and are endangered. Marwitz says they usually prefer to nest farther south than North Carolina.

www.dailypress.com

McDermotts June 17th Event

Dear Fellow Patriot,

      The response to our June 17th Spaghetti Fundraiser in
Ocean Pines has been heart warming. In just two weeks, we have
already sold half the seats. There is still time to join with
other like minded Marylanders who desire to take back the
reins of an out-of-control government. Come join us as we
serve up homemade pasta, meatballs, and a proven track record
of effective government!

I have concentrated on budget friendly events so everyone can get involved, but I need your help for this event to be a success. Your partnership in this campaign is the only way to insure that I will have the opportunity to serve you and this district in Annapolis. Table Sponsorships are still available, but we need to hear from you soon. Individual tickets may also be purchased.

Our shared eastern shore values deserve to be heard. Please help me as I work to be your strong voice in Annapolis!

Click for Tickets!

With Warmest Regards,

Mike

New Church Man Sentenced For 2007 Slaying

ACCOMAC — An Atlantic man will serve 25 years in the penitentiary for killing a friend after a night of heavy drinking and drug use almost three years ago.

Dominique Miller, who was 20 years old at the time of the murder, was already a convicted felon and was on probation for a drug charge when the shooting took place.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two firearms charges last summer.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 8, 2007, a group of young people were gathered at a mobile home park in New Church. They had been there since early evening, testimony at the preliminary hearing showed. All were drinking and some were smoking marijuana.

Some of the men had brought guns to the gathering. One of those was the victim, Michael McKyer. Another was defendant Miller, witnesses said. McKyer had a firearm earlier that night but it was stolen from him — he thought Miller had taken the gun, testimony showed.

Another witness saw Miller put the clip on the gun. He said he heard shots, but thought McKyer had gotten away.

McKyer was taken to the Nelsonia Royal Farms to save time. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was no longer breathing, the witness said.

Miller was charged with first-degree murder, a charge that was reduced to murder in the second degree in a plea bargain with a prosecutor last July. In the terms of the agreement, his incarceration was not to exceed 25 years.

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, defense attorney James Broccoletti called the killing, “a tremendous, terrible tragedy that should not have occurred,” and argued that Miller should serve a sentence at the low end of the guidelines, which he said were 13 to 22 years. At the preliminary hearing he told the court that Miller and the victim were cousins as well as friends.

He cited Miller’s mental deficiencies related to an earlier head injury.

“His mental status was no fault of his own,” he said.

Broccoletti said Muller had been hit by the slain man and “reacted in a way he should not have reacted."

“He had problems long before the accident occurred,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Gary Agar. “Problems with fighting, with not following the rules in school.”

“The victim was shot seven times, once in the upper chest and the rest in the back while he was running away,” Agar said.

Agar spoke about young men and guns.

“This is something that has to be combated to bring order to the community,” Agar said. He said that the victims family asked him to “please let the court know we want a sentence commensurate with the damage he has done.”

“Neither family should be too critical of the other,” said Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler before sentencing Miller.

“The event occurred at 1 a.m. among people who were drinking and partying and using substances that altered their minds.” He described the scene as “pretty bad circumstances all around.

Before being sentenced, Miller read aloud a statement apologizing for what he had done.

“Perhaps you will have the opportunity to persuade others to avoid firearms,” said Tyler.

www.delmarvanow.com

Mar-Va Theater Is Looking For Volunteers

The Mar-Va Theater is looking for friends!

The Mar-Va Theater Performing Arts Center is run by volunteers.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We need volunteers to help with the following:
- selling concessions
- taking tickets
- help with lights
- help with sound
- promotions

We also need friends to run the movie projector. We are willing to train for this position.

If you can help email Emily Rantz, theater manager: emily@marvatheater.com

Today Is NATIONAL DONUT DAY !!

In honor of this day, established in 1938 by the Salvation Army to raise funds to help people in need, Krispy Kreme is offering customers one FREE doughnut of any variety at participating U.S. store locations on Friday, June 4. No purchase is necessary to receive a free doughnut.

"On National Doughnut Day, Krispy Kreme is encouraging everyone to stop by for a free doughnut," says Ron Rupocinski, corporate chef of Krispy Kreme. "While my preferred indulgence is the signature Original Glazed(R) doughnut, we are inviting our guests to select their favorite doughnut. Make life a little sweeter by visiting your local Krispy Kreme store with your friends and family."

Krispy Kreme wants everyone to join the chatter about National Doughnut Day. Log on to Twitter to Tweet your desired doughnut variety with the hashtag #KrispyKreme. Take a picture of yourself at Krispy Kreme with your favorite doughnut and post it to Krispy Kreme's Facebook fan page. Also, send a Twitpic to your friends and followers, and remind them not to miss out on getting their free goodie.

The offer is good for one doughnut of any variety per customer. To find a participating U.S. store near you, visit www.krispykreme.com.

For updates on special promotions, exclusive offers and local events, join "Friends of Krispy Kreme" by visiting www.KrispyKreme.com, or interact with Krispy Kreme at www.facebook.com/KrispyKreme and www.twitter.com/krispy_kreme.

www.marketwatch.com

NASA Has Open House

The public is invited to see the research that is driving the excitement surrounding NASA's Wallops Flight Facility during an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 5.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. The event will be held rain or shine.

In recognition of its 65th anniversary, NASA Wallops, along with many of its customers and partners that conduct activities at the facility, will have exhibits and demonstrations of the research and operations at one of the nation's oldest launch ranges.

Bill Wrobel, director of NASA Wallops, said "Wallops is at a very exciting point in its history. We want our neighbors on Delmarva to have this opportunity to share in this excitement."

"In addition, this is an opportunity to introduce students in the area to many science, technology, engineering and math careers. We hope that one day our local students will be carrying on the research at Wallops."

For the event, Wallops will have many of its facilities on its Main Base open including the sounding rocket payload facility, engineering labs, its scientific balloon labs and the range control center. Visitors will get to see full-scale sounding rockets, a scientific balloon, and the Cygnus spacecraft from Orbital Sciences Corp. Cygnus is scheduled to start carrying supplies to the International Space Station from Wallops in 2011. Also, three local high school teams will demonstrate their robots that competed in the First Robotics Competition.

For young explorers, there will be a kids' activities tent, a giant space shuttle slide and the Atlantic Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company's Fire Prevention Trailer.

In addition, the military aircraft, including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, performing at the Ocean City Air Show, will be based at Wallops. They will take to the skies in the afternoon. Departure and arrival times will be announced the day of the open house.

Parking will be available on the base and buses will run throughout the day. Food will be available in the facility's cafeteria and on the grill outside out side the café.

www.shoredailynews.com

Small Tremor NNW of Baltimore..........

Did anyone in Baltimore feel the earth move under your feet today?

The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a small earth tremor Thursday morning just 57 miles north northwest of Baltimore. The Mag. 2.9 shake occurred at 8:25 a.m. EDT northeast of Franklintown, Pa., and 14 miles south southwest of Harrisburg.

USGS reported the quake was very shallow, centered less than a mile below the surface.

www.marylandweather.com

Nandua High Recycles Plastic Bags and Gets A New Bench

Students, staffers, classes and clubs at Nandua High School collected 152,145 plastic grocery bags to earn a new Trex wood-alternative bench.

ONLEY -- Three years ago, social studies teacher Casey Davis provided the impetus to start recycling at Nandua High School.

Today, 152,145 plastic grocery bags later, the school now proudly displays a bench made of recycled plastic and sawdust -- the award given to the Accomack County school that collected the most bags between Oct. 1, 2009, and Earth Day, April 22.

The program was launched by Trex, the country's largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, and Food Lion. Bags collected at the school were taken to Food Lion, where they were collected and moved to Trex's location in Winchester.

"I've been nicknamed the 'bag lady' at Food Lion," teacher Susan Wilder joked.

Wilder played a key role in starting the bag collection program at Nandua, and her class -- the program's "Grand Central Station" -- was essential in counting and tallying the bags collected by the school.

"She was instrumental," said English teacher Kathy Evans.

The plastic bag recycling program was launched in addition to the school's Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y recycling program, "because the convenience center didn't take plastic bags," Wilder said.

To provide incentive to recycle bags, Nandua initiated a school-wide competition among all first-block classes. At the end of each month, the class that collected the most bags was given a doughnut party, and the winner at the end of the semester held a pizza party.

Evans' AP English class won the competition.

"It was amazing how much fun we had with the bags. Once it was finished, the kids just wanted to continue with it," she said of her students.

Every Tuesday, Evans' class joins George Boggs and the Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y clubs for a school-wide collection of recyclables. The bags used to collect the recyclables are emptied and put in the bins provided by Trex.

Since Nandua's recycling initiative began, it has expanded to almost every classroom. Just a month ago, Nandua got a receptacle for its recyclables so students no longer have to load them onto the back of Boggs' truck.

The bench, which is made of 4,500 plastic bags, will eventually be placed outside to replace an older, broken-down bench.

www.easternshorenews.com