Done

I've now been doing this blog for a full year. Nobody reads it, and it seems pointless for me to continue posting my opinions of current events when I'm the only one who reads them. It also took a lot longer to find a news worthy event every day that was of real interest than I thought. Thus I'm finished with this blog for now and have no plans to write any more posts, but who knows what will happen.

The Party of No

The Republicans in Congress have rejected out of hand the latest White House proposals to solve the upcoming fiscal cliff. They claimed that there were not enough specifics. Needless to say their own offer to "put revenues on the table" also didn't include any details. They obviously haven't been paying attention to the latest election results in which President Obama was reelected and the Republicans lost seats in both the House and the Senate. Plus all the polls that show that the majority of Americans prefer the "balanced" approach of the President. Their priorities are still the same: ego over country and gridlock over solutions.

DWTS - All Stars Winner

Melissa and Tony won the mirror ball trophy last night. Her victory was well deserved as I thought she was the best female dancer in the competition, and for the last couple of weeks they have been virtually perfect. Now I wonder what the show will do for an encore.

Warren Buffett

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was on the Today Show this morning and reiterated his position that higher taxes on the rich would not scare off critical investment for job creation. He also said that "I think it would have a great effect on the morale of the middle class. They've had to watch guys like me pay below the rate by that paid by the people in my office." So who do you believe: the Republicans in congress or the "Oracle of Omaha"? I think the answer to that is pretty obvious.

Cyber Monday

The shopping frenzy continues today, but moves from the stores to online. Productivity may drop at work, but it's all for the good of the economy. Plus we need to spend our money before we go over the fiscal cliff.

Powerball

The Powerball jackpot is estimated to be $325 million for tonight's drawing. Somebody could be getting really rich. Don't forget to buy your ticket. "You can't win if you don't play."

Black Friday

I'm not sure why people are so concerned about the economic recovery when I see hoards of people rushing into stores to shop. It was the lead story on the news. The US economy is consumer driven and Americans love to shop.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everybody has a wonderful day spending time with family and friends. I'm sorry that some of the biggest retailers are opening tonight at 8 pm and making their employees work. There is still plenty of time for everybody to do their holiday shopping if the stores wait until 6 am on Friday to open. Plus people will spend more money shopping online, and some of the deals are not all that great anyway.

DWTS Semi-finals

This week was the semi-finals and a double elimination. All the dancers are good now, so the competition was very close. I was happy to see Melissa and Dawn make it. Kelly is not one of my favorites, but that's based more on her personality than her dancing. Still it was a surprise that both Apolo and Emmitt were eliminated, especially because Apolo's rumba was selected for the encore dance and that there won't be any men in the finals.

New England Patriots

The Pats both won and lost big on Sunday. They clobbered the Indianapolis Colts 59-24, but lost their star tight end, Rob Gronkowski. He broke his arm while blocking on an extra point in the fourth quarter. He had surgery to his arm this morning and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.

Davis Cup

The Czech Republic won the Davis Cup last night with a 3-2 victory over Spain in the finals. It was their first title as an independent nation, and their first since 1980 when Czechoslovakia led by Ivan Lendl won. No doubt the result would have been different if Rafael Nadal hadn't been injured and could have played, but they still deserve a lot of credit and congratulations. The USA doesn't do that well in Davis Cup any more, so there was no coverage of the event, but it is a big deal to the rest of the world.

BCS

With Alabama's loss to Texas A&M last week, Kansas St. has taken over the top spot in the BCS rankings. Assuming that they win their last two games against Baylor and Texas, they should be in the BCS Championship game. I'm not a fan of the BCS and think it should be scrapped for a "real" national tournament like the NCAA has for every other sport. I must admit however that I find Kansas St, once one of the worst teams in America, ranked #1 to be a great story. Now let's see if they can stay on top. I wouldn't count out Alabama or another team from the SEC to make it to the championship game. Plus Notre Dame has a good shot.

War Looming over Gaza

With the Palestinians continuing to fire rockets at Tel Aviv and the Israelis amassing troops on the border, tension is getting really high and war could seemingly break out at any time. The Egyptian prime minister even went to the Gaza Strip to try to broker a truce, but it didn't hold. Right now both sides are saber rattling, but there is always hope that things will calm down and that the violence won't escalate.

Mike D'Atoni

Mike D'Antoni officially took over as the coach of the LA Lakers replacing Mike Brown who had been fired after only 5 games this season. (They were 1-4.) He formerly coached at Phoenix and NYC and wants the Lakers to be an up tempo high scoring team. They certainly have lots of talent, but we'll see how well the players adapt to (and accept) him.

DWTS Week 8

It was an exciting week with two couples being eliminated. Plus there was some controversy with Len and Carrie Ann going at it a bit. The good news was that there was lots of terrific dancing and Kirstie finally got the boot. The bad news was that Gilles, who was leading the competition, was also voted off. He was clearly the best male dancer, but just doesn't have the fan base of the other contestants. Too bad.

Best Inventions of the Year

Time magazine had their list of the best 25 inventions of the year in this weeks issue. All were great. Some of my favorites were:

1. The motion activated screwdriver - it has an internal gyroscope that senses which way you turn it. Tilt it just 1/4 inch to the right and it screws clockwise to tighten. That's really handy.
2. Flyknit racer - Nike has developed a way of knitting thread into a single layer for the entire sneaker. Thus it's lighter, gives a precision fit, and even reduces waste in the factory.
3. Self inflating tires - they have an internal pressure regulator that can open a valve to a pumping tube and, as the wheel turns, the flattened part squeezes air from the tube into the tire. When optimal tire pressure is reached it closes. All without the driver even knowing anything was wrong. Amazing!

Florida, Florida, Florida

In the 2000 presidential election, it was the US Supreme Court that decided George Bush had won after the fiasco in the voting process in Florida. Well they did it again. It took them four days to figure out that Barack Obama won this time. Fortunately he already had enough electoral votes to win the election, so it didn't go back to the court again. Meanwhile what is wrong with them. It's not that hard to count ballots.

David Patraeus

He was a four star general, the hero of the Iraq war, and the head of the CIA, but now he's out of a job. He resigned yesterday after admitting that he had an extramarital affair. This came as a major shock to everybody in Washington. He had a sterling reputation and the news was just unbelievable. The timing is also curious as it came just after the election and days before he was scheduled to testify about the attack in Benghazi.

Nor'easter

The storm moving up the eastern coast has been pounding the Cape for the past two days. We've had driving rain and gale force winds. It's been really nasty outside. In fact most people around here think that the weather was worse than during hurricane Sandy. Fortunately we only had one power outage yesterday morning for about 1 1/2 hours.

Fiscal Cliff

Both President Obama and Speaker Boehner have indicated that they are willing to compromise to avoid "going over the cliff", but they have also both "drawn lines in the sand" over issues that they won't change. Unfortunately they are basically the same ones that caused this mess. The biggest one being tax rates for the wealthy. Despite the election results (and the polls) that show that a majority of Americans think the rich should pay more, Boehner and the rest of the Republican in Congress will not consider it. So here we go again.

Obama Wins Second Term

President Obama won a hard fought race last night and will now serve another four years. I was very happy. Let's just hope that the Republicans in the House will work with him this time. I think the country is tired of them being the "party of no".

Election Day

Today is Election Day, so get out and vote. It's important.

The Last Day

Today is the last day of this campaign season. It's been going on forever. The candidates must be exhausted and the voters are certainly all tired of the ads, phone calls, and mail. Everybody will be glad when it's over.

NYC Marathon

Sunday's NYC Marathon was canceled yesterday for the first time in its history. Mayor Bloomberg had hoped that the race would bring the city together as well as bring in millions of tourist dollars. The backlash however changed his mind. It just wasn't appropriate at this time, and all the city's resources should be spent on recovering from the storm.

Sandy's Aftermath

The images of the storm damage keep rolling in and the devastation seems to be worse than anybody imagined. Entire homes have be moved off their foundations. Boats are sitting in people's front yard. Sand dunes are completely gone. Gas stations have 2 hour lines. NYC has major gridlock because the subway system is still not completely restored. There are still millions without power. It's going to be a long time before life gets back to normal. Meanwhile the only good news was that President Obama(D) and Governor Christie(R) were working together to try to help those affected by the storm.

DWTS Week 6

The voters continue to amaze me or the producers of the show are manipulating the results. I don't know how else to explain Sabrina being eliminated this week. Her dance routine earned a perfect score, 30 out of 30. Meanwhile old fat Kirstie is still there. There is definitely something wrong with this picture.

Happy Halloween

Once you get over about 10 or 12 years old this holiday loses its appeal. Thus it hasn't been a favorite of mine for a very long time. In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, however, we need a fun diversion. Let's hope that the kids throughout the northeast are able to trick or treat safety tonight.

Storm of the Century?

Sandy lived up to her billing and absolutely hammered the New Jersey coast and NYC. She also caused widespread damage throughout the entire northeast. Millions are without power and many won't get it back for at least a week. Property damage could reach $20 Billion. Hurricane Irene was a bit of a dud last year, but Sandy was the real deal.

Giants Win!

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series last night beating Detroit 4-3 in 10 innings and sweeping the series. This is an amazing story as the Giants were down 3-1 in their series with St. Louis and then won 7 games in a row. It shows what a "real" team can do when it believes in itself. Unfortunately their victory wasn't even mentioned on any of the news casts this morning because everyone is so concerned about hurricane Sandy, but I doubt the Giants care. They're the champs and that's all that matters.

Sandy

All eyes are now on hurricane Sandy (aka Frankenstorm) as she works her way north. The big question is when she will turn west and hit land. There are huge ramifications as the northeast is the most densely populated area of the country and the home to over a 100 million people. Personally I hope that it hits as far south as possible, so that the Cape will get spared, but I doubt Mother Nature cares what I think. All we can do is get prepared for anything.

US Economy

The US economy grew 2% during the third quarter. That's not exactly a booming economy, but it did beat forecasts. It was fueled by consumer spending, defense outlays, and home building.

World Series

The World Series started with the San Francisco Giants winning the first game over the Detroit Tigers. I'm not the baseball fan that I once was, but I'm interested to see who wins for political reasons. There is a very strong correlation between which league wins and which party wins. When the victor is from the National League, the Democratic candidate usually wins the presidency. I wonder if President Obama is rooting for the Giants. (He's really a Chicago Cubs fan.) We'll see what happens this time.

DWTS Week 5

No eliminations this week, so there wasn't an results show. Since it's basically worthless, that was good news. There was also the performance by Shawn and Derek. Their team dance was fantastic and the rumba outstanding. Kirstie meanwhile continued her poor dancing. She's just too old and fat and needs to go.

Final Debate

President Obama and Governor Romney went at it again last night in Florida. This time is was Romney who seemed passive. The focus was supposed to be foreign affairs and he repeatedly said that he agreed with the President, although he's been very critical on the campaign trail. I'm not sure if that means Obama won the debate, but he did have the best line when he mentioned "bayonets and horses".

Curling

I started a curling class yesterday at the Cape Cod Curling Club in Falmouth. There were about 24 students. The sport is like shuffleboard on ice, but there are lots of subtleties that make it difficult. To say nothing of trying not to fall on the ice. I did fairly well. At least I didn't fall and I'm looking forward to our next class.

Head of the Charles

The Head of the Charles Regatta, the world's largest rowing event, starts today and runs through tomorrow. The banks and the bridges will be packed with spectators and even the weather looks pretty good this year. If you're in the Boston area, you should stop by. This is a really big deal.

Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts yesterday were forced by the courts to release their "perversion list". It contained the names of all the scout leaders who had sexually abused the young scouts under their leadership. There were over 1200 cases! This is the same organization that won't allow gay boys to join. Being a pedophile is okay, but gay is not? Give me a break. "Scout's Honor" obviously doesn't mean a thing.

Bad Day for Lance

Lance had a really bad day on Wednesday. The U.S. Anti-Doping  Agency(USADA) had already banned Armstrong from the sport for life and ordered that his Tour de France titles be stripped. Now he's resigned as the chairman of Livestrong in an attempt to minimize the damage, and minutes later Nike, Anheuser-Busch, and Trek bicycles all dumped their sponsorship. He's done.

Good Night on TV

Two things happened on TV last night that made me happy. First of all Bristol Palin was eliminated from DWTS. She stinks and should have been sent home before, but now she's gone and that's good. Of more importance President Obama actually showed up for the second debate last night. He was engaged and aggressive. He let Romeny get away with everything during the first debate, but not last night.

Brooklyn is Back

The first professional game in Brooklyn, since 1957 when the Dodgers left for LA, was won by the Nets last night. It was only a preseason game, but obviously it meant much more than that to the fans. Now they have a sparkling new $1 Billion arena and a team that they can call their own. Of course it's also good for the team that has been playing in Newark for the past two years waiting for the building to be completed. I think that their rivalry with the Knicks just went up a notch.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala is the 14 year old girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban because she spoke out for educating girls. They even threated to shoot her again if she ever got out of the hospital. Well that may be a little tougher for them now because she's been moved from Pakistan to the UK for treatment. First let's hope she makes a full recovery, and second that they find those responsible and punish them to the full extent of the law. Best of all would be if the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan now realize that the Taliban are a bunch of murderous thugs.

Missing Girl in Colorado

Awful news in the search for the 10 year girl, Jessica Ridgeway. The body that they found 10 miles from her house was identified to be her. Now the case becomes a murder investigation. Let's hope that they find the scum bag soon. Why anybody would kill a little fifth grader is beyond me. Her parents must be devastated and all the parents in the area worried that this monster is still on the loose.

Rich get Richer

That statement was never more true. JPMorgan Chase, the country's biggest bank by assets, just reported a record quarterly profit, and Wells Fargo, the most valuable US bank and largest mortgage lender, said its third-quarter profits increased 22 percent. Of course none of this helps the middle class. There is no "trickle down effect". That was disproved over 20 years ago. The rich keep the money. I guess there is always room for another yacht

Vice Presidential Debate

Normally tonight's debate would receive very little attention outside the hard core politicos, but after Romney's drubbing of Obama and his big bounce in the polls, it has become far more important. If Ryan beats Biden just as bad, the Democrats could be in trouble next month. I think that one thing you can count on is that Joe will not be as passive as the President.

DWTS Week 3

This was an exciting week in this All Star season. The couples all danced "iconic" dances from past seasons and the celebrity got artistic control. Some were amazingly good. I was surprised. It was also a double elimination week and Drew and Helio said goodbye. Personally I would have dumped Bristol and Kirstie, but I know from past seasons that they both have a large fan base.

Bathroom Shower

It's been a long wait, but the tile is finally going up on my shower stall in the master bathroom. With limited availability of both the plumber and the tiler, the project has been going at a snail's pace. Today however we reached a milestone. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Hugo Chavez

Hugo Chavez was reelected for a third term as the president of Venezuela last night. At last report he received 54% of the vote, so it was his tightest race so far, but still a comfortable margin. He is a socialist and considered to be the champion of the poor. Plus he loves to take verbal shots at the US. Thus he isn't very popular in many corners, but he does provide cheap oil for the home heating assistance program around here, so he's not all bad.

Another Bad Call

Yesterday it was Major League Baseball's turn. Here's what happened: The Braves were trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out and men on first and second when the batter hit a pop-up into shallow left field. Cardinals shortstop raced back to make the catch, but he suddenly ducked out of the way. The ball dropped untouched for an apparent single that loaded the bases. Except that at the last second the leftfield umpire signaled for the infield fly rule, which meant the batter was automatically out, taking the tying run off base and erasing one of the Braves' five remaining outs. Of course there is no way to know if the call really cost them the game, but this was a big game. The winner went to the playoffs and the loser went home. The umpires should have done a better job.

Bobby Valentine

The Boston Red Sox fired their manager, Bobby Valentine, after only one season. The team was awful this year, but outside of some spoiled players, it was clear that it wasn't his fault. They just didn't play very well. They also didn't seem to care much. Thus in another case of the inmates running the asylum, he was made the scape goat. I can't say that I ever thought that he was that good a manager, but I still think he got screwed.

Presidential Debate

President Obama and Governor Romney had their first debate last night. Since Romney's campaign has had a rough couple of weeks, it was considered to be a make or break moment for him. According to all reports, it was the former and he won big. He was in command the entire time and Obama was too passive. How much this changes people's minds we'll see in the next set of polls. It does seem like we have a real race on our hands now.

Agricultural News

Two stories that you might have missed.

The world's heaviest onion at 18 lb. 1 oz. was presented at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in the UK on Sept. 14.

Chicago's O'Hare airport announced that it planned to use goats and sheep to consume heavy brush on part of the property.

War in Afghanistan Milestone

More bad news in this never ending war. The death toll for US military personnel hit 2,000 over the weekend. This war is not ending well. The government that we set up is one of the most corrupt in the world and now the Afghans that we are training to take over the country's security are turning their guns on our troops. What a mess.

US Ryder Cup Team Chokes

Headed into the final day, the US team had a large lead and was playing at home. It would take a total collapse on their part to lose, but that's what they did. Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, and Tiger Woods were all awful. Ironically the US team normally plays its best in the singles matches, but they couldn't even do that this year. They were worse than the Boston Red Sox.

Iran

Both President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this week at the U.N. about stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. They differed in their approach, however, and that has lead to talk about their acrimonious relationship. Obama did call him yesterday and the two presented a more unified front. Clearly this is a very important issue and it's important that the two countries work together to resolve it. I suspect that the two leaders actually work together just fine, but the press is fanning the flames a bit.

Flu Shots

Health officials are urging everybody over 6 months old to get a flu shot this year.

Actually vaccines are recommended every year, as the flu changes annually and the human body's immunity to influenza decreases over time. The flu season starts in October, so now is the right time to protect yourself from this disease because it takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to form antibodies against the flu.

Jimmy Hoffa

The former Teamster boss disappeared in 1975. His body has never been found although authorities have looked everywhere including Giants Stadium in NJ. The latest is a driveway in the Detroit area. They took ground penetrating x-rays and found something. Now they have dug up some dirt and are sending it to a lab to check for any elements of a human body. His death was thought to be a mob hit, so I doubt that they will ever find him, but his memory will certainly live on.

Dancing with the Stars

The "all star" season of DWTS started Monday night with 13 couples. All were previous contestants, who had done well and/or were crowd favorites. In fact six of them were Mirror Ball winners. Thus the level of dancing was much higher than normal, especially in the first week. One of the biggest surprises was Bristol Palin. She looked and danced much better that before. One of the judges, Carrie Ann, even said she was the most improved. The biggest disappointment was Pamela Anderson. She seemed disinterested and high on something (alcohol or drugs). Thus it was appropriate that she was the first one eliminated.

NFL Referees

The NFL has been using replacement referees so far this season because they can't agree on a contract with the union. The replacements have been awful. They are from small colleges and high schools and are in over their heads. The call on the final play of the Green Bay game Monday night was a prime example. Even the NFL office agreed that it was a bad call, but in a twist of logic they also let stand the Seattle victory. Huh?

Emmy Awards

The 64th Emmy Awards were announced last night and "Homeland", "Game Change" and "Modern Family" were the big winners. The big loser was "Mad Men". It was nominated for 17 awards and won zero (a new record). I'm not a fan of the show, so that was fine with me. Actually I don't watch much TV at all and have never seen any of the winning shows.

Bourne Scallop Fest

The annual Bourne Scallop Fest opened yesterday morning. It dates back to 1969. It's the biggest event of the year around here. They are expecting 50,000 people and it's far more than just a scallop dinner. There is entertainment from several bands, rides and games for the kids, and a juried craft show. It takes hundreds of volunteers (of which I am one) and many sponsors to run it. If you are in the area, you shouldn't miss it.

Apple iPhone 5

The latest Apple iPhone hit store this morning. In many locations people were camped out for days to be the first in line to buy one. It's thinner, lighter, faster and has a larger display. It also has a new Maps app that apparently still needs some work and a new dock connector that will require either an adapter or all new cables, chargers and accessories. None of that will matter however to the Apple aficionados. The sales of this new iPhone are expected to be off the charts.

Massachusetts Senate Race

Tonight Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren had their first debate. That was a big deal around here. As expected there was a tense atmosphere and the candidates sparred back and forth. One example was Mr. Brown opening the debate by questioning Ms. Warren’s character in connection with her ancestry. I thought that was uncalled for. Thus he seemed to me to lose much of his likability, which is his primary asset. For me the winner was clearly Elizabeth Warren. I would much prefer to have her representing Massachusetts.

Mohammed Cartoon

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo just published a set of cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed. Some even had him naked. Needless to say the timing of this isn't great with the fire still raging over the anti Islam video. The editor however said that it “does caricatures of everyone, and above all every week, but when we do it with the Prophet, it’s called provocation,” adding that if Charlie Hebdo stopped printing satirical work because of pressure or fear of offense, it would be reduced to selling 16 blank pages every week. Meanwhile the French government said it planned to temporarily close its embassies and French schools in 20 Muslim countries this Friday to avert any injuries in the event of demonstrations after Muslim prayers.

War in Afghanistan

The US military announced yesterday that it has temporarily suspended the bulk of joint field operations with Afghan troops amid a wave of so-called insider attacks. US and Afghan troops will continue to patrol, but will not run operations together without the approval of a regional commander. The move comes after Afghan police on Sunday killed four more American soldiers. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday the U.S. is concerned about the impact insider attacks are having on its forces in Afghanistan. But Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander there, said the attacks do not mean the Taliban are succeeding. Instead, they "are resorting to efforts that try to strike at our force, try to create chaos, but do not in any way result in their regaining territory that has been lost."

Panda Mania

The National Zoo's giant panda gave birth to a cub last night sparking a new wave of panda mania in Washington seven years after the zoo’s only other cub was born in 2005. Officials were delighted, especially because they had not been able to conclusively determine if she were pregnant. Zoo experts did conduct an ultrasound test on the panda on Sept. 4, but it was inconclusive. Apparently it is hard to determine whether a giant panda is pregnant, because the animal can exhibit many false signs, and she has had five consecutive false pregnancies since 2007.

Kate Middleton

You knew that it had to happen. A French magazine, Closer, published photos of the princess topless. They were taken when she and William were at a private estate in southern France last month. The royal family is suing the magazine, but despite that an Italian magazine, Chi, is now planning on publishing them, too. First of all the whole thing is silly. There shouldn't be such a big deal made over seeing a woman's breasts. Of more importance is that Kate shouldn't be hounded by the paparazzi like Princess Diana who died in a car crash trying to avoid them.

Chicago Teachers' Strike

The teachers' strike in Chicago continues. The nation's third largest school system has now been shut down for the whole week and it doesn't look good that the kids will be back in school on Monday. Despite what both sides are saying in public, it's all about the money. Hopefully they will settle soon because it's unfair to the students and their parents that they have to suffer while the negotiations are ongoing.

American Ambassador Killed

J. Christopher Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, and three other Americans were killed yesterday in Benghazi when an angry mob attacked the American consulate with heavy weapons and then burned it down. The uprising was in response to an American-made Web video denouncing Islam, which was not well known nor widely viewed. President Obama condemned “this outrageous and shocking attack,”  and said “We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, but there is absolutely no justification to this kind of senseless violence. None. The world must stand together to unequivocally reject these brutal attacks.”

Andy Murray

Andy Murray won the US Open tennis tournament yesterday in a long tough match with Novak Djokovic. He won the first two sets, but then just fell apart in losing the next two. It certainly did not look like he was going to win his first grand slam tournament and a Britain's first since Fred Perry 76 years ago. This time however he hung on and proved that he was the stronger and tougher player last night. Apparently his new coach, Ivan Lendl, has finally given him the edge he needed. "No excuses."

Football

The NFL kicked off the season this weekend. Lots of big stories and some surprises. In most cases the quarterbacks were the focus. Tom Brady and the Pats looked very sharp in their opening win. Peyton Manning was his old self with Denver after coming back from a serious neck injury. Robert Griffin made a terrific debut in leading Washington to victory over New Orleans. The first pick in the draft, Andrew Luck, however, got a rude welcome to the pros as he fumbled once and had three interceptions for Indy.

New York City Weather

There was lots of rain and some severe storms, including two rare tornado's, in the Big Apple. Needless to say that wrecked havoc with the US Open schedule. They only got in one match, Andy Murray's. The rest were all pushed back a day.

Democratic National Convention

Last night President Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination. His speech wasn't up to the soaring rhetoric of previous convention speeches, but he was never going to top Bill Clinton's anyway. Meanwhile I heard a great quote from a commentator this morning. Asked to compare the two national conventions. He said the Democrats love Obama, but the Republicans are still trying hard to like Romney, which was very similar to the 2004 election between Bush and Kerry. Interesting.

Bill Clinton

Former president Bill Clinton showed last night why he's still a superstar in the Democratic party. His speech ran way over his alloted time, but nobody cared. He "owned the room" and everybody would have listened for hours. He's still got it. I don't know if it will translate into votes for Obama, but it was a great speech.

Sex Change Operation

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled Tuesday in the case of Michelle (nee Robert) Kosilek, a transgender inmate serving life in prison for murdering his wife. Wolf said the Mass Department of Correction must provide the taxpayer-funded surgery because it is the only way to treat Kosilek's "serious medical need." Wolf is the first judge to actually order sex reassignment surgery as a remedy to gender-identity disorder. Now they have to figure out if he should be moved to a women's prison after the operation. Amazing.

Michael Clarke Duncan

Michael Clarke Duncan died yesterday at the age of 54. He apparently never recovered from a heart attack that he had on July 13. He was best known for his role in "The Green Mile" for which he received an Oscar nomination. He was known as a gentle giant. He was huge, but he also had a smile that could light up the room.

Baseball

The biggest surprise in MLB this year has to be the success of the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. They have been two of the worst teams in the league for years and not expected to be much better this year. In May however they were both in first place. You knew that wouldn't last, but it has. The Nationals now have the best record in baseball and the Orioles beat the Yankees last night and are only 2 games out of first. Absolutely amazing! Did somebody put something in the water down there? Can they make it to the end of the season without collapsing? We'll see.

Andy Roddick

Another big name in tennis is retiring after the US Open. Andy Roddick just announced that this is his last tournament. He also showed last night that he still has plenty of good tennis left. He rolled over Bernard Tomic to reach the third round. He won the U.S. Open in 2003, which turned out to be the last Grand Slam singles title for an American man.

Republican National Convention

Mitt Romney formally accepted his party's nomination for president last night in Tampa. Everybody was excited and they dropped lots of balloons as per usual. We'll see if they can maintain that enthusiasm to the election in November. It reminds me a bit of 2004 when John Kerry was the Democratic nominee. They hated George W. Bush and would vote for anybody running against him, but that was about all he had going for him and he lost. Romney never won more than 30% of the votes in any of the early contested primaries. He won by out lasting and out spending everybody. Nobody really liked him. Now the question is will the party finally warm up to him?

Kim Clijsters

Kim Clijsters  announced earlier this year that she would retire after the US Open. She didn't expect that the end to the tournament for her would come in the second round, but she lost yesterday to a young British woman 7-6,7-6. She had a wonderful career that spanned 15 years and had to be one of the nicest on the tour. Everybody seemed to like her, and she will be missed.

Isaac hits New Orleans

Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans exactly 7 years after Katrina. This time however the levees and the pumps seem to have held. The storm isn't completely past, but it looks like the billions of dollars spent to protect the city actually worked. How about that?

Smart Phones

Here's an amazing fact, the typical smart phone has more computing power than Apollo 11 when it landed on the moon. Plus in many parts of the world, more people have access to mobile devices than to a toilet or running water. I know which one I'd choose.

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong passed away on Saturday following complications from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82 years old. Meanwhile his legend lives on as the first man to walk on the moon. That used to be science fiction stuff, but on July 20, 1969, he did it and uttered the now-famous phrase: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." I was one of the millions who watched it live on TV. The picture was black and white and a little fuzzy, but still amazing to see.

Apple Wins in Court

In a major victory Apple won it's patent infringement suit against Samsung. The jury decided that Samsung copied the innovative technology developed by Apple and awarded them $1 billion. I have no idea what this will do to the smart phone market, but I do know it will certainly help Apple's bank account, not that it needs any.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong announced yesterday that "enough is enough" and ended his fight with the USADA over doping charges. Thus he will lose his seven Tour de France titles and be banned for life from competing. They claimed to have a strong case against him with at least ten witnesses, but he never failed a drug test and still maintains his innocence. Thus it's hard to know whom to believe. In any event it's shocking news and a very sad day for cycling fans.

Prince Harry in Las Vegas

I thought that what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas, but that certainly wasn't the case this time. Nude photos of Prince Harry partying are all over the Internet and the news. The royal family is aghast, but what do you expect a young single guy to do on vacation there? Play cribbage? He played strip billiards and apparently lost, although you could say he was also the winner based on the naked woman in the photo with him. Anyway I'm for Harry on this one. Have fun when you're young.

Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad failed in her fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West. The combination of storms and jellyfish stings were just too much for her to overcome. She turns 63 years old today, and if she has any sense, she'll rule out a fifth try. Of course last year she ruled out a fourth try, so who knows what she'll do.

Augusta National

The Augusta National golf club announced Monday that the first women to be admitted as members are former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and business executive Darla Moore. Welcome to the 20th century guys. As a private club it can do whatever it wants, but when you hold a golf tournament that's attended by thousands and broadcast all over the world, you need to get with the times.

Todd Akin

Rep. Todd Akin is running for the Senate in Missouri and just made one of the biggest gaffes ever. He actually said that pregnancy could be prevented in the case of "legitimate rape" because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Are you kidding me? There is certainly no such thing as a "legitimate" rape nor any way for a woman to keep from getting pregnant. Needless to say he has been widely rebuked, including by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and President Obama. Akin however vowed to stay in the race saying that the outcry over his original remarks are "a bit of an over-reaction." You've got to be kidding me. This guy has just lost the financial support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and won't get a vote from anybody with an IQ higher than a turnip.

Pussy Riot

The feminist punk band Pussy Riot were convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison. That seems a little harsh for a political protest. I think a $30 ticket would have been more appropriate. Plus the Orthodox church has forgiven them. The USSR may have fallen, but suppression in Russia obviously hasn't.

Air Travel

There is no such thing as the "friendly skies" any more. Air travel is a major hassle nowadays with the seats so close together and all the security measures. Plus there are no amenities like food, pillows or blankets. Add in all the delays from bad weather and canceled flights, and you can understand why people stay home. Yesterday however there was a story that must have set a new record of sorts. An Air France flight from Paris to Beirut had to make an emergency layover in Damascus. That was bad enough, but then the passengers were asked to open their wallets to check if they had enough cash to pay for more fuel. That's amazing!

Perfect Game

Wednesday night Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game for the Seattle Mariners. It was only the 23rd in baseball history, but the third this year. His nickname is "King Felix" and he certainly proved that against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Enough is Enough

After awhile you have to take action. Whether it's standing up to a bully or doing your taxes, at a certain point you just can't let things go on as they were. Well I reached that point yesterday. I've been trying for over a year to get my hot tub fixed. I've already paid New England Spas (the company that I bought it from) $1600 to repair it. Twice they have told me it was fixed, only for me to find a leak as soon as I refilled it. Their service rep has been unresponsive and unhelpful, so I officially filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Protection Agency. Hopefully that will get this resolved. It's been long enough.

Johnny Pesky

Johnny Pesky passed away yesterday at the age of 92. He was a legend in Boston, not so much for his playing days with the Red Sox, but more as their goodwill ambassador for years. He came to symbolize everything that was good about baseball.

Weekend Wrap up

Lots of big news this weekend. Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan to be his running mate. A move that was welcomed by both parties. (Go figure.) The Olympics ended with a bang and the US won the medal count thanks to the women. Finally Rory McIlory won the PGA championship going away. It was another resounding victory for him. Tiger stumbled over the weekend again.

US Women's Relay Team

The US women seem to be doing really well at this Olympics. The 4X100 relay team won the gold last night with a world record run. These are truly fast women.

Olympic Legend

Usain Bolt is now officially a legend after winning both the 100 and 200 meter gold medals. He is the first man in history to win both races in consecutive Olympics. Many had written him off when he lost both of them to his team mate Yohan Blake at the Jamaican trials, but he's definitely still the "world's fastest human".

US Women's Soccer Team

The US women won the gold medal in soccer for the third straight time with a 2-1 victory over current world champion Japan. The game was close and exciting. Carli Lloyd scored both goals and Hope Solo made some spectacular saves to preserve the win. In fact the entire team played well, and they all contributed to the victory.

Birthday Suit

Wednesday, August 8, is my birthday and I spent a very relaxing day at the Solair Recreation League (www.solairrl.com) in northeast CT. No cake, candles, or presents, but lots of sun, a fair amount of scotch, and best of all, no clothes. It was birthday suit all day for the birthday boy. No tan lines for me.

US Women's Beach Volleyball

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings won their third straight gold medal. They have been playing together since 2001 and have been virtually unbeatable. In the last three Olympics they have never lost a match and only one set. Misty is retiring, but Kerri will be looking for a new partner and preparing for Rio.

Mars

There was lots of excitement at the Olympics over the weekend, but the biggest achievement was the landing of Curiosity on the planet Mars. It's the largest and most advanced spacecraft ever sent there. It cost $2.5 billion and over 5000 people worked on the project. It's expected to revolutionize deep space science.

Jobs Report

The US economy added 163,000 jobs in July, but the unemployment rate also went up to 8.3%. Needless to say both parties are using the numbers to argue their points. The stock market however clearly decided that this was good news and the Dow Jones was up over 200 points.

Olympic Tennis

Serena Williams and Roger Federer are both in the Olympic tennis finals. It will be interesting to see if they both can repeat their victories at Wimbledon a few weeks ago. Roger has had some close matches, including the last one which he won 19-17 in the third set. He will also be playing Andy Murray again, so all of Great Britain will be rooting against him. Serena's opponent will be Maria Sarapova, so she'll have her hands full, too.

Olympic Badminton

Not sure that anybody really cares who wins the badminton gold, but 8 players just tried to lose their last match and were banned from the games. None of this makes any sense, but who knows. The standard shuttlecock is supposed to have 16 goose feathers plucked from the left wing. Maybe we're dealing with a bunch of right wingers.

Olympic Hype

Some times athletes live up to the hype and some times they don't. In Beijing Micheal Phelps certainly did and won 8 gold medals. This time it was supposed to be Ryan Lochte's turn. However that's not how it's turning out. He was the anchor on the US 4X100 freestyle relay and started with the lead, but was passed by the Frenchman, Yannick Agnel. Then yesterday in the 200 free, he not only was beaten by Agnel again but finished out of the medals. Not a very good performance by the reigning world champion. Let's hope that he can turn it around.

Olympic TV Coverage

NBC is getting lots of criticism regarding their use of tape delay. This isn't a new problem. It comes up during every Olympics. There really isn't too much else they could do considering there is a five hour time difference. In fact NBC is "live streaming" virtually all of the events, so people can watch them live.

Opening Ceremony

The big story of the day was the opening ceremony at the London Olympics. As always it was big and flashy with lots of volunteers. Parts of it were terrific, like the Olympic rings coming together over the top of the stadium. Other parts were way over the top, like James Bond and the Queen jumping out of a helicopter. Anyway the flame was lit, and now the athletes can take center stage.

The Olympics

The 2012 London Olympics start today. It's the third time that the city has hosted the games and every thing looks ready. There will be 10,490 athletes from 204 countries participating. The London Philharmonic recorded over 52 hours of national anthems to be used during the medal ceremonies. There will also be the largest McDonald's restaurant in the world in the Olympic Park. It seats 1500. That's a lot of Big Macs.

Taxes on the Rich

Republicans are adamant that the Bush tax cuts be extended indefinitely. Meanwhile the wealthy are doing their best to avoid paying any taxes. One of their favorite tricks is to put their money in overseas accounts. Switzerland used to be very popular, but with the court settlement in 2009, Swiss banks have been forced to disclose US clients to the IRS. Thus the rich have started moving their money to the Caribbean, Panama, and Singapore, but for some even that isn't enough. Last year 1788 Americans gave up their citizenship. These guys really don't want to pay taxes.

Penn State

Penn State University has just been hit by some severe penalties by the NCAA over the Sandusky sex abuse. They were fined $60 million and the football team was banned from bowl play for four years, must vacate all wins from 1998 to 2011, lost 10 athletic scholarships per year over the next four years, and was put on probation for five years. Plus anybody on the team could transfer to another school without sitting out a year. On top of all that, the university removed the statue of Joe Paterno outside the stadium. Football will never be the same there.

Sally Ride

Astronaut Sally Ride, the first US woman in space, died yesterday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. I don't know why pancreatic cancer is so deadly, but 75 per cent of patients die within the year. I had a good friend who caught it, and that's what happened to her, too. In any event Sally was a great inspiration to us all and especially to women.

British Open

Ernie Els won the British Open by one stroke over Adam Scott yesterday. Despite his weak putting, Ernie shot a 32 on the back nine, while Scott choked big time, bogeying his last four holes. Tiger Woods had a triple bogey on the front nine and never was a factor.

Movie Theater Massacre

Virtually the only story on the news is the shooting at a movie theater in a suburb of Denver. Twelve people are confirmed dead and the shooter has been taken into custody. This is such a tragedy that both the presidential candidates have suspended campaigning this weekend and have pulled their ads in Colorado. While I'm certainly sympathetic with all the family and friends of the victims, I also think that the TV stations have gone overboard in covering the story. It just gets tiresome listening to the same thing over and over again.

Nude Victory

An Oregon man who stripped nude at Portland's airport security to protest what he saw as invasive measures was found not guilty of indecent exposure. The judge ruled Wednesday that John Brennan's act was one of protest and therefore, protected speech. Plus the law says that naked people are only breaking the law if they're having sex in public or got undressed "with the intent of arousing the sexual desire" of another person, and he obviously was doing neither. Let's hear it for Portland which is the city with the World Naked Bike Ride

Military Suicides

The cover story in Time magazine this week was about suicides in the military and had some alarming statistics. Since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, more members in active service have committed suicide than were killed by the enemy, and there is on average one suicide per day. This needs to be fixed.

Heat Wave

This latest heat wave has been a scorcher and the lead story on the morning shows all week. The good news is that a cold front is moving through today and will break the heat. I can hardly wait. I've been sweating even sitting around nude. The weather, at least in the Northeast, should be delightful starting Thursday. Now we need some rain for all the drought stricken areas.

Real Hero

A New York City bus driver, Steven St. Bernard, saved a young girl's life yesterday when he caught the 7 year old after she fell from a third story window. She ended up with just some bumps and bruises and he got a torn tendon and the grateful thanks from her family.

Tour de France

Some idiot threw tacks and small nails onto the road yesterday, and at least 30 riders got tire punctures. Fortunately tour leader Bradley Wiggins was a better sportsman than the saboteur, and he slowed down the peloton to allow defending champion Cadel Evans and the rest of those affected to catch up.

Selling body parts

Although selling most body parts is illegal, some can be, like hair, plasma, and now bone marrow. Two others of interest are eggs and sperm. The former are in high demand at infertility clinics, and women can get up to $8000. Although U.S. sperm is also in high demand globally, guys normally get about $700 for a donation.

US Olympic Uniforms

Ralph Lauren's (an American company) uniforms for the opening ceremonies at the London Games were revealed this week to have been manufactured in China. Needless to say all the politicians went on TV to denounce them. Harry Reid said they should all be put in a big pile and burned. Of course the US government doesn't provide any funding for the Olympic team nor is this the first time they have worn clothing manufactured overseas (including 2008 and 2010). Ironically one solution to this problem (if you call it one), is to have the athletes march into the ceremonies nude. There would be no questions then about where their clothes were made and it would be more in keeping with the original spirit of the games.

Nude Olympics

As most of you know, the first Olympics was held in 776 BC, and all the athletes competed naked. The ancient Greeks had a great appreciation of the male body and considered physical fitness a tribute to the gods. In fact the word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnos" which means naked. Of course today's modern Olympics are not performed in the nude, but maybe one event should be. With all the controversy over the high tech swimsuits in recent years, having all those events held in the nude would certainly eliminate any questions about possible advantages. Just think about the increase in tv ratings, too!

Beach Time

We've had several very nice days in a row. It's been sunny and dry (low humidity). That's great beach weather and the tourists on Cape Cod should be in heaven. I've finally started going to the beach, too. My first day was last Friday. I used lots of sunscreen, but still got a little pink. Thus I took the weekend off and was back on Monday and Tuesday. It's amazing. My skin has gone from "fish belly white" to a nice tan (almost mid-season level) in just a few days. Soon I'll be worrying about my tan lines (and how to get rid of them). Life on the Cape is good.

The Today Show

I can't tell you how happy I am that Ann Curry left the Today Show and has been replaced by Savannah Guthrie. Ann was awful. She had been on the show forever and should have been a capable co-anchor, but she just couldn't do it. She never improved during her one year at the desk and the rated declined. I left for Good Morning America, but now I'm back.

Nude Recreation Week

Today is the start of Nude Recreation Week sponsored by AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation). The primary event this week will be the Amazing Canvas Nudist Face and Body Painting Event on Saturday. See http://www.aanr.com/nudist-face-and-body-painting-event for more information and club locations. Meanwhile get naked and beat the heat.

Wimbledon

The finals are all set. Serena Williams will play Agnieszka Radwanska for the womens title, and Roger Federer will play Andy Murray for the mens. They both should be good matches.

(7/8/12) No surprise that both Serena and Roger won. Although neither player was currently ranked #1, they've dominated tennis for years and when they play well, they win. In Federer's case in particular, it's as if a tear in the space time continuum has been repaired and world order restored.

Beer Champs

Believe it or not, the world leader in beer consumption is China. You might think it was Germany or Australia, but don't forget it's a big country. Anyway they drank 50 Billion liters of beer in 2011. That's a lot (twice as much as the U.S.).

Global Warming?

The 12-month period from May 2011 to April 2012 was the hottest recorded in U.S. history. Note that the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere also reached 391 parts per million, the highest in 800,000 years. Cause and effect? Could be. Meanwhile as of May 8, the Republican controlled House had passed 209 anti-environment bills, the most in US history. Maybe they don't understand science.

Fourth of July

Today we celebrate our nation's independence with parades and fireworks all across the country. It rained on our parade here, but very lightly and it held down the heat. Unfortunately it also held down the crowds, but the people who went enjoyed it. Many thanks to all those whose hard work made it happen.

Want a Job?

The Foxconn company, which makes iPads and iPhones for Apple in China, announced earlier this year that they would be adding 100,000 workers to their plant in Zhengzhou. The line of job applicants was a half a mile long even though the starting salaries were only $260 per month!

Wimbledon

We're half way through the tournament. Yesterday was the traditional middle Sunday day off, so everybody left got some extra rest. This week should be exciting, as most of the top seeds, except Nadal, are still around. The good news for tennis fans is that we get to do this all over again in a few weeks during the Olympics. They will also be played at Wimbledon and the players will have had more time to adjust their games to grass.

It's HOT

At least 25 states are expected to hit 100 degrees today. That's hot. Plus there was a major storm in the DC area that knocked over trees and downed power lines. They said that 2 million people are without power. Without any a/c or even a fan, those folks are really going to suffer today.

Anthony Davis

As expected he was the first player selected in the NBA draft last night. What was unexpected was that he trademarked the phrases "Fear The Brow" and "Raise the Brow". "I don’t want anyone to try to grow a unibrow because of me and then try to make money off of it,” Davis said. “Me and my family decided to trademark it because it’s very unique.” Amazing!

Affordable Health Care

The signature legislation of President Obama was upheld today by the US Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion. This was a huge victory for all Americans. Going back to the health care system that we had would have been ludicrous.

Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron died yesterday at 71 years old from Leukemia. She was an accomplished writer and director. Two of her films: "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Julie & Julia" are among my favorites. She will be missed.

Rain

We got a lot of rain on the Cape yesterday. Bands of heavy rain just kept rolling through all day and there was even some thunder and lightning at night. Of course Florida got even more with Debby barely moving. Some places have received over 2 feet already. That's more than some places out West get all year.

Girl Power

For the third time this year, following strong openings from "The Hunger Games" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," a movie with a tough female protagonist topped the box office in a major way. This weekend it was "Brave" with $66.7 million. Of note is that all thirteen Pixar films have opened number one, so that may have had a lot to do with it.

Bourne Friends Food Pantry

The Bourne Friends Food Pantry celebrated its 20th anniversary yesterday. There were light refreshments and lots of volunteers from years past as well as the current crew. Needless to say there were also lots of local politicians and certificates from both the US and Mass House were presented. It was a proud day for all involved.

NBA Champions

The Miami Heat won the NBA title last night. It was the first for LeBron James, who also was the MVP of the playoffs. It took him nine years. For Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, I don't think it will take that long.

Is the BCS Dead?

The BCS commissioners announced a consensus on a four team playoff to determine the national championship. We already have a two team playoff, so this isn't a big leap forward, but it is a step in the right direction. Plus there are lots of issues still to be resolved, especially "protecting" the bowl system. What a joke that is. There are too many bowl games already. Virtually any team with a winning record, even just 6-5, can go to one. Over 90% of them are meaningless, and many of the schools actually lose money going to them. So what's to protect? The money that the people who run them make!

The Heat is On

Scorching heat reaches the East coast today just in time for the start of Summer. Highs are expected in the mid 90's up and down the coast, and Thursday may be even hotter. Let's hope it stays cooler on the Cape.

Big News in Bourne

Hard to believe, but the biggest thing to happen in Bourne in a long time was the grand opening of a Market Basket grocery store today. People were lined up when it opened at 6 am. I got there around 8 am and the parking lot was full. All this excitement may seem strange, but the town of Bourne has been without any grocery stores since the Grand Union closed a few years ago. Plus it's a huge store with great selection and low prices.

US Open

Webb Simpson won the US Open golf tournament yesterday with a one over par 281. He was 6 shots back with 13 holes to play, but made 3 straight birdies and then parred in to win. He deserved to win and became the ninth straight first time winner of a major championship. The days of Tiger's dominance are obviously long gone.

Greek Elections

Huge election in Greece on Sunday will have a major impact on the world's economy. Will the new leaders drop out of the Euro zone or continue with the austerity plan? Will they be able to avoid default? Whatever they do, the world will be watching.

Allen Stanford

The former Texas tycoon was convicted of 13 counts of fraud and sentenced yesterday to 110 years in jail. He bilked his investors of $7 billion over 20 years running his ponzi scheme. Of course he claims that he didn't do anything wrong. I guess that he felt that he was entitled to their money for some reason. Well he penniless now and will spend the rest of his life in jail.

Allen Stanford

The former Texan tycoon was convicted on 13 counts of fraud yesterday and sentenced to 110 years in jail. He bilked $7 billion from his investors, but claims that he didn't do anything wrong. I guess that he just felt that he was entitled to their money and taking it wasn't a crime. Well he's penniless now and will live the rest of his life in jail.

Say It Ain't So, Lance

Lance Armstrong is facing doping allegations again. Although federal investigators in February closed a two-year investigation without bringing criminal charges, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has filed new doping charges. Armstrong insists that he's innocent and that he has passed more than 500 drug tests. Of course we've heard doping denials before from many athletes that turned out to be false, but I really hope that in this case Lance really is clean. We'll see.

Wildfires

All these wildfires out west are getting out of control. The giant one in New Mexico is still burning and the latest one in Colorado is only 10% contained, and the smoke is blanketing Denver 60 miles away. Meanwhile it's not even Summer yet, so the worst may be yet to come.

The Dingo Did It

An Australian corner officially ruled yesterday that a dingo killed the woman's baby in a case from 1980. On Aug. 17, 1980, Lindy Chamberlain and her now ex-husband took their three children camping to Uluru, then known as Ayers Rock, in the Australian desert. After Chamberlain put the newborn to sleep in a bassinet in the couple's tent, she returned to a nearby barbecue area with friends. Soon after, witnesses heard a "menacing growl" and a baby crying. The mother of three ran back to the tent, she says, and saw a dingo dragging her daughter away. The initial coroner's inquiry found that the Chamberlain family had no responsibility in Azaria's death; but for many, their story was just too unbelievable. In October of 1982, amid rumors the Chamberlains sacrificed their daughter in a religious ceremony, the case was re-opened; and Lindy was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. It wasn't until four years later, when a child's jacket was found in a dingo den, that Chamberlain was re-tried and acquitted.

French Open

History was made this weekend at the French Open. Maria Sharapova won the women's title to complete her career grand slam, and Rafael Nadal won his seventh title. The first man ever to do that.

No Triple Crown

There will be no Triple Crown winner again this year. I'll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont Stakes yesterday because he had swelling in his left front leg. Actually he was retired. He won't race again. The injury doesn't sound that serious, and my guess is that he could return to racing, but the owners don't want to jeopardize his stud fees. It's always about the money.

Bear on the Cape

The black bear that has been the hot topic on the Cape made the national news this morning. It made "Good Morning America". Meanwhile nobody really know how it got here. Did it really swim across the canal? Anyway it has made it all the way from the bridge to Provincetown and officials hope to tranquillize it today and remove it.

Texting While Driving

An 18-year-old Massachusetts man will spend a year in prison for killing a father of three in a car accident that occurred because he was texting behind the wheel. He is the first driver in the state to get prison time for killing someone while texting and driving. His car drifted across the center line and plowed into an oncoming car killing its driver. The judge said the harsh sentence was meant to send a message about the dangers of texting while driving. Let's hope drivers everywhere get it.

Wisconsin Recall Vote

Governor Scott Walker survived a recall vote yesterday. He famously stripped public employee unions of the right to bargain, causing massive protests and a take over of the state capitol. Thus he went from a rookie governor to a star in the Tea Party, and he had money pouring into his campaign from all over the country. Now let's see what happens in November in the presidential election.

Diamond Jubilee

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in now in it's fourth and final day. It's been quite a celebration with millions of people lining the river banks and streets to watch the activities. Since this is only the second time it's happened in a thousand years, it's a big deal. Even the US TV networks are broadcasting some of it live.

Best Golf Shot Ever?

Tiger Woods birdied the 16th hole at the Jack Nicklaus Memorial golf tournament with a shot that Jack himself rated as on of the all time best. The ball was in the rough and the green was hard and fast, sloping downhill with water just past the green. He was one shot behind at the time, and if he doesn't get it close, the odds are that he'll lose. It was a very difficult shot, and the commentators thought that it would take an incredible shot just to get within 6 feet. Well the Tiger of old showed up and made it. He also birdied the 18th hole to win by two. Now let's see how he does at the US Open in two weeks. Tiger's not back until he wins a major.

Volunteer Appreciation

The only way most of our social programs, which help the needy and the elderly, can function is with the help of volunteers. Yesterday I went to a volunteers appreciation event. There was a free continental breakfast and a lot of the local politicians. The highlight for me was when John Rando, a fellow volunteer at the food pantry, received his "Above and Beyond Award" for working there since its inception 20 years ago. He's 89 years old and still shows up every Thursday. He gets my hardiest congratulations.

John Edwards

John Edwards was found not guilty yesterday on one count of violating campaign finance laws and a mistrial was declared in the other five. Since the majority of the jury also voted not guilty in those, it seems unlikely that the prosecutor will retry the case. Thus he should be free. Quite frankly I thought that the whole thing was a waste of time and taxpayer money. The guy they should have gone after was Andrew Young. He's the guy who solicited the money and actually kept most of it for himself to build a house.

National Spelling Bee

Lori Anne Madison, a six year old from Lake Ridge, VA, became the youngest competitor ever in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She made it through the first round, but was eliminated in the second with the word "ingluvies" meaning the crop of a bird or insect. She didn't seem to be too disappointed and said that she still had plenty of years left to win.

Charles Taylor

The former president of Liberia and powerful warlord was sentenced to 50 years in jail by the international court yesterday for his role in the atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. He had been found guilty in late April of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his part in the mass brutality that included murder, rape, the use of child soldiers, the mutilation of thousands of civilians, and the mining of diamonds to pay for guns and ammunition. If there was anybody who deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail, it's this guy.

French Open

With no resolution to the European debt crisis and the situation in Syria getting worse by the day, it's hard to know what you can count on. Well there is one thing, Nadal at the French Open. He started the quest for his seventh title today with an easy win. I always thought that Borg was the best to ever play on clay, but it's really hard to argue against this guy.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge just celebrated it's 75th anniversary. While it might seem silly to have a birthday party for a bridge, this one is special. It's an iconic structure that's a symbol of San Francisco. Plus it was quite an engineering feat at the time.

SpaceX

The SpaceX unmanned capsule successfully docked with the space station yesterday. That's a first for a private company. I do wonder, however, how much it cost to use them instead of the old space shuttle. Did we actually save money and was there any new technology that made a difference? I guess we'll find out.

Etan Patz

After 33 years the NY police have arrested somebody for his disappearance. I hope this means that the case really is closed, but the FBI just finished digging up a basement and getting nothing and somebody else, already in jail, also confessed. Thus we don't really know if this is the guy. There is no evidence, only his confession.

More Nukes in the News

Yesterday a US nuclear submarine caught fire while undergoing maintenance. It took firemen from 5 states hours to put it out. They said that the reactor was not on and undamaged. Thus we avoided a nuclear disaster, but this is pretty scary stuff.

Iran's Nuclear Program

Iran is meeting with six world powers in Baghdad about their nuclear program. We've been down this road several times before and nothing ever changes. They say this time might be different. I guess that will depend on how effective the sanctions have been and whether or not the world community presents a united front. We'll see.

DWTS Finals

It came as no surprise that all the dances last night were good and the scores very close. The worst that any couple got was 59 out of 60. The second half of the finale will be tonight. It should be exciting.

Mark Zuckerberg

Big week for the young CEO of Facebook. On Thursday he became an instant billionaire when his company went public and on Saturday he got married to his long time girl friend. He should be happy.,

Facebook IPO

Facebook became a public company yesterday when it's shares started trading on the NASDAQ exchange. Unfortunately for some it didn't live up to the hype. It basically "flat lined" rising only from $38 per share to $38.23. The bigger question however is whether or not the company can continue to grow and increase profits without alienating its users with excessive ads

Donna Summer

Donna Summer died yesterday of cancer at the age of 63. She was the Queen of Disco, a title that she richly deserved. Most dance music from the disco era was techno pop. It was made more by computers than musicians and frequently had  very little singing, but not hers. You listened to her voice and even learned the words. That's why her career continued long after the disco craze ended.

Good Story

There was a good story for a change this morning. A guy in Kentucky was shopping at the local K-Mart, which was going out of business. He's a successful businessman now, but he grew up poor in the same town. Thus he decided to buy everything left in the entire store and give it all away to charity. It took 4 cashiers 7 hours to check him out, and it cost $20,000. Then he had to rent a warehouse to hold all of it until the local charities can distribute it.

Town Elections

Our annual town elections are today. We'll vote on seats on the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, etc. Outside of my small town, nobody cares, and for that matter a lot of the residents don't care either. When you live in a democracy, however, it's your duty (and privilege) to vote, and I'll be headed to the polls in a few minutes.

Mother's Day

I hope that all the mothers out there, especially mine, had a wonderful day. You certainly deserve it for all the hard work that you do. The weather in the Northeast was terrific, so that should have helped make it a special day.

J.P. Morgan Chase

Will the outrage ever stop? The company just lost $2 Billion in trades last quarter taking the same risks with the same type of securities that caused the financial meltdown (and public bailout) in 2008. Meanwhile the CEO, who makes $23 Million per year, has been the most vocal of all the bankers arguing against any more regulation of risk. No wonder Occupy Wall Street had so many followers.

They're Safe

Great news this morning that the two missing girls kidnapped from Tennessee were found safe in Mississippi. They lost their Mom and sister to this murdering bastard, but he's dead now and they are alive. It doesn't usually end that well.

Same Sex Marriage

I was very pleased to see President Obama speak out supporting same sex marriage. He sounded like the "adult in the room" to me. There should be no reason why a homosexual couple shouldn't have the same legal rights as a heterosexual one. Interesting that he also did not criticize the vote in N.C. on Tuesday.

N.C. Bans Gay Marriage

The religious right won yesterday in passing an amendment to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. No surprise there as it's a conservatve state full of close minded bigots and hypocrites, but it's still very disappointing.

Underwear Bomb

I can't believe that al Qaeda tried this again. The first time was a dud and the guy ended up with burnt balls. This "new and improved" version never even got to the airport. Good job on the part of the intelligence folks.

French and Greek Elections

The election results from this weekend are causing a huge drop in the stock markets around the world. It's clear that the people of both countries don't want austerity measures, but that raises major concerns about the European debt crisis again, and the markets don't like uncertainty. The good news is that the price of crude oil is dropping because the economic recovery is also uncertain.

Kentucky Derby

Today is the 138th "Run for the Roses". It will be quite a scene with all the colorful outfits, mint juleps, and extra large hats on the ladies. Oh, there will be a horse race, too.

Tanning Nut

A New Jersey woman has been accused of taking her 5 year old daughter into a tanning booth. Whether she did or not will be up to the courts to decide. What I do know is that she has gone way over the top in getting  herself tanned. One report said that she goes to the tanning salon 20 times a month and her photos are hard to believe. If there really is such a thing as tanorexic, she is.

Junior Seau

Shocking news that Junior Seau apparently shot himself and died yesterday. This guy was one of the greatest linebackers of all time. He was all pro 12 years in a row. Absolutely nobody was better than he was. He was a warrior on the field and would do anything to stop the ball carrier. He was also a great guy off the field beloved by his team mates and the fans. What a pity that he died so young.

Rain

We got some much needed rain yesterday. We were well below our normal rainfall and really need it this time of year for all the plants and trees that are coming back to life. Plus the grass is green and growing again, so it needs the water, too. Let's hope that we get more.

An Outrage

I just read a story yesterday about a woman, Sara Barnes, who burned down a 3500 year old bald cypress tree while smoking meth inside its hollow. The tree was known as "The Senator" and believed to be one of the 10 oldest trees in the world. It was in Florida's Big Tree Park. She took cell phone pictures of the fire and bragged about it to friends. Reportedly she told them, "I can't believe I burned down a tree older then Jesus."

Freedom Tower

The new Freedom Tower on the World Trade Center site will pass the Empire State building today as the tallest building in New York. When completed it will be 1776 feet and the tallest in the USA.

Bill "Moose" Skowron

Moose was an 8 time all star and a key player for the Yankees during the 50's and early 60's. He died yesterday at 81 years old. He was one of my favorite players when I was a kid growing up in the NYC area. In fact I got him to autograph a baseball bat for me. I still have it.

NFL Draft

Big news in sports yesterday with the start of the NFL draft. To no one's surprise the Colts selected Andrew Luck of Standford as the number one pick. He's got a tough job ahead of him trying to replace future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, but he should do well. He had a terrific college career.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins season ended last night with a 2-1 OT loss to the Washington Capitals. It was a very close series with all seven games decided by only one point. Anyway it was very disappointing to go from the Stanley Cup winner last year to a first round loser.

Metta World Peace

I find it amazing that a guy, who (as Ron Artest) charged into the stands to fight some fans in perhaps the worst moment ever for the NBA, would change his name to this. It certainly didn't change him much as he was just suspended for 7 games for elbowing another player in the head. This guy is a train wreck. He's a lousy dancer, too.

Rio

There is starting to be a lot of talk, especially on NBC, about the Olympic games this summer in London. I'm sure that they will be great, but what I'm really waiting for are the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They should be spectacular. London has loads of history, double decker buses, and bad food. Rio has great weather, beautiful beaches, and tiny bikinis. That's an easy choice.

Crazy Weather

It's the end of April and yet western PA and NY are getting a big snow storm. It was all rain on the Cape, but we did get some high winds, too. Actually we needed the rain, so it was welcomed.

Gas Prices

Believe it or not, but gas prices have actually gone down just a bit. In fact the average price now is almost exactly the same as it was a year ago, and there is talk that they might have peaked for the year. That would be good for everybody's pocket book and certainly the economy, but I doubt it. I still think that we'll hit $4/gal easily.

Fenway Park

Fenway Park is 100 years old today. Needless to say it's the cause of a huge celebration in Boston. All the local tv stations were broadcasting live from there starting at 4:30 am this morning. Quite frankly I like Wrigley Field in Chicago better.

Dick Clark

Tributes are pouring in for another American idol, who passed away yesterday. Dick Clark was the "worlds oldest teenager" and beloved by 6 generations of Americans. He shaped the music business and gave starts to many of the biggest stars.

Fishing

As I understand it, the rule of thumb is that strippers return when we get yellow outside. That is to say daffodils, forsythia, and dandelions bloom. Well I don't know if the fish are back or not, but I've certainly got lots of weeds in my lawn.

Tax Day

Today is the final day to file your income tax return. I've already e-filed mine, but need to mail in my check for the balance due. I haven't gotten a refund in a long time.

Boston Marathon

Today is Patriot's Day and the running of the Boston Marathon, which is probably the most famous race in the world. Unfortunately it's going to be hot. They are expecting record high temperatures. That's very dangerous for the runners. I'm sure that they will slow down and drink lots of water, but I suspect many will end up with an IV in their arm to rehydrate them.

Laphroaig

Last night I opened up a bottle of Laphroaig single malt scotch whisky. It's great stuff: full bodied with a strong smoke and peat taste. Today I registered at their web site and now own (actually lifetime lease) one square foot of land on Islay alongside the Killbride stream. That's cool.

North Korea Missile Launch

North Korea launched a missile yesterday or at least they tried. It only lasted 81 seconds before it blew up. I think it's safe to call it a "dud". Maybe if they fed their scientists, they might do better. It's hard to concentrate when your stomach is growling.

It's Over

With Rick Santorum officially dropping out of the Republican primary, Mitt Romney now becomes the nominee. Neither Paul nor Gingrich have enough delegates to possibly win.

Wild Fires

The dry conditions and high winds have red flags flying up and down the east coast. There are even some wild fires burning in the NYC metro area. That's virtually unheard of, especially this time of the year. It's been a very unusual weather year so far.

Mike Wallace

Tributes are pouring in for one of greatest TV interviews ever.  He was "tough but fair" with an emphasis on tough.

Masters Golf Tournament

After two rounds the leader board at Augusta is packed with the top pros and even the old favorite, Fred Couples. He loves that course. Noticeably absent is Tiger Woods. He's way back and not playing well. It should be an exciting weekend. It's certainly nice to be talking about golf and not about female membership in the club.

Cheating Death

A New Jersey roofer is lucky to be alive today. While working on a roof his nail gun jammed. He's cleared jams hundreds of time, but this time he had the gun pointed at his chest, and it fired a 3 inch nail into his heart! How his guy survived is a miracle.

Vodka

I have found what I consider to be an amazing buy in vodka. The local liquor store carries Ruskova. It is produced and bottled in Russia and distilled six times. It tastes great and is very smooth. Today I bought two 1.75 liter bottles for only $13.99 each. That's a great deal.

Dallas Tornadoes

The Dallas area got hit by a number of tornadoes yesterday. These were very powerful storms. The videos showed track trailers being tossed around like toys. Fortunately no one was killed.

Kentucky Losers

Kentucky won the men's NCAA basketball title Monday night, but the university was the big loser because their "fans" rioted in the street for the second time in three days. Meanwhile the Kansas supporters showed their class by being gracious in defeat.

Lottery Winners

The winning tickets were apparently sold in Maryland, Kansas, and Illinois. Needless to say the winners haven't come forward yet. They might be too busy buying a new car, or they might not even know yet. Who knows? I just know that they are really rich now and I'm stuck writing this silly blog. I bought 5 tickets and only got one number.

Mega Millions

It's hard to ignore a lottery for $540 Million. That's a LOT of money, except for hedge fund managers on Wall St. Of course the odds of winning are only 1:176,000,000, but there will be lines out the doors of people buying tickets.

LA Dodgers

The Dodgers were just sold to a group headed by Magic Johnson for $2 Billion. That's an awful lot of money for a franchise that has been struggling both on and off the field. Let's hope that the new management team can turn things around.

Busy Day

There was lots in the news today. The Supreme court had its second day of hearings on the health care reform law. Newt Gingrich fired his campaign manager and cut way back on the rest of his staff. The captain of a Jet Blue flight snapped and had to be locked out of the cockpit and subdued by some of the passengers. Plus Martina Navratilova was the first one eliminated from Dancing with the Stars.

George Zimmerman

New facts are emerging in the Tayvor Martin case. The neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who shot him apparently was attacked by him first. He had a broken nose and an injury to the back of his head after Tayvor knocked him down and slammed his head into the brick sidewalk. Taylor had also been suspended from school for 10 days on a marijuana charge. It certainly puts this case into a new light.

Tiger's Back

Tiger Woods has gone from improving to contender to winner and now has to be one of the favorites to win the Masters in two weeks. He looked very good winning this past weekend.

Yard Work

With the mild winter the Spring clean up in the yard is earlier this year. I've already been out raking leaves and pine needles from the gardens and was out again yesterday afternoon. It's slow work because you have to get the leaves out of the bushes by hand some times. I've still got a lot to do and soon I'll have to put down some mulch. The good news is that it's all worth it.

Trayvon Martin

The controversy over the shooting of a black teenager in Sanford, FL keeps growing. There was a huge rally in the park and the local police chief stepped down temporarily. There are more calls for even more investigations. It's a mess, especially with the Florida law of "stand your ground" and no statements from the shooter, who is in hiding.

Mitt Romney

With Romney's big win in Illinois yesterday, did anything really change in the Republican primary race? The math is certainly in his favor, but has he captured the party's favor? Will Newt drop out after finishing last? My guess is that they will all continue to slug it out.

Peyton Manning

With Manning signing to play for the Denver Broncos, does that mean "Tebow time" is over? We'll see.

Crazy Weather

The weather was a mess this weekend. There was snow in Arizona and it was 80 degrees in Chicago. I bet that has never happened before. Plus today it will be 20 degrees warmer in Minneapolis than Los Angeles. Can you believe that?

Real Madness

Now we're talking. There were two BIG upsets last night. The number 15 seed beat the second seeded team in both the regionals. Norfolk St. eliminated Missouri and Lehigh took out Duke. That's great stuff.

March Madness

The NCAA Men's basketball tournament just started, so March Madness is on its way. All the brackets are filled out, and everybody is looking for the big upsets. The first one happened last night when VCU beat Wichita State. You never know what will happen, and that's what makes the tournament so exciting. Too bad football doesn't have one.

Happy Birthday

I was going to comment about the S&P 500 closing over 1400, but that's not all that big a deal. Thus I want to mention that I missed the 100th birthday of the Oreo cookie on March 6th. That's a big deal. They sell 95 million very day, and who knows how much milk to wash them down.

Goldman Sachs

In an op ed in the the NY Times, Greg Smith wrote a public resignation letter and slammed the company for its toxic culture and lack of moral fiber. Needless to say Goldman Sachs has been criticized ever since the financial meltdown, which they helped cause. This is the first time however that an insider has done it, so Wall St is buzzing. Of course what they ought to be doing is apologizing and putting their clients needs ahead of their own greed.

Record Highs

All around the country there were record high temps yesterday. Boston and NYC were both over 70 degrees, which is unheard of in early March. Is this proof of global warming or just a change in the jet stream? All I know for sure is that we never reached 60 degrees on the Cape. The ocean waters are just too cold.

Should we stay or should we go?

With the killing of 16 villagers by a US soldier, there is renewed debate on whether we should pull out now. Out relationship with Afghanistan is strained at best and the war is costing us $10 Billion per month. Is it worth it? That's a tough decision. Let's see if Washington can answer it.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry has always been the royal getting into trouble for things like partying too much, but he's "rewriting the rule book" on his trip to Latin America representing the Queen. Just like his mother, Princess Diana, he showing that breaking (or bending) traditions can be a good thing.

What will Peyton do?

Since the Colts released Peyton Manning, he is now a free agent and can play anywhere. Rumor has it that up to 12 teams are interested in signing him. Considering his age and neck injury last year, that's a big risk, but the payoff could be huge. He's been one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL his entire career and will be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt.

Nothing's new

As I predicted, nothing changed after Super Tuesday. Romney did well, but all four candidates will continue. Meanwhile Syria is still a mess. Bashar al-Assad continues to slaughter his people and nobody in the Arab world is willing to step up and try to stop him. Nothing new there.

Nothing New

I was right about "Super Tuesday". Romney did well, but all four candidates will continue. There's nothing surprising about that. Syria is still a mess. Bash al-Assad continues to slaughter his own people and nobody in the Arab league will step up to stop him. As I said, nothing's new.

Winter Over?

One of the weather forecasters on tv this morning said "Winter is over. Put away your snow shovels." I realize that it's predicted to be warm today and tomorrow, but his statement seems a bit premature to me. We frequently get snow in March, and today is only the 7th. Plus there is the "payback" factor. What will Mother Nature do to us to make up for such a mild winter?

Super Tuesday

Today is a big day in the Republican primary race. Ten states are up for grabs. My guess is that nothing earth shattering will happen. Romney will do well, but not well enough to knock anybody out of the race.

New Number 1 in Golf

Rory McIlroy took over the top spot yesterday with his victory in the Honda Classic. He's the second youngest ever. (Of course that person was Tiger Woods.) Back on December 5 I speculated that Tiger might finally be back. Well he shot a 62 yesterday to finish second, so his game seems to much better. It could make for an interesting Masters next month.

March Weather

March is supposed to come in like a lion, but yesterday's weather was ridiculous. The middle of the country got hit by almost 100 tornadoes and dozens of people died. The combination of the jet stream, warm moist air from the Gulf, and a strong front proved deadly. Plus some of the spots were still recovering from tornadoes less than a year ago.

Up to 8 and counting

Maryland is now the eighth state to legalize same sex marriage. Needless to say opponents are trying to get a referendum on the ballot in an attempt to repeal it. Don't these people get it? It's over and they lost. In the USA everybody is guaranteed equal civil rights.

Davy Jones

Davy Jones of the Monkees just died of a heart attack at the age of 66. Since they were a "made up" band and starred in a silly sitcom TV show, it was hard to take them too seriously as a band. Their show however was really funny and their music upbeat and very popular. In 1967 they sold more albums than the Beatles and the Stones combined. That's impressive, and Davy's passing will leave legions of fans in grief.

Dancing with the Stars

More big news in the entertainment world, they just announced the cast for the upcoming season of DTWS. No politicos nor reality tv stars this time, but the usual assortment of washed up actors, minor tv personalities and a couple of athletes. I'm a big fan of Martina and looking forward to seeing her, but I'm not sure if she's much of a dancer. We'll see.

Costa Cruise LIne

Another Costa ship had problems yesterday. There was a fire in the engine room, so they lost all power and electricity. The ship was adrift and the passengers had to sleep outside on the deck. It's now be towed to the nearest port that can handle a ship of its size. This is the second major disaster for the company in six weeks. My guess is that the company is now a wreck, too.

Academy Awards

The big story this morning in entertainment news was "The Artist" winning five Oscars including best picture and best actor. Who would have guessed that a black and white silent film could win? Nobody has even made one in 70 years. I was also happy to see Meryl Streep win. I know that it seems like she gets nominated almost every year, but she hasn't won in a long time. Finally it was good to see Octavia Spenser in "The Help" win best supporting actress.

Koran

There were more riots in the street of Afghanistan over the disposal of some Korans. It's a little hard to believe that they would be so upset over a book. Christians would get upset over the burning of bibles, but I don't think that they would start shooting people. I guess that it just means a lot more to Muslims.

Fixed

Finally, finally I got this blog fixed. I spent all morning (again) struggling with it, but was able eventually to get it back working again. Let's hope that it stays that way for awhile. I know that all my readers out there missed me. :-)

Stock Market

The DJIA opened above 13,000 this morning. The big question was whether it would close above 13,000 and continue to rise. The answer was no, but we'll see what  happens.

Blogger Problems

Sorry that I haven't posted anything lately, but the web site has basically been broken and today was my first opportunity. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Jeremy Lin

I try not to post about sports too often, but the "Linsanity" going on in the NBA can't be ignored. This is a story that even Hollywood wouldn't believe. Here's a guy who was basically unemployed and is now the hottest player in the league. The Knicks are on a roll and everybody in NYC is going crazy. Not sure how much longer it can last, but who knows?

Capitol Hill Bomber

The FBI arrested a suicide bomber who was planning to blow up the US Capitol. He was a terrorist who thought that he was working with al Qaeda. My guess is that he will be in jail for a long time and deserves to be. When you think about it, however, it's ironic that with a dysfunctional Congress, a lot of people will talk about blowing it up and starting over.

Thanks

Not much going on in the news, so I thought that I'd take time out to thank some of my friends for visiting my web site. Very few people knew about nor read my blog, so I "announced" it in an e-mail that I sent out. I got a nice increase in page views. It only lasted one day, but at least now I know that my friends were willing to spend the time to take a peek, and I appreciated that.

Top Dog?

Last night Malachy, a 4 year old Pekingese, won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. That's big news for all the dog lovers in America. It was even on the Today Show this morning. I wish however that they had chosen a "real" dog. This thing looked like a cheap toupee, not a dog.

Gay Marriage

With the signing by the governor of Washington yesterday, there are now seven states that allow same sex marriages. Coupled with the recent striking down of the gay marriage ban (Prop 8) in California by the federal appeals court and the NJ Senate passing a bill legalizing same sex marriage, it looks like the momentum is gaining.

Whitney Houston

What a shocking story. Here was a woman with extraordinary talent and beauty. She was "THE Voice" and extremely popular. She also was addicted to alcohol and drugs, who had to go through rehab three times, and is now dead at only 48 years old. This was a true tragedy.

GOP Primary

Here's a great quote about the Republican primary: "The greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been." - Fidel Castro. I think he nailed it.

Winter is Back

We've had a very mild winter so far, but this weekend will be a different story. It's expected to snow all day Saturday and be frigid on Sunday. It looks like a good time for a fire in the fireplace.

The Race is On

With Rick Santorum's victories on Tuesday, the race is definitely wide open. Romney's momentum is dead. We'll see what happens on "Super Tuesday" and if that clears up the picture. For now it appears that Republicans still don't like any of the candidates very much.

Horrific News

You might think that I'm talking about the Patriot's loss in the Super Bowl yesterday, but that was just a game. The really disturbing news was out in Washington where Josh Powell burned down his house with himself and his two young boys inside in a murder-suicide. He was the only "person of interest" in his wife's disappearance two years ago and had lost custody of his sons to her parents. The social worker had just dropped them off for a visit, when he shut the door in her face and torched the place. To kill his own sons like that is hard to believe. This guy was sick, twisted, and definitely evil.

YouTube

We've all seen videos on You Tube and know that there are millions of them. Well I just read an article about the site and it's much bigger than I imagined. Every minute 60 hours of video are uploaded. That's five months of video every hour or 10 years worth every day, which works out to be more video every month than has been broadcast by the three major networks in the past 60 years! That's a staggering amount as is their over 4 Billion page views a day.

Snow

While we have had very little snow in the Northeast, Denver was actually above average and is currently bracing for a monster storm. It could be the biggest snow storm they have ever had. That's saying something as they get a lot of snow. It's supposed to last through Saturday, so we'll have to wait to see if they set any records.

Trump Endorsement

Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president today in Nevada. Does anybody care? Will it make any difference? I doubt it.

New Baby Boom?

Pfizer announced a recall of one million birth control packets. The active and inactive pills were mislabeled and mixed up. Thus they would not have been effective in preventing pregnancy. Let's check back in nine months.

Taxes

Today was the first day of tax season for us. It did not go smoothly, but we muddled through and hope that the IRS and our tax software program get their act together soon.

Men's Tennis

Novak Djokovic showed yesterday that he is still number one. He beat Nadal in the longest grand slam final ever played. It was almost 6 hours. It was his third major victory in a row and all were against Rafa. That's pretty impressive as Nadal has a will to win that keeps him fighting for every point.

Women's Tennis

There is a new number one women's tennis player today. Victoria Azarenka clobbered Maria Sharapova in the finals at the Australian Open to take the title and the top spot. The match only lasted 1 hour and 22 minutes, and Azarenka won 12 of the last 13 games.

Republican Race

I hate to keep posting about the Republican race for the nomination, but that's the big news story. (It also beats talking about Demi Moore's hospitalization.) In any event Mitt Romney went on the attack in last night's debate. No more mister nice guy for him. Plus Bob Dole, a former presidential candidate, absolutely slammed Newt in an open letter. He said that "it is now time to take a stand before it is too late" and "'Hardly anyone who served with Newt in Congress has endorsed him and that fact speaks for itself." Tough words, now let's see if they make a difference on Tuesday when Floridians go to the polls.

Gabby Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords officially resigned from Congress yesterday to focus on her recovery. There wasn't a dry eye in the House as her resignation was read, and in a rare show of unity, her border security bill was passed unanimously.

Oscar Nominations

I used to be a movie junkie. I went all the time, but not any more. There are no theaters in my town, and the prices have gotten too high. I do follow them, however, so the announcements yesterday were still big news to me. No surprise to see Meryl Streep nominated again. She's clearly the greatest actress of her generation.

Tax Returns

Mitt Romney finally released his tax returns and they showed that he made over $41M in 2010 and 2011 and paid over $6M in tax. That's about 14%. Considering that it's primarily from dividends and capital gains, that's reasonable, as they are capped at 15%. Not a bad deal, but also the reason why the tax code was attacked by Warren Buffet.

News Stories

There were lots of big news stories this weekend. Newt Gingrich won the SC primary. There were tornadoes in the South. The Patriots and the Giants won their conference titles and will play in the Super Bowl. Maybe the most significant one, however, was the passing of Joe Paterno, the legendary football coach at Penn State. He was one of the greats.

The Weather

Winter weather is usually a topic of much debate around here with all the bad storms that we get. This year however has been virtually snowless, so there hasn't been much to talk about. Thus today's snow is relatively big news. It started about 7:30 am and should last all day. Nobody likes shoveling the stuff, but it will be nice to have it look like winter for awhile.

South Carolina Primary

Yesterday was a wild one in Republican politics. Rick Santorum was declared the official winner of the Iowa caucus by 34 votes. Rick Perry dropped out of the race (no great loss there), and they had a heated debate. The picture has certainly changed dramatically in the last few days. It looked like Romney might win 3 in a row, and now he might be 1-2. Anyway the voters will decide tomorrow.

Australian Open

Most of the tennis professionals really enjoy playing here. The fans are friendly and the atmosphere is more relaxed than the other majors. One player however was definitely not happy yesterday. Marcos Baghdatis was losing his match when he sat down during one of the crossovers. At which time he took his racket and smashed it to the ground until it was in pieces. Usually one hit to the ground is sufficient, but he didn't stop. In fact he didn't stop at one racket. He took another one out of his bag and smashed that one to the ground. I've never seen that before, but he still wasn't done. He did it again and again for a total of four rackets obliterated. Talk about a sore loser. It wasn't the racket's fault that he got beat.

Laptop Memory

You learn new things every day and yesterday I learned how to replace the memory in the laptop I use to do taxes. It runs a little slow and I thought maybe more RAM would speed it up. I already knew how to replace memory in desktops, but not laptops. Well YouTube had two videos showing how to get access. I even tried it, and it was actually pretty easy once I knew how.

Back to Politics

The Republicans had another debate in South Carolina, and all the candidates took potshots at Mitt Romney. No big surprise there. He's the front runner and has a big lead. Thus he should win easily, but he still doesn't have a very strong following. He's ahead primarily because there isn't a viable alternative. All the remaining conservatives have major flaws and are splitting the vote.

New York Giants

I hate to post about football two days in a row, but the Giants beating the Packers yesterday was huge. The Packers had only lost one game this year and were playing at home. The win was similar to their victory over the Patriots a few years ago in the Super Bowl. You've got to give the Giants a lot of credit.

New England Patriots

All the football fans in Boston are very happy this morning because the Pats clobbered the Denver Broncos last night. No miracles from Tim Tebow. It was all about Tom Brady. He was great and the team looked terrific.