Monday's news

On Monday's mighty Scott Chicken show (Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200) it's all about the boobies. Well, the first story anyway...

In Lynnwood if you heard that a woman had $26,000 in her bra you'd assume she'd had an expensive round of plastic surgery. In Spokane she's just a thief.

A fraud bust, indeed: Spokane County sheriff's deputies say a woman was hiding nearly $26,000 in her bra when she was booked into jail for investigation of theft.

Guy sells his blood to be able to afford his Packers season tickets. Then it turns out that had he not donated all that blood he might have died from a blood disease. Naturally, the team is sending him to the Packers hall of fame!

To afford his season tickets without taking money from his family, he began selling his blood for $15 per pint. His doctor later found that Becker's father died at age 43 of a condition in which the blood retains too much iron. The only treatment is to remove the iron by giving blood. By that time Becker had sold 145 pints to pay for his season tickets. He said if he hadn't, he too may have died young.

Insert inappropriate Airplane or Mission Impossible reference here. The great Peter Graves is gone.

Actor Peter Graves, best known for his starring role on TV's "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday. He was 83. While the cause of the actor's death was not immediately known, he apparently suffered a heart attack, his publicist said.

In a bow to the old Dead Milkmen song Stuart, Kennewick is installing artificial burrows for burrowing owls.

From the article:Volunteers and biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been installing artificial burrows to encourage the small owls to nest. The burrows are made of plastic barrels, pipe and a bucket.

From the song:
Anyway, 10:30, the other night, I go out in my yard, and there's
the Wurster kid, looking up in the tree. I say, "What are
you looking for?" He says "I'm looking for my burrow owl."
I say, "Jumping Jesus on a Pogo Stick. Everybody knows
the burrow owl lives. In a hole. In the ground. Why the hell do you
think they call it a burrow owl, anyway?"

In non-music news, people love that 3D Johnny Depp!

Alice is still ruling the movie palace. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" easily remained the No. 1 weekend draw with $62 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Disney fantasy has climbed to a $208.6 million total domestically, becoming the first $200 million hit released this year.

Ok, remind me not to stand behind Mrs. Chicken when she's backing up, just on the off chance she's really trying to bump me off.

Sandy Telford ran over her husband, Terry, as she backed down the driveway of their rural property in the Hawke's Bay region, 350 kilometers (220 miles) north-east of Wellington, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.

Sunday marks the first Scott Chicken show of Daylight Saving time 2010!

Not that it's anything momentous...although thanks to the time change I'm getting an hour less sleep than usual. In any case, I'm going to talk about this crap on the radio (Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200) this morning:

Back in 1993, 2 days before I married Mrs. Chicken, we went to dinner with the wedding party at the Red Robbin on Seattle's waterfront. I parked under the always lovely Alaska Way Viaduct. And some jackass broke in to my car (an easily-broken-into 1970 VW Microbus) and stole several wedding presents and my tux. So I can feel her pain, even though the cops never found the tux or presents.

Delaware state police said someone broke into a car and stole a bridesmaid's dress just hours before a wedding on Friday at a shopping center in Pike Creek.

OK, losing a dress or a tux is bad. But what about a dead body?

A police tow truck removed a minivan parked outside a New York City funeral home, giving its dearly departed passenger an unexpected side trip. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said there was "nothing to indicate it was more than just an illegally parked car." Redden's Funeral Home director Paul DeNigris said a windshield placard had fallen flat. The van's tinted windows helped obscure the white cardboard box that held the remains.

Further proof that people of all ages enjoy getting stoned, even in the back of police cars.

Police said they observed Switzer (age 77) making an illegal left turn on Jan. 31 and arrested him for driving with a revoked license. They say that while Switzer was in the back of the squad car, he reached into a coat pocket, pulled out a plastic tube containing marijuana and swallowed most of the contents. They said he also dropped the tube and a glass marijuana pipe on the floor of the car.

I suppose we should be grateful that the guys making these bills aren't very good at it...

The counterfeit money was made by bleaching $5 bills and printing $100 on the bleached paper. A weak image of Abraham Lincoln can been seen on a fake $100 that covered only half the sheet. A $100 bill had Ben Franklin on both sides.

Saturday Morning Chicken Feed

It's Saturday morning...what better way to spend it than with some music and me talking about this crap? Talking where, you ask? Why, on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200!

I always thought the whole "nurse gives you a happy ending to the sponge bath" thing was just a cheap bit in pr0n. Apparently not so in Holland.

The young woman witnessed some of the man's other nurses offering him sexual gratification, the union said. When she refused to do the same, he tried to dismiss her on the grounds that she was unfit to provide care.

And speaking of romance, maybe the whole "climb up to the balcony" thing isn't such a good idea after all...

A German woman, fearful that a burglar was trying to break into her second storey apartment, called police after she heard someone climbing up to her balcony shortly after midnight, police said Thursday. Police discovered the "burglar" was a man carrying flowers and a bottle of wine who turned out to be the woman's boyfriend, but then arrested him on an outstanding warrant.

A ban on salt? Really, New York? So all your other problems solved?

the proposals..could see restaurants fined $1,000 for each offence, reports Sky News.

I've got some Legos...wonder if there's any money in this?

"My work draws attention to the smallest parts of our cities that are falling apart because of the brightness of the Lego," said Jan Vormann, a Berlin-based installation artist.

"It draws people's attention through the coloured blocks and makes them aware that this wall or statue or construction is not complete anymore, for whatever reason."

Well, here's a way to get out of being sentenced for your DUI conviction: show up wasted to the hearing! Sure, it'll get you more time overall, but not that day!

Authorities said a 30-year-old-man showed up so drunk for his sentencing for drunken driving that he missed his hearing and now faces even more time behind bars.

And finally, this lady is waaaaaay tougher than me!

A 91-year-old New York pharmacy cashier refused medical attention and went back to work after a thief punched her. Florence Critelli grabbed the man's hand and screamed when he reached over and grabbed cash from her cash register at the Rite Aid in East Northport on Long Island. He punched her in the chest, knocking her down, before fleeing. "He hit me good," Critelli said.

But she refused to leave work early. She said she didn't want to just "sit there and be bored."

Friday's radio excellence

On today's very special Friday edition of the Scott Chicken Show (on Radio KYA and Super CFL, streaming at http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290 and http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200 respectively) I will relate the following fascinating bits of news (OK, maybe fascinating is going too far...):

You know, some times you need a place of peace and quiet to view your pr0n. But doing it in church seems a bit, well, wrong. Or maybe hot. If that's what you're in to.

Police allege the 55-year-old man broke into the First Christian Church on Thursday. After gathering items from around the building, he is believed to have gone to the basement to spend the night...Police Cmdr. Mike Brennan said the man used the electronic equipment to watch pornographic movies that were found on him when he was arrested.

I've heard about toad licking, but this is the first I've heard of snail sucking. Glad I'm not in THAT cult!

Devotees of a man claiming to practice a traditional African religion said they had to ingest the mucus of a Giant African Snail that sickened them...The man said he meant no harm, and his religion uses the snails in healing ceremonies. Followers said they got violently ill, losing weight and developing strange lumps in their stomachs.

They say practice makes perfect. Apparently for this guy all the drunk driving practice has yet to make him perfect.

Kingsport Police have filed a 10th DUI charge against a driver who was going about 20 miles per hour on Interstate 26 and weaving. The Kingsport Times -News reported that the 57-year-old man told the officer on Tuesday, "I'm drunk. Do what you gotta do."

This is why I always go along on the test drive when I'm selling a car: Man copies key on test drive, steals truck

Police believe the man stopped during the test drive to have a copy made of the truck's key. He returned the truck to the lot, but police believe he stole it overnight using the duplicate key.

Now you vegans can have self-righteous and annoying garbage cans to go with your Prius and hemp clothing!

The animal rights group PETA is offering to help the cash-strapped city of Colorado Springs by paying to put trash cans back in parks - on one condition. The cans have to carry an anti-meat slogan and a picture of a woman in a lettuce bikini.
For the record, I'm all for the lettuce bikini picture...maybe I can scratch off the slogan. Oh, wait, I'm not in Colorado Springs. Never mind.

Here's #2 for the week (unless I missed someone other than Haim). Sigh.

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Hall of Fame football player and actor Merlin Olsen, a giant man who friends say had an even larger heart, died Thursday after a long battle with cancer, football and university officials said. He was 69.

Today on the ol' Scott Chicken programme (as always on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200) we find the following:

There's something fishy here...Pet shop owner claims fish is 43, weighs 20 pounds

A New York City pet shop owner says it's true: Buttkiss, the black pacu he owns, is 43 and weighs 20 pounds. A pacu is a breed that's related to the piranha. Steve Gruebel owns Cameo Pet Shop in Queens. He got Buttkiss in 1967 when he was just a wee thing. He sold him a year later when Buttkiss was two inches long. But in 1970, Buttkiss was returned when he outgrew the buyer's tank.

Today on "I didn't know I was pregnant"...Woman delivers surprise baby, picks up other son

A 32-year-old Kentucky woman who said she didn't know that she was pregnant delivered her newborn son on the floor of her laundry room by herself and even cut the umbilical cord. Kelly Bottom told The Advocate-Messenger that she also picked up her other son from school and stopped in at the baby's grandmother's house to show her the infant before going to the hospital Thursday.

Mrs. Chicken is a knitter, but I don't think she'd do anything this extreme...

An unknown person dubbed The Midnight Knitter by West Cape May residents is covering tree branches and lamp poles with little sweaters under cover of darkness.

You know, you'd think the take would be bigger if you robbed 11 people you would get more than $6

Authorities in Riverside County say a woman with a gun robbed 11 customers at a market and got away with $6.

OK, we can all agree that drunk driving is bad, and that a designated driver is good, but maybe you should find one who can legally drive!. Like maybe the 17-year-old.

A 37-year-old woman was accused of putting her 14-year-old behind the wheel because she was too drunk to drive. The woman was arrested Saturday after Washington County Sheriff's deputies stopped a vehicle on U.S. Highway 75 because of erratic driving. Deputies found the woman's 14-year-old son in the driver's seat and two other minors - ages 14 and 17 - in the car.

I've heard of birds and squirrels causing power outages, but never a

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

So long, Seneca! And other stories I deemed air-worthy

On today's show I will bring to the mighty Indy Radio airwaves (as always on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200) the following stories:

So long, Seneca! The Seahawks have traded their backup QB to the Cleveland Browns.

"This will give Seneca a chance for a fresh start," said new Seahawks general manager John Schneider. "The Browns front office's familiarity with his abilities will give him an opportunity to compete for playing time. We wish him nothing but the best."

Now here's a headline you don't see every day! Police hunt for Teddy Roosevelt walrus tusk thief. For the record, it's a tusk stolen from Teddy's house on Long Island. The story is in no way implying that Preident Roosevelt was actually a walrus. Although with that mustache you can't be too certain...

It's clearly a down economy when the human soul goes for under $1,000 US...

The "ghosts" were put up for bidding by Avie Woodbury from the southern city of Christchurch (New Zealand). She said they were captured in her house and stored in glass vials with stoppers and dipped in holy water, which she says "dulls the spirits' energy."

A couple days ago it was breast milk assault. Today it's breast milk cheese.

Angerer said his cooking instincts tend toward things natural. But even he admits: "THIS is a whole other level of 'natural.'"

Reposessing the home was one thing, but when they came after her bird the gloves came off.

Forty-six-year-old Angela Iannelli sued Bank of America in Allegheny County on Monday. She claims her mortgage payments were on time when the contractor damaged furniture, took her pet parrot and padlocked the door to her Allison Park home in October.

I, like others, always assumed Feldman would be first.

Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38. Haim died early Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.

Tuesday's audio blather

On today's Scott Chicken radio programme (as always on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200 - one note, the streams are having issues, so they may or may not work) we will be discussing the following (and by "discussing" I mean I'll read the story, you either giggle along or shut off your radio/internet connection in dusgust):

First note to self: if I'm going on a theft spree my first item should be a car so I don't have to use cabs as getaway vehicles.

...the woman was arrested Friday after police were called to a Fred Meyer store on a report of a woman walking out without paying for a TV and trying to leave in a cab. Court records said the woman was arrested late last year for going into a Sam's Club on two occasions and allegedly stealing $6,000 worth of televisions, then loading them into a taxi.

Second note to self: Remember that all the detective stories talk about people returning to the scene of the crime? There's a reason to avoid doing that.

A Winter Haven, Florida, man was arrested after authorities said he took a winning scratch-off ticket back to the store he had stolen it from a day earlier...When the man went back to the store on Monday to claim the money, a clerk who was aware of the theft asked the man for his driver's license and wrote down the information. The clerk called the authorities, and deputies went to arrest the man.

Third note to self: If I find out I'm going to be on one of the "Most Wanted" TV shows, don't brag about it at a party.

Sean Kelley, 22, was found at a Magnolia party Friday night. A member of the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Task Force handling the case told KCPQ/13 Kelley was bragging about being a celebrity and that he was going to be on TV.

I'm not sure which part of this story is more wrong. That there's a guy who has parked in the same spot at a McDonalds every morning for the last 16 years, or that someone wanted to fight him over it. It doesn't help that the guys are 52 (alleged assaulter) and 85 (guy with the favorite spot).

Danger! Danger! Cleaning products wired to explode!

A suspicious device that forced employees out of a Redmond Safeway store overnight turned out to be a bottle of cleaning product with wires taped to the outside...Officials said the bottle contained the cleaning product Scrubbing Bubbles.

Finally I can get to the local tavern for a quick beer and sammich between the front and back 9 without having to get in my car or, God forbid, walk. Why? Because the Washington Legislature just OK'd a bill to let golf carts on roads!

Drivers would have to be at least 16 years old and must follow the same road rules as those driving regular vehicles. Carts that are operated in golf cart zones must have reflectors, rearview mirrors, and seatbelts. A person with a revoked license would not be allowed to drive a golf cart on a public road in a golf cart zone.

Because handsome comes from the withinside.

Monday's post-Oscar, post-Razzie radio delights

On today's mighty Scott Chicken Post-Oscar Radio Programme (as always on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200 - one note, the streams are having issues, so they may or may not work) we will cover these fascinating stories:

Hey, there was some awards show or something yesterday...here's who won what.

In addition to the awards, some people went to see some movies in actual movie theaters! Here's how much money they spent on the latest 3D wonder from Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter's freakishly large head.

Oh, and since the Oscars were yesterday, the winners (if you want to call them that) of the Razzies were announced on Saturday! To quote the lovely Sandra Bullock (winner of Worst Actress for her role in All About Steve:

"I'm more comfortable with criticism than I am with goodwill, because I'm more familiar with it, and I've made friends with it," she told Entertainment Weekly. "And the Razzies are a great honor."

For the record, I don't condone breast milk assaults. But I have to wonder if a male jailer would have pressed charges...Woman charged in breast milk assault on jailer

...as she was changing into an inmate uniform, she squirted breast milk into the face of a female deputy who was with her. The woman now faces a felony charge of third degree assault on a police officer. Her bond was set at $10,000.

This is why I don't let anyone look at my phone. Oh, and don't have any psycho exes...Woman allegedly stabs ex after looking at phone

According to police, Shaw and her 29-year-old ex-husband were at her home late Thursday when she became upset after looking through his cell phone's call history. Detectives said Shaw pulled out a knife and started swinging at her ex-spouse, striking him at least three times. Authorities said his injuries were not life-threatening.

OK, I can understand camping out for something super cool, like, oh, concert tickets or something, but soft-serve ice cream? Really? Granny camps out 43 hours for grandson's ice cream

Michelle Cuestas of Green Bay used two vacation days and camped out for 43 hours to make sure her grandson would be first in line for the 2010 opening of a Stevens Point ice-cream landmark. Belts' Soft Serve opened for the year Friday at 11 a.m. Thanks to grandma, 6-year-old Brayden Banks placed the first order.

Sunday's Chicken Radio Fun House Hour of Mystery

On this morning's Scott Chicken Radio Fun House (as always on Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200 - one note, the streams are having issues, so they may or may not work) we will relay the following hopefully entertaining stories:

#47 on the list of reasons I'm glad I'm not a cop: Police say cook put body hair in cop's sandwich

The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill reports police asked them not to report the incident for fear of copycat crimes. The paper published the story anyway.
And so did the AP, and now so am I. But don't get any ideas, people!

Who says the mortuary business has to be drab and sad? Mass. mortuary hopes chili cook-off brings 'life'

A Western Massachusetts funeral home is trying "bring life" to business with a chili cook-off, a murder-mystery show and free limo rides to couples on their 50th anniversaries...Among other other events sponsored by the funeral home are an art walk, a visit by the Easter Bunny, and monthly birthday cakes to the Pittsfield Senior Center.

If you're going to steal a getaway car, make sure it goes over 30. SC cop stops go-cart, arrests man on drug charges

...The deputy had heard a report of a stolen go-cart and turned on his lights and siren after spotting it less than a half mile from Sweezy's home. Sweezy is charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness.

Click and Clack of Car Talk fame always say "things get pretty interesting when a wheel comes off." I don't think this was the wheel they meant (although the result was the same): Man OK after steering wheel pops off while driving

... the 59-year-old man was driving his 1978 Buick on Thursday afternoon on State Route 530 when his steering wheel came off, the car left the road, went down an embankment, up the other side, and crashed into a barn. The man narrowly missed a power pole and several small barns with baby cows inside.

The wife just got off of Jury Duty...I'll have to ask her if she remembers taking the oath, otherwise the guy they convicted might just be off the hook! No oath, no conviction, Mich. court says

A Michigan man sent to prison for 15 years is getting a new trial after the judge failed to do a routine procedure - ask the jury to take an oath...Assistant prosecutor David King says his office might appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. He says Becktel's trial attorney never objected to the lack of a jury oath.

I've heard the term "Banana Hammock", but this is rediculous: Aussie underwear has gone bananas (the product page comes complete with video featuring hunky men carrying around bananas)

Australian underwear company AussieBum has been monkeying around and the result is a range of men's underwear made with bananas. The new eco-friendly banana range of undies incorporates 27 percent banana fiber, 64 percent cotton and 9 percent lycra, AussieBum's Lloyd Jones said on Friday..."Naturally you can't really add anymore banana fiber than that because it might be a bit squishy," said Jones, adding that wearers did not have to worry about real monkeys, as the underwear does not smell like a banana.

Saturday's Chicken Radio Fiesta

It's my weekend to be the mighty morning host on the ol' Indy Radio (Radio KYA and Super CFL...to listen on line open these URLs in your favorite audio player thingy: KYA http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290, Super CFL http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200). Here's what's coming up this morning:

Hypocrite of the week, candidate 1: A 45-year-old woman, charged with ending a domestic dispute by killing her 26-year-old husband of five days, is a registered lobbyist for a group fighting domestic violence.

Officials said Bridges claimed she was unemployed. But records show she is a lobbyist for an organization called the National Declaration for Domestic Violence Order; its Web site says the group is pushing legislation to create a database of those convicted of sex crimes or domestic abuse.

Well, my wife meets two of the three criteria, so maybe we're not doomed after all: Scientists find mathematical formula for the perfect wife

A bride should be five years younger than her groom, should come from the same cultural background, and be the more intelligent of the pair if couples are to have a successful marriage, scientists have announced.

Hypocrite of the week, candidate 2: Anti-Gay State Sen. Got DUI After Leaving Gay Nightclub, Sources Say.

Early Wednesday morning, State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.) was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. Sources report that Ashburn -- a fierce opponent of gay rights -- was driving drunk after leaving a gay nightclub; when the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, there was an unidentified man in the passenger seat of the car.

But wait...that's not all! In a follow-up story from SFGate, we find that Ashburn takes leave amid questions over his sexual orientation!

Lucky duck of the day: Firefighters free duck stuck in Santa Fe chimney

Fire Chief Tommy Anderson said the homeowner heard the bird and lit a fire, hoping the duck would get out on its own from the open-top chimney. Anderson said the plan backfired, when "it filled her house with smoke."

Some times wishes DO come true! Utah man determined to get arrested gets his wish

A man rebuffed in an attempt to get arrested, finally got his wish when he went for an officer's handgun...And he might have gotten more than he bargained for. Police said he was hit with several charges including a serious felony of disarming a peace officer.

Here we go again...another banner free agency loss! Source: Burleson gets $11M guaranteed. Too bad it's guaranteed by the Lions...

Nate Burleson agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal from the Detroit Lions, according to a source.

On the always exciting Scot Chicken Show

Today on the Scott Chicken Show (Radio KYA and Super CFL...the KYA feed is here: http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290. Super CFL is here: http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200/) we will discuss:

Oh, way to go, Science! Way to ruin yet another great story! Elma man electrocuted through wire, not urine

"...autopsy results show that an Elma man who was killed by touching a downed power line was electrocuted through his hand and not through his urine stream as first suspected."

An update on a story from yesterday: Official: Grass case against Calif. man to be cut

Prosecutors say a Southern California man who removed his grass to save water now has enough drought-tolerant plants to comply with an ordinance requiring 40 percent of a yard be covered with live landscaping.

What's not to like about bikini babes selling coffee? Apparently something, at least in Colorado...Some unhappy with bikini ad for Perky Cups coffee

Aurora City Council member Molly Markert called the picture on the 10-by-20-foot banner "degrading to women," but she says it's legal.

Man, I hates me some gum-related vandalism. Then again, I also hate being caned. Still a sticky issue: Singapore keeps gum ban

The ban, first imposed in 1992, is necessary to reduce gum-related litter and vandalism, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, parliamentary secretary of the national development ministry, told lawmakers Thursday.

Goats and Emus in Texas, monkeys in the state of disaster that is Florida. What the hell is going on with the animal kingdom? Elusive Fla. monkey dodges captors, defies darts

Yates says the monkey is smart, even stopping to check traffic before crossing a busy street. Officials didn't say how the monkey got loose. They say it isn't considered a threat to humans.

Now this is the kind of shrink I'm looking for! Patients try to keep appointments with jailed doc

At a hearing Tuesday, witnesses said the psychiatrist towered over his bloodied patient with a sword in both hands before he was distracted and had the weapon wrestled away from him.

Today on the Scott Chicken radio programme...

I've been slack about the ol' blogeroonio, and I figured I 'd use it for some shameless self-promotion of the Scott Chicken radio programme over on Indy Radio (Radio KYA and Super CFL...listen to the KYA feed by opening this link in your preferred audio playing software application: http://sandi.damnserver.com:9290. For Super CFL use this'un: http://sandi.damnserver.com:9200/). Because really, what's the point in having the highest rated LPFM afternoon program in Grays Harbor County (not to mention the Cowlitz Valley) if you don't plug yourself?

So here's what's on today from noon to seven:

Grant County escapee caught sinking in Moses Lake. As my mamma always told me, don't try to swim a lake when you're handcuffed and wearing a jail jumpsuit.

Mad emu attacks deputies along El Paso freeway. Man, there's something weird going on down in Texas...yesterday it was a goat roaming free, today it's an Emu.

No harm in naked woman tied to tree in Tacoma park. That is so true...

Claustrophobic Kentuckey deputy tries to shoot his way out of cell. I'm thinking a jail isn't the best place to be if you're claustrophobic...I'm just sayin'.

Mice infest UK's Westminster Palace in London. Hey, that's better than the rats we've got in Congress! Am I right? Huh?

There's also a story about a couple in SoCal who were going on trial for tearing out their lawn to save water, but I can't find the link (and tomorrow's exciting show will feature an update anyway, so what's the point?)!

You go, King County Courts!

A couple nice rulings for the Seattle-area schools...well, maybe nice. The math one I'm totally behind, 'cause I can't stand the whole "Discovery Math" concept. The funding ruling is probably a good thing, although the state budget is so tight it will mean something else gets cut. But then, something else will probably get cut anyway, right?

The math one: Judge rejects Seattle's high school math program

The funding one: School funding gets an F; judge calls for action

Thanks, TSA!

So the wife is flying off for a long weekend with friends in Ohio tomorrow, and is concerned about what she can and can't carry on the plane. So, being the helpful husband, I told her I'd research it while she volunteered at the school. So I start out at the Delta Airlines site, then get re-directed to the TSA's Prohibited Items page where I proceed to look up the relevant items (knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers).

Well, my brief search indicates that the knitting will be fine, as will the tweezers and the clippers. But alas, her hopes to get on the plane without checking a bag are going to be thwarted by the ban on sabers. And for the record, why to they split out sabers from swords, when they don't also individually identify other types of sword? Or is my sword knowledge lacking in some way?

Wait...a week?

It's been a week? OK, six days. Still, that's inexcusable. Well, I'm sure there are excuses, but they're lame. So it's clearly time for a quick wrap-up of the past week. Assuming I can remember it. Hmm.

Thursday: No idea what I did last Thursday. Nothing on the calendar other than "work on letters for PTA Auction", and that clearly didn't take all day. I was probably wasting time reading a book (Arms-Commander by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., which if I'm smart I'll get around to reviewing here...).

Friday: Again, no idea. Paige and the kids went skating that night, and I probably stayed home and read. Or watched TV.

Saturday: Finally, a day I remember! Spent the day up at Summit Central skiing. The snow wasn't great, but it wasn't the worst of the season. And it snowed all day, keeping things fairly steady. Spent the morning skiing with my friend Peter (whose kids are in lessons at Webbski as well), and the afternoon skiing with Logan and Maya. All in all we had a pretty good day.

Sunday: Another one I remember! Sunday was the first bout of the new Rat City Rollergirls season. The bout was a combination exhibition, tournament, and charity fund-raiser. They played half-length games in a single-elimination tournament format with the overall winner getting the most money for their charity. My beloved Throttle Rockets got manhandled (or maybe womanhandled) in their first game against the Sockit Wenches, but turned on the afterburners in the second bout and crushed the Derby Liberation Front by some ridiculous score like 90 - 35. I'll get some pictures up here once I get through processing them.

Monday: Back to not much going on. Had a networking call with some former co-workers in the morning, worked on the PTA Auction letters some more, had a delicious lasagna dinner.

Today: Talked to my career counselor (who I have yet to meet) and tried to get my butt back in gear in the job hunting world. Finalized and printed the PTA letters and mailing labels, then after dinner headed over to the school for an open house featuring performances by the daughter (well, the choir of which she is a part, anyway).

And that, pretty much, is that!

Politics and whatnot

So this morning I did something kind of unusual: I actually read the paper. Usually I get it off the porch, scan the front page, scan the front of the sports section, then head for the comics and crossword puzzle. This morning, though, something came over me and I actually started flipping through the front section, and this story caught my eye.

The gist of the story, which was a re-print from the San Francisco Chronicle, is that the "Independent" voters - those who have registered with "decline-to-state" listed as their party - are growing in size rapidly and are playing more of a role in elections. It points to the election of President Obama, as well as the more recent election of Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's former Senate seat.

What I especially liked about the article was that it highlighted one of the problems we have with the two-party system in the US: The Democrats and the Republicans take any victory as a mandate without looking closely at the why behind the win. To quote from the article:

"Say there is a big defeat for Democrats in November," [Stanford University political scientist Morris Fiorina] said. "The Democrats will say, 'It's because we didn't motivate our base.' Republicans will say, 'We have a conservative mandate.' They're both wrong."

The motivation behind the Independent voters, the article suggests, isn't either party's dogma but more an adherence to a basic set of values, generally fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. In other words, don't spend a lot of money on a big government and leave me alone. Another quote:

So who are these voters and what do they want?

"Independent voters have been deficit hawks since the days of Ross Perot, and they like divided government," said John Avlon, author of the forthcoming book, "Wing Nuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America." Culturally they are "socially liberal to libertarian. They're alienated by the extremes of both parties."

Independents are turned off by the religious right and the ideological left, even as GOP partisans rampage against "RINOs," (Republicans-in-name-only) and the left's "net-roots" mount their own "DINO" hunts against Blue Dog Democrats.

I was raised a Democrat, and I've mainly voted that party line because there haven't been any decent alternatives (or when there were alternatives I stayed with the Dems because the races were close enough that my vote might actually count for more than in a blow-out election). I've found myself leaning closer to the Libertarian world in the last 10 years or so, but some of their stands (the whole "close the borders and disconnect the phones to the outside world" thing, for instance) and the fact that beyond the local races they tend to nominate whack jobs kept me from formalizing that shift. So maybe I should figure out how to amend my registration and head for the world of "decline-to-state."

Good news for Sounders fans...

Not only do they not have Pete Carroll as a coach, but Freddy Ljungberg has announced he will return to the team!

I'm not a rabid fan...meant to go to a game last year but didn't quite make it. Watched them on TV, though, so I feel in some small way I can celebrate this. Maybe by having lunch.

The problem with the triple play (well, one of them anyway...)

So a little over a year ago we signed up for Comcast's "Triple Play" bundle, combining digital cable TV, high speed Internet and phone in one handy dandy package. At the time it seemed like a convenient way to cut some costs, since the total package price was lower than we were paying for the three services on their own. And since we already had Comcast for the internets and TV action, we only really needed to change the phone.

I won't go in to all the hassles we had getting the billing right...let's just say when a guy from Comcast (or sub-contracted to Comcast) comes to your door and gives you a written document stating what the package will be and what the cost will be don't expect the company to honor it. Unless you take them to court, maybe, which I wasn't willing to do.

Anyhow, my main concern with the whole "voice over cable Internet" thing was what would happen if the power went out. "No problem!" they told me. "The modem has a battery backup, and will stay on for at least 30 minutes after the power cuts out." Which is true, but doesn't answer the second problem: what happens when the CABLE goes out?

This happened today. Cable went out, taking with it the TV, the phone and the Intenets. It was like being plunged in to the depths of the Great Depression with nothing to entertain us but the radio, some books, and sharpening pencils for the kids to sell out of tin cups. But hey, we got them pencils sharpened nicely, I tell you what.

A Sunday of snow

Since the boy and I missed out on the skiing yesterday thanks to the Cleveland HS tour, we grabbed his buddy and headed up the mountain today, Maya in tow. The snow was a bit icy crunchy in the morning, but by about 11 snow had started to fall and things were looking up.

It continued snowing while we ate lunch, getting heavier and fatter, and I pulled out the old face mask thingamabob for the first time this season. The boy decided he'd had enough after lunch, so girl, buddy and I headed back up while he stayed in the car and ate cookies and played NintenDogs. Whatever.

Anyhow, the snow continued to pile up, the crowds began to dissipate, and we had a great afternoon. Buddy borrowed the boy's balaclava hat, the girl and I had our face mask thingies, and we all played the "how much snow can I let build up on my goggles before I have to wipe them or crash" game. Fun for the whole family. Or 1/2 of the family and a friend.

According to the NWS it's supposed to continue snowing through Wednesday, then maybe turn to rain for the weekend...I'm hoping we get some nice cold Canadian air to flow in Thursday afternoon to keep the snowfall going, but I'm not counting on it. Sigh!