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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

2000 Year Old Native AMerican Remains Defiled

Officials with the Rutherford County Sheriff's office turned over 2,000-year-old human remains to state archaeologists Tuesday.
According to investigators, the skull and bones of at least five people will be analyzed by state experts.Officials believe the remains are Native American, and they hope a local tribe will come forward to claim the bones and rebury them.An amateur spelunker found the skull a year ago, and a Rutherford County detective found the other bones.

$8000 Credit May Be Lost

Cheyanne Mahoney and her fiance almost lost out on an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers."We didn't think it would take from April 30 to June 30 to close," Mahoney said.June 30 is the deadline for people to close on their homes to get the federal tax credit. Mother Nature didn't follow the schedule."We never anticipated the flood delaying everything by two months," Mahoney said. The home in Green Hills the couple was buying flooded. That pushed the closing date too close for comfort, just eight days before the deadline. They're the lucky ones. Nearly 4,000 Tennesseans may not make it at all, according to an estimate by the National Association of Realtors. The Association said nationwide, 180,000 homebuyers are likely to miss out on the tax credit. It predicts that 20 to 30 percent of people eligible will not be able to close on time.There are a variety of reasons for the delays. In some cases, the banks couldn't finish the paperwork in time. Some buyers were required to have flood insurance, and right now, the government isn't selling any new policies. Mahoney's realtor, Tom Fussell of Fridrich and Clark, said another reason some Nashville closings are being delayed is that the banks want a second appraisal."What we're seeing is that appraisers are having to go back and check the condition, because Nashville's a disaster area," Fussell said.In Washington Tuesday, the House voted to push the deadline for closings until late September. The Senate is expected to take up the bill Wednesday.Mahoney is thrilled their house closed just in the nick of time."It's the best thing ever," Mahoney said. "I'm still in my twenties, and we have a house!"

Monday, June 28, 2010

Tennessee Awards Bonnaroo Enviromental Award

The State of Tennessee has presented a major award to Bonnaroo. Bonnaroo is the massive music and arts festival that takes place each June in Manchester. The event draws some 100-thousand fans and workers to Coffee County.
At a  specially held ceremony in Manchester, Commissioner Jim Fyke presented Bonnaroo with the Excellence in Parks and Recreation Award. In 2009, Bonnaroo addressed product consumption, education and outreach, waste management and energy consumption in a comprehensive plan to reduce waste produced for this recreational event. Thirty-three percent of the waste produced by the festival (by weight) was diverted from the landfill. This includes 81.49 tons of commingled recycling, 19.07 tons of scrap metal, 27.18 tons of cardboard, three tons of cooking oil, and 30 tons of compost totaling nearly 161 tons diverted from the landfill. This waste diversion, combined with education and outreach promoting sustainability, locally sourced products, onsite composting and environmentally friendly purchasing, lead to the highest amount of materials recycled in the 9-year history of the festival.
New in 2009, Bonnaroo provided reusable water bottles for attendees to refill with free filtered water from on-site wells. Bonnaroo also retired 900 metric tons of carbon dioxide, accounting fro and off setting all emissions generated from the festival.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Eating Fruit The Wrong Way Can Kill You


It's long but very informative


We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.


What is the correct way of eating fruits?


IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.


If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.


FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.
Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....


So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining — every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc — actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!


Graying hair
, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.


When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.


But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!


KIWI:
Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY:
Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE :
Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON:
Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene — the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA:
Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer!
Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Justice Ginsberg's Husband Dead

Breaking: Husband of Justice Ginsburg dead http://n.pr/9U6fpm

Wicks Performs Free At Riverfront Park

RCA/NASHVILLE artist CHUCK WICKS will perform a free show on the RIVERFRONT in Downtown NASHVILLE on FRIDAY, JULY 2nd at 8p (CT). The show is being held in celebration of the GENERAL JACKSON showboat's 25th anniversary.
Fans can win a meet & greet with CHUCK by visiting the GENERAL JACKSON FACEBOOK page here and requesting them as a friend. Learn more about the meet & greet at www.generaljackson.com.

WICKS has also been confirmed to play the WILLIAMSON COUNTY FAIR on AUGUST 11th in FRANKLIN, TN. Check out a full list of tour dates and more info at www.chuckwicks.com.
Fans can also look for WICKS in the new issue of PEOPLE COUNTRY magazine, on newsstands now. The magazine cast him in the role of "Mystery Date." Check out a behind-the-scenes look at his photo shoot by clicking here.

Deputy Sheriff Killed

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is investigating a shooting that killed a Franklin County sheriff's deputy at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.Officials have not released many details, except the deputy's name, Michael Claiborne.The incident is still under investigation.

Some Guys Love Chicken

Much has been written about travel and Gus's Fried Chicken.  GQ magazine famously listed it as one of the places you had to eat before you died and called Gus's chicken the best fried chicken on the planet. 

Kent, an engineer for Apple who lives in North Carolina, loves Gus's and rarely fails to make a visit when he is in town.  He has taken dozens of visitors to the downtown Gus's to eat plate after plate of chicken, guzzle bottle after bottle of beer, and eat slice after slice of chess pie still bubbling from its time in the oven.   

Conscious of what fried chicken can do to our waste lines he typically follows the meal with a three or four mile walk around Midtown to burn away some of the calories.  Recently he combined the two activities by walking from Starbucks at Union and McLean to the Gus's on Front.  After sating  with half a chicken , he walked to the Mississippi River just to say he did then made his way back up Union.  Here is a link to the route on Google maps.  The entire trip took him four hours, with an hour at Gus's.  They were packed as usual. 

How far would you walk for food you loved?  Have you ever made a special trip somewhere specifically to eat food?

Saturday, June 26, 2010

72 Year Old Struck By Bus

A person was hit by a Metro Transit Authority bus late Friday morning at Fourth Avenue and Charlotte Avenue, said Metro police.
Police said 72-year-old Nancy Farmer was in a crosswalk when she was struck. She was taken in critical condition to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with severe head trauma.The bus was turning right onto Charlotte from Fourth, police said. There were three eyewitnesses.The driver of the bus, 56-year-old Bruce Hogan, was taken to Baptist Hospital with minor injuries.An MTA spokeswoman said there is currently an internal investigation, which is procedure whenever one of their vehicles gets into an accident. Police said the preliminary investigation indicates the contributing factor of the crash was that Hogan failed to yield to Farmer in the crosswalk.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Native Americans Upset Over "New Tribes"

The founders and former commissioners of Indian Affairs have issued a denunciation of the current Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs.




The six-member TCIA recognized six groups as state-recognized tribes on June 19. The denunciation called the "illegal action" a "gross violation of state administrative policies that safeguard the public interest."



Four TCIA members are members of the recognized groups, often called culture clubs.



"Such illegitimate tribal recognition is an intentional fraud perpetrated on Cherokee, Lenape and Yuchi people to steal their political identities," the TCIA founders and former commissioners said in a news release. "Groups pretending to be Indian when a majority of them have no cultural or family affiliation with the tribes they claim as kin is a deception played on all the citizens of the state of Tennessee."



Reporter Dennis Ferrier is working on this story and will have more on Channel 4 News at 6:00.

2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:



1.Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 "Ten Most Corrupt" list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him. In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat. In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against Dodd for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms. Judicial Watch's complaint forced Dodd to amend the forms. However, press reports suggest the property to this day remains undervalued. Judicial Watch also alleges in the complaint that Dodd obtained a sweetheart deal for the property in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon (during the Clinton administration) and other favors for a long-time friend and business associate. The false financial disclosure forms were part of the cover-up. Dodd remains the head the Senate Banking Committee.



2.Senator John Ensign (R-NV): A number of scandals popped up in 2009 involving public officials who conducted illicit affairs, and then attempted to cover them up with hush payments and favors, an obvious abuse of power. The year's worst offender might just be Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign. Ensign admitted in June to an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his staff members, who then allegedly obtained special favors from the Nevada Republican in exchange for his silence. According to The New York Times: "The Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee are expected to conduct preliminary inquiries into whether Senator John Ensign violated federal law or ethics rules as part of an effort to conceal an affair with the wife of an aide…" The former staffer, Douglas Hampton, began to lobby Mr. Ensign's office immediately upon leaving his congressional job, despite the fact that he was subject to a one-year lobbying ban. Ensign seems to have ignored the law and allowed Hampton lobbying access to his office as a payment for his silence about the affair. (These are potentially criminal offenses.) It looks as if Ensign misused his public office (and taxpayer resources) to cover up his sexual shenanigans.



3.Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): Judicial Watch is investigating a $12 million TARP cash injection provided to the Boston-based OneUnited Bank at the urging of Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank. As reported in the January 22, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department indicated it would only provide funds to healthy banks to jump-start lending. Not only was OneUnited Bank in massive financial turmoil, but it was also "under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use." Rep. Frank admitted he spoke to a "federal regulator," and Treasury granted the funds. (The bank continues to flounder despite Frank's intervention for federal dollars.) Moreover, Judicial Watch uncovered documents in 2009 that showed that members of Congress for years were aware that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were playing fast and loose with accounting issues, risk assessment issues and executive compensation issues, even as liberals led by Rep. Frank continued to block attempts to rein in the two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs). For example, during a hearing on September 10, 2003, before the House Committee on Financial Services considering a Bush administration proposal to further regulate Fannie and Freddie, Rep. Frank stated: "I want to begin by saying that I am glad to consider the legislation, but I do not think we are facing any kind of a crisis. That is, in my view, the two Government Sponsored Enterprises we are talking about here, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not in a crisis. We have recently had an accounting problem with Freddie Mac that has led to people being dismissed, as appears to be appropriate. I do not think at this point there is a problem with a threat to the Treasury." Frank received $42,350 in campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac between 1989 and 2008. Frank also engaged in a relationship with a Fannie Mae Executive while serving on the House Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.



4.Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner: In 2009, Obama Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admitted that he failed to pay $34,000 in Social Security and Medicare taxes from 2001-2004 on his lucrative salary at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an organization with 185 member countries that oversees the global financial system. (Did we mention Geithner now runs the IRS?) It wasn't until President Obama tapped Geithner to head the Treasury Department that he paid back most of the money, although the IRS kindly waived the hefty penalties. In March 2009, Geithner also came under fire for his handling of the AIG bonus scandal, where the company used $165 million of its bailout funds to pay out executive bonuses, resulting in a massive public backlash. Of course as head of the New York Federal Reserve, Geithner helped craft the AIG deal in September 2008. However, when the AIG scandal broke, Geithner claimed he knew nothing of the bonuses until March 10, 2009. The timing is important. According to CNN: "Although Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told congressional leaders on Tuesday that he learned of AIG's impending $160 million bonus payments to members of its troubled financial-products unit on March 10, sources tell TIME that the New York Federal Reserve informed Treasury staff that the payments were imminent on Feb. 28. That is ten days before Treasury staffers say they first learned 'full details' of the bonus plan, and three days before the [Obama] Administration launched a new $30 billion infusion of cash for AIG." Throw in another embarrassing disclosure in 2009 that Geithner employed "household help" ineligible to work in the United States, and it becomes clear why the Treasury Secretary has earned a spot on the "Ten Most Corrupt Politicians in Washington" list.



5.Attorney General Eric Holder: Tim Geithner can be sure he won't be hounded about his tax-dodging by his colleague Eric Holder, US Attorney General. Judicial Watch strongly opposed Holder because of his terrible ethics record, which includes: obstructing an FBI investigation of the theft of nuclear secrets from Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory; rejecting multiple requests for an independent counsel to investigate alleged fundraising abuses by then-Vice President Al Gore in the Clinton White House; undermining the criminal investigation of President Clinton by Kenneth Starr in the midst of the Lewinsky investigation; and planning the violent raid to seize then-six-year-old Elian Gonzalez at gunpoint in order to return him to Castro's Cuba. Moreover, there is his soft record on terrorism. Holder bypassed Justice Department procedures to push through Bill Clinton's scandalous presidential pardons and commutations, including for 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican terrorist group that orchestrated approximately 120 bombings in the United States, killing at least six people and permanently maiming dozens of others, including law enforcement officers. His record in the current administration is no better. As he did during the Clinton administration, Holder continues to ignore serious incidents of corruption that could impact his political bosses at the White House. For example, Holder has refused to investigate charges that the Obama political machine traded VIP access to the White House in exchange for campaign contributions – a scheme eerily similar to one hatched by Holder's former boss, Bill Clinton in the 1990s. The Holder Justice Department also came under fire for dropping a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party. On Election Day 2008, Black Panthers dressed in paramilitary garb threatened voters as they approached polling stations. Holder has also failed to initiate a comprehensive Justice investigation of the notorious organization ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which is closely tied to President Obama. There were allegedly more than 400,000 fraudulent ACORN voter registrations in the 2008 campaign. And then there were the journalist videos catching ACORN Housing workers advising undercover reporters on how to evade tax, immigration, and child prostitution laws. Holder's controversial decisions on new rights for terrorists and his attacks on previous efforts to combat terrorism remind many of the fact that his former law firm has provided and continues to provide pro bono representation to terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Holder's politicization of the Justice Department makes one long for the days of Alberto Gonzales.



6.Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)/ Senator Roland Burris (D-IL): One of the most serious scandals of 2009 involved a scheme by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to sell President Obama's then-vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. Two men caught smack dab in the middle of the scandal: Senator Roland Burris, who ultimately got the job, and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, emissaries for Jesse Jackson Jr., named "Senate Candidate A" in the Blagojevich indictment, reportedly offered $1.5 million to Blagojevich during a fundraiser if he named Jackson Jr. to Obama's seat. Three days later federal authorities arrested Blagojevich. Burris, for his part, apparently lied about his contacts with Blagojevich, who was arrested in December 2008 for trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. According to Reuters: "Roland Burris came under fresh scrutiny…after disclosing he tried to raise money for the disgraced former Illinois governor who named him to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama…In the latest of those admissions, Burris said he looked into mounting a fundraiser for Rod Blagojevich -- later charged with trying to sell Obama's Senate seat -- at the same time he was expressing interest to the then-governor's aides about his desire to be appointed." Burris changed his story five times regarding his contacts with Blagojevich prior to the Illinois governor appointing him to the U.S. Senate. Three of those changing explanations came under oath.



7.President Barack Obama: During his presidential campaign, President Obama promised to run an ethical and transparent administration. However, in his first year in office, the President has delivered corruption and secrecy, bringing Chicago-style political corruption to the White House. Consider just a few Obama administration "lowlights" from year one: Even before President Obama was sworn into office, he was interviewed by the FBI for a criminal investigation of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's scheme to sell the President's former Senate seat to the highest bidder. (Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and slumlord Valerie Jarrett, both from Chicago, are also tangled up in the Blagojevich scandal.) Moreover, the Obama administration made the startling claim that the Privacy Act does not apply to the White House. The Obama White House believes it can violate the privacy rights of American citizens without any legal consequences or accountability. President Obama boldly proclaimed that "transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," but his administration is addicted to secrecy, stonewalling far too many of Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act requests and is refusing to make public White House visitor logs as federal law requires. The Obama administration turned the National Endowment of the Arts (as well as the agency that runs the AmeriCorps program) into propaganda machines, using tax dollars to persuade "artists" to promote the Obama agenda. According to documents uncovered by Judicial Watch, the idea emerged as a direct result of the Obama campaign and enjoyed White House approval and participation. President Obama has installed a record number of "czars" in positions of power. Too many of these individuals are leftist radicals who answer to no one but the president. And too many of the czars are not subject to Senate confirmation (which raises serious constitutional questions). Under the President's bailout schemes, the federal government continues to appropriate or control — through fiat and threats — large sectors of the private economy, prompting conservative columnist George Will to write: "The administration's central activity — the political allocation of wealth and opportunity — is not merely susceptible to corruption, it is corruption." Government-run healthcare and car companies, White House coercion, uninvestigated ACORN corruption, debasing his office to help Chicago cronies, attacks on conservative media and the private sector, unprecedented and dangerous new rights for terrorists, perks for campaign donors — this is Obama's "ethics" record — and we haven't even gotten through the first year of his presidency.



8.Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): At the heart of the corruption problem in Washington is a sense of entitlement. Politicians believe laws and rules (even the U.S. Constitution) apply to the rest of us but not to them. Case in point: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her excessive and boorish demands for military travel. Judicial Watch obtained documents from the Pentagon in 2009 that suggest Pelosi has been treating the Air Force like her own personal airline. These documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, include internal Pentagon email correspondence detailing attempts by Pentagon staff to accommodate Pelosi's numerous requests for military escorts and military aircraft as well as the speaker's 11th hour cancellations and changes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also came under fire in April 2009, when she claimed she was never briefed about the CIA's use of the waterboarding technique during terrorism investigations. The CIA produced a report documenting a briefing with Pelosi on September 4, 2002, that suggests otherwise. Judicial Watch also obtained documents, including a CIA Inspector General report, which further confirmed that Congress was fully briefed on the enhanced interrogation techniques. Aside from her own personal transgressions, Nancy Pelosi has ignored serious incidents of corruption within her own party, including many of the individuals on this list. (See Rangel, Murtha, Jesse Jackson, Jr., etc.)



9.Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and the rest of the PMA Seven: Rep. John Murtha made headlines in 2009 for all the wrong reasons. The Pennsylvania congressman is under federal investigation for his corrupt relationship with the now-defunct defense lobbyist PMA Group. PMA, founded by a former Murtha associate, has been the congressman's largest campaign contributor. Since 2002, Murtha has raised $1.7 million from PMA and its clients. And what did PMA and its clients receive from Murtha in return for their generosity? Earmarks -- tens of millions of dollars in earmarks. In fact, even with all of the attention surrounding his alleged influence peddling, Murtha kept at it. Following an FBI raid of PMA's offices earlier in 2009, Murtha continued to seek congressional earmarks for PMA clients, while also hitting them up for campaign contributions. According to The Hill, in April, "Murtha reported receiving contributions from three former PMA clients for whom he requested earmarks in the pending appropriations bills." When it comes to the PMA scandal, Murtha is not alone. As many as six other Members of Congress are currently under scrutiny according to The Washington Post. They include: Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-VA), Norm Dicks (D-WA.), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS.). Of course rather than investigate this serious scandal, according to Roll Call House Democrats circled the wagons, "cobbling together a defense to offer political cover to their rank and file." The Washington Post also reported in 2009 that Murtha's nephew received $4 million in Defense Department no-bid contracts: "Newly obtained documents…show Robert Murtha mentioning his influential family connection as leverage in his business dealings and holding unusual power with the military."



10.Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY): Rangel, the man in charge of writing tax policy for the entire country, has yet to adequately explain how he could possibly "forget" to pay taxes on $75,000 in rental income he earned from his off-shore rental property. He also faces allegations that he improperly used his influence to maintain ownership of highly coveted rent-controlled apartments in Harlem, and misused his congressional office to fundraise for his private Rangel Center by preserving a tax loophole for an oil drilling company in exchange for funding. On top of all that, Rangel recently amended his financial disclosure reports, which doubled his reported wealth. (He somehow "forgot" about $1 million in assets.) And what did he do when the House Ethics Committee started looking into all of this? He apparently resorted to making "campaign contributions" to dig his way out of trouble. According to WCBS TV, a New York CBS affiliate: "The reigning member of Congress' top tax committee is apparently 'wrangling' other politicos to get him out of his own financial and tax troubles...Since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him." Charlie Rangel should not be allowed to remain in Congress, let alone serve as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and he knows it. That's why he felt the need to disburse campaign contributions to Ethics Committee members and other congressional colleagues.

Media Gallery Link from The Daily Beast

robmtchl@msn.com has sent you a link to view a media gallery on TheDailyBeast.com.

Message from sender: These Burgers Will Kill You

See the media gallery here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1757/1/

Dam Near Nashville Severely Damaged

Authorities are concerned about a crack on the highway that crosses the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky. The dam is up river from Nashville on the Cumberland River. The United States Army Corps of Engineers reportedly stopped work on the dam in March following the detection of movement near where the concrete dam attaches to the earthen embankment. The crack along the highway that runs across the top of the dam has been widening, and work on the dam will not resume until the tests have been completed. A failure of the dam could flood many cities in Tennessee, including Nashville.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Flood Insurance Changes Not Happening

June 23, 2010
Tuesday night, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee tried to get the Senate to pass a measure he cosponsored to extend the national flood insurance program through December 2010—which wouldn’t have added to the federal debt—but the Senate Democrats struck it down. The bill would have greatly helped Tennesseans still struggling with the aftermath of the flooding.
After it was struck down, Alexander said the following on the floor:
"I’m deeply disappointed by this. What I have done is asked to extend the flood insurance program so that Tennesseans, who are recovering from the worst natural disaster since President Obama took office, could qualify for the flood insurance so they can get their loans, so they can open their businesses again. This doesn’t add a penny to the debt. The money’s there. The authority to do it is not. So if you’re in Rhode Island, if you’re in Tennessee, if you’re in New Orleans, if you’re in any other place where you’re waiting for flood insurance, you should know that Republicans just asked to extend the flood insurance program so you could buy insurance and Democrats just objected.

Dr. Demento Show Cancelled

For 40 years, Barret Hansen, known on the airwaves as "Dr. Demento," has broadcast everything weird in the music world. The Dr. Demento Show has become a cult radio institution, providing an outlet for what Demento describes as "mad music and crazy comedy." This past month, the show has finally gone off the air.




The Dr. Demento Show began in 1970 as a rock 'n' roll and oldies radio program that featured B-sides, rarities and other nuggets. But it was zany songs like Sheb Wooley's "The Purple People Eater," Barnes & Barnes' "Fish Heads" and Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" that caught the public's ear.



"I found that most of my requests were for those funny things — 'The Purple People Eater' and 'Transfusion' by Nervous Norvus," Demento says in an interview with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep. "And so, the more I played that kind of thing, the more popular the show got, and I became the funny-record guy."



Demento frequently spins the music of Spike Jones, Monty Python, Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer and, of course, Frank Zappa. Early in Demento's career, fans began sending in their own joke songs and parodies. Most notably, a 16-year-old "Weird Al" Yankovic sent a homemade cassette tape to Dr. Demento, who embraced the young accordion player's oddball sense of humor.



"I think without The Dr. Demento Show, the probability is high that Alfred Yankovic would be a professional architect today," Demento says.



The End Of The Golden Age



Although changes in the radio and recording industries have allowed parodists and niche recording artists to make their music at quicker rates, in higher volume and with better quality, The Dr. Demento Show has been officially taken off the broadcast airwaves.



"Stations that call themselves Top 40 usually play a particular style of music aimed at women aged 18 to 30," Demento says, "and The Dr. Demento Show, for some reason, has not tested too well in focus groups among that particular demographic."





Still, fans need not fear. The Dr. Demento Show will continue on Internet radio. His fan base is still going strong, and he says he hopes to remain an attraction for music aficionados who don't fit into the traditional mainstream demographic of radio listener.



"There are exceptions, of course, and The Dr. Demento Show is for all of the exceptions of the world," Demento says. "And that is why I think that Internet radio is a good fit for us, because they can find us anywhere."

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Doobie Bros and Kenny Loggins Free Concert

lorida's Emerald Coast invites you to rock the beach this summer with great performances by world-famous acts starting at 5PM on Sunday, June 27th as Kenny Loggins co-headlines a show with the Doobie Brothers on the beach adjacent The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island (Newman C.Brackin Wayside County Park). These FREE concerts are another great reason to come on down and enjoy everything there is to do here, and the perfect way to support the local residents who depend on tourism to support their businesses and families.

We're working on lining up additional artists right now, and all summer long we'll be offering great deals on accommodations all along Florida's Emerald Coast, so check back often to see who's coming and when you'll plan your escape.

Last Meals of the Rich and Famous

LAST MEALS OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS

THEY LIVED INCREDIBLE LIVES. THEY ACCOMPLISHED AMAZING THINGS IN THEIR AMAZING LIFETIMES. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FINAL MEALS OF SOME OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE IN HISTORY:
ELVIS PRESLEY
"THE KING" STAYED UP MOST OF THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 15, 1977. HE WAS RESTLESS. BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6:00am , HE WENT TO HIS DENTIST TO HAVE A CAVITY FILLED (HE DID THIS LATE AT NIGHT TO AVOID MOBS), THEN HE RETURNED TO GRACELAND AND PLAYED RAQUETBALL WITH FRIENDS, TALKED OVER MARRIAGE PLANS WITH HIS 20-YEAR-OLD FIANCEE, GINGER ALDEN, AND BELTED OUT SOME GOSPEL SONGS ON THE PIANO. AROUND SUNRISE GINGER WENT TO BED, BUT ELVIS, STILL UNABLE TO SLEEP, ATE ONE OF HIS USUAL EARLY-MORNING SNACKS: FOUR SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM AND SIX CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES. AFTER THAT HE WENT TO BED, THEN GOT UP A FEW HOURS LATER TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, WHERE HE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK AND DIED.
MAHATMA GHANDI
ON THE EVENING OF JANUARY 30, 1948, GHANDI ENJOYED ONE OF HIS STANDARD HEALTHY DINNERS OF GOAT'S MILK, COOKED VEGETABLES, ORANGES, AND A CONCOCTION OF GINGER, SOUR LEMONS, AND STRAINED BUTTER MIXED WITH ALOE JUICE. HE THEN TOOK HIS NIGHTLY WALK AT BIRLA BHAVAN IN NEW DELHI, WHERE FOLLOWERS OFTEN GREETED HIM. AMONG THE FOLLOWERS WAS AN ASSASSIN, WHO SHOT THE SPIRITUAL LEADER AT POINT-BLANK RANGE.
SADDAM HUSSEIN
THE FORMER IRAQI DICTATOR WAS ALLOWED TO EAT HIS FAVORITE MEAL BEFORE HE WAS EXECUTED - BOILED CHICKEN AND RICE, ALONG WITH SEVERAL CUPS OF HOT WATER LACED WITH HONEY.
JAMES DEAN
THE REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE STAR WAS KNOWN FOR LIVING LIFE ON THE EDGE. IT'S IRONIC, THEN, THAT THE LAST THING HE ATE AT A ROADSIDE DINER ON SEPTEMBER 30, 1955, A FEW HOURS BEFORE HE CRASHED HIS PORSCHE SPIDER, WAS A SLICE OF APPLE PIE AND A GLASS OF MILK.
ADOLF HITLER
THE GERMAN DICTATOR'S LAST MEAL CAME ON APRIL 30, 1945, THE DAY HE FINALLY REALIZED HE HAD LOST THE WAR. HOLED UP IN HIS BUNKER, HITLER, A VEGETARIAN, ATE SPAGHETTI WITH "LIGHT SAUCE" (ALTHOUGH SOME BIOGRAPHERS SAY HE HAD LASAGNA). EITHER WAY, HITLER WANTED A SIMPLE MEAL WITHOUT ANY MENTION OF THE FALL OF BERLIN, SO THE CONVERSATION CONSISTED OF DOG BREEDING METHODS AND "HOW LIPSTICK WAS MADE FROM SEWER GREASE". SHORTLY AFTER THE MEAL, HITLER AND EVA BRAUN, WHOM HE'D MARRIED LESS THAN 40 HOURS EARLIER, WENT INTO A PRIVATE ROOM AND TOOK THEIR OWN LIVES.
JOHN LENNON
SOMETIME DURING THE AFTERNOON OF DECEMBER 8, 1980, LENNON ATE A CORNED-BEEF SANDWICH BEFORE GOING TO A NEW YORK RECORDING STUDIO TO WORK ON ONE OF YOKO ONO'S NEW SINGLES. AT AROUND 10:30 P.M., HAVING JUST RECEIVED THE HAPPY NEWS THAT THEIR ALBUM DOUBLE FANTASY HAD GONE PLATINUM, THEY DECIDED TO QUIT WORKING FOR THE NIGHT. ONO SUGGESTED STOPPING FOR DINNER, BUT LENNON WANTED TO GO STRAIGHT BACK TO THEIR APARTMENT AT THE DAKOTA TO SEE THEIR FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON, SEAN. WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF JOHN HAD GONE OUT TO EAT? INSTEAD, HE WENT HOME, WHERE A DERANGED FAN WAS WAITING FOR HIM.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
BY THE TIME HE REACHED HIS 60'S, HEMINGWAY WAS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE DEPRESSION. SEVERAL ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY TREATMENTS HAD LEFT HIM IN A FRAZZLED CONDITION. AFTER A FAILED SUICIDE ATTEMPT IN THE SPRING OF 1961 AT HIS HOME IN IDAHO, HEMINGWAY TRIED AGAIN ON JULY 2 BY PUTTING A SHOTGUN TO HIS HEAD. BUT FIRST, HE ATE HIS FAVORITE MEAL: NEW YORK STRIP STEAK, BAKED POTATO, CAESAR SALAD, AND A GLASS OF BORDEAUX.
JOHN BELUSHI
THE RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL IN LA. WAS KNOWN FOR IT'S LENTIL SOUP. A VERY DRUNK BELUSHI STOPPED IN THERE ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 5, 1982, AFTER BEING TOLD BY CONCERNED FRIENDS TO "GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, OR AT LEAST EAT SOMETHING". BELUSHI SCARFED DOWN A BOWL OF THE LENTIL SOUP IN THE RAINBOW'S KITCHEN, THEN RETURNED TO HIS BUNGALOW AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT (ROBIN WILLIAMS AND ROBERT DENIRO WERE THERE TOO, BUT LEFT BECAUSE OF "EXTREMELY" HEAVY DRUG USE). BELUSHI'S GIRLFRIEND INJECTED THE 33-YEAR-OLD COMEDIAN WITH WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A LETHAL DOSE OF HEROIN AND COCAINE. WHEN DOCTOR'S EXAMINED THE CONTENTS OF BELUSHI'S STOMACH THE NEXT DAY, THE ONLY FOOD WAS THE LENTIL SOUP.
PRINCESS DIANA
BY THE EVENING OF AUGUST 31, 1997, THE DAY OF HER FATAL CAR CRASH IN PARIS, DIANA AND HER BOYFRIEND, DODI AL FAYED, WERE SO FED UP WITH BEING HOUNDED BY PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT THEY DECIDED TO END THEIR VACATION EARLY AND RETURN TO ENGLAND THE NEXT DAY. THEIR PLAN: EAT DINNER AT ESPADON, A RESTAURANT IN THE RITZ HOTEL, AND THEN TAKE A HALF-HOUR DRIVE TO THE DUKE OF WINDSOR'S FORMER MANSION, WHERE THEY WOULD SPEND THE NIGHT. DIANA ATE A MUSHROOM-AND- ASPARAGUS OMELETTE, DOVER SOLE, AND VEGETABLE TEMPURA. AROUND MIDNIGHT, AFTER SENDING TWO DECOY CARS TO FOOL THE PAPARAZZI, DIANA AND FAYED CLIMBED INTO A BLACK MERCEDES S600, BUT THEY NEVER MADE IT TO THE MANSION.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 22, 1963, JFK ATE BREAKFAST IN HIS ROOM AT THE HOTEL TEXAS IN FORT WORTH. ACCORDING TO THE HOTEL'S EXECUTIVE CHEF, OTTO DRUHE, HE SERVED THE PRESIDENT "COFFEE, ORANGE JUICE, TWO BOILED (FIVE-MINUTE) EGGS, SOME TOAST, AND MARMALADE ON THE SIDE". THE PRESIDENT'S ENTOURAGE THEN LEFT FOR DOWNTOWN DALLAS, WHERE THEY WERE SCHEDULED FOR A 1:00 P.M. LUNCHEON DIRECTLY AFTER KENNEDY'S MOTORCADE MADE ITS WAY THROUGH TOWN. KENNEDY WAS SHOT AT 12:30 P.M.

Child Drowns While Mom Attends Yard Sale

The case of a toddler who drowned in a swimming pool Sunday wasn't the first time the mother left one of her children alone in a dangerous situation.In February, Donna Pierce, 32, was charged with child neglect after police found her 7-year-old son walking to school alone on a busy road.Pierce's 19-month-old boy was found unresponsive Sunday in an above-ground pool.According to police, Pierce left her home for 30 to 45 minutes to go to a yard sale a few houses away and was home for about 30 minutes when the child's grandfather discovered the boy in the pool.

Drunks Bully Park Patrons

Two men in Lawrence County are accused of bullying men, women and children at Hope Springs Park.

Witnesses told police it started when the men asked a woman to join them. She declined and moved her children down creek.The men followed and kept harassing them, even taking the glasses of her young son, said witnesses.Another woman asked if everything was OK, and witnesses said one man started hitting her with his chest and drew back his fist. That's when her boyfriend, Jonathan McNabb, intervened.Witnesses told police the two men jumped McNabb and tried to drown him in the creek.Police arrested Clifford Risner and Martin Kelley on charges of public intoxication and aggravated assault.

Meriwether Lewis Burial SIte Revitalized

The National Park Service has begun rehabilitating the Meriwether Lewis death and burial site on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Hohenwald, Tenn.
The work includes a new parking lot, a new education trail and exhibits, rehabilitation of a historic cabin, new restrooms and updated utilities. The project is expected to be done by next spring.Lewis, with William Clark, explored the territory from St. Louis westward to the Pacific Ocean beginning in 1803.He died mysteriously in 1809, either by suicide or shot by political enemies. Lewis County in Tennessee is named in his honor.

WGNS Powers Up

WGNS has increased the power of FM 100.5 by 300-percent. WGNS’ Bart Walker stated, “The increase was approved by the FCC several months ago, we just had to wait for better weather to actually climb the tower.” A total of three engineers were on the 325-foot self supporting tower Monday.  The wiring and antenna swap went smoothly, despite the thermometer reaching a 100-degree heat index that afternoon. Walker further stated, “The increase will enable our listeners to hear us further and clearer 24-hours per day on 100.5.” The power output of FM 101.9 and AM 1450 will remain unchanged.
WGNS first came on the air in 1947. Over the years we have concentrated on local news, weather, and sports

Nashville Rising Concert: No Brooks and Dunn

Brooks & Dunn won't be performing at the "Nashville Rising" concert after all.The country music duo had to pull out of Tuesday night's concert to help the flood relief effort because Ronnie Dunn is on vocal rest.Dunn has to keep his talking and singing to a minimum. The Boot.com said that's also why the duo postponed two concerts over the weekend in Virginia.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Man Drowns Cliff Diving:Can't Swim

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A 24-year-old man drowned Monday afternoon at the Southern Oaks Recreation Area off Stewart's Ferry Pike.




It happened off a cliff area at the Seven Points Campground on Percy Priest Lake.



Police said the man was with friends who were swimming when he jumped in feet first. His friends told police they didn't know he couldn't swim.

PHOTOS: 24-Year-Old Drowns At Percy Priest



Officials said the man paddled around before going under. His body was found a short time later just ten feet away from the bank.



Metro police were still on the scene investigating Monday afternoon.

United Ways $25K Pepsi Grant

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is in the last stretch for voting for the $25,000 grant from Pepsi that would be allocated to partner agencies for its next annual Day of Action. Pepsi will award 32 grants totaling $1.3 million during the month of June, and grant recipients are determined by a public vote that will conclude on June 30th.




The most recent Day of Action in May saw more than 250 volunteers completing projects at 25 various sites in Middle Tennessee. Typically, United Way has recruited volunteers and coordinated their efforts while the agencies have supplied the equipment and materials associated with the projects. However, the grant from Pepsi would result in the offsetting of those expenses assumed by the agencies.



There are 45 partner non-profit organizations in Rutherford and Cannon Counties that receiving funding from the local United Way. The web address to vote for United Way in this process is http://www.refresheverything.com/unitedway and voters may vote up to once per day through June 30th

American Idol Auditions: Nashville 1st Stop

Nashville First Stop for American Idol Auditions: American Idol Season 10 auditions will take place in Nashville o... http://bit.ly/8XW3KR

Wrestling The Ways It Should Be

TNAonline Preview Thursday's huge TNA "iMPACT!" broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, featuring Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett and much more! http://fb.me/BT0rw9by

Nashvillian Charged In Fireworks Case

Nashville Man Charged In RI Fireworks Incident: A man from Tennessee has been charged with setting o... http://bit.ly/dkQYb6

Local is Cook Off Finalist

Murfreesboro resident April Slayden is a finalist of Paula Deen’s national online cooking competition “The Real Women of Philadelphia.” Slayden will be participating in the final Cook Off with Paula Dean in Savannah, GA, from June 27 to June 30. The final four who win this competition will get a $25,000 talent contract and the opportunity to host their own weekly online cooking show on PaulaDean.com.
Slayden’s innovative recipe “Blue Peach Pizza” is what sent her to the finals. April is a recent college graduate and realtor by day and recipe ‘tweaker’ and innovator by night.

Smoke Dectors Save Life

Smoke detector save's West Nashville man's life: Firefighters rushed to Sylvan Park overnight after a http://url4.eu/4oP7W

Holloway Murder Suspect Recants

Natalee Holloway murder suspect Joran van der Sloot retracts confession in killing of Peruvian woman - De Telegraaf via AP

Daily Observation

People are willing to spend hrs on FB playing Farmville... But ask them to join you plant real trees and suddenly everyone HAS a life!!!

The Dalai Lama Says

DalaiLama Moral ethics are not a matter of religion alone, a secular approach needs to given, so that they become more universal.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Red Cross Barn Raising Fundraiser

Come kick up your boots and enjoy some country music, BBQ and a good time at the 2nd Annual American Red Cross Heart of Tennessee Chapter Barn Party. This event begins at 6:00 o’clock Saturday night, August 14th, at Womack Stables at Glen Oaks Farms. That’s at 4024 Barfield Crescent Road. Tickets are $50 per person and the cost includes food, beverages and fun. Food will be provided by Two Purple Pigs BBQ. The event will be held at Womack Stables rain or shine.

Musical guests this year include Tim James and the James Brothers Band. James is a Middle Tennessee native and is very well known on the Nashville country music scene as a very talented songwriter. He has enjoyed many major label artist cuts including the 5-week number one single “My List” recorded by Toby Keith. James has also had his songs recorded by such artists as Trace Adkins, LeeAnn Womack, Jeff Bates, Tim Rushlow, Mark Wills, Josh Gracin, American Idol finalist Bucky Covington and fellow Murfreesboro native and Nashville Star winner Chris Young.

“The Red Cross has been here for our community for over 100 years. This is a great opportunity for everyone to come out to this year’s Barn Party to help give back to a great organization that truly benefits our neighbors affected by disasters every day,” said 2010 Barn Party Chair, Freda Morgan.

All funds raised through ticket sales and company sponsorships will go to the local Red Cross Chapter to help victims of local disasters, such as fires, tornadoes and floods, and to aid U.S. military members and their families who need Red Cross services. The Red Cross is NOT a government agency and depends on generous gifts from the community to respond to disasters around the clock and around the block. . This fundraiser will help your local Red Cross serve your neighbors in need in Middle Tennessee every day!

To become a 2010 event sponsor, to purchase tickets or for more information contact Beth Ferguson at 615.893.4272 ext. 106 or via e-mail at fergusonb@hot-redcross.org. Sponsorships are still available at the $250, $500, $1,000 and $5,000 levels. Tickets will be available for sale within approximately 2 weeks and can also be pre-ordered online at www.midtnredcross.org.

The Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross provides vital emergency assistance to help victims of local disasters in Rutherford, Bedford, Cannon, Franklin, Coffee & Moore counties. Over the past year the Chapter trained nearly 15,000 people in CPR & First Aid, Babysitting and Aquatics training, and provided pre-deployment briefings and emergency communications for over 640 active duty military personnel and their families. Over 13,177 pints of life-saving blood were collected from the community last year. All of these services are made possible by over 320 dedicated local Red Cross volunteers as well as through generous gifts from the local community. To get more information please call 615) 893-4272 or log on to www.midtnredcross.org.

Digging Up Bobby Fisher's Dead Body

Iceland's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the remains of chess legend Bobby Fischer can be exhumed for a paternity test to settle a dispute over his estate, public broadcaster RUV reported. The Supreme Court overturned a ruling by the District Court of Reykjavik last month and decided to allow the disinterment of Fischer's body to test if he was indeed the father of nine-year-old Jinky Young, from the Philippines, as her mother claims.
Fischer, who died on January 17, 2008, is buried at the cemetery of Laugardaelir Church in southern Iceland.
His estate is estimated to be worth about US$2 million and is reportedly contested by three parties in addition to Young: a wife, two American nephews and the U.S. government, to which he owed unpaid taxes.
According to RUV, new evidence had emerged that Fischer had transferred money to Young's mother in 2006 and 2007, boosting her case that he was in fact her father.
The court therefore allowed DNA to be taken from Fischer's remains and compared to genetic matter from the girl and her mother.
U.S.-born Fischer, who made world headlines when he defeated Soviet world champion Boris Spassky in their Cold War showdown in Reykjavik in 1972, took Icelandic citizenship in 2005 to avoid being deported to the United States.
He was wanted for breaking international sanctions by playing a chess match in Yugoslavia in 1992.

40 Human Heads Found On Plane

Officials say a Southwest Airlines worker stumbled across a few boxes of human heads at the Little Rock, Ark., airport. It turns out the heads found June 9 were bound for a medical laboratory in Fort Worth, Texas. But Pulaski County coroner Garland Camper says he's waiting for records showing the heads were legally obtained and were being shipped legally. Camper says the 40 to 60 whole and partial heads are at the county morgue. Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Mainz says the airline called police and refused to ship them because they were not packaged and labeled properly. The heads were being shipped by JLS Consulting LLC of Conway, Ark. JLS founder Janice Hepler said they're to be used in a continuing-education program for doctors.

Lil Thug Gets Mugged By Principal

School is out of session for summer at Bailey Middle School, but it's what Angelia Taylor said happened on school grounds Thursday morning that has her asking why an assistant principal hit her son and pulled a knife on him.Her 14-year-old son, DeAngelo Taylor, explained how it started."He ... said, 'I'm going to beat your (expletive),' and I said, 'All right, (expletive) you,' and he said, '(expletive) your mama,' and I said, 'Forget it,'" said DeAngelo.DeAngelo said he and an assistant principal had words early Thursday morning at school. The next thing he knew, DeAngelo said, the educator hit him at lunch.“(He) came over there, he said, 'You bad, ain't ya? You think you bad, ain't ya?' He backhanded me hard. I couldn't even swallow my food," DeAngelo said.Taylor said the abuse didn't stop there. As the two left the room, he said, "We got a little past the (security) camera and he said, 'N****, I'll stick you. I'll stick you,'" said DeAngelo.The boy said he went home to tell his mother what happened."I'm still in shock. I can’t believe something like this could happen. He was saying when he breathed in, his chest was hurting. So that made me wonder; he hit my son hard," said Angelia Taylor.She took her son to the hospital as a precaution. There, records show doctors determined he had a bruised chest.Taylor said her son isn't perfect. DeAngelo is on probation for burglary and was at school Thursday doing community service."No matter what he did, he shouldn’t be treated that way. No child should be treated that way. I want something done about it," Taylor said.She filed a police report and said she plans to press charges. She also met with the school principal and assistant principal to get answers.“I asked him why did he have his hands on my child anyway? He said he did not hit DeAngelo. He said he touched DeAngelo, but still, why is your hand on my child?" said Taylor.Requests for comment from the assistant principal and a spokesperson for Metro Schools were unreturned.As for any discipline in this case, Taylor said the school principal at Bailey Middle School told her she would review the school's videotapes and determine what should be done.

Peeping Puts Perp In Pen

A registered sex offender is in trouble with the law again.Metro police said they believe Timothy Temple is responsible for peering into homes in West Nashville."It's shocking, to be honest with you," said Cory McClain.McClain and his wife moved to their Westlawn Drive home a year ago for its charm."It's a really friendly neighborhood," he said. "Everyone's running, biking or walking their dogs. It's just been tremendous."Jennifer Hannah moved to the area a month ago for the same reasons."We just like the neighborhood," she said. "My husband lived down the street off Wyoming for awhile. It just seemed like a safe neighborhood."Safety came into question for Hannah and McClain with recent news of a peeping tom.According to Metro police, several homes along Westlawn Drive, 18th Ave South, and Hillsboro Pike have been victim to an unwanted guest for nearly a month. Several women reported seeing a man looking into bedroom and bathroom windows late at night or early in the morning. In some cases, he left notes for the victims telling them what he saw.On Friday morning, undercover Metro Detective Charles Taylor caught Timothy Temple looking into a window on 18th Avenue South just after midnight. Police aren't releasing his picture because of the ongoing investigation, but Temple is no stranger to the law.He is a convicted sex offender with a criminal history that goes back more than 15 years. In 1993, he was convicted of attempted sexual battery. He was also convicted of stalking in 2006, and again in 2008.Temple refused to talk to police Friday, but was arrested on charges of trespassing and driving on a revoked license. More criminal charges are possible pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.

$ can't Buy Love But It Can Buy Access

Corporations and special-interest groups spent thousands of dollars throwing big parties for state lawmakers this year. It raises questions about whether money buys influence, because some of the biggest spenders had stakes in the bills state lawmakers passed. State lawmakers were invited to dozens of events this year, from early-morning breakfasts to evening receptions promising free food and drinks. Add it all up, and special-interest groups spent more than $390,000 wining and dining state lawmakers."Special-interests as well as maybe non-special interests want to influence the process," said Dick Williams of Common Cause of Tennessee.The Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association spent the most for its legislative reception at $23,000.Other big spenders include AT&T at $19,000, the Tennessee Hospital Association and Insurers of Tennessee each spent about $18,000 and Tennessee Electric Cooperative spent $16,000."Most of the big expenditures are from very well-heeled corporations, if you will, or business interests, and their bottom line is, does it help them or not?" said Williams. "They aren't going to spend a lot of money glad-handing legislators just to be nice."Thanks to changes in the ethics law in 2006, Special-interest groups must now follow specific rules when it comes to wining and dining state lawmakers. Rules now require seven days' notice of the event, and groups can't spend more than $51 per person.All receipts must be submitted to the Tennessee Ethics Commission within 30 days."It's a better process," Williams said. "You can't completely eliminate it. And it's certainly not a level playing field. Groups that can't afford to do it, don't do it, obviously."But it allows the public to see what happens outside of the chambers and what could potentially influence what happens inside the chambers.Groups actually spent less money on legislative parties this year. Last year, they spent a total of $450,000 on parties for lawmakers.

Infant Nearly Beaten to Death

A little 16-month old baby is on “life support” at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and a 32-year old man is locked in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. Murfreesboro Police Detective Paul Mongold and DCS Case Worker Kevin Smith interviewed Rashii T. Brisbon in the emergency room at Middle Tennessee Medical Center on Wednesday (6/16/2010). He claims the infant choked on some bread and fell off a sofa. Physicians at MTMC as well as Vanderbilt say there is no way such severe injuries could have occured that way. The infant was unresponsive when paramedics arrived. The child had bruising around the neck and bleeding on the brain. According to the arrest report, doctors say “the baby was the victim of non-accidental trauma”. Rashii T. Brisbon of Waterford Place Apartments on South Church Street was arrested at 2:00 o’clockThursday afternoon (6/17/2010) and charged with aggravated child abuse. Authorities also discovered that he has an outstanding warrant for desertion from the U.S. Army. Brisbon’s first court date is July 8th, and his bond is set at $300,000.

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Weather In Your Neck Of The Woods

Whats your weekend forcast?

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/currentweatherusnational/index_large.html?cm_ven=NWF&cm_cat=rss&cm_pla=map&cm_ite=cc_us&par=NWF_rss&site=map&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weather%2FUwAQ+%28The+Weather+Channel%3A+National+Weather+Outlook%29

2010 Summer NAMM Opens In Nashville

2010 Summer NAMM Opens in Nashville: http://url4.eu/4gmzM

Country Inn For Sale: Leipers Fork

Own a property in the celebrity filled neighborhood of Kenny Loggins;Naomi,Wynonna and Ashley Judd; Michael McDonald Kim Carnes and more.

During an auction in a driving rainstorm 10 years ago, Ann Johnson bought the Leiper's Fork property that now is the home of Moonshine Hill Inn.

Johnson said that the driving rains in early May that caused flooding and suffering throughout Middle Tennessee made her re-evaluate her priorities. She has decided to put Moonshine Hill up for sale.

She is asking $1,050,000 for this distinctive property, which can be a residence or a business.

At 5456 Old Highway 96, Moonshine Hill has a 1,461-square-foot cottage on 21.36 acres of land that includes another building site suitable for a second house.

In addition to the cottage, there is a barn, a cedar log cabin and a pavilion that is used for parties and weddings. There's also a vintage outhouse. It's made of chestnut wood and Johnson hasn't had the heart to tear it down.

But it is the cottage that is the centerpiece of Moonshine Hill, and it is the structure that either can be somebody's home or an inn for someone away from home.

At one time, it was Johnson's home; it did not become a business until after 2006, when she moved into a house in Franklin and converted the cottage into a quaint inn with a country-cool vibe that is completely in sync with Leiper's Fork.

Built of wood, bricks and stones that were mostly reclaimed from other structures, the cottage has a big bedroom with a private bathroom along with a home office on its second floor. A sleeping area with another full bathroom is downstairs.

The main floor also has a full kitchen, a living room with a huge stone fireplace, a dining area and a reading nook.

$15 Mil More for Green Vehicle Chargers

Tempe-based Ecotality Inc. is getting another $15 million from the stimulus act to install electric-car charging stations for Nissan and now Chevrolet vehicles, the company said Thursday.



Ecotality previously was awarded a $99.8 million stimulus grant to provide free home-charging stations for 4,700 people who buy Nissan Leaf electric vehicles starting later this year.





The original grant also covered several thousand public charging stations for the cars in Phoenix-Tucson, San Diego, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington.



The additional $15 million will extend the program to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and include free home chargers for 1,000 more Leaf buyers and 2,600 qualified people who buy Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid vehicles.



The grant money will save customers the cost of installing a 220-volt home charger that will replenish their battery faster than the standard, 120-volt wall outlet.



Home chargers could cost $2,000, Nissan and Chevrolet officials estimate, depending on how much electrical work is required on a home. Federal tax credits can cover as much as half the charger's cost up to $2,000 through this year.



Electric-vehicle drivers who participate in Ecotality's EV Project and get free chargers will be required to share their charging data with Ecotality, which will study how people use their cars and batteries to efficiently deploy the infrastructure for thousands more cars.



"We are working with stakeholders in each region (of the project) to see what makes sense for a mature infrastructure," Ecotality spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said.



The Phoenix area will begin to get Ecotality chargers this fall.



"A lot of drivers are anxious to make that clean break from fossil fuels," L'Ecuyer said.



Arizona drivers who qualify for the project can get a free home charger with a Leaf but not with a Volt. Most of the free Ecotality chargers for Volt drivers will to go Los Angeles, she said. "But people in Phoenix who buy a Volt will be able to charge it because of the public infrastructure we are deploying," she said. "Those drivers will know there is a way to charge their car."



The expansion into Los Angeles is apparently unaffected by that city's recent City Council vote to boycott Arizona over its immigration law.



Ecotality and its 40 or so partners on the EV Project will match the grants from the government, meaning the total cost of the project is $229.6 million, twice the $114.8 million from stimulus grants.



Ecotality officials hope the research project not only creates jobs - 5,500 by 2017 - but that it puts the publicly traded company in a strong position to serve the U.S. market for electric vehicles.



Ecotality is not alone in its field. Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb Technologies also makes chargers, and the company also got a Stimulus Act grant, although at $15 million it is far less than Ecotality's project has received so far.



Coulomb also will match its grant with contributions from the company and partners.



Coulomb's ChargePoint America program will provide 4,700 chargers in Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, San Jose/San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Bellevue/Redmond, Wash.



Coulomb is working with Ford, Chevrolet and Smart USA.



Drivers of the vehicles are likely to use their chargers differently because some will have all-electric cars, like the Leaf, while others will have plug-in hybrids, like the Volt, which will have a gas-powered engine to extend the battery's range.



"Many owners will plug their Volt into a normal 120-volt electrical outlet, charge overnight and drive to work in the morning using only battery power," said Tony DiSalle, the Volt's marketing director in a statement. "For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect the Department of Energy project to save $1,000 and $2,000."



Other charging-station competitors looking to capitalize on the wave of electric cars planned in the next few years include AeroVironment Inc., which has a deal for chargers in South Carolina, and Better Place, which promotes chargers and public-service stations to swap out depleted electric-car batteries.







Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2010/06/17/20100617ecotality-gets-another-15-mil-stimulus-electric-car-chargers.html#ixzz0rD9UZV2g

Intl Folk Fest In Murfreesboro 06/18/2010

Musicians and dancers from Curacao, Slovakia, Italy and the U.S. frolic at a Barn Party for International Folkfest hosted on Tuesday night (6/15/2010) at the Shacklett Road home of Will and Mary Ann Jordan. The international folkloric festival, sanctioned by the International Organization of Folk Art, is financed primarily through funding from the City of Murfreesboro, Middle TN Electric Membership Corporation, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Wilson Bank and Trust, Tennessee Car and Van Rental, and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.


The visiting groups continue their activities on Wednesday with performances for Boys and Girls Clubs, senior citizens groups, and civic organizations in the area. Central Christian Church will host the Ecumenical Service on Wednesday night at 7:00, featuring all foreign groups and the Bradley Creek Missionary Baptist Church #1 Choir from Milton.


Friday night all groups will perform, beginning at 7:00, at Patterson Park Theatre and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Vendors will sell their wares at Cannonsburgh and an Antique Car Show will be held as well. At noontime, special greetings will be brought by representatives of the Embassies of Curacao and Italy; Derrick Tibbs, representing Governor Bredesen; Murfreesboro City Councilman Ron Washington and State Representative Kent Coleman.


On Saturday evening (6/19/10) at Lane Agri-park, representatives of the FCE Clubs will give handmade gift items to all of the approximately 60 members of the three visiting delegations during the Farewell Dinner and Party. The International Folkloric Planning Society, Inc. will also present gifts to the groups and final remarks will be made before departures begin on Sunday morning

Drunk At An AA Meeting





A woman is arrested on DUI charges after leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.Clarksville police pulled over Jessica Doty on Wednesday after, they said, she crashed her car into a mailbox on Bellshire Drive. Doty told officers she'd just left an AA meeting and then drank two glasses of wine, said police.She's been charged with DUI, violation of the open container law and leaving the scene of an accident.

The Dalai Lama Says:

DalaiLama It is difficult to achieve a spirit of genuine cooperation as long as people remain indifferent to the feelings and happiness of others.

NIMBY: Residents Protest Mosque

NIMBY: Not In MY BACK YARD, say Murfreesboro residents concerned about a proposed mosque and the potential it will attract terrorists.

A plan to build a mosque and Islamic center in Rutherford County encountered heavy opposition Thursday night.So many people turned up for the public hearing at the Rutherford County courthouse, authorities wouldn't let them all in. Upstairs, a stream of residents told the county commissioners they believe a mosque is a threat to public safety.Karan Harrell said the community needs to “wake up before it’s too late.” She said, "everybody knows who's trying to kill us, but we’re not allowed to say it.”The mosque and Islamic center would be 52,000 square feet, a size some said would cause traffic and infrastructure concerns, and others found threatening on its face. Some speakers questioned whether the center would become a fortress or terrorist training camp."I need to know more. Who is behind the mosque? And why is it so big?" asked Scott Kozimore.No one spoke publicly in support of the mosque at the public hearing. The Islamic center's Imam Ossama Bahoul said earlier in the day that the battle comes down to stereotypes."I want everyone to know we care about the city, we are citizens of this country," Bahoul said. After the meeting, an inter-faith group spoke in support of religious tolerance.Judith Saks of the Jewish Federation said all religious views should be respected since "we are a nation of many faiths."Rutherford County resident Betty McNeely said she was embarrassed at the intolerance she heard at the meeting."I want to take my country back, back to the time when we had freedom of religion, freedom to worship, " McNeely said.A number of of residents asked for an expanded public hearing, but it's not clear whether that would make any difference, since the land is already properly zoned.

Actor Gary Coleman Finally Cremated

The dispute over Gary Coleman's estate wages on, but the court-appointed attorney overseeing the late actor's belonging says one thing is certain: he did not want his death memorialized with any fanfare. So after Coleman's remains were finally cremated Thursday at a suburban Salt Lake City mortuary -- after nearly three weeks of limbo caused by legal wrangling -- there was no funeral, no wake, no ceremony of any kind. "The proceeding was conducted in accordance with Mr. Coleman's desires as expressed in his will," attorney Robert Jeffs said in a brief statement. Jeffs revealed earlier this week that Coleman's 2005 will specified he wanted no funeral or other service. That document trumped a 1999 will, in which Coleman said he wanted to be remembered in a wake conducted by people who had no financial ties to him and who could "look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Coleman." The 1999 will also said Coleman wanted no media at his wake. The former child TV star's cremation had been on hold because of a dispute over his assets between his ex-wife, Shannon Price, and ex-girlfriend, Anna Gray. Both contend they are the lawful administrators of his estate. On Monday, a Utah judge appointed Jeffs to oversee Coleman's property and remains until a determination is made on an estate executor. Jeffs has said that decision could take months. In the meantime, Coleman's ashes and belongings will be securely stored, Jeffs said. Coleman's 1999 will named Dion Mial, one of Coleman's friends and former managers, who on Monday withdrew his petition to be named as special administrator of Coleman's estate. Mial's attorney said the 2005 will, which names Gray as administrator, takes precedence because it is more recent. A 2007 handwritten note by Coleman names Price as the sole heir of his earnings, home, toy trains and other property. "I made this change of free will and was not coerced in any way," says the note dated Sept. 4, 2007, less than a month after Coleman and Price married. "This I have done because of my personal selfishness and my weakness and I love her with all my heart." Price and Coleman met in 2005 on the set of the comedy "Church Ball." They divorced in 2008. Coleman was still conscious when he was taken to a hospital in Provo on May 26 but slipped into unconsciousness the next day and was placed on life support. It was Price who ordered that Coleman be taken off life support. In 2006, Coleman signed documents giving Price legal authority to make medical decisions for him if he couldn't. Coleman starred for eight seasons on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," starting in 1978. The tiny 10-year-old's "Whachu talkin' 'bout?" became a catch phrase in the show about two African-American brothers adopted by a wealthy white man. Coleman played Arnold Jackson, the younger of the two brothers.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Celtics Own Most NBA Titles

Number of championships won by teams

Teams↓ Championships↓
Boston Celtics &0000000000000017.000000 17 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008)
Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers &0000000000000018.000000 16 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
Chicago Bulls &0000000000000006.000000 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
San Antonio Spurs &0000000000000004.000000 4 (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007)
Detroit Pistons &0000000000000003.000000 3 (1989, 1990, 2004)
Philadelphia / Golden State Warriors &0000000000000003.000000 3 (1947, 1956, 1975)
Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers &0000000000000003.000000 3 (1955, 1967, 1983)
Houston Rockets &0000000000000002.000000 2 (1994, 1995)
New York Knicks &0000000000000002.000000 2 (1970, 1973)
Baltimore Bullets (folded in 1954)[a] &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1948)
Miami Heat &0000000000000001.000000 1 (2006)
Milwaukee Bucks &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1971)
Portland Trail Blazers &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1977)
Rochester Royals (now Sacramento Kings) &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1951)
Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1979)
St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1958)
Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) &0000000000000001.000000 1 (1978)