Tuesday - June 16, 2009 -

Welcome to the Blog -

Whether we know it or not, each of us lives a life governed by an internalized code of conduct. Some call it morality, others call it religion. I call it “The Bro Code”. It’s my hope that, with a better understanding of the Code, Bros the world over can put aside their differences and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. It is then, and only then, that we might work together as one to accomplish perhaps the most important challenge society faces – getting laid.

- Barney Stinson – The Bro Code –

THE BRO CODE – Article # 19

“Never share a bed with a guy, unless there's no way around it.”


ON THIS DAY

It was on this date in 1673 that Governor's Island, just off Manhattan, was purchased from the Indians for two axes, some beads and a handful of nails. Needless to say, the two axes were the most convincing part of that deal. By the way, the deal was handled by Century 17 Realtors.

On this date in 1858, Abraham Lincoln made his "House divided" speech... about the perils of divorce.

In 1883, the New York Gothams became the first professional baseball team to hold a "Ladies Day," where women got into the games free. That idea was a much bigger success than their first promotion, the 7th inning "Wet Corset" contest. Needless to say, it made it pretty tough to slide in those skirts.

On this date in 1933, the FDIC was created. Before then, all bank commercials just ended with the word "member."

In 1960, the movie "Psycho" hit theaters. Taking a shower was never the same.


TODAY IS

John Cho turns 37 today. He was part of the Harold & Kumar team, but these days is enjoying a nice Sulu career.

Golfer Phil Mickelson turns 39 today. In golfing terms, that's two rounds.

Gino Vanelli turns 57 today. Years ago, he was quite a well-known singer. Now, most people would just guess his name is what you say when you're out of ice cream.

August Busch III of the Anheuser-Busch family turns 72 today. His birthday party is going to be taken over by a European birthday party.


THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

A pretty racy Calvin Klein billboard in New York is getting a lot of buzz these days. It features three barely clad people -- two guys and a girl -- in a threesome position.

Get this -- a coalition of "concerned citizens," whose web site is FireDavidLetterman.com, is calling on CBS CEO Les Moonves to fire David Letterman for his "sexist insults" of both Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Palin's 14 year old daughter. Meanwhile, Letterman said his joke about Palin's daughter was a lousy joke, no matter how you cut it, and he's sorry.

George Obama, the president's half brother, is working on a book that'll come out next January. Of course he is.

Ladies, if you want him to notice you, wear red. The color red makes men feel more amorous toward women, according to a study by two University of Rochester psychologists.

Usher has filed for divorce less than two years after marrying Tameka Raymond. They had two sons together, 6 months and 18 months.

Miley Cyrus says that she and the Jonas Brothers have "reconnected."

While performing on stage in New York, Shooter Jennings asked his longtime girlfriend and Sopranos star Drea de Matteo to marry him... and she said "Yes."

The A&E network says "The Beast," starring the ailing Patrick Swayze, will not return for a second season.

Now Reese Witherspoon has her own scent: "In Bloom."

Thousands of American Idol hopefuls turned out in the rain Sunday to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, for the first round of auditions for the next round of Idol. And so it begins again.

Poor dental hygiene increases the risk of both heart attack and stroke, according to researchers from the University of Bristol in Great Britain. While smoking, obesity and high cholesterol are still the leading causes of a heart attack, neglected gums can now be added to that list.

Brad Pitt has given $1 million to help a Missouri hospital open a new pediatric cancer center that will be named for their mother, Jane Pitt.

In Israel, a woman surprised her mom with a new mattress... only to find out that the old mattress -- which she had removed and taken to the dump -- had $1 million cash inside it. They're still searching the dumps for it.

While Steven Baldwin is hanging out with "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," his foreclosed New York home is going up on the auction block.

Six Flags has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. No parks will be affected... yet

Lil Wayne is going to be a father with two different women.



WEIRD NEWS

It's Tough When The Kids Are Smarter Than the Teachers - It's tough being a high school teacher these days -- especially when the students are smarter than you are. In Clifton Park, New York, 16-year-old computer whiz Matthew Beighey has been charged with designing software intended to shut teachers out of the grading system. And it worked. The school district says the teenager temporarily blocked teachers' ability to enter grades and had to get technical support to regain access. So kids if your grades are a little late, you'll know why. (Times Union)

Come See the ATV Parade! - In Silver Bay, Minnesota, a bunch of ATV lovers believe they have set a new world record. The All-Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota tried Saturday to line up more than 2,000 ATVs in Silver Bay into the longest parade documented for the Guinness World Records book. They fell short of their target but did get 1,632 ATVs from their count, and hope to have the Guinness folks verify the new record. The current record stands at 1,138 ATVs and was set by the Harlan County Ridge Runners of Evarts, Kentucky back in 2006. By the way-- three-wheelers and side-by-side ATVs don't count. You've got to have four wheels. (myway.com)

A Car in the Pool Won't Ruin My Honeymoon! - In Coral Springs, Florida, Robert and Stacy Lazdowski weren't about to let a little thing like a car plunging into their swimming pool stop them from going on their Key West honeymoon. Married in December, the couple was eager to start their delayed honeymoon last Friday. But they almost had to ditch their plans when a teenager drove his blue 2005 Acura more than 30 feet from the road into their pool. So the Lazdowskis spent several hours cleaning up debris and repairing their damaged backyard fence before finally heading to Key West-- much later than expected. Stacy said, "I'm just looking forward to the beautiful sunset with my husband, a Rum Runner, and getting a great big hug and kiss." The driver of the vehicle in the pool told police he swerved from the road to avoid a cat and wasn't given a citation. Under department policy, officers don't issue traffic citations when no one files a complaint and no one is injured. A tow truck arrived and removed the car from pool. The Lazdowski's estimate about $40,000 in damages. Just before they left their home, Stacy said, "We were supposed to be parasailing by now." (The Sun Sentinel)

Sorry, Your Dog Does Not Have a Guilty Look - According to new research from Barnard College in New York, dog owners who believe their pets have a "guilty look" are simply imagining things. Researchers tricked owners into thinking innocent pets had misbehaved when they hadn't, and the owners still claimed to see the guilty look. Assistant Professor Alexandra Horowitz said that the dog owners were projecting human values onto their pets. The research, Canine Behaviour and Cognition, looked at how dog owners interpreted their pets' expressions, when they believed that the dog had stolen and eaten a forbidden treat. When the owners had been told their dog had misbehaved, they saw this guilty expression, even when the dog had not really done anything wrong. And the dogs which were most likely to "look guilty", according to their owners, were those who were entirely innocent but then who had been scolded by owners who believed that they had stolen treats. (Ananova)

What? Haven't You Seen a Carrot Bomb Before? - In Sweden, artist Conny Blom taped bunches of carrots together with black tape and then attached blue and red wires and a clock to them to resemble a bomb. His art stunt, which he entitled The Bunny Project: Bombs, was put on display at 15 locations around the southern city of Orebro. The only problem was people thought they were real bombs and police received dozens of calls from worried citizens. Blom was ultimately forced to remove his art and may face charges. The carrot bombs had been placed around the city at the request of a local art gallery, as part of an open-air arts festival. They had only been in place for an hour before police received their first call. Blom insisted the project was harmless saying, "After all, it is just carrots with an alarm clock and nothing else. This is just a caricature of a bomb." (Ananova)

Did You Ever Notice That You Look Just Like Me? - In China's Fujian province, two women who work for the same company but in different cities believe they are identical twins after a chance encounter. It came about after the owner of one shop went to inspect a branch shop in Quangang. At first he was amazed to find one of his own employees working in the other shop. When Zhuang Yanhong and Gong Jingjing, both 18, finally met up, it turned out they were almost identical. Both even had four moles in the same place on their right hands but their home towns were thousands of miles apart. The pair initially thought it was just an amazing coincidence. Zhuang is an adopted child, while Gong, had always thought her parents were her biological parents. But then she got the surprising news from her parents that she too had been adopted. The girls are now convinced they are twins although Gong said, "We don't want to do DNA tests. No matter what happens, we are sisters." (Ananova)

Time To Change the Rules? - The U.S. Air Force has spent an estimated $25 million training combat pilot Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach but is now about to discharge him involuntarily because he has admitted he is gay. Born of military-officer parents, Fehrenbach has earned no less than 30 awards and decorations, with tours flying F-15Es in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and was one of the elite fighters called on to patrol the air space over Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. Despite this incredible record of service to his country, and all that tax-payer money spent on his training, he's out because he's gay. Seriously folks -- does this really make sense any longer? If you tried firing a person where you work just because they're gay, you'd be sued and you'd lose. How does this still work for the military? (Dayton Daily News)


TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR BASKETBALL TEAM JUST WON THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Smoke
2. Kobe's now passing the ball, but hanging on to the trophy
3. You're not the Orlando Magic
4. The police department is putting on their official NBA riot gear
5. Looters are doing their stretches


HUNTER'S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

They may be the Orlando Magic, but the Lakers made them disappear.

The president's half-brother, George Obama, is writing a book in which he'll share a few secrets about Barack Obama. Needless to say, Joe Biden's brother is not happy. With Joe, there are no secrets left to write about.

The country of Iran held elections last week, the day after results were announced.

Actually, many Iranians are questioning the outcome of the election. A lot of them had voted for Adam Lambert.

Norman Brinker, the man who invented the salad bar, passed away last week. At his funeral, mourners were allowed to come back to his casket as often as they liked.

The Gum Wall in Seattle -- where theater goers would stick their gum on the wall while waiting in line -- has been named to the list of "Germiest Places in the U.S.." It's listed as second, right behind the back seat of Britney Spears' car.


On to ROCK NEWS –


AEROSMITH GUITARIST RECOVERING FROM HEAD INJURY…Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry told Reuters that he expects bandmate and guitarist Brad Whitford to rejoin the group on its just-launched summer tour in early July. It was announced earlier this month that Whitford would sit out at least part of the tour while recovering from surgery. Perry revealed that Whitford had an operation to relieve internal bleeding caused when he hit his head getting out of his Ferrari just a few days before the trek began. Perry explained, "It built up pressure and gave him this whoopin' headache. He's not prone to getting migraines, so knew something was wrong. He went right in, they did what they had to do, and now he's getting better."

The 57-year-old Whitford is slated to return to the road on July 7th, when the band plays Raleigh, North Carolina. His replacement has been Bobby Schneck, who has also logged time with Green Day and Weezer.

Whitford is the latest Aerosmith member to be plagued with medical problems in the past few years. Bassist Tom Hamilton beat throat cancer a few years back, while Perry had a knee replaced and singer Steven Tyler had foot surgery and a bout with pneumonia in the past 12 months.

In other news, Perry also hinted that the group may change up its current set list, which features the classic 1975 album Toys In The Attic almost in its entirety, and start playing its 1976 masterpiece Rocks later in the tour.

Perry did not say whether the band would switch between albums as the tour progresses, and even speculated on reviving its underrated 1979 effort, Night In The Ruts, at some point as well.

Aerosmith plays a hometown show in Boston on Tuesday night (June 16th), where they'll be joined by fellow rock veterans ZZ Top for the rest of the tour.


BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SAID TO HAVE KEPT BEST NEW JERSEY TICKETS FROM FANS…Bruce Springsteen fans have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the recent East Coast E Street Band shows. Now it seems that Springsteen himself held back 1,118 of the best seats in the house during his May 21st show at New Jersey's Izod Center for personal and industry use. The New Jersey Star-Ledger reported that out of the 1,126 seats in the four sections closest to the stage, Springsteen's team only allowed 108 seats to be put on sale according to new ticket data obtained through the Open Public Records Act.

The records show that a total of 2,262 tickets were held back from the public "for the band, its record company and agent and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the public agency that operates the arena and acted as promoter for the concerts." This proves problematic because the amount of tickets withheld represents 12 percent of the venue's total -- violating state law which has set the limit at only five percent.

Somerset Country Assemblyman Peter Biondi explained, "They are allowed to hold back five percent for family, fan clubs, friends, sponsors, for the band, for the producer, for everyone involved. It is a state statute. It is enforceable and it should be enforced. It's there for a reason. The intent was to have enough tickets available to have fair and open pricing."

The Sports and Exposition Authority believes that they were not in violation, with spokesman John Samerjan saying that the five percent only applies to the tickets withheld by the Authority itself -- and does not figure in additional seats held back for "the artists, sponsors and media."

Samerjan said that if the withheld tickets aren't taken up by the Authority or the act they are put directly on sale to fans: "The (ticket) holds are a necessary part of doing business,"We work with the attorney general and consumer affairs. They were aware of exactly where every ticket is going."

Springsteen's management has yet to comment on the allegations.


BEATLES NEWS ROUNDUP…Out today (June 16th) is the long-awaited George Harrison greatest hits collection Let It Roll: The Songs Of George Harrison. The 19-track disc is named after "The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)," one of the many standout tracks from Harrison's first post-Beatles collection, 1970's All Things Must Pass.

Highlights include such Harrison staples as "My Sweet Lord," "All Things Must Pass," "Isn't It A Pity," "Blow Away," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)," "All Those Years Ago," and "Got My Mind Set On You" -- which is remains the last solo Beatle chart-topper to date.

Also included on the set are the three Beatles tunes Harrison performed at New York's Madison Square Garden during the legendary 1971 Concert For Bangladesh: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Here Comes The Sun," with Badfinger's Pete Ham on dual acoustic guitar, and "Something."

Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, told CNN that Harrison's work always maintained a thematic link throughout the years: "I think that there is an underlying thread that he always expressed, always a bit of humor, always a bit of longing... I don't like to overuse the word spirituality, but, you know, he was interested in things not of this world."

Paul McCartney has added a third night to his upcoming shows at Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets. McCartney will now play July 17th, 18th and 21st as he breaks in the stadium as New York City's latest rock venue.

London's Daily Express reported that with McCartney's romance with New Yorker Nancy Shevell going strong, the former Beatle is looking to spend more time in America. An unnamed source said, "Paul respects Nancy's independent life as a businesswoman and wants to make things easier for her so he's cleared his diary and will be spending more time in the U.S. He's been talking about expanding some of his own property interests in the States and they may do some projects together."

People reported that on June 9th McCartney was spotted exercising at Beverly Hills' Sports Club and spent 20 minutes working up a sweat on the treadmill. That same night he was spotted having dinner with the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl at L.A.'s Pizzeria Mozza.

Beatles fans thought they were getting yet another sneak preview of the group's upcoming Rock Band game when a tracklist of 45 songs hit the Internet yesterday (June 15th). A spokesman for the game makers Harmonix told Joystiq.com: "The rumored 'leaked' list is not the disc track listing for The Beatles: Rock Band. We'll be announcing more tracks throughout the summer. Stay tuned to thebeatlesrockband.com for the most up to date information about disc songs and downloadable content!"


That’s it for now, as always, if you can’t be good, be good at it and don’t get caught!!

Jonathan