samhexum

Man run over by lawn mower while trying to kill son with chainsaw A Tennessee man lost one of his legs after his son, trying to fend off the 76-year-old’s chainsaw attack, drove over the older man with a lawn mower, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. The father, identified as Douglas Ferguson, of Bristol, now faces a charge of attempted second degree murder, according to the Bristol Herald Courier. The incident happened June 28, but, because of the severity of the injury, authorities weren’t able to serve the arrest warrant until Tuesday. Officials say Ferguson’s son was mowing the front lawn when his father went after him with the chainsaw. “The son defended himself against the attack by running over the suspect with the lawn mower,” according to an SCSO press release obtained by the Kingsport Times-News. “The injuries that the suspect (Ferguson) sustained were as a result of the lawn mower striking and running over him.” Ferguson, who was found bleeding from his leg and head, was taken to the hospital where doctors amputated his leg. Investigators with the sheriff’s office said the two men have a long-running feud. Ferguson was jailed on the attempted murder charge and for violating parole related to a previous aggravated assault, according to the Times-News. Bond was set at $25,000 for the attempted murder charge.

How about an old series about a female detective named West? Honey West is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC during the 1965–1966 television season. Based upon a series of novels that had launched in 1957, the series starred Anne Francis as female private detective Honey West and John Ericson as her partner, Sam Bolt. Only 30 half-hour episodes were produced. The entire series is available on DVD.

DEAR ABBY: My best friend of 25 years just got engaged. I suspect her fiance is gay or there's something seriously wrong with him. They have been dating for eight months and he hasn't once tried to have sex with her. He has used every excuse under the sun as to why (bad back, tired, etc.). He recently proposed to her in a public place in front of his family. I don't think he knows the real her, and I don't think she understands the serious implications of her decision to marry him when sexual intimacy was so important to her before. She once told me she would not marry a man without first having sex with him, and that a sexless life is her biggest fear. I feel I should speak up as her best friend. Should I? -- SEEING RED FLAGS IN GEORGIA DEAR SEEING: Yes. And when you do, urge her to get into premarital counseling with her fiance. During the sessions, matters like sex, finances and child-rearing should be discussed so there won't be any "surprises" later. Repeat your suggestion, if necessary, until she reaches the altar. Let's hope she listens to you because his fatigue and bad back won't magically disappear after they say "I do." DEAR SEEING:

I had the album. It disappeared. I bought the CD. This is the most romantic song ever recorded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGjX2eYiuaw

A gay penguin couple has started a family after it was decided to let them have an egg to nurture. Sphen and Magic have become so inseparable, they have been allowed to start a nest with each other at Sea Life, in Sydney, Australia. The same-sex couple — collectively known as Sphengic — began forging an intense relationship with each other just before breeding season got underway. The Gento penguins could be seen waddling in tandem and swimming alongside one another and were so close, it was decided to let them adopt an egg. But before this, they were given prenatal classes. The flightless birds were given a dummy egg to allow them to practice incubating and develop their parenting skills. And by all accounts, they seem to be taking to the task like a penguin does to water. It appears that the pair are naturals, although the older and more mature Sphen is more focused on incubating while Magic has taken on the task of warding off other birds who try to steal the pebbles that make up their nest. Last month, a gay penguin couple in Denmark “kidnapped” a baby while its parents waddled off for a swim, a zookeeper claimed.

And they say the nicest things about you!

Tituss Burgess, who makes me want to vomit every time I see one of his commercials, enjoying small-screen fame as the struggling actor of Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” is also the driving creative force behind “The Preacher’s Wife,” a new musical based on the 1996 movie starring Whitney Houston. Burgess has written a rousing gospel score to the show, which is generating strong industry buzz after a workshop last week for potential backers. Michael Arden is directing. Arden staged the terrific revival of “Once on This Island,” which snatched the Tony Award in June from two far bigger revivals, “My Fair Lady” and “Carousel.” Theater owners and top Broadway producers attended the workshop, and word is the La Jolla Playhouse is likely to produce a pre-Broadway engagement next year. Burgess and Arden put together a first-rate cast led by 12-time Grammy nominee Ledisi Young, Quentin Earl Darrington, the standout Agwe (God of Water) in “Once on This Island,” and Donald Webber Jr. (“Hamilton”). Loretta Devine, who appeared in the movie and was in the original Broadway company of “Dreamgirls,” had a scene-stealing turn as a sharp-tongued matriarch. A remake of the 1947 classic “The Bishop’s Wife,” “The Preacher’s Wife” tells the story of a pastor struggling to keep his small Baptist church from floundering in a poor New York neighborhood. He gets some help in the form of a suave angel, who falls in love with the pastor’s wife. Houston’s popularity, along with that of her co-stars Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance, helped the movie earn $48 million at the box office. The film’s soundtrack spent 26 weeks atop Billboard’s gospel chart. Burgess, who acquired the stage rights a couple of years ago, decided not to use any of the songs in the movie, opting instead to write his own music and lyrics. It appears to be a shrewd decision. My spies say his songs are catchy and powerful, and had audience members clapping along. “Kimmy Schmidt” writer Azie Dungey’s book for the show, a source says, is “funny and sweet in all the right places.” I tip my Broadway top hat to Burgess for recognizing its potential. By the way, “The Bishop’s Wife,” which stars Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven, is a charming old movie. I checked it out the other day, and it’s definitely good stage material. I tip my Broadway top hat to Burgess for recognizing its potential. My colleague Johnny Oleksinski made the case the other day that director Michael Grandage’s revival of “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” should join the parade of London shows “Brexiting” to New York. We’ve already got a full slate that includes “The Nap,” “The Ferryman” and (coming soon) “The Inheritance” and “The Lehman Trilogy.” Let me put in a word for David Hare’s new play “I’m Not Running,” a meaty examination of the state of British politics today. It opened last week at the National Theatre to mixed reviews. Critics picked at dramatic flaws but said the play was smart and absorbing, with compelling characters. A new play by Hare is always an event. “Stuff Happens,” about the run-up to the war in Iraq, is one of my favorite plays from the 2000s. I hope Lincoln Center or the Manhattan Theatre Club give the play a proper look. As good as the recent revival of his “Skylight” was, we haven’t had a new Hare play in New York since “The Year of Magical Thinking” in 2007. https://nypost.com/2018/10/11/tituss-burgess-is-bringing-another-whitney-houston-movie-to-the-stage/

10/11/18-- Tyne was fine, I opine.

Not a regular, but I think there have been kids who have died on sitcoms, usually as part of a 'very special' episode, when a sick friend or neighbor passed away. I can only sort of think of one example, however: After VALERIE killed off the mother, the show became THE HOGAN FAMILY. Oldest son David had 2 best friends, one of whom was named Rich, who was played by Tom Hodges (of STEEL MAGNOLIAS fame). After Rich hadn't appeared in awhile, there was an episode late in the show's run in which David ran into Rich & found out he had AIDS. He later died. But he'd been a teen character, so not really a child.

Wendy Williams and her hubby were at a small charity event the other night. There were a few celebs milling about. Suddenly she saw Sir Ringo walking towards her. She told herself to play it cool, and said "Hi, Ringo. I'm Wendy." He answered: Hot Topics! (though he didn't speak in italics or boldface) HOWYOUDOIN'?

A man carrying dozens of losing lottery tickets set himself on fire at a Buddhist temple Thursday morning. The 52-year-old man was seen on CCTV walking into the grounds of the religious building in Pattaya, Thailand, before going to the crematorium building at 5 a.m. local time. After walking out of view of a CCTV camera, the Thai local set himself on fire — filling the area with a huge flash of light from the fireball. Shocked monks rushed out and saw the man’s body ablaze, and when fire crews arrived, they found him still covered in flames, slumped against the wall of the Buddhist crematorium. Officers extinguished the flames before recovering dozens of charred lottery tickets and bank documents from his pockets. Head monk Sanan Khuttawanyo, 73, said: “I woke up and was preparing to go to alms when I noticed the smoke was rising from the crematorium. I went to check.” He continued: “The fire was burning so I quickly called the police. The temple is locked every night and people are prohibited from coming inside. There was nothing unusual last night or when I woke up this morning.” Police identified the man from bank documents showing debts which he had kept in his pocket and survived the inferno. He was wearing black trousers, a white shirt and black shoes. Police Lt. Col. Romran Sri-kaipat from the Nong Prue Police Station is investigating the suicide at the Wat Sutthawat temple. He said: “Police were notified at 6 a.m. of the fire at the temple. The Sawang Boriboon Foundation attended and the man was found burned from flames. “We have gathered the pile of evidence from the scene and will investigate the death thoroughly. The dead body was sent to the autopsy and forensic police hospital to find the true cause of death.” “The cause is suicide and I will contact the relatives to clarify the full situation.”

Maybe he thinks it stands for Two Seat Administration?

So you and Caryn Johnson have something in common. The funeral home industry is being dragged kicking and screaming into the latest century — by a pair of Web sites that have begun to shed light on their prices. Funeralocity.com and Parting.com are two startups that enable the bereaved to shop for caskets, embalming and cremation services — and search for the cheapest option as they can when booking an airplane flight, a car or a hotel. Funeralocity, which has no business relationship with Travelocity, chose its name to “make people laugh,” founder Ed Michael Reggie said. He quickly confirmed, however, that undertakers aren’t laughing. “We have some homes that are not happy about being listed,” said Reggie, a former professor of entrepreneurship at Tulane University. “But the fact is every consumer wants the ability to compare prices online.” The funeral home business is notoriously murky when it comes to pricing. Some critics claim undertakers can take advantage of clients who are of no mind to bargain when grieving their loved ones, sources said. “Prices tend to stay higher when there is no transparency, and that describes the funeral industry,” said Josh Slocum of the Funeral Consumers Alliance told The Post. “There is no other retail sector that routinely hides its prices to get people to come into the sales office” so it can sell them a pricey package, Slocum said. Currently, just 25 percent of the 20,000 funeral homes in the US provide pricing information on their sites, according to FCA, a nonprofit, consumer watchdog group. “This is an industry that is 40 to 50 years out of date technologically and culturally,” Slocum added. When reached by The Post, undertakers said they didn’t want their prices online for a whole host of reasons, ranging from fears of being undercut by the competition to causing customer confusion. “If I put my prices online, the next guy can offer his services for less,” said Anthony Cassieri, who owns Brooklyn Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Brownsville and claims to the cheapest around. “I don’t think money should be at the forefront of a funeral,” Joseph Giordano Jr. of Curry & Giordano Funeral Home in Peekskill, NY told The Post before adding: “I don’t include my prices on my Web site because I want people to come in and see my facility.” Giordano and other funeral directors also said their price lists should not be shared online because they are too confusing for the average consumer to understand. “It’s an incredibly complicated price list,” insisted Nicholas Grillo of Levandoski & Grillo in Bloomfield, NJ. “There are third-party charges, including newspaper, organists and such that can add $4,000 to $5,000 to a tab.” By law, funeral homes have no choice but to share their prices when asked, which is how Funeralocity and Parting.com are able to exist. Funeralocity launched in April after testing its technology in Atlanta for two years and setting up call centers to collect its information on funeral homes. It allows grieving consumers to look at a detailed menu of prices along with photos of funeral homes and customer reviews. Both Web sites offer their listings for free to consumers and don’t charge funeral homes. They make money by promoting businesses that agree to pay a fee and meet certain qualifications to be listed as a top provider. Despite the benefit of the service for consumers, it’s not a surefire business model, according to Tyler Yamasaki, chief executive of Parting.com. The company has recently shifted its focus to selling funeral homes software “to help them digitize their business“ because the profits in the pricing aggregation business was shaky, Yamasaki said. While it still offers pricing information on some 15,000 funeral homes, Parting has stopped updating the pricing.

It's a miniature horse, which (unlike a pony) will remain this size and is more able to be a support animal.

Family-owned funeral homes in Queens are in decline, according to numerous local funeral directors across the “World’s Borough.” This year alone, several family-owned and -operated funeral homes in the borough have been acquired by bigger companies or sold for real estate. But John Golden, owner and operator of Martin A. Gleason Funeral Homes, says that the changing industry is not beneficial to the communities they serve. Golden has worked at Gleason since 1981 and bought the business from original owners John and Marty Gleason in 2000. “The phrase ‘family-owned and -operated’ evokes a warmth,” Golden said. “Typically, family-owned and -operated businesses had proprietors and employees who lived in the communities they served. They were accountable to the community and were integral to the fabric of what made a community function as such.” He said that the Gleasons had the opportunity to sell the funeral home to a big corporation, but declined due to their feelings that their business “is akin to a vocation” and should serve the community. Recently, Golden confirmed that he acquired Lloyd’s Funeral Home in Bayside, another family-owned business. He operates the funeral home under the same name and number from Gleason’s Bayside facility, which he said customers have appreciated. Golden shared that bigger companies may not provide the same personalized service as family-run operations. “Management is often removed from day-to-day operations,” said Golden, who added that corporate chains in Queens often outsource the work they do to companies out of state as opposed to offering in-house services like at Gleason. John Hoey, the owner of O’Shea-Hoey Funeral Home in Astoria echoes Golden’s sentiments. Hoey’s family has owned the funeral home, at 29-13 Ditmars Blvd., since 1967, when they purchased it from the O’Shea family. The owner said that the services they are able to provide to customers are more “personable” than services offered by bigger corporations. “We provide the same service and the same funeral for a fraction of the cost, with a personal touch that you, your family and loved ones deserve. We provide all services at our funeral home. We are not just a cremation service or some new internet website business. We are experienced funeral directors, who are here to help you plan a dignified funeral,” as noted on the O’Shea-Hoey Funeral Home website. Both Golden and Hoey attribute the decline in family-owned businesses to the rising property values in the area, making it more difficult to stay open. Hoey said that the smaller funeral homes have been closing down over the last four or five years. According to Golden, funeral homes all over the New York City and in Nassau County in Long Island have fallen prey to rising property values. “The costs make it more expensive to run. Real estate is a lot more money [now],” said Hoey. But Hoey said that the rise of corporation-owned funeral homes has also been pushing customers to patronize O’Shea-Hoey. “The advantage is that the prices for the bigger guys is higher, which is helping me,” he said. Despite the staying power of these two family-run businesses rising costs in the area make the future uncertain. “I think it’ll keep being a trend,” said Hoey. “I think a lot of people are gonna close down even more.” Golden said that the solution is to make people aware about which business are family-run and which are not in order for them to stay afloat in the upcoming years. “It is imperative that customers know what kind of business they are dealing with: a family-owned and -operated one or a corporation. They may make all the difference in their experience,” said Golden.

Tens of thousands of frogs and toads have taken over the North Carolina coast after months of record-setting weather, according to the Charlotte Observer. Locals have reported discovering the creatures in their homes, hopping on their faces and even falling from the sky. One area resident told the Outer Banks Voice that the little green guys “poop everywhere.” Another resident commented on the article, “(They’re) everywhere! I had one jump on my face laying in bed.” Both Hurricane Florence and rains from June and July are responsible for the sudden increase in populations, which experts are calling “explosive breeding.” Jeff Hall, a state biologist, told the Observer that the abnormally heavy summer rains led to a tadpole boom. The “explosively breeding” toads then found an ideal breeding ground in puddles that formed after Florence. “Making things even worse is the flooding,” Hall said. “All these frogs are in search of dry ground, which is why they’re showing up in places they don’t normally go … I’ve heard of people stepping outside and frogs falling on their shoulder, freaking them out. Frogs love tiny cracks, so they get in door seals.” Luckily, while the frogs may be annoying, Hall says they pose no threat.

I haven't watched the show in years. While Cam would have been my adult of choice, Lily would have been by far the most beneficial death they could've had, at least through season 5, or whenever it was I gave it up.

What a misleading headline. I was expecting: http://blog.trashness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/green-jacket-blue-pants-men-style-bag-preppy.jpg