samhexum

Singing the national anthem http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2018/0619/r388587_600x400_3-2.jpg Besides singing the anthem before a game, here's another interesting tidbit... He (a PITCHER) did not strike out until his 35th plate appearance as a hitter. Few position players manage that.

Who knew Mike Love would have such a TALL, good-looking nephew?

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is pouring $4 million into a project to create killer mosquitoes that destroy each other through sex. It’s a bold bid to curb malaria, a deadly disease typically transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Gates will use funds from his own charity organization – the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – to eradicate malaria “within a generation.” The plan is to create genetically-modified male mosquitoes that mate with their female counterparts in the wild. Only female mosquitoes bite (bitches!) so Gates’ army of gene-engineered male mosquitoes would be safe to humans. What’s important is that these male mosquitoes contain a self-limiting gene that gets passed onto female mates. When the females give birth, their offspring will die before adulthood thanks to the gene. Mosquitoes only start biting people once they’re adults, so given enough time, the danger of blood-sucking female mosquitoes could be eradicated. This means it would be possible to stem the spread of malaria through mosquito bites. They’re developed by a UK company called Oxitec, which has dubbed the creations “Friendly Mosquitos” — although their female mates may disagree. Oxitec has already created gene-engineered mosquitoes to deal with the Zika virus. In some areas, the wild populations of Aedes aegypti (the mosquito that carries Zika) have been reduced by 90 percent. But the malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquitoes require a new genetically-modified breed to mate with. Oxitec’s killer sex mosquitoes are expected to be ready for trials by the end of 2020. However, not everyone is happy about the prospect of genetically-modified mosquitoes being used to prematurely terminate their offspring. Oxitec’s work has been heavily criticized by Friends of the Earth, a charity dedicated to protecting the environment. Back in 2012, Friends of the Earth’s Eric Hoffman said: “Trials of its mosquitoes must not move forward in the absence of comprehensive and impartial reviews of the environmental, human health and ethical risks.” In a statement at the time, Friends of the Earth said: “The GM mosquitoes are intended to reduce the wild population by mating with naturally occurring mosquitoes and producing progeny which don’t survive, thus reducing the population and therefore the transmission of the tropical disease dengue fever.” “The company has been widely criticized for putting its commercial interests ahead of public and environmental safety. Its first releases of GM mosquitoes took place controversially in the Cayman Islands, where there is no biosafety law or regulation.” “Oxitec staff have been closely involved in developing risk assessment guidelines for GM insects worldwide, leading to concerns about lack of independent scrutiny and conflict of interest.” But Bill Gates is a long-time supporter of Oxitec’s work. Back in 2010, he gave $4.9 million to Oxitec to help fund early work on killer mosquito projects. He has extensively funded work on eradicating malaria, a disease that kills around 440,000 people every year. Complications that threaten human life including swelling of the blood vessels in the brain, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, organ failure (of the kidneys, liver or spleen, anemia and low blood sugar.)

The Rolling Stone profile of Johnny Depp gives the most inside look at where the actor is today, surrounded by financial problems and a failed and probably abusive relationship with Amber Heard and clear signs that he is in fact a vampire. But since the article was supposed to present Depp’s side of his legal case against The Management Group and his former business partner, let’s take a look at the most extravagant expenses the actor was shelling out. First of all, Rolling Stone makes the situation very clear, stating, “It’s estimated that Depp has made $650 million on films that netted $3.6 billion. Almost all of it is gone.” Where did it go? 1. Well, it’s suggested that the actor has a “$2-million-a-month compulsory-spending disorder,” including an alleged figure of $30,000 of wine per month, paired with an alleged yet typical quote from Depp saying, “Wine is not an investment if you drink it as soon as you buy it.”His response to that is simply, “It’s insulting to say that I spent $30,000 on wine, because it was far more.” 2. It is also reported that he has spent $75 million on 14 residences. 3. $7,000 on a couch from the set of Keeping Up With the Kardashians for his daughter. 4. $3 million to shoot the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson’s into the sky from a cannon, to which he says, “By the way, it was not $3 million to shoot Hunter into the fucking sky. It was $5 million.” While Depp claims the price went up when he wanted the arc to be at least one foot higher than the Statue of Liberty at 151 feet high, the author has doubts about that price tag. 5. Over 70 guitars. 6. 200 pieces of art, including Basquiats and Warhols. 7. 45 luxury vehicles. 8. $200,000 per month for private air travel. 9. A sound engineer on staff to feed him lines through an earpiece while filming, which he justified by saying of acting, “My feeling is, that if there’s no truth behind the eyes, doesn’t matter what the fucking words are.” 10. 12 storage facilities for Hollywood memorabilia (with lots of it dedicated to Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe). 11. $1.2 million to keep a doctor on call. 12. $1.8 million each year for round-the-clock security, also for his elderly mother. 13. The lawsuit is also claiming that under the former business manager’s watch, Depp’s sister Christi received $7 million and his assistant, Nathan Holmes, got $750,000 without Depp’s knowledge. Oh, and that he also had to fork over $5.6 million in late fees to the IRS. And to think, he moved to Los Angeles with the intention of becoming a rockstar when a”drinking buddy named Nicolas Cage told him there was money to make in acting.” It turns out there is money to make, but hanging on to it is the hard part.

Have a good one, Allison Janney!

A woman and her horse walked into a restaurant. This was no joke. Imagine the quandary a Central Florida restaurant manager faced when a woman walked in with a miniature horse. Table for two? This wasn't just any horse, after all. This one is a service horse with its own Facebook page: Honey the Mini Service Horse. In a world in which people have tried to pass off squirrels,peacocks, hamsters and ducks as service animals or "emotional support animals" in fights with landlords and airlines, the manager of an Ocala First Watch restaurant wasn't sure what to do about Honey. Or the woman who was hungry as a, well, you get the idea. So he called the breakfast restaurant's corporate office in University Park, Florida, for some guidance, the Orlando Sentinel reported. He found out Honey and her owner could be welcomed. (Is oatmeal on the menu?) There's a regulation that says so, the restaurant chain learned. We reached out to First Watch and got this response: "On Friday, June 15, a woman came into First Watch in Ocala with her miniature horse. When asked if it was a service animal, the woman confirmed that it was. "We brought her to a table, where the horse could stand against the wall next to her. Of course our team was a bit surprised, as we’ve never had anyone bring a service miniature horse into one of our restaurants. But we always to do our best to accommodate customers who have legitimate service animals," First Watch spokeswoman Eleni Kouvatsos said in an email to the Miami Herald. The Americans with Disabilities Act has specific regulations concerning service animals, which the ADA describes as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." But the ADA's revised regulations from 2010 also contain a specific provision covering miniature horses, like Honey the Mini Service Horse. Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds, according to ADA guidelines. In other words, the Triple Crown winner isn't going to be seated next to you as you graze on your Açai Bowl at First Watch. In part, the ADA regulation states: "Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. "The assessment factors are whether the miniature horse is housebroken; whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility." Turns out Honey was a fine fit for this particular First Watch, Kouvatsos said. "The horse seemed to be in the owner’s control, to be housebroken, and not to propose any safety concerns for our other customers or staff in the restaurant, so while unusual, we were happy to accommodate." Honey lets her Facebook page speak for her. On Friday, her owner posted on her behalf: "Had a great meal ... or at least watched my handler have a great meal. Everyone was so awesome."

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It’s always difficult coming out of the closet A retired British police officer died of hypothermia after becoming trapped naked inside a closet, where she tried to claw her way out for several days while on a vacation, according to reports. Elizabeth Mary Isherwood, 60, had to use the bathroom during the night while staying by herself at the Plas Talgarth vacation complex near Machynlleth in Wales in September, the Times of London reported. But a possible wrong turn led the part-time care worker from Wolverhampton to enter the pitch-black laundry closet, where she became trapped when part of the doorknob fell off, according to the Telegraph. At first, the desperate woman yelled for help, but when no one responded, she took more drastic action. “Being unable to turn the lock and realizing she was trapped and there was no light, at some stage she first of all pulled the shelves off,” coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones told an inquest, the UK’s Metro reported. “Whether she used them to try and get out, I can’t say. What she did do was she pulled the copper piping and a piece was broken off. This was used to try initially to open the door because there were marks on the door but also used to try and break a hole through the wall of the airing cupboard,” he said. Sherwood managed to make a hole in the wall and was inches from freedom. “Unfortunately, on the other side of the wall was a picture,” Pritchard-Jones said. Meanwhile, the burst plumbing sprayed cold water into the confined space, where she became drenched and eventually succumbed to hypothermia, he said. Isherwood had co-owned the timeshare at Plas Talgarth with her ex-husband, Clive Isherwood, but they sold it after the couple separated recently when she came out as gay. “The staff at the complex had given Mary some vouchers to use for a final stay. She would’ve usually gone with friends but nobody could make it, so she went alone,” Clive said. He said fellow guests heard noises from his ex-wife’s room but dismissed them as coming from maintenance work. “They’d said that the banging stopped at around 5 p.m. on Sunday night and they thought nothing more of it,” he said. “Her body wasn’t found until the day she was due to check out, so this happened right at the start of her trip.” Her son, Craig, 32, said the family was “devastated.” “If she’d carried on banging, she probably could’ve escaped. She must have been exhausted, which is why she stopped banging,” he said, according to the Times. “Mum was so sporty, fit, healthy and loved playing golf. If anyone could have got out of that cupboard, it would have been Mum,” he added. The family is considering legal action against the resort. A spokesman said: “Our sincerest condolences go out to the family of Ms. Isherwood. We are grateful for the skillful way the police have handled the investigation.” Isherwood left the West Midlands police force in 1991 after coming out as gay, the Telegraph reported. After moving to London, where she joined the Post Office Investigation Service, she met her partner, Rosie, according to the paper.

Lisa Marie Presley claims her former business manager squandered her entire share of late fatherElvis‘ $100 million fortune. In new court documents obtained by The Daily Mail, Presley, 50, alleges that Barry Siegel assured her that her finances were in “good shape” while he whittled her $100 million trust down to just $14,000 in poor investments, including a hefty investment in the “American Idol” holding company, which went bankrupt after the show’s initial run ended in April 2016. In her filing, Presley alleges that Siegel and Provident Financial Management billed her $4.9 million to manage her $100 million trust, amounting to a salary of just over $700,000 per year for Siegel. “Had Siegel disclosed the trust’s true financial condition to Presley and restricted spending to the trust’s ‘income’ rather than its principal assets, Presley would have lived comfortably on an annual budget of between $1.5 and $2 million per year, after taxes,” the documents claim. “On this budget, Siegel’s lucrative compensation package would have amounted to between 40 to 50 percent of Presley’s post-tax annual budget — an amount she undoubtedly would not have agreed to had she been aware of her true financial condition.” She accuses Siegel of liquidating the trust’s assets after the “Idol” investment failed to generate income in order to accommodate her lifestyle, alleging that he recommended she spend twice her annual post-tax income. That spending reportedly includes a $9 million estate in England with a balloon payment of $6.5 million in 2015 that the trust didn’t cover. She also claims that mortgages on her Hidden Hills, Calif., and Hawaii homes were worth more than the properties themselves by 2010. Siegel and Provident Financial Management scoffed at Presley’s allegations, claiming in a countersuit that her money problems are simply due to her own exorbitant spending. They’re seeking a cool $800,000 in damages and argued that because Presley is going through a difficult time with her divorce from fourth husband Michael Lockwood, she’s pinning her troubles on them. Lockwood, 57, demanded $40,000 in spousal support from Presley, who claimed she was $16 million in debt, $10 million of which was back taxes alone. A judge ruled that while she doesn’t yet need to shell out monthly spousal support to the unemployed musician, she would have to pay $50,000 to his attorney for court fees.

Tonight Hamels beat Hammel. Plural > Singular. Order is restored to the universe.

A 12-year-old boy from Halifax, Nova Scotia was so unhappy when his parents served him up a leafy dinner last week that he made his displeasure known — by calling 911. When the cops did not respond to his emergency in a timely fashion, he called again, just to reiterate how much he hates crunching on a bowl of raw, tossed vegetables. As CBC News reports, the Canadian police did eventually arrive at his door. They did not, however, intervene on the quality and substance of the family’s dinner. Rather, they used the unexpected house call as an opportunity to educate the boy about the appropriate uses of 911. “Hopefully this will be a learning lesson,” Corporal Dal Hutchinson told CBC News. Meanwhile, the kid’s parents were reportedly “not impressed” by their son’s over-the-top cry for help. But was it a Caeser or a Waldorf? Sadly, Hutchinson had very little to say about the composition of the salad. “Obviously [it was] one to dislike because he called 911.”

An Indiana state trooper’s tweet reminding people about the state’s so-called “slowpoke” or “move over” law went viral Saturday. Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, an Indiana State Police public information officer for the Versailles District, posted a photo of a car he pulled over for violating a law that went into effect in 2015 — going too slow in the left lane on the highway if a vehicle behind you is going faster, FOX 59 reported. “I stopped this vehicle today for a left lane violation on I-65. The driver had approximately 20 cars slowed behind her because she would not move back to the right lane,” Wheeles wrote. “Again … if there are vehicles behind you, you must move to the right lane to allow them to pass.” Wheeles said he was overcome with support, as many people expressed their frustration with drivers who go way too slow, some suggesting he move to their state, get a raise, or receive the Nobel Peace Prize. IndyCar driver Graham Rahal tweeted: “This guy is my hero. Fast lane cruisers are one of my biggest frustrations!” Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman also tweeted his support: “Finally!” “Wow … I am overwhelmed,” Wheeles said. “You all are amazing!! Just trying to do my part to make the roadways safer for the traveling public. Blessings …” Wheeles also addressed people who had questions about the application of the law, with one person asking if it applies even if the “slow” car is going the speed limit. “The spirit of the law is that since many people drive well above the speed limit, it creates an ‘accordion effect’ as traffic starts backing up behind the slower vehicle,”Wheeles said. “This is where many of our crashes occur on the interstates. It’s all in the name of safety.” But he added in another response that it isn’t intended to encourage people to break the speed limit. “This is in no way encouraging people to speed. Those speeders are definitely in violation, also. Vehicles all travel at different speeds. It was put in place to keep left lane drivers (or the family ten cars back) from getting run over by faster traffic while in the left lane.”

Kimberly Dunn, 35, from Lake City, Fla., is accused of shooting her estranged husband in the testicles last October after he attempted to take away an air conditioner she was trying to sell on Facebook,WKBN reported. Dunn — who was charged with aggravated battery for the alleged attack — is back in jail for failing to show up in court last Thursday. She now faces a contempt of court charge as well as a felony larceny charge and is being held without bond, ABC reported. At the time of her arrest last year, Dunn told police she shot her husband by accident and only meant to scare him after he barged into her home. Her husband, whose name was withheld by police, told officials he showed up at Dunn’s residence with his brother to collect the AC unit after learning she was trying to sell it online, according to an arrest report obtained by WJAX-TV. Dunn reportedly sat on the air conditioner to prevent her husband and his brother from unlatching it. She then tried to zap her husband with a pink stun gun as he tried to remove her from the AC, the report said. Dunn dropped the pink stun gun and a handgun after being struck in the head during a struggle. But then she reportedly grabbed the handgun, got off the ground, and fired at her husband’s groin. “You shot my brother,” Dunn’s husband’s brother screamed before choking Dunn until she blacked out, the report said. The brother drove Dunn’s injured husband to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

A mother determined to get her cellphone back from her 46-year-old son shot at him as he rode on a bicycle in Florida, police said. Priscilla Ann Ethridge, 66 – who was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault with a firearm – allegedly fired a shot at her son after an argument caused him to storm out of the Panama City Beach home they share, The Gainesville Sun reports. Ethridge then grabbed a .22 revolver and left the residence, saying “I’ll be damned if I let him have the last word” on her way out of the door, her nephew told deputies with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. She soon caught up with her adult son on Front Beach Road, where Ethridge’s son, pedaling on his bike, grabbed her car door before she squeezed off a shot to “scare” him into letting go. She later told deputies she thought her son left with her cellphone and she followed after him to get it back, according to a police report. Ethridge’s son said he took off on his bike to get away from his mother, adding that she yelled she was going to shoot him before pulling the trigger. He wasn’t shot, but the bullet came “very close” to striking him, according to the report. Investigators later seized Ethridge’s gun, which was found with one spent shell casing in its chamber. Her cellphone, meanwhile, was later found at her home.

A mother determined to get her cellphone back from her 46-year-old son shot at him as he rode on a bicycle in Florida, police said. Priscilla Ann Ethridge, 66 – who was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault with a firearm – allegedly fired a shot at her son after an argument caused him to storm out of the Panama City Beach home they share, The Gainesville Sun reports. Ethridge then grabbed a .22 revolver and left the residence, saying “I’ll be damned if I let him have the last word” on her way out of the door, her nephew told deputies with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. She soon caught up with her adult son on Front Beach Road, where Ethridge’s son, pedaling on his bike, grabbed her car door before she squeezed off a shot to “scare” him into letting go. She later told deputies she thought her son left with her cellphone and she followed after him to get it back, according to a police report. Ethridge’s son said he took off on his bike to get away from his mother, adding that she yelled she was going to shoot him before pulling the trigger. He wasn’t shot, but the bullet came “very close” to striking him, according to the report. Investigators later seized Ethridge’s gun, which was found with one spent shell casing in its chamber. Her cellphone, meanwhile, was later found at her home.

Or seen some of the farm hands doing the animals.

I think the only one I write anymore is to my accountant for my taxes. But I still keep a manual checkbook register. Last time I needed a new one, I had to go to 3 branches because nobody uses them anymore.

Memories... light the corners of my mind... Don't forget about the Night Shift or The Big Top (I think thems was the names...)