The Gates of Hell Are Being Shut Down?

It what seems like a fittingly appropriate post on today, the day I posted about George Carlin's death, I had to share this funny tidbit. In Yonkers, New York, a defunct power plant has acquired a nickname that may nearby residents find unflattering: the Gates of Hell. The Yonkers City Council is now trying to squash the nickname and have the power plant referred to as either the Glenwood Power Station or by its address. It probably does not help that a councilwoman had actually used the nickname, the Gates of Hell, in a flier about a community meeting. Leave it to New York to try to squash the Gates of Hell.

However, when you think about it, is the Gates of Hell, really that bad? Most art aficionados, would think of the sculpture that French artist Auguste Rodin created. The sculpture is over 19 feet high and 13 feet wide and contains 180 figures.

If New York has a Little Italy, why not a Little Gates of Hell? Just a thought! Maybe if Yonkers markets it right, it could turn into a tourist attraction? After all, John McCain said he wants to go to the Gates of Hell.

"Top Mom" Gets Reality Show

Not long ago, I wrote about Dina Lohan, Lindsay Lohan's mother, receiving an award for being "Top Mom" from a mother's group in Long Island, New York. Now Dina and her daughter Aliana (she goes by "Ali") have their own reality show called "Living Lohan." The show, which is on E! Entertainment Television fives an inside look at what it is like in the life Lohan house. I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the feud the Lohan clan has with Michael Lohan (their father). Michael is not part of the show, but OK! magazine has given Michael a part of his own: to blog about each episode. It is interesting to see that the Lohan family has decided to have this show, considering the dreaded impact that Hogan Knows Best had on the Hulk Hogan's family. (Speaking of which, do you hear that Brooke Hogan had an accident yesterday? Unlike her brother, Nick Hogan, who wasn't wearing his seat belt when he got into his accident, for which he was sentenced to eight months in jail, 500 hours of community service, and five years of probation, Brooke was wearing her seat belt and no one was injured. I should note that it appears that Brooke's accident was not her fault.)

It is interesting to note that Lindsay did not make an appearance during the premiere, but she was discussed by her mother and sister on a nonstop basis. Dina has stated that Lindsay would not be part of the show, much to the chagrin of the critics and the media. The reason that Dina provided is that Lindsay is "too good" for the show. If Lindsay participated in the show, then it would be taking a step back in her career, rather than advancing it. Since Lindsay was discussed, Michael needed to chime in and let the world know that Lindsay and Samantha Ronson are "engaged." According to Michael, they plan to have a commitment ceremony at Dolly Parton's Dollywood in Tennessee. Personally, I went to Dollywood when I was a kid and could never see it as a romantic place. Am I wrong? Does anyone have any different recollection of the place?

Could Someone Please Lend Me $175 For A Hamburger?

The Wall Street Burger Shoope, located in New York City, has increased its price for its asd burger to $175. In fact, the increase was intentionally done so that it has the costliest burger in the city. In case you were wondering, the burger comes with quite an assortment of toppings. First, the burger starts with a Kobe beef patty and is topped with lots of black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, and wild mushrooms. The burger is served on a brioche bun that has flecks of gold leaf. Now, not all of its burgers are $175. In fact, if you want the burger without the truffles, its price drops to $32. But even if that is to expensive, its everyday burger only costs $4.

Finally Something To Celebrate - GO BULLS!

So after a depressing season, something has finally gone right for the Chicago Bulls. No they did not pull a miracle trade that would make us 100 times better. Nor did they get their choice of coach, when Mike D'Antoni choose to coach the Knicks instead of the Bulls. Instead, we actually won the NBA lottery!!! The most amazing part is that they only had a 1.7 percent chance of winning the lottery. Now comes the hard part. Who in the world are they going to pick? Okay, so it is not who in the world, but most probably who out of Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.

According to Chad Ford of ESPN, he believes the Bulls will be picking Beasley. While, I am not so sure of their choice, I think either way, the Bulls will be improved. :) The one major advantage that Rose has an intangible factor, he is a hometown candidate. Unlike Beasley, whose hometown is Fitchburg, Massachusetts and went to Kansas State, Rose went to Memphis and his hometown is Chicago, Illinois. With that said, the Bulls definitely need help in the low post and Beasley is a power forward, while Rose is a point guard.

In the end, the solution is easy. Sit back and relax and get ready to say GO BULLS!!

NOTE: The Chicago Bulls logo is copyrighted and all copyrights belong to the Chicago Bulls. The logo is being used solely for identification purposes.

Happy Bump Day?

I have heard of Wednesday being referred to as “Hump Day,” but Baskin Robbins is trying to have tomorrow referred to as “Bump Day.” From 11 AM – 10 PM in certain markets (California, Chicago, New York, Nashville, TN, and El Paso, TX), expectant mothers can receive a free 3 ounce cone of their soft serve ice cream. Yes, soft serve ice cream.

Baskin Robbins is now offering soft serve ice cream. In addition to a cone, they are also offering sundaes, pies, and what appears to be their equivalent to a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Their version is called a “31 Below” and is available in the following six flavors: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Heath, Oreo, Chocolate Oreo, Fudge Brownie, and Strawberry Banana. I am skeptical that theirs is as good as Dairy Queen’s, but if they want to send me a free coupon to try one, I would gladly do so. Otherwise, I will stick with my Blizzard.

For those that are nutritionally conscious, below is a table that highlights the nutritional differences between a vanilla cone with vanilla soft serve income from Baskin Robbins, McDonalds, and Dairy Queen:

	Baskin Robbins	McDonalds	Dairy Queen
Serving Size (oz)	6	3.2	5
Calories	280	150	240
Fat (g)	11	3.5	7
Carbohydrates (g)	37	24	32
Cholesterol (mg)	40	15	20
Fiber (g)	0	0	0
Protein (g)	8	4	6

So all you expectant mothers, go out and celebrate. If anyone tries Baskin Robbins new soft serve ice cream, please let me know how it tastes.

Just in Case You Weren’t In DC on Sunday, You Could Have Gone to the New Parade in New York

This past Sunday in DC was the Post Hunt, which I blogged about previously. However, if you were not in DC, you could have gone to the new parade in New York City. I realize that this sounds rather weird, but this past Sunday marked the first, of a possible annual, Veggie Pride Parade. The parade went through the old meatpacking district and ended at Washington Square Park. I know by now that if you did not attend, that you were wondering what was at the parade. So let me tell you one of the highlights. They had a costumed “bride” and “groom” couple, named Penelo Pea Pod and Chris P. Carrot, who exchanged “veggie vows.” After the exchange, observers were asked to “Give Peas a Chance” and “Go Vegetarian.” My only thought was if there was ever going to be a veggie parade, it had to be in New York City. Because, if it could make it there, then it could make it anywhere.

Surprise of the Year: New York City Cabbies are Foul-Mouthed

I’m sure this is going to be a shock: New York City cabbies have foul mouths. In fact, on October 8, 2007, like many other days, there was an “incident.” Zbigniew Sobczak, a cabbie, cut off fellow cabbie Malik Rizwan on the West Side of Manhattan, when neither had a passenger. Rizwan, in response, honked his horn at Sobczak. Sobczak responsed by jumping out of his cab and started to scream vulgarity repeatedly. In response, Rizwan called the police and accused Sobczak of assault.

An administrative law judge found Sobczak guilty of a lesser crime, verbal harassment, and recommended a $350 fine. However, on May 9, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus increased the penalty to $1,000 and suspended Sobczak for 30 days. This is Daus’ attempt to clean up people’s opinion of New York City cabbies.

Airline Profits Are So Bad They Are Now Selling Seats in the Bathroom?

On February 23, 2008, Gokhan Mutlu arrived at the San Diego airport to check in for his flight on JetBlue to New York. Upon checking in, he was told that his flight was full. However, he was allowed to board the flight when a flight attendant willingly agreed to give up her seat and travel in a “jump seat.” It is still unclear whether the flight attendant was working the flight.

90 minutes into the 5 ½ hour flight, the pilot told Mutlu that the flight attendant was uncomfortable in the jump seat, which is understandable because the jump seat is a rather tight seat in the airplane’s cockpit. So Mutlu was instructed to “hang out” in the bathroom for the remainder of the flight. Mutlu initially refused and the pilot became very angry and told Mutlu to “be grateful for being onboard.” Mutlu offered to sit in the jump seat, but was not allowed to because he was not an airline personnel. In the end, Mutlu was forced to sit in the bathroom for a period of time during the flight, including extended periods of turbulence. Eventually, another flight attendand knocked on the bathroom door and told Mutlu that he could return to his seat.

Mutlu has now sued them for $2 million. It should be noted that Mutlu was flying on a "buddy pass," which is a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends, so JetBlue wasn't really making any money off of Mutlu. Could you imagine sitting in the bathroom for 30 minutes, let alone a few hours? Personally, I would have waited for the next flight.

“Top Mom” Award Given Just Before Mother’s Day to Dina Lohan (Lindsay’s Mom) – But Is It So Wrong?

On Tuesday, Mingling Moms, a group designed for mothers with babies up to 12 months old in Long Island, New York, held its “Girls’ Night Out” party where it presented several awards, including the Top Mom award. The Top Mom award was awarded to Dina Lohan, Lindsay Lohan’s mother.
Quite a few articles that I have read have questioned the selection of Dina Lohan. However, my thought is why not? Lindsay’s life, similar to that of Brittany Spears, has been quite chaotic recently. Between the drugs, alcohol, partying, and violations of the law, Lindsay’s life has been a roller coaster. However, is that Dina’s fault? Lohan is currently 21 years old and is definitely quite the adult. Look at Aliana, Lindsay's sister. Although she is a lot younger, she hasn't done anything yet that is similar to Lindsay's behavior. Dina has always been concerned about her daughter’s safety. In fact, last year, Dina compared the paparazzi’s treatment of her daughter to that of Princess Diana. It is true that Dina has acted more like a sister than a mother, but nowadays, with kids shunning their parents, isn’t it better to participate and know what is going on in your child’s life then being clueless? I realize these are two different extremes, and the preferred answer is somewhere in between, but clearly Lindsay wouldn’t have allowed that. So if you were a parent and were faced with the option of either participating and possibly providing some but not a lot of guidance or having no clue what is going on in your child’s life, which would you choose?

Images were found on www.starpulse.com and www.allposters.com and may be subject to a copyright claim.

Humorous Weekend Stories

Every so often, I scour the Internet for stories that make me do a double take, and this weekend was no different. Now, I realize if I want to have a humorous read, I would visit The Onion, which if you haven’t visited before, I highly recommend it. They have all the best spin-off (i.e., partially-true) stories. With that said, the following four stories have been reported as true:

Lei Day – Friday was Lei Day in Hawaii and a group of individuals set out to set a Guinness World Record for the longest lei. When the group was finished worked on the lei, it totaled 5,335 feet in length.

Prison Time for Sharing – We have all been told sharing is a good thing. But for a man in Ohio, he may be sent to prison for sharing his Little Debbie snack cake with an inmate who was on restriction and therefore, not allowed access to snacks. County prosecutors are asking a judge to put the man in prison for nine months.

The Aliens Are Coming – A Denver resident has asked the city to form a commission to deal with the preparations necessary for the arrival of space aliens and there continuous presence on Earth. The proposal for a commission will be discussed at an official meeting.

The Horse Knows the Way Home – I’m sure we all remember the song “Over the River and Through the Woods.” For those who doubt that “[t]he horse know[s] the way to carry the sleigh . . .,” this story is for you. In New York City this past weekend, a Police patrol horse (“Aldo”) was spooked by traffic noise, bucked his rider off him, and took off. Aldo managed to find his way to the stable, which was about eight blocks away. If the horse could make it eight New York City blocks, why couldn’t it make it to Grandma’s House?

If you think I missed anything, please share!