February 29th, 2008 by joeldamos
Happy Sadie Hawkins Day!
Although in this age of girls asking guys out it may seem outdated, there was a time when one day a year, the guys that were too nervous to ask were the ones being asked. For a San Diego couple, it launched a lifetime of love.
Marilyn Borawski witnessed her future husband walking across a Burbank, California baseball field in 1956. It was a game sponsored by her Catholic youth club. “A bunch of us girls were sitting under a tree, and this guy walked across the field. I’d never seen him before. I thought ‘gosh’…and I said to the girls ‘that guy looks pretty good,’” Marilyn remembered. “But, it was more that I felt I knew him. It was some sort of connection.”
They had a first date, and its origin bucked tradition thanks to Sadie Hawkins. “I asked him to go,” Marilyn said and laughed. “He said he had never heard of Sadie Hawkins before and had to think about it.”
John, to this day after 50 years of marriage, insists he did not mean to give Marilyn the wrong impression. “She thought it was a blow off as they call if today,” he said. “To this day she still gives me a hard time about it.”
History has more than proven John’s affection for Marilyn. “Finally he got back to me after he found out what a Sadie Hawkins dance was and that was our first formal date,” she said.
John immediately felt a connection himself dancing with Marilyn that evening. “That’s what it was,” he said. “We just kind of cooked.”
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February 29th, 2008 by joeldamos
After media outlets broke a story that had been held under wraps for over two months, Prince Harry has headed home from his military service in Afghanistan.
The warrior prince also has a few choice words for the press in his native Britain.
“I generally don’t like England that much and, you know, it’s nice to be away from all the press and the papers and the general shite that they write.”
Under an agreement in the British press, those comments were made available to everyone and have the royal family scratching their heads as to what to do with the latest words from the royals to fan English flames.
Third in line to the British throne, Harry was livid at an American website that had leaked information about his military tour of duty. Figuring the story was out, British media outlets ran with the story that they had agreed to keep quiet. Harry seems to be more angry at the British press for violating their gag agreement than the American publication that broke the story.
Harry told a British reporter that he is tired of “sitting around” in the Windsor Castle and enjoyed his time on the front lines.
As video of Harry shot around the globe shooting machine guns and generally doing everything any other soldier would do, the prince was quickly on a plane out of the war zone. Seems when your in line for the throne and everyone knows your in a war zone, the enemy might focus its energies a little differently.
After his discussions about going to Iraq last year were squashed, the fact he got 10 weeks of service on the front lines is miraculous in this media-crazed world where a cell phone picture could have derailed this tour of duty long ago.
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February 29th, 2008 by joeldamos
In a scene that could have played out like an episode of “24,” police in Las Vegas are saying that the toxin Ricin may be the mysterious substance found in a hotel yesterday.
FBI agents swarmed the Extended Stay America Hotel Thursday to secure a suspicious package the hotel manager had received. Early tests showed the deadly toxin to be in the package, but authorities are slow to believe this is part of a terrorist attack.
The hotel manager had received the package from a guest who said he had found it in his room. Las Vegas police Capt. Joseph Lombardo spoke at a news conference late Thursday.
“Ricin has no medical uses other than cancer research,” Lombardo said. “An individual citizen other than being involved in cancer research or cancer prevention would not have any legal means or proper means of having that.”
Early reports have three hospital employees and one guest being taken to local hospitals for testing and preventive procedures. Three police officers were also taken to emergency rooms.
The motel is merely blocks from the Las Vegas Strip.
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February 28th, 2008 by allison
Prince Harry has been noticeably absent from the public eye as of late. News reports today confirm that the 23-year-old British royal has been in Afghanistan with the British Army. Harry’s main role is as a member of the Army’s Joint Tactical Air Control (JTAC).
The prince, third in line to the British throne, was deployed to Afghanistan 10 weeks ago. Security concerns for Harry and his unit led the Ministry of Defense to swear the prince’s fellow soldiers to secrecy. An agreement was also made with international media to not report on Harry’s deployment.

That agreement was compromised this morning, after an item about the prince’s deployment was posted on a US website.
Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the British Army, later confirmed this and said, “His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary. He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his Battlegroup.”
Harry’s deployment is currently under review by Dannatt and British Army senior commanders.
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February 28th, 2008 by joeldamos
Gathered at the San Diego airport was a throng of reporters and a few Marines. The soldiers, battle scorned and weary from the long War on Terror, suddenly became emotional children.
What could bring such tough men and women to tears? Four-legged friends from Iraq had arrived finally and were one step closer to their new homes. In what has played out many times since the Iraq war began, stray dogs have found themselves “adopting” soldiers and often, entire battalions.
The scene Saturday at Lindburg Field played out with an enormous amount of fanfare for a few furry creatures. But several in this group were special and indicative of the story many of these animals share.
One in particular’s story was incredible. Nubs took to the Marines along the Iraq-Syria border and they too became attached to him. After several tours as a fighter pilot, Major Brian Dennis volunteered for the border secure detail to see the country from the ground. One of his first friends was Nubs.
“This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, abuse…is going to live the good life,” Dennis told his family in an email.
Nubs, a German shepherd-Collie mix, was given his moniker because his ears had been burned off. Soon after spotting the dog, Nubs kept returning to Dennis for affection. At the end of December, Nubs had been stabbed by a screwdriver and needed immediate attention. Dennis found him and brought him back to health. After awaking from his surgery, Nubs would never leave Dennis’ side.
Then, the incredible happened. After Dennis and his troop was sent 65 miles away to another patrol, the soldier thought he had seen the last of his stray friend. That would not be the case, Nubs would track him down arriving two days later thirsty and missing his master. Military regulations forbid animals in the war zone, so Nubs was off to San Diego courtesy of Dennis’ buddies at Camp Pendleton who raised over $3,000 to bring the puppy to San Diego.
Now, Dennis’ friends and one special furry one, await his return. Soon both Dennis and Nubs will be running along the Pacific Ocean.
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February 28th, 2008 by joeldamos
In 2006, Robert McNichol, 57, went to work in Ireland never realizing that his son’s tooth two years later, would help restore his vision.
McNichol arrived at his waste recycling business that day and experienced an accident that left him completely blind. All of his doctors told him the same thing: ‘you will never see again.’
McNichol refused to believe that in this day and age, there was no technology out there to restore vision. McNichol percevered and found the science he was seeking.
A procedure entitled OOKP, is what the blind man found to aid in his effort to see once again. The only thing he needed was a tooth.
The surgical procedure places a man-made lens within the eye that has returned sight to those who cannot see, with a catch. The only material scientists have found that hold the lens in place is that carved from a human tooth.
Enter Robert Jnr, 23, who volunteered one of his for his father, McNichol. The surgery at Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton took several months to complete and although McNichol won’t completely regain his sight, doctors and confident some vision will return.
Many of us would give our left arm for a parent, a tooth…no brainer!
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February 27th, 2008 by joeldamos
The man who founded the National Review and set the tone for Conservatism in the United States for decades has passed away this morning.
He was at his home in Connecticut when complications from his battle with diabetes and emphysema overcame the writer.
A son of privilege, Buckley managed to stand out as the middle child in a family of 10. The child who took his father’s first name, launched his family name to heights his father could never had predicted.
Some could argue that Buckley succumbed to a broken heart. His wife, Pat, a famous person in her own right for her socialite skills, passed away last year.
Now, the two are together again.
Buckley was 82.
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February 26th, 2008 by joeldamos
In much the same way as Billy Joel storming Lenin’s Square in Moscow with “Movin’ Out,” the New York Philharmonic Orchestra made a trip to North Korea and performed in the communist county last night.
The world-famous symphony was greeted with a standing ovation both before and after the concert.
In an effort to thaw relationship between the United States and North Korea, the New York group thought it would make the first move and bring a little music to the craziness of the nuclear stalemate between the two countries.
Judging by their embrace by the North Korean people, the job was a success.
Leave it to music, the international language, to continue bringing the world together.
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February 26th, 2008 by joeldamos
As Senator Obama and Clinton head into tonight’s Ohio debate at 6 p.m. on MSNBC, at least one of them is asking the other to relax.
It was Obama, while picking up an endorsement from former presidential candidate, Connecticut Senator, Chris Dodd, that he asked Clinton to please remember that we are “on the same team.”
In recent days as The Wire has reported, the Clinton camp is quite upset at Obama for fliers that have been mailed across Ohio describing Clinton’s position on NAFTA and mandating health insurance.
Pundits and political junkies alike are unsure what scene will play out tonight on the debate stage. Both Clinton and Obama have traded barbs this past week. After Clinton said in the Texas debate “I am honored to be on this stage with Barack Obama,” she said “shame on you, Barack Obama” on Sunday.
Which side of Hillary will audiences see tonight?
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February 25th, 2008 by allison
In a clear attempt to win the vote of the younger, tech savvy voter, Hillary Clinton has launched a new website for her campaign. HillarySpeaksforMe.com is essentially a user-created video playlist in which anyone is able to upload their own 5-60 second video, sharing their own opinions and stories about the campaign.
The video can be seen on the site or can also be embedded as video feed onto YouTube, MySpace and Facebook, as well as many other outlets. Whether you like Clinton or not, there is no denying how inspiring it is watching people speak with such honest passion in these raw videos.

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