Steff

Taking the little one tonight.. I hope Mark is his usual fast self..

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005...03/1023630.html WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A man found part of a severed finger packed inside a pint of frozen custard he’d bought from a Kohl’s Frozen Custard shop, and officials said it belonged to a worker injured in a food-processing machine accident there. The customer, Clarence Stowers, said he put the finger in his mouth, thinking it was a piece of candy when he opened the pint at home, a Wilmington television station reported. “I thought it was candy because they put candy in your ice cream ... to make it a treat,” Stowers told WWAY. Stowers said he spit the object out, but still couldn’t identify it. He went to his kitchen, rinsed it off with water — and “just started screaming.” Unlike a recent incident at a Wendy’s restaurant in California, no questions about Stowers’ honesty have been raised. Stowers did not immediately return calls Monday from The Associated Press. The custard shop owner, Craig Thomas, told the TV station that the employee who lost the finger had dropped a bucket while working with a machine that dispenses the custard. He tried to catch the bucket when the accident occurred. Thomas said that as several employees tried to help the injured worker, a drive-thru window attendant apparently scooped the custard into a pint before being told what had happened. Joe Reardon of the state Agriculture Department’s food and drug division said state officials closed the shop while the food-processing equipment involved was cleaned and sanitized. In March, a Las Vegas woman claimed she bit down on a 11/2 inch-long finger fragment while dining with her family at a Wendy’s restaurant in San Jose, Calif. Investigators have since called her claim a hoax and charged her last month with attempted grand theft related to millions in dollars of financial losses Wendy’s has suffered since news of her claim broke.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:57 AM) Who was shocked? Exactly what I was going to post.. I don't expect anything but the worst from the media. Probably why I don't read the papers.. LOL

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:57 AM) What I'm trying to say, is that even though Albert was great for the Sox, Sullivan is attaching the "mean angry Albert" image he had in Cleveland to him. In Cleveland, Albert was portrayed by the media as an angry young man. Sullivan found an easy target and took his shot. Gotcha. Although I didn't associate anything from Cleveland in there.. It's funny how you and I took the comment to mean something along the same lines and Mike took it to mean something relating to the injury..

And an awesome tribute to Jessica Lunsford. http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/02/Tampabay...als_extre.shtml CLEARWATER - Filing into Ruth Eckerd Hall on Sunday to watch the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episode on Pinellas County shooting victim James Dolan, guests were offered a box of tissues. It might have seemed like a gimmick. But five minutes into the show, Kimberly Campbell had the box on her lap and was dabbing her eyes. She handed the box down the line to the next waiting hand and damp eye. The two-hour episode and one-hour preshow on WFTS-Ch. 28 was long on promotion and product placement. That's how the show works. But underneath, there were genuine emotion, humor and home-improvement wizardry that generated wave after wave of applause. The show, taped in March, focused on Dolan, a 30-year-old father of three from Seminole who was blinded in the Nov. 18 shootings at a St. Petersburg RadioShack. ABC television crews and hundreds of construction workers poured into his neighborhood, counting on the patience of neighbors as they worked around the clock to raze his 1960s-era ranch house and replace it with a giant new house designed with his loss of sight in mind. About 1,500 volunteers, sponsors, friends and neighbors came out to watch the show unfold on a 216-square-foot video screen. Campbell has been best friends with Dolan's brother-in-law, Phil Yeager, and his fiancee, Lauren Schneider, for years. The couple moved in with the Dolans to help the family after the shooting. The extreme makeover was uplifting, Campbell said, but with a hint of sadness. "It's good, watching this happen to them, but it's hard, too," Campbell said. "We've been through this whole thing with them." Waiting to get inside the theater before the show, Dolan's neighbor, Linda Ciccarelli, said everyone living near the Dolans wanted the best for them. The long nights of pounding nails and construction, and the weeks of traffic from sightseers, have been worth it if it helps the family, she said. "You go to work one day, and you don't think "I'm not going to come home,' or "I'm going to come home a different person,"' Ciccarelli said. "You never think it can happen in your neighborhood." Dolan and his wife, Chrissy, joined the crowd for the show. And throughout the preshow, broadcast live, sponsors heaped gifts on the couple. Some, like the $100,000 check from builder Lexington Homes, a University of South Florida scholarship and donations from Gold Bank and Wachovia had been announced. But others - the key to the city of Clearwater, a year's worth of Publix groceries, a new Buick SUV - were surprises. Chrissy Dolan said she was touched by the attention. "It's been overwhelming," she said before the show. As each gift was announced, she wiped her eyes and hugged her husband. "Everyone says that we're the stars of the show," Chrissy Dolan told the crowd. "But everyone that put in time and effort, you guys are the stars of the show, and I am so, so grateful." Craig Gallagher, president of Lexington Homes, took advantage of the show to mug with Extreme Makeover star Ty Pennington. Playing around on the set, he barked into a bullhorn and shouted orders. But he said building a house in fewer than four days was grueling. It also sparked a commitment to community projects for his company, he said. Next for Lexington is a plan to renovate part of the Southeastern Guide Dogs facility in Palmetto and to build a playground for the Citrus County elementary school of slain 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Her father, Mark Lunsford, accepted the gift in her name Sunday night, and the crowd got to its feet twice in standing ovations. The Dolans' finished house was a closely guarded secret by ABC. The show revealed a home with an open floor plan of rooms radiating off a central great room. Carpeted paths mark the way to help Dolan navigate, and textured walls mark his location at a touch. A voice-activated computer turns on lights and appliances. His children's bedrooms are wildly themed, one like a jungle, another, for his daughter, in pink and oversized puzzles. For Charlie, his oldest son, a robotic arm designed by East Lake High School students reflects the boy's interest in science. Outside, the back yard was molded into an oasis. Fountains and chimes create an environment Dolan could hear and feel. A putting green in the yard would allow him to learn to golf all over again. At the Varsity Club restaurant in East Lake, the school robotics team that designed the robotic arm gathered with family and friends to watch and cheer the show. "It hasn't sunk in yet. The nation just saw me on television," said East Lake senior Jim Hoskins, 18, one of the team members shown during the broadcast. If Extreme Makeover had any detractors Sunday night, it might have been with sports fans. WFTS general manager Bill Carey said his station got about 300 complaints from basketball fans for cutting away from the Miami Heat-New Jersey Nets playoff game with minutes to go. Carey said his station had made a commitment to the Dolans and sponsors, and he had to make a difficult call when the NBA game ran past the 6 p.m. starting time for the local special. The Heat appeared to have the game in hand, and he said it was a decision he had to make. He made sure to flash the final score on the screen. (The Heat won the game.) Dolan said the home has topped every expectation, and the days of trying to navigate his cramped old house and its narrow halls, burning his fingers on the coffee pot, or banging his head on the freezer in the kitchen, are over. "I can't even put into words how I feel. It's such an amazing thing that's been done for my family. I can't be any happier than I am right now," he said. As for the house, the reward at the end of a wild ride on national television, "I walk in the front door, put my cane down, and I'm home."

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:49 AM) I think he was going for the injured and never going to be the same ballplayer again angle. I didn't get that from his comment. No biggie..

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:47 AM) Pretty lame of Sullivan on that point. Albert brought some baggage with him from Cleveland. Apparently, he's still carrying it on his back.

I don't get how he compared Maggs to Albert...?? Did Albert say ONE negative word about the Sox when he left...?? No. Did he talk s*** about the GM...? No. Did he talk s*** about the owner...? No. Did he talk s*** about them not giving him more $$..? No. As a matter of fact Albert praised Jerry Manuel to no end, and talked nothing but good about his time in Chicago.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...ack=1&cset=true Instigator of near-fatal brawl at party gets 30-year maximum Birthday celebration attack left the victim, then age 12, in a coma for three weeks By Julie Bykowicz Sun Staff Originally published May 3, 2005 The woman whom prosecutors called the instigator of a near-fatal brawl at her daughter's birthday party last year was sentenced yesterday to a 30-year prison term - the maximum allowed under state law. Monique Baldwin, 37, received the harshest sentence of any of the seven women and girls who pleaded guilty to beating then-12-year-old Nicole Ashley Townes at Baldwin's West Baltimore home. Baldwin pleaded guilty in March to first-degree assault and second-degree child abuse. "The court has no choice but to send a clear message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated," said Circuit Judge Kaye Allison, adding that she understands the motives of greed, retaliation and even misdirected anger, but nothing that would explain this crime. Yesterday, the judge also sentenced Kenya Keene, 26, to six years in prison. Keene, Nicole's caretaker, had pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and to second-degree assault for hitting Nicole's 11-year-old sister, Brenda Bailey, before the party. Nicole spent three weeks in a coma. Her family said she has made some progress, but yesterday Assistant State's Attorney Julie Drake said, "Thankfully, she has no memory of what happened. I hope it will always be that way." Drake read into the court record a chilling account of the Feb. 28, 2004, crime when Keene and Baldwin entered guilty pleas in March: After a boy, on a dare, kissed Nicole, an enraged Keene left the party. On her way out, Keene told Baldwin to discipline the girl "any way she wanted," the prosecutor said. Baldwin corralled her young relatives in the kitchen and told them to "handle your business." She shoved one of the girls toward Nicole. A free-for-all attack ensued, growing so intense that Baldwin moved the group into the dining room, shut the windows and turned up the music, the prosecutor said. One teen-ager stomped Nicole with high-heeled boots, Drake said, and Baldwin ordered the girls to lift Nicole onto the couch "so that she wouldn't bleed all over her rug." "This woman acted like an animal training her children," Drake said of Baldwin in court, "She was training her children to be violent predators." Drake explained that she had sought the longest prison term for Baldwin because she viewed her as the most culpable. Drake said the children that she ordered to fight had expressed remorse for their crimes, whereas, she said, Baldwin had not. Others were sentenced to no more than six years in prison. Drake also said that Baldwin told a pre-sentencing investigator that "things just got out of hand" at the party. Baldwin's attorney, Michael Lee Kaplan, said he could not explain his client's behavior. "She doesn't know why it happened or how," Kaplan told the judge, imploring her not to sentence Baldwin "disproportionately" to the others. During his victim impact statement, Nicole's father, Wayne Townes, said he hoped the women would suffer for their crimes. "Kenya, you have betrayed me and my little angel," he said, addressing Keene. Both women cried as the judge handed down their sentences. Baldwin sobbed as she was taken from the courtroom. Baldwin and Keene were the final two to receive sentences. Partygoers Seletta Broaddus, Temprest Baldwin, both 16 and formerly charged as adults, and two other teenage girls - including the one whose birthday was being celebrated - have all been sentenced in juvenile court to group homes. Erin Baldwin, 20, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced in March to four years in prison and four years of probation.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:36 AM) You sure that doesn't scare them? They could see Kotex-boys face and run! Actually.. they pee on his stuff first.

They did this for opening day and I know several people who took advantage. Awesome idea..

I'm not familiar with her really. Didn't she write something in support of R. Kelly once..? I don't read either newspaper... I line my dogs boxes with them

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:27 AM) Ok. Steff, that covers your monthly allotment of puns. None till June! That potato story was ..... au ....... gratin.

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 09:00 AM) Not ALL of society will condone gay marriage. I sure hope I didn't imply that it's my opinion that they would..

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 08:49 AM) If it's not condoned as of now, it's heading that way. See formerly male golfers playing in women's gold tourneys for an example. I can with absolute positivity say that not ALL of society does or will ever condone this...

I don't really have a comment on this other than apparently he DID damage Sox property... But what I can comment on is that it's posted plain as day that no outside drinks are allowed in the SC. And we've many times tried to say "aww.. c'mom, please..." with a full beer and been told in not so nice terms no. Don't like it.. especially when we have a full beer, but that's the rule. As for this guy.. they have cameras in the halls, elevator entrances, and club level doors to the SC.. I'm sure whomever's story is the real one will be played.

QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ May 3, 2005 -> 08:44 AM) Well, I can tell you for one thing, I bet his brain wasn't liquified to the point of having ventricles be the size of at least half the brain. You typed what I was thinking..

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ May 3, 2005 -> 07:05 AM) Ok, but we're living in a society that condones trans-sexual operation... Apparently, that would be YOUR logic....

This is a creepy thread..

Well, Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam.' Of course, they wanted the best for Yam. When it was time, they told her about the facts of life. They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato,' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots. Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her! But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either. She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins. When she went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland. And the greasy guys from France called the French Fries. And when she went out west, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped. Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say, 'Frito Lay.' Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University) so that when she graduated she'd really be in the Chips. But in spite of all they did for her, one-day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw. Tom Brokaw! Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset. They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just....... Are you ready for this? Are you sure? * * * * * * * OK! Here it is! * * * * * * * * * * * A COMMON TATER

I don't recall anyone saying that a person could NOT recover... I wonder the extent of his damage. In any event.. good for him and good for his family.

QUOTE(Brian @ May 3, 2005 -> 08:10 AM) Thanks, as my present I get to work 11 hours. Woohoo! Yea.. but you have a cool job so it's not so bad. Happy Birthday...

Sometimes smart guys do stupid things.. http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1113/1460453.html Rowand: 'My dirt bike days are over' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox outfielder Aaron Rowand was scheduled for surgery Wednesday after being injured in an off-road dirt bike accident. Rowand broke two ribs and the his left shoulder blade. He also bruised his left shoulder in the accident earlier this month. Rowand said he was riding trails near Las Vegas with his brother-in-law and was traveling 20 mph before hitting a "hump.'' That sent him flying headfirst over the handle bars, and Rowand tumbled down a 25-foot embankment. "My dirt bike days are over,'' Rowand told the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights. "It's going to be sold.''

Any chance of a false positive?

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ May 2, 2005 -> 03:48 PM) It's your logic not mine. No, it's not so don't put words in my mouth.