Well, that goes without saying really. But we’re talking more diarrhea than usual in this instance. Taco Bell lettuce laced with E. coli bacteria was responsible food poisoning at the chain’s restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Over 71 people suffered symptoms related to food poisoning, including vomiting, fever, and yes, explosive diarrhea. Damn, do you need any more reason not to ever eat at Taco Bell again? Yo no quiero Taco Bell! |
Apparently, Amazing Race 11 will be an all-star edition of the race that will feature past winners and notable teams invited at the discretion of the CBS producers. Apparently past winners Chip & Kim and BJ & Tyler (the Hippies) were not invited to be in the new race and are complaining on their own websites and blogs about it like a bunch of sore losers. BJ writes at one point that they were the “winningest winners ever to win.” Whatever, dude! If I never see those shaggy bastards again it will be fine by me! Variety reports that Rob & Amber (aka Romber) will be in the all-star edition, as will David & Mary, the Coal Miners from Kentucky from the most recent season of the race. Luckily for all of us, nobody from the family edition of the race was invited. It seems that the producers are trying to forget that lame ass edition as much as the rest of us. The new edition of the race is set to air early next year. |
 For the first time in years, I was way too busy to write episode summaries for all of the episodes of the Amazing Race 10. I didn’t stop watching the show though! However, I couldn’t really call myself a fan if I didn’t write a synopsis of the thirteenth and final episode. First of all, I was sad to see Miss America eliminated fourth. I had thought that if those two made it into the final three they would have been the first all female team to win the race. They were the “great blonde hope.” Although they were eliminated, Team Alabama was able to post a new achievement, as they were the first all female team to reach the final three. They were scrappy. Unfortunately, they were not strong enough to win the race and were relegated to finish a disappointing third well behind the other two teams. Ultimately, it was the Druggies that were able to pull it off. They had the most first place finishes of any other team on this race and came in first when it counted–at the finish line. |
Merriam-Webster has dubbed ‘truthiness’ as the word of the year for 2006. |
“They say jump and you say how high, you brain dead Holiday shoppers refused to leave a store that was on fire, the deals were just too damn good! What the hell is wrong with us as a country when shopping for “stuff” is more important than our very own safety? |
CNET has produced a great memorial video of James Kim. |
Wesley Snipes surrendered to authorities on tax fraud charges in Florida today. |
A court hearing in Guadalajara, Mexico for Dog Chapman, the Bounty Hunter, has been scheduled for December 22nd. The hope is that the Dog’s attorney can have all of the charges in Mexico dropped. Just in case they don’t drop the charges, the Dog does not plan to attend the hearing. |
James Kim’s death in the middle of the Oregon mountains has sparked a flurry of speculation as to why they took a one lane road through the mountains instead of one of the larger highways. A new report sheds light on the fact that the Kim family was using a Internet-produced map to select their route over the mountain pass in Oregon. Some short looking routes on Internet maps may actually be seasonal, very dangerous, and just flat out wrong. For example, I remember when the Internet maps first came out and that they would advise you to take Tioga Pass out of Yosemite to head to Nevada even though everyone knows that it is closed during the Winter months. Had the Kim family taken a major Oregon State Highway like Highway 38 or 42 or 199 across the mountain range they were trying to cross, James Kim would be alive today. Amazingly, Kim’s wife and kids were found because their cell phone acted like a beacon while searching for a carrier signal. This tragic story makes one wish that services like OnStar were available on all cars. The Kims would have been able to “call” for assistance immediately after their car got stuck because OnStar works via satellite. Instant happy ending. An expensive tow for sure, but everyone lives. Another option would have been to subscribe for satellite emergency service which is now as little as $350 annually–less than $1 per day plus the cost of a phone. Satellite phones are about $750 new and about $350 used. Sure it’s $1.49 per minute of airtime, but somehow I don’t think the Kim’s would have been worried about the cost! This ultimately may be the best solution for most people, because who wants to have a late model GM car nowadays. Simply throw a satellite phone in the trunk, a car charger, and pony up $350 each year and you won’t need a vehicle equipped with OnStar. These phones should start selling like hot cakes. I can see the pitch now, “avoid freezing to death in backcountry roads for less than a dollar a day!” All kidding aside, the good news is that with advancements in technology what happened to James Kim will likely to be a thing of the past. Cars will probably all have satellite emergency services and most cell phones will all have a satellite option to get people out of life threatening situations like this one. One can only hope anyway. |
Sadly, James Kim, the San Francisco man that left on foot to look for help for his stranded family in the southern Oregon mountains was found dead earlier today. One rescue leader said that Kim performed a “superhuman” trek across nearly impassable terrain to try to find help for his family. Ironically, had he stayed in his car or turned back to be with his family he would have been rescued. At least it’s a happier ending than if all four family member had died on the mountain, but still sad. |
 Zooomr is giving free Pro Accounts to bloggers for one year by following these simple instructions. Above is a picture of my old VW Jetta that I used in order to get things started there. If you have a blog, like to share pictures, and don’t already have a flickr account, this may be a great idea. I personally think that I am way too invested with Flickr to make the change. Big ups to Jimmy for sending me the link. |
A plane was forced to land before reaching its destination due to excessive farting. |
NASA says that they are looking for international support to start building a permanent base on the moon by 2020. By 2024, they would hope to have a permanent rotating crew on the base at all times, like we currently maintain on the international space station. The base would be built on one of the moon’s poles where it could take advantage of increased sunlight for power and would be used to stage trips to Mars and other destinations. Kick ass! |
After years of service, we are selling our trusty 1995 Volkswagen Jetta. We finally broke down and ordered a brand new Audi A4 3.2 Quattro which should reach the dealership sometime in the next couple of days. It’s the end of an era. |