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By Kent Shocknek

A Blog By Kent Shocknek

I'm glad you're here. Each day, I'll scribble some thoughts on politics, the "Golden" State, the media, those fabulous celebrities, travel, cars and some other stuff I haven't thought of yet. Look around, take the poll, have fun and feel free to leave comments. Now, LET'S BLOG!

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Mar 19, 2010 12:10 PM

Video: the Ultimate Snowboard Wipeout

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Winter, be gone! Let's put away the snowboard:

And pull out the boogie board:

(There's no wreck that can't be made worse in a slo-mo replay.)

 
Mar 18, 2010 9:59 AM

Vote in Our Health Care Overhaul Poll

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A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: this is your last chance to vote in the Let's Blog! Health Care Overhaul poll, on the right. It looks like Congress will vote this weekend, now that it has a final version, and a price tag. 

I will send the results to Southern California's Congressional representatives (where a second-semester intern will quickly hit the 'delete' key -Ed.), so they will know where you stand.

So vote in the Let's Blog! poll, and make your best case to sway other message boarders, in Comments, below. --And if you're a gambler, tell us if you think it'll pass or not.   --And whether Sandra Bullock will stay with Jesse James. No, not that last part: that's just mean.

 
Mar 17, 2010 9:46 AM

Video: When the St Patty's Party is Over

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(Warning! The 'ne plus ultra' of all swear words is employed :14 into clip #1. Parents will want to shield the ears of impressionable youngsters from :12-:16, to keep them from hearing a word that they already use every day at school.)

I've been to Ireland; I've reported on live TV; and I've been around angry drunkards. But never, all at once. Behold.... 

I love the poor reporter's expression in the millisecond before they cut back to the studio.  But I would prefer to celebrate the "Land 'o the bogs 'n' the little people" in a traditional St. Patrick's Day dance....

I'm sure there's something offensive here, somewhere, to someone, but I'll say this: at least the monkeys don't swear like the guy in the first vid.

 
Mar 15, 2010 9:55 AM

The Most Disturbing Story of the Week

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Does anyone else find this story as deeply disturbing as I do? A woman in New Jersey, trying to become the world's fattest woman, by tipping the scales at 1,000 pounds? It doesn't appear to be a joke. Donna Simpson of New Jersey currently, reportedly, weighs about 602 pounds.  She's eating as much as she can, to gain weight. Full article,  here.

Donna Simpson is hoping to become the world's fattest woman.

Simpson makes jokes, telling Britain's Daily Mail newspaper,  "I'd love to be 1,000 pounds; it might be hard, though. Running after my daughter keeps my weight down."  She has a child? She is said to fund her $750/week junk food bill, with a website on which viewers pay, to watch her eat. A quick search revealed no such site --to me, anyway.  This story just gets worse by the second, doesn't it.... Her boyfriend encourages her, and she feels happier. She also says she's not harming anyone.  I don't know where to start with this one. So instead, I'll just stop. 

Donna Simpson

 
Mar 12, 2010 9:41 AM

No Cheating, on This Cheaters' Test

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Do any/all of the following constitute cheating? Take the following test and leave your Comments, below. BTW, in 'researching' this, I found a YouTube clip that instructs viewers how to cheat on exams, that's been viewed more than 5 million times. Here are our questions: 

*You're supposed to stick to an 1,800 calorie/day balanced diet. You stop at 1,800; but you got there with candy, chips, and beer instead of lean protein and simple carbs.

*You see a $5-bill in the parking lot, and make absolutely no effort to get it returned to its owner.

*You tell your significant other that you're getting together with your (same sex) coworkers for happy hour. You specifically don't mention that members of the opposite sex will be there too.

*You're an movie actor --with close-ups!-- and you list your Botox (or lipo, or heck, even hair styling) costs as 'medical expenses,' with the the IRS.

*You have more than 10 items --say, 14-- but the regular check-outs are so long! So you go to the express line anyway.

(I feel compelled to report that none of these questions pertain to me (except maybe one -Ed.), but depending on your answers, you may learn something about yourself.)

 
Mar 11, 2010 9:56 AM

Arming Teachers with Shotguns

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The U.S. Department of Education is soliciting bids for shotguns.  Let's go over that again: the U.S. Department of Education is soliciting bids for shotguns. What do they know, that we don't know?  I'm all for discipline in the classroom, but... really?

A little snooping around, reveals Unky Sam's online bidding system (eBay in reverse, as run by bureaucrats) is advertising for 27 Remington 12-gauge shotguns, that can be reloaded quickly.  Read the actual bid, here.

Remington 870 Sling

The Feds don't say where they plan to deploy these weapons; only that the new ones have to match the guns they already have (!), and the Department of Education needs them by the 22nd of this month (!!)  I'm trying to think of what happens on the 22nd: an anticipated unruly start to Spring Break? ("I said, drop your books and head for Cabo, pahdner.")  I'd laugh if the joke weren't so sinister... and If you and I weren't paying the tab. Prices vary, but Remington 870s can cost $600, each. Maybe the winning bidder will offer a bulk discount.

If you find any of this strange, leave your Comments, directly below. But you'd better spell everything correctly: a teacher may be watching.

 
Mar 10, 2010 10:06 AM

Your Chance to Play Baywatch

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Here comes summer --eventually-- and trips to the beach. Other than the Hollywood sign, if there's a more iconic image of life in SoCal than L.A. County Lifeguard stations, I don't know what it might be. This summer, more than 100 of those stations will be painted a bit brighter. Like this....

For 30 miles, towers will be painted by volunteers, working with Portraits of Hope. Should be cool: like something the artist Christo might do, but this time, it's regular folks. Portraits of Hope is a nonprofit that creates HUGE art projects-- on buildings, and tugboats, etc. Kids from disadvantaged backgrounds (or with serious medical challenges) work side-by side other kids, and also adults from community groups, to get it done. When you see what they've done, it's hard to tell who benefits the most from this kind of therapy. (If you want paint to paint along, you and your company can help too: click here.)

--Fun fact (you knew a car guy would find something like this): Since L.A County Lifeguards switched over to a full fleet of Ford Escape hybrids. they've performed close to 20-thousand rescues, while saving more than 11-thousand gallons of gas. Miles per gallon: 34. Lives saved per gallons saved: 1.8  Ford should be proud: I don't think you'll ever see that statistic --or 100 brightly painted lifeguard towers-- anywhere else.  :)

 
Mar 9, 2010 9:48 AM

Tell Congress What to Do w/ Health Care

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Brand new Let's Blog! Poll: on the health care overhaul, at right

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President Obama has hit the campaign trail, campaigning for health-care overhaul. By now, you know where you stand. So let the rest of us know: take the brand new Let's Blog! Poll, on the right. You're for it; you're agin' it; or you simply don't care.

The President made health care a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, so he has -- oh, I don't know -- everything riding on getting his agenda passed.   Opponents, including some in his own party, remain unconvinced that this particular overhaul is the right way to proceed.

"If they had the votes to get it through Congress, they'd take the vote tomorrow."  Well, at this point, no vote is scheduled. Except the extra-special Let's Blog! Poll-vote, that you can take right now! Go for it, and if you want to make your case, do that, too, in Comments, below.

 
Mar 5, 2010 9:35 AM

The Sexiest Formal Gown, Ever; or Not.

Posted by Kent_Shocknek
grrrrrrrrrrrrr

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Leave your Oscar Comments, below.

Oscar notes: since everybody we knew was going to win, won; what about the sideshow?...

Notes to stars in a room filled with cameras: one may be on you. Cameron Diaz, were you really chewing gum? Samuel Jackson, I'm curious why you rolled your eyes after Mo' Nique won best supporting actress. George Clooney, how did that scowling-schtick work for you? (Was that actually scripted?-- Who thought that would work?)

Charlize Theron, about that sexiest formal gown, ever.  No, seriously.

   

Kristen Stewart from Twilight, Miley Cyrus from, uh, whatever: your time at the podium was... memorable.

To the producers: which is worse-- that you failed to include Farrah Fawcett in your memorial tribute, or that you later tried to justify the omission, saying you couldn't include everybody? (You actually thought about her, and rejected her?  Really?)

Leave your Comments -- after you awaken from that 7-hour snooze-fest they call the Oscarcast, in Comments, at the bottom of this post.

 

 
Mar 4, 2010 9:49 AM

Tiger Woods, Prison, and the Dress

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Let's Blog! Poll: on living long, at right

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       Sound off in Comments, below, about the following;

     

Do air passengers have the right to sue the FAA and the Federal Air Traffic Controllers over those kids who were directling pilots? I know, in America, anybody can sue anyone for anything; but would this be legit? The allegation would be something about the ATC guys "knowingly putting passenger safety at risk." (But no one was hurt, you say? -- that's a different issue. Every second that Dad was prompting the kids, was a second that Dad wasn't keeping current on the screen in front of him.)

Tiger Woods' caddie steps foward to say  he didn't know anything about Tiger's string of extramarital affairs. Then he said he was 'mad,' then 'dissappointed.' Questions: do we really believe this guy --who is closer to the golfer than anybody-- didn't know anything? And will Tiger stick with him?  Maybe he knew a whole lot, but by saying he didn't, Tiger will reward his loyalty.

Prison guards at the "California Rehabilitation Center" ("Prison" -Ed.) in Norco arrest a man and a woman, for allegedly trying to throw to footballs over the fence, to the cons inside. The footballs were packed with tobacky, whacky tobacky and cell phones. Seriously here: what was their motivation: strong friendship with someone inside; threats from somebody on the outside; or were they high?  Anyway, at least the guy they arrested now knows the way to what might be his future home.

Now it can be told; the male CBS2 on-air staffer who wore a kilt to a recent event is ....drum roll, please.... going to be revealed tomorrow. Get in your last guesses, today. I was wrong to call it a dress.  Even if I meant, skirt. Inexcusable.

 
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A Blog By Kent Shocknek

I'm glad you're here. Each day, I'll scribble some thoughts on politics, the "Golden" State, the media, those fabulous celebrities, travel, cars and some other stuff I haven't thought of yet. Look around, take the poll, have fun and feel free to leave comments. Now, LET'S BLOG!

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