A Blog Break and a New Chocolate Flavored Toothpaste

Good Day World!

Remember when toothpaste tasted like…toothpaste?

Apparently consumers in the 21st Century want to have an adventure when they brush their teeth and that means new flavoring.

Nothing is out of bounds. Pickle, cupcake and bacon toothpaste is on the shelves with the newly minted flavors from Crest.

(Attention Readers! I’m taking a Blog Day Off Saturday February 1st – just because.)

And now back to Crest’s new products:

“The new Mint Chocolate Trek flavor is part of the new line called Crest Be, toothpastes meant to excite and inspire while still providing all the standard oral-hygiene benefits. The other two flavors in the line so far? Lime Spearmint Zest and Vanilla Mint Spark.

There's actually a whole world of food-flavored toothpastes out there. Perhaps cupcake toothpaste appeals to your sweet tooth?

Maybe a pickle-flavored toothpaste would be a nice complement to that deli sandwich you had with dinner? Or does bacon toothpaste appeal to your desire for—well, everything bacon?”

Read full story here

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Modern Man’s link to Neanderthal Man: skin coloring and red hair

 Good Day World!

 I’ve been accused of acting like a Neanderthal numerous times in my 63 years. It was never meant in a good way, anymore than a “knuckle-dragger” is a compliment.

My detractors were often women. They like to drag that term – Neanderthal - around a lot when describing males. Well guess what ladies? 

You too are kin to those knuckle-dragging ancestors you’ve been dissing all these years! And if you’re a redhead…look out!

I came across the following study that proves the link between modern man and Neanderthal man is closer than ever suspected:

“A double-barreled comparison of ancient Neanderthal DNA with hundreds of modern-day genomes suggests that many of us have Neanderthal skin and hair traits — but other parts of the Neanderthal genome appear to have been bred out of us along the way.

The findings, reported Wednesday by two separate teams of researchers in the journals Science and Nature, follow up on previous studies showing that Neanderthals interbred with humans outside Africa. Even though the Neanderthals went extinct about 30,000 years ago, they left traces of their genetic code in non-African DNA — and now scientists are starting to discover exactly what that code does.” (Full story here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…dragging my knuckles as I go! 

A Black Hole or a Gray Hole? Hawkins is at it again…

 Good Day World!

 A Black Hole, or a Gray Hole?

That’s the question for today.

British physicist Stephen Hawking whose earned worldwide attention for his surprising claims about black holes, is doing it again with a new paper claiming that "there are no black holes."

Actually, Hawking isn't denying the existence of the massive gravitational singularities that lurk at the center of many galaxies, including our own Milky Way. He's just saying the classical view of a black hole as an eternal trap for everything that's inside, even light, is wrong. In his revised view, black holes are ever so slightly gray, with a chaotic and shifting edge rather than a sharply defined event horizon.

It just so happens that this is a big month for Hawking: He turned 72 years old a couple of weeks ago, and he appears to be keeping active despite his decades-long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

And this week marks the television premiere of "Hawking," a PBS documentary about the good doctor's life and work.

For still more about the world's best-known physicist, check out his recently published memoir, "My Brief History."

• New app lets you explore the universe with Hawking
• Hawking lays out the case for Big Bang without God
• NBC News archive on Stephen Hawking

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Florida to Vote on Medical Marijuana Legalization in November

Good Day World!

 If there’s one state that needs to mellow out, it’s Florida. With their insane gun laws I would rather bump into someone smoking pot than drinking alcohol!

The good news is a measure that would allow the use of medical marijuana has cleared its final hurdle to be placed on the November ballot.

The state Supreme Court on Monday approved the language for the proposed constitutional amendment.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for governor again this year, said Monday afternoon that he supports the amendment.Democratic gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Nan Rich also supports medical marijuana, while the Republican incumbent, Gov. Rick Scott, is opposed to it.

Scott says he will vote against marijuana because he’s seen the terrible effects of alcohol and drug abuse (I know weed isn’t a drug but in Scott’s fevered brain it is) first-hand.

Okay…but how about marijuana abuse? Tell us about the horrific effects of marijuana while more states are approving it’s usage because they know it has positive medical properties.

Marijuana haters just don’t give up easily. They’re playing to an increasingly smaller audience these days, but are too stupid and stubborn to catch up to modern science that shows the benefits of cannabis.

I have a hunch voters – read this - will approve the measure, because it’s the right thing to do.

Time for me to walk on down the road…   

 

The Stock Market Blues and another Big Retailer Hacked

Good Day World!

Let’s take a look at two money-related stories that are going to affect millions of Americans.

The first story comes to us from Wall Street.

The stock market had a bad week last week in case you weren’t following. I have no idea what will happen this week, but experts sure seem gloomy about the chance for a sudden turnaround. Traders and market analysts are saying a 10 percent “correction” isn’t out of line.

A big reason why is the Federal Reserve has announced it’s intentions to turn off the money flow since the banks are back on their feet, house prices are rising again and the unemployment rate keeps falling.

So, in what appears to me to be a toss of the dice, the Fed is gambling the economy is strong enough to keep gaining strength, even if interest rates begin to rise. Players in the stock market don’t agree.They think it’s too soon to be pulling the plug.

The second story is about another retail giant being hacked: Michaels

Just when you thought it might be safe to buy at a giant retailer again…

Michaels, the nation's biggest arts and crafts retailer, said that it may have suffered a “data security attack” on its computer system that processes payment cards and that federal law enforcement and a computer forensics firm were investigating.

Word of the possible attack on the Irving, Texas-based retailer, first reported by security blogger Brian Krebs, comes in the wake of recent data theft breaches at major retailers Target Stores and Nieman-Marcus.

Last year’s findings revealed the retail industry is now the top target for cybercriminals.  For the first time, the retail industry made up 45 percent of Trustwave data breach investigations (a 15 percent increase from 2011) with e-commerce attacks emerging as a growing trend surpassing the amount of point-of-sales attacks.

Experts believe thieves are using a device known as a RAM scraper, which enables them to grab encrypted data by capturing it as it travels through the live memory of a computer, such as a checkout stand.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Tearing Old Dixie Down: Will Virginia be the 1st State in the Old Confederacy to allow Same-Sex Marriages?

Good Day World!

 It’s time for the Old South to catch up to the 21st Century.

It’s time to end the senseless intolerance which has been interwoven into the fabric of White Southern life with stories of slaves and the good old days.

 The same goes for same-sex marriages. If Democrat Mark R. Herring, who started in his new post as Virginia's attorney general on Jan. 11, has his way, same-sex unions will be legal.

Herring announced he had reviewed the state's ban on same-sex unions, and concluded that the ban was unconstitutional. He said he would support gay couples who have filed lawsuits challenging the ban — and if he wins his fight, he will make Virginia the first state in the old Confederacy to allow gay marriage.

Currently, only Washington, D.C., and 17 states allow gay marriage, most of which are in the Northeast. This defection from the would be neo-Confederacy is going to shake up the Old South and tear Old Dixie down!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

A look at upcoming Super Bowl ads and great pot munchies!

Good Day World!

With the Super Bowl a mere eight days away, I have a few items to share that’ll make your day. That is if you’re a football fan. If you’re not, I think you’ll still find some of the following interesting:

Experts are predicting commercials for everything from Greek yogurt to luxury cars will tackle rival brands head-on. Viewers who tune in just for the commercials will see as much aggressive competition as fans following the action on the field.

It’s really going to be competitive this year because more brands are gearing up for real-time feuds on social media channels. Last year’s spontaneous Oreo Tweet after a power outage struck the Superdome in New Orleans was a big wake-up call for marketers about the power of acting - and, more importantly, reacting - in real time.

It remains far too early to pinpoint a forecast for Super Bowl XLVIII, but hints of an active and potentially stormy pattern being in place the weekend of the big game are now beginning to show up on predictive weather models.

If you’re thinking of going to Super Bowl XLVIII here’s a link to get tickets.

It happened.

The only two states in the country where marijuana has been legalized for recreational use are sending teams to the Super Bowl this year. The Denver Broncos will face off against the Seattle Seahawks in a showdown that can only be described as made for stoners. The Bud Bowl, Weed Bowl, Hash Bowl - call it what you will, this year's Super Bowl is the game marijuana-enthusiasts everywhere have been waiting for.

The possibilities for marijuana-enhanced food extend well beyond your average pot brownie (which doesn't have to be average at all, in fact). There are cannabis cocktails and no-bake (pun intended) weed cookies. There's caramel "potcorn," mashed "pot-atoes, and "pot chocolate."

Time for me to walk on down the road…

3 GOP Hopefuls for Presidency Show What Not to Do to Win

Good Day World!

The new year is still young, but that hasn’t stopped three Republican governors from making complete asses of themselves.

Here’s a quick look at the three stooges:

Normally I don’t waste space talking about onetime presidential candidates, but in former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s case I’m making an exception because there’s rumors he may run again in 2016.

He claims Democrats are pushing women to believe “they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government.”

I quote Mr. Huckabee:

"If the Democrats want to insult women by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it. Let us take this discussion all across America because women are far more than the Democrats have played them to be.”

Oh really? I wonder if women are buying this bullshit? I seriously doubt it. As long as the Republicans have people like Huckabee front and center, they can forget about really reaching out to a majority of women in this country.

Next, we have Republican Gov.Chris Christie’s Bridge Over Trouble Waters! Political payback gone wrong.

Will anyone ever believe he didn’t know about the narrowing of the George Washington Bridge by his staff and circle of friends?

Allegations of withheld Sandy relief funds from the Mayor of Hoboken has drawn the FBI into the case.

Despite going on a firing spree when news got about the bridge’s narrowing for political purposes, Christie hasn’t won over any new converts for his dream of being president some day. As a matter of fact, the latest polls show his popularity is plummeting.

Finally, we have former Republican governor, Robert F. McDonnell, and his wife, Maureen, who were charged with illegally accepting gifts, luxury vacations and large loans from a wealthy Richmond area businessman who sought special treatment from state government.

Did I mention that McDonnell was once considered a rising star in the GOP universe and there was even talk of a presidency? It never went beyond that, however. Just talk.

Seems all three governors have that in common. A trio of corrupt would-be presidents trying to get into the White House.

Time for me to walk on down the road…