PowerBlogs: Jasmine Doobay

Bring Your Friends to BIG WHITE- 25% Off Lift Tickets this Sunday Only

To celebrate the big game this weekend, Big White is offering Locals 25% Off Lift Tickets on Sunday, February 5th. Adults 19 and older simply need to present their Okanagan Driver’s License to receive the discount and students will need to present their valid Okanagan Student ID. Remember, as a passholder you get to have 2 guest lift tickets at 25% Off, but this Sunday will not be counted as part of your 2.

After a day on the slopes, watch the game in Happy Valley – we’ll have big screens with food and drink specials.

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Montreal director Lea Pool says she’s not out to condemn the Pink Ribbon movement with her latest film, “Pink Ribbons Inc.” The documentary takes a hard look at the business of breast cancer fundraising. Pool says she wants to raise questions about how millions of dollars are spent and whether they make a difference. She says she was angry when she found strong links between big corporate marketing campaigns and breast cancer fundraising efforts. In some cases, barely any money made its way to research. “Pink Ribbons Inc.” opens today.

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The Super Bowl’s not until Sunday, but you’ve probably already seen all the cool commercials. Matthew Broderick returns as Ferris Bueller to hawk Hondas. It’s been seen more than six million times on YouTube. An even bigger hit is Jerry Seinfeld’s commercial for Acura, where he bribes a guy with money and soup from the Soup Nazi to be the first one to drive the NSX, but ends up losing to Jay Leno. That one’s been seen more than seven million times. An Audi commercial showing how headlights can be dangerous to vampires has nearly 3 million hits already.

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It’s being trumpeted as a marriage of broadcast news and social media. And you’re invited to attend. The “wedding” is between AOL and the Huffington Post. The two companies are launching a live video network. It’s called the Huffington Post Streaming Network and will be online this summer. The site will stream news video live 12 hours a day during the week. By next year, it’s expected to expand to 16 hours a day next year. The site will rely on viewer interaction. Reports and interviews will be blended with news read off of social media. And those commenting on the news will be invited to be guests through Skype.

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Hey, Buffalo’s not so bad. That’s the message folks in the western New York city have for Tom Brady. The New England Patriots quarterback says he’s sorry for putting down Buffalo hotels. In comments to the media earlier this week, Brady said the hotels in Buffalo are “not the nicest places in the world.” One of the top hotels in Buffalo is now offering him a free night’s stay to show him he’s wrong. The Patriots play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on Sunday in Indianapolis.

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Folks in Ashland, Kentucky, are getting ready for their Souper Bowl — as in soup. It’s a party organized by churches and outreach groups for the city’s homeless and disadvantaged. Free food will be offered, then the Super Bowl will be shown on a big screen TV. Organizers tell a local paper (The Independent) they hope to make the Community Souper Bowl Party an annual event.

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A game that’s played on the ice is hot — and it’s not hockey. It’s curling. Phill Drobnick was the 2010 U.S. Olympic curling coach. He’s also an ambassador of the game. Drobnick says he got an idea of how far the sport has come when he was invited to a learn to curl event in Las Vegas. Right off the Strip, no less. This week, members of USA Curling are making another trek. They’re in Indianapolis, to demonstrate the sport in the Super Bowl Village.

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Times are tough — but Kentucky’s bourbon industry is booming. Governor Steve Beshear says bourbon has helped Kentucky weather the recession. That’s making bourbon, not drinking it. Production of Kentucky bourbon has jumped by 50 per cent since 1999. And the tax-take from bourbon has grown by $338 million since 2008.

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Gisele Bundchen thinks her hubby needs a little extra help winning the Super Bowl.

The supermodel recently sent an email to friends and family imploring them to pray for Tom Brady and the Patriots to beat the Giants Sunday. In it, she writes, “I feel Tommy really needs our prayer, our support and love at this time.”

She asks her “sweet friends and family” to send the team “positive energy so they can fulfill their dream of winning this Super Bowl.” She ends the letter by saying, “So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this Sunday.”

The last time the Patriots met the Giants in the Super Bowl, in 2008, New York came away happy and fulfilled.

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You know they jack up the prices around any event, but an Indiana couple didn’t expect to pay nearly 3000 bucks … for two beers.

The two were attending the NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center and used their credit card to buy two beers at the concession stand. It should have cost them 14 dollars, but they found out later that their credit card had been charged $2,995.

The concession manager said they are working to correct the problem — and that overcharges like that are rare.

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Look out, Patriots — a camel has picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl.

Princess, who resides at New Jersey’s Popcorn Park Zoo, has correctly picked the winner of five of the last six Super Bowls.

Need more proof of her picking prowess? She went 14-6 predicting regular season and playoff games this year, and has a lifetime record of 88-51. Apparently her best season was 2008, when she got 17 out of 22 games right, including correctly picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl.

How does she pick the winner, you ask? The zoo’s general manager writes the name of the competing teams on his hands, then holds out a graham cracker in each hand. Whichever hand Princess nibbles from is her pick. Apparently, Princess showed no hesitation when she picked the hand with the Giants written on it.

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A 65-year-old Tennessee man wasn’t about to sit idly while another vehicle blocked his car — even if that vehicle was an ambulance … with a patient being loaded onto it.

Warren Melamed was upset that the ambulance was blocking his car — so he decided it to get in and move it — despite the fact that paramedics were putting a patient inside.

The paramedics heard the engine start and were able to stop Melamed before he could move the ambulance.

Melamed was arrested on one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

He allegedly told officers he was mad because the ambulance was blocking his car.

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A man using a metal detector along the Thames River in London found a rare coin that may have been used nearly 2,000 years ago … as a “brothel token.”

The bronze coin, currently being displayed in the Museum of London, depicts a man and woman in an intimate embrace.

According to the museum’s senior curator, it is likely brothels existed in Roman London after the Roman invasion of Britain in the 1st Century A.D.

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SUPER BOWL 46 DRINKING GAME

It’s the last football game of the season. Tensions are high. Everything is on the line. What better way to enjoy the biggest sporting event of the year than to get totally wasted?

Here’s your Super Bowl 46 drinking game:

One Drink

Anytime Peyton Manning is mentioned
Anytime Archie Manning is mentioned
Anytime a player is shown crying
Anytime Rob Gronkowski’s ankle is mentioned
Anytime Super Bowl 42 is mentioned
Two Drinks

Anytime Gisele is on screen
Anytime a player complains to the ref about a call
Anytime Cooper Manning is mentioned
Any pass over 30 yards
Any run over 20 yards
Three Drinks

Anytime David Tyree is mentioned/shown on screen
Victor Cruz salsa dances
Field Goal
Onside kick
Fumble recovery
Interception
Four Drinks

Touchdown
Safety
Blocked punt/kick
Either team attempts 2 point conversion
Player waves to the camera and says, “Hi Mom”
The Tom Brady Combine picture is shown.
Anytime Peyton Manning appears on screen
Finish Your Drink

Fat man interception — take an extra shot if he scores
Chad Ochocinco catches a pass
Missed Field Goal
QB gets sacked
Tom Coughlin or Bill Belichick smile

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You’re not from New England and you’re not from New York. You don’t have any ties to either area.

You’re a football fan, but your team is not playing in the Super Bowl, but you feel like you have to root for someone, right?

If you have no ties to either team, who do you root for?
What factors into your decision as to who to root for?
Do you root against a team if they have one player you don’t like?
Who are you rooting for and why?
Are you really on the fence this year and have no reason to root for or against either team? What will you be watching for and hoping for as the game unfolds?

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Super Bowl weekend is here. Bring on the beer!

Sure, you could stock the fridge with your usual light beer for the Super Bowl — or you could put some thought into it and treat your guests to something special. Beers to remember.

According to Epicurious.com, here’s a rundown of some of the best beers for Super Bowl parties — and the best foods to pair them with:

Negra Modelo, Mexico — Best with guacamole
Sam Adams Light, United States — Pair it with bratwurst
Dale’s Pale Ale, United States — Perfect with garlic-roasted potato skins
Guinness Extra Stout, Ireland — A great match for chili con carne
Hitachino Nest White Ale, Japan — Put it next to your chicken wings

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On Super Bowl Sunday, you will most likely be filling your belly with plenty of tasty food and drink.

In the meantime, you can fill your head with these Super Bowl fun facts:

6 percent of Americans call in sick the Monday after Super Bowl.
On the Monday after the Super Bowl, antacid sales increase by 20 percent.
Pizza sales go up 35 percent the day of the Super Bowl.

8 million pounds of guacamole will be consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
14,500 tons of chips will be eaten along with that guacamole.
Dips and spreads are top choice for food to eat during the Super Bowl (at 30 percent) followed by chicken wings (22 percent), pizza (17 percent), chips and salty snacks (14 percent), and burgers and hot dogs (9 percent).
Super Bowl fans spend more than $50 million on food during the four days prior to the super bowl.
Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest winter grilling day of the year.
More than 49 million cases of beer will be purchased. The Super Bowl is the seventh most popular “beer holiday,” behind July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween.
More drivers are involved in alcohol-related accidents on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year except St. Patrick’s Day.
The Super Bowl is the second largest day of food consumption behind Thanksgiving.
Your average calorie intake during the game is about 1,200 calories. (You’d need to run 12 miles to burn off those calories.)
You would need about 13,333 NFL linemen (at 300 pounds each) to balance the four-million pounds of fat consumed from potato chips on Super Bowl Sunday.
The average number of people at a Super Bowl party is 17.
5 percent of Americans will watch the game alone.
35 percent of people who actually attend the game write it off as a corporate expense.
Super Bowl weekend is the slowest weekend of the year for weddings.
1.5 million TVs are sold the week before the Super Bowl.
More than 700,000 footballs are produced annually for official NFL use and 72 of them are used for the Super Bowl.

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Super Bowl Sunday will be the last big, important party for a while. What do we have to look forward to? Memorial Day? It’s a bit depressing

But, don’t let the thought of that party drought cause you to overstay your welcome at this year’s Super Bowl party. Party like a man — and then be on your way.

If you have any questions about whether you should stay or go, remember these signs that it’s absolutely, positively time to leave the party:

There’s No More Alcohol — When the well runs dry, the party will quickly turn into a ghost town … a ghost town of drunks.
The Women Mysteriously Disappear — Keep your eyes open and be aware as a party can turn into a sausage-fest very quickly.
The Cops Show Up — Don’t be a hero and try to explain away a situation if it’s not your house. Instead, walk briskly away (or run!) from wherever the cops are streaming in.
A Fight Breaks Out — The light mood in the air can never be replaced after a fight. A brawl means the party is officially over.

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Where is the best place to spend Super Bowl Sunday?

Is it at a sports bar where you can yell and scream and trash the place — and then leave without having to clean up?
Is it at a buddy’s party where you can yell and scream and trash the place — and then leave without having to clean up?
Is it at your place where you can chug beer, get fall-down drunk and pass out — and then leave it to your wife or girlfriend to clean up?
Are you watching the game someplace new or unusual this year? What led you to this decision?
Are you starting early? How early? How ugly do you expect Monday morning to be?

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The Super Bowl is many things to many Americans — including the best day of the year to wear temporary tattoos on your boobs.

Ladies, if you’re really not interested in the game and are looking to give your guests a reason to attend the party, you might want to consider getting some ta-ta-toos, designed to put words on your displayed cleavage.

The website tatatoos.com is offering a special line of tattoos for Super Bowl, including the words “touch down,” with the word “touch” on one breast and “down” on the other.

Yes. It looks as classy as it sounds.

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Just like Christmas, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by all the Super Bowl hype and to get a bit cynical about it all.

As awesome as a day of food and football is, the Super Bowl is far from perfect.

Here are some Super Bowl traditions that should be eliminated.

Roman Numerals — In the early days of the game, it might have been cool, but we’re 40-something years into this thing and all the letters and numbers are just confusing and annoying.
The Pregame Show — This year, the pregame show will start at noon Eastern Time, that’s six full hours before the game.
Halftime Show — Who decided that you can’t have a sporting event without a rock concert in the middle of it? A marching band or a dog who catches Frisbees would be just fine.

PAUL RODGERS

Grammy Award Winner & Founding Member, Singer, songwriter of

BAD COMPANY, FREE and THE FIRM (with Jimmy Page)

In Concert at Kelowna Community Theatre – March 15, 2012

Kreater Custom Motorcycles, High Tide Entertainment & 1st Video Band is proud to present Grammy Award winner Paul Rodgers who will be performing in Concert at Kelowna Community Theatre March 15, 2012.

VIP Tickets will include an exclusive Concert “SWAG” pack including T-shirts, CDs, Lanyards, pre concert refreshments in KCT green room etc., The VIP tickets will be available at Kreater Custom Motorcycles. Special Guests will be Kelowna recording artists the FLU.

Tickets available at Select Your Tickets box office and online at www.selectyourtickets.com

Doors 6:30 pm
The FLU 7:30 pm
Paul Rodgers 8:30 pm

Paul Rodgers has sold in excess of 125 million records / CD’s! Writer and vocalist, Paul Rodgers has given us such rock anthems and hits songs as: CAN’T GET ENOUGH, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY, ALL RIGHT NOW, SHOOTING STAR, FEEL LIKE MAKIN’ LOVE, RUNNIN’ WITH THE PACK, MOVIN’ ON, RADIOACTIVE, SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, GOOD LOVIN GONE BAD, YOUNG BLOOD, READY FOR LOVE, BAD COMPANY…and more.

Worldwide, musicians and critics have dubbed Paul Rodgers “THE VOICE”. Never before has any artist led three bands to international success in addition to creating a successful solo career, until Paul Rodgers. He is undeniably one of music’s most distinctive vocalists. He has written and recorded some of rock’s greatest hits, released 27 C.D.’s and sold 125 million C.D.’s

Prior to his solo career, Rodgers formed supergroup Bad Company, writing and singing smash hits like Grammy nominated “Fell Like Making Love” and “Can’t Get Enough”, “Shooting Star”, “Bad Company”, “Run With The Pack”, the last two featuring Paul on piano as well as vocals, plus “Rock n’ Roll Fantasy” with Paul on guitar and vocals. “Bad Company took off”, recalls Rodgers. “When we started our first U.S. tour, the album was #99 on the charts. Two months later it hit #1”. Bad Company earned six multi-platinum albums. “10 from 6” the group’s greatest hits compilation remains a top seller.

It was his joint billing with Led Zepplin guitarist Jimmy Page on the historic U.S. ARMS tour, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, that led to forming the Firm with Page. Both Firm world tours were top grossing tours. “The Firm” and Mean Business”, the group’s two albums, also enjoyed international success producing the hits “Radioactive”, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “All The King’s Horses”.

Paul Rodgers first shot up the international radio charts and unto the music scene with his rock anthem “All Right Now” with Free. “All Right Now” hit #1 in over 20 territories and was recognized by ASCAO for garnering one million plus radio plays in the U.S. alone. At the time, Free and Led Zeppelin were the biggest grossing British acts. Free release four top five albums and were the leaders of the British blues rock invasion. Their unusual combination of blues, ballads and rock won them worldwide praise and an international following that continues today.

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First out of the gate on this Groundhog Day 2012, Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie (shoo-bin-ACK’-uh-dee) Sam is predicting an early spring.

The four-legged forecaster reportedly emerged from his burrow this morning and did not see his shadow.

Ontario’s Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow either…so that’s two groundhogs in favour of a early spring.

Brandon Bob from Manitoba is the newest groundhog to take part in the predictions.

Balzac Billy out of Alberta will also have a go.

Punxsatawney Phil, Sam’s U.S. counterpart, disagreed and proclaimed six more weeks of winter.

Human weather experts say these groundhogs have a tough gig this season making predictions about winter’s end, considering this winter’s warmer-than-expected weather across the country.

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It’s a major “status update” for Facebook. Eight years after it started, the social networking site is going public. The stock value could have the site’s worth pegged as high as $100 billion dollars. The public offering means anyone with more than a little spare cash will be able to own a chunk of the Silicon Valley company. If enough people decide to “friend” the stock, it could become one of the world’s most valuable companies. The IPO is to launch in three or four months.

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady isn’t winning any new friends in Buffalo, New York. Brady told the media yesterday that the hotels in the AFC East rival team’s city are among the worst. Brady was talking about his dad’s trips to see him play. Brady says the hotels in Buffalo aren’t “the nicest places in the world.” But as Brady left the podium he said he was kidding. He urged the media not to get him “in trouble.” It’s a little late for that. Sunday, the Pats play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

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Steve Weatherford collects his teammates old tennis shoes and cleats. But he’s not selling New York Giants memorabilia on eBay. The Giants punter is sending the old shoes back home to Terre Haute, Indiana. The gear goes to school kids, in a city that has a poverty rate double the state average. Weatherford says collecting the shoes is a “no-brainer.” The latest care package arrived yesterday.

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EA Sports, the company behind the popular Madden Football game, ran a full simulation of this year’s Super Bowl and found that the New York Giants will win with a last-second field goal.

Now that everybody knows the outcome of the game, you have to wonder why the teams will even suit up, right?

Well, another very reliable source says that the New England Patriots are going to win …

Beverly Hills celebrity numerologist Tania Gabrielle says that the stars are DEFINITLEY aligning for Tom Brady — and he is certain to lead his team to victory.

If you add up the numbers in the date of the Super Bowl (2/5/2012), you get the number 12. Which is Tom’s uniform number. And, the number of year’s he’s been in the league. And the combined Super Bowl appearances for the Patriots (7) and Giants (5).

With all this overwhelming evidence, it seems the New York Giants don’t have a chance.

Unless, of course, you take another look at that Madden Football simulation.

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On Sunday, Tom Brady will be appearing in his fifth Super Bowl — and gunning for his fourth ring. That’s outrageous. Could we be watching the greatest quarterback of all time right now?

That’s debatable, of course. But, you have to admit that he’s in the discussion and it’s sort of cool to be able to watch him doing his thing in modern times.

Well, nothing — and nobody — lasts forever.

Sports legends have come before and done amazing things. And, just because they’re not actively playing and performing anymore, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t appreciate them and what they did.

Here’s a rundown of some sports legends we should appreciate before they’re gone:

Stan Musial — While not as famous as Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams, 91-year-old Musial hit .331 in his career with 3,630 hits and 475 home runs — and was known as one of the classiest guys to ever play.

John Madden — No single person is more synonymous with NFL football than Madden. He had a successful coaching career, a successful broadcasting career and has an insanely popular video game franchise.

Don Shula — Arguably the greatest living NFL coach. He won more regular season games (328) than any other coach in history and as coach of the Dolphins, he won five AFC Championships and two Super Bowls. Oh, and there was that whole “perfect season” thing back in 1972.

Arnold Palmer — He was the modern game’s first superstar, winning a U.S. Open, two British Opens and four Masters Tournaments.

Yogi Berra — Is there any baseball player more beloved by fans everywhere than Yogi Berra? Not only is he one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game, he’s also one of the world’s great philosophers. For example, he once said, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it.”

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Just like Tom Brady and Eli Manning can’t enjoy the Super Bowl without a good offensive line, football fans can’t truly enjoy the Super Bowl without a good beer.

Beer is as big a part of Super Bowl Sunday as the game itself. How else are you going to wash down the wings, pizza and chips? So which beer is the best one for your Super Bowl party?

Consumer Reports has the answer. After sampling eight of the top-selling regular and light beers on the market, as well as some other top-selling store brands, their tasters chose regular Coors.

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It’s a huge crowd pleaser to put chimps in commercials. But, one zoo isn’t laughing.

Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo says there’s nothing funny about the CareerBuilder.com commercials featuring suit-and-tie wearing chimpanzees.

Dr. Steven Ross of the zoo explains that the commercials actually pose a risk to the chimps because people lose sight of the fact they’re an endangered species and less likely to try to save them.

The ads do little to help conservation efforts and inaccurately portray the animals as unthreatened and even as cuddly and harmless pets.

“If people see them that way they are less likely to try and conserve them,” said Ross. “Individual chimps are being harmed and wild populations are being harmed by this frivolous use of an endangered species.”

Ross said he and other animal activists have been complaining to CareerBuilder.com ever since the company started using chimps in Super Bowl commercials in 2005.

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According to a new study, testosterone causes a lot of trouble, making people less cooperative and more egocentric.

Researchers found that the male sex hormone can make us overvalue our own opinions and blind us to other people’s views.

“We have shown that in fact testosterone also affects our decisions, by making us more egotistical,” explained study author Nick Wright.

“Most of the time, this allows us to seek the best solution to a problem, but sometimes, too much testosterone can help blind us to other people’s views. This can be very significant when we are talking about a dominant individual trying to assert his or her opinion in, say, a jury.”

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A police officer in Virginia found himself in the middle of a cockfight when he went to serve a warrant and got attacked by a rooster — which went straight for his groin.

Deputy Tom Wood was heading for the front door, and had a can of mace in his hand, but he was distracted by the barking of a large dog in the yard. While the deputy was looking at the dog, the rooster launched itself at his privates — connecting with enough force to double him over.

Wood shot the rooster with the spray, but witnesses say it appeared to have no effect on the bird, which went back to walking around the yard eating its lunch.

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A Minnesota man is cooling his heels after being arrested for driving drunk — in the Zamboni he was operating at a local hockey rink.

The driver was tearing across the ice erratically between periods of a pee-wee league game, bouncing off the boards and driving folks away from front row seats. The coach of the home team called 911 after 25 minutes of the bizarre display, and the driver failed a field sobriety test.

The man has not been formally charged yet. He was convicted of drunken driving in 2002 and twice in 1999.

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An Illinois man was arrested after pulling into a bank’s drive-thru lane in an attempt to make an unauthorized deposit — but not one involving cash.

Dustin Kraushaar began his transaction innocently enough, but then reached down and exposed himself — to quote the police record, “in order to arouse his sexual desires.” When the teller called for help, the 20-year-old abandoned his plan to pull a fast one, driving off in a hurry and managing to evade police.

He turned himself in a short time later and was charged with public indecency.

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Two Ohio farmers were searching for a way to put their cows in a really good moo-o-o-o-d, so they came up with an idea that some would consider all wet — a waterbed for each and every one of them.

Richard and David Conrad decided to butter up the critters in order to increase milk production, so they invested nearly $70,000 for 240 waterbeds designed especially for bovine use. The Conrads say that the cows are happier, and just like that commercial says, the happy cows produce better tasting, better-quality milk.

As Richard Conrad says, “You make them happy, they’ll make you happy.”

The NFL won’t only make a bundle off the Super Bowl, they’re also cashing in on a whole slew of side events. This year, they’re even selling tickets to media day, where fans have the opportunity to sit in the stands and watch reporters ask players and coaches about the big game on video screens and by eavesdropping on small radios with six different channels.

Yesterday there were 7,300 fans who paid $25 apiece to witness the non-action. The Indianapolis locals got a big thrill when New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning gave props to his older brother, hometown hero Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.

However, on Monday Eli appeared to put his foot in his mouth, mentioning Peyton “played for the Colts” in past tense, which some thought alluded to his possible retirement.

Peyton gave an interview with ESPN yesterday to clear the air, saying he’s still undergoing rehab for his injured neck, but adding that he doesn’t want to take the spotlight away from Sunday’s big game.

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Billy Joel may have sung about having a bottle of red and a bottle of white, but a Chicago man outdid him — by getting wasted, then peeing on a police station floor as he played air piano to pass the time.

Cops found Santa Ana Zuloaga-Campuzano passed out in his SUV surrounded by empty beer cans. He admitted he had consumed eight beers, three shots of tequila and three shots of cognac, but declined to take a breath test, saying, “What’s the point, I know I’m drunk.”

Shortly after being hauled in, the 30-year-old relieved himself on the floor, then treated officers to an air piano-accompanied song fest — all while handcuffed.

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An Ohio woman caused a hairy situation at a tax preparation office when she burst in and pulled a stick-up — using a curling iron as her weapon.

Sonia Watson, who had come into the office for a consultation just a few days before, entered with a towel draped over the device and fled with a grand total of $280.

The branch manager told a local television station that he was shocked to be robbed by “a customer, where we have every piece of their information, their private information.”

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An Italian woman put her heart and soul into helping her son find a job, and when that didn’t work, she offered to throw in a kidney as well!

The woman, whose name was not released, made the offer to help her 38-year-old son, who’s been unemployed since his business went bankrupt back in August. Despite the fact that he “speaks multiple languages” and has other skills, he’s had no luck on the job front.

She told an Italian paper, “One kidney is enough for me to live on; therefore, I am willing to give it up to help a 38-year-old smile again.”

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A Maryland man was arrested last week after attempting to make the other white meat even whiter — by dousing dozens of packages of supermarket pork with bleach.

John Waskey, a former employee of the Food Lion market, calmly walked in, grabbed a bottle of bleach from a shelf and began pouring it over the meat case. He ultimately ruined more than 90 pre-packed chops, roasts and ribs — causing $700 in damage.

Waskey was charged with theft and malicious destruction of property. He gave no reason for his rampage.

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Other than being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there is no greater achievement for a player than to be a Super Bowl champion.

And, with that championship comes the Super Bowl ring.

During a recent interview, Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Jim Plunkett — who have seven Super Bowl rings between them — say that they rarely wear the ring.

If you were a player, would you wear the ring everywhere — for all the world to see? Would you only bring it out if you needed to impress somebody? Or …

Would you put it in a safe deposit box?

Would the knowledge that you won the ring be enough for you?

Is it a problem that the rings are huge? Do you wear jewelry otherwise? If so, how much?

In general, how much jewelry is too much?

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Jason Elia of Nashville had the perfect Super Bowl weekend planned with his girlfriend.

He bought two tickets to the big game and was going to surprise her with a marriage proposal during the game. His girlfriend was super excited about their trip.

But then, real life got in the way. Jason went to the doctor for some tests and was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Fortunately he had the love and support of his girlfriend, right?

Wrong.

She dumped him.

That’s right; she fed him a line about not being able to handle the stress of having a boyfriend with cancer and tossed him to the curb.

Adding insult to injury, she’s demanding her Super Bowl tickets.

Jason says she calls him every day demanding the tickets, arguing that he bought them for her so she should have them.

Jason says there’s no chance she’s getting those tickets — and is actually giving them away to one of his Twitter follows.

Oh, and since you care about him more than his heartless girlfriend, Jason’s prognosis is pretty positive.

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According to a new British survey, the number of men getting tummy tucks is up 15 percent from a year ago.

While the percentage rise is large — the actual numbers are relatively small compared to women. It’s still a rare thing for a guy to get his gut busted by plastic surgery — but the procedure is getting more popular.

In general, male surgery continues to account for 10 percent of all cosmetic surgery procedures, such as “man boob” reductions and male liposuction.

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In years past, people would tune in to the Super Bowl to see the big, fun, loud commercials — the best of the best — for the first time.

These days, there’s a little less magic because, even before the game, the commercials are leaked online.

For example, Honda leaked their ad featuring Matthew Broderick bringing back his Ferris Bueller role — as well as another ad with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno.

Teaser trailers from such companies as H&M, Volkswagen, Doritos, Priceline and Coca-Cola are already floating around.

So, when the Super Bowl actually arrives, it could be that very few of the commercials are surprises — and this trend doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.

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Costco stores have everything you need for your Super Bowl party.

They’ve got monster bags of chips, huge tubs of dip and giant cases of beer.

And, you might be surprised to learn that they also have Super Bowl tickets for sale.

That’s right. Honest-to-goodness Super Bowl tickets for the actual game in Indianapolis.

Costco’s website is selling tickets starting at $2,999.99. That’s for one ticket, by the way.

For that price, an extremely big bag of chips better be included.

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While the economy continues to sputter, there are plenty of people wringing their hands, worried about the future.

Not all those who are unemployed are having such a terrible time, though. And, why would they? Since they don’t have jobs, they’ve got plenty of free time. They’re living the dream life!

Here’s a rundown of some ways to get through your day … if you’re unemployed:

Become an Artist — By simply choosing to be a painter, sculptor, writer, dancer or poet, you no longer have to tell people that you’re “between jobs.” Instead, you can say it loud and proud … You’re an artist!

Drink — It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, drinking is always fun. Just don’t fall into the trap of drinking alone. Bars are filled with colorful characters at all hours of the day.

Tweet — Some people think Tweeting is a worthless waste of time. Not you. As an unemployed person, you can consider it to be “networking.”

Nap — When you finally get a job, you will not be able to sleep during the day. Anyone who has a job will tell you … this sucks. So, take advantage now and sleep whenever you feel like it.

It’s been around since before a lot of today’s gamers were even born. But Tetris continues to be a huge draw. And now, it’s making the leap from 2D to 3D with a version Nintendo has put out for its Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system. “Tetris Axis” provides a series of games in the traditional mode. But it also has some new versions enhanced for the additional dimension of depth, such as the Fever mode. In all, there are 20 different Tetris games in the title, and the graphics and special effects make the 3D version a cool addition to your gaming library.

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Ready for Super Bowl X-L-V-I? Of course, it’s Super Bowl 46. But in the NFL tradition, the big game is written out in Roman numerals. It all started with Super Bowl 5 — that’s V. Bob Moore, historian for the Kansas City Chiefs, credits the idea of using Roman numerals to the late Lamar Hunt. Hunt was owner of the Chiefs and one of the godfathers of the modern NFL. Hunt is also credited with coming up with the Super Bowl name. So, why the Roman numerals? Historian Moore says the fancy numbering made the game seem more important.

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With the big game just days away — it’s time for those Super Bowl bets. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino have a friendly wager. If the New York Giants win, a New York City family will receive a free trip to Boston. The Bean Town excursion will include a stay at the Ritz Carlton, dinner at Legal Sea Foods and box seats to a Bruins or Celtics game. If the New England Patriots win, a Boston family will get a trip to New York paid for by tourism-industry companies. The Big Apple trip will include dinner at the Russian Tea Room, tickets to “Phantom of the Opera” and a VIP tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bloomberg says people in the winning city will be able to enter an online lottery after Sunday’s game.

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It’s a fishing contest — but with just one fish. Just a single fish was caught in a Michigan charity ice fishing tournament over the weekend. The event was sponsored by Big Brother Big Sisters of Delta County. A local paper (Daily Press of Escanaba) reports Jason Pepin caught the sole fish. It was a four and a-half ounce perch. Pepin wins the $3,000 first place prize. Organizers say people spotted other fish, but they just weren’t biting.

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Having a beard 16-inches long is a good way to meet women. At least that’s what one guy claims. The bearded dude was part of Seattle’s Beard and Stache Fest over the weekend. They met in a bar in Seattle’s Fremont neighbourhood for some hairy guy fun. But there was also a serious side to the whisker wingding. The Seattle Times reports the event raises money for Treehouse, a non-profit that helps foster children.

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A craft beer known as Sexual Chocolate has taken Winston-Salem, North Carolina by storm, with beer lovers waiting hours in freezing temperatures to get a taste.

The imperial stout, brewed by Foothills Brewery, is released once a year and is infused with cocoa and also has hints of espresso, toffee and fruit flavors. Those who didn’t score a six-pack or bottle are in luck. Several bars and restaurants in the area will featured the beer on the tap.

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A Philadelphia councilwoman has an idea on tap for how to improve the city’s public schools — give everyone in town the chance to get a little bit drunker!

Blondell Reynolds Brown has proposed allowing bars to stay open an hour longer at night in order to generate more tax revenue, which would be funneled to the schools. While the notion has attracted some support, residents of bar-filled areas are shaken and stirred — and promise to dash it on the rocks.

One activist reacted to the not-so-happy hour by saying, “I can’t speak for everyone, but I think the reaction we’re going to have is: Absolutely not in this community.”

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A Seattle woman hopes that she’s entering into a marriage with a solid foundation — since she’s planning to tie the knot with a building that’s in danger of demolition.

Babylonia Aivaz is among a dozen or so community activists who’ve been trying to save the 107-year-old warehouse from being torn down to make way for luxury condominiums. She said her plan to enter into a “gay marriage” with the building stemmed from her love for community space — since she and her colleagues were planning to turn the place into a community center.

Aivaz said, “Yes, I’m in love with a 107-year-old building. If corporations can have the same rights as people, so can buildings.”

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In a strange case of “trading places,” a Florida woman ended up behind bars after deciding to burglarize a neighbor’s apparently empty house — only to get caught when he came home the day he was released from jail.

Shellie Leonard broke into the unidentified man’s home and stole a knife, some CDs and the curtains off the windows. But when she came back for a second armload of merchandise, the home’s owner caught her in the act and called cops.

She was charged with two counts of burglary.

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Two Atlanta teenagers will have to update their status to “busted” after they were arrested for breaking into the CNN newsroom in order to check their Facebook pages on the network’s computers.

Aldayne Fearon and Francis Mutemwa climbed into the newsroom through a window sometime after 3 a.m. on Saturday. The pair didn’t make any effort to steal a thing, but were found hunched over computers that were logged into their respective Facebook pages.

They were both charged with criminal trespass — something that’s sure to generate a “dislike” from their parents.

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SUPER BOWL TRIVIA FUN FACTS

If you’re attending a Super Bowl party and want to impress your friends with your vast knowledge of Super Bowl trivia, here’s a good start:

The first Super Bowl was held in Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 15th, 1967. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have each played in eight of them — the most of any teams in the league.
Only the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans have never played in a Super Bowl.
Linebacker Chuck Howley of the Cowboys is the only player to have won the MVP award, despite playing on the losing team.
The biggest blowout in Super Bowl history was in Super Bowl 24, when the 49ers beat the Broncos 55-10.
There has never been an overtime game in Super Bowl history.

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Other than driving and using your cell phone, everything goes better with beer.

Which is why a video game company in California has been modifying their arcade games — and adding beer taps.

Dream Arcades in Sacramento, California, is selling a line of “Inebration Station” games.

The consoles have 145 games to choose from — as well as a Kegerator built into the bottom.

And, because the machine is PC based, you add your own games.

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Are you bored by the synthesized voices that come pre-loaded in your GPS? Now FOX has the solution — as it makes the voices of Homer and Marge Simpson and Mister Burns available for Tom Tom devices and smartphone apps. Imagine having Burns, owner of the nuclear power plant that’s depicted in The Simpsons, bark at you, “Take the third right. Do it, driving monkey!”

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Super Bowl is like Christmas … for degenerate gamblers.

If you’re excited about laying down big bucks and riding the wave of adrenaline this Super Bowl Sunday, there are plenty of opportunities for you to win — and lose — your hard-earned cash.

Here’s a rundown of some of the propositions sports books are offering:

Will Eli Manning complete more or fewer passes than the number of points Lebron James scores later that night?
Will Kelly Clarkson’s belly show while she sings the National Anthem?
How many times will Peyton Manning be shown on TV during the game?
Will Kelly Clarkson forget or omit at least one word of the National Anthem?
Will Madonna be wearing fishnet stockings at any point during the Super Bowl Halftime show?
How many times will Giselle Bundchen be shown on TV during the game?
What color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?

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With the Super Bowl now just days away, you’ve probably decided which team to root for.

Of course, that’s an easy decision for anyone who’s actually a fan or either the Patriots or the Giants. But it’s a hard decision to make for anyone who’s a fan of a team that lost to either the Patriots or the Giants in the playoffs.

For instance, the Packers lost to the Giants. If you’re a Packers fan, do you root for or against the Giants?

On the AFC side, the Broncos lost to the Patriots, so if you’re a Broncos fan, do you root for or against the Patriots. There’s a couple of different ways to look at it.

You could be angry that the team beat yours, so naturally you have to root against them.

Or … You might root for that team because it would help you feel better knowing that your team lost to the team that went on to win the Super Bowl.

So what’s the right thing to do — root for or against the team that knocked your guys out of the playoffs?

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While all eyes will be on Indianapolis this weekend for the biggest contest in America, last week, at least some eyes were on the Adult Video News (AVN) awards — which are pretty much the Oscars for the porn industry.

Not only were movies and actors awarded, but so were sex toys.

One big winner at the awards was Fleshlight, which took home two AVN Awards: Best Sex Toy Company and Best Sex Toy for Men.

It was a major victory for the company.

“We’d like to thank AVN for the prestigious awards,” said CEO Brian Shubin. “I’d especially like to express how proud I am of all of our employees. We take incredible pride in our products and the hard work it takes create, produce and distribute them to the world.”

So, while many of us might laugh at or be embarrassed by winning a sex toy award, the people in the industry take it very seriously.

And, in case you were wondering, the company is working on a sex toy that connects to your iPad for more “interactive” use.

Had a blast skiing at Big White Saturday.  Drive up was crazy…but we made it.  Drive home was much more reasonable.

Checked out Prism Saturday night at 97th Street Pub.  TOO FUN!!!

Huge kudos to the soundman for keeping the sound clean and safe for our hearing.

Couldn’t help but sing to all the tunes.

Pics up on our facebook page.

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The Help was the big winner at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, nabbing ensemble cast, Female Actor in a Leading Role for Viola Davis, and Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Octavia Spencer.

MOVIES

In accepting, Davis said, “I just have to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It’s all of our burden, all of us.”

Jean Dujardin was named top Male Actor for the silent film The Artist. The little-known French comic actor beat out Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Christopher Plummer picked up a supporting-star win for Beginners.

TV

Alec Baldwin won his sixth consecutive Actor in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock, and said the award was proof that “people love Tina (Fey’s) writing.”

Betty White took Female Actor in a Comedy for the second year in a row for Hot in Cleveland.

Modern Family was the winner in the ensemble-comedy category.

Jessica Lange won Female Actor in a Drama for American Horror Story.

Steve Buscemi got his second straight drama win for his lead role in Boardwalk Empire.

In the miniseries category, Kate Winslet won for Mildred Pierce, and Paul Giamatti won for Too Big to Fail. Both were no-shows.

Mary Tyler Moore was honored with a lifetime achievement award, presented by her TV husband, Dick Van Dyke, who walked out to a standing ovation.

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Tiger Woods traveled all the way to the Middle East over the weekend in an attempt to win an official tournament for the first time in 26 months — and still couldn’t pull it off.

He played solid in his first three rounds at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the United Arab Emirates, but yesterday he had a bit of trouble. Tiger ended up in third place, two strokes back of Robert Rock, a Brit who scored the second victory of his European tour career. Rory McIroy finished in second, one stroke behind Rock.

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A New Jersey man is headed for the record books after his small boat made the 3,200-mile journey from Nantucket, Massachusetts, to Spain … without him in it.

Scott Douglas and his brother-in-law were fishing off the New England coast in August of 2008 when they were tossed from their boat in high seas. They swam to shore and assumed the Queen Bee was a lost cause — a theory that was tested last week when Douglas got a phone call saying the rusty, barnacle-covered hulk was floating off the Spanish coast.

Douglas said he has no legal right to the boat since he settled with his insurance company, so it now belongs to the Spanish government.

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A Swedish man had quite a “tail” to tell his pals after he went to withdraw some cash from an ATM and ended up with a little something extra — a mouse!

Gholam Hafezi says he had just about completed his transaction and was waiting for his receipt when something that “looked like a shoelace” popped out instead. He tugged, and soon found he was holding a rodent’s tail — which is not as lucky as a rabbit’s foot.

When he went for help, a worker disassembled the machine’s gears and found the mouse stuck in the gears. Hafezi says he’s not sure if the rodent survived, but says “it was still warm” when he left.

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An Oklahoma student’s photo of a substitute teacher sleeping on the job landed in the hands of administrators and led to a swift punishment … for the student!

The ninth-grader, who was not identified, snapped the shot, which shows the male teacher slumped with his eyes closed, and posted it online. School officials saw the picture and jumped into action, calling the boy on the carpet for “using a telecommunications device” during the school day — a violation of district rules.

One parent fumed over the suspension, saying, “They probably took it to an extreme because they caught a teacher doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.”

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A London man is about to have a cow — because he created a ball of glue that looks like Homer Simpson, and has found someone willing to spend 300 grand on it!

Christopher Herbert says he came across the sticky blob while cleaning out a cupboard, and was set to toss it when his girlfriend noticed it looked like Springfield’s most famous resident. He then decided to list it for sale “as a joke” — one that quickly turned into a potentially huge financial transaction.

Herbert admits, “I didn’t think anyone would actually bid for an old bit of dried glue, even one that looks like Homer Simpson.”

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According to a new poll, football is more popular than ever.

Harris Interactive comes out with this sports popularity poll every year, and this year’s results show that pro football has increased its lead over baseball.

Pro football is the favorite sport of 36 percent of Americans — while only 13 percent went with pro baseball.

The gap was much smaller last year: 31 percent to 17 percent.

What?  No mention of hockey???

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You might have made a New Year’s resolution this year to lose weight.

And, you might be failing because the diet is rather “unforgiving” in regards to you drinking booze.

Well, it doesn’t matter how fat you are. Life is too short not to drink booze, right?

Don’t worry. You can still blast fat — and raise your glass.

Here’s a rundown of some diets that let you booze:

Volumetrics — The idea of Volumetrics is to eat and drink things that are not very calorie dense. As long as you steer clear of high-calorie drinks like pina coladas, margaritas and daiquiris, the system lets you get a little wasted here and there.

DASH Diet — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a healthy-eating plan designed to help your high blood pressure. How awesome is it that a bit of booze here and there can help your blood pressure?

Mediterranean Diet — You load up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil –and top it all off with red wine.

Vegetarian Diet — Beer is made from grains. Wine is made from grapes. Both are totally vegetarian.

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In the soda world, it’s a battle between Coke and Pepsi.

In the burger world, it’s Burger King vs. McDonald’s.

And, in the smartphone world, you’re looking at iPhones and Androids.

According to industry insiders, it looks like iPhones are winning in a big way.

Late last year, Androids made a huge push and were becoming the next big thing. But the Christmastime sales numbers are coming in and it looks like Apple is the world’s largest smartphone maker, sending Smartphone to the number two spot.

And, like they say, if you’re not first … you’re last.

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All right. It’s time to start getting ready for the Super Bowl. Start stocking up on beer and chips — and make sure your smartphone is ready with the apps you’ll need to maximize the fun.

Here’s a rundown of some apps consider:

Madden NFL 12 — Have New England battle New York on this app and get a feel of what could happen in the real game.

ESPN ScoreCenter — You’ll want the latest stats on the Giants and Patriots — or any other team — as game day debates break out.

NFL Super Bowl Trivia — Challenge yourself or friends to Big Game trivia with questions about past Super Bowl winners and losers, coaches, most valuable players. And, you can easily turn this into a drinking game.

Super Ads — The app that puts classic commercials from past Super Bowls right on your phone. Priceless.

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The two activities that guys enjoy most in the world have got to be playing sports and having sex.

And, there’s no surprise that guys would love doing both — since they both have so much in common.

Take these 12 similarities, for instance …

They’re both a lot better with more than one person.
Trying isn’t the only thing that matters.
You’re usually rusty if you haven’t done it in a while.
The “pre-game” usually foreshadows how well you’re going to do.
Even after a lot of practice, you’re still not very good.
Balls.
Watching it is usually a lot easier than actually doing it.
Having a lot of equipment can usually mean a bad thing.
You’ll never be even as half as good as the pros.
Fantasy is fun, but taking it too seriously is pretty sad.
The next day you are sore, but not where you would expect.
Usually by the end at least one person is disappointed.

Bet it all on the Giants. That’s the Super Bowl advice from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo says he’s talking about a friendly wager with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The Giants will meet the New England Patriots in the big game a week from Sunday. Cuomo says the Giants are a New York team, despite playing all their home games in a stadium in New Jersey. He notes the Giants even have an N-Y logo on their helmets.

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We’ve lost a Sweathog. Robert Hegyes, who played Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, died from an apparent heart attack yesterday in New Jersey. He was 60.

The actor’s brother said he’d suffered a heart attack several years ago and was not in good health. Robert’s other acting credits include Cagney and Lacey, NewsRadio, Diagnosis Murder and The Drew Carey Show.

Hegyes along with his Kotter castmates — John Travolta (Vinnie Barbarino), Gabe Kaplan, Laurence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddie “Boom-Boom” Percy Washington) and Ron Palillo (Horshack) — reunited at the TV Land Awards last year to accept the 35th Anniversary Award.

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The Super Bowl is more than a week away, but Eli Manning has already beat Tom Brady — at least among married women with cheating hearts. According to an AshleyMadison.com poll, more females said they’d rather cheat with the Giants QB than the Patriots QB. The ladies reasoned that Eli would be “less of a hothead” than Tom and easier to relate to.

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Most of the millions of people who will be watching this year’s Super Bowl will be doing so at somebody’s house. A few will go to a sports bar. Even fewer will actually be in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, watching the game live.

And then, there are the very few, very lucky fans who will be watching the game from a Lucas Oil Stadium luxury suite.

What does it take to see the game from a Super Bowl suite?

Well, just $550,000.

That’s right. Half-a-million dollars buys you — and 34 of your closest friends — access to the suite.

For that kind of coin, you’d hope chips and beer would be included.

Of course, if half-a-million bucks is too steep for you, brokers are selling regular tickets where you can sit with the unwashed masses … for an average of $4,000 per seat.

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A British girl who was rushed to the hospital after collapsing at school was found to have overdosed — on Chicken McNuggets!

17-year-old Stacey Irvine has eaten McNuggets every day for the past 15 years, and admits she’s never touched fruit or greens — a diet that resulted in her developing anemia and swollen veins in her tongue.

Despite the fact that she needed to be held in intensive care and given intravenous vitamins to counteract the damage, she’s not about to nix the nuggets.

Stacey says, “I first tasted chicken nuggets when my mum took me to McDonald’s when I was two. I loved them so much I just couldn’t face even trying other foods. Mum gave up giving me anything else years ago.”

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We all love the feeling of purchasing something brand spanking new and keeping it forever and ever.

But in these rough economic times, sometimes the smarter choice is to rent. And we’re not just talking about apartments and tuxedos.

Here are a couple other things you might want to consider renting when times get tight:

Designer Dresses — Before you plunk down hundreds of dollars for a formal event when you KNOW you’ll never wear this dress again, consider businesses like Wear Today Gone Tomorrow and Rent the Runway for rental dresses that are 90% off retail. (Runway even throws in a second size for free just in case it doesn’t fit!)

Handbags — If you’re dying to rock a designer purse at your next party, but don’t have the cash to buy it, consider renting it! Bag Borrow or Steal rents designer bags — and this way, you can try different purses from season to season.

Camping Gear — Some of us love camping but don’t have the room or the cash to collect and store everything we need. Luckily, places like REI rent gear for your next outdoor adventure, which will save you hundreds.

Caskets — It may seem morbid, but renting a casket for a funeral can save you around $1200 or more in funeral costs.

We knew Wendy’s Dreamlift Day effort was going to crack the million dollar mark yesterday–we just didn’t know by how much.

Local Wendy’s Restaurant boss John Tietzen is thrilled–he says 114,276 dollars and change was generated yesterday at the nine participating Okanagan, Shuswap and Kamloops’ Wendy’s. Add that to the past 17 years of efforts, and the grand Dreamlift total is–one million, 109-thousand, 356-dollars–and 99-cents!

Tietzen calls it amazing, when he remembers the first 1995 Dreamlift Day, took in..10-thousand dollars. The money all goes to the Sunshine Foundation, for those Disneyland flights for special kids from the B-C south interior.

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Amazingly, Terrell Owens is back in the news.

The upcoming Super Bowl involves the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, two teams Owens has never played for.

In fact, Owens didn’t play in the NFL at all this season.

But he was recently featured in an article in GQ magazine where he said he’s lonelier than ever and broke.

The guy was a superstar NFL player, earned around $80 million during his NFL career, but is supposedly in deep financial trouble — despite never spending crazy money.

He blames his money trouble on trusting the wrong people, who ended up costing him a lot of his fortune.

He also blames the media for not giving him a chance to rehab his injury and blames agent Drew Rosenhaus for not protecting him from a bad business arrangement.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that he’s battling in court with four women who are the mothers to four of his kids, aged 5 to 12. For those kids, he’s on the hook for $44,600 per month in child support.

“I don’t have no friends. I don’t want no friends,” Owens said. “That’s how I feel.”

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The clock is ticking for all of us — even celebrities.

But, it’s always amazing when some celebrities exit early — and others somehow, some way, seem to cheat death.

Here’s a rundown of some celebrities who are still miraculously alive in 2012:

Gary Busey — He’s been arrested for spousal abuse, not paying his rent and possession of cocaine. With all this dangerous behavior, you’d think it would have caught up with him by now.

Paula Deen — She recently revealed that she was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Has any news report shocked you less? Frying everything in a tub of butter turns your beating heart into a ticking time bomb.

Bob Barker — Even at this advanced age and deep into his retirement, he is still going strong.

Britney Spears — For a while, she was on a crazy bender — and came out the other end still upright and functioning. Maybe the worst is behind her. We will see.

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The annual AskMen.com “Great Male Survey” asked guys about their views about snooping on women. Here’s what they found …

Have you ever read your partner’s Facebook messages, email or other electronic correspondence?

38% — No, I respect her privacy.
29% — Yes, but only with her knowledge.
15% — No, but I would if I suspected she was up to something.
12% — Yes, but only because it was open on her desktop.
6% — Yes, I broke into her email or messaging account.
Are you comfortable with a partner “friending” her exes on Facebook?

43% — Yes, absolutely.
33% — No.
24% — Yes, but only if I have met him before.
If you had the ability to, would you track your partner’s physical movement (with a GPS implant, for example)?

82% — No.
9% — Yes, but only if she didn’t know about it.
6% — Yes, but only if she agreed to it.
3% — Yes, absolutely.

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An Iranian actress who has starred with Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe has been banned from returning to her home country — because she posed nude in a French news magazine.

The actress Golshifteh Farahani says she has been contacted by the Iranian government, who told her that she is no longer welcome in the country — and advised her to stay away.

Of course, the photo was no big deal by American standards. It was a black-and-white “art shot,” with the 28-year-old Farahani’s hands strategically placed over her breasts.

But Iran is a different world.

So, despite the fact that she was the first Iranian to act in a major Hollywood film — which you’d think would make her a national hero — she’s now an outcast living in Paris.

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The leading condom company in Germany, Billy Boy, is invading America.

They are known for their edgy marketing style and for focusing on a target market of 18- to 25-year-olds.

They’ve got flavored condoms, beaded condoms and even one that’s industrial strength for the guy who’s especially “vigorous” in bed.

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One of the many perks of being on a professional championship sports team is getting to visit the White House for a special ceremony hosted by the president. It’s an opportunity that most people will never get, and an honor that the lucky few will forever cherish.

Earlier this week, President Obama honored the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins to The White House. The whole team was there except for one — Tim Thomas.

The star goaltender was the Stanley Cup MVP and is one of only three Americans on the team. But he declined the invitation to meet with the president because of his political views.

The team’s ownership has defended his decision, even while some players think he was wrong to do so.

And Wendy herself is coming to visit us this morning…sometime between 7:30 and 8am!

Grab your salads and coffees this morning.

I’ll be in West Kelowna from 10:30 to noon.

Bob will be in the Kelowna location during the same time.

Come visit!!!

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The planet will continue being bombarded by radiation from a solar storm today, but it shouldn’t cause any immediate problems for cellphone users or air travellers.

A Canadian Space Agency expert in solar-terrestrial sciences says the impact from the solar flares is actually quite mild — for now.

Some space weather observers describe it as the strongest in more than six years, but John Manuel says it’s currently at the bottom end of the scale.

He says there is a possibility of communication disruption in the Arctic and the solar flares may have a “weak” impact on some power grids.

But Manuel says it won’t be anything like 1989 when a solar flare caused a massive power blackout in Quebec.

He says the current solar flareups may lead to more spectacular northern lights in the Northwest Territories, and Edmonton and Winnipeg will probably enjoy some as well.

He adds cities further south, like Toronto and Montreal, might also get lucky.

But he also says the sun is going become even more active in the next year or so, with a peak in activity expected in 2013.

Manuel says this storm erupted about three days ago.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is planning a TV talk show based on the theme of “the world tomorrow.” Assange says in a statement he will bring in big names so he can challenge them on world affairs and the future. WikiLeaks says the show will premiere in mid-March, but it’s uncertain who would carry it in the U.S. It’s not even certain Assange will be available to host. He’s fighting extradition to Sweden over sex crimes allegations, and American officials are considering charging him for leaking secret documents.

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Google Plus is allowing nicknames and pseudonyms, but you have to be able to prove that people really call you that. Google says it will also allow maiden names and names in non-Latin scripts. The catch is that users must offer proof that they are known by an alternate name, such as through a reference to a new article or a link to a blog with a meaningful following. Google retains the right to deny some names. Google Plus’ rival, Facebook, requires real names.

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Facebook is the virtual home to more than 800 million active users, so any change to how the network operates is a big deal. And nothing could be bigger for the social hotspot than completely revamping everyone’s front-facing profile page, and that is exactly what is happening today. Starting this morning, the new Timeline feature — that up until now has been an optional switch — is now mandatory.

The Timeline differs from the default profile pages we know and love in several ways. Now, rather than showcasing only your most recent posts, your personal front page can be scrolled back months or years at a time. Most importantly, this change can offer visitors a glimpse at your entire social networking past, all the way back to the day that you joined up. The revamp can be both a blessing and a curse for seasoned social networkers, as it can produce a bit of pleasant nostalgia, but also drag up some of your less proud public moments.

Left untouched, your Timeline may remind of you of breakups, job troubles, or even a few unfortunate party photos that you have long since buried. Depending on your settings, these black marks on your digital past could allow new followers — including friends or business associates — to see a side of you that was better kept tucked away.

Privacy is already a hot topic for Facebook users and the network’s litany of sharing options can be difficult to navigate, even for the most experienced users. The company isn’t oblivious to how the Timeline may drag up some unwanted past events, so a short buffer zone is in place to allow you to modify your online persona before making its new debut. You now have until Tuesday, January 31 to erase any past Facebook scars you’d prefer to hide.

The mandatory Timeline rollout will undoubtedly catch some by surprise, but you don’t have to fall victim to the ghosts of past updates. Take some time to review your social networking history and don’t hesitate to prune anything that you wouldn’t want on the front page of a local newspaper, because as of right now, the clock is ticking.

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A Massachusetts dentist is about to get a big chunk bitten out of his bank account after it was discovered that he used paper clips instead of sterilized metal posts to complete root canals.

Michael Clair defrauded Medicaid of more than $130,000 through his scam-laden office, where he illegally prescribed drugs and caused numerous patients to suffer infections due to corner-cutting efforts like using office supplies instead of medical ones.

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The NFL has focused their attention in a big way on reducing injuries, putting in new rules and protocols to protect players.

In Canada, there has been a similar push to protect people who play hockey.

Because hockey is a fast, violent sport, played on an unforgiving ice surface, the risk for injury is huge.

But according to a recent Canadian survey, hockey isn’t even the most dangerous winter sport out there.

Instead, skiing and snowboarding injuries are more than twice as common as hockey injuries.

Health officials, of course, recommend helmets for anyone playing a sport with a high risk of head injuries.

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A man’s brain is always working and thinking of new things that would make life better.

Anytime you hang out with your buddies, someone will always ask a question that begins with, “You know what would be awesome …?”

The answer to that question could be something like, “A comfortable chair that’s also a toilet and a beer cooler.” Or maybe, “A girlfriend whose friends don’t hate you.”

Whatever it is, guys are always thinking about awesome things that don’t yet exist.

Here are some awesome things that men would love to have in the future:

A shaving device that shaves your face instantaneously by using lasers.

Alarm clocks that wake you up with the smell of sizzling bacon.

Cars that drive themselves so that you could drink all you want or sleep on your way to work.

Eye implants that help you spot fake boobs.

Light sabers. (Star Wars came out in 1977 … You’d think these would have been invented for real by now.)

Alcohol with no hangover.

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According to British fashion reporter Simon Doonan, small breasts are set to make a comeback.

While large breasts are now widely considered to be desirable, Doonan believes breast sizes are subject to the whims of fashion, just like shoes and hair.

“Despite the worldwide embrace of enormous knockers, I remain convinced that the pendulum will, at some point, begin to swing the other direction,” said Doonan.

He points to the late 1960s, when small breasts were popular — and was inspired to predict their return after seeing actress Rooney Mara flash her undersized rack in the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Also, health concerns over leaky breast implants might scare other women away from large breasts.

Back from the Vancouver Motorcycle Show.  Saw some amazing bikes and some amazing performances.  Check out the pics at www.motorcygalz.com

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A Vancouver eatery is billing its new Dragon Dog as the most expensive hotdog in the world.

DougieDog Hot Dogs says the footlong creation is “mouth-wateringly delicious” and it’ll set diners back $100.

The Dragon Dog is made with a bratwurst infused with century-old Louis the 13th cognac, which costs more than $2,000 a bottle.

Other ingredients include Kobe beef seared in olive and truffle oil, fresh lobster and a secret picante sauce.

DougieDog proprietor dougie luv says he wanted to come up something “super tasty and high-end” that stays true to the traditional identity of the hot dog.

The restaurant claims the Dragon Dog is the first hotdog in the world to sell for three figures, challenging the $69 “haute dog” at Serendipity restaurant in New York.

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India’s Sikh community isn’t finding Jay Leno so funny.

Members of the religious group said they were outraged when the “Tonight Show” host showed a photo of a glittering gold building and claimed it was Republican Mitt Romney’s summer home.

It was meant to be a joke about the Republican presidential candidate’s wealth. But the building in the photograph is the Golden Temple, the holiest site in the Sikh religion.

Dalbeg Singh, a top Sikh leader, said Tuesday that community leaders would seek an apology from Leno.

India’s foreign minister says the government would take the issue up with U.S. authorities.

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The Northern Lights have lit up the skies above Scotland and northern England after the biggest solar storm in more than six years bombarded Earth with radiation.

Ken Kennedy, director of the Aurora section of the British Astronomical Association, said Tuesday the lights, also known as the aurora borealis, may be visible for a few more days.

The Northern Lights are sometimes seen from northern parts of Scotland but the unusual solar activity this week means the lights have also been visible from northeast England and Ireland, a rarity.

A solar flare from the sun Sunday has pulled the northern lights further south, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

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According to the annual AskMen.com “Great Male Survey,” here’s what they found about guys — and their views on picking up the check during dates.

How many dates should a man pay for?

42% — The majority of them until the relationship is established.
16% — No more than the woman does.
24% — The majority of them for the duration of the relationship.
17% — All of them.
1% — None. The woman should pay for them all.

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Any guy who’s been on the prowl for action knows the value of an effective wingman who’s willing to bend the truth a bit to get the deal closed.

Well, Canadian researchers have scientifically proven the obvious.

They found that your “wingman will lie for you — early and often.

It seems most people would rather lie for a friend than to stick to their guns and be honest in the heat of battle.

A little more surprising was their finding that many people will tell lies for someone else — even if that someone else is a stranger.

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Football is a team sport. When you win, you win as a team. And when you lose, you lose as a team. But sometimes, a team loses as a result of an individual player’s failure.

We saw this happen twice on Sunday. With the game in its final seconds and a chance to tie the Patriots and send the game into overtime, Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed what should have been an easy field goal. Then later on, 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams made two mistakes, which led to two Giants scores — the second being the game-winning field goal in overtime. But when you lose, you lose as a team, right?

It’s a team sport, but is it fair to point a finger at one player for losing the game?
Do you think Cundiff and Williams could somehow turn this experience into a positive?

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Everybody knows that TV isn’t real life. The reason it’s fun to watch TV is because you’re able to suspend disbelief.

But, sometimes what you’re watching on TV is so ridiculous that it’s impossible to suspend that disbelief. For example, if you really think about it, a lot of the stuff that happens during food commercials is just off-the-charts unbelievable.

Here’s a rundown of some ridiculous situations that only happen in food commercials:

Fast Food As A Party Treat — Have you ever showed up at a friend’s party with an armload of food from Taco Bell? Chalupas for everyone! It just doesn’t happen.

Finding Happiness In A Can Of Soup — Soup is a nice meal. Quick to make and warm. But, contrary to what the commercials would like you to believe, it’s not going to turn your miserable life around.

Delivery or DiGiorno — There’s nothing wrong with frozen pizza, but in the history of mankind, nobody ever, ever, ever has mistaken a frozen pizza for delivery. Ever.

Light Beer as a Test of Manliness — The idea that guys are talking about being manly while drinking light beer is nothing short of shocking. Real guys drink real beer and leave the light beer for the wives and girlfriends.

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According to a new British study, all violence in the world, past and present, has been caused by the male sex drive.

From world wars to riots after championships games, men are shaped by evolution to be aggressive toward “outsiders” and this aggression is at the heart of all “inter-tribal violence.”

Women, on the other hand, supposedly have evolved to resolve conflicts peacefully. They are naturally programmed to “tend and befriend” — to protect their offspring.

After you unbury your vehicle, take you time on the roads this morning.

Higher elevations easily got more than a foot of snow overnight.

Crews are still clearing the main routes and conditions on highway 97 are considered back from Summerland north.

Because temperatures are below zero, nothing is melting and intersections are expected to be particularly slippery.

Give yourself extra time to get anything, give yourself a buffer zone around your care and remember to clear off the sidewalks around your home and business.

And if you’re travelling outside the valley, there’s a travel advisory between Merritt and Hope on the Coquihalla because of blowing snow and limited visibility.

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Wikipedia’s English language version website is planning to go dark for 24 hours tomorrow in protest of anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular online encyclopedia said in a statement yesterday.

The Wikimedia foundation said, “If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States.”

The anti-piracy legislation is designed to halt the sale of pirated U.S. products outside the U.S. and is supported by the film and music industry. However, critics say it could infringe on free speech and hurt the tech industry.

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Fred Karm is hopping. He’s the owner of Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron, Ohio. He says he gets so many requests to attend beer fests, he could do a couple each weekend. Some are close to home. The Akron Art Museum will hold its fifth annual Art of Ale on March 9th. The Akron Beacon Journal reports the Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo zoos all sponsor beer tastings. Cincinnati Beer Week is coming up next month. The first festival in Cincy attracted about 700 people five years ago. This year, 10,000 brew lovers are expected.

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In what’s being called sacrilege by some, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says that although he loves the beauty and simplicity of the iPhone, in some ways he thinks that the Android works better.

Woz’s chief complaint about the iPhone 4S, which he waited in line to purchase for 18 hours just a few months ago, is that Siri — the phone’s voice-activated search software –no longer works at well as it once did. Woz told the Beast, “I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers great than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate.”

He also prefers the GPS on the Android and isn’t too fond of the iPhone’s battery life. However, he still believes most users would favor the iPhone because it’s easier to use.

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A woman in New Zealand thinks there are no ifs, ands or butts about her get rich quick scheme — which involves selling a piece of her own butt to the highest bidder.

Tina Beznec is organizing an auction that will allow perfect strangers to choose a design, which she’ll have tattooed somewhere on her posterior for posterity. Nearly 200,000 people have taken a look at her website, and while some have merely left cracks, bidders have taken the price up to nearly $10,000.

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It was an exciting weekend of football, except for maybe the Broncos-Patriots game, and now the NFL is down to its version of the final four. Two teams will come out of this coming weekend with a conference championship and a shot to become Super Bowl champs.

So who do you think will be there? Will it be the New England Patriots, who ended Tebowmania with a blow-out of the Broncos? The Baltimore Ravens, whose defense might be the thing to put a stop to the Pats’ Tom Brady? Will the San Francisco 49ers, behind their strong defense and energetic head coach, go back to the big game for the first time since 1994? Or, will Eli Manning and the Giants continue their late-season dominance?

What’s your Super Bowl prediction? Who will be there and who will win it all?

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Green Bay Packers fans thought a second straight Super Bowl championship was a sure thing. They went 15-and-1 this season and were by far the most dominant team. But Eli Manning and the Giants came in to Lambeau Field and squashed their hopes. 70,000 fans in attendance were shocked. Many in the stadium, and at home, were even brought to tears. In fact, there are videos of crying Packers fans up on YouTube.

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According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, watching football puts spectators at risk for heart attacks.

The researchers found there is a link between big sporting events and cardiac emergencies on the day of and days following big games.

Other than the stress of the game, all the eating and drinking going on during parties also play a role in people keeling over the next day.

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Admit it — you’re the world’s worst procrastinator. You keep saying you’re going to do something, but as the days, months and years fly by, you’re still saying you’re going to do it.

Well, at least there’s comfort in knowing you’re not alone in your procrastinating ways.

According to FHM.com, here are 10 things you will never get around to doing …

10. Learn to play an instrument
9. Complain in a restaurant
8. Read War and Peace
7. Take that bag of clothes to charity
6. Travel the world
5. Back up your hard drive
4. Take your jar of pennies to the bank
3. Delete that Facebook friend who annoys you with their stupid updates
2. Change gas/electric/phone providers
1. Go for an STD test

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Even though men are much less likely to suffer from anxiety than women, it’s still a struggle for plenty of guys to stay cool, especially with all the trouble and reasons for worry out there.

According to MadeMan.com, here are some ways to keep your cool and stay strong in the face of all challenges:

Think Manly Thoughts — One reason guys deal with stress better than women is that they are better at compartmentalizing. They take care of one thing at a time — and don’t let distractions get them down. Next time you feel overwhelmed, just think manly thoughts, grasshopper. Think only of completing the very next thing on your list. Nothing else.

Meditate — Don’t let the word “meditation” scare you. It’s nothing more than relaxation. The idea is to get rid of all the chatter in your head. Just focus on your breathing until your internal voices shut the hell up — and give you some peace.

Sleep — Sleep, seriously, makes you strong. Get enough of it. Have a solid bedtime routine. And, clear your mind before dozing off.