Making Jack Falcone Did you see the "60 Minutes" piece on FBI agent Jack Garcia? What a story! Jack is a Cuban-born American who went undercover, convinced the mob he was Italian, and put a lot of bad guys behind bars. At FBI HQ, his work has been called remarkable...and this from a guy I played football with in college! All his old buddies are proud of "Jocko". I just ordered the book. The early reviews are really good.
So you want to be a Rock Star? Ars Technica has a good read for anyone thinking about recording your music and creating a "buzz" online.
College Cost Calculator
Have you heard of the "blended" rate that has become so significant in developing a college financing strategy? Families need to take a hard look at all the options to pay for college. HERE is an online calculator called "The Lender Blender" that can help you get started.
Baby Crib Recall The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall for 320,000 baby cribs manufactured by Jardine Enterpises. READ MORE at the CPSC website.
Here's Your Electric Car for $20K
Operates with a 6-hour daily charge and comes in at about 2-cents per mile! Read all about it!
Essential Websites for Saving Money!!
First, let's thank Wallstreet Fighter for the list, but now on to the matter at hand--Saving Money! Coupons, outrageous deals, frequent flyer benefits...it's a big list!
Fat Wallet - A community of moeny-savers. Check for deals in the forum section. Flyer Talk - Everything Frequent Flyer related. Amazon Gold Box - I am in a 12-Step program to keep from hanging out at this site. The Coupon Clippers - Not your grannies coupons site! Coupons - Big site but a drawback is you have to install their printer app. Coupon Mountain - A fine coupon site. Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder - Scours the web for all things free! I'm a big fan of free! Slick Deals - An extremely popular deal site. Travel Zoo - Travel and flight options...plus more when you dig! Microsoft's Live Searchbegs you to un-Google yourself and get some tasty rebates when you use its search engine!
Where did I leave those keys? Was it on Metro? Metro has an online site where you can track lost items--but hurry. They only keep the stuff, about 2,000 items a month, about 30 days. Go HERE to see if you left whatever it was on Metro.
Autism Information Online – Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism. Autism spectrum disorders account for more diagnoses than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. So what should you do if you suspect your child might need to be examined for autism? A pair of non-profit advocacy groups, Autism Speaks and First Signs, has developed a website to help parents compare their child’s behavior to see if they might need a doctor to take a closer look. Using dozens of video clips, it is their hope it will promote early diagnosis and treatment, which can help young children with autism lead more normal lives. HERE is a link to the site.
Taxol and Breast Cancer - New research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests the widely used chemotherapy drug Taxol doesn’t work for the most common form of breast cancer and helps far fewer patients than previously believed. Women with one particular form of breast cancer were 40% less likely to have a recurrence if they received Taxol. However, women with the most common form of the disease were not significantly helped. The study suggests more than 20,000 women in the U.S. alone could be spared Taxol’s neurological side effects if additional studies confirm this research.
Arthritis and The Workplace –A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey suggests one-third of American workers with arthritis say the condition limits their ability to work. The agency tallied its numbers based on telephone interviews and released the information in a state-by-state breakdown to determine the impact of arthritis in the workplace.
Blood Supplies Are Low - The American Red Cross says blood supplies are perilously low in the region and ask for donations right away. Can you help? A Red Cross spokewoman says if we have a major trauma event, we might not have enough blood to help victims. Call 1-800-GiveLife to find a donation center near you. That's 1-800-448-3543.
Are You a Good Driver? - If you're a Virginian, chances are you're better than those in Maryland or DC. The Old Dominion ranked 28th in a GMAC sponsored driver's knowledge test conducted last year. DC and Maryland need work. Maryland drivers placed 46th! Ouch! DC Drivers were 50th! Ouch! Ouch! Only Rhode Island drivers ranked lower. How strong is your driving knowledge? TAKE THE TEST to find out! If you don't score that well, may we suggest Metro? :-D
American Heart Association's new guidelines for women to cut risks - The American Heart Association is out with a warning that nearly every woman in the country is at risk of heart disease or stroke. And they say it's time for women to take more action to cut those risks. The association calls on women to talk to their doctors about possibly taking aspirin every day, exercising at least half-an-hour each day, and eating a diet with less fat. The experts say women should be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain and high-fiber foods. Fish should be on the menu at least twice a week. And there's disappointment for anyone thinking vitamins C and E, beta carotene and folic acid supplements will prevent heart disease. The experts say they won't. Look for details in the journal Circulation or TAKE THE ONLINE CHECKUP.
"I always knew I was going to grow up to be somebody, only now I wish I had been a little more specific." ----Lily Tomlin
My radio days began in Richmond, Virginia at the campus radio station of The University of Richmond, WCRC. From there, I interned and worked at Richmond’s Q-94 and Baltimore’s “Big 60-WCAO.” A few years later, I lengthened my commute to DC to work at WMZQ. From there, I walked across the street to 97.1 WASH-FM and this has been home ever since.
I grew up in Newport News, Virginia, the youngest son of two for CK and Alice Worthington. My dad has passed, but mom is vibrant and healthy. Wendy and I have two children, Nicholas and Caroline.
My passions are music, technology, and coastlines. I wish I were better at golf than I am, but who has the time to “bear down” to get good? Feel free to tell me about yourself. Drop me an email when you get a chance.
Technology for The Decadently Wealthy... F. Scott Fitzgerald said it best: "The rich are different than you or me." HERE is a list of their technology toys from PC World Magazine.
Commuting: What We Can Learn From Ants Ever watch ants on their way to and from a food source...Ok...when you were a kid and you had time for such observations? What they can teach us A must-read for urban planners!
Remember When MTV Actually Played Music Videos? Reach deep into the music video archives and watch your old favorites at MTV Music. You can start here...LOL
Want To Hear Some Live Music? What kind of music? When? Where? Find It Here!
"Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees Can Save A Life! True to its title, the song, at 103 beats per minute, is THE song to hum if you ever find yourself giving chest compressions to save the life of a heart attack victim! Yes, The American Heart Association suggests 100 chest compressions per minute. Humming the song would help you keep the beat. READ MORE about it here.
Bees.....And Their Secrets! I recently had the opportunity to talk with former Washington Post reporter Joe Pichirallo and now one of the producers of the new movie, "The Secret Life of Bees." The book, written by Sue Monk Kidd was a best seller. The film adaptation premiered in DC at The Newseum and is now playing in theatres, starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo. Listen to my conversation with Joe about the movie and how a newspaper reporter follows his dream to work in Hollywood!
Did You Know Rainbows Are a Government Conspiracy? Oh yeah! Watch this and then ask yourself this question: Why don't more people like fruitcake at Christmastime? ;-)
Reach Out to Someone...without talking to them! Have you ever found yourself wanting to leave a message with someone, but didn't have the time or the will to actually speak with them? Hmmm. Well, if so, now there is a way to bypass a person's cellphone ringer and jump right into voicemail. It's called SlyDial...and it's free!
Know Your Money! The US Secret Service has a website to help you tell the difference between real currency from counterfiet bills. Don't get stuck with the fake stuff!
FINALLY! A way to beat "The Claw" game at the arcade!
THIS YOUTUBE video is Hilarious!!! Ok, I am quite willing to admit that I come from the land of the easily amused, but I LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT THIS. Joe Cocker--Woodstock--A Translation!
Monster (the cable people) have launched a line of products to clean all those touch screens around these days--pda's, gps, ipods and iphones that cme in plastic bottles that are easy to carry along. Check out "ScreenClean."
This is a fascinating list of things we can all do to save gas everyday. Some of them you already know. Most will leave you saying, "Oh, yeah. That makes sense!" There are 104 of them!
Now THIS is an example of the American Ingenuity... ...we used to hear about so often. What if you could turn the energy created by road traffic into electricity? One man has built a prototype. Read about it HERE.
Be Your Own Weather Forecaster Do we scowl when TV weathermen go all mental on us with their predictions of doom and gloom? Of course we do. Go underground and formulate your own forecast here
Urban Legends in Your In-box - How many emails do you get that purport to be written by this person or that person--or Jay Leno? How many dire warnings do you get about this scam or that scam in grocery store parking lots. I've received enough of them that now, as a matter of routine, I snope them to see if they're true, mainly because most of them aren't! The next time you get one of those essay emails, check its validity by going to Snopes.
I Want My MP3--So you’re a music downloader? The newest kid on the block has actually been around for a while—Amazon—and it joins Napster, itunes and the rest, but with a twist. None of its songs have built-in copy protection measures (DRM). The tracks can, in turn, be copied to multiple computers, burned onto CDs and played on most digital music players. Many of the other online services have limits on how much you can copy a purchased song or what players they can be transferred to. But the Amazon tunes can be played on just about any portable music player, including both the Apple iPod and the Microsoft Zune. Songs cost 89 to 99 cents each, while albums go for $5.99 to $9.99.
The Secret Life of Bees
Tuesday 09-23-2008 10:17am ET
Check out this podcast with Joe Pichirallo, one of the producers of the upcoming film, based on the best-selling book, “The Secret Life of Bees.” The movie stars Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonado. Click Here
Awesome Shado Performance This is amazing! Take 4 minutes to watch this performance...then get back to work!
Putt-Putt Golf Who doesn't like a game of putt-putt golf? Kill some time, then get back to work!
Are You As Smart As You Think You Are? If you've got a few minutes, take the Brain Age Test that measures your reaction time, alertness, sustained vigilance, and decision making aptitude. At the end you will be given your brain age as your results are measured against the averages of others in your age group. Kill some time by taking the test, then get back to work!
Who Wants to Go Bowling? Forget putting your feet into rented shoes. Wear the ones you're in now and bowl a few frames, have some fun, then get back to work!
Chat With God Not really, of course. It is a "supreme" waste of time, though oddly entertaining. IM for a while, then get back to work!
The Social Golfer So you can line up a putt like you own the place, huh? Well, sink a few putts here, win The Green Jacket, then get back to work!
Motion Induced Blindness Watch for a while, go blind, rub your eyes, then get back to work!
Marketing Test Here is a marketing test to see how effective advertisers have been grabbing your attention! I scored 20 out of 20, but don't let that intimidate you! Test your marketing memory, kill some time, then get back to work!
You're So Continental... Test your knowledge of Europe's geography as you fly your Lufthansa jet from the US to European destinations. Give it a try, kill some time, then get back to work!
Watch the Ships The Panama Canal Webcam. Fight the nostalgia of when it used to be ours, watch a few ships, kill some time, then get back to work!
All Swirls and Grace Release the freehand artist within yourself, or just spell your name here at this site that operates on the same principle as sparklers in the summertime-only much better. Kill some time, then get back to work!
Elastic Baby - Family Stress Relief Have some fun with the little one. He likes it! He really does! Kill some time, then get back to work!
Keep Moving...or Die! Move the red block without touching the black walls or being hit by the blue blocks. More than 36 seconds is considered phenomenal. More than 5 minutes playing is considered wasted time! ;-) Kill some time, then get back to work!
Penguin Crazy! You might have seen THIS, but worth another run down the slope! Kill some time, then get back to work!
The US States Here's one that my high school geography techer would love! Take this test. Kill some time, then get back to work!
Helicopter Pilot Here's one a friend sent the other day, knowing I'm an aviator wannabe. WARNING: If you have a lot of work to get done today, don't even think about going here! Fly the helicopter, kill some time, then get back to work!
STOMP Coming now to a browser near you. It's clever flash animation. See it, kill some time, then get back to work!
Music News
Wednesday 01-30-2008 8:54am ET
"All I know is music makes people happy" ~~Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino~~
"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid" ~~Frank Zappa~~
Below are links to sites that lovers of music may find valuable and enjoyable. Check back periodically for updates.