The Space Shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Endeavour was piloted by Commander Christopher Ferguson. (No relation) The crew wrapped up a 16 day mission the the international space station.

Remember when a space ship taking off or landing was a big deal??

NYTimes.com
November 25, 2008

Florida Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional


MIAMI — A Florida law that has banned adoptions by gay men and lesbians for over three decades is unconstitutional, a judge here ruled on Tuesday.

“The best interests of children are not preserved by prohibiting homosexual adoption,” the judge, Cindy S. Lederman of Miami-Dade Circuit Court, said in a 53-page decision. She said the law violated equal protection rights for children and their prospective parents.

The ruling on Tuesday will allow Frank Martin Gill, 47, a gay man from North Miami, to adopt two foster children whom he has raised since 2004. “Our family just got a lot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving,” Mr. Gill said in a news release issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented him.

Florida is the only state with a law prohibiting gay men and lesbians — couples and individuals — from adopting children. The Legislature voted to prohibit adoptions by gay men and lesbians in 1977, in the midst of a campaign led by the entertainer Anita Bryant to repeal a gay rights ordinance adopted by Dade County.

The state presented experts who argued that there was a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse among same-sex couples, that their relationships were less stable than those of heterosexuals, and that their children suffered a societal stigma.


A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said the state would appeal, and the case is likely to end up before the State Supreme Court.

One baby step at a time.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Gina Lee Nolin who turns 37 years old today. Gina was born in my home town of Duluth, Minnesota, where she was active in ice fishing, basketball, softball and volleyball. Her family moved to Las Vegas, Nv. for her senior year in high school.


After high school, Gina worked as a waitress and was crowned "Miss Las Vegas". She moved to Los Angeles to continue her career and study interior design at Santa Monica City College.Gina is currently married to her third husband, retired NHL hockey star Cale Hulse, and is expecting their second child this month. Gina has a son from her previous marriage to Greg Fahlman and Cale has a daughter from a previous relationship.


In 1994 she answered a newspaper ad for auditions for "Barkers Beauties" for the game show "The Price is Right". She beat out 1200 other models and worked on the show for two years.

"Barkers Beauties" led to her most popular role in the series "Baywatch". She starred on "Baywatch" from 1995-1998. In 2000, Gina starred in the short-lived series, "Sheena". Gina also once posed for "Playboy".

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Vin Scully who turns 81 years old today. Vincent Edward Scully was born in "The Bronx", New York. Vin Scully has been the Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster for 59 years.

Named California Sportscaster of the Year twenty-eight times, he received the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, was honored with a Life Achievement Emmy Award for sportscasting and induction into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995, and was named Broadcaster of the Century by the American Sportscasters Association in 2000.

Vin Scully has his own star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame".

Wal-Mart update - Not only was an employee trampled and killed during the opening of the store on "Black Friday", but a pregnant female was injured and lost her baby.

November 26, 2008

June 14, 2008

Got a little rain Wednesday afternoon. Caught this rainbow over Rancho Cucamonga.

AP Associated Press

November 28, 2008

Wal-Mart Worker Killed

NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.

At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

Billboard Controversy

A billboard similar to this one was posted in the City of Rancho Cucamonga recently at the intersection of Archibald Ave. and Foothill Blvd. It sparked enough controversy that the City of Rancho Cucamonga reported receiving over 90 calls complaining about it. On November 21st the billboard was removed.

The billboard is part of a nation-wide campaign by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) to let Americans know that there is room for reason and clarity of thought, free from the dogma that organized religion uses to keep its flock in line; as well as donating.

According to their website, http://www.ffrg.org/, "The Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., is an educational group working for the separation of state and church. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism."

A Wisconsin group advocating the separation of church and state plans to file suit against the city of Rancho Cucamonga for it's part in the demise of the billboard.

On November 21st, Linda Danials, Redevelopment Director for the City of Rancho Cucamonga told the Daily Bulletin newspaper that a member of her staff called the sign company and told them of the number of complaints they had received and asked if the billboard could be taken down.

Later that same day the City of Rancho Cucamonga released the following statement; "For the record, the City of Rancho Cucamonga did not suggest, nor did it request, that any billboard content be removed from the billboard. Advertising content decisions rest with the company that sells the advertising space, not with the city. The placement and removal of advertising content is a private business decision."

Former Redevelopment Director Linda Daniels later denied making any statement to the newspaper!!!

Happy turkey day to one and all!!

Say it's not so!!!!

I don't know how I missed this, but Bo Derek turned 52 years old last Thursday. Mary Cathleen Collins was born in Long Beach, California. Bo attended Narbonne High School and George S.Patton Continuation School in Harbor City, Ca. Bo married agent John Derek who was 30 years older than her, at 16. They were married for 22 years until his death in 1998.

Bo's career took off with her role in the Blake Edwards movie "10" with Dudley Moore. She quickly shot to stardom and was quickly labeled a "sex symbol". Her beaded cornrows became the rage.

Bo went on to star in three more memorable films, "Tarzan, the Ape Man" (1981), "Bolero" (1984), and "Ghosts Can't Do It" (1991). Bo won three "Golden Raspberry Awards (razzies) for "Worst Actress" for her work. In 2000, Bo was selected as the "Worst Actress of the Century".

In 1980, Bo posed for the first of many "Playboy" spreads.

Today Bo stays busy with work for the Republican Party and riding her Iberian horses. She also is involved in veteran's affairs and appears on USO tours and visits wounded GIs in the hospital.

Jamie Lee Curtis turns 50. See full story below.

Breaking News!!!!

E! entertainment has named supermodel Karolina Kurkova the "sexiest Woman in the World".

The complete top 10 of E!'s Sexiest Women In The World include:

1. Karolina Kurkova

2. Bar Rafaeli

3. Angelina Jolie

4. Gisele Bundchen

5. Scarlett Johansson

6. Adriana Lima

7. Heidi Klum

8. Penelope Cruz

9. Manuela Arcuri

10. Shakira

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Katherine Heigl who turns 30 years old today. Katherine Marie Heigl was born in Washington D.C., but did most of her growing up in New Canaan, Connecticut. Katherine is married to singer Josh Kelley and they live in Los Feliz, California.

Katherine started modeling when she was 9 years old making $75 an hour. At 17 she played Sarah Ryback, the niece of "Casey Ryback" in the Steven Segal action thriller, "Under Siege 2". I never realized that was her!!

In 1998 she had a memorable role as "Jade" in the thriller, "Bride of Chucky".

Katherine currently stars as Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens" in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy". In 2007 Katherine won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama Series" for her work on "Grey's Anatomy".

Katherine has been in several movies including, "Knocked Up" and "27 Dresses". Katherine was announced as the "Most Desirable Woman of 2008" by Askmen.com.

eHarmony, the popular dating service, is starting to match same-sex couples. eHarmony is launching "Compatible Partners" in 2009. How progressive is that??

Oh wait. It seems that the dating service with ties to "Focus on the Family" is actually being forced to start matching same-sex couples because of a court action brought against them by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Division of Civil Rights.

The eHarmony attorney, Theodore B. Olson, said; "Even though we believed that the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business, we ultimately decided it was best to settle this case with the Attorney General since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable. eHarmony looks forward to moving beyond this legal dispute, which has been a burden for the company, and continuing to advance its business model of serving individuals by helping them find successful, long-term relationships."

Baby steps I tell ya.

Belated Happy Birthday wishes go out to actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis who turned 50 years old last Saturday. Jamie was born in Los Angeles, California to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Jamie attended Beverly Hills H.S. but graduated from the Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Jamie has been married for almost 24 years to actor Christopher Guest, who inherited the Barony of Haden-Guest, making her Lady Haden-Guest. They have two children, a daughter Anne, and a son Thomas. They make their home in Pacific Palisades.


Jamie started her career in the role of Laurie Storde in the horror film, Halloween". Three additional roles in horror films, "The Fog", "Prom Night", and "Terror Train" earned her the nick name of "Scream Queen".

Jamie went from "Scream Queen" to sex symbol with rolls in "Trading Places" and "Love Letters" featuring her first nude scenes. She went on to make "A Fish Called Wanda" and "True Lies". She currently has a movie out entitled "Beverley Hills Chihuahua".


Jamie is also an author, having written eight children's books including "It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel", and "Words for Little People". Jamie also blogs for the "Huffington Post".

As reported in this blog earlier in the year, Jamie posed nude for the AARP magazine to celebrate her 50th birthday a little early. You go girl!! Nude in your 50's. I like the concept!!