It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, ...

Last Saturday evening Karen and I went to see "The Glory of Christmas" at the Crystal Cathedral. It was quite an impressive performance. They had live camels, sheep, lamas, and horses on stage. There were also flying angels overhead.

The show lasted about 1 1/2 hours and had lots of singing and dancing.

It was well worth the price of admission. If you have a chance, I recommend seeing this performance.

Get out there and ....

KNX1070.com

December 22, 2008 9:45 am

Tis the Season for Making Whopee!!

The Christmas-New Year's period produces a year-high spike in sexual activity and conceptions in the United States, according to biorhythm researchers and makers of sex-related products.

They attribute the increase to holiday leisure and New Year's resolutions to have children. New Year's irresolution fueled by alcohol and partying is another contributing factor.

"Right before New Year's Eve is our highest sales peak," said David Johnson, group product manager for Trojan brand condoms, the leading U.S. seller.

As expected, the holiday urge surge also expresses itself as a peak in U.S. births in September, according to David Lam of the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center in Ann Arbor.

A quartet of British public health researchers went so far as to liken the Christmas-New Year's period to a "festival on fertility" in a 1999 article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Such festivals, they wrote, are "associated with increased opportunities for socializing and a generally more hedonistic approach to life."

Recognizing the risks entailed, the British Health Education Authority once ran a condom ad before New Year's with the tag line: "Just in case old acquaintances aren't quite forgot."

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Steve Garvey who turns 60 years old today!!! Say it ain't so!! Steven Patrick Garvey was born in Tampa Florida. Steve played football and baseball at Michigan State where he earned his BA degree.


Steve was married to Cyndy Garvey, former host of "A.M. Los Angeles", from 1971 until 1983. He is currently married to Candace Thomas. One source indicated that Steve had three children with Cyndy, two with Candace, and two from two other women he was once engaged to.



Steve Garvey played first base with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-1982) and later the San Diego Padres (1983-1987). Garvey was on the Dodger's World Series Championship team in 1981 and most valuable player in the National League in 1978 and 1984. Steve Garvey holds many other Dodger and baseball records and will likely be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the next couple of years.

Winter Solstice

Sunday, December 21, 2008, 7:04 AM EST (4:04 AM PST) marks the solstice - the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

This phenomenon is a direct result of the Earth-Sun relationship. At winter solstice, the sun is at its lowest point: the longest night, the most profound descent into the dark, and a subsequent turning of the cycle, a return to the Light.

Thus a moment of REBIRTH, return and renewal of the life force are signaled. Light begins to grow once again.

This is why all cultures on this planet, since long ago, have celebrated this moment in one way or another. To safeguard & tend to the sacred fire of Life, to keep hope alive, to acknowledge the ever-renewing power of Nature & and all living things, to assure the Return of our day star, the Sun.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Alyssa Milano who turned 36 years old on Dec. 19th. Alyssa Jayne Milano was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Staten Island, New York. Alyssa was married to musician Cinjun Tate for less than one year in 1999. She has no children.

Alyssa started her career with a role in the musical "Anne" at the age of eight. At the age of eleven, Alyssa started her eight year run as "Samantha Micelli" in the TV series "Who's the Boss?" with Tony Danza.


Alyssa had a short role in "Melrose Place" but it was cut short to star in the long running and very successful TV series "Charmed". Alyssa played "Phoebe Halliwell" for eight years. Alyssa now has a role in the TV series "My Name is Earl". She has also starred in over a dozen movies.


Alyssa is a big sports fan, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Kings. She has her own apparel line called "Touch" for female sports fans.


Alyssa has appeared in numerous PETA ads and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

The sponsors of Proposition 8 asked the California Supreme Court on Friday to nullify the marriages of the estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who exchanged vows before voters approved the ballot initiative that outlawed gay unions.

The Yes on 8 campaign filed a brief arguing that because the new law holds that only marriages between a man and a woman are recognized or valid in California, the state can no longer recognize the existing same-sex unions.

"Proposition 8's brevity is matched by its clarity. There are no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions or exclusions," reads the brief co-written by Pepperdine University law school dean Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.


On a related note, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban and is now urging the state Supreme Court to void Prop 8.

Where was he before the election??

California's $42 billion budget deficit

AP Associated Press

December 20, 2008 6:30 am

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered a state hiring freeze and payroll cuts to conserve cash as California struggles to deal with a $42 billion budget deficit.

The governor issued an executive order that requires state agencies to reduce payroll by 10 percent, which could lead to massive layoffs. He also ordered the state's 235,000 employees to take two days off a month without pay, starting Feb. 1.

Schwarzenegger also issued an executive order calling lawmakers back into session to deal with the budget for the third time in two months. On Thursday he announced he would veto an $18 billion Democratic deficit-cutting package that he said didn't do enough to address the financial crisis.

My note: Karen learned earlier this week in a staff meeting that she may have to take a cut in pay from the school district.

We're #3 !!!

AP Associated Press
December 19, 2008 4:55 pm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California's unemployment rate climbed to 8.4 percent in November, the third-highest rate in the nation, federal officials said Friday.

The jobless rate announced by the U.S. Department of Labor was up from 5.7 percent a year earlier, and 8.2 percent in October. Only Michigan and Rhode Island posted higher jobless rates than California.

The agency said California shed 41,700 jobs last month, bringing the total jobs lost over the past year to 136,000. Florida and North Carolina were the only states to lose more jobs in November.

My note: I looked in this mornings newspaper at the want ads and found a total of 8 job listings!!

This last week brought SoCal lots of rain, wind, and snow in the mountains. Many of our foothills are covered with snow and Josh came out to his car after work at Victoria Gardens at 2:00 am to find ice on his windshield.

A rare snow storm hit Las Vegas as well.

While this weekend promises to be sunny and cool, more rain is expected for next week, including rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

E.O.W. CHP Officer Sanders

Sadly, CHP Officer Joseph Sanders, 29, of Corona lost his life yesterday. Officer Sanders was working a crash scene in the rain, E/B 60 Frwy. at Azusa Ave. when he was struck by an errant vehicle.

Officer Sanders, a former United States Marine who fought in Fallujah, Iraq, had been with the CHP for just over one year.

Officer Sanders is survived by his wife, who is expecting, and their three children.

My new hero!!!

In my relentless pursuit for items of interest for your entertainment, I found a blog entry about Ernest Borgnine. Ernest Borgnine will turn 92 years old in January. He was being interviewed on FOXNews and asked what the secret was to his long life.

Ernie initially said he couldn't say, but after some encouragement from the panel, admitted, "I masturbate a lot". Needless to say this cracked up the panel of two men and one woman. Interestingly, the second male in the panel covered his face in embarrassment while the woman yelled, "I like this guy". I couldn't tell you who the panel was.

When I shared this with my family, my son Josh quickly added, "he obviously found the fountain of youth". I had to add that it gave a whole new meaning to Ernie's famous nickname of Gilligan on "Gilligan's Island" of "little buddy"!!

The tape of the interview can be found on "youtube" if you're interested in seeing it yourself.

I wrote a rant about this very comparison last week, but it never came to be posted. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.