bionic hand

Eduardo Garcia is a professional chef so when he lost one of his hands after being electrocuted, he thought his career would be over.  But he was fitted with a bionic hand and is learning to use it.  Now he is back to his culinary work and finding all sorts of new uses for his hand.  He can take things out of the oven without getting burned and he doesn't cut himself anymore.  chef with new hand

playing for pirates

What do you do when your songs are being pirated?  Well Iron Maiden has found a great way to make money from the situation.  They found that a large jump in piracy took place in South America so they went there and played a bunch of concerts.  From that move, they've made millions and increased their fan base.  It's a much better idea than prosecuting people.  smart business decision

no rescue yet

The ship stranded in Antarctic is still waiting to be freed.  The Chinese ice breaking ship ran into some thick ice that it couldn't get through so it had to turn back to open seas.  A second ship should reach them soon from Australia.  If that doesn't work, there is a ship standing by with a helicopter to assist in the rescue.  All on board are comfortable and are even venturing out of the boat to walk around on the ice.  The only supply running low is the beer.  still stuck

Here's an update:  helicopter rescue planned

tickets handed out for speeding

In Melbourne, Florida, cops were handing out tickets on Christmas Day.  About 30 people were pulled over for speeding and given the tickets.  But while some of the speeders did actually get citations, they were also given a lottery scratch off ticket.  It was just a Christmas Day event; speeders shouldn't expect it to happen again.  tickets

Retiring at age 19?

Justin Bieber has announced that he is retiring after his next album is out.  He claims that the media lies about him; so he's done.  I think he'll probably change his mind because he loves his extravagant lifestyle too much.  retiring

rescued puppy

A "Gem" was found in a plastic bag.  This poor little puppy was set to be "recycled" when workers at the recycling plant saw movement in one of the bags.  What they found was a 10-month old poodle mix with animal bites around her neck.  She'll be put up for adoption if no one comes to claim her.  Gem

stuck in the ice

A cruise ship with 57 on board is stuck in the ice.  It is too far out for the usual rescue crews to reach them so they will stay where they are until ice breaking ships can reach them in two days.  It seems that spirits are up as they wait even though they've already spent Christmas Day stuck on the ship.  stranded

update on carolers fulfill dying wish

10,000 carolers made sure that 8-year-old Delaney Brown got her wish.  They sang Christmas songs and happy birthday to her outside her Pennsylvania home over the weekend.  Unfortunately Delaney passed away on Christmas Day.  wish fulfilled

Phil Robertson fiasco

I don't watch Duck Dynasty.  I tried but I just didn't like the show.  I know I'm in the minority but I just can't wrap my brain around whatever it is that makes this show popular.  Now we have Phil Robertson spewing hatred against non-whites, non-christians, and gays.  The thing that shocks me is all the support he's getting.  Paula Deen admits that she has used the "N" word in her past and she's persecuted for it.  I hate that word...it makes me squirm when I hear it but I realize that some use it and it's not intended as a slur.  Phil on the other hand has done more than use a "possible slur" in the past.  He details how and why he hates those that are unlike him.  Why is his hate getting so much support?  Here's an article about what you're supporting when you defend Phil.  Phil

easy cupcakes

This is amazing and easy.  Just take your box cake mix and add 12 ounces of soda.  If you're using a chocolate cake mix, use a dark soda.  With a white or yellow mix, use a lemon-lime soda.  Just mix the two with an electric mixer, fill cupcake 2/3, and bake for about 20 minutes.  simple recipe

Dream house for kids young and old

In Phoenix, AZ there's a 5 bedroom house for sale that would make many people happy.  Outside it has a 3-story tree house, a poi pond, a rock slide, a waterfall, a pool, and a train.  That's right...a rideable train that has a working bar car.  For only $3.5 million, it can be yours.  house and train

letter arrives

Brenda Schmitz died over two years ago from ovarian cancer.  Before she departed, she wrote a letter to be delivered to a Des Moines, IA radio station but only when her husband had found a new love.  The care of the letter was entrusted to a dear friend.  That letter was delivered...in it she wishes for gifts for the new woman, the whole family, and her cancer doctors.  Area businesses helped raise the money needed to get everything on the list.  The radio station has been granting wishes for more than 20 years and had never gotten a letter quite like Brenda's before.  letter

10,000 carolers

A young girl was given 2 days to 2 weeks to live.  On her bucket list were carolers.  Delaney Brown who is 8 years old got her wish.  Organizers expected a few thousand carolers but got close to 10,000.  Delaney gave two thumbs up when she heard the singing outside her home in Reading, PA.  carolers

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2014

This Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes Nirvana, KISS, E Street, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens, and Linda Ronstadt.  They're selling tickets so this will be the first time that fans will be able to attend the ceremony.  hall of fame

Cookies for soldiers

Charles, a soldier at Travis Air Force Base in California received a sweet treat.  He returned to his room to find a box of cookies on his bed along with a note from a young local student. Charles and other single soldiers live in dorm rooms on base and will probably not be going home for Christmas.  They each got a sweet surprise and are very grateful for the treat.  cookies

Brian's back?

Last month, Family Guy aired the episode where the beloved dog gets killed.  But wait...there's a time machine and he can be saved!  That's just what happened so...Brian is back.  All of those fans who were so upset can now get back to their real lives.  Brian

Santa doesn't live here anymore

Santa Claus Land is in Arizona and was built in 1938.  It was supposed to rival Disneyland but just couldn't make that happen.  It's now just a bunch of run-down buildings behind a barbed-wire fence.  Santa moved

More Bieber news

Justin Bieber was hosting a party at his house that involved alcohol.  The 19 year old isn't even old enough to legally consume the stuff.  A 20 year old girl was found unconscious and an ambulance was called.  She regained consciousness and asked for the ambulance to be canceled.  After she ate and drank something, she went home.  Bieber party

The Militant Baker

Jen Baker has a blog and uses it to bring attention to promote body acceptance.  She is the blogger that took on Abercrombie and Fitch back in May.  As she was doing research one night, she typed "fat people" in her search bar and got some disturbing recommendations from autocomplete.  She decided to turn those into positive things instead of getting angry.  Then she encouraged her followers to send their own pictures.  See her message, "big bodies aren't ugly, bullying is."  blog

better signer

5-year-old Claire has two parents that are hearing impaired and has grown up with signing all her life.  During her school Christmas program she decided to sign the words to the song instead of doing the gestures that the other students were doing.  She is adorable and as her mother jokes, she "is a much better interpreter than Nelson's fake one."

 young interpreter

Cats visit baby Jesus

Ferel cats in New York City have found a place to stay during the holiday season.  They've taken up residency in the manger and when baby Jesus arrives, they simply push him out of the bed and continue to stay.  It brings in a lot of people who are curious.  Always room in the manger, right?  cats

Santa surprises passengers

I flew this weekend to Washington so that I could take care of my granddaughter while my daughter was in Virginia.  My flights were uneventful and I had great weather unlike other parts of the country.  I am very grateful for this because I hate flying.  But some passengers in Canada had an even better flight than I did.  An airline set up a virtual Santa who asked passengers their names and what they wanted for Christmas.  The passengers thought it was a clever way to pass the time at the airport but on arrival at their destination, they found the gifts they had requested on the baggage claim carousel.  The airline had enlisted the help of volunteers who did the shopping while the plane was in the air.  great flight

Santa returns wallet

A young boy in Georgia lost his wallet in the parking lot at a Walmart.  It was found by Eric Arnold and when he realized that it belonged to a child, he decided to send it back with a personalized message from Santa.  He hasn't heard if the wallet has been received but he's hoping that his story will encouraged others to do random acts of kindness.  wallet returned

new form of invoice

Apparently Amazon has an unpaid bill.  It's to a non-profit called Musicbrainz and has been outstanding for 3 years.  Instead of the usual paper statement, they decided to send Amazon a cake.  Let's hope this gets the bill paid.  cake bill

gingerbread house

The world's largest gingerbread house stands in Bryan, Texas.  It is 22 feet tall and contains 39,201.8 cubic feet of gingerbread.  It is entirely edible and will be in the Guiness Book of World Records.  Santa will be in the house until December 14 and all proceeds will be donated to the St. Joseph Trauma Level II Program.  gingerbread house

2000 dead mice

In Guam there is a problem with snakes so....2,000 dead mice will parachute in.  These are just not any dead mice; they're laced with acetaminophen which is poisonous to snakes.  The little mice will have tiny parachutes made of cardboard and tissue paper.  They will float down to the forest canopy where they will be eaten by the tree snakes.  This will hopefully get rid of the invasive species in that area and if it works, could be used in other parts of the country. parachuting mice 

stolen camera

Wildlife rangers in Australia placed a camera along side a river to record crocodiles.  Unfortunately the camera was stolen soon after it was placed.  It has since been recovered and the film has revealed the culprit.  It was an eagle who happened to take pictures of itself as it stole the camera and flew away with it.  thief exposed

snowing money

A man at the Mall of America wanted to advertise his youtube page so he stamped 1000 one-dollar bills and dropped them from an upper level while a choir sang "Let it Snow."  It was the man's last $1000 after losing his business and his wife.  He hoped the stunt would bring money back to him. Unfortunately what it got him was a citation.  free money