ALERT = GAME ON!!!!

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Correction - The Field trip to the Columbus Water Works is December 12th.

ALERT ALERT!!! GAME ON!!!!

Rianna's lead is slowly being taken away

I've been waiting for the Counter Attack!! It's down to 46 to 42%

LET'S GET TO WORK PEOPLE!!!!

Carol Alt's (on right) new book called MODEL, INC is looking for a model for the cover and a good friend Rianna (on the left) is in the running for that cover.

All I ask is for you to go to the MODEL INK link and look for her. Vote often (hit the back button and vote again). If she wins she will get to go to NY for more shooting and all sorts of model stuff.
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Amazing Race standings and a look ahead

Mark 20 points
DJ and Jenny 21
Colette 22
Rod 23
Andy 24
Everybody EXCEPT DJ have Nick and star coming in 1st place so DJ NEEDS then NOT to come in 1st. In fact if they cam in 3rd it would really help her.

Mark needs Ken and Tina to come in 3rd but he has the inside track at the moment.

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In a recent study by the Turnkey Brand Index the Packers are #1 out of 122 professional sports teams when it comes to fan loyalty. But when it comes to fans outside the local market? Only #2. It seems the New York Yankees are America's Team. The Packers are a close second. The Dallas Cowboys? A distant fourth (Red Sox third and Lakers fifth).

I think the Packers being #2 is amazing considering the size of Green Bay compared to New York, Boston Dallas and Los Angeles.
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What's happening in the theaters??

Lots of people I know have gone to see Four Christmases and it looks like Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon will each get to notch another $100M blockbuster to their resume's. Despite bad reviews it seems people are in need of laughter. The movie is doing much better then predicted.

Bolt - that animated cute puppy movie. Bolt opened lower then expected but had a GREAT 2nd weekend and is looking forward to a few weeks all by itself in the kids animated are of the theaters.

Twilight! Are you a Twi-Mom?? LOOK OUT BELOW!!!! It crashed but still has grossed $117M which no one is crying over since it only costs $37M.

Quantum of Solace is still going strong and is at $141M after 17 days!22% ahead of Casino Royale and 18% ahead of Die Another Day. The global haul for Quantum is $481M so far.

Australia - Despite poor reviews it's still doing poorly (unlike Four Christmases). It's made $20M in five days and is a long way from break even at $137M. One problem was that 65% of the audience was over 25 and 52% are female. Many in those categories were choosing Christmases and Quantium while the younger crown were watching Twilight. Another problem is that with it's 2 hour running time theaters can not show the movie as often in a night. Australia is doing about as predicted.

This coming weekend Punisher: War Zone, Frost/Nixon, and Cadillac Records. There is a rumor that Frost/Nixon will have a Public Enemies trailer but I think it is only a rumor. I've heard nothing hard.

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We went to the Columbus parade Friday and it was MUCH warmer then last year. I didn't have my good lens but managed to get some photos AND have an idea for next year. Here are a few photos.

Look at this little float, oh so cute!!

But wait!!! What does my camera find???

ADVERTISING!! You can tell it's Christmas -
SHAME on you Duffy!

A few more photos.

NEXT YEAR I'm thinking of getting a Public Enemies float. We could get Left Hand Louie dressed up as Dillinger and he could shoot candy out of a fake Tommy Gun at the kids! THAT WOULD BE SWEET - it would really get the crown excited!

BUT WAIT - I find there is a hidden side to Columbus. The Flaming Bloomer Queen Competition of 1942. As told by Todd the Dodgey Carriage Classic Dude here is some historical knowledge that many did not know about. As you recall in yesterdays blog the "Knights of Prometheus" was a men's fraternal organization dedicated to preserve world peace and more importantly "lantern making" or Fire Wrangling as it was called back then.
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"Fire Wrangling" in that time period was a very competitive industry. It is alleged that in April of 1898 the D.C. district 13 of the K of Pythias road quietly into Columbus on their donkeys (that Washington/Donkey connection was actually the event that gave birth to the Democratic party but that's another newspaper article) with a plan to infiltrate the Columbus K of Promethus headquarters on James Street.

They quietly purchased the vacant land located at 122 N. Dickason Blvd. (now Studio 28) in May of 1898 and completed construction of that existing structure in September of 1898. Upon completion of that building they opened a haberdashery shop ironically called “Pythias Secret” specializing in the sale of bloomers and undergarments.

Three weeks later on a cold October evening they busted through the common wall and swiped 42 of the 63 patented designs for the K of Promethus lanterns. From the interior of the main building one can still see the silhouette of the opening now long since closed. The K of Pythias slipped out of town under cover of darkness never to be seen again. That event was forever referred to as the Great Flaming Bloomer Heist of 98. Many of you probably don’t know this but the City of Columbus sponsored a Flaming Bloomer Festival from 1899 into the early 1940’s. There was no greater honor than to be the Columbus Queen of the Flaming Bloomers.

As odd luck would have it a Columbus immigrant chicken farmer by the name Ebb Spragtight entered the Flaming Bloomer Queen Competition in 1942.

He roared into town in his 1936 Dodge pickup sporting a fresh pink paint job with a rainbow colored feather boa (another first) flowing from the AM antenna. As you can guess the sight of Ebb sporting high heels and a dress just ever so slightly above the knee was more than any small Midwestern town could imagine in 1942. The nail in the coffin of the Flaming Bloomer Festival was Ebb Spragtight’s photo on the front page of the then Columbus Journal Republican.

I propose we have a Flaming Bloomer Festival float in next years parade.!!!

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OUCH!

Studies in the United States show that men who play five or more years in the NFL have a life expectancy of 55, Twenty years less than the average in the general public.

For linemen, perhaps due to their size, the life expectancy is 52.

I wonder . . . what if you BEGIN your NFL career at 55???
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My Subaru Outback went over the 100,000 trouble free mile mark this weekend. Not a spot of rust on it, only a couple dings and purrs like a kitten.
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You might have seen this but check out this 2 minute video of a solder being greeted by his two dog's after returning home from Iraq after 14 months.

Have a great day

Rod