Trending Today

 
Waking up to showers this morning.   Becoming breezy.  Sunshine arrives later on with mid to upper 50s.   The remainder of the week brings Partly Sunny skies - maybe an occasional flurry in the mountains - temps in the 40s and 50s.
 

 
Today is Tornado Awareness Day in the Commonwealth.  A statewide drill coming up at 9:45 this morning.
Let the voting begin in Rome for a new Pope.  Now we wait for the White Smoke.
 
Douthat State Park will be closed for a day while law enforcement agencies conduct a training session today.
The Salem City Council voted unanimously Monday night to allow the city to enter into an agreement to sell 5 acres of the so-called Elizabeth Campus property for $500,000 to a partnership that hopes to develop a medical office park on the land.
Roanoke’s Books-A-Million store will close April 13
 
ACC TOURNAMENT begins this week in Greensboro

First Round, Thursday, March 14 
#8 Boston College vs. #9 Georgia Tech Noon 
#5 NC State vs. #12 Virginia Tech 2:00 
#7 Maryland vs. #10 Wake Forest 7:00 
#6 Florida State vs. #11 Clemson 9:00 

Quarterfinals, Friday, March 15 
#1 Miami vs. 8/9 winner Noon 
#4 Virginia vs. 5/12 winner 2:00 
#2 Duke vs. 7/10 winner 7:00 
#3 North Carolina vs. 6/11 winner 9:00



 
Lookin' Back
 

One week from tomorrow is the first day of Spring.  Today is Girl Scout Day. Let's have some cookies.

1884- The State of Mississippi authorized the first state-supported college for women. It was called the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College.

1894- Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time.

1912- The Girl Scout organization was founded. The original name was Girl Guides.   Some of today's famous Girl Scouts include First Lady Michelle Obama, Mariah Carey, astronaut Sally Ride, Supreme Sandra Day O'Connor,  Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Laura Bush, Lisa Ling and others.

1933- President Franklin Roosevelt presented his first presidential address to the nation. It was the first of the "Fireside Chats."

1951- The comic strip "Dennis The Menace" by Hank Ketchum debuted, inspired by his own son, Dennis.

 

 
Cuttin Cake Today

Liza Minnelli is 67;  former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is 66; singer James Taylor is 65; Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Thank You For Smoking) is 45

 


Joke of the Day

How do you repair a broken tomato?    A. Tomato Paste!

 
 
Weird News Today
 
Drivers in Coventry, England, could be getting their money back as lawyers fight to overturn six years worth of traffic tickets -- because the government used the wrong font on speed-limit signs. The incorrect font has taller and thinner numbers.

 
Last Friday afternoon in Texas, a man was driving in his truck, hopped a curb,  slammed into a car in a parking lot, and set off a chain reaction that turned  into a FIVE-CAR WRECK.   He blamed the accident on - ready for this - BRAIN FREEZE from his  7-Eleven Slurpee.   He passed sobriety tests, so the police  took his word for  it.   I doubt the judge will.  Fortunately, no one was injured in the crash

 

Smarter Than Question
 
40% of people will go through this this week.  What is it?   Congrats to Renee, she got it.  The answer is "dragging due to the weekend time change."
 
 
Entertainment Dish

 
 
So, who's it gonna be? SPOILER ALERT!!!!!   Catherine or Lindsay? Sean Lowe wrapped up his journey of love Monday on The Bachelor finale, giving Catherine the final rose, they kissed, and rode off into the sunset on an elephant. Hey, it was Thailand.
 
He's found his bride and now it looks like he's got a new adventure! If you like  looking at Sean, you'll now be able to watch him on this season of Dancing with the Stars! Just announced this morning, Sean will  be on the show which kicks off on Monday (3/18).
 
 
Desiree Hartsock is the next Bachelorette.  She's a fan favorite from Sean Lowe's season.  Desiree will take on 25 men vying for her love and affection.  Surprisingly, she beat out AshLee, Sarah andLesley M.
 
The L.A.P.D and FBI are now involved in the investigation of at least 12 celebs who have not only been hacked, but they've had their social security numbers stolen.  Those celebs include Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson and Ashton Kutcher who had their financial info posted for everyone to see.
 
Sick Bay: Kelly Osbourne is out of the hospital with a "clean bill of health" after suffering a seizure last week while taping E's "Fashion Police." 
 
Barbara Walters let it be known on The View yesterday that Elisabeth Hasselbeck is going nowhere,   despite the rumors she's on her way out.
 
Khloe Kardashian will guest star on Real Husbands of Hollywood.

Dee Snider became the second contestant fired from the business-themed competition show "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice".

Australian model and actress Elle Macpherson is engaged to the billionaire real estate developer Jeffrey Soffer.   Let's just call him the luckiest guy on the planet.

 

TV TONIGHT

ABC: Celebrity Wife Swap, The Taste (FINALE), and Body of Proof are all new

CBS: Golden Boy is new

NBC: Betty White's Off Their Rockers and Smash are new

FOX: Hell's Kitchen premieres tonight

CW: All reruns tonight

 

NEW ON DVD

Life of Pi

Rise of the Guardians

Smashed

 

News from Nashville
 

 
Lady A's Hillary Scott says she's having a girl.  She plans to continue the tour until June.  The baby is due in July.  Congrats Hillary.
Darius Rucker will combine his love 'fore' golf with his passion for ACM Lifting Lives, when he hosts the  2013 Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic in Las Vegas for a second straight year.

Craig Morgan is heading to Europe to participate in a 220 mile dog sled expedition above the Arctic Circle starting April 9th. Craig will be among 20 people from 10 countries dog sledding.

Trace Adkins presented a $670,000 check to the American Red Cross on Sunday night's episode of NBC's All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.

Taylor Swift made more bank in 2012 than Anne Hathaway and Brad Pitt combined.   She's Number 3 on Parade Magazine's earnings list.  

How much does Blake Shelton make for one episode of The Voice?   Allegedly his paycheck is $75,000 per episode.

Performing tonight at the Grand Ole Opry is Easton Corbin, Kip Moore, Dustin Lynch and others.  

Taylor Swift is in Omaha, Nebraska getting ready to kick off her latest tour in support of her album, "Red."   But even as she does, she is taking time to brighten the hope of others. The singer visited a 10 year old Lauren Hacker - a young cancer patient - over the weekend at Children's Hospital.  The fifth-grader has cancer. The meeting was drummed up on social media — and later arranged by the girl's family and Swift's reps.

 

New Songs on the Radio for March 2013:

Brad Paisley, ‘Beat This Summer’
Tim McGraw (Feat. Taylor Swift), ‘Highway Don’t Care’
The Band Perry, ‘Done’
Sheryl Crow, ‘Easy’
Justin Moore, ‘Point at You’
Zac Brown Band, ‘Jump Right In’
Drake White, ‘The Simple Life’
Billy Currington, ‘Hey Girl’
Katie Armiger, ‘Playin’ With Fire’

 



 
Lar's This & That
 
WOULD YOU HAVE BOUGHT A TELEPOD?
Turns out it was a name seriously considered by Apple for the iPhone. Apple thought Telepod sounded like a futuristic version of the word "telephone." Not to mention that it included the word "pod" when iPods were already hugely popular.

 

 
STRANGER THAN YOU THINK
In January, a 71-year-old man in Ohio got a fine for improper brake  lights.  He decided not to pay it . . . so he could cross "going to jail"  off his bucket list.  And he just did his three days in jail.  He says  his cell was tiny, but he passed the time by jogging outside, and it was EASY.



DO KIDS THINK MOM IS PERFECT?  
According to a survey of 1,000 kids, 100% of mothers are perfect.  That's  right . . . EVERY kid thinks their mom is perfect.  And the number one  thing kids like about their mom is . . . their kissing and cuddling  ability.  The rest of the top five is:  Making you feel better when  you're sick . . . making you laugh . . . baking . . . and telling stories.  (Female  First)

 
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR TORNADO SEASON
 
Statewide tornado drill is today in Virginia.  They can be scary and do millions of dollars worth of damage in just minutes, not to mention take lives and cause injuries.   Make sure you're prepared.    More
 
March is Red Cross Month and their out with a new Tornado APP for iPhone, Droid, and tablet users.  It's FREE.

 

CAN'T REMEMBER?   BLAME THE GUM  

Chomping on gum all day long won’t just annoy your cube mate–it’ll muck up your memory, too. Researchers at Cardiff University in the U.K. found that people who chewed gum had a harder time memorizing lists of letters and numbers than those who didn’t chew.

Why? Researchers believe that the motion involved in chewing impedes your brain’s ability to memorize serial lists. Just like tapping your finger or foot may distract you from accomplishing the same task, continual movements like gnawing on gum can also interfere with your short-term memory.

 
HOW'S YOUR WORKDAY?  NEED A NAP?

43% of Americans 13-64 say they rarely get a good night's sleep.  Health experts say worker fatigue weighing on workers' health.  

A Paramus, NJ investment firm helps its 20 employees in the office fight through a wave of afternoon fatigue with a nap.  The company remodeled an unused closet with a recliner, a fountain and a bamboo rug.   Employees sign up for 20 minute blocks of restorative time twice a week and emerge energized.  One employee said he doesn't drink coffee in the afternoon because after the nap,  he feels energized. Apparently,  nap time isn't just for preschoolers.  **MAYBE, BUT RECESS IS STILL MY FAVORITE.

 

WHAT WILL THE BIG DAY COST YOU

TheKnot.com has released a survey of average wedding costs, and the numbers are pretty staggering. In its survey of 17,500 couples, TheKnot.com has found that in 2012 the average wedding cost just over $28,000.

 

THE PERFECT WEDDING DAY

No limo for these newlyweds. The bride arrived in her own helicopter and the groom touched down with a parachute. Heather Howley and Marius Ivascu held their wedding reception over weekend at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in upstate New York. She owns Independent Helicopters. And he is a skydiving instructor and a member of the U.S. Parachute Team.
Ivascu told a local paper there's a reason behind their wedding day stunt. The couple hopes to promote the aviation business, which has been hurt by the recession and soaring fuel prices
 

 
Good News Story 
March is Red Cross Month.   In the next few months, Robert "Wayne" Cozart will retire from an unusual task — donating blood to the American Red Cross.  The 80 year old has been giving blood for 61 years.   His plan, to give 34 gallons before he retires.  

He's completed 33 gallons and half of the 34.   He will donate again at the next blood drive, since a healthy donor can give every 56 days.  Cozart should meet his goal in the next eight months.  He first gave blood while serving in the Marines.  He's donated 268 times and that doesn't include the times he donated sporadically in other states.

Wait, it gets better. For each gallon donated, the Red Cross gives the donor a pin.  Cozart took all the pins and made a clock.  There's one pin missing.  Once he donatse his 34th gallon he'll get that one and donate the clock to the local Red Cross chapter.

Nice story.  Maybe it's time you get involved and help celebrate Red Cross Month. Who knows,  you might make it to 35.

 

Lar's Thought of the Day 

 
"One day your life will flash before your eyes...Do something worth watching..."