Thursday, April 26, 2012

A smoking joke

A Wichita fire investigator told me today that an apartment fire started after a smoker put a just-extinguished cigarette butt into a plastic water bottle full of old butts out on the balcony.

"How many butts," I asked, "does it take to make an ass of yourself?"

Monday, April 23, 2012

Drama in Belgium

There's a red button in the town square of a quiet Belgian village. What happens when somebody pushes it?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

A tip for Earth Day

Want a "natural" way to kill weeds? Here's a good tip from the web site A Garden for the House.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Serious tornado threat for much of Kansas and Oklahoma Saturday

If you live in central and eastern Kansas or Oklahoma and have somehow missed the alerts, there's a very high risk of strong, long-tracked tornadoes striking Saturday.

Here's the Storm Prediction Center map outlining the danger:



Supercell thunderstorms figure to be isolated, but any tornadoes that develop are expected to be especially dangerous --- not just because of their intensity but because they'll be moving at 50 miles an hour or more. If you live in the areas shaded red, make tornado safety precautions now and be prepared to take shelter on short notice.

As fast as these tornadoes will be moving, there won't be much time to react. Weather officials haven't issued warnings this serious this much in advance since the deadly Deep South outbreak of April 27, 2011.

Weather researchers I know say this atmospheric set-up is very similar to April 26, 1991, when a significant outbreak produced numerous tornadoes in Oklahoma and Kansas. One of the tornadoes was an F5 that struck Haysville, south Wichita, McConnell Air Force Base and Andover. 17 people died.

What was likely an even stronger tornado touched down in Cowley County and killed one person.

Keep an eye on conditions Saturday and be prepared to take shelter.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Had a rough day? Rough month? Listen to this

"To be loved is the thing that gets you up in the morning"

Phillip Seymour Hoffman talks to National Public Radio about the play "Death of a Salesman." Compelling stuff......



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A UFO sighting over South Korea? Millions are pondering that question

Some say this video shot by an airline passenger over the city of Seoul, South Korea, last Saturday is a hoax.

Others say it's clear evidence of a UFO - unidentified flying object. To be honest, I can't land firmly in either camp.

It looks suspicious, all right, but that doesn't mean it's an extra-terrestrial visitor. Give this video clip a look and share your thoughts.



This YouTube clip has already been viewed millions of times. It's likely raised nearly that many questions.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

The PGA's version of a boy band

They call themselves the Golf Boys. It's a pretty entertaining video.



Oh, by the way --- one of these guys just won the Master's tournament. Without ever taking a golf lesson.

A hint? It's the bare-chested guy in the overalls.