August 31, 2005

I got this from a reader of Bumpshack today. It shows how bad it is along the coast:

Do not forget to remind the readers of Bumpshack.com that the coast of Mississippi suffered greater damage than New Orleans, because Mississippi did not prepare like New Orleans did. 

There was at least 30 people to die in a single apartment complex on the coast.  Not to mention the loss of the casinos and the jobs of thousands of people who worked at them.  I have two friend who work for the casinos.  They have lost their homes and vehicles along with their jobs.

We haven't heard from my family members living in Picayune, MS.  My mom tried to call them before the hurricane to tell them to come stay with us, but they didn't think it would be that bad. They thought New Orleans would get the brunt of the storm.

On the coast, the smell of gas is everywhere.  There is no power and probably won't be for months because the tower was destroyed.  Basically, they will have to rebuild everything from scratch.  That in itself is devastating.  We don't have power here in Jackson, Mississippi, but we hope to in the next week.  People are going crazy here for ice and gas.

Tell your readers that a lot of people from New Orleans and the coast drove here to Jackson and there is no power or major services here now as well.

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the South in general needs everyone's prayers, support, and donations.

Thanks,
Danielle
Jackson, Mississippi

Water continues to rise in New Orleans.  The hole in the levee continues to grow and Army engineers have been unsuccessful in trying to plug it.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.    posted 9:51am by jholmes

No one will be allowed back in New Orleans for weeks:

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is we have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."     posted 9:47am by jholmes

The 25,000 Superdome evacuees in Louisiana are set to be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.  posted 9:43am by jholmes

Facts about Hurricane Katrina and the damage caused by it.  posted 12:40am by jholmes

Steroid abuser Rafael Palmeiro used ear plugs to block out the chorus of boos in Toronto last night.  posted 12:34am by jholmes

Los Angeles police have been to Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley's house three times in the past month.  Bradley has been a trouble maker for every team he has played for and know in his own home.

Redondo Beach, Calif., police responded to domestic violence reports at the home of Milton Bradley three times in a 33-day period this summer, including an instance in which the Dodger outfielder allegedly choked his pregnant wife and injured her lip, authorities said Tuesday.

On July 11, police said they arrived to find Monique Bradley with a bloody lip, sustained when her husband "grabbed her right hand and pushed her hand against her mouth," according to a police report of her account. Her name was redacted from the documents released Tuesday.

Bradley also held his wife against a wall by placing his right forearm across her throat, according to the police report. She was four months pregnant at the time. When Bradley released her, she told police she "went to the bathroom and threw up."   posted 12:20am by jholmes

Debbie Gibson is 35 today.  Is she ever going to get old?  posted 12:12am by jholmes

American tennis favorite Andy Roddick was upset and knocked out of the first round of the U.S. Tennis Open.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Dr. Phil's son is engaged to one of the famed Dahm Playboy triplets.  posted 12:06am by jholmes

Top places to stalk celebrities in big cities.  posted 12:03am by jholmes

August 30, 2005

Enjoy fantasy sports and need a free fantasy football league?  Join Bumpshack.com's Fantasy Football league on Yahoo!  It is free and fun.  Go to Yahoo! Fantasy Sports and join private free league.  The league ID# is 110230 and the password is mtsu.  Still need several teams.  Draft is this Friday night.  Email me if you have questions.  posted 3:59pm by jholmes

More than 95% of Gulf of Mexico oil production has been lost due to the hurricane.  opsted 3:38pm by jholmes

Louisiana Superdome being torn apart inside as well.  Over 10,000 people are staying inside the dome due to the hurricane.

Rescuers are continuing to bring survivors from Hurricane Katrina to the huge sports arena, where the air conditioning is out and the bathrooms are filthy. And there are two holes in the roof, caused by the storm.

Officials had earlier reported two deaths at the Superdome, and now, they report that someone died Tuesday after plunging from an upper level of the stadium. They say the person probably jumped.     posted 3:26pm by jholmes

Michael Jackson has resurfaced in Dubai.  posted 10:54am by jholmes

At least 68 dead from Katrina.  Nearly 80 dead in one Mississippi county according to a report.  Hole in canal levee in New Orleans is now 200 feet wide and flooding the city.  posted 10:18am by jholmes

Rankings of some of the best and easiest colleges.  Discuss college life on the Bumpshack Message Board. 

Students Never Stop Studying: Reed College
Students (Almost) Never Study: University of Mississippi
Great College Library: Harvard University
This Is a Library?: Clarkson University    
Top Party School: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Major Frat & Sorority Scene: DePauw University
Reefer Madness: Hampshire College
Lots of Hard Liquor: Tulane University
Lots of Beer: Indiana University     posted 1:35am by jholmes

Elvira actress claims to having needed stitches after losing virginity to singer Tom Jones.  posted 1:33am by jholmes

British school children are allowed to use the F-bomb in class up to five times a day before being punished.  posted 1:20am by jholmes

Preseason Top 25 High School football prospects.  posted 1:12am by jholmes

Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals became the first 19 game winner in Major League Baseball this season.  posted 1:09am by jholmes

Experts are saying that New Orleans could turn into one big cesspool full of chemicals and even coffins due to the flooding from Hurricane Katrina.  President Bush has promised post-storm help for the areas impacted by the hurricane.   posted 1:03am by jholmes

August 29, 2005

A look at the history of the deadliest hurricanes.  posted 6:47pm by jholmes

Ex-lover Gwyneth Paltrow says that Brad Pitt should not be so public with his new fling Angelina Jolie.  posted 6:21pm by jholmes

Entire Louisiana neighborhoods are swamped from Hurricane Katrina.  posted 6:19pm by jholmes

I went to Dodger stadium yesterday to see the Dodgers play the Houston Astros.  Roger 'the Rocket' Clemens was pitching and I wanted to see the best pitcher in my life time perform before he hangs the jockstrap up for good.  Roger is having one of the best seasons on the mound in the history of the game.  Clemens just turned 43 a month ago.  He was amazing yesterday as well.  He gave up two hits and no runes in six innings, but his team did not score any runs for him once again.  The Dodgers ended up winning the game 1-0 behind an equally strong performance out of their starting pitcher Jeff Weaver.  I was sitting right behind Houston's dugout (no, not where I was suppose to be sitting) and close to my favorite redneck Matthew McConaughey.  I had the camera so I got some pretty cool pics of the Hollywood redneck from Texas.  Check them out in BumpPhotos.  I will try to post some photos of the Rocket later today.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

Iraqi president says he will not sign a death sentence for Saddam Hussein.  posted 12:14am by jholmes

Oil prices have reached $70 a barrel over Hurricane Katrina fears.

Prices leapt as Hurricane Katrina, the 11th named storm of what is expected to be an unusually severe season, threatened to do lasting damage to vital U.S. oil and refining assets in the Gulf of Mexico, further straining an industry that has struggled to keep up with two years of strongly rising oil demand.

More than 40 percent of all U.S. crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was reported closed down due to the hurricane, with the total expected to rise significantly as more operators report affected production to the U.S. government on Monday.     posted 12:10am by jholmes

The French Quarter in New Orleans is empty as Hurricane Katrina bears down on the sub-sea level city.  posted 12:02am by jholmes

Research shows higher cancer risk for redheads.  posted 12:00am by jholmes

Is it just me or is Kanye West extremely over-rated and over-hyped?

August 28, 2005

Top reasons for the loss of passion between lovers.  posted 12:47am by jholmes

Ashlee Simpson draws attention at movie premiere she has a minor role in.  posted 12:36am by jholmes

Suge Knight was shot in the leg early this morning at a beach party in Miami.  posted 12:32am by jholmes

More and more males are becoming more open to the idea of waxing body hair.  posted 12:30am by jholmes

A researcher has found a way to turn dark chicken meat into white chicken meat.  Unfortunately he has not called it the Michael Jackson process.  posted 12:28am by jholmes

August 27, 2005

How gas prices are work and are set.  Several pages but interesting for sure.  Also, a look at gas prices from around the world.  You will see our prices here in the States are ultra cheap in comparison.  Discuss gas prices, what you are reading, college and many other topics on the Bumpshack Message Board.  Thanks to Lil Tony from the message board for the gas links.  posted 9:34am by jholmes

Teenage rape victim says she is the mother of Angelina Jolie's new adopted daughter.  posted 9:26am by jholmes

The FDA has delayed a decision on the morning after pill.  posted 12:58am by jholmes

A Chinese zoo wants one of its chimpanzees to quit smoking.  posted 12:42am by jholmes

The late Chris Farley finally gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  posted 12:40am by jholmes

The top ten bad foods you should never eat.  posted 12:38am by jholmes

Axl Rose is being sued by his former band mates for being sole administrator of the band's copyrights.  posted 12:33am by jholmes

The Grand Canyon is getting a glass bottomed walk-way.  posted 12:29am by jholmes

Singer Gretchen Wilson has agreed to stop plugging tobacco after a plea from the Tennessee attorney general on behalf of her younger fans.  posted 12:27am by jholmes

London zoo puts humans on display. 

Caged and barely clothed within a rocky enclosure, eight British men and women monkeyed around Friday for an amused, bemused crowd behind a sign reading "Warning: Humans in their Natural Environment."

The captives in the Human Zoo exhibit sunned themselves on a rock ledge, clad in bathing suits and pinned-on fig leaves. Some played with hula hoops, some waved. A signboard informed visitors about the species' diet, habitat, worldwide distribution and threats.     posted 12:24am by jholmes

Student's parents sue sorority over hazing death.  posted 12:17am by jholmes

August 26, 2005

A Russian health official has said that last year Russians had more abortions that births.

About 1.6 million women had an abortion last year, a fifth of them under the age of 18, and about 1.5 million gave birth, said Vladimir Kulakov, vice president of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. “Many more” abortions weren’t reported.

For every 1,000 Russians there are 16 deaths and just 10.6 births, a gap that isn’t being filled by immigrants, leading to a population decline of about 750,000 to 800,000 a year.     posted 1:19am by jholmes

Last night Tony LaRussa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, passed Sparky Anderson to move into 3rd place for the most wins by any manager in the history of baseball.  posted 1:12am by jholmes

New York Times bad review of  The Brothers Grimm.  The L.A. Times 'grimm' review as well.  Review what you see at the box office on the Bumpshack Message Board.  posted 1:06am by jholmes

Howard Stern is in trouble with the FCC again.  This time they are on his case for sex toys and porn stars on his show.  Did they just turn the show on for the first time?  His show is not bible class.  posted 12:54am by jholmes

Punky Brewster and her her husband have had their first child. Ok, Punky's real name is Soleil Moon Frye.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

Republicans are fearing that gas price anger might become directed at them. 

Polls show that the public blames politicians — after oil companies and foreign oil producing countries — for the high prices. A Harris Poll released Wednesday found that Americans ranked gas prices among the top five issues for the government to address. Compounding the problem for the GOP, Democrats are spotlighting fuel costs in their campaign to wrest control of Congress.     posted 12:44am by jholmes

Not a shocker, but divorce is very unhealthy for children.  Check out Dear Kat's page as well. She is a licensed therapist.  posted 12:39am by jholmes

The state of California has sued 39 drug companies for inflated prices.  I hope many more states follow suit.  posted 12:35am by jholmes

August 25, 2005

Teen actress Scout Taylor-Compton has been found. She had been missing for over two weeks.  Police believe she ran away.  posted 9:03pm by jholmes

The Tennessee attorney general wants Gretchen Wilson to stop using smokeless tobacco (aka Skoal) on stage during her concerts.

That may violate the 1998 settlement between states and tobacco companies forbidding tobacco ads targeting young people, Attorney General Paul Summers said.

"Many young people attend your concerts and purchase your music and T-shirts," Summers wrote in a letter he sent to Wilson Thursday. "Because your actions strongly influence the youth in your audience ... I ask you to take steps to warn young people of negative health effects of smokeless tobacco use."     posted 8:53pm by jholmes

Russell Crowe has reached a settlement with the hotel employee he threw a phone at back in June.  posted 8:50pm by jholmes

Hurricane Katrina has landed in Florida.  It has already killed two people.  posted 8:49pm by jholmes

Teen actress Scout Taylor-Compton is missing.  Scout starred in the teen comedy Sleepover.  posted 2:01am by jholmes

British tabloid apologizes and pays Justin Timberlake for accusing him of having an affair with model Lucy Clarkson back in 2004.  posted 1:14am by jholmes

Sources are saying that Victoria Gotti lied about having breast cancer in order to promote her reality TV show.  posted 1:09am by jholmes

Dozens are dead in Europe due to floods from torrential rains.  posted 1:05am by jholmes

The Florida Marlins have suspended one of their batboys for accepting a dare from Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny involving the consumption of a gallon of milk. 

Penny offered the batboy $500 if he could drink a gallon of milk in less than an hour before Sunday's game without throwing up. Penny told the paper the boy drank the milk and didn't throw up, but didn't finish the gallon in the allotted time frame to win the dare.

"It's kind of ridiculous that you get a 10-game suspension for steroids and a six-game suspension for milk," Penny told the Herald.     posted 1:02am by jholmes

Curt Schilling called Rafael Palmeiro a liar during an interview with a Boston radio station.  posted 12:58am by jholmes

August 24, 2005

List of the Princeton Review's  top party schools in the country.  posted 10:55am by jholmes

The director of the Tour de France is claiming that Lance Armstrong has 'fooled' the world and owes an explanation over new doping allegations from back in 1999. 

"For the first time - and these are no longer rumors, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body," Leblanc told L'Equipe.

Armstrong, a frequent target of L'Equipe, vehemently denied the allegations Tuesday, calling the article "tabloid journalism."

"I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs," he said on his Web site.     posted 10:36am by jholmes

David Ellison is reminding many in Hollywood of a young Howard Hughes.  Ellison finances and stars in the upcoming big-shot movie Flyboys.  posted 2:14am by jholmes

Move over Microsoft, it is Google's time to play the role of villain.  posted 2:05am by jholmes

The mom of Michael Jackson's accuser has been charged with welfare fraud.  posted 1:30am by jholmes

70% of bottled water comes from the tap.  Cities are trying to get in on the action with their utility companies coming out with their own bottled water.  posted 1:26am by jholmes

American Idol runner-up Bo Bice underwent emergency surgery last week for blockage in his intestines.  posted 1:13am by jholmes

Two people are dead after a shooting in a parking lot at Wal-Mart in Glendale, Arizona.  posted 12:54am by jholmes

Obesity rates are up in most states.  The only state not getting fatter is Oregon.  See how healthy your state is.  posted 12:45am by jholmes

Brock Peters who famously played the black man accused of rape in To Kill A Mockingbird has passed away at the age of 78 from pancreatic cancer.  posted 12:41am by jholmes

Another plane crash:  A Peruvian plane crashed near a jungle town in Peru killing at least 41 of the 100 passengers.  There has been a steady flow of airplane crashes in the past month it seems.  posted 12:37am by jholmes

I have the photos for you Keith Urban fans that wanted me to get some photos of the KU Gap billboard on Sunset Boulevard here in Los Angeles.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

August 23, 2005

Google is launching its own messenger service.  The service will be similar to those of Microsoft and Yahoo!  posted 12:43pm by jholmes

Swaziland is abandoning its ancient chastity rite:

At dawn Monday, thousands of Swazi girls removed tasseled scarves symbolizing their chastity, abandoning an ancient rite that had been revived to combat the modern scourge of AIDS.

King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, reinstated the "umchwasho" rite for five years in 2001, banning sexual relations for girls younger than 18. But the move was ridiculed as old-fashioned and unfairly focused on girls - and the king himself was accused of ignoring it.

The abandonment of the rite comes days before the annual reed dance ceremony at which Mswati traditionally picks a new bride from thousands of young girls who appear before him dressed in little more than beads and traditional skirts.    posted 12:22am by jholmes

CPR is getting a makeover with new guidelines in how to apply it.  posted 12:15am by jholmes

Joaquin Phoenix denies break-down on set of Walk the Line.  posted 12:11am by jholmes

The judged has signed off approving the divorce of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, but the ruling will not go into effect until October 2nd.  posted 12:08am by jholmes

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has stated that he intends to step down after his term is up in September 2006.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

5 bodies have been found in an apparent murder-suicide in California.  posted 12:02am by jholmes

August 22, 2005

Harvard scientists have fused an adult skin cell with a stem cell in a development that could lead to stem cells being created without having to create and destroy embryos.  posted 1:00am by jholmes

Saddam Hussein is saying that he is ready to sacrifice his soul for the Arab cause:

"In our glorious nation, my soul, and what I have been born on, is to be sacrificed to it," the letter said, in what the context suggested was an apparent reference to all Arabs.     posted 12:54am by jholmes

Scott Rolen of the St. Louis Cardinals has decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder.  posted 12:48am by jholmes

Donald Trump is producing a Chinese Apprentice.  posted 12:46am by jholmes

Israelis have left 20 of the 21 Gaza settlements.  posted 12:44am by jholmes

Bizarre Hunter S. Thompson memorial concludes with an explosive bang!  posted 12:39am by jholmes

August 21, 2005

What Major League Baseball rosters would look like if there was no free agency or trading.  posted 2:53am by jholmes

A New York museum is working hard to preserve artifacts from the Revolutionary War time frame including Benedict Arnold's papers.  posted 2:45am by jholmes

Lance Armstrong and George Bush competed in the Tour de Crawford yesterday at the president's ranch.  posted 2:41am by jholmes

Garth Brooks and Wal-Mart stores have reached an agreement where only Wal-Mart and Sams Clubs will distribute and sell new music material from the country legend.  posted 2:33am by jholmes

Dolly Parton has recruited many stars to join in on her tribute cover album.  posted 2:28am by jholmes

War supporters have set up their own camp outside of George Bush's Crawford ranch.  Utah television station rejected airing an anti-war ad featuring Cindy Sheehan.  posted 2:18am by jholmes

August 20, 2005

Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, a White House lawyer for Ronald Reagan at the time, raised his concerns about Michael Jackson way back in 1984 at the height of Jackson's popularity.

On April 30, 1984, Roberts wrote to oppose a presidential award that was to have been given to Jackson for his efforts against drunk driving. Roberts particularly objected to award wording that described Jackson as an "outstanding example" for American youth.

Roberts wrote: "If one wants the youth of America and the world sashaying around in garish sequined costumes, hair dripping with pomade, body shot full of female hormones to prevent voice change, mono-gloved, well, then, I suppose 'Michael,' as he is affectionately known in the trade, is in fact a good example. Quite apart from the problem of appearing to endorse Jackson's androgynous life style, a Presidential award would be perceived as a shallow effort by the President to share in the constant publicity surrounding Jackson. . . . The whole episode would, in my view, be demeaning to the President."     More on nominee John Roberts.  posted 12:55am by jholmes

Senate minority leader Harry Reid suffered a mild stroke on Friday.  posted 12:47am by jholmes

Jenny McCarthy is soon to be back on the market.  posted 12:44am by jholmes

Some excerpts from Bill Simmons Ramblings. 

If anything, the Rafael Palmeiro saga reminded everyone of a time-worn lesson: Never, ever trust a good-looking guy with a nice mustache. Those are always the guys who sleep with your ex-girlfriend and leave the dinner table three seconds before the check arrives. Always keep these people at arm's length. I'm telling you.

There's comedy, there's high comedy ... and then there's a 5-year-old kid trying to use a urinal.

After Mia Hamm retired, I was wondering if anyone would fill her void as the "cute female athlete who's as personable as an ironing board" ... and then Danica Patrick came along.

Speaking of Lance, everyone keeps raving how he's such a physical specimen, how he's unbelievable, how he's an inspiration and everything else -- and I'm not denying any of that -- but what about Jack Nicholson? The guy's been partying like a madman for four decades now: Outlived Belushi and Hunter S., looks 10 times better than Keith Richards and Jan Michael Vincent, still hangs with 25-year-olds and Playboy bunnies ... I mean, everyone else from his generation is either dead, brain-dead or stone-cold sober, and he's still chugging along like a college sophomore at Mardi Gras. So where's his Nike commercial?

Watching the Yankees keep throwing Alan Embree out there is like watching your arch-enemy in college unknowingly start dating a girl with VD.

When they have the "Dawson's Creek" reunion, they need to throw in a plot when Pacey finds out that Dawson paid Joey $10 million for five years to pretend that she was his girlfriend.

For everyone who thinks I have the easiest job on the planet: Have you watched Vanna White on "Wheel of Fortune" lately? She doesn't even have to turn the letters around anymore -- they light up, she walks over and touches them, and that's it. You could train a chimp to do this. And I have an easy job?     posted 12:25am by jholmes

Presidential Trivia: How well do you know your Presidents?  posted 12:10am by jholmes

A Kansas teen was attacked and killed by a tiger at an animal sanctuary while posing for photos.  posted 12:04am by jholmes

August 19, 2005

Concert promoters are trying to keep concert ticket prices down this summer.  posted 1:41am by jholmes

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s widow Coretta Scott King has suffered a minor heart attack and a major stroke.   posted 1:20am by jholmes

Randy Moss admits smoking marijuana since he entered the NFL.

"I have used, you know, marijuana ... since I've been in the league," Moss said in an interview for HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" scheduled to air Tuesday night. "But as far as abusing it and, you know, letting it take control over me, I don't do that, no."

Moss has never been suspended for violating the league's drug policy and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said it is confidential whether the receiver is in the drug program or not.

Moss, however, did test positive several years ago and had to submit to up to 10 drug tests a month. After testing clean in the two subsequent years following the positive test, Moss rotated out of the NFL's drug program.

Moss has had problems on and off the field throughout his college and pro career. He lost scholarships at Notre Dame and Florida State because of a battery charge and marijuana use. He set records at Marshall and clearly was the most dynamic receiver in the 1998 draft, but lasted until 21st overall because of his past trouble.     posted 1:15am by jholmes

BTK killer Dennis Rader received a life sentence yesterday in Wichita, Kansas for his murder spree over seventeen years that resulted in the deaths of  10 victims.

Rapper Eminem is in rehab concerning sleep medication.  posted 1:03am by jholmes

August 18, 2005

Eminem abruptly cancels European tour.  Some say this is the end of Eminem as he decides to focus on being a father.  posted 8:01am by jholmes

Spray-on tanners are the latest craze among celebrities and busy business women.  posted 1:10am by jholmes

Local Los Angeles junior football programs are upset with 'Coach' Snoop Dog for creating his own football league and luring players away with gifts, trophies, and a pimped out bus blaring his tunes.  posted 1:04am by jholmes

A study released yesterday shows that home prices in 53 important housing markets are overpriced.  posted 1:01am by jholmes

More Bad Judeness:  Nude photos of Jude Law have found the internet.  posted 12:55am by jholmes

Exercise guidelines for women have been established for the very first time.  posted 12:43am by jholmes

The world's sexiest islands for 2005.  posted 12:34am by jholmes

A 104 people are missing after a small boat capsized off of Colombia's coast.  posted 12:30am by jholmes

Thank you ESPN: The sports cable giant turned down the NHL's last offer to broadcast hockey games this year.  posted 12:22am by jholmes

The American Bar Institute has given Supreme Court nominee John Roberts very high marks as 'well qualified.'  More Bumpshack S.C. coverage

This is the fourth time the ABA has rated Roberts. He was designated as well qualified in 2001 when he was nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He earned the same rating in 2003 when he was nominated again for the appeals courts and then confirmed. He was rated as qualified as an appeals court nominee in 1992, but the Senate never took up that nomination.     posted 12:15am by jholmes

Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing life-long satellite tracking of sex offenders.

The governor wants to prohibit registered sex offenders from living near parks and schools. He also seeks to increase penalties for possession of child pornography, date rapists and using the Internet to lure minors for sex acts.

If enacted, the legislation would give California some of the toughest laws in the nation for released sex offenders, its supporters said. Lawmakers in Florida recently adopted a similar lifetime monitoring requirement.     posted 12:08am by jholmes

Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott takes shots at current Majority Leader Bill Frist in his new book.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

August 17, 2005

American Idol defector Mario Vazquez gets big record deal with J records.  posted 12:44pm by jholmes

Top twenty music albums for the week of August 12th.  Faith Hill is at the top with her new album Fireflies.  I had the chance to see Faith in concert last night at the Pantages theater here in Los Angeles.  She put on a superb show.  The show was filmed for a TV special later in the year.  Her husband Tim McGraw opened the show with a five song acoustical set and later joined Faith for a duet towards the end of her show.  posted 1:11am by jholmes

Robert DeNiro is 61 today.  Former New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg is 35.  posted 1:05am by jholmes

At least 35 civilians in Iraq died due to three separate car bombings yesterday.  posted 1:04am by jholmes

Yesterday, August 16th, is a day that two American legends died on.  One was a musician and one was a sports hero, can you name both of them?  Their first names are very well known. They are Elvis........Presley and Babe.........Ruth.

Forbes nine billionaire daughters to watch.  posted 12:54am by jholmes

A decision has been delayed in granting the '.xxx' domain.  To get your own .com or .net visiting my hosting/domain name site at www.BigWilt.com  posted 12:49am by jholmes

Drew Barrymore has given a 'wild child' warning to Lindsay Lohan.  posted 12:4am by jholmes

Madonna was injured on her 47th birthday after falling from her horse in her house outside London.  She broke her collar bone, hand, and cracked three ribs.  posted 12:17am by jholmes

Filming of The Davinci Code is dividing churches in Europe.

The novel has drawn strong protests from the Roman Catholic Church, and the movie version has fanned whispers of discontent in Lincoln, where Tom Hanks and the crew were filming Tuesday.

"To a believer, any believer, what is happening is blasphemous," said a woman identifying herself as Sister Mary Michael, who held a solo prayer vigil outside the medieval cathedral.     posted 12:09am by jholmes

August 16, 2005

A Venezuelan plane has crashed off the French island of Martinique with more than 160 feared dead.  It is the second major air crash in the last couple of days.  posted 9:09am by jholmes

Hollywood stars who have not been promiscuous are hard to find but there is one or two.  posted 9:01am by jholmes

Tommy Lee talks about his new reality TV show Tommy Lee Goes to College.  posted 12:25am by jholmes

Japan's Prime Minister apologized for World War II yesterday and the damages that Japan inflicted on its neighbors and the world. 

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed "deep reflections and heartfelt apology" for the Tokyo's wartime colonization and pledged that his country would never forget the "terrible lessons" of the war, which ended Aug. 15, 1945.

Our country has caused great damages and pain to people in many countries, especially our Asian neighbors, through colonization and invasion," Koizumi said in a statement.     posted 12:18am by jholmes

The only woman that Georgia has ever fried in its electric chair has received a pardon 60 years after the fact.  The black maid was put to death for killing a white man she said was holding her as a slave and threatening her life.  posted 12:14am by jholmes

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Japan has injured over 30 people.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Scientists in Australia believe that crocodile blood could kill the HIV virus. 

The crocodile's immune system is much more powerful than that of humans, preventing life-threatening infections after savage territorial fights which often leave the animals with gaping wounds and missing limbs.

Initial studies of the crocodile immune system in 1998 found that several proteins (antibodies) in the reptile's blood killed bacteria that were resistant to penicillin, such as Staphylococcus aureus or golden staph, Australian scientist Adam Britton told Reuters on Tuesday. It was also a more powerful killer of the HIV virus than the human immune system.

"If you take a test tube of HIV and add crocodile serum it will have a greater effect than human serum. It can kill a much greater number of HIV viral organisms," Britton said from Darwin's Crocodylus Park, a tourism park and research center.     posted 12:05am by jholmes

Christie Brinkley is returning as a CoverGirl.  Brinkley was a super model before there was a word for them and she put CoverGirl on the map.  posted 12:02am by jholmes

August 15, 2005

Research suggest that just a few drinks during pregnancy can harm the baby.  posted 12:20am by jholmes

President Bush's ranch neighbor takes aim at protestors in his yard.

"Well, I'm getting ready for dove season," Larry Mattlage, 62, told reporters of the shots fired around 10 a.m. (noon EDT). Asked if there was an underlying message to the shots, which he fired harmlessly into the air, Mattlage told a reporter, "Figure it out for yourself."

"Would you want someone invading your house for a long time and blocking your view and blocking your road?" asked Mattlage, a six-year resident of Crawford who said he had originally been sympathetic to the protesters' cause.

"I just want them to pack the damn tents and go where they came from," Mattlage said. "They made their point and everybody understands it."     posted 12:25am by jholmes

Sarah Jessica Parker is back with a new fragrance and two new movies.  posted 12:20am by jholmes

This week President Bush will be challenged on his mountain bike riding course, at the ranch, by fellow Texan and 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, this week. 

"It's a dream scenario for me," Armstrong said. "Now that President Bush doesn't run anymore, he rides his mountain bike fanatically. People wonder why he's stays at the ranch so long, it might be the mountain bike trails."

It also must be a dream scenario for Bush to ride with Armstrong, a fellow Texan and cancer survivor who last month won his most recent Tour de France. Bush has become an avid biker in the last couple of years, after a knee injury forced him to give up his jogging routine.

"I know people who have ridden with him," Armstrong said. "I can tell you he's one very competitive guy. Very competitive, there's no talking. A few minutes of warm up time, a little chitchat, then you go."     posted 12:14am by jholmes

California woman's dog wins The Ugliest Dog Contest for the third time.  Click the link to see a photo of the dog if you dare!  posted 12:08am by jholmes

Four Brothers was the top movie at the box office this weekend followed closely by The Skeleton Key.  Review of The Skeleton Key.  posted 12:06am by jholmes

Pilots in Greek airplane crash were slumped over in cockpit as plane crashed towards the earth.  posted 12:04am by jholmes

August 14, 2005

Dear Kat has new advice posted for a reader who submitted a question via the Bumpshack Message Board.  Read her column for her advice or to submit your own questions.  posted 10:22am by jholmes

The historic Gaza pullout in Israel is just miles away. 

For the first time since 1967, Israeli troops and about 9,000 Jewish settlers are to begin leaving Gaza and parts of the West Bank this week under the nation's disengagement plan, spearheaded by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.     posted 10:11am by jholmes

A plane crash in Greece has killed all 121 people who were aboard the flight.  posted 10:06am by jholmes

Starting your own website? Need hosting or to purchase your own domain name?  Then check out my domain/hosting site www.BigWilt.com where you can purchase hosting and domain names for your site, amongst other items, at rock bottom prices.  posted 2:00am by jholmes

Reporter finds it tough to keep up with President Bush on one of his mountain bike rides on the ranch. 

But the truth about this 59-year-old mountain biker is that the man can really ride. Over the course of a two-hour Tour de Crawford, Bush humbled every rider in Peloton One with a strong and steady pace over scorching hot paved roads, muddy creek crossings, energy-sapping tall grass and steep climbs on loose and crumbling rock.

Keeping up with Bush — whose fitness level has been rated as being in the top 1% of men his age — was as difficult as any race I've entered. I started out riding next to him at the beginning of the ride, but when we left the dirt trails and hit the rolling asphalt, the pace accelerated to more than 20 mph, which is pretty good for road bikes but absolutely blazing for heavier, knobby-tired mountain bikes.     posted 1:50am by jholmes

Jerry Lee Lewis' Mississippi home is now no longer open to the public for tours.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

Terrell Owens showed up in the stands last night at the Falcons-Ravens football game in Atlanta.  posted 1:09am by jholmes

Celebrity Bikini Styles.  posted 12:59am by jholmes

Experimental hybrid cars are getting over 250 miles-per-gallon.  posted 12:51am by jholmes

The Iraqi constitution is close to being completed.  posted 12:47am by jholmes

August 13, 2005

Derek Lowe of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been a bad bad boy.  posted 11:17am by jholmes

Supercuts is being sued over their Spanish language ban.  posted 12:29am by jholmes

Review of The 40-year-old Virgin.  posted 12:30am by jholmes

Pamela Rogers, the naughty Tennessee school teacher, has been sentenced to nine months in jail for having sex with a 13-year-old.  posted 12:25am by jholmes

A State of Emergency in Sri Lanka has been issued after its Foreign Minister was gunned down this morning.  posted 12:17am by jholmes

Andre 3000 makes his big screen debut in the new movie Four Brothers.  posted 12:13am by jholmes

Faith Hill embraces her small-town roots on her new album Fireflies.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

A French couple celebrating their 81st anniversary had this bit of advice for couples:

Keep arguments to a minimum, eat well and wash it down with a glass of wine.     posted 12:05am by jholmes

Waffle House is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

There are 1,500 Waffle Houses spread across 25 states, as far west as Arizona and as far north as Illinois, but the chain is still rooted deeply in the South and retains a distinctively down-home, blue-collar aura.

Maybe it's the simple menu anchored by eggs, grits and hash browns "smothered and covered" in cheese and onions, the firm cash-only policy or the fact it serves most meals for under $5. It somehow feels like breakfast at Grandma's house — before she started worrying about her cholesterol.

Waffle House started in September 1955 after Rogers, then a regional manager for a now-defunct diner chain out of Memphis, Tenn., walked up to a real estate agent who lived two doors down and proposed a partnership.    

The two built a restaurant in Avondale Estates, an east Atlanta suburb, and painted it yellow to catch the eye of motorists. It was Forkner who proposed naming the restaurant for the biggest moneymaker on its 16-item menu: the waffle.     posted 12:03am by jholmes

August 12, 2005

The price of oil has now hit $67 a barrel.  posted 12:26pm by jholmes

The FDA is putting stricter restrictions on the use of the acne drug Accutane. 

Everyone who uses the acne drug Accutane will have to enroll in a national registry, along with every doctor who prescribes it and every drugstore that sells it — tough new restrictions aimed at preventing women from becoming pregnant with this birth defect-causing drug.

Women of childbearing age will have some additional steps: They're supposed to use two forms of birth control, get two negative pregnancy tests before their initial Accutane prescription, and show proof of another negative pregnancy test before each monthly refill.

If a woman becomes pregnant while taking the acne drug, her baby can suffer severe brain and heart defects, mental retardation and other abnormalities, even if the mother took only a small dose for a short period. That's a risk for 30 days after stopping the drug, too.     posted 10:13am by jholmes

I went to the Avril Lavigne and Gavin DeGraw concert last night at the Greek theatre here in Los Angeles.  DeGraw blew everyone away at the outdoor venue.  His powerful voice mixed with his piano and guitar playing had everyone wanting more songs.  He delivered a strong powerful mini set of songs he has written including his radio hits Chariot and I Don't Wanna Be.  His other songs from the Chariot album were even more impressive and stripped down.  Everyone should see him in concert if given the chance.  Avril had a very tough act to follow after DeGraw but she was highly impressive.  She played hit after hit from both of her albums, Let Go and Under My Skin and had the young crowd singing along with her positive, feel good, self-worth songs.  She was joined by her fiancé rocker Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 for one of the encore songs.  It was a cheap ticket concert I found that turned out to be a very good show and one of the best concerts I have been to.  posted 8:48am by jholmes

400-foot waterfall discovered at Whiskeytown National Wildlife Area in the wilderness of northern California.  Not even park rangers who had worked there for decades were aware the magnificent waterfall existed.  posted 8:40am by jholmes

Be sure to check out and take part on the Bumpshack Message Board.  posted 12:26am by jholmes

Be aware of these five credit card tricks.  posted 12:24am by jholmes

Ex-NFL quarterback heads new Survivor cast.  posted 12:20am by jholmes

British Airways canceled all flights today due to industrial strikes.

The cancellations were announced after British Airways' staff joined an industrial dispute between the airline's caterer Gate Gourmet and its work force.

A union representing Gate Gourmet, which provides onboard meals for British Airways flights, said the company had fired 800 workers on Wednesday. The company said only 667 workers had been dismissed.     posted 12:12am by jholmes

Lucille Ball voted favorite dead celebrity ahead of Bob Hope and John Wayne.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Last night Rafael Palmeiro returned to the Baltimore Orioles but did not leave the bench.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

Terror warnings have been issued for New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago regarding fuel trucks.  posted 12:03am by jholmes

August 11, 2005

Bob Saget, the clean cut father from Full House, has become a dirty, foul-mouthed, sick comedian, but it seems to be landing him more and more jobs.  posted 9:40am by jholmes

Rocker Courtney Love has been ordered  back to court after failing a drug test, again.  posted 9:21am by jholmes

Terrell Owens was thrown out of Philadelphia Eagles training camp yesterday.

For the fifth time in six days, Owens did not practice Wednesday because of a groin injury suffered last week. Instead, he worked out with the assistant trainer for about 20 minutes, catching balls from a machine and doing some light running. He did not speak to reporters or acknowledge the fans who chanted his name.

With reporters camped on his lawn and helicopters hovering overhead while Owens played basketball and lifted weights, the circus scene only magnified the distraction Owens has become to the NFC champions. While Owens was an instant fan favorite last year for helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl, he's caused constant headaches for management because of his demand for a new contract.

Owens is unhappy the Eagles have refused to redo his contract as he enters the second season of a seven-year, $48.97 million deal. He hired Rosenhaus and threatened to skip camp completely. Instead, Owens reported, then injured his groin last Thursday.     posted 2:09am by jholmes

Los Angeles woman drops suit against rapper Snoop Dogg.  posted 2:04am by jholmes

The modern day Bonnie and Clyde, who did not get that far or do nearly as much damage, have been arrested at a hotel in Ohio.  posted 2:01am by jholmes

The state of Texas is the fourth state to now have a non-white majority.  The other three are California, New Mexico, and Hawaii.  posted 1:55am by jholmes

An Air Force colonel has been charged with vandalism for placing graffiti on cars at the Denver airport that had pro-Bush bumper stickers.  posted 1:51am by jholmes

August 10, 2005

An Italian man and his wife stopped at a gas station to get gas.  The man pulled out of the station and forgot his wife.  He did not realize that he had left her until he was six hours down the road.  posted 12:23pm by jholmes

Dear Kat gave a couple of pieces of advice yesterday. Check her page out to read what she had to say and to ask her your own question.  posted 10:28am by jholmes

Another juror from Michael Jackson trial says she believes the pop singer is a child molester.  posted 10:26am by jholmes

The non-shock radio disc jockey in Los Angeles is making waves of his own with his morning program.  posted 1:26am by jholmes

Desperate:  CNN agrees to air false bloody abortion ad that attacks Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.  Read more Bumpshack Supreme Court Coverage.  posted 1:22am by jholmes

Broccoli might be one food that can stop cancer cold in its tracks.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

Cal Ripken Jr. is in a state of denial over former teammate Rafael Palmeiro's positive steroid test and 10-day ban from Major League Baseball.  posted 1:06am by jholmes

Real life Bonnie and Clyde in East Tennessee as wife shoots deputy office who was escorting her husband, who is in jail for armed robbery and armed assault, to the court house.  The two fugitives remain on the loose.  posted 12:57am by jholmes

Most lung cancer hits those who do or have smoked, but its not totally uncommon for the cancer to hit those who have never touched the cancer sticks.  List of notable people who have died from lung cancer over the years.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

The Harry Potter books seem to be very popular with the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.  posted 12:47am by jholmes

Betty Boop is celebrating her 75th birthday.  posted 12:22am by jholmes

August 9, 2005