September 30, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Send me your favorite five books of all time. I will include it as one of the Celebrity Bookshelves under BumpReviews. Email your list to me at Bumpshack@gmail.com  posted 5:12pm by jholmes

O.J. Simpson is planning to make a rare public appearance to sign autographs at a comic book convention to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his famed trial and acquital.  posted 5:07pm by jholmes

Wal-Mart workers in Florida are starting to organize. They say it is not a union but a workers group. 

About 250 employees and former employees from 40 central Florida stores have joined the fledgling Wal-Mart Workers Association, spurred by what they say is a reduction of hours and schedule changes recently that may jeopardize health care benefits for some. Organizers say the word-of-mouth campaign is attracting 15 to 20 new members every week.   posted 5:05pam by jholmes

President Bush is set to examine taking new measures against Syria.  posted 5:03pm by jholmes

New Orleans has reopened to 170,000 residents.  posted 11:14am by jholmes

American Airlines has cancelled some flights due to rising fuel costs.  posted 11:09am by jholmes

Leo Sternbach, the creator of Valium, has passed away at the age of 97.  posted 2:30am by jholmes

Flight attendants are boycotting Jodie Foster's new movie over their description in the film as being terrorists.  posted 1:52am by jholmes

Pregnancies and abortions are down amongst teens due to many choosing to abstain, use protection, or delay sex.  posted 1:49am by jholmes

Super Model Kate Moss has checked herself into a drug rehab clinic. Rumors of her drug use have persisted for years, but she was recently photographed on the cover of a London tabloid with a plate full of 'coke' she was snorting out of.  posted 1:31am by jholmes

A string of car bombs in Iraq killed 99 civilians and injured many more.  posted 1:29am by jholmes

September 29, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

John Roberts is set to be confirmed as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court Coverage.

John Glover Roberts Jr., backed by a united Senate Republican majority and about half of a divided Democratic minority, is taking his place as the nation's 17th chief justice, to lead the Supreme Court into the 21st century and through turbulent social issues that will affect generations to come.

Roberts was to be confirmed Thursday by at least 77 senators in the GOP-controlled Senate, or more than three-fourths of the 100-member chamber, as President Bush's selection to replace the late William H. Rehnquist. The 50-year-old U.S. appeals court judge then was to be quickly sworn into his new position at the White House so he could take his seat on Monday in time for the new court session where justices will tackle issues like assisted suicide, campaign finance law and abortion.   posted 1:42am by jholmes

A look at tech toys for travelers.  posted 1:31am by jholmes

Is the Tom Delay indictment a political ploy?  posted 1:28am by jholmes

First Lady Laura Bush will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  posted 1:25am by jholmes

Actress Jennifer Garner has let it slip on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that she is expecting a baby girl.  posted 1:21am by jholmes

September 28, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Weekly Bumpshack College Football Top 5 Poll from readers of the Bumpshack Message Board.  Log in and become a part of the College Football Poll voting.

College Football Top 5 for September 28, 2005

1. USC (33 votes)

2. Texas (27)

3. Florida (19)

4. Virginia Tech (16)

5. Georgia (7)

Others Receiving Votes: Ohio State (2), Minnesota (1)
Voters: Bumpshack, LilTony, Paige, Tfactor, Princess, LATinkerbell, Gatoraide25

Is Miguel Cabrera of the Florida Marlins turning into the next Juan Gonzalez.  posted 10:53am by jholmes

House majority leader Tom Delay has been indicted by a Texas grand jury over campaign finances.

According to GOP rules in the House, DeLay must step down from his position as House majority leader, at least temporarily.

"This indictment is nothing more than prosecutorial retribution by a partisan Democrat," Madden said, citing prosecutor Ronnie Earle, a Democrat.   posted 10:27am by jholmes

Killer mold is creating killer problems in the deep South due to the Hurricane damage. 

Mold now forms an interior version of kudzu in the soggy South, posing health dangers that will make many homes tear-downs and will force schools and hospitals to do expensive repairs.   posted 1:04am by jholmes

Two aging New York city baseball stars mull retirement as contracts expire and bodies slow down.  posted 12:37am by jholmes

Anna Nicole Smith's case to receive her inheritance from her deceased husband's estate is headed to the Supreme Court.  posted 12:33am by jholmes

The hostage taken by the Atlanta courtroom killer bribed him from killing her by giving him some of her meth.

In her book, "Unlikely Angel," released Tuesday, Smith says Nichols had her bound on her bed with masking tape and an extension cord. She says he asked for marijuana, but she did not have any, and dug into her crystal methamphetamine stash instead.

Smith, who has been in a mental hospital and has flunked out of drug rehabilitation programs, says the seven-hour hostage ordeal led her to stop using drugs. She says she has not touched drugs since the night before she was taken hostage.    posted 12:20am by jholmes

Jennifer Jason Leigh has married film director Noah Baumbach.  posted 12:08am by jholmes

The New Orleans police superintendent has resigned.  Some would have thought New Orleans was without a police chief during the whole Katrina affair. 

Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force was wracked by desertions and disorganization in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department itself suffered a crisis. Many officers deserted their posts, and some were accused of joining in the looting that broke out. Two officers Compass described as friends committed suicide.  posted 12:03am by jholmes

September 27, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Former FEMA chief Ron Brown is blaming dysfunctional Louisiana leadership for the response to Hurricane Katrina.

"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.

As to the other, he said: "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off."

Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."   posted 8:38am by jholmes

Is it better to rent or buy a house?  posted 12:38am by jholmes

New Bankruptcy laws could send a blow to Hurricane victims trying to get started again.  posted 12:31am by jholmes

U.S. Armed Forces have killed Al Qaeda's #2 terror mastermind in Iraq.

FOX News has confirmed that Abu Azzam, who was believed to have been in charge of the financing of terrorist cells in the war-torn country, was killed during a raid in Baghdad early Monday morning Iraq time. Azzam is thought to be the top deputy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist.   posted 12:24am by jholmes

Abu Ghraib prison abuser Lynndie England was convicted yesterday by a military jury on six of seven counts.

England, 22, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count.   posted 12:10am by jholmes

Nearly 6,000 doctors have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

One Tree Hill stars Chad Michael Murphy and Sophia Bush are calling it quits after five months of marriage.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

Pamela Anderson was in court yesterday to get a restraining order against a man harassing her and her children.  posted 12:04am by jholmes

Several retailers are suing Visa and MasterCard for setting excessive credit card fees.  posted 12:02am by jholmes

September 26, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Radical war protestor Cindy Sheehan has been arrested finally.  Throw away the keys.  posted 11:09am by jholmes

John Roberts confirmation for the Supreme Court heads to the Senate floor today.  He is, by all estimates, to be easily confirmed. 

Two-thirds of the 100 senators — Republican and Democrats alike — had already announced their support of the conservative federal appeals court judge as the successor to the late William H. Rehnquist before the Senate even started its final debate Monday afternoon.   posted 9:00am by jholmes

More Bumpshack Supreme Court Coverage.

It is being found out that the rumors of death in New Orleans were highly exaggerated.  posted 8:55am by jholmes

Gas prices on average have dropped about 20 cents a gallon the past two weeks.  Some students are riding horses to school to save on gas and conserve fuel.  posted 12:57am by jholmes

Crime in the United States is at a 30 year low.  posted 12:54am by jholmes

The mayor of New Orleans is attempting to re-open parts of the city once again.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

South African AIDS expert believes circumcision could be his countries best available vaccine against the disease. 

Francois Venter told a congress of health activists in the Treatment Action Campaign that a recent in thsurvey e Soweto township indicated that circumcised men were 65 percent less likely to contract AIDS than those who had not been circumcised.    posted 12:40am by jholmes

A new study says that being left-handed can increase a woman's chance of breast cancer.  posted 12:35am by jholmes

September 25, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Have we been Punk'd again?  Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher married last night in Los Angeles.  It is the first marriage for Ashton and third for Demi.  posted 4:14pm by jholmes

How the Bumpshack College Football Top 5 fared yesterday.

1. USC (30 votes) beat Oregon 45-13

2. Texas (23) Off week

3. LSU (13) Plays Monday night against Tennessee

4. Florida (12) beat Kentucky 49-28

5. Virginia Tech (7) beat Georgia Tech 51-7

Angelina Jolie is being investigated by Ethiopian authorities over forging adoption papers.  posted 1:52am by jholmes

A New York mother has been charged with renting a hotel room for her 13-year-old daughter to have sex with strangers.  posted 1:49am by jholmes

The Ask Jeeves iconic butler mascot has been fired. 

Citing "user confusion" over what the butler character represents the search site has said that Jeeves will soon be phased out.    posted 1:46am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita has put a major hamper on New Orleans' drying out. 

Hurricane Rita left floodwaters lapping at the high-water marks set by Katrina just three weeks ago, raising questions about how swiftly New Orleans can recover from its epic flooding and providing a grim reminder that the city remains in peril even as it seeks to rebuild.  posted 12:09am by jholmes

September 24, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

UPDATE:  USC has rallied and is now leading Oregon 45-13 in the fourth quarter.  posted 7:20pm by jholmes

The #1 ranked USC Trojans are trailing 10-0 half way through the first quarter at Oregon.  posted 4:33pm by jholmes

A honest look at the anti-America rally (Cindy Sheehan and conspirators) in D.C. and a dissection of the powder journalism covering it.  posted 4:14pm by jholmes

A look at Hurricane Rita's damage and impact city-by-city.  posted 12:42pm by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is pounding the Gulf Coast hard.  Texas and Louisiana again are getting the dangerous winds, rains and destruction from the massive storm.  posted 12:31pm by jholmes

Even light smoking can triple the chance of heart disease or lung cancer.

Compared with people who'd never smoked, those who smoked one to four cigarettes a day were nearly three times as likely to die of heart disease. Men who were light smokers were nearly three times as likely to die of lung cancer, while women who were light smokers were nearly five times as likely to be killed by lung cancer, compared with non-smokers.    posted 1:23am by jholmes

A California high school has expelled a girl for having lesbian parents.  posted 1:20am by jholmes

Colleges are starting to offer more and more video game courses.  posted 1:13am by jholmes

Troubled country singer Mindy McCready, who is pregnant, has overdosed on painkillers according to Nashville police.

According to a police report, McCready and William McKnight were arguing on the phone about whether his parents would help pay for the pregnancy. He cursed at McCready and she became angry and took about 30 antidepressant pills, the report says.    posted 1:09am by jholmes

September 23, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

Constantly Updating Satellite of Hurricane Rita.  posted 10:47am by jholmes

A bus carrying nursing home patients that were evacuating from Hurricane Rita caught fire yesterday and killed 24 onboard.

Early indications were that the bus caught fire because of mechanical problems, then passengers' oxygen tanks started exploding, Peritz said. He said the brakes may have been on fire. The bus was engulfed with flames, causing a lengthy backup on Interstate 45 already congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast.    posted 10:41am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is causing more flooding in New Orleans. 

Hurricane Rita's steady rains sent water pouring through breaches in a patched levee Friday, cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods in a devastating repeat of New Orleans' flooding nightmare.

"We have three significant breaches in the levee and the water is rising rapidly," he said. "At daybreak I found substantial breaks and they've grown larger."

A spokeswoman for Mayor Ray Nagin said officials believed the neighborhood had been cleared of residents. But throughout Friday, water began rising again onto what remained — buckled homes, piles of rubble and mud-caked cars that Katrina had covered with up to 20 feet of water.    posted 10:33am by jholmes

Stevie Wonder's new album is supposedly off the hook and on par with his 70's classic hits.  posted 2:14am by jholmes

Strict testing is not stopping the spread of HIV in the porn business.  posted 2:08am by jholmes

Rafael Palmeiro is pointing his finger at teammate Miguel Tejada as the one who injected him with the substance that caused his positive steroid test and ban from baseball for ten days. 

Palmeiro said he received vitamin B-12 from Tejada, a person familiar with Palmeiro's unsuccessful grievance hearing to overturn the suspension said Thursday on condition of anonymity because the proceedings were secret.

"I've never given anybody steroids before," he said. "I've been checked out three times already, and I'm clean. I've been clean all my life."

"It doesn't bother me because I'm not guilty. I've done nothing wrong. I just gave him B-12, and B-12 is legal," Tejada said. "You don't get caught for B-12."

Vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, and is commonly found in foods such as fish, meat, poultry and dairy products.    posted 2:04am by jholmes

One of Iraq's powerful Shiite clerics is backing the newly drawn Iraqi constitution.  posted 1:59am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita's rains have started to fall on New Orleans.  posted 1:57am by jholmes

September 22, 2005           More Katrina/Rita News

The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted 13-5 to approve Chief Justice nominee John Roberts.  The full Senate will vote on Monday.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court coverage.

Roberts won the support of all 10 Republicans on the committee and three Democrats — Ranking Minority Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, both of Wisconsin.  posted 10:28am by jholmes

A Catholic church official from the Vatican is saying a new policy will be to ban homosexuals from being Roman Catholic priests. 

The official, said the question was not "if it will be published, but when," referring to the new ruling about homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, a topic that has stirred much recent rumor and worry in the church. The official, who has authoritative knowledge of the new rules, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the church's policy of not commenting on unpublished reports.    posted 9:39am by jholmes

Satellite photo of Hurricane Rita.  posted 9:10am by jholmes

Interstates in Houston are at a standstill for over  100 miles as residents try to flee the city before Hurricane Rita hits.  posted 8:58am by jholmes

The latest Harry Potter book has now sold over 11 million copies.  posted 1:51am by jholmes

Sony has announced that they will be cutting 10,000 jobs globally.  posted 1:34am by jholmes

Some TiVo users are wary of restrictions Hollywood might place on the recording devices.  I got my TiVo set up two nights ago.  What an amazing invention.  Also,  it is a good time to buy one.  TiVo is offering a $150 rebate.  posted 1:25am by jholmes

Rapper Nelly is getting his own reality TV show.  posted 1:10am by jholmes

A mass chicken bird slaughter has been planned in Indonesia over fears of the bird flu epidemic.  posted 1:07am by jholmes

1.3 million people have been ordered to evacuate Texas and parts of Louisiana as Hurricane Rita takes aim at the Texas coast.  The Hurricane has been upgraded to a category 5.  posted 1:02am by jholmes

September 21, 2005           More Katrina News

Tyra Banks proved her breasts were real on her daily talk show to end years of rumors that they are fake.  posted 12:40pm by jholmes

The New Orleans Hornets will play their home games in Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge this year.  Although just six games will be played in Baton Rouge.  I would be surprised if NBA basketball ever returns to New Orleans.  posted 11:10am by jholmes

Weekly Bumpshack College Football Top 5 Poll from readers of the Bumpshack Message Board.  Log in and become a part of the College Football Poll voting.

College Football Top 5 for September 21, 2005

1. USC (30 votes)

2. Texas (23)

3. LSU (13)

4. Florida (12)

5. Virginia Tech (7)

Others Receiving Votes: Ohio State (3), Georgia (2)
Voters: Bumpshack, LilTony, Paige, Tfactor, KdCatron, LATinkerbell

17 warning signs of a bad boyfriend.  posted 1:37am by jholmes

Super-Hottie Rebecca Romijn (Stamos) is engaged to marry actor Jerry O'Connell.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

The governors of eight states have sent a letter to President Bush and Congress requesting an inquiry into profits made by oil companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"When the wholesale price of gas went up by 60 cents almost overnight, oil companies were obviously using the most devastating natural disaster in our nation's history to reap a windfall at the expense of American consumers," said the letter, which was initiated by Gov. James E. Doyle of Wisconsin and was signed by governors from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

Federal safety regulators are pushing for a cell phone ban on teens while they are driving.  posted 12:15am by jholmes

Kenny Chesney says he will be 'ok' after split with Renee Zellweger.  posted 12:12am by jholmes

The Sugar Bowl, which usually takes place in New Orleans at the Superdome, will take place either in Baton Rouge or Atlanta this year.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Baseball legend Yogi Berra has settled a $10 million lawsuit with TBS over a Sex and the City ad campaign.

The Yankee Hall of Famer settled a $10 million lawsuit against TBS Monday for using his name in an ad to promote reruns of Sex and the City.

The ad posed a multiple-choice question to viewers: "What is a yogasm?"

While the correct answer was option C: What Samantha has with a guy from yoga class, the 80-year-old sports legend objected to answer B: "Sex with Yogi Berra."    posted 12:06am by jholmes

September 20, 2005           More Katrina News

The United States and Russia have rejected North Korea's demand for a nuclear reactor in exchange for ending its nuclear program.  posted 6:54pm by jholmes

The New Orleans Saints are upset with the NFL for the fake home game they played their last night against the Giants.

"They could have done that anywhere," Haslett said. "They could have played that game in Baton Rouge. They could have played it in San Antonio and could have done the same thing.

"To play it in Giants Stadium, to give them another home game and to put us in a situation where we couldn't hear ... It wasn't why we lost that game, but ..."

"It wasn't a home game," he said. "I look up at the scoreboard and there are signs, 'Let's Go Giants'. The referees, when they flipped the coin, they asked us if we wanted heads or tails. They had no idea who the home team was and who was away. The crowd noise we had to deal with, we never had to do a silent count at home."

"They made this seem like the Super Bowl," Brooks said after the loss. "We played a team that outplayed us today, but it was way overdone. Setting up a stage, traveling out here, was uncalled for.

"Try not to patronize us next time, traveling us to New York, saying we're playing a home game."    posted 6:50pm by jholmes

Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid says he will vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court coverage.  posted 2:07pm by jholmes

The Feds hiked the interest rate by another quarter of a point today for the 11th straight time.  posted 12:21pm by jholmes

H&M has dropped a clothing ad campaign after model Kate Moss was photographed snorting coke.  posted 10:33am by jholmes

Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal died early this morning in Vienna, Austria at the age of 96.

Wiesenthal, who had been an architect before World War II, changed his life's mission after the war, dedicating himself to trying to track down Nazi war criminals and to being a voice for the 6 million Jews who died during the onslaught. He himself lost 89 relatives in the Holocaust.

Wiesenthal spent more than 50 years hunting Nazi war criminals, speaking out against neo-Nazism and racism, and remembering the Jewish experience as a lesson for humanity. Through his work, he said, some 1,100 Nazi war criminals were brought to justice.

Wiesenthal's quest began after the Americans liberated the Mauthausen death camp in Austria where Wiesenthal was a prisoner in May 1945. It was his fifth death camp among the dozen Nazi camps in which he was imprisoned, and he weighed just 99 pounds when he was freed. He said he quickly realized ''there is no freedom without justice,'' and decided to dedicate ''a few years'' to seeking justice.  ''It became decades,'' he added.    posted 1:31am by jholmes

My favorite current television show Nip/Tuck is back for its third season starting tonight.  Producers promise the show will be even edgier, and that everything will be bigger from the surgeries to the cast.  If you have not seen the show before then you can buy the first two seasons on DVD or check them out on Netflix.  I highly recommend Nip/Tuck, and I am not a TV type of guy. 

In Season 3, which begins tonight (10 ET/PT), creator Ryan Murphy says, viewers should expect the show to be "bigger" all around: "Everything has expanded. The cast is bigger, surgeries are bigger, locations are bigger." Making appearances this season will be Rhona Mitra (Boston Legal) and Anne Heche.

Nip/Tuck has grown in two years into one of FX's biggest success stories and a pop-culture darling — as well as a lightning rod for controversy. The show won the 2005 Golden Globe award for best drama, just as TV Guide was dubbing it "The Coolest Show on TV." The Season 2 finale was the most-watched single episode of a series ever for FX, with 5.3 million viewers.   

Murphy points out that there is only an average of 32 seconds of surgery in every hour-long episode, and this season will continue the show's message. "What this show says is that real change happens internally, that maybe you should book a consultation with a shrink instead of a plastic surgeon."    posted 1:13am by jholmes

Congress is widening its probe into whether Rafael Palmeiro lied to them during congressional hearings back in March

The congressional source indicated that all the players asked to talk to the committee recently were chosen because they have relationships with Palmeiro — such as teammates or workout partners — and could have knowledge about whether he might have used steroids before his testimony.    posted 1:05am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is causing oil prices to spike again.  posted 1:03am by jholmes

Line up guys.  Jennifer Aniston says she is ready to date again.  I was never a fan of Aniston, but I have found myself pulling for her because of the insensitive way Brad Pitt has treated her with his public flaunting of his romance with Angelina Jolie.   posted 12:54am by jholmes

The Wal-Mart empire is set to open its first store in Guatemala.  posted 12:53am by jholmes

The New Orleans Saints were beat by the New York Giants last night in New Jersey by a score of 27-10.  The game was originally to be played in the Superdome in New Orleans but was moved to the Giants home field after the damage done to the dome by Katrina.  posted 12:51am by jholmes

September 19, 2005           More Katrina News

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has changed his mind and has now urged an immediate evacuation of New Orleans.  Hurricane Rita is now headed for the Gulf Coast.  President Bush disagreed with Nagin opening  the city to citizens so soon and Bush urged him to evacuate the city again.  posted 5:27pm by jholmes

North Korea has pledged to drop its nuclear program if certain requests are met.  It seems we hear this offer all the time and we meet do whatever they say.  The North Koreans then renege on the agreement and start production again.  It's a tiresome cycle.  posted 9:19am by jholmes

New Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Florida keys.  posted 9:15am by jholmes

President Bush questions the immediate reopening of New Orleans.  posted 8:54am by jholmes

Conservative party challenger Angela Merkel's party won the most votes in Germany's political elections on Sunday but fell short of a clear mandate.  posted 12:22am by jholmes

It was a great weekend of college football.  Post your top 5 on the Bumpshack Message Board under BumpSports to be included in tabulating the official Bumpshack.com College Football Top 5.  posted 12:22am by jholmes

Hurricane Katrina and its damage is starting to be compared to the earthquake that hit Mexico City in 1985. 

The skyline is soaring as the capital marks the 20th anniversary Monday of the earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people and leveled whole sections of the city. But some scars are still visible and scientists say the city may be unprepared for the next quake.

"That the poor were the ones that couldn't evacuate (from New Orleans) is something that caught our attention," said Luis Wintergerst, the city's director of civil protection. The 1985 quake also hit the poor hardest, he said.

Lying in a flood- and earthquake-prone valley, Mexico City has rebuilt itself more than once since the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Flooded in 1629, it remained under water for nearly three years. While the Spanish fled their homes, more than 30,000 Indians died.    posted 12:16am by jholmes

Beware of the bird flu, it could cause a worldwide epidemic that could kill thousands if not millions.

"If there was a flu pandemic tomorrow we would not be ready. The clock is ticking and when the pandemic strikes it will be too late," said WHO spokeswoman Christine McNab.   

Of the 192 members of the UN just 40 countries had drawn up detailed plans for combatting an outbreak in humans of a mutation of the H5N1 virus which could, like the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, kill millions of people.    posted 12:11am by jholmes

Rebuilding post-Katrina could put the U.S. Treasury in a tight-rope limbo.  posted 12:08am by jholmes

Check out Bumpshack on the ever growing MySpace site at www.myspace.com/bumpshacker.  Be sure to add Bumpshack if you are a MySpace user.  posted 12:01am by jholmes 

September 18, 2005           More Katrina News

Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil broke his leg during a show Friday night in Atlanta.  The show had to be stopped early, but Neil plans to perform with the Crue tonight in Memphis.  posted 2:37pm by jholmes

The attorney for Debra Lafave is trying to block the release of graphic photos of Lafave's genitals that were taken by police officers upon her arrest.  Lafave is the middle-school teacher accused of having sex with a 14 year-old student.  Modeling photos of Lafave.  posted 9:37am by jholmes

The Afghans went to the polls today to vote for a legislature for the first time in thirty years and there was very little violence.

Violence across the country in the hours just before voting began and during the day killed 15 people, including a French commando in the U.S.-led coalition that is helping Afghans build a democracy after a quarter-century of conflict, but there were no signs of a spectacular attack threatened by Taliban militants to disrupt the vote.
 

"We are making history," President Hamid Karzai said while casting his ballot. "It's the day of self-determination for the Afghan people. After 30 years of wars, interventions, occupations and misery, today Afghanistan is moving forward, making an economy, making political institutions."  posted 9:22am by jholmes

 What's next for Britney Spears after the birth of her son?  posted 2:01am by jholmes

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill banning sodas in high schools. 

"California is facing an obesity epidemic," said Schwarzenegger, a former Mr. Olympia and longtime health advocate. "Today we are taking some first steps in creating a healthy future for California."

"Obesity-related health problems cost us $28 billion a year," Schwarzenegger said. "We are going to terminate obesity in California once and for all."    posted 1:20am by jholmes

Many college fraternities are facing pressure to clean up their acts after a rash of alcohol related deaths.  posted 1:17am by jholmes

Pope John Paul II's last words before he died: "Let me go to the house of the Father."  posted 1:12am by jholmes

The USC Trojans played like an NFL team in a dominating 70-17 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.  I was at this game last night.  USC should not have a punter on their roster.  I do not think they even had a second down until the second half when they were trying to be good sports by attempting to not run the score up.  posted 12:50am by jholmes

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is defending his plan to bring close to 200,000 citizens back to the city so soon.  posted 12:46am by jholmes

A key internet oversight board has approved the .xxx domain for porn.  posted 12:38am by jholmes

September 17, 2005           More Katrina News

I am off to see the #1 USC Trojans play host to the Arkansas Razorbacks at the L.A. Coliseum.  Hopefully it will be close for a bit.  posted 5:52pm by jholmes

A jobless French man won a $92 million dollar jackpot in multi-nation Euro lottery.  posted 10:40am by jholmes

A New York man has broke the record for most consecutive hours watching the television.  The record now stands at 69 hours and 48 minutes.  posted 1:08am by jholmes

A look at what foods should be avoided if possible.

• Food chemicals that kill. 

• Five poisonous foods.

• Worst fast food choices.
  posted 1:06am by jholmes

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will run for re-election for governor of California.  posted 12:43am by jholmes

Venezuelan president (dictator) Hugo Chavez says that the U.S. is making plans to attack his country.  I hope he is right.  posted 12:19am by jholmes

Blues legend B.B. King turned 80 yesterday.  The man is truly a legend.  I was lucky enough to see him play right at midnight of Y2K. 
 

For a man who has met four sitting presidents (both Bushes, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and one Pope (John Paul II), King says it was his home state that gave him the biggest thrill of his career so far.

On February 15, the Mississippi Senate and Gov. Haley Barbour honored him with B.B. King Day.

"I cried, because I never believed that yours truly or any black person like myself would ever be honored there as they honored me."

Despite the state's troubled racial past, King says Mississippi has gone through "quite a change," and these days he feels at home there.    posted 12:17am by jholmes

The Vatican's search for gays in seminaries is causing an ire with gay-rights groups.  posted 12:11am by jholmes

Thousands of residents could return to New Orleans next week, but they should expect to be in their houses by the dusk-dawn curfew.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

September 16, 2005           More Katrina News

Fewer than half of the Katrina evacuees staying in Houston want to return home to New Orleans.  Bumpshack Katrina Page  posted 6:31pm by jholmes

Jamie Foxx outraged at Tom Cruise for donated $5,000 to the Church of Scientology in his name.

He added that Foxx seemed angrier than ever when he found that Cruise had donated $5,000 in his name to the Church Of Scientology. Foxx wasn't aware of the donation until the church sent him a plaque as a thank-you.

"Jamie was seething when he got the plaque," the insider said. "He must have felt Tom was going to attempt to use his name to recruit other high-profile African-Americans into the church. He probably thought it was Tom's intention to tell black people that Jamie had been to a meeting and had made a donation to the Church Of Scientology.    posted 1:39pm by jholmes

More of the Craziness Tom Cruise

Britney and Kevin Federline Spears' love could be turning  toxic.  Kevin has a history of leaving women who have had his children.

The source said: "Britney said, "I need you by my side, by our baby's side and not on the road hundreds of miles away. I want you around for our baby's first Christmas'.

"Kevin reminded Britney that if she's taking time off to be a stay-at-home mom, somebody has to be out there making money. Then, he pleaded, 'Britney! You of all people should understand!'
 

"She turned to her mom for consolation but I bet all she got was a dose of reality and an 'I told you so'."    posted 1:19pm by jholmes

President Bush has ruled out a tax hike to fund the Katrina recovery.  posted 12:47pm by jholmes

United Nations attacked for its lack of a presence in the war on terror.  posted 1:14am by jholmes

Mice infected with the bubonic plague have been reported missing from a New Jersey laboratory.  posted 1:07am by jholmes

The name of Britney Spears' baby has been revealed to be Sean Preston.  Info on her hospital stay:

As far as her hospital accommodations – how does $20,000 per night sound?

A source tells Access that in addition to the pop star's fifth floor $3,000/night room that has a tented balcony, her family and security team take up an additional seven rooms on the floor.

Britney also has a private chef in a kitchen adjacent to her hospital suite that is there to make whatever she requests.    posted 12:47pm by jholmes

Some thought it was a cover when Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger got married and many more will when finding out the reason for the annulment.  Zellweger has listed the reason for the divorce as 'fraud.'  Rumors have speculated for months about Chesney's sexuality.  I am sure there will be a lot more about this on all the entertainment shows.  posted 12:38am by jholmes

The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League Central title last night with their win over the Chicago Cubs.  posted 12:35am by jholmes

September 15, 2005           More Katrina News

President Bush gave a very uplifting and inspiring speech tonight in New Orleans.  Full Text of the Speech

Some Highlights:  Across the Gulf Coast, among people who have lost much … and suffered much … and given to the limit of their power, we are seeing that same spirit: a core of strength that survives all hurt … a faith in God no storm can take away … and a powerful American determination to clear the ruins and build better than before.

And tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes … we will stay as long as it takes … to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again.

Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment … tax relief for small businesses … incentives to companies that create jobs ... and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity … it is entrepreneurship that helps break the cycle of poverty … and we will take the side of entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region.

I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government would provide accounts of up to five thousand dollars, which these evacuees could draw upon for job training and education to help them get a good job … and for child care expenses during their job search.

To help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. Home ownership is one of the great strengths of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the revival of this region.

These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know – with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond all pain and death – a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with hands. And they remind us that we are tied together in this life, in this nation – and that the despair of any touches us all.

In this place, there is a custom for the funerals of jazz musicians. The funeral procession parades slowly through the streets, followed by a band playing a mournful dirge as it moves to the cemetery. Once the casket has been laid in place, the band breaks into a joyful “second line” – symbolizing the triumph of the spirit over death. Tonight the Gulf Coast is still coming through the dirge – yet we will live to see the second line.     posted 7:10pm by jholmes

Donald Trump is going to make his soap opera debut on the soap Days of Our Lives.  posted 4:37pm by jholmes

Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger are separated and trying to have their four month-old marriage annulled.  posted 3:57pm by jholmes

Kate Moss busted doing a fat line of coke.  posted 3:51pm by jholmes

Speculators are rushing into New Orleans to scoop up all the houses they can buy.  posted 1:36pm by jholmes

Placido Polanco has the highest average of anyone in the American League this year.  However, you won't see him at the top of the stat leaders and he won't win the batting title due to an old odd rule.  posted 9:32am by jholmes

Parts of New Orleans should re-open next week.  posted 9:21am by jholmes

Yahoo! is making its email have the speed and quickness of desktop email.  It would operate in a similar fashion as  Microsoft's Outlook works.  Yahoo! is testing the new version with selected users right now.  posted 2:00am by jholmes

Iran's new hard-line president urged the United Nations to not follow the United States. 

Iran, which is under mounting pressure to halt its uranium conversion, says its nuclear technology is for the peaceful production of energy. The United States and other countries suspect Iran may be seeking to produce nuclear weapons and have warned they may refer it to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

"Therefore, any license for pre-emptive measures which are essentially based on gauging intentions rather than objective facts ... is a blatant contradiction to the very foundation of the United Nations and the letter and the spirit of its charter," he said.

The United States and European countries warned last week that Tehran is running out of time to freeze uranium processing activities or face referral to the Security Council.

Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties since 1979, when Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy and kept 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.    posted 1:48am by jholmes

Roger Clemens won the most emotionally challenging start of his baseball career last night against the Florida Marlins.  Roger's mother had died early in the day.

"I told her I needed to go to work," the son said of a conversation he had with his mother Tuesday night, "and she told me to go to work."

Roger Clemens never knew his father, and the man who raised him as his own died of a heart attack when Roger was 9 years old. The one constant in his life was his mom. Bess was there when he first started playing baseball. She was there for many of Roger's biggest accomplishments. She was always around to talk to him about his latest start or his place in the game's history.

Clemens had a rough start, walking the Marlins' first batter and giving up a first-inning run. But he settled down and got into his rhythm (in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, he threw a total of 26 pitches), the Astros scored a few runs and, when he left the game after 6 1-3 innings, limping slightly and sweat dripping from his brow, Houston held a 3-1 lead.    posted 1:44am by jholmes

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal is playing cop again.  This time the super-sized NBA player helped make an arrest of a man who threw a bottle at a gay couple in Miami.  posted 1:38am by jholmes

A Colorado judge has issued an arrest warrant for Dennis Rodman after the former NBA star did not show up for a hearing over two traffic tickets.  posted 1:33am by jholmes

A federal judge in Michigan has declared its partial birth abortion ban unconstitutional.  posted 1:31am by jholmes

Hurricane Ophelia continues to dump rain and wind on North Carolina.  posted 1:23am by jholmes

The bison population at Yellowstone National Park is at an all-time high.  posted 1:14am by jholmes

Paris Hilton's hacker has received 11 months in jail.  posted 1:03am by jholmes

New Google search to boost blogging.  posted 12:40am by jholmes

The new Xbox 360 is set to launch November 22nd here in the United States.

The Japanese unit will cost 37,900 yen, or about $345 - slightly less than the $399.99 the company is charging in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Microsoft had previously disclosed the U.S. price, as well as the European price of 399.99 euros.    posted 12:39am by jholmes

Delta and Northwest airlines both filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday.  posted 12:34am by jholmes

Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is likely headed for Senate approval to be the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  posted 12:33am by jholmes

September 14, 2005           More Katrina News

Why is the chief of Louisiana's Homeland Security and Emergency in New York giving a speech instead of in Louisiana doing his job?  posted 5:10pm by jholmes

Britney Spears has given birth to a baby boy.  posted 4:53pm by jholmes

A federal judge has declared that saying the Pledge of Allegiance in publics schools is unconstitutional.  posted 12:19am by jholmes

There are reports that Osama bin-laden is in very poor health and is seeking medical attention.  posted 12:16pm by jholmes

President's poll numbers starting to rise.  posted 11:57am by jholmes

Hurricane Ophelia soaked most of the eastern coast and knocked out power in North Carolina.  posted 10:35am by jholmes

A new study says that marriage boosts prosperity.  posted 10:29am by jholmes

Northwest airlines is likely to file bankruptcy today.  Delta could as well.  posted 3:02am by jholmes

A very in detail look at the true story behind the hundreds of buses that were not used in New Orleans to evacuate the poor.  posted 2:25am by jholmes

New movie Venom might come too close to reminding many of the Hurricane Katrina madness.

"Venom," about a voodoo-crazed serial killer, depicts murder and mayhem in the Louisiana swamps a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina brought real death and destruction to the region.

While no hurricane or flood is depicted, the young people who populate the movie are dragged across overgrown brush and chased through knee-deep bayou water. One character is trapped inside a car that plummets from a rickety bridge and becomes submerged. The killer (Rick Cramer) piles his corpses in a cemetery crypt alongside a river, while the few survivors hide in a house that's been blessed by a protective spell.    posted 1:14am by jholmes

Yahoo! has launched a test of a new email upgrade that will eventually be placed for all Yahoo! email users to use.  posted 1:11am by jholmes

President Bush took responsibility yesterday for the slow response to Hurricane Katrina. 

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a joint White House news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

"And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong," said Bush.    posted 1:00am by jholmes

Deadly blasts in Iraq killed 90 and injured over 160 early this morning.  Things had been calm for about a month until the outburst today.  posted 12:43am by jholmes

September 13, 2005           More Katrina News

Owners of a New Orleans nursing home have been charged with 34 counts of homicide for not evacuating patients who eventually died due to the Hurricane.  posted 5:30pm by jholmes

Heidi Klum has given birth to a healthy baby boy.  posted 10:05am by jholmes

The New Orleans airport and waterfront is reopening today.  posted 9:47am by jholmes

Nominee John Roberts is being pressed hard today in his confirmation hearing on the abortion hot button.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court coverage.  posted 9:38am by jholmes

Reports are saying that actor Matt Damon and his girlfriend are engaged.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

A workers error was blamed for the massive blackout in Los Angeles yesterday.  I can tell you that it was fun driving across L.A. without any traffic lights, but everyone did a good job at the busy intersections.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

Eleven children have been found caged in an Ohio home.

The children were found in nine cages built into the walls of the house near this small city in northern Ohio, according to the Huron County Sheriff's Office. They had no blankets or pillows, and the cages were rigged with alarms that sounded if opened, Lt. Randy Sommers said.    posted 12:06am by jholmes

Comedian David Chappelle says he is happy to be doing clubs instead of his TV show which he left before filming began this season.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

September 12, 2005           More Katrina News

A large part of Los Angles was hit with a power blackout today.  Terrorism is not believed to have been the cause  posted 2:20pm by jholmes

Oil prices have dipped below $63 a barrel.  posted 9:07am by jholmes

10,000?  Louisiana's official body count from Katrina is just at 197.  Far fewer than expected to date.  The count will obviously climb a bit more as the searches are completed, but it looks as if the total will fall far short of the estimated 10,000 deaths.  posted 8:36am by jholmes

Riding Sun takes a look at the success of George W. Bush against terrorism since 9/11.  I am not sure how much credit is due. That is a question that will be debated for years, but it does deserve some serious thought.  I mean the facts don't lie.

Four years later, terrorism remains a problem around the world, as we have seen in Bali, in Madrid, in Israel, in London, and, of course, in Iraq. Yet, it would seem, not in America. While America remains alert and, some would say, hypersensitive to the risk of another attack, none has come. Our buildings, our buses, our airplanes all are surely tempting targets to the likes of Al Qaeda and its sympathizers. Yet, four years later, they have not struck. In the tense days after 9-11, such a stretch of safety would have seemed like wishful thinking. And yet, that's what happened.  

Perhaps Bush said it best shortly after the 9/11 attacks:  "We will direct every resource at our command — every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war — to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network.

This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism."    posted 1:53am by jholmes

I just don't get it.  A love story about two gay cowboys in the mid-west starring two of Hollywood's biggest actors.  That is the basic plot of the big release film Brokeback Mountain.  The movie stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.  Who is recommending this as a good career move for these men?  More on Brokeback Mountain:

While Brokeback Mountain will no doubt draw attention because of the sex scenes between mainstream male stars Ledger and Gyllenhaal, the actors - who are friends in real life - were matter-of-fact when discussing the subject.

"I think the chemistry was on the page, in the words. We just had to portray it," said Ledger, who added that he was attracted to the project because it was a fresh take on the 'stale' Hollywood love story.

"The difference between a best friend and a soul mate is the difference of consummating it or not," said Gyllenhaal.

"Once you see the two of them do it, the friendship that they have together and the things that they share together - and the fun that they have with each other-is kind of easy, especially being two straight guys.

"I think that we have just a chemistry as friends and I think that we dove into the love scenes - and then jumped out as fast as we could."    posted 12:25am by jholmes

Discuss on the Bumpshack Message Board in BumpEntertainment.

Hearings for Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts are set to begin today.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court nomination coverage.  posted 12:17am by jholmes

Riots in Belfast injured 32 policemen Sunday when Protestant rioters attacked the officers with petrol bombs and missiles.  posted 12:14am by jholmes

Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won re-election in a massive landslide. 

Koizumi won an overwhelming victory in Sunday's general election, giving the 63-year-old LDP leader a clear mandate for economic, social and political reform.

Adding to the sense of economic optimism are revised figures from the government Monday showing the world's second-largest economy is growing at an annualized rate of 3.3 percent.    posted 12:11am by jholmes

Israel's last soldiers have pulled out of the Gaza strip.  This ended Israel's 38 year occupation of the settlements.  posted 12:05am by jholmes

September 11, 2005           More Katrina News

Today marks the four year anniversary of 9-11.  It was a day that changed all us all.  Please remember all of those who have gave their life that day or who continue to fight for freedom overseas.  posted 1:50am by jholmes

Barry Bonds has been activated and will says he will be available to play starting on Monday.  posted 1:44am by jholmes

Monaco's Prince Albert III believes he was set up for fatherhood by a flight attendant.

Rotolo made a paternity claim shortly after the child was born, he told the Times, but after an American court dismissed the case, he thought the matter had gone away. Since the story of young Alexandre hit the press, though, he said she had contacted his lawyer again.

"He is not a possible successor," he said, citing Monaco's Constitution, which requires that the parents of heirs to the throne be married. "I don't think that will change."    posted 1:10am by jholmes

Mexican wine is making a comeback after playing second fiddle to tequila for many decades.  posted 1:05am by jholmes

Katrina could end up costing more than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. 

The government never has dealt with a disaster of this scale: 90,000 square miles of the Gulf Coast affected, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced and an entire metropolitan area under water.

In 1992, the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Louisiana cost $35 billion. The price for the 6.7-magnitude temblor in the Northridge area of Los Angeles in 1994 was $15 billion to $20 billion.

Members of the Louisiana congressional delegation say it could cost $100 billion just in New Orleans.     posted 12:53am by jholmes

September 10, 2005           More Katrina News

Tennis:  Andre Agassi went 5 sets again in beating Robby Ginepri to advance to the men's finals of the US. Open.  posted 3:29pm by jholmes

College Football: It looks like Notre Dame is back.  The Fighting Irish upset #3 Michigan today 17-10 at Ann Arbor.  Discuss college football and other sports on the Bumpshack Message Board.  posted 3:22am by jholmes

Excerpts from New York Times columnist John Tierney's op-ed piece, 'The Case for a Cover-Up', from this morning's paper:

Suppose, for instance, investigators try to find out who had the brilliant idea of putting the Federal Emergency Management Agency inside a new department with an organizational chart modeled on the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economy. One Democrat, Hillary Clinton, did question whether FEMA would suffer, but the idea was originally championed by her colleagues, particularly Joe Lieberman.

Mr. Lieberman joined Mrs. Clinton this week in calling for a "re-examination" of FEMA's status, but he was against independence before he was for it. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he helped lead the charge to create the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans first resisted, as the Democratic National Committee pointed out during the presidential campaign last year. Its radio advertisement declared: "John Kerry fought to establish the Department of Homeland Security. George Bush opposed it for almost a year after 9/11."

Or suppose the investigators try to find out why the Army Corps of Engineers didn't protect New Orleans from the flood. Democrats have blamed the Iraq war for diverting money and attention from domestic needs. But that hasn't meant less money for the Corps during the past five years. Overall spending hasn't declined since the Clinton years, and there has been a fairly sharp increase in money for flood-control construction projects in New Orleans.   

This week Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat, lambasted Mr. Bush on the Senate floor. "Everybody anticipated the breach of the levees, Mr. President," she said. But she and others from the Louisiana delegation have been shortchanging the levees themselves. As Michael Grunwald reported in The Washington Post, they've diverted large sums to dubious Corps projects aimed at increasing barge traffic, not preventing floods. Ms. Landrieu forced the Corps to redo its calculations when a project to deepen a port flunked its cost-benefit analysis.     posted 11:58am by jholmes

R&B star Usher has urged America's youth to come together and ignore racist comments by rapper Kanye West, who fired off again last night during a telethon at President Bush and 'white leaders.'  posted 10:43am by jholmes

The IRS is going to up the mileage reimbursement rate to 48.5 cents and reevaluate it again at the end of this year.  posted 2:23am by jholmes

Airline losses may hit $10 billion dollars this year.  posted 2:18am by jholmes

Mushrooms are a good source of anti-toxicants.  posted 2:12am by jholmes

Urban legends are mostly myths, but are some factual?  posted 2:10am by jholmes

FEMA is to halt the debit card idea and instead issue direct deposits to banking accounts.  I hope everyone has a bank account.  posted 2:02am by jholmes

I am sitting here eating a bowl (box actually) of Apple Jacks cereal wondering if anyone else thinks that they don't taste like apples at all, so what you think?

September 9, 2005           More Katrina News

FEMA chief Michael Brown has been relieved of his duties.  The Department of Homeland Security will name his replacement.  posted 10:55am by jholmes

The worst things that we can do to our bodies.  posted 9:55am by jholmes

A chemical found in soy, tofu, and legumes can damage a man's fertility.

The plant chemical, genistein, mimics the effect of the female hormone estrogen and in turn affects sperm in laboratory mice. Tests in humans have shown an even stronger impact than in the rodents. Research leader Lynn Fraser found in lab tests that small amounts of genistein can cause human sperm to "burn out" and lose fertility, reports Reuters.     posted 1:14am by jholmes

Even Hollywood is not sure if the public is ready, but be prepared for a slew of 9/11 films.  posted 1:01am by jholmes

BYU has been named the fittest college by the Princeton Review.  posted 12:58am by jholmes   

Dear Kat: In my work of late, at some of the shelters for Katrina refugees, I have been in very uneasy (for me) situations with small children who (understandably) now fear, wind, rain, water. How best does the untrained - like me - deal best with these kids. Would be best to say, just leave that for a professional, but that is just not practical.--Shannon

Visit Dear Kat's Page to see her answer to this question and her answers to numerous other questions regarding love, children, and heartbreak.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

A German politician is being quoted as saying that President Bush should be shot down for his handling of the Katrina disaster relief.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Bonds Hype Machine:  Barry Bonds homered in a simulated practice game today and could return this weekend for the San Francisco Giants as they play host to the Chicago Cubs.  posted 12:04am by jholmes

Louisiana National Guardsmen have left Iraq to assist their families and communities back home in the Bayou State.  posted 12:01am by jholmes

September 8, 2005          More Katrina News

Rolling Stone magazine is publishing Hunter S. Thompson's suicide note to his wife. you can spend $5 for the mag or read it below.

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun _ for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax _ This won't hurt."    posted 6:07pm by jholmes

President Bush has designated Friday September 16th as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  posted 3:34pm by jholmes

Peter King's week 1 NFL football picks.  posted 2:09pm by jholmes

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will veto the gay marriage bill that California lawmakers passed just a day ago.  posted 9:16am by jholmes

The best drink for kids to have.  posted 1:05am by jholmes

I do not watch much tennis, but I easily saw the best match of my life last night.  Andre Agassi battled back to beat James Blake in a tie-breaker after five grueling sets.  The match lasted right at six hours.  I was happy to see parts of the last two sets.  Agassi is the lone remaining super-athlete from those late 80's Nike commercials. Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, David Robinson, and Wayne Gretzky have all retired, leaving Agassi as the bridge to that lost generation.  Coincidently Agassi now wears Adidas.  posted 1:03am by jholmes

Thirty people have been found dead in a nursing home in New Orleans that flooded.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stevens said said "30-plus" bodies were found in St. Rita's Nursing Home in lower St. Bernard Parish -- one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Between 40 and 50 other people were rescued from the facility, Stevens said.     posted 12:55am by jholmes

A reporter for a Florida newspaper covering the Hurricane relief in Baton Rouge was shot in his car while waiting at a stop sign.  The reporters survived and has since flown back to St. Petersburg, Florida.  posted 12:46am by jholmes

Oil-for-Food report slams Kofi Annan and the United Nations Security Council. 

Kofi Annan on Wednesday called the latest report on the U.N. Oil-for-Food program "embarrassing" as it slammed the secretary-general, his deputy and the Security Council for allowing Saddam Hussein to cheat $10.2 billion from the humanitarian operation.  

"The findings of today's report must be deeply embarrassing to all of us," Annan told the Security Council Wednesday. "None of us — member states, secretariat … can be proud of what it has found. Who among us can now claim that U.N. management is not a problem or is not in need of reform?"    posted 12:39am by jholmes

No Surprise:  Howard Dean is saying that race played a role in the Katrina deaths.  posted 12:34am by jholmes

Apple has unveiled an iTunes phone. The phone will be called iPod Nano.  posted 12:30am by jholmes

September 7, 2005          More Katrina News

Oil prices fell today and so is the price of gasoline.  posted 4:41pm by jholmes

Another member of the Seattle Mariners has been suspended for violating Major League Baseball's steroid policy.  Mike Morse was suspended 10 days.  He claims the steroids are left in his system from 2003 when he took them.  posted 12:22pm by jholmes

Monica Lewinsky is headed to graduate school.  Check the Bumpshack Message Board to discuss college, college life, and the challenges of being on your own.  posted 12:11pm by jholmes

The 10 most embarrassing sex scenes to appear in movies.  posted 9:12am by jholmes

Ken Griffey, Jr. could be injured and done for the season......again.  posted 9:07am by jholmes

Shady Iran:  Another reason to be aware of Iran.  Iran offered to donate 20 million barrels of oil, but only if the U.S. waives trade sanctions against Iran.  The sanctions are in place over Iran's hijacking, terrorism and building of a nuclear bomb.  posted 8:58am by jholmes

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll show that only 13% blame President Bush for the slow Hurricane Katrina aid.  posted 8:56am by jholmes

Remember Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals?  Back in Spring Training Ankiel gave up on pitching to become an outfielder for the Cards.  How did he do in his first season in the minors as a hitter?

He returned in early August to Class AA Springfield and proceeded to rip 10 home runs and drive in 28 runs over his next 28 games. At both levels combined, Ankiel hit .259 with 21 home runs and 75 RBIs in 85 games.     posted 1:53am by jholmes

Jose Canseco's ex-wife Jessica claims she shot Jose up with steroids during their marriage.  posted 12:38am by jholmes

A Russian billionaire paid Christina Aguilera $2 million dollars to sing two songs at his wedding in France.  posted 12:36am by jholmes

World Series hero Curt Schilling, who plays for the Boston Red Sox has taken nine people dislocated by Hurricane Katrina into his home in Boston.  posted 12:35am by jholmes

The California Legislature has approved a bill allowing gay marriage in the state.  posted 12:33am by jholmes

A new report says Iran is 5 years away from having nukes.  posted 12:22am by jholmes

Iraq's president is claiming that Saddam Hussein has  confessed to executions of his own people.  posted 12:15am by jholmes

Jane Fonda has decided to not do her planned anti-war bus tour.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

A New Orleans bus station has become a temporary jail.  posted 12:06am by jholmes

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has ordered the force evacuation of his city.

Nagin's emergency declaration released late Tuesday targets those still in the city unless they have been designated by government officials as helping with the relief effort.

The move comes after some citizens bluntly told authorities who had come to deliver them from the flooded metropolis that they would not leave their homes and property. An estimated 10,000 residents are believed to still be in New Orleans, and some have been holed up in their homes for more than a week.     posted 12:04am by jholmes

September 6, 2005    

New College Football Polls.  posted 1:19pm by jholmes

Freshly engaged Lance Armstrong is already considering a  return to competitive cycling.  Armstrong has been retired for just over a month.

"While I'm absolutely enjoying my time as a retired athlete with Sheryl and the kids, the recent smear campaign out of France has awoken my competitive side," Armstrong said. "I'm not willing to put a percentage on the chances but I will no longer rule it out."     posted 1:02pm by jholmes

Gilligan has died.  Bob Denver who played Gilligan on the hit TV show Gilligan's Island has passed away at the age of 70.  posted 12:55pm by jholmes

President Bush is set to ask Congress for $40 billion dollars more of Hurricane relief aid. 

"Bureaucracy is not going to stand in the way of getting the job done for the people," the president told reporters earlier in the day after meeting with his Cabinet to review storm recovery efforts.  posted 12:51pm by jholmes

Rafael Palmeiro has left the Orioles to rehab his left knee on his own in Texas.  Funny how he keeps popping up with injuries now that he has been busted for steroids.  He has been a bit of a coward in regard to facing the fans since his suspension.  posted 10:05am by jholmes

Supreme Court justices, a Supreme Court nominee, and the rest of Washington is paying its respects to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist today.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court coverage.   posted 9:55am by jholmes

New Orleans is very wary of what might be found under the receding water as it starts to flow out of the city.  posted 9:44am by jholmes

Transporter 2 was the top movie at the box office over the holiday weekend.  The sequel brought in a little over $20,000,000.  posted 12:55am by jholmes

A stripper from San Diego stabbed a night club patron after he refused a lap dance.  So the moral of the story is to never turn down a lap dance.  posted 12:50am by jholmes

Barry Bonds was sent away from the San Francisco Giants in June for an altercation with a teammate:

A Giants player took offense to Harvey Shields, one of Bonds' personal trainers the team hired at Bonds' urging, while in the players' food room at SBC Park.

Shortly after the unnamed Giants player and Shields exchanged words, Bonds sought out the player inside the clubhouse and had words.

A scuffle ensued in which Bonds punched the player in the jaw, whereupon the player put Bonds in a headlock and retaliated.

The two were separated by players and Giants personnel, though Bonds and the player have since made amends.    posted 12:44am by jholmes

The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon yesterday raised $54.9 million for muscular dystrophy and $1 million for Katrina aid.  posted 12:30am by jholmes

The work is expected to take months, but the pumps have strarted to drain the city of New Orleans.  posted 12:13am by jholmes

New Orleans newspaper gave warning to poor citizens seven weeks before Katrina hit that they would be on their own should a major hurricane hit New Orleans:

But the TIMES-PICAYUNE published a story on July 24, 2005 stating: City, state and federal emergency officials are preparing to give a historically blunt message: "In the event of a major hurricane, you're on your own."

Staff writer Bruce Nolan reported some 7 weeks before Katrina: "In scripted appearances being recorded now, officials such as Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation."    posted 12:10am by jholmes

September 5, 2005     

I just got back from the Dodgers-Giants baseball game and guess who I saw? Yes, Mr. Juice himself: Barry Bonds. He was in the Giants dugout which is a rarity.  Probably because he lives and trains in Los Angeles on his own. I snapped a couple of photos but they were a good bit away.  There were many Boo Barry chants and steroid references from the crowd even though he did not play.  posted 9:35pm by jholmes

Cycling great Lance Armstrong and singer Sheryl Crow are engaged to be wed.  Lance popped the question in Idaho of all places.  posted 9:27pm by jholmes

All-time football great Jerry Rice retired today.  Rice owns 38 NFL receiving records and played for 20 seasons in the league.  posted 2:27pm by jholmes

Premature Baby:  Miracle baby doing fine after emergency helicopter rescue and superb medical care.  posted 9:15am by jholmes

President Bush has nominated John Roberts, who he has already nominated for the Supreme Court, to fill Chief Justice William Rehnquist's robe.  It is a move that many thought Bush would do and a necessary move if the court is to open its October session on time with a Chief Justice in place.  posted 9:04am by jholmes

A six-year-old Louisiana boy, who some how was left in charge of six babies, helped lead them to safety in the chaos and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of refugees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader.

They were holding hands. Three of the children were about 2 years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A 3-year-old girl, who wore colorful barrettes on the ends of her braids, had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them, and he told rescuers his name was Deamonte Love.     posted 1:44am by jholmes

Saddam trial set to begin next month over the 1982 massacre deaths of 150 Iraqi citizens.  posted 1:37am by jholmes

Reactions of fellow justices on the Supreme Court to Chief Justice Rehnquist's death.  New York Times obituary of William Rehnquist.  More Bumpshack Supreme Court coverage.   posted 1:32am by jholmes

The New Orleans Saints are looking at three options as to where to play their home games this year:

1. Baton Rouge

2. San Antonio, Texas

3. On the Road in every opponents stadium. 
   posted 5:29pm by jholmes

All Bumpshack Katrina Coverage.

The intense damage in Mississippi is being over shadowed by the thugs and over-the-top news coverage given to New Orleans.  posted 5:01pm by jholmes

Here is my answer as to who to blame for not using the nearly 800 buses in New Orleans to evacuate before they became flooded:

Also you can just look at the Mayors name to figure out who is to blame
Ray Nagin
which is like
Reneging
re·nege ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-ng, -ng, -ng)
v. re·neged, re·neg·ing, re·neges
v. intr.
To fail to carry out a promise or commitment: reneged on the contract at the last minute.

For more on this story check out DeadlyKatrina.com.  posted 4:45pm by jholmes

President Bush has many options for who should be the new Chief Justice to replace William Rehnquist.  The most likely scenario is the refilling of paperwork so that John Roberts could fill the spot.  Roberts was nominated by Bush to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's robe, but has yet to be confirmed by Congress.

"Renominating Roberts (as chief justice) is among the most likeliest scenarios," said Brad Berenson, a White House lawyer during Bush's first term and a former Supreme Court clerk. "There is one and only one way that the court can start the new term in October with a chief justice in place and all nine seats filled and that is if the president switches Roberts over to be the nominee for chief."

More Bumpshack Supreme Court Coverage.  posted 4:21pm by jholmes