Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ray Villafane Of D.C. and Marvel Comics On Pumpkin Carving

Ray Villafane has an interesting practice.

All pumpkin carvings have the ability to become freakishly delightful and moderately scary. The occasional loose toothed smile, a crooked grin, or even hideous face seems to be ordinary. What if there was an even more evil nature about a pumpkin? Potential that spooks are even scared of.

Ray Villafane, who works for D.C. and Marvel comics and owns Villafane Studios, likes to carve his pumpkins extra wicked. You might even say he is quite a "freaky" guy. 

Predator Head Pumpkin
Villafane is a two time winner of the Food Network's Outrageous Pumpkins Challenge Show. You might have even saw him on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric this past Monday at 6:30.

Not only are his pumpkin carvings insanely freaky. Villafane actually went through many trials and errors trying to perfect his art. After being an artist for D.C. and Marvel comics, his skills improved quickly. Before then Villafane mentions that he "smashed" quite a few pumpkins. 

So what pumpkin should be used?

According to Villafane, "the best pumpkin to use is a meaty one with character." This would seem to make sense in pumpkin art considering how much carving is done to create a masterpiece like Villafane's. 

How long does it take?

"It takes the best part of a day to finish, but for the most part it takes a couple hours," says Villafane. It may seem hard to believe that these intricate designs would only take a mere two hours, but for a professional like Villafane it doesn't take long.

Obama Pumpkin
Talent has nothing to do with this fine artwork though. Villafane says, "anyone can create a work of art." He even made a tutorial for those who want to try creating a masterpiece.

If you want to see more of his art you can check out Ray's Pumpkins on Wix.com. 

So whether you are a talented pumpkin carver like Villafane, or your the ordinary carver, Halloween can be spooked up with a hint of "Villafreakness." 








Clip from CBS Evening News

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Unemployment News: Glenn Beck talks 99ers on Today’s Fox Show

Turn on any TV and you are bound to be slammed with talk of the midterm elections or unemployment news. The unemployment news is always bad these days, but today Glenn Beck talked about the 99ers on his Fox show.

Being a 99er myself and belonging to the American 99ers Union Beck discusses during his program, I can tell you that I am an expert on the 99er issue and really wish Mr. Beck had contacted me or one of the other 5 million 99ers to fact check his story - but then again - we are talking about Glenn Beck, who doesn’t ever really deal in facts.

The 99er talk begins at 13:05 in the 1st video and continues in the 2nd video below it. Boy has this guy got just about everything wrong. I guess he won't fork over the $$$ to pay for fact checkers. If he was actually as concerned about the unemployed as he represents in his video - he would at least hire one fact checker, right? Come on man - Glenn, buddy - try to practice what you preach. It would give you a little something you cannot buy with all of your money: Credibility!

See for yourselves the absolute drivel he spews and all under the guise of trying to appear so concerned about the unemployed in America. [WARNING: Viewing the “Beckster” is known to give most who watch him extreme nausea.]


Taylor Momsen Flashes - Needs A Heidi Montag-Style Big Boob Job

Last week the online celeb world was shocked to learn that The Gossip Girl's 17-year-old Actress and Singer Taylor Momsen flashed and showed her breasts during a New York concert.

But when the videos and pictures were shown, they revealed the sad fact that Momsen's almost flat chested.

The number one rule of sexual teasing is to have something to show. Taylor Momsen flashing and showing off her little mounds wasn't worth all the buzz because she had nothing to show.

In fact, Taylor should wait until she's 19 and more developed to show her tits. Her only hope is breast enhancement surgery. Yep. In fact, she should see what it's done for Heidi Montag.

Before her boob job, Heidi looked like, well, a little like Taylor Momsen, with just an inch more cleavage.

 Sure, Heidi was popular in a girl-next-door way, but nothing like what happened after the now late Dr. Frank Ryan worked on her chest.

Heidi Montag's Boob Comes Out (Pacific Coast News) 

Ok.  10 times.

But now, va voom, Heidi Montag's a sought-after Internet hottie who's now famous episode of her boob falling out of her bikini in Costa Rica made the World stop what it was doing to check it out.

If Taylor Momsen wants to up her media game and have something to really flash, she's got to get a bigger set of boobs. That's all there is too it.

Momsen should consult Montag about this and how to conduct herself when her boobs are big.  Heidi's boobs are her best publicity weapon.

Richmond City Council: Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes Making Richmond Streets Safer

Richmond City Council Candidates Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes are running for election this November 2. Word is getting out on their successes in improving public safety in Richmond.

Among the important issues that the Richmond City Council will be working on next year are strengthening public safety, improving education, and getting Richmond back to work, particularly at the Chevron Richmond Refinery where the long-stalled Renewal project would bring back more than 1,000 much needed jobs to the community.

According to mail pieces that are posted on RichmondJobsNow.org both Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes, candidates for Richmond City Council on November 2, both have strong records that are making the streets safer.

According to the pieces on Myrna Lopez:

Myrna Lopez Found Funding to Put More Police on Our Streets: Myrna Lopez knows that making our streets safer begins with putting more policemen on our streets. She supported an initiative to increase the number of officers on patrol – especially in high crime areas. And it’s working, Crime in Richmond is down for the third year in a row.

Myrna Lopez is making a real and direct difference in the lives of Richmond residents – especially when it comes to making our neighborhoods safer. She helped lead the push to secure funding for more police officers. And that’s just for starters. When it comes to safer communities, Myrna believes that more police officers are a necessity but so are good jobs and better schools.

The pieces on Myrna Lopez are available here and here on RichmondJobsNow.org.

According to the piece on Maria Viramontes:

Maria Viramontes: More Funding for More Cops on the Beat in Richmond: Crime is down in Richmond. And that’s no accident. City Councilmember Maria Viramontes has been on the forefront of the effort to put more police on the beat. Officer staffing levels are the highest they’ve been in many years — and it’s having an impact.

To continue making progress, Richmond needs to turn up its commitment to funding our police force – not merely offer lip service to root causes of crime. With Maria Viramontes on the case, Richmond has a City Councilmember whose eyes are wide open and whose commitment to keeping our streets safe never waivers.

In 2007, Maria Viramontes authored legislation to increase the number of police officers to 3 per 1,000 residents in high crime areas. Today, there are 193 officers patrolling our streets, making them safer.

Crime reports show that crime is down for the third year in a row. Homicides remain a serious problem but Maria Viramontes is pushing for a new plan to raise the number of officers to 213 – the same level Richmond had when our crime rates were their lowest ever.

The piece on Maria Viramontes is available here.

According to "About the Campaign" on RichmondJobsNow.org, "On November 2nd, Richmond residents will elect a new Mayor and three members to the City Council. With so much at stake, it is important for voters to be informed about the issues that will affect our city’s future. This website provides articles and posts about the upcoming election."

Myrna Lopez website: http://myrnalopez.com/

Maria Viramontes website: http://mariaviramontes.org/

More to come on the Richmond City Council elections.

9/11 Cover Up Theory




There are many conspiracy theories regarding 9/11, and now there is another cover up theory being brought to public attention.

Infowars.com has a large collection of articles/blog posts/etc. about "the truth behind 9/11." There are articles taken from Fox News, MWC News, Sydney Daily Telegraph, etc.

Infowars has the most recent cover up posted today, Wednesday, October 27, 2010. The article is called "New Footage Implodes 9/11 Cover Up."

This post refers to a Youtube video that brings in the idea that there was a "secondary hit" to one of the towers before it collapsed.




Another part of this cover up is being brought to light by Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer who wrote the book Operation Dark Heart in which he reveals his encounters with executive director of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, Dr. Philip Zelikow.

The book suggests that Zelikow may have something to do with the 9/11 cover up, according to JackTimes.com

Brooke Baldwin Shows Legs On CNN News



Brooke Baldwin, the super hot and super good CNN News anchor who replaced Rick Sanchez, shows legs On CNN News. And she's got the shortest skirt ever allowed on a CNN set.

If you recall Brooke Baldwin took Rick Sanchez' place because Rick made a comment defamatory toward his bosses at CNN, saying that it was owned by Jews, in addition to calling The Daily Show's Jon Stewart a bigot.

Baldwin - who, like Sanchez is bilingual - was Rick's on air sidekick who focused on reporting on the news trends of the day.   The chemistry between Brooke and Rick was one of the pluses of The Rick's List Show.

Before that, Brooke was on CNN's sister network HLN. But never before, even though she's worn a skirt, has she worn one so freaking short.  She's done this twice from memory, but not all the time.  That's too bad - CNN needs to have her in some short skirt.  Look at what it did for Mary Hart's career.

Considering CNN's ratings problems, and Fox News success with the same formula, it was a smart move.



Brooke's got great, athletics legs. Plus, she talks about some of the days most searches for news and does so effortlessly. Baldwin just needs to up her Twitter game just a bit to be perfect.

CNN should not shy away from having Brooke show her legs. If some get pissed about it, big deal - it will pay off in higher ratings and more money and a new start for CNN.  

Just because a woman looks great doesn't mean we will not take her seriously, and it's psycho to think otherwise.

Brooke Baldwin is super-hot, super-good, and super-cool.  Deal with it!

LeBron James: Nike Commercial - LeBron Rise



The Nike Commercial "LeBron Rise" has already gained almost 1 million views and also a number of critics asking why the Miami Heat Star Basketball Player made the Nike ad, which really isn't an ad.

It has LeBron James asking "What Should I Do," which makes this blogger think there's some website with the URL WhatShouldIdo.com that has LeBron in it. But no, it's already taken, as you can see.

The commercial has not made a lot of people happy because it just rekindled all of the hard feelings James created in Cleveland, New York, and Chicago, when he shamelessly flirted with fans of each town in considering where he was going before he selected Miami.

If LeBron were smart, he'd have listened to President Obama and went to The Chicago Bulls.

But the bottom line is LeBron James is not Michael Jordan and at this point, he's not going to be. At least until he stops whining and starts playing some real lights out basketball. The kind of basketball that takes over games, shocks fans, and scares the hell out of opponents.

LeBron had his first chance to do that with his new team Tuesday night. He didn't do it.

What should LeBron do?

Just play.

Saw 3D Comes out Friday




Saw 3D comes out Friday and will be the first movie to be filmed using a 3D camera. This will be the seventh and final movie of the Saw franchise. Watch the following video for a nice Zennie62.com blog update & the video below that is a fun video that was made.




Troy Smith To Ted Ginn - Ohio State Fuels SF 49er (Niners) Offense

Get ready for Troy Smith To Ted Ginn as the Ohio State friends and former teammates are paired again. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary announced that Quaterback Troy Smith, the former Baltimore Ravens Quarterback, traded to the 49ers September 6th, 2010, will get the start in London against the Denver Broncos.

The reason is that Niners Starting QB Alex Smith is recovering from a shoulder injury and backup David Carr just plain sucked against the Carolina Panthers.

Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, played with QB Kyle Boller in Baltimore and some fans wanted him to start in place of Boller. Troy is known for his speed, intellect, and leadership, but never got the break he needed to show he could be "the man" at quarterback. Perhaps this is just that.

The problem for Troy Smith and Ted Ginn is one that plagues the San Francisco 49ers overall and that's lack of discipline. The 49ers under Coach Singletary have players not looking when the ball's thrown to them on screen passes, make errors in judgment based on poor temper, and in general make just enough errors in penalties and missed assignments that add up the losses.

Don't expect Troy Smith to fair too much better than David Carr. The reason is coaching. The 49ers of Singletary are offensively an insult to the tradition set by the late 49ers Coach Bill Walsh. Coach Walsh's quarterbacks were so well-trained that one could step in for the other and be effective.

David Carr looked just plain terrible against the Carolina Panthers and was a major reason they lost a close game.

Troy Smith ads the dimension of speed, but timing in that passing offense, unless the Niners plan to throw fly patterns, is another story.

Avatar 2 & 3 are coming

Avatar2.movie-trailer.com

Techland.com has announced that James Cameron is going to be releasing two Avatar sequels. These sequels are scheduled to be released Decmeber 2014 and 2015. Let us just hope that Cameron doesn't get carried away with the "bad movie sequel syndrome." Lets face it. Over the past couple years there has been some pretty bad sequels. If Cameron is able to pull this off he will be hitting the box-office hard.

According to E! Online, movie stars Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and Zoe Saldana (Princess Neytiri) are back on board for another Avatar experience, both playing in both sequels.

James Cameron told E! Online, "The second and third films will be stories that fulfill a greater story arc. We will not back off from Avatar's visual and emotional freight train, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world."

In fact, according to IMDb.com, James Cameron is planning to shoot some footage seven miles underwater in the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the Mariana Trench; the deepest location on earth. The pressure at such a depth would be over 8 tons per square inch. This is far beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced Russian military subs, which can handle only 1,600 pounds per square inch of pressure.

Hopefully these sequels will prove to be extraordinary like the first. The worst that could happen is there is a knock-off sequel of the movies Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves, who many people proclaimed in multiple reviews for that last movie. 

World Series 2010 Giants vs. Rangers: Tim Lincecum vs. Cliff Lee For Game One

Today, at 5 PM, the World Series 2010 gets underway at AT&T Park in San Francisco and it's a pitchers duel pitting two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum against the multi-pitch phenom that is Cliff Lee, who also has a Cy Young award. Of course, there are a ton of story lines for the World Series, but today it's Lee vs. Lincecum.

Tim Lincecum Finds His Form

After a bit of a rough patch in 2010, dealing with control issues after starting 5-0, The San Francisco Giants Pitcher they call "The Freak," Timothy Leroy Lincecum, found his form and came up on the winning end of some dramatic games, formost was the 1-0, 14 strikeout gem for the battle against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS 2010. He then beat Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay, striking out 8, and winning 4-3 for the first game of the NLDS.

The Bellevue, Washington-born Lincecum, known off the field for his stylish dress and spontaneous answers to reporters - his "fuck yeah" comment to a reporter before the playoffs sparked a new line of shirts with the quote on them - is a serious player with an ice-water demeanor on the field.

On the field, Tim Lincecum has a delivery Fox Sports Tim McCarver calls "violent." He kicks his left leg high, then throws from a place that causes his body to almost fall backward, before firing out a howitzer of a pitch. His best pitch is a curveball that's noted for it's sudden break.

Cliff Lee Finds A Home

Unlike Lincecum, who's been an SF Giant for his entire career, Texas Ranger Pitcher Cliff Lee wasn't even with the Rangers at the start of the 2010 Baseball Season. Lee went from the Phillies in 2009 to the Seattle Mariners, and then to the Rangers in July. He was in the 2010 AL All-Star Game, but as a Rangers player. With the Mariners Lee was 8–3 and posted a 2.34 ERA, an 0.945 WHIP rate, and a 89/6 K/BB ratio, according to Wikipedia.

Like Lincecum, Lee's best work was in the MLB Playoffs.  Against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS, Cliff struck out 13 batters and the Rangers blew out New York 8-0.  They would eventually win that series and the AL Pennant for the first time in franchise history.

Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum

If both Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum  are at the top of their game this evening, World Series 2010 Game One could be one of the best in the 106-year history of the event.  The difference will be the Giants and Rangers bats.  More on that later.

Stay tuned.

Husson University Senate Meeting





Article written for Ed Rice's class x-posted at The Future of Journalism


Nikky Raney
October 21, 2010


Thirty-five seconds goes by without a single sound. The room is filled with college students who have been given an open forum to voice their opinions, but for once they are speechless.

On October 18, 2010 the Husson University and New England School of Communications (NESCom) student government's senate meeting took place in Peabody at 9 p.m.

Chris Stevenson, Vice President, began the meeting alongside the other four Husson students on the executive board.

Kelsey Tucker, Secretary, projected a Word document onto the white board with the agenda for the meeting which included: updates from all executive board members except for Treasurer, going over the approval of an attendance policy for the executive board and then an open discussion about the issues on campus that the senate members find to be important.

The attendance policy was projected on the screen in another Word document as Matt Teague, President, explained its key points.

"The senate cannot miss more than three unexcused absences, and we in the executive board think we need to be held to a higher standard [than the senate] since that is what our job entails."

A copy of the document was passed around to the 20 representatives and advisor in attendance, Anne Schmidt. The senate voted in favor of the attendance policy.

Tucker projected a new Word document onto the screen with a list of concerns and issues that the members of the senate submitted prior as campus concerns that were to be discussed at the meeting. She asked the senate if there were any specific issues they wanted to discuss.

This was the time where it became an open forum and every representative was given the opportunity to voice any concerns or issues.

Thirty-five seconds of silence passed before Ubed Rimvil, VP of Commuter Affairs, spoke up.

"I think that we need some more diversity and cultural events. There are lots of people at [Husson] from all over the world and the country, and it would be good to have more things go on to help embrace diversity."

Tucker added that issue to the list and then brought up one of the issues listed that she felt strongly about.

"I think that we really need benches in the showers." She continued, "I am in Hart and I don't even have a hook. It would be great to have a bench to put our stuff down on."

Tucker's statement sparked discussion with the senate and led to members of the senate bringing up a variety of topics such as campus parking, sharper knives in the dining commons, Internet service, financial aid for Pharmacy students, signs at Husson, keys for all dorm buildings, microwaves etc.

When the topic for sharper knives was brought up Tyler Allen, one of the five NESCom students in the senate, took a stance of opposition.

"We don't need sharper knives. Do you know how much stuff gets stolen from the [Dickerman Dining Commons (DDC)]? Do we really want people being able to steal sharp knives?"

As more concerns were brought up regarding the DDC Schmidt informed the group that the DDC will be undergoing a $4 million renovation in the near future.

Rimvil addressed the concerns for dorm building keys by explaining a new idea that talks about the involvement of "scanning cards to get into the building."

The senate members were able to vote for the topics that they considered to be the most important. The voting was conducted through a count of hand raises. Members could raise a hand for as many topics on the list as they pleased.

The issue that was unanimously voted the most important topic was fixing the Internet.

Teague ended the meeting at 9:29 p.m. after the votes had been tallied.

The following day Teague explained the structure of meeting in greater detail.

"That was the third senate representative meeting. The number of students in the senate is based on the size of the school, that is why NESCom has five out of the 20. The senate is mostly made up of sophomores who live on campus, but there are a few commuters. The meetings usually run for 45 minutes to an hour, but last night's meeting was short."

NESCom students are eligible to apply to be on the executive board, but in the last election none of the students ran.
He is able to elaborate on one of the issues that has an effect on all a large majority of students and is constantly complained about: parking.

"The senate is working on parking in a different approach. We are talking to administration and interviewing security to talk about how it could be, or what ideas we have to help change and make it better - instead of just demanding and complaining about it to the administration," Teague said.

The meetings always have an advisor to oversee the meeting.

"Sometimes it is Anne (Schmidt) like it was last night or it is Pamela Kropp-Anderson. She is the Assistant Dean of Students at Husson and they attend to see another perspective or way around aside from just students," Tucker said.

Schmidt has been one of the four student government advisors for the 14 months that she has been at Husson although her formal title is Coordinator of Student Activities.

She makes sure that everything goes smoothly with the meetings.

"I like that the students have so many ideas and goals; it is very good. I help to bring their ideas to a realistic level and help prioritize. They do such a good job," she said.

She recalls one of the most important ideas that was discussed at the meeting was the need for signs and how the students have already done so much to make improvements.

"The sign in the front of campus looks a lot nicer thanks to the students. Last night the students were talking about that we need better signs around campus, and that's a great idea."

NESCom senate representatives Rachel Clark and Tyler Allen both feel that although there are only five NESCom representatives the two schools are treated equally within the meetings.

"The meetings are based on campus related things, and if there is a specific problem that needs to be addressed then one of the senate members will bring it up. Sometimes one of the topics covered might mostly relate to NESCom students, and other nights there could be a topic that applies more to Husson students," Clark explains.

Allen would be the first to speak up if NESCom students were being treated as second class citizens and enjoys being able to participate in meetings.

"I speak up when I have to, and if there's something that I think needs to be said I'll say it. I think that NESCom students and Husson students have equal opportunity in the meetings. I would speak up if I didn't think that the two were being treated fair." Allen continues, "I won't participate in it next semester; I was a write-in on the ballot when senate was being voted for. I do think that issues like parking need to get taken care of right away and that there are more topics that need to be concentrated on."