Mega Millions has sold its $206 million lottery ticket at King Kullen's Grocery Store in Long Island but the winner is yet to be discovered. The ticket is floating out there and hopefully that person will know to bring it in to redeem their prize. At this time of year and in this economy (or any economy actually) a prize like this is a huge deal, and such a high number is one of the biggest Mega Million jackpots yet. People are clearly desperate for some extra cash this winter as can be seen by such a high number of buyers for this lottery. The ticket was chosen randomly by a computer of 6 numbers that only matched once, and the winner was announced Tuesday but still no follow up as of Wednesday.
-tt 12/18/11
Christmas has come and gone but just as busy a shopping week is ahead. Many people are going to the mall this week to buy gifts with gift-certificates, Christmas cash, to see a movie or to return unwanted gifts. Merchants find this week just as important as the weeks before Christmas and many put great sales to bank on this popular time to shop. Interestingly, there is a new trend picking up this year with regards to unwanted gift-certificates. In the past one had to simply use the gift certificate they got but this year certain websites have arisen where you can sell an unwanted gift certificate for cash from the highest bidder. Maybe you don't eat red meat, so you sell your $20 In-n-Out certificate online to a bidder that will pay $18. Not ideal, but better than $20 worth of inedible burgers... for example.
Anyways, it's a new trend and maybe a good one to check out if you find yourself in that situation. Happy holidays! -tt 12/26/11
Singer Adam Lambert was arrested today in Finland when breaking out into a fight with his boyfriend Sauli Koskinen. The fight began in a bar and was carried out to the street, where police came and arrested the non-cooperating Lambert. Lambert was originally a runner up for hit show American Idol and has his own musical career since then. Also today Fox's show X-factor announced their first winner, Melanie Amaro. X-factor is another Simon Cowell production like American Idol. When asked after being released from jail, Koskinen said ""Celebrities are people too and fame is not easy. Love is not always easy either, but it's forever." Charges were not serious since no on was injured or property damaged during the fight. Not really sure why, but this story was incredibly popular in news and blogs sites today. -tt 12/22/11
A plane crashed today in New Jersey killing 5 people aboard: Greenhill and Co. managing directors Jeffrey F. Buckalew and Rakesh Chawla, and Buckalew's wife and 2 children. No one was injured on the ground as the plane crashed into Interstate 287. Buckalew, an NYC banker, was the owner of the plane and it was headed to Georgia before it crashed. It is unclear why the plane crashed but some think it may be due to a collection of ice that built up. The plane had only been in the air 14 minutes coming from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Greenhill and Co. is an investment firm. Chairman Robert F. Greenhill said today that,"the firm is in deep mourning over the tragic and untimely death of two of its esteemed colleagues and members of Jeff's family. Jeff was one of the first employees of Greenhill. He and Rakesh were extraordinary professionals who were highly respected by colleagues and clients alike. They will be sorely missed and our sympathies go out to their families and friends." -tt 12/20/11
Just reported the long-time leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, has died at age 69. Not many are certain what the cause of his death was, only saying that it was"overwork." Kim Jong Il was known for his unusual characteristic both privately and publicly in his political relations. I've always personally associated him with those sunglasses he always had on. But he was also known for his extreme loyalty to North Korea and a very stubborn nature when dealing with other nations. -tt 12/18/11
One of the busiest freeways in North America. I happened to be right by it today and filmed it for a little while. The number one busiest freeway is Toronto's 401. And the longest is the Pan-American Highway.
Today it has been announced that the War in Iraq is officially over. Violence and unrest remain apparent in the country but as far as the US interference and presence there, the war is considered over as troops were pulled out and sent back home today. The war has been going on for a decade now starting on September 11th, 2001 at the attack on the Twin Towers. It initially began as a US invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein and then a constant policing to make sure the country stayed peaceful and in order. Over the course of the decade 4,487 US soldiers were killed, and many more wounded. The future will now tell whether Iraq can stay in a peaceful state on its own. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said at the ceremony in Iraq today, "“the cost was high — in blood and treasure of the United States, and also for the Iraqi people. But those lives have not been lost in vain — they gave birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq.”
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I think many Americans will be happy that this war has finally come to an end. What began as strong reaction to September 11th seems to have been drawn out into an almost pointless and endless effort to change and control a country on the the other side of the world. With the economy in as bad shape as it is the extremely high cost of military funding seems to be not in the country's best interest, and the loss of lives only makes the scenario worse. Although September 11th was a tragic day perhaps the military response to it is not as relevant as it was ten years ago, and so moving the troupes out of Iraq probably seems like the right idea to many americans.
Today Russian tycoon and owner of the New York Nets Mikhail Prokhorov announced his intention to run for president against Prime Minister Valdimir Putin in 2012. Prokhorov has made remarks against Putin in the past and due to apparent vote-counting fraud in the last election, may have an edge in the nomination. Running a country is much harder than running a basketball team, so it is certainly very ambitious of Prokhorov to make the leap. If Prokhorov were to win he'd be the first president to own an American basketball team. Either way, he is serious about it saying in a conference today, "I made a decision, probably the most serious decision in my life: I am going to the presidential election." -tt 12/12/11
The Swedish performer Robyn put on a mesmerizing performance on SNL last night, singing her two songs Call Your Girlfriend, and Dreaming On My Own. . Dressed in a glittery-brown outfit, the singer not only put on a great vocal performance but danced and tumbled around the stage at the same time. And by tumble, I literally mean she would role and crawl around the stage while somehow maintaining a great voice at the same time. Many performers try to put on the illusion of enthusiasm an charisma just to put on a show but Robyn seemed to really be giving it her all last night. Her music is basically pop. She plays with a full band but the show is really focused on her. And although it is pop, it has a great sound to it, and for someone who wasn't so familiar with her music, I was enticed to perhaps listen to more. The show itself was hosted by another female pop-star, Katy Perry, and was interesting to see her not singing herself, but actually introducing another musician instead. Here is some footage of Robyn:
-tt 12/11/11 Other sites with this story: Spinner Zap 2 It Ace Showbiz
NASA has announced that tomorrow morning, December 10th, there will be a Lunar Eclipse. The moon will be completely blocked by the Earth from the sun's rays, creating a reddish color. This will happen at 7:45am EST and 4:45am PST. NASA scientists said, "“For people in the western United States, the eclipse is deepest just before local dawn.”
The Lunar Eclipse happens when the Earth is directly in between the Sun and the Moon.
This, along with an announcement earlier this week by NASA that a new planet has been discovered possibly hosting life, makes this a big week for news stories in science. To add to this, there is also talk of a meteor shower coming up next Wednesday. I saw one yesterday, but not sure if it is related.
So get up early, and watch the moon look like it rarely does. Definitely worth the view!
Last night I was playing a game of Taboo
. It's that board game where one person has to get his team to guess a word, without saying the word, or certain other words that are not allowed. One of my teammates starting describing Pearl Harbor... "it's that attack... American soil," me: "Hawaii?" "Yes!" "oh Pearl Harbor?" "Yes!!!"
Its not something I think about a lot, so I was surprised to have gotten it with such ease. Coincidentally, today is the remembrance of Pearl Harbour, that with the exeption of September 11th, is the only attack on American soil. I really think I must have picked up on something subconscious to have gotten that clue last night.
Today, American remembers Pearl Harbor, and salutes those who died and faught in it 70 years later. In Hawaii, at 7am, a ceremony was held at the site of Pearl Harbor. -tt 11/07/11
This fall for the first time, Hollywood made an official attack on Internet companies that host or support piracy. The initial attack was to create a bill, SOPA, that would give the government power to shut down sites that violated certain rules. Now, as the issue has developed, it does not seem as likely that the SOPA bill will be passed.
Companies like Google and Yahoo that have stood behind Internet companies, have fought hard to keep their businesses alive, spending $91.5 million in legal fees, against Hollywood's $91.8 million. Politically, both Democrats and Republicans represent both sides of the battle, as there are clearly interests in both parties. The debate is rough, as both the freedom of the web and the rights of media companies are equally important, and have a huge place in our economy. -tt 12/05/11
Mega Millions has sold its $206 million lottery ticket at King Kullen's Grocery Store in Long Island but the winner is yet to be discovered. The ticket is floating out there and hopefully that person will know to bring it in to redeem their prize. At this time of year and in this economy (or any economy actually) a prize like this is a huge deal, and such a high number is one of the biggest Mega Million jackpots yet. People are clearly desperate for some extra cash this winter as can be seen by such a high number of buyers for this lottery. The ticket was chosen randomly by a computer of 6 numbers that only matched once, and the winner was announced Tuesday but still no follow up as of Wednesday.
Today it has been announced that the War in Iraq is officially over. Violence and unrest remain apparent in the country but as far as the US interference and presence there, the war is considered over as troops were pulled out and sent back home today. The war has been going on for a decade now starting on September 11th, 2001 at the attack on the 
-tt 12/11/11
. It's that board game where one person has to get his team to guess a word, without saying the word, or certain other words that are not allowed. One of my teammates starting describing 
