SodaHead - Cal's Blog

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2009-10-03T22:37:25Z

0 raves

Let me first just say that there are good people in this world and for the rest...let them burn in Hades! Beloved American actor John Travolta is now in a courtroom because some creepy paramedic attempted to exploit and extort $25 million dollars from the grief-stricken actor who recently buried his 16-year-old son, Jett. Legendary American late night talk-show comedian David Letterman was blackmailed by an Emmy-winning employee of CBS for $2 million dollars. The twisted blackmailer, Robert Halderman, threatened to expose Letterman's sexual relationships with some of his female staff members. Are some people crazy, sick, evil or what???? I'm sure there's a lesson in all this somewhere. What are your thoughts on this madness?

COOL CAL'S SUPER AWESOME 80's iPOD HOTLIST!!!

2009-05-25T20:12:01Z

Cal

+2 raves

Yeah, the 70's was a "groovy" time for music. However, my favorite era of music is and will always be the 1980's, for both personal and artistic reasons. I know many people hated the androgynous look, big hair, and experimental sounds but before you roll your eyes and go to the next blog, check out this playlist. Some songs you will recognize right away, others maybe a blur or maybe you never heard it at all. Drum roll please...: )...in no particular order: "Jump" by VAN HALEN "Welcome To The Jungle" by GUNS N' ROSES "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by DEF LEPPARD "The Heat Is On" by GLENN FREY "What I Like About You" by THE ROMANTICS "White Wedding" by BILLY IDOL "Our Lips Are Sealed" by THE GO-GOS "With Or Without You" by U2 "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde "Crazy Train" by OZZY OSBOURNE "The Way It Is" by BRUCE HORNSBY AND THE RANGE "Don't Stop Believing" by JOURNEY "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera "Breaking The Law" by JUDAS PRIEST "Cruel Summer" by BANANARAMA "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by TEARS FOR FEARS "Hungry Like The Wolf" by DURAN DURAN "I Can Rock It Like This (I Can Rock It Like That)" by RUN DMC "Come On Eileen" by DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS "You Belong To The City" by GLENN FREY "Mickey" by TONI BASIL "Jack and Diane" by JOHN "COUGAR" MELLENCAMP "Bust A Move" by YOUNG MC ":Keep On Loving You" by REO SPEEDWAGON "The Final Countdown" by EUROPE "Call Me" by BLONDIE "Don't You Want Me" by HUMAN LEAGUE "Little Red Corvette" by PRINCE "I Love Rock and Roll" by JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by R.E.M. "Photograph" by DEF LEPPARD "Take My Breath Away" by BERLIN "Let The Music Play" by SHANNON "Push It" by SALT N PEPA "Cuts You Up" by PETER MURPHY "Always Something To Remind Me" by NAKED EYES "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman "The Power" by SNAP "Jam On It" by NEWCLEUS "Alone Again" by THE DAMNED "Tom Sawyer" by RUSH "We're Not Going To Take It" by TWISTED SISTER "867-5309 (Jenny)" by TOMMY TUTONE "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by THE SCORPIONS "I Melt With You" by MODERN ENGLISH "Tainted Love" by SOFT CELL "Love Is A Battlefield" by PAT BENATAR "Take On Me" by A-HA "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by POISON "Live To Tell" by MADONNA "Wild Child" by W.A.S.P. "Sunglasses At Night" by COREY HART "You Might Think" by THE CARS "I'm Large" by DJ CHUCK CHILLOUT and KOOL CHIP "Sweet Dreams" by THE EURYTHMICS "Easy Lover" by PHILIP BAILEY and PHIL COLLINS "Born In The USA" by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "Legs" by ZZ TOP "In The Air Tonight" by PHIL COLLINS "Cars" by Gary Numan "Good-bye To You" by SCANDAL "Simply Irresistable" by ROBERT PALMER "Misled" by KOOL & THE GANG "Time After Time" by CYNDI LAUPER "Fight For Your Right To Party" by THE BEASTIE BOYS and "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" by VAN HALEN --- I know, I know, that song came out in 1978 but I'm such a big Van Halen fan I couldn't resist. There are others but I think I'll stop here...: ) P.S. --I didn't included any Michael Jackson songs since he pretty much ruled the decade.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

2009-05-24T15:42:22Z

Cal

+2 raves

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day!!! Many Americans of all faiths, political parties and educational backgrounds have served, fought, bleed, been wounded and yes, died for our great nation. Let us never forget! We are in a recession right now and things look a bit scary but our wonderful nation will rise sooner than expected and much stronger than before!!! Any thoughts on this important holiday?

FOOD SAFETY

2009-04-04T19:04:34Z

Cal

+3 raves

The next time you take a big bite of a peanut butter sandwich and savor the taste, ponder this: It has been processed by a food manufacturer and inspected by the federal government, so you think it is PURE peanut butter. Not necessarily! Under federal FDA guidelines, peanut butter may contain up to 30 insect fragments per 3 ounces and still be considered "safe" for human consumption!!! The FDA has set ceilings, or "action levels," for certain contaminants, or "defects," as the FDA likes to call them, for various foods. Several of these action levels are: * Golden raisins----35 fly eggs per 8 ounces * Popcorn----2 rodent hairs per pound * Shelled peanuts----20 insects per 100 pounds * Canned mushrooms----20 maggots per 3.5 ounces * Tomato juice----10 fly eggs per 3.5 ounces The FDA can mount inspections and raids to enforce its action levels. If it finds that the federal tolerance system has been violated, it can seize the offending food and destroy it at the owner's expense. The courts have upheld the presence of some contamination in food as lawful under the federal FDCA (Food, Drug. and Cosmetic Act). For example, in one case, the court found that 28 insect parts in 9 pounds of butter did not violate the act. The court stated, "Few foods contain no natural or unavoidable defects. Even with modern technology, all defects in foods cannot be eliminated." ---- United States v. Capital City Foods, Inc., 345 F.Supp.277,1972 U.S.Dist. Lexis (N.D. Dist.) Bon appetit! : )

OUCH!!! This McDonald's Coffee is TOOOO HOOTTT!!!!

2009-03-23T20:57:40Z

Cal

+4 raves

I know you've heard about this famous case involving the lady who sued McDonald's over her coffee being too hot, but do know the facts of the case? I'm hoping this blog sheds a new light on the "McDonald's coffee lady". : ) Studies have shown that people care less about how good their coffee tastes than whether it is hot. So restaurants, coffee shops, and other sellers make their coffee hot. McDonald's however, discovered that it was in hot water for making it's coffee TOO DAMN HOOOTTT! Consider the facts: Stella Liebeck, an 81-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, visited a McDonald's drive-through window with her grandson. Her grandson, the driver of the vehicle, placed the order. When it came, he handed a hot cup of coffee to Ms. Lieback. As her grandson drove away from the drive-through window, Ms. Liebeck took the lid off the coffee cup she held in her lap. The coffee spilled all over Ms. Liebeck, who suffered third-degree burns on her legs, groin, and buttucks. She required medical treatment, was hospitized, and suffered premanent scars from the incident. Ms. Liebeck sued McDonald's for selling coffee that was too hot and for failing to warn her of the danger of the hot coffee it served. McDonald's rejected Ms. Liebeck's pre-trial offer to settle the case for $300,000 and went to trial. At trial, McDonald's denied that it had been negligent and asserted that Liebeck's own negligence-- opening a hot coffee cup on her lap-- had caused her injuries. The jury heard evidence that McDonald's enforces a quality control rule requiring its restaurants and franchises to serve coffee at 180 to 190 degrees hotter than coffee served by competing restaurants chains, and approximately 40 to 50 degrees hotter than normal house-brewed coffee. Based on this evidence, the jury concluded that McDonald's acted recklessly and awarded Ms. Liebeck $200,000 compensatory damages (reduced by $40,000 for her OWN negligence) and $2.7 million punitive damages. After the trial court judge reduced the amount of punitive damages to $480,000, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount. Because of this case, McDonald's and other purveyors of coffee have reduced the temperature at which they sell coffee and have placed warnings on their coffee cups. What do you now think of the "McDonald's coffee lady" after hearing the facts? Do you agree that McDonald's acted recklessly? Do you think an award of punitive damages was warranted?

Legal Facts and Questions #1

2009-03-22T00:29:10Z

Cal

+4 raves

CASE: ALDEN v. PRESLEY The "King of Rock & Roll" Elvis Presley was engaged to Ginger Alden. He was generous with the Alden family, paying for landscaping the lawn, installing a swimming pool, and making other gifts. When his fiancee's mother, Jo Laverne Alden, sought to divorce her husband, Presley promised to pay off the remaining mortgage indebtedness on the Alden home, which Mrs. Alden was to receive in the divorce settlement. On August 16, 1977, Presley died suddenly, leaving the mortagage unpaid. When the legal representative of Presley's estate refused to pay the $39,587 mortgage, Mrs. Alden brought an action to enforce Presley's promise. The trial court denied recovery. Mrs. Alden appealed. DECISION: The supreme court held that Presley's promise was a gratuitous executory promise that was not supported by consideration. As such, it was unenorceable against Presley's estate. The court dismissed the case and assessed costs against the plaintiff. QUESTION: Was it UNETHICAL for the representative of Presley's estate to refuse to complete the gift?

Federal Antiterrorism Act

2009-03-14T20:28:08Z

Cal

+2 raves

The devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, shocked America as a nation. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were organized and orchestrated by terrorists who crossed nations' borders easily, secretly planned and prepared for the attacks undetected, and financed the attacks using money located in banks in the U.S., Great Britain, as well as other countries. In response, Congress enacted the federal ANTITERRORISM ACT, which assists the government in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting terrorists. The bill was signed into law on October 26, 2001. The act contains the following: * SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE COURT- The act authorizes the Special Intelligence Court to issue expanded wiretap orders and subpoenas to obtain evidence of suspected terrorism. *NATIONWIDE SEARCH WARRANTS- The act creates a nationwide search warrant to obtain evidence of terrorist activities. *ROVING WIRETAPS- The act permits "roving wiretaps" on a person suspected of involvement in terrorism so that any telephone or electronic device used by the person may be monitored. *DETENTION OF NONCITIZENS- The act gives the federal government authority to detain a nonresident in the United States for up to seven days without filing charges against that person. Nonresidents who are certified by a court as a threat to national security may be held for up to six months without a trial. I'm writing this blog, not to judge the previous administration, but just to inform my fellow SodaHeads of their rights, or lack there of.

AAARG!!! BEDBUGS ARE ATTACKING!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

2009-03-11T21:36:34Z

Cal

+3 raves

The defendants, Accor Economy Lodging, Inc., and Motel 6 Operating L.P. (hereinafter referred to as Motel 6) operate the Motel 6 nationwide chain of motels and hotels. One of these hotels is in downtown Chicago. In 1998, EcoLab, an extermination service that the motel used, discovered bedbugs in several rooms in the motel and recommended that it be hired to spray every room, for which EcoLab would charge the motel $500 total, but the motel REFUSED. The next year, bedbugs were again discovered in the room, but EcoLab was hired to spray just THAT room. By spring of 2000, the motel manager had given refunds to several guests bitten by bedbugs in their rooms. The motel manager looked at several rooms and found MORE bedbugs!! Further incidents of guests being bitten by bedbugs led the motel's manger to recommend that the motel be closed while every room sprayed down, but Motel 6 REFUSED AGAIN! The infestation continued, and several of the rooms were placed on "DO NOT RENT, BUGS IN ROOM" status. In November 2000, Burl Matthias and Desiree Matthias, brother and sister, checked in to the Motel 6 in downtown Chicago. They were given Room 514, even though it was on the "DO NOT RENT, BUGS IN ROOM" list. That night, 190 of 191 rooms were rented, The Matthiases sued Motel 6 to recover damages, alleging that it had engaged in willful and wanton conduct. The jury agreed and awarded each plaintiff $5,000 in compensatory damages and $186,000 in punitive damages to each plaintiff. ----- I know that many SodaHeads are gearing up for Spring Break. I just thought I'd give a little food for thought when you rent those motel rooms. Night, night. And don't let the... you know. : )

Middle-Class Economic Anxiety

2008-12-22T22:40:43Z

Cal

+2 raves

A high-level White House Task Force on Working Families, is to be lead by Vice President-elect Joe Biden and will include cabinet secretaries and economic strategists. This task force will seek to ensure that the economic-stimulus package slows the soaring cost of education. They also hope to expand work-force training and prevent the eight-year slide in middle-class incomes from sliding any further. What are your thoughts?

Terrorism or Revelations?

2008-11-29T18:05:24Z

Cal

+1 raves

The death toll in Mumbai, India topped 150 as Indian commandoes overpowered more than a dozen suspected Islamic militants in luxury hotels and a Jewish center, seeking to end a three day siege that has created a spector of a new type of terrorism and left world wondering where or when the next terrorist attack is going to happen? Is the world heading toward a massive war with religious overtones? Where is the United Nations and international response? Does America have to ALWAYS stick our neck out for the rest of the world? Is the Bible's Book of Revelations coming true? What are your thoughts?

SodaHead - Cal's Blog

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COOL CAL'S SUPER AWESOME 80's iPOD HOTLIST!!!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

FOOD SAFETY

OUCH!!! This McDonald's Coffee is TOOOO HOOTTT!!!!

Legal Facts and Questions #1

Federal Antiterrorism Act

AAARG!!! BEDBUGS ARE ATTACKING!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Middle-Class Economic Anxiety

Terrorism or Revelations?

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