Western U.S.: Heat Continues - Fires Grow

No immediate relief is in sight for the searing temperatures in the West- and now fires have broken out in the parched natural cover.


The worst fire is near the Nevada city of Winnemucca- where hundreds have been evacuated with at least part of the town threatened by the flames.

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Six More American Soldiers Dead - Iraq Toll Over 3600

"Don't it make you angry- the way war keeps draggin' on?"

Lyrics from an old CHICAGO tune- 'Dialogue'- when Vietnam was still dragging on in 1972.

Iraq keeps dragging on too with absolutely no solutions or end in sight- with a president too damn stupid to realize what he got us into before he did and not smart enough to "spin" his way out.

On top of many tens of thousands of Iraq citizens dead (would they still be alive under Saddam? Food for thought) and 6 more Americans dead Thursday and Friday- the total American dead for a totally senseless war passed 3600.

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Any TRUE American Supports Our Soldiers

The AP reports that there were rallies today supporting our servicepeople- touted as "Operation America Rising."

Though the name of this thing stinks (How about "Operation America Sinking- But We Don't Blame Our Military?") I have ALWAYS and continue to support ordinary Americans trying to find a way to get a good education without having to pay off college loans until they are 60.

The ONLY faces I'd spit into would be that of select politicians who get us into absolutely stupid- unjustified wars.

One more thing- WHERE IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?????

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Dried-Up Chilean Lake Result Of "Global Warming"

Scientists in Chile now say the Andes mountain glacial lake they found "dried up" in late May was as a result of "global warming."

Experts think that so much of the glacier melted that it raised the lake's level and the additional water pressure punched a hole in the glacial debris damming the lake- draining the lake down the mountain into a nearby fiord.

One effect of global warming was to be extreme and unusual weather patterns.

I give you the almost constant Central states rains and the heat wave in the West and a wink- wink- nod- nod.

Just hope I'm not around for the final act of Planet Earth.

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Texas Flood Death Toll At 15

Meanwhile- the search continues for a missing rafter in the Trinity River in Dallas while those along the Red River below Lake Texoma can relax for now- less than a foot of water is expected over the spillway barring any more rain soon.
The bad news is more showers and thunderstorms are expected over southern Texas again today.

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDING FIRE IN KC-MO

A "HIGH-RISE" RESPONSE OF KANSAS CITY-MO FIRE COMPANIES HAVE JUST REPORTED A FIRE ON THE 7TH-FLOOR OF AN APARTMENT BUILDING "OUT."

ALMOST A DOZEN FIRE COMPANIES- AND A THIRD MAST-EMS UNIT - ARE AT THE FIRE AT 301 WEST ARMOUR IN MIDTOWN THAT WAS DISPATCHED AROUND 9:15 AM THIS MORNING.

THERE ARE NO INDICATIONS YET OF SERIOUS INJURIES - BUT AT LEAST FOUR FLOORS OF THIS 10-12-STORY BUILDING ARE BEING EVACUATED OF RESIDENTS.

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Stilwell-OK's Annual Strawberry Festival

I thought I'd Google this after replying to a comment made on another post - the annual May Strawberry Festival in Stilwell Oklahoma. I went a couple of years in the 1970's.

HERE is a video review I found of this year's 60th- "Voted Oklahoma's Best" Strawberry Festival by Cathy Spaulding (no relation).

The Festival is always held on the second Saturday of May- you can enjoy every manner of that tasty fruit as well as the family-oriented carnival atmosphere of the lovely eastern Oklahoma town.

Congratulations Stilwell on No. 60 and Happy Birthday as well to the Great State of Oklahoma.

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U.S.S. Indianapolis Exhibit Opens Today In It's Namesake City

Anyone who's read all about World-War II knows the tragic story of the USS Indianapolis- sank by the Japanese after she delivered the components for the atomic bomb to Hawaii.

The Navy- who for days didn't even know the Indianapolis' wherabouts when she was sunk- held the Indianapolis's captain accountable for what was clearly just an act of war.

The City of Indianapolis opens an exhibit about the ship and her ill-fated crew today.

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FWH: "Bull Run Begins in Spain; 1 Person Gored"

Some people have accused Al of being full of bull - but I find it hard to believe someone was "Gored" or overcome by him.





OK- enough of the "bull&#$@"- here's the REAL story on the annual Darwin Day in Pamplona-Spain.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Saturday, July 07, 2007

** FIRE DAMAGES SOUTH KC-MO FAST FOOD EATERY **

... The alarm came in just before 12:30 am for smoke inside the Sonic drive-in at 135th Street and Wornall in far southwest KC-MO..

It took crews about 15 minutes just to find the source of the smoke - it was a defective light fixture on the building.

The fire's reported under control exactly an hour later- and the Health Department was called to check if the eatery could open as normal today.

-----

... Around 5:30 am this Saturday morning- KC-MO fire companies were called to 52nd Street and Euclid in the south-midtown area- where they found 2 houses on fire.

It only took about 20 minutes to bring the "suspicious" fire under control and there were no injuries.

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** KC-MO POLICE QUICKLY NAB CARJACKERS **

... KC-MO Police's East Patrol dispatch put out a call that a "carjacking" had just occurred at 3901 Prospect at 3:37 am..

By 3:42 am after a brief car chase- the carjacked vehicle- a white Chevy Malibu- and 3 suspects- were in custody at 43rd Street and South Benton.

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<><><> OVERNIGHT WEATHER <><><>

It was a near-perfect early-summer's morning- temperature's that fell slowly into the 70-75 degree range- very light south winds and mostly clear skies.

The heat and humidity returns today and tomorrow. I am concerned about what weather forecast models are showing in the Central states beginning Monday: More Rain....

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First with Metro Kansas City Breaking News - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.
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AP: At Least 73 Dead In Series Of Iraq Suicide Bombings

It's a deadly 07-07-07 in Iraq today - more vehicle bombs have been exploded in addition to the earlier blast north of Baghdad.

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IRAQ: At Least 23 Killed- More Than 6 Dozen Injured When Truck-Bomb Explodes

News sources as well as the Associated Press are reporting a truck full of explosives was detonated by it's suicidal-maniac driver at an outdoor market in a small Shiite village north of Baghdad.

The bomb went off about 8:30 am local time- killing "at least 23 and injuring 86" reports have said.

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Dubya Satire

From 'The Poor Man's Institute' blog is a wonderful piece- "Justice"- complete with Monty Python-like drawings- on Dubya's "tough on crime (unless he my buddy!)" stance on the commuting of "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence.

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Citizen Letter From KC-MO Mayor Funkhouser: "Notes from Funk's Front Porch" V

Notes from Funk's Front Porch

6 July 2007

Dear Folks,

A really sweet soul that Funk and I had the pleasure to meet and be supported by during the campaign passed a few weeks ago. His name was Jay Martin. As is frequently the case when someone passes, I feel bad for not having had more time to get to know the person better. I feel the same way about Jay. There were many people at his memorial that knew him well and consequently, were gifted for it. The stories they shared were of a man who I personally only got a glimmer of, but had we more time, I could tell that we would have been like two peas in a pod. Our prayers are with Jay and his family.

In other news regarding a friend of ours and campaign supporter: Chester White was working when his ladder touched an electric line that sent 7,500 volts coursing through his body and found it’s way out through his little toe. Other than the poor little toe exiting off his body along with the electricity, Chester is fine, if not just a titch teary and pondering the universe. We’re really glad Chester is alive as, like Jay Martin, he is a bright light that we weren’t ready to give up.

Funk went to a town hall meeting hosted by Jackson County Executive, Mike Sanders, last Saturday. As usual, Funk was only supposed to stay for an hour, but ended up feeling compelled by the importance of what the people in the audience were saying to make him want to stay for the duration of the event. He was especially impressed with Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar, who spoke with passion and intelligence about addressing crime problems, and, as always, with what Mike Sanders and Chief Corwin had to say. The town hall meetings are always enlightening and I really feel the community feels better just knowing someone cares enough to listen. I can’t wait until they actually see the changes that their Mayor is going to make – then they will really have something to celebrate.

There has been a lot of news reported regarding us as a family lately. The focus on our family, instead of the job, seems a tad strange to us. We’re just not that interesting; at least we’re not any more interesting then the next person that someone hasn’t taken the time to get to know yet. I, myself, am especially not that interesting; being just a lowly mother and wife trying to do her best in the world. Given all this, I’m impatient for many reasons, so I’m prodding the Mayor to hurry it up and show the City some tangible evidence that he is making progress on his list of priorities. He will. He’s impatient to get the work done, too.

Our anniversary is tomorrow. Funk has been the “lucky man” for 28 years now. I read in the paper today that lots of folks are getting married tomorrow because it’s 7-7-07, which is supposed to be lucky. Fortunately for us, we’ve been blessed without having the triple 7’s on our side. All it has taken is deep adoration and a willingness to slug it out in the trenches when necessary. I hope your marriages are as delightful as ours has been.

Until next week.

All the best,
Gloria & Mark

You can respond to this newsletter at funksfrontporch@gmail.com

Please help us by forwarding this email to as many people as you think might want to be more informed about their city government.

The Mayor’s top ten priorities:

1. Establishing a good working relationship with the Council
2. Getting the City’s finances in order
3. Making downtown work
4. Tending to our neighborhoods
5. Implementing the Housing Policy task force recommendations
6. Improving the perception and the reality of public education in Kansas City
7. Reducing Crime
8. Repairing our sewer systems
9. Establishing an excellent regional transit system, which includes light rail
10. Improving citizen satisfaction with City services.

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Corps Lake Level Link For Southern Kansas- Eastern Oklahoma- North Texas

This link HERE is to the Tulsa region of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Lake levels for Oologah- 2 feet over it's spillway and Texoma- only 0.3 of a foot from it's spillway- are included on this page.

Image one is the Lake Texoma dam and spillway-
the next image is from 1990- the last time Texoma went over it's spillway.

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Daily Truman - Lake Of The Ozarks Lake Levels Link

The link is HERE.

Truman's doing fine- with about 15 feet left to go in it's flood-control pool and pretty much all it's floodwaters now contained.

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Man Found Dead After Coffeyville-KS. Flood

Authorities in Coffeyville have reportedly found a drowned male in a motel room that was flooded- according to WDAF-4 in Kansas City.

UPDATE- 1257 CDT - The man's body was reported found Thursday night in a room at the flooded-out Budget Inn. Click HERE for the story from The COFFEYVILLE JOURNAL.

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CNN Showing Actual News- Not A Stupid Car Chase

SHAME- SHAME- SHAME to (P)MS-NBC and Faux News STILL showing this idiotic L.A.-area pursuit of a non-felon.

CNN gets my news viewership from here on....

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National News Media Fascinated With Car Chase Of Drunk

Hey (P)MS-NBC and Faux News- what is the national significance of this car chase of "an intoxicated female" in Los Angeles?

Both networks are showing this crap live.

Isn't there more important news????

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Pre-teens In Alabama- Oklahoma Commit Adult Acts

The first one was in Orange Beach-AL- an 11-year-old girl driving a S.U.V. who police chased in Florida at speeds up to 100 m.p.h.. The 11-year-old was found to be intoxicated.

The other incident involves a 12-year-old girl and her 10-year-old sister in Enid-OK- where they kidnapped a neighbor's 1-year-old son- and was going to hold the infant for a "$200000 ransom."

I know kids are growing up faster and faster- but this is ridiculous....

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Will The "News Media" Inundate Us With Libby Stories Like They Did P.H.

Dan over at his blog GONE MILD wonders what this outcome will be.

I too shall be paying attention:
Whether the "news media" covers- covers and COVERS a FAR more important story in the "Scooter" Libby debacle or digs up some other non-celebrity to bore us to f-ing death with.

News media: Pay attention to serving your PUBLIC TRUST- not consultants!

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Independence-MO Has It Priorities Screwed Up

Fellow scriber and one of the deans of Kansas City blogging- "William Rockhill Nelson" (not the STAR founder g) over at Blog KC points out how Independence can't seem to cough up $100k for basic bus services- but can come up with millions for a new arena.

Like I've said a billion times- politicians should be required to take pre-employment drug tests like all the rest of us do.

It's obvious Independence-MO pollys are tripping on SOMETHING....

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AP-Ipsos Poll: Not Many Think Government Can Handle Border Security

Or for that matter- handle much of anything else as well (my take).

Click HERE to read about the poll numbers and what some Americans who were interviewed have to say.

Again- and this is my take on this issue: If the government wants to give people in this county illegally amnesty- then the government should give amnesty to ALL non-violent marijuana users as well.

Is it any more of a crime being busted for smoking a joint than to be in another country illegally?

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Texas EM Chief: "All Of Texas' Major River Basins Are At Flood Stage."

Jack Colley- head of the state's emergency management branch- says that has not happened in 50 years- since 1957.

More flash-flooding occurred overnight in south Texas with more heavy rain over the eastern through southern parts of the state today.

One good bit of news: Lake Texoma- forecast to top it's spillway yesterday- still has not reached the 640-foot mark when spillway operations begin. But the lake is at 639 feet early this morning.

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Indiana State Trooper Murdered

It happened near Wabash-IN Thursday- on U.S. 24 after Master Trooper David Rich had stopped to check on a motorist in an S.U.V. who the trooper thought needed help.

When Trooper Rich approached the car- driven by Joseph M. Vultaggio Jr.- age 21- from Gaylord-MI.- Vultaggio shot Rich in the chest- killing him instantly.

Vultaggio then reloads the shotgun- then kills himself.

The Captain's condolences go out to Trooper Rich's family- friends and co-workers.

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Four-Year-Old Makes 300 Calls On "De-activated' Cell Phone To Illinois Town 9-1-1

Most people are not aware that due to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation- even de-activated cell phones have to be able to make emergency 9-1-1 calls.

Kids love to play adult with unusable cell phones too. This combination led to 300 untracable 9-1-1 calls made to the public safety emergency center in a suburban Chicago town.

The parents of the Carpentersville girl found this out from police - only because a wise 9-1-1 calltaker took a ficticional McDonald's delivery order and got the little girl's address.

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Employees Want National Hurricane Center Chief Out

The PALM BEACH POST reports that 23 staffers want NHC director Bill Proenza fired.

Kind of odd- when since Proenza became director in January- he'd been praised for his candor.

Also- the POST article indicates one of the 23 staffers signing the poison-memo contradicted himself on earlier statements on a satellite.

Wonderful news for coastal residents as the hurricane season is underway.

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The Duh Files: AP Says Poll Reports Income Gap Too Wide

Only those immersed in an Egyptian river could have figured out that the rich are getting richer and the poor ain't.

You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing- but I give you the way to this DUH! poll anyway HERE.

And the best of luck with the rest of us keeping your head and above water at that....

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Fireworks: Man And Nature-Made

Here is a sample from some wonderful fireworks-lightning shots taken by and courtesy of fellow weather-nut Mike Hollingshead in the great state of Nebraska on his Web site Extreme Instability.com.

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Watch The High Water - Tulsa-OK Area Residents

Thunderstorms have erupted this afternoon from southern Missouri and northern Arkansas westward across northern Oklahoma.

Heavy rains are falling on those areas of northeastern Oklahoma that are just now seeing record floodwaters receed.

The NWS just issued a "Flash-flood Warning" for southern Tulsa County-OK and there are high-water advisories surrounding the Tulsa Metro.

These storms are oddly- moving west and southwest instead of FROM those usual directions- so no threat of any of those storms moving into the Kansas City MetroRegion.

Click HERE for the latest NWS warnings for Oklahoma.

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Unusual Pool Accident Injures 6-Year-Old Minneapolis-MN-Area Girl

Watch out pool owners!

It's reported on June 29- this child apparently sat on a swimming pool's filter intake- and shockingly- the suction pulled out a section of the girl's intestinal tract!

The child did survive this horrible accident.

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Colorado Construction Collapse Injures 14 - Four Seriously

It's reported the roof of a 14-story building under construction in this southern Denver suburb collapsed this morning.

The roof reportedly "pancaked" onto the 12th-floor- according to news reports from KOA-850AM in Denver.

Fourteen construction workers were injured- 4 seriously- according to the AP.

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Signs That Pesky Rain-Maker May Move Back North

All the flooding rains from Texas northward to Kansas and Missouri over the past month have been caused by a mid-atmospheric-level low pressure area that has wandered from southern Kansas late last week into the Big Bend area of Texas over the weekend.

As you can see by the below Austin-San Antonio-TX radar image and the big white "L"- this meandering low pressure area has begun moving northeastward again.
There ARE indications that this low-pressure area could drift back northward and affect our region- hit hard by record floods- late this weekend or early next week.

Make appropriate "just-in-case" preparations and the Captain will keep you informed here....

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Excelsior Springs-MO Teen Dies Wednesday In Flash-Flood

A 16-year-old female drove her S.U.V. into floodwaters covering a low-water crossing in Excelsior Springs Wednesday. The teen and her vehicle were swept away.

Brooke Baxter- 16-drove her vehicle into a low-water crossing at N.E. 142nd Terrace and Williams Creek around 8:30 pm last night. (Thanks to "Killer" at NBC41 for the info).


Radar-estimated rainfalls of up to 5.5-inches had been indicated in that area- as I had noted on a blog post here last evening- in addition to a "flash-flood Advisory" I had issued well before the flooding began.

That and $9 gets me into a movie- I know....

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Two Americans Die In Iraq Wednesday

July 4 won't ever be the same for the families of two American soldiers killed yesterday in Bush's Folly.

The Associated Press now says 3586 Americans have senselessly died (last my words) in a war that had NOTHING to do with America's terrorist attacks of 9-11-01.

Also- a number of soldiers from other nations have seen their lives end as well.

Bush says "we'll fight (in Iraq) till we win." When will that be Dubya- 2163?

Watch the Hell out America and the World- The man is absolutely delusional!

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Nationwide Fireworks Accidents

These appear to be the most serious (in addition to the local-area death reported here earlier) fireworks 'accidents' that occurred yesterday across America- according the the Associated Press.

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Music Industry Won't Ever Stop Music Piracy

On one hand as a musician of sorts- I see the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) point.

But then I want my music to be freely shared- The Great Spirit intended me to be poor but to share whatever talents I had.

And- by God- I OWN MY STUFF- not the RIAA.

I was and continue to be VERY down on the RIAA suing American citizens for sharing other people's music. Most of the artists behind RIAA's heavy hand already HAVE enough money to buy and sell a small nation.

The latest beef is with a Russian outfit- allofmp3.com.

Apparently- they SELL the music to people who log-in- but apparently give "little or no royalties" to the artists.

If Russia won't stop this the article says- Russia's entry into 'The World Trade Organization' could be in jeopardy.

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Wichita-KS Woman "Banned" From Wal-Mart

And the ONLY thing this woman did was "call 9-1-1- when she heard a young girl getting her ears pierced crying."

Apparently the manager issued the woman who called police "a warning for trespassing and (was) asked to leave" the Wichita-KS Wal-Mart store.

The AP article headline says the concerned woman was "banned" from shopping at that store.

Yours truly does not and will not shop at Wal-Mart- just for the readers' information.

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Fireworks Kills A Man In Miami County-KS.

The KANSAS CITY STAR is reporting a 25-year-old Mission-KS man- Brock Barrett- was killed while lighting a "4-inch mortar" that exploded in his face.

It happened about 9 pm in the 35100 block of Indianapolis Road.

A medical helicopter flew Barrett to a K.C. trauma center where he died of his injuries.

I heard another call for "burns caused by fireworks" in south-Midtown yesterday afternoon- but those injuries were minor.

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Nation's Weather: Baked In The West While The Central States Drown

For all the rain and fairly mild summertime temperatures us 'Central Staters' have had to contend with for the past month- the West is baking.

Temperatures in the 90's and 100's stretch the entire length of the West Coast- even in normally pleasantly-mild Vancouver- B.C.- Canada- where temperatures the next few days are forecast to reach the 85 to 90-degree range.

With the heat comes the dryness- and officials say conditions are prime throughout the West for serious wildfires.

Meanwhile back in our part of the country- rivers levels most places (except for the Texas Gulf coast) are falling.

However- there are some concerns the weather system that produced the severe weather in the Kansas City area yesterday could produce more flooding rains in Oklahoma and Texas over the next few days.

Oologah Lake has begun sending water over it's overflow spillway northeast of Tulsa-OK.. The same is the story for huge Lake Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border.

Truman Lake in Missouri should handle all the Kansas floodwaters with room to spare however.

The next chance for any additional widespread rainfall in the MetroRegion should come early next week.

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Mother Nature Ruins Royal's FIreworks

If you were one of the tens of thousands of people in and around Kauffman Stadium last night- waiting for a spectacular fireworks show- here's what happened- from a spokesperson with J & M Fireworks- the company that put on the shows Tuesday and what would have been Wednesday- July 4 too.

That spokesperson (who I am related to for fairness of disclosure) stated "water" from the severe thunderstorm that struck yesterday evening (and delayed the start of the ballgame 20 minutes) "got into the computerized firing board" therefore making a safe ignition of the fireworks impossible.

The Royals are offering paying fans a rain check for any of the upcoming games the rest of this season.

A Royals' spokesperson also said "Friday night's (regular) fireworks show may run a little longer."

Both J & M Fireworks and the Royal's management have offered apologies to all who were disappointed by the lack of a July 4 fireworks show at Kauffman Stadium.

Hey- Mother Nature trumps all sometimes....

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS OVER

The watch has been cancelled by the NWS for the immediate Metro KC counties.

Except for the Fishing River basin of Clay and Ray counties- I'm cancelling my flash-flood advisory as well. Some areas of N.E. Clay and N.W. Ray have had radar-indicated 5-inch rain totals.

I heard two "high-water rescues" of people stranded in their cars on city streets by high water from about 4:30 to 6 pm this afternoon. One was Independence Avenue & Ewing in N.E. KC-MO and the other was on Blue Parkway near Elmwood.

A broader area of lighter rain should be moving out of the northern and central Metro by 9 pm..

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING WEATHER: FLASH-FLOOD ADVISORY IN METRO

I'm going to issue my own flash-flood advisory in northeastern Johnson County KS and the northern half of Jackson County- southern Clay and extreme southern Platte Counties MO until 7 PM..

Very heavy rain has been observed in northern Overland Park-KS and gutters are running full.

Thunderstorms with rainfall rates of 1-2 inches an hour will move slowly south over these areas during the next 2 hours.

In addition to the rainfall- deadly lightning- wind gusts up to 50 m.p.h. and hail up to nickel sixe is also possible.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: MAP OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 485

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING WEATHER: TORNADO REPORTED NEAR WINCHESTER-KS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY

NO OTHER DETAILS YET.
-------------------

UPDATE 1440 CDT: JEFFERSON COUNTY-KS SHERIFF DISPATCH REPORTS RECEIVING "SEVERAL REPORTS" OF A TORNADO NEAR THE WINCHESTER COMMUNITY IN NORTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY KS.. ONE WAS AT "142ND & MARION ROAD" AT 1438 CDT.

THERE ARE SO FAR NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE AND I CAN'T SEE THE TORNADO ON VELOCITY SCANS OF THE NWS RADAR PROGRAM HERE.

-------------

ALSO- THE ENTIRE KANSAS CITY METROREGION HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER "A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NO 485" UNTIL 10 PM..

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Arrest Made In Austin-TX First-Reported "Crowd" Beating Death

As reported earlier- only several males- not "a crowd" as initially reported- were have found to have beat to death the passenger of a car that "bumped" a child in Austin several weeks ago.

Until recently police had no suspects in custody.

They do now and anticipate more suspects to be arrested for the death of David Morales.

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KANSAS CITY' S WEATHER: Showers- Thunderstorms Developing In The MetroRegion

The weather radar is already starting to light up with activity (see & click on image below). There are towering cumulus visible in all directions from the S.E. KC-MO NewsCenter.

Not surprising- with a weak front and an "outflow boundary" from storms this morning nearby- temps in the mid to upper 80's and dewpoints in the 70 to 75 degree range...

Keep an eye on those puffy cumulus clouds this afternoon. Some will puff-up into a good- old-fashioned American cumulonimbus cloud.

Watch out for the lightning and torrential rains under those babies. The storms will move generally from northwest to southeast.

More as received....

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: Chance Of Scattered Strong-Severe Thunderstorms Later Today

The SPC HAD the "slight risk" for severe storms east of us- central and eastern Missouri eastward- but the latest forecast has moved that "slight risk" area back over and including southern portions of the Kansas City MetroRegion.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop later this afternoon and evening here in the Kansas City Metro- some are beginning to fire up already in north-central Kansas.

This developing weather situation will be updated here in a couple of hours- sooner if needed.

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Judge Who Sentenced Libby Appointed By Dubya

Oh boy!


Our ole president says (among a jillion other forgettable things) he's tough on crime and appoints a federal judge- Reggie Walton in 2001- who is also tough on crime.


Dubya appointee Judge Walton it seems was TOO tough ... Walton's the one who sentenced "Scooter" Libby.

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Independence Day 2007

Today- most people celebrate our freedom. Since 2002- I've been mourning the losses.

I urge every American to get a copy of PATRIOT Acts 1 & 2 and read them. The Acts are available online doing a Google search- I have a copy here if anyone wants to email for one.

While the World Trade Center buildings burned- some of us were asking even then how many freedoms this act of terrorism would cost us.

If you read the results of 9-11 that were the PATRIOT Acts- you might wonder who was being "punished"- the American citizens or terrorists.

The government now decides if you are "an enemy combatant" or not. The way the Acts are written- you can be labelled an "enemy" simply by exercising your American right of say- protest.

Let's say you and your family are away for the weekend. Were you aware that law enforcement can now- without a warrant- enter your residence or business and "look around?"

These are just some of the provisions in the PATRIOT Acts that makes me wonder who the "PATRIOTS" really are.

I won't even mention how- with tacit government approval- corporations are moving well-paying jobs HERE to lower-paying labor elsewhere. We're becoming the UCSA - the United Corporate States of America.

Not even half of Americans eligible to do so bother to vote. Americans seems to shrug off corporate gougings- high gas prices for example- complaining but really- doing nothing about it.

The present government is involved in secret prisons and mis-truths and flat-out lies. Yet STILL a third of Americans are so blind- 32% STILL think Bush is doing a "good job."

You-all have a great time partying today. Go- celebrate what once was.

I'll be in mourning again- for Independence Days lost forever....

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Country Saxophonist Boots Randolph Dead At 80

His big hit was 1963's "Yakety Sax" which- I believe- was the British comic Benny Hill's TV show theme song.

Boots recorded more than 40 albums- many instrumental covers of country songs.

Mr. Randolph suffered a stroke in Nashville- the town he helped make famous- on June 25 and family removed life support Tuesday.

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Groucho's Happy Birthday America Song

I've been blasting this out every 4th of July this century (look to D.C. for reason)- still as fresh as ever.

This time Groucho dedicates an oldie but goody by CHICAGO --- 'Harry Truman' to all his fellow patriots.

America needs you
Harry Truman,
Harry could you please come home?
Things are looking bad,
I know you would be mad,
To see your favorite men
Prevail upon the land you love;

America's wondering
How we got here?
Harry all we get is lies;
Were gettin safer cars,
And rocket ships to Mars,
From men who'd sell us out
To get themselves a piece of power;

We'd love to hear you speak your mind
In plain and simple ways;
Call a spade a spade
Just like you did back in the day;
You would play piano,
Each morning walk a mile,
Speak of what was going down
With honesty and style;

America's calling
Harry Truman,
Harry you knew what to do;
The world is turnin' round and losin' lots of ground,
Oh Harry is there something we can do to save the land we love,
Oh woah woah woah;

America's calling
Harry Truman,
Harry you knew what to do
The world is turnin round
And losin lots of ground
Harry is there something we can do to save the land we love,
Oh!
Harry is there something we can do to save the land we love,
Harry!
Harry is there something we can do to save the land we love.

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"Travelling Tuberculosis Man" Had Lesser Strain Of The Disease

Just when the PH and iP factors start wearing off the newscasts- after all the hype- after all the concern- outright panic among some- the lawyer who was isolated by the UCSA government for a bad strain of TB turns out to have a lesser-bad strain.

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Kansas Floods Moving Into Truman-Oologah Lakes

Needless to say- there shouldn't be ANY recreational boating on at least two regional flood-control lakes on July 4.

Truman Lake's dam at Warsaw-MO is holding back the record floodwaters from the Big Creek- Marais des Cygnes and Little Osage rivers- as well as major floods on the South Grand and Marmaton rivers.

Here's the present Truman Lake level:

Next is a map of Truman Lake.The light blue is the lake at normal "conservation pool" or level. I have filled- in darker blue- the additional land set aside for flood control that would be flooded if the lake reaches it's maximum flood-control pool of 639 feet.



Northeast of Tulsa-OK- the Army Corps of Engineer's Oologah Lake is catching the record floodwaters (and the spilled 42000-gallons of Coffeyville oil) from the Verdigris River.

The Verdigris crested at 3 pm yesterday at Lanapah-OK- the last river gage before the lake- at 42.89 feet.

The chart below is a 3-day comparison of the lake level- the flood inflow into (huge) and floodgate discharges (small) out of the lake.

This lake is rising at about .2 of a foot per hour - or a foot every 5 hours and is less than 4 feet from the listed top of Oologah's maximum flood storage capacity.

Oologah Lake
Flood Control Pool: Bottom = 638.00, Top = 661.00

ELEVATION STORAGE INFLOW RELEASE
FEET ACFT CFS CFS
(CDT)
06/30 10:00 647.39 891175 47373 0
07/01 10:00 649.76 990014 48356 0
07/02 10:00 652.10 1093401 101203 21010
07/03 09:00 656.84 1325256 156647 25309
07/03 10:00 657.04 1335662 ---- ----



There are some indications a cool front moving southward into the Kansas City MetroRegion tomorrow (July 4) could slow down or hang up for a day or two south of us- which could be the focus for additional rains.

This will be monitored closely and reported here.

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A Songbird Dies- Miss Beverly Sills

I credit this wonderful lady for teaching me that opera was so much more than a big lady singing notes so high windows a block away would shatter.



Thanks for all the great music Miss Sills- goodbye and Rest In Peace....

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Cartoons

A "Doctor Of Love" Dedication

(Scene fade back to 1968)

Doctor Of Love: "This one's going out to a lovely lady in Edmonton- Alberta- Canada from a teenaged weather guy in Kansas City- Missouri- USA.












Weird dedication - he says "Stay beautiful Songbird and we'll meet in about 37 years!""

"Ha-Ha! From the KC weather guy to Edmonton's songbird- The Doctor spins The Monkees and their latest ditty roaring up the charts- Daydream Believer."

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings,
Of the (song)bird as she sings,
The six o'clock alarm would never ring;
Whoops- it rings, and I rise,
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes,
My shavin' razors' cold and it stings;

Cheer up, sleepy Jean,
Oh, what can it mean,.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen;

You once thought of me
As a white knight on a steed,
Now you know how happy I can be;
Oh, and our good times starts and ends
Without dollar one to spend,
But how much, baby, do we really need?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean,
Oh, what can it mean
To a daydream believer,
And a homecoming queen?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean
To a daydream believer,
And a homecoming queen?

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An Enjoyable And Safe Independence Day To All

Whether you are celebrating America's birthday or simply enjoying a day off from work in the middle of the week- I wish all you readers a very fine July 4.

I SHALL update the weather here tomorrow- but no posts about Dubya and his shenanigans- I wanna ENJOY the holiday...

Peace!

-Groucho

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: "Slight Chance" of Severe Thunderstorms July 4

Don't shoot the messenger- I too have plans for a cook-out and watching a cool fireworks show Wednesday evening at Lake Tapawingo (all are welcome too).

The graphic below (click to enlarge) tells the story though. A cool front will be in our area late tomorrow and this will trigger showers and thunderstorms in our warm and VERY humid atmosphere.

The NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has moved the "slight risk" area further westward since yesterday's forecast and I concur with possibly a scattered line of strong storms developing Wed. evening and moving through.

So far- no indications of flooding rains- but the stronger thunderstorms will produce torrential rains while they are overhead with caution to those living in the southern half of the KC Metro where soils are saturated.

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China Removes Bad Food From It's Grocery Shelves

Now it's kid's snacks found to contain harmful additives.

At least there are no indications that any of that bad stuff made it out of China but really- those people are having some SERIOUS problems when it comes to producing healthy food.

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Proof Again - Dubya's Administration Is Above American Law

If this guy's commuting of one of his cronies CONVICTED BY A JURY OF HIS PEERS does not make you angry about this Administration- nothing will.

And you know what? Why the HELL bother with jury duty when jury verdicts get overturned and/or thrown out often?

Why have respect for law in this country? Someone clue me in- please.

I've had it. Dubya's destroying every GOOD thing America's ever stood for. I'm saving to move out....

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Kansas- Missouri Flood Crests Moving Downriver

Stages continue to fall along the Marais des Cygnes river as the flood crest has now entered the upper reaches of the Osage River above Truman Reservoir.

Down south water remains high. Officials continue to watch an oil slick produced by 42000 gallons of oil spilled into floodwaters in Coffeyville-KS..

Those official CLAIM the oil "will dissipate" before it reaches Oologah reservoir northeast of Tulsa-OK.. However no doubt hundreds of flooded structures also contaminated by the leaked oil will have to be demolished.

No rain in the forecast for any of the flooded areas until late Wednesday or early Thusrday and certainly no rain amounts like 5 days ago.

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The Cheap Award: Man Returns $17000 - Gets $32 Reward

SO goes the honesty of a Phillipines taxi driver- Iluminado Boc.

He finds the 17K someone left in his taxi. Even though the poor smuck had an ill wife and overdue rent- he gives the found booty to the police in Tagbilaran City.

Even though the article states that Mr. Boc's reward of $32 "was 7 times what taxi drivers make in one day"- the least the cheap-assed person could have done was give Mr. Boc one-percent as a reward- or $170.

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Floodwaters Will Fill Truman Lake- Lake Texoma's Full

All this water from the major flooding in our southern MetroRegion is emptying into the Truman flood-control reservoir above the Lake of the Ozarks on the Osage River.

You can see by the graph below how the lake level has risen by more than 10 feet since June 25- with the bulk of the floodwaters still upstream.

Related to flood-control projects stretched to their capacity by the record Central U.S. rains- the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projected massive Lake Texoma- which is on the Red River at the Oklahoma-Texas state line- would crest at 640 feet on Thursday and send water over its spillway- producing major flooding downstream.

"The spillway has been used only twice - in 1957 and 1990"- according to the Associated Press story.

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Heavy Rain Worries Shifts Back To Texas

A pesky mid-atmospheric-level low pressure area that has caused deadly and devasting rains and flooding from the Texas Gulf coast northward to the Interstate-70 corridor in Kansas and Missouri continues to meander- southwestward now.

It should not move back this way- but we'll have a front moving down to possibly mess up the fireworks on the Fourth of July with possible strong thunderstorms.

The below visible satellite and radar image depicts today's good weather news/bad weather news: the good is a massive storm cluster is just southwest of and moving away from flood-ravaged Wichita Falls-TX..

The bad is this cluster is moving southward into the Colorado River basins hit hard by floods 10 days ago.

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"How High's The Water Mama?"

Just to illustrate how massive this flood on the Marais des Cygnes really is- the 9 am flow comparison of the Missouri River at the Hannibal Bridge in Kansas City- stage of 12.04 feet and flowing past the gage at a rate of 51400 cubic feet per second (cfs).

Almost 50 miles due south also near the Kansas-Missouri state line southeast of Trading Post-KS- the Marais des Cygnes River's flow was more than 3 times the rate of the Missouri: 156000 cfs and a stage of 38.82 feet - and rising.

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Large Part Of Coffeyville-KS Ruined By Floodwaters And Oil Leak

Here's the story- compliments of Sunday's The COFFEYVILLE JOURNAL.


Thousands Displaced, East Coffeyville Submerged

Joseph Thomas

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. — Between 2,500 and 3,000 Coffeyville residents are now displaced. Some have found homes with family members, others are residing in temporary shelters, and more are searching for answers or are deep in prayer. Over 50 rescues have occurred, and many more public service calls were handled to ensure people were evacuated safely. Aaron Phillips of the American Red Cross reported 141 individuals sheltered in the Coffeyville area, and numerous others in the county and surrounding counties. “Everything went really well with the shelters,” he said.

It’s not over yet. The river crested at 30.2 feet as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday, 3.7 feet above the levee’s level at 26.5 feet. It is projected to continue rising.

“The water levels in town will continue to rise,” said Jeff Morris, Cty Manager. This is the factor affecting Coffeyville residents, and the water will be here for a few days. The water flowing over the levee is pouring into Coffeyville, and until the river drops below 26.5 feet, the water within the city cannot be pumped out.

Residents are not permitted into homes west of Patterson Boulevard. Police are stationed at intersections and can ticket individuals who attempt to avoid the barricades or officers. “The city of Coffeyville has been conducting evacuation and rescue operations since approximately 2100 hours,” or 11 p.m. Saturday, the city Emergency Operations Center reported in a release Sunday.

The river level is not the only concern. The standing and flowing water is dangerous. Fire Department Captain James Grimmett reported the Corps of Engineers reported the levees were strong and the water was overtopping the levees, not flowing through a weakened or broken levee.

Polluted water is also a significant issue. “The flood water is polluted and children should not be allowed to play in the flood water,” the EOC said. Coffeyville Fire Chief Greg Allen confirmed a hydrocarbon release into the flood waters. “We don’t know the quantity or the source,” he said. The pollutants as well as potential disease were both causes for concern for those that have been in the flood waters."

Coffeyville Resources reported they were the source of the hydrocarbon spill and the company has shut down operations at its refinery and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Coffeyville, stated Angie Dasbach, Director of Corporate Affairs for Coffeyville Resources. “The company is monitoring the situation and will resume operations only when it is safe to do so,” Dasbach said. “As part of its response to the flooding, Coffeyville Resources is working to contain what appears to be about 1,000 barrels of crude oil that overflowed from a storage tank on the north end of the property. The majority of the overflow is contained within the facility boundaries at the present time. The company is also reporting a small ammonia release to the atmosphere and believes there to be no threat to the immediate community,” Dasbach continued.

County Health Director Ruth Bardwell advised that people who had been in the water should seek out her office, at 908 Walnut, if they had not had a tetanus shot within the past five years. She warned that if a person had an open wound or cut, the booster needs to be administered within 72 hours if exposed to the water. Additionally, people who need medications should contact the Red Cross, not the hospital.

The city’s water supply is safe to drink. However, the city encourages everyone to conserve drinking water. The pumps at the Water Treatment Plant went offline Sunday afternoon, and can not be turned on again until the river level drops below the levee. “Citizens should also ensure they have an adequate supply of drinking water in reserve for all members of their family,” the city advised. There is a fresh water reservoir for the city which is estimated to be able to last three days, as long as people conserve water.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant went offline around 3 a.m., but does not affect Coffeyville’s drinking water supply.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion NEWS: Flood Crest Past Osawatomie- At La Cygne-KS

Below are the latest NWS River Forecast Center flood graphics- click HERE to view them or for personal future reference.

The first one is Osawatomie showing the stage on the Marais des Cygnes River at 48.17 feet - down from the maximum recorded stage of 49.19 - or 1.11 feet below the 1951 all-time record of 50.3 feet.

The next image is downstream along the Marais- the small community of La Cygne in northeastern Linn County-KS.. Here- the river appears to have crested at 36.07 feet at 5 am this morning- or only 0.12 of a foot below their 1951 record crest of 36.19 feet.

Still of concern are the two major highways going south from Kansas City.

U.S. 69 remains closed- covered for miles by floodwater south of Miami County-KS..

Television news helicopter video shows U.S. 71 now resembling a causeway over a 5-mile long lake from floodwaters of the Marais des Cygnes- Marmaton and Little Osage rivers in southern Bates and northern Vernon Counties Missouri- 50 to 75 miles south of Downtown K.C..

U.S. 71 is still open- according to a call to the MO Highway Patrol- but "water is nearing the roadway in several places" a trooper said.

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"Stuck Between The Trans-Fat And New York City"

I swear- the 'nanny factor' in this country is becoming almost unbearable. There are too damn many people worried about what other people put into their bodies!

New York City- among a growing numbers of governments that refuse to stick to providing basic services to their citizens- decided to pass a law barring trans-fats from being used in prepared foods.

I suppose NYC and these other places now have "trans-fat police."

Please- give me and millions of other Americans a freaking break you nannies out there! Worry about your own selves- I don't HAVE any medical insurance to run your cost up anyway.

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ATT Still Sucks

People spent their time standing in line & paying out the nose for these "iPhones"- another pain-in-the-ass invention intended to replace a simple cellular phone.

Now it's reported many of those people couldn't get into AT&T to activate their phones.

Not surprising- I dealt with AT&T's customer service around the turn of the century and after the most RUDE "customer service" I ever received from ANY company- I won't give AT&T so much as the time of day.

Anyone who deals with AT&T for anything kind of deserves what they get....

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"Like A Candle In The Wind..."

The 10th anniversary of Princess Diana of Wales' untimely death was celebrated Sunday with a gala concert featuring acts such as Elton John (of course)- Nelly Furtado and Rod Stewart.

A big part of that celebration was Diana's two sons- Princes William & Harry.An estimated 65000 watched the performances in Wembley Stadium and many millions more watched worldwide on TV.

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DOH - Some 7-11 Stores Are Now Kwik-E-Marts

Like General Motors is hyping their sponsorship of the movie "Transformers" to death- expect more of same (unless like me you turn your TV OFF) from the 7-11 convenience store chain and their sponsorship of "The Simpsons Movie"- due out soon.

It fact- 7-11 has renamed 11 of their stores "Kwik-E-Marts" after that famous store on the Simpson's TV show.

No word on whether the people that work at those stores have to rename themselves "Abu."

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