The 121st Tournament of Roses Parade, with the theme A Cut Above The Rest, will take place on Friday, January 1, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. (PST) featuring spirited marching bands from throughout the nation, majestic floral floats, and high-stepping equestrian units. On January 1, 2010, KTLA begins its day-long coverage of the Rose Parade with Backstage at The Parade at 6 a.m., followed by Parade Countdown at 7 a.m., both live and hosted by KTLA news personalities.

KTLA 5’s live, high-definition and commercial-free broadcast of the 121st Tournament of Roses Parade begins at 8 a.m. with expert and lively commentary from Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards. KTLA’s live presentation of the Rose Parade will be followed by encore broadcasts at 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. [...]

For well over 100 years, the Tournament of Roses has been a New Year’s Day tradition in Pasadena. The Rose Bowl Parade is on TV, but to be there is even more exciting. Pasadena has many fun attractions. There’s the botanical gardens, the Norton Simon Museum, Old Town Pasadena, and many more child-friendly family activities. The biggest annual event in Pasadena is one of the most famous parades in the world, the Tournament of Roses, or Rose Bowl Parade. If part of your New Year travel plans include coming to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl Parade in person, you and your family might benefits from some tips and ideas regarding how to best view the parade. [...]

Four teenagers while playing near the cave of Panama saw a shocking structure thing and they killed that creature. On Saturday while they were playing in the town of Cerro Azul North of Panama City they saw the thing moving on the caves.

While explaining the situation they said that they had a fear of that living being and they beat it to death while taking safety measure. They further add that they beat the thing to death with a stick and then throw its body into the pool water. Living being made them scary and they were not able to handle the situation and by taking safety measures they killed the horrible creature.

After killing that creature they became stable, hold there nerves and return back after taking photograph of that creature.

After this photograph is posted on the web people starts comparing it with ‘Montauk Monster’ that were washed up on the New York beach last year.

The body of that creature is hair less. It also had sharp teeth and leathery body. Some people declare it a body of Dog but so far this thing remains mysterious. According to some internet user due to presence of hooked claws, it may be a ‘sloth’ that due to some cause lost its hairs. Some are claiming it as a creature of other planet, but the truth is, the reality of that creature so far is a question mark…

I was getting ready to post another one of those “socialist zombie schoolchildren” or “death panel” reminders of hackery, but those have been momentarily obscured by even further lunacy.

News came across the Facey-space feed that the Obama administration is moving to downplay the events of September 11 by not highlighting Bush administration inspired rememberance events I’ve never heard of. Like “Patriot’s Day.”

WTF is Patriot’s Day? I’ve never heard of it. The comments section is infected with absolute loons.

Surely, had the Obama administration made too much of the September 11 rememberances, he’d be accused of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.

The Death Star was a moon-sized Imperial military battlestation armed with a planet-destroying superlaser.

The Death Stars were the first in a long series of superweapons developed to execute the Tarkin Doctrine, but whose concept had been explored even before the Clone Wars. The Death Star was designed to allow Emperor Palpatine to more directly control the Galactic Empire through fear. In most instances, a Death Star was to be commanded by a Moff.

The Death Star was the code name of an unspeakably powerful and horrific weapon developed by the Empire. The immense space station carried a weapon capable of destroying entire planets. The Death Star was to be an instrument of terror, meant to cow treasonous worlds with the threat of annihilation. While the massive station is evidence of the evil that was the Galactic Empire, it was also proof of the New Order’s greatest weakness — the belief that technology and terror were superior to the will of oppressed beings fighting for freedom.

The Death Star was a battle station the size of a small moon. It had a formidable array of turbolasers and tractor beam projectors, giving it the firepower of greater than half the Imperial starfleet. Within its cavernous interior were legions of Imperial troops and fightercraft, as well as all manner of detention blocks and interrogation cells. The Death Star was spherical, and dark gray in color. Located on the Death Star’s northern hemisphere was a concave disk housing the station’s main laser weapon.

[...]

Two years after Las Vegas chapels hit the wedding date jackpot with lucky sevens, it’s all eyes on the nines for 9-9-09.

Wedding officials in Sin City were preparing Wednesday for one of the busiest days of the year on a quirky date to get hitched — Sept. 9, 2009, or 9-9-09.

Jessica Skrutvold of Las Vegas said she and her husband-to-be Chad Lyons were expecting nine guests for their 9 p.m. wedding, which coincidentally celebrates her favorite number.

“The easiest day for my poor memory to remember was 9-9-09, and we’ve been doing everything last minute ever since,” said the 31-year-old who works for a local insurance agency. “It was easy, and both of us can remember it and never forget.”

Skrutvold said she called to book a chapel in March, and found the only open slots were for 8:30 or 9 that night.

“We took the most obvious choice,” she said.

Nine couples were to marry at the Madame Tussauds wax museum on the Las Vegas Strip at 9:09 a.m., while 99 more were waiting until 9:09 p.m. for a shared ceremony in the observation deck at the Stratosphere Tower. Each paid $99 for their wedding package.

[...]

This article explores the archaeology surrounding the worship of Celtic deities in Roman Britain after the Roman occupation and what information they have to offer us.

The archaeological remains of deities throughout the world have been many, and classical deities from Greece and Rome have always captured the minds and imaginations of archaeologists, historians, writers, poets, actors etc. However, the deities of Celtic Britain have often been overlooked since there is less information regarding them. It is my aim to look, discuss and evaluate the archaeological remains from temples, shrines and other artefacts, of native Celtic deities in order to understand more about how, when and why they were worshipped.

Once the Romans invaded and conquered Britannia, it can be somewhat difficult to find evidence of the native Celtic deities before the Roman occupation within the archaeological record. The Celtic British had an oral traditional, in which stories, legends and myths were told instead of written down. In fact, because of this, there is little evidence to find. We only become aware of these deities due to the Roman soldiers making dedications and having inscriptions copied onto them. Because of this, some deities were intertwined or associated with gods and goddesses from all around the Roman Empire.

The first Celtic deity that I wish to look at are the Genii Cucullati, otherwise known as the Hooded Spirits, since they are usually depicted as three figures (sometimes unclear to whether these figures are male or female) wearing hooded cloaks.  Throughout Britain, stone reliefs have depicted these figures who are believed to be lesser deities of fertility and the afterlife.

[...]

If you’re visiting the Washington, DC area in September and October, consider adding on a visit to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD. It’s located just outside of Annapolis, not so far away from DC. Of course, there’s lots to see in DC, but if you get the urge for a side trip, this renaissance fest may be what you’re looking for. Be sure to check dates online as the fest is primarily limited to the weekends.

What you’ll see amid this forest setting (all in period fashion, of course):

* Musicians and dancers
* Aerial Angels
* Archery demonstrations
* Sword fights
* Juggling
* Storytelling

There’s lots more, but please do check the schedule online.

As for the food, you’ll find crab cake sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, fish and chips and plenty more. You may also enjoy some early Christmas shopping at the many booths manned by artisans and craftspeople. The best part may be just walking around to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy all the costumes.

Have you seen the History Channel’s feature earlier today? I watched the entire episode where History featured the “monster” Chupacabra! The show wanted to prove if the Chupacabra is indeed a mythical creature or just a sick animal.

The short documentary was focused in one US State, Texas, where sightings of the rare, blood-sucking, elusive creature called the Chupacabra were a lot! Chupacabra pictures were taken and at first look, the animal indeed looks strange and out-of-this-world.

The Chupacabra is also said to hunt and kill animals in places like Puerto Rico, Miami and Mexico.

I really waited for the show to finish because I wanted to know the results of the samples tested in the lab. The results affirmed what I initially thought. The Chupacabra is a dog species! The other one that was found in another location was tested to be a coyote!

There you have it. No Chupacabra monster!

Introduction: Revisiting the Bloody Valentines of 2009

The Valentine’s Day flurry of promotional ads for jewelry, chocolates, and romantic “human interest” spots on the local news often shares the spotlight with news coverage of a brutal, if ironic, Valentine’s Day “crime of passion.” Research has shown that each year murders spike in the period just before and after Valentines Day (from February 8-17), as does intimate partner violence directed at women. [1] In part, this is why American feminist Eve Ensler launched a global V-Day campaign to “take back” Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls. [2] Stories of Valentine’s Day “crimes of passion” grip us in part because the gruesome details that characterize them stand in such sharp contrast to the ubiquitous symbols of romantic love that mark the holiday: pink and red hearts, winged cupids, and long-stemmed roses. Statistics show that American women are far more likely to be murdered by a husband or a boyfriend than a stranger, [3] and each year Valentine’s Day media accounts of “love gone wrong” manage to shock us without really surprising us.

In February 2009, the faces of two women of color were juxtaposed against the romantic symbols of the season as victims of domestic violence. The first is the photograph taken by the Los Angeles Police Department as legal evidence of Barbadian pop star Rihanna’s bruised and swollen face after allegedly being beaten by her African-American boyfriend R&B artist Chris Brown. On February 8, Brown was arrested on charges of making criminal threats. The police photo, leaked to popular entertainment site TMZ, sparked a media frenzy. Some of the mainstream media’s coverage was balanced and productive, furthering the national conversation on intimate partner violence and raising awareness of both its prevalence and the resources available for victims. Some of it, however, was deeply troubling in how it reproduced racial and gender stereotypes, such as whether Rihanna had triggered the attack, whether she should be blamed for not ending the relationship sooner, or whether blacks are more “prone” to domestic violence. [...]