The Cold Hard Facts!’s blog

They've been warning us about catastrophic climate change for 100 years now...  They just can't seem to make up their mind whether its cooling or warming...

Boobs

Stare at women's breasts for 10 minutes a day and increase your life span by five years, that's the conclusion of a new study.

According to a German research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, men who stare at women's breasts for 10 minutes a day live five years longer.

The study claims that 10 minutes of ogling is equivalent to a 30-minute gym workout.

The finding has been made after an assessment of 200 men over a period of five years, reports Sin Chew Daily and China Press.

The men who stare at women's breasts have lower blood pressure, suffer less cardiovascular disease and have slower heart beat, the Star Online reports.

Gerontologist Dr Karen Weatherby explains that sexual desire leads to better blood circulation meaning improved health.

TANDM

Now, there's something very troubling about the couple who snuck into that White House dinner - and it's not just their "Easy-Bake oven" hair, or their beady, heat-seeking eyeballs.

No - it's something else... and that something else makes me want to freeze Tareq and Michaele Salahi solid, board them up in a box and drop them into an Arctic sea, "Blob" style.

Part of it, I guess, is that they're social climbing chuckleheads - the desperate kind whose quest for notoriety trumps productive living. In their heads, getting close enough to lick a Joe Biden hair plug is worth whatever sacrifice - especially if the sacrifice isn't theirs.

And, as it turns out, it wasn't.

Today, the head of the Secret Service has announced that because of the security breach at last week's dinner, three agents are now on administrative leave. And that's the price for your fame, Tariq and Michaele: three tarnished careers. Congrats.

But there's the bigger story here. The world is a crazy place filled with crazy people wanting to harm our President. Worse, if a nutbag pulls a Hinkley, we now have factions who see nothing but conspiracy. And that means any event putting our President in jeopardy also puts us in jeopardy - more so than any time in history. And I include the chaotic period when unicorns fought griffens over primacy of the forests (1966 - 1970). As you know, the unicorns won. :)

So don't punish the cops. Punish the couple. Harshly. Force them to spend a year watching their own home videos, or listening to their own fawning voice mail messages - while having actual famous people stop by to ignore them. Make them watch "A Double Shot of Love" at a bar, but not in the VIP section.

Then maybe afterwards, if these socialites had any real class, they'd personally apologize to the agents. After all, it might make a great photo for their album.

 A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy - his neighbors.

Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners' association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face "legal action."

Barfoot2

The homoeowners' association at Sussex Square community told Barfoot that the freestanding, 21-foot flagpole that he put up in September violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines.

Barfoot had sought permission to install the pole shortly after he moved into the community — a complex of townhouses where the grounds are community property — last June. The board denied his request in July.

But Barfoot and his family say there is no provision in Sussex Square's rules that forbids erecting flagpoles. And for Barfoot, that's a cause worth fighting for.

"There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," Barfoot said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In a statement released last night, the association sought to defend its position against a growing chorus of outrage.

"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," reads the statement from the association, which insists that Barfoot directly violated its board's July ruling.

"Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply."

The statement reminded the public that many American flags hang from homes in the Sussex Square community, and that the board members object only to Barfoot's freestanding flagpole.

But Barfoot says he has always flown the flag from a height: "Where I've been, fighting wars ... military installations, parades, everything else, the flag is vertical. And I've done it that way since I was in the Army," Barfoot told the paper.

Barfoot

Barfoot is one of the country's last living World War II veterans who received the Medal of Honor. He also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and earned a Purple Heart. In WWII, Barfoot showed his mettle in Carano, Italy, where he single-handedly destroyed a set of German machine gun nests, killed eight enemy soldiers, took 17 prisoners and stared down a tank before destroying it and killing its crew — all in a single day. Exhausted by his herculean efforts, he still managed to move two of his wounded men 1,700 yards to safety.

"Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers," reads the official citation for his Medal of Honor.

Barfoot's resolve is now once again being tested.

"I've flown the flag at my home as long as I can remember," said Barfoot, who lived in rural Amelia County before moving to suburban Richmond. "This is the first time in the last 36 years that I've been unable to put my flag up on the same pole, the same staff and take it down when it's time to come down.

"I don't have any qualms with [the board's] authority, but the thing about it is that I cannot get enough conversation out of them where we can try to work out a solution," Barfoot said.

Neighbors largely have expressed their support, but he realizes that ultimately it's up to the nine-member association board whether to grant an exception to the rules.

"Emotional torture is what they've done to my father," said his daughter, Margaret Nicholls. "He has lost sleep, he worries about it constantly. He just doesn't understand. He thinks that if it's on his property they can't tell him what to do."

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Take a minute to contact the law firm that represents the HOA.  They have the right to represent (or REFUSE to represent) anyone they want.  So, obviously, they agree with the WRONG SIDE of this fight.  If you'd like to help this veteran out, here's your info:

Coates & Davenport
5206 Markel Road, Suite 200
Richmond VA 23230
Toll Free: (800) 450-8311
Local Phone: (804) 285-7000
General Fax: (804) 285-2849

http://www.coateslaw.com/CM/Custom/Contact.asp

ABC didn't cover it. CBS didn't either. And NBC apparently wouldn't go near it.

The network news broadcasts have ignored a growing scandal over evidence of a potential climate cover-up — and now they've even been scooped by the fake news at Comedy Central.

EggTimer

So, President Obama's speech wasn't a bad one, but it wasn't a great one either.  If anything, it reminded me a little of Osama bin Laden's speech - the one where he told us exactly when he was going to take down the World Trade Center.  And remember the speech given right before Pearl Harbor - the one where the Japanese Imperial Headquarters let us know when the planes would arrive?  Eerily similar.

I kid.  Those speeches never took place - because our enemies never tell us when they're going to attack.

But we're different.  Not only do we tell them when and where, but also, how long before we'll go home.  Terrorists? Alas, they have patience in spades.  A few years is nothing when you're looking at an eternity with 72 virgins.

But look: this is war, and we need to call it war, and when we fight a war, we must back the President.  So I`m with him 100 percent.  But I wish he'd, you know, embrace the damn thing - and say we're going to destroy these bastards, minus the egg timer.

And to me, the coach shouldn't talk strategy out in the open until after the game, when we`ve beaten the pants off the other team.

Which is why I didn`t find the speech inspirational - I wonder if those cadets did?

My guess is, they want to be led by a winner, not a cost manager. The speech was less a rallying cry, and more a statement by a CEO that "we've had a rough year, there will be changes, and you know, watch your expenses."

Even more, this is coming from a guy who will spare no cost when it comes to health care reform or global warming crud - and yet he's worried about a few billion bucks to ensure the safety of our country and our brave troops?  Those priorities should come before public options and carbon offsets.

But enough with the petty griping.  When it comes to battle, we all stand together, and I congratulate the President in finally moving this ball forward.

If General McCrystal is happy, then so am I.

Plus, I'm also grateful that I've finally learned how to pronounce Paki-STON, as well as Tali-BON!

Here is the scenario:

When New Zealand woman Vanessa Horton crashed her car into a river near the family home, her husband had to make the excruciating choice between saving her or rescuing his son, who was trapped in the sinking car.

So the question is: which do you choose .. your wife or your child?

I'm not afraid to step forward on this one. You save your wife first, then you do what you can to save your child. The choice is a hideous and painful one ... but you go with your life's companion. Then you cry.

Click on the link to see what the New Zealand husband did.