Elvis Impersonators

If American singing hero Elvis Presley hadn't over-indulged in junk food and drugs he might well have celebrated his 79th birthday last January 8. The untimely demise of one the country's most popular male vocalists and movie actors ever has led to a proliferation of impersonators through the years that have adopted his hair style, mannerisms and singing techniques and made perhaps a modest living imitating the "King". What would have happened if Elvis had throttled back a little bit on his gluttony and managed to survive 4 score years on the planet? Would his songs have continued to be the soft rock ballads that sent shivers down the spine of teen-age girls? Or would his itinerary have changed with the changing tastes of newer generations? Would a geriatric Elvis still be a heart-throb? And, most important, would the small but important field of his impersonators even have come to be? What would these guys be doing if Elvis was sitting in a Memphis nursing home, watching Seinfeld re-runs, waiting for a person that speaks English as second language to change his diaper? Shouldn't there be at least a couple of Elvis impersonators that are in the neighborhood of 79 years so us Elvis fans can see and hear him if he hadn't choked to death on a banana and peanut butter sandwich?



The real Elvis, before he overdid it.

Emma Johansson Says, "Go To Flanders!"

Swedish cycling superstar Emma Johansson  explains why it makes sense to spend half of the year in bike-crazy Flanders.

Super Bowl Soak Job XLVIII

The annual National Football League ceremony celebrating the voluntary donation of millions to the quasi-criminals that own this non-profit  sham has ended. It was, apparently, even less exciting than normal, a 43-8 groaner whose outcome was never in doubt. And there was never any doubt that the NFL itself was to be the winner, at least financially, regardless of which group of violent neo-gladiators prevailed on the field.

Mark Di Ionno of the Newark Star-Ledger lets us in on some of the financials in this article. It should be required reading for every local politico that thinks pandering to these predators will do anything positive for the locals.

Optum Pro Cycling Gets On Diamondback

Hugely successful pro cycling team Optum Pro Cycling powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies will be riding the Diamondback Podium Equipe bike during the 2014 season it was announced on Jan. 7 at the Diamondback headquarters in Kent, WA. The team has also reached an agreement with Mt. Borah, a Wisconsin designer and manufacturer of high quality cycling clothing as a sponsor. This summer cycling superstars like Jade Wilcoxson, Jesse Anthony, Tom Zirbel, Alex Candelario, Joelle Numainville, Leah Kirchmann, Brianna Walle, Denise Ramsden and others will be in the saddle on Diamondbacks and wearing Mt. Borah togs.

 
Dual national champion Jade Wilcoxson.
 
Second-year all-rounder Brianna Walle


Dual Canadian Champion Joelle Numainville

  Young Canadian star Denise Ramsden

YOU MUST REGISTER

Command Sergeant Major Jeff Mellinger retired in 2011 as the last US military draftee remaining in service. Drafted in 1972, he spent 39 years as a soldier. All remaining members of the US military are volunteers. Nonetheless, even today males in the US between 18 and 26 years of age are required to register with the Selective Service System, just in case the federal government needs some involuntary cannon fodder. This is true not only for US citizens, but also for immigrants, documented and undocumented, residing in the US and its territories. This means that any undocumented alien in the age group that has not registered for the draft is a felon, subject to a fine of up to $250,000 or 5 years imprisonment or both. The last person indicted for this felony was Terry Kuelper, on January 23, 1986. The charge was later withdrawn before trial. Nine individuals have actually spent time behind bars for failure to register, the longest being for 6 months. As of tomorrow it will be exactly 28 years since anyone has been prosecuted for failing to register with the Selective Service System.

 ATTENTION, UNDOCUMENTED MALES ; IMMIGRANT SERVICING GROUPS!

 Selective Service does not collect any information which would indicate whether or not you are undocumented. You want to protect yourself for future U.S. citizenship and other government benefits and programs by registering with Selective Service. Do it today. If you are a man ages 18 through 25 and living in the U.S., then you must register with Selective Service. It’s the law. According to law, a man must register with Selective Service within 30 days of his 18th birthday. Selective Service will accept late registrations but not after a man has reached age 26. You may be denied benefits or a job if you have not registered. You can register at any U.S. Post Office and do not need a social security number. When you do obtain a social security number, let Selective Service know. Provide a copy of your new social security number card; being sure to include your complete name, date of birth, Selective Service registration number, and current mailing address; and mail to the Selective Service System, P.O. Box 94636, Palatine, IL 60094-4636. If you have a social security number, you can register online (click here). It's quick and easy.

Then there's this, provided by "Things That Cost More Than Space Exploration":

 If you are an American male, chances are that at some point you had to register with the US Selective Service System. For those of you not familiar with it, the Selective Service System is, in their own words, “a small, independent federal agency [that] is America’s only proven and time-tested hedge against underestimating the number of active duty and reserve component personnel needed in a conflict.” (I like that the agency also describes itself as “the last link between society at large and today’s all-volunteer Armed Forces,” which sounds like the copy on the back of a post-apocalyptic novel.) That’s right: they are the ones who run the draft. Despite the fact that US law at present does not actually permit the government to run a draft, and the fact that no draft has been held since 1973, Selective Services nevertheless collects and keeps information on all male US Citizens between the ages of 18-25, just in case. (Women, who have experienced some significant expansions in their role in the US Armed Services in recent years, are not required to register). According to the General Accountability Office, as of 2012 the US Department of Defense had “not reevaluated requirements for the Selective Service System since 1994”—a time period in which several wars were fought without the need for a draft. The GAO report goes on to point out several reasons why the agency is not needed in the modern era, even should there ever be a need for another draft. Nevertheless, the Selective Service System’s budget in fiscal year 2012 was $24 million.

Fed Big Wig Admits Ignorance

William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, admitted in a forum in Mexico that Fed honchos really don't understand how QE works, according to this article by Reuters. The initial monthly purchase of $85 billion in Treasuries and mortgage bonds, now reduced to $75 billion, may affect the portfolios of private investors or just send a signal. The real signal is that the Fed has only a limited range of therapy for the condition it has created itself.

Presidential Plastic Watch

Serial philanderer Bill Clinton may have been the first to US president to adorn his wrist with a non-metallic timepiece but the currently most powerful man on earth stalks the links with an inexpensive plastic watch, too.
  According to this source BHO has been wearing one kind or another of cheap wristwatch for some time. What are we to make of this? Does this demonstrate that the fellow is a "man of the people"? Or that he isn't big on watches to begin with? Or that he really isn't a very classy guy?