One bizarre thing about our city is the magical, floating line that separates St. Louis City from St. Louis County.  When you talk to St. Louisans you may notice that it isn't always the actual city limit that defines "city living" versus "county living."  City folk will often pull that barrier closer to downtown and those outlying neighborhoods that pay the 1% city living tax (like the Hill or Dogtown) still really don't count.  The county folks tend to push that barrier out and see cities like Brentwood and U City as "city."

The one thing that isn't unique to St. Louis is the whether living in the city or the county is better.  Everyone has their reasons for thinking one is better than the other, and the debate will continue until... forever.  Living in Maplewood you truly get the best of both worlds, the city line runs right down the middle.  The eastern half of Maplewood is city (starting right about where Cusumano's is located), the western half is still Maplewood but it is technically county. 

Hypothesizing that it would be a pretty unbiased place as far as this debate goes, we decided to head to Maplewood to ask St. Louisans if they prefer the city over the county and why. To see what they had to say, click on [tab:trav_video].

St. Louisan Michael Shafermeyer was soaring on the wings of love on his way out of St. Louis to Maryland to get hitched. What better way to calm the pre-wedding and pre-flight jitters than having a couple of drinks and making a few jokes?

Those few, nerve calming drinks might have loosened Shafermeyer's tongue a little too much, though since they helped land his nearly betrothed butt in jail. Some might argue that a stint in jail is less scary than walking down the isle, but I wouldn't know any of those people. The groom spent three nights in jail for asking a flight attendant if she was in charge of checking for shoe bombs. Needless to say the humor was lost on the flight attendant and Shafermeyer will be taking a train to get him to the church on time.

When introducing a new something-or-other to the public, whether it be a sports stadium or a road, the name that you give it is of utmost importance. Trust me, I this because I lived in Columbia during the "Paige Arena" phase...

Which is why I have to give props to Amtrack and MoDOT; they are giving us the opportunity to "Name the Train" for ourselves. (This may be the only positive thing that I ever say about MoDOT, so take note.) In honor of their 30th year of transporting Missourians on this state-supported passenger rail, they're renaming the train that travels between Kansas City and St. Louis.

You have until January 23 to go here and cast your vote in the contest. They're down to the top five choices, which were submitted by your Missourians:

• Missouri Rail Blazer
• ShowMeMo
• Missouri River Runner
• River Cities Corridor
• Truman Service

Personally, I think that the Missouri Rail Blazer is the best of the lot. Either way, you have a couple of weeks left to help with the final renaming. What would you want to name that train?

The thing about hunting is that you have to be aware of what you're shooting at. That's pretty much the rule when you're wielding a big gun. But unfortunately for a now-deceased endangered swan, that is not always the case.

Over in Illinois, three duck hunters thought that they were shooting at a snow goose in the conservation area that they were hunting in. Instead, they killed a rare and protected trumpeter swan.

The hunters said that they felt remorse, but that doesn't help the swan or its endangered population now, does it?

Yet another victory for the dog lover's camp in the cats versus dogs throw-down. If you need further proof that dogs are better than cats, look no further than Kennett, MO. It was in this small, Missouri town that Chocolate, a rescued lab pup, earned his keep when his fetching skills won enough money to cover his vet bills.

The victories for canine camp keep piling up.  First, you have the fact that dog are more loyal and friendly than cats, and now you have proof that dogs are awesome enough to earn their keep?  Add to this the fact that you could slap a sandwich board with paid advertisements on a dog during their walk, and the award for most fiscally responsible pet definitely has to go to dogs. This may be a devastating blow to feline champions everywhere.

In total, 44-year-old Donald Keith Giammanco of Florissant committed 12 robberies in the St. Louis and St. Charles areas in the past several months. He's made off with more than $100,000, and claims that he is an out-of-work construction worker who has fallen on hard times.

I'm glad he's behind bars now (he has admitted to the string of bank robberies), especially since he seemed to favorite robbing Commerce Banks, which are where I keep my spare change.

It's not often talked about, yet everybody does it on a daily basis. It can be silent and deadly, or loud and room-clearing. Yes, I'm talking about farting. Again.

As soon as I started asking people in the Loop "At what point in a relationship is it OK to let one rip in front of your partner," I was (pleasantly) surprised by the number of people who were eager to answer (and call their partners out).

According to these St. Louisans, sometimes it's at after a certain milestone happens in the relationship, and sometimes it's an actual length of time. And sometimes...it depends on how bad it smells.

Click on [tab:trav_video] to see why I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Smell on T-Rav readers!

James Dale Kitchell Jr., the 37-year-old bar owner of Jumpin' Jimmy's, has gone missing. He was last seen on Tuesday night outside his bar, but all that remained this morning was a ransom note next to his abandoned car.

Check out the description so that you can alert the police in case you spot him around town: Kitchell Jr. is described as a white man, 5-foot-11, 230 pounds with blonde hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. He has a tattoo of a red dog on his right arm. He was last seen wearing a blue pullover wind breaker, blue jeans and black tennis shoes with green soles.

At least the police had some comforting words for his friends and family to hold on to. According to a spokesperson, "We just don't know." Thanks for that, and please call the police if you spot this apparent kidnapping victim.

While it's fun for the shoppers, many people who work in those stores end up dealing with countless things that aren't in their job description. (Similar to what these servers felt.) In order to make them happier to help you find your size, here are their suggestions for how you should behave yourselves while shopping in their store.

Erika at John Pils Posters

Don't touch the glass! (Which is probably just for stores like this one.) Don't take the picture off, then put it back on the wall sloppily. Make sure it's hung just as it was before, because that's when pictures start getting broken.

Tracy at Charlotte Ruse

Don't walk by something and knock it off onto the floor, then just leave it there and walk off. Don't pick up something in one section of the store, then drop it off in another section after you've walked around a while. That is so annoying. And please be calm about long lines. There's nothing we can do about it, but I've seen people almost fight before.

Andy at Sears

Don't ask what the price of the total sale is when it's shown on the credit card machine that you just used when swiping your card. And don't just drop everything onto the floor when you're in our fitting rooms. That really gets me.

Caitlin at Yankee Candle Company

Please read the sale signs. If it says "this display (or table) only," it doesn't apply to the entire store. That's self-explanatory. Also, read the coupons before you try to use them. We never, ever allow you to use a coupon with a sale item.

Arlene at the Hallmark Store (She wasn't feeling photogenic.)

Keep track of your children. Don't let them pick up merchandise and throw it on the floor or play with it. And if you spill food, please pick it up. Don't expect us to clean up after you, because that's not our job.

Carly at Toy Tyme

Don't come in five minutes before close and then not buy anything. I once had a family stay way after closing and walk out empty-handed. If it's closing time, please leave. And put things back where you found them.

While taking up a life of crime isn't a badge of intelligence, using a tractor-trailer for your getaway car may be proof of an even lower IQ among the criminal set. This morning a north St. Louis convenience store was the site of a botched burglary attempt, and the stealthy getaway car of choice: a stolen eighteen wheeler that the genius thief tried to use as a ladder during his break-in.

What happened to the days of stealing fast getaway cars to execute complicated art heists?  That would be totally worth going to jail for, right?  This poor guy is the criminal world's equivalent to a kid who chooses to bring his lunch to school on the plastic bread sleeve when everyone has Star Wars lunch boxes - it just doesn't make sense.

The origins of the great pet debate are unknown, but the feud over whether cats or dogs make the better pet is ongoing. While I believe both have animals their relative merits, I am a bona fide dog person.

Personally, I like dogs because they are friendlier and less likely to eat their owners - plus I don't like the idea of owning a pet that potentially could be smarter than I am. Despite the fact that a recent poll showed more dog owners believe their pets understand them than cat owners do, I say cats probably understand, they just choose to ignore their owners - and that's just mean. Plus, there is a creepy intelligence in a cat's eyes (brrr... chills) that just doesn't sit right with me. Do you agree with me on the dig thing or on the side that thinks cats will save the world one day?

While most of the people we talked to preferred dogs, a few people in St. Louis like cats... not that there is anything wrong with that. To see what people had to say about why they prefer one furry friend over the other, click on [tab:trav_video].

ToastedRav first brought you a look at the Parkour scene here in St. Louis when we got a lesson from Elly, a local traceuse. Elly and a few members of TRICKset, the parkour/freerunning group that she trains with, as well as a few other parkour/freerunning groups in the area, will all be making their big screen debut this weekend in The Disk: Code Zero. The full length independent film, which is directed by Ladue High School grad Jeremy Cropf, is an action thriller that showcases several parkour chase scenes.

Click on [tab:video] to watch the preview of The Disk: Code Zero before its debut. Click here to buy tickets in advance.

Date: Sunday, December 28
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Tivoli Theater in the Loop
Cost: $10 per ticket

For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, here's a rundown of what this acrobatic extreme discipline is. Parkour is moving from Point A to Point B in the most efficient way possible, which is what makes it different from freerunning. This might include vaults and leaps, as well as more mental critical-thinking skills. For more about the history of Parkour and its founders, Raymond and David Belle, click here.

Photo courtesy of ellysdoghouse.

A while back, St. Louis' Roberto Dunn was convicted of killing his girlfriend's mother. Dunn, who is now 34, claims that he now deserves a whole new trial. Apparently, since a couple members of the sequestered jury - and the guards who were "guarding" them - all had intercourse with one another while Dunn was on trial, he seems to think that his conviction might have been different if they hadn't gotten hot and heavy.

I don't know what this has to do with the overwhelming evidence that the man offed his lady friend's mother, but he seems to think that perhaps their deductive reasoning skills were clouded by their hormones. (Dunn says his lawyers 'didn't try hard enough the first time' to get him a new trial.)

Mistakes being made because of hormones? That's a new one.

1. Let your car run for a while. It takes a good fifteen minutes to truly warm up your car in temperatures like these. If you don't allow this time for it to heat up, you loose reaction time and a little bit of the life of your vehicle. Whether you invest in an automatic starter, have a garage, or have to park on the street, this is something you probably don't want to do, but you should.

2. Take time to scrape your windows and remove large amounts of snow off your car. Credit cards work well if you don't have an ice scraper (you should probably get one if you don't), and some scrapers have brushes to help dust of snow. It's hard enough driving on icy streets, so please don't make me dodge your mini blizzard on the highway. That goes for ice missiles, too.

3. Drive with your headlights on even if it's light out and snowing. The trouble is I can't see you and that makes you dangerous to not only me, but yourself and others. It might be hard to stop in time, on slushy pavement if I can't see you. I try to account for every car on the road, and monitor the 4-5 cars directly ahead. Can I count on you?

4. Keep safe distances. Everyone knows the distance you are SUPPOSED to keep from other drivers, but honestly, I do not see that much any more. If I am a little distracted, I may get a little close, but I try to not let that happen as I am pretty serious about the roads I take. Please, a cell phone is not an excuse to ride my bumper, either. Note: If driving safely was a console game - I live it in real life, and I could be seen as flat out obsessive retarded.

5. Ice can fly out of the sky. Even if there is no snow, or precipitation to be found, if it is really cold outside beware of semi's and eighteen wheelers on the road. They travel through states that might have snow, or ice, and it can be on the top of their freight which is extremely dangerous. On a clear, blue, cold day - an ice projectile might be headed your way. I have experienced this quite a few times myself. Ice missiles can come out of nowhere.

Yeah, it's cold and nasty and it stinks to have to get outside. With the travel and bustle coming this week and next, don't forget those who await you at every destination, and be cautious and smart on the road.

May your family and friends arrive safely and in the comfort of home this Christmas.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch is reporting former St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa had not one, but two solid gold badges valued at around $5,900 a piece. That is almost $12,000 worth of bling that the good ole chief was handed when he took the reins of the force.

To give you an idea of just what his badge costs, here is a short list of other items that can be bought for $11,800: you can buy around 32 bullet-proof vests, you could purchase a 1.5 carat diamond and platinum engagement ring from Tiffany's, and you could be driving a brand new, fully loaded compact car. The new chief's badge is only going to set the department back around $2,000 for one badge - but that is still some serious lawman bling.