5 http://media.bonnint.net/dado/oss-trav/0/2/255.jpg ToastedRav.com Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:28:33 -0700 ToastedRav Staff mflynn@bicstl.com <![CDATA[THE GERM QUIZ!]]> 5895 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:56:24 -0700 What’s true and what’s false?
• TRUE OR FALSE: You can get an infection from sitting on a public toilet seat. (FALSE. You can’t get an infection just because your skin touches the seat. The germs have to get inside your body. So, unless you’ve got an open wound -- or touch the seat with your hand and rub your eyes, nose or mouth...you should be fine.)

• TRUE OR FALSE: If you keep your toothbrush within six feet of a toilet, you’re brushing your teeth with toilet water. (POSSIBLY. With every flush, germy water droplets spray across the room. In a recent test, toothbrushes stored in bathroom cabinets and kitchens also tested positive for fecal matter. So it’s possible that germy toothbrushes are caused by germy hands.)
 
• TRUE OR FALSE: Antibacterial soap keeps your hands cleaner than regular soap. (FALSE. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds doesn't kill the bacteria. It just washes them down the drain. Studies show that volunteers using antibacterial soap have the same bacterial counts on their hands as those using old-fashioned bar soap. However, alcohol-based hand sanitizers do work to kill bacteria and don't contribute to antibiotic resistance. So when you’re on the go, carry a hand sanitizer that contains 62% ethyl alcohol.)
 
• TRUE OR FALSE: A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s? (FALSE. A dog’s mouth may have fewer microbes that are harmful to humans, but that doesn’t mean they have fewer germs or that their mouth is clean. After all, dogs lick themselves all over, sniff other dogs, and chew on lots of disgusting things, including dead animals and fecal matter.)

 

(Source: University of Arizona)

]]> <![CDATA[Presidents age twice as fast...that's Obama after 8 years.]]> 5872 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:40:36 -0700 Take a look at what 8 years did to President Bush...Here's a CNN article on this.

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[STUPIDEST STATEMENTS OF 2008]]> 5867 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:25:30 -0700


Vijay Prakash, Indian welfare minister, urged 5-star hotels to serve rat burgers, rat tail pasta, and minced baby rat meat: "It is very high in protein and the beauty is that we have billions of rats." August 13, 2008.

Sarah Palin, US Republican Party's vice-presidential nominee, for her response to a challenge to name a Supreme Court decision that she disagreed with, besides Roe v. Wade: "Well, let's see. There's, of course in the great history of America there have been rulings, that's never going to be absolute consensus by every American." October 1, 2008.

Mike Huckabee, US Republican Party's presidential candidate, for his disclosure to South Carolinians: "We used to take a popcorn popper, because that was the only thing they would let us use in the dorm, and we would fry squirrels in the popcorn popper." January 16, 2008.

Joe Biden, US Democratic Party's Vice President-elect, for his recognition of State Senator Chuck Graham, a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair, at a rally in Missouri: "Chuck, stand up, Chuck. Let 'em see ya." September 9, 2008.

Prince Harry, third in line to the British Throne, for his admission about his country: "I generally don't like England that much." February 2008.

John McCain, US Republican Party's presidential nominee, for his revelation when asked if he prefers a Mac or PC: "Neither. I'm - I'm a - illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get." January 2008.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US First Lady and Democratic Party's presidential candidate, for her tale of gunfire and evasive action on a trip to Bosnia, in 1996, which video footage revealed never occurred: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." March 17, 2008.

Barack Obama, US Democratic Party's President-elect, for incorrectly totaling his country's 50 states during a campaign event in Oregon: "Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states, I think - one left to go." May 9, 2008.

Oprah Winfrey, American television icon, self-image adviser, and author of a soon-to-be-published weight-loss book, for her bewilderment at her current obese body mass index of 31.8 and weight of 200 pounds: "How did I let this happen again?" December 9, 2008.

Really I think we could all just listen to The Cornbread show and come up with even crazier ones!

]]> <![CDATA[Fox News Cries 'The Sky is Falling' in Yellowstone!]]> 5851 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:59:14 -0700 Wow.  "Yellowstone Eruption Could Wipe Out Entire Continental United States".  This was an actual headline in the attached video from Fox News. 

What has apparently triggered the Chicken Little excitement out of Wyoming is an increase in Earthquake activity over recent weeks.  And since Yellowstone is actually nestled in the confines of a sleeping supervolcano's caldera (I haven't used that word since high school Geology!), scientists believe there is a greater chance now that our first National Park could  be on the verge of exploding all over the place...well, someday.

Watch the video to get yourself all worked up!  Is it right for a news organization to get this sensationalistic?  Or do they have reason to, do you think?

]]> <![CDATA[Special announcement from Rascal Flatts...are they breaking up?]]> 5845 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:00:25 -0700 Or are they gonne become a quartet?  Or a duo? Or are they really teenagers?  We'll find out tonight...the press team on the Flatts boys have leaked they'll be making an announcement at the big awards show.

The People’s Choice Awards air tonight (Wednesday) on CBS (9p ET) and CARRIE UNDERWOOD and RASCAL FLATTS will perform.

Don't miss a minute of the show because during the show, Rascal Flatts will also make a special announcement.

... KENNY CHESNEY and BRAD PAISLEY will compete against R&B singer Chris Brown in the Favorite Male Singer category for the People's Choice Awards. CARRIE UNDERWOOD is up for Favorite Female Singer against Alicia Keys and Rihanna. RASCAL FLATTS is up against Coldplay and Maroon 5 for Favorite Group. In the Favorite Country Song category are Last Name by Carrie Underwood, Love Story by TAYLOR SWIFT and Take Me There by Rascal Flatts.

... TAYLOR SWIFT and CARRIE UNDERWOOD are also nominated in the Favorite Star 35 & Under category.

This awards show is one of my favorites because it is truly fan voted.   Most award shows are very political, voted on by the industry people so its more business instead of what people really like.  The people who purchase the music, and go to the movies and read the books should be able to vote for what they like the most.  The People's Choice awards tells the people what the people like.

]]> <![CDATA[The 2009 Cornbread Morning Show is back...almost!]]> 5840 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:17:50 -0700 Well here we are, in a brand spanking New Year!  And finally the Cornbread Show's Annual holiday with friends and family is coming to a close.  Myself, Pat James, returns Wednesday morning (1/7), while Producer Annie is back Thursday (1/8), and Cornbread makes his New Year's appearance on Monday (1/12).  Thanks to Captain Mac and Father Harry for doing the honors while we were gone, in additon to Paul Jeffries for filling in on the holidays!

We enjoyed a lot of time in the car over Christmas, driving first to see my family in Northern Illinois for Christmas.  Then we began what I called "The James Family Big Indoor Entertainment Adventure!" 

We drove to the Wisconsin Dells, which to my surpise has become the INDOOR WATERPARK CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!  Every hotel, it seems, has tubes coming out of the sides like oversized hamster habitrails!  We stayed at The Wilderness Lodge which had THREE indoor waterparks and more.  Not that I planned to do an official review here, but since I'm typing...nice place, but it became obvious to us that they focus on the waterparks and not their service.  10 dollar barside cheesburger?  Overpriced below-average buffet?  Horrible service?  Yep.  But a blast frolicking in the 3 indoor waterparks when it's 10 degrees outside?  You bet!  Sometimes you gotta pay for fun.

Then it was off to the famed Mall Of America in Minneapolis.  Tracy had never been, and her eyes grew big with gift cards in hand and after-Christmas sales to be conquered.  While a blizzard howled outside, we walked for hours in an indoor city.

But the kids and I were more excited about what lied within the Mall's inner park...the Nickelodean Universe.  We spent hours at this place, and had about the best amusement park experience we've ever had as a family.   Thanks in part to the snow, the wait for even the most popular rides was short.  But the best part was being indoors!  Unlike most parks, there was no standing in sweltering hot lines like cattle for a 2 minute ride!  And the selection of rides was great, plenty of coasters for adults and kids and rides for toddlers to appreciate...all under one roof. 

 

 The James family gave it an A+.

 

So with that, I'm back, refreshed for the New Year, and looking forward to joining the rest of The Cornrbead Show for what will prove to be a spectacular 2009!  Happy New Year!

]]> <![CDATA[Just some cool Common sense tips for the New Year!]]> 5838 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:08:33 -0700
  To measure water for cooking rice, rest the tip of your index finger on top of the rice and add just enough water to reach the first visible joint. This works for any size pot.

  For every day you spend in the hospital, plan on one week to recuperate.

  All putts break toward the water, even on greens that appear perfectly flat. That's because all greens are contoured for drainage.

  An extension cord should be as thick as the cord you plug into it.

  As any cop will tell you, in a bar fight, the shorter of the two men probably started it.

  For a minimum level of financial security, your net worth (the cash value of all your assets) minus all your debts should equal one year's income.

  Keep white wine in your fridge and take it out 30 minutes before serving. Keep red wine out of the fridge and put it in 15 minutes before serving.

  If you're playing cards in any gambling game and, after 20 minutes, you haven't figured out who the patsy at the table is — it's you.

  As a manager, expect 80 percent of your work to be done by 20 percent of your staff. Also expect 90 percent of your headaches to come from 10 percent of the staff.

 

I love little tips like these. Do you have any cool ones you could pass along?

]]> <![CDATA[Keith Urban will stop in St. Louis as part of his 2009 North American Tour!]]> 5834 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:32:30 -0700 Good news Urban fans...you will get to see Keith LIVE in 2009 right here in your hometown. He announced yesterday that he will stop in St. Louis as part of his 2009 North American Tour!

Fifty-eight North American cities, including Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver, will play host to Urban's tour, which will kick off this May, and likely go through the summer and into the Fall. For play dates and further ticket information, fans should go to KeithUrban.net and/or stay tuned to 92.3 WIL.

Critics have hailed Keith as "one of the best reasons in the world to attend a live concert" and have been quoted as saying that "fans would be hard-pressed to find a much better country -- or rock -- show anywhere."

One supporting act, either Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bently, Glen Campbell or The Zac Brown Band will appear at each show.

Tour stops include (in no particular order):

Uncasville, CT
Philadelphia, PA
State College, PA
Rochester, NY
St. Paul, MN
Little Rock, AR
Chicago, IL
Tulsa, OK
Green Bay, WI
Kansas City, MO
Charleston, WV
Pittsburgh, PA
Roanoke, VA
Columbus, OH
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville, KY
Huntsville, AL
Hershey, PA
Cincinnati, OH
Washington DC
Detroit, MI
Cleveland, OH
Fort Wayne, IN
Charlottesville, VA
St. Louis, MO
Buffalo, NY
Memphis, TN
Knoxville, TN
Atlanta, GA
Nashville, TN
Greenville, SC
Salt Lake City, UT
Charlotte, NC
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
Seattle, WA
Des Moines, IA
Spokane, WA
Moline, IL
Boston, MA
Milwaukee, WI
Omaha, NE
Wichita, KS
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Glendale, AZ
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Albany, NY
Ontario, CA
New York, NY
Vancouver, Canada
Edmonton, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Saskatoon, Canada
Winnipeg, Canada
London, Canada
Toronto, Canada

~KeithUrban.net

]]> <![CDATA[A Shift in Commenting: Brought to You By Comment Trolls!]]> 5819 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:06:11 -0700 [Update:  If you are noticing that this post is a bit different than it was, its because I got edited.  I can't decide whether to be mad or just disappointed. ]

Ok...rah rah stuff over.  Everyone that's watched even a second of a Lifetime Movie (admit it...it's not good to keep secrets) knows there are two sides to passion: 1. The romantic part (see the great content we talked about above) and 2. The psycho boyfriend, who is usually played by Mark Wahlberg, but in this case "comment trolls" (aka jerks that aren't here to talk about sports, but are here to pick fights) will be playing that role.  I know...it's a bummer, but it comes with the territory.  The plain fact of the matter is that for every new cool boyfriend the little blonde girl gets, there will always be a scary one from before.  I didn't set the rules, Lifetime did.

So how does one stop the scary boyfriend?  We lock him out and make him come out of the shadows and put some sort of a face to his actions.  To do this on ToastedRav.com, it means that we are now requiring you to log into your ToastedRav.com account before commenting on any article or Shout.  If you don't have an account, it only takes a few seconds to sign up (you can do that here) and for those who already have accounts, we have a link right there at the bottom for you to log in and you never have to leave the page, so you can get commenting right away.

We realize this could be a small change in the way you use the site if you don't usually log in, but I think in the long run you won't find this to be a problem and it will keep the site clean of any "Mark Wahlbergs" lurking in our driveway trying to muddy up the topics you really want to talk about.

As always, feel free to drop me a line about this right here in the comments, or if you want to share something else about the site you can email me here: mike [at] toastedrav[dot]com

]]> <![CDATA[Derrick's Pet Of The Week!]]> 5816 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:04:37 -0700 Hi, my name is Gus and my ID number is A408525!

I am an 8-year-old Basset Hound with a tri colored coat. I am a good little guy who likes to go for walks where I can smell new things. I prefer to potty outside and I like to keep my cage clean. I am crate-trained but I'd prefer to take naps on your couch while you are away from home. I have been patiently waiting for a home where people will take me for walks, rub my belly and give me some treats. Look into my eyes, how can you say no to me?

To adopt: Apply in person at the Humane Society of Missouri’s Macklind Avenue Headquarters in St. Louis City. Visit all our adoptable pets online at www.hsmo.org.

]]> <![CDATA[Special Announcement From Rascal Flatts]]> 5814 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:15:14 -0700 Rascal Flatts will be performing on the People's Choice Awards, this Wednesday (1/7), and will also be making a very cool major announcement about the release of their new album.  Anyone who texts newrfcd to 66937, will receive a text back with the hot news!

Click here to see the video message from Rascal Flatts.

]]> <![CDATA[Songs Stuck In Your Head]]> 5813 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:20 -0700 Even though Christmas has come and gone for another year, my four year old daughter, McKenzie, keeps singing Christmas songs around the house.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hearing her singing “Let It Snow” or “Jingle Bells” as she plays with her toys.  The problem is I can’t seem to get these songs out of my head.  Just today, I caught myself humming along long to a Christmas tune at work.  I’m not trying to sound like a scrooge, because I love hearing Christmas music during the holidays, but now I’ve heard enough to last until next season and I can’t seem to shake these songs out of my head.  Does this ever happen to you?  Do you ever get a song that you either don’t like or you are tired of, stuck in your head and you can’t seem to shake it out?

 

]]> <![CDATA[Of course there are smart dogs...this one could be the smartest!]]> 5811 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:37:30 -0700 You've heard of The Dog Whisperer or maybe you've heard me mention my trainer Casey Ray from Teamdog St. Louis...oh sure they're great but look what this dog lover taught his dog.

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[Marley and Me! Did I miss something?]]> 5807 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:09:34 -0700 MARLEY & ME NO. 1   Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson took another bite out of the box office with their film Marley & Me bringing in $24.1 million.

That is the headline story from the box office...but did anyone stay through the credits?  I couldn't wait...after drinking the 55 gallon drum of soda...cuz that was the best deal...I had to leave right after the movie was over...nuff said.  But was there anything funny in the credits or at the end of the credits? 

Both Daisy and I were shocked that the film ended like it did...movie theaters anymore have anything you need, comfy seats, still great popcorn that is popped right there, even self ticketing machines so you don't have to wait in line...According to my wife Daisy she thinks they could have had an attendent with tissue for those that needed it...in this case 99.9% needed a tissue.

]]> <![CDATA[ Taylor Swift Heads to Saturday Night Live!]]> 5797 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:24:28 -0700 Jan. 5, 2009 — It looks as if big things will continue to happen for Taylor Swift in 2009. She’s expected to begin her first headlining tour later in the year, and she’s already slated to be the musical guest on the first new episode of NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," airing this Saturday.

Taylor’s inaugural appearance on the venerable live show from New York has a poetic ring to it. She notched her first hit with the single "Tim McGraw." The song’s namesake made his own first appearance on "SNL" the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Taylor already had a huge 2008, ending it by performing in a sleeveless outfit in 18-degree weather at Times Square in New York during "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve." She also hosted GAC’s Top 50 Videos Of 2008. Nielsen SoundScan tabbed her as the best-selling artist in any genre for ‘08, as her albums Taylor Swift and Fearless totalled 4 million sales during the calendar year. She was the brightest spot in a market in which album sales overall dropped 14 percent, according to USA Today, and country sales sagged 24 percent, Billboard reported.

One other development on the horizon for Taylor in ’09: She plans to launch a line of sundresses at Wal-Mart this spring. She promises the clothing will be sensibly priced, even in a slumping economy.

"I was raised by a stockbroker," she told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "so I've always been conscious of what the market is doing and where the economy is. I never want to put my name on something that an 18-year-old girl struggling through her freshman year of college can't afford or a family of four who won't spend $150 for a dress."

~gactv.com

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