As of this morning, I have collected $120.00 in pledges for the Michigan Columbian Squires Annual Bowl-A-Thon for Special Days Cancer Camp. I would like to personally THANK the following people who pledged from this weblog:

• Bruce Elgort
• Robert McDonagh
• Rob Wunderlich

They have really gone above and beyond just being weblog readers and have earned the title, ‘Friend of the Pridelands’. If you would like to help, please click on the link below.

I will be bowling the Bowl-A-Thon this weekend. A donation in ANY AMOUNT would be appreciated, and thank you for your support.

Happy Paczki Day! What’s a paczki? It’s a Polish tradition. It’s a traditional deep fried pastry (like a jelly doughnut, but heavier) that’s filled with either a jelly or prune filling. It’s awesome, but it has me thinking about something. A report recently has Detroit listed as the fattest city in America. Now I know why…while other parts of the country have Mardi Gras, we here in Detroit celebrate ‘jelly doughnuts’! You can find out more about Paczki Day by clicking here, here, and here.

We have a sculpture of what is suppose to be Joe Lewis’ fist here in Downtown Detroit. Yesterday morning, a couple of idiots went out and painted it white. They were caught later that day. (Get the story here.) I think what makes me upset is not the fact that it was defaced (although I am bothered by it), but that the police were so quick to find who did it, and that the city went out later yesterday and washed it clean. I know…it had to be cleaned, but they were so fast to do that, yet to get them to do ANY sort of basic city service is like pulling teeth.

About 5 years ago, a huge part of a city tree came down and tore off a part of my roof. They said that they would reimburse me for repairing it. They never did. About 3 1/2 years ago, I gave up on that quest. About 2 years ago, they came by and cut down the tree, but left the stump in front of my house. They said that they would be back later that week. I’m still waiting.

Maybe if I poured white paint on it, they would come out and get rid of it…

This story is from ClickonDetroit.com–

There was a robbery at the local McDonald’s restaurant this morning. This is the second McDonald’s to be built on that property. (The first one was torn down because it was old and could not be remodeled any further.) I worked at that McDonald’s (the old one) for six years. During that time, I was robbed at gunpoint once, and the store was robbed more than a dozen times. The only reason that I’m even commenting on this is that is occurred in Southwest Detroit…in the same precinct that the two cops were killed a day ago, and that in the report, the manager (who obviously didn’t work there when I did) stated that it was the first time that the Vernor McDonald’s was ever robbed. Just another day in paradise…

According to MSNBC.COM, the board of directors at Disney have rejected the takeover bid from Comcast. They also said that the board “has confidence in the business, financial and creative direction of Disney under the leadership of Michael Eisner and his management team.” The board was also open to other offers or another one from Comcast if it would create “shareholder value” now and in the future.

This tells me two things: One, that they can be bought for the right price, and Two, that in order to calm rumors about Eisner, they will support him so that THEY don’t look like the bad guy and then someone else can fire him. All of this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I try not to think of Disney as a company but an ideal. The Mouse shouldn’t be in it for the money. I guess that I’m just living in a fantasy world there…. Am I wrong?

Today, two police officers in Detroit were killed in the line of duty. Normally, this would only bother me because cops shouldn’t be killed, period. It bothered me more than usual though. My wife’s cousin is a cop in the same precinct, the 4th (Southwest Detroit…where I live). I prayed that it wasn’t him. Whenever we are at family functions together, I get the vibe that he doesn’t like me. It bothers me a bit, but I deal with it. He’s never said negative to me in front of me or behind my back (to my knowledge). I’m impressed that he’s a Detroit cop. They’ve become somewhat of a joke to some people, and all because of a couple of ‘bad apples’. That’s got to be a tough gig, though. They deal with all kinds of problems, and whenever there is a problem, THEY are the first ones we call. Both police officers and firefighters are heroes that we should be making movies, tv shows and comic books about…not the crap that Hollywood puts out now! Whenever you read this, go find a cop or firefighter and THANK THEM for getting our back.

Thanks to Andrew Pollack, a volunteer firefighter and fellow blogger, for your commitment to your job.

And to PAUL ‘PAULO’ HERNANDEZ of the 4th Precinct here in the BIG D, THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO! I may not act like it, but I look up to you for what you do!

TUESDAY UPDATE:There is some information about this on our local NBC affiliate, WDIV.

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine’s Day. My pride just stayed at home most of the day and ‘hung out’ (which is unusual for us. Later on that evening, Jennifer and I had to bowl in our mixed league. We’re in third place right now, but we had bowled a team that was on fire! Oh well…we’ll get them next time…

There are comments out there about how Dr. Atkins, the creator of the Atkins Diet, was 258 pounds when he died. While that was true (according to his death certificate from The Smoking Gun, according to his medical records, he weighed only 195 pounds when he entered the hospital after his fall. Get more information about this at the Urban Legends Reference Pages

It seems now that Adware is being passed along by way of Instant Messaging. Be careful if a friend on IM (yes, one of your actual friends from your buddy list) sends you a message that reads “check this out” and includes a link that contains a reference to “osama capture.php.” Check out more info on this from Wired News. HEADS UP!

Disney worker killed by parade float

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) — A costumed Disney World employee was run over and killed by a float during a parade at the Magic Kingdom. The death occurred in a backstage area near the Splash Mountain ride Wednesday afternoon, said Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Disney spokeswoman Rena Langley said Javier Cruz, 38, of Orlando, was about to enter the park when he was hit, and she wasn’t sure if any visitors witnessed what happened. She said Cruz had worked at the park since 1995 and was the Pluto character in the parade.

Sheriff’s spokesman Carlos Torres said the investigation showed the death was accidental. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also was investigating.

In 1999, a worker in the loading area of the Skyway ride fell to his death, and OSHA fined the park $4,500 for what it called a serious safety violation. The ride was closed later that year.

Thankfully, no kids saw that…