Friday!!!

and as usual, we had a little guest in the studio from the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley.  Meet “Matteo” who is looking for a new home.

He, and other wonderful animals, are available for adoption.  The Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley is open each day at Noon.

Here’s another picture of KC.   This time she’s showing off the first beefsteak tomato from her garden.  KC is very proud of it even though it’s not quite as large as other beefsteaks normally grow.

The 101 number one song of the Day was recorded by a group whose lead singer was unhappy with the results but a little white lie helped to get the record to the top of the charts.  The four members were friends growing up in Detroit. They played ball together but didn’t sing together. In fact, they each sang with different groups until one night at a party they started jamming and realized they made a great time. They called themselves the Four Aims but at the time, the Ames Brothers were popular and it was suggested that they come up with a different name and I’ll get back to that in a moment but first that white lie – after a couple of takes of the song you’re about to hear, the producer Brian Holland thought they had it perfect but the lead singer, Levi Stubbs, didn’t like what he heard and insisted on doing more takes. Their session time was up and Holland told Stubbs he could try again the next day. What he didn’t tell him was there were not sessions scheduled for the following day so the record was released as is for the group formerly known as the Four Aims who took their initial name because they were aiming for the top – as a result – they took the name the Four Tops – this song was number one this week of June, 1965 - (I can’t help myself)

Other stuff…

I know a lot of people are following the World Cup Soccer Tournament. But for those of you that aren’t – the World Beer Pong Tournament is in Atlantic City this week. The championship team will walk away with $25,000.  -And unlike soccer…in a sport that’s about 22-year old guys drinking beer…you got to like the American team’s chances.

Good news – a recent survey shows more of us are exercising. The bad news, the same survey found we’re still as fat as ever. About 35% of us say we now exercise regularly – up from 32% two years ago. But the obesity rate in the country is frozen at 28%.  The thing we’ve noticed…the fatter you get…the more you think you’re exercising. You defend yourself…’Hey, I walked today!’ Yeah -to the Dunkin’ Donuts and back.

But something’s working for John Goodman.  The onetime  “Roseanne” star was up to 400 pounds but now – through exercise – is down to a svelte 300.

Las Cruces is among the increasing number of cities to ban holding and talking on a cell phone while driving because of the dangers. But did you know that talking on a cell phone while driving can be dangerous to your relationships?  Paul Rosenblatt, a professor at the University of Minnesota, says cell phone use while driving leads to slower reaction times – and the same delay while talking can hurt personal relationships. “A delay in the conversation could be a problem if the person – spouse or partner – on the other end of the conversation interprets the delayed reaction as an indicator of ambivalence, of not having a ready answer or of hiding something. This all leads to upsetting the partner,” Rosenblatt said. According to Rosenblatt, delivering good news, delivering bad news, arguing and apologizing can all carry greater risk if conducted on the phone while driving. While most relationships can handle the extra stress, more fragile relationships may crash and burn, even if the vehicle stays out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, a significant other who is not driving might be worried about the driver’s safety and cut a conversation short, but the driver might interpret that in a negative way, Rosenblatt says.

New York City is placing pianos in 60 parks and other public spaces throughout the city and inviting anyone to decorate and play them. The two-week project, dubbed “Play Me, I’m Yours,” kicks off Monday with a one-day music festival to feature 1,000 free performances citywide. Any member of the public may decorate the street pianos and will be encouraged to play them. The pianos will be cared for by “piano buddies,” volunteers from community organizations, while they are installed in public plazas and parks. At the end of the project, the pianos will be donated to local schools and hospitals selected by Sing for Hope, a group of 600 classical musicians, photographers, Broadway performers and other artists who donate time to benefit schools, hospitals and communities.

A Minnesota woman is accusing her son’s school of hypocrisy for suspending him for a streaking incident then including a picture of the event in the yearbook. Jennifer Rolf said she thought the two-week suspension her son, senior Brian Brochman, received last fall for running through Stillwater Area High School’s homecoming pep rally wearing nothing but a Bill Clinton mask, a thong and running shoes was severe, but she withheld her complaints. However, Rolf said she could no longer be silent when her son brought home his yearbook, which prominently displayed a photo of the event in its homecoming spread. The principal said the yearbook is a student publication and not subject to staff review.

And finally -