Barry Bonds - Hero to Convicted Criminal

Barry Lamar Bonds in Courtroom

Barry Bonds is NOW a convicted Criminal - Guilty of Obstruction of Justice. Bonds sat stone face through the reading of the verdict in the courtroom, showing NO emotion! Bonds' always claims that he didn't knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

The jury of eight women and four men began their deliberations at 8:30 a.m. PT  Friday April 8, 2011 after a 12 day trail in San Francisco. The jury took the weekend off and resumed deliberations Monday morning, including asking for the testimony of Bonds’ personal shopper to be read back to them.

Barry Bonds '86

Bonds was originally indicted in November 2007. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of lying to a grand jury when he said he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds also pleaded not guilty to one count of obstruction.

Bonds in '01 after hitting #73

After a government prosecution that lasted nearly seven years, Federal guidelines recommend a prison sentence of between 15 and 21 months, though Bonds' punishment could be far less severe.

So the seven-time MVP, all-time home run king, son of the late great Bobby Bonds, Godson to the legend ball player Willie Mays, 46-year-old former outfielder for the San Fransisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates is now a convicted criminal for taken steroids and trying to tell the world he never did.

Bonds Aug. 7, '07 #756

He began his career in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates  making his major league debut on May 30, 1986. Bonds wins his first of seven MVP awards in 1990. He will also win in 1992, '93, 2001-04. The seven MVP's is the most by any player.
With the San Francisco Giants, he breaks Mark McGwire's 1998 single-season home run record of 70 in 2001 with 73 home runs. Bonds hits career home run No. 756 off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik, breaking Hank Aaron's all-time home run record of 755, on Aug. 7, 2007.He would finish with 762 home runs - seven more than Aaron

Bonds & Mays '08

Bonds, who testified Dec. 3, 2003, before a federal grand jury in San Francisco investigating the Bay Area Labratory Co-Operative (BALCO) 
Faced with the question of whether Bonds lied before the BALCO grand jury in 2003 when he said he didn't knowingly take anabolic steroids or human growth hormone, the jurors couldn't decide. To the charge that Bonds provided false testimony when he stated that no one other than a doctor had ever injected him, they offered no answer.

Sosa / McGwire '98

The only verdict jurors rendered was to find that Bonds obstructed justice by providing an evasive answer to one question. In short, they found Bonds guilty of rambling, of dancing around a question, of being (for anyone who has ever interviewed him can attest) Barry Lamar Bonds.Bonds was more close than he realized on Count Two, the charge that he lied when he said no one other than a doctor had injected him. The jurors were unanimously in favor of a conviction on that count Monday but then decided to go home and sleep on it. The next day, a lone holdout emerged, and she remained against a conviction to the end.

I must admit, I was into the whole home run chase. From Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, too Barry chasing the Babe and Hank Aaron. It was what baseball needed at the time. The 1998 battle between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire was exhilarating and incredible drama as it unfolded each night. We all got caught up in the moment of two worriers battling  with the sabots each night. Major League Baseball wont admit it but the home run chase with Sosa, McGwire and Bonds, who was still trying to win back fans from the strike-shortened 1994 season, was just what they needed. When the strike ended in 1995, fans were upset and attendance at stadiums plunged. Major League Baseball needed something to win fans back, and it came in the form of a home run.
In 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees. For the next 36 years, only 6 players (Willie Mays, George Foster, Cecil Fielder, Albert Belle, Brady Anderson, Mark McGwire) hit 50+ home runs.
Then came the year of the home run, and YES The YEARS of the STEROIDS!  In my opinion baseball looked the other way, as we all looked at drug induced ball players showing us how NOT to play the game!

 

Bald Eagle Family in Iowa - LIVE Video & Story

  Who cares about a government shutdown when one can do a bit of bird watching?
 

A Mom & Her Babies

UPDATE:9/30/11  I wrote that in April 2010...The birds are STILL there and we are still facing ANOTHER government shut down. WOW!
A bald eagle flying across the sky can grab the attention of some, but a bald eagle perched on a nest in northern Iowa can draw the attention of MILLIONS!
So far, more than 25 million pairs of eyes from Iowa and across the nation have eagerly honed in on a live video stream of a mother eagle,and her three hatched babies.

The Proud Parents

The first eaglet hatched on Saturday April 2 and the second hatched the next day. The third and final egg hatched on April 6. The Happy family seem to be thieving and adapting to there surroundings and all the attention. Rumors, though, that the family has hired an agent can NOT be confirmed!
This past week, the beauty of the American icon is the main attraction on TV screens and computer backgrounds at the office and at home.
The bald eagle's nest is 80 feet high in a cottonwood tree in northeast Iowa near Decorah on a private property. 
Online viewers continue to flock to the wildly popular Duke Farms Eagle Cam after the hatching of the first of three baby bald eagles was reported Thursday morning.

Here's a close-up LIVE U-Stream Video of the pair of bald eagles and their babies that has gone VIRAL over the Internet! 

The Raptor Resource Project brings you the Decorah Eagles from atop their tree at the fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa.
The live video feed is streamed online 24/7. At night an infrared light provides night vision to viewers through the cam. Infrared light is not visible to eagles, they do not see it or know it is there.
2011 Timeline
January:  Eagle activity at the nest is intermittent. The eagles began visiting the nest in December and have been making some repairs to the nest to prepare it for another nesting season.
February 28: First egg is laid (estimated hatching date: April 4).
March 4: Second egg is laid (estimated hatching date: April 7).
March 6: Third egg is laid (estimated hatching date: April 10).
First hatch 4/2/11.
Second hatch 4/3/11.
Third hatch 4/6/11.

The bald eagle live cam via Ustream is very busy since the Decorah Eagles hatched their last egg above the Iowa fishery.

Some Quick facts:

How high is the nest?
About 80 feet.
How big is the nest?
5-6 feet across, about the same deep; it weighs about 1½ tons.
How old is the nest?
The eagles built it in 2007. A previous nest close by fell when a windstorm broke one of the branches.
Are these eagles banded?
No.
Which is the male and which is the female?
It is hard to tell the difference unless they are both on the nest. The female is larger than the male. This female has a ridge above her eyes that goes further back than on the male, and her eyes are surrounded by a greyish shadow; the male has a line around his eyes that makes them look “beadier.” Some think that the male’s head is “sleeker” than the female’s.
What is the history of this pair?
They have been together since the winter of 2007-2008. Her markings at that time indicated that she was about 4 years old. They successfully hatched and fledged 2 eaglets in 2008, then 3 in 2009, and 3 more in 2010.
When were the eggs laid in 2010, and when did they hatch?
First egg was February 25, second on February 28, third on March 5. First hatch was April 3, second on April 6, third on April 9. All three eaglets fledged and are now on the wing but are not being tracked.
What is the area around the nest like?
The nest is in a cottonwood tree on private property near the Decorah Fish Hatchery (operated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources), on the banks of the babbling waters of Trout Run in extreme northeast Iowa. The nest can be seen from the hatchery, but visitors to the hatchery should keep their distance from the nest tree, both to respect the private property where the tree is located and to avoid disturbing the eagles.
Where can I see pictures and videos of these eagles?
RRP provides an archive of daily views of the nest over the immediate 24-hour period, taken every 2 minutes. Click on Eagle Dailies.
RRP’s Youtube site has many videos.
Who operates and maintains this cam?
The Raptor Resource Project (RRP) maintains the cams, of which there are two, and the feed is streamed online 24/7. Both are positioned on one of the nest’s supporting limbs about 4-5 feet above the nest. The main cam is automated and is trained on the nest. The other cam has pan-tilt-zoom capabilities (PTZ). At dark the main cam switches to infrared (invisible to the eagles) night-time view.
Who does the panning, tilting, and zooming, and when does that happen?
Bob Anderson, Executive Director of RRP, switches to the PTZ cam when time and weather permit, and especially when there appears to be interesting activity in the nest. He will be especially attentive when hatching begins.
What is the Raptor Resource Project?
Established in 1988, the non-profit Raptor Resource Project specializes in the preservation of falcons, eagles, ospreys, hawks, and owls. We establish and strengthen breeding populations of these raptors by creating, improving, and maintaining nests and nest sites. In addition to directly managing over twenty-three falcon, eagle, and owl nest sites, we provide training in nest site creation and management across the United States, reach more than 85,000 people each year through lectures, education programs, and our website, and develop innovations in nest site management and viewing that bring people closer to the world around them.
Our mission is to preserve and strengthen raptor populations, to expand participation in raptor preservation, and to help foster the next generation of preservationists. Our work deepens the connection between people and the natural world, bringing benefits to both.
Does the Raptor Resource Project accept donations?
Yes! RRP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and relies on the donations of friends. There is a donation button on the RRP home page.
What’s this about a PBS documentary on this nest?
The Decorah eagle nest was featured in a PBS Nature series program, “American Eagle,” that premiered in November 2008. Filmed by cinematographers Robert Anderson and Neil Rettig in high-definition, the video is available on DVD and online.
How can I read or participate in a forum about this and other RRP cams?
Go to the RRP Forum.

Tiger Woods - Scandal is his biggest competitor

UPDATE:August 4, 2011= Akron, Ohio—Tiger Woods returned to his first tournament after nursing an injury for three months. Woods shot 2-under 68 in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational this after also firing his longtime Caddie, Steve Williams. Will he EVER regain his once masterful, dominance self?

The 2011 Master tournament is getting underway again in Augusta, Ga. The annual right of spring marks the first golfing major of the season. All the prominent players will be there; Three time champion Phil Milkerson,  former champs, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Mike Weir amongst others. But once again it's the four time champion Tiger Woods who once again will garners ALL the attention. He hasn't won the Masters since 2005 and hasn't won a golf tournament since August 2009 at WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

On November 27, 2009 his life changed forever, on and off the golf course.

Jack Nicklaus

Before that day all the talk was about WHEN Tiger would break the Golden Bears, Jack Nicklaus, record of most wins at a major of  18. Tiger reached 14 at On June 16, 2008  winning U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf course in San Diego, California. Parring the 91st hole in a sudden death match against Roco Mediate. But days after that event Woods announces that he needs to have reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee. He takes the remainder of the season off after the procedure.

Tigers Damaged SUV

Eight months after undergoing knee surgery, Tiger returns to the tour in February, playing in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
In August, Tiger wins his last PGA Tour win, prevailing by four strokes over Padraig Harrington and Robert Allenby at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Elin Nordegren

What seemed an unstoppable force of golfs greatest player, all of a sudden turned into a secret life. As he left his Orlando-area home around 2:30 am on November 27, 2009 in his SUV, Cadillac Escalade, Woods hit a hedge, a fire hydrant, and, finally, a tree, just down the street from his house.Woods was treated for minor facial lacerations, and cited for careless driving. He paid a $164 traffic ticket. End of story, HARDLY. As time goes by stories of infidelity begin to surface as over a dozen women claimed in various media outlets that they had affairs with Woods. It now seams Tiger was living a secret life unbeknownst to his wife, Elin Nordegren, and to us, the general public. The image he so greatly crafted on the golf course, this fierce, focused solid professional man was all just an elision for a deeply disturbed individual truly in need of help.

Tigers home where accident happened

On December 11, 2009, Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he finally admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by over a dozen women, through many worldwide media sources. Numerous reports had Tiger checking into sexual addition clinics as he tried to rebuild his life and rehabilitate his marriage.On April 29, 2010, the National Enquirer reported that Woods had confessed to his wife that he has had 120 affairs. He also admitted having a one-night-stand with his neighborhoods' 21-year-old daughter. This was too much for Tiger's marrage to survive, as they finally sign divorce papers in August 2010 with Elin set to receive $100 million from Tiger.
Woods returned to competition for the 2010 Masters on April 8, 2010, after a break lasting 20 weeks, he finished fourth. But the damage was done to him, both professionally and personally. AT&T, General Motors,  Tag Hauer, Gillette, Accenture, Gatorade all ran away from him cancelling or not renewing sponsorship deals with Tiger. His actions on the course, now more scrutinized, drew the scolding of Golf great Tom Watson who ordered Tiger Woods to ‘clean up his act’ and show more respect for the sport.
Watson was equally forthright on the subject of Woods’ on-course behavior in the months leading up to his self-imposed exile from the game.‘There was language and club throwing on the golf course,’ said Watson. ‘I feel that he has not carried the same stature in the game as other great players that have come along like Jack (Nicklaus), Arnold (Palmer), Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.
Yet still he has NO respect for the game as is evident in the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday Feb. 13, 2011 as Tiger spits on the 12th green and was later fined. He continually throws his clubs, uses foul language and acts like a spoiled brat.  

Now, as once again he tries to regain his "Game", we again focus on him but the story repeats itself. It's not about Tiger the golf player. It's about Tiger the MAN. Tiger who has changed coaches, trying new swings to bring him back to his once unbeatable prominence. His fall from grace is a story we've seen many times amongst the rich and famous. Why do we care? Will Tiger ever be the dominant golfer he once was? No question he has, or HAD, the talent. But does he have the HEART anymore?
I for one believe the "Year of the Tiger" is over".

Elizabeth Taylor - Is NUDE portrait Really a FAKE!

UPDATE: A great American Hoax!
With the death of Elizabeth Taylor many stories, photo's and information has flooded the media world. Some true and some a made up fabrication.
Last week a so called "Intimate Portrait" of Liz at the age of 24 surfaced in the internet world showing her nude. It was picked up by numerous media outlets and posted all over for everyone to see. According to the Daily Mail, the picture was taken by actor and photographer Roddy McDowall, a friend of Taylor who promised her that the shot would be tasteful. Taylor was said to have given the photograph to her third husband Michael Todd soon after he proposed in 1956. The photo was supposedly in a private collectors possession, being released only to share with her adoring public.
But is it a FAKE! Reports now say the image is a doctored version of a photograph by Peter Gowland of dancer Lee Evans, which was featured in the 1940 book "Classic Nude Photography:Techniques and Images." The original photograph - without Taylor's face overlaid - appears on Gowland's website with the description "3/4 key-light on Lee Evans, known as Rembrandt lighting, with no hair light".
So 
Click below to see the original photo of Lee Evans, Then click on Liz to see the so called doctored photo.

YOU DECIDE!

Click image to see Photo of Lee Evans
(scroll page half way down)

Click on Image to See the Photo With Liz's Face

UPDATED: ELIZABETH TAYLOR -
A REAL MOVIE SEX SYMBOL

 

 

As I looked back on 

Ms. Taylor's  career, and watching Cleopatra the other night, I realized that she was truly not only a great actress but a REAL Hollywood SEX symbol. She transformed herself  in 1958 as Maggie the Cat -- sultry in a clingy slip, trying to bed Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof -- become a sex symbol in the American consciousness. Then in 1960, Taylor made it official, playing a call girl in BUtterfield 8, a role that won her  first Oscar. She pushed the envelope, especially for back in those days, of Titilizing and seducing her audience in the roles she played. 

Elizabeth Taylor - (1932–2011)

Elizabeth in 1959

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in Hampstead, London, England, on February 27, 1932. Although she was born an English subject, her parents were Americans from St.Louis, Missouri. Elizabeth lived in London until the age of seven, when they moved back to the US in 1939 to Los Angeles. She literally grew up in the public eye
Her test for executives at Universal Pictures impressed them enough to sign her to a contract at the age of only nine. Her first foray onto the screen was in "There's One Born Every Minute" (1942), as Gloria Twin.

Mickey & Liz - 1944 - National Velvet

Universal dropped her contract after that one film, but Elizabeth was soon picked up by MGM a year later to star in a prominent role in "Lassie Come Home"(1943) as Priscilla co-starring with Roddy McDowall, who would become a lifelong friend.

Liz and Spencer - 1950 - Father of the Bride

She continued her movie career for the studio with a loan-out to 20th Century Fox for the character of Helen Burns in a film version of the Charlotte Bronte novel staring in  "Jane Eyre" (1944) (uncredited) with Orson Welles.
Returning to England to film "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1944) as Betsy Kenney,(uncredited) staring with screen legend Irene Dunn and friend Roddy McDowall.

Liz, Rock and James - 1956 - Giant

But it was Taylor's persistence in campaigning for the role of Velvet Brown in MGM's "National Velvet" (1944) that skyrocketed Taylor to stardom at the tender age of 12 co-starring with Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury. She said "it was the most exciting film I every made". The film would change her life forever.
Taylor was shoved into another animal opus,"Courage of Lassie" (1946) the third of seven MGM films featuring a canine star called Lassie.

Newman and Taylor - 1958 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Her next roles as Mary Skinner in a loan-out to Warner Brothers' "Life With Father" (1947), again with Irene Dunn  and as Cynthia Bishop in "Cynthia" (1947).

As Cleopatra - 1963

Next Elizabeth starred in "A Date With Judy"(1948) playing Carol Pringle with Jane Powell, Carmen Miranda and Xavier Cugat. "Julia Misbehaves" (1948) Susan Packett with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Her portrayal as Amy, in the American classic "Little Women"(1949) with June Allyson and Peter Lawford. In October 1948, she sailed aboard the RMS Queen Mary traveling to England where she would begin filming on "Conspirator"(1949), in which she would play Melinda Greyton.

Richard & Liz - 1967 - The Taming of the Shrew

"The Big Hangover" (1950), as Mary Belney, that paired her with screen idol Van Johnson. And Kay Banks in the romantic comedy "Father of the Bride" (1950) alongside Spencer Tracy and the sequel "Father's Little Dividend" (1951).

Brando and Liz - 1967 - Reflections in a Golden Eye

But her career officially entered adulthood with George Stevens' "A Place in the Sun" (1951), with Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters. An instant classic, Taylor's performance, still considered one of her best, launched the next part of her career. She had an (uncredited) role in "Quo Vadis" (1951).

Warren and Liz - 1970 - The Only Game in Town

She had a cameo as herself in "Callaway Went Thataway" (1951). She played Anastacia (Stacie) Macaboy in "Love Is Better Than Ever" (1952), and Rebecca in "Ivanhoe"(1952). She played Jean Latimer as "The Girl Who Had Everything" (1953) with Fernando Lamas. She played Louise Durant in "Rhapsody" (1954) and Ruth Wiley in "Elephant Walk"(1954) a role Taylor had been forced by her pregnancy to turn down though the role was written for her. But she replaced Vivien Leigh who had a nervous breakdown during filming. Her next film was as Lady Patricia Belham in "Beau Brummel" (1954) with Stewart Granger and Peter Ustinov. Then as Helen Ellswirth in  "Last Time I Saw Paris" (1954) with Van Johnson and Walter Pidgeon. "Giant" (1956) along side Holloywood legends Rock Hudson and James Dean.

Henry and Liz - Ash Wednesday - 1973

Her first of Four in a row Academy Award nomination for "Raintree County" in 1957. Also Roles in two Tennessee Williams adaptations followed -- "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958) with Paul Newman and "Suddenly Last Summer" (1959), and finally winning for "BUtterfield 8" (1960), which co-starred then husband Eddie Fisher. She also had an (uncredited) role in "Scent of Mystery"(1960) The Real Sally Kennedy.

A Little Night Music - 1977

She would play the title role in 20th Century Fox's lavish production of "Cleopatra"(1963) with soon to be husband Richard Burton. They would appear together in seven more films "The V.I.P.s" (1963), "The Sandpiper"(1965),  Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966),her second Academy Award, "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967), "Doctor Faustus" (1967), "The Comedians" {1967} and "Boom!" (1968). Taylor also starred in "Reflections in a Golden Eye"(1967) with Marlon Brando and "The Comedians in Africa"(1967) playing Herself. Lenora in "Secret Ceremony" (1968) opposite Robert Mitchum and Mia Farrow.As Courtesan in "Anne of the Thousand Days"(1969)(uncredited). "The Only Game in Town"(1970) with Warren Beatty. In the TV Show "Here's Lucy"(1970) playing Herself. "X,Y, and Zee"(1972) as Zee Blakely with Michael Caine. "Under Milk Wood" as Rosie Probert and as Jimmie Jean Jachson in "Hammersmith is Out"(1972) a made for TV Movie "Divorce His, Divorce Hers" (1973)

On General Hospital - 1981

all again with Richard Burton. In "Night Watch"(1973) and "Ash Wednesday" (1973) with Henry Fonda. Playing Lise in "Identikit"(1974) and "That's Entertainment!"(1974)as herself. "The Blue Bird" (1976) with Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner and Cicely Tyson and the TV movie "Victory at Entebbe"(1976) with Kirk Douglas and Richard Dreyfuss. "A Little Night Music" (1977), "Return Engagement" (1978), "Winter Kills"(1979) as Lola Comante (uncredited), and The Agathe Christie "The Mirror Crack'd"(1980) with Kim Novak and Tony Curtis.

Taylor, Maclaine, Collins and Reynolds - 2001

She appeared on the TV soap opera's "General Hospital"(1981) and "All My Children"(1984) and TV show "Hotel"(1984) and the TV movie "Between Friends"(1983).
The TV movie "Malice in Wonderland" (1985) "There Must Be a Pony" (1986), "Poke Alice" (1987), "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1989) and the TV Mini-Series "North and South" (1985) and "Young Toscanini"(1988). She lent her voice to the animated TV series "The Simpsons"(1992,93), "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" and "God, the Devil and Bob" (2000). Appeared in the move "The Flintstones"(1994) She appeared on the TV show "The Nanny"(1996). Also was in the movie "These Old Broads" (2001).

WOW! A TRUE LEGEND.

As I said, She is THE LAST GREAT ACTRESS! She taught ALL on how to be a Movie Star. Rest in Peace Ms. Taylor, and Thanks for ALL the Memories that will live on forever!