Schrockstar § Galaxy of Stars

view photo albums here: Europe  #1 ,  #2 and Italy. London (Sept 29) I left Chicago Tuesday night not expecting any dinner on the flight but not only did I get fed dinner and breakfast, but there were TV monitors on each headrest complete with a library of new movie releases, syndicated reruns, music stations, web access (for a fee) and even a map that showed the plane's current location. The Virgin Air flight attendants were pretty hot as well. I kept trying to make conversation with one of them just to hear her British accent, but she was not havin it. The Northern Lights were AMAZING... Seeing beams of blue and white light rays dance around the sky was simply beautiful, like it was a choreographed show for the people of Nova Scotia. I'd never felt so far from Earth before. I arrived at 8am in London with no sleep and no plans. Border patrol grilled me for a while because I didn't have proof of a return flight home (at least a receipt) or hotel but I showed my Ra

What towns come to mind when you hear the term 'Kinky'? San Francisco? Las Vegas? Miami? Lonely Planet 's survey results found a small town in Indiana to be the raunchiest of them all... "Not only does Roselawn maintain a thriving (and family friendly!) nudist resort, the Ponderosa Sun Club also hosts a yearly pageant called “Nudes-A-Poppin,” MC’d by none other than famed porn star Ron Jeremy. It’s not just the strippers and porn stars shaking their money makers on stages and poles that draw thousands to this celebration every year; erotic dancing, public sex, and of course, exhibitionism abound. Located about 50 miles south of Chicago, on 88 acres of rural woodlands, Ponderosa also offers several G-rated recreational activities you never knew would be more awesome naked, like horseshoes, volleyball and chili cook-offs." You'll notice on the map below that Indianapolis received an extremely high score for kinky females... I can't say I'm surprised! 

Gunnier Kiel, the #1 HS QB in the country, has chosen to taken his talents to Bloomington. Outsiders may see this as somewhat shocking, given that IU has never landed anyone near as good as Gunner. But it shouldn't be all that surprising to those who've been monitoring the process since Day 1. After receiving scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC and other elite programs, the Columbus, IN native decided to stay close to home (and play alongside his brother Dusty). The whole scenario is eerily familiar to another commitment the Hoosiers received a year ago: Cody Zeller. Both athletes were highly-rated, both are from southern Indiana, and both are the youngest of 3 brothers that all garnered much hype. After Cody's verbal, a domino effect was created that saw Indiana land multiple blue-chip prospects in basketball. Lets hope for the same result in football.

Finding a city with affordable housing isn't too difficult, as long as you're willing to settle for low-income wages, high crime and high unemployment. Finding a booming city with a great job market is ideal, if you can afford to live there. Indianapolis combines both factors better than any other place in America . With an average cost of living well below the national average, you can find a large but affordable home in any of the surrounding suburbs: Greenwood, Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, etc - all just a short commute to downtown Indy. Or if you prefer to live in the city - ranked by Forbes as one of the safest in America - Indy boasts the nation's longest and busiest greenway (Monon Trail) stretching from downtown to Westfield. Indy is also home of the nationally renowned Children's Museum, the largest sporting event in the world (500), the 2012 Superbowl, NCAA headquarters, Mens & Womens Final Fours, BigTen Champi

President Obama   rejected the views of top lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American military participation in the air war in   Libya   without Congressional authorization.  Obama's view is that the Libya campaign is not covered by a provision of the War Powers Resolution that requires presidents to halt unauthorized hostilities after 60 days. With drone attacks and spending in excess of $10M per day, the   Office of Legal Counsel  disagrees. Only the President or Attorney General can override OLC decisions.  "From the outset of this operation, Members of the House have demonstrated respect for the authority granted to the Commander-in-Chief," John Boehner said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the President has not exhibited a similar appreciation for Congress' important job of providing oversight and accountability. Even worse, he has failed to communicate to the American people wh

Official Statement: "Over the last year and a half, a large and diverse group of people have suggested to me an idea that I never otherwise would have considered, that I run for President. I’ve asked for time to think it over carefully, but these good people have been very patient and I owe them an answer. The answer is that I will not be a candidate. What could have been a complicated decision was in the end very simple: on matters affecting us all, our family Constitution gives a veto to the women’s caucus, and there is no override provision. Simply put, I find myself caught between two duties. I love my country; I love my family more. I am deeply concerned, for the first time in my life, about the future of our Republic. In the next few years Americans will decide two basic sets of questions: Who’s in charge here? Should the public sector protect and promote the private sector or dominate and direct it? Does the government work for the people or vice versa? And, are we Am

Traffic gurus from around the world are gathering in Carmel, Indiana this week in the 7th annual International Conference on Roundabouts. Both New York and Japan (pop. 19M and 125M) have fewer roundabouts than Carmel (pop. 79,000) - sent their best transportation engineers here this week to study the awesome effects it has on a community. For example , the Australian state of Victoria began building roundabouts in 1970 when traffic fatalities peaked at more than 1,000 per year. Two years ago, that number had been reduced to 300 while the population more than doubled. Melbourne now has over 5,000 roundabouts. Not only do they save lives, but with less congestion and rarely stopping, travel time is also cut down - especially during the winter with icy roads.  Carmel is currently building its 69 th since 1999 (131st & River Road) - this one located at 96th & Commerce Drive.

The nation's best governor spoke briefly last night (before heading over to Kilroys ) then passed the mic to Indiana's First Lady in a Keynote Address at a GOP-sponsored event. Many speculate that the purpose of the event was to build Cheri Daniels' public speaking repertoire. Mitch's outstanding record on fiscal matters and his recent education reform has earned a large following of supporters urging him to enter the Republican primary including Scott Walker, Chris Cristie, Jeb Bush, Haley Barbour ,  John Boehner , and Paul Ryan . When questioned earlier in the week, Governor Daniels stated that he thinks he could beat President Obama should he be elected to represent America's conservative party. His CPAC speech  gives us some insight on those virtues.

The Lawrence Central Boys Track & Field team won the Marion County meet again last night - defeating Ben Davis, Warren Central, Lawrence North, Pike and North Central. In addition to winning the 100, 200 and 800 the Bears also won all 3 relays. Matt Dorsey, Michael Steele, Adam Turner and Connor Claflin opened with a meet-record 7:50 in the 3,200M relay. Anthony Shelman, Tyrennzie Burgess, Marcellian Gardner and Deontre Gray ran a dizzying 41.3 seconds in the 400 relay (also a meet record), and Steele, Burgess, Jeron Brown and Claflin took the 1,600 relay in 3:17.55. The Bears hope to overcome last year's Runner-up finish at the State meet in June. The LC Girls also won the Marion County meet this week and look to defend their State Championship even though they lost their top 4 runners to D-I programs last year.

Do NCAA coaches win games [and Coach of the Year awards] because they're that good or because they recruit Indiana's amateur talent? Is there any doubt that this is still the mecca of hoops? Indianapolis is tied with L.A. for most consecutive drafts represented (5) and they are still killin it in the pros: EJ, Jeff Teague, George Hill, Mike Conley Jr, Josh McRoberts, Gordon Hayward, Courtney Lee, Rodney Carney and former #1 pick Greg Oden. It can't be understated how significant a feat it is for Tom Crean to lock up all the Elite talent for the next 4 years; hopefully that translates to the same postseason success as the coaches above.

Who to keep on eye on for the 2011 MLB season: NL MVP candidates : Matt Kemp, Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun AL MVP candidate s: Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Jose Bautista AL Cy Youngs : Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander NL Cy Youngs : Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee Closers : Salas, Hanrahan, Cordero, Putz, Farnsworth, Storen Still got it: Lance Berkman, Paul Konerko, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon Aint got it: Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Derek Jeter, Adam Dunn

Jacob Barnett is 12 years old and has Aspergers, a mild form of autism that allows brain development to expand at a rapid rate, but also causes him to be socially reserved.  His PhD-level understanding of math and science has garnered him a 'genius' label. His passion in the field of Astrophysics will soon turn into paid research, a possible Nobel prize, and maybe even solving the Big Bang Theory. Other than that, Jake is just another healthy kid growing up in Hamilton County .

The High-jump champ was awarded this honor - the 1st in BigTen history - by the U.S. Track & Field and XC Coaches Association. The junior from Corunna, Ontario won his 3rd NCAA title in the high jump (2nd-straight indoor title) by clearing 7'-7.75", which broke the all-time BigTen record and tied the Canadian record. Drouin won his 4th BigTen high jump crown en route to BigTen Field Athlete of the Year and Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year honors as well.

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This past month has seen a flurry of articles from  political insiders and national pundits boasting Mitch Daniels at " the It  boy " likely to receive the 2012 GOP bid. As noted in my previous post, it picked up steam right after  CPAC  - which Ron Paul actually won , but that sparked a mention of Mitch on the cover of TIME magazine ,  Jon Stewart commenting on Mitch's chances based on his "height and hair", ABC News says he's a "nerdy chic" choice, and now  George Will  says Daniels has "the low-key charisma of competence." Will he enter the race or let the deadline pass without blinking?

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels addressed the CPAC crowd tonight in Washington DC, noting the growing federal debt is threatening the survival of the nation, and conservatives must unite themselves and the country behind defeating the 'new Red Menace' of red ink. Daniels, who served as  political director under former  President Ronald Reagan and  budget director under former President George W. Bush, said the necessary changes include restructuring Social Security and Medicare for later retirees, putting at least a moratorium on new regulations, if not adopting a "self-certification regime," making the tax code "lower and flatter," ramping up domestic energy production and not exempting defense spending from budget scrutiny.  Daniels said it's up to conservatives to be specific on "the best way back to greatness." But that doesn't mean they should hold out for an ideal solution. "Should the best way be blocked, while the enemy draws

When you think of the biggest name in sports, who comes to mind? Tiger? LeBron James? Both athletes took a major publicity hit this past year, which anointed a new  King of the Jungle: Peyton Manning .  The NFL's top player distanced himself from all others last year when he won his record-setting 4th NFL MVP and led his team to another Superbowl. He's also about to receive the league's highest paid contract - for the 2nd time. Aside from his amazing on-the-field prowess, Manning also sets himself apart because he's marketable ($15M in endorsements in 2010) and universally well-liked.  He currently ranks 3rd or 4th on all major career passing records.

Purdue's Matt Painter was selected as head coach and Butler's Brad Stevens as an assistant for the U.S. men's basketball team that will play in August's World University Games in Shenzhen, China. USA Basketball also selected Missouri State coach Cuonzo Martin, a former Purdue player and assistant coach, as an assistant. Selections were made by the USA Basketball junior national team committee, chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. The US has claimed a medal in every World University Games since beginning play in 1965, and captured a record 13 golds, three silvers and three bronze medals in the 19 WUGs in which a USA Basketball squad has competed. Overall, the USA owns a 131-8 record. The United States captured six of the first seven gold medals awarded in World University Games competition and strung together six consecutive gold medals from 1989 through 1999. Most recently, the 2009 team earned the bronze medal after finishing 6-1 and losing by one point to Russia in