Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Facing huge budget shortfalls, the United States Postal Service has proposed solutions including closing hundreds of post offices and eliminating Saturday deliveries. Now it may be considering jacking up the price of stamps, too.

The popularity of internet services like online bill pay have led in part to a 1.7 percent decline in mail volume, causing the USPS to anticipate losing $14.1 billion in 2012 — with bigger losses expected in the years to come.

In response, postal officials sent a letter to Congress last Thursday in which they recommended several changes, including the possibility of increasing the price of a stamp from its current 45 cents up to 50 cents. While stamp prices have gone up four times since 2006, chief financial officer Joe Corbett said, “Clearly, we’re [still] underpriced [and] would like the ability to move that price up.”

The USPS says the extra nickel, which would likely be added in one or two-cent increments until 2015, would raise revenues by $1 billion annually. Although taxpayers don’t foot the bill to keep the postal service running, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe told Congress that failing to help the organization limit its losses would result in a “long-term burden to the American taxpayer.”

[Time]

kams_world, Flickr

Theft charges serious enough to warrant a jury trial typically involve stolen goods that are pretty expensive (just ask Lindsay Lohan about that).

But you don’t have to steal high-dollar stuff to get in that kind of trouble — in fact, a New Mexico college student is about to go on trial for allegedly forgetting to pay for a $2 pumpkin.

Lauren Medina, 23, will have her day in court on Tuesday. She’s accused of stealing the small gourd from a local pumpkin patch in October.

But her sister, Annette Atencio, says the whole thing was a big misunderstanding that’s been completely overblown. On that fateful day last year, the two siblings had enjoyed a day at the pumpkin patch, spending $75 on funnel cakes and other food. When they left, Medina simply forgot to pay for the pumpkin, Atencio says.

When police approached them, Atencio maintains her sister apologized and immediately offered to pony up the cash, but the cops refused and “she was handcuffed immediately — end of story, no ifs or buts.”

After Medina was given an order to appear in court, she thought the charges would be dropped. Instead, prosecutors gave her the option of pleading guilty and doing probation — and when she refused, the case was remanded to trial.

Atencio is infuriated by the debacle, especially because her sister has never been in trouble with the law before. “I’m in disbelief,” she said. “The more I talk about it, the angrier I get.”

[via KOAT]

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

The world is filled with terrible news, so it’s nice for us to find a story with a happy ending once in awhile.  Not that type of happy ending. Pervert. Here is an amazing story about a Swedish man who was stranded in a snow drift for 61 days.

Snowmobilers came across the car thinking it was wreckage. They peeked inside to find someone wrapped in a sleeping bag in the back seat.  Rescuers dug the 45-year-old man out of the car, and he was so weak he could hardly speak–yet alone explain what happened.  He said he’s been in the car since December 19th. Probably hiding out so he didn’t have to buy his family Christmas gifts. The man survived by eating snow and icicles.

Humans can last up to four weeks without food, so its plausible that the man was stranded for as long as he said he was.  His body temperature was around 31 degrees Celsius when he was brought into the hospital.  With his body temperature so low, he wasn’t using much energy.  This also helped him to survive. Like bears, humans can also go into a dormant-like state (especially during football season).

[Via Yahoo]

Source: 1

If you’ve ever tried to wake up early in the morning, but ended up just hitting the snooze button till it was too late, Ramos is for you.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2074185253/ramos-alarm-clock?ref=live

Congratulations Thomas Kendrick and Tiffany St. James!

Tiffany St. James of Haughton Middle School

Thomas Kendrick, who is home schooled

This was the first set of winners in Caddo and Bossier parishes. Chesapeake donated $1,000 to Haughton Middle School and to the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission in the winning students’ names. The winners will each be eligible for the grand prize drawing of four brand new laptop computers at a special awards banquet in April.

Tiffany St. John, a 13-year-old student at Haughton Middle School, and Thomas Kendrick, a 16-year-old home schooled student, were recognized for their service and leadership qualities within their schools and communities.

Both Tiffany and Thomas were recognized at presentations at their school and the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission. Katie McCullin, Chesapeake Energy’s Manager – Media Relations and Corporate Development, spotlighted Tiffany’s accomplishments and announced Haughton Middle school would receive an iPad and laptop computer.

WAY TO GO TIFFANY AND THOMAS!!

Tiffany St. James

Tiffany is an active member of her school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club and leads prayer at the See You At The Pole event.

Paul Pratt, Chesapeake’s Director – Corporate Development, shared Thomas’ many volunteering accomplishments before a group of supporters at the Rescue Mission and announced the organization would receive two new laptop computers. Thomas has done extensive humanitarian work while on Missions in Honduras, Argentina and Native American reservations in Arizona.

Thomas Kendrick

Tiffany and Thomas were selected from 23 nominations and judged by the Alliance for Education on qualities of leadership, character, volunteerism and a sense of community

Contest Overview

• Two students (one each from Caddo and Bossier parishes) will continue to be recognized every week for the next seven weeks.
• Each winning student’s school will receive $1,000 in needed equipment or supplies.
• All 16 students will be recognized at an awards banquet in April.
• During the banquet, a drawing will be held and four lucky students will receive new, fully-equipped laptop computers.
• Eligible students are members of 4-H Clubs, FCA or any non-profit 501c(3) community service organization in Caddo or Bossier parishes.

NOMINATE A STUDENT!

Nomination forms are due each Monday by 5 p.m. to the Alliance for Education and can be found in The Shreveport Times, Bossier Press Tribune and online at mykisscountry937.com. The next winners will be selected Feb. 21.

funnyordie.com

Click the photo to see the video!

I absolutely loved watching the crowd react to the seemingly bashful Karen, they rooted for her as she approached the stage and all of a sudden they realize Karen can SING! And she doesn’t hold anything back. Enjoy!

Fat Tuesday is tomorrow!  Mardi Gras will end at the stroke of midnight, but there’s still one parade left and it’s a doozie.  The Krewe of Aesclepius Children’s Parade will begin at 7pm at Pierre Bossier Mall!

Flickr.com

Then all of the area Krewes will meet atop the Texas Street Bridge at 11:30pm to bring an end to Carnival Season as Lent begins.

• Launches at 7 a.m. CT from Red River Marina with complimentary coffee & donuts provided by Red River Waterway Commission (Fri. to Sun.)

• On-the-water boat demo rides at the launch courtesy of Mercury, Nitro, Skeeter, Triton & Yamaha (Fri. to Sun.)

• Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo at Shreveport Convention Center presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods  - (Fri. 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.) (Sat. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.) (Sun. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. )

• Weigh-in at CenturyLink Center: Doors open at 3 p.m. CT (Fri. to Sun.)

• Win a $500 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree with Rick Clunn at the Day One Weigh-in (Fri.)

• Win a fishing trip with Edwin Evers courtesy of Nitro Boats at the Day Two Weigh-in (Sat.)

• Be the Craziest Mercury Fan and win a Mercury engine at the Day Two Weigh-in (Sat.)

• RCA recording artist Bush Hawg presented by Evan Williams Bourbon performs at the Day Two Weigh-in (Sat.)

• Free concert: Brian Schram performs at the Day Three weigh-in (Sun.)

• Berkley Cast for Cash – one lucky fan will cast for $100,000 at the Day Three weigh-in (Sun.)

• Choose your seats wisely and you could catch a Yamaha t-shirt at the Day Three weigh-in (Sun.)

• Bring your A-game for the Triton Football Toss at the Day Three weigh-in (Sun.)

• Evan Williams Bourbon fans will have the chance to win front row seats for the Bassmaster Classic Weigh-in Show

• Rebel Lures 50th Anniversary boat giveaway

Infrogmation, Flickr

The king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras food. It is usually a ring-shaped pastry, sometimes filled with cheese or jelly and sprinkled with the colors of Mardi Gras. It began as an Epiphany treat, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the stable where Jesus was born. Oh, and it’s delicious.

The king cake tradition was brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish settlers who associated it with the Mardi Gras carnival. A dessert synonymous with celebrations definitely belonged with Mardi Gras and has been shared during the festive season ever since.

The secret of the king cake is that there is always a small trinket, often a plastic baby representing the Baby Jesus, baked inside that one lucky eater is bound to bite into. Of course, the lucky person who gets the baby in the cake gets special privileges, but is also usually responsible for bringing the next cake.

To get into the spirit of the impending Mardi Gras celebration, and to make your mouth water a bit, here are some delicious looking king cakes we found.

The Drizzled King Cake

niseag03, Flickr

The Beaded King Cake

all of olive, Flickr

The Discus King Cake

syvwlc, Flickr

The Mickey Mouse King Cake

Loren Javier, Flickr

The Go Big or Go Home King Cake

Aldon, Flickr

The King Cupcake

kristen_a (Meringue Bake Shop), Flickr

Double King Cake All the Way

HorizonsSC, Flickr

The Doing It Wrong King Cake

lesteph, Flickr

The Baby in the King Cake

mikebdoss, Flickr

The Eaten King Cake

mikebdoss, Flickr

An Amazing Rap About King Cakes

Want to Make One? Here’s How

Source: TheFW.com

Wiki Commons, Duncan Lilly

The Junior Naturalist program at Walter B. Jacobs Nature Park is a fun way to pry the kids away from the television and their video games. My nephew would love a class like this and I could just see him hunting for tracks to identify after earning his Junior Naturalist pin.

The mission of the Junior Naturalists’ Program is to bring together natural resource specialists with young people, ages 7-14, to foster an understanding and appreciation on Northwest Louisiana’s plants, water, soils, and wildlife, and to promote good stewardship. A special award will be given for each workshop attended and completed. -Walter B. Jacobs Park

Walter B. Jacobs is a 160-acre pine-oak-hickory forest dedicated to connecting the people of the Ark-La-Tex with nature through interpretation and recreation . There is an interpretive building with exhibits and classroom, outdoor pavilion, and certified naturalists to provide programs and orientation for visitors.

The mammalogy workshop is Saturday, March 3rd at 9 am.

Walter B. Jacobs Park  – 8012 Blanchard Furrh Road , Shreveport, LA 71107

• Beans are neither fruit nor musical.
• Daylight savings is not a bank.
• I did not see Elvis.
• I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers.
• The president did it is not an excuse.
• I will not defame New Orleans.

Yup, read them all for yourself http://thefw.com/simpsons-chalkboard-gags/

Getty Images

The Barnwell Center

With lots of friends and family coming into the Shreveport/Bossier area for the Mardi Gras parades, here is something else fun to do with them.

It’s the Mardi Gras Exhibit at the Barnwell Center downtown Shreveport. The Krewe of Barnwell presents Mardi Gras…. Do It North Louisiana Style The Barnwell Garden and Art Center is pleased to announce the opening of our next exhibit: Mardi Gras … Do It North Louisiana Style on January 26, 2012.

The exhibit will feature Krewe memorabilia from North Louisiana ranging from crowns and scepters to gala costumes, amazing headpieces and history. Local and regional artists will also have various mediums of work on exhibit with Mardi Gras and Louisiana themes.

The gift shop has all types of art from area artisans and specialty items purchased specifically to compliment the exhibit. Admission by donation appreciated during this special exhibition.

Your welcome one and all to experience the exhibit “up close and personal”, as t heyshowcase the imagination and talent of the many North Louisiana Krewes. If you missed last years inaugural exhibit than be sure to mark you calendar to visit this year!

Hours of the exhibit are Tuesday – Friday 10am until 4pm; Saturday 10am until 5pm; and Sunday 1pm until 5pm.