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The Tampa Bay Rays are going to the World Series versus the Philadelphia Phillies. 

To fend off any bad mojo, Rays players, including skipper Joe Maddon, decided to get Mohawk haircuts.  They call them "Raycuts".  

Maddon forgot to ask his fiancée if it was okay.  It was not, and now she's upset.  

Maddon is set to get married in a few weeks and his soon-to-be wife didn't like that their engagement photos included Maddon's Mohawk. 

Think she'll forgive him if the Rays win the World Series? 

As you might of guessed, the "Rayhawk" has caught on with fans in Florida.  At least one school kid has been suspended for sporting the haircut.  It violates the dress code, and school officials say it's distracting.

According to Bright House Sports Network, the 12-year-old boy was pulled from the school by his parents and placed in a "more fan-friendly school." 

College is a good place to meet women and you would think that four guys enrolling in women's studies as a major would only be looking for dates.

Not the case.  At least that's not the official answer.  

According to the Kansas State Collegian, four men are currently enrolled in the Women's Studies program at Kansas State University.

For the first time, men have chosen to pursue a degree in Women's Studies at KSU. Angela Hubler, director of the program says the men are following in the footsteps of famous equal-rights activists like Frederick Douglas and John Stuart Mill.

"While women are central to Women's Studies, they are not exclusively what we look at", says Hubler. "Students who major in women's studies are committed to social justice issues."

Kansas Sate University officials claim there are many job opportunities for students who major in women's studies.  KSU claims women's studies graduates have gotten jobs in law, counseling and politics.

A total of 30 women and the four men are currently enrolled in the university's Women's Studies program.

The University of Kansas has a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. There is no similar program listed at the University of Missouri.

In last night's final presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, "Joe the Plumber" was mentioned more than two dozen times.

Who is "Joe the Plumber"?  Good question.

"Joe" is Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber in Holland, Ohio and while Obama was on the campaign trail, "Joe" approached Obama and asked him a few questions about his tax plan.  

According to NBC, "Joe" told Obama he’s getting ready to buy a company that makes more than $250,000 a year. “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”, he asked.  Obama went on to explain, but "Joe" didn't completely agree.  The hard working plumber for 15 years went on to say, "Why should I be taxed more?"

As Obama walked away from "Joe" he said, “I gotta get out of here. I’ve gotta go prepare for this debate, but that was pretty good practice right there!”

According to MSNBC, "Joe" was mentioned 21 times by McCain in Wednesday's debate, and four times by Obama.  The economy was mentioned 16 times during the debate and Iraq four times. 

Is the Federal Reserve public or private?  Good question.

Answer: It's neither.

In short, the Fed is an independent entity within the government.

Explainer: From one perspective, the Fed looks like a public institution: Congress created it in 1913 to maintain the stability of the financial system; the president appoints, and the Senate confirms, the members of its Board of Governors; and it's not out to make a profit—after taking care of expenses, the Fed hands off its earnings to the Treasury. Furthermore, the details of its responsibilities are subject to congressional oversight. Still, the Fed is rightly classified as an independent central bank. Neither the executive branch nor the legislature gets a direct say in its decision-making, and it pays for its own operations (primarily by acquiring U.S. government securities on the open market).

Soure: US government & Slate.com 

Here's what the presidential candidates and their VP's reported on their 2007 income taxes.

We'll start at the bottom: 

Republican Governor (AK) Sarah Palin made the least.  Her and her husband, Todd, had a combined income of $147,000.

Senator (DE) Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, earned $284,000.

Senator (IL) Barack Obama and his wife Michelle reported $2.6 million.

and Senator (AZ) John McCain and his wife, Cindy, reported earning $6.4 million.

Source: www.politico.com 

No tux needed, just leather!

This Sunday, October 5th, I will be taking part in a benefit for the Kansas City Lyric Opera. 

Come ride with me, and hundreds of rumbling riders!  We'll begin the ride in front of the downtown opera house at 11 am Sunday, then travel North to historic Weston, Mo and then end the 75 mile trip with a steak dinner back at the Lyric.

The Lyric Opera is calling all motorcycle riders to their 2nd annual Lyric & Leathers ride to underwrite the opera's 2008-2009 season.  Money raised will also benefit outreach programs put on by the Lyric Opera.

For more info, go to www.lyricandleathers.com   

Vice-presidential candidates Govenor Sarah Palin (AK) and Senator Joe Biden (DE) will face off in their first and only debate Thursday from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

What would happen if one of the presidential candidates were to die or become otherwise incapacitated before Election Day: Would Palin or Biden assume the nomination?  Not necessarily. 

According to Slate.com, each party has its own protocol for this scenario, but in neither case does the running mate automatically take over the ticket.

If John McCain were to die before the election, the rules of the Republican Party authorize the Republican National Committee to fill the vacancy, either by reconvening a national convention or by having RNC state representatives vote. The new nominee must receive a majority vote to officially become the party candidate.

If Barack Obama were to die before the election, the Democratic Party's charter and bylaws state that responsibility for filling that vacancy would fall to the Democratic National Committee, but the rules do not specify how exactly the DNC would go about doing that.  (Congress could also pass a special statute and push back Election Day, giving the candidate's party time to regroup.)