WITH THE OUTDOOR BARBECUE SEASON UPON US, it’s time to stock up on the needed utensils for your outdoor cooking pleasure.

And one item that you will definitely need this year is ……..

The BBQ Sword

This mighty meat mover is reminiscent of days of yore, when medieval masters of culinary pleasures skewered their meals with their swords and ate mightily.

This handy cooking fork is just right for barbecuing those hot dogs and brats.  And the practical hand guard keeps the heat from the flaming coals from burning your fingers.

Oh….. the mask is included free of charge so that you can protect your identity.

The price is an affordable $29.95.  But be forewarned:  It is NOT suitable for dueling.

Click HERE to read more about it and to order your very own BBQ Sword.

WITH MOTHER’S DAY RAPIDLY APPROACHING, it’s time to start thinking about getting Mom (or your wife) that perfect gift that she will embrace and always think of you whenever she uses it.

And nothing encompasses that better than:

LawnBott

The robotic lawnmower that cuts your grass automatically without fuss or muss.  She’ll love you for it!

The LawnBott is electrically powered by it’s rechargable battery and only uses $7 to $10 a year in electricity.  No longer will Mom have to stop by the gas station and fill up her gallon can of high-priced gasoline.  She’ll love you for it!

LawnBott mulches the grass as it cuts it, thus fertilizing the lawn at the same time.  Mom doesn’t have to go back out and spread those unfriendly fertilizers any more. She’ll love you for it!

The LawnBott is completely quiet so it won’t disturb your sleep or your neighbors.  Mom will be able to hear the tv just fine while LawnBott goes to work, following its programmed schedule.  She’ll love you for it!

The LawnBott will come out of its docking station whenever you want it to, or you can set a certain scheduled time with the programmer, then it will cut the entire yard, up to 33,000 sq. ft. on a single charge, and then return to it’s docking station and replenish its batteries for the next assignment.

And one of the best features is the rain-guard.  LawnBott will continue to cut if a light drizzle starts falling, but if the rain picks up and becomes harder, then the ‘bot will stop mowing and scamper back to its docking station.  Mom won’t have to run out in the rain to put it away.  She’ll love you for it!

The most practical model to get is the LB3200 which includes the rain sensors and the lithium battery pack.  It retails for only $2,749.00.  Certainly not too much to spend for Mom or dear Wifey.  She’ll love you for it!

Learn more about LawnBott HERE.
To find the dealer closest to you, click HERE.

THERE’S AN ITEM COMING ONTO THE MARKET that will no doubt be eagerly purchased by desk-bound workers.

If you’ve been promoted up into Administration and you just don’t seem to be getting the amount of the correct exercise that you’re used to, then get on the list to buy a set of:

Massage Pants

These wonder-workers come with 7 built-in massaging units that are scientifically arranged to enervate the areas that your regular pants don’t reach. 

There are a variety of different vibration modes for any situation and even a ring of infra-red heating spots with automatic temperature control to keep everything warm.

The high-performance rechargeable battery pack can also be set to come on automatically every 20 minutes.

Currently they are only offered online through wholesalers in quantities of 500 sets.  But keep checking your Wal*Mart for the retail offering.

WITH THE CURRENT FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE deflating the Dollar’s value, many people are wondering if they can afford a European vacation this year.

But if you know where to look, you can take advantage of many bargains including this economy hotel in Linz, Austria.  With clean, secure rooms in a park overlooking the Danube River and great amenities nearby, you can afford this hostelry because the rate is whatever you can afford.  You choose.  Most people leave between $15 and $30 for a night’s stay……in a concrete drainage pipe.

These innovative bunks started out as an urban-art project and have become quite popular.  Each “room” has a full double-bed, electricity, a light and an internet connection.  There is also storage space where you can lock away your belongings while you sightsee this medieval city.

The toilets and showers, along with a cafe and mini-bar are located nearby.

Read all the details at Daspark Hotel’s website HERE.

photos by Dietmar Tollerian

ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, WILL BE THE SITE OF the Union Historical Fire Society’s 19th Annual Firematic Extravaganza on April 19 and 20.

The big combination auction and flea market will be held in the Agricultural Hall at the Allentown Fairgrounds.

The auction begins at 9:00 am on Saturday and the flea market will be open on Sunday, also beginning at 9:00 am.  Donations are being requested of $3 to enter the auction and $8 for the marketplace.

The market has space for 300 vendors inside.  The auction will be selling over 350 lots.

The auction lots will include alarm equipment, lanterns, boxes, helmets, nozzles, bells and more.

For a partial listing of the auction lots and many more photos, click HERE.  That page also has a map showing the fairgrounds location.

HERE’S ONE TO ADD TO THE FATHER’S DAY LIST:

Firegeezer calls it the “NoBike.”  There are no pedals, thus no drive chain.  You push it along by running until you get enough speed to coast for a while. 

This is supposed to be more exercise than a real bike.  Who knows?  But if you think the picture looks a bit silly, wait until you see the demonstration video.

Click to play the video

Firegeezer notes:  Since fire and rescue people are generally active readers, we felt that this news merited inclusion as a posting.

BORDERS, THE NATION’S SECOND-LARGEST BOOKSTORE CHAIN, has put itself up for sale after failing to secure funding (loans) to remodel their stores and upgrade their technology systems.

Borders’ stock has lost 76% of its value in the past 12 months and is unable to meet the more-stringent borrowing requirements that are needed for business currently.  Their market share has been rapidly losing ground to Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores, both of which collected healthy profits during the recent Christmas season.

Company CEO George Jones said yesterday, “We have a number of people who’d be interested in either all or part of the company.”  Barnes & Noble, the largest U. S. bookstore chain said that they would take a “good look” at purchasing parts of Borders’ properties.

Last month, Borders opened the first of its new concept stores near its Ann Arbor headquarters. The store is designed to be a place where downloading e-books and burning CDs go hand in hand with browsing the shelves.

Bloomberg News has a recent REPORT.
The Associated Press has a good STORY.

THIS NEXT WEEKEND, MARCH 14 AND 15, IN MILFORD, OHIO (Cincinnati area), the 17th Annual Fire Equipment Flea Market and Auction will be held.

Kuhnell’s Auction photos

All events will be at the Milford Community Fire Hall and currently the schedule is:

• Friday the 14th:  1 to 6 pm, flea market.
• 6 to 7 pm, auction preview display.
• 7 pm, the auction will be held
• Saturday the 15th: 8 am to 1 pm, flea market.

The auction will be selling badges, helmets, Gamewell equipt., nozzles, toys and many miscellaneous items such as parade drums.

You may view the partial listing of auction items and read the complete announcement HERE.

The flea market will include new items as well as memorabilia.  Admission charge is $3.00 per day, or $5.00 for both days.

PC MAGAZINE HAS ASSEMBLED A COLLECTION of 10 KILLER SNEAKS FOR GEEKS.  Running the gamut of retro Keds with digital-game themed fabric to ladies’ dress high-heels with electronically colored heels that change hues at the touch of a button,  there is something in here for you.

For instance:  THE CD-ROM SHOE

This must-have walker accepts the mini-CD and plays MP3 tracks through the stereo speakers (bass and tweeters) along with a volume control knob.  Check out the “pause” and “fast-forward” buttons on the side.

They’re currently selling for about $235.  Sorry, Bluetooth not yet integrated into it.

Check out the entire list of 10 Killer Sneaks for Geeks HERE.   Click any thumbnail to start the slide show.  Only 3 months until Mother’s Day, you know.

“HOLY L.D.H., BATMAN!  IT’S THE BATPHONE!

Yes, whenever the Gotham City police chief was stumped and needed help, he went to Commissioner Gordon’s office and they placed an urgent call right through to Bruce Wayne.

When the bright red phone started flashing, Batman and Robin knew that there was crime afoot and action would soon follow.

Now you, too, can have your very own Batphone.  This answer-only red telephone is now available and comes complete with the flashing light that emphasizes the urgent nature of the incoming message.

A wall-phone model is also available at the same price as the vintage Batcave style.  For more information or to order, CLICK HERE.

FED UP WITH THOSE BULKY POWER TRANSFORMERS taking up all the space on your power strip?

A new technology company, Kreative Power has designed a power strip that will accomodate six AC plugs of any shape including those big adapter/transformers that come with low-voltage appliances.

The device is shaped so that the adapters can be plugged in right-side up and not interfere with any of the other connectors in the six-outlet receptacle.

You can read more about it and the specs HERE.

IN A NEIGHBORING SUBURB OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, a 70-yr.-old woman caught the attention of the Wal*Mart store management.

She had been inside the 24-hour store for 3 days shopping, napping and eating in the on-site Blimpie’s sandwich shop.  When asked by Wal-Mart employees why she was there for so long she simply said, ‘I’m shopping.’

Eventually they called the police who escorted her through the checkout where she paid for her merchandise and then they took her home.

WSB Ch. 2 has the STORY.