I doubt if there was ever a more unlikely place for a thoroughbred racing horse to hail from than Coalinga, California.  Coalinga boasts a landscape of cattle, oil wells, and these days it’s pretty much the center of the California drought.  In other words, it’s a long way from Kentucky bluegrass.

In this place many people call nowhere, California Chrome was born to a mother who had only won one single race.  Her owners, Martin and Coburn, bought Love the Chase for the grand amount of $8,000.  Then for $2,000 more they bred her with Lucky Pulpit, a horse who hadn’t won a single race of more than five furlongs.

Adding to his problems, the Triple Crown Contender’s chances were nearly derailed at birth.

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H/T to yankeeintx
What a wonderful surprise for this newly married couple .  Check Father’s face at 3:00 ….he knows he’s rockin’ it.  😀

Check below the fold for even more NEW emoticons!
SMILE:  The new emoticons have arrived!

See the complete listing below the fold.  (Surprise…there’s even a “burrito”!) (more…)

Treehouse Hits The 20,000,000 Mark!

The Last Refuge – officially, The Conservative Treehouse – celebrated its third anniversary on February 1, 2014.  Now it’s time for another celebration (and we love celebrations) as we welcome our 20,000,000th visitor!

   By Elvis Chupacabra

The old timers said that a dry, chill wind was blowing out of the northwest, right from the heart of the Commancheria, that dawn of March 6, 1836. It ripped the palls of black smoke billowing from the old Alamo mission into ragged tendrils and hurled them away, as if trying to clear the air of the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh and the acrid stench of gunpowder. By the time the sun broke above the horizon and cast a golden light over the old mission-turned-fortress, gunshots still sporadically rent the air, but the main sound was that of an enraged mob. (more…)

As first reported by the Army Times, a US Army Pfc (Private, First Class) posted an Instagram “selfie” (“sheffeynation”) of herself hiding in her car during the sounding of “Retreat” to avoid standing at attention, saluting and rendering honors to the American flag as the colors are lowered for the day.

To quote Ms. Tariqka Sheffey:

“This is me laying back in my car hiding so I don’t have to salute the 1700 flag, KEEP ALL YOUR ‘THATS SO DISRESPECTFUL/HOWRUDE/ETC.’ COMMENTS TO YOURSELF cuz, right now, IDGAFFFF.”

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The race to replace disgraced former mayor Bob Filner between Democrat David Alvarez and Republican candidate Kevin Faulconer, both former city council members and local government colleagues, ended with a decisive victory for Faulconer.

Faulconer promises to work to heal a city that is reeling from the second resignation of a Mayor in a decade, winning February’s special election in a decisive victory which will allow him to remain in office for the remainder of the disgraced former Mayor’s term, which ends in 2016 (coincidentally).

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Today would have been Ronald Reagan’s 103rd birthday.  If you are interested, there will be a ceremony at the Reagan Library celebrating the occasion, and you can watch it live HERE.

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Why would people put themselves through this experience?

Mediaite and Daily Mail have numerous reports and examples:

•In Virginia customers stabbed their way to parking spots.
•In Philadelphia a woman used a stun gun to secure her rights to a TV.
•In Chicago the police ended up shooting a customer as he scuffled with Police.
•In Las Vegas a flat screen customer was shot in the leg for his purchase.
•In Puerto Rico The stampede was uncontrollable by police.