Man Wolfs Down 66 Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes

Lots of folks eat hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Joey Chestnut hogged down 66 in 12 minutes to set a new world record in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y.

Former champ Takeru Kobayashi took down 63 franks, and frankly, he doesn't look so good in the picture.

(For the record, Suzanne and I split a cheeseburger.)

In Lithuania, Protesters Carry Accordions

"Accordion-playing radicals" encouraged "mostly elderly" protesters to storm Vilnius' Independence Square on July 3. The reason for the squeezebox-fueled ruckus? Lithuanian lawmakers' decision to boost pension benefits for former members of Parliament to a level far higher than for the average citizen.

The accordion protest seems unique, but sadly the politicians' feeling that their type deserves more than the simple commoners seems to be universal.

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope you have all kinds of fun this Independence Day! (If you're in Wisconsin, please down some extra bratwurst for us.)

TDA Mailing List Lives!

While previous reports of the reanimation of Those Darn Accordions' e-mail list were greatly exaggerated, I'm pleased to say that the sign-up mechanism works again at last. For real this time.

Join today for a free TDA bumper sticker. Sorry, sorry, sorry ... *really sorry* ... for any and all inconvenience.

Squeezebox Night Soars at Turner Hall of Monroe

It's all about the accordion on Squeezebox Night, even thought The Times reports that "four accordionists, two guitarists, a bass player, a banjo player and an autoharpist" added to the musical action Tuesday night at Turner Hall of Monroe, Wis.

Glad to hear Turner Hall has a hit on its hands -- it's one of the nicest venues TDA has played, and we'll be back there Aug. 17.

This Is Your Crop Circle on Drugs

A hilarious overhead photo in The Daily Mail shows what happens when a cocaine-addled driver makes a run from the cops -- through a cornfield.

Oops, They Did It Again

Contrary to an earlier report, our Bravenet e-mail list is still not accepting members. We're working to get the problem resolved. Again, sorry for any inconvenience.