Up or Down?

Life is full of "ups" and "downs," but they often don't come simultaneously...

Are these stairs going up or down?

[Link]

New Theological Outlook

Hebrews 2:9 reads: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." A Christian would say that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and that because of that, they receive salvation.

But a new theological explanation is on the rise...


You decide.

Count em up!

Who Says Elvis is Dead?

Canada's Collingwood Elvis Festival had held the record for the most Elvis impersonators singing at once - 78.

But 147 men in big black hair, sunglasses and jumpsuits smashed that record when they delivered a simultaneous rendition of Love Me Tender in Parkes yesterday.

[link]

New Years Post.

Here's the post I should have posted a couple of weeks ago...let's say around New Years. Every year, around New Years, people develop a list of resolutions, things which they resolve to change about themselves over the coming year; these could be things like, "quit smoking," "exercise more," or "stop yelling at people for no reason at all." Well, I've decided, this year, to take a slightly different approach.
Without further ado, here are 10 things about me that I have decided will probably never change...
1. I procrastinate (case in point, this post which is all about New Years and yet is being written two weeks after the fact.
2. I am, generally, unorganized, but this is not to say that I lose things. Far from it in fact. Everything has its place. That place may not be clean or tidy, but at least I know where it is.
3. I eat lots of junk food. However, I have been eating a lot more fruit this semester.
4. I drink lots of pop, soda...whatever you call it. For two years in a row I gave it up for Lent hoping that after that time I would not drink as much. That was not the case, so I probably won't give it up anymore.
5. I watch a lot of TV. Sometimes its only as background noise...most of the time its somewhat educational (Discovery Channel, History Channel, Jeopardy)
6. I get grumpy when I'm hungry...who doesn't?
7. I get annoyed when I'm tired...again, who doesn't?
8. I have become increasingly addicted to the internet.
9. I am a "cesspool of worthless knowledge." At least that's what my sister calls me since I always win Trivial Pursuit.
10. I can't stand American Idol...but I am a fan of Survivor and the Amazing Race...

There you have it, my admission of guilt.

The Indecency of a Society Gone Too Far.

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave...right?
Well, yes, America is the land of the free, but are we (Americans) really all that brave anymore? Unfortunately, I do not know how to answer that question. After all, what is bravery? I think everyone could, if they truly wanted to, come up with their own definition of the word. For example, I could (emphasis on could) consider myself brave for standing up as a young, white, middle-class, Christian, moderate in a society which (through the media at least) seems to celebrate a more, for lack of a better word, liberal ideal. I could, in contrast, consider myself a coward for failing, at multiple times in my life, to stand up for what I believe in when it was being mocked and slandered by those around me. What is bravery, and who displays it?
I know by now you are asking yourself, "what does this have to do with the title of the post?!" Well, I'm getting to that, albeit slowly. I spent most of this afternoon sitting on my couch watching TV and inanely flipping through the channels. At one point I stopped on MTV which was showing a re-run of the show "My Super Sweet 16." As I watched the 15 year old son of two musical celebrities whine about the fact that his birthday invitations (which consisted of an mp3 player holding a recorded message inviting the listener to his party) weren't ready when they were supposed to be I realized how incredibly selfish and materialistic our society has become. This kid is 16 years old. He's had everything handed to him. He hasn't had to work a day in his life, and probably never will.

One quote that I have been thinking about a lot lately goes like this, "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions." I've been thinking about it because of something I heard someone say a couple of weeks ago. "I don't really believe in anything," he said, and that seemed, to me, to sum up how our society works. It seems that many people don't WANT to believe in anything because if you believe in one thing then you are alienating someone else and therefore annihilating their freedom to believe in whatever they want to believe in. Therefore, people flounder on the issues and lack the conviction it takes to make a finalized decision, and in so doing become completely tolerant human beings who lack the ability to truly believe in anything. They want (fill in the blank), but only if it doesn't interfere with (fill in the blank) and it has to come from (fill in the blank). They leave the decisions up to others, and then, when they don't like the decision, they get upset about it. (For clarification, I'm not just talking about the President)

I realize that this post has strayed from what generally is published on this blog, but its something I've been thinking about a lot lately and had to get out there. I also realize that this post may be slightly ambiguous and scattered, that was the point. Take from it what you will...maybe it's just the ramblings of someone who spent 13 hours in a car on Friday and should be asleep right now (it is 1:30 AM after all). This could possibly be the most dizzyingly ambiguous thing I've ever written; I promise that tomorrow everything will be back to...normal?

Jump Around.

I've really got to get off of this video kick. Most of my...no, all of my posts for the past few days have been somehow video related, but they're just so cool!
Here's another one featuring a guy who takes "free walking" to a new level.


If you can't see the video, here.

Did you notice that there is no seat on that bicycle?
Via

The Living Camera

Stephen Wiltshire is autistic and is considered an idiot savant for his ability to draw accurately from memory. In this video he takes a 45 minute helicopter ride above Rome and is then given three days to draw what he remembers, here's what happens...


If you can't see the video, here.

Amazing.

L.A. County Fair.

A series of commercials for last year's L.A. County Fair.


If you can't see the video, here.


If you can't see the video, here.


If you can't see the video, here.

Can I Take Your Order?

Just a bunch of guys trying to get some McDonald's


If you can't see the video, here.

Who Does Hasselhoff Think He Is?

Hasselhoff...wow...

Hooked on a Feeling

If you can't see the video; here.

Secret Agent Man

If you can't see the video; here.

Jump in My Car

If you can't see the video; here.

And finally, in German.

If you can't see the video; here.

Typical Montana Weather

Billings Montana records a difference of 53 degrees between 2 PM and 11 PM.
At 2 PM the temperature was 54 degrees and I was hiking around outside taking pictures (some of which can be viewed here), as of the news at 11 PM it was 1 degree out and we had an inch+ of snow. That's Montana for you.

Butte Montana = Toxic

If you can't see the video; here.

Weird Daily.

I am now a contributor for Weird Daily, a blog very similar to this one which chronicles the strange occurrences of everyday life. Don't worry, I will continue to update this blog on a regular basis with funny videos, etc, but many of my weird news blogs will be posted over there.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me over Christmas break, I know the posts have been fairly sporadic lately. Next week will pick up as I will be back at school.

UPDATE! URINAL THIEF CAUGHT!

The thief profiled in this post has been caught!

Apparently he took the bathroom fixture as a souvenir, albeit a very odd one.

Full Story.

Top Ten Calculator Phrases.

School children everywhere rejoice as Casio releases the top ten phrases which can be written on a Casio calculator in celebration of the 1 Billionth Calculator leaving the assembly line.

Casio’s Top 10 favourite calculator words:
1. Boobies (5318008)
2. Bellies (5317738)
3. Boobless (55378008)
4. Bogies (531608)
5. Sizzles (5372215)
6. Gobbles (5378806)
7. Google (376006)
8. Boogie (316008)
9. Shell Oil (71077345)
10. Esso (0553)

Full Story via Weird Daily.

Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction.

The plot for Snakes on a Plane was full of holes, but at least there was an explanation as to why the snakes were on the plane (even if the questions of how they got there and how they survived went unanswered). Unfortunately the origins of a scorpion which stung a man on a flight from Chicago to Vermont may never be truly known.
The man, who was on the second leg of a journey from San Francisco to Vermont, was apparently stung on the leg while sleeping on the plane and then again while he and his wife were waiting for their luggage. He then went to the hospital and reported feeling ill the next day, a common side effect of being stung. Scorpion stings are rarely fatal to adults, according to the story.

"You're much more likely to die from an ... allergic reaction to a bee sting," the doctor said.

Sullivan said he was taking the experience in stride. "I've traveled enough in tropical climates, Argentina, South America, to know about the risks from insects and animals and microorganisms. ... It's a dangerous world out there."

He said he hadn't seen the recent movie, "Snakes on a Plane," starring Samuel L. Jackson. "I'm pretty selective about what I see," Sullivan said. "Maybe I have to see it now."

Full Story.

Sibling Rivalry.

It's official, Don't Forget Your Sunscreen is a big brother. Ok, maybe that was just a bit too cheesy, but I honestly could not think of anything else to say here.
Yesterday I purchased Corel's Paint Shop Pro Photo XI and decided that there was really no reason to have it if I wasn't going to share the pictures I was messing with. Therefore I have created a photo blog which you can view here.
I hope you enjoy it. I'm going to try and keep it updated fairly often and am inviting some other photographers to join me, we'll see what happens.

Not so Flushed Away.

Toilets are in the news today.

In the recent kids movie "Flushed Away," where a white rat named Roddy (voiced by Hugh Jackman) who lives his life of luxury as a pet in London and gets flushed down the toilet by a not-so-friendly intruding rat, Spike. In contrast, residence of Tuscon, Arizona have been finding rats in their toilet bowls. Apparently the determined vermin have been swimming up the pipes and finding their way into people's homes. According to reports, the rats resemble the kinds which are found in pet stores and science labs.

Making it from the sewer up the lines into someone's toilet is a difficult trip, Hagen Fairbanks said.

A four-inch pipe, called the house connection sewer, or HCS, runs from the house to a sewer main. And there's no "trap door" or other barrier in place, she said.

But if the lines are running, the rats have to hold their breath and swim uphill in the pipes against the water current.

"If the rat makes it through your HCS, that's a determined rat," she said.

Full Story.

Don't Squat on a Stolen Pot.

The title to this post may be slightly misleading since the article in question isn't actually a toilet but instead a urinal.
Apparently, a thief in London decided it would be a good idea to steal a urinal from a pub. Authorities believe that he may be a plumber trying to cut cost, and corners, by stealing the parts he needs. This theory is based on the fact that he did such an expert job of removing the urinal from the bathroom wall.

There he carefully removed a white urinal from the wall, stuffed it into a rucksack and was captured on closed circuit television walking out with the bulging sack on his back.

"He made a very, very expert job of dismantling it from the wall and turning the water off. A very professional job," landlord Alan Dreja said in a video posted on the Southampton Daily Echo newspaper's Web site.

Full Story.

You're Not Going to Get Anywhere That Way.

WAUSAU, Wisconsin (AP) -- Who is that mysterious, elegant man? And why is he sitting on a dead horse?

Such are the questions sparked by a black-and-white photograph taken in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, between 1876 and 1884 that has led to nationwide curiosity, speculation and jokes.

Full Story.

My Home's In Montana!

From today's Billings Gazette:

Laugh Lines:
So, God was showing the angels the different parts of the earth he was creating, what land would be covered in ice and what would be desert.
When he came to Montana and Wyoming, he said, "Ah these two states will be the most glorious places on earth. There will be beautiful mountains, clear and fish-filled rivers and people will be fun, hardworking and wonderful"
The angels gasped in wonder.
Finally one said, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance."
God replied, "Wait until you see the idiots I'm putting around them."

Just as an aside, I was born in Wyoming and grew up mostly in Montana...so I've got that going for me.

Don't Forget To Recycle

These guys should go on tour reminding kids to recycle (or at least encouraging them to not litter).


If you can't see the video; here.

Don't Have a Band?

Just create your own backing track!
I like this song, and the way she performs it live makes me like it even more.


If you can't see the video; here.

Year in Review 2006

Part Five of Five

First off...my plan was to have all of this done by the time 2006 was over, that plan changed when I went to Bozeman, MT for New Years Eve and didn't have access to a computer.

Anyways, here's what has happened on this blog in the last few months:

Number of Posts = 100 (with this one)
Number of Hits = @ 2000 (at the time of this post)

Hopefully both numbers will rise exponentially in the new year - Happy belated New Years to everyone!

Year in Review 2006

Part 4 of 5

Worst Place to get stranded when you are on your way back to college and your radiator hose unexpectedly explodes...



Kadoka, South Dakota

Be Careful What You Wish For.

I've been reading Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust; All Others Pay Cash (parts of which were the inspiration for A Christmas Story), and it has reminded me of the rituals of my own childhood. I understand that I am not nearly as far removed from this aspect of life as some, but still, looking back, I am surprised by the things that we did and endured simply to be accepted by our counterparts. In particular, as boys, we would sit around telling less than savory jokes about bodily functions; the kinds of jokes that one would never even dream of telling his parents. One in particular stands out in my mind...it took many forms, but the outcome was always the same...

It went something like this;

Three men were walking in the desert (no explanation here as to why they are in the desert) when they came across a cliff. Now, this was no ordinary cliff; this cliff had the power to change you into anything you wanted to be (again, no explanation as to how they knew this or why this cliff was magic, it just was). All you had to do was think about what you wanted to be, run to the edge of the cliff and then yell it out as you jumped over the edge. The first guy thought of what he wanted, ran to the edge of the cliff and yelled, "AN EAGLE!" Immediately he was transformed into an eagle, and he flew away. The second guy repeated the process and yelled out that he wanted to be a fish as he got to the edge. Immediately he turned into a fish, landed in the river at the bottom of the canyon and swam away. The third guy was having trouble making a decision. When he finally figured it out he started running toward the cliff. Just as he got to the edge he tripped over his own shoelace. Falling face-first over the cliff he yelled, "AAAH CRAPP!" and landed with a splat at the bottom of the canyon.

I know it was juvenile, but hey, so were we! That joke still makes me chuckle as I think about the many situations in which it was relevant; sleepovers, recess, when the teacher left the room, etc. As I think about the kinds of things kids these days are aware of through the internet and TV, I realize how innocent that joke truly was...

Food for thought (haven't done that for a while):
What would you wish for?

Year in Review 2006

Part Three of Five

Most addicting flash-game of the year.

Linerider.

If you can't see the video; here.

Year in Review 2006

Part Two of Five

Movie I can't wait to see in 2007.


If you can't see the video; here.

Three Reasons Favre Won't Leave Green Bay

Speculation abounds about the future of Green Bay Packers' Quarterback Brett Favre; some say that he will retire while others are of the opinion that he will. Still others believe that he will leave the Packers and play for another team. No one but Favre knows the answer to the first set of questions, and I would venture to say that even he is uncertain about his own future especially considering the Packers current position in the playoff race. However, as a Packers fan here are three reasons that I DO NOT think that Brett Favre will EVER play for another team.

3. He would lose the respect of Packers fans everywhere if he left for another team. He would be just like every other "selfish" NFL player who left their team simply for more money or the chance at a Super Bowl. (To say that Favre should leave Green Bay because of the success of Steve McNair, like this guy does, is a moot point because McNair was effectively cut by the Titans and therefore had no other choice but to move to Baltimore.)
2. He loves Green Bay and Green Bay loves him. - “I enjoy it here. I don't want to move. I enjoy the fans and I just want to stay. I couldn't envision myself playing for another team.” (After signing contract in 2001 - See No. 1)
1. He signed a lifetime contract in 2001 and is a man of his word! Not only this, but it was Favre who encouraged his teammate Javon Walker in 2005, when Walker was holding out on his contract, to reconsider what he was doing to his team(and teammates) by reneging on the promise he had made to the Packers.

Brett Favre may retire this year or maybe he'll give it one more; one thing is certain he WILL end his career as a Packer.

Here's reason number 4.

If you can't see the video; here.

Memorization and Recitation

I was just looking at Neatorama and came across this interesting video (below) which shows a preschool aged child reciting state capitals from memory. According to the brief description on the original post he is three years old. As I watched the video I noticed that he got the capital of Minnesota wrong (he says Minneapolis when it is really Saint Paul; a common misconception since they are less than ten miles apart). According to a comment on the post he also missed Alabama, but honestly 48 out of 50 is amazing...for an adult. As an education student with an emphasis in Social Studies even I have trouble remembering the state capitals; I could probably get about 40 of them, on a good day, so for a three year old to get 48 of the fifty capitals is really incredible...I hope that I have children like this in my class someday, although then I wouldn't have to teach them so I'd be out of a job...on second thought send on the ones who need taught.


If you can't see the video; here.

Did I mention that he also knows his European capitals...


If you can't see the video; here.

And African...and Asian...

Year in Review 2006

Part One of Five:

Thing I want, but don't have;


If you can't see the video; here.

Thing I want...to throw off a building;


If you can't see the video; here.

If you're wondering whether I mean the creepy baby or the PS3...yes.

TV show I watch almost religiously;


If you can't see the video; here.


If you can't see the video; here.

Best TV show I found on DVD;


If you can't see the video; here.

Merry Christmas to All...and to all Fifty Bucks!

SPOKANE, Wash. - A woman hopped aboard buses, greeted passengers with "Merry Christmas" and handed each an envelope containing a card and a $50 bill before stepping off and repeating the process on another bus.

She did it so quickly that descriptions of the woman varied among surprised Spokane Transit Authority passengers on several routes Thursday, The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported Friday.

"She kind of kept her head down. I don't remember ever seeing this lady before," said bus driver Max Clemons.

"I had a young man in the back of the bus. He looked like he was going to start crying. He said in broken English, 'She don't know how much this will mean to me at Christmas,'" Clemons said.

Transit authority spokesman Dan Kolbet said efforts to identify the gift-giver were unsuccessful. Her generosity didn't appear to be part of a marketing gimmick, he said.

The woman gave envelopes to about 20 passengers, he said. Each was sealed with a sticker that said: "To a friend from a friend."

The woman, accompanied by one or two young boys, pulled the envelopes out of a cloth satchel. The buses were pulling away from stops before riders even knew what happened.

"There was a lot of excitement. People were making calls on their cell phones," said driver Terry Dobson, who had two of his trips visited by the mystery woman. "The people on those buses really needed the money."

Hours after the impromptu gift-giving, Dobson was still giddy.

"It was just a neat thing," he said. "It makes you tingle all over."

Yahoo.

Merry CHRISTmas everyone.

'Critic'al Thinking

Movie critics, does anyone ever actually listen to them? Let me start at the source for this post...
When I first saw previews for "Night at the Museum" I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing; I didn't know how they were going to tie the movie together. After seeing it tonight I can say that I think they did a fairly decent job and released a family friendly movie that might even encourage some kids to visit a museum, or at least take an interest in History (my field of study...).
Now, back to my point - Movie critics are destroying this film and I don't understand why. To properly discuss the issue I am going to be taking excerpts from an Associated Press review and then rebutting them;
"Other than the basic plot point of inanimate creatures coming alive and some occasionally inventive visual effects, "Night at the Museum" is unimaginative and annoying, as movies by director Shawn Levy (Cheaper By the Dozen, The Pink Panther) often are." Inanimate objects coming to life in a museum is unimaginative? I would have never thought of it, and I'm guessing the author of the article wouldn't have either - maybe that's why he's so mad.

"Robin Williams provides a few chuckles as the bullheaded incarnation of a wax figure Teddy Roosevelt, though the laughs come more from seeing him in Rough Riders costume than from anything in the dopey script by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon." It's not Shakespeare, but it's not dopey either. Honestly, the target of the film is kids, and most kids I know will love it! The dialogue in the first Rocky movie was awful (in my opinion) and that won best picture. It doesn't have to have amazing dialogue to be a good movie, most of what moved the film along were one-liners by Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson, and in my opinion it was an enjoyably funny movie.

Ok, I've been serious enough for long enough...well, maybe I can endure it just a bit longer. In closing, I will say this, "Night at the Museum" while not Oscar worthy was an enjoyable, family friendly film. Apparently that just isn't good enough for modern society though. Whatever happened to the movie that was good because it was heartwarming and fun, not because it was shocking and crude. The guy who wrote the article quoted above will keep getting paid to write what he thinks...I'm going to stop listening to him, for free.

Reason to Listen to Your Parents, Number One - The Squeegee

I've decided that perhaps in the interest of maintaining my own interest in this blog I will start a weekly column all about reasons that one should listen to his or her parents simply based on my own experiences. Obviously, this is going to be completely biased and opinionated and will mostly be stories about my shortcomings, but isn't that fun at least? As with most of the things I do on this blog this is completely off the cuff, it could simply be one story or maybe it will go on for weeks, I guess we'll have to see what happens. Alright, let’s give this a try.

Reason to Listen to Your Parents Number One comes to us from a far away land called Wyoming. I was about 5 years old and had asked my dad if I could tag along with him while he went and filled the truck up with gas. He said it was ok and we headed to the gas station. When we got there he told me to stay in the car while he filled up. For some reason or another I decided not to listen to him and hopped out of the truck to watch him wash the windshield.

Now, at this point my dad was still what I would call a “shaker” which means that he would shake the squeegee in order to get the washer fluid off of the hard plastic part rather than using a paper towel. Unfortunately for me, I got too close to his swing and took the full force of the hard plastic squeegee to the top of my head. Realizing what had happened, my dad rushed me inside the Super America bathroom and was able to stop the bleeding there, and on our way home we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream.

When we got home my dad told my mom what had happened and for a while she was pretty upset that he hadn’t taken me to get stitches. Being five years old I didn’t understand most of the conversation that followed, but here’s what I got and how I understood it then (in parentheses) and my interpretation now in italics.

Mom – You didn’t take him to the hospital?! (I don’t want to go to the hospital, I have ice cream!) Things were ok in the long run, I’ve always wondered if I have a huge scar.

Dad – No, they would have had to shave his head and clean it all out. (Ewwww, I don’t want a shaved head and what do you mean clean it all out…are they gonna take my brain out and clean it?!) As a five year I thought that’s what my dad meant…obviously all he meant was they would have to shave me head around the cut and then clean out the cut, but I didn’t understand it that way.

Mom – Well, I think you should have taken him to the hospital. (Meh…I’ve got ice cream) Yeah, I got ice cream…in the future my mom would avoid taking me to the hospital at all costs, but that’s for another post.

There was also some discussion about a really big needle which I didn't like the sound of.

There you have it; Reason to Listen to Your Parents Number One is this; because if you don’t you might get hit in the head with a gas station squeegee.

Are You an Addict?

A new study out of Great Britain has identified a few "new-age" addictions that plague our modern society, they include;

- EGO-SURFING: When you frequently check your name and reputation on the Internet.

- BLOG STREAKING: "Revealing secrets or personal information online which for everybody's sake would be best kept private."

- CRACKBERRY: "The curse of the modern executive: not being able to stop checking your BlackBerry, even at your grandmother's funeral." (A BlackBerry is a popular handheld device that can be used for phoning, emailing and web-browsing).

- GOOGLE-STALKING: Defined as "snooping online on old friends, colleagues or first dates."

- CYBERCHONDRIA: "A headache and a particular rash at the same time? Extensive online research tells you it must be cancer."

- PHOTOLURKING: Flicking through a photo album of someone you've never met.

- WIKIPEDIHOLISM: Excess devotion to contributing to the online collaborative encyclopaedia,
Wikipedia (Wikipedia even has a page where you can test whether you're an addict: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Are-You-a-Wikipediholic-Test)).

- CHEESEPODDING: Downloading of a song "so cheesy that you could cover it in plastic wrap and sell it at the deli counter." Cheesepodders are especially vulnerable to soft-rock favourites from the 1970s.

Via Yahoo.

I'm guilty of a couple of these, but hey I can quit any time I want right. Right?

Another Good Reason for Term Limits

Had Clinton remained President he may have succeeded.


[If you can't see the video; link, via Say No To Crack]

That's No Luggage!

A woman mistakenly put her 1-month-old grandson through an X-ray machine at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.
A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child on the carry-on baggage screening monitor and immediately pulled him out, the Los Angeles Times reported for a story in Wednesday's editions.
The infant was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he did not receive a dangerous dose of radiation.
"This was an innocent mistake by an obviously inexperienced traveler," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for the city's airport agency.

I'm not exactly sure what to say about this one...oops?
Full story

Brief Hiatus Due to Slight Technical Difficulties

Hello anyone who's ever been interested in reading this blog. I apologize that it has been a couple of days since my last post.
I am at home now for Christmas Break so posts may be few and far between (although, considering I will be home alone with no job, and no car while my parents are gone they may come more frequently, we'll have to see.) With that said, this will most likely be my last post until Wednesday. My parents still have dial-up internet which is...slow...but on Wednesday the guy is coming to install high-speed!!!
In the mean time, check out the blogs I have linked, they're a lot of fun to read.

American Standard

The next time you're in the bathroom, do me a favor, look at the toilet (or urinal). Was it made by American Standard?
I only ask because I am curious about your opinion on something. For years I have wondered about American Standards logo which appears to be the letters SA inside of a larger C. Now, many might consider this perfectly normal, after all, S and A are the first letters in the words American Standard and C is the first letter in Corporation. However, consider the order of things...the C surrounds the S and A, and subsequently the S and A are in the opposite order of what they should be, considering the company is called American Standard (not Standard American).
I have come to only one conclusion, the C surrounding the S and A, in that particular order, can stand for only one thing, Confederate States of America. It is only logical to ascertain that in the near future the Confederacy will rise again. Only this time there power will lie in brute strength of smell as they will have the power to clog any toilet in the union as they see fit.
So I ask you as informed citizens to consider this the next time you use a public toilet; are you supporting the confederacy?
Or maybe you're just supporting America's Sexiest Plumber.

Somethings Never Change...

...Even though they should.
In many states there are still laws officially on the books which, unofficially, are never adhered to. These laws, in most circles, are referred to as "blue laws." I've seen lists like this before, but thought it would be fun to investigate these laws and develop a list of some of my favorites...

Montana (my home state):
Seven or more indians are considered a raiding or war party and it is legal to shoot them. (It's a riot to go someplace "civilized" and convince them that there are still battles being fought between cowboys and indians in Montana...nothing could be further from the truth. And this law, obviously, is not upheld.)

Minnesota:
It is illegal to stand around any building without a good reason to be there. (Jay and Silent Bob, stay out!)

A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head. (Number one; why do you have a duck on your head? Number two; WHY DO YOU HAVE A DUCK ON YOUR HEAD?!)

Pennsylvania:
It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. ('Nuff Said - Don't do it!)

Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue. (Things aren't even that "primitive" in Montana.)

You may not sing in the bathtub. (What about the shower? Or on the toilet? While washing the dishes?)

Wyoming:
You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit. (Why not?)

Kentucky:
It is illegal to fish with a bow and arrow in Kentucky. (That sounds like too much work anyways.)

Hawaii:
All residents may be fined as a result of not owning a boat. (Good for boat dealers.)

North Dakota:
Beer and pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant. (BLASPHEMY!)

South Dakota:
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory. (Just you try and stop me.)

Nebraska:
It is Illegal to go whale fishing. (In Nebraska? ok)

It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. (Beer Cheese soup perhaps?)

Source: dumblaws.com

Next Time, Just Get Grounded.

VALPARAISO, Ind. - A teenager charged with driving 142 mph along a four-lane divided highway said he was speeding home so his parents wouldn't be mad at him for being late, police said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kids sort of have tunnel vision," Emmons said. "They're so concerned with not getting yelled at or grounded, they place other people's lives in jeopardy."

Wow...you don't want to get in trouble with your parents so you drive 142 MPH to try and get home? And according to the story, the kid doesn't have a "set" curfew, but generally tries to get home by midnight at the latest. I had essentially the same deal by the time I was a junior and senior in High-School and I never had a problem. If I thought I was going to be a little late (generally 12:30 or so) I would call my parents and tell them, and they would generally say, "That's fine, thanks for letting us know."
Now, instead of getting his driving privileges taken away for a couple of days by his parents he is facing speeding misdemeanor reckless driving charges and the chance of having his liscence suspended. Next time - Just get grounded!

Reduce Idiocy has an interesting take on this as well, what WAS a 16 year old kid doing out at almost 1 AM with a car that can go almost 150 MPH?

22 Things

December 11 is the 345th day in the Gregorian Calendar and also today's date. Through a series of events I became interested in researching the kinds of things that have happened on this date throughout the past few years. Since I was born in 1985, I decided to start there.
Without further adieu, a list of 22 things that have happened on December 11 since my birth in 1985.

1985 - Wayne Gretzky sets record for most assists in one game; 7. (source)
1986 - Elie Weisel recieves Nobel Peace Prize.
1987 - Throw Momma From the Train was the Number One movie, grossing just over $7 Million. (source)
1988 - Kari Kairamo, former CEO of Nokia, commits suicide.
1989 - Paleface Adios, an Australian Harness Racing Horse, dies at the age of 20.
1990 - John Gotti arrested in New York.
1991 - The Red Dot episode of Seinfeld airs.
1992 - Mega Man III debuts on Nintendo's Game Boy.
1993 - Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Doggy Style" went to Number 1 on the U.S. Album Chart.
1994 - Russian Troops Invade Chechnya. (source)
1995 - Darryl Strawberry charged in California with failing to make child support payments.
1996 - Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse appears on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
1997 - The Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to the Treaty on Climate Change which dealt with greenhouse gas emissions, is open for signature on the floor of the United Nations.
1998 - The Republican led House Judiciary Committee Passed three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. (source)
1999 - Full Recovery, an episode of Walker Texas Ranger first aired.
2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court hears the case of Bush v. Gore which decided the 2000 Presidential Election.
2001 - U.S. Prosecutors Zacarias Moussaoui with conspiring to murder thousands in the September 11th suicide hijackings. (source)
2002 - Joe Sakic scored his 500th NHL goal.
2003 - Two men indicted in Virginia for violating state laws concerning bulk e-mails. (source)
2004 - Doctors in Austria confirm that Victor Yushchenko, a Ukranian Presidential Candidate, is suffering from Dioxin Poison. (source)
2005 - Albanian Wikipedia reached 2,500 articles. (As of December 5, it is at 10,500)
2006 - This genius called the police to report the armed robbery of $1,100 worth of marijuana.

P.S. - I don't know why, but if you search "December 11" in Yahoo Images, you get this photo of Borat...

Stuck in the Chimney

In just a few minutes I take my first final, but before I go...here's a fun little story I found on yahoo this morning.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. - Santa must have a trick. A man who was locked out of his house in this Denver suburb tried to get in by sliding down the chimney early Friday, but he got stuck and had to be rescued, authorities said.

The story continues by saying that the man was eventually lifted to safety and no one knows who called the paramedics.
If I was locked out of my house I would go to a neighbors house and ask for a spare key or the use of their phone so that I could call a locksmith. Why is it that some people lack that kind of common sense? I mean, sliding down your chimney because you locked yourself out of your house, how idiotic do you have to be?!

I'm guessing if he were real, Santa would be laughing hysterically at this guy, although maybe he's the one who called 911.

Apparently this is not as uncommon as one would think however...

There's this "Stargazing Boy" who accidently fell into a chimney in 2002.
Or this naked guy who tried to break into a Minneapolis Book Store on Christmas day in 2003.
Or this other naked guy who apparently got locked out of his stepmother's house earlier this year.

An In Living Color Christmas

Merry Christmas from Homey-Claus



If you can't see the video; link.

Christmas Safety with Fire Marshall Bill



If you can't see the video; link.

Eyes Bigger Than Her Pockets...or Her Belt...

A teenager arrested for shoplifting had filled her pockets with so many items that her pants dropped to her ankles as she tried to run out of the store, police said.
Full Story - Yahoo

So what was she trying to steal?
- Six Rollo Candy Bars
- A Box of Strawberry Nesquik
- Potato peeler
- Ice cream scoop
- A set of measuring spoons, and
- Two cake decorating gel tubes

Dining in the Dark

Last week Say No To Crack posted about the "Taiwan Toilet Restaraunt" where all of the furniture was bathroom related (toilets and sinks)- Here.

Now Yahoo has a story about a restaraunt where customers are subjected to pitch black as they eat. In other words, you could literally have a blind date!

Love is blind -- but in this case, so were the lovers, the waiters and all the other diners at the blind date in the dark.

Lawyer Dennis Cohen thought the "Dining in the Dark" adventure billed as a three-course gourmet meal served in a pitch black dining room by blind waiters would make for an intriguing kickoff to romance.

Held in a banquet hall at a Los Angeles hotel, the culinary and sensory event offers utter obscurity, anonymity and gourmet food -- but is not recommended for anyone scared of the dark.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You learn how much you rely on your eyesight for cutting food and making sure there's something on your fork," said Russ Hemmis, a real estate investor out with his girlfriend. "But at least I can pick my nose without anyone noticing."

Full Story
This is an interesting concept...I think I'll pass for now.

Found in My email inbox - Merry Christmas

For My Democratic Friends:

"Please accept with no obligation, explicit or implied, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the s ole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."


For My Republican Friends:

Here's wishing all of You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The End is Near.

It's been a while...My past week has been spent playing Linerider and preparing for the end of the semester, which has essentially arrived. I realized today that by next Thursday night I will have completed my last college finals...hopefully forever. Yes, I still have two semesters to go, but next semester is my education practicum (essentially 9 weeks of taking classes on campus and 6 weeks working in a classroom) and next fall I will be student teaching...So, besides the PPST tests that I have to take, I am essentially done with the stresses of finals. Wow...

A Roundhouse Kick To This Blog

Chuck Norris has, in my opinion, achieved "cult icon" status in the United States. From cameos in popular movies like Dodgeball to being the subject of a Saturday Night Live power ballad to fighting in the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny, it appears that this 60 something native of Oklahoma whose real name is "Carlos" has left his indelible mark on our society. So how did Walker's meteoric rise to stardum begin? It probably has something to do with a roundhouse kick to the face, or the fact that he "punched his way out of his mother's womb."
I remember when I was in high-school my friends and I had what is best described as an "infatuation" with Chuck Norris. Some of the most enjoyable times of my high-school career were spent filming "Norris Movies" in my friends' backyards and basements. In these movies someone played Chuck and the rest of us were bad guys who got killed over...and over...and over again while Chuck never got a scratch on him, much like many of his movies. Chuck Norris seems invicible and for a guy in his mid-sixties he looks like it too.

For your viewing pleasure, some fun Chuck Norris facts, as read by the man himself.

If you can't see the video go here.

And finally, The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

If you can't see the video go here.

*Special thanks to Say No To Crack for inspiring this post with their post about ninjas.
**As a gag-gift for one of my friend's 18th birthday I bought him the movie Invasion USA, it was every bit as good as the poster makes it look. Essentially, the Soviets invade the United States and Chuck, in order to avenge a dead loved-one (it seems like this is a major aspect of any good Norris movie), fights them off and sends them, with their tails between their legs, back to the USSR.

Linerider

The most addicting thing I've found in a while; linerider.org. The site is devoted to, essentially, a flash game which lets you "freehandedly*" draw a line which a character on a sled then has to follow. The trick is to get the man to stay on his sled as long as possible.

This video is amazing...

Prometheus and Bob

Through a series of fortunate events I was able to find these Prometheus and Bob shorts on youtube.
Prometheus was an alien who came to earth to try and educate a caveman, Bob. The shorts were featured on the Nickelodeon show "KaBlam!"

That's a Little Harsh

This guy, in my opinion, went way to far.
This story sounds like something out of a Brother's Grimm Fairy Tale.

Should NFL Referees be Able To Decide Games?

The answer, obviously, is NO!!! Some of you who read this blog may know that I am an avid Green Bay Packers fan. Now, I did not enter this season expecting the Packers to be the NFC North champions, but frankly I was pleasantly surprised when, for a while, they actually started winning games. Frankly, I am very disturbed by what I just watched on Monday Night Football. The Packers played a decent game; Brett Favre through 3 interceptions, but the last two were out of desperation. In my opinion the reason the Packers lost this game can be boiled down to one thing, the officiating. Case in point, during the fourth quarter Cullen Jenkins was called for "Roughing the Passer" for hitting Matt Hasselbeck on the back of the head on a play in which he was not only already in the air by the time Hasselbeck passed the ball but in which Hasselbeck turned away from him effectively causing Jenkins to hit him on the "head." This play, which was on a third down, gave the Seahawks a first down and eventually led to a touchdown which put the game out of reach for the Packers.
It seems to me that in recent history the officiating in NFL games has been sporadic, at best, and that many games involve some sort of a call which has basically decided the game and that is just sad. Let them play.
In other news, modern quarterbacks are babies and need to remember that they are playing a relatively violent sport.

AAAAAAAAAAH!

Congress needs to draft a bill denying celebrities the right to marry eachother.
Link to Yahoo News.

You've Got to be Kidding!

According to an article on Yahoo, PETA recently sent an e-mail to an Alaskan pastor urging him not to use live animals in his churches nativity scene.

"We've never had live animals, so I just figured this was some spam thing," Armstrong said. "It's rough enough on us people standing out there in the cold. So we're definitely not using animals."
Jackie Vergerio, PETA's captive animals in entertainment specialist, said her organization tracks churches nationwide that use real animals in "living nativity scenes."
Seems the confusion started with the church's choice of phrase. PETA flagged Free Methodist's display as a "living nativity," and indeed, that's how the church describes it on its Web site.
To PETA, that means animals.
"Those animals are subject to all sorts of terrible fates in some cases," Vergerio said. "Animals have been stolen and slaughtered, they've been raped, they've escaped from the nativity scenes and have been struck by cars and killed. Just really unfathomable things have happened to them."

I am so tired of PETA. Honestly, we might as well just kill every animal on the planet because there is no way that a group like PETA is ever going to be satisfied with the way they are treated. Also, as reported earlier on this blog, PETA has taken nearly the same stand. You might as well just euthanize the animal than let it bring joy to some child who could either keep it as a pet, watch it perform in a circus or observe it in a zoo.

Oh, and by the way, I am back, obviously. My Thanksgiving was marvelous, minus the almost 28 total hours of drive time, back and forth.

Take a Break!

Thanksgiving Break officially starts for me at noon on Tuesday. I will be driving, with my sister, her husband and their four kids, to my other sister's house in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Unfortunately, I will not have the same kind of uninterrupted internet access that I do at school so I will be taking a short hiatus from blogging.
There is a chance that I might make a post tomorrow sometime before I leave, but that is a very slim chance.

Kramer Goes Crazy

I recieved an email today from a good friend of mine. The subject line read something like this "Kramer went nuts!" In the email was a link to a video at the TMZ.com. The video showed actor and comedian Michael Richards (who played Kramer on Seinfeld) performing on stage at the laugh factory. During his routine he was heckled by two African American audience members, and this is where the video starts. Having dealt with the heckling for some time Richards flies of the handle and begins throwing racial epithets around. All while still on stage. At one point in the video the two men can be heard saying, 'That was completely un-****ing called for!' To which Richards replies something to the effect of 'So was interrupting me.' The video, which is of very poor quality and is hard to understand at some points can be found here.*
In the past few years I have become an avid Seinfeld fan, so I was very surprised and disturbed by this video. Obviously any racist/bigotted thought is wrong and should not be tolerated. I do not want anyone to get the idea that I am condoning what Michael Richards did. However, in my opinion, having read a couple of articles about this and watched the video Richards was provoked to this action, in some ways. The men in the audience were not allowing him to do the comedic set that he had prepared and it would appear that it flustered and frustrated him to a point of extreme anger, something we are all prone to. Racism is never the answer, and what Richards did during this performance was unthinkable. However, I still think he deserves some forgiveness.
Article from the Star Tribune
*This video contains graphic language.

11:05 PM - Addendum - Jerry Seinfeld was on David Letterman tonight and invited Michael Richards to come onto the show via satellite to discuss, from his point of view, what happened. During the interview Richards apologized profusely for his actions and was on the verge of tears the entire time. It was the most serious thing that I have ever seen as he apologized and stated again and again that no one deserves to endure "that crap," meaning the racial remarks which he made on stage. According to Richards, he let his anger get the best of him and he was deeply sorry for it.

Incredibly Unproductive and Lacking Creativity

I'm feeling lazy, unproductive, uncreative...not in the mood for blogging, and yet here I am writing a new post.
Now that I'm here I guess I might as well try and come up with something, but what?
Aha! I've got it...
My top five Board games:
5. Clue
4. Risk
3. Monopoly
2.Trivial Pursuit
1. Balderdash

Food For Thought:
What if real life was like the Game of Life?

Subway

What was the most annoying thing to happen to me today?
I had to sit and wait in line while the person in front of me at Subway ordered 4 sandwiches...
I know, this is to be expected at a fast food establishment, but for some reason whenever I go to Subway this happens. The strangest thing about this occurence is that had the three other people whom she was ordering for been there with her I would have had no problem with it...

Roots.

I've decided, after much deliberation, that "Don't Forget Your Sunscreen: The Sequel" was just too wordy...This blog has taken on a life of it's own and, in many ways, has seperated itself from it's predecessor (which can be found here: http://virtualdig.org/blogs/cameronheiliger/).
Anyhow, to make a long story short, I have decided to simply call this blog "Don't Forget Your Sunscreen." The literal tone which I adopted in the first blog (which chronicles my month* long adventure as an archaeological volunteer in Israel where sunscreen was supposed to be a necessity**) has now turned into a more metaphorical tone for life in general.

Don't Forget Your Sunscreen - You might get burned.

*The month long trip was shortened to two weeks because of fighting in the north and the explosion of a Katyusha rocket in Tiberias, only a few miles from where we were.
**I confess that I only used Sunscreen the first couple of days.

In Some Ways This Was to Be Expected

Man Shot While Waiting in Line for Playstation 3.

This is an awful story. However, I would say that it is to be expected in our society. Consider this, from the "thugs" point of view. There are 20 people standing outside at 3 AM waiting to buy a game console that costs nearly $600. I'm no math major but that equals a lot of money and not too many people who are gonna put up much of a fight since they've been sleeping and eating in the line for probably 2 or 3 days...easy pickens? Of course. Two problems occur to me. One; our society finds video games SOOO important that people have taken this entire week off of work just to stand in line for a video game console. Two; that people in this society would think in the way that I state above.

Neglect

I've been neglecting the blog lately, I apologize.
Here's what's been happening...

O.J. Simpson has apparently finished taping an interview, in conjunction with the release of a new book, in which he says how "he would have done it" if he had killed his ex-wife and her friend. Story.
Ridiculous!

Lawsuits have been filed against the makers of the film 'Borat' by a group of 'frat boys' who claim they were led to believe the movie would not be seen in the United States and that they signed the contracts to appear on screen under impaired circumstances. Story.
Cohen defends Borat.
How unfortunate that under the "false pretenses" of the contract these poor fellows exuded their true personalities.

Hopefully I will be able to post something more fun a little later on in the day.

Will it Blend?

Blendtec, a home appliance company which specializes in blenders has recently released a video series entitled "Will it Blend." I discovered the videos while visiting Say No to Crack, one of the blogs I read on a daily basis. According to the BlendTec website, the Total Blender "is the all-in-one appliance that makes smoothies, fresh juice, ice cream, milkshakes, cappuccinos, margaritas, soups, sauces, breads, dressings, salsas and more! It replaces up to 9 other appliances with one fast easy-to-use machine, at a fraction of the cost." And it only costs $400!! On the higher end of things, Blendtec also has an $825 model called the Connoisseur.
For the videos - willitblend.com
Blendtec official website

I wish I had money...and a real fridge

One of the things I regret from my childhood is that I only played the game of Mousetrap a couple of times. I remember seeing commercials for it constantly, and always thinking how much fun it looked. As an avid Looney Tunes watcher, it reminded me of the crazy contraptions that Wile E. Coyote developed to catch the Roadrunner.
For all of you who feel the same as me and wish you had more time to play Mousetrap have no fear. A new toy has been released which essentially turns your fridge into a giant Mousetrap board.
Essentially, Frigits Deluxe consists of several marbles and a series of colorful magnetic funnels, tunnels, catapults, spinners and sheer drops that stick to the side of your fridge.
Link via mental_floss and OhGizmo!

Amateur

This is a lot of fun - link via neatorama.

Chutzpah is Right!

Some people will go any length to avoid the consequences of their actions. This guy is using the consequences of his actions to avoid the consequences of his actions (I hope that made sense).
According to the article, on Yahoo, this Canadian was divorced from his wife and decided that he'd rather see her dead than pay the child support he owed.
Unbeknownst to him the would be hitman that he hired to break his ex-wife's neck was an undercover officer.
Having pleaded guilty to the charge of plotting to commit murder he is claiming that his incarceration will prevent him from paying his child support.
This guy should have never been a father. Yes his marriage failed, but as a parent he has a responsibility to support his children.

Full Story

OK Go

Tonight Andrea and I are going to see OK Go.
Both of these videos were shot in one take.

big burger

I don't even know what to say about this...it's a 105 pound hamburger in New Jersey...

Heroes in a Halfshell

The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book premiered in 1984. Originally intended by the creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, as a parody of the two most popular comics of the time; The New Mutants and Daredevil. Little did they know the phenomena they were about to create. In the past 22 years the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have emerged as true American icons, since then they have been the subject of three TV series, four movies (one due out in 2007) as well as multiple video games.
For me, neither of the other TV series will ever live up to the first. The Next Mutation, 1997-98, was a live action spin-off of the movie series which never lived up to the hype and never really seemed to be 'the Turtles,' and I have never been a fan of the new look of the recent Turtles series.
As for the new movie due out next year, I could not be more excited! Here's what you can expect; "the PG-rated movie will derive its tone from the original comic-book series and will be slightly grittier than the previous live-action pictures. The animation will be created in Imagi’s state-of-the-art facility in Hong Kong."
Take a look at the trailer:


Just another note, I have passed on a love of the Turtles to a new generation. My nephew, who is 6, used to spend a lot of time at our house including spending the night at least a couple of nights a week. I remember on multiple occasions being asked to sing "Ninja Turtles Song" before he would finally settle down and go to sleep.

Fortune Favors the Bold!

This morning I awoke and checked my email to find FOUR emails which read thusly, (the more interesting parts are in bold).

What's the first rule of investing? Buy low sell high!
Yesterday, market forces caused our top pick (EGLY) to close down on the day. This gives our members the perfect opportunity to pick some up on the cheap before the big news!

Ever-Glory International (EGLY)
Current: 0.63
Projected: 1.30
Rating: 5/5
Here's the latest news:

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA-(MARKET WIRE)-Nov 6, 2006 - 9:45am- The Relationship between Ever-Glory and Disney's Agent is going well, with Orders Recorded in Excess of $100,000 for First Half of 2006.
We believe that having such a relationship with Disney is a huge window of opportunity which could lead to extremely large contracts. Go EGLY!


Other news:
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA-(MARKET WIRE)-Nov 1, 2006 10:16pm- Ever-Glory International Group, a multinational enterprise specializing in garment manufacturing and exports, has expanded the scope of its business in 2006, wherein the first half of the year, completed orders from a single customer, C&A, totaled a staggering US$5.6 Million.
This is just ONE customer! Many others have placed large orders this quarter.

August 8th - $2mil order from Matalan
July 25th - $500k order from Debenhams
July 10th - $1mil order from OTTO


Please check all these figures with your favorite source.
EGLY is the great deal! We are expecting third quarter numbers to be out soon and are telling all of our members to take a position in before the data hits the street. These fortuitous figures are going to shock the market and send this one way up!
Give yourself the chance to come out WAY ahead here.
Fortune favors the bold!Also news are
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The morning after the closely fought midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its first major abortion case in six years.
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- A fire early Monday destroyed a section of the venerable Gatorland tourist attraction, likely killing four animals. Among the charred areas was its main entrance, a huge concrete alligator mouth.
JACKSON, Michigan (AP) -- The party game asked people to name the stupidest thing they had ever done. Police say Jerry Rose answered, "Shot a guy in the head."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans and Democrats pushed their get-out-the-vote efforts to full throttle and political luminaries hopscotched the nation on behalf of candidates as some polls showed Tuesday's midterm elections tightening.
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- New national data show school bus-related accidents send 17,000 U.S. children to emergency rooms each year, more than double the number in previous estimates that only included crashes.

Thanks for brightening my day ever so slightly Shelton, Osvaldo, Shane and Thad.

Electioneering

Tired of this election season? Check out this post at Neatorama.
Man am I glad I'm not in Montana for all of this...





I couldn't find the one I was looking for. For anyone who is in Montana right now, you might remember it...apparently Jon Tester thinks Americans are just "gravy trains with biscuit wheels."

Go-Go Gadget Slammer

After a weekend’s long hiatus I’m back and blogging again. Today’s topic, a schoolyard fad that came and went faster than you can say antidisestablishmentarianism. That’s right, I’m talking about Pogs!

The game emerged in Hawaii during the 1920s and 30s. Players would use either milk caps of the cardboard caps of a particular kind of juice made from passion fruit, orange and guava; hence, POG.

The game started with each player stacking an even amount of Pogs facedown between them. They would then take turns hitting the stack with their ‘slammer.’ Any pogs which landed face-up were collected by the player. This process continued until all the pogs in the stack were gone. The player with the most pogs won the game and kept the pogs which they had collected.

Much like the Pokemon and other anime card games which emerged more recently, this game took over the lives of those school children who took part in it. Most recesses were devoted to playing the game, so much so that some schools even banned pogs from the premises. Some teachers saw the fact that the winner took the spoils of the game as a form of gambling.

Luckily the fad dwindled just as quickly as it began.

Charts and Graphs

I found this on mental_floss, they found it on boingboing.
Enjoy.

Hypocrisy.

Iran's best-selling newspaper, Hamshahri, launched a competition in February to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis.

The contest was a retaliation for last year's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish and other European newspapers that angered Muslims worldwide.

Full story.

I am deeply disturbed by what I have just read, supplemented above. I find it ironic that in the past year Islam has dramatically retaliated, twice with violence, for comments made about their religion. Yet, as a Christian, if my religion is lampooned or mocked, which it is every day, I am told to bite the bullet and get over it.
Last year when the cartoon mentioned above was released, if I remember right, it also contained caricatures of other major religions. The only one we heard about was the depiction of Mohammad, and the only reason we heard about it was because many Muslims retaliated with violence.
Again, many Muslims retaliated with violence when the Pope made a comment about Islam's history of violence. This was the most ironic to me. It was as if Islam was saying, "You say we're violent? You deserve to die for saying that!"
Now, an Iranian newspaper has given rewards to the cartoonists who best lampooned one of the most horrific events in human history; the Holocaust.
I am not going to say that, from a worldview, Christianity or Judaism are better than Islam. Many awful things have been done in the name of God; the Crusades come to mind. It was unfortunate that the original cartoon was published, however, to respond in such a way that only proliferates the idea which was put forth in said cartoon is not going to help Islam any.
That's enough world politics, next time I'll just leave it to Griep.

BALDERDASH!

I assume that most people have heard of or played the game Balderdash. For those who may not know, this is one of my favorite board games. Here's what happens, the "dasher" gives all of the players a specific clue; this could be a word, person, movie name or even a date. After all of the players make up their own definition the dasher reads them along with the right answer. Then, everyone chooses what they think is the most feasible answer. Finally, points are given accordingly.
With all of that said, I have decided to post a word from Balderdash in the hopes of getting some funny answers.
The only rule is that you are not allowed to look up the word or topic.

The word is: pogonotomy.

The Trappings of My Youth

It's the start of a new month, and as such I have decided to spend this month reminiscing about my youth.
I will still do my best to bring you the random, odd or just plain weird from the daily news, but along with that I will be making every effort to bring you a daily dose of what I remember from my younger days.
Things you can look forward to; Pogs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI-Joe, Transformers, Hot-Wheels, 'How I broke my arm,' 'the squeegee story' and so much more!

Bob Barker's Farewell Tour

Bob Barker yesterday announced his imminent retirement from the hit day-time game show The Price is Right. The 82 year old, who turns 83 in December, will film his last show next June after being at the helm for 35 years; the entire span of the show's existence.

"I probably made up my mind four or five days ago," he says. "I got up in the morning, and I was rushing around to the fax machine, to the telephone, to get the mail, trying to get to the studio, and I thought, 'Now's the time.' "

Full Story.