You're a Human Zoo.

Apparently...

Researchers on a safari for microbes have found that human skin is populated by a veritable menagerie of bacteria -- 182 species -- some apparently living there permanently and others just dropping by for a visit.

No cause for panic...

There's no need for alarm, said microbiologist Dr. Martin Blaser of New York University School of Medicine: the bacteria have been with us for quite a while and some are helpful.

In fact, they may be good for you, and you might want to stop showering so much...

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms believed to have been the first living things on Earth. While some cause disease, bacteria also reside normally in our bodies, for example in the digestive tract, performing useful chores.
"Without good bacteria, the body could not survive," added Dr. Zhan Gao, a scientist in Blaser's lab involved in the study.
The researchers noted that microbes in the body actually outnumber human cells 10-to-1.
"Our microbes are actually, in essence, a part of our body," Blaser said.
"We think that many of the normal organisms are protecting the skin. So that's why I don't think it's a great idea to keep washing all the time because we're basically washing off one of our defense layers," Blaser added.

So the next time you're bathing with that Ivory soap remember you might be committing bacterial genocide.

[Full Story]

I'm Melting...I'm Melting...

I find myself melting slowly into oblivion. My blogging skills are waning with the prospects of this daunting semester: 14 credits worth of work (an entire 16 week semester for most) in 10 weeks followed by 6 weeks working in a classroom. Couple that with the tension of "what happens next?"
Next fall I student teach. I'm not 100% sure where, signs are pointing to Kalispell, Montana. After that...a job, who knows where.
Therefore I try to keep my sanity. I do my homework, the best I can. I write my lesson plans, read the books on how to teach (occasionally) and try to sleep whenever possible.
On that note, on of the most interesting, and entertaining, resources I have been introduced to this semester is a site called BrainPop. The site uses fun flash animations to educate students. I would watch it even if I wasn't going to be a teacher. Check it out, most of the videos are not available unless you sign up for them, but they do have a 14 day free trial and some others are available to watch absolutely free.
In summation, did you know that NASA recently (in December) unveiled plans for a permanent base to be constructed on the moon. Some details are available on Wikipedia. More detailed info via National Geographic.
In the immortal words of G.I. Joe - Knowing is half the battle.


If you can't see the video, here.

Montana Sues Wyoming!

I'm not sure whose side I should be on in this one. After all, I was born in Wyoming and have lived in Montana since I was 8...

The state of Montana filed suit Thursday with U.S. Supreme Court against Wyoming over water rights, claiming Wyoming’s excessive use of water from two river systems is leaving downstream Montana ranches and farms dry.

The dispute over the Tongue and Powder rivers - which flow from northeastern Wyoming into southeastern Montana - marks a sharp escalation in an increasingly acrimonious water fight between the two states. The region is suffering through a prolonged drought dating to 1999.

The lawsuit alleges Wyoming is ignoring Montana’s "senior" water rights by taking more water from the rivers than allowed under the 1950 Yellowstone River Compact. That includes water diverted and stored for irrigation and also groundwater pumped from beneath the surface during coalbed methane production.

"Wyoming signed a compact that said Montana would get its fair share of water and Wyoming has not been holding up its end of the deal," Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in a statement.

Full Story

Snow

In a normal winter, the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado does not get much snow. I can remember Christmases spent at the park with just a light jacket on. This year, however, Fort Collins and other cities in Colorado are striving to break records, this being the 7th consecutive week that it will snow. Just thought I'd share it. (Cameron told me to).

Check out the facts here.

A Trip to the Moon

I FOUND IT!
Originally, the only YouTube video that I could find had been 'removed.' Thankfully, I decided to try searching one more time, and look what I came up with!

Enjoy...


If you can't see the video, here.

Please Accept My Apologies.

Wow, it's been over a week since I last posted anything here...However, I will say that it has been a busy hectic week! I've been going to classes, art shows, meetings, Nebraska and somewhere in between all of that fun have had to find to do homework, eat, sleep and read.
Speaking of reading, I just finished reading an amazing book: "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," by Brian Selznick. The book creatively uses illustrations to help tell the story. The way that the author placed illustrations throughout the book makes it seem as if you are "reading" a movie.
And speaking of movies, the book also discusses the origins of film, especially concerning early French filmmaker Georges Melies. I did not know much, if anything, about the early days of film, but after reading this book I was intrigued to find out as much as I could about Melies.
Melies was a magician who, after seeing the "magic" of moving pictures realized that this was a medium which he could utilize heavily. According to Wikipedia (always a good source...) Melies was possibly the innovator of the stop-trick, or substitution method of film-making. He was also one of the first filmmakers to utilize multiple exposures, time lapse photography, dissolves and hand-painted color in his film.
Melies' most famous work is "Le Voyage Dan La Lune," (A Trip to the Moon) about a group of astronomers who go on a voyage to the moon. One of the most famous scenes from this film includes the man in the moon being hit in the eye by a rocket. Another famous film is "The Impossible Voyage." Both of these films are important because they represent two of the earliest science fiction/fantasy films. In addition, Melies is often credited with inventing the horror film!
For more on Melies:
Wikipedia.
The Geoges Melies database.

Finally, here are three great movies, courtesy of YouTube, by this innovative early filmmaker. I don't know much about film making, and what I do know is confined to doing it digitally, so this is amazing to me!

The Four Troublesome Heads (1899)

If you can't see the video, here.

The One Man Band (1900)

If you can't see the video, here.

The Man With the Rubber Head

If you can't see the video, here.

Flight School

The Power of Lego.

In recent years the Bible has been portrayed through many different mediums. The Bible is now available on CD, CD-Rom, DVD and video, but no other medium is as interesting, or as fun, as the Bible represented through Legos.
According to the website, The Brick Testament contains 268 stories with 3,048 illustrations. These stories and illustrations cover aspects of both the Old and New Testaments.
Here are some examples;

The Parting of the Red Sea:


Samson defeats 1,000 Philistines with the donkey of a jawbone*:


The Plank in Your Eye:


The Good News of the Empty Tomb!


The theology may not be the best, but you have to admit that this is a fun way to represent the stories of the Bible.

For the entire Brick Testament go here.

*I have to admit that I put this particular story up with an ulterior motive. When I was in high-school and attended weekly Youth Group, one of the things we liked to do was read the "Extreme Faith Bible" which had a picture of a guy skateboarding with his Bible on the cover. This story was probably the funniest one in there as Samson's song read something like this; 'With the jawbone of a donkey I killed one thousand men, I beat them with this jawbone over and over again.'

I'm a Walking Contradiction.

About a week ago I posted this New Years Post in which I stated all the flaws that I have and my inane desire to keep it that way. Well, I'm here to tell you that somehow, whether consciously or not, I have actually found myself on the road to recovery.
First off, I've been drinking more water lately. I don't exactly know why, I just know that I find myself craving water more so than pop as of late, and I wonder if that isn't such a terrible thing.
Secondly, I have also found myself reading, though I wouldn't say "voraciously." I am currently enthralled with two books; The Know It All, by A.J. Jacobs and Peter and the Starcatchers a children's book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
However, where I have begun to counteract #5 of my original list (I watch a lot of TV) I have only increased the level of random information that could spew forth at any moment. This is entirely because of the book The Know It All, which I must say is an amazingly poignant and entertaining read. It chronicles the authors "humble quest to become the smartest person in the world," or so says the dust jacket. He accomplishes this by reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. Frankly, I am enamored by the information I have discovered through this book. For instance, did you know that Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, wrote the children's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Terry Tate: Office Linebacker

With Super Bowl season upon us I thought it would be nice to relive one of the best Super Bowl moments of the last few years. Reebok's Terry Tate commercials were quite possibly some of the funniest TV spots that I can remember. They first appeared during the 2002 Super Bowl (XXVII).


If you can't see the video, here.

After the originals were through airing they created yet another short, Sensitivity Training.


If you can't see the video, here.

Keep Healthy...Buy a Pogo Stick!

A doctor in Arizona considers pogo-sticking a good way to exercise... [story]

I think these guys just like to have fun...





Whoa...I want one, too!

Anyone Have $700 I Can Borrow?

It is utter insanity how much textbooks for college cost.
Consider this:
If I buy all of my books brand new it will cost me OVER $700.
If I buy them all USED it will cost OVER $530.
Why is this SO ludicrous?
Because I only, technically, have 10 weeks of class this semester. The final five weeks will be spent performing a teaching practicum in an actual classroom...of campus.
In other words...I COULD pay between $500 and $700 for books that I'm going to, foresee ably, get 10 weeks of use out of.
Before you say anything, yes, I know that most books are available online. Unfortunately, most of mine seem so "specialized" that even used online they are nearly as expensive as the used ones in our bookstore.

The good news in all of this?
Thankfully I have someone who will share the brunt of the expenses with me, and who is in all of my classes.

Needless to say; I am slightly angry, hence the rant.
However, I am not nearly as angry as this guy...


If you can't see the video, here.

...and I would never treat a computer with such disrespect.

Thanks for listening, and, since I haven't mentioned it yet, if you have not already noticed my coauthor Andrea has returned and is again posting some fantastic(ly) interesting stuff.

You're Going to Ruin Your Breakfast!

In recent years I have endured gasps and intense scrutiny for drinking pop in the morning (sometimes with breakfast, usually McDonald's breakfast - I like the breakfast burritos). Thankfully, it has come to my attention that there are more people out there just like me, and the number is growing.

It's not unusual for Dee McKinsey to have three cans of Coke before she leaves the house each morning for her job as the regional director of boards and volunteerism at the American Cancer Society in Chicago.

"There is nothing better than the feel of Coke on the back of your throat in the morning," said McKinsey, a morning pop drinker since the 1970s, savoring the cold, stinging sensation that coffee drinkers just don't get.

But these days, more people are enjoying that chilled morning jolt as they increasingly turn to soft drinks instead of coffee, flaunting mom's no-pop-for-breakfast rule many had in their youth.

Consumption of soft drinks at breakfast eaten outside the home has nearly doubled in the past 15 years, while coffee consumption with breakfast outside the home has fallen nearly 25 percent, according to data compiled by New-York based consumer research firm NPD Group, which has offices in Rosemont.

The data is specific to drinks with meals and does not, for example, address the Starbucks phenomenon.

Breakfast consumers order a soft drink with their breakfast 15.1 percent of the time, compared with 7.9 percent of the time in 1990, said Harry Balzer, an NPD executive vice president who has studied American eating habits for more than 25 years. At the same time, Balzer said, coffee was being ordered 38 percent of the time, compared with 48.7 percent 15 years ago.

As I was growing up there always seemed to be this stigma about drinking pop in the morning, and therefore it was essentially given the seal of anathema (I like using words that I learn in theology classes) until noon, or later. However, now that I am in my fourth year of college I have discovered that I can drink a pop anytime I want, and I generally do: even, on occasion, with breakfast.

[Full Story Here]

No One Likes Getting Nagged...

But this guy took things WAAAAAAAAY too far.

When Ricardo A Nance Jr.'s mother told him that if he wanted to stay living in her house, he'd have to get a job, he responded with what might be termed an over-reaction. According to police, he burnt the house down.

Investigators looking into the torching of the house in Monroe, Louisiana say that Nance admitted using a cigarette lighter to set fire to the couch in the house he shared with his mother, after she had been nagging him to get a job or move out.

Nance is 31 years old.

[Full Story]

American Football in London.

London will hold the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America this year, the start of a campaign to take American football to a global audience. "There's great history of NFL football in London, and British fans have been great fans of football over the years," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday. "We're confident that this game is going be a great success in London and will be a great foundation to play more games there going forward."

[Full Story]

Mutant Turtles

Mutation: (noun) a sudden departure from the parent type in one or more heritable characteristics, caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome

Perhaps two heads truly are better than one.

Nice and Cozy

Somedays you just want to curl up and take a nice long nap...with a python?!

Ok, now how many parents out there are interested in bringing one of these home for their young child's next pet?!

This picture kind of scares me.

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.