The Spagnostics and the Pastafarians follow the Spaghedeity and believe in the sanctity of pirates. What's not to like?!
More info: Homepage: http://www.venganza.org/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster
Sept 19th is coming fast.
... but Jesus has finally come out with a rebuttal to John Lennon.
Lennon had made very controversial comments back in 1966 regarding the waning popularity of Jesus and the Catholic church.
Jesus had been slow to reply, first allowing Republicans to have their say. But it turned out the Beatles were more popular than Republicans and the sarcasm of Lennon's comments was allowed to be understood. Lennon's comments soon drifted into popular culture...
... and then even into academic culture, as hippies soon became professors. (Yes, you need this for a quality education.)
But with the death of George Carlin, who made a few suggestions for Jesus' reply as the priest in Dogma, Jesus has released this statement:
"Who's bigger than Jesus now, John?! Who's bigger than Jesus now?"
The following story, entitled Winnie and Walter, was published sometime in the 19th century by an unknown author. It's a bit of a tongue twister. And it might not make sense on one read (so read it again, Scallywag)
“Warm weather, Walter! Welcome warm weather! We were wishing winter would wane, weren’t we?” “We were well wearied with waiting,” whispered Waiter wearily. Wan, white, woe-begone was Walter; wayward, wilful, worn with weakness, wasted, waxing weaker whenever winter’s wild, withering winds were wailing. Wholly without waywardness was Winifred, Walter’s wise, womanly watcher, who, with winsome, wooing way, was well-beloved.
“We won’t wait, Walter; while weather’s warm we’ll wander where woodlands wave, won’t we?”
Walter’s wanton wretchedness wholly waned. “Why, Winnie, we’ll walk where we went when we were with Willie; we’ll weave wildflower wreaths, watch woodmen working; woodlice, worms wriggling; windmills whirling; watermills wheeling; we will win wild whortleberries, witness wheat winnowed.”
Wholly without warning, wild wet winds woke within Wisbeach woods, whistling where Winifred wandered with Walter; weeping willows were wailing weirdly; waging war with wind-tossed waters. Winifred’s wary watchfulness waked.
“Walter, we won’t wait.”
“Which way, Winnie?”
Winifred wavered. “Why, where were we wandering? Wisbeach woods widen whichever way we walk. Where’s Wisbeach white wicket, where’s Winston’s water-mill?”
WistfuIly, Walter witnessed Winifred’s wonder. “Winnie, Winnie, we were wrong, wholly wrong; wandering within wild ways. Wayfaring weather-beaten waifs, well-nigh worn-out.”
Winifred waited where, within wattled woodwork walls, waggons, wheelbarrows, wains were waiting, weighty with withered wood. Walter, warmly wrapped with Winifred’s well-worn wadded waterproof, was wailing woefully, wholly wearied. Winnie, who, worn with watching, well-nigh weeping, was wistfully, wakefully waiting Willie’s well-known whistle, wholly wished Walter’s well-being warranted.
With well-timed wisdom, Walter was wound with wide, worsted wrappers, which wonderfully well withstood winter’s withering, whistling winds. Wholly without warm wrappers was Winifred, who, with womanly wisdom, was watching Walter’s welfare, warding Walter’s weakness.
“When will Willie wend where we wait?” wearily wondered Walter.
“Whist, Walter,” whispered Winnie, “who was whooping?”
“Whereabouts?”
Welcome whistling was waking Wisbeach woods when winter’s windy warfare waxed weaker.
“Winnie! Walter!”
Winifred’s wakefulness was well-grounded. “We’re well, Willie; we’re where Winston’s waggons wait.”
Without waiting, Willie was within Winston’s woodwork walls.
“Welcome, welcome, Willie.” Winnie was weeping with weariness with watching Walter, weak with wayfaring.
“Why Winnie! Wise, watchful, warm-hearted Winnie,” Willie whispered wheedlingly. “We won’t weep; Walter’s well. What were Walter without Winnie?”
Wholly wonderful was Winifred’s well-timed womanly wisdom, which well warranted weakly Walter’s welfare. Whenever wandering within Wisbeach woods with Winnie, Walter would whisper, “What were Walter without Winnie? Wise, watchful, warm-hearted Winnie!”
There is a list of the different products they believe to be 'safe' at the bottom of the article. Scallywag.Many Sunscreens Ineffective, Group SaysAdvocacy Group Says Many Popular Sunscreens Offer Inadequate Sun Protection, Calls On FDA To Implement Label Changes
(WebMD) An environmental research and advocacy group claims that four out of five brand-name sunscreens either provide inadequate sun protection or contain chemicals that may be unsafe, but industry representatives strongly dispute the charge.... (continue)
Let us pretend this was a few days ago.
Rod Stewart is Mad about Models. And Not the Kind he's Been Known to Marry.
by jgr80
Rod Stewart, or Mr. Stewart (as he's known to his butler), has an unhealthy obsession with model trains. In the December 2007 issue of Model Railroader, Stewart said "It means more to me to be on the cover of Model Railroader than to be on the cover of a music magazine."
during a 63-show North American tour in 2007, Stewart relocated his wife Penny Lancaster, the couple's toddler son Alistair, and seven massive traveling cases of model kits and tools to a suite of rooms in Chicago. From this central location, he flew to each night's show. After the performance, a limo would rush him back to the airport where his private jet would be waiting. After a quick flight back to Chicago and a few hours rest, Stewart would be up bright and early and busy at his model railroad workbench. Stewart said he could usually manage a few hours of steady model building each morning before setting aside his tools and spending the remainder of the day with his wife and son.This is the rockstar lifestyle people dream of... I mean who needs to sleep when you get to spend more time with the models you build instead of the models you marry. Dude is compensating for something.
These quickie news channels really need more communication between the ad department and the news department.
by jgr80
For some Canadians (I certainly feel a divide on this one), July 1st is a day to celebrate for a reason other than our nation's birth.
Those same Canadians may also be quite upset for the same reason.... Perplexed? Well, clearly it's unrestricted free agent day in the NHL. Something nearly as important as Canada Day to die-hard hockey fans.
Now a lot of people will be talking about Marian Hossa. A lot of people will be talking about Brian Campbell... and while I like both of these players, don't be fooled. The big name is my boy Mats.
I've had a lot of people annoy the crap out of me the last two weeks or so with the silly dialogue about Mats vs. TML vs. Montreal Girlymen. The headline and a few sentences in this article from this morning suggest Mats won't sign with Montreal, although there is clearly some doubt in the rest of the article. Hell, we may find out in the next couple of hours.
Well, I quite like the graceful slide of a Sundin stride down the ice towards a Montreal net. That is, while he's playing offense for the Leafs, rather than defense for Les Habitants (which is stupidest name in all of professional sports... even worse than all those silly Major League soccer teams like the New York Red Bulls, or the Columbus Crew, or the Football Club Dallas).
No. I will take the high-road on this one. Mats is/was an excellent player for Toronto and does/did a lot of great things for the team. The only negative thing I will say is that if he signs with Montreal he is a scum-sucking vaginoplasty patient who deserves to burn for deserting-- nay betraying-- the cause of all-things-Montreal-must-perish-from-horrible-sports-related-injuries. You already found out early in your career Quebec is not the place for a Swede. If you don't play for Toronto, go somewhere else or may all the wrath of Toronto fans follow you around like a plague throughout the league. There will be curses laid on all things Sundin and all things Montreal throughout the land. The permanent place you've earned among the verdant fields of Elysium will be replaced by the 8th circle of Hell.
But I'm not bitter.
In Korea, there are far too many people of the same name for Westerners to keep things straight. So rather than embarrass myself while I was teaching over there-- just like all the other teachers-- I gave them Western names. I named a lot of them after friends and family... named a lot of them after cartoon characters and comic book characters... but my favorite little guy didn't get an English at all. He was of Swedish-Korean decent and was named Mats. He didn't know a word of English when he started. He knew at least 13 words a lesson.
It would be a cold day in Elysium if I were not able to cheers for Mats Sundin.
More goals than Teemu Selanne, Ron Francis, Rocket Richard, Jean Beliveau, or Daryl Sittler.
More assists than Chris Chelios, Niklas Lidstrom, Larry Robinson, or Jean Beliveau.
None of it means a thing with that other sweater on.
OOOH Snap! I guess not having a car because of having no money all these years was really the smartest idea after all. That's right. Snap.
As oil hits $140, a new low for DetroitWhat we need here is some real initiative and imagination.Chrysler LLC trotted out celebrated retired chairman Lee Iacocca to rally employee spirits on Thursday, but investors were more interested in bankruptcy rumours that continued to haunt the auto maker and yet another fresh high for energy prices that are pounding the entire industry...
...The Detroit auto makers are reeling from a collapse in sales of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the U.S. market amid gasoline prices above $4 a gallon and the U.S. real estate collapse.
It could get even worse, CIBC World Markets Inc. economists Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal warned Thursday, saying that gasoline could surge to $7 a gallon, which will cause Americans to abandon some of their vehicles and send sales through the floor.
I bet the B.C. Coastal feet come from Russia. I've heard the mob over there is particularly brutal.
Check this out.
Cows Ice Cream -- an Island staple since 1983-- was recently named "Best in the World" by Tauck World Discovery.
Notice the description of why it's better than the others.
The ice cream has "high-quality ingredients and a lusciously high butterfat content (16%) to craft rich, whimsically-themed flavors."
Mmmm, I loves me some butterfat. That sounds so appetizing.
In fact, me gonna have some right now.
by jgr80
Given the charged debate around racial and gender lines during the primaries, Obama might be treading on thin ice with this...
Workers Bar Muslim Women From Obama Backdrop
Posted Jun 18, 08 2:53 PM CDT in
(Newser) – Two Muslim women were barred from sitting behind Barack Obama during a rally Monday, with campaign volunteers concerned about headscarves appearing on TV and in pictures, Politico reports. (continue...)Politics 
Every once and a while, there is some interesting news in Nova Scotia.
Police catch man who hid marijuana around penis
June 17, 2008 05:00
Getting caught with marijuana by police is bad enough. But the drug arrest of John Christopher Williams, 34, was particularly embarrassing.
Williams has a lengthy criminal record and had failed to show up for court dates more than once, leading to a warrant for his arrest. When police found and arrested him they didn’t find any drugs on him and Williams didn’t say anything.
It was only when he was being checked in to prison that guards discovered nine grams of marijuana wrapped around his penis. Williams says it was all a misunderstanding.
He appeared yesterday in Dartmouth Provincial Court under charges of smuggling drugs into prison.
His lawyer said Williams now realizes he should have told police about the pot sooner. He was sentenced to thirty days in prison.
Hhhmmm... a clever one-liner to appropriately make fun and demonstrates insight....
Another foot finds its way to the BC shoreline.
CNEWS reports:
Looks like they will have to reopen the case of the sneaky washed up sneakers... with feet.Fifth human foot in one year washes ashore along B.C. coastBy THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER - A fifth human foot has washed ashore in southwestern B.C., and this time it's a left one.
Police say two people out for a walk spotted a left foot floating in water off Westham Island on Monday morning. Four other feet have washed up on shorelines along islands in B.C. in the last year; all have been right feet wearing socks and shoes. (continue...)
by jgr80
Four regions have more than 500 prisoners per 100,000 people: Bahamas, Belarus, Russia, and the United States.
The first three have political issues that really put them in a different class than the United States. Democratic and human rights are hurting in the first three countries. So much so, that it might not be surprising to see so many people arrested within their borders.
This doesn't explain why the U.S. has so many prisoners.
What the graphic doesn't show is that the U.S. could be in its own category. A year ago, Glenn Loury reported:
"According to a 2005 report of the International Centre for Prison Studies in London, the United States—with five percent of the world’s population—houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates. Our incarceration rate (714 per 100,000 residents) is almost 40 percent greater than those of our nearest competitors (the Bahamas, Belarus, and Russia)." (continue...)Could it be that there is an angry, overly-aggressive, inherently different citizenry south of the border? Unlikely.
It's fairly well-known that crime rates in the United States have fallen in the last two decades. Not only has it been reported on widely in the news, but incredibly thoughtful analyses have appeared in The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and in Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.
"imprisonment rates have continued to rise while crime rates have fallen because we have become progressively more punitive: not because crime has continued to explode (it hasn’t), not because we made a smart policy choice, but because we have made a collective decision to increase the rate of punishment."
"We have a corrections sector that employs more Americans than the combined work forces of General Motors, Ford, and Wal-Mart, the three largest corporate employers in the country, and we are spending some $200 billion annually on law enforcement and corrections at all levels of government, a fourfold increase (in constant dollars) over the past quarter century."Money.
"The prison-industrial complex is not only a set of interest groups and institutions. It is also a state of mind. The lure of big money is corrupting the nation's criminal-justice system, replacing notions of public service with a drive for higher profits. The eagerness of elected officials to pass tough-on-crime legislation -- combined with their unwillingness to disclose the true costs of these laws -- has encouraged all sorts of financial improprieties."Privatized prisons raise concerns about treatment, facilities, and staffing.
by jgr80
The Hulk, in terms of a superhero character, is, by all means, incredible. As a character.
The current manifestations of the Hulk on the big screens, however, are anything but. These movies are clear examples of why screen adapters should not stray from the comic book storylines with this character. Other comic book movies generally keeping the plot of their comic books.
The Hulk's generally accepted powers include: a) Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability; b) a Regenerative healing factor; and c) genius level intellect (in certain incarnations).
One of his powers has never extreme temporary gigantism or extreme acrobatic ability. The special effects in the movies make the character silly.
Exhibit A:
The new Edward Norton movie trailer:
Exhibit B:
The 2003 Eric Bana movie trailer:
The charm of the older character to the imaginations in us all was that it was somewhat believable that some unknown scientific experiment could create a Hulk.
Note that a clear sign of a growing shit-factor in these movies is that Marvel is making two completely different movies based on the same character within 5 years of one another. The first one couldn't have been farther off the mark. The new one doesn't go far enough from the first one.
Exhibit C:
The land of cartoons has no rules. They don't agree with gravity. They don't agree with physics. And even without such rules, there were not ludicrous growth spurts or mile long jumps with the original character. The Hulk is not supposed to be 30 feet tall. He's not supposed to be able to jump across counties.
The new incarnations just don't have the same charm, nor nearly as catchy a theme song.
From today's Globe and Mail:
Saturday is Tax Freedom Day
VANCOUVER — Tax freedom day — the day average Canadians have paid off the year's tax load and begin working for themselves — arrives Saturday, according to the Fraser Institute.
The free-market-oriented think-tank said today that governments are letting the citizenry keep four days' worth of earnings more than last year. (continue...)
The Fraser Institute calculates that the average Canadian family of two or more will earn $90,678 this year and pay $40,667 in taxes — 44.8 per cent of total income.
by jgr80
I'm an insomniac. Yawn.
It comes and goes. Usually for not much longer than a week. It can downright awful. Days sometimes ooze into one another painfully, both physically and mentally. Or sometimes it's just annoying. I try to sleep and it just doesn't work, although the next day I feel fine. Except for the constant yawning that follows me around. Yawn after yawn.
People think I'm not paying proper attention to them. Yawn. That they are boring me or something. Yawn. I have to explain that I didn't sleep well, which always sounds like a lie to someone who thinks they are boring you. But yawns are contagious, so they usually yawn, too.
My most recent bout of insomnia came earlier this week. After a quite successful band practice, my ears were ringing with the sound of bagpipes and flat drums well into the night. I was feeling energized. And then it was time to sleep and I was still energized. I didn't sleep that night. Yawned all the next day. Yawn after yawn.
Have you yawned yet? That's what I was going for by repeating 'yawn' so many times. And for the pictures.
Anyhow, the insomnia went on for a few days until last night. I was at the point yesterday afternoon where I couldn't do much of anything. So I vegged on the couch and went to bed real early.
During these few days, I noticed a few articles that popped up on Digg and Delicious. Having never gone to the doctor about my insomnia I figured reading something might be useful.
It was not.
These internet 'lifehacks' can be profoundly amusing in their deliberate obviousness.
Here is such a self-help article from EurekaAlert.org. Just in case you have no interest in clicking on the link, one of their tips for the insomniac is to "get a full night's sleep every night" ?!?!?!?!?! (Multiple interrobangs added for effect).
I wonder if the author had to go to Yale for that topical gem.
Here is another one I found from Time Magazine. Again, if you aren't interested in clicking on things despite surfing the internet, the gist of this article suggests that it's healthy to have between 6.5 and 7.5 hours of sleep a night and that veering to either side of this window is bad.
Memories of digital clocks blinking "12:00" race through my head. I've never felt so energized as the moment I wake up and realize the power went out the night before and my alarm clock has reset. One time, I got to my first year philosophy exam an hour and a bit late.... I ended up nearly failing the class. However, showing up late to the exam had no bearing on this since I was well finished ahead of the bell. One of the first ones finished actually, as I recall. Maybe this is why I almost failed. I didn't like philosophy until my fourth year.
Regardless, since we've already established that clicking on things is too difficult for the sleep depraved, I will embed this video. I find it unhelpful to the insomniac, self-proclaimed or not. It is quite funny though, even if it's not trying to be. Especially the wallpaper images at 1:34 and 2:17... they just don't make sense. Enjoy.
As a follow up to yesterday. This was in the New York Times today. My phone (Motorola V3c) must be somewhere in the middle as it's not on either list.
How Much Radiation Does Your Phone Emit?
The technology news site CNET has compiled two interesting lists showing which cellphones give off the most and the least radiation.
In publishing the information, CNET editors note the data aren’t meant to imply that cellphone radiation poses a risk, nor is it meant to say that the phones are safe. As I recently reported in my Well column last week, the data on cellphone safety is mixed, although a few recent international studies have suggested a link with three types of brain tumors. The Food and Drug Administration also says there’s not enough information to determine conclusively whether cellphones are safe or unsafe.
The charts focus on the specific absorption rate, or SAR, of a cellphone, which is a way of measuring the quantity of radio frequency energy that is absorbed by the body, according to CNET.
For a phone to pass F.C.C. certification, that phone’s maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6 W/kg (watts per kilogram). In Europe, the level is capped at 2 W/kg, while Canada allows a maximum of 1.6 W/kg. The SAR level listed in our charts represents the highest SAR level with the phone next to the ear as tested by the F.C.C. Keep in mind that it is possible for the SAR level to vary between different transmission bands and that different testing bodies can obtain different results. Also, it’s possible for results to vary between different editions of the same phone (such as a handset that’s offered by multiple carriers).
Four Motorola phones top the list, with the V195s putting out the maximum 1.6 W/kg. The popular BlackBerry Curve 8330 rounds out the No. 5 spot. To see the full top 10 list, click here.
The list of lowest-radiation cellphones includes the LG KG800 and the Motorola Razr V3x, which put out 0.135 W/kg and 0.14 W/kg, respectively. To see all the lowest radiation phones, click here.
If you don’t see your phone on the list, the site includes lists of cellphones by brand name. My iPhone was listed under “other” brands, but I was interested to learn that its SAR number is 0.974.
This is your brain.
This is your brain on cell phones.
hmm... these might not be the best things to put next to your head after all.
MSNBC is conducting a poll about whether or not President Bush should be impeached. Check it.
MSNBC seems to be becoming more and more leftish as we get closer to a Democrat being in the Oval office. Too bad the Dems aren't left enough themselves to ever impeach a President, even with such a clear mandate.
Here's Olbermann
Rupert Murdoch is basically Conrad Black on crack. Whether he meant to or not, in this video he admits that he tries to shape news content to fit an agenda rather than to tell a story the way it happens.
Here is a documentary about the Mr. Murdoch, and more than enough reasons to question everything he stands for.
by jgr80
If you are age 46 or less and from the United States, you have never voted in a Presidential election that has not had a Bush or a Clinton running on the ticket.
With Creepy Hilldog out of the race, the 2008 Presidential election in the United States puts an end to two incredible dynasties. That is, if Barack doesn't choose her as his veep.
It's taken its effect on voters.
"Obama picked the right campaign slogan talking about change. I think the US is in desperate need of change not just in relation to who is running the country but also in rebuilding its identity on the world stage," says Liam Hyland, 31, of New York, NY.
Somehow two of the most dysfunctional families under the media spotlight continue to have a stranglehold on world affairs. I mean, clearly, they are full of integrity,they are honest, they are articulate, and honest.
In the early '70s, universal voting age in the U.S. was entrenched as 18 years old (it would have been interesting if it had been 8 years old).
If you were 15 years old in the last election without a Bush or a Clinton, that would be the youngest age you could be and still in the next election. Senior Bush first ran as veep to Reagan in 1980 (and won). So if you were 15 in 1977, today you would be 46. That's a long time with very little in the way of democratic choice. Heck, even if they had Blacks and Hispanics and Women and no Bushies or Clinties on the tickets before now, you still only have two parties.
This data is not scientific by any means, but by these statistics, it seems that the US is one of the most politically inexperienced countries in the world. This couldn't be exemplified any better than the last eight years under the current president... Junior Bush.
In Canada, for example, the CIA numbers suggest the median voting age is around 49. If you are 49 from Canada, you've been able to vote since around 1977. That's 8 federal elections, all of which had more than 2 parties-- and several new and viable parties emerging during that time, with plenty of leaders coming and going.
The U.S. has had 7 federal elections. Each controlled by two parties. All of them with a Bush or a Clinton.
The U.S. system is a recipe for political apathy (not that the constant change in Canada is a better recipe against apathy [although it's certainly better for democracy]). Everyone 46 and under has seen the same old same old every election. It's supposed to be democracy. Looks a lot like a shared monarchy.
People have been talking about change in the U.S. for a long time--say 12 years or so-- but haven't been changing the people they send there.
by jgr80
Full disclosure: I'm upset that there's no more hockey.
I suppose it's time though. I cheered on a lot of losing teams this year. And not because of any particular affinity for underdogs. It started the awful Maple Leafs... I won't comment any further about them.
I jumped on the Penguins bandwagon early on. They were always my second favourite team. I was wearing the Crosby jersey I bought in Korea for every game they played. They were still winning at that though.
Then there was Team Canada at the World's. They won every game I watched in person, which was incredible to see. Ended up losing the big dance though.
Then back to the Pens for the rest of the playoffs, only to come up short in the finals. The three teams are all lovable losers. Still... a disappointing year for hockey.
Speaking of hockey losers... how about the CBC's coverage of the NHL versus that of NBC. In previous years, the American stations just never seemed to get it together. CBC was always the station to watch.
Not this year. NBC melted the ice right out from under CBC when it came to live coverage. I'd still give a slight edge to CBC for intermission coverage since still they have Cherry.
Let's compare... Here's NBC highlights from last night. Mike Emerick and Eddie Olczyk are on the announce team.
And here is an example of CBC's coverage. I wasn't able to find anything from last night. But it's almost as though Bob Cole isn't watching the game or that he doesn't care or something. He's especially bad whenever the whistle blows and there's no action on the ice. He just kind of keeps talking (about nothing) until the puck drops again instead of letting the color guy come in with interesting tidbits about injuries or stats or whatever.
I was surprised. NBC stepped up their game. You can decide for yourself. I know this is a controversial thing to say in this country. I've always liked CBC HNIC, but NBC wins this round.
by jgr80
Today is the birthday of Mary Travers, La Bolduc's. She would be 114 years old. I know of La Bolduc from this:
This was always one of my favorite Heritage Moments because I noticed she sings over an Irish pipe tune.
The gal had no formal musical training. She got the tunes from her dad who taught her the instruments he knew how to play by ear. She could never read music.
Her first two recordings flopped. Then a 3rd recording, which had "La Cuisiniere" as the main song, changed everything. It was released for the Christmas shopping season, and before the holidays were over, she was a household name in Quebec. In the middle of the depression, on her first tour, she earned $2000.
In 1994, she was honored with a stamp by Canada Post. My first "when-I-was-your-age" moment... Stamps were 43 cents back in 1994?!
These commercials were dangerous. I remember sitting in front of that TV for hours waiting for them to come on during The Racoons...
In stead of sitting in front of the TV, I shoulda been out in the driveway practicing my slapshot...
Hmm... all this talk about what I was watching when I was a kid and I still haven't said anything about the greatest ongoing television commercial theme song ever... the Hinterland Who's Who...
Sssssplendid
'Guerdon' rewarding word in spelling bee
Sameer Mishra won the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington on Friday by correctly spelling the word guerdon, which appropriately means reward.
Sameer Mishra, after winning the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington on Friday. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)
Mishra, 13, from West Lafayette, Ind., won $35,000 in cash, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and thousands of dollars worth of reference books.
He's a reader, enjoys video games, has played the violin for four years in his school orchestra and wants to be a neurosurgeon.
It was his fourth appearance at the bee, after moving up the rankings from ties for 98th, 14th and 16th place in the previous three competitions.
He beat first-time contestant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Sameer was coached by his sister, Shruti, a high school student and three-time bee contestant.
The last seven Canadian contestants were eliminated earlier Friday for flubbing such words as accordatura (the notes to which a stringed instrument is tuned), tonneau (an early style of touring car) and otacariasis (an infestation of the ear with mites).
"Seven up, seven down," said Pam Penny of Ancaster, Ont. Her daughter, Veronica, was one of the seven.
Frank Neuhauser, 94, who won the first bee in 1925 with gladiolus (a flower), said : "It was a lot easier back then." He only had to beat seven others; Mishra vanquished 287. " I'd never make it now," Neuhauser said.
He won $500, and was honoured with a parade in his hometown, Louisville, Ky.
by jgr80
(Update at the bottom of this post.)How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him--he has known a fear beyond every other.
John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 19
May 22nd
I recently made a documentary about poverty. It started out as a documentary about the homeless, but we decided to broaden the scope.
Making this movie was an eye-opening experience in more ways than one. Obviously, making my first movie had difficulties in and of itself. But getting to know the life that is being led by people so much worse off than myself and most people I know was a humbling experience.
We decided to cut the tape we had of people living on the street. There were some ethical concerns that just didn't seem to make the tape usable. The focus of the piece is more to-the-point as a result. This is not a movie about poverty, so much as it is a movie about how the media interprets poverty.
Covered Poverty on Video.ca
The film is only ten minutes. I made the film for a class, which was using certain film festival requirements. Had there been more time, the focus of the piece would have been larger to encompass some of the other interviews.
Probably the most powerful moment in the film making process for me didn't even make it in the film. I met one person living on the streets who left his family because of a drug problem. He had been on the streets for years. He's described the mob mentality there is out there between the different street people. For whatever reason, he was not well liked among other panhandlers and squeegeers in the city.
He was having a very difficult time getting off the streets. He had lost contact with his family. And the money he did make went to feed an addiction. He truly hated himself and most people around him.
When I met him, he showed me the slip from the detox centre he had gotten out of that morning. They kept him just long enough for the dilaudids to clear his system. What they didn't do was stitch up the gash on his wrist from when he attempted suicide while in their care. It was about three inches long and perpendicular to the veins running up and down his arm. They gave him about a foot and a half of gauze to tie around the wound. He pulled the gauze back to show me. The natural movement of pulling back the gauze opened up the cut a little bit. It was noticeably a few days old, and oozed pus. His veins were clearly visible. It's amazing he was alive. He had just been in the hands of government-employed medical professionals-- and they left his wrist open.
I don't understand why people find it so hard to help people in need. Sure, bad things happen everyday, and many stereotypes are there for a reason when it comes to dangerous people. But refusing someone help who needs it isn't going to help bridge the stereotypes or help get people off the street or help... anything at all.
I haven't again seen the homeless guy that showed me his cut wrist. I've been looking around for him though. I don't know that I ever will see him again. If I don't, I hope he made his way back to his family in the valley.
UPDATE: June 2
The city has just passed a controversial new panhandling bylaw.
I noticed this a few days ago. I decided to wait on posting about it because the city of Halifax has avid comment posters when it comes to news items. I wanted to see what people were saying first.
From the Saturday Herald:An amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act making it an offence for panhandlers and squeegee kids to ask for money on roadways takes effect Sunday, and fines for breaking it range from $50 to $200.
Effectively, this new law criminalizes people on the fringes of society asking for help. Yeah, they have to pay a fine, which isn't 'criminal,' but where is that money going to come from? What happens when they don't pay fines if they don't have any other assets? More fines. Then jail. Short time to start off, then you get another fine. And the time gets longer.
This doesn't help.
Let me parallel this with a common situation from adolescent life. I recently graduated university in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia having some the highest tuition rates in the country, I couldn't pay for it by myself, even with student loans and lines of credit. I asked for help. Parents, family, friends... whoever I could get it from. I'm asking for way more money than anyone on the street and I already have a lot more money than they do.
We both need to ask for help. I knew I was going to get it; they don't.
For some reason, this is much more of a hot-button issue in Halifax than it needs to be. There needs to be more compassion on all sides of this issue-- the police, the pandhandlers, the media, but most especially the law makers.
There are basic needs that aren't being met. People on the street aren't going to go looking for a job without an address or a steady meal. I'm broke as a joke, but I know those two things don't cost as much as the city is making it seem. HRM has enough resources to divert enough to put some folks in housing.
This always seems like such a progressive city on some topics... there are well-attended marches and vigils and protests going on every other week for international aid efforts or against the shady dealings of government. Other issues that are just as important to moving society forward, like poverty, always have the same group of people conducting any protests. But it seems like more and more people are against helping out.
There are 90-some comments listed after the article. I didn't read all of them. But check out the vitriol in some of these posts:
The panhandlers can collect tickets all day, they'll have little intention of paying them and the cops will have little intention of jailing them over it. What should have been done was to ticket those that give them money. Those people don't want tickets. Take away the scraps and the seagulls and rats always leave.
If they get caught begging for money, let them beg for their freedom. I, for one, am sick and tired of these people harassing me at every red light in the city. We have the right to be free of this crap, so let em get fines, go to jail etc. If not go to work like the rest of us or get on social assistance programs. You don't see panhandling squirrels in the park, this kind of behavior is not normal or acceptable. It's time it came to a stop.
These people do interfere with traffic. This is a good law, it is like getting rid of mosquitoes.
This is police harassment. Simple and plain. Leave them alone. They never hurt anyone. You may not like the squeegee kids. You may find them annoying. You may be full of self-righteous indignation. But that shouldn't make what they do illegal. Just wave them off and go about your day. Or maybe even... you know... say hi. Chat for a few seconds. They're not vermin. They're human beings. Like you (arguably). It's not a big deal. I'm amazed at how put out people are by these kids. It's unreal. Lighten up. And this has NOTHING to do with safely. That's a smoke screen. What they are doing is making it illegal to be poor.
by jgr80
I noticed a street sign in Pittsburgh during the opening pictures of the hockey game.
Mario Lemieux Boulevard.
Pretty good chunk of land he's got there. I don't have any land named after me. I might not have anything named after me, actually. Some people are luckier than others on this one. Mario has a little work to go...
Here's the top 6, as far as I can tell (every one of these folks probably have more than what I have listed).
6. Christopher Columbus - Italian explorer
Colombia - 440,830 sq. mi.
British Colombia - 365, 950 sq. mi.
Colombia Plateau (U.S.) - 100,000 sq. mi
10 U.S. Counties (combined) - 6,720 sq. mi
Colon (Honduras) - 3,430 sq. mi.
Colon (Panama) - 3,150 sq. mi.
District of Colombia - 70 sq. mi.
Total --- 923,350 sq. mi.
5. Abel Janzoon Tasman- Dutch explorer
Tasman Sea (Pacific) - 900,000 sq. mi.
Tasmania (Australia) - 24, 900 sq. mi.
Tasman Peninsula (Australia) - 200 sq. mi.
Total --- 925,100 sq. mi.
4. James Weddell - British Seal Hunter
Weddell Sea (Antarctica) - 1,080,000 sq. mi.
3. Maud - Queen of Norway
Queen Maud Land (Antarctica) - 1,080,100 sq. mi.
Queen Maud Mountains (Antarctica) - 15,000 sq. mi.
Queen Maud Gulf (Nunavut, Canada) - 6,000 sq. mi.
Total --- 1,102,000 sq. mi.
2. Victoria, Queen of Britain
Queensland (Australia) - 666,790 sq. mi.
Victoria (Australia) - 227,620 sq. mi.
Great Victoria Desert (Australia) - 127,000 sq. mi.
Victoria Island (Canada) - 83,000 sq. mi.
Victoria Island (Antarctica) - 60,000 sq. mi.
Lake Victoria (Africa) - 26,000 sq. mi.
Victoria Strait (Canada) - 6,000 sq. mi.
Victoria, British Colombia - 210 sq. mi.
Total --- 1,188,310 sq. mi.
1. Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Explorer
North America - 9,360,000 sq. mi.
South America - 6,883,000 sq. mi.
Total --- 16,243,000 sq. mi.
by jgr80
I grew up on Rod Stewart. My parents are big fans. They always played Rod the Bod in the car on trips whenever I was young. There's a special spot in me for the old fella. I'd say that spot lies somewhere in 1994 or so. Before then, there were a few times in his career I'm sure he would have liked to take back. But ever since then, he's just been ridiculous.
Roderick used to be in excellent shape. In earlier times, he was a grave digger, a fence erector, and nearly a professional footballer. Rocking out from 1962 to 2001 probably kept him in pretty good shape as well.
Poor old Rodney... I guess trying to be Frank Sinatra for the last seven years has taken its toll. His newly updated tour rider calls for 2 oxygen machines. They need to be ready for him before, during, and after his sets and are to be placed near stage.
He also needs 48 FIFA Soccer balls and $16,000 of food?!
I gotta say Tom Waits does the better version. Rodlington is close though, with special thanks to the added fromage in this video.
I got a slide whistle for christmas last year. I've been trying to learn ever since. this guy impresses me. I'm sure his meals are delicious as well.
by jgr80
Maybe you've seen this video. You know the one... the one of the girl playing the hula-hoop game for her Nintendo Wii Fit.
I won't embed the video on this site because it's probably not suitable for work or around kids. But you can see it here if you like.
The video is a few days old. As of the last time I watched it, it has been watched nearly 800,000 times (it wasn't just me, I swear).
I'm fascinated with the internet, I must say. Just the mere idea of it. This video is a testament to that. I first found it on Digg. The video is called Why every guy should buy their girlfriend a Wii Fit. After I got over the initial grammar mistake in the title, one of my next thoughts was that if I had a girlfriend, it is likely I would also have a Wii Fit.
I had been duped... dupadee duped.
This video was made by an advertising company. And this is brilliant viral marketing. But dude, you let the secrets get out... you uploaded the video under the user name 'tinsleyadvertising.' What did you think was going to happen?!
The L.A. Times picked it up this morning. The guy's response appears to be more spin to me. Sure, she didn't know she was being filmed. She always plays video games in her underwear with the windows wide open.
The idea of such viral advertising is incredible and I'm happy it was thought up by someone so young. He still has time to find the error of his ways and use his smarts for something better than advertising.
by jgr80
Finally!! This is up for debate:
Court Claim: Chimps Are People, Too
Jeanna Bryner
Senior Writer
LiveScience.comThu May 29, 9:55 AM ETMatthew, a 26-year-old chimp, is headed to court in Europe as part of a human effort to classify him as a person.
Beyond the legal challenges, anthropologists say chimpanzees are not humans, though without a clear definition of what it means to be human, backing that claim up is a challenge perhaps fit for some great courtroom drama. (continue...)
The key to the entire incipience of this argument comes in the first line of the story... Perhaps unconsciously -- or maybe... nay... hopefully, completely on purpose-- the reporter regards the human fighting for the rights of this monkey, Paula Stibbe, as an imbecilic Neanderthal. Her stunningly vacuous thoughts were somehow, unbelievably, motivated into action.
Matthew, a 26-year-old chimp, is headed to court in Europe as part of a human effort to classify him as a person.
"Everybody who knows him personally will see him as a person," Stibbe told the Evening Standard.
Just watching the finals here and I noticed...
ESPN (which owns TSN-- a sports rival in Canada of CBC) is borrowing Don Cherry. And using CBC infrastructure to do it.
Go Penguins.
Sometimes good editorialists do bad editorials.
I usually like Olbermann's rants, and so to redeem his stature after his ridiculous Hillary Clinton speech below I thought I should post these brilliant and hilarious anti-Bush sentiments. Sorry it's divided. I couldn't find one that was one video.
Sure, it's cool now, but wait until you see Kung Fu Panda. Then you have to pay to have it removed.
by jgr80
Big shock. Slate reports that the sinking ship that is the life of Hillary Clinton has a 0.5% chance of success in her bid for the Democratic nomination. Whatever. American politics is a freakshow. I don't care.
I care about the media though. Remember last week... the assassination thing? RFK and Obama have more in common than people think? The I-can't-drop-out-because-my-opponent-could-die card? Right?... yes, that one...
Let's have a look, eh...
Big words mean big news at the New York Post...
The Washington Post may be a bit more balanced... a bit...
The New York Times, again, on the aftermath rather than the comment itself.
Here's what she said...
quite clearly, she is talking about the month of June, and not anything morbid.
and, again, here's how some folks decided to report it...
(haha, the flinch at 1:37)
Debates without opposition can be so one-sided. I love the end of this video when he invokes all of the political violence over the years merely to say that it should not ever be invoked.
Sure, she's had a terrible campaign, and is probably one of the most conservative candidates to run for the liberal side of America... and maybe she was out of the race long ago, but the outrage is on the same absurd parallel as when a boob blinked on stage during the superbowl.
Open your eyes.
by jgr80
May 27th 1873 - The colony of PEI, which had been governing itself for over 100 years at this point since cutting administrative ties with Nova Scotia in 1769, votes to enter into Confederation. Six years after the day the four original provinces decided to huddle together, PEI was made the fifth province on July 1, 1873.
PEI was bankrupt in the years leading up to confederation, after running out of British funds from trying- quite obsequiously- to build a railroad. The government didn't want to join Canada, but needed to go somewhere or face ruin. The United States had sent envoys who parlayed with the Island, desperate for a beautiful Island territory. They would have to settle for Hawaii.
The British were tired of having to support such a tiny fraction of what remained in British North America and scaled back their finances.
And John A. MacDonald had no interest in American expansionism on both sides of Canadian soil.
MacDonald offered to buy up the railroad debt and financed the provincial government to rid itself of absentee landowners. MacDonald could have been one of the first people to use the phrase "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." And considering how slow and drunk MacDonald was, it's likely he sounded like Don Corleone... only Scottish.
By no means am I a PEI history expert. This was something I noticed here and looked into a little bit. The reason I wanted to post this was because the government's telling of PEI history is pretty bad.
I've also been thinking of a way to get some Histor!ca vignettes into a post... and this overdubbed gem commemorates events that happened right around the same time, even if they are completely unrelated.
Hmm... I'm thinking of a drinking game.
by jgr80
"In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." - Andy WarholBob Barr is running for President of the United States. Recently, he won the right to run on the well-known Libertarian ticket.
