Greatest Superbowl Moments
Sports Illustrated has a number of photos of what they call the 10 Greatest Superbowl moments. I love the shot of Marcus Allen running amok against the 'Skins.
Live Science Lists The Most Popular Myths
Here is a link to Live Science and their list of the most popular myths in science. And for your reading pleasure I present a few of these myths.
It takes seven years to digest gum
While it may prove a bit more difficult to break down than organic foodstuffs, chewing gum gets no special treatment from the digestive system. Doctors figure this old wives' tale was invented to prevent kids from swallowing the rubbery substance.
The five second rule
Having an arbitrary rule justifying the consumption of food dropped on the floor within a certain time frame is convenient, especially when said food is a brownie. Unfortunately, tests (and logic) confirm that germs will stick to most foods right on contact.
The Great Wall of China is the only manmade structure visible from space
There are several variations on this folkloric statement, and they're all quantifiably false. Astronauts can spot the Great Wall from low-Earth orbit, along with plenty of other things like the Giza pyramids and even airport runways. But they can't see the Wall from the Moon.
Western Union- No More Telegrams
When I read this story I wasn't all that surprised by the news but it did hit me as a big change. It is not that I received all that many telegrams but I am old enough to appreciate them. They have been a part of pop culture references in cartoons and movies and more.
But they are not going to be part of my children's vernacular and that makes me feel a little bit older than I am.
But they are not going to be part of my children's vernacular and that makes me feel a little bit older than I am.
"After 145 years, Western Union has quietly stopped sending telegrams.
On the company's web site, if you click on "Telegrams" in the left-side navigation bar, you're taken to a page that ends a technological era with about as little fanfare as possible:
"Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a customer service representative."
The decline of telegram use goes back at least to the 1980s, when long-distance telephone service became cheap enough to offer a viable alternative in many if not most cases. Faxes didn't help. Email could be counted as the final nail in the coffin.
Western Union has not failed. It long ago refocused its main business to make money transfers for consumers and businesses. Revenues are now $3 billion annually. It's now called Western Union Financial Services, Inc. and is a subsidiary of First Data Corp.
The world's first telegram was sent on May 24, 1844 by inventor Samuel Morse. The message, "What hath God wrought," was transmitted from Washington to Baltimore. In a crude way, the telegraph was a precursor to the Internet in that it allowed rapid communication, for the first time, across great distances."
Just More Ranting
Every now and then I need to vent. I am not talking about the kind of "hold me while I cry" type of venting. There is a time and place for that, but that is not what I am talking about.
No, I am referring to the moments in which I storm around the house, yell and scream and bring out the uncivilized barbarian. Here is a big clue to my identity, that is an old nickname of mine. The Uncivilized Barbarian. I won't bore you with the entire story of how I earned it, but I will share a little glimpse.
Someone once made a bet with me that I couldn't open a steel can of apple juice with nothing more than my hands. I took that bet and I won. Here is the secret of how you too can tear open one of those cans.
Back to the ranting. When I really am bent out of shape I really do like to yell, or perhaps bellow is a better term. If you believe in astrology you might be interested to know that I am a Taurus. It takes a little time to get me angry but once I am there I want to gore, stomp and destroy.
I have a heavy bag in my garage that I use to blow off steam. Tonight I pounded the bag and cursed a number of people and things.
To the guy driving the beat up Ford that thought it was necessary to speed through the parking lot. You came damn close to hitting me and then had the gall to give me the finger when I yelled. On the off chance you stumble onto this blog may I wish you a hearty fuck you and encourage you to go rub some salt up your ass.
To Hamas I share the same feelings of good will. Here is a novel idea for suicide bombing. The next time you have the urge try shoving a stick of dynamite up your ass and see what happens.
To the jackasses who think that it is ok to beat up children I wish for you to share the terror that those poor kids must feel. What the fuck is wrong with you and why does it feel like every week I read about more kids being murdered by a parent.
What the fuck is up with that. How can you do that. It is hard enough to understand why people murder but this type of destruction is beyond me.
On a slightly different tack but related I have a hearty fuck you to parents who abrogate their responsibilities. You know who you are. You are the people who drop your children off at the play area at the mall and then leave them there unsupervised. You are the people who think nothing of sending a sick child to school. We are not talking about people who are strapped for cash and cannot afford to stay home with the kids. No, this is for those with the means to stay home with the kids but refuse to.
I spent a good part of this evening covered in toddler snot. I ought to go on Fear Factor because I don't know what the fuck those guys can come up with that is any worse than the crap I have been smeared in. I don't like it, but it comes with the job. It is in the description of what your role as a parent is.
Under subsection 1.87 it specifically delineates that your children will sneeze, spit, cough, crap, puke and lick you. And if you are male it also notes that they will find more means to kick the crap out of your testicles than you can possibly imagine.
I grew up with three younger sisters and one older. I am faster, more capable and better prepared to protect that region of my body than an angry junkyard dog and his bone. Yet somehow I have found myself close to being doubled over with more frequency than I care to admit.
Let me tell you how I know that I love my children. It is these moments, the times in which I have been smeared with various substances and the occasions in which one of them has managed to destroy something of mine that I truly understand unconditional love. I grit my teeth and tell them to remember this moment because one day when they are a teenager I'll show up at their school in my underwear and tell them it is payback for that time when they were two.
Tonight I looked out my window and saw that there was a woman walking her German Shepherd in front of my house. I wouldn't have thought anything of it but the freaking animal decided that my front lawn was a fine place for fertilizer and I just knew that she had no intention of cleaning it up.
You may wonder what clued me into this. Probably the fact that I watched her start to walk away. So I ran outside and asked her to clean it up. She offered a fake apology and then told me that she had forgotten a bag to clean up after the dog and got ready to leave.
I was prepared for this and told her that we had a full service establishment and that she would be leaving with a doggie bag. I extended my hand and offered her a plastic grocery bag. She tried to decline but I suggested that she reconsider because somehow I knew that she didn't want her white top to be stained with dog crap.
She did accept and took care of cleaning up and we were able to avoid the literal example of shit flying.
But I still have to ask myself. What the hell has happened to us. Why do so many people feel like they are entitled to leave their crap for someone else to deal with. And related to that why do so many people think that because they are having a bad day they can fling their crap at us without any consideration for the possibility that we might be dealing with our own shit.
Shit, shit, shit. Shit happens. Suck it up and deal with it, but don't expect the rest of the world to always ignore our problems to deal with yours.
In short, the lack of personal accountability has me bent. But that is a story for a different day.
No, I am referring to the moments in which I storm around the house, yell and scream and bring out the uncivilized barbarian. Here is a big clue to my identity, that is an old nickname of mine. The Uncivilized Barbarian. I won't bore you with the entire story of how I earned it, but I will share a little glimpse.
Someone once made a bet with me that I couldn't open a steel can of apple juice with nothing more than my hands. I took that bet and I won. Here is the secret of how you too can tear open one of those cans.
- Tear off the label and identify the seams of the can.
- Start pounding the can with the flat of your palm. Take care to stress the seams.
- In time you should see a gap begin to develop between the seams.
- Carefully pull the seams apart.
Back to the ranting. When I really am bent out of shape I really do like to yell, or perhaps bellow is a better term. If you believe in astrology you might be interested to know that I am a Taurus. It takes a little time to get me angry but once I am there I want to gore, stomp and destroy.
I have a heavy bag in my garage that I use to blow off steam. Tonight I pounded the bag and cursed a number of people and things.
To the guy driving the beat up Ford that thought it was necessary to speed through the parking lot. You came damn close to hitting me and then had the gall to give me the finger when I yelled. On the off chance you stumble onto this blog may I wish you a hearty fuck you and encourage you to go rub some salt up your ass.
To Hamas I share the same feelings of good will. Here is a novel idea for suicide bombing. The next time you have the urge try shoving a stick of dynamite up your ass and see what happens.
To the jackasses who think that it is ok to beat up children I wish for you to share the terror that those poor kids must feel. What the fuck is wrong with you and why does it feel like every week I read about more kids being murdered by a parent.
What the fuck is up with that. How can you do that. It is hard enough to understand why people murder but this type of destruction is beyond me.
On a slightly different tack but related I have a hearty fuck you to parents who abrogate their responsibilities. You know who you are. You are the people who drop your children off at the play area at the mall and then leave them there unsupervised. You are the people who think nothing of sending a sick child to school. We are not talking about people who are strapped for cash and cannot afford to stay home with the kids. No, this is for those with the means to stay home with the kids but refuse to.
I spent a good part of this evening covered in toddler snot. I ought to go on Fear Factor because I don't know what the fuck those guys can come up with that is any worse than the crap I have been smeared in. I don't like it, but it comes with the job. It is in the description of what your role as a parent is.
Under subsection 1.87 it specifically delineates that your children will sneeze, spit, cough, crap, puke and lick you. And if you are male it also notes that they will find more means to kick the crap out of your testicles than you can possibly imagine.
I grew up with three younger sisters and one older. I am faster, more capable and better prepared to protect that region of my body than an angry junkyard dog and his bone. Yet somehow I have found myself close to being doubled over with more frequency than I care to admit.
Let me tell you how I know that I love my children. It is these moments, the times in which I have been smeared with various substances and the occasions in which one of them has managed to destroy something of mine that I truly understand unconditional love. I grit my teeth and tell them to remember this moment because one day when they are a teenager I'll show up at their school in my underwear and tell them it is payback for that time when they were two.
Tonight I looked out my window and saw that there was a woman walking her German Shepherd in front of my house. I wouldn't have thought anything of it but the freaking animal decided that my front lawn was a fine place for fertilizer and I just knew that she had no intention of cleaning it up.
You may wonder what clued me into this. Probably the fact that I watched her start to walk away. So I ran outside and asked her to clean it up. She offered a fake apology and then told me that she had forgotten a bag to clean up after the dog and got ready to leave.
I was prepared for this and told her that we had a full service establishment and that she would be leaving with a doggie bag. I extended my hand and offered her a plastic grocery bag. She tried to decline but I suggested that she reconsider because somehow I knew that she didn't want her white top to be stained with dog crap.
She did accept and took care of cleaning up and we were able to avoid the literal example of shit flying.
But I still have to ask myself. What the hell has happened to us. Why do so many people feel like they are entitled to leave their crap for someone else to deal with. And related to that why do so many people think that because they are having a bad day they can fling their crap at us without any consideration for the possibility that we might be dealing with our own shit.
Shit, shit, shit. Shit happens. Suck it up and deal with it, but don't expect the rest of the world to always ignore our problems to deal with yours.
In short, the lack of personal accountability has me bent. But that is a story for a different day.
The Evening Roundup for Feb 1
Lost was a repeat tonight. How disappointing. I had way too much to do this evening and only got about half of it done. But I did manage to post these little ditties:
Playing in the background Babe I am Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin
Just More Ranting
Playing in the background Babe I am Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin
Live Science Lists The Most Popular Myths
Western Union- No More Telegrams
Just More Ranting
Jack Reads A Bedtime Story
Lurkers
Blast From the Past:The Fish Has Died
Love That Takes Your Breath Away
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