Kerri Strug: Boss Olympian

A co-worker and I were speaking about the Olympics, things we like and things we don't.

I for one despise Ryan Lochte.  You couldn't find a bigger douche than that guy.  His personality represents pretty much everything the world hates about America.  Way to feed that stereotype, dude.

Doing a complete 180 from Lochte -- hell, a different planet really -- was Keri Strug, a gold medal winner in the 1996 games.  Strug was the gymnist who vaulted on a severely damaged ankle to win gold.  It is quite possibly the toughest act that I've ever seen in sports.  Wikipedia has a good description of the event.




31 July 2012

DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional

A US District Court judge appointed by President George W. Bush has ruled DOMA unconstiutional, holding that it violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.  Great news!

31 July 2012

Deconstructing "You Didn't Build That"

A lot -- and I mean a lot -- has been written about the distortion of the president's words by both the Romney campaign and the Far Right press.  However, if you want it condensed into a few, sadly-funny minutes, Jon Stewart has you covered.

The Daily Show
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26 July 2012

Aurora Shooting: A Sad Oddity

While avoiding cable news coverage of the recent shooting in Aurora, Colorado, I have followed the events and their aftermath on NPR and on-line.  Today, I read an op-ed by movie critic Roger Ebert.  I've enjoyed reading Ebert's writings, not just on movies, but on topics at large.  I'm sure the NY Times was open to featuring Ebert on this day due to the shooting's Batman connection, though much of Ebert's opinion was related to the insanity that is rampant in America when it comes to both guns and fame.  Of heartbreaking note, however, was Ebert's mention of a young woman who had very recently been at the scene of another mass shooting, this time at the Eaton Centre mall in Toronto.  Jessica Ghawi, an Aurora resident on vacation, wrote about her experience in Toronto on her blog.  Ghawi was at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises and among the dead.

21 July 2012

7 Unintentionally Sexual Optical Illusions

The title pretty much says it all.

Regarding slide six, I looked at this for a long time and finally figured out that it is a vase... or possibly a drum.  That one had me stumped, so to speak.

20 July 2012

Michelle Jenneke, Dancing Hurdler

It is almost time for the summer Olympics, so we have to once again pretend to care about track and field.  So, fulfilling this duty, a recent headline caught my eye, directing me to the following video.  Michelle Jenneke, a hurdler from Australia, apparently warms up in the blocks by dancing.  I loved the joy she displays and certainly admire her ease before a big race.  The fact that she is beautiful probably also ensures that she'll garner advertising deals galore.

One word of warning: whoever chose the music to go with the footage added one of the most annoying songs that I've ever heard.  I suggest watching without sound.  And just imagine what Jenneke herself would be doing if she was actually listing to music!



20 July 2012

TED: Jane McGonigal - Life & Video Games

Jane McGonigal gave another TED talk focusing on the positive aspects of playing video games.  From the TED page for the talk:

When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience -- and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.

The video game mentioned in the talk above, SuperBetter, can be found here.

Mcgonigal has given a previous TED talk: Gaming Can Make a Better World.



I found these talks interesting and as a life-ling gamer, they are both encouraging.  Enjoy.

17 July 2012

"We are VIP."

Paul Krugman writes in the NY Times on the ultra-rich, the .01%, and their ** actual** place in the modern economy.  Worth a read.

13 July 2012

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call My Maybe

 Carly Rae Jepsen - Call My Maybe

So, this song has become a phenomenon, both as music and as video extravaganza.  I linked to it before I knew this to be true.  Indeed when I saw the Harvard baseball team do their video, that was the first time that I'd heard the song.  (I'm always late to the party these days.)  The best part about the official video is that the hunk in it turns out to be gay.  Well done, Jepsen!  However, it is the myriad videos that this song has spawned that have become a bit of a dirty pleasure for me.  Everyone -- well everyone except me -- seems to have done a video to this song.

It started with Justin Bieber and his "parody" made the song take off world wide.  Say what you want about that kid -- and I'm still not sure if I've ever actually heard a song of his -- but he's money in the music business.

Katy Perry did a white trash, low rent version that is not work posting here.  But it is not just the famous.

There are "cake videos" both cheese and beef.  

Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders

Abercrombie & Fitch Guys

And the parodies have parodies.  The original Harvard video has spawned imitators.

Harvard Baseball Team

Texas State Club Baseball

SMU Women's Rowing

Hell, even Colin Powell got into the act during a commercial break on CBS This Morning.

Where will the madness stop?

12 July 2012


Addition 2 August 2012: The 2012 Olympic swim team has gotten into the act, making a fun video that includes many members of the team.  The women obviously have better rhythm than the men and Missy Franklin is a stand-out.



Addition 24 August 2012: My sister sent another video for the post.  Animals are getting into the act!

Adopt Me, Baby! (Call Me Maybe Parody) from New Hampshire SPCA on Vimeo.


6 November 2012 Addition:  Cookie Monster is on board.



.

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted

 Bonus tracks:

Michelle Branch and Santana - The Game

Michelle Branch - Are you Happy Now

The Wreckers - Leave the Pieces

12 July 2012

Colorado Springs Wild Fires

My father sent me to a Denver Post blog with outstanding photographs of the fires near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Scary, scary stuff.

12 July 2012

Bee Hive Relocation

From Kyle McGovern at The Huffington Post:

Larry Chen, a 27-year-old photojournalist, discovered a hive of 50,000 bees inside his California home last week, ABC News reports.



Rather than wipe out the colony, Chen decided to call a specialist who would simply relocate the bees.

 
The video Mr. Chen created is actually a great look at a wild hive -- one inside the wall of a human home, but still wild. That the colony was saved it marvelous. Bravo, Mr. Chen and well done Mike "The Bee Guy!"  (12 July 2012)

Sandusky, Paterno, & Penn State

The Freeh Report was released today and it is damning.  It is an indictment not only against the honor of Joe Paterno and officials in the administration at Penn State, but against their souls.  These people covered up child abuse.  Indeed, they enabled it for years.  If there is a hell, Sandusky certainly has a spot reserved in it.  However, the rapes of many of these boy are on the heads of Paterno and these other officials as well.

The Paterno family has been calling for the truth to emerge.  It has.  It is hard to accept that your father was a monster who enabled a monster.  Jay Paterno, the son of Joe, has called the report "one opinion, one piece of the puzzle."  That is denial, of course, but perhaps understandable coming from a son.  If anyone else holds fondness now for Paterno, they need to look deep inside themselves and see the monster within.

12 July 2012

Addition: 16 July 2012:  My father-in-law just forwarded a cartoon to me and I thought that I'd include it here.

It appears that it originated in the Chatanooga Times Free Press.

I have been listening to a bit of sports radio of late, something that I don't normally do that much.  I've been interested to see the reaction to the Freeh Report in this media forum.  I've heard nothing praising Paterno, which I find interesting.  Indeed, the reaction has been strongly negative, which I see as positive.  They are basically taking the view that Paterno enabled the rape of children to protect his image.  Bravo.

The Libor Scandal & Why It is Here to Stay

Mark Gongloff of The Huffington Post wrote a great article today about the Libor Scandal that is unfolding right now and why it may -- perhaps will -- come to dominate the headlines going forward.  Indeed, it has the potential to affect the upcoming elections and perhaps solidify the push for banking reform in the US.

Let's hope so.

11 July 2012

Bird Feeder Cleaning How-To

Michelle Manetti at StyleList.com wrote a piece on why cleaning your bird feeders is important and how to do it.  Apparently, diseases can spread through feeders that are not kept clean.  From the original writing:

There's nothing sweeter than watching a feathered friend stop by your window to have a snack from a bird feeder. But it's important to clean feeders once a month to avoid serious diseases that can accumulate. To keep your backyard friends happy and healthy, you'll want to try this non-toxic cleaning tip!



First, remove the feeder from its hook. Empty any seeds from the feeder. If the feeder has removable parts, detach them. Then, add a teaspoon of liquid soap to a bucket of water big enough for the feeder to soak. Soak the feeder in the solution for ten minutes. Next, use a scrubbing brush and gloves to remove any stuck-on dirt. Then, rinse the feeder in clean water. Empty the bucket and fill it with clean water and four cups of vinegar. Soak for one hour. Finally, rinse the feeder again with clean water.

We have taken our feeders down for the year to avoid a repeat bear visit.  However, I have a plan to hang them safely next year.  And now, I'll keep them appropriately clean as well.

10 July 2012

A Tale of Two Romneys

Paul Krugman wrote a great op-ed in the NY Times detailing some of the differences between current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his father, former Michigan governor and presidential candidate George Romney.  An excerpt:

Once upon a time a rich man named Romney ran for president. He could claim, with considerable justice, that his wealth was well-earned, that he had in fact done a lot to create good jobs for American workers. Nonetheless, the public understandably wanted to know both how he had grown so rich and what he had done with his wealth; he obliged by releasing extensive information about his financial history.



But that was 44 years ago. And the contrast between George Romney and his son Mitt — a contrast both in their business careers and in their willingness to come clean about their financial affairs — dramatically illustrates how America has changed.



...

And there’s another contrast: George Romney was open and forthcoming about what he did with his wealth, but Mitt Romney has largely kept his finances secret. He did, grudgingly, release one year’s tax return plus an estimate for the next year, showing that he paid a startlingly low tax rate. But as the Vanity Fair report points out, we’re still very much in the dark about his investments, some of which seem very mysterious.



...

One more thing: To the extent that Mr. Romney has a coherent policy agenda, it involves cutting tax rates on the very rich — which are already, as I said, down by about half since his father’s time. Surely a man advocating such policies has a special obligation to level with voters about the extent to which he would personally benefit from the policies he advocates.



Yet obviously that’s something Mr. Romney doesn’t want to do. And unless he does reveal the truth about his investments, we can only assume that he’s hiding something seriously damaging.

The Vanity Fair article mentioned regarding his money is Where the Money Lives by Nicholas Shaxson.  Michael Kranish and Scott Helman had done a previous article at the magazine last February titled The Meaning of Mitt.

9 July 2012

Bush Tax Cut: The Underlying Issue

From Brian Beutler at TPM:

Considering all the Sturm und Drang over President Obama’s plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire on income over $250,000 you’d think that Republicans and Democrats had hugely different ideas about where to set tax policy in 2013. But in reality the fight is entirely over how much wealthy Americans should pay in taxes going forward.



That won’t stop Republicans from characterizing Obama’s plan as a broad-based tax increase that will particularly harm small businesses. But as Obama noted when formally reintroducing his plan at the White House Monday, he and Republicans agree that tax cuts for all income under that level should be extended.


So what’s the real difference between the parties on this issue? The liberal group Citizens for Tax Justice broke down the numbers (PDF) in a way that clarifies what (and whom) the fight is really about.

You can see the chart at TPM.

Again from Beutler at TPM:

CTJ looks at the numbers from a baseline that assumes all the Bush tax cuts will expire at the end of the year. From that perspective, Obama and the GOP are both proposing large tax cuts — Republicans just want much larger ones for the very wealthy.



But the baseline doesn’t really matter. As you can see, for 99 percent of taxpayers, there’s almost no bottom-line difference between what the GOP is proposing and what Obama’s proposing.


The entire fight is over how much the top one percent of earners should pay in taxes.


The narrowness of that difference won’t quiet the political turmoil. Democratic leaders have coalesced around Obama’s plan. But if they decided to move the line from $250,000 to $1 million, the fight will be no less pitched. Republicans will go to the mattresses to protect those tax cuts no matter where Democrats propose cutting them off.


Let's hope that the president and ohter Democrats frame this issue well and stick to their guns.

9 July 2012

Feline Herpes Virus

Since at least one of our cats suffers from feline herpes virus, I thought I'd post some information on the disease.  The insurance company that we use for our cats has an often-informative blog on animal illnesses.  The post for feline herpes virus can be found here.  This post also details the maledy of conjunctivitis, which is often a part of suffering from feline herpes virus.  Another blog post details information on corneal ulcers which are also often related to the virus.

We dose our cats using powdered oral lysine, dusting their food with it for about four weeks every four to six months.   When the discharge coming from one of our cat's eyes increased greatly, we start another cycle.  This has always taken care of that issue and will hopefully prevent corneal ulcers from forming.

I have been told by several reputable authorities that many if not most cats that come from a shelter, especially kittens, carry the feline herpes virus.  The stressful environment and close quarters that shelters entail make it easily transmitted.  Your cat can live a long and relatively pain-free life with the virus, but knowing how to deal with this can help make this so.

Good luck!

2 July 2012