R.I.P. my Fellow Miriam

Miriam Makeba was a South African singer and critic of Apartheid. Her music was in the style of African folk and her support of the oppressed never wavered, even when she was banned from her homeland in 1960. She died yesterday in Rome after performing at a concert to benefit those who oppose the mafia. She was 76. Goodbye Miriam, i am proud to have shared a name with you.

Gay Marriage & the Bible

So i've been thinking about gay marriage ever since the American election. i find i take issue with the passing of Proposition 8 in California and the reasons for the objections to gay equality in America. i was raised a Catholic and i can say i don't appreciate these objectors hiding behind the Bible as their defence for their stance. the Bible is a big book. the statement of gay relationships to be an abomination is only one small part of this book.
and so i've been wondering... there are other parts of the Bible that these homophobes could have just as easily as glommed on to. what about the parts of the Bible that prohibit eating pork and say that all males must be circumcised. only Jewish people do these things religiously; so does that mean the rest of us are going to hell?
also, i don't remember Jesus hating on anyone. Jesus hung with the lepers and hookers; people society spat on or forgot.
i think these people who claim to be acting on behalf of the Lord should answer one question, who proclaimed you the saviors of all our souls?

Cool Word of the Day

Phalanx. Usually used to describe military troops, arranged for maximum defense, but can also mean a group of people united with a common goal. Another definition is the bones of the fingers and toes.  

The Dave Clark Five

The Dave Clark Five burst onto the music scene as part of the British Invasion in the early 1960's. Dave Clark was drummer and principle songwriter. The group broke up in 1970 due to in-fighting and the changing music scene. Despite being very popular, many have all but forgotten the DC5.

Chuck Baris & The Gong Show

The Gong Show was a 1970's variety show, but would now be known as a "reality" show. Chuck Baris was the host. The premise was that acts of dubious merit would perform before a panel of celebrity judges who were given 20 seconds before they could end an act's performance by hitting a large gong, known as "gonging". if an act survived without being gonged, the judges rated their performance on a scale of one to ten. the show sometimes got away with provocative acts, including the one in this video.

Chuck Baris later wrote an autobiography, which was made into a movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he claimed to be a CIA spy while he was the host of The Gong Show. Sounds like he went a little crazy, no?

Shouldn't "What About Love" Have a Question Mark at the End of It?

I will admit, I love a good power ballad. "What About Love" is the quintessential power ballad. here it is, for your viewing pleasure.

It's the Wonder of Nature, Baby

after doing a crazy & lethal sweep over Haiti and Cuba, Hurricane Ike hit Texas early this morning and flooded most of Galveston. here are some photos of Ike's wrath.

Cool Word of the Day

Ignominious: deserving of shame or infamy. marked by disgrace or shame.

"he died an ignominious death."

Clap if you Believe in Fairies

The pixie cut... one of life's great marvels. some people look great with them, some people look not so great and some people look like men. I, for example, have somewhat poofy hair and cannot rock the pixie cut. it is because of this that I will be forever jealous of those who can wear a pixie cut and still look feminine, mostly because the pixie is wonderfully low maintenance.

Cool Word of the Day

Flummox. to confuse, perplex, puzzle or bewilder. this word isn't exactly uncommon and I'm sure that most know what it means, but it sure sounds great.

Katie "Jordan" Price

I'm not British and because of this, I had never heard of Katie Price until I began reading the Daily Mail online. Katie Price is a former "glamour model" which is apparently British for "underwear model" (they're so polite, aren't they?). Jordan is the name she modeled under. after having her breast implants removed to be taken seriously, she now writes books and appears in tabloids under headings like "Katie's breast fat was pumped into her lips". for some reason, the Brits love her, much like some Americans love Paris Hilton and she's on a crusade to revamp her image as a wife, mother and author.

this is Katie Price about a month ago at a signing for her new book. would you take this woman seriously?

You have died of dysentery.

Last month, a wildfire swept through Idaho and revealed a portion of the Oregon Trail that was previously covered by sagebrush & grasses. The Oregon Trail was the path that pioneers followed while travelling west during the 1800s. It is an historic find that will now likely be preserved by local historical societies. I'm pleased that some history can be restored here, but I also like this story for its reminder of the early computer game Oregon Trail.

R.I.P. Killer

I'm not a pro wrestling fan. it's like a soap opera with wrestling and since I don't like wrestling (no, not even the real, olympic kind) or soap operas, I don't watch it. I do however, enjoy the hilarious nicknames of the old-time wrestlers from the golden age of wrestling, namely the 1950s-1970s. Yukon Eric, Sky-Low-Low (a little person) & Walter "Killer" Kowalski were among my favourite names.
it is now my sad duty to inform you that Walter "Killer" Kowalski has died from a heart attack at the age of 81.
rest in peace, Killer, in that great big arena in the sky.

also, his name reminds me of Dave "Killer" Carlson from the movie classic Slapshot.

Go Brazil! Go Diapers!

diapers are a good idea. if not only to save you from the unpleasant experience of chasing your kid around with a bucket, then to save your kid's life as well.
an 18-month-old boy named Caua Felipe Massaneiro fell out of a third floor window and as he fell, his diaper snagged on a fence slowing his descent. he sustained minor fractures but is otherwise okay.
go diapers!

Cool Word of the Day

Germane: being relevant and appropriate. pronounced germain.

"what you've said is both central and germane to the issue"

Andrew Wyeth & Helga Testorf

Andrew Wyeth is an American realist painter whose favourite subjects include the land and people around his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and those near his summer home in Cushing, Maine.

Helga Testorf was acting as a caregiver for one of Wyeth's friends when the two met in the early 1970s. As they became friends she agreed to pose for him. These are the paintings.

Lovely, aren't they?

Mac Attack

I didn't used to like Fleetwood Mac. I was wrong. they have their low points, I admit. they have songs I really hate. Dreams is not one of them. it is magic.

Cool Word of the Day

Gadfly: someone who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions or someone who attempts to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant.

"Socrates was a gadfly to the Athenian political scene."

Typo Hatred

I hate typos too. they're annoying and make the writer look stupid. they're also infuriating when they are on government created signs, because it means that our taxes have paid for mistakes a high school student could likely correct.
it is unlikely though, that i would resort to this just because i hate typos. it seems a little extreme.

Cool Word of the Day

Sphygmomanometer.
just a fancy-pants medical word for a blood pressure meter. it was invented by Samuel Sigfried Karl Ritter von Basch. Scipione Riva-Rocci created a more easily usable version in 1896.
it's further explained on this Wikipedia link.

this word is also mentioned on an episode of M*A*S*H.

Hawkeye: "I always wake up when a lady pumps her sphygmomanometer."

Troy Landwehr is a Talented Man

i love cheese. all sorts of cheese. even carved cheese.
cheese carving can't be easy. but it's probably fun.

Check it out!

Lumberjack-offs

this makes me sad. vandalism isn't nice in any form but killing trees that were likely planted only to beautify the city is depressing.

To Bang or not To Bang?

I'm considering the art of looking good with bangs. not side-swept bangs but full-on, forehead covering bangs. they're not for everyone.
I think these ladies pull it off.
this has been my shallow post for the day.

Overheard in New York

read. laugh. learn to speak more quietly in public.

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/