Master these three rules, and you shall rule!
Friday, August 30, 2013
JR Smith's Truck
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| NY Knick JR Smith |
Ever wonder what a highly paid NBA basketball player drives in New York City? Well, wonder no more, the above video is JR Smith's personal vehicle of choice. Maybe he lives in a rough neighborhood?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Don't Mess with this Goat!!!
Protecting Your Turf Takes on a Whole New Meaning!
This is when the rubber meets the road. You really need to watch this. Don't mess with Billy Goat Gruff!
Got to give the guy props for leaving the goat in peace. Maybe the goat thought it was another goat?
Miley Cyrus Struts Her Stuff at VMAs
Miley Struts What She's Got at the 2013 VMAs
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| Miley Cyrus. |
Miley Cyrus at the VMAs can do what she wants, wear what she likes, sing how she feels - it's her house, dadgummit!
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| Why Robin Thicke was dressed like a Zebra or a convict I'm not sure |
Let's set the stage, though. A lot of people who took notice of Miley Cyrus during her tween Hannah Montana days of yore haven't always kept up with the continuing evolution of the little princess. They still think of her as the cute little thing who set out on her bike (in front of the media, of course) to find her lost dog (while, quite coincidentally, she had a film coming out about a lost dog). You see, even then, Miley craved the attention. But it was so adorable!
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| Miley had her tongue out a lot |
Turns out that Miley now is all grown up. In fact, she's so grown up that she can prance about like a little stripper and sell lots of records. But some things haven't changed: she still likes a little attention.
The video below may or may not still be there when you get here, Viacom is busy taking down all video of the performance, but let's give it a try anyway. If it's gone, my apologies. I chose one of poor quality that Viacom may not be able to or may simply not bother taking down, but it shows what happened.
I don't know if this number had quite the same effect of Britney Spears' bomb of a performance at the VMAs some years ago - but if not, it was close. It just kept getting... weirder. But the lesson has been learned: if you are an ambitious young female pop star, it is impossible to push the bounds of good taste and propriety too far on these shows. The grosser and more explicit your act, the better the effect on your career.
The way these things are measured, it was a huge success. The VMAs clobbered all competition for the week, with a 5.2 rating in the key 18-49 demo. Disney reportedly is currently racing to anoint its new young female star, who no doubt will pull a Miley on the 2022 VMAs.
For some reason, young female stars choose the VMAs to make some kind of statement about their sexual precociousness. They have every right in the world to do that. Must be the huge audience that brings it out of them.
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| Miley and Robin Thicke. |
Anyway, if you're a big fan and really, really enjoyed Miley doing her stripper routine, please take heart that an awful lot of men now are seeing young Miley in a whole new way. They wholeheartedly agree with you. One wonders why she even bothered with the latex bikini. Maybe next year's performer will just use a G-string and set up a pole and do it right.
Most of the people I interacted with, though, had a completely different reaction. It was something more like this:
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| Will Smith and family at the VMAs. |
I was a little more on the Will Smith side. Below is an example of what Miley's performance inspired in a lot of people, with actress Emma Caulfield making some comments that needed to be said:
2018
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Cancun!
I have my own pictures of Cancun, but they're nothing like these two. I wish I had taken pictures this beautiful!
Anyway, these are so pretty, maybe you'll enjoy looking at how Mexico can be.
So Cute it's Almost Creepy
It's a Thin Line Between Just the Right Amount of Sweetness... and Too Much
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| Baby Kangaroo and baby Wombat |
If you are from down under, you know what those are without my telling you. For everyone else, though, it is a baby Kangaroo who seems to be getting along quite nicely with a baby wombat. They both grow into creatures that are just as adorable as these little guys, just in different ways.
I post this, first, because it is quite a cute picture, and that is probably all you (quite rightly) will see. Second, to me also it shows just how close the border is between cute and creepy. I'll take two lumps of sugar in my coffee, thank you, not fifteen.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Winter in Russia
So You Think Your Winter Is Rough?
There's winters and there's winters. Some live in Colorado and think they have bad winters, some live in Minnesota and think they have bad winters. Some live in Canada and think they have it worst.
Try Siberia.
By far the most commonly occurring climate in Siberia is continental subarctic, with the annual average temperature about −5 °C (23 °F) and roughly −25 °C (−13 °F) average in January and +17 °C (63 °F) in July, although this varies considerably, with July average about 10 °C in the taiga–tundra ecotone.
The average temperature in January is -13 Fahrenheit. That means a good day is -10! And we're not talking wind chill over the flat arctic plain!
Now that's winter.
Do You Have Red Hair?
If You're a Ginger, This Might Interest You
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| Do you know where you are from? |
Red hair is not quite as common as you might think. Only 1–2% of the human population has red hair. It occurs more frequently (2–6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry.
It is estimated that around 2% to 6% of modern northwestern Europeans have red hair. However, it is much rarer in the global population, where it has an average of around 0.6% of the world’s population as a whole. For some reason, the British Isles are a hotspot for red hair. Scotland, for instance, has 13% of its people sporting red hair. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg, because more than 30% of Scots carry the redhead gene. Ireland also has a disproportionate number of people with red hair, as about 10% have red hair. Even more Irish are carriers, though, with as many as 46% being carriers of a red-hair gene. Genetic red hair is much, much rarer in Asia than in Europe, but occasionally some red-haired people can be found in the Near and Middle East.
The map above shows the frequency of red hair across Europe. Odds are that if you have red hair, you're either Scandinavian, from the British Isles, or from the neighborhood of Moscow. It appears the Norsemen of old like Erick the Red spread their favorite color far and wide!
Shirley Manson of Garbage, Marcia Cross, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Geri Halliwell, Lauren Ambrose, Alyson Hannigan, and Amy Adams are all celebrities who are believed to be natural redheads.
2018
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Reactions to Bradley Manning
Classic Quotes: "I Am Chelsea Manning. I Am a Female."
Bradley Manning exclusively on Today Show: "I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female."
What is the world coming to, when guys like this ... uh, let me rephrase that ... oh, never mind.
2019
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Turquoise Ice, Ice Castles, Ice Caves
Beautiful Ice!
Turquoise Ice, Northern Lake Baikal, Russia. Dress warmly!
These are beautiful natural vistas. You go there and you can see this. Of course, it's not the easiest place to get to, and getting there is not the most comfortable experience you will ever have. But, it is there for anyone to enjoy.
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| Ice cave, Mutnovsky Volcano, Russia. |
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| Silverthorne, Colorado. |
More pictures of Silverthorne are below. This for some is a spot for adventure, for others, a rendezvous for romance.
2019
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Healing Power of Cats
Amazing Cats!
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| Grrrrrr. |
2019
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Pamukkale, Turkey
Ancient Hierapolis is Worth a Visit
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| Pamukkale, Turkey. |
Hierapolis (Ancient Greek: Ἱεράπολις, lit. "Holy City") was an ancient city located on hot springs in classical Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey and currently comprise an archaeological museum designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Though I've been there, I didn't take the picture above (I have my own pictures of it on my other site here. Pamukkale is a beautiful spot, well worth going well out of your way for if you ever visit the nearby historic Turkish coast spots such as Ephesus (highly recommended) or Priene/Miletus/Aphrodisias. It is a bit of a ride inland, which is best accomplished by the very efficient and cheap Turkish bus service, perhaps a couple of hours.
The old Roman ruins just over the cliff above the pools pictured are the icing on the cake if you like Roman history. One of the best-preserved colosseums from the ancient world, and also some earlier and very mysterious tombs. It is very much a desert on the plain above, so be prepared to brave the heat.
The hot springs are drinkable - I drank from them - and taste exactly like the Perrier or other bottled waters you receive at fine restaurants. Going swimming in mineral water is an exquisite experience, enhanced by the heat of the surrounding arid wasteland. You can swim in the pools pictured, or at least you could when I went there. Imagine swimming right up to the edge pictured and looking down toward a farming valley a thousand feet or more below - it is a unique experience.
Let me just put in a plug here for anyone who enjoys traveling - at some point in your life, make some time for Turkey. It's not much further than the usual spots in Central Europe, but it will absolutely spell-bind you if you give it half a chance. You can do it by plane, then cruise ship, rail and/or bus, much easier than renting a car if you put in a little planning aforethought.
2019
Water in our Bodies
The Importance of Water in our Bodies
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| Water! |
Among other things, our brain is 74.5% water and our muscles are 76% water.
Fluids are the be-all and end-all of the human body. Make sure you drink a lot of water, you'll be better for it.
2019
Beetroots - A Wonder Food
Upgrade Your Immunity System the Easy Way
Beetroots. Probably not something that you think about a lot.
Among other things, beetroots improve your memory, detoxify your body, are fat-free and give energy, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve your immunity system.
I bet you never spent a lot of time thinking about beetroots! But they're terrific for you. This is the kind of thing that, if you could just force yourself to try it and maybe even acquire a taste for it somehow, it could really improve your life. Hey, it's got to be better for you than a Whopper and fries.
You can grow these in your garden if you have one, add it to your salad, and really enjoy it. There's something about food you've grown yourself that makes it tastier. Or, you could get fancy and get one of those juicers and turn it into a drink.
2019
A Polite Bear
Say Hello to the Nice Lady!
Bears!
Is this a nice bears, or what? It has better manners than a lot of people you'll run across.
2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Star Drek by Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Classic Parody of Star Trek
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| "Star Drek." |
In 1975, Bobby "Boris" Pickett recorded a novelty spoof on the original "Star Trek" called "Star Drek" with Peter Ferrara. Pickett, who was famous for the truly monster hit "Monster Mash" in 1962. Pickett performed some of the various voices, which was played on Dr. Demento's radio show for many years.
I realize this is pretty weird stuff, but it's amusing on all sorts of levels if you are a "Star Trek" fan. And I love the nice touches of the period NBC logos before and after! The campy over-use or misuse or whatever you want to call it off the melodramatic background score also is a winner.
Like a, um, bonus, below is the "original" version from 1992, before the digital era. It isn't as polished, but it is kind of clever in its own right, featuring actual clips from the original show. Must have taken a lot of effort to stitch this together from videotape!
Star Drek!
2019
"Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard
You Devil Woman You!
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| "I looked in those big green eyes and I wondered what I came there for" |
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| Devil cat? Who, me? |
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| You better get out of there fast! |
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| "Same cat with those evil eyes." |
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| "If you're out on a moonlit night, be careful of the neighborhood strays." |
2019
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