Scum

Thanks to my friend Adam for showing this to me.

EMBED-Douchebag Phone Message - Watch more free videos

Booker T.

New Booker T. Check out the title track off his new album "Potato Hole".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104444849

Cavs Win!

Watch for the dude jumping up and down in the background.

$12,100,000 Ferrari

From wired.com

Stunning Vintage Ferrari Brings $12.1 Million

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is without question one of the most beautiful cars ever built, and a 1957 model sold for a record-setting $12.1 million.

Ferrari built just 22 Scaglietti-designed Testa Rossas with the signature pontoon fenders between 1957 and 1958. It was a formidable racer - a 300 horsepower V12 and nimble handling will do that - and Testa Rossas won 10 of the 19 races they entered between 1958 and 1961.

The car that sold Sunday wears chassis number 0714TR. It was the fourth Testa Rossa ever built and the second built for a customer. Piero Drago debuted the car in 1958 at the Buneos Aires 1000Km and took fourth place. Then it was off to the Havana Grand Prix, where Drago was in 13th place when race was halted following a fatal accident. Drago raced it one last time in the XII Circuito Internacional Vila Real in Portugal and then sold it to a Texan. No. 0714TR when through a series of owners who raced it, modified it, restored it and showed it over the years.

No 9714TR was one of 32 Ferraris auctioned Sunday at the Ferrari Leggende d Passione in Maranello. The final bid of $12.1 million is the highest ever paid at a public auction, according to RM Auctions.

Easy Hero

From Wired.com:

Airman Spots Jetliner’s Fuel Leak At 35,000 Feet

Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda knew something was amiss almost immediately after the jetliner left Chicago.

He’d looked out the window and saw what he thought was a fuel leak. He’d know, because he’s a boom operator with the 909th Air Refueling Station based at Kadena Air Base in Japan. That’s where he was headed. He was one of 300 people aboard the flight bound for Narita.

Still, he wanted to be sure, so he kept close watch on the situation. After an hour, he was convinced the plane had a serious problem. He alerted the flight attendant, who appeared unconcerned. He started filming the leak. No one knew it at the time, but the plane was losing 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour. He showed the flight attendant the video.

“Ma’am, it’s an emergency,” he told her after identifying himself, according to the U.S. Air Force. “You need to inform the captain before we go oceanic.”

That convinced her. She told the captain. He watched the video. He announced that the plane was returning to Chicago, then decided to continue on to San Francisco. It was the only place passengers could catch another flight to Narita.

Bachleda’s actions may have saved the lives of everyone aboard that flight, which the Air Force did not identify. Upon landing, the captain told Bachleda the plane wouldn’t have made it to Japan.

With All Sincerity

For those of you interested in how a real deal scam works, keep reading.

My roommate and I made a posting on craigslist for the furnished room we have available for the next several months. We kicked out our last roommate for being amongst other things a big slob, and needed a new roommate for the beginning of May. As April was coming to a close we grew more and more anxious that we wouldn't be able to find someone in time. We had imagined it would be easy to find a roommate, but had little luck. We were contacted by a UK citizen named Philip Armstrong who was moving to Toronto mid May and was very interested in our available room. Had our fortunes turned?

Some scams are better than other. This one works on a lot of levels. It plays with your heart and sympathies and at the same time presents what appears to be an opportunity to take more money than you're asking for in the first place. You'll see what I mean. Its a real study in psychology.

May I present....

Philip Armstrong, Samantha Mathison and Mr. Elliot Burger...

Starring In...

With All Sincerity aka The Cervical Scam

April 30th
From: philarmstrong001@gmail.com
To: mannywood@gmail.com

Hello there,

i am interested in the house you placed an ad on.Here is a little info about myself. My name is Philip Armstrong, i am 32 years old, at present i am based in the UK, but will be relocating to your Province in a couple of weeks.I am a social and friendly person, i drink occassionally and a non smoker. i like meeting people,i am an introvert by nature and i get along with most people easily,i dont party too much,i'll be coming soon and my reason for moving is because i have a job offer and the pay is very good,i will be working as a DataBase Administrator on oracle,I can assure you that you will not have any regrets letting out your apartment to me & having me as a room mate.I will be coming over alone,with no family or pets.if you need any other information please feel free to ask,you can contact me by email philarmstrong2681@gmail.com... thanks and hope to hear from you soon

yours with all sincerity

Philip Armstrong
(you can call me on +44-703-592-2943 or +44-703-598-3472)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 30th
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Hi Philip,

Sounds like you would be a great fit to be the 3rd person in our house! We are very much like you, social, friendly, drink occasionally and non-smokers. The room would be perfect for you because it is fully furnished (it even has a tv) so you don't have to worry about finding furnishings once you're here, and the house is literally 30 seconds or less from the subway, so you will have an easy time getting around toronto. Are you coming here in may?

You can give me a call or email me back anytime!

Sincerely,
Manny
416-555-5555
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 2nd
From: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com
To: mannywood@gmail.com

Hello Manny,

thank you so much for your quick response to my mail,bear with me that i didn't get back to you on time.i just want you to know that i won't be arriving until some few weeks from now but i just want to make sure that i secure a place before my arrival so that i won't have any problems settling down upon my arrival as this is my first time that i'll be coming to North America where i kno w nobody,but just to let you know how serious i am about having your place,once we reach a compromise i'll get in touch with my employers who will be making payment on my behalf to you as deposit for the first month rent and damage deposit.I wont be bringing much over as i intend to buy most afresh upon my arrival,but i am planning on shipping my car,my PC will be coming with me surely & other personal belongings.If this is ok with you, kindly mail me back your name to make out the payment in & your address to have it sent to. I will be needing your phone number as well, so i can call you & we can discuss more on this issue or any other issues. less i forget,i'll like to see some pics of your place and i want to know if there's a parking space /garage where i can park my car?hope to hear from you soon a prompt and positive response

Yours with all sincerity
PHILIP ARMSTRONG

(you can call me on +44-703-592-2943 or +44-703-598-3472)

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember,amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 3rd
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Philip,

Good to hear you're still interested. Parking is indeed available. I've attached some pictures of the available room and some of the rest of the house. Sorry that the pics aren't of that high a quality, I took them with my phone.

The only problem I can see is that we are looking for someone to move in as soon as possible as we don't want to go without a paying tenant. Are you willing to pay for the entire month of may? If so we will absolutely reserve the space for you as soon as we receive the payment from your work.

The payment should be made out to Manny Mannyman for $550.
The exact address is 123 Fake St.
And if you have any other questions or I forgot to address something don't hesitate to write back or call me at 555-5555.

Sincerely,
Manny
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 3rd
From: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com
To: mannywood@gmail.com

Hello Manny,

thank you so much for that piece of information,i will forward it to my employers ASAP but before that,i just want to bring it to your notice that you forgot to include your postal/zip code in the information you mailed me in your previous mail,i will really appreciate it if you check it out and get back to me as soon as you can so as to avoid further delays...hope to read from you soon.thank you

PHILIP ARMSTRONG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 3rd
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Philip,

Our full address is:

123 Fake St.
Fake City, Fake Province
123 abc

Please make out any payments to Manny Mannywood.

Sincerely,
Manny
555-5555
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 4th
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Philip,

Another person has shown interest in the room and is interested in moving in Wednesday or Thursday. If you can get us the cheque for May in the next couple days we can save the room for you but if not and another person wants to take the room we'll have to give it to them. I'm sorry to pressure you, don't take it personally, but we have to ensure we get payment for May.

Let me know how you'd like to proceed.

Sincerely,

Manny
555-5555
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 5th
From: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com
To: mannywood@gmail.com

Hello Manny,

i am so sorry i have not being in touch with you for a while,i have not being around for while now,i was out of town to tend to my mum who is very sick(she has cervical cancer),the doctors said she would have to be operated upon anytime soon so as to prevent further damage to her life and health and i just got back today.prior to our discussion,i beackon on you to exercise a little more patience,your payment is already being processed and it will get to you sometimes this week and once it's ready to be sent out to you i will mail you the tracking number of the courier service that will deliver the payment to you so you can track it on their website and know when the payment will arrive...i have also instructed my shipper to get in touch with you as regards the shipping of my personal effects over to your place and he'll be needing some certain informations,i will really appreciate if you assit in the best possible way you can.for authentication,his name is Mr Elliot Burger and his email address is:elliotburgershipper@gmail.com,he will contact you shortly.thank you so much for your co-operation and support and i look forward to hearing from you soon a prompt and positive response.

PHILIP ARMSTRONG
(you can call me on +44-703-592-2943)

PS:your payment will get to you this week unfailingly,it's has already being prepared and ready to be sent out so you don't have to worry about the payment issue i promise i won't dissappoint you in any way.i am really sorry for any inconveniences or whatsoever i might have cos'd you ok...i will try and give you a call later today so we can discuss more about this issue and others
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day I actually did receive a call from him. He had a strange accent and the connection was not good. There was a delay after I would speak so that there was 3-5 seconds of silence before he would respond to anything I said. On three or four occasions he said "I like you, you sound great, I like you"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 5th
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Philip,

We will save the room for you. And I have been contacted by Mr. Burger who requested our mailing address. I have a few questions for you.

1. When will you be arriving?
2. When will your shipped items arrive?

Sincerely,
Manny
555-5555
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 7th
From: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com
To: mannywood@gmail.com

Hello Manny,

I am very sorry for not keeping you posted about developments yesterday ,my mum is due for an operation today( she has cervical cancer) and I had to be by her side all through to give her my morale support as she is the only parent I have and I am also her only child.Well,I am glad to inform you that my employer(Mrs Samatha Matherson) has made out payment in your name with a Royal Bank bank draft,i just learnt that it was sent by regular mail(canadapost),it was sent on Tuesday(05/05/09) and it is estimated to take about three working days for the payment to be delivered,from my calculation,it should get to you before this week runs out,so you can keep watch and let me know when you receive the payment ok.
Regarding the shipping of my personal effects(my car and others) I will appreciate it if you get in touch with my shipper.For authentication,his name is Mr Elliot Burger and email address: elliotburgershipper@gmail.com, he will be needing certain shipping details from you so my effects can get to Canada safely.Thanks and God bless

PHILIP ARMSTRONG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 8th
From: mannywood@gmail.com
To: philarmstrong2681@gmail.com

Philip,

I'm sorry to hear about the difficult situation with your mother.

Your shipper, Mr. Burger, has only been in touch with me once, through email, to request our mailing address, which I provided. I have not heard from him since that time. If he wants to discuss anything with me, he is welcome to contact me directly, you have both my phone number and email address.

In regards to your first months rent payment, we did indeed receive the $5000 money order. However, we are not comfortable getting involved in the financial transactions between yourself, your employer and shipper. Additionally, the details of your email are not correct, as there is no damage deposit. Please have the correct amount ($550 or $1100 if you won't be here for June 1st to give us June rent directly) sent to us as soon as possible, and let us know what you would like us to do with the $5000 money order (hold on to it for you? destroy it? send it back?, etc.)

Not to be insensitive Philip, but neither myself or my roommate are going to be able to assist you with working out the details and logistics of your move, you are going to have to take care of these matters yourself.

If you have any further questions or concerns please call me.

Sincerely,
Manny
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is where the story ends for now...

I've contacted the police and my hope is that by leaving my last email sort of open-ended, they might be able to continue the conversation with "Philip" and perhaps find a way to track him or her.

And the morale of the story is....

we're still looking for a roommate.

Horrible or Adorable?

Thanks to Adam for showing me this video. It's the best thing I've seen in a while and exactly what youtube is made for.

Chocolate Milk

The Easy Way

Can it really be this easy?

http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/sha/1147544717.html

Globe & Mail Headline

Voter turnout to be high, B.C.'s electoral officer predicts

The New Billy Bob

To continue with a previous story, Billy Bob Thornton last night had his first television appearance since the infamous "mashed potatoes but no gravy" incident on CBC radio.

Billy Bob was an entirely different person, laughing, joking, and generally being responsive and coherent with Late Night host Jimmy Kimmell.

My general feeling about the whole situation is that you shouldn't use your fame selectively to promote your band. He doesn't want his fame to be mentioned on CBC radio, but then appears as Billy Bob Thornton the Actor on Jimmy Kimmel to promote his band. You can't have it both ways.

And maybe you shouldn't get to set rules going into interviews if the only reason your band got the interview is because you are Billy Bob Thornton. The way I see it, granting the no-name BoxMasters a band interview is and will always be a favour to Billy Bob Thornton the Actor.

I hope he understands that, otherwise he is a fucking loon.

Notation Neurosis

I used to work for a big, ugly, heartless corporation. For those of you who may doubt that days spent locked in a cubicle, pushing paper can take a toll on ones mind please humour me for a moment. I recently discovered the notebook I used to take to all meetings at this mind-numbing job. Below are just a few of the signs of psychosis that were scribbled across pages upon pages of boring notation.

-Bad Back
-You never do!
-Knee Surgury
-Free Snacks!
-Kiss My Brown Ass
-NO PROBLEMS ALLOWED!
-Be careful! They may be unhappy.
-That is IT!
-PAY UP!
-Soup to Nuts
-Lawyer In A Tower
-"I am a loyal person and like to eat steak and chocolate" (this was actually a description the shy 30 something Chinese man who worked in my department gave for himself when we were asked to introduce ourselves at a meeting with another department)
-Bamboo!
-V8 Juice, Yoh juice
-Machine, machine, machine
-ghost
-Long list, long list, long list, long list

Us And Them

For those who haven't experienced the genius that is my acting abilities, here is just a small taste. I play the awkward creeper with a tan to perfection!

Quantity over Quality

How crazy is this topless table? Eh? Eh???


And this bag contains all the real film used in the entire world since the advent of the digital camera.


Two world collide! OMG!

madlib the bad kid

The Onion

In my opinionation The Onion - American's Finest News Source, has really sucked lately. I wondered repeatedly if they had fired all their best writers or if there was perhaps a satirical writers strike or even a satirical satirical writers strike. I never got to the bottom of it. However, it seems The Onion may have regained its form. This following article reminds me very much of one of the many stupid arguments I might have with my friends.

Apparently Man Can't Just Hate Bowling

GENESEO, NY—Despite repeated attempts to explain his feelings on the matter, 29-year-old local resident Dave Barrister expressed shock Monday after learning that he was evidently not allowed to simply dislike bowling. "Looks like nobody in the history of the planet has ever just hated to bowl," Barrister said following a 20-minute interrogation by friends, who cited his love of both beer and chicken wings in their refusal to allow him to detest the activity. "I just don't like it, okay? I do not at all enjoy the experience of bowling. Why isn't that enough?" Barrister reportedly bowled an 89 later that evening.

Where Babies Come From

This is so stupid and the music is annoying, but it is a giant penis with kids coming out of it. I feel I have an obligation to show it to you.

Failure to Execute

That can't be good for business.

Kanzi The Orangutan

Meet Kanzi the Orangutan. Kanzi has been trained by a scientist since birth to communicate with humans and develop higher level brain functions. This video is one example of his abilities. He also has a really amazing understanding of English that you can see in other youtube videos.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is fucked.

What were you thinking?

Two examples of really weird choices:

1)
Props to Tony for pointing out this first gem. I'm not sure what went wrong here exactly, but the results are both funny and possibly very offensive. Is the man supposed to be in black face? Is someone just really bad at making sings? Did the owners actually pay money for this? I certainly would have sent it back. But I'm particular. I expect the name of my street to be spelled properly as well.


Ok, I suppose this could be considered an improvement. They got the street name right, but in the process cut off the Seniors & Kids price with the scary, well-coiffed face. If anyone is willing to give Donlands Barber Shop a call to see what the deal is with their signage situation I will give you a dollar. Was it all just a big mistake?


2)
I don't think this one was a mistake. A giant Mary Poppins window adorning the front of your house? What kind of maniac is this? Who idolized Mary Poppins? She's a fucking nanny with an umbrella that makes her fly. Putting something like this up is crazy. Really weird and crazy. But lets give this crazy and weird person the benefit of the doubt, maybe they belong to a religion where they have to do everything their children suggest. Thats fine, but still, isn't engraving giant panes of glass like, really, really expensive? Can you imagine what the people making this thought of the request? "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Werido, you're going to have to pay upfront."

Meet Romeo

Aditya "Romeo" Dev is the worlds smallest bodybuilder. He stands 2'9", has blonde hair, and his friends knees are slowly being swallowed by its thighs.



From telegraph.co.uk:

Using custom-built 1.5kg dumbbells, Romeo, 19, pumps iron daily to prove that small is beautiful. While most dwarfs have large heads compared to their bodies, Romeo is perfectly proportioned, and despite his diminutive stature has triceps, biceps, calves and thighs that would make many a full-grown man blush.

Large crowds regularly flock to watch him at his gym in Punjab, where as well as weight-training and push-ups Romeo is training to be a dancer. "I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world," said Romeo.

Romeo is famous in his home country, and his father has spoken of his pride in his son's determination to overcome any difficulties in his path. "He has never been bothered at being so small. He has no inferiority complex. He is the jewel of our family."

Defunct Designs

While on the interwebs this evening investigating a story a homeless man told me about his past life as an AHL hockey player I came across a list of now defunct AHL teams. Some of the logos are worth a look:

The Baltimore Clippers
Ship Captain Inspired?

The Boston Braves
Straight Up Racial


The Buffalo Bison
Sell-Outs.



The Carolina Monarchs
What does Carolina have to do with Monarchs and what do Monarchs have to do with Lions? Good thing you trademarked it...I'm sure there's tons of people desperate to rip this one off.

The Cincinnati Mohawks
Also racial, and strange feet, but a cool oldie-time look.


The Cincinnati Swords
The Swords? I've never heard of a team called "The Swords" before. Sean Connery.


Cleveland Barons
I'm not sure what this picture is supposed to be


The Cleveland Barons
In 2001 they changed their logo from something not entirely distinguishable to something just stupid. A shark in a top hat? What the?


The Cornwall Aces
This one is sick!


The Erie Blades
Sick name and logo

The Kentucky Thoroughblades
The Thoroughblades? Yes, we get it, you love horses in Kentucky, but really how horse-centric do you have to be? I guess they found the lone hipster in town to chose the colour scheme. But a horse with purple hair? Please. Oh man...there's just so much strangeness here.


The Nova Scotia Voyagers
Does this logo inspire confidence in your team? These guys look lost.


The Beast of New Haven
Horror themed hockey - previously the Carolina Monarchs


The St. Louis Flyers
Oldie Time!!!


The Syracuse Indians
Racial!

Greek Protest

Greek farmers in Athens come up with a wasteful, yet creative way to show their disapproval of government policy.

From Reuters:

Farmers pour milk on the road during a protest in front of Greek parliament in Athens March 31, 2009. About a hundred Greek farmers demanding compensation for low product prices protested outside the Agriculture Ministry in Athens and marched to parliament.

The Real Dr. Manhattan

Pictured above is Ken Wilber, an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. As soon as I saw Dr. Manhattan in The Watchmen on the big screen I thought to myself - "KEN WILBER'S PENIS! They look completely alike!" Upon further inspection I realized that the similarities extend beyond the loins. Both bald, both built, but explore mystic states of consciousness. I searched "ken wilber dr. manhattan" in google and got nothing. Am I the only one who thinks he is about as close to a dead-ringer as you could expect to find?

For those that are interested in the study of consciousness, here is a video of Wilber playing with his brain.

Oh God.

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/lego-star-trek.html

Photo City

In a dollar store recently I discovered stacks of 1988 Tim Wallach baseball card file folders. I didn't buy any but came very close. I certainly wouldn't have purchased them in 1988 but all these years later they seem like such a novelty. Pure dollar store item. Awesome.



Inside a downtown boutique hotel I spotted this contraption. "Is the heating busted?" I asked the doorman. Turns out this is not a heater. What else could it be? It could be a mechanized, electronic deodorizer I thought to myself, but felt silly suggesting that as a possibility. I asked the doorman. He said "its mechanized, electric deodorizer" like it was obvious or something. I took a closer look. The knob on the right says "Scent" and it goes from 1 to 10. What ever happened to flowers? Isn't this thing unsightly? What's next, robots holding Febreeze canisters?



We've all seen these. A stripped down bike, right? But this one caught me as unusually un-rusted and new looking to have been stripped of almost every last piece. Almost as if the owner had walked away from it only moments earlier. I thought he might run up to it screaming as I shot the picture. "Mannnnnnnnn, they even took the pedals." he would lament. "Yeah...maybe it was Igor?" I would respond in jest. It reminds me of an animal carcass that has been stripped clean to the bones.

Nickelback Outed at Juno Awards

Nickelback admitted to fans and detractors alike during an award show acceptance speech Sunday night that they are in fact the product of a bet between two drunken record execs and have never had at any point in their lifetimes any musical ambition or ability.

"We're worse than Milli Vanilli, really, have you actually listened to our music?" said Nickelback drummer Joel McLarken, an ex-private school teacher who is both legally blind and deaf.

The band, fronted by transient drug-addict turned rockstar drug-addict Chad Kroeger, shot to fame in 2006 with the hit single "How You Remind Me."

When asked why they would reveal such potentially damaging information about the band McLarken said he "had had enough" and that all the accolades have "gone straight to Kroeger's stupid head." "He actually asked if he could plug in his guitar and sing for real at one of our concerts. What is he, nuts?" Others have echoed similar sentiments. "Chad's somehow convinced himself that he's really talented," road manager Gus Van Der Gauf commented recently.

"Chad grew up on the mean streets of Oshawa." said Kroeger to a stunned audience. He appeared to have not registered his band mates public confession only seconds earlier and proceeded to embarrass himself in front of a record Juno Award Show audience of estimated at 117. Kroger continued with his acceptance speech, "You guys know my uncle? Mr. Kroeger? Well, he was featured on Seinfeld. He was always the successful one in the family and I thought I had a life of commercial sanding ahead of me, but now look where I am. I have straight hair, a bi-sexual blonde wife and a like 400 f***ing JUNOs. I'm gonna mount this bitch on the front of my ATV!"

When asked after the broadcast if his intention was to mount his wife or the Juno to his recreational vehicle, Kroeger was unresponsive. He was seen moments later colouring strands of his hair with magic markers and poking a large breasted woman with the award then licking it and smiling creepily.

Creeeeeepy

This picture recently won a competition. For what? For the most convincing picture of a ghost!

From bbc.com

The picture, taken in May 2008, appears to show a man or woman wearing a ruff, looking through a barred window at Tantallon Castle in North Berwick, East Lothian.

No mannequins are used at the castle, and there are no costumed guides. Three photographic experts have confirmed that the photograph was not manipulated.

Christopher Aitchison, a visitor who took the photograph said: "I was not aware of anyone or anything being present in my picture, only noticing the anomaly when I got home. I did not notice any nice old ladies wearing ruffs walking around the stairs!

Captain Skyliner

My next career will be...

TATTOO ARTIST! or maybe out-of-focus photographer.

I call this one "Captain Skyliner"

I Have Talented Friends

Biggest HDTV -- In the new Yankees Stadium

Where else?

The new Yankee Stadium contains the worlds largest HDTV--a 103 by 58 foot, 1080p HD Mitsubishi Diamond Vision LED display.

I guess you can pull out all the stops when you spend $1.3 billion on a stadium.

Here is a photo of the screen taken during a recent test:


The new scoreboard:

• Is 6x larger than the screen at old Yankee Stadium
• Is embedded with 8,601,600 LED lamps (covering a total of 5,925 square feet)
• Can put up to four simultaneous images, with picture-in-picture capabilities

From wired.com:

Some fans are worried that the screen will overshadow the game itself. Since it's located at the same height as the stadium's second deck and seems to occupy a quarter of the whole outfield façade, this seems quite possible. That is prime viewing position for nearly everyone inside (including the players), and it's only natural to continually glance over at a giant flickering thing rather than the serene pastoral slowness of the game.

The screen in old Yankee Stadium:

Happy Greek Independence Day & Annunciation Day!

History of Greek Independence Day
In 1821, Greeks vigorously rose up against the oppressive Ottoman Empire which had occupied Greece for nearly four hundred years, embarking on the ultimately successful war of independence. Bishop Germanos of Patras boldly raised the Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavras, inciting the Peloponnese to rise against the oppressors.

The Feast of the Annunciation
On this day in the Orthodox calendar, the archangel Gabriel appeared to the maiden Mary and announced the news: she was pregnant with the divine child. Bishop Germanos chose this day to deliver a different but not unrelated message: a new spirit was about to be born in Greece.

The churches celebrate the Festival of the Annunciation with pomp, ceremony, and joy. The spectacle is especially vivid on the islands of Tinos and Idra (Hydra). Hydra, a maritime merchant power with a swift, well-maintained fleet, was a determined and effective supporter of the War for Independence, doubling the celebration there. You can also expect colorful religious ceremonies wherever the local monastery or church is named "Evangelisimos" or "Evangelistria", such as Panagia Evangelistria on Tinos.

Greek Independence Day is also celebrated by many of the Greeks of the diaspora, and large parades are becoming more common in United States cities where Greeks have made their homes, including Boston and New York City. Each year, the U.S. President marks Greek Independence Day with a proclamation reminding citizens of the contributions of Greece to democracy, and of the ongoing contributions of expatriate Greeks in their new communities throughout the world.

Elephant Bird?

From bbc.com:

What is reputed to be the largest egg in the world is displayed before it goes on auction in London. It was laid in the 17th Century by the now-extinct Great Elephant Bird of Madagascar.




From http://www.boneclones.com/sc-241.htm

The Elephant Bird is considered the largest bird in history. Possibly existing for nearly 2 million years in Madagascar, it faced extinction by the middle of the 17th century. Related to other flightless birds like the ostrich and emu, this heavy-set herbivore measured approximately 10 feet and 1,000 pounds, three times the weight of an 8-foot ostrich. These birds were hunted by local inhabitants, and may have been seen by the first Europeans to visit the island. Likely not a fast runner as indicated by the relative lengths of its leg bones, it may have relied on its massive size and pointed beak to defend itself.

And guess what? That skeleton is for sale. Its not real bones, its a reproduction, but it can yours for a mere $18,000. Or save money and buy it disassembled Ikea style for only $14,400.

Double Survivor

The only man to survive both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

According to bbc.com:

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb.

He suffered serious burns and spent a night there before returning to his home city of Nagasaki just before it was bombed on 9 August.

He is now 93 years old.

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7963581.stm