Let's Make This A Photobomb Monday!

A Photobomb is An otherwise normal photo that has been ruined or spoiled by someone who was not supposed to be in the photograph.  Enjoy.

My Interview With Charlie Sheen

I sat down to a telephone interview with Charlie Sheen... Wow!  Messed up to say the least!

The Most Amazing Animal on Earth

Presenting The Indestructible Tardigrades

Tardigrades (commonly known as water bears or moss piglets) form the phylum Tardigrada, part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. They are microscopic, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs. Tardigrades were first described by Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773 (kleiner Wasserbär = little water bear). The name Tardigrada means "slow walker" and was given by Lazzaro Spallanzani in 1777. The name water bear comes from the way they walk, reminiscent of a bear's gait. The biggest adults may reach a body length of 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in), the smallest below 0.1 mm. Freshly hatched larvae may be smaller than 0.05 mm.

More than 1,000 species of tardigrades have been described.^{[citation needed]} Tardigrades occur over the entire world, from the highHimalayas (above 6,000 metres (20,000 ft)), to the deep sea (below 4,000 metres (13,000 ft)) and from the polar regions to the equator.

The most convenient place to find tardigrades is on lichens and mosses. Other environments are dunes, beaches, soil, and marine orfreshwater sediments, where they may occur quite frequently (up to 25,000 animals per litre). Tardigrades often can be found by soaking a piece of moss in spring water.

Tardigrades are able to survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal. Some can survive temperatures of −273 °C (−459 °F), close to absolute zero, temperatures as high as 151 °C (304 °F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals, and almost a decade without water.  In September 2007, tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission and for 10 days were exposed to the vacuum of space. After they were returned to Earth, it was discovered that many of them survived and laid eggs that hatched normally.

Charlie Sheen - WTF?

Call me crazy, but I sure hope I never find fame and fortune in Hollywood.  I mean think about it, millions of dollars, swimming pools, sweet cars, a personal trainer, lobster at will, and, oh yeah, complete meltdown!  I had my party years, still have my bad days at work, but REALLY?  REALLY!?  What drug or should I say "high" is worth this...

This guy is CLEARLY off his rocker!  Call the men in white coats, break out the straight jacket, ready the rubber room... Here comes Charlie!


WOW!  He's really lost it... the rest of this post will clearly show that!

COOL MUSIC FRIDAY #14 - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes is a Seattle-based folk band signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes. Both Sun Giant and their eponymous debut album received much critical praise and reviewers often noted their use of refined lyrics and vocal harmonies. The quintet describes its music as "baroque harmonic pop jams".



Formation and early years

Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset both attended Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle, and soon became close friends.  Pecknold and Skjelset bonded over a mutual appreciation of Bob Dylan and Neil Young and began making music together. Their parents influenced their musical tastes early on — Skjelset's mother Peggi was a keen listener to both Bob Dylan andHank Williams while Pecknold's father Greg was a member of The Fathoms, a local 1960s soul group. The two were interested in the achievements of Dylan and Brian Wilson and realized the importance of practicing music from a young age.

Originally going by the name "Pineapple", a name clash with another local band prompted a change and Pecknold decided upon "Fleet Foxes", suggesting that it was "evocative of some weird English activity like fox hunting". Pecknold took up the role of principal songwriter, both singing and playing guitar, while Skjelset played lead guitar. Pecknold's late-sixties pop style caught the attention of Seattle producer Phil Ek and he helped them record their first demo in 2006, the self-released Fleet Foxes EP.  Ek was impressed with the band's songwriting, and upon hearing Pecknold for the first time, noted that "it was obvious that he had talent coming out of his ass."  By late 2006 the Seattle press began to take notice of the band; Tom Scanlon of the Seattle Times stated that he was impressed with the band's lyrics and musical maturity.

With growing popularity on the local circuit, the band set about making their first album in early 2007, spending time in the studio with producer Ek in addition to recording material at home. However, funds for recording were tight, so the band members cobbled together what funds they had, which limited the time they had in the studio, and so the majority of the tracks were recorded in various band members' apartments, other spaces, or the basement of Pecknold's parents' house.

Past Beauties

It never fails to amaze me how our perception of beauty changes from decade to decade.  Here are some women that were considered extremely beautiful for their time period.

What Did You Used To Watch?

A List of My Favorite Top Five Retro TV Shows

Back in the day, when I was a youngster, I used to watch TV.  A lot of TV.  I don't watch much any more, but I would probably start up again if they made shows like these...

Number 5 on my list of classic retro TV that I idolized goes to Ultraman.

Ultraman was a series that took place in the far off future year of 1993.  The earth, Japan specifically, is constantly being threatened by giant monsters bent on destruction.  One organization known as The Science Patrol was tasked to take on this threat, specifically in outer space.  During one early mission,  protagonist Hyata collides with the ship carrying an extra-terrestrial good guy called Ultraman.  Ultraman is so stricken with guilt over killing a human that he merges his essence with Hayata to save them both.  Hayata goes back to work, but when monsters threaten the Earth, he uses the Beta Capsule to transform into the giant Ultraman taking on the evil menace.

I would like to add that for the majority of my childhood, only about 7 TV channels were available, 3 of them riddled with static, and I watched a black and white picture, no remote.  As I recall, the channels in our area were 3, 5, 8, 23, 25, 43, and 61.

Number 4 goes to Tennessee Tuxedo, a cartoon.

Here is a synopsis of the show from Wikipedia...

Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales is a popular, semi-educational animated cartoon TV series that originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1966. It was produced by Total Television, the same company that produced the earlier King Leonardo and the later Underdog, and primarily sponsored by General Mills. The title is a play on “tuxedo and tails” formal wear.

The cartoon series revolved around Tennessee Tuxedo the penguin (voiced by Don Adams), and his best friend Chumley the Walrus(voiced by Bradley Bolke). The pair lived (not always willingly) at the Megapolis Zoo, under the control of the ill-tempered zoo director Stanley Livingston, and his zoo-keeper assistant Flunky (voiced by Kenny Delmar). It was on one of Stanley’s journeys that Tennessee met Stanley. Actually, it was Chumley that Stanley wanted, as Chumley was at the South Pole. Thus Chumley was a one of a kind: a South Pole walrus. Tennessee agreed to accompany Chumley and Stanley back to the zoo.  At the zoo, Tennessee and Chumley had many friends to help them out, such as Yakkety Yak (also voiced by Kenny Delmar), Baldy the eagle (also voiced by Kenny Delmar), Alfonse the giraffe, Kounging the panda, Peanuts the elephant, Icycold the Blue ReluctantDragon (also voiced by Kenny Delmar), Rockymount the rhinoceros, the Gopher brothers, Dumboing the ostrich, and the Beaverbrothers. Three episodes also featured Howler, a dog that Tennessee got from his uncle.

Tennessee and Chumley also had a big rival, in the form of Jereboah Jump the kangaroo rat (also voiced by Bradley Bolke). Some of the episodes would center around Tennessee trying to outsmart Jereboah at his own game, and succeeding in the end, of course. Jereboah later gains a henchman in a boxing tiger named Tiger Tornado (voiced by Kenny Delmar). Tennessee and Chumley were also constantly bedeviled by Rocky Maninoff (voiced by Jackson Beck impersonating Humphrey Bogart and whose name is an obvious pun on the composer and musician Sergei Rachmaninoff), a gangster who often called them “bo-bo's” and ordered them to do his will at the point of his machine gun.

Tennessee and Chumley regularly escaped from the zoo, only to find trouble in the outside world. Whenever Tennessee would propose a hare-brained scheme, Chumley was usually skeptical at first. Typically Tennessee would assure the dim-witted Chumley that his superior intelligence would carry the day, often with his catchphrase "Tennessee Tuxedo will not fail!" Chumley typically would respond with his own catchphrase, "Duh, OK Tennessee." When faced with more trouble than they could bear, the pair would turn to their friend, a college professor named Phineas J. Whoopee (voiced by Larry Storch), the “Man with All the Answers”. Mr. Whoopee, as he was known, was extremely knowledgeable on all subjects, and would frequently lecture the pair on such diverse topics as the physicsbehind the hot air balloon, to how musicians become popular. His lectures were illustrated and animated on the Three Dimensional Blackboard (3DBB for short), that he would retrieve out of an avalanche of junk from his overstuffed hallway closet. Other times the pair would have to overcome a personal problem, such as Chumley requiring treatment for a toothache but expressing his fear of the dentist (a common fear in many children). Mr. Whoopee used his blackboard to explain the history of dental science and how dental students must undergo much training to be very skilled with teeth. After Chumley overcame his fears and realized the dentist is his friend, Tennessee makes a suggestion that the two of them become doctors. Stanley Livingston overhears them, and tells the two that the first thing they can operate on is his motorscooter, which Tennessee wrecked while trying to pull Chumley's tooth himself (with a rope). At the end of each lecture with Mr. Whoopee, Tennessee praised his mentor with the line, “Phineas J. Whoopee, you’re the greatest!”

The pair would then attempt to use their newly gained knowledge to get out of the trouble they had created, but would invariably end up in more trouble with Stanley Livingston, who typically punished them in different ways ranging from having the police arrest them to making them scrub pots and pans for six months. Stanley even threatened to skin them alive many times. There were, however, a few times when they managed to succeed, such as a time where the pair (along with Baldy) formed a musical group and gained so much popularity that they managed to star in Stanley's music show while he was reduced to eating his hat (having said that he would if Tennessee's group got into his show).

On a Boing podcast, Underdog creator Joe Harris explained that after F.C.C. commissioner Newton Minow declared television a "vast wasteland" in terms of educational material, efforts were made to include education in programming. He added that with Tennessee Tuxedo, Tennessee and Chumley were portrayed as the ones who were being educated, so children would feel that they weren't being lectured to; even though in the end, they were.

Number 3 goes to a game show hosted by Bob Barker called Truth or Consequences
Check it out...

From Wikipedia -

Truth or Consequences, an American quiz show, was originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940-57) and later on television by Edwards (1950-54), Jack Bailey (1954-55), Bob Barker (1956-75), Bob Hilton (1977-78) and Larry Anderson (1987-88). The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication. The premise of the show was to mix the original quiz element of game shows with wacky stunts.

The daily syndicated show was produced by Ralph Edwards Productions (later Ralph Edwards/Stu Billett Productions), in associated with and distributed by Metromedia Television (1966-78) and Lorimar-Telepictures (1987-88).

Out Of Order

Due To A MASSIVE Freaking Snow Storm
which turned a 30 minute drive into a FRIGGIN FIVE HOUR DRIVE!
ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!


I'll be back tomorrow!

Happy Presidents' Day!

Odd But True Presidential Facts

A First

If someone asked you, "Who was the first President of the United States of America?", you would probably say that it was George Washington.  It was old George, right?  Wrong. Technically George Washington was not the first president of the American colonies; it was John Hanson, who was the third President of the U.S. Constitutional Congress from 1781 to 1782, and the first representative to serve one year in the office of the President of the United States in Congress Assembled.

John Hanson authorized and approved the Great Seal of the United States, although some think that this is not technically true, it is very true.  Rumors that Hanson was actually a black man are untrue.

After serving as President of Congress for one year, Hanson retired and died a year later in Maryland on November 22, 1783.

Cat Got Your Tongue?

No Doubt one of the best, if not the best president of all times, was Thomas Jefferson.  Not only was he the father of the constitution and one of the founding fathers of the United States, Jefferson also wrote the Declaration of Independence, and was an avid inventor.

Just a few of the things that Jefferson invented include the hideaway bed, the dumbwaiter, the coat hanger and even the swivel chair, all this while leading and shaping a new country.

What might however come as a surprise, is that Jefferson was not at all known for giving speeches. In fact, during his time as president, two terms in all, he only gave only two speeches; and both were given during his inaugurations!  Also not widely known, is that Thomas Jefferson was a red-head, making him one of the most famous red head in history.

It's All About The Angle And Creativity

It's All About The Angle

COOL MUSIC FRIDAY #13 - Azure Ray

It’s been nearly seven years since celebrated duo Azure Ray released their critically acclaimed albumHold On Love. It’s been a long wait for music fans, but thankfully that wait is about to come to an end. The highly anticipated full-length from Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor is a sublime future classic titledDrawing Down the Moon, set for release on Saddle Creek in September. The record was produced by Eric Bachmann at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, mixed by Michael Patterson in Los Angeles, CA and features guest appearances by Andy LeMaster and Liz Durrett. With their three prior full lengths and the November EP the duo drew fans from around the globe with their transcendent songwriting and stunning vocals, Drawing Down the Moon is an even more impressive and beguiling delight. Their undeniable talents lie in balladry so breathtakingly visceral that it soars straight through the ears into the veins until it pumps firmly into the heart.

Drawing Down the Moon opens to drops of harp wrapped loosely in luscious vocals that wind through a fairytale melody; “Wake Up, Sleepyhead” is a perfect introduction to the record, a lullaby to stir the senses. “Signs in the Leaves” is haunting, a devastating tale of giving up someone you love and then longing for them with your entire being: “cause the birds don’t sing,/ and the trees don’t speak to me/ and I don’t see signs in the leaves anymore/ I’m a little worried/ I’m a little worried that I killed something inside of me when I let you go.” If heartbreak has ever sounded more beautiful, we have never heard it. The record closes with “Walking in Circles”, a track which embraces and envelopes the listener. Subtle but striking guitar finds itself laced through pointed, poignant lyrics on time and emotion, “we lament with the passing of time/ hoping we never show it.” Azure Ray are famed for their bitter sweet melancholy and Drawing Down the Moon is a perfect ode to their harmonious musical gifts. Twelve flawless songs worth waiting every second of those seven years for.

Azure Ray - New Resolution from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.
Azure Ray - New Resolution from Hold On Love Directed by Sam Jones

Azure Ray - Don't Leave My Mind from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.

Azure Ray - Don't Leave My Mind

from the album Drawing Down The Moon

Director by Ryan Berg, Cinematographer: Geoff Alderette, Gaffer: Dan Aguar, Production Assistants: Jonny Warren, Ashley Cline,  Christina Kwan

Wikipedia says this about the band...

Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at theAlabama School of Fine Arts. They fronted a band called Little Red Rocket, often compared to Veruca Salt, in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama in the mid and late 1990s and released two albums with the band on Tim/Kerr records.

Azure Ray started in Athens, Georgia, but relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and joined the music scene there. Taylor and Fink are also in another Saddle Creek band called Now It's Overhead, with Andy LeMaster. The two have collaborated with Moby and co-wrote the song, "Great Escape" on the album 18. They have also appeared on numerous Bright Eyes records. Fink also works with Japancakes.

Azure Ray disbanded in 2004, leaving Fink and Taylor to work on solo and other collaborative projects, including working in Now It's Overhead and Maria Taylor's solo recordings.

Help Some Kittens!

Help for a family in need.

The Appleby's need our help.  They rescued a cat named Franklin, who has been diagnosed with Feline Leukemia and now their entire family of kitties have been exposed, resulting in a large vet bill for tests, medications, and care. The Appleby family is always first to help anyone with anything, especially pets in need.  Now we  are hoping to raise enough money to assist them with the care.  The cat that they rescued was thrown out into the street by its previous owner in another state, and a "train" was organized to get this cat to them in Illinois.
Any donation is GREATLY appreciated!

The Microscopic World Around Us

A wood or heathland Ant, Formica fusca, holding a microchip

The surface of an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory silicon microchip

Eyelash hairs growing from the surface of human skin

The surface of a strawberry

Bacteria on the surface of a human tongue

Human sperm (spermatozoa), the male sex cells

The nylon hooks and loops of velcro

Household dust which includes long hairs such as cat fur, twisted synthetic and woolen fibers, serrated insect scales, a pollen grain, plant and insect remains