With slapstick comedy it’s practically a given someone is going to get their head hit, an eye poked, a kick in the pants, or slip and fall down. And why is slapstick in so many cartoons and children’s shows? Why do people find humor in other’s noncommonsensical pain?
Ever since the movie PoltergeistI’ve understood why some children (and adults) are afraid of clowns. So what happens when you combine a clown and slapstick in a television commercial? If you are a fan of slapstick, you can’t help but laugh out loud.
It looks like President Obama can be blamed for a few things too. Say, for instance, setting Gordon Brown off into a frenzy because he supposedly snubbed him. Blimey!
from the Daily Mail -
Sensational claims that Gordon Brown has physically attacked his staff in a series of outbursts in Downing Street – and once in America – have rocked the Government.
Well-placed sources say the Prime Minister has been accused of hitting a senior adviser, pulling a secretary out of her chair and hurling foul-mouthed abuse at aides while distraught over an alleged snub by President Barack Obama.
The Chinese don’t approve. They didn’t approve last time we sold arms to Taiwan, or the time before that. Why should this time be any different? So they make threats that there will be results.
Reporting from Paris – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned China on Friday that it faced international pressure and increasing isolation unless it joined other world powers in sanctioning Iran to try to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The admonishment from Clinton came on the same day the Pentagon announced more than $6 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, a move certain to infuriate Beijing and add a new complication to the U.S.-Chinese relationship.
Why shouldn’t Taiwan build up it’s military to defend itself against the likes of China? What about China’s past arms sales? Back up to 2006 for instance.
from the Asia Times-
NEW YORK – The People’s Republic of China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and one of the world’s prolific arms producers, remains a major stumbling block to US efforts to impose economic and military sanctions on three countries: Sudan, Myanmar and Iran.
[...]
And according to a new report released by London-based Amnesty International, China is a key arms supplier to countries such as Sudan, Myanmar and Nepal, all three described by AI as human-rights violators.
Iran is also a longtime recipient of Chinese weapons, including Shenyang fighter planes, T-59 battle tanks, HY-2 Silkworm surface-to-surface missiles, and rocket launchers. China has strong economic interests in both Sudan and Iran, which, in turn, are oil suppliers to China.
The first time I ever paid attention to a “growler” was after touring Sprecher Brewing Co. in Milwaukee. It wasn’t beer we toted home in the 64 ounce jug. Rather, it was Sprecher’s Triple X Root Beer, an alcoholic root beer aged in an oak bourbon cask (who knew?) that can only be purchased at their counter.
Since that time I’ve been introduced to the world of craft beers by my son and his wife, who live in Colorado and most recently brewed an Irish Red Stout, I’m told. If they didn’t have their own home brew on tap, I’m sure they would be bringing some home in growlers.
An old way to transport beer is coming back for those who have discovered freshly brewed craft beer is more exciting than wine.
from the New York Times -
Growlers — 64-ounce glass vessels that look like a moonshine jug — have become the beer accessory of the moment. And the jugs, filled at taps in bars and stores, are not just the toys of the bearded, flannel-shirt, beer-geek set.
“In the beginning we tried to figure out, ‘Who’s going to be our market?’ ” said Ben Granger, 32, an owner of Bierkraft, which began filling growlers in spring 2006. “We thought, mullet-heads and beer-bellied dudes. But the first run was ladies with strollers. They will tell you they’re buying them for their husbands. Three weeks later, they’ve got two. One’s his and one’s hers. The next one that caught me by surprise was dads coming in with their kids. Then there’s the beer crowd who’ll rush in to get on this or that before it’s gone. There’s no age limit.”
Is golf the same without Tiger Woods? There are those who will say it isn’t, but tournaments will go on (with whispers of his name heard on each hole). Like other sports, new “heroes” will climb up the ladder. Will golf go on without Tiger Woods? Did cooking go on while Martha Stewart wasaway?
from the Boston Hearald -
Golf minus Woods is, well, golf minus woods?
Imagine a bag full of just irons. That’s only half the sport, and the [PGA] Tour, in its current Tigerless state, is half of its former self. Even less, probably.
In analyzing the Tiger Woods situation, it’s probably best to sit back and just look at him through a child’s eyes. Then it’s easier to understand another generation is coming along who will be ready to follow their own sports heroes.
We should be calling on the sun gods to beam the leader and scientists of the first country to try this anti-global warming scheme without the mutual approval of the rest of the world. Geo-engineering…
from IFpress -
A prominent Canadian scientist says it’s time for the international community to start studying the use of global “sun blocks” as a way to fight climate change.
Sending particles into the atmosphere to block some of the sun’s rays and reduce global warming is fast and cheap, and it could just be a matter of time before some country tries it without regard for the rest of the planet, said David Keith in an opinion paper published Wednesday in the prestigious British journal Nature.
“The risks of not doing any serious research, not beginning to build the tools of governance, are bigger than the risks of doing it,” he said.
The State of the Union speech is one thing for certain – a lot of words. While the meaning of the speech matters most, there are some interested in the how long, how many and how they and the words they are composed of compare to past speeches.
The frequency of words used (from The Presidency Project) turned into a chartby the Guardian comparing Obama’s speech to Bush 2002, Kennedy 1961, Regan 1982, Roosevelt 1934, Lincoln 1861, and Washington 1790 – years of economic crisis or uncertainty, or years during war.
McDonald’s has teamed up with the Italian government to launch the McItaly burger, the latest scintillating addition to one of the world’s great food cultures.from -guardian.uk
Well, I suppose it didn’t hurt the culinary image of the U.S. when President Clinton stopped after his three mile jogs to have a snack of a Big Mac! Clinton was the butt of a lot of fast food jokes though.
If ever there was a sign of the moral bankruptcy of Silvio Berlusconi’s government, it is the sight of a McDonald’s apron wrapped around the svelte frame of the Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia as he helped launch the new McItaly range of burgers. The President of the Council cavorting with young women, the allegations of shady connections, slippery financial arrangements, dubious political allegiances, and all-round dodgy dealings are as nothing when compared to this monstrous act of national betrayal.
China has its first animal abuse law ever…no getting caught eating cats or dogs. Trouble is, its an age old tradition in China, like eating good ‘ole apple pie in the U.S.
Restaurants are even named after dog, which is the meat featured at the eateries: Cool Old Lady Dog Meat Restaurant or Wan Family Dog Meat Restaurant. Doggie bag anyone?
from Times Online -
From serving it with turtle to stewing it with snake, China has savoured the delights of dog and cat meat for thousands of years. But now, the country known for its experimental culinary traditions could be about to end a centuries-old custom and remove both animals from the menu.
In what would be China’s first law against animal abuse, anyone caught eating cat or dog meat would face a fine of as much as 5,000 yuan (£450) and up to 15 days in jail. Organisations involved in the sale of either meat could be fined between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan. A draft law is expected to be sent to parliament, the National People’s Congress, in April, according to state media.
Sounds like a tradition that will be hard to give up. And with all of the extra dogs and cats running around the streets of an overpopulated China, one has to wonder what will become of the strays.
