Sunday, February 28, 2010

Mascot of the Month: Bill Demong (Nordic Combined)

Okay, until this Olympics, I never paid attention to a lot of events that I didn't understand. But sitting in the hotel in Vancouver, where they covered everything, I got into Nordic Combined.
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The first one I watched we got a Silver, but this is Bill Demong who won our first Gold in Nordic Combined.
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And no, I am not impressed only by Gold, but he is cuter than the guy that got Silver ;-).
Bill Demong.
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This is the first 1/2 of the Nordic Combined. You ski jump - and based on your jump, they set your start placement for the Cross Country.
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This is Billy after he won the Cross Country portion and the Gold Medal.
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What the hell is this, you ask? This is Billy Demong working to strengthen his core muscles.
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Oookayyyy....
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With the medal.

My Honey's Team in Vancouver


Isn't this cute! This is his finance team in Vancouer (so mainly the Olympic finance team).

GREAT Article about WorldVision in NY Times...


As most of you know, I support a child through World Vision. It is a Christian organization, but does not require "evangelicalizing" while doing their work supporting children around the world (in fact - in countries where this is against the culture - like Muslim countries- they specifically prohibit evangilizing).
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The NY Times Editorial section has an article by Bill Kristof that is a little too mean to liberals - but brings up some great points.
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Including that WorldVision is now the biggest international organization helping children worldwide with over 40,000 staff members in 100 countries. Without WorldVision to coordinate support much of our aid would fail to reach their targets (in places like Haiti).
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I include here his last points - again an easy shot at liberals (man, I hate they way people throw that word around) but still worth thinking about.
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Some liberals are pushing to end the longtime practice (it’s a myth that this started with President George W. Bush) of channeling American aid through faith-based organizations. That change would be a catastrophe. In Haiti, more than half of food distributions go through religious groups like World Vision that have indispensible networks on the ground. We mustn’t make Haitians the casualties in our cultural wars.
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A root problem is a liberal snobbishness toward faith-based organizations. Those doing the sneering typically give away far less money than evangelicals. They’re also less likely to spend vacations volunteering at, say, a school or a clinic in Rwanda.
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If secular liberals can give up some of their snootiness, and if evangelicals can retire some of their sanctimony, then we all might succeed together in making greater progress against common enemies of humanity, like illiteracy, human trafficking and maternal mortality.

Saw "The Pride" Tonight with 2 very good...

This is the cast of The Pride, a new show I saw tonight. The two guys on the far left are Ben Whishaw and Hugh Dancy. They are very "up and coming" Brits. I included a picture of Hugh from "Adam" because you might remember him.

They were all very good and I liked the show a lot.

This is Hugh Dancy from the movie Adam. He played the guy that loved stars and didn't understand emotion. I didn't see it, the trailer look a little too cute for its own good.


This a photo of Ben Whishaw that looks more like he did in the play than the picture up top. He was fantastic in the show. It was set between 1958 and 2008 and traced the relationships of 2 men in parallel, but very different times. It was really good and quite interesting.

Whaa WAHH (Spoke 2 Soon: Updated)


UCLA Loses to Oregon 68-70 to complete the season at 13 - 15.
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(Queue Debbie Downer sound effects)
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Turns out only our home season is done. We still have to travel to Arizona and Arizona State to finish out the regular season.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

UCLA "might" get to .500 IF they win (updated)


Hard to believe that IF (and only IF) we win our next (and possibly last) game - then we get to .500 (that's 50%). Of course we might win and sweep the tourement and get to the NCAAs but it isn't something I am counting on.
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Yikes.
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It will be our third losing season since 1947-1948.
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Ben Howland had a losing season in 2003/4. Of course that wasn't his fault - he had another coach's recruits.
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No, this losing season he will have his own players and his SECOND LOSING SEASON. TWO. I know that sounds harsh, but here are the Bruin Coaches that did not have a losing season (even 1, even with another coach's recruits.)
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John Wooden 1948 - 1975
Gene Bartow 1975 - 1977
Gary Cunningham 1977 - 1979
Larry Brown 1979 - 1981
Larry Farmer 1981 - 1984
Walt Hazard 1984 - 1988
Jim Harrick 1988 - 1996 (accidently left off first list, hat tip to Thurman)
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Then there is Steve Lavin, 1996- 2003 fired after 1 losing season.
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WE are going to finish the decade with 3 losing seasons! THREE. Or, ifyou want to count differently, we will start this decade on a losing footing.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Worst. Curling. Uniforms. EVER.


Croatia (Hat Tip to Cliff)

Trevor in too deep Snow


Trevor enjoyed the snow for about 2 minutes - until he found he couldn't get the baseball out of it. Thenhe was done! D U N Done.


This was in Union Square, this kid wanted that squirrel in the worst way.



Union Square this afternoon.





Ditto


Ditto - We don't see this much snow much - and it doesn't stick when we do.



I'm Dreaming.... (updated with input from Perron)

(Update below)
It was quite a night last night and still snowing now. Not much for many people, but a lot for 9th and 42nd.
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It's quite white today - and everything is slow or closed in New York.
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Update
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Perron noted the resemblance.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

New Header from outside the BC House

John, Ed and I went to a party at the British Colombia House one night and there was a huge fireworks and light show outside. It was a "Pride British Colombia" party (yes John got to be Out and Proud for one night), and we saw it from the balcony so we had an amazing view. I used this picture of the show for the new header.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Blinked and you missed him..

Blink and you might have missed Jason Lamy Chappuis. He won the Nordic Combined (which consists of Ski Jumping and then Cross Country).
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Now normally I wouldn't highligh the winning Frenchie, particularly since an America got the Silver.
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But Jason is from Missoula Montana! Born to a French dad and a Montana Mom - which I have right now.
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So good for the Griz.

In Newspeak, 60% is "all"


So, once again I came across this phrase -which drives me bat-shit crazy. "By September 1, all U.S. combat forces are scheduled to leave Iraq, with 50,000 troops staying behind in an advisory role."
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Ok, OK, OKAY
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We invaded and held the country for 4 years, until a "temporary" surge, with 120,000 troops. If you remove "all U.S. combat forces" - that means leaving something close to zero (and say up to 1,200). If you leave 41.67% of the troops then ALL COMBAT FORCES ARE NOT LEAVING.
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As for the "advisory" role, one can only assume that all newspeak from the Vietnam Era is well and truly forgotten.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Finally a simple recipe for Quinoa that doesn't taste like dirt!


Quinoa is a "super-food", in that it is the only grain that includes a full protein complement and is full of vitamins. It is from the Incas and hasn't really caught on before for two reasons.
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First, the Peruvians killed people who took it out of Peru for years. Second, it taste remarkably like dirt.
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But, Salon (saviour of the free world) published a remarkably simple recipe that makes it taste yummy.
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1 part Quinoa, 1.5 parts chicken broth, oil...
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Pre-heat an oven to 350. Heat oil in a oven proof pan until it is fragrant. Put in Quinoa and cook till toasty, add broth and bring bake to boil. Cover and put in the oven for 16 minutes. Then it taste like really good brown rice. It is a great base for chicken and sauce or even as a side.
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Now I enjoy it. And since I had a bunch of bags I bought when I heard it was good for you and never used when I tasted it - I thought I might share for those of you that have the same issue.

Mascot Update: Picture Tells a thousand words


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Dam Busters Good: Remake Idea Bad

I watched The Dam Busters on TCM today and was reminded why this will be a horrible remake.
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Here is how the original movie ends. One of the planes that got through and destroyed the dam and all the land and war industry around the dam. The cast climbs out in silence, gets hot tea and sits down in the mess hall. Many miss their comrades. A BBC radio program notes that the dam was destroyed and a huge part of Nazi Germany is without power and flooded. He also notes that 11 Lancasters (the bombers) are lost). The creator of the bomb and the Squadron Commander talk about the lose of life of the airmen. Before the Commander will attend a party (heard of, not seen) he "Has some letters to write."
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It is a quiet and poignant moment reminding us that success in war still has huge costs.
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It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a bomb maker) to know that in the remake the US flyboys, including at least 3 minorities of some type, will land to giant cheers and applause. They will be carried away on the shoulders of their stout hearted, by hapless RAF friends to beer and USO cheers - as the movie ends to whoops and hollers. As the screen fades to black a small crawl will announce that this is almost true, but the Brits did it not Matthew McConnehay - just like U571.

Hot Dog Warning ("If it saves just ONE life....")

Really? REALLY!? Does anyone think this will work. A mother is going to suddenly pick up a pack of freaking hot dogs and say, "Oh My God! I NEVER thought about this. My child could chock on these wieners - of which he eats hundreds a year and has since birth! I gotta stop now!"
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The American Academy of Pediatrics wants a warning label on hot dogs, not because they’re unhealthy, but because their shape, size, and texture poses a huge choking hazard to kids and babies. The doctors want to go even further if possible, redesigning the food and others like it to lower the risk, according to a new policy statement published on the Pediatrics Web site Monday. Every year more than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room after choking on food, and 17 percent of the incidents are caused by hot dogs. Warnings have long been required on toys that could pose a choking hazard. "If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," the statement’s author says. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council supports a call for more education, but says that choking-prevention tips are already on the back of labels. The FDA plans to review the statement.
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USA Today brings this breaking news!
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You know, let's break this down for a moment. There are 300,000,000 Americans - so assume 14% are under 14 years old (a VERY low assumption because that would assume we all live to 100, AND an even distribution of ages, but this is fine to start with). That means 42,000,000 under 14. Let's assume in a typical year they eat a total of 12 hot dogs (again probably on the low side - but we are going with low guesses here). That means about 504,000,000 hot dogs a year are eaten by children under 14.
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The article says that each year 10,000 children go to the emergency room for chocking and 17% are due to hot dogs. That is 1,700 per year. That means every time your child eats a hot dog he has a 1 in 296,471 chance of chocking and going to the emergency room (not of dying - only going to the emergency room).
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Following the pediatricians logic, a warning sticker nearly 100 times bigger should be put on cars (which cause 193,000 injuries + 1,400 deaths to children under 14 every year). A warning sticker 18 times bigger should be put on every alcohol bottle (alcohol is a factor in 30,000 of those accidents involving children under 14). However, maybe "logic" is too strong a word in this context.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Shelly & Evan

So ... after I visited my Mom & Nick in Montana, I was going to visit my friend Shelly in Seattle, who I haven't seen in years. Well, right after I got to Vancouver, we got tickets to an event the night I got back to Seattle. So instead of taking me to the train I asked Shelly if she wanted to see Men's Figure Skating Final. As you might expect, she was very happy to go.
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Her friend wanted tickets too, but I was too late to get anymore (Ed didn't even go!).
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But her friend came up very late that night and they bummed around. And who do they meeting the lobby. Evan Lyscezh who won the Men's Free Skate that we had watched before!
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She was pleased. (She is on the right).

Talk About The Jinx


Thurmon has, correctly - unfortunately, noted that there is a nincompoopery jinx sometimes.
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That is, my mascots of the month often perform badly after being mascot.
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Now, while I know this is silly (being on Scooter's Blog can't really effect an outcome) - I have changed my postings occasionally.
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PS - This month's Mark Johnson doesn't count because I didn't pick him - knock wood.
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But poor Carter Rycroft got even a worse woobie. Carter is their baby-faced curling expert (and look on the web, this is far and away his best picture). Well, he went up on "The Bay", the wall photos on the Hudson Bay Company's walls with 3 others. He didn't even make the team after that.
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Talk about a jinx!

Tool Academy's Incredible New Sponsor!

Who are the smart folks that sponsor Tool Academy?
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The correct answer is "Plan B; One Step". The morning after pill! Swear!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

John and Eddie on the Zip Line in Vancouver

So Ed and John took the Zip Line 6 stories about Robson Square!
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Zooming down the Zip Line!


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After the Zipping, getting un-hooked.


After that we all took a tour of the International Broadcast Center. Here is a pic of John, Ed, Mary Carillo and Amy (a friend).


And So... UK Wins a Gold Medal


Coming home from a GREAT night with John (at a bunch of things - I will post Sunday!), we saw a BBC Sport announcer in the elevator. So I say to him, I say, "What is the UK interested in?"
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He says, "Well, we just won a Gold Medal in Skeleton".
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I say, "Wow, that's cool!"
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He says, "Yeah. Of course I didn't see it. I spent 3 hours at Compulsory freaking Ice Dancing."
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except he didn't say "freaking".

Friday, February 19, 2010

Oh My: Snap, Crackle AND Pop!

I miss so much here. Apparently Family Guy offended Sarah Palin with a Down's Syndrome Character. However, turns out a Down's Syndrome person did the spot and voiced the character and then told Sarah to stuff it. (Link, as always, Salon)
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You MUST READ it below (ps - I have said I support Sarah Palin's old work with Down's kids -but SHE has turned it into politics like everything else).
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There's been hoo-hah galore this week over "Family Guy's" crass subplot featuring a Down Syndrome character whose mother is the "former governor of Alaska." And predictably, no one's been more vocal than the former Alaska governor and mother of a Down Syndrome child herself, Sarah Palin, who called the episode "a kick in the gut."
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But the story took an interesting turn Thursday when the actress who voiced the "Family Guy" character, Andrea Fay Friedman, fired off
an email to the New York Times defending the episode. Friedman, who has Down Syndrome, said, "I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line 'I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska' was very funny. I think the word is 'sarcasm.' In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life."
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Speaking of senses of humor, as both Gawker and the Palingates blog were quick to point out, the Paper of Record somehow saw fit to excise
the kicker from Friedman's missive – "My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes." Boom! Roasted!
See, that's actually pretty amusing, because the burn there is on Sarah Palin, not on a special needs kid. In a conversation with the Times that ran with her letter, Friedman elaborates, "I saw Sarah Palin with her son Trig. I'm like, 'I'm not Trig. This is my life.' I was making fun of Sarah Palin, but not her son. …. It's not really an insult. I was doing my role, I'm an actor. I'm entitled to say something. It was really funny. I was laughing at it."

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What's humorous and what's just offensive are, of course, highly subjective matters. Andrea Fay Friedman doesn’t have to represent every person with 47 chromosomes. And if she's cool with playing a character cleverly described as "a special person's wettest dream " then more power to her. But considering how articulate and funny she apparently is, maybe the reliably witless "Family Guy" should consider bringing her back – as a writer.

Back from Montana & Mom: With Friend at Men's Finals


So. Evan won! Yay!
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I spent a few days with Mom and Nick in Montana and had a great time (as you might remember, I didn't bring my camera cord - so pics will have to wait).
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Then I stopped in Seattle and an old college friend, Shelly, picked me up at the Airport and we drove up to Vancouver and had tickets to the Men's Final in figure skating. We had an amazing time! We saw all but the firs 4 skaters - so we saw all the ones in the top 18! It was great.
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Anyway, it is my last full day here, I head home tomorrow. It has been great - and now I need to get a job :-).

Bitter, Winner and ToMuchMakeUp (from left to right).
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PS: The Mascot of the Month is doing well so far (knock wood). The US Women's Team is 3-0 in the B Group.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Back from Whistler

Some random pics from Whistler..


Whistler Village was very cute and fun. It was busier as the evening went on.


Eddie with a Mountie.



Austria House with Scott, Eddie and Jackie!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Eddie Saw Some Luge



Eddie went to the luge run.

Eddie used his credentials to see some luge.

Some of Ed's Pics from the Speed Skating Oval

The US did not to well here.
If you look in the back of the guys there is a Dutch Flag on the wall (Red White Blue Rows). The little nerdball right under it is me! Select to increase.

Japanese Uniforms. Yikes!

In Whistler


We are in Whistler today. We came up last night and bumbled around. Today we took the Gondola to Whistler Mountain and then the Peak-to-Peak to Blackcomb Mountain.
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It was beautiful!
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We are back to Vancouver tomorrow morning - then we watch skating. Then I visit mom for a while.
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It has been really nice so far.
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Yesterday afternoon we watched the 5000 meters in Speed Skating in the Oval. It is a beauitful building.
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The building, and the Broadcast Center, I said they were from fallen trees. It turns out it is the Pine Beatle.
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This is the same bug that is killing trees around Lake Arrowhead. But in the mountain southwest, our trees burn like crazy. Up here they don't burn as much (lots more rain). So the loggers go in an cull the dying trees. They treat them and then use them in these buidlings.
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According to some guy I talked to, they give out permits to log live trees, but there are so many dying ones, they haven't had to give out new permits in two years!
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Ed in the Richmond Oval!