The Swedish Chef likes to get around. Here he is at ESPN as their cook. Word of advice:do not ask for hamburger!
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Pachycephalosaurus Troubles
If you have never heard the dinosaur named pachycephalosaurus, you would not be alone. It lived a very long time ago in North America during the late Cretaceous Period and remains have been found in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Scientists believe it was either herbivorous or omnivorous. The name means “thick headed lizard.” This dinosaur makes an appearance in the latest Jurassic Park movie(which is doing extremely well at the box office).
Guzzy Bear (aka Mobeen) did a YouTube video where he accuses the movie Jurassic World and those behind it as racist. When you shorten pachycephalosaurus to “pachy” it sounds like an offensive slur used in the U.K. against people from Pakistan. Now he was of course being facetious. Alas, just like people who saw a picture of Speilberg sitting next to a dinosaur prop from the original thinking he had bagged a real animal, this has spawned its own circus. Some are outraged at this “Pakisaurus” demanding it be changed and those responsible forced to grovel for forgiveness.
What a bunch of nonsense. Again people are not bothering to check the facts and just jumping at the slightest possible connection to something racist. Take the word picnic, which comes from the French word pique-nique. It means eating food outside. The word has been around for a long time and documented in the authoritative Oxford English Dictionary. Yet some came to believe the word meant people gathering to watch black people being lynched. It was a hoax definition put out via email way back in 1999. Sadly some people actually believed it and sought removal of the word from describing outdoor outings. Gullible people bought this hook, line, and sinker until it was pointed out the word was never ever connected to lynchings.
There are many words out there that are genuine racist slurs that ought never to be spoken or put into print (except for historical research). People who thought picnic, just like those who think pachycephalosaurus shortened to pachy is racist, look like fools. Again it reflects ignorance and illiteracy. Simply type in pachycephalosaurus in a search engine and you will quickly learn this dinosaur roamed North America and its name has nothing whatsoever to do with a British slur against Pakistani people.
First Day of Summer 2015
Photo:Andrew Dunn (Wikimedia)
Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. For those below the equatorial line, it is the Winter Solstice. The June Solstice usually takes place between June 20-22. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, it usually is the longest day of sunlight as the North Pole tilts directly towards the sun. Which translates into more sunlight particularly the further north you live. For those more closer to the North Pole (Alaska, parts of Canada, and Scandinavian countries)the sun literally never sets during this time of year. Of course the reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere. They get less sunlight on the June Solstice and the closer you are to the Antarctic Circle means less sunlight or total night.
The coming of summer is usually a time for celebration in many cultures. Festivals in Northern Europe celebrate summer and the fertility of the Earth. Bonfires are lit and homes are decorated to mark the festival. Many cultures honor the sun in some fashion. Modern day pagans and druids also celebrate the day with their own festivals and many go to Stonehenge in England to witness the first rays of summer.
Masterchef Retro-Christine Ha’s Apple Pie
Season three of Masterchef had perhaps the most unique contestant ever-Christina Ha. Christine is legally blind and during the show needed an assistant to tell her where things were. She ultimately won the title and to this day it is remarkable to go back and see some of the things she pulled off. Like this apple pie. She was flustered and thought she was doomed (in fact it was the guy who decided to put cheddar cheese on top of his pie).
Look for Masterchef 
Sunday with The Moody Blues
Tuesday Titanic (and other stuff) Musings
Titanic-Not By Clive Palmer-Replica Gets Noticed
The fact that in 2017 visitors to a Chinese theme park will be able to board a full size Titanic replica is really played up all over the world. Not only will it look authentic, it will also serve food served on the famous liner, and even offer accomodations. Still not enough? Well you can experience the Titanic Sinking Simulator. They are spending $150 million on this tourist draw. Las Vegas style of entertainment is planned. You get the point. This is not like Titanic Belfast with its historic tours and ability to learn lots about Titanic. This is a Las Vegas style type of entertainment built on the grand scale.
The Ultimate Game Trophy of All Time
Steven Speilberg has made a lot of movies over his career. Most of them have done very well and even won awards. Jurassic Park, his 1993 adaptation of the excellent Michael Crichton novel, wowed audiences and made them believe the age of dinosaurs was back. Last year a photo circulated, taken in 1993, of Spielberg sitting in front of an animatronic dinosaur used in the movie. When I first saw the picture, I knew exactly what it was: a dinosaur and not a real one either. Well that picture caused some heat from animal rights people and generated all kinds of negative posts. It did not matter that this was of an extinct creature or that it was simply a glorified stage prop. Nope. Spielberg was roundly criticized for his cruelty. Except he had the last laugh when all those idiots were made as fools.
However noted author Joyce Carol Oates recently saw the picture and sent out a message on her Twitter account:
So barbaric that this should still be allowed… No conservation laws in effect wherever this is? https://t.co/hgavm9IBaM
— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) June 9, 2015
Oh dear. You do not know whether to laugh at her foolishness or utter “what an idiot!” Something has really gone off the rails when a simple photo of a director with a prop is misidentified as the real thing. It is logical fallacy at play that speaks of both ignorance and illiteracy. It goes something like this: My dog has four legs, a cat has four legs. Both have mouths and ears. Therefore my dog is a cat. You could it put off to other things but far too many people seem to follow this logic. Which why when pranksters put pictures of hunters standing over a supposed dead Yeti (a creature that so far has not proven to exist except in folklore and grainy photos) they get called all kinds of nasty names. One good thing came of this: I decided to re-watch Jurassic Park in the near future.
Your Egg Breakfast Is About To Become A Luxury Item
Chicken egg prices are rising fast to due a lot of hens being killed due to bird flu. Not all the hens are infected but once it is found in one, the chances of it spreading are pretty good considering the close quarters hens are kept in. The result is that everything that uses eggs for commercial products are seeing massive price spikes. Meanwhile eggs needed for such production will have to be imported. The rising cost from all of this is already starting to be noticed in US eastern and middle sections. And spreading west. For the first time in recent memory, organic eggs will actually be the same price as regular eggs and perhaps, in some cases, a few cents cheaper. Even when the bird flu is over it will take a while for supplies to resume. Which means your plate of eggs at the local diner is going to get a lot more expensive or not available at all in some parts of the USA. Of course producers of duck, pigeon, and quail eggs might get some new business. And one ostrich egg equals about twenty chicken eggs. You will need a special drill,goggles, and a very large pan. 🙂
Sunday with Lifehouse
Here is a nice song for your Sunday. You and Me by Lifehouse has become a favored song for many weddings these days. An enjoyable love song that says so much and does it remarkably simple. Have a nice Sunday everyone.
And of course this clip from Smallville, season 4, episode 18 “Spirit.” This scene gave the song a wider audience and more popular than before.
Memorable Theme Music:Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues (1981-1987)was once part of the legendary “must see”television on NBC. The show depicted the lives of those who worked out of the Hill Street Police Station in an unnamed American metropolitan city (though references to Chicago sometimes appeared or were mentioned). It was more gritty than other police shows up to that time in showing severe character flaws and internal politics. And also the revolving door the criminal justice system had become. This was not Adam-12 or Dragnet. The show was awarded eight Emmy Awards in its first season and was nominated 98 times for an Emmy during its run.
Mike Post, known already for composing for The Rockford Files and other shows, composed the instrumental theme for HIll Street Blues. The instrumental earned him a Grammy award. And the composition became popular enough to take tenth place on instrumental compositions in 1981 (I remember hearing on the radio, which tells you how popular it was). The theme is unlike most cop or law enforcement shows which tend to be about action and power. Instead Post choose a more low key tune using a piano and guitar for the main instruments (a synthesizer is also used). Enjoy and have a nice Sunday everyone.
Saturday Titanic News
1. Final preparations for the upcoming Titanic exhibition at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa are underway. The exhibit opens on Saturday, 23 May and runs till 7 September 2015. The exhibition has garnered a lot of attention and is expected to draw large crowds. A special opening celebration will include a special formal dinner recreating eating a meal aboard Titanic and includes actors dressed in period outfits. More information can be found at rivermuseum.com.
Source: High Hopes For Titanic’s Maiden Voyage To Dubuque(13 May 2015,Telegraph Herald)
2. The great-granddaughter of Molly Brown recently stopped by the Molly Brown House in Denver,Colorado. Helen Benzinger said she was thankful for keeping her great-grandmother’s legacy alive.
Source: Titanic Survivor’s Great-Granddaughter Visits Molly Brown House(15 May 2015,wgem.com)
(Photo:The Times Herald)
3. The world’s most accurate Titanic replica is going to be permanently located at The Mariner in Marine City, Michigan starting in July 2015. The replica, which is 18 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds was previously in St. Clair. It will be located on the old theatre stage. Further details can be found at marinertheater.net.
Source: The Mariner To Get New Life In Marine City As A Theater(12 May 2015,Port Huron Times Herald)
4.Protestors stood outside at the Bodies Revealed exhibition in Niagara Falls, Canada trying to raise awareness that the bodies being displayed came from China. One protestor said “The bodies inside, we don’t know where they come from. Chinese people, prisoners of conscience, disappear in Chinese prisons, many never come out.” Premier says on one hand the bodies are from those who died of natural causes in China but also states “Premier cannot independently verify that the human remains you are viewing are not those of persons who were incarcerated in Chinese prisons.” Which pretty much says exactly what most people suspect but of course cannot prove. If Stalin had come of with this idea, the old Soviet Union could have made a fortune peddling bodies to gullible westerners as well.
Source: Hundreds Protest ‘Bodies Revealed’ Exhibit Of Plastinated Corpses In Niagara(17 April 2015,Epoch Times)
5. There are pranks and then there are PRANKS (like Harry and Ron driving a car to Hogwarts in Chamber of Secrets). A couple decided to take some very realistic fake skeletons and place them in the Colorado River. In lawn chairs. They were placed near rocks so they would pose no harm. They were discovered by a snorkeler who notified police about the skeletons. A diver examined them and reported they were not real but caused a media sensation. The culprits decided to come forward and inform the police they were responsible. Since no one was harmed and the skeletons posed no real safety threat to anyone, no charges are forthcoming. Takes Weekend at Bernies to a whole another level.
Source: Couple From Phoenix Confess Putting Fake Skeletons In Colorado River(12 May 2015,International Business Times)
