School Year Book Photo - Why You Shouldn't Wear American Eagle on Yearbook Day

This photo is why you shouldn't wear your American Eagle shirt on Yearbook Day!  

http://www.noob.us/pictures/why-you-shouldnt-wear-american-eagle-on-yearbook-day/

Watch Free Live Streaming The Hobbit Premiere From Wellington

Watch free live streaming The Hobbit premiere live from Wellington at 4pm.  See Peter Jackson and his crew walking along the red carpet.


http://www.3news.co.nz/Entertainment/TheHobbit/Livestream.aspx

The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey A Wellington Perspective

The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey celebrates the official premiere tomorrow (Wednesday 28th November 2012). There will be red carpet rolled out along Courtenay Place as celebrities involved including Peter Jackson make there way to The Embassy Theatre (pictured above with the big Gandalf) to watch it. This is shaping to be a huge event with restaurants and bars set to be booked out as punters seek to catch a glimpse of the stars. Wellington does big events well!

A massive 777 aircraft (pictured above) with The Hobbit on the side arrived in town. Wellington has had an artisan market in Waitangi Park, screening Lord of the Rings movies and giving a behind the scenes look at the fantasy movies. This movie is set to bring in more money to New Zealand than the Lord of the Rings films and is in essence a prequel series of three movies. We don't get to see the first installment until December 11th or 12th. It is quite funny though, because there are plenty of quirky people who get into these sorts of movies that live around Wellington and they will probably be out in public in costume along with thousands of others.

 I am only a fair weather fan and potentially wouldn't go along to see them unless they were filmed in New Zealand and since the premiere is about three blocks from my house, I have no excuse for missing out. The Embassy will be screening it 24 hours a day pretty much, and it is such a great theatre with the two different bars and the classy atmosphere, that it will be my theatre of choice to watch it at. It is also better to watch it at the place that the stars watched it at, especially if the big Gandalf statue is still up.

My main concern tomorrow is getting to touch at Wakefield Park in Island Bay from Thorndon Quay. There will be disruptions to buses since Courtenay Place and some of Kent/Cambridge Terraces will be closed. Check here for what is happening with your bus. Buses are using Taranaki Street instead and then going along Vivian Street, but because there will be people everywhere trying to catch a glimpse of the stars, then town will be busy. Otherwise, it is actually quite nice having Courtenay Place cordoned off to traffic.   http://www.metlink.org.nz/service-disruptions-for-hobbit-premiere-tuesday-27-wednesday-28-november-2012/

Two and a Half Men Star Calls Show "Filth"

Two and a Half Men Star Angus T Jones is a Christian and has labelled the show that has made him millions of dollars "filth".  It is interesting that he is telling people not to watch Two and a Half Men given he works for them, I don't know how well that really would go down with the boss.  I am always amazed at how much money the actors get paid on the show, when it is only slightly amusing.  I also find it crazy how given the sexual nature of jokes, it is often on air during family viewing time.  It gets away with more than it should.  For some reason heaps of people must watch it!  What do you think of Two and a Half Men?  Should Christian Angus T Jones have come out and slammed his own show?  Is that ethical from a Christian viewpoint?  I guess it is difficult to replace him since he is so well known now.  It has placed him in a rather awkward position.

An actor in one of the biggest comedies on US television, Two and a Half Men, has described the show as "filth", while urging viewers not to watch it. In a video posted online by a Christian group, Angus T Jones said he no longer wanted to take part. The 19-year-old explained that the show's raunchy humour conflicted with his recent bible studies. Jones, who has been in the show since he was 10, said viewers should question the impact such programmes had on them. 'Bad news' The clip was posted by the Forerunner Christian Church in California, where Jones, who reportedly makes $350,000 (£218,000) an episode, says he sought spiritual guidance. "I'm on Two and a Half Men and I don't want to be on it. Please stop watching it," he says in the online video. "Please stop filling your head with filth. Please. It's, you know, people say it's just entertainment." He adds: "Do some research on the effects of television and your brain and I promise you you'll have a decision to make when it comes to the television and especially with what you watch on television. It's bad news. It's bad news." Warner Bros Television, which produces the show, and CBS, which airs it, have made no comment. In Two and a Half Men, which has run for nine seasons, Jones is the underachieving son of an uptight father, played by Jon Cryer. The series originally starred Charlie Sheen as the womanising uncle of Jones's character. But Sheen was fired in March last year after a bizarre rant against the show's lead writer, and Ashton Kutcher replaced him.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20506091

Howard Dobson Cries Live On Radio After Shane Cameron Loss

TV3 reporter Howard Dobson cried during a radio interview following Shane Cameron's IBO boxing cruiserweight defeat to Danny Green. It makes for quite difficult listening when someone cries during a radio interview. Shane Cameron tried his best and did well, but I didn't think Howard Dobson would be so emotional following the fight. It is like Shane Cameron died, not just lost a fight.  I never knew Dobbo was such close mates with Shane Cameron.

Bryce Courtenay Dies Aged 79 - The Power of One

The Power of One


Bryce Courtenay who wrote The Power of One has died at the age of 79. Interestingly Courtenay has connections with the small town of Bowral which also gave us great sporting names like Sir Donald Bradman and the Arkapaw brothers. RIP Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One was a real eye opener.

Best-selling Australian novelist Bryce Courtenay has died at the age of 79. The author died at his Canberra home last night, surrounded by his family and pets, his family said. He had been ill with stomach cancer. Courtenay was best known for The Power of One, his novel about a child's journey to adulthood under South Africa's apartheid regime. Courtney knew he had little time left, but approached his final chapter with his characteristic cheerful spirits and brave face. He recorded a farewell message in October in which he said his "use-by date has finally come up". He said he didn't mind that he had only a short time to live because "I've had a wonderful life" and he added: "All I'd like to say as simply as I possibly can is thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." In a final interview for Penguin, the man who has regularly been Australia's most popular novelist said he was going to die at precisely the right time, while he still had his intellect and energy. "The time is right, it's beautiful, it's gorgeous." His long-time publisher and friend, Bob Sessions, who will deliver the eulogy at the writer's funeral, said when Courtenay let him know him that Jack would be the last book he was stunned and saddened. And there was the question of the book - the plan had been for there to be two. "I said to him, but what about Jack? And Bryce said 'don't worry, I'll tell them what happens'. And he also took the opportunity (in the book) to say farewell to his readers." Sessions said Courtenay's strength as a novelist was that he was a marvellous storyteller. "I often likened him to Charles Dickens and I don't say that lightly. He tells sweeping stories and he had larger-than-life characters. And the readers had a sense of learning something about the world." Courtenay had always wanted to be a storyteller and writing The Power of One, which was published in 1989, "changed his life". Courtenay, then 50, was in advertising and, according to Sessions, "overstressed, drinking several bottles of wine a day, and smoking a hundred cigarettes". He realised his lifestyle would be the death of him and he changed it to write. Courtenay always said becoming a writer was the proudest moment in his life. Bryce Courtenay's reputation for storytelling in print extended to the telling of his own story, which was frequently embellished. He was born in South Africa in 1933 and brought up partly in an orphanage. There he told stories to avoid being bullied and also learned to box. When I interviewed at his former home in Bowral he said a schoolmate told him: "If you can't bulls**t your way out then you better know how to fight." Courtenay added that he had been bulls**ting ever since. He got a scholarship to a smart school in Johannesburg and when he left opted to study journalism in London. He paid for that by becoming a "grizzly" man doing dangerous work with explosives in the copper mines of the then Rhodesia. In 1958 he left London for Sydney and the beginning of what he called his love affair with Australia. But he didn't manage to get into journalism and started writing advertising copy. His plan was to work until he was 35 and then write novels. But with his son Damon a haemophiliac, he needed a regular income and eventually reached the top of the advertising business. Signing a $1million publishing deal for The Power of One when he was 55 changed all that. He followed up the story of Peekay the orphan with the heart-rending April Fool's Day, the story of Damon and his death from Aids, which he contracted from a tainted transfusion in April Fool's Day. Courtenay wrote a further 19 novels, including Jessica, Tommo & Hawk, and Sylvia, starting each one on the last day of January and completing it by August. He delivered the book to Penguin chapter by chapter so the book could be in the shops in time for Christmas. But he didn't stop there: he also had a serious say in how they were marketed. Courtenay loved Australia. He loved what it had given him. "It's the only country where you're entitled to reinvent yourself," he told me in Bowral. "Look at me - I've reinvented myself as an author."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/7989849/Best-selling-author-Bryce-Courtenay-dies

Facebook Chat Emoticons For Dummies

In recent times I have started using Facebook Chat Emoticons.  I have sometimes wondered how people know when it is appropriate to use each emoticon and physically how to type in the correct keys to get them when there is no option of simply clicking on them. Thanks goes out to this list from Caleb Brown's blog.  Chris Putnam was a hacker who used to hack into Facebook, but now works for them.  There are some other cool ones. They are a fun way to spice up conversations with friends, although I wonder if using one of these in the wrong context could lead to trouble?



Updated 21 July 2008: Moved B-) and B) from sunglasses to glasses and cleaned up formatting.
Updated 20 November 2008: Fixed spelling of tongue.
Updated 18 May 2009: Added the Shark.
Updated 21 September 2009: Added the Penguin. Thanks to everyone who let me know in the comments.
Updated 3 February 2010: Added the 42.
Updated 8 May 2012: Added the (Y).

smile

:-) :) :] =)

frown

:-( :( :[ =(

tongue

:-P :P :-p :p =P

grin

:-D :D =D

gasp

:-O :O :-o :o

wink

;-) ;)

glasses

8-) 8) B-) B)

sunglasses

8-| 8| B-| B|

grumpy

>:( >:-(

unsure

:/ :-/ :\ :-\

cry

:'(

devil

3:) 3:-)

angel

O:) O:-)

kiss

:-* :*

heart

<3 dd="dd">

kiki

^_^

squint

-_-

confused

o.O O.o

 

upset

>:O >:-O >:o >:-o

pacman

:v

curly lips

:3

robot

:|]

Chris Putnam

:putnam:

Shark

(^^^)

Penguin

<(")

42

:42:

Thumb

(Y) (y)

http://calebbrown.id.au/blog/complete-list-facebook-chat-emoticons

Boxing Cameron vs Green : Green wins IBO World Cruiserweight Belt over Shane Cameron

Danny Green has won the vacant IBO World Cruiserweight Belt over Shane Cameron on points, with all three referees picking the Green Machine for the win.  The fight went the full 12 rounds but Green fought the smarter fight and literally held Cameron at bay all night.  He deserved to win this title. 


Watch Danny Green vs Shane Cameron video highlights including undercard fights.

http://www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-LIVE-UPDATES-Shane-Cameron-Vs-Danny-Green-plus-undercard/tabid/317/articleID/277595/Default.aspx

National Rugby League Bans Shoulder Charge

There are plenty of shoulder charges in these tackles from 2012 NRL.

The National Rugby League (NRL) has banned the shoulder charge which is a move to help prevent injuries, but there is a fear that this will take the spectacle out of the game and play into the hands of the smaller athletic players compared with the massive big guys. The Warriors love the big shoulder charges and this also coincides with the return of Sonny Bill Williams to rugby league. SBW is a big exponent of the shoulder charge. I must admit, a piece of me will miss the shoulder charges, especially in the State of Origin matches, but to be honest, they are brutal and dangerous. Do you agree with the NRL banning the shoulder charge or do you think it will ruin rugby league by not having them?

NSW skipper Paul Gallen is shocked at the ARL Commission's decision to outlaw the shoulder charge and claims reducing the number of interchanges would have been a better step.
The commission reviewed a detailed report into the shoulder charge conducted by Sydney Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan and made the decision after a meeting on Tuesday.
It accepted a management recommendation that the increased size of players was creating a situation where the shoulder charge could lead to an unacceptable injury risk.
The review found that shoulder charges made up 0.05 per cent of the 142,355 tackles made in 2012, with less than four per cent resulting in injury to the attacking player and less than one per cent to the defensive player.
Seventeen per cent resulted in contact with the head of the attacking player.
"I'm still in shock," Gallen told Triple M radio.
"We don't want players getting hurt, but it's taking some of the toughness of the game."
"When you have a look at the highlight reels they're all big hits, the fans love shoulder charges."
Gallen said reducing the number of interchanges would make it harder for bigger players to produce so many huge hits.
"Personally I think it would change a lot of things," he said.
"If you have blokes who are 115-135 kilos scratching around, they would simply have to lose weight and become fitter.
"It will make the bigger men tired and certainly take the collisions out of the game.
"People are always complaining about the lack of halves and players not taking on the line, but when you're 85 kilos running at someone who is 130 kilos it is going to hurt, especially when they are fresh."
Gallen's Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan echoed his skipper's sentiments and said he was concerned at how the new ruling would be interpreted.
"It sounds easy but it's not," Flanagan told AAP.
"How are do they determine that a player wasn't affecting a tackle when his shoulder comes into contact with the head?
"This can happen sometimes when a player lowers his centre of gravity when running with the ball. I just want to know the difference between that and a shoulder charge."
Flanagan said reducing the interchange from 12 to eight would encourage more playmakers to come into the game.
"It would see more footballers who are not just athletes," he said.
"We are too athlete-based. We need to become more football-based. This would bring the smaller players back into the game and make fatigue more of a factor."
NRL interim chief executive Shane Mattiske said banning shoulder charges would reduce the potential risk of serious injury to players.
"The commission has gone through a thorough review process and been public in warning players about the risks of illegal play," Mattiske said.
"The report shows that the shoulder charge is not a significant part of the game and its removal is not likely to impact on the way the game is played.
"With the increase in size and strength of the players, we believe this is the time to eliminate a potential risk."
NRL general manager of football operations Nathan McGuirk will consult with the game's Competition Committee to finalise proposed rule amendments in relation to the shoulder charge.
The proposed rule amendments will be put before the commission at next month's meeting. http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/league/news/article/-/15428694/arlc-to-outlaw-shoulder-charge/

New Zealand Women Use Cleavage To Get What They Want!

One in five Kiwi women admit that there are times when they use their cleavage to get what they want, and over half enhance their cleavage to attract attention.  This is hardly news to most people, but confirms what most people think.  It is interesting to see the situations when women flaunt their enhanced cleavage and those where they don't.  Nightclubs and first dates are predictable places for women to flaunt their cleavage, but encountering ex partners, going to weddings and work Christmas parties are more surprising.  Meeting parents in law for the first time, first day of a new job, job interview and family events are rightfully off limits.  What do you think about women using cleavage to get what they want?  Are they shallow or smart?  I notice mainland girls are less likely to do this!  I wonder where Christian girls fit in these statistics?

A new national study has asked Kiwis the question "When is it okay for women to show some va-va-voom cleavage, and when is it definitely not okay?"
A huge 80 per cent of respondents deemed nightclubs to be the most acceptable occasion place to flaunt their cleavage. A first date came in second (69 per cent), while encountering an ex partner (66 per cent) sat in third. Ranking equal fourth, are weddings and work Christmas parties (59 per cent).
Top ranked situations for a more natural look include meeting your partner's parents for the first time (82 per cent) followed closely by the first day a new job (81 per cent), a job interview with a male potential boss (75 per cent) and family events (71 per cent).
The pleasure state™ my fit Cleavagely Correct survey was conducted in partnership with New Zealand Psychologist and social commentator Sara Chatwin.
Chief merchandising officer at the Bendon Group Scott Di Cristina said the study found over two thirds of Kiwi women own a cleavage-enhancing bra, but it's the level of cleavage a woman displays that can make or break a situation.
Chatwin says it is interesting how cleavagely confident Kiwi ladies are, with one in five admitting that there are times when they use their cleavage to get what they want, and over half (57 per cent) of us enhancing our cleavage to attract attention!
"More importantly, we are more confident in these instances when compared to our Aussie counterparts (only 47 per cent)," says Chatwin.
Other findings revealed in the survey include:
• More than three quarters (76 per cent) believe less is more, and therefore preferring to be modest, whilst in the office or at meetings. However, at the work Christmas party women are likely to show more cleavage.
• 41 per cent of men thought it appropriate for women to display at least some cleavage at a family get together in comparison to just 17 per cent of females.
• Women from the North Island are more likely to agree (21 per cent) that there are times when they use their cleavage to get what they want where compared to the South Island (16 per cent).

 http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/fashion/features/article/-/15421893/how-cleavagely-confident-are-kiwi-women/

Solar Eclipse - People Line Streets Of Wellington To Damage Their Eyes

People are lining the streets of Wellington to view the solar eclipse which is best seen this morning. There is a strange light around a sunny Wellington today, although I wonder what damage people are causing to their eyes? It is the natural inclination to look straight at the sun to see if there is much of an eclipse, especially when everyone else is doing it, although it is very difficult to view with the naked eye. On my way to work, I saw office workers with telescopes, people with cameras or even armed with pieces of paper to view this crazy phenomenon.

 

I couldn't resist the literal version of Total Eclipse of the Heart.


 http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/7945397/Skies-darken-as-solar-eclipse-hits

Offensive Energy Drinks For Sale - Only In Invercargill!

It is amazing how many random things happen in Invercargill, my hometown. The latest is complaints about Miss Svenson's Classroom Detention and Rasta Blasta energy drinks which are for sale. You have to love what is written on these cans. Did this little known energy drink taste as poor as the sexual inneundo written on the can? Only in Invercargill and I thought Salford was a reputable part of North Invercargill! These cans are a bit ridiculous given that they are readily available for children, do you find these cans offensive or funny?

Energy drinks with sexual innuendo and drug references on the cans are being sold to schoolchildren in Invercargill despite raising the eyebrows of national censors. Two of the cans, Miss Svenson's Classroom Detention and Rasta Blasta - The Ganja Masta, use provocative and suggestive images and texts and are sold to kids. Salford Street Dairy owner Sam Chen, who sells the energy drinks, said they were popular with school pupils but the product was being deleted. "We are selling the last of the stock now at discount prices," he said. The high-strength energy drink is made by the Mad Drinks Factory in Auckland and Mr Chen said he was told the product line was discontinuing. "I think there have been some complaints made to the company about the cans." Mr Chen said he believed that sometimes the marketing of products pushed the boundaries of many people's tastes.

This is what is printed on the back of the can: "Allo, My name is Miss Svenson an I come from Sweeeden. I love to do da spanky spanky with my big wooden cane especially on all you nughty nughty little boyz. Za after schooul detention is my favorit as if i catch za boyz playin peek-a-boo at my peeky bits, Den they get a good spanky spanky on dere botty botty."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7935832/I-love-to-do-da-spanky-spanky-with-my-big-wooden-cane

Fast5 Netball World Series Information- What Do You Think?

New Zealand is hosting the Fast5 Netball World Series which is the netball equivalent of Twenty20 cricket or sevens rugby which are designed for entertainment.  This form of the game is similar to indoor netball which lots of people play socially.  It is shorter than a standard game of netball and involves less players. 

It is great seeing Australia losing to Malawi.  The game is faster and involves rolling subs.  Jamaica is a very dangerous side with their basketballers having the ability to shoot from long range.  This is something that the rules of netball don't allow, but which Fast5 encourages.  It makes Fast5 very tactical with teams having to decide which quarter to make their power play and when to shoot from long range (low percentage) or short range.  It makes it more exciting than regular netball, and I like it!

Did anyone see New Zealand draw with Jamaica?

I can't figure out how this happened as Jamaica drew level going from 38-34 to 38 all just before the final whistle.  The only problem was that Jamaica scored with a three point shot, how did they get four points for that?  Was the scoreboard catching up for a previous mistake?  The Jamaicans used their power play in the third quarter, so that wasn't the issue.  Here is the video evidence!

Can anyone please explain?


http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/netball/7930151/NZ-beat-Australia-on-first-day-of-Fast5
 
Here are the Fast5 netball rules and tournament information

The competition is held over three days, and is played under Fast5 rules. Each team plays each other once during the first two days in a round-robin format. The four highest-scoring teams from this stage progress to the finals, played on the final day of competition, in which the 1st-ranked team plays the 4th-ranked team, while 2nd plays 3rd. The winners of these two matches contest the Grand Final; the remaining teams contest the third- and fifth-place playoffs.^[12]

Playing rules
Fastnet features modified rules that are outlined below. Outside of these, the standard rules of netball apply (see Netball rules).

• Players: Each side only have five players on the court, compared with seven in normal netball competition.^[6]
• Timing: Each quarter lasts only six minutes, compared with 15 minutes in normal international netball competition. Breaks in between quarters are two minutes each. Injury time-outs are 30 seconds only; standard rules allow for one initial two-minute injury time-out.
• Coaching: Coaches can give instructions to players from the sidelines during play, from in front of their playing bench. Standard international rules do not allow coaching during play.
• Substitutions: As in basketball,^[7] teams will be allowed to use rolling substitutions, with no stoppages in play per substitution and with unlimited substitutions per quarter. Standard international rules only allow substitutions either between quarters or when a player is injured.
• Power plays: Each team can separately nominate one "power play" quarter, in which each goal scored by that team counts for double points. This is somewhat similar to powerplays in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket,^[7] although it is not a feature of standard netball. The two teams cannot nominate the same quarter to be their power play.
• Two and Three-point shots: Similar to three-point field goals in basketball and two-point goals in six-a-side indoor netball, the goal shooter (GS) and goal attack (GA) may shoot goals from outside the shooting circle. These goals count for two points if scored from inside the outer zone and three points if scored in the super shot zone; in a power-play quarter, they would count for four and six points respectively. In standard netball rules, goals can only be shot from within the shooting circle and count for one point only.^[6]
• Centre passes: After each goal, the team that conceded the goal takes the next centre pass; teams alternate taking the first centre pass of each quarter. Under normal rules, a coin toss determines the first centre pass of the match, after which centre passes alternate between the two teams.
• Tied scores: Tied games are decided by penalty shoot-outs, similar to those in association football.^[8] Often in competitive netball, tied games simply continue until one team wins in extra time, or else subsequently achieves a two-goal advantage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastnet_(netball)

Watch Free Live Streaming USA Presidential Election - Obama vs Romney

Watch free live streaming USA Presidential Election - Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. http://www.vipboxsports.eu/sports/others.html

Melbourne Cup Punter Cleans Up

Here is something to make you feel better after losing money in the office sweepstake or betting on the Emirates Melbourne Cup 2012. This punter spent $1.92 in total, turning an 8 cent bet into nearly $80,000. I never knew you could place such small bets. Anyway, it is worth considering backing the non favourites with such small wagers since they pay such good money and are useful horses. That is the beauty of the strong Melbourne Cup field.

One Melbourne Cup fan could be awarded the title 'luckiest punter in the world' after cleaning up at the world famous race in spectacular fashion. The unnamed person turned a mere eight cents into a massive $77,552 after picking winner Green Moon, Fiorente, Jakkalberry and Kelinni in the first four. The punter spent just $1.92 on a number of different combinations, with the eight cent bet coming up trumps. And if they had just upped their bet to $1 they would have come away with $969,400. "What an amazing bet, made even more extraordinary given it was their first ever bet with us!" sportsbet.com.au's Shaun Anderson said. Most punters would be nursing a headache after favourites Dunaden and Americain failed to even place in the six million dollar race. The pre-race favourites Dunaden and Americain could not live up to the hype, and didn't even finish in the top 10 in the end. Winner Green Moon was paying around $22 to come out on top.

http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/15315493/is-this-the-luckiest-punter-in-the-world/

Which Musicians Do Women Find The Most Attractive?

Following recent discussion on Facebook, which musicians do women find the most attractive? Do lead singers in bands like the one above get the girls? Traditionally it has been widely suggested that lead singers in bands, guitarists and drummers are the bad boys who get all the girls, but what about other musicians like violinists or people who sing opera? I happen to know some strapping lads who do these vocations to a semi professional level and still maintain their masculinity. Are there some instruments which aren't quite so macho like a man who plays the flute or cello? I would be interested to hear which musicians women find the most attractive in a potential partner? Please vote down the right hand column of this blog. But be careful, you can only vote once!

Watch Free Live Streaming Emirates Melbourne Cup 2012

Watch Free Live Streaming Emirates Melbourne Cup 2012.  Who will win?  Who do you have in the office sweepstake?


http://www.vipboxsports.eu/sports/horse-racing.html

The Karate Kid's Ralph Macchio Turns 51 - You Know You Are Old!

Ralph Macchio the actor who played Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid in 1984 has turned fifty-one years old.  It makes you feel old!  He is no longer a kid, but will forever be remembered as one!  Mr Miyagi was cool too, but the actor Pat Morita who played him died in Las Vegas in 2005 aged 73. 

Wax on, wax off, paint the fence and the crane were my favourite memories.  What are your memories?

Twenty eight years after the release of classic flick The Karate Kid, its breakout star Ralph Macchio turns the big 5-1 today.
The role of Daniel LaRusso, a teenager from Newark, NJ who moves to the San Fernando Valley, CA and is bullied by the locals, learns karate and life lessons from his apartment handyman (and former war hero) Mr. Miyagi and then comes out a winner, was initially offered to Charlie Sheen. Macchio ultimately scored the lead and since the year the film debuted (1984) has forever been attached to the movie.
After starring in movie and two of the three sequels, Macchio continued to work in film, did a musical on Broadway, acted on television and most recently appeared on Dancing With The Stars.

 http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2012/11/04/the-karate-kid-ralph-macchio-turns-50-today/

Thai Hotel Brews Up Elephant Dung

Elephant dung coffee is being sold in a five star Thai hotel for $50 for two cups. Would you drink it? It reminds me of the great Austin Powers scene. Surely it takes plenty to turn elephant poo into coffee!

BANGKOK (AFP) - For those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain. The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup. But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the "naturally refined" coffee costs a staggering $1,100 per kilogram -- making it one of the most expensive blends in the world. "Research indicates that during digestion, the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein," the Thai-based hotel group, which is selling the pungent brew at around $50 for two cups, said in a statement sent to AFP Thursday. "Since protein is one of the main factors responsible for bitterness in coffee, less protein means almost no bitterness." Once the elephants have digested the coffee berries, the beans are picked out of their dung by mahouts -- their trainers -- and then sun-dried. The process is carried out at the hotel's elephant rescue centre in Thailand's north where 30 of the beasts live along with mahouts and their families. Black Ivory is not the first novelty blend to hit the market in recent years. Coffee passed through the civet, a tree-dwelling mammal in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, sells for a similar price. One New York coffee shop sells the civet coffee for $748 a kilogram.

http://nz.totaltravel.yahoo.com/news-opinions/news/a/-/15239922/thai-hotel-brews-up-coffee-from-elephant-dung/

Doping Not Just Restricted to Cycling But Spanish Football and Tennis Involved

Here is an interesting article on the role of doping in not just cycling, but also tennis and football. What do you think? Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes was in trouble in 2006 for helping cyclists with doping, but he also helped tennis and footballers. Spain has been performing well, not only in cycling, but also tennis and football and it leaves you wondering if there is something similar going on in Spain as there was in the Eastern Block in the 1980s or Chinese swimmers in the 1990s, but some absolute football and tennis legends could be doping cheats. Fuentes, could lift the lid on top level cyclists, footballers and tennis players!

It’s a public secret for anyone who follows the sport of cycling that Spain is the world’s capital of doping. Need a blood tranfusion? Go to Spain. How about a doctor specialized in doping techniques? Go to Spain. Or a federation with little doping controls? Go to Spain. And don’t forget authorities that will protect you? Spain.  

In 2006, Spanish authorities uncovered a wide doping network around doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Most big name cyclists from around the world were implicated. Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso – even the young Alberto Contador. But the great shock wasn’t that cyclists were using drugs to ride faster. Everyone had known about that for decades.

The real interesting part of the case, which is known as Operacion Puerta was the report that not just cyclists were on the list. As doctor Fuentes himself admitted: he had also ‘worked’ with tennis players. And with footballers. Doctor Fuentes observed how strange it was that cyclists were prosecuted and their names published in the media, but that the tennis and football stars were left alone. Were they being protected?

Since then, rumours of a cover-up, of Spain’s government wanting to protect its national sporting heroes, have repeatedly surfaced. Certainly, it’s interesting that the big four sports in Spain – Football, Cycling, Tennis and Basketball – have been absolutely dominated by Spanish athletes in recent years. A coincidence? Perhaps. But a lack of hard evidence means most media and people would rather not talk about it. But in the last week, two people have come out.

First the French former tennis great Yannick Noah. In Le Monde, he stated the following: “In my time, French athletes didn’t look ridiculous, far from it, against our Spanish friends. Same on the football fields, the basket halls or on the roads of the Tour de France. Today they are running faster than us, are much more stronger and only leave us the bread crumbs. Compared to them, it’s simple, we look like dwarves. Are we missing something?” One question keeps coming back to me: how can a nation dominate virtually overnight the sport in such a way ? Did they discover some avant-garde techniques or training facilities that nobody before them had imagined? I have searched and didn’t find any documented evidence of such innovations. Today, sports are a bit like Astérix at the Olympic Games: if you don’t have the magic potion, it’s hard to win. And here it looks like, just like Obelix, they fell right down in the potion pot.

Lucky guys.” It’s hard to argue with his observation. But he could be explained away as a jealous Frenchman.

In comes Oscar Pereiro Sio, a Spanish ex-cyclist. Yesterday, He declared the following: “Zidane has admitted that he had a blood transfusion in Switzerland to regenerate his body. In cycling that is a doping positive. Hopefully one day Fuentes will have the courage to tell everything he knows.

In Operación Puerto there were a lot of blood bags labelled European Championships. There are no European Championships in cycling.” Add to these statements the report that Fuentes is supposed to have said “If I would talk, the Spanish football team would be stripped of the 2010 World Cup”, and you’ve got to wonder: to what degree are Spain’s football triumphs related to doping? Does football have a doping problem?

http://www.4dfoot.com/2011/11/21/yannick-noah-ties-spanish-football-triumphs-to-doping/