Derek was the winner and I promised an actual prize. Now I knew that he was a goalie in a rec league, so in an inspired moment I figured I'd find an autographed hockey photo on eBay and send it to him.

Lots to choose from, but I was got sniped at the last second twice. The second one really pissed me off because it was an uber-cool picture of Gump Worsley stopping a point blank shot by Brad Park (Gump was the last NHL goalie to play without a mask).

Next I thought about concentrating on Patrick Roy stuff, since Derek is from Colorado and Roy (pronounced "Wah") has been wowing Avalanche fans for years. So I emailed him and cleverly grilled him ("so you're an Av's fan, eh?"), and he sang like a canary that he was really a Quebec Nordiques fan. The Nordiques stunk up the NHL for years and then when they moved the franchise to Colorado they immediately won the Stanley Cup.

So on eBay I started looking for Quebec Nordique goalie photos and stumbled across his prize. I'm glad he likes it.

So there ya go. Two opportunities to win and two actual prizes awarded, and neither one had a thing to do with rockets. Gotta fix that.

Posted by: Ted at 08:55 PM | category: Links
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In Iran, a demonstration by women for equal rights. These weren't just university students either. Read about it here and follow the links for pictures.

Thanks to The Everlasting Phelps for the pointer.

Posted by: Ted at 04:22 PM | category: Links
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I started a post on it this morning, but didn't finish it before having to leave for work.

I should've known that Random Nuclear Strikes would be all over it. Better than I could've done too.

Posted by: Ted at 11:54 AM | category: Links
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This is the world's easiest meme, and it's going to spread like wildfire because it's amazingly simple yet powerful.

Post something. That's it.

I tag Instapundit, Daily Kos, Michele Malkin, Wonkette and Little Green Footballs.

Check 'em out, and if they post something today you can marvel at my power and influence! Mwahahahahahahaha.

Posted by: Ted at 05:45 AM | category: Links
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Wolf brings up some good points about Scientology and it's chief spokesdrone.

This site purports to have the real story about the Barefaced Messiah. Plenty of sordid sex and cult wierdness.* I've been reading it off and on for a while now as time allows. One thing is undisputed: L. Ron Hubbard was an odd duck, and he had a knack for attracting other gullible oddballs to himself.

I tried reading that Dianetics book once or twice, but just couldn't wade through the pseudo-scientific gibberish to make any sense of it. I don't think I got past the first 30 pages.

*Ok, there's more cult wierdness than sordid sex, but what are you really more interested in?

Posted by: Ted at 08:54 PM | category: Links
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Mookie informed me today that she was looking around at the Sims 2 website and found a downloadable game version of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece Fallingwater.

Being me, I immediately thought of zombies (thanks to this post) and sure enough:

One of the new career tracks that comes with "The Sims 2 University" is the Paranormal career. The Paranormal career reward object is the Resurrect-o-Nomitron, an object that can be used to bring Sims back from the dead.

Oh yeah, Sims 2 zombies and Frank Lloyd Wright. It's a natural.

Posted by: Ted at 05:27 PM | category: Links
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Denzel is pure class.

Sean is pure ass.

Posted by: Ted at 04:43 PM | category: Links
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A blog devoted to NFL Cheerleaders, with plenty of links and photos.

Posted by: Ted at 11:31 AM | category: Links
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Simon is asking for your help. In the past, various surveys have been done based on the number of hours a McDonalds employee must work to be able to buy a Big Mac. Now it's time for an update.

We need three things:

1. Your location (city and country).
2. The price of a Big Mac at your local McDonalds.
3. The hourly wage (in local currency) of a worker at that McDonalds.

This is serious by the way. If you get a chance, grab a Mac and ask the cashier what they make. Then send the data to:

And help spread the word. They'll be publishing the results soon.

Posted by: Ted at 06:10 AM | category: Links
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1 Thanks Ted. I'm looking forward to your results!

Posted by: Simon at June 14, 2005 08:53 AM (eFUIt)

2 This requires them getting ONE FREAKING ORDER RIGHT and me not wanting to reach out and kill them. Sorry, I had a drive-thru experience from HELL today.

Posted by: dawn at June 14, 2005 09:01 PM (Dh1V0)

3 So the food was hot, but smelled of sulpher? I hate that.

Posted by: Ted at June 14, 2005 09:12 PM (+OVgL)

4 Numbers, people, numbers. That's all that matters.

Posted by: Simon at June 15, 2005 08:52 AM (zNXEy)

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Recently at Mookie's high school, they held a ceremony to dedicate a new memorial. Gar-Field High School has lost two alumni in Iraq, and another school in our county, Hylton High, lost two more, including one last week. I've heard that there is another one or two from other schools, but I don't have any solid information about that.

The write-up was in the local paper, but because I'm not confident that their links will last for any length of time, I've reprinted almost the entire article in the extended entry (click below on "light this candle...").

One interesting note. I've heard that while setting up this memorial, a search was made for similar things done at other schools. Apparently, their research turned up the fact that no school has dedicated a permanent Memorial to the military since midway through the Vietnam War. This was attributed to the fact that wartime memorials fell out of favor at that time because of the general anti-war and anti-military feelings of the public. Take that with a grain of salt, because although I thought it interesting enough to mention, it's all second-and-third-hand information.

In any case, I'm very proud of the school for doing this. Mookie and Robyn were at the dedication, and they said it was a moving and emotional event. Pictures of the memorial will be posted in the next day or two (assuming Rachael gets a few moments between classes). more...

Posted by: Ted at 05:04 AM | category: Links
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Because the guys over at the Ministry of Minor Perfidy are talking handguns, and rating them by the only scale that really matters: its effectiveness as an anti-zombie weapon.

Check out the latest object of my lust the Kimber .45 ACP and the Smith & Wesson 686P in .38/.357 Magnum.

I love the original Model 1911's, and owned an earlier version of the S&W, which was a fine weapon. Go read the reviews, and don't forget to lock your doors and windows at night, just in case Bub gets hungry.

Posted by: Ted at 08:54 AM | category: Links
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Yeah, right. Who am I kidding?

Posted by: Ted at 09:49 PM | category: Links
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1 Oh, my. What other fun html script have I been missing out on?!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at June 12, 2005 11:34 AM (nOyDe)

2 Ahh, so that's my problem. I must have a typo in my code. Once I debug, I'll be a C cup...

Posted by: nic at June 13, 2005 07:08 PM (gCsDB)

3 Not a bug, it's a feature.

Posted by: Ted at June 13, 2005 08:44 PM (+OVgL)

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News from the Great Beyond is hosting this week. Bon Apetit!

Posted by: Ted at 06:42 PM | category: Links
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My love of music is broad, but my knowlege is spotty. To me, Steve Cropper will always be one of the members of the the original Blues Brothers band.

Mention that he was a member of the classic Booker T and the MG's and I'll say "yeah, I'd heard that before, I think". But basically, it was Jake and Elwood and Mr. Natural and Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper and the rest...

Which goes to show the genius displayed in putting together the Blues Brothers band. Those guys could play, which made for a solid foundation for the comedy. Instead of being a one-shot joke with a lame-ass garage band, these guys lifted it into brilliance. They turned it into a franchise and taught an entire generation about the blues and soul by featuring guest stars like Cab Calloway, James Brown, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Taj Mahal, Bo Diddley and the entire composite super-band Louisiana Gator Boys featured at the end of Blues Brothers 2000.

So Steve Cropper, already a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will now be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, alongside John Fogerty and Isaac Hayes (think he'll do "Chocolate Salty Balls"?). Even if you didn't know Steve Cropper's name, you know his music. Songs like "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", "Knock on Wood", "Soul Man" and "In the Midnight Hour".

Yes indeed, you know his music.

Posted by: Ted at 06:09 AM | category: Links
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Combine two trendy Japanese passtimes, and you'd have:

Inspired by Squipper's "caption this" post.

Posted by: Ted at 08:18 PM | category: Links
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A friend of mine is selling these on eBay.

I bought one for my wife's car (lifelong Orioles fan), Mookie wants a couple for school notebooks, and I'm gonna put one on a rocket.

The price is extremely reasonable, and includes free shipping. Why don't you have one already?

Tell him Rocket Jones sent you.

Posted by: Ted at 07:30 PM | category: Links
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I'm going to start you with a quote:

Across California, children are bringing home notes warning of dire consequences if Gov. Schwarzenegger’s scorched earth budget is approved – a budget that slashes Proposition 98 public school spending from $42.2 billion this year all the way down to $44.7 billion next year. That should be proof enough that our math programs are suffering.

That's the beginning of an article penned by Senator McClintock, who represents the 19th district in the California Legislature (his website here). In this article, he goes on to itemize funding for a hypothetical school of 180 students with a budget of $1.2 million to get through the year.

I have nitpicks with some of his numbers, but overall I think he's on target. Among his hypothetical suggestions:

• lease commercial office space for classrooms (which includes "washrooms, around-the-clock janitorial service, wall-to-wall carpeting, utilities and music in the elevators")


• hiring 5 teachers ("but not just any teachers. I propose hiring only associate professors from the California State University at their level of pay")


• replacing in-school PE classes with fully-funded annual memberships to a local gym ("This would provide our children with a trained and courteous staff of nutrition and fitness counselors, aerobics classes and the latest in cardiovascular training technology")

There's so much more worth reading. This guy isn't anti-education or anti-teacher, he's anti-teacher's union, and he makes his points with common sense.

He starts his conclusion with this:

The school I have just described is the school weÂ’re paying for. Maybe itÂ’s time to ask why itÂ’s not the school weÂ’re getting.

Mucho thanks to Jay at Sophont for pointing this one out. In fact, he's been very very good lately, and you should just start at the top and scroll on down to see everything.

Posted by: Ted at 11:41 AM | category: Links
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Fellow Munuvian Ogre has a horizontal blog.

Posted by: Ted at 04:35 AM | category: Links
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Exciting news from Germany:

Experts have discovered a previously unknown work by Johann Sebastian Bach in a German library.

It's been authenticated, and his last unknown vocal work was discovered in 1935. That piece was only a fragment, this is a complete work, and it's dated!

The find is a well-rounded composition - not a major work, but a casual piece of superior quality.

Bach composed the work for a soprano, to be accompanied by strings or a harpsichord, to mark the 52nd birthday of the duke of Saxony-Weimar, for whom he worked as a court organist.

An award-winning conductor is preparing to record it, and the score will be published in the fall.

Thanks to Transterrestrial Musings for pointing this out.

Posted by: Ted at 08:19 PM | category: Links
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Over at Left & Right, Rob has reworked the list of Top Guitar Players. Go check it out and review his revised methodology, or just rant in his comments about how misguided he is.

Posted by: Ted at 06:38 PM | category: Links
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