WORLD SAUNA CHAMPIONSHIP

WON BY FINLAND!

That the Finns won isn't surprising. The fact that there is a World Sauna Championship is. I used to have a hottub that I kept at 115°f, some 20 years ago when I could afford it. I found it too cool when it dropped below 110°f.

"I scream. You scream. We all scream, for ice cream." But just because you can make an ice cream flavor, doesn't mean you have to The Puking line forms on the right.

To "popcorn" or to not "popcorn". That is the question. The question that theater owners and goers must contend with in bloody ol' Britain. Gee, I am old enough to remember when popcorn came covered in real butter. Not that artificial yellowy chemical mix they use nowadays. I can also remember when margarine came as a white gooey substance that was turned yellow by blending in the contents of a capsule that was included in the box.

Ever heard of "beer goggles"? Me neither. But the police in Buffalo Grove IL are missing theirs. Sorry, Canadians. It has nothing to do with competitive beer vat diving. But the Czech Republic does offer a "beer spa" for a nice sudsy soak.

From about 20 miles south of me comes this story of "ghost-riding". You know, if you are going to break the law, videoing it and posting it on the web is really not the smartest move. Even cops can use a PC. Watch video:


Okay, it is a TV ad but it does capture the ideal goal of any Olympiad or other competition. Give it all you've got:

"I didn't play the music that loudly -- and it wasn't just Cher -- I used to play heavy metal as well," he said.

And to continue in that vein, I am not sure whether the Brits don't like noise or just like to make it.

Checkout the background. Pretty much sums things up IMO:


"Let's all be careful out there!"

AUGUST 10TH

***

Today is Sunday, August 10, the 223rd day of 2008.
There are 143 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On August 10, 1846, President Polk signed a measure establishing the Smithsonian Institution, named after English scientist James Smithson, whose bequest of half a million dollars had made it possible.

On this date:

• In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed the following January.)
• In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state.
• In 1874, Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, was born in West Branch, Iowa.
• In 1921, Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio at his summer home on the Canadian island of Campobello.
• In 1948, Allen Funt's "Candid Microphone," later titled "Candid Camera," made its television debut on ABC.
• In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense.
• In 1968, 35 people were killed in the crash of a Piedmont Airlines Fairchild FH-227 at Kanawha County Airport in West Virginia.
• In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson's cult, one day after actress Sharon Tate and four other people were slain.
• In 1988, President Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who'd been interned by the government during World War II.
• In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ten years ago:

• Secretary of State Madeleine Albright announced a $2 million reward for information leading to the conviction of the terrorists who bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people, including 12 Americans.

Five years ago:

• Liberian President Charles Taylor delivered a farewell address to a nation bloodied by 14 years of war.
• During a heat wave plaguing Europe, Britain topped 100 degrees for the first time in recorded history.
• Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, aboard the international space station, married his earthbound bride, Ekaterina Dmitriev, who was at Johnson Space Center in Houston, in the first wedding ever conducted from space.
• Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal turned the 12th unassisted triple play in major league history against the St. Louis Cardinals. (St. Louis beat Atlanta 3-2.)

One year ago:

• Three men were killed in a southern Indiana coal mine when a nylon sling used to transport supplies up and down a shaft got caught, causing the bucket the men were riding in to tip and send them plummeting more than 500 feet to their deaths.

Today's Birthdays:

• Singer Al Alberts is 86.
• Actress Rhonda Fleming is 85.
• Singer Jimmy Dean is 80.
• Singer Eddie Fisher is 80.
• Actress Kate O'Mara is 69.
• Singer Ronnie Spector is 65.
• Actor James Reynolds is 62.
• Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 61.
• Singer Patti Austin is 60.
• Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 59.
• Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 56.
• Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 54.
• Actress Rosanna Arquette is 49.
• Actor Antonio Banderas is 48.
• Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS) is 47.
• Singer Julia Fordham is 46.
• Journalist-blogger Andrew Sullivan is 45.
• Singer Neneh Cherry is 44.
• Singer Aaron Hall is 44.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Lorraine Pearson (Five Star) is 41.
• Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 40.
• Actor Justin Theroux is 37.
• Actress Angie Harmon is 36.
• Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 35.
• Actress JoAnna Garcia is 29.
• Rhythm-and-blues singer Nikki Bratcher (Divine) is 28.
• Actor Ryan Eggold is 24.

Thought for Today:

"Conceit is God's gift to little men."
Bruce Barton, American advertising executive (1886-1967).

"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE 8-223

"Let's all be careful out there!"

I KNOW THE THINGS THAT I KNOW

AND NONE OF THE THINGS I DON'T KNOW

Thats about par for the course. Wouldn't you think?

The lady on the right is the "Venus of Willendorf". It currently resides in the Natural History Museum, in Vienna, Austria. There are two factors about this statuette that are interesting. First, it is about 25,000 years old. Which predates any known civilization on earth by about 15,000 years. Second, it is not the only one in existence. Almost identical creations have been found in France and Russia. It is not made from any local rock. It was created when mastadons still roamed the Earth and mankind lived in small villages.

So I wonder where it was created and by whom and was this individual a traveling salesman of sorts. Plying his wares between the Urals and the Atlantic Ocean? Every new revelation presents untold new questions.

Everyone knows what fingerprints are and how the ridges are used to identify individuals. Now trace elements collected in the oils of the skin that leave these impressions can be read and identified. Thus telling investigators what recent items were touched prior to leaving the print on a surface. CSI for the 21st century.

Inland from the north end of San Francisco Bay is the Sacramento/San Joaquin delta. This delta keeps the salty water of the bay from encroaching on the fresh waters. This delta is composed of hundreds of small islands that are about 20 feet below sea level. Existing only because of their surrounding levees. The soil of these islands is rich peat and can be used for growing almost all year long. But, alas, agriculture and erosion is creating a major soil loss. If the delts island fail, the vast majority of the fresh water shipped 450 miles south to the desert city of Los Angeles would cease. Science has discovered that using old crops can have a positive effect on the eco-system.

Here is where you can keep tab on the overall medal count, by country, at this year's Olympics

1. USA 2 gold 2 silver 4 bronze
2. CHINA 3 gold 1 silver 0 bronze
3. KOREA (s) 2 gold 1 silver 0 bronze

And no, I don't plan on doing this every day of the games. Thats why I gave the link, for those interested.

Dutch swimmers claim Women's 4 X 100m Freestyle gold:

Guo Wenjun of China takes Women's 10m Air Pistol Gold:

In a lot of the smaller countries, any citizen who wins a medal will be a national hero. In America, unless they are a really cute gymnast, their names will be forgotten before the game are over. Its the "Warhol Rule".

Scientists have created stem cells for 10 specific disorders.

Did you read comic books as a kid? Remember those ads for the x-ray vision glasses and magical sea monkeys?

Would you be interested in a vehicle that could get 106mpg.

Maybe this is what Obama was thinking about when he told us to "inflate".





Want to solve a mystery? Turns out there is a whole lot more to Leavenworth KS that its infamous Federal Prison. Be sure to watch the video.

Ever thought about flying a kite to generate power? Some folks have this on their agenda. Video.

I don't know whether all the facts are kosher in this news clip but it is an nice oddity.
08-08-08 @ 0808 hrs @ 8lbs 8oz.

Don't forget, the annual Perseid Meteor shower hits its peak before dawn on Tuesday. Sadly, the Moon will be ashinin' in the night sky until just before dawn.

When people say "Big Brother Is Watching You" they are deadly serious. Especially if you are visiting China.


Everyone enjoy your Sunday.
Maybe a few more will find their way here today than yesterday. Which was one of the worst in this blog's history.
I do wish to thank those of you who do manage to visit. I truly appreciate it.

Later...

"Let's all be careful out there!"