Thursday, April 30, 2009

Happy 50th Birthday!

I would like to wish our (Canada's) Prime Minister Stephen Harper a very Happy 50th Birthday!!

I unfortunately didn't get him a gift because what do you give a prime minister? But I know for sure that whatever I would've thought of to give him would be better than what the United States gave him. They didn't wrap it but it wouldn't have made a difference anyway, I mean, what kind of gift was that!? "Happy 50th! Here's Chrysler filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy! Woo"

That's weak sauce Barry, weak sauce.

- Franny.

(That was my one small moment of patriotism for Canada and me bashing the States, savor it, it may never happen again)

A-Rod's Fall From Grace; 31 Days Left

Alex Rodriguez's star status has fallen tremendously since he admitted using performance enhancing drugs in his days with the Texas Rangers (2001-03); although he had stated in an interview with Katie Couric the year before that he had never taken a banned substance or even thought about it; his star status fell even more when he provided a shady explanation to what drugs they were and how he got them. Factor in a huge contract, lack of production in the playoffs, a hip injury, nightly visits to strip clubs, an alleged affair with Madonna, that ultimately led to the end of his marriage, and Madonna's marriage and everybody sees him as an overpaid, cheating (in more ways than one), homewrecking, injury-prone, primadonna (no pun intended) who loves only himself. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse it does.

Selena Roberts, the Sports Illustrated writer that broke the A-Rod steroid scandal, is publishing a book entitled "A-Rod" about the superstar's career and the steroid scandal. what's so bad about that you say? well according to the New York Daily Post they acquired a transcript from Roberts' book and printed out a few slanderous excerpts. The paper did not say how they acquired the book which is due to drop on Monday and Selena Roberts insists that she has no clue how the paper got the book. Now to the slanderous statements.

A high school teammate of A-Rod's told Roberts that he was on steroids as a prep player and his coach knew it -- an allegation the coach, Rich Hofman, denied. Furthermore, an unidentified major leaguer is quoted as saying A-Rod and former Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown, who was named in the Mitchell Report, were seen together with human growth hormone in 2004. As we all know A-Rod has adamantly denied any steroid use as a member of the Yankees. The book also goes on to say that two anonymous Yankees said they believed A-Rod was using banned substances based on visual side effects, and that management had a suspicion that the third baseman may have been juicing.


Less damaging statements, included the notion the A-Rod tipped pitches to the opposing team in blowout games and expected the favour in return. The funniest "allegation" is that while he was with the Yankees in 2005, Rodriguez was nicknamed "Bitch Tits" by his teammates when he gained 15 pounds in the offseason and developed round pectoral muscles, according to Roberts.

It's not all bad for A-Rod as many teammates and people in baseball are supporting him and think that Roberts' sources can't really be trusted until she reveals who they are. If Roberts' wants any credibility whe must be willing to go to jail for this book 'cause if it turns out it is hearsay than she can be sued by A-Rod for libel and lots of money, that will be pocket change to him.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Waterboarding; 32 Days Left

The debate over torture is getting personal for two prime-time TV hosts. After Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity made a jokingly impromptu offer last week to undergo waterboarding as a benefit for charity, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann leapt at it. He offered $1,000 to the families of U.S. troops for every second Hannity withstood the torture practice.



In the video, one can plainly see that Hannity does not take waterboarding as the serious issue it is and an irate Keith Olbermann just sounds off and basically says Hannity doesn't have the balls to get waterboarded 'cause he can talk the talk but can't walk the walk. Then KO made the offer that he would personally donate $1,000 to the families of U.S. troops for every second Hannity "survived" and he would double it if after the event Hannity would publicly state that he feared for his life after the practice.

Olbermann repeated the offer on Monday's show and said in an interview on Tuesday that he's heard no response. He said he'll continue to pursue it.

"I don't think he has the courage to even respond to this, let alone do it," Olbermann said.

The two men are on opposite sides of the spectrum on the issue. Hannity says waterboarding is a fair and necessary interrogation technique for suspected terrorists; while Olbermann calls it torture, says it's ineffective and should not be done by Americans. Besides the Fox vs. MSNBC rivalry Olbermann insists that it has nothing to do with the TV rivalry and everything with the issue being discussed, because he believes Hannity has had a damaging influence in the debate.

"If you expose people to reality, even with someone who is denying reality, that can have a powerful and important impact," he said.

Peace and Much Love To Ya <3

*Note: your Top 5 hottest men lists must be submitted before Sunday, May 3rd and the list of the 25 hottest men will be revealed on Friday, May 8th

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A Call For Hot Men; 33 Days Left

Alright ladies, (and gentlemen too, don't be shy) we here on the blog have come up with a plan to list the 20 hottest men we can think of (we'll prolly do one for women too, but we gotta see if this works). The rules? there are none, the MEN(not boys) can be of any age, race, religion, occupation, country, etc... so give us your top 5 picks in the comments section of this post, to our facebook's if you personally know us, or email them to arbitraryopinions@gmail.com

It's as simple as that, we want your top 5 and we'll put them into our pool of our personal picks and churn out who we think are the 20 hottest men on the face of the earth. We will be objective and vote fairly on each person and the list will be revealed when we believe we have enough guys in the pool to actually make it hard for us. So hurry up guys and girls and give us your picks (remember you can choose to be anonymous when you comment, so no pressure!!) so we can make a list worthy of your praise and you will not be disappointed, there are some harsh critics with differing opinions on this board and the 20 hottest men will be revealed at a time when we have chosen them.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

News to Wake Up Early For.

I had a terrible sleep last night (does 2 separated hours count as sleeping or is that just a nap?) so I was quite overjoyed to get breaking news on my phone. I was expecting something about the swine flu but boy was I surprised! Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is switching from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party! This is the type of news that catches every journalist’s attention (bloggers too of course). To everyone else, this may seem to be a common occurrence –especially for Canadians who think ‘crossing the floor’ is just a stride away. Initially I thought it was shocking, but not too rare, so I looked up when was the last time a U.S. senator switched parties directly –NEVER.

Specter is the 13th elected senator to switch parties, but the previous 12 had taken the Independent route before going across or even going back. And, of course, there are those who want an extended title i.e. Joe Lieberman and Harry Byrd are both Independent-Democrats, meaning they didn’t want to sit alone but didn’t want to be a part of the dark side either.

Traitors Switchers (to the other side, not switching back) have been viewed favorably by voters as the ones who ran for re-election had been re-elected to their seats. Specter must have read this bit of information since he was expected to face a tough re-election bid. The Republicans had fielded the former Representative of Pennsylvania’s 15th district Pat Toomey to take another stab at the senate. All polls prior to Specter’s announcement have shown in favor of Toomey.

Specter has always been a moderate that the Democrats have tried to woo on many occasions. Rahm was able to charm the pants off the senator (not literally, sorry for the mental image) on Obama’s stimulus package, which he, along with 2 other moderates, voted for. It has been rumored that this shocking switch of parties was influenced by VPOTUS Biden –but I don’t blame him, no one can resist those blue eyes and bright smile.

The Republican response has been typical: Steele claimed Specter “flipped the bird” at the Republicans and that “I'm sure his mama didn't raise him this way, and it's a shame that he's behaving this way today.” Specter is effectively old enough to be Steele’s father, he’s in no place to question how his mama raised him.

The Democratic response has obviously been positive. The President had found out this morning about the news and called Specter as soon as he can (and if you’ve seen the photo, he called from an ancient phone). Joe Lieberman, another traitor switcher (from Dem to Independent-Dem who campaigned for McCain), welcomed Specter with open arms and a warmed up seat right next to him and on the edge of the Dem-Rep divide.

That’s all from me today! Ciao!

- Franny.

(Additional Item: Glenn Beck tweeted “Palin+Bachmann 2012. Just do it.” Vomit buckets are to your left. Empty parachute packs are to your right.)

Monday, April 27, 2009

Swine Flu Likely To Worsen; 34 Days Left

Canadians should expect to see more severe cases of swine flu, including some deaths from the virus, as the outbreak spreads, the country's chief public health officer warned Monday.

There have been six confirmed cases of swine flu in Canada since the outbreak was first reported in Mexico. All six people — four in Nova Scotia and two in B.C. — had a mild form of the illness and have recovered. Along with the cases in N.S. and B.C., medical authorities in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan are investigating cases of suspected swine flu.

Canada has heightened its surveillance system to more closely monitor the spread of the disease and will focus on rigorous infection control.

Seriously this thing is going crazy now and it seems it targets young adults so to protect yourself from acquiring Swine Flu wash your hands regularly, and cover your mouths when you sneeze or cough. However, our health minister, Leona Aglukkaq, reassures Canadians that there is no need for worry. "Canada is well-positioned to deal with the issue," she said during question period in the House of Commons on Monday. "We have a national plan to deal with disease outbreaks."

People infected with the virus initially suffer symptoms that include:

* Fever. * Cough. * Sore throat. * Muscle and joint pain. * Shortness of breath.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Red Sox Sweep The Yankees; 35 Days Left

First off I'm changing the colour of this post (to Fenway green) 'cause the blog is coloured with red posts with the exception of Jen's post 'cause that's in pink of course. I second what she says and that is, don't pick your nose on transit, or any public place for that matter its just gross, and transit is weird enough. That is for another day however, today it's all about my favourite team in all of sports yes, the Boston Red Sox. I've been watching baseball ever since I was like 5 years old and the first game I ever watched was a Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners game, my favourite player was Ken Griffey Jr. but my favourite team became the BoSox and there's no team I love more.

As I grew up and learned more about the game, while in grade 1, in the library I learned of the curse of the bambino from a baseball book in the nonfiction section, and became fascinated with the stories of the Babe Ruth fiasco and the curse and all and didn't really take it seriously until I read how long the BoSox had gone without winning a World Series. At the time the curse had already been in effect for 81 years!! This just made me root for the BoSox even more and the Yankees became my least favourite team for what they did to the BoSox, I mean they were so mean to put a curse on the BoSox like that.

Every year I cheered and hoped that this year would be the year we break the curse and finally after 9 years of heartbreak of watching the BoSox lose to the Yankees (seriously no kid should go through that it's worse than getting dumped) the BoSox pulled off the greatest comeback in sports history over the "Evil Empire" in 2004 and won it all and the curse was lifted and they did it all again in 2007. In the new millennium the BoSox have won 2 World Series to the Yankees' 1 back in 2000, and it seems the BoSox are the favourites to win every year now, though the Yankees continue to be the most vilified team in baseball ('cause they have more money than everyone else).

This year the BoSox and Yankees entered their first series of the season with the Yankees winning 51 0f 100 games against the BoSox since 2000. The first game was an intense affair with the Yankees leading most of the game 4-2 but a 2 run HR over the *Green Monster from Jason Bay (I still miss Manny :( in the 9th inning and the score was tied and the game went to extra innings; and in the 11th inning Yook (Kevin Youkilis) hit a walkoff HR over the Monster to win the game for the BoSox (I jumped up and down with delight, and let go a rendition of "Sweet Caroline" :). The 2nd game was a seesaw battle, and slugfest, that went back and forth and had so much drama I couldn't sit still. In short, the Yankees blew a 6-0 lead but then retook the lead and lost it again and then retook it but ultimately gave it up again as Mike Lowell who was having a dreadful game turned it around and scored 6 RBI's in the final few innings and the BoSox won 16-11. In the 3rd and final game the game it self wasn't as exciting on the whole as both teams were clearly fatigued. The score was 1-1 until the 5th inning in which David "Big Papi" Ortiz doubled in the go ahead run. That's when Jacoby Ellsbury saw an opening and trying to exploit it took off and ran like his life depended on it and stole home to put the BoSox up 3-1; J.D. Drew ground rule doubled to score Ortiz and made it 4-1 and that would end up being the final score but the play of the series was Ellsbury's steal of home something he hasn't done since high school. Just like that the BoSox were now on top and had 52 wins against the Yankees to the Yankees 51 wins against them.



Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

*Green Monster: is the nickname of the thirty-seven-foot, two-inch (11.3 m) left field wall at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox

Literally Gold diggers

♥♥♥
Today I finally had the time to go shopping to get my Charles Robert Darwin books and my Asian dramas! Oh, I love Darwin.

After a wonderful time shopping and spending every penny my parents gave me, I had to take the Skytrain back to 29th Avenue. Everything was going great; the skytrain came and I got a seat (yes!..WRONG) so I sat across from this utterly repulsive guy. It's okay that he's ugly, I mean you can't blame the guy. All he really needed was a lot of cosmetic products, a haircut, and possibly a mask. He kept staring at me so of course I turned away because it was awkward. After what seemed like forever (the Skytrain stopped at Patterson) I turned my head 90 degrees and guess what I see him doing?!?!

DIGGING FOR GOLD IN HIS NOSE. ew.

I tried to not laugh and like look away but of course I started laughing and I wanted to call Franny but I forgot what the code was for when we are in trouble (not fake trouble). FML. As I was laughing (quietly..sort of), he looked at me while picking his nose. Please, if you are ever taking public transit do not pick your nose.

Terrible ending to my perfect school-free Day 1.

TOOTLOOS! <3

♥♥♥

Saturday, April 25, 2009

NFL Draft; 36 Days Left

It is the 4th day in my quest to blog for 40 straight days and this time I'm gonna keep it short as I am really tired and about to pass out :) however I promise the next post will be a good one so bear with me.

The NFL Draft took place today and the League ushered in it's new stars, although this draft class doesn't have any marquee names really other than Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez and is considered pretty weak in comparison to other years, it doesn't matter to the fans as not only were they rooting for teams to take certain players, or filling out mock drafts to see if their's is the right one. In the fans minds this marked the first step to the next NFL season.

Anyway this is how the first round of the draft went:

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
4. Seattle Seahawks: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
5. New York Jets (from CLE): Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
7. Oakland Raiders: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
9. Green Bay Packers: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
10. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
11. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
13. Washington Redskins: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
15. Houston Texas: Brian Cushing, LB, USC
16. San Diego Chargers: Larry English, DE/OLB, No. Illinois
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from CLE via NYJ): Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas St.
18. Denver Broncos (from CHI): Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
19. Philadelphia Eagles (from CLE via TB): Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
20. Detroit Lions (from DAL): Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St.
21. Cleveland Browns (from PHI): Alex Mack, C, California
22. Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin, WE, Florida
23. Baltimore Ravens (from NE): Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
24. Atlanta Falcons: Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
25. Miami Dolphins: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
26. Green Bay Packers (from NE via BAL): Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
27. Indianapolis Colts: Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut
28. Buffalo Bills (from PHI via CAR): Eric Wood, C, Louisville
29. New York Giants: Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
30. Tennessee Titans: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
31. Arizona Cardinals: Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Evander "Ziggy" Hood, DT, Missouri

We would like to wish them all luck and hopefully they can help their respective teams, Pats fans like me shouldn't worry they traded away their picks because historically they don't like picking in the first round because they don't like paying so much to unproven rookies and instead find the hidden gems in the draft, like Tom Brady (6th round, 199th pick in 2000).

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Friday, April 24, 2009

News Bits; 37 Days Left

Ok there's no really big news right now, yea that statements kinda jaded seeing as how shit is hitting the fan in Sri Lanka, and the Taliban is reportedly taking over all the "-stans" slowly starting with Pakistan. However, military coups are usually resolved pretty quickly as the present government almost always concedes or military aid from elsewhere comes in and fights off the invaders. The Taliban thing is a little more serious here at home as they are the perceived number one enemies of the United States of America and President Obama has so much on his plate already, seriously I feel for the guy he has been perceived as the next messiah and saviour of earth or whatever but he signed up for the job and I think he'll prevail.

The citizens of the U.S. and Canada for that matter have pestered their respective leaders to do something about those issues but guess what, they have their own nations to govern which at the moment aren't faring too well either. Sure there aren't any coups going on Canada and the U.S. but the economic situation is seriously out of control and there are a bunch of domestic problems they have to deal with such as unemployment and the welfare and wellbeing of their own citizens to name a few. It can only get worse before it gets better and I'm not the person who can determine that it can't get any more worse.

Anyway somewhat lighter news, from anamariecox's twitter, came this message, "Oh pleasepleasepleaseplease.... http://www.waterboardseanhannityforcharity.com/Hannity.htm." It seems that Sean Hannity thinks waterboarding isn't really all that torturous and Keith Olbermann went on a huge rant stating that Hannity was pretty much, a dumbass for thinking so and a spineless coward (not my words just how I perceived KO's so don't kill me Franny) and that if he does indeed let himself be waterboarded that he would send $1000 for each second Hannity "survived," shall we say, to the charity of Hannity's choice.

Some really light news now, a set of paintings and sketches that were apparently drawn by a young Adolf Hitler were sold for $143,000 at a British auction house. Imagine what the world would be like if Hitler was an artist rather than the cruel and evil ruler of the Nazi's during World War II.

Tonight Show host Jay Leno checked himself into hospital for obeservation for reasons unknown, we can only hope he is all right.

First Lady, Michelle Obama, reveals that she sneaks out of the White House with her staff for burgers at fun places and that her least favourite activity is running on the treadmill. (No word on whether Jay Leno was with her for burgers)

The Obama administration staff has been split into a divide over the release of documents that detailed the harsh interrogation techniques employed by the CIA.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Favourite TV Series; 38 Days To Go

It is the second day in my quest of blogging for 40 straight days and I am already feeling some writer's block. Seriously WTF!!! its only the second day I expect better out of myself so therefore I am gonna try to make this post as enjoyable as possible.

I'm gonna talk about TV series 'cause apparently some people want to see more of that on the blog and I like to appease the wishes of our readers. Please keep an open mind about the selections. If you feel I'm right or wrong in some selections post a comment and we can debate :).

Top 10 TV Series in 2008/2009 thus far

10.
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Network): Ok I don't even watch this show but a certain someone that is close to me would kill me if I didn't mention it lol. This show is not just full of political allegories and fascinating, multifaceted characters, every season, it has one or two “are you kidding me!” shockers

9. The Office (NBC): this show has gone down on my list over the years but it is the TV equivalent of my favourite pair of jeans. It may have seen better days, but it just feels comfy and familiar. And it is still capable of pulling off some big laughs and even some tearjerking moments when we least expect them (such as Jim’s proposal to Pam).

8. Gossip Girl (CW): Yea I know what you're thinking but I do watch this show as I started reading the books in grade 8, they were pretty funny and dramatic and gave me an inside look on what hot girls think and feel to an extent. Narrated by the unseen blogger "Gossip Girl,"(‘cause bloggers secretly rule people’s lives :) the series revolves around the lives of rich teenagers growing up in NYC's Upper East Side who attend elite schools while dealing with friends, family, jealousy, sex and other issues.

7. The L Word (Showtime): Follows the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of lesbians living in Los Angeles as well as the friends and family members that either support or loath them. Very underrated and also finished its last season now but if you can get past all the sex and nudity and watch it objectively it is pretty dramatic plus it represents the gay community very well from what I hear.

6. Mad Men (AMC): A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s. Like Gossip Girl, Mad Men is a style-obsessed series about the emotions that run rampant beneath the clever banter and casually immoral behaviour. Unlike Gossip Girl, Mad Men aspires to be art.

5. Fringe (Fox): The best new show of the year, a TV drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with a mad scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena. Plus, the tension between Dr. Bishop and his mad, sar­castic son, Peter, offers a fresh way to present long-unresolved parent-child conflict.

4. Chuck (NBC): Computer nerd turned into CIA agent that’s a guarantee for success :P. This delightful and well-crafted spy dramedy brings a smile to my face every week. The silliness of Chuck’s friends at the Buy More electronics store greatly increases the fun. Plus Chuck is just like every nerd, he wants a hot girlfriend, and that just happens to not only be his partner in crime but also his former friend from college, Sarah.

3. House (Fox): I realize some people have been put off by this show lately but it is still the same show in essence and that is about an antisocial doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine and does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits. Plus Hugh Laurie is still awesome.

2. 30 Rock (NBC): Smart, sophisticated, endlessly quotable and utterly necessary comedy. Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are endlessly funny and Tracy Morgan is pretty awesome too.

1. Supernatural (CW): Unheralded but excellent. This show intertwines thrills, dude-tastic humor and solid storytelling into each episode. Sam and Dean Winchester, are brothers who hunt demons and other figures of the paranormal. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have awesome chemistry not to mention this show is funny, dramatic, and thrilling all at the same time!!

All right those have been my favourite shows thus far If you’ve got some you want to share like I said earlier post a comment and we can debate.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

*Note: although this series finished in 2006 I just started watching it after the insistence from a very good friend and I must say it is very good and probably would have made this list if it were still running and that is The West Wing (WB).

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

1 Down, 39 To Go

This is, of course, the first day in my endeavor to post for 40 straight days and I'm gonna keep it real simple and short and of course sweet. I am a huge fan of sports as many of you know but what you guys don't know is that growing up despite dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup (NHL), Larry O'Brien Trophy (NBA), Commissioner's Trophy (MLB), Vince Lombardi Trophy (NFL), an Olympic Gold Medal in any event, and all the golf and tennis Majors in my life. The next thing I wanted to be growing up was a sports broadcaster. I used to watch Sportscenter every night at 8pm PCT, and Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann were my heroes and idols still to this day. I thought they were the funniest and coolest people ever (I still do) and I wanted to be just like them. So much in fact that when I would be playing sports video games on my Super Nintendo like NHL '95 or NBA Live I would pretend I was them and "broadcast" the highlights of my virtual game to myself, even now I still do it sometimes.

Growing up watching these larger than life sportscasters such as the "*Big Show" duo, Steve Levy, Bob Ley, Chris Berman, Stuart Scott and Charlie Steiner to name just a few. I quickly realized that they weren't always perfect and occasionally messed up. As I perused youtube while taking a break from studying I came across an ESPN blooper reel and remembered some of the bloopers I had witnessed in my younger days and I want to share those with everybody, there sentimental to me but for you guys they'll be downright hilarious.

"Tell them I can hear them!!" "hopefully you'll have sex" "playing with a bulging dick" --> these are just some of the greatest bloopers ever!!



Some of the bloopers are repeated in this vid but watching Charlie Steiner laugh is hilarious!!



Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

*The Big Show was what Dan and Keith called their show when they anchored Sportscenter and that's who I was referring to.

Note: I guess it wasn't short after all but it was simple and awesome I think.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Jewish Update from a Goyeh.

Greetings all! In the midst of exams, I bring you this lovely post that was spurred on by many events--Jewish-related events. I was going to start on a serious note but it's too sad, so I will begin with all the sniplets I have collected and end on a serious note.
-----
The National Union chairman Ya'acov "Ketzele" Katz sent a letter last week to Rahm Emanuel reminding him that he is an "Israeli Jew". Rahm, not wishing to appear rude, sent a response letter immediately along with a small gift. The letter read: "Gai tren zich" Love, Rahm ISRAEL Emanuel. The package contained a picture of a dead fish with a caption saying "You're not worth the postage money for a real dead fish."

Katz had also compared Rahm to the biblical character Esther, who influenced the Persian King Ahashverosh to intervene on behalf of the Jews of the Persian Empire. A White House official who wished to go by the name of "Captain Axeman" leaked to the press a video tape that contained a conversation between Mr. Emanuel and the President:

Rahm: "That [bleep]-er compared me to Esther for [bleep]'s sake!"
POTUS: "You should be honored that you're worthy of a biblical reference."
Rahm: "Esther is a [bleep]-ing chick!"
POTUS: "It's those slender hips of yours."
Rahm: "You did NOT just [bleep]-ing refer to my [bleep]-ing hips as slender"
POTUS: "Don't get your tutu in a knot, Twinkletoes."
[Giggling is heard in the background]
Rahm: "AX YOU ARE [bleep]-ING DEAD!"
-----
Chief Strategist David Axelrod shot down critiques of Obama's warmth towards hostile Latin America by saying: "I think what has happened is that Anti-Americanism isn't cool anymore." Chavez, having received his 'cool'-memo days in advanced, quickly crossed off "Hate America" from his daily "To-Do" list and practiced his 'hipster' handshake and smile combo hoping to impress President Obama.

An attendee of the event told the press that Mr. Obama was smiling and laughing because "Chavez shook Obama's hand and said 'Whazzup amigo?'"
-----
At the UN conference on racism, President Ahmadinejad of Iran said Israel was "a totally racist" regime, which prompted many European ambassadors to storm out and protesters to call him a racist. What these people didn't know was that Ahmadinejad had recently learned it was 4/20 so he lit one up quickly and proceeded to the podium with a swagger. What he meant to say was that Israel was totally rad and that he was totally stoned.

This almost Freudian slip was saved by marijuana; Ahmadinejad has to toke to that.
-----
Now a completely serious note:

On this 27th day of Nisan, beginning at sundown, the Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, will be observed in memory of the 6 million deaths during the Holocaust. Yellow candles are lit to keep the memories of all those victims alive.
-----
Have a good week everyone and after my last exam this Saturday, you'll hear more from me! In the mean time, Ciao!

- Franny.

(Note: Google the Yiddish words)

Blogging To The Extreme

I recently watched a move called 40 Days and 40 Nights (I pray that you don't laugh at me for that statement :) with a friend (yes it was a girl, does that make up for me watching a stupid movie?) in which the main character gives up sex for Lent (the preparation of the believer for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ (no, not the Mel Gibson movie) and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ) (props to Wikipedia for the definition). It got me thinking of what I could give up for 40 days and as I’m not having much sex as it is I couldn’t give that up like the movie plus I don’t think abstinence is really that hard, unless you're a sex addict then it probably is, so I started to wonder what I would sacrifice for forty days. However I couldn’t find anything that I can’t live without for forty days in my life so I said screw it I won’t give up something for forty days instead I’ll give something. No I’m not gonna go the opposite way of the movie and try to have sex with 40 women in 40 days, though I guess that would be an ego booster. I firmly believe that it is impossible and insensitive I mean no one can have 40 one night stands in a row and not feel bad after the 3rd or 4th time at least, you’d have to be a real dick (no pun intended, really).

Anyway I tried to think of a positive way I could do something for forty days and here it is: I will post on the blog every day for forty days starting Wednesday April 22, 2009. Why Wednesday you ask? One, on that day it will be exactly 40 days until my birthday (figure it out yourself). Two, it will also be my last forty days in Canada until I go on a wretched vacation to a country I have no interest in with my parents and I am still not completely sure when I will have internet access. Three, I have a final exam on Tuesday (International Studies) that I absolutely can’t miss because, you know my future depends on it and such but who cares about that really, the main thing is I won't be able to post that day. So there it is in writing, I will post for forty straight days about whatever, it will be random, exciting and fun I promise. If you guys wanna see a particular topic to be talked about you can contact us on twitter, by posting comments on the blog, and by email at
arbitraryopinions@gmail.com.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :P

*Note: Lent is over and I'm not even Christian so I'm not doing this for a religious cause or any cause for that matter, I'm just doing it for fun and to enjoy my last month and a third at home

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Remembering A Hero

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball honoured it’s greatest hero, Jackie Robinson, the man known in history as the first coloured baseball player in the MLB in the modern era, thus effectively breaking the colour barrier of baseball as being only exclusive whites.

Each year, since 2004, on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated, commemorating the day Robinson made his major league debut. In 2007, the 60th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut, the MLB invited players to wear the number 42 just for that day to honour Robinson. The gesture was the idea of outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., who first sought Rachel Robinson's (Jackie’s wife) permission, and after receiving it, asked Commissioner Bud Selig for permission. Selig accepted the idea and extended the invitation to all major league teams, 200 players would go on to wear #42 in 2007. And this year Selig decided that all the teams playing and its players, coaches, and managers would wear #42 on April 15th.

Robinson was no slouch either and was in fact one of the game’s greatest players. His career started at the advanced age of 28 so he only played 10 seasons; all of them for the Brooklyn Dodgers and won several awards during his career. In 1946, in the minors, he carried his team the, Montreal Royals, to an International League championship. He stole home a record 19 times and none were a double steal. He played on six World Series teams and won one in 1955 when the Dodgers defeated the Yankees. He was a 6 time all-star and in 1947, he won the first MLB Rookie of the Year Award, the award would be named after him in 1987. Two years later, he won the National League MVP Award – the first black player to do so. He retired from baseball on January 5, 1957 and was the first black player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. In 1997, the MLB retired Jackie’s #42 from the MLB, but allowed those already wearing the number to continue wearing it, thus Mariano Rivera will be the last player to wear #42.

He also had success away from the baseball field. Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball analyst and the first black vice president of Chock full o'Nuts and of a major American corporation. In December 1956 the NAACP recognized him with the Spingarn Medal, which it awards annually for the highest achievement by an African-American and he served on the board of the NAACP until 1967. In the 1960s, he helped to establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American owned and controlled entity based in Harlem, New York. Due to his achievements, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

In 1972, his wife, Rachel Robinson, created the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help African-American youth continue their education with scholarships. 13 MLB teams donate more than $1.5 million each, and the commisioner’s office donates $1.2 million as well in the names of all 30 teams. Among players, Derek Jeter is the only player that personally supports a Robinson scholar, but he doesn’t just support he actually endows a scholarship in his name, at the $250,000 level. So every four years, when steroids and police rap sheets overwhelm sports, Jeter, silently, has put another kid through college and embodies the spirit and kindness of Jackie Robinson.

Heart disease complications and diabetes weakened him and made him almost blind by middle age. On October 24, 1972, he died of a heart attack at home in Stamford, Connecticut, aged 53. Robinson once said "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me ... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being." I have tremendous respect for Jackie Robinson and his courageous efforts that allowed me personally, a coloured person and so many like me, the opportunity to play baseball. He is one of my heroes and I hope he will forever be remembered.

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

Monday, April 6, 2009

R.I.P. Marie Olbermann 1929-2009

I do not know her or her family personally, but I do know that she gave birth to a great sportscaster/newscaster who respects her very much. Tonight's Countdown piece dedicated to her literally brought me to tears. Keith Olbermann gave the best tribute, I think, that anyone can give to the person who made him who he is today. As Keith said in the broadcast, she is a lifelong Yankees fan and that clearly passed on to Keith. Marie Olbermann sounds like she was a fantastic lady with a great heart for baseball. May she rest in peace.

- Franny.