Well, a LOT has happened lately! The London Knights head into the Christmas break with a 21-game winning streak (a record for the team) and the London Lightning basketball club went 11-0 this season before losing recently at home vs the Oshawa Power. Also too, the Jays are making more news this offseason: they might just be getting ANOTHER good pitcher in R.A. Dickey. see the article. If they do this, the team may be able to win their division: the American League East, which is tough to do considering that they share it with the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox (all with great histories). I have to hand it to Alex Anthopoulous: he knows how to spend his money right, and he knows how to convince Rogers to give it to him. So, whether the Jays get Dickey or not, I'll be expecting great things from the team this year.
Lastly...
A very precious resource was almost snatched away from us. The close culprits? Answer: the United Nations. See, the U.N. was holding this telecommunications conference recently in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. That took place on the 3rd-14th of this month. Initially, they promised transparency, Internet was NOT for discussion, and freedom of expression was to be affirmed. Then, on around the 12th or 13th of this month everything changed. The head of the meetings wanted to "get a feel of the room", so he asked for a vote on whether the U.N. should have more say in Internet governance. Most nations unfortunately said yes. It all looked hopeless for everyone, until America stepped up. The Americans said that they would NOT sign the new treaty at all and gave their reasons, one of which was that the new treaty would blur the line between telecommunications and the services or programs (such as the Internet) that use it. This eventually created a tidal wave of similar responses from other nations including Canada, Australia, Israel, Costa Rica, New Zealand, etc. Other nations including China, Jamaica, Iran, Russia, etc did sign. Overall, 89 signed and 55 refused. Most of the "free world" refused to sign while the nations that did were mostly dictatorial such as China or third-world democracies such as Jamaica (not pleased with Jamaica's decision as I respect that country due to the success of its Olympic athletes such as Usain Bolt). Anyways, it all ended up very well for us here in the West and that's what counts. Here's the article.
That's all for now. Have a good day.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
of Blue Jays and Twinkies
First, I'll start with some bad economic news from the Americans. As some of you might know, Hostess is going out of business. Due to this, some of their most treasured sweets will become obsolete such as the twinkie. As with all closures, blame is being spread around like wildfire: management blames the unions for being uncooperative while the unions are blaming management for lack of innovation and attention to employees. Here's a video about it:
Finally, for some good news. It involves the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club pulling off a MAJOR 12-player trade with the Miami Marlins. To the Jays go: Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio. Miami gets Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino and Anthony DeSclafani. In other words, we gave Miami some young prospects for some star power (Reyes, Johnson, and Buehrle). For immediate competitiveness it's a great deal for Toronto. This may very well position us to contend with the Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and other teams. For the future, it's not so clear what the impact will be. Also too, we signed Melky Cabrera before the big deal: another good dose of talent. Lastly, a surprise manager signing took place with John Gibbons returning to the team. Here's to hoping he'll get the new talent playing well with each other. Here are the stories:
HUGE mega-deal
Gibby Returns
Signing the controversial Melkster
Wow, what a week this has been! Catch you later.
HUGE mega-deal
Gibby Returns
Signing the controversial Melkster
Wow, what a week this has been! Catch you later.
Friday, November 9, 2012
A Sad Time for Americans
Why is it sad? One of the WORST presidents in their history, Barack Hussein Obama has been reelected over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The reasons were that Democrats exploited early voting with their "get out to vote" initiative and that ALL the minorities voted for him. In fact, 93% of African-Americans living in America voted Obama! My feeling now is that America will fall off the "fiscal cliff" come January: higher income taxes and huge government spending cuts. This is why the stock market has been either flat or plunging ever since Obama's reelection. Let's hope and pray that God intervenes and helps them (and us) from collapsing.
By the way, here's the video of the last presidential debate between Romney and Obama. In my view, Obama attacked Romney repeatedly and came across as a schoolchild while Romney was calm and presidential. In style, Romney won but Obama won on substance. Here's the video:
Also too, here are the final speeches from both Romney and Obama. Romney's concession speech was well-done with Romney thanking former vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan, the campaign team, his god (he's a Mormon) and his wife Ann. Mitt also thanked Obama for a great campaign victory. Here's Mitt:
Now, for Obama it was the typical "let's finish what we've started...you're the change...everyone must pitch in and do their part...I'll crack down on Wall St...I stand for all groups...we have more wealth than any other nation...we're #1..." blah, blah, blah. Generally, it's the same socialist stuff. Honestly, it's getting old and sickening considering the fiscal cliff, the stubbornly high unemployment (7.9%), secretive deals with the Russians (the "hot mic" incident where Obama told Russia's president that he'll have more "time" and "flexibility" after the election with regards to removing American missile defense away from Russia), secretive trade deals, NDAA, etc. I even noticed a big lie in Obama's speech: he claimed America has more wealth than any nation. This is simply untrue. MY country (Canada) actually has more. Obama's fanboys at the Young Turks admitted as such:
Other news networks said the same thing:
Of course, Americans have more physical cash and assets but then again they always have. When it comes to credit and other wealth sources, we're better. This only serves to show how egotistical Obama truly is. Anyways, here's Obama's speech if you can stomach it:
Anyways, that's all for now. Take care!
By the way, here's the video of the last presidential debate between Romney and Obama. In my view, Obama attacked Romney repeatedly and came across as a schoolchild while Romney was calm and presidential. In style, Romney won but Obama won on substance. Here's the video:
Also too, here are the final speeches from both Romney and Obama. Romney's concession speech was well-done with Romney thanking former vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan, the campaign team, his god (he's a Mormon) and his wife Ann. Mitt also thanked Obama for a great campaign victory. Here's Mitt:
Now, for Obama it was the typical "let's finish what we've started...you're the change...everyone must pitch in and do their part...I'll crack down on Wall St...I stand for all groups...we have more wealth than any other nation...we're #1..." blah, blah, blah. Generally, it's the same socialist stuff. Honestly, it's getting old and sickening considering the fiscal cliff, the stubbornly high unemployment (7.9%), secretive deals with the Russians (the "hot mic" incident where Obama told Russia's president that he'll have more "time" and "flexibility" after the election with regards to removing American missile defense away from Russia), secretive trade deals, NDAA, etc. I even noticed a big lie in Obama's speech: he claimed America has more wealth than any nation. This is simply untrue. MY country (Canada) actually has more. Obama's fanboys at the Young Turks admitted as such:
Other news networks said the same thing:
Anyways, that's all for now. Take care!
Kratts' Creatures | Knowledge Network
Kratts' Creatures | Knowledge Network
Just wanted to blog about this Kratt's Creatures page I found. It's from the website of B.C.'s public broadcaster, the Knowledge Network. (B.C., or British Columbia is one of Canada's 10 provinces. We also have 3 territories: Yukon, North-West Territories and Nunavut.) I have the channel at home, so I can watch these episodes. If you have the channel, enjoy!
Just wanted to blog about this Kratt's Creatures page I found. It's from the website of B.C.'s public broadcaster, the Knowledge Network. (B.C., or British Columbia is one of Canada's 10 provinces. We also have 3 territories: Yukon, North-West Territories and Nunavut.) I have the channel at home, so I can watch these episodes. If you have the channel, enjoy!
Friday, November 2, 2012
National Geographic Specials: Dam Beavers | Knowledge Network
National Geographic Specials: Dam Beavers | Knowledge Network
Here's an interesting show I found on the website of B.C.'s public broadcaster, the Knowledge Network. It's about a beaver family that struggles to make a dam and a lodge and live there successfully. It also details what happens when the young have to leave the pond of their parents to live on their own. In the end, everyone makes it through a tough year okay. Hope you enjoy. To watch it, make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. That's all for now.
Here's an interesting show I found on the website of B.C.'s public broadcaster, the Knowledge Network. It's about a beaver family that struggles to make a dam and a lodge and live there successfully. It also details what happens when the young have to leave the pond of their parents to live on their own. In the end, everyone makes it through a tough year okay. Hope you enjoy. To watch it, make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. That's all for now.
London Lightning Season Preview; Season Starts Tomorrow
Yep, it's that time of year. The London Lightning minus Gabe Freeman (bolted to the Philippines), Eddie Smith (traded to Quebec Kebs - who are now the Montreal Jazz) and others are ready to take on the Halifax Rainmen. If you remember from last season, these two started off the season and met also in the championship round of the playoffs. London does still have talent: Jermaine Blackburn from the aforementioned Kebs, Morgan Lewis (an all-star from the Oshawa Power) and returnees DeAnthony Bowden, Rodney Buford, and Tim Ellis. They also have a pile of young and athletic rookies and fiery head coach Michael Ray Richardson to lead the way. Here's a pretty accurate preview of the new lineup by London Free Press sportswriter Morris Dalla Costa: read it here. That should get us all caught up. The game against the Halifax Rainmen starts tomorrow night at 7 PM EST. Catch you later.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Wild Ponies!
: PBS LearningMedia
Well, this is it. This is the final episode that the PBS Learning Media website offers, and it's about wild ponies on Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia in the U.S. The Kratt brothers are searching for these wild ponies to learn more about them. During the episode many interesting things are taught: wild ponies are smaller than domestic horses, they are territorial and tough, wild ponies live in groups called bands which are divided into different ranks: stallions are the leaders and the lead mare is 2nd-in-command. We also learn about how mothers bond with their new foals and desire strongly to care for them and how they will use many tricks to ward off dangerous insects. History is discussed (Spanish attempted to bring them to the island, but the galleons sank) as well as the need to protect themselves and their territory against other rival bands. Chris and Martin demonstrate this by dressing up as a horse and being chased by the stallion which is arguably foolish: humans can't join horse bands and the horses would always suspect a strange horse as a threat. There is however, some evolution included within the episode: horses started out small as sheep with no hooves. It supposedly occurred 50 million years ago with a creature called condylartha who then split into two species: one evolved into rhinos and tapirs and the other into horses. Pretty far-fetched if you ask me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these episodes as much as I still do. One thing to keep in mind if you want to watch them: you'll need to have the latest versions of BOTH Adobe Flash Player and Java installed properly. That's all for now. Goodnight!
Well, this is it. This is the final episode that the PBS Learning Media website offers, and it's about wild ponies on Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia in the U.S. The Kratt brothers are searching for these wild ponies to learn more about them. During the episode many interesting things are taught: wild ponies are smaller than domestic horses, they are territorial and tough, wild ponies live in groups called bands which are divided into different ranks: stallions are the leaders and the lead mare is 2nd-in-command. We also learn about how mothers bond with their new foals and desire strongly to care for them and how they will use many tricks to ward off dangerous insects. History is discussed (Spanish attempted to bring them to the island, but the galleons sank) as well as the need to protect themselves and their territory against other rival bands. Chris and Martin demonstrate this by dressing up as a horse and being chased by the stallion which is arguably foolish: humans can't join horse bands and the horses would always suspect a strange horse as a threat. There is however, some evolution included within the episode: horses started out small as sheep with no hooves. It supposedly occurred 50 million years ago with a creature called condylartha who then split into two species: one evolved into rhinos and tapirs and the other into horses. Pretty far-fetched if you ask me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these episodes as much as I still do. One thing to keep in mind if you want to watch them: you'll need to have the latest versions of BOTH Adobe Flash Player and Java installed properly. That's all for now. Goodnight!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: The Redcoats are Coming!
: PBS LearningMedia
Yet another episode is being blogged. This one's about foxes, red foxes to be exact. Chris and Martin are in North America seeking to learn about the red fox: how it hunts, its secrecy and cleverness, the different scents it can leave, and how it can escape predators and/or hunters such as foxhounds. Along the way, we learn about how a fox mother takes care of her kits, especially when it comes to food and hunting. In the episode, we learn that the animal kingdom is much more complex than just hunted creatures and hunter ones. Almost every animal that hunts is also faced with the danger of being caught by predators. However, it doesn't go well for Chris and Martin as they unknowingly pick up the fox's scent on themselves and have to run away from foxhounds. This lets us see how much they fail at being masters of fox tricks: running along a section of fence, running through a cow herd, going through water, and running back along their own trail. The only strategy that works is to climb a tree, which is what the grey fox does in Central America. One more thing: evolution. Yes, we get it again. This time we are told that 40 million years ago a strange creature appeared called tmork who was the supposed ancestor of foxes, bears, weasels, dogs, cats, etc. 20 million years later, he disappeared and foxes and other animals appeared afterwards. During that time there was an alleged family split between dogs, wolves and coyotes vs foxes. Hard to believe, but many people do. Anyways, that's all for now.
Yet another episode is being blogged. This one's about foxes, red foxes to be exact. Chris and Martin are in North America seeking to learn about the red fox: how it hunts, its secrecy and cleverness, the different scents it can leave, and how it can escape predators and/or hunters such as foxhounds. Along the way, we learn about how a fox mother takes care of her kits, especially when it comes to food and hunting. In the episode, we learn that the animal kingdom is much more complex than just hunted creatures and hunter ones. Almost every animal that hunts is also faced with the danger of being caught by predators. However, it doesn't go well for Chris and Martin as they unknowingly pick up the fox's scent on themselves and have to run away from foxhounds. This lets us see how much they fail at being masters of fox tricks: running along a section of fence, running through a cow herd, going through water, and running back along their own trail. The only strategy that works is to climb a tree, which is what the grey fox does in Central America. One more thing: evolution. Yes, we get it again. This time we are told that 40 million years ago a strange creature appeared called tmork who was the supposed ancestor of foxes, bears, weasels, dogs, cats, etc. 20 million years later, he disappeared and foxes and other animals appeared afterwards. During that time there was an alleged family split between dogs, wolves and coyotes vs foxes. Hard to believe, but many people do. Anyways, that's all for now.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: The How Show
: PBS LearningMedia
Continuing with more episodes. This time, the Kratt brothers along with Allison try to answer different questions people have about how animals survive on our planet. Allison goes around town with a video camera to record the questions and Chris and Martin travel around local North American wild areas and farms seeking to answer them: how flying squirrels "fly", how snakes eat things bigger than their heads, how reptiles survive in the desert, how creatures depend on each other, and how animals know what to eat and what to avoid eating. This one's actually pretty cool and its a nice break from the usual show format. Hope you like it, and I'll catch you later.
Continuing with more episodes. This time, the Kratt brothers along with Allison try to answer different questions people have about how animals survive on our planet. Allison goes around town with a video camera to record the questions and Chris and Martin travel around local North American wild areas and farms seeking to answer them: how flying squirrels "fly", how snakes eat things bigger than their heads, how reptiles survive in the desert, how creatures depend on each other, and how animals know what to eat and what to avoid eating. This one's actually pretty cool and its a nice break from the usual show format. Hope you like it, and I'll catch you later.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: The Great Bear Show
: PBS LearningMedia
Haven't blogged in awhile, so I'll show you the second of two Canadian episodes. This one has the Kratt brothers looking for black bears. Along the way, we learn the truth about bears (they actually don't hibernate), they like many different kinds of food and NOT just honey and porridge, won't bug you if you keep your distance, etc. The brothers also show us what NOT to do when looking for black bears and trying to survive (lug ALL food with you) when they crash their bikes into a river and lose their food. Luckily, Martin had hidden a bag of potato chips back at their campsite. We also learn the terrible consequences of not properly sealing your food and hiding it carefully when Chris and Martin see black bears eating food at another campsite. It's an interesting one, with nothing except pure facts. Enjoy.
Haven't blogged in awhile, so I'll show you the second of two Canadian episodes. This one has the Kratt brothers looking for black bears. Along the way, we learn the truth about bears (they actually don't hibernate), they like many different kinds of food and NOT just honey and porridge, won't bug you if you keep your distance, etc. The brothers also show us what NOT to do when looking for black bears and trying to survive (lug ALL food with you) when they crash their bikes into a river and lose their food. Luckily, Martin had hidden a bag of potato chips back at their campsite. We also learn the terrible consequences of not properly sealing your food and hiding it carefully when Chris and Martin see black bears eating food at another campsite. It's an interesting one, with nothing except pure facts. Enjoy.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Complete Second Presidential Town Hall Debate 2012: Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney
Here's the second debate between the two American presidential candidates. I'd forgotten to blog this earlier, so now you can watch it. In my opinion Obama won and generally put on a better show than Romney did. I thought it was funny however that Obama said at one point: "The promises I've made, I've kept and the ones that I haven't kept...it's not for lack of trying but we're working on them."LOL That's hilarious! Obama, if you've kept your promises, then WHY are there any that you haven't kept? How can you say this statement without seeing the obvious logical contradiction within? The other interesting part of the debate was when Romney brought up the Libya controversy that happened on 9/11 of this year. Romney pointed out that Obama for WEEKS didn't say that it was a terrorist attack and instead blamed a dumb Youtube video about Muhammed. In fact, it took the Obama administration TWO whole weeks to admit the truth! This should have been Romney's knockout punch, but it wasn't. The moderator helped Obama and Obama said,"Get the transcript." Obama also said that Romney's remarks were offensive. In other words, he emotionally won the people over. Sorry Barack, but even the truth can be offensive! The truth however, DOES set people free in the end, as Christ once said. All in all, it was a very entertaining debate and I hope you enjoy watching it. Goodnight.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: The Great Canadians
: PBS LearningMedia
This is the first of two episodes featuring animals from my home country, Canada! On this one, Chris and Martin are in the Great North checking out our wildlife. It starts out in the Creature Club with Allison confused about the whereabouts of the brothers because they had first planned to visit Central America, but she couldn't find them there. So she tries the African savannah, the ocean, and the Australian outback, but to no avail. Chris then informs her of the change of travel plans and Allison eventually realizes its Canada when Martin shows up on horseback dressed in typical Mountie gear. This, to me was not right for PBS to do. C'mon, we don't need stereotypes. Anyways, we get into Canadian history flashback style and the brothers hear a strange, cow-like noise. Even Allison is stumped because her software can't help her. This becomes the basic storyline of the episode. Along the way, we learn cool facts about beavers (which the brothers find out about following a loud splashing noise), black bears, loons (following another bizarre noise heard by the brothers), elk, cougars (following a failed attempt by it to get a loon for dinner), otters, and finally the creature who was making the cow-like noise: moose! About moose, we learn about its size, its predators such as wolves, and its swimming and diving skills to get at salty underwater plants. When it comes to beavers, we learn about its lodge-building survival technique and watch as Chris and Martin build one of their own. After all that, Chris and Martin race each other to the lodge, but end up in different lodges: Martin at their beaver lodge shivering in the cold while Chris gets hot coffee at a human one! Allison gives us a musical and video montage of Canadian sounds and creatures, and the brothers fail at singing our national anthem with Martin back in the Mountie gear. Pretty good episode, although I could've done without the stereotypes and the evolutionary tale about "giant beavers" living 2 million years ago all over North America. Take care.
This is the first of two episodes featuring animals from my home country, Canada! On this one, Chris and Martin are in the Great North checking out our wildlife. It starts out in the Creature Club with Allison confused about the whereabouts of the brothers because they had first planned to visit Central America, but she couldn't find them there. So she tries the African savannah, the ocean, and the Australian outback, but to no avail. Chris then informs her of the change of travel plans and Allison eventually realizes its Canada when Martin shows up on horseback dressed in typical Mountie gear. This, to me was not right for PBS to do. C'mon, we don't need stereotypes. Anyways, we get into Canadian history flashback style and the brothers hear a strange, cow-like noise. Even Allison is stumped because her software can't help her. This becomes the basic storyline of the episode. Along the way, we learn cool facts about beavers (which the brothers find out about following a loud splashing noise), black bears, loons (following another bizarre noise heard by the brothers), elk, cougars (following a failed attempt by it to get a loon for dinner), otters, and finally the creature who was making the cow-like noise: moose! About moose, we learn about its size, its predators such as wolves, and its swimming and diving skills to get at salty underwater plants. When it comes to beavers, we learn about its lodge-building survival technique and watch as Chris and Martin build one of their own. After all that, Chris and Martin race each other to the lodge, but end up in different lodges: Martin at their beaver lodge shivering in the cold while Chris gets hot coffee at a human one! Allison gives us a musical and video montage of Canadian sounds and creatures, and the brothers fail at singing our national anthem with Martin back in the Mountie gear. Pretty good episode, although I could've done without the stereotypes and the evolutionary tale about "giant beavers" living 2 million years ago all over North America. Take care.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: The Giant Bug Invasion!!
: PBS LearningMedia
Here with another Kratt's Creatures episode, this time looking at...um...well...bugs! Yeah, I'm not going to recap this one; you'll just have to find out for yourself! Bugs are not my favourite thing, so I'll catch you later. To make matters worse, we get evolution at the end of the episode: bugs have been around for supposedly over 300 million years.
Here with another Kratt's Creatures episode, this time looking at...um...well...bugs! Yeah, I'm not going to recap this one; you'll just have to find out for yourself! Bugs are not my favourite thing, so I'll catch you later. To make matters worse, we get evolution at the end of the episode: bugs have been around for supposedly over 300 million years.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Complete Vice Presidential Debate 2012: Joe Biden vs. Paul Ryan
This is the 2nd debate of the election campaign for the Americans. It is between current vice-president Joe Biden and Republican candidate Paul Ryan. I thought they both had some good things to take away from this encounter:
Joe Biden - fiery, passionate, took opponent to woodshed
Paul Ryan - first debate, seemed cool and collected under fire, seemed as though he believed his talking points
Now, for the bad things:
Joe Biden - seemed rude, arrogant and a complete jerk, didn't seem to care much for supposed Catholic faith; lied about caring for average American (Obama's policies don't bear that out: NDAA, jobless number 8% and higher until recently, made a mess of things on 9/11 anniversary this year with terrorist attacks in Libya against embassy - blamed a Youtube video instead of terrorists, secretive trade deals to screw people over, etc)
Paul Ryan - didn't seem to have good defenses against Biden's probing questions and points, might have been nervous but didn't show it
In summary...
Substance: debate win goes to Joe Biden
Style and Professionalism: easily goes to Paul Ryan
There you go! Enjoy.
Friday, October 12, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Sharks
: PBS LearningMedia
One last post for the night; I fibbed again. Out in the Caribbean, Chris and Martin are looking for sharks. They are disturbed by the false notions and the propaganda against sharks: that they are ruthless killing machines. So they want to clear up those misconceptions and show that sharks are just doing what comes naturally. After the intro (about how humans think of sharks as evil), we are treated to an evolutionary story about sharks first appearing in some "Devonian" era 400 million years ago. Afterwards, we get to learn about stingrays (a relative of sharks), many shark food such as goldfish and other animals such as moray eels (which have bitten divers). Pufferfish are also briefly shown as well as flamingoes. Along the way, the brothers get lost on a deserted island and are rescued by a shark scientist Dr. Sam Gruber. Sam tracks the sharks that live around the area so that he can help protect them. The sharks that Chris and Martin see are nurse sharks, lemon sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, sharp-nosed sharks and black-tipped sharks (who live in groups similar to dolphins). Nurse sharks are mostly bottom feeders and will eat anything small and crustacean-like it can find. It is not harmful to humans. It's a similar story with lemon sharks, only they live in groups. In fact, the only dangerous sharks the Kratts see are Caribbean reef sharks, but even when they spot them, the sharks don't seem to be vicious killers. Finally, we learn about the sharks amazing senses: electro-receptors, the lateral line (distant touch) and good smell and hearing although it uses sight as well to catch food. This episode shows that sharks are not nearly as mean as the media movies and reports suggest. Well-done, Kratts!
One last post for the night; I fibbed again. Out in the Caribbean, Chris and Martin are looking for sharks. They are disturbed by the false notions and the propaganda against sharks: that they are ruthless killing machines. So they want to clear up those misconceptions and show that sharks are just doing what comes naturally. After the intro (about how humans think of sharks as evil), we are treated to an evolutionary story about sharks first appearing in some "Devonian" era 400 million years ago. Afterwards, we get to learn about stingrays (a relative of sharks), many shark food such as goldfish and other animals such as moray eels (which have bitten divers). Pufferfish are also briefly shown as well as flamingoes. Along the way, the brothers get lost on a deserted island and are rescued by a shark scientist Dr. Sam Gruber. Sam tracks the sharks that live around the area so that he can help protect them. The sharks that Chris and Martin see are nurse sharks, lemon sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, sharp-nosed sharks and black-tipped sharks (who live in groups similar to dolphins). Nurse sharks are mostly bottom feeders and will eat anything small and crustacean-like it can find. It is not harmful to humans. It's a similar story with lemon sharks, only they live in groups. In fact, the only dangerous sharks the Kratts see are Caribbean reef sharks, but even when they spot them, the sharks don't seem to be vicious killers. Finally, we learn about the sharks amazing senses: electro-receptors, the lateral line (distant touch) and good smell and hearing although it uses sight as well to catch food. This episode shows that sharks are not nearly as mean as the media movies and reports suggest. Well-done, Kratts!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures - Pan Troglodytes - an In-Depth Analysis
: PBS LearningMedia
This is the last entry for tonight. The episode is about chimpanzees. Our adventurers are in Africa looking after 3 orphaned chimps: Nika, Tess and Sophie. They have lost their parents and their wild lifestyles, so Chris and Martin want to teach them how to be good chimps. We start off with teaching them about food: particularly the trick of putting a stick in a log or tree hole and eating termites that latch onto the stick. The other chimps weren't interested but Sophie was and learned quickly. We learn that humans and chimps have some dietary choices that are similar such as fruit and veggies, nuts, meat, etc. Of course, our preparation is different and we don't eat bugs nor do chimps eat junk food. Adult chimps plan their hunting of monkeys and other small animals and then strike. They also have the strength of 3 adult men. The oposable thumbs of chimps and the other apes are discussed: some have short thumbs because that makes for easier swinging through trees and gorillas use theirs for getting leaves and other food. Chimps have them and they are even on the feet of the chimps. Sharing within the ape world is looked at with chimps, gorillas and orangutangs. Orangutangs by the way weigh up to 200 lbs and yet can swing easily in the jungles where they live. Gorillas are the strongest of the apes however and they use the strength for getting at their vegetation for food and for getting around in their forest home. They are not malicious brutes and have been misrepresented by the media. Chimps by way of being omnivores are more brutal than gorillas, contrary to popular perception. The fact of chimps, orangutangs and gorillas building nests is also brought up. Lastly, chimp communication is discussed: facial expressions, barks, whistles, hoots, etc. A good episode, but not one without evolution. Allegedly, the first ancestral apes appeared 60 million years ago with a number of different pithecus specimens being brought up. 10 million years ago, the first real apes appeared. Sounds similar to the documentary I embedded earlier, except that apes are discussed and not humans. That's all for tonight. Have a good night, and I'll catch you later.
This is the last entry for tonight. The episode is about chimpanzees. Our adventurers are in Africa looking after 3 orphaned chimps: Nika, Tess and Sophie. They have lost their parents and their wild lifestyles, so Chris and Martin want to teach them how to be good chimps. We start off with teaching them about food: particularly the trick of putting a stick in a log or tree hole and eating termites that latch onto the stick. The other chimps weren't interested but Sophie was and learned quickly. We learn that humans and chimps have some dietary choices that are similar such as fruit and veggies, nuts, meat, etc. Of course, our preparation is different and we don't eat bugs nor do chimps eat junk food. Adult chimps plan their hunting of monkeys and other small animals and then strike. They also have the strength of 3 adult men. The oposable thumbs of chimps and the other apes are discussed: some have short thumbs because that makes for easier swinging through trees and gorillas use theirs for getting leaves and other food. Chimps have them and they are even on the feet of the chimps. Sharing within the ape world is looked at with chimps, gorillas and orangutangs. Orangutangs by the way weigh up to 200 lbs and yet can swing easily in the jungles where they live. Gorillas are the strongest of the apes however and they use the strength for getting at their vegetation for food and for getting around in their forest home. They are not malicious brutes and have been misrepresented by the media. Chimps by way of being omnivores are more brutal than gorillas, contrary to popular perception. The fact of chimps, orangutangs and gorillas building nests is also brought up. Lastly, chimp communication is discussed: facial expressions, barks, whistles, hoots, etc. A good episode, but not one without evolution. Allegedly, the first ancestral apes appeared 60 million years ago with a number of different pithecus specimens being brought up. 10 million years ago, the first real apes appeared. Sounds similar to the documentary I embedded earlier, except that apes are discussed and not humans. That's all for tonight. Have a good night, and I'll catch you later.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Planet of the Dolphins
: PBS LearningMedia
An underwater episode this time, interacting with dolphins. In the episode we see bottlenosed and spotted dolphins and learn about echolocation (a skill that bats also have) - used to grab food and avoid danger. We also learn about the group and teamwork mentality of dolphins, the dangers posed to dolphins such as tuna fish and pollution, their eagerness to play with divers, and the fact that dolphins are always communicating with each other (blowhole blasting, whistles, fin rubbing, tail slapping on the ocean floor, getting attention by corkscrewing their bodies or swimming upside down during courting for a mate, etc. Other creatures are also noted in the episode such as tiger sharks, remoras and sting rays (who are related to sharks, by the way). Finally, we get even more evolutionary propaganda: millions of years ago cow-like animals started being in the water and eventually adapted to become dolphins and whales. Pretty funny if you ask me. Anyways, the Kratt brothers did a good job on this one. That's all for now.
An underwater episode this time, interacting with dolphins. In the episode we see bottlenosed and spotted dolphins and learn about echolocation (a skill that bats also have) - used to grab food and avoid danger. We also learn about the group and teamwork mentality of dolphins, the dangers posed to dolphins such as tuna fish and pollution, their eagerness to play with divers, and the fact that dolphins are always communicating with each other (blowhole blasting, whistles, fin rubbing, tail slapping on the ocean floor, getting attention by corkscrewing their bodies or swimming upside down during courting for a mate, etc. Other creatures are also noted in the episode such as tiger sharks, remoras and sting rays (who are related to sharks, by the way). Finally, we get even more evolutionary propaganda: millions of years ago cow-like animals started being in the water and eventually adapted to become dolphins and whales. Pretty funny if you ask me. Anyways, the Kratt brothers did a good job on this one. That's all for now.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: The Cow Show
: PBS LearningMedia
Last one until tonight. The episode takes place in Florida where the search is on for water-loving creatures called "sea cows". Allison doesn't believe them until she learns that they're really called manatees. We learn that this is a trend among us humans as we call koalas bears even though they're not, and we do the same thing for river wolves and parrotfish and wombats. Most of the episode however doesn't even touch on the manatees but instead on the other creatures that live in the Florida everglades: armadillos, rattlesnakes, many different types of birds including wood storks and great blue herons, and other animals such as water moccasins, alligators, and yellow ratsnakes. After all of that, we finally find the manatees who are big water-loving mammals that look as though they are a mixture of whale and walrus without tusks. Unfortunately, some evolutionary thought is sneaked in and we are "informed" of their relationship to elephants despite only coming up with two main similarities: both have 4 toenails and both eat vegetation. The manatees love for warm water is demonstrated by the existence of hot springs and the danger that speed boats pose to these big, mellow giants is also proven. A brief discussion by Ttark about the now-extinct stellar sea cow is also given in the episode and special stress is given to the immense size that the creatures had: 26 ft in length and over 4 tons in weight. Stellars even lived in the Bering sea waters. That wraps it up. I'll be back with more soon.
Last one until tonight. The episode takes place in Florida where the search is on for water-loving creatures called "sea cows". Allison doesn't believe them until she learns that they're really called manatees. We learn that this is a trend among us humans as we call koalas bears even though they're not, and we do the same thing for river wolves and parrotfish and wombats. Most of the episode however doesn't even touch on the manatees but instead on the other creatures that live in the Florida everglades: armadillos, rattlesnakes, many different types of birds including wood storks and great blue herons, and other animals such as water moccasins, alligators, and yellow ratsnakes. After all of that, we finally find the manatees who are big water-loving mammals that look as though they are a mixture of whale and walrus without tusks. Unfortunately, some evolutionary thought is sneaked in and we are "informed" of their relationship to elephants despite only coming up with two main similarities: both have 4 toenails and both eat vegetation. The manatees love for warm water is demonstrated by the existence of hot springs and the danger that speed boats pose to these big, mellow giants is also proven. A brief discussion by Ttark about the now-extinct stellar sea cow is also given in the episode and special stress is given to the immense size that the creatures had: 26 ft in length and over 4 tons in weight. Stellars even lived in the Bering sea waters. That wraps it up. I'll be back with more soon.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Mgobo of Baboon Mountain
: PBS LearningMedia
We're back in Africa yet again! This time, we're learning about baboons. Creature adventurers Chris and Martin Kratt wanted to do a field study on these creatures - their lives and behaviors. They decided to record their observations separately in their own notebooks. What we find is a complex group society where the babies are the most important members. They are the future of the troop and start out with black fur for the first three months. That time is when the rest of the group wants to be with them, even big males who want them in order to avoid getting into fights. Mother baboons can be very protective of their babies and will only allow trusted baboons near them. Back to the brothers...Chris aims for an objective look at baboons and is curious about one young baby whom he names Mgobo. He also gets worried about Martin who starts to act a little "babooney" in order to try and fit in with the troop. Martin first tries "come here and let's be friends" looks such as lip-smacking and moving his head from side to side in weird ways. This however causes the baboons to run away, thinking him to be a predator or unwanted guest. Then Martin relaxes and the baboons come back. Later, Chris observes Martin eating with the baboons and remarks to himself that Martin might be fitting in too well and that he should keep his eye on his older brother. During Martin's baboon craze, he observes Chris climbing up an acacia tree and thinks that he should have done the same thing. We see the way baboons have rank within the group, how they interact with other animals, including lions who successfully hunt one of the members, and we see their friendship-making ways and how they interact with their children. This proves to be a very good look at a sometimes under-the-radar species. Finally, we get the evolution teaching as always: 25 million years ago our ancestors lived in trees. Then when there were new food sources on the ground, our ancestors adapted to that. Be back later!
We're back in Africa yet again! This time, we're learning about baboons. Creature adventurers Chris and Martin Kratt wanted to do a field study on these creatures - their lives and behaviors. They decided to record their observations separately in their own notebooks. What we find is a complex group society where the babies are the most important members. They are the future of the troop and start out with black fur for the first three months. That time is when the rest of the group wants to be with them, even big males who want them in order to avoid getting into fights. Mother baboons can be very protective of their babies and will only allow trusted baboons near them. Back to the brothers...Chris aims for an objective look at baboons and is curious about one young baby whom he names Mgobo. He also gets worried about Martin who starts to act a little "babooney" in order to try and fit in with the troop. Martin first tries "come here and let's be friends" looks such as lip-smacking and moving his head from side to side in weird ways. This however causes the baboons to run away, thinking him to be a predator or unwanted guest. Then Martin relaxes and the baboons come back. Later, Chris observes Martin eating with the baboons and remarks to himself that Martin might be fitting in too well and that he should keep his eye on his older brother. During Martin's baboon craze, he observes Chris climbing up an acacia tree and thinks that he should have done the same thing. We see the way baboons have rank within the group, how they interact with other animals, including lions who successfully hunt one of the members, and we see their friendship-making ways and how they interact with their children. This proves to be a very good look at a sometimes under-the-radar species. Finally, we get the evolution teaching as always: 25 million years ago our ancestors lived in trees. Then when there were new food sources on the ground, our ancestors adapted to that. Be back later!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Rainforests - Under the Canopy
: PBS LearningMedia
Quick post about another episode. The action takes place in Cost Rican rainforest habitats. The brothers are there because they want to check out its creatures and also because Allison has to give a report for her school on them. Needless to say, there are problems early on as the Kratts slide into a muddy river with tapirs and goof off with monkeys in the trees. Of course, this conflicts with Allison not doing well on her report and she gets flustered. Ttark suggests showing how animals work together. Then it gets serious as Chris and Martin show how acacia trees and its ants benefit in a symbiotic relationship. We learn about the balance of predator and prey with tayras and monkeys and jaguars and tapirs. Some creatures such as peckerees will fight back at predators and charge as the brothers find out. Lastly, we learn about hummingbirds and insects and how they work to pollinate flowers so that both sides get what they need. Rainforests even help to regulate our oxygen and water supplies. Unfortunately, there is some climate change ("global warming") propaganda advocated in the episode. That's all for now. Later.
Quick post about another episode. The action takes place in Cost Rican rainforest habitats. The brothers are there because they want to check out its creatures and also because Allison has to give a report for her school on them. Needless to say, there are problems early on as the Kratts slide into a muddy river with tapirs and goof off with monkeys in the trees. Of course, this conflicts with Allison not doing well on her report and she gets flustered. Ttark suggests showing how animals work together. Then it gets serious as Chris and Martin show how acacia trees and its ants benefit in a symbiotic relationship. We learn about the balance of predator and prey with tayras and monkeys and jaguars and tapirs. Some creatures such as peckerees will fight back at predators and charge as the brothers find out. Lastly, we learn about hummingbirds and insects and how they work to pollinate flowers so that both sides get what they need. Rainforests even help to regulate our oxygen and water supplies. Unfortunately, there is some climate change ("global warming") propaganda advocated in the episode. That's all for now. Later.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Weird Creatures
: PBS LearningMedia
I'm back with another episode. In Australia, Chris and Martin are exploring strange creatures: monotremes (egg-laying mammals). One of them has a beaver-like tail, webbed feet similar to frogs or otters and a duck-like bill. That creature is the platypus. The other monotreme is a mix of porcupine (quills) and anteater (behaviour and body shape). This animal is called the echidna. Back in the Creature Club, Allison argues with Ttark (an extinct dinosaur) about whether the creature world operates on the same "rules" as humans do. Ttark says no due to "weird" creatures that baffle us humans such as aardvarks, the monotremes, penguins in Australia (blue fairy) that dig burrows, thorny devils in the outback, flightless birds, etc. Allison however says yes due to creature reproduction (placental mammals such as horses give birth to live young that are well-developed, marsupials such as kangaroos birth small and undeveloped young that grow in pouches, and other creatures lay eggs such as reptiles, birds and insects). Ttark and the brothers both inform and prove to her however that the monotremes are real creatures. However, we get evolutionary teaching yet again: it is defined as creatures adapting to situations and environment. This though is something that even creationists claim to believe hence evolution must be deeper than that. Lastly, we learn that the platypus was once defined as a hoax during the 1700's and 1800's. Pretty humourous stuff. Overall it was an enlightening episode. Have a good day.
I'm back with another episode. In Australia, Chris and Martin are exploring strange creatures: monotremes (egg-laying mammals). One of them has a beaver-like tail, webbed feet similar to frogs or otters and a duck-like bill. That creature is the platypus. The other monotreme is a mix of porcupine (quills) and anteater (behaviour and body shape). This animal is called the echidna. Back in the Creature Club, Allison argues with Ttark (an extinct dinosaur) about whether the creature world operates on the same "rules" as humans do. Ttark says no due to "weird" creatures that baffle us humans such as aardvarks, the monotremes, penguins in Australia (blue fairy) that dig burrows, thorny devils in the outback, flightless birds, etc. Allison however says yes due to creature reproduction (placental mammals such as horses give birth to live young that are well-developed, marsupials such as kangaroos birth small and undeveloped young that grow in pouches, and other creatures lay eggs such as reptiles, birds and insects). Ttark and the brothers both inform and prove to her however that the monotremes are real creatures. However, we get evolutionary teaching yet again: it is defined as creatures adapting to situations and environment. This though is something that even creationists claim to believe hence evolution must be deeper than that. Lastly, we learn that the platypus was once defined as a hoax during the 1700's and 1800's. Pretty humourous stuff. Overall it was an enlightening episode. Have a good day.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Mungu's Revenge
: PBS LearningMedia
This will be the last post for tonight. The episode is about a few creature myths that are told by Chris, Martin and Allison during a thunderstorm that knocked out the power in the Creature Club. Chris tells the story of the cold-hearted, loner and streetwise rhino who received special horns from Crucian the white egret who was Mungu's helper at the sacred mountain. See, Mungu desired to honour the request from Crucian on behalf of the animals to help them defend themselves. So, he promised horn protection, and the Kratt brothers even get in the story: Martin as a buffalo and Chris as an impala. Crucian however gives the rhino the forbidden speical horns and all the creatures laughed themselves silly, sending the rhino into a solitary lifestyle. Mungu found out and was enraged, banishing Crucian forever from sacred mountain and to live with the rhino that he had helped. Allison's story takes place in Australia and featured the platypus. The animals were all trying to prove who was the best: mammals, birds and underwater creatures. First, the birds asked the platypus but she refused. Next, her fellow mammals tried to seduce her but again she said no. Finally, her fellow underwater creatures tried to get the platypus to join their meeting but she resisted again. She asked her friend and other fellow monotreme the echidna (egg-laying mammal) what to do. The echidna's advice? Be your own creature; you're unique just the way you are and NOBODY should define you and manipulate you. Not bad advice at all. Afterwards, Martin finishes things up by telling his story about the ostrich. He unfortunately starts out somewhat evolutionary by "revealing" that long ago there were no animals at all. One night however, the earth cracked. Out of the crack crawled every creature on earth. So, Martin puts himself in the picture to give direction. That leads us to the ostrich. She was having an identity crisis. At first she thought she was a bird, but when she showed her new egg to the birds they laughed her silly: she couldn't fly, wasn't colourful, and was a HUGE bird. (Wonder why the emu didn't join her??) Anyways, the ostrich then foolishly says to herself that she must be a mammal. A giraffe scolds her and reveals to her that she's actually a bird due to her egg-laying and walking on two legs. The ostrich as a result goes to the sun wizard who gets the ostrich's egg in return for long and strong legs to keep up with all of the other animals. Thus, the ostrich chose to live on the savannah. Again, a great episode and one that provides a break from non-stop fact. Goodnight!
This will be the last post for tonight. The episode is about a few creature myths that are told by Chris, Martin and Allison during a thunderstorm that knocked out the power in the Creature Club. Chris tells the story of the cold-hearted, loner and streetwise rhino who received special horns from Crucian the white egret who was Mungu's helper at the sacred mountain. See, Mungu desired to honour the request from Crucian on behalf of the animals to help them defend themselves. So, he promised horn protection, and the Kratt brothers even get in the story: Martin as a buffalo and Chris as an impala. Crucian however gives the rhino the forbidden speical horns and all the creatures laughed themselves silly, sending the rhino into a solitary lifestyle. Mungu found out and was enraged, banishing Crucian forever from sacred mountain and to live with the rhino that he had helped. Allison's story takes place in Australia and featured the platypus. The animals were all trying to prove who was the best: mammals, birds and underwater creatures. First, the birds asked the platypus but she refused. Next, her fellow mammals tried to seduce her but again she said no. Finally, her fellow underwater creatures tried to get the platypus to join their meeting but she resisted again. She asked her friend and other fellow monotreme the echidna (egg-laying mammal) what to do. The echidna's advice? Be your own creature; you're unique just the way you are and NOBODY should define you and manipulate you. Not bad advice at all. Afterwards, Martin finishes things up by telling his story about the ostrich. He unfortunately starts out somewhat evolutionary by "revealing" that long ago there were no animals at all. One night however, the earth cracked. Out of the crack crawled every creature on earth. So, Martin puts himself in the picture to give direction. That leads us to the ostrich. She was having an identity crisis. At first she thought she was a bird, but when she showed her new egg to the birds they laughed her silly: she couldn't fly, wasn't colourful, and was a HUGE bird. (Wonder why the emu didn't join her??) Anyways, the ostrich then foolishly says to herself that she must be a mammal. A giraffe scolds her and reveals to her that she's actually a bird due to her egg-laying and walking on two legs. The ostrich as a result goes to the sun wizard who gets the ostrich's egg in return for long and strong legs to keep up with all of the other animals. Thus, the ostrich chose to live on the savannah. Again, a great episode and one that provides a break from non-stop fact. Goodnight!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Running with the Wild Dogs
: PBS LearningMedia
First post I'm doing tonight. On this episode, Chris and Martin are in Africa once again to check out its most endangered predator the wild dog. They deconstruct the myths about the dogs behaving as evil, ruthless killers. While wild dogs are efficient and strategic with hunting, they're also great at taking care of puppies together. We get to learn about how the adult dogs chase away vultures from their children's food and how they get along with each other better than most people! Of course, we do also "learn" that all of the dogs we know today evolved from animals of the likes of wild dogs. So, that would include ALL of our domestic breeds - probably even the ones that WE developed (rotweiller, golden retriever, bloodhound, great dane, mutt, bulldog, cocker spaniel, sheepdog, border collie, and even our designed pedigree breeds, etc.). It would also include the wild canines (fox, wolf, coyote, dingo, jackal, and wild dogs - both Indian and African). It just seems crazy if you ask me, or it could have been a mistake that the show made. Either way, it's all nuts! Finally, during the episode, the Kratts visit Gus Mills who is a scientist in the region that is tracking wild dogs in order to help them stay strong and healthy as a species. It's neat watching the brothers use tracking equipment and determination to track down the dogs. That's a wrap on the episode. It's pretty good overall, and you'll learn something. Take care!
First post I'm doing tonight. On this episode, Chris and Martin are in Africa once again to check out its most endangered predator the wild dog. They deconstruct the myths about the dogs behaving as evil, ruthless killers. While wild dogs are efficient and strategic with hunting, they're also great at taking care of puppies together. We get to learn about how the adult dogs chase away vultures from their children's food and how they get along with each other better than most people! Of course, we do also "learn" that all of the dogs we know today evolved from animals of the likes of wild dogs. So, that would include ALL of our domestic breeds - probably even the ones that WE developed (rotweiller, golden retriever, bloodhound, great dane, mutt, bulldog, cocker spaniel, sheepdog, border collie, and even our designed pedigree breeds, etc.). It would also include the wild canines (fox, wolf, coyote, dingo, jackal, and wild dogs - both Indian and African). It just seems crazy if you ask me, or it could have been a mistake that the show made. Either way, it's all nuts! Finally, during the episode, the Kratts visit Gus Mills who is a scientist in the region that is tracking wild dogs in order to help them stay strong and healthy as a species. It's neat watching the brothers use tracking equipment and determination to track down the dogs. That's a wrap on the episode. It's pretty good overall, and you'll learn something. Take care!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Marshmania!
: PBS LearningMedia
I seem to have a habit of fibbing while I blog these episodes, so I apologize once again! Anyways, this one is about marsh animals. Chris and Martin float over Virginia in the U.S. in a hot-air balloon. The air soon leaks out of it and they crash into a marshy environment. Along with that, the brothers realize they have no food. Even when they find their backpacks, they don't find any food. So they realize that they're going to have to dine with creatures in order to do it. This even lets us see what failures they are at imitating the great blue heron when it comes to catching fish. Meanwhile at the Creature Club, Allison is having trouble with her audio log due to it being scrambled. So she uses the frog and cricket sounds to locate the brothers. During the episode, we learn about the marsh and how it supports a great deal of life: from microorganisms all the way up to wild ponies and even fish, frogs, toads, a lot of different bird species, blue crabs, and turtles such as the diamondback terrapin and the snapper. The Kratts even use a seesaw to illustrate the necessity of balance in the animal kingdom and show how human development can and does interfere with the natural world. The introduction of the sica deer from Asia is an example: it is making life more difficult for white-tailed deer and delmarva fox squirrels. To their credit however, they do emphasize the need for homes, office and industry. They simply suggest more careful planning. This helps me to better respect them as creature adventurers and scientists. It truly is a breath of fresh air to hear that amidst all of the animal rights looniness. In the end, Allison gets her equipment fixed, the brothers get their breakfast of seafood, and then the brothers float away in their hot-air balloon. Sadly, it's not all good. We get the privilege of hearing one of the most ridiculous evolutionary stories I have ever heard in my life: around 4000 million years ago, the earth was water and muck. One day, volcanoes erupted and meteors collided with the earth. Afterwards, there was life in the muck: little protozoa that eventually "evolved" into everything else! Imagine that: life comes from non-life! What a silly idea! Evolutionists need not wonder then as to why we find it so hard to take them seriously. Anyways, it's getting late. Goodnight!
I seem to have a habit of fibbing while I blog these episodes, so I apologize once again! Anyways, this one is about marsh animals. Chris and Martin float over Virginia in the U.S. in a hot-air balloon. The air soon leaks out of it and they crash into a marshy environment. Along with that, the brothers realize they have no food. Even when they find their backpacks, they don't find any food. So they realize that they're going to have to dine with creatures in order to do it. This even lets us see what failures they are at imitating the great blue heron when it comes to catching fish. Meanwhile at the Creature Club, Allison is having trouble with her audio log due to it being scrambled. So she uses the frog and cricket sounds to locate the brothers. During the episode, we learn about the marsh and how it supports a great deal of life: from microorganisms all the way up to wild ponies and even fish, frogs, toads, a lot of different bird species, blue crabs, and turtles such as the diamondback terrapin and the snapper. The Kratts even use a seesaw to illustrate the necessity of balance in the animal kingdom and show how human development can and does interfere with the natural world. The introduction of the sica deer from Asia is an example: it is making life more difficult for white-tailed deer and delmarva fox squirrels. To their credit however, they do emphasize the need for homes, office and industry. They simply suggest more careful planning. This helps me to better respect them as creature adventurers and scientists. It truly is a breath of fresh air to hear that amidst all of the animal rights looniness. In the end, Allison gets her equipment fixed, the brothers get their breakfast of seafood, and then the brothers float away in their hot-air balloon. Sadly, it's not all good. We get the privilege of hearing one of the most ridiculous evolutionary stories I have ever heard in my life: around 4000 million years ago, the earth was water and muck. One day, volcanoes erupted and meteors collided with the earth. Afterwards, there was life in the muck: little protozoa that eventually "evolved" into everything else! Imagine that: life comes from non-life! What a silly idea! Evolutionists need not wonder then as to why we find it so hard to take them seriously. Anyways, it's getting late. Goodnight!
Monday, October 8, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Lion, King of the Beasts?
: PBS LearningMedia
One more episode for the day: lions. We'll learn about lions, their prides, how they work together to hunt for food, and also about how lions are NOT the kings of the beasts. Chris and Martin observe a lion pride at work in the night hunting impala and are amazed at the speed with which they devour their food. An evolutionary story about lions first being small and that the first humans were ape-like creatures who often thought about creatures is presented as well. Take care!
One more episode for the day: lions. We'll learn about lions, their prides, how they work together to hunt for food, and also about how lions are NOT the kings of the beasts. Chris and Martin observe a lion pride at work in the night hunting impala and are amazed at the speed with which they devour their food. An evolutionary story about lions first being small and that the first humans were ape-like creatures who often thought about creatures is presented as well. Take care!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Heavyweights of Africa!
: PBS LearningMedia
Posting about Africa's biggest creatures tonight. Back in Africa, Chris and Martin are looking for rhinos, but keep going in circles because they are lost. In the Creature Club, Allison attempts to help them, but experiences temporary loss of connection. When its restored, she sees rhinos and alerts the brothers who in turn hurry to them. However, they are stopped by the Nile River. Being that the river is full of both crocodiles and hippos, crossing it will prove dangerous. So, the brothers do an experiment with their hippo test dummy (Ken) by putting him in an inflatable rubber life raft. Needless to say, it doesn't go well for Ken as the hippos attack the boat, tear it to shreds and even take Ken's head off! So we learn about crocodiles and hippos, especially about how territorial hippos are. Hippos are so tough that some of them can ever chomp a croc in two! We also see how crocodiles attack a zebra herd that is attempting to cross the river, resulting in the stallion getting a bad wound on his beehind. Eventually, the Kratts cross the river successfully by finding a bridge. After that, they see elephants and get to observe them for awhile. Finally, after all of that, Chris and Martin see the rhinos. Once again, Ken is the victim of an experiment gone wrong as a rhino charges at him and badly wounds him. The need for defense is clearly seen in the experiment. One cool fact about rhinos is that their horns aren't made of bone. Instead, keratin makes up those horns. That's the EXACT same material for our fingernails, toenails, and hair! Lastly, we get a silly evolutionary story in the episode: rhinos started out just like their supposed relatives the tapir: small. Afterwards they grew tremendously bigger and became taller than the trees and were called "indricotheriums". Finally, the woolly rhino replaced them and remained until a few thousand years ago when the current species developed. Hope you enjoy!
Posting about Africa's biggest creatures tonight. Back in Africa, Chris and Martin are looking for rhinos, but keep going in circles because they are lost. In the Creature Club, Allison attempts to help them, but experiences temporary loss of connection. When its restored, she sees rhinos and alerts the brothers who in turn hurry to them. However, they are stopped by the Nile River. Being that the river is full of both crocodiles and hippos, crossing it will prove dangerous. So, the brothers do an experiment with their hippo test dummy (Ken) by putting him in an inflatable rubber life raft. Needless to say, it doesn't go well for Ken as the hippos attack the boat, tear it to shreds and even take Ken's head off! So we learn about crocodiles and hippos, especially about how territorial hippos are. Hippos are so tough that some of them can ever chomp a croc in two! We also see how crocodiles attack a zebra herd that is attempting to cross the river, resulting in the stallion getting a bad wound on his beehind. Eventually, the Kratts cross the river successfully by finding a bridge. After that, they see elephants and get to observe them for awhile. Finally, after all of that, Chris and Martin see the rhinos. Once again, Ken is the victim of an experiment gone wrong as a rhino charges at him and badly wounds him. The need for defense is clearly seen in the experiment. One cool fact about rhinos is that their horns aren't made of bone. Instead, keratin makes up those horns. That's the EXACT same material for our fingernails, toenails, and hair! Lastly, we get a silly evolutionary story in the episode: rhinos started out just like their supposed relatives the tapir: small. Afterwards they grew tremendously bigger and became taller than the trees and were called "indricotheriums". Finally, the woolly rhino replaced them and remained until a few thousand years ago when the current species developed. Hope you enjoy!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Elephants 2 - Wild Elephants Couldn't Drag me Away
: PBS LearningMedia
This is the final of two episodes about elephants. In this one, the brothers go to the African savannah to check out what life will be like for Emily, the oldest of the three orphans if she ever returns to the wild. What is discovered is a complex family group composed of mothers with their babies and that the group is led by an old matriarchal elephant. We learn about elephant intelligence, care for the young, teamwork, the need for play to sharpen future skills of young elephants, how elephants defend against predators such as lions, and about the ivory trade by humans resulting in the deaths of many elephants per year. Of course, no episode would be complete without evolution and this is what's taught: elephants in "prehistoric" times were bigger than today's two types, they started out as the size of a tapir, and that creatures such as "megistopheriums" hunted "mastadons". That about wraps it up. Goodbye for now.
This is the final of two episodes about elephants. In this one, the brothers go to the African savannah to check out what life will be like for Emily, the oldest of the three orphans if she ever returns to the wild. What is discovered is a complex family group composed of mothers with their babies and that the group is led by an old matriarchal elephant. We learn about elephant intelligence, care for the young, teamwork, the need for play to sharpen future skills of young elephants, how elephants defend against predators such as lions, and about the ivory trade by humans resulting in the deaths of many elephants per year. Of course, no episode would be complete without evolution and this is what's taught: elephants in "prehistoric" times were bigger than today's two types, they started out as the size of a tapir, and that creatures such as "megistopheriums" hunted "mastadons". That about wraps it up. Goodbye for now.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Elephants 1 - Educating Emily
: PBS LearningMedia
I decided to blog about another episode, this time about elephants. In Africa, Chris and Martin go to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to take care of three orphaned elephants for the day: Emily, Itaung, and Amente. We learn about how difficult it is for the caretakers to care for these babies and how care must be taken to start introducing them into the wild. The importance of food, water, play, communication, and friendship is emphasized. Also too, the brothers get involved in a mudbath! In the end, the episode proves to be fun and educational. Alas, some small amount of evolution is advocated: elephants have had tusks for over 5 million years. Now, onto Part 2...
I decided to blog about another episode, this time about elephants. In Africa, Chris and Martin go to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to take care of three orphaned elephants for the day: Emily, Itaung, and Amente. We learn about how difficult it is for the caretakers to care for these babies and how care must be taken to start introducing them into the wild. The importance of food, water, play, communication, and friendship is emphasized. Also too, the brothers get involved in a mudbath! In the end, the episode proves to be fun and educational. Alas, some small amount of evolution is advocated: elephants have had tusks for over 5 million years. Now, onto Part 2...
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: The Great Defenders
: PBS LearningMedia
Back again with another post. This episode of Kratt's Creatures focuses on creature defenses of all sorts. The Kratt brothers, along with Allison Baldwin, learn about how animals defend themselves and they all experience a rough time doing it. Poor Martin! He gets bitten by a snapping turtle, sprayed by a skunk, and attacked by a mother goshawk. Oh yeah, and he gets stung by bees too. Don't worry, he healed up and he even gets his justice at the end of the episode as Chris and Allison experience for themselves creature defenses. Chris gets sprayed by a skunk while Allison gets stung by bees and infected by poison ivy. So, all's well that ends well. This episode for me is right up there with the cheetah one in terms of hilarity and entertainment value. I should warn you however that Martin advocates the evolutionary view of "human ancestors" losing their tails millions of years ago. Anyways, have a good one!
Back again with another post. This episode of Kratt's Creatures focuses on creature defenses of all sorts. The Kratt brothers, along with Allison Baldwin, learn about how animals defend themselves and they all experience a rough time doing it. Poor Martin! He gets bitten by a snapping turtle, sprayed by a skunk, and attacked by a mother goshawk. Oh yeah, and he gets stung by bees too. Don't worry, he healed up and he even gets his justice at the end of the episode as Chris and Allison experience for themselves creature defenses. Chris gets sprayed by a skunk while Allison gets stung by bees and infected by poison ivy. So, all's well that ends well. This episode for me is right up there with the cheetah one in terms of hilarity and entertainment value. I should warn you however that Martin advocates the evolutionary view of "human ancestors" losing their tails millions of years ago. Anyways, have a good one!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Creature Rescue
: PBS LearningMedia
I'm back with another episode. On this one, Chris and Martin are helping out animals in a North American city that are either orphaned or that need assistance. From taking a tiger from a homeowner's residence to a wildlife facility, getting a baby bird back into its nest, going to get a raccoon out of a house, helping birds and squirrels at a wildlife resuce center, getting an oppossum to a place where his physical and creature needs are taken care of (albino, was blind and had a bad leg), and more, the brothers teach how important it always is to know whatever you're doing when you rescue animals and that you need to know all you can about the specific creature. For me, the best parts were about the tiger and the oppossum. That's all for now!
I'm back with another episode. On this one, Chris and Martin are helping out animals in a North American city that are either orphaned or that need assistance. From taking a tiger from a homeowner's residence to a wildlife facility, getting a baby bird back into its nest, going to get a raccoon out of a house, helping birds and squirrels at a wildlife resuce center, getting an oppossum to a place where his physical and creature needs are taken care of (albino, was blind and had a bad leg), and more, the brothers teach how important it always is to know whatever you're doing when you rescue animals and that you need to know all you can about the specific creature. For me, the best parts were about the tiger and the oppossum. That's all for now!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Maximum Cheetah Velocity!
: PBS LearningMedia
All right, so I fibbed! I'm giving you one more episode for tonight. It's about the cheetah, the fastest land animal on earth. These guys are my favourite wild cats because of their speed, and also because they are the underdogs of the wild cat world. Cheetahs CAN run up to 70 miles per hour (or 120 kilometres per hour), but they can't fight back against a lion or hyena, because if the cheetahs ever did, they would wind up dead meat. In this episode, Chris and Martin learn about the cheetah, its features and vulnerability due to its weak genome, and how rough life can be for a mom and her cubs on the African savannah. Along the way, the wacky brothers try their best to match cheetah speed: bicycling, using a brand-new creature jeep (which was successful), and even using "Ken" the hippo test dummy for an "experiment". A great and fun episode, if I do say so myself! Of all the episodes, this one proved to be the most fun and entertaining. Have a good night!
All right, so I fibbed! I'm giving you one more episode for tonight. It's about the cheetah, the fastest land animal on earth. These guys are my favourite wild cats because of their speed, and also because they are the underdogs of the wild cat world. Cheetahs CAN run up to 70 miles per hour (or 120 kilometres per hour), but they can't fight back against a lion or hyena, because if the cheetahs ever did, they would wind up dead meat. In this episode, Chris and Martin learn about the cheetah, its features and vulnerability due to its weak genome, and how rough life can be for a mom and her cubs on the African savannah. Along the way, the wacky brothers try their best to match cheetah speed: bicycling, using a brand-new creature jeep (which was successful), and even using "Ken" the hippo test dummy for an "experiment". A great and fun episode, if I do say so myself! Of all the episodes, this one proved to be the most fun and entertaining. Have a good night!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: City Critters
: PBS LearningMedia
One more episode before I shut down for the night. This one's about animals that have whatever it takes to survive in a city: raccoons, peregrine falcons, foxes, beavers, owls, robins, squirrels, mice, etc. The Kratt brothers go to a schoolyard, crash into a swimming pool to find a snapping turtle, go through a wildlife park to look for red-tailed hawks, and even go into a sewer to look for alligators! Enjoy.
One more episode before I shut down for the night. This one's about animals that have whatever it takes to survive in a city: raccoons, peregrine falcons, foxes, beavers, owls, robins, squirrels, mice, etc. The Kratt brothers go to a schoolyard, crash into a swimming pool to find a snapping turtle, go through a wildlife park to look for red-tailed hawks, and even go into a sewer to look for alligators! Enjoy.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger
: PBS LearningMedia
This is the other episode that I've already discussed before, but now you can watch it without parts as I find that to be more convenient. It's about a possibly exctinct carnivorous marsupial called the thylacine. This makes it more related to the Tasmanian devil instead of the Siberian tiger. People call it a tiger due to the stripes that stretch from its rib cage area all down to its unusually straight tail. This episode details the typical story of the thylacine: people hunted it into extinction in the 1930's. What interested me most about the episode though was the introduction to the Tasmanian devil. This was my ultimate favourite episode growing up. Goodnight!
This is the other episode that I've already discussed before, but now you can watch it without parts as I find that to be more convenient. It's about a possibly exctinct carnivorous marsupial called the thylacine. This makes it more related to the Tasmanian devil instead of the Siberian tiger. People call it a tiger due to the stripes that stretch from its rib cage area all down to its unusually straight tail. This episode details the typical story of the thylacine: people hunted it into extinction in the 1930's. What interested me most about the episode though was the introduction to the Tasmanian devil. This was my ultimate favourite episode growing up. Goodnight!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Kickboxing Kangaroos
: PBS LearningMedia
I've already discussed this episode already, so I'm not going to bore you with the details (including the simply wild evolutionary story that the episode promotes), but now you can watch the episode in one piece without parts. It's about kangaroos. Catch you later.
I've already discussed this episode already, so I'm not going to bore you with the details (including the simply wild evolutionary story that the episode promotes), but now you can watch the episode in one piece without parts. It's about kangaroos. Catch you later.
Story Of Human Evolution (History Channel)
Thought I'd embed this documentary about our human beginnings from an evolutionary perspective. What I found interesting was that the documentary speaks of a specimen called "Lucy" as though she walked upright, but there is recent speculation of her having walked on her KNUCKLES, similar to a modern-day ape or chimpanzee! The ending was also interesting as the film concludes that ALL of the accepted specimens (homo erectus, homo habillis, "Lucy", and "Neanderthal Man") are links to our supposed human evolution. This is funny considering that they picked these things apart earlier (they saw Lucy as being more chimp than human, for example). In the end, they conclude along the same lines as Darwin apparently did: "We don't know, but we might in the future. If we find anything, we'll let you know. There are many areas of the world that haven't been dug up yet, so who knows what's out there?" All in all, it gives a good insight as to the minds of evolutionists and even shows some frauds that have been made (Piltdown Man). Enjoy!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
My Thoughts on Last Night's U.S. Presidential Debate
Well, if you've been following the presidential campaign that our American neighbours have been having, then you know that the Democrat Party leader and current American President Barack Obama is leading his Republican Party challenger Mitt Romney in the polls lately, especially since Romney's recent "47% comments". Throughout the campaign, Obama has for many people looked more confident, more fresh, more experienced and more qualified to lead America than Romney. Well, I'm pleased to say that this has changed quite a bit. Last night, they had the first of three presidential debates. This first one took place in Denver, Colorado. Needless to say, Obama looked lost, out of place and foolish without his precious telepromter. He couldn't effectively look like a leader, looked at his lecturn most of the time when speaking, and didn't always stay on topic as much as Romney did. In the beginning of the debate for example, when Romney spoke about jobs, what did Obama counter with? More talk about jobs for their 23 million unemployed? Nope, he talked about education! Also, Obama at one point in the debate talked incessantly about the tax breaks that the oil giants are getting ($2.3 million). Romney to his credit gave a great counteract by pointing out that Obama gave in the $50 million range to some "clean energy" company in terms of breaks! Romney repeatedly had great zingers in the debate all night long, even telling Obama once that "you don't get to choose your own facts." Great stuff! In fact, in the jobs segments, Obama looked so flustered that he even told the moderator, "You may want to choose another topic." Talk about a losing performance! The end of the debate was especially revealing: Romney, when speaking about the role of government, spoke first about the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and mentioned religious freedom. Romney used this to illustrate the need for a strong military. As much as I agree with libertarians about the overbloated "military industrial complex", this link worked well for Romney. Obama on the other hand, spoke about the need for government to do more to help people prosper and get by, essentially calling for the typical liberal strategy of bigger government. What a contrast! All in all, it was Mitt Romney who looked energetic, fiery, and confident during the debate while Obama looked tired and lacked the hunger that he had during 2008. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the debate. I hope you did too! Anyways, I'll close by embedding the whole thing. Here it is:
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratt's Creatures: Creatures of the Night
: PBS LearningMedia
Another post before I call it quits tonight. This episode has Chris and Martin travelling around in Australia searching for animals that are most active during the night. More specifically, they want to find a fruit bat called the flying fox. They eventually find them but then want to race the bats as the animals fly off in search of their nighttime meal. Needless to say, the brothers can't keep up and have to rest, finding a tree-kangaroo in the trees. Earlier they saw a brush-tailed possum fighting with a kangaroo. Later on, they try to mimic the tree-kangaroo's jumping from 50 ft ability but land in water, knocking out transmission signals to the Creature Club. It is restored, and the action eventually switches to the brothers being in a bat cave where they find Australia's only carnivorous bat, the ghost bat. The show touches on why bats are so important to the creature ecosystems of this world and why we humans are often needlessly afraid of bats. Great episode!
Another post before I call it quits tonight. This episode has Chris and Martin travelling around in Australia searching for animals that are most active during the night. More specifically, they want to find a fruit bat called the flying fox. They eventually find them but then want to race the bats as the animals fly off in search of their nighttime meal. Needless to say, the brothers can't keep up and have to rest, finding a tree-kangaroo in the trees. Earlier they saw a brush-tailed possum fighting with a kangaroo. Later on, they try to mimic the tree-kangaroo's jumping from 50 ft ability but land in water, knocking out transmission signals to the Creature Club. It is restored, and the action eventually switches to the brothers being in a bat cave where they find Australia's only carnivorous bat, the ghost bat. The show touches on why bats are so important to the creature ecosystems of this world and why we humans are often needlessly afraid of bats. Great episode!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Koalas and Wombats
: PBS LearningMedia
Back to regular posting. This episode deals with koalas and wombats, two creatures that are completely different from each other but are said to be related. The Kratt brothers learn about the lifestyles of the two creatures: wombats being the ground and burrow-digging marsupial and koalas being the tree-huggers and eucalyptus leaf eaters. Chris and Martin start out the episode by riding on horseback looking for the two animals. Their horses however, suddenly become unnerved and spooked by the sound of dingo howls and run off, separating the brothers. Chris ends up crashing into a tree that happens to have a koala living there and Martin gets thrown off his horse near a wombat burrow. There, he meets a bunch of wombats eating the Australian grass. We learn about the defenses of the two creatures as well: koalas sit up tight in the trees when dingoes are prowling, and wombats run straight for the burrows. Of course, if the wombat senses that a creature is trying to get into his burrow then he uses his reliable rump shield to boot him out. However, I should warn you about the explanation that is given for the relatedness of the two creatures. We are told that through a process known as "divergent evolution" koalas and wombats, being related, have learned to be completely different in lifestyle. Of course, this may just be about adaptation and taking advantage of situations, something that isn't unique to "evolution". Anyways, other supposed examples are elephants and manatees and porcupines and beavers. This is contrasted in the episode with "convergent evolution". This is allegedly when two different creatures start to resemble each other and/or live similar lifestyles. Again, this sounds as if ADAPTATION is the key topic and not evolution. The funny thing though is when different supposed examples were given for this "convergent evolution." Here is just one of them:
- hyenas and tasmanian devils: I gotta say that this is HILARIOUS! The reason is that there are MANY reasons as to why this connection is bogus. 1) T-Devils are marsupials whereas hyenas are placental mammals. (Marsupials carry their newborn young in a pouch to grow and placental mammals give birth to their more fully-formed young through the normal womb process and don't need a pouch.) 2) Devils live alone while hyenas live in packs. 3) Devils are mainly scavengers (eaters of dead meat) while hyenas are mainly prone to hunting live prey for food. 4) Hyenas face much competition for food from other creatures such as cheetahs, lions, leopards and wild dogs while devils don't have that problem as often. The only other competitors might be tiger koals or dogs and cats that have now become wild in Tasmania but that's about it.
Other than that, the episode was a good one. Enjoy!
Back to regular posting. This episode deals with koalas and wombats, two creatures that are completely different from each other but are said to be related. The Kratt brothers learn about the lifestyles of the two creatures: wombats being the ground and burrow-digging marsupial and koalas being the tree-huggers and eucalyptus leaf eaters. Chris and Martin start out the episode by riding on horseback looking for the two animals. Their horses however, suddenly become unnerved and spooked by the sound of dingo howls and run off, separating the brothers. Chris ends up crashing into a tree that happens to have a koala living there and Martin gets thrown off his horse near a wombat burrow. There, he meets a bunch of wombats eating the Australian grass. We learn about the defenses of the two creatures as well: koalas sit up tight in the trees when dingoes are prowling, and wombats run straight for the burrows. Of course, if the wombat senses that a creature is trying to get into his burrow then he uses his reliable rump shield to boot him out. However, I should warn you about the explanation that is given for the relatedness of the two creatures. We are told that through a process known as "divergent evolution" koalas and wombats, being related, have learned to be completely different in lifestyle. Of course, this may just be about adaptation and taking advantage of situations, something that isn't unique to "evolution". Anyways, other supposed examples are elephants and manatees and porcupines and beavers. This is contrasted in the episode with "convergent evolution". This is allegedly when two different creatures start to resemble each other and/or live similar lifestyles. Again, this sounds as if ADAPTATION is the key topic and not evolution. The funny thing though is when different supposed examples were given for this "convergent evolution." Here is just one of them:
- hyenas and tasmanian devils: I gotta say that this is HILARIOUS! The reason is that there are MANY reasons as to why this connection is bogus. 1) T-Devils are marsupials whereas hyenas are placental mammals. (Marsupials carry their newborn young in a pouch to grow and placental mammals give birth to their more fully-formed young through the normal womb process and don't need a pouch.) 2) Devils live alone while hyenas live in packs. 3) Devils are mainly scavengers (eaters of dead meat) while hyenas are mainly prone to hunting live prey for food. 4) Hyenas face much competition for food from other creatures such as cheetahs, lions, leopards and wild dogs while devils don't have that problem as often. The only other competitors might be tiger koals or dogs and cats that have now become wild in Tasmania but that's about it.
Other than that, the episode was a good one. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Remembering the 1972 Summit Series
40 years ago, against a nation far, far away...
An epic struggle unfolds. A communist nation called the Soviet Union desires to prove to the world that they have the best players in hockey and can take on Canada's NHL best. Canada, representing the free world, laughed themselves silly. They had the NHL talent, and the Soviets were unknown. They surely would sweep them in 8 straight games. Well...
the Canadians were wrong. In game 1 at the Montreal Forum, the Soviets came out strong and speedy, and crushed Canada 7-3. The Soviets had been grossly underestimated and Canada knew it. Onto game 2...
at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Canada was much better as a team, winning 4-1 and restored faith among the Canadian hockey fans. Maybe they would win yet. Onward...
to Game 3 in Winnipeg at the Winnipeg Arena. Sadly, this game was anticlimactic with the score being a 4-4 tie. So, the standings stood at
Soviets - 1
Canada - 1
Game 4...what a scene at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Before the game, the Soviets received more cheers than the Canadians, and the home team was repeatedly booed, especially off the ice at the end of the game. The score: Soviet Union 5, Canada 3. Of special note was a famous speech by forward Phil Esposito, reminding Canadians that the team was playing for the country and that it truly was just a hockey series and NOT a do or die situation. Some Vancouver spectators though were extremely anti-Canadian and yelled to Phil Esposito that "commmunism was better." Pure idiocy if you ask me. For most fans however, this seemed to inject common sense, national pride and energy into the team and its fans from that point on. Good thing, because two weeks later...
they went to Moscow in the Soviet Union to finish out the series at the Luzniki Ice Palace. With the team travelled a strong army of 3,000 Canadian fans who were LOUD and literally drowned out the Soviet fans at times. As for the game, Canada lost again with a 5-4 score. However, both teams were more aggressive and passionate and this was bound to work well for Canada. Even with the loss, Canada felt as though they were playing better and that the tide was finally turning. Reality soon set in however: Canada now had to win the last 3 games to win the series! Of special note was the injury to Toronto Maple Leafs star Paul Henderson during the game. He slid into the boards head-first. The injury was so bad that the doctors didn't want Paul to play again in the series, but Paul refused to give up. Onto game 6...
Canada entered the game in a do or die situation, needing a win to stay alive vs the Soviets. Canada was unfairly treated by the refs, being assessed 31 minutes of penalty time vs only FOUR for the Soviet Union. The Soviets scored early, but Canada hung on and eventually won on a winner from Paul Henderson to win the game 3-2. The series now stood at Soviets 3, Canada 2 (minus the Game 3 tie). Controversy broke out in this game with Soviet star Valeri Kharlamov the victim of a truly dirty play from Bobby Clarke who slashed the player's already tremendously sore ankle. Reports on the injury ranged from the ankle being fractured while others claimed that it was broken. With Kharlamov injured, the Soviet Union was a bit disadvantaged. Next up, Game 7...
which was a dirty and grinding 4-3 victory for Canada. A horrific fight broke out between Gary Bergman and Boris Mikhailov. According to Wikipedia,
"During the third period, a small scuffle broke out between Canada's Gary Bergman, and the USSR's Boris Mikhailov, in which the future Soviet captain used his skate as a weapon, kicking Bergman two times before the fight ended. Czech referee Rudy Bata and Swede referee Ove Dahlberg officiated the match, and it was announced that the German referee pair of Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader had been sent home and Bata and Dahlberg would referee the final match, in exchange for a promise that Bergman would not publicly berate the Soviets' coach Bobrov."
Finally, Game 8: the final game in the long series. Each team had won 3 games and had also experienced a tie but the Soviets were ahead by way of goal differential. In Canada, most people enjoyed a mini-holiday and stopped to watch the game on television. Many schoolkids even had the opportunity to watch the game at school in their classrooms. Bad penalties plagued Canada early on, but they kept playing, but not before controversy ensued Canada's J.P. Parise. Team Canada coach Harry Sinden of course, didn't help matters at all because he threw a chair on the ice. Enough silliness, let's get to the end...of special note is the end of the game when Paul Henderson, in a strange move, called out Peter Mahavolich off the ice. Mahavolich of course, thought that Sinden had called him, but came off anyways. Bobby Clarke meanwhile was supposed to replace Phil Esposito but Phil was stubborn and wanted to play. This of course all led to Paul Henderson's "most famous goal in hockey" and broadcaster Foster Hewitt exclaiming, "Paul Henderson has scored for Canada!" Canada had won the game 6-5 and the series 4-3. All in all, it was a great series for Canadian hockey history and we proved that heart matters more than skill and talent.
Here are the games:
An epic struggle unfolds. A communist nation called the Soviet Union desires to prove to the world that they have the best players in hockey and can take on Canada's NHL best. Canada, representing the free world, laughed themselves silly. They had the NHL talent, and the Soviets were unknown. They surely would sweep them in 8 straight games. Well...
the Canadians were wrong. In game 1 at the Montreal Forum, the Soviets came out strong and speedy, and crushed Canada 7-3. The Soviets had been grossly underestimated and Canada knew it. Onto game 2...
at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Canada was much better as a team, winning 4-1 and restored faith among the Canadian hockey fans. Maybe they would win yet. Onward...
to Game 3 in Winnipeg at the Winnipeg Arena. Sadly, this game was anticlimactic with the score being a 4-4 tie. So, the standings stood at
Soviets - 1
Canada - 1
Game 4...what a scene at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Before the game, the Soviets received more cheers than the Canadians, and the home team was repeatedly booed, especially off the ice at the end of the game. The score: Soviet Union 5, Canada 3. Of special note was a famous speech by forward Phil Esposito, reminding Canadians that the team was playing for the country and that it truly was just a hockey series and NOT a do or die situation. Some Vancouver spectators though were extremely anti-Canadian and yelled to Phil Esposito that "commmunism was better." Pure idiocy if you ask me. For most fans however, this seemed to inject common sense, national pride and energy into the team and its fans from that point on. Good thing, because two weeks later...
they went to Moscow in the Soviet Union to finish out the series at the Luzniki Ice Palace. With the team travelled a strong army of 3,000 Canadian fans who were LOUD and literally drowned out the Soviet fans at times. As for the game, Canada lost again with a 5-4 score. However, both teams were more aggressive and passionate and this was bound to work well for Canada. Even with the loss, Canada felt as though they were playing better and that the tide was finally turning. Reality soon set in however: Canada now had to win the last 3 games to win the series! Of special note was the injury to Toronto Maple Leafs star Paul Henderson during the game. He slid into the boards head-first. The injury was so bad that the doctors didn't want Paul to play again in the series, but Paul refused to give up. Onto game 6...
Canada entered the game in a do or die situation, needing a win to stay alive vs the Soviets. Canada was unfairly treated by the refs, being assessed 31 minutes of penalty time vs only FOUR for the Soviet Union. The Soviets scored early, but Canada hung on and eventually won on a winner from Paul Henderson to win the game 3-2. The series now stood at Soviets 3, Canada 2 (minus the Game 3 tie). Controversy broke out in this game with Soviet star Valeri Kharlamov the victim of a truly dirty play from Bobby Clarke who slashed the player's already tremendously sore ankle. Reports on the injury ranged from the ankle being fractured while others claimed that it was broken. With Kharlamov injured, the Soviet Union was a bit disadvantaged. Next up, Game 7...
which was a dirty and grinding 4-3 victory for Canada. A horrific fight broke out between Gary Bergman and Boris Mikhailov. According to Wikipedia,
"During the third period, a small scuffle broke out between Canada's Gary Bergman, and the USSR's Boris Mikhailov, in which the future Soviet captain used his skate as a weapon, kicking Bergman two times before the fight ended. Czech referee Rudy Bata and Swede referee Ove Dahlberg officiated the match, and it was announced that the German referee pair of Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader had been sent home and Bata and Dahlberg would referee the final match, in exchange for a promise that Bergman would not publicly berate the Soviets' coach Bobrov."
Finally, Game 8: the final game in the long series. Each team had won 3 games and had also experienced a tie but the Soviets were ahead by way of goal differential. In Canada, most people enjoyed a mini-holiday and stopped to watch the game on television. Many schoolkids even had the opportunity to watch the game at school in their classrooms. Bad penalties plagued Canada early on, but they kept playing, but not before controversy ensued Canada's J.P. Parise. Team Canada coach Harry Sinden of course, didn't help matters at all because he threw a chair on the ice. Enough silliness, let's get to the end...of special note is the end of the game when Paul Henderson, in a strange move, called out Peter Mahavolich off the ice. Mahavolich of course, thought that Sinden had called him, but came off anyways. Bobby Clarke meanwhile was supposed to replace Phil Esposito but Phil was stubborn and wanted to play. This of course all led to Paul Henderson's "most famous goal in hockey" and broadcaster Foster Hewitt exclaiming, "Paul Henderson has scored for Canada!" Canada had won the game 6-5 and the series 4-3. All in all, it was a great series for Canadian hockey history and we proved that heart matters more than skill and talent.
Here are the games:
Game 1 part 1
Game 1 Part 2
Game 2 Part 1
Game 2 Part 2
Game 3 Part 1
Game 3 Part 2
Game 4 Part 1
Game 4 Part 2
Game 5 Part 1
Game 5 Part 2
Game 6 Part 1
Game 6 Part 2
Game 7 Part 1
Game 7 Part 2
Game 8 Part 1
Game 8 Part 2
Phil Esposito's famous post-game-4 rant
Later!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Big Five, Little Five
: PBS LearningMedia
Here's one more episode for today. It's about Africa's "big five" creatures: the rhino, the lion, the leopard, the buffalo and the elephant and its "little five" creatures: the rhino beetle, the ant-lion (insect that feeds on ants), the leopard tortoise, the buffalo weaver (a type of African bird), and the elephant shrew. Chris and Martin learn about these creatures through a scavenger hunt with Martin checking out the big five and Chris looking for the little five. All in all, this was a good start to this mid-1990's show. Later!
Here's one more episode for today. It's about Africa's "big five" creatures: the rhino, the lion, the leopard, the buffalo and the elephant and its "little five" creatures: the rhino beetle, the ant-lion (insect that feeds on ants), the leopard tortoise, the buffalo weaver (a type of African bird), and the elephant shrew. Chris and Martin learn about these creatures through a scavenger hunt with Martin checking out the big five and Chris looking for the little five. All in all, this was a good start to this mid-1990's show. Later!
Friday, September 28, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Backyard Bandits
: PBS LearningMedia
Another episode, and this one's about raccoons. The brothers learn about them, why there are more city than country raccoons, and get into trouble with the town neighbours as well. Enjoy watching it and goodbye for now.
Another episode, and this one's about raccoons. The brothers learn about them, why there are more city than country raccoons, and get into trouble with the town neighbours as well. Enjoy watching it and goodbye for now.
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Why?
: PBS LearningMedia
One more post before I retire for the night. It's another Kratts Creatures episode, this one focusing on why questions about the creature world: living in groups, living alone, playing, fighting, and why bears aren't in Africa. The episode is good until the bear question comes up. Then the fantasy starts in: cave bears lived 50,000 years ago, and some creature called the "bear-dog" lived 25 million years ago and evolved into bears and dogs as well as raccoons and kinkajous. They allegedly had bear-like bodies and dog-like faces. Bears were even supposedly in Africa 5 million years ago. The episode is also complete with a chase after an ice-cream biker man by the Kratt brothers and the brothers wrestling each other to demonstrate differing stages in creature fighting. Good night!
One more post before I retire for the night. It's another Kratts Creatures episode, this one focusing on why questions about the creature world: living in groups, living alone, playing, fighting, and why bears aren't in Africa. The episode is good until the bear question comes up. Then the fantasy starts in: cave bears lived 50,000 years ago, and some creature called the "bear-dog" lived 25 million years ago and evolved into bears and dogs as well as raccoons and kinkajous. They allegedly had bear-like bodies and dog-like faces. Bears were even supposedly in Africa 5 million years ago. The episode is also complete with a chase after an ice-cream biker man by the Kratt brothers and the brothers wrestling each other to demonstrate differing stages in creature fighting. Good night!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Who's Who?
: PBS LearningMedia
Posting yet another episode, but this one was special. This episode was about the Kratt brothers retracing creature history and figuring out what animals are related to each other. This however, is done through an evolutionary framework so beware! Of special interest is where the aardvark and elephant fit into the animal world. What had me laughing myself silly was the ridiculous claim that humans, bears, birds, elephants, etc all started out with the same amphibious ancestor! This means that, according to evolutionists, I'm supposed to be related to frogs, toads and salamanders! Can you believe this LUNACY? Anyways, I'll say goodnight now. Catch you later!
Posting yet another episode, but this one was special. This episode was about the Kratt brothers retracing creature history and figuring out what animals are related to each other. This however, is done through an evolutionary framework so beware! Of special interest is where the aardvark and elephant fit into the animal world. What had me laughing myself silly was the ridiculous claim that humans, bears, birds, elephants, etc all started out with the same amphibious ancestor! This means that, according to evolutionists, I'm supposed to be related to frogs, toads and salamanders! Can you believe this LUNACY? Anyways, I'll say goodnight now. Catch you later!
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Around Australia in Eight Days
: PBS LearningMedia
Back with another Kratts Creatures episode. This one has Chris and Martin Kratt travelling around Australia in eight days, trying to retrace the journey of a supposed Spanish explorer (Don Estabon) who supposedly did it many centuries earlier. We see the different geographical regions of the continent (which is also a country) and its many creatures: camels and kangaroos in the Outback, sea lions on the beaches, a great deal of plant and fish species in the Great Barrier Reef, cassuaries, koalas, tree-kangaroos and other creatures in the forests, and crocodiles in the rivers and seas. The brothers even visit an orphanage for joeys (baby kangaroos). They make it around Australia in time, but reveal that the Spanish explorer thing was just a joke and a pretext to explore Australia and see its creatures. Pretty ingenious if you ask me, especially considering that the two had a "journal" that was supposed to have been written by the explorer. Overall, a great episode. The only warning I should give is about the evolutionary spin regarding crocodiles being around for over 200 million years. Goodbye for now.
Back with another Kratts Creatures episode. This one has Chris and Martin Kratt travelling around Australia in eight days, trying to retrace the journey of a supposed Spanish explorer (Don Estabon) who supposedly did it many centuries earlier. We see the different geographical regions of the continent (which is also a country) and its many creatures: camels and kangaroos in the Outback, sea lions on the beaches, a great deal of plant and fish species in the Great Barrier Reef, cassuaries, koalas, tree-kangaroos and other creatures in the forests, and crocodiles in the rivers and seas. The brothers even visit an orphanage for joeys (baby kangaroos). They make it around Australia in time, but reveal that the Spanish explorer thing was just a joke and a pretext to explore Australia and see its creatures. Pretty ingenious if you ask me, especially considering that the two had a "journal" that was supposed to have been written by the explorer. Overall, a great episode. The only warning I should give is about the evolutionary spin regarding crocodiles being around for over 200 million years. Goodbye for now.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
An Example of How to NOT Interpret Scripture
: PBS LearningMedia - Kratts Creatures: Hyenas are Cool
: PBS LearningMedia
Back with another episode from Kratts Creatures, this time the episode is about spotted hyenas in Africa. Enjoy!
Back with another episode from Kratts Creatures, this time the episode is about spotted hyenas in Africa. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
: PBS LearningMedia: Arribada 2: Running the Gauntlet
: PBS LearningMedia
Haven't blogged in months, so I thought I'd just show this Kratts Creatures episode. See you later!
Haven't blogged in months, so I thought I'd just show this Kratts Creatures episode. See you later!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Long time, no Post!
Wow, I haven't blogged since the end of JANUARY! The reason is that I just wanted to see what it was like to not blog for almost two months, and I have to say...it's not worth it! It just hasn't been the same in that time period. So, with that out of the way, let me get on to OTHER unmentioned business...
The London Lightning have been rather impressive this season in their new league, the National Basketball League of Canada. They wrapped up first place and then promptly swept the Saint John Mill Rats 3-0 in the first round. Now, in the championship round vs the Halifax Rainmen, they were leading 2-0 until last night. In Halifax, the team turned it over FAR, FAR too many times (ESPECIALLY in their OWN end). It was atrocious and inexcusable and it cost the Lightning the game, 95-93. Now, they have to play again TONIGHT in Halifax. The game starts at 6 PM Eastern. Viewing is available at the Halifax Rainmen's website, which you can find at www.sportstream.ca. Here's the recap. Well, that's all for now. Catch you all later!
The London Lightning have been rather impressive this season in their new league, the National Basketball League of Canada. They wrapped up first place and then promptly swept the Saint John Mill Rats 3-0 in the first round. Now, in the championship round vs the Halifax Rainmen, they were leading 2-0 until last night. In Halifax, the team turned it over FAR, FAR too many times (ESPECIALLY in their OWN end). It was atrocious and inexcusable and it cost the Lightning the game, 95-93. Now, they have to play again TONIGHT in Halifax. The game starts at 6 PM Eastern. Viewing is available at the Halifax Rainmen's website, which you can find at www.sportstream.ca. Here's the recap. Well, that's all for now. Catch you all later!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
New Bible Translations Reek of Modern "Tolerance for Muslims" and Heresy: are removing "Father" and "Son" in Reference to the Christian Godhead
Yes, it's true. Just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier these days with Bible translations, we are now having groups such as Wycliffe Bible Translators and others make Bible versions that are more "sensitive" and "Muslim-friendly". Good grief! Imagine if some Islamic scholars desired to make the Qu'ran more sensitive to us Christians. Wow, there'd be hell to pay within some of those nations! Some Muslims would be screaming "Blasphemy!" and there would be threats of death among other things. Anyways, the controversy is that some translation groups are removing words such as "Father" and "Son" from these new Bibles whenever Scripture references those terms with the Christian God. The official reasons of course are everything from "we need to be more open with Muslims" to "Muslims only see sexual connotations with those terms whenever the Bible uses them for God. There are verses with these types of accusations in the Qu'ran, but that is not what we Christians believe. There are, however, some groups that are rightfully opposed to the proposed changes. A website named www.change.org has created an online petition (which I've already signed) that seeks to counteract the mess from ocurring. In addition, I've already sent invitations out to my email contacts to get them to sign the petition as well. Hopefully, word will get out and these heretical happenings are stopped dead in their tracks. Click here for the petition page. I just thought I'd share that with all of you. By the way, the Raptors are hosting the Atlanta Hawks tonight at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for an NBA basketball game. The start time is 7 PM and it will be broadcasted on Rogers Sportsnet One. Have a good night, and say goodbye to January!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lightning Earn Big Blowout Win vs Mill Rats
Yesterday afternoon, the London Lightning basketball club hosted the Saint John Mill Rats in a 2 PM matinee at the John Labatt Centre. Needless to say, it was a fairly easy win for the team, with the club getting the lead up to 27 points in the 3rd quarter. Shawn Daniels, Gabe Freeman, DeAnthony Bowden, and reserve Patrick Sewell all had big nights as they rolled to a 125-99 final. Freeman scored a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, Bowden netted 16 points and Tim Ellis grabbed 13 points as they led the way for London. 3 other players achieved double digits in scoring: Shamari Spears, Rodney Buford and Eddie Smith. Most notable in the game was London's assist total compared to the Mill Rats. The Lightning put up 24 while Saint John could only manage 7! This, I believe, was key to the victory. Here's the boxscore. Also, here's the news snippet from the team website. That's all for now. Have a good day.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Two Good Articles about the London Lightning
This post is going to be quick, as I'm just going to be linking to two London Free Press articles about the team. The first is about head coach Michael Ray Richardson, and the second is about team leader and ex-NBAer Rodney Buford. Hope you like them!
Richardson Big for Lightning
Rodney Buford true to Sheriff nickname
That's all for now. Take care.
Richardson Big for Lightning
Rodney Buford true to Sheriff nickname
That's all for now. Take care.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Google: the Epitome of Privacy Treachery
Apparently, Google doesn't take our privacy seriously even though it incessantly claims to. In March of this year, new terms of service and so-called "privacy policies" will take effect. In short, Google is going to start tracking us even more than it already is. By having a profile of us, Google will be able to flash advertisements that are supposedly "tailored for each individual". I see it however as nothing more than an attempt by Google to control our lives: if you live here, then this is what you should do, if you like this type of movie, then here are some "relevant" ads for you, blah, blah, blah. Folks, this is a classic loss of privacy and freedom and I for one don't support it. Of course, we can't opt out of this treasonous behaviour. Figures! I mean, it ALREADY does this on Youtube. For example, if you surf the website enough and watch a few videos, then Youtube will display a "Recommended for You" section on their homepage when you return to it. I'm sorry, but I want to be able to choose MY OWN likes and dislikes and to be able to turn ads off or on. I realize that I'm biting the hand that feeds me here since this very blogging service is powered and provided by Google, but I must speak out on what I believe to be evil and immorality running amuck. By the way, I hope the Google heads read this posting. I also hope that it deflates their self-importance and their overinflated egos just a tad. To see what I mean, here is a good London Free Press editorial on the topic. I realize that Google is a business and must make money, but at the same time it CANNOT be invading privacy, giving mere lip service to it, and forcing us to look at meaningless advertisements that we won't care for. Anyways, that's all for now. Have a good and free day.
Two Surprising Victories for the Toronto Raptors
Yes, this is a Raptors posting. The reason I didn't post until now is that they were on an 8-game losing streak before. However, that is now finished as they have won two games in a row on the road back to back. First, they went to Phoenix on Tuesday to play against the Suns and their aging star Steve Nash. The result: a key victory to break that streak and a win vs the Suns since 2004. It was also their first victory against Nash since late 2001. Both of those victories came during the Vince Carter era. Andrea Bargnani came back from missing 6 games due to a strained left calf and he poured in 36 points to lead the team to victory. Last night, they travelled to the Mormon state of Utah to play against the Jazz. The first quarter was ugly with Toronto giving up 32 points in the frame. The rest of the game was a classic for the ages: lead changes, comebacks from both teams, great defense from the Raptors in the 4th quarter and in the 2 overtime periods...you had to see it to believe it! Of note defensively was James Johnson with many superb blocks on the night. Unfortunately for Toronto, Andrea injured his calf again near the end of the first overtime and had to sit out the rest of the game. Then, of course, Jazz star Paul Millsap nailed a tying 3-point shot to send the game into double OT. However, Toronto took control and eventually sealed the game with a far-out bailout 3-pointer from starting point guard Jose Calderon and it was a 111-106 win. Here are the recaps for the two games:
Huge Road win vs Suns
Epic Game vs Jazz
That's all for now. Take care.
Huge Road win vs Suns
Epic Game vs Jazz
That's all for now. Take care.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Atta boy, Tim Thomas!
Just a quick post congratulating star Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas for refusing to attend a ceremony for his team at the White House in Washington D.C. Apparently Thomas sent out a post on Facebook detailing his reasons: government is too large and out of control, and government has taken away MANY rights, freedoms, and jobs from its American people. Here is the great article:
Thomas' Brave Stance
I'm also going to give you Tim's statement from that article. Here it is: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."
What a breath of fresh air that was! Here's to hoping MORE people and celebrities speak out against big government and corruption. Goodbye, and God bless!
Thomas' Brave Stance
I'm also going to give you Tim's statement from that article. Here it is: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."
What a breath of fresh air that was! Here's to hoping MORE people and celebrities speak out against big government and corruption. Goodbye, and God bless!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Long time, no Post!
Yes, it's been awhile. Hope you all had a great Christmas break, and I hope your year is a good one so far. Of course, if you live in the U.S.T (the United States of Tyranny - my nickname for the USA), it's getting crazier and crazier. What with the SOPA/PIPA news and all...first there was an organized blackout on Wednesday with sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, the Encyclopedia Metallum (metal-archives.com), and others. After that, the US federal government took down Megaupload the NEXT DAY. After that, Anonymous (a huge hacking group) decided to hack into some major media and entertainment websites in revenge. Add to that the brainless outrage from the China-loving, communism-loving, America-hating head of the Motion Picture of America called Chris Dodd about the blackouts where he said that websites such as Wikipedia shouldn't be "spreading disinformation about SOPA/PIPA" and that these sites "should not be putting corporate interests ahead of their users". The irony here is that Chris Dodd HIMSELF has done the same thing in lobbying for the entertainment industry bigs. Man, this is better than a Hollywood film! It's the most fun I've had out of news in awhile. So it'll be interesting to see where it all heads next.
On to sports...
The London Knights honoured a former star player last night (Rick Nash) by retiring his London Knights jersey number 61. They did this by raising it to the rafters. Also during the night, the team hosted the Owen Sound Attack and won 3-0. Gregg Mckegg scored two goals and Chris Tierney chipped in with one as well in the game. Here's the boxscore.
That's all for now. Stay warm out there, it's cold!
By the way, Google has apparently chickened out and BETRAYED the interests of the people by using SOPA-like censorship of websites. There has been an increase in video takedowns on Youtube (which Google owns) since the last year and it DELETED infowars.com and prisonplanet.com in 2010 from its news feed source listings. Shame on you, Google! You originally protested these evil laws and now you're wanting to censor in like fashion? Unbelievable! Anyways, goodbye. Here's an Alex Jones video on the topic:
On to sports...
The London Knights honoured a former star player last night (Rick Nash) by retiring his London Knights jersey number 61. They did this by raising it to the rafters. Also during the night, the team hosted the Owen Sound Attack and won 3-0. Gregg Mckegg scored two goals and Chris Tierney chipped in with one as well in the game. Here's the boxscore.
That's all for now. Stay warm out there, it's cold!
By the way, Google has apparently chickened out and BETRAYED the interests of the people by using SOPA-like censorship of websites. There has been an increase in video takedowns on Youtube (which Google owns) since the last year and it DELETED infowars.com and prisonplanet.com in 2010 from its news feed source listings. Shame on you, Google! You originally protested these evil laws and now you're wanting to censor in like fashion? Unbelievable! Anyways, goodbye. Here's an Alex Jones video on the topic:
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