Friday, March 28, 2014

Cats are the worst

Cats are the worst. I shouldn't have to explain much more than that, but I will.

Apparently, Cats are now giving people tuberculosis.

Evidence of the first documented cases of tuberculosis spreading to humans from cats has been found in the U.K. after officials say two people developed the disease following contact with felines.
The two human cases were reported in the English counties of Berkshire and Hampshire, reports BBC News. Both people are seeking treatment, but Public Health England maintain that the risk of humans contracting TB from cats remains “very low.”

Source


The outbreak was flagged at a veterinary practice, which then offered to screen people for the disease. 24 people out of 39 accepted the screening.

The Mycobacterium bovis infection, or M. bovis, also causes TB in cattle and other livestock animals. Breathing in or ingesting bacteria from through contamination of cuts while handling infected animals or carcasses is how humans contract the disease. The U.K. outbreak involved nine cats belonging to nine separate homes.

So there you go. Cats were trailing way behind dogs to begin with, but now knowing they can pass along TB. Just great.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Timberrrrrrrrrrr

Two of my brothers are getting married this summer, so I face the unavoidable question of "When are you going to finally tie the knot?"

First, buzz off.

Second, this.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana woman was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for killing her husband of eight days by pushing him from a cliff in Glacier National Park while they argued about her second thoughts about the marriage.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy sentenced Jordan Graham, 22, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder just before closing arguments during her December trial.

Prosecutors argued Graham was having second thoughts about her recent marriage to 25-year-old Cody Johnson when she lured him to a steep cliff in Glacier Park on July 7 and pushed him over.



Graham had faced a maximum sentence of life in prison at Thursday's hearing in Missoula. Prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge and a count of making a false statement to authorities.

Before he accepted her plea in December, the judge asked Graham to tell him what happened.

Graham said she decided to confront her husband about her marriage doubts, but she did not know how he would take it. She said the couple climbed down a treacherous slope below a popular spot in the park called The Loop and spoke on a narrow ledge, hundreds of feet above a ravine.

She told Johnson she was unhappy. They argued, and at one point, she said, he grabbed her by the arm, and she thought he was going to pull her.

She told the judge she got angry at Johnson, brushed his hand away, then pushed him, with one hand on his arm and one on his back.

"I wasn't thinking about where we were. ... I just pushed," Graham said.

Just pushed, huh? If you're angry and arguing with your significant other, do you really want to go hiking in a place where something like this could happen? It sounds like it's the scene out of a soap opera, or at worst, a crappy Lifetime movie.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Korean Haircut

As I've...matured...I've gotten a bit more particular about my haircuts. Growing up, I didn't even try to tame and contain my hair, but now that I have a real job, I've decided to actually pay for halfway decent haircuts. (Thanks Sara!)

There are plenty of people with different (and terrible) haircuts, but that's part of what makes us unique. So it's not too surprising that Kim Jong Un is trying to squelch that creativity out of the North Korean people.

He not only wants all North Korean men to have the same haircut, but he wants them to have his haircut. They used to be able to pick from a list of state-approved hairstyles, but no more. They have one choice.



Hot.

According to TIME.com:

Pyongyang introduced the new law two weeks ago but is now rolling it out across the country. Unfortunately, some North Koreans may not be thrilled about the new look. According to a former Pyongyang resident now living in China, the Kim Jong Un cut is unpopular because it apparently resembles the style of Chinese smugglers. “Until the mid-2000s, we called it the ‘Chinese smuggler haircut,” the source told the Korea Times.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

No Fun League

The NFL is getting to be a little ridiculous. No dunking on goalposts now? That's BS.



Per CBSSports.com:

The NFL passed a pair of rule proposals at the 2014 NFL owners' meetings but they also managed to outlaw dunking on goal posts, apparently.

NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino told the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday that dunking on the goal post -- or using the goal post or crossbar as a prop -- will be illegal in 2014.

"That was grandfathered in. We put in a rule about five or six years ago about using the ball as a prop," Blandino said. "We grandfathered in the Lambeau Leap and some things like that. But dunking will come out. Using the ball as a prop -- or using any object as a prop, like the goal post or cross bar -- that will come out and that will be a foul next season."

I hope that players continue to do it, mocking the NFL each and every time. If they take away the Lambeau Leap, so help me god...

Monday, March 24, 2014

Odd Legislation

I know there are people that wonder what some politicians do all day, and I think I found the answer. They come up with bills like this, via Boston.com:

A Massachusetts state senator has filed a bill that could prohibit a divorcing parent from having sex in their own home.


Senator Richard J. Ross, a Wrentham Republican, filed by request Bill 787 which would pertain to the divorcing parent still living in the family home. It states:

In divorce, separation, or 209A proceedings involving children and a marital home, the party remaining in the home shall not conduct a dating or sexual relationship within the home until a divorce is final and all financial and custody issues are resolved, unless the express permission is granted by the courts.

A few questions.

1) What incident came up that Senator Ross felt like he needed to file this bill?

2) How would they possibly enforce this?

3) Are they against couples trying to reconcile?

4) Aren't there bigger issues they could be dealing with?

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Sleeping In

Which day of the week are you most tired? I think the argument can certainly be made for Wednesday. You know it as hump day, smack dab in the middle of the week, a full 48 hours on either end from any semblance of the weekend.

If you're like me, you long for those weekend days where you can actually sleep in and not have to worry about an alarm. It feels like you're making up for the 5 days during the week where you have to get up early, right?

Well, maybe not.

According to the Journal of Neuroscience and TIME.com:

Missing sleep may lead to brain damage, according to new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience on Tuesday.

Many assume that naps and sleeping in on weekends can help you catch up on your “sleep debt,” but that strategy won’t fix the damage you’ve already done to your brain, says neuroscientist Sigrid Veasey from the University of Pennsylvania.


Inconsistent sleep patterns may be hurting your brain, and making up for lost sleep on the weekends doesn't help, according to new research. “This is the first report that sleep loss can actually result in a loss of neurons,” Veasey says.

Well that's disappointing. It's still going to feel freaking amazing to sleep in every chance I get.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Billy Joel...live! And slightly NSFW

One of the goals in my life is to memorize every word of "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. I've actually got a pretty good start on the song. I get up to "Trouble in the Suez" before I run into issues.

Anyways, it made me kind of happy to see Billy Joel struggle with the song THAT HE WROTE.

Check out the video here. And yes, there is some NSFW language.



Gotta love his candor. The worst melody he ever wrote. Classic.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Official state meats

I swear this week, with the tantalizing warm weather, I've been smelling charcoal grills even though there's not one lit anywhere near my vicinity.

That's what got me to click on this link: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2014/03/united_steaks_of_america_map_if_each_state_could_have_only_one_meat_what.html

If each state could only have one meat, what would it be? I immediately scrolled down to Wisconsin, and thankfully, the meat listed was bratwurst. Ok, the list is at least somewhat legit.

New York gets the hot dog, Texas gets brisket, Louisiana gets andouille sausage, Maine gets a surf and turf and California gets...tofu.

I love it.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cats suck.

1) I love that this made national news.

2) This confirms that cats are the worst.

Here's the story, via Reuters: (Reuters! Picking up a story about a cat. Must be a slow news day.)

A rampaging, 22-pound Oregon house cat with a "history of violence" attacked a baby and trapped a family and their dog in a bedroom at their Portland home before being captured by police, authorities said on Monday.

The Sunday evening incident began when the cat, a black-and-white Himalayan, scratched a 7-month-old baby in the face, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sergeant Pete Simpson.

The baby's father kicked the cat in the backside, which sent it into a rage, and the parents and baby, along with their dog, retreated into a bedroom as the father called police, Simpson said.

Meanwhile, the cat blocked the bedroom doorway and could be heard on the 911 call screeching loudly, Simpson said.

"He said that the cat has a history of violence," Simpson said, referring to the father speaking to the 911 operator.


When officers arrived and entered the house, they saw the cat scurry into the kitchen. After it scrambled atop the refrigerator, officers snared it and put it in a travel-style kennel, Simpson said.

Safely behind bars, the cat was left in the custody of the family, Simpson said. It was not clear what they intend to do with the animal, he said.

The baby suffered some scratches to the face but was not seriously hurt, Simpson said.

While cases of out-of-control dogs are relatively common, Simpson said, he could not recall in his 20 years with the Portland police a similarly ferocious feline.

Seriously. Cats are the worst.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Cosmos

I had seen a great deal of pre-promotion for the Fox show/reboot "Cosmos" that debuted last night with host Neil DeGrasse Tyson. It was one of those things where I was interested in the content matter, sure, but it was also that I felt like people would be talking about it today and I wanted to be up-to-date on the latest pop culture buzz. I feel like in my realms that it hasn't really taken off, but I have seen some people post on social media and people say they "meant to watch it" or "have it sitting on the DVR." So maybe it will be a slow build that starts to snowball into something more? Who knows.

Anyways, the show felt like I was a child at the planetarium. With animation, graphics and lots of colors, Tyson went about illustrating the history of the universe that felt more like a story than a lecture. It's science that you don't typically see on television these days, while the History and Discovery channels are being cluttered with Pawn This and Redneck That.


I found an interesting quote from Fox chairman Kevin Reilly, per the LA Times:

"Cosmos" may be an unusually intellectual project for mainstream TV, but it also grapples with subjects that are, in the most literal sense of the word, universal. And in an era of dwindling audiences, "Cosmos" is the type of bold event programming that networks are willing to try to retain viewers who might otherwise flee to cable or online services like Netflix.

It did strike me as bold, but I wouldn't qualify it as "appointment television" that one must watch week in and week out. But for those who are interested, they would be very captivated. Does that make sense? It's worth an hour of your time. 

Friday, March 7, 2014

Grilled Cheese Incident

It's Friday and it is Lent now, so I'm sure there's plenty of people who are going to be hitting up fish fries tonight or reverting to the old staple - grilled cheese and tomato soup. Grilled cheese, one of my favorites, but not all cheese sandwiches are created equal. A two year old girl in Ontario was suspended from her day care for three days after her parents sent her with a lunch that contained a cheese sandwich, which violated the day care's rules against outside food, which was in place because of food allergies. Three days for a flippin' cheese sandwich? Yeah, I understand allergies and everything, but what good does suspending a two-year old do? Teach the parents a lesson? You mean the same parents that are likely going to be looking for a new preschool, right?



Read more here: http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/food/ottawa-girl-2-brings-cheese-sandwich-to-daycare-gets-suspended/article/374730

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Drunken Gambling

I've never been to Vegas. But I don't think this is something I'd try. I've woken up mornings after nights out, and pulled a ATM receipt out of my pocket and was like "WHY DID I SPEND $50??" but $500,000? Jeepers.



Here's the story, according to CBS News:

A businessman who lost $500,000 on table games at a Las Vegas casino on Super Bowl weekend is arguing that he shouldn't have to pay because he was blackout drunk.
Southern California gambler Mark Johnston, 52, is suing the Downtown Grand for loaning him money and serving him drinks when he was visibly intoxicated.
Nevada law bars casinos from allowing obviously drunk patrons to gamble and from serving them comped drinks.
Johnston's attorney, Sean Lyttle, says the Grand, which opened last November in the old part of Las Vegas, intends to pursue Johnston for trying to shirk his gambling debts. Johnston put a stop-payment order on the markers, or casino credits, the Grand issued, and is also seeking damages from the Grand for sullying his name.
Johnston says he was thoroughly drunk during the hours he spent playing pai gow and blackjack at the Grand. His legal team plans to rely on eyewitness testimony and surveillance video to prove that he was visibly intoxicated.
Johnston lives in Ventura and made his fortune in car dealership and real estate ventures.
The Grand issued a statement saying it does not comment on pending litigation.
The state Gaming Control Board is investigating.

So let's gt this straight. His actions are excusable because he was drunk? What's to say his cold streak didn't cause him to have an extra cocktail or 12? I know what apparently Nevada law is supposed to prevent casinos from serving drunk patrons and allowing them to gamble, but shouldn't some of the onus be on Mr. Johnston here? 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Middle School Science Fair

I remember one of my middle school science fair projects dealt with how well people do on multiplication tables while listening to different types of music. Not all that riveting, I know.

There was no way I was gonna be able to demonstrate nuclear fusion, much less explain what the heck it even is.

For that reason (and probably many others), Jamie Edwards is way smarter than I'll ever be.

He goes to Penwortham Priory Academy in the UK, and was granted $3,350 to work on this project. The school actually gave him money!


Jamie Edwards

It takes quite a few specialty parts to build a reactor. Edwards had to order a vacuum chamber, vacuum pump, tungsten wire, an aluminum rod, and valves, among other supplies. One of the biggest challenges was tracking down and sealing leaks in the vacuum chamber. He also had to attend a radiation safety course before putting the reactor into operation.

Edwards has been keeping a blog during the project's development. He says his teachers started to get worried when a canister of deuterium (also known as heavy hydrogen) showed up via special delivery.

The ultimate goal was to smash together two hydrogen atoms to create helium through nuclear fusion. And Edwards pulled it off. BBC News was on hand to film the experiment's success, to which an excited Edwards said, "I can't believe it!"

Most kids these days seem dumber. No offense. But this kid makes me feel self conscious because I'm twice his age and he's twice as smart as I'll ever be.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Ellen

It seems like you can make the argument that Ellen DeGeneres is the new Oprah. For starters, she's recognizable by her first name alone. She's got a popular mid-day talk show that makes her millions of dollars, and she likes to give stuff to her audience. So if I'm ever in Burbank, California, it might be beneficial to stop by her show. After ordering pizza for everyone at the Oscars - and getting over 3 million retweets on a selfie, she hooked up everyone at her show yesterday with a Galaxy Note 3. I mean, it's not Oprah giving everyone a car, but still pretty legit.

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Oscars

The reason I wanted to make sure I got my Oscar picks in writing for the major categories on Friday was so I CAN GLOAT BIGTIME TODAY that I went 6 for 6. Yeah yeah, John Axford went 18 for 18. But I'm perfect too!

The cast of Ocean's Fourteen??

More thoughts on the Oscars:

1) Ellen was...ok. She is very likable but I'm not sure she's a natural on that stage. Her pre-planned bits (selfie, pizza, etc) were ok, but when she had to straight read off a cue card, she struggled. It didn't detract from the night, but there have been better Oscar hosts.

2) Matthew McConaughey is way better than just "alright, alright, alright." He's had a reinvented renaissance over the past few years, and deservedly captured the Best Actor award for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. His acceptance speech was a bit out of focus, but that kinda of played into who McConaughey used to be. It was a good effort at trying to explain his evolution as an actor, but his last few roles have been so damn good that we'll let it slide.

3) Why was Angelina Jolie waving during the selfie?

4) Gravity was technically amazing, and cleaned up all of those types of awards, but it wasn't the best picture. It feels like the Academy got this one right, and really, in my opinion, got all of the big awards right.