Team Supahero

Fingering Never Looked so Good

2011-04-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

By Judith Braun

More here

Ducks Caught In The Wind

2010-12-03T17:13:00.001-08:00

An incredible manifesto

2010-10-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Friends, I am delighted to share with you an incredibly moving manifesto from a Bishop in the Anglican Church regarding the subject of homosexuality. Wow. Click here to read it.

If only everybody was so minded...

Something to reflect upon in these days of war

2010-10-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just received this via email. I couldn't find it at Snopes, so I'm assuming for the moment that it is a true letter penned by an actual Holocaust Survivor, in which case, I think it makes for compelling reading.

>>> Begin forwarded message:

Subject: FW: A Holocaust Survivor's View on Islam

-----

This is one of the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well respected psychiatrist.

A Holocaust Survivor's View on Islam
A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march... It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.
Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, before it's too late.

Butts Arrested in Boob Murder

2010-10-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is the strangest news headline I have ever seen...
I know murder is horrible and shouldn't be funny, but
even though it's a terrible thing, you have to admit the
headline is odd and... well, funny. Poor Samuel Boob.

BUTTS ARRESTED IN BOOB MURDER

POTTER TOWNSHIP, CENTRE COUNTY - Police have arrested a third person in connection with the murder of Samuel Boob.

Boob was shot and killed at his home in Potter Township, Centre County, on the morning of August 23rd, 2009.

Kermit Butts, 26, of Madisonburg, is accused of driving the suspected killer to and from the crime scene on the morning of the killing. He was charged with aggravated assault and assisting a murder suspect and placed in the Centre County Prison.

Police believe that Butts drove Ronald Heichel to the Boob home and picked him up later in the day on August 23rd, 2009. Police believe Heichel shot Sam Boob twice with a shotgun and killed him. Heichel was charged with 1st degree murder.

The victim's wife, Mirinda Boob, is accused of working with Heichel to have her husband killed. Police say they have text messages that were sent between her and Heichel, proving that the two were working together to kill Samuel. She has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

SOURCE

Time is Beautiful

2010-09-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world is turning and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like it's standing still... The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. The entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour. And I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world.

- The Doctor in Rose (2005), BBC Doctor Who

Timelapse Montage from Mike Flores on Vimeo.

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

You have to have humour to work in maintenance...

2010-09-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe

sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The

mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form,

and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never

let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas'

pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S)

by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an

accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.

S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

+++

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

+++

P: Something loose in cockpit.

S: Something tightened in cockpit.

+++

P: Dead bugs on windshield.

S: Live bugs on back-order.

+++

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute

descent.

S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

+++

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

S: Evidence removed.

+++

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

S: DME volume set to more believable level.

+++

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

S: That's what they're for.

+++

P: IFF inoperative.

S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

+++

P: Suspected crack in windshield.

S: Suspect you're right.

+++

P: Number 3 engine missing.

S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

+++

P: Aircraft handles funny.

S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

+++

P: Target radar hums.

S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

+++

P: Mouse in cockpit.

S: Cat installed.

+++

And the best one for last..................

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget

pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget

If Birds on Wires were Music - Jarbas Agnelli

2010-07-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

I sent the music to the photographer, Paulo Pinto, who I Googled on the internet. He told his editor, who told a reporter and the story ended up as an interview in the very same newspaper.

Here I've posted a short video made with the photo, the music and the score (composed by the birds).

I got curious and had a look at some of Jarbas Agnelli's other videos were. Clever advert marketing with music here:

"Beethoven"/"Jaws"/"New York, New York" from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

What does a week mean to you? Although this is to advertise a weekly magazine, it made me wonder.

The Week from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

If Facebook were like Real Life

2010-06-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

1 Million Women For Climate Change

2010-06-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is an Australian project, but I don't see why women from anywhere can't sign up and learn how to reduce their carbon footprint. We women can instigate change. Believe in yourself and your own power to change the world!

1 Million Women - A campaign of daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers
- Committed to protecting our climate, our communities and our future, leading
change for the better.

Our goal is to inspire 1 million Australian women to take practical action on climate change by cutting 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse pollutant causing global warming.

Every woman who joins has a personal goal to cut 1 tonne of CO2 from their daily lives within a year of joining the campaign.

Here on our 1 Million Women website you'll be guided through ways to cut your 1 tonne, and to track your progress as you go along. You don't have to be an expert on climate change. Just join up and we'll guide you every step of the way. 1 Million Women - a million tonnes of CO2. It's a huge challenge. With your help, we will make it happen.

Check out the Ambassadors of this project.

Getting involved in 1 Million Women is easy - simply join, work out the activities that you can do to help, and follow the steps to start reducing carbon emissions. The goal of "1MillionWomen" is to empower 1 Million Women to collectively cut 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas pollutant triggering climate change.

When you join, you will be taken to a selection of CO2 cutting activities covering your household, food, cars and getting around, flights, shopping and renewable energy.

Select activities that work for you and start cutting CO2 now. To stay on course to reach your 1 tonne saving, track your progress within the activity centre. By registering, you are joining daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers inspiring climate action.

1MillionWomen: Get Involved.

2-year-old boy smokes 40 cigarettes a day...

2010-05-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

This 2-year-old Sumatran boy smokes two packets of cigarettes (that's 40 fags!) a day. He began his puffing when he was 18 months old, but his dad, Mohammad Rizal, is not worried because he thinks his son, young Ardi, "looks healthy".

"He cries and throws tantrums when we don't let him smoke. He's addicted," the father said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, I understand that we should cut this kid some slack because he must be bored growing up in a small fishing village with no Nintendo, broadband, cable and iPhone, but this is ridiculous. I would never let my 2-year-old smoke more than one pack a day.

.

School's Webcam Espionage

2010-05-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

School allegedly uses students' laptop webcams for espionage, lawsuit ensues

By Ross Miller

Hold onto your butts, kids, we've got a doozy of a story. Let's take this one slow: a class-action lawsuit has been filed in Pennsylvania accusing the Lower Merion school district of "unauthorized, inappropriate and indiscriminate remote activation" of webcams in laptops issued to students, without prior knowledge or consent. The tale begins when Assistant Principal Lindy Mastko of Harriton High School informed a student that he was "engaged in improper behavior in his home"; the suit alleges that when pressed for details, Mastko told both the boy and his father that the school district could remotely activate the webcam -- a capability that is apparently being used.

The school district has yet to respond to the accusations, so at this point we've only got the plaintiff's side of the story -- for all we know this kid took a picture of himself and somehow accidentally uploaded it on the school network. Then again, some purported Lower Merion students just emailed Gizmodo and claimed that their MacBooks' green webcam lights went on at random times, but they were told by IT support that it was just a technical glitch. Holy alleged invasion of privacy, Batman, this could get mighty interesting. PDF of the complaint available below.

Update: The Lower Merion School District superintendent Christopher McGinley has issued an official response on its website, acknowledging "a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops." Going further, he says the district " has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever" but that the matter is "under review."

Boing Boing, WHYY

Lawsuit (PDF), Gizmodo

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Ghost in the Machine

2010-04-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the days of tape cassettes? Turning them over at the end of the side, the endless winding, the stretched tape after so much use. CDs felt revolutionary.

Erika Iris Simmons gives cassette tapes a new lease of life.

See more...

Obesity Competition

2010-03-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

To honour International Women's Day, a shopping mall
in Shenyang (in China's Liaoning Province) held an
obesity competition.

I am amused (and horrified) by the fact that of all
the ways to celebrate women, the organizers picked
excess fat and a reduction in life expectancy...

Strawberry Bus Stop

2010-03-05T23:33:00.000-08:00

Why isn't this outside my home?

.

Stop Motion Animation

2010-02-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

This was a classic case of beginning reading twitter, then ending up going through half a dozen related tweets and people, and spotting this video recommended amongst them. Oddly enough, my guides (girl scouts) did some stop motion animation with plasticine only the other week, but this is really great.

Curry

2009-12-13T02:43:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love a good curry? Gosh, this is amusing. I must update with real things soon! Sorry, amigos...

-- PAMMY

NATAL CURRY CONTEST
If you can read this without blowing a piston then there's no hope foryou.
I was balling by the end. Note: Please take time to read this slowly.
For those of you who have lived in Natal, you know how typical this is. They
actually have a Curry Cook-off about June/July. It takes up a major portion
of a parking lot at the Royal Show in PMB.
Judge #3 was an inexperienced food critic named Frank, who was visiting from
America.
Frank: 'Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a Curry Cook-off.
The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be
standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Beer Garden
when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges
(Natal Indians) that the curry wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they
told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted'.
Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CURRY # 1 - SEELAN'S MANIAC MONSTER TOMATO CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice smooth tomato flavour. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy XXXX, what the hell is this stuff? You could
remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames
out. I hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy.

CHILI #2 - PHOENIX BBQ CHICKEN CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of chicken. Slight chilli tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm
supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to
give me the Heimlich manoeuvre! They had to rush in more beer when they saw
the look on my face.

CURRY # 3 - SHAMILA'S FAMOUS 'BURN DOWN THE GARAGE' CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse curry. Great kick.
Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of chilli peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call 911. I've located a uranium's pill. My nose feels like I
have been snorting Drain Cleaner. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me
more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone
is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting XXXXed from all the beer.

CHILI # 4 - BABOO'S BLACK MAGIC BEAN CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Black bean curry with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or
other mild foods, not much of a curry.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to
taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Shareen, the beer maid, was
standing behind me with fresh refills. That 200kg woman is starting to look
HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chilli an aphrodisiac?

CHILI # 5 LALL'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong curry. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding
considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Average beef curry, could use more tomato. Must admit the chilli
peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can
no longer focus my eyes. I XXXXed and four people behind me needed
paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chilli
had given me brain damage.
Shareen saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from
the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really XXXXes me off
that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them.

CHILI # 6 - VERISHNEE'S VEGETARIAN VARIETY...
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety curry. Good balance of spices
and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. I am definitely going to XXXX myself if I XXXX and I'm
worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind
me except that Shareen. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass
with a snow cone ice-cream.

CHILI # 7 - SELINA'S 'MOTHER-IN-LAW'S-TONGUE' CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre curry with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chilli
peppers at the last moment. (I should take note at this stage that I am
worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is
cursing uncontrollably).
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I
wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like
it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with curry, which slid
unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At
least, during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop
breathing- it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If
I need air I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILI # 8 - NAIDOO'S TOENAIL CURLING CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending. This is a nice blend curry. Not too bold
but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced curry. Neither mild nor
hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 XXXXed, passed out,
fell over and pulled the curry pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's
going to make it. Poor man, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot curry?
Judge # 3 - No Report.

The seller has been included with the shipping fee!

2009-12-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!
I was trawling Ebay for a kelly green cardigan
today when I found this gem.

Great deal. Special offer. One time only.
THE SELLER HAS BEEN
INCLUDED WITH THE SHIPPING FEE!

The problem is... I've noticed that shipping is FREE.
Now, does this mean I get the seller for free, or does it
mean the seller is not included because there is no fee?

If the latter applies, then I call bullshit.
Way to get my hopes up, false advertising!!!

Words for women to live by

2009-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

Words for Women to Live By J

1. Aspire to be Barbie - the bitch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every colour.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt... A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don't get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you walk funny.

11. When life gives you lemons in 2009 - turn it into lemonade then mix it with vodka.

12. Remember, wherever there is a good looking, sweet, single or married man there is some woman tired of his bullshit!

13. Keep your chin up, only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

14. If it has Tyres or Testicles it's gonna give you trouble.

15. By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

'Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there' 'Remember yesterday, dream about tomorrow, but live for today'.

MOVEMBER

2009-11-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

Hi there, all supaheros!

I have decided to support Movember this year by signing up as an official Mo Sista.

During Movember (once known as November), men put down their razors for 30 days and grow a moustache with the aim of raising funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. The role of a Mo Sista is to support the Mo Bros in their life – brothers, boyfriends, Dads, uncles, cousins, husbands – and help them to raise funds.

What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved this year and I am hoping you will support me as I try and raise funds.

To support me and the Mos in my life, you can either:

•    Click this link http://au.movember.com/mospace/123243/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account
•    Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 123243 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181.

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

To find out more information on Movember, check out http://au.movember.com.

Thank you in advance for supporting my on my Movember journey as a Mo Sista.

Pamela Andrews

A little wisdom for you

2009-10-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. Here goes...

My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car.

He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet.

"In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it."

At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in:
"Oh, bull----!" she said. "He hit a horse."

"Well," my father said, "there was that, too."

So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbours all had cars -- the Kollingses next door had a green 1941Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth , the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none.

My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines , would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together.

My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain, and that was that.

But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't sure which one of us would turn 16 first.

But, sure enough , my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown.

It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car.

Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother.

So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once.

For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work.

Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage.

(Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire time.)

He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church.
She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home.

If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast" and "Father Slow."

After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored."

If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?"

"I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.

"No left turns," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic.

As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn."

"What?" I said again.

"No left turns," he said... "Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."

"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support.
"No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works."
But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."

I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing.

"Loses count?" I asked.

"Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."

I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.

"No," he said " If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving.. That was in 1999, when she was 90.

She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102.

They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had never had one.. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.)

He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died.

One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news.

A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer."

"You're probably right," I said.

"Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated.

"Because you're 102 years old," I said.

"Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day.

That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night.

He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said:
"I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet."

An hour or so later, he spoke his last words:

"I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have."

A short time later, he died.

I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long.

I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life,
Or because he quit taking left turns. "

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. & if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it."

Fighting Your Moral Decay With Censordyne

2009-09-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you guys know about this, but the Australian Government is spending $44 million on a "safer internet for Australia". They're trying to put into place some great big censorship which will PROTECT the wee babes of Australia from accidentally clicking onto something untoward when their parents aren't supervising their computer time. Yes, that's right. First, they're stupid enough to think that they can censor the internet and that the rest of us won't find some way around it, but secondly, they're dumb enough to spend $44 million creating an "internet filter" which will be rendered ineffective approximately an hour after it's finished, due to the ever-changing nature of the internet. Waaaayyyyyy to go, Australian Government. Of course, being Australians and living in a country that is utterly perfect, we have absolutely no need for that $44 million to be channelled into something useful, like, I don't know... upgrading medical facilities, looking after our elderly, getting kids off the streets, improving education, helping the homeless... We don't have problems like that in Australia, you see, so we have to spend all of our hard-earned dollars on creating a filter for a problem that we don't have.

Sarcasm aside, there's a FANTASTIC website that really puts into words how Australia really feels about the whole debacle. Ladies and Gentleman of the Internet, I give you:

CENSORDYNE.

Before we had the internet the world was a peaceful and safe place. Now with the internet it's mean and nasty.

Some sources tell us that the boogy monster actually lives in the internet.

From dentists, to news sources, to private conversations, there is plenty to be scared of online.

But don't worry, here at the Federal Government we have been working hard to protect you from the internet and that's why we've created Censordyne.

The internet is an amazing place. But here at the Federal Government we think it's a little too amazing.

That's why we've developed Censordyne - a mandatory way to censor the internet.

Censordyne lets the Government decide what you can and can't do online. From what you buy to how you communicate and even what you read.

Censordyne, developed in our secret Internet laboratory:

Offers protection against fast Internet
Is mandatory, for a cleaner feed
Reduces your democratic protections
Pretends to fight moral decay

All with a fresh multi-million dollar flavour.

A rather graphic TV advertisement

2009-08-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the British have got the right idea. In the local newspaper at home in Tasmania, they're debating the merits of showing this ad on Tasmanian television. I say DO IT! This ad frightens the willies out of me, and I don't text while driving! The next time you're a passenger in a car and the driver pulls out their phone, demand that they stop the car and let you get out to walk! Tell them that you're not prepared to ride in a car driven by a suicidal maniac.

Ever yours,
PAMMY

Sourced from an email

2009-08-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to
ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

Do you remember when you were a kid; playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in the world did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or faq's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say"

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this.It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my itunes.

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@stard before dinner.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

I wonder if cops ever get p1ssed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-------------
- PAMMY

The wonders of the pentatonic scale

2009-08-12T12:49:00.001-07:00

Neuroscience and music colliding.

I so want to try this out.

Typography

2009-08-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

STFU, I'm Laughing

2009-07-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have never been quite so entertained in my entire life as I have been this last twenty-four hours, having discovered such gems of websites. Oh my dear lord.

It began with Josh Groban's twitter feed and one of his latest tweets (cos me and Joshie G are "like this"). It was simple. All he did was post a link: Awkward Family Photos Nearly died laughing. Cannot tell you how much time I spent laughing at all the photos. I think it's the denim photos, especially. There's one of a couple looking lovingly and erotically into each other's eyes, and the denim jackets that they're wearing are just revolting. Oh my god, funny.

Then, my brother linked me to this: Passive-Aggressive Notes Holy hell! Hilarious! I mean, there are the normal type (normal type?!) of weird notes, which are badly spelled, not punctuated at all and just plain crazy, but then, there are also passive-aggressive notes from people that you can just tell are normally very reasonable people but have been pushed over the edge. I especially liked the SMS about the alarm clock. That was very clever.

All of these websites tend to link to other websites, of course, and then I discovered these:

STFU, Believers A collection of screen-shots that people have sent in, where crazy religious believers have plastered their beliefs all over their Facebook posts.

STFU, Marrieds The same thing as above, only with Smug Marrieds (to quote Bridget Jones' Diary), or people who are so smug in their relationships that they may as well be married. Be warned - it's nauseating.

STFU, Parents The same as above, only with Facebook posts from people who used to be interesting but now have babies and like to update their statuses about their babies' poo.

I feel that these three are a little more genuine than the next two, due to the comma thing.

STFU Jezebel Apparently this blog makes fun of a blog called Jezebel. I have never encountered Jezebel. Am I missing something?

STFU Marrieds With Babies And this blog... Well, this blog is empty altogether! Sadness...

And this blog's header made me laugh. It's called: STFU, I BLOG ABOUT ANYTHING I WANT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

No, no, thank YOU very much.

Enjoy.

xoxo
Pam

Hammered Dulcimer

2009-07-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

I really want to procure a hammered dulcimer and learn to play it, but can't find a single store in Singapore that sells one. Figures.

This woman plays it beautifully.

Derren Brown

2009-07-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be familiar with the British illusionist Derren Brown, perhaps because I might have subjected you to youtube videos or articles. He has turned his hand to stunts from psychologically influencing a group of business people to take a toy gun and hold up a bank security van in a street on a whim, to a seance, where you forget he's telling you what utter tosh it is, because you too get wrapped up in the trick. He even went to America, where he was unknown, and tricked alien investigators, psychics, and religious groups. Its all fairly intellectual with a slant of humour, and he's easy on the eye to look at.

After discovering my boss was almost equally fanatical about the man, we have also subjected colleagues to the amusement of his blog (in a similar way to Team Supahero, it is blogged by a team of people including Brown). One of his more amusing posts of late was a video from his dressing room. A proud owner of the Iphone and an mac air, he also, as you will find, does a mean impression of Stewie from family guy while in the fridge...

His Blog
Art site - he paints very individual portraits

Little Boots

2009-07-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

May I share my listening choice of the moment, UK artist Little Boots.

Little Boots on Last.fm

She has, regrettably, been one of those artists that has penetrated the subconscious through media promotion, rather than a lady I've stumbled across. Yey for her promoters, but I must admit I do like discovering musicians through other means, as it tends to feel a lot more satisfying.

Still, that fact is nothing to take away from Little Boots who has written some much more wholesome and interesting melodies and lyrics than Lady GaGa and her bloody Poker Face.

Mathematics is a difficult thing
I never understood what was the missing link
And by the time I calculated the correct solution
The question had escaped me and so did the conclusion

So tell me everything must always equal two
Or nothing else is true
And I'll believe you
Cos your X is equal to my Y
But equations pass me by

So will you take just a little of my mind and subtract it from my soul
Add a fraction of your half and you'll see it makes me whole
Multiply it by the times that we've never been apart
You'll see nothing can divide just a heart plus a heart

A little of my mind
Take it from my soul
A fraction of your half
See it makes me whole
And multiply the times
Never be apart
Cos nothing can divide a heart plus a heart

Don't know my Fibonacci or Pythagoras
But the only formula I know will work for us is that
When we're together in the sum of our parts
It's far greater than what we added up to at the start

So tell me everything must always equal two
Or nothing else is true
And I'll believe you
Cos your X is equal to my Y
But equations pass me by

So will you take just a little of my mind and subtract it from my soul
Add a fraction of your half and you'll see it makes me whole
Multiply it by the times that we've never been apart
You'll see nothing can divide just a heart plus a heart

A little of my mind
Take it from my soul
A fraction of your half
See it makes me whole
And multiply the times
Never be apart
Cos nothing can divide a heart plus a heart

A heart plus a heart

Take just a little of my mind and subtract it from my soul
Add a fraction of your half and you'll see it makes me whole
Multiply it by the times that we've never been apart
You'll see nothing can divide just a heart plus a heart

A little of my mind
Take it from my soul
A fraction of your half
See it makes me whole
And multiply the times
Never be apart
Cos nothing can divide a heart plus a heart

Buffy vs. Edward Cullen

2009-06-22T16:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, as a Buffy fan, this amuses me to NO end. Zomg.

- MEGHAN

Harry Potter The (Unofficial, Not-For-Profit) Musical

2009-06-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

I really shouldn't be enjoying this ... but I am. I'm only up to Act 1 Part 4, and it is hilarious. Cleverly written, brilliant characters, and "awesome" songs.

Harry Potter The Musical Act One Part One

I would have posted the video, but:
1) I don't know how coz I've never tried; and
2) I don't have a YouTube account because technically I'm not supposed to watch YouTube videos at home because our monthly download allowance doesn't stretch far enough between six people and six computers.

Belgian Teen Sues Over 56 Star Tattoos On Face

2009-06-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

A Belgian teenager has been left with 56 stars inked on her face after allegedly falling asleep in a tattoo artist's chair.

Kimberley Vlaminck, 18, claims her father paid for her to receive three stars near her left eye.

But the teen says she fell asleep while her dad ate ice cream outside, before awakening to discover half her face covered in 56 black stars.

"My father wanted to pay because in our family everyone has a tattoo," the Telegraph reported Ms Vlaminck as saying.

"When he started to tattoo me, I did not feel pain and I fell asleep. I awoke as he tattooed me on the nose and I saw what he had done.

"I cannot go out on to the street, I am so embarrassed … I just look ugly, a freak, mutilated."

The family is seeking $18,400 in damages to pay for laser removal of the "nightmare" inking.

But Rouslan Toumaniantz, who operates The Tattoo Box in the southeast city of Courtrai, claims he was only fulfilling his client's wishes and is demanding payment of $87 for the work.

"She was awake all the time," he said.

"I did not hypnotise or dope her, as they say — it was with agreement.

"No way could I have tattooed so many stars on her face against her will."

The artist said there was only conflict once Ms Vlaminck's shocked father saw the full extent of the tattoos that his daughter had requested.

SOURCE

Creepy But Cool #1

2009-06-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

Chinese Giant Salamander

Angler Fish

Axolot

Look at those eggs... And the tiny, tiny Betic Midwife Toad that laid them.

Bullfrogs

Cane Toad

Darwin Frog

Giant Squids

Hipster Olympics

2009-06-09T22:16:00.001-07:00

A gift from Natalie and I. Because hobos are the new unicorns.

- MEGHAN & NATALIE

BoonOakley.com

2009-06-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings from web company land. Want to see a novel way of using youtube? Why not put your whole website on it. Yes, host it on youtube.

Don't believe me?

BooneOakley.com

Creative media agency Boone Oakley have their whole site as videos on youtube. To add to this rather inventive presentation, they also have quite a humourous presentation of their creative talent, even if I haven't a clue what "The One" show is. (In the UK, "The One Show" is a weekday television programme on live at 7pm, by the BBC covering topical issues!)

I do wonder if the site will survive or die to internet hype....

Abandonned Places

2009-06-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

There's a lovely little community on livejournal that I flicked through about five months ago when they were on spotlight. However, I remembered these photos later when a colleague was talking about a music video he made when he was a DJ. It was in an abandoned mental hospital and had some creepy interesting things there.

Anyhow, the photos that I recalled were these ones, for a Russian hospital.

Creepy.

(link updated 16 June 2009 19:17 GMT. I missed off the l from html)

Spam/junk mail

2009-06-07T23:53:00.001-07:00

My friend Nick over here (currently offline - he's rebuilding it - bloody web designers) made me laugh recently when he responded to a few spam emails that he'd received recently, in which the sender promised him millions of dollars if they could only borrow his bank account for a little while. Well, I decided to keep track of my spam emails for a week or so and see what arrived. Unfortunately, nothing too interesting arrived (except for hundreds from an application on Facebook called "SpeedDate" - I don't EVER remember adding THAT), but these following emailers obviously have their hearts in the right place:

From: Roddy Larson
Subject: 1 week - 2 kilos off
Content: You'll tap any woman you want [link]

From: Minna Cardenas
Subject: Powerful growth formula
Content: Deeper penetration possible! [link]

From: Theodora Locke
Subject: Where her happiness lies
Content: You can notice: gray hair, wrinkles on your forehead, glasses for reading, the worst thing is ED! [link]

From: Desmond Robertson
Subject: The best thing is your wonderful drilling mastery in an hour after taking!
Content: New discounted pilules everyday. [link]

From: Joseph Roach
Subject: Get smashing love power
Content: Make your volcano erupt more lava [link]

Hilarious to me.

What I want to know is - what's E.D.?

Exhibitionists

2009-06-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

Imagine driving along the road, minding your own business, when this happens...

For Every Harry Potter Wannabe

2009-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Rather than post something truly geeky like Google Wave or the Tea Flash Game I found at work while we were looking for something today, I figured a more lighthearted but rather excellent flash game called Witches Brew was far more the cup of tea!

I started laughing when I realised how to do the fish bones in the last part, but I did get accusations that I was abusing a cat for the noise.

Witches' Brew

Cam Gigandet vs. Twilight Fans

2009-05-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Cam Gigandet vs. Twilight Fans from Cam Gigandet

Okay, so I found this just as I was running out the house, and practically ruined my makeup laughing so hard. It's not only funny in a normal Cam Gigandet vs. Twilighters way, but also on another level for some obvious reasons.

Watch and enjoy!

- MEGHAN

New Moon

2009-05-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

So, the other day, B accompanied me to a casting I had, and as we were wandering around, trying to find the production company, we passed an umbrella advertising everyone's favourite book of all time (not).

In case you were wondering, New Moon is actually a huge company that produces tinned abalone, amongst other canned goods and sauces.

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview

2009-05-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Just found a very amusing article to read that I thought you'd all enjoy. The link is here. And here's a taster, if you're not convinced by my taste in humour:

Prerequisites

Students must have completed at least two of the following.

ENG: 232WR—Advanced Tweeting: The Elements of Droll
LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less
ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking
ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming
ENG: 231WR—Facebook Wall Alliteration and Assonance
LIT: 202—The Literary Merits of Lolcats
LIT: 209—Internet-Age Surrealistic Narcissism and Self-Absorption

Required Reading Materials

Literary works, including the online table of contents of the Huffington Post's Complete Guide to Blogging, will serve as models to be skimmed for thorough analysis. Also, Perez Hilton's Twitter feed.

Tree Houses

2009-05-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I wanted a tree house more than most things in the world. Back then, in my flights of fancy, my tree house resembled the ones in Enid Blyton novels or the ultra-girly one in the film, Now And Then, that Samantha, Teeny, Roberta and Chrissy spent all summer saving up for. I never had a giant tree in my garden so this desire remained little more than a pipe dream.

Recently, while surfing the internet, I discovered tree houses that made my fantasy tree house look like it belonged in a tree ghetto.

- NATALIE

{CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE}

Beatboxing

2009-05-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

I misguidedly, attempted to learn beatboxing last year. I failed quite soon, but I will prevail, as its nice to have something to surprise people with.

Anyhow, I am always in awe of people who can make amazingly realistic noises with their mouths and voices. Just like ventriloquists and impressionists. So here's one I recently was shared.

Prefixes

2009-05-10T03:21:00.001-07:00

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1994/07/25/1994_07_25_082_TNY_CARDS_000367745

Jack Winter, Shouts & Murmurs, “How I Met My Wife,” The New Yorker, July 25, 1994, p. 82
Read the full text of this article. (Registration required.)
July 25, 1994 Issue

Keywords
English Language;
How I Met My Wife;
Marriage;
Parties;
Prefixes

ABSTRACT: SHOUTS AND MURMURS about man who describes meeting his wife at a party. In his description, he drops many prefixes. It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate. I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way. I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I'd have to make bones about it, since I was travelling cognito. Beknownst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn't be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do. Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion. So I decided not to rush it. But then, all at once, for some apparent reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make heads or tails of. So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings. Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had no time to prepare a promptu speech, I was petuous. She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savory char- acter who was up to some good. She told me who she was. "What a perfect nomer," I said, advertently. The conversation became more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.

The Better Twilight Movie

2009-05-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

If 'Twilight' Was 10 Times Shorter And 100 Times More Honest

http://www.cracked.com/article_16878_if-twilight-was-10-times-shorter-100-times-more-honest.html

Definitely worth the read. After suffering through the Twilight movie for a second time recently, reading this somehow made it more bearable.

- MEGHAN

My new celebrity Z-list crush

2009-05-07T20:18:00.001-07:00

Tim Minchin's poem Storm

2009-05-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Its worth the nine minute listen.

- KATE

Hedgehogs

2009-05-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Animals Pt. 1

2009-05-05T09:45:00.001-07:00

Amazing Photographs Pt. 1

2009-05-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Some interesting photographs I've picked up along the way...

- NATALIE

Disappearing Car

2009-05-05T05:13:00.000-07:00

Utterly pointless, but very cool all the same.

BBC News: Art student's car vanishing act

World's Funniest Commercials 2006

2009-05-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Self Defense Umbrellas

2009-05-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure what to think.

- NATALIE

The 'Umbuster'
DESIGNER: Sruli Recht
PRICE: US $330

This is an umbrella with an 'ergonomically positioned knuckle duster handle configuration'. It has been listed as a class 5 weapon in the US, and owning one requires a weapons and/or gun license.

'The Unbreakable Umbrella'
PRICE: US $179.95

The Unbreakable Umbrella comes in both the crook and straight knob handle varieties, and is legal all over the world. Although it is as strong as a steel pipe, it weighs only 775 g. Oh, and there's a video:

1900-555-FAIL

2009-04-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

A man checked into a hotel a business trip and was a bit lonely. He thought of one of those girls you see advertised in phone booths when you're calling for a cab. He popped into a phone booth near the hotel and found an ad for a girl calling herself Erogonique, a lovely girl, bending over in the photo. She had all the right curves in all the right places, beautiful long wavy hair, long graceful legs... Well, you get the picture! He copied the phone number and returned to his hotel. When back in the room he figures, what the hell, give her a call.

'Hello,' the woman said. God, she sounded sexy.

'Hi, I hear you give a great massage and I'd like you to come to my room and give me one... No, wait, I should be straight with you. I'm in town all alone and what I really want is sex. I want it hard, I want it hot, and I want it now. Bring implements, toys, rubber, leather, whips, everything you've got in your bag of tricks. We'll go hot and heavy all night; tie me up, cover me in chocolate syrup and whipped cream - anything you want! Now, how does that sound?'

She said, 'That sounds fantastic, but you need to press 9 for an outside line.'

LIOR

2009-04-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

I am going to see this man perform tonight.
For the third time in as many years.
You are very jealous, I know.
Time will cure your pain.
For now, just listen and enjoy.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Worst Blowjob Ever

2009-04-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on YouTube a couple years ago, don't remember HOW I got there or why, but it's pretty funny. Definitely more hilarious than gross if you're worried about watching it. Note to girls everywhere...this is probably not the way you want to do things.

- MEGHAN

ANZAC DAY

2009-04-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

I know the times on this blog are a bit screwy, but today, April 25, is ANZAC DAY in Australia.

ANZAC Day is celebrated in Australia on 25th April every year

in rememberance of the lost lives of our fighting forces in all wars.

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

LEST WE FORGET.

Make Art from Spam and other Viral Marketing

2009-04-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist to post twice in a day. Sorry. I came across this while I was writing my dissertation the other year, and it provided some time wasting for a while. You send in your spam email (or use a default one), and it will email you a link back, and you can create a piece of art with it.

http://www.spamrecycling.com

From memory its a site run by a German utilities company. Which leads me onto the next site. This is one shared from a colleague earlier in the year. Nokia has also taken part with the viral like marketing with the Unloader. You seemingly upload a document, it prints it out, and then you can watch it be destroyed in a variety of ways. I think the destruction is the same film every time, but I have not devoted too many geeky moments to looking at it yet.

http://www.the-unloader.com/

Finally, a really silly one. Viral marketing that now has its own catchphrase in British discussion. Compare the Market is a popular comparison website for insurance and such, and began a viral campaign of "Compare the Meerkat". A Meerkat explains on the adverts that people are getting the sites confused, but the marketing team went and made the site. Aleksandra (the meerkat) even has a facebook, and habitually updates his status and/or posts things once or twice a day.

It is an amusing place to spend ten minutes, and you'll be proclaiming that everything is "Simples" from then on.

http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/

Bat For Lashes Video & Typos Galore

2009-04-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

My brain-hand coordination has been awful today. Earlier on, I went to comment on Kate's Facebook status and meant to say, "It [Bat For Lashes' music] is truly fantasmo" and wound up typing "They are truly fantasmo." Because in my head, rather than the word 'music', there was a picture of eyelashes and there were obviously more than one . Then after hitting reply, I thought, "Wait... WHAT?" And then commented again saying I meant 'it is' instead of 'they are'. Then I almost commented a third time to say, "Oh but actually, the first sentence could be read as they (Bat For Lashes) are, so ignore my second comment because you probably don't realise what I'm talking about." But before I hit send, I remembered that Bat For Lashes is only Natasha Khan and there is no 'they', so just what kind of crack am I on?

Earlier on, I also said to my friend, "he's a slut" after she told me there was this skank continually hitting on her boyfriend. And she got slightly offended and I had no idea why till I realised my 'he' was actually missing a crucial 's' at the start.

And, talking to Meghan on AIM, I just, not 2 seconds ago, called Maximus "Maximum".

To console myself, I went on a search for typos that would make me look like the Grammar & Spelling Queen of the Internet.

Anyway, I'm glad Kate posted that Bat For Lashes update because it reminded me of this odd video I saw last year. I don't even known why it creeps me out but it kind of does every time I watch it - especially when those 'animals' come riding their bicycles out of nowhere, then start jumping around on their bikes and slinking back behind her. It's reminiscent of how giant robots and animatronic creatures freaked me out when I was a kid.

Kinetic Sculpture

2009-04-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of thing I could just stare at for hours, amazed at how someone could even work out how to make them.

It's Okay To Be Gay

2009-04-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

While surfing the FunnyOrDie videos, I came across a couple regarding gay marriage and the supposed problem with that - star studded casts in both videos fighting to SAVE the union between men and women. Awesome satire going on, and after the shit Miss California pulled at the pageant, I thought these were pretty appropriate.

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... from Jack Black

Kind of makes me grateful to live in Canada. Well, more grateful.

- MEGHAN

Amazing innovation

2009-04-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Shuhei Endo & Laura Keeble

2009-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

I don't really want to double post in my personal blog AND Team Supahero as that's fairly redundant, so I'm just going to link to two of my blog posts containing things that I thought also belonged here. Whoooa. Cross-referencing. The multi-blog dilemmas begin.

Check them out:

Laura Keeble (Art)

Shuhei Endo (Architecture)

Funny. Interesting. I love them both!

- Natalie

The Good, The Bad and The 90s

2009-04-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

So after seeing PJ & Duncan (a.k.a. Ant and Dec) on that previous video Pam posted, I started thinking about all the good and bad music tha emerged from the 90s (mostly bad). I thought I'd start a little project in which we all post the songs we grew up with in the 90s. These songs aren't the songs YOU personally listened to and loved, but the ones you heard when you turned on the radio, the ones you danced to at every party, the ones you knew the lyrics to even though you despised them, and most of all, the ones that remind you of all the trauma and fun you had as a kid and teenager in that era.

I'll start off with my playlist and in the comments, list the songs that also apply to you. Then, think about the songs I did not have in mine, but that also shaped your 90s experience, and put them in your playlist!

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

If any of the tracks don't work, it's because Mixpod killed them and not because I didn't test my playlist before posting it. I don't know why but there are certain musicians who don't seem to want their songs used in this manner, so only remixes and live versions of their songs can be found. When someone uploads the original, it gets deleted rather quickly. Not sure if I picked any such songs...

There are two versions of 'Missing' by Everything But The Girl in my playlist because if I had to pick ONE SONG of the 90s that encapsulates the decade for me, it would be 'Missing'. The first version is one of the remixes, and the second version is the original track. I'm rather annoyed because Mixpod does not seem to have the specific Todd Terry remix of the song that I'm after, as that's the one that was the most popular at my school.

Oh and in case "Close To You" by Fun Factory did not sufficiently blow you away, here is another version of the song, complete with extra rapping. It is a fine masterpiece of a music video if I do say so myself. I mean, those sweet 90s dance moves. How will you ever pick your jaw off the floor and recover from the amazement?

HELPFUL MIXPOD TIPS

1. To create a playlist, go to Mixpod.com. You will find that hundreds of options pop up after you key in the title of a song. Which oh which will you select? Well, I have found that the songs that are NOT uploaded to Youtube load faster (they usually have a picture of a blank silver CD next to them, as opposed to the Youtube music, which has different colourful images). Of course, not all the blank silver CD tracks load equally fast so you usually have to play a few to see which loads the best. The fastest ones have loading bars that zoom to the end quite quickly. If a song seems to pause every few seconds when you play it due to the slow loading speed, it is best to pick another one (unless it just so happens that your own internet connection is extremely slow, and thus, all songs load slowly as a result).

2. Sometimes, a track doesn't have any versions with the blank silver CD icon, and all the versions are slow-loading Youtube ones. It's up to you but personally, I just wind up chucking out the song coz if it's going to take forever to load when I play the Mixpod, I get frustrated.

3. When you are customising your Mixpod, go to "Settings" and nix the autoplay, because if all our Mixpods autoplayed, our blog would be in trouble.

LOVE,

NATALIE

P.S. Wow. I actually managed to use all 5 blog categories in one post!

The Ugly Swan Song

2009-04-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the ability to embed videos of Susan Boyle from YouTube have all been disabled. Suck. Still, click on this link, amigos, and tell me what your first impressions of her eyebrows are.

Click me, click me! Me, me, me!

As for her singing, I offer my six years of tertiary education in the field of voice to say that she's OK, and she'll sell a lot of CDs. The new Paul Potts!

Goateesaver

2009-04-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

The Goateesaver by Scott Bonge

I saw the words 'goatee' and 'save' in the same word and thought: uh oh, no good can come out of this. Scott Bonge does not disappoint.

"Tired of the constant struggle every morning trying to get your goatee to look perfect? Goateesaver revolutionizes the way you shave and trim your goatee. Goateesaver can be customized to your face in seconds, with three easy adjustments. Just slide it over your mouth and shave to get the perfect look that women will admire and men will respect."
- Scott Bonge

It gets better.
There is a VIDEO!

- Natalie

Karl Lagerfeld & Sigrid Agren

2009-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Aloha!
I have something for you, Pammy.
A few moments ago, I was searching for something else when I stumbled upon this interview between Sigrid Agren (model) and your new idol, Uncle Karl. You are thrilled, I know.

Here you go...

Love, Natalie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Spring, during Paris Fashion Week, Karl Lagerfeld unleashed another youthquake on the runway-tight, militant, and black, with exaggerated shoulders reminiscent of the designer’s 80s signature indulgences. No, it wasn’t for Chanel, but for his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld. Originally founded in 1998 as Lagerfeld Gallery, the brand has served as a playground for Lagerfeld’s wilder fashion instincts. The latest collection was a rock-minimalist take on the not-so-near future, with mod motorcycle helmets-done in conjunction with the upscale French helmet company Les Ateliers Ruby- which came equipped with compartments for iPods. Budding supermodel Sigrid Agren opened the show wearing one such helmet. Earlier in the week, the 18-year-old Martinique native took a few minutes out of her fitting for the show to ask the world’s most famous designer a few questions about life and work. we followed Lagerfeld through his fitting as well as backstage on show day to get a glimse of how Karl Lagerfeld does Karl Lagerfeld.

Sigrid Agren getting her make-up done
for the Gucci Spring 2009 RTW show.

Karl Lagerfeld: Who has the idea to name you Sigrid?

Sigrid Agren: Actually, my father is Swedish…

Lagerfeld: Do you know that your name comes from a half-goddess in Northern mythology?

Agren: No, I didn’t know that. Okay, my turn to ask you a question: DO you have a favorite piece in the Fall 2009 Lagerfeld collection?

Lagerfeld: This I can only tell you when our show is over, because as long as the show isn’t over, you can never get an impression. But I love the details of the motorbike helmets. It is so difficult for me to say. My opinion can be completely different after a show.

Agren: I love the helmet. How did you get the idea to make that?

Lagerfeld: it looks like the huge hairdos from the 1960s, which everyone thinks are pretty ugly. So the helmet is like a huge amount of hair, made of fur. And it’s for your music, because there’s a holder inset for your iPod and room for earphones, too. The helmet works with the technology that is useful in daily life.

Sigrid wearing the helmet in question.

Agren: Very nice. Where does your inspiration come from when you’re working on a collection?

Lagerfeld: A collection is not just one basic idea. It comes from something that is in the
air, something you suddenly like and put down on paper and then work out. People today are so used to taking one theme and staying with it all the way. I don’t do that . its about cut, about construction. I wanted shoulder, but a new volume, so I made what I call the Big Shoulder. I’m more interested in working out technical ideas than I am in themes or illustrating a scene or a country or whatever.

Agren: If you could do anything in your life over again, what would it be?

Lagerfeld: I don’t want to do anything over again, ever again. I want only to do what I haven’t done. There’s no “again.” There’s only the future. I hate the past – especially my own past.

Agren: is there anything you haven’t done that you’d like to?

Lagerfeld: Hmm…yes. I have got to stay with what I’m doing now…(hits hand on table) this collection…(hits hand on table) photography…(hits hand on table) books. There are three jobs for one person and that is okay for me.

Agren: What’s your favorite music right now?

Lagerfeld: It depends on the genre, but, for the moment, I like the latest Scissor Sisters CD. I also just got this CD of Yoko Ono and her son, who make very interesting music together.

Agren: Do you have an all-time favorite musician who you’ve loved forever?

Lagerfeld: Yes. Some of the musicians from the ‘60s, because there has been nothing better than them since, you know? What I like about music is the songs you can remember the lines of in a single second. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones… You can remember every line to their songs. But today, how often do you remember any of the lines to songs? I mean, I know Lily Allen’s last album is called IT’s Not Me, It’s YOU. (both laugh) But I don’t know how the songs go.

Agren: Where do you feel most at home?

Lagerfeld: Wherever I am now. Here

Agren: Here? At the fittings?

Lagerfeld: Yes, I don’t have the notion of the feeling “home,” or “Heimat,” as the Germans say. That doesn’t exist for me. I bring myself with me wherever I go, so it’s okay.

Agren: Okay. How do you look when you wake up?

Lagerfeld: That’s why I sleep alone. My hair is curly, and that’s why I have my ponytail. I look like a madman, like something out of a horror movie! But im very impeccable and clean before I go to bed. It’s just like right before I’m going out. When I was a child, my mother always told me that you could wake up in the middle of the night and be deathly sick, so you always have to be impeccable. I laugh about it now, but I think everyone should go to bed like they have a date at the door.

Sigrid's second look during Karl Lagerfeld Fall 2009.

Agren: What advice would you give me on becoming a supermodel?

Lagerfeld: That’s very difficult. I’m not a girl, but for a supermodel, my advice is that it’s based on… (hits hand on table) no justice. Its not because you want to be a supermodel, or because your mother thinks you’re a hundred times better than Claudia Schiffer. You can be a model like yourself, very elegant and chic, or you can become a kind of advertising PR person, like Heidi Klum. You can do whatever you want, but it isn’t really your choice. You want to know what the real secret is?

Agren: Tell me.

Lagerfeld: Its not being perfect. What one needs is a face that people can identify in a second. That’s why the girls who were famous in the ‘90s can still work for advertising. People know their faces. The little blonde Russian, Sasha (Pivovarava), has a face people can remember instantly, but for other models today, people think, Is she this one or that one? It’s very difficult, but, you see, in fact there is no advice, because all circumstances are very different. It depends on what you are ready to give, the kind of life you bring, what may be exciting or disappointing… You can’t accuse anyone of not doing enough to help you, because, besides yourself, there’s nothing anyone can do. You have to be given what’s needed by nature, and what’s needed is to bring something new. But it’s the most… (hits hand on table) unjust… (hits hand on table) thing in the world.

Agren: Thank you so much, Karl.

Lagerfeld: Well, it’s true, isn’t it?

Sigrid and Karl during the finale.

Birthday Calculator

2009-04-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

Click on the link to see your BIRTHDAY CALCULATIONS,
then leave the bits you find most interesting as a comment.

A Smile That Explodes

2009-04-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

Only one song this time - it's chill.
I've been listening to this a lot.

{Click the PLAY button on the boombox.}

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

- Natalie

P.S. I am going to reply to your email tomorrow B!

Haven't had time. Sozzz.

33 Hours Of Hell, But I'm Finally An Aunty

2009-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

-- PAMMY

Twilight Trailer Spoof

2009-04-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

After going out yesterday and seeing about seven or eight different girls in 'My Boyfriend Is A Vampire' shirts, or 'I <3 Edward', I felt the need to make fun of it again. I don't know how I originally loved Twilight so much, and now the very thought of it makes me criiiiinge! Enjoy and marvel in the Twilight bashing!

- Meghan

Bang! BANG!

2009-04-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

The perils of shooting for Vogue Italia.
Starring Jessica Stam.

Love,
Natalie

MixPod

2009-04-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Was curious about Natalie's MixPod and have fallen in love with the website. Hope you enjoy these tracks that I've been listening to lately. I think they're all beautiful!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

- PAMMY

A Low Impact Woodland Home

2009-04-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

((Note from Pammy: I think this is amazing. I hope Simon Dale doesn't mind me posting it here... I can't get how beautiful it is.))

SimonDale.net

You are looking at pictures of a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.

Some key points of the design and construction:

Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring...)
Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
Water by gravity from nearby spring
Compost toilet
Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. Oh and by the way I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around inbetween. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.

This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage. To read more about why we did it and why this is an important option to meet the challenges of climate change and peak oil, click here.

I Want A Dog Like This!

2009-04-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Jasmine, the rescue dog who has become a surrogate mother for the 50th time

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:11 PM on 31st December 2008

Perfect mum: Jasmine the greyhound with Bramble, the roe deer she is currently caring for

When Jasmine the abandoned greyhound arrived at a wildlife sanctuary shivering and desperate for food, she needed all the love in the world to nurse her back to full health.

Now it appears the kindness and patience shown to her has rubbed off - for the rescue dog has become a surrogate mother for the 50th time.

Seven-year-old Jasmine is currently caring for tiny Bramble, an 11-week-old roe deer fawn found semi-conscious in a nearby field.

She cuddles up to her to keep her warm, showers her with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur. In short, the perfect foster mum.

But then again, she has had plenty of practice, having cared for five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and even 15 rabbits.

Jasmine was brought to the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary by the police in 2003, having been found dumped in a garden shed.

She was cold, filthy and malnourished. It took a few weeks for her to fully trust staff at the centre but with tender loving care she was nursed back to full fitness.

Five years on, Jasmine is now the one looking after stray waifs.

Geoff Grewcock, who runs the sanctuary, said: 'She simply dotes on the animals as if they were her on, it's incredible to see.

'She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but
to settle into their new surroundings.

'As soon as an animal is brought in, she walks over takes a sniff or two and then licks and cuddles them.

'It is quite amazing, particularly as she is a greyhound breed and they are usually quite aggressive, That is why they are used for racing.

Jasmine with another one of her 'babies'. She has cared for 15 rabbits in total

'Jasmine was abused when she was younger, the police brought her to us after discovering her whimpering in a garden shed.

'She was very nervous around us, she was caked in mud and dust and very thin. It took a while but gradually she got used to us and has been at the centre ever since.

'Having been neglected herself, it's a real surprise to she her show so much warmth and affection to other creatures.

'It's not just animals, she is great which children too, she is such a gentle, big-hearted dog.'

Bramble the fawn arrived at the centre two months ago after a dog walker came across her in a field dazed and confused.

Until she is old enough to be released back into the wild, she will continue to be cared for by Jasmine.

Geoff added: 'They are inseparable at the moment, Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other.

Happy family: Pictured from left to right are Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl, and Jasmine

'They walk together round the sanctuary. It's absolutely marvellous. It's a real treat to see them.

'But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits which greyhounds usually chase down the track.

'I remember we had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line, one was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross.

'They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee.

'Then he fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.

'She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose.

'It's very touching. Her maternal instincts take over all the time.'

SOURCED FROM: The Daily Mail and Snopes

- PAMMY

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

2009-04-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Sleepy time.

I offer you my bed bugs and this bedtime playlist.

Love,
Natalie

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

P.S. Pammy I have some vintage Team Supahero stuff I dug up for you.
Will show you later when I see you online. Bonne nuit!

Animal Wigs

2009-04-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Found these on my computer an hour ago.

I forgot I'd even saved them.

Is it horrifying that I actually want one?

- NATALIE

Harry Pothead

2009-04-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

"Hogwart's up in smoke!

19-year-old Jamie Waylett, more famously known as school bully Vincent Crabbe in the Harry Potter movies was arrested on Tuesday in London for marijuana possession! And lots of it!

The Harry Pot~~ter~~Smoker star was caught by Westminster police with eight bags of the wacky weed in his Audi!

Officers swooped on Waylett and a friend in a car after the occupants "were thought to be behaving suspiciously."

It wasn't until police searched Waylett's home that almost $3,000 in marijuana plants were found growing in the young actor's bedroom!!!

Talk about a buzz kill!

Waylett has since been bailed out from jail, but no doubt the stoner's legal troubles are far from over!"

Article from PerezHilton.com (yes, I read Perez, shut up)

- MEGHAN

Team Supahero

2009-04-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Team Supahero is essentially:

Bryony Thorpe
Meghan Hanley
Natalie Faye
Pamela Andrews
Kate Davies

5 girls, 1 blog.

You are horrified. We see.

The members of Team Supahero come from both hemispheres of the globe, and even the equator. We're from Canada, Australia, England and Singapore, and are probably tighter than a virgin's daughter. The brainchild of Natalie and Pammy, this blog was set up to help us keep in touch and tickle us in our spare time.

The rule of the game is simple: in every entry, post about anything under the sun, so long as it falls under one of the following categories...

- BEAUTIFUL

- INTERESTING

- FUNNY

- ANNOYING

- HORRIFYING

And if the rest of us don't think so, that team member gets voted off the island.

Kidding.

I think.

Well, cats, that's about it.

Team Supahero OUT...

(...saving the world from the forces of evil, and, you get the idea.)