In 1960, a baby lion was purchased by a couple of guys (John Rendall and Ace Berg) in a department store (yeah - I guess they sold lions at department stores back then). They named him Christian. For years they raised him as their pet, but when Christian got too big to care for, John and Ace worked with a conservationist to reintroduce Christian back into the wild in Africa. After a year, John and Ace went back to Africa to find Christian, even though many people told them that the he would never recognize them and that it would be too difficult to find him.

Well, they did! And the reunion is incredibly touching. How do I know? Well, videos of it have surfaced  on YouTube after over 30 years since then and have gained MILLIONS of views in recent weeks! Check out a re-mixed version of the video for yourself below (just hit the play button). In addition to being on The Today Show, video footage of the reunion also appeared on The View recently. This is just another example of how powerful user-generated content and YouTube can be!

As the below video says “love knows no limits and true friendships last a lifetime.” I can’t help but tear up a little watching this video. Simply incredible. (Sigh) I can’t wait to get a dog one day

Analogy - Media:Obama :: Lewinski:Clinton

Explanation: Last week I heard a primetime network news person declare, “Obamania is here to stay!” It’s not the first or last time such absurd media bias will show up on my TV screen. But anyway, what is this Obamania that’s evidently sweeping the nation? Well, let’s see, according to Webster’s:

• Mania - (1) A form of mental disorder marked by great elation and violent action. (2) An irrational and prolonged desire or enthusiasm.   

Ah! NowI understand why the media thinks Obama is the second coming of Jesus Christ - they’re suffering from mental illness. Have you been afflicted with this horrible new disorder? The media has caught it really, really bad, and the symptoms have been quite embarrassing for them. Just watch:

And the coverage has become a lot more pathetic this week since Obama’s been on his unbelievably arrogant, international coronation tour. But hey, look on the bright side - with all this Obama worship by the establishment media at least one industry is booming during these difficult economic times…I reckon demand for knee pads is skyrocketing!

Addendum: If you’re afraid you too may be suffering from Obamania, be on the look out for other common symptoms, including: a strong sense of entitlement to things you did not earn, and a firm belief that your shit doesn’t stink and you know what is best for everybody. 

There are millions of blogs on the web. They can come in a variety of forms and can cover a variety of different topics. Among these millions are many blogs focused solely on entertaining and intriguing their readers. I wanted to share a handful of blogs that I’ve come across in recent months that I hope will be as entertaining to you as they have been to me.

I have a bunch of additions to this list, but I lost my patience for blogging today (the Internet has been going painfully slow!). I’ll plan on a follow-up post in the near future…

Cute Overload - A blog filled with photos and videos of cute animals. Surely this blog will put a smile on your face any day.

Fail Blog - A blog from the “Cheezburger Network.” Every post includes a random photo or video of how something (or someone) failed. You’d be surprised at the things on this blog - funny stuff!

Passive Aggressive Notes - VERY popular blog surrounding everyday notes. In their words…”painfully polite and hilariously hostile writings from shared spaces the world over.” For example…

I Am Neurotic - A recommendation from Dan (appropriately), this blog compiles reader submissions detailing a variety of explanations and examples of why they feel they “are neurotic.” A recent example - ”every time i pee, i have to pinch myself to make sure i’m not dreaming, as i’m afraid i’m actually about to wet the bed.”

Fanny Pack Antics - Blog with funny tourist photos - unfashionable travelers with fanny packs and ugly clothing, tourists in awkward positions, and more.  Surprisingly entertaining.

Urban Prankster - a new blog that “covers pranks, hacks, participatory art, flash mobs, and other creative endeavors that take place in public places in cities across the world.” Check out some of the videos!

I’ve been growing a grape tomato plant since Memorial Day weekend and it’s about ready to be harvested. And, with the recent “tomato scare,” let’s just say I see a lot of home-grown grape tomatoes in my dietary future. So I’ve been thinking, what can I do with all these grape tomatoes besides throwing ‘em on a salad? Here is one idea I tried recently that was freakin’ scrumptious

• Focaccia Bread with Grape Tomatoes:This is an easy way to make focaccia (basically flat bread) at home. Ingredients: 1 store bought pizza dough; 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 1-2 shallots, thinly sliced; 1-2 sprigs worth of fresh rosemary leaves; a big handful of grape tomatoes; good olive oil; and salt/black pepper. Instructions:Get a rolling pin and some flour on your surface and roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle (about 12×16 inches), about a 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so it doesn’t stick. Press the tips of your fingers into the dough, creating dimples all over it. Drizzle olive oil all over the dough and use a brush to make sure the whole thing has a good coating (you know you have enough when the olive oil pools in the dimples - yum!). Now sprinkle the chopped garlic, sliced shallots, and rosemary on the dough. Then take your grape tomatoes and press them into the dough so they stay in place. Sprinkle a pinch of black pepper on there, and bake it @ 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I made this last weekend and it was really good (pictured below). Instead of using salt, I grated some parmesean reggiano cheese on top - it has just the right amount of saltiness - while it was still piping hot out of the oven. Otherwise, top it with some coarse salt (Kosher or Sea Salt) to taste.

Focaccia with Grape Tomatoes

1. Are Facts Obsolete? Economist Thomas Sowell points out that many of Barack Obama’s positions are seemingly based on the notion that believing is seeing rather than actual information about the successes and failures of different policy concepts.                                 My Take: I share his frustration, particularly when it comes to important economic policy issues. There is an unbelievable amount of rhetoric in this election, and most of it belongs in the category of: be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Restricting trade and raising the tax on captial gains will help our economy and “the common man”? You sure about that? Increasing the minimum wage sounds good, but will it actually benefit lower-skilled and less-experienced workers? Why don’t we look at the facts and the data instead of just saying things that make people feel good?

2. What’s Next, Danny? Celtics’ GM, Danny Ainge, had to make the first tough decision of the offseason, opting not to offer four years to James Posey, who instead signed with New Orleans. So, who will fill Posey’s shoes?                      My Take: This is a tough one. For the Celtics, Posey was probably the most valuable  bench player in the NBA last year, and it won’t be easy to replace his defense and 3-point shooting. There is something about bringing back Ryan Gomes that just feels right. He’s a solid player and Boston suits him - he’s the NBA equivalent of a “dirt dog.”

3. Is Failure No Longer An Option? Larry Kudlow raises an important and difficult question about the role of government intervention in the troubled financial sector (e.g., Fannie/Freddie, Bearn Sterns).                                           My Take: Here is what makes me uneasy and indecisive about the crisis playing out in the financial sector right now: On one hand, there are significant negative consequences when large companies fail, and government should play a role in supporting relative stability; BUT, on the other hand, if government steps in too far in “bailing out” these various financial entities, it undermines a cornerstone of our economic system, namely, risk. Risk begets reward and reason. This is a question of moral hazard - if they know the government will swoop in to save the day, thereby eliminating all risk, why would these companies bother making reasonable, thoughtful decisions in this first place? With respect to these bail outs, etc. we need to walk a fine line. If there is one thing we should all keep in mind when thinking about this issue, it is that capitalism only works when there is opportunity for great success AND opportunity for great failure.

4. Beer: Is There Anything It Can’t Do? George Will explains why beer has helped to strengthen the human gene pool.                                                      My Take: OK, this one is obvious. The answer is, emphatically, NO. He’s written a really interesting article, but for important questions like this, I generally defer to another genius of social commentary, who has famously proclaimed, “Beer: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems!”

5. Why End The Income Tax In Massachusetts? Question 1 on Massachusetts’ November ballot will be a proposal to abolish the state’s income tax.                 My Take: Vote Yes on Question 1. Revolution is in the air once again in the cradle of liberty. The blowhards on Beacon Hill are bloated with your tax dollars and mine, and it’s high time we send them a message. I don’t think anyone would dispute that there is a ridiculous amount of wasteful and inefficient spending in our state government. This law, which almost passed in 2002 with 45% of the vote, would effectively reduce the state’s budget by 39%, back to the 1995 level. The opposition to this law will say that the world will end if it passes, but I’m prepared to call their bluff. I mean, it makes sense even if you set aside the benefial effects of putting this money in the hands of the private sector instead of the public sector. Just consider this: Between 1990 and 2007 the population of Massachusetts (i.e., the people served by government) grew 8.3%. During that same time period, Massachsuetts state government spending more than doubled.

TMZ.com, which we all know provides some of the highest quality news reporting on the net ;-), posted a photo slide show of celebrities matched up with their Muppet look-alikes. Some of the resemblances are simply uncanny! Check out the whole feature here or a few of my favorites below.

     

     

     

     

     

Often times it is the littlest things that bring us the most joy in life. Case in point…bubble wrap! This may be one of our wackier posts, but whatever floats your boat, right?

• Pop dem’ bubbles online with some virtual bubble wrap.
• Looking to buy a new calendar that is not only functional, but also extremely fun? Well consider this one - you can pop a bubble for every day that passes throughout the year. It even has the major holidays marked!
• Got an idea for a bubble wrap invention? Well, you could enter it into the Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors. The deadline is November 3rd and the winner gets a trip to NYC, up to $10,000 in savings bonds, and special recognition at Bubble Wrap Appretiation Day next January.  
• Want to add a bubble wrap widget to your site or blog? Look no further than WidgetBox.com (of course, I couldn’t figure out how to add it to Elicia Buzz) .
• Want to read up on the history of bubble wrap? Check out the official Bubble Wrap Book.

Lastly, from virtual-bubblewrap.com, a few bubble wrap etiquette tips (pretty hilarious):

• Don’t pop someone else’s bubble wrap without permission. This could lead to Bad Things Happening to your person..
• Don’t pop bubble wrap in quiet public places (like libraries) unless you want it confiscated.
• Don’t pop bubble wrap in a store if you haven’t paid for it. They get cranky when their rolls of bubble wrap are all limp.
• It is always good form to offer to share your bubble wrap.
• Giving your bubble wrap to children is good for Karma points.
• Chicks dig bubble wrap. Always bring it along on a date.

Well, first of all, I think labels were invented to sell the music. You had to know what to call it before you could sell it. So they call it, the blues, jazz, bluegrass, gospel, or whatever. But, some music accomplishes it all…so what do you call that? And, that’s pretty much what I like to play.”  - Willie Nelson

Check out this cool short documentary of live music and behind the scenes video of Willie and jazz legend Wynton Marsalis playin’ the blues. Their new record, Two Men with Blues, was released today. Long live Willie!

White birds soar freely in the skies above the vast blue ocean. A pirate ship sails along, cutting through the waves. On deck is a crew of pirates and their leader Tetra, a brave and brash girl. Traveling with them is Link, the boy in green…

This is where my very own world-travelling, beast slaying, treasure hunting, puzzle solving adventure began last Christmas. You would have thought that I was a 12-year old kid when I ripped open a very neatly wrapped (I wouldn’t expect anything less from Dan) copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS last December.

Well, after spending months in search of Tetra (also known as Princess Zelda), I’ve finally defeated the evil Bellumand saved her. I may, in fact, now have some form of DS carpal tunnel as a result of today’s final epic battle. ;-) 

I have to admit that it probably wouldn’t take most “gamers” months to finish this game, but it makes sense for me because I tend to play DS in spurts here and there. Plus, with story driven games like Phantom Hourglass, you have to set aside at least a good 1/2 hour or 1 hour to play - this can be a challenge for a hard-working girl such as myself. Not to mention, this is not a game you can play in the car (the whole game is played via the DS Stylus pen and bumps in the road can mess you up).

The 14th game in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, Phantom Hourglass definitely deserves all of the awards it has recieved over the last couple years including being named “Game of the Year” in 2007 by IGN, GameSpy, and GameSpot and many others.

Great game - thanks Nintendo (and Dan)! Next on my list - the highly acclaimed Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

The Great Seal of the United States

On July 4, 1776, the same day that independence from Great Britain was declared, the Continental Congress also named the first committee (consisted of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams) to design a Great Seal, or national emblem, for the country. Similar to other nations, The United States of America needed an official symbol of sovereignty to formalize and seal international treaties, transactions, etc. It took six years and three committees in order for the Continental Congress to agree on a design. The final design of the Great Seal includes a shield reminiscent of our national flag, an bald eagle (well-known national symbol of the United States), and arrows along with olive branches to represent the power of war and peace together.

I mention the Great Seal because, against my better judgment, I recently visited Obama’s website to peruse some of his policy statements. But before I could even dip my toe in the rhetorical pool, I noticed that the background image on his website is a perverse distortion of the Great Seal of the United States (see below). The image shows Obama’s “rising sun” (er, implication, “rising son”?) over the U.S. shield and flag. The eagle is dropping the olive branches and the arrows, turning its back and flying away. And, one of the arrows is piercing through the American flag. This modified Great Seal is the background image on every page of Obama’s website.

So, why would Obama want this image to represent him? What is he trying to say/convey? If you were running for President, is this the image you would you want on your website? Honestly, I’m not bringing this up just because it is an opportunity to level criticism against Obama. I genuinely wonder about the mentality behind this image, and it bothers me because it seems to be indicative of a disturbing, growing consensus that we need to “remake” the country and that so many people feel they are just “too good to be American.”

That said, it’s worth pointing out that I’m not basing my decision to support McCain exclusively on things like this. My mind was made up long, long ago (before lapel pins, reverend Wright, Bill Ayers, etc.) based on the simple notion that I’d prefer to elect someone who is experienced and similar to me and the majority of Americans in terms of the political spectrum: basically in the middle, but slightly to the right with respect to the military and taxes. Obama is woefully inexperienced and has a voting record on the far-left-wing, even by his own party’s metrics. No, thank you.

Look, America has a history of setting uniquely high standards for itself, and by those standards, sometimes we fall short and need change and a chance to refresh. Bush is a dope, and overall, has performed well below-average as President. One could even make a pretty strong case that some of his actions constitute impeachable offenses under the Constitution. All of that - granted. I agree that we need change. But Obama and his “Great Seal” does not reflect the kind of change we need and is certainly not change I can believe in!

America is not a mean, evil country. We do not need to “remake” America. I’m bothered by the fact that optimism and pride towards our country, and simply being American, seems to get scarcer with each passing day. America is, both in action and principle, a fundamentally good country and a force of good in the world, despite what so many self-righteous liberals would have you believe. The beauty of this country is that it is what we make it. And this election season, we should make it a country that respects the heritage and values represented by important symbols like the Great Seal, and reject those who would desecrate these symbols.

I apologize for the histrionics - didn’t mean to get so caught up in the symbolism of this Obama seal thing. Maybe I just need some time away from Newton and Cambridge…people’s distain for “Brand America” is palpable around here. Anyway, today is Independence Day so I’m going to shake it off, go out, and celebrate my independence from pessimism and my optimism for American now and in the long-run!

The Black Crowes, soulful purveyors of music’s most authentic brand of rock n’ roll, played the second show of their “Euphoria or Bust” tour last night - June 28, 2008 - at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire. We were there…In the front row…It was awesome.

This new tour follows the release of their much acclaimed 7^th studio album, Warpaint, and marks the debut of the band’s two new members, guitarist Luther Dickinson and keyboardist Adam MacDougall. I think the story of the night was Luther Dickinson (pictured on the left), who featured as prominently as Chris Robinson’s always impeccable vocals throughout the night. The set list seemed to be designed, in large part, as a platform for highlighting Dickinson’s slide guitar playing acumen. He really was incredible; ripping frequent, extended solos and injecting - if you can imagine it - even more richness into slide guitar staples from the Crowes’ catalogue, like Descending (hence the post title, which comes from the lyrics in Descending).

Right from the start, the band as a whole played as strong as I have ever heard them, quickly settling into their blend of, as Dennis Cook put it in a recent Crowes interview, “bohemian gospel, dirt road blues, freshly harvested psychedelia, uncut funk and tear-in-your-beer country.” My favorite song of the night, which also happens to be my favorite Crowes song of all, was Thorn In My Pride - it was just a great show! To top it all off, one of our other favorite bands, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, opened the show (Grace is pictured below)! I could go on…but anyway, here is the Crowes’ set list, as best I can recollect:

1. Move It On Down the Line
2. Evergreen
3. Gone
4. Cosmic Friend
5. Nebakanezer
6. Locust Street
7. Never Ending Song of Love (by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett)
8. My Heart’s Killing Me
9. Whoa Mule
10. Wee Who See the Deep
11. Thorn In My Pride
12. Descending
13. Twice as Hard
14. Virtue and Vice
15. Wounded Bird
16. Hung Upside Down
17. Hey Grandma

When the Olympics were held in Atlanta 13 years ago, a local radio station from East Dublin, GA wanted to draw some of the Olympic crowds to their little town. What could they possibly do to accomplish this? Create the “Summer Redneck Games”, of course!

A week from today, on July 5th, the 13th Annual Summer Redneck Games will commence. With around 10,000 attendees each year, it has grown into quite the shin-dig. Rednecks compete for the respect of their fellow Southerners and trophies appropriately made out of crushed beer cans (something to proudly display on their mantels - although, I’m not sure trailers have mantels).

A local asphalt layer (who happens to have no teeth and goes by the name of Elbow) is the Games’ mascot. Every year, Elbow kicks off the festivities by using the Redneck Games torch to light the Ceremonial Grill.

The games include everything from the Mud-Pit Belly Flop (competitors are judged on beauty of form and size of splash), Bobbing for Pigs Feet (ugh!), Dumpster Diving, the Armpit Serenade, Redneck Horse Shoes (with toilet seats!), and a Seed Spittin’ Contest. In addition, they have live bands and other forms of entertainment like swimming in the watering hole, Redneck Idol, and the Miss Redneck competition.

CMT put together a short documentary on the Redneck Games - not something you see everyday!

I have been fascinated with astronomy and space exploration for as long as I can remember, but even if you don’t really care, you will be amazed by these pictures. This is by far the best collection of Mars images I’ve seen anywhere - these 17 pictures and animations are incredible! And just imagine the what we’ll be looking at 10, 30, 50 years from now!

Martian Skies

These days many of us feel the need to be constantly connected. Being surrounded by technology in today’s “wired” world makes living in this uber-productive and connected state easy as pie. The downside? Well, we don’t watch where we are going and tend to walk into things on the sidewalk.

This photo was taken on a London street (credit: FNC), which is already experimenting with padded lampposts to prevent texting-while-walking injuries. Hilarious!

In Science:

Sarcasm Seen as Evolutionary Survival Skill

What great news! I fully embrace any and all evidence that justifies my predisposition towards being a sarcastic ass

In Real Estate & Construction:

Ailing Builders Getting Back Into Land Game

Interesting article on the current market’s effect on land value and current activity by construction firms to stockpile land (at low prices) in anticipation of renewed residential construction activity. Builders are slashing prices to clear the glut of inventory left in the wake of the housing bubble, and at the same time, slowly “re-coiling the spring” of new land development by taking advantage of the pass-through effect of low prices on the cost of raw land. 

In Sports:

The World’s Greatest Athlete

A panel of sports experts sifts through a mountain of data and pick the fastest, strongest, most agile athlete on Earth. Oh please don’t let it be A-Rod…

Broadening our perspective on some of the important things in life - like the state of humanity, gas, and of course, beer:

• The World Clock - Check out the World Clock (click link or picture) to see active running statistics on population, deaths, illnesses, energy use, environment, food, crimes, and more. If you click on “Day,” “Week,” or “Year” it shows running totals for that period, if you click “Now” it will reset the counters to zero.

• The Price of Gas - I gathered data on the price of gas in 28 countries as of early June. Guess which country still has the cheapest gas of all? Four bucks a gallon really sucks, I’m just saying, it’s a lot worse pretty much everywhere else.

•  The Price of a Pint - The price of beer in 204 countries (click link or picture).

I’d expect a “Celebrity 100″ list from People Magazine, but I was surprised today to see that Forbes.com published an extensive online feature on the top 100 celebs. I have to admit - reading celebrity magazines are a guilty pleasure of mine. Although, I only read them when I travel or when I visit the apartment of my friend Craig - he, lucky for me, is a current subscriber to US Weekly. No, he isn’t gay - far from it - the subscription was a result of a Best Buy promotion.

Anyways, the Forbes list ranks the most powerful and best paid celebrities from June 2007 to June 2008 - factoring in celebrity earnings, media metrics like Google hits, press mentions (according to Factiva), TV/radio mentions (according to Lexis/Nexis) and the number of times the celeb appears on the cover of more than 50 consumer magazines.

Oprah is #1 (obviously), Tiger Woods came in at #2 (congrats - he won the US Open yesterday), and Angelina Jolie (a personal favorite) came in at #3. Kobe Bryant came in at #19 (loser - go Celtics!). Check out the list of 1-25 below. The full coverage (plus, LOTS of photos) are at Forbes.com.

Speaking of Plant & Krauss…David Fricke with Rolling Stone has written a great piece about the duo:

How a rock legend and a bluegrass queen became the unlikeliest match in rock & roll. On the road with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

A long first paragraph describing how we came to decide on our next vacation destination would be pointless, as I’ve already revealed it in my clever blog title (I should have been a rapper - could have put my superior rhyming skills to better use.)

Anyways, Buzz headed to Texas, ya’ll!

We just ordered our tickets and booked our flight for a trip to the Austin City Limits music festival. We’ll head out for the 3-day festival, which starts on September 26th, and stay for a few extra days to check out the city and surrounding Texas Hill Country and just relax (ahem, recover) before heading home to Beantown.

Austin is the “live music capital of the world,” so even though I haven’t heard of a lot of the 130 bands that will play at Austin City Limits, I’m sure I’ll have a blast and enjoy all of the music, nonetheless. I’m totally looking forward to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Beck, John Fogerty, G Love & Special Sauce, The Black Keys, Mason Jennings, Shooter Jennings and Joe Bonamassa. Heck - I’ll probably even dance until my feet hurt. If you are going the festival and see a blonde girl that dances like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld - it is probably me.

Along with the hot weather in New England comes a few of my favorite things - ice cream, sun, outdoor activities, BBQs, and flip flops. I’m a casual gal and I’ve always felt that I had “sensitive” feet. Huh? Well, either I have sensitive feet or I just don’t understand the “beauty is pain” concept when it comes to shoes. Trying to avoid uncomfortable shoes at all costs means that flip flops are a staple of my summer wardrobe. I’m thinking about getting a few new pairs (although Dan will probably tell you I have too many already). Here are a few flip flops on my want list:

Teva Olowahu- Already have two pairs. Most comfortable things ever! They come in a variety of colors/patterns. I’ve seen them at City Sports, Eastern Mountain Sports, and REI in the past, but you can order them online too.

Old Navy Flip Flops - Every year, I buy at least a couple sets of flip flops from Old Navy. They come in every color and are really cheap - usually $5 or less. This year, they’ve got some funky criss cross sandals and jellies.

Roxy Zuma - Roxy has some real cute flip flops in a variety of styles, but I like these best.

Reef Ginger - I’ve never owned a pair of Reefs, but some of my friends swear by them. This style comes in a bunch of different colors too.

Reef Libson - Another style of Reefs - these you could pull off at the office!

Havaianas Lake Green Flip Flops- Never really heard of Havaianas Flip Flops, but they seem to be a pretty popular brand from what I gather. Thought these were cute!

Got any suggestions for comfortable summer shoes???