Flying Dude Video

Here's a link to another BASE jumper, Loic Jean Albert, doing a jump from a helicopter in a winged suit down the side of a mountain. Just watching this trip is scary, but the shadow of the glider suit on the snow is awesome.

Podcast: The Word Nerds

Interested in "words, language, and why we say the things we do"? Try The Word Nerds podcast. It's entertaining and exceptionally well-produced.

Picture Puzzle

While I understand the euphoria associated with the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq who waged a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and beheadings, I don't quite understand why the photo which was presented to the press as proof of the death was matted and framed.

Would You Do It?

An Australian couple in their 40s, Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan, smashed the world record for the highest BASE jump in history. (BASE is an acronym for Building, Antennae, Span, Earth and represents the fixed objects from which BASE jumps are made.) The pair climbed a near-vertical, 6604-meter Himalayan peak for 22 days then jumped from the peak and landed back at base camp in two minutes after "flying" down the peak wearing a "wing suit". The wing suit (pictured) mimics the flying style of a sugar glider. The pair reached speeds of 200kmh in their diagonal descent. Read their amazing story in the Sydney Morning Herald article. Heather Swan said the BASE jumping was the "fast track to enlightenment".

Wills' Kate

Over the weekend Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton was on hand to support Wills as he took part in a Gloucestershire polo match on a weekend off from his Sandhurst course. Kate who was impeccably turned out in a simple knee-length black dress looked the part of a princess-in-waiting down to perfection.

Something to Crowe About

Read this article written by Jack Marx and published in the Sydney Morning Herald for some amazing insight into celebrity and particularly Russell Crowe's psyche.

I've always thought Crowe was an interesting actor, but had no idea about the person he really was until I read this chilling article.

Jackman Joins Kidman and Luhrmann

Hugh Jackman is confirmed to star opposite Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming period epic, the yet-to-be titled pre-World War II film, co-written with Collateral's Stuart Beattie and The Pianist's Ronald Harwood, which is now scheduled to begin filming in February.

Jackman replaces Russell Crowe, who was pushed from the project last week after dallying on script consultation. Jackman will play a cattle driver hooking up with an English aristocrat (Kidman) whose northern Australian ranch, which she inherits unexpectedly, is threatened by British cattle barons. They undertake a cattle drive across the Top End.

The Graduate Sequel as a Novel

Charles Webb has written a follow-up novel to his original novel which was made into the film The Graduate. The book will revisit Ben Braddock and his now-wife Elaine ten years later, as they home school their two children in upstate New York. Also Mrs. Robinson is somehow featured in its story. At the present time, there is no plan to follow up the new book with a film. However, it's not impossible. Webb's last novel, New Cardiff, was adapted into the film Hope Springs.

Wikipedia has this article about Webb whose personal life is interesting, if a little bizarre.

Lance, We Never Doubted You!

Lance Armstrong, winner of seven straight Tour de France titles, was cleared of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and anti-doping authorities were blamed for misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.

British Hotel Bans F-Word

A British hotel, Linthwaite House Hotel in the picturesque Lakes District, is offering football-free breaks for "soccer widows" desperate to escape wall-to-wall coverage of the World Cup. Any guest who overhears a member of staff mentioning the f-word ("football") will be given a free glass of champagne. The sport supplements are being taken out of daily newspapers and, instead of blanket TV coverage of the big games, guests will be offered a string of romantic movies on DVD such as Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman. According to the hotel manager, the bookings are starting to stream in. The World Cup finals in Germany start on June 9, with the final in Berlin on July 9.

Podcast: Filmspotting

Filmspotting is an excellent site for podcasts of movie reviews, criticisms, top 5 lists, marathons and everything else that is film experience. Chicagoans Adam Kempenaar and Sam Hallgren host the podcasts, recently presenting #102. I have downloaded all the past 100 and am having a great time "at the movies" while I walk, work and ride.

Until recently Filmspotting has been known as Cinecast.

Dutch Pedophilia Political Party

Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party, the Charity, Freedom and Diversity party, to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.

"A ban just makes children curious," Ad van den Berg, a party founder, told a newspaper. "We want to make pedophilia the subject of discussion. We want to have a voice. Other politicians only talk about us in a negative sense, as if we were criminals."

The Netherlands, which already has liberal policies on soft drugs, prostitution and gay marriage, was shocked by the plan. Eighty-two per cent of the public polled wanted the Government to do something to stop the new party.

The party supports allowing pornography to be broadcast on daytime television, with only violent pornography limited to late evenings. It also said people should be allowed to go naked in public and promotes legalizing all drugs and free train travel for all.

Return of "The Rocket"

Roger Clemens agreed to terms Wednesday on a one-year deal with the Astros to come back for a 23rd season, or at least the remaining four months of the current season. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner ended his seven-month retirement by accepting a deal that will pay him approximately $14 million -- the pro-rated value of a $21 million seasonal contract -- to pitch for the Astros for the balance of the current season. Clemens' arrival couldn't come at a better time for the Astros, who are 8-14 in their last 22 games. Houston's offense has been inconsistent but the Astros are also in dire need of more pitching.

Schedule for the Rocket's Relaunch:
June 6 Class A Lexington
June 11 Double-A Corpus Christi
June 16 Triple-A Round Rock
June 22 Houston Astros

Chile Gets Latest Telescope

The 8.4m (28ft) Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a telescope which will be 50 times as powerful as other survey telescopes, will be built on a mountain in Chile. It will join the existing Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, on Cerro Pachon, an 2,640m (8,800ft) mountain peak in northern Chile. The telescope will scan the entire sky every three nights, and the observatory will be able to produce color movies of objects that change or move on rapid timescales. The decision to place the LSST on Cerro Pachon followed a two-year period of testing and analysis of the atmospheric conditions and quality of astronomical "seeing" at four sites in Chile, Mexico, and the Canary Islands. The LSST should be under construction by 2009 with a planned completion date in 2012.

Wallaby Milk to the Rescue

According to this article, researchers from the Victorian government's Department of Primary Industries have found that Tammar wallaby breast milk contains a highly-potent compound which is active against a wide variety of fungi and bacteria including antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The compound was found to be effective against a relative of the hospital superbug MRSA, or golden staph, as well as ecoli, Streptococci, Salmonella, Bacillus subtilus, Pseudomonas spp, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria-fighting compound is deemed 100 times more effective than penicillin.

Nike Plus

According to this article, Nike has teamed up with Apple to launch a wireless link between your running shoes and your Apple iPod. With a transmitter popped into your trainer and a receiver attached to the base of your iPOD, the system will feed back data from the sensor that monitors your time, distance, and pace which can be heard over the music on the iPOD. The system should be ready for sale in a couple of months.

Imminent Birth

I don't really know why I care about this, but I am checking the news websites continually today for THE birth announcement of the WMBB, the offspring of the WMBC. According to Mr. Pitt, the birth is imminent! It's magic how the premiere of his first biological child will coincide with the premiere of his ex-wife's fourth-in-a-row stinky movie. I can say that because I've personally spent my money to see the first three and being a slow learner will probably go see number four!

The Willie Way

Willie Nelson shares his worldview in his third book of jokes, aphorisms, and heartfelt personal stories. According to Willie, "This book is my way of sharing a little of what I’ve learned in seventy-two years of making music and friends on this beautiful planet. I don’t know if the things I write here will change your life, but they sure changed mine." Possibly the funniest line from the book is Willie's view on marijuana of which Willie is an unapologetic advocate. Here's Willie's unique take on the subject: "I'll support a war on drugs, but not a war on flowers or herbs."

Podcasts

With my new mp3 player in hand, I am discovering podcasts: how to download and manipulate the podcasts . It's a whole new world to me. I am especially intrigued by the level of information available and intelligence and interests of people out there in the wide world. Like bloggers, these people seem to have found their niche in the dotcom world. The best place to start, if you're interested in listening to podcasts, is a podcast directory like podcast alley . Start by picking a podcast genre from the left sidebar and go from there. You'll be surprised at what is out there!

Discovery's Crawl

Space Shuttle Discovery's four-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B is underway! The move brings NASA one step closer to the STS-121 mission, targeted for launch no earlier than July 1. Mounted on the Mobile Launcher Platform and carried by the mammoth Crawler-Transporter, Discovery emerged from the assembly building at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The "stack" rolls along at less than one mile an hour, and is expected to arrive at the launch pad sometime this evening. The STS-121 mission is targeted for launch no earlier than July 1.