Weird News Week

The mainstream news seemed unusually odd this week. Could just be a slow time of year, but it sure beats the heck out of the stream of body counts from deserts halfway around the world. Here are a few items that caught my eye:

Taco Bell Dog Dies. Gidget passed away from a stroke this week at the age of 15. She played the male role best known for the quote "Yo Quiero Taco Bell?" From CNN: "Roles were hard to come by for the pooch after her popularity soared from the Taco Bell ads, according to her trainer. 'She was kind of typecast, so she never really got much work after that." While she did land a role in Legally Blonde 2 and was an extra in Beverly Hills Chihuahua, her trainer apparently thinks the Taco gig stunted her acting career. Seriously??

Electronic Cigarettes Pose Health Hazard. Shocking. And I somehow missed this invention. So I looked it up. According to Wikipedia: "An electronic cigarette or 'e-cigarette' is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine solution. This vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved. Smoking an e-cigarette is also known as vaping. Some users of the e-cigarette may refer to regular tobacco cigarettes as analogs." The last part is my favorite. Vaping should have been in my proposed new words list last post, but now it may be lethal.

I am always intrigued by space news, and there was some good stuff this week:

Moon Dust. The WSJ ran a feature on Moon dust (dirt), and how different it is compared to Earth dirt. We have toted back 227 pounds of the stuff, which is not nearly enough to satisfy research demand. Apparently, you need to a apply to a special NASA committee to get or examine any of this treasured dust. One expert estimates our research needs for this stuff reaches 5000 lbs.! And the first moon-walkers supposedly messed up several pieces of machinery in the lunar lander when they tracked it in on their shoes. Their mothers must have been very embarrassed.

4oth Anniversary of Lunar Landing. Major event in U.S. history that some of us are lucky enough to remember. Anniversary spawned many interesting feature stories this week (like moon dust). But I can't seem to shake this thirst craving I'm having for Tang.

Total Eclipse of the Sun. The longest solar eclipse of this century occurred earlier this week...in Asia. The western hemisphere was totally shut out. Over six minutes in the best spots in India/China. Very cool, and the world did not come to an end as some always predict. One writer noted how it is a no-win proposition to predict the end of the world. Everyone is around to remind you if you are wrong, but no one will be able to give you credit if/when you are right.

There were also a couple of uncommon events in the sports world, along with a couple of interesting news items:

Uncommon: 1) White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle throws a perfect game. Only the 16th occurrence since 1900. 2) Tom Watson leads The Open Championship (aka The British Open) after 71 holes. At age 59, he would have been the oldest winner of a major if he could have just parred the last hole. It was fun for all of us while it lasted.

Interesting: 1) Lance Armstrong announced he will ride for a new team sponsered by Radio Shack next season. His impressive return to the sport of cycling at the age of 37 (not much different than 59 in golf) will continue for at least one more year. 2) The world's longest golf course, the Nullarbor Links, is set to open later this year in Australia. The par 71 layout covers 848 miles and 18 towns spanning two time zones, and should take 3-4 days to complete. You play one hole, then get in your car and drive an hour or more to the next tee/town. The course is meant to attract tourists to the desolate Eyre Highway in the southern part of the country. Each hole will showcase a local attraction, from whale-watching to ancient fossil beds to a working sheep station. This course should make for some interesting drinking games.

Enough about the news. You know I love to bash companies that come up with lame advertising concepts or slogans. And the automakers seem to be the worst. The latest Ford angle is "Why Ford, Why Now?" Interesting concept...if they could answer the question. Their reason: "Why not?" Great way to differentiate yourself from the competition. Why not? I don't think Ford would like the answers that immediately spring to my mind.

Many thanks to everyone that voted on which non-current movies I should watch next. Readers overwhelmingly suggested Casablanca and Rainman, with When Harry Met Sally far ahead of all others for third. I now have the dvd/tape for Casablanca (thanks Mary) and Rainman, and plan to watch them this week.

One more word, Chillax: to chill or relax. A little clever, but seems unnecessary.