*If you liked this post why not join the hundreds of other daily readers who have signed up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day) or in a RSS reader...because then you'll never miss another interesting story, special deal or money-saving tip.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, May 31, 2013,
In :
Culture
Saw this the other day. Maybe this person is really handicap, I don't know. But unless the real handicap sign was accidentally dropped into a shredder, I'm thinking a little tape on the torn placard would have been a better idea. On the same note, I'm pretty disgusted by the outright abuse of handicap parking stickers. While there's obviously a lot of people with legitimate needs for these, it seem like a large number of people seem to think they are entitled to handicap stickers because ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, May 6, 2013,
In :
Culture
In 2011, police began secretly filming cargo holds at several Italian airports. About 30 Alitalia baggage handlers were caught stealing on film and another 57 are under investigation.
H/T View From the Wing
*If you liked this post why not join the hundreds of other daily readers who have signed up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day) or in a RSS reader...because then you'll never miss another interesting story, special deal or money-saving tip.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, April 15, 2013,
In :
Culture
Read this...especially if you coach kids in anything.
Uniquely Memorable by Chuck Culpepper
He sometimes halted practice to have players spend five minutes gazing beyond the giant evergreens to Mount Rainier. He sometimes halted practice to have players go to other sporting fields and cheer on, say, the soccer team. He always halted two-a-day practices in August and instructed players to go help freshmen move into dormitories.
Did you know one of the most remarkable American coaches died on Frida... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, March 8, 2013,
In :
Culture
Last week This American Life did an hour long story on coincidences, this is from their web extras photo stories: Blind Man
About ten years ago, Jon Schmidt — who lives in Philadelphia — took a business trip to Boston, working out of his company’s new Boston office. One day, sitting at his desk, Jon noticed a piece of paper curling out from behind the vertical blinds.
“I got up and pulled the blinds closed and then flipped them to the reverse side,” says Jon. “There, cut into strips ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, February 21, 2013,
In :
Culture
Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet - chosen as one of the best diets of 2013 by U.S. News and World Reports - is a healthful, delicious and satisfying way to eat. Watch Dr. Weil discuss the basics, then start it yourself!
(click on picture to be redirected to video)
*If you liked this post why not join the hundreds of other daily readers who have signed up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day) or in a RSS reader...because then you'll never miss another interesting story, sp... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, February 20, 2013,
In :
Culture
An idiotic enthusiastic flight attendant kicks an elite United passenger/travel blogger off an international flight for breaking an apparently arcane FAA rule: no pictures are allowed on an aircraft. Here's the offending photo:
The flight attendant then allegedly lied to the Captain and said this criminal mastermind continued to take pictures after she ordered him to stop. The Captain, doing his best South Korean boxing judge impression, spent exactly zero seconds getting the facts straight... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, February 13, 2013,
In :
Culture
Make-A-Wish kid becomes Phoenix Suns player for a day by Paul Coro
While the Suns came into their Sunday shootaround to find an unfamiliar nameplate above the corner locker, the newest Sun was being introduced in a neighboring US Airways Center conference room.
After arriving by limousine with his family, Jonah Zahm walked up a red carpet into the arena pavilion, where he tapped his father to point to a display screen welcoming him by name.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, January 25, 2013,
In :
Culture
In this absolutely frightening report, Jeff Rossen of NBC news shows how easy it is to hack into your webcam and spy on you and your family, without anyone knowing. Yikes...
*If you liked this post why not join the hundreds of other daily readers who have signed up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day) or in a RSS reader...because then you'll never miss another interesting story, special deal or money-saving tip. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, January 14, 2013,
In :
Culture
Twenty years ago, Chris Street, a small-town kid turned Iowa basketball legend, died in a tragic car accident on a snowy night in Iowa City. His memory and inspiration lives on in the state of Iowa and I remember his accident like it was yesterday. This is his story.
“If you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” Chris Street Chris Street: His Legacy Lives on After 20 Years
Street was a hard-working, gregarious, self-made 20-year-old junior and basket... Continue reading ...
What’s the worst thing you encounter when you travel through air? Obviously it would be finding that you and your luggage are not in the same airport!
Lost baggage is a frequent complaint among fliers, and some airlines wouldn’t even have a clue as to where these bags have trotted off. One person’s misfortune is another person’s gain, or so ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, January 4, 2013,
In :
Culture
I'll be winning barely finishing the Arizona Disabled Sports Run, Walk and Roll 10K race tomorrow. I loaded up the MP3 with some tunes - some new(er), some old. If anyone out there is searching for songs to download, here's what I'll be listening to tomorrow:
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, December 29, 2012,
In :
Culture
'Brighter than a full moon': The biggest star of 2013... could be Ison - the comet of the century by David Whitehouse
Comet Ison could draw millions out into the dark to witness what could be the brightest comet seen in many generations – brighter even than the full Moon.
Comet Ison has taken millions of years to reach us travelling from the so-called Oort cloud – a reservoir of trillions and trillions of chunks of rock and ice, leftovers from the birth of the planets. It reaches out more t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, November 14, 2012,
In :
Culture
These pictures are amazing. As the Daily Mail reports:
For the paltry sum of just £10million Kuwait earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records last night as it celebrated the golden jubilee anniversary of its constitution in style by laying on the biggest fireworks display of all time.
A dazzling array of colours illuminated the skies above the country's capital of Kuwait City as a staggering 77,282 fireworks were launched over the period of an hour, courtesy of Filmmaster MEA.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, October 24, 2012,
In :
Culture
Six Italian scientists and a government employee have been convicted for failing to forecast and communicate the risk of the deadly 2009 L'Aquilla earthquake which killed 300 people. Given how it's nearly impossible to accurately predict earthquakes this sets quite a precedent for future seismologists.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, October 17, 2012,
In :
Culture
If you have pets you know how expensive the pet food, treats, toys, etc are. An easy way to cut down on the pet expenses is to buy discounted gift cards for stores such as Petco. Right now, Cardpool.com is offering a vast number of Petco gift cards for 14% off their value. The values range from $43 to $242 and you can choose either physical or electronic cards
There are lots of other gift card resellers you can check on. To compare the best discounts, go to giftcardgranny.com. Right now... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, October 16, 2012,
In :
Culture
In response to a question Peter King asked his readers...is it ok to take home hotel shampoo bottles, an industry insider responds with what happens to partially used shampoo bottles. This is pretty cool...
"I love your column and always find the non-football notes and stories nearly as interesting as the football ones. As a hotel manager for 14 years, I took a particular interest to your piece this week regarding what a traveler can and/or should do wi... Continue reading ...
Ah, to be gently motoring down the picturesque canals of Rotterdam ... in a hot tub. It’s not as crazy as it might sound – or perhaps it is. In any case, you can do it, thanks to the Dutch-built HotTug. Yes, the HotTug is a indeed a little motor boat that doubles as a hot tub. It’s built mainly from wood, with the 2,000-liter (528-gallon) tub itself made from glass fiber-reinforced polyester. The water... Continue reading ...
Yes, it could be true. Most of us think of food poisoning as a miserable bout of diarrhea or vomiting that lasts a day or two before it goes away, leaving you only with distaste for whatever food you think caused the problem. According to an estimate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) some 48 million Americans – that’s one in six of us – suffered a bout of food poisoning in 2011; 128,000 people were h... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, July 20, 2012,
In :
Culture
CNNMoney reports those Olympic gold medals aren't really too golden:
Next week in London, athletes from around the world will go for the gold. But as it turns out, the Olympic gold medal is mostly made of silver.
Weighing in at 412 grams -- or roughly the weight of a can of green beans -- the gold medal is made up of only 1.34%, or about 6 grams of gold. The rest is comprised of 93% silver and 6% copper.
Melted down and sold at today's market value, those raw materials would be worth about $650... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, June 27, 2012,
In :
Culture
Imagine getting on your next flight and sitting next to a...pony. Mona Ramouni said no thanks to having a guide dog, and instead uses Cali, her service pony. Pretty cool stuff...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, May 5, 2012,
In :
Culture
A 1965 Chevy Impala SS is more than a car to the Younger family, it's what binds them together. To pay for his sons' education, Herb Younger was forced to sell his beloved '65 Impala. Two decades later, they found a way to pay him back.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, April 13, 2012,
In :
Culture
InterContinental is in the process of using an abandoned quarry in China to build the world's first underground hotel. The 19 story hotel will have 16 stories underground plus an underwater restaurant. As you can see from the pictures, it's going to be a monumental task to pull this off.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, March 18, 2012,
In :
Culture
This is about the most chilling and courageous story I've ever read. And it's the first-time I've ever per-ordered a book.
How One Man Escaped From a North Korean Prison Camp by Blaine Harden
"By the way," Shin asked, "where is Pyongyang?"
Shin's question stunned Park. He explained that Pyongyang, located about 50 miles south of Camp 14, was the capital of North Korea, the city where the country's powerful people lived. Park said he had grown up there, studying in East Germany and the Soviet U...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, March 10, 2012,
In :
Culture
They can't find enough couples for the Kiss-Cam during the Pac-12 tournament... Pac-12 Championship Game Final Act of Forgettable Season by Vincent Bonsignore
Anyone who's visited a big-time basketball arena knows the scene well.
There's a timeout on the floor, a popular song blares from the loudspeakers and the big-screen TV on the scoreboard flashes shots of unsuspecting couples as fans urge them to kiss.
At Staples Center it's called the kiss-cam, and it's never a problem for camera opera...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, February 15, 2012,
In :
Culture
It's so nice to read stories like this once in a while...
Gettysburg’s 83-69 men’s basketball victory over Washington College on Saturday didn’t end on a buzzer beater, but it sure was a one-point win for Bullets’ senior guard Cory Weissman.
Weissman, who suffered a life-threatening stroke while weight training during the off-season of his freshman year, had worked his way back to the team but hadn’t played a single minute until this game – on Senior Day. Gettysburg coach George ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, February 5, 2012,
In :
Culture
A certain famous sports blog has made the harebrained decision to blindly bet against all 25 of my Superbowl prop bets. Since I'll be too busy rolling in the dough later tonight, here they are for the record:
Mario Manningham - Total Receptions O/U 3.5 => my bet UNDER (-160)
Hakeem Nicks - Total Receiving Yards on 1st Reception O/U 11.5 => my bet UNDER
Eli Manning - Will he throw an Interception => my bet NO (+155)
Distance of 1st Eli TD Pass O/U 10.5 => my bet OVER
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, January 30, 2012,
In :
Culture
Ahh, the Super Bowl. That special time of the year when degenerate gamblers have the opportunity to wager on all sorts of crazy propositions. Last year, I thought the betting opportunities were incredibly creative, but the online sports books have really outdone themselves this year. Here are some of Bodog's finest ways for you to lose your money:
Will the NY Giants score in every quarter? (Yes +210)
Largest point lead of the game will be over/under 13.5?
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, January 24, 2012,
In :
Culture
"If we're so able to vividly remember the worst a man did, can't we also remember the best?:
Joe Paterno's True Legacy by Rick Reilly
Maybe you will never be convinced Joe Paterno was a good man who made
one catastrophic mistake, but do you have time for just one story?
In 2000, Penn State freshman defensive back Adam Taliaferro had his
spine crushed when tackling an Ohio State player. He lay on that
September field paralyzed and panicked.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, December 24, 2011,
In :
Culture
The Man Who Invented Christmas by Alexander Green
Dear Reader,
Last weekend, my family, some friends and I attended a performance
of A Christmas Carol at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton,
VA.
It was superb. The kids particularly enjoyed it and were surprised
to learn that the author - Charles Dickens - is the man most
responsible for the modern celebration of the season. This is a story
that deserves to be more widely known...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, November 30, 2011,
In :
Culture
Nearly six in ten Americans live in the state where they were born, according to the U.S. Census bureau. But there is considerable variation from state to state, as the map (above) by Zara Matheson of the Martin Prosperity Institute shows. More than three quarters of the people in Louisiana (78.9 percent), Michigan (76.6 percent) and Ohio (75.1 percent) were born there, as opposed to just 24.3 percent of Nevadans, 35.2 percent of Floridians, 37.2 percent of the residents of Washington, D.C., ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, November 30, 2011,
In :
Culture
As you probably heard, American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. The quick thinking marketing team at Spirit Airlines reacted by announcing a $11 fare sale on routes from their new destination in Dallas (which just happens to be American's home base). Straight from the company's press release:
Spirit Airlines (Nasdaq:SAVE) today marked a new chapter in Dallas/Fort Worth's history as it announced service to four new markets from DFW with $11 fares*.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, November 12, 2011,
In :
Culture
Interesting insight from SI's Joe Posnanski, who has been living in State College working on a book about Joe Paterno. While Paterno clearly had to be removed, all I can think about is the Duke Lacrosse players and the rush to judgement. It's only fair to hear Paterno's side of the story before vilifying him. His lifetime of good work has earned him that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The End of Paterno Joe Posnanski
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, November 5, 2011,
In :
Culture
What would a month of meditation do for you? In the portrait series “Before and After,” Peter Seidler photographs participants on their first and last days of dathun a 30-day group meditation retreat. He tells the Shambhala Times:
I set up the “Before and After” project to explore the observable effects on practioners after long periods of intense meditation practice. The question is: what are the observable changes after a period of intense practice?
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, November 3, 2011,
In :
Culture
Today is the one year anniversary of Thoughts From The Canyon! I've learned a lot about blogging (Google Analytics is amazing) and had a great deal of fun passing along interesting and sometimes humorous stories that you may not have seen otherwise. I truly want to thank you for reading this blog and being part of the Thoughts From The Canyon community. Here are a few of my favorite blog posts from the past year:
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
In :
Culture
I couldn't have been more than 10 years old. I was in Pittsburgh visiting my grandparents and we were at a fast food chain eating lunch. Some jerk (ok it was me) dropped a ketchup packet underneath our table and it got stepped on and squirted directly at my grandmother. As she uselessly scrubbed at her now ketchup stained dress, I still remember how upset she was. Well good news Nanny, no more stained dresses! Heinz, proving they are the Apple of the ketchup industry, spent three years de... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
In :
Culture
How to Work Bettermural is by Swiss artists
Fischli & Weiss and covers an office building in Zurich-Oerlikon.
You can prominently see it from the train when you get into Zurich
station.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
In :
Culture
I've been to some interesting museums but never one like this. The Museum of Bad Art is a collection of 600 pieces of the worst art ever created. Here are a few gems, along with the museum's all-too honest description... Badminton Anyone? The genteel social elite in Victorian England enjoyed playing badminton
at lawn parties. The handsome woman depicted in this portrait holds a
shuttlecock featuring colourful feathers and, inexplicably, a modern
racquet better suited for Wimbledon. Pink Wom... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, August 29, 2011,
In :
Culture
3 Ways to Avoid Added Hormones in Meat Dr. Andrew Weil
An estimated two-thirds of the cattle raised in the U.S. are given
hormones, including testosterone and estrogen, to help boost growth.
Make minimizing your consumption of meats that have added growth
hormones a priority: hormone residues in food may increase the risk of
breast cancer and other reproductive system cancers among women, and may
promote development of prostate cancer in men.
Know which animals are likely to contain these u...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, August 21, 2011,
In :
Culture
FutilityCloset gives us the fascinating history of how fingerprinting got popularized...
In 1903, a prisoner named Will West arrived at Leavenworth. The
record clerk took the photographs above and, thinking he remembered
West, asked whether he had been there before. West said no.
The clerk took some measurements, went to the file, and produced this record, bearing the name William West:
Amazed, the prisoner said, “That’s my picture, but I don’t know where you got it, for I know I have n... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, August 17, 2011,
In :
Culture
When you go to your local Costco, do you get frustrated at the small army of people you have to fight through to simply get a 78oz jar of Ragu? Do you want to pull your hair out when you stand in a line five-deep to get a free Golden Tiger Chicken Egg Roll, only to find that they ran out when you finally get to the front? Well, I have good news for you! Just make your way over to the Costco in Warrenton, Oregon, there's almost no shoppers at this two-year old store.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, August 15, 2011,
In :
Culture
Leukemia has been cured:
Doctors have treated only three leukemia patients, but the sensational
results from a single shot could be one of the most significant advances
in cancer research in decades. And it almost never happened.
In the research published Wednesday, doctors
at the University of Pennsylvania say the treatment made the most
common type of leukemia completely disappear in two of the patients and
reduced it by 70 percent in the third. In each of the patients as much
as five p...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, August 14, 2011,
In :
Culture
If you're interested in finding out how fast your internet speed is, check out speedtest.net. I ran it and the numbers meant nothing to me. But then I clicked on "Share This Result" and it shows my internet speed relative to everyone else and gave me a B grade. If you find your speed is slow, you can call you internet provider and request an upgrade to a faster speed.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, August 13, 2011,
In :
Culture
In this fasciating TED video, Kevin Slavin argues that we're living in a world designed for -- and
increasingly controlled by -- algorithms. Whether it's Netflix videos, elevators, high-frequency trading, or writing movie scripts, algorithms increasingly play an important role. And he warns
that we are writing code we can't understand, with implications we can't
control. Don't miss the part about a company tearing up a trench from Chicago to NYC, so traders can get their orders in a spl... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, August 10, 2011,
In :
Culture
Why do people succeed? Is it because they're smart? Or are they just
lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews
into an unmissable 3-minute TED slideshow on the real secrets of success.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, August 3, 2011,
In :
Culture
Ever since Charles Barkley famously proclaimed that athletes aren't role models, this question has been debated back and forth. Regardless of whether you're a professional quarterback or Monday-morning quarterback, there's no right answer and both sides make very good points.
I just finished watching the outstanding documentary, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. If you're not familiar with Hank Greenberg, he was a dominant 1930's & 1940's baseball player for the Detroit Tigers. He was... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, August 2, 2011,
In :
Culture
Can some international readers email me at randall@solitudecanyon.com and let me know if this bizarre charming tradition of lying to our kids about a magical fairy is just an American custom? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting the Tooth Fairy to pony up in this sagging economy has been like pulling teeth.
A recent survey found that the national going rate has seen a 40-cent decline this year: From $3 to $2.60.
Before the start of the afternoon session on day two (Wednesday) of
the Illinois bar exam, the very pregnant MBE mentioned to the proctors
the possibility that she might give birth during the test. She asked if
she could leave early in the event that she went into labor; they
agreed (editor's note: that was nice of them)
So Mother Bar Exam sat down for the afternoon session of
the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”). Not long after, she started going ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, July 20, 2011,
In :
Culture
What did Larry Summers really think of the Winklevoss twins? “Rarely, have I encountered such swagger, and I tried to respond in
kind,” the former president of Harvard said in an interview at Fortune’s
Brainstorm Tech conference. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss were at
Harvard at the same time that Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, and
they had come to Summers for help in their fight for a piece of the
action. Summers dismissed them, a scene dramatized in the movie the
“Social Ne... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, July 16, 2011,
In :
Culture
Check out this luxury hotel plane. Lufthansa Technik put together this video of what their configured Airbus A380 VIP will look like. I used to want an island...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, July 8, 2011,
In :
Culture
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Louis Armstrong's death, James Altucher wrote a post titled 7 Unusual Things I Learned From Louis Armstrong. He included this photo of Louis playing the trumpet in front of a Sphynx and his lady. I don't recall seeing a more beautiful photograph than this...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, July 6, 2011,
In :
Culture
If you're having trouble getting tasks completed, Dr. Weil has some tips:
Plain old garden-variety procrastination is very common. But whether it
is related to work, home or personal life, chronic indecisiveness and
delay can eventually undermine a healthy lifestyle. The good news is
there are simple ways to help overcome these tendencies. You can address
procrastination through behavioral workshops, group therapy, individual
therapy or with some of the following lifestyle strategies:
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, July 4, 2011,
In :
Culture
If you've ever wondered why all the professional eaters are so thin, this ESPN video has the answer. And the strength of their jaws is pretty fascinating as well.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, June 29, 2011,
In :
Culture
I guess I should have watched this video before I allowed a friend to climb up our telephone pole and hook us up with premium cable back in the 80's. Of course, back in the day, premium cable meant like 25 channels. My friend, whom I will call Like Pietz to avoid revealing his true identity, was quite the master at this move.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, June 29, 2011,
In :
Culture
You know this guy left his ATM receipt in the machine on purpose. I'm also guessing, unlike the rest of us, he didn't get too upset at the $2.75 ATM fee.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, June 18, 2011,
In :
Culture
This is pretty funny...you've got a minor-league pitcher who throws with both arms, but in the bottom of the 9th a switch hitter comes to the plate and they both keep switching sides to try get an advantage on the other guy.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, June 14, 2011,
In :
Culture
Easily the best commencement speech I've seen. Hilarious, classy and honest. The first 10 minutes are the funniest, if you don't have time to watch the entire speech.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, June 11, 2011,
In :
Culture
This video does a great job capturing the most memorable moments in sports history in the U.S. It's hard to believe they packed in so much in just 7 minutes! From Bobby Knight's chair incident to Mary Decker falling in the Olympics to Doug Flutie's historic TD pass, it's all in here. Enjoy!!
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, June 7, 2011,
In :
Culture
These incredible images show the full force of Mother Nature. The eruption of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, located 600 miles south of Santiago, was the first major eruption since 1960. Click here to see more images.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, June 5, 2011,
In :
Culture
What a neat story this is, AP reports June Gregg of Chillicothe, Ohio has had the same bank savings account for 98 years!
An Ohio woman who just turned 100 years old has taken customer loyalty
to the extreme: She's still using a bank savings account that's been
around almost as long as she has, since the year before World War I. Like many of us, her parents were integral in teaching her about personal finance:
Gregg still has the little blue passbook from when the account was
opened with an... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, June 2, 2011,
In :
Culture
Do you have a viable business plan that just can't get funded? Well, do I have good news for you:
If you want $25K worth of "Chuck's Bucks", watch the linked video, come up with a viable business plan and enter at the EarnChucksBucks website, but Charles warns: "don't be sending me no bull...or books either, I don't want to be reading through a bunch of crap". This should turn out well...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, June 2, 2011,
In :
Culture
In this Big Think video, Tim Harford explains, using JFK's Bay of Pigs disaster as an example, how differing opinions can help form more effective policies:
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, May 19, 2011,
In :
Culture
There's a wonderful website called Catalog Choice that allows you to painlessly unlist from company catalogs, credit offers, phone books, etc. Since we signed up a couple years ago, I estimate that 90% of our junk mail has gone away. It's nice to open your mailbox and have two or three letters, rather than dragging out a load of crap you're just going to toss in the garbage.
Catalog Choice even calculates the environmental benefits of your opt-out selections. According to their calculator... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, May 7, 2011,
In :
Culture
I first listened to the Imus radio show in the mid-90's while living in the most miserable place in the world: Sioux City, Iowa. The Imus in the Morning program made everyday better and the long drive to a crummy job a little easier. Ever since, I've been a huge Imus fan and watched or listened to his show whenever I can. An integral part of the show is Imus' long-time friend and devoted side-kick Charles McCord. Charles, who is truly the gold standard of side-kicks, decided to hang-up t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, April 28, 2011,
In :
Culture
Since my post on Prop Bets for the Superbowl was such a hit, I thought I'd help out my degenerate gambling readers with a look at some of the crazy bets you can make on the Royal Wedding, via the online Sportsbook Bodog:
What will be the total estimated Worldwide TV viewers of the wedding? Over/Under 1.75 billion ->Holy sh.t!
What Color Hat will the Queen wear at the Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? -> Highest odds on Yellow
Will Prince Harry (Best Man) drop the Wedding Ring durin...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, April 25, 2011,
In :
Culture
I hate Orkin. I mean I really, really hate Orkin. I hate their stupid little white trucks, I hate their dumb commercials and I really hate their incompetence and poor service. In 2007. we made the idiotic decision to purchase a 5-year termite service contract with Orkin, When we originally called them they sent someone out fast to discuss their "protection" plan. What we quickly found out is that the overpriced plan we bought, should be called an anti-protection plan.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Sunday, April 10, 2011,
In :
Culture
Excellent article on the double-standard of the NCAA punishment decisions, specifically UCONN basketball criminal coach Jim Calhoun compared to a Baylor basketball player whose mother borrowed money to feed her family. However, I'm not sure why this Op-Ed had to bring race into the discussion...punishment from the NCAA is clearly doled out (or not) based on whether the person/program in question benefits the NCAA, regardless of their race. ---------------------------------------------------... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, April 7, 2011,
In :
Culture
Bravo to 60 Minutes for airing the incredibly inspirational story of a teenage Gospel singing group based in Harlem. I think I cried tears of joy four separate times. It's nice to remember that all the news isn't bad... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 1
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, April 6, 2011,
In :
Culture
Dr Weil gives us another reason not to eat junk food:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I recently heard a report that fats in fast foods raise the risk of
depression. Is this true? If so, is that why so many people are
depressed these days?
Dr Weil: Some
evidence does suggest that the trans-fats and saturated fats in some
junk foods increase the risk of depression. The latest findings on this
topic come from Spanish researchers who followed... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, March 26, 2011,
In :
Culture
Here's something you don't see everyday when you're out golfing...a family of mountain lions lounging on a Par 5. Thankfully the course was closed at the time, as I can't imagine hitting a golf ball into a family of mountain lions would turn out well. We saw a mountain lion walking across our street a few years ago and I did a little research to see what we were dealing with. It was a little, ammm, disconcerting:
The mountain lion is typically an ambush predator, it stalks through brush and...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, March 24, 2011,
In :
Culture
Me and Mrs. Solitude Canyon really enjoy watching documentaries. Thanks to Netflix we've found great documentaries on everything from the first road trip across the country to an international break-dancing competition. If you're a documentary fan you may want to check these out. I suck at writing movie reviews so I'm copying a Netflix member review for each movie.
5) The King of Kong - You may never have dropped $0.25 cents into an arcade video game in your
life, but this movie about th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, March 16, 2011,
In :
Culture
This is a nice story, I had no idea Mike Tyson had turned his life around like this. He's still got the demons inside his head and those will never go away but he has learned how to manage and get past the difficult periods. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Suburbanization of Mike Tyson By Daphne Merkin
The gold caps on his teeth are gone, as are the frenzied trappings of
celebrity: the nonstop... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, February 26, 2011,
In :
Culture
Wow, this would suck!
Losing Bet Not a Fantasy Come True By Christopher Burbach, Omaha World-Herald
Those who think their fantasy football league is hard-core need to check out Spud Mann's new tattoo.
It's
a sparkly-horned, red-maned unicorn leaping to kick a football over a
rainbow. There's a little red heart on the unicorn's haunch. Beneath the
fanciful scene, Mann's thigh reads, “FANTASY LOSER.”
“It's pretty epic, I'll tell you what,” said Mann, who earned the tattoo by finishing las...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, February 26, 2011,
In :
Culture
Here's the Top 10 box office hits, adjusted for inflation, including two each from 1965 and 1977:
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937, $873 million 9. The Exorcist, 1973, $885 million 8. Dr Zhivago, 1965, $994 million 7. Jaws, 1977, $1.03 billion 6. Titanic, 1997, $1.03 billion 5. The Ten Commandments, 1956, $1.05 billion 4. E.T., 1982, $1.14 billion 3. The Sound of Music, 1965, $1.14 billion 2. Star Wars, 1977, $1.43 billion 1. Gone With The Wind, 1939, $1.62 billion
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, February 23, 2011,
In :
Culture
This is a persuasive and heartbreaking article by GQ Magazine on the dire consequences playing football can have on a person. In this month's issue of GQ, writer Jeanne Marie Laskas describes the tragic life of former NFL star Fred McNeill. After playing football, Fred McNeill became a star lawyer but soon fell victim to severe dementia.
The People v Football by Jeanne Marie Laskas
There was a time when Fred was brilliant. He started law school during
his last year with the Vikings, studyin... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Friday, February 11, 2011,
In :
Culture
Former Commodities Exchange chairman Martin Greenberg is suing former NBA star Alonzo Mourning's
charity after he won $1 million for hitting a hole-in-one at its golf
tournament -- then was denied the prize after it was claimed the course
had been improperly shortened.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, February 7, 2011,
In :
Culture
Stephen Wiltshire from London is a star among savants. Stephen is autistic. He did not speak his first words "pencil" and "paper" until he was 5. Yet, when he was 11 he drew a perfect aerial view of London after only one helicopter ride. For this film we're testing the "Living camera" in Rome.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Saturday, February 5, 2011,
In :
Culture
A dear friend who is fighting and overcoming severe depression wrote a touching story describing his ongoing battle. If you or someone you care for has depression you might be inspired by his story.
I wake up every day with ringing
in my ears. Some days it is worse than other days. I don’t mind, as
getting out of bed is an accomplishment. I suffer from depression, and
it almost cost me my life.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, February 3, 2011,
In :
Culture
If you're a degenerate gambler, there's nothing better than scrolling through the seemingly endless list of Superbowl "prop" bets. Here's a few of my favorites from the online Sportsbook Bodog:
Will Christina Aguilera wear a cowboy hat while singing the National Anthem?
How Many Times will FOX mention “Brett Favre” on TV during the Game? Over/Under 2.5
What Color will the Gatorade be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, February 1, 2011,
In :
Culture
This is cold. Antarctica on a bad day, cold. Three years ago, a British immigration officer who wanted to get rid of his wife, secretly added her name to a terrorist watch list while she was visiting family in Pakistan. When she tried to board the plane to come back home, she was not allowed to get on the plane.
This guy deserves to have his jersey retired in the A-Hole Hall of Fame.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, January 27, 2011,
In :
Culture
I was blown away by this story...any pictures you take with a smart phone are embedded with tracking location software and if you post them online, anyone can see where the picture was taken, if they know where to look. Talk about an invasion of privacy.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, January 26, 2011,
In :
Culture
Seriously. This isn't a joke.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich has filed a lawsuit against a House of
Representatives cafeteria over dental injuries he says he sustained
three years ago when he ate a sandwich containing olives that were not
pitted.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Wednesday, January 26, 2011,
In :
Culture
“I’m thrilled and proud to attend Hamburger University,”
said Zhou, who in 2007 started as a management trainee in the
central Chinese city of Changsha, a job for which she and seven
others were among 1,000 applicants. That’s a selection rate of
less than 1 percent, lower than Harvard University's record low acceptance rate last year of about 7 percent, according to the
school’s official newspaper.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, January 24, 2011,
In :
Culture
Congrats to the Steelers and huge props to Bruce Arians for the gutsy pass call on 3rd down at the end of the game, to seal the victory! This should be a great Super Bowl v the Packers.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Thursday, January 20, 2011,
In :
Culture
Tech Ticker has an interesting segment today...they reported on a study that shows 45% of college students learn little to nothing after two years and 36% learned almost nothing after four years. I was definitely in the learned almost nothing camp. True story, a few years ago I looked at my college transcripts and it said I took a course in Roman History my freshman year and earned a B. I have zero recollection of the class.
This whole thing got me thinking, if you just invested the four ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, December 27, 2010,
In :
Culture
This is the easiest $100 you'll ever make and you'll feel good about it too! If you're an Arizona taxpayer, you can donate up to $400 ($200 for individuals) to any public school and you can take that donation as a tax credit against your Arizona state taxes. That means you if owe $1,000 in state taxes you can deduct $400 off your tab.
Even better, this donation is a deduction for federal tax purposes. So, if your federal tax rate is 30% you can deduct $120 ($400 X 30%) from your federal tax... Continue reading ...
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, December 21, 2010,
In :
Culture
This morning Don Imus recounted a hilarious Christmas story. To set the story up, anyone who listens to Imus knows he's a recovering alcoholic and drug addict (cocaine mainly) because he talks about it all the time, despite being sober for about 15 years. Anyhow, two years ago he went to a mall in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife and ten-year old son Wyatt. It was a few days before Christmas and the Mall Santa had about 50 kids lined up.
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Monday, December 13, 2010,
In :
Culture
http://www.AlphabetPhotography.com - On Nov.13 2010 unsuspecting shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch. Over 100 participants in this awesome Christmas Flash Mob
Posted by Randall A Reinwasser on Tuesday, December 7, 2010,
In :
Culture
If you ever go to Commerzbank Headquarters you may want to excuse yourself. As a commenter on Ritholtz.com said: "this is a literal representation of their actions toward us at street level".
