Friday, October 08, 2010

Hither and thither 10/8/10

Honestly, I'm surprised I was able to do HT this week, and I hope you enjoy. Moving into a new pc, heavy work load, other things — but I found and made the time, and here you are! Whee!

  • Didn't we talk about the remotest McDonald's awhile back? Berry Davis notes (warning of abbreviated foul language) that a guy went there. Seriously.
  • On the subject of food, DAOD helps us see why we crave what we crave, foodwise.
  • Relatedly, BSIL noted a series of education fails at Huffington Post... which, itself, normally, is pretty much of a gigantic education fail.
  • On that subject, Chris Carney noted $97K of federal funds designated for teaching through rap. Didn't work out so well. Surprise!
  • Reader Justin Durst noted...


  • More disquiet in the ranks. The indispensable Paula notes an organization called BlackOut2010 that is urging black voters not to vote in the Ohio gubernatorial election. They complain that the Dems have taken their vote for granted. Yeah, well... how did that ever happen?
  • No. In fact, let me clarify: no no no no no no no. No!
  • Gotta love this about Scientists: constantly weaving grand theories and predictions that will never be falsified in their lifetime. Like: the earth it buggazillions of years old, there are other planets, there is life on other planets... and time will end in 3.7 billion years. (Thanks, Chuck Bridgland.)
  • Reader Pierre pointed out an article about a very disturbing video wittily depicting gross violence against children (and others) who won't go green enough to save the environment.












44 comments:

Robert said...

I mknow it is just from the camera flash, but the glowing eyes on that tiger really look pretty cool.

Matt Kleinhans said...

The pink goop is not McNuggets!

http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/msm.asp

Fred Butler said...

As I understood that article about McDonald's, it was the furthest point from any McDonald's in the US, not the remotest McDonald's in the US. Or am I missing something?

100 Mile Pants said...

You need to tell that happy doggie that there ARE cats in the Bible. Big ones. Samson sorted them out though, so the dog may enjoy that story.

Barbara said...

There are times when you really want to know what happened next - and that last photo is one of those times.

The Squirrel said...

I've always wanted a Lamborghini...

Squirrel

Aaron said...

McDonalds uses all white meat in their nuggets and has been doing so since at least 2003.

I've been to one of the extreme castles in the photos, Eilean Donan. And despite how much we love Monty Python's Holy Grail, Eilean Donan far exceeds the media exposure of Stalker castle.

@Robert: Ummm...I think I'm going to get you an annual pass to the Houston Zoo for Christmas. Because that's not a tiger.

Magister Stevenson said...

I laughed at the "real jobs that use algebra," then realized I teach Latin.

Brad Williams said...

I figure that whatever that guy used to get that big elk to take a nap will probably work equally well on yon cougar.

Rachael Starke said...

What part of the chicken is the nugget again?

Aaron said...

Best pictures on an HT to date!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

@Matt - thank you for stopping the chicken nugget freakout here... though the reality isn't a whole lot better...

@Rachael - um, the "nugget" is made of breast meat, giving rise to some family humor, at our house...

Oh, Dan, I must show that hunting pic to grampa grasshopper, just returned from hunting caribou. And btw Robert, that's a cougar approaching :D

Happy weekend, Dan :D

greglong said...

No, the pink chicken goop may not be telling the whole story about McNuggets, but I still have three words regarding McNuggets:

Chik. Fil. A.

Their nuggets actually resemble chicken meat.

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

I love that drawing/photo thing.

A real clown to congress in Brazil, how is that news, we put a clown in the White Hou… oh… never mind.

Teach-Through-Rap... "Andrew Jackson thinks he's a tough guy. Killing more Indians than there are stars in the sky…”. It’s hard to figure out how the U.S. is falling behind other countries.

Red Flyer wagon car... so cool!

“There is a 50 per cent chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years”… that’s a load off… I was thinking it was closer to 75%.

Thanks Dan.

Aaron said...

@Rachael: Obviously the tasty part. ;)

@greglong: nobody's nuggets are as good as McDonalds. period. And that goes for their fries too.

Aaron said...

@Squirrel:

I did have the pleasure of participating in a seizure of one once. I was asked if I wanted to start it up and back it up out of the garage so it could be inventoried and loaded onto the truck. My response: No way. I'm not going to start something that costs more than my house.

Aaron said...

@herding grasshopper: or more commonly a "mountain lion." I'm going to get a good laugh at Robert on Sunday (since I see him at church).

greglong said...

Sir Aaron, obviously you've never had Chik-Fil-A nuggets.

DJP said...

Rough crowd. Poor Robert.

Rebecca Stark said...

The McDonald's I visit is 700 miles from from the one in Fairbanks (closest McDonald's heading north) and 850 or so from the one in Ft. St. John (closest heading south).

I'd say that you people in the lower 48 states don't even know what the word "remote" means but that would be mean.

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

Sorry Sir Aaron, but when it comes to chicken nuggets I'm with greglong... Chik-Fil-A nuggets with honey mustard dip... oh my! I want some… NOW!

Barbara said...

Turns out it's not just the female flight attendants doin' the safety dance. Exhibit A.

Ah, memories - it's an (appropriate) song that I actually recognize.

Aaron said...

LOL. Greg and Reality certainly jest.

In actuality, I don't care for anything Chik-Fil-A makes. I only eat there because they are owned by Christians and close on Sundays (as does Hobby Lobby). I especially hate how I can't refill my own soda.

Aaron said...

"Rough crowd. Poor Robert."

LOL. This coming from the guy who gets upset if we misspell atheist or Rachael.

Matt Kleinhans said...

Staying on topic, would Nutella be good on Chick-fil-a nuggets?

What about with bacon?


It must be lunch time...

CGrim said...

- That roadtrip to the "McFurthest Spot" looked like the exact sort of thing I'd love to do (and have done similar things in the past). I love that part of the country, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, etc where the sky just seems to go on forever, and there's not a tree as far as the eye can see. I also love trees, though, to be clear.

- The two furthest times I've ever been from a McDonalds was in Masibi, South Africa (150 miles) and Alcan, Alaska (270 miles). But I see Rebecca has got me beat.

- When it comes to food cravings, I crave Chinese food all the time. Is my body telling me I need more MSG? Also, do people who have never had Chinese food crave Chinese food? I suspect not.

- As Pastor Pants pointed out above, there are no domestic cats in the Bible, but there are leopards, lions, and a Lion.

- I wonder whether that "time will end in 3.7 billion years" article is taking into account time dilation? i.e. the theory that time passes differently in different parts of the universe. (btw, I'm no physicist, but from what I understand, time dilation seems to be an decent explanation for how stars could be millions of light-years away from us, despite being created only thousands of earth-years ago).

- Anybody have Zaxby's around them? They're the best chicken place, in my opinion. Even better than Chik-fil-A, whose nuggets are all-too-frequently dry, I've found (same for the whole-wheat buns they put on some of their sandwiches). I actually prefer McD's nuggets to Chik-fil-A but Zaxby's beats all, including Raising Cane's.

(Not to cast aspersions on anyones' motives here, but I feel like a lot of Christians like Chik-fil-A for reasons other than the food, but are embarrassed to admit this, so they act like the food is exceptionally amazing.)

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Still looking at the photo of the elk hunter. I don't see his rifle next to him... hope the camera-man was quick on the draw.

@Sir Aaron - around here (PNW) it's a cougar. Elsewhere, a mountain lion, a puma, a panther... ;D

Anywhere a big, dangerous cat. We've seen them on my parents' property, just outside of town, where my boys routinely play in the woods. Together. In a big, noisy group.

candy said...

When I was a itty bitty girl, I lived not far from the McFarthest spot. We lived in tiny mining towns in remote parts of Nevada until I started Kindergarten. This was way before McDonalds cropped up in my town of Reno. My older brother proudly worked there in high school. It was considered a good thing back in those days.

greglong said...

(Not to cast aspersions on anyones' motives here, but I feel like a lot of Christians like Chik-fil-A for reasons other than the food, but are embarrassed to admit this, so they act like the food is exceptionally amazing.)

Nope. I didn't even know they are owned by Christians (or that they are not open on Sundays) until I had eaten their several times, and by then I was already hooked.

I think their advertising is dumb, though.

Aaron said...

yeah, I think the mountain lion tag is mostly a California thing. They're usually only called Pumas and Panthers if they are black (or pink) ;)

Aaron said...

@citizen grim: see at least I admited it.

@greg: It's funny that you and I are totally opposite on this. I hate their food and think their advertising is brilliant.

Away From The Brink said...

RE: Obama says everything is just fine...

Yeah, just like this.

(BTW, that was Kevin Bacon's first film role)

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

“LOL. Greg and Reality certainly jest.”

@Sir Aaron: I wish. I’ll tell you just how much I wasn’t jesting… I actually went and ate at Chik-Fil-A for lunch. No joke. And as if that isn’t pathetic enough, I couldn’t decide between the chicken sandwich and the nuggets, so I got both! Yum Yum!

Thankfully I didn’t read Matt’s comment about Nutella on Chick-fil-a nuggets until I got back or I would have had another stop to make. :-)

@Greg: Yep the Christian connection in this case seems pretty real. I once again was pleasantly surprised to be listening to Christian music when I used the restroom. It may be playing in the dining room as well but it’s always too noisy in the dining area for me to tell.

Stefan Ewing said...

Rebecca:

Yeah, but how many Tim Horton's are in your neck of the woods?

SolaMommy said...

I agree with Aaron. Best pics EVAR.

I don't know that I've ever tried CFA nuggets, but I'd have to say along with this guy that Wendy's nuggets are the best.

I hope my lame attempt at a hyperlink worked.

Susan said...

Sir Aaron, I am with Greg and RealityCheck on Chick-Fil-A. I love their food. How much, you ask? I'm willing to travel to USC to get them...and I'm a Bruin!! :D

Susan said...

Citizen Grim said: "When it comes to food cravings, I crave Chinese food all the time. Is my body telling me I need more MSG?"

The best Chinese food does not need the additional flavor enhancement of MSG. There's supposedly naturally occurring MSG in soy sauce, anyway!!

The Squirrel said...

It is 547.6 miles to the nearest Chick-fil-A and it is 60 miles to the nearest McDonalds... Yes, Chick-fil-A is better, but...

Squirrel

B Barnes said...

Hey DJP, here's a good example of teaching through rap:

Shai Linne's Atonement Q & A

And Calvinist at that...2 points for me!

trogdor said...

From the end of the universe article: "They say an infinitely expanding universe cannot be so because the laws of physics do not work in an infinite cosmos. For these laws to make any sense, the universe must end..."

As the end of the article gets at slightly, this entire viewpoint is absurd, and based on a ridiculously poor assumption - that laws and probability dictate reality rather than describe it. They look at the laws, look at the observable universe, see that it's headed to a situation where the laws fail, and conclude that the universe is wrong. Hubris isn't nearly a strong enough word for this.

Interestingly, the article describes one of the recent discoveries that should illuminate just how little 'science' understands about anything - namely, that the universe is not just expanding but accelerating. This recent observation is truly remarkable, especially when compared to the certainty we're assured scientists have about everything. Briefly, according to the classic 'big bang' theories, the universe was initially compacted, was blown apart by a large initial force, and as it expands its expansion is slowed by gravity, until it will eventually reach a zero rate of expansion, then begin to collapse again. The discovery that the expansion is actually accelerating is a cosmological monkey wrench of unspeakable proportions.

In order to have expansive acceleration, you need a net positive outward force - that is, something pushing outward that's stronger than gravity pulling back inward. And scientists have absolutely no idea what this outward force might even be. It's been termed "dark energy" for now, because they're completely in the dark about it. It's a force strong enough to push the entire universe apart, yet it's completely undetectable. It's estimated to be about 70-75% of the total matter/energy in the universe - about three quarters of everything - and it's a total indescribable unmeasurable mystery.

Just something to keep in mind next time we're told to trust our omniscient scientician overlords.

Halcyon said...

Best part of that "End of the World" article:

"There is a 50% chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years.... The imminent end of time is a little unsettling...."

Really?

Steve Berven said...

I love the GPS one. Too many people will about drive into a lake if their GPS says so (The Office, anyone?).

But no, really. Believe your GPS with the 2 yr old version of the downloaded maps over the actual road signs. Classic.

Aaron said...

I myself would trust neither the GPS or the road signs and verify the truth for myself.

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

“I myself would trust neither the GPS or the road signs and verify the truth for myself.”

Or you could just trust God to “tell you” if the road is out… oh wait a minute… wrong thread… sorry.