In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the American Film Institute revised its lists of the 100 greatest American films and 100 greatest movie songs of all time (Registration required to download.) In the venerated #1 song spot was Judy Garland’s soulful and iconic rendition of Over the Rainbow from the beloved family classic, The Wizard of Oz, and it would be hard to argue with their selection.

A close second, though, and one of my all time favorites, was As Time Goes By from the movie Casablanca. Surprisingly, it wasn’t written for the film and the movie version was never released as a single. Still, it’s hard not to associate the song with “Rick’s Café Américain. “  For me , it will always belong to Bogie and Bergman.

I’m sure most of you know at least some of the lyrics and will appreciate this video clip edited from the movie and featuring As Time Goes By. It brought back fond memories for me. You too?

According to this Associated Press story, one of our whack-a-doodle U.S. Senators, a barber with a law degree (an interesting combination) has done just that:

Fed up with the threats, tired of natural disasters, the state’s longest-serving state senator is using his legal muscle against who he says is the culprit — God. State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha sued the Almighty in Douglas County District Court last week.

Chambers, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, said he filed the lawsuit to show that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody…

Chambers, incidentally, once sued to bar legislative prayers in the Nebraska Legislature. The Supreme Court ultimately rejected the lawsuit.

Will somebody please tell me why the good people of Nebraska keep re-electing this guy? Not that he’s the only whack-a-doodle we have in Congress, but give me a break!

In a recent article, BBC News reported on research concluding that a compound extracted from tangerine peel can kill certain human cancer cells, information I thought worth sharing…

According to a research team at Leicester School of Pharmacy, Salvestrol Q40 - a type of phytoalexin (a chemical produced by plants to repel attackers, such as insects or fungi) extracted from tangerine peel, can kill certain human cancer cells. “Salvestrol Q40 is found at higher concentrations in the peel of the tangerine than in the flesh of the fruit, and is converted into a toxic compound by the cytochrome P450 CYP1B1 enzyme:

As a result, the researchers found, it proved to be 20 times more toxic to cancer cells than their healthy equivalents.

Dr. Tan said Salvestrol was found in other fruit and vegetables, such as the brassica family, which includes broccoli and brussels sprouts.

However, the compound tends to be produced at higher levels when infection levels among crops are high.

Therefore, the use of modern pesticides and fungicides, which have cut the risk of infections, have also led to a drop in Salvestrol levels in food.

CYP1B1 has been found to be expressed at a high frequency in a wide range of human cancers of different histogenetic types, including cancers of the breast, colon, lung, esophagus, skin, lymph node, brain, and testis.

Via Hyscience.

Blame Dennis for this groaner…

Back in the days of the Old West, a westbound wagon train was lost and low on food. No other people had been seen for days. And then they saw an old Rabbi sitting beneath a tree.

The wagon train leader rushed to him and said, “We’re lost and running out of food. Is there someplace ahead where we can get provisions?

“Vell,” the old Rabbi replied, “I vouldn’t go up dat hill und down d’other side. Somevun told me you’ll run into a big bacon tree.”

“A bacon tree?” asked the wagon train leader.

“Yah, ah bacon tree. Trust me. For nuttin vud I lie.”

The leader returned to the wagon train and told the pioneers that if nothing else, they might be able to find food on the other side of the next ridge. “So why did he say not to go there?” some pioneers asked. “Oh, you know the Jewish, they don’t eat bacon. It’s against their religion,” the leader replied.

So the wagon train went up the hill and down the other side. Suddenly, Indians attacked and massacred everyone except the leader, who managed to escape back to the old Rabbi, who was enjoying a “glassel tea.”

The near-dead man shouted. “You fool! You sent us to our deaths! We followed your instructions, but there was no bacon tree. Just hundreds of Indians who killed everyone.”

The old Rabbi held up his hand and said, “Oy, vait a minute.” He reached in his pack and pulled out an English-Yiddish dictionary and began thumbing through it.

‘Gevalt, I made myself ah big mistake. It vuz not a bacon tree, it vuz a ham bush!

This is alarming:

Pasadena (UPI) - A U.S.-led international team of astronomers discovered that Neptune’s south pole is much warmer than the rest of the planet.

The researchers published the first temperature maps of the lowest portion of Neptune’s atmosphere, showing the warmer south pole is providing an avenue for methane to escape from the deep atmosphere.

“The temperatures are so high that methane gas, which should be frozen out in the upper part of Neptune’s atmosphere, the stratosphere, can leak out through this region,” said Glenn Orton of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Orton is lead author of a paper appearing in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. In the paper, the astronomers report the temperature at Neptune’s south pole is higher than anywhere else on the planet by about 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The average temperature on Neptune is about minus 392 degrees Fahrenheit.

The findings were made using the Very Large Telescope located in Chile, operated by the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere.

I hope Al Gore is on the case. I just know SUVs are somehow involved… More

The SU-35 is the prototype for the SU-37, a super-maneuverable thrust vectoring Russian fighter. Two Lyulka AL-37FU vectored-thrust afterburning turbofans (30,855 lb thrust each) give the aircraft it’s extreme flight characteristics. Amazing!

Thanks Michael!

This video clip is dedicated to my brother-in-law, Ray, whose disdain for “bird feeder raidin’ squirrels” in his back yard is legendary in Chicago suburbs. It made the “Best of YouTube” list.

“You can’t send me to prison. Who’ll look for the ‘real killer’?”O.J. Simpson walked free yesterday after posting $125,000 bond on armed robbery and kidnapping charges. He left the lockup a few hours after a Las Vegas judge set bail during a nine-minute hearing. Which begs the question: How does a guy with no visible income and no ability to pay the Goldman family any of the $33.5 Million he owes them for the wrongful death civil judgment awarded them for the death of Ron Goldman, come up with $125,000?

Anyway, he’s out and apparently returned to Miami pending his arraignment. Personally, I hope he gets the maximum sentence which I’ve heard could be life (I doubt it’ll go that way, but wouldn’t that be sweet justice?) I’ve heard thirty years, too, so it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

An interesting side note; It seems Marcia Clark, the prosecutor who tried Simpson’s double-murder case in 1995, sat in the front row of the courtroom. This time her hair was bleached blond and her role was a reporter for a tabloid TV show. Funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it? But a bleach blonde? Go figure!   More

Aye matey, it be…

Click on th’ image fer more information an’ t’ larn t’ talk like a buccaneer, ya scurvy cur whut deserves th’ black spot!

An’ har be some information linkin’ global warmin’ t’ th’ decreasin’ number o’ sea dogs, ya scallywag who ortin’ t’ be keel hauled!

An’ finally, har be a likeness (2005) of me very own grand-scallywag, a true buccaneer of the salty seas if ever thar was one…Cap’n Jake hisself!

Hillary Clinton has a new bumper sticker that is appropriate whether Democrat or Republican. It says, “Run, Hillary, Run”.

Democrats put it on the back… Republicans put it on the front.

(Didn’t believe me, did ya’?)

I had hoped since my last post about Eric and the grave injustice that has befallen him to be telling you that his appeal was successful and that he was returning home. Sadly, that is not the case.

For those of you just learning of Eric’s conviction in Nicaragua for a murder the evidence proves he could not have committed, he continues to languish in a Nicaraguan prison awaiting the results of his appeal. While Nicaraguan law requires a ruling within thirty days on all appeals, Eric’s has yet to see the light of day after some seven months! His health is suffering and now there is talk of moving him to another cell block, one housing convicted criminals who have lost their appeals. Should they do so, another violation of Nicaraguan law, his safety will be in jeopardy.

The one shining light in Eric’s life has been the love and support of his family and the growing international legion of friends who work tirelessly for his release. Eric has been writing letters from his cell, a privilege he may soon lose or that may be curtailed. Take a few minutes to read some of them which have been published on the Friends of Eric Volz website.

You’ve heard of Americans being unjustly thrown into prisons in third world countries and never seen again. Don’t let that become Eric’s fate. You can help by going to the website, learning about his case, perhaps donating some money to help in his legal defense and, of equal importance, by contacting your elected officials and demanding that our government intervene on Eric’s behalf. Here again are links to your congressional representatives:

Senators

Congresspersons

You don’t often get an opportunity to step up to the plate to right a wrong. This is your chance. Take it.

Grandpa and Grandma were out of town and missed Jacob’s 6th birthday party, so we took the family to Old Sacramento August 26 for a little belated celebration. We strolled the boardwalks and explored all the little shops, had lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack on the patio overlooking the Sacramento River, opened some gifts, then explored some more. It was a beautiful day and we all had a good time. I’ve posted a few photos… Enjoy!

On “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” and during Constitution Week, we celebrate the anniversary of our Nation’s Constitution and honor the Framers who created the landmark document that continues to guide our Nation.

In the summer of 1787, delegates convened in Philadelphia to create “a more perfect Union” and craft the document that is the foundation of our country. With great diligence, they worked to develop a framework that would balance authority and inherent freedoms, Federal interests and State powers, individual rights and national unity. On September 17th of the same year, the delegates signed the Constitution of the United States.

Today, every American shares in this legacy of liberty, and we are grateful for the courage, conviction, and sacrifice of all those who have helped preserve and uphold the principles of a free society. As we remember the enduring importance of the Constitution, we also recognize our responsibility as citizens to respect and defend the values of our founding and participate in the unfolding story of freedom.

In celebration of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952, designated September 17 as “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956, requested that the President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as “Constitution Week.” More

In an attempt to reduce noise pollution, Madrid, Spain is employing mimes to encourage people to “Shhhh” as they go about their business. The mimes will be hanging around on various busy and noisy streets doing what mimes do best, silently sending the word that silence is truly golden.

You might just say they’ll be trying to get people to mime their own business…

Ah yes, and who was it that said, “the pun is the guano of the winged mind?”

This is no way to start (or end) a summer weekend! Must have been pretty dramatic to witness and horrifying for the family in the pickup! And is that someone still in the vehicle? Were it not for one fortuitously placed boulder, both the pickup and the boat would have plunged into the canyon and the outcome would have been very different.

Thanks Sara!