Brilliant!

The End of the Rainbow -- Ireland is now Europe's second richest country.

... In a quite unusual development, the government, the main trade unions, farmers and industrialists came together and agreed on a program of fiscal austerity, slashing corporate taxes to 12.5 percent, far below the rest of Europe, moderating wages and prices, and aggressively courting foreign investment. In 1996, Ireland made college education basically free, creating an even more educated work force.

The results have been phenomenal. Today, 9 out of 10 of the world's top pharmaceutical companies have operations here, as do 16 of the top 20 medical device companies and 7 out of the top 10 software designers. Last year, Ireland got more foreign direct investment from America than from China. And overall government tax receipts are way up.

This is fascinating. Yet we can only wish that leaders of other countries (Like maybe, the USofA) would/could use this as a model.

Ew! You've got thetans on you!

Salon is doing a "four-part series chronicling the suddenly higher profile of the Church of Scientology", and of course the first installment highlights none other than Mr. Crazy Cruise: Missionary man (Get a day pass, it's worth it.)

Regarding the romance -- who can explain love? It's a mystery, particularly in Hollywood, and we're unlikely to ever get the particulars about Cruise and Holmes. But the buzz in some Scientology circles is that Cruise may have reached one of the highest echelons of the Church of Scientology. While not a lot is known about this level, known cryptically as OT-VII, Scientology observers say that attaining it could explain Cruise's behavior in recent months.

I'm still boggled by the fact that Scientology is actually considered a genuine "religion". I mean, read this and tell me if that's the sort of thing sane people base their lives on:

According to experts and the church's own literature, OT-VII ("OT" stands for Operating Thetan, "thetan" being the Scientology term for soul) is the penultimate tier in the church's spiritual hierarchy -- the exact details of which are fiercely guarded and forbidden to be discussed even among top members. It is where a Scientologist learns how to become free of the mortal confines of the body and is let into the last of the mysteries of the cosmology developed by the church's longtime leader, science fiction novelist and "Dianetics" author L. Ron Hubbard. This cosmology also famously holds that humans bear the noxious traces of an annihilated alien civilization that was brought to Earth by an intergalactic warlord millions of years ago.

That's Heaven's Gate material, if you ask me. Not the foundation of a culturally powerful religion. At least Germany still agrees:

Germany refuses to recognise Scientology as a legitimate church, claiming it is a fake religion based on making money from its followers.

While you're in the mood, check out CultNews.com for more (from an obviously biased source). If you really want to dig into Scientology, be sure not to miss Operation Clambake. Wow.

Bad Boo Boo!

Boo Boo's Munchies No-No (Don't miss the pics!)

The monkey leapt out the driver's window as its owner picked up an order at the drive through window. Boo Boo hung on to the clerk's hand for a few extra moments and apparently bit and injured the restaurant worker.

These kinds of commando (dare I say - ahem - guerrilla?) sneak attack tactics must not be tolerated!

More zombie news

This one might even be real: Boffins create zombie dogs

US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years.

Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.

Granted, the story isn't quite as exciting as the title, but hey... I love any story that calls scientists "boffins" -- makes 'em sound like Muppets!

Cruise Control (or lack thereof)

Because The Wife is (justifiably, since she works in the psychiatric field) obsessed with the rapidly-approaching-Howard-Hughes-type-crazy Tom Cruise:Cruise is waving off critics

Jumping on Oprah's couch? Sure it was unorthodox behavior for a celebrity, but he laughs at it, too. "I will forever with this woman be jumping on couches, dancing on tables and hanging from chandeliers."

Criticizing doctors for prescribing drugs to depressed patients? That's much more controversial than footprints on the furniture, but Cruise professes disdain for psychiatric drugs. "All I can do is say, 'Look. Don't listen, look.' " He encourages people to research the drugs.

Ah... I experience such wonderful schadenfreude at watching a Scientology Grand Dragon implode... The man is obviously in need of a little "Nazi science" himself.

Boston Reality

If you are at all curious about what blue collar Boston is really like, check out Firehouse USA: Boston on the Discovery Channel. Choice quotes (paraphrased):

  • "We got all these these wood construction triple-deckahs around heah -- We call them Irish Battleships..."
  • "We gotta check the airbags and stuff, cuz airbags'll go off and they'll break ya leg, they'll break ya head -- they'll kill ya..."

I need to work break ya head into more conversations.

The show lead to some contentious moments between The Wife and myself, however.

For one, one part of the show took place in a Rock Bottom Brewery and we were both kind of disappointed by the obvious shilling for a chain restaurant. The Wife tried to tell me that "That was the Sam Adams place, wasn't it?" to which I responded "What Sam Adams place? The words you are saying mean nothing to me..." So, she goes on to tell me that we had gone to a bar that only served Sam Adams brew, including specialty items not usually available at your local packie. I had (and still have) absolutely no recollection of ever setting foot in such a place, so we argued for a while questioning each other's mental capacities until finally I cracked saying, "I didn't even like it there, why would I retain that sort of detail?"

This, of course, is an overstatement. I have a lot of fondness for Boston, obviously. That said, New England and I really didn't mesh well. And so it goes.

(BTW: The Wife and I will be hitting Beantown in early August. Email for details, kids.)

A Man's Man

Kenyan grandfather, 73, kills leopard with hands

The leopard sank its teeth into the farmer's wrist and mauled him with its claws. "A voice, which must have come from God, whispered to me to drop the panga (machete) and thrust my hand in its wide open mouth. I obeyed," M'Mburugu said.

...

"This guy is very lucky to be alive," Kenya Wildlife Service official Connie Maina told Reuters, confirming details of the incident.

Because we love tough old geezers around here.

More Limelight for the Miracle Boys

'Miracle' men of a lifetime

Twenty-five years later, the Boys of Winter are still just that in the American psyche. And every few years, it seems, we have to let them know. Although they have all grown up, raised families, and walked away from hockey, Eruzione, O'Callahan, Jim Craig, and Dave Silk don't mind being reminded that they were part of something great.

''I don't think there's ever been a day that I don't consider it a good fortune to have been a part of," Silk said.

The four guys from Boston University will receive a lifetime achievement award tonight at the FleetCenter during the Sports Museum's fourth Tradition ceremony. Other recipients have been Ted Williams, Red Auerbach, and the Kraft family. This kind of award, O'Callahan said, is the most precious of all.

Cool. I think the reason these guys never fade into the shadows is a confluence of the extraordinary effort they put in (not uncommon for Olympic sports, obviously), the total over-achievement of their result, and the highly charged political atmosphere for which their sporting endeavors became metaphor.

Take the power back (or not)

A tale of contrasts: The Simianistas in India raise a serious ruckus: Monkey bites cop

Three monkeys have wreaked havoc at Purbasthali here, biting and clawing almost 60 people in 10 days.

Among the victims were a dozen policemen.

But at least one monkey at the San Diego zoo know a good thing when it has one: Monkey escapes exhibit, then couldn't wait to get back in

Zookeepers say the were searching for Takala, when they opened an outside door to the monkey exhibit and he walked right in. Officials say Takala escaped through a hole in the netting around the enclosure.

You know what Kris Kristofferson (or Janis Joplin, if you prefer) said about freedom...

Rumspringa has sprung

For whatever reason, several of us at work are vaguely fascinated with the Amish rite of passage called Rumspringa. It seems to come up in conversation almost once a month -- especially between Matt and myself (usually referencing the documentary Devil's Playground, which I still haven't seen and which is probablty not exactly a representative depiction) -- so when Brandon saw this over the weekend he obviously had to pass it along: Amish woman looking for true love. - 22

Hi! I am a girl from a small town in Iowa, where I was raised Amish. I am currently on rumspringa, which is the time in every young person's life where he or she goes out into the English world to experience everything that is out there. The hope is that at the end of rumspringa, we will return to our communities and join the Amish church, but I'm still not sure if I'm ready for that! I really like living in a world with cars and electricity and computers!

I'm 22 years old and I like to go hiking and I love animals. I like listening to music because that's something else I could never do before, so it's very exciting! I'm looking for a guy who is honest and kind and good looking of course! I have blonde hair and I guess I'm cute and stuff, and I wear English clothes rather than Amish and I don't wear a bonnet or anything, I mean, I do sometimes but probably wouldn't if we went out!

This is just fascinating to me on so many levels...

At a very base and juvenile level, I think I just like how "rumspringa" (and the occasional wilding that goes along with it) reminds me of "Rump Shaker".

When it's high up in the sky it almost looks like it is white

Summer Moon Illusion

This week's full moon hangs lower in the sky than any full moon since June 1987, so the Moon Illusion is going to be extra strong.

What makes the moon so low? It's summer. Remember, the sun and the full Moon are on opposite sides of the sky. During summer the sun is high, which means the full moon must be low. This week’s full moon occurs on June 22nd, barely a day after the summer solstice on June 21st--perfect timing for the Moon Illusion.

There's a table of moonrise times for various cities. Check it out and step outside this week.

Links on Parade

  • Endangered Condors Soar Over Grand Canyon

    On some days, as many as 25 to 30 condors soar over the canyon area — more birds than were in existence a generation ago when officials decided to capture and breed them.

  • Agent: We'll see what options are out there

    Peter Forsberg wants to return to the Colorado Avalanche if a proposed salary cap doesn't make him too expensive for the club, his agent says.

    Well, it's been nice having him around...

  • In three fights recently, boxers have just quit. Is this a trend? Is it a self-preservation thing? Might be smart in the long run, though I really question Kostya Tszyu's choice in particular.
  • I don't care how much you love animals, don't go out in the highway!

    An Illinois woman who stopped to help a family of ducks cross Interstate 90/39 on Wednesday morning ended up in the hospital after she was hit by a car and thrown 60 feet.

  • German police can't catch record-breaking speeder

    A motorcyclist captured on film by German police racing at 251 km per hour (155 mph) on a road near Berlin has set a new unofficial national record for speeding, Bild newspaper reported on Monday.

    He'd better watch out for ducks at that speed!

  • Naked Bike Ride shocks London — Warning: British body parts in full view. ;) See also (if you dare!)
  • So the Senate can't manage to pass a bill outlawing lynching, but they can probably agree to apologize for that fact...?!
  • Smooth move: If you're the President of a nation, it's best not to publish your cell phone number. Jackass.

Cringely on Apple + Intel

Going for Broke

This scenario works well for everyone except Microsoft. If Intel was able to own the Mac OS and make it available to all the OEMs, it could break the back of Microsoft. And if they tuned the OS to take advantage of unique features that only Intel had, they would put AMD back in the box, too. Apple could return Intel to its traditional role of being where all the value was in the PC world. And Apple/Intel could easily extend this to the consumer electronics world. How much would it cost Intel to buy Apple? Not much. And if they paid in stock it would cost nothing at all since investors would drive shares through the roof on a huge swell of user enthusiasm.

Man, I love it when he gets all kooky with the far out speculation! I kind of hope he's right, too.

Good Hockey News!

First: Neely among Hall of Fame inductees — Yessssss!

Neely, a power forward, played for Vancouver and Boston between 1984 and 1996, scoring 395 goals, assisting on 299 and serving 1,241 penalty minutes in 726 regular-season games. His 55 playoff goals are a Boston club record. The six-foot-one right-winger was a five-time all-star and made such an impression in Boston that his No. 8 sweater was retired last year.

But what about hockey's future? Well, there is finally some positive movement there, too: Report: NHL, NHLPA agree on cap formula

According to the Globe's league and player sources, a salary floor and cap will be based on a percentage of each NHL team's revenue. The paper adds that in the first year - based on revenue projections by both sides - the salary cap will range from $34 million to $36 million US, with the floor from $22 million to $24 million US.

Interestingly, though, the outside bid to buy the entire NHL is still alive, too: Bain, Game Plan try to entice owners with buyout plan

The equity provision says team owners can apply a portion of their team's agreed upon value to a pro rata share of the equity of the new entity under Bain and Game Plan, according to people familiar with the deal.

Personally, I'm still in favor of this kind of buyout. Single entity ownership would increase the chances of success for small market teams like the Calgary Flames. It would also lessen the frustration for fans of teams currently saddled with insane ownership (Blackhawks).

Of course, both the salary cap and the buyout idea probably hurt my Avalanche in the short term, since they had kind of become the Rangers of the West, but I'd be willing to take that hit as a fan.

It's like the joke about the dog named Lucky...

Don't Stand By Me: Surviving a lightning strike.

Jerry LeDoux is a guy you don't really want to interview, because interviewing him means having to be near him, and that's like planting yourself by a dartboard. The stone claw hanging from his neck attests to his grisly encounter with a bear's jaw at a roadside park in August 1990. (His wife, Bee, brandishes a photo album that documents the mauling before he's done telling the story.) The Purple Heart on his Navy Seals sniper hat testifies to the three bullets he took in Vietnam. The ugly black mark on his finger is evidence that he once air-nailed it to a floorboard. The scar on his left arm is proof that he accidentally screwed his flesh to the wall. The long knife wound on his hand? "Things happen," he says. The most improbable of his many accidents is the one that left the least visible evidence—just a few white splotches on his arms and a discoloration near his hairline. But that doesn't mean it's easily forgotten. LeDoux rolls up his sleeve to show off a tattoo of a man getting struck by lightning engraved on his left bicep.

I had no idea there were international conferences for lightning strike and electric shock victims.

I'm just happy that my own lightning experience was so mild that it had no lasting physical effect. I can live without those few seconds of memory. ;)