Scientology

An Inside Look Into a Growing Industry

Slow-mo Slap

Apparently one of our readers thinks our content has gone down hill of late. Well, this bitch slap is for you Gassy D.

Good crop today, mostly because I had most of the day off...

The Aptly named clip "Why Italian Restaurants Failed in Dubai"



And now a brief interlude:



I think the funniest thing about that clip is how serious the guy looks, and that he has a whole series of youtube videos including such classics as Sweet Child O' Mine and an emotional rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Looking for new ways of using google maps? How about finding crack?

And for those of you who really don't want to get anything done today how about a delightful jigsaw puzzle?

And finally a Japanese reenactment of the song We Are the World (if one thing from the 80's deserves to be celebrated, it was that video):


I think the Bruce Springsteen guy is the best, although the Cyndi Lauper one could actually be Cyndi Lauper, so maybe that wins. It's a shame they didn't do some of the other singers like Bob Dylan or Steve Perry.

Introducing: The Potentials

Move over iTunes

Typography

So, some guy made a documentary called helvetica about typography and now everyone with a typographical fetish is coming out of the woodwork and making videos on youtube.
Par example:


If you're the type of person that enjoys such things more can be found here

Jewno

Is it wrong to post jewish video on good Friday?

Relationships

This one's for you, Jimmy Carter

Know Your Pocomoke

I heard on the radio today that while Ireland itself has a population of 9 million people, there are 37 million Americans who claim Irish descent. By conservative estimate, I would say that this number swells to approximately 80 billion on St. Patrick's Day. So happy St. Patrick's day to both the Irish and the Irish at heart.

Personally, I'm still a little wary of Irish people after nearly being killed by a couple of Riverdancers a few weeks back (this actually happened).

1. While we're on the subject, at which Clarendon bar sometimes frequented by the Pocomoke crowd did the Riverdance incident occur?

2. All but one of the Pocomoke residents have visited the Emerald Isle at one point or another. Who is the odd man out?

3. Though we all enjoy a good pint of Guinness from time to time, only one true Irishman resides at 1605 Pocomoke. From which Irish county does Big Cat's family hail?

4. Which drinking-themed holiday is more overrated: New Year's Eve or St. Patrick's Day?

Answers to follow later this week.

Guinness' Habit of the Week

Habit #2: Bex's door doesn't latch and opens with only a slight push - even a cat can do it. But run away before he sees you opening his door or there will be hell to pay. Trust me.

Awareness

The Robot

He's committed, I'll give him that.

SeaWorld

What's with all the Michale Jackson imitation videos out there? Is this some viral comeback campaign or something?



Now we know why it costs $60 to visit SeaWorld (worth checking out their site just for the music).

Return of the TrapperKeeper of Secrets

As our loyal readers may remember, there exists in Pocomoke a book filled with so many dangerous secrets that it must be guarded vigilantly by the most powerful product available at your local CVS, Walgreens, or Rite Aid: The TrapperKeeper (of Secrets)!


Secret #27: JG's beer is made out of malt, yeast, and the many tears of his lonely youth.


What other horrors lie in this book. Only time will tell, dear readers. The TrapperKeeper of Secrets is closed... for now.

Traffic

I can't help but think of the beltway when I see this simulation:

Forget American Hegimony, Check Out IKEA's Cultural Imperialism

In international news, the Danish are accusing Sweden's IKEA of cultural imperialism by naming the cheapest and most pedestrian products with Danish words and the best with Swedish words. Certain readers of this blog were correct to be skeptical of IKEA and their intentions (you know who you are). I'm just saying we should be on alert in this new front in the Scandanavian "culture wars."

"An analysis by two Danish academics found that the Swedish furniture store Ikea gives its "better" products Swedish and Norwegian names, while "lesser" products are christened with Danish names. An analysis by a blogger on a Germany-based Web forum also reached the same conclusion.Here's the hierarchy:

Tier 1, Swedish: Upholstered furniture, bookcases, and multimedia consoles get the names of Swedish towns. Example -- the Kramfors sofa.

Tier 2, Norwegian: Beds, dressers, and hallway furniture are bestowed with the names of Norwegian towns. Example -- the Leksvik bed.

Tier 3, Finnish: Chairs and dining tables are christened after Finnish towns. Example -- the Harola chair.

Tier 4, Danish: Doormats, runners, and inexpensive carpeting get Danish names. Example -- the Roskilde rug and the Köge doormat.

The hierarchy, an example of "Swedish imperialism," sends the message that Denmark is the doormat of Sweden, one of the academics said in a Feb. 14 article in the Danish newspaper Nyhedsavisen."

Courtesy of FP's Passport at http://blog.foreignpolicy.com.

Why People Don't Watch Hockey

Guinness' Habit of the Week

Habit #1: Legs are humans' least-guarded parts of their body. Attack them whenever the opportunity arises.

Stephen Covey's Habit of the Week

Habit #21: When buying a house or condo, make an offer greater than the list price to confuse the seller. The element of surprise always gives you the upper hand. It also gives you the appearance of being wealthier than you may actually be.

Know Your Pocomoke: Answers Revealed

1. I actually thought that Big Cat and I had this one wrapped up, having first met in September of 1992. But it turns out that Old Bear and Bex beat us by a year: the two of them met in the fall of 1991. There is no general consensus on when Big Cat and Bex first made each other's acquaintance (seriously).

2. The place was named Clarendon Kaleidoscope and it was owned by the father of a friend of ours. Having a friend whose dad owns an arcade where you can play all the games for free sounds pretty cool, right? Like a dream come true for a couple of 13 year olds, you might say. Well, the dream lasted for approximately two hours before Big Cat and I managed to screw it up. I won't go into the circumstances surrounding our banishment - just know that it involves a harrowing tale of deceit, lies, deception, and minigolf.

3. Your reckless comments seem to have only encouraged Big Cat. Hey, did I ever mention the time that he tried to take a lit tiki torch into our kitchen?

4. I was originally thinking of something a little more generic, along the lines of "Our House" by Madness or the theme song from Family Ties. But the readers have spoken (all three of them) and "Istanbul, Not Constantinople" it is. If Big Cat goes through with his fire plan, he can take "Burning Down the House" as his personal anthem while the rest of us adopt "We Didn't Start the Fire."

Know Your Pocomoke

1. You probably know that Big Cat and JG were elementary school classmates, while Bex and Old Bear also share a grade-school alma mater. Who met first: Big Cat and JG or Bex and Old Bear?

2. Name the now-defunct arcade from which Big Cat and JG received a lifetime ban in seventh grade. Hint: it was located only a few mintues away from Pocomoke.

3. Christmas is gone but not forgotten at Pocomoke. Though we reluctantly took down the ol' Tannenbaum over Super Bowl weekend, it currently resides on top of the "compost" heap in the corner of the backyard. Meanwhile, Big Cat has reiterated his intention to stand the tree up inside the fire pit and set it aflame. This isn't really a question - just an invitation to send Big Cat your thoughts on why this is such a terrible idea.

4. If you could pick a theme song for 1605 N. Pocomoke, what would it be?

Answers to follow later this week.