Month: May 2010

In honor of Memorial Day, oldest surviving Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 100

~ Jeremy ~ Leave a comment

Retired Navy officer John Finn, who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Japanese attack on military installations in Hawaii that plunged the United States into World War II, died Thursday at the Veterans Home of California in Chula Vista.

At 100, Finn was the oldest surviving recipient of the nation’s highest medal for valor and the only recipient still alive among those who received the medal for actions during the attack of Dec. 7, 1941.

As his health declined, Finn had moved recently to the veterans facility from his longtime home in Live Oak Springs in rural eastern San Diego County.

Although he was a guest of honor at numerous gatherings of veterans and Medal of Honor recipients – including at the White House, where he was greeted by President Barack Obama – Finn routinely declined to accept the accolade of hero.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/27/1975782/john-finn-oldest-surviving-medal.html#ixzz0pKUdaSPp

Investigative Reports: Odd Obsessions Video Store

~ Jeremy ~ Leave a comment

Back in 2003 or 2004, I helped put together a video for a local standup comedy show called the Lincoln Lodge. The video was about a local store that — if you lived here — you’d have to frequent — called Odd Obsessions Video. They offer the best videos, films and DVDs for rent. Super reasonable. They are super cool.

I thought they closed down, but they moved to a better location than the one in the video I made. I just learned that the web site Everything is Terrible! is in a filthy sexual relationship with Odd Obsessions, and I thought what a match made in heaven.

Anyway, I sent EIT this video because I thought they’d get a kick out of how bad it was. Maybe they’ll include it on the blog someday and it’ll get mad terrible hits!

Some things to notice: I had not yet received my wireless module for my microphone, so I ran a wireless lav cord up into the microphone. You can see the cord in several shots. Brady Novak is in the video, and he’s one of my favorites from back in the day. This was a video that I was trying my hand at animations. Six years ago, I was pretty fucking happy with how they turned out. Shoot, I’m still pretty fascinated that I had the vision even now. That’s all the DVD extras I can think of for now.

Bon appétit.

Collection of Anti-Vax Rally Articles

~ Jeremy ~ 4 Comments

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The response to the anti-vaccination rally has been great. Here’s a collection of them:

  • Jamie Bernstein posted her thoughts via the Friendly Atheist.
  • Orec pulled together a variety of links and posted one concise post, “Is the Anti-vaccine movement fizzling?” (including quotes from here. Thanks!)
  • PZ Myers responded with a yawnish, “How the hell does this movement have any legs?” tone. Maybe that’s not what he meant, but that’s how I read it. It’s here. He also linked here. Thanks!
  • The Skeptical Teacher posted here and here.
  • Photos from Skeptic Dave.
  • Autism News Beat declares the rally a fizzle.
  • A Brit calls it a damp squib.
  • Almost didn’t include my posts: Here. Here. Here.

If I’m missing some links, please drop them in the comments and I’ll update this post accordingly.

Vodka Eyeballing, the first trend you never need to try

~ Jeremy ~ 2 Comments

From the article:

“That sounds like the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” opined Alex Fast of the East Village. Stupid indeed, but is it really catching on? The Daily Mail did find one 22-year-old woman whose eye is permanently scarred by vodka eyeballing. “I’m in constant pain because of what I did,” she says. “And I’m terrified that it will get worse. I wish I could turn the clock back and change things. But I can’t.” The Mail also says this is “a popular nightclub trick performed by waitresses for tips” in Las Vegas. And there are hundreds of YouTube videos of people supposedly knocking back vodka eyeball shots. So, good enough; let’s call it a trend and cut to the scaremongering: Your children are coming home from college blind in one eye, you know!

But why? CBS2 doesn’t actually have any attributable quotes in their segment, but they watched a lot of the YouTube videos and report that “the pain gives way to an instant high and then a deeper state of drunkenness.” Which sounds pretty boss, because it’s so annoying waiting around for vodka to hit your bloodstream. However, Dr. Richard Rosen of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary warns, “It’s like using paint stripper on the surface of your eye.” Okay, then, definitely sounds like something you want to avoid… unless of course somebody dares you.