Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi is a 29 year-old Japanese competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). He holds the world record for hot dog eating as six-time consecutive champion of Nathan's Famous hot dog-eating competition. The record of 97 Krystals hamburgers was set by Kobayashi on October 28, 2006.
As I laid there, back against the wall, I suddenly saw the figure of a man quickly glide into my room. "Who the fuck is this?" I thought. He disappeared into the darkness, but I could hear him open a drawer and rattle around a bunch of objects, like in a utility drawer. The man closed the drawer and rushed back out of the room into the hallway. He remained darkened in what little amber light that was provided.
ASSHOLE: A person who does not shovel snow from the sidewalks in front of his dwelling and/or business.
At least he is to the lowest form of human being -- the child sexual predator. Chris Hansen has teamed with Perverted-Justice.com (also known as PeeJ), an organization dedicated to identifying adults willing to have chat room sexual encounters with minors. Taking it a step further, Hansen then confronts those men who physically show up at a determined location in order to have sex with an underage boy or girl.
Personally, I consider Hansen a hero. It can't be easy to stand in a kitchen or living room and try to have a mature conversation with a man who was seconds away from sexually abusing a child. But Hansen does so without judging (for the most part), and then steps aside to let the law do the right thing.
Altoids fans will be pleased to learn that the company has launched several Altoids Curious and Original Chocolate Shoppes in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Actually, they're anti-Valentine's Day. Each of the three temporary "pop-up stores" is billing itself as a "sanctuary from all the romantic overtures" for the "lovesick, lovelorn and Cupid-wary." The stores are located in Chicago (of course), Miami and New York, and each has free activities, such as "Therapeutic Crafts for the Broken-Hearted" and "Love Stinks" needlepoint kits. They also stock samples of Altoids' new Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints and are passing them out with free lattes. Chicagoist stopped by their local store and reported that it also stocked "cupcakes from Angel Food Bakery, anti-Valentine's Day cards and a variety of other Altoids and V-Day related schwag."
Everything in the stores, in case you haven't gotten the picture yet, is free, so it's definitely worth a stop by if you live in one of the three cities mentioned.
And if you do have a loved one with you today (like I do - hey hon!), then Happy Valentine's Day.
I know that for some people, these things are a necessity. So why is it that every time I see someone riding one of those scooters, I automatically think they are lazy and not handicapped?? I guess it doesn't help that just about every person I have seen on a scooter, or at least the ones I remember, seem to be mildly to grossly obese. Granted, when you get heavy, I imagine it's harder to be pedestrian. But why do I visibly roll my eyes and quietly groan every time I pass someone on a scooter?
What is the deal with black male comedians dressing up in drag for movies? Tyler Perry's done it a few times for his Medea series. So has Martin Lawrence for his Momma's House series. And Eddie Murphy has done it for his Nutty Professor series, and is doing it again in Norbit. Remember Jamie Foxx's Wanda on In Living Color? And Miguel Nunez in Juwanna Mann? And the Wayans Brothers in White Chicks?
I think that the increasing popularity of having black men dress in drag is something worth examining. And its not just for one movie, these characters are both recurring in a series, or given spinoffs. When a black man puts on a dress, is it a way of eliminating his oh-so-threatening black male sexuality? Or does it make him less dangerous in a still all-white run Hollywood?
There is buzz going around these days about how the NAACP and some U.S. postsecondary officials are condemning college parties that are themed "gansta parties". That is, mostly white kids get together and wear gang gear, grills on their teeth, and drink malt liquor out of paper bags. The NAACP complains that these antics conjure the worst racial stereotypes.
Groundhog Day is celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2 each year. Tradition states that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow on this day, winter will continue for six more weeks. If, however, it is a cloudy day and the groundhog sees no shadow, winter will soon end. The irony of this is that Spring arrives approximately six weeks from that day anyway. Most likely, this began as folk humor, in the same vein as the old saying "six of one, half a dozen of another".
In any case, many people who look for any reason to celebrate, and who are also weary of the winter weather, find a bit of fun in the annual event. Several communities even have newsworthy events each year that typically feature groundhog characters that have been named for the occasion. Probably the most well-known of these characters is Punxsutawney Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney held the first Groundhog Day celebration on February 2, 1887. News reporters gather each year to document the festivities and to announce the pending weather verdict to the world.
Although Groundhog Day is celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada, its roots began in Europe. On that day, a Christian holiday called Candlemas, involved another animal and its shadow - the hedgehog. When the Pilgrims carried the tradition to America, they couldn't find a hedgehog, so they substituted the groundhog instead. And thus was born the Groundhog Day tradition.
