Canadian Sasquatch Sighting

There has been yet another Sasquatch sighting. This time - north of the border. Roger from THE CHECK forwarded a story to me that was published by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (that's CBC to you and me). According to the report, two women in Ontario were berry picking and had a run-in with the legendary Stink-Ape. Here's more(!):

Helen Pahpasay and her mother were north of Grassy Narrows, Ont., about 230 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, to pick blueberries last Tuesday when they spotted a hulking figure from their truck at about 10 a.m. CT.

"It was black, about eight feet long and all black, and the way it walked was upright, human-like, but more — I don't know how to describe it — more of a husky walk, I guess," she told CBC News.

"It didn't look normal."

Didn't look "normal?" Well, I bet you're not so hot yourself, Helen. And, of course The Sasquatch is going to be pissed off if a person is picking berries in his territory. That would be like someone searching for food in your refrigerator. What did Helen and her mother do when they saw the creature? Here is more from the CBC story:

The creature seemed to spot them, then ran off into the woods, Pahpasay said. She and her mother debated chasing the creature to try to get a closer glimpse, but were so shaken they decided to abandon their berry-picking excursion and return home.

Others returned to the area later and found a large, six-toed footprint, Pahpasay said. "What do I think it was? Right now I'm not even sure what it was. But it really scared both of us," she said.

"There's been talk of Bigfoot, sasquatch. And I'm still not sure what it was, but I've never seen anything like it."

Pahpasay says she and her mother aren't the only people in the area with a sasquatch story. A couple of men from their community said they also saw the creature three years ago, she said, and a similar animal has been mentioned in old lore about the area.

You know, I believe that Helen and her mother made the right decision not to "chase the creature" into the woods. You know how that type of decision usually ends up in the movies. Thank goodness that had the sense to turn around and high tail it out of there. Now, I certainly don't doubt any details in their story except for the part about six toes. Come on, Helen - are you crazy? Sasquatch's have five toes because they are humanoids. Everyone knows that. Now, of course, the author of the report had to throw this little ditty in to end the story:

Skeptics say it's preposterous that a large mammal could have evaded detection in North America throughout history. Despite numerous alleged sightings, no one has ever produced concrete evidence such as skulls or bones, they argue, while footprints, film or photos can be manufactured.

Whatever. Have they seen the Roger Patterson film? Manufactured? Put down the crack pipe, buddy that's real. When will people stop requiring "hard evidence" and start BELIEVING!

Come on.

Jeff

A Slice of Americana

I just walked into my sons room. It was a little past their bedtime and I was checking to see if they were asleep. They were in their bunk bed quietly, intently listening to the Twins game on the radio.

That, folks, is a slice of Americana that really warms my heart.

Peace,

Jeff

Some Thoughts....

Here's some stuff to ponder...

1. From the "Why always Wisconsin" files. As reported in a Friday AP story:

Complaint: Man shoots lawn mower
MILWAUKEE — A 56-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of shooting his lawn mower because it wouldn't start.

Keith Walendowski was charged with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle and misdemeanor disorderly conduct while armed. Walendowski said he was angry because his Lawn Boy wouldn't start Wednesday morning, according to the criminal complaint.

"I can do that, it's my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want," Walendowski told police.

A woman who lives at Walendowski's house reported the incident. She says he was intoxicated (Editors note - gee, really?). Walendowski could face up to an $11,000 fine and six years and three months in prison if convicted.

A call to Walendowski's home went unanswered this morning. (Editor's second note: For some reason, that last sentence struck me as very funny)

Why can't that stuff happen in Idaho? Or Nevada? Why? Then again, there have been a few times I might have done the same thing to my lawnmower if I had a firearm handy.

2. Freealonzo had a very interesting post last Thursday in which he posed the question - What songs would you want played at your funeral? Now, I hope that my funeral will be many decades from now (thank you Zocor!), but he poses a great question. Believe it or not, I have thought about this a lot. That will not come as a shock for those of you that have known me for awhile. Here are the three that I would like played (in 2058, of course):

--The Waterboys - "This Is The Sea"

--The Beatles - "In My Life"

--Neil Young - "One Of These Days"

So there you go. How about you? What songs would you like played at your funeral?

3. Twins third-baseman Mike Lamb has grown a beard. It has not helped his hitting. (As I said that, he just drove in a run with a double - not kidding).

4. I saw The Dark Knight today with The Eldest Son. Great movie - all 2 1/2 hours of it. It's well worth seeing. Not a lot of laughs, however. The film was rather dark, and I am not talking about the lighting. This was not the "Adam West Batman" that I grew up with.










Heath Ledger should be handed the Academy Award right now for his portrayal of The Joker. (Posthumously, of course.) He. Was. Creepy. I'm lucky that Cesar Romero, and not Heath Ledger, portrayed the joker in the version that I grew up watching. Ledger's portrayal would have sent me to some early psychiatric counseling, I believe.





That's all for tonight.

Jeff

Favre Update......Buckle Up!

The Brettfavre news just won't stop. Check this out from Judd Zulgad's Viking blog on Startribune.com:

As we await the NFL’s decision on the tampering charges filed by the Packers against the Vikings for “inappropriate dialogue” with Brett Favre, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an interesting bit of information in a piece he wrote about the quarterback today.
McGinn writes that a source said Favre had continued to use a Packers-issued cell phone and that when the team checked the phone records it found “repeated calls to coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.”

The possibility of Favre having used a phone issued by the Packers had been speculated on last week after the Associated Press reported that Green Bay informed the NFL it felt “an investigation of the phone records would show more than ‘normal contact’ between the Vikings and Favre, even before he formally asked for his release to play for another team.”
Bevell served as Favre’s quarterbacks coach in Green Bay from 2003-05 and the two have remained close. That relationship made it difficult to believe the Packers could prove much by simply pointing to conversations between Bevell and Favre. However, if Favre’s phone records also point to conversations with Childress that could be a different story.

The Vikings have remained mostly quiet on this subject since news broke nearly a week ago that tampering charges had been filed. Minnesota issued a statement last Thursday, saying the Vikings “are not commenting on this issue. These types of matters are handled by the league.”

The Vikings, if found guilty, could face penalties that include loss of draft picks and/or fines.

Now let me get this straight. Brettfavre, who make $12 million dollars a year, carried around a Packer-issued cell phone. And Mr. Favre allegedly used this Packer-issued cell phone to call the Minnesota Vikings. Repeatedly.

Folks, it doesn't get any weirder than than this. This cements the fact that Brett might not be the brightest bulb in the tree. I wonder if the Packer-issued phone was Green and Gold with a "G."

Am I in a dream? Somebody wake me up. I know - I'm going to be woke up and the Packer - Giants NFC Championship game will just be starting. Right? This is all part of THE VISION. The Packers, led by the resurgent Brettfavre, are about to go to the Super Bowl. Right?

Somehow, someway, the Vikings will probably lose draft picks over this. There is no question about that. The Joe Smith fiasco all over again.

But let me get this straight - Brettfavre used a Packer-issued cell phone to repeatedly call the Minnesota Vikings.

What the hell is going to happen next?

Jeff

RNC - I'm Starting To Get Nervous....

I live in St. Paul. I really like St. Paul. And, as I have written before, the Republican National Convention is coming to St. Paul from September 1 - 4. While I'm happy for the city, the whole thing makes me a little jittery. Here's why:

1. The Xcel Energy Center is being transformed for the Convention. The X is, hands down, the nicest arena in the Twin Cities. Yes, it even beats THE METRODOME. Now, I read today that the arena is being "transformed" for the RNC. This is a little like handing over a Lamborghini to someone who is going to "change things up a little." Here is some background from today's Star Tribune:

The keys to the Xcel Energy Center were turned over to the national Republican Party this morning (Editor's note - HOLY CRAP!) in an informal ceremony, as construction crews begin a multimillion-dollar, six-week makeover, transforming the complex into the home of the party's national convention, Sept. 1 to 4. After the arena's general manager Jack Larson handed over a ceremonial key to the facility this morning, about 100 workers began removing 3,500 seats and turning the hockey/concert venue into a massive TV studio where Sen. John McCain will be nominated as the Republican Party's candidate the first week of September.

...Xcel Energy Center Senior Operations Director Mark Stoffel said that the zamboni has been put in secure storage and 30 of the 72 suites will be stripped of seats and furniture and converted into TV studios.

...Meanwhile, 800 to 900 seats to the left and right of the podium will be removed, replaced by tables for news media, with phone and laptop hookups. More than 20 miles of cable will be strung through the complex to handle the data, telephone and video that will make this the most high-tech convention yet.

...One of the big construction jobs, starting this week, will be transforming 23 suites that look out onto the arena into mini-studios and work spaces for the television networks. Three rows of seats will be removed from the suites and drink stands torn out, to be replaced by platforms that will extend into the arena where television anchors will sit. Some suites will have glass enclosures. Nine suites are being created for television on the first level on the Washington Street side. The upper level ordinarily used by sports media will be made available for radio broadcasters and bloggers (Hey!).

That, friends, is a lot of stuff being done to my favorite arena. I hope those guys know what they are doing. And I hope they don't "have a few bolts and screws left over" when they put everything back in place like I do at the end of most projects. Be gentle with the X, guys.

2. Anarchists planning on protesting the RNC. This obviously does not surprise me. And, before I go any further, I want to reiterate that I am not against protesting. The right to free speech and to peaceful protest is an American right that men and women have died to protect. If I remember correctly, there were some guys in Boston (not you Phil) who protested British "taxation without representation" by throwing tea in the harbor. I welcome peaceful protesters who know WHY they are there and WHAT they are protesting.

But then there are the guys who are there to break shit. I am talking about the self-appointed Anarchists. By the way, how do you get to be an Anarchist? Are there clubs? Are there rules? And if there are rules, that would seem to defeat the purpose of being an Anarchist. Here is what I learned in today's Pioneer Press about the Anarchist's plans for the RNC:

WALDO, Wis. (Editor's Note - WALDO, WISCONSIN??)— About 150 anarchists from the United States and Canada are in Wisconsin this week training for demonstrations at the Democratic and Republican conventions. The anarchists are attending four days of workshops in Waldo in Sheboygan County. Some of the workshops focus on strategies for the upcoming conventions.

The sessions are organized by the CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, an underground group that has published anarchist texts such as "Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook."
CrimethInc. rejects government, capitalism and conformity.

Media liaison Pinkerton Xyloma would not say why the anarchists are meeting in Wisconsin but said they have no interest in violence or terrorism.

Waldo Village President Mike Hintz says the group is meeting on private land and has caused no problems.

The Democratic convention is Aug. 25-28 in Denver. The Republican convention is Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul.

Workshops. They're attending Anarchist workshops in Waldo, Wisconsin. What the hell do they do at the workshop? Paint? Read? Set fires? They say they reject government, capitalism and conformity. I wonder if a few of them thought it was kind of bogus to "conform" and meet in the same place (Waldo) for the workshop? I wonder if a few of them asked "Where's Waldo?" (I just made myself laugh). Seriously, a few of them probably showed up in Sheyboygan just to piss the others off.

I found another article in the Pioneer Press that outlined some of the stuff that has happened in other cities. Here's what that piece had to say:

On a November day in 1999, Seattle police lost control of their city.

During a meeting of the World Trade Organization, protesters blockaded intersections, cut off delegates from the conference and rifled through local businesses, causing extensive damage. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to control the crowd, but it took days to restore order.
A group of Twin Cities anarchists now is making similar threats against the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. But they also made threats against the 2004 conventions in Boston and New York, and little ever came of them.

The question is what to make of the anarchists? Are they for real? And how seriously should the city take their threats?

Interesting. Those are hard questions to answer. Mainly because it's hard to find an Anarchist to talk to. I mean, they don't hang out at Target or Dairy Queen. From that same article, however, here is some background on one of the Big Whigs:

The anarchists say they won't talk to "corporate media," but one of the nation's best-known anarchists is John Zerzan, a Eugene, Ore.-based author and host of Anarchist Radio. When contacted by phone, Zerzan said he regards the Seattle protest and riots as a success because they spotlighted anarchists' antiglobalization message.

Zerzan — a confidant of Theodore Kaczynski in the mid-1990s while the Unabomber awaited trial — said anarchists want to end corporate domination of the planet and roll back technological advances. His new book is titled "Twilight of the Machines."

Eugene-based anarchists were instrumental in the Seattle riots, and Zerzan does not back away from the methods. While he doesn't condone violence against other individuals, he doesn't see property damage as violent — "Certainly not corporate property," Zerzan said.

(For those of you that used to watch The Young Ones, this reminds me of the time Vivyan says to (P)rick - "Oh, what are you going to do, Rick, burn your bra?" )

These are the guys, people, that want to break shit. RNC, WTO, HBO - it doesn't matter. Whether or not they actually get a chance to carry through with that threat remains to be seen. The St. Paul police and other local authorities are taking steps to make sure the city will be safe.

It's going to be interesting. What do you think? Am I over-reacting? I realize there is a chance that absolutely nothing will go down. But, you never know.

I guess we'll see what went down in those Workshops.

Jeff

Friday Humor

I read this in The Onion last night and could not stop laughing.

Girlfriend Wants To Leave Game Now

BOSTON—According to eyewitness reports, Jennifer Holleman, 25, wants to leave the game now despite the difficulty and expense of obtaining tickets, the strong playoff implications of the contest, and the fact that the final result of the hotly contested tie game is still in doubt. "Are you still watching this? Or can we leave soon?" Holleman asked boyfriend Ian Pickett, who had been looking forward to the game for weeks and had in fact initially invited his best friend before finally being coerced by Holleman to bring her instead. "Let's go watch a movie or something. Or I could call Liz and Michelle and meet up at a bar that's playing the game there.Then you could still watch the end of the game. We've been here for an hour already and no one's even winning." Earlier in the evening, Pickett had missed the only scoring of the once-in-a-lifetime sporting epic while waiting in line at the gift shop to purchase a pink version of the home team's hat.


I absolutely love that article.

Happy Friday,

Jeff

This Whole Favre Thing Just Keeps Getting Weirder By The Second...