Funeral Home in Alabama?

Saturday, January 2, 2010   1 Comments

A friend of mine, sent me a forward regarding a funeral home in Alabama. The forward describes a Steelers fan's funeral arrangement, complete with favorite recliner, black and gold pajamas, Steeler highlights on a tv and pictures to along with it all. Bama seems to be the butt end of a lot of southern jokes, but something didn't sit well.

After doing a little googling here's what I found:
The funeral did actually take place, however it took place at a funeral home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. James Henry Smith was a huge Steelers fan, and when he passed away from prostate cancer, his family was able to plan the unique viewing. For this viewing Smith lay in his favorite recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights. That is a true die hard Steelers fan.

...and lets be honest. Alabama takes their football seriously. If this was truly an Alabama funeral, I'd expect to see the man in Alabama's Crimson Red or Auburn's Blue and Orange colors.

Links

• WPXI: Deceased Fan Rests In Recliner With Beer


• ESPN: Family has unique viewing at funeral home


• The Pittsburgh Channel: Dead Steelers Fan Laid Out In Black And Gold

Labels: Alabama, death, Football, Pennsylvania, Sports, United States, weird

Is it Ring or Bring in the New Year?

Thursday, December 31, 2009   0 Comments

The original saying was 'ring in the New Year' however, it seems appropriate to say 'bring in' the New Year as it seems much more welcoming.

The origin of the phrase comes from Mother England. Churches around the country would ring their bells to signify the passing of the old year. This is similar to the tolling of church bells for someone who has passed away. The bells would continue to chime past midnight, ringing in and welcoming a new year.

Either way it's a time to reflect on the last year of our life. Memories created, loved ones lost, and lessons learned. Its also a time to look forward to a prosperous year ahead, without any regrets or reservations.

Happy New Years! See ya in 2010 and let's try not to start it off with a hang over. :)

Labels: Holiday, Religion, Tradition

Manhole covers are round because...

Wednesday, December 9, 2009   0 Comments

Q: Why Are Manhole Covers Round?
A: Because Manholes are round.

This question was once asked by tech companies to witness a potential candidates problem solving and cognitive skills. But in reality there is no single answer to the questions, and most could be considered the correct answer.

Here are a few correct answers:

• A circular cover can not fall through a circular opening it was designed to match, but a square or rectangular cover could, if placed at an angle. This seems to be the most popular answer I found in my research.


• Round tubes are stronger, then square tubes and with stand higher environmental pressures.


• Because holes are round.


• Circular covers do not need to be rotated to fit the opening. This reminds me of carving pumpkins and leaving a key to easily match the lid to the opening
  
• so when the cover is removed the 100lb cover can easily be rolled.
  
• Most manhole workers are round, so it only fitting the hole and thus the covers are round.


• because thats how they were always made.which is not true

Labels: "Manhole Covers", Trivia, United States

'Full House' of Secrets?

Thursday, November 12, 2009   0 Comments

Sitting down to watch a little brainless TV during dinner, and we roll by Full House on a random high-number channel. The episode deals with Bob Sagat's character, Danny Tanner, feeling old, and asks an college intern out on a date, while Michelle graduates preschool, and Donna Jo 'DJ' graduates to high school. Laughing at the parachute pants and realizing this will soon become a house-party theme, Danny reveals that he's 33.

My brain kicks in to math mode and after some failed calculations, I find a flaw in the wholesome Full House story like. If DJ was entering the 9th grade, or roughly being 15 years old. Doing the math, Danny had DJ at the ripe old age of 18, or fresh out of high school. I don't think this was ever really addressed but makes for a good conspiracy theory none the less. Either way I though he didn't look 33, and for the record, when this episode aired Bob Sagat was 35.

The other piece I didn't know was the big question mark about the mother of the girls. I don't recall it being addressed either, but I'm sure I've missed episodes. Danny was married to a woman named Amy, whom gave birth to the three girls, and was killed by a drunk driver, setting up the premise of the Danny, Joey and Jessie moving into raise the girls.

Links:
IMDB: Full House - The Graduates

Once again... more useless information.

Labels: Actors, Age, Pop-Culture, Television

6 Healthies of the Junk Foods

Wednesday, October 28, 2009   0 Comments

Pork Rinds

Why you think they're bad: These puffy snacks are literally cut from pigskin. Then they're deep-fried.



Why they're not: A 1-ounce serving contains zero carbohydrates, 17 grams (g) of protein, and 9 g fat. That's nine times the protein and less fat than you'll find in a serving of carb-packed potato chips. Even better, 43 percent of a pork rind's fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid—the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13 percent of its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that's considered harmless, because it doesn't raise cholesterol levels.



Eat this: J&J Critters Microwave Pork Rinds ($6.50 for a 10-ounce container. Because the rinds are cooked and puffed in a microwave instead of deep-fried, each serving contains only 4 g fat—meaning they're lower in calories and less greasy than regular pork rinds.

Alcohol

Why you think it's bad: It has little nutritional value and is the reason we need the term "beer belly."



Why it's not: In a study of more than 18,000 men, Harvard scientists discovered that those who had an average of two drinks every day, 5 to 7 days a week, had the lowest risk of heart attack. And researchers at the University of Buffalo found that men who consume that same daily amount have lower levels of abdominal fat than those who drink only once or twice every 2 weeks but down more than four drinks each time.



Drink this: Pinot noir. It contains more disease-fighting antioxidants than any other type of alcoholic beverage. Look for a Santa Barbara County pinot noir that's a 2002 to 2004 vintage; those are generally recognized as the top wine-producing years for this finicky grape. We like the 2003 Foley, best in show at the San Francisco International Wine Festival.

Beef Jerky

Why you think it's bad: It's unhealthy meat that's loaded with preservatives.


Why it's not: Beef jerky is high in protein and doesn't raise your level of insulin—a hormone that signals your body to store fat. That makes it an ideal between-meals snack, especially when you're trying to lose weight. And while some beef-jerky brands are packed with high-sodium ingredients, such as MSG and sodium nitrate, chemical-free products are available. If you have high blood pressure, check the label for brands that are made from all-natural ingredients, which reduce the total sodium content.


Eat this: Gourmet Natural Beef Jerky. It has no preservatives and is made from lean, grass-fed beef. Research shows that, unlike grain-fed products, grass-fed beef contains the same healthy omega-3 fats found in fish.

Sour Cream

Why you think it's bad: You know 90 percent of its calories are derived from fat, at least half of which is saturated.



Why it's not: The percentage of fat is high, but the total amount isn't. Consider that a serving of sour cream is 2 tablespoons. That provides just 52 calories— half the amount that's in a single tablespoon of mayonnaise—and less saturated fat than you'd get from drinking a 12-ounce glass of 2 percent reduced-fat milk.



Eat this: Full-fat sour cream. Unless you actually prefer the taste of light or fat-free products (and who does?), opt for the classic version; it tastes richer, and the fat will help keep you full longer.

Coconut

Why you think it's bad: Ounce for ounce, coconut contains more saturated fat than butter does. As a result, health experts have warned that it will clog your arteries.



Why it's not: Even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors. One reason: More than 50 percent of its saturated-fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, this means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease. The rest of the saturated fat is almost entirely composed of "medium-chain" fatty acids, which have little or no effect on cholesterol levels.



Eat this: Shredded, unsweetened coconut.Have a handful as an anytime snack, straight from the bag. (Don't gorge; it's still high in calories.) It'll be filling, and won't spike your blood sugar.

Chocolate Bars

Why you think they're bad: They're high in both sugar and fat.



Why they're not: Cocoa is rich in flavonoids—the same heart-healthy compounds found in red wine and green tea. Its most potent form is dark chocolate. In a recent study, Greek researchers found that consuming dark chocolate containing 100 milligrams (mg) of flavonoids relaxes your blood vessels, improving bloodflow to your heart. What about the fat? It's mostly stearic and oleic acids.



Eat this: CocoaVia chocolate bars. Each 100-calorie bar is guaranteed to contain 100 mg flavonoids. As an added benefit, the chocolate has been beefed up with phytosterols, compounds that have been shown to help reduce cholesterol. Find the bars at many Wal-Mart stores, or online.

Source:Men's Health: Healthy Snacks

Labels: Food, Health