Birthday Wishes

Birthdays are lame. At least they have been since I stopped having cartoon themed parties where people brought me gifts in shiny wrapping paper and I got to beat the daylights out of a polychromatic paper donkey filled with candy. Oh yes, those were the days. However, I would like to point out some exceptionally awesome birthdays you may want to celebrate on this day, June 5th.

First is everyones favorite cubical slave Ron Livingston. You may remember him as Peter Gibbons from the now cult classic Office Space, or maybe you remember him as Carrie Bradshaw's writer boyfriend in Sex and the city. Maybe you are more of a history buff and recall his performance in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. Either way you remember him, wish him a happy 42nd Birthday.

While thinking about celebrities, nothing makes a better celebrity than someone who is multitalented. You know, the type that can act and rap. Well today you better set aside some time and try to send Marky Mark Wahlberg some birthday greetings. He is 38 today.

For all of those who absolutely hate jazz music, you may want to dust off your old copy of G Force and give it a listen. That's right, pseudo jazz man Kenny G is 53.

If you are a fan of contemporary art and music, then you may want to bust out a MIDI keyboard and play some Happy Birthday for experimental performance artist Laurie Anderson. Mostly known for her UK hit O' Superman (Which Imogen Heap probably heard right before she wrote Hide and Seek), she is know this day for turning 62. Happy Birthday Laurie.

There are a lot of rebels in the music scene today, from bad boy 50 Cent to train wreck Amy Winehouse, but very few of these artists have caused a complete riot at the ballet. Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer, caused a riot in the streets of Paris when he debuted his now iconic Rite of Spring. The crowd in Paris at the May 1913 debut reacted with jeers and and a general uproar. The well heeled Parisian crowd were shocked by the Russian Pagan imagery accompanied by the liberal use of dissonance and misuse of string instruments as percussion. Despite the negative reaction, Rite of Spring has become one of the most important compositions in 20th century music. Stravinsky would have been 127 today.

Finally lets give it up for Edmund of Langley, the first Duke of York. Ed was born June 5th 1341. While his main claim to fame was being the first Duke of York, his other accomplishment was being the first of five brothers to live to adulthood. Way to go Ed, have a happy 668th birthday.

There are loads more great June 5th Birthdays, so for the rest of you I leave you with Bert and Ernie and the letter U.

If Disney World and the Bunny Ranch had a child....

So apparently the same country where pornography is illegal, has also had a sex theme park in the works. Love Land was due to open in Chongqing, China in October of 2009, but the entire project has been recently demolished . This would not be the first park of its kind however. There is already a Love Land on Jeju Island in South Korea. The park Features 140 artistic sculptures of men and women in various sexual positions, as well as sex education films and hands on exhibits (not so sure about this). Their website describes it as, "A place where the imagination can run wild." All in all, the park is viewed as fun and humorous, and it is in no way as smutty as it probably sounds. The island was once a popular honeymoon destination in an age of arranged marriages, so the island has always been a place of sexual education. The park was created by graduates of Hongik University in Seoul. So if you find yourself in South Korea and are the type of person who hates lines and doesn't like kids at theme parks, then this may be the place for you.

The hops are finally free!

The rest of the world may find it hard to believe, but Alabamians have been prohibited, buy law, from serving and selling beer with a higher alcohol content above 6%. Also, beer cannot be served in anything larger than a pint, ruling out delicious beers that are served in 22 oz bottles and larger. This may not sound like the worse thing in the world, but if you actually enjoy gourmet beer then you may find yourself in what some would describe as "beer drinkers hell." Beer Advocate is a website dedicated to gourmet beer and features a top 100 list of the world's best beers according to it's reader. On this list, only a handful (less than 5) can be served in Alabama. With the state of gourmet beer in peril, an amazing group of organized individuals got organized and decided to do something about this crisis.

Free the Hops, a non-profit grassroots organization started in 2006 by former Samford graduate Danner Kline, was formed in an effort to change the oppressive beers laws of the state. The group quickly gained momentum and hired a lobbyist to help in getting a bill proposed in the House of Representatives. In 2007, the bill, to raise alchohol content in beer to 13.9%, failed to make it out of the house. The bill was actually given the "Shroud Award," a phony award given for being the deadest bill of that session. Despite this failure, Free the Hops made headlines around the country in print media and the news. In late 2007, Danner Kline resigned as President of Free the hops and was succeed by Stuart Carter. 2008 saw the bill in the House floor again, but this time it was far from being a competitor for the Shroud Award. The bill passed with 48 yeas, 42 nays, and 2 abstains. This was a major victory that would be short lived. Due to the inactivity of the Senate, the bill never made it to the floor for them to vote on. In most states this would have meant that the bill would have started in the Senate the next year, but Alabama is different. The bill must start the procedure all over again. With that heavy hit, Free the Hops had to persevere. In 2009, the Gourmet Beer bill was back on the House floor where it passed. Now it was time to play the waiting game. The same one that ended in dismay the previous year, but on May 14th the Senate approved the bill and it was now up to the Governor Bob Riley to sign it into law. The governor has 6 days to sign a bill after it passes, excluding Sunday. Free the Hops along with its supporters started calling, emailing, and faxing the Governors office asking him to sign the bill. With the ball in Riley's court, it was now a waiting game, and after 3 years of trying to allow great beer into Alabama, Governor Riley signed the bill the morning of May 22nd 2009. So the hops have been freed, but it is still not over. While this is in fact a great victory, there are still other laws to change, including the one outlawing home brewing and the container size, but at least for now we can rejoice in emancipation of the hops.

Last year, Paul Sholly and myself directed a short documentary about the 2008 Free the Hops legislative session. This is where Free the Hops was one year ago and today they have accomplished a huge task. Please enjoy our film below, and have a beer today in honor of this day.

The humor and high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is nothing to laugh about. The only reason I could find it it funny would be if, well, take a look for yourself.

Reddit Round up

-Do you have the time? Oh you better believe these guys have the time.

- Super Mario theme? Played by an industrial laser? Why not?

- Open source free Mac Apps.

- Robot Fight!

- The space fountain. An alternate to the space elevator?

Song of the Week. ケータイ狂想曲 烏田晴奈 (Cellphone Caprice)

This is a cool music video/animation/composition by Haruna Karasuda.

My Top 5 Favorite Lost Theories.

I have been watching Lost since the 4th episode of Season 1. I am one of those guys who re-watches every episode numerous time in-search for any little clue that may lead to the ultimate theory explaining everything from the smoke monster to the statue. I have several theories concerning Lost, but I decided to post some of my favorite theories form my favorite Lost blog, Dark UFO. So please enjoy, and hopefully these will lead you to new ideas and conclusions about the show.

1. Jack was born on the island

2. Jacob is a time traveler

3. Faraday's attempt to trump fate.

4. Triple Threat: Ben, Ellie, and Charles.

5. Egyptians originated on the island.

Also, as an honorable mention, I must post one of the most discussed theories in existence. While I think most of this can be debunked based on recent events, this is one of the most detailed and thorough theories for its time (it was written around the time of season two). It come form the popular forum 4815162342. This may take awhile to read, so grab a Dharma beer and relax.