SkullznEyez

The Wicked ’Wich:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:20:00 +0000

"A wicked new presence is fast approaching the Sacramento food truck scene and bringing with it a broom-wielding, raven-haired witch, mounted LED television screens and towering, East Coast-inspired sandwiches."

Most Creative Uses Of Bacon:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 26 May 2011 22:37:00 +0000

"Some of these bacon concoctions are bizarre and some of them look downright delectable. What do you think?"

Our favorite Bacon themed t-shirt of the moment: From the Rooter to the Tooter!

An Homage To The Title Of "Egg Slut":

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:50:00 +0000

"Anthony Bourdain called Wylie Dufresne a "notorious Egg Slut." What would an 'egg slut' actually be, if it were a real thing? Like, would it be a really promiscuous egg, or a person who has sex in exchange for eggs?

My personal homage and shout-out to those who adore eggs as much as I do - I give you, The deliciously awesome design of, "The Egg Slut":

BACONATION

I Don't Need Saving, But Thanks:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Catholic's Guide To Converting Witches To Christianity

SkullznEyez.com Loves Witches!

BaconFest, Chicago, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:44:00 +0000

BaconFestChicago.com

April 9th, 2011

Holy Yummyness, Batman!

Cthulhu Cell Phone Ring Tones:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:41:00 +0000

"Most people in the industrialized world are carrying cellphones these days. If Cthulhu's going to call you, you might as well have an appropriate ringtone! So, your friends here at the HPLHS have created a series of FREE ringtones and images for use on your phone. Have fun!"

Cthulhu Cell Phone Ring Tones And Wallpaper!

BACON FEST CHICAGO 2010:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:23:00 +0000

"We all remember our first taste of bacon. Maybe it wasn’t perfect: maybe the bacon was cold; maybe there was congealed bacon grease clinging to the rasher. But we remember it, because it opened the door to a lifetime of bacon memories. It was that first crispy step on the path to a bacony life. It set the bar for every slab and slice and hunk of sweet cured pork that was to follow."

BACON FEST CHICAGO, APRIL 2010

Baconfest Chicago will be on April 10, 2010 at the Stan Mansion in Logan Square.

Stan Mansion
Logan Square
2408 North Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

BACON FEST CHICAGO, APRIL 10, 2010

BACONATION: The Store For ALL Of Your Bacon Dreams!

Today Is Talk Like William Shatner Day:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:46:00 +0000

TALK LIKE WILLIAM SHATNER DAY!!!

Bacon Potato Chips:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:25:00 +0000

Via BaconPotatoChips.com

Who’s Your Daddy set out to combine two of the world’s favorite foods: bacon and potato chips.

Who's Your Daddy Real Bacon Potato Chips

We start with the best quality potatoes and add a proprietary blend of some extra-bacony goodness. They will put a grin on your face and promise to test your limits of self-control.

It is our stated mission that you have a heightened sense of expectation before opening a bag of our Real Bacon Handmade Potato Chips that is exceeded every single time that bag is opened. Enjoy!

BaconPotatoChips.com

LIL' CTHULHU:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:58:00 +0000

Via: KONTRABAND

"The horrifying story of the H.P. Lovecraft's destroyer from the depths told in a kid friendly form. Who knew that the tentacled devourer could be so cute!? What will this little tike get up to now that he has awoken from his slumber?"

Lil' Cthulhu

Bacon Fest:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:26:00 +0000

Let the 2010 BACON FESTS commence!!!

Ticket info and more details on this year's Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival hit today. Tickets to the Feb. 27 event at the Scottish Rite Consistory cost $35 and go on sale Feb. 4 through the Web site.

Last year more than 300 people crowded into the High Life Lounge and consumed nearly 600 pounds of bacon. This year's larger venue allows for a crowd of about 600, and there will be 1,050 pounds of nature's most perfect food ready to be consumed.

The $35 ticket includes a T-shirt, koozie, a menu of seven bacon items, unlimited bacon samples, live music, two bacon lectures and a free bacon Bloody Mary.

Bacon Sushi:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

How do put two delicious things rolled into one?
BACON SUSHI, my friends.

"So, I got this “build your own sushi” package last week and decided to combine the best of both worlds. I give the you… Bacon Sushi..."

Please click here to read Jason Bartholme's blog on
BACON SUSHI!

Bacon-Flavored Envelopes:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Thank you TRENDHUNTER

Ever wonder why the adhesive strip on envelopes couldn’t be just a tad more tasty (or at least not as gross)? The good people at J&D’s have finally figured out a way to help our taste buds and make closing envelopes an enjoyable—instead of an avoidable—task with their bacon-flavored envelopes, called Mmmvelopes.

These delicious bacon-flavored envelopes cost $6.99 for a pack of 25 or $14.99 for 3 packs of 25. Mmmvelopes are not made of real bacon, so they’re appropriate for non-pork and non-meat eaters.

These tasty bacon-flavored envelopes will make unique carriers for Christmas and birthday cards or anything else you have to mail because, really, who doesn’t love bacon?

Torture Methods:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:13:00 +0000

In Medieval times, they sought out ways to cut back on crime. Instead of letting the criminals sit in a jail cell, like today, they would use different torture devices. These devices came in all shapes and sizes and were meant to scare other would be criminals into not doing the crimes committed by the person being tortured.

The Brazen Bull

This device was designed in Greece by Perillos of Athens. He was a brass founder and he cast the shape of a hollow bull with a door on the side. This condemned person was shut in the bull. There was a fire lit underneath the device and because it was brass it became yellow hot, which would cause the person to roast to death. It was configured with tubes and stops, so when the person was screaming it would sound like the bull was raging.

source: http:../../..www...perillos...com/..brazenbull.html

The Breaking Wheel

This wheel of torture was used to kill criminals and it did that very slowly. This device was a large wagon wheel. The criminal would be tied to the wheel, where the punisher would proceed to use a hammer to break the bones of the other person. Once that was completed, they were left there to die and even the birds would peck at their flesh until death was complete.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Breaking_wheel

The Rack

This device is an oblong rectangle with a wooden frame. It was raised from the ground with a roller either at one end or at both ends. One end had a fixed bar, where the feet were locked onto it, and the other end had a moveable bar, where the hands were tied to it. It had a lever that was used as the interrogation progressed. It was on a lever and pulley system that would eventually cause the joints of the person being tortured to dislocate and then separate. Eventually, the muscle fibers, ligaments, and cartilage would break separating the limbs from the body of the condemned.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Rack_..%28torture%29

Judas Cradle

This torture device is a pyramid shaped seat. The victim is placed on top of it, with the point inserted into an orifice, then they are very slowly lowered onto it. The condemned was usually naked in order to add to their humiliation. This device was thought to stretch the orifice or to slowly impale the person. The stretching of the orifice would cause pain, rips and tears, which would eventually cause death.

source: http:../../..www...medievality...com/..judas-..craddle.html

Coffin Torture

This device was used in the Middle Ages. The condemned would be placed in the metal coffin and left there for the appropriate amount of time. Depending on the crime, the person could be left in there to die, while animals ate their flesh or they would be placed on public display, which would cause their death. The people that would surround the person in the coffin would throw rocks and poke the person with objects until they finally became deceased.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Coffin_torture

Iron Maiden

This iron cabinet with a hinged front was made to be a tall upright cabinet that would enclose a human being. It would have a small opening, which was closeable, so the interrogator would be able to open and close it at their will. They would then poke the bodies of the person with a sharp object. They would use knives, spikes, or nails and the person inside was forced to remain standing in one position, ultimately causing their demise.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Iron_..maiden_..%28torture%29

The Knee Splitter

The whole purpose of this device was to make a person’s knees useless. It was used in mainly during the Inquisitional period of time. This device was faceted with spikes, from three to twenty of them, and depending on the crime committed, depended on the number used. IT had a handle the torturer would use to close the device. The spikes would mutilate the skin and begin to crush the knee. They would also use the device on elbows, arms and the lower legs. There were even instances that they would heat the device to cause a maximum amount of pain. Death wasn’t a result of this device, but it the person refused to cooperate they would use other means.

source: http:../../..www...occasionalhell...com/..infdevice/..detail...php?..recordID=..Knee%20Splitter

Heretic’s Fork

This device was used during the Spanish Inquisition. It has two forks at opposing ends of a metal rod. One of the forks would be placed under the chin, piercing the skin, and the other end would be piercing the flesh in the upper chest. It didn’t puncture any vital organs, so death would not take place during the use of this method, but it made talking and neck movements impossible. While wearing this device a person’s hands would be tied behind their backs, so they could not escape it. It would harm the person’s neck and, often times, spread diseases.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Heretic%..27s_fork

Saw Torture

This method was used to torture and kill the condemned person, which were typically accused of witchery, adultery, murder, blasphemy, or theft. The accused was hung upside down. This slowed down the blood loss by forcing the blood to the brain and it humiliated the person. This type of torture could last for several hours. Some of the victims would be cut completely in half, while some would only be cut up to their abdomen in order to prolong their deaths.

source: http:../../..www...corkscrew-..balloon...com/..misc/..torture/25.html

Thumbscrew

This was used to get a confession from the offenders. The fingers of the person were placed in the device and crushed by the torturer turning the handle on the top. It could last for a very long time and it was very painful. This was also used to crush a person’s toes. They even made bigger versions of this device used to crush feet, knees, elbows and even heads.

source: http:../../..that-..shane...blogspot...com/..2009/..03/..i-..decided-..to-..continue-..posting-..torture.html

One Nation Under Cthulhu:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:20:00 +0000

One Nation Under Cthulhu

One Nation Under Cthulhu is a parody follow-up image to Jon McNaughton's One Nation Under God.

(From Reader Darc_Oso)

'Married With Children' Cast: Then and Now

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:16:00 +0000

By Amy & Nancy Harrington, GetBack.com | Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 3:22 PM

The cast of "Married... with Children"

Sony Pictures

On April 5, 1987, the FOX network debuted its first primetime series, an irreverent sitcom about a highly dysfunctional family called "Married... with Children" (followed by "The Tracey Ullman Show"). The series ran for 11 seasons and was a turning point in the careers of actors Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, and Christina Applegate. Plus, it would forever change the way we heard the Frank Sinatra-crooned theme song, "Love and Marriage."

This week, the final season of the series was released on DVD. In the words of Al Bundy, "Let's rock," while we take a walk down memory lane with the stars of "Married... with Children," then and now.

[Photo gallery: See the stars of "Married... with Children" through the years.]

----------

Ed O'Neill: Then

Before success with "Married... with Children," Ed O'Neill had spent his career doing a string of small film parts and TV appearances. While he was considered for such roles as Sam Malone on "Cheers" and Steven Keaton on "Family Ties," he ended up landing a part in the failed TV pilot "Popeye Doyle" and a cop role in the film "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane." Then he was cast as Al Bundy, and he hit it big at age 41.

Ed O'Neill: Now

Ed can currently be seen on the funniest new show of the season, "Modern Family," playing a not-so-warm-and-fuzzy husband, father, and granddad with a passion for toy airplanes... oops, we mean model airplanes. We're hoping this move wipes away the series of career missteps between "MWC" and "MF" that included "Big Apple," "Dragnet," and "John from Cincinnati."

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Katey Sagal: Then

Catherine Louise Sagal's younger sisters were famous before she was: they are best known as the Doublemint Twins and stars of the short-lived (and very wholesome) 1980s sitcom "Double Trouble." In the meantime, Katey Sagal built her career slowly, with regular TV guest appearances and stints as a backup singer for an eclectic slate of artists that included Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, and Gene Simmons. In 1985 she landed what must've seemed like her big break, starring alongside Mary Tyler Moore in the TV legend's new sitcom, "Mary." But even TV legends can have major misses, and "Mary" was canceled after just one season. That turned out to be good news for Sagal, as her next TV gig was that of anti-housewife Peg Bundy.

Katey Sagal: Now

Katey has continued to act, most recently in a recurring role as domineering attorney Marci Klein on "Eli Stone" and as the motorcycle club mama on "Sons of Anarchy." From time to time she's returned to her music roots as well, with two solo CDs and a recent series of cabaret shows at a small club in Hollywood.

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Christina Applegate: Then

Three months was a good age for Christina Applegate. As an infant, she not only made her first commercial (for Playtex baby bottles) but also landed her first TV gig, on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" (with her mother, Nancy Priddy). Her movie career kicked off before she was even a tween, with the 1981 horror flick "Jaws of Satan." From there, she worked the TV circuit, playing a young Grace Kelly in a TV biopic and appearing on "Charles in Charge," among other shows. But she didn't make it big until the ripe old age of 15, when she was cast as the ditzy and promiscuous Kelley Bundy on "Married... with Children."

Christina Applegate: Now

No one spun "Married... with Children" into a successful career better than Christina Applegate. She's had two acclaimed (albeit short-lived) series, "Jesse" and "Samantha Who?," and she's appeared in such films as "The Sweetest Thing" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." She even conquered the Broadway stage in 2005 as the Tony-nominated lead in a revival of "Sweet Charity" (despite a broken right foot that delayed her debut).

But in 2008 Applegate really saw how much her fans loved her with the outpouring of support that she received after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Now cancer-free and without a regular series, Christina is focusing her attention on her film career. She's got three movies due out in the next year: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," "Going the Distance," and the aptly named Everything Is Going to Be Just Fine," in which she is reportedly playing another TV legend, "Bewitched" star Elizabeth Montgomery.

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David Faustino: Then

David Faustino was just 13 years old when he landed the choice role of Bud Bundy on "Married... with Children." But it was far from his first gig. That one he nailed at age three months, playing Lily Tomlin's baby girl on a TV special. From there, he took on guest-starring parts on "Little House on the Prairie," "Trapper John, M.D.," and "Fantasy Island." But TV audiences would forever identify Faustino with Bud, the role they watched him grow up playing, even after the series ended in 1997.

David Faustino: Now

Faustino has had the typical rocky road of many former child stars: a series of unimpressive follow-up parts, an inability to break away from the image of his most famous character, and a misdemeanor marijuana possession arrest in 2007. So he decided to take matters into his own hands, forming his own production company, FNB Entertainment, with "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" star Corin Nemec. Among their first projects was an Internet series called "Star-ving." In the Webisodes, Faustino starred as a caricatured version of himself - a down-and-out former child star who can't get a gig and who makes a meager living running a porn shop bequeathed to him by an obsessed fan. But life is not imitating art; Faustino and Nemec have three films in various stages of production.

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Amanda Bearse: Then

Amanda Bearse already had a successful run on "All My Children," and had starred in such kitschy classic films as "Fright Night." But she became a household name when she took the role of Marcy Rhoades (ultimately Marcy D'Arcy) on "Married... with Children." Yet few give credit to the gay actress for coming out on TV 20 days before another GLAAD champion did. Ellen DeGeneres made TV history when her character announced she was a lesbian on the famous "Puppy Episode" of "Ellen" on April 30, 1997. But on April 10 of that year, Amanda took on the dual roles of her regular character, Marcy, and Marcy's lesbian cousin, Mandy, on the episode "Lez Be Friends."

Amanda Bearse: Now

Besides a handful of acting roles, Amanda has stayed behind the camera since "Married... with Children" ended. She honed her craft while helming more than 30 episodes of "MWC" and has since directed a variety of series, including "Dharma and Greg," "MADtv," "The Big Gay Sketch Show," and her former co-star Christina Applegate's sitcom "Jesse."

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David Garrison: Then

David Garrison had done some TV acting prior to taking the part of Marcy's husband Steve Rhodes on "Married... with Children," most notably as Jason Bateman's con artist foil in the sitcom "It's Your Move." But Garrison was far more established in live theater. He'd appeared on and off Broadway in "A History of the American Film," "Torch Song Trilogy," and "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine," for which he received a Tony nomination. And, although he enjoyed working on the irreverent sitcom, he missed the theater and asked to be let out of his contract in 1990 to return to the stage.

David Garrison: Now

Garrison did go back to the theater after "Married... with Children," but he continued to act on TV as well. While he never stuck with another series for long, he made appearances on the shows "Nikki" (co-starring with his former TV wife, Amanda Bearse), "The Practice," and "The West Wing." He's also continued to pursue his passion for musical theater in productions of "Titanic," "Bells Are Ringing," and "Wicked."

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Ted McGinley: Then

When her first husband, Steve Rhodes, left her to become a ranger at Yosemite National Park, Marcy quickly scooped up a younger, better looking but incredibly lazy husband named Jefferson D'Arcy. The actor who played him was no stranger to joining an already established show. Ted McGinley has actually been referred to as the "Patron Saint of Shark Jumping," having joined the casts of several hit shows at their critical turning points, including "The Love Boat," "Happy Days," and "Dynasty." But while he lasted only two years on "The Love Boat" and "Dynasty," and four on "Happy Days," McGinley brought incredibly good luck to "Married... with Children." The series ran another seven seasons with Ted in the cast.

Ted McGinley: Now

Not long after "Married... with Children" wrapped, Ted briefly appeared on the series "SportsNight" and then joined the guest star circuit on a slew of shows, including "The West Wing" and "The Practice." But in 2003, he found a new sitcom family when he was cast as Faith Ford's husband on "Hope and Faith." The show ran for three seasons, then Ted was back on the street looking for work. His feet took him all the way to the "Dancing with the Stars" stage, where he was eliminated second. But, as always, his unemployment was short lived. Look for him later this year in the feature film "Privileged."

Ardi, New Earliest Hominid Found:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer

AP – Dr. C. Owen Lovejoy, Kent State University professor of anthropology, stands next to the reconstructed …

WASHINGTON – The story of humankind is reaching back another million years as scientists learn more about "Ardi," a hominid who lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. The 110-pound, 4-foot female roamed forests a million years before the famous Lucy, long studied as the earliest skeleton of a human ancestor.
This older skeleton reverses the common wisdom of human evolution, said anthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy of Kent State University.
Rather than humans evolving from an ancient chimp-like creature, the new find provides evidence that chimps and humans evolved from some long-ago common ancestor — but each evolved and changed separately along the way.
"This is not that common ancestor, but it's the closest we have ever been able to come," said Tim White, director of the Human Evolution Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
The lines that evolved into modern humans and living apes probably shared an ancestor 6 million to 7 million years ago, White said in a telephone interview.
But Ardi has many traits that do not appear in modern-day African apes, leading to the conclusion that the apes evolved extensively since we shared that last common ancestor.

A study of Ardi, under way since the first bones were discovered in 1994, indicates the species lived in the woodlands and could climb on all fours along tree branches, but the development of their arms and legs indicates they didn't spend much time in the trees. And they could walk upright, on two legs, when on the ground.
Formally dubbed Ardipithecus ramidus — which means root of the ground ape — the find is detailed in 11 research papers published Thursday by the journal Science.
"This is one of the most important discoveries for the study of human evolution," said David Pilbeam, curator of Paleoanthropology at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
"It is relatively complete in that it preserves head, hands, feet and some critical parts in between. It represents a genus plausibly ancestral to Australopithecus — itself ancestral to our genus Homo," said Pilbeam, who was not part of the research teams.
Scientists assembled the skeleton from 125 pieces.
Lucy, also found in Africa, thrived a million years after Ardi and was of the more human-like genus Australopithecus.
"In Ardipithecus we have an unspecialized form that hasn't evolved very far in the direction of Australopithecus. So when you go from head to toe, you're seeing a mosaic creature that is neither chimpanzee, nor is it human. It is Ardipithecus," said White.
White noted that Charles Darwin, whose research in the 19th century paved the way for the science of evolution, was cautious about the last common ancestor between humans and apes.
"Darwin said we have to be really careful. The only way we're really going to know what this last common ancestor looked like is to go and find it. Well, at 4.4 million years ago we found something pretty close to it," White said. "And, just like Darwin appreciated, evolution of the ape lineages and the human lineage has been going on independently since the time those lines split, since that last common ancestor we shared."

Some details about Ardi in the collection of papers:

• Ardi was found in Ethiopia's Afar Rift, where many fossils of ancient plants and animals have been discovered. Findings near the skeleton indicate that at the time it was a wooded environment. Fossils of 29 species of birds and 20 species of small mammals were found at the site.

• Geologist Giday WoldeGabriel of Los Alamos National Laboratory was able to use volcanic layers above and below the fossil to date it to 4.4 million years ago.

• Ardi's upper canine teeth are more like the stubby ones of modern humans than the long, sharp, pointed ones of male chimpanzees and most other primates. An analysis of the tooth enamel suggests a diverse diet, including fruit and other woodland-based foods such as nuts and leaves.

• Paleoanthropologist Gen Suwa of the University of Tokyo reported that Ardi's face had a projecting muzzle, giving her an ape-like appearance. But it didn't thrust forward quite as much as the lower faces of modern African apes do. Some features of her skull, such as the ridge above the eye socket, are quite different from those of chimpanzees. The details of the bottom of the skull, where nerves and blood vessels enter the brain, indicate that Ardi's brain was positioned in a way similar to modern humans, possibly suggesting that the hominid brain may have been already poised to expand areas involving aspects of visual and spatial perception.

• Ardi's hand and wrist were a mix of primitive traits and a few new ones, but they don't include the hallmark traits of the modern tree-hanging, knuckle-walking chimps and gorillas. She had relatively short palms and fingers which were flexible, allowing her to support her body weight on her palms while moving along tree branches, but she had to be a careful climber because she lacked the anatomical features that allow modern-day African apes to swing, hang and easily move through the trees.

• The pelvis and hip show the gluteal muscles were positioned so she could walk upright.

• Her feet were rigid enough for walking but still had a grasping big toe for use in climbing.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics of the University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and others.

On the Net:
Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

BLOOD COVEN Is Auditioning Drummers:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:13:00 +0000

If you or someone you know plays drums and is looking to join an established black/death metal band and lives in north east Ohio, please e-mail Dann Saladin: bloodcovendann@yahoo.com

Check out our profile for samples of our music and contact me if you are interested. Please spread the word. Thanks.
Blood Coven

-Dann of BLOOD COVEN

One More Week Until: ZOMBIELAND!!!

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Zombieland is an upcoming American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and directed by Ruben Fleischer.
The film will be distributed by Columbia Pictures and is scheduled to be released on October 2, 2009.

"After America is ravaged by a zombie plague, a lone band of survivors fight the living dead while they cross the nation. They stop in an amusement park, where they believe they will be safe."

www.zombieland.com

National Talk Like A Pirate Day: September 19

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Liven your corporate board meeting! Delight your women's group! Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day every September 19th by talking like a pirate. Use the handy English/Pirate translator here and soon you'll be ful of "piratitude" and spouting phrases like "Avast ye comely wench" or "Here be me minivan".

Click here to get your very own countdown banner to the September 19, 2009's Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Why 09-09-09 Is So Special:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.

In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th.

Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.

Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.

For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic

Modern numerologists - who operate outside the realm of real science - believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.

As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.

Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times.

"Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.

As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.

Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...

Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

The Chupacabra Caught?

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:30:00 +0000

by Mike Krumboltz

It really does exist! Maybe! The famed chupacabra has apparently been found, and it's a Texan.

Or at least it was. The beast is now dead, but news of its capture near Blanco, Texas, inspired Bigfoot-sized searches. Lookups on "chupacabra" surged a whopping 571%, and related queries on "what does chupacabra mean" also roared. (For the record, its rough translation is "goat sucker.") The find also inspired renewed interest in the equally notorious Montauk Monster.

Jerry Ayer, owner of Blanco Taxidermy School, has possession of the mythical beast's body. According to CNN, the animal was discovered by one of Ayer's students. The student had "placed poison...to catch an unidentified animal that had gotten into a family member's barn." Little did the student know the animal in question was (maybe) the chupacabra.

In the video from CNN (which is pretty gross, so beware), Ayer shows off some of the unusual features of the animal, including abnormally long legs and teeth. It looks a bit like the world's ugliest (and meanest) dog.

Of course, this is hardly the first time someone has claimed to have captured the chupacabra. In years past, brave souls have spotted it in places ranging from Russia to Maine to the Philippines. Often the animal is spotted by folks who conveniently forget to snap a photo.

Not so this time. Ayer says he plans to preserve the animal and then donate it to a local museum so it can be enjoyed by others. As the taxidermist puts it, the beast is "a tremendous conversation piece." Sort of like the Mona Lisa or a really stellar collection of garden gnomes.

Like Michael Vick?...Didn't Think So:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Vick Is A Dick

Surviving a Zombie Attack:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Mathematical Model for Surviving a Zombie Attack

'80s teen flick director John Hughes dies in NYC:

noreply@blogger.com (RetroBettie) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:03:00 +0000

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer Hillel Italie, Ap National Writer – 22 mins ago

NEW YORK – Writer-director John Hughes, Hollywood's youth impresario of the 1980s and '90s who captured the teen and preteen market with such favorites as "Home Alone," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," died Thursday, a spokeswoman said. He was 59.

Hughes died of a heart attack during a morning walk in Manhattan, Michelle Bega said. He was in New York to visit family.

Jake Bloom, Hughes' longtime attorney, said he was "deeply saddened and in shock" to learn of the director's death.

A native of Lansing, Mich., who later moved to suburban Chicago and set much of his work there, Hughes rose from ad writer to comedy writer to silver screen champ with his affectionate and idealized portraits of teens, whether the romantic and sexual insecurity of "Sixteen Candles," or the J.D. Salinger-esque rebellion against conformity in "The Breakfast Club."

Hughes' ensemble comedies helped make stars out of Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy and many other young performers. He also scripted the phenomenally popular "Home Alone," which made little-known Macaulay Culkin a sensation as the 8-year-old accidentally abandoned by his vacationing family, and wrote or directed such hits as "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Pretty in Pink," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck."

"I was a fan of both his work and a fan of him as a person," Culkin said. "The world has lost not only a quintessential filmmaker whose influence will be felt for generations, but a great and decent man."

Devin Ratray, best known for playing Culkin's older brother Buzz McCallister in the "Home Alone" films, said he remained close to Hughes over the years.

"He changed my life forever," Ratray said. "Nineteen years later, people from all over the world contact me telling me how much 'Home Alone' meant to them, their families, and their children."

Other actors who got early breaks from Hughes included John Cusack ("Sixteen Candles"), Judd Nelson ("The Breakfast Club"), Steve Carell ("Curly Sue") and Lili Taylor ("She's Having a Baby").

Actor Matthew Broderick worked with Hughes in 1986 when he played the title character in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

"I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family," Broderick said.

Ben Stein, who played the monotone economics teacher calling the roll and repeatedly saying "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?", said Hughes was a towering talent.

"He made a better connection with young people than anyone in Hollywood had ever made before or since," Stein said on Fox Business Network. "It's incredibly sad. He was a wonderful man, a genius, a poet. I don't think anyone has come close to him as being the poet of the youth of America in the postwar period. He was to them what Shakespeare was to the Elizabethan Age.

"You had a regular guy — just an ordinary guy. If you met him, you would never guess he was a big Hollywood power."

As Hughes advanced into middle age, his commercial touch faded and, in Salinger style, he increasingly withdrew from public life. His last directing credit was in 1991, for "Curly Sue," and he wrote just a handful of scripts over the past decade. He was rarely interviewed or photographed.

Associated Press writer Amy Westfeldt, Entertainment Writer Douglas J. Rowe and Drama Writer Michael Kuchwara contributed to this report from New York. AP writer Solvej Schou contributed from Los Angeles.