Remembering The Great Seve

Spanish golfer Seve Ballesterros died last Saturday after losing his fight with brain cancer. He was a five-time major champion, a Ryder Cup legend, and a six-time Order of Merit winner. But more importantly, he was well-loved and well-respected by athletes worldwide. 

Here's what Tiger Woods has to say about the Great Seve:

I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Seve Ballesteros. I always enjoyed spending time with him at the Champions dinner...less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyTiger Woods
TigerWoods

each year at the Masters. Seve was one of the most talented and exciting golfers to ever play the game...less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyTiger Woods
TigerWoods

His creativity and inventiveness on the golf course may never be surpassed. His death came much too soon.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyTiger Woods
TigerWoods

Morning Juice: Manic Monday

SINCE THE the burqa ban in France was first implemented last April 11, there have been 27 offenses recorded already. Amid stern protests from the Muslim communities around France and some European Union member countries, France enacted the law that was passed last year. According to French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, in defense of the burqa ban, the law was "in keeping with (French) national values." 

This ban pertains only to the burqa, which is a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face with a tiny slit for the eyes, as well as the niqab. Those permitted are the hijab and the chador. The hijab covers only the hair and neck but not the face, while the chador, covers the body but not the face. "The ban does not target the wearing of a headscarf, head gear, scarf or glasses, as long as the accessories do not prevent the person from being identified," the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

HAVE YOU ever watched those little girl beauty pageants on TV? Does TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" ring a bell? Or, how about the 2006 Abigail Breslin movie, "Little Miss Sunshine"? America's youngest diva, six-year old Eden Wood, has sparked controversy Down Under when her promoters asked for interview and appointment fees worth thousands of dollars ($20,000 is the highest). She's scheduled to make appearances in Australia late July this year in conjunction with the series of events leading up to the launch of child beauty pageants. 

       

John Demjanjuk during his trial in Munich.

AS A CHILD engrossed in world history, the Alan Arkin 1987 movie, Escape from Sobibór was my first brush of the Holocaust and the Nazi Germany. It was from my father's movie collection, which was still in Betamax form. I was horrified and frightened with what I saw especially the scene where the escapees needed to leave their clothes that got stuck or enmeshed with the barbed wires. I didn't bat an eyelash. I didn't cover my eyes or peeped through in between my fingers. My mother, who was a history teacher that time, explained to me and my brothers the story about the Jews, the Nazis, and concentration camps.   

The experience of watching the movie changed my life, for real. It gave me a clearer but haunting education about one man's evil and the unfortunate victims of the Holocaust (Jews, Christians, Russians, Homosexuals, etc.). For months after that, I became interested as to what happened to the survivors whom I saw depicted in the movie with their eyes beaming with a mix of happiness and fear as they ran for their lives bare naked and free. All in all, there were 27,900 Jews that were murdered in the Sobibór extermination camp in the German-occupied Poland.

Recently, in Munich, the trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being an accessory to the murders of 27,900 Jews in Sobibór, is finally drawing to a close. The sick and ailing Demjanjuk, now 91 and confined to a wheelchair, draws many questions according to an article in the German Spiegel Online International. Questions like "If the court were to issue a guilty verdict, who benefits from punishment today?" and "Should it serve as a deterrent?" and "Is the intention to rehabilitate an old man?" are yet to be answered as the verdict is expected this week.

ON THE LIGHTER side of life, since it's the dreaded Manic Monday, karma is indeed a bitch and a naughty player especially when it comes to dogs. Just see:

I'VE BEEN TO Portugal twice in my life and I'm looking forward to visit it again in the near future. The recurring feeling I had when I was there the first time was disbelief. I thought, "Is this the Portugal that shared the other half of the world with Spain when the Pope, through the Treaty of Tordessillas, divided the world into two?" But you see, when I came back the second time, I appreciated it more and ultimately succumbed to the charm of Portugal and the Portuguese (They're many if you want to know!). 

And now, in the advent of the financial crisis that hit hard Portugal (including Greece and other EU-member countries) and after a plea for the EU to bail them out the mess, which Finland has opposed, they have creatively come up with this video primarily addressed to the Fins to re-introduce themselves to the world once more.   

Now, watch how some geniuses define FUN with a large red rubber balloon, water from the garden faucet, some tricky acrobatic stunts, and a very expensive high-definition video camera. 

What? Still not fully awake sleepyhead? Now, to perk you up and make you chipper lock your eyes onto the GIF below. 

NOW you're awake!

Weekend Morning Juice: Mother's Day Celebration 101 by Athena the Pug

The first Mother's Day was celebrated by the Ewok-Wookies tribe in the remote jungle of Brazil's Amazon Basin. According to historians and anthropologists, the day of mothers came to be when the fathers and male elders of the tribe became suspicious of their women spending too much time in the jungle hunting and gathering food, which was their primary responsibility while the men stayed all day at home. They became extra curious because the women always came home extra happy. One woman blurted out their secret while talking loudly in her sleep and the fathers became suspicious so they deceived the mothers by giving them a day off. The men after extensive search and investigation found out that the women built a giant water slide near the falls. 

Not convinced? Okay, okay. That story came from my dog, which she said came from a chain letter Pee-Mail she got when sniffed the base of the electric post while out for a walk the other day. Don't worry, I warned her to check maybe her Pee-Mail got hacked. 

The real Mother's Day, actually, was first celebrated in different times in between the 1870s and 1880s. A usual gathering of mothers who lost their sons during the American Civil War was the inspiration and the kick-start of the holiday. Several years after, the U.S. Congress legislated the marking of the second Sunday of May, which was then officially proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson on the 9th of May 1914. 

Mother's Day is not just about gifts and material things. Its very essence is remembrance and gratitude. Spending quality time with your mother and saying "I love you" or "I'm sorry" or "Thank you" (or perhaps all) would be the best way to do it. 

Here's Athena the Pug's suggestion on how to celebrate Mother's Day with a BANG: 

1. As soon as your Mother wakes up, tell her how thankful you are for carrying you for 9 months. You started as an an egg so you might as well cook her a nice over-easy egg or the perfect omelet. 

2. Giver her baby slippers so that when she walks, it's all comfy and smooth. Or, if she feels crusty and moist, give her the bread slippers to walk on, which by the way is a good pair to your eggs. Ask her first if she wants it toasted or buttered or plain.

Pardon the hairy legs.

With butter or jam or cheese?

3. Since it's her day and you are too tired and busy preparing for the big Mother's Day celebration, ask her to hang your baby brother in the closet because it's her off day. 

4. Ask her if she wants her over-easy egg or omelet spicy. If she wants it extra spicy, put the whole chili.

5. Show her your first of many gifts. Your wonderful creation: a one-of-a-kind doormat.

6. Then show her your second gift: her old work photo you salvaged from the archives in the city library. She'll be very happy because she thinks all the old photographs from her old workplace are gone during the fire, which she accidentally started when she put a buttered bagel inside the toaster. 

Where's Mom here?

7. For dinner, tell your Mom you're bringing her to a special McDonald's branch where Ronald McDonald will be dressed in drag for a day. Oh, tell her their specialty! She'll love it!

8. Remember, your Mother is a dedicated and highly-respected environmentalist so tell her you've made a special arrangement with McDonald's to honor her with a special Mother's Best Hamburger.

9. Then finally, tell her that you love her and that she's best. 

10. Also, remind her to get your baby brother inside the closet. 

With much love and many wet kisses, 

Athena 

P.S. Update me what happens next. Gee! Can't wait for Father's Day!

Early Evening Anti-Snooze Tidbits

Did you know that the Brokeback Mountain boys, the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal both auditioned for the role of the penniless writer Christian in Baz Luhrman's 2001 movie "Moulin Rouge"? Okay, Ewan McGregor obviously has more bohemian appeal than the two. 

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. It's a happy day for mothers. But some Russian mothers are angry when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled at the last minute his scheduled meeting with the mothers who lost their children in the bloody Beslan crisis (not Aslan!). According to reports, Medvedev was weary the bereaved mothers would bombard him with criticisms primarily directed to his patron and predecessor Vladimir Putin. 

In the Philippines, a country steeped in island-Catholic faith and a country dubbed by Time Magazine as more Catholic than the Vatican, the long-due Reproductive Health Bill is still in limbo despite the Philippine President's call for its immediate resolution. In contrast, France's timely and much-needed move to make the "royal condoms" available to the young especially within schools is gaining good grounds .    

If you think having expensive and intricate weaves and fancy hair can save you from the slammer, think again. Think hard. Common sense is not common to these people pictured below in their glam mugshots before they headed behind bars. Lyndsay Lohan could learn a thing or two from them if they become cellmates.  

Afternoon Booze: Humor Post

Oh, hello! No Morning Juice because the juicer never made it on time. Milk? Yes. But lots of peeps I know are lactose intolerant.

Anyway, who's funnier than Jimmy Fallon? The three-year old Elmo! What a joy? I wish I have the Tickle Me Elmo interactive stuffed toy beside me. 

Buddy Elmo is funnier than the whole cast of SNL. Take that Lorne Michaels! He always addresses himself or talks about himself in the third person. He's waay mature and naughty at best for a three-year old wide-eyed red furry toddler. Although,  Big Bird is my favorite resident of Sesame Street, Elmo comes in second. 

Here, he outshines and steals the show from Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon":

 


Here's the second part:

Afternoon Booze: Daily Round-Up

The Wall Street Journal says Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's conditioning, training, and his seemingly effortless ability to win across record eight weight classes continue to defy expectations and confound experts.  
Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Sugar Shane Mosley on Saturday in Las Vegas in a Showtime pay-per-view bout.
Whether he will continue to confound experts with his successful weight class-crossing prowess remains to be seen. Next fight: Mayweather (who was recently dropped from Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound rankings because of his notable absence in the ring for the past year).   


Known as the "Little Sparrow," Edith Piaf's love letters to her lover, Louis Gérardin during their 10-month affair have been published in her home country France. Although experts say that the love was almost a lonely one way street. In one of her love letters written in the early 1952 and included in the book, Piaf wrote, "You have taken me like no other man has ever done, and I have given you what I have never before given, which is to say: myself!" 


I've said it before and I'll say it again, Osama's death does not warrant bold jubilation anywhere. And day by day, more and more people are speaking out against it. Unethical, disappointing, callous, arrogant, provoking are only some of the words used by the more sane and sensible ones who spoke against it. And now, add embarrassment. In a story titled, 'Europeans Find the Ground Zero Celebrations Somewhat Embarrassing' , the German publication, Spiegel Online International interviews German political scientist Herfried Münkler. It seems like Europeans are more sensible and more grounded to feel the wrongness and totally unbecoming reaction of Americans. 


Again, in relation to Osama's death and the "somewhat embarrassing" American celebrations, here's a video that proves there are still "somewhat" sensible people or perhaps they're just not in the mood to shout "USA! USA!" or  they're just plain apathetic New York subway riders. No eye-tagging this time!

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Todays Big Thing.

April was Autism Awareness month. Previously, I featured the wonderful story of Sherwynne Pineda Hughes and her two kids, one of whom has autism. As I've mentioned in that article, dealing with a child's Autism is truly a major undertaking for the parents or the child's primary caregiver. In a touching and eye-opening story in the Sydney Morning Herald, a mother details her back-breaking and time-consuming quest to make her sons well, happy, and in the proper treatment.      


In Canada, Fido, a mobile telecommunications company, once ran ads of people and their dogs that purported pet owners look like or resemble their dogs in some funny and weird ways. This picture of music icon Cher is not from a Fido ad but I think it's true, not in my case though at least in my opinion.  

Morning Juice

Be inspired. Do better each day, each moment. See yourself in others and keep them in your hearts.




Your presence is a gift to the world.
You're unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take it one day at a time.

Count your blessings not your troubles
And you'll make it through what comes along.

Within you are so many answers,
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don't put limits on yourself.
Your dreams are waiting to be realized.

Don't leave your important decisions to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.
Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets.
Don't take things too seriously.

Live a little life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.

Life's treasures are people...together.

Have health and hope and happiness.

Take time to wish on a star.
And don't ever forget for even a day...
How very special YOU are!