Ahoy Mates Well the 2008 Hurricane season is now in its second week and so far all is quiet down island way.  The featured photo shows the Southernmost Point Marker in Key West about a week after being roughed up by Hurricane Wilma in November 2005.   Here in the Midwest it looks more like Monsoon season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an ark drift by any day now. So here’s a few fun things to brighten your day in the midst of all this gray.  Patrick Ó Brien Check out this fun comic strip that follows the antics of the locals on Wrong Key http://wrongkeycomicstrip.com/ More powerful than a CAT-5 Hurricane, faster than a jack-rabbit on a date, able to blend just about anything with the push of a button - it’s the Blendtec Blender. Their spokesman Tom has to be one of the funniest straight-men ever. And one of the bravest or craziest! He has a really fun job. You won’t believe what they grind up in this incredible machine. Make sure to check out the “Don’t Try This At Home” videos. Thanks to Man Called D for this great tip. Some of the best laughs you can have for free. http://www.willitblend.com/ Strange Observations   The other day returning from work I was enjoying some Radio Margaritaville on Sirius while taking in the view from the southbound 35W Memorial parking lot when one of the Mystic Lake Casino buses went roaring past me in the express lane. Out of the corner of my eye I just happened to notice the license plate - which ended with three 6’s - I guess it may be fitting for a vehicle crammed with retirees heading off to dump some of their pensions down a slot machine. I wonder who the joker is at Dept. Of Motor Vehicles that assigned that number? Happy Shark or… Old friend Scott Carboneau shared this story with me. The other day pumping gas (at an exorbitant price no doubt) a woman noticed his Happy Shark - the decal on his car (keep your minds out of the gutter!) and asked if it was for some aggressive Christian group! Scott explained the Parrot Head connection and then the lady shot back, “well I figured aggressive Christians or Lawyers” Although either of those might fit I think we are all happy the Parrot Heads claimed the Happy Shark first. But I do think that lady was on to something. We’d probably all be safer if there was a mandatory vehicle sticker to identify Lawyers and overly aggressive Christians! Live Island Style Music  Check out our friend “Jambo” Joe Yira - he makes a few appearances in Minneapolis this week - 6/12 at Champps Alley in downtown Minneapolis, and Friday 6/13 at Kokomo’s Island Grill at the Mall of America http://www.jamboacousticmusic.com/  Down Island News  (Reuters): Caribbean islands will create new protected areas for fish and coral reefs under a $70 million plan announced in May that will help safeguard tourism-backed economies. The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines aim to set aside about (32,000 square km (12,500 sq miles), according to the U.S.-based Nature Conservancy which is advising Caribbean governments.The project illustrates a widening belief that natural systems, such as forests, wetlands or glaciers, provide free services that are undervalued by conventional economic theory. Protected corals, for instance, can raise overall fish catches by acting as nurseries for fish that later swim to other waters. Intact reefs also draw tourists and can shield beaches from storm surges or tsunamis. HAVANA, Cuba   (AFP): About 1,800 Cubans are over 100 years old, making it the country with the highest rate of centenarians. There are “currently about 1,800 Cubans registered as over a century old,” according to the National Information Agency. This figure would make Cuba, which has a total population of 11.2 million, “the country that has the most centenarians per number of inhabitants in the world.” It was noted that reaching the grand old age of 100 in good health required motivation, first of all, but also “a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, physical activity, culture and the right atmosphere.” The oldest Cuban is a 122-year-old woman who lives in Granma (seriously), 470 miles southeast of Havana. Her identity has never been disclosed

Ahoy Mates

Well the 2008 Hurricane season is now in its second week and so far all is quiet down island way.  The featured photo shows the Southernmost Point Marker in Key West about a week after being roughed up by Hurricane Wilma in November 2005.  

Here in the Midwest it looks more like Monsoon season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an ark drift by any day now. So here’s a few fun things to brighten your day in the midst of all this gray.  Patrick Ó Brien

Check out this fun comic strip that follows the antics of the locals on Wrong Key http://wrongkeycomicstrip.com/

More powerful than a CAT-5 Hurricane, faster than a jack-rabbit on a date, able to blend just about anything with the push of a button - it’s the Blendtec Blender. Their spokesman Tom has to be one of the funniest straight-men ever. And one of the bravest or craziest! He has a really fun job. You won’t believe what they grind up in this incredible machine. Make sure to check out the “Don’t Try This At Home” videos. Thanks to Man Called D for this great tip. Some of the best laughs you can have for free. http://www.willitblend.com/

Strange Observations  

The other day returning from work I was enjoying some Radio Margaritaville on Sirius while taking in the view from the southbound 35W Memorial parking lot when one of the Mystic Lake Casino buses went roaring past me in the express lane. Out of the corner of my eye I just happened to notice the license plate - which ended with three 6’s - I guess it may be fitting for a vehicle crammed with retirees heading off to dump some of their pensions down a slot machine. I wonder who the joker is at Dept. Of Motor Vehicles that assigned that number?

Happy Shark or…

Old friend Scott Carboneau shared this story with me. The other day pumping gas (at an exorbitant price no doubt) a woman noticed his Happy Shark - the decal on his car (keep your minds out of the gutter!) and asked if it was for some aggressive Christian group! Scott explained the Parrot Head connection and then the lady shot back, “well I figured aggressive Christians or Lawyers” Although either of those might fit I think we are all happy the Parrot Heads claimed the Happy Shark first. But I do think that lady was on to something. We’d probably all be safer if there was a mandatory vehicle sticker to identify Lawyers and overly aggressive Christians!

Live Island Style Music 

Check out our friend “Jambo” Joe Yira - he makes a few appearances in Minneapolis this week - 6/12 at Champps Alley in downtown Minneapolis, and Friday 6/13 at Kokomo’s Island Grill at the Mall of America http://www.jamboacousticmusic.com/

 Down Island News  (Reuters): Caribbean islands will create new protected areas for fish and coral reefs under a $70 million plan announced in May that will help safeguard tourism-backed economies. The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines aim to set aside about (32,000 square km (12,500 sq miles), according to the U.S.-based Nature Conservancy which is advising Caribbean governments.

The project illustrates a widening belief that natural systems, such as forests, wetlands or glaciers, provide free services that are undervalued by conventional economic theory. Protected corals, for instance, can raise overall fish catches by acting as nurseries for fish that later swim to other waters. Intact reefs also draw tourists and can shield beaches from storm surges or tsunamis.

HAVANA, Cuba   (AFP): About 1,800 Cubans are over 100 years old, making it the country with the highest rate of centenarians. There are “currently about 1,800 Cubans registered as over a century old,” according to the National Information Agency.

This figure would make Cuba, which has a total population of 11.2 million, “the country that has the most centenarians per number of inhabitants in the world.” It was noted that reaching the grand old age of 100 in good health required motivation, first of all, but also “a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, physical activity, culture and the right atmosphere.”

The oldest Cuban is a 122-year-old woman who lives in Granma (seriously), 470 miles southeast of Havana. Her identity has never been disclosed

Jun 11 2008

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