Desperation or brilliant marketing?

The friends of Utah man, Lance Archibald, decided to help their single pal find a date. This 31-year-old Mormon--okay, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--enjoys singlehood but soon may become an "old maid." Most Mormon men marry in their early 20s after completing a two year mission trip. Sadly, this is one catch that got away. Therefore, "Team DateLance," the group of friends behind this scheme, created a billboard reading, “I’m Lance, Let’s go out!” and accept applications through their website, DateLance.com. If you want to get a date with Lance, be patient. Besides there being 1500 applicants already, the website loaded slowly for me during my research.

Korea's War Continues

The news cannot be read without seeing a headline regarding the nuclear talks in North Korea. "North Korea Won't Quit Nuclear Program." "Pyongyang Nuclear Talks Lack North Korea." "Korea Wants U.S. Troops Out." "North and South Korea Hosting Square Dancing Hoedown." The lastest headline is "North Korea Seeks Peace Treaty."

I learned many new facts in this article. North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Korean War (of the 1950s, I assume) has not officially ended although they maintain a ceasefire agreement. The U.S., China, and North and South Korea held talks in Geneva in 1997 to formalize a peace treaty, but they made no progress. Russia and Japan have since been added to the talks considering Pyongyang's nuclear program. The two Korea's recently linked their capitals through a private phone line--the first such connection in 60 years.

It would be quite a feat if North and South Korea reconciled their differences to become one nation again. In a day and age where countries continue to break apart by ethnic boundaries (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, USSR, etc.), a merger is substantial. Walking together under one flag (but competing separately) at the Athens Olympics in 2004 is just one step on the path toward a single Korea.

Lefties to rule the world

Lefties are smarter, more gifted, and--dare I say--more perfect. Even more, lefties are rapidly increasing in quantity. Numbering around 600 million now, scientists expect there to be more than a billion lefties in 2020. For centuries, people tried to prevent lefties from showcasing their true abilities. Associating "lefthandedness" with "sinister" only perpetuated the repression. In attempts to correct their children, parents and teachers would tie the lefty's hand down so the right hand would be forcibly required. Then, they claimed lefties were more accident-prone. Now, the mindset is changing. More utensils and fixtures are designed with lefties and righties in mind to prevent accidents. This change is noted in the article, "Modern scientists have already concluded that the left-handed human race will change the world; the humanity will become more intellectual and extrasensorial." Also, lefties are not a group of nobodies. Read this list from the article: Using only left hand. Leonardo Da Vinci painted "Mona Lisa"; Leo Tolstoy wrote "War and Peace;" Charlie Chaplin played with his stick. Nicole Kidman combs her hair holding a hairbrush in her left hand.

What causes someone to be lefthanded? The jury is still out, but some scientists are focusing on brain development in the third month in the womb. Perhaps the answer is the same as that for this question: How many licks to the center of a Tootsie pop? The world may never know.

Also remember: I'm a lefty, and proud of it!

Man Can Feel Ribs

A year ago, we learned about Patrick Deuel, the man who weighed over 1000 pounds. After cutting out a wall to extract him from his house, he was transported to a hospital where he underwest gastric bypass surgery. Since then he has been working with therapists to improve his condition. From 1,072 pounds he is down to a slim 499 pounds. Yes, that is still a very large man, but he is most proud that he can feel his ribs. He is an inspiration to anyone desiring to lose weight: “If I can lose weight, anybody can do this — and I mean ANYBODY,” he says. “My willpower is basically zero.” His goal weight was 500 pounds, but perhaps now he can get down to 300 and become even more mobile.