Saturday Early Evening Miscellany

(1) Great listing by Forbes of the 20 Greatest Individual Athletic Performances. Amazing to think my grandparents were at #18, and we have two tickets to the game in our basement. My favorite on the list might be Beamon's jump though. Consider:

"At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, the world record for the long jump stood at 27 feet 4 3/4, and the best in the sport were vying to be the first to break the 28-foot barrier. On Oct. 18, Bob Beamon, a 22-year-old New Yorker, broke the 28-foot barrier. And the 29-foot barrier. After 19 strides down the runway, he hit the board perfectly and flew through the air like no athlete before him. When he finally landed, 29 feet 2 1/2 later, he had shattered the world record by nearly two feet. It would be 12 years before anyone jumped even 28 feet again."

(2) In Prince Edward Island, "no person not being a blind person shall carry or use a white cane in any public thoroughfare, public conveyance or public place." But it only applies to residents.

(3) The Global Language Monitor has released a list of the top 10 "politically incorrect" words for 2005. My favorites:

Deferred Success as a euphemism for the word fail. The Professional Association of Teachers in the UK considered a proposal to replace any notion of failure with deferred success in order to bolster students self-esteem. [similar sentiments expressed at Montgomery Elementary School.]

Banning the word Mate: the Department of Parliamentary Services in Canberra issued a general warning to its security staff banning the use of the word 'mate' in any dealings they might have with both members of the Parliament and the public. What next? banning Down Under so as not to offend those living in the Up Over.

(4) It's ridiculously hard for Americans to work in Canada. Ridiculous. There's no natural political constituency to push for simplified reforms, but some politician should remedy this issue.

(5) Courtesy of the Hollywood Stock Exchange - a hilarious virtual market on movies and celebrities - comes news that Ridley Scott is thinking of making a movie about Encylopedia Brown. I loved those books growing up. Colour me excited!

(5) My sister works at Westjet so I can fly where they do for cheap. Very excited about the prospect of a $150 roundtrip from Halifax to their newest destination, Hawaii. A post-election blowout? Burns day on the beach? You know it.