This giant of a man died last June at the age of 47, and the world is diminished by his passing. During the course of his basketball career, Bol gave away most of his $6 million fortune, to aid Sudanese refugees. When the basketball was over, and the money gone, he humbled himself in order to continue his mission in Sudan

For some reason I find myself unable to fully articulate my feelings, so I will quote excerpts from a Wall Street Journal column by Jon A. Shields.

“…….is one player who never received redemption in the eyes of sports journalists. His life embodied an older , Christian conception of redemption that as been badly obscured by its current usage.

Bol, a Christian Sudanese immigrant, believed his life was a gift from God to be used in the service of others. As he put it to Sports Illustrated in 2004: “God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a good heart so I would look back”

Bol raised more money by doing what most athletes would find humiliating; He turned himself into a humorous spectacle…..as a horse jockey, hockey player, and celebrity boxer. Bol agreed to be a clown. But he was not willing to be mocked for his own personal gain as so many reality-television stars are. Bol let himself be ridiculed on behalf of suffering strangers in the Sudan; he was a fool for Christ”.

There is much more to know about this man, and I encourage you to take the time to do so. The meaning of Christianity is not in the catechism, but rather in living out the example set forth by another man.

Rest in peace my friend.

my damn phone would work. Such is the sad refrain emanating from the the lips of iPhone4 owners I know. Ah yes, tis a tragedy played out in two acts:

Act One.

The worlds worst cellular network introduced the device.

Act Two.

The antenna of the new device is rendered inoperable when it is held. (No the fix did not work) I might add that it falls under the category of “Hand Held Device”, so don’t ask me not to hold it that way..

Recovering former owners, soon to be better known as the “iPhone4 class action group”, are nevertheless impressed with the WiFi capabilities of same. Perhaps renaming the new product iTouch4 would solve the problem. But not to worry, the iLandline will soon hit the Apple Store near you.

Caption for the photo: “Gee Bob we’re getting out of range……maybe if we tie a string between them…..”

I try not be amazed at the weirdness of life every time I pick up the newspaper. Seems like my own life is strange enough, so who am I to judge right? Perhaps then, one of you may comment on the following story just off the press:

A 57 year-old man strangled his pit bull pet with a zip tie, and threatened to do likewise to his family members. The man, Vladimir Stefanovich Struk, told the cops he killed “Barry” the dog because it was, “in the house and living better than him.”

Makes me want to roll up a newspaper and spank ole Vlad for being a bad, bad man!

matter-of-factly to her twenty-somethingish BFF.

Well, that certainly perked up my ears, as I casually sipped on a latte one table away. After swallowing the hook, I remained a not so unwilling, and curious audience for the balance of the conversation. In a nutshell, this is how it went down. (yes that too)

The initial courting consisted of friending, and heavy facebooking during the course of a week. That evolved into two or three days of sexting followed by a single phone call, and of course the main event. Since the coupling there has been no further contact with our protagonist…….not even a casual facebooking. However, as it turns out, there are comemorative pics circulating the interwebs. Kind of a poor man’s sex tape.

Moral of the story? Neither Kindle nor Nook will ever replace a quiet evening at the bookstore. (BTW The two gossip girls pictured are a sculpture by Ron Mueck)

Should offenders be prohibited from wearing open top shoes? A law passed perhaps? Sandals a misdemeanor, flip flops a felony?

Before further discussion, a disclaimer. I am not referring to the the ugly that is the result of birth defects, or bad genes. You can’t help that. I am talking about ugliness as a consequence of neglect, poor hygiene, lack of grooming, or years of wearing pointy-toed high heel shoes.

We have outlawed nudity, intoxication, and smoking in public spaces. Can we not find an elected politico willing to take up this fight? Will the Tea Party Movement take up the cause?I am going out on a limb, but Sarah Palin might……..well that depends on her feet.

(as a point of reference, the babe pictured has some pretty feet)

when the animals go to war with each other. How does one pick sides? The birds have turned into suicide bombers, and the pigs complain they can no longer go to the market. We may never fully understand the initial cause of the conflict, but in the end, someone will blame Michael Vick. He is an Eagle after all…..and hey, is that a pigskin in his hand?