http://www.alibi.com The Latest from the Alibi Staff en-us http://www.alibi.com/rss PHP webmonkeys@alibi.com http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24421&scn=blog&fullstory=y This Kid is Too Good Nine year old Jericho Scott pitches too well to be allowed in the Youth Baseball League of New Haven, Connecticut. His 40 mile-per-hour pitches are too fast and intimidating for other players to handle, according to the league's attorney. Scott has been banned from playing for Youth Baseball, and has been encouraged to find a more skilled league to participate in. Scott's parents say the league has punished the son unfairly. They say it discourages Scott from playing his best. The league shoots back that it's not trying to discourage the young athlete, it's just trying to keep other players safe. Scott hasn't hit any batters with his scorching pitches. On one hand, it seems ridiculous to punish someone for being too good at what they do, but going up against a 9-year-old flame thrower doesn't sound like much fun either. Hopefully, Scott can find another league that appreciates his talents. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:42:09 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-27 - record 24421 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24420&scn=blog&fullstory=y I don’t know what rock Larry King overturned to find this creepy woman. She says she’s a Democrat, but you’ve got to wonder if there’s a paper trail somewhere leading back to the Grand Old Party. She’s a Sen. Hillary Clinton supporter who’s upset that Sen. Barack Obama hasn’t “courted” her. And she seems to be taking it personally. She talks about her vote as one might speak of her virginity. “I’m a good Catholic girl from Boston, Mass., and I don’t vote on the first date.” “My vote is precious.” “My ballot box is pretty closed.” Watch her crazy eyes. I believe she’s also coined the term “NObama,” though it could just be the first time I’ve heard it. I saw Sen. John McCain on “The Tonight Show” the night before last. Jay Leno suggested he choose Clinton as his VP since he likes her so much. Please enjoy this Chris Matthews clip, in which he gets into a fight with this Ann Coulter-looking woman about whether Obama’s a “registered” Muslim. She’s part of the Clintons for McCain group. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:16:40 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-27 - record 24420 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24418&scn=blog&fullstory=y After passing through an armory of editors and typewriter-equipped monkeys, somehow the print edition of this week's cover still hit stands with the gloriously incorrect headline: "Schocking!" Sean Connery must have escaped and gotten into to the printing presses again. Please excuse his tomfoolery. Obviously, the headline was supposed to read: "Schlocking!" Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:54:37 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-27 - record 24418 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24419&scn=blog&fullstory=y Let the muzak-games begin! Music Catch—The name is pretty descriptive, actually. Catch colorful shapes as they come onto the playing field in sync with the music. Red shapes are bad, all other colored shapes are good—especially yellow ones, which give bonus points and add catching surface area. What's really cool is you can upload your own music to influence game play. (Thanks to Tom Nayder for the recommendation.) Music Bounce—This time the game doesn't dictate the music, you do. Release a series of bouncy balls in an effort to break all of them before they regenerate. When one breaks, it makes a cool sound. When a number of them break in rhythm, it makes a cool beat. It takes a bit of time to figure out the game play. Once you do, it’s hard to stop. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:53:57 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-27 - record 24419 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24417&scn=blog&fullstory=y Watch Clinton’s DNC speech. (Or if you can’t view the one off the DNC website, click here.) Oil facilities may be damaged by Tropical Storm Gustav. How mammals actually smell danger. How Albuquerque scientists are helping to uncover the mystery of musical icebergs. (subscription/commercial/trickery required) Richardson still stands a chance at being named the national secretary of state. How does life get to a point where hoarding 118 animals sounds like a good idea? The Russian and Chinese presidents met yesterday to discuss Georgia. Passengers have been released from the hijacked plane in Sudan, but crew members are still onboard. Nearly 600 people were arrested as illegal immigrants at an electronics manufacturing plant in Mississippi. Psystar’s filing a countersuit against Apple, claiming their restrictions violate anti-trust laws. Finally, something good happens in health care: Less people are uninsured. The return of the victory garden. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:43:31 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-27 - record 24417 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24416&scn=blog&fullstory=y I want to try someplace new, but it has to be by or near fishing. Allison (one of our drivers and bass player in Wagogo) suggested San Gregorio Lake up near Cuba. Any other suggestions? Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:57:41 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-26 - record 24416 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24415&scn=blog&fullstory=y Hey, it's a flu! Find out if the cocoon of gross you've been enveloped in is a cold, flu or allergies— [url]http://www.lhj.com/lhj/quiz.jhtml?quizId=/templatedata/lhj/quiz/data/ColdFluQuiz_10182002.xml&catref=cat3310002&_requestid=1030775[/url]in 12 easy questions. Thanks, Ladies' Home Journal. I'll take that sponge bath you recommend as soon as I get home. Right after I figure out how to take a sponge bath. (Or should I go with the hot mustard chest compress?) Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:52:04 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-26 - record 24415 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24412&scn=blog&fullstory=y Former Alibi editor Steven Robert Allen is in Denver at the DNC this week working The Big Tent, a place where bloggers meet. He e-mailed these crazy photos and then called to tell me what they were about. Here’s the story of how he found himself trapped in a hotel lobby with New York Congressman Charlie Rangel yesterday. In classic Steve style, he started with: “Here’s my story, right?” Allen finished off his shift and was walking down 16 th Street. There were police everywhere, hundreds, most of whom were in full riot gear. Anarchist kids were roaming around with bandanas over their faces, and for the most part, everything was peaceful. “There were regular people walking around, too,” Allen says. “No one seemed to care.” He stopped at the Sheraton to take a leak. Sitting in the lobby with his entourage was Rep. Rangel. Allen finished his business and went to walk out the door. “They wouldn’t let me leave,” he says. Other people walked up and asked to leave, too, but security told them they’d locked down the hotel. “They said there were protesters out there and it was for our own safety.” Lines and lines of police in full riot gear made their way down the street, marching through the intersection. Occasionally, the Sheraton let someone into the lobby. A woman entered saying the police were outnumbering protesters, tear-gassing them and beating them with batons. Denver media covered the tear-gassing, Allen says, but not the batons. The people in the lobby were freaked out by what the woman was saying and suggested she tell Rangel about it. “She did. He didn’t seem to care too much. He was just waiting to leave like the rest of us.” Finally, they let the people out of the lobby. “You could smell the tear gas. Older people were choking on it.” Tons of riot police were moving in formation toward the group of people exiting the hotel. The police were chanting, “Move, move, move,” Allen says. In front of their lines, an anarchist kid in a red bandana danced, paced and used his cell phone as the riot police made their way up the street. Those are the pictures Allen took. The woman who entered the Sheraton and told tale of batons and tear gas estimated there were 30 protesters. Allen says he later heard a legal monitor from the National Lawyers Guild putting the number closer to 200. Both agree the protesters were vastly outnumbered by the police. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:49:59 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-26 - record 24412 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24410&scn=blog&fullstory=y This week’s feature is about a man trying to build a more sustainable battery. This got me thinking about how people actually perceive environmentalism. It stands to reason that while many support environmental protection and preservation, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are all environmentalist. For instance, I support most causes environmental, but wouldn’t say I’m an environmentalist because I don’t do much that helps nature. Were I some organic cotton-wearing free spirit living off the grid, then I’d be an environmentalist. What determines environmentalism, and do you think you qualify? Login to vote in our poll at left and leave your comments below. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:29:32 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-26 - record 24410 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=24411&scn=blog&fullstory=y With the winners of our haiku contest to be announced in next week’s issue, it’s time to get in the mood for some ku. With this Everypoet.com, you can ku all day long. Here are some of the poems it made for me: frantically cold heart yearning droplet decaying demonic merry And my favorite (cause it references dinosaurs): cavernous fervent blunt lemons plead, dinosaurs descend weakly, dim Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:22:03 -0600 alibi.com - 2008-08-26 - record 24411