WEDNESDAY'S HUM (02-28-07)

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES !
Comical piece in Burlington Free Press. Donald Mayer (My Turn) suggests a way to end the war in Iraq, with a hockey shootout - winner take all. Access his innovation solution now.


SNARKY BOY FOR MAYOR ( OF BARRE )
He's got our vote. Read all about his assessment of "Mayor Nutball."

MONDAY'S HUM (02-26-07)

LOCAL LAD LEADS HOOP HOEDOWN
Kyle Cieplicki scores 26 in UVM win over Hartford
Big party at Patrick yesterday with seniors Klimes and Holm being honored and Rice grad KC throwing in a big 26, his college career high. Cats on a sugar high going into this weekend's tournament in Beantown. They will beat Hartford again on Saturday, after Hartford squeaks by Stony Brook.


SURPRISE SELECTIONS SHOCK SINEMA SAGES
"Babel" is now one of the departed.
Notes from the 79th Academy Awards:

• Biggest stumper was German film(can't remember name) coming from nowhere to take the Best Foreign crown. The "Pan's Labyrinth" folks must have wicked hangovers this morn. After all, they were SUPPOSED to win it.
  
• Big event "Babel" seemed like the perfect Best Pic flick. It was buried by Scorcese and entrails. Babel's Brad Pitt was not seen at the Oscars; he should have been nominated for Best Actor instead of Will Smith.
• Oscar went sentimental and picked Arkin over Murphy for Best Supporting. Mild surprise.
• Al Gore lovefest last night. He brought his global warming message to a billion people. Funny moment occurred when he pretended to make a big announcement but was shut off by the music, letting him know his 45 seconds were up.
• Oscar NOT sentimental with Pete O'Toole, who lost for the eighth time. Next year, my man.
• "Cars" ignored - was favored to win Best Animated. "Happy Feet" must have had some Academy pull.
• Steve Carell had the best line: " Sound editing is very much like sex. It's usually done alone, late at night, surrounded by electronic gadgets."
• "Departed" Producer King gave high marks to Leo DiCaprio during his Best Pic acceptance.
• It was great when Celine Dion came out to sing. It gave everyone a chance to take care of toileting and snack concerns.
• Ellen light, breezy and pretty funny as new host. She bounced around the auditorium, conducting mock interviews and jokingly trying to get Marty S. to look at a script she just happened to have in her hand. Hilarious moment came when Ellen was vacuuming and found some rolling papers. She said they probably belonged to the band. We expect Ellen will be invited back next year.
  
• No!!!! Not Randy Newman again!!! ARRRGGGGG!!!!!
  

FRIDAY'S HUM (02-23-07)

HUM NARROWS DOWN OSCAR WINNERS
It's probably one or the other.

1. Best actor - Forest Whitaker or Peter O'Toole ( Pete O'Toole is the sentimental fave )
   
2. Best actress - Helen Mirren or Judi Dench ( Mirren's a lock )
   
3. Best supporting actor - Eddie Murphy or Alan Arkin ( Murphy's law )
   
4. Best supporting actress - Jennifer Hudson or Abigail Breslin ( Hudson's hot! )
   
5. Best Director - Marty Scorsese or Clint Eastwood ( Marty's due -big time! )
   
6. Best documentary - An Inconvenient Truth or Jesus Camp ( Truth. Period. )
   
7. Best foreign - Pan's Labyrinth or Water ( Nobody pans Pan's )
   
8. Best animated - Cars or Happy Feet ( Cars takes the checkered flag. )
   
9. Best picture - Babel or Little Miss Sunshine ( Babel wins. We think. )

OSCAR CONTEST ON 620 WVMT
Winner gets season pass to Palace 9 theatres. Nice.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (02-21-07)

DWINELL POLITICAL REPORT SURFACES
First post in nearly 2 months!


LETTER SLAMS TIMES-ARGUS "STEREOTYPING"
Men love beer and meat; women need culture.


WEEKLY JOURNAL OF ORLEANS COUNTY
The Barton Chronicle still has that folksy feel.


WEATHERSFIELD TEACHER BEMOANS AGE OF TECHNOLOGY
"Learning is labor", according to Rutland Herald letter writer.


STORM DOCKS GUARDIAN
Weekly issues important announcement.

MONDAY'S HUM (02-19-07)

WHERE'S GEMANY ?
Check out the interesting story from Reuters along with the headline typo.

Gemany may ban smoking while driving

Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:59am ET

[-] Text [+]

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany may outlaw smoking in cars because it is a health hazard and a safety risk, the government's commissioner for substance abuse Sabine Baetzing said.

"We're examining whether it would be possible to ban smoking while driving and how that would work," she told the Kurier am Sonntag newspaper in an excerpt made available on Saturday.

She said a ban on smoking in cars was urgently needed even if it would represent an invasion of privacy.

"We've got to ask ourselves if traffic safety and health protection should not take precedence. Smoke fumes inside a car are many times higher than in other areas."

Reuters Pictures

Editors Choice: Best pictures
from the last 24 hours.
View Slideshow

Germany has moved slower than most of the rest of the European Union to restrict smoking, and German bars and restaurants are often filled with smokers.

But Baetzing said the government was committed to protecting non-smokers.

"In Germany we can no longer afford to ignore the dangers of second-hand smoke," she said, adding that it was up to the 16 federal states to take a tougher stance.

The states are currently examining placing some restrictions on smoking in restaurants.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

FRIDAY'S HUM (02-16-07)

UPDATE: Saturday, February 17
Well, we saw Sun Ming Ming and he is big. He's so big he makes a 6'10" center look unimposing. We stood next to him and we were, for lack of a better word, speechless. He's not the best basketball player in the world, but hey, who cares! He's 7'9" !

He's got personality (joking with the ref, protesting calls) and has a soft touch, especially at the charity stripe.

Many people came to see Sun but left realizing how good the Vermont Frost Heaves are. The capacity crowd was treated to some good hoop. Keep the Heaves in mind for a good night out.

As a tribute to Sun Ming Ming, we entered this in jumbo type.

CO-MING ATTRACTIONS
We'll see Sun today
Cool. The world's tallest basketball player, Sun Ming Ming, will be at Burlington's Memorial Auditorium tonight at 7 as the Vermont Frostheaves host the Maryland Nighthawks, Ming's team. Rumor has it that the officials will permit the Heaves players to jump on Ming's back as part of their defensive strategy.
Here are some tidbits about Mr. Ming:

• He's 7'9" and still growing. Doctors say he could reach 10 feet by the time he's 30.
• He weighs 370 pounds, but doctors say he could go to 500 if he overeats.
• Ming has a fight scene in Jackie Chan's newest, Rush Hour 3.
  
• Watch him dunk on YouTube.
• We know what you're wondering. How big his feet are, of course! Well they are size 19.
• If Ming makes it to the NBA, he will be the tallest player ever, jumping over the puny Gheorghe Murasan, who was only 7'7".
• Ming has reportedly been sampling the American nightlife. Wonder how much he has sampled.
• He's got his own website, complete with a picture of that annoying shrew, Katie Couric.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (02-14-07)

PETER WELCH OWNED OIL STOCKS ?
Funny and revealing words from a new-to-us blog called, well, Welch Watch.


WILLISTON TOT MISSING FOR 20 MINUTES
5-YEAR-OLD FOUND HUDDLED OUTSIDE IN BELOW ZERO WIND CHILL
Good samaritan neighbor helps out with blanket. Story from Williston Observer.


SCHOOL SHOOTING NOVEL KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL
Hanover High says no to Picoult's new book, 19 minutes.
Aren't there enough REAL school shootings without Picoult shamelessly making dough on gratuitous fictional account ?


VERMONT DRINKING AGE BACK TO 18...
...if Middlebury College ex-prez gets his way.
St. Michael's College of Drinking will love that!

MONDAY'S HUM (02-12-07)

ROMANCING THE STORM
VERMONT BRACES FOR 12 INCHES
BIG SNOW SLATED FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
Restaurants, flower delivery personnel nervous about approaching juggernaut.


"IT WAS LIKE ORDERING A BEER"
Undercover cop goes shopping at The Rave in St. Albans.
Detective tells of easy drug purchases and dealers arguing who could give the best price. He said the queenpin, Tonyel Hotchkiss, "... reminded me of a quarterback on a football team. She roamed the floor. She moved quickly."
This and more from the St. Albans Messenger.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Wow, did I have fun at the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday. I knew the light would be a while, so I brought a portable DVD player, threw in Little Miss Sunshine, popped some corn and sat back. The movie ended just as the light was changing. It was great timing! I drove on feeling so refreshed.

FRIDAY'S HUM (02-09-07)

6 FEET OF SNOW BURIES MEXICO
Mexico, New York, that is. Huh? Didn't know there was a Mexico next door ? Yeah, it's in Oswego County, due west. MAP
In this upstate N.Y. town, schools have been closed for four days, 15 miles of nearby I-81 have been closed and another 2 feet of snow is predicted over the next 4 days.
By comparison, the Burlington area has received about 35 inches of snow this season.

BEST LOCAL BURGERS
In the past couple of weeks, we've done a coffee survey and a pizza survey, both with lots of fun comments. Our next survey was going to be burgers, but, hey, the Free Press beat us to it. We're going to piggyback on their results, meaning Vermont Hum will be accepting burger comments starting now.

DOES CABOT CHEESE SPONSOR TRUE NORTH RADIO ?
Snarky Boy tries to figure it out.

WEDNESDAY'S HUM (02-07-07)

WIND POWER IN THE KINGDOM
Bet you missed this piece from the Barton Chronicle.


FEWER STUDENTS, INCREASED SCHOOL BUDGETS ?
Not in Randolph. See how one Vermont district is controlling costs.


CRAZED LOVE STRUCK ASTRONAUT HAS LOCAL TIES
WCAX reports in-laws live in South Burlington.


GLOBAL WARMING ? NOT!
Canadian researcher says no way!

MIDDLEBURY AT NORWICH
From the News and Sports Desk makes it seem like we were there.

MONDAY'S HUM (02-05-07)

GOD INSTRUMENTAL IN COLTS SUPER WIN
VERMONT HUM BREAKS DOWN THE BIG GAME

• Colts owner Robert Irsay and Colts Coach Tony Dungy credit The Lord for big win. Who can argue ?
  
• Peyton Manning is the real thing. For Rex Grossman -- it was a learning opportunity.
  
• Colts 'D' played like, um, the Bears 'D'.
• WHY DIDN'T THE BEARS BLITZ MORE ?
  
• The Colts backfield, Rhodes and Addai, deserve a lot of credit for the win. 200+ total yards.
  
• Prince didn't take off his clothes, and played a mean axe. Not embarassing.
• Super Bowl spots went for 2.5 mil. That's for 30 seconds. Think of the coin the car dudes spent.
  
• The best ads: Snickers, Doritos, Letterman-Winfrey and a couple of the Coke spots.
• The suckiest ads were from Careerbuilder.com and Dunkin' Donuts. Careerbuilder ran at least three spots and they all stunk. Dunkin' Donuts has the incredibly lame tag line "America runs on Dunkin". No.
• Broadcast team of Nantz and Simms solid, yet dull. Would've been fun to have Trump and Rosie in the booth, as well.

Share your thoughts on the big tilt. Make a comment. Please.


FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
Big tailgate party at the Essex Junction Five Corners light yesterday. The village, knowing we were going to be idling at the light for hours, possibly days, set up a big screen TV so we could watch the Super Bowl. In fact, the the TV was HD, which gave us a better picture than most of us had at home.
There happened to be a catering truck waiting at the light, and the driver passed around munchies to us all, which was mighty nice of her. She was also worried about spoilage; maybe she was thinking the light wouldn't change 'til Tuesday or Wednesday, and the food would go bad.
A couple of Essex High cheerleaders got out of their Honda and jokingly practiced their routines, cheering for the Bears, instead of the Hornets.
A guy who looked like Tony Dungy got out of his truck and paced the intersection, pretending he was coaching the Colts.
A group of idlers on the Pearl Street side of the light had a beer delivery truck close by, so they bribed the driver and proceeded to deliver frosty beverages to each one of the 96 people waiting at the light. We all made sure to stop after 2 beers, ensuring that we would be fine to drive, in case the light turned green before the game ended. It didn't.

All in all, we had a great time, and kinda hated to leave when red turned to green.

FRIDAY'S HUM (02-02-07)

WELCOME TO VERMONT. NOW PAY UP !
Sen. Mark MacDonald, D-Orange points out it's not just property taxes that are strangling Vermonters. It's oil and gas and health care, too. And he's got stats to prove it.
Vermont Buzz has the story, along with tons of interesting and lively comments.


LETTUCE PRAY
What a horrible way to go. The Hum's thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Sheila Ross, who was trapped in the back of a semi at a Dole plant in Arizona while pallets of lettuce moved toward her. There was no way out and she was crushed, death officially notated as compressional asphyxia.
Her body was found yesterday by warehouse workers in Iowa, where the truck was unloaded.
The lettuce was destroyed. Des Moines Register takes it from here.


CALEDONIA-RECORD'S BETTER LETTER
Our letter of the week goes to Robert Skinner writing in St. Johnsbury's Caledonia-Record.
Skinner pens a 100,000 (not really) word treatise on why Hillary Clinton has a right side, so to speak. For example:
Did you know that Hillary was a young Republican at Wellesley ?
Did you know her parents were conservative ?
Did you know that Hillary wants to WIN in Iraq ?

Read more of Skinner's thoughts now.



PSSST. DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR COFFEE AND PIZZA SURVEYS.


WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO DON MCLEAN ?
He's still around, as evidenced by his show in Rutland this Saturday at the Paramount.
HOW OLD IS HE NOW ?
The "American Pie" songster is 61.
WHAT STATE DOES HE LIVE IN ?
You guessed it. Maine.
WHAT'S THE GOING PRICE FOR A DON MCLEAN TICKET THESE DAYS ?
About 25 bucks.

The Rutland Herald has more.