- Like many Europeans and especially those residing in Scandinavian nations, Swedes are known for going hard when it come to their consumption of alcoholic beverages. That zeal for getting hammered out of their mind extends not only to Swedes young and old, but also to the country’s wildlife, apparently. Thank the drunken moose that showed up outside Per Johansson’s home Tuesday night in the town of Saro for evidence of that reality. Johansson (yes, a stereotypically Swedish name) returned home from work and heard some unusual sounds coming from his neighbor’s yard. Being a good neighbor and apparently not honoring the code of “strange noises coming from the neighbor’s, mind your own business,” Johansson ventured over to see what we going on. What he found was unexpected, to say the least. Stuck in a tree was a drunken moose, well over the legal limit after apparently consuming too many fermented apples. In its zest for an even longer bender, the moose was trying to reach more of the fermented apples, lost its balance and ended up stuck in the tree. “I thought at first that someone was having a laugh. Then I went over to take a look and spotted a moose stuck in an apple tree with only one leg left on the ground,” Johansson recalled. After calling the police, he and his neighbor went back outside and began sawing off limbs in an attempt to free the entangled moose. By this time, the animal was thrashing around and becoming belligerent, like any good drunk whose buzz is getting killed. Firefighters arrived on the scene and managed to bend the tree down far enough for the animal to slide off the branches. What is truly bizarre is that drunken moose are apparently a very common phenomenon in Sweden in autumn, when apples are abundant on the ground and in trees in homeowners’ yards. According to Johansson, this particular moose may have been on a day-long bender, as his neighbor “recognized it as the animal that almost ran into her car earlier in the day.” So……..this neighbor saw a drunk moose wandering around causing trouble and she did nothing to help it? Maybe Swedes aren’t that neighborly after all…………
- The Milwaukee Brewers are having one of their best seasons in decades. The team has started strong the past few seasons but faded late in the year; this year has been different. They are running away with the NL Central, are a lock to make the postseason and several of the Brew Crew’s new faces are undoubtedly deserving of much of the credit. After importing several new pitchers and position players for the year, Milwaukee has reaped the benefits. One of those faces is centerfielder Nyjer Morgan, a.k.a. T-Plush, a.k.a. Tony Gumbo. Morgan, a Twitter warrior and accomplished agitator, is batting .311 and playing great defense. However, it’s the non-statistical contributions T-Plush has made to the Brewers that just might be making the biggest difference. His swagger and trouble-making spirit have lit a fire under his team and gotten under the skin of some of their biggest rivals in the process. No single incident is bigger evidence of that fact than the scene that unfolded Wednesday night in St. Louis. Morgan struck out against Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter and claimed Carpenter cursed at him after the at-bat. An enraged T-Plush cursed back, removed his chewing tobacco from his mouth and tossed his was toward the mound. Cardinals star Albert Pujols rushed in from first base to confront Morgan and the benches emptied, but the spirit of baseball fights prevailed and no actual punches were thrown - but Morgan threw some verbal punches after the game. He unloaded on Pujols via Twitter after the game, writing, "Alberta couldn't see Plush if she had her gloves on!!! Wat was she thinking running afta Plush!!! She never been n tha ring!!!" His tweet caught the attention of Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin, who appeared on a local radio show in Milwaukee and made it clear he was not happy with Morgan’s antics. Melvin said that manager Ron Roenicke is going to deal with Morgan “internally,” and likely not by giving him a pat on the back and an “attaboy.” When queried specifically about Morgan’s tweets about “Alberta” Pujols after the game, he replied, “The whole tweeting thing in sports is probably something that needs to be addressed. But it’s out there and we have to deal with it.” If by deal with it, you mean embrace its awesomeness, then that’s exactly what you should do. T-Plush is making the Brewers exciting and more relevant and with the NFL and the reigning Super Bowl champion Packers already back and better than last year, the Brewers are going to need all the help they can get holding the sports attention span of Wisconsinites…………
- Whenever an athlete or musician is releasing a book, they invariably look to leak a few juicy stories and tidbits from the tome to whet the public’s appetite for the rest of the book. The impending release of Uncut’s Bowie: The Ultimate Music Guide magazine is no different and the first interesting story leaked from the publication center’s around Bowie’s alleged all-out brawl with another 1970s music icon. According to the magazine, Bowie and former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed came to blows back in 1979 after Reed’s show at London Hammersmith Odeon at the Chelsea Rendezvous restaurant. Details of the fight are actually pretty impressive for two men known more for their flash and flamboyance than for being badass brawlers. Reed allegedly started the fight when he began hitting and attacking Bowie while the pair were sharing a congenial dinner. The battle was so fierce that it reportedly took nine people to wrestle Reed off Bowie. Reed allegedly continued bellowing insults and obscenities at Bowie as he was yanked away. Just when it appeared the situation had simmered down and the pair had settled their differences, Reed started the melee up again by dragging Bowie across the table by his shirt and hitting him in the face. Reed was then escorted off the premises by his crew and that was the end of the evening for him. Is that story interesting enough to entice music fans to buy the 180-page collectors’ special, which also includes a new look at every one of Bowie’s album along with rare photos, interviews and an in-depth history of his career? Probably not, but it’s worth a shot……….
- Look at you, America, embracing your inner stoner or crackhead. With the litany of financial and health problems facing the United States on a daily basis, perhaps it should not be surprising that the number of Americans using illicit drugs is rising, according to a new government survey. Being poor, obese and in constant peril from hurricanes and earthquakes, it’s not difficult to understand why Americans might be looking to burn some hippie lettuce or do a few rails of blow to take their mind off their troubles. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Thursday, nearly 9 percent of the U.S. population, or 22.6 million people, abused prescription drugs last year or regularly used marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, or inhalants. Unsurprisingly, marijuana was the most commonly used drug, with 17.4 million regular users—or 6.9 percent of the population—compared with 5.8 percent in 2007. Confirming the worst fears of all non-hippie, non-Rastafarian parents in the U.S., nearly half of kids ages 12 to 17 said it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get marijuana, while one in five said it would be easy to get cocaine, and one in 10 said it would be easy to get heroin. Students also reaffirmed their love for ganja, saying in a national survey that they strongly prefer marijuana to other drugs. An increasing number of teens and even pre-teens are going pothead and many doctors and public health experts use confidential reports about illicit drug use from this particular age group to measure the extent of the problem on a larger scale. In other words, if teens can easily access illegal drugs and use them regularly, then the problem must be far worse for adults. Sure, some teens will brag about doing bong rips when they’ve never touched an ounce of the hippie lettuce, so these surveys shouldn’t be taken as the absolute truth. Depending on one’s perspective on the legalization of marijuana for more than medical purposes, the rising percentage of Americans who like to burn tree on a regular basis is either evidence that the law needs to change or proof that it is needed now more than ever……….
- Everyone needs an epic adventure in their life. Whether it’s packing the car and heading west across the United States, hopping a plane to Europe for a backpacking trek or visiting the Australian outback, getting out and seeing the world is a must. Brothers Peter, Paul and Dan Bragiel understand this and this summer, they finally embarked upon their trip of a lifetime. On July 14, the three brothers set out from Lake Itasca, Minn. with the goal of canoeing the length of the mighty Mississippi River. With their own personal photographer to detail the journey, they packed what they needed into two bright yellow canoes and launched their dream voyage. The end goal is Venice……Venice, La. "I had this idea when I was in high school," Peter Bragiel said. The daily grind of canoeing down the Mississippi has proven challenging, but the four men are still going and reached Red Stick, La. on Wednesday. "We wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day. We have an hour or two of paddling before we see the sun rise," Dan Bragiel said. The men say the weather has been their biggest rival during the trip, which has now covered more than 2,000 miles. Paddling 18-foot canoes in all manner of storms has been difficult but has not forced them to abandon their trip. "Dodging all of the rain and trying to find camp sites," Peter Bragiel said of the challenges. As with any epic voyage, a large part of the greatness of the experience is meeting interesting people and having unique experiences along the way. Asked what some of the standout moments have been, Peter Bragiel said, "Well, it would probably be throwing out a first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Burlington, Iowa." Having a photographer along for the ride has allowed the brothers to both document their journey and also not have the constant distraction of stopping to snap pictures with their Kodak or iPhone. With the trip set to end Monday in Venice, the obvious question for the brothers Bragiel is whether they would take the trip again, i.e. was the effort worth it? The answer to that question is no…..and yes. "It's been on my list of things to do forever. But I would never do this, again. That's for sure. It's a lot of work," Paul Bragiel said. Spoken much like a person running Mile 24 of their marathon, Paul. Never ask someone in the midst of a major, grueling physical endeavor if they would do it again because at that moment, the answer is no. Ask these guys a few months down the road and their story may change. Regardless, they have much to celebrate……….
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