Crasher Squirrel

A cheeky squirrel in Alberta's Banff National Park has gone viral after stealing the spotlight in a tourist's photo.

Melissa Brandts, who was visiting from Minnesota, had set up her camera on a tripod to capture her and her husband, Jackson, in front of picturesque Lake Minnewanka in May.

"We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready to take the picture when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intrigued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot!" she wrote.

The ground squirrel became the focus of the picture as the couple faded into the background.

"A once in a lifetime moment! We were laughing about this little guy for days!" wrote his wife.


The couple submitted the photo to a National Geographic contest. The magazine posted it to an online gallery on Aug. 7.

In less than a week, the Crasher Squirrel, as it's become known, has stormed the internet. Photoshop enthusiasts have added the furry scene-stealer to family portraits, famous paintings, and even to the top of the Queen's hat with a pile of nuts.

The Crasher Squirrel upstages former U.S. president Bill Clinton and North Korean President Kim Jong Il with other government officials. (David Morgan/CBC)

Money as Debt

These videos will explain in an easy-to-understand way, how the current financial crisis came about, why it is unsustainable, and offers possibilities for the future. The average person has no idea how ridiculous the banking system really is. This is must viewing for anyone at all interested in their financial future.

This may make you feel like a genius

I was watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and one of the first, simple questions was:

Which of the following oceans is NOT crossed by the equator?

a) Atlantic
b) Pacific
c) Indian
d) Arctic

Amazingly, the contestant is stumped and blurts out "I'm not good at geography", then with just two seconds left on the clock, she says she wants to "Ask the audience".

How bad does one have to be at geography to not be able to answer this question? Think about it. One would have to either not have any idea where the equator is or think that the Arctic Ocean is possibly somewhere around the centre of the earth.

Funnier then werds

A comment on a stock market article:

dude there is standing rule in the market over the time (no buddy knows)

The Corporation

It's been a while since I posted and a lot longer still since the documentary "The Corporation" aired. I watched it for a second time this evening and think it is well worth watching for anyone at all interested in understanding what constitutes and permeates a large part of today's world. It may have a profound effect on your worldview and even if not, you will certainly learn something and gain an appreciation of a topic not often discussed at length. It is also sprinkled with light-hearted spots to keep your interest.

It has won several awards and was hailed by most critics as a very well done piece whether one agrees or not with it's somewhat partisan view. You can download it here. Please post your comments.

Note: If, after downloading, you have difficulties viewing it, you may want to try downloading codecs from here.