Category: friends

unique subcultures: Scrabble

On By Rick McIn friends, movies1 Comment

I have this friend who was addicted to Scrabble.

Eventually they led her away in handcuffs. She’s clean now, … so far as I know.

“Scrabylon” is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed documentary on the cutthroat world of tournament Scrabble®.

Featuring the most fierce anagrammers, rack balancers, and bingo experts in competitive Scrabble®, “Scrabylon” delves deep into this sometimes wacky, sometimes odd, always compelling subculture. Shot primarily during the World Scrabble® Championships in Las Vegas, “Scrabylon” features players from around the globe and gives an up-close look at why people get so obsessed with that seemingly benign game played at countless kitchen tables.

“Scrabylon” spotlights “GI (gastrointestinal) Joel” Sherman, the world’s only professional Scrabble® player – so named for his various stomach ailments …

Amazon

Click PLAY or watch a short clip from the film on YouTube.

It’s charmingly unedited. These addicts speak for themselves.

… kind of reminds me of my own unique subculture: gymnastics.

news from Fan

On By Rick McIn friendsLeave a comment

My friend Fan recently relocated to rural Canada. She emails:

Georgina, 73, has a farm and is selling off five acres, so I took some pictures to help her advertise it.

… our deck, early in the morning.

I asked Wayne and Kevin about digging another cistern for us, because I’ll need more water if I’m to have a garden and DD a horse.

And they told me something wonderful: I have a spring in the back corner of the field! Apparently everybody around here knew that but me (of course, we’ve had so much rain since we got here, it was impossible to tell). …

Heh.

Last night, we had our first frost. I’m was up before the sun rose, but now I can see that the fields are white. The lake is like a mirror, and the hills are rosy.

… in search of John Long

On By Rick McIn friends, humour5 Comments

Last we heard, John was hiding out in caves on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But he still maintains his official cover, a Professor at TU Delft.

It’s perfect. Who ever knows where the professor is? … They hardly work.

I wandered on to campus during “Open House”. Pretending to be some dufus visitor. Taking photos of statues not Newton.

Delft University of Technology

And pretending to admire student prototypes like this Ferrari branded vacuum cleaner:

Delft University of Technology

What kind of institute of Technology is this, anyway? … The student bikes you couldn’t give away as scrap metal. Why aren’t they researching derailleurs? Disk brakes?

Delft University of Technology

It was surprisingly easy to get up to John’s 18th floor lair.

Delft University of Technology

Quickly I found his office. … But not quickly enough.

Colleagues told:

He stepped out.

… Gone for a while.

To New York.

… at least a week.

Foiled.

_____

If you don’t know the back story, John Long was “turned” while a working student at Bell Northern.

He co-patented a computer chip that looked like a coin, revolutionizing pay phone technology, as you know. Black ops tagged him then and there as a potential recruit. And started building his career.

Soon he was flying around the world (how convenient), expert witness in patent infringement cases.

Someone bought him a chair at prestigious U of Toronto. … At his age? … hmm

Next he was asked to head research at Delft University of Technology, one of the three leading Universities in electrical engineering. … When he got that job, why didn’t we start asking serious questions.

So naive. We were so naive.

And John’s still out there. Somewhere.

Delft University of Technology

I’m hoping John Le Carre bases a novel on John’s story.

catastrophic gymnastics injuries – Barkat Ullah

On By Rick McIn friendsLeave a comment

My friend Barkat from Bangladesh has now completed his 3rd year of an honours University program … and is looking to travel abroad for more education.

K.M. Barkat Ullah
K.M. Barkat Ullah

Does he look like a “physically challenged” athlete to you?

He is.

Barkat was a full-time gymnast who had competed internationally in Asian regional competitions. One day he decided to do some circles on pommel horse without any matting in place. He slipped, falling as he had thousands of times before, but this time somehow landed in such a way as to damage his upper spine. A fluke.

He was partially paralyzed.

If that happened to you, how would you respond?

It would either crush your spirit. Or you would get SUPER tough.

Today, with the support of family, friends and his Gymnastics Federation, Barkat is one of the most inspirational athletes I know. Charismatic, enthusiastic, well-spoken in English, he has redirected his talent into studies at Jahangirnagar University outside Dhaka.

Within months he became the University champion at able bodied table tennis, the only sport left he could do with limited lower body mobility.

He and I spoke at length about the future of Paralympic sport in his fast developing country. I believe Barkat will be one of the leaders.

I’m researching Paralympic sport right now, encouraging Barkat to get involved as an organizer now, despite his youth. He’s planning on organizing at the two largest Universities in Bangladesh, as a start. Paralympic Table Tennis, as a start.

If you have any advice or information that might help his cause, please leave a comment.

Everyone in the gymnastics community worldwide needs rally around any of our athletes catastrophically injured.

Leave a comment if you have any recommendations for him. A College or University that supports physically challenged athletes. Barkat has some financial backing, but he’d love to apply for any available scholarship.

in the biggest hot springs in the world

On By Rick McIn friendsLeave a comment

I met the Longs on holiday there.

Visitors can soak in the therapy pool (104 degrees) or swim in the huge 90-93 degree swimming pool or play in the small children’s pool. … It has a similar ideal as the Roman Baths in Baden-Baden, Germany. It is very good for the skin so lots of senior residents go there but is still recommended for kids, adults and teens.

Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge and Pool, Colorado

2010-08-11 19-52-22_0131

breast cancer survivors can fly

On By Rick McIn friends, health & fitness, travelLeave a comment

University of Alberta researcher Margie McNeely says results from an international study she was part of indicate that certain precautions about the risk of lymphedema for breast cancer survivors are outdated. …

McNeely says women who’ve had breast cancer surgery are often warned that pressure changes in an airplane cabin could trigger lymphedema, chronic swelling in the arm. She adds that, until now, information about air travel and lymphedema risk has not been based on solid evidence. A study she did with an Australian research team, however, shows that the risk of developing lymphedema during flight is very low.

“We found that only five per cent of these women are likely at risk of developing any arm swelling when flying,” said McNeely. “This tells us that maybe we are scaring women a little bit too much about this.” …

Breast cancer survivors don’t need to be afraid of air travel: U of A study

Thanks Dale.