Northern Rangers 2009

2009 introduced the world to the Northern Rangers of Just South of North. We went on a number of adventures. Here's a few of those.

Blind band in Rose Parade

My dad told me about this and I found it awesome.

Tomorrow's Rose Parade will feature the first blind marching band in it.

The band is from the Ohio State School for the Blind. And they found out in October of 2008 that they would be making history at the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Tomorrow will mark the first time a blind marching band takes part in the Rose Parade, located in Pasadena, Calif.

Also, this is the only blind marching band in the whole country.

Now that is a pretty cool way to ring in 2010.

Here's a link to the full story that ran in the Dayton Daily News.

Ohio blind marching band heads to Rose parade.

Welcome to 2010, the future is here

Remember all the thought that 2010 was going to be this incredibly weird future world? Well it came true didn't it?

People wearing spacesuits...

Weird bug-looking vehicles that we would putt around in.

Weird space aliens walking around...

World War III

The undead are walking the streets...

Weird world we live in huh?

Epic Photo: Beggin' Strips... It's BAAACCCCOOONNN!!!!

"Dude, there's totally a cat in here... I can smell it...."

(Found this on Huckleberries)

Why the Vandals won the game

So if you missed it last night (and you shouldn't because ESPN shoved it down your throat during SportsCenter), the Idaho Vandals grabbed the nation's attention with a miracle 43-42 victory over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl.

The biggest thrill being Idaho's touchdown with just a few ticks left on the clock and then head coach Robb Akey's decision to go for two instead of just tying it up. Gutsy, but probably not the smartest call, he should have just taken the extra point and gone for the win in overtime. However, since he converted the 2-point try, he got the praise and a center place on SportsCenter.

But maybe that's what he wanted all the time. I'm thinking that Akey was caught up in the emotion of the thing, said be damned to overtime since there's nothing to play for after the Bowl game and thought that the two-point conversation. However, what if he had enough foresight to realize the kind of game his team was playing in (a very entertaining game on ESPN) and that a converted two-point conversion would be a nice centerpiece play for the program?

Remember Boise St. vs. Oklahoma and the Statue of Liberty play?

Sure it was a risk, but if Idaho converts the two-point, it becomes the talk of the sports nation for a while. If Idaho failed to make the two-point, they'd still be talked about. That means exposure. That means better recruiting. Instead of being a footnote bowl, Akey made this game something to think about.

And if recruits are thinking about it, than that's a good thing.

The truth about Robb Akey

- Robb Akey doesn't actually need glasses, he wears them to protect everyone else from his laser vision.

- He once met Chuck Norris after he beat up the former Texas Ranger during a parking ticket arguement.

- Grizzly Bears are afraid to eat out of his Picnic Basket.

- Idaho is now painting a mural in the Kibbie Dome akin to "Touchdown Jesus"... only it will be called "Two-Point Conversion Akey."

- The UN considers Akey a weapon of mass destruction.

- "The Ten Commandments" was actually based on the life and times of Robb Akey.

- The sun sets every night because it's scared to death of Robb Akey

Epic Video: Tomorrow

Due to working on a special project for tomorrow, I didn't get a Video Bite up. Sorry.

But I promise if you tune in tomorrow you won't be disappointed.

For a hint on what it is:

A video. About the past year. Just South of North style.

Good bye, Washington D.C. Sports

That's right, sports officially don't exist in Washington D.C. anymore. Or maybe newspapers don't exist anymore as a viable money-making entity.

The Washington Times Sports section is preparing as if this Friday's edition will be their last. Caps beat guy Corey Masisak isn't with the team on the West Coast. Wiz beat guy Mike Jones referred to Tuesday night's dreadful loss as his last. Redskins beat guys Ryan O'Halloran and David Elfin aren't going with the team to San Diego, which is just unimaginable, a Skins game without the Times guys. College ace Patrick Stevens covered the frigid EagleBank Bowl on Tuesday and will do Maryland-William & Mary Wednesday night, and then a follow the next day, just for the heck of it. Georgetown beat guy Barker Davis, who's been covering that school since the 19th century, will cover the New Year's Eve game.

And then, silence? As of this writing, the staff hasn't been told anything official, but the paper is moving forward with plans for a new product on Monday, and there have been no indications that product will include sports. The 25 full-time sports staffers are thus assuming they'll get the official pink slip sometime before the New Year.

Okay, if you're a journalist right now you have to be freaking out because the Washington Times is a major sports paper in a major sports market and they just dropped their sports section like a hot potato. What does that mean for the guy that covers the Central Valley Coyotes arena football team? Might want to start seeing if you cant turn that late night karoake talent into a job because this is another sign that newspapers are going down in flames.

Epic Video: Idaho Vandals highlights

Idaho kicks off it's Bowl game against Bowling Green in a little bit (Humanitarian Bowl, kickoff at 1:30 pm). Check out some highlights from the season...

Russia plans to save the Earth from an asteroid that actually wont hit the Earth

Russia comes to the rescue! Kind of...

MOSCOW – Russia's space chief said Wednesday his agency will consider sending a spacecraft to a large asteroid to knock it off its path and prevent a possible collision with Earth.

Anatoly Perminov said the space agency will hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis, telling Golos Rossii radio that it would invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project once it is finalized.

When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated the chances of it smashing into Earth in its first flyby in 2029 were as high as 1-in-37.

There is almost no chance that this Asteroid will hit Earth now, or when it returns back into the area 20 years from now. Or 20 years after that.

However, Russia is going to send a space craft up there. One thing that concerns me though if that if you throw the asteroid off course now, the trajectory might change to the point where in the return trip 20-40-60 years from now might have it bearing down directly on the planet.

Now I'm sure they've crunched all the numbers... but really, if it isn't broke, why are you messing with it?

Reasons why you're still single... this is your living room

... ICK.

PORTLAND IS UNDER EIGHT FEET OF SNOW

It always cracks me up that a snowstorm barely causes Spokane to blink because their traffic is so light, and then a big city like Portland descends into anarchy. Ladies and gentlemen... the 4-inch snowstorm that caused the Rose City to shut down.

VANCOUVER, Wash. — A snowstorm has slickened roads and caused several spinouts on southwest Washington highways.

The Columbian reports that police responded to several traffic mishaps on Tuesday afternoon, including a spinout on Interstate 5 near La Center.

Slick roads were also the rule in Hazel Dell. Firefighters with Clark County Fire District 6 chained up their engines.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Tuesday evening although forecaster Shawn Weagle in Portland said the snow was expected to turn to rain in a few hours.

Snow also snarled traffic in the greater Portland metro area. Tuesday evening rush hour traffic moved at a crawl through downtown Portland and its suburbs.

I heard from people it took 3-4 hours to get home in traffic... which would probably cause me to go insane, sit up on the top of my car naked and throw Reese's Pieces at motorists. Good thing I don't live in Portland.

Mets sign Jason Bay

It looks like Jason Bay is headed to New York, as the former Gonzaga Bulldog and B.C. native has signed a four-year $66-million contract with the Mets.

Well hey! At least it isn't the Yankees. And since it's the Mets, Bay is garunteed to pull something or have some joint blow up before the start of the season. Got to love a franchise that has ran into more hard luck than a drunk priest at a Michael Jackson convention.

While I have to say that I really have appreciated Jason Bay at the plate for the Red Sox. He's a real solid player. But with that said, I'm glad that Boston didn't fork out a wad of cash to have him back. However, if he does manage to escape the Mets curse, he might be able to terrorize National League pitching and put up career numbers. Thoughts?

Epic Photo: What happens when OJ and Michael Vick sit together...?

(From Deadspin)

Role models, ladies and gentlemen, role models...

Free Tacos at Taco Bell?!?! I'm going to get my fat on

Guess what? If I really want a taco for free... I can get one!

Taco Bell is so anxious for you to try one of its Fresco Tacos, it will give you one free. Go to www.drivethrudiet.com and click on the taco icon for a coupon — "valid for 7 days from download or until 1 million free taco coupons are redeemed (including online and print coupons), whichever occurs first."

There's a fair amount of fine print: One per customer, subject to availability and so forth. But the detail you really need to know is that Fresco Tacos have fewer than 200 calories apiece. They're on Taco Bell's special Drive-Thru Diet menu. For a store locator, go to www.tacobell.com.

What is not to like about this awesome deal?!?! Actually as I'm writing this right now I'm just really freakin' hungry and I need something to eat. Hmmmm, Tacos....

How to tell if its time to get a new cell phone...

I've been telling Casey for years that he needs to get a new cellphone, but the guy keeps sporting it along with his "spiffy" wallet chain. In an effort to get him to change him, here are some signs that you should probably head to your nearest Verizon store...

1. Indiana Jones takes one look at your phone and goes "It belongs in a museum!"

2. It has a rotary dial.

3. Your grandma remembers when she had the same phone... it really helped her through the Great Depression.

4. Dogs run around in circles and howl at the moon when the ringer in your phone goes off. It also scares small children along with causing the San Andreas fault to slip.

5. You can see your cell phone from space.

6. You carry it around in a bag with an antenna.

7. Instead of text messages, people just leave post-it notes on the back of your phone.

8. Your phone doubles as a microwave.

9. Sometimes you get phone calls from the 80s.

10. Once you dropped your phone and it killed someone.

So there Casey, time for a new cell phone...

Best stove for winter camping

I have said before that winter is my favorite season to camp in. Sure summer camping is easier as you need less gear. And if you fall in a river, you can easily dry out.

But winter camping. Now that is a great experience.

A popular question that is often brought up is what is the best gear for winter camping? I'll start going over the gear that I bring when camping in the snow over the next few weeks.

But lets start off this discussion with a great post by our blogging friend Scoutmaster Jerry.

He has a great post from yesterday discussing the best stove for winter camping.

You can view this post here, as well as the rest of his blog.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Video Bites: Gonzaga Bulldogs

The December 28th edition of the JustSON Video Bites! That's right, bite-sized videos!

View more of our adventures at http://justson.blogspot.com

Contact us at justsouthofnorth@gmail.com

Eastern Eagles
CLICK HERE

Sounders FC Blog
CLICK HERE

Epic Video: Adam Morrison Crying

So Gonzaga plays EWU today, probably gonna be a slaughter, but that doesn't stop me from playing this little nugget...



God bless you Gus Johnson.

Apple grows in sales to spite Windows 7

Microsoft has failed! Or maybe its just a sign that there's room enough in the marketplace for two types of computers. While the PC market  has been enjoying an a spike in sales thanks to the release of Windows 7, Apple has also seen growth in sales ... meaning that the new Windows probably hasn't converted a lot of people to come over to the dark side...

Bangalore: The release of Windows 7 has definitely helped in increasing the sales of the PC at work, but have failed to slow the increase in adoption of Macs at the workplace, according to a study. Apple is expected to grow at the same time, while the number of companies buying Mac desktops remains flat at about seven percent, the number of those buying MacBooks has grown by 10 percent, according to Electronista.

The ChangeWave study also reports that Dell and HP should benefit from a slight increase in corporate sales with a respective 33 percent and 18 percent companies planning to buy both desktops and notebooks from the two. Also, 93 percent of those who had tried Windows 7 were either somewhat or very satisfied with the OS, that hasn't translated into significant decisions to move up upgrades at the office. But only 19 percent plan any sort of change, and only three percent plan a "significant" change to get Windows 7 into their businesses early.

Shouldn't you expect this though? Apple users drink coffee, drive Jettas and tell everyone how great their computer is. PC users have jobs. Enough said.

(Found this on Tech Rave)

The Seattle Seahawks Massacre in Photos

Well it was painful (the Seahawks lost 48-10 to the Green Bay Packers) but lets relive the game in photos, shall we? (All photos from ESPN.com)

"DAMMIT BOB! You though the game was at 5 a.m.? Really?!?!"

"We get a Chalupa if they score 50 points right? CHA-LU-PA!"

"Oh hey! Did you want this? Sorry it's mine"

"Girls, stop slapping one another!"

This isn't a Packer game. This is actually the Soup Kitchen line in Detroit.

Global Warming in action.

 Woooo! Delta Kappa Phi for LIFE!

Look at Santa Claus to the right. He's having a good post-Christmas.

Here's how bad the Seahawks are. Matt Flynn was in the game for the Packers. MATT FLYNN!!!

For you football fans out there that hate baseball...

Deadspin.com would just like to point out that 21 different baseball teams won a playoff series in this decade. I know you whine and  bellyache about how great the NFL is for parity and it's certainly better than listening to you struggle to name your favorite team's quarterback since you only watch SportsCenter's Top Ten plays, then call your self a sports fan, then wear a Steeler's jersey - but you should really pay attention to this since baseball's no salary cap situation will soon be a reality in the NFL as well.

Although considering you're an "NFL fan" chances are you have no idea what I'm talking about (CBA - collective bargaining agreement). Well enjoy a league with owners that are equally inept as baseball owners, except that you have one owner that probably believes he's a muppet (Al Davis), one that thinks he's Darth Vader (Daniel Snyder), and one that thinks he's god (Jerry Jones). That should be a barrel of fun!

Reasons why you're still single... Spare Tire guy

Oh it's cool that you own a Ford Mustang... really cool. Awesome. Although I have to wonder why you're sporting the spare tire.

Sure there could be the normal explanation that you got a flat and you're limping to a nearby tire shop to get a new one, because that is what spare tires are designed for. But not you, life is too fast for you to stop and get a street legal tire, you're going to roll through Spokane traffic like you're mr. Fast N' Furious, passing people like they're standing still on a tire that was designed to only go 30 MPH.

Smart guy, see you down the road in 10 minutes with another flat tire and possibility a bum axle.

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Stars above Mt. Baker

My name is Takeshi Sugimoto. I am an amateur photographer from Japan, and am currently living near Seattle, Washington. Nature photography is my passion.

I took this shot when I hiked up to Ptarmigan Ridge in Mount Baker Wilderness and camped at 14 Goat Lake. It was very windy and cloudy when I got the lake, so I was not expecting to see many stars. Around midnight, all the clouds were gone and the stars twinkled in the sky. It was one of the brightest and most imposing starry sky I have ever seen.

View more amazing outdoor photos at Takeshi Sugimoto's Flickr page here: sodomojo2009

Click on the photo to make it larger.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

JustSON at the Movies: Repo Men trailer

So if you can't pay for an artificial heart, in the future they just repo it via Jude Law removing the damn thing. Looks bloody, but could be one of those tongue in cheek movies that's actually pretty darn fun. Or it could be crap. You decide.

Voyager has apparently found why there's a glowing inferno around the Solar System

So I was unaware of this, but apparently the Solar System is going through the interstellar cloud known as "The Local Fluff" but it's like really hot and dangerous. Not something you want Earth floating around in. Luckily though, the Sun's magnetic field keeps that away from the planets in the inner solar system.

For a while now sciencetists were like "why are we surrounded by this crazy ball of gas" when the law of physics says we shouldn't be surround by this crazy ball of gas. Well the eight-track playing Voyager probe has found out why...

Using data from Voyager, we have discovered a strong magnetic field just outside the solar system. This magnetic field holds the interstellar cloud together—"The Fluff"—and solves the long-standing puzzle of how it can exist at all.

The Fluff is much more strongly magnetized than anyone had previously suspected. This magnetic field can provide the extra pressure required to resist destruction.

The Voyagers are not actually inside the Local Fluff. But they are getting close and can sense what the cloud is like as they approach it.

So... does that mean I can't take Pop Tarts into space or are we still cool?

From our Flickr Group: Seattle at Sunrise

Here's a photo for all you west-side fans of Just South of North. Here Seattle at Sunrise from our flickr group thanks to the photography talent of AsherBlue.

The Ray Allen pants scandal

Former Seattle Supersonic Ray Allen hasn't had the best of time lately on the internet as someone apparently hacked his twitter account and said some "obscene" remarks. Now this photo is floating around on ESPN.com of the Boston Celtics at Disneyworld.

While it looks fine, upon closer inspection, you'll notice Ray Allen is wearing a weird choice of pants.

Now I'm no fashion bug, but I'm pretty sure those are the same kind of pants you see being worn by Wal-Mart people at 2 a.m. in the morning when they have to make a early morning run to the five-dollar DVD bin.

Are those mom pants? I know that President Obama caught a lot of crap for wearing mom pants earlier in the year - but it wasn't so much the design of the jeans but the fact that they were hiked up around his armpits. Ray Allen seems to take the same gameplan... yikes.

Although I shouldn't be so hard on Allen as I'm pretty sure that  Casey wears the same kind of pants on the weekend.

Sunset in Chewelah

Yeah... this place has a view.

Epic Failure... the Tennessee Titans yesterday

While Casey's Indianapolis Colts are undefeated and rolling to the playoffs, my Tennessee Titans got crushed yesterday on Christmas 42-17. That destroys their slim playoff hopes, but hey, at least they did follow up an 0-6 start with a historical comeback. Now they face the Seahawks, which I'm pretty sure it will be the Chris Johnson show in Seattle.

Have you seen how well Chris Johnson runs? Have you seen how crummy the Seahawks run defense is? Yep, it's going to be a slaughter.

You know you've overdone Christmas when...

1. Your pants don't fit anymore. Not your regular pants, your snow pants.

2. You wake up in a stupor and a pile of candy canes, fruit cakes and Christmas Cookies. Oh yeah, and your shoes are missing.

3. Instead of opening presents, you built a fort with them and tossed stocking stuffers at your siblings behind your wall of protection.

4. You're 24 and you're still wearing your Elf PJs with the footies connected to the rest of the PJs. That means you, Casey.

5. You led authorities on a three county chase while pretending to be Santa Claus and taking a sleigh out onto the highway.

6. That family tradition of Pictionary turned into a Duke-North Carolina battle very quickly complete with "warm up the bus" chants directed at your 80-year old grandmother.

7. You went sledding and since there is no snow, you used that packaging popcorn that came with all your gifts.

8. You watched all the Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen. There are three of them. Even the first one wasn't very good. Tim Allen hasn't been funny since 1997. In reality, Al Borland really carried that show.

9. Hallmark Movie Channel. Five straight hours. Why do so many country stars do Hallmark movies?

10. Two words: Santa tattoo.

Video Bites: Christmas

Instead of me doing the Video Bite today, we have a special guest. Linus van Pelt.

While stores may have commercialized the holiday of Christmas, that's not the reason for this holiday. Sure giving and receiving presents is fun. But remember the reason for the season.

Linus, the floor is all yours.

Photo from our Flickr Group: Train Tressel

Here's a photo from our Flickr Group. It's of a train tressel, remember that thing they ran off of in Back to the Future? Big thanks to KilahQueen for the photo.

Happy Holidays!