Mona Lisa's Secret?

For 500 years the most famous painting in the world has also brought with it many questions. Leonardo da Vinci created the Mona Lisa, and the mystery of it followed. Who was the painting of? Where was da Vinci when he painted it? These are just a few of the questions that people have asked for years.

With the advances in technology, scientists and art historians have done much work to solve this mystery. Earlier in 2010, scientists used x-ray technology to "peel" away at the various layers of the painting. This allowed them to see how the painting was constructed in a way that was never capable prior. Nonetheless, the search for answers continues.

Recently scientists used magnifying powers to make a new discovery. Apparently they found never before seen letters and numbers in the painting. An 'L' and a 'V' were found together, as well as 'C' and 'E' and the numbers '7', '2'. The first two letters would make sense given the name of the artist. The rest just add to the mystery.

That being said, this sounds like one of those cases where a picture of Jesus is found on a piece of toast. Am I supposed to believe that 500 years after creation, it takes scientist using a magnifying tool to spot something that looks like letters? If it's too small to see with the naked eye, how do you suppose Leonardo da Vinci was able to write something so small that he could not see for himself? (For the sake of the argument, I won't get into the history of the magnifying glass)

Think back for a moment. Have you ever looked for something so hard that you started believing you actually found it? Maybe these scientists were trying too hard to find an answer? Isn't it more reasonable that there are coincidental brush strokes? Those who made the discovery aren't even sure if the 'E' they found is just that, or rather a 'B'.

To me this sounds like a fantastic publicity stunt to get people talking about the Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci. It certainly is possible that da Vinci left these hidden marks - but until I see a close up of the painting myself, I'm going to doubt the apparent findings.

Favre Streaking No More!

Brett Favre who holds the NFL record for consecutive starts at 297, will have to start over (Hey, the way he retires it could happen!)

The streak of 297 games dates back to 1992. In his 20 regular seasons, he has passed for over 70,000 yards (almost 40 miles), thrown over 500 touchdowns, with over 300 interceptions.

I'm glad to finally see this streak end. You have to respect a man that can play non-stop on the professional level without ever having to miss a game (See Cal Ripken Jr.). Nonetheless, my respect for Favre was lost a few seasons back with his decisions to retire and come back more then I can remember. The man is just plain old. All week there was talk about whether he could play or would he start for a couple running plays and then get taken out - only to keep the streak alive. I kept hoping he was too hurt, and wouldn't be able to do it. Maybe now this grandpa will realize he can't play forever.

Instead of going out nearly on top last season, in what was his best season ever statistically, he had to come back for what has turned out to be a disaster.

Do we call that passion? desire for perfection? Or do we call that Favre being Favre?

I'm glad he didn't play tonight because that would have been the cheap way to keep the streak going. I wouldn't be surprised though if he kept begging the coaches to let him play. Maybe? If so, then finally someone on that team stepped up and showed him that the team is more important than any one individual - especially one named Brett Favre.

Let me be the first to wish Brett Favre a happy retirement. You will be a Hall of Famer, and rightly so. You're level of passion for the game of football is second to none. Now let the young men play, and go clean your dentures!

Must See Sports Videos

I've seen a handful of sports-related videos recently that I had to share. I'm sure you've seen some of these videos, but take another look!

Enjoy!

Fresh from this weekend, check out the video of the Metrodome collapsing under the weight of the snow:



Talk about creativity! I love this because there is nothing the goalie or defenders could have done. Pay attention about 15 seconds in:




So this has got to be one of the greatest trick plays. The quarterback is handed the ball and literally walks the ball through the defensive line while counting out yards. The defense here is so confused, and even his own teammates play stupid to sell the trick. This one was all over the news and internet a few weeks back, but deserved a spot here:


I'll leave it at 3 for now, I'm having difficulty finding another I was looking for.

Share your thoughts and/or other sports-related videos!

Sports City, USA

To all my loyal followers, my apologies for not posting sooner since my last. Creating a blog is easy, but maintaining it is quite another story. Maybe I haven't had many random thoughts the last few weeks, maybe I've had way too many. Either way I have no good excuse other than I didn't try hard enough. That being said, I join you this evening prior to consuming my evening meal.

I began typing this banter with the idea of discussing the latest acquisitions of my beloved Boston Red Sox. Instead I'm going to take a few minutes and clap my hands for all Boston/New England teams playing at the moment. When they say Boston is the greatest sports city in the country/world - we are currently experiencing why.

The Red Sox just made a trade for one of the best hitters currently in the game, as well as being a Gold Glove caliber 1st baseman. Adrian Gonzalez will be a power in our line up and will force the ownership to redo the face of the Monster with all the times he'll be hitting it. This is a guy the Sox have had their eyes on for quite some time and it is great to see the effort they made to get him. But my friends, this was not all. You should all now know that the Sox signed free agent Carl Crawford last night to one of the biggest deals in Red Sox history. Crawford may have been the best available position player and Theo and crew were not willing to let him slip away. Another great pick up, he adds his defensive skill to an already high-quality outfield. He has the ability to hit for average and some power, while being a menace on the bases with his outstanding speed. Just imagine the headaches pitchers will get trying to keep track of Ellsbury and Crawford on the bases.

All in all, great offseason so far for the Red Sox. If we can pick up a few arms for the bullpen, and have current players come back healthy and strong - the Red Sox will be a scary scary team, and jump to the top of the contender list once again.

Next we'll touch on the Patriots. Oh, P-A-T-S, PATS PATS PATS. Ask the Jet's fans what they think of the New England Patriots. The Patriots destroyed the Rex, Sanchez and the rest of the Jets on all sides of the ball. Now at 10-2 they have sole possession of first place in not just the AFC East, but all of the AFC. The offense is just as good as we thought it was - if not better as the weeks go by since they let go of one Randy Moss. Brady is pounding defenses and distributing the ball to all receivers that it is nearly impossible to just cover one. With his perfect rating against the far from frightful Detroit Lions, and an amazing performance against the Jets, Brady took home the honor of AFC Offensive Player of the Week - for the second straight week. If this doesn't catapult him to the top of the list for league MVP, I don't know what will.

The biggest weakness of the Patriots this year has been their defense. Statistically one of the worst in Patriot's history, this young group of guys are finally beginning to show progress as they some how manage to defeat decent teams at the right time. Whether it be Pittsburgh, Indy or the Jets - the defense has begun to show up and grow up a lot quicker then anyone could have expected.

Going from a group of rookies to a group, that out of respect we'll just call veterans, brings us to the Celtics. One may say the Patriots have their foot on gas and not letting up - the Celtics are on a steady cruise control that they look to take all the way to the post-season. With a starting line-up of Paul Pierce, KG, Ray Allen, Shaq and Rondo - this team needs to conserve as much energy as they can to prepare for a deep run in the spring. May sound tough, but when they open up a 20+ point lead Doc Rivers does what makes him a good coach and manages the clock and his bench. Fortunately, he has guys such as Nate Robinson, Glen "Big Baby" Davis who can step up and put in some good minutes. This team is exactly that, a team. They are about collaboratively winning, and couldn't care less about who scores more points. I think this is especially evident in the fact that Rondo, their starting point guard, is averaging 14 assists per game. They pass and distribute, and to take a jab at the Miami Heat, the Celtics are the perfect model that the Heat should be following. As the commercials say: "It's all about 18".

Finally to the Bruins. The B's are certainly a contender this year, and have been keeping that status due to their defense. One of the best Goals Against average in the league, it is the performance on their goalkeeper, particularly the veteran Tim Thomas that has been quite the shot blocker between the pipes. With a few games in hand, the Bruins are still in good position amongst their competition, and if the entire team can stay healthy, or get healthy I should say, they will continue to be an easy team to beat going forward.

The Nightmare of Traveling

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It is a special occasion when one can really appreciate those closest to them, and not have to worry about what type of present to purchase. Thanksgiving also brings with it the title of "busiest travel day of the year". My journey, unlike many, begins on the morning of Thanksgiving. This day is drastically less crowded then the day before, and yet I don't miss any football or our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

Besides for being the busiest travel holiday, I'd like to take some time to rant about how horrible traveling by plane has become. I will also point out that this is not an attack against our government, TSA, etc. In fact, I have little to no argument against the measures being taken to protect our freedom and ensure our safety. I personally did not go through the new scanners at the airport, but did see others passing through. The process takes only a handful of seconds as you put your arms up, stand still and wait for confirmation to continue. Some folks have an issue that a detailed picture of your body will be seen by someone. Well, this person is not anywhere near you. Does not see your face, name or travel information. They see a body, and are only ensuring that nothing harmful is being smuggled through. Is it ideal? I guess not. Does it help secure the airport, planes and those of us traveling? Yes - and that is the most important issue. Oh, and by the way! If this is too much for you, please let a stranger put his or her hands all over you so they can feel that you don't have anything harmful on your person. Because in this instance, the person is only feeling you, and seeing your face, hell they can talk to you (and if you're lucky offer a smoke when they're done).

My additional complaints are more targeted to the airline companies. I realize business is doing better now then the past few years, but that gives them no reason to treat their customers like rotten sardines. I stepped onto a plane this Thanksgiving and the first problem was having to duck half a foot to enter. Please note, I'm 6 feet and 2 inches. Slightly taller then your average male, but nonetheless this should not cause much of an issue - or I'd like to think. So not only did I duck to enter, I could barely stand up straight walking down the isle. In fact, I was hunched over ever-so slightly to protect my hair and top of my head from rubbing up against the cabin ceiling.

Next came the worst part of all, the part were the airlines treat their customers like sardines. We get squeezed into these one-foot wide seats (exaggeration) where our knees jab into the seat in front of us. Not only this, but there is so little room to place our legs - I hope for an isle seat so I can at least fully stretch one leg out. Of course this only lasts until a flight attendant shuffles by with the cart and her elbow begins poking at my shoulder. Fortunately my flight lasted just shy of 2 hours, but this pattern is becoming outrageous. Airlines are squeezing as many passengers as they can and are flirting with the fine line between profits for them and comfort for us (and if you ask me, they've wined and dined that line and are way past flirting).

Not to mention now you must pay for your luggage to travel with you, at no small fee. These fees can add up after a round-trip, and on-top of the already sky-high ticket prices, it's amazing anyone can afford to fly anymore. Once on, those of us in coach are subjected to a drink and either a bag of pretzels or peanuts (all of which seem to be getting smaller and smaller each time I fly).

I just hope I can afford first class when I'm older...


If you have any nightmare travel stories or comments to add please share them below!