I came across the Free Rice site on two different services that recommend websites, and it's certainly worth a visit. The deal is that the site will donate 20 grains of rice for every vocabulary word you get right. It's multiple choice. Now 20 grains of rice doesn't sound like much, but with all their visitors, Free Rice has donated 32,924,953,370 grains of rice so far. If you miss a word, they'll ask you again after a while.
I have mentioned Yahoo Answers earlier in this blog. I've been active on the site on and off for almost two years, progressing though the various levels one can achieve. Today, I reached Level 7 --Yahoo Answers top category . So, big deal, you say. For anyone not impressed with this accomplishment, let me run through how one earns the points needed to reach this exalted status. The main ways are by answering questions (2 points each) and by having your answers selected as best answers (10 points each). One can also get points by voting for best answers on questions (1 point for each vote and only one vote per question). To get to level 7, one must amass 25,000 points. Up until recently, I never thought I reach Yahoo Answers highest level, but with a final push over the last two months, I made it. So, do I win a prize and get some other tangible reward for my efforts? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Why then would anyone bother making the effort? I'm not sure, but I do know that there is a certain addictive quality to the site. I should also admit that my point total is kind of paltry compared with those at the top of the leader board. The current leader, who goes by the name Judas Rabbi, has earned more than 419,000 points. To give a little more context, there are 1230 more people who have garnered more points that I have. It makes one feel kind of insignificant. On the other hand, according to YA's FAQs, "With more than 21 million unique users in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide, Yahoo! Answers is the largest knowledge-sharing community on the Web." I'll write more about YA later on, but now I have to get back there and see what questions have come in.
I’m a lifelong Dodger fan—before and after their move to Los Angeles. People like me cringe when they have to watch (yet again) a replay of Bobby Thompson’s homerun in the 1951 pennant game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. We also experienced ennui when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s homerun record some days ago.
What we never mind watching, however, is Kirk Gibson’s homer that ended the first game of the 1988 World Series between the L.A. Dodgers and the favored Oakland Athletics. As the fabled story goes, the Dodgers were behind 4 to 3 when they came to bat in the ninth inning. With one runner on base, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda sent in Kirk Gibson as a pinch hitter. Gibson had been sitting out the game because of a knee injury. It was said that if Gibson had not hit a homerun, he would likely have been thrown out at first because he could hardly run. After taking two pitches, the slugger stepped out of the batter’s box briefly and then hit the next pitch into the right field stands to win the game. He did not the play again the rest of the series, but the Dodgers had momentum and beat the Athletics four games to one. Gibson went on to win the National League Most Valuable Player award for 1988.
