A Cringe Worthy Oscars

   It was an Oops! of enormous proportions. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were the presenters for "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards last night. It was announced La La Land had taken the Oscar, and the winners dutifully trooped onstage to accept, and give their speech.
   There was, however, a problem. They didn't win. Moonlight did. Show producers rushed to the stage to announce the fact, but that didn't happen until the La La Land gang had almost finished their acceptance speech. Producer Jordan Horowitz returned to the microphone and said there had been a mistake, insisting ``this is not a joke,'' and that ``Moonlight'' was the real Best Picture winner.
   It appears the presenters were given the wrong envelope. How that happened, no one is saying just yet, but it smacks of Steve Harvey's gaffe when he botched the 2015 Miss Universe winner, saying Miss Columbia had won, when Miss Philippines was in fact Miss Universe.
   Last night's snafu almost makes me wish I'd stayed up to watch the show, but since I'm in the office at 04:00, I did not.
   I'm also thinking producers of ALL Awards shows will be taking a lot more caution, and doing a lot more checking, to make sure this Oscar Oops! does not happen again.

TTFN

Big Changes Come To Monopoly

   That good old stand-by board game has undergone a radical make-over. Monopoly maker Hasbro is removing one of the pawns in the game that had been with it ever since it hit the shelved in 1935. The Silver Thimble was voted out in a poll done by fans and players of the game. It's the 2nd of the original pieces to be shelved. The Iron was cut in 2013.
   The replacement for the Thimble will be announced sometime next month, but some of the choices people had include a monster truck, T-Rex and flip-flops as the game is (apparently) being "modernized" to reflect today's society. Still remaining are things like the car and battleship and Scottie dog.
   I must admit, I haven't played Monopoly in years. Decades, really. Not since our kids were younger. I did play quite a bit when I was (much) younger, waaaay back in the '60's, and if I remember rightly, I was never very good at it. I rarely got hotels in Boardwalk and Park Place, and when I did, the other players would usually skip over it when they rolled the dice. It also never failed that I'd land on them when someone else owned those properties.

TTFN

Happy Valentine's Day

   If you're looking for something other than the usual roses, jewelry or heart-shaped box of chocolates, then this might fit the bill. It's called To'ak chocolate, and it's the most expensive in the world.
   From their website:
To’ak chocolate is sourced exclusively from 14 cacao growers in the valley of Piedra de Plata, Ecuador, from cacao pods that match the morphological and color profile of Nacional cacao, referenced from DNA testing. Each bar (50 grams / 1.76 ounces) is presented in a handcrafted Spanish Elm wood box that is individually engraved with the bar number.

Spanish Elm is the same wood used to ferment To’ak’s cacao beans. In the middle of the bar is a single roasted cacao bean that was measured and hand-selected by the co-founders themselves. The box includes tasting utensils and a 116-page booklet that tells the story behind the sourcing of our cacao beans and provides a guide to the ritual of dark chocolate tasting. Only two ingredients are used: cacao mass and cane sugar. To’ak chocolate is USDA Organic and Fair Trade certified.
   What does it cost? Well, it depends on what you're willing to spend. One is aged 18 months in a 50 year old French oak Cognac cask. 1.76 ounces (50g) will cost you $345 U.S. If that's a little too rich, they also have chocolate aged in a Spanish elm barrel for 18 months for just $315. The bar also comes with wooden tweezers you use to eat it with, so you don't touch the chocolate with your fingers, and get oil from your skin on it.
   So, if you really love your loved one (or are deep in the dog-house) and have more than $300 to spend, this might fit the bill.
   I think my wife would prefer having dinner cooked for her. Done!
   Happy Valentine's Day!

TTFN

A Remarkable Reign

   Today marks the 65th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ascension to the British throne. It was February 6, 1952 her father, King George VI passed away at age 56 from cancer, and the then Princess Elizabeth, age 25, ascended to the British throne. Her actual coronation was held June 2, 1953.
   She surpassed Queen Victoria for the longest reign by a British monarch back in September 2015. This marks her Sapphire Jubilee, making her the 1st ever to achieve 65 years on the throne. To mark the occasion, there will be cannon salutes at Green Park and the Tower of London. Buckingham Palace also released a 2014 photo of the queen wearing a suite of sapphire jewelry that her father gave her in 1947. As for the 90 year old Queen herself, today will be low key, spent with family.
   I remember vividly her visit to Canada in 1973 to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP, among others. I'd better. I was part of the Honour Guard that greeted her when she arrived in Calgary, Alberta. Hard to believe that's now 44 years ago when I was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 604 Moose Sqdn, Calgary.
   Happy Anniversary Ma'am!

TTFN

2 Of 3 Groundhogs Call For An Early Spring

   2 of 3 groundhogs do in fact say we're in for an early spring. Neither Ontario's Wiarton Willie or Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam saw their shadows when they emerged (or were forcibly hauled) from their burrows.
   But in Pennsylvania, the handlers of Punxsutawney Phil say their rodent has ``predicted'' six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow.
   I'm just glad groundhogs are not native here in Saskatchewan. It's a bright, sunny, but chilly, day today. Even if we had the rodents here, and even if it didn't see it's shadow, my gut feeling is we'd still be in for 6 more weeks of winter either way.
   Spring, according to the calendar, arrives March 20th when the sun crosses the equator.
   Happy Groundhog Day!

   TTFN