I have not done one of these in a little while, so I thought it was about time here at Kickin' it Old School that I again point out a few stories that strike me as kind of sad, kind of happy and just kind of weird. Here is a link back to the first Sad, Happy, Weird report and the second Sad, Happy, Weird report. Now on to this issue's picks...

SAD STORY
Lou Pearlman, the man who created superstar boy bands the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync, was sentenced today (Wednesday, May 21, 2008) to 25 years in federal prison for swindling a reported $300 million from investors and banks over the past 20+ years. This is sort of a happy story because this scum bag got what he deserved, but I feel it is more of a sad story because this was a guy who had the world in his hands after managing those hugely successful musical groups. Here is a link to an article on the verdict and here is a link to Pearlman's Wikipedia page. I am disgusted at what Pearlman did scamming people out of their life savings in some cases. I am disgusted that someone would waste such a golden opportunity in life because of greed. He is a sad, sad individual.

HAPPY STORY
I am not really a Boston Red Sox fan, but I was a fan of one of the Red Sox players if at least for one night. Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter on Monday (May 19, 2008). For those of you that do not know, a no-hitter in baseball is a rare accomplishment in itself. There were only 3 pitched in the entire 2007 season, only 1 in the entire 2006 season and none in 2005 at all. There have only been 12 no-hitters in this decade and 256 in baseball history (since 1876 or 132 years). Just witnessing history is pretty special, but did I mention that Lester was diagnosed with cancer less than 2 years ago? In September 2006, it was confirmed that Lester had a treatable form of lymphoma which he battled back from and actually won game 7 of the 2007 World Series. Just pitching again in the major leagues was a proud accomplishment, but winning a World Series game and now pitching a no-hitter are truly spectacular for any pitcher, let alone a cancer survivor. Here is a link to one of the many articles on the no-hitter which I feel is a very happy story.

WEIRD STORY
So many weird stories to choose from, but how about a hamburger that costs $175? Here is a link to a story about a New York restaurant that actually has that item on their menu. They say they actually sell about 20-25 of these pricey burgers each month which is pretty surprising to me when I have tasted some pretty delicious hamburgers that cost less than $10. I guess if you have the money, you can spend it on what you want, but just think of what that extra $150 could do if donated to charity to help feed those who need it. Either way, I thought the fact that there was a hamburger that expensive and the fact that they actually sell some of them made for a pretty weird story. I hope you agree.

That's all I have for you in this issue of Kickin' it. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this relatively new feature. Please click on the archive buttons in the upper left column to have access to all past issues of Kickin' it Old School. I encourage you to subscribe or at least come back often. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here is something that I thought was extremely cool. Click on this link and then click on the "play" button to see a very cool display of animation. I found it very entertaining and pretty impressive. Hope you do too. You might not look at your computer screen the same way again.

Quote of the day: "Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man (or woman) has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men (or women) have some." -Charles Dickens

Download this: Since I mentioned ‘N Sync above in reference to Lou Pearlman, I thought I might recommend a song by one of its former members... "(Another Song) All Over Again" by Justin Timberlake