Miracle Anniversary

Dr. Quinn references are the best references.

Believe it or not it's been one year since Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger crash landed his passenger airplane on the Hudson River. Crash landed is of course probably the wrong term to use, as the pilot, after experiencing severe engine failure was able to save the lives of everyone on the plane. In a few moments of focus, keeping his cool, and stepping up under pressure, Sully saved the lives of 155 people, effectively extending the Bonus Time of all those on board beyond the paltry 9 years they would have been forced to settle with.

It is because of this (and the fact that we didn't really have anything on the web during January of last year) that we here at Bonus Time have decided to salute Sully, and officially make him a hero of Bonus Time. It's one thing to live your Bonus Time to the fullest, but it's another to save the Bonus Time of other people.

And for you readers I hope your ears are perking up (so to speak) as you read, because there's something inherently special about this anniversary, and about this hero. We have discussed in the past with you that Bonus Time exists, but this is the first mention of Bonus Time being something one can extend. So next time you make a decision, think twice. Not only will it effect your Bonus Time, but it may just end up effecting how much Bonus Time you actually have.

TRIPPY, BRO.

The Loss of a Legend

Tsutomu Yamaguchi known by friends as "Lucky"

Back in the summer of 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a Nagaski Japan native, was on business in Hiroshima Japan. It had been a three month long trip by the time the morning of August 6th rolled around, and Yamaguchi was eager to put the finishing touches on his trip by visiting the shipyard he had been dealing with one final time - he was to return to his native Nagasaki just a day later. Yamaguchi would make it to the shipyard, and eventually home, but the story involving that is what truly makes this man amazing.

History buffs have likely already caught onto where this story is going already. But the good spirited Yamaguchi describes in a 2005 interview clearly remembering the morning, a nice summer day, nothing necessarily out of the ordinary, at least of course until he heard a single plane flying overhead.

This plane of course was the B-29 Bomber Enola Gay piloted by a young Colonel Paul Tibbets. The payload was "Little Boy" the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Yamaguchi's story does not however end here. As the resilient man survived the first bomb, of course deciding to high tail it out of Hiroshima as fast as possible. And where else would he go, but home to Nagasaki, where he would fall victim to and survive the second atomic bomb blast. That's right, one man, two atomic bombs, zero deaths.

Yamaguchi would go on to live a very long life, he did however pass away just a few days ago on January 4th, at the age of 93. It was stomach cancer that finally brought the old man down, although he had sworn off both drinking and smoking at age 50. He is the only documented survivor of both of the atomic bomb drops on Japan, attacks that killed about 260,000 people in total. In 2006 Yamaguchi took it upon himself as the only living witness to both of these attacks to go before the UN and speak out against nuclear arms, feeling that well into his twilight it was still his responsibility to pass on what he knew to the people of the world.

And why exactly did he feel that way? Having not known or never having met the man I can't say for sure, but this quote from last year might shine some light onto his reasoning,

"I could have died on either of those days. Everything that follows is a bonus."

Farewell Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Bonus Time and man itself have truly lost one of our champions.

For a more detailed look at his story please read http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/6943088/Tsutomu-Yamaguchi.html

Schwarzenegger to Calif State Legislature: Fuck You

So.....

Arnold Schwarzenegger recently sent the above letter to the California assembly or whatever. You can tell by the tone of the letter that the Govanata' is not too pleased about the current state of affairs in California. But if you look even closer it's clear just how pissed he is about things.

(If you can't see that the first letter of every line spells out FUCK YOU, then fuck you)

I'm fairly sure we already said Schwarzenegger is a B-Time hero on the facebook, but if we didn't consider this his official induction into the hall of heroes.

Teen Burgular Finding Amazing Ways to Spend Bonus Time

Edit: Bonus Time Scientist Rachel has deducted that Colt is actually a CIA Agent on the run, and that this CNN article is a smear campaign. That's fucking science for you. Keep on runnin' Colt.

Someone in Washington state is stealing planes and crashing them for fun. Police aren't 100% sure who has been stealing planes, flying them around, then crashing them and walking away seemingly unscathed, but they've got a good idea.

Police believe an 18 year old named Colton Harris Moore is the culprit. Colton, or "Colt" as he is known as, has a long criminal history dating back to when he was 12 and broke into his school. The young man has since then lived on his own, apparently squatting in houses that are unoccupied at the time, or simply living out in the woods on his own. He has known to steal cars, boats, and homes. One of his favorite things to steal from homes is credit card information, which he uses to buy digital cameras, police scanners, and video games.

Now police believe he has moved onto these crimes, which are a big step up from theft and squatting. While they don't have any solid evidence quite yet, police believe vomit found in one of the crashed planes may prove to be his. They also feel that the crimes fit his 'profile' describing him as a 'feral child.'

This article has more information about him, and it's a hell of a read. Apparently the kid's almost been caught a few times, and has dove from cars to evade police, island hopped around Washington, and one time when he was actually caught he simply walked away from a juvenile detention facility he was being kept in.

Colton we here at Bonus Time salute you, not just because you seem to be bat shit nuts, but because you're living your Bonus Time to the fullest. Going around and committing such hilarious crimes as stealing credit cards for video games, and crashing planes for fun is great. Keep it up Colt, and just hope that next time the police catch up to you, they don't put you somewhere with a fence.

Iranian's Proving Young People Still Know More About Computers

Cyborg Steve Buscemi approves of this article.

The youth of Iran is taking to the internet to protest their oppressive government following the June 12th protests that ripped across the nation. And while their government has been doing all they can to stop them, the "hacktivists" are seemingly always one step ahead.

As show in this article, the youth are using twitter, videos, e-mail and the web to stand up against Ahmadinejad and the Iranian government. The government has responded by slowing down the internet, shutting down the websites that the hacktivists are creating, and arresting those who create the sites and try to organize protests.

And while journalists are forbidden to broadcast protests when they take place, these internet outlets have been helping to get the news out when it happens. Many Americans likely recall the cell phone video that was leaked from the country of 16 year old Neda Soltani being shot at what appeared to be a non violent protest. By shuffling websites, hosts, and even online identities the hacktivists are staying one step ahead of the Iranian government, as anti-Ahmandinejad groups feel that he is not the legitimate leader of the country, and are doing all they can to remove him from power. It may not seem like much, but it takes a hell of a lot of guts to be doing what these kids are doing, and hell it's getting the word out.

Hopefully things like this help establish freedom in the nation of Iran. Regardless of how you feel about the way this country is run sometimes, and our foreign policy, it's still a blessing for every one of us to live in the society that we do. We have more freedom then these people will ever know, and the simple fact that I'm able to write on this blog without fear of being dragged away to a secret prison, tortured, and killed, is a right that these people do not know. Fighting for these freedoms is one hell of a way to spend your Bonus Time, and these folks deserve any kind of (safe) exposure they can get. Give the rest of the article a read, it's a good one.

Bonus Time Hero of the Week

Killer Croc.

An Italian Mafia boss in Florida had been using a crocodile to threaten his enemies and scare them out of money. I know, that's a lot to swallow so I'll give you a minute.

Pretty bad ass, eh? Apparently the croc was discovered while authorities were searching the guys home looking for guns, instead they found a weapon of a different kind.

Antonio Cristofaro had been keeping the nearly 90 pound pet alive by feeding it live rabbits and rats. You know, to keep the taste of warm blood fresh on it's mind. According to animal experts, the crocodile would have been capable of biting off a grown mans arm in one bite.

Cristofaro used the croc to bully mostly entrepreneurs out of extra money. He was charged with illegal animal possession, and it's not clear whether or not he's been arrested.

This is one hell of a way to get things you want. Got a problem? Yeah, well I got a crocodile in my back yard so let's do this. Way to live your Bonus Time, after work I'm gonna go buy a shark, or wolverine or something.

Or maybe a ... Sharverine? Stay tuned....

Thanks to CNN for having this original article on their home page. GO NEWS!

Bonus Time Hero Profile: Shaq

In Bonus Time we have a few different categories of people we like to focus on. Those are heroes, villains, icons, babes and members of overtime. A library of most of those different characters can be seen on our facebook page, and some of you may be familiar with most of if not all of them already. But as a special treat on the blog I wanted to go over a few of them here and there as they stick out in the media.

A Bonus Time hero is someone who is more often then not in the public eye (a celebrity, politician, sports start, etc.) that is living their Bonus Time to the very best of their capabilities. When flipping through the television channels last night it was clear to me who would be the first of our focus series.

If you click on this picture and print it out, you will have your own Shaq mask!

Shaq has really turned it on since the year 2000. It's almost like the big man knew Bonus Time had began before all of us, because if you look at his achievements following 2000 it's ridiculous. Not only did he win MVP in 2000, but he's also won 4 NBA world championships, and a ridiculous other number of almost MVP's and finals MVP's. But that's not all....

Shaq also revived his status as one of the most legendary rappers of all time. In 2006 after winning his fourth NBA championship he decided to fan the flames of his old rivalry with former team mate Kobe Bryant while also sending tremors through the rap world with his lyrical skill, and unrivaled prose.

Shaq also has taken his ability to the next level, challenging athletes from many different sports to compete against them in their own sport in his show "Shaq Vs." So far Shaq has had a home run derby against Albert Pujols, boxed Oscar Delahoya, swam against Michael Phelps, played football with Ben Roethlisberger and played beach volleyball with some hot chicks.

I'm pretty sure at some point in the video he hits a home run!

Regardless the big man has really turned it on since 2000, and makes a clear and inspiring case for being a Bonus Time hero.