where have all the history classes gone?

It’s been a while since my last history class. Actually, my idea of "History" is the 1995 Michael Jackson CD.

I was an English/Journalism/Communications major, so anything that had to do with any civil wars, presidents or any "act" ever created was (and is) out of the question.

In other words, I am knowledgeable in a variety of areas: writing, knitting, being funny…but when I am not well educated in a subject, I do my best to avoid it.

Which brings me to my next question. I realize I’m about to propel myself into some serious unknown territory, but I’m about to do so and with some force.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE HISTORY CLASSES GONE?

Case in point: Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

Girlfriends! We know it's not your fault that Paul Revere didn't actually warn the British and John Wayne isn't from Waterloo. It's just that history classes, like your political strategies, are hard to find.

Many politicians and presidents have made historical or political gaffes over the years: Obama and Bush, Republican and Democrat; these blunders don’t discriminate against party or gender. We, as American people, all must understand that sometimes we are humans and we just f%^* up.

However, without pointing fingers at a specific party, belief or gender: why is it that the people who are persistantly perusing political positions are not better educated about our history?

The Los Angeles Times Opinion Staff believes, "I'd be happier if pundits made more of a fuss about (their) outright falsehoods, which are plentiful, than a few mistakes, which are common for just about anybody who does much public speaking."

The Hill, focusing on the Captial Hill scene, recently featured an article on "Politicians rewriting the past to suit their present" in which, American Historical Association Executive Director, Jim Grossman simply said, "If you're going to invoke the past, you've got to get it right."

Grossman continued by saying, "A democracy is dependent on an educated electorate. Second of all, if we’re going to have an economy that works at all, it has to be based on people who make financial and business decisions based on facts.”

But some will say every interpretation of history is different.

Either way, shouldn't our politicians be knowledgeable in American history? The USCIS administers a test to all immigrants applying for citizenship which includes 100 questions about our Country's history. What about our youth? What kind of examples are these people setting, not only for our Country's youth, but how they represent themselves amongst other countries?

So to all the politicians out there, I know it's not your fault! It's been a while since your last history class, too! And you're all too busy fixing our economy and our housing market and our unemployment rates!

So after all that, I am going to stick to what I know: baking, literature, good fabric softener and kittens. And I leave you with this last thought: If we're forcing immigrants and youth to know the facts, don’t you think as a chosen representative of the United States of America, you should KIND of know the facts too?
 Check out these top 10 political gaffes through the years.

*My apologizes that today's sunnyside is more like scrambled eggs instead!

fruits, veggies, dairy and krispy kremes.

Let’s face it: we all wish our favorite desserts and sugary treats were a food group. Personally, I’d kill for the day that key lime pie, cakes and cookies were actually healthy for you.

Well one delicious indulgence is taking a turn for healthy-town! KRISPY KREMES.

That’s right! Your favorite sinfully glazed, served warm donuts are adding things like oatmeal, yogurt and fruit juice to their ever-popular menu.

Since Krispy Kreme’s stock more than doubled in the past year (and after fumbling to stay afloat in previous years), Chief Executive Officer James Morgan has said, “To keep the momentum, he needs to sell healthier food and specialty coffee.”

In 2005, Krispy Kreme took a turn for the worst when it was hit hard by overexpansion, accounting scandals and, of course, the Atkins Diet. “The stocks tanked, the company was forced to close half its 390 stores,” Leslie Patton reports. “And 14 quarters of losses followed.”

However, when now CEO Morgan took over in 2008, he began to revamp the chain, closing the “so-called factory stores” (where you could watch those delightful donuts be made) and focused more on overseas expansion.

And on top of their new healthier approach, Krispy Kreme will also begin rolling out a variety of coffee drinks over the next 18 months which include lattes and signature blends.

But in order to really stick it to the man (eh-hem, rivals Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks), Krispy Kreme needed to "trim the fat", so to speak.

So although they have not successfully become their own little, yummy food group, at least we’ll all feel a little less guilty when we order their new oatmeal…and a donut.

snakes in a spa.

Now that summer is officially here, it’s the time for vacations and getaways! But if you’re a slave to the 9-5 world, then a quick escape from work for a little R&R may be all you really need.

And when it comes to a "quick escape", spas are really the end-all-be-all. Facials, manis & pedis, Swedish massages, you name the treatment, a spa near you has probably got it!

But why stick to the normal, boring, everyday spa treatments when you can have something wildly unique and totally ridiculous?

With that said, to continue the trend of reporting on some strange items lately, I came across quite the interesting little tidbit about a new fad: EXTREME spa treatments.

And we are talking emphasis on EXTREEEEEMEEEEE. Check out some of these bizarre treatments:

In Talmei Elazar, Israel, therapist Ada Barak offers a spa treatment that would have Samuel L. Jackson saying, "I have had it with these motherf'in snakes in this motherf'in spa!" Yes, snakes! For $70, you can relieve stress by having six non-venomous California and Florida King snakes give you the back massage you've never had.

Or in Rome, at the Cavalieri Hilton hotel, not only can you train to be a Gladiator in one day, but you can also have a scrumptious facial at their Grand Spa. The Caviar Firming Facial helps to transform your dull complexion into firm, radiant skin.

Perhaps you're looking to stay in the states? Then try The Chocolate Spa in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Their treatments include a Whipped Cocoa Bath, Chocolate Bean Polish or the Chocolate Fondue Wrap.

You can have everything from a GOLD facial to a Geisha facial (Nightingale POOP!) or a Cactus Massage!

If you're interested in learning more about extreme and crazy spa treatment, check out the World's Top 10 list for more information.

happy sun day!

Happy solstice, sunnysiders!

The sun will be at its highest point in the sky at 1:16 this afternoon, so make sure to get out of your cubical, office or classroom and enjoy the summer sun!

let them eat poop.

In today’s day and age, we’re all about being green and healthy. We are attempting to utilize energy resources like the sun instead of oil, we’re focusing on “plant”-made plastic bottles instead of just plastic and we’re all doing our best to avoid obesity and eat a little healthier.

Well, eating healthier just became easier thanks to a Japanese scientist from the Environmental Assessment Center in Okayama. Mitsuyuki Ikeda has developed a new, less expensive, healthier alternative to meat, burger.

That is right you hippies, healthy eaters and vegetarians! An environmentally-friendly, meatless burger!

What is exactly is it made of, you ask?

Soy protein, sewage mud, steak sauce essence, artificial food coloring (for that meaty look) and it's composed of 63% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids and 9% minerals...

Oh wait, are you still stuck on the SEWAGE MUD ingredient? You should be. This burger is made of POOP. Yes, actual human feces. POOP.

Apparently, the Japanese have figured out a process to make poop into edible, healthy little patties. To better understand how this is possible, watch the video below to hear the complete process in making a poop burger.

Oh thank goodness for the Japanese or we'd all go hungry and have to eat our own poop!!

Oh wait, we are.

To see more (probably way too much more) about the poop burger, check out The IBTimes San Fran article, or check out this delish video, where Mr. Ikeda creates and EATS his own poop burger.

Let's hope Burger King and McDonald's don't jump on the bandwagon anytime soon.

for the perfect ab workout, try the shake weight.

If you stay in the loop of all the newest fitness crazes, you know that working out in a plain ‘ole gym is a thing of the past.

Fitness fanatics are getting involved in classes like Kangoo Jumps, which require these "moon boot" looking shoes and intense jumping or Zumba which is Latin dancing on steroids! There is tap dancing, yoga-lates, even pole dancing has become an awesome way to lose weight and have fun.

But nothing quite does it like the Shake Weight.

I know what you're thinking: it's the Shake Weight. The product that has been the butt of every South Park episode and SNL sketch since its debut in 2009. The product with the most perverted commercial that has over 4 million views.

But the company, FitnessIQ, states: "Based on a groundbreaking workout technology called Dynamic Inertia, which engages the muscles in the arms, shoulders and chest in an entirely new fashion, the Shake Weight increases upper body muscle activity by more than 300% compared to traditional free weights".

But "Does it REALLY work?", you ask?

Just ask Allie MacKay, KTLA 5 News in Los Angeles, who featured a whole piece on "The Shake Weight Workout". Check out the video below and see why the Shake Weight gives you the best ab workout ever!

Do you want to look super buff? Burn fat and build muscle? Have perfect HAND shaking form for JOB interviews? Buy your Shake Weight today! Prices range from $15 to $60*.

*Complete hilarity, embarrassment and debauchery not included.

guest co-author day.

I am honored and proud to have a guest co-author for today’s Sunnyside post:

MY DAD!

With all this talk about fathers, I thought it was only appropriate to let my own father try his hand at blogging. (Well, more like offering his humor and using my speed-demon hands.)

When I asked my Dad what good news he wanted to blog about today, he said, "Well, it has rained three days in a row and we needed it, so that's good."

It's the thought that counts.

Instead, we decided to focus on one of my Dad's favorite things! (Other than golf, my Bonus Mom, the Cleveland Indians and my baking skills.) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

My Dad became an SNL fan in 1965, when the show was actually known as The Saturday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and he really became hooked in 1975 when the show began to morph into what we know as SNL today. The '75 headliners included stars like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner. All of which are my Dad's favorite Saturday Night Live stars.

"There were so many funny skits," my Dad told me. "They were all good! You know The Coneheads came from there, The Blues Brothers. And I watched it every night, I never missed it."

Don't ask my Dad to choose a favorite episode or skit, though.

"The 'cheeburger, cheeburger' one or the skits with Bill Murray," he said. "I don't know, they were all so good!"

However, after much deliberation, he did choose a few that he would like to share. Check out the videos below for some old school SNL clips!

The Bass-o-Matic: A parody based off of Ron Popeil, an American inventor who was known for his inventions like the “Chop-o-Matic” and the “Dial-o-Matic”. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy have both starred in these skits.

The Samurai Delicatessen: Starring John Belushi. Which was soon followed by Samurai Divorce Court, Samurai Hotel and Samurai Night Fever.

Roseanne Roseannadanna: It's unbelieveable, but the segment "Weekend Update" has been around long before Tina, Seth and Amy (although, they are fantastic!). This character was created by Gilda Radner and surely it's her finest.

Some of my Dad's other favorites? Chris Farley's "Intervention" skit, "Mrs. Loopner" with Jane Curtin and most recently, Kenan Thompson's Oscar Rogers skit "Fix It!".

For more information on SNL's history or to look up skits from over the years, click here!

I'd like to thank my Dad for taking the time to help me with this post, even though I think he's still not sure what a "blog" really is. He is the most hilarious person I know! (Although I am somewhat biased!) Thanks, Dad!

update!

Yesterday, we spotlighted the world's most honest father and Go the F^%* to Sleep author, Adam Mansbach.

Today, we have a hilarious update. Samuel L. Jackson wants you to "go the f#@& to sleep" too! Check out the video below of Mansbach's audio book, narrated by none other than the great Samuel L.

As absolutely hysterical as this is, please note, this reading is NOT censored.

Big thanks to my fabulous friend for emailing me this update!

the world's most honest f%^&ing parent.

Recently, I had the pleasure of becoming an auntie. So while I was shopping for super cute clothes and toys and everything under the sun to spoil my niece, I came across the most amusing children's book ever. The back-story of this book goes something like this:

Once upon a time, there was a itty bitty baby that wouldn't go to sleep and a frustrated father who just wanted the itty bitty baby to "go the f*%# to sleep". The end.

Confused? You shouldn't be.

Adam Mansbach is a 34 year-old, visiting professor at Rutgers University who has a variety of published books to his name, but children's books was not one of them...until now.

Adam's book spurred from his fatherly frustration, when his two year-old daughter just would NOT go to sleep. Needing another cup of water, her teddy bear and much more, Adam went on a Facebook rant that eventually led to the creation of his book.

"The book is very reflective of what we all feel putting our kids to bed. We all love our kids – it’s not like we stop loving our kids – but as the minutes tick by, we’ll do anything to get out of that room" Adam said of Go the F!@$ to Sleep.

Strictly for adults, the book allows fellow parents of young children to unite (and laugh) about their frustration with their reluctant little sleepers.

And "stricktly for adults" means STRICKTLY FOR ADULTS; Adam does not lack on the vulgar content.

But even with it's adult material, The Today Show found that out of 60,000 moms, 86% found the book hilarious, 5% were too sleep-deprived to decide and 9% said F#&^ That!

"People seem to get the spirit in which it's intended," Adam said. "That it's an honest take on parenting, and that sometimes honesty is a little profane, but that doesn't mean we're not good parents, or that we don't love our kids."

To hear more from Adam, check out his interview with The Today Show's Matt Lauer!

Be on the look out for Adam's next best seller, Eat Your F^&*ing Peas!

I kid, I kid!

Are you a sleep-deprived parent interested in reading Adam's book in its entirety? Check out Amazon or Google!

the 30 second laugh.

Commercials.

They are the annoyance during your favorite TV shows and easily bypassed by TiVo. Only once a year are they actually appreciated for their hilarity and awesomeness (thank you, Super Bowl).

Commercials are the 30 second laugh; your quick fix for funny. And there are plenty of commercials out there that are absolutely hysterical. Athough this is in no way, shape or form newsworthy, this Monday deserves 2 minutes and 30 seconds of a little funny to top off the beginning of the work week.

Therefore, I proudly present:

My Top 5 Favorite Commercials

(Based solely on my personal preference and nothing more.)

5. "Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!"

4. Since the double rainbow guy, anything with rainbows makes me tear up with joy.

3. It was between Betty White and Roseanne.

2. I personally can relate to this.

1. Two words: Old Spice. It never gets old.

Hopefully these helped to ease the pain of Monday. A big thanks to my Dad, who also seems to think some of these are funny, especially the woodchucks.

If you're interested in seeing the best commercial of 2011 (or so I think), click here.

sportsmanship isn't dead. (and teamwork isn't either.)

They say chivalry isn’t dead. Well, in this case, sportsmanship isn’t dead either.

"This is one of the unique teams in NBA history, because it wasn't about high-flying star power."

That’s what Rick Carlisle had to say last night after the Dallas Mavericks took home the NBA championship, their first in franchise history.

The Mavs didn’t have Pierce, LeBron or D. Wade. They didn’t have Shaq or Kobe; they had something better.

 "I learned chemistry matters, that it's a team game," said Mark Cuban, the Mavericks owner. "That you have to have players that believe in each other and trust each other and trust your coach. And that it's a process. And that it doesn't happen overnight."

Created in 1980-81, the Dallas Mavericks have seen more twists and turns than most other NBA franchises. During the 1982-83 season, they were on the move, a force. The next season, they managed to reach the playoffs. But 1988-91, the Mavs took a turn for the worst, attempting a serious rebuilding in 1991-92. It wasn’t until the 1994-95 season that they began to see glimmers of hope, especially with rookie point guard Jason Kidd added to the roster. From there, the ups and downs continue with the end of Dick Motta, another few seasons of rebuilding, a new arena and the addition of Dirk Nowitzki.

Which brings us to present day: with ZERO NBA championships and only a handful of playoff appearances, the expectations for the team from Dallas were not very high. Although there have been some top ranking players who have either come and gone or been extremely underrated, not many people anticipated the “too old”, “too soft” team to pull through while facing the Heat’s “Big Three”.

But they did it. The underdogs, the Dallas Mavericks, won their FIRST ever NBA championship title beating out Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the “King”, LeBron James.

And of course, everyone is talking about the stars, the stats, the MVP and even the loser’s bad karma. But the real topic of discussion here is this: sportsmanship and teamwork are not a thing of the past.

Basketball actually felt like basketball last night and not a millionaire's ping pong match. There was determination, motivation and TEAMWORK. Watching the Mavs play was reminiscent of a high school or collegiate basketball game, it was played with such passion and teamwork. It was about the game and not about the money. It was about the team, not just about a couple of great players.

No matter if you're Heat or Mavs fan, you have to admit, the Mavs played with something that is rare in today's NBA or MLB or with any pro sports team. Sportsmanship and teamwork. Kidd, Terry, Marion...they worked together for the win.

So congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for a well-deserved first championship title! Thank you for reminding all of us that are still teams out there who can play as a TEAM.

the dad who deserves the best father's day ever.

Parents have many jobs: teach us lessons about life, help us heal in times of need, give us wake up calls when we need them most (both physical and mental wake up calls), love us, care for us and completely mortify us.

Let’s state the obvious: People have children, solely to embarrass the living hell out of them.  

This seems to be the case for Dale Price.

I know that over the years, there are plenty of things my parents have done to embarrass me, many which I choose not to remember. However, America will always remember Dale Price’s journey to completely mortify his son, Rain.

Rain Price has never had his school bus come down his own street. For whatever reason, the pick up and drop off locations never allowed the bus to pass his house, until his sophomore year of high school. “The bus route changed,” Rain’s father, Dale explained on Good Morning America. “For the first time it came down our street, so we (my wife and I) went out to wave.”

But when Dale overheard his son telling his Mom to “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, don’t let Dad go back out there”, Dale knew it was time to shake things up a bit.

And that was the beginning.

For 170 days, Rain’s bus went past his house and every single one of those 170 days, Dale was outside waving to Rain in a different, ridiculous costume.

Bat girl, Santa, Lady Gaga, a ninja, a princess, a referee, a lamp shade, Wonder Woman…you name it, Dale Price wore it. See the video below for a FULL montage of Dale's fabulous costumes.

Needless to say, Rain lived (through the humiliation) to tell about his Dad's wild attempt to make him pay for his "Please don't let Dad do that again" comment.

So in lieu of the upcoming Father's Day, I salute you, Dale Price! You may be the world's most embarrassing father, but you're the most ballsy, awesome guy I've never met and I hope you have the best Father's Day ever! You deserve it. (Let's just hope for Rain's sake, you don't get anymore costumes.)

Check out the Price family's blog Wave at the Bus or hear their story in it's entirety on Good Morning America.

the sunnyside of naps.

College students, REJOICE!

Naps are helping you get better grades! 

Plus, hello, excuse?! "Sorry, Professor, I was sleeping in class because statistics show that I will be way more productive after about a 20 to 30 minute nap."

"If right now you’re reading this article rather than focusing on work, your time might be better spent on a short nap to boost your focus and productivity," stated The USA Today and Inside Higher Ed's article. The piece discussed the National Sleep Foundation and how they have been “encouraging napping to help boost academic performance” and the benefits of sleep.

Studies have shown that when supplementing 7 -9 hours of sleep, 20 – 30 minute naps do offer benefits (less stress, less tired, feeling awesome), particularly when taken between the hours of 10 to 11 am or 2 to 4 pm.

Of course, the rest of the article (Click here for it in it's entirety!) is all about stats and facts and figures, except for this one tidbit that caught my eye.

NAPPING CAMPAIGNS. There are actually advocates out there, urging students to take a nap! Sweet heavenly words from God! People that actually want you to take a nap?

But the good news doesn’t stop there. Different area napping campaigns and health educators have created (and will hand out) “nap kits” for around $3. These kits include: earplugs, an eye mask and a tip card with directions to additional resources. (Check out a more expensive version below!)

Two colleges known for their napping campaigns and nap kits are Oregon State and San Diego State Universities, the latter of which pioneered the idea and inspired the “nap map”, which gives you the best places on campus to catch a quick snooze! YES! You heard right, a "where to sleep comfortably at your campus" map.

Good news? I thought so to. Get involved and start a napping campaign at your school, I'm sure recruiting fellow supporters of naps will not be too difficult.

So college students everywhere! Join the movement and get your nap on!

And for all the adults, let's hope they start the nap at work campaign soon...

dad is great, give us the chocolate...err, ice cream.

Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day! For all you dessert lovers (me included!), today is your day! Here are highlights from this delicious holiday:

• Texas based ice cream shop, Amy's Ice Cream, is hosting the world's ONLY ice cream trick competition. Click the link above and check out last year's winner!
• Examiner.com has made a list of some of the most decadent chocolate ice cream recipes! (Including Ben & Jerry's!)
• And if you're like me and you're looking for FREE ice cream, word on the street is Marble Slab Creamery is giving away a free kid's cup!

In lieu of this fabulous holiday, we also wanted to spotlight a few other things that are chocolate.

That includes you, Bill Cosby!

Bill Cosby’s standup in 1983 entitled, “Himself”, was a comic discussion about all things “normal”. A portion of this infamous routine included a bit about his family, raising kids, dealing with the wife and so fourth. One of the most memorable moments of his skit was regarding what his kids wanted to eat for breakfast. It may not be ice cream, but it’s definitely chocolate! Check it out below!

For more information on National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, click here!

moving on up, to the sunnyside.

Let's face it, the housing market ain't what it used to be. But houses are the most affordable they have been in years!

In the actual sunshine state, a South Florida newspaper reported that housing affordability has hit a new high during the first three months of 2011, allowing a “typical” family to be able to afford a median-priced home. In the other sunshine state, Ohio, who recently had their 49^th Homerama, it was reported that the home prices of this year’s event were considerably less than previous years. These stats have led officials be a bit more optimistic about the future of our economy.

This is fantastic news for the movers of 2011, right? Of course!

But let’s face it, the housing market could have the most affordable homes since disco died and Prince was still a symbol, but it's not about their prices...it’s (still) all about LOCATION.

So for all you movers (and shakers) that are interested in your locale, here are the 10 Sunniest cities in the US! For more sunny cities to relocate to, click here!

10. San Francisco, California

It's the San Francisco treat! The tenth sunshiniest state in the US.

9. Salt Lake City, Utah

They have multiple rays of sunshine. And multiple wives.

8. San Diego, California

Saint Diego. Or a whale's vagina, if you're Ron Burgandy.

7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Their state flower is mistletoe. It's like the state is always smiling.

6. Denver, Colorado

"Ah, the sunshine state."

5. Miami, Florida

The only thing shiner is the silicon.

4. Los Angeles, California

Between the stars and the sun, you better wear your shades.

Really, California? Three top spots wasn't enough?

2. Las Vegas, Nevada

And to think, most people don't even see the sunshine in Vegas.

1. Phoenix, Arizona

The grand sun, heat, sweat, dry, desert, my mouth is watering just talking about it, and there's a canyon state.

3. Sacramento, California

it ain't about cooking eggs.

Take a glance back at the past few years and what this country, this world, has endured; an international economical meltdown, a housing crisis, war, rapid unemployment, complete destruction of cities and towns by Mother Nature…Depressing enough for you? I thought so.

Nowadays, we rarely receive any kind of good news and this is the time that people need positive, optimistic stories; stories that are heartfelt, articles that are happy. People want to smile and laugh; they need to smile and laugh, now, more than ever.

In lieu of all of this anguish and devastation, I officially declare my refusal to report negative news. Sunnyside Up is a site designated to bring a little sunny back into people’s lives and to help everyone, everywhere remember to always keep their Sunnyside up.