Luke Himself

Blink 182 came onto the scene in 1992 and really started to make it big in 1997 with their first popular studio album, Dude Ranch. Since that time, Blink 182 have produced three other studio albums and one live album, and are now working on a new album since they reformed last year. But aside from Blink 182, the members have all had several different “spin-off” bands. Here is a overview of them:

+44 (Plus 44)

+44 formed in 2005 after Blink 182’s break-up and included Blink members Mark Hoppus (vocals, bass) and Travis Barker (drums, percussion, keyboards, electronics). The non-Blink members were Shane Gallagher on guitar, Craig Fairbaugh on rhythm guitar and background vocals, and short-term member Carol Heller on vocals and guitar.

The band produced one studio album in 2006 and took a hiatus in 2009. Mark Hoppus has commented that his attention has reverted back to Blink 182 for now, but he would like to work with them again.

10 Hours At The Machine

10 Hours at the Machine started in 2010 as a project of Mark Hoppus. Although the only currently confirmed member is Mark himself, he has said this is not a solo project and is something he is “doing with friends”.

No songs have yet to be released except a small video clip of Mark recording guitar. There is no confirmed release dates or details yet.

Angels & Airwaves

Angels & Airwaves formed in 2005 after the break-up of Blink 182 and includes Blink member Tom DeLonge. The other members of the band are David Kennedy (guitar, keyboard), Matt Wachter (bass, keyboard, and background vocals), Atom Willard (drums, percussion), and occasional member Roger Manning Jr. (keyboard).

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If you’re in Victoria or Tasmania, you’ll be lucky enough to be able to have a sleep-in tomorrow, because the second Monday of March is officially Labour Day for us in the south-east corner of Australia. But what is Labour Day? I was surprised to find out many people my age don’t actually know what it’s about, they prefer to just enjoy the day off…

But, at LukeHimself we’re always happy to fill in the gaps. So here’s a brief explanation of what its all about:

Labour Day is celebrated all over the world and takes place once a year. It resulted from the labour union movement and celebrates the achievements of worker’s rights in an economic and social sense. At its basics, it celebrates the 8-hour day movement, which made a move to a standard 8-hour day for everyone.

In many countries the holiday is known as May Day or International Worker’s Day. In Tasmania it is called the Eight Hours Day. So remember, it’s not just a day off, but a day to reflect on your rights as an employee. Enjoy!

They may not be as exciting as the previous MY10s spotted at SEMA, but a few more Legacy/Liberty MY10 with modifications have been discovered, plus a possible future look at an Exiga STi. It may not be the most popular looking car currently on the market, but this offers some insight into what a bit of exterior work can do. Enjoy.

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Songs are an amazing and powerful thing. They date back tens of thousands of years and can be found in the history of every culture on the Earth. It would be safe to say that music, alongside pictorial art and language is a standard element of all human beings. A huge part of today’s music are the lyrics, which are sometimes as powerful, if not more powerful, then the song itself.

I’ve always had a huge interest in speculating the meanings of my favorite songs, and also researching their true meanings and lyrical history. As part of this interest, I’ve put together a 3-part series of blogs about songs which I’ve found have interesting lyrics, histories or rumours attributed to them. Here’s the first five of them:

The Beatles – Let It Be

Nearly everyone would be familiar with the famous English rock band The Beatles and their immensely popular song Let It Be, which was released in 1970. The song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and reached number one is the USA, Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland.

What is particularly interesting in this song’s lyrics is the reference to ‘Mother Mary’ in the line “When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me.” Many believe this is in fact a biblical reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus or otherwise the mother of the Church (Virgin Mary).

Paul McCartney actually wrote this song about his own mother, Mary, who died when he was 14-years-old. He was inspired to write it after he was going through a stressful time, and his mother who had been dead for ten years came to him in a dream and spoke words of wisdom to him, and told him, “It will be all right, just let it be.”

The song was the first Beatles song played in the Soviet Union, and had the largest initial sales in US record history at the time, with more than 3.7 million advance orders. The song was also played at the funeral of Linda McCartney. It is claimed that Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road were written on the same day.

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It is a slow day in the small mining town of Marshall, and streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.
A rich tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Farmer’s Co-op.

The guy at the Farmer’s Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her “services” on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything… However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a Stimulus Package works.

Doesn’t it?

McDonald’s is a favorite among many Americans. But, this fast food giant is also a favorite the world over. As you’re reading this, people are getting their instant satisfaction from one of the thousands of locations found around the world. Since the beginning, McDonald’s has been making headlines for their creativity and unique marketing ideas. The history of this fast food restaurant is filled with fun and interesting facts. Here are just a few of those fun facts.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #1: Antarctica is the Only Continent without a McDonald’s

McDonald’s has locations across the world. They have made their mark on six continents, but they have yet to open a fast food restaurant in Antarctica.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #2: They Serve 46 Million People Everyday

Everyday, some 46 million people turn to McDonald’s for their instant satisfaction. While, the choices they make may vary from country to country, you can bet that people are happy with the choices McDonald’s has to offer. Another fun fact is that Ronald McDonald speaks 25 different languages in order to entertain all those people.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #3: 100 Billion Burgers and Counting

McDonald’s has sold well over 100 billion hamburgers. This fact really isn’t all that shocking when you think about all the locations around the world. In fact, there are over 30,000 locations. That’s a lot of burgers being served up everyday.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #4: The Shrewsburg, England Location Has a Lot of History

In England, you will find a McDonald’s location that is housed by an extremely old building. In fact, one of the walls of this location dates back to the 13th century. It’s rare for McDonald’s to have historic locations in America. Americans are known for building bigger and better things. Even the location that housed the first McDonald’s drive thru was tore down and rebuilt.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #5: The People of Moscow Really Enjoy Fast Food

The most popular international McDonald’s location is located in Moscow. The location is found on Pushkin Square and serves an outstanding number of people each day. In fact, this one location serves an amazing 40,000 people each day.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #6: Some of the Busiest Locations are in Hong Kong

Next to America and Moscow, Hong Kong has some of the busiest McDonald’s locations. In fact, Hong Kong has ten of the busiest locations in the world. You can even find a McDonald’s in the Kuala Lumpur Tower which happens to be the tallest building in the world and is located in Malaysia.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #7: The Big Mac Was Introduced in 1968

One of the tastiest, and hardest to prepare, hamburgers was introduced in 1968. To this day, Big Macs are one of the most popular choices on the McDonald’s menu.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #8: Happy Meals Have Been Served Since 1979

Many people in their 20s and 30s will tell you that their childhood included many Happy Meals. Happy Meals were first served in 1979. Being a child of the 80s, I can tell you that Happy Meals have changed a lot over the years. At one time you could find tasty cookies in your Happy Meal and you had a choice of a cheeseburger, hamburger, or chicken nuggets. You also got to choose your flavour of soft drink. Now kids can choose different sides and even get chocolate milk or Powerade.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #9: One out of Every Eight People Have Worked There

This is an interesting fact that many people find hard to believe. But, it’s true. And, believe or not, many of the people who have worked at McDonald’s say that there are many benefits to working for this fast food giant.

Fun Facts about McDonald’s #10: Many Famous People Have Worked at McDonald’s

Several famous people worked at McDonald’s before making it big. Pink, Sharon Stone, and Shania Twain all worked for this company. Even some talented writers have worked for this fast food giant.

From Associated Content.

WARNING: This article contains content that may disturb some readers.

Nail Clipper Circumcision

Hertfordshire, England; June 2009: An unnamed man was admitted to Lister Hospital in Hertfordshire, having circumcised his penis using only a pair of nail clippers. Although the man wasn’t seriously injured and was released the following day, a hospital representative made sure to point out that “this is something we would advise men never to attempt.” Point taken.

Woman Injects Face With Silicone, Realizes She’s “Insane”

Dublin, California; July 2009: A 54-year-old mother of three seeking a more youthful look decided against using a professional plastic surgeon and instead purchased a $10 bottle of liquid silicone online. She injected the substance into her lips and cheeks, and within a day, her face became red and swollen. She had to visit a plastic surgeon to have the liquid — which may or may not have been actual silicone — removed in a process that could require several more surgeries. “Insane,” the woman said regarding her decision. “I can’t believe I did what I did.” Welcome to the club.

Man Removes Own Pacemaker

Bordeaux, France; 2004: In an apparent suicide attempt, a 70-year-old man reportedly removed his own pacemaker. He died of blood poisoning six days later. Doctors hypothesized that the action could’ve been the result of “poor psychologic adjustment” to the pacemaker implant.

DIY Brain Surgery

Beryl, Utah; February 2000: In an effort to “expand her consciousness,” British citizen Heather Perry, 29, decided to try a procedure called trepanation — basically, drilling a hole in one’s skull with the thought that the release of pressure would improve cerebral function. Since no doctors in Britain would perform the controversial procedure, Perry traveled to Utah, where…no doctors performed the procedure. Instead, she teamed with local trepanatin enthusiasts Peter Halvorson and William Lyons to carry out the operation. Perry injected herself with a local anaesthetic, then used a scalpel to cut into her scalp. With Halvorsen holding the skin away from the skull, Lyons drilled the hole. However, he drilled too deep, severing a membrane protecting the brain tissue. Perry had to be taken to a doctor with brain fluid leakage, but otherwise, she was OK.

The incident was filmed for the TV show 20/20, and the media coverage led to Halvorsen and Lyons being convicted for practicing medicine without a license. They received probation. Perry claimed that the procedure was beneficial but added, “My head is a bit of a random one to test it on anyway, particularly as I’d done a bit too much acid to begin with.”

DIY Dentistry

Scarborough, England; March 2005: Frustrated with the lack of qualified dentists in her town, 67-year-old Brit Valerie Holsworth resorted to pulling not one, but SEVEN of her own teeth…with a pair of pliers from her husband’s toolbox…using only beer as an anaesthetic. The public dental care provided by Britain’s National Health Service is currently being upgraded.

Man Tries to Remove Ankle Implant, Fails

Bedford Park, Australia; 2000: An unnamed 27-year-old male college student had been living with a metal plate screwed into his ankle for five years — the result of drunken reverie — when he decided that the discomfort was too much to bear. Drinking five shots of liquor as an anaesthetic, he used a pocket knife to make an incision in his ankle, then used an Allen wrench to remove five screws — only to discover that the last screw was inaccessible. With nowhere left to turn, he sewed up his wound with a household needle and thread and headed to the hospital, where the plate was removed. There was no damage to tendons, major nerves or vessels; his ego continues to recover.

Continue reading about more DIY Surgery horrors at Vital Signs.

You can drive a car whenever you want.

You only have to feed it once a week.

You don’t have to constantly reassure a car that it looks good.

You can trade your car in for another one and your old car won’t car.

You can own multiple cars and they won’t be jealous of each other.

There’s nothing wrong with driving your mate’s car.

You can look at other cars on the road and your car won’t get jealous.

You car won’t get a headache when you’ve been driving it all night.

You can fit more in a car.

Your car will carry all your mates wherever you want to go.

Your car will go where you tell it to.

Your car won’t care if you don’t drive it for a few days.

You can’t get a disease from driving a car you don’t know too well.

Cars come preloaded with protection.

If your car makes too much noise, you can put a muffler on it.

Your car won’t wake you up at 3am to ask if you love it.

Your car doesn’t mind sleeping in the garage or outside all night.

Cars cost less to maintain.

You can order a car to be built just the way you want.

If there’s something you don’t like about it, you can modify it.

If your car gets damaged or stolen, your insurance will fix or replace it.

A teacher in a Detroit kindergarten class asked the kids what kind of sound a pig makes.

Little Tyrone stood up and yelled:

“FREEZE, MUTHAFUCKA!!”

I guess there aren’t many farms in Detroit.

Remember when you bought that BBQ and realized it didn’t fit in your car, so you toyed with the idea of just tying it to your roof? Check out these attempts…

See the full gallery at Herald Sun.