Is winning all that counts? Are you absolutely sure about that?

Very little has been said about this…..On December 2, Basque athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. He was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai - bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan runner - the certain winner of the race - mistakenly pull up about 10 meters before the finish, thinking he had already crossed the line.

Fernández Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai's mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first.

Ivan Fernandez Anaya, a Basque runner of 24 years who is considered an athlete with a big future (champion of Spain of 5,000 meters in promise category two years ago) said after the test:
"But even if they had told me that winning would have earned me a place in the Spanish team for the European championships, I wouldn't have done it either. I also think that I have earned more of a name having done what I did than if I had won. And that is very important, because today, with the way things are in all circles, in soccer, in society, in politics, where it seems anything goes, a gesture of honesty goes down well."

He said at the beginning: unfortunately, very little has been said of the gesture. And it's a shame. In my opinion, it would be nice to explain to children, so they do not think that sport is only what they see on TV: violent kicks in abundance, posh statements, and fingers in the eyes of the enemy. 

Like a Page Out of a Magazine!

OK, now that I have the correct family, let's try this one again. Once upon a time there was a farm house in Renfrew where Connie and Don Farquharson raised a family while surrounded by chickens and cattle and pigs ....."oh my!"

DOUBLE VISION with Mandy & Janet

These days that country home is owned by Bill and Janet McParland (Janet being a grandchild of the original Farquharson duo - keeping the place "all in the family".)

Back in the day - somehow - Connie and Don found room enough for five children. These days it seems families need more leg room. The McParland's have two sons (Jack and Ethan) and decided to gut the old place and build a spacious modern new home.

The results look like a feature piece from Canadian House and Home Magazine (as we've illustrated above with the photoshopped cover.)  What an amazing transformation Bill and Janet. Looks like all that blood, sweat and beers were well worth the efforts.

And in case you were wondering...YES, I did incorrectly identify the picture perfect designs as belonging to Mandy and Randy Todd.  Mandy and Janet are twins and I've always had trouble figuring out which one is which....they look so much alike. My boo boo is inexcusable, had I simply read which twin had posted the pix on facebook instead of jumping to conclusions. I'll blame this one on my meds!!   LOL!

A big THANK YOU to Candice Farquharson for pointing out that I had the wrong twin : )

Holiday Leftovers:
A Scribbles Gang Christmas  - Exclusive New Video 

The trees and decorations are packed away, the kids are back to school and it's a full work week once again. The holidays have once again come and gone, it's over until next December.  Or is it?

From the creative minds who recently brought you "We Love Christmas", "2012 Memoriam" and the smash hit "The World According to Scribbles" (in both the fast and slow formats), Scribbles is proud to present "A Scribbles Gang Christmas".

Inspired by "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this new video follows the adventures of our Scribbles pals as they celebrated the holidays.

But wait, that's not all. Look for Rob Proulx in snippets from a Jib Jab video creation where our buddy busts a move... Gangnam Style!

As usual, we suggest you view this video in full screen mode for best effect - dancing along to the familiar Charlie Brown music is optional (but so much fun!)

The holidays may be done but thanks to Scribbles you can enjoy them over and over again, anytime you want.

BEST WHEN VIEWED IN FULL SCREEN MODE

Want to see where the clips of Rob dancing in "A Scribbles Gang Christmas" Video came from?
Here's the video as created on JIB JAB. There's a link to JIB JAB below the clip.
You can make your own silly videos there!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

NEW! DIRECTOR'S CUT

Contains an additional 3 seconds of footage and new alternate music....LOL

This fast-paced video could be described as a testimonial of all the reasons we love Scribbles.

From babies to birthdays, comedy to contests, Pride to pets, holidays to happy couples, this video -not unlike Scribbles itself -includes it all.

Putting it all together was no easy task, as you can read below. Fortunately for you, enjoying it is much easier. We suggest viewing it on full screen with your volume button high or headphones handy.

You won't want to blink, as you may miss a lot, but hopefully you will be compelled to watch it time and time again.

So sit back and prepare to see things as we do, in "The World According to Scribbles".

The Making of "The World..."

It is said that God created the world in seven days (or was that six with a day to rest?) Either way, it seemed to take almost as long for us to put together "The World According to Scribbles".

Just for shits and giggles, I decided to log the time it took to complete this clip. As with all our videos, it starts with a concept. The original idea for this one was to recap the photos and features we had posted on Scribbles in 2012.  Step one....find them all and save to a folder on my laptop. Thankfully this was accomplished easily enough by started with our most recent posts and backtracking using the "older posts" link at the bottom of each page until we ended up at January 2012.  Did you know you can do this too at any time and go back as far as you like...talk about an easy way to take a trip down memory lane.

Once the bulk of the photos and features were grouped and ready, the next big step was to find the appropriate music. This always seems to be the glue that bonds it all together and once I find the song I like, linking the visuals with the audio is pure bliss.

I decided upon the song Popcorn because of its upbeat rapid tempo. Usually if I don't already have the song I've decided upon in my music library, its merely a matter of downloading it from itunes. Imagine my surprise when I typed "Popcorn" into the search field, hit enter and discovered almost 500 versions of the popular tune were available to choose from!  I kid you not! Try it for yourself if you think I'm exaggerating. Intrigued by so many choices, I spent the next 2 1/2 hours previewing Popcorn until I narrowed it down to the one I thought best fit the layout for the video.

An important element to any video is to time the photos and video clips to the music. This is usually done through trial and error, but in this case I actually resorted to using a calculator to determine how long each photo should flash across the screen in order to keep beat with the music.  The average time was 0.20 seconds per pix.

I soon realized that in order to fill the entire length of the song, I would need to expand the idea of featuring only the photos and features of 2012 to include photos and features from the past as well. This meant more searching for pix, more editing and more time determining when and where each photo would get its 0.20 seconds of fame.

In the end, "The World According to Scribbles" runs for approximately 3 minutes and includes over 480 photos with a handful of video clips tossed in to keep you from taking a seizure....LOL!

And just how long did it take to complete this labour of love? Would you believe 18 hours!!! YES...18 hours to create a video clip that lasts for only 3 minutes....even my calculator didn't see that one coming.

 

As Sally Field is famous for saying during her Oscar acceptance speech, "You like me, you really like me!"  The "me" I'm referring to here is our recent clip "The World According to Scribbles" and your response has me popping like the corn in our peppy video's background song.

"Your wish is my command"

"This is great Kenny. You should make more of these...you're sooo good at it. SCRIBBLES RULES", exclaimed our pal Damian D.

"I just finished reading the lastest edition of Scribbles. The popcorn song was a perfect choice", said Kerri Fortier.

Fresh from celebrating her 19th wedding anniversary with hubby Steven, Julia Eckert told us; "Just a quick note to tell you that I really enjoyed the "World According to Scribbles" video!! I must admit I hit pause a few times, what an overwhelming but fun amount of images!!"

Francesca Mackie sent a response that seemed to mirror that of many; "I want to watch it in slow motion!", she told us.

Well Francesca -and all the rest of you who wished the photos flashed by a little bit slower - let it never be said that Scribbles doesn't listen. 

Below you will find a second version of our clip in which each photo gets more screen time than in the original video. It runs about 7 1/2 minutes long, so you may wish to watch it when you have ample time to sit back and enjoy it all.  We've edited some of the pix in this version, streamlining it to the photos we think you really wanted to see again. 

Enjoy it fast or enjoy it slow.....either way, The World According to Scribbles looks great and it is all thanks to you!

SLOWING DOWN "THE WORLD" [approx. 7 1/2 min.]

Lost Innocence

A memoriam to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newton, Connecticut, Fri. Dec. 14, 2012. 

This video first appeared on Scribbles last October, but we thought we would throw it in with our recent video as it was a tricky one to put together and worth a second look.  You might recognize some of the dance sequences, they reappeared in "The World According to Scribbles"

So That's Where Babies Come From

Canadian photographer Patrice Laroche surely will have no trouble explaining his kids about the birds and the bees. During his wife Sandra Denis’ pregnancy, the artist created hilarious explanatory photo series titled “How to Make a Baby”.

The creative couple planned and carried out their project throughout the whole period of 9 months, taking pictures in the exact same settings as Sandra’s belly expanded.

The pregnancy saga of Sandra and Patrice basically denounces all the traditional cabbage and the stork stories.

 

Play That Funky Music White Boy

We've always known our pal Daryl Damian Delledonne was talented. He's a writer, has performed in live productions and made appearances in movies.

Now he's putting his vocal chords to the test, with live singing gigs.

Daryl recently told his facebook friends "Between writing and trying to get work in small movies I have become a singer too...maybe not the best but as long as they feel what I feel I'm happy."


Following a performance in Hamilton last weekend, a relieved Daryl added, ""The place was happening, everybody was happy and I wasn't bad...thank God for the lights I couldn't see anyone out there. I had fun."

That's awesome Daryl!! Put me down for a copy of your first big album...better make that about 300 copies as I'm sure your fellow Scribbles pals would love to hear you too.  A star is reborn! "Thanks for that in SCRIBBLES. You always make me feel good. I love reading stuff about me and the way you do it in your own unique way is priceless. You're the best!! Maybe next time you and Rob can be my ' special guests '. :)" -Daryl Delledonne

AULD LANG SYNE by Sissel

There are some very breathtaking nature and scenery clips within this celebratory video. You might enjoy this video best when viewed in full screen mode.

Kids

I instantly fell in love with this photo when I first saw it.

In case you aren't sure who we have here, it's our dear friend (and MAJOR Scribbles enthusiast) Nancy Erskine when she was just a wee girl, petting Penny the doggie.

Who would have known back then that little Nancy would grow up to be a local celebrity, performing in, choreographing and directing plays at the Dunnville Community Theatre. She truly is a force to be reckoned with and someone I admire so very much.

When I grow up and become a big girl, I want to be just like Nancy!

Steven Tyler splits from fiancee
By WENN.COM
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is single again after reportedly breaking off his engagement to Erin Brady.

The rocker proposed to Brady on Christmas Day in 2011 but their relationship was rumoured to be on the rocks late last year.

A spokesman for the star dismissed split rumours in October, putting the couple's problems down to the usual "trials and tribulations in a relationship", but New York Post gossip column Page Six now reports they have separated.

A source tells the publication, "It's over for good this time... They're still friendly but they're going their own ways. The engagement is off."

The couple has been dating since 2006. Tyler has been married twice before.

Jodie Foster's Emotional Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Award Speech

A Day with the Dickies

Our pal Trish ("Squish") Dickie and her husband Jeremy have never looked better, as they pose for this rustic family photo with their children Payton and Logan. 

This fantastic picture is one of many in a series by talented photog Tina Robinson, who was happy to hear Scribbles was eager to share her efforts with our readers.

A truly amazing pix of a truly amazing family, how could we possibly not feature it here?

 Happy Birthday to Scott Johnson and Shada Black...

....Scribbles thinks you BOTH Rock

 

Now THAT'S a mighty big kitty!!! Andrew MacNeil and his girlfriend Melissa Sider don't look nearly as terrified as they should be as they pose in Cashmere the tiger's cage. 

The pix was taken at Greg Frewin's Theatre in Niagara Falls and although it appears the couple are in danger, there is actually heavy-duty glass separating them from the majestic beast.

Going to the Chapel

Unconventional and strong. Those are two of the words that come to mind when I think of Lynn Farrow-McCutcheon. Lynn and I met when we both worked for a local Rogers dealer. She is an amazing woman who has had her share of ups and downs and always bounces back, stronger and wiser than ever. 

This Christmas Lynn proposed to her boyfriend Jay Dalton with a special note (seen above.) The answer was of course YES and the perfect partners will wed sometime this year.

Congratulations Lynn and Jay. I read your facebook posts religiously Lynn and think of you often.

Pets

Booty Call

Our Toronto pals Terry R. & Terry W. Lyons-Schram share their big city condo with their two adorable "sons", Caleb and Dane.

Just before Christmas, Caleb hurt his front left paw and had to wear a blue bandage while it healed.

This made perfect practice for him to get used to wearing fancy footwear as Santa brought him and his brother pairs of cool orange boots - ideal for winter weather (even though we haven't had that much of it lately.)

Lookin' good little buddies!

 

Christopher Young recently posted this piece on facebook. It's his first attempt at painting a face, according to the text he used to accompany his artwork.  

Looks great Christopher. Love those bright red lips!

HUMOUR