The rule of threes: Animal edition

Denver gets a hippo who bites a zookeeper's hand.

Colorado Springs has a supposed lion on the loose yesterday and a bear today.

Our state's two largest cities had stories about animals yesterday so it should only be appropriate that the rule of threes should apply.

And what do we get? Baby ducks. Much cuter, but not as cool.

Random things companies send us to review: Mega Blocks MagNext

I love toys. Especially those that allow me to construct random objects.

Growing up, I had a moderate-sized collection of Legos with a few Tyco blocks mixed in. I built my fair share of multicolored buildings and guns.

Lego rival Mega Blocks just released its MagNext (or is it MagneXt?) construction set.

We received a sampler package which consists of six ball magnets and five construction pieces. Within minutes we were able to construct many different objects such as a 3D trianglular prison, a grate floor and an unstable hollow RV.

Sure the pieces are small and are choking hazards to young children, but the most important question is, will kids enjoy playing with it?

Being a former child myself, I thought back to my early days – would young Joe like MagneXt?

The answer is an underwhelming yes, but only for a little while. I loved building things and playing with toys that clicked, but MagneXt would probably have only held my attention temporarily before I would become bored and returned to my action figures.

The unique build style would have been fun initially, but without the ability to construct something less abstract, I would have lost interest.

The small pieces are a pain to keep track of. Sure, some kids are able to keep their toys in a place where they would find everything, but I wasn't one of them. I would have lost the magnet balls, especially since they roll.

Final analysis: It's an interesting idea, but not something that's worth getting for kids. Save the money and get some Legos instead.

Hey hey hey, goodbye Esther Ku

Adorable 25-year-old Korean-American comedian (and I use the term lightly) Esther Ku was eliminated last night on "Last Comic Standing."

Ku uses a lot of deprecating Asian jokes in her routine. A LOT. And it's not funny — it's just tired stereotypes such as all of us look alike and Asian men aren't desirable. Racialicious called her the "Asian Sarah Silverman." It's accurate — Ku only goes out on stage to push the boundary and offend people.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy edgy comics such as Richard Pryor and Chris Rock. But there's one big difference between them and Ku — their jokes are smart.

Hell, Dat Phan used a lot of Asian jokes in his routine when he won the show's first season. They're rather old now, but at the time they were an interesting take.

Speaking American

Apparently officials in Terrebonne Parish School District in Houma, La. don't believe that being multi-linguistic is a good thing.

According to the Associated Press, school officials are considering a policy that would require all commencement speeches to be in English.

This comes after cousins Hue and Cindy Vo, co-valedictorians at Ellender High School, delivered part of their speeches in Vietnamese.

Cindy said that her one sentence in Vietnamese was directed toward her parents because they don't speak fluent English. Hue did the same.

According to the Houma Courier, Board member Rickie Pitre didn't agree with them speaking another language and is pushing to make English the only language used at graduations.

"As board members, we get to observe the different ceremonies and there’s some inconsistencies I think the board or administration more importantly needs to address," the Courier reported Pitre saying in committee.

Inconsistencies? It sounds more like Pitre has a bad case of xenophobia.

He suggested that their speeches should have been said in English and then paraphrased in other languages.

And make graduation ceremonies longer than they are already? No, thank you.

Look, this was an homage dedicated to their parents – one sentence to show gratitude to their parents. One.

And as valedictorians, they are entitled the right to do that.

Pitre took what was supposed to be their special moment and turned it into this farce of a campaign against multi-lingualism. And, he's not alone.

"I’m not trying to discriminate against any other language," Board member Roger DeHart said. "We should all know what’s being said."

Uh, I believe that their plan is the definition of discrimination and an attack on their freedom of speech. These young women weren't abusing their time in the spotlight. They didn't say anything lewd or vulgar – they were honoring their parents.

Honoring your parents – when did that turn into something wrong?

Online Escape: Captain America

Let's hope the 2011 version will receive a larger budget than this.

Nuggets' offseason ideas?

If there's one weakness to point out on the Nuggets' roster, it's the point guard position. Denver has plenty of firepower, but when its second-leading scorer is the one handling the ball, no one is going to be happy.

The big rumor is the Nuggets working to land Chicago point guard Kirk Hinrich. He's a pass=first point who's a hard-nosed defender. He would thrive in Denver with all the different options to pass to.

But in order to get him, Denver would probably have to give up Marcus Camby. A loss, yes, but one that's worth it in the long run.

Another option is signing Los Angeles Clippers free agent Shaun Livingston. An immensely talented, but injury-ridden player, Livingston would give the Nuggets a big point guard to offset the 6'0" Allen Iverson.

The best person to compare him to is Penny Hardaway. If they Nuggets do sign him, let's hope he's more like the young, electrifying version instead of the older, role playing one.

Online Escape: Marvel unites