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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Sunday, May 24, 2009

Bee Swarm Traps Workers in Store

Colony collapse disorder (or CCD) is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. One might think the employees of this video game store in New York City were wishing CCD would happen outside their store.

Full Story

"How to Kill Classmate" Video Posted to YouTube by 11-, 12-Year Olds

What kind of sociopaths are being raised in this country?

A group of 11- and 12-year old girls posted a video to YouTube titled "Top Six Ways to Kill Piper." They include such time-honored ways as shooting her, making her commit suicide, and pushing her off a cliff.

Full Story

The most common kitchen mistakes

5 most common kitchen mistakesFind out why you should give garlic a break and load up on avocado.

5 most common kitchen mistakes

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'New' Playlist

You might want to check out my 'new' playlist above. It is the first of eleven I have to rotate with an eclectic array of music on them that I created a few years ago. Enjoy.

Anonymous Online Comment Case Could Muzzle Free Speech

A coalition of news organizations is asking the Third District Appellate Court of Illinois to preserve the right to comment anonymously online.

The controversy stems from a lawsuit filed against the owners of the Ottawa Times newspaper in Illinois by the owners of a bed and breakfast inn.

Readers of the article, published last year, made critical comments online about the bed and breakfast owned by Donald and Janet Maxon, who then sued the Ottawa Times to force the paper to reveal the names of the anonymous commenters.

Several media organizations and advocates, including Gannett Co., the Illinois Press Association, and the Online Publishers Association, filed a friend of the court brief in favor of the newspaper owners.

The brief warned, “Should the courts deprive Internet speakers of their anonymity without appropriate safeguards, the uninhibited and robust exchange of ideas that has sprung up on news Web sites will be chilled.”

Daniel Ballon, a senior fellow in technology studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy in San Francisco, says writers have a responsibility to protect themselves.

“The constitution protects the right to speak anonymously, but this does not mean that all (anonymous) speech on the Internet must be (kept) anonymous” by the site owners, Ballon said. “This is why it is important for people to pay attention to privacy policies.”

Courts in seven states and the District of Columbia have found online commentors have the right to safeguards before being unmasked by the site on which they made anonymous public statements.

“I think people should be able to post things anonymously, but wherever preferable there should be some mechanism to legally counter hearsay,” said Bruce Abramson, president of California-based Informationism, Inc.

“We are looking at two important values—freedom of speech and the right to protect against libel—so there is no (single) right or wrong answer,” Abramson said.

Powell fires back at Cheney, Limbaugh

Powell fires back at Cheney, LimbaughFormer Secretary of State Colin Powell responds to provocative remarks by the former vice president and the radio talk show host.

Powell fires back

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Leilani Neumann found guilty in Wausau homicide case

In the case of another LOON ...

Jurors have found Leilani Neumann guilty of reckless homicide in causing her daughter’s death by failing to provide medical help for the 11-year-old girl she knew was seriously ill.

Read the rest here.

It's Memorial Day Folks

Today's weather is crappy for Memorial Day.

But with the way most people forget the reason for the celebration in the first place it somehow seems appropriate.

Maybe with the rain falling in buckets they will cry about their lost BBQ-ing opportunity and actually remember what the Day is for!

And with any luck what so ever that Damned race will be called off!

Science News

News from the Animal Kingdom:

By any name it still sucks ...

First it was the Memorial Day race then it was the World 600, then it was the Coca-Cola 600, and now it is the Food Lion 600!

They keep changing the name but it is still the same reason to avoid Concord, North Carolina like the Plague for the last week of May each year!

300,000 people with an aggregate IQ of zero is no place for decent human beings to be found.

Race Fans Are Riskier Drivers
(Now, tell us something we didn't already know)

Headlines

Headlines today include:

Teen Saves iPod From Onrushing Truck, Gets Hit Herself

I remember when I was a kid running into the road to save my dog, who had run into traffic. Of course, once I reached the sidewalk again with him in my arms, my mom yelled at me for risking my life for my dog. After all, he could be replaced; I couldn't. Fast forward to 2009, and a teen pulling the same stunt, but for her iPod.

Full Story

Assisted Suicide ...

Two takes on the same story ...

Suicidal Man Pushed from Bridge by Onlooker

A man contemplating suicide last Thursday in the southern Chinese city Guangzhou received a less-than-helpful hand when he was pushed from the bridge by an angry onlooker.

Full Story

Fed Up Passer-by Pushes Suicide Jumper In China

Chen Fuchao, a man heavily in debt, had been contemplating suicide on a bridge in southern China for hours when a passer-by came up, shook his hand - and pushed him off the ledge.

Full Story

Astronomy Picture of the Day

See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (U. California, Berkeley) et al., and The Hubble Heritage TeamSTScI/AURA)

'Wolf man' condition down to huge DNA malfunction

A 31-year-old Chinese man whose body is 96 per cent coated in hair has an extra chunk of DNA that could explain his condition, while others with the condition have missing DNA in the same region

Right-handedness is nothing new

From the wonderful world of Archaeology:

Archaeological finds suggest that "lefties" have been coping with a right-handed world for more than half a million years.

Human pathogens threaten ancient cave art

Prehistoric paintings at Lascaux are now home to a cocktail of damaging bacteria following the ousting of a nasty fungal infestation.

Human pathogens threaten ancient cave art

Yosemite's giant trees disappear

Dead tree trunk in Yosemite National Park
No place for old trees (J. A. Lutz)

The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing.

Climate change appears to be a major cause of the loss.

Read the rest here.

A Star Is Born

From BBC-Science:

Man-made star could help unlock cosmic secrets

Health News

In Health News:

Scientists discover what appears to trigger many children with eczema to go on to develop asthma.

Verizon to cops: we won't help you track down sick, possibly dying man unless you pay his $20 phone bill

A 62-year-old man had a mental breakdown and ran off after grabbing several bottles of pills from his house. The cops asked Verizon to help trace the man using his cellphone, but Verizon refused, saying that they couldn't turn on his phone because he had an unpaid $20 bill. After an 11-hour search (during which time the sheriff's department was trying to figure out how to pay the bill), the man was found, unconscious.
Two K-9 units, several fire departments and 100 individuals on foot also were involved in the search for the man, who Sheriff Dale Williams said fled his residence on Kensington Rd. after a domestic disturbance call to deputies...

Williams said he attempted to use the man's cell phone signal to locate him, but the man was behind on his phone bill and the Verizon operator refused to connect the signal unless the sheriff's department agreed to pay the overdue bill. After some disagreement, Williams agreed to pay $20 on the phone bill in order to find the man. But deputies discovered the man just as Williams was preparing to make arrangements for the payment.

Unconscious Carroll man found after 11-hour search
Let's talk about petty greed here why don't we!

Refinance now if possible

Experts: Refinance now if possible

Immediately refinancing your mortgage may let you capture the lowest interest rate you'll ever see.

The experts say to refinance now if possible

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6-year-old takes wheel of runaway pickup

6-year-old takes wheel of runaway pickup

With his younger brother in the back seat, Tustin Mains takes over driving duties after their father passes out with low blood sugar.

6-year-old takes wheel of runaway pickup

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And I Quote

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.

&

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

~ Mark Twain

Why 'deleted' photos stick around so long

Why 'deleted' photos stick around so long Before you post an embarrassing picture on the Internet, remember that removing it later doesn't always mean its gone.

Why 'deleted' photos stick around

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Get the Led out!

Over the Hills and Far Away
Led Zeppelin

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Solihull, England, United Kingdom
Ruwi, Maqat, Oman
Chiavari, Liguria, Italy
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Seoul, Seoul-T'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Longford, Longford, Ireland
London, England, United Kingdom
Tbilsi, Dushet'is Raiomi, Georgia
Carcanelos, Lisboa, Portugal

asa well as Singapore and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

The only thing that matters today is doing what you want to do.
Stick to your plan and don't let yourself get distracted by anyone or anything.

Some very flighty people have been inviting you to join in on their adventures, but you are wise to decline politely and focus on your own agenda now.
Even if you're jealous of those who always have something going on, realize that their gambits aren't productive -- and none of them will help you reach your goals.

Do what I want?! Wow, now there's a concept!