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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.


Saturday, September 5, 2009

Top choices for a second career

Top choices for a second career

If you've ever considered changing jobs, here are 10 promising professions with bright prospects. Pays at least $40K
Also:

Scams tourists often fall for

Scams tourists often fall for

Next time you're on vacation watch out for these five sneaky scams aimed at tourists.

America's most hated bird

America's most hated bird

Called "flying bullets" by one wildlife expert, they arrived in the U.S. with Shakespeare's help.

Unexpected smell of space

Unexpected smell of space

Rookie astronaut Kevin Ford says space has a smell — and he'll never forget it.

Great moments in cable news

This is a thing of beauty.

John Harwood on MSNBC actually calls the people responsible for the histrionics over Obama's school speech stupid. It's so refreshing to hear the truth for a change, especially on cable!!!

Maybe there is hope for the truth to return to the media after all.

Warmer climate could make succulent meat a memory

Warmer climate could make succulent meat a memory

Pork chops will become soggier and paler as the world warms, say veterinary scientists, and steaks could become blander, leaner and darker

Keith does it again


Keith Olbermann corrects and deconstructs more of Glenn Beck's observations regarding Rockefeller Center.

The Health Care Debate is Deranged

Bill Moyers addressed the health care debate, and more, on Friday's Bill Moyers Journal.
He pulled no punches, and called the health care debate "deranged," and said that "red, white, and blue kooks are as American as apple pie."

The Great Jobs Question: What if they don't come back?


The implications of prolonged high unemployment—should it materialize—haven't been fully explored. People who don't have jobs don't acquire skills. Young college graduates are already having trouble getting work. High unemployment could depress wage gains for years. It could foster protectionism and long-term poverty. "In a tight economy like the late 1990s, firms are more willing to take chances on more disadvantaged workers," says Harvard economist Larry Katz. EPI's Lawrence Mishel thinks the effects on low-income families would be devastating; the child poverty rate could jump from 18 percent in 2007 to 27 percent.

Full Story

Great white sharks tagged for 1st time

Massachusetts officials are using high-tech tags to track the movements of two great white sharks near Cape Cod - the first time the fearsome fish have ever been tagged in the Atlantic Ocean.

Great white sharks tagged for 1st time

One big reason to love your computer

One big reason to love your computer

A museum revives Britain's oldest (and perhaps slowest) functioning computer.

Playing Tetris boosts brain power

Playing Tetris boosts brain power

Contrary to gaming's bad reputation, a scientist says playing Tetris may make you smarter.

How
Also:

Obama expands retirement system

Obama expands retirement system

Among the plans is an option to receive a federal tax rebate as a savings bond.

10 hip outfits from one dress

10 hip outfits from one dress

With these tips you can transform one little black dress into multiple stylish outfits.

Labor Day's odd fashion rule

Labor Day's odd fashion rule

Why is it considered a fashion mistake to wear white after Labor Day?

A tiny air-guitar hero

A tiny air-guitar hero

This little girl proves you're never too young to learn how to rock.

Doctors' surprising list to stay healthy

Doctors' surprising list to stay healthy

Many of the things doctors say to do to stay healthy don't involve food or pills.

The 'Letterman' of a lifetime

The 'Letterman' of a lifetime

A comedian dying of cancer finally achieves his lifetime goal: To appear on "Late Show."

Arabs moving into Jewish areas

Yousef Majlaton moved into the Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev for such comforts as proper running water and regular garbage pickup.

Holy city twist

And I Quote

Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope.

~ Josh Billings

Airline Employees Indicted for Illegal Immigrant Smuggling

The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday in a statement that two ticket agent contractors who worked for Delta Airlines and a luggage handler have been indicted on charges of conspiracy to smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S. The three were indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Full Story

Electricity bills might start dropping

Electricity bills might start dropping

Some consumers could benefit from a rare national decline in power usage.

The hardest cars to find and buy now

The hardest cars to find and buy now

These hot-ticket autos last only days on the lot, and some are virtually sold out.

Houses you can get for $50,000

Houses you can get for $50,000

To find a house at this price, you'll need to be flexible on location, size, and other amenities.

Saturday Jam

Today's Saturday Jam includes:

I Know What Boys Like
The Waitresses

I Want Candy
Bow Wow Wow

Walking On Sunshine
Katrina and The Waves

President Obama's Weekly Address


Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, August 29, 2009

This weekend marks the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast. As we remember all that was lost, we must take stock of the work being done on recovery, while preparing for future disasters. And that is what I want to speak with you about today.

None of us can forget how we felt when those winds battered the shore, the floodwaters began to rise, and Americans were stranded on rooftops and in stadiums. Over a thousand people would lose their lives. Over a million people were displaced. Whole neighborhoods of a great American city were left in ruins. Communities across the Gulf Coast were forever changed. And many Americans questioned whether government could fulfill its responsibility to respond in a crisis, or contribute to a recovery that covered parts of four states.

Since taking office in January, my Administration has focused on helping citizens finish the work of rebuilding their lives and communities, while taking steps to prevent similar catastrophes going forward. Our approach is simple: government must keep its responsibility to the people, so that Americans have the opportunity to take responsibility for their future.

That is the work that we are doing. To date, eleven members of my Cabinet have visited the Gulf Coast, and I’m looking forward to going to New Orleans later this year. To complete a complex recovery that addresses nearly every sector of society, we have prioritized coordination among different federal agencies, and with state and local governments. No more turf wars – all of us need to move forward together, because there is much more work to be done.

I have also made it clear that we will not tolerate red tape that stands in the way of progress, or the waste that can drive up the bill. Government must be a partner – not an opponent – in getting things done. That is why we have put in place innovative review and dispute resolution programs to expedite recovery efforts, and have freed up hundreds of millions of dollars of federal assistance that had not been distributed. This is allowing us to move forward with stalled projects across the Gulf Coast – building and improving schools; investing in public health and safety; and repairing broken roads, bridges and homes. And this effort has been dramatically amplified by the Recovery Act, which has put thousands of Gulf Coast residents to work.

As we complete this effort, we see countless stories of citizens holding up their end of the bargain. In New Orleans, hundreds of kids just started the school year at Langston Hughes elementary, the first school built from scratch since Katrina. The St. Bernard Project has drawn together volunteers to rebuild hundreds of homes, where people can live with dignity and security. To cite just one hopeful indicator, New Orleans is the fastest growing city in America, as many who had been displaced are now coming home.

As we rebuild and recover, we must also learn the lessons of Katrina, so that our nation is more protected and resilient in the face of disaster. That means continuing to rebuild hundreds of miles of levees and floodwalls around New Orleans, and working to strengthen the wetlands and barrier islands that are the Gulf Coast’s first line of defense. In Washington, that means a focus on competence and accountability – and I’m proud that my FEMA Administrator has 25 years of experience in disaster management in Florida, a state that has known its share of hurricanes. And across the country, that means improving coordination among different agencies, modernizing our emergency communications, and helping families plan for a crisis.

On this anniversary, we are focused on the threat from hurricanes. But we must also be prepared for a broad range of dangers – from wildfires and earthquakes, to terrorist attacks and pandemic disease. In particular, my Administration is working aggressively with state and local governments – and with partners around the world – to prepare for the risk posed by the H1N1 virus. To learn more about the simple steps that you can take to keep you and your family safe from all of these dangers, please visit www.ready.gov.

So on this day, we commemorate a tragedy that befell our people. But we also remember that with every tragedy comes the chance of renewal. It is a quintessentially American notion – that adversity can give birth to hope, and that the lessons of the past hold the key to a better future. From the streets of New Orleans to the Mississippi Coast, folks are beginning the next chapter in their American stories. And together, we can ensure that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come. Thank you.

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is Be Late For Something Day.

Daily Almanac

Today is Saturday, Sept. 5, the 248th day of 2009.

There are 117 days left in the year.

Today In History September 5, 2009

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

London, England, United Kingdom
Warsaw, Mazowiekie, Poland
Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

as well as Singapore, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Change can be stressful, and that applies to changes for the better, too.
It means leaving behind what was familiar and embarking on a new way of life.
And you definitely have some changes (for the better) heading your way.
So how can you minimize the stress and maximize the positive?
You can acknowledge that things might be crazy for a little while.
And that things will settle down soon.
And, yes, that things are most definitely going to be different around here.

Well, if I have to ...