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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.


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Salary secrets companies won't reveal

Salary secrets companies won't reveal

Your employer probably doesn't want you to know about these practices.

Outrageous


Outrageous!

Is a Storm Brewing in North Carolina?

Also from Treehugger:

Offshore Wind Turbine in Storm Image
Is a Storm Brewing in North Carolina? Image via: Inhabitat

The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC) isn't dismayed by reports of other states having a tough go at getting offshore wind turbines approved. In fact, they weren't even dismayed when their own state of North Carolina announced earlier this year that they just might ban wind turbines for the state just for being ugly, and no we're not kidding. Those Tar Heels are taking it all in stride and working with Duke Energy to get wind turbines installed just off the coast, reports UNC News.

Illegal Logging Makes Indonesia World's Third Largest Emitter of Greenhouses Gases

From Treehugger:

indonesia map

After U.S. and China...
Indonesia is made up of 17,508 islands, most of which were totally covered by forest until about 50 years ago when that number dropped to 80%. But now, illegal logging and the burning of forests are making the country the third biggest emitter of GHG in the world (!) behind the U.S. and China. According to a piece in the Independent, Indonesian officials estimate that illegal logging alone is responsible for the loss of 10 million hectares of tropical rainforest.

Scientology Guilty of Fraud

Are we surprised?!

The French branch of the Church of Scientology has been fined $900,000 for defrauding vulnerable followers, a Paris court has ruled.

But the group, which is officially considered a sect in France, was not banned from operating in the country.

The group’s lawyer said they would appeal against Tuesday’s verdict.

The court convicted six group leaders, the Scientology’s Celebrity Center, and its bookshop of organized fraud for preying financially on followers in the 1990s.

French Scientology guilty of fraud

Lost paper trail allows borrower to ignore $460,000 mortgage debt

A White Plains, NY federal court eliminated a woman's $460,000 mortgage debt because the paper trail was so messy that the mortgage lender couldn't prove that it actually owned the debt.
In March, PHH Mortgage filed a proof of claim to the debt noting that it was owed $461,263, which included more than $30,000 in past-due payments. The homeowner's lawyer sought to have the loan modified, but after the bank dragged its feet, as the lawyer described PHH's actions to the [New York] Times, the lawyer asked PHH to prove its claim.

Unable to do so to his satisfaction, Judge Drain ordered the debt expunged, concluding that PHH had failed to show it had been assigned the mortgage.

The case is being appealed by PHH, but even if the homeowner remains victorious, there remains a problem for her: Without a clear title, the homeowner will likely have difficulty selling her home if she chooses to do so.

Worries about hand sanitizer misuse

Worries about hand sanitizer misuse

A surge in the use of germ-killing gels as a substitute for hand washing raises safety concerns.

Autistic artist drawing NYC from memory

Autistic artist drawing NYC from memory

Stephen Wiltshire saw the city skyline for just minutes, yet he can draw it with amazing detail.

How
Also:

Simple ways to reduce your cancer risk

Simple ways to reduce your cancer risk

These cancer-fighting commandments can help reduce your chances of getting the disease.

New hope in six-decade search

New hope in six-decade search

The search for the remains of a Korean War-era U.S. bomber and its crew gets an important new partner.

Burgers dominating restaurant menus

Burgers dominating restaurant menus

The humble hamburger is making a big comeback with diners seeking comfort and value.

Best country in the world for prosperity

Best country in the world for prosperity

Nordic countries dominate the annual ranking of the world's healthiest and wealthiest nations.

Superfoods that fight stress

Superfoods that fight stress

Spinach is packed with magnesium, a mineral that blunts the effects of stress.

Foreclosure woes inspire unusual stunt

Foreclosure woes inspire unusual stunt

An abandoned home in Detroit will be completely transformed this winter, but not in the way you'd expect.

Story
Also:

Landlord fixes tenant's faucet, then kidney

Landlord fixes tenant's faucet, then kidney

James Love never dreamed a leaky faucet would lead to Barbara Thomas donating a kidney.

Story
Also:

Tax shelters blessed by the IRS

Tax shelters blessed by the IRS

Here are ways to avoid paying taxes that won't get you in trouble with the IRS.

The safest cities in America

The safest cities in America

These metro areas have less violent crime, fewer natural disasters, and safer driving conditions.

Top 5 areas

Also:

Consumer confidence slips unexpectedly

Americans' confidence about the U.S. economy fell unexpectedly in October as job prospects remained bleak, a private research group said Tuesday, fueling speculation that an already gloomy holiday shopping forecast could worsen.

Full Story

DC sniper Muhammad set to die by lethal injection

Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad will die by lethal injection when he is executed next month.

Full Story

They need to cease referring to this clown as a 'sniper' he is no such thing.
That said, they need to use a rusty, bent, chipped, dull, square needle.

RNC's Facebook Page Displays Racist Photos For Nearly a Week

The Facebook page of the repugican national committee displayed some revolting, racist photos, one nearly for a week, before they were taken down after a liberal website publicized their existence.

Full Story


Muslim woman says shopkeeper turned her away for veil

The Cooper Street Farmer's Market sits in a highly diversified community in central Arlington - a tossed salad of cultures, colors and accents.

Full story

Maybe she should stop to think - it might be it is because she is an adult and her face is covered by a concealing mask (now don't quibble about definitions here) and not that it has anything to do with her being muslim.
Here locally it is against the law for anyone over the age of thirteen to appear in public with face concealing mask of any type - which is to discourage thievery and it works because those with such face concealing masks are the ones trying not to be identified for their criminal activity ... at least around here.

Five Charged With Torturing Home Loan Agents

Five people are charged with torturing and robbing two loan modification agents they thought falsely promised to save their home from foreclosure.

Full Story

Can't really blame them - there are a lot of scams out there preying on foreclosure fears.

Man faces charges after giving puppy vodka

An Iowa man could face up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted of animal abuse after allegedly giving a puppy vodka.

Full Story

How about twenty years and $5,000,000!

Giant stagecoach created from something tiny

An Indiana man known as 'Mr. Toothpick' spends years piecing together slivers of wood to create a stagecoach.

Full Story

Bank charge-off rates higher now than during Great Depression

This is Ugly.

Again, these are the self-important bankers who keep telling everyone that if they don't get their fat bonus money, they will leave.
Can we even afford to keep them at this rate?
Let them show their value flipping burgers.
Even then, you just know they're going to screw up your order and overcharge in the process.
The rate of loan charge-offs by major U.S. banks has exceeded those seen in the early years of the Great Depression as the credit crisis continues to take a toll, Moody's Investors Service said Monday.

Bank charge-offs — loans written off as uncollectable — have reached $116 billion year to date, or 2.9 percent of outstanding loans on an annualized basis, Moody's said in a report.

Money mistakes that may never go away

Money mistakes that may never go away

Make one of these financial blunders and you could be paying for it for a long, long time.

Real sea monsters

Forget dinosaurs – their huge marine cousins were the most ferocious creatures the planet has ever seen.

The hunt for predator X

Colossal 'sea monster' unearthed

From BBC-Science:

The fossilized skull of a colossal pliosaur - perhaps one of the biggest ever found - is unearthed on the UK's Jurassic Coast.

Fossilized skull of 'sea monster' found

The ferocious marine predator terrorized the ocean 150 million years ago.

Climate change deniers won't like this

But, when have they ever relied on facts?

The earth is not cooling.
U.S. government data show the decade that ends in December will be the warmest in 130 years of record-keeping, and 2005 was the hottest year recorded.

The case that the Earth might be cooling partly stems from recent weather. Last year was cooler than previous years. It has been a while since the super-hot years of 1998 and 2005. So is this a longer climate trend or just weather's normal ups and downs?

The latest in the global temperature debate

A review of the earth's temperature during the past 130 years reveals a distinct trend.

TwoTibetans executed in China over riots last year

Two people have been put to death for their roles in deadly protests last year in the Chinese-controlled region of Tibet, the first known executions for the violence, an overseas monitoring group said Tuesday.

2 Tibetans executed in China over riots last year

Jealous teen admits arranging Vermont cashier killing

A New Hampshire man charged in the murder of a developmentally disabled Wal-Mart cashier who'd been flirting with his girlfriend pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges, admitting he helped orchestrate the attack from his jail cell.

Jealous teen admits arranging Vermont cashier killing

Sperm May Play Leading Role In Spreading HIV

By infecting DCs, which carry the virus and potently pass it to T cells, sperm may play a leading role in spreading HIV.

Full Story

'Sleeping on it' makes for better decisions

'Sleeping on it' makes for better decisions

The old advice to mull over big decisions for a night turns out to be true.

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is Cranky Co-Workers Day.

(Known a few of them in my day.
I am sure you have, too)

Daily Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2009.

There are 65 days left in the year.

Today In History October 27

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Piestany, Trnava, Slovakia
Sevilla, Andalucia, Spain
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Ho Chi Minh, City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Eskiaehir, Eskisehir, Turkey
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
London, England, United Kingdom
Muscat, Masqat, Oman
Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Your actions will impress people today, even though you may not completely understand why.
Lately you've been pleasing people and making a major impact without even trying, and this type of oversized effect is going to continue for a few more days.

So be mindful of the fact that your small actions can trigger big events.
Beware of getting too friendly with new acquaintances -- they may mistake your geniality for flirtatiousness.

Alrighty then.