Unusual shortage could thwart innovation
Rare-earth elements are necessary for everything from light bulbs to TVs.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Suburbs hard-hit by homelessness
Suburbs hard-hit by homelessness
Women and families are straining shelters in rural and suburban U.S. towns.
World's oldest barber still going strong
World's oldest barber still going strong
Anthony Mancinelli, 98, started cutting hair when Calvin Coolidge was president.
Some cities have more 'snowphistication'
Some cities have more 'snowphistication'
There are reasons why the deluge of snow that crippled D.C. would barely affect Chicago.
Best new guilt-free foods this year
Best new guilt-free foods this year
These new foods on the grocery store shelves are delicious but low in fat and calories.
What happiest U.S. states have in common
What happiest U.S. states have in common
Nine of the top 10 spots are in the West and Midwest — but geography isn't their only connection.
Three worst industries for job losses
Three worst industries for job losses
More than 7 million jobs have been lost in the recession, but these sectors have seen the worst of it.
Failed marriage proposal a hoax?
Failed marriage proposal a hoax?
Thousands at a hockey game thought they saw a big-screen proposal end in embarrassment.
Jordan wants to buy the Bobcats
NBA legend battles to buy team
Michael Jordan makes moves to buy a club, but a former exec may be blocking his shots.
Mystery of King Tut's death solved by DNA
Mystery of King Tut's death solved by DNA
Egypt's famous boy-king suffered from "multiple disorders," an extensive study reveals.
King Tut—plus 10 other royal mummies—recently became the first ancient Egyptians to get their DNA analyzed. The results, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, turned up a treasure trove of new information about the famous boy king, his family and Egyptian royalty in general.
Among the discoveries:
- Tut had a bone disorder that would have forced him to walk with a cane, and which may have been a result of royal inbreeding.
- A mummy known as KV55 has turned out to be Tut's father, Akhenaten, a controversial pharaoh best known for his failed attempt at converting Egypt to monotheism. Based on sculptures and art that depict a feminized Akhenaten, researchers had long suspected that he suffered from a genetic hormone disorder called gynecomastia. But the DNA evidence says otherwise. Instead, Akhenaten's feminine features are likely to have been an artistic conceit, added for symbolic, religious reasons.
- Other previously unidentified mummies are now known to be Tut's grandfather, grandmother and mother.
- Contrary to speculation, Tut's mother probably wasn't his father's chief wife, Nefertiti. She and Akhenaten are never described as being related, and Tut is definitely the product of brother/sister incest.
- King Tut had malaria. He likely died from a combination of that disease and complications of his bone disorder. The malarial DNA found in Tut's body is the oldest genetic evidence of the disease ever found.
National Geographic News: King Tut was disabled, malarial and inbred
Woman faces $555,000 in student debt
Woman faces $555,000 in student debt
Dr. Michelle Bisutti's ordeal shows how school loans can quickly spiral out of control.
Inside incredible 'Crystal Cave of Giants'
Inside incredible 'Crystal Cave of Giants'
Deep below the surface, a deadly-hot chamber is filled with the world's largest crystals.
Teabaggers beware, Scalia says you can't secede
This is going to be make Teabagger Nation very cranky.
As opposed to their 'normal' cranky.
One of 'their own' dashes their dreams!
*****
Don't you just love it when idiots make themselves even more idiotic.
As opposed to their 'normal' cranky.
One of 'their own' dashes their dreams!
*****
Don't you just love it when idiots make themselves even more idiotic.
Obama reverts to campaign tactics
Obama reverts to campaign tactics
As criticism mounts, the president's team taps into the strategies that made his campaign famous.
Unusual bank stumbles into spotlight
Unusual bank stumbles into spotlight
A bank with a single location and an odd history is suddenly stirring up big buzz.
Cherokee to add resort to N.C. casino
Since it opened in 1997, Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel has funneled $1.2 billion in gambling profits to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Now, even as its gambling business is wilting, the tribe is investing $633 million in the idea that it can transform the state's only casino into something even more profitable: a classy resort where visitors can not only gamble, but golf, visit a spa and shop.
"I'm Against It"
We've posted this before but it bears a re-posting:
Groucho Marx sings the repugican theme song.
How to boost happiness on and off the job
How to boost happiness on and off the job
A writer discovers how to feel more satisfied while making less money.
Deductions you can't actually write off
Deductions you can't actually write off
Every year, taxpayers claim deductions for expenses that the IRS does not allow.
Taliban's top military commander captured
More on the capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
Taliban's top military commander captured
A joint CIA-Pakistani raid nabs a close associate of Osama bin Laden.
Man burglarizes Trenton police station
Trenton police say a man sneaked into police headquarters and stole a police radio, a computer monitor and a sergeant's attache case.
Man burglarizes Trenton police station
Man burglarizes Trenton police station
Libya bars European visitors in bizarre dispute
Libya is refusing to issue visas for visitors from nearly every European country in a bizarre escalation of a dispute that began when Swiss authorities arrested the son of Moammar Gadhafi on suspicion of beating up his servants.
Libya bars European visitors in bizarre dispute
Libya bars European visitors in bizarre dispute
Are macho TV chefs changing your kitchen?
Foul-mouthed TV chefs are beginning to have an effect on the once sedate world of kitchen cookware, according to one department store.
Are macho TV chefs changing your kitchen?
Are macho TV chefs changing your kitchen?
Man sentenced for trying to hack ex-girlfriend's head off with pen-knife
A man who tried to cut off his ex-girlfriend's head after he suffered psychotic delusions that she was planning to kill him will be sentenced today.
Cop News
In Cop News
Infamous nutball Arizona sheriff is sanctioned by court for destroying evidence
Virginia deputy resigns after being charged with assault
Retired Massachusetts cop arrested in connection with a large scale drug ring
Fourth lawsuit seeks $33 million over taser-crazy cop at Illinois junior high
Kentucky couple sues over wrongful arrests, shooting
New Orleans police officer is (finally) under investigation in shooting in days after Katrina
Infamous nutball Arizona sheriff is sanctioned by court for destroying evidence
Virginia deputy resigns after being charged with assault
Retired Massachusetts cop arrested in connection with a large scale drug ring
Fourth lawsuit seeks $33 million over taser-crazy cop at Illinois junior high
Kentucky couple sues over wrongful arrests, shooting
New Orleans police officer is (finally) under investigation in shooting in days after Katrina
Facebook venting ensnares teacher
In a case of jesus freaks trying to bully others:
Wake County middle school teacher suspended for posts about misdeeds of students.
Caustic remarks on a Facebook page by a Wake County middle school teacher and her friends about her students, the South and christianity could get the educator fired.
Full Story
Reading the comments from the jesus freaks is nauseating - they can do and say what they please but no one else can. The teacher should not be on suspension ... the students should be expelled and their parents fined for being a nuisances.
Full Story
Reading the comments from the jesus freaks is nauseating - they can do and say what they please but no one else can. The teacher should not be on suspension ... the students should be expelled and their parents fined for being a nuisances.
SEC deal won't end BofA woes
Bank of America shareholders probably won't get rich off any settlement the bank makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but they might get some ammunition for future lawsuits.SEC Deal
Brand names fight to stay in stores
Don't be shocked if you can't find your favorite salad dressing or mouthwash on your next trip to Wal-Mart. Large retailers are wrestling with having too many types of brand-name products.
A lethal business model targets Middle America
Immigrants from an obscure corner of Mexico are changing heroin use in many parts of America.
Farm boys from a tiny county that once depended on sugar cane have perfected an ingenious business model for selling a semi-processed form of Mexican heroin known as black tar.
Using convenient delivery by car and aggressive marketing, they have moved into cities and small towns across the United States, often creating demand for heroin where there was little or none.
In many of those places, authorities report increases in overdoses and deaths.
Farm boys from a tiny county that once depended on sugar cane have perfected an ingenious business model for selling a semi-processed form of Mexican heroin known as black tar.
Using convenient delivery by car and aggressive marketing, they have moved into cities and small towns across the United States, often creating demand for heroin where there was little or none.
In many of those places, authorities report increases in overdoses and deaths.
Man gets prison, hard labor for casting spell on neighbor
An African man has been sent to prison with hard labor for casting a spell to block rain from falling on his neighbor's field.
Cost-Competitive Algae Jet Fuel Just Months Away
From Treehugger:
Image credit: US Department of Defense
I'm not sure whether the Pentagon's clean energy projects count toward the idea that environmentalism is socialist, or whether they get a free pass because, well, they are the Pentagon and they know a thing or two about the importance of energy independence—but I guess we'll see in the comments that follow. Matthew reported early last year on the Pentagon's investment in algae-based jet fuels. At the time, claims by insiders that the air force could get itself very close to a zero carbon footprint within a decade seemed somewhat optimistic, to say the least. But the Defense Department is reporting that its development of algae-based fuels is well ahead of schedule. In fact, it is claimed that it could be cost competitive with fossil fuels within months.
Article continues: Cost-Competitive Algae Jet Fuel Just Months Away: Pentagon
Family gives up on small-town life
Family gives up on small-town life
A Miami family plans to leave the North Dakota town that drew them in with cash and free land.
Burma sentences four activists as UN envoy visits
The four women were arrested last October after being accused of offering Buddhist monks alms that included religious literature, said Nyan Win, spokesman for the opposition party headed by detained Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
TSA forces traveling policeman to remove his disabled four-year-old son's leg-braces
In yet another story of the TSA's incompetence:
Philadelphia TSA screeners forced the developmentally delayed, four-year-old son of a Camden, PA police officer to remove his leg-braces and wobble through a checkpoint, despite the fact that their procedure calls for such a case to be handled through a swabbing in a private room. When the police officer complained, the supervising TSA screener turned around and walked away. Then a Philadelphia police officer asked what was wrong and "suggested he calm down and enjoy his vacation."
Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday.
The boy is developmentally delayed, one of the effects of being born 16 weeks prematurely. His ankles are malformed and his legs have low muscle tone. In March he was just starting to walk...
The screener told them to take off the boy's braces.
The Thomases were dumbfounded. "I told them he can't walk without them on his own," Bob Thomas said.
"He said, 'He'll need to take them off.' "
Ryan's mother offered to walk him through the detector after they removed the braces, which are custom-made of metal and hardened plastic.
No, the screener replied. The boy had to walk on his own.
Lack of fog hurting Redwoods
The California coast has seen fewer foggy days in the last century, threatening the health of the region’s majestic redwood trees.
Over the last century, new research suggests the average daily fog has decreased more than three hours, causing the coast redwoods to lose more water in the dry summer season, leaving them more susceptible to drought.
“Redwoods are an iconic species and we all love them, but I think it’s important to note that lots and lots of species depend on fog,” said climate scientist Phil Duffy of climate central in Palo Alto, California, who was not involved in the study. “So if you really do increase or decrease the fog, then that will have effects on whole entire ecosystems in these coastal hills.”
Full Story
Today is ...
Today is Tuesday, February 16, the 47th day of 2010.
There are 318 days left in the year.
Today In History February 16
Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:
Paczki Day,
Do A Grouch A Favor Day
and
Mardi gras
There are 318 days left in the year.
Today In History February 16
Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:
Paczki Day,
Do A Grouch A Favor Day
and
Mardi gras
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt
London, England, United Kingdom
Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Richmond, Victoria, Australia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Craiova, Dolj, Romania
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt
London, England, United Kingdom
Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Richmond, Victoria, Australia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Craiova, Dolj, Romania
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
They'll sit down across from you, or stand right there in front of you, cross their arms and look you straight in the eye.
Then they'll ask if you'd please share your opinion of the current situation with them -- one-on-one -- as a favor and in confidence.
Try not to be rude.
You were already getting ready to let the world know your take, but it wouldn't hurt to let them think they were responsible for the big revelation.
Oh goodie!
They'll sit down across from you, or stand right there in front of you, cross their arms and look you straight in the eye.
Then they'll ask if you'd please share your opinion of the current situation with them -- one-on-one -- as a favor and in confidence.
Try not to be rude.
You were already getting ready to let the world know your take, but it wouldn't hurt to let them think they were responsible for the big revelation.
Oh goodie!