Cleavge and the surprises it contains

An Ohio detective got a wild surprise when he interviewed a witness in a murder case.

Squirrel pops out of woman's shirt

The Peachy Cobbler

Old Cartoon

Red, Hot and Chili

Red, hot and chili

There's an art to the Carolinas' unique style of hot-dog chili.

Raving those red dogs

BB&T executive charged with bank fraud

Investigators have charged a former BB&T executive with criminal bank fraud, saying he overpaid a contractor and accepted thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in return.

BB&T executive charged with bank fraud

Tips to avoid AC glitches

These easy maintenance checks will keep the cool air coming during the hot summer months.

Tips to avoid AC glitches

Also:

• Money-saving cooling tips
• Using the thermostat properly

Repugicans hate America ...

... And Democratic Elections

Election-law experts, supporters of campaign-finance regulations, and even some members of the commission itself are expressing growing concern about a string of cases in which the three repugicans on the commission -- led by Tom Delay's former ethics lawyer (I know, I know you can stop laughing now) -- have voted as a block against enforcement, preventing the commission from carrying out its basic regulatory function.

Even the normally mild-mannered Washington Post editorial board wrote recently: "the three repugican appointees are turning the commission into the little agency that wouldn't: wouldn't launch investigations, wouldn't bring cases, wouldn't even accept settlements that the staff had already negotiated."

Read more here

Minnesota Supreme Court Hands Senate Seat to Franken, Filibuster Proof Majority to Democrats

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state's long-running Senate race.


Minnesota Supreme Court Hands Senate Seat to Franken, Filibuster Proof Majority to Democrats

Franken wins Senate seat after 8-month battle

Also:

• More on Al Franken
• What it means

British Royal Bailout Looms As Queen's Bills Grow

The latest financial statements from Britain's royal family suggest that the next British institution needing a taxpayer bailout could well be the monarch herself.

British Royal Bailout Looms As Queen's Bills Grow

13th century shoe found in Magdeburg

Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved sheepskin shoe dating to the 13th century at a dig near Magdeburg, Germany.

13th century shoe found in Magdeburg

Duct Tape Prom Attire Contest Enters Ninth Year

Despite what the DHS may want you to believe, duct tape has many other uses besides taping off your windows and doors in the event of a biological attack. In this case, it's Duck brand duct tape's 9th annual Duct Tape Prom Attire (both dress and suit) contest.

Full Story

Alzheimer's victim claims rape, can't remember details

Florida police have little to go on to solve an alleged rape case lodge by a woman suffering from Alzheimer's.

Full Story

Dead man gets 2nd jury duty summons

The North Carolina family of a man who died in 1995 said the deceased has received his second post-mortem jury duty summons.

Full Story

Doctors say more ovary transplants possible

Two new techniques to preserve and transplant ovaries might give women a better chance to fight their biological clocks and have children when they are older, doctors announced Monday.

Full Story

Obamas grapple with daughters' photo ops

Shielding Sasha and Malia hasn't been easy as photographers flock to catch their unscripted moments.

Obamas daughters' photo ops

Also:

• Their chores
• Photos: Malia and Sasha Obama

Disgraced governor admits to more meetings

Mark Sanford says he left out details in his public confession of infidelity.

Disgraced governor

Also:

• Mistress is 'hurt'
• Adviser: 'Darkness' took hold

Disorderly genius

Your brain is like a pile of sand, but don't worry: that's why it has such remarkable powers.

How chaos drives the brain

Monkey 'stock market' prone to fluctuations too

Vervet monkeys have been found to trade commodities, such as food or sex, using grooming as cash – now it seems that "stock" values can go up or down

Monkey 'stock market'

Science News

From BBC-Science:

Most complete Earth map published The most complete terrain map, covering 99% of the Earth's surface, has been published and will be free to use. Origin of giant bloom discovered

Obama marks Paris milestone

Has statue in wax museum

Complete with new gray hairs and two fake bodyguards, a wax version of President Barack Obama took a trip Monday to the Eiffel Tower.

Full Story

Bizarre new car rental trick: an airport fee for a non-airport rental

When it comes to fees, never underestimate the car rental industry's creativity.

An airport fee for a non-airport rental

Couple jailed for smuggling silver from Pennsylvania plant

A husband and wife have been jailed for smuggling $2.1 million worth of scrap silver out of a western Pennsylvania plant in their lunch boxes.

Couple jailed for smuggling silver

Former boxer, 72, beats burglar

A knife-wielding burglar got a shock when he attacked a pensioner in his home - a couple of right hooks to the face.

Full Story

Car crushed by a block of Ice

A shopper was left stunned after her motor was crushed by a block of ice as it stood in a supermarket car park.

Full Story

For Your Love

Yardbirds

Dog-eaten passport cancels Wisconsin boy's trip to Peru

A Wisconsin teenager using a classic excuse for evading schoolwork missed a class trip to Peru despite his tale being true: The dog ate his passport.

Full Story

Woman takes kneeling woman's cash in church

Nassau County police said a congregant at a Long Island church disregarded at least one of its commandments: Thou shalt not steal.

Full Story

Man tries to rob hotel with a butter knife

Police arrested a man they said tried to rob a hotel around 6 p.m. on Sunday with a butter knife.

Full Story

And I Quote

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

~ Siddhartha Buddha

Liars and Fools

Liars and Fools: The Faux News edition

As Faux's Brick slices watermelon, Twerpen declares cap-and-trade bill "green on the outside, and inside it's deep, communist red"
Bad analogies are their specialty and this one is one of the worst.

Faux's Brick embarks on another ACORN smear-a-thon, this time with a heavy dose of Obama conspiracy theory
Paranoia runs deep in fantasy land - all is as usual there.

Faux Nation accuses Obama of treason
This from a nest of traitors - You have got to be kidding!

Faux's Handjob and More-Ass describe Obama as terrorist soulmate
This from two domestic terrorists, Oh, Brother!

Shopping malls in danger of closing

These once-thriving retail meccas are showing signs that they may soon shut down.

In danger of closing

Also:

• Most profitable malls in U.S.
• Smart shopping tips in a recession

New clues shed light on mysterious 1908 blast

Space shuttle launches and strange clouds may help explain what caused a huge ground-flattening explosion in Siberia.

Mysterious 1908 blast

Also:

• Find more on the 1908 Siberia explosion
• Space blobs are evolving galaxies

Child rescued from Indian Ocean after jet crash

The passenger jet was carrying 153 people from Yemen when it went down in bad weather.

Child rescued from Indian Ocean after jet crash

Also:

• Photos: Families, flight path
• Deadliest air disasters

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Tripoli, Tarabulus, Libya
Avellino, Campania, Italy
London, England, United Kingdom
Moscow City, Moscow, Russia
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Weert, Limburg, Netherlands

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You've been trying to get a certain person to cooperate with you -- to act as elegantly and respectfully as you know they can.
The problem is that they may not be living up to your expectations, much less their own.
Your job now is to let go of how you think they should act and allow them to be who they are now, even if they're not achieving their potential, and even if you know it and they don't -- not an easy task, but a necessary one, if they're actually going to grow up.

But, they grow up so fast ... at least some of them do!