Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Freed Journalists Recount North Korea Ordeal
The American television reporter and producer imprisoned in North Korea for 4 1/2 months have written an article describing the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detention.Atlantic Ocean significantly changed
Atlantic Ocean significantly changed
The Northeast and mid-Atlantic waters aren't what they were 40 years ago.
What's to blame, some bright spots
Also:
Huge SoCal fire portends bad season
Huge SoCal fire portends bad season
Top 10 Signs You Might Not Be A Libertarian
Notice a propensity of newly minted Libertarians showing up lately? Perhaps it's just coincidence their ranks swelled in inverse proportion to George Bush's approval rating, ditto that so many are mouthing traditional conservative talking points. But what about the everyday gun toting townhall screamers and taxcutters and deficit hawks we see on cable news: are they really libertarian as so many claim, or just conservatives in glibertarian clothes? Here's a few warning signs.
- If you think Ron Paul isn't conservative enough and Fox News is fair and balanced, you might not be a Libertarian.
- If you believe you have an inalienable right to attend Presidential townhalls brandishing a loaded assault rifle, but that arresting participants inside for wearing a pink shirt is an important public safety precaution, there's a chance you're dangerously unbalanced, but no chance you're a Libertarian.
- If you think the government should stay the hell out of Medicare, well, you have way, way bigger problems than figuring out if you're really a Libertarian.
- If you rank Anthonin Scalia and Roy Moore among the greatest Justices of all time, you may be bug fuck crazy, but you're probably not a Libertarian.
- You might not be a Libertarian if you think recreational drug use, prostitution, and gambling should be illegal because that's what Jesus wants.
- If you think the separation between church and state applies equally to all faiths except socially conservative Christian fundamentalism, you're probably not a Libertarian.
- You're probably not a Libertarian if you believe the federal government should remove safety standards and clinical barriers for prescription and OTC medications while banning all embryonic stem cell research, somatic nuclear transfer, RU 486, HPV and cervical cancer vaccination, work on human/non human DNA combos, or Plan B emergency contraception.
- If you think state execution of mentally retarded convicts is good policy but prosecuting Scott Roeder or disconnecting Terri Schiavo was an unforgivable sin, odds are you're not really a Libertarian.
- If you argue that cash for clunkers or any form of government healthcare is unconstitutional, but forced prayer or teaching old testament creationism in public schools is fine, you're not even consistent, much less a Libertarian, and you may be Michele Bachmann.
And the number one sign: if you think government should stay the hell out of people's private business -- except when kidnapping citizens and rendering them to secret overseas torture prisons, snooping around the bedrooms of consenting adults, policing a woman's uterus, or conducting warrantless wire taps, you are no Libertarian.
Most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S.
Most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S.
Home prices are dropping even in the most exclusive enclaves in America.
Woman wishes she never won lottery
Woman wishes she never won lottery
At 16, Callie Rogers won millions. Six years later, her fortune is almost gone.
Burn fat in just 10 minutes
Burn fat in just 10 minutes
This high-intensity workout promises toned arms and better-fitting jeans in four weeks.
Fourteen Things That It Took Me Over 50 Years To Learn, by Dave Barry
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.
13. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.
14. Your friends love you anyway.
Pearls of Wisdom
Everyone brings joy to this office; some when they enter, others when they leave.
Theory and practice are the same in theory but different in practice.
You never can truly tell when you have run out of invisible ink.
To err is human. To totally fuck things up you need a computer.
You're never too old to think you're still young.
There are 2 rules to being a success in life: 1. Never give out all the information.
Under Capitalism, man exploits man. Under Communism, the reverse is true.
Remember - the glass is half full if you're filling it and half empty if you're emptying it.
Afghanistan: vodka "butt shots," group fondling, other pastimes of defense contractors guarding US embassy
Despite grotestque bacchanals that would make a True Blood maenad blush, some crazy, sadistic sickos guarding the US embassy in Kabul got their 5-year, 189 million dollar contract renewed for another year. The company involved: ArmorGroup North America (a subsidiary of Wackenhut, which is in turn owned by the security behemoth G4S). Your tax dollars at work, folks.
From the Mother Jones article by Daniel Schulman:
Guards have come to POGO with allegations and photographic evidence that some supervisors and guards are engaging in near-weekly deviant hazing and humiliation of subordinates. Witnesses report that the highest levels of AGNA management in Kabul are aware of and have personally observed--or even engaged in--these activities, but have done nothing to stop them. Indeed, management has condoned this misconduct, declining to take disciplinary action against those responsible and allowing two of the worst offending supervisors to resign and allegedly move on to work on other U.S. contracts. The lewd and deviant behavior of approximately 30 supervisors and guards has resulted in complete distrust of leadership and a breakdown of the chain of command, compromising security.
Numerous emails, photographs, and videos portray a Lord of the Flies environment. One email from a current guard describes scenes in which guards and supervisors are "peeing on people, eating potato chips out of [buttock] cracks, vodka shots out of [buttock] cracks (there is video of that one), broken doors after drunken [sic] brawls, threats and intimidation from those leaders participating in this activity...." Photograph after photograph shows guards--including supervisors--at parties in various stages of nudity, sometimes fondling each other. These parties take place just a few yards from the housing of other supervisors.
Balmy water once bathed Mars rock claimed to host life
Balmy water once bathed Mars rock claimed to host life
Researchers have yet to confirm a controversial claim that a meteorite from Mars boasts fossilized life, but a new study suggests the rock did form in hospitable conditions.
Pope puts his foot in his mouth ... again
The Pope says atheists are to blame for global climate change.
Tainted blood racket busted
Tainted blood racket busted
Poland marks start of World War II
In 1939 Westerplatte near the Baltic city Gdansk was a military outpost guarding the entrance to Polish naval ports where 230 soldiers fought for 7 days under heavy bombardment by Nazi Germany's navy and air force.
Le Voyage dans la lune
The director of the film, Georges Méliès, was a stage magician at the Theatre Robert-Houdin before becoming enchanted with cinema after seeing a demo of the Lumière brothers' camera technology.
Mythical Chupacabra Caught
Jerry Avery lives north of San Antonio, Texas and claims he has the body of what's being called the legendary chupacabra.
Mythical Chupacabra Caught
Arrest Made In Theft Ring That Hit Bernankes
Arrest Made In Theft Ring That Hit Bernankes
This Dog likes rubber
This is a dog-bites-the-deputy's-tires story
Some dogs chase cars.
One in a North Carolina town decided to try and eat one.
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says a pit bull deflated all four tires of a deputy's cruiser near Hope Mills on Sunday.
Pit bull deflates all four tires on police cruiser as deputy responds to complaint about another dog
Man Tried To Pay For Gas With Pot
Maryland Police Say Man Tried To Pay For Gas With Pot
Fears You Never Knew Existed
We’ve all seen the episodes of Maury, where the people with phobias come onstage and freak out about spiders and snakes. While the fear of snakes (ophiophobia) and spiders (arachnophobia) are fairly common and understandable, there are all kinds of weird phobias out there that defy explanation.
Here are 25 of the strangest.
Cops give dog ticket for illegal parking
Australian traffic inspectors issued a ticket for illegal parking yesterday to a dog tied to a fence.
Aubrey O'Day: Castro and Hitler Were "Brilliant"
Yes, Aubrey O'Day appeared on Fox News last night and got into a debate about Fidel Castro and Adolf Hitler.And, granted, she referred to each man as "brilliant," while not remotely condoning either of their actions.
But that shouldn't really be the story. Instead, one has to wonder: What on earth was O'Day doing on air in the first place?!?
This is a woman so desperate for attention that she Tweets nude photos of herself and invents lesbian crushes on various celebrities. Apparently, that makes her qualified to serve as an analyst for Handjob.
She actually sounds more intelligent than the wing nut host below, as O'Day can at least recognize gray areas and make a nuanced point. Why can't Castro be both brilliant and an awful human being? Enlighten us, Handjob ...
Merchants File Class Action Against PayPal
In a federal class action, online merchants say PayPal is selling them out in favor of buyers and credit card companies. Appliance wholesaler The Weiler Group claims PayPal's "chronically understaffed" dispute resolution department sides with buyers without conducting legitimate investigations, leading to "chargebacks" and "reversals" against seller accounts.Weiler claims that at least twice PayPal caused it to incur losses on disputed purchases of kitchen items through a chargeback, wherein a buyer files a complaint with a credit card company to invalidate a payment. Weiler says PayPal allowed the chargeback "without any real explanation."
Class attorney Kevin Ruf said PayPal usually resolves disputes in favor of buyers because of the close relationship with credit card companies and banks that PayPal considers essential to maintaining its business.
"That relationship is vital and they have to keep the avenues open," Ruf said. "The sellers are captive. PayPal thinks they will always be there regardless, whereas the credit card companies may not, so they try to bend over backwards to please them."
Ruf said Weiler complained to PayPal about the chargebacks, but was given the runaround.
"They felt like there was a lot of halfhearted interaction, suggesting that the merits of their response was being taken seriously, but when the credit card company got involved, PayPal's message was, 'Gee sorry, you lose,'" Ruf said.
Ruf said a federal judge already has ordered PayPal to change its dispute resolution policies. He said that in 2004, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled that PayPal be "required to have a much more efficient procedure and take dispute resolution concerns seriously."
The class demands punitive damages, restitution and declaratory relief for violation of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act. It is represented by Kevin Ruf and Dale MacDiarmid with Glancy, Binkow and Goldberg of Los Angeles.
Recovery from kidnapping
Recovery from kidnapping
Kidnapping victims like Jaycee Dugard face a challenging process to resume a normal life.
How to avoid hidden travel fees
How to avoid hidden travel fees
Airlines and hotels now charge for items and services that used to be free.
When should kids learn to do dishes?
When should kids learn to do dishes?
Preparing your child for life beyond the nest should start at an early age, say experts.
The calmest place on Earth
Best and worst pizzas for you
Best and worst pizzas for you
One restaurant's individual pie has 2,310 calories and more salt than 27 bags of chips.
Daily Funny
A toilet only has to deal with one asshole at a time.
Woman Fired for Disharmonious Font Use in Emails
On the heels of the dust-up over Ikea's catalog font change comes this story: a woman apparently fired for choosing the wrong fonts for her email.Grandson Sues To Clear Josef Stalin Over Killings
Grandson Sues To Clear Josef Stalin Over Killings
The Internet Turns 40 This Wednesday
Few people were paying attention back on Sept. 2, 1969.
The Internet Turns 40 This Wednesday
Proverbial Wisdom
A Primary School teacher had twenty-six children in her class.
She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It’s hard to believe these were actually done by Primary School children. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!
| 1. | Don’t change horses | until they stop running. |
| 2. | Strike while the | wasp is close. |
| 3. | It’s always darkest before | Daylight Saving Time.. |
| 4. | Never underestimate the power of | termites. |
| 5. | You can lead a horse to water but | How? |
| 6. | Don’t bite the hand that | looks dirty. |
| 7. | No news is | impossible |
| 8. | A miss is as good as a | Mr. |
| 9. | You can’t teach an old dog new | Maths |
| 10. | If you lie down with dogs, you’ll | stink in the morning.. |
| 11. | Love all, trust | me. |
| 12. | The pen is mightier than the | pigs. |
| 13. | An idle mind is | the best way to relax |
| 14. | Where there’s smoke there’s | pollution. |
| 15. | Happy the bride who | gets all the presents. |
| 16. | A penny saved is | not much. |
| 17. | Two’s company, three’s | the Musketeers. |
| 18. | Don’t put off till tomorrow what | you put on to go to bed. |
| 19. | Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and | You have to blow your nose. |
| 20. | There are none so blind as | Stevie Wonder . |
| 21. | Children should be seen and not | spanked or grounded. |
| 22. | If at first you don’t succeed | get new batteries. |
| 23. | You get out of something only what you | See in the picture on the box |
| 24. | When the blind lead the blind | get out of the way. |
| 25. | A bird in the hand | is going to poop on you. |
| 26. | Better late than | Pregnant |
Ways to sabotage your job
10 ways to sabotage your job
In today's workplace, there are more ways to damage your career than ever before.
Swine flu: 10 things you need to know
10 things you need to know
Monthly Observances
Apple Month
National Chicken Month
National Coupon Month
National Honey Month
National Mushroom Month
National Prime Beef Month
National Piano Month
National Rice Month
and
Shameless Promotion Month
Daily Almanac
There are 121 days left in the year.
Today in History, September 1.
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Daily Horoscope
Sometimes, your dreams are just silly and weird plays your subconscious performs at night -- not visions of what your future holds.
So if disturbing images have been keeping you tossing and turning lately, don't worry too much about it.
This is just a phase that will be over soon.
Turn your attention away from your dreams, because you can't control them.
Instead, start exerting more power over your waking hours.
Then you'll start to see things change.
Ok
