Friday, September 11, 2009

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You're really looking forward to tonight, aren't you?
Well, you have every right -- especially since the morning and afternoon look like they'll be quite busy.
Do what you have to do to take care of your responsibilities to others, then be sure to save some energy to take care of your responsibility to yourself.
You know what they say about all work and no play?
It's all true.

Got ya.

Former WWE Champ Busted for Steroids

Jeff Hardy -- one half of the WWE tag team duo The Hardy Boyz -- was busted today after cops found a boatload of pills and steroids inside his home.

The Moore County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Hardy's home in Cameron, NC today -- where they found 262 Vicodin pills, 180 Soma pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids and a residual amount of powder cocaine. Cops say the estimated street value of the drugs: $2,500.

Hardy was arrested on charges of "trafficking in controlled prescription pills" and possession of anabolic steroids.

Chief Deputy Neil Godfrey said Jeff's brother posted bail, which was set at $125,000.

World's best cities to eat well

Food lovers worldwide rated these cities the best places for unforgettable meals.

One surprising hot spot

Also:

Hell hath frozen over

O'Reilly Defends Obama to Coulter

Hard to believe, but I have video to prove it. Bill O'Reilly on his Sept. 10th show, not only called Joe Wilson a pinhead for shouting out "You Lie!," he defended Barack Obama to Ann Coulter.
It's really cold, since hell froze over.

But the shrill shrew couldn't understand she had been told! Typical repugican.

How one lost job affects a small town

When Brian Whitfield was laid off, it affected not just his wife and son, but also fellow citizens.

Ripple

Also:

Seven cool homes that float

These designer floating homes are eco-friendly and offer unique living spaces.

Amazing shapes and sizes

Also:

How to short-circuit the US power grid

This is not a good thing
Attackers could cause a cascade of failures in the US west-coast electricity grid (Image: Dan Tuffs / Rex)

Attackers could cause a cascade of failures in the US west-coast electricity grid by targeting seemingly unimportant substations.

How to short-circuit the US power grid

Better World

Better world: Redefine the bottom line

Governments need to find better ways of measuring progress than simply looking at wealth.

Better world: Legalize drugs

Far from protecting us, the war on drugs is making the world a much more dangerous place.

Joe Wilson's Excuses

David Letterman's Top Ten

Even the repugicans are supporting the Democrats

Skippy of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo posted this today:

"joe 'you lie' wilson apologized to obama. but that's not enough for the dems, who think wilson ought to apologize to the entire house of representatives.

political wire:

house speaker nancy pelosi (d-ca) "has agreed the house should vote next week on scolding rep. jowilson (r-sc) for his outburst during president obama's speech unless he apologies on the floor of the house," the hill reports. said a spokesman: "there was a violation of the rules of the house. it needs to be resolved by an apology or a resolution." house majority leader steny hoyer (d-md) will likely introduce a "resolution of disapproval" monday or tuesday unless wilson formally apologizes on the house floor. the house returns monday.

nobody's sure if wilson is disposed towards such a public apology. his website claims he raised over $200,000 in donations since his outburst...which is only half a million dollars or so less than his opponent, rob miller.
miller has raised over $750,000 since wilson's petulant tantrum. keep miller going by contributing here.

because if it's good enough for mark mckinnon, former g.w. bush advisor, it's good enough for you:

former bush and mccain strategist mark mckinnon wants the congressman who shouted at obama out of office and out of his party—and he's donating $1,000 to his opponent.

make joe wilson pay.

and by pay, i mean beat his sorry ass at the polls and send him to the private sector. that is the only way to change the political discourse in america today. because as long as louts like joe wilson can spout off and call the president a liar and get rewarded with re-election, then louts will continue to spout off. and we will continue to claw our way to the very bottom of the political swamp.

you know the gop is in trouble when bush advisers are supporting the dems."

*****

Yes, the repugicans are in trouble indeed.

Be sure to check out 14 Things You Need to Know About Obama Heckler, Joe Wilson for more on this lizard masquerading as a congressman.

Wal-Mart founder's treatment of his employees

The American Prospect reviewed a couple of books about Wal-Mart, and included this tale about Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton's mistreatment of his employees.(A tradition that they continue to this day!)

Around the time that the young Sam Walton opened his first stores, John Kennedy redeemed a presidential campaign promise by persuading Congress to extend the minimum wage to retail workers, who had until then not been covered by the law. Congress granted an exclusion, however, to small businesses with annual sales beneath $1 million -- a figure that in 1965 it lowered to $250,000.
Walton was furious. The mechanization of agriculture had finally reached the backwaters of the Ozark Plateau, where he was opening one store after another. The men and women who had formerly worked on small farms suddenly found themselves redundant, and he could scoop them up for a song, as little as 50 cents an hour. Now the goddamn federal government was telling him he had to pay his workers the $1.15 hourly minimum. Walton's response was to divide up his stores into individual companies whose revenues did not exceed the $250,000 threshold. Eventually, though, a federal court ruled that this was simply a scheme to avoid paying the minimum wage, and he was ordered to pay his workers the accumulated sums he owed them, plus a double-time penalty thrown in for good measure.
Wal-Mart cut the checks, but Walton also summoned the employees at a major cluster of his stores to a meeting. "I'll fire anyone who cashes the check," he told them.

The "values" of Wal-Mart, the largest private-sector employer in the U.S., are shaping our national economy -- and that's a very bad thing.

Urban legends about the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846, and since then numerous weird urban legends have emerged about the buildings, the collection, and the organization's research efforts. Smithsonian Magazine posted a fun collection of the myths and the realities.

Here are a couple of them:

Myth #4: The Smithsonian discovered Egyptian ruins in the Grand Canyon.
Fact: It didn’t.
Backstory: On April 5, 1909, the Arizona Gazette ran the following headline: “Explorations in Grand Canyon; Mysteries of Immense Rich Cavern Being Brought to Light; Jordan Is Enthused; Remarkable Find Indicates Ancient People Migrated from Orient.” The article includes testimony of one G. E. Kincaid who says that he, traveling solo down the Green and Colorado Rivers, discovered proof of an ancient civilization—possibly of Egyptian origin. The story also asserts that a Smithsonian archaeologist named S. A. Jordan returned with Kincaid to investigate the site. However, the Arizona Gazette appears to have been the only newspaper ever to have published the story. No records can confirm the existence of either Kincaid or Jordan.

Myth #5: Betsy Ross stitched the Star-Spangled Banner.
Fact: Mary Pickersgill stitched the flag that inspired the National Anthem.
Backstory: The making of the first standard of the United States is popularly attributed to Betsy Ross, a professional flagmaker who has become a national folk hero. The legend stems from Ross’ grandson, William J. Canby, who, in 1870, wrote down a story a relative had told him in 1857—well after Ross’ death. The account goes that in spring 1776, George Washington approached Ross with a rough sketch of a flag and asked her to make a national standard. With the United States preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the story about the birth of the national flag captured imaginations. There is, however, no documentation that links Ross with making the first flag, and the events described in Canby’s account take place a year before the passage of the Flag Act—the legislation that dictates the style and substance of the national flag. Visitors to the National Museum of American History sometimes ask if the Star Spangled Banner—currently on display after extensive conservation efforts—is an example of Ross’s work. That flag was stitched by Mary Pickersgill and flew over Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to pen the poem that became our National Anthem.

Urban Legends About the Smithsonian

Six-year-old girl drives for stoned mother

Lakisha Hogue of Coatesville, PA was too stoned to drive so she had her 6-year-old daughter take over.

Hogue is now in jail.

From NBCPhiladelphia.com:

The woman... was sitting in the passenger seat, laughing, when a patrol officer pulled her over, said police. Hogue told the Officer (Robert) Keetch that she was teaching her daughter how to drive.

"Mom made me drive because she was sleepy," the girl told police.

Then police say the aunt asked her niece, "Was your mom smoking that stinky stuff again?" The girl replied "yes," say police.

6-Year-Old Drives After Mom Smokes “That Stinky Stuff”

Poe archive from UT Austin goes online

UT Austin's Ransom Center has digitized their Edgar Allan Poe collection.

The digital collection incorporates images of all Poe manuscripts and letters at the Ransom Center with a selection of related archival materials, two books by Poe annotated by the author, sheet music based on his poems, and portraits from the Ransom Center collections. Poe's manuscripts and letters are linked to transcriptions on the website of the Poe Society of Baltimore.

The Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection

Consumer sentiment strongest in 3 months

Improving U.S. consumer sentiment and a big draw-down in wholesale inventories reported on Friday built on recent evidence that an economic recovery was picking up speed.

Full Story

Physician sentenced for illegal prescription drug distribution

Dr. Richard Sievers, 53, of Oakwood, was sentenced in United States District Court here today to 84 months' imprisonment for his participation in a scheme that resulted in the illegal distribution of more than 700,000 dosage units of controlled substances from a storefront medical clinic in Dayton between January and November 2007.

Physician sentenced for illegal prescription drug distribution

What Would 9-11 Be Like in the Age of Social Media?

During the President's health care speech two days ago, the shared experience that is the real time Internet reacted to a perfect Twitter-fodder event - Joe Wilson's "you lie" outburst -- with a surprising amount of conversation about the real issue in the room, health care reform.

Full Story

Wikipedia Locks Joe Wilson's Article

The hits just keep on comin' for Rep. Joe Wilson (reptile-SC), also known as "You Lie Guy."
He's the member of Congress who blurted out "You lie" during Barack Obama's speech on health care reform on Wednesday night.
Things are so bad Wikipedia had to lock his article.

Full Story

Wing Nut Killed Today

A man fatally shot an anti-abortion activist Friday outside a high school as horrified parents and students watched, then told police arresting him that he was involved in the killing of a gravel pit owner earlier that day, authorities said.

Officials found the body of Mike Fuoss, 61, in the office of his gravel production company, Sheriff George Braidwood said. Fuoss and the gunman knew each other.

Owosso Police Chief Michael Compeau said authorities did not know whether the suspect knew anti-abortion activist Jim Pouillon, 63, who was shot while protesting across the street from the school in the town about 70 miles northwest of Detroit.

Full Story

One down ...

Swat Taliban spokesman held

Pakistani soldiers arrested the spokesman for the Taliban in the Swat Valley and four other commanders, the military announced Friday, striking its first major blow against the leadership of the insurgency in the one-time tourist resort.

Full Story

Taiwan ex-president jailed for life

Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Taipei.

Full Story

Isabella makes a 'Porno'

Rossellini's Web shorts offer wry portraits of sex in nature

Isabella Rossellini has established herself as the world's most prominent porn artist specializing in the lusty behavior of bugs, barnacles, shrimp and starfish.

Full Story

Designer turns trash into formal wear

A "first of its kind" black suit is being made from two-liter plastic bottles.

Suggested price

Also:

New twist in gender-testing dispute

Track star Caster Semenya withdraws from a national race amid new reports about her test results.

Details

Also:

And I Quote

From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter.
Some day I intend reading it.

~ Groucho Marx

Stunning views of Milky Way next week

A new moon and shift in weather will combine to create a skygazer's paradise.

What you'll be able to see

Also:

Bank exec moves into foreclosed home

A Wells Fargo exec threw parties in the $12 million beachhouse, neighbors say.

Owners were Madoff victims

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Ways your siblings shape who you are

An expert says people who grow up with an opposite sex sibling can have a big advantage.

6 other ways

Also:

Health Care Crisis Solved!

Lush Dimbulb has solved the health care crisis.

Ha, Ha, Ha

The State of Journalism

At a memorial service for Walter Cronkite a few days ago, President Obama gave a eulogy for the man that doubles as a brief but compelling evaluation of what's wrong with journalism today.

The Truth

"As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to
drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most."

President Obama, explaining why they're fighting him so hard

South Carolina's stormy new image

The state that helped propel Obama to the presidency is now a hotbed of anti-White House sentiment.

Details

Also:

Editor's Note: It was NORTH CAROLINA, not South Carolina that helped put our President in office. South Carolina went brain-dead and backed the loser. So, you see there is nothing "new" about South Carolina's image.

Four sentenced in NY election night attacks on blacks

The instigator of a New York City election night rampage against black people in retaliation for President Barack Obama's victory has been sentenced to prison for nine years.

4 sentenced in NY election night attacks on blacks

You Lie! No, Joe Wilson, You Lie.

Joe Wilson, who shouted "You lie!" in an huge show of disrespect for President Barack Obama, continues to take flak for it.
In reality, a little fact-checking shows that it's Joe Wilson who's lied, and continues to lie.

Full Story

DNA evidence clear Florida inmate after 26 years

A Florida man was released from custody on Thursday after spending 26 years in prison for a rape and murder his lawyer says he didn't commit.

Anthony Caravella was ordered released after a private laboratory test revealed someone else's DNA at the crime scene.

Full Story

Porn, fireworks, diamonds made with child labor

Children are used to produce everything from pornography in Ukraine to fireworks in the Philippines and diamonds in Sierra Leone, the US Department of Labor said in a report.

Full Story

Sanford must go; saga a distraction

The South Carolina repugican party has asked scandal-plagued Mark Sanford to resign, joining an increasing number of repugican party officials upset with his June vanishing act to see his mistress and questions about his travel while in office.

In an expected move, state repugican (figurehead) chairwoman Karen Floyd said in a statement the party’s executive committee voted to ask the governor to step down. House and Senate repugicans have also asked Sanford to resign.

In July, the party’s executive committee voted to censure Sanford.

But now the Sanford saga has become a distraction, say party leaders.

Full Story

Afghan women police battle Taliban

They have no uniform and little training but a small band of Afghan women are taking the battle to the Taliban after becoming Helmand's first female police recruits, the Ministry of Defense has revealed.

Afghan women police battle Taliban

World's oldest person dies in Los Angeles

Gertrude Baines celebrated her last birthday with a letter from Obama and a visit from Guinness.

» Her diet

Also:

Good news about the swine flu vaccine

One shot of the vaccine — not two — is enough protection, according to new medical data.

Days till it takes effect

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Wild and Wacky Places to Stay in the Countryside

From Treehugger:

Shepherd hut Dorset.photo
Image from Tilley's Hut

With autumn days coming soon, what a lovely place to stay and watch the leaves: an original shepherd's hut in the heart of the Dorset Downs. It's not exactly rough and ready any more and the shepherd wouldn't know what to do with it, but what a delight.

The narrow (4 feet wide) hut has all the conveniences, except t.v. and the solar panel on the roof provides energy for lights and lap tops. More bliss in the countryside after the fold.

hay hotel.photo
Image from heuhotels

If you really want to do countryside, what about a hay hotel. Popular in Germany, and called "heuhotels", the idea is very basic: farmers let guests sleep in their barns on the hay. As described, you bring your own sleeping bags, pay a minimal amount ($14 ) and sleep like a baby. It's clean, eco and natural. Most are located on farms so you get the benefit of the farming adventure--checking out the pigs and chickens, a campfire by night and the birds in the morning. Plus a fresh farmer's breakfast is served.

kolarbyn hotel.photo
Image from Kolarbyn

Calling itself Sweden's most primitive hotel, Kolarbyn consists of twelve little forest huts set in the forest by a lake. There is no electricity, just candles and a fire to keep you warm. Built in 1996, the traditional huts were created for people interested in the art of charcoal burning, but now they have been turned into tourist accommodation.

If you are looking for all the conveniences this is not the place. Here is what comes with the room: "sheep skin rugs, candles and matches, firewood for self-cutting, fresh water to be fetched from the spring, primitive kitchen facilities and equipment, dish place with running water in the creek."

Ice mystery unfolds ... slowly

A startling change in Greenland's ice sheet may hold clues to how sea levels will rise around the world.

Details

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Big and small ways to save more money

One family cuts $50,000 in debt by penny pinching, while others resort to big changes at once.

Tips to do both

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Obama faces first 9/11 as president

Eight years later, Obama struggles with two unpopular wars and a murky fight against terrorism.

His reaction in 2001

Also:

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is 9/11.

Daily Almanac

Today is Friday, Sept. 11, the 254th day of 2009.

There are 111 days left in the year.

Today In History September 11

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Larnaca, Larnaca, Cyprus
Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland
Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

as well as Brazil, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

If you've been trying to choose the perfect time to get family, friends and that certain someone all together, wonder no longer.
This is it.
As of tomorrow, they'll all be more than willing to cooperate, be nice to each other and do whatever it takes to please you.
Use this advance notice to get cracking on your big plans for the weekend.
This is a heavenly gift.
Take full advantage of it.

Funny you should mention that.

Welcome to ...

Friday, September 11, 2009

O'Reilly Defends Obama to Coulter

Rossellini's Web shorts offer wry portraits of sex in nature

Naturally Friends

Playlist