Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Veracruz, Veracruz-Llave, Mexico
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Nagykoros, Pest, Hungary
London, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Yerevan, Yerevan, Armenia
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

as well as France, Australia, Wales and Northern Ireland

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You can learn a lot by watching someone else's success as well as their failures.

True, so true.

New Definition

New term for the neocon hypocrites we all know so well ...

Neocrit (noun): a neocon hypocrite, particularly one who makes a living selling it to the rubes.

– Matthew (Chironboy) at The Church of Mothra.

I like it.

And I Quote

Obama is being criticized for trying to solve too many problems at the same time.
If Bush were still president. We wouldn't even be having this conversation.

~ Jimmy Fallon

Right you are.
Seeing as how the shrub never tried to solve anything in his entire life, much less the problems he caused.

Deadly spider in the grocery store

A Brazilian Wandering spider, the most venomous spider in the world, was scurrying around a Whole Foods Market in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
An employee caught the spider in the produce section and the store called the University of Tulsa.

From News On 6:

"Within minutes you will have breathing problems, you'll start to lose control of your muscles, you'll start to drool and within 20 to 25 minutes you'll probably collapse on the floor and die of asphyxiation," said Terry Childs (director of the university's animal facilities)...

Apparently the spider, also known as a banana spider, hitched a ride on some bunches of bananas all the way from Honduras. It turns out it is the kind of thing that happens all the time, but this particular spider is more threatening than most.

"This particular one happens to be one of the most aggressive ones I've actually come across. This thing will actually jump at you," said Terry Childs.

Deadly Spider Found At Tulsa Store

People who use barrels to catch rain from their roofs breaking law

From the "I'll be damned if it's theirs" Department:

Nicholas Riccardi of the The LA Times has a story about "rainwater harvesters" in Colorado who are not allowed to collect rainwater that falls in their own yard, because the water rights belong to farmers, ranchers, developers and water agencies.

Every time it rains here, Kris Holstrom knowingly breaks the law.

Holstrom's violation is the fancifully painted 55-gallon buckets underneath the gutters of her farmhouse on a mesa 15 miles from the resort town of Telluride. The barrels catch rain and snowmelt, which Holstrom uses to irrigate the small vegetable garden she and her husband maintain.

But according to the state of Colorado, the rain that falls on Holstrom's property is not hers to keep. It should be allowed to fall to the ground and flow unimpeded into surrounding creeks and streams, the law states, to become the property of farmers, ranchers, developers and water agencies that have bought the rights to those waterways.

...

"If you try to collect rainwater, well, that water really belongs to someone else," said Doug Kemper, executive director of the Colorado Water Congress. "We get into a very detailed accounting on every little drop."

People who use barrels to catch rain from their roofs breaking law, says State of Colorado

If it falls on my property it's mine, period!

Across the Universe

Fiona Apple singing The Beatles song 'Across the Universe' (written by John Lennon) from the soundtrack for the movie 'Pleasantville'.

And I Quote

A wise man makes more opportunities than he finds.

~ Francis Bacon

Repugican MADness

If you've ever harbored any doubt that repugicans are not a heartless, soulless pack of dastardly vicious perverted bastards, then there is no need to harbor it any longer.

Here is a report dated March 17, 2009 from Progress Report that wipes any doubts from anyone's mind that they may have secretly (or not so secretly) held regarding repugicans:

RADICAL RIGHT -- CONSERVATIVES SUGGEST DEATH FOR AIG EXECS SET TO RECEIVE BONUSES: Politicians and pundits from both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage at the recent news that bailed-out insurance giant AIG will be paying $165 million in bonuses to same executives that "brought the company to the brink of collapse." President Obama and members of Congress are trying to figure out a way to revoke the bonuses, while others have called for top executives to be fired. While conservatives have joined in the mass discontent with AIG, some are taking their anger a bit too far. Yesterday on a local Iowa radio show, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) suggested that AIG executives consider committing suicide.

While having those responsible for the world economic collapse held accountable, suggesting suicide if way outside the lines. It is just grandstanding and all part of the dog and pony show that is the repugicans. It is also not 'like the Japanese do' - having those responsible commit ritual suicide - as one Japanese blogger points out ... when someone in Japan feels that they can not live with the 'shame' of whatever it was they failed at then they commit suicide. This same blogger further points out that the AIG executives are and have been behaving shamelessly therefore their commiting suicide would not be the same (and since they are shameless, they would be too chickenshit to do it anyway).

'Armed' Chimps Raid Beehive

From BBC-Science:
See how chimps with clubs raid a beehive for honey

Mild obesity takes years off your life

Being slightly overweight, which is now extremely common, reduces life expectancy by two to four years.

Mild obesity takes years off your life

Tachyons and all that jazz

Star Trek has given us many of what are today common devices and items ... from communication devices to who knows what all. But this may not be one of them ... 'Tachyon beams'.

Relativity does not rule out a realm of particles that can only travel faster than light, but a new study suggests they may be fundamentally impossible.

Faster-than-light 'tachyons' might be impossible after all

Life and Death beneath the waves

This is a great gallery of photographs.

See stunning images of a caring octopus mum, the eyes of a conch, a slaughtered shark, and more.

Life and death beneath the waves

Europe plays catch-up

The EU has much to learn from Barack Obama's scientific "dream team", says John Beddington, the UK government's chief scientific adviser.

Europe plays catch-up to Obama's science drive

Blowing rings

Dolphins having fun.

Some schools may be breeding grounds for teen killers

A review of school shootings in the US indicates that some schools are more likely to cultivate killers than others.

Some schools may be breeding grounds for teen killers

Unusual Celebrations and Holidays

Today is Awkward Moments Day!

Suspect in quadruple murder dead in Utah

The man wanted for the quadruple homicide in Catawba County, North Carolina is dead and investigators believe drugs may have been a possible motive for the killings.

Lisa Saephan and her three children, 20-year-old Melanie, 18-year-old Pauline and 3-year-old Cody were killed in their home last Thursday.

Read the rest here.

Incest father pleads guilty to charges

In a stunning turn of events, an Austrian on trial for imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children pleaded guilty Wednesday to all charges against him — including homicide. The move came after his daughter appeared unexpectedly in the courtroom.

Read the rest here.

Octopus fossil found

It's hard enough to find fossils of hard things like dinosaur bones. Now scientists have found evidence of 95 million-year-old octopuses, among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils, complete with ink and suckers.

The body of an octopus is composed almost entirely of muscle and skin. When an octopus dies, it quickly decays and liquefies into a slimy blob. After just a few days there will be nothing left at all. And that assumes that the fresh carcass is not consumed almost immediately by scavengers.

The result is that preservation of an octopus as a fossil is about as unlikely as finding a fossil sneeze, and none of the 200 to 300 species of octopus known today had ever been found in fossilized form, said Dirk Fuchs of the Freie University Berlin.

Read the rest at LiveScience.

Bat Hung On For a Ride Into Space

A small bat that was spotted blasting off with the space shuttle Sunday and clinging to the back side of Discovery's external fuel tank apparently held on throughout the launch.

NASA hoped the bat would fly away before the spacecraft's Sunday evening liftoff, but photos from the launch now show the bat holding on for dear life throughout the fiery ride.

Bat Hung On For a Ride Into Space

Win Big

Pinky and the Brain

There is life out there

Discovery of New Microorganisms in the Stratosphere

Three new species of bacteria, which are not found on Earth and which are highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, have been discovered in the upper stratosphere by Indian scientists.

One of the new species has been named as Janibacter hoylei, after the Distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the second as Bacillus isronensis recognizing the contribution of ISRO in the balloon experiments which led to its discovery and the third as Bacillus aryabhata after India’s celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and also the first satellite of ISRO.

Full Story

Real Science

This is real science:

Teens send balloon into space, get aerial photos of Earth

Teen scientists at IES La Bisbal school in Catalonia sent a latex balloon 20 miles into the sky, to the edge of space, and took stunning photos of the Earth with it, using a cheap digital camera:

Building the electronic sensor components from scratch, Gerard Marull Paretas, Sergi Saballs Vila, Marta­ Gasull Morcillo and Jaume Puigmiquel Casamort managed to send their heavy duty £43 latex balloon to the edge of space and take readings of its ascent.

Created by the four students under the guidance of teacher Jordi Fanals Oriol, the budding scientists, all aged 18-19, followed the progress of their balloon using high tech sensors communicating with Google Earth.

Team leader Gerard Marull, 18, said: "We were overwhelmed at our results, especially the photographs, to send our handmade craft to the edge of space is incredible."

Teens capture images of space with £56 camera and balloon

And some damn, good images, too

Kid walks to soccer practice and neighbors call the cops

From the "This is getting ridiculous now" Department:

From the Free Range Kids blog, the story of Lori from a small town in Mississippi, who sent her 10-year-old on foot to soccer practice, only to have him picked up by the cops, who reported "hundreds" of 911 calls by neighborhood snoops who were horrified at the thought of a 10-year-old walking a third of a mile to a local school.

The cops told her she could be charged with child endangerment!

After she complained to the cops, the local police chief called her to apologize and to reassure her that she lived in a safe neighborhood.

My 10-year-old son wanted the chance to walk from our house to soccer practice behind an elementary school about 1/3 mile from our house.
He had walked in our neighborhood a number of times with the family and we have driven the route to practice who knows how many times. It was broad daylight - 5:00 pm.
I had to be at the field myself 15 minutes after practice started, so I gave him my cell phone and told him I would be there to check that he made it and sent him off. He got 3 blocks and a police car intercepted him.
The police came to my house — after I had left — and spoke with my younger children (who were home with Grandma).
They then found me at the soccer field and proceeded to tell me how I could be charged with child endangerment.
They said they had gotten “hundreds” of calls to 911 about him walking.
Now, I know bad things can happen and I wasn’t flippant about letting him go and not checking up, but come on.
I live in a small town in Mississippi.
To be perfectly honest, I’m much more concerned about letting him attend a birthday party sleepover next Friday, but I’m guessing the police wouldn’t be at my house if I chose to let him go (which I probably won’t).

A Mom Lets Her Son Walk to Soccer…And The Police Come Calling

Protecting our kids is what we should do and all should help protect them, but stories like this remind me of how we are making our children into walking mental illnesses when they weren't before at a horrifying pace.

When did the obsessive mental illness on the part of 'adults' en masse to inflict such onto our children arise?

Massive archive of US Army medical illustrations and photos free online

An archive of US Army medical photos and illustrations is being made available free under a Creative Commons Attribution license on Flickr by the National Museum of Health and Medicine:

This previously unreported archive at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C., contains 500,000 scans of unique images so far, with another 225,000 set to be digitized this year.

Mike Rhode, the museum's head archivist, is working to make tens of thousands of those images, which have been buried in the museum's archive, available on Flickr. Working after hours, his team has posted a curated selection of almost 800 photos on the service already, without the express permission of the Army.

"You pay taxes. These are your pictures," Rhode said. "You should be able to see them."

Medical Museum's Flickr stream

Rare Trove of Army Medical Photos Heads to Flickr

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Gieben, Hessen, Germany
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
London, England, United kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

as well as Greece, Egypt, Lithuania, Spain, Turkey, Colombia, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You are going to be impressing others left and right today, your genuine charm is going to shine through.

Cool!

Carcinogens Found in Baby Bath Products

Photo credit: Getty Images

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble: Babies across America are sitting waist deep in an odious brew of cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins that could be detrimental to their health.

1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde found in popular kids' brands

Of the 48 kids' products tested for 1,4-dioxane, 67 percent showed up positive. The lab also uncovered the presence of formaldehyde in 82 percent of the 28 products it tested. In all, 17 products—including Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea baby wash, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel, and even Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo—were contaminated with both 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde.

Read more at TreeHugger.

Iberian Lynx Decline

From TreeHugger:

1.5% Decline in Endangered Iberian Lynx Population Seen in One Day

photo: Programa de Conservacíon Ex-situ del Lince Ibérico

When dealing with the world's most endangered feline species, the Iberian Lynx (estimated population, 200) every death matters. So when a pregnant Iberian Lynx was found dead in Doñana National Park it's worth passing on the news:

The cat in question was pregnant with two cubs and had been run over by a vehicle and then shot with a shotgun. According to an official speaking on condition of anonymity, it was getting hit by the vehicle that was the cause of death.

According to Arkive:

The Iberian Lynx is the world's most threatened species of cat and may become the first wild cat species to go extinct for over 2,000 years. Although smaller in size, it resembles the Eurasian Lynx, possessing the same characteristically bobbed tail, tufts on the ears and jaw, a spotted coat, muscular body and long legs.

Historically the Iberian Lynx's territory was throughout the Iberian peninsula and south of France. Today it is found only in small areas of central and southwest Spain, and in the Algarve mountains of Portugal.

More here

Endangered Species
10 Endangered Animas Which Aren't in the Spotlight, But Should Be
One in Six European Mammals Face Extinction
Ubercool "Mexican Walking Fish" Nearing Extinction

Provigil habit-forming

A so-called "smart drug" popular with young people may carry more of an addiction risk than thought.

Provigil habit-forming

Irish Frogs Survived Ice Age

As you know it is all about Ireland today.

So here is a tidbit of a curiosity of science about the Emerald Isle:

Ireland is not known for its wildlife, as much of it was wiped out in the Ice Age. But the single species of frog that lives on the Emerald Isle apparently toughed it out during that extreme climate event while the same type of frog back on the British mainland retreated.

Research by scientists at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Queen Mary, University of London, suggests that so-called common frogs (Rana temporaria) on Ireland survived by hanging out in a small ice-free refuge there, while those in Britain hit the high road.

Frogs in Ireland survived through ice age

The Germans usually aren't this sloppy

Centuries-Dead German Mathematician Receives TV Bill

In Germany, if you own a TV or radio, you have to pay a licensing fee as well as register it at the Television Licensing Collection Agency (GEZ).

Adam Ries was reminded of this fact the hard way, as he was sent a bill for his long-overdue television license fees.

Oh, wait, no he wasn't! Ries has been dead since 1559.

Cannibalistic squirrels?

Two wildlife lovers in Britain say they watched a bunch of squirrels enjoy a meal of potato chips flavored like squirrel stew.

Squirrels love squirrel-flavored chips

Talk about a bargin

A man in Croatia who bought an old Volkswagen van for only 100 pounds found 1,000 old Deutsch Marks under a seat.

New owner finds 1,000 Deutsch Marks under old VW's seat

This Land

Woody Guthrie

What does "Erin Go Bragh" mean?

What does "Erin Go Bragh" mean?

The usual translation is 'Ireland Forever'.

It was first used by Scots in America for their military unit's motto (these Scots had come to America by way of Ireland and were and are still today referred to as Scots-Irish by themselves and others) adapting the Scots Gael "Alban Go Braugh" which means 'Scotland Forever' to call Ireland by its Gaelic name 'Erin' in honor of the land they passed through leaving British tyranny for the New World.

And as usual some idiot misspelled 'Braugh' as 'Bragh' on the green flag the unit carried with a harp centered on its green field underlined by the motto ... and the rest, as is said is history.

*****

Haven't you ever wondered why all the Saint Patrick's Day parades in America feature Scots pipers? Even the granddaddy of them all in New York City.

It could happen

Two Irishmen walked passed a bar.

(Ok, I know it would be a very rare phenomena, but it could happen!)

Two Irishmen walked out of a bar.

(All right I know it is a extreme longshot, but it could happen, you know!)

Just in case ...

Just in case you've let the 'Erin Go Bragh' go to your head today. It might have slipped your mind that not only is today the holiest of Holies in any drunkard's life - Saint Patrick's Day - it is also Camp Fire Girls Day.

Fungus devastates 'chicken' frog

From BBC-Science:

Montserrat's "mountain chicken" frog is the latest victim of the lethal fungus sweeping the world.

Fungus devastates 'chicken' frog

Probe launches to map Earth's gravity in best detail yet

Europe's sleek GOCE satellite blasted off on Tuesday – the ion engine-propelled probe will map the planet's gravity field in unprecedented detail.

Probe launches to map Earth's gravity in best detail yet

Fossil of 'ultimate predator' unearthed in Arctic

Predator X would have normally used its two front flippers to swim, save the rear two for bursts of speed on the chase

(Illustration: Atlantic Productions)

Fossil remains of a huge and fearsome marine predator, dubbed "Predator X", have been discovered in Svalbard, a remote Arctic archipelago.

About 15 meters long and weighing 45 tons, the creature is a new species of pliosaur, and ruled the Jurassic seas some 147 million years ago.

Predator X had a head twice the size of Tyrannosaurus rex and its bite had four times the force, at around 33,000 pounds. Its teeth were each around a foot long.

The remains were discovered in June 2008 during a two-week expedition led by Jørn Hurum of the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo.

Read the rest at LiveScience.

Tactile Illusions

Tactile illusions 7: Parchment skin

In Australia, banned hyperlinks could cost you $11,000 a day

This is so wrong on so many levels:

The Australian communications regulator says it will fine people who hyperlink to sites on its blacklist, which has been further expanded to include several pages on the anonymous whistleblower site Wikileaks.

Wikileaks was added to the blacklist for publishing a leaked document containing Denmark’s list of banned websites.

The move by the Australian Communications and Media Authority comes after it threatened the host of online broadband discussion forum Whirlpool last week with a $11,000-a-day fine over a link published in its forum to another page blacklisted by ACMA - an anti-abortion website.

Full Story in the Sidney Morning Herald

Liars and Fools

Today's Liar and Fool is:

Faux's Glenn Brick says Obama is building concentration camps for repugicans

Swiping material from the X-Files, Faux's Glenn Brick warns that Obama is setting up FEMA concentration camps to warehouse the nation's neocons, fundies, wingnuts, and dittoheads.

From Daily Kos:

In a recent spot on FOX and friends, Beck claimed that he had conducted "research on" the so-called concentration camps being built by the Obama White House as part of a conspiracy to establish totalitarian rule in America and the he could not "debunk them." According to Beck, "If you have any fear that we might be heading toward a totalitarian state, look out. There is something happening in our country and it ain't good."

You've got to be kidding! Want to talk about being delusional ... no such 'camps' are being planned much less built and those that were under construction under the benevolence of the aforesaid neocons, fundies, wingnuts, and dittoheads have been abandoned.

Not a bad idea though! Reopening them and putting those that built them there, not a bad idea at all.

Some people definitely need a life in the worst way!

Own an English village

Kind of like the idea ...

The village of Linkenholt, England goes on sale this week. It consists of 22 homes and cottages, two blacksmiths, and a cricket field. The asking price is 22-25 million pounds ($31-35 million dollars).

From Reuters:

The archetypal English village is nestled in rolling countryside and boasts a manor house, old rectory and clock tower and is part of a 2,000-acre estate...

Locals, who rent their properties, are expected to stay on after the sale, and most hope that a change in ownership does not mean a change in lifestyle.

"It would be nice if somebody bought the estate and lived here and was Lord of the Manor to be quite honest, that's the general consensus of everyone in the village," said Colin Boast, one of the village's two blacksmiths.

"It would just be nice if somebody looked at the village and said 'well, let's keep it as the village it is.' But you never know."

For sale - One English village

Now, just have to come up with the scratch.

A-Hole-In-One

Believe it or don't: Golfer hits hole-in-one on her first swing ever

By Jay Busbee

Okay, ready for your you-gotta-be-kidding-me story of the week, if not the year?

Your setting: lovely St. Petersburg, Florida. Your heroine: 62-year-old Norweigan native Unni Haskell, who, after two months' worth of golf lessons, teed up her first-ever shot on a real live golf course.

On the first tee of the nine-hole par-3 Cypress Links in St. Pete, Ms. Haskell pulled out a driver -- this is a hundred-yard hole, but remember, Ms. Haskell had never played before -- and drilled a 75-yard corker that bumped, ran and ended up right in the hole.

That's right ... on the first swing of the first hole of the first course she ever played, Unni Haskell hit a hole-in-one.

Read the rest here.

*****

I know more than a few, who are seething with envy right about now!

Firm to close office for odd economic reason

In a new one ...

Sykes Enterprises will close a North Dakota office for an unusual reason in this deepening recession: it can't find enough employees to hire.

Firm to close office for odd economic reason

New credit card scheme could leave you hanging

Credit card companies are cutting people's limits below their outstanding balances without notification.

New credit card scheme could leave you hanging

Headlines

Headlines for March 17, 2009:

• Madagascar president hands power over to military
• On Africa trip, pope says condoms won't solve AIDS
• 30 years later, Afghan leader reburied with honor
• Daughter confronts Austrian incest father in video
• Chances for imminent return of Israeli captive dim
• Russia says US, NATO mean new arms needed
• Kangaroos in the firing line in Australia

Drink Green

From TreeHugger:

Photo: Jayce Giddens

Let’s get this out of the way first: I’ve never celebrated St. Patrick’s day. It’s nothing personal – I look terrible in a shamrock headband. But I thought in the spirit of this oh holiest day of imbibing, I would finally succumb and herald the occasion with a couple ways to booze (responsibly, folks) TreeHugger style.

Article continues: Drink Green on St. Patty’s Day without Ingesting FD&C Green No.3

Another Look at Global Warming

From TreeHugger:

What effect will climate change have on both the populated and less-populated parts of the US? Tom Brokaw will delve into it. Photo: Bruce Tuten via flickr

Want an hour-long update on the state of the world's knowledge on climate change and/or have a thing for Tom Brokaw? Then sit yourself down in front of the television on Wednesday, March 18th at 10PM ET/PT for the Discovery Channel's "Global Warming: The New Challenge With Tom Brokaw":

Article continues: Tom Brokaw Takes Another Look at Global Warming in New Hour-Long Discovery Channel Special

And I Quote

I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.

~ Mark Twain

Hello Goodbye

The Beatles

Go Get 'em

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday he has issued subpoenas for the names of American International Group employees given millions of dollars in bonuses despite their possible roles in the insurance giant's near-collapse.

Cuomo said his office will investigate whether the $165 million in payments are fraudulent under state law because they were promised when the company knew it wouldn't have the money to cover them.

More here

Designer Covers Mountain House with Recycled Tin Cans in Patagonia

From TreeHugger:

Photos: Manuel Rapoport.

Here's a proof that you can always go further if you're really fanatic about recycling. Also proof that some materials can look great in very unexpected places.

Argentine industrial designer Manuel Rapoport decided to cover his house in Bariloche, Patagonia, with tin cans from dry milk and tomato sauce. He also used whisky and cognac bottles to create bricks for small skylights and windows.

Check out how he did it, with many pics, in the extended.

Article continues: Designer Covers Mountain House with Recycled Tin Cans in Patagonia

There's a bit o'th' Irish in everyone

Irish Dancers

Rehab Lessons

Maureen McCormick tells Toby Keith the truth.

Portable computers circa 1982

Ah, The good old days ...

Just what is the difference between a pocket computer and some of the more sophisticated hand-held programmable calculators?

From a practical standpoint, it all depends on the type of information (data, if you will) that you manipulate. For many problems, numbers and mathematical formulas are all that are involved. And if number crunching is your game, either product may be suitable. (Astronauts, in fact, have often used programmable calculators to determine the data to be entered into on-board spacecraft computers.) Pocket or hand-held computers, however, not only allow you to crunch numbers (and in greater quantity), but to save them. You’ll also be able to save and manipulate letters and, in some cases, graphic symbols. This opens up problem solving to other-than-strictly-mathematical areas. In fact, it opens up the whole field of information storage and retrieval for virtually any purpose, from nuclear physics to household recipes.

Among the machines currently making their way to the marketplace, the two that most amply fit the criterion of pocketable are the Radio Shack TRS-80 Pocket Computer (manufactured by Sharp and also sold as the Sharp PC-1211) and the Quasar/Panasonic HHC (developed jointly by Matsushita of Japan and Friends Amis of San Francisco—those wonderful people in Silicon Valley who originally brought you the Atari video games and the Craig/Quasar/Panasonic language translator).

COMPUTERS THAT ARE REALLY PORTABLE

Western Wall rabbi says pope should not wear cross at site

Ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's May visit to Israel, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, has said that it is not proper to come to the site wearing a cross.

Full Story

And I Quote

Slang is the language which takes off its coat, spits on its hands - and goes to work.

~ Carl Sandburg

Ain't that the truth

Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.

~ Jean Paul Sartre

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Moscow, Moskva, Russian Federation
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Bratisalva, Bratisalva, Slovakia
London, England, United Kingdom
Belfast, North Ireland, United Kingdom
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Marburg, Hessen, Germany
Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

as well as Colombia and Romania

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Toss out your schedule and act spontaneously.

And away we go!

More Science News

More Science News:

• As Science Evolves, So Does Pluto Pluto's status nowadays as a so-called plutoid and former planet may be official in the latest textbooks, but someone forgot to tell the astronomers.
• Telescope Captures Grouping of Oddball Galaxy and Supernova

Blowin' in the wind

Bob Dylan

New North American Dinosaur Was Smaller Than Housecat

Tyrannosaurus rex and other massive Mesozoic creatures might have had a little predator nipping at their ankles and pilfering their young. Scientists have described the smallest dinosaur in North America, and it was a carnivore.

The new carnivorous dinosaur was smaller than a modern housecat and likely hunted insects, small mammals and other prey through the swamps and forests of the late Cretaceous Period (75 million years ago, precisely) in southeastern Alberta, Canada.

Weighing approximately 4 pounds (2 kilograms) and standing about a foot and a half tall (50 centimeters), Hesperonychus elizabethae resembled a miniature version of the bipedal predator Velociraptor, to which it was closely related. Hesperonychus walked on two legs and had razor-like claws and an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on its second toe. It had a slender build and slender head with dagger-like teeth.

Read the rest at LiveScience.

A clean house - 5 ways to fake it

Oh, great.

Your mother-in-law is on her way over (unexpectedly, of course) and your house is an absolute sty. It looks like a bomb went off in the living room and you haven't even had time to empty the kitchen sink.

Don't panic.

Here are five tips from Real Simple to help you fake a clean house in record time.

1. Hide the dishes. When the dishwasher is full and the sink is overflowing, stash dirty dishes and silverware in a stockpot. Shove the pot in the pantry or the oven until guests leave.

2. Light a candle. Everything looks better (and cleaner) by candlelight.

3. Camouflage spots. Drape a clean blanket neatly over a stained sofa. Strategically placed throw pillows can also cover up soiled upholstery.

4. Move laundry. Dump any laundry that needs to be folded into baskets. Place them on the washing machine to be sorted later.

5. Stack books. Pile books neatly on the floor, largest to smallest, next to a chair or a desk. Arrange catalogs and magazines in a deep decorative basket.

Headlines

Headlines for March 16, 2009:

• Obama berates AIG for 'recklessness and greed'
• Madagascar's president vows to resist rebel troops
• North Korea commits torture in prison 'death traps,' expert says
• Mexico slaps tariffs on U.S. products in retaliation to truck feud
• New test can detect Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages
• Study: High-voltage power lines can disorient cows and deer
• Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley makes transition to serious painter
• Cheap booze? British tradition under threat
  

DNA origami comes to life

Chemists have managed to create artificial DNA that can controllably build itself into larger, more complex structures, like a simplified version of what real DNA does.

DNA origami comes to life

Personality tests reveal the flip side of comedy

Climbing up on stage to tell jokes to a bunch of strangers may seem like the most extroverted of activities, but comedians have revealed a surprising shy side.

Personality tests reveal the flip side of comedy

You are so beautiful

Joe Cocker
(live from 1981)

Will democracy bring the demise of the hangman?

Politics means the vast majority of the world's executions take place in Asia – but that will eventually change, say David Johnson and Franklin Zimring.

Will democracy bring the demise of the hangman?

Science News

Science News:

Gravity may venture where matter fears to tread

Volcanic roar may reveal jet physics at work

Fumigating your greenhouse could drive climate change

New York will bear brunt of uneven sea level rise

Gravity ripples may reveal traces of supersymmetry

Watery asteroids may explain why life is 'left-handed'

Tactile Illusions

Tactile illusions 5: Change numbness

Tactile illusions 6: Motion after-effects

And now ... the bookkeeper

Now they are going after Bernie's bookkeeper ... his wife.

In a turn for equal rights prosecutors are going after the 'assets' in Ruth Madoff's name.

Bernard Madoff's wife could theoretically claim more than $100 million in assets -- and should forfeit it all, according to federal prosecutors.

the move by prosecutors seeks the court's help in recovering $22 million in Madoff properties, all of which are solely in Ruth Madoff's name except for one $3 million property. it also seeks $62 million in cash and securities in her name, $10 million in furnishings in the properties and $10 million for a yacht and other boats. - More

Of, course, she is whining that she is a 'victim' of her husband's scam. After all these years of demanding 'equal rights' - and getting them - why do some insist they are just the poor female victim of their dishonest male partners when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar?

Also, doesn't she know the bookkeeper always goes to jail ...

AIG in the news

President Obama declared Monday that insurance giant American International Group is in financial straits because of "recklessness and greed" and said he intends to stop it from paying out millions in executive bonuses. - More

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told American International Group he wanted a list on his desk by the end of the day of employees set to receive millions of dollars in bonuses. - More

Gardening Industry Booms

Gardening Industry Sees Boom as Families Grow Their Own Veggies to Save on Groceries

With the recession in full swing, many Americans are returning to their roots — literally — cultivating vegetables in their backyards to squeeze every penny out of their food budget.

Industry surveys show double-digit growth in the number of home gardeners this year and mail-order companies report such a tremendous demand that some have run out of seeds for basic vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and peppers.

“People’s home grocery budget got absolutely shredded and now we’ve seen just this dramatic increase in the demand for our vegetable seeds. We’re selling out,” said George Ball, CEO of Burpee Seeds, the largest mail-order seed company in the U.S. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Gardening advocates, who have long struggled to get America grubby, have dubbed the newly planted tracts “recession gardens” and hope to shape the interest into a movement similar to the victory gardens of World War II.

Full Story

Blueberry Hill

Fats Domino
(live)

Other ways to use plastic

Some real ideas for recycling plastic containers:

I like the idea of pancake batter in a ketchup bottle (providing there is no ketchup in it at the same time).

Not sure a coin purse made from plastic bottles though.

CNBC: Hold Wall Street accountable!

Aaron over at aaronsw.com says, "Did you see Jon Stewart's smackdown of Jim Cramer last week? Today, some friends and I are launching an 'Open Letter to CNBC' with dozens of respected economists, journalists, and progressive political leaders demanding that CNBC start holding Wall Street accountable, starting by hiring someone who was actually right about the economic crisis. We're trying to get everyone we can to sign on. When 5,000 people sign the open letter, we'll deliver it to CNBC's headquarters. Will you sign?"

Americans need CNBC to do strong, watchdog journalism – asking tough questions to Wall Street, debunking lies, and reporting the truth. Instead, CNBC has done PR for Wall Street. You’ve been so obsessed with getting “access” to failed CEOs that you willfully passed on misinformation to the public for years, helping to get us into the economic crisis we face today.

You screwed up badly. Don’t apologize – fix it!

CNBC should publicly declare that its new overriding mission will be responsible journalism that holds Wall Street accountable. As a down payment, we ask you to hire some new economic voices – people who have a track record of being right about the economic crisis and holding Wall Street executives’ feet to the fire.

CNBC: Hold Wall Street accountable!

EFF's searchable archive of secret government documents

Richard from the Electronic Frontier Foundation has this to say,

March 15-22 is Sunshine Week, an annual, non-partisan initiative to promote government transparency and the public's "right to know." EFF is celebrating by posting a heap of uncovered government documents online and launching a new search tool that lets the public search through them all by keyword. The documents cover cutting-edge digital civil liberties issues, like the Department of Homeland Security's data-mining projects, and FBI's surveillance technology, for example.

Information about these shadowy programs and policies would remain secret if EFF wasn't filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and lawsuits to pry the documents out of the government's hands and into the sunlight, and we need people's support to keep it going! Please donate to EFF during Sunshine Week and help shine a light on government secrets!

Help Make Open Government a Reality

Traffic linked to heart attacks

New research suggests that driving in traffic might increase the risk of heart attacks.

Scientists from Germany's Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muchen, studied a group of patients who had suffered heart attacks. Apparently, they were three times as likely to have been in traffic during the hour before the cardiac event.

From Science Daily:

Driving a car was the most common source of traffic exposure, but taking public transportation or riding a bicycle were other forms of exposure to traffic. Overall, time spent in any mode of transportation in traffic was associated with a 3.2 times higher risk than time spent away from this trigger. Females, elderly males, patients who were unemployed, and those with a history of angina were affected the most by traffic.

“Driving or riding in heavy traffic poses an additional risk of eliciting a heart attack in persons already at elevated risk,” said Annette Peters, Ph.D., lead author of the study and head of the research unit at the Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muchen, Germany.

While this study wasn’t structured to pinpoint the reasons that being in traffic may have increased the risk of heart attack, “one potential factor could be the exhaust and air pollution coming from other cars,” Peters said. “But we can’t exclude the synergy between stress and air pollution that could tip the balance.”

Traffic Exposure May Trigger Heart Attacks

They planned snitch's murder?

At the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, a snitch was assigned to share a cell with the murderer he had testified against.

You'll never guess what happened.

It's outrageous and terrifying when, as often happens in American prisons, inmates are denied health care, beaten or raped by guards or other inmates, but this isn't ordinary incompetence -- at first glance it raises suspicions that prison officials flat-out planned the murder of Paul Duran Jr.

More in The Oklahoman.

What really wiped out the dinosaurs

In the wake of our asteroid near-miss, people keep claiming that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.
But we all know it was the Cybermen.
Or time-traveling hunters ...

Here are some of the more imaginative theories from our Science-Fiction writers.
There are some doozies.

Ambassadors of Cute

Foreign envoys come in all shapes and sizes but rarely decked out in miniskirts, schoolgirl uniforms and polka-dot dresses adorned with bunny rabbits. Until now.

A dramatic new look for Japan’s diplomatic corps was unveiled by the country’s ministry of foreign affairs yesterday, part of a plan to boost its soft power abroad with what it called “ambassadors of cute”.

More in the Irish Times.

The Deepest Step Well in the World

Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village Abhaneri near Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan. This step well is located opposite Harshat Mata Temple and is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. It is a fine example of the architectural excellence prevalent in the past.

Find out more and see a lot more pictures of this well, here.

Teenagers and Dinosaurs

Like teenagers today, some juvenile dinosaurs used to hang out together, according to research announced today.

Also like teens, the dinos sometimes hung out in places they shouldn't have.

Teen Dinosaurs Got into Trouble

Bear and Wolf play

In this remote-camera footage from Glacier National Park in Montana, a bear and her cubs play an amazing long game of cat-and-mouse with a wolf.

Grizzly Bear with Cubs Charge a Wolf

And I Quote

It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.

~ Robert E. Lee

Health News

Health News:

Baby wash, shampoo contains cancer-causing chemicals, group says

Antidepressants linked to sudden death in women

Break Up Song

Greg Kihn Band

Liars and Fools

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Last Keffiyeh Factory in Hebron

French journalist Benoit Faiveley visits the last Palestinian Keffiyeh (the iconic headscarf made famous by Yasser Arafat) factory in Hebron on the West Bank.

Faced with Israeli military checkpoints, the complexity of exporting goods from the West Bank and now competition from Chinese Keffiyeh manufacturers, the factory might not outlive its 76-year-old owner.

Made in Palestine

Funny

Helpful advice for travelers

If you are going to get on a commercial flight, take a bomb with you.
BECAUSE: What are the odds of TWO guys being on the SAME PLANE at the SAME TIME with a bomb?

*****

Not too sure that is all that helpful in the advice department. It will get you places quickly though.

The Battle of New Orleans

With tomorrow being Saint Paddy's Day this video seems appropriate:

An Irish band sings 'The Battle of New Orleans'

The Irish really don't like the British. They take any opportunity to poke fun at the British. In fact, they'll even sing about other people fighting the British.

This video was filmed at the Danny Mann, in Killarney, Ireland on Saint Patrick's Day 2008.

Trends

For what ever reason the trend is Wednesday. That is the peak day for the number of readers here at Carolina Naturally in terms of returning regulars and new readers.
Not sure why, Wednesday, but it seems that is the day everyone likes to read.

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Longueuil, Quebec, Canada

as well as Sweden, Brazil Scotland, Wales, Poland, Germany and Spain

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You see people as they truly are and are not afraid to let them know what they are.

Boy, do I!
(and some actually don't like it. Imagine that.)