Have your fries and reduce your salt, too

One burger chain's French fries have twice the amount of sodium than of its competitor.

Reduce your salt

Also:

• Potato's nutritional value strong

Four foods kids should avoid

Play Video

See which "adult" foods may harm children's health.

Foods kids should avoid

Also:

• Vegging out with the kids
• Help your teen make better choices

Conficker virus on slow, sophisticated attack

A malicious software program many feared would wreak havoc on April 1 has infected tens of thousands of computers in recent weeks.

Conficker virus

Also:

• Macintosh botnet on the march

Bird strikes double at big airports

Collisions with birds have destroyed more than two dozen aircraft since 2000, according to newly released data.

Bird strikes

Also:

• Hawks protect Air Force planes

Saturday Jam

This Saturday's Jam Includes:

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Bonnie Tyler

No More Words

Berlin

Alone

Heart

Nothing Compares To You

Sinead O'Conner

We Belong

Pat Benatar

President Obama's Weekly Address

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
April 25, 2009

Good morning. Over the last three months, my Administration has taken aggressive action to confront an historic economic crisis. As we do everything that we can to create jobs and get our economy moving, we’re also building a new foundation for lasting prosperity – a foundation that invests in quality education, lowers health care costs, and develops new sources of energy powered by new jobs and industries.

One of the pillars of that foundation must be fiscal discipline. We came into office facing a budget deficit of $1.3 trillion for this year alone, and the cost of confronting our economic crisis is high. But we cannot settle for a future of rising deficits and debts that our children cannot pay.

All across America, families are tightening their belts and making hard choices. Now, Washington must show that same sense of responsibility. That is why we have identified two trillion dollars in deficit-reductions over the next decade, while taking on the special interest spending that doesn’t advance the peoples’ interests.

But we must also recognize that we cannot meet the challenges of today with old habits and stale thinking. So much of our government was built to deal with different challenges from a different era. Too often, the result is wasteful spending, bloated programs, and inefficient results.

It’s time to fundamentally change the way that we do business in Washington. To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative. That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent.

Earlier this week, I held my first Cabinet meeting and sent a clear message: cut what doesn’t work. Already, we’ve identified substantial savings. And in the days and weeks ahead, we will continue going through the budget line by line, and we’ll identify more than 100 programs that will be cut or eliminated.

But we can’t stop there. We need to go further, and we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to reforming government. That’s why I’m announcing several steps that my Administration will take in the weeks ahead to restore fiscal discipline while making our government work better.

First, we need to adhere to the basic principle that new tax or entitlement policies should be paid for. This principle – known as PAYGO – helped transform large deficits into surpluses in the 1990s. Now, we must restore that sense of fiscal discipline. That’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass PAYGO legislation like a bill that will be introduced by Congressman Baron Hill, so that government acts the same way any responsible family does in setting its budget.

Second, we’ll create new incentives to reduce wasteful spending and to invest in what works. We don’t want agencies to protect bloated budgets – we want them to promote effective programs. So the idea is simple: agencies that identify savings will get to keep a portion of those savings to invest in programs that work. The result will be a smaller budget, and a more effective government.

Third, we’ll look for ideas from the bottom up. After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers – not just management. That’s why we’ll establish a process through which every government worker can submit their ideas for how their agency can save money and perform better. We’ll put the suggestions that work into practice. And later this year, I will meet with those who come up with the best ideas to hear firsthand about how they would make your government more efficient and effective.

And finally, we will reach beyond the halls of government. Many businesses have innovative ways of using technology to save money, and many experts have new ideas to make government work more efficiently. Government can – and must – learn from them. So later this year, we will host a forum on reforming government for the 21st century, so that we’re also guided by voices that come from outside of Washington.

We cannot sustain deficits that mortgage our children’s future, nor tolerate wasteful inefficiency. Government has a responsibility to spend the peoples’ money wisely, and to serve the people effectively. I will work every single day that I am President to live up to that responsibility, and to transform our government so that is held to a higher standard of performance on behalf of the American people.

Thank you.

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Izmir, Izmir, Turkey
Mexico City, Dristrito Federal, Mexico
Doncaster, England, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt
Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait
Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Roubaix, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, France
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium
London, England, United Kingdom
Rennes, Bretagne, France
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Veenendaal, Utrecht, Netherlands
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

as well as Singapore, Scotland, Mauritius and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

A faithful friend needs your support today, and you should do whatever it takes to give it to them.
If you have to blow off a social engagement, do it -- you can reschedule something later.
If you have to skip lunch, do it -- when someone you care about is in need, food isn't that important.
All that matters is you showing another person how much they matter to you.
They have been there for you so very often in the past, and you need to pay them back.

You got it!

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Moon and Morning Star
Credit & Copyright: David Cortner

Wisconsin teen steals from cars to pay lawyer

From the "Not too bright now is he" Department:

A teen allegedly broke into cars to raise money to pay a lawyer to defend him on other charges. A criminal complaint said a resident caught the teen inside his Chevrolet Camaro in his garage about 4:30 a.m. April 16 and tackled him and held him for police.

Officers found a GPS system, nine CDs and seven video games in his backpack. The criminal complaint said he took the items to help pay for a lawyer.

He was charged with felony burglary, possession of burglar tools and bail jumping.

The teen was charged previously with drug possession, disorderly conduct and theft of movable property.

Southern Steel to close after 98 years

A longtime Charlotte steel fabricator once dubbed “Little Pittsburgh” is closing its doors, putting about 70 people out of work.

Southern Steel, which founded in Charlotte 98 years ago, moved into its current Steele Creek plant seven years ago during a multimillion-dollar expansion.

On Friday, president Glenn Chambers said the company had struggled during the last year as the construction market, and demand for its products, dried up.

“I think everyone in the construction industry has seen things turning south for a year,” he said. “Then with the credit market joining the construction decline, it's just a bad combination.”

Southern Steel's parent company, Beta International, also owns a rebar plant in Rock Hill, Carolina Rebar, which employs 30 workers, and a structural steel fabricator in Lynchburg, Va., that employs 125 people.

Chambers said the company will focus resources on those companies, which he said are doing well.

Unchained Melody

Just in time for the Anniversary ...

Righteous Brothers

Life imitates the movies

In a Gran Torino moment ...

Two men attempted to carjack Ted Mazetier, 84, of Tacoma, Washington. So he beat the crap out of them.

From KOMO NEWS:

Mazetier was driving down South Proctor Street Wednesday night when he spotted a car on the curb and two guys standing nearby. He thought they needed help, so he stopped...

"When I opened the door, he started toward me and I kicked him in the balls," he said.

When the other man charged, Mazetier put his feet up and kicked him in the belly.

"He kind of bent a little and went down. And I went around the guy and I'm in the street, and I'm waving for cars to stop and, you know, help."

The two men fled, not having gotten whatever they were looking for.

Don't you mess with grandpa, sonny

Behavioral Science and Climate Change

David Zax wrote a piece for Seed magazine about social scientist Ben Ho who is applying what he knows about behavioral economics to climate change, and how people might be "tricked" into reducing their carbon footprints.

Residents of a community were shown how their energy use measured up against the communal average. If they consumed more than the average, most reduced energy in the months ahead. If households saw that they consumed less energy than their peers, however, their energy use actually rose, except when the frugal households were given the merest of rewards: a smiley face on their bill.

Can we trick ourselves into saving ourselves?

I Walk The Line

Johnny Cash

Can the Madden Curse Take Down Two Players at Once?

Electronic Arts has selected two players to grace the cover of Madden 2010. Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals will both be featured on the cover of the Madden NFL 2010 video game.

Full Story

Craigslist Founder Won't Shut Down Erotic Services

He May Not Have Much of a Choice Though

The brutal killing of 25-year-old Julissa Brisman in Boston earlier this month has raised questions about Craigslist's role in facilitating serious crimes, however inadvertently.

In an exclusive interview with Martin Bashir, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark (pictured) spoke for the first time about the latest Craigslist-related murder, expressing compassion for the victim.

"My first reaction is sympathy, I mean I feel pretty bad for the victims and their families. I don't like it at all. Beyond that, well, how would you feel if ... the bad guy watched what you do on TV and started calling [you] the 'ABC Killer?' That's pretty much how I'm reacting," Newmark said. "It just feels bad. You know, remember, I'm spending a great deal of time here fighting bad guys."

Philip Markoff, 23, was arrested Monday and charged with Brisman's murder. Police say he contacted her through a Craigslist ad offering exotic massage services.

Markoff denies all the charges, but police say there's ample evidence linking him to the crime, including plastic restraints similar to those used in the murder, a gun found in his apartment that allegedly links him to the shooting and even the underwear of the victim. Markoff is now sitting alone in a Boston jail cell, on suicide watch.

Craigslist is now one of the most-visited Web sites on the planet. Newmark's online service allows users to post advertisements for everything from yard sales to massage services. Every major city in America has its own Craigslist, and there are hubs overseas. Most of the postings are free, and there are separate sections for jobs, apartments and social events.

But there are also sections called "Casual Encounters" and "Erotic Services."

Many in law enforcement believe these sections involve the brazen promotion of prostitution.

The site has been criticized by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. "Craigslist is the largest source of prostitution in America," said Cook County Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart.

Newmark, however, disagrees, saying that his site does not facilitate prostitution.

"Sometimes a bad guy of some sort tries to pull a fast one on our site. We don't want it there, it's wrong, and that's why we have the help of the general community and the law enforcement community getting rid of things like that," he said.

Prostitution aside, the site was linked with several violent crimes in recent years.

This month Michael Anderson was found guilty of shooting a woman to death lured to his apartment by a Craigslist ad. Earlier this year New York radio reporter George Weber was stabbed 50 times in his Brooklyn apartment, murdered by a man who answered Weber's ad on Craigslist offering $60 for "rough sex." In January Willie Donaldson was indicted for fatally shooting Michael Hicks, a man he met on Craigslist in Arlington, Virginia. Donaldson's attorney argued that his client fired at Hicks in self-defense.

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said the 50-million strong Craigslist community has a low incidence of crime.

"Now the risk is not zero, and no occurrence of violent crime is acceptable," Buckmaster said.

Newmark echoed Buckmaster's comment, saying, "I'm very proud that our site is composed of people who are overwhelmingly trustworthy and good. I am very proud that there is very little crime on our site, proportionately. Compare that to any other American community, look at the numbers."

As a private company, Craigslist is under no obligation to publish its financial records, and it has never done so. But industry experts estimate the site made between $60 and $80 million last year alone.

Last November Buckmaster said Craigslist will donate 100 percent of its net revenues from erotic services ads to charities.

"We always think that we should be doing more," said Buckmaster. "Anytime something like this happens, and even if it's not happening, we are looking for ways to improve the site. Not just in this area, but in all areas."

On Wednesday Blumenthal asked Craigslist to stop what he calls "pimping and prostitution in plain sight."

"I don't agree with that particular comment," Buckmaster told ABC News.

Blumenthal urged the site to take down pornographic photographs, hire more staff to enforce standards and fine users who violate the site's terms and conditions. Buckmaster and Newmark have not yet identified any specific actions Craigslist will take to prevent crime or police the site.

"We love to get constructive criticism, suggestions and ideas from law enforcement. We consider them partners," Buckmaster said. "Anything that Attorney General Bloomenthal suggests we should have a hard look at in these areas, that's what we are going to do. We aren't comfortable with any crime happening on Craigslist, and we are going to keep working, as we announced with the attorney general, that we are going to keep working and adopting new measures until we get that off the site."

Newmark said he regularly polices the site for illegal ads and responds to users, often working from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"I just, as of today, accumulated all of the e-mails that I received over the year, so I was able to do a count, and it's 195,000 e-mails that I received over the last 365 days. And I know that I'm sending out roughly 40,000 e-mails per year," he said.

But with a staff of fewer than 30 people, and more than 40 million new classified ads posted every month, it's virtually impossible to keep track of every advertisement.

Craigslist does allow users to flag inappropriate items on the site, part of Newmark's effort to preserve Craigslist as a "free, open democratic system," albeit one that isn't perfect.

"If you see something that's wrong with our site, you can flag it for removal, and if other people agree with you, they can flag it also. And if enough people flag the ad, it will be removed automatically," he said. "The system works pretty well, not perfect. Some misconceptions about that are that often ads are removed and people think they are still there because the ad is still in their browser. That's something that I have to explain to someone about every day."

Currently, Newmark does not plan to shut down the erotic services section.

"Every section on Craigslist is based on community feedback. People in law enforcement and related areas told us that they want us to isolate some of the, some kinds of ads in their own particular categories," he explained. "For example, we have erotic services, because that concentrates legitimate erotic services in one area, so people know what they are going to see when they get there. This has been reinforced very strongly recently by the law enforcement."

In a 2006 interview with "Nightline", Newmark also defended the erotic services section, saying, "People would find other ways to do it," he said. "It would spread to other, more legitimate sections of our site."

On May 3 Newmark will attend a benefit concert in Minnesota for a scholarship fund at St. Olaf College in memory of 24-year-old Katherine Olson, who responded to a Craigslist ad for a nanny, and was murdered by the man who had placed the ad.

Newmark says he'll always be committed to the community he formed and now serves.

"I'll do this until I die," Newmark said.

Hero dog's medal sold at UK auction for $35,700

A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out scores of survivors in rubble of the Blitz was sold at auction Friday for 24,250 pounds Auctioneers said the buyer chose to remain anonymous.

Full Story

The Legal World is Ganging Up on Craigslist

"Late night cravings special," promises the Craigslist ad in the "erotic services" category. "My exotic mix makes me an intoxicating and sensual treat."

The "treat" runs a discreet 100 "rose petals" for 15 minutes, 130 rose petals for a half-hour and 160 for an hour.

Prostitution persists on Craigslist even as attorneys general pressure the online classified service to stamp it out, experts say. Those efforts are intensifying after the killing of a Boston masseuse hired through the site.

"It is clear that Craigslist is the new frontier," said Mark Lagon, executive director of the Polaris Project, an anti-slavery group.

Many of the victims who come to Polaris can point to a Craigslist posting used by a trafficker to market their bodies against their will, Lagon said in an April 6 letter to the site.

"Ultimately, the 'erotic services' section must be shut down," Lagon wrote, noting that a study last year found that Craigslist was the site used most frequently by johns seeking prostitutes.

The recent arrest of Boston University medical student Philip Markoff, charged with murder, armed robbery and kidnapping for the killing of a 25-year-old masseuse he met through Craigslist and the robbery of another, has intensified long-standing concerns about the ads.

In Illinois, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart sued Craigslist last month, saying the site not only allows the solicitation of prostitution, but also has actively created "the largest source of prostitution in America."

Craigslist rejected the sheriff's contentions, saying the company cooperates with law enforcement, has taken several steps to prevent illegal use of the site and pulls inappropriate ads.

"The Internet is still fairly new, and there's a tendency to focus on any crime story that has a connection to the Internet, as I suspect was done in the early days of the telephone as well," Jim Buckmaster,[pictured] Craigslist's CEO, told The Associated Press.

The Web site is among the most popular for posting classified ads, with 42.2 million visitors in the United States in March, a 48 percent increase from a year earlier, according to Andrew Lipsman, director of industry analysis for Comscore Inc.

In November, Craigslist reached an agreement with several attorneys general nationwide to crack down on ads for prostitution on its Web sites. The deal requires those who post "erotic services" ads to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The Web site must provide that information to law enforcers if subpoenaed.

Buckmaster said at the time that the deal would allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while strongly discouraging companies conducting illegal business.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday called on Craigslist to stop what he calls "pimping and prostitution in plain sight." He asked the site to immediately eliminate photographs in the "erotic services" section, hire staff to screen images and ads that violate the site's terms of service and fine users who violate those terms.

Blumenthal said Thursday that he plans to meet with Craigslist officials in the next week and is confident that his counterparts around the country will support him in reaching another agreement.

"I'm confident that they are committed to stronger steps against ads that can lead to horrific tragedies such as occurred in Boston," Blumenthal said. "The Boston tragedy is only one of many brutal and violent crimes that occur as a result of prostitution ads or other illicit activities on this site and similar ones."

Buckmaster said Wednesday that criminals who use the site are virtually guaranteed to get caught because they leave electronic trails that are easily traced. He noted that there have been billions of interactions on Craigslist, adding, "Compared to human society as a whole the risks of Craigslist are low, but they're not zero."

Some are skeptical about the efforts to combat the world's oldest profession on the Web. Trying to curb the ads on Craigslist may just drive them to another site that is less cooperative with authorities, said Steve Jones, a professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"Craigslist is sort of only a symptom of the problem," Jones said. "The problem here is criminal behavior. Criminal behavior will find a way to express itself regardless of the medium."

The issue shows how authorities are struggling with how to respond to age-old social ills that are increasingly emerging on the relatively new Internet, he said.

"In some ways it's kind of a constant cat and mouse game," Jones said. "We have a long way to go to figure out how to deal with them."

Take My Breath Away

Berlin

Erratic wildfires keep Myrtle Beach on edge

Play Video

South Carolina's biggest wildfire in decades is threatening to rage again near tourist spots after an overnight lull.

Erratic wildfires

Also:

• See photos
• Residents react

What your favorite songs say about you

From classic rock to classical, your musical taste can mean a lot when you're making a first impression.

Favorite songs

Swine flu deaths worry world health experts

Mexico City schools, museums, and theaters are closed after up to 61 die and hundreds sickened from a new strain of swine flu.

Swine flu

Also:

• Health experts look into 7 U.S. flu cases
• About swine flu

'Hidden photons' to send secret emails through Earth

If the hypothetical particles exist, we could use them to send messages straight through the center of the planet.

Secret emails through Earth

Dark matter may have ripped up early universe

A billion years after the big bang, hydrogen atoms were mysteriously torn apart.

Could dark matter be the culprit?

Dark matter

Road kill tally hints at wildlife health

Counting road kill may be an effective way to keep track of changes in local wildlife populations

Road kill

NJ judge taking a month to rule on blogger rights in Too Much Media Case

It's expected to be at least a month before a New Jersey judge decides whether to dismiss a lawsuit against a blogger.

Freehold-based Too Much Media, which sells software to porn Web sites, is suing Shellee Hale.(pictured) The company wants the judge to order the Washington state resident to reveal her sources in postings she made last year claiming customer information was compromised.

Hale's lawyer argues she's protected by shield laws for journalists.

The judge heard arguments on the issue Thursday.

*****

This case has far reaching issues attached to it and could place one helluva roadblock in the path of bloggers and blogs. I am none too sure of the 'journalist' defense however - at least in the traditional sense of the word. If her sources were/are legitimate then naming them would be a non-issue as a blogger - as a journalist maybe not such a non-issue. If they are pulled from the ether, then Libel it is, blogger or journalist.

As said, traditionally a blogger is not a journalist but with the changing mode of communication in the internet era that may not be the case any longer. This blog 'reports' and 'editorializes' and according to more than a few readers, 'is where they get their news', so - a journalist - maybe, maybe not. But the 'protections' afforded journalists are afforded bloggers just as the 'liabilities' of journalists are that of bloggers as well - you can not have the Ying without the Yang.

Obama responds to soldier's worried mother

A woman fearful for her son in Iraq says she feels much better after getting the president's handwritten note. Something the shrub would never do!

Obama responds

Something the shrub would never do! Then again President Obama is an actual human being with intelligence, wit, manners and grace. Qualities completely absent from the shrub.

Empty airport gets millions

Play Video

Pennsylvania's small John Murtha airport doesn't get a lot of passengers, but it does pull in big stimulus cash.

Taxpayer money

Cops News

Stupid police officer. Thinks he has more 'authority' than he actually does.

Men find abandoned safe thought to be century old

Two men said they've found an abandoned safe by the side of some railroad tracks and that it could be more than a century old.

Full Story

Shark Dumped On Australian Newspaper's Doorstep

Journalists have a lot to be nervous about lately: layoffs, furloughs, newspaper closures. But reporters at an Australian paper may have received the scariest threat of the day when a live shark was left on their doorstep.

Full Story

One-eyed, 3-legged alligator found on Florida beach

It sounds more like something out of a freak show: a one-eyed, 3-legged alligator.

Full Story

Owl lives in Arkansas Home Depot

A Home Depot in northern Arkansas has someone new looking out for mice at the warehouse store.

Full Story

I guess the 'better' old fashioned method of keeping a Black Snake in the 'Barn' to keep away the rats and mice (and other snakes as well - of the poisonous variety) wouldn't set too well with the wimmin and cityfolks.

Yoga at 83

Bette Calman is a yoga instructor at age 83.
She teaches as many as 11 classes a week and has no plans to retire.

From News.com.au:

"Even a basic posture, or just going to a window and breathing deeply, can have big benefits."

It's that spirit that has made Mrs Calman a legend. The author of three yoga books was a pioneer of the regime in Australia in the 1950s, ran yoga centers interstate for 33 years and made regular TV appearances in the 70s.

Yoga instructor Bette Calman still going strong at 83

Damn, I wish I could do that! I can toss telephone poles and boulders around all day, but yoga - furgitaboutet!

Unusual Holidays and celebrations

You realize it is Arbor Day today, but are you aware it it is also National Hairball Awareness Day as well?

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
La Baie, Quebec, Canada
Kerch, Krym, Ukraine
Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt

as well as Singapore

and

Anderson, Indiana: Durham, North Carolina: Washington, D.C.: Milford, Connecticut: Chicago, Illinois: Dayton, Ohio: Baltimore, Maryland: West Palm Beach, Florida: Englewood, Colorado: Columbia, Tennessee: Phoenix, Arizona: Las Vegas, Nevada: Chico, California: Olathe, Kansas:
Arlington, Virginia: Tacoma, Washington: Princeton, West Virginia: Plano, Texas: Honolulu, Hawaii: Sharon, Massachusetts: New Providence, New Jersey; Royersford, Pennsylvania: New Orleans, Louisiana: Madison, Wisconsin: Springfield, Missouri: Livonia, Michigan: Albany, New York: Portland, Oregon: Stone Mountain, Georgia: Bangor, Maine: Muscatine, Iowa: Lincoln, Nebraska: Jackson, Mississippi: New Castle, Delaware: London, Kentucky: Pinson, Alabama: La Crescent, Minnesota: Casper, Wyoming: Salt Lake City, Utah: Anchorage, Alaska: Tulsa, Oklahoma: Pelhamn, New Hampshire: Montpelier, Vermont: Billings, Montana: Boise, Idaho: Perrie, South Dakota: Fargo, North Dakota: Moncks Corner, South Carolina

in the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Today calls for more creative types of communication -- featuring your special brand of flair.
Express yourself by writing a poem, whipping up a song, or breaking out into a modern dance -- do whatever it takes to get yourself noticed by the people who care about you the most.

Give them a smile!

OK, but do I need to wear greasepaint and floppy shoes to do it?

“Fairy tales and legends” is the theme of this year’s World Sand Sculpture Festival now underway at the Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori prefecture. On display (until May 31) are 19 massive works crafted by world-class sculptors from ten nations. The artists used around 2,700 tons of sand and took about two weeks to complete their works. Can you identify the fairy tales and legends depicted in these sand sculptures?

More Pics: Pink Tentacle

Via: Renegade Futurist

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody played on the Classical Guitar by Edgar Cruz.

Cow genome revealed – but how to milk it?

A Hereford cow named L1 Dominette has something that no other heifer in the world can claim: the sequence to her genome.

How to milk it?

Scholars at odds over mysterious Indus script

A new analysis of an as yet undeciphered script from South Asia has ignited a row over whether it is a language or not.

Scholars at odds over mysterious Indus script

Health News

In Health News:
A virus that gobbles up a bacterium that causes persistent ear infections could be the next weapon against bacteria that have evolved resistance to antibiotics.

Viruses could kill superbugs that antibiotics can't

Volunteers to receive first vaccine based on whole but weakened malaria parasite.

Trial debut for malaria vaccine from mosquito spit

Matters Astronomical

Astronomers have spotted the most distant blob of gas ever seen – they're puzzling over how it got so large so soon after the big bang.

Mysterious cosmic blob discovered in early universe

On the dark side of the Earth, space is riddled with giant plasma tornadoes that power shimmering auroral displays, new observations reveal.

Giant space tornadoes create Earth's auroras

Ape behaviour reveals secrets of human evolution

No one thing pushed our distant ancestors across the threshold of humanity. Studying our nearest living relatives provides clues that can't be found in bones and stones.

Ape behaviour reveals secrets of human evolution

How nosy mice sniff out sickness

Certain smell receptors in mice respond to disease-related molecules produced by viruses or bacteria, researchers have discovered.

Sniff out sickness

Straw house beats the shakes in earthquake test

Cheap houses built from straw bales could be a boon in earthquake zones

Straw house in earthquake test

Ancestors may have used bone tools to make smoothies

A new analysis of million-year-old relicts suggests our ancestors used bone tools to process fruit and to procure their protein from termites in the ground.

Smoothies

Fluorescent puppy is world's first transgenic dog

A cloned beagle that glows could help researchers to model human disease, but the process could be too expensive to continue.

Fluorescent puppy

Classical Gas

Mason Williams

The Big Picture

From BBC-Science:

Science News

From BBC-Science;

Vanishing habitat Endangered wildlife of disappearing orchards

Webbed life Arctic fossils trace evolution of seals and walruses

World first for strange molecule

A type of molecule that until now only existed in theory has finally been made, proving a Nobel prize-winner was right.

Daily Funny

Boy: Will you punish me for something I didn't do?
Teacher: Of course not!
Boy: Good, cause I didn't do my homework!

Pharmacy Admits Guilt in Death of Polo Ponies

Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., admitted on Thursday that it was responsible for the deaths of 21 Venezuelan polo ponies by incorrectly preparing medication for the animals.

Full Story

Chewing gum helps with math

Now here's something every teacher I knew would dread ...

Chewing gum in class may make students smarter. A recent study has shown that chewing gum in class helps reduce stress, improve alertness and relieve anxiety for students.

Full Story

N.J. case Involving Porn Company Too Much Media could define free speech on web

A Superior Court judge in Monmouth County, New Jersey will be asked today whether a woman from the Pacific Northwest who posted comments online about the pornography industry should have the same protections as working journalists when it comes to sorting out allegations of slander.

Shellee Hale (pictured) wrote forum posts alleging security flaws at Freehold- based Too Much Media LLC from her home computer in Washington state and was sued by the company for defamation. Too Much Media, which helps online adult entertainment companies track sales, acknowledged the breach, but says no customer information was lost.

The case being heard in Superior Court in Freehold may help define free speech rights on the internet, where experts say posters have long asserted First Amendment protections -- regardless of what they write.

Hale, who writes four blogs, is seeking protection as a journalist from disclosing her sources. She has been writing on internet safety for five years and contributing to such publications as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week. She also obtained her private investigator's license in 2008, according to court papers.

Litigation like the suit against Hale has so far been uncommon in New Jersey, but that may change as blogs, chat rooms and networking sites become ubiquitous.

"It's rare, but I think it's going to become more common as that becomes the primary way of people communicating," said Tom Cafferty, counsel to the New Jersey Press Association.

Hale's legal troubles began last year when she posted comments relating to a software security breach at the Monmouth County company on a message board frequented by those in the adult entertainment industry. She said the breach potentially could have given hackers access to names and addresses of account holders. Company officials said consumer information, including credit card numbers, was never compromised.

Company principles John Albright and Charles Berrebbi said the postings, which included allegations they had threatened Hale's life, amount to slander against them and their firm. They want Hale to reveal her sources and pay punitive damages for harming the company's reputation.

"The issue of libel and slander has been litigated heavily for TV and radio," said Jeffrey Pollock, the Lawrenceville attorney representing Hale. "But when it comes to websites, not so much."

Courts have traditionally recognized slander as spoken defamation and libel as written defamation. Pollock said the standard used in considering the case against Hale should be libel -- which is much harder to prove in court than slander -- because her comments were written.

Pollock is trying to get the case dismissed by asking Superior Court Judge Louis Locasio to declare Hale to be protected by so-called shield laws. Built on court decisions and a variety of state laws, the shield generally protects working journalists from revealing their sources except in the case of a crime.

In his lawsuit, filed last June in Superior Court in Freehold, company attorney Joel Kreizman said Hale "has embarked on a campaign to defame and otherwise ma lign the plaintiffs (TMM) in those chat rooms."

"She has seized upon and uti lized the security breach as the underlying theme of her attacks, but they are made without any basis in fact and without any concern for truth," Kreizman wrote.

Cafferty said Hale's claim to a reporter's protections may be dubious. He said just because Hale contributed to publications in the past doesn't mean she necessarily was shielded for this investigation.

He said a court will most likely look at whether she was disseminating the information through a publication or for her own purpose, because judges realize they have to be careful who gets the protection. If the newsperson's shield is extended to everyone who posts items on the internet, "then everyone is a journalist and the privilege becomes meaningless," he said.

TMM contends Hale, as a blogger, isn't entitled to the protection.

Hale said in court papers she gravitated toward internet security issues after hearing her other mom- friends complain about unsolicited pop-ups and spam -- the often-annoying advertisements plugging everything from credit card offers to skin care products, she said in court papers.

What are 'good' and 'bad' debts?

Today's economy has blurred some of the rules for your financial portfolio.

What are 'good' and 'bad' debts?

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Macs' virus-free reputation may be waning

A new network of infected machines dubbed the "iBotnet" could signal the end of Mac's free ride on the security train.

Waning

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• Baby-Shaker iPhone game yanked

What fast food can cost by the calorie

A look at some popular menu items and their total cost per 100 calories — from the priciest to the cheapest.

By the calorie

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Fundies Pervert Everything

AWARE, a 25-year-old Singaporean women's right organization, recently found itself in turmoil after a coup orchestrated by conservative fundamentalist Christians who signed up in large numbers just before the annual general meeting, then elected a new executive that immediately purged the organization of all its traditional leadership down to the subcommittee chairs.

AWARE held its annual general meeting (AGM) on 28 March 2009. There were over 100 people present. Of them, about 80 had only joined the organisation between January and March, one to three months before the meeting. Nine out of 12 executive committee (EXCO) places, including four Office Bearer positions, went to newcomers, who were voted in by wide majorities. There are wide-ranging suspicions that this "leadership grab" has been orchestrated by a well-organised group who do not share AWARE's values and who are seeking to use the name and the resources of a well-respected institution to further their own agenda. These concerns have been expressed not only by onlookers, but by older members of Aware...

# The new president, Josie Lau and 5 other Exco members belong to the same church, Church of Our Saviour. Given this, it is very likely, in our view, that they have acted in concert to take over AWARE. We do not know why as they have refused to disclose their reasons to either members of AWARE or to the press and this makes us even more worried. They, or persons whom they have been associated with, have written homophobic letters to the press. While that is their personal conviction to which they are entitled, we do not want AWARE to be made into a vehicle for any hidden agenda.

# Josie Lau, was in charge of the DBS Charity Drive in support of Focus On The Family, US-based Christian organisation that is opposed to abortion and equal rights for sexual minorities. This created a controversy last year which was well-documented.

# 160 members, including former AWARE committee members and founder members, petitioned for an extraordinary general meeting to consider a vote of no confidence in the New Exco on the basis that the New Exco has not acted and is not acting in the best interest of AWARE; does not appreciate or share the values of AWARE and does not have the requisite experience of carrying out AWARE's work or is otherwise inadequate to further AWARE's objectives. An EGM will be held on 2 May 2009.

More Here

Pirate Bay Judge member Of Copyright Board Lobbying Group

According to Swedish National Radio, the judge in the Pirate Bay trial is a board member for a copyright industry lobbying group, and this conflict of interest may result in a mistrial.

There are different types of ____ ('jäv', translation help needed). The most obvious case is if a judge is related to one of the inflicted parties. This is not the case here. But the concept of _____ ('delikatessjäv', translation help needed) exists, and that means that you as a judge must not have any reason to be deemed partial.

"But I do not think that I can be deemed partial because of these engagements," says Tomas Norström, judge in The Pirate Bay trial.

How do you explain that several law experts disagree with you?

"You will have to ask them that yourself. Every time I am presented with a count, I access if I see myself as partial. That I have not in this case," says Tomas Norström.

But it does not matter what the judges thinks himself. This thinks Erik Bylander, associate professor in law practice at the Gothenburg Business College.

"Regardless of the judge's viewpoint, it can seem highly questionable. In a high profile lawsuit such as this one, I am _____ ('förvåna', translation help needed) that the court has not been more careful," he says.

The Pirate Bay trial invalid?

Rättegången kan tas om

(Sorry for the missing text, but using one of those online translators leaves some gaps in translations and the Dane who translated the Swedish used just such a translator.)

Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh

A video showing a member of the United Arab Emirates' royal family torturing a man with whips, electrocution and a nail-spiked board has been released.
The Minister of the Interior (one of the torturer's brothers) reviewed the recording and concluded "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department."

A man in a UAE police uniform is seen on the tape tying the victim's arms and legs, and later holding him down as the Sheikh pours salt on the man's wounds and then drives over him with his Mercedes SUV.

In a statement to ABC News, the UAE Ministry of the Interior said it had reviewed the tape and acknowledged the involvement of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, brother of the country's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed.

Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh

Hobbits are real ... small

Credit: Stony Brook University

A Homo floresiensis skeleton cast was displayed April 21 at Stony Brook University, next to modern human skull and bones for comparison.

The Hobbit looks even smaller in real life.

A skeleton cast of tiny and controversial Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the Hobbit, went on public display for the first time Tuesday at Stony Brook University on Long Island.

The specimen, discovered in 2003 in Indonesia, is hotly debated among scientists. Some claim it represents a new diminutive hominin species, while others argue it is simply a modern human dwarfed by some medical condition.

All agree the original Hobbit was extremely compact compared to us.

More here.

Barber of Seville

Woody Woodpecker sings ...

Postal worker accused of stealing 'breakup book'

From the "Not the sharpest tool in the shed" Department:

A Pittsburgh postal worker faces up to 10 years in prison if she's convicted of stealing two items of dubious value from the mail: $25, and a book on a woman's perspective of breaking up with men.

Full Story

Milestones

6000th post

This ol'blog has made it to 6000 posts, wow, and still going strong.

Girl filmed abusing pet dog

A dog was filmed being beaten and kicked in a sickening attack - by a girl aged 12.

OK, my question is ... why did the 'filmer' not stop filming and stop the girl from beating and kicking the dog?

Full Story

Whale protection research boat hits endangered whale

Talk about a odd turn of events ...

A research vessel for the federal agency charged with protecting the endangered right whale hit one of the animals off the Massachusetts coast this weekend, cutting into the animal's left tail fluke with its propeller.

Full Story

A Slice of Philosophy

Ability will enable a man to get to the top, but character will keep him from falling.

Queen's Cup Steeplechase

Saturday, Apr 25 1:30pm at Brooklandwood, Mineral Springs, NC

Price: Prices vary. General Admission badges available for $35.
Call (704) 843-7070 for full pricing details.

Age Suitability: None Specified

The Queen's Cup is like no other sporting and social event in the Charlotte region. A Saturday afternoon in the country each spring is greeted with great anticipation.

Thousands come to see some of the most athletic thoroughbreds compete at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. The jockeys, dressed in bright colored silks, push their sleek steeds to clear four foot jumps over a two to three mile rolling turf course. All for the prestige of thousands of dollars in purse money and the opportunity to bask in the glory of the winner's circle.

Beyond the excitement of the races, families and friends enjoy some fast-paced mingling and socializing. The Queen's Cup annually solidifies business as well as personal relationships; and keeps both strong by bringing people together year after year.

The Queen's Cup offers breathtaking views of the entire racecourse from the Lawn Boxes and Hospitality Tents on Exclusive Member's Hill to tailgating spots throughout the entire racecourse. For the first time in steeplechase history, Personal Space Licenses (PSL's) are being offered to our race patrons so that you and your family can enjoy your very own Lawn Box or Tailgating Space for generations to come.

Event Website

Headlines

Headlines for April 23, 2009:

• Iraqi officials say al-Qaida-linked chief arrested
• Pakistan: Troops sent to Taliban-threatened area
• Donors pledge over $250 million for Somalia
• Sri Lanka seeks int'l aid to care for displaced
• South African ruling party leads in elections
• Somali piracy suspects in Kenya court
• Russian FM sees no breakthrough in NKorea trip

Souh Carolina Wildfires

Planning a beach trip anytime soon? You just might want to go to the mountains instead.

Smoke billows at the Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Gov. Mark Sanford has declared a state of emergency for the South Carolina county where a fire has burned thousands of acres near one of the state's busiest tourist areas.

Sanford on Thursday ordered the state of emergency for Horry County. He said the blaze has destroyed dozens of homes and consumed 15,000 acres, or about 23 square miles, nearly double earlier estimates.

No injuries have been reported.

More here.

Also:

Fires, 'wall of smoke' close in on S.C. tourist spots

Photographers are capturing the frightening scene as the large coastal blaze spreads.

And:

• Read latest updates on blaze
• Raw video of blaze

Convenient side jobs for extra cash

These jobs can be worked around a 9-to-5 schedule and utilize skills you may already have.

Side jobs

Also:

• Low-cost business you can start
• Blogging a growing profession

Credit card companies face Obama's rebuke

Play Video

High fees and predatory lending practices have prompted the White House to call an unpleasant meeting.

Obama's rebuke

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Craigslist CEO: Crooks who use site will be caught

The chief executive of Craigslist has a message for people who try to use the popular Internet advertising site to commit crimes: You're going to get caught.

Violent crimes linked to Craigslist ads in Minnesota and Boston have made headlines, but CEO Jim Buckmaster (pictured) said Wednesday the site is an "extremely unsafe venue for criminal activity because you're virtually guaranteeing that you're going to get caught."

"That's been the case with nearly every serious violent crime that's been connected with the site," Buckmaster said in a telephone interview from San Francisco, where Craiglist is based. "There's an electronic trail leading to yourself. So don't use Craigslist for crime unless you want to go to jail."

A Minnesota man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole this month for the 2007 slaying of Katherine Ann Olson, who answered a phony ad he posted for a baby sitter. This week, a 23-year-old Boston University medical student was charged with robbing women who advertised erotic services on Craigslist and killing one of them, Julissa Brisman.

"We were shocked and saddened to learn that a horrific crime like this had any connection to the use of Craigslist, and our hearts went out to the family and friends of Julissa Brisman," Buckmaster said.

Buckmaster said the attention Craigslist has received because of crimes linked to it is partly a function of how heavily the site is used and the relative newness of the Internet.

"There are 50 million people using the site every month, and the site has facilitated billions of human interactions over its history. Compared to human society as a whole the risks of Craigslist are low, but they're not zero," he said.

Buckmaster declined to say much about how Craigslist is cooperating with authorities investigating the Boston case but said, "We make ourselves 100 percent available to them and provide them with any and all information we have that they may request."

Law enforcement officials generally ask that Craigslist not comment on what it's doing in specific cases, he said.

Buckmaster defended Craigslist's inclusion of the "erotic services" classification on its sites. He said users requested it so those ads would be posted there, where users can avoid them, instead of being scattered among other ad categories. He also insisted that illegal activity is "absolutely not welcome there."

He said Craigslist will donate 100 percent of its net revenues from those ads to charities, under an agreement announced last November with 40 state attorneys general, though he said figures aren't available yet.

Craigslist's city sites include tips on personal safety and avoiding scams and fraud. Buckmaster said the Minnesota and Boston cases provide an opportunity to remind people that it makes sense when meeting someone found through an online ad to take the same kinds of precautions they should take offline.

"Anytime you're going to meet for the first time choose a public place where there are other people around. ... Consider bringing a friend along. Let someone know where you're going to be and when you'll be returning. Take your cell phone along. Trust your instincts and report suspicious activities to authorities," he said.

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark will attend a benefit concert in Minnesota on May 3 for a scholarship fund at St. Olaf College in memory of Olson. The 24-year-old was slain by Michael John Anderson, 20, who used a Craigslist ad to lure her to his home in the Minneapolis suburb of Savage.

Buckmaster said Craigslist officials were inspired by the Olson family's efforts to keep the focus of the case on Katherine Olson's life and what she meant to her family and friends.

"When there was an opportunity for Craigslist to participate in some way, that was something we were excited about doing," he said.

Oakland going private

Facing pressure to crack down on crime amid a record budget deficit, Oakland is joining other U.S. cities that are turning over more law-enforcement duties to private armed guards.

The City Council recently voted to hire International Services Inc., a private security agency, to patrol crime-plagued districts. While a few Oakland retail districts previously have pooled cash to pay for unarmed security services, using public funds to pay for private armed guards would mark a first for the city.

Hiring private guards is less expensive than hiring new officers. Oakland — facing a record $80 million budget shortfall — spends about 65% of its budget for police and fire services, including about $250,000 annually, including benefits and salary, on each police officer.

In contrast, for about $200,000 a year the city can contract to hire four private guards to patrol the troubled East Oakland district where four on-duty police officers were killed in March. And the company, not the city, is responsible for insurance for the guards.

Cash-Strapped Cities Try Private Guards Over Police

This will not end well ... in any city.

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Timisoara, Timis, Romania
Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Toluca, Toluca, Mexico
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Kuwait, Al Kuwayt, Kuwait
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Loughborough, England, United Kingdom
Tbilsi, Dushet'is Raioni, Georgia
London, England, United Kingdom
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Minsk, Minsk, Belarus
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Huntingdon, England, United Kingdom
Sarina, Ontario, Canada
Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
S-Hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico
Roermond, Limburg, Nertherlands
Gelsenkirkehen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Just get to it and deal with it.

OK, now if you would be so kind as to inform me which particular "it" you are referring to I would be more than happy to get to and deal with ... "it".