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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Science News

From BBC-Science:
Southern cross (ESA)
The European Space Agency has released the first scientific results from the recently launched Herschel Space Telescope.


Scotland's wild red deer are changing shape due to breeding with a foreign species, a new study finds.
Solar system (SPL) Planet-hunters find "super-Earths" orbiting Sun-like starsTawa hallae (J Gonzalez)
T.rex 'little cousin' discovered

Dangers of energy-efficient traffic lights

Dangers of energy-efficient traffic lights

Several U.S. cities are discovering that the new LED bulbs can create a winter hazard.

Foods not to ditch when you're on a diet

Foods not to ditch when you're on a diet

Cutting out starchy foods such as bread or potatoes could backfire on your weight-loss goals.

Volcano menaces with fresh explosions

Volcano menaces with fresh explosions

Eruptions of ash and lava from the Philippines' Mayon volcano look all too familiar to locals.

Getting a home loan to become harder

Getting a home loan to become harder

The credit score required for the best mortgage rates may be much higher than you think.

Why more Americans have blurry vision

Why more Americans have blurry vision

Nearsightedness in the U.S. has increased 66 percent since the 1970s, a study shows.

How bad hyperinflation can get

The remarkable story about Zimbabwean hyperinflation:
The cumulative devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar was such that a stack of 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (26 zeros) two dollar bills (if they were printed) in the peak hyperinflation would have be needed to equal in value what a single original Zimbabwe two-dollar bill of 1978 had been worth. Such a pile of bills literally would be light years high, stretching from the Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy.

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.

Daily Almanac

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 16, the 350th day of 2009.

There are 15 days left in the year.

Today In History December 16

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Woking, England, United Kingdom
New Westminister, British Columbia, Canada
Binche, Hainaut, Belgium
Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

as well as Latvia, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

From the starting point, the finish line looks far, far away.
However, once you hit your stride, you'll eat up the distance like it's nothing.
It doesn't matter whether you're working out, taking on a new business project or changing your entire lifestyle.
The same rules apply: Concentrate on the moment.
Put every ounce of energy into the task at hand.
You'll be exhausted when you finish -- but you'll finish far sooner than you might expect.

Cool.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Guests Dine With And Meet With The President, Uninvited.

It wasn't a state dinner, and they didn't crash it on purpose. Still, a Georgia couple who showed up at the White House a day early for a tour somehow wound up at an invitation-only breakfast with President Barack Obama and the first lady.

The White House and Secret Service both said the Dardens went through the appropriate security screenings and were allowed into the breakfast as a courtesy because there were no public tours the day they arrived.

That explanation was news to Harvey Darden, 67, a retired pharmacist, who said he and his wife never were told about the breakfast. They thought they were simply starting their tour until they were ushered into the East Room, offered a buffet spread and told they'd be meeting the president.

Chicago suspect knew of Mumbai attack

A Chicago man accused of planning a terrorist attack against a Danish newspaper knew in advance about a plot to attack Mumbai and offered congratulations to the killers afterward, federal prosecutors charged Monday.

Full Story

Merry Christmas Is Arrested

It won't be a Merry Christmas for Merry Christmas.
The 44-year-old woman, named Merry Christmas, has been arrested for obstruction of justice on Sunday night.

Book 99-years overdue returned to Massachusetts library

The fine came to 361.65, but not required.

The book returned to the New Bedford Public Library in Massachusetts this week wasn't overdue by a week, a month or even a year.

Full Story

Church daycare drugged kids?

Police are investigating Cincinnati's Covenant Apostolic Church day care for allegedly giving kids Melatonin mixed with candy to get them to sleep at naptime. Perhaps they were out of sacramental wine.

From Cincinnati.com:
“The investigation has just begun and the Springfield Township Police Department does not know definitively at this time which staff members were involved in providing the dietary supplement to the children and which children were given (it),” (Police Chief David Heimpold) wrote (in a letter to children's parents). “However, we are providing this information to you at this time so that you can take whatever actions you deem necessary to protect your child or children in the event that they were given Melatonin on one or more occasions..."

The daycare remains open today, but church officials have not responded to several requests for comment. Pastor Shelly Hendricks told WKRC-TV (Channel 12 News) on Monday night that the workers who allegedly gave the drug to the children no longer work there.

Trust firstborns to show their selfish side

Firstborn children are more likely to achieve greatness, but when they play a game for money they are mistrustful and uncooperative.

Trust firstborns to show their selfish side

Small fingers give women a sensitive touch

Women have a more sensitive touch than men, but only because their fingers are usually smaller.

The repugican motto

Afflict the afflicted and comfort the comfortable.

Olbermann

Keith Olbermann does it again.

Another cousin for Obama: Warren Buffett

Another cousin for Obama: Warren Buffett

Genealogists trace both men to a 17th- century immigrant with a classic "rags-to-riches" story.

Harassment drives Arab women inside

Harassment drives Arab women inside

Women from 17 nations report rampant public abuse — no matter what they're wearing.

Get your house ready for the winter

Get your house ready for the winter

Look for places where heat may be escaping your home, and change the filter on your furnace.

Lottery win to reunite family after 15 years

Lottery win to reunite family after 15 years

A man plans to use his $1 million win to bring his wife and 8 children to NYC from Ecuador.

Story
Also:

Trouble-plagued Dreamliner finally flies

Trouble-plagued Dreamliner finally flies

After two years of delays and mishaps, Boeing's hyped 787 takes to the skies.

Health care jobs, med school not required

Health care jobs, med school not required

You don't have to spend a decade in school to land one of these medical jobs.

Biggest real estate flops of the year

Biggest real estate flops of the year

The asking price on Leona Helmsley's massive estate sank by $65 million in just a year.

Inside the palaces of Saddam Hussein now

Inside the palaces of Saddam Hussein now

A photographer captures jarring images of the transformation of imperial palaces.

Firm fires four workers over fantasy football

Firm fires four workers over fantasy football

A former manager says it's "cold" that he was terminated for playing fantasy sports at work.

Worst names for automobiles

10 worst names for automobiles

These vehicles hit the market with some of the most awful, awkward, or just plain dull names.

Gifts guys say they’ll love

Gifts guys say they’ll love

See the list of hot items that many men say they hope to find under the Christmas tree.

And I Quote

Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians.

~ Chester Bowles

NC Zoo Says Goodbye To Female Gorilla Who Lost Battle With Cancer

Donna, who was 42 was euthanized Monday after undergoing more than two-and-a-half years of treatments for cancer.

NC Zoo Says Goodbye To Female Gorilla Who Lost Battle With Cancer

Mother Sentenced For Putting Toddler In Boiling Water

Tabitha Rich pleaded guilty to two felony counts of inflicting serious injury to her then-33-month-old son.

Mother Sentenced For Putting Toddler In Boiling Water

Rise and fall of a dinosaur hunter

Nate Murphy made his name as a talented amateur palaeontologist.
Then he found the law was getting in his way.

Rise and fall of a dinosaur hunter

Senator upsets his allies and critics

Senator upsets his allies and critics

After Joe Lieberman's change of heart on health care reform, even his wife comes under fire.

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is

Bills of Rights Day

and

Cat Herder's Day

Daily Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2009.

There are 16 days left in the year.

Today In History December 15

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Vigo, Galicia, Spain
London, England, United Kingdom
Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland
Como, Lombardia, Italy
Krefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Banbury, England, United Kingdom
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

On the one hand, you're feeling just about uncontrollably excessive and lavish and extremely (uncharacteristically) unconcerned with a bill that will inevitably arrive next month.
On the other hand, your ordinarily frugal nature is tugging desperately at the back of your mind, just about begging you to try to stop yourself.
Forget that.
It's the time to play.
Why play halfway?
Go ahead.
Have the fun you're after.
All of it.

All of it!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Obama presses bank chiefs to lend more

President Obama reiterated his call Monday for the nation's banks to increase lending, saying that he was getting too many letters from small businesses unable to borrow money.

"America's banks received extraordinary assistance" from the government, Obama said at a press conference following a meeting with the heads of the largest banks. "Now that they're back on their feet, we expect an extraordinary commitment from them to help rebuild our economy."

Polar ice may vanish in 5-7 years

New computer modeling suggests the Arctic Ocean may be nearly ice-free in the summertime as early as 2014, Al Gore said Monday at the UN climate conference.

Full Story

Butt out! North Face takes South Butt to court

The North Face Apparel Corp. is suing a small suburban St. Louis-area company called The South Butt and the teenager who started it.

Butt out! North Face takes South Butt to court

Pigs potty-trained to curb pollution

Farmers in southern Taiwan have started to potty-train their pigs in response to a planned water pollution fee, breeders and officials say.

Full Story

A record-setting kidney swap

A record-setting kidney swap

An unlikely chain reaction turns into a 13-way transplant during six marathon days of surgery.

Holiday shipping deadlines loom

Holiday shipping deadlines loom

If you haven't mailed your Christmas packages, take note of these important dates.

The tricky business of office gifts

The tricky business of office gifts

Giving the wrong holiday present to a co-worker or your boss could get you in some trouble.

Ways to become happier at work

16 ways to become happier at work

Simple things, like a good desk chair and short walks, can make life more pleasant.

Millions of missing shrub emails found

Millions of missing shrub emails found

Technicians locate the lost messages, but their contents won't be released for some time.

Boy's selfless act saves brother

Boy's selfless act saves brother

Adrian Zavala was walking with Jesse Barrera when a nearby driver was blinded by the sun.

Read
Also:

'Monster' iceberg splitting apart

'Monster' iceberg splitting apart

Hundreds of smaller slabs are breaking off a huge mass of ice as it makes its way toward Australia.

Seven simple dinners

Seven simple dinners

Make dinnertime a stress-free event with these easy menus for every day of the week.

High-calorie restaurant appetizers

High-calorie restaurant appetizers

Choosing the wrong starter can equal 1,000 calories before the entrée arrives.

Behaviors of manipulative people

5 behaviors of manipulative people

Flattery, repetition, and forgetfulness are three ways pushy people attempt to get their way.

Strangers set off 'magical' chain reaction

Strangers set off 'magical' chain reaction

Waitresses at a diner are stunned by what happened after a random act of generosity.

The three best pre-holiday deals

The three best pre-holiday deals

You may be ill-advised to wait for the after-Christmas sales on these popular items.

The high cost of softness

Toilet paper: The high cost of softness

Americans are reluctant to give up plush toilet paper, but some say "soft enough" should be good enough.

Debate
Also:

Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters

Remarkable footage of veined octopuses collecting coconut halves for use when under threat could be the first example of tool use in invertebrates.


Warning: This video contains footage of an octopus hiding under a coconut shell that it has carried around just in case it needed to hide from something. Watching this footage may contradict your previous assumptions about animal tool use, and may be too adorable for some viewers.

National Geographic: Octopuses Carry Coconut Shells as Instant Shelters

Fake blood cells so agile they can carry drugs

Copycat red blood cells can squeeze through the smallest spaces to deliver drugs and imaging agents anywhere in the body.

Fake blood cells so agile they can carry drugs

Liars and Fools

Liars and Fools for today:

Rob Wittman (refuse - Virginia) says "Good point" as constituent says Americans will soon "have no recourse but to take things into their own hands".
Nothing like telling a deranged fruitcake to go ahead and kill someone now is there.

Obama death threats are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors at wingnut website.
Boy, someone has way too much time on there hands and not enough brains to fill a pin-head.

The problem with the repugican party ...

The problem with the repugican party, explains Jim DeMint (retard - South Carolina), is that the party's leadership has drifted too far to the Left.

Yeah, and Alice really does follow that white rabbit down its hole, for real, really.

More repugican idiocies

The Repugicans' obstructionism in Congress is really something to see.
They're lining up manually to vote on bills instead of using their electronic voting devices, just because it's slower and keeps the works gummed up a little longer.

Seriously Unhinged

Steve King (reptile - Iowa), is furious that the White House served acorn-shaped cookies at a party.

Seriously unhinged, indeed.

The dumbing of America

Virtually everywhere in the world people tend to be more educated than their parents.

This is no longer true in the United States.

A report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities indicates that the U.S. is one of only two nations on Earth in which people aged 25 to 34 have lower educational attainment than their parents.

All hail the repugican vision of Amerikkka.

Nice racket in Indianapolis.

If you contest your traffic ticket you're hit with a huge fee.

NORML or Not NORML


Although, since 99% of cops, jailers, and legislators are opposed to it ... what we the people think really doesn't matter at all.

And I Quote

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.

~ Albert Einstein

How Monsanto owns and manipulates the world's food supply

Steve Silberman sends us "A major AP expose of how Monsanto uses secret licensing agreements for its genetically manipulated crops to squeeze smaller seed companies, lock out competition, and keep food prices high.".
Monsanto's methods are spelled out in a series of confidential commercial licensing agreements obtained by the AP. The contracts, as long as 30 pages, include basic terms for the selling of engineered crops resistant to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, along with shorter supplementary agreements that address new Monsanto traits or other contract amendments...

For example, one contract provision bans independent companies from breeding plants that contain both Monsanto's genes and the genes of any of its competitors, unless Monsanto gives prior written permission -- giving Monsanto the ability to effectively lock out competitors from inserting their patented traits into the vast share of U.S. crops that already contain Monsanto's genes...

"We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of (seed genetics). This level of control is almost unbelievable," said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. "The upshot of that is that it's tightening Monsanto's control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we've seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight."

Flexible solar cell implant could restore vision

Some forms of blindness occur because photoreceptors in the retina degrade. The first flexible implant could help.

Flexible solar cell implant could restore vision

Our atmosphere came from outer space

Comets may have given birth to Earth's atmosphere, rather than volcanoes spewing gases from deep within the planet.

Pregnant women develop emotion-reading superpowers

Being pregnant seems to make women better at reading threatening facial expressions – perhaps because it makes mothers-to-be hyper-vigilant.

Pregnant women develop emotion-reading superpowers

Cute Overload

Watching how Meerkats grow old in the Kalahari.

Now, who said science wasn't cute!?

'Favorite species' at risk of extinction

'Favorite species' at risk of extinction

Penguins and koalas are among the well-known animals "whose fate is at stake."