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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.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Best-tasting sausages from the store

Best-tasting sausages from the store

These six won top honors in a test of more than 100 store-brand links.

Florida Hunters Urged to Use Cold Weather to Kill Invasive Pythons and Reptiles

From Treehugger:

rock python photo
That's a 10' rock python trying to eat an entire deer. Photo: Alex Griffiths via flickr.

Brian just reminded us that Florida's ongoing problem with invasive and dangerous pythons has some people worried that a new hybrid constrictor might come out of their interbreeding. But as the Christian Science Monitor reports, recent cold weather may help quell those fears:

The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League

Esther Reed

“She’s a criminal genius,” says Jon Campbell, the South Carolina police detective who eventually exposed her trail of deceit. “She was manipulative, controlling, brilliant. We didn’t know what to make of her.” With so many unanswered questions, authorities treated Esther Reed’s disappearance as an all-out emergency, suspecting her not only of fraud but of murder and international espionage. The tabloids had a field day with this brazen girl who had conned her way into the Ivy League; front-page headlines worried over her whereabouts and wondered what dangerous secrets she might be keeping.

No one guessed the truth, which was simpler, and therefore stranger, than their wildest theories: that the scared young woman so hotly pursued by South Carolina police, the Secret Service, federal marshals and even the U.S. Army was actually on a bizarre and misguided journey of self-discovery. A 28-year-old high school dropout from Montana, Esther Reed just wanted to stop being Esther Reed and to embark on a new, better life of her own design. She was pursuing the American Dream, with a twist: Rather than forge a new identity from scratch, she would steal someone else’s and remake it to suit her own needs. Reed never imagined that her ill-conceived self-help program would land her on America’s Most Wanted and brand her as a threat to national security — or that for one brokenhearted family in South Carolina, the fulfillment of her hopes and dreams would mean the end of their own.

The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League

Paired stars may bear multiple litters of alien worlds

Unlike single-star systems, those with two suns could produce more than one generation of planets.

Paired stars may bear multiple litters of alien worlds

Alligators' bird breath may explain dinosaurs' triumph

The airflow through alligators' lungs is strikingly bird-like, suggesting that super-efficient one-way airflow evolved in an ancestor of dinosaurs.

Alligators' bird breath may explain dinosaurs' triumph

Transparent frogs, tiny geckos and snail-sucking snakes

An expedition to the coastal rainforests of Ecuador has discovered 30 new species of frog, a slug-sucking snake and a tiny gecko.

Transparent frogs, tiny geckos and snail-sucking snakes

From Treehugger:

gecko on pencil photo

Photo via Paul Hamilton / RAEI

One look at a newly discovered species of gecko, small enough at its full-grown size to rest comfortably on the eraser of a pencil, and it's difficult not to be mesmerized by the seemingly boundless forms of biological diversity--while simultaneously reminded of its fragility. For the last seven years, the Ecuadorian Biodiversity Project has scoured the Amazon to observe and record the rainforest's unique wildlife, and to draw attention to the imperiled ecosystem in which they live. So far, the organization has catalogued almost 6,000 species, taking roughly 25,000 photographs. Recently, 30 new species of reptiles and amphibians have been discovered, though sadly they could all become extinct due to the various factors that have long threatened the region.

90 Accomplishments of President Obama Which The Media Fails to Report....

  1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
  1. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
  1. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
  1. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
  1. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
  1. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
  1. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
  1. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
  1. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
  1. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House
  1. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
  1. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
  1. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
  1. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
  1. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
  1. New federal funding for science and research labs
  1. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
  1. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
  1. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
  1. New funds for school construction
  1. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
  1. US Auto industry rescue plan
  1. Housing rescue plan
  1. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
  1. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
  1. US financial and banking rescue plan
  1. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
  1. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
  1. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
  1. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
  1. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
  1. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
  1. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
  1. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
  1. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
  1. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
  1. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
  1. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
  1. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
  1. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
  1. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
  1. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
  1. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
  1. Expanding vaccination programs
  1. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
  1. Closed offshore tax safe havens
  1. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
  1. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
  1. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices
  1. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
  1. Lower drug costs for seniors
  1. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
  1. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
  1. Improved housing for military personnel
  1. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
  1. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
  1. Increasing student loans
  1. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
  1. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
  1. Established a new cyber security office
  1. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
  1. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
  1. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
  1. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
  1. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
  1. Improving benefits for veterans
  1. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
  1. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
  1. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
  1. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
  1. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
  1. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
  1. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
  1. Making more loans available to small businesses
  1. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
  1. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
  1. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
  1. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
  1. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
  1. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
  1. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
  1. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
  1. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
  1. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
  1. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
  1. Held first Seder in White House
  1. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
  1. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
  1. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
  1. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office!

There is more but this is all that could be thought of off the top of the head.

From DailyKOS

Here's a thought

Someone should tell Lush that the Dominican Republic is right next door to Haiti.
Without his favorite Dominican under-aged male brothels he’ll have to go to interstate rest stops to get his jollies.

Dimbulb doesn't back off Haiti comments

Despite a firestorm of criticism, the talk show host reaffirms his dig at President Obama's relief efforts.

Rise of a very unlikely cable mogul

Rise of a very unlikely cable mogul

Patrick Gottsch built a 24-hour cable network that attracts 13 million weekly viewers.

Clothes you should get rid of right now

How about all of them ... go nude instead.

Clothes you should get rid of right now

Create more closet space by tossing these tired and goofy-looking items.

World scrambles to save lives in Haiti

World scrambles to save lives in Haiti

Rescue teams work quickly while the quake-ravaged nation faces new threats.

S.C. Senate adds hunting dog restrictions

The Senate gave final passage Thursday to a bill that prohibits hunters from using dogs to hunt on property without a landowner's permission.

S.C. Senate adds hunting dog restrictions

Haiti quake aid snarled; up to 50,000 feared dead

Doctors and search dogs, troops and rescue teams flew to this devastated land of dazed, dead and dying people Thursday, finding bottlenecks everywhere, beginning at a main airport short on jet fuel and ramp space and without a control tower.

Full Story

Gives "Viral Video" A New Meaning

viral video_20100114234232_JPG

It's a Youtube clip that redefines the term "Viral Video."
A woman who claims she's spreading AIDS in Detroit, trying to kill her lovers.
And she's naming names.
But is it real?
Or is it just a sick hoax?

Gives "Viral Video" A New Meaning


Update: According to the latest it was a hoax ... still ...

Malaysia police tipped off by $500-note tip

Malaysian police have arrested a Lebanese man allegedly carrying fake currency with a face value of $66 million after he tipped a hotel staff with a $500 note, news reports said Friday.

Lebanese man caught with $66 million in fake bills

ABC Board Chair Resigns


The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that Mecklenburg County ABC Board Chairman Parks Helms announced his resignation in a letter sent to county commissioners.

ABC Board Chair Resigns In Midst Of $9,000 Holiday Dinner Investigation

The Big Picture

From BBC-Science:
Click to reveal

Caribbean at risk of more large earthquakes

More to come? (Image: KPA/Zuma/Rex Features)Historical records suggest the tragedy in Haiti did not release all the energy that has built up in the faults that run through the Caribbean.

Caribbean at risk of more large earthquakes

'Blazing ring' eclipse longest on record

'Blazing ring' eclipse longest on record

A stunning eclipse that swept across Africa and Asia won't be matched for more than 1,000 years.

Riskiest places to use your debit card

Riskiest places to use your debit card

The threat of "skimming" has made typing your PIN at the pump a bad idea.

Battered Haiti hotel offers refuge for all

Battered Haiti hotel offers refuge for all

A once-elegant hotel leaves its doors open and operates a hospital in its front entrance.

Today is ...

Today is Friday, January 15, the 15th day of 2010.

There are 350 days left in the year.

Today In History January 15

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

International Fetish Day

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

as well as Germany, and the United States

Today's Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

It's not usually easy to part you from your hard-earned pesos, even if you have a good excuse to shop, like a birthday, the holidays or some such special occasion.
So when you wake up today with the urge to spend some serious money, go for it.
If anyone can afford to splurge, it's you.
And if a dear one's along for the ride, try and prepare them for this temporary turn of events.
You know what you want, you're after it and that's that.

Have cash, will spend.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Diplomat is 1st American Quake Victim

The first American reported killed by the earthquake in Haiti was a foreign service officer crushed when her home collapsed.

Full Story

Bomb donated to museum goes out with a bang

A World War II relic that was displayed outside an Alaska bar for years turned out not to be a dud.

Bomb donated to museum goes out with a bang

'We want our money back'

Obama: 'We want our money back'

President Obama wants to recoup every taxpayer dollar spent on the bailouts.

Credit-card firms profit from Haiti donations

Credit-card firms profit from Haiti donations

As aid pours in from around the world, banks and credit-card companies stand to make millions.

New obstacles for aid workers in Haiti

New obstacles for aid workers in Haiti

Food and water shortages add a layer of danger to rescue efforts as the search for survivors continues.

Dimbulb joins Pat Robertson on hot seat

Dimbulb joins Pat Robertson on hot seat

Lush Dimbulb's remarks about the Haiti disaster and Obama have stunned many.

China holds firm in favor of censorship

Did anyone really think the repressive Chinese government would back down to Google or any other foreign company?
China would much rather have a local search engine company such as Baidu who they can control.
Google, Yahoo! and other US based internet companies should have known this all along and held firm to their ideals instead of selling out earlier.
Were they really so naive?
Minister of the State Council Information Office, Wang Chen, said that online pornography, fraud and "rumors" were a menace. He said Internet media must help "guide public opinion" in China, which has the world's biggest number of Internet users at 360 million. He did not mention Google.

Wang's comments suggested little room for compromise in the Internet dispute that could stoke tensions between China and the United States, already at odds over the yuan currency, trade, climate change, and Taiwan.
On a more amusing note, China's top internet search engine was the victim of attacks by Iranian hackers.
Very strange.

Dimbulb says don't help Haiti

Dimbulb dissuades listeners from donating to Haiti. Says US has helped them enough, and that relief effort is all an Obama plot.
This idiot is astounding. He ranks up there on the asinine scale with Pat Robertson saying that Haiti made a pact with the devil and that's why all these bad things are happening.
The Haitian ambassador then responded to Robertson on the Rachel Maddow show last night.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What will be their response to Dimbulb?
Hell, even Don Imus wants to be the one to pull the lever on Pat Robertson when he gets the electric chair like he deserves.

Men more different from chimps than women

The result of rapid evolution taking place over the six to seven million years.

In genetic terms, as everyone but religious extremists acknowledges, human beings are in general very similar indeed to chimpanzees.

Full Story

Life Sentence for Seattle Jewish Office Shooting

A man who went on a shooting rampage at a Seattle Jewish center, killing one woman and wounding five others, appealed for forgiveness and blamed his medication as a judge sentenced him Thursday to life in prison without parole.

Full Story

California woman's car repossessed with toddler inside

Police in California say a car dealer who repossessed a San Jose woman's Honda Accord left with something a bit more valuable: her 2-year-old son.

California woman's car repossessed with toddler inside

Still glowing strong after 109 years

The world's oldest light bulb has been burning for 109 years - so little wonder it has a fan club with thousands of members and its own website.

Full Story

Teen booted off flight for spiky Goth shoes

A British teenager was forced to wear plastic bags on her feet by airport security because her Goth boots were considered a terror risk.

Full Story

Boston cops: citizen recording of abusive busts is "illegal wiretapping"

And of course they are wrong ...

Boston cops are using the Massachusetts electronic surveillance laws to arrest and prosecute citizens who use their cellular phones to record abusive arrests. Though they haven't been successful in prosecuting the acts, it hasn't stopped the arrests -- presumably the point isn't to secure convictions, but rather to chill the recording of illegal police activity. However, police have convicted citizens who secretly recorded their own abusive arrests, charging them with illegal wiretapping.
Simon Glik, a lawyer, was walking down Tremont Street in Boston when he saw three police officers struggling to extract a plastic bag from a teenager's mouth. Thinking their force seemed excessive for a drug arrest, Glik pulled out his cellphone and began recording.

Within minutes, Glik said, he was in handcuffs.

"One of the officers asked me whether my phone had audio recording capabilities,'' Glik, 33, said recently of the incident, which took place in October 2007. Glik acknowledged that it did, and then, he said, "my phone was seized, and I was arrested.''

The charge? Illegal electronic surveillance.

Mexico's Museum of Drugs

Marijmuseee The Mexican military's Museum of Drugs, opened in 1985 in Mexico City, is now running out of exhibit space.
Sadly, it's a private museum, open only to government officials, diplomats, and members of the army.
The Washington Post's William Booth got a tour, accompanied by photographer Sarah L. Voisin.

From the Washington Post:
Probably the best-known exhibit is the life-size diorama of a grower in the countryside guarding his crop. Montane flips a switch and a cassette player begins a bouncy narco-corrida, the popular ballads honoring the derring-dos of drug outlaws. In the corner, a mannequin lounges in his dark shades, a shotgun across his lap, beside a pile of empty Tecate beer cans. In front are beans on the stove and a bust of Jesús Malverde, a highwayman who legend has it was killed by authorities in 1909 and is revered as a patron saint of traffickers and a Robin Hood for the poor.

Around the corner, the exhibits show how drugs are smuggled, and here human ingenuity is on full display. There is dope hidden inside picture frames, logs, gas tanks, clay pots, tamales, concrete blocks, truck tires, soda cans, car bumpers, shoes, stuffed armadillos and a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

There is a kind of James Bond or Dr. Evil quality to some exhibits. An attache case confiscated from an outlaw surveillance team holds computer boards and other gadgetry to monitor cellphone calls. The cartels now employ their own fleets of semi-submersible submarines. On display is a large sea buoy with a coded beacon device the traffickers attach to huge payloads of drugs they can dump into the sea and pick up later. Also, apparently, the narcos now have their own line of clothes. There are dark blue polo shirts sporting a kind of family crest for the Zetas, a notorious cartel founded by former special forces soldiers that controls vast swaths along the Gulf of Mexico from Brownsville, Tex., to Cancun. The shirts, which appear to be 100 percent cotton, are emblazoned with a Z and the words: "Cartel del Golfo."

Early signs of Alzheimer's are in the eye

A simple eye test could soon help diagnose Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's (Image: Bruce Ayres/Stone/Getty)
A simple eye test could soon help diagnose Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's

A new way of counting dying eye cells could allow Alzheimer's disease to be diagnosed before other symptoms show up.

Early signs of Alzheimer's are in the eye

Poor neighborhoods can kill

The strain of life in a crime-ridden inner city seems to send tumors into overdrive. And cancer is just one disease fueling US health inequalities

Poor neighborhoods can kill

Five emotions you never knew you had

There are six emotions that we know everyone feels.
But others may also be universal – and for good biological reasons.

Five emotions you never knew you had

Major Antarctic glacier is 'past its tipping point'

A catastrophic collapse is imminent, according to the latest study (Image: NASA/Jane Peterson, NSERC)
A catastrophic collapse is imminent, according to the latest study

A major Antarctic glacier has passed its tipping point – it is poised to collapse in a catastrophe that could raise global sea levels by 24 centimeters.

Major Antarctic glacier is 'past its tipping point'

Science News

From BBC-Science:

THE BIG PICTURE
Click to reveal

Cop News

Why Haiti keeps getting hit with disasters

Why Haiti keeps getting hit with disasters

Geography isn't the only factor behind the island nation's unending string of catastrophes.

How to really get a free credit score

How to really get a free credit score

These companies will tell you where your credit rating stands — without costing you a dime.

Stop your biggest cash-flow leaks

Stop your biggest cash-flow leaks

Find thousands of dollars in your budget by answering these basic questions.

How to slash your car insurance rates

How to slash your car insurance rates

A simple phone call to your insurance company can help shave up to $400 off your premiums.

Entry-level jobs with big earning potential

Entry-level jobs with big earning potential

Careers in these fields will allow you to learn while your pay and responsibilities increase.

Cities where homes aren't selling

5 cities where homes aren't selling

In some areas, prices are still falling, and houses sit on the market for more than half a year.

Eat more of these foods and lose weight

Eat more of these foods and lose weight

Eating an egg a day can keep the weight away, and so can a delicious plate of pasta.

Big dangers for American economy

4 big dangers for American economy

If any of these four scenarios happen, it could stop the current recovery — and scare off hiring.

Obesity Rate Increases In Teen And Pre-Teen Boys

Obesity Rate Increases In Teen And Pre-Teen Boys
Researchers blame the usual culprits -- soft drinks, video games and inactivity.

Obesity Rate Increases In Teen And Pre-Teen Boys

NY Court OKs Internet Music Sales Lawsuit

NY Court OKs Internet Music Sales Lawsuit
The lawsuit brought by music purchasers had been tossed out by a lower court judge.

NY Court OKs Internet Music Sales Lawsuit

NC officers find pot growing in buried school bus

Underground School Bus Of Marijuana Found In NC

A search dog fell through a camouflaged trap door leading down to a full-length school bus buried eight feet under a backyard tool shed.

Underground School Bus Of Marijuana Found In NC

Boy can't get off U.S. terror watch list

From the "This is a sick joke" & the "What is with these people" Department:

Boy can't get off U.S. terror watch list

Mikey Hicks was first patted down at 2 years old.

At 8, he is still aggressively frisked.

Today is ...

Today is Thursday, January 14, the 14th day of 2010.

There are 351 days left in the year.

Today In History January 14

Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:

Dress Up Your Pet Day

and

Organize Your Home Day

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Canarias, Spain
Malmo, Skane Lan, Sweden
London, England, United Kingdom
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Enfield, England, United Kingdom
Tallinn, Harjumaa, Estonia
Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

as well as Northern Ireland, Portugal, Wales, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

After days of hibernating, you've had it with dim lights, soft music and rented videos.
You're ready for some lively company, some exciting entertainment and some personal attention.
The good news is that you probably know exactly who to contact to have all that and more delivered right to your door.
Well, place your order -- but don't stay in once it arrives.
It's time to meet the world again.

Party!