It's everyone's dream, but people who've found instant wealth say there can be drawbacks, too.
Also: 
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Pretty Peculiar Plant
Platycerium - even the name sounds odd. Mostly referred to as Staghorn or Elkhorn ferns, this genus of fern is, to say the very least, unusual looking.
Yet they are fascinating to look at because their fronds are something else, quite unique. To look at a platycerium is to look back in time millions of years.
Rino Drugs
Rhinoceros cage doubles as drug plantation at Austrian zoo
A rhinoceros enclosure at Hellbrunn zoo in western Austria turns out to have served a more lucrative purpose: as a cannabis plantation, the zoo revealed on Saturday.A caretaker at the zoo was able to grow over 30 marijuana plants in the enclosure, unbeknownst to anyone else, the zoo's director said.
The small plantation was in an area of the rhinoceros's cage that was closed to the public and to which the caretaker had exclusive access.
The zoo found out about its employee's side business when narcotics officers turned up in early September, after having been tipped off by one of the planter's clients. The 59-year-old long-standing zoo employee has been sacked and the plants removed, the zoo said.
Helpful Hints
Helpful Hints
Bread, lemons, and coffee can work magic around the house in unexpected ways.
Also: The best shopping deals for fall
From fresh produce to discounted vacation spots, here's what to buy as the weather turns.
Also: Lost Luggage Cheap
At the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama, you could find a true treasure.
Also: Perfume That Makes You Smell Like a Library
Perfumer Christopher Brosius has produced a perfume that’s supposed to make you smell like a library. It’s called “In the Library.”The origin of blue jeans
The newly discovered, 400-year-old works of an Italian painter might hold the key.
Also: The Strange-face-in-the-mirror Illusion
The old parlor trick of staring at yourself in a mirror until your face starts to change has now been studied scientifically. Giovanni Caputo led a study in which 50 people tried the trick and reported their reactions.At the end of a 10 min session of mirror gazing, the participant was asked to write what he or she saw in the mirror. The descriptions differed greatly across individuals and included: (a) huge deformations of one’s own face (reported by 66% of the fifty participants); (b) a parent’s face with traits changed (18%), of whom 8% were still alive and 10% were deceased; (c) an unknown person (28%); (d) an archetypal face, such as that of an old woman, a child, or a portrait of an ancestor (28%); (e) an animal face such as that of a cat, pig, or lion (18%); (f ) fantastical and monstrous beings (48%).Have you ever tried this? The effect can be really creepy, like this video example from Lasse Gjertsen (it's in Norwegian). The entire article is available as a pdf, or you can read a summary at Mind Hacks here.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Your financial situation seems to be a bit shaky at the moment -- or is it only that you're worried about it because you've been pleasantly distracted by more tender matters?
Regardless of how or why it's happened, return your attention to numbers -- just for a bit.
If the emotional situation is for real, it won't go anywhere -- and definitely not in the time it takes to balance the checkbook, sort through credit card receipts and get back to the ABCs of life.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Rome Lazio, Italy
Edithvale, Victoria, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
as well as India and in cities across the United States such as Bangor, Spring, Sylva, Exton and more.
Today is:
Today is Sunday, September 19, the 262nd day of 2010.
There are 103 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
Talk Like A Pirate Day
It is also Wife Appreciation Day
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
Say 'Arrrrrr'
The trademark snarls associated with buccaneers didn't actually originate on the high seas.
Also: The craziest ways people save money
Counting coupons was just the start for a man who had relatives save ketchup packets.
Also: Autumn Leaves
The top ten signs you've hired the wrong kid to rake your leaves:10. He charges you by the leaf.
9. Keeps asking where he should plug in the rake.
8. Picks up leaves one at a time, dips them in nacho cheese and eats them.
7. Says, "This'll just take a minute," and starts soaking your lawn with gasoline.
6. Your neighbor calls and asks, "Who's that naked guy chasing my dog with your rake?"
5. Half an hour after he starts, you notice he's sitting on your back porch.
4. You recognize his work gloves from the O.J. Simpson trial.
3. Comes to your door and says, "I've had a long talk with the leaves, and they've decided to stay."
2. Constantly reminding you that he used to be famous for those 'Home Alone" movies.
1. His motto: "Rake a leaf, do a shot."
Really, Really Far From the Madding Crowd
If you need to get away from it all but you don't fancy living in a cave then you may want to consider the island of Elliðaey in Iceland. As one of the Vestmannaeyjar (in English, the Westman Islands) in the South of Iceland it really doesn't get much more isolated than this.
If I Fell
The Beatles
Ok here I have something very rare for you: "If I fell" performed by the Beatles on July 14th, 1964 in the BBC studio. The video is taken from the film A Hard Day's Night.
What not to say when you're pulled over
Police officers offer some golden rules to follow when you're stopped on the road.
Also: NASA eyes Typhoon Fanapi approaching Taiwan
Infrared satellite data from NASA’s Aqua satellite revealed strong convection and a tight circulation center within Typhoon Fanapi as it heads for a landfall in Taiwan this weekend.
Anti-Aging Ice Cream Explored
Moron Sends Garbage-Scented Mailer
Need more proof that politicians are idiots?
Check out those eyes ... He looks either stoned or drunkSomething stinks in about 200,000 mailboxes around New York - a flier from the new repugican nominee for governor.
A garbage-scented mailing by nominee Carl Paladino features the photos of seven Democrats, six of whom have been investigated and two who have resigned in scandal in the past four years.
"Something STINKS in Albany," the mailer says. Paladino spokesman Michael Caputo told The Associated Press on Thursday that the mailer is scented with a "landfill" odor.
He says the smell will get worse the longer it is exposed, just like Albany.
Lard & Order
Skippy had this to say today:
L.A. Times:
Tho to be technically fair, sheriff Arpaio himself is not accused of this wrongdoing. just his employees, that's all.
There's trouble in the department of everybody's favorite Arizona Fascist, sheriff Arpaio.
L.A. Times:
Top officials in the office of Maricopa county sheriff Joe Arpaio used its anti-corruption unit to conduct politically motivated investigations, misled the public about a campaign fund that helped Arpaio win reelection and surveilled the Arizona lawman's campaign rivals, according to an internal memo from a high-ranking officer.
The 63-page memo, first reported Thursday by the Arizona republic, blames Arpaio's longtime no. 2 man, chief deputy Dave Hendershott, for the alleged criminal wrongdoing.
Texas Schoolbooks - Again
Those Texas sure are concerned about their kids: Texas education board to consider rule on Islam's portrayal in textbooks.
Just when it appeared the State Board of Education was done with the culture wars, the panel is about to wade into the issue of what students should learn about Islam.
The board will consider a resolution next week that would warn publishers not to push a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in world history textbooks.
Members of the board's social conservative bloc asked for the resolution after an unsuccessful candidate for a board seat called on the panel to head off any bias against Christians in new social studies books. Some contend that "Middle Easterners" are increasingly buying into companies that publish textbooks.
Woman arrested for redistributing dog droppings
Dog is man's best friend. Dog feces, not so much. Susan M. Miller had the misfortune of stepping into droppings a neighbor's dog deposited earlier this week outside her apartment in far west-central Naperville. Her reaction proved to be a bit unorthodox.
A written Naperville police report indicated officers were called about 8:18 p.m. on Wednesday to Miller's home on the 800 block of Beaumont Drive, in the Brittany Springs apartment complex. The 43-year-old Miller was apparently "fed up with dog feces" being left on the grounds of the complex. And so she allegedly "decided to wipe the dog feces which she stepped in on the porch of a dog owner."
Miller then allegedly "threw dog feces at the sliding patio screen" of that apartment. Miller "then located a sign — stating to residents to pick up dog waste — that was posted in the complex, uprooted it and placed it on the dog owner's patio." She then allegedly strung several small, green plastic bags filled with dog feces "on various places on the patio." When police arrived at the scene, they found Miller running in the complex grounds.
She allegedly "yelled back that she was running to catch a cat, and not running from the police." She also "yelled back asking if we were there about the (woman) with dog poop." Miller was arrested "after she captured her roommate's cat." She was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
A written Naperville police report indicated officers were called about 8:18 p.m. on Wednesday to Miller's home on the 800 block of Beaumont Drive, in the Brittany Springs apartment complex. The 43-year-old Miller was apparently "fed up with dog feces" being left on the grounds of the complex. And so she allegedly "decided to wipe the dog feces which she stepped in on the porch of a dog owner."
Miller then allegedly "threw dog feces at the sliding patio screen" of that apartment. Miller "then located a sign — stating to residents to pick up dog waste — that was posted in the complex, uprooted it and placed it on the dog owner's patio." She then allegedly strung several small, green plastic bags filled with dog feces "on various places on the patio." When police arrived at the scene, they found Miller running in the complex grounds.
She allegedly "yelled back that she was running to catch a cat, and not running from the police." She also "yelled back asking if we were there about the (woman) with dog poop." Miller was arrested "after she captured her roommate's cat." She was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
Russian bailiffs threaten to seize pensioner's puppies to pay debt
Russian bailiffs have threatened to take what is most precious from a Russian pensioner who has failed to pay a debt - her three Shar Pei pedigree puppies, they said on Friday.
The pensioner, who bailiffs did not name, owes 350,000 roubles (£7,249) to an individual in her home town in Russia's volcanic Kamchatka region in the Far East.
"If she does not fulfill her obligations (to pay back the debt) within 10 days, the puppies will be sold by the Federal Agency for State Property Management," bailiffs said in a statement.
In Kamchatka, Shar Pei puppies fetch 15,000 roubles each. But bailiffs said they will try sell them for 5,000 roubles to attract more potential buyers. They added that the famously wrinkled Shar Pei puppies have been allowed for the time being to remain with the pensioner, who breeds them as her sole source of income as she has no property.
The pensioner, who bailiffs did not name, owes 350,000 roubles (£7,249) to an individual in her home town in Russia's volcanic Kamchatka region in the Far East.
"If she does not fulfill her obligations (to pay back the debt) within 10 days, the puppies will be sold by the Federal Agency for State Property Management," bailiffs said in a statement.
In Kamchatka, Shar Pei puppies fetch 15,000 roubles each. But bailiffs said they will try sell them for 5,000 roubles to attract more potential buyers. They added that the famously wrinkled Shar Pei puppies have been allowed for the time being to remain with the pensioner, who breeds them as her sole source of income as she has no property.
Store worker tried to scam lottery winner out of $14m
A convenience store worker has been shamed after he refused to handover an elderly mans $14 million lottery ticket. Milledge McCassell, 72, went to Dynasty Deli and Grocery in Queens, New York, to check his ticket and "Big Winner!" flashed on the electronic scanner available to customers.
However, when he handed his winning ticket to the store worker to find out how much he had won, the worker said he was not a big winner and refused to hand back the ticket.
New York Lottery Director Gordon Medenica said that when Mr McCassell went back to the store and asked for the ticket back, the worker told him he had lost the ticket. Mr McCassell returned to the store three more times but was repeatedly rebuffed, and because he had not signed the ticket, anyone turning it into Lottery officials could have tried to collect the prize money.
However, the store worker miraculously found the missing ticket after police paid him a visit. Lottery officials said they believe the worker was holding onto the ticket and preparing to claim for it himself.
However, when he handed his winning ticket to the store worker to find out how much he had won, the worker said he was not a big winner and refused to hand back the ticket.
New York Lottery Director Gordon Medenica said that when Mr McCassell went back to the store and asked for the ticket back, the worker told him he had lost the ticket. Mr McCassell returned to the store three more times but was repeatedly rebuffed, and because he had not signed the ticket, anyone turning it into Lottery officials could have tried to collect the prize money.
However, the store worker miraculously found the missing ticket after police paid him a visit. Lottery officials said they believe the worker was holding onto the ticket and preparing to claim for it himself.
Whale of a Tale at San Diego Zoo
When construction crews hit a hard spot at the San Diego Zoo , nobody could fathom what they would find in the depths of the dirt.
Gigantic Spider's Web Discovered In Madagascar
A newly discovered species of spider, called Darwin bark spider, living in Madagascar, makes the world's longest known web, spanning 82 feet (25m). The spider also makes the largest orb web yet found for any spider, and constructs it out of the most tough biomaterial yet known, say scientists.
Darwin's bark spider weaves its huge web over flowing rivers, stretching from bank to bank. It is so big that it can catch 30 or more prey insects at any one time.
How Do You Bathe a Stubborn Python?
How do you bathe a stubborn python (really, a real python)? In a bathtub, of course! Vimeo user 8E captured the ordeal of giving her albino Burmese python Julius a bubble bath. The hardest part seems to be heaving the 130 lb (60 kg) snake into the tub.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
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, or anniversary or some such special occasion.
So when you wake up today with the urge to spend some serious cash, if you opt to take a dear one along for the ride, try to at least pretend to think about it before you whip out the plastic.
You know what you want, you're after it, and that's that.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
London, England, United Kingdom
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
as well as Italy and in cities across the United States such as New York, Athens, Sparta, Boone and more.
Today is:
Today is Saturday, September 18, the 261st day of 2010.
There are 104 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:
Big Whopper Liar Day,
Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day
and
International Eat An Apple Day
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
President Obama's Weekly Address
Remarks of President Barack Obama
As prepared for delivery
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Washington, DC
Back in January, in my State of the Union Address, I warned of the danger posed by a Supreme Court ruling called Citizens United. This decision overturned decades of law and precedent. It gave the special interests the power to spend without limit – and without public disclosure – to run ads in order to influence elections.
Now, as an election approaches, it’s not just a theory. We can see for ourselves how destructive to our democracy this can become. We see it in the flood of deceptive attack ads sponsored by special interests using front groups with misleading names. We don’t know who’s behind these ads or who’s paying for them. Even foreign-controlled corporations seeking to influence our democracy are able to spend freely in order to swing an election toward a candidate they prefer.
We’ve tried to fix this with a new law – one that would simply require that you say who you are and who’s paying for your ad. This way, voters are able to make an informed judgment about a group’s motivations. Anyone running these ads would have to stand by their claims. And foreign-controlled corporations would be restricted from spending money to influence elections, just as they were before the Supreme Court opened up this loophole.
This is common sense. In fact, this is the kind of proposal that Democrats and Republicans have agreed on for decades. Yet, the Republican leaders in Congress have so far said “no.” They’ve blocked this bill from even coming up for a vote in the Senate. It’s politics at its worst. But it’s not hard to understand why.
Over the past two years, we have fought back against the entrenched special interests – weakening their hold on the levers of power in Washington. We have taken a stand against the worst abuses of the financial industry and health insurance companies. We’ve rolled back tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. And we’ve restored enforcement of common sense rules to protect clean air and clean water. We have refused to go along with business as usual.
Now, the special interests want to take Congress back, and return to the days when lobbyists wrote the laws. And a partisan minority in Congress is hoping their defense of these special interests and the status quo will be rewarded with a flood of negative ads against their opponents. It’s a power grab, pure and simple. They’re hoping they can ride this wave of unchecked influence all the way to victory.
What is clear is that Congress has a responsibility to act. But the truth is, any law will come too late to prevent the damage that has already been done this election season. That is why, any time you see an attack ad by one of these shadowy groups, you should ask yourself, who is paying for this ad? Is it the health insurance lobby? The oil industry? The credit card companies?
But more than that, you can make sure that the tens of millions of dollars spent on misleading ads do not drown out your voice. Because no matter how many ads they run – no matter how many elections they try to buy – the power to determine the fate of this country doesn’t lie in their hands. It lies in yours. It’s up to all of us to defend that most basic American principle of a government of, by, and for the people. What’s at stake is not just an election. It’s our democracy itself.
Thank you.
Unique redesign ideas for dollar bills
People can select their favorite in a new contest that reimagines the look of U.S. currency.
Also: 
Lion and Meerkat friendship echoes The Lion King
A lion who was rejected by its mother has stuck up a friendship with a meerkat. The pair have been inseparable since new-born lioness Zinzi was rescued by being taken into the home of zoo and safari ranch owner Marcell Tournier, 33. The friendship echoes the partnership between Simba, the lion cub hero of Disney classic The Lion King and Timon.
Mr Tournier added: "Bob the meerkat seems to have a "Hakuna Matata" problem-free philosophy and taught Zinzi how to relax." Zinzi was brought in at just one day old when Marcell realised her mother was refusing to feed her a harsh reality of nature that could have meant the end of adorable Zinzi.
But almost as soon as the lion had moved in to the home, near Sun City, South Africa, Mr Tournier quickly realised he wasn't Zinzi's only fan. Lively two-year-old Bob instantly took a shine to his new playmate. Amazingly Bob began following his much bigger friend day and night and would even snuggle in at nap time.
Bob likes having anything cute and cuddly around," said Mr Tournier. "If it'll lie down and cuddle him he will love it. The pair quickly formed an unlikely friendship and were soon doing everything together. The pair live on the sprawling Predator World Zoo and Game Farm, which covers 1,000 hectares in the country's north-west.
Mr Tournier added: "Bob the meerkat seems to have a "Hakuna Matata" problem-free philosophy and taught Zinzi how to relax." Zinzi was brought in at just one day old when Marcell realised her mother was refusing to feed her a harsh reality of nature that could have meant the end of adorable Zinzi.
But almost as soon as the lion had moved in to the home, near Sun City, South Africa, Mr Tournier quickly realised he wasn't Zinzi's only fan. Lively two-year-old Bob instantly took a shine to his new playmate. Amazingly Bob began following his much bigger friend day and night and would even snuggle in at nap time.
Bob likes having anything cute and cuddly around," said Mr Tournier. "If it'll lie down and cuddle him he will love it. The pair quickly formed an unlikely friendship and were soon doing everything together. The pair live on the sprawling Predator World Zoo and Game Farm, which covers 1,000 hectares in the country's north-west.
Cool suburbs worth checking out
These towns skip the sprawl and offer great entertainment, shopping, and dining.
Also: Best places to retire in America
These lively college towns offer cheaper housing, low taxes, and good health care.
Also: 'How I got my six-figure job'
These workers are proof that you don't necessarily need a college degree to earn a high salary.
Also: Astronomical News
Earthlings will soon get an intimate view of Jupiter, while researchers take a closer look at Halley's comet.
Also: Gulf’s Oil-Eating Bacteria Eating People!
Bio-Remediation or Bio-Hazard? Dispersants, Bacteria & Illness in the Gulf, Marine Toxicologist Riki Ott, September 17, 2010:
Excerpts
Medical doctors are diagnosing skin rashes on Gulf visitors and residents alike as scabies and staph infections, including MRSA… The rashes resist prescribed treatments and often reoccur for months. Normal looking scabies contrasts sharply with the Gulf cases. …
Citing the National Academy of Sciences, a Texas Tech University professor testified in Congress that the chemicals break down cell walls, making organisms (including people) more susceptible to oil. …
I’ve been reading about bacteria, and I now think the Great Gulf Experiment is going very badly for humans. …
[S]ome of the oil-eating bacteria have been genetically modified, or otherwise bio-engineered, to better eat the oil…
Oil-eating bacteria produce bio-films. According to Nurse Schmidt, studies have found that bio-films are rapidly colonized (p. 97) by other Gram-negative bacteria – including those known to infect humans.
…Read the report here.
Excerpts
[A]n outbreak of mysterious persistent rashes from southern Louisiana across to just north of Tampa, Florida, [has occurred] coincident with BP’s oil and chemical release…Sheri Allen in Mobile, Alabama… wrote of red welts and blisters on her legs after “splashing and wading on the shoreline” of Mobile Bay with her two dogs on May 8. … By early July, Allen’s rash had healed, leaving black bruises and scarring. …
(Photo: Sheri Allen)
Medical doctors are diagnosing skin rashes on Gulf visitors and residents alike as scabies and staph infections, including MRSA… The rashes resist prescribed treatments and often reoccur for months. Normal looking scabies contrasts sharply with the Gulf cases. …
Identity Protected (Riki Ott)
I have heard from Gulf residents and visitors who developed a rash or peeling palms from contact with Gulf water, including such activities as swimming or wading, getting splashed, handling oiled material or dead animals without gloves, and shucking crabs from the recently opened Gulf fisheries. I have also heard from people who developed the same symptoms after contact with Gulf air by wiping an oily film off their airplane’s leading edges after flying over the Gulf (absorbent pad tested positive for oil) or swimming in outdoor pools, or splashing in puddles, after it rained. …Citing the National Academy of Sciences, a Texas Tech University professor testified in Congress that the chemicals break down cell walls, making organisms (including people) more susceptible to oil. …
I’ve been reading about bacteria, and I now think the Great Gulf Experiment is going very badly for humans. …
[S]ome of the oil-eating bacteria have been genetically modified, or otherwise bio-engineered, to better eat the oil…
Oil-eating bacteria produce bio-films. According to Nurse Schmidt, studies have found that bio-films are rapidly colonized (p. 97) by other Gram-negative bacteria – including those known to infect humans.
…Read the report here.
Man gets 99 years in prison for stealing a carton of cigarettes
A central Texas jury has sentenced a man to 99 years in prison for stealing a carton of cigarettes from a smoke shop.
The McLennan County jury sentenced 55-year-old Leon Willis Wilkerson in Waco on Thursday after finding him guilty of robbery on Wednesday.
Wilkerson was charged as a habitual criminal. He had a record of eight previous felony convictions and 12 misdemeanors.
According to court documents, Wilkerson stole the cigarettes in July 2008, tucked them in his jacket, then shoved to the ground a man who tried to stop him. The fallen man was injured, allowing prosecutors to upgrade the charge against Wilkerson from theft to robbery.
The McLennan County jury sentenced 55-year-old Leon Willis Wilkerson in Waco on Thursday after finding him guilty of robbery on Wednesday.
Wilkerson was charged as a habitual criminal. He had a record of eight previous felony convictions and 12 misdemeanors.
According to court documents, Wilkerson stole the cigarettes in July 2008, tucked them in his jacket, then shoved to the ground a man who tried to stop him. The fallen man was injured, allowing prosecutors to upgrade the charge against Wilkerson from theft to robbery.
Facebook Blocked
One small college's bold experiment draws praise, criticism, and even a jab on late-night TV.
Also: 
Ways a microwave makes cooking easier
This handy appliance can soften brown sugar and toast bread crumbs and nuts.
Also: Sneaky ways to get more vegetables
Grate zucchini or carrots into a quick bread, or add veggies to mac and cheese.
Also: Simple ways to speed up your metabolism
Sleeping less than 5 hours and eating a carb-heavy breakfast impede weight loss.
Also: Seven habits that are ruining your diet
Restrict "bad" foods too often, and you could end up packing on more calories, not less.
Also: 
Woman bags 1,025-pound alligator in SC lake
A Massachusetts woman has a remarkable souvenir from South Carolina. Maryellen Mara-Christian bagged a 13 1/2-foot ,1,025-pound alligator in Lake Moultrie.
Weird, Funny and Dumb Laws in the U.S.
Weird, Funny and Dumb Laws in the U.S., and there are some doozies!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
