Monday, November 22, 2010
The Pride Of The Valley Sculpture Park
Churt is a tiny village in the English county of Surrey and has most of the features you would expect from a centuries long established village in this part of the country - as well as something entirely unexpected.
Just outside the village boundaries lies the Pride of the Valley Sculpture Park, a place of unanticipated arty pleasure.
The Ellora Caves In India
The Ellora Caves are an impressive complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples near the ancient Indian village of Ellora. The caves have a slightly less dramatic setting than those at Ajanta, but more exquisite sculptures. Ellora is a World Heritage Site and the most visited ancient monument in Maharashtra State.
The 34 Ellora caves - actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills - were built between the 6th and the 10th century. The 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain caves, built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.
Secret chamber in National Library
The the Archaeological Survey of India discovered a mysterious hidden room while restoring the Indian National Library in Alipore. They know the room is large, around 1000 square feet, but can't find a way in. What's inside? Theories so far include skeletons (it was common practice among the British to 'wall up' offenders in 'death chambers' - lovely) or hidden treasures (the British were known to hide treasures in so called 'blind chambers').
"We've searched every inch of the first floor area that forms the ceiling of this enclosure for a possible trap door. But found nothing. Restoration of the building will remain incomplete if we are not able to assess what lies inside this enclosure," said deputy superintending archaeologist of ASI, Tapan Bhattacharya. "We've come across an arch on one side of the enclosure that had been walled up. Naturally speculations are rife," said another archaeologist. Was it used as a punishment room by Hastings or one of the Lt Governors who succeeded him? It was common practice among the British to "wall up" offenders in "death chambers". Some sources say this enclosure has exactly the same look and feel. The British were also known to hide riches in blind chambers as this.
"It could be just about anything. Skeletons and treasure chests are the two things that top our speculations because it is not natural for a building to have such a huge enclosure that has no opening. We cannot break down a wall, considering the importance of the building. So we have decided to bore a hole through the wall to peer inside with a searchlight," said D V Sharma, regional director, ASI.
Five Famous Scientists Dismissed as Morons in Their Time
Anthony Jurado and Nessa B. Wilson of Cracked wrote an article about five scientists who are respected today, but were considered fools in their own time. These include the physician Ignaz Semmelweis, who suggested that doctors should wash their hands after handling dead bodies in order to resist spreading infections:Semmelweis didn’t just have the disregard of his contemporaries, he had their flat-out scorn. Maybe it was because he didn’t get around to explaining himself on paper right away, so no one understood what hand-washing had to do with keeping people alive. Some doctors were actually insulted that he was accusing Viennese medical students being dirty enough to kill people.
Within 14 years of his groundbreaking discovery, Semmelweis just stopped giving a [redacted -- ed.]. He got drunk all the time and called all his detractors “ignoramuses” and “murderers.” He started chilling with prostitutes and lashing out at family. That last part proved to be a bad move, because in 1865 they had him committed to an insane asylum, where he was promptly beat up and stuck in a dark cellar.
He died two weeks later. It took another 20 years and Louis Pasteur’s germ theory for the rest of the world to come around to the concept of washing your hands to keep from getting sick.
Extinction date for tigers
Experts announce a startlingly imminent year for when they think the big cats will disappear from the wild.
Also: Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Although it's not easy to surprise you, today will prove the exception to that rule.
There's at least one major surprise en route in the department of communications.
Routine conversations and encounters won't be quite so routine right about now.
That goes for any conversation, whether it's in person or via phone, email or snail mail.
If you expect it to turn out one way, it could quite possibly end up in an entirely different direction.
Ready or not, here it comes!
Some of our readers today have been in:
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Rio De Janeiro, Rio, De Janeiro, Brazil
Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Edithvale, Victoria, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Male, Kaafu, Maldives
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommen, Germany
Cavite City, Cavite, Philippines
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
as well as Japan, Lithuania, Turkey, Romania, Belgium, Switzerland, India, South Africa and in cities across the United States such as Downey, New York, Cape Coral, Berkeley and more.
Today is:
Today is Sunday, November 21, the 325th day of 2010.
There are 40 days left in the year.
North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the US Constitution in 1789 on November 21st.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
World Hello Day.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
TSA Bullshit
Boehner and Congress exempt from TSA procedures
Let them go through the porno-scans and groping. All of them, plus their spouse and kids. Then let's see how long it takes for the security theater to change.Representative John A. Boehner, soon to be the Speaker of the House, has pledged to fly commercial airlines back to his home district in Ohio. But that does not mean that he will be subjected to the hassles of ordinary passengers, including the controversial security pat-downs.
As he left Washington on Friday, Mr. Boehner headed across the Potomac River to Reagan National Airport, which was bustling with afternoon travelers. But there was no waiting in line for Mr. Boehner, who was escorted around the metal detectors and body scanners, and taken directly to the gate.
TSA security groping leaves 61-year-old bladder cancer survivor soaked in own urine
61-year-old Thomas Sawyer is a retired special education teacher, and a survivor of bladder cancer. He says he was "absolutely humiliated," broke down in tears and soaked in his own urine, after a degrading and invasive TSA "pat-down" at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on November 7 caused his urostomy bag to rupture.From MSNBC:
Sawyer was forced to walk through the airport drenched in his own urine, then board his plane and wait until after takeoff before he could clean himself up in the plane's toilet.Due to his medical condition, Sawyer asked to be screened in private. "One officer looked at another, rolled his eyes and said that they really didn't have any place to take me," said Sawyer. "After I said again that I'd like privacy, they took me to an office."
Sawyer wears pants two sizes too large in order to accommodate the medical equipment he wears. He'd taken off his belt to go through the scanner and once in the office with security personnel, his pants fell down around his ankles. "I had to ask twice if it was OK to pull up my shorts," said Sawyer, "And every time I tried to tell them about my medical condition, they said they didn't need to know about that."
Before starting the enhanced pat-down procedure, a security officer did tell him what they were going to do and how they were going to it, but Sawyer said it wasn't until they asked him to remove his sweatshirt and saw his urostomy bag that they asked any questions about his medical condition.
"One agent watched as the other used his flat hand to go slowly down my chest. I tried to warn him that he would hit the bag and break the seal on my bag, but he ignored me. Sure enough, the seal was broken and urine started dribbling down my shirt and my leg and into my pants."
More TSA Bullshit
This thanksgiving could get expensive for those folks flying who refuse to be felt up and groped by the TSA.
....the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is warning that any would-be commercial airline passenger who enters an airport checkpoint and then refuses to undergo the method of inspection designated by tsa will not be allowed to fly and also will not be permitted to simply leave the airport.Wrong, you have the right to refuse to be sexually battered and to leave at your convenience regardless what the buffoons at the TSA say. Also the threat of 'fines' is illegal and they know it - this is in response to the call for a boycott of the TSA and their checkpoints on Wednesday November 24th (the day before Thanksgiving). And if anyone were to be arrested it would be the TSA agents for sexual battery.
That person will have to remain on the premises to be questioned by the tsa and possibly by local law enforcement. anyone refusing faces fines up to $11,000 and possible arrest. -
Judge orders Gawker to remove Sarah Palin book excerpts
Gawker received, published and criticized excerpts from Sarah Palin's new book, America By Heart. Though a perfect example of fair use (a limitation on copyright that explicitly allows for reportage and criticism) her publisher has other ideas.
Even after Palin publicized leaked excerpts at supporters' sites, HarperCollins filed a copyright lawsuit against Gawker yesterday. U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Griesa ordered Gawker to remove the passages today, despite the small size of the excerpts and writer Maureen O'Connor's substantial fair-usey criticisms.
Gawker complied. Google's cache, however, republishes the post in full.
It seems a bit shrill to suggest that HarperCollins would have done this to get rid of Gawker's deflating pre-publication criticisms. Its toleration of identical 'infringements' in Palin-Friendly venues can speak for itself.
Policeman on vacation spots stolen art treasures in window of art gallery
Two ancient statues stolen in the 1980s from Italian museums, including a bronze statue of the Greek god Zeus, have been returned home. The Zeus statue and a marble female torso, both dating from the 1st century, had ended up in the hands of a dealer and a collector in New York, officials told a news conference on Friday in Rome.
The torso, from a small museum in Terracina, south of Rome, was on display in a Madison Ave. art gallery when Michele Speranza, a member of the Italian Carabinieri art squad that hunts down stolen artifacts, strolled by when on holiday last year. "I stopped to look at the gallery window and I recognized the statue," Mr Speranza, 38, said. "I thought I had seen it among the photos in our databank" of missing art, said the officer, who took a photo of the work with his cell phone and did some research when he returned to his job in Rome.
"The statue had been given up for lost" after it being stolen in 1988, said Gen. Pasquale Muggeo, head of the Carabinieri art division renowned for tracking down art treasures and artifacts stolen or illegally excavated from Italian soil. The bronze and the torso are each valued at €500,000 (£428,000), authorities said.
The Zeus was stolen from the National Museum in Rome near the capital's main train station in 1980, and was tracked to a New York collector after a photo of it appeared in a Sotheby's auction catalog in 2006. The art squad methodically studies catalogs of major auction houses. No arrests have been made in either theft. Authorities said those who owned the statues were unaware of their illegal provenance.
The torso, from a small museum in Terracina, south of Rome, was on display in a Madison Ave. art gallery when Michele Speranza, a member of the Italian Carabinieri art squad that hunts down stolen artifacts, strolled by when on holiday last year. "I stopped to look at the gallery window and I recognized the statue," Mr Speranza, 38, said. "I thought I had seen it among the photos in our databank" of missing art, said the officer, who took a photo of the work with his cell phone and did some research when he returned to his job in Rome.
"The statue had been given up for lost" after it being stolen in 1988, said Gen. Pasquale Muggeo, head of the Carabinieri art division renowned for tracking down art treasures and artifacts stolen or illegally excavated from Italian soil. The bronze and the torso are each valued at €500,000 (£428,000), authorities said.
The Zeus was stolen from the National Museum in Rome near the capital's main train station in 1980, and was tracked to a New York collector after a photo of it appeared in a Sotheby's auction catalog in 2006. The art squad methodically studies catalogs of major auction houses. No arrests have been made in either theft. Authorities said those who owned the statues were unaware of their illegal provenance.
Bold career swap pays off
Marina Marchese was afraid of bees before meeting the residents of her neighbor's hives.
Also: Save The Words
Save the Words features arcane words that are well on their way out of use. Many are no longer found in dictionaries. Site visitors can 'adopt' these words and pledge to revive them by using them as frequently as possible in conversation and in correspondence. Words like avunculize which means to act as an uncle. Or foppotee which is a simple-minded person.
Save the Words is a project of an advertising agency. Young and Rubicam in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, was hired to promote the print version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Unusual 'blue' moon coming
November's full moon may look ordinary, but a bizarre old rule makes it extremely rare.
Also: T. Rex Tail Built for Speed
Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the world's fastest moving hunters thanks to its powerful tail.
Just Found: The Planet From Another Galaxy
Scientists have discovered the first planet from another galaxy, sort of. While some 500 planets have been identified in other parts of our galaxy - the Milky Way - none has been reported in other galaxies.
Upping the cute factor
Three sleepy kitties are enjoying their nap when they realize they are not alone.
Also: Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Okay, so if any sign is, it's yours that's ordinarily the very soul of discretion, self-control and discipline.
Still, it won't take much arm-twisting to talk you into a little recreation at this particular moment in time.
It will take even less persuasion if you just so happen to be at the mercy of someone you've been dying to spend a few quality hours alone with for a long, long time.
Oh, go ahead.
But lose the guilt first.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edithvale, Victoria, Australia
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
London, England, United Kingdom
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, Israel
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
as well as Germany, Taiwan, South Africa, Singapore, Switzerland, India, Romania, Japan and in cities across the United States such as Reno, Boise, San Angelo, Temperance and more.
Today is:
Today is Saturday, November 20, the 324th day of 2010.
There are 41 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
There isn't one.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
President Obama's Weekly Address
This Treaty is rooted in a practice that dates back to Ronald Reagan. The idea is simple – as the two nations with over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, the United States and Russia have a responsibility to work together to reduce our arsenals. And to ensure that our national security is protected, the United States has an interest in tracking Russia’s nuclear arsenal through a verification effort that puts U.S. inspectors on the ground. As President Reagan said when he signed a nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union in 1987, “Trust, but verify.”
That is precisely what the New START Treaty does. After nearly a full year of negotiations, we completed an agreement earlier this year that cuts by a third the number of long-range nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles that the United States and Russia can deploy, while ensuring that America retains a strong nuclear deterrent, and can put inspectors back on the ground in Russia.
The Treaty also helped us reset our relations with Russia, which led to concrete benefits. For instance, Russia has been indispensable to our efforts to enforce strong sanctions on Iran, to secure loose nuclear material from terrorists, and to equip our troops in Afghanistan.
All of this will be put to risk if the Senate does not pass the New START Treaty.
Without ratification this year, the United States will have no inspectors on the ground, and no ability to verify Russian nuclear activities. So those who would block this treaty are breaking President Reagan’s rule – they want to trust, but not verify.
Without ratification, we put at risk the coalition that we have built to put pressure on Iran, and the transit route through Russia that we use to equip our troops in Afghanistan. And without ratification, we risk undoing decades of American leadership on nuclear security, and decades of bipartisanship on this issue. Our security and our position in the world are at stake.
Indeed, since the Reagan years, every President has pursued a negotiated, verified, arms reduction treaty. And every time that these treaties have been reviewed by the Senate, they have passed with over 85 votes. Bipartisan support for New START could not be stronger. It has been endorsed by Republicans from the Reagan Administration and both Bush Administrations – including Colin Powell, George Shultz, Jim Baker, and Henry Kissinger. And it was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a strong bipartisan vote of 14-4.
Over the last several months, several questions have been asked about New START, and we have answered every single one. Some have asked whether it will limit our missile defense – it will not. Some, including Senator Jon Kyl, have asked that we modernize our nuclear infrastructure for the 21st century – we are doing so, and plan to invest at least $85 billion in that effort over the next ten years – a significant increase from the Bush Administration.
Finally, some make no argument against the Treaty – they just ask for more time. But remember this: it has already been 11 months since we’ve had inspectors in Russia, and every day that goes by without ratification is a day that we lose confidence in our understanding of Russia’s nuclear weapons. If the Senate doesn’t act this year – after six months, 18 hearings, and nearly a thousand questions answered – it would have to start over from scratch in January.
The choice is clear: a failure to ratify New START would be a dangerous gamble with America’s national security, setting back our understanding of Russia’s nuclear weapons, as well as our leadership in the world. That is not what the American people sent us to Washington to do.
There is enough gridlock, enough bickering. If there is one issue that should unite us – as Republicans and Democrats – it should be our national security.
Some things are bigger than politics. As Republican Dick Lugar said the other day, “Every Senator has an obligation in the national security interest to take a stand, to do his or her duty.”
Senator Lugar is right. And if the Senate passes this treaty, it will not be an achievement for Democrats or Republicans – it will be a win for America.
Thanks.
No. 1 thing you need to survive
Water and shelter are essentials, but there's something else you need above all.
Also: Rethink how to beat stress
If deep breathing and yoga aren't helping you relax, you aren't alone.
Also: 
Cancer surviving flight attendant forced to remove prosthetic breast during pat-down
Maybe things are going just a bit too far, no?
Cathy Bossi, from South Charlotte, has been a flight attendant for over 30 years and has worked for U.S. Airways for the past 28 years.
In early August Cathy Bossi was walking through security when she says she was asked to go through the new full body-scanners at Concourse "D" at Charlotte Douglas International.
She reluctantly agreed. As a 3-year breast cancer survivor she says she didn't want the added radiation through her body. But, Bossi says she did agree.
"The T.S.A. Agent told me to put my I.D. on my back," she said. "When I got out of there she said because my I.D. was on my back, I had to go to a personal screening area."
She says two female Charlotte T.S.A. agents took her to a private room and began what she calls an aggressive pat down. She says they stopped when they got around to feeling her right breast… the one where she'd had surgery.
"She put her full hand on my breast and said, 'What is this?'. And I said, 'It's my prosthesis because I've had breast cancer.' And she said, 'Well, you'll need to show me that'."
Cathy Bossi, from South Charlotte, has been a flight attendant for over 30 years and has worked for U.S. Airways for the past 28 years.
TSA exempts pilots from porno-scan or gropes at airports
Hey, it's a first step.
The Transportation Security Administration agreed Friday to let uniformed airline pilots skip the body scans and aggressive pat-downs at the heart of a national uproar. The pilots must pass through a metal detector at airport checkpoints and present photo IDs that prove their identity.
The victory for pilots followed a 2-year lobbying campaign by their union leaders that reached a fever pitch in the past two weeks. Their bid was boosted by hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who said pilots should be treated as "trusted partners" in the fight against terrorism.
But just days before the hectic Thanksgiving holiday travel period, TSA chief John Pistole offered little hope of a similar reprieve for regular passengers, who have complained more loudly about the new measures. Some are urging travelers to refuse to go through full-body scanners, which produce a virtually naked image.
It Takes One to Know One
Castro Sees Tea Party as "Fascism"
In the ultimate pot calling the kettle black, former Cuban dictator and President Fidel Castro recognized the Tea Party but not in very favorable terms.
Swiss political party issues image of naked models
A wingnut political party in Switzerland has produced a provocative anti-immigration campaign in which a photograph of naked young models wading into Lake Zurich is contrasted with an image of headscarf-wearing Muslim women bathing in filthy water. The campaign is meant to warn the Swiss of what could happen to the country if it allows greater immigration. It comes as the Alpine nation prepares to vote on whether immigrants who commit serious crimes should be automatically expelled.
The online campaign was produced by a regional branch of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest in parliament and the country's biggest political force. The first image shows a rear view of four young women holding hands and standing in the shallows of Lake Zurich. The second shows a group of elderly women, possibly Albanians or Bosnians, wearing headscarves and smoking as they immerse themselves in muddy water. It is supposed to represent a vision of Switzerland 20 years from now.
A spokeswoman for the SVP said that the controversial images had been created by party activists in Wohlen, west of Zurich, and would not be adopted nationally. Switzerland will hold a referendum next week in which voters can decide whether foreigners who have been found guilty of murder, rape, drugs trafficking and other serious offenses should be deported.
The expulsion initiative was put forward by the SVP, which has won support by capitalizing on fears about foreigners, who currently make up more than a fifth of Switzerland's population of 7.7 million. Recent polls show that 54 per cent of Swiss voters would vote in favor of the measure while 43 per cent are against it. The federal Justice Ministry has warned that a "yes" vote on Nov 28 could bring Switzerland into conflict with international obligations such as the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or nationality.
The online campaign was produced by a regional branch of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest in parliament and the country's biggest political force. The first image shows a rear view of four young women holding hands and standing in the shallows of Lake Zurich. The second shows a group of elderly women, possibly Albanians or Bosnians, wearing headscarves and smoking as they immerse themselves in muddy water. It is supposed to represent a vision of Switzerland 20 years from now.
A spokeswoman for the SVP said that the controversial images had been created by party activists in Wohlen, west of Zurich, and would not be adopted nationally. Switzerland will hold a referendum next week in which voters can decide whether foreigners who have been found guilty of murder, rape, drugs trafficking and other serious offenses should be deported.
The expulsion initiative was put forward by the SVP, which has won support by capitalizing on fears about foreigners, who currently make up more than a fifth of Switzerland's population of 7.7 million. Recent polls show that 54 per cent of Swiss voters would vote in favor of the measure while 43 per cent are against it. The federal Justice Ministry has warned that a "yes" vote on Nov 28 could bring Switzerland into conflict with international obligations such as the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or nationality.
Odds and Sods
Denmark's Little Mermaid received applause and trumpet fanfares on Saturday as the famous statue was reinstalled at its home perch in Copenhagen harbor after spending six months in China.
India's Hindus have revered the cow for centuries. Now they can signal their faith with an aftershave made with bovine urine, a substance finding its way into a plethora of products, from toilet cleaners to soft drinks and lip balms, it emerged Saturday.
A man who bought a foreclosed Florida home discovered a body in the garage, and it may be that of the former owner, authorities said Friday
India's Hindus have revered the cow for centuries. Now they can signal their faith with an aftershave made with bovine urine, a substance finding its way into a plethora of products, from toilet cleaners to soft drinks and lip balms, it emerged Saturday.
A man who bought a foreclosed Florida home discovered a body in the garage, and it may be that of the former owner, authorities said Friday
'Legally dead' man pleads not guilty
Mississippi man suspected in disappearance of girl, mother
A Mississippi man who was declared legally dead in 1994 pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal kidnapping charge in the abduction of a 12-year-old girl who was found dead in remote Louisiana woods. Thomas Steven Sanders, suspected of shooting Lexis Roberts of Las Vegas before dumping her body, said little Friday while in federal court in Louisiana. Shackled and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, he spent much of the time reading documents with his lawyer.
Sanders, also is a suspect in the disappearance of the girl's mother, Suellen Roberts. Authorities believe a body found Monday in Arizona may be hers. Authorities are trying to positively identify the body with dental records.Sanders, who drifted through several states after he was declared dead, was arrested Sunday in Gulfport, Miss.
Two beggars
Two beggars in Rome are sitting side by side on a street. One has a cross in front of him; the other one the Star of David. Many people go by and look at both beggars, but only put money into the bowl of the beggar sitting behind the cross.
A priest comes by and stops and watches the throngs of people giving money to the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of David.
Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David and says, "my poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country; this city is the seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross. In fact, they would probably give to him just out of spite."
The beggar behind the Star of David listened to the priest, turned to the other beggar with the cross and said, "You hear that Avi, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing."
A priest comes by and stops and watches the throngs of people giving money to the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of David.
Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David and says, "my poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country; this city is the seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross. In fact, they would probably give to him just out of spite."
The beggar behind the Star of David listened to the priest, turned to the other beggar with the cross and said, "You hear that Avi, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing."
Black Friday myths busted
Shoppers will brave long lines and overcrowded stores, but are the bargains worth it?
Also: Worst cities for finding jobs
Bad interviews or a lack of experience may not be the reason you can't land a job.
Also: Insider trading rings targeted
Authorities expect the three-year probe to have an unprecedented impact on the financial world.
Also: 
Dutch may ban foreigners from marijuana 'coffee' shops
For those seeking high-grade, low-cost marijuana, free from the attentions of "the man", Amsterdam has long been the weekend destination of choice. But all that could be about to change.
A million British tourists visit Amsterdam each year, but a big draw for a considerable number will vanish if the Dutch justice minister goes ahead with plans to ban foreigners from buying cannabis in the country's famous coffee shops.
"Of course tourists are welcome to visit the Netherlands but not only to visit the coffee shops," said the justice minister, Ivo Opstelten. "In the near future, if we work out the processes, the coffee shops will not be accessible to tourists."
Five bizarre U.S. restaurants
Denver's Casa Bonita is "a Mexican restaurant crossed with Disneyland."
Also: 
Comic book sells for almost $500K in Texas
84-year old man paid a dime when he was a teen
A rare comic book an 84-year-old California man bought for a dime when he was a teen has been sold in Texas for $492,937. The copy of Detective Comics No. 27 featured the debut of "The Batman."Robert Irwin said he bought the May 1939 issue from a Sacramento, Calif., newsstand when he was 13, and it's the only comic book he kept from his youth.
The winning bid came from a collector who wished to remain anonymous. He placed the bid by phone Thursday in an auction by Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
Irwin, who attended the auction, said he is elated and wishes he had another book.
Heritage sold a rare copy of that same comic in better condition for $1,075,500 in February.
Yikes
Now that's scary!
And to think we actually lived through the 'Beehive Era' ... who would have thought it possible at the time.
Lithium in 7-Up
Everyone knows that Coca-Cola was originally formulated to contain cocaine. I didn't know that 7-Up contained lithium.
... lithium was widely marketed as one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was the medicinal ingredient of a refreshment beverage, 7 Up. Charles Leiper Grigg, who launched his St. Louis-based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920, invented a formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929. The product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It contained the mood stabiliser lithium citrate and was one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The beverage was marketed specifically as a hangover cure. Its name was soon changed to 7 Up.More about 7-Up and the history of its name at Snopes.
Confused African Pelicans End Up in Siberia: Thanks, Global Warming.
Photo: Rainbirder under a Creative Commons license
Russia's been having a record breaking autumn weather-wise, with temperatures in Altai, in southwestern Siberia, remaining as high as 41° Fahrenheit. And it looks like the balmy weather has attracted some new residents: on Tuesday, a flock of seven African pink pelicans landed in the village of Suslovo, reported Reuters. The birds, which had spend the summer in Kazakhstan, should have been flying south to winter in Africa. But that's where global warming stepped in. Confused by the unnaturally high temperatures to the north, the pelicans, all barely a year old, flew in the wrong direction.Article continues: Confused African Pelicans End Up in Siberia: Thanks, Global Warming.
What Does Your Dog Think?
Sit! Shake! Quit barking! Get off the couch! Go find your toy!
Ever wonder what your dog is thinking as it gazes at you while you are giving it commands?
Duke University's Canine Cognition Center in Durham, North Carolina, is one of the few labs in the country focused on how dogs think.
Ever wonder what your dog is thinking as it gazes at you while you are giving it commands?
Duke University's Canine Cognition Center in Durham, North Carolina, is one of the few labs in the country focused on how dogs think.
Faithful dog waits for owner near Shanghai fire without eating
A Golden Retriever puppy has deeply moved citizens in the aftermath of the huge fire that broke out on Jiaozhou Road in Shanghai killing 53 people on Nov. 15. The puppy laid and wept on the ground beside the fire site without eating and drinking waiting for its owner to return.
The puppy kept walking back and forth near the fire site in the wake of the fire disaster and looked very worried. Several hours later, it was so tired that it laid still at a crossing and was trembling. Nearby residents estimated that the dog's owner was likely trapped in the huge fire, and firefighters covered the dog with a blanket and provided it with some rice, vegetables, bread and water.
However, the dog neither ate nor drank, and had tears running down its face. A resident wanted to temporarily adopt the dog and touched it, but the dog immediately growled and glared at the resident. After resting, the dog stood up and walked around the burning building again. After the dog became a little more relaxed, a firefighter at the site temporarily adopted the dog.
The firefighter from then Shanghai Jing'an Fire Fighting Squadron said the dog's name is Jingjing and had waited for its owner near the fire site before becoming so tired that it nearly passed out on the ground while watching the burning building. Jingjing was very dismayed and ate nothing after it was temporally adopted by the firefighter. At noon on Nov. 17, Jingjing's owner went to the fire fighting squadron base, and Jingjing immediately ran toward its owner. The firefighter who adopted the dog said, "This man must be the dog's owner." Jingjing did not eat anything for 40 hours until it was reunited with its owner.
The puppy kept walking back and forth near the fire site in the wake of the fire disaster and looked very worried. Several hours later, it was so tired that it laid still at a crossing and was trembling. Nearby residents estimated that the dog's owner was likely trapped in the huge fire, and firefighters covered the dog with a blanket and provided it with some rice, vegetables, bread and water.
However, the dog neither ate nor drank, and had tears running down its face. A resident wanted to temporarily adopt the dog and touched it, but the dog immediately growled and glared at the resident. After resting, the dog stood up and walked around the burning building again. After the dog became a little more relaxed, a firefighter at the site temporarily adopted the dog.
The firefighter from then Shanghai Jing'an Fire Fighting Squadron said the dog's name is Jingjing and had waited for its owner near the fire site before becoming so tired that it nearly passed out on the ground while watching the burning building. Jingjing was very dismayed and ate nothing after it was temporally adopted by the firefighter. At noon on Nov. 17, Jingjing's owner went to the fire fighting squadron base, and Jingjing immediately ran toward its owner. The firefighter who adopted the dog said, "This man must be the dog's owner." Jingjing did not eat anything for 40 hours until it was reunited with its owner.
Peach the Chihuahua is Japan's newest police dog
In what is a first for Japan and perhaps the world, a long-haired Chihuahua named "Momo" - "Peach" - passed exams to become a police dog in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara.
The brown-and-white, perky Momo was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search and rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after merely sniffing their cap. "Any breed of dog can be entered to become a police dog in the search and rescue division," said a Nara police spokesman.
But he admitted that news a Chihuahua had been entered may still come as a surprise to many. "It's quite unusual," he said.
Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope that she may be able to squeeze her tiny frame into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds. The public response to the news of Momo's selection took police by surprise, the spokesman said, adding: "The phone's been ringing all afternoon."
The brown-and-white, perky Momo was one of 32 successful candidates out of 70 dogs, passing a search and rescue test by finding a person in five minutes after merely sniffing their cap. "Any breed of dog can be entered to become a police dog in the search and rescue division," said a Nara police spokesman.
But he admitted that news a Chihuahua had been entered may still come as a surprise to many. "It's quite unusual," he said.
Momo will be used for rescue operations in case of disasters such as earthquakes, in the hope that she may be able to squeeze her tiny frame into places too narrow for more usual rescue dogs, which tend to be German Shepherds. The public response to the news of Momo's selection took police by surprise, the spokesman said, adding: "The phone's been ringing all afternoon."
Last chance to save tigers?
The population has plummeted so sharply that it's near the point of no return.
Also:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
