"Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content." - Louis L'Amour

***

Seder Fare for Pets That Keep Kosher - "Ms. Sher, who is Jewish, submitted an application to the Chicago Rabbinical Council, one of a handful of organizations across the country that certify foods as kosher. The rabbis required her to remove grains as well as meat-dairy combinations, inspected the plant, then gave her permission to say “Kosher for Passover” on labels for most of Evanger’s dog food flavors and about a quarter of its cat food. A letter of certification spells out that the food is “acceptable for use by those who observe Jewish law (free from any forbidden mixtures)” but “not kosher for human consumption.”"

New Delhi ban on plastic bags falls flat - "Not surprisingly, the Jan 16 announcement had been received with scepticism in a city whose residents are used to bans being flouted openly. They say the ban on plastic bags will meet the same fate as so many other “don'ts” issued by the authorities in the past: “Don't litter the roads”, “Don't smoke in public”, “Don't use roadsides as toilets”. The list of punishable offences is long but is seldom enforced... Ravi Kumar Aggarwal, president of the All-India Plastic Industries Association, told The Straits Times the ban is “sheer madness” and “foolhardy”. He claimed plastic bags accounted for only 10 per cent of the solid waste in Delhi and there was no proof that they were responsible for choked drains. The ban would result in the closure of more than 2,000 plastic bag manufacturing units in the capital and render 10,000 traders and 100,000 workers jobless. Referring to the maximum penalty of 100,000 rupees (RM7,200) or a five-year prison term for violation of the ban, Aggarwal said this would provide yet another avenue for corruption by law enforcers."

Missouri Lawmaker Wants to Execute People Who Litter - "Should littering in Missouri be an offense punishable by death? That's what one Missouri state senator proposed at a recent session, but he insists he was only joking."

Toilet float had sinister look; Des Moines bomb squad called

I Told You So - Weird News Story Archive - "Linda Stewart, 39, was upset that her new husband smoked in bed. “According to her, he had fallen asleep the night before and left a cigarette burning, and it burned a small area on the bed,” said Detective Mickey Jones. “So she said she was going to show him what could happen.” Police say the Columbia, Tenn., woman put a lit cigarette on the bed and left the house, which was gutted by the resulting fire. Linda has been arrested and charged with arson."

Found: the brain’s centre of wisdom - "SCIENTISTS have identified the seat of human wisdom by pinpointing parts of the brain that guide us when we face difficult moral dilemmas... “Modern neuroscience is shifting towards a view of voluntary action being based on specific brain processes, rather than being a transcendental feature of human nature,” he said. Brain scanning studies into disorders such as obesity and gambling have taken this further, suggesting society could be wrong to blame people suffering from such afflictions. Their brains are wired in such a way that it is much harder to exercise wisdom or self-control."

A special report on the rich: An end to inequality? | More or less equal? | The Economist - "Leaving aside the moral issues, does inequality have any economic benefits? In the 1970s it was argued that high taxes had reduced incentives and thus economic growth. Entrepreneurs had to be motivated to build businesses and create jobs. But extensive study by economists has found little correlation, in either direction, between inequality and economic growth rates across countries."

Polish politician fumes over gay elephant in zoo - "The head of the Poznan zoo said 10-year-old Ninio may be too young to decide whether he prefers males or females as elephants only reach sexual maturity at 14."

Rough Intercourse Lands Jamaican Men With Broken Willies - [On Daggering] "During very rigorous intercourse the man can hit the woman's pubic bone and sustain a fracture. There is a loud popping sound, excruciating pain and swelling."

'Fake Pandas' Joke Not Funny (China, Taiwan to War Over Fake Panda Incident?) - "The Taipei Times has defended its move, saying readers should be capable of telling a joke from the truth. 'April Fools' Day jokes highlight an important aspect of the consumption of media: that readers and viewers should keep a critical mind when they read stories or watch TV,' it said in a statement... Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday seemed to get the joke. When approached by reporters for comment on the story as he accompanied a group of students to visit the zoo’s Panda Hall, Hau said: “Let me tell you, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are actually Taiwanese Formosa bears.” Geoffrey Davies, head of the journalism department at London’s University of Westminster, was quoted in the CNN report as saying that running an April Fool does not particularly affect a news outlet’s credibility. “They are done in such a way that you know it’s a joke,” he was quoted as saying."

The 50-year-old mother who has spent £10,000 on surgery to look like her daughter - "At £4,000 my husband wasn't best pleased, but I thought it was worth it,' she says. Alas, the new breasts weren't enough to save her marriage... Both 'girls' insist there's no jealousy. 'We're both confident about our looks,' says Jane. 'Men give me just as many compliments as Mum gets, so why would I feel jealous? 'I don't worry about introducing boyfriends to her. I know they'd never get anywhere, even if they did make a move on her.' In fact, while there have been no shortage of offers from toy boys, Janet is happy being single."
Should've gotten a breast reduction also

Qwitter: Catching Twitter quitters - "Qwitter e-mails you when someone stops following you on Twitter"