"He who builds a better mousetrap these days runs into material shortages, patent-infringement suits, work stoppages, collusive bidding, discount discrimination--and taxes." - H. E. Martz

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NHS tells school children of their 'right' to 'an orgasm a day' - "The leaflet carries the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?""

Alpecin: Baldness calculator - "Based on your information, you will most likely go bald at the age of 44 or have lost most of your hair."

Lord Elgin and the Parthenon marbles: Snatched from northern climes - "The Munich declaration, as it is called, asserts that today’s ethical standards cannot be applied to yesterday’s acquisitions; but in return it acknowledges that encyclopedic museums have a special duty to put world culture on display. This has led to a new level of co-operation between museums over training, curating, restoration and loans. Thousands of works are now lent each year between museums on every continent... The choice is between the free circulation of treasures and a stand-off in which each museum grimly clings to what it claims to own"
Another source: "Italy has not yet established a legal market for dealing with the material that does surface and that cannot be adequately cared for or displayed in overflowing Italian museums."

Liberty and terror: Paying the price - "He describes the if-you-have-nothing-to-hide argument as “one of the most seductive betrayals of liberty” imaginable. The assumption behind it is, he says, “that the authorities will always be benign; will always reliably identify and interfere with genuinely bad people only; will never find themselves engaging in ‘mission creep’, with more and more uses to put their new powers and capabilities to; will not redefine crimes, nor redefine various behaviours or views now regarded as acceptable, to extend the range of things for which people can be placed under suspicion—and so considerably on.”... he reserves special scorn for the craven willingness of the British government to legislate against causing offence to people with religious sensibilities and the self-censorship of some media organisations in the face of bullying and blackmail. The only thing a tolerant society cannot tolerate is intolerance. Mr Grayling says that people who think differently must either lump it or go and live somewhere else."

Sikh boy's hair cut off in racist attack by knife gang - "Runbeer Singh, who was visiting the temple, said that cutting the boy’s hair was like taking his life. “This must have been absolutely devastating for the boy,” she said. “A Sikh’s hair is sacred to them. For someone to cut it off is as if they are killing him.” A Sikh woman who works with the local community said: “Muslims and Hindus cut their hair, which is another reason it is such an important part of a Sikh person’s identity.”"

Born to Lead? - "Richard Arvey, a Carlson School professor of human resources and industrial relations and an adjunct faculty member of the Unversity's psychology department... studied pairs of twins and the leadership roles they've held over the years to get the answer: 30 percent of leadership is based on genetics, while 70 percent is dependent on environmental factors."
Of course, this ignores Bourdieu's habitus and is not critical of systemic biases. A sociological paradigm, rather than an individual one, is needed. *insert more mumbo jumbo sociological bullshit*

Retiree throws bricks at cars - "A RETIRED teacher has become an unlikely Internet hit in China for throwing bricks at cars whose drivers were ignoring red lights at a dangerous crossing... The furious 74-year-old last week took up position on an intersection in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest Gansu province, and damaged more than 30 cars before he was stopped by police, the China Daily reported."

Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief - "The study, published today in the journal NeuroReport, measured how long college students could keep their hands immersed in cold water. During the chilly exercise, they could repeat an expletive of their choice or chant a neutral word. When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer... There is a catch, though: The more we swear, the less emotionally potent the words become, Stephens cautions. And without emotion, all that is left of a swearword is the word itself, unlikely to soothe anyone's pain."

China claims embassy protests show Xinjiang riots organized - "Demonstrations against Chinese consulates in Europe and the United States show that ethnic riots in Urumqi were orchestrated, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said on Monday."
Of course, Chinese demonstrating against Japan or attacking pro-Tibet protesters are patriots with spontaneous displays of patriotism.

Gay Penguins at the SF Zoo Split Up, Over A Girl - "Apparently, a lonely Linda befriended Harry after her long-time companion died. Pepper was not having that, becoming increasingly violent. Nothing like a love scorned gay penguin, all the hysterics of a female with the strength of a male. Eventually, the trio had to be separated after Pepper opened up a can of whoop ass."
The gay lobby must be outraged