Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated." - H. L. Mencken

***

Bus delayed after Muslim driver pulls over so he can pray in the aisle

The Princess and the Frog fans fall ill after copying film - "An outbreak of salmonella poisoning in young Disney fans has emerged after the release of the new cartoon film The Princess and the Frog... Most of the children infected in the States were girls under the age of 10"

Drinking beer could help prevent weak bones

Saudi's Reject Pakistani Diplomat Whose Name Translates to 'Biggest Dick' - "A high level Pakistani diplomat has been rejected as Ambassador of Saudi Arabia because his name, Akbar Zib, equates to "Biggest Dick" in Arabic"

You
are the Fleet Admiral of the Navy in WWI what do you do?
- "Your ships are being sunk at an alarming rate by the devastatingly effective German U-Boat. The traditional camouflage isn’t working because your environment (sea and sky) changes with the weather. What do you do?... HIT THEM WITH THE RAZZLE DAZZLE"

Biopolis: The Science Factory - "There’s a catch, and some researchers say it’s major. In exchange for plum working conditions, scientists must satisfy a list of key performance indicators... Setting such conditions enables Singapore’s business-minded officials to get rid of what they see as dead weight and to churn out science on a strict, predetermined schedule. Some observers, used to a system in which the results of scientific research are expected to be unexpected, contend that the highest-quality work can’t be hurried. They wonder how and whether a government can create in a few years what elsewhere has evolved over generations... most science parks are run in a fairly hands-off manner... Biopolis, in contrast, manages almost every detail... 'Biomedical research isn’t like the dot-com business. You can’t excel in the short term'... Singapore’s desire for reliable scientific dividends actually puts it in a position to fill an important gap between curiosity-driven and translational research"

Positive thinking makes me sick - "The crux of the problem with the power of positive thinking; it's utterly self-obsessed and makes us forget that we are, in fact, a community to whom, often, horrible things happen... to follow a philosophy that tries to persuade you that the way you think is what can make you better is a cheat and a lie"

Inkling Magazine - Crescat Graffiti, Vita Excolatur - "Being a Statistical Analysis of Graffiti Found at the University of Chicago Library"

What Women Want Now - The State of the American Woman - "A new survey by GfK Roper for NBC Universal gives a whole new meaning to the power of the purse: 65% of women reported being their family's chief financial planner, and 71% called themselves the family accountant. According to a Mediamark Research & Intelligence survey, they make 75% of the buying decisions in American homes... More than two-thirds of women still think men resent powerful women, yet women are more likely than men to say female bosses are harder to work for than male ones... It's as though sensible people are too busy to bother bickering about who takes out the garbage or who deserves the corner office"
Men may earn more but women spend more

British sex addict Danny James moves town after sleeping with every girl in it - "When there were no more women left in town I had not slept with I spent a fortune on taxis going further afield"
The UK must be a nice place, or Lytham St Annes a terrible one, if he managed to bed everyone in the town

Medicating a Madman: A Sober Look at Hitler's Health - "Eberle and Neumann were unable to find any evidence that Hitler was missing a testicle or that his penis was deformed after allegedly being bitten by a goat in his younger days"

Snowflakes - No Two Alike? - "The short answer to the question is yes -- it is indeed extremely unlikely that two complex snowflakes will look exactly alike.  It's so extremely unlikely, in fact, that even if you looked at every one ever made you would not find any exact duplicates. nbsp; The long answer is a bit more involved -- it depends on just what you mean by "alike," and on just what you mean by "snowflake.""

Hawtness - The Women of WTF - "Women rock at shooting beer-bongs, dressing up as storm-troopers, shoving whole wine glasses in their mouths and a myriad of other amazing activities. This obviously must be celebrated, so join us in proclaiming Hawtness across the interwebs."

Atlanta's Yellow Line Has Some Asians Seeing Red - "There are seven colors in a rainbow and 64 in a box of crayons. So why, some people in Atlanta are asking, did the transit authority have to pick yellow?... Asian-Americans and the city's transit officials debate the decision to rename a train route into the heart of the city's Asian community. It used to be called "Doraville," now it's the "yellow line." Activists say the name shows a lack of sensitivity... Some advocates say the city should spend an as yet undetermined amount of taxpayer money to change the color to ... wait for it ... gold... Helen Kim, director of advocacy and education at the nonprofit Pan Asian Center for Community Services... said the "offensive term" could be easily erased from the line's 18 stops by renaming it all over again... MARTA also has a red line, a green line and a blue line. Several other cities — including San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington — utilize yellow within their color-coded systems... "Make the issue about the economy or something else more important""

Riazat Butt: Muslims cannot claim a monopoly on anger over the suffering in Gaza - "I asked Fareena Alam of the Muslim magazine Q News why Muslims were so quick to condemn western governments for their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet appeared to show little heartbreak or anger over suffering in Darfur... instead of crying foul when it's just Muslims who are suffering, why not react this way when anyone is affected, regardless of what they believe? When there's a hurricane, a cyclone or civil unrest that leaves people dead, homeless or in the grip of oppression? It is your duty to protest and react, not because you're Muslim, but because you're human. Looking after your own – and only your own – gives the lie to the idea that Islam is a religion of compassion. In fact, it says Islam is a religion of self-interest."

Press Largely Ignored Incendiary Rhetoric at Bush Protest - "News outlets that are focusing on the incendiary rhetoric of conservatives outside President Obama's town hall meeting Tuesday ignored the incendiary rhetoric -- and even violence -- of liberals outside an appearance by former President George W. Bush in 2002... One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush's assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple. "BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE"... Although reporters from numerous national news organizations were traveling with Bush and witnessed the protest, none reported that protesters were shrieking at Republican donors epithets like "Slut!" "Whore!" and "Fascists!""

They haven't got a queue: Government to teach immigrants the British art of lining up - " Ministers believe queue-jumping is damaging social cohesion as most Britons find such behaviour unacceptable. Immigration minister Phil Woolas has claimed that much tension in communities is caused by foreigners not understanding they must wait in line for services rather than barging to the front as may be the custom in their own culture. Surveys show that 91 per cent of Britons object strongly to queue jumping."
Sounds like they need lessons in other places as well

Women say some rape victims should take blame - survey - "Almost three quarters of the women who believed this said if a victim got into bed with the assailant before an attack they should accept some responsibility. One-third blamed victims who had dressed provocatively or gone back to the attacker's house for a drink... The study found that women were less forgiving of the victim than men"
blog comments powered by Disqus