News

[Niamh]

I thought you all might have liked this.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/three-generations-of-same-family-born-within-minutes-of-each-other-1861010.html

[Helga]

this was a strange story...

[Veho]

I just read this news article about William Golding that might be of interest to some...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206889/Lord-Flies-author-William-Golding-tried-rape-teenager-new-biography-claims.html

[wessexgirl]

I just read this news article about William Golding that might be of interest to some...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206889/Lord-Flies-author-William-Golding-tried-rape-teenager-new-biography-claims.html

:eek: Ooh dear! I suppose the best that can be said was that at least he knew himself and what he was capable of! Imagine thinking you were capable of being a Nazi. I like to think that I wouldn't be capable of certain things, but who knows what they're capable of?

[Veho]

:eek: Ooh dear! I suppose the best that can be said was that at least he knew himself and what he was capable of! Imagine thinking you were capable of being a Nazi. I like to think that I wouldn't be capable of certain things, but who knows what they're capable of?

I know, I like to think I'm incapable of certain things too. It's interesting to see how conscious he is of his own sinisterness.

[The Atheist]

Now, here's some hysterically funny news!

Not since USSR of the 1970s has sex testing been necessary, but here we go - world champ in the women's 800m may not be a woman!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10592004

I'm not sure whether her name or physique gave it away!

[Niamh]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1209118/Is-Nessie-Google-Earth.html

[motherhubbard]

Now, here's some hysterically funny news!

Not since USSR of the 1970s has sex testing been necessary, but here we go - world champ in the women's 800m may not be a woman!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10592004

"I'm not sure whether her name or physique gave it away!

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said it would take weeks for the completion of the "extremely complex and difficult" tests.
...

The verification test requires a physical medical evaluation, and includes reports from a broad range of specialists, including an expert on gender.

"So we're talking about reports that are very long, very time consuming," Davies said."

Really? How hard can it be?

[Emil Miller]

I took this off the MSN news page today . If it is genuine, how the hell is it possible for a road to run that close to a landing strip?


http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-GB&vid=c59762aa-2869-4ff4-b519-27a61be17e54&from=homepage_carousel

[The Atheist]

Not far from how Wellington looks, but you wouldn't want to be in a double-decker bus.

[Zee.]

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said it would take weeks for the completion of the "extremely complex and difficult" tests.
...

The verification test requires a physical medical evaluation, and includes reports from a broad range of specialists, including an expert on gender.

"So we're talking about reports that are very long, very time consuming," Davies said."

Really? How hard can it be?

I don't think the question of whether she's physically a "girl" is the issue

[Scheherazade]

A treasured piece at the Dutch national museum - a supposed moon rock from the first manned lunar landing - is nothing more than petrified wood, curators say.

It was given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a goodwill tour by the three Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969.

When Mr Drees died, the rock went on display at the Amsterdam museum.

At one point it was insured for around $500,000 (£308,000), but tests have proved it was not the genuine article.

The Rijksmuseum, which is perhaps better known for paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, says it will keep the piece as a curiosity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8226075.stm


We all knew it was all a conspiracy theory anyway! :D

[The Atheist]

Noooooooooo!

Oh god, this will have them hanging from the trees shouting their craziness.

[Emil Miller]

Noooooooooo!

Oh god, this will have them hanging from the trees shouting their craziness.

I do hope the Science museums in London and elsewhere will carry out similar inspection of their samples, but could they be trusted to tell the truth?

[The Atheist]

Science telling the truth? Shouldn't think so.

Big question is: Did NASA do it, or was the real thing swapped along the way?

[Emil Miller]

Science telling the truth? Shouldn't think so.

Big question is: Did NASA do it, or was the real thing swapped along the way?

That's exactly what I'm wondering.
The real problem is that if the landings were proven to be fake, Wall Street would be blown away and so would the rest of us.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

... is nothing more than petrified wood, curators say...
We all knew it was all a conspiracy theory anyway! :D

I don't mean to drag this particular news item out any longer than it needs to be, but I believe I can shed some light on this mystery. No; it isn't a conspiracy but rather a curse!
The curse of the Petrified Forest. No, this isn't a joke, read for yourselves.

http://weeklywire.com/ww/12-15-97/tw_curr3.html

and it is interesting to note that NASA carried out much of their moon simulation training in this region of the southwestern U.S.

[Scheherazade]

Entertainment giant Walt Disney is to buy Marvel Entertainment in a shares and cash deal valued at $4bn (£2.5bn).

The deal means Disney will take over ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men.

Marvel shareholders will get $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned.

The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the deal, which now needs the backing of Marvel shareholders and competition authorities.

Marvel shares were ahead $9.76, or 25%, to $48.41 in midday trading while Disney shares fell 94 cents, or 3.5%, to $25.90.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8230504.stm

[The Atheist]

Woohoo! Mickey Mouse meets the Incredible Hulk.

[Virgil]

Actually that is very cool. :) The possibilities are intriguing. :D

[Scheherazade]

Showering may be bad for your health, say US scientists, who have shown that dirty shower heads can deliver a face full of harmful bacteria.

Tests revealed nearly a third of devices harbour significant levels of a bug that causes lung disease.

Levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water supplies.

M. avium forms a biofilm that clings to the inside of the shower head, reports the National Academy of Science.

In the Proceedings journal, the study authors say their findings might explain why there have been more cases of these lung infections in recent years, linked with people tending to take more showers and fewer baths.

Water spurting from shower heads can distribute bacteria-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, say the scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8254206.stm

[Nightshade]

OOOOh does this mean theyve changes their tune and its bring back baths?!
:banana:

[Virgil]

Showering may be bad for your health, say US scientists, who have shown that dirty shower heads can deliver a face full of harmful bacteria.

Tests revealed nearly a third of devices harbour significant levels of a bug that causes lung disease.

Levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water supplies.

M. avium forms a biofilm that clings to the inside of the shower head, reports the National Academy of Science.

In the Proceedings journal, the study authors say their findings might explain why there have been more cases of these lung infections in recent years, linked with people tending to take more showers and fewer baths.

Water spurting from shower heads can distribute bacteria-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, say the scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8254206.stm

Ooh, I heard this on the radio going to work this morning. I've got to go and clean that spray nozzle. :lol:

[Niamh]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/6309942/Leonardo-da-Vinci-picture-worth-millions-revealed-by-a-fingerprint.html

Check it out. :)

[Emil Miller]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/6309942/Leonardo-da-Vinci-picture-worth-millions-revealed-by-a-fingerprint.html

Check it out. :)

An interesting news item but take a look at the 'Mona Lisa curse' in the associated items box. Dealing with a forthcoming TV programme it shows how art has been cunningly manipulated by dealers and PR people over the past half-century in order that they can cash in on a ready made market by selling all kinds of rubbish to gullible collectors. I think many people instinctively realise this but, lacking technical expertise, often refrain from mentioning it.
I am irresistably reminded of the advertisement where a man in a gallery is looking at some squiggles of paint on a couple of canvases and he says to an incredulous bystander "They're Jackson Pollocks." To which comes the reply, "My sentiments entirely."

[Gladys]

Da Vinci or otherwise, it's impressive!

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01500/da-vinci_1500533f.jpg

[Lynne50]

I think I like this painting better than the Mona Lisa. Even in profile, the girl seems to have more of a personality.

[Niamh]

yeah i really like it too. I love the roses in her cheek. brings out her youthfulness.

[Emil Miller]

yeah i really like it too. I love the roses in her cheek. brings out her youthfulness.

I agree about the roses in her cheek but perhaps it's... " because she's worth it!"

[Virgil]

Da Vinci or otherwise, it's impressive!

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01500/da-vinci_1500533f.jpg

I thought the same. Da Vinci is fabulous!

[Gladys]

For me, Da Vinci portrays intractable petulance in her lips and frosty savagery in her eyes. Magnificent but unflattering.

[DanielBenoit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/6309942/Leonardo-da-Vinci-picture-worth-millions-revealed-by-a-fingerprint.html

Check it out. :)

No way!!!


For me, Da Vinci portrays intractable petulance in her lips and frosty savagery in her eyes. Magnificent but unflattering.

Yeah, I agree. It's quite a subtle painting.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

For me, Da Vinci portrays intractable petulance in her lips and frosty savagery in her eyes. Magnificent but unflattering.

Note how the painter uses a bas relief or embossed technique, utilizing subtle shading around the profile of the face and neck to "pop it out", while the remainder of the image remains flat or two dimensional. The technique accomplishes two goals; one is to seperate the light color of flesh from the light color of the background and more importantly, it draws focus on to the face.

[Gladys]

Here's the Da Vinci in higher resolution:


http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/92/28/PHh7pyO1XKtGdEyMqz4uzIXEQAjAgAiLKuf3voOVqynozElAbJ kbWjSXiVEiVjG_l2_fd6v7XtHOyLGtebt_0TUB7mAHZo.0.0.0 x0.641x912.jpeg

[The Atheist]

Here's the Da Vinci in higher resolution:

Definitely better looking than that Lisa chick.

[Scheherazade]

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, now plans to hold on to customers even after they die - by selling coffins.

Prices range from a "Mom" or "Dad Remembered" steel coffin for $895 (£540), to a bronze model at $2,899.

The retailer is allowing customers to plan ahead by paying for the caskets over 12 months for no interest. They can be dispatched within 48 hours.

Catering for cradle-to-grave needs, Wal-Mart already sells everything from baby wear to engagement rings.

A spokesman for the supermarket giant, Ravi Jariwala, said the new coffin range was "a limited beta test to understand customer response".

The retailer is offering caskets at prices that undercut many funeral homes, say correspondents.

But an industry spokesman said it was not gravely concerned about Wal-Mart's move because he said the firm could not offer bereaved families the human touch.
...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8333198.stm

[Paulclem]

The might be digging a hole for themelves...

I wonder if the poundshops will start doing the cardboard ones..

Do you have dollar shops over the pond?

[kasie]

....But an industry spokesman said it was not gravely concerned........

But surely an undertaker of all people should be gravely concerned......:confused:



(Sorry - it's been one of those Fridays. I'll try and behave from now on.)

[Paulclem]

I wonder if they'll start to diversify the use of the freezers...

[Scheherazade]

A code of ethics for the use of mobile phones has been launched by Egypt's official telecoms regulatory body.

The 16-point guide includes advice about when to switch phones off and warns against annoying others with ringtones and loud conversations.

Mobile phone technology is "considered one of the greatest technologies (to) emerge in the last few years to serve humanity," it says.

But it should not be used to "annoy or tease" others, the guide continues.

The code was prepared by the country's National Telecom Regulatory Authority and the Consumer Rights Protection Committee.

"This Ethics Code aims to regulate the users' behaviours on using mobile phones especially with the increasing and intense problems and irresponsible behaviour of some users of mobile technology," reads the introduction.

Putting pictures or videos of somebody on the internet without their consent is punishable by law, warns the guide.

Mobile phones should never be used to "violate others' privacy".

It also says that mobile phone users will face legal action for sending text messages that include "inappropriate words or indecent photos".

Users are told to be patient with wrong numbers and not to answer calls from unknown sources.

"Use your mobile phone to report something or receive important information," instructs the code.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8331614.stm

[Paulclem]

No happy slapping there then...

[Jozanny]

I could not have made the Fort Hood (http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html) story up if I tried. I am writing up some cynical commentary on it this morning as I post.

[Virgil]

I could not have made the Fort Hood (http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html) story up if I tried. I am writing up some cynical commentary on it this morning as I post.

I think the question remains, was this man deranged or was he a true believer terrorist?

[Jozanny]

I think the question remains, was this man deranged or was he a true believer terrorist?

Setting the profile issue aside, for the moment, if his military evaluations were so poor, I think an important question is why was he being deployed?

Stereotyping is a dangerous thing, but these cycles of confirming the worst of latent fears do not help.

[Hurricane]

Setting the profile issue aside, for the moment, if his military evaluations were so poor, I think an important question is why was he being deployed?

While there are lots of billets and tours in the military that are more competitive and better for your career, deployments don't really work that way.
Unless he was being sent as an IA (individual augmentee...basically if you have a certain skill set needed overseas, you get attached to a unit over there without being sent with your own unit), he would just be deploying with whatever unit he was attached to. With the operational tempo being what it is, getting deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan has a very high likelihood.

This hits really close to home for me. I hope we get to the bottom of this quickly and this guy gets the worst our legal system can give.

[Virgil]

Setting the profile issue aside, for the moment, if his military evaluations were so poor, I think an important question is why was he being deployed?

Why wouldn't he be deployed? He had actually gotten out of being deployed since he was in the service. With all troops doing multiple deployments, he got away with not going for years. Perhaps he should not have been in the service in the first place.

From what I'm hearing today, this guy was not deranged at all. He expressed ideological ideas both in person and on the internet. He proably is not connected to any terrorist organizations, but this was a cold, calculated terrorist act.

[Jozanny]

From what I have been following on the aftermath, none of this makes sense. I started writing something for a blog submission to a news magazine, if they take it, but I am going off on another tangent and not attempting to offer any insights. He was devout, and apparently lacked the degree of professionalism one normally expects from American medical personnel, but no one saw this coming, from what I can gather.

[TheFifthElement]

Posted especially for Virgil :D

A recent study by the University of Bath has shown that cyclists are more likely to be hit by other road users if they're wearing a helmet. The less professional you appear, the more room you're given on the road. Info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5334208.stm

[Paulclem]

Disturbing news as I cycle to work each day. I'm not going to give up wearing it though. My wife has decribed the common cyclist's injury - the scalp. Unpleasant.

[Virgil]

Posted especially for Virgil :D

A recent study by the University of Bath has shown that cyclists are more likely to be hit by other road users if they're wearing a helmet. The less professional you appear, the more room you're given on the road. Info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/5334208.stm

:lol: Thanks. Why would motorist pass closer if they're wearing a helmet is beyond me. I frankly think cycling in traffic is just way too dangerous, helmet or not. But then I live in a big city with complicated traffic. Be safe Fifth. I still think you should wear a helmet. :)

[Paulclem]

:lol: Thanks. Why would motorist pass closer if they're wearing a helmet is beyond me. I frankly think cycling in traffic is just way too dangerous, helmet or not. But then I live in a big city with complicated traffic. Be safe Fifth. I still think you should wear a helmet. :)

I read recently that cycle lanes on roads cause motorists to drive too close to cyclists and cause accidents. The reason given was that the motorist starts to note the lane and not the cyclist. We don't have many here in Coventry, so it's not too much of a problem. I still tend to use the backstreets when I'm off across town.

[TheFifthElement]

:lol: Thanks. Why would motorist pass closer if they're wearing a helmet is beyond me.

I think you need to think about it the other way around - motorists are more likely to give someone who appears to be an inexperienced cyclist a wider berth.

Oh I agree about traffic and the city. If I cycled through a city I'd definitely wear a helmet, though the likelihood is I wouldn't choose to cycle at all. Too dangerous. It's very quiet and very sedate where I live :)


I still think you should wear a helmet. :)
What? Are you trying to bump me off ;)

[Virgil]

I think you need to think about it the other way around - motorists are more likely to give someone who appears to be an inexperienced cyclist a wider berth.

Oh I agree about traffic and the city. If I cycled through a city I'd definitely wear a helmet, though the likelihood is I wouldn't choose to cycle at all. Too dangerous. It's very quiet and very sedate where I live :)

Just the other day we had in the news how New York City has the most pedestrian deaths in the US. I'm not sure if that was based on shear quantity of deaths or as a percentage of the population. We probably have three times the population of any other city, so just going by total is not a correct measurement. But it can be hectic. It doesn't seem like it's any different to me than any other city, except perhaps the number of high traffic streets might be more than others. The traffic in London seemed about the same as New York. The traffic in Rome seemed worst!

Makes sense on the wider berth.

What? Are you trying to bump me off ;)
No, I only wish the best for people. :)

[Scheherazade]

Winston Churchill's iconic "fight them on the beaches" speech did not make the grade when it was marked by a computer system, exam experts have said.

And extracts from modern classics such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and a novel by Ernest Hemingway also failed to impress the computer.

All were marked down by a US program designed to assess students' essays.

UK exam boards and the qualifications development agency are experimenting with similar procedures.

At the moment, in the UK, computers are used only to mark some GCSE multiple-choice exam papers, in which there are right and wrong answers.

But exam boards are working on systems which would allow pupils to sit their exams online and for them to be marked by computer.

The agency responsible for developing such things - QCDA - has also run trials.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8356572.stm

[gbrekken]

Winston Churchill's iconic "fight them on the beaches" speech did not make the grade when it was marked by a computer system, exam experts have said.

And extracts from modern classics such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and a novel by Ernest Hemingway also failed to impress the computer.

All were marked down by a US program designed to assess students' essays.

UK exam boards and the qualifications development agency are experimenting with similar procedures.

At the moment, in the UK, computers are used only to mark some GCSE multiple-choice exam papers, in which there are right and wrong answers.

But exam boards are working on systems which would allow pupils to sit their exams online and for them to be marked by computer.

The agency responsible for developing such things - QCDA - has also run trials.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8356572.stm

So much for valuing the judgemental abilities of computers. I think spell-check also should go the way of the dodo.

[The Atheist]

And in news of the completely bizarre (http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/3066150/Corpses-to-be-flogged)kind, corpses are to be caned before burial as a warning to the living.

[Paulclem]

Winston Churchill's iconic "fight them on the beaches" speech did not make the grade when it was marked by a computer system, exam experts have said.

And extracts from modern classics such as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and a novel by Ernest Hemingway also failed to impress the computer.

All were marked down by a US program designed to assess students' essays.

UK exam boards and the qualifications development agency are experimenting with similar procedures.

At the moment, in the UK, computers are used only to mark some GCSE multiple-choice exam papers, in which there are right and wrong answers.

But exam boards are working on systems which would allow pupils to sit their exams online and for them to be marked by computer.

The agency responsible for developing such things - QCDA - has also run trials.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8356572.stm

It's not the computer, it's the programming. perhaps there's an interesting correllation between the attitude to literature of computer scientists, and the judgements of the computer.

[Gladys]

It's not the computer, it's the programming. Perhaps there's an interesting correlation between the attitude to literature of computer scientists, and the judgements of the computer.

Computers marking literature exams are less sophisticated than chess-playing computers a decade before Big Blue beat Garry Kasparov.

[Paulclem]

Computers marking literature exams are less sophisticated than chess-playing computers a decade before Big Blue beat Garry Kasparov.

Assessing writing is so subjective, which might also be a plus in some respects for computer marking. It's certainly time consuming. I suppose a human would be better at assessing more experimental pieces, and probably humourous content too.

[MANICHAEAN]

I suspect that the reason that the ability to write good prose and good dialogue go hand in hand is simply that a good writer knows how to listen. Qualities that a computer does not have.

[Virgil]

How would the computer gauge the emotion within the writing? It's not just writing but context, cultural context. A human being from a different culture may not even see the impact of Churchill's fight them on the beaches speach. I suspect a comnputer cannot capture and quantify the emotion and context within the writing.

By the way, that's such a great speech it deserves quoting:


We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."

http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/20rhet/chill.html

[MANICHAEAN]

Virgil. Another of my favourites was:
"After the end of the First World War, there opened up in the life of the German people a tremendous void. And after a pause, there strode into that void a maniac of ferocious genius, the repository & self-expression of the most virulent hatred that has ever corroded the human breast. Corporal Hitler!"

[Niamh]

I wonder if that computer would give Pygmalion an F. :p

[Virgil]

Virgil. Another of my favourites was:
"After the end of the First World War, there opened up in the life of the German people a tremendous void. And after a pause, there strode into that void a maniac of ferocious genius, the repository & self-expression of the most virulent hatred that has ever corroded the human breast. Corporal Hitler!"

Oh one could have an endless list of great Churchill quotes.

I have this one committed to memory:


Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never in nothing great or small, large or petty never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.

[MANICHAEAN]

Virgil. Do you know the one when he addressed the troops in North Africa?

" I speak to you today from this famous ampitheatre in Carthage, where once the air was rent by the screams of Christian virgins as they were devoured by the Roman lions"

" Upon reflection, I may not be a lion. But then I am certainly not a virgin!"

Can you even imagine any of our current day politicians coming out with that?

Similarly, when he crossed the Rhine during the last big do, he had all the Chiefs of Staff line up and pee in that great river. He turned to Field Marshall Allenbrooke and said: " I've been meaning to do that for a long time!'

[Paulclem]

Virgil. Do you know the one when he addressed the troops in North Africa?

" I speak to you today from this famous ampitheatre in Carthage, where once the air was rent by the screams of Christian virgins as they were devoured by the Roman lions"

" Upon reflection, I may not be a lion. But then I am certainly not a virgin!"

Can you even imagine any of our current day politicians coming out with that?

Similarly, when he crossed the Rhine during the last big do, he had all the Chiefs of Staff line up and pee in that great river. He turned to Field Marshall Allenbrooke and said: " I've been meaning to do that for a long time!'

Ha ha!

Once Lady Astor said to Churchill:
"If you were my husband I would feed you poison"
Chuchill replied:
"Madam, if you were my wife then I would surely eat it."
(Paraphrased -not a direct quote).

[MANICHAEAN]

In William Manchester's book, either " The Last Lion" or "The Lion At Bay" he outlines when after the war a ruling Labour Party member attacked Churchill in the House of Commons in what is termed "unparliamentary language" The then Prime Minister Clement Attlee told the errant MP to apologise to Churchill. He duly proceeded to the great mans country seat in Chartwell and was instructed by the butler to take a seat while Churchill was found. The butler, eventually found Winston in the toilet. Knocking on the door, he said: "Mr Churchill, Mr x is here to see you". Churchill replied from behind the door: " He will have to wait. I can only deal with one sh-t at a time".

[Virgil]

Virgil. Do you know the one when he addressed the troops in North Africa?

" I speak to you today from this famous ampitheatre in Carthage, where once the air was rent by the screams of Christian virgins as they were devoured by the Roman lions"

" Upon reflection, I may not be a lion. But then I am certainly not a virgin!"

Can you even imagine any of our current day politicians coming out with that?

Similarly, when he crossed the Rhine during the last big do, he had all the Chiefs of Staff line up and pee in that great river. He turned to Field Marshall Allenbrooke and said: " I've been meaning to do that for a long time!'

:lol: :lol: No I don't know either of those!!! :lol: :lol:


In William Manchester's book, either " The Last Lion" or "The Lion At Bay" he outlines when after the war a ruling Labour Party member attacked Churchill in the House of Commons in what is termed "unparliamentary language" The then Prime Minister Clement Attlee told the errant MP to apologise to Churchill. He duly proceeded to the great mans country seat in Chartwell and was instructed by the butler to take a seat while Churchill was found. The butler, eventually found Winston in the toilet. Knocking on the door, he said: "Mr Churchill, Mr x is here to see you". Churchill replied from behind the door: " He will have to wait. I can only deal with one sh-t at a time".

:lol: Oh I just love him. :D

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Just happened to notice a report about flooding in Great Britain and Ireland.
How are my friends across the pond are doing?

[soundofmusic]

Ha ha!

Once Lady Astor said to Churchill:
"If you were my husband I would feed you poison"
Chuchill replied:
"Madam, if you were my wife then I would surely eat it."
(Paraphrased -not a direct quote).

:lol: Love it; apparently, Churchill was not always long-winded and rather dull:D

[Paulclem]

Just happened to notice a report about flooding in Great Britain and Ireland.
How are my friends across the pond are doing?

The flooding susided last week in Cumbria, but we've hardly heard a thing about Ireland. (The TV news and press is terribly blinkered here. We hardly hear anything about important Euro events, or Ireland.)

The cleanup began pretty quickly, but a lot of the bridges were washed out or damaged. A policeman was unfortunately killed directing traffic over a bridge, but there weren't any more casualties.

[Scheherazade]

There has been no substantial change in the number of adult brain tumours since mobile phone usage sharply increased in the mid-1990s, Danish scientists say.

The Danish Cancer Society looked at the rates of brain tumours among 20 to 79 year olds from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

They found that trends in cancer rates had not altered from the period before mobiles were introduced.

But they say longer follow-up studies are needed.

The research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, says radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile phones have been proposed as a risk factor for brain tumours, but a biological mechanism that could explain the potential effects has not been identified.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8393884.stm

[Gladys]

But, also this year, from Sweden: http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/cancerphones.htm, and from the WHO: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/6420093/Long-term-use-of-mobile-phones-may-be-linked-to-cancer.html.

[Scheherazade]

Dating and social network site BeautifulPeople.com has axed some 5,000 members following complaints that they had gained weight.

The members were singled out after posting pictures of themselves that reportedly showed they had put on pounds over the holiday period.

The site allows entry to new members only if existing members vote them as sufficiently attractive to warrant it.

The US, the UK, and Canada topped the list of excluded members.

The site has always been unrepentant about its selection process, calling itself "the largest network of attractive people in the world".

The move was reportedly prompted by members themselves, who police the membership of the site to maintain a high - if highly subjective - standard of attractiveness.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8439495.stm

[Paulclem]

Dating and social network site BeautifulPeople.com has axed some 5,000 members following complaints that they had gained weight.

The members were singled out after posting pictures of themselves that reportedly showed they had put on pounds over the holiday period.

The site allows entry to new members only if existing members vote them as sufficiently attractive to warrant it.

The US, the UK, and Canada topped the list of excluded members.

The site has always been unrepentant about its selection process, calling itself "the largest network of attractive people in the world".

The move was reportedly prompted by members themselves, who police the membership of the site to maintain a high - if highly subjective - standard of attractiveness.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8439495.stm

Perhaps there should be a itspersonalitythatmatters.com or a borderlineugly.com or even a talktomefirst.com

I think I'd get in the borderlineugly.com ok - I think ...

[Scheherazade]

I think I'd get in the borderlineugly.com ok - I think ...Looking at your avatar, I know you are simply being -too- humble (or even might be fishing for compliments!)

:p

[Paulclem]

Looking at your avatar, I know you are simply being -too- humble (or even might be fishing for compliments!)

No - best to say it before someone else does.

[Scheherazade]

Choosing a name for your baby is already difficult enough - but now researchers have upped the stakes by claiming that the right decision could add up to ten years to a child's life.

Psychologists have determined that your first initial has a major affect on your longevity, with people whose names begin with A significantly outliving those beginning with D.

And, they claim, it could all be down to a subconscious link to school grades, where A represents high achievement and D near failure.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240174/Why-Ant-live-longer-Dec--A-beginning-D-wipe-10-years-life.html

[Paulclem]

It's not the D it's the names beginning with D. Dennis, Derek, Desmond, Demetrius, Darren, Daffy, Derren, Daisy, Dilly, Dodo...

Watch out David Cameron.:lol:

[Scheherazade]

Attractive women may have the competitive edge by letting their temper flair more, research suggests.

Researchers found women who rated themselves as pretty displayed a war-like streak when fighting battles to get their own way.

The University of California interviewed 156 female students to gauge their temperament and how they handled conflict.

The findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the study, the women who believed they were good looking were more likely to respond angrily in disputes than those who rated themselves as less attractive.

Attractive women also had higher expectations of what they deserved.

Survival of the fittest

These were strategies that appeared to work because the same women were better at resolving situations in their favour.

When the researchers, led by Dr Aaron Sell, scrutinised the findings further, they found how attractive other people rated the women also tallied.

And so did hair colour - with blondes rated as more attractive than brunettes and redheads, as reported in an earlier version of this story.

However, Dr Sell insisted to the BBC that this link was less strong and his research had not set out to test this.

The researchers believe the findings have an evolutionary basis, ensuring that the "fittest" people mate and have offspring.

In men, they found a similar link but with physical strength rather than attractiveness per se.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8464990.stm

[Virgil]

Pretty women 'anger more easily'
You mean I should have married an ugly girl? :p :p

[Scheherazade]

A Malaysian court has fined a man and a woman four buffaloes and a pig after they were found guilty of an extra-marital affair, a local report says.

The pair were convicted by the Native Court in Penampang on Borneo island, after the man's wife lodged a complaint last year, said the Star newspaper.

She had found her husband wearing shorts at his second home with her colleague, who was wearing a sarong.

The court in Sabah state rejected their claim they were just "best friends".

Convicting the pair under customary local laws, Judge William Sampil said on Friday there was strong evidence the pair had had an affair, reported the Star.

They were ordered to compensate their communities with the livestock, valued at about 6,500 ringgit ($1,900; £1,200) for their tryst.

They were also reportedly each fined 1,000 ringgit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8490212.stm

[Basil]

Today in class, someone read this headline out loud:

Wikipedia Suffers Global Collapse (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/192410/wikipedia_suffers_global_collapse.html)

We then started to imagine possible sub-headlines...

Wikipedia Suffers Global Collapse
High School Students Everywhere Panic

Wikipedia Suffers Global Collapse
Reality Suddenly Plunged Into Doubt

Wikipedia Suffers Global Collapse
Productivity In Workplace Increases By Over 60%

Wikipedia Suffers Global Collapse
Did God Smite Website?
Wikipedia: The New Tower Of Babel?

[Virgil]

A Malaysian court has fined a man and a woman four buffaloes and a pig after they were found guilty of an extra-marital affair, a local report says.

The pair were convicted by the Native Court in Penampang on Borneo island, after the man's wife lodged a complaint last year, said the Star newspaper.

She had found her husband wearing shorts at his second home with her colleague, who was wearing a sarong.

The court in Sabah state rejected their claim they were just "best friends".

Convicting the pair under customary local laws, Judge William Sampil said on Friday there was strong evidence the pair had had an affair, reported the Star.

They were ordered to compensate their communities with the livestock, valued at about 6,500 ringgit ($1,900; £1,200) for their tryst.

They were also reportedly each fined 1,000 ringgit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8490212.stm

Well, at least they weren't stoned to death.

[motherhubbard]

Suffolk County police have arrested an East Northport couple in connection with a bizarre case of Jell-o tampering. The couple face multiple counts of petit larceny and tampering with a consumer product. They were arrested on Sunday, March 28, 2010 and face arraignment later on the charges against them.


Alexander Clement, 68-years-old, and Christine Clement, 64-years-old, are accused of buying Jell-O pudding, replacing the contents of the boxes with a mixture of sand and salt, resealing the packages and returning them to the stores for a refund. Apparently, they hit four Long Island stores a total of five times. Three of the markets are in Brookhaven, Smithtown and Huntington, all in Suffolk County, and the fourth is in Woodbury, in Nassau County.

The allegation is that Alexander would drive Christine to the store where she would buy ten boxes of Jell-O pudding at a time. Pistachio and butterscotch are said to have been their choice flavors. When back at home, she would replace the contents of the boxes with a mixture of sand and salt in plastic sandwich bags. Then her husband would drive her back to the store where she would return the boxes for a refund. It appears that she did such a good job of this that the tampering was not noticeable and the boxes were placed back on the shelves for re-sale.

The Clement’s scheme wasn’t detected until other customers started bringing the salt and sand filled boxes back to the store and complaining. The police were notified and authorities were able to traced the suspicious Jell-O thefts by reviewing surveillance videos.

Suffolk Police Lt. Michael Murphy says he doesn’t believe the couple meant any harm. They just wanted Jell-O without having to pay for it. And its not that they are destitute. According to reports, the jell-o tampering couple are well-off financially and have been married for over 40-years. It is also reported that Christine is suffering from ‘an age-related mental issue’. Neither Alexander Clement or Christine Clement have a history of run-ins with the law. Now they face charges in this food tampering case.

This story is more tragic than criminal.

I wonder what the spent on travel, bags, sand, and salt. Other articles said the sand was aquarium sand. Doesn't that cost more than Jello?

[Niamh]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/uk-ireland/lorry-loaded-with-lager-stolen-in-antrim-14755519.html

[Jozanny]

I have no idea what a country (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/10/AR2010041000592.html?hpid=topnews) does when it loses nearly its entire government in a tragedy such as this.

[Scheherazade]

A Danish hotel is offering a free meal to any guest who is able to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen says the idea is to get people fit and reduce their carbon footprint.

Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness.

The hotel already produces renewable energy with solar panels on its facade.

Guests staying at Plaza Hotel will be given meal vouchers worth $36 (26 euros; £23) once they have produced 10 watt hours of electricity, hotel spokeswoman Frederikke Toemmergaard told the BBC News website.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8621038.stm

[Niamh]

thats actually a pretty cool incentive! :p

[Virgil]

A Danish hotel is offering a free meal to any guest who is able to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen says the idea is to get people fit and reduce their carbon footprint.

Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness.

The hotel already produces renewable energy with solar panels on its facade.

Guests staying at Plaza Hotel will be given meal vouchers worth $36 (26 euros; £23) once they have produced 10 watt hours of electricity, hotel spokeswoman Frederikke Toemmergaard told the BBC News website.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8621038.stm

I usually go to a hotel for one of two reasons. Either I'm on a business trip and I have no time to go to the gym or I'm on vacation and I have no desire to exercise. That said, I bet there will be plenty of people who will be attracted to this.

[dizzydoll]

In the coming days, DO NOT open any message with an attachment called: Black in the White House, regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus that opens an Olympics torch that burns the whole hard disk C of your computer. This virus comes from a known person who you have in your list.

Directions: You should send this message to all of your contacts. It is better to receive this e-mail 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a message called Black in the White House even if sent by a friend, do not open, and shut down your machine immediately. It is the worst virus announced by CNN. This new virus has been discovered recently it has been classified by Microsoft as the virus most destructive ever.

This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee. There is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the hard disk, where vital information function is stored.

[Satan]

It is a virus that opens an Olympics torch that burns the whole hard disk C of your computer.

I like this part. Very creative! All the more reasons to use a normal user account on your Windows machine, as opposed to one with Admin privileges.

[dizzydoll]

Latest update.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/black-in-white-house-virus-hoax.shtml

It's only a hoax.

[Virgil]

Dizzydoll, I thought that was going to be about politics. :lol:

[dizzydoll]

Dizzydoll, I thought that was going to be about politics. :lol:

I can only imagine what was going through your head. lol. :rofl:

Nope I can't stand politics, war and all the fat cats in charge of the world. :devil:

I only like artists, and writers are artists too. :smile5:

[Virgil]

I can only imagine what was going through your head. lol. :rofl:

Nope I can't stand politics, war and all the fat cats in charge of the world. :devil:

I only like artists, and writers are artists too. :smile5:

You're ok Dizzydoll. We made have had our differences on that war/violence thread, but you're someone I can relate to. :)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well I never usually watch the news at all because of what it does to me as I have said before, but this last couple of weeks I have for certain reasons. :santasmil Of course now I am stressed, not just because of the main events but because all of the stories. So now my nurse says that I have high blood pressure and I have to go back to the doctors in a few weeks to be tested again! Naturally though I am fighting back by attending classical music concerts and reading Jeeves and Wooster on regular occasions, but let that be a warning for avoiding the news at all costs, tut, tut.

Be smart, don't watch the news. :crash:

[keilj]

my dad had a great quote about the news:

"People that watch the news like to watch the same movie over and over again"

[papayahed]

Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_ronnie_james_dio



:frown5:

[Joreads]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_ronnie_james_dio



:frown5:

OH I didn't hear this thanks for posting it.

[dizzydoll]

Hopefully he will be back before too long. :coolgleamA:

[Scheherazade]

Researchers said most children lied Toddlers who tell lies early on are more likely to do well later, researchers claim.

The complex brain processes involved in formulating a lie are an indicator of a child's early intelligence, they add.

A Canadian study of 1,200 children aged two to 17 suggests those who are able to lie have reached an important developmental stage.

Only a fifth of two-year-olds tested in the study were able to lie.

But at age four, 90% were capable of lying, the study found. The rate increases with age to a peak at age 12.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10119297.stm

[hillwalker]

Mm, Scheher... I thought they peaked when they entered public service as local councillors or politicians.

[TurquoiseSunset]

My word, spot the error on this one:

http://i40.tinypic.com/bi5745.jpg

[The Atheist]

My word, spot the error on this one.

Brilliant!

[Scheherazade]

My word, spot the error on this one:Only in America...

:D

[Revolte]

My word, spot the error on this one:

lol! Thats too great.

[Niamh]

That just made my morning!!! PMSL!!!!!

[Sebas. Melmoth]

Be smart, don't watch the news.


Or, for goddes' sake, don't watch the Corporate™ News: it's all spectacle and doublespeak.

Try independant news: LinkTV (DirectTV 375) and Pacifica Radio and Alternative Radio:

http://www.linktv.org/schedule

http://www.kpfk.org/index.php

http://www.alternativeradio.org/programs/STIJ003.shtml

[dizzydoll]

My word, spot the error on this one:

http://i40.tinypic.com/bi5745.jpg


My God, I dont believe that. Unreal. And in this day and age the world relies on these guys in the media to be well-informed. :banghead: Well we in South Africa know all too well what rubbish they sell the world in emotionalism, HA and they dont even know where South Africa is.!!

[keilj]

man, South Africa is a big country

[OrphanPip]

Craig Venter is my hero, first he sequences the human genome and now this.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20005533-1.html

[BienvenuJDC]

Craig Venter is my hero, first he sequences the human genome and now this.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20005533-1.html

Sounds like Dr Frankenstein...what kind of monster has he created?

[OrphanPip]

Sounds like Dr Frankenstein...what kind of monster has he created?

This has so much amazing potential for vaccine development. It's brilliant, I'm sure this technology will be saving lives 20 years from now. Venter will probably never get the Nobel prize, he's unpopular amongst a lot of scientist, but he's genius at getting things done and securing funding for ground breaking research. People throw money at the guy for any little idea he has.

[Madame X]

My God, I dont believe that. Unreal. And in this day and age the world relies on these guys in the media to be well-informed. :banghead: Well we in South Africa know all too well what rubbish they sell the world in emotionalism, HA and they dont even know where South Africa is.!!

Don’t be too offended; at least they got the south part right. :nod:

[Niamh]

I have to say i'm highly impressed by this! :)

http://news.ie.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=153507543

[keilj]

I have to say i'm highly impressed by this! :)

http://news.ie.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=153507543

be more impressed if they were streaking the length of Ireland



:biggrin5:

[TurquoiseSunset]

Don’t be too offended; at least they got the south part right. :nod:

I understand Dizzy's reaction, it's almost exactly the same reaction I had... We've had years and years and years of crap from the rest of the world and the people selling that crap to ignorant others can't even pin point us on a map. It's frustrating. People judge us so easily without knowing a thing about us.

[Musicology]

Oxford Scientist argues the Earth Does NOT rotate on its Axis. ''Quick ! Where's the remote'' ???? (LOL) !!! That man should be fired, of course !! (And was) !!!!!

Scientist Dr Neville Thomas Jones (formerly of Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University) offers verifiable proof the Earth cannot possibly be 'rotating on its axis once each day'. That it's fixed in space and does NOT rotate on its axis. Able to be conclusively demonstrated by measuring satellite positions relative to the Earth. And it can be confirmed by the various proofs provided in this paper.

No answer from NASA, of course ! Nor from supporters of Galileo and Copernicus. As usual !!!

'Geostationary Satellites in a Geocentric Universe' (2002)

http://www.geocentricperspective.com/geosat.pdf

[TheFifthElement]

There's an entirely verifiable provable refutation of Dr Jones's findings here: http://www.xmission.com/~jwindley/bibjones.html

[Musicology]

Really ? And what part of the 'refutation' addresses the facts ? I'd like to see it. Nothing on that thread deals with Dr Jones's article in any detail.


There's an entirely verifiable provable refutation of Dr Jones's findings here: http://www.xmission.com/~jwindley/bibjones.html

[hillwalker]

I put it down to brain overload. All those qualifications (???) - Ph D, D I C, M Sc (x2), B Sc. The poor guy has obviously burnt out most of his brain synapses and in the process taken his eye off the ball (or should that be globe?).

It's simple, the entire universe is revolving around the Earth from our perspective, in the same way that the Earth is revolving on its axis from the perspective of the rest of the universe. There's nothing so mind-blowing about this that you suddenly need to create a web site to include drivel about Earth being the centre of the universe. Unless of course there's money to be made.....

Discover for yourself the kinematics involved in an Earth-centric cosmos, where we are the centre of both God's attention and affection. Special price of $14 (US) or £7 (UK).

He's trying to make a fast buck by revealing some 'amazing truth' he alone has discovered. What next, Elvis returns and proves the Earth is actually flat?

Utter tosh.

[Musicology]

You must be right. We don't want to overload our brains, do we ? We don't want to check what he actually wrote.

Great !! It's laughable.

Actually 'making a buck' didn't come in to it. The author of that article provided it free of charge and is still providing it free of charge. How does that suit you ? And 9 years later no reply has been given to it. Makes you think, right ? But hey, we don't want to overload our brains, do we ? Over to you Mr Nasa.

Speaking of making a buck on publications, how about these wonderful publications -

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/ic/ic2.htm

Don't you just love fair and reasonable criticism of science fiction ?




I put it down to brain overload. All those qualifications (???) - Ph D, D I C, M Sc (x2), B Sc. The poor guy has obviously burnt out most of his brain synapses and in the process taken his eye off the ball (or should that be globe?).

It's simple, the entire universe is revolving around the Earth from our perspective, in the same way that the Earth is revolving on its axis from the perspective of the rest of the universe. There's nothing so mind-blowing about this that you suddenly need to create a web site to include drivel about Earth being the centre of the universe. Unless of course there's money to be made.....

Discover for yourself the kinematics involved in an Earth-centric cosmos, where we are the centre of both God's attention and affection. Special price of $14 (US) or £7 (UK).

He's trying to make a fast buck by revealing some 'amazing truth' he alone has discovered. What next, Elvis returns and proves the Earth is actually flat?

Utter tosh.

[hillwalker]

You must be right. We don't want to overload our brains, do we ?

Well actually I'm managing to cope at the moment. If I come over all dizzy I can always go for a lie down.....

Anyway, what I balk at is the religious under-current this so-called Oxford graduate inserts into his thesis - that we must live in a geo-centric universe because his letter-by-letter belief in a book made up of a mish-mash of ancient texts suggested it was so, and now it is his mission to go and prove it.

Belief in God hardly requires a belief in this planet being the centre of any universe. But Dr. Jones thinks otherwise.

He begins by advertising his wide repertoire of credentials - presumably in order to lend weight to his postulations and attract anyone gullible enough to accept his quackery, then he throws in a bit of religious gobble-de-gook, and finally proceeds to turn scientific evidence on its head so that it fits in with his little view of how the world really works.

He is harmless, so I say we should let him enjoy his moment of glory. It doesn't mean he should be taken seriously.

H

[Lokasenna]

Really ? And what part of the 'refutation' addresses the facts ? I'd like to see it. Nothing on that thread deals with Dr Jones's article in any detail.

Have you actually read the same article that we have? It's a precise, eloquent and methodical answer to this nitwit's pseudo-science. What part of it DOESN'T deal with his article?

And M, I'd be very keen to understand your definition of the word 'fact'. I suspect it is rather different from my definition of the term, and indeed the definition of the vast majority of the human race.

[BienvenuJDC]

An Indonesian baby is hooked on nicotine because his mother feels she is powerless to deny him his habit. He supposedly smokes 40 a day.

Unbelievable....Smoking at the age of two (http://www.break.com/index/two-year-old-toddler-smokes-cigarettes.html).

[Emil Miller]

What next, Elvis returns and proves the Earth is actually flat?


He'd have a lot more competition with all of his imitators. It has been estimated that, if their number continues to grow exponentially, by the next century one third of the Earth's male population will be made up of Elvis Presley impersonators.

[DanielBenoit]

An Indonesian baby is hooked on nicotine because his mother feels she is powerless to deny him his habit. He supposedly smokes 40 a day.

Unbelievable....Smoking at the age of two (http://www.break.com/index/two-year-old-toddler-smokes-cigarettes.html).

Does it get any more depressing? The kid is two and smokes like he's been at it for years. I am speechless. How I wish this was a fake story.

[Musicology]

Hillwalker,

Let's not bring religion or irreligion in to this discussion. Let's stay with the actual subject of the Oxford academic's post. Care to do that ?

You will notice (if you are not too dizzy) that the name of his article is - (and I quote) -

'Geostationary Satellites in a Geocentric Universe'.

Now, I don't want to go too fast for you. But this subject is not a religious one, is it ? Nor is it irreligious. Why not read it ?

Do you know what a geostationary satellite is ??? You do ? Or are you already too dizzy ? Great, let's proceed to the next point. If you read the document you will see it was not written by a fool but by a man qualified to talk about satellites and about the mathematics of gravity. Are you feeling dizzy yet ?

Would you care to tell us how, if the Earth is revolving on its axis, satellites maintain close location to stations on Earth which are monitoring them, and do so over a period of time ?

But don't bother. You already deserve another large shot of NASA hyperbole.

LOL :nopity:


http://www.geocentricperspective.com/geosat.pdf



Well actually I'm managing to cope at the moment. If I come over all dizzy I can always go for a lie down.....

Anyway, what I balk at is the religious under-current this so-called Oxford graduate inserts into his thesis - that we must live in a geo-centric universe because his letter-by-letter belief in a book made up of a mish-mash of ancient texts suggested it was so, and now it is his mission to go and prove it.

Belief in God hardly requires a belief in this planet being the centre of any universe. But Dr. Jones thinks otherwise.

He begins by advertising his wide repertoire of credentials - presumably in order to lend weight to his postulations and attract anyone gullible enough to accept his quackery, then he throws in a bit of religious gobble-de-gook, and finally proceeds to turn scientific evidence on its head so that it fits in with his little view of how the world really works.

He is harmless, so I say we should let him enjoy his moment of glory. It doesn't mean he should be taken seriously.

H

Lokasenna,

Kindly explain to us how the Earth can be rotating on its axis at a speed of close to 1,000 mph at the equator if satellites are fixed in to position with their equatorial base over any real period of time ? But, better still, why not take off your cowboy boots and study the article instead of talking nonsense as if it has been answered ? It has not.

You've been 'NASAfied' and it shows :nopity:

Try reading something which challenges your fairy stories and answering the points it makes on matters of scientific fact. Thank You. We've been here before and you abandoned ship. ''Hello Houston, I think we have a problem''.

Or, to put it another way, if the Earth is really revolving at around 1,000 mph at the equator, how are these satellites kept in close proximity to their fixed terrestrial bases over any period of time if the forces of gravity are acting upon it (the satellite) during all the time they are there in space ? To do so would require that satellite to be continually kept at the same rotating speed as a rotating Earth. Right ? The slightest deviation from the speed of such a satellite would take it many miles out of contact with its local base on Earth. Faster than Earth would propell it further forward than the Earth's orbit and slower would result in it being behind the alleged Earth orbit. 'Er, hello Houston'..................... And since the satellite is doomed to plunge to Earth by the forces of gravity, how then does it, can it, remain fixed above the tracking station at the same (alleged) speed as a revolving Earth ?

Game set and match !!!!!!

LOL !!!!!!!!!! Don't you just love science fiction ?

http://www.geocentricperspective.com/geosat.pdf



Have you actually read the same article that we have? It's a precise, eloquent and methodical answer to this nitwit's pseudo-science. What part of it DOESN'T deal with his article?

And M, I'd be very keen to understand your definition of the word 'fact'. I suspect it is rather different from my definition of the term, and indeed the definition of the vast majority of the human race.

[hillwalker]

Let's not bring religion or irreligion in to this discussion

You obviously have missed the point - this eminent physicist is the one who is dragging religion into the argument - and I am choosing to question his motivation for spreading such spurious mis-information.


Do you know what a geostationary satellite is?

Yes I do.


a man qualified to talk about satellites and about the mathematics of gravity.

Qualified - according to whom? The nonsense he is spouting would suggest he is no more qualified than an ex-neighbour of mine. A Cambridge graduate - who gained a VQ in Domestic Science from Cambridge College of Technology. Although, on second thoughts, I do her a disservice. Her grasp of science is probably far greater.


Would you care to tell us how, if the Earth is revolving on its axis, satellites maintain close location to stations on Earth which are monitoring them, and do so over a period of time ?

My pleasure. These satellites remain geostationary because, having been positioned in an orbit approximately 22,236 miles above the Earth's surface, they are neither drawn back down by gravity nor carried out into space by centrifugal force. It begs the question -
Do you know what a geostationary satellite is?

I also wonder why you stoop to making personal jibes against anyone who picks holes in your fatuous arguments. But fret not, my friend, I shall lose no sleep over it.

H

[Musicology]

Hillwalker,

Can you (finally) address yourself to what the article says about satellites, gravitational forces, and the alleged rotation of the Earth, whether you like the author's religion or not ? The alternative is to ignore what he has provided about satellites, gravity and the alleged rotation of the Earth, isn't it ? Where is the 'spurious misinformation' to which you refer ? Care to show us an example ? Just one ? You can do this, can't you ? Or can you ? No, of course you can't.

You say, and I quote ' The satellites remain 'geostationary' because, having been positioned in an orbit approximately 22,236 miles above the Earth's surface (is that 'approximate or exact' ????) they are neither drawn back down by gravity nor carried out into space by centrifugal force'

WOW !!!

And how is THAT magic trick done ?? Consider the nonsense you have just written. First of all, an orbit of 22,236 miles above the Earth is NOT 'approximate'. Is it ? Only in your head, that is. It's very, very precise, isn't it ? It's not approximate at all. Is it ? Any other orbit would not work, would it ? Any other orbit busts the mission. Why then do you call it 'approximate' ? Or do you even know what 'precise' means ? Shall I give a dictionary definition of 'precise' ? You've been NASIfied, haven't you ?

So, here is a satellite, according to you, not only amazingly locked in position to its ground station at a precise and permanent speed that is exactly and precisely equivalent to the supposed rotation of a pinpoint location on the Earth itself but also locked in to its own speed so precisely it never stops being overhead of that land station on Earth !!!!!!!!!!! Neither less nor more. How bizzare is that ? The satellite is so precisely linked to that land station it is the equivalent of threading a needle wearing a pair of boxing gloves while wearing dark glasses. And keeping that satellite at PRECISELY the same speed directly overhead for the entire duration of its life. Despite the inevitable pull of gravity on it while will end when it crashes in the ocean. You have heard of gravity, haven't you ? Neither less nor more lol !!! Who but the insane would believe such utter and complete NONSENSE !!!

How can a satellite even approach that single, unique, position overhead at a speed so precise when it arrives it is then fixed in relation to the ground station and is precisely fixed to rotate at that same speed when it finally arrives there ??

The lunatics have truly taken over the asylum !

Tell us how this stupendous feat of NASAfiction is achieved ? If at all. We would like a description of how it's done. A more crazy scenario cannot be invented, even by a cathode ray tube hustler from some fun factory. But you believe it all the same. Don't you ? You've seen it on TV. Right ?

You will 'lose no sleep over it'. You are so darned right. Keep snoring !

Over to you Mr Nasa.


:nopity:

[BienvenuJDC]

Whether the sun revolves around us...or we are spinning, the results are the same. Does it matter which is the case?

[DanielBenoit]

Are you kidding me? The geocentic/heliocentric debate found its way into here?!

[BienvenuJDC]

Yes it did...and I wish that it hadn't...

[papayahed]

Gary Coleman, the child star of the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, died Friday after suffering an intercranial hemorrhage. He was 42.
Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank says life support was terminated and Coleman died at 12:05 p.m.

Coleman was hospitalized Wednesday after falling and suffering a head injury at his home south of Salt Lake City, according to family members.

For a while, it seemed that Gary Coleman's cherubic face was everywhere, from TV to T-shirts to lunchboxes.


http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/2010-05-28-gary-coleman_N.htm?csp=hf

[hillwalker]

How can a satellite approach that position overhead at a speed so precise it is able to be fixed in relation to the ground station and is precisely fixed at that speed when it finally arrives there ??
The lunatics have taken over the asylum !
Tell us how this stupendous feat of NASAfiction is actually achieved ? If at all.

You said it.

Once in place a satellite requires no motive power to maintain its speed relative to the Earth rotating below it - gravitational and centrifugal forces see to that. There is actually no magic involved - just a rocket which carries it up from the ground to the sky and programmed to release it at precisely the correct altitude. They can do things like that nowadays you will probably be amazed to learn.

The "magic" altitude of 22,236 miles (35,786 km)is precisely the point at which a satellite's orbital period matches, or is an integral part of, the period at which the Earth rotates: once every sidereal day (23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds). In that case, the satellite is said to be geosynchronous.

When its orbit also lies entirely over the equator, the satellite remains stationary relative to the Earth's surface – and so it is said to be geostationary.


And keeping that satellite at PRECISELY the same speed for the entire duration of its life. Despite the inevitable pull of gravity on it to crash in the ocean. Neither less nor more lol !!! Who but the insane would believe such NONSENSE !!!

At the correct height gravity and centrifugal force balance out - hence natural forces (as per Newton's Laws of Gravity and Keppler's Third Law) keep the satellite in orbit.

I do so enjoy these civilised discussions - it really brings out the best (and worst) in people. It's like a game of tennis, except you keep running off with the ball because you want everyone to play by your rules.

Deuce I think, old chap.

H

[BienvenuJDC]

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/2010-05-28-gary-coleman_N.htm?csp=hf

With all the respect in the world for Gary....

"Watchu' talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

He'll live in our hearts forever...

Another great loss....

Kids Say the Darnest Things' Art Linkletter dies (http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/05/26/tv-host-art-linkletter-passes-away/) at 97...

[Niamh]

I hate death... and theres just too many people dying lately. :(

[hillwalker]

Are you kidding me? The geocentic/heliocentric debate found its way into here?!


Yes it did...and I wish that it hadn't...

Apologies everyone for allowing this silly thread to flourish - I have only just discovered that it is a reincarnation of another similar thread posted last month (?) which was eventually dumped by the mods.

You are right - this is a News thread and I shall allow our learned friend to thrive in isolation with his own belief system without interfering any further.
Such a shame he feels the need to indoctrinate everybody with such twaddle.

Peace upon you all..... and may the force be with us all (!?!).

H

[Musicology]

Thank you Daniel Benoit for your brilliant refutation of the fact that the Earth stands still in space and is not rotating or revolving. It is easily the best analysis of that heresy posted by the Oxford academic.


'Geostationary Satellites in a Geocentric Universe' (2002)

http://www.geocentricperspective.com/geosat.pdf


The marvellous criticism of his calculations and observations which you have made here on this thread deserves a Nobel Prize. :nopity: and should be applauded by your brilliant colleagues.

In the meantime (and not wishing to deflate your ego) -

NASA are no longer answering public questions about the alleged ''rotation of the Earth on its axis each day''. On the NASA website under the subject of 'The Speed of the Turning of the Earth' is the following comment near the bottom of the page -

'''Questions on this topic are no longer responded to by the "Ask an Astrophysicist" service''

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/as...s/970401c.html

How unfortunate !!! 'Hello Houston, I think you have a problem' !!!!

LOL !!!!!!!!!!! :flare:


Are you kidding me? The geocentic/heliocentric debate found its way into here?!

[Lokasenna]

I think someone has been watching too much of Pixar's Up...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7776724/Adventurer-crosses-English-Channel-using-helium-balloons.html

[hillwalker]

And I have just read that, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup, the South African football team (the host nation to those of you out of the loop) have appointed a choreographer to help the team perfect their reactions when (or possibly if) they score a goal!

Some players from other nations already perform standing somersaults in celebration, or some may mime a particular activity like nursing a baby or playing a fiddle, and some do a little jig.
Presumably the final team selection for the South African squad will depend on a player's dance technique rather than his footballing skills.....

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=903&pictureid=6971http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=903&pictureid=6971http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=903&pictureid=6971

[Musicology]

Galileo, Copernicus and NASA are my favourites for the next world cup. They can spin and rotate the ball with amazing skill and there will always be fools enough to follow them - even when the whistle blows because they are faking it.

LOL :nopity:

[cgrillo]

R.I.P. Gary Coleman

[BienvenuJDC]

R.I.P.
Art Linkletter

[hillwalker]

RIP

Ray Alan - ventriloguist famous over here for Titch + Quackers, and the hilariously stiff-upper-lipped Lord Charles (catch-phrase 'silly arse').

[DanielBenoit]

Dennis Hopper died today. The cinema has lost one of its greats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGLBy2CdjI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAixFYnDh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH8FEZvaiAI

[BienvenuJDC]

Okay, people...stop dying here....

[hillwalker]

Dennis Hopper died today.

Wow - that has to be this week's greatest loss. The man was an absolute legend as actor and director. He contributed to so many iconic films - and never failed to inject a certain extra something to each role he took on.

Such a loss.....

[TurquoiseSunset]

And I have just read that, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup, the South African football team (the host nation to those of you out of the loop) have appointed a choreographer to help the team perfect their reactions when (or possibly if) they score a goal!

Some players from other nations already perform standing somersaults in celebration, or some may mime a particular activity like nursing a baby or playing a fiddle, and some do a little jig.
Presumably the final team selection for the South African squad will depend on a player's dance technique rather than his footballing skills.....

Bafana Bafana never score enough goals to make the choreographer necessary, lol! It's a total waste of money!

On that note...I read a article about the ridiculous demands all the soccer teams have...I'd post the link here, but the article was in Afrikaans and I couldn't find an English one...but it's safe to say they are a bunch of DIVAS!!!

[Scheherazade]

Music for Dogs, to be held outside the Sydney Opera House, is billed as "an inter-species social gathering on a scale never seen before in Australia".

The bizarre recital in June will be largely inaudible to the human ear.

The couple said they have experience making music for at least one dog - their rat terrier, Lollabelle.

"She likes things with a lot of smoothness but with beats in them,'' Ms Anderson told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She said the inspiration for the performance at the Vivid Live festival in Sydney came while she was backstage at an event and thought: "Wouldn't it be great, if you were playing a concert and you look out and you see all dogs?"

The show, created by Ms Anderson, will last for 20 minutes as she says "dogs don't have a giant concentration span".

The sounds will be played at high frequency like a dog whistle, setting dogs' ears twitching but barely audible to their owners.

It is billed in the festival programme as "an absolute must for any dog and their two-legged friends".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10181186.stm

[The Atheist]

Those Aussies are a bit peculiar.

[Scheherazade]

Those Aussies are a bit peculiar.Aussies???

What about Reed himself?

[Scheherazade]

Women on the dole are being offered a £1,150 fashion and beauty makeover and membership to a dating agency to help them find a wealthy husband.
Dutch jobseekers are being given a new hairstyle and outfit and tips from a lifecoach on how to attract a new partner.

The scheme has been slammed by local politicians who criticised the deal as unethical and a waste of taxpayers money.

Under the scheme, the women will be given instructions on how to present themselves socially and offered a place on an exclusive matchmaking website called Mens & Relatie (People and Relationships).
They will have professional photographs of their new image to boost their dating profile.
The scheme is being offered by three councils in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands.
They estimate that if 70 women find a solvent husband, the council can save £330,000 on welfare payments.
They also believe that finding love will help get the unemployed off state benefits by improving their confidence and ambitions.

So far, just one candidate has signed up for the voluntary scheme, which is aimed at women but open to men as well.
Managing director of dating website Mens & Relatie, Radboud Visser, said that people in relationships have 'better health, more happiness, make more money and live longer lives'.
He told The Times that the councils would spend 650 euros registering an unemployed woman on their site - the average they pay them in jobseekers allowance each month.

More than 600 people in the area are eligible for the scheme but, following some adverse publicity in local media, one council has put the plan on hold.
In 2008, jobless Dutch in Maastricht were given a 10-week course of 'regression therapy' at a cost of £720 in the hope that coming to terms with their past lives would help them find a job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285477/Unemployed-women-given-1-000-makeovers-help-solvent-husband.html

[Revolte]

Women on the dole are being offered a £1,150 fashion and beauty makeover and membership to a dating agency to help them find a wealthy husband.
Dutch jobseekers are being given a new hairstyle and outfit and tips from a lifecoach on how to attract a new partner.

The scheme has been slammed by local politicians who criticised the deal as unethical and a waste of taxpayers money.

Under the scheme, the women will be given instructions on how to present themselves socially and offered a place on an exclusive matchmaking website called Mens & Relatie (People and Relationships).
They will have professional photographs of their new image to boost their dating profile.
The scheme is being offered by three councils in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands.
They estimate that if 70 women find a solvent husband, the council can save £330,000 on welfare payments.
They also believe that finding love will help get the unemployed off state benefits by improving their confidence and ambitions.

So far, just one candidate has signed up for the voluntary scheme, which is aimed at women but open to men as well.
Managing director of dating website Mens & Relatie, Radboud Visser, said that people in relationships have 'better health, more happiness, make more money and live longer lives'.
He told The Times that the councils would spend 650 euros registering an unemployed woman on their site - the average they pay them in jobseekers allowance each month.

More than 600 people in the area are eligible for the scheme but, following some adverse publicity in local media, one council has put the plan on hold.
In 2008, jobless Dutch in Maastricht were given a 10-week course of 'regression therapy' at a cost of £720 in the hope that coming to terms with their past lives would help them find a job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285477/Unemployed-women-given-1-000-makeovers-help-solvent-husband.html

I can honestly say this makes me want to slap them all in the face, take their money and burn it before their eyes, give the unemployed people what they NEED. And maybe help them learn that they shouldnt be so stupid as to think they are going to get any lasting love that way. That made me sick, idiots.

[Scheherazade]

Married men may have longer lives because their wives nag them to see their doctor, research shows. And both men and women in committed relationships are more likely to do regular exercise, adding years to their life, researchers say.

The study, to be presented at the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference at the University of Surrey, sheds new light on the benefits of marriage.

Social scientists found married men were 6 per cent more likely to go to the doctor than single men who had no one to tell them they needed a check-up.

They found women were 34 per cent more likely to keep fit through regular exercise in a relationship, and men were 20 per cent more likely to go out for a run once a week if they were married.

But women were just as likely to go to the doctor if they were single or married. Researchers argue that the findings suggest health authorities should target campaigns towards single men aiming at getting them to visit their GP.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1262179/Married-men-live-longer-wives-nag-visit-GP.html#ixzz0r9F5pk2Y

[NikolaiI]

Women on the dole are being offered a £1,150 fashion and beauty makeover and membership to a dating agency to help them find a wealthy husband.
Dutch jobseekers are being given a new hairstyle and outfit and tips from a lifecoach on how to attract a new partner.

The scheme has been slammed by local politicians who criticised the deal as unethical and a waste of taxpayers money.

Under the scheme, the women will be given instructions on how to present themselves socially and offered a place on an exclusive matchmaking website called Mens & Relatie (People and Relationships).
They will have professional photographs of their new image to boost their dating profile.
The scheme is being offered by three councils in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands.
They estimate that if 70 women find a solvent husband, the council can save £330,000 on welfare payments.
They also believe that finding love will help get the unemployed off state benefits by improving their confidence and ambitions.

So far, just one candidate has signed up for the voluntary scheme, which is aimed at women but open to men as well.
Managing director of dating website Mens & Relatie, Radboud Visser, said that people in relationships have 'better health, more happiness, make more money and live longer lives'.
He told The Times that the councils would spend 650 euros registering an unemployed woman on their site - the average they pay them in jobseekers allowance each month.

More than 600 people in the area are eligible for the scheme but, following some adverse publicity in local media, one council has put the plan on hold.
In 2008, jobless Dutch in Maastricht were given a 10-week course of 'regression therapy' at a cost of £720 in the hope that coming to terms with their past lives would help them find a job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285477/Unemployed-women-given-1-000-makeovers-help-solvent-husband.html

At first I thought this read Soviet husband.. :p

[Aesclepius]

They found women were 34 per cent more likely to keep fit through regular exercise in a relationship, and men were 20 per cent more likely to go out for a run once a week if they were married.


That's probably because they're both so bored with their lives, jogging and exercise eats up some of the time.

[Scheherazade]

Burger eaters are being warned not to bite off more than they can chew Fast food restaurants in Taiwan have been urged to drop big burgers from their menus amid a growing number of jaw injuries, according to a report.

Patients have had difficulty opening their mouths after munching giant burgers, said Professor Hsu Ming-lung, of National Yang-Ming University.

Problems can arise when tucking into burgers higher than 8cm (3ins), Hsu was quoted as saying by the China Post.

He called on fast food restaurants to limit the size of their hamburgers to prevent the public from quite literally biting off more than they can chew.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10559578.stm

[OrphanPip]

Clearly, I should be suing McDonald's for my jaw condition instead of blaming my horrible WASP genes.

[Scheherazade]

Children as young as 10 are being given shotgun licences in the east of England, the BBC has learnt.

In figures released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act, it has been revealed that across the East more than 1,000 under 18s have licences.

Anti-gun campaigners have expressed concern at the figures, but shooting enthusiasts have argued that it is a responsible sport.

The minimum age for holding a shotgun licence is 10.

And the minimum age for obtaining a firearms licence is 14.

Read more (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10601666)

[motherhubbard]

To the deilght of men around the world ~



"A rather bizarre study carried out by German researchers suggests that staring at women's breasts is good for men's health and increases their life expectancy.

"According to Dr. Karen Weatherby, a gerontologist and author of the study, gawking at women’s breasts is a healthy practice, almost at par with an intense exercise regime, that prolongs the lifespan of a man by five years.


"She added, 'Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female, is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out.'"


Read more (http://social.entertainment.msn.com/movies/blogs/the-hitlist-blogpost.aspx?post=1786993&GT1=28101)

[caddy_caddy]

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
only five years !!!

[Taliesin]

And here's what Snopes has to say about this. (http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/breasts.asp)

[Scheherazade]

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2082/school.jpg

Workers have misspelled the word school on a road approaching a high school in North Carolina in the United States.

Crews painted "shcool" on the approach road to Southern Guilford High School.

The road had been recently repaved and crews were working to mark out the school zones.

The company which was responsible said it had "made a mistake" and it would be fixed. A spokesperson said the paint was "interim paint" that is used before the final paint is applied.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-10936604

[Scheherazade]

Cabin pressure proved too much to bear for a flight attendant when he reacted to an argument with a passenger yesterday by swearing at the offending customer, activating the emergency exit slide, and disembarking on to the tarmac at John F Kennedy international airport with a beer in hand.

Steven Slater was arrested yesterday at his home in Queens, New York, on charges of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing.

The 39-year-old was working on JetBlue flight 1052 from Pittsburgh when he got into an argument with the passenger, who was pulling down baggage from an overhead bin as the plane came in to land, the Port Authority said.

The luggage apparently struck the attendant in the head and Slater asked for an apology but the passenger refused, the agency said.

As the plane was landing, Slater went on to the public address system and swore at the passenger, the authority said. He then grabbed at least one beer, activated the slide, slid down and went to his car.

The New York Times quoted a police officer who said: "Mr Slater asked for an apology. The passenger instead cursed at him. Mr Slater got on the plane's public address system and cursed out the passenger for all to hear. Then, after declaring that 20 years in the airline industry was enough, he blurted out, 'It's been great!' He activated the inflatable evacuation slide at a service exit and left the world of flight attending behind."

Port Authority police were notified. An eyewitness told the New York Times that police swarmed around Slater's house and he was eventually brought out with a smile on his face.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/10/jetblue-airways-flight-attendant-exit

[JuniperWoolf]

Hahaha, that's great. Best way to quit a job ever.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Jenny the 'HOPA/HPOA' girl would have been just as great if it wasn't a hoax...ah well.

[Scheherazade]

JD Salinger became reclusive after Catcher in the Rye came out in 1951 A toilet described as once having belonged to US author JD Salinger has been put on sale on the online auction site eBay for $1m (£644,000).

The vendor says he obtained the "used toilet commode" from a couple who now own the former home of the Catcher in the Rye author.

It comes "uncleaned and in its original condition", the ad for it states.

"Who knows how many of [his] stories were thought up and written while Salinger sat on this throne!", it adds.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11044329

[papayahed]

Happy Anniversary Peanuts!


http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Peanut-Wallpapers-peanuts-99518_800_600.jpg



http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11767860

[Emil Miller]

To the deilght of men around the world ~

"She added, 'Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female, is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out.'"

I've just got rid of my exercise bicycle and am going for an eye test.

[Basil]

Happy Anniversary Peanuts!



http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11767860

Guess where someone might be going soon?!?

http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq298/Mr-Sack/6143723352.jpg

[Scheherazade]

Mr McCormack said his skin now felt "like a pork roast" A New Zealand truck driver who fell on a compressed air hose that pierced his buttock has survived being blown up like a balloon.

Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose.

The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically.

As he screamed, Mr McCormack's colleagues turned the air off and laid him on his side, saving his life.

The accident happened at Opotiki on the North Island on Saturday.

Mr McCormack, who is 48, is still in hospital in the nearest town, Whakatane.

He said that doctors had told him they were surprised that his skin had not burst, as the compressed air - pumping into his body at 100lb/sq in - had separated fat from muscle.

"I felt the air rush into my body and I felt like it was going to explode from my foot.

"I was blowing up like a football... it felt like I had the bends, like in diving. I had no choice but just to lay there, blowing up like a balloon," he told the local newspaper, the Whakatane Beacon.

He said his skin feels "like a pork roast", hard and crackly on the outside but soft underneath.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13537084

[Scheherazade]

British savoury spread Marmite could be illegal in Denmark if it fails to meet safety requirements, officials say.

By law, the Danish authorities must give their approval for food fortified by vitamins or minerals before sale.

Products with such additives need to be assessed for any potential dangers, the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration says.

Denmark has previously banned several popular items, including the drink Ovaltine and some breakfast cereals.

A shop in Copenhagen was recently asked to remove its supplies of Marmite following a phone call from Danish authorities, the owner says.

A spokesman for the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration said: "We have no record of an application for the sale of the product, so we have neither forbidden or accepted it."


Marmite Ingredients
Yeast Extract
Salt
Vegetable Extract
Niacin (Vit B3)
Thiamine (Vit B1)
Spice Extracts
Riboflavin (Vit B2)
Folic Acid
Celery Extract
Vitamin B12
Source: Marmite website

The procedural checks needed before a final decision is reached could take up to six months.

If a ban is put in place, outraged fans of the spread in Denmark are threatening a campaign of civil disobedience, the BBC's Europe correspondent Chris Morris says.

Nutritionist Melanie Brown told the BBC she believed a ban on Marmite, which is rich in B-vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin, would be counterproductive.

"Marmite plays such a useful part in many people's diet, and in my practice it's incredibly useful for older people...who are short in vitamin B12.

"It's full of folic acid, and there's lots of evidence that many women, young women of child-bearing age are deficient in folic acid," she said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13544266

[Scheherazade]

The part of the brain used by people who can "see like a bat" has been identified by researchers in Canada.

Some blind people have learned to echolocate by making clicking noises and listening to the returning echoes.

A study of two such people, published in PLoS ONE, showed a part of the brain usually associated with sight was activated when listening to echoes.

Action for Blind People said further research could improve the way the technique is taught.

Bats and dolphins bounce sound waves off their surroundings and by listening to the echoes can "see" the world around them.

Some blind humans have also trained themselves to do this, allowing them to explore cities, cycle and play sports.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13539921

[MystyrMystyry]

echo-locate - I misread that as a misprint for 'eat chocolate' - and I was going 'How does that..? What does that..?'


Think I'll eat some chocolate...

[papayahed]

Mr McCormack said his skin now felt "like a pork roast" A New Zealand truck driver who fell on a compressed air hose that pierced his buttock has survived being blown up like a balloon.

Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose.

The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically.

As he screamed, Mr McCormack's colleagues turned the air off and laid him on his side, saving his life.

The accident happened at Opotiki on the North Island on Saturday.

Mr McCormack, who is 48, is still in hospital in the nearest town, Whakatane.

He said that doctors had told him they were surprised that his skin had not burst, as the compressed air - pumping into his body at 100lb/sq in - had separated fat from muscle.

"I felt the air rush into my body and I felt like it was going to explode from my foot.

"I was blowing up like a football... it felt like I had the bends, like in diving. I had no choice but just to lay there, blowing up like a balloon," he told the local newspaper, the Whakatane Beacon.

He said his skin feels "like a pork roast", hard and crackly on the outside but soft underneath.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13537084


Seriously, how did I miss this one??

[Scheherazade]

A Toronto couple are defending their decision to keep their infant's sex a secret in order to allow the child to develop his or her own gender identity.

Kathy Witterick and David Stocker have been widely criticised for imposing their ideology on four-month-old Storm.

The family were the subject of a recent profile in the Toronto Star newspaper.

In an e-mail, Ms Witterick wrote that the idea that "the whole world must know what is between the baby's legs is unhealthy, unsafe, and voyeuristic".

Ms Witterick, 38, and Mr Stocker, 39, have also been criticised for the manner in which they are raising their two sons Jazz, five, and Kio, two.

The boys are encouraged to choose their own clothing and hairstyles - even if that means wearing girls' clothes - and to challenge gender norms. Jazz wears his hair in long braids, and the boys are "almost exclusively assumed to be girls," Mr Stocker told the Toronto Star.

The child's grandparents do not know Storm's sex, the Toronto Star reported, and have grown weary of explaining the situation, but are supportive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13581835

[MystyrMystyry]

^ Theodore Rothke had the similar problem - he worked it out (like kids do) and wrote some pretty cool poems into the bargain

The real worry is what happened to Lou Reed, but he's still writing some pretty cool songs

[Scheherazade]

An error which slashed the price of beer and cider led to a stampede of customers at a number of Tesco supermarkets in Scotland.

A deal offering three boxes of various alcoholic drinks for £20 was going through the tills at three for £11.

Police were called to Tesco in Greenock after heavy congestion was reported in the car park as customers rushed to get the deal.

A spokesman for Tesco said the pricing error was quickly spotted.

He said till operators changed the prices manually until the system was corrected.

It is understood the offer was supposed to be "buy three boxes of beer and save £11".

Instead customers were able to purchase up to 45 small bottles of lager or 36 cans for £11.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13621315

[Scheherazade]

Veteran songwriter Leonard Cohen has won a top Spanish literature award for a body of work which has "influenced three generations around the world".

The Prince of Asturias awards jury said the Canadian, 77, had created "imagery in which poetry and music are melded into an unchanging worth".

The 50,000 euro (£44,000) prize is one of eight given in different fields by the Asturias Foundation each year.

They will be presented at a ceremony in Oviedo, northern Spain, in October.

Winners also receive a sculpture designed by the late Catalan artist Joan Miro.

The foundation said Cohen's poems and songs explored "with depth and beauty the major questions concerning humanity".

Cohen is known for songs including Suzanne, Hallelujah and So Long, Marianne.

Previous winners of Prince of Asturian awards have included Woody Allen, JK Rowling and pianist Daniel Barenboim.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13625379

[Scheherazade]

A teenager in China has sold one of his kidneys in order to buy an iPad 2, Chinese media report.

The 17-year-old, identified only as Little Zheng, told a local TV station he had arranged the sale of the kidney over the internet.

The story only came to light after the teenager's mother became suspicious.

The case highlights China's black market in organ trafficking. A scarcity of organ donors has led to a flourishing trade.

Deep red scar

It all started when the high school student saw an online advert offering money to organ donors.

Illegal agents organised a trip to the hospital and paid him $3,392 (£2,077) after the operation.

With the cash the student bought an iPad 2, as well as a laptop.

When his mother noticed the computers and the deep red scar on his body, which was caused by the surgery, Little Zheng confessed.

In 2007, Chinese authorities banned organ trafficking and have introduced a voluntary donor scheme to try to combat the trade.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13639934

[Scheherazade]

Chimps have "replayed" an ancient fable, a team says in Plos One journal.

In Aesop's 2,000-year-old tale, a crow uses stones to raise the water level in a pitcher to reach the liquid so as to quench its thirst.

But when given a similar set up, chimps were able to attain an out-of-reach, floating peanut by spitting water taken from a dispenser into a vertical tube.

One hungry chimp went even further by urinating into the vessel to get hold of the prized snack.

"He was spitting water into the tube, then got frustrated," explained lead researcher Daniel Hanus from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Leipzig, Germany.

"So he started peeing and then he realised: 'Wait a minute, if I move in that direction, that fills up the tube'."

The chimp's unusual method proved successful, the scientist said. The fact that the peanut was urine-sodden did not deter the animal from eating it, he added.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13560247

[MystyrMystyry]

Chimpiss marinade peanuts! Yummy!

[Calidore]

Henceforth I will snack on eanuts, without the p.

[Scheherazade]

A charity worker who crawled the London Marathon dressed as Brian the Snail from The Magic Roundabout has been sacked for not raising enough money.

Action for Kids fundraiser Lloyd Scott hoped to raise at least £100,000 for the charity but received about £20,000.

The 49-year-old former footballer from Essex, who has raised more than £5m for charity over the years, said he was "shocked" by the decision.

Action for Kids said Mr Scott was given his notice "due to losses incurred".

The charity said that expenses incurred by the charity included publicity and support costs.

Mr Scott was accompanied around the course by people dressed as other characters from the Magic Roundabout including Florence, Dylan and Zebedee.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13751871

[Wizard272002]

Football great and 'Police Academy' star Bubba Smith dies (http://www.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/08/03/bubba.smith.obit/index.html)

He was a good actor. He was Lt. Moses Hightower in "Police Academy." :(

[Scheherazade]

Berlin police have appealed for information to help them establish the identity of a teenager who appeared in the city saying that he had been living in the woods for five years.

The teenager is about 17, and speaks English and a little German.

He told the police that he and his father went to live in the woods after his mother died.

He said he left the woods in August when his father died, and walked for two weeks before reaching Berlin.

He said he couldn't remember where his family came from, but that his name was Ray.

"We have sent appeals for help to all European countries via Interpol... we really have no idea where he comes from," Michael Maas, a spokesman for the Berlin police said.

The boy appeared at a youth emergency centre in Berlin on 5 September. He and his father had taken to the woods about five years ago after his mother's death, he told police.

The boy said he and his father did not set up a home, but slept in a tent, and huts they found in the woods.

Police say the boy claims he followed his compass and went northwards after his father died, reaching Berlin.

The boy has been medically examined and is physically healthy.

Police say they have no evidence of a crime having been committed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14950656

[Scheherazade]

Homeowner Jack Doran was amazed at the number of council staff who tried to change a lightbulb in a broken street lamp near his house.

The 74-year-old reported the problem to authorities, who sent a repair team.

But the workers could not get to the junction box, which was surrounded by a hedge, so parks department staff came to cut the foliage. A third team was sent with a cherry picker, only to be thwarted by water leaking into the light.

This was followed by a policeman who checked the darkened road because of fears it was a security risk.

A worker then replaced the bulb – but it blew out because of a fuse problem.

The light finally worked on September 30, six weeks after the fault was reported.

‘There were at least 12 visits and I started to wonder what on earth had gone wrong,’ said Mr Doran, of Cheltenham.
.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/879230-council-sends-12-people-and-a-police-officer-to-change-mans-lightbulb#ixzz1bRNRRKH5

[Wizard272002]

Randy the Illinios Douche (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/randy-swopes-sewed-sons-buttocks-crohns-illinois_n_1521207.html?1337193043)

[Patrick_Bateman]

...You will not tell mummy and daddy about fight club

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/21/daycare-workers-accused-running-toddler-fight-club


Three Delaware day care employees have been accused of encouraging toddlers to fight each other while the children were under their care.

CBS Philly reported that Tiana Harris, 19, Lisa Parker, 47, and Estefania Myers, 21, employees of the Hands of Our Future Daycare in Dover, were arrested after a cellphone video emerged of them allegedly encouraging two 3-year-olds to fight in an organized battle.

Police said in the video one child is heard yelling, "He’s pinching me!" A day care worker allegedly responded, "No pinching, only punching."

"It was a difficult video to watch," Dover Police Capt. Tim Stump told FoxNews.com. "One of the kids involved ran over to one of the adults for protection, but she turned him around back into the fight."

[papayahed]

Holy Carp!! That's crazy.

[Emil Miller]

Holy Carp!! That's crazy.

Or even Holy Crap!

[prendrelemick]

Shocking Pictures! I'd've been more shocked if Prince Harry was photographed drinking Evian and reading Sartre.


I really hope they don't publish pictures of him playing strip billiards - Ginger Pubes!

[MANICHAEAN]

God for England, Harry and Saint George.

Get stuck in there lad.

Go for gold in this new team event.

[cacian]

Shocking Pictures! I'd've been more shocked if Prince Harry was photographed drinking Evian and reading Sartre.


I really hope they don't publish pictures of him playing strip billiards - Ginger Pubes!

No one has seen them.
It was in the news but they showed no pictures.
I bet his drink was spiked.

[papayahed]

ok, He's 25, who didn't play naked billards at 25?

http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/21/prince-harry-naked-photos-nude-vegas-hotel-party/

[JuniperWoolf]

I'm going to be saying "holy carp" from now on.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/jpyles7121/holy-carp-final.jpg

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

A pretty, 23 year old white girl was killed in St. Louis. The media has been in a frenzy, and a troop of what looked to be about 20 SWAT officers raided a house to arrest the suspects.

Let this be a lesson: if you're a pretty white girl, rest assured that if you're murdered, everyone will care. If you're a black, single mom, forget about it.

[cacian]

The Oslo murderer only gets 21 years in jail.
Is that a fair trial?
Many get a life sentence for killing one person. This muderer has killed many and he gets away with 21 years with a mininum of 10 years.
Is Norway justice taking the mick or is it lost its power to rule?
This a shambol and an embarrassement to the whole if the norwegian society.
Who is to say that if this person comes out again he won't do it again?

[prendrelemick]

A man avoids possible incarceration by hiding away in an embassy building and refusing to come out - ever.

[JuniperWoolf]

The Oslo murderer only gets 21 years in jail.

Yeah, that equals out to be about three months per dead person. Bit f*ckey.

[Calidore]

The Oslo murderer only gets 21 years in jail.
Is that a fair trial?
Many get a life sentence for killing one person. This muderer has killed many and he gets away with 21 years with a mininum of 10 years.
Is Norway justice taking the mick or is it lost its power to rule?
This a shambol and an embarrassement to the whole if the norwegian society.
Who is to say that if this person comes out again he won't do it again?

According to the Chicago Tribune report, 21 years is the maximum sentence possible under Norwegian law. It also says, "His release, however, can be put off indefinitely should he still pose a threat to a liberal society left traumatized by his bomb and shooting rampage last July." So from the sound of it, this could still end up being a life sentence.

Is anyone here from Norway? I'm curious about reasons for the the 21-year limit.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I know the USA's judicial system is messed up, but I'm glad it's not that messed up.

[cacian]

A man avoids possible incarceration by hiding away in an embassy building and refusing to come out - ever.

I can't last forever because hiding away in an embassy has its limits too.
But then one could describe that in itself a new type of incarceration.
I am not sure I believe his story anyway.
Anthing can be made up.
Who is to say this is not just a masquerade to get attention?

[Emil Miller]

I can't last forever because hiding away in an embassy has its limits too.
But then one could describe that in itself a new type of incarceration.
I am not sure I believe his story anyway.
Anthing can be made up.
Who is to say this is not just a masquerade to get attention?

So who was the man who made a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadoran embassy just a few days ago and that was shown on TV channels around the world?

[tonywalt]

Norwegian prisons are not as rough as Swedish prisons where no chocolate mint is put on your pillow each morning and the yoga classes are not as well organized.

[cacian]

So who was the man who made a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadoran embassy just a few days ago and that was shown on TV channels around the world?

Emil LOL I see I have upset the apple cart.
Would you like to tell me what the answer to this post should be?

[Emil Miller]

:banghead:

[cacian]

:banghead:

LOL see above.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

:banghead:

That's a lesson to us all. Engage cacian and beware!

[Emil Miller]

Emil LOL I see I have upset the apple cart.
Would you like to tell me what the answer to this post should be?

I suppose it's possible but I get the feeling that it would be like trying to explain the first law of thermodynamics to a Mongolian who doesn't speak English.

[Sancho]

I suppose it's possible but I get the feeling that it would be like trying to explain the first law of thermodynamics to a Mongolian who doesn't speak English.


δQ=T dS
Whoops, that's the 2nd law. (entropy)

Hmmm, Pv=nRT
Ack, partial pressures

I forget, so back to the news:

Police killed 34 workers on strike from a platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa. “We are aware,” said an officer of the London-based company that owns the mine, “that it will take some time for some trust to be regained.”

From Harper's Weekly Review, August 21, 2012

[Alexander III]

I know the USA's judicial system is messed up, but I'm glad it's not that messed up.

But many wise and noble minded individuals have stated in prior threads, that the law should not be used to punish but to rehabilitate, because desiring punishment for punishments sake is so uncivilized.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Well, I haven't. All I've said is that there shouldn't be a death penalty. Life in a small, cramped cell? Definitely.

[cacian]

i suppose it's possible but i get the feeling that it would be like trying to explain the first law of thermodynamics to a mongolian who doesn't speak english.

You get the feeling?
I get the feeling too.

[prendrelemick]

So who was the man who made a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadoran embassy just a few days ago and that was shown on TV channels around the world?


That was Julian Assange an Australian who claimed aslylum in the London embassy of Equador to avoid extradition to Sweden for fear of being tried in America for leaking secrets from Afghanistan and Iraq

Simple.

[Emil Miller]

That was Julian Assange an Australian who claimed aslylum in the London embassy of Equador to avoid extradition to Sweden for fear of being tried in America for leaking secrets from Afghanistan and Iraq

Simple.

I would never have guessed.

[prendrelemick]

A lion is on the loose in Essex.

Police will deploy tranquilizer darts, and when everyone has calmed down they will start searching for the lion.

[cacian]

A lion is on the loose in Essex.

Police will deploy tranquilizer darts, and when everyone has calmed down they will start searching for the lion.

:skep: Deplore tranquilizer to who/whom?

prendrelemick is the signature yours?

[GreenLucky]

:skep: Deplore tranquilizer to who/whom?

prendrelemick is the signature yours?

I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure the meanings of deploy and deplore are not the same. The correct pronoun to use would be whom because you are referring to the object of the sentence.

[prendrelemick]

Don't you just hate it when you have to explain a joke.

[Emil Miller]

Don't you just hate it when you have to explain a joke.

Well it is LitNet.

[cacian]

Well it is LitNet.

Well no not really it is called expectations.
Had the joke' phrase' been under Joke threads then one would have made the connections and since it is under News one's expectations of what had come next is naturally absconded.

[cacian]

I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure the meanings of deploy and deplore are not the same. The correct pronoun to use would be whom because you are referring to the object of the sentence.

Ay that was a slip of the tongue.
The question/sentence is perfectly sensical out of context because one can deplore or deploy tranquilizer depending what one means.

About who or whom:
In formal letter:
One says 'to whom it may concern'
The reason for that is because the receiver or the reader is unknown to the subject ie the writer here.

In this instance however

Deploy tranquilizer to who/whom?
I used whom to mean 'non human' ie lions and who for humans because I was not clear on what the OP actually meant.
In other words I was not sure whether he was refering to the lions or people being tranquilized hence the use of who and whom at the same time.
I might be wrong please free to add more.

[Sancho]

A lion is on the loose in Essex.

Police will deploy tranquilizer darts, and when everyone has calmed down they will start searching for the lion.

...and, in a related story:

A young male mountain lion tried to enter a casino in Reno, but was foiled by a revolving door.

(Harper's Weekly Review)

[prendrelemick]

That was lucky! He was well under age.

[cacian]

That was lucky! He was well under age.

Forgive me I thought that was lucy for a minute. :smilewinkgrin:

[Sancho]

Loose Lucy the Luckless Lioness?

That could’ve been a Dr. Seuss Title

(I ‘ave always attempted to attain an affinity for alliteration.)

[JuniperWoolf]

Once during a heavy fog a young mountain lion wandered into my town and was just sauntering up mainstreet. That was a fun day.

[cacian]

Loose Lucy the Luckless Lioness?

That could’ve been a Dr. Seuss Title

(I ‘ave always attempted to attain an affinity for alliteration.)

And you have done a good job here.
Your affinity has shone.

[GreenLucky]

Shun? Another slip of the tongue?

[cacian]

Shun? Another slip of the tongue?

I first wrote it shone but then thought better of it and changed to shun t because it sounded better phonetically wise.
I get shone and shun mixed up all the time.

[Scheherazade]

attempted to attain an affinity for alliterationWho wouda thunk it?

;)

[Sancho]

And you have done a good job here.
Your affinity has shone.

However, in observance of the elegance of assonance, which doesn’t have the dominance of, or the extravagance of, but does have a resemblance to alliteration, you have my assurance I’ll now, with no reluctance, direct my vigilance.

Consonance anyone?

How about an ambulance?
(my brain hurts)

[Helga]

It doesn't take much to make me laugh, simple things like someone falling or walking into a glass door. I often wonder what it is in me that makes me laugh at others mistakes and misfortunes. Maybe I need to take a good look at myself and search inside for the answer.

But this really made me laugh and it cost a whole lot of money: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195642/Asian-tourist-unwittingly-joins-search-HERSELF-failing-recognise-tour-groups-description-missing-woman.html

[cacian]

However, in observance of the elegance of assonance, which doesn’t have the dominance of, or the extravagance of, but does have a resemblance to alliteration, you have my assurance I’ll now, with no reluctance, direct my vigilance.

Consonance anyone?

How about an ambulance?
(my brain hurts)

Ouch my head hurts a little :svengo:

[cacian]

I love the way old black and white thrillers use the weather as in storms rains and thunder to accentuate the melodrama of someone about to commit a murder.
Modern television and films have really moved on!

[Sancho]

Pink Floyd’s old house was put up for sale, and former Duran Duran bassist John Taylor told the press he had decided to start thinking of himself as middle-aged. “It was actually a really good decision to make,” said Taylor, “because I’d been feeling like a very tired young man.” British researchers found that a significant percentage of headaches are caused by pain-relief medication, climatologists explained that the hole in the ozone layer keeps Antarctic ice from melting, and a police officer from the South Pacific nation of Kiribati claimed that a shark saved his life while he was stranded at sea.

--Harper's Weekly Review, again

[cacian]

Pink Floyd’s old house was put up for sale, and former Duran Duran bassist John Taylor told the press he had decided to start thinking of himself as middle-aged. “It was actually a really good decision to make,” said Taylor, “because I’d been feeling like a very tired young man.” British researchers found that a significant percentage of headaches are caused by pain-relief medication,

Medications are very addictive and yes it makes sense. Someone I met once told me that he could not do without his pain killers on a daily basis.
It was very scary.


climatologists explained that the hole in the ozone layer keeps Antarctic ice from melting, and a police officer from the South Pacific nation of Kiribati claimed that a shark saved his life while he was stranded at sea.

--Harper's Weekly Review, again
Sharks are not all predators and not instinctively anyway they only attack when they feel threatened and when hungry.
I think there was something about it in a programm I watched.

[Scheherazade]

~

R e m i n d e r

Discussion of current politics is not allowed on this Forum.

Posts that are political in their nature have been and will be removed without further notice.

~

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

~

R e m i n d e r

Discussion of current politics is not allowed on this Forum.

Posts that are political in their nature have been and will be removed without further notice.

~

Unless I missed something, merely mentioning a current even, such as a president being elected, is not "discussing" politics, but mentioning, you know, news. I guess I'll remember this next time someone brings up abortion, education policy, gay rights, or the British royal family.

[Scheherazade]

Unless I missed something, merely mentioning a current even, such as a president being elected, is not "discussing" politics, but mentioning, you know, news. I guess I'll remember this next time someone brings up abortion, education policy, gay rights, or the British royal family.Yes, obviously you missed something. The discussion had already moved onto which candidate was better and more likeable.

And you do not need to remember it either as we have four moderators whose sole responsibility is to do just that.

Now, let's move on.

[tonywalt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19638640

Damn, i had to look it up but - YES, the Pink Floyd house is for sale. RIP Syd Barrett.

[prendrelemick]

Publishing giants Random House and Penguin are to merge, creating a huge mega publishing business.
Unfortunetly they are NOT going to be called Random Penguin! A missed oppotunity if you ask me..

[tonywalt]

Really? Most of the classics i have read were Penguin.

[cacian]

Publishing giants Random House and Penguin are to merge, creating a huge mega publishing business.
Unfortunetly they are NOT going to be called Random Penguin! A missed oppotunity if you ask me..

Random Penguin poor soul...ironic name if you ask me. There are many randoms wild animals these days they don't know whether they belong in a house a zoo a swimming pool or the wild. Random indeed.
I am glad Random House is gone I don't a publisher that call its name random. It is a literary place for god sake you'd think they put a decent title to their name. Random is random.

Sorry about the rant haha:rant:

[Sancho]

Nation Horrified To Learn About War In Afghanistan While Reading Up On Petraeus Sex Scandal

WASHINGTON—As they scoured the Internet for more juicy details about former CIA director David Petraeus’ affair with biographer, Paula Broadwell, Americans were reportedly horrified today upon learning that a protracted, bloody war involving U.S. forces is currently raging in the nation of Afghanistan. “Oh my God, this is terrible,” Allie Lipscomb, 29, said after accidentally stumbling on an article about the war while she tried to ascertain details about what specific sexual acts Petraeus and Broadwell might have engaged in. “According to this, 2,000 American troops have died, 18,000 have been wounded, and more than 20,000 civilians have been killed. Jesus Christ. And it’s been happening for, like, 11 years.” Sources confirmed that after reading a few paragraphs about the brutal war, the nation quickly became distracted by a headline about Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash’s alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy.

--The Onion

[prendrelemick]

The French Government have banned that twitter favourite "hashtag" from all official documents in an attempt to protect the purity of their language.

[Calidore]

The French Government have banned that twitter favourite "hashtag" from all official documents in an attempt to protect the purity of their language.

How did they word the official ban without violating it themselves?