SkullznEyez

The Wicked ’Wich:

2011-06-02T11:20:00.002-04:00

"A wicked new presence is fast approaching the Sacramento food truck scene and bringing with it a broom-wielding, raven-haired witch, mounted LED television screens and towering, East Coast-inspired sandwiches."

Most Creative Uses Of Bacon:

2011-05-26T18:37:00.002-04:00

"Some of these bacon concoctions are bizarre and some of them look downright delectable. What do you think?"

Our favorite Bacon themed t-shirt of the moment: From the Rooter to the Tooter!

An Homage To The Title Of "Egg Slut":

2011-02-23T17:50:00.004-05:00

"Anthony Bourdain called Wylie Dufresne a "notorious Egg Slut." What would an 'egg slut' actually be, if it were a real thing? Like, would it be a really promiscuous egg, or a person who has sex in exchange for eggs?

My personal homage and shout-out to those who adore eggs as much as I do - I give you, The deliciously awesome design of, "The Egg Slut":

BACONATION

I Don't Need Saving, But Thanks:

2011-02-09T16:55:00.005-05:00

Catholic's Guide To Converting Witches To Christianity

SkullznEyez.com Loves Witches!

BaconFest, Chicago, 2011

2011-01-04T19:44:00.006-05:00

BaconFestChicago.com

April 9th, 2011

Holy Yummyness, Batman!

Cthulhu Cell Phone Ring Tones:

2010-03-23T14:41:00.001-04:00

"Most people in the industrialized world are carrying cellphones these days. If Cthulhu's going to call you, you might as well have an appropriate ringtone! So, your friends here at the HPLHS have created a series of FREE ringtones and images for use on your phone. Have fun!"

Cthulhu Cell Phone Ring Tones And Wallpaper!

BACON FEST CHICAGO 2010:

2010-03-23T00:23:00.003-04:00

"We all remember our first taste of bacon. Maybe it wasn’t perfect: maybe the bacon was cold; maybe there was congealed bacon grease clinging to the rasher. But we remember it, because it opened the door to a lifetime of bacon memories. It was that first crispy step on the path to a bacony life. It set the bar for every slab and slice and hunk of sweet cured pork that was to follow."

BACON FEST CHICAGO, APRIL 2010

Baconfest Chicago will be on April 10, 2010 at the Stan Mansion in Logan Square.

Stan Mansion
Logan Square
2408 North Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

BACON FEST CHICAGO, APRIL 10, 2010

BACONATION: The Store For ALL Of Your Bacon Dreams!

Today Is Talk Like William Shatner Day:

2010-03-22T23:46:00.002-04:00

TALK LIKE WILLIAM SHATNER DAY!!!

Bacon Potato Chips:

2010-02-22T21:25:00.002-05:00

Via BaconPotatoChips.com

Who’s Your Daddy set out to combine two of the world’s favorite foods: bacon and potato chips.

Who's Your Daddy Real Bacon Potato Chips

We start with the best quality potatoes and add a proprietary blend of some extra-bacony goodness. They will put a grin on your face and promise to test your limits of self-control.

It is our stated mission that you have a heightened sense of expectation before opening a bag of our Real Bacon Handmade Potato Chips that is exceeded every single time that bag is opened. Enjoy!

BaconPotatoChips.com

LIL' CTHULHU:

2010-02-09T13:58:00.001-05:00

Via: KONTRABAND

"The horrifying story of the H.P. Lovecraft's destroyer from the depths told in a kid friendly form. Who knew that the tentacled devourer could be so cute!? What will this little tike get up to now that he has awoken from his slumber?"

Lil' Cthulhu

Bacon Fest:

2010-02-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

Let the 2010 BACON FESTS commence!!!

Ticket info and more details on this year's Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival hit today. Tickets to the Feb. 27 event at the Scottish Rite Consistory cost $35 and go on sale Feb. 4 through the Web site.

Last year more than 300 people crowded into the High Life Lounge and consumed nearly 600 pounds of bacon. This year's larger venue allows for a crowd of about 600, and there will be 1,050 pounds of nature's most perfect food ready to be consumed.

The $35 ticket includes a T-shirt, koozie, a menu of seven bacon items, unlimited bacon samples, live music, two bacon lectures and a free bacon Bloody Mary.

Bacon Sushi:

2009-11-19T15:10:00.001-05:00

How do put two delicious things rolled into one?
BACON SUSHI, my friends.

"So, I got this “build your own sushi” package last week and decided to combine the best of both worlds. I give the you… Bacon Sushi..."

Please click here to read Jason Bartholme's blog on
BACON SUSHI!

Bacon-Flavored Envelopes:

2009-11-12T18:45:00.003-05:00

Thank you TRENDHUNTER

Ever wonder why the adhesive strip on envelopes couldn’t be just a tad more tasty (or at least not as gross)? The good people at J&D’s have finally figured out a way to help our taste buds and make closing envelopes an enjoyable—instead of an avoidable—task with their bacon-flavored envelopes, called Mmmvelopes.

These delicious bacon-flavored envelopes cost $6.99 for a pack of 25 or $14.99 for 3 packs of 25. Mmmvelopes are not made of real bacon, so they’re appropriate for non-pork and non-meat eaters.

These tasty bacon-flavored envelopes will make unique carriers for Christmas and birthday cards or anything else you have to mail because, really, who doesn’t love bacon?

Torture Methods:

2009-11-01T17:13:00.001-05:00

In Medieval times, they sought out ways to cut back on crime. Instead of letting the criminals sit in a jail cell, like today, they would use different torture devices. These devices came in all shapes and sizes and were meant to scare other would be criminals into not doing the crimes committed by the person being tortured.

The Brazen Bull

This device was designed in Greece by Perillos of Athens. He was a brass founder and he cast the shape of a hollow bull with a door on the side. This condemned person was shut in the bull. There was a fire lit underneath the device and because it was brass it became yellow hot, which would cause the person to roast to death. It was configured with tubes and stops, so when the person was screaming it would sound like the bull was raging.

source: http:../../..www...perillos...com/..brazenbull.html

The Breaking Wheel

This wheel of torture was used to kill criminals and it did that very slowly. This device was a large wagon wheel. The criminal would be tied to the wheel, where the punisher would proceed to use a hammer to break the bones of the other person. Once that was completed, they were left there to die and even the birds would peck at their flesh until death was complete.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Breaking_wheel

The Rack

This device is an oblong rectangle with a wooden frame. It was raised from the ground with a roller either at one end or at both ends. One end had a fixed bar, where the feet were locked onto it, and the other end had a moveable bar, where the hands were tied to it. It had a lever that was used as the interrogation progressed. It was on a lever and pulley system that would eventually cause the joints of the person being tortured to dislocate and then separate. Eventually, the muscle fibers, ligaments, and cartilage would break separating the limbs from the body of the condemned.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Rack_..%28torture%29

Judas Cradle

This torture device is a pyramid shaped seat. The victim is placed on top of it, with the point inserted into an orifice, then they are very slowly lowered onto it. The condemned was usually naked in order to add to their humiliation. This device was thought to stretch the orifice or to slowly impale the person. The stretching of the orifice would cause pain, rips and tears, which would eventually cause death.

source: http:../../..www...medievality...com/..judas-..craddle.html

Coffin Torture

This device was used in the Middle Ages. The condemned would be placed in the metal coffin and left there for the appropriate amount of time. Depending on the crime, the person could be left in there to die, while animals ate their flesh or they would be placed on public display, which would cause their death. The people that would surround the person in the coffin would throw rocks and poke the person with objects until they finally became deceased.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Coffin_torture

Iron Maiden

This iron cabinet with a hinged front was made to be a tall upright cabinet that would enclose a human being. It would have a small opening, which was closeable, so the interrogator would be able to open and close it at their will. They would then poke the bodies of the person with a sharp object. They would use knives, spikes, or nails and the person inside was forced to remain standing in one position, ultimately causing their demise.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Iron_..maiden_..%28torture%29

The Knee Splitter

The whole purpose of this device was to make a person’s knees useless. It was used in mainly during the Inquisitional period of time. This device was faceted with spikes, from three to twenty of them, and depending on the crime committed, depended on the number used. IT had a handle the torturer would use to close the device. The spikes would mutilate the skin and begin to crush the knee. They would also use the device on elbows, arms and the lower legs. There were even instances that they would heat the device to cause a maximum amount of pain. Death wasn’t a result of this device, but it the person refused to cooperate they would use other means.

source: http:../../..www...occasionalhell...com/..infdevice/..detail...php?..recordID=..Knee%20Splitter

Heretic’s Fork

This device was used during the Spanish Inquisition. It has two forks at opposing ends of a metal rod. One of the forks would be placed under the chin, piercing the skin, and the other end would be piercing the flesh in the upper chest. It didn’t puncture any vital organs, so death would not take place during the use of this method, but it made talking and neck movements impossible. While wearing this device a person’s hands would be tied behind their backs, so they could not escape it. It would harm the person’s neck and, often times, spread diseases.

source: http:../../..en...wikipedia...org/..wiki/..Heretic%..27s_fork

Saw Torture

This method was used to torture and kill the condemned person, which were typically accused of witchery, adultery, murder, blasphemy, or theft. The accused was hung upside down. This slowed down the blood loss by forcing the blood to the brain and it humiliated the person. This type of torture could last for several hours. Some of the victims would be cut completely in half, while some would only be cut up to their abdomen in order to prolong their deaths.

source: http:../../..www...corkscrew-..balloon...com/..misc/..torture/25.html

Thumbscrew

This was used to get a confession from the offenders. The fingers of the person were placed in the device and crushed by the torturer turning the handle on the top. It could last for a very long time and it was very painful. This was also used to crush a person’s toes. They even made bigger versions of this device used to crush feet, knees, elbows and even heads.

source: http:../../..that-..shane...blogspot...com/..2009/..03/..i-..decided-..to-..continue-..posting-..torture.html

One Nation Under Cthulhu:

2009-10-21T19:20:00.002-04:00

One Nation Under Cthulhu

One Nation Under Cthulhu is a parody follow-up image to Jon McNaughton's One Nation Under God.

(From Reader Darc_Oso)

'Married With Children' Cast: Then and Now

2009-10-21T19:16:00.000-04:00

By Amy & Nancy Harrington, GetBack.com | Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 3:22 PM

The cast of "Married... with Children"

Sony Pictures

On April 5, 1987, the FOX network debuted its first primetime series, an irreverent sitcom about a highly dysfunctional family called "Married... with Children" (followed by "The Tracey Ullman Show"). The series ran for 11 seasons and was a turning point in the careers of actors Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, and Christina Applegate. Plus, it would forever change the way we heard the Frank Sinatra-crooned theme song, "Love and Marriage."

This week, the final season of the series was released on DVD. In the words of Al Bundy, "Let's rock," while we take a walk down memory lane with the stars of "Married... with Children," then and now.

[Photo gallery: See the stars of "Married... with Children" through the years.]

----------

Ed O'Neill: Then

Before success with "Married... with Children," Ed O'Neill had spent his career doing a string of small film parts and TV appearances. While he was considered for such roles as Sam Malone on "Cheers" and Steven Keaton on "Family Ties," he ended up landing a part in the failed TV pilot "Popeye Doyle" and a cop role in the film "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane." Then he was cast as Al Bundy, and he hit it big at age 41.

Ed O'Neill: Now

Ed can currently be seen on the funniest new show of the season, "Modern Family," playing a not-so-warm-and-fuzzy husband, father, and granddad with a passion for toy airplanes... oops, we mean model airplanes. We're hoping this move wipes away the series of career missteps between "MWC" and "MF" that included "Big Apple," "Dragnet," and "John from Cincinnati."

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Katey Sagal: Then

Catherine Louise Sagal's younger sisters were famous before she was: they are best known as the Doublemint Twins and stars of the short-lived (and very wholesome) 1980s sitcom "Double Trouble." In the meantime, Katey Sagal built her career slowly, with regular TV guest appearances and stints as a backup singer for an eclectic slate of artists that included Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, and Gene Simmons. In 1985 she landed what must've seemed like her big break, starring alongside Mary Tyler Moore in the TV legend's new sitcom, "Mary." But even TV legends can have major misses, and "Mary" was canceled after just one season. That turned out to be good news for Sagal, as her next TV gig was that of anti-housewife Peg Bundy.

Katey Sagal: Now

Katey has continued to act, most recently in a recurring role as domineering attorney Marci Klein on "Eli Stone" and as the motorcycle club mama on "Sons of Anarchy." From time to time she's returned to her music roots as well, with two solo CDs and a recent series of cabaret shows at a small club in Hollywood.

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Christina Applegate: Then

Three months was a good age for Christina Applegate. As an infant, she not only made her first commercial (for Playtex baby bottles) but also landed her first TV gig, on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" (with her mother, Nancy Priddy). Her movie career kicked off before she was even a tween, with the 1981 horror flick "Jaws of Satan." From there, she worked the TV circuit, playing a young Grace Kelly in a TV biopic and appearing on "Charles in Charge," among other shows. But she didn't make it big until the ripe old age of 15, when she was cast as the ditzy and promiscuous Kelley Bundy on "Married... with Children."

Christina Applegate: Now

No one spun "Married... with Children" into a successful career better than Christina Applegate. She's had two acclaimed (albeit short-lived) series, "Jesse" and "Samantha Who?," and she's appeared in such films as "The Sweetest Thing" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." She even conquered the Broadway stage in 2005 as the Tony-nominated lead in a revival of "Sweet Charity" (despite a broken right foot that delayed her debut).

But in 2008 Applegate really saw how much her fans loved her with the outpouring of support that she received after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Now cancer-free and without a regular series, Christina is focusing her attention on her film career. She's got three movies due out in the next year: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," "Going the Distance," and the aptly named Everything Is Going to Be Just Fine," in which she is reportedly playing another TV legend, "Bewitched" star Elizabeth Montgomery.

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David Faustino: Then

David Faustino was just 13 years old when he landed the choice role of Bud Bundy on "Married... with Children." But it was far from his first gig. That one he nailed at age three months, playing Lily Tomlin's baby girl on a TV special. From there, he took on guest-starring parts on "Little House on the Prairie," "Trapper John, M.D.," and "Fantasy Island." But TV audiences would forever identify Faustino with Bud, the role they watched him grow up playing, even after the series ended in 1997.

David Faustino: Now

Faustino has had the typical rocky road of many former child stars: a series of unimpressive follow-up parts, an inability to break away from the image of his most famous character, and a misdemeanor marijuana possession arrest in 2007. So he decided to take matters into his own hands, forming his own production company, FNB Entertainment, with "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" star Corin Nemec. Among their first projects was an Internet series called "Star-ving." In the Webisodes, Faustino starred as a caricatured version of himself - a down-and-out former child star who can't get a gig and who makes a meager living running a porn shop bequeathed to him by an obsessed fan. But life is not imitating art; Faustino and Nemec have three films in various stages of production.

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Amanda Bearse: Then

Amanda Bearse already had a successful run on "All My Children," and had starred in such kitschy classic films as "Fright Night." But she became a household name when she took the role of Marcy Rhoades (ultimately Marcy D'Arcy) on "Married... with Children." Yet few give credit to the gay actress for coming out on TV 20 days before another GLAAD champion did. Ellen DeGeneres made TV history when her character announced she was a lesbian on the famous "Puppy Episode" of "Ellen" on April 30, 1997. But on April 10 of that year, Amanda took on the dual roles of her regular character, Marcy, and Marcy's lesbian cousin, Mandy, on the episode "Lez Be Friends."

Amanda Bearse: Now

Besides a handful of acting roles, Amanda has stayed behind the camera since "Married... with Children" ended. She honed her craft while helming more than 30 episodes of "MWC" and has since directed a variety of series, including "Dharma and Greg," "MADtv," "The Big Gay Sketch Show," and her former co-star Christina Applegate's sitcom "Jesse."

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David Garrison: Then

David Garrison had done some TV acting prior to taking the part of Marcy's husband Steve Rhodes on "Married... with Children," most notably as Jason Bateman's con artist foil in the sitcom "It's Your Move." But Garrison was far more established in live theater. He'd appeared on and off Broadway in "A History of the American Film," "Torch Song Trilogy," and "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine," for which he received a Tony nomination. And, although he enjoyed working on the irreverent sitcom, he missed the theater and asked to be let out of his contract in 1990 to return to the stage.

David Garrison: Now

Garrison did go back to the theater after "Married... with Children," but he continued to act on TV as well. While he never stuck with another series for long, he made appearances on the shows "Nikki" (co-starring with his former TV wife, Amanda Bearse), "The Practice," and "The West Wing." He's also continued to pursue his passion for musical theater in productions of "Titanic," "Bells Are Ringing," and "Wicked."

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Ted McGinley: Then

When her first husband, Steve Rhodes, left her to become a ranger at Yosemite National Park, Marcy quickly scooped up a younger, better looking but incredibly lazy husband named Jefferson D'Arcy. The actor who played him was no stranger to joining an already established show. Ted McGinley has actually been referred to as the "Patron Saint of Shark Jumping," having joined the casts of several hit shows at their critical turning points, including "The Love Boat," "Happy Days," and "Dynasty." But while he lasted only two years on "The Love Boat" and "Dynasty," and four on "Happy Days," McGinley brought incredibly good luck to "Married... with Children." The series ran another seven seasons with Ted in the cast.

Ted McGinley: Now

Not long after "Married... with Children" wrapped, Ted briefly appeared on the series "SportsNight" and then joined the guest star circuit on a slew of shows, including "The West Wing" and "The Practice." But in 2003, he found a new sitcom family when he was cast as Faith Ford's husband on "Hope and Faith." The show ran for three seasons, then Ted was back on the street looking for work. His feet took him all the way to the "Dancing with the Stars" stage, where he was eliminated second. But, as always, his unemployment was short lived. Look for him later this year in the feature film "Privileged."

Ardi, New Earliest Hominid Found:

2009-10-01T16:08:00.002-04:00

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer

AP – Dr. C. Owen Lovejoy, Kent State University professor of anthropology, stands next to the reconstructed …

WASHINGTON – The story of humankind is reaching back another million years as scientists learn more about "Ardi," a hominid who lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. The 110-pound, 4-foot female roamed forests a million years before the famous Lucy, long studied as the earliest skeleton of a human ancestor.
This older skeleton reverses the common wisdom of human evolution, said anthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy of Kent State University.
Rather than humans evolving from an ancient chimp-like creature, the new find provides evidence that chimps and humans evolved from some long-ago common ancestor — but each evolved and changed separately along the way.
"This is not that common ancestor, but it's the closest we have ever been able to come," said Tim White, director of the Human Evolution Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
The lines that evolved into modern humans and living apes probably shared an ancestor 6 million to 7 million years ago, White said in a telephone interview.
But Ardi has many traits that do not appear in modern-day African apes, leading to the conclusion that the apes evolved extensively since we shared that last common ancestor.

A study of Ardi, under way since the first bones were discovered in 1994, indicates the species lived in the woodlands and could climb on all fours along tree branches, but the development of their arms and legs indicates they didn't spend much time in the trees. And they could walk upright, on two legs, when on the ground.
Formally dubbed Ardipithecus ramidus — which means root of the ground ape — the find is detailed in 11 research papers published Thursday by the journal Science.
"This is one of the most important discoveries for the study of human evolution," said David Pilbeam, curator of Paleoanthropology at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
"It is relatively complete in that it preserves head, hands, feet and some critical parts in between. It represents a genus plausibly ancestral to Australopithecus — itself ancestral to our genus Homo," said Pilbeam, who was not part of the research teams.
Scientists assembled the skeleton from 125 pieces.
Lucy, also found in Africa, thrived a million years after Ardi and was of the more human-like genus Australopithecus.
"In Ardipithecus we have an unspecialized form that hasn't evolved very far in the direction of Australopithecus. So when you go from head to toe, you're seeing a mosaic creature that is neither chimpanzee, nor is it human. It is Ardipithecus," said White.
White noted that Charles Darwin, whose research in the 19th century paved the way for the science of evolution, was cautious about the last common ancestor between humans and apes.
"Darwin said we have to be really careful. The only way we're really going to know what this last common ancestor looked like is to go and find it. Well, at 4.4 million years ago we found something pretty close to it," White said. "And, just like Darwin appreciated, evolution of the ape lineages and the human lineage has been going on independently since the time those lines split, since that last common ancestor we shared."

Some details about Ardi in the collection of papers:

• Ardi was found in Ethiopia's Afar Rift, where many fossils of ancient plants and animals have been discovered. Findings near the skeleton indicate that at the time it was a wooded environment. Fossils of 29 species of birds and 20 species of small mammals were found at the site.

• Geologist Giday WoldeGabriel of Los Alamos National Laboratory was able to use volcanic layers above and below the fossil to date it to 4.4 million years ago.

• Ardi's upper canine teeth are more like the stubby ones of modern humans than the long, sharp, pointed ones of male chimpanzees and most other primates. An analysis of the tooth enamel suggests a diverse diet, including fruit and other woodland-based foods such as nuts and leaves.

• Paleoanthropologist Gen Suwa of the University of Tokyo reported that Ardi's face had a projecting muzzle, giving her an ape-like appearance. But it didn't thrust forward quite as much as the lower faces of modern African apes do. Some features of her skull, such as the ridge above the eye socket, are quite different from those of chimpanzees. The details of the bottom of the skull, where nerves and blood vessels enter the brain, indicate that Ardi's brain was positioned in a way similar to modern humans, possibly suggesting that the hominid brain may have been already poised to expand areas involving aspects of visual and spatial perception.

• Ardi's hand and wrist were a mix of primitive traits and a few new ones, but they don't include the hallmark traits of the modern tree-hanging, knuckle-walking chimps and gorillas. She had relatively short palms and fingers which were flexible, allowing her to support her body weight on her palms while moving along tree branches, but she had to be a careful climber because she lacked the anatomical features that allow modern-day African apes to swing, hang and easily move through the trees.

• The pelvis and hip show the gluteal muscles were positioned so she could walk upright.

• Her feet were rigid enough for walking but still had a grasping big toe for use in climbing.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics of the University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and others.

On the Net:
Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

BLOOD COVEN Is Auditioning Drummers:

2009-09-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

If you or someone you know plays drums and is looking to join an established black/death metal band and lives in north east Ohio, please e-mail Dann Saladin: bloodcovendann@yahoo.com

Check out our profile for samples of our music and contact me if you are interested. Please spread the word. Thanks.
Blood Coven

-Dann of BLOOD COVEN

One More Week Until: ZOMBIELAND!!!

2009-09-25T16:41:00.004-04:00

Zombieland is an upcoming American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and directed by Ruben Fleischer.
The film will be distributed by Columbia Pictures and is scheduled to be released on October 2, 2009.

"After America is ravaged by a zombie plague, a lone band of survivors fight the living dead while they cross the nation. They stop in an amusement park, where they believe they will be safe."

www.zombieland.com

National Talk Like A Pirate Day: September 19

2009-09-10T15:30:00.005-04:00

Liven your corporate board meeting! Delight your women's group! Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day every September 19th by talking like a pirate. Use the handy English/Pirate translator here and soon you'll be ful of "piratitude" and spouting phrases like "Avast ye comely wench" or "Here be me minivan".

Click here to get your very own countdown banner to the September 19, 2009's Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Why 09-09-09 Is So Special:

2009-09-09T17:50:00.000-04:00

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.

In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film "9," an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th.

Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.

Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.

For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic

Modern numerologists - who operate outside the realm of real science - believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.

As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.

Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times.

"Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers," wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.

As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.

Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...

Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

The Chupacabra Caught?

2009-09-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

by Mike Krumboltz

It really does exist! Maybe! The famed chupacabra has apparently been found, and it's a Texan.

Or at least it was. The beast is now dead, but news of its capture near Blanco, Texas, inspired Bigfoot-sized searches. Lookups on "chupacabra" surged a whopping 571%, and related queries on "what does chupacabra mean" also roared. (For the record, its rough translation is "goat sucker.") The find also inspired renewed interest in the equally notorious Montauk Monster.

Jerry Ayer, owner of Blanco Taxidermy School, has possession of the mythical beast's body. According to CNN, the animal was discovered by one of Ayer's students. The student had "placed poison...to catch an unidentified animal that had gotten into a family member's barn." Little did the student know the animal in question was (maybe) the chupacabra.

In the video from CNN (which is pretty gross, so beware), Ayer shows off some of the unusual features of the animal, including abnormally long legs and teeth. It looks a bit like the world's ugliest (and meanest) dog.

Of course, this is hardly the first time someone has claimed to have captured the chupacabra. In years past, brave souls have spotted it in places ranging from Russia to Maine to the Philippines. Often the animal is spotted by folks who conveniently forget to snap a photo.

Not so this time. Ayer says he plans to preserve the animal and then donate it to a local museum so it can be enjoyed by others. As the taxidermist puts it, the beast is "a tremendous conversation piece." Sort of like the Mona Lisa or a really stellar collection of garden gnomes.

Like Michael Vick?...Didn't Think So:

2009-08-24T23:16:00.002-04:00

Vick Is A Dick

Surviving a Zombie Attack:

2009-08-14T21:58:00.001-04:00

Mathematical Model for Surviving a Zombie Attack

'80s teen flick director John Hughes dies in NYC:

2009-08-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer Hillel Italie, Ap National Writer – 22 mins ago

NEW YORK – Writer-director John Hughes, Hollywood's youth impresario of the 1980s and '90s who captured the teen and preteen market with such favorites as "Home Alone," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," died Thursday, a spokeswoman said. He was 59.

Hughes died of a heart attack during a morning walk in Manhattan, Michelle Bega said. He was in New York to visit family.

Jake Bloom, Hughes' longtime attorney, said he was "deeply saddened and in shock" to learn of the director's death.

A native of Lansing, Mich., who later moved to suburban Chicago and set much of his work there, Hughes rose from ad writer to comedy writer to silver screen champ with his affectionate and idealized portraits of teens, whether the romantic and sexual insecurity of "Sixteen Candles," or the J.D. Salinger-esque rebellion against conformity in "The Breakfast Club."

Hughes' ensemble comedies helped make stars out of Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy and many other young performers. He also scripted the phenomenally popular "Home Alone," which made little-known Macaulay Culkin a sensation as the 8-year-old accidentally abandoned by his vacationing family, and wrote or directed such hits as "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Pretty in Pink," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck."

"I was a fan of both his work and a fan of him as a person," Culkin said. "The world has lost not only a quintessential filmmaker whose influence will be felt for generations, but a great and decent man."

Devin Ratray, best known for playing Culkin's older brother Buzz McCallister in the "Home Alone" films, said he remained close to Hughes over the years.

"He changed my life forever," Ratray said. "Nineteen years later, people from all over the world contact me telling me how much 'Home Alone' meant to them, their families, and their children."

Other actors who got early breaks from Hughes included John Cusack ("Sixteen Candles"), Judd Nelson ("The Breakfast Club"), Steve Carell ("Curly Sue") and Lili Taylor ("She's Having a Baby").

Actor Matthew Broderick worked with Hughes in 1986 when he played the title character in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

"I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family," Broderick said.

Ben Stein, who played the monotone economics teacher calling the roll and repeatedly saying "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?", said Hughes was a towering talent.

"He made a better connection with young people than anyone in Hollywood had ever made before or since," Stein said on Fox Business Network. "It's incredibly sad. He was a wonderful man, a genius, a poet. I don't think anyone has come close to him as being the poet of the youth of America in the postwar period. He was to them what Shakespeare was to the Elizabethan Age.

"You had a regular guy — just an ordinary guy. If you met him, you would never guess he was a big Hollywood power."

As Hughes advanced into middle age, his commercial touch faded and, in Salinger style, he increasingly withdrew from public life. His last directing credit was in 1991, for "Curly Sue," and he wrote just a handful of scripts over the past decade. He was rarely interviewed or photographed.

Associated Press writer Amy Westfeldt, Entertainment Writer Douglas J. Rowe and Drama Writer Michael Kuchwara contributed to this report from New York. AP writer Solvej Schou contributed from Los Angeles.

Cafepress Ruined My Life:

2009-07-15T19:27:00.000-04:00

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE

"The new Cafepress policy was announced one month ago and went into effect May 31st. Shopkeepers are reporting losses of 50-80%, livelihoods are being decimated. For some people, especially the disabled and housebound, lives are being ruined. And the truly sad part of this—the better you did on Cafepress the worse this is. The truly successful ones gave up their day jobs and devoted themselves to this company's and their own mutual success. Some have been at it for years. Now, even the $100,000 winners might make no more than $20,000 after taxes. That's barely a living anymore. For a family, in some areas, that's not even above the poverty level."

Bacon Explosion Now Available Ready-To-Eat:

2009-07-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

Via By Owen Morris

Here's an update on the bacon explosion guys, Aaron Chronister and Jason Day. The two amateur barbecue enthusiasts' recipe for bacon-stuffed-in-sausage-stuffed-in-bacon took the Internet by storm, landing them on the pages of the New York Times and with a six-figure book deal.

Since then, countless people have tried to make the bacon explosion. But the original was smoked for hours, and because many people don't own smokers they tried to make it on grills and in ovens with varying degrees of success.

To help solve the problem, Chronister and Day are now selling a "fully smoked heat and eat" version on their Web site, BBQ Addicts. It's packaged in Missouri and shipped in dried ice.

"We wanted to release it in time for the Fourth of July," Chronister explained, "but it took a month and a half to get the USDA approval and we missed by a couple days. But hey, there is still Labor Day."

Since these packaged bacon explosion is already smoked and cooked, it doesn't need fancy equipment.

"All they've got to do is put them on the grill or in the oven or even
the microwave and they're completely smoked and ready to go," Chronister said. "I've been
making mine in the oven because there's still some fat on them and on
the grill it could catch fire. But grill works fine."

The bacon
explosion retails for $17.99 for a half (feeds six) and $29.99 for
a whole (feeds 10-12). Chronister and Day are also working on getting the explosion into grocery
stores and elsewhere including a famous barbecue restaurant. "The restaurant is very well-known ... it has
multiple locations and people will be able to go in and just pick one
right up."

They're halfway through writing their book, Barbecue Makes Everything Better, which is about "taking everyday recipes and making barbecue versions of
them." And they will release a version of their burnt finger rub.

They've
both kept their days jobs, but the bacon explosion takes up the rest of their time, Chronister said. "We work 24/7. Especially this packaging and with the USDA ... we're counting on people liking it and I believe they will."

Want to make 80K a year? Try casting a spell:

2009-07-10T21:25:00.000-04:00

LONDON (Reuters) – Fancy 80,000 dollars a year on a stress-free job with flexible working hours and no need to wear a suit?

Well, grab your black pointy hat, take out that rusty black hessian drape from the back of the wardrobe and refresh your memory on how to turn your grumpy neighbor into a mouse. Somerset tourist attraction Wookey Hole caves is advertising for a "witch" and has already received 100 applicants since the beginning of the week.

Legend has it that the caves, near Wells, were home to the Wookey Witch who was turned to stone by the medieval Abbott of Glastonbury to rid villagers of her curse.

The vacancy has arisen because the previous incumbent has retired.

The successful candidate, who will be living in a "spacious" cave, has to cackle, not be allergic to cats and will be asked to perform "a range of tasks" including magic at an open audition scheduled for July 28.

But the appointee need not be scary.

"We want a friendly witch with a devilish element," said Gayle Pennington, marketing assistant at the caves said on Wednesday.

"We're a family attractions place so we don't want to frighten the children."

In keeping with modern times, the role is open to men, women and trans-gender witches to comply with sexual discrimination laws.

Zombie Little Ponies:

2009-06-30T13:50:00.001-04:00

Flickr user dbx1 has created a lovely series of zombie My Little Ponies.
My Little Zombie Ponies.

Re: Don't Even Reply:

2009-06-28T19:33:00.002-04:00

VIA Today On The Interwebs

Don't Even Reply is a website by a prick who messes with people and then posts the results online. According to John, the prick: "This is a collection of e-mails I have sent to people who post classified ads. My goal is to mess with them, confuse them, and/or piss them off. These are the ones that succeeded." He explains further:

FAQ:
Why don't they just ignore you?
Most of them do. I'd say only 10% of people I write to write back.

What is with all the different names you use?
They are all me, just different e-mail accounts.

HEY! I recognize myself in one of these e-mails, you prick!
No you don't. You're wrong. Go away.

Why are a lot of these e-mails sexist?
It seems to piss the women off more. I'm not really sexist or racist, but I still find it hilarious.

How can I contact you?
Put up a classified ad, and try to sound like an idiot. I'll find you.

No seriously. I want to give you money.
In that case, john@dontevenreply.com. I'll try to respond, but I do get a lot of e-mails so don't think I am a jerk if I don't."

And here are some samples, enjoy!

Original ad:
litter of 6 kittens up for adoption! they are all 3 weeks old and are looking for a good home. contact if interested.

From Mike Hunt to *********@***********.org
Hi,
I am interested in taking all six kittens off of your hands. How much do you want for them?
Mike

From Shannon ******* to Me
Mike,
Are you going to take care of all of these kittens? I want to make sure they all find a good home, and was expecting to sell them one at a time. Are you able to house all six of them?

From Mike Hunt to Shannon *******
Shannon,
To be honest, I own a pet Bengal Tiger and he is on a strict diet of cats. I usually feed him one cat every couple of days, so this litter should hold him over for a while. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of the kittens until I feed them to him.
Mike

From Shannon ******* to Me
That is horrible! You will not get a single kitten from me. I really hope you are not serious.
From Mike Hunt to Shannon *******

Shannon,
I was kidding. I seriously need all six kittens though. Disregard anything I said about a tiger.

From Shannon ******* to Me
NO.

And a second:
"Original ad:
if anyone wants a ride from baltimore to nyc tomorow let me know! i am driving up there sometime tomorow afternoon and would be glad to help someone out if they want to throw up some money for gas. i drive a hybrid, so i wont need much!
From Mike Partlow to *************@*********.org

Hello,
I do need a ride to New York tomorrow. That would be great. My only concern is the fact that you drive a hybrid car. I don't want to give people the idea that I care about the environment. Do you have another, more manly car that we could ride up in? I really don't want to be seen in a hybrid. I'll gladly compensate you for gas.
Mike

From christine ********* to Me
no all i have is my hybrid. what is the big deal, who cares what people think? u should be glad to help the enviroment!

From Mike Partlow to christine **********
I'm sorry Christine but it isn't the 60's anymore. People aren't a bunch of earth-saving hippies that run around and hug trees anymore. Does your car have tinted windows? I really don't want to be seen riding in that bitch-mobile. My only request is that you stop by a lake somewhere so I can dump a can of motor oil in it, to make up for all of the earth that your car will be saving. Don't worry, I'll pay for the motor oil.
Mike

From christine ********* to Me
wtf is wrong with u! im not giving u a ride ur a jerk!!!

From Mike Partlow to christine **********
Well I am sorry you won't have the privilege of riding with me. Fortunately for me, I found a better, more badass ride to NYC. I'll be sure to wave at your crappy little hybrid as we pass you in our F-350, spraying cans of aerosol out the window and throwing empty six-pack holders into the sea.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles:

2009-06-22T21:06:00.001-04:00

Via TASTES LIKE BURNING : SUBSCRIBE to this AWESOME food blog!

A pool of maple syrup, into which I will plunge.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles.

Do I have your attention yet? Yes, that’s right, I said waffles, and bacon, and brown sugar, and ohmygod! So back when I lived in North Carolina, there was a popular breakfast joint in my town named Elmo’s Diner. On their large menu of breakfasty-goodness there was one item that never failed to take my breath away – the bacon-waffle. Just finishing one of these monstrosities of deliciousness was a difficult task, once properly slathered with butter and real maple syrup. Yes, my friends, it is a heart attack on a platter, an untimely (but scrumptious!) early death just waiting to happen… and I loved him. It was a love that dare not speak its name – the kind of guilty pleasure indulgence food straight from the fatty-food-lovin’-Paula-Deen-butter-guzzlin’-southern-nation. You try and hate on it, but in the end you just can’t… because you’re too full.

Since moving away, there have been many things I’ve missed, and that bacon waffle is one of them. Since recently purchasing a Belgian-waffle iron, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of recreating this masterpiece. My first attempt was okay – decent tasting waffle (if a bit heavy), and delicious bacon crumbles. It definitely satisfied, but it wasn’t the kind of gluttonous, beautiful meal I remembered. So what do I usually do in the face of such a challenge? Go to the interwebz, of course! A bunch of googling later, I had some contender recipes, but none that really called to me with the promise of that long lost waffle of love. Until I found this one. The title, the pictures… I was sold. “I must make these,” I said, “and they will be awesome.”

Next step? Tracking down the best possible bacon available for this noble enterprise. I recently discovered a little butcher shop down the street from my work that puts out some of the best meat products I’ve seen in years. On splurge-nights, the boy toy and I get ourselves a big honkin’ rib eye (I’m talkin’ the couple-inches-thick kind) and proceed to have a steak better than a lot of restaurants I’ve been to recently. Their smoked products are out of this freakin’ world, and I was overwhelmed with joy upon finding they offered bacon in both hickory and apple wood smoked varieties. I scurried home with a pound of some of the most beautiful, thick-cut bacon I’ve ever had the pleasure to own or eat (hickory, in this instance).

Homer Simpson voice: "Mmmmmmm... bacon!"

What intrigued/thrilled me the most about this particular bacon-waffle recipe was the semi-candying of the bacon itself under a veil of brown sugar. It seemed, to the imaginary taste buds in my head, to be a great way to incorporate that sweet-salty-meaty-hot combo I love so dearly. So, like any recipe I stumble across, I made a few adjustments and plunged right in:

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

(adapted from Joy the Baker)

Step One: cut a hole in the box… um, er, I mean prepare the candied bacon!

The original recipe says to use 10 slices of bacon – which I did – but mine were so thick and luscious, I had to make a few adjustments in the baking time. My 10 slices were just shy of a whole pound, but ymmv depending on the brand and thickness of your bacon.

Lay your bacon out in a baking pan of some sort, with a tall enough edge to contain all the fat that will render off without splashing when moved. In order to fit in my pan I had to overlap the pieces a bit – this is okay. Sprinkle the top of your bacon layer generously with the following mixture:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. smoked paprika

fresh ground pepper (to taste)

I only bake with the prettiest possible spices.

It's a BACONSCAPE!

My bacon sparkles in the sunlight.

Bake this lovely concoction in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, again based on the thickness of your bacon. Mine took 30 minutes, while the original recipe called for only 20. I suggest checking it at 20 minutes and adding more time as necessary. You want the bacon to look crisp but not burned. Immediately transfer out of the greasy sugar sludge with tongs to a cutting board to cool (don’t use paper towels for draining – the bacon will stick!). Once cool, chop it into happy bits of a size amenable to the chef (too big and they will make your waffle iron difficult to close, so be wary). Make sure to eat a few to make sure that they are okay… then a few more… oh crap, remember to save some for the waffles!

Bacon candy! *drool*

Now the waffle batter!

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use 6 tbsp. buttermilk powder + water)

In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar (if using powdered buttermilk substitute, add it here to the dry ingredients). Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk (or water, if using powdered buttermilk) and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold. Once almost fully incorporated, add the bacon bites. Stir. Try not to over mix the batter or the waffles will become tough. It’s ok if a few lumps remain in the batter.

Cook according to your waffle machine instructions. Generally, you should watch the steam coming off of your iron – when it starts to slow down or stop, your waffle is probably ready. It can take a while to get through all the batter – I made at least 8 Belgian-waffle sized lovelies from my batch (hard to count when they keep getting eaten). What should you do to pass the time while your waffles are cooking? Well, if you’re me, you start eating waffles! And drink beer, that’s always a good choice (it pairs very nicely with both waffles and pancakes, I’ve found). In desperate times, get out a laser-pointer and make your cat run in circles around the kitchen floor. That’s always good for a laugh! Next thing you know, your waffle will be done!

Hot, steamy waffles!

One of these days she'll catch that damn laser spot!

Behold! The first bacon waffle! (and there was much rejoicing)

Serve immediately (can keep warm in a low oven while batches finish), topped with real maple syrup (none of that fake stuff, you pansies!) and butter if you dare. Be prepared for moans of ecstasy to escape the mouths of you and your loved ones. Make this for your date and he/she will imminently propose marriage, simply to have these waffles of love be a regular part of his or her meal schedule. Warning : Waffles-of-Love have been known to cause pregnancy in certain circumstances. Please practice safe syrup.

Very Rare Number Found:

2009-06-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

Via NPR.org

A computer professional in Norway, with the help of an online computing project, has discovered a new Mersenne prime. This sought-after number represents the 47th Mersenne prime discovered since ancient Greek mathematicians first uncovered them.

These primes are called the "jewels" of number theory, and it takes a huge computing system about two or three weeks to test a single number to see if it could lead to a Mersenne prime.

For those of you for whom basic math is a distant memory, a reminder:

Primes are numbers that are divisible by only the number 1 and themselves. So 2 is prime; so are 3, 5, 7 and so on. The year 2003 was a prime year, and 2011 will be as well.

Not Just Any Prime. Mersenne primes are a special class of prime, and they have a particular formula.

The formula for finding Mersenne primes. The number n is a prime, and the result is prime. And what makes the Mersenne primes so interesting is how rare they are. And their gargantuan size.

Ancient Greek mathematicians were the first to describe Mersenne primes, and, up until now, only 46 had been discovered. This most recent one — though not the largest — is a whopper at nearly 13 million digits long.

It was found as part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search, GIMPS. GIMPS involves tens of thousand of computers churning away, searching for new Mersenne primes.

In order to test potential primes, "not only do you have to multiply a 13 million digit number by a 13 million digit number, but you have to do that about 13 million times," says mathematician Chris Caldwell of the University of Tennessee.

"And that just takes a tremendous amount of computation."

When I first reported on the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search last April 10, I exhorted NPR listeners to download the search software and join the effort.

The new Mersenne was discovered by someone who was already a prime hunter. Odd Magnar Strindmo from Melhus, Norway, has been part of GIMPS since it began in 1996.

Now, finding a new Mersenne prime is exciting all by itself, but it is especially exciting because of a bet I made with George Woltman, who runs the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search. I bet the next one would be found before 2012, helped along by all those NPR listeners who I hoped would download the program.

Woltman emailed me saying he felt a little silly losing the bet so soon. But I have a confession to make. I meant the next largest one; the 47th Mersenne prime is actually 141,125 digits smaller than one that was discovered last year.

So I won on a technicality, and I'm willing to carry on the bet until the largest one is found. After all, we didn't bet any money, so I can afford to be magnanimous.

BaconCamp Comes to Columbus in August:

2009-06-15T09:52:00.000-04:00

Via Columbus Underground

Bacon. It’s delicious. And we’d all eat a pile of it if no one was watching. It deserves to be celebrated.

Wild Goose Creative is the official Columbus location for the event that is sweeping the nation: BaconCamp! This delicious event is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment about bacon. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants who are the main actors of the event. It is community driven and everyone is encouraged to participate by presenting (food, art, demo), judging, or volunteering.

We will be holding a Bacon Cooking contest and a Bacon Art/Craft contest. We will have prizes available from amazing Columbus vendors and restaurants, and illustrious judges from Rosendales, CMH Gourmand, Spindle Studios, and many more! If you are interested in submitting your Bacon Recipe or Bacon Art, please visit our Bacon Site here.

BaconCamp is not a spectator sport. Join us on August 1st from 2-6 at Wild Goose Creative! Bring your bacon food and art, wear your bacony best, and come ready to feast on beautiful bacon creations!

Chastity Bono Sex Change!

2009-06-12T00:57:00.001-04:00

Alternative Health Journal

Chastity Bono, daughter of singers Sonny Bono & Cher will undergo a sex change operation in order to become a man, according to her publicist in a release on Thursday.

Chastity, also known as "Chaz" is proud of her decision to undergo a sex change and hopes that her actions will help change the public opinion of transgenders/transexuals.

Chaz came out of the closet and announced that she was a lesbian nearly 20 years ago so this decision is not a huge shocker to her friends and family.

Howard Bragman, Chastity's publicist, says that Chaz "is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by loved ones."

The transformation will include hormone therapy and possible a surgery.

Go Forth And Buy:

2009-06-09T19:22:00.002-04:00

100 Year Old Is Loving It:

2009-06-08T23:55:00.001-04:00

Via WCCO
A Michigan woman has celebrated her 100th birthday at the same eatery she's visited regularly for the past 15 years - McDonald's.

Georgia Boynton stopped last week at the restaurant in Brighton for her customary hamburger and coffee. Instead, she got a surprise party with cake and balloons.

Restaurant manager Irene Burelle said that when staffers realized last year that Boynton was 99 they decided to do something special for her next birthday.

They made sure family members would bring her in for her birthday last Wednesday.

Boynton told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus that she doesn't feel 100 years old. She said her longevity secret is loving her family and being happy.

Oh
My
Gawd
How
Sad
:(

Zombie Jesus Last Supper:

2009-06-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

Explaining once and for all how Jesus managed to rise from the grave three days after his crucifixion:

He was infected with the Zombie virus.

Bakon Vodka Now Shipping:

2009-06-04T08:51:00.001-04:00

"We love making our own flavored spirits at home, but properly capturing bacon is a bit of a challenge. Now, thanks to Seattle's Black Rock Spirits, we have Bakon Vodka! This is an unusual premium spirit with a familiar flavor; Bakon is the only vodka on the market that captures the meaty, peppery flavor of just-cooked bacon while maintaining a crisp, clean profile. Perfect for making a rich Bloody Mary, it also begs for experimentation with creative mixology."

Bakon Vodka

Student Arrested After Smoking Joint During Pro-Pot Essay At School:

2009-06-02T21:47:00.001-04:00

Via kirotv.com

PURDY, Wash. -- A student presenting an essay at Peninsula High School in Purdy on Tuesday morning took out a marijuana joint, lit it, and began smoking it, police said.

According to Pierce County sheriff's detective Ed Troyer, the student smoked the joint during his essay supporting the legalization of marijuana.

He then finished his essay, sat down, finished smoking the joint and then ate the end after it was fully smoked.

The teacher of the class contacted the school resources officer, a Pierce County sheriff's deputy, who found a small residual amount of marijuana on the student, Troyer said.

The student, a 17-year-old junior with a 3.7 grade-point average, was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana by Pierce County deputies and booked into Remann Hall in Tacoma.

Will Work For Bacon.com:

2009-05-29T12:38:00.000-04:00

Will Work For Bacon.com

"Like many great ideas, it started out as just a joke. A couple of us around the office saw the Bacon Explosion viral recipe passed around the Net and actually decided to make one. While enjoying this delicious taste treat, we mused about how cool it would be if there were a whole restaurant dedicated to bacon. It would have everything with bacon, gourmet bacon, bacon burgers, chicken carbonara, bacon pot pie, bacon martinis, bacon chip cookies. You name it, it would be there. There could even be a "bacon bowl" that no matter what you filled it with, it would be a bacon dish."

Retarded Tattoos...Immortal DUH!

2009-05-27T21:45:00.002-04:00

And he'll juge your spelling

Possibly the most famous misspelled tattoo.
Instead of Chi-Town as the man requested, he got "Chi-Tonw".
He later sued the tattoo artist.

Does he means the spelling system?

Indeed! ..but not in action

Tomarrow never knows how to spell tomorrow right

Can you spot the three misspellings?
ANSWER: freinds, straind, surley

CNN reported that Joseph Beahm paid $100 for this tattoo, which was supposed to read “Why Not, Everyone Else Does”.
Instead it came out as, "Why Not, Everyone Elese Does."
He sued the tattoo parlor to pay for his laser surgery.

Don't know if this is Comedy or... Tradgey

To bad you don't own a dictionary

Your alive? No, sir, that's my alive. Give it back!
>

Just can't take it no more feelin' numb
Woke up face on the floor I was dumb
Cut me all the way to the core morning comes
Time to get busy forgetting again
Tired of going out my mind
Looking for something I won't find
How could I have been so blind
This is a load of crap
It figures she would win
But I'll learn to feel again
Bear down hard when you fill it in
Give me the pain I'll grit my teeth in

Worlds Craziest Tattoos

The tattoo has changed this living man into a Skull. It's the face of Frank, at Derm FX Tattoo in Montreal.

This is not make-up, but an actual tattoo

This is not make-up, but an actual tattoo

A $10,000 tattoo

Shark Bite Wet Suit:

2009-05-26T01:03:00.003-04:00

Via ByDiddo

Wetsuits are both functional and protective, but why must they all look the same?
Is there some unwritten law that dictates we shed our individuality to blend into the monotone waters? Not to challenge Mother Nature’s art direction but it’s high time for a change.

With that in mind, I took up the challenge to create an alternative. With custom inks and unique printing techniques, I was able to map textures onto the suits to create original designs that evoke the mysteries of the seas.

The first edition contains four original designs: a rusted iron diving suit evoking the days of Jules Verne, the anatomic musculature suit as a homage to our inner strength, a wet suit which gives the illusion that the wearer has been attacked by a group of hungry sharks and finally a whale shark patterned suit that celebrates the brilliance and originality of our natural water world. More images in post.

Mother Of The Year Award:

2009-05-22T02:14:00.000-04:00

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) -- Police arrested a 56-year-old babysitter after a one-year-old child she was keeping was found alone in a car in a gas station parking lot. Police said the woman left the baby in a van for about 25 minutes to play video games inside the gas station. She was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with child cruelty. Kennesaw police said the van's front windows were down about an inch. The woman was being held on $3,000 bond.

Student Used Biology Class Snake As Jump Rope:

2009-05-20T16:57:00.000-04:00

Via Baltimore Sun

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh police say a high school student was facing charges for using a biology class snake as a jump rope. Police said the incident happened Monday at Taylor Allderdice High School. Police aren't identifying the 17-year-old suspect because he's being charged in juvenile court. The boy will be charged with theft and cruelty to animals.

The animal survived the ordeal and was being examined by a veterinarian.

Pittsburgh Public School officials on Tuesday were not immediately able to say what kind of snake it was.

Neanderthals Extinction: Devoured By Humans:

2009-05-18T07:25:00.000-04:00

Via Guardian UK

One of science's most puzzling mysteries - the disappearance of the Neanderthals - may have been solved. Modern humans ate them, says a leading fossil expert.

The controversial suggestion follows publication of a study in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences about a Neanderthal jawbone apparently butchered by modern humans. Now the leader of the research team says he believes the flesh had been eaten by humans, while its teeth may have been used to make a necklace.

Fernando Rozzi, of Paris's Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, said the jawbone had probably been cut into to remove flesh, including the tongue. Crucially, the butchery was similar to that used by humans to cut up deer carcass in the early Stone Age. "Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Rozzi said.

The idea will provoke considerable opposition from scientists who believe Neanderthals disappeared for reasons that did not involve violence. Neanderthals were a sturdy species who evolved in Europe 300,000 years ago, made complex stone tools and survived several ice ages before they disappeared 30,000 years ago - just as modern human beings arrived in Europe from Africa.

Some researchers believe Neanderthals may have failed to compete effectively with Homo sapiens for resources, or were more susceptible to the impact of climate change. But others believe our interactions were violent and terminal for the Neanderthals. According to Rozzi, the discovery at Les Rois in south-west France provides compelling support for that argument.

Previous excavations revealed bones that were thought to be exclusively human. But Rozzi's team re-examined them and found one they concluded was Neanderthal. Importantly, it was covered in cut marks similar to those left behind when flesh is stripped from deer and other animals using stone tools.

Rozzi believes the jawbone provides crucial evidence that humans attacked Neanderthals, and sometimes killed them, bringing back their bodies to caves to eat or to use their skulls or teeth as trophies. "For years, people have tried to hide away from the evidence of cannibalism, but I think we have to accept it took place," he added.

But not every team member agrees. "One set of cut marks does not make a complete case for cannibalism," said Francesco d'Errico, of the Institute of Prehistory in Bordeaux. It was also possible that the jawbone had been found by humans and its teeth used to make a necklace, he said.

"This is a very important investigation," said Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum, London. "We do need more evidence, but this could indicate modern humans and Neanderthals were living in the same area of Europe at the same time, that they were interacting, and that some of these interactions may have been hostile.

"This does not prove we systematically eradicated the Neanderthals or that we regularly ate their flesh. But it does add to the evidence that competition from modern humans probably contributed to Neanderthal extinction."

Kingston Trio Do "Zombie Jamboree":

2009-05-16T20:33:00.000-04:00

The Kingston Trio performs "Zombie Jamboree" at the Historic Yuma Theater.

Granny Has Designer Vagina Operation To Improve Her Sex Life:

2009-05-14T07:22:00.001-04:00

Via The Sun UK

A 75-YEAR-OLD woman has stunned docs by asking for a "designer vagina" op to help her sex life.

The randy Russian granny, named only as Nina M, said she wanted the trendy surgery to bag herself a young husband.

Dr Anna Uzunova said: “Usually such requests are from much younger women.

“But she wanted to have an active sex life despite her age so we agreed to do the operation and help her.”

Happy Nina was delighted with the results saying after the op: “I feel like a young woman again.”

Flies Make Ants Into Zombies?

2009-05-13T17:54:00.002-04:00

Via BoingBoing

The attention-grabbing headline above is about a University of Texas at Austin effort to use parasitic flies as a defense against fire ants. Apparently, phorid flies control the fire ant population naturally in South America. From the Associated Press:

The flies lay eggs on the fire ants, and the eggs hatch into maggots inside the ant and eat away at the pest's tiny brain.

The ant will get up and wander for about two weeks while the maggot feeds, said Rob Plowes, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin.

"There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly," he said.

About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off — and a new fly emerges ready to attack another fire ant.

"New weapon turns fire ants into headless zombies"

Lennon's Bloody Clothes Displayed:

2009-05-13T09:52:00.001-04:00

Via BBC News

Lennon was murdered in New York on 8 December 1980

A new John Lennon exhibition, due to open in New York later, will feature a paper bag containing the bloody clothes from the night he was shot dead.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex display also features the piano from his apartment and handwritten lyrics.

His widow Yoko Ono, who has created the display, said the clothes were "hard to include" and she feared she "might be criticised as well" for including them.

Lennon was murdered outside the Dakota apartment building on 8 December 1980.

Deportation battle

John Lennon: The New York Years, which will run for the rest of the year, includes a sleeveless New York City T-shirt worn in a famous photograph of the former Beatle, as well as other items of his clothing.

Ono received the items from the medical examiner after Lennon's death

It also features letters outlining his battle against deportation in the early 1970s and more than a dozen examples of handwritten lyrics.

Guitars belonging to Lennon, as well as a pair of his trademark wire-rimmed glasses, are also included in the exhibition.

Lennon, who died at the age of 40, lived in New York for much of the 1970s.

"I know it's a kind of a sad and very poignant kind of paradox, I think, that he loved this place so much and this where he was killed," Ono said.

She said she was still coming to terms with Lennon's death.

"If it was a slow a process we could have talked about it or something," she added.

Plants vs. Zombies:

2009-05-12T19:05:00.001-04:00

Via Mark Frauenfelder, BoingBoing

After reading Tom's description of PopCap's Plants Vs. Zombies on Offworld, I downloaded it and played it with my six-year-old daughter over the weekend and last night.

The game is a classic "tower defense" game. Brain-eating Zombies on the street are shuffling towards your house. The only way to defend your family against the rotting cannibalistic invaders is by sowing seeds of different species of fast-growing plants designed to stop or slow them down.

At this point, everyone else in the house is sick of Jane and I talking about how much fun Plants Vs. Zombies is and what we'll need to do keep the zombies from overtaking us when we play again (as soon as she gets back from Kindergarten class today).

Plants vs. Zombies

Cthulhu Found On British Beach:

2009-05-11T17:36:00.003-04:00

Via Telegraph UK

Giant jellyfish: The species - also known as rootmouth jelly, common jellyfish or saucer jelly - have no bones or brain, and their colorful bodies are 95 per cent water.
Photo: SWNS

Experts say the 4ft (1.21m) Rootmouth Jellyfish - nicknamed the Dustbin lid or Sea Mushroom - can cause a painful rash on human skin if in contact with tentacles.

The jellyfish was caught on camera by photographer Peter Stapleton who is keeping the exact location secret to avoid panic.

"A woman came up to me and said there was a huge jellyfish over on the other side of the beach," he said.

"It was the biggest I've seen, about 4ft long with a large body and tentacles.

"As well as people there was other wildlife around it, including herons, but they seemed as puzzled as the rest of us and left it alone."

The species - also known as moon jelly, common jellyfish or saucer jelly - have no bones or brain, and their colourful bodies are 95 per cent water.

They usually grow to around 12 inches (30cm). Jellyfish can swim slowly but are largely at the mercy of the tides and currents.

Laptop Pillow For Sleepy Workaholics:

2009-05-09T13:53:00.001-04:00

Via UberGizmo

Ever spent a wild night out before a workday only to find yourself napping at your cubicle, and to make matters worse, you have rested your head on the keyboard itself, resulting in marks of all keys on your face when you are rudely awakened by the boss? With the Laptop Pillow, such a thing will never happen again since it comes in a plush material that will ensure you get a decent rest - although what it won't do is guarantee your job security since you aren't supposed to slack off at work anyways in the first place.

Zombies And Bacon...Does It Get Any Better?!?

2009-05-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

Porn Screensaver Interrupts Presentation:

2009-05-07T13:12:00.001-04:00

Via Today On The Interwebs

Porn Screensaver Interrupts Presentation [NSFW] is a video of a foreign-language suit-and-tie presentation being interrupted by a porn screen saver. WHOOPS! Time to blame the tech people for the stuff on your computer.

(From Buzzfeed)

Why The Fuck Do You Have A Kid?

2009-05-06T15:13:00.000-04:00

WhyTheFuckDoYouHaveAKid.com

Why the Fuck Do You Have A Kid? is a submission-fueled, tumblr website that features poor parenting choices and their kids. While the site's title is a rhetorical question, sometimes the pictures seem to answer it clearly.

Dom DeLuise Dies At 75:

2009-05-05T15:42:00.000-04:00

Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES — Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness. Calls to his agent were not immediately returned.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.

As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing characters for numerous cartoon shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."

The actor also appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt Reynolds. Among them, "The End," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," 'Smokey and the Bandit II," "The Cannonball Run" and "Cannonball Run II."

Another actor-friend, Dean Martin, admired his comic abilities so much that he cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he starred in a situation comedy, "Lotsa Luck," but it proved to be short-lived.

Other TV credits included appearances on such shows as "The Munsters," "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Burke's Law," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "Diagnosis Murder."
Story continues below

On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and other plays.

Because of his passion for food, the actor battled obesity throughout much of his life, his weight reaching as much as 325 pounds at one point. For years, he resisted the efforts of family members and doctors who tried to put him on various diets. He finally agreed in 1993 when he needed hip replacement surgery and his doctor refused to perform it until he lost 100 pounds.

He and his family enrolled at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C., and DeLuise lost enough weight for the surgery, although he gained some of it back afterward.

On the positive side, his love of food resulted in two successful cookbooks, 1988's "Eat This _ It Will Make You Feel Better!" and 1997's "Eat This Too! It'll Also Make You Feel Good."

At his Pacific Palisades home, DeLuise often prepared feasts for family and friends. One lunch began with turkey soup and ended with strawberry shortcake. In between, were platters of beef filet, chicken breast and sausage, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a saucer of lettuce.

He strongly resembled the famed chef Paul Prudhomme and joked in a 1987 Associated Press interview that he had posed as Prudhomme while visiting his New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in "Here's Love" in the early 1960s when Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great" on "The Garry Moore Show."

His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from Hollywood, and DeLuise first came to the attention of movie-goers in "Fail Safe," a drama starring Henry Fonda. He followed with a comedy, "The Glass Bottom Boat," starring Doris Day, and from then on he alternated between films and television.

"I was making $7,000 a week _ a lot of money back then _ but I didn't even know I was rich," he recalled in 1994. "I was just having such a great time."

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian immigrants. His father, who spoke only Italian, was a garbage collector, and those humble beginnings stayed with him throughout his life.

"My dad knows everything there is to know about garbage," one of the actor's sons, David DeLuise, told The Associated Press in 2008. "He loves to pick up a broken chair and fix it."

DeLuise's introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role of Peter Rabbit in a school play. He went on to graduate from New York City's famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

For five years, he sought work in theater or television with little luck. He finally decided to enroll at Tufts College and study biology, with the aim of becoming a teacher.

Acting called him back, however, and he found work at the Cleveland Playhouse, appearing in stage productions that ranged from comedies such as "Kiss Me Kate" to Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

"I worked two years solidly on plays and moving furniture and painting scenery and playing parts," he remarked in a 2006 interview. "It was quite an amazing learning place for me."

While working in summer stock in Provincetown, Mass., he met a beautiful young actress, Carol Arthur, and they were soon married.

The couple's three sons, Peter, Michael and David, all became actors and all appeared with their father in the 1990s TV series "SeaQuestDSV," in which Peter and Michael were regulars.

Tentacle Tables:

2009-05-01T08:03:00.001-04:00

chul an kwak is a young korean designer who aims to inject furniture with dynamic emotion, breaking from the static norms. we met kwak at the seoul design week 2007 where he was exhibiting his 'r.n.i.' series of furnishings.
the series is modeled after images of running horses that motivated him to create furniture which takes-off from
a point in space and time.

chul an kwak tables

Team Upset About Vick Stunt:

2009-04-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)—The owner of a minor league football team that offered Michael Vick a contract told a newspaper he didn’t know about the publicity stunt and would not have approved it.

“I’m a dog lover and I don’t want anything to do with (Vick),” Albany Firebirds owner Walter Robb told The Times Union for a story posted on its Web site Tuesday night.

Earlier in the day, the team an arenafootball2 franchise, announced it had offered the 28-year-old quarterback a one-year contract at the league standard: $200 a week plus a $50 bonus for a win.

“That’s a joke,” Robb said. “Can you imagine him playing for $200 a week? I think (the offer) was a big mistake.”

The announcement was later pulled from the team’s Web site.

Firebirds general manager Garen Szablewski told The Times Union the team’s marketing department came up with the idea to make an offer to Vick.

“The process wasn’t thought through properly,” Szablewski said. “The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.”

Vick played for the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons before being convicted of bankrolling an interstate dog fighting business.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has not said if he will lift Vick’s suspension after he completes a 23-month prison sentence. Vick goes from federal prison to home confinement next month.

The Firebirds’ contract offer also required Vick donate $100,000 to a local humane society.

A call to Vick’s agent when the announcement of an offer was made was not immediately returned.

Information from: The Times Union, www.timesunion.com

Literary Cat Is Literary:

2009-04-28T09:29:00.000-04:00

Via BBC UK Kent England

A Kent library has been visited almost every day for two years by its own "puss in books", the council has said.

Fidel the cat spends his days at Deal library while his owners are at work

Fidel, an eight-year-old black cat, turns up at Deal library almost every day while his owners are at work.

He spends the day on his favourite blue chair, only leaving the building when he sees his owners arriving home.

Staff say they have never tried to encourage Fidel with food and even used to put him outside when he first began to visit them, but he always came back.

Heather Hilton, district manager for Deal Library, said: "Fidel certainly seems to like coming here and he's very popular with our customers.

"I think he's a bit of an art critic too because we sometimes see him examining the pictures on the gallery wall," she added.

A spokeswoman for Kent County Council which runs the library said Fidel was such a "dedicated customer" that he sometimes arrived before staff and could be found waiting at the front door.

Fidel is a rescue cat, whose owners chose him from a local sanctuary after he was found abandoned in a flat in Deal.

Fine With Swine

2009-04-27T19:55:00.001-04:00

Via Cafepress Blog

Move over, bird flu. Swine flu is the pandemic scare of the moment.

With over 1000 cases in Mexico and isolated cases in Canada and the United States, the World Health Organization lists their worry status as “very concerned. Of course, for a populace trained for 8 years on color-coded terror alerts, the “very concerned” status is a bit vague - particularly given that no official body has recommended canceling that Mexican vacation. Apparently, “very concerned” falls somewhere between “You’re more likely to be killed by a lightning strike” and “Get out the Michael Jackson masks and stay inside! Now!”

America had a previous swine flu scare in the ’70’s that led to a series of government-sponsored vaccinations against the potentially deadly disease. As it turns out, only one person died from swine flu that time around. But not to be outdone, the swine flu vaccinations killed 25 people and gave about 500 of them a serious disease before the vaccine program was halted.

30 years later, world government response protocols to a pandemic threat haven’t changed much. Bird flu led to talks of a widespread U.K. innoculation program to safeguard against it; America has also spent billions of dollars on contracts to product vaccines against smallpox (the post-9/11-scare), SARS, bird flu, and pretty much any ailment making headlines and/or being referred to as a potential pandemic.

Baxter, one of the companies contracted to produce the swine flu vaccine this time around, is the same company that accidentally shipped vaccines tainted with live bird flu to 18 countries. The injections were used on ferrets and the mistake was discovered before an actual pandemic began due to the injections. The ferrets, however, were not so lucky.

With news of the latest swine flu outbreak taking the Internet by storm, getting information isn’t the problem. But getting good information is harder given the sheer volume of chatter. While “swine flu” is a trending topic today on Google and Twitter, the best source for 140-character swine flu instruction is probably best left to the CDC, which is in fact posting real-time updates via Twitter. For those who prefer a simple Q&A format, those are out there as well.

With all the pandemic T-shirts in the catalog and the interest in pandemic preparedness, you might wonder whether we’re customizing disposable facemasks yet. We regrettably must inform those of you interested in fashionable facemasks that we have no plans to add them to the catalog at this point. However, for those of you crafty folks good with a needle and thread, we did find some interesting thongs that could perhaps be modified to suit your needs.

Caveat: we make no promises as to potential effectiveness of the thongmask in preventing infectious disease. If you have questions on the efficacy of such a thongmask, perhaps a tweet will reward you with a 140-character answer.

Ceiling Owl Is Watching You Buy Tools | Ya RLY.

2009-04-25T12:19:00.001-04:00

Harrison Daily Times

HARRISON, Ark. (AP) - A Home Depot in northern Arkansas has someone new looking out for mice at the warehouse store. A great horned owl now lives in the Harrison store's garden center, looking down on surprised customers shopping for flowers and paving stones. Employees say the bird's mother flew inside of the enclosed garden center during a January ice storm and laid eggs atop a pallet of merchandise.

Over time, the mother disappeared and two baby owls poked their heads out of the nest. One fell to its death, but the other survived, its four-foot wing span blocking out the sun as he flies around the garden center.

Since the garden center is open to the sky, the owl will leave, but always comes back, employees said.

"He's kind of our pet now," garden center supervisor John Gallagher told the Harrison Daily Times.

And the owl likely will remain there. Randy Zellers, managing editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Arkansas Wildlife magazine, said owls are classified as raptors, which are protected under strict federal regulations.

To remove the owl, the store would have to get special licenses. Zellers said there's really no reason for anyone to try and move the owl for now.

"If he isn't bothering anything, it's perfectly fine," Zellers said.

Rusty Scarborough, the education program coordinator at Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff, said the Home Depot would be a good spot for an owl. Rodents are the predominant food source for a great horned owl and stores with garden centers stock bird seed and crop seeds—big draws for rodents.

Although the great horned owl is a fierce predator, Scarborough said this owl probably doesn't pose a threat to anyone at the store.

"They still have a fear of humans," he said.

O RLY?

Meat Cards:

2009-04-24T07:46:00.001-04:00

We start with 100% beef jerky, and SEAR your contact information into it with a 150 WATT CO2 LASER.

Screw die-cutting. Forget about foil, pop-ups, or UV spot lamination. THESE business cards have two ingredients:

MEAT AND LASERS.

Unlike other business cards, MEAT CARDS will retain value after the econopocalypse. Hoard and barter your calorie-rich, life-sustaining cards.

Meat cards

Frog Eats Christmas Light, Gets Illuminated:

2009-04-22T16:26:00.001-04:00

James Snyder took this striking photo of a frog that ate a small light bulb. It was featured in the National Geographic "Daily Dozen."

This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead having cooked himself from the inside. I’m happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don’t think he was very happy when I took his light away.

(Via bangocibumbumpuluj)

Nifty Gaming Gadget Administers Nitrous Oxide To Kids:

2009-04-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

I imagine a lot of grown ups will want this, too.

PediSedate is a medical device consisting of a colorful, toy-like headset that connects to a game component such as the Nintendo Game Boy system or a portable CD player. Once the child places it on his or her head and swings the snorkel down from its resting place atop the head, PediSedate transparently monitors respiratory function and distributes nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas. The child comfortably becomes sedated while playing with a Nintendo Game Boy system or listening to music. This dramatically improves the hospital or dental experience for the child, parents and healthcare providers.

PediSedate Web Site

Hawking To Make Full Recovery:

2009-04-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

Scientist Stephen Hawking is expected to make a full recovery after being taken to hospital with chest problems, Cambridge University has said.

The 67-year-old professor, who has motor neuron disease, is "comfortable" at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, his employers said.

He was described as "very ill" when he was admitted to the hospital on Monday with a suspected respiratory infection.

The author of A Brief History of Time has been unwell for weeks.

A Cambridge University spokesman said: "Professor Hawking is being kept in for observation at Addenbrooke's Hospital... he is comfortable and his family is looking forward to him making a full recovery."

The physicist, who uses a wheelchair and speaks using a voice synthesizer, has worked at Cambridge University for more than 30 years.

Curtailed US trip

He had flown at the end of February to the California Institute of Technology where he is a visiting scholar.

But he called off an appearance at Arizona State University on 6 April because of his illness and flew back to the UK last Saturday.

Prof Hawking developed symptoms of motor neuron disease while studying in the 1960s and is one of the world's longest-surviving sufferers.

The scientist has three children and one grandchild. He became a CBE in 1982 and a Companion of Honor in 1989.

Last year, it was announced he would be stepping down as the university's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the end of this academic year.

It is policy for holders of the title to retire at 67, but Prof Hawking said he intended to continue working as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

2012 | A Solar Super Storm To Send Us Back Into The Dark Ages:

2009-04-20T16:09:00.001-04:00

Via Michael Hanlon @ UK Daily Mail

The catastrophe, when it comes, will be beautiful at first. It is a balmy evening in late September 2012. Ever since the sun set, the dimming skies over London have been alive with fire.

Pillars of incandescent green writhe like gigantic serpents across the skies.

Sheets of orange race across the horizon during the most spectacular display of the aurora borealis seen in southern England for 153 years.

Trouble ahead: How the sun storm might look in London

And then, 90 seconds later, the lights start to go out. Not the lights in the sky - they will dazzle until dawn - but the lights on the ground.

Within an hour, large parts of Britain are without power.

By midnight, every mobile network is down and the internet is dying. Television - terrestrial and satellite - blinks off the air.

Radio is reduced to a burst of static.

By noon the following day, it is clear something terrible has happened and the civilised world has plunged into chaos.

A year later, Britain, most of Europe plus North America is in the grip of the deepest economic catastrophe in history.

By the end of 2013, 100,000 Europeans have died of starvation.

The dead go unburied, the sick untreated.

It will take two decades or more for the first green shoots of recovery to appear - recovery from the first solar superstorm in modern history.

This catastrophe is not some academic one-in-a-million chance scenario.

It is a very real threat which, according to a report in the latest issue of New Scientist, remains one of the most potent, yet least recognised, threats to the future of human civilisation.

Solar activity: The sun, seen through a NASA telescope

Moreover, it is something that has happened before - not that long ago - and indeed has the potential to arrive every 11 years.

So what actually is it?

Solar storms do not normally cause much concern. Swarms of electrically charged subatomic particles from the Sun periodically buffet the Earth and its surroundings, causing health worries for astronauts and the owners of satellites, whose delicate electronics can be fried.

But down on the surface, cocooned under an ocean of air, we rarely notice more than the pretty lights in the sky, created as the electrically charged particles from the Sun sweep into the Earth's own magnetic field to generate the Northern and Southern Lights.

But every now and then, the Sun is convulsed by a gigantic tempest: 50,000-mile-wide eddies of boiling hydrogen plasma on its surface ejecting a billion-tonne, malevolent blob of crackling-charged gas into space at a million miles an hour.

And, very occasionally, one of these mighty coronal mass ejections, as they are called, smacks into the Earth head-on.

This last happened on the morning of September 1, 1859.

That day, one of Britain's top astronomers, Richard Carrington, was observing the Sun.

Using a filter, he was able to study the solar surface through his telescope, and he saw something unusual.

A bright flash of light erupted from the Sun's surface and detached itself from it.

Unbeknown to Carrington, that bright spot was a cloud of charged plasma on its way to Earth.

Just 48 hours later it struck, and the effects were extraordinary.

Brilliant aurorae lit the Earth's night skies right down to the Tropics - their light being so brilliant it was possible to read a newspaper at midnight.

In California, a group of gold miners were roused from their bed hours early, thinking the dawn and a new day's prospecting had come. It was 2am.

Telegraph operators received severe electric shocks as solar-induced currents surged through the networks. It was as though the Earth had been immersed in a bath of electricity.

Such damage as there was, was easy to repair. In 1859, the world ran mostly on steam and muscle.

Solar flare: Large-scale activity on the sun in 2003

Human civilisation did not depend on a gargantuan super-network of electric power and communications.

But it does now. Electric power is modern society's 'cornerstone technology', the technology on which virtually all other infrastructures and services depend.

Daniel Baker, a space weather expert at the University of Colorado, prepared a report for the U.S. National Academy of Sciences last month, and the conclusions make grim reading.

'Every year, our human technology becomes more vulnerable,' he says.

A repeat of the 1859 Carrington event today would have far graver consequences than the frying of some telegraph wires.

The problem comes with our dependence on electricity and the way this electricity is generated and transmitted.

A huge solar storm would cause massive power surges, amounting to billions of unwanted watts surging through the grids.

Most critically, the transformers which convert the multi-thousand-volt current carried by the pylons into 240v domestic current would melt - thousands of them, in every country.

This would bring the world to its knees. With no electricity, we would not just be in the dark.

We are dependent, to a degree few of us perhaps appreciate, on a functioning grid for our survival. All our water and sewage plants run on electricity.

A couple of days after a solar superstorm, the taps would run dry.

Within a week, we would lose all heat and light as reserves ran out, the supermarket shelves would run empty and the complex supply and distribution networks upon which our society depends would have started to break down.

No telephones, no medicines, no manufacturing, no farming - and no food.

Global communications and travel would also collapse - a solar superstorm would probably destroy the network of GPS satellites upon which every airline depends.

Of course, the power grid can be rebuilt, new transformers and cables made, new satellites launched - but organising this in a world teetering on the brink of collapse would not be easy.

Humanity would recover, but it would take decades. A seemingly innocuous event, one which apparently poses no direct threat to human health at all, would have an effect on our world comparable to that of a small nuclear war.

So could this really happen? And why is 2012 a year to worry about? Well, we know that solar superstorm did happen, back in 1859.

And we know that 20 years ago a much smaller storm knocked out the power grid across much of eastern Canada, leaving nine million people without electricity.

We also know that the Sun's activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles.

Currently, the Sun is very quiet. But a solar maximum - a peak of activity - is predicted for 2012, and this is when a superstorm could strike, probably around either the spring or autumn equinox, when the orientation of the Earth's magnetic field to the Sun makes us very vulnerable.

The main point is that every solar maximum puts us more in danger as our growing population becomes ever more dependent on electricity.

Ironically, the least-affected parts of the world would probably be the poorest areas.

Those Third World nations that usually suffer most from natural disasters, on account of their poor infrastructure, would adjust most quickly to life without electricity, while richer nations would be paralysed.

So can anything be done to prevent an epic disaster?

A more robust electricity grid would be a start. And we need new satellites to give warning of what is happening on the Sun.

Of course, it may not happen in 2012 - it may not happen in 2023, the year of the next solar maximum.

But sooner or later, a re-run of the Carrington event is inevitable.

Perhaps it would be wise to start stocking up on some candles.

Anatomical Art | Vanity And Fading Beauty:

2009-04-19T19:04:00.000-04:00

Kim sez, "The sequence of paintings by a Spanish artist called Fernando Vincente is called Vanitas, meditations on the fading of beauty and the inevitability of death, basically."

Fernando Vincente: Vanitas

Fernando Vincente

Oo Ee Oo Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang:

2009-04-15T20:27:00.004-04:00

Anatomical Drawing On A Cast:

2009-04-14T11:42:00.001-04:00

Heather Tomkins drew this lovely anatomical illustration on the casted arm of her friend, the illustrator Taylor White: "I was thusly wrangled into making this old school plaster cast (they do things funky in Norway apparently) into an awesome work of art." CAST, AWAY!!!!

Swedish Freaks Unveil Lego Statue Of Jesus:

2009-04-14T07:59:00.001-04:00

A boy examines a statue of Jesus Christ made entirely out of Lego construction bricks in a church at Vasteras, Sweden, Sunday April 12, 2009. The 1.8 metre (5.9 feet ) tall statue, a copy of Thorvaldsen's "Resurrected Christ", has taken parishioners 1.5 years to construct out of 30.000 tiny plastic pieces. (AP Photo/Jonas Ekstromer)

STOCKHOLM -- Parishioners at a church in Sweden celebrated Easter on Sunday by unveiling a 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter-tall) statue of Jesus that they had built out of 30,000 Lego blocks.

It took the 40 volunteers about 18 months to put all the tiny plastic blocks together, and their creation shows a standing Jesus facing forward with his arms outstretched.

The Protestant church was filled to capacity with about 400 worshippers on Sunday when the statue went on display behind the altar, and some of the children in the congregation couldn't help but touch the white art work.

Church spokesman Per Wilder said the statue at the Onsta Gryta church in the central Swedish city of Vasteras is a copy of Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's "Christus" statue on display in Copenhagen.

He also said that even though the statue is all white on the outside, many of the donated Legos that the church received were of other colors and were placed inside.

Vet Finds Laundry In Pet Dog:

2009-04-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

For years Nicola Perrett’s family couldn’t fathom where their missing clothing was going.

But when their golden retriever Bailey had an operation for a suspected tumor all was revealed.

The dog’s tummy bulge wasn’t a tumor, vet Keith Moore discovered. Instead he pulled out 17 garments, including nine socks, four gloves and a stocking. He described it as “like performing a magic trick.”

He said: “We were just pulling out one sock after another.” Bailey, seven, had been taken to the vet by Nicola for his annual check-up. When Mr Moore noticed a mass in Bailey’s stomach he thought it was cancer and phoned Ms Perrett, 44, with the bad news.

The mother of two cried all morning but was amazed later when the dog was found to be healthy.

Ms Perrett, a customer service manager at B&Q, said Bailey had probably been eating the items for years – her son Jack, 15, had first noticed that his rubber gloves went missing two years ago. Daughter Laura, 18, also lost various garments to the family pet.

Ms Perrett, from Poole, Dorset, said: “This year Bailey had lost a bit of weight and the vet must have been able to feel a lump. Now he’s back to being like a puppy again.

“He is a really mad dog – full of beans and always up to mischief.”

Mr Moore, from Corfe Mullen, said: “I doubt I’ll ever see anything like this again in my career.

“It is amazing that he was not more unwell or sick but was still eating his food.”

Former Stripper Becomes A Nun:

2009-04-10T11:42:00.000-04:00

A lapdancer has opted for the most dramatic of 'career' changes and become a nun.
Anna Nobili, 38, spent 20 years performing in strip clubs across Europe.

Deciding she wanted more out of life, Miss Nobili has joined the the order of the Sister Workers of the Holy House of Nazareth.

Next week she will be in Rome to perform a ballet called Holy Dance, dedicated to episodes from the Bible, for senior cardinals and bishops.

Sister Anna, originally from Milan, says she was 'inspired' during a visit to the shrine of St Francis in Assisi.

"I was throwing away my life dancing for men. I was being used as a drug by people who wanted to see me dance."

What's white and flies through the sky?

The coming of the Lord.

Man Gets Syringe Needle Removed From Ass After 31 Years:

2009-04-09T11:16:00.000-04:00

A Chinese pensioner has finally had a broken syringe needle removed from his bottom after 31 years.

Lao Du said the needle was left in his rear by an 'amateurish' doctor in 1978.

The 44-year-old says he got a cold and when a doctor he went to see in his village in 1978 pierced his bottom with the needle, the needle broke.

Du says he was hospitalized for nine days in a larger hospital but doctors couldn't find the broken needle so he just lived with it.

Du says he recently decided to finally gave it one last try and after three hours of surgery it was removed.

Ice Saves Man Who Died 9 Times:

2009-04-08T09:49:00.001-04:00

HOUSTON - A local actor recently had a massive heart attack, while leading a seminar in Houston. James Wark, 59, died nine times, before medical workers were able to stabilize him.

He says when he went into cardiac arrest, he passed out and didn't wake up for 2 weeks.

Doctors used something called a Hypothermia Protocol. They used cool packs on James' chest and thighs, to cool his body temperature to 91 degrees.

Doctors at West Houston Medical Center say the intent of this procedure is to try to lower the body temperature, to decrease the metabolism in the brain. This gives the brain a break, while other organs, like the heart, compete for oxygen.

James had to undergo a quadruple bypass. He is so happy to have survived his near death experience, he says he has stopped smoking, eats healthier, and is exercising more.

The CEO of West Houston Medical Center, Todd Caliva, says he believes the hypothermia treatment truly helps.

He says he and his colleagues are happy and excited to offer this type of treatment. He says the Houston Fire Department/EMS Workers are the first major metropolitan city to be involved in this type of protocol.

He says other hospitals using the hypothermia treatment in our area include: HCA Hospitals in Clear Lake, Kingwood, and also Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center.

Harry Potter's Quidditch Comes To Welsh School:

2009-04-06T18:01:00.001-04:00

The sport - one of the most famous aspects of JK Rowling's bestselling stories - is the most popular game in the wizarding community, played by two teams mounted on broomsticks.

But Ferndale Comprehensive School in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, has adapted the game for the non-magical "muggle" community after similar variations were a hit in American schools.

Muggle quidditch is not exactly the same as the wizarding version; as well as the absence of broomsticks and bewitched balls there is no "seeker," the position played by Harry Potter himself.

But the confines of reality have still enabled the school to keep most of the fictional sport's rules, ending up with a cross between dodgeball and handball.

Attacking "chasers" attempt to put the "quaffle," or ball, past the goalkeeper whilst the opposing team's "beaters" try to hit them with different balls called "bludgers."

Keiron Port, a Year Seven pupil at Ferndale Comprehensive School, said: "Quidditch is a good fun game, it is fast and has lots of exciting moments. My favourite position has got to be the chaser, I like it because you get to score most of your team's goals."

The development of Quidditch at the school is part of the 5x60 scheme, a Welsh Assembly Government initiative aimed at getting children active with new and different sports.

Ferndale Comprehensive School became the first school in Wales to bring in Quidditch as part of the 5x60 programme when PE teacher James Vale, who runs the scheme at the school, drew up his own rules based on American versions of the game.

He said: "When playing, standing still is not an option as doing so will certainly catch the eye of a beater and a bludger will be heading your way.

"This means that players are always on the go unlike in other sports where players are sometimes not really involved in the game.

"As well as improving general fitness levels the game also improves hand eye co-ordination, concentration, awareness and promotes team work. The year seven pupils have picked up the rules really quickly and have even thought of some changes to improve the game."

The 5x60 scheme, launched in October 2006 at a cost of £7.6 million, is already under way in 98% of secondary schools across Wales and is expected to encompass all schools in the country by the end of the financial year.

The 5x60 scheme aims to make sure all secondary school pupils do at least an hour of sport and exercise five times a week.

Each school appoints a 5x60 officer who is responsible for offering pupils a range of activities - not just traditional sports - and then organising the ones the children most want to take up.

Zombie Jesus Is Coming:

2009-04-05T17:07:00.000-04:00

New Law To Shut Down The Internet In Case Of National Emergency:

2009-04-03T15:26:00.001-04:00

A new bill would give the President emergency authority to halt web traffic and access private data.

By Steve Aquino

Should President Obama have the power to shut down domestic Internet traffic during a state of emergency?

Senators John Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) think so. On Wednesday they introduced a bill to establish the Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor—an arm of the executive branch that would have vast power to monitor and control Internet traffic to protect against threats to critical cyber infrastructure. That broad power is rattling some civil libertarians.

Giant Star Wars Pool Toys And Kites:

2009-04-02T11:35:00.000-04:00

Lucas has licensed a killer line of inflatable Star Wars beach toys for the summer, including the long-awaited Death Star beach ball, giant Millennium Falcon and Starfighter toys, and so on. There's also a trio of gigantic Star Wars kites -- TIE fighters, X-Wings, and the Falcon.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

2009-04-01T12:49:00.001-04:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: adding much-needed zombies to the Austen classic

Posted by Cory Doctorow

I don't often give books mixed reviews here on Boing Boing. If I don't like a book enough to wholeheartedly recommend it, I generally pass on it -- after all, there's no shortage of books that I love, so why make note of the flawed ones?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is the exception to the rule, because there's so much to like about this book, even if it didn't actually do it for me.

Here's the pitch: Seth Grahame-Smith has taken Jane Austen's classic, beloved novel Pride and Prejudice and, by means of cunning textual insertions and deletions, changed the story so that it takes place in the midst of a Regency England that has been plunged into chaos by a plague of the living dead. It takes surprisingly little work to do this, and the book ends up feeling substantially like the classic mannered novel that so many adore. Except with zombie mayhem. The execution is flawless, often hilarious, and just plain clever.

So, what's the problem? Well, the problem is Jane Austen.

Can't stand her.

Never successfully read Pride and Prejudice. Bored to tears by it. I'm not proud of the fact. Plenty of smart people have the utmost respect for the book, and I'm perfectly willing to stipulate that the problem is with me, not with Austen.

But P&P&Z has just too much Austen and not enough zombies. I found myself skimming, skipping larger and larger chunks of text to get to the zombie sequences, desperate to escape the claustrophobic drawing-room chatter of Austen's characters with a little beheading, disemboweling and derring-do.

I couldn't finish it. But I expect if you were the kind of person who loves both Austen and zombies, this book would just plain knock your socks off. And Quirk Books, the publisher of P&P&Z, was kind enough to give us an exclusive link to the first three chapters online for free, so you can make up your own mind. I understand they're planning on doing more books on these lines, and I'm really looking forward to them. It's a great way to celebrate the public domain, to bring classics to a new audience, and to undermine the gravitas with which we often approach "difficult literature." Which Quirk book would you like to see?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

First three chapters of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

The World's Most Perfect Food:

2009-04-01T09:12:00.001-04:00

Via Think Geek.com

A few years after WWII ended, a young man working in a small restaurant in Sweden developed a new way to process bacon. By precooking it and blending it in a special way, he was able to make a fully cooked 100% bacon paste that could be squeezed from a tube. Knowing he had discovered something paradigm-shifting, young Vilhelm Lillefläsk quickly went into business. That, dear friends, is when Squeez Bacon® was born. And this delicious delectable from Sweden has finally been brought over to the USA - now with American Flavor!

We've been working for months now with Vilhelm Lillefläsk (yes, he still runs the company!) to bring Squeez Bacon® here, and boy are we proud. Why? Because Squeez Bacon® is simply the tastiest bacon food product ever made. Did you know that it's rumored ABBA met while eating Squeez Bacon® sandwiches? And even IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad (we've heard) never travels without a case! He loves it on his American style meatballs. Ojojoj!

Vilhelm Lillefläsk's Squeez Bacon® is fully cooked 100% bacon. Due to the patented electro-mechanical process by which Squeez Bacon® is rendered, it requires no preservatives or other additives. Each serving is as healthy as real bacon, and equivalent to 4 premium slices of bacon! You can put it on sandwiches, pizza, pastas, bacon, soups, pies, eat it hot or cold (warm Squeez Bacon® on toasted rye is to die for), substitute it for bacon in your recipes, or even eat it right out of the tube like we do! If it's edible, it's better with Squeez Bacon®. In the immortal words of Vilhelm Lillefläsk, "Aldrig kommer att ge dig upp!" Once you get a taste of Squeez Bacon®, you'll know exactly what he meant.

Testicle Festival:

2009-03-31T07:54:00.000-04:00

OAKDALE, Calif. (AP) — The fund raising idea may seem a little nuts, but Oakdale's annual Testicle Festival is always a big hit. On Monday, volunteers with the town's Rotary Club plan to fry up 400 pounds of the private parts of bulls and serve them to diners who pay $50 apiece for the sit-down meal.

The event, whose proceeds also benefit the Oakland Cowboy Museum, has drawn an average of 450 people and last year raised $28,000.

It's common practice on cattle ranches for young male bovines to be castrated into steers, which after the initial loss, eventually makes them more docile and easier to handle. Fans of the delicacy, also referred to as "mountain oysters," come from around the state.

According to Rotarians, everyone who buys a ticket is guaranteed to "have a ball."

Man Jailed For Vacuum Sex: Wow. That Must Suck.

2009-03-27T13:46:00.000-04:00

SAGINAW, Mich. - A man police caught performing a sex act with a car wash vacuum has been sentenced to 90 days in prison.

Jason Leroy Savage must also submit to drug testing.

The 29-year-old from Michigan, was sentenced Wednesday at Saginaw County Circuit Court. Savage pleaded no contest to indecent exposure last month.

Police say Savage was arrested after a resident called officers early on Oct. 16 to report suspicious activity at a car wash in Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Savage's attorney, Philip Sturtz, didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

Woman's Mummified Body Found Fused To Bed:

2009-03-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

Woman Cashed Dead Mother's Social Security Checks

SEBASTIAN, Fla. -- Police arrested a Sebastian, Fla., woman after discovering the mummified remains of her 96-year-old mother inside her home.

Authorities charged Penelope Jordan, 61, with fraud and grand theft, West Palm Beach television station WPBF reported.

Sebastian police received a search warrant to enter the home on Wimbrow Drive shortly before 5 p.m. Monday.

Code enforcement officers removed eight cats from the home during the weekend and notified police about possible human remains inside.

"There's excessive debris in the residence and it's very difficult to make your way around inside this house," Officer Steve Marcinik said. "While moving around in there, they observed something that was somewhat suspicious and upon that they notified law enforcement."

Neighbors had also been complaining of a foul smell coming from the home.

Michael Pearce said he's complained to the city about feral cats running loose on the property and a foul smell "for at least a decade, if not 12 years" since he has lived there.

Police said Timmie Jordan, 96, had been dead for years. Her mummified body was found in her bed.

Investigators said she still had on her nightgown and her skin had fused to the mattress.

Police said Penelope Jordan, her live-in daughter, admitted to cashing her mother's Social Security checks for at least six years.

"It tears me up," neighbor Theda Furtado said. "The lady next door can't stop crying because she smelled the smell all along, but then someone else told her it was just a cat."

Investigators called the home 'a house of filth,' filled wall to wall with debris.

"It's just bad, and there's (an) open sewer in the back yard," Louise Martin said.

Neighbors said they hadn't seen or heard from Jordan's mother in years.

"Not in a million years would I (have) thought that lady would (be) like that. But she was real standoffish."

Pearce said he wondered why it took so long for authorities to discover that something was wrong.

"It's a little surreal," Pearce said.

A medical examiner determined Tuesday that Timmie Jordan died of natural causes, but the body has not been positively identified.

Ye gads, this guy is only 30?!?

2009-03-24T11:06:00.001-04:00

Ian Price leaves Birmingham Crown Court and stands accused of trying to murder his wife

A cheating husband plotted to murder his wife by using a timeswitch to burn their house down - while he was spending the night with his mistress, a court heard.
Kitchen planner Ian Price, 30, plugged a heat gun normally used to strip wallpaper into a timer on an electrical socket and set it to come on in the middle of the night while his wife Joanne slept, it was claimed.
The improvised incendiary device worked as planned, sparking a blaze in the spare room of the Prices' marital home, the jury heard.
Fortunately, Mrs Price woke in time to call the fire brigade and escaped unscathed - wrecking her husband's alleged plan to murder her, and pay off his debts with £190,000 in life insurance and pension payouts.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden told Birmingham Crown Court that Mr Price's 'premeditated and well-planned' attempt to kill his wife in November 2007 would have 'freed him from the double life he had been living for several months' if successful.
Mr Aspden said: 'In order to keep himself out of harm's way, Mr Price pretended he had to go out on business that night so he would not be at home.
'In truth, ladies and gentlemen, he spent the night with a lady with whom he had secretly been having an affair with for some time.
'The prosecution case is that this was a premeditated and well-planned attempt to kill an entirely innocent woman for entirely selfish reasons.
'Mr Price staged the whole thing to make it look like an accident.'
Mr Aspden said Mr Price had plugged the heat gun into the timeswitch behind a pile of wicker furniture and Christmas decorations, that hid them for view - and 'for good measure' left a blow torch and gas cylinder nearby to help fuel the blaze.
Heat guns can produce temperatures of up to 1,200 degree farenheit, and should only be used with great care.
Mrs Price told the court how firemen showed her the device, which was set to midnight, after she escaped the fire.
She said: 'I was shocked and I just remember thinking, "I need to get in touch with Ian to find out what's gone on".'
He did not respond to calls or texts until the following morning.
The court was also told that Mrs Price was hoping to have a baby - and that her husband had previously tried to poison her by replacing the contents of her medicinal iron capsules with a nicotine mixture.
Nicotine can be fatal in even small doses.

Price allegedly set up an elaborate fire starting device, which he hoped would kill Joanne Price, in the home they shared, above

Mrs Price, who worked as a nurse at Lincoln County Hospital, discovered the tub of tablets and questioned him, but he told her that he had planned to take them himself.
Mr Aspden told the court that Mr Price, who worked as a kitchen planner for MFI, researched poisoning methods on the internet.
An investigation of his laptop found searches using the phrases 'untraceable poison', 'how to poison a person', and 'nicotine poison deaths' dating back to 2006, the court heard.
And in August 2006, the jury was told, Mr Price began experimenting with poisons.
Mr Aspden said: 'Not only was Mr Price making home-made poisons, but he began to experiment with these poisons on his wife.'
Mrs Price noted that his behaviour was 'odd', and began to notice a strange taste in her food and drink, the court heard.
'Eventually she confronted her husband about it, and he denied putting anything in her food,' Mr Aspden said.
A month after the confrontation, it was claimed, Mrs Price found in the kitchen a tub of 'thick brown treacle substance', which turned out to be a mixture of nicotine and caffeine.
The jury was told that Mr Price's computer research into poisons resumed in September 2007 - two months before the fire.
During a police search of the couple's property, nicotine residue was found on a bowl, a bread board and a milk pan in the kitchen.
The court was told that Price began his affair with another woman in March 2007.
Price, who lived with his wife in Willoughton, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, denies attempted murder.

The case continues.

Man In "I [Heart] My Marriage" T-shirt Arrested For Domestic Battery:

2009-03-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

Tampa, Florida - An Apollo Beach man wearing an "I ♥ My Marriage" t-shirt was arrested Monday night, charged with choking his wife during an argument.

Hillsborough deputies booked 32-year-old Bradley Gellert into jail on charges of a felony domestic battery by strangulation. According to the arrest report, Gellert works for Ameriprise, a financial consulting company.

The arrest report says that the couple were arguing over drugs, and during the fight at their home, Gellert screamed in his wife's face, threw things, grabbed her neck and strangled her, and knocked her to the ground.

Gellert followed the victim as fled the home and reported the incident in person at the closest sheriff's office.

Titties 'n Beer:

2009-03-20T11:23:00.001-04:00

It is the ultimate Aussie beer-lover’s fantasy: a bottle of brew with a woman on the label whose bikini disappears as fast as the drinker can consume its contents.

Three friends in Sydney have taken on the Australian beer market with a unique world first marketing concept for their new beer.

The label is Skinny Blonde, a low-carb beer that is thriving on the current popularity of Australia’s new crop of ‘healthy’ beers.

But there is another reason it is popular: the Skinny Blonde bottle features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up, thanks to the modern ink technology used on the labels.

The savvy, apparently world-first, marketing ploy was born three years ago when 34-year-old Hamish Rosser and his mates – actor Richie Harkham, 29, and artist Jarrod Taylor, 33 – decided to act on a “drunken idea that actually worked”.

“We had the idea of a pin-up girl from the get go, we thought everyone uses women in their advertising campaigns so why not put it on a bottle?” Mr Rosser, who is the drummer in the Australian band The Vines, told The Times.

“So we had this idea of the disappearing bikini and researched into disappearing ink. Then we did a few trial runs and when we realized it worked we were stoked, we were over the moon.”

Crystal Lee, a barmaid at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel, the first pub in Australia to serve Skinny Blonde, said that it was one of their most popular low-carb beers - especially when sold in a bottle.

“It’s a really popular beer, more in the bottle than on tap,” she said, before adding: “But that’s to do with the fact that the chick’s bikinis come off when people drink it.”

Ms Lee said that the beer, which has an alcohol content of 5.2%, was equally as popular among men and women – men for the bikini factor and women for the taste and that it was a ‘healthy’ beer.

The trio, who lived within streets of each other in Bondi, formed the company Brother’s Ink and began experimental home brewing in Mr Taylor’s laundry with the aim of producing a Japanese-style dry “session beer” three years ago.

“We wanted to make a beer that you can have several of rather than ales which you have one or two then you move on,” Mr Rosser, who has a degree in chemical engineering, said.

A few test runs later they were ready to serve up the first batch of Skinny Blonde and approached the Beach Road Hotel – their local and a popular drinking spot for visiting British backpackers – who agreed to help them by trialling their beer on tap.

Brother’s Ink held a party to promote their new brew and it became a hit among locals. Last December they expanded their product and introduced the bottled variety, and in turn introduced Daisy and her disappearing bikini to beer drinkers.

Mr Rosser said that they planned to expand their business around Australia and eventually to New Zealand and Britain.

“We’ll probably license it to a third party to bring it to the UK,” he said.

“But we’re just trying to grow our brand now. At the moment our focus is on sales.”

After a turbulent few years with The Vines, the Australian garage rock band who burst on to the international scene in 2002 before singer Craig Nicholls’ health issues put them on hiatus last year, Mr Rosser said that expanding Skinny Blonde was now his main priority.

“The Vines aren’t doing much right now. We will get ourselves together eventually but the beer is a full-time job at the moment,” he said.

“If it weren’t for this beer project I don’t know what I’d be doing. Anyway at least I’ve finally found a use for my chemical engineering background.”

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch Closes English Pub:

2009-03-19T12:03:00.002-04:00

But the dangerous-looking weapon turned out to be the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, made famous in the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Police and a fire crew were first on the scene in Shoreditch, East London, when water company workers found a copy of the film prop under a fire hydrant cover. They evacuated a pub and another building in Tabernacle Street, while office staff in another building were stopped from leaving. But when the bomb squad arrived, they quickly established there was no danger and the street was declared safe. In the film, the grenade was used to slaughter a killer rabbit. Python actor Eric Idle had filmgoers in stitches as he said: "Oh Lord. Bless this hand grenade, that with it thou mayest blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."
Alberto Romanelli, who owns the Windmill pub nearby, said the police action in ordering his pub to be evacuated had been as ridiculous as the film scene. "They evacuated the pub while they were doing X-rays and stuff," he said. "It all lasted about 45 minutes before they decided it was nothing - which I thought was pretty obvious from the start. I lost a good hour's worth of business." Emma Eve, a training center receptionist, said: "It was scary. They wouldn't let us out of the building." Office worker Graham White said: "The situation was nearly as crazy as the film."

Heavy Metal Monk FRATELLO METALLO:

2009-03-18T18:07:00.000-04:00

Cesare Bonizzi is a Capuchin monk who sings in a heavy metal band. who lives in a friary near Milan, Italy. He is also the singer in a heavy metal band.

Voodoo Pencil Case For Schoolkids Shaped Like A Body:

2009-03-17T10:46:00.001-04:00

A VOODOO pencil case could be pulled from the shelves after child advocates claimed it encouraged bullying.
The controversial canvas Smiggle voodoo pencil case includes a space to put a small photo, but critics say it is simply encouraging children to hex their friends.

On nearby shelves are black and red heart-shaped pins ready to stick into the body-shaped case.

Kids Free 2B Kids director Julie Gale said the voodoo pencil product was typical of companies who produced inappropriate products without thinking about the consequences.

But Smiggle says it will reconsider its Voodoo pencil case after concerns it might encourage children to bully.

Ms Gale had spoken to various childhood experts who were horrified by the product, which they thought could encourage bullying.

“It’s basically a voodoo doll, and it’s potentially a very powerful tool for bullies,” she said.

“I think it’s typical lack of awareness from retailers … just thinking it’s a cute idea not really thinking it through,” she said. “It’s just not appropriate.”

But the organization was prompted to act after being alerted by customers who had seen the product.

In a letter to the company, Ms Gale claims the pencil case “could be seen as a tool for nastiness, vindictiveness and bullying”.

“Given that a large proportion of your customers are primary and early secondary aged girls - selling products like this could be seen as a social/public condoning of such behaviours,” she said.

And she has also raised concern about another product in the Smiggle range encouraging children to 'Hug a Stranger'.

“Whilst it might seem innocuous, it goes against the messages our children are taught for their well being and safety,” she said.

Jason Murray, CEO of the Just Group which owns Smiggle, said this afternoon he had not been aware of any complaints about the $9.95 cloth case until today.

Mr Murray said Smiggle was a positive brand and would never intentionally encourage bad behaviour.

He said the company would contact Kids Free 2B Kids, which raised concerns about the potential bullying factor, before making a decision about the product.

“Obviously we take any concerns seriously,” he said. “It’s a very positive brand. There’s obviously no intent in this.”

Pill Lets Obese To Eat Whatever They Want:

2009-03-16T07:40:00.001-04:00

A 'fat controller' in the gut could be the key to preventing obesity, diabetes and heart disease, research suggests.

Scientists have pinpointed an enzyme that determines whether the fat we eat is burnt off as energy or stored in the body.

The breakthrough raises the prospect of a pill being developed which targets the enzyme in people, allowing them to eat without worrying about putting on weight.

Research at the University of California focused on MGAT2, an enzyme found in the intestines of mice and humans.

Mice without the protein were able to eat a high-fat diet while remaining slim and healthy.

The fat they absorbed was burnt off as energy, rather than stored, the journal Nature Medicine reports.

The mice in the experiment also seemed better at processing sugar, cutting their risk of diabetes, and had lower levels of 'bad' cholesterol in their blood.

A pill that targets the enzyme in people could provide a new weapon in the battle of the bulge.

The researchers said: 'Our studies identify MGAT2 as a key determinant of energy metabolism in response to dietary fat and suggest that the inhibition of this enzyme may prove to be a useful strategy for treating obesity and other metabolic diseases associated with excessive fat intake.'

With almost a quarter of men and women obese and children faring little better, such a drug is likely to have mass appeal.

Even more appealing is the prospect of a pill that makes the body fit, as well as keeping it slim.

Last year, US scientists unveiled an experimental drug which fools the muscles into thinking they have worked long and hard, boosting fitness as well as burning off fat.

Mice treated with AICAR for four weeks burned more calories and had less fat than untreated mice and when tested on a treadmill, they could run almost 50 per cent longer.

Researcher Professor Ronald Evans, of the Salk Institute in California, said: 'We have exercise in a pill.

'It is tricking the muscle into "believing" it's been exercised daily.

'It proves you can have a pharmacological equivalent to exercise.'

But obesity experts say such pills are years from the market, and most people would benefit from eating less and exercising more.

Man Killed By His Own Tattoo:

2009-03-14T16:12:00.001-04:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

John Chillingworth, of Bungay, Suffolk, was given the tattoo on his right calf by his girlfriend as a birthday present.

By the time he arrived home at about 3.30pm, he told his girlfriend, 22-year-old Amy Hahs, that the tattoo was stinging, the inquest in Lowestoft heard on Friday.

His leg was swollen and red within two days and a scab formed. Mr. Chillingworth had trouble sleeping because of the pain.

He visited his GP, who cleaned and dressed the wound and gave Mr. Chillingworth painkillers and antihistamines.

Yet 10 days after the tattoo session, Miss Hahs returned home from work to find Mr. Chillingworth lying slumped on the sitting room sofa. He was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived shortly afterwards.

A post mortem examination found that Mr. Chillingworth died due to a blood clot in one of his lungs. It had come from a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.

Peter Dean, the Suffolk coroner, said it was not clear whether the DVT had been related to the tattoo, or whether it developed due to Mr. Chillingworth being inactive due to the pain.

Mr Dean, who said that the tattooist had followed all necessary hygiene procedures, recorded a narrative verdict of a pulmonary embolism following a tattooing.

Tattoo: The Deadly Killer

10 Kids Drink Windshield Wiper Fluid At Daycare:

2009-03-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Hospital officials say 10 children drank windshield wiper fluid after staffers at an Arkansas daycare center mistook the liquid for Kool-Aid.

A pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock says the children, ages 2 to 6, are OK, but continue to be monitored. The doctor said each child drank about an ounce late Thursday afternoon.

The hospital did not identify the Scott community daycare. State child welfare officials did not immediately return a call for comment Friday.

The fluid contained toxic alcohols. A pediatric toxicologist says those chemicals can cause kidney damage and blindness.

"It tastes like... burning..."

FOR SALE|Nagging Wife, Very High Maintenance:

2009-03-12T14:31:00.000-04:00

"Very High Maintenance"??? Apparently it's a lot of work to shove those Twinkies down her gullet.

A builder who put his nagging wife up for sale in a trade magazine was shocked when he had several offers for her.

After the latest blast from wife Donna while she was watching Dancing on Ice, Gary Bates, 38, from Gloucestershire placed the unusual advert in Trade-It.

Mr Bates, from Ebley, near Stroud, described his spouse as: “Nagging Wife. No Tax, Not MOT. Very high maintenance - some rust.”

His wife was put in the Free to Collect section of the magazine where he also advertised his fishing tackle.

Despite the less-than-flattering pitch, Mr Bates was inundated with calls from men offering to take her off his hands.

He said: “I didn’t think anyone would ring up but I’ve had at least nine or 10 people calling about her.

"It’s gone mad. There was no-one I knew - just people asking, ’Is she still available?’

“She was nagging me for doing something small, while she was watching some rubbish on TV. So I just thought I’d put an ad in to get rid of her.

“She’s seen the funny side of it now though!”

The self-employed builder said his wife laughed at the anonymous advert before realising she was the one on special offer.

She gave him “a bit of an ear-bashing” after the prank was revealed, he admitted.

Extreme Makeover: Pussy Edition:

2009-03-11T19:02:00.001-04:00

Via D Listed.com

Okay, I'm all for a bitch doing what she has to do to get that pussy purring. If you got to go down to Home Depot and flirt with some power tools in hopes one might take you home and drill you down, FINE. But is a nut bust really worth turning your vagina into fucking shredded beef? The ho in this story answered a fuck yes to that question.
The 27-year-old woman of Saint Mary County in Maryland was airlifted to a hospital after a saber saw done fucked up her pussy. The woman and her dick for brains boyfriend decided it would be really fucking sexy to get all America Psycho on her vagina and fuck it with a "sex toy" (I'm assuming a dildo) attached to a saber saw. It wasn't long before the blade on the saw cut through the dildo and straight up turned her sugar walls into some BENJAMIN BUTTON'S SHIT. The dumb bitch went from screaming "Oh baby" to "Oh baby my pussy fell off!!!!"

The bitch was released from the hospital on Monday. She told police that the idiotic sex act was consensual and no crime was committed. Yeah, tell that to her pussy. May it rest in fucking peace. A SAW UP YOUR PUSSY?! I mean, I hope that when they got home she took a power drill to his asshole so he can see how it feels. A SAW UP YOUR PUSSY? I still can't. She will never watch an episode of Home Improvement the same away.

And if you have a vagina, I hope you kept your hand over it the whole time. It didn't need to see this story. If it did, it would have turned inside out and closed its doors forever. It's not the one!

Star Trek Cologne Coming In April:

2009-03-11T09:43:00.000-04:00

Genki Wear, a company specializing in science-fiction-inspired jewelry (mostly in the Buffyverse, it seems), will be releasing three new Star Trek colognes to go along with the reboot of the franchise this year: "Tiberius", a scent that is "difficult to define and impossible to refuse"; "Red Shirt", with the brilliant tag line "Because tomorrow may never come"; and a scent for women called "Pon Farr", designed to "drive him wild". (Polearms not included.)

High-Resolution Tetris:

2009-03-11T08:01:00.002-04:00

Having too much fun playing Tetris? Why not suck all the enjoyment out of it by playing it in HD?

CLICK TO PLAY High-Rez Tetris

M Is For METAL:

2009-03-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

Creepy Inflatable Blood-Pool Pillows:

2009-03-08T11:06:00.002-04:00

Via Dornob.com

Design is all fun and games … until everyone you know ends up dead in pool of blood. These are frighteningly realistic shots taken with comfy inflatable blood pillows. Up close you can see they are plush and organic but from a distance it looks like the scene of some atrocious mass-murder. One could imagine that even without a sleeper on top a careful array of these on your couches could provide quite a fright for visitors.

“The pillows are inspired by those suspenseful moments when a sleeping loved one is a little too still for a little too long. Using an irreverent combination of comfort & fear the pillows parallel sleep & death. Project goal: taking ownership of morbidly intrusive thoughts through humor & play.” Humor and play indeed - but likely only after a double- or triple-take.

Anatomical Armchairs:

2009-03-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Graphic design meets anatomy in a stylish interior design with this chair created by AK-LH, a Paris-based design company that specializes in 'dressing the inanimate objects of our daily lives to liven them up.'

This anatomically upholstered chair is named 'Flow' and is part of AK-LH’s 'Tante Wera' series of 50s style Swedish armchairs (limited edition of 7).

Moreover, AK-LH creates many other textile objects as linen and cushions.

You can have a look at all of that at www.ak-lh.com

3/3/09: Celebrate Square Root Day:

2009-03-03T08:02:00.001-05:00

Dust off the slide rules and recharge the calculators. Square Root Day is upon us.

The math-buffs’ holiday, which only occurs nine times each century, falls on Tuesday — 3/3/09 (for the mathematically challenged, three is the square root of nine).

“These days are like calendar comets, you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day — and poof — they’re gone,” said Ron Gordon, a Redwood City teacher who started a contest meant to get people excited about the event.

The winner gets, of course, $339 for having the biggest Square Root Day event.

Gordon’s daughter even set up a Facebook page — one of a half-dozen or so dedicated to the holiday — and hundreds of people had signed up with plans to celebrate in some way. Celebrations are as varied: Some cut root vegetables into squares, others make food in the shape of a square root symbol.

The last such day was five years ago, Feb. 2, 2004, which coincided with Groundhog Day. The next is seven years away, on April 4, 2016.