BlondeSense: Now THAT'S a funeral!!: "Now THAT'S a funeral!!
China acts on funeral strippers
Chinese villages are being told to end the practice --
Five people have been detained in China for running striptease send-offs at funerals, state media say.
'Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai's rural areas to allure viewers,' Xinhua agency said.
'Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honoured.'
It seems officials want to put an end to this, so now 'funeral plans have to be submitted in advance' "
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
'Hybrid Mutant' Found Dead in Maine - AOL News
'Hybrid Mutant' Found Dead in Maine - AOL News: "Hybrid Mutant' Found Dead in Maine
Mysterious Creature May Be Subject of Longtime Local Legend
TURNER, Maine (Aug. 17) - Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation.
A man who saw the animal described it as 'something out of a Stephen King story.'
The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what it is.
Michelle O'Donnell of Turner spotted the animal near her yard about a week before it was killed. She called it a 'hybrid mutant of something.'
'It was evil, evil looking. And it had a horrible stench I will never forget,' she told the Sun Journal of Lewiston. 'We locked eyes for a few seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine my whole life and I've never seen anything like it. . .' "
Mysterious Creature May Be Subject of Longtime Local Legend
TURNER, Maine (Aug. 17) - Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation.
A man who saw the animal described it as 'something out of a Stephen King story.'
The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what it is.
Michelle O'Donnell of Turner spotted the animal near her yard about a week before it was killed. She called it a 'hybrid mutant of something.'
'It was evil, evil looking. And it had a horrible stench I will never forget,' she told the Sun Journal of Lewiston. 'We locked eyes for a few seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine my whole life and I've never seen anything like it. . .' "
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Mad In The Middle
Mad In The Middle: "Like the mistreatment of terrorist prisoners, it all revolves around expectation. We expect our people to not torture, to not murder. We have higher expectations of them than we do of the enemy. We also have higher (perhaps, too high) expectations of Israel. Since Israel is the 'civilized' participant, our expectations for restraint and reason are, unfairly, set much higher.
And that is, maybe, our problem."
And that is, maybe, our problem."
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Random
Random: "Philadelphia Daily News | 06/28/2006 | Annie's media enablers: 'But the questions raised by Coulter's prominence aren't so much about her as they are about the news organizations that create that prominence.
If it weren't for the magazines, newspapers, and television programs that give Coulter a forum for her repellent views, she'd be just another extremist throwing darts in all directions.
But there she was on the 'Today' show - where she has appeared three times in the last eight months - and on the 'Tonight' show, and on Fox News, and on MSNBC. Not to mention the glowing profile that graced the cover of Time magazine a few months back.
Every time a producer or editor turns their megaphone over to someone like Ann Coulter, they debase our discourse.
And the fact is that the mainstream media have a tolerance for extremism on the right, but not on the left. People like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage are taken seriously by news organizations despite purveying some of the most hateful rhetoric imaginable.
Can you think of a liberal who gets half the attention Coulter does, and is half as inflammatory? After all, we're talking about someone who routinely advocates the murder of people with whom she disagrees politically.'
Uh, no. Any liberal advocating such stuff in a public forum would be pursued by the Evil Empire until their eyeballs exploded."
If it weren't for the magazines, newspapers, and television programs that give Coulter a forum for her repellent views, she'd be just another extremist throwing darts in all directions.
But there she was on the 'Today' show - where she has appeared three times in the last eight months - and on the 'Tonight' show, and on Fox News, and on MSNBC. Not to mention the glowing profile that graced the cover of Time magazine a few months back.
Every time a producer or editor turns their megaphone over to someone like Ann Coulter, they debase our discourse.
And the fact is that the mainstream media have a tolerance for extremism on the right, but not on the left. People like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage are taken seriously by news organizations despite purveying some of the most hateful rhetoric imaginable.
Can you think of a liberal who gets half the attention Coulter does, and is half as inflammatory? After all, we're talking about someone who routinely advocates the murder of people with whom she disagrees politically.'
Uh, no. Any liberal advocating such stuff in a public forum would be pursued by the Evil Empire until their eyeballs exploded."
Philadelphia Daily News | 06/28/2006 | Annie's media enablers
Philadelphia Daily News | 06/28/2006 | Annie's media enablers: "But the questions raised by Coulter's prominence aren't so much about her as they are about the news organizations that create that prominence.
If it weren't for the magazines, newspapers, and television programs that give Coulter a forum for her repellent views, she'd be just another extremist throwing darts in all directions.
But there she was on the 'Today' show - where she has appeared three times in the last eight months - and on the 'Tonight' show, and on Fox News, and on MSNBC. Not to mention the glowing profile that graced the cover of Time magazine a few months back.
Every time a producer or editor turns their megaphone over to someone like Ann Coulter, they debase our discourse.
And the fact is that the mainstream media have a tolerance for extremism on the right, but not on the left. People like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage are taken seriously by news organizations despite purveying some of the most hateful rhetoric imaginable.
Can you think of a liberal who gets half the attention Coulter does, and is half as inflammatory? After all, we're talking about someone who routinely advocates the murder of people with whom she disagrees politically."
Uh, no. Any liberal advocating such stuff in a public forum would be pursued by the Evil Empire until their eyeballs exploded. Ask Ward Churchill.
If it weren't for the magazines, newspapers, and television programs that give Coulter a forum for her repellent views, she'd be just another extremist throwing darts in all directions.
But there she was on the 'Today' show - where she has appeared three times in the last eight months - and on the 'Tonight' show, and on Fox News, and on MSNBC. Not to mention the glowing profile that graced the cover of Time magazine a few months back.
Every time a producer or editor turns their megaphone over to someone like Ann Coulter, they debase our discourse.
And the fact is that the mainstream media have a tolerance for extremism on the right, but not on the left. People like Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage are taken seriously by news organizations despite purveying some of the most hateful rhetoric imaginable.
Can you think of a liberal who gets half the attention Coulter does, and is half as inflammatory? After all, we're talking about someone who routinely advocates the murder of people with whom she disagrees politically."
Uh, no. Any liberal advocating such stuff in a public forum would be pursued by the Evil Empire until their eyeballs exploded. Ask Ward Churchill.
New Scientist Breaking News - ‘Big Brother’ eyes make us act more honestly
New Scientist Breaking News - ‘Big Brother’ eyes make us act more honestly: "
Coffee room drinkers pay more when watched by a pair of “Big Brother” eyes (Image: Newcastle University)
Enlarge image
Coffee room drinkers pay more when watched by a pair of “Big Brother” eyes (Image: Newcastle University)
Related Articles
* Altruism boosted by public recognition
* 04 March 2006
* Pay up, you are being watched
* 19 March 2005
* Charity begins at Homo sapiens
* 12 March 2005
* Search New Scientist
* Contact us
Web Links
* Psychology, Newcastle University
* Biology Letters
Subscribe to New Scientist
We all know the scene: the departmental coffee room, with the price list for tea and coffee on the wall and the “honesty box” where you pay for your drinks – or not, because no one is watching.
In a finding that will have office managers everywhere scurrying for the photocopier, researchers have discovered that merely a picture of watching eyes nearly trebled the amount of money put in the box."
Coffee room drinkers pay more when watched by a pair of “Big Brother” eyes (Image: Newcastle University)
Enlarge image
Coffee room drinkers pay more when watched by a pair of “Big Brother” eyes (Image: Newcastle University)
Related Articles
* Altruism boosted by public recognition
* 04 March 2006
* Pay up, you are being watched
* 19 March 2005
* Charity begins at Homo sapiens
* 12 March 2005
* Search New Scientist
* Contact us
Web Links
* Psychology, Newcastle University
* Biology Letters
Subscribe to New Scientist
We all know the scene: the departmental coffee room, with the price list for tea and coffee on the wall and the “honesty box” where you pay for your drinks – or not, because no one is watching.
In a finding that will have office managers everywhere scurrying for the photocopier, researchers have discovered that merely a picture of watching eyes nearly trebled the amount of money put in the box."
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Sploid: Bosnian pyramid's the real thing!
Sploid: Bosnian pyramid's the real thing!: "Bosnian pyramid's the real thing!
[Amazing proof that people piled up some rocks!]
A mysterious hill in a Bosnian town is actually an ancient pyramid built by some unknown civilization, according to an Egyptian geologist who examined the site.
'In my opinion, it is a type of pyramid, probably primitive pyramid [that] we did not know until now,' said Aly Abd Barakat, who was sent by the Egyptian government to examine Visocica hill in the central Bosnian town of Visoko.
A local pyramid fanatic has been pushing his theory that the big hill and two smaller pyramid-shaped landforms were constructed by ancient people. . ."
[Amazing proof that people piled up some rocks!]
A mysterious hill in a Bosnian town is actually an ancient pyramid built by some unknown civilization, according to an Egyptian geologist who examined the site.
'In my opinion, it is a type of pyramid, probably primitive pyramid [that] we did not know until now,' said Aly Abd Barakat, who was sent by the Egyptian government to examine Visocica hill in the central Bosnian town of Visoko.
A local pyramid fanatic has been pushing his theory that the big hill and two smaller pyramid-shaped landforms were constructed by ancient people. . ."
Friday, May 19, 2006
Last chromosome in human genome sequenced - May 18, 2006
CNN.com - Last chromosome in human genome sequenced - May 18, 2006: "Last chromosome in human genome sequenced
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Scientists have reached a landmark point in one of the world's most important scientific projects by sequencing the last chromosome in the Human Genome, the so-called 'book of life'.
Chromosome 1 contains nearly twice as many genes as the average chromosome and makes up eight percent of the human genetic code.
It is packed with 3,141 genes and linked to 350 illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
'This achievement effectively closes the book on an important volume of the Human Genome Project,' said Dr Simon Gregory who headed the sequencing project at the Sanger Institute in England.
The project was started in 1990 to identify the genes and DNA sequences that provide a blueprint for human beings.
Chromosome 1 is the biggest and contains, per chromosome, the greatest number of genes. . ."
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Scientists have reached a landmark point in one of the world's most important scientific projects by sequencing the last chromosome in the Human Genome, the so-called 'book of life'.
Chromosome 1 contains nearly twice as many genes as the average chromosome and makes up eight percent of the human genetic code.
It is packed with 3,141 genes and linked to 350 illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
'This achievement effectively closes the book on an important volume of the Human Genome Project,' said Dr Simon Gregory who headed the sequencing project at the Sanger Institute in England.
The project was started in 1990 to identify the genes and DNA sequences that provide a blueprint for human beings.
Chromosome 1 is the biggest and contains, per chromosome, the greatest number of genes. . ."
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Sploid: British military says 'UFOs exist!'
Sploid: British military says 'UFOs exist!': "British military says 'UFOs exist!'
[British Military says 'UFOs Exist!']
In a shocking announcement, the British Ministry of Defence has revealed 'UFOs Exist: It's Official!' The revelation comes in the wake of a request by UFO researchers for the Ministry of Defence to release information about its secret investigations into strange sightings over Britain."
[British Military says 'UFOs Exist!']
In a shocking announcement, the British Ministry of Defence has revealed 'UFOs Exist: It's Official!' The revelation comes in the wake of a request by UFO researchers for the Ministry of Defence to release information about its secret investigations into strange sightings over Britain."
Human Ancestors May Have Interbred With Chimpanzees
Human Ancestors May Have Interbred With Chimpanzees: "Human Ancestors May Have Interbred With Chimpanzees
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 18, 2006; Page A01
When the ancestors of human beings and the ancestors of chimpanzees parted ways 6.3 million years ago, it was probably a very long goodbye. Some of their descendants may even have gone back for a final tryst.
That is the conclusion a group of scientists has reached, using a comparison of the genes of humans and their closest animal relatives to sketch a picture of human origins far more detailed than what fossil bones have revealed."
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 18, 2006; Page A01
When the ancestors of human beings and the ancestors of chimpanzees parted ways 6.3 million years ago, it was probably a very long goodbye. Some of their descendants may even have gone back for a final tryst.
That is the conclusion a group of scientists has reached, using a comparison of the genes of humans and their closest animal relatives to sketch a picture of human origins far more detailed than what fossil bones have revealed."
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Sploid: Amazonian Stonehenge
Sploid: Amazonian Stonehenge: "A 2,000-year-old astrological observatory has been discovered in the Amazon basin of Brazil, near French Guiana.
'Only a society with a complex culture could have built such a monument,' archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral, of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA), told O Globo newspaper.
The Amazonian Stonehenge is constructed of 127 rocks -- each standing about 10 feet high -- in groups of circles."
'Only a society with a complex culture could have built such a monument,' archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral, of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA), told O Globo newspaper.
The Amazonian Stonehenge is constructed of 127 rocks -- each standing about 10 feet high -- in groups of circles."
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Toxic Burp in Pacific
Giant Deep-Sea Volcano With "Moat of Death" Found:
Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
April 14, 2006
Beneath the waves of the South Pacific lies a volcanic realm nearly as strange as that featured in TV's hit drama Lost.
But instead of a mysterious island, scientists have found a bubbling submarine volcano whose weird features include a swirling vortex, a host of strange animals, and a fearsome zone of toxic waters dubbed the Moat of Death.
The volcano, described in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sits within the crater of a gigantic underwater mountain rising more than 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) from the ocean floor near the island of Samoa (see map).
The seamount, called Vailulu'u, is an active volcano, with a 2-mile-wide (3.2-kilometer-wide) crater. The cone rising within it has been dubbed Nafanua, for the Samoan goddess of war."
Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News
April 14, 2006
Beneath the waves of the South Pacific lies a volcanic realm nearly as strange as that featured in TV's hit drama Lost.
But instead of a mysterious island, scientists have found a bubbling submarine volcano whose weird features include a swirling vortex, a host of strange animals, and a fearsome zone of toxic waters dubbed the Moat of Death.
The volcano, described in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sits within the crater of a gigantic underwater mountain rising more than 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) from the ocean floor near the island of Samoa (see map).
The seamount, called Vailulu'u, is an active volcano, with a 2-mile-wide (3.2-kilometer-wide) crater. The cone rising within it has been dubbed Nafanua, for the Samoan goddess of war."
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Massachusetts Health Insurance
Massachusetts to require health insurance: "April 13, 2006
FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES
BOSTON -- Gov. Mitt Romney signed a groundbreaking measure Wednesday that makes Massachusetts the first state to mandate universal health care.
Supported by Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature, the law requires residents to buy health insurance by July 1, 2007, just as drivers must have automobile coverage.
It aims to help low-income families buy private health insurance with subsidies and penalizes those who don't get coverage. It will help extend coverage to about 500,000 people in the state who lack health insurance, or about one in 13 residents."
FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES
BOSTON -- Gov. Mitt Romney signed a groundbreaking measure Wednesday that makes Massachusetts the first state to mandate universal health care.
Supported by Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature, the law requires residents to buy health insurance by July 1, 2007, just as drivers must have automobile coverage.
It aims to help low-income families buy private health insurance with subsidies and penalizes those who don't get coverage. It will help extend coverage to about 500,000 people in the state who lack health insurance, or about one in 13 residents."
More Missing Link
Xinhua - English: " LOS ANGELES, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Fossils discovered in eastern Ethiopian desert are a missing link between our ape-man ancestors some 3.5 million years ago and more primitive hominids a million years older, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
The fossils are from the most primitive species of Australopithecus, known as Au. anamensis, and date from about 4.1 million years ago, reported researchers from Ethiopia, Japan, France and the United States.
The findings were published in an April 13 issue of the journal Nature.
The hominid Australopithecus has often been called ape-man because it walked on two legs unlike the great apes although it was short-statured, small-brained and big-toothed.
More primitive hominids in the genus Ardipithecus date from between 4.4 million and 7 million years ago and were much moreape-like, though they walked on two legs, too."
The fossils are from the most primitive species of Australopithecus, known as Au. anamensis, and date from about 4.1 million years ago, reported researchers from Ethiopia, Japan, France and the United States.
The findings were published in an April 13 issue of the journal Nature.
The hominid Australopithecus has often been called ape-man because it walked on two legs unlike the great apes although it was short-statured, small-brained and big-toothed.
More primitive hominids in the genus Ardipithecus date from between 4.4 million and 7 million years ago and were much moreape-like, though they walked on two legs, too."
Monday, March 27, 2006
CNN.com - Could Ethiopian skull be missing link? - Mar 25, 2006
CNN.com - Could Ethiopian skull be missing link? - Mar 25, 2006: "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Scientists in northeastern Ethiopia said Saturday that they have discovered the skull of a small human ancestor that could be a missing link between the extinct Homo erectus and modern man."
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Super Earth
Top News | Reuters.co.ca: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A cold, heavy 'super-Earth' has been found orbiting a distant star, using a method that holds promise for detecting faraway planets that closely resemble our own, astronomers said on Monday.
The planet weighs 13 times as much as Earth and is orbiting a star about 9,000 light-years away. But instead of circling close to its star, as Earth does, this 'super-Earth' is about as distant from its star as Jupiter and Saturn are from the Sun.
An international team of scientists figured the new planet probably has a temperature of minus 330 degrees F (minus 201 C), making it one of the coldest planets detected outside our solar system.
The discovery is billed as a super-Earth because it is thought to be a rocky, terrestrial planet like Earth, even though it is much more massive.
The planet was detected by astronomers using a project called OGLE -- short for Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment -- which looks for changes in light coming from distant stars."
The planet weighs 13 times as much as Earth and is orbiting a star about 9,000 light-years away. But instead of circling close to its star, as Earth does, this 'super-Earth' is about as distant from its star as Jupiter and Saturn are from the Sun.
An international team of scientists figured the new planet probably has a temperature of minus 330 degrees F (minus 201 C), making it one of the coldest planets detected outside our solar system.
The discovery is billed as a super-Earth because it is thought to be a rocky, terrestrial planet like Earth, even though it is much more massive.
The planet was detected by astronomers using a project called OGLE -- short for Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment -- which looks for changes in light coming from distant stars."
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Goat Repellent
CNN.com - Tiger poo, the new black gold - Feb 17, 2006: "Tiger poo, the new black gold
Friday, February 17, 2006; Posted: 12:19 p.m. EST (17:19 GMT)
CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- A tiger's roar might be scary, but Australian researchers have found that the predator's poo is just as potent.
Researchers at the University of Queensland said on Friday they had successfully trailed a tiger poo repellant, warding off wild goats for at least three days.
'Goats wouldn't have seen a tiger from an evolutionary point of view for at least 15 generations but they recognize the smell of the predator,' repellent creator Peter Murray said in a statement.
'If we can show this lasts weeks ... we've just tapped into probably a billion-dollar marke"
Friday, February 17, 2006; Posted: 12:19 p.m. EST (17:19 GMT)
CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- A tiger's roar might be scary, but Australian researchers have found that the predator's poo is just as potent.
Researchers at the University of Queensland said on Friday they had successfully trailed a tiger poo repellant, warding off wild goats for at least three days.
'Goats wouldn't have seen a tiger from an evolutionary point of view for at least 15 generations but they recognize the smell of the predator,' repellent creator Peter Murray said in a statement.
'If we can show this lasts weeks ... we've just tapped into probably a billion-dollar marke"
Friday, February 17, 2006
Glacier Melt Could Signal Faster Rise in Ocean Levels
Glacier Melt Could Signal Faster Rise in Ocean Levels: "Glacier Melt Could Signal Faster Rise in Ocean Levels
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 17, 2006; Page A01
Greenland's glaciers are melting into the sea twice as fast as previously believed, the result of a warming trend that renders obsolete predictions of how quickly Earth's oceans will rise over the next century, scientists said yesterday.
The new data come from satellite imagery and give fresh urgency to worries about the role of human activity in global warming. The Greenland data are mirrored by findings from Bolivia to the Himalayas, scientists said, noting that rising sea levels threaten widespread flooding and severe storm damage in low-lying areas worldwide."
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 17, 2006; Page A01
Greenland's glaciers are melting into the sea twice as fast as previously believed, the result of a warming trend that renders obsolete predictions of how quickly Earth's oceans will rise over the next century, scientists said yesterday.
The new data come from satellite imagery and give fresh urgency to worries about the role of human activity in global warming. The Greenland data are mirrored by findings from Bolivia to the Himalayas, scientists said, noting that rising sea levels threaten widespread flooding and severe storm damage in low-lying areas worldwide."
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
�Lost World� of wildlife found in Indonesia - Environment - MSNBC.com
�Lost World� of wildlife found in Indonesia - Environment - MSNBC.com: ": 11:49 a.m. ET Feb. 7, 2006
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Describing it as the discovery of a �Lost World,� conservation groups and Indonesia on Tuesday said an expedition to one of Asia�s most isolated jungles had found several dozen new species of frogs, butterflies, flowers and birds.
�It�s as close to the Garden of Eden as you�re going to find on Earth,� Bruce Beehler, a Conservation International scientist who led the expedition, said in a statement.
�The first bird we saw at our camp was a new species,� he added. �Large mammals that have been hunted to near extinction elsewhere were here in abundance. We were able to simply pick up two Long-Beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal that is little known.�"
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Describing it as the discovery of a �Lost World,� conservation groups and Indonesia on Tuesday said an expedition to one of Asia�s most isolated jungles had found several dozen new species of frogs, butterflies, flowers and birds.
�It�s as close to the Garden of Eden as you�re going to find on Earth,� Bruce Beehler, a Conservation International scientist who led the expedition, said in a statement.
�The first bird we saw at our camp was a new species,� he added. �Large mammals that have been hunted to near extinction elsewhere were here in abundance. We were able to simply pick up two Long-Beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal that is little known.�"
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