5.24.2014

Don't leave home without one

Cartoon: Guns everywhere

And when has this guy ever steered you wrong?

Putin Slams U.S. Special Forces As ‘Unprofessional’ For Letting Snowden Slip | Fortuna's Corner

"Putin suggested that while handing over intelligence might have been a fair trade for Russia’s provision of asylum, Snowden ‘is not our agent, and gave up no secrets.’"

Ooops

Accused bank thief had just tried to open account in his name, feds say - Chicago Sun-Times

"William Rozelle, 30, of North Chicago, even allegedly handed bank tellers his driver’s license before making off with $87,000 in cash from a TCF Bank in Waukegan on Wednesday."

5.23.2014

Got sky?

Never-before-seen meteor shower set to appear tonight

"Coming to a circumpolar constellation near you: An all-new, never-before-seen, awkwardly named meteor shower that just might knock your astronomical socks off."

So far so good

Amazon, Groupon among sites with worst password security: Study

"The site that scored the highest was Apple."

Good news for Earthlings

"Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication" | NASA

Avocados are green, aren't they?

Krispy Kreme triple cheeseburger headed to San Diego County Fair  - NY Daily News

"The heart-stopping dish is by Chicken Charlie's, a staple of county fairs across California, which describes itself as 'home to creative culinary concoctions and all things deep fried.' That includes fried Oreos, Klondike Bars, Twinkies … and avocados."

5.22.2014

And I thought Massachusetts was full of 'em

Is Your State a Land of Hippies or Is it Full of Squares? | Estately Blog

Whoa, just stop right there

7 tons of hummus…

A person could begin to lose patience with GM

UPDATE 2-GM recalls another 2.6 mln vehicles, doubles 2nd-quarter charge | Reuters

"DETROIT, May 20 (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Tuesday it is recalling another 2.6 million vehicles globally, raising the number of vehicles it has recalled so far this year to almost 15.4 million.

"The latest actions cover possible faulty seat belts, transmissions, air bags and fire issues, and mostly affected vehicles sold in the United States.

"GM is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Congress, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and several states…"

Finally! A Cure For the Love Glut, or The End Of TV As We Know It

If I Could Just Stop Loving You: Anti-Love Biotechnology and the Ethics of a Chemical Breakup

"The ancients thought that treatments such as phlebotomy, exercise, or bloodletting could ‘cure’ an individual of love. But modern neuroscience and emerging developments in psychopharmacology open up a range of possible interventions that might actually work."

Peaches

Didn’t look quite good enough to buy but still, it’s a start. And it sounds like we may have the first thunderboomer of the season rolling down the hill, this way.

But what are the odds?

AP Exclusive: Air Force Security Failed Nuke Test : NPR

"Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered two parallel nuclear reviews, still underway, to address his concern that these lapses could erode public trust in the security of the nation's nuclear weapons."

[Emphasis added.]

5.21.2014

Reds…

…just don't seem to reproduce as well on digital cameras as on film. But there's this big, outrageously red bush outside the back door. I can't resist it. I keep trying.

We are counting the days

Google ads could be coming to thermostats, refrigerators and car dashboards

And you thought your commencement was boring

Let’s Cancel All the Commencement Addresses - Casey N. Cep - POLITICO Magazine

"At Harvard’s first commencement in 1642, every single member of the graduating class gave an address in Greek, Hebrew or Latin. "

A rose may be a rose by any other name, but…

Japanese School Says It Won't Be Kinki Anymore : The Two-Way : NPR

"Osaka's Kinki University is named for its home region in south-central Japan. But school officials say the name is distracting; they note that foreigners who attend conferences there often make jokes about their visit to the Kinki school."

For a good time call Paraguay

Where Are The World's Positive Vibes? : The Two-Way : NPR

[And we didn’t even know they were missing.]

"Dog Bites Man" is no news, but "Bulls Win"?

News from The Associated Press

"MADRID (AP) -- Spanish bulls have scored a symbolic victory at Madrid's prestigious Las Ventas ring by injuring three matadors and forcing organizers to call off the bullfight."

Oh oh – everybody get on this side and push

FRENCH JOIN THE LIST OF COSTLY ENGINEERING ERRORS

"Nearly 1,300 stations are just a few centimeters (inches) too narrow for the 341 new trains that were to be introduced between now and 2016."

This is even worse than Obamacare

More Hispanics Declaring Themselves White - NYTimes.com

"There is mounting evidence that Hispanics are succeeding in American society at a pace similar to that of prior waves of European immigrants."

If the world becomes sane, what’ll be left to bitch about?

5.20.2014

But privacy!

Exclusive: Al Qaeda's American Fighters Are Coming Home -- And U.S. Intelligence Can't Find Them - The Daily Beast

"‘This raises our concern that radicalized individuals with extremist contacts and battlefield experience could return to their home countries to commit violence on their own initiative or participate in al Qaeda-directed plots aimed at Western targets outside of Syria…’ "

Wait, isn't this called a scholarship?

Freakonomics » How About Paying Parents for Their Kids’ Good Grade? This Guy Is Really Thinking Like a Freak

Is this the beginning of the end?

OK, it turns out around here "choice" means "changing schools." Dang. And all these years I thought it meant eating strawberry instead of butter pecan.

The price of fashion goes up (along with skirts)

CANNES WATCH: Wind bedevils outfits on the carpet | Inquirer Entertainment

Loves him some money

Man held after attempting sex with ATM, picnic table

"'Once at the ATM, Mr. Hutton pulled down his pants and underwear exposing his genitals, Mr. Hutton then attempted to have sexual intercourse with the ATM.'"

Like really, really hard

Clay Aiken: Celebrity status is ‘mountain to climb’ in Congress race | OnPolitics

"Asked whether American Idol or politics is harder, Aiken didn’t miss a beat with his response: ‘Politics.’"

So can you major in Twitter now?

News from The Associated Press

"'There is a general digital fear,' says Glenn Platt, professor of interactive media studies at Miami University."

Remembering Milo

Pakistan Seeks Chinese Drones? | The Diplomat

"Pakistan’s desire to acquire armed drones is no secret. It has urged the U.S. to sell it armed drones for years, which Washington has refused to do."

[Minderbinder]

Bring back butter!

People who starved to death in the US correlates with Per capita consumption of margarine (US)

YA thing we don't do

U.S. Cites End to C.I.A. Ruses Using Vaccines - NYTimes.com

" ‘While political and security agendas may by necessity induce collateral damage, we as a society set boundaries on these damages, and we believe this sham vaccination campaign exceeded those damages,’ the educators’ letter said."

The days of glory

Cubs’ Last Link to a World Series - NYTimes.com

"When his former teammate Andy Pafko died last year, Merullo became the last surviving player from the 1945 Cubs. By virtue of the team’s futility, he is the only living ballplayer to have worn a Cubs uniform in the World Series…"

And for extra points (and a lot less work):

Laughter Amid the Tears — A Cubs Quiz

5.19.2014

We can't wait

Here's why AT&T is trying to buy DirecTV | The Verge

"'If you thought the net neutrality folks were angry before, this is really gonna set them off.'"

Is it just me or does this make no sense at all?

Anonymous social network Whisper now lets you search for secrets in your city | The Verge

"Whisper is one of a growing group of social networks designed to let its users post anonymous messages for the world to read. "

When did “social” become “anonymous”? Or vice versa. You can be one (fine) or you can be the other (swell), but how can you be both?

Also, why do I feel so old?

OK, now this is serious

Letters in Winning Word of Scripps National Spelling Bee correlates with Number of people killed by venomous spiders

(Sometimes I’m happy I can’t spell.)

Would leaning some other way make things better or worse?

Student Debt Grows Faster at Universities With Highest-Paid Leaders, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

"At the 25 public universities with the highest-paid presidents, both student debt and the use of part-time adjunct faculty grew far faster than at the average state university from 2005 to 2012, according to a new study by the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-leaning Washington research group."

And for whom?

Avoid more work than ever!

Old writers are boring? Library scans Oscar Wilde’s sodomy defamation suit | Ars Technica

"After hearing that a set of English teachers believe 82 percent of their students have a hard time identifying with Victorian- and Romantic-era writers, the British Library created an archive of 'literary treasures' for students to explore."

The article’s there, the library’s here.

It's all your fault, you perverts

5 conservative delusions that are getting more insane every day - Salon.com

"Bresciani seems to accept that climate change is happening, but claims it’s for biblical reasons. ‘All that the Bible reveals about climate changed is part of the pre-millennial prophetic message. It does say that earthquakes and violent storms, fires and other natural disasters will occur with greater intensity and frequency as the ‘last days’ approach, but it clearly says these are ‘birth pangs’ for a planet about to meet its creator.’ Instead of blaming carbon emissions, he blames ‘everything perverted, liberal and dehumanizing.’"

[Emphasis added.]

Thou shalt not live by bread

The complimentary restaurant breadbasket is disappearing - Food & dining - The Boston Globe

"Meanwhile, with bread-stress rampant, the breadbasket of the future has already arrived at Sweet Basil, in Needham. There, diners sometimes bring in their own gluten-free bread, have it put in a basket and served right back to them.

"‘We’ll heat it up for them,’ said owner David Becker. ‘Who am I to tell them what they can and can’t do?’"

5.18.2014

An essential primer…

…noted by SGIS:

The 31 Greatest Moments In The History Of Irony

We'll take your word

Gin's Responsibility for the British Empire | New Republic

"Without quinine, malaria would have felled the conquerors; without gin to alleviate the bitterness of this highly effective anti-malarial, the soldiers would have refused to down their medicine."

Awww, that's just cute

Nasal Strip Could Clog Chrome's Triple Crown Bid - ABC News

"California Chrome might abandon his Triple Crown bid if New York officials do not allow the colt to wear a nasal strip in the Belmont Stakes.…

"Other states allow nasal strips while racing, and even some jockeys wear them."

Pretty grumpy there, P.J.

My Commencement Speech to Rutgers’ Geniuses: Go Forth and Fail - The Daily Beast

"Can you spell KFC?"

The invasion of the (weird) green blobs

Intriguing Lime Green Blobs Appear In The Andes Mountains. Are They Alive? : Krulwich Wonders... : NPR

"They look like green gift-wrapping. One imagines that they are mold-like, wrapping themselves around boulders. But that's wrong. The truth is much weirder."

The Southwest dries up

Five horrifying maps of America's massive drought - Vox

"The drought is affecting farmers and ranchers across the country. At least 54 percent of the US wheat crop has been hit by drought, 30 percent of the corn crop, and 48 percent of cattle."