BMEWS
 
Sarah Palin's presence in the lower 48 means the Arctic ice cap can finally return.

calendar   Monday - December 21, 2009

Bad Me

I guess I’m an official New Jersey resident now. I hit a deer with the car on the way to bowling tonight. We were going up the back way to Washington, which avoids all the lights and traffic on the local highway, and takes us down a woodsy but fairly high speed road. It was after dark, about 10 after 6. A vehicle was coming the other way, and when he was about a half second ahead of me I saw the briefest flicker across his headlights. “DEER!!” screams my wife, who has the best deer-dar (radar for deer spotting. Like gay-dar, only with antlers sometimes) I’ve ever seen. But as she was screaming and scrunching down into her seat I was stamping on the brakes. Too late. All I saw was a black dot (hoof, nose?) and some white underbelly passing in front of the car, below the hood level. Bam, ba-bump. Caught her on the spoiler below the bumper and went right over her with the front right tire.

Stone dead. Wife was semi-pissed at me because I wasn’t alert enough. I think the oncoming car hit the deer first and bounced it under our car. I’ve seen that happen right in front of me many times before, but always a little further away so I could stop or swerve. I simply didn’t have any time for that this time. That’s how it had to have happened; the nose of our car only comes up to mid-thigh; it’s an ‘03 Sentra. And the deer went under. Even the little micro-deer in NJ are taller than this car’s hood. If I’d hit it square on all by myself it would have flipped up over the hood and come right through the windshield.

Damage to the car - her car of course - is fairly slight. Tore a chunk out of the spoiler below the front bumper, got a tuft of hair stuck behind the headlight fascia. Couldn’t tell more than that since it was dark. I’ll call my insurance company tomorrow and see what can be done.

Poor deer. Sorry God.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/21/2009 at 10:58 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
Comments (10) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Unless it’s from Tesco, you’re hard up, and you really really want it



big_uk_flag



Father Tim: ‘My advice to poor is to shoplift’



A clergyman has been criticised as ‘highly irresponsible’ after advising his congregation to shoplift following his Nativity sermon.

[Anglican] Father Tim Jones, 41, broke off from his traditional annual sermon yesterday to tell his flock that stealing from large chains is sometimes the best option for vulnerable people.

It is far better for people desperate during the recession to shoplift than turn to ‘prostitution, mugging or burglary’, he said.

The married father-of-two insisted his unusual advice did not break the Bible commandment ‘Thou shalt not steal’ - because God’s love for the poor outweighs his love for the rich.

But the minister’s controversial sermon at St Lawrence Church in York has been slammed by police, the British Retail Consortium and a local MP, who all say that no matter what the circumstances, shoplifting is an offence.

Delivering his festive lesson, Father Jones told the congregation: ‘My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.

‘I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.



This bit of modern moral relativism brought to you by

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Next week: adultery - is it really that big a deal after all?


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Um, why can’t the po’ brits get some of those £1000 a week handouts like the muzzie terrorists religious leaders seem to latch onto left and right?


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/21/2009 at 04:45 PM   
Filed Under: • MiscellaneousReligionUK •  
Comments (7) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Climate Conference Generates Nothing But Hot Air ….. continued …

I read someplace but really can not confirm, that the millionaire gas bags at this get together has over a thousand limos for their use. They also had like 34 thousand ppl with em. Aids, secretaries etc.  Then some (Like Tony Blair) flew in on private jets to make speeches.  What. They couldn’t use buses? Share planes?
Personally, I wouldn’t either if the folks footing the bill were happy enuff with how I was spending their money.

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(c) peter brookes

Turn down the heat on warming

By Peter McKay

Half of the world’s population - probably more - don’t believe our carbon emissions damage the planet anyway. Far more haven’t even given consideration to the matter.

Even those who do believe we’re responsible for global warming are hopelessly divided. Some think we contribute to it while not being the real cause. Others think we’re the real cause but it’s already too late to do anything about it.

The BBC tells us the science is clear about the dangers, but there were plenty of reasons to doubt this, even before we saw the emails indicating that the experts responsible were tailoring their reports to fit the ‘we’re all doomed’ scenario.

What is clear is the opportunity ‘global warming’ presents for posturing by politicians. Desperate to be elected PM before he’s put out to grass, Gordon Brown said: ‘I came here wanting the most ambitious deal possible. We have made a start.’

He ‘showed great leadership at Copenhagen’ say his supporters. But, according to The Observer, it was Energy Secretary Ed Miliband who salvaged the deal ‘just as it appeared on the verge of being rejected’.

‘Even those who do believe we’re responsible for global warming are hopelessly divided’

President Barack Obama’s spin doctors were talking up his performance, but in Europe it was seen to have been poor.

for more, go HERE

As long as I mentioned Hot Air, here’s the Brit PM who has the answer that’s gonna save us all.  His own country is in the crapper but he’s got the answer for saving the world.  Read All About It! paper,paper ... whoops. get lost in nostalgia from time to time.


Copenhagen climate summit: plan for EU to police countries’ emissions

Gordon Brown is drawing up plans for the European Union to become a global warming “policeman”, monitoring individual countries’ compliance with carbon-cutting targets.

By James Kirkup, and Louise Gray

The plan emerged from the chaotic Copenhagen conference on climate change, which ended in acrimony and mistrust between world leaders.

The summit was unable to reach a substantive deal on cutting greenhouse gases because of a row over how countries would prove that they are honouring promises to cut their carbon emissions. China in particular objected to any external monitoring of its actions.

HERE FOR THE REST AND VIDEO

NUTS!  Must restart puter ... problems.  see link above for whole article.


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 12/21/2009 at 05:18 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-WeatherInternational •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Saturday - December 19, 2009

Absolute Disgrace

Senator Nelson (D-NE) Wipes Ass With Constitution


Reid Bribes Nelson To Vote For ObamaCare

Nature of Bribe: Nebraska will be exempt from State pay-in for Medicaid Expansion

All the other states will carry the load for Nebraska




Article 1 Section 9 part 6 of the Constitution:

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

Article 4 Section 2:

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.

Plain as day: you can’t make laws that give one state preferential treatment. And this didn’t stop them. Hell, it didn’t even slow them down.  And yet ...

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“… the state of Nebraska ... shall be determined as provided for ... “ is government-speak for “They don’t have to pay. Everyone else will pay for them”.

Read this and rise up!

a HUGE h/t to Vilmar, who ran the Nelson Sell Out story earlier today.

Nelson’s money quote:

Nelson secured full federal funding for his state to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Other states must pay a small portion of the additional cost.

“I know this is hard for some of my colleagues to accept and I appreciate their right to disagree,” Nelson told reporters at the Capitol, of the many changes made at his behest. “But I would not have voted for this bill without these provisions.”

“Their right to disagree”? How about our right to have you thrown out of office. Damnation, I want a new amendment. Part 1: any new bill must prove that it is constitutional. Part 2: any elected representative who introduces any legislation at the federal level that becomes law and is later found to be unconstitutional will be executed by flaming arrows to the groin.”

Want to stay up nights? It’s going to take that Wise Latina and the rest of the SCOTUS to overturn this train wreck.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/19/2009 at 08:10 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists •  
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Make Your Own Fire Water

As the snow piles up here in New Jersey, the cold wind whipping around, and I wimp out about going to a party 4 miles and 4 steep and dark hills away, here is a neat-o last minute Christmas gift idea for any geeks, dweebs, and people with a bit of a twisted sense of humor on your list.

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LED Faucet Light, $19.99


Mouthwash on tap! Bowls full of blood! Rocket powered water! No, it’s none of these things, although it looks like it could be any of them. It’s just an aerator for your faucet that has several little LEDs built into it. As the water gets warmer the lights change color from blue to red, passing through yellow I think (ROY G. BIV in reverse). While the effect is visible in daylight, in the dark it will light up the whole room with it’s unearthly glow.

Tired of that same old monotonous water? Bored with water that doesn’t look like futuristic alien mouthwash? Need to make your midnight bathroom appointments more exhilarating? Then you need to get the LED faucet light attachment from ThinkGeek. You can turn any faucet in your home into a streaming fantasia of techie-bliss in just minutes. How does it work? Just attach to the end of your faucet (universal adapters included), and when the water flows through the magic chamber, it simply turns on the LED array and illuminates the stream with soothingly powerful hues.

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Looks like a sink built by NASA!

But wait, there’s more! Not only does your water light up, but the color light changes with the water’s temperature. When the water is cold, you see BLUE LED’s until the water temperature hits 89 degrees after which the LEDs turn RED (now with a brushed chrome finish)!




For those who might find blood pouring from their faucets a bit too exciting, ThinkGeek also sells a version made only with blue LEDs. The screw-on device is 2 1/4” tall, so I’d recommend it only for faucets that are fairly tall to begin with.



Get yours now at this link. Comes with spare batteries too, so the thrill lasts longer!

For $39.99 they also sell a shower head version.
... and if the idea of a shower of red water puts you in mind of Norman Bates, they carry the proper blood-stained shower curtain and bath mat too.



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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/19/2009 at 07:20 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-StuffHolidays •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

A Big Waste Of Carbon

COP15 Climate Conference Generates Nothing But Hot Air

like you thought it would do anything else??



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Oh sure, the caption says somebody is reaching to shake his hand.

But it sure looks like he just got bitch slapped in Denmark again, don’t it?



Obama Goes 0 for 2 in Copenhagen

or should that be CO for 2?



The UN climate summit reached a weak outline of a global agreement last night in Copenhagen, falling far short of what Britain and many poor countries were seeking and leaving months of tough negotiations to come.

After eight draft texts and all-day talks between 115 world leaders, it was left to Barack Obama and Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, to broker a political agreement. The so-called Copenhagen accord “recognises” the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than 2C but did not contain commitments to emissions reductions to achieve that goal.

American officials spun the deal as a “meaningful agreement”, but even Obama said: “This progress is not enough.”

“We have come a long way, but we have much further to go,” he added.

The deal was brokered between China, South Africa, India, Brazil and the US, but late last night it was still unclear whether it would be adopted by all 192 countries in the full plenary session.

The agreement aims to provide $30bn in funding for poor countries to adapt to climate change from next year to 2012, and $100bn a year after 2020.

That translates as “bribes for tyrants”.

But it disappointed African and other vulnerable countries who had been holding out for far deeper emission cuts to hold the global temperature rise to 1.5C this century.

That translates as “the bribes for tyrants were not big enough”.

The agreement also set up a forestry deal which is hoped would significantly reduce deforestation in return for cash.

That translates as “bribes for tyrants who have trees”.

It lacked the kind of independent verification of emission reductions by developing countries that the US and others demanded.

Well no shit. What, you expected them to actually do something with the money, and let you look?

Obama hinted that China was to blame for the lack of a substantial deal.

Why, was Bush in China this week?



And the real big money quote is .... [drum roll please] ...

Lumumba Di-Aping, chief negotiator for the G77 group of 130 developing countries, said the deal had “the lowest level of ambition you can imagine. It’s nothing short of climate change scepticism in action. It locks countries into a cycle of poverty for ever. Obama has eliminated any difference between him and Bush.

Obama is Bush! Oh the irony is just too much. So does this mean that Obama is thus Hitler? No, because at least Hitler came home with the Olympics.



FAIL


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/19/2009 at 01:47 PM   
Filed Under: • Climate-WeatherObama, The One •  
Comments (6) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

WEEKEND WOMEN ….

Brit actress leads off this weeks collection and this is about the best shot I found.  She’s in a well known TV series here. It’s a soaper called EastEnders.
I found a color shot but didn’t like it so changed it to blk & wht.  I think it looks better this way.  DO NOT VISIT her UNOFFICIAL SITE.  Of course now you will but I have to warn you that I think it might be buggy or worse.  I didn’t see any warning from FFox or McAfee but when you suddenly find yourself someplace you don’t wanna be, that’s a warning to me.  This shot came from a safe site.

RITA SIMONS

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Wanna talk about powerful women, here’s one for ya.  Right. You want to look. Fine. She’s a co-founder and head honcho of Jimmy Choo Shoes. Means zip to me but I understand women know the line.  Though I’m confused. Ladies, if there be any, how many ways can those things you walk in be designed?  There always seems to be so little in em and you pay so much.  Of course I love seeing you in em and they do accentuate the legs and curve of the calf etc.  I’m not sure about the bikini to be honest.  Sometimes showing less is sexier.  Showing almost all leaves nothing to dream about.  I wonder if she’s related to the famous Mellon banking fortune.
So then here’s

TAMARA MELLON


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For more of lovely Tamara, see below the fold.

Seems to get harder and harder to find the exact olde time photos I love so much. I find em okay but lately what I’m finding is a lot of watermarked and copy write stuff I can’t copy.  I’ll keep looking though cause I enjoy the natural looks of those women.  Like this one from the early 1900s. I don’t have the exact date but it doesn’t seem to matter. She was so darn pretty. And even her hair looked ok although once again, modern hair styles would have framed this pretty face better. 

MISS PEGGY KURTON (actress)

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I only know this lady is a model cos it said so somewhere. Never heard of her but then you can put that down to age. Regardless, she sure is pretty and so belongs here.  And what an unusual name. I kinda like it. I think. ?

TAMSIN EGERTON

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When you folks were growing up and were itty biddy children, did your children’s doctor look like ...

DOCTOR KATE JAMES

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OH MY GOSH BY GOLLY ... I LOVE THIS.  It’s a 1935 Doozy. Or is it spelled Duzy?  Whatever ... it’s a

Duesenberg

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That’s all for today.  Bye-bye. 

Art work in silk by CAROLINE YOUNG.  http://www.carolineyoung.com/

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See More Below The Fold

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Posted by peiper   United States  on 12/19/2009 at 05:54 AM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Friday - December 18, 2009

Kartoffelreibe!

Christmas Comes Early!



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Woo hoo! I found one! I know what it is but I have no idea how to pronounce it!! car-toffel-reeb? cart-off-el-ray-be? Is there a German in the house?

Amazon.com is out of them and can’t say when they’ll have more. They have the cheap chrome plated Chinese knock-off, but you know how I feel about chicom steel. Not in this lifetime, thanks. I could have ordered one from Germany for €20 plus shipping. Expensive! I found a set of 3 used old ones at an online antiques site, all dark and dingy looking. Um, no. And then I found this one, relatively right down the road in Philadelphia, at fantes.com. The same cookware shop that sells the $1550 duck press. It got here in just 2 days.

Fantes does not know what they are selling. Their label on the back says it’s made in Italy. The online description does not mention that it’s made by KuchenProfi, only that it’s 18/10 stainless. And maybe that’s a good thing, since they’re only charging $15.99 for it.

No, this is the real deal. This is the holy grail of square wire potato graters. Cat’s meow, bee’s knees, et cetera. A proper old world tool. Square wire stainless steel, twisted one full turn between each intersection, and all intersections welded. Rarer than hen’s teeth in the USA too. And it’s dangerous. I’ve torn up my fingertips and knuckles using these things in the past, so my next search is to find a vegetable holder thingy from a mandolin slicer. It’s hard work to tear up a potato with one of these, but it’s worth it. Nothing else gives you the proper texture.

I already own one of these graters. It’s around here somewhere. Between the we’re-almost-moving, the not-quite-unpacking, and the way that any kitchen gadget not used constantly always manages to work it’s way into the dark recesses of your cupboards ... I have no idea where it might be. So I hunted down the real McCoy and ordered it, then ran right out and bought a bag of proper Russet potatoes. And an onion. I already had sour cream, good butter, and applesauce.

The weather forecast says we’re getting a foot of snow tonight. So we’ll probably be stuck in the house until Sunday. And that means ... it’s tater pancake time!! I’ve got a nice bottle of spätlese to drink with it too, though I have no idea how to pronounce that one either. And 3 kinds of pork products to fry up and use as side dishes. Yum!


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/18/2009 at 06:43 PM   
Filed Under: • Fine-DiningFun-Stuff •  
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BORDER CONTROL IN THE EUROPEAN UNION.  ZERO, AS IN, HUH?  WHAT BORDER?

Now then folks, about this really odd thing referred to in the old bygone days.

National Sovereignty.

Huh?  Say What?  How you spell that?

A gaping hole in our £1.2bn ‘eborder’ net: Crackdown is hopelessly diluted to meet EU law

By James Slack
Home Affairs Editor
Daily Mail
December 18, 2009

Labour’s £1.2billion ‘electronic borders’ scheme to protect Britain from illegal immigrants and terrorists descended into a shambles last night.

The project’s success depends on logging every passenger movement in and out of the UK so police, border guards and the security service know who is here.

But, in order for the scheme to be ruled legal by EU bureaucrats, the Government has been forced to make a raft of concessions to Brussels.

These include EU citizens and their relatives - regardless of nationality - being allowed to enter the UK even if they refuse to hand over their personal details in advance.

Effectively, the crucial compulsory element of the eborders scheme has been stripped away for millions of people.

Even non-EU citizens will be entitled to fly to Britain without providing the details in advance to eborders so they could be scrutinised. They could, however, then be refused entry.

There is also a promise that carriers - such as airlines - will not face sanctions if they do not pass on passenger data.

It leaves a potentially gaping hole at the heart of a flagship policy which was supposed to make borders secure.

The fiasco emerged on a day of drama for the Home Office, which had been insisting all was going to plan with the hugely expensive project.

The scheme involved forcing passengers to give a raft of details before making any journey via UK ports and airports so these could be shared among police and customs officials.

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THIS IS A HUGE EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVT. MINISTERS. THEY HAVE SET UP THIS ELABORATE, HUGELY EXPENSIVE SYSTEM AND THE COMMISSION IS TELLING THEM IT ONLY WORKS IF PEOPLE VOLUNTEER.

SOURCE

EU Related:  Microsoft (MSFT) which I know some folks pronounce as mis-fit, (ok. that was me) which isn’t really fair of me, has had to agree that furture releases of the OS MUST include 12 browser choices.  Freekin commie rat bastards.  We all know the top 4 or 5. Even someone as lo-tech as me. Has anyone here had any trouble ever, finding another browser to use because MSFT did not bundle it with their os?  Jeez.  These euro ass wipes get to me. They have nothing better to do.  They have already fined Microsoft millions, or is it billions? I forgot. They were fined for being a monopoly. I know some of you have had less then flattering things to say about MSFT in the past and I’m not suggesting they are above criticism. But I think the commission (EC) went after deep pockets in their case.  Now they make this dumb demand.  It’s a small thing I suppose and it probably bothers me more then it does MSFT.
I just think they get their jollies going after a large American company.


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Posted by peiper   United States  on 12/18/2009 at 01:35 PM   
Filed Under: • CULTURE IN DECLINEEUro-peonsUK •  
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Is there a biologist in the house?

Maybe I was wrong




Cruising through the recent comments, I found Corsair’s jest about a shark named Bob. This awoke a very old memory, and caused me to do a bit of research. I’m not a biologist. I don’t even play on one TV. I’ve only studied it for a couple semesters and that was lifetimes ago. So ... where do you draw the line with taxonomy?

Kingdom, Phylum, (sub-phylum), Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Let’s put every kind of life in the proper category, nice and neat. And absolute.

Sharks:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous “fishes")
Order - Elasmobranchii

Halibut:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Osteichthyes (bony “fishes")
Order - Pleuronectiformes

People:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Primates

Duck Billed Platypuses:
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Sub-Phylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Monotremata

Even though sharks and halibut appear to be related by the common word “fishes” at the Class level, you have to go up to the Sub-Phylum level to connect their clades (evolutionary branches). Human beings and duck billed platypussessesesii belong to the same Class, and differ at the lower Order level.

So is it fair to say that people are more closely related to platypii then sharks are to halibut?

There is another Class of “fishes”, called agnatha, which embraces the jawless fish like lampreys. Now, agnatha is also a superclass within the sub-phylum vertebrata, so as to exclude “things with gills that live in water and have jawbones” which are called gnathostomes. Ok, fine, I’m down with that. Super-Class fits in below Sub-Phylum and above Class, though using agnatha both as class and super-class seems to be bending the rules a bit.

So which taxonomic label does the “category” “fish” belong to? Is this a super-class? If so it doesn’t seem official (no Latin or Greek name for it) but it does seem like common sense. Wikipedia puts up a diagram which implies a super-class, and they give a broad definition of fish as

A fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins.

Ok, do we have a big AH HA!!! moment here? Because sharks don’t have scales. They have skin. Or do they? While they don’t have the big obvious scales of regular fish (teleosts), they do have very tiny platelets on their skin called dermal denticles. Literally “teeth on the skin”. So, are these teeth, or scales? I don’t know.



Why am I asking this? Well, if you thought I was tenacious about the mount for that ADA bathroom sink I have to repair, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

I was a very bright child. Far too smart for my own good. Knew how to read before kindergarten, knew “big words” at such a young age that I was helping my 2nd grade teacher with her vocabulary when she couldn’t express herself satisfactorily. Did complex math in my head, had all the school books read and pretty much memorized by October. I was the kid who had his hand up to answer the question, every question, long before the teacher was finished asking it. In other words, I was probably a holy terror. A real challenge in a public school system geared to the low average student. I was also very high energy, very exacting, and impatient. Major recipe for loneliness there.

Anyway, in 2nd or 3rd grade we had this meaningless little assignment. Here’s a handout with several words on it, and pictures of some of those things. Draw a line between the word and the picture.
One word was “fish” and the picture was of a shark. I left it blank. I got that one wrong. I put up a fight. I went to the principal’s office. He was a decent guy, and already knowing about my abilities, he wondered why I didn’t draw that line. “Because a shark is not a fish”, I told him, “it’s an elasmobranch”. Second grade. Heck, I’d already been to sea. We’d taken a couple sailing vacations, out on the open ocean, and I’d seen a shark with my own eyes. And my parents both had huge amounts of undergraduate science. When I asked questions I got real answers. None of that “because I said so” nonsense. So yeah, I knew the difference. No swim bladder, no actual bones, no scales, no gill pump, no urea excretory system, etc.

Nearly 45 years later it still bothers me. No, not being sent to the principal’s. That happened all the time. What bothers me is the gray area in the taxonomic stratification. Because “fish” isn’t really a formal super-class. Shouldn’t it be? And there is no room for informal in there at all. So can it be ignored? Every beastie in its proper place. Absolute certainty. Taxonomy, like mathematics, is one of those few things that are dependably black and white. And whenever I see, hear, or read anything about sharks, I remember. And have that little nagging doubt. We’re talking about lifeforms that had fully diverged by the late Silurian period of the Paleozoic Era. 400 million years ago, maybe 370 at the very least. Twice as long ago as the dinosaurs. Is it fair to glom both with that same simplistic label?

Lest you think I’m wierd ... weirder ... I’m not the only person confused about the evolution and taxonomy of swimming critters. It’s all pretty fishy.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/18/2009 at 12:45 PM   
Filed Under: • Animals •  
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The latest Health and Safety nightmare.  Santa Claus?

At first, I was going to pass this by as simply another tired old gag on the evils of gift giving, and eating etc. Santa and no seat belt. You’ve seen all that before.

On the other hand, this guy may really and truly be serious and really believe what he’s saying.  I even had a discussion about it with the wife who thinks it’s not a joke ( as I thought) and that the “scholar” in question here is a product of the the Labour education system. She says they’re bringing kids up to be busy bodies who grow up and go into govt.  She does these really longish rants against this govt. every time something like this comes up.  And even when it doesn’t. 

If I ever want a divorce, all I’d have to do is suggest to her that maybe Labour is good and suggest she vote for them.

Santa a bad role model ‘because he promotes obesity and drink-driving’

By David Wilkes
17th December 2009

It’s lucky he comes but once a year - because Santa is very, very bad for our health.

The jolly gent is apparently a wayward influence on both parents and children, encouraging everything from obesity and drink-driving to risk-taking, his detractors say.

He doesn’t even wear a seat-belt in his sleigh. Public health expert Dr Nathan Grills is the Scrooge pointing the finger at poor old Father Christmas.

He even suggested Santa should go on a diet because his ‘rotund sedentary image’ equates obesity with cheerfulness.

He said: ‘To create a supportive environment for Santa’s dieting we should cease the tradition of leaving him cookies, mince pies, and milk, brandy, or sherry. This is bad not only for Santa’s waistline but for parental obesity.

‘When Santa is full, Dad is a willing helper. Santa might also be encouraged to adopt a more active method to deliver toys - swapping his reindeer for a bike or walking or jogging.’

Dr Grills, who completed his DPhil in public health under a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University, also warned that Santa’s habit of consuming a brandy at every home indicates a drink problem - and the more disturbing possibility of him drink-driving his sleigh.

‘Other dangerous activities that Santa could be accused of promoting include speeding, disregard for road rules, and extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping,’ he said in the (hopefully) tongue-in-cheek article in the British Medical Journal.

Dr Grills, who is based at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, was assessing the negative impact of Santa’s image on public health in literature and on the web.

Santa Claus was unavailable for comment

SANTA SOURCE

How do you guys read this?  I’m still inclined to think it’s a joke.  ??
But there seem to be a vast number of ppl who do not think so. 


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 12/18/2009 at 11:41 AM   
Filed Under: • MiscellaneousUK •  
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Iran getting too frisky

Iraqi Official Says Iranian Troops Seized Iraq Oil Well




Iraq’s deputy foreign minister says Iranian troops have seized an oil well in southern Iraq along their disputed border.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Haj Aziz said Friday that Iranian troops seized oil well No. 4 Thursday night.

He said he did not know whether Iranians were still in control of the oil well. He said the Foreign Ministry and the Oil Ministry are coordinating over what steps to take and were considering summoning the Iranian ambassador to discuss the issue on Saturday.

Such incidents have happened before along the Iran-Iraq border, which was never clearly delineated after the brutal war between the two countries in the 1980s.




Really? Disputed border? Never made clear? After the US military has been in Iraq for how many years now? What a total crock of puss. This is not even remotely possible, especially since Iran is a de-facto enemy state.

No, this is an overt act of aggression. Period. An act of war. Period. It’s Ahmadumjihad thumbing his nose at Obowma, the weak horse. And he’ll get away with it too.



“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”? “Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Haj Aziz”? I wonder if he’s related to old Tariq Aziz who held the Foreign Minister spot under Saddam? I hope not, but it’s very hard to tell. M. Aziz is a very common name over that way; there’s even a Saudi prince with that name who has a sports stadium named after him. To make matters worse, it seems that the DFM goes by at least one other name as well. Gee thanks. He’s Mohammed Haj Mahmoud according to some news reports:

BAGHDAD — Iranian troops have crossed into Iraqi territory and seized an oil well that lies in a disputed area along the two countries’ southern border, Iraq’s deputy foreign Minster said Friday.

The deputy minister, Mohammed Haj Mahmoud, said Iranian troops seized oil well No. 4 Thursday night in the al-Fakkah oil field, located about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. The oil field is one of Iraq’s largest.

Oil prices rose slightly after news of the incident.

“We are coordinating with the Oil Ministry regarding this issue. This is not the first time that the Iranians have tried to prevent Iraqis from investing in oil fields in border areas. Tomorrow, we might summon the Iranian ambassador to discuss this issue,” Mahmoud told The Associated Press.

The al-Fakkah field is considered a shared field between Iran and Iraq, meaning both nations are able to pump oil from it, but the Iraqis consider oil well No. 4 theirs. In Washington, a U.S. official said that although Iranians have crossed the border before, they had not previously ventured this far. Iraqi security forces were in the area, but there are no reports of any fighting or that any shots were fired, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

No U.S. troops were in the area. And the Iranians are believed to have left the area, he said.

Such incidents have happened before along the Iran-Iraq border, which was never clearly delineated after the brutal war between the two countries in the 1980s. Last year, the Iraqi Oil Ministry accused Iran of stealing oil from the al-Fakkah field and of illegally seizing and capping off wells in a second field that Iraq claims lies entirely within its territory. The two adjacent oil fields — Abu Gharb, which Iraq claims in its entirety, and al-Fakkah, the shared field — both lie in Maysan province.

Other news pages are carrying the same AP story, but with the trailer “(This version CORRECTS spelling of deputy foreign minister’s name.)”.

Regardless. It just amazes me that such a thing can happen. After all these years of occupation, and all those endless talks with Iran, I would have thought that the borders were long since settled, even if they were just a line in the sand. “A line in the sand”? And Ahmadinnerjacket crossed it? Are you paying attention here Obama?


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/18/2009 at 11:23 AM   
Filed Under: • IranIraq •  
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Rocket science factoid … England is an island. It’s a small country and a population less then USA

Amazing that. Who’d have guessed?

This is not a continent with a population in the hundreds of millions. However, it seems that nobody has shared that info with the pie in the sky prime minister,
Gordon Brown.  Who in a magnanimous gesture has just pledged an extra £6 billion to fight climate change. (what happened to warming?)

Where the hell is all this cash coming from?  I guess he’s gonna print more and get it from the same place he got the trillion to bail out the banks.

It has been promised at that meeting in Denmark, from which there seems to be an odd smelling odor, I think there’s something rotten there, that billions must be given to turd world countries to offset the effects of climate change and to help them as they are poor.  And guess what.  Some spokesman for Africa has already said that it won’t be enough.
No kidding but no surprise.

I’ve been listening to the radio again. Yeah I know.  That or the papers. I need to give one up as it’s all causing an ulcer.

Oh yeah ... America can be proud. Hilary has pledged US backing for a $100bn fund.

This country is in deep financial trouble.  These things do manage to right themselves after a time but how long is now the question.
Services are being cut and the govt. claims to be looking for ways to save. BUT ... MPs (Member of Parliament) have been found even AFTER the scandal of expenses to be, “CARRY ON CHEATING.” Not only that, a large group of MPs ( I think the number may be 81) have refused to return monies they took claiming a right to same.  It’s getting so that one doesn’t know who to believe anymore.  While I hope Labour is voted out, I am not certain the conservatives will do a heck of a lot better.  OK, maybe a little better.  But so many of them seem to be Cons in name only.  Gets a bit daunting.

On climate change this govt. is committed (they say) to leading the world in the saving of itself.  Oh great. Who the hell is gonna save England while all this noble nonsense is happening? 

On another politically correct front, the govt. wants to force tobacco companies into giving up the use of company logos on ciggy packs.  Not enough that packs already carry huge black lettering saying THIS PRODUCT KILLS.  What makes em think logos like the Lucky Strike target being banned, will cause ppl to quit or not start? 

It’s really difficult remaining positive folks.  Here’s an example of how well things are working here.  Wife found this letter in the Times today. Unbelievable.

Sir, In keeping with the time of year, I recently ordered my diaries for 2010. When, after several weeks, they had not arrived, I contacted the company to establish the cause of the delay. I was informed that the courier had been unable to find my place of work.

Given that the distribution centre is located in Scotland, I cannot be sure if this is a symptom of cartographical ignorance, failed GPS technology, or perhaps, devolution?

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
House of Lords (large building by River Thames with big clock tower)

Jeeze people .... The freekin House of Lords?  Clock tower?  as in BIG FREEKIN BEN?  THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT?  THE FRACKEN SEAT OF GOVT.?
The courier couldn’t find that? 

It goes on and on.

The fresh injection of British taxpayers’ cash will be part of a $100billion (£67billion) a year fund which was backed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday.

In what was seen as a major development, Mrs Clinton said: ‘We have come to Copenhagen ready to take the steps necessary to achieve a comprehensive and an operational new agreement.’

Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said the fund would require ‘around £1billion a year from Britain’.
He added: ‘Some of that money comes from overseas aid, some will come out of revenue but this is absolutely in the UK’s economic - as well as environmental - interest.’

Britain is expected to ramp up its contribution to the global fund for poor countries from £500million a year in 2012 to the £1billion target by 2020, landing taxpayers with a bill for £ 6billion in additional aid over the period.
That is on top of £1.5billion the UK has already pledged for developing countries. But Mr Brown says the financial outlay is essential to maintain progress. After talks with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao he suggested China was prepared to allow more checks on its carbon emissions.

Mr Brown yesterday pledged an extra £6billion to persuade developing countries to sign up to a deal.
As the Prime Minister prepared to sip champagne over dinner with Robert Mugabe and more than 100 other world leaders, he told reporters that ‘the conditions for an agreement are now there’.

He effectively committed Britain to handing over billions more in ‘additional’ money in an attempt to win over poorer countries who say current proposals are unfair.

Mr Brown has already offered to cut Britain’s carbon emissions by 42 per cent, the highest proportion of any country and ten times the best deal put forward by the U.S.A. - raising the prospect of higher fuel prices and a wave of green taxes.
His latest offer will fuel concerns that Mr Brown is making a disproportionately generous offer on Britain’s behalf in a desperate attempt to secure his place in history.

MAIL


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 12/18/2009 at 10:21 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-WeatherEditorialsEnvironmentUKUSA •  
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calendar   Thursday - December 17, 2009

Eeeew!

Odd factoid of the day:

Sharks have no urinary tract, so urine builds up in their bloodstream and must be secreted through their skin. This also cools the shark and helps it maintain osmotic balance. Unlike regular (ie bony) fish, sharks do not deliberately drink water.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 12/17/2009 at 05:02 PM   
Filed Under: • weird stuff •  
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