Oddities and Humor

I have kept a book at my job for about 17 years. Reptiles and Amphibians. It is from a series called "A Golden Nature Guide." I kept it for the pictures, mainly to identify the snakes and such that we occasionally have encountered. Today I casually read some text from it that startled me. In a section titled, Values of Reptiles, somebody wrote: "As a group, they are neither "good" or "bad," but are interesting and unusual, although of minor importance. If they should all disappear, it would not make much difference one way or the other." The book is copyright, 1952, published by Simon and Schuster.

It is said the kid smokes 44 cigarettes per day.

updated 12:46 p.m. CT, Wed., May 26, 2010
PHILADELPHIA - Airline officials are trying to figure out how a sleeping passenger was left aboard a flight for four hours after it landed in Philadelphia.

According to police and the Transportation Security Administration, the passenger didn't wake up when her United Express flight from Dulles airport outside Washington landed shortly after midnight Tuesday. At about 4 a.m., a cleaning crew found her.

United Airlines says they're working with a regional partner carrier to determine why the plane wasn't cleared upon landing.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Gary Coleman is reportedly hospitalized in critical condition.

According to TMZ, the former "Diff'rent Strokes" star is currently hospitalized in Utah.

The actor's brother-in-law told TMZ that Coleman fell and suffered a head injury.

Gary is on life support.

I have been reading that many kids just a few years older than this one takes up smoking over there.

Create your own comics
http://dropcomics.com//blog2.php

One of the joys of my job comes when I clean out the skimmers of the swimming pool. Birds have learned that I almost always scoop out insects and toss them to the side. When I approach the pool, I hear excitement in their chirping. One little bird in particular barely fears me at all now. It comes within a few feet of me to grab the choicest morsels. I worry some that the little bit of pool water they may ingest will do them harm. Hopefully they will survive.

On the subject of animal life at my place of work, I am constantly disturbed to watch residents and one employee kill lizards and geckos as though they were the equivalent of flies or roaches. An ex-employee once shot a mockingbird for singing near his window late at night. One resident even wanted us to track down and dispose of a noisy frog.

When Jerry Ehman wrote that three-letter word, "wow," he was a professor at Ohio State University volunteering with SETI, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. Every few days, a messenger would bike over from "The Big Ear," Ohio State's giant radio telescope in Delaware, Ohio, and hand Jerry computer records of sounds coming in from deep space. If something surprising popped up, he was to notify the other SETI folks.

What he saw that day was like an answered prayer.
Eighteen years earlier, two Cornell physicists, Philip Morrison and Giuseppe Cocconi, had tried to imagine how an intelligent alien civilization might try to signal Earth. We should look, they said, for a radio transmission. Radio waves are cheap to produce, don't require much energy and travel vast distances across space.

Cocconi and Morrison guessed that the aliens would choose a frequency that would mean something to creatures who know math and chemistry. Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. Zap a hydrogen atom and it will resonate at a particular rate: 1420 megahertz (MHz). So look, they said, for a signal coming in at 1420 MHz. And look for something loud, something that would catch our attention.

And on Aug. 15, in it came, exactly as predicted.

What Jerry saw was, yes, a radio signal and, yes, a radio signal very, very close to 1420 MHz (it was 1420.4556, just a smidge from where it was expected). It lasted 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. It was loud. And the transmission had the shape that Cocconi and Morrison had predicted. If you look at this printout, you will see this sequence of letters and numbers: 6EQUJ5.

According to science writer Michael Brooks in his book 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, "The letters and numbers are, essentially, a measure of the intensity of the electromagnetic signal as it hit the receiver. Low power was recorded with numbers 0 to 9; as power got higher, the computer used letters: 10 was A, 11 was B and so on." So by the time you get to the last letters of the alphabet, you are getting a very powerful signal.

That's why when Jerry saw this letter U on his printout (U is the 21st letter of the alphabet) he knew something was up.
"I had never seen any signal that strong before," Jerry says. "U," in a logarithmic way, means about 30 times louder than the ordinary noise of deep space. That's kind of a "Hello!" level. And that explains Jerry's reaction.

"That's the nice thing about the word 'wow.' I was, uh ... I was astonished," he says.

The Universe Is A Noisy Place

As surprised as he was, Jerry was also puzzled. Where did the signal come from? SETI scientists traced it back to the constellation Sagittarius, just to the northwest of the globular cluster M55. But when they looked for the source, there was nothing there, no planet, no star. Still, the shape of the signal, its narrow AM/FM-like focus, not to mention its surprisingly tantalizing frequency suggested intentionality. Maybe whoever or whatever sent the signal had moved on?


B.J. Mochejska (CfA), J. Kaluzny (CAMK), 1m Swope Telescope
SETI scientists traced the Wow signal to an area just northwest of M55, a cluster of 100,000 stars inside the constellation Sagittarius.

Or maybe not. Maybe there was no signal. Jerry and his colleagues checked all the alternative explanations they could think of. Was it a satellite transmission (no), a military signal (no), an aircraft signal (no), a broadcast beam (no), an accidental beam ricocheting off space debris (no)? Could it have been something natural? A pulsating star? That's where things began to unravel.
Astronomers keep discovering new noisemakers in space: colliding black holes, glitching pulsars, gamma ray bursts. Columbia University astronomer Caleb Scharf says it is very hard to exhaust the possibilities when we are learning more every year about the universe.


For Jerry Ehman, the big puzzle is: Why only one signal? If an alien intelligence is trying to send a message somewhere, wouldn't it make sense to send the message a few times? The signal landed once on Aug. 15, 1977. It never repeated.

"That's key in the scientific method," says Columbia's Scharf. "You want to see a repeat." That way, other scientists can confirm the finding.

And yet, the "Wow!" signal is the only reliably recorded sound apparently received from deep space that has the quality of an intentional signal. Jerry Ehman has never claimed he'd heard from E.T. Where the signal came from is still an open question for him. All Jerry Ehman will say is that having eliminated (as best he can) every other explanation, a message from E.T. is one possibility he can't dismiss.


Michael Brook's account of the "Wow!" signal is probably the best I've ever read. It can be found in chapter seven of his book "13 Things That Don't Make Sense," published in 2008.

Guinness could really be good for you

The long-running ad campaign is well-known
The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as a low dose aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from University of Wisconsin told a conference in the US.

Guinness was told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink.

The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease.

They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager.

Heart trigger

Clotting is important for patients who are at risk of a heart attack because they have hardened arteries.

A heart attack is triggered when a clot lodges in one of these arteries supplying the heart.

Many patients are prescribed low-dose aspirin as this cuts the ability of the blood to form these dangerous clots.

The researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, that the most benefit they saw was from 24 fluid ounces of Guinness - just over a pint - taken at mealtimes.


We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients

Spokesman, Brewing Research International
They believe that "antioxidant compounds" in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.

However, Diageo, the company that now manufactures Guinness, said: "We never make any medical claims for our drinks."

The company now runs advertisements that call for "responsible drinking".

A spokesman for Brewing Research International, which conducts research for the industry, said she would be "wary" of placing the health benefits of any alcohol brand above another.

She said: "We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients.

"It is possible that there is an extra effect due to the antioxidants in Guinness - but I would like to see this research repeated."

She said that reviving the old adverts for Guinness might be problematic - at least in the EU.

Draft legislation could outlaw any health claims in adverts for alcohol in Europe, she said.

Feelgood factor

The original campaign in the 1920s stemmed from market research - when people told the company that they felt good after their pint, the slogan was born.

In England, post-operative patients used to be given Guinness, as were blood donors, based on the belief that it was high in iron.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers were at one stage advised to drink Guinness - the present advice is against this.

The UK is still the largest market in the world for Guinness, although the drink does not feature in the UK's top ten beer brands according to the latest research.

true story;
the last time my brother and I were in London we stopped into a pub for lunch. My brother (a beer drinker) wanted to try a brit beer so he asked the barkeep "what's the best selling beer?" the barkeep told him "Long-neck Bud." "ok" my brother said "what's the 2nd best selling beer?" the barkeep said "Bud lite" My brother had a Fosters.

I wonder, would the same thing would happen in Melbourne or Capetown.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) " Tina Anderson was a scared 15-year-old when she was summoned by church leaders to stand before her congregation and apologize for getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Just minutes earlier in that evening service in 1997, a longtime church member admitted publicly that he had been unfaithful to his wife.

Now, 13 years later, Ernie Willis is charged with raping Anderson, and police are investigating what church leaders knew about the assault and whether they shipped Anderson out of state to keep the matter quiet.

When the pastor heard Anderson's allegations, he told her that if she had "lived in the Old Testament," she would have been stoned to death for not reporting the attack sooner.

"He also said I had 'allowed myself to be put in a compromising situation,' Anderson said. The pastor decided she needed to be "church-disciplined."

"I was completely humiliated," Anderson said, her voice quavering at the memory. "I hoped it was a nightmare I'd wake up from, and it wouldn't be true anymore."

The Associated Press does not generally identify victims of sexual assault, but Anderson asked that her name be made public. Several witnesses to the church service involving Willis and Anderson recounted details to The Associated Press.

Willis, 51, of Guilford, will be arraigned June 16 on sexual assault charges. He was released on a $100,000 personal-recognizance bond after his arrest last week. A message left on a cell phone linked to him was not returned. A woman who answered the phone at a number listed to him said he no longer lived there. Court documents do not list an attorney.

Concord police also are weighing whether to bring obstruction-of-justice charges against anyone who may have concealed the girl's location during the initial investigation, which authorities say they were forced to shelve when there was no victim to testify.

After all these years, Anderson decided to come forward after she was contacted by a Concord police detective in February.

She told police she started baby-sitting for Ernie and Tammie Willis' children when she was 14. When she was 15, Willis volunteered to teach her to drive after her mother refused to do so.

http://home.myhughesnet.com/news/read.php?ps=1011&rip_id=%3CD9FVDVT01%40news.ap.org%3E&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS

Not on your life.
Melbourne:
Carlton draught from the tap and VB if packaged.
Different for other states
NSW tooheys
QLD 4X
Tas cascade
WA Swan larger
SA Ummm who cares...? Ok possibly Resches

Lone Star- ?

i guess i'd like QLD & WA

none of this is particularly humourous, but it's odd

it's beginning to look like Canada might have some trouble filling top military spots
first this story
Top Canadian Soldier Charged with Murder

As the commander of Canada’s largest Air Force base, Colonel Russell Williams once regularly met with dignarities; now, he has been charged with the murder of two women and the sexual assault of two others. The 23-year veteran is believed to have killed Jessica Lloyd, 27, whose body was found earlier Monday, and Marie Comeau, 38, who was found dead in November.

Williams was on the fast track to be a major player in the Canadian military, some had suggested he had what it takes to be the head of the Armed Forces eventually

then this happened

Col. Geoff Parker, the highest ranking Canadian to be killed in Afghanistan, leaves behind a wife and two young children after he was killed in Afghanistan by a suicide car bomb today.

Col. Parker, 42, was the 145th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan. As a commanding officer, he was often quoted speaking about the deaths of soldiers under his own command, always treating them with compassion and respect.

One Canadian Forces member travelling in a NATO convoy was killed after an insurgent detonated a vehicle borne improvised explosive device between the convoy of vehicles in Kabul at approximately 8 a.m. local Afghanistan time on May 18, 2010. Colonel Geoff Parker killed this morning in the suicide bomb attack that also killed 5 US servicemen.
“There was no hesitation in his mind that that was the place for him … happy to do what was required of him in theatre,” he said of a soldier who died in 2008, the year after he moved to CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.

Col. Parker’s official biography, published by the Department of National Defence, describes him as a natural leader and career soldier born in Oakville, Ont. Flags in his hometown have been lowered to half mast. In 2007, Col. Parker moved his family to CFB Gagetown to take over a Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. He and his family looked forward to exploring the Maritimes.

He joined the military in 1989 while still a student at the University of Western Ontario. When he graduated the following year with a Bachelor of Engineering Science, he finished his Infantry Officer training and was posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment in London, Ont., the following year.

In 1992, Col. Parker moved north to Petawawa, Ont., with the battalion and wound up commanding a M113 rifle platoon, among others.

From there, Col. Parker moved to Belleville, Ont., for another posting. He returned to Petawawa in 1996. Four years later, he was promoted to Major.

In 2003, his ascending career took him to Toronto, where he attended the Canadian Forces College. He then returned to Petawawa as the G3 of the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG). During his tenure, the force generated three Afghanistan Rotations. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 2006, and shortly thereafter moved to CFB Gagetown.

A few months ago, Col. Parker and his family moved back to Ontario. When he died, he was in Kabul as part of a NATO team preparing for their upcoming mission, DND said in a statement.

Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, said in a statement:

“This barbaric act of aggression in the middle of rush hour reminds us of the many dangers our brave military personnel and the Afghan population are exposed to every day. Despite this tragedy, the will of Colonel Parker’s brothers- and sisters-in-arms to protect the Afghan people remains unshaken. Together with NATO forces, they are fully committed to fulfilling their difficult mission of restoring justice and peace to a country ravaged by decades of oppression and injustice.”
Col. Parker leaves behind his wife, M.J., and his children, Charlie and Alexandria.

and now this

Brig.-Gen. Daniel Ménard has been relieved of command of Canadian troops in Afghanistan following allegations he was involved in an inappropriate personal relationship while in theatre.

Military sources have told CBC News that Ménard, head of Joint Task Force Kandahar, is alleged to have had an affair with a female member of his staff.

The military has strict rules forbidding its personnel from engaging in personal relationships while in theatre. They include relationships of an emotional, romantic or sexual nature.

The Defence Department issued a statement saying only that the decision was made following "allegations concerning Ménard's inappropriate conduct related to the Canadian Forces personal relationships and fraternization directives."

Ménard's spouse also serves in the Forces.

Col. Simon Hetherington said Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard made the decision to relieve Ménard of his duties after he lost confidence in Ménard's ability to command.

An investigation into the allegations has been launched, DND said.

Hetherington has been designated acting commander in the interim. In the near future, Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance will assume command, pending the arrival of the next commander, Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner, DND said.

Earlier this week, Ménard was fined $3,500 " the stiffest fine ever levied on a soldier for mishandling a weapon.

He received the fine after pleading guilty to an offence under the National Defence Act in a court in Gatineau, Que.

The March 25 incident occurred as Ménard and his boss, chief of defence staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk, were about to board a Blackhawk helicopter at Kandahar Airfield.

Ménard said he was loading his C8 carbine, something he has done thousands of times, when it discharged. No one was injured and nothing was damaged, but the National Defence Act makes it an offence to accidentally discharge a weapon.

Ménard formally took over from Vance as top officer for Task Force Kandahar last November.

since February the Canadian Armed Forces have lost 3 (2 absolutely, the newest one almost certainly) high ranking officers