Separated at Birth?

Nancy Pelosi, and King Crimson

I was wondering why some trees seem to be copping an attitude lately...

It seems that female hormones grow on trees:

QUOTE

Scientists have discovered that the female sex hormone progesterone grows in walnut trees, shaking up what's known about the different between plants and animals. Until now, scientists thought that only animals could make progesterone. A steroid hormone secreted by the ovaries, progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and maintains pregnancy. A synthetic version, progestin, is used in birth control pills and other medications. "The significance of the unequivocal identification of progesterone cannot be overstated," write Guido F. Pauli and colleagues in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products. "While the biological role of progesterone has been extensively studied in mammals, the reason for its presence in plants is less apparent," explains the article. Pauli speculates that it may support biological activities, such as the regulation of seedling growth, or it may simply be an evolutionary artifact -- a genetic leftover that's no longer doing anything for the plant. Regardless, it's an eye-opening discovery, and may shape future studies: "When comparing plants and animals," writes Pauli, "it is more helpful to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences."

Indeed, this puts to rest the age-old question, "If a man is out in the forest, says something, and nobody is around to hear him, is he still wrong?"

Given that some trees possess female characteristics, the answer must be a resounding, "Yes!"

WOW! Is this surreal, or what?

Is this doctored, or is this a rare glimpse of lucidity from "The One?"


Truth be told, I'm still trying to figure it out...I mean.. this is the first time I've ever heard Obama speak the truth. Even if it is a fictional Obama.

Those Amazing Inscrutables...

Can eating candy somehow give one the ability to empathize with rabbits?

These chaps gave it the ol' college try, at any rate.

Welcome to Minnesota...

...The state where absolutely NOTHING is allowed.

Breaking News--the shape of things to come?

In what was thought to be an unrecoverable state for the GOP, Republicans have literally taken control of the New York State Senate!:

It was a carefully crafted coup -- five weeks in the making, with independent Tom Golisano in on the plotting.

And when it was over Republican Sen. Dean Skelos of Rockville Center was back in power as Senate Majority Leader. Dumped was former Democratic leader Malcolm Smith.

The democrats, powerless to stop the inevitable, took their ball and went home:

During the coup, Democrats fled the chamber, turned out the lights, and cut off the Internet feed of chamber proceedings, leaving Republicans and their two Democratic friends to take the vote in the dark.

And with that bit of information, I think I'll just check out the window to see if any pigs are flying.

Amazing.

Criminy..

Man--how do you eventually land when you're cruising at 100mph?

Hell hath no fury...

Like a woman who is deprived of her shark's fin soup:


Or for that matter, a woman who misses her flight:



(h/t Weird Asian News)

Atlantis or Bust?

There's quite a buzz going on regarding finding what some believe to be the lost city of Atlantis; found on, of all places, Google Earth:(click to enlarge)

The finding, first reported by The Sun, about 200 mi. off the cost of Morocco near the Canary Islands, consists of a series of grids approximately 4,000 square miles in size. Crunchgear reports a Google spokesman as saying:

“What users are seeing is an artefact of the data collection process.… Bathymetric (or sea floor terrain) data is often collected from boats using sonar to take measurements of the sea floor.… The lines reflect the path of the boat as it gathers the data. The fact that there are blank spots between each of these lines is a sign of how little we really know about the world’s oceans.”

Could be true, but if those lines are caused by boats as they collect bathymetric data, then why aren't there lines all over the place?

One of my favorite shows has been the Stargate series, most notably Stargate Atlantis. It would be pretty cool if life were to imitate art.

At any rate, it could be an interesting project for a guy (or a TV network) with a lot of money and time on hand.

(h/t @netlatch)

Holy crap...how'd they get away with that?

From a 1962 article: Giving psychoactive drugs to schizophrenics?

At the Second International Congress of Psychiatry in Zurich in 1957, Hoch, Pennes, and Cattell (fn 7) raised the question, "What is the reaction of psychotic subjects to drugs which have strong psychological effects or induce psychotic states in normal individuals?" Their answer was, "The majority of schizophrenics displayed intensification of their pre-existing symptomatology on administration of mescaline or LSD 25... The reactions of schizophrenic patients to mescaline and LSD 25 are usually marked with severe anxiety and other emotional patterns, while disorganization of thought and behavior patterns may be profound."

It has been the opinion of some investigators, however, that this disorganization of behavior patterns in schizophrenics might be followed by a reorganization that could be a step toward normalization. Quite recently, Bierer and Browne (fn 8) stated that "We thought this so-called 'disorganization of the psychic integration' must be a temporary removal of the ego-defenses and possibly could be used therapeutically." They decided to combine LSD or LSD plus methamphetamine hydrochloride (Methedrine) with group psychotherapy. Their report on results of treatment of 75 patients, of whom 30 had the diagnosis of schizophrenia or advanced schizoid states, indicated that "burnt out" schizophrenics are among those on whom LSD appears to have no effect. They also state, "Further work is necessary, but it is clear that to include 50% of schizophrenics in a group markedly reduces the chances of success."

Gee... ya think so?!?

What NOT to do in your quest for fostering understanding between diverse cultures

Rule #1. Don't decapitate the wife.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) - A shocking and gruesome story of a T.V. station owner's wife, found decapitated at the Bridge's Muslim T.V. network in Orchard Park.

In pictures of happier times, 37-year-old Aasiya Zubair and her 44-year-old husband Mo Hassan, who founded Bridges T.V.

Thursday evening, police converge on the station's Orchard Park studio and office.

"The worst that I've seen, yeah," said Andrew Benz, Orchard Park Police Chief.

Orchard Park Police chief Andrew Benz is talking about the crime scene where Assiya Zubair's body was found.

Police tell News 4 the only suspect in this case is the victim's husband, who walked into police headquarters in Orchard Park Thursday evening to report his wife was dead.

It's being called a brutal murder.

"She was decapitated,yes," said Benz.

Zubair was found in the hallway. The mission of Bridges TV is to foster understanding between cultures and diverse populations. According to police, the couple had trouble getting along.

Word to "Mo Hassan." If you want the Western World to drop what they're doing to give Islam an understanding gander, here's a hint: Knock it off with the beheading thing. Kinda puts everyone off, know what I mean, Vern?

When in Normal...

One of my kids will be getting married in August...

Maybe I could convince him that this would be a good idea.

I wonder if they had a little chihuaua in there bring up the ring.

Remember that tool box...

You know, the one that Heidimarie Stephansh...whatever lost in space? (leave it to a woman to lose a guy's tools)...

Well NASA is tracking that $100,000 toolbox here, in real time.

Now if only NASA could help me keep track of my lost socks....

This Might Explain A Lot.

Separated at birth?

The alien Exeter from "This Island Earth," and Joe Biden...

You decide.

Separated at Birth?

Geeze... everybody's got their hand out...

...though these characters may want to wash theirs first...

Sperm Donor Clinics in UK ask for bailout.

When clock radios are banned...

Only criminals will have clock radios:

Man Denies Killing Roommate With Clock Radio

CHICAGO (STNG) ― A West Side man accused of beating his nursing home roommate to death with a clock radio denied the accusations Thursday.

Solomon Owasanoye, 50, of the 4800 block of West Cermak Road, pleaded not guilty Thursday to eight counts of first-degree murder in the death of 78-year-old Ivory Jackson, according to Andy Conklin, spokesman for the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

Full Story here.

Hell hath no fury...

Like a bride-to-be scorned; especially when their bridal shop closes before their wedding:

COLD SPRING, Minn. — Police and the Better Business Bureau are investigating the closure of a bridal shop in Cold Spring after several brides-to-be said they'd been stiffed.

A sign on the door of Lori's Bridal & Formal Wear says, "This business has closed due to the economy."

An Associated Press call to a home phone number listed for owner Lori Parsons went unanswered Tuesday. A phone number listed on the shop's door says brides can leave contact information, but the number has a full mailbox.

Angela Doty says she's angry and frustrated by the closing. Doty is set to be married May 10, and she's missing a pair of shoes that the shop was supposed to dye ivory.

Police in Cold Spring say the office was "bombarded" with calls on Monday.

Lori Peterson finally came clean today, and is trying to make things right:

The woman who owns a bridal shop in Minnesota that closed recently said she's sorry and never meant to hurt anyone.

Lori Parsons talked with WCCO-TV over the phone late Tuesday afternoon from another state. She explained the whole situation and what led up to her making the difficult decision to close her shop, Lori's Bridal and Formal Wear in Cold Spring, Minn.

"I could not win," said Parsons. "And I knew that many people got hurt, but there was no way out of it."

She said she's going through a bitter divorce right now. Her ex-husband, she said, hasn't been paying the mortgage on their home, so it's now in foreclosure.

Parson said her business has been going through tough economic times too. And because of the foreclosure on her home and divorce, she said, she can't refinance her business loan.

Last Friday morning, Parson saw an attorney who immediately told her to lock up her business after 17 years.

"And I didn't want to hurt anybody," said Parsons. "This has been the most painful thing that anybody could ever experience. This was the most painful decision of my entire life."

She's now working with one of her former employees and Phil Jones, the Cold Spring Police Chief, to get 37 wedding dresses to brides-to-be.

"I've gotten a crash-course in wedding 101," said Jones. He and his staff have gotten 150 phone calls from women wanting their dresses.

"Occasionally, we're been able to tell someone we do have their dress. And in a split-second, it's all worth it," said Jones. "They're happy."

If I had dozens of brides angry with me, I'd probably move to another state, too...

How much would you pay for internet for life? (updated and bumped)

That's the interesting question Charter Cable is asking, and acting upon.

Right now, Charter Cable/Internet is having an auction; with the highest bidder to receive high-speed internet service for life (at Charter's highest speed available).

Mind you that the highest speed available from Charter (10mps) is now 54.99 per month.

As of the time of this writing, (12:01am, CDT, 3-13-08) the high bid was $12,200; (and this amount is continuing to climb at a rapid rate--and the auction doesn't end til March 26th, 2008--another 13 days) That means that even if there are no more bids, given that the winning bidder had instead spent a like amount of money over time for premium high speed cable internet, such a price would command nearly 221 months of service. That means that the winning bidder at the current high bid as of this writing would have to wait over 18 1/2 years before the investment started paying off. This doesn't even take into account the amount of interest that could have been made on the same amount of money over time, which would be staggering, at the least.

Note also, that even if the high bidder dies the day after the auction ends, his or her heirs won't get a day of high speed internet. Charter will pocket the dough.

Also, bear in mind, that if the high bidder would happen to need to move to another location where Charter internet is not available, they may get a small portion of their bidded amount back if the move happens within a three-year time period of winning the auction. Otherwise, tough shit pal, you lose.

And yet more importantly, internet and even home computers 18 years from now will look very different, and "high speed cable" will by then have probably gone the way of the buggy whip.

Now if the proceeds were going toward a worthwhile charity, I may see a point in bidding $12,200+ for high speed internet for life. But there is no mention of any charity nor is there any mention of the direction of the proceeds from the auction. I contacted Charter via email and haven't yet received a response. At this point, it looks like a marketing gimmick that's going to result in a windfall for Charter and a financial raping of some poor dupe who didn't know when to quit bidding.

No doubt P.T. Barnum is alive and well, with a new place of employment at the headquarters of Charter.com.

*****UPDATE*****

As of 4:30pm CDT on March 13, 2008, the high bid is $13,351.00. Using the above formula, that amount, given that rates did not change (which, as JRoosh has noted in the comments, would be highly unlikely, as rates will most likely decrease) would buy a customer nearly 243 months, or 20 1/4 years of service before the "free service" would start.

Charter has yet to respond whether any proceeds will go to charity, and there is still nothing on Charter's site that suggests that any of it will.

Now I have no problem with Charter getting rich off the deal, I guess, but in the end there's bound to be one pissed-off bidder who's only response will be "Doh!" and a slap to the forehead when he/she realizes that they have been taken to the proverbial cleaners.

***UPDATE AND BUMP***

I was able to get in touch with a representative from the corporate offices of Charter Cable via phone, who confirmed that at this point none of the proceeds of the auction are going to charity; however, upon conferring with a marketing official, he stated that the marketing official thought it would be "a good idea."

As it sits now, 4:05pm CDT, March 14, the high bid for "internet for life" sits at $16,150.

At this point, all else being equal, and not figuring potential interest earned, the "break even" day if that were the winning bid, would come in 293 months, or nearly 24.5 years.

Geesh... this would be comical if it wasn't so tragic.

I should have re-titled this post, "Fools and their money."

****UPDATE Number 3******

As of 7:22 pm CDT, March 15th, the bidding is now $19,000. That works out to 345 months, or nearly 28-years, 10-months before the break-even point!!!

To put it in illegal immigrant lingo: Ay CARUMBA~~~

****UPDATE Number 4****

As of Saturday, 3-22-08, at 1:05pm, the high bid stands at $34,365.00 (with 4 days left). Using our heretofore formula, the current high bid as it stands would take 624 months, or 52 years, just to break even. Even if the high bidder happens to be a wealthy, albeit idiotic 20-year old, the person would be 72 years old before he or she started getting "free" high-speed internet!

Will we even have "internet" as we know it in another 52 years???

SO, I went into the hospital for a leg operation...

...and all I got was this new anus.

A German retiree is taking a hospital to court after she went in for a leg operation and got a new anus instead, the Daily Telegraph is reporting.

The woman woke up to find she had been mixed up with another patient suffering from incontinence who was to have surgery on her sphincter.

The clinic in Hochfranken, Bavaria, has since suspended the surgical team.

Now the woman is planning to sue the hospital. She still needs the leg operation and is searching for another hospital to do it.

I kinda figgered we had enough A-holes in the world.

Perhaps I was wrong.