Monday, January 7, 2013

Paws & Claws ~ November 4, 2012 ~ Fall Back time

You are frightened of everything.
You call it caution.
You call it common sense.
You call it practicality.
You call it playing the odds,
but that's only because you're afraid to call it by its real name,
and its real name is fear.
~ MICK FARREN, Darklost
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2012 November
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Lenticular Clouds Over Washington
Credit & Copyright: Tim Thompson
Explanation: Are those UFOs near that mountain? No -- they are multilayered lenticular clouds. Moist air forced to flow upward around mountain tops can create lenticular clouds. Water droplets condense from moist air cooled below the dew point, and clouds are opaque groups of water droplets. Waves in the air that would normally be seen horizontally can then be seen vertically, by the different levels where clouds form. On some days the city of Seattle, Washington, USA, is treated to an unusual sky show when lenticular clouds form near Mt. Rainier, a large mountain that looms just under 100 kilometers southeast of the city. This image of a spectacular cluster of lenticular clouds was taken last December.2012
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See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
The Black Hole in the Milky Way
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, NuSTAR project
Explanation: At the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, a mere 27,000 light-years away, lies a black hole with 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Fondly known as Sagittarius A* (pronounced A-star), the Milky Way's black hole is fortunately mild-mannered compared to the central black holes in distant active galaxies, much more calmly consuming material around it. From time to time it does flare-up, though. An outburst lasting several hours is captured in this series of premier X-ray images from the orbiting Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Launched last June 13, NuSTAR is the first to provide focused views of the area surrounding Sgr A* at X-ray energies higher than those accessible to Chandra and XMM observatories. Spanning two days of NuSTAR observations, the flare sequence is illustrated in the panels at the far right. X-rays are generated in material heated to over 100 million degrees Celsius, accelerated to nearly the speed of light as it falls into the Miky Way's central black hole. The main inset X-ray image spans about 100 light-years. In it, the bright white region represents the hottest material closest to the black hole, while the pinkish cloud likely belongs to a nearby supernova remnant.
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Twelve Years and Counting Aboard the Station
Twelve years ago, Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev made history by becoming the first crew to live and work on the International Space Station. On Nov. 2, 2000, Expedition 1 docked with the station. From the moment the hatch of their Soyuz spacecraft opened and they entered the fledgling space station, there have been people living and working in orbit, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

In this photo, Expedition 1 crew members (from left to right) Commander Bill Shepherd, and Flight Engineers Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev pose with a model of their home away from home.

Image Credit: NASA
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Candy maker’s “Jolly Lollys” are marijuana-based — Busted!

Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum mechanics. As these transitions occur very slowly in certain materials, absorbed radiation may be re-emitted at a lower intensity for up to several hours after the original excitation.
Commonly seen examples of phosphorescent materials are the glow-in-the-dark toys, paint, and clock dials that glow for some time after being charged with a bright light such as in any normal reading or room light. Typically the glowing then slowly fades out within minutes (or up to a few hours) in a dark room.[1]
The study of phosphorescent materials led to the discovery of radioactivity in 1896.
Ironically, white phosphorus, from which phosphorescence takes it name, does not actually exhibit this property, but rather, chemiluminescence.
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Rex Barker here with, "Breaking The Patterns in Your Life..."
If you want to know what the biggest area of your life to fix, you may not realize this, but you are reminded of it frequently.

Your biggest challenge in life is the one that continually gets repeated in your life from childhood onwards until you make corrections in your life.

Challenges often start very young in childhood with issues you may have with your parents. If your parents didnt treat you with love or respect, than you will see similar challenges in your other relationships in your life. If you are easily taken advantage of, then you will be constantly be given opportunities for you to stand up for yourself numerous times in your life whether it is a family, work or community environment.

So rather than look at the situation and be a victim, look back at your life for patterns. If you dont see them, you arent looking hard enough or are not being honest with yourself. We all have them, as no one is perfect and we all have things to perfect in our lives. Its part of the Divine plan that we constantly grow and perfect ourselves.

So once you have identified these patterns, it is now time to do something about it. Maybe its best to take small steps at a time, get comfortable, and take more steps. If you have a tendency to anger, you have had it your whole life so start working on character refinement. If you have a tendency towards being dishonest, dont make excuses that others may be as well work on overcoming your temptation. If you really want to improve who you are as a person, and be a happier and more fulfilled person, now is the time to get moving.

This is Rex Barker reminding you that today is the first day in the rest of your life. So start breaking your bad patterns right now.
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Fibonacci sequence is literally everywhere in this world. It's the recipe for life and the entire universe. Astonishing.
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Healthy Living from Health.com

30 FOODS UNDER 40 CALORIES
http://health.chtah.net/a/tBQkp7aBFYNexB8u7quCFNC1E6w/top24
Some experts say these delicious, nutrient-packed foods actually burn more calories than they add. So enjoy them daily!

THE SECRET ANTI-AGING INGREDIENT IN YOUR KITCHEN
http://health.chtah.net/a/tBQkp7aBFYNexB8u7quCFNC1E6w/top25
Oil is making news for its plumping, hydrating properties. Here's how to use it.

5 HEALTHY SNACKS FOR PEOPLE WITH (OR WITHOUT!) DIABETES
http://health.chtah.net/a/tBQkp7aBFYNexB8u7quCFNC1E6w/top26
National Diabetes Month starts today! Here are healthy snacks to fuel your day


HEALTHY THANKSGIVING RECIPES WITH FRESH FALL VEGETABLES
http://health.chtah.net/a/tBQkp7aBFYNexB8u7quCFNC1E6w/top27
Start planning a veggie-centered feast.
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A HALLOWEEN TREAT: THE GHOST NEBULA

With Halloween just a few short days away, little ghouls and goblins will be rapping on doors in search of sweet treats. And just as the costumes that will be adorned by the kids, fearful forms are also plentiful in the sky overhead. Among the eeriest is The Ghost Nebula in the constellation Cepheus. Listed as VB 141 in Sidney van den Bergh's catalog of reflection nebulae, it is one of the very best when it comes to inspiring fear in its observers.

Spooky structures rise from this giant cloud of dust that’s two light years across and some 1,200 light years away. The nebula’s uncanny shape is made visible by dust that reflects the light of several stars buried within the cloud. The brownish tint is the result of starlight streaming through the fine dus
t, the blues and violets in the stars’ light are scattered away, leaving only the warmer yellows to reach our eyes.

Made from star-dust and light – the sight of such a creepy composition is nearly frightening … in a good way of course.
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Just got back from power-walking the outer loop of the Nike Campus. I live close (1/2 mile), so the 2.1 mile loop is perfect for this phase of my training. After taking a few wrong turns (there are many paths around and through the beautiful campus), I still completed my 3 miles of up and down paths in 50 minutes.
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Heroic mother dog saves her puppies from blazing house fire
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Steve Jobs' yacht unveiled

Steve Jobs's yacht launches
An 80-meter yacht that Steve Jobs helped design has launched a year after his death, according to Dutch blog One More Thing. The uniquely styled craft, christened "Venus" after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, has floor-to-ceiling glass in many areas and other interior design elements reminiscent of Apple's retail stores.
Far more interesting from our perspective are the seven 27-inch iMacs that seem to serve as the ship's main instrument monitors. They definitely appear to be the new super-thin iMacs, but speculation in the TUAW newsroom ran rampant over what software they're running. It's possible they're operating on entirely custom software, but they may also be running an off-the-shelf solution (likely virtualized in some fashion).
Though we called it Jobs' yacht in the headline for the sake of brevity, it's obviously his family's yacht now. In gratitude, the family issued shipbuilders with iPod shuffles and notes thanking them for their "hard work and craftsmanship."
A video of the yacht is embedded below.
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Halloween, celebrated on Oct. 31, originally started as nothing more than an autumn harvest festival. Today, the holiday is associated with ghosts, costumes and, of course, candy. It has long been thought that Halloween is the one day of the year the dead can return to earth.

Random Facts:

Halloween was actually a Celtic holiday. It was originally called Samhain meaning "end of summer". In ancient Celtic Ireland, October 31st marked the official end of summer.

Halloween is the number two holiday in terms of commercial success. It's no surprise that Christmas is number one. Over four billion dollars is spent annually during the Halloween season. The majority of that money is spent on costumes, candy, parties, and decorations.
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QUOTE: "There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dis-passionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery."

HINT: (1857-1924), Polish author who wrote in English, after settling in England.

ANSWER: Joseph Conrad.
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I Think Phlax needs his own feedback blog:
Damn...this would make autofellatio easy as hell. No more back pain or neck spasms....Not that I'd know.
Holy warbling whales, this is GLORIOUS. For the first time ever, researchers have presented audio evidence of a cetacean (a beluga whale by the name of "NOC") spontaneously mimicking human speech.
This is great to know. When a beluga whale once told me to go fuck myself, I stopped drinking for almost a month.
Thanks Phlax
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Top winners in the Royal Horticultural Society’s photo competition

This image of an olive tree and tulips has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual photographic competition. It was snapped by Josie Elias, from Sherborne, Dorset, who said she stumbled on the garden in Marnes, Spain, by chance.
John Cocks’s leaping mouse was commended in the Wildlife in the Garden category.
Delightful. Reflective, almost pensive beauty – and an athletic rodent. Bravo!
Thanks Ed
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RANDOM TIDBITS

The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die.

Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.

During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames and, hence, "bone fire" became "bonfire."

Dressing up as ghouls and other spooks originated from the ancient Celtic tradition of townspeople disguising themselves as demons and spirits. The Celts believed that disguising themselves this way would allow them to escape the notice of the real spirits wandering the streets during Samhain.

Halloween was influenced by the ancient Roman festival Pomona, which celebrated the harvest goddess of the same name. Many Halloween customs and games that feature apples (such as bobbing for apples) and nuts date from this time. In fact, in the past, Halloween has been called San-Apple Night and Nutcrack Night.

Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.
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Q and A Quickies
Q: Why don't angry witches ride their brooms?
A: They're afraid of flying off the handle!

Q: Who did Frankenstein take to the prom?
A: His ghoul friend!


Q: What has webbed feet, feathers, fangs and goes quack-quack?
A: Count Duckula!

Q: How do you mend a broken Jack-O-Lantern?
A: With a pumpkin patch!

Q: How does a girl vampire flirt?
A: She bats her eyes.

Q: Why don't mummies take vacations?
A: They're afraid they'll relax and unwind.
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Low-tech tumbleweed minesweeper

An Afghan designer has come up with a novel tumbleweed-esque device to find and detonate mines, a device that has evolved from the wind-powered toys he made as a child. Massoud Hassani’s Mine Kafon is made mainly from bamboo and biodegradable plastics, but the simple addition of a GPS chip means the wind-swept spheres can be monitored to reveal the location of mines.
GPS chip aside, this is an extremely low-tech approach to mine detection. Typically the process involves the sweeping of mine fields, either manually with metal detectors, or with specialized vehicles (sometimes remotely controlled). The Mine Kafon, on the other hand, is an array of bamboo sticks with plastic disks at the end. It’s light enough to be caught and moved by the wind, but heavy enough that it should trip any mine it passes over. The Mine Kafon will probably be destroyed in the process, but better that than a human life.
Clearly, the Mine Kafon will never be as efficient a means of clearing mines as an intensive sweep using specialist technology. The Mine Kafon is bound to travel the path of least resistance, and so it’s not as if you can pop one into a field and expect it to clear the area. But the ability of the Mine Kafon to report on its route, trackable on the web thanks to its GPS chip, means that perhaps, were many of these low cost devices be released at scattered locations, they might chance upon mine fields that were previously undocumented.
Thanks, Ed
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Just in time for Halloween your government is preparing for a zombie invasion with a training demonstration designed to test emergency response in case of a zombie attack.

Finally, tax money going to a good use.

An untold number of so-called zombies are coming to a counter-terrorism summit attended by hundreds of Marines, Navy special ops, soldiers, police, firefighters and others to prepare them for their worst nightmares.

"This is a very real exercise, this is not some type of big costume party," said Brad Barker, president of Halo Corp, a security firm hosting the Oct. 31 training demonstration during the summit at a 44-acre Paradise Point Resort island on a San Diego bay. "Everything that will be simulated at this event has already happened, it just hasn't happened all at once on the same night. But the training is very real, it just happens to be the bad guys we're having a little fun with."

In the scenario, a VIP and his personal detail are trapped in a village, surrounded by zombies when a bomb explodes. The VIP is wounded and his team must move through the town while dodging bullets and shooting back at the invading zombies. At one point, some members of the team are bit by zombies and must be taken to a field medical facility for decontamination and treatment.

"No doubt when a zombie apocalypse occurs, it's going to be a federal incident, so we're making it happen," Barker said. Since word got out about the exercise, they've had calls from "every whack job in the world" about whether the U.S. government is really preparing for a zombie event.

The Homeland Security Department jumped on board last month, telling citizens if they're prepared for a zombie attack, they'll be ready for real-life disasters like a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake or terrorist attack.
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Study: Horror films burn calories

WESTMINSTER, England - Scientists at a British university said their research indicates horror movie viewers could burn up to 113 calories in 90 minutes. Dr. Richard Mackenzie of the University of Westminster, England, said he and his team monitored the heart rate, oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output of people watching scary movies and discovered some of them were burning the same amount of calories found in a chocolate bar, The Mirror reported Monday. "The 10 films tested set pulses racing," Mackenzie said. "Adrenaline is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn calories." Mackenzie said those watching "The Shining" burned an average 184 calories viewing the film, while "Jaws" viewers burned 161 calories, those watching "The Exorcist" burned 158, "Alien" watchers burned 152 and "Saw" watchers burned 133.
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Nature's engineering.
The underside of a giant Amazon water lily.
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"Sex is like a joke, some people get it and some don't"
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Paranoid much? When you have as much money as the Corbi family (or enemies, I suppose), you too would have the world's safest home (complete with not one but four panic rooms, yo!):
Al Corbi, the owner of the Hollywood Hills house and founder of a company called Strategically Armored and Fortified Environments, or SAFE, says he can outfit homes with underground bunkers up to 30 stories below ground. He has designed one bunker in the style of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, with ceilings painted with clouds to give the impression of being outside, as well as spas and movie theaters and enough provisions to keep families entertained for months of underground living. The cost can be upward of $10 million for the most elaborate facilities.
Mr. Corbi built his own Los Angeles home both for his family and to show potential clients the latest in high-tech, high-end disaster protection and security. Constructed atop 60 steel-caged concrete caissons, each 30 feet deep and 30 inches in diameter, his house is designed to survive a high-magnitude earthquake.
A facial-recognition system, including multiple cameras, has also been placed throughout his house. A James Bond-esque fog system can be activated with the blink of an eye as a way to shock intruders. The fog ranges from a harmless-but-disorienting haze to pepper spray to a noxious gas that can debilitate whoever inhales it for up to 24 hours.
Pepper-spray fog system for your home? What could possibly go wrong?
Candace Jackson of The Wall Street Journal has the post: Link- via digg
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Alphagame
Atlanta-based animator Evan Seitz packed 26 memorable scenes from several generations of video games into a quick-paced, alphabet song-like montage and it is watchworthy.
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Pastor kills fiancee’s daughter to indulge his necrophilia – WTF?
he pastor, ex-convict John D. White…confessed to killing Rebekah Gay to fulfill a fantasy of necrophilia, police said Friday. White drank four or five beers before going to the woman’s mobile home and repeatedly striking her head with a mallet and strangling her with a zip tie, according to court documents.
Police said White stripped her dead body but does not remember if he carried out his sexual fantasy. After dumping the body early Wednesday, he returned to Gay’s home and dressed her 3-year-old son in his Halloween costume, then later dropped him off with the boy’s father…
“He kept saying he’s a bad person, he’s a pastor, he felt bad for the people in his church. … I don’t recall him bring real remorseful at all with regard to the victim or anything else,” Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski told The Associated Press. “He just basically said he was attracted to her, thought she was a very cute girl. It’s a crazy, tragic situation,” the sheriff added.
White was engaged to Gay’s mother and regularly watched her young son while she worked, said Donna Houghton, a church elder who had a role in hiring White three years ago to be pastor at Christ Community Fellowship. Church members, she said, were “absolutely floored” by the allegations.Houghton said the congregation was aware of White’s criminal past when he joined the church. He was released from prison in 2007, after serving nearly 12 years for manslaughter in the death of a 26-year-old woman in Kalamazoo County, according to the Michigan Corrections Department.
He had previously been sentenced to probation for choking and stabbing a 17-year-old Battle Creek girl in 1981.
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That is a truly extraordinary cover photograph.
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50 Ways To Say Goodbye (Live on Letterman)
Music video by Train performing 50 Ways To Say Goodbye (Live on Letterman).
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to download this Youtube videos as MP3's
bit.ly/TXXt2I?=bokph
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Nice Structure of the Day
The Keret House is the world's narrowest house designed by Polish architect Jakub Szczesny and situated in a 3 ft. wide gap between two buildings in Warsaw, Poland. As one can imagine, the wedged home is not without its shortcomings (no windows, ladder access only and very tiny appliances) but at least there's sunlight exposure, thanks to its semi-transparent, polycarbonate walls and ceiling. The Keret House will serve as a temporary home for traveling writers. Interested in moving in? Check out this video of the interior view.
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Portland On The Web: OPB, Columbian, OregonLive & More

We hope everyone is recovering from this week's Halloween festivities. If you're bummed some punks smashed your Quack-O-Lantern, at least you didn't wake up to it being mauled by a 600 lb tiger.

Speaking of predators, Southwest Portlanders are having to get used to the idea of living with urban coyotes who have been spotted near Gabriel Park and Multnomah Village. The Audobon Society assures us it is possible to live safely and peacefuly with the coyotes, just don't invite this guy to your house party or shenanigans will ensue.

And finally, you have a good excuse to turn off your computer and ask your boss to cut you loose early on a Friday. Portland building owners are participating in the Kilowatt Crackdown energy-saving competition and hope to save $2 million in energy costs over the next year.

Here is a round-up of the goings-on in Portland this week:
OregonLive: Oregon Zoo tigers due a meaty birthday bash on Halloween morning
OPB: Portland aim to reduce carbon footprint with Kilowatt Crackdown
OregonLive: Southwest Portland residents get primer on how to live with urban coyotes
Columbian: Oregon worker's arm reattached
OregonLive: Downtown Portland parking: How to save when you shop
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Real locations in James Bond films.
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To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. ~ William James
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Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.
--Marcus Aurelius
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Time lapse illustration of where the air sickness came from

It may be uncomfortable viewing for anyone afraid of flying, but a video showing the extent to which airplanes are tossed around by winds as they come into land at Heathrow Airport has become an internet hit.
The time-lapse video shows the huge aircraft bobbing around as if on rough seas as they descend towards the runway. The YouTube user who posted the video said he wanted to show how close planes get to each other as they come into land. But some will be more impressed by the effect of air currents during the descent.
Thanks Ed
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"Courage is fear that has said its prayers."
- Dorothy Bernard
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Dear Chocolate,

It has been only a short while since we last met, but I can't help myself wondering how we started this up again. You have always been so smooth and sensual, but what you did to my tastebuds was absolutely unmentionable in polite society, and i confess, i was not prepared.
It's not you, it's me. I am too easily distracted by your silky, dark texture. The way you leave marks on my fingers and lips is just...so.... well, far be it from me to judge other people for their personal habits, but i am just not an exhibitionist. Call it prudishness, fine. But the simple fact is that we shouldn't be seen together for a while. I'm no good for you.

Please understand that it is my fault, and I accept responsibility for being such a disappointment. Don't call me, I'll call you.

So long, and good luck.
Thanks Aaron
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"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."
- Michael Pritchard
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"None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear."
- Ferdinand Foch
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10 Novels That Are Scarier Than Most Horror Movies
10 Novels That Are Scarier Than Most Horror Movies
Sometimes words can be scarier than images. Here are a few books you may want to read with the lights on. I know I would.
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5 Possible Storylines for the Next Star Wars Movie

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What About Indiana Jones? All of Your Disney/Lucasfilm Merger Questions Answered

By Meredith Woerner
Shortly after the “Disney buys Lucasfilm” announcement, Disney execs hashed out the details on an investor conference call, and explained just what this massive acquisition means for you and me. Here’s the run down of what we learned:
  • In 2015, Disney hopes to release Star Wars: Episode VII with plans to release Episode VIII and Episode IX in the following years. Expect a new Star Wars film every to to three years.
  • Along with Lucasfilm, Disney has purchased an extensive treatment for the brand NEW Star Wars trilogy. Episode VII is in “early development” but we’re guessing the groundwork is already being planned.
  • George Lucas is a consultant on Episode VII but his intent is to retire.
  • Disney plans on utilizing Star Wars in parks, resorts, television and film. But we’re not expecting a live action TV show just yet. We’re betting another Star Wars cartoon could be appearing on DisneyXD.
  • What about Indiana Jones? Well, Dr. Jones is still a part of the overall purchase package — but Paramount still owns the distribution rights to the films. So don’t hold your breath for a Disney Indy movie just yet.
Overall, the bulk of this call was about Star Wars — in a nutshell, Disney execs wanted Luke, Han and the whole Universe so they could branch it out as they saw fit. And with Lucas eyeing retirement, there’s no limit as to what this franchise could become. Photo via Scott Thomas
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Behold: The most remarkable video game gourd ever conceived
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* Top Signs That You're Too Old to Trick or Treat *

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.
9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "What a scary mask!" but you're not wearing a mask!
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.
(From Aha! Jokes)
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This image, taken by Dylan Toh, shows the Milky Way over Murphy's Haystacks, which are inselberg rock formations found between Streaky Bay and Port Kenny on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The rock formations got their name when a traveller in a coach saw the formation in the distance and asked how a farmer could produce so much hay. The rocks became known
as Murphy's Haystacks as the farm was on a property owned by a man named Murphy.
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"Health officials in California are warning that teenagers are trying to get drunk by drinking hand sanitizer. Yeah, it's weird when you're like, 'I got so wasted last night I must've had like, six squirts of Purell.'" -Jimmy Fallon
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"Are you excited about Halloween? People go out pretending to be something they're not, looking for handouts. It's like running for president." -Dave Letterman
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"Last week, a hunter in Kansas shot his friend twice because he mistakenly thought he was a turkey. After the first shot, the guy said he wasn't a turkey. But, come on, that's exactly what a turkey would have said." -Jimmy Fallon
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"A recent study has found that more senior citizens than ever are entering college. College faculty says that the seniors are like any other students...except they take Jell-O shots just for the Jell-O." --Conan O'Brien
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"I want to get this off my chest: For the past 20 years, I have been using performance-enhancing vodka." -David Letterman
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"Japanese researchers have successfully grown hair on a bald mouse. The researchers are ecstatic, and the mouse is relieved he doesn't have to keep wearing that stupid toupee." -Conan O'Brien
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QUOTE: "A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night."

HINT: (1860-1937), Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan.

ANSWER: J.M. Barrie.
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RANDOM TIDBITS

In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros melons." The name was translated into English as "pompions," which has since evolved into the modern "pumpkin.

Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.

The heaviest pumpkin weighed 1,810 lb 8 oz and was presented by Chris Stevens at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Stillwater, Minnesota, in October 2010.

Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.

Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents.

Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.
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Dickland
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Q and A Quickies
Q: Where do you learn to make ice cream?
A: Sundae school!

Q: That did the rug say to the floor?
A: Don't move I've got you covered!

Q: What can you hold without even touch it?
A: A conversation!

Q: What happens when frogs park illegally?
A: They get toad!

Q: What do you get when you cross a cheetah and a burger?
A: Fast food!

Q: What do you do when two snails have a fight?
A: Leave them to slug it out!
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Click for larger
Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, has won the overall World Building of the Year Award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards 2012…
Located in Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay is a key project in delivering the Singapore government’s vision of transforming Singapore into a “City in a Garden.” At a total of 250 acres, the Gardens by the Bay project comprises three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central. The commission to design the 134 acre Bay South garden was won in 2006 by a team led by Grant Associates and including Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Atelier One, Atelier Ten, Land Design and Davis Langdon and Seah.
Thanks Ed
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It has been pretty windy around the Chicagoland area the last couple of days, leftovers from Sandy, and everybody in my neighborhood has been doing nothing but raking leaves.

So as I was driving through my subdivision yesterday afternoon I came to a stop sign and saw a woman in her yard raking up a huge pile of leaves. Maybe it was the furtive glances she was casting over her shoulder that made me pause (or maybe it was the coin slot she was showing off when she bent over), but as I watched her she strategically placed her back to the wind and using her rake she began tossing the dead leaves in the air like she was tossing a giant salad.

At first I couldn't figure out what the hell she was doing, but then I noticed the wind was carrying most of those leaves right next door into her neighbor's yard.

That sneaky bitch! What a brilliant idea. Only a woman would come up with something both so clever and underhanded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There exists a widespread myth that humans should learn about sex from their parents. My relationship with my father nearly ended when he tried to teach me how to drive. I can't imagine our relationship having survived his instructing me how to have sex." --Bob Smit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty Stories That Will Absolutely Run The Week 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Is Released
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Orphan Tawny Frogmouth Chicks Rescued in Dundas!

Tawny Frogmouth Chick Taronga Zoo 1
High winds in Australia swept these two Tawny Frogmouth chicks from their nest in Dundas. Lucky for them, they landed in someone's backyard who notified Taronga Zoo and local wildlife center staff. Distantly related to owls, Tawny Frogmouths also hunt at night but feed almost exclusively on insects. Their fluffy, mottled feathers provide superb camouflage, which protects them from predators. Camouflage also allows them to conserve energy when hunting their 6-legged prey as they just let it crawl to them!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
My wife told me to go to the doctors and get some of those tablets that 'help' you get an erection.
You should have seen her face when I came back and tossed her some diet pills!
I'm still looking for a place to live.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know what Portland has lot of?
Microbreweries.
I think they are like regular breweries, but only serve midgets."
-Craig Ferguson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"A new study found that eating healthy adds $380 to your grocery bill every year. Or as Americans put it, 'Cool, I saved $380 this year!'" -Jimmy Fallon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Writing: For the Sell of It' was the theme of our community college's annual writers' conference. When I called a widely published author and asked him to be our keynote speaker, my request was met with a long silence. He finally said, "I don't know what I would say to that audience."
"You're just being modest," I replied. "I'm sure you're extremely qualified to speak on that subject."
He suddenly broke into laughter. "I thought you said, 'Writing for the Celibate!'"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
--Seneca
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Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
--Helen Keller, in a letter written in 1911
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth.--Cicero
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The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless. ~ Rousseau
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 76-story residential apartment building that lost a few windows during the storm. The storm didn't cause the rippled shape of the structure itself. That's an architectural design element, not a flaw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Albert Einstein:
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.
The world will have a generation of idiots"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neil deGrasse Tyson's radio show StarTalk is now available on Youtube.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's some party trick: Model-maker produces life-size replica of Tyrannosaurus Rex in 55 hours
www.dailymail.co.uk
It was just one of the models made by artist Mark Verge along with a triceratops
, spinosaurus, stegasaurus and utahraptor for his show in Ontario, Canada.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Universal 100th Anniversary Collection Headed to BD, DVD
100 years of memories, movies and fun.
For the past year, Universal Studios has been celebrating their 100th anniversary, with big releases like The Sting, Jaws, E.T., To Kill a Mockingbird and many, many more.
Culminating this impressive anniversary release schedule is the Universal 100th Anniversary Collection, out on Blu-ray and DVD November 6, 2012. This massive box set that will collect some of Universal's most memorable films, spanning the studio's first 100 years.
From the official press release, "The collection features a selection of 25 unforgettable films that helped shape the legacy of one of the most successful movie studios of all time. Featuring prestigious Academy Award winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting, genre-defining classics like Dracula and Spartacus, captivating storytelling such as Field of Dreams and Do the Right Thing, blockbusters like Jurassic Park and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and pure entertainment with franchises including The Bourne Identity and The Fast and the Furious, these movies continue to have an enduring impact throughout the world. The Universal 100th Anniversary Collection includes an exclusive “100 Years of Universal” 72-Page collector’s book chronicling the history of Universal over the last 100 years including rare photos and memorabilia from the studio’s archives."
Below is a breakdown of all the titles included in the set. Please note the DVD or Blu-ray exclusive titles.
  • The Birds (1963)
  • All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
  • Dracula (1931)
  • Dracula Spanish (1931) (Blu-ray Collection only)
  • Buck Privates (1941)
  • Pillow Talk (1959)
  • Spartacus (1960)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
  • American Graffiti (1973)
  • The Sting (1973)
  • Jaws (1975)
  • National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
  • E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
  • Scarface (1983)
  • The Breakfast Club (1985)
  • Back to the Future (1985)
  • Out of Africa (1985)
  • Field of Dreams (1989)
  • Do the Right Thing (1989)
  • Jurassic Park (1993)
  • Schindler's List (1993) (DVD Collection only)
  • Apollo 13 (1995)
  • The Fast and the Furious (2001)
  • The Bourne Identity (2002)
  • Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008)
  • Despicable Me (2010)
    • ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Forest Pump
    Halloween ideas x1
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Tree on New Haven Green felled by storm unearths skeleton

    Talk about an eerie Halloween story. Hurricane turned Superstorm Sandy toppled a majestic old oak on the Upper Green and intertwined in the dirt and roots was a human skeleton.
    Police were called, as was the state medical examiner.
    The very old bones likely are centuries old dating back to when the Green was used as a cemetery during colonial times until the Grove Street cemetery was chartered in 1797. There remain an estimated 5,000 people buried under the Green.
    The tree toppled sometime during the evening on Monday during high winds from the hurricane. On Tuesday, a passerby noticed something unusual. It looked like human bones. She contacted police…

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    This is a "beard tax token"


    Russian tsar Peter the Great levied a tax on beards - on a sliding scale, no less, based on social status. These tokens were minted to confirm payment of the tax.

    Further details at Neatorama, and at Oddment Emporium, where it is noted that Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth also imposed beard taxes.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Video: This Elephant Learned to Speak Korean
    http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/11/video-this-elephant-learned-to-speak-korean/
    Koshik, an Asian elephant at a South Korean zoo, learned to uncannily mimic five Korean words by stuffing his trunk in his mouth
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Think Fast:
    Why was Pinball banned in most of America's largest cities from the early 1940s to the mid-1970s?
    1. Form of Gambling
    2. Noise
    3. Mafia Racket
    4. Suggestive Themes
    (Think Fast Answer: Form of Gambling)Pinball was banned in most of America's largest cities from the early 1940s to the mid-1970s because it was not a game of skill, it was a game of chance and thus a form of gambling.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Newly Uncovered, 6,500-Year-Old Fortified Stone City the Oldest in Europe
    http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/11/newly-uncovered-6500-year-old-fortified-stone-city-the-oldest-in-europe/
    This 350-person town is the oldest of its type found to date
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Religion is like a penis.
    It's fine to have one.
    It's fine to be proud of it.
    But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around.
    Unknown

    "Evil is the absence of empathy".- G.M. Gilbert

    "Stupidity should be painful"-Unknown

    "You can't have everything. Where would you keep it?"-Steven Wright
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Grounded, Sci-Fi Short About A Stranded Astronaut
    http://vimeo.com/kevinmargo/grounded
    “Grounded” is a visually stunning sci-fi short about an astronaut who finds himself stranded on a mysterious planet. The film is mainly the work of one person, visual effects artist Kevin Margo, who worked on the film for two years along with co-director Barrett Meeker and a small team of collaborators. The film was shot on DSLRs but many of the visuals were added digitally in post-production. Margo has released a fascinating behind-the-scenes video that reveals how much of the film was computer generated.
    One astronaut’s journey through space and life ends on a hostile exosolar planet. Grounded is a metaphorical account of the experience, inviting unique interpretation and reflection by the viewer. Themes of aging, inheritance, paternal approval, cyclic trajectories, and behaviors passed on through generations are explored against an ethereal backdrop.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Directors and designers Davy and Kristin McGuire are behind Psycho – Homage to Hitchcock, a fantastic theatrical installation of the classic thriller, Psycho, that uses paper craft and miniature projection mapping. They created it as “a Research and Development piece” for The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2012. According to the film’s Vimeo page, Psycho – Homage to Hitchcock is “available for touring, permanent installation and purchase.” To see the scale of the model and some behind-the-scenes images, take a look at the images on their Flickr stream.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Help me be MANIC so I may be joyous though the results are equivocal.
    Help me be DEPRESSIVE for when a prediction is verified, I must know that it will not later be confirmed.
    Help me be SADISTIC so I suffer not though the subjects be sorely anguished.
    Help me be MASOCHISTIC for even the most obstinate experimental animal should be a pleasure to me.
    Help me be PSYCHOPATHIC to quiet the guilt when I tell loved ones that the experiment is going well.
    Help me be SCHIZOPHRENIC to sustain myself by finding hopeful trends in random data.
    Help me be PARANOID so I can see in the hostile attitudes of others the supremacy of my own work.
    Help me to have ANXIETY ATTACKS so that even on holidays I find myself toiling in the laboratory.
    And finally,
    Help my wife get a job! for when I cross over the shadowy border of normalcy, somebody will have to support the kids. Amen.
    -- R.A McCleary in the Worm Runner's Digest, November 1960
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    What Makes Bats, Spiders and Owls So Scary?http://wild.enature.com/blog/why-are-bats-spiders-and-even-owls-the-scary-creatures-of-halloween?
    Halloween means vampires and witches, bats, owls and spiders to most people, especially children. Even the mere mention of these creatures sends shivers through some folks.
    What is it about bats, owls, and spiders that makes people associate them with evil?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Birth of a pumpkin
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A lady is accustomed to buy from her greengrocer large bundles of asparagus, each twelve inches in circumference. The other day the man had no large bundles in stock, but handed her instead two small ones, each six inches in circumference. "That is the same thing," she said, "and, of course, the price will be the same." But the man insisted that the two bundles together contained more than the large one, and charged a few pence extra. Which was correct -- the lady or the greengrocer?
    Both were wrong, and the lady was badly cheated. She only got half the quantity that would be contained in the large bundle, and therefore should have been charged half the original price. A circle with the circumference half that of another must have its area a quarter that of the other.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Between now and the middle of November, the trees in North America’s eastern broadleaf forests will reach their full fall glory. From Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and New Hampshire’s White Mountains to the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, leaf peepers will bring traffic to a standstill every fall weekend. But what actually creates these glorious colors? As with many things in nature, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Happy Shark
    Woman beats off shark2
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A correspondent of the Manchester Sporting Chronicle, thinking that his horse was short-sighted, had his eyes examined by an oculist, who certified that the horse had a No. 7 eye and required concave glasses. These were obtained and fitted on to the horse's head. At first the horse was a little surprised, but rapidly showed signs of the keenest pleasure, and he now stands all the morning looking over the half-door of his stable with his spectacles on, gazing around him with an air of sedate enjoyment. When driven his manner is altogether changed from his former timidity; but if pastured without his spectacles on, he hangs about the gate whinnying in a plaintive minor key. If the spectacles are replaced he kicks up his heels and scampers up and down the pasture with delight.
    -- British Veterinary Journal, March 1888
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A rare crested coua chick, which is being hand-reared at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Central Park Zoo, displays the markings on the inside of its mouth as it prepares to receive food from its caretaker. These markings are unique for each individual chick and fade as the bird matures. The markings on the inside of a coua chick's beak are believed to be used by the parents for identification or as a target to aid in feeding. Crested couas are a species of cuckoo native to Madagascar.
    One of the Pictures of the Day at The Telegraph. Fascinating. You learn something every day.
    Addendum: A big tip of the hat this morning to Pamela Cohen for locating and submitting an excellent link on Mouth Markings of Estrildid Finch Chicks, replete with several dozen photos clearly showing the interspecies differences in the mouth markings. Here are six examples from Australian finches:

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Suspect A has shot a man through the heart during the last half minute. But Suspect B shot him through the heart during the preceding 1/4 minute, Suspect C shot him through the heart during the 1/8 minute before that, and so on. Assuming that a bullet through the heart kills a man instantly, the victim must already have been dead before any given suspect shot him.
    Indeed, notes José Benardete, he cannot be said to have died of a bullet wound.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The Great Wall of Vaginas
    Female genitalia have long been a source of fascination, recently of celebration but generally of confusion. Today it seems that creating images of the vagina is the sole preserve of pornographers, erotic artists and feminists. Step in British artist Jamie McCartney who has grasped the nettle to create a monumental wall sculpture all about this most intimate of places. For 400 women their privates have gone public…
    Vagina exhibit
    Half a decade since its humble beginnings, The Great Wall of Vagina has enticed women from many different countries and all walks of life to volunteer to be cast by McCartney in an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the project.
    Vagina panel2
    The Great Wall of Vagina will travel to Milan in December to appear in a large museum show on sex and design.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    800-241-HUGS
    http://youtu.be/toKz_E68I5s
    Sander over in Kansas City made this little phone sex parody with a couple of his freaky friends.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Japanese novelist Tarō Hirai wrote detective fiction under the pseudonym Edogawa Rampo.
    That's a phonetic rendering of one of the genre's inventors -- Edgar Allan Poe
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished." -- Jeremy Bentham
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Frisky the Snowman
    Frisky the snowman
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    http://youtu.be/CCxKUuOn_94
    Next Media Animation shows us their version of the Disney buyout of Lucasfilm. This is the dialog-free animation, which can be edited to fit your news copy, should you be a subscriber. What that means for us is that it's longer than the finished news clips we are used to seeing from NMA. At YouTube, it's described as "Star Wars Episode 7 Official Trailer." -via Blame It On The Voices

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    What happens when the Dark Lord of the Sith goes to the Happiest Place on Earth? Disney, after purchasing Lucafilm, welcomes him with open arms. The galaxy will never be the same. -via The Daily What
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    One of the benefits of having pumpkins is the fun you can have getting rid of them. However, I would not recommend that you try the methods shown in this slow-motion video. Especially #3. Do not attempt that ever, anytime, anywhere. -via The Daily What
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The cat would not rest until he got a dog treat out of the canister. Then he found out there is no honor among thieves. -via The Awesomer
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
    A puzzle by Lewis Carroll:
    A bag contains one counter, known to be either white or black. A white counter is put in, the bag shaken, and a counter drawn out, which proves to be white. What is now the chance of drawing a white counter?

    It seems at first that the chance must be 1/2, as we've simply added a white counter and then removed it again, returning the bag to its original state.
    But this is an error. After the white counter is added, the bag contains either (a) 2 white counters or (b) 1 white counter and 1 black counter. These states are equally probable. The chance of drawing a white counter from bag (a) is 1; from bag (b) it's 1/2. So when the white counter is drawn, the chance that the bag had contained (a) 2 white counters or (b) 1 white counter and 1 black counter are proportional to (a) 1/2 × 1 (b) 1/2 × 1/2, i.e., 2 to 1. So there's a 2/3 chance that the remaining counter is white.
    In other words, the white counter that we drew is twice as likely to have come from a white-white bag than from a white-black bag.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Bloke is drinking at a pub and after a few rounds goes to leave, explaining to the barman he has to go home to do a shit.
    "Don't be stupid," says the barman, "We've got a perfectly good toilet here!"
    "Yes," explains the drinker, "but I take salts."
    "So what??!! That doesn't matter - you can still use the toilet here!"
    The drinker reluctantly agrees and heads for the toilet. After a few moments there is loud banging and the bloke emerges, followed by a foul smell. The barman races into the toilet where he sees crap all over the ceiling and walls. He races back into the bar.
    "What the hell went on in there?!" he demands.
    "I told you," explained the drinker.
    "No, you said that you take salts!" yelled the barman.
    "That's right," the drinker shrugs, "somersaults."
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    WWII Carrier Pigeon Found
    vA British carrier pigeon was en route to deliver a coded message during World War II when it apparently fell down a chimney. The current owner of the chimney, David Martin of Surrey, England, found the bones of that pigeon 70 years later, with the message still attached to his leg.
    Experts say the red capsule Mr Martin found is the type used by the Special Operations Executive. Their human agents undertook sabotage missions such as blowing up trains, bridges and factories in German-occupied territory.

    The message was written by a Sergeant W Stott and contains columns of groups of five letters. It is thought that its intended recipient, ‘X02’, is code for Bomber Command.

    One theory is that the message may have been requesting a bombing raid somewhere. Another is that the pigeon was bound for Field Marshal Montgomery’s HQ in Reigate, Surrey, from where he planned the D-Day landings.
    Because the message is in code, it is assumed that the pigeon flew back to England from Nazi-occupied Europe. The code has been sent to the government intelligence center that worked to crack the Nazi Enigma code during the war. Link -via Metafilter
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Today's standards of performance are
    yesterday's standards of excellence and
    tomorrow's standards of mediocrity.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Warning NSFW - Strong Language
    A two man Robinson R-22 helicopter was passing by a group of large houses when the crew sees a kid flying a small toy plane. When the plane crashes in the tree tops, the guys decide to perform a daring rescue of the P51 Mustang. Pretty great.-Via Orange
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Changing His Mind
    b
    Comic artist Pablo Stanley illustrates what so many were thinking when they heard about the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm. Link -via Breakfast Links

    But to give credit where it is due, George Lucas said that the majority of the money he gets from Disney will go to a charitable foundation to fund education efforts. Link
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Platonic friend is like a dick in a glass.
    In case of an emergency -- you break the glass.
    -- Chris Rock
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A programmer is someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Having it my way
    I was secretly having a wank under the table in Burger King while staring at one of the female employees big tits when she noticed me.
    “Can I help you?” she snapped.
    I said, “Yeah, if you don’t mind, that’d be great.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Legenday sheen
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Repeat Performance
    A "poem for stutterers" by Harry Mathews:
    Mimi, our hours so social shall secede;
    And answer surlily tie-tidied deed.
    Read it aloud.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Hey y'all! Julia Fowler wrote and directed this skit Sh%t Southern Women Say, featuring herself and three other southern belles from South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi. We're fixin' to tell you how much we like the clip.
    You watch: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] (Yes, it has some curse words in it, but it's pronounced such that I just find it charming)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Unlovely Words
    ganch
    v. to impale upon hooks
    glunch
    v. a sullen look
    thrunch
    adj. much displeased
    dretch
    v. to trouble in sleep
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scale_(PSF).png
    This scale balances a cup of water with a certain weight. Will the balance be upset if you put your finger in the water, if you're careful not to touch the glass?

    Yes. The water imparts an upward force on your finger as you immerse it, so you must exert a downward force to overcome it. That force is transferred to the glass and then to the scale, which sinks.
    From Yuri B. Chernyak, The Chicken From Minsk, 1995.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A man eating at restaurant says to his waiter, 'waiter, there's a fly in my soup!'
    The waiter replies, 'That, sir, is entirely possible, you see our cook used to be a tailor.'
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Sue and Sally meet at their 30th class reunion, and they haven't seen each other since graduation. They begin to talk and bring each other up to date. The conversation covers their husbands, their children, homes, etc.,
    and finally gets around to their sex lives.
    Sue says, "It's OK. We get it on every week or so, but it's no big adventure; how's yours?"
    Sally replies, "It's just great, ever since we got into S&M."
    Sue is aghast. "Really, Sally, I never would have quessed that you would go for that!!"
    Oh, sure," says Sally, "He Snores while I Masturbate."
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Samuel Colt- Inventor of the point-and-click interface.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A Curious Vanity Picture
    Fantastic Four The Thing
    The Curiosity rover took a vanity shot. In this self picture, which actually is a combination of 55 individual photos taken from its MAHLI camera, you can see the rover sitting comfortably on the surface of Mars. Stuart Atkinson, an amateur astronomer, put the 55 pictures together and can be viewed at its full 5,400 pixel wide version here.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Nothing like bottle feeding and cuddling with orphaned babies who weigh more than you do. Someone sign me up for this job tomorrow -minimum wage seems like I'd be getting over paid. Via Discovery News
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Lets all take a moment to appreciate the Star Wars Episode VII Wikipedia entry before it gets changed.

    The Etymology of "Hangover"

    What George Washington and coarse French fabric have to do with the language of drunkenness.
    The fringes of language have a special kind of allure, especially when it comes to the unsuspected origins of common words. That's precisely what Mark Forsyth explores with equal parts wryness, curiosity, and erudition in The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (public library), based on his popular language-geekery blog The Inky Fool. Among Forsyth's fascinating, meandering stories of linguistic historicity is that of the hangover – a phenomenon encrusted with rich empirical familiarity, and even some scientific knowledge, but paltry etymological grasp.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
    Time is never wasted when you're wasted all the time.
    --Catherine Zandonella
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The World's Happiest Man Is a Tibetan Monk
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    What Alphonse Allais (1854-1905) lacked in compositional talent he made up in imagination and a wry sense of humor. His Funeral March for the Obsequies of a Deaf Man (1897), for example, is entirely blank.
    Allais' entries in Jules Lévy's expositions of "Incoherent Art" -- dedicated to the works of "people who do not know how to draw" -- included a white rectangle titled First Communion of Anemic Young Girls in a Snowstorm. He followed this with a red rectangle titled Tomato Harvest on the Shore of the Red Sea, by Apoplectic Cardinals.
    "There was also 'sculpture' with the punning title 'Terre cuite (Pomme de)," writes Steven Moore Whiting in Satie the Bohemian. "Terre cuite by itself means terracotta; with the parenthetical qualifier, the title becomes 'Baked Potato.'"
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    With just Moleskine journals, Roger Wieland created this cute stop-motion advertisement for them. At the link, you can view behind-the-scenes photos showing how Wieland made this film Link -via Colossal
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Brazil is a terrifying place. It is like something out of prehistoric times. Venturing into the dense rainforests of Brazil an unfamiliar adventurer wouldn't be surprised to find dinosaurs stomping around in the unexplored interior. And many of the species you will find in Brazil are not far off.

    Brazil is home to one of the world's deadliest fish, the Piranha, one of the world's deadliest snakes, the Coral Snake, one of the world's biggest spiders, the Goliath bird-eating spider and one of the world's most painful waxes. Now a new discovery makes Brazil home to one of the world's most intimidating amphibians, the Penis Snake.

    A group of engineers building a dam in the Amazon recently discovered the bizarre, limbless monster while draining part of the Madeira River.

    The official name of the animal is Atretochoana eiseltiis, but one look at the fleshy-looking member and the name "Penis Snake" immediately springs to mind.

    Biologist Julian Tupan said, "Despite looking like snakes, they aren't reptiles and are more closely related to salamanders and frogs. We think the animal breathes through its skin, and probably feeds on small fish and worms, but there is still nothing proven. The Amazon is a box of surprises when it comes to reptiles and amphibians. There are still much more to be discovered."

    Informally, the new Amazon River dweller is being called a "floppy snake," but media outlets are having a little fun coming up with names like penis snake and man-aconda.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Firefighters arrive to find fireplace DVD
    JONKOPING, Sweden - Swedish firefighters said they responded to a report of flames seen through an apartment's window only to discover it was a DVD of a fireplace. Jonkoping firefighters said they were called Wednesday by workers at a senior care home who spotted flames through the window of a nearby apartment building, Swedish news agency TT reported Thursday. "We quickly realized that it was one of those DVDs of a fireplace," firefighter Jerker Sturedahl said. Emergency responders said the TV screen fire video was quite relaxing. "We even stayed and watched the fire for a while afterward," police officer Goran Gunnarson said.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    No such thing as a dirty mind
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Words of Inspiration

"Think you can, think you can’t... either way, you’ll be right.”

~ Henry Ford ~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Part of what it means to be environmentally minded is knowing what the important environmental issues of the day are. For example; did you know that one of the largest dead zones in the world is right in our own Mississippi River Basin in the Gulf of Mexico?

    The same Gulf of Mexico that supplies 72 percent of U.S. harvested shrimp, 66 percent of harvested oysters, and 16 percent of commercial fish.

    But what is a dead zone?

    The dead zone is caused by nutrient enrichment from the Mississippi River, particularly nitrogen and phosphorous. Watersheds within the Mississippi River Basin drain much of the United States, from Montana to Pennsylvania and extending southward along the Mississippi River.

    Most of the nitrogen input comes from major farming states in the Mississippi River Valley, including Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Nitrogen and phosphorous enter the river through upstream runoff of fertilizers, soil erosion, animal wastes, and sewage.

    In a natural system, these nutrients aren't significant factors in algae growth because they are depleted in the soil by plants. However, with anthropogenically increased nitrogen and phosphorus input, algae growth is no longer limited. Consequently, algal blooms develop, the food chain is altered, and dissolved oxygen in the area is depleted.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Blade to blade I always win,
    My foe laid low and even.
    Yard by yard through thick and thin,
    I'm busiest in season.
    What am I?

    ANSWER: A lawn mower.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
    Would you eat more salad if you could hold the whole thing in one hand? Nick at DudeFoods found a way to make salad as easy to eat as an ice cream cone!
    What you see here is a cone stuffed with Cobb salad. It isn’t just any cone however, it’s a cone made out of crushed up croutons! It actually took me a few tries to make my crouton cone and I considered throwing in the towel before my final attempt at it, but I decided to give it one more shot and it turned out wonderfully!
    Find out how to make one of these yourself -and you might end up making more than one. Link -via Daily of the Day
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    QUOTE: The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'

    HINT: (1900-1990), American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music.

    ANSWER: Aaron Copland
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    What the hell is the fourth dimension? If it's time, like a lot of people say, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
    The fourth dimension has lots of meanings, depending on what field you apply it to. I don’t have a complete understanding of any of them, but I do have a couple favorites.
    In physics, time is unified into “space” to become “spacetime”. That’s to say that the three dimensions that govern everything we can see, touch, etc. also need a fourth dimension of measure to be meaningful. This is where time comes in. The state of the world yesterday was clearly different than today, right? The state of the universe is just different as we go through time. Entropy, yadda yadda yadda. So we need a dimension of measure and description to prove that then is different than now. If that makes sense. This video may help.
    But my favorite idea about the fourth dimension has to do with pure scale, thinking about a universe made of strings. Now, string theory goes far beyond the fourth dimension, into maybe eleven or so, which is just not imaginable. You’ll hurt yourself trying. But maybe we can go one beyond the three. Picture yourself as a tightrope walker, balancing on a line. You can move forward, backward, side-to-side or down (if you fall). That’s your three dimensions of reality. Now imagine a flea is walking along the same tightrope, and bumps into your foot. Fleas have things to do, so he needs to get by. The flea can crawl to the bottom side of the tightrope, and walk around you, exploiting a dimension of reality that doesn’t exist to you because of your scale.
    Chew on it. This kind of stuff grows wrinkles in your brain.
    RANDOM TIDBITS

    In 1968, when the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley asked radio stations across the city to refrain from playing the Rolling Stones' song "Street Fighting Man" so as not to incite rioters.

    The band the Rolling Stones predated the Rolling Stone magazine by five years.

    The Stones keep getting richer for doing less work, at least on stage. In 1989, they set a world record by grossing $98 million during a 60-concert tour. In 2005, their tour lasted only 42 shows, but the band brought in an amazing $162 million, setting a new record.

    Thanks in part to socialized dentistry and also substance abuse, Keith Richard's smile was in such disrepair during the 1970s that one of his teeth reportedly fell out during a magazine interview.

    An unlikely defender of the Rolling Stones was Bob Dylan. In some poetry printed in the liner notes of his album Another Side of Bob Dylan, the folk-rock star suggested that Dean Martin should apologize to the Stones. Martin had made the band the butt of many jokes on his TV variety show.

    In 1977, Margaret Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, left her own anniversary party to see the Rolling Stones play in Toronto. She returned with them to their hotel for a night of partying and later accompanied guitarist Ron Wood back to England for a time.
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    violins
    When you're not looking, Philippe Guillerm's violins are flirting with each other, getting into trouble or performing stunts. He makes amusing sculptures of anthropomorphic violins that look like they popped out of a Disney cartoon Link -via My Darkened Eyes
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    NSFW Language
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    Server's poor response
    Not quick enough for browser.
    Timed out, plum blossom.
    Everything is gone;
    Your life's work has been destroyed.
    Squeeze trigger (yes/no)?
    Chaos reigns within.
    Reflect, repent, and reboot.
    Order shall return.
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    Warning NSW - Strong Language
    IMDB top 250. How many of these have you seen? I think I have probably watched at least 90% of these films, if not more. The list changes a lot apparently - so 53 of the titles were in the top 250 when the original poster began the project, but now are not. Still pretty fun though.
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    Surprise!!!

    Spring loaded coffin
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    Gravity. The stars in day. Thoughts. The human genome. Time. Atoms. So much of what really matters in the world is impossible to see. A stunning animation of John Lloyd’s classic TEDTalk from 2009, which will make you question what you actually know.
    Read more at http://www.geeksaresexy.net/#8h0pP2ZIHcRHJPYA.99
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    http://youtu.be/cBlRbrB_Gnc
    Air New Zealand partnered with WETA Workshop on a brand new Hobbit inspired Safety Video.

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    Our Story in 1 Minute
    You’re going to watch this about a hundred times. It’s everything that got us here, from Big Bang beginnings to biological branchings, and it’s beautiful. Good night, good day, and be well. (by melodysheep)
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    Gamer mentality
    Which is why I am no longer allowed to drive in New York ~
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    Say what you want about Apple, they’re pretty good at marketing their stuff. They’ve had a pretty good recipe of clean white backgrounds to showcase the product being advertised and a carefully crafted voice-over making the features sound like conversation pieces. They kinda make the tech a talking piece – which isn’t an entirely bad thing for tech geeks, who just want to find acceptance when they talk about the features of a new gadget.
    However, the new iPad mini ad, entitled “Piano”, takes a slightly altered approach – while the ‘just-the-product’ concept is still there, this one lacks a voice-over and is simply showing off the GarageBand piano.
    And they’re playing ‘Heart and Soul’. Sure, it’s recognizable, a great song for piano beginners and one that most people who have ever felt the desire to play a piano can relate to. It’s also horrifically annoying as it’s a tune we’ve heard over…and over…and over.
    What do you think? Is this an effective ad or is Apple’s marketing slipping?
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    http://youtu.be/cKm1FkdsDOI
    A 60 ft homemade slip n’ slide launching people across a yard into tiny kid’s pools. It’s quite hilarious. Shot in 1000fps to capture the entire awesomeness in all it’s glory.
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    The Shoes Appreciation Society
    n
    Each style of shoe has a name, and proper use of those names will help you shop for the right shoe. And the left one, too! Niege Borges created this poster to help you visualize shoes by their names -or to learn the names of the shoes you are thinking about. Too bad the print is sold out, but if there's demand, maybe he'll make more. Link -via Nag on the Lake
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    For Formula 1 fans it could by the ultimate way to see what it's really like to drive at the highest level. However, only the most affluent fans need apply for what is one of the most realistic simulators on the market.

    Budding racing drivers will feel like they're out on the circuit for real in the full size car - if they are willing to part with £90,000 ($145,269, €112.290). The simulators, which have three 23 inch screens and a speaker tower, are made to order in the buyer's chosen team colours.
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    How many astrophysicists do you know by name? One right? Neil deGrasse Tyson. I don't know what it is about him, something fatherly and wholesome, but everything he does I find interesting. Knowing this, Nerdist decided it was a good idea to launch a new web series called "Star Talk With Neil deGrasse Tyson." In episode one he has guests Mike Massimino, Kristen Schaal and John Hodgman. Massimino was an astronaut and they talk about astronaut related things.-Via Daily of the Day
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    Last week saw the start of Movember. Movember (a portmanteau of the slang word 'mo' for moustache and 'November') is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other male cancer initiatives. Here's an infographic that will help you with the difficult choice of what moustache to wear this month
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    First Law: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
    Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
    Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. [Via Neatorama]
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    Battle Bugs
    bug
    Job Van der Molen, an artist from the Netherlands, has gradually assembled an army of insect soldiers equipped with tiny cannons and missle racks. Why? I don't know, but I'm sure his intentions are harmless. You can view more photos of his taxidermied insects at the link.Link | Artist's Website
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    The male caribou grows antlers every year, and then throws them away!
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    Jordan from Hooters teaches the class….
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    The veterinarian called me yesterday: “Your wife’s here with your cat. She’s very sick and so I call you to ask if it would be okay to euthanize her?”
    “That’s so sad, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Go ahead.”, I said, “I think the cat knows the way home.”
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    Your best friend
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    Funny 3D animation developed by Brazilian 3D artist Pedro Conti. The story tells of a big, burly Viking who frequents his local bar for a quick tipple. A man of few words, the bar tender knows exactly what he wants. But it wont be what you're expecting
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    Duct tape cant fix stupid
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    Mr Smith goes downstairs in the morning and his doorman says, "Mr Smith, how are you?" Smith says, "I feel great." Doorman says, "But you look terrible!" Smith says, "But I feel great."
    When Smith gets to the office, his secretary asks him how he is. He says, "I feel great!" She says, "But you look terrible." He says, "But I feel great." Smith goes to lunch with his friend and they have just the same conversation. His friend insists that he goes to the doctor and so that is what Mr Smith does.
    The doctor asks what the problem is. Smith says, "I feel great but I look terrible." Dr says, "I don't know that ailment so I'll look in my medical book." The doctor takes out a huge tome. "Feels great, looks terrible..." he says as he turns the pages, "Feels great, looks terrible.... Feels gre... I've got it!! You're a vagina!"
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    Three couples, an elderly couple, a middle aged couple and a young newlywed couple wanted to join a church.
    The pastor says, "We have special requirements for new parishioners. You must abstain from having sex for two weeks."
    The couples agreed and came back at the end of two weeks. The pastor goes to the elderly couple and asks, "Were you able to abstain from sex for the two weeks?"
    The old man replies, "No problem at all, Pastor."
    "Congratulations! Welcome to the church." said the pastor. The pastor goes to the middle aged couple and asks, "Well, were you able to abstain from sex for the two weeks?"
    The man replied, "The first week was not too bad. The second week I had to sleep on the couch for a couple of nights but, yes we made it.
    "Congratulations! Welcome to the church." said the pastor. The pastor then goes to the newlywed couple and asks, 'Well, were you able to abstain from sex for two weeks?"
    "Well Pastor, we were not able to go without sex for the two weeks," the young man replied.
    "What happened?" inquired the pastor.
    "My wife was reaching for a can of corn on the top shelf and dropped it. When she bent over to pick it up, I was over come with lust and took advantage of her right there."
    "You understand of course, this means you will not be welcome in our church," stated the pastor.
    "That's OK." said the young man, "We're not welcome at Safeway anymore,either."
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    Ursa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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