Amish Vehicle Symbol Flummoxes Drivers - Wed May 28, 4:19 PM ET By DAN LEWERENZ, Associated Press Writer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Are the Amish carting hazardous waste?
A Penn State University study found that the vast majority of drivers do not recognize the slow-moving vehicle symbol affixed to most Amish buggies. Many of those surveyed mistook the bright orange triangle for a yield sign or even a biohazard warning.
The slow-moving vehicle sign has been in use for more than 40 years and is required by 41 states.
--heheheh... He said "Flummoxes"...
Funeral Firm Charged Over Botched Burials - Fri May 23,10:11 AM ET By Jane Sutton
MIAMI (Reuters) - The world's largest funeral services company and two employees were charged with felonies on Thursday over human remains that were dug up and dumped in the woods to make room at an overcrowded Florida cemetery.
--I bet that seemed like a good idea at the time...
MIAMI (Reuters) - The world's largest funeral services company and two employees were charged with felonies on Thursday over human remains that were dug up and dumped in the woods to make room at an overcrowded Florida cemetery.
--I bet that seemed like a good idea at the time...
Dixie Chicks Booed at ACM Awards - Thu May 22, 3:33 AM By TOM GARDNER, Associated Press Writer
LAS VEGAS - Many country music fans aren't ready to forgive the Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines for comments critical of President Bush: Voters rejected the group's nominations for three Academy of Country Music Awards and the audience booed the mention of their name.
--I am not surprised. I hope celebs have learned a lesson.
LAS VEGAS - Many country music fans aren't ready to forgive the Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines for comments critical of President Bush: Voters rejected the group's nominations for three Academy of Country Music Awards and the audience booed the mention of their name.
--I am not surprised. I hope celebs have learned a lesson.
13,000 Fla. Seniors Fail Achievement Test - Mon May 19,11:19 AM ET
NAPLES, Fla. - Nearly 13,000 high school seniors in Florida will not graduate as scheduled this year because they failed to pass a newly required state achievement test.
Some school boards around the state have voted to allow seniors who met all graduation requirements, aside from passing the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, to participate in commencement ceremonies, although they won't receive a diploma.
But South Florida's black community leaders and legislators plan a protest this week, denouncing the FCAT as unfair to minority students. They want Gov. Jeb Bush to put aside the consequences for students who failed this year's test and re-examine the FCAT policies.
The protesters are calling for boycotts of the Florida Lottery, the state's citrus industry and its major theme parks, among other measures.
Bush administration officials have said they won't set aside the results and the governor has criticized the protesters, noting that scores have gone up since the test was started in 1998 and minority students have made some of the biggest gains.
"This is a time to celebrate, this is not a time to boycott," Bush said last week.
This is the first year that seniors have been required to pass the test, which measures reading, writing and math skills, before graduating. Those failing are roughly one of every 11 seniors.
Seniors have had at least five opportunities to take the FCAT — once as sophomores, twice more as juniors and twice more as seniors. Those still seeking their diplomas after graduation day can continue taking the test indefinitely.
--So they have know this was coming for 5 years? Let the rule stand. I say we make EVERY teacher pass it too.
NAPLES, Fla. - Nearly 13,000 high school seniors in Florida will not graduate as scheduled this year because they failed to pass a newly required state achievement test.
Some school boards around the state have voted to allow seniors who met all graduation requirements, aside from passing the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, to participate in commencement ceremonies, although they won't receive a diploma.
But South Florida's black community leaders and legislators plan a protest this week, denouncing the FCAT as unfair to minority students. They want Gov. Jeb Bush to put aside the consequences for students who failed this year's test and re-examine the FCAT policies.
The protesters are calling for boycotts of the Florida Lottery, the state's citrus industry and its major theme parks, among other measures.
Bush administration officials have said they won't set aside the results and the governor has criticized the protesters, noting that scores have gone up since the test was started in 1998 and minority students have made some of the biggest gains.
"This is a time to celebrate, this is not a time to boycott," Bush said last week.
This is the first year that seniors have been required to pass the test, which measures reading, writing and math skills, before graduating. Those failing are roughly one of every 11 seniors.
Seniors have had at least five opportunities to take the FCAT — once as sophomores, twice more as juniors and twice more as seniors. Those still seeking their diplomas after graduation day can continue taking the test indefinitely.
--So they have know this was coming for 5 years? Let the rule stand. I say we make EVERY teacher pass it too.
Halle's Berry Bad Break By Joal Ryan
Is Halle Berry Jinx-ed?
The Oscar-winning Bond girl, who suffered an eye injury while shooting the 007 adventure Die Another Day, sustained a broken arm Wednesday while shooting her latest flick, Gothika.
Berry, 36, fractured the ulna, the major bone between the wrist and elbow, in her right arm as she performed one of the psychological horror film's "more physically demanding" scenes, Warner Bros. publicist Joe Everett said from the film's Montreal production offices on Thursday.
--Man. That's gotta suck.
Is Halle Berry Jinx-ed?
The Oscar-winning Bond girl, who suffered an eye injury while shooting the 007 adventure Die Another Day, sustained a broken arm Wednesday while shooting her latest flick, Gothika.
Berry, 36, fractured the ulna, the major bone between the wrist and elbow, in her right arm as she performed one of the psychological horror film's "more physically demanding" scenes, Warner Bros. publicist Joe Everett said from the film's Montreal production offices on Thursday.
--Man. That's gotta suck.
U.S. Firm's Saudi Interests Also a Focus in 1995 Attack
WASHINGTON — Despite warnings of impending terror acts, the homicide bombers in Riyadh met little resistance when they attacked a housing complex that included Americans who have been training Saudi Arabian national guardsmen.
It was the second time in eight years that the Saudi business interests of Fairfax, Va.-based Vinnell Corp. have come under terrorist attack.
--I work in the same building as Vinnell...
WASHINGTON — Despite warnings of impending terror acts, the homicide bombers in Riyadh met little resistance when they attacked a housing complex that included Americans who have been training Saudi Arabian national guardsmen.
It was the second time in eight years that the Saudi business interests of Fairfax, Va.-based Vinnell Corp. have come under terrorist attack.
--I work in the same building as Vinnell...
Alert: Total Lunar Eclipse Set Thursday - Sun May 11, 4:16 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - If the weather cooperates, a total lunar eclipse will be seen across North America late Thursday — the first visible in the United States in three years — and just before dawn Friday in western Europe and western and southern Africa.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the full moon, blocking the sunlight that otherwise reflects off the moon's surface. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.
In North America, the moon will remain totally eclipsed for 53 minutes, and should turn substantially darker and reddish in color.
The total eclipse will start at 8:13 PDT in Los Angeles, 11:13 p.m. EDT in New York.
--Watch the sky. It's watching you...
LOS ANGELES - If the weather cooperates, a total lunar eclipse will be seen across North America late Thursday — the first visible in the United States in three years — and just before dawn Friday in western Europe and western and southern Africa.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the full moon, blocking the sunlight that otherwise reflects off the moon's surface. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.
In North America, the moon will remain totally eclipsed for 53 minutes, and should turn substantially darker and reddish in color.
The total eclipse will start at 8:13 PDT in Los Angeles, 11:13 p.m. EDT in New York.
--Watch the sky. It's watching you...
The Trouble with Shatner's Semen - Thu May 8, 3:45 PM ET By Joal Ryan
With all the space seed Captain Kirk spread around the galaxy, it figured he'd eventually hear the phrase "semen-related lawsuit."
It just never figured he'd hear the phrase related to a horse.
A little story:
In the mid-1990s, Captain Kirk alter ego William Shatner split from second wife Marcy Lafferty Shatner. Per their divorce settlement, the ex-Mrs. Shatner reputedly was afforded privileges once yearly at Mr. Shatner's horse farm in Kentucky (for the purposes of breeding horses, people).
According to a lawsuit (yes, the semen-related one) filed late last month by Marcy Shatner, in each breeding season since 1995, she was presented with "fresh cooled format" semen from William Shatner (news)'s studly stallions.
As an equine Dr. Ruth might tell you, and Marcy Shatner certainly would, "fresh cooled format" is the only way to go.
But in March, according to Marcy Shatner's lawsuit, the semen-exchanging relationship with her former spouse turned "unacceptable."
That's when William Shatner's horse farm allegedly presented Marcy Shatner with the frozen, not "fresh cooled format," genetic material of the horse Great Day's Came the Sun.
"Potential buyers of the breeding privileges do not want the semen in frozen format," the lawsuit says.
--Bill, you of all people should know, fresh semen is preferred...
With all the space seed Captain Kirk spread around the galaxy, it figured he'd eventually hear the phrase "semen-related lawsuit."
It just never figured he'd hear the phrase related to a horse.
A little story:
In the mid-1990s, Captain Kirk alter ego William Shatner split from second wife Marcy Lafferty Shatner. Per their divorce settlement, the ex-Mrs. Shatner reputedly was afforded privileges once yearly at Mr. Shatner's horse farm in Kentucky (for the purposes of breeding horses, people).
According to a lawsuit (yes, the semen-related one) filed late last month by Marcy Shatner, in each breeding season since 1995, she was presented with "fresh cooled format" semen from William Shatner (news)'s studly stallions.
As an equine Dr. Ruth might tell you, and Marcy Shatner certainly would, "fresh cooled format" is the only way to go.
But in March, according to Marcy Shatner's lawsuit, the semen-exchanging relationship with her former spouse turned "unacceptable."
That's when William Shatner's horse farm allegedly presented Marcy Shatner with the frozen, not "fresh cooled format," genetic material of the horse Great Day's Came the Sun.
"Potential buyers of the breeding privileges do not want the semen in frozen format," the lawsuit says.
--Bill, you of all people should know, fresh semen is preferred...
Sex in a Car -- How Common? - Fri May 2, 8:25 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - Two-thirds of Britons have had sex in a car, according to a British Web Site launched on Thursday advocating the joys of outdoor sex.
A survey of 1,500 people conducted by Safeoutdoorsex.com indicated that notoriously prudish Britons are quite uninhibited when it comes to their love lives.
It found that 94 percent of respondents thought outdoor sex was a good way to maintain an exciting relationship, with two-thirds admitting to having had sex in a car and nearly half saying they had frolicked in a field.
--Frolicked? What the hell does that mean these days...?
LONDON (Reuters) - Two-thirds of Britons have had sex in a car, according to a British Web Site launched on Thursday advocating the joys of outdoor sex.
A survey of 1,500 people conducted by Safeoutdoorsex.com indicated that notoriously prudish Britons are quite uninhibited when it comes to their love lives.
It found that 94 percent of respondents thought outdoor sex was a good way to maintain an exciting relationship, with two-thirds admitting to having had sex in a car and nearly half saying they had frolicked in a field.
--Frolicked? What the hell does that mean these days...?
Inaugural Nude Flight Heads to Cancun - Mon May 5, 1:03 PM By The Associated Press
MIAMI - When the chartered Boeing 727 reached cruising altitude, 87 passengers took off more than their seat belts. They removed their clothes.
The nude flight, billed by organizers as the first one of its kind, took off Saturday afternoon from Miami International Airport, headed for Cancun, Mexico.
A Houston travel agency specializing in clothing-optional getaways organized the trip. Passengers paid $499 for the trip, with many heading to Cancun's El Dorado Resort & Spa for Nude Week.
"These are professionals who lead very stressful lives and are ready to let it all go," said Donna Daniels, co-owner of the Castaways travel agency and an in-the-buff traveler on the inaugural flight. "They are adventurers and risk takers. They don't even want clothes as a constraint."
There were limits, though. The captain and crew kept their clothes on. No hot coffee or tea was served for fear of spills.
--I hope they remembered sun block!!
MIAMI - When the chartered Boeing 727 reached cruising altitude, 87 passengers took off more than their seat belts. They removed their clothes.
The nude flight, billed by organizers as the first one of its kind, took off Saturday afternoon from Miami International Airport, headed for Cancun, Mexico.
A Houston travel agency specializing in clothing-optional getaways organized the trip. Passengers paid $499 for the trip, with many heading to Cancun's El Dorado Resort & Spa for Nude Week.
"These are professionals who lead very stressful lives and are ready to let it all go," said Donna Daniels, co-owner of the Castaways travel agency and an in-the-buff traveler on the inaugural flight. "They are adventurers and risk takers. They don't even want clothes as a constraint."
There were limits, though. The captain and crew kept their clothes on. No hot coffee or tea was served for fear of spills.
--I hope they remembered sun block!!
X2 - (***) GREEN LIGHT
The X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the President's life, while the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces.
This movie had a better plot than the first one. The character development was great. We didn't loose any time establishing the characters. Twists in the plot nicely integrated a wide variety mutant characters. The special effects are good, as expected. It's funny how much we expect these days.
This movie was 2 hours and 35 minutes long and I found myself wanting more. There were several stories in there. We could have had an entire movie just about several of the sub plots: Wolverines search for his past, his encounter with a like mutant. Love triangles. Magnetos escape. The young mutants coming of age. Man vs. Mutants. Lots of good stuff...
Most importantly, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, playing Mystique, gets a lot of screen time!! There was one point where she was on screen with Ian McKellen. He was sitting and she was standing beside him, her chest level with his face... He could have been wearing a Hitler mustache and know one will ever know...
And if I was Wolverine, I would have taken her!
GREEN LIGHT!!
Climber Pinned by Boulder Cuts Off Arm to Live - Fri May 2, 1:48 PM ET
DENVER (Reuters) - A mountaineer pinned by a heavy boulder in an eastern Utah desert cut off his right arm with a pocketknife after he determined that was the only way he would survive, officials said on Friday.
"He's pretty darn tough. He wanted to live. He saved himself," Sgt. Mitch Vetere of the Emery County Sheriff's Office in Green River, Utah, told Reuters.
Aron Ralston, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, used a pocketknife to cut off his arm below the elbow, then rappelled down a rock wall and hiked until he ran into some hikers who flagged down a rescue helicopter 60 miles south of Green River on Thursday. He had applied a tourniquet to his arm.
--Sometimes I think I have a bad day.
DENVER (Reuters) - A mountaineer pinned by a heavy boulder in an eastern Utah desert cut off his right arm with a pocketknife after he determined that was the only way he would survive, officials said on Friday.
"He's pretty darn tough. He wanted to live. He saved himself," Sgt. Mitch Vetere of the Emery County Sheriff's Office in Green River, Utah, told Reuters.
Aron Ralston, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, used a pocketknife to cut off his arm below the elbow, then rappelled down a rock wall and hiked until he ran into some hikers who flagged down a rescue helicopter 60 miles south of Green River on Thursday. He had applied a tourniquet to his arm.
--Sometimes I think I have a bad day.
Spam Sent by Fraud Is Made a Felony Under Virginia Law - Wed Apr 30, 8:59 AM By SAUL HANSELL The New York Times
In the toughest move to date against unsolicited commercial e-mail, Virginia enacted a law yesterday imposing harsh felony penalties for sending such messages to computer users through deceptive means.
The law would be enforced against those who use fraudulent practices to send bulk e-mail, commonly known as spam, to or from Virginia, a state that is headquarters for a number of major Internet providers, including the nation's largest, America Online.
--Excellent. Those bastards will be getting "Spammed" big time in prison...
In the toughest move to date against unsolicited commercial e-mail, Virginia enacted a law yesterday imposing harsh felony penalties for sending such messages to computer users through deceptive means.
The law would be enforced against those who use fraudulent practices to send bulk e-mail, commonly known as spam, to or from Virginia, a state that is headquarters for a number of major Internet providers, including the nation's largest, America Online.
--Excellent. Those bastards will be getting "Spammed" big time in prison...
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