Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Investigators find history of problems; 4 kinds of salmonella identified

I love peanut butter but lately I've been avoiding it because of the salmonella situation.

Experts say it was peanut butter paste that had the problems, not your jars of Peanut Butter for the home.

Somehow that doesn't make me comfortable. You won't believe the conditions authorities found in a George Peanut Butter factory. Click here and read about the whole sticky mess in the Chicago Tribune today.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

This huge vehicle, aka The Penguin, didn't work out in 1939

In 1939 U.S. Antarctic Service acquired a very special vehicle: "Snow Cruiser, a.k.a. The Penguin"

   

"The Snow Cruiser failed to perform up to expectations. The tires sank deeply into the snow and spun too easily."

All images from darkroastedblend.com archives

Life is full of interesting illusions: here's four for you!

Top left: VASE and FACES -            Right : Stairway To Nowhere

  

Below left: What do you see? A couple or a skull?

Below Right: Stare into the center for 10 seconds and begin moving your eyes around the perimeter.

  

Brought to you by 123OpticalIllusions.com Optical Illusion Archive

Transparency Test #I: Rove to appear in court over his role in politicizing the Justice Department and other alleged misdeeds

Karl Rove (right) waves goodbye to Americans as Dubya's reign ends.

 But not so fast Karl! It seems some people want to talk with you.

President Obama is getting plenty of opportunities for shows of transparency by his new administration. One will be how hard the government goes after presidential puppet-master, Karl Rove, who has been subpoenaed to appear in court on Feb.2.

He's going to be questioned about his role in politicizing the Department of Justice, his role in the US attorney firings, and the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

I hope this is just a prelude of things to come. Ex-president Bush, Cheney, the NSA, and the rest of the lawbreakers, should be next. Governments from around the world want to try Bush and associates for war crimes. They should be brought to justice. Just like the NAZI's were after WW II ended, at the Nuremberg Trials.

Will it ever happen? People in this country are calling upon Obama for the ultimate show of change and transparency. This is Transparency Test #1 for him. Tougher lobbyists rules are fine, but the crimes Dubya's administration has perpetrated upon Americans and the rest of the world need to be accounted for.

As It Stands, I'll really be shocked if Bush, Cheney, Rove, etc., ever go to jail for what they've done.

Wikipedia photo

 

 

Octuplets make history: doctors surprised by number 8!

The arrival of octuplets surprised everyone involved.

A team of 46 doctors, nurses, and surgical assistants at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, delivered eight babies this morning. They were "only" expecting seven!

This is only the 2nd time in U.S. history that there's been a successful delivery of octuplets. Their arrival was nine weeks early, but all are breathing on their own, according to a CNN broadcast this morning.

The mother has declined to have her name released to the media. My guess is she's got enough on her plate without being a celebrity at the moment.

Doctor's say she intends to breast feed. Before your jaw drops in disbelief, I should explain that she's going to "express" the milk and give it to each baby by bottle.

Congratulations to Mom and Dad! You have your work cut out for you!

google image of baby dolls

Driver's car goes airborn and crash lands on a church!

BERLIN (Reuters Life!)A German motorist missed a bend in the road, broke through a barrier and hurtled up a bank, crash-landing on a church roof in eastern Germany, police said on Monday.

The bank acted like a springboard, propelling the black Skoda about 35 meters (115 ft) forward and straight into the church's roof frame, where it remained wedged 7 meters off the ground, police said in a statement.

"We've never ever had a case of a car landing in a church before," said Frank Fischer, a spokesman for Chemnitz police in the state of Saxony.

The 23-year-old driver suffered serious injuries. The damage to the car, which was extracted from the roof by a crane, amounts to about 10,000 euros ($13,000), police said. The cost of damage to the church has not yet been estimated.

Police said speed was a possible cause for the accident, which happened late on Sunday.

Reuters image

Here's some coffins for people who want to go out in style!

   

There's no end to what kind of coffin can be custom made for people who want to make a statement of some kind. I think it's pretty silly. First off, I don't even believe in burials and all the foo far rah that goes with them. Cremation is the only way to go, as far as I'm concerned. No fuss. No waste of money. I can't imagine why someone would want something so fancy when no one is ever going to see it when the dirt is thrown on top! Click here for some other interesting coffin designs. The last one cracked me up. It really made a statement!

images from humorpix.com   

Monday, January 26, 2009

Marvelous Times: The introduction of Iron Man

I was an absolute Marvel Comic Book nut back in the early sixties and collected them for years. I remember reading this comic about Iron Man's origins.

I had a lot of first issues including Thor, Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Spider Man, and Dr. Strange. I had boxes of comics that I put in storage at my parents house while in the Army.

 Sadly, they couldn't stay there because my parents were moving back east. I had just returned from Vietnam and was stationed at Ft, McArthur. There was no room to store my comics there, so in the end, I gave them to a school teacher who bought my parents house.

Needless to say, if I had them now I'd be doing pretty good as they as they are very expensive collector items now. This comic went for 12 cents. I remember paying a dime prior to that, for Marvel and DC Comics. Those were the days!

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Blago no show at his trial today: He's got TV appointments!

 

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer  

Staking his defense to the airwaves rather than his impeachment trial today, Gov. Rod Blagojevich lashed out at his accusers today and revealed he had considered naming Oprah Winfrey to the Senate.

On the day his Senate trial was to begin, Blagojevich is hundreds of miles away in New York, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" before scheduled appearances on "The View" and "Larry King Live." Click here for the whole story.

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Got Khat? Paranoia leads to latest state ban on plant

Today in the Times-Standard, find out why authorities don't want you to have anything to do with this plant-khat.

What plant is going to be next? Why the paranoia over a shrub that most Americans would have nothing to do with?

The stuffs bitter, and only gives you something akin to a coffee buzz. Read more about khat here.

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Trump's Lowest Grift Ever Saved for Holy Week

This is a story about how the devil's puppet, aka Donald Trump, mocked Christianity by selling a book combining the Bible, the Constitu...