Here's the Top Ten Candy Myths to sweeten your Friday

Here's an example of one of the top ten Candy Myths from

Toptenz ...

#8 The Gruesome Origins of LifeSavers’ Name

Has anyone ever tried to freak you out with this little bedtime story: The inventor of LifeSavers originally designed the candies to be disks without holes, but when his poor little daughter tragically choked on one and died, he vowed to end the senseless killings, so he put holes in the middle and re-dubbed them LifeSavers? I’ve heard this one from quite a few sources, and, well, let’s think about this, people. Would that little hole prevent a kid from choking? It’d have to be lodged just right.

Naw, the real story is a lot less dramatic. In 1912, Clarence Crane began production of a peppermint candy. The machine worked best if the candies had holes in them, and he couldn’t help but compare these these donut-shaped mints with the newfangled life preservers that were becoming fashionable after the recent Titanic disaster.

Click here to read the other nine myths.

This article was submitted by Caitlin Kendall. Visit the Candy Addict for more sweet samples.

Poppy field fantasies: Stoned wallabies make crop circles!

 SYDNEY (Reuters) – The mystery of crop circles in poppy fields in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania has been solved -- stoned wallabies are eating the poppy heads and hopping around in circles.

"We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles," the state's top lawmaker Lara Giddings told local media on Thursday.

"Then they crash. We see crop circles in the poppy industry from wallabies that are high," she said.

Many people believe crop circles that mysteriously appear in fields around the world are created by aliens.

Poppy producer Tasmanian Alkaloids said livestock which ate the poppies were known to "act weird" -- including deer and sheep in the state's highlands.

"There have been many stories about sheep that have eaten some of the poppies after harvesting and they all walk around in circles," said field operations manager Rick Rockliff.

Australia produces about 50 percent of the world's raw material for morphine and related opiates.

(Reporting by Michael Perry; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

image via Google Images

Bored? Get mechanical centaur legs that let you walk like a horse

Short people of the planet rejoice! Now you too can be tall and nimble on your centaur legs!! Just imagine the applications these great legs must have. You can dress up wearing all black and your centaur legs and hop around your neighborhood on a moonless night scaring the hell out of anyone you meet! Oh the possibilities...

From Gizmag...

By Loz Blain

Ever wished you were a 7-foot tall semi-centaur with the body of a human and a horse's legs? Er, me neither. But there's plenty of people out there who do, and Seattle-based fantasy artist Kim Graham has come up with a killer Halloween costume that makes you 14 inches taller and gives you uncanny-looking equine legs and spring-loaded cloven hooves. The effect is quite amazing, and even a bit sexy - or, maybe that's just the admirably proportioned Ms. Graham; check out this video . A set of Digitigrade legs like these can be yours for under $1,000.

photo via Gizmag

RIP: Actress Farrah Fawcett dead at 62

From The Canberra Times...

Actress Farrah Fawcett, best known for her role in television series Charlie's Angels, has died, her long-time companion Ryan O'Neal says. She was 62.

Fawcett died in hospital surrounded by friends and family shortly before 9.30am on Thursday (0230 AEST Friday), reports said.

"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," O'Neal said in a statement released by Fawcett's publicist Arnold Robinson. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

O'Neal told People magazine's online edition he had talked to Fawcett through the night.

"She's now with her mother and sister and her God. I loved her with all my heart. I will miss her so very, very much. She was in and out of consciousness. I talked to her all through the night.

"I told her how very much I loved her. She's in a better place now."

Speculation that Fawcett's death was close at hand had mounted after veteran ABC television interviewer Barbara Walters said the actress had been given her last rites earlier on Thursday.

Reports said O'Neal and Alana Stewart were at Fawcett's bedside when she passed away at St John's Hospital in Santa Monica.

Earlier this week, O'Neal revealed he planned to marry Fawcett, who has been battling cancer for three years. "I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal said.

photo via Canberra Times

O'Neal, 68, and Fawcett had been romantically involved off-and-on since 1982. The couple had a son together, Redmond, but never married.

Redmond O'Neal is in jail in California for drug offences and was not at his mother's bedside when she died but spoke to her on the phone before her death, his father told People.

Pop Icon Michael Jackson dies of heart attack

 From the LA Times and TMZ...

Pop icon Michael Jackson died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest, multiple US media outlets reported, sending shockwaves through the entertainment world.

The Los Angeles Times and TMZ.com celebrity news website reported Jackson, 50, died after suffering an arrest just after 12pm local time (0500 AEST) and paramedics were unable to revive him.

The Times cited multiple city and law enforcement officials as confirming the pop icon's death.

Jackson's manager Tohme E. Tohme was not available for comment. Officials at UCLA Medical Centre where Jackson was treated also could not be reached for comment.

National and local television networks showed hundreds of media gathered at UCLA Medical Centre for what appeared to be a briefing.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales did not confirm Jackson's identity but said paramedics went to an address corresponding to the star's home at 12:21pm (0521 GMT) and the person was taken to UCLA Medical Centre.

An unidentified family member earlier told TMZ -- the first outlet to report that Jackson had suffered a cardiac arrest -- that the star was in "really bad shape."

Michael's father Joe Jackson told E! Online he was aware of the emergency but did not know further details.

"I am in Las Vegas, but yes, people in Los Angeles called me and are with Michael and tell me he was taken to the hospital," he said.

"I am not sure what's wrong. I am waiting to hear back from them."

The reports came as Jackson prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade and the first since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

However those concerts -- billed as the "final curtain" -- had been thrown into doubt after Jackson pushed back the opening dates last month.

Toronto's new green roof law a first for North America

From Mother Nature Network...

                                           By Michael dEstries

In a first for a North American city, Toronto recently passed a new law mandating "green" rooftops for all new developments. Any new construction with floor space of more than 2,000 square meters must devote between 20 and 60 percent of its roof to vegetation. The rule applies to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional structures.

As expected, developers are less than thrilled with the new mandatory rules -- least of all that they come during an economic downturn. Some estimate that green roofs could add more than $177,000 to the cost of a project; not including the ongoing maintenance, replacement and repair costs. "I don't think anybody is warm and fuzzy about having a green roof bylaw impressed on them as a prescriptive method," said one developer to Reuters.

Still, the benefits to the city in terms of energy savings and rainwater runoff management are seen as cost-effective in the long term. According to the organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, more than 3.1 million square feet of green roofs were installed in 2008, a 35 percent growth over the previous year. Though Toronto may have the lead in proactive legislation, the city of Chicago still retains the crown for having the most green roofs in North America at more than 600. Still, it should be interesting to see if our neighbors to the north inspire some U.S. cities to follow with similar legislation.

image via Photo: 416style/Flickr

'Outside The Box' teams up with As It Stands for laughs!

Tom Holloway is an old high school buddy of mine, and my brother-in-law. He does cartoon strips for the Frederick News-Post in Maryland.

"The Grand Life" and "Outside the Box," are the titles of two of his cartoons. Tom showed his artistic acumen in high school drawing superheros from Marvel and DC Comics.

Tom was recently inspired to draw this cartoon based on a post I made about Cheerios two days ago. If you'd like to see more of his work go to "Holloway's Grand Life" Enjoy.

Tom's comments:

Honest to God, this toon is based on an actual news story!

Check out the whole story from Tuesday, June 23, 2009
FDA says Cheerios is a drug and may not be legally marketed!

PETA Insanity: Clooney declines sweaty tofu offer

 That's all I can take without saying something. PETA has done a lot of questionable promotions in the past and taken some silly stands (PETA defends fly that Obama swats!), but this is just too much!

  Good grief! Who the hell would want to eat someone else's sweat? This is crazy. These PETA people must run around with tin-foil hats to avoid the galactic rays or something. I mean...c'mon...really?  

From stuff.com ...

George Clooney has declined an offer for his sweat to be used to make tofu.

Animal rights group Peta want to create the unusual vegetarian food by extracting George’s salty perspiration from his used gym towel.

The organisation wrote to the handsome actor asking for permission to create the product, saying: "The technology actually exists to take your perspiration and make it into George Clooney-flavoured tofu (CloFu).

"Of course, your fans would swoon at the idea of eating CloFu but what interests us most is that we would attract many people who don't try tofu because they worry that it would be bland or that they wouldn't know how to cook it.

 Click here to read the rest.

image via Rueters

S.C. governor admits affair, apologizes to family, public

  All right, what's going on here? What is it with Republican Governors cheating on their wives? This is becoming pretty commonplace among the GOP.

This guy, Stanford, was supposed to be in the running for President in 2012, but he can kiss that idea off! Last week it was another Republican Governor, John Ensign of Nevada, who did the dirty with another woman, despite the fact that he's married. Both of these cheaters were upcoming GOP leaders. This doesn't bode well for the staggering GOP party who are trying to shed their shitty image!

  From the Associated Press...

  The governor of South Carolina, who caused a ruckus after he could not be located by staff, family and friends for days, said Wednesday he has been having an affair and will resign as head of the Republican Governor's Association.

Gov. Mark Sanford, a married father and a rumored 2012 presidential candidate, gave an emotional statement in which he apologized to his wife, staff and others after returning from a trip to Argentina that followed a days long absence.

TV COVERAGE FROM WLTX: Sanford speaks about trip

His staff had said he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Sanford's infidelity admission adds to an ever-growing list of woes for the out-of-power Republican Party as it looks to rebound against the popular President Obama and his emboldened Democrats. The episode is another distraction for a party seeking a turnaround after disastrous losses in consecutive national elections as it confronts a stark reality: its less than diverse ranks are steadily shrinking, its regional heft is limited to the South and it lacks a leader of stature to guide the party back to power.

Click here to read the rest.

photo via Mary Ann Chastain, AP

Senate to Consider Hate Crimes Legislation this week

Last year I wrote a column about hate crimes -

Election Fallout: Hate groups experience growth.

This year the senate is looking to do something about them.

From the CBN News Channel....

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to consider hate crimes legislation this week.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to testify in support of it.

The legislation is supposed to offer greater protections to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-gendered crime victims.

But critics argue it could lead to charges against those who speak out against homosexuality, like pastors.

The Liberty Counsel is trying to collect more than 100,000 petitions to send to Senators before Thursday's hate crimes hearing.

Click here to read the rest.

image via Google Images

FDA says Cheerios is a drug and may not be legally marketed!

How can this be? I eat Cheerios every morning. I need my Cheerios. I hope the FDA and the makers of my favorite cereal work this thing out and don't get stupid and take it off the market!

From The Washington Times...

The latest verdict from the Food and Drug Administration is that Cheerios is a drug. Parents, then, must be drug pushers.

The FDA sent a warning to Cheerios maker General Mills Inc. that it is in serious violation of federal rules.

"Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease" the FDA letter said. "[Cheerios] may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application."

Click here to read the rest.

image via Google Images