Thursday, December 28, 2006
How to disable your RFID passport
All passports issued by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on radio frequency identification chips, making it easy for officials – and hackers – to grab your personal stats. Getting paranoid about strangers slurping up your identity? Here’s what you can do about it.
Exploding toads baffle Germans
German toad experts are baffled by an acute outbreak of exploding toad syndrome which has totalled hundreds of the amphibians since the beginning of the month. The former inhabitants of a Hamburg pond - now chillingly renamed the "pond of death" - spontaneously swelled to enormous proportions before going bang, in the process propelling their entrails for up to a metre.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
On me, you can save your stamp
"Do you know someone who is in danger of being "left behind" because of a sinful life? Imagine if you could write a letter to a friend or loved one after the Great Day of Reckoning. Maybe a message to your family telling them to trust in God, and that everything will be okay. Perhaps you would leave instructions to care for your pets after your departure. It could be that your message is the light that opens a sinner's eyes to the Glory of God and allows them entrance to Heaven during the trials before the Second Coming."
1968 Girlie magazine with "pre-photoshop" photoshopping
The photos have been manipulated in odd ways. NSFW
California Man Sets Himself, American Flag, Christmas Tree on Fire to Protest Religious Names
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A man used flammable liquid to light himself on fire, apparently to protest a San Joaquin Valley school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter vacation.
The man, who was not immediately identified, on Friday also set fire to a Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica, said Fire Captain Garth Milam.
Seeing the flames, Sheriff's Deputy Lance Ferguson grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the man.
Flames were devouring a Christmas tree next to the Liberty Bell, where public events and demonstrations are common.
Beside the tree the man stood with an American flag draped around his shoulders and a red gas can over his head.
Seeing the deputy, the man poured the liquid over his head. He quickly burst into flames when the fumes from the gas met the flames from the tree.
The deputy ordered the man to drop to the ground as he and a parole agent sprayed him with fire extinguishers.
"The man stood there like this," the deputy said with his arms across his chest and his head bent down, "Saying no, no, no."
The man suffered first degree burns on his shoulders and arms, Milam said.
Kern County Sheriff's Deputy John Leyendecker said the man had a sign that read: "(expletive) the religious establishment and KHSD."
On Thursday, the Kern High School Board of Trustees voted to use the names Christmas and Easter instead of winter and spring breaks.
The man, who was not immediately identified, on Friday also set fire to a Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica, said Fire Captain Garth Milam.
Seeing the flames, Sheriff's Deputy Lance Ferguson grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the man.
Flames were devouring a Christmas tree next to the Liberty Bell, where public events and demonstrations are common.
Beside the tree the man stood with an American flag draped around his shoulders and a red gas can over his head.
Seeing the deputy, the man poured the liquid over his head. He quickly burst into flames when the fumes from the gas met the flames from the tree.
The deputy ordered the man to drop to the ground as he and a parole agent sprayed him with fire extinguishers.
"The man stood there like this," the deputy said with his arms across his chest and his head bent down, "Saying no, no, no."
The man suffered first degree burns on his shoulders and arms, Milam said.
Kern County Sheriff's Deputy John Leyendecker said the man had a sign that read: "(expletive) the religious establishment and KHSD."
On Thursday, the Kern High School Board of Trustees voted to use the names Christmas and Easter instead of winter and spring breaks.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
A Guy Named Otto and a Moose
A good story from NPR. A little different from any other moose story you've heard.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
New Trophy Record
This was sent to me and am forwarding this amazing eastern Montana trophy picture to you! This was taken in an urban area on the south end of Miles City. This is real; my cousin went to high school with the guy on the right. Might be Boone and Crockett. We are waiting for the final measurement!!
Better pageantry through science
Holiday programming hits a nonreligious apex at my kids' school.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Elizabeth Hanes Perry
Dec. 21, 2000 | My children attend a very earnest, very inclusive, very liberal school. Over the years, as doting parents, we have of course attended every Christmas/holiday/winter celebration. When we attended our first program, it was an unapologetic Christmas party; the children sang "Away in a Manger," complete with ASL interpretation. After a couple of years, the staff realized that this wasn't terribly welcoming to the non-Christian families, and dutifully added a singalong of "I Had a Little Dreidel," only slightly marred by the fact that nobody knew the words.
Last year, children were encouraged to "share their family traditions," which gave us the genuinely moving sight of one of the Muslim children explaining the historical roots of Ramadan. It also gave our family the somewhat less cherished sight of our daughter wailing, "We don't have any family traditions!" Hard is the way of the nonethnic.
This year's Holiday Program, however, hit a peak of inclusiveness and nonpartisanship that I cannot hope to see equaled in my lifetime.
The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders stood on risers, forming a semicircle. There was an expectant silence. Then the teacher shouted, "Hydrogen!" A child replied, "Hydrogen!" Soon all the children were shouting, "Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen!" It resembled nothing so much as some sort of CRC pep rally.
After far too long, a little boy shouted, "Helium!" Ah, a new participant in the Pageant of Chemistry. And then ("Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen!") a radiantly happy velvet-clad blond shouted, "Lithium!" and I suddenly realized what was going on.
The class was reenacting the big bang.
My husband and I sat, stunned, as the class worked its way through the entire periodic table of the elements. Most of the children shouted, "Hydrogen!" -- after all, as our daughter explained later, it's the most abundant element -- but periodically a more sophisticated element was added, no doubt to increase the dramatic tension.
But I have strayed into bigotry. On careful thought, I realize that saying "sophisticated" here indicates my bias against elements containing fewer electrons, which is, of course, a perfectly valid lifestyle for an element and not one that is appropriate for me to criticize.
By the time we reached sodium, I was concentrating on keeping a straight face. I have seen many things in the Christmas -- excuse me, holiday -- pageant over the years, including all 2,046 verses of "Dona Nobis Pacem" and a student-written play, carefully crafted to give each child a part, which lasted somewhat longer than an uncut revival of "Mourning Becomes Electra."
Before this year, I had always maintained a stately calm, applauding as appropriate and casting the occasional meaningful glance at my spouse. This program, however, came close to destroying my mommy cool. By the time my daughter shouted, "Chlorine!" my shoulders were shaking and I was biting my cheeks to keep from hysterics. My husband says that watching my struggle was his favorite part of the show. He has promised that in years to come, when merriment is called for, he will lean over and whisper tenderly in my ear, "Hydrogen!"
Even the periodic table must eventually come to an end. I won't swear that they made it all the way to meitnerium, as by then I was moments away from disgracing my daughter in front of her teachers and her friends' parents, all of whom seemed to find this a perfectly natural way to spend an evening. (What do they do at home, solve differential equations together? "Ah, darling, the blue of your eyes reminds me of Cerenkov radiation. Oh, and we're out of seitan and organic tahini.") But the celebration was not yet complete.
The children who were not shouting "Hydrogen! Hydrogen!" -- I believe one little boy got carried away, shouted, "Ozone!" and had to be suppressed -- moved on to their favorite elements.
I refer, of course, to carbon, oxygen and the elements most likely to be found in organic chemicals and compounds; elements, in short, with which they, themselves, were most likely to be have an intimate relationship. I know this because of the hand gestures. "Carbon!" (point at self), "Nitrogen!" (point at self), "Oxygen!" (heave deep sigh). (The children, not me. I was concentrating on my cleansing breaths and maintaining a composed yet pleasant expression.)
Then the children sang. Continuing the inclusive, nonreligious, yet hopeful and uplifting theme of the evening, they sang "I Sing the Body Electric," that well-known solstice/Ramadan/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Christmas favorite. I gather from the lyrics that they are all going to be planets some day, and I am proud to see that at least some of America's youth are setting lofty goals for themselves.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Elizabeth Hanes Perry
Dec. 21, 2000 | My children attend a very earnest, very inclusive, very liberal school. Over the years, as doting parents, we have of course attended every Christmas/holiday/winter celebration. When we attended our first program, it was an unapologetic Christmas party; the children sang "Away in a Manger," complete with ASL interpretation. After a couple of years, the staff realized that this wasn't terribly welcoming to the non-Christian families, and dutifully added a singalong of "I Had a Little Dreidel," only slightly marred by the fact that nobody knew the words.
Last year, children were encouraged to "share their family traditions," which gave us the genuinely moving sight of one of the Muslim children explaining the historical roots of Ramadan. It also gave our family the somewhat less cherished sight of our daughter wailing, "We don't have any family traditions!" Hard is the way of the nonethnic.
This year's Holiday Program, however, hit a peak of inclusiveness and nonpartisanship that I cannot hope to see equaled in my lifetime.
The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders stood on risers, forming a semicircle. There was an expectant silence. Then the teacher shouted, "Hydrogen!" A child replied, "Hydrogen!" Soon all the children were shouting, "Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen!" It resembled nothing so much as some sort of CRC pep rally.
After far too long, a little boy shouted, "Helium!" Ah, a new participant in the Pageant of Chemistry. And then ("Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen! Hydrogen!") a radiantly happy velvet-clad blond shouted, "Lithium!" and I suddenly realized what was going on.
The class was reenacting the big bang.
My husband and I sat, stunned, as the class worked its way through the entire periodic table of the elements. Most of the children shouted, "Hydrogen!" -- after all, as our daughter explained later, it's the most abundant element -- but periodically a more sophisticated element was added, no doubt to increase the dramatic tension.
But I have strayed into bigotry. On careful thought, I realize that saying "sophisticated" here indicates my bias against elements containing fewer electrons, which is, of course, a perfectly valid lifestyle for an element and not one that is appropriate for me to criticize.
By the time we reached sodium, I was concentrating on keeping a straight face. I have seen many things in the Christmas -- excuse me, holiday -- pageant over the years, including all 2,046 verses of "Dona Nobis Pacem" and a student-written play, carefully crafted to give each child a part, which lasted somewhat longer than an uncut revival of "Mourning Becomes Electra."
Before this year, I had always maintained a stately calm, applauding as appropriate and casting the occasional meaningful glance at my spouse. This program, however, came close to destroying my mommy cool. By the time my daughter shouted, "Chlorine!" my shoulders were shaking and I was biting my cheeks to keep from hysterics. My husband says that watching my struggle was his favorite part of the show. He has promised that in years to come, when merriment is called for, he will lean over and whisper tenderly in my ear, "Hydrogen!"
Even the periodic table must eventually come to an end. I won't swear that they made it all the way to meitnerium, as by then I was moments away from disgracing my daughter in front of her teachers and her friends' parents, all of whom seemed to find this a perfectly natural way to spend an evening. (What do they do at home, solve differential equations together? "Ah, darling, the blue of your eyes reminds me of Cerenkov radiation. Oh, and we're out of seitan and organic tahini.") But the celebration was not yet complete.
The children who were not shouting "Hydrogen! Hydrogen!" -- I believe one little boy got carried away, shouted, "Ozone!" and had to be suppressed -- moved on to their favorite elements.
I refer, of course, to carbon, oxygen and the elements most likely to be found in organic chemicals and compounds; elements, in short, with which they, themselves, were most likely to be have an intimate relationship. I know this because of the hand gestures. "Carbon!" (point at self), "Nitrogen!" (point at self), "Oxygen!" (heave deep sigh). (The children, not me. I was concentrating on my cleansing breaths and maintaining a composed yet pleasant expression.)
Then the children sang. Continuing the inclusive, nonreligious, yet hopeful and uplifting theme of the evening, they sang "I Sing the Body Electric," that well-known solstice/Ramadan/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Christmas favorite. I gather from the lyrics that they are all going to be planets some day, and I am proud to see that at least some of America's youth are setting lofty goals for themselves.
A Christmas Poem
To Kill a Snowman
Kill, kill, kill the snowman!
Slit its throat, pour its blood.
Cut off its nose and eat it like Bugs Bunny.
That would be funny.
Pull out the coal eyes and burn them to ashes.
Roll the eyelashes in window sashes.
Take his top hat and put it on,
Pretend you are Uncle Scrooge ... you're gone!
Smack him with a hammer called Sledgie
Yank his undies and give him a wedgie
Little stick arms, break them in two.
Jump on them, kick them with your shoe.
Take his buttons, put them on your coat,
Toss him in the river, see if he'll float.
Tighten his scarf, make him barf.
Steal his mittens
Feed them to kittens.
Slice him right down the middle
Bash the remains with a big fat fiddle.
-- Justin Bloch and Corey Lindstrom, Grade 8
(Who style themselves as two strange and greatly disturbed poets.)
Kill, kill, kill the snowman!
Slit its throat, pour its blood.
Cut off its nose and eat it like Bugs Bunny.
That would be funny.
Pull out the coal eyes and burn them to ashes.
Roll the eyelashes in window sashes.
Take his top hat and put it on,
Pretend you are Uncle Scrooge ... you're gone!
Smack him with a hammer called Sledgie
Yank his undies and give him a wedgie
Little stick arms, break them in two.
Jump on them, kick them with your shoe.
Take his buttons, put them on your coat,
Toss him in the river, see if he'll float.
Tighten his scarf, make him barf.
Steal his mittens
Feed them to kittens.
Slice him right down the middle
Bash the remains with a big fat fiddle.
-- Justin Bloch and Corey Lindstrom, Grade 8
(Who style themselves as two strange and greatly disturbed poets.)
A guide to grading papers
Grading begins with the stack of exams.
The next step is to use the most precise grading method possible. There never is 100% accuracy in grading essay exams, as subjective elements can never be eradicated from the process. Numerous methods have been proposed throughout history, but there is one method that has clearly been proven superior to the others.
The next step is to use the most precise grading method possible. There never is 100% accuracy in grading essay exams, as subjective elements can never be eradicated from the process. Numerous methods have been proposed throughout history, but there is one method that has clearly been proven superior to the others.
Can Schweitzer overcome his own bluster?
The holiday season is a good time to appreciate the friends we make as we journey through life. Considering what Gov. Schweitzer is likely to face in the upcoming legislative session, he, perhaps more than most, might find it a good time to think about friends—not just the ones he’s made, but the ones he’s lost. Given the recent actions of the new Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, Schweitzer is likely to suffer a crash course in the value of friends in the coming months.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
A joke
Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.
"In honor of this holy season," Saint Peter said, "you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven."
The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle.", he said.
"You may pass through the pearly gates." Saint Peter said.
The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells."
Saint Peter said, "You may pass through the pearly gates."
The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.
St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?"
The man replied, "These are Carols."
"In honor of this holy season," Saint Peter said, "you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven."
The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle.", he said.
"You may pass through the pearly gates." Saint Peter said.
The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells."
Saint Peter said, "You may pass through the pearly gates."
The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.
St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?"
The man replied, "These are Carols."
Every cloud has a silver lining
Millions 'cannot read well enough for karaoke'
Millions of adults have such poor reading skills that they will struggle to keep up with karaoke lyrics at Christmas parties this year, government research has found.
Research for the Department for Education's Get On campaign found classic songs like Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" require the reading skills expected of an 11-year-old, lacked by more than 5.2 million adults. Other karaoke hits, such as "Angels" by Robbie Williams, pose a harder challenge, which nearly 18 million adults will fail.
Millions of adults have such poor reading skills that they will struggle to keep up with karaoke lyrics at Christmas parties this year, government research has found.
Research for the Department for Education's Get On campaign found classic songs like Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" require the reading skills expected of an 11-year-old, lacked by more than 5.2 million adults. Other karaoke hits, such as "Angels" by Robbie Williams, pose a harder challenge, which nearly 18 million adults will fail.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Who says there are no heroes anymore?
The world's tallest man has saved two dolphins by using his long arms to pull out plastic shards from their stomachs.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
2007 Things to Do - Visit the Fabulous Sip-N-Dip Tiki Bar
I was whelmed. But it was Tuesday and Wednesday - no mermaids. 
My room had some funky touches - from the master light switch on each wall to the convenient ironing board.
My room had some funky touches - from the master light switch on each wall to the convenient ironing board. 
Zimbabwe - where the news is really cool
• Man bites off, swallows finger in bar brawl
• Hitch hikers forced to dig up graves
• Man dries at beer drinking contest
• Woman carried 'money spinning' lizards in handbag
• Gwanda mum gives birth to 6kg baby
• Witchcraft blamed as stones rain on family
• Suspected thief quizzes accuser, then dies in dock
• Man grows female genital organ on face
• Priest won't bless dreadlocked man's wedding
• Goblins burn traditional healer
• Hitch hikers forced to dig up graves
• Man dries at beer drinking contest
• Woman carried 'money spinning' lizards in handbag
• Gwanda mum gives birth to 6kg baby
• Witchcraft blamed as stones rain on family
• Suspected thief quizzes accuser, then dies in dock
• Man grows female genital organ on face
• Priest won't bless dreadlocked man's wedding
• Goblins burn traditional healer
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Charle Brown Christmas - Alternative Ending
NSFW - language. And probably not safe if you are a Christmas person.
Me, I love it.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
A History of Montana's Christmas Tree Industry
Not long ago, rows of meticulously trimmed Scotch pine and Colorado blue spruce trees filled the Fincher property on Lake Blaine Road. Fincher’s Evergreens was a successful business, operating primarily in Christmas trees but also selling spruce as landscaping trees.
Today, remnants of the tidy rows remain, but the business is defunct.
Today, remnants of the tidy rows remain, but the business is defunct.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
2007 Things To Do - Visit all of Montana's Hot Springs Resorts
We had to get through a traffic jam
White Sulphur Springs
Interesting outdoor murals
Beware the fearsome Gopher Grizzly
White Sulphur Springs
Interesting outdoor murals
Beware the fearsome Gopher Grizzly
Want It!
The expanding table shown here is the result of many years of development, but follows a line of history of more than one and a half centuries. This, the Fletcher Capstan Table, is the only table in the world with its unique properties.
It is a circular table which, when rotated at its outer perimeter, doubles its seating capacity, yet astonishingly remains truly circular.
The expansion leaves are stored within the table and, in just four seconds, smoothly and quickly emerge upon rotation, rising and radially expanding outwards as the entire top is turned through 30˚. Existing tables can seat six persons when small, and twelve or more when expanded, but there are other design possibilities.
It is a circular table which, when rotated at its outer perimeter, doubles its seating capacity, yet astonishingly remains truly circular.
The expansion leaves are stored within the table and, in just four seconds, smoothly and quickly emerge upon rotation, rising and radially expanding outwards as the entire top is turned through 30˚. Existing tables can seat six persons when small, and twelve or more when expanded, but there are other design possibilities.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Phone number for iTunes
telephone support for iTunes is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. You need a little patience, but if you follow these steps, you will get a live person. Here's what to do:
1.) Telephone the following number: 800-275-2273. This is the Apple Care Service and Support Line.
2.) When you hear the recorded greeting, enter 70. The recording will very likely reject that entry at first. If so, try again.
3.) When you're prompted to say the product that you need tech support for, say "iTunes."
4.) When you're prompted to say what type of computer you're using, say "a Windows machine" or "Macintosh."
5.) When you're prompted to say whether you're calling on behalf of a school, answer "yes" or "no."
6.) This will get you a live person. Please note: You will need to state the serial number of your iPod before you can proceed.
1.) Telephone the following number: 800-275-2273. This is the Apple Care Service and Support Line.
2.) When you hear the recorded greeting, enter 70. The recording will very likely reject that entry at first. If so, try again.
3.) When you're prompted to say the product that you need tech support for, say "iTunes."
4.) When you're prompted to say what type of computer you're using, say "a Windows machine" or "Macintosh."
5.) When you're prompted to say whether you're calling on behalf of a school, answer "yes" or "no."
6.) This will get you a live person. Please note: You will need to state the serial number of your iPod before you can proceed.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
How not to drive
Pass the time at work.....: Stupid Drivers
These barrier pillars automatically lower for buses. Only.
These barrier pillars automatically lower for buses. Only.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Just like coal in your stocking
The Dr. Laura Action Figure stands 11 inches tall and is packaged in a display box that includes her biography and photos from her personal collection. Dr. Laura herself was involved in the creation of the doll to ensure that this action figure is as true to life as possible.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Merry Moosemas
HERE'S A GREAT MOOSE STORY---AND A GOOD START 4 CHRISTMAS!
When this little guy was young; he lost his mother too soon. So the Fish and Game brought him to Wendall and Debbie. They asked them to get him raised to a safe age to turn him loose again. So they bottle fed and took care of him; after a while they fed him with their cows.
Last Spring he was a year old ... and it was time to turn him back into the wild. Opened the gate and off he went. Stayed gone all summer; then this fall he was back with the cows. He really
thinks he is a cow for now all was happy to see him as he is pretty friendly.
The moose is free to go anytime he wants but is choosing to stay put for now. Surely, come spring he will start to feel a bit like a male Moose and take off . but, for now he is happy.
Friday, December 01, 2006
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