July 23, 2018

Weather Channel Weirdness

Very odd last night--I clicked on Weather Channel on my desktop, and it came up in Arabic. I refreshed it, and it initially came up in English, then flipped to Arabic again.

What da hell?

July 20, 2018

Time to Update Our Cast for the Trump Movie

In the last edition of this discussion, I remember everyone agreeing that Alec Baldwin had to play tRump, and Melissa McCarthy was Sean Spicer. No definite conclusions for Pence, Flynn, McConnell, Ryan, or Melania.

The cast of characters changes on a daily basis anymore, so its hard to tell who will be the most prominent by the end of the script, and who will have faded to bit parts. Currently, we need nominations for:

--Vladimir Putin (I vote for Gary Oldman. Made a great Russian in Air Force One)
--Robert Mueller (I got nothing)
--Rod Rosenstein (Christopher Meloni)
--John Bolton (Yosemite Sam does NOT count!)
--Paul Manafort (Aidan Quinn)
--Michael Cohen (Joe Pesci)
--Sarah H. Sanders (Hilary Swank)

Oh--and I almost forgot--Barack Obama (Will Smith) and Hillary Clinton.

And who should direct? Do you see this as more of a Ron Howard production, Spielberg, or M. Night Shyamalan?

Talk amongst yourselves.

July 15, 2018

The Role of Bovine Leukemia Virus in Breast Cancer

Up to 20 percent of all cancers in general are linked to infections, particularly viruses, and the list of potentially carcinogenic infectious agents is growing. It would be great if we could find a virus that contributed to breast cancer risk, because then we might have new ways to prevent and treat it. Currently, the dietary link between breast cancer and consumption of meat and dairy is considered a saturated fat effect, but there is a cancer-causing bovine virus that infects the mammary gland cells of cows. The infectious virus is then released into the milk supply. Since most U.S. dairy herds are infected, scientists posit that Americans are often exposed to this bovine leukemia virus (BLV).


https://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-role-of-bovine-leukemia-virus-in-breast-cancer.html

July 8, 2018

"These Must-See Historical Photos Will Blow Your Mind"

https://activly.com/these-must-see-historical-photos-will-blow-your-mind/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=The+Most+Beautiful+Historical+Photos+Ever+Captured+That+Will+Make+You+Look+Closer+http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.taboola.com%2Flibtrc%2Fstatic%2Fthumbnails%2F14a595d627d80f16ae45629d1210358e.jpg&utm_term=liveintent-ron&utm_campaign=HistoricalBeautyUSDT


I love this kind of stuff. There are some real stunners in here (forgive the ads). My particular favorite: "President Jimmy Carter met with Polish military leaders in 1977 and embarrassed himself thanks to his interpreter. His interpreter accidentally claimed that the president wanted to leave the US forever, grab their genitals, and ended by speaking Russian."

July 8, 2018

Dogs steal mail carrier's lunch, then their apology note goes viral

For decades, students across the country have offered up the classic excuse, "Dog ate my homework." But now, a letter carrier in Smithfield, Virginia is saying, "Dogs ate my lunch." And the story that unfolded has amused thousands of people on social media.

In June, Carol Jordan, who owns a five-acre farm in Isle of Wight, Virginia, stopped at her mailbox and discovered a handwritten note there from the woman who delivers her family's mail.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dogs-steal-mail-carriers-lunch-then-their-apology-note-goes-viral

July 8, 2018

Kaine jokes: Kim Jong Un will send Trump a copy of 'American Idiot'

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/395818-tim-kaine-jokes-kim-jong-un-will-send-trump-a-copy-of-american-idiot?amp=1


Did the Idiot In Chief actually do this?

June 21, 2018

Indian Country remembers the trauma of children taken from their parents

Indian Country remembers. This is not the first administration to order the forced separation of families. “The act of ripping children away from their parents is nothing new for the United States. Separating children and their families to ‘kill the Indian to save the man’ by sending Native children to boarding schools, and doing it in the name of religion, is one generation removed from my family,” wrote Peggy Flanagan on Twitter. Flanagan, an Indigenous member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, is a candidate for lieutenant governor in Minnesota. “Trump’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ is nothing more than a clear violation of human rights. We must learn from history. We must stand with immigrants and refugees.”

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-06-19/indian-country-remembers-trauma-children-taken-their-parents

An article cited there is also pretty grim:

Tiny Horrors: A Chilling Reminder of How Cruel Assimilation Was—And Is

https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/tiny-horrors-a-chilling-reminder-of-how-cruel-assimilation-was-and-is-VLKL7I26wUSj4LmZL_YDvw/

June 20, 2018

Do Not Touch This Plant: Officials Warn of Burn, Blindness Threat from Giant Hogweed After New Sight

https://weather.com/science/nature/news/2018-06-19-invasive-plant-species-giant-hogweed-burns-blindness

When sap from the giant hogweed combines with moisture and sunlight, it can cause severe skin and eye irritation.
Sightings of the plant have been reported in Virginia, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

The plant is a member of the carrot family and can grow to more than 14 feet tall, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

The plant's watery sap contains photosensitizing agents. When the sap combines with moisture and is exposed to sunlight, it can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and even blindness. "Contact between the skin and the sap of this plant occurs either through brushing against the bristles on the stem or breaking the stem or leaves," the agency notes.

If contact is made with the plant, immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and keep the area away from sunlight for 48 hours, the agency recommends. "This plant poses a serious health threat," the agency notes. "See your physician if you think you have been burned by giant hogweed. If you think you have giant hogweed on your property, do NOT touch it."

The plant is not only harmful to humans. Its large size can block sunlight, killing off smaller native plants that grow at ground level, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The plant was first introduced to the United States in the early 20th century via Europe as an ornamental garden plant. It is native to the Caucasus Mountain region between the Black and Caspian Seas and grows along streams and rivers, and in fields, forests, yards and along roadsides.


There are pictures at site. Kind of looks like giant Queen Anne's Lace.

June 8, 2018

What's your favorite old joke?

Its Friday! What's your favorite stupid old joke?

This cowboy rides up to the saloon and thinks he might stop in for a drink. He gets off his horse, walks around to the back of the horse, lifts up the tail and then kisses the horse right on the ass. The cowboy then heads into the saloon to get himself a drink. The Bartender says, "I know it’s none of my business, but did you just kiss your horses rear end???" "Sure did", says the cowboy. "I've got chapped lips." The Bartender asks, "Does that get rid of them?" "I don't know", replies the cowboy, "But it sure stops me from licking them!"

June 2, 2018

Japanese Whalers Killed 122 Pregnant Minke Whales. When Will the Slaughter End?

A new report finds that Japanese whalers, on one of their “scientific” investigations, killed 122 pregnant minke whales, sparking fury among campaigners and national governments alike. How can we stop this kind of senseless slaughter from happening again?

According to a technical report submitted to the International Whaling Commission that uses Japan’s own data, Japan actually caught 333 minke whales during its last 12-week summer expedition season. Those figures show that 128 of those whales were female, and 122 were carrying calves.

While it is true that minke whale are classed as of “Least Concern” under the Endangered Red List, the Whaling Commission does hold concerns that populations have declined since the 1980s. The reasons for this have not been established, but climate factors and prey competition are among the most likely causes.

Japan knows this, and knows that it is forbidden from commercial whaling. Since the whaling moratorium was brought into effect around 30 years ago, though, Japan has systematically exploited an exemption for scientific exploration in order to continue to supply its whale meat trade.

https://www.care2.com/causes/japanese-whalers-killed-122-pregnant-whales-when-will-this-end.html