] "After a deep three-year slump that erased more than one
] million jobs, U.S. technology companies have begun hiring
] again, marking a so far modest but solid trend that could
] well brighten the country's economic outlook," The Wall
] Street Journal reported in a front-page article today.

There is no spoon.

Tech Help Wanted, at Last

] In May 2003, Nicholas Carr stirred up a hornet's nest
] with his Harvard Business Review essay, "IT Doesn't
] Matter." Carr argued that information technology is
] necessary for business survival but doesn't provide any
] strategic advantage. Carr sits down with ZDNet Editor in
] Chief Dan Farber to discuss his new book, which expands
] on his controversial views.

Great webcast interview with Nick Carr on his theory.

Nicholas Carr: IT still doesn't matter

The City Council on Tuesday night approved an ordinance to allow mosques to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer onto public streets over some heated objections.

Hamtramck OKs prayer call over heated objections

] Personally, I think it looks like a $1200 shower curtain, but
] what do I know about this. We tried taking pictures of this
] lovely white garment but it didn’t look right on the hanger as
] you can see, so my sister says, "You need a model." Well, quite
] frankly my sister isn’t exactly small, (like a size 12 is?) so
] she wouldn’t pose for the picture. Seeing as I have sworn off
] women for the time being and I ain’t friends with any, it left me
] holding the bag. I took the liberty of blacking out my face -
] not to protect the ex-wife but to protect me from my bar buddies
] and co-workers finding out about it. I would never live it
] down. Actually I didn’t think my head would fit in the neck
] hole, but then I figured she got her Texas cheerleader hair
] through there I could get my head in it. Though, after looking
] at the pictures, I thought it made me look fat.

LOL! The auction's only up through 4/28, so check this out when you can. It's hilarious. Be sure to read the entire story.

eBay - Divorced Man Models ex-Wife's Wedding Dress

] From her front porch, Alice Dembowski has watched her
] city change, one tidy house at a time.
]
] "Chinese, Polish, Bosnian, Polish, Bengali,"
] she recites, her finger moving down the block. "They
] were all Polish at one time."
]
] "I've made friends. I go to their weddings.
] (But) we're losing our tradition and I'm
] getting mad," Dembowski said. "If they're going to live in America, why can't they be more
] American?"
]
] Next month, Hamtramck will become one of the few cities
] in the United States where the Islamic call to prayer is
] broadcast onto public streets. The impact of that
] decision is reverberating across the nation.

This is HUGE. But Mrs. Dembowski's quote is priceless given that Hamtramck has been *the* bastion of Polish society in the US for generations.

Cultures collide in diverse Hamtramck

This is random but entertaining. Literally. Comic frames and random punch lines are remixed. Its a little like looking for shapes in the clouds.

exhilarator

This would explain alot.

Why my brain hates your mistakes

and built this place beside the mountain.
Among the trees there is no worldly noise;
beneath the eaves, the tranquil flow of a stream...
 -- Ishikawa Jozan ( founder of Shisendo )"

Japanese Gardens, extensive database of gardens and resources.

Japanese Gardens

] ZDNet Australia went on the hunt to track down some of
] the world's most prominent (and notorious) hackers. In
] this five-part series, we delve into the lives of five
] prominent hackers who reveal issues close to their heart.

Hackers: Under the hood: ZDNet Australia: Insight: Security

] PODOLIANTSI, Ukraine - At age 33, Leonid Stadnik wishes
] he would stop growing. He's already 8 feet, 4 inches.
] Recent measurements show that Stadnik is already 7 inches
] taller than Radhouane Charbib of Tunisia, listed by the
] Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest living man.
] He's also gaining on the 8-11 Robert Wadlow, the tallest
] man in history.

Chernobyl?

Yahoo! News - Height a Pain for Ukraine's 'Gulliver'