- To a group of earnest academics who study faith, the Flying Spaghetti Monster -- the spiritual icon of a new internet-based religion -- is more than just a spicy pop-culture dish.

They use words like "didactic device" to describe the beloved but carb-heavy god of Pastafarianism. They say the FSM is cloaked in a "folk-humor hybrid body," and reveals a web-fueled movement toward "open source theology" that challenges existing beliefs.

"open source theology"? HaHa! Come on people... Is everyone so jaded now that they cant laugh and whine at the same time...

Flying Spaghetti Monster Inspires Wonky Religious Debate

I hate when things get in the way of my breasts. Name tags, bibs, shirts -- all verboten. And when a network tries to cover a woman's bosom with chyrons, it takes an heroic company like FOX News Channel to say "No. No, we won't succumb to this anti-cleavage crusade. We will stand up and take the chyrons down."

haha see the photos...

Chyron of the Day: Boobs

Cool robot & cool science... social science to the max...

Marek Michalowski on the Rhythmic Properties of Keepon

There are around 1000 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, or RTGs, in Russia, most of which are used as power sources for lighthouses and navigation beacons. All Russian RTGs have long exhausted their designed service periods and are in dire need of dismantlement. The urgency of this task is underscored by three recent incidents with these potentially dangerous radioactivity sources in 2003�one on the shore of the Baltic Sea, in March, and the most recent two, in the Kola Bay, in November.

In 1992, Bellona released a working paper on 132 lighthouses scattered along the shoreline of Northwest Russia, which are all powered by RTGs. One of them, in fact, is located just a few dozen metres from the Norwegian border.1

Bellona has warned that radioactive incidents involving these RTGs are possible, both because of the decrepit state of these old lighthouses and because the of premeditated theft of radioactive strontium 90, or 90Sr, that is contained in RTGs. Russia�s RTGs that have been used beyond their operational limits have been waiting to be sent to a repository for decades. At best, however, the nuclear installations presenting the most critical case of sitting on the decommissioning waiting list are stored at sites that are neither appropriate for this task nor meet any safety or security standards. At worst, they become prey of �non-ferrous metal hunters,� who crave to make a quick buck on RTGs, disregarding the risk of radioactive contamination to both themselves and other people.

Most Russian RTGs are completely unguarded against potential thieves or intruders, lacking such minimal security measures as fences or even signs warning of radioactive dangers. Nuclear inspectors visit these sites as seldom as once in six months, and some RTGs have not been checked for more than a decade.

But the biggest danger coming from these unprotected RTGs is their availability to terrorists, who can use the radioactive materials contained in them to make so-called "dirty bombs" bombs that are triggered by standard explosives, but disperse radioactivity. The damage from such an explosion could surpass by many times that from a conventional bomb, with the ground zero area potentially, dozens of kilometres remaining radioactively contaminated for years to come.

Here is where the great risk to human health and life exists. I am not a conspiracy theory person but to put such devices out in the open with little or no safe guards is stupid. All it will take is some half-wit dumb ass to cause grave harm to human life any place they want.
There are 100's of these devices in use. Some are/were in use in Alaska by our own government for use at radar/detection sites.

The Risk from "Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators"

When you reach for an ice cold mug of suds after playing a game of football, cricket or a long run, you're not just quenching your thirst, you're actually doing something healthy for your body -- seriously!

Researchers in Europe have carried out a study and found that a glass of beer is far better at re-hydrating the body after exercise than water as the sugars, salts and bubbles in a pint help people absorb fluids more quickly.

"The carbon dioxide in beer helps quench the thirst more quickly, while beer's carbohydrates replace calories lost during physical exertion," the 'Daily Mail' reported on Friday, quoting lead researcher Prof Manuel Garzon as saying.

In fact, the researchers at the Granada University in Spain came to the conclusion after examining 25 students who were told to do strenuous exercise in temperatures of around 40C until they were close to getting exhausted.

Half of the students were given a pint of beer to drink, while the others received the same volume of water after the workout. Subsequently, the team measured their hydration levels, motor skills and concentrationability.

Prof Garzon said the re-hydration effect in the students who were given beer was "slightly better" than among those given only water. Based on the studies, the researchers have recommended moderate consumption of beer -- 500 ml a day for men or 250 ml for women -- as part of an athlete's diet.

It may be mentioned that past studies have revealed that sensible drinking of one or two units of beer a day could help reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Hey so my moderate daily beer drinking was not a bad thing... guess I will start that back up and keep on runnnnning ...

Beer after workout better than water

A holiday shopping flier that's been distributed to thousands of households in north Texas is creating controversy because a message of hate is included within an advertisement.

Anti-Semitic Hanukah AdAn ad for "Party City" was supposed to highlight a sale on Hanukkah items, but it also contained a hateful anti-Semitic message.

The advertisement includes the sentence "CC Hates the Jews" in large, bold letters.
sponsor

According to ADVO, the company that printed the advertisement, a graphic artist working on the ad had left his desk for a moment, and a co-worker with the initials C.C. changed the text on the ad.

*old news*
I learned how to proof in newspaper class in high school.. I guess they did not... Guess no one really proofs anything... haha

Holiday Ad Has Hidden Hate Message

- Genesco Inc. and United Rentals Inc. plunged in the past week after deals to acquire them faltered, heightening concern that takeovers won't help small U.S. companies overcome a slowing economy and higher borrowing costs.

Genesco, the shoe retailer seeking to be bought by Finish Line Inc., fell the most in five years today after UBS AG asked a judge to let it out of an agreement to finance the $1.5 billion acquisition. United Rentals dropped to the lowest in a year after Cerberus Capital Management LP last week backed out of a $4 billion agreement to buy the largest U.S. construction-equipment rental company.

A jump in borrowing costs sparked by subprime-mortgage defaults is making takeovers more expensive. At the same time, profit growth at the smallest companies may slow as the housing recession spreads to the broader economy, diminishing companies' ability to pay down their debt. The Russell 2000 Index, whose members have a median market value of $589.7 million, has declined 12 percent from its July record.

``With tight credit and the feeling of uneasiness in the market, you're going to see a lot of institutions not willing to loan money for a buyout,'' said Andrew Seibert, who helps manage $400 million at Nextier Wealth Management in Pittsburgh. ``If there is a slowdown in the U.S. economy, that will have a major effect on any company that's leveraged highly.''

Announced U.S. mergers and acquisitions totaled $95.7 billion last month, down 64 percent from this year's peak monthly pace of $267.3 billion in May. Some buyout firms remain unable to finance debt for leveraged buyouts at terms they need to make the acquisitions viable.

Slowing Economy

U.S. gross domestic product will probably grow at an annual rate of 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter, down from a 3.9 percent pace last quarter, according to the median forecast in Bloomberg survey of economists.

A slowdown may hurt earnings at companies in the Russell 2000, which relied on the U.S. for 84 percent of their sales last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compares with 73 percent for companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Genesco Inc. and United Rentals Inc. plunged in the past week...

Fran Townsend, President Bush's domestic security advisor, announced today that she was resigning, the latest in a series of senior officials to leave the administration as the president juggles a still-full agenda.

Townsend, who began working for the government as an assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., rose over two decades and the administrations of four presidents to become a regular fixture in the Oval Office and on Sunday talk shows -- delivering confidential reports to the president and security warnings to the public as the homeland security threat evolved.

She gave no reason for her departure, other than to say she wanted to shift to the private sector. In a handwritten letter she delivered to Bush on Nov. 6, Townsend said she was leaving with "a heavy heart" but had "decided to take a respite from public service."

Domestic security advisor is latest Bush aide to resign

LOCAL OWNERSHIP GROUP HOSTS RALLY,
PRESS CONFERENCE ON MONDAY

NASHVILLE, TENN. – David Freeman and members of the Nashville Predators local ownership group will host a rally and press conference featuring Mayor Karl Dean this Monday, November 19, at 11 a.m. at the Sommet Center.

Friday, a major step was achieved with local investors reaching an agreement with the Dean Administration on lease changes that will ensure local ownership of the franchise. "This will give our city the very best chance to keep the team here for the long run," Freeman said.

WHO: David Freeman and members of the local ownership group
Mayor Karl Dean
Our Team Nashville leadership

WHAT: Rally and press conference

WHEN: Monday, November 19, at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Sommet Center Lobby
501 Broadway / Downtown

Nashville Predator Rally

On December 1, 2004, David Casiano was on trial, facing criminal charges relating to drug possession, when he noticed that an undercover police officer was present to testify against him. With camera-equipped cell phone in hand, Casiano exited the court room and acted as if he was taking photographs of the undercover officer and other police officers who were in the hallway outside.

Those officers complained to the judge, who ordered that the phone be confiscated. Casiano was reported saying, after his phone was seized: "What do you think I am...stupid? I already e-mailed the pictures to my house before you took the phone."

A court officer who was asked to inspect the cell phone could not find any photographs of either the undercover officer or any of the other police officers, and couldn't even determine whether the phone was capable of sending e-mail messages.

That led Casiano, 37, to be additionally charged with witness intimidation. (A local news report says he pleaded guilty to and went to jail for trespassing charges related to his original drug charges. Court records say the jury returned a not-guilty verdict on the original drug charge.)

During his subsequent trial on the witness intimidation charge, Casiano essentially invoked the I-was-just-kidding defense. He produced an affidavit from T-Mobile saying his cell phone wasn't even operational on the day of the incident. But the judge rejected it, saying the affidavit was not relevant, apparently on grounds that the threat of a photograph was what mattered. Casiano was found guilty, and he also lost on appeal.

This raises the obvious question: Under what circumstances should defendants--or members of the news media, for that matter--be able to publish photographs of undercover police officers or police informants? And when can merely taking a photograph constitute "intimidation?"

Police have already been alarmed at Web sites like Who's A Rat, which collect reports of alleged police informants and make them available publicly. Boston-area disc jockey Sean Bucci launched Who's A Rat when he was facing his own marijuana charges, and The Boston Globe reported that it outed at least one paid informant for the FBI in Boston.

But because the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of expression likely protects such Web sites, Who's A Rat remains online.

Can a cell phone camera intimidate a witness?