Extra anus kills four-legged chick

Poor little bugga!

The Te Uku-bred Barnevelder chick - hatched at Marlene Dickey’s property at the start of last month - has died.

But it wasn’t the extra legs that led to its death, more likely an extra anus, Mrs Dickey believes.

“He developed two bottoms and I think he got glugged up,” she said.

While she was surprised by Forzie’s death - he weighed a “good pound of butter” and was gaining feathers slowly - it was not totally unexpected, she said.

And it was fun while it lasted.

“He was a bit of a laugh.”

Looking ungainly on its extra legs but twice as cute, the bird was an exception to the rule that chickens with defects are not normally born alive.

He was found dead on Friday and is now in the Dickeys’ freezer waiting to be stuffed.

After he’s been to the taxidermist, the family plan to donate the bird to Auckland Museum.

SOURCE: http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=7748

Billy Talent - Nov 7th - Fenix Underground

Just found out the band Billy Talent (with hits like Try Honesty and Devil In A Midnight Mass) will be playing the Fenix Underground in Seattle on Nov 7th. I've been a huge fan of Billy Talent since the first album releasled a few years ago. But sadly, I've never known anyone who is also a fan (or even has heard of) Billy Talent.

So! Anyone out there a fan that wants to go!? Only 23 bucks ATD to get in!

10 Useless Medical Myths

Found these quite interesting. Most notable, the idea of overriding the pain of a toothache by icing your hand. I almost hope I get a toothache soon just to try it out!
And of course, a myth made famous by an episode of Friends, peeing on a Jellyfish sting....probably wont work.

Read the whole list at:
http://ririanproject.com/2006/10/25/10-useless-or-even-dangerous-first-aid-myths/
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10 Useless Medical Myths

2. Peeing on a Jellyfish Sting

You’re far more likely to suffer a jellyfish sting than a shark bite, so here’s what you need to know:

First, don’t believe the rumors. Peeing on a stung bit of skin won’t do much to relieve suffering, and you’ll suffer some odd stares, too, doctors say.

“Urine has not been scientifically proven to help in jellyfish stings”, said Dr. Paul Auerbach, an emergency physician at Stanford University Hospital and an expert on jellyfish stings.

“Instead, vinegar is the best first treatment,” he said, when treating stings from North American jellyfish.

But the question still lingers, if no vinegar is in sight is urine better than nothing? While studies haven’t proven it, Auerbach admits he’s known a few people who said urine worked for them.

3. Drinking Booze to Ease a Toothache

“A shot of whiskey is not going to kill the pain of a toothache,” says Charles Wakefield, D.D.S., director of advanced education in general dentistry at Baylor University medical school. Instead of a whiskey on the rocks, just order the rocks: A Canadian study found that rubbing an ice cube on people’s hands killed tooth pain in 50 percent of them. Wrap the cube and rub it on the V-shaped soft spot of your hand, where the bones of your thumb and index finger meet. The cold, rubbing sensation travels on the same pathway to the brain as tooth pain, and by icing your hand, you override the signals from your mouth. When you’re finished, call a dentist. And pour yourself that whiskey.

Long Time..No Post...

I can't begin to explain the how busy and stressfull last week was. My blog suffered the worst of it. :-) Hopefully this week will be a bit smoother.

What's new: I've been watching The Office (USA Version). Awesome show! Not as good as the UK version, but really? How could it be! It's the best a remake can be. Just started Season 2 which got some nice clean up work from the first season. The first season was good, but sometimes the charecter Michale was a bit over the top. They cleaned him up, made him more 'Boss-like.' And the writing got better and sharper. Everything a second season of any good show would do.

What else is new...Finnaly got to sit down and play some more Shenmue II on Xbox, the most underplayed game series of all time. I after playing about 80% of the game non-stop for a week-in-a-half last month, I loaded it up and found that I hadn't played in over a month! I don't know how that long went by. It's werid how life can get so busy that you literlly forget to do things that are fun. Anyway, go out and buy it right now and play it! Every GameStop has a copy for like 6 bucks. (My background on this blog is from the game.)

Oh, and Studio 60 is still the best new show this year! :)

What does Enron and HP have in common?

I sure hope this isn't true. HP makes great laptops It seemed that over the last few years, HP has really stepped up their game and takin off as a good, high quality company.
It's just one beating after another this year for HP.

HP Stock Sales Raise Eyebrows
As if Hewlett-Packard didn't have enough problems with its botched boardroom media leaks investigation, CEO Mark Hurd made nearly $1.4 million in a stock options sale just a week before the scandal became public knowledge.

On Aug. 25, the same day Hurd was interviewed by outside HP attorneys about his role in the pretexting scandal, he exercised options priced at $21.73 a share and sold them for almost $35 a share.

Hurd's sale "was fully proper," according to HP spokesperson Emma Wischhusen, who noted Hurd exercised his stock options during the three-week window HP allows each quarter.

Wischhusen also said the sale gained HP internal approval.

Former HP Chairman Patricia Dunn, along with company attorneys Kevin Hunsaker and Ann Baskins have all left HP since the scandal broke in early September.

Dunn and Hunsaker also face four felony counts under California law for fraudulent wire communications, wrongful use of computer data, identify theft and conspiracy for their roles in the use of pretexting to obtain the personal call logs of HP (Quote) board members and journalists.

In addition, HP faces a shareholder suit charging Hurd, Dunn, other executives and HP's private investigators with breach of fiduciary duties, abuse of control, gross mismanagement and waste of corporate assets. The case is set for a Nov. 2 hearing.

William L. Lerach, an attorney representing Juliet Worsham, who filed the shareholders suit, could not be reached for comment on how the Hurd stock sell-off could impact the lawsuit.

SOURCE:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3637641

The best new show you should all be watching

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Best new show this fall! Did you ever like SNL? Did you ever like West Wing? Did you ever like Sports Night? How about Friends? If you can answer Yes, or even just 'maybe,' to any of those questions, you'll love Studio 60! Do what you need to get catch up. There's 4 ep's out right now. Download the first 3 from iTunes. Watch Episode 1x04 for free here: http://www.nbc.com/Video/rewind/full_episodes/?show=studio60

I've been looking forward to this show all summer but had no idea what it was going to be other then Matthew Perry acting as a writer for a new show by the West Wing guy. It's very West Wing-ish. But with the one-liner, quick-wit of Perry. And amazing, fun to watch performances by Bradley Whitford. Monday nights, NBC, 10pm. Tune in, iTune-in, or DVR it!

Think I'm just to White & Nerdy

I've been a huge Weird Al fan forever! I even got to see him in concert in 2004 with my dad. (Actually a great concert!! He really goes all out!).

So I'm stoked about this new CD (which I don't have yet) but I have been playing the crap outta the White & Nerdy video the last 2 weeks. I like "Rollin'." It's catchy and fun to turn up in the car with 2 10" subs :-). And parodies are much more fun when you know the original song.

Anyway...I snapped this pic off my TV (cause I was too lazy to do it a better way on a PC) from the music video of the Trivial Pursuit card made up for the video. It flashes on screen for a millisecond which made it hard to pause on...But it's really funny!

The video for anyone that hasn't seen it:

President Bush Sues Dixie Chicks over Hail to the Chief

This was a few months ago, but still shocking. I'm not a fan of the Dixie Chicks, actually, they annoy the hell outta me. But this is just insane. They've done absolutely nothing wrong!

Military action if they continue to play 'Hail to the Chief' at their concert?! An amendment that forbids anyone to use a SONG unless the President is present?! The FBI spying on their fans cell phone conversations? What an ungodly waste of resources and a threat to American freedom.

"Because we have legitimate concerns that this practice might provide terrorists with a means of communicating with each other, we decided to monitor cell phone usage at a random selection of concerts."

I highly doubt terrorists are going to take in a Dixie Chicks concert!
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President Bush Sues Dixie Chicks over Hail to the Chief
By Phil Maggitti
Jul 26, 2006, 09:00

Acting on information gained from cell phone surveillance, President Bush filed suit in a Washington, D.C., court yesterday to stop the Dixie Chicks from using "Hail to the Chief" to herald their arrival on stage during their present concert tour.

The president's lawyers argued in a 225-page brief that the Chicks' continued use of the song could "materially and significantly harm the image of the presidency, which harm, during a time of war such as this, could well constitute an act of treason as defined specifically but not exclusively in the Patriot Act."

The Dixie Chicks, whose lead singer Natalie Maines once told a British audience that the group was ashamed of the fact that the president came from Texas, could not be reached for comment. A source close to the group said its members were busy writing thank you notes to everyone "brave enough to attend their concerts in a country run by a two-bit, butthole dictator."

With his approval ratings in erectile dysfunction, President Bush has become increasingly sensitive to the national security implications of criticism from entertainers. He authorized the FBI to monitor cell phone usage by fans on the Dixie Chicks current tour, which began July 21 in Detroit. While reviewing cell phone transmissions from that show, the FBI discovered that the Dixie Chicks arrived on stage to the strains of "Hail to the Chief."

Presidential press secretary, Tony Snow, defended the government's right to spy on music fans at concerts.

"We are well aware that many people turn their cell phones on and hold them up during concerts," said Mr. Snow, a former television personality. "Because we have legitimate concerns that this practice might provide terrorists with a means of communicating with each other, we decided to monitor cell phone usage at a random selection of concerts. That the Dixie Chicks and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were the first groups designated for surveillance is entirely coincidental. What's more, our surveillance of cell phone usage does not extend to the private calls of entertainers on tour, except as such calls might be monitored in other kinds of legitimate surveillance."

Mr. Snow warned that if the Dixie Chicks did not cease and desist immediately, the government could not rule out military action to force compliance. In addition, said Mr. Snow, "the president is seriously considering asking Congress to pass an amendment to the constitution forbidding the use of "Hail to the Chief" at any events at which the president is not physically present."

In related news, Israeli fighter pilots bombed the Tweeter Centre in Beirut, Lebanon, yesterday, killing 2,861 fans at a Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) concert. Using U.S.-supplied fighter planes, the pilots dropped six, five-hundred-pound, U.S.-supplied bombs on the centre just as Mr. Islam arrived on stage to the tune of "Hava Nagila."
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SOURCE:
http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/07262006_11_dixiechicks.shtml

The Daily Show with John Stewart is as good as “real” News, study finds.

My grandma and I love John. And it's true. He is a hero and focuses on the things mainstream media side-steps. So what if it is with humor? It's humor that the media and news is so cautious and focus on only the negative, rarely about the positive.

Thanks John for being real while making us laugh and feel good about ourselves and our country! (You too Colbert!)
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IMNSHO, this man is a patriot and American Hero, and is the best journalist on the air today.

Which would you think has more substantive news coverage — traditional broadcast network newscasts or The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Would you believe the answer is neither?

Julia R. Fox, assistant professor of telecommunications at Indiana University isn’t joking when she says the popular “fake news” program, which last week featured Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as a guest, is just as substantive as network coverage.

While much has been written in the media about The Daily Show’s impact, Fox’s study is the first scholarly effort to systematically examine how the comedy program compares to traditional television news as sources of political information.

The fact that a comedian is the best journalist in America is a sad testament to the quality of our news.
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SOURCE: http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=7410
Bold/Italics: Devork Comment | Italic: Quoting Source

Slightly Immature Post / Podcast or Netcast?

This made me laugh! Take a look at the security, anti-spam image I needed to type in order to make the post. :) lol I'm so immature sometimes :-P

I was making a comment to a news item on iLounge regarding Leo Leporte's effort to change the word Podcast to Netcast to better describe that Podcast is not limited to those who own an iPod or users of iTunes. For those of you who don't know who Leo Leporte is, he is probably the most popular Podcaster out there and hosts podcasts such as Inside The Net, This Week in Tech (TWiT), Security Now, MacBreak, The Daily GizWiz, and hosts the popular TV show 'Call For Help' on G4 (Canada).

Podcast or Netcast?
Many people, too many people, don't realize that a Podcast is typically just an MP3 that can be downloaded and listened to on anything that can play MP3's (computer, Zen's, Cell Phones, MP3 CD-Compatible Car Stereos, etc) Heck, even on the Internet! (my choice for my start page http://www.netvibes.com/ is a great example)

Leo is putting $30k behind the name change and has already begun officaly naming his network of podcasts 'Netcasts'.

I hope he pulls it off!