Thursday, July 19, 2007

Who's My Daddy?

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Fresh Paint

Rub-a-dub-dub: 3 girls in tubs successful cross the 60km from Sado to Honshu

Women in tub boats arrive in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday after having paddled from Sado 60 kilometers away.
NIIGATA -- Three women completed the 60-kilometer crossing from Sado to Honshu in tub boats Saturday, following in the footsteps of a mythical figure who traversed the straits to see her lover on the mainland.
Kanako Takahashi, 26, Miho Hamada, 25 and Miki Takano, 27, each rowed a tub boat across the Sado Straits to make the first successful crossing in the craft for 40 years; the third overall, but the first ever to be completed solo.
"My arms and hands are really hurting, but I'm so glad it was successful," Hamada said.
A Sado tale tells of a woman called Omitsu paddling one of the islands famous tub boats from Sado to Kashiwazaki, where her fisherman lover Gosaku lived. The Sado Tourism Association planned the three women's crossing, which began at about 10 a.m. Friday in Sado.
Takahashi, Hamada and Takano, all clad in traditional garments, set off in their 1.9-meter tubs at about 10 a.m. Friday, provisioned with food, water and a bucket to use as a toilet. They arrived in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, at around 10 a.m. Saturday. Two fishing boats accompanied the women to ensure their safety.
There were fears that the approaching typhoon Man-yi could hinder their journey, but the worst weather the women encountered on their 24-hour paddle was light rain. Waves were only about 40 to 50 centimeters high.
In 1966 and again in 1967 there were successful crossings of the strait in tub boats, but on each occasion three people had taken turns in paddling them.
"Having made the crossing alone, now I know how Omitsu must have felt about Gosaku," Takahashi said. (Mainichi)

Click here for the original Japanese story

Skipping to a world record

More than 3,000 people set a new world record in China by skipping simultaneously for three minutes.
The skippers brought Changsha to a standstill by filling the pedestrian’s part of the city center.
They broke the previous Guinness world record of 2,472 people set by Hong Kong citizens in 2005.
A total of 3,009 people, ranging in age from 10 to 68, participated in the record-breaking event, and many came with their entire families, reports Red Net.
"This activity is very healthy, and every Chinese should support this kind of good activity," says Liu Jun, the first person to register for the event with his whole family.

Teen claims spiders alerted her to fire

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070719/ap_on_fe_st/odd_lifesaver_spiders
July 18, 2007
HEMLOCK, Mich. - A woman who hates spiders is crediting them with helping save her from a house fire. Danielle Vigue, 18, says she awoke early Tuesday to find spiders in her room, and started killing them. When more showed up, she says she went across the hall and got into bed with her 15-year-old sister, Lauren.
"At first there were five, they were all around the light fixture," Danielle Vigue told The Saginaw News. "I hate spiders, they freak me out."
A fire apparently was smoldering in the attic of the home about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.
A few hours later, Vigue's 48-year-old mother, Debra, and 8-year-old sister, Shelby, smelled smoke, and flames greeted the family when they opened the door to the room Danielle Vigue had earlier left.
"I will never kill another spider again," she told WNEM-TV in Saginaw.
Richland Township Fire Chief Gary Wade, a 30-year veteran of the Saginaw County department, was surprised by Vigue's story.
"I've never heard of spiders saving someone from a fire before," Wade said.

Our Problem................

Ever since George Bush was re-elected, conservatives have been telling liberals to "get over it." Excuse me? "Get over it?" This wasn't a baseball game. This wasn't the Super Bowl. We're not sobbing in our beers because the Steelers whipped the Packers.
We're at war. People's lives are at stake. Every day, families are being destroyed, both here and in Iraq. To treat this election so dismissively is an insult to them and to the soldiers who gave life and limb in this war.

Animals Doing Funny Stuff

British Teen Finds $90G in PlayStation 2 He Ordered on eBay


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289809,00.html
July 18, 2007

A British teen got more than he bargained for when he bought a PlayStation 2 on eBay.
When the package arrived at the 16-year-old boy’s Norfolk home, there were 65,400 Euros(approximately $90,200) inside, according to a BBC report. The police are now trying to trace the package back to the owner.
The boy reportedly received the PlayStation 2 on March 20. Two games were missing, and in their place was the cash.
Norfolk Police have until September 22 to hold the money before the matter goes to court. Once in court, the boy’s family could apply to have the money returned to them.
"We know that eBay is a great place to pick up a bargain, although in this case, we agree that the contents of the parcel were somewhat unusual and we will assist with any inquiries the police may wish to make," an eBay spokesman told the BBC.

I'M BORED

Other Captions
"Can't wait till Friday"
"Bummer Dude"
''Strained Carrots Blues''