Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Presidential Diseases
From George Washington's toothlessness (he has no teeth left by middle age), to Grover Cleveland's gout, to Franklin D. Roosevelt's polio, to Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer disease, and finally to George W. Bush's colon polyps, presidents throughout history suffer from the same diseases and ailments like the rest of us.
Find out what diseases you have in common with the leaders of the free world!
HealthInPlainEnglish.com
Find out what diseases you have in common with the leaders of the free world!
HealthInPlainEnglish.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
Company rents pets to animal lovers
A California company has begun offering FlexPetz, a new service for dog-lovers who just don't have the time to care for a pet, or the space.
The "shared dog" service is available in Los Angeles and San Diego. Its founder hopes to open new locations in San Francisco next month, New York in September and London by the end of the year. Hanging out with man's best friend has a price. The annual fee runs about 100 dollars a year. FlexPetz customers then make a monthly payment of about 50 dollars. The FlexPetz founder says only dogs with social temperaments are picked for the program. The current ten-dog crew includes Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.
Chinese Professor Held Lavish (US$13,310) Funeral for Pet Dog
A funeral home in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu recently received a big contract -- preparing a 100,680-yuan (US$13,310) funeral -- for a deceased dog.
On Sunday [July 22] before the two-day funeral began, Lin, the dog's owner in his late seventies, signed his name on the agreement which details every expense of the amount, the local West China City Daily reported.
According to the contract, Lin will pay 4,000 yuan each day for renting the funeral space and another 4,000 yuan for workers. On Monday, a luxury Cadillac will take the dog to its final resting place -- rental of the car will cost 10,000 yuan.
A senior staff member of the funeral home was quoted in the report as saying that at first they refused to arrange such a luxurious funeral for a dog, but were later moved by Lin's story.
The report says that the retired professor met the stray dog three months ago when he came to live in Chengdu alone from the northeastern city of Dalian. Lin suffers from high blood pressure and is a frequent visitor to the hospital. His children are all busy with their work, and the widower's only companion was the dog.
The lavish pet funeral inevitably raised eyebrows among locals, many of whom complained it was unnecessary.
However, Lin told the reporter that the dog, which died of an unknown disease, was a sympathetic and loyal friend, and that all he is trying to do is express his great grief over its passing.
On Sunday [July 22] before the two-day funeral began, Lin, the dog's owner in his late seventies, signed his name on the agreement which details every expense of the amount, the local West China City Daily reported.
According to the contract, Lin will pay 4,000 yuan each day for renting the funeral space and another 4,000 yuan for workers. On Monday, a luxury Cadillac will take the dog to its final resting place -- rental of the car will cost 10,000 yuan.
A senior staff member of the funeral home was quoted in the report as saying that at first they refused to arrange such a luxurious funeral for a dog, but were later moved by Lin's story.
The report says that the retired professor met the stray dog three months ago when he came to live in Chengdu alone from the northeastern city of Dalian. Lin suffers from high blood pressure and is a frequent visitor to the hospital. His children are all busy with their work, and the widower's only companion was the dog.
The lavish pet funeral inevitably raised eyebrows among locals, many of whom complained it was unnecessary.
However, Lin told the reporter that the dog, which died of an unknown disease, was a sympathetic and loyal friend, and that all he is trying to do is express his great grief over its passing.
Hawk in pretty good shape after run-in with RV along RAGBRAI trail
CEDAR FALLS --- A hawk is expected to make a full recovery after completing a wild RAGBRAI ride of its own. Denise Warns, an animal control officer, helped rescue the hawk from the grill of a Winnebago recreational vehicle Wednesday on the University of Northern Iowa campus. The Winnebago rolled into town from Hampton as part of a caravan of RAGBRAI (Ragbrai is a 5-day bicycle ride across Iowa for the past 35-years http://www.ragbrai.org/) support vehicles. Those driving the RV said they likely hit the hawk somewhere near Dumont."When I got the call I didn't expect the end result to be very good. They told me he was still alive, but I didn't expect him to be in very good shape," she said. "He wasn't a very happy bird. He was very scared and using his talons to grab a hold of me. It's a hawk and they aren't used to being that close to humans.
"After removing the bird from the grill Warns turned it over to Terese Evans, who heads up the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project. The raptor, which was determined to likely be a female Cooper's hawk, was examined by veterinarian Lori Cherney and said to be in pretty good health."Lori said there was no major injury, other than some bruising and maybe a couple broken feathers," said Linda Nebbe, a Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project rehabilitator. The bird is staying with Nebbe until it can be released back into the wild. Nebbe said it could be anywhere from a two days to two months before the bird is ready to be released."Yesterday she sat quite stunned, but she isn't stunned at all today. She doesn't want me in her flight cage at all," Nebbe said. "She is especially anxious to get going." Nebbe and Warns both said this rescue ranks up there in terms of one to remember. "It's a pretty good story and it feels like it could have a good ending," Nebbe said.
"After removing the bird from the grill Warns turned it over to Terese Evans, who heads up the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project. The raptor, which was determined to likely be a female Cooper's hawk, was examined by veterinarian Lori Cherney and said to be in pretty good health."Lori said there was no major injury, other than some bruising and maybe a couple broken feathers," said Linda Nebbe, a Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project rehabilitator. The bird is staying with Nebbe until it can be released back into the wild. Nebbe said it could be anywhere from a two days to two months before the bird is ready to be released."Yesterday she sat quite stunned, but she isn't stunned at all today. She doesn't want me in her flight cage at all," Nebbe said. "She is especially anxious to get going." Nebbe and Warns both said this rescue ranks up there in terms of one to remember. "It's a pretty good story and it feels like it could have a good ending," Nebbe said.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Judge Orders Man to Clean Vets' Memorial with Toothbrush for Scam
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291271,00.html
July 28, 2007
SAGINAW, Mich. — A 73-year-old man has been ordered to clean a veterans memorial with a toothbrush for taking part in a scam to solicit scrap yards for metal, saying it was to be used to build a memorial for soldiers in the Iraq war.
Philip Kolinski and another man were arrested after scrap yards reported the men soliciting metal donations for a sculpture. Detectives said the men sold the metal and kept the money.
"You certainly should be ashamed," Saginaw County District Court Judge A.T. Frank said as he sentenced Kolinski to clean the veteran’s memorial in front of Governmental Center on Aug. 7.
"You will have a toothbrush and bucket with a placard saying you stole from veterans," Frank said.
Kolinski pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obtaining more than $200 under false pretenses, although he claimed he didn't know he was committing a crime. He said he agreed to haul the metal for another man, who is awaiting trial in the case.
"I just hauled it and took it to the dump yard," Kolinski said. "I feel sorry for what I did."
The judge also ordered Kolinski to pay $9,000 in restitution and $2,095 in fees and fines.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Dogs that carry their owner's bags
Two smart female golden retrievers, named Lila and Yama, are intelligent enough to help their owner carry her shopping bags, safeguard her purse, and can even tell whose phone is ringing among three or four mobile phones of Mrs Wu's family members, and immediately pass it to its owner.
Mrs Wu's clever pets always attract great attention due to their nimble movements, submissive and childlike behaviors when they follow their owner to the supermarket.
However, she commented that it costs her around $500 per month to raise her dogs, as they are fed with bottled milk every morning and have pig livers with rice daily. Sometimes, she even gets them some dog snacks from Japan!
She was offered $6,600 last year for Lila, but she declined the offer.
Mrs Wu's clever pets always attract great attention due to their nimble movements, submissive and childlike behaviors when they follow their owner to the supermarket.
However, she commented that it costs her around $500 per month to raise her dogs, as they are fed with bottled milk every morning and have pig livers with rice daily. Sometimes, she even gets them some dog snacks from Japan!
She was offered $6,600 last year for Lila, but she declined the offer.
What? An Upside Down Rainbow In The Sky!
No, this isn't an upside-down rainbow, and the photographer hasn't faked the picture. It's an unusual phenomenon caused by sunlight shining through a thin, invisible screen of tiny ice crystals high in the sky and has nothing at all to do with the rain. Andrew G. Saffas, a Concord artist and photographer, saw the colorful arc at 3:51 p.m. on a beautiful day recently when a slight rain had fallen in the morning. He thought it was a rainbow, created by raindrops refracting sunlight the way glass prisms refract any bright beam of light.Instead, what Saffas saw was what scientists call a circumzenithal arc, according to physicist Joe Jordan. The flat, six-sided ice crystals that cause the arcs are no larger than salt grains and usually form in the cold haze of wispy cirrus clouds about 5 miles (8 km) up, said Jordan.When the sun is low in the afternoon sky on a hazy day -- even though the sky appears bright blue -- sunlight can hit the flat face of the ice particles at a slant. Then the rays bend within each crystal and emerge with the colors appearing separated into all the rainbow colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.But, said Jordan, the colors in those arcs appear in the opposite position from the colors in rainbows: In zenithal arcs, as in Saffas' image, the red hues are on the bottom and the blue and violet are on the top. The arcs appear to terminate where the millions of ice crystals end, he said.
Rubik’s Cube the Next Dimension
Something you don’t see everyday a home on the water
Friday, July 27, 2007
Kandu The Dog Brings Hope To Hospital Patients
Nearly 2 years after he was taken to the Evergreen Animal Protective League to be euthanized, Kandu the dog has a new home with a family near Steamboat Springs. The Rogers have given the Jack Russell Terrier special devices to help him get around, ski and serve as an inspiration to people.
The 10.5 pound dog, whose previous owner thought couldn't have a good quality of life because he was born without his two front legs, now serves as a therapy dog as part of the Heeling Friends Program. Kandu visits hospital patients to give them hope."He's just joy," said Melissa Uchitelle-Rogers. "That's all he is, he's just pure joy."Kandu now mostly moves around on a specially designed set of wheels that weigh 6.5 pounds (3 kg).
The 10.5 pound dog, whose previous owner thought couldn't have a good quality of life because he was born without his two front legs, now serves as a therapy dog as part of the Heeling Friends Program. Kandu visits hospital patients to give them hope."He's just joy," said Melissa Uchitelle-Rogers. "That's all he is, he's just pure joy."Kandu now mostly moves around on a specially designed set of wheels that weigh 6.5 pounds (3 kg).
Thieves steal filled swimming pool
Edgar Valdivia and his wife Daisy of Paterson, New Jersey awoke on Wednesday morning to find their backyard pool - 12-feet in diameter, 3-feet tall, filled with an estimated 1,000 gallons of water - had vanished without a trace.
Amazingly, whoever stole it apparently did it without spilling a drop of water.
Mr. Valdivia said that by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the pool had simply disappeared, with the ground around it completely dry. Police say the heist was likely well thought out, and whoever pulled it off, it appears they may get away with it. Investigators continue to look into the case, but say they'll likely pass on a full-blown investigation.
With news video.
Amazingly, whoever stole it apparently did it without spilling a drop of water.
Mr. Valdivia said that by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the pool had simply disappeared, with the ground around it completely dry. Police say the heist was likely well thought out, and whoever pulled it off, it appears they may get away with it. Investigators continue to look into the case, but say they'll likely pass on a full-blown investigation.
With news video.
Police lose suspect in 8mph chase
This elder man led police on a low-speed chase around Middlesbrough - and then gave officers the slip.
The lukewarm pursuit started after he caused traffic chaos by crawling down the fast lane of a busy dual carriageway. Police asked the stubborn senior citizen to pull over. But he defiantly cranked his battery-powered mobility scooter up to its top speed - 8mph - and somehow managed to escape their attention. Engineer, Ian Hardy, from Darlington said he couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched the chase unfold on the A1032 Newport Bridge Approach Road on Monday afternoon. “The police tried to pull him up but he issued them with a lot of profanities.”Then the determined man veered onto the Cannon Park roundabout where he gave red-faced officers the slip.“They asked us, ‘scuse me - have you seen a bloke on an electric scooter?’,” added Ian, who was on a walk at the time. “The two in the police car looked a bit embarrassed to have lost a battery-powered scooter.” A police van joined the pursuit and when cops eventually caught up with the man, he was escorted to safety.
The lukewarm pursuit started after he caused traffic chaos by crawling down the fast lane of a busy dual carriageway. Police asked the stubborn senior citizen to pull over. But he defiantly cranked his battery-powered mobility scooter up to its top speed - 8mph - and somehow managed to escape their attention. Engineer, Ian Hardy, from Darlington said he couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched the chase unfold on the A1032 Newport Bridge Approach Road on Monday afternoon. “The police tried to pull him up but he issued them with a lot of profanities.”Then the determined man veered onto the Cannon Park roundabout where he gave red-faced officers the slip.“They asked us, ‘scuse me - have you seen a bloke on an electric scooter?’,” added Ian, who was on a walk at the time. “The two in the police car looked a bit embarrassed to have lost a battery-powered scooter.” A police van joined the pursuit and when cops eventually caught up with the man, he was escorted to safety.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Cat That Predicts Death
When Oscar the cat curls up next to patients in a nursing home, they die afterwards.
Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.
Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.
Is this really a surprise?
Employees waste lots of time surfing the internet.
Using the Internet and chatting with co-workers are the activities that waste the most time each workday, according to the latest study by Salary.com. The 2007 Wasting Time Survey found that the average employee wastes 1.7 hours within an 8.5 hour work day. Surfing the net (34.7% of respondents), along with socializing with co-workers (20.3%) and conducting personal business (17%), were among the top time wasters. Those surveyed also report making personal phone calls and taking long breaks while at work. Nearly 18% of employees reportedly waste time because they “don’t have enough work to do,” while the second most popular response was “my hours are too long” (13.9%). The survey also found that younger workers waste the most time. Employees between the ages of 20 to 29 reported the highest total, wasting an average of 2.1 hours each day, while the average for ages 30 to 39 dropped to 1.9 hours. Ages 40 to 49 report wasting just 1.4 hours daily. While 63% of those surveyed admitted to wasting time at work, the amount of time wasted has actually dropped 19% since Salary.com’s first survey in 2005. » Article here
GAMBLING PROBLEM call 1-800-BETS-OFF
Five Chinese men accused of stealing 51 million yuan (6.7 million dollars) and then buying lottery tickets in an attempt to win the money back have gone on trial.
Bank workers Ren Xiaofeng, 34, and Ma Xiangjing, 37, were charged with embezzling the Agricultural Bank of China in one of the most bizarre bank heists in history. Ren and Ma were vault managers at a branch in Handan city in the Northern Province of Hebei when they started taking money from the safe to play the state lottery in what state media called the country's biggest bank robbery on record. The two thought that by buying millions of yuan in tickets they would eventually win back enough to replace the missing funds and allow them to leave their low-paid jobs for a life of luxury. At first Ren colluded with Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang, charged with misappropriation of public funds, and stole 200,000 yuan from the bank's safe. Ren actually replaced the missing funds after he won the lottery. But Ren became bolder when he began collaborating with Ma, stealing another 50.95 million yuan from the bank during a 30-day period between March and April. They spent a total of 47 million yuan on lottery tickets in Handan, but failing to win, went on the run in mid-April, only to be arrested by police days later.
Bank workers Ren Xiaofeng, 34, and Ma Xiangjing, 37, were charged with embezzling the Agricultural Bank of China in one of the most bizarre bank heists in history. Ren and Ma were vault managers at a branch in Handan city in the Northern Province of Hebei when they started taking money from the safe to play the state lottery in what state media called the country's biggest bank robbery on record. The two thought that by buying millions of yuan in tickets they would eventually win back enough to replace the missing funds and allow them to leave their low-paid jobs for a life of luxury. At first Ren colluded with Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang, charged with misappropriation of public funds, and stole 200,000 yuan from the bank's safe. Ren actually replaced the missing funds after he won the lottery. But Ren became bolder when he began collaborating with Ma, stealing another 50.95 million yuan from the bank during a 30-day period between March and April. They spent a total of 47 million yuan on lottery tickets in Handan, but failing to win, went on the run in mid-April, only to be arrested by police days later.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Talk about WRONG NUMBER
Girl calls sex assault hotline, gets sex hotline instead.
A young Florida girl who thought she was calling a sexual assault helpline got the complete opposite on the other end of the phone. The 8-year-old girl was upset about the inappropriate behavior of another child. So, her mother told her to call the number for the North Central Florida Assault Center listed in the phone book and on the Attorney's General's office website. The girl had actually called a sex hotline. "I convinced my daughter this phone call was going to help her, but it made things immensely worse," said the girl's mother, Karen Carter. It turns out the sexual assault helpline was bought by the company that runs the sex hotline. The number has since been taken off the Attorney's General's Website. » Article here
A young Florida girl who thought she was calling a sexual assault helpline got the complete opposite on the other end of the phone. The 8-year-old girl was upset about the inappropriate behavior of another child. So, her mother told her to call the number for the North Central Florida Assault Center listed in the phone book and on the Attorney's General's office website. The girl had actually called a sex hotline. "I convinced my daughter this phone call was going to help her, but it made things immensely worse," said the girl's mother, Karen Carter. It turns out the sexual assault helpline was bought by the company that runs the sex hotline. The number has since been taken off the Attorney's General's Website. » Article here
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Chinese Products Are Dangerous
Anyone who buys anything other then “AMERICAN MADE” in the good old U.S.A. does at their own risk.
Just because the local SuperCenter sells it don't make it totally safe for human or animal.
The following product is made of a material unfit for contact with the skin and caused a chemical burn injury and was made in the PRC (People's Republic of China).
Just because the local SuperCenter sells it don't make it totally safe for human or animal.
The following product is made of a material unfit for contact with the skin and caused a chemical burn injury and was made in the PRC (People's Republic of China).
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