Thunderbill

It was only a matter of time. Hopefully, 007 can infiltrate and destroy his operation before things get out of hand.

From Yahoo News:

Bill Gates, Toshiba in early talks on nuclear reactor

A company backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Toshiba are in early talks to jointly develop a small nuclear reactor, the Japanese electronics giant said Tuesday.

The Nikkei business daily earlier reported that the two sides would team up to develop a compact next-generation reactor that can operate for up to 100 years without refueling to provide emission-free energy.

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For The Many Things She Gave Me

I posted this creepy 1968 American Airlines ad on Basket of Kisses. I think Mad Men's Don Draper would approve.


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Suffer The Children

I think the church is overreacting here. A more vanilla, upbeat Stations of the Cross depiction kinda misses the point. No?

From The Washington Post:

Texas church bans child's photograph of Passion

Some find Jackson Potts II's photograph of a nightstick-wielding policeman beating a fallen, bleeding child violent and offensive, conjuring images of police brutality and child
abuse.

But to Jackson, a talented 10-year-old Houston photographer, and a cadre of art lovers, the disturbing image has religious symbolism.

Jackson shot the photograph for an exhibit depicting the Stations of the Cross, but the show's organizers rejected it, sparking a controversy some say is overshadowing remembrance of Jesus' final hours during the season of Lent.

...Jackson was assigned to portray the seventh Station of the Cross, where Jesus fell for a second time while carrying the cross to the site of his crucifixion. The home-schooled fifth-grader, who is taking a class on religious symbols in art at a Catholic church, decided to do a modern depiction of Christ being beaten by a Roman soldier.

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Cold Cardigan

This was a particularly jarring image. My first thought was "OMIGOD! They've cryogenized Mr. Rogers!"



From MSNBC article:

Volunteer day would honor Mister Rogers

Brad Burmeister, left, and Michael Dubois move a figure of the late Fred Rogers, host of the PBS children's television program "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," at the Heinz History Center before it is placed on exhibit at the museum in Pittsburgh, on Friday, March 19.

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Reds

Yesterday, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, MSN published a list of "All Time Hottest Redheads" which I've copied below. As Raquel Welch was omitted to make room for the likes of Lindsey Lohan, Rupert Grint, and Conan O'Brien, I can't personally sanction it.

12. Lindsey Lohan
11. Emma Stone
10. Rupert Grint
9. Julianne Moore
8. Conan O'Brien
7. Ann-Margret
6. Isla Fisher
5. Nicole Kidman
4. Prince Harry
3. Rita Hayworth
2. Ewan McGregor
1. Christina Hendricks

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Periodic Confusion

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, someone throws me a curve.

(h/t The Daily Dish)

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Child's Play

• Pay waitress...check.
  
• Load gifts into car...check.
  
• Pack up left-over pizza and cake...check.

Forgotten anything? Hmmm...oh well, it must not be important. Let's roll!

From The Detroit News:

Warren parents leave boy, 3, at Caesarland birthday party

Charges possible in case; child now in foster care

In a case police call "outrageous and disturbing," the parents of a 3-year-old could face child abuse and abandonment charges today after reportedly leaving the toddler at Caesarland on Saturday following his birthday celebration.

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said the parents, a 33-year-old woman and 41-year-old man, took the boy to the Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant for a party. Around 9 p.m., the manager spotted the child and couldn't find anyone to claim him. Staffers contacted police, who handed him over to Child Protective Services, which placed the boy in foster care.

...Both said that up until Sunday, each thought the other had the child or that he could be with a grandmother, he added.

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Keeping It Rielle

Has it been 15 minutes yet?

From CBS News:

Rielle Hunter Pictures in GQ are "Repulsive," Says John Edwards' Lover

Rielle Hunter may not regret breaking her silence, but the GQ photo shoot which shows her pantless is breaking her heart.

Hunter reportedly "cried for two hours" after she saw the pictures she deemed "repulsive" that accompanied the 10,000 word interview she did with GQ magazine, according to Barbara Walters.

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The Future Is Now

Paul meets Peter.

From MSNBC:

Social Security needs Uncle Sam's IOUs — now

Government expected to borrow more, especially abroad, to start payback

The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.

It's time to start cashing them in.

For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year.

Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes — nearly $29 billion more.

Sounds like a good time to start tapping the nest egg. Too bad the federal government already spent that money over the years on other programs, preferring to borrow from Social Security rather than foreign creditors. In return, the Treasury Department issued a stack of IOUs — in the form of Treasury bonds — which are kept in a nondescript office building just down the street from Parkersburg's municipal offices.

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Close Shave

Phone call or bikini line? Make up your mind, I've got to adjust the car seat.

There's SOOO many unanswered questions in this story. Why was the ex in the car at all? Since she was driving, you'd think it was her car...right? Was he going to use it after dropping her off? Did she grab the razor at the last second while heading out the door OR does she keep it in the glove compartment? And how does the new guy feel about his girlfriend doing her grooming with the ex nearby?

From CBS 4, South Florida:

Driving On Razor's Edge: Shaving Behind The Wheel

You've heard of the dangers of texting while driving, and talking on the phone while behind the wheel of a car. But how many people actually debate the merits of doing a little, well, "landscaping" while on the road?

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a two-car crash on Cudjoe Key was caused by a 37-year-old woman who was shaving her bikini area while in the driver's seat. Her ex-husband was steering from the passenger seat.

Trooper Gary Dunick explained, "She said she was meeting her boyfriend in Key West and wanted to be ready for the visit."

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Cold Stones Are Cool

If the films nominated for Academy Awards in 2010 were Olympic sports, figure skating—full of sights, sounds, and lots of media attention—would be Avatar, the halfpipe—entertaining and edgy—Inglourious Basterds, and hockey—an unglamorous study in grinding perseverance—The Hurt Locker. For Americans, curling wouldn’t appear until “The Best Animated Short” category: "A Matter of Loaf and Death" starring Wallace and Gromit.

One of the noteworthy, albeit minor, stories coming out of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was some unexpectedly positive murmuring about curling. The genuine curiosity exhibited about the sport could very well be a precursor for more mainstream American interest. U.S. team captain John Shuster expressed satisfaction that Vancouver had helped to put curling “on the map.” Of course, a lot of the attention curling received this year was due to things having nothing to do with the sport itself. Such as the tittering over the Norwegian team’s garishly patterned pants. So, it remains to be seen if curling has the potential to attain more than hacky sack-like fad status in the U.S.

I’ve never set foot on a curling surface myself but I’ve been a closet fan for years. Although, I didn’t realize I was in the closet or that such a closet even existed.

Read the Full Post at The House Next Door...
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Sounds Fishy

In case you missed it, when director Louie Psihoyos accepted his "best documentary" Oscar for “The Cove,” he held up a sign encouraging people to text the word "dolphin" to a certain number.

They cut away from him pretty fast. So, here it is.
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Newsweak

Here's a 1995 Newsweek piece by Clifford Stoll predicting the demise of the Internet. I think there's another article in the same issue discussing why Deep Blue Something, who had just released "Breakfast At Tiffanys," would be the most influential band of the 90's.

FWIW, Stoll recently joked about being wrong here.

The Internet? Bah!

Hype alert: Why cyberspace isn't, and will never be, nirvana

After two decades online, I'm perplexed. It's not that I haven't had a gas of a good time on the Internet. I've met great people and even caught a hacker or two. But today, I'm uneasy about this most trendy and oversold community. Visionaries see a future of telecommuting workers, interactive libraries and multimedia classrooms. They speak of electronic town meetings and virtual communities. Commerce and business will shift from offices and malls to networks and modems. And the freedom of digital networks will make government more democratic.

Baloney. Do our computer pundits lack all common sense? The truth in no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer network will change the way government works.

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Supportive Characters

This list is long overdue.

However, whoever assembled it, sorta breaks their own "Too well known in a particular role" rule with Kevin Tighe (who EVERYONE knows from Emergency) and Bill McKinney, the mean hick who Burt Reynolds kills with an arrow in Deliverance.

And why Sam Elliott is mentioned makes no sense at all!

"That Guy!"

Have you ever been watching TV or a movie and pointed to the screen and said, "Hey! It's That Guy!"? Well, here is where you'll find him. This page is dedicated to the character actors collectively known as "That Guy".

That Guy is easy to recognize and difficult to place. You can describe him but not name him.

If someone asks, "Do you know the old grubby guy with a big belly and wild white hair that always wears a beat up brown derby and plays a drunk in westerns?" You'll know exactly who they mean, but you'll have no idea that his name is Dub Taylor.

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Sharkonomics

The mayor of Amity would disagree.

From MyFox New York:

Shark Attacks Drop in US During Economic Downturn

Human beings weren't the only ones cutting back on their consumption during the economic downturn: Sharks lost their appetites too, according to research released Monday.

The number of shark attacks in the U.S. declined to 28 in 2009 from 41 in 2008, building on a drop from 2007's 50 incidents, University of Florida researchers said.

George Burress, director of the International Shark Atttack File at UF, blamed a familiar culprit.

"The economy could have had an effect on how many times people can afford to put gas in their cars and go to the beach," Burress said in a statement.

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