When James Dean introduced himself to Alec Guinness outside a restaurant, he asked him to take a look at the Porsche 550 Spyder. Guinness thought the car appeared 'sinister' and told Dean: 'If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.' This encounter took place on September 23, 1955, seven days before Dean's death.
Guinness, Alec. Blessings in Disguise [Random House, 1985, ISBN 0-394-55237-7], ch. 4 (pp. 34-35)
*A Yahoo reader reported that the first bionic cat was George Bailey in 2006 in North Carolina at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. That is correct. See article here.LONDON (AFP) – A cat which lost both back paws after a traumatic accident involving a combine harvesterhas regained a spring in its step after being fitted with prosthetic limbs.
In a groundbreaking surgery carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick, a Surrey-based veterinary surgeon, the custom-made implants "peg" the ankle to Oscar's foot and mimic the way in which deer antler bone grows throughskin.
The prosthetic legs, called intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthetics (Itaps) were developed by a team from University College London, led by Professor Gordon Blunn.
"The real revolution with Oscar is [that] we have put a piece of metal and a flange into which skin grows into an extremely tight bone," Fitzpatrick said of the operation which took place last November.
"We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait," he added.
The veterinary surgical team took three hours to insert the pegs by drilling into one of the cat's ankle bones in each of the back legs.
The Itap technology has already been used to create a prosthetic for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London bombings.
Oscar's recovery will feature as part of a six-part BBC One documentary series, The Bionic Vet, starting later this month.
One perspective is given by Vice Admiral Frank E. Beatty, who at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack was an aide to the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and was very close to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's inner circle, with perspicuous remarks as:
"Prior to December 7, it was evident even to me... that we were pushing Japan into a corner. I believed that it was the desire of President Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Churchill that we get into the war, as they felt the Allies could not win without us and all our efforts to cause the Germans to declare war on us failed; the conditions we imposed upon Japan — to get out of China, for example — were so severe that we knew that nation could not accept them. We were forcing her so severely that we could have known that she would react toward the United States. All her preparations in a military way — and we knew their over-all import — pointed that way."[54]
Another "eye witness viewpoint" akin to Beatty's is provided by Roosevelt's administrative assistant at the time of Pearl Harbor, Jonathan Daniels; it is the telling comment about FDR's reaction to the attack - "The blow was heavier than he had hoped it would necessarily be. ... But the risks paid off; even the loss was worth the price. ..."[55]
Costner has been working for more than a decade in hopes of having the clean up machines on hand for immediate use in oil spills.
"Clearly, there is a market out there," said Costner, who has invested more than $24 million to develop the portable devices.
BP has contracted with Costner and Ocean Therapy Solutions to use 32 centrifuge machines that are designed to separate oil from water.
Costner said all major oil companies should keep the device nearby, like a fire extinguisher, ready whenever accidents occur.
The centrifuges can fit on fishing boats or docks and clean 200 gallons of water per minute — 210,000 gallons per day, Costner said.
Navigating the system is like "playing a video game that no one can master," Costner said. And many government agencies and foreign and U.S. oil companies were unresponsive even after seeing the oil-water separator years ago.
Costner said the device had been sitting at a Nevada facility for 10 years until BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles recently called him.
"He was excited," Costner said. "He told me that the machine worked. He told me that it was working against the dispersants, that it was handling the variations of oil mixtures and thickness present in the Gulf."
Costner said other small businesses like his have ideas that could be used in the oil spill relief effort.
Summary Box: Starbucks offers free Wi-Fi
In July, Starbucks will offer free, unlimited Wi-Fi at its 6,736 company-operated U.S. stores. The company only had limited Wi-Fi for certain customers and charged for Internet access after two hours. Meanwhile, Starbucks is partnering with Yahoo to create a special network of content accessible only to customers surfing the Web in its shops. The deal includes free access to the Wall Street Journal's website.
========================================
I used to work for them a few years back. They desire to make Starbucks your "3rd Place". Meaning the consumer spends most of their time at home and work. They would love for the 3rd place to be your local Starbucks. Nothing wrong with that, I like Starbucks but I thought it was insane to charge people $10/mo to access their wifi when a large/venti fruppacino was over $4.
If you love coffee but find their coffee too strong, ask for the House Blend. They always have a mild blend brewing., If still too strong get the barista to fill the cup about 70-75% and fill the rest with hot water. Voila! Perfect coffee.
Men, you're the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren't good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don't care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sons of bitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all your race is looking forward to you. Don't let them down and damn you, don't let me down![45]
Through the travail of the ages,
Midst the pomp and toil of war,
Have I fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star
...
So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, but always me.
...
So forever in the future,
Shall I battle as of yore,
Dying to be born a fighter,
But to die again, once more
Or try ADIDAS STAR WARS.
Viral marketing online can be one of the most annoying things about the Internet. Except when it works.
Adidas imagines everyone coming together from around the universe to watch World Cup soccer at the Star Wars cantina:
adidas Originals invites you to join David Beckham, Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Franz Beckenbauer, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Ciara, Jay Baruchel, DJ Neil Armstrong and some of your dear, old friends for an intergalactic 2010 FIFA World Cup™ viewing party that you’ll never forget.
Give them extra points for including the Stone Roses’ Ian Brown alongside Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and not caring if Americans would recognize them.
BEIJING (Reuters) – Parents in Beijing are taking no chances over the safety of their children after a series of attacks on schoolchildren frightened and angered China.
A growing number of parents have turned to self-defense classes for children more used to wielding electronic games than their fists.
Six times since March, angry and apparently deranged men have attacked Chinese schoolchildren with knives and, in one case, a hammer, killing 27 people and injuring more than 80. Officials have vowed to "strike hard" against the problem and schools have added security guards, but many parents think that's not enough.
Admissions to kung fu schools in Beijing have risen by at least 20 percent since April, China state media reported.
At the Changzhen Kongfu school near Beijing's university district, more than a dozen 7- to 12-year-old children were learning martial arts techniques meant to help them escape potential danger.
"There have been many changes recently. Before, only one to two students will come to consult, but since last week, we have received about 30 inquiries," said Zhang Xiaohang, the chief kung fu instructor at the school.
"A lot of parents register their children for the self-defense class as soon as they arrive, without hesitation. Parents are putting much more emphasis on children's safety."
Zhang now teaches about 10 classes per week and instructs more than 60 kids.
For pudgy 12-year-old Deng Zhiheng, the lessons serve two purposes.
"I am a little bit fat so I want to lose some weight," he said.
"Second of all, there have been many school attacks recently and I want to know how to prevent such attacks. So it is best if I learn these skills."
The class mainly focuses on teaching children how to respond to threats calmly and react quickly.
Self-defense techniques emphasize avoiding confrontation and escaping to safety, Zhang said.
Play Video Reuters – Mexico firm on drug crackdown 
AP – President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon during a joint news conference in the Rose … WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama stepped up his criticism of Arizona's controversial immigration law Wednesday, calling it "misdirected" and warning that it has the potential to be applied in a discriminatory fashion.
For the rest of the slanted article, see: Obama Ramps
Shia LaBeouf told the Los Angeles Times that he shares some of the blame for the failures of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - but he is also pointing the finger at the monkeys he was forced to swing through the jungle with.
"I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished," Shia told the Los Angeles Times' 24 Frames blog when asked about the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie while in Cannes over the weekend. "You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on [director] Steven [Spielberg]," he continued. "But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."
The actor went on to emphasize that he believes that modern audiences are hard to fool.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Shia is not the only "Indiana Jones" star who was less-than satisfied with the movie.
"We [Harrison Ford and Shia] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either," he also told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the movie the movie that grossed over $786 million worldwide. "Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted... I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven."
Shia's "Indiana Jones" comments come just days after he publicly criticized "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
"When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did," he told the Associated Press on Thursday in Cannes when asked about the Michael Bay blockbuster. "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone."
BEIJING - A Chinese court sentenced a man to death Saturday for an attack on a school that wounded 29 children and 3 teachers last month.
The attack was one of five major assaults against schoolchildren in the last two months that have left 17 dead and more than 50 hurt. China has ordered tighter security at schools following another attack Wednesday, the deadliest so far. In that rampage, a man broke into a preschool with a cleaver and killed 7 children and 2 adults. The man was reportedly depressed and suicidal.
The attacks have focused attention on the consequences of ignoring mental illness in modern China, as huge economic inequalities have stoked social tension. Experts say China has failed to adequately address the mental health needs of its citizens. Last year, a study in the British medical journal The Lancet showed that 173 million Chinese, or 17.5% of the population have some form of mental problems. The vast majority -about 158 million- have never received any kind of help.
At leastthree of the recent attackers had a history of mental health problems. Two committed suicide after carrying out the attacks.
The man convicted for the first of the five school attacks, Zheng Minsheng, has been executed already. Zheng killed 8 children in the southern province of Fujian on March 23.
SAN'A, Yemen – Yemen's most influential Islamic cleric vowed on Saturday to gather a "million" signatures to protest a draft law banning child brides.
The issue of child brides in Yemen has attracted broad international attention, most recently when a 13-year-old girl bled to death earlier this month after her 23-year-old husband allegedly tied her down and forced her to have sex with him.
The cleric, Sheik Adbul-Majid al-Zindani, said a ban on child brides "threatens our culture and society and spreads immorality." Al-Zindani is Yemen's most powerful Islamic scholar and believed by the U.S. to be a spiritual mentor of Osama Bin Laden.
Speaking at a conference at Iman University in the Yemeni capital San'a, al-Zindani called on the dozens of radical clerics and Islamic law students in the crowd to oppose the draft law.
"You have to gather a million signatures ... that supports the demands of clerics," said al-Zindani. "If the issue calls on us to gather a million protesters, we'll organize it," al-Zindani said.
Al-Zindani's calls against the ban have become increasingly strident ahead of an expected vote by Yemeni lawmakers next month on raising the marriage age to 17.
The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen, where a quarter of all females marry before they turn 15, according to a 2009 report by the country's Ministry of Social Affairs.
In the country's deeply tribal society, families prefer young brides because they are seen as more obedient and are expected to have more children. It is also difficult for poor families in impoverished Yemen to ignore bride-prices of hundreds of dollars.
A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed and sent back to parliament's constitutional committee for review after pressure from some lawmakers and clerics, led by al-Zindani, who called it un-Islamic.
In March, al-Zindani signed a religious decree that declared people who supported the ban on child brides to be apostates, a particularly severe charge in the deeply Muslim country.
Pressure from al-Zindani and other religious leaders have made the government reluctant to tackle the issue because they rely on their support to stay in power. A parliamentary committee was expected to make a final decision on the legislation this month, but that has now been delayed until May.
It is widely expected that the government will raise the marriage age to deflect international pressure, but will not enforce legislation. Impoverished Yemenis are widely expected to ignore the law.
Apparently pedophilia is an ancient tradition in Islam. Watch "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan" on PBS.org. A real eye opener. Why do you think they are so opposed to western influence? Because of homosexuality and child molestation and human slavery. They are paranoid the truth will be exposed.
Although there are some brands that I hugely advocate for, there are many more that border on outright unhealthy and “scary.” Many packaged foods that seem healthy often contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients you don’t want in your diet. It is always preferable to choose products that have only a handful of ingredients, all of which should be recognizable. One test to know whether an ingredient is healthy is to ask yourself whether your grandmother would recognize it. If not, there is a good chance the ingredient is less natural food and more man-made chemical. Another good test is whether or not you can easily pronounce the ingredient. If you feel like you need a science degree to pronounce it properly, chances are the ingredient is worth avoiding.
If you do have to resort to a processed food for a snack or dinner (anything canned, packaged, etc.), try to avoid those that contain the ingredients listed in the following chart. Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, these ingredients are some of the most highly processed and least healthy of all:
| Ingredient | Why it is Used | Why it is Bad |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Colors |
|
|
| Artificial Flavorings |
|
|
| Artificial Sweeteners (Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Equal®, NutraSweet®, Saccharin, Sweet’n Low®, Sucralose, Splenda® & Sorbitol) |
|
|
| Benzoate Preservatives (BHT, BHA, TBHQ) |
|
|
| Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) |
|
|
| High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) |
|
|
| MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) |
|
|
| Olestra |
|
|
| Shortening, Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Palm, Soybean and others) |
|
|
Originally posted on sheerbalance.com
