Saturday, December 31, 2005

Wishing you the best in 2006



Let this coming year be better than all the others.
Vow to do some of the things
you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.
Call up a forgotten friend.
Drop an old grudge,
and replace it with some pleasant memories.
Vow not to make a promise
you don't think you can keep.
Walk tall, and smile more.
You'll look ten years younger.
Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'.
Say it again.
They are the sweetest words in the world.
- Ann Landers


Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Offbeat news

Headlines you may have missed

Scientists Train Wasps for War on Terror (USA Today)
Scientists at a Georgia laboratory have developed what could be a low-tech, low-cost weapon in the war on terrorism: trained wasps.

Roto-Rooter Lists Weirdest Items Found in Plumbing
(Associated Press)
Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter surveyed its field technicians throughout North America to find the strangest items recovered from pipes, toilets and trenches over the past year.

Woman Locked Out of Car by Cat (Associated Press)
Locking yourself out of your car is bad enough, but Jeanna Stewart was even more embarrassed when the culprit was not her, but her cat.

With thanks to USA Today and The Associated Press.


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Women and men online

Examining the Internet gender gap

Women are now as likely to use the Internet as men, yet a new study shows that gaps remain in what each does online.

American men are more likely than women to check the weather, the news, sports, political and financial information, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported Wednesday. They are also more likely to use the Internet to download music and software and to take a class.

Online women, meanwhile, are bigger users of e-mail, and they are more likely to go online for religious information and support for health or personal problems. The Washington Post has the story.
How do you use the Internet?


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Monday, December 26, 2005

'Birthright citizenship' debate heats up

Policy for U.S.-born immigrant children at issue

With the 2006 just days away, the political debate over "birthright citizenship" is quickly becoming bitter. Some conservative members of Congress, as well as advocacy groups seeking to crack down on illegal immigration, want to change long-standing federal policy and deny citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants on U.S. soil.

The Constitution's 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, provides for “birthright citizenship.” The amendment says, in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

The language was drafted with freed slaves in mind. Supporters of new federal legislation insist that the 14th Amendment was never intended to grant citizenship automatically to babies of illegal immigrants. More from MSNBC/AP.

Related: Punishing the Kids of Illegal Immigrants


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Offbeat news

Headlines you might have missed

Inmates Scam IRS Big Time (Associated Press)
IRS officials detected $68 million in false tax refund applications filed by 18,000 U.S. prisoners for the 2004 tax year. That accounted for more than one-seventh of all phony refunds nationwide.

Surfer Punches Shark in the Nose (Associated Press)
A surfer says he reacted on instinct when he punched a great white shark that grabbed his leg near the northern Oregon coast.

Rapper Cuffed After Sticking Tongue Out at Judge
(Associated Press)
Rapper Foxy Brown was handcuffed, threatened with jail and made to apologize after she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue in the direction of a judge who asked her to stop chewing gum.

Woman Swallows Cell Phone After Argument
(Associated Press)
A lovers' dispute over a cell phone took a serious turn when the woman ended the spat by swallowing the phone whole.


With thanks, as always, to The Associated Press.


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Have coffee, will travel

Starbucks driven to new levels

Nearly 15% of Starbucks' 300 U.S. stores now serve customers on the go. The world's largest specialty coffee chain once shunned the drive-through concept. However, the company now is cashing in on the large numbers of regulars in search of a quick java fix. More on convenience and caffeine from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer/AP.


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Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas!



Remembering the Christmas miracle and the treasure of friendship

Today is the day I remember the prophesy of peace - and the reason for the season of Christmas. It is also a time to be thankful for friends.


A FRIENDSHIP PRAYER

Dear Lord,
Thank you for a special gift,
one that cannot be bought
for any amount of money.

Thank you for a gift wrapped in beauty,
that is wonderful in all seasons and times.

Thank you for a gift that is always near
in times of need
and brings great joy.

Thank you for the gift that sparkles
with freshness every day.

Thank you for my friend.
May I never take this gift for granted.
Amen.

(by John C. Maxwell)


M E R R Y
C H R I S T M A S !

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Hubble reveals new moons, rings around Uranus

California-based scientists make discovery

The planet Uranus has two additional moons and two faint rings never observed before, new images from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal. The new moons, which were named Mab and Cupid, bring the total number of satellites orbiting Uranus to 27. The faint, dusty rings are the first additions to the planet's ring system in nearly 20 years.

Astronomer Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute and his colleagues were not looking for new moons or rings when they submitted a proposal to take deep exposures of the planet with Hubble's most advanced optical camera. Rather, they planned to study the 11 previously known rings and several moons embedded within them.

Once they saw the new moons, they re-examined images that the Voyager 2 spacecraft took when it flew by Uranus in 1986. The two moons are clearly there, but no one recognized them at the time.

Many moons of Uranus are named after characters in Shakespeare, and these new moons follow suit. Mab is named for Queen Mab, who is the subject of a famous speech by the character Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet." Cupid is best known as the Roman god of love, but he also turns up as a character in the lesser-known play "Timon of Athens." The name Perdita comes from the play "A Winter's Tale."

Uranus, four times the size of Earth, is one of the solar system’s giant, gaseous planets that also include Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.

Related: National Geographic News

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Pinoy Christmas

Holiday celebrations in the Filipino tradition

I always enjoy visiting AsianSmiles. She is on my "A" list when it comes to writing about culture. When I came across her recent post, "A Pinoy Christmas," I was instantly intrigued, especially when my Filipina buddy made this declaration:

Allow me to make an unofficial, unstudied but undisputed announcement – Filipinos have the longest Christmas celebration in the world.
Using a bit of humor, AsianSmiles writes a charming post about holiday tradition. Her post also carries a link to a website with some beautiful Christmas images, such as the Filipino star lantern pictured above. If you're game for a colorful look at Christmas according our Filipino friends, click here.

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Katrina update: Housing discrimination alleged

After the storm: The long road back

NBC Nightly News takes a look at charges of housing discrimination in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Are landlords and others who control real estate in the hurricane zone judging tenants and buyers by the color of their skin? Ron Mott reports in this video.

Related: National Fair Housing Alliance

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The debate over undocumented workers

Punishing the Kids of Illegal Immigrants
Guest Commentary
By George E. Curry

If you’re not a Native American, you’re an immigrant. We’re a country of immigrants. Yet, the nation is embarking on a nasty and divisive debate over how to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, mostly from Mexico and Central America, and what to do about the undocumented workers already living here. Suggestions have ranged from President Bush’s guest worker proposal to erecting a wall along the 2,000- mile Mexican-U.S. border.

Until now, nothing has worked. That – and raw politics – has prompted a group of federal and state elected officials to seek alternatives that would curb the flow of illegal immigrants. This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437), which has already been reported out of the Judiciary Committee.

One of the most controversial plans is to circumvent the birthright citizenship provision of the constitution. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 to protect the rights of newly- emancipated slaves, declares: ''All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.''

To get around the difficult task of amending the constitution, anti-immigration advocates are arguing that inasmuch as illegal immigrants are not in the U.S. lawfully, the parents are technically not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S. and therefore their children are not covered by the birthright citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment. This is a matter that is likely to be settled by the Supreme Court.

Supporters of curbing illegal immigration note that the United States is one of the few major industrialized nations that grant broad birthright citizenship with no additional requirements.
Even some backers of the change acknowledge that ending birthright citizenship will not solve the problem of illegal immigration.

“Illegal immigrants are coming for many different reasons,” Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) told the Los Angeles Times. “Some are coming for jobs. Some are coming to give birth. Some are coming to commit crimes. Addressing this problem is needed if we’re going to combat illegal immigration on all fronts.”

The challenge for Republicans is that some want to enact get-tough immigration polices while simultaneously courting the burgeoning Latino vote. California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson backed an anti- immigrant Proposition 187 in the mid-1990s, only to face a Latino backlash.
Clearly, Americans of all political stripes have strong feelings about the need to curb illegal immigration. A 2004 Gallup Poll found that 85 percent of Americans believe that “large numbers of immigrants entering the U.S.” poses a vital threat to the U.S. over the next decade.

A September Zogby poll found that by a 3-to1 margin, Americans believe border control is more important to national security than gun control. And a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll two years ago found that 76 percent of Democrats and Independents agreed with the statement: “We should restrict and control people coming into the country to live more than we do now.”

In August, the Pew Hispanic announced the findings of polling it did in Mexico.
“...About four of every ten adults in the Mexican population say they would migrate to the United States if they had the means and opportunity and that two of every ten are inclined to live and work here without legal authorization,” the report found. While it is clear that Americans want tougher immigration laws, many hold stereotypical views of migrants coming across the border. A popular perception is that most of them were unemployed. In fact, most worked before entering the U.S. to take menial jobs for wages higher than what they were earning back home.

However, a recent Pew study found that of the estimated 6.3 million to 11 million Mexicans living in the U.S. illegally, most arrived to find better jobs and because of family connections, not because they were unemployed in Mexico. Of those polled after applying for identity cards at seven Mexican consulates in the U.S., most are believed to have moved here illegally, more than 80 percent had a relative other than a spouse or child living in the U.S.

As everyone knows, there are no easy solutions. Even if the U.S. were to miraculously build a steel and wire fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, illegal workers would still find a way to enter the U.S.

No one knows how many children are born each year to illegal immigrants. Estimates generally range from 100,000 to 350,000. Whatever solutions lawmakers come up with should not be predicated on punishing babies that had no say in their parents’ decision to cross the border for a better life.


George E. Curry is editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Service and BlackPressUSA.com. He appears on National Public Radio (NPR) three times a week as part of “News and Notes with Ed Gordon.” To contact Curry or to book him for a speaking engagement, go to his Web site, www.georgecurry.com.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Microsoft drops support for Mac Internet Explorer

Support to end Dec. 31

Microsoft has announced it will officially end support for the Mac version of Internet Explorer (IE) browser at the end of the year. The move means that Microsoft will not issue any new security updates or patches for the software and will likely send the relatively small number of Mac IE users to alternatives. Alternatives include Apple's own Safari, or the open-source browsers Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Support for the Mac IE is slated to end Dec. 31. Microsoft will also stop offering downloads of the software at the end of January.

After embracing the Apple platform with its Mac-friendly browser version, Microsoft has been moving away from the market since mid-2003, when it announced it would stop releasing new versions of the software and would phase out all support.

Related: The Mac Observer, TechNewsWorld

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Mississippi tent cities house Katrina families

Canvas cities rise amid hurricane rubble

Tent cities have risen on Mississippi's Gulf Coast to house some of the estimated 5,000 families still homeless from Hurricane Katrina.

About 300 families at Pass Christian, Long Beach and D'Iberville, Miss., are living in tent cities erected by the U.S. Navy Seabees at a cost of $1 million. There is room for about 400 more families in the heated tents as temperatures dropped into the 30s.

"We are doing what we can to help people keep close to home that want to stay close to home," a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman told the New York Times.

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Monday, December 19, 2005

Offbeat news

Headlines you might have missed

Mystery Donor Gives Gold Teeth to Salvation Army (Associated Press)
The Salvation Army has often found some odd items in its famous red kettles. But gold teeth?

Party Hostess' Task: 39 Christmas Trees Inside Home (Associated Press)
Catherine Wasson has one Christmas tree with blown glass ornaments and another featuring an Old World theme. A third has homemade ornaments. A fourth, granny squares. But that's just the start. Wasson has 39 lighted Christmas trees displayed in her home.

Web Sites Let People Send Selves E-Mail in Future (Associated Press)
FutureMe is one of a handful of Web sites that let people send e-mails to themselves and others for delivery years in the future.

Barbarism Begins with Barbie, the Doll Children Love to Hate
(The Times of London)
Barbie, that plastic icon of girlhood fantasy play, is routinely tortured by children, research has found.

Couple Finds Stoned Owl in Christmas Tree (nbc-2.com)
A couple purchased a Christmas tree and had it in the house for five days before decorating it. That's when the couple discovered a tiny screech owl in the tree.

With thanks to The Times of London, NBC-2.com and The Associated Press.


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Bono and Gates share Time's Person of the Year Award

Philanthropic works cited

The Irish rock star Bono and the world's richest couple, Bill and Melinda Gates, have been named winners of Time magazine's Persons of the Year award. Time awarded the three "for being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow." They had made a real difference in the fight against malaria, AIDS and global poverty, the magazine said.

The criteria for selection are "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
Time also named former U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as Partners of the Year for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the unlikely friendship that developed. For details, visit Time.com.

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Brainy babies, or the next generation of couch potatoes?

Educational value of toddler tech toys questioned

Many videogames, computer-software titles and DVDs advertised as "educational" for infants and toddlers, have not been proven to increase either the IQ or cognitive abilities of preschool children. That's the conclusion of a new study funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Glenn Lovell writes that these games and DVDs may be "less effective in educating very young children" than what they are replacing: one-on-one time with parents. Lovell explores the issue in the San Jose Mercury News.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Tech-savvy kids, parents and holiday wish lists

Internet-age children get creative

Christmas and Hanukkah fall at the same time this year. Kids are figuring out what to do to get what they want when it comes to pricey electronic gifts. In some ways, youngsters are much more creative than kids a generation ago, as the Washington Post reports.

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Monday, December 12, 2005

Fun and shameless promotion

Teh Blogfather reviews Media by Sistrunk

I'm approved! Teh Blogfather recently paid me a visit. A few days ago, Media by Sistrunk was cited as "The Blog of the Day." Today a full review is online.

If you're in the mood to read crazy blog reviews, including mine, visit Teh Blogfather's site. My review is about two-thirds of the page down. You can't miss it. Just look for the woman with a megaphone. It's all in good fun.

If you're brave, submit your own blog for review. Just remember to kiss the ring.

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Sunday, December 11, 2005

Offbeat news

Headlines you may have missed

Santa Sacked for Being Too Nice to Children (Agence France Presse)
A British Santa got the sack and was booted out of his grotto by bouncers for spending too long chatting to children.

Mizuho Loses $224 Million on Typing Error (Reuters)
Japanese brokerage Mizuho Securities scrambled to clean up the mess left by a trader who mistakenly offered tens of thousands of shares for 1 yen apiece, costing the firm at least $224 million.

New Zealand Man Tries to Rob Bank by Phone (Associated Press)
A man who robbed a New Zealand bank was so disappointed with his haul he tried again — this time by phone.

Man Opens $500,000 Bar in No-Alcohol County (Associated Press)
Bar owner Mike Bolognue goofed. He's invested more than half a million bucks in his Legends Sports Pub and Grille in northeast Ohio. But he learned too late that he picked a dry district for his new tavern.

With thanks to Agence France Presse, Reuters and The Associated Press.


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Hotel program extended for Katrina families

FEMA scheduled to announce new plan on Monday

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended its hotel program for evacuees. The agency bowed to pressure from state and local leaders, who say they cannot move thousands of hurricane evacuees from hotels into longer-term housing by FEMA's deadline.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Katrina victims living in hotels filed a lawsuit on Friday, seeking to extend the housing program. Last month FEMA announced that it would end the program Jan. 7 in the 10 states with the most evacuees - and by Dec. 15 elsewhere. The New York Times has the story.

Related: Washington Post


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Crisis communications and Katrina

Flawed emergency systems isolated rescue workers

The absence of an effective crisis communications system played into the chaos and mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. First responders found themselves isolated and unable to summon help for themselves or others. During Katrina, virtually every system failed: Internet communications, radio transmissions, cell phones, even backup gear such as satellite phones handed out by federal relief workers after the storm.

Many first responders died on 9/11 because of failed communications. The government vowed to fix the problem. Congress and the Bush administration pledged to rapidly upgrade the networks and implement national standards to make it easier for emergency workers to talk with one another during crises. But as Katrina rescue workers quickly discovered, emergency communications systems remain seriously flawed. Details from the Washington Post.

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Friday, December 09, 2005

Guess who's coming for honey?

An alternate universe for Pooh and his crew

Disney is working on a new animated series that will replace Christopher Robin with a six-year-old girl. It's all part of a barrel-full of Winnie the Pooh anniversary events. Details are sketchy on the as-yet-nameless new arrival.

The "tomboyish" girl will make her debut in the 2007 computer-generated series My Friends Tigger and Pooh. The real bother is sure to be over tinkering with an 80-year old classic.

To quote one loquacious Rabbit: "Oh my, oh my, oh my goodness!" More from USA Today.


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Offbeat news

Headlines you might have missed


Shoplifter's Brush with the Law (Reuters)
Police in Germany arrested a shoplifter who filled his trousers with 39 tubes of toothpaste.

Let's Just Call It Even, Okay? (Reuters)
A Turkish villager who ran away with his friend's wife has offered his own wife in exchange.

Woman Bites Off Beau's Fingertip (Associated Press)
A woman is facing an aggravated assault charge after sheriff's deputies say she bit off the tip of one of her boyfriend's fingers during an argument.

Cop Tasers Partner After Soda Fight (Associated Press)
A police officer has been charged with using a Taser on his partner during an argument over whether they should stop for a soft drink.


With thanks to Reuters and The Associated Press.


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Wednesday, December 07, 2005

The state of New Orleans

Examining the rebuilding of the Big Easy

Data indicate that New Orleans remains in a state of emergency more than three months after it was officially declared. An op-ed piece, complete with an interesting graphic showing demographic information before and after Hurricane Katrina, appears today's New York Times.

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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Letters show FEMA feared riots

Katrina political fallout continues

Federal officials braced for riots in Mississippi in the days following Hurricane Katrina, new documents reveal. Faced with a growing body count and shortages of food and water, the Federal Emergency Management Agency knew their response system was poor and that they were unable to provide help quickly enough.

The eight pages of correspondence among FEMA officials, provided Monday by a special House committee investigating the government response to the storm, followed the release last week by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco of more than 100,000 documents. Taken together, the details from both states provide evidence of a system in disarray. More from CBS News/AP

Related: Giving up on New Orleans

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Mixing prayer with poultry and meat sales

Tyson Foods explores faith-based marketing

Free downloadable prayer booklets. Placing part-time chaplains in food-processing plants nationwide. It's all part of a new marketing initiative by Tyson Foods, designed to appeal to Americans of various faiths. Details from AdAge.com.

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Podcast: 2005 Word of the Year

Rest of the world catches up with techies

The Oxford University Press, publishers of the New Oxford American Dictionary, has selected podcast as the Word of the Year for 2005.

Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, said: "Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept. This year it's a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon."

"Choosing the word of the year is incredibly difficult," said McKean. "Not just because of the enormous amount of data we look at-everything from blogs to technical journals to suggestions sent to dictionaries@oup.com, but because everyone has such strong opinions about what makes a word Word of the Year material."

Oxford University Press defines podcast as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player." While the Oxford definition would be considered incorrect by many podcasters, it reflects common usage without being overly technical.

"Podcast" will be added to the next online update of the New Oxford American Dictionary, due in early 2006. It beat out several other words or phrases to be Word of the Year, including bird flu.

To see the other words up for consideration, click here.

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Monday, December 05, 2005

Quake buries children in rubble in Congo

Tremors felt in six East African countries

A powerful earthquake toppled homes onto children in eastern Congo today, killing at least two people and injuring many others in a region already beset by war, poverty and volcanoes.

"Dozens of houses have collapsed, several children were buried by the roofs of their houses," Dr. Jean-Donne Owali told The Associated Press by telephone from Kalemie, Congo, 35 miles from the quake's epicenter. He said children were brought to his clinic bleeding from head wounds. Workers in Nairobi, Kenya, were quick to rush to safety when the quake hit.

"A quake of this kind could easily produce significant damage, but I wonder what kind of infrastructure they have there in the region," said Andrzej Kijko, head of seismology at South Africa's Council for Geoscience. "There may not have been much to destroy."

The strength of the quake was reportedly felt in six countries, and prompted panic among some people working in Nairobi's high-rise offices. Witnesses said that tremors lasted for about 15 seconds.

"People came running down - scared - because you don't know what it is. You're moving this way and that," Nairobi worker Tabitha Nyambati told Reuters.

Cracks appeared in some Nairobi buildings after the quake, witnesses said. Reporters and witnesses said tremors had been felt in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, and in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, as well as in Congo, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

The desperately poor region has camps for tens of thousands of refugees from wars and economic collapse in Congo and Burundi. Much of region, known as the eastern DR Congo, has been ravaged by war in recent years and is blighted by poor communications and infrastructure.


Related: CNN/AP, BBC News

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Sunday, December 04, 2005

What's your sign?

Entertainment: The Southern horoscope

For all of my friends with Southern roots - and those who appreciate Southern roots

OKRA-Dec 22 - Jan 20
Although you appear crude, you are actually very slick on the inside. Okrans have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. Stay away from Moon Pies.

CHITLINS-Jan 21 - Feb 19
Chitlins often come from humble backgrounds. Many times they're uncomfortable talking about just where they came from. A chitlin, however, can make something of himself if he's motivated and has plenty of seasoning. When it comes to dealing with Chitlins, be very careful. Chitlins can burn and then erupt like Vesuvius, and this can make for a really terrible mess. Chitlins are best with Catfish and Okra. Remember that when marriage time rolls around.

BOLL WEEVIL-Feb 20 - Mar 20
You have an overwhelming curiosity. You're unsatisfied with the surface of things, and you feel the need to bore deep into the interior of everything. Needless to say, you are very intense and driven as if you had some inner hunger. Nobody in their right mind is going to marry you, so don't worry about it.

MOON PIE-Mar 21 - Apr 20
You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. You probably need to get out more. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. It's not going to be easy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Maybe not.

POSSUM-Apr 21 - May 21
When confronted with life's difficulties, you tend to have a "don't-bother" attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy, but seems to work for you. One day, however, it won't work, and you may find your problems actually running you over.

CRAWFISH-May 22 - Jun 21
Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office, you're always hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to the mountains, the pool to the golf course, the bathtub to the living room. You tend not to be particularly attractive physically, but you have very good heads.

COLLARDS-Jun 22- Jul 23
Collards have a genius for communication. They have a zest for life and share their essence with the essences of those around them. Collards make good social workers, psychologists, and baseball managers. As far as your personal life goes, if you are Collards, stay away from Moon Pies. It just won't work. Save yourself a lot of heartache.

CATFISH-Jul 24 - Aug 23
Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, with one exception: Whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You Catfish are never easy people to understand. You prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies.

GRITS-Aug 24 - Sept 23
Your highest aim is to be with others like yourself. You like to huddle together with a big crowd of other Grits. You love to travel, though, so maybe you should think about joining a club. Where do you like to go? Anywhere they have cheese or gravy or bacon or butter or eggs. If you can go somewhere where they have all these things, that serves you well.

BOILED PEANUTS-Sep 24 - Oct 23
You have a passionate desire to help your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best - your friends and loved - may find that your personality is much too salty, and their criticism will probably affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure that people will always pull over and stop for you.

BUTTER BEAN-Oct 24 - Nov 22
Always invite a Butter Bean because Butter Beans get along well with everybody. You, as a Butter Bean, should be proud. You've grown on the vine of life and you feel at home no matter what the setting. You can sit next to anybody. However, you, too, shouldn't have anything to do with Moon Pies.

ARMADILLO-Nov 23 - Dec 21
You have a tendency to develop a tough exterior, but you are actually quite gentle. A good evening for you? Friends, a fire, some roots, fruit, worms and insects. You are a throwback. You're not concerned with today's fashions and trends. You're not concerned with anything about today. You're really almost prehistoric in your interests and behavior patterns. You probably want to marry another Armadillo, but Possum is another somewhat [adventurous] mating possibility.

Source: Muse 30

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Rules that women wish guys knew

Turnaround is fair play

If you say you are going to be somewhere at a certain time, then do it. Don't expect us to wait around.

We have other friends of the male gender, so leave your jealousy at the door!

  • We may be emotional beings, but do not lie to squirm your way out of trouble. We are not as gullible as you think.

  • Learn to clean up the toilet. If taking care of your business is so difficult for you, learn to use a toilet brush and sponge to clean up after yourself.

  • Shave every day. One day's growth of facial hair is worse than a girl not shaving her legs for a week.

  • We really don't find it attractive when you stand there scratching yourself in the morning, afternoon or night. Please do it in private.


  • Don't fix it if it's really not broke. You don't need to take everything apart out of curiosity.
  • Ask for directions.

  • "I don't feel like talking right now" is an acceptable thing to say. The unacceptable thing to do is sit there and pretend you're listening and just say "uh huh" and "yes, dear." It's condescending.

  • Get rid of your holey underwear.


  • One remote is ENOUGH. No need to have a control tower in the living room.
  • Your way is not always the right way. Learn to say "I was wrong."

  • If we can't talk to you during a football game, then don't try to get our attention during a Lifetime movie.

  • If you say you are going to do something, then just do it. Don't sit around thinking of creative excuses why you couldn't get to it.


  • We are not your mothers, so don't expect us to clean up after you like one.
  • Wendy's chili is not considered a romantic dinner for two.
  • Hey, we CAN be friends with our ex, so deal with it!

  • We understand that you have to put on a manly act in front of your friends. But in the privacy of your own home, it's okay if you just want to cuddle.

Source: Wilkinson

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Friday, December 02, 2005

Rules that guys wish women knew

Guys: "We listed them all as number 1 - on purpose"


1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.

1. Do not cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair. And by then, you are stuck with her.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you do not want to hear.

1. Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

1. You have enough clothes. You have too many shoes.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Your ex-boyfriend is an idiot.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one. Subtle hints do not work. Strong hints do not work. Obvious hints do not work. Just say it!

1. No, we do not know what day it is. We never will. Mark anniversaries on a calendar. Remind us frequently beforehand.

1. YES and NO are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Foreign films are best left to foreigners.

1. Anything we said six months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after seven days.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways - and one of the of the ways makes you sad or angry - we meant the other one.

1. If you think you are fat, you probably are. Do not ask us. We refuse to answer.

1. You can either ask us to do something OR tell us how you want it done, not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it is OUR house, I do not understand why MY stuff gets thrown in the closet, attic, basement or worse, the garbage.

1. We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

Source: Muse 43

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Thursday, December 01, 2005

New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward reopens to families

Mayor Ray Nagin urges residents to return

The last neighborhood in New Orleans that had remained closed after Hurricane Katrina reopened Thursday. While some families of the Lower Ninth Ward vowed to rebuild, others insisted they would abandon the area.

Residents were allowed in for the day to gather what belongings they could. Until now, people had been able to view the destruction only on bus tours. Families still cannot stay in the neighborhood, which has no electrical power.

Meanwhile, Nagin continues his tour of the South, urging New Orleans residents ousted by Katrina to return home. The city had more than 485,000 residents before the hurricane hit, and evacuees remain scattered across the country. More from MSNBC.

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Climbing the corporate ladder

Can women get to the top in stiletto heels and a short skirt?

Today AsianSmiles features an interesting post on her blog. It's titled "Sexy Attire Works Against Businesswomen." In her post, AsianSmiles cites research that examines perceptions of clothing worn by professional women at the office. A recent study takes a look at businesswomen who wear sexy garments and those who don more conservative wear. For details, click here. Then decide for yourself if the study is valid.

Related: Do Clothes Make the Woman Executive?

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Offbeat news

Headlines you might have missed

Ostrich Leads Police on 2-Hour Chase in Neighborhood
(Associated Press)
An ostrich led St. John police on a two-hour chase through neighborhood streets and yards before they finally managed to throw a net over it.

Corpse of Man Mistaken for Deer (Associated Press)
Police said a man who died after being struck by a vehicle may have been left on a roadside for days because his body was apparently mistaken for a dead deer.

Addict Accidentally Dials Cop to Buy Crack (Associated Press)
A North Carolina officer took a call on his cell phone that turned out to be a wrong number — and how. The caller said he wanted to buy a $50 rock of crack cocaine.

Fugitive Who Asked 'What's Up?' Arrested (Associated Press)
A man who approached a plainclothes police officer was arrested after asking the officer "what's up?"

With thanks, as always, to AP.


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