"To control spending, the program might give priority to people with healthy habits; no point in retooling the genomes of smokers, risk takers, and addicts of all kinds. A kind of reverse eugenics might occur, in which governments would freely allow the birth of people with 'bad' genes but would let nature take its course on them as they aged. Having shed the baggage of depression, addiction, mental retardation, and chemical-sensitivity syndrome, tomorrow's legions of perduring old would be healthier than the young. In this scenario moralists and reformers would have a field day.
Meanwhile, the gerontocratic elite will have a supreme weapon against the young: compound interest. According to a 2004 study by three researchers at the London Business School, historically the average rate of real return on stock markets worldwide has been about five percent. Thus a twenty-year-old who puts $10,000 in the market in 2010 should expect by 2030 to have about $27,000 in real terms—a tidy increase. But that happy forty-year-old will be in the same world as septuagenarians and octogenarians who began investing their money during the Carter administration. If someone who turned seventy in 2010 had invested $10,000 when he was twenty, he would have about $115,000. In the same twenty-year period during which the young person's account grew from $10,000 to $27,000, the old person's account would grow from $115,000 to $305,000. Inexorably, the gap between them will widen.
The result would be a tripartite society: the very old and very rich on top, beta-testing each new treatment on themselves; a mass of the ordinary old, forced by insurance into supremely healthy habits, kept alive by medical entitlement; and the diminishingly influential young. In his novel Holy Fire (1996) the science-fiction writer and futurist Bruce Sterling conjured up a version of this dictatorship-by-actuary: a society in which " (full article at link) The Atlantic Online | May 2005 | The Coming Death Shortage | Charles C. Mann
Editorial Note: A dog whistle is often used as a figurative device for something cannot be heard or understood by everyone, or that surreptitiously compels people to come along. Etymological Note: Despite the information in the first 2000 citation, this term probably originated in Australia or New Zealand, though it could be derived from the dog whistle effect in American polling, which is the ability of survey participants to distinguish a difference in questions where a pollster may not have intended one. The credit for the coinage in the 2005 cite is unproven though possible, since Lynton Crosby ran four election campaigns for Australian Prime Minister John Howard; Crosby certainly introduced the term in the U.K.
Irony at it's finest - Chimfex Fire Suppressor no longer available due to fire
From the site:
Due to a fire at the Factory the Chimfex product is no longer available. Chimfex Flame and Fire Suppressant combat chimney fires! Smother flames quickly, safely, NO water damage. Chimfex sticks are indispensable as your first line of defense for controlling fires that occur from creosote build-up in residential and commercial fireplace flues and other chimney exhaust systems. Fast, toss-in convenience allows you to react effectively to control flames and heat build-up during a chimney fire until professional help arrives. CAUTION: ALWAYS CALL YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRST! After a fire always have your system thoroughly inspected by a qualified professional to assure safety.
"A Japanese-developed, adult-themed computer game has incensed some of China's online gamers who deem it a bawdy slur on the classic Chinese novel, Dream of the Red Chamber.
Slaves of the Red Mansion, a fantasy game about girls sold into sexual slavery, has been denounced as 'blasphemy' by some Chinese who have called for the game's designers to apologize and halt its production.
'Turning Dream of the Red Chamber into a lewd game besmirches a treasure of Chinese literature, and is a desecration of Chinese culture,' thundered one irate surfer on web portal Sohu.com. 'As a big fan, this is absolutely unforgivable for me.'" (more) Wired News: Lewd Game Opens Old Wounds
valuca: "Lenticular clouds are simply one more example of the beauty and complexity that can be the result from a simple process in nature.These lens-shaped clouds are often mistaken for UFO’s because of their weird shape that seems to mandate a prior design. But like evolution, it is just a process that has designed these kind of clouds.."
"Is Hulk Hogan's genetic composition made up of prayer, vitamins and belief in himself? If so, what is the biological structure of prayer and belief? Can a person will themself to the pantheon of wrestling champions?" (give your answer at link, bruthar!) justcurio.us // strangers helping strangers // answer
"IRVING, Texas -- Byron Nelson, golf's elegant 'Lord Byron' whose 11 straight tournament victories in 1945 stand as one of sport's most enduring records, died Tuesday. He was 94.
Nelson's Numbers • Won 52 PGA Tour events. • Won 11 tournaments in a row in 1945 (an all-time record). • Won 18 total tournaments that year • Won five total majors (1937 and '42 Masters, 1939 U.S. Open, 1940 and '45 PGA Championship) • Made 113 consecutive cuts at one point, second all-time to Tiger Woods' 142 • Played on Ryder Cup teams in 1937 and 1947 and was a non-playing captain of the 1965 team. • Finished in the Top 10 in 65 consecutive tournaments from 1942 to 1946. • The EDS Byron Nelson Championship is the only PGA Tour stop named after a professional golfer. • First win was 1935 New Jersey State Open • Last win was 1951 Bing Crosby Pro-Am
His wife, Peggy Nelson, told family friend Angela Enright that her husband appeared fine as she left for Bible study Tuesday morning. As she left their Roanoke home, he told her, 'I'm so proud of you,' something he often said about her church involvement. When she returned, she found him on the back porch facing his woodworking shop.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said he died of natural causes.
Known for his graceful swing and gentle manner, Nelson had the greatest year in the history of professional golf in 1945 when he won 18 tournaments. He captured 31 of 54 tournaments in 1944-45. Then, at age 34, he retired after the 1946 season to spend more time on his Texas ranch.
'Byron Nelson was, without question, one of the greatest players our game has seen,' said Jack Nicklaus, whose 73 PGA Tour wins rank second only to Sam Snead's 83. 'When you talk about people who provided the foundation for the modern game of golf, Bryon Nelson is one of the first names you must mention. " (more) ESPN.com - GOLF - Golf legend Byron Nelson dies at 94
"Jihad" car commercial upsets U.S. Muslims | Oddly Enough | Reuters.com
I also hear that the same car lot is planning on 'Pro-Choice Wednesdays' with ads targeted to "abort high finance charges".
"CINCINNATI (Reuters) - A car commercial proclaiming a jihad on the U.S. auto market and offering 'Fatwa Fridays' with free swords for the kids is offensive and should not be aired, Muslim leaders said on Sunday.
The radio advertisement for the Dennis Mitsubishi car dealership in Columbus, Ohio, has 'a whole jihad theme,' said Adnan Mirza, director of the Columbus office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
'They are planning on launching a jihad on the automotive market and their representatives would be wearing burqas ... ,' Mirza said. 'They mentioned the pope in there and also about giving rubber swords out to the kiddies -- really just reprehensible-type comments.'
Details of the radio ad, which has not yet been broadcast, have been reported in the local media, but officials at the dealership declined to comment about the content of the radio spot." (more dirka dirka at link) "Jihad" car commercial upsets U.S. Muslims | Oddly Enough | Reuters.com:
Sesame Street lets go of its 'top gun' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Weary of his increasingly erratic behavior, Sesame Street producers will not extend the contract of the program's most popular muppet.
Gary Knell, CEO of Sesame Workshop, the parent company of the popular PBS program, told The Wall Street Journal yesterday that he is severing ties with Elmo.
'As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal,' Knell said. 'His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Sesame Street.'
"The Kryptonese alphabet consists of 118 letters. These are shown in the two tables below. (Sorry about the fact that there are two tables. That's because of some software limitations on my end.) The tables read from left to right, with each Kryptonese letter followed by its approximate English equivalent." (charts and kooky alphabet at link)
I laughed at the geeky grin on the dude's face at the end. I wanna put a tiny camera on this and fly it about the office!
"The following is a review for the Picco-Z RC helicopter. It's an amazing device, and at $30.00, incredibly cheap compared to the usual cost of simmilar devices. Although marketed under a different brand the Aero Ace is an RC plane of simmilar caliber that was created by the same firm. You should check it out too."
Angry Tiger Woods lashes out at porn link to wife | Sports | Reuters.com
Useless without said sweaty naked pics.
"The latest edition of the Dubliner, a listings magazine, carries bogus nude pictures of Elin, as well as a story on some of the U.S. Ryder Cup wives headlined 'Ryder Cup filth for Ireland'.
Part of the article read: 'Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public. Is it too much to ask that they leave them at home for the Ryder Cup?'
Guy Fournier created an uproar in Canada's Lebanese community and in the media when he claimed that Lebanon allowed men to have sexual relations with female animals, but reserved the death penalty for those who did so with male animals.
In comments made in May, and replayed in a CBC weekend interview, he talked at length about the joys of bowel movements.
'He has increasingly lost the confidence of Canada's new government,' Oda told the House of Commons. 'I inform this House that I have received the voluntary resignation of Mr. Fournier effective today.'"
Thai military launches coup against PM - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com
"BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand’s army commander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a military coup Tuesday night while he was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.
An announcement on national television signed by army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin ordered all troops to report to their duty stations.
Dwarf Fortress: Be sure to visit the human town of Agensttruslot! | MetaFilter
"Dwarf Fortress is the best game you haven't played yet. A rogue-like crossed with Civilization/Dungeon Keeper, freely available (although in Alpha), completely random and incredibly deep. The Wiki will help you get started." posted by WinnipegDragon (17 comments total)
CNN.com - Willie Nelson cited for pot, mushrooms - Sep 18, 2006
"LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (AP) -- Willie Nelson and four others were issued misdemeanor citations for possession of narcotic mushrooms and marijuana after a traffic stop Monday morning on a Louisiana highway, state police said.
The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star's tour bus, state police said in a news release.
'When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana,' the news release said.
A search of the bus produced 11/2 pounds of marijuana and 0.2 pounds of narcotic mushrooms, according to state police.
A call to Nelson's publicist wasn't immediately returned.
Also cited were Tony Sizemore, 59, of St. Cloud, Florida; Bobbie Nelson, 75, of Briarcliff, Texas; Gates Moore, 54, of Austin, Texas; and David Anderson, 50, of Dallas, Texas.
Each was released after being issued a citation.
Nelson, 73, has recorded songs including 'On the Road Again' and 'City of New Orleans.'"
MP3s of Tolkien reading from The Lord of the Rings.
" Why you walking away .... hey come back at least check this out... it's J.R.R. Tolkien reading and Singing his Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers/The Return of the King it's a magnificent piece of audio and was recorded before the books publication.On this Lp Prof. Tolkien reads from his notes for the books as well as sings and chants verses of prose in elfish!, read the books in High School but I'm not a big LOTR fan boy by any stretch yet this recording always amazes me. "
Zombie Outbreak in Cambodia - Cambodian troops Quarantine Quan'su
Sounds like it's straight outta a horror movie.
"Thanks for calling Blockbuster. No, all of our copies of '28 Days Later' have been checked out... yes... by a customer named N.E. Cambodia... sorry..."
I sooooo want to kick a zombie's ass.
"There has been a small outbreak of “zombism” in a small town near the border of Laos in North-Eastern Cambodia.
The culprit was discovered to be mosquitoes native to that region carrying a new strain of Malaria which thus far has a 100 percent mortality rate and kills victims in fewer than 2 days.
After death, this parasite is able to restart the heart of its victim for up to two hours after the initial demise of the person where the individual behaves in extremely violent ways from what is believed to be a combination of brain damage and a chemical released into blood during “resurrection.”" (more)
Currently looking to fill the position of henchmen, and beautiful female accomplice.
Henchmen Must be willing to take orders and be able to work weekends and nights as well. Please note you will be working in a hollow based volcano which is a hazardous environment, so there will be some risks involved. Please attach resume with former henching experience. Experience with lasers a plus, but not needed. Will train the right individual.
Beautiful Female Accomplice Ideal beautiful female accomplice, must be willing to take orders and sit, stand or otherwise be beautiful, essentially you will be an object for me to admire. Some special tasks may also be involved. Martial arts and modeling skills are a plus. You will have a facade that you are truly evil, but inevitably the good inside you will turn you to my arch-nemesis. Please send resume along with pictures to be considered for interview.
Evil Villain is an EOE and will not discriminate.
Job location is undisclosed active hollow volcano Compensation: Healthcare, Matching 401k, Dental, Paid vacations, Holiday Bonuses. yes -- OK for recruiters to contact this job poster. no -- Please, no phone calls about this job! yes -- You may contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests. no -- Reposting this message elsewhere is NOT OK. yes -- OK to repost to Job Developers for Persons with Disabilities.
"The Name....Chicken Poop comes from Jamie’s goofy grandpa replying to her complaint of having dry lips. He’d say, “I know how to fix those dry lips, I’ll rub some chicken poop on ‘em so you won’t be lickin’ ‘em.” Brilliant, don’t you think?
a brief history...How it all began..Jamie Faith Tabor Schmidt began making Chicken Poop after her best friend Claudia took her to Sephora, a cosmetic store lined from floor to ceiling with all kinds of make up goodness. She decided then and there she would have a product line by the age of 25. Good gravey, a hair pomade,was the first product she came up with. Requests came flying in for a tube version. So, in 2000 Jamie developed Chicken Poop. She has seven other products in the making. The next to market will be Kill It Dead, a natural spray deodorant.
THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NO POOP!!
INGREDIENTS: All natural 100% pure non-GMO soy, jojoba, sweet orange, lavender, bees wax."
Foxit Reader 2.0 is just released. This new version introduces many exciting features, including multi-language UI, dynamic downloading of add-ons, form filler, better look and feel and much more. Price Info | EULA | Download
Overview
Foxit Reader 2.0 is a free PDF document viewer and printer, with incredible small size (only 1.7 M download size), breezing-fast launch speed and amazingly rich feature set. Foxit Reader 2.0 supports Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/2003. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.6.
Version 2.0 introduces many exciting new features, including interactive form filler, multi-language UI support, on-demand download of add-on, self upgrade, Javascript support, improved printing speed, streamlined UI and much more.
In the past, you have to download a huge Adobe Acrobat Reader, go through a lengthy installation process and wait for an annoying splash window to disappear just to open a PDF document. Moreover, if you want to annotate a PDF document, you have to pay USD299 to buy Adobe Acrobat Standard.
Currently generating most heat on blogs and discussion boards is the slim video streaming gadget code-named iTV. The final version, due 2007, will have a different name.
Apple hopes people will buy the gadget to get the movies and other media they buy from the iTunes store via their PC on to other devices around the home - especially the TV."
Debra Lafave Speaks: Too Bad She's Not Really Saying Anything
"I swear -- when I made the joke in my last post about sneaking Debra Lafave on my page, I had no idea NBC was going to make it so easy, previewing quotes from her talk with Matt Lauer on Dateline NBC, now shifted to air at 9 p.m. Wednesday night instead of 8 p.m. (did the Peacock network conclude that talk about teachers sleeping with 14-year-olds was inappropriate for early prime time?)
I have a feeling this Dateline will mostly appeal to folks who know her from the occasional tabloid headline or news clips. For those of us around here who have been living this story, off and on for years, it will just seem like a bad rerun.
Still, NBC has made my shameless quest for pageviews even easier; feel free to wallow in the tabloid-like excess. And click on the photos to enlarge. You know you want to.
Training, Not Technology, Seen As Key To 9/11 ABC News -31 minutes ago Five years after 9/11, government officials have still barely begun work on developing a unified form of communications that could link state, local, and ...
No swastika mittens for NATO leaders | Oddly Enough | Reuters.com
"RIGA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Latvians knitting 4,500 pairs of woolen mittens as gifts for the November NATO summit have been told to avoid a folk symbol said to ward off evil since it looks like a Nazi swastika.
A spokeswoman for the NATO leaders' summit said the Latvian Thunder Cross, or Fire Cross, will not figure in the design of any of the thousands of unique pairs of mittens some 300 Latvians are producing for NATO delegates lest it be misinterpreted.
Two or more characters are locked in a walk-in freezer, meat locker, or some other small, contained space. Death is usually imminent. The characters talk a lot, often coming to a greater understanding of each other. Rescue comes in the nick of time. Of course, in most places in real life such freezers have to be openable from the inside precisely to prevent this kind of thing from happening. The best treatments of this trope provide some explanation for why it isn't so (e.g. the lock has been deliberately sabotaged in such way, or there's something blocking the door on the outside, etc.) Sometimes used as a Framing Device for a Clip Show, as parodied in the second (yes, second) episode of Clerks The Animated Series. If the characters are locked in, but not in peril, they are simply Locked In A Room. Another fun variation adds a pregnant woman and the inevitable Screaming Birth. Examples:
Its Garry Shandlings Show poked fun at this device when Garry got locked in a freezer with Jeff Goldblum. Garry said in an aside, "Can you see this coming?"
Night Court had a classic "Locked In an Elevator" episode where Dan was locked in an elevator with a gay man. //Also, two sumo wrestlers. Or was that a different episode?
One Life To Live had some episodes involving Viki and Dorian, two of the show's older characters, where trapped in a cave following an avalanche. They learned to respect each other, as well as dreamed of what it was like to be each other.
An episode of The Dukes Of Hazzard in which Uncle Jesse and Boss Hogg trapped together in an airtight bank vault subverts this somewhat. The characters come to the required greater understanding of each other, even becoming friendly as the air grows thin. Of course, them Duke Boys show up in the nick of time, and after the rescue mirthfully point out the air vent in the seemingly airtight vault, turning it into LockedInARoom.
The final moments of Clone High has everyone literally Locked In A Freezer, but that's really not an example of this trope.
In one episode of Code Lyoko, Xana locks Yumi and Ulrick in a room and raises the temperature (instead of lowering it). This is also a Death Trap, although not a complex one.
Death of a Crocodile Hunter (RIP, Steve Irwin, age 44)
How sad, I really loved watching this guy do his thing, he was a true character...
Bizarre death of the Crocodile Hunter Daily Mail - UK, UK -38 minutes ago By RICHARD SHEARS Last updated at 19:30pm on 4th September 2006. The first time I met Steve Irwin he flung a two-stone python around ...
Calls grow for state funeral to honour Steve Irwin ABC Online, Australia -1 hour ago Emotional tributes are continuing to flow for Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter", who was killed in a diving accident in far north Queensland yesterday. ...
US fans mourn loss of 'Crocodile Hunter' ABC Online, Australia -38 minutes ago By North America correspondent Kim Landers. Steve Irwin's Crocodile Hunter programs were enormously popular in America and now reports ...
Irwin's zoo to continue work The Australian, Australia -33 minutes ago CROCODILE Hunter Steve Irwin's conservation work would continue despite his death yesterday, a close friend said today. The executive ...
Steve Irwin Times Online, UK -1 hour ago STEVE IRWIN, who has died during underwater filming aged 44 after a stingray barb pierced his heart, was known through his documentaries on the cable TV ...
Stingray kills Croc Hunter Irwinagencies Indian Express, India -1 hour ago CAIRNS (Australia), septmber 4: Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as “Crocodile Hunter,’’ was ...
Iconic Steve Irwin dies in action Hindu, India -1 hour ago SYDNEY: SYDNEY: Steve Irwin, the ebullient Australian TV personality and conservationist known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray barb to the ...
Experts shocked by Croc Hunter death Boston Herald, United States -1 hour ago By Michael Givens. Steve Irwin’s sudden death by stingray has shocked biologists, who say that kind of aggressive behavior is uncommon ...
Crocodile Hunter' Is Dead People Magazine -2 hours ago PEOPLE Top 5 are the most-viewed stories on the site over the past three days, updated every 60 minutes. Steve Irwin, host of the ...
Stingray Attack Kills Australia’s ‘Crocodile Hunter’ New York Times, United States -1 hour ago Steve Irwin, the khaki-clad wildlife stalker who won global fame for his televised death-defying crocodile stunts and whose booming voice made “Crikey!” in ...
Stingray Kills "Crocodile Hunter" Washington Post, United States -2 hours ago Steve Irwin, 44, the hyper-enthusiastic, danger-courting Australian wildlife conservationist who gained a worldwide following for his television show "The ...
Details of Irwin's death emerge TVNZ, New Zealand -2 hours ago Australia's Crocodile Hunter was killed on Monday when a sting ray barb went through his chest as he was swimming off Far North Queensland. ...
While drinking beer, and smoking cigarettes; this guy builds a rocket launcher, then loads it with eight thousand five hundred bottle rockets. Then he fires them all at one time. This is a killer video. Check out the firestorm!
"Next year, consumers can use their 2006 tax returns to claim a refund on long-distance telephone taxes paid since March 2003.
The standard refund starts at $30 and increases by $10 for each additional exemption claimed on a tax return, up to $60. A married couple with two dependent children, for example, could claim a $60 refund.
The IRS will add a line to the 2006 tax returns mailed next spring, enabling individuals to claim the refund. The tax agency will also create a special form for people not otherwise required to file tax returns, so they can request their money back." (more at link) ClickOnDetroit.com - Money - IRS Announces Refund Of Telephone Taxes
