Big Brother Cast Member Fired Over Autism "Retards" Comment

It's good to see the United Autism Foundation taking this stand & doing the right thing.

From the New York Post:

THE "Big Brother" contestant who stirred up a controversy when he called autistic children "retards," has been fired from his job.

But Adam Jasinski, who worked for the United Autism Foundation, doesn't know he's been canned.

He is sequestered in the "Big Brother" house in LA, cut off from contact with the outside world, in keeping with the show's rules.

The foundation announced his firing on its Web site yesterday.

At least one advertiser (Lowes) pulled out of the show following the public outcry over the crude remark and several autism groups even called for CBS to cancel the reality series because producers chose to air the remark in an edited version of the program.

Desktop Zen - Reducing Visual Clutter on your (PC) Desktop

I found this to be an inspiring piece, even if it is almost two years old.

The idea being to go from this:

to something more like this:

Guess that locks up the Pregnancy/Cravings vote!

Ben & Jerry's founders endorse Obama

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The founders of Ben & Jerry's endorsed Barack Obama on Monday, and lent his Vermont campaign two "ObamaMobiles" that will tour the state and give away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream.
If there was ever a need for real change, and if there ever was a candidate to inspire us and make that happen, it's now," said Ben Cohen.
Added Jerry Greenfield: "Barack is showing that when you lead with your values and follow what you have inside that good things will happen."
Echoing Obama, Greenfield said he and Cohen succeeded when they opened their ice cream shop 30 years ago in Burlington by doing things differently, instead of copying the "tired ways" of doing business.
"What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years," Greenfield said. "It needs to come from inside and Barack Obama has it."
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and his wife joined the ice cream duo to announce their radio campaign backing the Illinois senator.
Cohen initially supported John Edwards, who dropped out of the race earlier this month.
Rob Hill, director of the Vermonters for Obama campaign, said he looked forward to getting behind the wheel of one of the two ObamaMobiles — retrofitted Honda Elements.

And people will be eating Ben & Jerry's at campaign headquarters, either to celebrate their victory, or to smother their depression!

US Humane Society to honor boy who died saving pets

NEW YORK (AFP) -

The Humane Society of the United States, the leading US animal welfare organization, is to honor a New York boy who died last year after going back into his blazing home to rescue his pets.
The organization was to present the Circle of Compassion award on Saturday to Thomas and Maria Monahan, whose nine-year-old son Tommy was overcome by smoke last December after trying to save his pet dog, lizard and fish.
The award recognizes and honors individuals who have performed an act of significant courage or compassion to assist an animal in need.
Tommy and his family initially escaped from the fire in their New York home. "But when Tommy realized that his beloved pets were still inside, he broke away from his mother and ran back into the flames," the society said.
"An avid lover of animals and nature, he did what was in his heart and tried to rescue the animals who were so dear to him," it added.
The organization did not say whether any of the animals survived the blaze.

How many of us would have acted quickly & selflessly for our companion animals?
I think that we all would want to, but as "grown ups" would have stopped to weigh the consequences of our actions, & perhaps thought twice, or thrice, about running into the danger.

Evolution, anyone?

What do the non-evolutionist candidates say about things like this?

Meet Lisa the geep... a cross between a goat and a sheep.
She was born after an unscheduled amorous encounter on the farm of Klaus Exsternbrink, in Schwerte, in northern Germany's Ruhr Valley. One of his young billy goats leapt over a fence and had a passionate liaison with a ewe.

Study: Biofuels Can Be Bad

More evidence is piling up that biofuels may not be the boon to energy resources that they've been touted to be.

In recent years, studies have pointed out several potential problems with using biofuels, such as ethanol, as energy sources. Some research has indicated it may take more energy to make the ethanol than it would ultimately provide as a fuel. Some types of ethanol when burned may not cut down on the release of greenhouse gases as much as was hoped. And devoting more land to growing biofuel crops can strain water resources, other studies have found.

The gist of the studies seem to be that the creation of most biofuels takes more energy than it saves, that the clearing of land for plant resources releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere... .

And let's not forget how much food prices have gone up, at least in the USA, due to the higher demand for ethanol (primarily from corn), & it's higher cost (Thanks, GW).

Another human rights breakthrough!

In a legal breakthrough, a court in Stockholm has ruled that Swedish lesbians cannot be stopped from buying puppies.

The victory for equal puppy rights came in the appeals court, which upheld an earlier ruling which awarded damages to a lesbian who was refused service when trying to buy a puppy at a kennel.
The woman had been trying to buy a puppy at the kennel in Värmdö, a suburb of Stockholm, after the kennel owner had placed an advert in the paper. Things all seemed to be going well – until the woman mentioned that she and her partner would have plenty of time to care for the dog.
It emerged that the woman's partner was also a woman, at which point the kennel owner (another woman) called the sale off, The Local reports.
The kennel owner explained that this was because she didn't trust homosexuals, because she'd read that transvestites were connected to animal pornography. Which doesn't mae any sense, but there you go.
The puppyless lesbian reported the case to HomO, the Swedish Ombudsman against Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation, which sent the case to the courts.
The confused anti-lesbian kennel owner has now been ordered to pay £1,580 (20,000 kronor) in damages, and £3,560 (45,000 kronor) in HomO's legal fees.

What a let down.

They say you hurt the ones you love.
Well, I've been hurt.
I have a mouse in the kitchen...

And I have nine cats.
So, yeah, I've been hurt.

Catcam Fritz

My name is Fritz and I live at 23 Cat Street. My mistress is an artist, and now it's my turn to show what I can do. Since September 2007 we've owned a Mr-Lee-Catcam — bought as a kit and assembled by Thomi and DuD.

Check out Fritz's gallery to see all of the places he's been around town!

It gets worse?

Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse

If your spouse already bugs you now, the future is bleak. New research suggests couples view one another as even more irritating and demanding the longer they are together… .

Swede Kicks Bichon Frisé to Death

Can you believe this guy?
And that he's claiming self-defense?

Swede Kicks Bichon Frisé to Death
January 15, 2008
Unfortunately, even violence takes place against dogs here in Sweden. Aftonbladet reports this evening that a Bichon Frisé called Ronja was kicked to death by a 51-year-old man who claims he acted in self-defense.
The incident occurred earlier this summer in a holiday area called Grovstanäs, just north of Stockholm.
11-year-old Bichon Frisé Ronja and 9-month-old pup Findus were playing about on the lawn outside Cecilia Lindqvist and Morgan Svensson’s cottage.
An unnamed 51-year old male approached with his own dog, a dalmatian. Findus, ran out to the road and barked at the man.
According to Morgan Svensson the man ordered him to control his dogs and threated to kick them if he didn’t or set his own dog on them.
Ronja then came down to the road to investigate. Svensson told the man to leave his property but the man kicked Ronja in the stomach, kicking her into the air before leaving.
Svensson acted promptly, putting Ronja in his car and driving to the vet.
“But she died on the way. She looked at me and then closed her eyes,” Svensson told Aftonbladet.
The 51-year-old is now being charged with animal cruelty. He denies the charge, instead, claiming he acted in self-defense and was only trying to protect himself and his dog.
Source: Aftonbladet

High heels 'improve sex life'

This just in:
High heels 'improve sex life'

Wearing higher heels may improve women's sex life, according to an Italian doctor.
Dr Maria Cerruto says 2ins high heels can help improve pelvic floor muscles, reports the BBC.
Dr Cerruto, a urologist and self-professed lover of high heels, set out to prove they were not as bad for women's health as some suggest.
Her study of 66 women under 50 found those who held their foot at a 15 degree angle to the ground - the equivalent of a two inch heel - had as good posture as those who wore flat shoes.
And, crucially, they showed less electrical activity in their pelvic muscles suggesting they were at an optimum position, which could improve their strength and ability to contract.
Pelvic floor muscles assist sexual performance and satisfaction, and also provide vital support to the pelvic organs, which include the bladder, bowels and uterus.
But they often weaken after pregnancy and childbirth, and as women get older.
Dr Cerruto said: "Women often have difficulty in carrying out the right exercises for the pelvic zone and wearing heels could be the solution.
"Like many women, I like high-heeled shoes," she added. "It's good to know they have potential health benefits."

That must be why all the girls keep them on in porn movies... .

Blue Sky's

I remember trying one of these a while back & liking it, so when I saw the 8 oz. can for under $2.00, I grabbed one.

And it holds up pretty well.
The flavor is a generic berry taste, with just a little zing to it.
Ingredients:

• FILTERED CARBONATED WATER
• SUCROSE
• GLUCOSE
• CITRIC ACID
• NATURAL FLAVORS
• TAURINE
• SODIUM CITRATE
• GRAPE SKIN EXTRACT (COLOR)
• GINSENG EXTRACT
• L-CARNITINE
• NATURAL CAFFEINE
• ASCORBIC ACID
• NIACINAMIDE [B3]
• SODIUM CHLORIDE
• INOSITOL
• GLUCURONOLACTONE
• PYRIDOXINE HCI [B6]
• RIBOFLAVIN [B2]
• MALTODEXTRIN
• CYANOCOBALAMIN [B12].

They score extra points for using sucrose & glucose (instead of corn syrup), & for using a natural source of caffeine (probably the kola nut).
At 90mgs, the caffeine level is a little low compared to most energy drinks, which come in around 135 to 200mgs.
In that regard, it's more like a good strong cup of coffee, but with the added B vitamins to get the brain going.

I'd have to say it's a close second to the Sobe Adrenalin Rush for me.

But does it taste like chicken?

Presenting the Elephant-shrew.

This undated handout photo from the California Academy of Sciences received January 31 shows a rare new species of mammal, a shrew-like creature called a grey-faced sengi, living in a small community in remote Tanzania. Sengis -- small, furry, insect-eating mammals that live on forest floors -- are also called elephant-shrews.
(AFP/California Academy of Sciences/Francesco Rovero)

Words to live by...

In my spam....

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