Thursday, September 4, 2008
Row over fish in urinal
A Chinese restaurant has been criticised - for keeping ornamental fish in a urinal.
The restaurant in Changchun city has around 20 fancy carp in the four-metre long trough in the gents' bathroom.
The Eastern Asian Economic and Trade Daily says experts have condemned the move as harmful to the fish and "disrespectful to China's fish culture".
A spokesman for the restaurant insisted the urinal contained a mixture of urine and water which was not harmful to the fish.
"The water is running, and each day we change the water at least twice and add oxygen into the water. It's not much different to a fish tank," he said.
The owner added that the fish were intended as an attraction for diners and were not used in dishes.
Guests seemed surprised to find fish swimming in the trough which has sign saying "Please urinate here" above it.
"If they didn't have the sign here I would have thought it was a new fish tank," said one diner, Mr Wang.
"It's really interesting," added another, Mr Sun, who said he was planning to use the bathroom again, just to repeat the experience. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2855526.html?menu=news.quirkies.badtaste
The restaurant in Changchun city has around 20 fancy carp in the four-metre long trough in the gents' bathroom.
The Eastern Asian Economic and Trade Daily says experts have condemned the move as harmful to the fish and "disrespectful to China's fish culture".
A spokesman for the restaurant insisted the urinal contained a mixture of urine and water which was not harmful to the fish.
"The water is running, and each day we change the water at least twice and add oxygen into the water. It's not much different to a fish tank," he said.
The owner added that the fish were intended as an attraction for diners and were not used in dishes.
Guests seemed surprised to find fish swimming in the trough which has sign saying "Please urinate here" above it.
"If they didn't have the sign here I would have thought it was a new fish tank," said one diner, Mr Wang.
"It's really interesting," added another, Mr Sun, who said he was planning to use the bathroom again, just to repeat the experience. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2855526.html?menu=news.quirkies.badtaste
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Arlo Guthrie- Hobo Lullaby
Go to sleep you weary hobo
Let the towns drift slowly by
Can't you hear the steel rail humming
That's a hobo's lullaby
Do not think about tomorrow
Let tomorrow come and go
Tonight you're in a nice warm boxcar
Safe from all the wind and snow
I know the police cause you trouble
They cause trouble everywhere
But when you die and go to heaven
You won't find no policemen there
I know your clothes are torn and ragged
And your hair is turning grey
Lift your head and smile at trouble
You'll find happiness some day
So go to sleep you weary hobo
Let the towns drift slowly by
Don't you feel the steel rail humming
That's a hobo's lullaby
Let the towns drift slowly by
Can't you hear the steel rail humming
That's a hobo's lullaby
Do not think about tomorrow
Let tomorrow come and go
Tonight you're in a nice warm boxcar
Safe from all the wind and snow
I know the police cause you trouble
They cause trouble everywhere
But when you die and go to heaven
You won't find no policemen there
I know your clothes are torn and ragged
And your hair is turning grey
Lift your head and smile at trouble
You'll find happiness some day
So go to sleep you weary hobo
Let the towns drift slowly by
Don't you feel the steel rail humming
That's a hobo's lullaby
Cat survives 70-mile trip under owner's truck
Sep 3 07:35 AM US/Eastern
GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) - A cat survived a 2 1/2-hour trip on a spare tire under her owner's truck. Gil Smith recently drove from his Gilbert home 70 miles away for a business meeting in Kearny. When he got out of the truck, he heard a cat in distress and realized it was his.
Smith said the cat, Bella, was hysterical, shaky and tired, but was smart enough to know not to jump off the tire as the truck was moving.
Smith and his wife have adopted three indoor cats, three goats and three chickens. But Smith said Bella, an outdoor cat the couple adopted years ago, has a special place in his wife's heart.
Smith said he canceled his meeting with a state Department of Economic Security official who had driven 50 miles to get to Kearny so he could get Bella home.
It was either that, or, he jokes, get a divorce.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-09-03_D92V7EVG1&show_article=1&cat=breaking
GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) - A cat survived a 2 1/2-hour trip on a spare tire under her owner's truck. Gil Smith recently drove from his Gilbert home 70 miles away for a business meeting in Kearny. When he got out of the truck, he heard a cat in distress and realized it was his.
Smith said the cat, Bella, was hysterical, shaky and tired, but was smart enough to know not to jump off the tire as the truck was moving.
Smith and his wife have adopted three indoor cats, three goats and three chickens. But Smith said Bella, an outdoor cat the couple adopted years ago, has a special place in his wife's heart.
Smith said he canceled his meeting with a state Department of Economic Security official who had driven 50 miles to get to Kearny so he could get Bella home.
It was either that, or, he jokes, get a divorce.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-09-03_D92V7EVG1&show_article=1&cat=breaking
Finding L.A.'s hidden homeless
" Thousands live in trees, under freeways, in caves on the fringes of wilderness. Some have TVs, grills, pets."Wolves would rather fish than hunt, biologists say
Tom Spears, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Wolves would rather fish than hunt, says a new Canadian study that found British Columbia wolves turn up their noses at deer when they can catch spawning salmon.
Not only is fish great food, the B.C. biologists found, but it's also safer for wolves, which can suffer crippling injuries hunting deer and elk.
Chris Darimont's research team is wryly calling the wolf "Canada's newest marine mammal." The term usually means whales and seals.
And it's a reflection of Canadiana that may be very, very old. What if wolves once practised this over a huge area, when wolves and salmon were more abundant in southern B.C. and on Canada's east coast, and even around Lake Ontario, once home to Atlantic salmon?
"We see this as stepping back in time," said Mr. Darimont, who does his research at the University of Victoria and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
The evidence comes partly from 4,000 grey-wolf droppings, collected over four years. He washed these and combed through what was left for an analysis of the animals' diets.
During the spring and summer, the food is at least 90-per-cent deer meat. During the fall salmon run, it switches to salmon.
Further, analysis of tufts of wolf hair shows the chemical clincher. A diet of seafood contributes different "isotopes," or atomic forms, of carbon and nitrogen than a diet of anything found on land. And these wolves were carrying carbon and nitrogen from the sea.
But was this just a case of desperation when deer were scarce?
It seems not. All eight unconnected families of wolves camped out by spawning creeks each September and October, no matter how many deer were around. They liked fish better.
Which makes sense, Mr. Darimont said.
"It's a very safe (diet). You don't risk getting clobbered" by a kick from an elk. "It's very, very nutritious in terms of fat and protein. It's very predictable, and you don't have to chase it for kilometres and kilometres. It comes to you. The buffet is right in the creek," he said.
The study is published today in the research journal BMC Ecology. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=47ee306c-159e-46e6-b204-50938de4c15f
Published: Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Wolves would rather fish than hunt, says a new Canadian study that found British Columbia wolves turn up their noses at deer when they can catch spawning salmon.
Not only is fish great food, the B.C. biologists found, but it's also safer for wolves, which can suffer crippling injuries hunting deer and elk.
Chris Darimont's research team is wryly calling the wolf "Canada's newest marine mammal." The term usually means whales and seals.
And it's a reflection of Canadiana that may be very, very old. What if wolves once practised this over a huge area, when wolves and salmon were more abundant in southern B.C. and on Canada's east coast, and even around Lake Ontario, once home to Atlantic salmon?
"We see this as stepping back in time," said Mr. Darimont, who does his research at the University of Victoria and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
The evidence comes partly from 4,000 grey-wolf droppings, collected over four years. He washed these and combed through what was left for an analysis of the animals' diets.
During the spring and summer, the food is at least 90-per-cent deer meat. During the fall salmon run, it switches to salmon.
Further, analysis of tufts of wolf hair shows the chemical clincher. A diet of seafood contributes different "isotopes," or atomic forms, of carbon and nitrogen than a diet of anything found on land. And these wolves were carrying carbon and nitrogen from the sea.
But was this just a case of desperation when deer were scarce?
It seems not. All eight unconnected families of wolves camped out by spawning creeks each September and October, no matter how many deer were around. They liked fish better.
Which makes sense, Mr. Darimont said.
"It's a very safe (diet). You don't risk getting clobbered" by a kick from an elk. "It's very, very nutritious in terms of fat and protein. It's very predictable, and you don't have to chase it for kilometres and kilometres. It comes to you. The buffet is right in the creek," he said.
The study is published today in the research journal BMC Ecology. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=47ee306c-159e-46e6-b204-50938de4c15f
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Multi Faith Calendar
The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sept. 1 -- ABORIGINAL: Cree month called Mating Month.
Sept. 1-29 - ISLAM: Ramadan begins. One month of fasting from sunrise to sunset.
Sept. 1 -- SIKH: First Parkash. Comemorates the installation of the Adi Granth in the Golden Temple by the fifth Guru, Arjan Dev, in 1604 CE.
Sept. 3 -- HINDUISM: Ganesh Chaturthi. Celebrates the birth of Ganesh, God of Success. Invoked at the beginning of all new undertakings.
Sept. 8 -- CHRISTIANITY: Birth of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Sept. 11 -- CHRISTIANITY (Julian Calendar): Beheading of John the Baptist.
Sept. 14 -- CHRISTIANITY (Julian Calendar): First day of the liturgical year.
Sept. 15 -- BUDDHISM: Ullambana (Also: Happy Buddha Day). Offerings are made to the Triple Gem: the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community) on behalf of ancestors.
Sept. 21 -- CHRISTIANITY: St. Matthew, Apostle.
Sept. 21 -- CHRISTIANITY(Julian Calendar): Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Birth of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Sept. 22-- BUDDHISM: Fall Ohigon. Celebrates the September equinox
Sept. 26 -- ISLAM: Laylat el Qadr (Night of Power, or Night of Destiny). Commemorates the first revelation of the Qur'an to Prophet Mohammed in 610 CE.. Also: Jum'at al-Wada' (Farewell Friday).
Sept. 27 -- CHRISTIANITY (Julian Calendar): Adoration and elevation of the Cross.
Sept. 29 -- JUDAISM: Eve of Rosh Hashanah
Sept. 29 -- CHRISTIANITY: Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
Sept. 30 -- CHRISTIANITY: St. Jerome (d. 420). Translated the Bible into Latin, producing the Vulgate (popular) version.
Sept. 30 -- ISLAM: Eid al-Fitr Celebrates the end of Ramadan.
Sept. 30 -- JUDAISM: Eve of Rosh Hashanah. New Year's Day, Year 5769 Anniversary of the creation of the world. Beginning the Ten Days of Awe between New Year's Day and Yom Kippur.
Prepared by Rita Gillies
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/religion/story.html?id=577e5ff1-8aa6-44cd-820f-f4e7f48ee421
Monday, September 1, 2008
digg labs
"what is this?
The labs provide a broader (and deeper) view of Digg. A lot of stuff gets submitted to Digg every day, so good things can sometimes fly right past you. Labs projects look beneath the surface of the Digg community's activities.
with stamen design
Labs projects are the results of collaboration with Digg partner stamen design. We've also released a public API for Digg so that anyone can turn Digg data into their own visualizations." http://labs.digg.com/
The labs provide a broader (and deeper) view of Digg. A lot of stuff gets submitted to Digg every day, so good things can sometimes fly right past you. Labs projects look beneath the surface of the Digg community's activities.
with stamen design
Labs projects are the results of collaboration with Digg partner stamen design. We've also released a public API for Digg so that anyone can turn Digg data into their own visualizations." http://labs.digg.com/
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