Friday, March 07, 2008

Inspector Clouseau Would Love This


In a small village in southwestern France it is against the law to die and violators will be severely punished. Exactly how is not clear.
In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish."
It seems this unusual ordinance has arisen as a result of the local cemetery being full up.

The rest of the story …
Cemetery full, mayor tells locals not to die | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Fifty Years On ...

A friend emailed this to me this morning ...
SCHOOL -- 1958 vs. 2008

Scenario : Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1958 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2008 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1958 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2008 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1958 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2008 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1958 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2008 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister tells state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school .
1958 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2008 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario : Pedro fails high school English.
1958 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2008 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1958 - Ants die.
2008 - ATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1958 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2008 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

It's truth is what makes it so funny!

Wow! Some People Will Do Anything to Miss Work

Another one for the Stupid Files ...
A man gets his buddy to shoot him in the shoulder to avoid going to work.

Officials: Wash. man took bullet to skip work - USATODAY.com

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

OMG!!!

Is this the first sign of the end of humanity as we know it? Better lay in a supply of joe to get through this crisis!

Starbucks to close all stores for three hours - Food Inc.- msnbc.com

Just in ... Dunkin' Donuts to offer 99 cent lattes and cappuccino during Starbucks blackout.

Snowy Going


This was one of the worst trips up to school I ever had to make. I snapped this probably a mile, mile and a half before I reached the junction with 453. It was very slow going, like driving in soft butter. That little Aerio gets along OK, though.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Times Machine - NY Times


The New York Times has scanned and made available free online every issue of the paper from V1, N1, Sept 18, 1851 through Dec 30, 1922.

Pages are displayed just as they appeared originally. What a source of primary information!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Balanced and Fair?

Following are screenshots of two items in this afternoon's news feeds. The story is the same, but the headlines are distinctly different.

This one is from USA Today ...






This one from MSNBC.com ...

Thursday, February 14, 2008

You Gotta be Foolin' Me!


How stupid can we be?

Updated 2/25/08: Apparently Amazon thought better of selling this item. It was a book holder that attached to the steering wheel of your car to facilitate reading while driving.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Read an eBook, Save Some Trees

Read an Ebook Week is March 2nd through 8th. Novelist Michael Pastore lists thirty reason for reading ebooks. The top ten follow ...

1. Ebooks promote reading.

2. Ebooks are good for the environment.

3. Ebooks preserve books.

4. Ebooks are faster to produce than paper books.

5. Ebooks are easily updateable.

6. Ebooks are searchable.

7. Ebooks are portable.

8. Ebooks (in the form of digital audio books) free you to do other activities while you are listening.

9. Ebooks can be printable.

10. Ebooks can be delivered almost instantly.

Friday, February 08, 2008

The Sweetest Place on Earth

Recently, I had the opportunity to stay at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I was co-presenting to a professional group and was there only one night, but it is quite a nice place. It would be a nice holiday destination.

The chocolate theme dominates the establishment. You receive a Hershey candy bar when you register. Different parts of the place have chocolate candy inspired names, Cocoa, Fifth Avenue, and so forth. Check out the design of the wallpaper in my room ...