I am that I am

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:41:01 GMT

Indian eunuchs given separate IDs

India's Election Commission has given eunuchs an independent identity by letting them choose their gender as "other" on ballot forms.
The commission said it had received representation from various individuals and interest groups on the subject.
So far, eunuchs were forced to put down their gender as either male or female.
There are about 500,000 eunuchs in India. Known as hijras, they comprise the hermaphrodite, transvestite and transsexual communities.
Eunuchs are feared and reviled in many parts of India, where some believe they have supernatural powers.
The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi says the election commission's recognition of eunuchs as an independent group is a first step towards an official recognition of the community which has so far remained on the margins of society.

'Readily agreed'
"The commission has duly considered the request and has decided to allow eunuchs and transsexuals to indicate their sex as 'Other' where they do not want to be described as male or female," the Election Commission said in a press release.
"Necessary instructions have been issued to all electoral registration officers through the chief electoral officers of all states and union territories (areas directly administered by the central government in Delhi) to give effect to the above decision of the commission."
The commission said it had received several representations from individuals and groups to include eunuchs in the electoral rolls with a separate identity.
"When the representations came, we readily agreed," Times of India newspaper quoted Election Commissioner SY Qureishi as saying.
"Why should a section of the population be left out? The decision will help in mainstreaming a section of the population," he said.
Most eunuchs earn a living by collecting cash gifts from people during marriages and child births.
But in recent times, with the decline in their traditional roles, many have been forced to work as commercial sex workers.
However some have contested elections and entered the public arena.
But correspondents say these success stories are rare.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:16:16 GMT

BRB. Going to Kentucky.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:43:36 GMT

So, it turns out that there's water on the moon after all. Lots of it, actually.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:46:11 GMT

This is a bunch of links in the tradition of Man Fights Mountain Lion With Chainsaw:

Man Awakened in Ditch with Moonshine and Rifle

Man Reaches Under Car and Gets Bitten by Alligator

Man Distracted by Pelican Drives Bugatti Into Lake

And the Oscar Goes To: Roger Corman

Authorities say man stole car to face theft charge
The California Highway Patrol say a man stole a car to make a court appearance on a previous auto theft charge.

Palin Says She Knew Couric Interview Went Badly
In a written excerpt of an interview scheduled to air Monday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Palin says that even as campaign advisers told her she'd done well, she knew better.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:15:30 GMT

From erinlefey:

From grimnir_thegrey:

Bonus points if you can identify the singer in the second video. Not for knowing who it is, but for seeing this video for the first time and identifying the person singing.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:12 GMT

The Sex Life of Fruit Bats

"A positive relationship exists between the length of time that the female licked the male's penis during copulation and the duration of copulation. Furthermore, mating pairs spent significantly more time in copulation if the female licked her mate's penis than if fellatio was absent."

Links: The Clearing Out Tabs Edition

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:05:33 GMT

New Dinosaur Species Discovered in South Africa
A newly discovered dinosaur species that roamed the Earth about 200 million years ago may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land, scientists in South Africa said Wednesday. The Aardonyx celestae was a 23-foot- (7-meter-) long small-headed herbivore with a huge barrel of a chest, and the scientists told reporters it could prove to be a missing evolutionary link. This is a species "that no one has seen before and one that has a very significant position in the family tree of dinosaurs," said Australian paleontologist Adam Yates.

World Bank Warns That Unemployment Threatens US Economy
Stubbornly high joblessness threatens to trigger loan defaults and drag on consumption next year, hobbling a U.S. economy struggling to rebound from recession, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Wednesday. "You're going to have problems with delinquencies of credit card loans, consumer loans, people won't be able to pay their mortgages," Zoellick told reporters in Singapore. "Some banks are going to continue to be troubled by bad loans."

Via andrewducker: Comparison of US vs. UK healthcare

Well, let's compare the UK and US using OECD data (UK and USA):

- The UK has 2.5 physicians per 1000 people, 10 nurses per 1000, 2.6 acute care beds per 1000, a life of expectancy of 79.1 years, and an infant mortality rate of 4.8 per 1000.
- The US has 2.4 physicians per 1000, 10.6 nurses per 1000, 2.7 acute beds per 1000,life expectancy was 78.1 years, and an infant mortality rate of 6.7 per 1000.

Most people would say that the UK was marginally better than the US overall with the exception of infant mortality where it was considerably better. Why? Because infant mortality is heavily correlated with poverty and an unequal healthcare system- like the US has.

BUT the big difference? There was one stat that I left out. That is the cost of healthcare. For a healthcare system that is comparable but worse in significant ways, the US has to spend a whopping 16% of its GDP. We pay 8.4% of GDP.

Pennsylvania man tried scaring cat with lighter, killed mother
Lever told police he flicked the lighter behind his mother's bed on Feb. 3 to scare the cat. He says he had done it many times before. The cat never appeared, so Lever left the room to look elsewhere. . . . He accidentally started a housefire.

Marine Reservist Accused of Attacking Orthodox Greek Priest
Because he decided that the man who asked him for directions "looked like a terrorist." Whaaaa?

Framed for Child Pornography
Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

Here's a protip: Before you do a driveby shooting, roll down your car window, 'k?

Democrat's Quiet Changes Pile Up
While President Barack Obama still faces stiff headwinds on a range of major legislation on his agenda, he has been signing into law a slew of smaller initiatives that had gathered dust on the Democratic wish list for years. Many of the bills had been blocked by Republicans who considered the measures unnecessary expansions of government or too costly. But facing Democratic majorities in Congress, conservatives are picking their battles and in many cases letting the legislation roll through.

You hit a what? . . . Before you click the link, let me tell you that the SUV is totaled but that the elephant is pretty much OK.

Whoa there: Here's a psyche study that shows that the Pain of Torture Makes Innocent Seem Guilty
Participants in the study met a woman suspected of cheating to win money. The woman was then "tortured" by having her hand immersed in ice water while study participants listened to the session over an intercom. She never confessed to anything, but the more she suffered during the torture, the guiltier she was perceived to be.

In the future, women are predicted to start their periods earlier, and be heavier and shorter.

Ambulances Start Charging Extra for Obese Patients

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:15:35 GMT

In the UK, climate change is an article of faith.

Eeeeppppp!!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:08:36 GMT

From zarq:

Maclaren Recalls 1 Million Strollers Due To Amputation Risk

The Consumer Product Safety Commission released information on the affected strollers today.

The recall applies to every umbrella stroller Maclaren has distributed in the US since 1999. The specific models are: Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

The CPSC says the strollers' hinge mechanism, "poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller."

I haven't even told M yet

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:57:06 GMT

Here's the text of an email I just opened:

Dear Samantha [redacted];

I'm the Giveaway/Sweepstakes Editor for Womansday.com and am happy to inform you that you are the winner of the Beacon Escazú Hotel in San José, Costa Rica Getaway featured in our August sweepstakes.

The prize is for a six-day, five-night stay for two at the Beacon Escazú hotel in San José, Costa Rica, a proud member of K Hotels. The prize also includes complimentary daily breakfast, two dinners at the Muse restaurant and a spa treatment at the Lather Spa. The approximate retail value is $2,000.

We are required by the IRS to send you an affidavit to have notarized since the prize value is more than $600.00. You will have to pay approximately [redacted] percent in taxes on the prize, if you accept.

Let me know if you'd like to accept the prize and we'll proceed.

Again, congratulations!

Sincerely,

Marcy Lovitch
Womansday.com Giveaway/Sweepstakes Editor

I'm thinking we'll take it, even though that percentage is double digit. Dunno what we'll do with it; frankly I think it would make a better trip for the In-Laws than it would for us.

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:04:17 GMT

When confetti runs out, Yankee fans toss files

NEW YORK — New York City office workers who got carried away during the Yankees victory parade Friday apparently began tossing files and documents out the window when they couldn't get their hands on confetti.

Auditor Damian Salo attended the Manhattan parade. He tells The New York Post he found all sorts of personal financial documents in the mountains of shredded paper tossed from skyscrapers as the players rode up Broadway.

They included pay stubs, banking data, law firm memos and even some court files.

The founder of one financial firm, Alan Sarroff, says his company reprimanded one "overzealous" employee for throwing records out the window that should have been shredded.

Ticker-tape parades on Broadway are a New York tradition.

___

Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com

Taken from The Mighty God King

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:38:44 GMT

Heard moments ago on Crazy Person Talk Radio:

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:56:46 GMT

"There's no point in playing a game where the rules are already determined."

. . . what?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:09 GMT

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:39:52 GMT

A riff off of a Certain Classic Children's Book:

Alexander the Great and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

The whole thing is hilarious, and here are the opening paragraphs to get you started:

I left the battle with blood in my helmet and now there's blood in my hair and when I got out of my armor this afternoon I tripped on a dead solder and by mistake I dropped my sword in the catapult while the thing was launching and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.

At dinner Aristotle found a fat juicy rabbit in the tall overgrown grass and Demetrius found a striking young buck in the tall overgrown grass but in my tall overgrown grass all I found was tall overgrown grass.

I think I'll move to Carthage.

In the march my bodyguard told Homer to have the left flank. Plato and Hephestus were told to take the right flank. I said I was being scrunched. I said I was being smushed. I said if I don't get a place on a flank I am going to be homicidal. No one even saluted.

I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.

Some of you will know

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:17:27 GMT

R.I.P. Claude Levi-Strauss

I don't think I'd survive this

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:32:21 GMT

The flu may be on everyone's minds, but it happens to be in Elton John's system -- prompting the British musician, who is said to be in a London hospital for treatment of E. coli bacterial infection and influenza, to postpone the Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, dates on his current tour, costarring Billy Joel, the BBC reported.

Source

. . . Seriously, which ghods did he piss off?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:11:02 GMT

Well, this is some of the best cotton-pickin' news I've heard this year!

From draggonlaady: Companies recall pet foods after issues with thiamine, mold, plastic

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:46:58 GMT

Several companies have recently recalled certain cat foods deficient in thiamine, dog foods containing mold, and dog foods that could contain plastic.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled several lots of cat foods deficient in thiamine that Diamond manufactured for Premium Edge Pet Foods. The recall applies to Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat food and Premium Edge Adult Cat Hairball Management food with date codes of RAF0501A22X 18 lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAF0802B12X 18 lb. (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6 lb. The dates of manufacture are May 28 and Aug. 30.

Wysong recalled certain lots of dry dog foods containing mold—but no mycotoxins—that the company manufactured in June and July. The recall affects lots 090617, 090624, 090706, and 090720 of Wysong Maintenance dog food and lot 090623 of Wysong Senior dog food.

Nutro Products recalled several lots of dog foods with a best-by date of Sept. 10 after finding pieces of a worker’s plastic hat in the production line. The company determined that the final products probably did not contain any plastic.

The recall applies to Nutro Ultra Puppy food in 4.5-pound packages, bar code 79105 51313, and Nutro Natural Choice: Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites Puppy food in 5-pound packages, bar code 79105 23050, from PetSmart stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The recall also affects Nutro Ultra Puppy food in 30-pound packages, bar code 79105 51315, from Petco stores in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.

Elegant Explanation of the Day

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:33:03 GMT

From here:

My problem with Objectivism is the same problem I have with doctrinaire Communism; they are both, in engineering parlance, trivial solutions.

When you try to model any complex system you often find yourself trying to solve a complex mathematical model with many parameters. You want a number to plug into each that makes the whole thing balance. Very early on in learning how to do this you discover that setting some of the key parameters to zero lets you do this much more easily, but the result is useless because it tells you nothing about a realistic system. In a classic predator/prey population model, for instance, you can easily set the number of rabbits to be zero, and find it very easy to solve for the number of foxes (also zero). This is a valid solution, but a useless one for modelling population dynamics.

And, IMHO, extreme political theories do this with human society. "Let's set X to zero!" the Objectivists/Communists/whatever exclaim, where X is variously altruism, property rights or some other aspect of society that they first assume can be reduced to a single number and then further assume can be switched off by sheer Application of Will. But their pretty little toy society that results is a trivial solution to real-world social concerns; unrealistic, unhelpful and downright unachievable unless you overcome that pesky human reluctance to have our deep-seated social goals reprogrammed for us. Which is why the Communists end up resorting to Gulags, and the Objectivists don't even get that far, because it turns out that even trying to beat altruism out of people doesn't work.

- - majorclanger

Various philosophical questions

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:44:27 GMT

Which one of my dogs got the squirrel?

Was it already dead when s/he found it, or did s/he catch and kill it?

And, possibly most important, how long had it been lying on my stairs before I stepped on it?

Wanna take bets on whether or not the USSC will hear this one or not?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:51:18 GMT

Wisconsin high court: Donations don't require recusals

The Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted rules Wednesday allowing judges to hear cases involving their biggest campaign contributors, siding with business interests and rejecting calls for reform.

Voting 4-3, the court approved rules saying donations by groups and individuals to judges and independent spending to help them get elected do not by themselves require judges to step aside from cases.

The additions to the judicial code of conduct were proposed by two powerful Wisconsin business groups, the Wisconsin Realtors Association and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and adopted without a single change.

Justices Patience Roggensack and Annette Ziegler said the rules would prevent litigants from trying to force judges off cases simply because they received legal donations. Justice David Prosser said it would protect justices from attacks by those who unfairly suggest campaign money influences decisions.

Their decision could have national importance because Wisconsin is one of the first states to reconsider rules for judicial recusal following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June. In that case, the court ruled that elected judges must step aside from cases when large campaign contributions from interested parties create the appearance of bias.

Wisconsin's code had been silent on campaign donations, saying only that judges should withdraw from cases when a reasonable observer would question their fairness. That general rule will still apply.

The court rejected proposals that would have required judges to step aside if they received donations from parties or their lawyers above a certain threshold, such as $1,000 or $10,000.

Those rules were proposed by retired Justice William Bablitch and the League of Women Voters, who said reform was necessary to improve public confidence in the court's integrity as spending on judicial campaigns skyrockets.

Bablitch had warned the court not to adopt the business-backed rules.

"They want to keep a system that has worked for them but that has not worked for the average litigant," he said. "That's the worst thing you could do."

The push for reform came after Ziegler and Michael Gableman won election in 2007 and 2008 in races marked by big spending by outside groups. The manufacturers group alone spent an estimated $4 million to help Ziegler and Gableman combined, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

After her election, Ziegler has been reprimanded for sitting on cases involving a bank where her husband was a paid director while she was a Washington County judge. Gableman is fighting a complaint that alleges he violated the judicial code by lying in a campaign ad about his opponent's record.

Gableman and Ziegler joined Prosser and Roggensack in adopting the rules Wednesday.

"I've gone through the experience of members of the court being subjected to attacks without any justification," Prosser said. "I'm sorry, I've had it. It is time to address a true crisis that has been created, not by people on the court but people outside the court."

Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justices Patrick Crooks and Ann Walsh Bradley voted against the rules, which they said ignored public concerns about the influence of campaign spending on decisions.

"This is the present law and people seem dissatisfied with it, so we should be doing something different," Abrahamson said.

Here is music for you

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:45 GMT

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:05:07 GMT

The Chamber of Commerce says thousands of visitors come asking questions, such as whether it's safe to go camping with the vampire problems in the area.

Here's the next movie I'm going to see:

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:16:07 GMT