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Well, since it's the Thanksgiving Holiday, and most of us have Thursday and Friday off, I thought I'd post a silliness thread today. And Friday's OFST thread will be defered, due to a speech being given by President Obama......just kidding. Anyhew...ON WITH SILLINESS!!!

Child AbuseWatch Protests Pete Townshend as NFL Super Bowl entertainment Child AbuseWatch, the national child abuse prevention organization, today published an open letter to the National Football League and CBS. In the correspondence they asked the NFL to drop Pete Townshend from the Super Bowl half time entertainment line-up. The reason? Pete Townshend’s record as a sexual offender on the British Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR). Townshend was on the UK register for five years from 2003 – 2008 for accessing and admitting to using his credit card to pay for viewing child pornography. He was caught during a...

Watch the muppets in 1080p on Youtube.

Was Newton right and Einstein wrong? It seems that unzipping the fabric of spacetime and harking back to 19th-century notions of time could lead to a theory of quantum gravity. Physicists have struggled to marry quantum mechanics with gravity for decades. In contrast, the other forces of nature have obediently fallen into line. For instance, the electromagnetic force can be described quantum-mechanically by the motion of photons. Try and work out the gravitational force between two objects in terms of a quantum graviton, however, and you quickly run into trouble—the answer to every calculation is infinity. But now Petr Hořava,...

e21 has a very perceptive post about the Medicare payroll tax that Harry Reid has inserted into his bill to pay for his health care proposal. Link here: http://www.economics21.org/commentary/payroll-tax-increase-loophole-and-ticking-time-bomb The Democrats are double-counting the money raised from the tax. They're counting it to reduce the coming deficit in Medicare and they're also counting it to help pay for the present bill. Revenues from the HI tax are “deposited” in the Medicare Part A Trust Fund, which is running a $20.5 billion deficit (p. 56 of pdf) in 2009. The Trust Fund is expected to continue to hemorrhage money for the...

A number of complaints are swirling around the Internet today about issues with Apple's new Core i7-based iMacs -- among them, reports of units showing up dead on arrival or even with cracked screens. New iMac users are reporting that their unit chimes as it should when the power button is pressed, but the display is blank and nothing else happens. Adding insult to injury, these customers are discovering that after returning their dead units, they face a lengthy wait of up to two weeks for a replacement. Apple's discussion support forum is filling up with such complaints according to...

Mike Lebell, the promoter of the NWA Los Angeles territory during the 1960s and 1970s died this afternoon. He was 79 years old.

Looking for a new PC, should I wait ‘till after the black Friday frenzie or jump on the “bargains” being offered?

America: Not long ago - "leader of the free world". In debt. In Hock up to our once-proud eyeballs actually, to COMMUNIST CHINA. WTH?

Obama will end up being the best thing for conservatives. Kind of strange, but sometimes you have to go through pain to get to the good. Sometimes you have to experience what one side of the fence feels like before you want to go to the other side. And there are many in America who voted for this "community organizer" who want their money back. They were sucked in to this, but they are in the garage scrapping off their Hope and Change bumper sticker before any one sees it. Sometimes it is darkest before the dawn! Sometimes the only...

Google Won't Remove Distorted Michelle Obama Image From Search Engine November 24, 2009 A crudely altered photograph of Michelle Obama, which often comes up as the first result on a Google image search of her name, will not be removed from the company's search process despite protests that the depiction is racist and repugnant. "It's offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index," Google spokesman Scott Rubin said. "We have, in general, a bias toward free speech." The image, which depicts the first lady as having monkey-like features, is posted...

Video: 'Mormon Muffin' mom heats debate

STOP THE PRESSES! After doing a search on a number of links to the controversial emails which have been leaked or hacked from the Hadley Climate Research Center, it has been discovered that they are most likely FAKE. An examination of the emails in detail shows that they used proportional fonts, which were not available at the time of George Bush's stint in the Texas Air National Guard. "He played on our FEARS!" thundered a visibly upset Al Gore, screaming from a prepared statement. "He BETRAYED THIS COUNTRY!" Mary Mapes was unavailable for comment.

An Australian man has been slashed across the abdomen and face by a kangaroo that was holding his dog underwater. Chris Rickard was walking his blue heeler Rocky yesterday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur's Creek, north-east of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond but it then turned and pinned the pet underwater. When 49-year-old Rickard tried to pull his dog free, the kangaroo turned on him, attacking with its hind legs and tearing a deep gash into his abdomen and across his face. Mr Rickard, now in a stable condition, said: "I thought...

Michelle Obama Goes Glam For State Dinner (with a dress by little-known designer Naeem Khan) [Pic in URL] by Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff Looking glamorous in an elegant strapless gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, Michelle Obama welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur to the White House Tuesday night and ushered in the Obama administration's first official state dinner. Though she's become known for her (sometimes controversial) high-fashion risk-taking, tonight Mrs.Obama chose a dress with a classic floor-length cut in a subdued gold fabric and paired it with a light shawl. Her makeup was kept...

The scientist at the heart of the climate change scandal was under growing pressure to quit last night. George Monbiot, a leading environmentalist, said Phil Jones should resign from the Climatic Research Unit over leaked emails that appear to show researchers suppressed scientific data. More emails came to light yesterday, including one in which an American climatologist admitted it was a travesty that scientists could not explain a lack of global warming in recent years. In another note, UK researchers dismissed the work of scientists challenging global warming as 'crap'. Another appeared to call for pressure on the BBC after...

The boat is the MV Cahaba owned by Warrior and Gulf Navigation of Mobile, AL. The pictures were taken by an amateur photgrapher named Barger. This happened in April, 1979 at Demopolis, AL on the Warrior River. Nobody was seriously injured and the boat continued to it's destination with the barges.

Shear Lunacy: No Beating About The Bush For Gardener Who Trimmed His Privet Hedge... With A Ride-On Lawnmower And A Crane [Pics in URL] MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE 24th November 2009 Shears? They'd take far too long. A ladder? No fun at all. In New Zealand, there is only one way to trim a 10ft hedge - with a crane and a ride-on lawnmower. The driver of the mower, who did not want to be named, admitted it was not the safest method of chopping off the winter growth from his privet hedge in Cambridge, on the North Island. Er... you...

Who's your daddy? Oh, damn. It's Charles Manson. A 41-year-old man, who was adopted as a 10-year-old and raised in Illinois, spoke out recently about the harrowing discovery. "It was like finding out your father is Hitler," Matthew Roberts told The Sun newspaper. Roberts found out about his long-lost daddy about a dozen years ago after using a search agency to find his birth mother. The birth mother told him that she had been raped and that the 1960s Helter Skelter killer was his father. ------ "I'm a peaceful person - trapped in the face of a monster," Roberts said....

HERE'S THE GUEST LIST November 24, 2009 From NBC's Mark Murray The White House -- finally! -- has released its guest list for tonight's state dinner. Among the politicians: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Chris Dodd, and Sen. Claire McCaskill. Among the members of the media: NBC's Brian Williams, CBS's Katie Couric, the New York Times' Tom Friedman, CNN's Sanjay Gupta, and ABC's Robin Roberts. Among the celebrities/moguls: David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Gayle King, M. Night Shyamalan, and Steven Spielberg. Below is the entire list... The President & First Lady Michelle Obama...

A nondescript sign along an anonymous road east of Dallas announces the location of bustling and urbane Caddo Mills Municipal Airport (former home of Southwest Soaring, phone number now obscured by time or paint). A passing traveler might overlook the large white hangar with the doors wide enough to admit the reaching wings of delicate glider planes.

Lovers Have Sex In Clock Tower Above Sydney Two lovers have been photographed having sex in broad daylight in a clock tower above a busy junction in Sydney, Australia. 24 Nov 2009 The lovers who had sex on the balcony have still not been traced Photo: REX FEATURES The couple astonished onlookers by getting down to business on the roof of one of the city's landmarks in the middle of the afternoon. Crowds gathered at the foot of the building – a former department store converted into university accommodation – and at least one member of the public thought fit...

Can one watch the Fox News shows online? If so, at what site? thanks.

This is a video You Tube from the Special Election in April 2009 for Rahm Emanual's Congressional seat. Hate to say " I told you so!!

Google today unveiled more details of Chrome OS, a lightweight, browser-based operating system for netbooks.Chrome OS netbooks will not have traditional hard disk drives -- they will rely on non-volatile flash memory and Internet-based storage for saving all of your data. All the applications will be web-based, meaning users won't have to install apps, manage updates or even backup their data. All data will be stored in the cloud, and users won't even have to bother with anti-virus software: Google claims it will monitor code to prevent malicious activity in Chrome OS web apps.

Dismayed by the lack of marksmanship shown by their troops, Union veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate formed the National Rifle Association in 1871. The primary goal of the association would be to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis," according to a magazine editorial written by Church. After being granted a charter by the state of New York on November 17, 1871, the NRA was founded. Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who was also the former governor of Rhode Island and a U.S. Senator, became the fledgling NRA's first president. An important facet of...

The traditional presidential pardon of a turkey will be a little different this year. The turkey pardoned will most likely be Cold Cash Jefferson.

After the whirlwind attack the mother squirrel springs free of the dog and rushes her baby back up into the safety of the tree. The frustrated dog is left sitting forlornly at the base of the tree as its prey escapes into the upper branches.

I was poking around Google image-wise, and stumbled across this. Lots of nostalgic items on this website, and thought others might get a chuckle. http://www.mouseguns.com/blast/blast.htm

The White House -- finally! -- has released its guest list for tonight's state dinner. Among the politicians: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Chris Dodd, and Sen. Claire McCaskill. Among the members of the media: NBC's Brian Williams, CBS's Katie Couric, the New York Times' Tom Friedman, CNN's Sanjay Gupta, and ABC's Robin Roberts. Among the celebrities/moguls: David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Gayle King, M. Night Shyamalan, and Steven Spielberg. Below is the entire list...

OSLO (Reuters) - Global warming is happening faster than expected and at worst could raise sea levels by up to 2 meters (6-1/2 ft) by 2100, a group of scientists said on Tuesday in a warning to next month's U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen. In what they called a "Copenhagen Diagnosis," updating findings in a broader 2007 U.N. climate report, 26 experts urged action to cap rising world greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 or 2020 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. [SNIP] "This is a final scientific call for the climate negotiators from 192 countries who must embark...

There are blue/grey herons around the world, and there are 3 in the USA, plus the Reddish Heron which has a blue cast. I seldom see a Reddish Heron this far North.I got the main trio today in just a few minutes. Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Tricolored heron Egretta tricolor Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Join us for a lively chat during the show. "V" returns in Spring 2010, after the Winter Olympics.

Would you like to see Sarah Palin run for president in 2012?

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Aside from contending that a bill of rights was unnecessary, the Federalists responded to those opposing ratification of the Constitution because of the lack of a declaration of fundamental rights by arguing that inasmuch as it would be impossible to list all rights it would be dangerous to list some because there would be those who would seize on the absence of the omitted rights to assert that government was unrestrained as to those.

A recent study confirms that the antioxidants and other plant-based nutrients in chocolate and cocoa products are highly associated with the amount of non-fat cocoa-derived ingredients in the product. The study expands on previously published results. The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was conducted by a scientific team from The Hershey Company, Brunswick Laboratories, and Cornell University, compared the detailed cocoa antioxidant contents of commercially available chocolate and cocoa-containing products sold in the United States. The flavanol compounds, with the exception of catechin, correlated very well with total polyphenols, the non-fat cocoa solids, and to...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets Mrs. Gursharan Kaur during a State Arrival ceremony in the East Room of the White House for the Prime Minister of India, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 in Washington. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (C) with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (L) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive at a luncheon at the State Department in Washington November 24, 2009.

TOFTE, Norway (Reuters) - Norway opened on Tuesday the world's first osmotic power plant, which produces emissions-free electricity by mixing fresh water and sea water through a special membrane. State-owned utility Statkraft's prototype plant, which for now will produce a tiny 2-4 kilowatts of power or enough to run a coffee machine, will enable Statkraft to test and develop the technology needed to drive down production costs. The plant is driven by osmosis that naturally draws fresh water across a membrane and toward the seawater side. This creates higher pressure on the sea water side, driving a turbine and producing...

ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU AS DEC. APPROACHES Company Memo --------------------------------------------------------- FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director TO: All Employees DATE: December 12, 2009 RE: Gala Christmas Party I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at Noon in the private function room at the Grill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols. Feel free to sing along, and don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit...

Is Mormonism Christian? Richard John Neuhaus TAKEN FROM: WWW.FIRSTTHINGS.COM That is not the only interesting question, but it is probably the most important. Most non–Mormons have little occasion to think about Mormonism, and those who do tend toward distinctly negative thoughts. Although there is this curious thing of recent years that many conservative Christians warmly welcome Mormons as allies in various cultural tasks. To cite but one recent instance, it was an alliance of Catholics, evangelicals, and Mormons that was instrumental in persuading the people of Hawaii to reject same–sex marriage. Yet a few issues ago we published an article...

(picture excerpted due to Free Republic rules...Getty Images are banned) Exclusive: Angelina Jolie Not a Fan of Obama Tuesday – November 24, 2009 – 1:07pm Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie's seal of approval."She hates him," a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now). See Angelina Jolie's early modeling shots!  "She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise," adds the source. See how the Jolie-Pitt kids have grownBut don't expect to see...

Anyone watching Neil Cavuto's show with Stuart Varney? In the first segment, Stuart just had on some guy from some policy group (the name of the guest and the group he represented escapes me, sorry!). Stuart brought up all the taxes that this Congress wants to pass on "the rich", including a so-called "war tax", the taxes in Pelosi/Obamacare and allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire and how these tax hikes are going to kill jobs. The guest didn't agree, believing these tax hikes are going to generate the revenue necessary to fund other programs but when he claimed...

If there is one thing that you can find wherever you go in the Middle East - Jerusalem, Gaza, Beirut or Cairo - it is hummus, that mashed-up festival of chickpeas, olive oil, sesame paste, lemon juice and garlic. It should be touching - a food that unites. But the Middle East is a place where passions are quick to ignite. And so, where there is hummus, there is also intense rivalry - over who has the best recipe, over who invented it, and over who can make the biggest bowl of it. Last year, Israeli chefs came up with...

Growing in popularity, a new online social media tool is being utilized by the conservative movement

Acorn's plans for Oklahoma City discovered; including their plans to use the current economic crises to swell their numbers in the metro area.

Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie's seal of approval. "She hates him," a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now). "She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise," adds the source. But don't expect to see the Salt actress rally against Democrats on Fox News like her staunch Republican father, Jon Voight. "Angie isn't Republican, but she thinks Obama is all smoke and mirrors," the source says....

Dawkins argues that there is no doubt that Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is true and, unlike some other scholars of the subject, says belief in evolution is not compatible with faith in religion. In fact, he argues, science and religion undermine each other. "I believe a true understanding of Darwinism is deeply corrosive to religious faith," Dawkins says in his TED Talk. There's no room for a God in the world as he sees it, and he believes atheists should be forceful in opposing religion. He acknowledges that it's an unpopular case to make, particularly in the...

Smart armor being developed by scientists and engineers at U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Michigan can not only predict its own failure, but also identify the size of bullets shot at it and even generate electrical power upon impact. "As a kid, everyone played those video games that showed you how much armor you had left as a percentage bar," said John Wray, a TARDEC contractor. "That's exactly what we're working on here and more." WATCH VIDEO: See the amazing body armor that can stop the AK-47's 7.62mm rounds. Intelligent armor is based on...

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The Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 could be a turning point in history. It could be the event that shocks us into a new vision of ourselves, our past, our future, our mission, and our destiny. Or it could be the prelude to a long decline. Will that turning point be for better or for worse? Will it be a new beginning, a new opportunity to see what we've achieve with brand new eyes and to build on our foundations brilliantly? Or will it be the end? The beginning of the Chinese Century? The answer depends on something that...