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Stocks rallied to start the week thanks to a better-than-expected ISM services sector report and a Goldman Sachs upgrade of big banks, including Wells Fargo, Comerica and Capital One. But all is not right in either the economy or the banking sector, according to Christopher Whalen, managing director at Institutional Risk Analytics. In fact, Whalen says most observers are drawing the wrong economic conclusions from the stock market's robust rally. "Why is liquidity going into the financial sector? It's because the real economy is dying [and] everyone is fleeing into the stocks and bonds because they're liquid at the moment,"...

HART TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Police say a naked 14-year-old boy taking a walk with a large white poodle assaulted a woman in Oceana County.

MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain-with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage. Vegans and vegetarians are the most likely to be deficient because the best sources of the vitamin are meat, particularly liver, milk and fish. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause anaemia and inflammation of the nervous system. Yeast extracts are one of the few vegetarian foods which provide good levels of the vitamin. The link was discovered by Oxford University scientists who used memory tests, physical checks and brain scans to examine 107 people...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) professes that “the consequences of America’s over commitment in Iraq are far broader and more insidious than Republicans will admit.” As a case in point, Reid cited the recent riots in the Congo. “While our resources have been sapped fighting a foolish war we didn’t need to start, greater evils are being perpetrated around the globe,” Reid said. “In the Congo, the forces of darkness have conspired to shrivel the penises of countless innocent men.” A wave of panic and attempted lynchings led police in Congo to arrest 13 suspected sorcerers for using black...

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur. Rumours of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of...

Congrats your marriage September 1 !!!!!!

Hundreds of naked people formed a "living sculpture" on Switzerland's Aletsch glacier Saturday, hoping to raise awareness about climate change. The photo shoot by Spencer Tunick, the New York artist famous for his pictures of nude gatherings in public settings worldwide, was designed to draw attention to the effects of global warming on Switzerland's shrinking glaciers. "The melting of the glaciers is an indisputable sign of global climate change," said the environmental group Greenpeace, which co-organized the event...

Borrowing from Harry Potter, this video parody titled "Rovemort And The Sorcerer's Stonewall" and starring Jason Alexander was released today by the Campaign For America's Future. I wish I could say it was clever or fun, but it's so heavy-handed about Rush Limbaugh, Brit Hume, Trent Lott, Mitch McConnell, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and Dubya that even a liberal like me finds it off-putting. (Surely Hollywood can help progressives put together more subtle and arresting footage than this!) The video is part of a national campaign to "expose the right's strategy of obstructing reform while attacking the 'do-nothing [Democrat-controlled]...

<p>ZURICH, Switzerland (AP)-- Wanted: volunteers willing to take their clothes off and have their picture taken on a freezing cold Alpine glacier. The appeal by New York artist Spencer Tunick, famous for taking pictures of thousands of naked people in public settings worldwide, is intended for a photo shoot to highlight the effects of climate change on Switzerland's shrinking glaciers, environmental group Greenpeace said on its Web site Wednesday. Greenpeace said if global warming continues at its current pace, most Swiss glaciers will disappear by 2080. The photo shoot, which follows Tunick's previous shoots in London, Mexico City and Amsterdam, will take place in August at an undisclosed location in Switzerland. Prospective candidates from further afield will have to start making travel arrangements now. "We aim to make this a climate friendly event, so please come by public transport and don't fly," Greenpeace said.</p>

Rebuilding Military Requires Sacrifices But Can Be Done, Experts Say By Monisha Bansal CNSNews.com Staff Writer June 27, 2007 (CNSNews.com) - Asserting that the U.S. military is "stretched thin," policy experts debated Tuesday whether the country can afford to rebuild the military to necessary levels and how it should be done. "We should spend whatever it takes to make sure we're secure, but by doing it in a very candid way," Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International, said at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. "Funding the military in the next decade is going to be very...

CHICAGO -- For more than a century, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary has quietly prepared teenage boys for the priesthood, largely unchanged as the city transformed around it from gritty industrial center to gleaming modern metropolis. But another kind of change finally caught up with Quigley. The 102-year-old seminary -- housed in a Gothic-style building that looks like it belongs on a square in Europe instead of in a tony Chicago shopping district -- will close its doors for good in two weeks because of a shrinking student body that has seen just one graduate ordained in the last 17 years....

The numbers tell the story. Time magazine wanted to talk theology with Mel Gibson recently on the set of The Passion, his new movie depicting the last hours of Christ. Asked what he thought about the effects of the Second Vatican Council on the Catholic Church, the Braveheart of Catholic traditionalists said, "Look at the main fruits: dwindling numbers and pedophilia." Gibson's post Vatican II ergo propter Vatican II argument would be enough to drive any high school logic teacher crazy. Is the Council responsible for all the Church's ills, including the priestly sex-abuse crisis, that have arisen since the...

House Committee Hearing on 'Warming of the Planet' Canceled Because of Snow/Ice Storm

Anchorage, Alaska - Anchorage has been hit with more than 74 inches of snow this season, and according to the city, it's reaching a crisis level, with snow removal on the streets becoming a big problem. The roads are looking smaller these days around town, as two-lane roads are quickly becoming one. The city can plow the roads, but where it can remove the snow to another location is a problem. It is a long, tiring day for Joyce Elliston. "I've lived in Alaska since 1967 and I don't remember ever having this much snow before," Elliston said. It's everywhere,...

Other states siphon growth California's population increase slows, despite immigration, births.By Clea Benson - Bee Capitol Bureau Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, December 21, 2006 California continues to lose residents to other states, one factor driving a slowing population growth rate, the state Department of Finance reported Wednesday. Overall, the state gained a net 462,000 residents in the fiscal year that ended June 30, bringing the total population to 37.4 million. California lost a net of about 67,000 people to other states, the report said, but gained about 213,000 foreign immigrants. Those people, combined with hundreds of thousands of babies...

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

WARNING....PSYCHOLOGICAL NUDITY....ADULT LANGUAGE!! The naked TRUTH delivered to INDEPENDENT MINDED, MATURE listeners by the most exciting talkshow host in the country!!

The icecap may not be the only thing shrinking in the Arctic. The genitals of polar bears in east Greenland are apparently dwindling in size due to industrial pollutants. Scientists report this shrinkage could, in the worst case scenario, endanger polar bears there and elsewhere by spoiling their love lives and causing their numbers to peter out. In fact, all marine mammals could get affected by these pollutants, "especially the Arctic fox, killer whale and pilot whales," wildlife veterinarian and toxicologist Christian Sonne at the National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark in Roskilde told LiveScience. These animals bodies also carry...

The icecap may not be the only thing shrinking in the Arctic. The genitals of polar bears in east Greenland are apparently dwindling in size due to industrial pollutants. Scientists report this shrinkage could, in the worst case scenario, endanger polar bears there and elsewhere by spoiling their love lives and causing their numbers to peter out. In fact, all marine mammals could get affected by these pollutants, "especially the Arctic fox, killer whale and pilot whales," wildlife veterinarian and toxicologist Christian Sonne at the National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark in Roskilde told LiveScience. These animals bodies also carry...

(If you're thinking what you're thinking is just a joke; you might be horrified to know that any play on words in the original title is intentional.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- New York, NY- July, 26 2006—- A presidential bust of Hillary Clinton is set to be unveiled at the Museum of Sex on August 9, 2006 at 10 am. Accentuating her sexual power and bolstered by the presidential seal, The Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton: The First Woman President of the United States of America will be officially open for public viewing on August 9 for a limited six...

An 18-year-old Singaporean student committed suicide last month because he was convinced his penis was too small, a report said on Wednesday. State Coroner Tan Boon Heng said the case highlighted the importance of sex education in schools and recommended the details be forwarded to the education ministry, the Straits Times reported. The teenager, who was not named, jumped from a building on March 3. A suicide note explained why, an investigation to determine the cause of death said. "He said it was not due to the stress of his examination, but it was more about his physical development... He...

Sporting just a swimsuit, a swimming cap and goggles, Lewis Pugh plots to conquer the icy Antarctic waters.The solicitor braved the Arctic Ocean in August and now plans three long distance swims in the Antarctic, the first to accomplish such a feat in both of the world's coldest seas. "Its the last boundary of polar exploration," Pugh, 35, told Reuters as he prepared to leap into a small plastic pool as helpers shovel in mounds of fresh ice. "The classical era of walking to the South Pole is over and now what we are doing is testing the boundaries of...

A Shrinking New Orleans Mayor Says Infrastructure Can't Support Previous Population By Ceci Connolly and Manuel Roig-Franzia Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, October 26, 2005; A02 NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 25 -- Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who has vowed to resurrect his crippled city, conceded Tuesday that New Orleans will shrink to nearly half its pre-hurricane population and will have to make do with one-third of its previous budget. With as many as 250,000 homes uninhabitable and some neighborhoods still lacking basic services, Nagin estimated the city's shattered infrastructure could support 250,000 to 300,000 residents over the next year, compared with...

Seinfeld was a television marvel. Perhaps the most successful situation comedy series of all time, it ran from 1989 to 1998, and has become an omnipresent aspect of our lives as it continually runs in syndication and lives on in best-selling DVD box sets, making fortunes in the hundred millions for both of its co-creators. But there is yet another facet of Seinfeld at which we can marvel: the cast of characters on the show weirdly foreshadowed the rise to prominence of a large component of the dominant urban liberal wing of the Democratic Party. With a nod to Brian...

Just a simple question for my FReepin' frineds: What is the best way to intentionally shrink 100% cotton? I was given two summer dresses for my birthday, both of which are about 1/2 size too large. They are 100% cotton with a pretty tight weave--almost denim to the touch. The directions say to wash cold, tumble dry warm. Help!

A South Carolina man would like his enormous wiener returned. Loyd Ardrey, who owns the Ebenezer Grill in Rock Hill,SC discovered that the 12-foot-long smiling hot dog sign on top of the restaurant was missing.

By David R. Guarino Tuesday, January 11, 2005 When a snowplow driver allegedly flashed a Dunkin' Donuts worker early yesterday, police figured they'd take the usual path toward tracking him down: witness statements, descriptions, surveillance video. But the West Bridgewater cops got help from above - way above. After witnesses said the man fled in a large snowplow truck, police called the state Highway Department for help. Highway officials said they were able to use Global Positioning System technology, now mandatory in all highway trucks, to find the suspect. By day's end, 32-year-old snowplow contractor Jason Wordell of Somerset was...

PENTICTON, B.C. - Politicians in Penticton, B.C., are taking heat for paying $5,000 to install an artwork in the middle of a traffic circle that includes a 2.2-metre tall statue of a naked man. The statue, called The Baggage Handler, went up a week ago. It shows the man's nude figure surrounded by a number of colourful suitcases meant to represent emotional baggage. After some distracted drivers narrowly avoided accidents upon seeing the display, artist Michael Hermesh was told to bolt a metal plate in front of the statue's genitalia. "I was furious!" he recalled. "I spent a day walking...

HAMPTON, Tennessee (AP) -- A Tennessee man has beaten his own record for staying underwater with scuba gear after five days in a lake -- complete with recliner, a checkerboard, music and good friends to keep him company. After emerging from the lake Friday, Jerry Hall cheerfully signed a pledge to his wife never to do it again. "I had the easy job," Hall said. "It was my dive team that did all the work. I kept them hopping all the time, and they never once complained. Whatever I wanted or needed, they were there for me." Hall, 39, of...

Mont Blanc may still be Europe's highest mountain, but it is not quite as high as it was last year. Glaciologists say the dimensions of the mountain, drilled into French schoolchildren, have shrunk: 50cm have gone over the year, making it 4,807.5m (15,772ft) high. More frustrating still, particularly for expeditions, there is uncertainty about where the precise summit now lies, and a serious risk that the recognised peak may be soon be overshadowed by a second, rockier tip 500m to the west. If you judge according to the rock formation, this western tip is the tallest point at 4,792m, with...

After countless Middle East peace initiatives involving politicians, the people behind the One Voice initiative that is set to be launched next week decided to appeal to ordinary Israeli and Palestinian citizens. Who better to appeal to average and apathetic Israelis and Palestinians than Jason Alexander, who played the ultimate average Joe, George Costanza, on the hit NBC sitcom Seinfeld? Alexander is set to arrive in Israel on Monday for a series of media events and meetings designed to promote One Voice, a new diplomatic initiative that aims to poll Israelis and Palestinians over the next six-to-18 months in order...

<p>BOLZANO, South Tyrol -- One spring day in about 3300 B.C., a bearded, 5-foot-3, middle-age man in a bearskin cap was traversing the Tyrolean Alps when a flint arrowhead pierced his fur pelt and bore into his back. He bled to death in the snow.</p>

A Dutch football club has banned one of its fans for posing for a photograph with the local mayor with his penis hanging out. Mayor Wim Deetman did not realise the ADO Den Haag fan was exposing himself when he agreed to have his picture taken with him. He had just come from a meeting with club directors and gladly posed arm in arm with the fan who was clutching a bottle of beer. It was only later, when the picture was circulated on the internet, that Mayor Deetman realised he had been set up. He is now taking legal...

NAKED MEN, MEN OF PEACE, December 21, 2002, FloridaContacts:Diane Cardin-Kamleiter, 727-822-1543Mark S. Kamleiter, 727-323-2555 (day) 727-822-1543 (eve)Linda Pollini, 352-246-4545 (cell) On December 21,2002, near Gainesville, Florida, 22 men posed naked to send a stunning Peace message to the American people and the war administration.  Braving the cold, these men from Fort Myers to Gainesville, gathered together on a hillside to do the unthinkable: To Bare it all for Peace.Deeply troubled by the looming war against Iraq, these serious peace advocates determined to express their heartfelt desire for peace, by crafting the word "PEACE" and the Peace Sign with their nude...