Dog honoured for tackling burglar

Dog honoured for tackling burglar: "Toby was stabbed four times in the chest and legs by the intruder but still managed to chase him out.

The Morton family, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, had been staying at Leconfield Barracks in East Yorkshire.

They awoke to find their pet in a pool of blood. But the eight-month-old survived and has been awarded by the animal charity, PDSA."

Unemployment Rates by State

Scenes from the zoo

Scenes from the zoo - The Big Picture - Boston.com: "According to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), over 600 million visitors pass through the gates of over 1,300 zoological parks, reserves and aquariums worldwide every year. Springtime brings many new animals to these parks as well, as newborns. Collected here are some photographs from zoos and aquariums around the world from the past couple of months. Don't forget that 2009 has been designated as the 'year of the gorilla' by the United Nations"

Sad Puppy

Couple want backyard back

Couple want backyard back | Apr 17, 2009: "When people Don Bain didn’t know took up residence in the garage-slash-apartment in his backyard a couple of weeks ago, he thought he’d be able to have them thrown out.

He didn’t figure the police would side with the “squatters,” as he calls them. He didn’t expect that after installing new locks to keep them out, he’d be asked by an officer to open the doors and let them back in. He could not have predicted that, on another occasion, the police would allow the people to break a window to get back in, he said."

Philips Carousel Commercial - Adam Berg

The four faces of the Bengal tiger

The four faces of the Bengal tiger: "15 April 2009: Displayed for the first time in a specially constructed studio in South Carolina, these images show the four varieties of Bengal tiger.
'There are only four distinct types of Bengal tiger in the world and they are all in this amazing photo shoot,' says Dr Bhagavan Antle of The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S), who brought these majestic animals to the studio. Dr Antle believes the images give away the characteristics of behaviour, age and personality of each tiger. 'Like human photographs, you can see the difference in their age as some of them look a little more grizzled and haggard than others'"

It wasn't singer Susan Boyle who was ugly on Britain's Got Talent so much as our reaction to her

Tanya Gold: It wasn't singer Susan Boyle who was ugly on Britain's Got Talent so much as our reaction to her: "Is Susan Boyle ugly? Or are we? On Saturday night she stood on the stage in Britain's Got Talent; small and rather chubby, with a squashed face, unruly teeth and unkempt hair. She wore a gold lace dress, which made her look like a piece of pork sitting on a doily. Interviewed by Ant and Dec beforehand, she told them that she is unemployed, single, lives with a cat called Pebbles and has never been kissed. Susan then walked out to chatter, giggling, and a long and unpleasant wolf whistle."

Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years

Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years: "A reservoir of briny liquid buried deep beneath an Antarctic glacier supports hardy microbes that have lived in isolation for millions of years, researchers report April 17 in the journal Science."

The 10 Most Visually Stunning Movies of the Last 10 Years

The 10 Most Visually Stunning Movies of the Last 10 Years

Scientists Discover All-Female Ant Species that Reproduces by Cloning

Scientists Discover All-Female Ant Species that Reproduces by Cloning: "A group of Amazonian ants have evolved an extremely unusual social system: They are all female and reproduce via cloning. Though their sexual organs have virtually disappeared, they have also gained some extraordinary abilities.

University of Arizona biologist Anna Himler orginally began studying the ants, called Mycocepurus smithii, because they had incredible success as farmers. Many breeds of ant keep domesticated 'farms' where they breed various kinds of fungus for nourishment. But Mycocepurus smithii was able to breed fungus far more successfully, and in greater varieties, than other ants Himler had encountered."

Say cheese, smile big, and stay married long

Say cheese, smile big, and stay married long:

A U.S. study has found that the people who smile the biggest in photographs when they are young are more likely to stay married later in life. The frowners were more likely to divorce.

"The researchers of the study are Matthew J. Hertenstein, Carrie A. Hansel, Alissa M. Butts, and Sarah N. Hile, of the Touch and Emotion Laboratory (TEL) at Depauw University in Indiana.

They sent emails to about 18,000 college graduates, and used the ones that sent back a completed online questionnaire and a picture from their high school yearbook.

Some of the questions asked about their marriage, such as if they were in a committed relationship and if they had ever divorced."

Pirate Bay guilty

Pirate Bay guilty - The Local: "The four men connected with The Pirate Bay were found guilty of being accessories to copyright infringement by a Swedish court on Friday, delivering a symbolic victory in the entertainment industry’s efforts to put a stop to the sharing of copyrighted material on the internet."

Major League Baseball's Worst Ideas

Major League Baseball's Worst Ideas - WSJ.com:
Tall Catchers, Managers in Uniform, Pitchers Batting 9th, and Other Bad Ideas in Baseball

"For all its staid traditions, baseball does evolve. If you have an idea, no matter how preposterous, chances are it will eventually get a hearing. (See the Chicago White Sox's brief experiment with Bermuda shorts).

Some of these ideas are probably not going to be adopted. Longtime designated hitter Jim Thome, for instance, believes the rules should be changed 'to give the hitters four strikes.' Other ideas, like the world's first $2,625 baseball ticket, on sale now at the new Yankee Stadium, may prove to be significantly ahead of their time.

For as much progress as there has been in baseball, there are still some old notions and orthodoxies that ought to be reexamined -- and some new ideas that might need some rejiggering. Here are a few baseball ideas that are dubious, wrongheaded or just downright illogical."

Rocktastic: How Guitar Hero brought stardom to the masses

Rocktastic: How Guitar Hero brought stardom to the masses: "If you'd been living in the woods for the last 10 years and needed a quick pop cultural primer to bring you up to date, you could do worse than watch the new video by Eminem, for his single 'We Made You'. There's Sarah Palin, enjoying the attentions of the Village People's Alaskan chapter. There's the rapper dressed as Mr Spock, in anticipation of this summer's blockbuster Star Trek remake. There's Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson. There's Amy Winehouse.

And between the celebrity-based barbs there's Eminem, as himself, prancing back and forth on what appears to be a giant guitar fretboard, surrounded by brightly coloured dots. This, in case you really have been away for a while, is what Guitar Hero looks like."

NARO - The Free Leaning Narrow Car

NARO - The Free Leaning Narrow Car
he NARO vehicle concept evolved from initial research work carried out by Prodrive in 2003. The Narrow Car Company has licensed this work and is developing the concept through to production. The objective of The Narrow Car Company is to develop the NARO vehicle concept to provide both licence and manufacturing opportunities.

The NARO vehicle concept was born to address the increasing problems of congestion, pollution and parking scarcity that our cities face. Independent research undertaken to investigate the effect of narrow vehicles on traffic flow in urban environments shows that once a certain density is reached within the vehicle fleet, traffic queues can be shortened and journey times reduced. All of this is possible without making any changes to the infrastructure.

The NARO vehicle concept is a "free leaning" vehicle that improves the mobility of the commuter and addresses the key issues of efficiency and emissions.

'Did You Know that Cars Are the Most Recycled Product in America?'

'Did You Know that Cars Are the Most Recycled Product in America?' | Reuters: "In addition to wowing the public with their newest products and concept cars, the U.S. automakers are bringing an educational message to consumers at this year's North American International Auto Show through the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC's (USCAR) Vehicle Recycling Partnership LLC (VRP). The VRP Automotive Recycling Exhibit centers on the theme of 'Did you know?' From that theme, scientists and engineers from Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation -- which comprise the VRP -- are delivering an impressive environmental message that is based on 16 years of collaborative efforts to increase the recyclability of automobiles and reduce their impact on the environment."

5 Things You Didn't Know: SNL

AskMen.com - 5 Things You Didn't Know: SNL: "Between its premiere in October of 1975 and the start of its 34th season in September 2008, Saturday Night Live has racked up over 100 Emmy nominations and has become 'one of the most distinctive and significant programs in the history of U.S. television,' according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Time magazine considers it the 'graduate school of American comedy' and it has duly launched the wider careers of dozens of major actors and comedians, a list too long to include here."

25 Imaginative Illustrations Inspired By Film

25 Imaginative Illustrations Inspired By Film // WellMedicated

20 Outstanding & Outrageous Concept Cars from Car-dom's Golden Age

20 Outstanding & Outrageous Concept Cars from Car-dom's Golden Age | WebUrbanist: "A map of the history of the auto industry would show dozens, if not hundreds of roads not traveled. What if some of these visionary concepts had been allowed to hit the street? These outstanding, outlandish and outrageous concept cars show what direction automotive design might have taken if automakers had followed their dreams instead of listening to the bean counters."

Detroit City Block

Nerd glasses protect you from Bokito the Gorilla

Nerd glasses protect you from Bokito the Gorilla - SlipperyBrick.com: "It all started on May 18th when a gorilla named Bokito escaped from the Rotterdam Zoo. It was during his daring escape that the animal attacked a female visitor, because he didn’t much care for the way her shifty eyes looked at him. Humans in charge decided that the woman’s direct eye contact led to the attack, since gorillas aren’t down with that.

That’s when health insurance company FBTO stepped in and offered a solution that makes everyone look like a dork."

USS JFK

Fast Food Reality

Fast Food Reality: "Have you ever seen a McDonald’s or Wendy’s advertisement and really appreciated how delicious a sandwich or burger looked. You were so impressed that you went to said fast food restaurant and ordered yourself one.

You fork over your hard earned white collar cash expecting to receive the same beautiful masterpiece shown in the ads just to be let down by a sloppy disgusting looking sandwich that was probably made by an ex inmate."

Here are 14 wonderful fast food vs reality examples.

What happens if I don't pay my taxes?

What happens if I don't pay my taxes? - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine: "On April 15, millions of Americans will stand in long lines at the post office to file their tax returns. Although usually a law-abiding citizen, the Explainer can't help but wonder: What happens if you get tired of waiting and decide not to file your taxes at all?"

Airtrax

Death & Taxes

Creative Marketing: BMW vs. Audi

Creative Marketing: BMW vs. Audi: "On the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Glen Blvd (corrected the location), Audi has put up some billboards showing the all new Audi A4 along with the headline: “Your move, BMW”. Santa Monica BMW, a local dealership, took on the challenge and entered a virtual chess game ….of course, with cars rather than pawns, kings or queens."

You've Seen It Before; READ IT AGAIN DAMMIT!!

found by Lionel

Daily Kos: State of the Nation: "This Diary is a mash-up of several Diaries I've previously Posted here and have been asked to revisit with the return of spring driving season

The flatbed truck, loaded with steel pipe out of Chattanooga westbound for Oklahoma City, was 30 miles out of Little Rock, cruise control set right at the posted speed limit. 200 feet behind him was another tractor trailer, pulling a dry van loaded with shelves and fixtures for a new Auto Zone store in California. There had been a light sprinkle earlier, but the road was mostly dry

The Pontiac Transport minivan was headed for Memphis, with a perfectly average couple in the front and their two little girls in their car seats in the back, going to see their Grandma."

Puppy helps save lost toddler's life

Puppy helps save lost toddler's life: "ONALASKA, Wash. - A 2-year-old boy who walked away from his house, may have been saved by his puppy, according to a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

“We think the dog saved his life,” said Sheriff’s Office Commander Steven Aust.

Saturday night, the boy’s father reported his son Nathaniel and his 4-month-old puppy, Stanley, were lost. The father said he had fallen asleep on the couch around 7 p.m. When he woke up a half-hour later, the front door was open and the boy and dog were gone."

The 12 Most Stylish Album Covers Of All Time

The 12 Most Stylish Album Covers Of All Time: "Sure, they say fashion and music often go hand in hand, but just how much do designers rely on music for inspiration? These classic albums show Adam Ant wearing what seems to be a Balmain jacket and the Cars' cover seems eerily similar to a certain Alexander Wang campaign starring Missy Rayder. Click after the jump for our most iconic and devastatingly stylish album covers of all time and see for yourself. Damien Hirst, eat your heart out."

Zoom It

Passenger lands twin-engine plane at Fla. airport with controller's help after pilot dies

Passenger lands twin-engine plane at Fla. airport with controller's help after pilot dies "TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Doug White and his family had just enjoyed a smooth takeoff and were ascending through the clouds when the pilot guiding their twin-engine plane tilted his head back and made a guttural sound.

The pilot, Joe Cabuk, was unconscious. And though White had his pilot's license, he had never flown a plane as large as this.

'I need help. I need a King Air pilot to talk to. We're in trouble,' he radioed.

Then he turned to his wife and two daughters: 'You all start praying hard.' Behind him, his wife trembled. Sixteen-year-old Bailey cried. Eighteen-year-old Maggie threw up."

13 things that do not make sense

13 things that do not make sense - space

Dork Yearbook

Dork Yearbook: "The way we wish we weren't."

The triumph of curves

The triumph of curves - Times Online: "It’s taken roughly 15 years, but at long last, after a couple of false alarms, we are officially over skinny. And here is how you can tell: women have started to envy other women, not for their jutting hip bones and the amount of daylight visible between their thighs, but for their soft and shapely bodies. We’re not talking about recognising that hips, thighs and breasts are a normal part of the female package. (We’ve always known that, and it hasn’t stopped us from wanting to look like malnourished girls.) We’re talking about, once again, finding the shapely form desirable. We look at pictures of Daisy Lowe in her leotard and opaque tights and think — yes, that’s what youth should look like: blooming and rounded and bee-stung. We look at Joan in Mad Men, in those curve-packing dresses, and feel the strange sensation that, for the first time in more than a decade, we are seeing the womanly form as God intended it."

15 Astonishing World War 2 Photos

15 Astonishing World War 2 Photos That Bomb Your Senses:
Enjoy the pictures! They come with the official NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) descriptions. There are 15 in total. (Click pictures to zoom in.)"

Just how in the hell did that Nintendo Zapper work?

A Great Mystery Solved: "If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent many a sleepless night pondering the countless mysteries of the universe. Is there intelligent life on other planets? What actually happened to the dinosaurs? Was Kennedy really killed by a lone assassin or was it all part of a vast conspiracy that reached the highest levels of government? Just how in the hell did that Nintendo Zapper work? Well, ladies and gentleman, I’m pleased to say that, thanks to literally minutes of painstaking research on the internet, I now have the answer to one of these questions, and no, it’s not the alien one. It’s not the Kennedy one either, sadly. That’s right, I now know the deadly secrets of the Nintendo Zapper." Read more....

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo

Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo - CNN.com: "BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A polar bear attacked a woman at Berlin Zoo Friday afternoon after she climbed a fence and jumped into its habitat during feeding time, police said Saturday.
The bear attacks the woman during feeding time.

One adult polar bit her several times after she plunged into the moat, police said.

Zoo workers tossed rescue rings toward the woman to hoist her out and distract polar bears swimming nearby, said Goerg Gebhard, a Berlin police officer.

At one point the woman fell back into the water and was grabbed by a bear before she was eventually hoisted to safety.

'They saved her life,' Gebhard told CNN.

The woman was severely injured and was being treated at a hospital, police said."

The Terracotta WARRIORS Xi’an Shanxi province. China

The Terracotta WARRIORS Xi’an Shanxi province. China: "China’s 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century (1974 actually). These world-famous Terracotta Warriors are part of a vast underground necropolis for China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, that took 700,000 workers 36 years to create."

Cuttlefish attacks octopus

A 64-year-old Swiss woman has reported the presence of a third arm

A 64-year-old Swiss woman has reported the presence of a pale, milky-white and translucent third arm.: "A 64-year-old woman has reported to doctors at Geneva University Hospital the presence of a pale, milky-white and translucent third arm.

After examining the case, the woman's neurologist, Asaid Khateb of the hospital's experimental neurophysiology laboratory, called the rare phenomenon credible"

Brain Myths—Busted

Brain Myths—Busted: "The human brain has received unprecedented press coverage in the past few years, thanks in large part to big leaps in science's understanding of what goes on in the space between our ears. Yet, some stubborn myths remain."

It's not Idaho, but you still can grow potatoes

It's not Idaho, but you still can grow potatoes: "You don't need your own private Idaho to grow potatoes.

Greg Lutovsky, who has been growing potatoes as a business since 1993, says you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 square feet. All it takes is some lumber, seed potatoes and careful attention to watering."

Home made wall of death