A Bozeman, MT lawyer is installing a 1000 gallon shark tank. I guess he’s bringing in partners to his firm. I’m kidding. I actually don’t mind lawyers, and it’s nice to see one with a sense of humour. Being a fish geek, I also can’t wait to see how the tanks turn out.
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — It started out as a joke - a lawyer putting a shark tank in his office.
“I said, ‘What would it take to put a shark in a lawyer’s office?’”, and it kind of took off from there, said attorney Christopher Gillette.[...]
Gillette plans to fill the saltwater tank with a miniature marine ecosystem, including at least two sharks - a blacktip reef shark being flown in from the Caribbean Sea and a bamboo shark that will be hatched from eggs in the tank.
I know it’s a non presidential election year, but it’s still quite simple — If you don’t vote, I don’t listen to you whine. Not that anyone I know online complains to me about the outcome of elections, but I know plenty of people in the real world who do.
I welcome debate, thoughts, opinions. I look forward to your comments. In fact, I long for them. What do you think of this image? What questions does it leave you with? What is the difference between a dissenter and a traitor? Is the military infallible? Are all soldiers heroes? Is this soldier a hero? Is he a dissenter? If he is a dissenter, is he still a hero? Is this soldier a member of ‘the herd’? Or, does he think for himself? Tell me.
Original quote: “The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.” ~ Archibald Macleish
I was watching Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! again last night. Episode 7 focused on Feng Shui and bottled water. Imagine my surprise when the following landed in my inbox this morning.
Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.
Dihydrogen monoxide:
is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain. contributes to the “greenhouse effect.” may cause severe burns. contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape. accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals. may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes. has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!
Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the US.
Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
as an industrial solvent and coolant. in nuclear power plants. in the production of Styrofoam. as a fire retardant. in many forms of cruel animal research. in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical. as an additive in certain “junk-foods” and other food products.
Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!
The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its “importance to the economic health of this nation.” In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.
The Horror Must Be Stopped!
Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical. What you don’t know can hurt you and others throughout the world. Please visit DihydrogenMonoxide.org to see what you can do to help!
[Note: By the way, if anyone feels the urge to send me one of those oh-so-politely phrased emails that never really are, explaining to me what DHMO really is -- Don't. My patience for condescension is wearing thin. However, if anyone actually falls for this I will laugh heartily at your expense. ]
Does This seem wrong to you? It’s the first sheep/human chimera; 85% sheep, 15% human. Seriously. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.
And as a bonus, just for kicks:
Toadzilla, this two-pounder is the size of a small dog.
Every schoolboy knows that toads and frogs make great pets. But they might flinch at picking up “Toadzilla”, a warty toad as big as the monster found in Australia’s Northern Territory.
I am by no means Catholic, and if you look around you can probably guess where I stand on mythology, but it’s fair to say that I dig with my left foot. You’ll have to look up that reference on your own. Here’s a long post with various items in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.
3000 Murals (EDIT: To clarify, there are approximately 3000 Nationalist murals around Northern Ireland, this video only shows a small percentage of them.)
The Patron Saint of Ireland was born into Roman Britain in the fourth century. He was captured as a teenager by Niall of the Nine Hostages who was to become a King of all Ireland.
He was sold into slavery in Ireland and put to work as a shepherd. He worked in terrible conditions for six years drawing comfort in the Christian faith that so many of his people had abandoned under Roman rule.
Patrick had a dream that encouraged him to flee his captivity and to head South where a ship was to be waiting for him. He traveled over 200 miles from his Northern captivity to Wexford town where, sure enough, a ship was waiting to enable his escape.
Upon arrival in England he was captured by brigands and returned to slavery. He escaped after two months and spent the next seven years traveling Europe seeking his destiny.
During this time he furthered his education and studied Christianity in the Lerin Monastery in France. He returned to England as a priest. Again a dream greatly influenced him when he became convinced that the Irish people were calling out to him to return to the land of his servitude.
He went to the Monastery in Auxerre where it was decided that a mission should be sent to Ireland. Patrick was not selected for this task to his great disappointment. The monk that was selected was called Paladius, but he died before he could reach Ireland and a second mission was decided upon.
Patrick was made a Bishop by Pope Celestine in the year 432 and, together with a small band of followers, he traveled to Ireland to commence the conversion.
Patrick confronted the most powerful man in Ireland, Laoghaire, The High King of Tara, as he knew that if he could gain his support then he would be safe to spread the word throughout Ireland. To get his attention Patrick and his followers lit a huge fire to mark the commencement of Spring. Tradition had it that no fire was to be lit until the King’s fire was complete, but Patrick defied this rule and courted the confrontation with the King.
The King rushed into action and traveled with the intention of making war on the holy delegation. Patrick calmed the King and with quiet composure impressed upon him that he had no intention other than that of spreading the word of the Gospel. The King accepted the missionary, much to the dismay of the Druids who feared for their own power and position in the face of this new threat. They commanded that he make snow fall. Patrick declined to do so stating that this was God’s work. Immediately it began to snow, only stopping when Patrick blessed himself.
Still trying to convince the King of his religion Patrick grasped at some Shamrock growing on the ground. He explained that there was but one stem on the plant, but three branches of the leaf, representing the Blessed Trinity. The King was impressed with his sincerity and granted him permission to spread the word of his faith, although he did not convert to Christianity himself.
Patrick and his followers were free to spread their faith throughout Ireland and did so to great effect. He drove paganism (symbolised by the snake) from the lands of Eireann.
Patrick was tempted by the Devil whilst on a pilgrimage at Croagh Patrick. For his refusal to be tempted, God rewarded him with a wish. Patrick asked that the Irish be spared the horror of Judgment Day and that he himself be allowed to judge his flock. Thus, the legend that Ireland will disappear under a sea of water seven years before the final judgment, was born.
Patrick died on March 17th in the year 461 at the age of 76. It is not known for sure where his remains were laid although Downpatrick in County Down in the North of Ireland is thought to be his final resting place.
His influence is still felt to this day as Nations the world over commemorate him on March 17th of every year.
The Triad is a social custom and teaching tool that was used to explain abstract concepts by the ancient Druids. In addition, many of the early deities, including Ireland’s patroness, the Goddess Brigit, were considered ‘triple Goddesses’ or ‘triple Gods’. They represented various stages of life (youth, parent, elder) as well as aspects specific to one deity. For instance, the Goddess Brigit was/is the patroness of the Hearth, the Forge, and the Arts. The Sun God Lugh was also a triple deity, as were Manannan Mac Lir and the Morigeuse. The most likely explanation for the use of the shamrock as a teaching tool is that the Druids used it in discussing the nature of these tri-part deities. Celtic Christianity embraced many traditions from the old ways, and this is most likely one of them.
Michael R. Gorman Author and Poet Sacramento, California
Irish Phrases
PHRASE: Slainte PRONOUNCED: slawn-che MEANING: Good Health!
PHRASE: Eireann go braugh (bráth) PRONOUNCED: air-in go braw MEANING: Ireland forever!
PHRASE: Beannachtai na Feile Padraig PRONOUNCED: bann/ockt/tee nih fail/eh pawd/rig MEANING: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
I will add: Beidh ár lá linn (Pronounced like bay our law lin) — We shall have our day This, or the more common Tiocfaidh ár lá (our day will come) are slogans of Irish Republicanism.
In the United States, laws are legislated from the church pew. One group, Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance, propose Initiative 957 to force right-wing Christians to put their money where their mouth is.
Legitimate state interest allows the Legislature to limit marriage to those couples able to have and raise children together. Because of this legitimate state interest, it is permissible to bar same-sex couples from legal marriage.
Gays can adopt children, use surrogates, as well as other test-tube methods to have children, but since two men or two women don’t have all of the necessary parts to have their own biological children with each other, the state is allowed to ban gays from marriage.
Is it effective to fight vile legislation with vile legislation? Maybe the aforementioned Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance is on to something. They suggest that passing Initiative 957 will not only open discussion about Andersen v. King County but that the Washington Supreme Court will be forced to strike the initiative down as unconstitutional, and weaken the decision made regarding Anderson v. King County.
What is Initiative 957 you ask?
If passed by Washington voters, the Defense of Marriage Initiative would:
* add the phrase, “who are capable of having children with one another” to the legal definition of marriage; * require that couples married in Washington file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage automatically annulled; * require that couples married out of state file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage classed as “unrecognized;” * establish a process for filing proof of procreation; and * make it a criminal act for people in an unrecognized marriage to receive marriage benefits.
Call me a cynic, but proposing more legislation that will appeal to the nanny-staters and fear-mongered leash holders as a joke is an insult to those of us who vote, sign petitions, send letters to our senators and representatives, donate to groups who make it their life to protect our civil liberties, etc., etc. For the gay haters who support a ban on gay marriage, this initiative only serves to reinforce their opinion that we who believe in marriage rights for gays are apathetic, a little bit loony, and more than willing to flagrantly abuse the constitution.
EDIT: Here is an example of how this initiative does more harm that good: The Conservative Voice
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Here’s a long post with various items in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.
