Surviving an ISIS Massacre

A great story of survival in what has become hell on earth.

(Warning: Mild Graphic Violence.) Via / Source

Wright's Law: Teacher of Teachers

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What a touching story! And a good teacher..

Jellyfish Galore Washed-up at South Padre Island

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Full story here.. (From Valley Central Dot Com's Daisy Martinez)

Runaway Cart Mishap

Forgive me, but for some reason this made me laugh like I haven't in about a week. Certainly not because of the accident itself, nor the people who were unfortunately injured. But keep your eye on the right of the screen just after the people are hit - there's a guy who trips over the 32 yard-line hash-mark.

And then.. The one guy in the blue shirt, who is the last one left on the cart, had to be like, "OMG OMG! OK, I'm just gonna bail.."

(Note: Video volume is rather low, so turn your speakers up a little bit.)



Here's the whole story.

Here's an UPDATE - Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

Mother(s) of the Year

A cute story!


Source - Thanks Barbara!

Young Girl Catches a Piranha in Texas

msnbc 9/27/2011



Texas is reminding folks that keeping piranhas as pets is a no-no. The warning this week comes after a 5-year-old girl on her first fishing expedition hooked a red-bellied piranha at a lake near Houston.

Lindsay Schutte used a hot dog to lure her unique prize.

"When I took the hook out of the mouth and saw it had pretty big teeth I was concerned, but I'm in Texas so I don't know, there could be fish like that," Christi Schutte, Lindsay's mom and a recent transplant from California, told NBC affiliate KPRC-TV.

But when the fish bit Lindsay's brother, the family decided to notify the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which killed the fish and then froze it for further study.

"An actual piranha is a VERY rare occurrence in the wild — only 2 documented specimens in 30 years — and possessing and releasing live piranhas and dozens of other exotic, harmful or potentially harmful fish species is prohibited by Texas law," the department said in a statement on Monday.

The department emphasized that the Tom Bass Park lake "remains a great place to go fishing and is completely safe to go fishing there."

"We strongly believe that this is an isolated catch," said the department's Dave Terre.

Natives of tropical waters in South America, piranhas are unlikely to be able to survive a Texas winter, the department noted.

The caught specimen was possibly held as a pet by someone who then tried to get rid of it in the lake, Terre said.

The department also noted that a first offense for possessing or releasing outlawed fish in Texas can mean a $500 fine. Repeat offenses can lead to jail time and heftier fines.

Piranhas have a reputation far greater than their size, which typically ranges from 5 to 10 inches. Contrary to movies and popular culture, piranhas don't typically swarm together to gobble up much larger prey in seconds.

Source - (with video report)

Good Kid

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Hmm.. What kind of message is it gonna send to the first kid who was upset in the first place - once he finds out the other kid was given an autographed bat?? They should've kept it simple, and given him a ball as well. Maybe an autographed ball. Good story though! These two kids will probably be friends for life now.

Ten Intriguing Storylines Now That Football Is Back

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First of all, take 3 seconds, and in the name of NFL Football, : Click Here!

Now that the lockout is over and training camps are set to begin, we can officially talk about some of the questions that all fans are asking. Here’s a look at some of the top storylines heading into the 2011 NFL season:

Will the Packers suffer a Super Bowl hangover?
The Packers are built to have an extended run as title contenders. The team has one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league. Their surplus of talent allowed them to overcome losing 15 players to injured reserve on their way toward winning Super Bowl XLV. The return of those players is one of the reasons the Packers are poised to make another run.

The spate of injuries allowed several young players - James Starks, Sam Shields and Desmond Bishop - to get on the field, and their surprising emergence only fortifies the Packers' roster. The team will benefit from the return of Jermichael Finley, Morgan Burnett, Ryan Grant, and Nick Barnett. If Mike McCarthy can keep his team motivated to handle the challenges of taking everyone's best shot, then there is no reason the Packers shouldn't repeat as world champions. -- Bucky Brooks


Are the Jets contenders or poseurs?
The Jets are legitimate contenders under Rex Ryan. They have advanced to the AFC title game in each of his first two seasons. Led by a hard-hitting defense that matches Ryan's swagger and bravado, the Jets bludgeon opponents with an intensity and toughness that forces them to wilt under pressure. They took a step back statistically, but their dominance returned in big games, especially in the playoffs.

Offensively, the Jets also have the pieces in place. Their running game has ranked among the best in the league, and they have a potent passing game led by an emerging big-game performer in Mark Sanchez. He has shown flashes of being clutch in the postseason, and that will eventually translate into championship success. Ryan is full of bravado and bluster and has assembled a team that has the ability to back up his bodacious claims. -- Bucky Brooks

Ready to be an icon and entertain?
Invoking the name Cam Newton gets a reaction, often strong. I've yet to talk with anyone who is neutral about the Panthers rookie QB and top-overall pick. So how will he do as a rookie?

All rookie QBs in this lockout-affected offseason will struggle. Without minicamps and OTAs and the ability to get coached on a daily basis, it would seem that it's folly to expect any rookie QB (and that includes Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert, and Andy Dalton) to have the type of debut experienced by the likes of Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford, and Josh Freeman. But I do remember that Vince Young had a stellar debut, and he did it using his arm and his legs. Expect Newton to try to follow a similar blueprint, and look for any successes that he has to occur in the second half of the season. -- Charles Davis

Romo: Super Bowl or bust?
Several teams could do worse than Tony Romo at quarterback. Like the Cowboys.

Jon Kitna stepped in admirably after Romo’s collarbone injury, but Romo is the guy - at least in the immediate future - to get Dallas to the Super Bowl. But the grace period is over. His stats are better than adequate. Now it’s time to take the big step. Romo has all the toys he needs, and the line is being re-tooled. The defense that crumpled last season remains a question, but new coordinator Rob Ryan could provide some answers.

Romo’s leadership has come into question, which isn't good on a team that needs a leader. DeMarcus Ware said Romo has stepped up as more of a leader this offseason. We’ll see if that carries over. This might not be a do-or-die season for Romo, but time is running out. -- Steve Wyche

Click here to continue to the rest of the article..

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The Digital Story Of Nativity

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Cute!

Touching?

This is so cool. Spaceghetto contributor typecast_wookie writes in a submission:

"And I didn't really mean to. He just decided to post up in the middle of our trail, and we had no way to get around him, so I found a big branch and tossed him. Unfortunately, I miscalculated his weight (he was about 4-5 feet long) and the mechanical advantage of my stick - so he sailed off into the night. We heard him land in some grass about 50 feet down the mountainside. I'm sure he was fine, but I still felt bad. I made this rap to deal with my own guilt and self-loathing over the incident."



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That Ohio Crash This Morning

Here's the story..

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An Alternate Ending

This obviously came out a few years ago, but I had never seen it. I LOVE the Terminator series, and this ending actually makes me think. I like it. Would've been really special had they (1) not come out with a T3, or (2) waited and made a T3 based on this ending. It's too bad! I haven't seen Terminator Salvation yet, but T3 sucked. I can't imagine McG and Salvation can bring back the Cameron mystique and perfection associated with this series as it stood in 1991.

Here are a bunch more alternate movie endings.

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Illinois River's Flying Carp Problem

One of the most serious economic and environmental threats to Wisconsin in recent years is the imminent invasion of Asian carp into Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes. This invasion must be stopped.

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The bighead and silver carp, more commonly known as Asian carp, are prolific and voracious. The non-native Asian carp can consume up to 40 percent of their weight in food per day and compete directly with commercial and sport fish for food. In some stretches of water, it is reported, up to 97 percent of the biomass is Asian carp. Commercial and sport fish are crowded out, jeopardizing the future viability of these native fish and causing commercial and sport fishing to go elsewhere. Waterfowl production, too, can be adversely affected by Asian carp.


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Not only do Asian carp threaten the health of the ecosystems they invade, but they can be dangerous to people as well. By now I am sure you’ve seen videos of leaping silver carp. Fishermen, boaters, water skiers: Beware. These and other recreational pursuits become dangerous when fish that can grow to 100 pounds come hurtling through the air after being startled by motors. Fish biologist Duane Chapman of the United States Geological Survey likens the impact of being struck by a 20-pound flying fish as similar to being hit by a bowling ball. A fortunate boater who escapes injury may nevertheless be repairing broken windshields.

Continue to the rest of the article..

China's "Straddling" Bus

China is all about the future of transportation. High-speed trains criss cross the countryside, sending people whizzing from Shanghai to Beijing at speeds over 200 miles per hour. And General Motors has even developed a tiny urban car that's designed just for Chinese urban drivers.

But now a company has designed something called a "straddling bus." Basically, it's a huge bus that operates like a train on wheels, and is so tall that cars can drive right under it. Each bus is about two street lanes wide and 18 feet tall, according to Song Youzhou, the chairman of Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Company, which is building these enormous buses.

With Chinese traffic growing rapidly, designers intend to have as many commuters on the road as is efficiently possible. This straddling bus won't get in the way of any buses or cars currently on the roads, and will only add capacity to the public transportation infrastructure.

In a rough translation of Youzhou's presentation I found, he says, "The highlight innovation of the straddling bus is that it runs above cars and under overpass. Its biggest strength is saving road space, efficient and high in capacity."

Youzhou threw out some figures about the impact the straddling bus will have on Chinese traffic. He says they can reduce up to 25 to 30 percent of traffic jams on main routes. Running at an average of 25 miles per hour, it can take 1,200 people at a time, or 300 passengers per cart.

In terms of help to the environment, he says each bus can save up to 860 tons of fuel per year, reducing 2,640 tons of carbon emissions. It is powered partly by solar panels on each bus, but it's powered mostly by electricity.

Either way, it's a lot better than getting around on fossil fuels.

Source

Alabama Teen Shoots Record 57

At state junior championship, University of Alabama-bound Bobby Wyatt fires the lowest competitive round ever, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Michael Johnson needed to take his shoes off.

That was the only way he could truly convey the shocking and toe-tingling round of golf his good friend Bobby Wyatt was playing.

Bobby Wyatt, 17                         Image Source

The incoming University of Alabama freshman and recent graduate of the UMS Wright Prep School in Mobile (Ala.) fired a course-record 57 in the second round of

Alabama Golf Association’s State Boys Junior Championship on Wednesday.

Rated the No. 1 high school player from the Class of 2010 by Polo Golf, Wyatt blistered the 6,628-yard Country Club of Mobile course with an eagle, 12 birdies and five pars, easily breaking the course record of 63.

His 125 total is eight shots ahead of Smylie Kaufman (67-66-133), who was one hole behind Wyatt and trying to get updates from Johnson, one of Wyatt’s playing partners and future Alabama teammates.

According to an Alabama Press-Register story, Johnson couldn’t keep up with Wyatt’s record pace.

“We were very aware of what Bobby was doing,” Kaufman told the newspaper. “(Johnson) kept holding up fingers to say how many birdies Bobby had made. We said to ourselves he was going to run out of fingers and have to start using his toes too. Sure enough, he ran out of fingers.”

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Wyatt’s round is the lowest of all time for competitive play on golf courses longer than 6,500 yards.

The only competitive round lower, according to reports, were by PGA golfer Homero Blancas, who shot a 55 in the 1962 Premier Invitational in Longview, Texas. Blancas was an amateur at the time.

But that was at a par-70 course that measure just longer than 5,000 yards and played over the same nine holes twice.

Wyatt shot a 9-under 26 on the front nine and 31 on the back, which featured back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17.

Country Club of Mobile is Wyatt's home course and his previous low score on any course was 62. He needed just 23 putts on the round and it was almost 22 as a birdie try on the 18th hung on the lip. He tapped in for a measly par.

“It was unbelievable,” Wyatt told reporters after the round. “I got off to a fast start with birdies on my first two holes, then was three-under after four and it kept going from there.”

If he can hold on, Wyatt will win his fourth straight state crown. He turns 18 over the weekend.

Wyatt won his first tournament as an 11-year-old, following in the footsteps of his older brother Ford and father Cliff.

“I just tagged along with them,” he told the Birmingham News in a 2009 story. “I’ve had a club in my hands since I could walk.”

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Technology And Parenting

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Drunk Australian Leaves Bar - Tries To Ride Crocodile

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SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian man was lucky to be alive after drunkenly scaling the fence of a crocodile enclosure and trying to take a five-metre (16-foot) beast named "Fatso" for a ride, police said Tuesday.

The 36-year-old jumped the wildlife compound's fence after being ejected from a pub in the northwestern city of Broome late Monday night, and tried to sit on the back of the massive saltwater reptile.

"He first climbed into a compound containing two female crocodiles, before approaching a five-meter long male called Fatso," a police spokeswoman told AFP.

"The man was bitten on his right leg as he tried to sit on its back. He managed to escape and make his way back to the pub, where an ambulance was called."

Pub manager Mark Phillips said staff told him that the man reappeared at about 11pm with bits of bark hanging off him and flesh gouged out of his limbs.

"They said he had chunks out of legs and things like that," Phillips told thewest.com.au website.

He underwent surgery for severe lacerations, and park owner Malcolm Douglas said the man was lucky to have survived his encounter with the 800-kilogram (1,800-pound) croc.

"The crocodile didn't kill that guy because it was jammed in the corner," Douglas told thewest.

Douglas said Fatso, one of the largest reptiles in the park, could crush a man with a single bite.

An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by aggressive saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven meters (23 feet) long and weigh more than a ton.
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History Lesson: The Story Of Beer

Click the image for the entire infographic..

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The Story Of Esaw Wood

Esaw Wood sawed wood.

Esaw Wood would saw wood!

All the wood Esaw Wood saw Esaw Wood would saw. In other words, all the wood Esaw saw to saw Esaw sought to saw.

Oh, the wood Wood would saw! And oh, the wood-saw with which Wood would saw wood.
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But one day Wood’s wood-saw would saw no wood, and thus the wood Wood sawed was not the wood Wood would saw if Wood’s wood-saw would saw wood.

Now, Wood would saw wood with a wood-saw that would saw wood, so Esaw sought a saw that would saw wood.

One day Esaw saw a saw saw wood as no other wood-saw Wood saw would saw wood.

In fact, of all the wood-saws Wood ever saw saw wood Wood never saw a wood-saw that would saw wood as the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood would saw wood, and I never saw a wood-saw that would saw as the wood-saw Wood saw would saw until I saw Esaw Wood saw wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood.

Now Wood saws wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood.

Oh, the wood the wood-saw Wood saw would saw!

Oh, the wood Wood’s woodshed would shed when Wood would saw wood with the wood-saw Wood saw saw wood!

Finally, no man may ever know how much wood the wood-saw Wood saw would saw, if the wood-saw Wood saw would saw all the wood the wood-saw Wood saw would saw.

– W.E. Southwick


Anthologist Carolyn Wells writes, “Well, you don’t have to read it.”

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Lake Erie Now Frozen Over

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Take a picture of Lake Erie now, and you'll get a freeze frame.

For the first time in 14 years, the 241-mile-long lake is virtually frozen over from one end to the other.

Earlier this week, the Erie Times-News reported that the lake was 90 to 95 percent frozen. The relentless cold completed the job.

Gary Garnet, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Cleveland, said Friday that the lake is completely frozen over, for all intents and purposes.

He qualified that by saying satellite images show a small patch off Dunkirk, N.Y., with water and chunks of floating ice. He said that's one of the deepest parts of the lake and would be one of the last places to freeze.

The maximum depth of the lake is 210 feet, and the average depth is 62 feet, according to the Great Lakes Information Network, a project of the Great Lakes Commission.

Current Satellite Image - Via

There are also some cracks in the ice, which shift due to high winds, he said.

"But for general purposes, the lake is covered right now,'' Garnet said.

The ice cover will mean fewer lake-effect snowstorms, or at least less intense ones. Lake- effect snowstorms occur when cold air passes over warmer bodies of water, building up clouds and dumping snow downwind.

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Edinboro and other snowbelt areas are typically hit the hardest.

"It doesn't completely shut off the snow machine, but it does greatly reduce it,'' Garnet said.

That's because there can be what Garnet called "minimum moisture transfer'' through the ice and the cracks.

Another factor is that Lake Huron is mostly open and Erie can get dumped on from lake-effect storms generated by that lake, according to the weather service.

The lake last completely froze over in February during the winter of 1995-96, said George Leshkevich, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Meanwhile, Lake Erie's ice should only thicken this season because the cold pattern will persist, Garnet said.

Scattered light snow is predicted through next week. "But we don't see any monster lake-effect storms on the horizon,'' he said.

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More pics and their story at Brooke and Freeland.