In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers.

The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as "crazy rasberry ants" - crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and "rasberry" after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

"They're itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they're just running everywhere," said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. "There's just thousands and thousands of them. If you've seen a car racing, that's how they are. They're going fast, fast, fast. They're crazy."

The ants - formally known as "paratrenicha species near pubens" - have spread to five Houston-area counties since they were first spotted in Texas in 2002.

The newly recognized species is believed to have arrived in a cargo shipment through the port of Houston. Scientists are not sure exactly where the ants came from, but their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the Southeast and the Caribbean.

"At this point, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the ant because it is so widely dispersed," said Roger Gold, a Texas A&M University entomologist.

The Obama campaign confirms Edwards will endorse Obama at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan Wednesday. The event was originally scheduled to start at 7pmET, but was moved up to 6:20pmET, presumably to have the announcement make the evening news.

It took a gun, an ax and about half a dozen Fairfield County sheriff's deputies to get rid of a total of 30 gallons of moonshine. "I am very proud of what took place," says Sheriff Young.

Investigators say they found about 20 gallons of the clear moonshine and another ten gallons of the dark, which are flavored with fruits. And that's not to mention the four 55-gallon stills.

"This is a big operation," says Young. Big, and dirty. We saw bugs inside one still, and a field mouse crawling around another.

The culprit?

Right now there are no suspects in this case, but investigators are looking. "We will continue there's no doubt about that," says Young.

In my case, it must be this old banjo. It was made in the 1890s, and probably cost about $12 back then. Now it's worth about $250.

An Islamic scholar in Pakistan has warned that a fatwa on slaughtering cows issued by an Indian Muslim cleric will "encourage Hindu beliefs" in Indian Muslims.

A few days ago, the mufti or head cleric of one of India's biggest madrassas, the Darul Uloom Deoband (DUD), Mufti Habibur Rehman, said that Indian Muslims should take care when slaughtering the cow that is considered sacred by Hindus. He pointed out that the slaughter of the cow is prohibited under Indian law and thus it was not right to use its meat secretly.

In response, the head of Darul Ifta wa Al-Qazzath of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD) Pakistan, Mufti Abdul Rehman Al Rehmani, said that the "fatwa" should be withdrawn immediately and justified. "The fatwa encourages Hindu beliefs," Al Rehmani said while talking to Daily Times on Tuesday. His official stance was published on the JD website the same day.

Everyone is confused.

A woman who hid her teenage crime and became a California homemaker with three children returned to a Michigan prison Tuesday to serve at least 5 1/2 more years of her drug sentence.

Susan LeFevre, who walked away from a Detroit-area prison 32 years ago, was arrested in April in San Diego after an anonymous caller tipped Michigan authorities to her new name...

Now 53, she kept a low profile and used her middle name, Marie. She raised three children with her husband of 23 years, Alan Walsh, who never knew she was using an assumed identity.

What did she do?

LeFevre told The Associated Press she got into drugs after graduating from her Catholic high school because she was despondent over the death of her teenage sweetheart in the Vietnam War.

Then 19, she agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and violation of drug laws in hopes of winning leniency but was given the maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years. Prosecutors say that wasn't an unusual sentence for the 1970s, though it would be unlikely today.

An eastern Indian state is recruiting around 4,000 barbers to give free haircuts to poor children to improve hygiene and stop the children "looking funny", a senior government official said.

Despite the exceedingly uncool moniker, the male bag-at least the ones we've scored this season-can still be as tough and manly as Rambo (or Rocky, take your pick). Hence, a sturdy, modern duffel can banish any notion that a bag in hand could call your guy-hood into question. This season, we've gathered a few of our favorite traditionally boyish shapes, many of which have been updated to maximize function and storage while still looking good in transit.

Here are three purses bags for your consideration.

(via Cool Hunting)

Arlyn J. Imberman would say clues to the nomination fight were in plain sight, every time a candidate wrote a thank-you note, inscribed a memoir or autographed a pair of boxing gloves.

"Obama is very much his writing -- fluid, graceful. McCain's is angular and intense; he's a pit bull. And look at the perfectionism in Hillary's -- straight up, precise. She is persistent and is not going to give up until she absolutely has to," said Imberman, a court-certified graphologist based in New York.

Despite vast policy differences, McCain and Obama have something in common signature-wise -- illegibility, which suggests a need for privacy or an aversion to transparency.

In McCain's case, that desire can be seen further in his H, which is not a loop, but an upward stroke overlapped by a downward one. "There is a lot about John McCain he doesn't wish to share openly," said Roger Rubin, a New York graphologist with three decades of experience. "When you cover a stroke, it means you are hiding something," Rubin said.

Clinton's signature is readable, but lacks emotion and warmth -- the two Ls in Hillary are sticks rather than loops. The simplicity shows intellect and forcefulness. Her husband's signature, a bulbous, curvaceous scrawl, is rounder and more feminine. (Hence the gender-reversal thing.)

The H in John stands tall, a sign of pride, idealism and ambition. "He pushes very hard to get what he wants," Imberman said. "Look at the comma: It's a slash. There is his temper."

Conclusion: It's actually pretty easy to analyze handwriting when you already know everything about them.

Mother's day has come and gone but a De Smet woman isn't over the special day. Jenny Peterson is a mom and grandma reliving the holiday, along with the past 32 years, in a way she couldn't before.

Thirty-two years ago, a severe reaction to medication almost claimed her life. She survived, but it but took her vision instead... For 32 years she saw shadows. Then a medical procedure reversed the blindness.

"God blessed us beyond our wildest dreams; he blessed us," Peterson said.

The article doesn't mention why God waited 32 years to bless her. I guess he was just busy.

The signature sound of Velcro hook-and-loop tape being torn apart rippled along a parade route Tuesday to mark half a century since the Velcro brand was trademarked in the United States. Former and current employees of Manchester-based Velcro USA lined up for more than a kilometre and a half to rip apart 20-centimetre lengths of the company's famous fasteners.

Lorraine Thiem, who retired after 27 years as a weaving instructor, excitedly ripped and reattached her swatch in anticipation as she waited for the wave to reach her under a tent in the company's parking lot. She left the company 13 years ago but still feels a pang of pride whenever she spots a Velcro product.

"I think, 'I had a hand in making that,"' she said. "It's just wonderful."

The hook-and-loop tape has its roots in Mother Nature - Swiss engineer George de Mestral came up with the design in the 1940s after studying burrs that stuck to his dog's fur and his wool pants during a walk in the woods. He named his invention Velcro, a combination of "velour" and "crotchet," the French words for velvet and hook.

( image source)
Comments | Posted in General]]> 2008-05-14T14:48:00Z http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/dyed_dogs/ General Fifteen photos of Dogs With Dye Jobs.

Some people feel compelled to dye their dogs. I can't say that I understand this. Spare me the "I need my dog to match my outfit, couch, car" argument. It's a DOG - not an accessory. Maybe, just MAYBE if it is Halloween, I might give you a pass, but only then...

For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families: He has given up golf.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Thank you for that sacrifice, George.

If I remove my reading glasses or view it from a distance, it makes sense.

Half of the world's poor suffer from waterborne disease, and nearly 6,000 people - mainly children - die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water.

LifeStraw Personal is a portable water purifier for prevention of common diarrhoeal disease - can be carried around for easy access to safe and clean drinking water.

What caught my eye was a comment posted by Dan Marvin:

There is no such thing as an ex-Christian there are only false converts (stony ground hearer). If you can lose your salvation, then what do you do with John 10:28 where Jesus says he gives eternal life and the sheep will NEVER perish? If you can lose it then Jesus should have said, "and they may perish..." or "they CAN perish." But he said, THEY WILL NEVER PERISH. So, will they never perish? Or can they?

A true Christian cannot turn away from God. Here is why. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

When are these bible-thumpers going to understand that their arguments are meaningless? You can't convince a non-believer of anything by quoting from your holy book.

I'm going to go out on a limb and call it for Hillary Clinton. I think she stands to pick up at least 18 more delegates.

You'll see lots of red, white, and blue. A few mavericks incorporate yellow (for example, McCain, Huckabee, and Nixon). Others used green (Ralph Nader and Jimmy Carter). Humphrey used orange, and Brown used brown.

Here are the logos from 1976:

(via Cynical-C Blog)

George W. Bush is undoubtedly one of the most popular figures of current times. He's infamous for many things he misspoke and his views on how to handle national security. His ideology affected not only the United States, but the whole world in a major way. No wonder he's been on top of mind for many creatives and became the hero of numerous advertisements in the last few years.

Here is a collection of some of the most interesting ads that dissect his character in order to sell an idea or a product. You be the judge whether they are successful in achieving this objective.

Here's my favorite, an ad for a Mexican newspaper called Milenio. The tagline reads: "Such a complex world needs a good explanation."

(via AmericaBlog)

Chicken owners David and Julie Hewitt have spoken of their surprise at finding an egg the size of a tennis ball on their farm in Cornwall.

Here's a screen grab from the video:

Jorge Espinal, 44, was drinking beer and playing poker around 3 a.m. Sunday in his home in the 3500 block of Montague Street, when he got up from the table and walked into another room, said Fort Worth police Lt. Kenneth Dean.

"He told officers he had an itch on his back and grabbed the first thing he could get a hold of, which was a revolver," Lt. Dean said. "The gun went off."

Mr. Espinal went back and told his buddies that he shot himself. "They didn't believe him until they saw the blood coming down his back," Lt. Dean said.

He survived, and now he has a great story to tell.

As the housing market continues to struggle in many regions of the country; it becomes more difficult for home owners, home builders and realtors to get their homes sold. Sellers have to be aggressive and sometimes creative in how they can set their home apart from the rest and get it sold quicker.

An easy and fairly inexpensive fix that can make a big difference is updating door or cabinet hardware. Especially at the front door (the first contact a buyer will have with the home) a good impression is crucial.

In the entire history of civilization, how many people have bought a particular house because of the door knobs? I'm thinking five. Six, tops.

Centuries before Iraq and Afghanistan, George Washington created the Purple Heart to honor troops wounded in combat.

But with an increasing number of troops being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the modern military is debating an idea Gen. Washington never considered -- awarding one of the nation's top military citations to veterans with psychological wounds, not just physical ones.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered cautious support for such a change on a trip to a military base in Texas this month. "It's an interesting idea," Mr. Gates said in response to a question. "I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at."

Bob Mackey, a retired Army guy and veteran of two wars doesn't agree:

"The Purple Heart was meant to be a badge of honor to show you were wounded in battle. I've been in combat three times. There's stuff I've had to deal with. But it's substantially different from being physically hurt."

What if another soldier hurts your feelings? Does that count?

The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

And, of course, Jesus has paid a visit to each planet and died to save them from their alien sins.