Hamless Pig Can Still Walk

In China: Pig learns to walk on two legs.

The 10-month-old porker is known by villagers as "Zhu Jianqiang" (Strong-willed Pig) after it was born with only two front legs and learned to balance on them well enough to walk.

Several days after its birth Wang decided to train the two-legged piglet to walk by lifting it up by its tail.

He said: "I trained her for a while each day. After 30 days she can now walk upside down quite well."

Wrestler Settles With Cocoa Pebbles

Finally it's settled and life can go on: Hulk Hogan's 'Cocoa Pebbles' Commercial Lawsuit Settled.

Hulk Hogan has reached a settlement with cereal manufacturer Post Foods LLC, according to Hogan's attorney Joseph W. Bain.

Hogan sued Post Foods back in May over a TV commercial for Cocoa Pebbles cerea, titled "Cocoa Smashdown" featured a blond-haired wrestler with a championship belt and Fu Manchu mustache that bore a striking resemblance to Hogan and was produced without Hogan's knowledge or consent, according to the suit.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the commercial will no longer be aired and the lawsuit is being dismissed.

According to the federal lawsuit, Hulk "is shown humiliated and cracked into pieces with broken teeth, with the closing banner, 'Little Pieces…BIG TASTE!'" He also claims that he has been harmed by "the unauthorized and degrading depictions in the Cocoa Smashdown advertisements."

40,000 Hangers

This is from 2002, but it's worth reading: High court hang-ups.

A most extraordinary trial is going on in the High Court at the moment in which a man named Chrysler is accused of stealing more than 40,000 coat hangers from hotels round the world.

Here's an excerpt:

Counsel: Now, Mr Chrysler – for let us assume that that is your name – you are accused of purloining in excess of 40,000 hotel coat hangers.

Chrysler: I am.

Counsel: Can you explain how this came about?

Chrysler: Yes. I had 40,000 coats which I needed to hang up.

Counsel: Is that true?

Chrysler: No.

Counsel: Then why did you say it?

Chrysler: To attempt to throw you off balance.

Counsel: Off balance?

Chrysler: Certainly. As you know, all barristers seek to undermine the confidence of any hostile witness, or defendant. Therefore it must be equally open to the witness, or defendant, to try to shake the confidence of a hostile barrister.

And part II: There's no place like a hotel.

(Thanks Curtis)

Bacon From Bacon

Edible art: Artist Makes Kevin Bacon Statue Out of Bacon.

Actually, it's not edible:

"Bacon Kevin Bacon has been well-lacquered and will stay tasty for generations to come. He's not edible, just meant to be admired."

If you want it, it's being sold on eBay.

Bad Postcards

A blog devoted to bad postcards: Bad Postcards.

This one reminds me of the days when you could send postcards from a plane.

(Thanks L)

Congress Fixing TV

Apparently, lawmakers are working hard in Washington DC, and addressing issues vital to the future of our nation: Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials.

Legislation to turn down the volume on those loud TV commercials that send couch potatoes diving for their remote controls looks like it'll soon become law.

The Senate unanimously passed a bill late Wednesday to require television stations and cable companies to keep commercials at the same volume as the programs they interrupt.

The House has passed similar legislation. Before it can become law, minor differences between the two versions have to be worked out when Congress returns to Washington after the Nov. 2 election.

With any luck, you'll notice the change in 2013.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., requires the FCC to adopt those recommendations as regulations within a year and begin enforcing them a year later. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., is the driving force behind the bill in the House.

OK Congress, how about a law forbidding those stupid logos in the bottom right corner?

Rosary Month

Today marks the beginning of Rosary Month.

Catholics celebrate this month the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Rosary is prayed by meditating the mysteries of the life and death of Jesus Christ. These mysteries are Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous.

Related: Parishioner can’t imagine a day without praying rosary.

Charles Lee is never far from a rosary. There are three or four on an end table next to his recliner. He keeps one on a kitchen cabinet and a few more next to his bed. He seems always to have one or two in his pocket wherever he goes.

Just in case he forgets, there is another in the glove compartment of his pickup, which, by the way, has a bumper sticker squarely in the middle of the tailgate that reads, “Pray the Rosary.”

If you think rosaries are too expensive, you haven't shopped at St. Patrick's Guild lately. You can snag a white plastic luminous string rosary for only $0.55 (shown here). It seems to be a decent rosary.

Yet another option: a Steering Wheel Rosary.

Now drivers can pray while keeping both hands on the wheel, said Kneeskern, a member of Ss. Joseph & Cabrini Parish in Richland. The idea has been in the works for about six years and developed while the Richland resident drove to and from work, about a 15- to 20-minute commute each way. He knew of people who recited the rosary on their commutes to work, but he didn't think it was safe to be thumbing a rosary and driving at the same time.

Affirmations

From bmindful, the positive affirmation community: Popular Positive Affirmation.

• Wealth is pouring into my life.
• I am fit, healthy and attractive.
• I radiate love and happiness.
• My possibilities are endless.
• I will remain confident and unaffected by negative attitudes around me
• I am confident
• My inner vision is always clear and focused.
• I am worthy of love.
• Today, I will concentrate on taking one step forward, however small
• I possess an endless supply of creativity, energy and tolerance for any project that I assume.
• The riches of the universe come to me effortlessly
• I gratefully accept all the health, wealth and happiness that the universe pours into me every day.
• I deserve love, success and happiness

The theory is, if you repeat these words, they will come true. Seems reasonable to me.

Banjo Contest

Some guy playing a banjo in some contest. My understanding is that the winner was chosen based on his hat.

Scouting And Music

An article from Scouting Magazine: How to talk to your guys about the dilemma of downloading.

Part of the problem, Aretz says, lies in the Internet’s free-for-all nature, where users get all sorts of content free—even information from newspapers that they would have to pay for in the real world.

The internet isn't real? And then there are the damn musicians!

Bands like Radiohead have further complicated the situation by giving their music away or offering it on a “pay what you want” basis.

So how can Scouters teach ethical behavior related to music downloading?

One way: Set a good example.

When you haul around Scouts in your car, for example, only play CDs that you’ve purchased. If you play CDs that you’ve burned—even if they’re legal—your Scouts may not recognize the difference between those and the pirated CDs friends have given them.

(via Techdirt)

Changing The STREET SIGNS

In the interest of readability: $27 million to change NYC signs from all-caps.

Federal copy editors are demanding the city change its 250,900 street signs -- such as these for Perry Avenue in The Bronx -- from the all-caps style used for more than a century to ones that capitalize only the first letters.

Changing BROADWAY to Broadway will save lives, the Federal Highway Administration contends in its updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, citing improved readability.

At $110 per sign, it will also cost the state $27.6 million, city officials said.

"We have already started replacing the signs in The Bronx," city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan told The Post. 'We will have 11,000 done by the end of this fiscal year, and the rest finished by 2018."

Why?

Studies have shown that it is harder to read all-caps signs, and those extra milliseconds spent staring away from the road have been shown to increase the likelihood of accidents, particularly among older drivers, federal documents say.

The new regulations also require a change in font from the standard highway typeface to Clearview, which was specially developed for this purpose.

More about the Clearview Typeface.

I you want to make your own easy-to-read signs, you can license the complete ClearviewHwy Font Family for as little as $795.

(Thanks xsjsx)

Weekend Open Mic 20101001

Hi.

Advances In Movie Rentals

Crazy stuff: Sony, Warner, Disney Planning $30 Home Film-Viewing Option.

Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Co. are in talks with the largest cable TV systems to offer films for as much as $30 per showing soon after they run in theaters.

The studios are talking with In Demand, a partnership of Cox Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc., Bob Benya, chief executive officer of In Demand, said in an interview.

Hollywood studios have been looking for ways to generate additional sales from movies as DVD purchases decline. A so- called “premium” service would let consumers see movies on TV without waiting as long as the typical three to four months for DVDs or cable companies’ $4 or so on-demand showings.

It probably goes without saying that you won't be able to record these movies.

Is there such a thing as a movie so good that you didn't see it at the theater -- but you can't wait 3-4 months for the DVD? I don't think so.

Stupid Newspaper Tricks

Apparently, the L.A. Times still has some subscribers. The Wednesday edition of the newspaper was encased in an ad for a TV show that looked like the actual newspaper:

See: Readers respond to ad's fake front page.

The ad, which readers discovered after unfolding the page, was for the TV show “Law & Order Los Angeles.” The actual front page, with a lead story about the debate between gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown, was just behind the ad.

Nancy Sullivan, The Times' vice president for communications, said: "The Times collaborated with NBC to launch 'Law & Order Los Angeles' in a big, creative way for the hometown audience. This is an exciting, innovative ad that takes the show’s beloved, 20-year 'ripped from the headlines' concept and puts it front and center for Southern California."

Subscribers weren't happy with this stunt. For example, one of them wrote:

“Today's paper has a full page ad with a fake headline and police tape over NBC. I work in Burbank, and every single person in our office and stopped and picked up the paper in concern. It is in extremely poor taste and offensive for those who have been victims of non-fake violent crimes.”

The L.A. Times newspaper will eventually fold. They're probably hastening their own demise with this sort of thing.

Five Types of Humans

From Elsie and Ralph Benedicts's 1921 book: How to Analyze People on Sight.

Human Analysis differs from every other system of character analysis in that it classifies man, for the first time, into five types according to his biological evolution.

It deals with man in the light of the most recent scientific discoveries. It estimates each individual according to his "human" qualities rather than his "character" or so-called "moral" qualities. In other words, it takes his measure as a human being and determines from his externals his chances for success in the world of today

These types are:

• The Alimentive Type ("The Enjoyer")
• The Thoracic Type ("The Thriller")
• The Muscular Type ("The Worker")
• The Osseous Type ("The Stayer")
• The Cerebral Type ("The Thinker")

These types can also be combined. For example, you might encounter a Thoracic-Osseous.

Here's a small excerpt that describes vocational options the Cerebral Type.

The brain system is large in all men and women who achieve distinction in writing, or in other lines where the brain does most of the work. Unless combined with the Muscular, this man writes much better than he talks and usually avoids speech-making.

If he is a pure Cerebral his ideas and writings, however brilliant, will seldom bring him financial independence unless he gets a Muscular, Thoracic or Alimentive business manager and strictly follows his directions.

The Cerebral can work in any locality, partly from the fact that every spot in the world interests him. But he should avoid ranches, livestock farms, lumber camps, construction gangs, ditch-digging and saw-milling jobs, for he lacks the physical strength to stand up to them

The book is available in several formats, including Kindle.