27 December 2006
The Dam
The Dam
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania. This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.
SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
- Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
- A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity.
A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2006.
Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff.
Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.
We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.
=================================================
Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/02 has been handed to me to respond to.
I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane, Trout Run, Pennsylvania.
A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skilful use of nature�s building materials "debris." I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose.
I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
My first dam question to you is:
Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names. If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality, health problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone.
If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU.
RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS
15 December 2006
World's Tallest Man Saves Dolphin
Top photograph by Ren Yong/Xinhua Photo/AP Photo, bottom photograph from Reuters/China Daily
December 14, 2006—Who says superheroes don't exist?
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The world's tallest man has saved the lives of two dying dolphins in China by reaching deep into their stomachs to pull out pieces of plastic, official Chinese media reported on Thursday.
At an aquarium in the northeastern city of Fushun, doctors failed to remove the plastic with surgical instruments because the pieces were difficult to grasp, Xinhua news agency said. The arms of ordinary people were too short to reach the stomachs.
Bao Xishun, a 2.36 metre (7 foot 9 inch) herdsman who is listed by Guinness World Records as the tallest living man, was therefore summoned from the nearby Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, Xinhua reported.
In an operation shown on local television, a dozen men held the dolphins down while Bao slid his 1.06 metre (42 inch) long arm down their throats to grab the plastic. The dolphins are now recovering well, Xinhua said.
Bao, 55, reached his height in a seven-year growth spurt that began in his teens and which doctors cannot explain, according to Guinness. After a career in the army, where he was recruited for a basketball team, he returned to Inner Mongolia where he hires himself out for publicity stunts in addition to herding livestock.
07 December 2006
06 December 2006
A Pregnant Man? Oh My!
ANOTHER PERSON LIVED INSIDE A MAN FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES
Aug. 23, 2006 — Sanju Bhagat's stomach was once so swollen he looked nine months pregnant and could barely breathe.
Living in the city of Nagpur, India, Bhagat said he'd felt self-conscious his whole life about his big belly. But one night in June 1999, his problem erupted into something much larger than cosmetic worry.
An ambulance rushed the 36-year-old farmer to the hospital. Doctors thought he might have a giant tumor, so they decided to operate and remove the source of the bulge in his belly.
"Basically, the tumor was so big that it was pressing on his diaphragm and that's why he was very breathless," said Dr. Ajay Mehta of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. "Because of the sheer size of the tumor, it makes it difficult [to operate]. We anticipated a lot of problems."
Mehta said that he can usually spot a tumor just after he begins an operation. But while operating on Bhagat, Mehta saw something he had never encountered. As he cut deeper into Bhagat's stomach, gallons of fluid spilled out — and then something extraordinary happened.
"To my surprise and horror, I could shake hands with somebody inside," he said. "It was a bit shocking for me."
Removing the Mutated Body
One doctor recalled that day in the operating room.
"He just put his hand inside and he said there are a lot of bones inside," she said. "First, one limb came out, then another limb came out. Then some part of genitalia, then some part of hair, some limbs, jaws, limbs, hair."
Inside Bhagat's stomach was a strange, half-formed creature that had feet and hands that were very developed. Its fingernails were quite long.
"We were horrified. We were confused and amazed," Mehta said.
A Mutated Body Within a Body
At first glance, it may look as if Bhagat had given birth. Actually, Mehta had removed the mutated body of Bhagat's twin brother from his stomach. Bhagat, they discovered, had one of the world's most bizarre medical conditions — fetus in fetu. It is an extremely rare abnormality that occurs when a fetus gets trapped inside its twin. The trapped fetus can survive as a parasite even past birth by forming an umbilical cordlike structure that leaches its twin's blood supply until it grows so large that it starts to harm the host, at which point doctors usually intervene.
According to Mehta, there are fewer than 90 cases of fetus in fetu recorded in medical literature.
Fetus in fetu happens very early in a twin pregnancy, when one fetus wraps around and envelops the other. The dominant fetus grows, while the fetus that would have been its twin lives on throughout the pregnancy, feeding off its host twin like a kind of parasite. Usually, both twins die before birth from the strain of sharing a placenta.
Sometimes, however, as in Bhagat's case, the host twin survives and is delivered. What makes his case so unusual is that no one suspected Bhagat had a twin inside him for 36 years.
Bhagat said he was very much relieved after his operation. He was not interested in knowing what Mehta did to him or seeing what he had removed from his abdomen.
"He didn't want to see it because it was looking very ghastly," Mehta said.
Avoiding the Gory Details
There was no placenta inside Bhagat — the enveloped parasitic twin had connected directly to Bhagat's blood supply. Right after the surgery, Bhagat's pain and inability to breathe disappeared and he recovered immediately.
The case may have been a medical miracle to doctors, but to Bhagat his condition had been a source of shame and misery. All his life, people in the village where he lived had mercilessly teased him and told him he looked pregnant. Ironically, they were right in a way.
Today Bhagat is in good health and leads a normal life, but he still gets teased occasionally.
"They still ridicule him. What they say is, you went for an operation and you had the baby," Mehta said.
*Related: For More Information on Fetus in Fetu
Flatulence Forces Plane to Land
Plane Forced to Land After Passenger Passes Gas, Lights Match to Cover Scent
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Dec 6, 2006 (AP)— An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.
The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after several passengers reported smelling burning sulfur from the matches, said Lynne Lowrance, spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew members were taken off and screened while the plane was searched and luggage was screened.
The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal a "body odor," Lowrance said. She had an unspecified medical condition, authorities said.
"It's humorous in a way but you feel sorry for the individual, as well," she said. "It's unusual that someone would go to those measures to cover it up."
The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane. The woman, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident.
05 December 2006
13 November 2006
Mrs. Betty Bowers' Words of Christian Concern for Ted Haggard's Delicious Disgrace
Check out this absolutely hilarious bit of "shamless schadenfreude" It's got me in stiches!
http://www.bettybowers.com/nl_nov2006.html
Excerpt:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Delighted Snickers:
I suspect that this will be a rather uncomfortable weekend at the Ted Haggard tax-free mansion. You see, Reverend Haggard is a vociferous spokesperson against gay marriage and, until yesterday, his wife probably had no idea she was actually in one.
Oh, I can hear some of you gals used to being around florists and Governors of New Jersey -- and Texas -- cackling. You think I'm selling the woman's intuition for pushily obvious queenery short. But if Haggard's unblinking congregation could sit and listen to such a liturgical Liberace week after week and not realize they were in the presence of someone who makes Barry Manilow in a full-length mink look butch, they really need to recalibrate their ability to detect prescription-strength doses of flamboyance. Because if you can't tell that Haggard is not just gay, but marabou mules wearing gay, you must have bought your refurbished Gaydar at the same kiosk Tom Cruise got his E-meter.
read on . . . http://www.bettybowers.com/nl_nov2006.html
26 September 2006
Bill Clinton/Fox News (Chris Wallace Interview) Pt. 1
| President Bill Clinton taped an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, which aired today. He was told the interview would focus on his nonpartisan efforts to raise over $7 billion to combat the world’s biggest problems. Early in the interview, Wallace attempted to smear Clinton with the same kind of misinformation contained in ABC’s Path to 9/11. Clinton was having none of it. For the complete transcript visit: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/22/clinton-fox/ Additional reporting: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/23/fox-clarke-demoted/ Original Source: http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/ | |
15 September 2006
Bush to hold talks on Ali G creator after diplomatic row
Bush to hold talks on Ali G creator after diplomatic row
Daily Mail - 12th September 2006
US President George Bush is to host White House talks on British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.
Cohen, 35, creator of Ali G, has infuriated the Kazakhstan government with his portrayal of Borat, a bumbling Kazakh TV presenter.
And now a movie of Borat's adventures in the US has caused a diplomatic incident.
The opening scene, which shows Borat lustily kissing his sister goodbye and setting off for America in a car pulled by a horse, had audiences in stitches when it was first shown last week.
But the film, which has just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, has prompted a swift reaction from the Kazakhstan government, which is launching a PR blitz in the States.
Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev is to fly to the US to meet President Bush in the coming weeks and on the agenda will be his country's image.
President Nazarbayev has confirmed his government will buy "educational" TV spots and print advertisements about the "real Kazakhstan" in a bid to save the country's reputation before the film is released in the US in November.
President Nazarbayev will visit the White House and the Bush family compound in Maine when he flies in for talks that will include the fictional character Borat.
But a spokesman for the Kazakhstan Embassy says it is unlikely that President Nazarbayev will find the film funny.
Roman Vassilenko said: "The Government has expressed its displeasure about Borat's representation of our country.
"Our opinion of the character has not changed.
"We understand that the film exposes the hypocrisy that exists both here in the USA and in the UK and understand that Mr Cohen has a right to freedom of speech.
"Nursultan Nazarbayev has taken Mr Bush up on an invitation to visit this country to help build our relationship with the USA.
"I cannot speak for the president himself, only for the government, but I certainly don't think President Nazarbayev and Mr Bush will share a joke about the film.
"The bottom line is we want people to know that he does not represent the true people of Kazakhstan."
The Kazakh government has previously threatened Baron-Cohen with legal action, for allowing Borat to, among other things, make fun of his homeland, demean women, slander gypsies and urge listeners to "Throw the Jew Down the Well."
Anti-Borat hard-liners have pulled the plug on borat.kz, Borat's Kazakhstan-based Website after his frequent displays of anti-Semitism and his portrayal of Kazakh culture.
Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies took the action after complaints.
He said: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name.
"He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains."
The row originally erupted in November 2005, following Borat's hosting of the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon.
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry was furious over Cohen's bad taste representation of the nation.
'No such thing as bad publicity'
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev told a news conference: "We view Mr. Cohen's behaviour at the MTV Europe Music Awards as utterly unacceptable, being a concoction of bad taste and ill manners which is completely incompatible with the ethics and civilized behaviour of Kazakhstan's people.
"We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind."
Baron Cohen responded to Ashykbayev in character by posting a video on the Official Borat website.
In the video, Borat said, "In response to Mr. Ashykbayev's comments, I'd like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew.
"Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world.
"Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats, and age of consent has been raised to eight years old."
His blatant outpouring then prompted the Kazakh government to hire two public relations firms to counter the claims, and ran a four-page advertisement in The New York Times.
The ad carried testimonials about the nation's democracy, education system and the power and influence enjoyed by women. News of President Nazarbayev's upcoming visit has prompted experts to study the character's impact on US culture.
Sean R. Roberts, Central Asian Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University, has been studying the phenomenon.
He said: "I have found that more Americans are aware of Kazakhstan than four years ago when I last lived in the United States.
"The increased knowledge of Kazakhstan, however, is not due to the country's economic successes or its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror.
"Instead, most Americans who have heard of Kazakhstan have heard of it through a satire of a Kazakh journalist named Borat.
"Borat certainly does not promote an image of Kazakhstan that is in sync with that which the government and its leader would like to promote abroad.
"As the old adage goes, however, 'there is no such thing as bad publicity.'
"If that is true, Borat is bringing much more publicity to Kazakhstan."
Cohen's representatives refused to allow him or his alter ego to respond to the controversy because it's not close enough to the film's release date.
Latest Bushism
bushisms
Bushism of the Day
By Jacob Weisberg
Posted Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006, at 5:29 PM ET
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."—Interview with CBS News, Washington D.C., Sept. 6, 2006
The Bushism is at 4:48.
Got a Bushism? Send it to bushisms@slate.com.
For more, see "The Complete Bushisms."
Jacob Weisberg is editor of Slate and co-author, with Robert E. Rubin, of In an Uncertain World.
Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2149504/
Copyright 2006 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC
Watch the video - he really says it - straight faced and it was not a mistake
14 August 2006
11 July 2006
The Shadowy World of Disco Puppetry
Watch this grocery store stock boy, who obviously has way too much time on his hands (pun unintended), bring the 70s back to life on the inside of a cardboard box. (click on title above for video).
06 July 2006
08 June 2006
Phish 20th Anniversary Video Montage
05 June 2006
02 June 2006
U.S. Mint Employee Disciplined For Putting Own Face On Nickels
Source: the ONION BEST OF YESTERDAY'S NEWS
20 May 2006
BOOKS I'VE READ . . . AM READING . . . WILL READ
BOOKS I'VE RECENTLY READ
1. The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7) by Stephen King, Michael Whelan (Illustrator)
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
http://www.stephenking.com/DarkTower/
2. Gag Rule: On the Suppression of Dissent and Stifling of Democracy by Lewis H. Lapham
In this first serious book by the award-winning columnist in more than a decade, Lapham issues a call to action in defense of one of our most important liberties — the right to raise our voices against the powers that be and have those voices heard.
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-0143035029-2
3. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Ever wanted to know how to build a cathedral? Here's how.
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-0451166892-8
BOOKS I AM READING
1. Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer by Tracy Kidder
Think its impossible for one man to save the world? Read this tale about Paul Farmer and the work he is doing in Haiti.
http://www.pih.org/index.html
2. Operation Shylock: A Confession by Philip Roth
Zionism or Disasporism? That is the question.
http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-0679750290-0
3. Between a Rock and Hard Place by Aron Ralston
Would you have the cajones to do it? At first I thought "Yes. Of course. I'd cut my hand off with a dull pocket knife to save my life." The more I think about it however, I am not sure that I would have if put in that situation. Tough to tell.
BOOKS I WILL READ
1. Haunted: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk
Stephen King once said in an interview, "I want to hurt people [through my writing.]" If you've read 'Pet Semetary' or 'Misery' you might agree that he is a success.
But Chuck Palahniuk, author of 'Fight Club,' 'Lullaby,' and others, REALLY DOES HURT YOU! This is the kind of writing that gets deep under your skin and gives you the shivers. Cool!
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/21702
2. The Nasty Bits : Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones by Anthony Bourdain
My two favourite memoirs about travel and food by a maniacal chef? 'Kitchen Confidential,' and 'A Cooks Tour' hands down! I am certain that 'The Nasty Bits' will make that list. Check this dude out if you have not read his books or seen him on the Travel Channel.
http://www.anthonybourdain.com/
18 May 2006
Build a Better Bush
This helps. Trust me. Click on "Build a Better Bush" above to build one yourself.
09 May 2006
“We Went to War with the Leadership we Had, Not the One we Needed”
On May 1, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) released the following statement in rememberance of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Note: if you have not yet read the October 2005 Rolling Stone article about Rep. Emanuel titled "The Enforcer" I encourage you to do so. You can access the article at: http://www.rollingstone.come/politics/story/8091986/the_enforcer
And now, the May 1 press release . . .
“In honor of today's Mission Accomplished anniversary, allow me to remind the President of some of his "accomplishements" in Iraq:“Predicting that the Iraq conflict would take no more than five months, that our troops would be greeted as liberators, that stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction would be found, and that Iraqi oil would finance the reconstruction.
“Ignoring Paul Bremer’s call for additional troops on the ground in the days following the invasion, leading to widespread looting, destruction of infrastructure, the escape of Baath Party officials and the development of a sustained insurgency.
“Failing to provide sufficient vehicle armor and body armor to protect American lives.Missing an opportunity to capture Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2002 and again in 2004.
“Allowing Iraq to become a haven for terrorism.
“Projecting the cost of the war would be $50 to $60 billion, when in reality – factoring in the cost of Afghanistan – current estimates are closer to $800 billion.
“Allowing the dereliction of leadership at Abu Ghraib, leading to systemic prisoner abuse.
“Failing to restore electricity and water to significant portions of Baghdad and Iraq.
“Losing track of $10 Billion that went missing from no-bid reconstruction contracts. Overstraining National Guard and Reserves resources.
“Neglecting homeland security, leading to 12 D’s, 5 F’s, and 2 incompletes from the 9/11 Commission.
“Since the President landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared victory, we’ve lost 2,260 American lives, and current estimates project costs at $800 billion. Clearly we went to war with the leadership we had, not the one we needed.”
01 May 2006
Stephen Colbert Roasts Bush at the Annual White House Correspndents Dinner
27 April 2006
Demonic Tots and Deeply Disturbing Cuisine
My brother Dan sent me a link to this site a while back. I have not visited it in months, but it haunts me. These advertising photos of Demonic Tots (ie. creepy kids) and Deeply Disturbing Cuisine (ie. creepy food) are totally wild. I don't know what they were putting in the water in the 50's, but it sure gave these kids some freaky Kubrick eyes.
18 April 2006
The Year in Bushisms 2006, by Garry Trudeau
It's that time of year again, for the eagerly anticipated G.B. Trudeau Sunday strip of his favorite "Bushisms" from the previous 12 months. While not quite as good as 2004 and 2005, these are still plenty funny . . . and disturbing. I especially like the December 12, 2005 address to U.S. forces in Iraq: "I believe we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome."
14 April 2006
What if the Venus probe flew off course and crashed into Uranus?
Venus probe sends back first images
Swirling clouds seen on planet's south pole
Updated: 4:07 p.m. ET April 13, 2006
BERLIN - European scientists released new photos of Venus’ south pole Thursday, revealing a swirling mass of sulfuric acid clouds powered by 220 mph winds.
The clouds, 13 miles deep, completely enclose Venus. The new images of the planet’s south pole, which is turned away from Earth, closely resemble those of its more familiar north pole.
The images, taken from the European Space Agency’s orbiting Venus Express spacecraft from a distance of roughly 124,000 miles, show pale clouds turning around a dark vortex.
For more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12302630/from/ET/
THE IRAN PLANS
THE IRAN PLANS
Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?
by SEYMOUR M. HERSH
(Posted 2006-04-08)
The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The officials say that President Bush is determined to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity to begin a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich uranium.
For the rest of this article, goto: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact
10 April 2006
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2005
This is a really interesting glimpse into the (online) minds of the public this past year. Though far from scientific, it provides a nice snapshot of our collective concerns. sjt
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2005
Based on M-W.com online lookups, the #1 Word of the Year for 2005 was:
1. integrity
Pronunciation: in-'te-gr&-tE Function: nounEtymology: Middle English integrite, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French integrité, from Latin integritat-, integritas, from integr-, integer entire1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY2 : an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESSsynonym see HONESTY
The rest of the list . . .
2. refugee 3. contempt 4. filibuster 5. insipid 6. tsunami 7. pandemic 8. conclave 9. levee 10. inept
I'm ANIMAL. What Muppet are you?
You Are Animal |
 A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!" |
07 April 2006
I'm Mexican Food! What kind of food are you?
You Are Mexican Food |
 Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you. |
Man in the Dark
