Laura Turner Garrison: "Oregon Trail Diseases: Where Are They Now?" (Mental Floss)
If you grew up playing the game Oregon Trail, you know how easy it is to die along the way, from dysentery, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid, or the measles. Hey, at least you learned about the diseases, right? Mental floss takes a look at how bad those diseases really were at the time the West was being settled, and how far we've come in the treatment, prevention, and eradication of them today. Isn't medical science great?
Andrew Tobias: Nine Cheers for the 'New York Times'
"It was all predicted, but the unanimous decision by Senate Republicans on Tuesday to filibuster and thus kill President Obama's jobs bill was still a breathtaking act of economic vandalism. There are 14 million people out of work, wages are falling, poverty is rising, and a second recession may be blowing in, but not a single Republican would even allow debate on a sound plan to cut middle-class taxes and increase public-works spending." - 'New York Times' Editorial
Jim Hightower: Malicious merger merchants strike again
The top five "leaders" are bailing out of Temple-Inland with a total of $162 million to cushion their fall from the corporate pinnacle. Not so fortunate are some 10,000 of the corporation's common workers, who were abandoned to the Merciless God of Mergers, which always requires sacrifices of jobs in these situations.
Mike Cooney: "6 Things They Say Hurt Careers (That Statistics Say Help)" (Cracked)
… workers who frequently visit bars to drink away their problems must be making less than their hardworking coworkers who stay late at the office, right?
Not so, says the Journal of Labor Research. Their studies found that social drinkers earned 7 percent more, and people who frequented bars on a regular basis earned a whopping 10 to 14 percent more, than non-drinkers.
18 Examples of Amazing Long-Exposure Photography (weburbanist.com)
Streaks of light, trailing stars, smoothly swirling water, surreal color gradients and stretched wisps of cloud - all of these effects are possible using a long-duration shutter speed when taking a photograph.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Quartz
Charlie responded:
Quartz (silicon dioxide). Perhaps not surprising considering that is what sand is most commonly composed of.
Marian wrote:
quartz
Sally said:
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar.
PS: @JoeS, I watched 20/20 last night, how very sad! The White man steals the Native American land, as well as mineral rights, and sends them to live in the "Bad Lands," in exchange for providing high starch foods in lieu of crops. Living as isolated as they are, with no jobs, surprise, surprise, alcohol is allowed to be sold right at the edge of the reservation (the State Government provides alcohol licenses) and alcoholism becomes rampant there. Screwed again! Beautiful people, with no financial future in sight. Sad beyond words...
Kudos to Subway Sandwiches for opening stores on the reservation, providing nutritious food, and jobs!
PPS: If my show is NOT on because of a baseball game, I will scream so loudly, you will all hear me - and I am not joking!!! This is war, Mr 'bad to the ball' Bob!! (Okay, I still love him, but really... Is he feeling MY pain??)
Adam answered:
Dirt? No...Feldspar.
Dale of Where in the hell are all the Diamonds in the Springs, CA!!!!!!! replied:
I'm pretty sure I have the correct answer. The most common individual mineral is quartz. The most numerous minerals are the feldspar group of minerals (microcline, orthoclase, sanidine, etc.). I know that there is a lot of Fool's Gold in the Gold Country of the Sierras. We've got too many fucking Gold Prospectors trying to dredge up our rivers which creates hell on the ecosystems in NorCal.
MAM wrote:
Quartz. I am an amateur rock collector and have a beautiful rose quartz that my daughter brought me from New Mexico that looks much like the one in the picture. My kids have moaned and groaned about having to move their mother and her 'boxes of rocks' numerous times in the past. Favorite is what we call a 'skunk rock' . . . a black stone with a white stripe running through it.
BttbB wrote:
Quartz according to this link... and
this one... However, one could argue that it is #1 and Aluminum Oxide is #2 referencing a table in
this link... ... Let the debate rage!... Meanwhile, Alas, the Texas Rangers, aided by the sulphuric presence of 'Dubya' sitting in the front row near home plate (No Fair!), handily defeated the Detroit Tigers and will advance to the World Series... 'X-Factor' fans note: Faux will televise the Series in prime time starting next week... Thanks, Tigers, for the run. I console myself knowing that at least you beat the Yankees in the first round to get as far as you did...
And, Joe S replied:
Quartz. I'm so upset about the Tigers loss and the cheating umpires that I can't think of anything else to say. Dammit.
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Amazing Race', then a FRESH'The Good Wife', followed by a FRESH'CSI: The 2nd One'.
NBC fills the night with LIVE'Sunday Night Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe an old 'Dateline'.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then a FRESH'Desperate Housewives', followed by a FRESH'Pan Am'.
The CW offers an old 'Friends', followed by another old 'Friends', then the movie 'The X-Men'.
Faux was expecting to fill the night with FRESH'MLB Playoffs', so they will probably roll some old RERUN'Simpsons', 'Family Guy', 'Cleveland Show', and 'American Dad'.
MY has an old 'How I Met Your Mother', another 'How I Met Your Mother', 'Big Bang Theory', another 'Big Bang Theory', still another 'Big Bang Theory', and yet another 'Big Bang Theory'.
AMC offers 'The Walking Dead', another 'The Walking Dead', followed by the SEASON PREMIERE'The Walking Dead', and another 'The Walking Dead'.
BBC -
[5:30 AM] Free Agents - Episode 4
[6:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 8
[7:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[8:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[9:00 AM] All About Apes - All About Apes
[10:00 AM] Serpent - Serpent
[11:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 6
[12:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 7
[1:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 8
[2:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[3:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[4:00 PM] 24 Hours in the ER - Episode 3
[5:00 PM] 24 Hours in the ER - Episode 4
[6:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 5 The Curry Lounge
[7:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 1 Handlebar
[8:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 2 Giuseppi's
[9:00 PM] Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
[11:30 PM] Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
[2:00 AM] Bedlam - Ep 3 - Inmates
[3:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[4:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 4
[5:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 6 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of NJ', another 'Real Housewives Of NJ', still another 'Real Housewives Of NJ', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of NJ'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Shallow Hal', 'Gabriel Iglesias: Hot & Fluffy', 'Tosh.0', and 'South Park'.
FX has the movie 'What Happens In Vegas', followed by the movie 'The Proposal'.
History has 'IRT Deadliest Roads', another 'IRT Deadliest Roads', followed by a FRESH'IRT Deadliest Roads', then a FRESH'Around The World In 80 Ways'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Exam
[8:15AM] Cache
[10:45AM] The Skeptic
[12:45PM] Freaks and Geeks - Pilot
[1:45PM] Freaks and Geeks - Beers and Weirs
[2:45PM] Freaks and Geeks - Tricks and Treats
[3:45PM] Undeclared - Pilot
[4:15PM] Exam
[6:30PM] Horsemen
[8:30PM] The Dark Half
[11:00PM] Onion News Network - Missing Baby Kate
[11:30PM] Onion News Network - Missing Baby Kate
[12:00AM] Dark Ride
[2:00AM] The Dark Half
[4:30AM] Freaks and Geeks - Pilot
[5:30AM] Undeclared - Pilot (ALL TIMES EST)
Fashion Stylist Rachel Zoe (L) and singer Stevie Nicks (R) pose together at The Clinton Foundation Gala in celebration of the organization's "Decade of Difference" in Los Angeles October 14, 2011.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan kept it simple and sweet. She was eight months into a nine-month assignment in Kuwait, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had just informed Congress that the U.S. armed forces were ready to integrate openly gay troops.
Morgan decided the time was right to come out to her commander. The photograph of her wife and 4-year-old daughter she kept hidden on her desk helped her do it.
"I said, 'Sir, I would like to introduce you to someone. This is my family,'" Morgan recalled of her July conversation with her boss, an Army colonel leading a 2,400-solider brigade. "He said, 'Charlie, you have a beautiful family. You know, "don't ask, don't tell" prevented me from getting to know you.'"
Nearly four weeks after the U.S. lifted its ban on open service by gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, similar stories of secret-shedding, relief and acceptance were swapped Saturday at the first-ever national convention of gay military personnel on active duty.
Actress Rosanna Arquette arrives at The Clinton Foundation Gala in Honor of "A Decade of Difference", at The Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011.
Photo by Kristian Dowling
What's in a name? In Woody Allen's case, it could be the difference between mass confusion and commercial success.
The filmmaker announced Thursday that he has changed the title of his latest feature film, from "The Bob Decameron" to "Nero Fiddled."
"I couldn't believe how few people had heard of 'The Decameron,' even in Rome," Allen noted of the production, which filmed this summer in Rome. "And the few that did assumed the movie was based on Boccaccio's tales, which it's not.
"Anyhow," Allen cracked, "I changed the title to 'Nero Fiddled,' which is the first time I've changed a title since my last minute switch of 'Anhedonia' to 'Annie Hall.'"
TNT announced Friday that it had canceled the series after two seasons. "The network thanks everyone involved in the production of 'Memphis Beat' for their work on the series, including the great cast and crew," it said in a statement. "TNT wishes everyone the best."
The series starred Jason Lee as Dwight Hendricks, a Memphis police detective and music enthusiast whose laid-back demeanor rankles his boss, straightlaced Lt. Tanya Rice (played by Alfre Woodard.) George Clooney served as one of the series' executive producers.
"Memphis Beat" is the latest in a string of cancellations for TNT, which in recent months has axed "Men of a Certain Age" and "Hawthorne."
A man behind two motorcycle police officers holds a sign in front of a Bank of America as Occupy Los Angeles protesters march in the Protest Against Corporate Greed on their International Day of Action in Los Angeles, California October 15, 2011. Demonstrators rallied on Saturday across the world to accuse bankers and politicians of wrecking economies, but only in Rome did the global "day of rage" erupt into violence. Galvanized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, the protests began in New Zealand, rippled east to Europe and were expected to return to their starting point in New York. Demonstrations touched most European capitals and other cities.
Photo by David McNew
"Dallas" star Larry Hagman is battling cancer, but will still take part in TNT's reboot of the series, he announced Friday.
TV Guide first reported the 80 year-old actor's diagnosis. He said he will still play J.R. Ewing in the upcoming series while receiving treatment.
"As J.R. I could get away with anything -- bribery, blackmail and adultery," Hagman said in a statement. "But I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to know that it is a very common and treatable form of cancer. I will be receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series. I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love. Besides, as we all know, you can't keep J.R. down!"
The series will also feature fellow "Dallas" veterans Patrick Duffy, who plays Bobby Ewing and Linda Gray's Sue Ellen Ewing.
It was supposed to be Robert Downey Jr.'s night, but somehow Friday's American Cinematheque Award ceremony became all about Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson.
When the evening's honoree took to the stage at the Beverly Hills Hilton to accept his doorstop, he had a clear message for Hollywood.
"I urge you to forgive my friend his trespasses," Downey said to loud applause. "Allow him to pursue this art without shame."
It was Gibson who handed out the award to the "Iron Man" star. That was a choice Downey made clear he had made in part to help his friend rehabilitate his image.
Actress Geena Davis arrives at The Clinton Foundation Gala in Honor of "A Decade of Difference", at The Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011.
Photo by Kristian Dowling
Apparently, Texas governor and presidential hopeful Rick Perry married someone just as skillful at thinking before speaking as is he. Soul mates, as it were. Anita Perry, campaigning on behalf of her husband in South Carolina Friday, commiserated with a man who spoke of losing his job in the present economy. She noted that her family understood the pain of the unemployed in America, because her son was recently unemployed due to policies of the Obama administration.
"My son had to resign his job because of federal regulations that Washington has put on us," she told the man, who had recently lost his $100,000 job and was now working as a $12 per hour handyman, according to CNN .
"He resigned his job two weeks ago because he can't go out and campaign with his father because of SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] regulations," she added, referring to her son, Griffin, who until a few weeks ago, worked at Deutsche Bank. "He has a wife... he's trying to start a business. So I can empathize."
This is where sound effects of screeching tires or a visual of someone doing an overly melodramatic double-take -- or both -- occur in a satiric relating of the story. Followed, of course, by the obligatory, "She said what?"
Actress Jane Fonda (R) and music producer Richard Perry arrive at The Clinton Foundation Gala in celebration of the "Decade of Difference" in Los Angeles October 14, 2011.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi has reached a deal on drug charges that allows him to avoid jail time.
Big Boi appeared in a Miami courtroom Thursday as prosecutors outlined the deal that includes three months of drug testing, community service and $2,000 in donations to charities. The 36-year-old rapper's real name is Antwan Patton.
He was arrested getting off a cruise ship in August when a K-9 dog alerted to drugs Big Boi was carrying. The substances included ecstasy, a cigarette roller with marijuana residue and the ecstasy ingredient MDMA.
Big Boi had faced two felony drug charges. Prosecutors say if he remains drug-free after three months of testing, those charges will be dismissed.
Betsy Skipp of Miami takes part in the Occupy Miami protest in Miami, Florida, October 15, 2011. Demonstrators rallied on Saturday across the world to accuse bankers and politicians of wrecking economies, but only in Rome did the global "day of rage" erupt into violence. Galvanized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, the protests began in New Zealand, rippled east to Europe and were expected to return to their starting point in New York. Demonstrations touched most European capitals and other cities.
Photo by Joe Skipper
With just over a year left in the race for the White House, campaign finance reports released Saturday offered the first detailed look at the haves and the have-nots among the Republican presidential candidates.
Two of the top Republican contenders, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, brought in more than $14 million and $17 million respectively. Meanwhile, candidates like former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and businessman Herman Cain raised significantly less.
The financial reports show how flush some GOP candidates are with cash - and how nearly broke others are - heading into the final weeks before contests in key primary states. Reports on two of the biggest money-raisers so far - Romney and President Barack Obama - reveal millions in contributions from party devotees and small donors alike.
Reports filed late Friday offered a mixed financial picture of the field, with Obama raising more than $70 million between his campaign and the Democratic Party. At the same time, GOP candidates raised a combined $52.6 million, more than the $42 million Obama brought in through his campaign alone.
The reports didn't capture the tens of millions raised by new, outside groups known as super political action committees, which can collect unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. Leading contenders Perry and Romney have at least one super PAC each working to boost their candidacies, and another group is backing Obama's re-election bid.
Actress Dyan Cannon poses for a portrait with her Chihuahuas Matilda (L) and J.C. at her home in West Hollywood, California October 12, 2011. It was a fairy tale romance that turned in to a stormy marriage, and now Dyan Cannon has chronicled her relationship with Hollywood legend Cary Grant in her new book, "Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant." With an age difference of over 30 years, the duo had a magical courtship in the 1960s that eventually gave way to the dark side of Grant after they were engaged. Following three years of marriage and not long after the birth of their daughter Jennifer, the couple divorced and Cannon suffered a nervous breakdown. Picture taken October 12, 2011.
Photo by /Mario Anzuoni
Leaders within Ohio's Amish community faced a soul-searching question after what they say were hair-cutting attacks against several followers of their faith. Should they cooperate with authorities or adhere to their beliefs of forgiving one another and keeping disputes private?
In the end, church bishops decided to seek help from the outside.
"They didn't feel they could get it stopped any other way," said Timothy Zimmerly, a sheriff in Holmes County where authorities say an Amish bishop and his son were held down while men from a breakaway Amish group used scissors and a clipper to cut their beards.
Five men were arrested and accused of cutting the hair of several people, offensive acts to the Amish, who believe the Bible instructs women to let their hair grow long and men to grow beards and stop shaving once they marry.
While the attacks in recent weeks might seem bizarre to outsiders, they have struck at the core of the Amish identity and tested their principles. They strongly believe that they must be forgiving in order for God to forgive them. Often that means handing out their own punishment and not reporting crimes to law enforcement.
Hundreds of demonstrators protest for Occupy Florida at the Torch of Friendship on Saturday Oct. 15, 2011 in Miami. The demonstration is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York.
Photo by Jeffrey M. Boan
Researchers in South Africa have discovered what may have been the world's earliest artist's studio. A 100,000-year-old workshop used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre has been discovered in Blombos Cave on the rugged southern coast near Cape Town. At the same site, scientists have found some of the earliest sharp stone tools, as well as evidence of fishing.
The latest find is reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science. It includes pieces of ochre, grinding bowls, shells for storage and bone and charcoal to mix with the pigment.
Lead researcher Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway, said the find represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human mental processes.
The discovery shows that even at that time "humans had the conceptual ability to source, combine and store substances that were then possibly used to enhance their social practices."
A protester holds a sign during the 'Occupy Toronto' march in the financial district in Toronto, October 15, 2011. Protests inspired by the grassroots 'Occupy Wall Street' movement are planned for dozens of cities world-wide as part of a global day of action.
Photo by Mike Cassese
On October 27 "Beavis and Butthead" will return to the airwaves almost 15 years after it left. What you may not know is that MTV, which originally aired the show, is now looking for the next "Beavis and Butthead."
Mike Judge's seminal show got its start on "Liquid Television," a show that promoted boundary-pushing animation in the early 1990s. In addition to "Beavis," "Liquid Television" was also home to shows such as "Aeon Flux" and "Cartoon Sushi."
MTV announced the return of "Liquid Television" on Thursday, only this time across all platforms and with the archives from the old shows available for viewing.
It will begin digitally with its recently launched website Tumblr and Facebook page. However, its content will also appear on-air, as it did Thursday night when a music video form "Wallpaper" aired after "Jersey Shore."
Occupy Boston protestors shout slogans outside the Bank of America building in Boston, Massachusetts October 15, 2011. Occupy Boston is an extension of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City.
Photo by Brian Snyder
The Royal Opera House of Oman, the first of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula, was officially opened on Wednesday by the country's ruler Sultan Qaboos, himself a music enthusiast.
"The time has now come to cap that rich heritage (of Oman) by adopting concepts of international culture and contribute to its promotion," Qaboos said on the opening night.
Wednesday night's performance of Puccini's Turandot attracted some of the industry's most famous artists. It was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, while the Fondazoine Arena di Verona Orchestra and chorus was led by Placido Domingo.
The opera house promises an impressive first season, with planned performances by Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, and soprano Renee Fleming.
Also on the agenda are music performances by world-renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Ballet Theatre in a production of Don Quixote, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with New York city's Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra.
A participant sprays the slogan "We are 99 percent" during a demonstration to support the ' Occupy Wallstreet' movement in Munich southern Germany, Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. Protestors gathered at many major European cities Saturday to join in demonstrations against corporate greed and inequality.
Photo by Axel Schmidt
Amtrak trains carried more than 30 million passengers in the past 12 months, the most in one year since the passenger railroad was created four decades ago, railroad officials said Thursday.
Ridership during the budget year ending on Sept. 30 was 30.2 million passengers, up 5 percent over the previous year. Ticket revenue was up by more than 8 percent despite significant weather-related disruptions in much of the country.
Amtrak has set ridership records eight out of the last nine years. A decade ago, it carried 21 million passengers a year.
Despite its success in attracting riders, Amtrak's critics republicans in Congress are squeezing the railroad's federal subsidies and trying to take away privatize its most valuable routes in the rail corridor that links Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
A three-month-old cub is seen at a zoo in Puerto Vallarta October 13, 2011. The keepers at the zoo educate visitors and raise awareness on endangered animals around the world. The park's own tiger breeding programme has enjoyed success with more than 20 tigers born since 2010 including a rare white Bengal tiger, according to zoo vet Martin Martinz.
Photo by Carlos Jasso
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
wrote:
replied:
