Can dead mice rid Guam of the brown tree snake?

Military news outlet publication Stars and Stripes reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is bombing Guam with dead mice in an effort to rid the island of the pesky brown tree snake.

Using Naval Base Guam as a starting point, scientists drop mice packed with acetaminophen from helicopters into the jungle canopy.

The drug -- commonly found in Tylenol -- provided a regulatory advantage because it had already undergone extensive testing, Dan Vice, assistant state director of USDA Wildlife Services in Hawaii, Guam and the Pacific Islands.

The snakes were accidentally introduced on the island - which has no native snakes - by military cargo planes.

Although this snake is classed as venomous it is not considered dangerous to adult humans. The snakes are nocturnal and can become quite aggressive when confronted.

The brown tree snake can grow up to 10 feet long and is the leading cause of endangerment for many of Guam’s native birds and other wildlife.

Link here and here.

Clothing tells the weight gain story

World's smallest cow

The Guinness World Records photo above shows Swallow, an 11-year-old cow from Yorkshire, England posing next to Freddie the bull.

The lilliputian cow has been named the world's smallest by Guinness World Records.

Guinness says the sheep-sized cow is only 33 inches tall and has been named the world's smallest.

Fox News remains well above other Cable News Channels

Cable News race by number of viewers on Tuesday September 28, 2010*

Fox News continues to have many times more viewers than MSNBC and CNN combined as shown below:

FOX News - Bill O’Reilly - 3,154,000
FOX News - Sean Hannity - 2,306,000
FOX News - Glenn Beck - 2,161,000
FOX News - Greta Van Susteren - 2,115,000
FOX News - Bret Baier - 2,049,000
FOX News - Shepard Smith - 1,744,000
MSNBC - Rachel Maddow - 1,018,000
MSNBC - Keith Olbermann - 999,000
MSNBC - Lawrence O'Donnell - 860,000
MSNBC - Ed Shultz - 711,000
MSNBC - Chris Matthews - 663,000
CNN-HN Nancy Grace - 561,000
CNN - Anderson Cooper - 560,000

*Matt Drudge

Report: Democrats find big donors cutting support

From a report at the link below:

Many wealthy Democratic patrons, who in the past have played major roles financing outside groups to help elect the party's candidates, are sitting out these crucial midterm elections.

Democratic donors like George Soros and fellow billionaire Peter Lewis, who each gave more than $20 million to Democratic-oriented groups in the 2004 election, appear to be holding back.

Without these mega donors, there is a huge disparity in spending between pro-Republican and pro-Democrat groups.

In the past week, Republican-leaning groups outspent their Democratic counterparts on TV by more than 7-1 on Senate races and nearly 4-1 on House races across the country, according to data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising.

The gap shows few signs of abating, even with the midterm election season in full swing.

Link

Will your face be on the Fiat 500 Thousandth edition?

The photos below show the Fiat 500 Thousandth edition that appeared at the Paris auto show.




The special edition "Fiat 500 Thousandth" is covered with photos of actual Fiat 500 owners and sold in limited quantities to celebrate the 500,000th car sold.

Each of the special cars will show the faces of 1,500 fans and customers, including celebrities.

Fiat has been working hard to out-MINI the MINI with several models and special editions, from the Fiat 500 Pink to the Fiat 500 by Diesel and from the Fiat 500C to the Fiat 500 Abarth. And then there is the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari.

Obama created voter apathy - now he calls it inexcusable

Barack Obama blasts Democrats saying it would be "inexcusable" and "irresponsible" for them to be unenthusiastic and sit out the midterm elections, warning that the consequences could be a squandered agenda for years.

"People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up," Obama told Rolling Stone in an interview to be published Friday. The president told Democrats that making change happen is hard and "if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place."

The midterm elections are in five weeks and polling shows that Republicans, out of power at the White House and on Capitol Hill, have a much more excited base of supporters than Democrats. Obama, campaigning this week in four states, is in a sprint to restore the voter passion that helped him win office.

Chances are the woman in the video below won't bother to vote for Obama's Party after being let down following the 1008 election when she was sure Obama would pay her mortgage and buy her gas.



There will be millions more with voter apathy caused by an overzealous, damaging agenda that will cost future generations of Americans trillions of dollars.

Most voters have been hurt by the Obama economy. Yes, the Obama economy. Blaming it on Bush just isn't working.

The Democrat voter apathy report is here.

Actor Tony Curtis dies at 85

Tony Curtis, a dashingly handsome matinee idol of the 1950s and '60s, died at his home in Henderson, Nevada, of cardiopulmonary arrest according to a spokeswoman for the Clark County coroner. Curtis starred in over 140 major motion pictures.

Photos of Tony Curtis are show above.

"My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages," his daughter actress Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement. "He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him."

Link

Astronomers find Earthlike planet

Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable planet of similar size to Earth in orbit around a nearby star.

They say they have found this planet in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold - but just right.

If confirmed, the planet would be the most Earth-like that has ever been discovered in another solar system and the first strong contender for a habitable one.

More here.

Congress flees DC to beg angry constituents for votes

Battle-weary members of Congress are on their way to a neighborhood near you to beg for your vote in November.

They are more willing to campaign in front of angry constituents than to compromise in Washington on tax cuts, child nutrition or a federal budget.

That's right, they couldn't agree on tax cuts, child nutrition or even on a federal budget.

They did, however, find time late yesterday to pass a bill that would require TV stations and cable companies to cap the volume of commercials as reported in link below.

What they will try to convince you, in the next four weeks, is that the trillions of dollars in stimulus and bailouts they voted for saved us from something worse than the great depression of the 1930's.

They are betting their political futures that you will believe them and vote to send them back to Washington to squander billions more in taxpayer money.

Link here to read about something congress did do before the fall recess.

Polar bear "chilling out" in Prague

A polar bear resting at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic.

Russian President Medvedev in an An-148 aircraft

The photo above shows Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sitting in an An-148 aircraft at a factory in Voronezh.

Dukakis advises White House on midterm strategy

From a Boston Globe report:

Former Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis (pictured at right and below), the failed 1988 presidential nominee, recently visited the White House and delivered his strategy for the midterm elections: pound key precincts across the country with the message that Republicans want to implement the same policies that led to the Great Recession.

Dukakis, who said in a telephone interview that he "popped in" to the White House while on a trip here several weeks ago, said he told aides to President Obama that Republicans "want to go back and do exactly what got us in this mess in the first place."

Is Dukakis and his advice sought because the 1988 failed presidential candidate is also blaming Bush for the financial disaster caused by Obama's radical bail-outs and stimulus amounting to trillions of dollars? How can blaming Bush help Democrats in November?

The Dukakis White House strategy advice report is here.

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Michael Dukakis will forever be remembered as the presidential candidate in that silly tank photograph.

The ill-advised photo above was taken during the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign in 1988 showing the candidate decked out in combat gear while sitting in an Abrams tank.

The publicity photo was taken to help offset criticisms that he would be soft on issues of defense. It backfired and seriously damaged his presidential campaign.

The tank photo probably didn't hurt Dukakis as much as the Willie Horton ads but many found the tank photo op inappropriate if not just plain stupid.

Rays offer 20,000 free tickets to game with Orioles tonight

The Tampa Bay Rays drew 12,446 fans to their game against the Orioles last night. They only needed one win to clinch a playoff berth.

Tropicana Field holds 36,973 for baseball during the regular season.

One frustrated fan said, "come on Rays fans, lets all five of us go to the game."

The Rays will give away 20,000 tickets to tomorrow night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles after poor attendance last night drew criticism from the team’s players, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Is it time for the Rays owners to consider a move to a more favorable location for the team?

Criticism from team players won't help. That's like multimillionaires telling poor folks how to spend their hard earned money.

Link

Puzzling computer dialog box

Have you seen this dialog box on your computer?

NJ Governor to test teachers in reading and math

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (pictured) won't be making friends with teachers unions with his push to test the competence of teachers in his state.

Christie is turning his take-no-prisoner’s style to the classroom, demanding a top to bottom overhaul of how New Jersey students learn and teachers teach. And that means undoing tenure, seniority and other union work rules.

Link

Democrats afraid GOP majority will issue Obama birth subpoenas

Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) warned Republicans will investigate President Obama's birthplace if they take over Congress.

Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said Republicans will grind the government to a halt by issuing subpoenas against the Obama administration over a number of issues if they take power. He predicted that "gridlock" in Congress would "define" Obama's first term if Republicans win the House.

Clyburn noted that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight panel, has said will will issue "subpoenas everywhere" if Republicans win the majority.

What's wrong with learning more about Mr. Obama's birthplace? After all, being a natural born citizen is a presidential requirement.

We know more about the birth of the White House dog Bo than we do about the President.

Link

IRS will not mail tax forms next year

The Internal Revenue Service has decided to stop mailing tax forms because so many people now file electronically.

The Washington Post reports on its website Monday that the IRS expects to save about $10 million a year by eliminating mailing.

More than 96 million people filed their returns through the IRS online service last year, and about 20 million filed paper forms through paid tax preparers.

The IRS says people who want to file paper returns will be able to obtain the forms from the IRS website or its offices as well as some libraries and post offices.

Link

Segway owner dies riding Segway over cliff

Jimi Heselden (pictured), the wealthy British businessman who owns the company that makes the two-wheeled Segway human transporter, was killed while riding one of his machines.

Heselden bought control of the Bedford, New Hampshire-based Segway Company in December.

The photo below shows participants riding Segways during a downtown tour of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mr. Heselden was testing a cross-country version of the Segway when he rode over a 30-foot cliff and into a river near his home in West Yorkshire, England.

More here.

Just what is a Segway anyway?

A Segway is a two-wheeled, electric-powered personal transporter unveiled about ten years ago.

Gyroscopic sensors are used to detect when it is tilting and motors then rotate the wheels to keep the Segway upright.

The vehicle is controlled as the rider simply leans forwards or backwards for acceleration and left and right on the handlebar to steer.

Segways are driven by electric motors and can hit up to 12.5 miles per hour.

They are virtually silent, emission-free and can be charged from a wall socket.

In the UK, it is illegal to drive a Segway on the road or even on pavements or cycle paths. They can only be used on private property, despite campaigns to let them be used on cycle paths.

In the U.S., the Segway can be driven on pavements in 30 states. Some states also allow them to be used in bicycle lanes or on roads with speed limits of up to 25mph.

Rahm Emanuel to run for Mayor of Chicago?

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel may announce his decision to return to Chicago.

The photo above shows Rahm Emanuel acting stupid during the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Mr. Emanuel is said to be nearing a decision on whether to leave the White House and run for mayor of Chicago. An announcement could come as early as Friday. This is surely the worst kept secret in Washington.

Link

Detroit’s worst modern production cars

Below is a list of what many agree are Detroit's eleven worst modern production cars.

1958 Edsel (above left)
1961 Chevrolet Corvair (below right)
1962 Chevrolet Chevy II (below left)
1970 Chevrolet Vega
1970 AMC Gremlin
1971 Ford Pinto (above right)
1974 Ford Mustang II
1975 AMC Pacer
1976 Chevrolet Chevette
1983 Ford Bronco II
1984 Pontiac Fiero

Five of the eleven worst were made by General Motors and four were made by Ford Motor Company.

It's Peyton Manning on the tube - all the time - ad nauseum

Peyton Manning will eventually go down as one of the greatest football quarterbacks of all time.

The drawing above is by cartoonist Gary Varvel of the Indianapolis Star. It appears even the local folks get a little tired of Peyton overexposure.

The UN appoints official representative for space aliens

The UN is looking to contact visiting space aliens.

They must be looking for new ways to spend the money they collect from member countries.

We should all feel safe now that the UN is looking to contact visiting space aliens.

However, if the space aliens won't listen to the UN any better than the rest of the world this will be a wasted effort.

The United Nations is set to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as Earths first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.

Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), will describe her potential new role this week at a scientific conference at the Royal Society’s Kavli conference centre in Buckinghamshire.

More here.

Report: Democrat strategy - dig for dirt on rivals

There is desperation in the ranks of Democrat candidates facing re-election in November. They voted for billions of dollars in stimulus and bailouts topped off with the unpopular ObamaCare. Now they are vulnerable and desperate.

From a New York Times report:

Negative advertisements have hit the airwaves early as Democrat candidates fight to preserve the party's congressional majority.

Democratic candidates across the country are opening a fierce offensive of negative advertisements against Republicans, using lawsuits, tax filings, reports from the Better Business Bureau and even divorce proceedings to try to discredit their opponents and save their congressional majority.

Opposition research and attack advertising are deployed in almost every election, but these biting ads are coming far earlier than ever before, according to party strategists. The campaign has intensified in the past two weeks as early voting begins in several states and as vulnerable incumbents try to fight off an onslaught of influences by outside groups.

Link

Malware invades some computers at Iran nuclear plant

From an AP report at the link below:

A complex computer worm capable of seizing control of industrial plants has affected the personal computers of staff working at Iran's first nuclear power station weeks before the facility is to go online, the official news agency reported Sunday.

The malicious computer code, dubbed Stuxnet, which has spread to many industries in Iran, has also affected equipment linked to the country's nuclear program, which is at the core of the dispute between Tehran and Western powers like the United States.

The destructive Stuxnet worm has surprised experts because it is the first one specifically created to take over industrial control systems, rather than just steal or manipulate data.

Link