whyinthehell

awelltraveledwoman: the-forward-observer: catholic-on-the-inter...

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:04:23 -0700

the-forward-observer:

catholic-on-the-internet:

awkwardsituationist:

98 year old dobri dobrev, a man who lost his hearing in the second world war, walks 10 kilometers from his village in his homemade clothes and leather shoes to the city of sofia, where he spends the day begging for money.

though a well known fixture around several of the city’s churches, known for his prostrations of thanks to all donors, it was only recently discovered that he has donated every penny he has collected — over 40,000 euros — towards the restoration of decaying bulgarian monasteries and churches and the utility bills of orphanages, living instead off his monthly state pension of 80 euros.

The bombing you didnt hear about

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:55:56 -0700

taoistsoul:

voodoo-acid-zombie:

U.S. pilot makes a mistake and drops a bomb on an Afghan wedding, killing 30. This happened today as well.

LINK TO STORY

:((

diadoumenos: Is a not-so-grand bargain back? Let’s hope not....

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:13:12 -0700

diadoumenos:

Is a not-so-grand bargain back?

Let’s hope not. Here’s why:

What is the GOP incentive to deal? First, getting the signature of a Democratic president on a bill reducing entitlements would be a victory for a generation’s worth of Republican candidates. Casting GOP politicians as Granny-bashers would be harder to do after a Democratic White House tweaks Medicare and Social Security. Second, even token reforms by Obama in 2013, opens the door to deeper entitlement changes in the future.

There is no reason to cut Social Security and Medicare. None. Neither contribute to the deficit, both have their own dedicated funding mechanisms, and with minor adjustments they can made solvent without benefit cuts for decades. The grand bargain ain’t that grand. It’s not grand at all.

obitoftheday: Obit of the Day: Canada’s First Black Jet...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:11:37 -0700

obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day: Canada’s First Black Jet Pilot

Major Walter Peters joined the Royal Canadian Air Force after seeing a recruitment flyer. Major Peters, who figured if he could drive a car he could fly a plane, joined when he was 24 years old and was placed in the jet pilot program. He was the first black candidate in the RCAF program.

The day before graduation he met a former pilot who had flown Mustangs in World War II. While listening to his stories, the stranger turned to Major Peters and asked him what he was doing there. When Major Peters informed the gentleman that he was graduating as a pilot the veteran replied, “In my day you never would have gotten past rear gunner.”

The following day Major Peters received the highest marks of any pilot in the class and went up to the podium to receive his award - from the veteran who had belittled him a day earlier.

The major would have a stellar career in the RCAF. He not only served as a training officer but received appointments as and adviser to the United Nations Security Council and the first human rights officer in the Canadian military. He was also the first black member of the Snowbirds, the RCAF’s precision flying team.

Major Peters, who had classmates refuse to room with him in college because of his race, passed away on February 24, 2013 at the age of 76.

Sources: Toronto Globe and Mail and Veterans Affairs Canada

(Image of Major Peters standing in front of his Snowbird shaking hands with an unidentified officer is copyright of RCAF and courtesy of www.45enord.ca)

Also check out Lois Doyle, “The Mother of the Snowbirds” and Daurene Lewis, Canada’s First Black Woman Mayor

ferfranz: This little guy is called a pika, and he’s loves...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:14:00 -0700

ferfranz:

This little guy is called a pika, and he’s loves bringing people flowers.

kurtlechan: Handful of bunnies.

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:59:36 -0700

kurtlechan:

Handful of bunnies.

So…am I the only dumbass who’s accidentally lit the end of an e-cig and inhaled?? That...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:20:23 -0700

So…am I the only dumbass who’s accidentally lit the end of an e-cig and inhaled??

That shit was nasty! But what can you expect when inhaling plastic, silicone, battery, or who knows what?

(I didn’t only inhale the one time - I realized what I’d done and that it tasted weird, so I inhaled again, TWICE. I meant to be clearing out the inhaler/nicotine part. In my defense, if there is any allowable defense, I was on a new medication.)

My walker pic…. (May my beloved, sweet, beautiful child...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:44:48 -0800

My walker pic….

(May my beloved, sweet, beautiful child forgive me my sickness….)

Make your own, or make yourself feel guilty for eternity with pics of your beloved kids, furry or otherwise.

azspot: Clay Bennet

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:42:54 -0800

azspot:

Clay Bennet

On the same day that former Ariz. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords testified before the US Senate that more needed to be done in the way of gun control -- only to be told later by the NRA that no, we don't need any more gun laws -- five people were shot at an office complex in Phoenix.

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:37:04 -0800

On the same day that former Ariz. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords testified before the US Senate that more needed to be done in the way of gun control -- only to be told later by the NRA that no, we don't need any more gun laws -- five people were shot at an office complex in Phoenix.

“If abortion is murder then a blowjob is...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:32:41 -0800

“If abortion is murder then a blowjob is cannibalism”

(And so is chewing then swallowing your cuticles or fingernails.)

I love eye-opening yet obvious analogies.

kaddie: 100-percent-chance-of-bun: Proven fact: Water will...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:36:00 -0800

kaddie:

100-percent-chance-of-bun:

Proven fact: Water will make your rabbit appear at least half their original size.

Concord, Mass. Becomes One of the First Communities to Ban Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:33:11 -0800

Concord, Mass. Becomes One of the First Communities to Ban Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

diadoumenos: Light a candle. Today at hundreds of candlelight...

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:59:30 -0800

diadoumenos:

Light a candle.

Today at hundreds of candlelight vigils, working families will make clear we need to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits, and we won’t sacrifice our security so the richest 2% can get more tax breaks. Join the virtual vigil online to make your voice heard.

"The prospect of cutting Medicare benefits in a “fiscal cliff” deal has prompted an outcry from..."

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:57:45 -0800

“

The prospect of cutting Medicare benefits in a “fiscal cliff” deal has prompted an outcry from concerned liberals. But whether or not legislators actually end up raising the Medicare age or paring back Social Security payments, domestic benefits and services—ranging from veterans’ health care and low-income housing to Head Start programs—are going to get squeezed over the next 10 years.

Last year’s debt-ceiling agreement included $1.5 trillion in cuts to discretionary programs through 10-year spending caps that are already in effect. According to a new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the domestic programs subject to the spending caps will face a $615 billion shortfall if they keep their benefits and services at 2012 levels. If such, they’ll be forced to scale back unless Congress decides otherwise—and right now, the Republicans want even less money spent on these domestic programs, not more…

It’s a good reminder of the trade-offs that we have already made in the name of deficit reduction, which have received little attention amid the hand-wringing over the fiscal cliff. And, as [The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’s Richard] Kogan points out, these domestic programs still remain vulnerable to further cutting.

”

- The deep, real spending cuts we’ve already passed—and that no one talks about (via diadoumenos)

diadoumenos: U.S. selling its remaining stake in AIG The U.S....

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:56:09 -0800

diadoumenos:

U.S. selling its remaining stake in AIG

The U.S. Treasury said it is selling the rest of its stake in American International Group Inc., in effect closing the books on one of the biggest and most reviled bailouts of the financial crisis that engulfed the world four years ago.

The sale of the Treasury Department’s remaining 234 million shares in an offering announced Monday would wipe out the government’s 15.9% stake and pad the $15.1-billion profit it has made already from the giant New York insurer.

The Treasury Department still would hold an undisclosed number of warrants in AIG, but taxpayers no longer would own a piece of [AIG].

infinity-imagined: DNA Double Helix stores genetic...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:20:25 -0800

infinity-imagined:

DNA Double Helix stores genetic information. DNA Polymerase replicates DNA.

RNA Polymerase synthesizes RNA from DNA. Ribosomes use RNA to build proteins

These four biological molecules are essential to all life on Earth.

They originated more than 3 Billion years ago during the Proterozoic Era, in a common ancestor of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota. Together these molecules form the fundamental pattern of the fractal of life; they are specialized machines that replicate each other and produce an endless variety of new forms. They have evolved over trillions of generations into extraordinarily complex arrangements that consume energy, organize, and reproduce.

psydoctor8: Taking the piss out of stem cell...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:15:56 -0800

psydoctor8:

Taking the piss out of stem cell squabblers

Human neural stem cells hold great promise for research and therapy in neural disease. We describe the generation of integration-free and expandable human neural progenitor cells (NPCs). We combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram epithelial-like cells from human urine into NPCs (hUiNPCs). These transgene-free hUiNPCs can self-renew and can differentiate into multiple functional neuronal subtypes and glial cells in vitro. Although functional in vivo analysis is still needed, we report that the cells survive and differentiate upon transplant into newborn rat brain. [via Article, IMG]

Meaning researchers have developed a method that transforms the cells in human urine into precursors of brain cells. The idea: cells from urine > than stem cells since they are easier to get and the risk of embryonic tumor development isn’t a concern. Also, it’s a crafty way for lemon party goers to support and fund raise for neurodegenerative treatment research.

Stop telling people not to get pets for the holiday.

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:08:12 -0800

Stop telling people not to get pets for the holiday.:

serveitindrag:

ondanceatron:

serveitindrag:

ofwordsandwaltzes:

serveitindrag:

Instead, encourage people to adopt from shelters.

Fact: People are going to get pets for Christmas. There is no avoiding it: dozens of movies have emphasized that pets make the best Christmas presents,…

I would suggest contacting the shelter and asking about transportation. If they explain that they would love to adopt, but aren’t able to get out to that city, most shelters will gladly arrange transportation to take the animal to their forever home. Same with rescues.

Unfortunately, a lot of shelters don’t put their animals on Petfinder. =/ Or on the internet at all. In rural communities especially, a lot of people don’t even know they have a local shelter because it’s in an out-of-the-way location and there’s no advertising. So definitely suggest they call their local police department or commerce and check to see if they have a shelter near them!

=======

Don’t give up if there are no shelters in your area - there are a lot of very committed “indie” animal rescue organizations or groups that almost never get any kind of advertisement so are mostly unknown to the general public.

They do a lot of good work and you can adopt from them, though the animals won’t always have been neutered or spayed or gotten all their shots yet like they will with shelters, because they don’t have much funding and are often just animal lovers taking them in and essentially fostering.

Search for “animal rescue” in your area, ask your and other vet clinics (they almost always know of someone looking for a home for a pet), AND call all of the shelters in the nearest region and ask them if they know of any rescuers in your area, explaining how much you’d love to adopt a rescue but can’t get to the shelter, etc. Please And Thank You. :) ~whyinthehell

Mechanitis Butterfly Chrysalis

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:55:44 -0800

Mechanitis Butterfly Chrysalis