Poll Finds Widespread Support for Redskins Name

We're talking American football, here.

'The team's nickname, which some consider a derogatory term for Native Americans, has faced a barrage of criticism. Local leaders and pundits have called for a name change. Opponents have launched a legal challenge intended to deny the team federal trademark protection. A bill introduced in Congress in March would do the same, though it appears unlikely to pass.

But a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that nationally, "Redskins" still enjoys widespread support. Nearly four in five Americans don't think the team should change its name, the survey found. Only 11 percent think it should be changed, while 8 percent weren't sure and 2 percent didn't answer.'

American Indians Found in Obscure 15th Century Vatican Fresco

From the Christian Science Monitor:

"The discovery was made by restoration experts who were cleaning a large fresco painted by

The figures are men who seem to be dancing and are naked except for exotic-looking feather headdresses. One appears to have a Mohican-style haircut.  

Pinturicchio created the work, which shows Jesus' Resurrection, in 1494, just a year after Columbus returned from his first journey of discovery across the Atlantic." Once they had removed layers of dirt, they noticed a group of tiny figures, almost in the middle of the painting.

Seven Animals that Eat Their Own Kind

Things on this list like polar bears and hamsters are sure to make the tree humpers reconsider their propaganda efficacy, but curiously absent from this list are abortionists named 'Gosnell,' and lawyers who are politicians that tell Planned Parenthood 'God bless you.'


We humans hardly deserve evolutionary success.

Playing with Caterpillars _ Machines, not Insects

 'My wife was a little dubious about my plans for a family day trip to the Caterpillar center, but my 4-year-old-son and I couldn't wait. My parents tell me my first word was "book" and my second word was "truck." I've been a big fan of both over the past four-plus decades. Now, with a little boy of my own, I had a perfect excuse to satisfy my mania for powerful engines, giant wheels, sturdy shovels and other nifty machines that dig, pound, push, flatten and otherwise manipulate materials in ways that seem beyond the strength of mere mortals. And I'm not alone: The center attracted 50,000 visitors within just four months of opening.'

Speaking of Huffy Poo: Fox More Reliable Than CNN, MSNBC

Cue the schadenfreude, Maestro.

Uh, oh: Sex in Space May Not Be Safe

Dang. And that final frontier was third on Mrs. Locomotivebreath's bucket list.

From Space.com:

 'Sex is very difficult in zero gravity, apparently, because you have no traction and you keep bumping against the walls," biologist Athena Andreadis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told SPACE.com in 2011. "Think about it: you have no friction, you have no resistance."

In spite of the challenges sex in microgravity poses, Woodmansee thinks that the Inspiration Mars journey could motivate other couples to take advantage of less ambitious cosmic destinations, such as low-Earth orbit, should they become commercially available.'

To boldly go where... OK. I'll stop.

Gold-Bedecked Skeleton May Have Been Ancient Queen

From the speculating Live Science:

'The woman's bones have been degraded by acid in the soil, making radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis impossible. Nonetheless, excavators believe she was at least 35 years old when she died sometime between 2500 B.C. and 2200 B.C., around the era Stonehenge was constructed.'

Or she could've been a thieving 12th century charwoman who fell into the moors upon her getaway from her pilfered employer. Or a returned alien abduction. Let's not hold back...

Related: Ancient Europeans Mysteriously Vanished 4,500 Years Ago.

Is Martial Law Ever OK?

David Scott Whinery, Esquire at KC Confidential wants to know, but offers few answers.

Uh, oh. Frost warnings are posted in h3ll when Mary Sanchez at the KC Star and I agree: If Kansas City's 25th anniversary charity 'Trolley Run' no longer allows bags or backpacks at the event, have the terrorists won?

 Boston Residents Ordered Out Of Homes At Gunpoint By SWAT teams - and we're OK with this suspension of the 4th Amendment in the name of 'public safety?'

Then there's this; from Katy Waldman at Slate: Why the door-to-door manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev doesn’t violate the Constitution.

Gun of the Week

I didn't know, either, but these guys have all the answers.

Why Does Evil Make Liberals Stupid?

 "This piece in The Atlantic is a good exemplar of the mushy liberal commentary that has proliferated in recent days. Authored by one Megan Garber, it is titled: “The Boston Bombers Were Muslim: So?”

Before taking a close look at Ms. Garber’s article, let’s advise The Atlantic not to put away that headline. It could come in handy so often. “The Cole Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The Embassy Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The First World Trade Center Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The September 11 Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The Madrid Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The London Bombers Were Muslim: So?” “The Shoebomber Was Muslim: So?” The Underwear Bomber Was Muslim: So?” “The Fort Hood Shooter Was Muslim: So?” “The Beslan Child-Murderers Were Muslim: So?” “The Times Square Bomber Was Muslim: So?”

We could keep this up for a very long time, but let’s move on to Ms. Garber’s soulful meanderings..."

Scientists: No Bra Leads to Perkier, Healthier Boobs

Methinks these might be male scientists who studied the, um, subject for 15 years.

'The professor conducting the study, Jean-Denis Rouillon, measured the distance between nipples and shoulders of women aged 18 to 35. “Medically, physiologically, anatomically – breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity. On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra,” he said.'

Uh, huh. Maybe those skinny, a-cup types don't need the support, but voluptuous women, like my beautiful Mrs. Locomotivebreath, say this study is bull sh!t, and simply an excuse for professional jollies, probably paid for with tax dollars.

Nice work, if you can get it.

Wii Whiteboard for about $50 (VIDEO)

The average white board presentation get-up cost about two grand. For the professional presenter, such a device offers a wide range of neat visuals for sales, motivation, demonstrations, etc.

But for the average gub'mint school teacher, or a shoe string small business person, or a medical volunteer in remote, impoverished countries, this lil Radio Shack Wii hack for about $50 bucks might be just the thing in such a situation.

Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller (+ a few extras) into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer. (a great 5 minute video)


TY Bro!

*Titanic's Sister Ships all But Forgotten

The White Star Line commissioned three ships in it's gargantuan 'olympic' class to sail the seas - the 'Olympic, 'Titanic' and 'Britannic', respectively. The RMS Olympic was the first to be commissioned and first set sail from its Belfast, Ireland shipyard on October 20, 1910. It made its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York on June 14, 1911.

After the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, the Olympic was refitted with more life boats, higher water tight bulk heads and reinforced double sides. In April, 1913, it resumed trans-Atlantic passenger service.

During WWI, it was pressed into service as a troop carrier, armed with several 6 inch guns.

From the titanic-whitestarships web site:

"Olympic’s most notable achievement during the war was the ramming and sinking of of the German submarine U-103 on May 12, 1918. Olympic was the only merchant ship to sink an enemy warship during the war. Korvettenkapitän Claus Rücker, commander of the 9-month old U-103, had unsuccessfully fired two torpedo's at Olympic just missing her port bow. In what some historians consider a foolish maneuver, Olympic turned around and rammed the u-boat sinking her and killing the crew. It is believed that Olympic could have easily outrun the u-boat on a zigzag course and not have risked the lives of the thousands on board.

Refitted and converted to oil fuel, Olympic returned to service in July of 1920, . With Britannic's sinking during the war, Olympic became the last remaining ship of the original Olympic Class trio of liners envisioned by WSL chairman Bruce Ismay. She was a favorite among the passengers in her own right as well as for the fact that she was about identical in appearance to lost sister Titanic. Interestingly, Olympic was the first White Star liner to sell out passage booking after Titanic sank, until Majestic ( "The Magic Stick") came along."

The Olympic was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1935 for about $500,000. Her luxurious fittings were removed and sold. Many of these items can be found today in various hotels, pubs and restaurants around the world.

The Britannic didn't fare so well as the Olympic. After the sinking of its older sister, the Titanic, it, too, was retro-fitted with the new safety features. During WWI, the Britannic was converted to a hospital ship. But in 1916, on its way to collect soldiers wounded in the Balkan campaign, it struck an underwater mine and sunk into the Agean sea in less than an hour. Thirty people died in the disaster, yet nearly 1,100 were rescued.

The Britannic still lies under 400 ft. of water off the Greek island of Kea. In 2008, it was proposed to turn the site into an underwater museum for tourists.

*repost

Emma Watson Strips For Earth Day (VIDEO)

And according to her publicist, much to disrobed Emma's surprised, the Gaia deity also demands a naked Hollywood tool thrown into the volcano. Something about photography's carbon footprint and penance.

I don't understand the science. (yes, it's safe for work)

We've dealt with previous Earth Day narcissism here, there, and yonder.

*What If There Is a God and It's Not Barack Obama?

'This unexpected schism is caused by recent experiments at the Large Handout Deficit Collider, in which generated sequester particles did not cause the universe to implode as predicted.'

Plus, a magnificent scheme to annihilate Schrodinger's Fat Cats.

Gulag gaiety at the People's Cube, Comrades. 


*(a note to proglodytes: this is satire)

Polyandry: When a Woman Has More than One Husband

In this case, she has 5. All brothers. Just like her Mom. 

“I get a lot more attention and love than most wives.”

Indeed.

Forget about it, Perv. It's India.

Whale Skeletons and the Sex Strategy of Zombie Worms

Yes, really.

Simple deduction concludes that massive organic structures, like whale skeletons, must exist after each aquatic mammal's death, yet unlike elephant graveyards, whale skeletons are rarely seen on the ocean floor by modern humans.

Until now.

From Live Science: Antarctic's First-Ever Whale Skeleton Found

"For the first time ever, scientists say they have discovered a whale skeleton on the ocean floor near Antarctica. Resting nearly a mile below the surface, the boneyard is teeming with strange life, including at least nine new species of tiny of deep-sea creatures, according to a new study."

I'm not sure if it's simply the 1st time ever in Antarctica, or the first time ever on any ocean floor. Probably the latter.

And the zombie worms? Yeah. It's got those. Click here. 

St. Patrick Driving the Snakes out of Ireland

New England Boiled Dinner via Maggie's Farm.










Cartoon courtesy of Theo

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*E-Book Reader, C. 1935, sort of...

Because 'Photo-Mechanical Reader' just don't cut it...

Michael S. Hart is the man largely credited with creating the first electronic book - in 1971. He typed his first e-book, the Declaration of Independence, while a student at the University of Illinois. Hart typed the text into a computer (a huge Xerox mainframe computer in the Materials Research lab), and sent out a message on ARPAnet (the fore runner of the internet), and announced it was available to download. Six people took him up on the offer. The world's first e-book was born.


Or how about a 1939 Plexiglass Pontiac? Although, I don't know why.

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8 Secrets of Sexually Satisfied Couples

Mrs. Locomotivebreath - that curvaceous raven-haired beauty whom I'd marry all over again - is a very happy woman. We both agree that the most erogenous zone in the body is the mind, and foreplay begins long before the bedroom door closes.

This Woman's Day article doesn't really say those words, but it does remind us loving adults to be realistic about our daily lives together; be pragmatic in accommodations; and most of all, have fun with each other. And that makes me a very happy man.

Achieve bliss in the bedroom by applying these real-world tips.