No update for the non-Panthered among us.

5:29:43 PM     leave/read comments []

It'll Thrill Ya, It'll Kill Ya. The Old Sow demands respect as she comes roiling to the surface of the Atlantic off the Maine coast. She's the largest tidal whirlpool on earth and you trifle with her at your own peril. Michelle Delio reports from Eastport, Maine. [Wired News] Photo: Courtesy of Old Sow Publishing

Wow! I didn't know such maelstroms really existed. (Said the lass from Nebraska)

Even when the Sow isn't present in all her glory, smaller whirlpools referred to as "piglets" often can be seen swirling in the bay. There are also 100-foot-long trenches that suddenly open in the ocean. And there are the "boils," circular sections of water that rise like a giant zit and sometimes explode into fountains that spew water up to 20 feet high.

There are several causes for all this watery chaos, Godfrey explained. First, the Passamaquoddy Bay has remarkably high tides; 40 billion cubic feet of water pours into the bay with each incoming tide.

Directly outside the opening to the bay there's a 400-foot trench in the ocean floor that's bisected by a 281-foot undersea mountain. Before entering the bay, the incoming water has to make a sharp right turn, where it slams into the mountain.

"Mix that terrestrial configuration with a good high tide and a heavy wind, and it's total liquid chaos," said Godfrey.

Cue Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre!

5:22:35 PM     leave/read comments []

MPs vote to downgrade cannabis. MPs back a move to introduce less serious penalties for cannabis possession, although dealers will receive harsher treatment. [BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition]

Sanity broke out today in the U.K.'s House of Commons, as the MPs voted to scale back the penalties for possession of marijuana and marijuana-related accessories.

MPs have backed a move to downgrade cannabis, putting it in the same group as tranquilisers and steroids.

The reclassification of the drug from Class B to Class C was supported by a majority of 156, despite Tory warnings it would lead more young people into harder drug use.

Junior Home Office minister Caroline Flint rejected claims that cannabis would become "semi-legal", claiming the move was part of an "honest and credible" strategy to tackle the wider drug problem.

5:14:37 PM    

Michael Hanscom's Blog

5:08:28 PM     leave/read comments []

Powerful Geomagnetic Storm Strikes Earth. DENVER (AP) -- The most powerful geomagnetic storm possible hit Earth early Wednesday, threatening power outages, disrupting airlines communications and damaging some satellites. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Whoa.

The storm is rated a G5, the highest intensity on scientists' scale of space weather.

The last time a G5 storm hit Earth was in 1989, researchers said, which damaged the power grid and caused electrical blackouts in Canada's Quebec province.

``It is extremely rare to get this level of geomagnetic storming,'' said Larry Combs, forecaster for the Space Weather Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder. ``This is one of the strongest storms that we have received during this cycle.''

1:29:31 PM    

Morons in the News: Cops arrest 9yr old kid for playing with toy. Brave Ohio policeman keeping the streets safe from toy-toting pre-teens. God Bless America [Morons Dot Org]

Have the police of the United States all lost their minds? Are they collectively dipping into that bag of PCP in the evidence room? Have they gone from a "protecting and serving" Officer Friendly to Tony Montoya with a badge, all up on the crank?

WTF?!?! It's a kid! With a toy! Give me a break, Officer Jackboot.

From The Cleveland Morning Journal:

LORAIN -- A 9-year-old boy was arrested at gunpoint and handcuffed Saturday because he was waving a toy gun over his head while seated on a bench outside a store, according to a Lorain police report.

His mother, Tamyka Saunders of Sheffield Lake, said her son, Thomas Clark Jr., told Lorain police when they approached him outside a Broadway business that the gun was a toy. An officer aimed his weapon at the boy's head, ordered him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him for juvenile delinquency by reason of inducing panic, according to the police report.

Saunders, 28, was also charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest when she pleaded with police not to arrest her son and to give him a warning, according to a police report.

1:02:32 PM    

Green Tea And Ginger Show New Cancer-Combatting Abilities [Scientific American]

It tastes good and is good for you! Green tea! Ginger! All the more reason to hang out at the sushi bar.

The potential health benefits of drinking green tea are varied, ranging from preventing bad breath to protecting your heart. Recent studies have also suggested that a topical cream based on the beverage may help fend off skin cancer. Findings presented yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research indicate that components of green tea could be effective at fighting other types of cancer, too.

For more info about tea, you can't beat Tea and Sympathy. Have a cuppa!

1:02:01 AM     leave/read comments []

2002: A Bob Odyssey (.mov 2.1M)

12:47:02 AM     leave/read comments []