Honestly people, the only thing I added are the highlighter boxes!

Now tell me: who in their right mind would want to rent from these loons living down the block from us?

Who’s ready for Part II?

There’s nothing planetary about these nebulae. They were named by William Herschel in the late 18th century; he linked their romantic green hue to those of the methane-shrouded Neptune and Uranus. Nebulae consist of a gaseous shell of ionized elements edging away from a dying star at the rate of 10-30 kilometers per second. When giant stars (ones greater than a solar mass or two) begin to burn out, you can expect a supernova. But when medium and low mass stars (our dear one included) run low on helium, the star is no longer stable and the temperature of the core spikes so much that outer layers are forced away until the core is bared. This cooling core is now the central star of the glowing procession that is the nebulae, a parade that will persist until the star has nothing left–not even the UV radiation responsible for the nebulae’s glow–and a white dwarf is born…And if all this star travel is giving you a cramp, the brewers at Oakham Ales have a lighter interpretation of the old W.D.

My grandmother has renewed our subscription to Bottom Line Personal, a little magazine perfect for both upper-middle aged people and the average trivia magazine blogger. In the recent issue, medical myths are busted by Edward Saltzman, MD.

• MYTH: Feed a cold, starve a fever.
• REALITY: “Eating more or less will have no real effect on how long you remain sick.” Which is good, because I can never remember that feed/starve saying anyway.

• MYTH: Eating after 8pm causes weight gain.
• REALITY: “There is no evidence that calorie ‘burn’ is slower at night. Weight gain results from overeating and lack of activity, whether that occurs in the morning, afternoon or night.”

• MYTH: Honey is more healthful than sugar.
• REALITY: “Honey contains more fructose than sugar. Some studies suggest that high-fructose diets are linked to weight gain and metabolic syndrome, a group of health problems that includes excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low ‘good’ cholesterol and high blood sugar.”

• MYTH: Soy relieves hot flashes.
• REALITY: “While soy is a good source of phytoestrogens, it provides an extremely weak estrogenic effect.”

Got any other medical myths you’d like to challenge?

OK, I admit it: I was bad. I needed to make a left turn at an upcoming intersection, there was a long line of cars stopped ahead of me, but the left turn lane was empty — and the left turn arrow was green. I went for it — crossing the double yellow lines while I was at it — and was immediately pulled over. (Every once in a while, traffic cops in LA decide to step into the free-for-all and enforce the basic rules of the road. Needless to say, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.) Anyway, the bad news was, I got a ticket. (And not a cheap one, either.) Good news: traffic school is now ridiculously easy to complete online — it takes about an hour — and while speeding through my online course at 20mph over the limit, I learned, almost accidentally, one interesting thing:

How to escape from a sinking car, by the California DMV
Sinking cars are an unusual phenomenon, however, being inside when a car sinks must be one of the most frightening experiences imaginable. You may run off the road into a river or, with changing weather patterns, be swept off the road in a flash flood. By following these steps you can get yourself quickly to safety.

1. Don´t Panic
The key to getting out of a submerged car is to stay calm. Panicking will only make it harder to perform these escape techniques. As long as the keys are in the ignition of a car, the electric windows and lights should work. Even when a car sinks to the bottom of a body of water, the electrical system will still work for a while. Switch on all the car´s lights to help rescuers see where you are.

2. Unfasten your Seat Belt
If you are in the car with children, first free yourself from your seat belt, then open a window, then free the kids´ seat belts and push them out the window first.

3. Roll Down Your Window to Escape
Opening windows may make it easier to open a door. Open the window and get out of the car as soon as you can–if possible, before it starts to sink. If for some reason you cannot get the window down, wait till the car fills completely before you can open the door. If you try to open the doors too soon the water rushing in will impede your escape and could trap you. When the car is filled, the water pressure will be equal on both sides. This will allow the door to open. Before exiting, try to find a pocket of air at the top of the car and take a breath. OR use a small hammer, a Philips screwdriver or center punch, available at most hardware stores to shatter the glass. Strike the window at the bottom or a corner edge. Always try to break a side window. The windshield and back window will not break.

4. Get Out and Swim to Safety
Never sit in the car and just wait. It takes a car 2-3 minutes to sink, depending on the car. If you follow these steps, you should be able to escape the car before it starts to sink.

A friend of mine is currently on the receiving end of a ridiculously frivolous lawsuit. I’d love to write all about it here, but that’s probably not going to help his case. So instead, here are some other mind-boggling legal actions, courtesy of Deborah Ng at LegalZoom.com.

• In 1991, Richard Harris sued Anheiser-Busch for $10,000 for false advertising. Harris claimed to suffer from emotional distress in addition to mental and physical injury. Why? Because when he drank beer, he didn’t have any luck with the ladies, as promised in the TV ads. Harris also didn’t like that he got sick sometimes after he drank. The case was thrown out of court.

• In 1998, Kellogg sued Exxon because customers might confuse the gas station’s “whimsical tiger logo” with Kellogg’s mascot, “Tony the Tiger.” It didn’t matter, of course, that Exxon had already been using this logo for 30 years. A federal court tossed the suit. Kellogg appealed the case claiming the Exxon tiger walks and acts just like Kellogg’s “Tony.”

• In 2003, Richard Schick sued his former employer, the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Schick sought $5 million plus $166,700 in back pay for sexual and disability discrimination. In fact, Shick was so stressed by this discrimination that he robbed a convenience store with a shotgun. A jury felt his pain and awarded him the money he was seeking. The decision was then reversed. Unfortunately, the $303,830 he was still awarded isn’t doing him much good during the ten years he’s serving for armed robbery.

• In 1996, Florida physical therapist Paul Shimkonis sued his local nudie bar claiming whiplash from a lap dancer’s large breasts. Shimkonis felt he suffered physical harm and mental anguish from the breasts, which he claimed felt like “cement blocks” hitting him. Shimkonis sought justice in the amount of $15,000, which was denied.

Ng has many more stories here. I hope to one day add my friend’s tale to this list.

The classic 1981 album “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,” by Brian Eno and David Byrne, has an impressive web site, including a section where you can download the original twenty-four-track master recordings of several songs, to make your own remix. The album was re-released in 2006, and the web site demonstrates the fan community that still exists for the album.

The Wikipedia entry has more on the history the album; here’s a snippet:

The album was one of the first non-rap releases to make extensive use of sampling, especially in seamlessly incorporating human voices: most of the vocals on the albums come from other sources, such as commercial recordings of Arabic singers, radio disk jockeys and an exorcist. Critic John Bush describes My Life in the Bush of Ghosts as “[a] pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music.”

Check out the remixes and submit your own…if you dare.

It’s time for another whimsical Tuesday Turnip search wherein I type a random phrase and we see what kind of interesting factoids “turn-up.”

Today I typed in “one of the worst in history” unearthing the following:

• The 1980 famine in Karamoja, Uganda was, in terms of mortality rates, one of the worst in history. 21% of the population died, including 60% of the infants
• John McCain said Monday former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history.
• Many critics view Reagan’s administration as one of the worst in history for organized labor.
• The riot at the State Penitentiary in Santa Fe during February 1980 will be remembered as one of the worst in history.
• The March 12-13, 1888 blizzard, one of the worst in history, dropped 21 inches of snow in New York City with 70 mph winds
• Their first season went down as one of the worst in history as they finished 40-120 and were sarcastically known as the “Amazin’ Mets”
• This person’s hosting of the 1995 Oscars was labeled as one of the worst in history.
• The 2004 hurricane season was arguably one of the worst in history.
• The MyDoom virus has caused more than $38.5 billion in economic damage so far, making it one of the worst in history

YOU WILL NEED
To Give Your Cat Some Good Role Models, Such As…

–Humphrey, the cat who launched a political scandal
Named the Prime Minister’s Official Mouser in 1988, former stray Humphrey quickly became a fixture at 10 Downing Street, overseeing feline issues for Margaret Thatcher and John Major. But, when Tony Blair won the Prime Ministership in a landslide in 1997, Humphrey’s position quickly became threatened. Rumors flew through the British press that Blair’s wife hated cats and wanted Humphrey gone. And, when the aging cat was shipped off to a undisclosed retirement home a few months later, Blair’s political opponents actually accused him of having Humphrey killed. Blair ended up having to bring political journalists to Humphrey’s new home and allow them to photograph the cat—hostage style—with copies of that day’s newspaper before his name could be cleared. The scandal is still remembered as the first major challenge of Blair’s administration.

(more…)

It may be one of cinema’s most time-worn psychological horror tropes, but let’s face it: little girls can be pretty frightening. (Especially the ones with raven-black hair and soulful eyes that see dead people.) In honor of the young heroines of horror who keep us awake at night, see if you can match the scary little girl to her box-office bonanza. Take the quiz!