Molesting a fembot? Seriously?
The Ten Cheesiest Star Trek (Original) Creatures
Tribbles
Episode: "The Trouble With Tribbles"
Description: The most insidious invaders ever to threaten the Enterprise, these fuzzy little low-budget infiltrators first win Lt. Uhura’s affections, prompting her to take one aboard. From there they sneak into the air vents, storm the bridge and drink Kirk’s coffee. Only one thing keeps them from taking over the Enterprise and from there, the galaxy: No hands, man.
Powers: Eating, reproducing, making Klingons edgy.
Weaknesses: Poisoned grain, hammers (presumably).
Read them all here.
Looks Like The Stem Cell Controversy Is Over
Scientist have discovered a way to get stem cells without destroying embryos or cloning:
In the quest to treat difficult diseases, researchers have created human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos or using hard-to-get eggs. The technique may prove to be easier, cheaper, and more ethically appealing than an alternative approach that requires cloning.
Another Megachurch Sex Scandal
It’s becoming an everyday thing now:
The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother’s wife and fathered a child by her.
Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk’s family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.
In truth, this is not the first — or even the second — sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair.
Earl Paulk’s brother, Don, is a piece of work, too, and together it looks like they’ve been very naughty boys:
Today, though, membership is down to about 1,500, the church has 18 pastors, most of them volunteers, and the Bible college and TV ministry have shuttered — a downturn blamed largely on complaints about the alleged sexual transgressions of the elder Paulks.
In 1992, a church member claimed she was pressured into a sexual relationship with Don Paulk. Other women also claimed they had been coerced into sex with Earl Paulk and other members of the church’s administration.
The church countered with a $24 million libel suit against seven former church members. The lawsuit was later dropped.
Jan Royston, who left the church in 1992, started an online support group for former members to discuss their crushed faith and hurt feelings.
"This is a cult. And you escape from a cult," she said. "We all escaped."
A refreshing change though from other scandals — no homosexuality involved.
That Ruins The Song For Me!
The Caroline of "Sweet Caroline" (the Neil Diamond song) is Caroline Kennedy, JFK’s daughter (who just turned 50, if you can believe that). Neil Diamond revealed this in a recent interview.
By the way, the song has returned to the singles charts, due in large part to the Red Sox Nation (the song is played at every home game).
Arming Future Enemies
A new proposal for the Pakistani crisis:
A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy, American military officials said.
Again with the arming tribal leaders?
Someone needs to remind someone at the Pentagon that when we arm tribal leaders, the chickens eventually come home to roost. In other words, these guns go out there unaccounted for, and 5 to ten years later, they’re shooting back at us.
Santa Claus’s Blog
He’s no longer during monthly posts in the "off-season". Bookmark it. (And that’s his personal blog. The blog of the corporate parent can be found here.)
144 Years Ago Today…
Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address.
Had he done it today, it would have been a Powerpoint presentation that would have looked like this.
They Have A Word For That
Via Neatorama, a list of foreign words for which there is no English counterpart:
Kummerspeck (Germany): "Grief bacon" – the weight that you gain by overeating when you’re worried about something.
Attaccabottoni (Italy): A "buttonholer" – someone who corners casual acquaintances or even complete strangers for the purpose of telling them their miserable life stories.
Modré Pondeli (Czech): "Blue Monday" – When you skip coming in to work to give yourself a three-day weekend.
Razbliuto (Russia): The feeling you have for a person you used to love, but don’t anymore.
Shitta (Iran): Leftover dinner that’s eaten for breakfast.
Tartle (Scotland): To momentarily forget the name of the person you’re talking to. The word helps reduce the social embarrassment of such situations: "I’m sorry, I tartled there for a moment."
Pana po’o (Hawaii): To scratch your head in an attempt to remember something you’ve forgotten.
Ngaobera (Easter Island): A sore throat caused by too much screaming.
Backpfeifengesicht (Germany): A face that’s just begging for somebody to put their fist in it.
Papierkrieg (Germany): "Paper war" – bureaucratic paperwork whose only purpose is to block you from getting the refund, insurance payment, or other benefit that you have coming.
Rujuk (Indonesia): To remarry your ex-wife.
Mokita (New Guinea): The truth that everyone knows, but no one will speak about.
Gorrero (Spain, Central America): Someone who never picks up the check.
Fucha (Poland): Using your employer’s time and resources for your own purposes.
I’m going to start incorporating these words into everyday usage, although that’ll probably just make me a backpfeifengesicht.
Want A Good Cry?
Check out this video about "Animal Crossing".
Just some background about "Animal Crossing" (so you can appreciate the video). It’s an online "community" game where players live out a separate life in an online village, with the goal of building and improving their house and being part of a make-believe community.
Books Aren’t Dead
…they’re just digital.
And were it not for the ridiculous price tag of $400, I would probably be getting a Kindle, Amazon’s new wireless reading device, which some are dubbing "the iPod of reading".
It weighs less than a paperback, but on it you can read any digital book (88,000 currently available). You can also subscribe to top U.S. newspapers and weekly magazines which are auto-delievered. Blogs too. It holds up to 200 books.
Best of all, it uses "electronic ink", which is a fancy way of saying there is no backlight, and therefore, no eyestrain.
Not too shabby. Newsweek does a mammoth story on Kindle (shorter version: they love it).
Now all that need is a text-to-speech converter, and I’m in heaven.
You’re Never Too Old To Learn To Tapdance
That’s a great bumper sticker. I should copyright it.
Anyway, read about this man who celebrated his 75th birthday by tapping across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The State Department Tries Blog Diplomacy
Something about this strikes me as rather silly.
Especially this quote from Duncan MacInnes of State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs:
"Because blogging tends to be a very informal, chatty way of working," MacInnes said, "it is actually very dangerous to blog."
The Stagehand Strike
For those who are concerned, the Broadway stagehand strike does not affect national tours. Um… yet.
Sadly, the talks broke down this weekend, and much of Broadway remains dark:
These Broadway shows will be dark at least through Sunday, Nov. 25.
August: Osage County at the Imperial Theatre
Avenue Q at the Golden Theatre
A Bronx Tale at the Walter Kerr Theatre
Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre
A Chorus Line at the Schoenfeld Theatre
The Color Purple at the Broadway Theatre
Curtains at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Cyrano de Bergerac at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the St. James Theatre
The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre
Duran Duran at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Farnsworth Invention at the Music Box Theatre
Grease at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre
Hairspray at the Neil Simon Theatre
Is He Dead? at the Lyceum Theatre
Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre
Legally Blonde at the Palace Theatre
Les Misérables at the Broadhurst Theatre
The Lion King at the Minskoff Theatre
The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden Theatre
Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre
The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre
Rent at the Nederlander Theatre
Rock ‘n’ Roll at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Seafarer at the Booth Theatre
Spring Awakening at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre
Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre
Off-Broadway (which is, in some ways, better) is still flourishing.