Jelly bean roulette

My birthday was last week and one of the presents my mom sent me was a box of "BeanBoozled" jelly beans. For those of you fortunate enough not to have been tricked by this candy, I will explain. The box contains 20 different flavors of beans (10 tasty and 10 disgusting). The problem is that there is no way to tell the difference between the good ones and the ones that taste like barf (really, there's an actual "barf" flavor).

I've been having fun playing jelly bean roulette this morning but I must admit that I'm feeling a little ill. Check out the assortment:

Shameless self-promotion

I have created another website. I know what you're thinking, "but Ryan, you just created an awesome comedy website!" Well you're right (about the website and the fact that it's awesome). I don't know what to say, I guess I'm just a busy bee.

My new site is called Our Valuables and is located at ourvaluables.blogspot.com. Please visit it and submit a photo. Your photograph will be posted on the site and you will become an international web superstar overnight. (Okay I may have exaggerated the last part - but it could happen!)

Unnecessary Censorship: Lost Edition

Edited for television

I was watching Die Hard: With a Vengeance the other day on TV and it came to the part where the protagonist John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) is forced to stand on a Harlem street corner with a sign that reads, “I hate the pluralized form of the n-word.” Okay, the sign doesn’t actually say that. It actually reads, “I hate all human beings with skin colors that range from light caramel to dark chocolate.” Actually, that’s not right either. What it literally says is, “I hate . . .” oh, I give up. I’m not going to write what it actually says because it’s offensive and I don’t want my blog coming up in Google when people search for that phrase.

Okay now for the confusing part. The sign on the TV version of the movie actually says something completely different than the one in the theatrical release. The sign he's holding on TV says, “I hate everybody.” This change was presumably made so as to be less offensive to the wider television audience. The problem is that I actually think it makes the scene more offensive.

Let me explain. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, the scene I’m talking about starts out with McClane on the corner wearing the sign. Soon afterward he is noticed by a group of African-American men who threaten him and ultimately assault him by breaking a bottle over his head. When watching the theatrical release it makes sense that this group of people would attack him. In the TV version, however, the group of guys comes off looking like a bunch of crazy assholes. What exactly prompts their aggressive treatment of McClane in this scenario? I can only imagine what's going on in their heads: “Look at this misanthropin’ mothereffer! He has a sign that says he hates everybody! You guys hear that? He hates everybody. That includes you, me, my dry cleaner, EVERYBODY! Let’s kill him.”



Interesting side note: According to The Internet Movie Database, the actual sign that Bruce Willis wore while filming in Harlem said "I hate everybody." The sign was changed with CGI in post-production for the theatrical release.

Slightly offensive jokes

A husband and wife are watching a TV show about psychology that explains the phenomenon of "mixed emotions."

The husband turns to his wife and says, "Honey, that's a bunch of crap. I bet you can't tell me anything that will make me happy and sad at the same time."

She says, "Out of all your friends, you have the biggest dick."

Two old men were sitting on a front porch just watching life pass by. Suddenly, a Great Dane walks across their front lawn. The dog stops, lays down, and begins licking itself.

The first old man says, “Boy, I sure wish I could do that.”

The other old man says, “I don’t know. If I were you, I’d try petting him first.”

Tasteful art (get it?)

Artist Kevin Van Aelst uses various food items to create recognizable patterns. Here are my favorites.


"Chromosomes" (made with gummy worms)


"Common Clouds"


"Apple Globe"


"Hawaii" (made with Hawaiian Punch)


"Right Middle Finger"

Cheeky buggers

Please note: for the purposes of this post I will be translating "English" (as used in England) into correct American English. Translated terms will be shown in parenthesis.

Apparently the jolly ol' chaps (good old boys) in England (America's rough draft) like to bash each other over the noggin (head) with their pints (glasses) of ale (beer). They like it so much that pubs (bars) are stocking new "safer" pint glasses so as to minimize the facial disfigurement that comes from engaging in such activity. The new glasses are duel-layered like a motor car's (car's) windscreen (windshield). Here's a shot of the new glass, presumably after being smashed over someone's face:

Hope you enjoyed the post.  Cheerio (not cereal)!

I've fallen off the wagon

I'm off the Gaga. After hearing Lady Gaga's latest audio-trash entitled "Telephone" on the radio I've changed my mind about her yet again. Although I am the first to admit that her song "Paparazzi" is awesome, "Telephone" makes me want to puke my guts out.  That's right, I said puke my guts out.

On a different note, I found the origin of the phrase "on the wagon/falling off the wagon" at phrases.org.uk:

"During the late 19th century, water carts drawn by horses wet down dusty roads in the summer. At the height of the Prohibition crusade in the 1890s men who vowed to stop drinking would say that they were thirsty indeed but would rather climb aboard the water cart to get a drink than break their pledges. The more alliterative 'wagon' soon replaced cart in the expression and it was eventually shortened to 'on the wagon.'"

Top 5 comedy websites

1. Bits of Comedy
2. Bits of Comedy
3. Bits of Comedy
4. Bits of Comedy
5. Bits of Comedy

Did I mention that I have a new website? It's called Bits of Comedy and you can check it out via my main website ryandangersims.com. I will be updating it periodically with new thoughts and observations so be sure to check back every once in a while. Thanks for your support!

A racist cookbook

Pasta book pulped over misprint

BBC News - April 17, 2010

An Australian publisher has had to pulp and reprint a cookbook after one recipe listed "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.

Penguin Group Australia had to reprint 7,000 copies of Pasta Bible last week, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

The reprint cost $18,000, but stock in bookshops will not be recalled as it is "extremely hard" to do so, Penguin said.

The recipe was for tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.

"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind, and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," head of publishing Bob Sessions is quoted as saying by the Sydney newspaper.

Penguin said almost every one of the more than 150 recipes in the book listed salt and freshly ground black pepper, but a misprint occurred on just one page.

"When it comes to the proof-reader, of course they should have picked it up, but proof-reading a cookbook is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable," Mr Sessions said.

If anyone complains about the "silly mistake", they will be given the new version, Penguin said.

This article is incredible, not only for the crazy story but also because of this Bob Sessions guy. On the one hand, I want to get a job working for Bob Sessions. He seems to back his employees up no matter what. Oh, what's that? You didn't do your job and it cost us thousands of dollars and public humiliation? No problem, your job is tough! On the other hand, I would be extremely nervous working for Bob Sessions, as he seems to be completely baffled as to why anyone would be offended by a recipe calling for "freshly ground black people."

Gayest . . . cake . . . ever

Check out this awesome cake I saw on Martha Stewart today. No, I usually don't watch Martha Stewart but I was flipping around and had to stop and check this out so cut me some slack, okay?

If you're interested in making one yourself you can find the recipe here.

I've been doing it all wrong!

The above plaque is posted in every men's restroom in Disneyland. Thanks "Sparkle," I don't know what I would have done without you!

Went to Disneyland recently and had a fantastic time. While I was there I asked a couple of questions that I've always been curious about.  Here are the answers I got from some random park workers I surveyed:

• The costumes that the employees wear remain the property of Disneyland and are never sold to the workers. Employees can take them home to launder them (Disneyland will also dry-clean them free of charge) but the costumes must ultimately be returned to the park.

• The jokes that the tour guides tell on the Jungle Cruise attraction are scripted and the guides are never allowed to ever go off the cuff. The employees are given a script with about 20 jokes per area of the cruise and they can choose which ones to tell (which explains why you hear different jokes depending on which boat you get on).

Jung Yeezy*

Artist Yeondoo Jung has an awesome name. He also transforms children's drawings into photographs. Here are some of my favorites from his exhibition entitled "Wonderland."








*The title is a play on the name of "Young Jeezy" the rapper (also known as "Lil J"). At least these used to be his names before he grew up and changed his name to just "Jeezy." Jeezy is just his stage name of course, his real name is Jay Jenkins (which has no bearing whatsoever on this explanation but I thought I would throw in that extra bit of trivia). You see what I did with the title of this post was change his first name from Yeondoo to "Yeezy." I then moved his last name to the front since "Jung" is pronounced like the English word "young."

I realize that many people reading this post haven't even heard heard of Young Jeezy in the first place so my fabulous word play won't even register. I also will admit that I really don't know anything about Jeezy or his music (I had to look him up on Wikipedia just to get the spelling of his name right).

So wasn't that great? Jokes are always the best when you follow them up with a nice long explanation. I am just trying to be "hip" to fit in with the kids here people!

U.S. Americans need more maps!

This page used to feature a video of a Miss Teen USA pageant contestant giving a disastrous answer to a question posed by the host. I recently learned that the girl contemplated suicide after the clip went viral, which is not at all funny.

If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one click here or call 1-800-273-8255.

Windfall

Mad dash as truck spills 100,000 dollars onto US street
AFP - March 25, 2010

People fell onto a bag of cash like a pack of hungry piranhas after more than 100,000 dollars tumbled out the back of an armored truck onto an Ohio street, local media reported.

The bag split open after it fell off the back of the vehicle Wednesday and the driver drove away without noticing.

But a whole bunch of people spotted the cash blowing down the street in Whitehall, a Columbus suburb, and a mad dash for cash ensued.

"People were jumping out of their vehicles," one witness told NBC4 news.

"Like when you throw some fish in and you've got a school of piranhas and they haven't eaten for a long time. It was funny."

Another witness described a surreal atmosphere with people laughing, smiling and taking as much as they could carry.

Workers at a nearby flower shop helped police gather up the money in boxes. Several people ended up bringing some of the cash into the police station.

But only about 10,500 dollars had been recovered by the end of the day, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

"We're hoping that more people do the right thing," Whitehall Police Sergeant Randy Snider told the paper.

Police are examining surveillance camera video and photographs from cell phone cameras to try to track down the people who grabbed the money.

My video game collection (2010)

It's time once again for me to show off my (updated) video game collection. Anyone looking for a recommendation should know that I only keep games that I love (which means I think all of these games are awesome).


Click on the image to view a larger version

I also have the following games downloaded on my Xbox, Wii, and DSi:

Trials HD (+ Big Pack), Shadow Complex, Turtles in Time RS, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Peggle (+ Peggle Nights), Portal: Still Alive, Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, SimCity, Vegas Stakes, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Art Style: Pictobits, Bejeweled Twist, Downtown Texas Hold'em, Sudoku (EA version), Touch Solitaire, Puzzle League Express, Dr. Mario Express, Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon, Bookworm, Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, and The Oregon Trail

And I thought the In-N-Out trailers were cool

Subway now has a sandwich shop atop a crane that will rise alongside the Freedom Tower during construction (the Freedom Tower is the building being put up to replace the World Trade Center in NYC). The Subway will be fully operational and serving construction workers throughout the building process and its final stop will be at the 105th floor. It is equipped with a bathroom and everything. What a crazy place to work!

Kristen Wiig thinks I'm a caveman

So I met Kristen Wiig on Wednesday night. Everything started off pretty good - I talked with her about her awesome shark t-shirt and she seemed like a nice person. My wife and I wanted a photo with Kristen so I busted out my 35mm disposable camera (which I had from a snowboarding trip last week) and commented on how "old school" I am for using outdated technology. After posing for the picture (seen below) our friend Julie asked me to take a photo of her with Kristen. The problem is that I didn't know how her damn phone/camera hybrid worked and I came off looking like a freaking Neanderthal.

While trying to take a photo I held the camera backwards and, ignoring the cries from Kristen to turn it around, I promptly took a picture of my own face. Dazed by the flash that had just seared my eye sockets from less than an inch away, I turned the phone over and tried again. Of course, at this point the flash needed to recharge so I had one of those awkward moments where I held the camera, promising the two that the photo would be snapped any second while they waited for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually Kristen asked "did you take it yet?" to which I stammered, "uh, I don't know, I think so." I guess I shouldn't feel that bad. It's not like I majored in art/photography in college. . . .

A case of the Mondays

The following is a quote taken from an actual Associated Press news article published last Monday.

"Authorities said a man accused of stealing a car then reporting it stolen remains in custody after telling police he was robbed at gunpoint while trying to buy crack cocaine with a credit card."

I know he can get the job but can he do the job?*

Reader's Digest recently published a list of blunders that people made during actual job interviews. They are fantastic.

Balding applicant abruptly excused himself and returned a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece.

Applicant asked to see the reviewer's résumé to see if the personnel executive was qualified to interview him.

Applicant phoned his therapist during the interview for advice on answering specific questions.

During the interview, an alarm clock went off in the applicant's briefcase. He apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.

Applicant challenged the interviewer to arm-wrestle.

*Bonus points if you can guess the movie quoted in the title of this post!

Number 4 out of 19,355!

Men's Health magazine recently published a list of the top 10 drunkest cities in the United States. Guess who made #4, bitches?! 

The Top 10 Drunkest Cities 
1. Fresno, California 
2. Reno, Nevada 
3. Billings, Montana 
4. Riverside, California 
5. Austin, Texas 
6. St. Louis, Missouri 
7. San Antonio, Texas 
8. Lubbock, Texas 
9. Tucson, Arizona 
10. Bakersfield, California 

The Top 10 Least Drunk Cities 
1. Boston, Massachusetts 
2. Yonkers, New York 
3. Rochester, New York 
4. Salt Lake City, Utah 
5. Miami, Florida 
6. Newark, New Jersey 
7. Durham, North Carolina 
8. New York City, New York 
9. Fort Wayne, Indiana 
10. Manchester, New Hampshire 

Come on Riverside, if we all work together we can make it to #1!

Oh hell yeah!

Some of you may have noticed that I added a new link entitled "The Big Picture" to my blog. The site is a kind of illustrated news service where you can learn about world events through photographs.

I was browsing the site last week and found a piece on "Fiery European Festivals." These festivals are the most awesome and manly spectacles I have ever set my eyes on. One event involves dudes riding through fire on the backs of horses and the other (entitled "Up Helly Ah") culminates with "up to 1,000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into a Viking longship." Oh hell yeah!

Click on either image to see the article.




Looks like the Sims brothers need to book a trip to Europe.

High drama

Click the following link to hear a dramatic reading of a real breakup letter. Make sure to turn up the volume on your computer!

http://youmakemetouchyourhandsforstupidreasons.ytmnd.com/

The Invisible Man

My brother Aaron recently showed me the work of Chinese artist Liu Bolin. He paints his body to blend into the scenery behind him. These pictures are real (no Photoshop)!

Kickspit Underground Rock Festival

I could watch this a thousand times.

Thoughts to think about

My brother-in-law David sent me a forward the other day that he said reminded him of my blog. It was a long list of "random thoughts from people our age." Usually I don't post anything from email forwards but there were a few "thoughts" that made the cut. Here are my favorites:

1. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

4. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

5. Was learning cursive really necessary?

6. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart," all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart."

7. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

9. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

Camping on Hoth

Check out this Tauntaun sleeping bag à la The Empire Strikes Back. It even has a lightsaber zipper!

Can't blog now. Gaming.

Another brilliant idea

Today I decided that when I die I want my headstone to have a built-in bottle opener. That way when my friends and family come to visit they can share a beer in my memory. The best part? My headstone will read:

Ryan Danger Sims
Have a drink on me!

A brilliant idea

A man named Josh Silver has invented self-adjusting eyeglasses for use in underdeveloped countries. The glasses are cheap to produce and do not require a doctor or prescription.


A Zulu man wearing adaptive glasses.

"Silver has devised a pair of glasses which rely on the principle that the fatter a lens the more powerful it becomes. Inside the device's tough plastic lenses are two clear circular sacs filled with fluid, each of which is connected to a small syringe attached to either arm of the spectacles.

The wearer adjusts a dial on the syringe to add or reduce amount of fluid in the membrane, thus changing the power of the lens. When the wearer is happy with the strength of each lens the membrane is sealed by twisting a small screw, and the syringes removed. The principle is so simple, the team has discovered, that with very little guidance people are perfectly capable of creating glasses to their own prescription."

So far, over 30,000 pairs have been distributed around the world by various charitable organizations.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Hobo attack!

BA man charged in reported harmonica attack
Tulsa World (article excerpt) - October 8, 2009

A Broken Arrow man is facing the music after being accused of beating his roommate on the head with a harmonica.

According to Decai Liu’s arrest report, his roommate was in the bathroom getting ready for work when Liu burst in and started beating him with the instrument.

Police tried to arrest Liu, but he allegedly resisted and head-butted one of the officers. They eventually subdued him with pepper spray, according to the report.

Liu’s roommate told police that “I don’t know what his problem was,” the report indicates.

Officers took the harmonica as evidence.

Zombie shirt

Check out this awesome t-shirt Capcom is selling to promote their upcoming Resident Evil game. Flip it over your head and voilà - instant zombie.

Top 5 most played songs in my iTunes (+ least played)

1. "Float On" by Modest Mouse (166 times)
2. "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" by The Postal Service (149 times)
3. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" by Jack Johnson (131 times)
4. "Brand New Colony" by The Postal Service (119 times)
5. "Flight Test" by The Flaming Lips (118 times)

Least Played: "Come Sail Away" by Styx (0 times)

Submit your own list as a comment! (If you don't know how to get play count information from iTunes email me and I'll walk you through it.)

Retraction

Ladies and gentlemen, it seems as though I have made a mistake. This is the first time that it has ever happened to me so bear with me while I get this out. Since I posted my opinion of Lady Gaga on this blog (see Guns for Gaga), I have come to realize something very disturbing. I actually like Lady Gaga. There, I said it.

Wow, I feel so much better, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Before you judge me look within yourself. Have you ever been driving down the road when a Lady Gaga song came on the radio and found yourself turning it up and/or singing along? If you say "no" you are a liar and I take back calling you a lady and/or gentlemen at the introduction of this post.

I know that this is a shock and that some of my friends and even my own brothers will probably disown me once they read this post. How could I go from encouraging people to donate money to buy Lady Gaga a gun so she could blow her head off to rocking out to "Paparazzi" on my iPod in just a few short months? I don't know. I only know that it's true.

Lego art

I found an artist on Flickr that re-creates classic photographs using Legos. His name is Balakov and I have posted my favorites below. Click on any image to see the original.


Raising the flag on Iwo Jima


V.J. Day Times Square


Lunch atop a skyscraper


Bed-In

Odd suggestions

Last week I came across an article on the "funniest suggestions from Google Suggest." For those that don't know, Google Suggest is the feature that gives you real-time suggestions for search queries as you type them. I posted my favorite examples below.











Source: The Daily Telegraph

A list of my car accidents

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: Their fault
DESCRIPTION: I was broadsided in the middle of an intersection by a woman who ran a red light. Even though she admitted it was her fault at the time, she later changed her story and it was deemed my fault because I was 16 and it was her word against mine. The side of my car was smashed in pretty bad.

DAMAGE: Severe
FAULT: My fault
DESCRIPTION: I peeled out at a stop sign and lost control of the vehicle. The car jumped the curb and I landed in a construction site (where the living room would have been if the house was completed).

DAMAGE: Mild
FAULT: My fault
DESCRIPTION: I rear ended a guy outside of my high school Grad Night event. He was cool and didn't report it to his insurance.

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: Their fault
DESCRIPTION: I was driving in Tahoe and some crazy lady ran into the side of my car when I was trying to change lanes. She then got out of the car and screamed at me in the snow, saying she was going to call her husband so he could come down and "kick my ass." I told her to "bring it on" and she chickened out.

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: My fault (kind of)
DESCRIPTION: I was following my friend's sister's boyfriend in the days before cell phones and if I lost him I would have been completely lost in the snow. He was going 90 mph in a blizzard and I was racing to keep up. I hit a patch of snow on the road and spun my grandparent's van around about 270 degrees and ended up three feet away from falling off a cliff. The car wouldn't start and had to be towed. The upside? My brother and I got to stay in a hotel in Tahoe that night and party it up.

DAMAGE: Mild
FAULT: My fault
DESCRIPTION: I somehow got myself stuck in a parking lot with high walls and couldn't get out without scraping the side of my car. Think "Austin Powers" only with a lot more cursing.

DAMAGE: Severe
FAULT: Jack Daniel's
DESCRIPTION: I ran over a hobo in an abandoned train yard. This may sound bad to some of you but the hobo came from out of nowhere and in my defense I was really, really drunk.

Okay so I made the last one up. Just making sure you were still paying attention. Moving on. . . .

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: My fault (kind of)
DESCRIPTION: I ran a stop sign in a parking lot outside of my dorm and got hit by some douche. I know it was my fault but this guy was going like 30 mph and wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. Also, since when are you supposed to obey stop signs in parking lots?

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: My fault
DESCRIPTION: I had just signed a lease on an apartment and I was excited. Too excited, apparently to notice the pole next to my parked car. I backed out quick at an angle and completely ruined the side of my car.

DAMAGE: Severe
FAULT: My fault (kind of)
DESCRIPTION: Somebody two cars in front of me decided to slam on their breaks to turn into a farmer's market for some impulse vegetable shopping. I slammed on my breaks but it was too late. I was driving my brother's truck and I completely smashed in the entire front of it. (Sorry bro!)

DAMAGE: Moderate
FAULT: My fault
DESCRIPTION: I backed a rental car into an apartment call box. After fleeing the scene I realized that I had been seen, so I had to come back and face the music.

DAMAGE: Mild
FAULT: Their fault
DESCRIPTION: I was in one of those In-N-Out's that have two drive-thru windows. An employee needed to walk across the drive-thru lane to get some supplies and my car was blocking the door. I backed my car up for him and as I did the side-view mirror of my car caught on the drive-thru window and broke off. The guy was a total dick and immediately went on the defensive even though I didn't say anything to him. He panicked and said that he never asked me to back up and that he wasn't going to pay for the damage. I wasn't expecting anything like that but he could have at least apologized for the fact that my car got messed up and/or offered to give me a free fries or something. It's a good thing their burgers are so damn good or I would have never gone back.

Way to go, Killer!

SC teen bags 10-foot alligator with a crossbow
Associated Press - September 17, 2009

A 16-year-old girl has bagged a 10-foot alligator in a South Carolina swamp.

In the middle of the night. With a crossbow.

The State newspaper in Columbia reported that Cammie Colin won one of 1,000 lottery slots for the state's annual public alligator harvest. Hunters are required to use a crossbow or a harpoon.

Cammie was the only person in her group authorized to shoot the 353-pound gator. The Lexington resident was with a guide, her father, an uncle and her brother in an 18-foot boat early Sunday in the headwaters of Lake Marion.

They have 40 pounds of alligator steak in the freezer now.

Cammie says most of her teachers are using her new nickname, "Killer."

Sweet!

I present to you the "Ping Pong Door" by designer Tobias Fränzel.

The weirdest animals on Earth

The Daily Telegraph (a London paper) has published a list of "The weirdest animals on Planet Earth." Here are some of my favorites.


The long eared jerboa is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent found in the deserts of China and Mongolia. It has a long tail, long legs and extremely large ears. Being such a rare creature, it is in danger of extinction.


The blobfish is a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than that of the water it occupies. This helps it maintain buoyancy. Hovering just above the sea-floor, the blobfish gobbles edible matter that floats past it.


The aye-aye shares a lot in common with the woodpecker - it taps trees to find grubs. When food is located it uses its rodent-like teeth to gnaw a hole, then digs them out with its long middle finger.


Leafy seadragons are covered with leaf-like appendages, making them remarkably camouflaged. Found in Australia, they inhabit calm, cold water and have been protected by the government since 1982.


The shoebill is a very large bird found in tropical swamps of eastern Africa. It stands at an average of four feet with a wingspan of over seven feet. The species was only discovered by ornithologists in the 19th century.


The most distinctive trait of the proboscis monkey is the male's large protruding nose. It has been suggested that the female proboscis monkey prefers big-nosed males.


The star-nosed mole's snout has 22 fleshy tentacles that are used to identify food by touch. Often found in North America, it lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs.

Cool label, crap beer (#2)

A neat idea

"Putpockets" give a little extra cash
Reuters - August 19, 2009

Visitors to London always have to be on the look out for pickpockets, but now there's another, more positive phenomenon on the loose -- putpockets.

Aware that people are suffering in the economic crisis, 20 former pickpockets have turned over a new leaf and are now trawling London's tourist sites slipping money back into unsuspecting pockets.

Anything from 5 pounds ($8) to 20 pound notes is being surreptitiously deposited in unguarded pockets or open handbags in Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and other busy spots.

The initiative, which runs until the end of August in London before being rolled out countrywide, is being funded by a broadbrand provider, which says it wants to brighten up people's lives in unusual ways.

"It feels good to give something back for a change -- and Britons certainly need it in the current economic climate," said Chris Fitch, a former pickpocket who now heads TalkTalk's putpocketing initiative.

"Every time I put money back in someone's pocket, I feel less guilty about the fact I spent many years taking it out."

London's police have been briefed about the plan, which will see at least 100,000 pounds given away.