Greg Mortenson is a truly inspirational educator of children in impoverished areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you haven’t read his book, Three Cups of Tea, it’s well worth your time.
For more information on Mortenson and his work visit the following sites:
New research suggests an influenza virus could go into hiding in the ice when earlier generations of humans, birds or other hosts developed immunity strong enough to drive the virus to extinction. It’s a sort of evolutionary loophole.
“It can bring a set of viral genes back to life that have been frozen for centuries or thousands of years,” said environmental biologist Scott Rogers of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “If hosts haven’t seen the virus in a while, then there may be no active immunity.”
I suppose, before we all die hideous deaths, that some spry entrepreneur will come up with a knee-slapping Flu Pandemic/Global Warming/Anti-Hummer bumper sticker or two. We’ll have to see how funny they are, but I suspect it will be worth it.
CNN has an excerpt from Larry King’s new autobiography, My Remarkable Journey, in which he details a fortuitous trip he took to the track in 1971 when he was nearly broke.
Noodling is the practice of catching catfish with one’s bare or gloved hands.
Sounds easy, right?
It is, save for the occasional loss of digits from bites or infection.
Oh, and the snakes and snapping turtles that periodically decide to move into abandoned catfish holes.
Did I mention the very real risk of drowning due to the encumbrance of the fish or the catching of clothing on submerged logs and branches? No, well there’s that, too. It’s enough of a risk that most experienced noodlers use spotters.
Other than that, it’s a piece of cake.
Here are some more links and a couple of videos for those craving more information on this sport that’s only legal in 13 states:
German Bontrust Exec: “Well, let’s see what you’ve come up with.”
Ad Agency Pitchman pulls out an origamied American fiver and a hybrid British twenty pound note. He proceeds to act out the courting of the two origamied bills on the conference room table.
Ad Agency Pitchman: “And then we strongly insinuate that the two bills have…err…relations. Cut to her pushing a stroller with offspring inside that are obviously Lincoln’s. She then sees Chairman Mao in the park and begins flirting with him.”
“And……scene.”
German Bontrust Exec: “It’s good, but can’t we just have the bills overtly copulate? Innuendo’s so…vague.”
Ad Agency Pitchman: “Anything you want, Kommandant.”
German Bontrust Exec: “Brilliant. Let’s move forward with this.”
*******
(NSFW for lurid depictions of currency papercraft coitus)