Goodness Gracious

Another great ball of fire to report - via the Washington Post:

The "great ball of fire" that lighted the Sunday night sky -- and then lighted up police switchboards across several mid-Atlantic states -- almost certainly was a big chunk of space junk falling from orbit.

Everyone seemed to think it was falling near them. Callers to 911 said it was "a rocket or comet" or maybe "a plane or helicopter on fire" that was of a "greenish color" that came "down from the sky near the tree line."

[...]

Geoff Chester, at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, had the answer. He's fairly certain that it was the second-stage booster from a Russian Soyuz rocket that took off on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Because Americans get so little...

Because Americans get so little sugar in their diets, Tea today will see the return of the Rum and Coke. (In lieu of strawberry, we will have lime).

Dog Trips Man

AP, March 27

ATLANTA - Cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 serious falls each year, according to the first government study of pet-related tumbles.

Such incidents are relatively rare, accounting for about 1 percent of injuries from falls. The majority cause minor injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But they are a disproportionate hazard for senior citizens, CDC officials said.

Last Night We Dreamt of Cows

Last night we dreamt of cows. Large, friendly cows. We take this to be a good omen.

Larry Glick est mort

From the WBZ newsroom:

A Boston radio legend has died.

Longtime WBZ radio host Larry Glick died Thursday night in Florida after undergoing 10 hours of open heart surgery. He was 87.

Glick graced WBZ's airwaves for 20 years, building up a faithful group of fans known as "Glicknics."

He retired to Florida, where he most recently worked as a greeter at Legal Seafood in Boca Raton.

Glick leaves his wife Lisa and a daughter Tali, both in Forida, and a daughter, Nannette in the Boston area.

The Boston Herald Obituary is here: Larry Glick dies at 87

Board Meeting Today!

Doubly exciting!

Planning to Visit Tonga?

Now might not be the best time...

Undersea volcano erupts near Tonga

AP, March 19

Scientists sailed today to inspect an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga — shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific ocean.

Authorities said the eruption does not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected.

Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea about 6 miles from the south-west coast off the main island of Tongatapu — an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, geologists said.

pics!

Board Meeting Tomorrow

Exciting!

...and is it quiet around here!

JM, WL, and RD are all away, as are JT and NT, and as usual for a Friday, so is RS.

Hey, since the cats are away, why aren't we playing?

Oh. PM is here.

Is Nothing Sacred?

First Liechtenstein, now the Swiss?

Where will we deposit our "weekend money"? Our rainy day kitty? Don't the Swiss know that by cooperating with the OECD and the US, they've forfeited their neutrality? The Caymans are looking better all the time.

The BBC has the story:

Switzerland eases banking secrecy

Switzerland, the world's largest offshore financial centre, has agreed to accept concessions on bank secrecy.

However, while it will now abide by international rules on bank data sharing, it said it would only respond to "concrete and justified" requests.

The government added that it would still protect banking customers from "unjustified watching from abroad".

Switzerland's announcement comes after it had risked being added to a global blacklist of uncooperative tax havens.

It is estimated that Switzerland's banks hold $2 trillion (£1.4tn) of global wealth held abroad.

Wedding Pictures!

In the event that anyone is even interested VS / VK has offered to display her wedding pictures tomorrow at Tea.

More details as they become available.

Chuck Norris for President of Texas?

Mr. Norris has some fire in his soul!

I may run for president of Texas

WorldNetDaily, By Chuck Norris, March 9

On Glenn Beck's radio show last week, I quipped in response to our wayward federal government, "I may run for president of Texas."

That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.

From the East Coast to the "Left Coast," America seems to be moving further and further from its founders' vision and government.

[...]

How much more will Americans take? When will enough be enough? And, when that time comes, will our leaders finally listen or will history need to record a second American Revolution? We the people have the authority according to America's Declaration of Independence...

[...]

...And [Glenn Beck] answered, "If this country starts to spiral out of control and Mexico melts down or whatever, if it really starts to spiral out of control, before America allows a country to become a totalitarian country (which it would have under I think the Republicans as well in this situation; they were taking us to the same place, just slower), Americans won't stand for it. There will be parts of the country that will rise up." Then Glenn asked me and his listening audience, "And where's that going to come from?" He answered his own question, "Texas, it's going to come from Texas. Do you agree with that Chuck?" I replied, "Oh yeah!" Definitely.

[...]

Anyone who has been around Texas for any length of time knows exactly what we'd do if the going got rough in America. Let there be no doubt about that. As Sam Houston once said, "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."

[...]

Again, Sam Houston put it well when he gave the marching orders, "We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: None is at hand. We must now act or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name."

Let's hope that the US Government gets its act together before Chuck has to step up to the plate.

Enzyme behind cancer spread found...

Today's really good news comes via Auntie Beeb.

Scientists say they have discovered a way to stop cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

Cancer metastasis, where the cancer spreads from its original location, is known to be responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths.

Institute of Cancer Research scientists have found that an enzyme called LOX is crucial in promoting metastasis, Cancer Cell journal reports.

Drugs to block this enzyme's action could keep cancer at bay, they hope.

WL reminds us of this story

The Telegraph, By Jeremy Page, February 11

Delhi - Does your Pepsi lack pep? Is your Coke not the real thing? India's Hindu nationalist movement apparently has the answer: a new soft drink made from cow urine.

The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink – called "gau jal", or "cow water" – in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and would be launched "very soon, maybe by the end of this year".

"Don't worry, it won't smell like urine and will be tasty too," he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. "Its USP will be that it's going to be very healthy. It won't be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins."

Eat Dessert First!

On Monday, the earth was passed by an asteroid (2009 DD45) about the same size (69 to 154 feet in diameter) as the one that wiped out Tunguska back in (19) ought-eight. It passed Earth at a distance of around 44,000 miles - about twice the distance that geostationary communications satellites orbit.

National Geographic has the graphics.

AP sez: Most people probably didn't notice the cosmic close call. The asteroid was only spotted two days ago and at its closest point passed over the Pacific Ocean near Tahiti.

h/t io9

Who knew?

Who knew that there is a hedge fund that invests solely in Target?

Bloomberg, March 3

William Ackman’s hedge fund that invests solely in Target Corp. fell 33.3 percent in February, bringing the loss since inception to 93 percent, according to an e-mail sent to investors.

The decline in Pershing Square IV fund was more than three times that of Target shares in February. Ackman made his bet using options rather than the underlying stock, which can magnify gains or losses on an investment. Target tumbled about 9 percent last month.

By now we've all heard the bad news.

Looks like WL will be out of commission for a while.

This is just one more reason that cats are better than dogs.

At least if a cat breaks your leg, he does it at home, not in some out-of-the-way cell phone dead zone, encircled by the wild elements. And did Bandit dial for help? No - WL had to crawl out of the woods himself, just to get a signal! Then he had to dial the phone himself.

Don't be too hard on Bandit, WL, he's just a dog. Oh, and get well soon.