The "Tax Evasion" for Hipsters?

You know how they got Capone eventually on tax evasion? And I had thought the new "tax evasion" was immigration violations. But here's a new one.

Now, I take no position on the Animal Liberation Front's activities. But if you're going to go down, don't go down by being arrested for stealing CDs from a coffee shop. Story here.

Yes!

Finally, one of my favorite media sources, The Onion, has caught on to the Craigslist craze. I love you, Missed Connections! And while you're visiting The Onion on a late afternoon, check out the always amusing poll of the week, this week on the morning after pill. Truly hilarious.

Stupid Things Drunk People Do #734

There just seems to be a spate of these lately. Was there a full moon? Hint for today: If you're going to drive drunk, don't run into an ambulance. Though I guess you could say it would be the best thing you could run into.

Remember the Good Old Days?

Back in the day, we could just settle the score with schoolyard justice. Meet me at the flagpole and all that. First we have a scalping; now a forcible tattooing. That's right, some kid had an obscene "phrase" tattooed to his forehead. (I'm dying to know what it said!) So, what's gotten into kids these days?

Travels with Erik

My former roommate, Erik, is embarking on his second world tour. Follow him and read his journal at the website his brother is maintaining for him. Today, he left Chicago for Turkey and will be travelling through Romania and Bulgaria.

Helpful Hint #3

Don't try to steal a gun from a gun store. Come on, people. And I gotta tell you, I don't speak for God, but I don't think God wants you to steal guns.

Helpful Hint #2

If you are not sure you are completely sober, don't volunteer for a sobriety test.

What English Speaking Country Are You?

Things have probably gotten a bit boring--I'm trying to stay away from the Terri Schiavo debate, though there are tons of fascinating articles that relate to her current state. Instead, why not start off your Friday with a highly unscientific, yet amusing quiz?

You Belong in the UK

Blimey! A little proper, a little saucy. You're so witty and charming... No one notices your curry breath

What English Speaking Country Do You Belong In?

I don't know, I think it was the curry answer that tipped this one.

Scrabble Cheat Sheet

The following is a list of all the words that have the letter Q, but not the letter U. Scrabble players, you know who you are.

FAQIR - Variation of FAKIR, a Hindu ascetic.
FAQIRS - Plural of FAQIR.
QAID - A variation of CAID, a Muslim leader.
QAIDS - Plural of QAID.
QANAT - A system of underground tunnels and wells in the Middle East.
QANATS - Plural of QANAT.
QAT - Variation of KAT, an evergreen shrub.
QATS - Plural of QAT.
QINDAR - Variation of QINTAR, a monetary unit of Albania.
QINDARS - Plural of QINDAR.
QINDARKA - Albanian currency.
QINDARKAS - The plural of QINDARKA.
QINTAR - See above.
QINTARS - Plural of QINTAR.
QOPH - A letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
QOPHS - Plural of QOPH.
QWERTY - A standard typewriter keyboard.
QWERTYS - The plural of QWERTY, see above.
SHEQEL - An ancient unit of weight and money.
SHEQALIM - The plural of SHEQEL, see above
TRANQ - A variation of TRANK (i.e. tranquilizer).
TRANQS - Plural of TRANQ.

Helpful Hint

If you are going to drive drunk, you might do well not to run into a police car.

Can Yoga Be Copyrighted?

Interesting article about a lawsuit between Bikram Choudhury and instructors of Bikram-themed yoga classes. (The plaintiffs call themselves Open Source Yoga.) At issue is whether the exact series of 26 yoga postures can be copyrighted, as a dance or song would be, or whether yoga is more like a sport or method of fitness.

Outlawing Solitaire

North Carolina state officials are pondering whether to prohibit the use of computer games such as Solitaire and Mine Sweeper at work. One sociologist, relying on Marxist theory, says that employers should allow employees some amount of free time to play games, in order to make up for the "lost identity and pride in work."

St. Patrick's Day Review, Harpers Style

Number of loaves of Irish soda bread baked: 4
Number of loaves consumed by colleagues: 2.5
Number of loaves misplaced by inebriated friend: .5
Types of beers available at Sine: 2
Number of green beers available at Sine: 0
Number of beers paid for by Tara: 0
Number of couples celebrating anniversaries: 1
Percentage green-attire-wearing friends: 100%
Varieties of potato dishes being served at the buffet: 2
Number of pinches received: 0
Number of people at Sine more interested in the Creighton-WVU game: 6+
Number of "Everyone Loves An Irish Girl" t-shirts seen: 0
Cost of cab fare home: $12

The Bible Bar

No, it's not where Christians and Jews can go to relax with a glass of wine. It's a food item that I picked up from the health food store yesterday. It contains the 7 foods of Deuteronomy 8:8: wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, honey and olive oil. And it's actually not bad. So I looked up the website and there's all kinds of fun, interesting information about weight loss and fitness, the Biblical way. Not as amusing as reading the back of a Dr. Bronner's soap bottle, but pretty amusing nonetheless.

St. Patrick's Day Roundup

Blogger was acting funny yesterday, so some of this is old news.

Great smackdown on Susan Estrich by Anne Applebaum. Read it here.

Girl Scouts selling cookies outside of a grocery store were robbed of their cookie money. I'm not sure which is more pathetic--the guy who steals cash from a bunch of elementary school girls, or that the Kroger employees could only muster up $25 of charity money for the girls.

A recipe for making Guinness Ice cream. No, not interested? How about this Guinness recipe, taking the best of Irish and Scandinavian cuisine?

Also, great interviews this morning on NPR, one about Irish pub decor. The other was an interview of Gerry Adams.

Photos from Nevada

Photos from my recent trip to visit Alex and Jason in Las Vegas, Nevada. The area we went hiking in is called Red Rock Canyon National Preservation Area. Pretty, huh?

Alex & Tara with Las Vegas in the background. 

Jason, Alex & me on the trail 

Blue sky. 

Rock stairway 

Alex & Jason trying to find the trail. 

Hiking on Sunday 

Me. 

Creek in Red Rock Canyon  

How Cosi Was Ruined For Me

Last night, Kelly pointed out to me the nutritional value of various Cosi menu items. My signature salad has 21 grams of fat. And that is without the dressing. My tuna and cheddar? 54 grams of fat. Yikes. She also pointed out to me thefast food calorie counter available at the Washington Post website.

You know, it was bad enough that Cosi was the only sandwich place relatively near my office. And I didn't really like it that much. Now I really don't like it. Thanks, Kelly.

Questionable Barter

From the barter section of Craig's List:

"These electric toothbrushes sell USED for more than $30 each! We have two, LIKE NEW “Sonicare Power Toothbrushes With Quadpacer”. These work PERFECTLY. Details: *Removes most coffee, tea and tobacco stains for whiter teeth. -- *Better plaque removal and healthier gums. -- *Bristle tips move 3 times faster than other leading electric toothbrushes. -- *Comes with two charger bases (they hold a charge for almost 2 weeks!). -- *2-minute timer to ensure brushing for the professionally recommended time. -- *30-second interval brushing timer for thorough brushing of each quadrant of your mouth. Brush heads not included. Thanks very much! COMES FROM NON-SMOKING, NON-PET HOME. Make us an offer."

Dude, I don't care that your home is free from pollutants and allergens, it is still a used toothbrush. Eww. What exactly do you think you should get in return for that? I wouldn't even give you the free-sample toothbrushes I get from my dentist. Wanna know why? Because those are actually clean.

Duck Research

Kees Moelicker, a biologist from the Netherlands, recently won the Ig Nobel prize for biology for his research of the deviant sexual practices of ducks. Well, you kind of have to read the article. It's really funny and very disturbing on some levels. Here's information on the Ig Nobel Awards generally.

Pour Les Hommes

God knows I didn't think I'd ever become arbiter of fashion. (Perhaps there are many who still feel I should not.) But today, in spin class (as usual) I saw another fashion faux pas. This time, it is for you, gentleman. Please, please wear longer shorts. I don't know or care if the white material was part of your shorts or your Underoos...if I can see it, you need to put on longer shorts.

Second, while we're on gym etiquette, let's keep some of the noises in the bedroom, shall we? I can barely keep myself on the bike without laughing. And although God is ever with us, that praise song "I Will Call Upon The Lord" wasn't talking about during spinning class, okay?

It's Gettin' Hot in Here...

A man driving home from receiving radiation treatment for cancer set off a radiation monitor on a fire truck in Escondido, California. The police pulled the man over, cordoned off the area and determined that the poor man did not, indeed, have a nuclear weapon. The monitors are evidently strong enough to detect the radiation cancer patients receive. The radiation monitors were funded by a grant from DHS.

The Christian Right, Across the Pond

Interesting article about the rise of the politically involved Christian Right in the British Isles. One organization's latest crusade was to strong-arm a charity into refusing money donated by the cast of the new Jerry Springer Opera. My favorite quote? The woman who talks about America: "In America they have always had the advantage of the bible belt’s ability to exert a strong moral influence over national affairs, and we would certainly like to see something similar in Britain to provide the country with the guidance it so desperately needs." hmm. Interesting perception of American politics, to be sure.

Movie Times

A lawmaker in Illinois is proposing a law to require movie theatres to post the time the show actually starts (i.e., after the previews).
Great, so instead of having late-goers trip over me to their seats during the previews, they can trip over me during the beginning of the film.