News Blog @ i66.com

Environmentally Friendly Burial

Burial, cremation, or Fertilizer? This is a new twist on an age old problem. What do we do with our dead when cemeteries a filling up and the cost of funerals and plots are through the roof. I don't see this catching on in the US, but for densely populated countries this could become a new trend.

Sweden's new funeral rite - bodies freeze-dried, powdered and made into tree mulch By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 28/09/2005)

A town in Sweden plans to become the first place in the world where corpses will be disposed of by freeze-drying, as an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial. Jonkoping, in southern Sweden, is to turn its crematorium into a so-called promatorium next year.

Swedes will then have the chance to bury their dead according to the pioneering method, which involves freezing the body, dipping it in liquid nitrogen and gently vibrating it to shatter it into powder. This is put into a small box made of potato or corn starch and placed in a shallow grave, where it will disintegrate within six to 12 months. More...

Freedom Museum Dropped from WTC plan

After months of controversy the Freedom Museum has been pulled from the plan of the new Freedom Tower. The families won this battle and rightfully so. The politicians stood up for their constituents.

Freedom Museum Axed From WTC Site Plan

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

NEW YORK — Gov. George Pataki (search) dropped a proposed freedom museum from the World Trade Center (search) redevelopment plan Wednesday, saying the project had aroused "too much opposition, too much controversy."

The decision followed months of acrimony over the International Freedom Center (search), with furious Sept. 11 families and politicians saying that the museum would overshadow and take space from a separate memorial devoted to the 2,749 dead and would dishonor them by fostering debate about the attacks and other world events.

More.....

BULL WHAT???

Talk about going the extra mile to improve relations. Imagine if other countries were willing to go this far.

Singapore: Bull semen improved China ties

SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore said Tuesday that relations with the Chinese province of Shandong grew after it presented officials there with a "unique" gift: quality bull semen.

"Bilateral ties between Singapore and Shandong received another boost Monday, this time with Singapore presenting a unique gift of 200 straws of bull semen," International Enterprise Singapore said in a statement.

The gift of semen was part of a pact to help the eastern Chinese province "improve the quality of cattle breeding and dairy products," said IE Singapore, the external economic wing of the government.

The semen was pooled from dairy bull from the United States and Canada, the statement said.

Sex sells, but at McDonald's???

NoingNoing: Ronald McDonald Gets A Sex Change

McDonald's is the latest company to jump on the "sex sells " bandwagon. What ever happened to the kid friendly place that I remember. My first real food was McDonald's fries. I just hope they don't start offering "Adult" Happy Meals.

Ronald McDonald gets a makeover

She's sexy, she's stylish, she's sophisticated - and somewhat surprisingly, she's Ronald McDonald.
A gender-bending makeover of McDonald's marketing icon in Japan has been hailed a great success after capturing the public imagination and enticing adults back into its outlets to sample a revamped menu.

Traditionally, Ronald McDonald would goof about in oversized shoes and baggy yellow overalls in a frantic and successful pursuit of Hamburgler.

In the Japanese TV commercial the foxy female version, with shoulder-length straight auburn hair in place of Ronald's frizzy mop, smoulders at the camera in a flowing yellow dress, and later a red and white striped bikini with thigh-length leggings and red high heels.

But the man behind the campaign insists he did not create a female Ronald McDonald - but merely appropriated his instantly recognisable outfit.

Hidekazu Sato, known by his nickname Kazoo, the associate creative director at Beacon Communications - a joint venture of Leo Burnett and Dentsu - said the costume was so recognisable it was a mnemonic - a design that people would instantly associate with McDonald's. More...

"Sorry about that, chief"

Don Adams, better know as agent Maxwell Smart, past away late Sunday from a lung infection.

Actor Don Adams Dies at 82
Tuesday, September 27, 2005

LOS ANGELES — Don Adams (search), the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s television spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.

Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (search), his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since.

As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency C.O.N.T.R.O.L., Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of C.H.A.O.S. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack: "Would you believe ... ?" It became a national catchphrase. More...blockquote>

We Got Your Intelligent Design Right Here

From our Political Mess Blog with full coverage of the Dover, PA Intelligent Design First Amendmen case starting in Federal court tomorrow:

The York Daily Record in York, PA has followed the ongoing debated about the local decision to include Intelligent Design theory in the Dover Area School District, a district which is now facing a First Amendment case in Federal court beginning tomorrow. The YDR came up with a great article for its Sunday edition, with some quotes we thought rather insightful:

“Depending on how the judge rules, intelligent design could be dealt a lethal blow or it could pave the way for it to be taught in high school biology classes throughout the country,” said Nick Matzke, a spokesman for the National Center for Science Education.

Not since Edwards vs. Aguillard, in which the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987 struck down the teaching of “creation science,” has there been such a challenge to the teaching of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

“If I were able to, I would get a seat and watch every second,” said John Staver, a scientist and Kansas State University professor. “You’re seeing history in the making.”

Oh, yes indeed. For full coverage of the ID debate and First Amendment challenge, along with some backstory that will fry your eyeballs, click here. A teaser for you reportedly stated by the Dover School Board President:

One of the statements, quoted in the lawsuit and by both local newspapers, was made by board member Bill Buckingham at the June 14 meeting: “Two thousand years ago, someone died on a cross. Can’t someone take a stand for him?” Other board members at the time, such as Noel Wenrich and Alan Bonsell, spoke during the meeting of finding a biology book that balances the Christian views of “creationism” with evolution.

And believe us, it only gets better from there.

For a relative article about the use of science to validate evolutionary theory, check out the Washington Post article discussing DNA and genome tests, which (duh) are scientific in nature, to prove or disprove evolutionary theory. (They're right BTW - ID belongs in philosophy class.)

I cannot support the IFC.-Hillary Clinton

Hillary is listen to the people, and the people have spoken loud and clear. We can only hope she will hold her ground on this issue.

Sen. Clinton comes out against Freedom Center at ground zero

NEW YORK -- Sen. Hillary Clinton came out against a museum devoted to freedom planned for ground zero, citing concerns raised by the families of the World Trade Center victims who say the center would dishonor the dead.

The proposed International Freedom Center has become a point of controversy as relatives of trade center victims argue the museum would overshadow a separate memorial museum devoted to the dead and would disrespect them by fostering debate about the attacks.

"I am troubled by the serious concerns that family members and first responders have expressed to me," Clinton said Friday. "I cannot support the IFC." More.....

Investment Conference Will Focus on Consumer Trends

Some of our favorite companies are participants in this conference next week in NY. The trends that these businesses are seeing are key because many are specific sectors like, 1-800-Flowers and Tractor Supply Company, unlike the data that comes from Walmart. There are over 60 participants.

Thomas Weisel Partners Hosts Annual Consumer Conference

Investment Conference Will Focus on Consumer Trends
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/23/2005 -- Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment bank focused on the growth sectors of the economy, will host its second annual Consumer Conference, September 26-27, 2005 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York. Institutional investors and executive management from over 60 consumer companies will gather for the two-day investment conference to discuss recent trends in the consumer industry.

The conference will include companies from the following sectors: Beverages & Restaurants, Branded Consumer Products, Financial Products, Hardline & Broadline Retail, Hospitality & Leisure, Multi-Media Entertainment & e-Commerce, Specialty Retail, and Sports & Lifestyle Retail. More....Including list of participating companies.

Texas at a Standstill: First 20 Casualties of Rita

It seemed as though Texas Officials had a good plan in place, evacuate the people now and get emergency supplies in place. But now, with total gridlock and no gas many Texans my be in greater danger than if they had stayed.

We also have the first reported casualities of Rita: 20 people on a bus heading into Dallas

Evacuee bus burns; Rita stays on track

A bus carrying Hurricane Rita evacuees caught fire on Interstate 45 south of Dallas this morning and a sheriff's official said one person was killed, according to The Associated Press. Television pictures from the scene show the bus engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center has the hurricane on track for landfall along Southwest Louisiana and upper Texas coasts late today or tonight. More...

Back to work in the Big Easy

It's a big shocker that the first business to get "fired up" again in New Orleans are the strip clubs. Never it let it be said that we don't have our priorities straight. We don't need food or water, or even electricity, just give us dancing girls!!!

Strippers help tease back New Orleans nightlife

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - In a sign that things may be returning to normal in New Orleans, strip shows are back in the city's famous French Quarter.

Erotic dancers and strippers are entertaining crowds of police, firefighters and military personnel instead of the usual audiences of drunken conventioneers and tourists in Bourbon Street's Deja Vu club, which reopened this week.

It's the first strip joint to resume business, three weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck in the worst natural disaster ever to hit the United States.

"It's nice to get back to work, and all these men need some entertainment," Dawn Beasley, 27, a dancer at the club, said on Tuesday night. "They haven't seen anybody but their buddies for two weeks." More...