Naut's Tidbits & Snippets

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Wars have been started over less...

"People in Denmark hate me. But I have no feeling yet what the reaction is in Sweden, other than they of course think I am an idiot." Danish Soccer fan after he drunkenly attacked a referee at a Denmark-Sweden match, prompting officials to cancel the game and award a 3-0 win to Sweden. ( Toronto... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Nautikos at 9:46 AM | add or view comments (12) | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Christmas Dinner in the Early Days...

According to the Toronto Star, back in 1793 turkey wasn’t on people’s minds when they thought of Christmas dinner. According to the diaries of Elizabeth Simcoe, the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, the feast would include such delicacies as “boiled black... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 22, 2007

Hand-tinis, anyone?

An international campaign to reduce hospital infections by installing hand-washing stations has been stalled by an unintended consequence, reports the British Medical Journal. Addicts are swilling the cleanser due to its high alcohol content. One hospital in Vancouver, for example, loses 18... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Drunk, Disorderly and Armed with a Siren...

Russell Banks, a fire chief in rural Maine, has been charged with impaired driving after police found him racing through the town of Burlington after midnight – driving the fire truck with its emergency lights and siren on. When police stopped him they found the only fire was in Banks’ bloodshot... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

And in England, a Helpful Girlfriend Isn’t Enough to Win Suit...

Gordon Thompson of Plymouth, England, tried to sue city council for negligence, alleging a wall fell and broke the leg of girlfriend Elizabeth Hingston. The $200,000 suit failed after police entered Thomson’s residence on an unrelated issue and found a video on a cellphone of Thomson putting... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Can a Cockroach Live without Its Head?

Yes, it can, for weeks! There’s no uncontrolled bleeding (as there would be in humans), since there tends to be rapid clotting, and little energy loss (they’re cold-blooded). And they don’t breathe through their noses (which they don’t have), but through spiracles, little openings in each body... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Nautikos at 2:36 PM | add or view comments (30) | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Newspaper Runs Box Ads for Drunks...

The editor of a Maryland newspaper has a special offer for anyone thinking of driving drunk this holiday season. Ken Rossignol, whose brother was killed by a drunk driver in 1975, regularly publishes in St. Mary’s Today the names of drivers convicted of alcohol infractions. This year, he’s offering... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Life from Mars?

If biological determinism – the idea that life must arise under the proper conditions – is true, we might expect life to have emerged elsewhere in the solar system, particularly on Mars (which had liquid water on its surface early in its history). Because Earth and Mars trade material blasted into... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

More strange goings-on in Canada's United Church...

Since some people seemed surprised at my assertion that the United Church is essentially a political party, an extension of the NDP, I offer the following tidbit in evidence. Jesus’ divinity doubted Church leader holds controversial views. "The divinity of Jesus and the reality of heaven and hell... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007

Church fires angry, unruly congregation...

At first glance, Queens Avenue United Church in New Westminster, B.C., is the very model of stability and permanence. Although the imposing modernist structure opened in 1959, its roots date back 148 years, to 1859, when the first service was held by the Fraser River, and 1860, when the congregation... Sign in to see full entry.

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