A few links, videos, and other online ephemera from our favorite sites this past week:

• Feed your Hunger for Obama, then shed the pounds with Obamaerobics!
• Middle Passage author, Charles Johnson, reflects on the racial meaning of the democratic presidential nominee, while Al Giordano reports on the humbling accomplishments of a single volunteer.
• The Daily Show correspondent, Wyatt Cenac, has finally found his niche with this series of focus groups with elderly Jewish voters in Florida. Here's his first visit and the latest segment after the presidential debate.
• Am I a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Naw. But this odd exchange made me laugh.
• 'Tis the season for Christmas Creep!
• And why is this baffoon getting his own show? (and this one?!?!) Where's the love for Dr. Julius Hibbert from The Simpsons? Even South Park's Token "Black" Williams (pictured) is more interesting.

Updated with a link to a promo for that awful new David Alan Grier show and a better clip from South Park.

Location Found: Found on ground near the sunset Blvd exit off the 405 freeway in LA. 

Date Found: 10/5/08

Description: It is an old brown leather journal with hand written entries.  It has a symbol on the front of it. 

***Out of respect for the owner I have not read the journal.  I have examined it and discovered that it does not have a name, number or address. ***

I have decided to post the first journal entry with the hope that the owner will see the entry and recognize the journal as his/her own.

Here is the first Entry:

March Twelfth:

We have been traveling for over two weeks now.  His bleeding has stopped, mostly, and I worry about his fevers.  They are coming often now with little time between.  Little Cora says she can see a faint glow around him - his 'angel' she calls it.  I worry about Cora now too.

If you recognize this entry, or know of anyone who may have lost a journal, Please reply to the post with your contact information and I will mail you the journal. 

***Please accurately describe the symbol on the cover of the journal in your email so that I know you are the true owner.***

Thank you,

-Dave

Two things I'd like to suggest:

WRITE DOWN the legband information and put it somewhere safe.  DO NOT lose it.

Consider microchipping.  Do not use the excuse of, "but even the humane societies don't always check, so why bother?"  That is a TERRIBLE excuse.  What if they DID?  Wouldn't it be better that there was a chip when they checked than not?  When you do microchip...REGISTER IT.  It does no good AT ALL otherwise.

Here are some GOOD links for helping YOU recover your bird:

911 Parrot Alert

Legband Numbers Yahoo Group

Checklist for Recovering a Lost Bird

http://home.nc.rr.com/tuco/looney/acme/acme.html

Eastend of the Earth, originally uploaded by Kyra Savolainen.

]]> http://ballyblog.wordpress.com/?p=2857 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:03:41 +0000 ballyblog http://ballyblog.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/mine-yields-one-of-worlds-largest-diamonds-500-carats/

LONDON (Reuters) - Miners in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho have found one of the world's largest diamonds, a near-flawless white gem weighing nearly 500 carats, mining group Gem Diamonds said on Sunday.

The diamond was discovered in the Letseng Mine on September 8, the company said in a statement. It has been analyzed by experts in Antwerp and found to weigh 478 carats, with very few inclusions and of outstanding color and clarity.

"It has the potential to yield one of the largest flawless D color round polished diamonds in history," the company said.

Letseng is one of the most productive mines in history -- four of the world's 20 largest rough diamonds have been found at the mine, including the three largest found this century.

Before it is cut into gems it is hard to value the diamond, but a spokesman for Gem Diamonds said a similar weight stone with lesser-quality color and clarity had recently sold for $12 million (around 5.5 million pounds).

"Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished stone of the very best color and clarity," Clifford Elphick, the chief executive of Gem Diamonds, said in a statement.

The minister for natural resources in Lesotho, an impoverished mountain kingdom in eastern South Africa, praised the productivity of the mine, one of the highest in the world at more than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).

"Once again Letseng has proved its ability to produce extraordinary diamonds and continues to place Lesotho at the forefront of diamond producing countries," Monyane Moleleki said in a statement.

Letseng is 70 percent owned by Gem Diamonds and 30 percent owned by the government of Lesotho.

The world's largest diamond is the Cullinan, discovered in South Africa in 1905. It weighed more than 3,100 carats before it was cut into more than one hundred separate gems, many of which are part of the British crown jewels.

April Pinkard's doctor discovered her condition when he couldn't find her heartbeat. A complete examination found that her heart had moved to the other side of her chest.

The problem started because she had another organ removed. April was born 31 years ago with lung disease.

At four years old, doctors removed one of her lungs. The surgery left an open space in her body and over time that emptiness caused a new problem - a condition so rare April says her doctors don't even have a name for it.

"He listened to my heartbeat one day and it just wasn't there. He was all over my chest looking for it," said April. "I said I'm dead. I know it. I said I'm the walking dead, that's it."

April can laugh about it now, but three years ago it was no laughing matter. Her heart floated from where it should be to that empty spot.A couple of weeks after that, it had moved again. It became like "Where's Waldo."

Her heart continued to float making her sick. The movement was also killing her. Dr. Mohammed Choudhury, April's doctor, had never seen a case like this.

Three years ago, Dr. Choudhury sent April to the Mayo Clinic to fix that floating heart. Surgeons used something unique to keep April's heart in place. "They're breast implants. They put one here and here to kind of hold." says April. "If I sprout boobs out my back, nobody will know if I'm coming or going!"

April's positive attitude and sense of humor keeps her going. "You can hear it move...if I push on my chest you can feel the squishes."

But 30 years of medication have done its damage. "The steroids over the years, it damaged my heart and damaged the bones. I'll sneeze or cough and I'll break 10, 12 ribs." says April.

Even so April says she has a blessed life with a loving husband and four adopted children. "Always realize whatever causes you grief or pain makes up the person who you are. You make a choice to have a good life or a bad life. I chose to have a good life."

April's only lung is also bad and she will most likely need a lung transplant in the future.

Thanks,

Tom

all kinds of sound with no skill, no talent [...]
i don't care if the neighbours won't have it
they all got what i done gone and lost
with their hearths and their hearts
and their big laughter homes

all kinds of great wild sounds
crash bang
all kinds of sound
loud, wild and great

and now it's just me, this big bass guitar
and the amp i appropriated keenly
from the girl who used to come 'round

crash bang

i am all kinds of sound
mostly without skill or talent

crash bang
crash bang