In the news today

[Raven]

I think we just matched them (US), if not beat them.

Deadliest-ever Australian wildfires kill 130

Apparently it burned an area 3x the size of Hong Kong. (Give us a yell if you're alive Raven)

Yeah, I'm alive. But I'm not feeling all that great.

I was less than a mile away from one of the major fires but luckily for me it didn't get any closer. The horrible thing is I was floating in a friend's pool enjoying myself the whole time. I feel so damned guilty because I could have been helping somehow. Not that there's a lot I could have done, but still.

It makes me sick to my stomach to comprehend everything that's happened the last few days here. I'm going to give blood and make a cash donation to the appeal. That's at least something small I can do to assist.

There are so many people with literally nothing left besides the clothes on their backs. I can't fathom it.

[Ryllharu]

Yeah, I'm alive. But I'm not feeling all that great.

I was less than a mile away from one of the major fires but luckily for me it didn't get any closer. The horrible thing is I was floating in a friend's pool enjoying myself the whole time. I feel so damned guilty because I could have been helping somehow. Not that there's a lot I could have done, but still.

It makes me sick to my stomach to comprehend everything that's happened the last few days here. I'm going to give blood and make a cash donation to the appeal. That's at least something small I can do to assist.

There are so many people with literally nothing left besides the clothes on their backs. I can't fathom it.

Not to mention that some of those fires were allegedly started by people. I'll be expecting an appeal to be available at my bank soon, if it's not already there.

Anyway, good to hear you can still type. Like you said, there wasn't much you could do, but now is the time you can help.

Glad our Aussies are both fairly well off from the ordeal. From the sound of things off the BBC news site, it's only getting worse now that the fire crews and police are able to get into some of the worst affected areas.

Not much we can do here from the other side of the world...

[itadakimasu]

The Buzz Log - The Buzz Week in Review

The Bill Gates one was actually funny, but there are others that are hilarious too.

Thats funny but obviously not true.

[Nadouku]

Hmm, reminds me of the Great Chicago Fire.

Brick Kicker

This guy's kicks are so hard and so fast he kicks bricks to pieces with his bare feet! It sounds like he's breaking the sound barrier with his toes.

That's one mighty kick. Imagine if it was used against human opponents.

[Buffalobiian]

Not to mention that some of those fires were allegedly started by people. I'll be expecting an appeal to be available at my bank soon, if it's not already there.

Anyway, good to hear you can still type. Like you said, there wasn't much you could do, but now is the time you can help.

[Nadouku]

Nine-year-old writes hit iPhone app

You might think you're pretty hot stuff because you've figured out how to change your Facebook status from your iPhone, but you've got nothing on nine-year-old Lim Ding Wen.

Pretty amazing for a nine year old to compute that kind of game into an iPhone, and he did it for his sister too! That's pretty sweet of him.

[Pandadice]

whoa dang. reminds me of Tony Stark from Iron Man.

[Death BOO Z]

poll results for the Israeli election: (first results, probably going to change over the night)



no big party (hardly 30 sits), which means we're going for a shaky coalition between leaders who hate each other and might not be the head of their parties for long.

the entire parliament is now more right-winged, less liberal. (if anyone cares about Israel Politics)

[Nadouku]

Pew Research Center: Darwin Debated: Religion vs. Evolution

Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Americans are still fighting over evolution.

I thought it was interesting to see how many people agree or disagree and how their standing claim justifies on what they believe in, and how it might affect others.

[XanBcoo]

It's a sad world we live in where the fundamentally religious can't accept scientific truth, and attack a Strawman of the theory of Evolution just so their faith won't be compromised.

I love the graph in that article. Of course Mormons don't believe in Evolution.

[Animeniax]

I love the graph in that article. Of course Mormons don't believe in Evolution.

They should; they've managed to evolve themselves some of the hottest daughters in human history.

[XanBcoo]

13 year-old boy becomes a father

This is pretty mind-boggling. I think the weirdest thing is how the parents don't really seem to care. It's good that he's being noble and trying to do the right thing, but this poor kid's life is ruined.

Seriously though, 13. I'm sure some of us have siblings that are further in age than that.

[Nadouku]

Seriously though, 13. I'm sure some of us have siblings that are further in age than that.

It's kind of amazing how she managed to produce a safe carriage. Still, I wouldn't want to be a father at such a young age where learning is still a fundamental experience for most kids.

Iraqi police: Female suicide bomber kills 40

BAGHDAD – A female suicide bomber attacked a tent filled with women and children resting from a pilgrimage to a Shiite holy city south of Baghdad on Friday, killing 40 people and injuring 60 others, said officials. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq this year and the third straight day of bombings against Shiite pilgrims.

What do people think when they suicide themself in a tent full of innocent women and children? What the hell do they promote the cause for? Their mentality will never be understood as to why they do it in the first place.

[Kraco]

Yeah, they aren't thinking anything. Their leaders have brainwashed them to do the fell deeds. You don't see the leaders themselves do such things, though, because they are thinking. Like Bin Laden who has been hiding who knows where all these years while his followers are getting killed left and right for the cause. The cause, of course, is nothing but to make the top man mightier and more powerful.

[Mr Squiggles]

Don't worry guys, they were infidels, so they didn't actually have souls.

Man, you'd think that humanity would have learned since the crusades.

[Stitch]

I saw this Uwe Boll movie called Postal last night.

Now I'm not one to give much praise if at all to Uwe, but Postal actually humanized terrorists for me and taught me that all the terrorists really want is some virgins.

You all should watch Postal.

Anyway, in the news lately, there was some graduate student at a British university who was researching the eating habits of an extremely rare lizard in the Phillipines. To perform his research, he painstakingly collected this lizard's feces over a period of five years. When he sent the feces back to his university, the university had received it in an unmarked, black trash bag. When the university did a routine inventory cleanup, they unwittingly threw away the unmarked bag with lizard feces. In effect, they threw away five years hard work of the graduate student, who on the same day of learning of this mishap, had his girlfriend break up with him. Talk about bad luck.

[Nadouku]

Are You Wasting Money on Multivitamins?

Advertisements with tantalizing promises of improved health, prevention of cancer and heart disease, and greater energy have lured millions of Americans to spend billions of dollars on the purchase of multivitamins.

Interesting take on how these medicines can really have no benefit to you or your later self in life. I agree that some medicines don't prevent the risk of cancers; they just give the user the benefit of relief when using it.

[Animeniax]

Sometimes placebos can be more effective than actual medicines. Keep eating those multivitamins.

[Buffalobiian]

Sometimes placebos can be more effective than actual medicines. Keep eating those multivitamins.

That is true. If you find it's working, go for it. If it's not, then you might as well stop.

All I can say is antioxidants are worth taking. Same with Omega 3 fatty acids/fish oil. Other stuff...I haven't really looked into. Vitamins are particularly useful if you're lacking them in your diet. If you aren't, not so much.

I'll just through it out there that I did an evaluation paper on the effectiveness of complimentary medicines in treating menopausal symptoms. Just in case anyone's interested

Some of you guys have wacky ages.

[itadakimasu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7892477.stm

I think its stupid that our gas prices are basically decided by some random people speculating that next year demand could sky rocket, blah blah blah... none of this based on current oil prices or anything.

I'd love gas to stay @ $2.00 or less per gallon, $45 to fill up when it was almost $4 per gallon was kinda rediculous