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Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding Commentary by Cathy

Seriously, where is the drama and why bother? The bride and groom already done the deed, you dig?

William, oh, dear, is this guy even 30 yet? Talk about, uh, prematurely thin on the stovepipe! But, who noticed anyway? Once again, proof that the wedding is all about the bride as he could've showed up naked and riding a donkey and no one would've noticed.

Is Kate freaking out yet and wondering if she end up like Di?

In any case, gotta love the employment provided by the wedding. I think every gay man in Britain was put to work!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

It's the law

From the great State of Wisconsin:

97.18(4)

(4) The serving of colored oleomargarine or margarine at a public eating place as a substitute for table butter is prohibited unless it is ordered by the customer.

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Full text of the LawSection 8.40.010 Established.

A. No nuclear weapons, delivery systems for such weapons, or components expressly intended to contribute to the operation, guidance or delivery of a nuclear weapon shall be produced within the city.

B. No waste from the production of nuclear weapons, their components, or commercial nuclear power shall be stored within the city.

C. The city shall request the United States Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Government to provide the mayor with advance notification of any high-level radioactive waste shipments through the city limits.

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Section 8.44.050 Public nuisances affecting peace and safety (which includes SNOW).

The following acts, omissions, places, conditions and things are declared to be public nuisances affecting peace and safety, but such enumeration shall not be construed to exclude other nuisances affecting public peace or safety coming within the definition of Section 8.44.020.

A. Signs, Billboards, etc. All signs and billboards, awnings and other similar structures over or near streets, sidewalks, public grounds or places frequented by the public, so situated or constructed as to endanger the public safety.

B. Illegal Buildings. All buildings erected, repaired or altered in violation of the provisions of the ordinances of the city relating to materials and manner of construction of buildings and structures within the city.

C. Unauthorized Traffic Signs. All unauthorized signs, signals, markings or devices placed or maintained upon or in view of any public highway or railway crossing which purport to be or may be mistaken as an official traffic control device, railroad sign or signal or which because of its color, location, brilliance or manner of operation interferes with the effectiveness of any such device, sign or signal.

D. Obstruction of Intersections. All trees, hedges, billboards or other obstructions which prevent persons driving vehicles on public streets, alleys or highways from obtaining a clear view of traffic when approaching an intersection or pedestrian crosswalk.

E. Tree Limbs. All limbs of trees which project over a public sidewalk less than ten (10) feet above the surface thereof and all limbs which project over a public street less than fourteen (14) feet above the surface thereof.

F. Dangerous Trees. All trees which are a menace to public safety or are the cause of substantial annoyance to the general public.

G. Fireworks. All use or display of fireworks except as provided by the laws of the state of Wisconsin and ordinances of the city.

H. Dilapidated Buildings. All buildings or structures so old, dilapidated or out of repair as to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise unfit for human use.

I. Wires Over Streets. All wires over streets, alleys, or public grounds which are strung less than fifteen (15) feet above the surface thereof.

J. Noisy Animals or Fowl. The keeping or harboring of any animal or fowl which by frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, crowing or making of other noises shall greatly annoy or disturb a neighborhood or any considerable number of persons within the city.

K. Obstructions of Streets--Excavations. All obstructions of streets, alleys, sidewalks or crosswalks and all excavations in or under the same, except as permitted by the ordinances of the city or which, although made in accordance with such ordinances, are kept or maintained for an unreasonable or illegal length of time after the purpose thereof has been accomplished, or do not conform to the permit.

L. Open Excavations. All open and unguarded pits, wells, excavations or unused basements accessible from any public street, alley or sidewalk.

M. Abandoned Refrigerators. All abandoned refrigerators or iceboxes from which the doors and other covers have not been removed or which are not equipped with a device for opening from the inside.

N. Flammable Liquids. Repeated or continuous violations of the ordinances of the city or laws of the state relating to the storage of flammable liquids.

O. Unremoved Snow. All snow and ice not removed or sprinkled with ashes, sawdust, sand or other chemical removers, as provided in this code.

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9.08.090 Tattooing prohibited.

No person shall conduct any establishment where tattooing is practiced nor engage in the practice of tattooing; provided, however, that tattooing may be performed for medical purposes by a person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the state. The word "tattooing" as used herein means the marking of the skin of a person by insertion of permanent colors through puncture of the skin.
http://zombie.clue-free.com/tpt/newstuff/NukeOrbit.jpg

Friday, April 15, 2011

Tonka the wombat depressed without cuddles

news
Tonka the common wombat became depressed after Townsville's Billabong sanctuary closed due to the aftermath of Cycline Yasi. Donna Kilpatrick, 16 and Jayden Doevendans, 16 give Tonka a cuddle. Picture: Megan Taylor
  • At first depressed behaviour a mystery
  • "Forked out serious cash" in vet bills
  • "After the cyclone he missed the public"
A WOMBAT has been diagnosed with depression - after being denied the cuddles and pats he was used to following Cyclone Yasi.
The wombat, named Tonka, shed 20 percent of his body weight as visitors were stopped from visiting his wildlife park home in the eight weeks after Cyclone Yasi tore through northern Queensland, reported the Townsville Bulletin...


h/t to Suzanne

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Doctor Doolittle



H/T Laura the Crazy Mama

Monkey tricks



The Bolivian squirrel monkeys love snatching sunglasses from visitors. The London Zoo in London decided they had to be weaned from this naughty habit. They smeared bitter apple on sunglasses and left them lying about for the Bolivian squirrel monkey to find. These monkeys dislike anything that has a sour taste.

The Bolivian squirrel monkey is only 10 1/2 to 12 1/2 inches long with a 15 to 16 1/2 inch tail. Its tail is longer than its head and body but it is very slim. The tip however is bushy and black. Thismonkey's face is small and white with a large forehead. Its head crown is dark and it has a black nose tip and muzzle.

Bolivian squirrel monkeys live in groups called troops. Their troops average 40 to 50 members and may reach up to 200. The troops of squirrel monkeys are the largest and most active of the monkeys that inhabit the Americas. They are noisy, twittering and clucking. The large troops have smaller peer groups.

Actor Emilio Estevez Hard at Work on Latest Production — Wine Making

 (Your California) Malibu, Calif. — Organically grown Pinot Noir vines surround the Malibu home of Hollywood celebrity Emilio Estevez.  Planted back in 2004 as an experimental project to save water, the vines are now producing the grapes for Casa Dumetz Estate Bottled Pinot Noir.

When Estevez purchased the property, the home was dominated by a water-thirsty lawn, so he came up with a unique plan to replace it with something more drought-friendly and productive.

"I started getting these ridiculously high water bills," Estevez told the Your California Radio Show.  "So I had this crazy idea to dig up the lawn and plant a vineyard."

He says crazy idea, because most of his family and friends told him it was such.  But now, it's Estevez who is literally enjoying the fruits of his labor.  He said his water bill dropped substantially to about $70 a month, and the property is growing a useful product—something the lawn wasn't providing.

The vineyard has also given the Hollywood star a new focus.

"It's important to have outside interests and hobbies," Estevez said regarding his career in the film industry. And now that hobby is becoming a full-blown passion for wine making. He has expanded the operation beyond his acre or so of grapes in Malibu to include Viognier and Syrah grapes grown at Tierra Alta Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley Area.  With the addition of the Santa Barbara County product, Casa Dumetz is now making about 650 cases a year.

Estevez especially likes the Viognier, calling it the star of the Casa Dumetz line. "Sonja has just been nailing the Viognier for the last couple of years," he said referring to his partner Sonja Magdevski.

LISTEN TO THE FULL RADIO INTERVIEW:

His respect for the wine industry shows in his marketing approach.  While many stars choose to use their famous names as a way to bring recognition to their projects, you won't find any current photos of Estevez, nor any clear references to him on the winery's website or bottle labels.

There is however a picture on the site of Estevez as a young boy, at his grandfather's vineyard in Spain—something lost on visitors who don't know any better.  And, he chose to sign the site's About section as "Don Emilio", rather than use his full name.

"There's a lot of people that will buy something just based on a celebrity endorsement or a celebrity name on a product," Estevez said. "But, we wanted the wine and the product to speak for itself."

You can currently find Casa Dumetz wines at a number of locations around Southern California and the Central Coast.  The winery does not operate a tasting room at the moment, but Estevez said they are hoping to put one together.  He expects it to be somewhere along the growing Malibu wine trail within the next couple of years.

MORE INFO:
Casa Dumetz - Malibu
Tierra Alta Vineyards - Santa Ynez

PHOTO CREDITS:
Top - Casa Dumetz - Pinot Grapes
Middle - Tierra Alta Vineyard
Bottom - Emilio Estevez with father Martin Sheen during production of his film The Way - David Alexanian