Culinary maestro Julia Child died today at 91. R.I.P. She was a legend and a pioneer.

Have you ever heard late President Ronald Reagan's pro-marijuana speech? We laughed out loud.

by TChris

People who reserve their cell phones for calls from the office and family, and who prefer that clients and sales reps call the business line, may be unhappy if their cell phone numbers are published in a directory. Think you have the choice to opt out of publication? Read your contract.

[S]ome cell phone companies have wording in their lengthy service contracts stating that you agree to release your number for any eventual directory. ... A spokeswoman for Verizon, for instance, the nation's largest carrier, said the company opposes the directory because of privacy concerns and is altering contracts to reflect that.

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association is coordinating the electronic directory with cellular service providers. It claims your number will remain private if you want it to be, but that might not be what your contract says. It may be time to pull out your reading glasses and check the fine print.

Tuesday is the day. Here are some sites with live feeds of the transit of Venus. You will never see this again in your lifetime, so be sure to watch. [link via What Really Happened.]

by TChris

Some winners of the "Surprising English" award, as determined by the English Speaking Union of Japan:

The Nonsense Award went to "High Touch Town Roppongi," a slogan attached to the overpass at Roppongi Crossing in Tokyo.

The You Should Know Better Award went to the slogan "Our city is fruity," promoting the Hanagasa Festival in Yamagata.

The Hilariously Funny Award went to a notice found at a department store entrance in Kanagawa Prefecture: "When a visitor has injustice, I will notify the police irrespective of quantity."

Skippy has the details of the celestial event which will allow us mortals to observe the planet Venus on Tuesday.

In a rare show, the elegant white planet will pass directly between the Earth and sun tonight and tomorrow morning, a phenomenon last observed in 1882.

More details here.

Only visible in the Eastern U.S., the rest of us can watch on the internet. Why would we? Back in the late '60's, early '70's, while attending college in Ann Arbor, one of our many jobs to help pay our tuition was that of professional astrologer. Venus was a very special planet to us. Venus occupies the 7th house of love and marriage. She also rules justice - libra- and the law. We've always been very respectful of the planet.

by TChris

A patent attorney took home $5 million after winning the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, beating out a math and economics major in the final round. Not a bad return on the $10,000 entry fee, and way more fun than patent law.

While we're thinking of young people, Eric over at Hamster found these numbers at Drum Major Institute.

• Cost of annual tuition at Yale University, President George W. Bush's alma mater and university attended by his daughter Barbara: $37,000

• Average annual income for a full-time American worker: $32,500

• Number of associate's degrees awarded to American college students every year: 600,0008

• Number of U.S. information technology (IT), back office, customer service and sales jobs expected to move " offshore" by 2005: 600,000

by TChris

What do you think about when you're stuck in traffic?

A third of German motorists fantasize about sex when stuck in traffic while only 10 percent think of finding an alternate route, according to a motor club survey published Thursday.

Common (more than 5 percent) but less stimulating thoughts: how much fuel is left, what am I going to eat next, my job sucks, and I've really gotta go to the bathroom.

by TChris

This one can't be blamed on the Bush administration, although there is a tie-in to Iraq.

Declassified government documents shed new light on the secret protection and support given to former Nazi officials and Nazi collaborators by U.S. intelligence agencies in the years following World War II, according to a book released yesterday by historians who have been reviewing the records for the government.

One of the villians in this story is J. Edgar Hoover.

A set of FBI files analyzed in the book by historian Norman J.W. Goda of Ohio University shows that former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover resisted taking action against Viorel Trifa, a former officer in the pro-Hitler Romanian Iron Guard who emigrated to the United States in 1950. This helped Trifa stay in the country until he was stripped of his U.S. citizenship in 1984.

The CIA subsidized a group of former SS officers who acted as intelligence sources in post-war West Germany, but failed to produce good intelligence. Therein lies the link to Iraq, says Timothy Naftali of the University of Virginia.

"This is the most troubling for me," Naftali said in an interview, "given the context of Iraq, where we once again have to reconstruct a foreign national security system, and we have to do it fast."

by TChris

Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of Bob Marley's "Legend" album.

In the realm of musical-taste-as-statement-of-personal-identity, "Legend'" says: I generally care about world events. I favor cotton clothing. I think stress is bad. I want to stop injustice. I'm all for love. I wouldn't say no to the herb, if you get my drift.

Through songs culled from such Bob Marley and the Wailers' albums as "Burnin'," "Kaya" and "Exodus," the "Legend" worldview is one of universal love, righteous anger, going with the flow and shared single beds.

by TChris

This seems like a sound approach to traffic enforcement that may have a practical application in the U.S.

The Lagos transport chief said 608 Nigerian motorists were tested for insanity after they were caught driving against the flow of traffic on city streets, local media reported on Wednesday.

"One person was found to be insane, while 20 people were found to have very low intelligent quota, which connotes they were not fit to drive cars along Lagos roads," Banire was quoted as saying in Wednesday's Punch newspaper.

The other 587 just didn't care.