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A Well-Planned Retirement - And no one even knows his name.

A Well-Planned Retirement - And no one even knows his name.
Outside England's Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The fees were £1 for cars ($1.40), £5 for busses (about $7). Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didn't show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent. The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo's own responsibility. The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a City employee. The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll. Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain (or some such scenario), is a man who'd apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own; and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about $560 per day -- for 25 years. And no one even knows his name.

How I Learned the Truth about the State - Stefano R. Mugnaini I'll never forget my last visit to lovely Hinesville, Georgia. For it was there that I learned a valuable lesson, one I shall never forget: in a police state, we're all criminals. Think about it — how many laws have you broken today? In Hinesville, I was accosted for "animal cruelty." The older of my two daughters had a rash, so we stopped at Walmart to get her some antihistamine cream. You see, we left the dogs in the car, with the windows down and a dish of water to drink. I was informed that I was being charged with criminal animal cruelty, subject to appear in court at a later date. The officer informed me that I was going to have to take the dogs to the vet to be checked out before we were allowed to continue on our way. I tried another tactic. "At what point," I asked, "was I in violation of the law?" He couldn't answer, but the heroic policeman — let's just call him "Vic Maldonado" — sprang into action. I was cuffed and escorted to the back of the squad car. Stefano R.

Sam Goddard: Stroke sufferer, 23, woken up by SLEEPING PILL Doctors believed Sam Goddard would be in permanent vegetative state after eight strokesFiancée who stood by him discovered Ambien had helped other sufferers By Lydia Warren Updated: 16:13 GMT, 28 December 2011 It is usually used for helping insomniacs get some much-needed sleep. But in a miraculous twist, Ambien is believed to have woken up 23-year-old Sam Goddard after he suffered a series of strokes that left him in a coma. Sam, from Brisbane, Australia, was playing football in February 2010 when his head began to pound so severely he screamed for an ambulance. Scroll down for video Unknown cause: Sam Goddard, 24, from Brisbane, Australia, suffered eight strokes in February 2010. Doctors told his family and fiancée, Sally Jane Nielson, he had suffered a staggering eight strokes, leaving him with permanent brain damage. They warned the family Sam, now 24, would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, Sally told MSNBC’s Rock Center. ‘They almost laughed at us really.

When Audi started a war to BMW.... once upon a time when audi had started a war...and BMW responded; later on, BMW started messing with mercedes; and again...a mercedes can also bring driving pleasure, BMW's next victim was Jaguar, then, turned back to audi...this time audi responded and Subaru too...and Bentley put and end to the game, Subaru parts accessories, BMW parts,used Bentley parts, Mercedes parts, used Mercedes, Audi parts Top Paid Instantly CPM Advertising Network The Wisdom Of Trees (Da Vinci Knew It) Leonardo DaVinci noted that when trees branch, smaller branches have a precise, mathematical relationship to the branch they sprang from. iStockphoto.com hide caption toggle caption iStockphoto.com Hurricanes topple plenty of trees, but when you think about it, the more amazing thing is that many trees can stand up to these 100-mile-per-hour winds. Now a French scientist has come up with an explanation for the resilience of trees. Leonardo noticed that when trees branch, smaller branches have a precise, mathematical relationship to the branch from which they sprang. French physicist Christophe Eloy wasn't particularly interested in trees, but he does specialize in understanding how air flows around objects — objects like airplane wings and such. "I just did it because it was a nice problem, but I think there are some implications for real-life applications," Eloy says. Leonardo's rule is fairly simple, but stating it mathematically is a bit, well, complicated. 'A Very Nice Challenge'

All The Amusing Stuff » Rude Hand Gestures of the World Rude Hand Gestures of the World by Romana Lefevre is a photographic guide to the many ways of using hand gestures to offend people in different parts of the world. The book’s photography is by Daniel Castro, and published by Chronicle Books of San Francisco. A hand gesture is arguably the most effective form of expression, whether you’re defaming a friend’s mother or telling a perfect stranger to get lost. Learn how to go beyond just flipping the bird with this illustrated guide to rude hand gestures all around the world, from asking for sex in the Middle East to calling someone crazy in Italy. Detailed photographs of hand models and subtle tips for proper usage make Rude Hand Gestures of the World the perfect companion for globe-trotters looking to offend. Also see: Illustrated Guide to Italian Hand Gestures Chin Flick Meaning: Get lost Used in: Belgium, France, Northern Italy, Tunisia Note: In Italy, this gesture simply means “No.” Idiota Meaning: Are you an idiot? Used in: Brazil Moutza Corna

Apple seeks patent for battery that could run devices for weeks | The Raw S... By Stephen C. WebsterTuesday, December 27, 2011 12:37 EDT A recent patent application filed by computer giant Apple reveals what might be the company’s next big thing: hydrogen batteries. Hydrogen batteries work by splitting water into its core chemical components, then using those chemicals to generate electricity, but for many years the reaction was too volatile for most commercial applications. Scientists announced in 2008 that they had finally discovered a way to conduct the reaction in a much smaller container, free from the corrosive effects that marred previous attempts. Those discoveries played a key role in influencing Apple to look at hydrogen cells as the potential next generation power source for mobile electronics, and this latest patent filing is not their first. The application also makes an interesting note about the power of consumer opinion, suggesting that because the people want renewable energy, Apple will strive to give it to them. (H/T: The Telegraph) Stephen C.

Do this to make your loved one smile 2011 Select Awards - CamcorderInfo.com This year's awards represent the eighth year that CamcorderInfo has honored the best video recording products in the industry. After a few years of playing second fiddle to Panasonic's powerhouse lineup, Canon is back on top with a new sensor that crushed the competition in low light. Of course, there are plenty of other camcorders to choose from, and our awards highlight the camcorders that we would recommend not just to our readers, but to friends and family as well. **Camcorder of the Year** **Canon Vixia HF G10 **- $1499 MSRP The Canon HF G10 is a bold, powerful, camcorder that produced excellent HD video in all of our tests. "**Read the Full Review**": **Best Budget Camcorder** (under $250) "**Samsung HMX-W200**": - MSRP $159 "**Read the Full Review**": **Best Value**

729; That’s Where It Is I went to lunch today at a new market-slash-sandwich place that just opened in my neighborhood. It was really good! The market (and neighborhood) is the type to offer fancy organic cold-pressed juice for eleven dollars and artisanal almond milk that comes in something that looks like baby food jars, so when I got this fork to eat my side salad with, at first I wasn’t sure if it was something exotic and fancy: I used the strange fork to eat my salad and was pleased to find that it worked really well! I went up and asked the guy behind the counter if all his forks were like this, and he laughed and assured me they were not. I went back to work with my head spinning. Had I been struck by the sort of coincidental circumstance that led to the invention of Post-Its, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and representative democracy?? I began to search the patent records. REVOLVING SPAGHETTI FORK, Patent US2602996 A, 1952 SERRATED FORK, Patent Application US20130152403 A1, 2011 Look at that thing.

40 Unwritten Rules to Live By - StumbleUpon 2. It is more important to have good health insurance than good health. 3. Don't bluff more than once in a poker game with friends. 4. When one of the big bosses at work unexpectedly says something really cheery and friendly to you, he means absolutely nothing by it. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Food Nutrition Facts - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay.com - Womans Day Every child has heard the healthy-eating mantra "You are what you eat." But there may be a closer resemblance between good-for-you grub and your body than you thought. We found 10 foods that mirror the body parts they provide nutrients for—for example, brain-boosting walnuts actually look like a brain. Coincidence? 1. Slice a carrot in half crosswise and it's easy to see that the veggie resembles an eye—look closely and you'll even notice a pattern of radiating lines that mimic the pupil and iris. 2. The folds and wrinkles of a walnut bring to mind another human organ: the brain. 3. Long, lean stalks of celery look just like bones—and they're good for them, too. 4. The lightbulb shape of an avocado looks like a uterus, and it supports reproductive health as well. 5. Studies have offered evidence that clams, which bear a resemblance to testicles, are actually good for the male sex organs. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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