Priceless!

This is most severely PG-13 (for BJ references)...

You'll love the ending.

H/T the ever amusing and interesting Baldilocks

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I think they dropped one on me during the testing phase....

The Army has successfully tested the "F-Bomb":

The Army announced today that the first successful F-Bomb test has taken place in the New Mexico desert. The F-Bomb - which is not nuclear but still produces a mushroom cloud - was begun after the above ground testing ban treaty in the 1960's. "There was a lot of research left undone." according to Dr. Renaldo Hererra, chief of Munitions Linguistics at Los Alamos. "We went straight from the A-Bomb to the H-Bomb, omitting everything in between. The B project showed promise, but C through E were complete failures. It's good to finally have some success."

The test took place yesterday at 5:42 AM, reportedly flooding the Jouququ Valley with brilliant light, and creating a blast that resounded off the surrounding mountains for several minutes. "It was ****ing awesome!" exclaimed General Milton C. Ironcrotch, Commanding Officer of the program, curiously potty mouthed after the test.

Read the whole report here!

h/t Joyner

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:42 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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For wRitErsbLock and sarahk

Here's the perfect cat for you both!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:01 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Here's some good news for a change

The Shackleford clan has increased by one.  Mrs. Rusty gave birth via C-section to a healthy daughter earlier today.  Drop by the Jawas and give Rusty and family some love.

I sure hope she takes after her mom.  Dad is on the left, below:

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An observation....

Ever seen the commercial for Angel Soft TP where the one angel is trying to reach up to a light bulb to change it, and laments that he is too short to reach it, that is, until his buddy gives him a pile of Angel Soft tissue to stand on???

Does it strike anyone else as WRONG that they are playing that commercial during an episode of Little People, Big World??

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:20 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For Ken S.

Thanks for my earworm.  Good thing I actually like it!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:36 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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It's a Voluntary Meme

Seen everywhere:

“Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know”

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My Daddy (first name) and my Mom's friend (middle name)

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Two nights ago when we watched the Ugly Betty season finale (finally!). Why did no one warn me, you barsteds?

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
actually, yeah. It sucks. No one else can read it.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast Beef. Sliced thin. Followed closely by pastrami. Yum.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
I have a pooch. She's my baby.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
depends..... could I put up with me? Hmmmmmm.....

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
oh, hardly ever, not me. I couldn't.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, thank you.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Oh Hell Fuck No.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Bran Flakes. Or Quaker Oat Squares. Yum.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Birkies don't have laces.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Emotionally, yes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Cookies and Cream, Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie, Fosselman's Peppermint Stick

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
whether they are smiling.

RED OR PINK?
Both.

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
the allergy that is making my face break out

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My Nana

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
I'm not wearing either pants or shoes, but my toenail polish is red, and I have a black and white dress on.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Chipotle!

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Last night's "The First 48" courtesy of TiVo.

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Green.

FAVORITE SMELLS?
My husband, puppy breath, Christmas trees

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Christina and Dash

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football and Hockey

HAIR COLOR[S]?
Dark, Dark Auburn

EYE COLOR?
Brown/Green Hazel. They were dark blue when I was born.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
24/7/365

FAVORITE FOOD?
hmm, this is actually tough..... I'll go with fried dill pickles today.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings. Duh. Life's too short.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Auntie Mame

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Again, no shirt. But my dress is black with a white and blue and yellow pattern.

SUMMER OR WINTER?
WINTER. More winter, please.

HUGS OR KISSES?
Both, please.

FAVORITE DESSERT?
cheesecake or a brownie sundae

MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
no one

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
everyone

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I just finished "Eye Contact" by Cammie McGovern. I'll pick up HP6 as soon as I unpack it to prepare for HP7.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Tigger and Pooh

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
The Riches, Deadliest Catch, and After the Catch. All courtesy of TiVo

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
snow falling

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Neither. Play Free Bird!

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
well, farthest from where I was living at the time, Ontario, Canada.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Several

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
St. Agnes Hospital, Fresno, CA

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
whoever

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:41 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The 10 Worst Jobs in Science

And they're not all "graduate student" positions.  Really.

And folks, #10 is "Whale Feces Researcher".... makes me appreciate my job (which I love) all the more.

h/t HWNNL

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For Eric

Run and Hide, my good man.  Today of all days.  And take your trusty irons with you.

h/t Ith

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Sad that Harry's ending?

Not to worry, the next Harry Potter might just be on the horizon already:

Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams were signed by Chicken House publisher Barry Cunningham after he tracked down an early version of their book "Tunnels" that was self-published.

"I knew from page one that Harry Potter was magic. Reading 'Tunnels' gave me the same thrill," said Cunningham, who has also achieved worldwide publishing success with the children's books of German writer Cornelia Funke.

"Tunnels has it all: a boy archaeologist, merciless villains, a lost world and an extraordinary journey to the centre of the earth," Cunningham said after first stirring up interest at the international children's rights fair in Bologna.

Here's a little plot summary:

Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows lives with his family in London. He has little in common with them except for a passion for digging which he shares with his father. When his father suddenly disappears down an unknown tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his friend Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they unearth a dark and terrifying secret - a secret which may cost them their lives.

Sounds really cool!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Educating Boys

Thirty years ago all the buzz was about girls falling behind academically.  We HAD to fix that.  Change the classrooms.  Make them more girl-friendly.  Give the girls more role models, more chances.  Affirmative action for girls, right?

Well, it looks like we did TOO good a job.  As this article points out, boys are now falling far behind girls, and are testing at a lower level than they were 35 years ago.

“Boys are in trouble,” said Krista Kafer, visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum. “The facts are quite clear; boys trail girls in most indicators of academic excellence such as, school engagement, achievement scores, and graduation rates at secondary and postsecondary levels.” Kafer presented these facts in her latest IWF position paper, Taking the Boy Crisis in Education Seriously: How School Choice Can Boost Achievement Among Boys and Girls.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, shows an overwhelming amount of data that supports KaferÂ’s theory. Take a look:
* A 2005 NAEP study revealed that a third of 12th grade boys cannot read a newspaper and understand what they are reading.
* The NAEP “Long-Term Trend Test” (started in 1971 and has remained unchanged to better track academic trends over time) showed that at age 17 boys’ reading achievement was fourteen points lower than girls’ and in fact is lower than it was in 1971.
* The same test also shows that scores for the 12th grade reveal that in math, girls have improved while boys have slipped. In reading, girls have improved a little while boys have fallen behind even more.

As an instructor of young women and young men, it is clear to me that while there are differences between boys and girls in the way they learn, there are no real generalizations that can be made about "boys" or "girls".  Each student has a unique learning style, and each student responds best to different types of instruction.  In the past, girls often received less encouragement at home with regard to school achievement, but these days, most kids receive very little positive reinforcement of their academic achievements, boy or girl.  If they do hear about grades, it's often a demand or other negative form of reinforcement.

The best thing that parents can do is be involved enough in their child's education to know what stimulates them to learn best, and work with the teacher to give the child opportunities to experience that kind of instruction, at home or at school. And parents should also be aware that this pro-girl thinking has clearly shaped modern pedagogy, and not completely in a bad way, especially parents of boys.

h/t the venomous one

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:55 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For the Office Space geeks.....

Here's a little Kitty Office Space for you:



Courtesy the geniuses at ICANHASCHEEZBURGER.com

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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