[SKEPTIC] - Just when you thought it was safe to rely on the advice of a psychic - FTC Says Psychic Hot Line Is Fraud (washingtonpost.com). Really? No. Really?

[NEWS] - Riddle me this: What looks like a cuddly cat, but is really a genetically engineered demon which spells doom for all life on this planet? Why, it's "cc:" The first cloned calico cat. Why does the face of evil have to be so cute? Seriously, though, I think cloning holds a lot of promise as far as the applications in curing diseases, in conjunction with stem cell research. I just can't figure out why they cloned a cat. Don't they pretty much breed uncontrollably as it is? Remember - get your cat spayed or neutered. And keep mad scientists away from it.

[NEWS] - Be careful shopping in Lowell -

A woman was arrested for allegedly beating up another supermarket customer who brought too many items into an express checkout line.

[COMIX] - Behold: Bob, the Lord of the Lord of the Rings Figures (courtesy of Tom the Dancing Bug.)

[GAMBLING] - More on Quatloos - This section of Quatloos looks interesting. Quatloos! Guide to Casino Gambling. To quote: How the House uses Risk Compounding to wear down bettors, the best and worst casino games, and more. It's interesting to see what advantages the casino builds into the games, and how games differ. I stick to poker, myself, which is not really covered here as far as I can tell.

[SCAMS] I love scams! I love to study and learn about scams, cons, and the like. In my searches related to Melchizedek, I've run into: Quatloos! -- Frauds and Scams . I've got a lot of fun reading ahead of me.

[WEIRD WIDE WEB] Where is Melchizedek? The "Dominion of Melchizedek" recently came to my attention when I found out a FOAF (friend of a friend) had a melchizedekian passport and citizenship. As far as I can tell, "Melchizedek" is a scam country established by con artists. I'm still looking into it, but here are some initial links for other people who might be interested in this fabrication:

PRO: Government of the Dominion of Melchizedek

CON: Fake Nation Scam (excuse us, Fake "Ecclesiastical Sovereignty" Scam)

[PERSONAL] - Maggie got bit by a dog while running today. A woman was walking two dogs, Maggie jumped off the sidewalk to run by them and then as she was returning to the sidewalk the dog leapt back at her and bit her arm. The dog did break the skin, just barely, which she didn't realize until she got home. The site is slightly swollen and bruised, and now she gets to go to the ER and get a tetanus shot.

I guess we're going to learn something about how the dog officer works in town. Hopefully the police will be able to locate the woman and find out whether the dog has had its shots. No shots means Maggie starts on a rabies treatment course. That's not a lot of fun, from what I hear.

Incidentally, the other dog that the woman had on a lead was wearing a muzzle, so there may be a history with these dogs. Here is some information on animal bites.

[NEWS] - perhaps I'm just not frightened enough... but I found this a little bit silly. CNN.com - Alert issued for potential teddy bear bombs - February 14, 2002 Better safe than sorry, i suppose. Have you seen this bear?

[FOOD] - An excellent resource for middle-eastern recipes - I stumbled upon this recipe book. Food from the Arab World. Even my favorite, Mahshi Malfouf is here. Maggie has already become an instant expert at this dish under the tutelage of my Sittoo (grandmother).

[SILLY NEWS] -Arrogant bastard fee? - Reuters by way of Patti M. tells the story of a phone customer fined for being an arrogant bastard. Phone Firm Adds Insult to Bill, Apologizes

As a side note, Reuters' Oddly Enough news is a great resource for weird stories. It's where they put all their "human interest" pieces. Stop by there a couple times a week for the state of the art in craziness. Oddly Enough is also available through Yahoo's News which is where I get it most of the time.

[SCIENCE] - It's fun to microwave stuff as Brian and I found out many years ago. Some stuff is more fun than other stuff. Microwaving Grapes cna be very amusing, depending on how you do it. Current flowing through the skin can make some impressive sparks.

[SILLY NEWS] - ...And I was thinking of changing my name to "The Great Gazoo"... Ananova - Man names himself after Hong Kong Phooey. Why not? But at least the guy should have told his wife.

[FUN] - Impress your friends with dollar origami! - Here are some quick instructions for Money Origami - origami art created with a dollar bill. I especially like the little shirt, which I've gotten good at.