Brian Stoll

A new study finds that kids with tongue rings cost their parents more money in orthodontist bills.
–Most people who get a tongue ring end up developing a habit of pushing it up against their front teeth.  Over time, that can lead to the teeth shifting and GAPS forming . . . which means it’ll be time for BRACES
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In 1965, George and Charlotte Blonsky thought they’d figured out a way to save women from the brutal PAIN of childbirth.  So they filed for a patent on a brand new invention . . . that would SPIN the baby right out.
–Their invention features a bed strapped to a circular track.  The woman is secured to the bed, legs held open, and then spun around the track at high speeds . . . so, in theory, centrifugal force kicks in and the baby flies right out, no pushing required.
–Clearly, their invention never became a reality. 
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Social networks have made the world a smaller place. But what about the people you don’t want to run into?
To keep interactions at bay, there’s Avoidr  Avoider.org), a service that uses your enemies’ foursquare accounts to help you, uh, avoid the people you don’t want to see.
To start, sign in with your foursquare account. Avoidr then compiles a list of your foursquare contacts, complete with their profile pictures.
When you’ve decided which enemies you want to avoid, choose one of the colorful descriptors to apply (“snob,” “psycho” and “douchelord” are among them) and click “avoid.”
From that point forward you’ll see the places that they’ve recently checked into or that you both frequent, allowing you to steer clear.
If you suddenly reconcile your differences with any of your avoidees, you can “bring em’ back” with a few easy clicks.
It’s the biggest boon to passive aggressive behavior since the invention of caller ID.
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Yesterday our trivia cafe question dealt with board games…Monopoly is the most popular..followed by Clue.
some of these odds will help me (and you).
1. The space you’re least-likely to land on while playing Monopoly is Mediterranean Avenue. Thanks to the readers who pointed out my previous error – it turns out that the strip of properties after Jail are down there with some of the least-landed on properties on the board because your chances of going to Jail make you skip those properties more often than you would skip the properties on the rest of the board. And of those properties on the strip, Park Place is the least-landed on. Mediterranean is still the least-landed on overall. Sorry for the confusion!
2. You can win Candyland in four turns – you just need to draw these cards: Queen Frostine, double purple, double purple, purple. If you don’t stack the deck, this only occurs once in every 25,000 games.
3. In Connect Four, the person who gets the most of their pieces in the middle row has better odds of winning.
4. Mrs. Peacock has a slight advantage when it comes to Clue – her playing piece is not only one space closer to a room than any other piece, that room is also one with a secret passage.
5. Don’t kid yourself about The Game of Life – it’s almost totally luck. Although you can choose to go to college and decide if you want insurance or not, it really doesn’t have much to do with the outcome of the game.
6. You can get a Yahtzee in three rolls once in about every 22 tries. The odds of doing it in your first turn is about once in every 1,296 tries.
7. Although Chutes and Ladders can be won in just seven turns, it takes the average person 39.6 attempts.
8. The most landed-on Monopoly property, not including Jail, is Illinois Avenue.
9. In Jenga, assuming each player has perfectly steady hands which means the tower will fall only when it’s structurally unsound, starting with a tower of n = 4 layers, the first player can win if and only if n is not divisible by 3. Got that?
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/62881
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Ran across this cat question online…do big cats…tigers, ocelots, leopards etc like catnip like our kitties??? The answer is a resounding….YES!!!!! Check the video and see if this isn’t the behavior of your housecat.
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Waterslide wipeouts…many are things you should not do…and these people should have thought..you know..it might not have been a good idea…standing..riding a chair down….do love the cow on the waterslide, and of course..slides of varying slides gone wrong!!!

Well it’s tomorrow! And August 1st is

Lammas Day marks the beginning of the harvest. In old England, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain, consecrated in churches, and eaten.
From the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast,” Lammas is very old indeed.
It derives from the ancient English festival called the Gule of August, which marked the beginning of the harvest, traditionally August 1. The early English church kept this pagan dedication of the first fruit but converted it to Christian usage.
After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day. –proverb
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Here’s the life of a lightning bolt - slowed down.
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Taking cats for a walk on a leash..Mental floss had a blog about one persons experience..which linked to a great video site ..my favorite is taking sylvester for a walk..the cat ends up being dragged….of course that meant a bath…and “quote, now the cat hates me” See the videos here.
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Iran’s President Has Targeted A New Enemy . . . Paul The Octopus. Remember he’s the one that was picking the winners of games during the world cup. Well . . . during a recent speech, Ahmadinejad REPEATEDLY mentioned Paul the Octopus and called him, quote, “an example of methods of propaganda and superstitions of the West.”
–There’s more, quote, “Those who believe in this type of thing cannot be the leaders of the global nations that aspire, like Iran, to human perfection, basing themselves in the love of all sacred values.” 
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Last week we had some videos that showed you how to do things faster..well this week is no different…fast pouring ketchup(which i still don’t believe) how to seal a bag of chips, shirt inside out?? here’s how to put it on….i still didn’t get the folding them quicker from last week..opening beer with a pen..(supposedly it’s all about leverage.) See the videos here, and enjoy your free time.

16 Things to Remember to do Before You Leave for Vacation - from  shine.yahoo.com
·        Hold all your mail and newspapers (it’s kind of an open invitation to burglars otherwise, signaling the fact that you’re not home!).
·        Make copies of your important documents, like your passport and credit cards, just in case something is stolen
·        Sift through your wallet and remove extra credit card bills and/or your social security card and anything else you don’t want/need while traveling.
·        Close the curtains on any windows where people can see in to your house.
·        Set interior timers so that a lamp or two turns on at night.
·        Pay all bills that are due while you’re away.
.        Sprinkle a little baking soda in toilets and down the sink drains to avoid coming home to the stench of stagnant water.
·        Clear out the fridge, chucking anything that might spoil in your absence.
·        Take out the garbage.
·        Make sure there are no wet clothes lurking in your washer or dryer.
.        Do your dirty dishes·        Tell a neighbor you trust you’re out of town, and consider giving them a key just in case, or at least have them keep an eye out on our house.
·        If you’ve got a spare key hidden somewhere outside your house, now’s the time to remove it.
·        Turn off your hot water heater—you might as well save some cash while you’re away.  (you can either scan them and email them to yourself, or if you’re reticent to have electronic files floating around, you can carry print versions).
·        Triple-check to make sure every last door and window is locked. If you’ve got sliding doors, consider wedging a wood block or stick in the track for added security.
·        Pay all bills that are due while you’re away.
·        Water your plants.
·        Unplug your toaster, computer, TV, coffeemaker and all other appliances.
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How to do things quicker…some cool ways to take off a shirt..fold a shirt..peel an egg, even eat chicken wings! See the video’s here.
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Get your comfy shoes and a wagon! And bring on sale after sale after sale to the 50 Mile Long Garage Sale (7/24-25) that stretches along Scenic Byway Route 90.
The popular yearly event is held, rain or shine, along Cayuga Lake from Montezuma to Homer. No matter which direction you start from, you’ll find hundreds of vendors selling antiques, collectibles and unexpected delights. Don’t miss the food sales — the smell of tasty BBQ will lead the way!
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Sunday is the full Moon. Some Native American tribes referred to July’s full Moon as the Full Buck Moon, indicating the time when the bucks began growing new antlers.
This full Moon was also known as the Full Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.
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Did you know that if you want to eat less, you should buy blue plates? Research shows that blue is a natural appetite suppressant, so incorporating the color around your dinner table will make you eat more slowly. Research shows that people who eat more slowly eat 70 fewer calories per meal.
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The belly button reportedly reveals clues about your athletic ability. Scientists say that the navel position is the reason black people tend to dominate on the race track, while white people tend to excel in the swimming pool. “Individuals of West African-origin have longer legs than European-origin athletes, which means their belly buttons are three centimeters (1.18 inches) higher than whites,” said Andre Bejan, the lead author of the study. So this “hidden height,” “which is three percent greater than whites,” gives black athletes a significant speed advantage on the track. Running is basically falling forward continually, and mass that falls from a greater height falls faster. Lower navels, on the other hand, mean longer torsos, giving whites a 1.5-percent speed advantage in the pool. A longer torso makes a bigger wave in the water, and swimming is basically surfing the wave the swimmer creates.
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The economic downturn is causing troubles even for the famous wild parrots of San Francisco. The Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue is looking for adoptive families for more than 200 exotic birds, including 18 parrots. Many were given up by owners facing money troubles, while others were rescued from hardships suffered in the outdoors life. The brilliant birds are natives of South America but began settling on Telegraph Hill more than 20 years ago, according to The Los Angeles Times.
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Paul Lawrence saw a woman put an air conditioner out with her garbage in Queens, New York, and asked if he could take it. She consented, but a sanitation worker saw the exchange, which led to a $2,000 ticket for Lawrence. Further, the vehicle used in the caper was impounded, and Lawrence’s aunt, who owns the car, was also fined $2,000! Technically, rubbish at the curb is city property. New York City receives revenue for recycling, so Lawrence’s new air conditioner was considered stolen goods. Officials say the law is intended to stop organized theft of recyclables. Lawrence intends to fight the fine.
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Jewel went to a local karaoke bar and performed some of her classic songs. Dressed as karen a mild mannered businesswoman. Great video from Funny or die.com
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Syfy tracked down 120 important dates from sci-fi movies and TV—everything from that long time ago in a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars to the end of the universe in Doctor Who, plus plenty in between—and charted them out chronologically on a real-world timeline.
Things really take off in the 20s…taking things from twin peaks, dr who, independence day, old sci-fi tv shows…last entry is from Dr. Who, and before that we meet the morlocks from the time machine!!! (that’s the year 802,701) Enjoy the timeline here.

Ever hear of Flash Mobs? Whell this is an improve group that goes to the extreme! Enjoy their page here..just have lots of time to kill!

Catching up from a few weekend stories.

What’s with sports lately. It seems to be blowing up! NBA finals went to 7 games, huge artings for ABC..we seem to actually be interested in the World Cup..Soccer…of Football to the rest of the world. And then - the longest tennis match ever!!!!
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut began their first-round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday. Before a winner was declared on Thursday, they had played five sets and 183 games! The last 138 games were in the final set. By then, millions of people around the world were watching the two relatively-unknown tennis players. The previous longest match in Grand Slam tennis was a mere six hours and 33 minutes. The Isner-Mahut matchup broke that record, as they played a total of eight hours and eleven minutes over three days. Isner won the match, 70-68, and will advance to the second round at Wimbledon. Is he even gonna be worth anything?? I know he’s a great athlete..but come on!
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Scientific Reasons to believe in Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies.
Crazy..but it’s science!
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10 Famous Ducks..can you name more than Donald and Daffy??
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A company in Hong Kong is now selling the first fully-functional Light Saber.  But they’re NOT toys to play with at a “Star Wars” convention.  These light sabers are REAL WEAPONS.
–The company is called Wicked Lasers, and their light saber is called the Spyder 3 Pro Arctic. The laser beam that shoots out isn’t thick like in “Star Wars”, but it’s just as DANGEROUS.  Here are some of the warnings they give on their website:
–The laser can BLIND someone by burning their retinas.
–If it makes contact with skin, it can FRY it.
–And, lasers this powerful may cause CANCER if you’re exposed to them too much.
–But, if you’re still on board, these things sell for $197.97, plus about $30 for shipping to the U.S.
See them here.
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American automakers have beaten foreign brands for in the first time in a J.D. Power and Associates annual quality survey that dates back 24 years. The industry research group said that owners of vehicles from U.S. automakers reported fewer problems on average during the first 90 days of ownership than those built by foreign companies. Porsche was the top scorer, followed by Acura and Mercedes-Benz in second and third. The study ranks vehicles according to the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles. U.S. manufacturers scored an average of 108 problems, with foreign companies having an average of 109 problems.
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Normally when we do a story about New Jersey, it’s a GOLDEN opportunity to make a tired joke about how the people there live in such a dirty, dirty place.  But we’re not going to do that today.
–Because it turns out the people who are the most down on New Jersey are . . . the people who live there.
–According to a new poll by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, only 2% of New Jersey residents, or one out of FIFTY, are “very satisfied” with their life there.
–75% are dissatisfied, which is an all-time high.  The rest of the people fall somewhere in the middle.  
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A man in Washington State broke into a bank to take a nap. The 21-year-old was caught on surveillance video breaking into the bank’s basement at 3 A.M. and leaving in the morning. Police say he was intoxicated and has no idea why he chose the bank as a napping place. When officers caught up with him, he was arrested for second-degree burglary and malicious mischief.

Desperately trying to shed the pounds? You are far more likely to success if you diet and exercise with a friend. The average female will shed more than 10 pounds when she has girlfriends who are willing to eat healthily and train with her. But a fifth of those who choose to go it alone don’t drop a single pound. Seven out of ten women said exercise was less of a chore when they did it with friends. The study of 3,000 women also revealed 61 percent find it almost impossible to summon up the energy to exercise alone. However the same proportion enjoy going for a jog or taking a swim with a friend - and admit they push themselves harder if they have company. 
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The 39,000-plus—President Bush included—who packed Nationals Park last Sunday night experienced a new, beautiful stadium and the same, ugly result. Oh, Ryan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals christened their new digs with a dramatic 3-2 win, but Teddy Roosevelt remained 0-for-ever in the mid-game Presidents Race. Here’s a closer look at Teddy’s struggles and some of the other popular (non-pennant) races at baseball stadiums across the country. See them race here.
Milwaukee’s racing sausages
Pittsburg has the great pierogie race
racing eyeballs at a minor leage team in new jersey
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It’s almost summer time..and tomatoes will be pleantiful soon…are they a fruit or a vegatable??
Actually, according to the Supreme Court, tomatoes are vegetables.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/page/3
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June 5 is Festival Of Popular Delusions Day
June 6 is Teacher’s Day and National Applesauce Cake Day

Many say their brain doesn’t start working properly in the morning until they have had a cup of coffee. But the stimulating effect for which caffeine is famous may be an illusion, say researchers. Those who drink a lot of coffee may feel more alert after their first cup of the day — but this is probably because it reverses the fatiguing effects of overnight caffeine withdrawal. Their study suggests coffee drinkers may actually be better off without their habitual morning mug as it raises the risk of anxiety and high blood pressure.
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A proposed law now being considered by California lawmakers would crack down on the paparazzi, making it illegal from them to loiter outside a celebrity’s home or workplace. The California Assembly passed the bill yesterday (June 3rd), which would make it a crime for anyone to engage in surveillance to get a photo, image or recording of a celebrity, and it heads next to the Senate. Democratic Assemblywoman Karen Bass said her bill would provide a deterrent to keep, quote, “out-of-control paparazzi from violating a person’s right to privacy.”
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There’s a grocery chain in the southeastern United States called Bloom and they recently started selling a new type of beef in its stores, and they wanted to let people know about it.  So they put up a new billboard on Interstate-77 about 30 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina, advertising the meat.
–It shows a big, juicy piece of steak on the end of a fork.  But it’s not what the billboard LOOKS like that makes it unique.  It’s that the billboard emits the SMELL of steak.  Seriously.
–There’s actually a box mounted on the side of the billboard that blows the scent of smoky barbeque and black pepper about 30 to 50 yards down onto the highway.
–It’s the work of a company called ScentAir Technologies.  According to a company spokesman, quote, “Scent is the sense closest linked to memory and emotion.  To add it to what you see and hear completes this multi-sense experience.”  (???)
–The billboard will continue to smell like steak for the next two weeks, and the odor will be the strongest during rush-hour traffic in the morning and late afternoon.
http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12583440
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An average-sized man is just as appealing as a bulked-up Adonis, according to Australian research that examined viewers’ responses to different male body types in advertisements. Men and women had rated images of slender or slightly chubby masculinity at least as highly as those with well-defined six-packs, said the study leader, Phillippa Diedrichs, suggesting successful ad campaigns did not have to portray only rock hard biceps and rippling abs. Neither sex responded more positively to the musclebound bodies, and the males even found ads that showed just the item - with no accompanying model - more effective than those posed by classic hunks.
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Playing in the dirt can make your kid smarter. After conducting a series of experiments, researchers have found exposure to specific bacteria in the environment could increase learning behavior, ScienceDaily.com reported. “We found that mice that were fed live M. vaccae navigated the maze twice as fast and with less demonstrated anxiety behaviors as control mice,” Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges said. “It is interesting to speculate that creating learning environments in schools that include time in the outdoors where M. vaccae is present may decrease anxiety and improve the ability to learn new tasks.”
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Cats, dogs, parrots and even fish are right or left-handed, scientists have revealed. The discovery was made by psychologists from Queen’s University Belfast, who as part of their research played with 42 pet cats for weeks on end. They found that females are ‘right-handed’ while males favor the left. Dogs are the same - until they are spayed or neutered, when the difference disappears, suggesting hormones play a role in left or right-handedness. The scientists also reported that parrots will pick up objects with their ‘dominant’ foot, toads are mostly right-handed and fish will have a preference to left or right when they dodge a predator — and even humpback whales prefer the right side of their jaws when feeding. And dogs wag their tails to the right when relaxed and to the left when agitated.
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A study found commuting to work, a day at the office and then an evening in front of the television means millions of adults spend hardly any time on their feet. It emerged the typical working adult spends four hours and 17 minutes at their desk and a further two hours and 27 minutes parked in front of the TV. Once home they will sit down again to use a laptop or home computer for another two hours and 25 minutes. The statistics also showed the average person exercises just twice a week for 25 minutes a time.
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Since World War I, poppies have been a symbol of remembrance at Memorial Day (May 31). The red poppy was used to symbolize the blood of those who died in service to their countries.
The idea started in 1918 when American Moina Michael read the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian John McCrae in 1915 during World War I. She began wearing poppies and selling them to others, using the proceeds to help veterans.
After World War I, veterans sold artificial red poppies to help raise money for French and Belgian war orphans. Today, donations to veterans’ groups are often marked with a token paper red poppy.