31. oktober 2003

Happy Halloween! When you celebrate Halloween this year, remember that it greatly annoys Christian fanatics everywhere, including Russia and, with a predictable anti-American twist, France. Yet another reason to trick & treat! 11:43:34 PM    comment []  trackback []

Etymology of the day: fag It is a source of endless amusement on message boards that the term 'fag' means a cigarette to Brits and a homosexual in the US. So asking someone 'fag?' may get you cancer in Britain but a bloodied nose on the other side of the Atlantic. A quite popular etymology has evolved which argues that the origin of the US meaning of the word is rather sinister. The term "fag" meant a bundle of sticks as early as 1300 in Britain, and normally such sticks were used for fires. So the term came to mean a burning stick. Since some of these sticks were used for the purpose of burning alleged witches, heretics and other undesireables, some has claimed that the term "fag" for homosexual refers to the medieval practice of burning homosexuals on the stake. If that were the case, the term could have been deemed offensive today. However, as this lengthy explanation points out, this etymology lacks evidence and is almost certainly bogus. The term 'fag' and 'faggot' meaning homosexual is exclusively American in origin, and actually quite recent. 9:22:47 PM    comment []  trackback []

Research: Pterosaurs flew like birds Researchers have done careful modelling of Pterosaurs, flying dinosaurs, and found that far from being cumbersone gliders, they most likely were as good fliers or better than modern birds. Researchers, led by Lawrence Witmer from Ohio University, studied a pair of pterosaur skulls and generated three-dimensional reconstructions of their brains. This was possible because pterosaur brains are nestled so tightly in their brain-cases that they leave a bony impression, betraying their structure. The study revealed that the flying dinosaurs were very much like modern birds, and where they differed, they may have been even better fliers. 9:15:16 PM    comment []  trackback []

Failed record attempt at launch of Guinness Book of Records 2004 Garry 'Stretch' Turner (picture) narrowly failed to beat his own world record by clipping more than 153 clothespins to his face, but fell narrowly short of a new record. Both his eyelids and lips seem underutilised from the picture above. Not to mention the tongue. 5:27:03 PM    comment []  trackback []

Microsoft + Google? More or less vague rumours of a possible merger between leading technology light Google and the evil empire of Microsoft has sent shockwaves through the net today. An early trick or treating, if you will. What seems likely is that Microsoft has approached Google to talk about cooperation or even a possible merger, but nothing indicates that the Google owners have responded favourably. 5:22:30 PM    comment []  trackback []

Humanitarian organisations scale down in Iraq Following the suicide attack on the Red Cross in Baghdad, a number of humanitarian organisations are scaling back its participation of foreign nationals. The ICRC has already announced much of its foreign staff is withdrawing, and now the UN (again) will pull out 12 foreigners from Baghdad, at least temporarily. Also Doctors Without Borders are pulling out non-Iraqis. This is a very unfortunate development at a time when these organisations are really needed on the ground. On the other hand, it is very hard to fault individual aid workers who don't want to be blown up by the next suicide attack. 4:56:45 AM    comment []  trackback []

Human rights prize to Eritrean The Professor Thoralf Rafto Memorial Prize 2003 has been awarded to Paulos Tesfagiorgis (picture) of Eritrea. He has for more than twenty years worked for human rights and democracy in Eritrea, insisting on using peaceful means and dialogue. The Rafto prize was in 2001 given to Shirin Ebadi of Iran, who this year received the more internationally known Nobel Peace Prize. The same happened with the 1990 Rafto prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, who received the Nobel Prize the following year. The Rafto Memorial Prize ceremony will be here in Bergen, Norway on November 2. 3:04:52 AM    comment []  trackback []

Manties Here's a site selling underwear for "those nights and days, when you want to be and feel a little special, naughty, and very sexy, these Manties are for you." Nice lingerie, not? Eh, wait a minute. What is "manties"? That, apparently, is panties for MEN. Yes, I am not joking. The pair on the right is actually designed for men. They are made of nylon and have the extra room where you need it, for the most comfortable fit there is. I'd normally not guess whoever wore that kind of underwear needed extra room for anything. 1:20:24 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.11.2003; 00:56:27.