A New Take on Recycling

Inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia," this unemployed and very talented woman started a project: turn $1 garage sale dresses into fashion statements, one a day for a year. Her motto: "365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars." Check out her blog, where she turns some very ugly stuff into very fashionable duds. Here's just one of the amazing before-and-after shots.

When the 365 days are up, she is planning to auction off the outfits and donate the proceeds to charity.

Schnese

Schnese is a surname, and also the name of a dog breed.

• There is a person named Rese Schnese.
• The schnese dog breed is a cross between a Schnauzer and a Havanese.

Passer-by: "What a cute puppy! What breed is he?"
Dog Owner: "Schnese"
Passer-by: "Bless You"

Tylenol for "social pain"

A University of Florida study says that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is good for your pain, even your "social pain" from hurt feelings.  Apparently, social pain and physical pain use some of the same biochemical pathways. The study found that "people who took acetaminophen daily for three weeks reported less emotional suffering over time." Also, "because research has found that being rejected triggers aggression, using acetaminophen to alleviate emotional distress could reduce the likelihood of destructive actions." So maybe Tylenol is all that is needed to prevent workplace shootings. We should put it in the water.

Winners of the Ugly Sofa Contest

The winner of the Ugly Sofa Contest has been announced.

This sofa is ugly, but I've seen worse.

University Library appears in Inception

The snow fortress in the movie Inception (left) is modelled after the library at University of California, San Diego (right).




This unusual piece of architecture is the pride and joy of the university. The library's shape is featured in the university's logo.

This is not the first movie that has used the library. It has been featured in several films and TV shows and even a novel.

Important Dermatology Report: How to get an all-over tan

Dermatologist Jonathan L. Rees reports that the skin on your backside resists tanning because it is thick. If you really want a tan on your butt, Dr. Rees suggests that you use fake tanning lotion.

Medical research at its finest!

Crime is Expensive

Researchers have put a price tag on crime. The have added up the costs to society involved in catching, prosecuting and incarcerating criminals. They also added in the lost productivity of both criminal and victim. So how much does crime pay cost?

• Murder: $24 million
• Rape: $448,532
• Armed robbery:$335,733
• Simple burglary: $41,288

We've had a lot of posts about crime lately. It must be the bad economy.

Animated U.S. Unemployment Map: A Horror Film

Check out this animated map that depicts the U.S. unemployment rates by county from January 2007 through May 2010.

You can watch as the unemployment spreads from both coasts inward, eventually engulfing the Great Plains. (Apparently Nebraska is the safest place to be right now.) The map turns red, purple and then black as unemployment hits record levels. The colors are reminiscent of a black eye, which is what this economy has given us.




The map is courtesy of The American Observer, the graduate journalism magazine published through American University's School of Communication.

Respect for the Elderly Day

In preparation for "Respect the Elderly Day," Japanese officials were updating their list of centenarians. Police helped them break into the room of a man who was supposedly 111, only to find his mummified body. They believe that he actually died 30 years ago, but his relatives kept his death a secret so that they could collect his pension. Way to respect your elders!

In these tough economic times, even crime doesn't pay what it used to

A man who robbed a Wendy's restaurant called the restaurant twice to complain about the amount of money in the cash drawer that he stole. He reportedly said that "next time there better be more than $586."

The glass ceiling (windshield) in the auto theft industry: not an Equal Opportunity Employer

Car thievery is an industry like any other, with mentors ("technical advisors") who train new thiefs in the art of hot-wiring. And, like so many industries, women are not given equal access to the career ladder. Researchers have found that women are equally adept at actually stealing the cars, but their careers are stunted by a lack of access to social networks of criminals and chop shops. Without a lucrative way to dispose of the merchandise, the car theft business doesn't provide an acceptable ROI.

Winner of the "It's Not My Job" Award

Workmen striping a road painted around a dead badger because they said it "wasn't their responsibility" to clean up the road kill. They left a big gap in the white lines on the road where the badger was.

Duct tape fashion

Prom dress to expensive? No problem! Just make a dress out of duct tape.

Get Paid to Get Dressed

A German policeman convinced judges that the 15 minutes he spends getting dressed each day amount to overtime. He will be reimbursed via extra vacation or extra pay. This officer is not alone: 120 other German police officers are filing the same grievance. I just have a few questions:

(1) Why does it take him 15 minutes to get dressed? What do police officers in Germany wear? Astronaut gear?
(2) Can I get paid to get dressed? Would I have to show up at work in my pajamas, and then get dressed after punching the clock?
(3) How does this apply to exotic dancers, who normally get paid to undress?

Bank Robbery is Back in Style

Bank robbery is once again a popular pursuit. Check out these three recent robbery (attempts).

• Dennis Hawkins thought fake breasts and a blonde wig would be a good disguise...no one would guess he's really a man, except maybe he should have shaved off his beard first.
• Peter Lawrence, a 71-year-old in a wheelchair, actually wanted to get caught after robbing a San Diego bank. He told police he wanted to go to prison because the healthcare was good. (Healthcare reform can't come soon enough!)
• Edward Pemberton was quite a success, robbing two New York banks without even a gun. His weapon of choice: a bouquet of flowers. Police were able to arrest him after canvassing the Flower District.

Man's Best Friend: Not!

Check out this headline: Man Shot by Dog. The man was shot in the backside when his dog "accidentally" stepped on the trigger of a loaded rifle. The police are saying it was accidental, but I think it was revenge for making Fido chase after a stick for the 1,000th time.

Shark Attack

"Magic Carpet Ride," a statue of a surfer in Cardiff, California, is a target of much mischief. The locals call it the "Cardiff Cook" and regularly dress it in seasonal attire.

The most recent prank was to have a shark eat the surfer.

The best part is that the shark circled the statue before moving in for the kill. Paper mache shark fins appeared on the other side of the highway, and then moved closer to the statue over a couple of days. Locals have started a "Save the Shark" campaign to keep the shark, which they feel is a dramatic improvement to the statue. However, city officials plan to remove it this week.

Entertaining legal opinions

Today Google Scholar is highlighting entertaining legal opinions. Apparently, some U.S. judges have time to write their opinions in verse, sometimes even to the tune of LeAnn Rimes songs.

My favorite is from a case where a man sued the woman who wrapped a car around his oak tree:

We thought that we would never see
A suit to compensate a tree.
A suit whose claim in tort is prest
Upon a mangled tree's behest;

A tree whose battered trunk was prest
Against a Chevy's crumpled crest;
A tree that faces each new day
With bark and limb in disarray;

A tree that may forever bear
A lasting need for tender care.
Flora lovers though we three,
We must uphold the court's decree.

--The Honorable Judges Bronson, Brennan and Gillis of the Michigan Court of Appeals, January 10, 1983.

Ugly Sofa Contest

Quick, take a picture of your sofa and submit it for this contest. The winner of the Ugly Sofa Contest gets a free sofa. Runners-up get 50% off a sofa. The deadline is July 31, 2010.

108-year-old Woman Wants a Baby

This article is so priceless, I'm going to quote it word-for-word:

"A 108-year-old woman and her former drug addict husband want to adopt, and they'll even take an out-of-wedlock child. They sound like ideal candidates, no? Good luck to them."