Bigfrog Weblog

Melting glaciers, rising see levels, hurricanes and now sharks ... global warming, is there anything it can't do ?

Surge in fatal shark attacks blamed on global warming

Some experts suggest that an abundance of seals has attracted high numbers of sharks, while others believe that overfishing has hit their food chain. 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's a convenient excuse,' Burgess said. Another contributory factor to the location of shark attacks could be global warming and rising sea temperatures. 'You'll find that some species will begin to appear in places they didn't in the past with some regularity,' he said.

Read article

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Half asleep and a 4.5 earthquake rumbles us awake. This one was close, just a few miles away. Still nights are never good. Great. Now how am I going back to sleep?

Earthquake Map

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Reuters: Purple frog among 24 new species found in Suriname

A purple fluorescent frog is one of 24 new species found in the South American highlands of Suriname, conservationists reported on Monday, warning that these creatures are threatened by illegal gold mining.

Maybe it's time for a new domain name ... purplefrog.net.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's amazing how much power the headline writer has. These two articles report on the same news, but each headline gives the story a different spin.

At the same time, both headlines can be true. While Semel may be disappointed to receive only 800,000 options this year, it sure is a nice bonus.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taking a big test? Interviewing for a job? Put down that doughnut and go hungry.

Horvath says we can use the hormonal discoveries to our cognitive advantage. Facing the LSAT, a final exam or a half-day job interview? Go in mildly hungry, not carbo-loaded for endurance, and snack to maintain that edgy state. Such advice, applied on a national scale, might help save our schools. Since overweight kids have suppressed ghrelin levels, Horvath theorizes that perhaps the obesity epidemic has contributed to declining test scores and other American educational woes.

New York Times: Empty-Stomach Intelligence

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Life imitates art.

Farts spark emergency landing

AN American Airlines flight has made an emergency landing after a passenger with severe gas problems struck matches to mask the odour of flatulence.

Read Full Story

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A BigFrog original:

When I was your age, the terrorists were Irish

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Radio talk show host Dennis Prager says studies either confirm the obvious or are wrong. I say studies either confirm the obvious, are wrong or are stupid:

An telephone is seen in an undated file photo. Up to a third of telephone users in Britain make calls in the nude, with men more prone to do it without clothes than women, a survey revealed on Thursday.
Read More

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a self-described American Idol addict, I was looking forward to the women's performance tonight. What a let down. Must have been sophomore jinx, cause not one nailed a performance. But the show must go on and two must be voted off. This is tough ... I'll say Heather and Brenna are going home.

Let's hope the men learn something from tonight and bring it tomorrow.

PS - My picks for the top two are Katharine and Taylor Hicks, who just oozes music.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While the Eastern seaboard has been hit with its first snow storm of the season, I'm contemplating running air conditioning at 10:30am. It's mid February and should hit 85⁰F in Los Angeles. So though it rained on the Rose Parade for the first time in 50 years this year, I think the migration west may yet continue.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now this should make an interesting James Bond thriller:

New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori, who directed the James Bond movie "Die Another Day," has been arrested in a Hollywood prostitution sting while dressed in drag.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fourty eight hours of darkness trigger a shift in the body from burning glucose to fat. Time to hibernate for the summer.

Constant darkness throws a molecular switch in mammals that shifts the body's fuel consumption from glucose to fat and induces a state of torpor in mice...

While their findings could provide new insight into mammalian hibernation, researchers note that the pivotal metabolic signal that emerged from the dark also presents a new target for obesity and type 2 diabetes research.

Read more in Biology News

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The slopes on Mars are now open. The lift tickets are cheap but the commute's a bitch.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vitamin D, the "sunshine" drug is thought to prevent many cancers and diseases. Scientists recommend 25 micrograms (1000 IUs) a day, which is 2.5 times greater than the current RDA. Suntan lotion blocks the skins absorption of viitamin D so one has to strike a balance to get some sun while avoiding skin cancer.

The article lists the following diseases that may be prevented by vitamin D:

• Heart disease -Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which is one of the major factors leading to heart disease.
• Lung disease - Lung tissue undergoes repair and "remodelling" in life and, since vitamin D influences the growth of a variety of cell types, it may play a role in this lung repair process.
• Cancers (breast, colon, ovary, prostate) - Vitamin D is believed to play an important role in regulating the production of cells, a control that is missing in cancer. It has a protective effect against certain cancers by preventing overproduction of cells.
• Diabetes - In type 1 diabetes the immune system destroys its own cells. Vitamin D is believed to act as an immunosuppressant. Researchers believe it may prevent an overly aggressive response from the immune system.
• High blood pressure - Vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands that sit on the thyroid gland in the neck. These secrete a hormone that regulates the body's calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure, although the mechanism is not yet completely understood.
• Schizophrenia - The chance of developing schizophrenia could be linked to how sunny it was in the months before birth. A lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which scientists believe could alter the growth of a child's brain in the womb.
• Multiple sclerosis - Lack of vitamin D leads to limited production of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D3 which regulates the immune system, creating a risk for MS.
• Rickets and osteoporosis - The vitamin strengthens bones, protecting against childhood rickets and osteoporosis in the elderly.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 'wrongful life' suit, disabled woman blames doctor for letting her be born

A blind and deaf Australian woman who claims she never should have been born is suing a doctor for a lifetime of suffering in the country's first "wrongful life" suit.

Alexia Harriton, 24, is seeking compensation from the doctor who misdiagnosed rubella in the first trimester of her mother's pregnancy, claiming Olga Harriton would have aborted her had she been aware of the potential birth defects arising from the illness.

Lawyers for the Sydney woman argued in Australia's highest court Thursday that Dr. Paul Stephens is liable for the costs arising from a lifetime of medical treatment that Harriton needs to survive.

Full Story

Beware of the slippery slope.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

	Witnesses say Angela Keathley and Renee Thomas were engaged in some type of sexual activity inside a bathroom stall at Banana Joe's around 2:20 am Sunday. Another woman waiting to use the bathroom got into an argument with the pair. Police say Thomas punched the woman in the face. When Thomas was arrested, she gave police the name of another Panthers cheerleader. Full Story

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doing a quick search in California's Unclaimed Property Search database, I found that I'm owed $43.00 from an old insurance policy. You can search for friends and relatives too, and I've found a few of them are owed money. It pays to surf.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is the Cuban literacy rate anything like Saddam Hussein winning 100% of the vote? You know, totalitarian government just publishing any number they see fit?

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While I'm not in the anti-virus group, Fast Company details what happens just down the hall from me. Symantec's Santa Monica division hosts one of Symantec's Security Response Centers. What they do is try to "catch" the latest infection and then quickly write a new signature to block the virus.

"This is the dirtiest of all of our networks at Symantec," says Martin, a senior product manager. "There are special firewalls that protect these machines." And by the door, there's a Hazmat box marked danger. It's for disposing of disks, tapes, and even hard drives, so any viruses they may contain aren't inadvertently released. Explains Martin: "No storage media ever comes out of this room. It can go in, but it can't come out."

The article explains what happens at the day's close. Detecting computer viruses is a 24 hour job. When the day's over in Santa Monica, work is passed on to Tokyo.

The day never ends for Symantec employees charged with outsmarting those bad actors. Every afternoon at 5 p.m., the crew in Santa Monica passes the baton to colleagues in Tokyo, meaning that they become responsible for new threats that appear--and for taking the lead on lingering older threats. "From 5:00 to 5:30, it's the U.S. team's job to brief the Tokyo team," Weafer says. "And in the second half of the hour, the Tokyo team is effectively in control, but they can draw on the U.S. team." At the end of the Japanese workday, Tokyo hands off to Dublin, and at 8 a.m. in California, the baton returns to Santa Monica.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Suzy and I both woke up this morning to the sound of a sonic boom, the Space Shuttle Discovery, landing in Califonia. At 5:07 am PST, we heard a loud sonic boom and even felt the house shake. Glad the shuttle is back safely after the drama, but I do think they need to retire the shuttle. Safe Simple Soon is a proposal to reuse the propulsion elements of the Space Shuttle program to help get NASA back to space sooner. The design includes separate systems for crew transport and cargo transport. The crew transport ship puts the astronauts on top, so no more worries about falling debris.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 5:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A transcript was just released by the former Los Angeles prosecutor John W. Miner, who was in charge of the investigation when Marilyn Monroe died. You are the only person who will ever know the most private, the most secret thought of Marilyn Monroe. I have absolute confidence and trust you will never reveal to a living soul what I say to you. Now you will know too.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first saw the thumbnail of this picture, I thought a kid was posing with a WNBA player... Nope. That's a 7'2" womman. The New York Liberty's Becky Hammon, in front, guards the Connecticut Sun's 7-foot-two-inch center Margo Dydek, of Poland, during the second half of their WNBA game at Madison Square Garden in New York Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) From Yahoo News

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a wakeup call to the the Supreme Court. A decision Monday allows cities to confiscate private land for private use ... before, cities could only claim eminent domain when building schools or roads. No more. Now every private dwelling is fair game, as long as the land could generate greater tax revenue.

Can the Justices ask for a do-over??

Weare, New Hampshire (PRWEB) Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter's land.

Justice Souter's vote in the "Kelo vs. City of New London" decision allows city governments to take land from one private owner and give it to another if the government will generate greater tax revenue or other economic benefits when the land is developed by the new owner.

Read More.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Monarch Painted Lady butterflies passed through Northridge today. They spend winter in Mexico and make up to a 2,000 mile migration back north in the spring. Today, thousands flew overhead, it groups of 2s and 3s. I wonder if I'll see the stranglers tomorrow.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 5:37 PM | Permalink

You keep saying you've got something for me. something you call love, but confess. You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin' and now someone else is gettin' all your best. These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin' and you keep losin' when you oughta not bet. You keep samin' when you oughta be changin'. Now what's right is right, but you ain't been right yet. These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin and you keep thinkin' that you´ll never get burnt. Ha! I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah and what he know you ain't HAD time to learn. Are you ready boots? Start walkin'! Nancy Sinatra

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:42 PM | Permalink

Kerry praises the Ohio State Buckeyes in Michigan. Calls Lambeau Field Lambert Field. And now hikes a ball like this??? Maybe Football Fans for Truth have a point.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I miss Donald Rumsfeld press conferences. Haven't seen one in a year. What's more fun than watching Rumsfeld berate reporters for asking dumb, imprecise questions. If I was in his position, I'd be doing the same thing.

Well, now there's The 1000 styles of Rumsfeld pictorial which graphically displays how Rumself stays on top of his game. Don't miss such classics as The Twin Cobra Fist or Spider Hand Technique.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back in January 2003, BigFrog reported the CD price fixing settlement. Were you proactive? Did you fill out the settlement form? If so, you should be getting this in the mail like I did.

THIRTEEN DOLLARS AND 86/100 is not much these days, but it's enough for a value priced CD. And what do you know... if history repeats that may just be enough to get you qualified to collect in the next CD price fixing conspiracy settlement.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keep track of all the latest pictures of the Southern California Fires using Visual News. Visual News monitors Yahoo! News (which feeds from Reuters and AP) and uses keyword matching to filter out just the pictures from the fire.

For those of you with RSS News Readers, like Bloglines, NetNewsWire or Radio Userland, there's a RSS News Feed too.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight, the northwest valley is glowing, smothered in smoke. The fire is approaching Porter Ranch. A few of my vistas are now closed, as firefighters ready themselves for the battle ahead. I took a few pictures from Braemore, but digital cameras are useless in the dark.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday morning - the fire is creeping out of Simi Valley towards Chatsworth.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Declaration of Independence

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Times has had about 1,000 readers cancel subscriptions and been "flooded" with angry letters, calls and e-mail protesting its coverage of Arnold Schwarzenegger (news)'s alleged sexual harassment of women, it reported on Sunday.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BERLIN, Conn. -- In a scene that sounds more biblical than plausible, masses of amphibian eggs rained down on Primo D'Agata's porch last month as the remnants of Hurricane Isabel moved through the state.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS - A trained tiger attacked magician Roy Horn of the duo Siegfried & Roy during a performance, biting his neck and dragging him off stage just feet from the audience. Horn's manager said Saturday the illusionist underwent surgery and was in critical condition.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The California recall election is on Tuesday and I know who I'm voting for ... Arnold Schwarzenegger. I support him on the issues. He's pro-growth and pro-grope.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

View larger image.

For being "peach", it doesn't look too bad.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Yahoo! News

An air compressor tore a Turkish man's insides when a colleague placed the suction end of a powerful device to his rear end.(AFP/File)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Preacher asks for sign and gets struck by lightning.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while, the government passes a useful law. While some states have anti-telemarketing lists, the Fed has just introduced one as well. This list bans all telemarketing except political and non-profit orgs. The web site is really busy now, but once you get through you can register three numbers here http://donotcall.gov/ and read more about it here.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Yahoo Photos:

A two-headed young tortoise is held by its owner, Noel Daniels, in Wellington, South Africa, Wednesday, May 28, 2003. Daniels says that the tortoise does all the things a normal tortoise does and that the rare phenomena occurs during the embryonic stage of development. (AP Photo/Obed Zilwa)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love the internet. Curious who has the world's largest arms? Me too. I think I found the answer, Gregg Valentino:

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Geraldo, the tribe has spoken. You must leave the island at once.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An obscure Jewish sect in New York has been gripped in awe by what it believes to be a mystical visitation by a 20lb carp that was heard shouting in Hebrew, in what many Jews worldwide are hailing as a modern miracle.

Read more in The Observer.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Porn Star, Dead Comedian, International Terrorist. Which is which?

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Smelling a business opportunity, a friend makes some shirts and offers them up on the internet.

http://www.leavehimalone.com/

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a city that had a handful of shopworn eating places two years ago, a new Chinese or Italian or American hamburger restaurant opens almost weekly, as well as kebab shops by the score. Small hotels have sprung up, and a $40 million Hyatt is on the way. The food bazaars are bustling and there are downtown blocks filled almost entirely with bridal shops. Rebuilt homes are rising from the ruins, and every little storefront seems to be stuffed with bathtubs or fans or with men building and carving things to be sold.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lt. Smash is a weblog written by a lieutenant in the reserves from Kuwait(?). Talks a lot about smallpox and sand. Pretty interesting to hear the stories first-hand, without the media filter. That's the next phase of the internet, the next wave of journalism.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Danish pizzeria has banned French and Germans from dining there because of their country's stance on a war with Iraq.

Aage Bjerre, who owns Aage's Pizza on the island of Fanoe, said he's tired of French and German attitudes toward the United States.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a radio interview Wednesday with the BBC, in fact, Garofalo asked that she not be introduced as an actor or celebrity but as a member of the U.S. antiwar movement.

"It's such a divisive thing," she said. "The term 'celebrity' makes my skin crawl."

If you weren't a celebrity, they wouldn't be talking to you anyway. Can't have it both ways, Janeane.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Send in the clowns. The circus is in town (Click for larger photo)

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We forgive you this time... The Guardian admits they don't know their Simpson's trivia:
	The description of the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was not coined by Bart Simpson, as we suggested in Wimps, weasels and monkeys - the US media view of "perfidious France", page 3, February 11. It comes from the Simpsons character Groundskeeper Willie, the Scottish immigrant who takes care of custodial matters at the elementary school.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This planet has been around for 4 billion years, intelligent life for perhaps 200,000, weapons of mass destruction for less than 100. A hundred -- in the eye of the universe, less than a blink. And yet we already find ourselves on the brink. What are the odds that our species will manage to contain this awful knowledge without self-destruction -- not for a billion years or a million or even a thousand, but just through the lifetime of our children?

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So you're a journalist assigned to a cover a war with a Marine division. How should you act and what should you pack? It's an impressive list. Hope the Geraldo's of the world are in shape.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It just keeps getting worse. First, the 2000 elections revealed that getting the most votes was not really connected to winning in U.S. elections, even when the voting machines accurately counted the votes, which, it turns out, they don't.

Unless you were sleeping, the 2000 elections shouldn't have taught you that; your high school teacher should have. It's called the Electoral College.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Celebrities harvest early to keep in shape. National Post:

The pictures in tabloids and glossy magazines show a stream of celebrities slimmed down and toned within mere months of giving birth -- the result of rigid pilates routines, personal trainers, strict diets and even, it is rumoured, babies delivered about a month early by Caesarean section.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After much debate, I am now anti-war. No blood for chocolate. Keep those French neo-imperialists out of Ivory Coast.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is this what they mean by ugly Americans?