13 Aug 2006
Hold On Tight, Cowboy, That Bull’s a Thoroughbred

Strange as it might seem at first blush, I really enjoy watching Professional Bull Riders - Hel, I enjoy watching the amateurs, too! It's an ancient sport, and I'm glad to see it's made a comeback - much more humane and enjoyable than so called "bull fighting", which is just an euphemism for "bull killing". No sport in that.

Bull breeders are transforming what started as a back-pasture hobby into a multimillion-dollar industry.

(link) [New York Times]

07:43 /Agriculture | 1 comment | permanent link

Apple's Leopard Strategy to Kill Microsoft and Dell?

An interesting thought, if nothing else ...

A Digital Trends article suggests that Apple's Leopard agenda is to get Windows users to use Apple hardware then convert them to the Apple camp and that Apple will also be directly targeting Dell by offering a better experience when it comes to media and related tasks. Lastly, they suggest that Steve Jobs held back on showing more Leopard features so people would not get too excited and stop buying in 2006. 'If you get too excited about what is supposed to be an incredibly amazing product you simply won't buy a new Apple this year.'

(link) [Slashdot]

07:33 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Japanese beetle testing urged in Billings

Landscape plants? Whatever - tell my neighbor his soybeans are "landscape plants" and watch him laugh. I'll bet he'll lose a quarter of his yield this year to the little bastards. They really like cornfields too - and apple trees. They also seem to munch alfalfa, but only if nothing else is available.

I wish Montana the best of luck in keeping them out: they're about the biggest insect pest in Indiana, and can do some serious damage.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is encouraging landowners in an area south of the Billings, Mont., airport to use special insect traps to check for the presence of Japanese beetles, an insect that damages lawns and landscape plants and could increase operating expenses for commercial nurseries.

(link) [The Prairie Star]

07:31 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link

Grass attacked over SS confession

At least Mr. Grass finally came clean, and didn't wait to be outed. The thing I find most odd about this is that the truth would have helped establish his moral authority and pacifism, not denigrate it. He was a conscript, not a volunteer, and there was absolutely no reason for this lie except for his own misguided (and wholly internal) guilt and shame.

Reuters - Germany's Nobel prize-winning author Günter Grass has come under attack from writers, literary critics, historians and politicians for his belated confession he was once a member of Hitler's Waffen SS.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

07:12 /Home | 2 comments | permanent link