The Asteroid Belt: Squirrel contraceptives and Battlestar Galactica Simpsons

Another week, another asteroid belt.

Squirrels to be given contraceptives. This is certainly odd. I was surprised to read that apparently, the U.S. has done this in the past. I never knew that squirrel populations got out of hand in such a way. Then again, they are after all just another animal, so if there’s a bunch of them making baby squirrels, and then they all have lots of baby squirrels… well, it could be a problem, I suppose.

While reading the wonderful Languagehat blog, I came across this jewel: proofreading marks. I know very little about proofreading, and I certainly didn’t know that there was an official set of proofreading marks. Also from Languagehat, I found a link to this set of humorous additions to the marks. I particularly like the symbol for “remove permanently from your lexicon”.

Some Orthodox Jews attend a Holocaust denial conference because they want the Israeli state to be completely and peacefully dissolved. This is an interesting take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jews wanting to make Israel disappear? I’d never heard of this at all.

Border agents find an alligator in a suitcase. Snippet:

Then agents asked the man, whose name was not released, if he had anything else inside the car they should know about.

“The guy says, ‘There’s an alligator in there,’” Easterling said. “He says, ‘He’s in the suitcase there.’ And when (the agent) opened the suitcase, sure enough, there was a cayman in there.”

I must say: if some guy told me that there was an alligator in a suitcase, I most likely would not open it. I’d take it back to the department and perhaps have someone qualified (like a professional animal handler!) do the opening. Opening a suitcase with a live alligator in it sounds like a quite excellent way to get maimed. I mentioned this to my mom and she said that perhaps seeing people on TV handling alligators has made people forget a bit of reality: alligators and crocodiles are mean little bastards, and will snap at you just for the hell of it.

A Texas Representative wants to pass a bill to allow blind hunters to use laser sights. I was not aware that blind people regularly hunt, but I suppose it could be doable with a spotter. I don’t particularly understand how you’d get the same thrill out of it with some guy saying, “Drop your gun 2 inches and you’ll be on target.. now a little to the left.. up some…” but.. oh well. To each their own I suppose!

A teenage shoplifter was caught because they filled their pants with a bit too much: when she tried to run from the store, her pants fell to her ankles. See, that’s what you get when you’re greedy! Snippet:

Police also found a potato peeler, ice cream scoop, a set of measuring spoons, two cake decorating gel tubes and six Rollo candy bars on Dwiggins, according to court documents.

I’m surprised they didn’t find a kitchen sink in there. It sounds like this teenager was really wanting to bake. Hmm. Let’s see. A cake with candy bars, ice cream, and mashed potatoes in it? Yuck. I’ll pass, thanks.

Someone at Google copied a Yahoo! page, but in the end, I think Yahoo! had it coming to them. I didn’t search his site: does anyone know if Jeremy has a huge rant about Yahoo! copying Google’s work? I’m doubting…

Best Blog Or Not, Keep At It. Nils has a great post here on why, when it comes to blogging (and just about anything else, too!), perseverence pays off. I’ve tried blogging in the past and always quit after I didn’t have three million readers within a few months. This time I’m in it for the long haul because I’m doing it for the right reason: I enjoy it. If I don’t have any readers, oh well. As Nils noted, I like having readers, but I’d still be doing this even if I didn’t. It’s come to be a part of my (almost) daily routine.

Dear God. The entire cast of Battlestar Galactica – in Simpson form. I think most of them are pretty good, but the one for Starbuck doesn’t do much for me. I see the attitude, but Starbuck’s looks just aren’t there. I like how Ellen has put a bunch of daggers in Saul. Backstabber, indeed! I really hope she’s gone from the show. I didn’t care for her at all, but I suppose that was the idea.