Blogging can be an Employment Hazard + November Follow-ups

   1. Warning: Blogging can be an Employment Hazard

   * "How not to get fired because of your Blog"
      < http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=661&topic=-1 >
   * "Microsoft fires worker over weblog"
      < http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/146115_blogger30.html >
   * "Even Microsoft wants G5s"
      < http://www.michaelhanscom.com/eclecticism/2003/10/even_microsoft_.html >


   2. Follow-ups to November Postings

   [Full Moon Fever]
   * "Land sale's over the moon"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/13/1065917332726.html >
   * "Property sales out of this world:
      For $19.99, plus tax, anyone can purchase an acre on the moon"
      < http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Sep-29-Mon-2003/news/22251899.html >
   * "Opera director charged for mooning at jeering audience"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_837704.html >

   [Soothing Sounds]
   * "Turkeys sample chill-out vibes before facing the music"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s996273.htm >

   [Crocodiles and Alligators]
   * "Hong Kong croc eludes Qld hunter"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s991287.htm >
   * "Australian crocodile hunter concedes defeat in Hong Kong quest"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/24/266503-ap.html >

   [Unusual Fines and Bans]
   * "US cabbie will still wear Elvis-style cape despite dress code fine"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_797875.html >
   * "Man kicks up stink over BO ban"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s994766.htm >
   * "Schoolteachers angered by ban on knitting"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_841094.html >
   * "Santa's knee off limits in NZ town"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999697.htm >

   [Help Me, I'm Stuck!]
   * "Window washer stranded on platform"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/21/264586-cp.html >
   * "Ohio teen gets stuck in chimney"
      < http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2660314/detail.html >
   * "Police find suspect frozen to bridge"
      < http://www.turnto10.com/news/2666787/detail.html >

   [Disorder in the Court]
   * "Snake causes stir in Uganda court"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3233834.stm >
   * "Finnish judge brushes off drinking charge"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999897.htm >

Thou Doth Protest Too Oddly

   1. "Café grub protest begins"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3269341.stm >
   Mark McGowan "plans to spend eight hours a day from 14 to 26 November sitting
   in the bean bath with sausages strapped to his head"

   2. "Bank customer sets fire to life savings in protest at interest rate"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_800130.html >

   3. "Naked protest takes on Gap"
      < http://www.click10.com/news/2644941/detail.html >

   4. "Students stage naked protest over funding"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_785497.html >

   5. "Kenya women MPs' handbag protest"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3226252.stm >

   6. "Men in 'Batman' rooftop protest"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_830806.html >

   7. "'Spider-Man' ends crane protest over access to kids"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/06/1068013324487.html >

Disorder in the Court

   1. "Judge ticked off, even if he wasn't flipped off"
      < http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/08/Tampabay/Judge_ticked_off__eve.shtml >

   2. "Man found guilty after mooning jury"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/18/139717-ap.html >

   3. "Drug defendant spits at prosecutor in court"
      < http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&
          display=rednews/2003/11/06/build/wyoming/60-spitter.inc >

   4. "Indian lawyer lands in jail after hurling shoe at magistrate"
      < http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/az/Qindia-lawyer-offbeat.R-hi_DaD.html >

   5. "Man jailed after arguing with judge"
      < http://www.cincypost.com/2003/08/23/marsh082303.html >

   6. "Trial adjourned after defendants turn up drunk"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_791068.html >

   7. "Man whose lawyer snoozed pleads guilty"
      < http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/6131576.htm >

   8. "This is the law ... hello!"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/07/1062549076056.html >
   "Indian judges hoping to make an example of a man by jailing him for not switching off
    his mobile telephone in court got a rude awakening when a policeman's cellphone rang
    just as they meted out the punishment"

   9. "Ga. Courthouse Attack Injures 4 People"
      < http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=783377 >

   10. "Judge joins disorder in the court (Judge kicks crazed defendant's butt)"
      < http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/935010/posts >
   I don't agree with the views expressed in this "Conservative News Forum" but they did
   something useful by archiving this article from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Help Me, I'm Stuck!

   1. "Teen tries Santa's move, gets stuck in chimney"
      < http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/2642555/detail.html >

   2. "Teen bunged up with flue"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/04/1062548934593.html >

   3. "Reveller gets stuck in air vent"
      < http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7883527%5E13762,00.html >

   4. "Man stuck at pay phone for hours"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/18/261439-ap.html >

   5. "Inconvenient confinement"  [Man locked in women's toilet overnight]
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/24/1061663676048.html >

   6. "Teen rescued from locked safe at Kmart"
      < http://www.btfindustries.com/news/kmart_foot_locker.htm >

   7. "Visitors mistakenly lock themselves in cells during tour"
      < http://www.10nbc.com/newspoll.asp?template=item&story_id=9038 >

   8. "Girl gets tongue stuck to freezer"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_839078.html >

   9. "A little hot water frees mountain lion kittens from Montana railway track"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/02/244922-ap.html >

   10. "Horse rescued from pool"
      < http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=21698&sectionId=3 >

Unusual Fines and Bans

   A. Unusual Fines

   1. "Restaurants fine diners who don't leave clean plates"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_838351.html >

   2. "Failure to flush to incur fine"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s924616.htm >

   3. "Man fined for sitting on bench"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_807090.html >

   4. "Man fined for dressing as Santa to oppose nazis"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_828634.html >

   5. "Economy passenger fined for taking his business upmarket"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s971039.htm >


   B. Unusual Bans

   1. "No kissing please, we're Russian"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/10/1068329454658.html >

   2. "Egypt may ban foreign belly dancers"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s926380.htm >

   3. "Childcare ban on caped crusaders"
      < http://us.altnews.com.au/print.php?sid=5299 >

   4. "Canada bans passport smiles"
      < http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/08/27-canada-passport.htm >

   5. "Malaysian to ban horror books"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/MediaNews/2003/11/06/248851-ap.html >

   6. "Bagpipe ban riles Scots"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s970805.htm >

   7. "Too thin to drive: German court backs licence ban"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/26/1059084268822.html >

   8. "Tongue-splitting could be banned in US state"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_780095.html >
   Actually this ban isn't that unusual, but the photo is freaky.  The guy can
   literally "speak with forked tongue".

Crocodiles and Alligators

   1. Crocs (and Gators) in the City
   a. "Hong Kong agog at croc on the loose"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s982044.htm >
      "Croc on the loose sparks calls for professional catcher"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/09/1068329422476.html >
   b. "Urban croc raises eyebrows" [Brisbane]
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s984109.htm >
   c. "Urban crocodiles on the rise in Singapore"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/09/17/195219-ap.html >
   d. "Panic in Prague after croc leaps to freedom"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s930520.htm >
   e. "Crocodiles found perching in Joburg tree"
      < http://www.tiscali.co.za/tiscali/news/news_story.jsp?content=105836 >
   f. "Tiger, alligator found in city flat" [Manhattan]
      < http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,7468297%255E1702,00.html >
   g. "Alligator captured after stroll through New York city park"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_775360.html >
   h. "Man lassos alligator on Lake street corner"  [registration required]
      < http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-locgator22062203jun22.story >

   2. "Milwaukee postal workers find live alligator in mail"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/16/1068917659014.html >

   3. "Gator escapes in airliner"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/28/1067233126821.html?from=storyrhs >

   4. "German police catch alligator"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_810503.html >

   5. "Woman beats up crocodile"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/11/03/245669-ap.html >

   6. "Barmaid tells of fight with croc"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6578947%5E13762,00.html >

   7. "Burglars steal alligator"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6354664%5E13762,00.html >

   8. "Mexican plays soccer with pet crocodiles"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_796043.html >

   9. Comparing crocodiles and alligators
   a. Uni of Texas: "What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?"
      < http://www.ctlab.geo.utexas.edu/dmg/projects/alligator/html/croc_vs._gator.htm >
   b. Crocodiles vs Alligators
      < http://www.myherp.com/articles/other/croc_alligat.htm >

Politicians in the Spotlight

   1. Tony B'Liar and wife Cherie
   a. "Blair 'not potty' says official spokesman"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_800762.html >
   b. "Campbell the hairdresser advises Blair on speech"
      < http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters11-14-133210.asp?reg=EUROPE >
   c. "Blair a head-banging strummer?"
      < http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031114/80/edy1r.html >
   d. "Cherie serenades Chinese students with Beatles song"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_802144.html >

   2. "Italian PM Berlusconi now writing love songs"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s939380.htm >

   3. Sheriff George W. Bush and Deputy Sheriff John Howard
   a. "Love brings out the Bush poet"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s959909.htm >
         "Dear Laura,
          Roses are red, violets are blue,
          oh my lump in the bed, I miss you.
          The distance, my dear, has been such a barrier,
          next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier."
   b. "Bush revels in cowboy speak"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2968176.stm >
   c. "Bush lauds Howard as 'man of steel'"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/04/1051987592763.html >
   d. "Man of steel, heart of stone"
      < http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/04/1046540186583.html >
         About the original 'man of steel', Joseph Stalin.  I'm sure John Howard
         appreciates the association.
   e. "John Howard's Aliases"
      < http://members.optushome.com.au/hark/s8.jhnames.htm >

   4. "Mandela: 'Bush can't think properly'"
      < http://www.afrol.com/News2003/index_sa007.htm >

   5. "The Poetry of D.H. Rumsfeld - Recent works by the secretary of defense"
      < http://slate.msn.com/id/2081042/ >
   Technically he's not a politician, but he speaks like one.

   6. "Politicians say the dumbest things"
      < http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/30/editorial_wwwedit1a30.html >

   7. "When in Italy, Canadian PM likes to roam"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s989016.htm >

For Auction - Celebrity Items

   1. "Superman's cape goes under the hammer"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s913357.htm >

   2. "Playboy bunny costume to go under the hammer"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_802789.html >

   3. "Kennedy's boxers bring $US5,000 at auction"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s905828.htm >

   4. "Mum gets overdraft for Boyzone undies"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s873426.htm >

   5. "Elvis tooth goes on sale"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3054004.stm >

   6. "Johnny Depp to sell gold teeth on eBay"
      < http://www.teenhollywood.com/d.asp?r=47071&cat=1027 >

   7. "Auction puts celebrity shoe on other foot"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s952544.htm >

   8. "Auction of Liz Hurley dinner date fails to attract interest"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_833718.html >

   9. "It's Oprah's first-ever eBay charity auction!"
      < http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200310/tows_past_20031017_ebay.jhtml >

Soothing Sounds

   1. "Soft music replaces school bell to reduce classroom stress"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_833510.html >

   2. "Clayderman music used in court"
      < http://www.dispatch.co.za/2003/07/01/foreign/ecourt.html >

   3. "Another bottle? Perhaps you've had too much Bach"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s960046.htm >

   4. "Farmer who serenades pigs provokes rage"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/05/1060064182798.html >

   5. "Light music helps fatten China's pigs"
      < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw1063950302867B255&set_id=1 >

   6. "Country music tunes out loiterers"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6610895%5E1702,00.html >

   7. "Beethoven used to deter rough sleepers"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_804392.html >

Gnome Gnews (is Good Gnews)

   Today's post is partly inspired by the fabulous French film, Amelie, which I
   had the pleasure of viewing on the weekend.  For those unfamiliar with the
   film, one of the minor threads in the plot involves Amelie "liberating" her
   father's garden gnome and sending the gnome on a world tour.

   1. "Garden gnomes set free in France"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1437439.stm >
      "Point of gnome return"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/29/1067233209148.html >

   2. "Village ponders gnome mystery"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/3023936.stm >
   "The arrival of 14 uninvited garden gnomes on lawns in a Lincolnshire village
    has baffled residents".

   3. "Police investigating gnome reports in Ecuador"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_767457.html >

   4. "Warning: he'll knock £500 off the value of your home"
      < http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/02/ngnome02.xml >

   5. The Liberation of Kevin Gnome and his "Excellent Adventures"
      < http://www.geocities.com/kevinthegnome/index.html >
   "Going where Gnome Man has gone before!"

Full Moon Fever

   In anticipation of the next full moon this weekend, and the release of the
   double-cd version of REM's greatest hits package "In Time" (which has a
   full moon on the cover and features the track "Man in the Moon"), today's
   post has a lunar theme.  There also happens to be a total eclipse of the
   moon this weekend.

   1. SPACE.com: Full Moon Fever
      < http://www.space.com/fullmoonfever/ >
   "Headquarters for eclipses, news and lunar lore"

   2. Farmers' Almanac - Full moon names and their meanings
      < http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoonnames.html >
   Includes "Full Beaver Moon" - November 8.

   3. "Watch driving in light of full moon"
      < http://www.thedenverchannel.com/automotive/2469843/detail.html#1 >
   "Insurance company finds correlation between bad driving, full moon"

   4. "Full moon and lunar effects"
      < http://skepdic.com/fullmoon.html >
   A skeptical look at the effect of the full moon on human behaviour.

   5. A different kind of "moon"
   a. "Bare faced cheek"
      < http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/weird/article.html?in_page_id=4
          &in_article_id=2446 >
   "German police are trying to identify a speeding driver from pictures of a
    bare bottom"
   b. "Man drops trousers at royal garden party"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s908482.htm >
   c. "Theatre director drops pants in front of audience"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_811261.html >
   d. "Bare-faced cheeks could cost German athlete dear"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s946557.htm >
   e. "Man gets extra six months in jail for court moon"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_762567.html >

Animals Save the Day

   1. "Roo to the rescue"

      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s950492.htm >

   Skippy the bush kangaroo?



   2. Living burglar alarms

   a. "Rabbit 'chases off burglar'"

      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_828954.html >

   b. "Parrot breaks silence to foil burglary"

      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_826596.html >

   c. "Guard cat credited with saving family from robber"

      < http://www.thedenverchannel.com/family/2570297/detail.html >



   3. "Cat saves drowning lamb"

      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_826436.html >



   4. Four-legged firies

   a. "Blaze [the dog] saves family from fire"

      < http://www.klastv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1312038&nav=168YGJdB >

   b. "Tuxedo cat saves owner in house fire"

      < http://squoogy.typepad.com/happy/2003/07/tuxedo_cat_save.html >



   5. "Man's life saved after dog finds message in a bottle"

      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_806496.html >



   6. "Washington tribute honours top dogs"

      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/08/21/165790-ap.html >

Iron Chef Compendium

   Iron Chef Compendium
      < http://www.ironchef.com/ >
   "... unofficial fan site for Iron Chef, a Japanese produced show that pits the
   'Iron Chefs', master chefs in various culinary styles, against challengers who
   try to prove their culinary prowess and skill".

   For me "Iron Chef" is one of the few highlights in a rather lacklustre TV
   schedule in Adelaide.