Psychic NASCAR

The other day I saw a quote attributed to Edgar Cayce on our Quote of the Day module in the right-hand column and while the name rang a bell, I wasn't for sure just exactly who he was. After a quick bit of research, I was reminded he was famous for being a psychic. I then went to the source of the quote and saw this:

What I'd like to know is what does Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have to do with Cayce? For that matter why is Ric Flair, a pro wrestler or Fred Rogers - Mr. Rogers - included in the list? Why are racing legends Dale Earnhardt and Mario Andretti on there, too? That's more of a mystery than Edgar Cayce's alleged psychic abilities.

I wanted to put a really clever headline on this post and I did some looking around the 'net for words that rhymed with "psychic" but there aren't that many. Too bad there wasn't a soccer player on the list or I could have used "Kick Psychic" or some variation. Oh well. I did find some pyschic jokes; here are a couple of the best ones.

Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. -- Steven Wright

Two psychic healers meet in the street - "You're fine - how am I?"

Under the Google search for psychic jokes was this: 9 Psychic Jokes I'm Sick Of where a psychic explains why she doesn't find certain jokes about psychics funny at all. (Personally, I thought some of them hilarious) At first, my eyes were drawn to her phone rate for psychic reading - $4.99/minute -(which I found offensive) then I saw something she had written about herself that was much funnier than the jokes she found offensive.

Ever since I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, I haven't needed a crystal ball. I could see visions in a toothbrush!

Wow.  Schizophrenia + psychic ability + a toothbrush.  There's gotta be a joke there somewhere.  One will probably come to me later in a vision.

I'm Glad I'm Not High

Maintenance, that is.

I'm so low maintenance, I don't even come with an operator's manual.

You Are Low Maintenance

Compared to most people, you are incredibly easy going. To be honest, you are truly a breath of fresh air. You are open minded about trying new things, and you're not upset when things don't work out. You are willing to go along to get along.  And your attitude helps you truly enjoy life!

Are You High Maintenance?

The Vanishing Train

From New Scientist

It's a model train like no other: when it enters a tunnel, it seems to defy the properties of space and time. But of course, what you're seeing is just an illusion. Do you know what the trick involves?

Courtesy of neuroscientist Al Seckel, the video is free of editing effects or computer-generated imagery. "There is one train; it is as long as you see," he says. The illusion, presented in his newly published digital book that delves into the science of the world's best illusions, continues to fool Nobel laureates and other great minds when presented at conferences.

If you think you know what's happening in the video, let us know in the comments section below. The first person to post a correct answer will win a New Scientist goodie bag

Rattlesnake Roundup

One of the first arguments I ever got into on the 'net was in a TalkCity chat room where someone asked me if I lived near Sweetwater, Texas (where the rattlesnake roundup takes place.) I said I didn't live near there, but when the person asked what I thought of it, I replied that I couldn't see much wrong with it. I was then called a savage, a planet destroyer, a hater of Mother Gaia, etc.

I've done quite a bit of research on this hunt and others and rattlesnakes in general, especially after being attacked in my Rattlesnakes in Palo Duro Canyon post. (that's the reason I hid the comments and don't allow any others on that particular one) From what I've read, the hunt DOES have a short-term affect on the rattler population, but that the snakes adapt quickly to the fluctuations in food.  Reduce the rattler population, the numbers of rats, mice and rabbits go up, creating a larger food supply for the snakes, then their numbers increase in response. I've never seen anything that said rattlesnakes are anywhere close to being an endangered species.* 

Yes, it would be "best" for animals if we (humans) didn't encroach upon their territory, but we always have and always will.  As far as the charges of animal cruelty...well, that doesn't generate much sympathy in me.  The snakes are handled roughly, but the way they're dispatched doesn't see overly cruel to me. 

I've killed a few rattlers in my life, always when out hunting rabbits.  I've never gone out of my way to kill them;  I don't go hunting them, don't run over them in my vehicle.  I figure if they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone.   That said, if I found one in my yard then their life expectancy would be the exact amt. of time it would take me to find a hoe or shovel.

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*After this post hit my reader and I re-read it, I thought I'd better add there is no danger, not at the present time, that Western Diamondback rattlers are endangered.  I have read the Eastern type is being considered for the endangered list.

I also want to add that I'm not endorsing the roundup but I'm also not going to condemn it.  I'll admit that I'm not a fan of snakes or most reptiles, so the fact that they're not "cute and cuddly" factors into my ambivalence.  If taking out so many rattlers reduces the population, one would think the number of snakes caught each year would go down.

Ten Principles of a Free Society

1. Rights belong to individuals, not groups; they derive from our nature and can neither be granted nor taken away by government.

2. All peaceful, voluntary economic and social associations are permitted; consent is the basis of the social and economic order.

3. Justly acquired property is privately owned by individuals and voluntary groups, and this ownership cannot be arbitrarily voided by governments.

4. Government may not redistribute private wealth or grant special privileges to any individual or group.

5. Individuals are responsible for their own actions; government cannot and should not protect us from ourselves.

6. Government may not claim the monopoly over a people's money and government must never engage in official counterfeiting, even in the name of macroeconomic stability.

7. Aggressive wars, even when called preventative, and even when they pertain only to trade relations, are forbidden.

8. Jury nullification, that is, the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts, is a right of the people and the courtroom norm.

9. All forms of involuntary servitude are prohibited, not only slavery but also conscription, forced association, and forced welfare distribution.

10. Government must obey the law that it expects other people to obey and thereby must never use force to mold behavior, manipulate social outcomes, manage the economy, or tell other countries how to behave.

 Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by Ron Paul

50 Beautiful Women

50 of the Most Beautiful Women - Morphing