Potpourri

1. Prayers for coffee- I can't really understand why the owners would use this as their business model, but a parish-run cafe allows people to "pay" for their coffee by saying a prayer aloud. I understand they want people to be religious, but I don't think bribery should be used to make people more spiritual...do you? How can a quick recitiation of the Lord's Prayer while waiting to drink your steaming hot coffee be honest and sincere prayer? I think the owners are kidding themselves.

http://www.cubicalism.com/2008/02/god-loves-coffee-as-much-as-us-but-only.html


2. Get your ZZZZZZZs- a new study from Finland finds that people who sleep less, on average, are more likely to die (studied via 15 years of follow-up).

http://www.newsweek.com/id/113270

3. Smartest TV shows- Mensa has released its list of the 10 smartest TV shows of all time. I agree with most of the choices...check out the list and see if you agree. The two choices I would have to disagree with are "Boston Legal" and "House". Boston Legal was very weird and, as for House, the show is just so wrong medically, that I can't include it on the list. Dr. House routinely orders tests and performs procedures on patients that are completely outlandish. Much more realistic medical shows were "Chicago Hope" and even "ER" (most of the time).

Two shows that should be on the list are "Seinfeld" and the "Simpsons". Both shows had amazing writing that exploited the absurdity of everyday human life in a way few other shows did. Both shows had references to current events, pop culture, or human psychology that required one to be current and knowledgeable to understand the joke.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331175,00.html


4. Memory like an elephant- Read this story about this man who has amazing memory. He must have the opposite gene of Alberto "I don't recall" Gonzales.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23296808/

5. Indecent exposure- "Is that a paint brush in your pocket or are you happy to see me"- check out this artist who uses a 'strange' tool as his brush.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080220/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_australia_art;_ylt=ApHQSSj_1pbcF89URZOUQmgDW7oF

6. Say "chesse" Roger!- evidence, perjury, jail. The gig is up Mr. Clemens.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3258678

7. Photo- wondering what the photo was? That's right...cooked dog paws, a Chinese delicacy. That's disgusting and cruel.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Summer-Olympics-China/photo//080218/photos_lf_afp/a9af3ade802e649ddf43b50cb25dc4fe/;_ylt=AmFX_MuLXzDB890PG3t1ph8DW7oF