States agree to adopt national education standards...except Texas and Alaska. No one is surprised.

"This is a move away from the time when a student can be punished for the location of his home or the depth of his father's pockets."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wirestory?id=10806183&page=1

The points that sell me on this are: 1) The option is there to be tougher than the Common Core. This is the MINIMUM standard. 2) Federal government was not actually involved, although they did encourage it. Safe to interpret that federal money was not spent on this, which will make the conservatives happy, or at least negate reasonable complaint.

If it works the way it's supposed to, this will be a very good thing. Except the Alaska and Texas parts. WTF, guys?

Platypi Tweet?

Apparently, platypi tweet.

• 10:47 Last night I derailed an anti-immigrant rant in WoW Trade chat w/the Spam bit from Monty Python. I win World of Warcraft. #

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Plug'er with a nuke

That's how the Russians stopped leaking oil wells in the Soviet era. 5 deployments with an 80% success rate. I wonder how they came up with that rate? Did only 4 work?

Of course, that WOULD be a major treaty violation. Also, I'm pretty sure that's insane. Then again, 4 out of 5 is better than 0 out of 5...

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/05/05/russian-advice-nuke-the-oil-spill-thatll-fix-it/

The Flag Code of the United States

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagcode.htm

Check out 8d and 8i, and think of how many times a day you see violations.

The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.
It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard.

So if you've got a flag shirt, or flag socks, or a flag pin, the best thing to do is to take it to your local VFW for proper disposal.

Writer's Block: TMI

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It's not even about the risk of being hurt. Over the course of their lifetimes, two people who are devoted and honest every day are still not going to have the chance to share everything. Sharing about yourself is something that should happen naturally. Suddenly knowing everything about my fiance all at once would be a violation of that, and of his privacy. It would be disrespectful to both him and to the relationship.

Built to last

If I were to spend $275 on a purse, this would be the one.

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/categories/80-Satchels-Small/products/1670-Leather-Satchel-Small-Dark-Tobacco-Brown

Pull the pin, count to three, and throw...flowers

This is such an awesome concept. I hope they really work! (and I intend to find out)

http://www.suck.uk.com/product.php?rangeID=145

The next scapegoat

In 5-10 years, we can expect the Presa Canario to be ranked with the bully breeds and the Rottweiler as "dangerous" because it is "gaining in popularity in protection sports." Here's an idea: don't train a damn herding dog to be an attack dog! What a cow can handle physically, a human can't.

I hate people sometimes, I really do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perro_de_Presa_Canario

I thought of this because of an episode of "It's Me or the Dog" in which a pair of idiots didn't control their dogs as per usual, but it was resulting in them fighting, in the house, around their two small daughters. One was a Presa.

So if you hear of someone training a Presa to be an attack or guard dog...that person is a moron. I have seen them do Schutzhund work, and the trainers even say that once they learn those behaviors, they are no longer safe in civillian households.

Meanwhile, when properly handled from a young age, a Presa can live perfectly happily as a pet in a home with children and small animals, like any other cattle dog.

HATE. PEOPLE.

Yay! Happy endings for everyone!

How did the poor thing get in there? Where did she come from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8PuoPD1Nbc&feature=player_embedded