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Use the natural squatting position with Nature's Platform. "Two-thirds of humanity use the squatting position to answer the call of nature. Doctors and Yoga teachers recommend it for more complete elimination and to prevent hernias, hemorrhoids and colon disease." And what a fine Valentine's Day gift it would make too!
comment posted at 10:41 AM on Feb-11-02
comment posted at 11:12 AM on Feb-11-02

Chocolate french fries? I thought Heinz might have gone too far with green ketchup, but Cocoa Crispers, "brown chocolate fries designed for kids with a sweet tooth" really make my stomach turn. Also announced: Crunchy Rings - basically Tater Tots with a hole in the middle. Yum.
comment posted at 8:55 AM on Feb-11-02
comment posted at 3:08 PM on Feb-11-02

Pssst...Got A Good Caption For A New Yorker Cartoon? Because the winning entry in this year's caption jamboree isn't very funny. Neither are the other shortlisted suggestions. It may be up to The New Yorker's standards, but it's certainly not up to MetaFilter's...
comment posted at 7:22 AM on Feb-11-02
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comment posted at 8:21 AM on Feb-11-02

School lifts dress code ban on Satanic clothing. "If people are allowed to wear bracelets that say: 'What Would Jesus Do,' they should be allowed to say: 'What would Satan do,'" 10th grader Ashley Williams said. She's got a point. Satanism as defined by the Church of Satan seems to have more in common with modern ideologies (darwinism, existentialism) than the established religions or neo-whatever movements.
comment posted at 4:03 AM on Feb-11-02

Chicken Soup for the soulless? Is Psychology screwing us all up? From messing up the civil rights movement , medicalizing grief, inventing faux illnesses and treating them , planting false memories , to diagnosing 25% of the United States with PTSD on October 11th, the industry/profession of psychology and its drug prescribing cousin psychiatry seem to be both the sloppiest and most ethically bankrupt scientific field. Is a diet of steady chicken soup for the soul actually toxic?
comment posted at 3:23 PM on Feb-10-02
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comment posted at 4:08 AM on Feb-11-02

Is this the last days of the Empire, or just the beginning? America the most powerful country since Roman Empire. I for sure hope that the good old US of A don´t meet the same destiny as the Roman Empire...But!? Has there been any country (empire) that survived being the biggest and best(?). Usually i read a lot about Swedens time of glory some couple of hundred years ago, now hoping that my grandchildren won´t read the same about the States. Should we be worried about what the history tells us?
comment posted at 1:13 PM on Feb-10-02

"I spent an interesting evening recently with a grain of salt" This could explain a lot....computer generated, no less.
comment posted at 6:55 PM on Feb-9-02

The 19th Winter Olympics are now officially under way, begun with America's take on the traditional opening ceremonies. What moved you to tears? What made you gag? Were you proud to be an American, or so embarrassed that you couldn't watch? Was the WTC flag presentation tasteful? Was John Williams' score inspirational? Did you like the ice dancing, the fireworks, and the Native Indian celebrations? Who did you want to see light the Olympic caldron?
comment posted at 9:03 AM on Feb-9-02

Got a taste for quasi-celebrity schadenfreude? Then glut yourself on the promotional materials of C-tier entertainers at the Hal Morris Museum. Care to slip down another couple of rungs on the ladder of fame? Have a look at the Celebrities of Real Estate. (thanks, Misterpants!)
comment posted at 6:56 AM on Feb-9-02

Designomatic Worthy of a slight chuckle.
comment posted at 6:05 AM on Feb-9-02

I blame Ray Liotta for my inevitable death. Ray Liotta makes me want to kill myself.
comment posted at 6:07 AM on Feb-9-02
comment posted at 7:48 AM on Feb-9-02

What should I do with my life? "I hit on an incredible wellspring of honest sentiment. Complete strangers opened their homes and their lives up to me, and confessed feelings and events they hadn't revealed to their closest friends. This was at a time when the stock market was falling, our faith in new technology had been lost, and the result of a Florida election left many feeling like they didn't live in a democracy. Everyone was reassessing what mattered to them and what they believed in." Preview page from Po Bronson's next book, still a work in progress.
comment posted at 7:02 AM on Feb-9-02
comment posted at 7:02 AM on Feb-9-02

"Why we talk about Reagan"
comment posted at 12:40 PM on Feb-8-02
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comment posted at 2:43 AM on Feb-9-02

America Too Patriotic, Says Norman Mailer
comment posted at 7:49 AM on Feb-8-02
comment posted at 12:09 PM on Feb-8-02

Schizophrenics make the best web sites. I've seen lots of them-- they're almost always hilarious. However, this particular page is especially entertaining.Here is the Google cache in case Geocities shuts down the link.
comment posted at 2:12 PM on Feb-7-02

Remember the 15 year old that crashed a cessna into a Florida building? His suicide note is up at the smoking gun, and apparently "Al Qaeda and other organizations have met with me several times to discuss the option of me joining" and he thought "Osama bin Laden is absolutely justified" in a screed that blasts US involvement with Israel. Kids today.
comment posted at 10:03 AM on Feb-7-02

The diary of Nancy Crick. Ever watched a parent or loved one die in agony? Ever begged a doctor to put them out of their misery? Should people be allowed to die with dignity? Read the diary of Nancy Crick.
comment posted at 10:26 AM on Feb-7-02
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Ok, maybe I'm an idiot, but I think this is hysterical. Not sure why.
comment posted at 12:54 PM on Feb-6-02

IOC will not allow WTC flag at the SLC Olympics. A flag was found in what was left of the World Trade Center. It was going to be flown at the opening ceremonies but the IOC says that the flag is too political. What does everyone think about this?
comment posted at 3:19 PM on Feb-5-02
comment posted at 3:38 PM on Feb-5-02
comment posted at 4:41 PM on Feb-5-02

Prison survival guide NEVER invoke debts you cannot repay. It is best not to invoke any debts period. When you first enter any institution, you will be approaced with 241 offers. Meaning that the person will front you 1 item (pack of cigs, commisary food, whatever) but you will have to repay them two. This is a classic trap for unexperienced inmates. If you smoke, quit. If you want items from the commisary, etc. wait until you have money on your books, or your in a position with your prison job that you can run your own hustle, and have items to barter with. The basic rule, is to NEVER take ANYTHING on credit. This will get you killed or seriously injured or TURNED OUT and pimped to pay your bill real fast.
comment posted at 1:33 PM on Feb-5-02
comment posted at 3:22 PM on Feb-5-02

NYT Magazine's Lauren Slater on Self-Esteem
Last year alone there were three withering studies of self-esteem released in the United States, all of which had the same central message: people with high self-esteem pose a greater threat to those around them than people with low self-esteem and feeling bad about yourself is not the cause of our country's biggest, most expensive social problems. The research is original and compelling and lays the groundwork for a new, important kind of narrative about what makes life worth living -- if we choose to listen, which might be hard. One of this country's most central tenets, after all, is the pursuit of happiness, which has been strangely joined to the pursuit of self-worth.

Great, long article on the change in perspective on self-esteem. Do you question yourself? How does your self-esteem impact yourself or others around you? Is high self-esteem importatnt to you? What if your high self-esteem could negatively affect others around you?
comment posted at 4:12 PM on Feb-5-02

Is this the "coolest picture ever"? I don't know about the coolest ever, but I dig it myself. (via Net Buzz)
comment posted at 5:39 PM on Feb-4-02
comment posted at 5:39 PM on Feb-4-02

Search engines sued over pay-for-placement. "The maker of a popular weight-loss system filed suit against four search engines this week, alleging that their policy of letting advertisers pay to appear in top-ranked search results violated federal and state trademark and fair-competition laws." [from CNN]
comment posted at 2:02 PM on Feb-4-02