October 9, 2004

The Black Table recently asked some of its female contributors to write about their most embarrassing moments. The stories they shared were horrifying, humorous and uncomfortably revealing. Be sure to read Litsa Dremousis' "Seizure Sex" piece; it's an elegant example of realistic farce.

* According to a survey released by the California Milk Advisory Board, Americans are eating more than 30 pounds of cheese per year. In 2003, we ate a record 8.8 billion pounds of cheese. (Houston Chronicle)

* When asked to name their religion, 16 percent of American adults, or 34 million people, now decline to choose a church or denomination. Furthermore, non-identifiers make up the third largest religion-defined group in the country, trailing only Catholics (24%) and all varieties of Baptists (17%). (The Institute for Jewish & Community Research)

* Thirty-five New York City firefighters have been arrested for driving while intoxicated this year. (The New York Post)

* The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography takes up 11 feet of bookshelf space and weighs 280 pounds. These 60 volumes contain 60,000 pages and some 60 million words. (The New York Times)

* According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 100 million doses of flu vaccine will be available this year. (CNN)

October 8, 2004

A small fishing boat collecting its daily batch of anchovies hauled up 23 bales of hashish off the Mediterranean port of Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain, last week. The catch was worth more than 1 million euros ($1.2 million).

* spiral notebooks
* dancing naked 'round a bonfire
* the scent of maple syrup and bacon
* cottony dandelion heads
* hot cocoa

October 7, 2004

To all of my Seattle readers, please take a good look at this picture:

Laura Hatch has been missing since Oct. 2.

Date of birth: 9/2/87

Physical description: Female Caucasian, height 5'7" weight 115 lbs.

Eyes blue/green

Hair: dark brown, almost black shoulder-length hair.

Last seen driving: a 1996 dark blue Toyota Camry; Washington plates: 848KJK; with spoiler on trunk lid; custom chrome 3-spoke wheels.

Last seen wearing: dark blue flared-leg blue jeans, gray T-shirt with green writing on the breast, white sweatshirt and white tennis shoes. Also probably wearing the necklace shown in the photo above.

If you've seen Laura, or have any information about her disappearance, please contact the King County Police Department at (206) 296-7692. Thank you.

October 6, 2004

A new Jaded Writings column has been posted. This week, I lament physicians who refuse to treat patients on "ethical, moral or religious grounds."

* Thor Heyerdahl - 10/6/14
* Thomas M. Keneally - 10/7/35
* Regina Scott - 10/7/59
* Frank Herbert - 10/8/20
* R.L. Stine - 10/8/43
* Matt Damon - 10/8/70
* Ev McTaggart - 10/10/47
* Will Leitch - 10/10/75
* Elmore Leonard - 10/11/25
* Chris Carter - 10/13/57

October 5, 2004

The Blog of Death was featured on CBSMarketwatch today. In an audio interview with Frank Barnako, my obituary site was spotlighted for publishing interesting life stories of the recently deceased on the Web. A call for topic-appropriate advertising and sponsorship was also presented in the report.

"The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."
--Chuck Palahniuk

October 3, 2004

* An estimated 62.5 million people watched the first Bush-Kerry debate on TV last week. (USA Today)

* Howard Whitten, a science teacher in Corinna, Maine, offers the only high school taxidermy course in the United States. (Boston Globe)

* "Young People and Their Problems," a show on Radio Arman, is one of the most popular programs in Kabul. (Chicago Tribune)

* Did you know that dogs can be used to detect bladder cancer? (Reuters)

* Dr. Catherine DeAngelis is the first female editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Despite its humorous name, The Bondage File has very little to do with S&M. Instead, this section of The San Francisco Chronicle features news of the weird.

Past Afterthoughts