A slow moving Tropical Storm Fay continues her slow journey across Florida for a fifth day. She is said to be crossing northern Florida today, heading toward the gulf and then hitting the gulf states.
It is just the fourth storm to make landfall in Florida three separate times, and the first in nearly 50 years. Before it crosses the Panhandle by the weekend, it could bring buckets of rain and power outages.
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Beware Bad Joke Tellers
Research by a Washington State University linguist found that people who tell bad jokes often endure an astonishing outpouring of hostility from the listeners.
"These were basically attacks intended to result in the social exclusion or humiliation of the speaker, punctuated on occasion with profanity, a nasty glare or even a solid punch to the arm," said researcher Nancy Bell.
We're not talking about jokes that contain offensive material, or the type of slurs unleashed by former "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards. The joke that Bell used in her research was:
"What did the big chimney say to the little chimney?
"Nothing, chimneys can't talk."
The responses to this childish riddle included insults, glares, silence or even blows.
"The predominant verbal reaction to failed humor in our study was oriented exclusively toward attacking the speaker." Bell said.
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China, China, China
While under the spotlight of the world, China has allegedly sanctioned the internet again. Customers in China of Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store were unable to download songs this week. An activist group said Beijing was trying to block access to a new Tibet-themed album.
According to reports, in Internet forums, iTunes users complained they had been unable to download music since Monday. That was a day after the Art of Peace Foundation announced the release of "Songs for Tibet," with music by Sting, Alanis Morissette, Garbage and others, and a 15-minute talk by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader.
Also from China...
The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors.
The committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation, said spokeswoman Giselle Davis. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation.
The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions.
In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames.
Yet commentators, bloggers and others have raised questions about whether about half the members of China's team were old enough to compete -- athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place.
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Is the US Finally Going to Leave Iraq?
U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have reached agreement on a proposal calling for a complete U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011. a, Iraq.
If the Iraqi government sees the necessity of keeping the American forces in cities and towns or in Iraq past 2011, it would ask that the Americans stay. A joint Iraqi-U.S. committee would help define the duration and number of forces that would be needed and regularly assess the security situation on the ground.
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About that Florida Visit...
Craig Boileau of Melbourne Fl rides through a flooded parking lot checking conditions via bicycle during Hurricane Fay.
This is a flooded parking lot on Babcock st, Melbourne Fl. Some unfortunate motorists have abandoned their flooded cars in three feet of water.
Please visit my web site: http://www.radioactivelight.com
Thanks to http://www.xtremerecall.com/ for providing the waterproof camera system used for this clip.
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