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And only methane-producers can perform the time-honoured frat house trick of igniting a blue flame when they hold a match to an escaping fart. Musical toots: In the 1800s Frenchman Joseph Pujol apparently became so adept at controlling his flatulence flow he could sound musical notes. Called "le Petomane" – the fartiste – he was reputedly the highest paid performer in France at his prime. Colonic explosions: In the early days of colonoscopies, attempts to burn off polyps in the colon ignited explosive hydrogen gas in the colon of several unlucky people, sometimes with tragic results. The colon-cleansing preparations people now take the night before a colonoscopy have solved the problem. Says Levitt: "I've never heard of an explosion in someone who's had a decent prep.
the has-been
Hastert's fellow Illinois Republican, Rep. Ray LaHood, chimed in with another suggestion—abolishing the page program altogether. Nevada Rep. Jon Porter wants to do that, too. John Tierney liked the idea so much, he wrote his whole column in the New York Times about it. (TimesSelect subscription required.) Meyerson and others have been quick to point out the hypocrisy in the age-old strategy of blaming the victim. But there's a bigger problem with the page ban. While Tierney mocks congressional pages as an aristocratic relic in an age of modern electronic communications, he overlooks the great irony of his own suggestion. If Congress no longer had pages to carry messages, the only way for members to send messages would be to spend more time IMing. On Mark Foley's very first day in Congress—in January 1995, at the opening session of the Republican Congress swept into office in the 1994 election—the House of Representatives adopted a new rule: "Neither shall any person be allowed to ...
Methadone-Linked Deaths Shoot Up
Deaths from methadone, a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction, have risen at an alarming rate in recent years, according to a Justice Department assessment. As part of treatment, methadone has been used successfully since the 1950s. While it is safe to use when closely monitored under a physician's care, methadone can be deadly when abused by addicts who often take the drug with other drugs and alcohol. .
Harper plan aims to stem drug tide
Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants society to change its attitude to narcotics in much the same way it has to cigarettes, and make it known that drug use won't be accepted. The Conservative Government will introduce legislation this fall proposing mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of serious drug offences. The move is part of a new $64-million anti-drug strategy that cracks down on drug dealers and offers improved rehabilitation and treatment for users. .
July 2006
The U.S. Department of Energy has signed a $27 million contract with GE for this development. The advanced wind system concepts will include innovative foundations, construction techniques, rotor designs and electrical components designed for use in the ocean’s harsh environment [7]. So the question remains. How far in the future will these research and development projects become realistically competitive with shallow water projects? History is replete with promising technologies that have taken decades to commercialize. For example the evolution of the transistor to large scale integrated circuits of today has taken 50 years. Photovoltaic cells have existed since the early 1900s and have yet to evolve into competitive large scale energy sources. It is simply conjecture to answer the question of "how long?" for deep water wind.
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