Unattended Playground Children

There is an inherent problem with putting everything in all caps and not having punctuation. I had to read this sign more than once to figure out what it really meant. I mean, if the "UNATTENDED PLAYGROUND CHILDREN" are "ACCOMPANIED BY PARENT" then they aren't really unattended are they? If, on the other hand, they had put a period after the word playground and done some decent capitalization, and maybe a bit better grammar then I would have read "Unattended Playground. Children must be accompanied by a parent." Much better isn't it.

Now, moving on to the second sign, according to it, children only have to be accompanied by an adult, it doesn't have to be a parent. Of course anyone over 18 is free to play on it without a child (which is refreshing, I've seen more and more places requiring you bring a child to kid-focused activities.) Still ALL CAPS but at least it has punctuation.

But still, something isn't quite right. Hmm, let me think. Oh yes. There isn't a playground anywhere around this sign. I assume at some point in the past there was, but now it is the patio seating for the Daily Grill at the Bethesda Hyatt. At least they did a good job attaching the sign.

In case it is hard to read the second sign, it says "Attention. This play area and equipment are unattended and are for the sole use of registered guests of the hotel. No person under the age of 18 is permitted access without being accompanied by an adult. All persons using this equipment do so at their own risk. Thank you, The management."

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Odd and out of place

Every once in a while you see something that is so out of place that it defies explanation. I was walking along the Capital Crescent Trail near Little Falls Parkway and saw a side trail. I followed it a bit and came to this Pack and Play sitting there. Aside from a bit of water and mildew, it was in good condition so it isn't like someone just tossed a broken one out. If you aren't familiar with them, the are like the playpens of old but they fold up, the bent side in the one in the picture isn't broken, it is supposed to fold there. Another odd thing was that the trail was well defined but it didn't seem to go anywhere, it just petered out after a while. On an unrelated trail, Cycle Jerk, ran across A toaster and percolator from the 50's.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Odd Fruit

I saw this tree with some really odd fruits on it. A lot were green but they were turning red as they ripen. Some however, were oddly spikey with only the tips of the spikes turning redish. I'm guessing they are infected with something and aren;t naturally like that. The trees are right near the corner of Rosedale Ave and Wisconsin Ave if you want to take a look at them.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

10 kids drink windshield wiper fluid at day care

Ten children drank windshield washer fluid after a staffer at an Arkansas day care mistakenly put the liquid in a refrigerator and served it. Only one child remained hospitalized Friday morning, after blood samples showed "measurable levels" of methanol, a highly toxic alcohol that can induce comas and cause blindness

From the AP via Yahoo News.

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is Saturday

Sometimes you need an off-beat holiday. Who thought it was a good idea to eat ice cream in the middle of the winter. If it was up to me, I would have made it in August when it was really hot. However, it isn't up to me so Ice Cream For Breakfast Day is the first Saturday of February. That's this Saturday.

How do you celebrate it? Have ice cream. For breakfast! No need to make a sundae out of it, this year I am going to make pancakes and top it with a scoop of ice cream. If you have kids, they will love it, guaranteed.

If you want to learn more you can read about it, but really, all you need to know is: Eat ice cream. For Breakfast. On the first Saturday of February.

Tautology Alert: We don't spend money on neglected stuff

This should be pretty obvious, but someone thought it was worth writing a whole article about it. Here's the summary: We don't spend much money researching neglected diseases. Well, color me not suprised. If we were spending money on them they wouldn't be neglected would they?

I was actually surprised at how much money is being spend on some of these "neglected" diseases. The related diarrhoeal illnesses had over 110 million spent on them in 2007, doesn't sound neglected to me.

Another (non) shocker "investment decisions...may also be influenced by factors such as the presence of advocacy and fundraising groups". You mean people might raise money for a particular disease and want it to be spent on it? Who would have guessed.

Overall, this article is notable only in its uselessness.

Even the sign makers don't always get it right.

Here's an easy to miss sign error. I didn't notice it until after I took the photo. This is the corner of Old Georgetown Road (MD-187) and Wisconsin Avenue (MD-355) in Bethesda, Maryland. It is the southern end of Old Georgetown Rd. Old Georgetown gets the big sign which is understandable since you can turn left from Route 355 onto it and East-West Highway (MD-410) is one way the other direction.

So what's the screw-up? The block numbering on the Old Georgetown sign. It says that the 7500 block is to the right, but it isn't Old Georgetown Road on the right. Worse yet, the 7500 block is on the left, not the 7600 block. The Clark Construction building is 7500 Old Georgetown Rd and it is to the left.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

FBI brings mobile command center to Inauguration

The FBI is, of course, doing some work to keep us safe at the inauguration. They even have a press release about it with some pictures of the equipment they are bringing. Mostly bomb related stuff, bomb unit, bomb holder, bomb resistant vehicles. One thing I found odd though was that they are bringing their "Mobile Command Center" even though their main headquarters is on the parade route. Why do they need a mobile command center when they have one a hundred times larger only a block away?

[where: Washington, DC]

Seen any UFO's recently?

Not often you hear about UFO sightings in Bethesda, MD, but there was one last August, right over Walter Johnson H.S. To think I missed it, maybe next time.

According to a blog post on United States UFO:

I exited the beltway onto Old Georgetown Rd. and turned right on Rock Spring Dr. which leads into the Office Park. It was shortly before 6 pm in August so still light out. On the left side is a High School (I'm not sure of the name - maybe Thomas Johnson H.S.?) Anyway; suspended above the school was an airplane just "hanging" in the air!

This isn't the first UFO the person who reported it has seen. I've never seen one so either I am less observant or my UFO repellent is working.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Negligent Dancing?

A Chicago woman is suing her dance partner for dropping her on her head. In April 2006, Lacey Hindman, 22 with David Prange during a party at a Chicaco bar when Prange grabbed her by the forearms and tosser her in the air, neglecting to catch her. "I fell hard enough you could hear the impact of me hitting the floor over the sound of the jukebox. said Hindman who filed suit in the Cook County Circuit Court. She claims she suffered a fractured skull and brain injuries and is seeking damages for medical bills and lost wages.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070403/ap_on_fe_st/negligent_dancing

This is my daughter 'Metallica'

People outside the U.S. give their kids stupid names too. A couple in Sweden are in court trying to name their baby girl 'Metallica' because according to her mother, Karolina Tomaro, 27, "It suites her". They have already won one round in the County Administrative Court in Goteborg which noted there was already someone in Sweden with Metallica as a middle name.

Names have to be registered with the Sedish National Tax Board, which rejected the application becuase it was associated with both the rock group and the word "metal".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070403/ap_on_fe_st/baby_metal

That's one way to get a first-class upgrade

A woman on a flight from Delhi to London died en-route so they moved her body and her family up to the first class cabin. I guess you have to do something with corpses. I found it suprising that British Airways says that about 10 people die on its flights each year. You don't really expect to happen, but it does. And often enough that they have a policy about it, They can't be put in the galley or blocking aisles or exits and there must be clear space around them. [March 19, 2007]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_fe_st/in_flight_deaths

The meat-eating cow

Dozens of chickens went missing in Kolkata, India, people thought dogs were eating them, but Ajit Ghosh, who owned the missing chickens, solved the mystery. It seems his cow (which is considered a sacred animal for Hindus like Ajit) was sneaking into the coop and dining on fresh live chickens. Odd as that sounds, it can happen. A great quote from Ajit: "The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease but others said Lal [the cow] was a tiger in his previous birth."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070307/od_nm/india_cow_dc

Let my wife beat you

A chinese businessman put an ad on the internet looking for someone to pretend to be his mistress and let his wife beat her. Payment: 3,000 yuan for every 10 minutes.

The man's wife had found out he had a mistress and was intent on beatign her up. To protect his real mistress, he wanted a fake one to take the beating.

See the full story