Floats like a butterfly, talks like a man Hoover the harbour seal amazed people by speaking -- with 'a heavy Boston accent', no less. He is now the inspiration for further investigation of seals learning to use human speech. (Scroll down to November 4th entry.)

Curious George: I

An intriguing collection of 400 scanned, abandoned grocery lists: "I like other people's grocery lists. They're funny. A lot of people cannot spell very well. I try not to make fun of them too much. And some people buy funny combinations of things."

The No Child Left Behind educational act being 2 years old this week, I thought it was interesting that the defence of that law was the whole focus of yesterday's State of Eductation Address. Growing pains? Or is the legislation beginning to show its true colors? more inside

Bored?

Ethernet Guitar. Any stringbenders in tha hizzy?

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT for our contact-lens wearing monkey pals in the U.K.

The World Mood Chart. Just as the flapping of one butterfly's wing in San Diego could cause a typhoon in Taiwan, your "happy vibes" (or "pissy little snits") could change the daily course of humanity. Or not.

I'm In Monkey Heaven!
I've come to really dig the "lavender alternative" and thought I would celebrate my comfort by bombarding you with monkey links galore. Check out Rally monkey's joint, spanking the monkey(no, not like that), the poor aquatic ape: the sea monkey, the monkey shakespeare simulator, where's monkey?, is my monkey hot or not?, which monkey are you? and (best for last) the archives of the monkey king!
Enjoy.

New Bush immigration program Dubya has announced a program to allow illegal migrant workers to stay here legally, but the details are pretty vague. (Read the link, folks.) more inside

Booty Call The goal of this online game his to get a loser to hookup with a girl in a night club. Not as easy as it sounds. NSFW.

Snackspot. Kind of a sister post to SideDish's wonderful sugar cube thread. A wonderful (but UK based) website chronicling all the rare and insane new sweets companies keep putting out. (Also includes alcohol, crisps, and fast food) more inside

Chinese mothers donated their breast milk to save an abandoned baby Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey. more inside

Shock and awe Interesting photo, allegedly showing the moment Saddam was captured. Perhaps even more interesting, none of the large international newssites are showing it. Larger version can be found here: Saddam capture II

So much MoFi angst today! The first lady lying and more airline security hassles and dead civet cats! Egad! We need a little sweetness and sugar... Ah, there, that

The Bush post I can't resist. Laura Bush admits George W. didn't write that poem.

Straight from MeFi, I admit it. This behavior -- the U.S. mandating random and arbitrary behavior to other governments -- drives me utterly, utterly bonkers. The question that I pose to you is the same that Kristen poses -- what are you going to do about it? Are we really going to put up with governance by random actions?

Spamku Subject: immaculate barracuda plaza bang infeasible. Spam text has become more coherent and more random lately it seems. Instead of the subject being "Buy Some Crap0xtwnrpz~" it's something chaotic and begs to be made sense of. more inside

Hoax. I hope. Someone please prove this isn't so. Or tell me where to get a ten year supply of cream corn.

Emperor Norton: In 1869 he abolished both the Democratic and Republican parties. more inside