On of Katie’s wealthy foreign college students told her that he went to buy a car in Austin–no financing needed–and the dealer would not sell it to him without a credit check. Problem is, this foreign student does not have a social security number, which is necessary for the credit check. The student told Katie he was arranging to give the dealer the SSN of some relative who lives in the U.S.
Any idea why the dealer insists on running a credit check if the buyer isn’t applying for, uh, credit?

When he was a child, Ron Hudson’s family ran a store and restaurant along a busy highway in North Carolina. In his blog, Ron reminisces about the accidents and deaths that he and his family members witnessed on the highway in their little town. Sounds like it was an odd family bonding experience.

The BBC has a slide show of an Iraqi sandstorm. Amazing:

If I weren’t so damn cheap, I’d get me one of these bracelets.

Seen here:

Yesterday I told the kids that I was sounding like a broken record. Then I had to explain what I meant, since they have absolutely no idea:

• what a record is,
• how it works, or
• how it can still work when broken, and thus
• why it then sounds like it does.

Sigh. I’m not just their Dad, I’m now officially an old fogey.

Gee, I hope they weren’t packing nail clippers. I feel so much safer, knowing that the penguins were screened.

Protect our troops – from the womb to the war. What if the fetus you were going to abort would grow up to be a soldier bringing democracy to a godless dictatorship?

I notice that MissPoppy.com also hosts the Landover Baptist Church online store, so I’m inclined to believe they appreciate the absurdity of this object. But I have to wonder how many earnest buyers they get.
(Via A Whole Lotta Nothing)

I saw these Huggies ‘Baby-shaped’ diapers in the grocery store this morning:

So, what shape are the other diapers? Hyena shaped? Wombat shaped?

From the unfortunate-use-of-the-English-language department (click image to see a larger version):

Words and phrases that sound gross but aren’t – juvenile yet amusing