Anyone who doesn't know what a 'theremin' is (like me) can find more from ThereminWorld

http://www.thereminworld.com/article.asp?id=17

Well, I hope his parents are still around to share in their son's accomplishment.

I can just see mom, head rested on her old man's chest, tears streaming down her cheeks - 'We done good, Lloyd Fessler - we done good.'

'Erma-Leigh, I always knowed our son would do something great. He weren't no good in school, but you just could tell he had the Fessler family cockroachin' gene in him.'

FYI, our man Travis isn't a low-brow pinhead but a celebrated side-show freak entertainer: http://www.travisfessler.com/

I may take up an instrument just so I can start a rock group called 'Fungus Cannon'

Sona si latine loqueris.

This was the first, and until today the only film I'd ever seen of his:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSb-nV8l2QY

9 minutes long, somewhat loud and not entirely kid-friendly but it IS inventive.

I recently had to be the decision maker for a feral cat in our neighbouhood. Mickey had been 'ours' for 15 years - living outdoors in Ontario the entire time. It took me 5 years to get him to trust me; others had known him longer, and he trusted them.

We all looked out for him, but toward the end no one could go near him; he'd been attacked by a raccoon and was too badly injured to protect himself from other feral toms. Eventually, he went blind and detiorated rapidly.

One day, I found him unde a car, sleeping. Flies were everywhere and he could barely life his head. he knew it was time to go.

I called the animal control office, and waited with some other neighbours (we all wanted to say good-bye, but no one wanted to look at him). I lay down on the pavement next to him, and talked to him.

We all agreed that any cat that had survived outdoors for 15 years deserved to an exit better than under a car or at the jaws of another animal.

He put up a 'fight' as they caged him (the control officer let out several 'oh my God!' when she saw his condition), and I soothed him by letting him sniff my fingers.

Eventually, Mickey simply lay down his head in the cage and went back to sleep. He had also decided it was time to go.

That looks like a shot from SecondLife. From the smoke to the hydrant to the fact that the emergency servies would even *allow* the car in that vicinity, I think you'll find it's fake. Nice landscaping, too - a single, giant palm tree.

On the other hand, it may be nothing at all.

Cats have the ability to sleep with their eyes open and even while walking.

Given cats' attitudes, eye-closure and comfort may simply be too much effort.

Would he be 'Expeditus the Expeditious'?

Perhaps one day the Catholic church will get around to proclaiming a feast day in his honour.

Since we've established the US didn't invent it, I'd like to say I've made turducken. One step not mentioned - you have to bone the birds first, without destroying them. Not that easy. Also, you layer stuffing in between each bird. When it's done, it looks like a large turkey and when serving it, you 'surprise' your guests by cutting straight down into the bird displaying the 'swiss log' effect of the layers.

'riding giants' is great, but 'step into liquid' is even better. it doesn't cover the history, but shows the sport through-out the world with some amazing cinematography (much of it in the breaking waves with the surfers)

I wrote a short story 20+ years ago (it was published in the Burlington Spec) about a guy who was charged with this same activity, but he was exhonorated because it was proved he suffered from 'philanthropomania' (the reverse of klepto).

i thought something was up when i noticed lists of names - like our internal phone list - being alphabetized by first name

How can you not love a dog named 'Cromwell'?

May be equipment (like a ditch witch sort of thing). Here's a smaller, similar event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSb7NxgdRtQ