If he was so prized he should have had a tagged collar- AND a microchip.

A similar story happened in the neighborhood I lived in shortly after graduating college- there was a friendly but 'intact' male cat known as Grey Tom around. My downstairs neighbors fed him sometimes, and eventually got a trap from the Humane Society, trapped him and had him neutered. Only then did they find out he had an 'owner' who was quite upset that they had inflicted such an ordeal on his darling cat.

I am currently on an experimental gluten free diet. I've had a flare up of digestive issues in recent months and also have chronic anemia. I have an aunt with confirmed Celiac, which she developed in her mid 30s.

It is a real disease. It is not an allergy, however, rather it is more like an auto-immune disorder. There has been an increase in it lately, believed to be due to GM wheat.

The most reliable test to diagnoise Celiac is an endoscopy with biopsy. This is considered 'outpatient surgery' and requires fasting, a day off work, a ride to the hospital, a $150 co-pay and having a tube shoved through your upper digestive system. I've had two endoscopys (no biopsys, though) previously, and its not something I'm in a rush to do again. Hence the dietary experiment.

At first glance I assumed it was a pousse-cafe. This sounds not only easier but also much tastier.

Metamucil (the plain old gritty unflavored tan stuff, NOT any fancy 'clear' 'no grit' watered down junk) has a similar effect.

It's not pleasant to drink, but I endorse it big time. It's soothing & 'tonic' to your digestive system. It works for both 'too hard' and 'too soft' problems. And it fills you up a bit if you take it before a meal (similar effect- you drink the gritty water, and it turns into a gel in your stomach). And it's cheap. Really cheap.

Gah. Brilliant. Lucky Texan, if you can send me some Mah Jong tiles, I'll print them. We can share in the fame.

+1 for The Handmaid's Tale. I was a fan of dystopia in HS but when I read Atwood's book I thought it blew all the others out of the park. Perhaps because I can relate to the quiet horror of it better as a woman, or perhaps because it's beautifully written.

"While British women might prefer to take self-defence classes, Ms Tsukioka said: "It is just easier for Japanese to hide. Making a scene would be too embarrassing."

Wow.

I was born with an intestinal malrotation, and when they corrected it they took out my appendix because it was never going to be in the proper place, so if I later contracted appendicitis, it would have been difficult to diagnose because the pain would have been in the wrong location.

(That's a run on sentence and I don't care.)

No "Smarch"? It's been years since I've seen that episode but it still cracks me up.

If you want to hear what's in them: http://inventorspot.com/articles/mcdonalds_japan_launch_4_big_america_burgers_2010_35909

The Hawaiian burger has an egg sandwich patty on it? Brilliant. I wonder if McDonalds would let you add that to a regular burger...

D.D., I've heard reports of people finding cat remains in trees.

Even if the animal can 'get out' on their own, there's a risk of injury. One of my cats got stuck up a tree, and as it was late at night I didn't really have anyone to call for help. I was patient and worried and tried to coax him down. Eventually he did make the leap down- and broke one of his canine teeth when he landed. We're lucky he didn't break his jaw or leg.

I've heard of the dishwasher thing with Tang.

Actually, my parents tried it. It didn't work very well, so then we had half a jar of Tang hanging out the cupboard for years.

My roommate has a Vespa-knockoff scooter and gets 60+MPG commuting to and from work (side roads, 30 mph max probably) during the summer. In the winter she drives a Subaru. ;)

Not the most informational article about the history of the "Toll House Cookie" online! It fails to even mention Mrs Wakefield by name.

She was not a dietitian- she ran a restaurant which specialized in 'home cooked meals.' Her Toll House restaurant was well regarded in the US for many years for reasons other than the cookie.