It's pretty simple guys. Look at the definition from Webster's:

Definition of GRATUITY

: something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service; especially : tip

You can't call it a "gratuity" if it's mandatory.

The article doesn't mention that if the Earth suddenly stopped rotating, all that inertial energy would probably liquify most of the Earth's crust as it is converted to heat. That will ruin your day long before any of the other effects.

11@scot

>As usaul, liberals exposing their complete ignorance of anything realistic. They should all go to the globull warming conference and freeze<

Non-sequitur. (look it up!)

Time to get back in the rocking chair, gramps.

Uh, the article makes no mention of the fact that all beers have different marketing campaigns aimed at differing demographics. What a bunch of nonsense.

Notice that for the robot's shots the balls are already preset on the table, similar in the way that you would set up the balls for a "trick" shot. I would like to have seen the robot shooting from a random assortment of balls after a break so we know that the placement of balls on the table was truly random, and that the robot had to analyze the best shot from several possible shots.

Why does Neatorama have absolutely no critical thinking skills? That's the only explanation for falling for a hoax like this.

On one of his murals of a giant wave there was this caption:

"Wonder wave: John Pugh's Mana Nalu mural in Honolulu. Fire crews rushed to save the children from the mighty wave - before realising it was an optical illusion"

You think the fact that the wave *wasn't moving* would have clued the firefighters into the fact it was a painting?

I smell BS.

>…but apparently it’s effective: there hasn’t been a fatality since<

Because we all know that correlation = causation!

The are not endangered. From Wikipedia:

"The nine-banded armadillo [Dasypus novemcinctus] has been rapidly expanding its range both north and east within the United States."

"The primary cause of this rapid expansion is explained simply by the existence of few or no natural predators of the armadillo within the United States, little desire on the part of Americans to hunt or eat the armadillo, and the animal's high reproductive rate."

"It is speculated that the northern expansion of the armadillo will continue until the species reaches as far north as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and all points southward on the East Coast of the United States."

"Outside the United States, the nine-banded armadillo ranges southward through Central and South America into northern Argentina and Uruguay, where it is still expanding its range."

>Watch it before the goons from RIAA deliver a takedown notice for copyright violation <

Alright Alex...time for you to get educated about the way the world works. The RIAA is a trade group representing the recorded music industry. The recorded music industry (e.g. "the labels") is interested in protecting their own master recordings.

In the case of the performance of "Landslide" in the YouTube clip, this is an original recording, so the record labels would have no interest in taking down this clip since they don't own the recording.

The only party who would have takedown rights to the clip would be the publisher of the song, which owns and oversees rights to the published music and lyrics. The publisher in this case is Welsh Witch Music, which is Stevie Nicks own publishing company. If a takedown notice was issued, it would have to come from Nick's own company.

I know it's quite fashionable and helps give you some easy cred when you bash the RIAA and record labels, but really... it's best if you try to refrain from comment when you don't know what you are talking about. Remember, try to shed light, not darkness.

Why does Jerry look like Pete Townshend?

Here's the latest:

http://www.universetoday.com/2009/03/17/the-discovery-bats-fate-is-confirmed/

"So what happened? If the bat wasn't frozen to the shuttle, why would he remain stuck on the external fuel tank? Surely he should have flown away when the shuttle powered up and vibrated before lift off? According to a NASA press release, the bat may have had little choice but to cling onto the shuttle. When the images were examined by a wildlife specialist, the conclusion was the bat may have had a broken wing, forcing him to hold on tight.

"Unfortunately, holding onto the fuel tank spelled certain doom; it is doubtful he would have been able to remain attached as the violent shaking and g-forces took hold. Although he made it as high as the launch tower, it is likely the bat dropped off and died in the searing 1400°C exhaust of the throttling boosters."

...and get off my lawn!

That's really gonna impact her carbon footprint!

Most likely space bat fell off the insulation after the shuttle reached a speed of only 100 miles per hour (while still below 5,000 ft.) and was swept by the slipstream into the engine exhaust and was cooked.

Quick fried to a crackly crunch.

I know it's not quite as romantic, but it's probably the truth.

No way did he make it to space.