My first contribution to this Thread except for noting that my "weird" search engine isn't working very well.
Apparently NASA wants to spend lots of money creating an Official Office of Planetary Protection for protecting the universe from what they do after:

"NASA lost two Ranger lunar missions due to completely pointless spacecraft sterilization measures demanded by the planetary protection folks."

"NASA is currently spending around $10 billion per year on a human spaceflight program whose supposed objective is a human mission to Mars. At the same time, it is funding a department whose purpose requires it to prevent such a mission from ever happening."

https://reason.com/archives/2017/08/10/the-planetary-protection-racket

 

Ceiba, the tree referred to above, belongs to the malvacae which includes the cotton plant, the cocoa tree, the hibiscus and the hollyhock among others.

I finally recalled another variety, "kapok", whose fiber was used in life jackets (and, not sure, also in liferafts). In fact, the first jackets I ever met when going on board for the first time, some 50+ years ago, were made of it. It is another variety in the malvaceae family. The fiber provided the buoyancy.

Forgot to say that the name of the palo borracho's fruit is "paine". I suspect that nowadays, few people knows that.

Finally, our national flower is the (el) ceibo. The tree is not imponent at all and the bark is rough but not very strong. Wood seems not dense probably approaching the appearance, if not the consistence of balsa.



So much for what I know of all this. The rest is about the jacarandá I planted in my sidewalk more than one year now. Doing well, thanks.

 

 

"Wolf of Wall Street"
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2017/08/strippers_lap_dances_sex_toys_spur_lawsuit_against.html
Someone didn't get the HR memo from 30 years ago about no more strippers at work.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/08...n-stories-from-garage-released-by-police.html

Police have released security camera footage of a BMW that fell seven stories off of a parking garage in downtown Austin, Tex., in July.
The driver suffered serious injuries in the incident, but she did survive.

 

.
The driver suffered serious injuries in the incident, but she did survive.

I am one of those that drive with the 'wrong' feet.
Growing up in the UK, just about all private vehicles were standard transmission, and I learned that way, (including racing changes as a youth!).
When I came to N.A. and had to get a license, automatic G.B. obviously, I instinctively used two feet method, and ended up using right for gas, and left for brake.
For me anyway, it was safer..
Been doing it that way for 40+yrs now. Accident free!
Max.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/08...n-stories-from-garage-released-by-police.html

Police have released security camera footage of a BMW that fell seven stories off of a parking garage in downtown Austin, Tex., in July.
The driver suffered serious injuries in the incident, but she did survive.

Unbelievable. She saw him backing up and still cut him off!

 

My father in law drove that way. My sphincter made a new indentation in the seat every time I rode with him.

 

My father in law drove that way. My sphincter made a new indentation in the seat every time I rode with him.

you have teeth down there? ...

 

I am one of those that drive with the 'wrong' feet.

When Sears lawn mowers changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive I got a taste of what unpleasantness learned responses can cause. Not like crashing a car, but I understand that it's impossible to un-learn that move in 10 seconds or less.

you have teeth down there? ...

No, it's all about the fast pucker.

 

"Wolf of Wall Street"
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2017/08/strippers_lap_dances_sex_toys_spur_lawsuit_against.html
Someone didn't get the HR memo from 30 years ago about no more strippers at work.

Yikes! I don't need to go past the first frame. A stripper with a beer belly?

 

Yikes! I don't need to go past the first frame. A stripper with a beer belly?

At least the stripper was honest in what she was selling. The others just took the money in less than 24 hours.

Quick settlement in lawsuit over strippers and sex toys at finance firm

Attorney Jeffrey Testa, who is representing the financial companies, said the allegations were being withdrawn subject to a settlement.

"We're pleased that the matter was amicably resolved," Testa said.

Attorney R. Armen McOmber, who is representing the three woman who filed the suit, said, the suit has been fully resolved.

"All allegations have been withdrawn and the case will be dismissed promptly," he said. "The parties look forward to putting this behind them."

http://nj1015.com/sex-toys-and-strippers-nj-finance-firms-raunchy-office-leads-to-lawsuit/

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/1...suv-explodes-when-woman-lights-cigarette.html

​

 

 

http://www.kgw.com/news/eclipse/bizarre-online-ads-from-desperate-eclipse-watchers/464682720

There are some pretty bizarre requests related to the eclipse popping up on sites like Craigslist. People are willing to pay top dollar or trade things to get a boat, a plane, a car, really anything, to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Some ads, are simply looking for love when the moon crosses the sun. An ad out of the San Francisco area went viral nationally before it was deleted. It read, "Wanted: Woman who wants to conceive a child during the total eclipse in Oregon."

 

http://www.kgw.com/news/eclipse/bizarre-online-ads-from-desperate-eclipse-watchers/464682720

A child of darkness!!!

 

A child of darkness!!!

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/1...suv-explodes-when-woman-lights-cigarette.html

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They couldn't smell the propane? Propane is heavier than air. I suppose it could have settled along the floor where she might not smell it at first. Lowers her had with the cigarette and boom! You need to be real careful with propane on a boat. It can collect down in the lower places like the bilge. One little spark from somewhere and boom!

I remember one day at work where we could see smoke coming from a city street. Turns out it was from an oxygen tank. Man was on oxygen, inside a closed up car, smoking. One for the Darwin Awards.

 

They couldn't smell the propane? Propane is heavier than air. I suppose it could have settled along the floor where she might not smell it at first. Lowers her had with the cigarette and boom! You need to be real careful with propane on a boat. It can collect down in the lower places like the bilge. One little spark from somewhere and boom!

I remember one day at work where we could see smoke coming from a city street. Turns out it was from an oxygen tank. Man was on oxygen, inside a closed up car, smoking. One for the Darwin Awards.

Smoking greatly diminishes one's sense of smell... maybe that had to do something with it.

 

Smoking greatly diminishes one's sense of smell... maybe that had to do something with it.

Maybe. Also combined with the floorboard thing??? Or maybe it was just total ignorance. Anyone stupid enough to smoke in a confined space with a propane tank is likely too stupid to recognize propane when they smell it. Or realize that fire + propane odor = boom!