Iran Says It Has Produced a Nuclear Fuel Rod

TEHRAN (AP) — Iranian scientists have produced their first nuclear fuel rod, Iran’s nuclear agency said Sunday, another step despite United Nations sanctions and measures by the United States and others to stop the nation’s atomic work and shut down any possible pathways to weapons production.
Iran has long said it is forced to seek a way to manufacture the fuel rods on its own, since the sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets. Nuclear fuel rods are tubes containing pellets of enriched uranium that provide fuel for reactors.
Iran’s atomic energy agency’s Web site said the domestically made fuel rod had already been inserted into the core of Tehran’s research nuclear reactor, but the claim could not be verified.
The United States and some of its European allies accuse Iran of using its nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying the program is for peaceful purposes only and is geared toward generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.
The United Nations has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can lead to making a nuclear weapon. Separately, the United States and the European Union have imposed their own tough economic and financial penalties.
On Sunday, Iran’s Navy said that it had test-fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile during a drill in international waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz — the passageway for a significant portion of the world’s oil supply. The drill, which could bring Iranian ships into proximity with United States Navy vessels in the area, drew attention after Iranian officials threatened to close the strait, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil shipments.
But Iranian military officials later backed off from the threat, saying they had no intention of doing so now.
“We won’t disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” Rear Adm. Mahmoud Mousavi said Sunday, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. “We are not after this.”

Monkey stolen from California zoo found safe

Banana-Sam, who was stolen from the San Francisco Zoo, was found Saturday safe, but hungry, officials said.

 

(CNN) -- Banana-Sam, a much-loved squirrel-monkey stolen from his enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo, has been safely returned, officials said.
The monkey was found Saturday night -- a day after he disappeared from the zoo -- at a park by a passer-by who spotted the primate in the bushes, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
The passer-by coaxed the monkey from the bushes into his backpack, and then called the authorities, according to the statement.
Police officers brought the monkey to the zoo, where officials determined it was the missing primate.
"Although hungry, trembling and thirsty, Banana-Sam is currently safe back," the zoo said in a statement.
Zoo workers discovered the theft Friday morning, when they found a back perimeter gate had been breached and two holes cut in the mesh fence of the squirrel monkey exhibit.
The male monkey, known as Banana-Sam to his keepers, is age 17, over 12 inches tall and weighs about 2 lbs. Corrine MacDonald, the curator of primates and carnivores, told CNN affiliate KGO earlier Saturday that squirrel monkeys can live into their 20s, saying his relatively advanced age could put him at more risk.
Banana Sam' keepers warned the public that while he looks very cute, he is not a pet -- and can deliver a nasty nip. The curator said such monkeys carry diseases and can cause serious infections if they bite a human.
The monkey needs a specialized diet to stay healthy, the zoo says.
What motivated the thieves to swipe the monkey is not clear. Common squirrel monkeys are not endangered, and they can be found at pet trade markets -- with such sales illegal in California, the zoo says -- or medical research institutions.
MacDonald said the zoo's other squirrel monkeys were visibly shaken by Banana-Sam's apparent capture. She said the decision was made to pull them off the exhibit due to concerns about the integrity of the exhibit and that a "copy-cat" could try to take other monkeys.
It was not immediately known when the zoo planned to reopen the exhibit.
An unknown person was quick to set up a fake Twitter account in Banana-Sam's name, following in the path of a cobra that escaped at New York's Bronx Zoo in March. The snake's mock Twitter account, with humorous tweets on its supposed whereabouts in New York City, swiftly attracted a large online following.
Under the handle @SF_BananaSam, the "monkey" is now tweeting his way round San Francisco.
"Went to monkey bars in Golden Gate Park playground, left disappointed. #nobananadaiquiri" one post reads.
Another says: "I'm a funny-looking vegan who ran away from home and who people follow on Twitter. IN other words, A NORMAL SAN FRANCISCAN."

 

Canada Revisits Old Debate on Assisted Suicide

My note: This is an issue I feel very strongly about. If a person is in constant pain, has to rely on others to do simple everyday tasks and generally dreads waking up in the morning, then they should have the right to die.

Gloria Taylor arrives at the British Columbia Supreme Court

VANCOUVER, British Columbia –  Confined to a wheelchair, in constant pain and unable to bathe without help, a 63-year-old grandmother has forced the issue of assisted suicide into Canadian courts for the third time in two decades.

Gloria Taylor has Lou Gehrig's disease, a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological affliction.

"It is my life and my body and it should be my choice as to when and how I die," she said before going to the British Columbia Supreme Court last Thursday to challenge Canada's ban on assisted suicide, a crime carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

[Read more at Fox News by Clicking HERE]

Ding Dong The Bitch Is Dead! Muammar Qaddafi is DEAD!

Insane Dictator Muammar Qaddafi is Dead!

 From FOXNEWS.COM - Warning, the Fox news page has a couple of graphic videos.

DEVELOPING: Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril has verified that Muammar Qaddafi is no longer alive.

"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Qaddafi has been killed." Jibril told a news conference in the capital Tripoli.

Qaddafi died of wounds suffered during his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, Reuters and Sky New reported. Libyan leaders have informed the United States that Qaddafi is dead, according to an unidentified U.S. official who said Libya's Nation Transitional Council (NTC) is expected to officially announce his death soon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the U.S. could independently confirm Qaddafi's death.

To read the rest of the story and watch the videos, CLICK HERE.

Thought I would show a recent pic of myself. My hair has grown tremendously. It's starting to get on my nerves.

Losing Viewers, Blog Templetes, Blackground Images

Well, I know in my absence I have lost quite a number of viewers. I am gonna have to get to working hard to get them back.  It was not that I was just ignoring you guys. I was going through some tough times and a lot of pressure. It sure took it's toll over me during the summer. yak...Anyway, I am gonna re delicate my time, when I have it. I just wish the great giant Google would pay for for adsense. It would be nice to get paid a little bit more and a little bit more often, I admit. But I truly like to post stories. I try to catch all types of  material, such as art, murder, violence, new album releases, deaths. some things that happened to go right in our country for once, movies. Some things should be moved to my Tech-site, but to be honest, I may just shut it down and concentrate on this one. I will just add stories on news for us Techn0-Nerds. I have a few movies to watch, "Colombiana", and "Captain America." I think I will just chill at the computer for now.  Well, as always PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT MY BLOG! Also feel FREE to comment on any story, whether you agree what was going on or disagree on what was going on any during story. I really enjoy hearing other people's points of view.  Also guys, if you find an awesome story that you THINK has to be on Blogdopes, feel free to email it too IHELPCOMPUTERS@GMAIL.NET. Make sure you include the URL (duh), the name you would like to use for your credit purpose. You will get free credit for it. If you feel you want, I will advertise your site for you or whatever you want to promote.
Blogger's new code (design) it has messed with the aesthetics of the my site, so I am gonna have to look all that crap over and figure it out..

Ah..nothing like a harmless pastime for the morning!

Well let's see.. It's 6:48a Monday Morning.. I have no work today, I have been smoking some pot :) and I took a few Ambien's, but I am very tolerant of then, so I can stay awake on them. They do give you a relaxed feeling especially after smoking pot.

Sad News For Indy Car Fans/Family Dan Wheldon dies after IndyCar crash

Sad news for family, friends and fans of Indy Car racer Dan Wheldon. He was involved in a horrific multi-car crash during the 11th lap of the Indy Series season finale held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The article has a video announcing the race being cancelled and a talks about a 5 lap tribute to Wheldon by the other racers. Sad indeed.  Read the saddened article by clicking HERE.