Once a month, my husband and I fast. We go without food for 24 hours. It’s part of our religious practice, but fasting has benefits that go beyond the spiritual. Indeed, there are actually financial benefits to fasting — although some of them are a little more indirect.
Benefits derived from fasting
Here are some of the financial benefits that you can derive from fasting:

Save money: When you aren’t spending the money on food, you can save it. My husband and I probably save about $10 a month for that one day we don’t fast. It’s not a whole lot, but $120 …read more

– University of Toronto Fruit Fly Researchers Unlock Key To Sex Appeal; First Step: Don’t Be A Fruit Fly Researcher –
A team of incredibly freaky scientists at the University of Toronto say they have uncovered the secret to sex appeal, unleashing what they referred to as a “sexual tsunami” among the fruit flies used in the experiment.
By altering the genetic make-up of fruit flies so they didn’t produce a particular odor or pheromone, the scientists were able to create a male fruit fly which proved irresistible to both the male and female of the species.
Kind of like the Richard Gere …read more

– Baltimore Promoters Hope Fear Will Contribute to Record Times in This Year’s Marathon –
The weather forecast is in for today’s Baltimore Marathon and it’s partly cloudy with a chance of aggravated assault.
This year’s marathon passes through some of the city’s most scenic neighborhoods such as the Inner Harbor and also winds through some of Baltimore’s most dangerous neighborhoods in East Baltimore.
How that plays with runners and race promoters depends on if you see your paper cup of Gatorade half-full or an effort to slow you down to make a better target.
Race promoters point out no one has ever become …read more

– 74-Year-Old Woman Attacked As She Tries to Shoo Raccoons Off Porch; ‘This Isn’t Over,’ Warns Bullwinkle –
A 74-year-old woman who was attacked by raccoons was listed in stable condition today, or as stable as anyone could be after being mauled by a bunch of raccoons.
Seriously, how come no one is ever listed in “freaked-the-hell-out” condition?
A spokesman for the Tampa police said the woman fell after she was surrounded and attacked by five raccoons as she tried to chase them from her yard.
A spokesman for the raccoons said it had taken one of the raccoons nearly five years to track …read more

– In Similar News, People Who Can’t Throw Have Hard Time Making Professional Baseball Teams –
The folks at MSNBC are all over this breaking employment trend: If you don’t have computer skills, you may have a more difficult time finding a job.
I haven’t been this surprised since I found out there’s never been a fat person who held the world record in the pole vault.
Go figure.
The need for computer skills may come as a surprise to you if you work for the city of Zanesville, Ohio. Here’s Sharon Newton’s story:
After working for the city of Zanesville, Ohio, for 27 …read more

– Bangladeshi Man Kills 83,450 Rats To Win 14-Inch Color Television –
A Bangladeshi farmer was awarded a 14-inch color television by government officials as part of a nationwide incentive program to help eradicate rodents in the dirt poor country.
And sure it seems like a cheesy prize until you realize that, if he kills 14 million more rats, the government has promised to bring electricity to Bangladesh.
We don’t realize how good we have it here in America sometimes. This guy got a television and a certificate of recognition for eliminating 83 thousand rats. Here in the States, GM got …read more

– Australian Brothels Offer Discounts During Senior Citizens Week –
Wow. Talk about respecting your elders. Brothels in Melbourne, Australia are offering a “generous discount” to patrons over 60 during Senior Citizens Week.
Most of the call girls working that week will also be over 60-years old, so the discount is kind of a mixed blessing.
Still, for pensioners on a fixed income every little bit helps.
“I look forward to this week all year,” said one retiree, “I’ll be eating cat food by the end of the month but it’s worth it.”
Police officials report fewer disturbances during Senior Week.
“Sure, …read more

– …Come Out And Vote For Me For Mayor –
The race for mayor of East Cleveland got a whole lot more interesting today when the incumbent mayor Eric Brewer accused his opponent and the East Cleveland police force of releasing graphic photos of him cross-dressing in women’s lingerie.
The mayor’s carefully parsed statement neither confirmed nor denied whether the person shown in the pictures was, in fact, the mayor himself.
The mayor asked the media for privacy while noting that, in comparison to being mayor of East Cleveland, the pictures really weren’t all that embarrassing.
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Predicting what the mayor will wear to the …read more

– Former Sitcom Star Says She Had Sexual Relationship With Her Father, Mamas & Papas Singer John Phillips –
In her forthcoming book, High on Arrival, former One Day At A Time sitcom star Mackenzie Phillips says she and her father had sex while both of them were zonked out of their minds on drugs.
Phillips made the revelation on the Oprah Winfrey show and acknowledged her family wasn’t necessarily buying into the story.
The situation seems tailor-made for a song parody of the classic Mamas & Papas hit, Creeque Alley.
Let’s call it Creep Alley.
John and ‘Kenzie were getting kinda friendly
Mac …read more

– …For They Can’t Afford Enough Weight To Be Charged As A Dealer –
A 16-year-old in Sandusky, Ohio was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana after his mom found a small bag of pot in his bedroom.
Mom wasn’t so much upset she found the pot but was furious the kid had used a page from the Bible for rolling paper.
Call it the Be-Mellow-Attitudes. “Blessed are those who seek to be closer to God, but not when you’re weed is tightly packed into Genesis 1:29.”
Apparently, Mom had been watching too many spy movies since she called the cops at …read more