Technical Virgin Fired by PBS

Melanie Martinez, host of "The Good Night Show", was fired by PBS after she told them about a couple Technical Virgin videos she did several years ago. Saying "the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host", the network immediately pulled Martinez from her hosting role. The program is being replaced by cartoons until a new host is found.

via BoingBoing

Syd Barrett is Dead

Syd Barrett, a founding member of Pink Floyd has died at the age of 60 of illness related to diabetes. Hugely influential, he left the band long ago after mental illness began to take its toll. His early songs with Pink Floyd, such as See Emily Play and Arnold Layne, are significantly different than the band's later work. His solo efforts were often uneven and got little mainstream attention, though songs like Baby Lemonade and Effervescing Elephant are terrific examples of his eccentric style. He will be missed.

via BoingBoing

Shrooms Are Like God

The Independent is reporting that researchers at Johns Hopkins University have demonstrated that there is no difference between drug-induced mystical experiences and spontaneous religious experiences. In the U.S. part of the study, one third of the subjects described their psilocybin trip as the single most spiritually significant event of their lifetime.

In more than 60 per cent of cases the experience qualified as a "full mystical experience" based on established psychological scales, the researchers say. Some likened it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.

Florida Prosecutor Refuses to Return Dog

Pam Bondi is a prosecutor for Hillsborough County in Florida. After Katrina, she adopted a St. Bernard rescued from New Orleans. She named him Noah. Now she is refusing to return the dog to his original owners, Steven and Dorreen Couture, even though they are pleading for the return of their pet, who they had named Master Tank. Ms. Bondi is reportedly saying that the Coutures neglected the dog and can't provide the care that he needs.