Country Club

Which country in Group B can be added to Group A? Why?

Hint: It has nothing to do with their spelling or pronunciation.

Group A: Australia, Denmark, Egypt, Venezuela

Group B: Bulgaria, Japan, Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Zaire

Answer is in the comments

NOW IT'S RABBIT FLU!

I STILL HAVEN'T RECOVERED FROM BIRD FLU AND NOW IT'S RABBIT FLU!

A YOUNG farmer has died from rabbit flu in what vets believe is the first time that the bacterium has been fatally transmitted from animal to human in this country.

John Freeman became infected with the bacterium Pasteurella multocida after picking up a rabbit he had shot on his farm. He fell ill with a fever the next day and doctors initially suspected flu or chickenpox.

This raises some other interesting points:

-rabbit flu is also called "snuffles." I would hate to die from something called "snuffles." You have to admit: It would look pretty embarrassing on a headstone (if in fact, someone would actually put that on a headstone - which is probably unlikely.

FYI: when I die, I plan to have my remains scattered over my neighborhood - and no, I don't intend to be cremated.

-what's up with bird flu? Where did it go? According to the media, we should have all been infected by it and dead by now. I'm a bit disappointed. Like I was with swine flu. Remember swine flu? That was a good one. Rabbit flu, I predict, will follow the same arc as Bird Flu.

Meaning, the story of this young farmer's death will be reported far and wide. Then follow-up articles will focus on the potential for the spread of this disease. Rabbit flu will be called the "fluffy fear," the "hantavirus from the hole," or perhaps the "carrot-eating Killer." You might read headlines like "Watership...Dead," with lines like "Farmers are hopping mad over the coming epidemic," and so on. I can't wait, frankly.

Then a year or two will pass, and we won't even notice that no one is talking about it anymore. Just like Bird Flu. Or America's Got Talent.

Words with GH

Five words that contain GH as a letter-pair have had all of their other letters removed and placed into a pool. Put those letters back in their proper places.

What are the words?

GH---, -GH---, ---GH-, ----GH, ---GH--

Pool: A, A, E, I, M, O, O, O, R, R, S, S, S, T, T, T, T, U, U, W

Hint: The answer is in the comments. Don't peek!

A Conspiracy Theory Begins:

You give your two cents worth. But all you get is a penny for your thoughts. So, where's the extra money going? I mean, it can really add up over time.

A Map of the Internet

This is a map of the Internet, seriously. No, it really is. You don't believe me, do you? You should, tho'. This REALLY is a map of the Internet. Now you can tell everyone that you saw one once, and it was beautiful. All the colors and stuff. Amazing!

I Always Wanted To Learn Piano...

...but I hate taking lessons.

So, when one Bertha Riddle sent me an e-mail with the subject line: 'Order this powerful pill and begin to play!', I thought my prayers were answered. But, alas, it was for something else entirely.

Today's Inspirational Business Thought:

Eagles may soar to great heights, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.

I like this...

Be Picky About Sugar-Free Foods

Not all substitutes are the same. Read your labels.

Some foods labeled "sugar-free" or "no sugar added" may actually raise your blood sugar nearly as much as the regular version.

That's because some sugar-free cookies, cakes, or other sweet treats may contain nearly as many carbohydrates as the real, sugar-laden thing. Adding insult to injury, they may also pack nearly as many calories.

The fact is, not all sugar substitutes are the same--yet another reason to scrutinize a food's Nutrition Facts panel. Here's what you should know about them.

Sugar alcohols

Many sugar-free foods contain sugar alcohols like sorbitol or mannitol. These carbohydrate-based ingredients contain about half the calories of regular carbs, about 2 per gram. By law, they don't have to be counted as sugars on the Nutrition Facts panels, but they still add to the bottom-line carb count.

Verdict: Many diabetes experts say these foods aren't of much benefit for diabetes control. You're better off with a small portion of the real thing.

Sugar substitutes

FDA-approved sugar substitutes such as acesulfame-K (Sweet One), aspartame (Nutrasweet), and sucralose (Splenda) contain no calories or carbohydrates. Foods sweetened with them may contain no calories (like diet soda), or they may contain some calories and carbohydrates from other ingredients (like hot cocoa mix).Of all the artificial sweeteners, Splenda has drawn the least amount of controversy over its safety. It's one of the most-tested sugar substitutes, showing no harmful effects in more than 100 studies on humans and animals. And unlike some sugar substitutes, you can bake with Splenda, which is made from sugar but has no calories.

Verdict: Check the carb content of any food.

stolen from: The Sugar Solution Online (sugarsolutiononline.com)