So why the heck do they call them that?

They were originally named by someone with bad eyesight who'd read a description of a killer whale years and years and years ago.

Har. Is that true? Because I can totally see that: "Dude, did you see that? It looked just like a killer whale!" "Are you on crack? No it does not." "IT TOTALLY DOES! I know this from a survey I did."

The lurkers emailed me to say it was a killer whale!!!!

They were originally named by someone with bad eyesight who'd read a description of a killer whale years and years and years ago.

The person also had false teeth. In fact, his nick name was "False Teeth." So for a while the whales were called "False Teeth's Killer Whale." Eventually the name got shortened.

OK, I made that up.

Here's something I didn't make up: Colorado man resuscitates chicken

April 15, 2005 | COLLBRAN, Colo. (AP) -- First there was Mike the Headless Chicken, a rooster that survived for 18 months after having its head lopped off with an ax.

Now, western Colorado has a new chicken survival story, this one involving a man who claims he saved his fowl by giving it mouth-to-beak resuscitation.

Uegene Safken says one of the chickens in his young flock had gotten into a tub of water in the yard last week and appeared to have died.

Safken said he first swung the chicken by the feet to revive it. When that failed, he continued swinging and blowing into its beak.

"Then one eye opened. I thought it was an involuntary response," Safken said. The chicken's beak opened a little wider, and Safken started yelling at it: "You're too young to die!

"Every time I'd yell at him, he'd chirp," Safken said.

Mike the Headless Chicken survived a beheading in 1945 in Fruita, Colo. Afterward, Mike could go through the motions of pecking for food, and when he tried to crow, a gurgle came out. His owner put feed and water directly into Mike's gullet with an eyedropper.

Scientists examined the chicken and theorized Mike had enough of a brain stem left to live headless. He was a popular attraction until he choked to death on a corn kernel.

"Every time I'd yell at him, he'd chirp," Safken said.

Yeah, chicken-speak for "Shut up, you cliched motherfucker!"

The False Killer Whale was first known from a skeleton from Lincolnshire, England, and Owen named it Phocaena crassidens. A mass stranding in 1860 proved its continued existence (something that had been in doubt) and after examining the animals, Danish zoologist Johannes Reinhardt amended the classification to Pseudorca crassidens, referring to this cetacean's resemblance to the Orca (Killer Whale). The specific name, crassidens, means 'thick-tooth', and is a reference to this species' robust teeth. This species is quite separate to the Orca.

So we can blame the Danish. Kewl.

Yeah, but the Brontasaurus still really was a big paleontology mistake.

I have friends who have an adorable 18 month old who likes to pull books off the shelf and bring them to anyone who is around to have them read to her. She brought me a Dinosaurs book (I think it was Little Golden book, but I'm not sure), so I was reading it to her. One of the dinosaurs was teh Brontosaurus, so I had to explain to her that it was a mistake, and then point out to her that the Tyrannosaurus Rexes were pictured with the wrong posture. She kept trying to turn the pages. I don't think she absorbed it.

Oh hey, Anthony LaPaglia was on Letterman last night, and he was hilarious, once he got done describing his hip-replacement surgery in great detail. He was talking about how when they were shooting Winter Solstice, they just borrowed neighbors' houses for "trailers," and he'd always end up in some kid's bedroom. One time the kid had an X-Men poster on the ceiling, so he always felt like Hugh Jackman was mocking him.

Oddly, that reminded me of a comic scan I just read where Wolverine is "inexplicably" a fan of the Boy From Oz musical.

It is funnier than the bit where Storm put on a black wig and was mistaken for Halle Berry.

It's a good movie, but still....

                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   First Regular Session - 2005
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 29
                                                                        
                                BY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                               A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
  2    STATING LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND COMMENDING JARED AND  JERUSHA  HESS  AND  THE
  3        CITY OF PRESTON FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE MOVIE "NAPOLEON DYNAMITE."
                                                                        
  4    Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  5        WHEREAS,  the  State of Idaho recognizes the vision, talent and creativity
  6    of Jared and Jerusha Hess in the writing and  production  of  "Napoleon  Dyna-
  7    mite"; and
  8        WHEREAS,  the scenic and beautiful City of Preston, County of Franklin and
  9    the State of Idaho are experiencing increased tourism and economic growth; and
 10        WHEREAS, filmmaker Jared Hess is a native Idahoan who was educated in  the
 11    Idaho public school system; and
 12        WHEREAS,  the  Preston  High School administration and staff, particularly
 13    the cafeteria staff, have enjoyed notoriety and worldwide attention; and
 14        WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho's
 15    most famous export; and
 16        WHEREAS,  the  friendship  between  Napoleon  and  Pedro   has   furthered
 17    multiethnic relationships; and
 18        WHEREAS,  Uncle Rico's football skills are a testament to Idaho athletics;
 19    and
 20        WHEREAS, Napoleon's bicycle and Kip's skateboard promote better air  qual-
 21    ity  and  carpooling  as alternatives to fuel-dependent methods of transporta-
 22    tion; and
 23        WHEREAS, Grandma's trip to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes highlights  a  long-
 24    honored Idaho vacation destination; and

eta: Let me know if the use of <pre> tag is screwing up people's browsers....