The Local Government Performance Index – the FCPP database of municipal financial statistics, with graphically presented data and comparisons of municipal finances. “You can compare two cities side by side, a city to a regional average or the same city year on year.”

Very cool photos.

h/t Michael M.

“Do you know the story of Snow White?”
h/t

Via

h/t Speedy

h/t Bill W.

Heh.

Ward writes;

Here’s my contribution if you do a Hallowe’en post.. Look who will be greeting the little punks kids, at our door tonight!
Actually, I’m going to a Hallowe’en party tonight and we are supposed to bring a carved pumpkin. I was going to take the easy way out and do a typical Jack o Lantern. Then, while having a nap, this idea came to me. I remembered I had a good image of Cannon that I had used to make a CD cover (for the endless loop Cannon theme song my friend made), so I blew it up put it in Word and then pinned it on the pumpkin and traced out the image by making hundreds of pinholes, then used a small knife to cut and peel the skin.
Great result for a first time effort, I quite impressed myself. The uneven surface of the pumpkin meat gives the likeness some real character. Other than peeling the pumpkin skin away I did nothing to try to add shadows to the face, they just naturally happened. I then thinned the wall of the pumpkin from the inside so that the candle light would shine through better.

Quite impressive.

Or, you can opt for this.

Why don’t swim racers have to wear life jackets?
Update. Looks like it’s just a matter of time… (h/t Robert B.)

We’ve been able to train Frenchmen to play hockey, which is more than any European has managed to do.

*

And the results are in! Capturing 22% of the vote, the SDA Readers Choice is…

Irritable Climate Syndrome

Congratulations to Stan for the winning entry, and thanks everyone for playing.

(Original post continues below)
The nominations are closed and I have finished the daunting task of selecting a handful of finalists from the hundreds of worthy nominations posted. (Background here).
Thanks everyone for playing – now, the polls open!

Choose Your Favourite BIG SCARY NAME For Phase Four In Climate Fearmongering
	Climate Rambunctiousness
	Terrestrial Thermoclime Transmogrification Apocalypse
	Planet Death Watch
	Climate Derangement Syndrome
	The Globeacaust
	Disrupt-n-warm-a-unsustainableness Globalaciously
	Death Weather
	Peak Weather
	White Man’s Wind
	Irritable Climate Syndrome
	Climageddon
	Climate Gone Wild
	Frankenclimate
	Anthropocalypse
	WetterBlitzkrieg
	Climate Jihad
	Climatus Interruptus
pollcode.com free polls

The poll will close Sunday at midnight. The submission chosen by our readers will win a $50.00 donation to the registered charity of their choice.
One person, one vote. And remember – cheating is for NASA scientists!

Regretfully.

h/t

From the comments;

Q: Why didn’t the shark eat the investment banker?
A: Professional courtesy.