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VOTE SMART!

http://www.vote-smart.org/election_president.php

ANIMAL, VEGETABLE OR MINERAL?

WHAT IS A MEXICAN JUMPING BEAN?

The jumping bean is not a bean, nor is it a seed. It's actually a small, thin-shelled section of a seed capsule contining the larva of a small gray moth called the jumping bean moth. After consuming the seed inside of the capsule section, the robust, yellowish-white larva has the odd habit of throwing itself forcibly from one wall to the other. This is what causes the jumping movements of the capsule.

Mexican jumping bean capsules typically separate into three sections, some of which contain a moth larva. It's thise separate sections, called carpels, that are sold as jumping beans.

MAN SAVES LOOSE CHANGE & BUYS NEW '08 TRUCK

Man Buys Half-ton Pickup with Half-ton of Spare Change!

Paul Brant calls himself a "penny pincher."People who know him - including the staff at Mike Raisor Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep - might agree.

Accompanied by a police escort from the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Friday he drove his old diesel pickup into the Raisor parking lot and bought himself a brand new, 2008 half-ton, shiny red Dodge Ram truck.

What made the $26,670 purchase even more interesting was the manner in which he paid for it.Brant's payment was made up entirely of quarters and gold dollars he'd been saving since 1994 - the last time he traded enough of his hard-earned coins to buy a vehicle.Friday, he handed over the coins, neatly rolled and stored in various containers - water jugs, coffee cans, piggy banks - that had ridden in on the bed of his pickup.Lt. Joe Mink and Chief Deputy Mike Hensley of the sheriff's office were right behind him.

Being thrifty, Brant said, comes naturally."I reckon I was just brought up that way," he said. His father always paid cash, he said, and it's a tradition he carried on. Besides, he added, "Checks are no fun."

He makes it a habit to save his loose change, he said, explaining that he cleans out his pockets every morning, and doesn't hesitate to pick up stray coins from the ground wherever he goes."Once you drop them out of your hand, they're gone," he said. "They don't last very long."

The 70-year-old Clinton County native graduated from Frankfort High School in 1956 and went to work at the Kokomo-based Chrysler plant the same year.Thirteen years ago, Brant bought a car and a truck from Kincaid's of Lebanon. That purchase cost him $36,000, he said, which he surrendered in coins - 100 percent quarters.After that, while he continued to stash away his quarters for the eventual purchase of his next vehicle, a couple tellers at The Farmers Bank notified him that they had plenty of rolled, gold dollars available, if he wanted to buy them. He did."I just took them home and threw them in the jug," he said.

Keith Gephart, a sales consultant for Raisor, said he'd been after Brant for all those years to do it again, this time at Raisor's. With the numerous spectators and news people milling about the showroom, Gephart said the publicity will likely be good for business.

The truck, with several extras added on, retails for about $35,000, he said. Brant's price reflects his Chrysler employee discount and rebates, plus taxes, he explained. As for how Raisor's cashier planned to handle $26,670 in coins.

Gephart said, "No bank wants to take them. We've got a Loomis armored car coming."Loomis personnel will count the change, he said, and let Raisor know the total within three days."Their count is final," he said.

PANTONE UNVEILS THE SPRING 2008 FASHION COLOR REPORT

To kick off the Spring 08 shows, Pantone - the premier color authority - just released the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2008, featuring fun designer sketches, quotes, headshots, and the top 10 colors for women's fashion for spring '08. The new season's palette is made up of classic, versatile neutrals punctuated by playful splashes of invigorating brights, hopefully encouraging fashionistas to explore new and creative ways to combine colors. "The spring '08 color palette perfectly reflects the cheerfulness of the season,” notes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, about the variations on popular colors such as energizing red, cool, waterborne blue and eco-friendly green that play a key role this season."Stabilizing neutrals combined with pops of brighter colors to create unique, distinctive looks are the basis for a great spring and summer wardrobe.”

The top 10 spring 2008 colors for women:

Snorkel Blue (PANTONE 19-4049)

Freesia (PANTONE 14-0852)

Daiquiri Green (PANTONE 12-0435)

Croissant (PANTONE 16-0924)

Rococco Red (PANTONE 18-1652)

Silver Gray (PANTONE 14-0000)

Spring Crocus (PANTONE 17-3020)

Cantaloupe (PANTONE 15-1239)

Pink Mist (PANTONE 13-2805)

Golden Olive (PANTONE 16-0639)

Vibrant Snorkel Blue, a favorite this season among designers, is a dependable navy, but spiced up with more animation and sophistication. The cool blue undertones Pink Mist pair perfectly with any color in the palette for a feminine look, and provide a refreshing complement to Daiquiri Green, a brighter version of the popular earth-tone yellow-greens naturally associated with eco-awareness. Warm, cheerful Freesia is an uplifting and inviting color to which people are instinctively drawn; it is also a hue that that allows for diverse accessorizing opportunities in jewelry and shoes.

Brighter reds such as provocative Rococco Red are also in favor this spring, and the deep pink undertones of flowery Spring Crocus make it among the prettiest, most wearable purples. Against neutrals, luscious Cantaloupe proves warm and nurturing...& a great addition to any wardrobe, especially when paired with delicious chocolate browns. Glitzy Sliver Gray has a sheen reminiscent of the popular metallics that add a touch of excitement to any outfit. With its beautiful undertones, Croissant is a delicious base for spring's more exciting accents. Trans-seasonal Golden Olive is another distinctive & tasteful addition to 2008's newest shades.

For the full 2008 spring color report, visit Pantone.com

2008 MARKS THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEACE SIGN

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Peace Symbol.

Back in the 1960's and 70's, the Peace Symbol was an important emblem of the anti-war and counter-culture movements.

But before that, it was used by a different group.

Originally it was designed and used as Britain's logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), in protest of atomic weapons research.

If you look closely at the Peace Symbol, you can see the stylized letters "CND" that create the design.

Another secret meaning is also embedded in this motif.

Gerald Holtom (who was a conscientious objector in addition to being the Peace Symbol's designer) said "I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it."

The Peace Symbol has intentionally never been copyrighted.

No one has to get permission or pay a fee to use it. A symbol of freedom, it's free to everyone.