NOV 30 AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE (ATM) GIVES AWAY $100 BILLS

NOV 30  AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE (ATM) GIVES AWAY $100 BILLS

Bank of America customers in a North Houston suburb got an early holiday gift earlier this week. An ATM (Automated Teller Machine) mistakenly began to dispense one hundred dollar bills instead of tens. Anyhow, word spread quickly over social media and dozens of folks hurried to the rogue bank machine. Soon, Harris County Sheriff's deputies stepped in to guard from any more use until it could be fixed. Although BofA hasn't stated how much money was lost, they did announce yesterday that all those who received extra cash can keep it.

We know what question you must be asking: What kind of ATM gives ten dollar bills? Only recently have American ATM's dispersed anything other than twenties. Interestingly enough, although the coveted twenty is the most used bill in the US, it comes in third place as the most dispersed currency note worldwide. Atop that list is the 50 Euro note, followed by the 100 Yuan bill. The first ever note taken from an ATM was ten pounds from Barclay's in London in 1967.

As you might have guessed...there are a gazillion ATM's worldwide. Okay, actually, it's estimated there are three million such devices on the planet. If you do the math, that means there is one ATM for every three thousand people. (The highest density is in the gambler's paradise of Macao.) They're found in stores, bars and on street corners. Somewhere on earth's seven continents, a new ATM opens up every three minutes!

Seven continents? Yep...there are two ATM's in Antarctica. They're found at the McMurdo Station, the largest science base in the South Pole. It's operated by Well's Fargo and only dispenses American money. At any given time, there are around 1,000 people there conducting research. And they need cold, hard cash! Fortunately, it's located indoors...unlike the highest-altitude ATM on earth. It's found in a roadside stop near the Khunjerab Pass in Pakistan. It's at 15,397 feet and can withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius.

Back to the ATM in Houston. While the employee responsible for loading the wrong cassette into the machine must feel horrible, at least it wasn't as bad as a similar snafu last year in nearby Corpus Christi. A bank employee inadvertently locked himself inside the machine while servicing. And...here's the terrifying part...he left his cellphone in the truck. However, he did have a low tech item that saved him: A pen. He scribbled a note on a receipt. When a customer read it, he was saved. ATMs are wacky indeed!

NOV 24 NOAH'S ARK FOUND IN IRAN

NOV 24  NOAH'S ARK FOUND IN IRAN

Big news out of the Islamic Republic of Iran this week. Bob Cornuke, president of the Bible Archeology, Search & Exploration (BASE) team, announced that there is "strong evidence" his unit has discovered the remains of the legendary Noah's Ark. It's located on the tip of Takht-e-Suleiman, a 13,120 foot high peak in Northern Iran. Although historians and scientists alike call quests to find items like the Holy Grail, the Tower of Babel and Noah's Ark 'pseudoarcheology,' Conrnake is confident he's proven the doubters wrong.

Let's review the specifics. BASE has unearthed an enormous artifact. They've found 400 foot long beam-like pieces of petrified wood. This fits the descriptions of the Ark's dimensions in the Bible. Genesis 6:14 states the Ark was constructed with "gofer wood planks, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high." Since a cubit (an ancient unit of measurement) is about 19 inches, this means it's clearly the correct length. It also follows that it's located high on a mountain peak: The first dry land to appear near Babylon after the flood.

While these findings are impressive, BASE is hardly the first expedition to claim they've discovered the legendary Noah's Ark. The Roman Empire, under the direction of Biblical scholar Eusebius, tried in vain to locate it. A thousand years later, around 1208, Marco Polo mentions its location as parts of his journeys. On his Ark expedition, Czar Nicholas II claimed to have found "a large object as long as a city block." In the 1900's evangelical groups like BASE have taken up the cause. Yet, as James Irwin explains, "the Ark continues to elude us."

There is one place where everyone believes this new Ark discovery is complete nonsense: Armenia. According to Genesis 8:4, the Ark "came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." This 16,854 high peak is simply enormous, with parts falling into four separate nations: Armenia, Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan. But it's most visible in Armenia, where it dominates the capital city of Yerevan. Its summit is a permanent ice cap, and the Ark is frozen inside. At least that's what the Armenian Church says, and they forbid anyone to go to the top of their sacred mountain. It's even on the national seal!

All this matters little to Bob and the BASE findings. They hope to dispel the myths surrounding Christianity and prove science wrong. See, there is no geological evidence for a gigantic flood. Nor could the earth ever produce enough water to flood itself. But a finding like this will show that Biblical events are historical events that actually occurred. While we here at the DUNER BLOG are skeptical, we salute people who chase their dreams. Bravo, BASE!

NOV 9 WHO ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES?

NOV 9  WHO ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES?

The final results from Tuesday's midterm elections are in. While the Senate remained mostly the same, the House of Representatives saw a host of changes. It was a banner election for women, minorities and Muslims, who smashed through stereotypes and stigmas to claim new seats. However, there was one group who was completely shut out of the House once again: Third Party candidates. Of the 435 seats in the House, absolutely zero are from political parties other than Democrat or Republican! This got us here at the DUNER BLOG wondering: What are the most successful third parties in US History?

WHIG. By far the most accomplished party, the Whigs dominated US politics from 1840 to 1860. They won two presidential elections in 1840 and 1848. Although the portraits of William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor aren't found on any US bills, they succeeded in forwarding important legislation. With compromise legend Henry Clay in Congress, they passed numerous Anti-Slavery laws. Also noteworthy for the Whigs was a young Representative from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln. He, like most other Whigs, joined the new Republican party when the party disbanded in 1860.

SOCIALIST. Although the slightest mention of the word 'Socialist' is political suicide today, in the early 1900's Socialism was a respected movement. They flourished on the mayoral level. Milwaukee alone had four Socialist mayors between 1910 and 1956. On the national front...however...Socialist candidates sputtered. Eugene V. Debs ran for president four times, peaking with 6% of the popular vote in 1912. Sadly, the unpopular rise of Soviet Socialism proved fatal for the party. Insane notions like equitable wealth distribution would disappear from the American political landscape forever.

GREEN. Another party with a brief moment in the spotlight was the 'earth-first' Greens. Founded by Petra Kelly in Germany in the 1980's, they championed the idea of a politician with the environment as their top priority. The movement quickly spread to the US. It peaked in the year 2000 when Ralph Nader received 3% of the vote in his second run for president. Dems blamed the Greens for Al Gore's defeat, further complicating the purpose of a third party.

PROGRESSIVE. In 1910, once close buddies Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft got in a nasty spat. The result was Teddy left the Republicans and formed a new political party called the Progressives. (or the 'Bull Moose.') The two parties had similar platforms, but Progressives were adamant about getting lobbyists out of Congress. (What an outrageous idea!) Although they garnered a handful of Congressmen, the Progressive movement fizzled out after Roosevelt retired from politics in 1920.

LIBERTARIAN. This party began in 1971 in the living room of David Nolan. The Coloradan was sick and tired of big government spending his money. Soon, his grumblings gained momentum and the Libertarian Party was born. Their platform is to shrink government, broaden civil rights and to stop fighting expensive wars in countries most Americans have never heard of. It's currently the largest third party in the country, with half a million registered voters. But...as we said... none of them are in Congress.