We are definitely on our way!
Only half a million or so places from being the number one blog (give or take a few hundred thousand).
Dare we become giddy with excitement and prognosticate an arrival at the top spot in the year 3008?
We have already moved it down to 3009 from 3010 due to the meteoric rise in readership Carolina Naturally has experienced to the point.
Nah, we better stay grounded and keep it at the year 3009 (early in the year, but still 3009).
Hey, a month ago we were at a million and a half places out of the top spot.
Okay, more like a million and two thirds places out of the top spot, if you have to be picky.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Man dressed like The Joker slain by police in park
A soldier dressed and wearing face-paint like Batman villain The Joker was shot and killed by police in the Shenandoah National Park after he pointed a loaded shotgun at them after a chase, an FBI affidavit says.
Army Spc. Christopher Lanum, a suspect in the stabbing of a fellow soldier at Fort Eustis, was killed hours after the attack when officers attempted to stop the minivan he was driving, according to court documents filed Wednesday that first disclosed the weekend shooting.
Lanum's girlfriend Patsy Ann Marie Montowski, a passenger in the van, was hit by gunfire and treated at a hospital. She was arrested Wednesday evening and charged with being accessory after the fact to assault, authorities said.
A lawyer for Montowski was not listed in court documents.
According to the FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Montowski's case, Lanum was dressed in The Joker outfit at the time of an argument early Sunday with his Fort Eustis suite mate, Spc. Mitchell Stone. Montowski told the FBI that Lanum idolized the character.
Stone told emergency workers that Lanum stabbed him and used a stun gun on him, authorities said, adding he was taken to a hospital for serious injuries and later released.
Stone told emergency workers that Lanum stabbed him and used a stun gun on him, the affidavit said. Stone was taken to a hospital for serious injuries and later released.
Lanum and Montowski fled in her van, which a park ranger spotted about 200 miles northwest of the base, according to authorities. The ranger called for help, and Lanum led police on a slow-speed chase before running over a spike strip laid down by police and crashing, they added.
The FBI said Montowski told them that Lanum handed her the shotgun and asked her to kill him, but she refused. The affidavit says Lanum pointed the gun at police, his finger on the trigger, and refused commands to drop the weapon. A trooper fired through the driver's side window, Lanum's shotgun discharged, and police fired several times.
The trooper and park rangers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of internal investigations, according to a joint state police, FBI and National Park Service release.
Town elects surveyor as police chief
The newly elected police chief in Ashland, New Hampshire town is eager to get to work, but first he has to graduate from the police academy.
Tony Randall is a licensed surveyor who on Tuesday was elected the top cop in Ashland, a rural community of about 2,000 residents.
He's never worked in law enforcement but says his experience running a business and dealing with people will help him police the town about 40 miles north of Concord.
He plans to attend the police academy starting in September and has six months to graduate or town officials will appoint someone else as chief.
Randall defeated two other candidates, both of whom have worked as police officers. His police department has about 12 members.
*****
One question. How bad were the other two candidates, with experience as police officers, that the town chose someone inexperienced over them?
Mystery repairman fixes broken traffic light
In Beckley, West Virginia a malfunctioning traffic light that was a constant source of complaints has finally been fixed, but not by the government.
A mystery repairman got the light working on Friday, three days before the state Division of Highways workers showed up to repair it.
Mayor Emmett Pugh said Tuesday that officials don't know who did it, but they're grateful.
The light quit working sometime before Christmas.
Though it was the city's responsibility, city crews didn't have the expertise to repair the light and it took extra time ordering special parts.
Councilman Mike Atterson said he hopes the mystery repairman comes forward so he can thank him or her and extend a job offer.
He said other lights around town also need work.
Freak show may get a competitor
It's two-headed cow vs. the lizard man as dueling freak shows are set to battle it out on Brooklyn's famed Coney Island Boardwalk.
A West Coast sideshow act wants to set up shop just two blocks away from Coney Island's reigning oddball act famous for its army of fire eaters and sword swallowers.
A West Coast sideshow act wants to set up shop just two blocks away from Coney Island's reigning oddball act famous for its army of fire eaters and sword swallowers.
John Strong, whose Hollywood-based circus act bears his name, boasts a collection of 250 oddities, including a two-headed cow and a 19 inch horse.
Though Strong said he plans to open in April at the former site of Astroland Park, a a spokesman for the park's owners said the company hasn't yet made a decision.
Even so, Dick Zigun, founder of the long running Coney Island Circus Sideshow, said he's ready to protect his turf.
Thieves use the 'relish ruse' to rob elderly Florida woman
How do you make relish?
That's the question police said thieves used to distract an elderly woman in a Wal-Mart store as they stole her purse.
Now they're looking for the three suspects after hundreds of dollars in charges were made to the 79-year-old woman's credit cards for beer, cigarettes and gift cards.
That's the question police said thieves used to distract an elderly woman in a Wal-Mart store as they stole her purse.
Now they're looking for the three suspects after hundreds of dollars in charges were made to the 79-year-old woman's credit cards for beer, cigarettes and gift cards.
Stolen bulldozer buried at Texas golf course
A golf course in Texas had a heavy duty hazard: A bulldozer reported stolen a decade ago has been found buried under a fairway.
The Dallas Morning News reports Thursday that investigators located the bulldozer at Canyon West Golf Course in Weatherford.
Detective Tyler Farrell with the Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force says a former golf course worker contacted authorities after noticing part of the bulldozer while fertilizing the course.
Farrell says a tractor also used to build the golf course was reported stolen after work began in 1996 and has not been recovered.
Weatherford is 30 miles west of Fort Worth.
Man calls police to report moose on roof
From the "Now, this is weird" Department:
It may have looked like Christmas outside, but Ward Nostdahl says it wasn't reindeer he heard clomping on his roof. Nostdahl called police to report a moose on the roof of his hillside home northwest of Minot, North Dakota.
He said he first saw the moose lying next to his garage door Wednesday afternoon. Game Warden Alan Howard said he and his colleagues chased it into a neighbor's yard but it came back to Nostdahl's home. Nostdahl called them back after he heard it on the roof.
Howard said Nostdahl's earth house is built into a hill, making it easy for the young moose to step up on the roof. The animal had come back down by the time Howard got there, and he said he was able to chase it off the property. He said it headed north.
Boy accused of helping to rob bar
Police in Omaha, Nebraska have arrested an unlikely suspect in the armed robbery of an eastern Omaha bar - a 12-year-old boy.
Police said the boy is one of three people suspected of holding up the California Bar early Thursday morning.
Investigators said the boy and two men walked into the Bar around 12:45 a.m., and one of the men pulled a gun.
Officers said the 12-year-old and an 18-year-old then demanded money from the Keno register.
Police say the 18-year-old punched a female employee, and the three suspects fled the area.
Officers found and arrested the 18-year-old and the 12-year-old near the scene.
Police continue to search for a third suspect.
Typical repugicans
Speaking with forked tongue ...
A day after a magazine quoted him as saying abortion was "an individual choice," repugican chairwimp Michael Steele said today he opposes abortion and that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.
A day after a magazine quoted him as saying abortion was "an individual choice," repugican chairwimp Michael Steele said today he opposes abortion and that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.
And I Quote
As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of religion.
~ Butterfly McQueen
(actress who appeared in 'Gone with the wind')
(actress who appeared in 'Gone with the wind')
Saudis Order 40 Lashes For Elderly Woman For Mingling
In another case of stupidity overriding sense:
A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, "Fahd" and "Hadian".
According to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan, troubles for the woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, began last year when a member of the religious police entered her house in the city of Al-Chamli and found her with two unrelated men, "Fahd" and "Hadian".
Liberia invaded by crop-eating caterpillars again
Liberia has been hit by a second invasion of crop-destroying caterpillars which have wreaked havoc in the west African nation, agriculture ministry officials said.
Hooked On Facts
Today's six facts are:
In 1659 it was illegal to celebrate christmas in Massachusetts.
Q-Tip Cotton Swabs were originally called 'Baby Gays'.
99% of all pumpkins sold in the USA are strictly for the sole purpose of decoration.
A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length.
Only female bees work.
In its ancient form the carrot was purple, not orange.
Bonus fact: Louisiana is the only state to grow in land area every year (due to the alluvial deposits of the Mississippi River).
In 1659 it was illegal to celebrate christmas in Massachusetts.
Q-Tip Cotton Swabs were originally called 'Baby Gays'.
99% of all pumpkins sold in the USA are strictly for the sole purpose of decoration.
A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length.
Only female bees work.
In its ancient form the carrot was purple, not orange.
Bonus fact: Louisiana is the only state to grow in land area every year (due to the alluvial deposits of the Mississippi River).
Unusual Holidays and Celebrations
It is Friday the 13th tomorrow so I thought you might like 5 Facts About Friday the 13th.
It is also Earmuff Day and Open An Umbrella Indoors Day as well.
It is also Earmuff Day and Open An Umbrella Indoors Day as well.
World's Happiest Countries
Want to know what the world's happiest countries are? Click here to find out. They might surprise you.
Climate assessment 'out of date'
From BBC - Science
International scientists say the worst-case scenarios on climate change envisaged just two years ago are already being realized.
International scientists say the worst-case scenarios on climate change envisaged just two years ago are already being realized.
Madoff Pleaded Guilty
Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty today to pulling off what could be the biggest, most spectacular swindle Wall Street has even seen, and was sent off to jail in handcuffs to the applause of his furious victims.
"I realized that my arrest and this day would inevitably come," Madoff said in a courtroom crammed with many of the investors he cheated out of billions of dollars.
The 70-year-old financier could get up to 150 years in prison at sentencing June 16 on 11 counts, including securities fraud and perjury. He could also be fined and ordered to pay restitution to his victims and forfeit any ill-gotten gains.
*****
The first of many to follow ...
Cause and Cure?
A gene mutation found to cause Alzheimer's disease when inherited from both parents may protect against the disease when only one copy is inherited.
Paradoxical gene causes and protects against Alzheimer's
Science News
FDIC Failure
The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to borrow up to $500 billion to take over failed banks, is facing a potential major shortfall in part because it collected no insurance premiums from most banks from 1996 to 2006.
More at boston.com
Why boredom is exhausting
By now you’ve probably heard story floating around about how doodling may improve concentration, but you may not know that ...
When people are bored they have high levels of brain activity, Andrade says. “When you’re bored, you think nothing much is going on, but actually your brain is looking for something to do.”
So we daydream. But daydreaming takes considerable mental effort, particularly when we get stuck in a daydream. “So that sucks mental resources and energy away from the other task we’re meant to be doing,” Andrade says.
Which explains why we can feel so tired and burned out after a long, boring but easy day at work or school - or many successive days of boredom.
Women and Girls
President Obama signed an executive order creating the president's council on women and girls.
From the New York Times:
From the New York Times:
President Obama has just signed an executive order establishing the “White House Council on Women and Girls.” The purpose of the new group “is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy,” he said at the signing. “Our progress in these areas is an important measure of whether we are truly fulfilling the promise of our democracy for all our people.” He defined those areas as economic security, a balance between work and family, violence against women and women’s health.Not really sure there is a need for a separate council for women and girls if existing council(s) on humans were to do what they are set up to do ... that though is another question in and of itself.
Typical repugicans
Last week, scandal-plagued senator David Vitter (r-la) went “ballistic on an airline worker after missing a flight from Washington’s Dulles airport to New Orleans.”
After arriving just 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, Vitter gave the airline employee who denied him entrance to the already closed gate “an earful, employing the timeworn ‘do-you-know-who-I-am’ tirade that apparently grew quite heated.”
But when the employee left to find a security guard, Vitter “simply fled the scene”
After arriving just 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, Vitter gave the airline employee who denied him entrance to the already closed gate “an earful, employing the timeworn ‘do-you-know-who-I-am’ tirade that apparently grew quite heated.”
But when the employee left to find a security guard, Vitter “simply fled the scene”
More at think progress
A reader responds
This is a shout out for Richard Zimmerman who commented about the Orangutan post I posted yesterday.
Mr. Zimmerman is the Director of Orangutan Outreach. And you can find out more about Orangutan Outreach at http://redapes.org Reach out and save the orangutans!
Facebook Cause: http://causes.com/redapes
Every life we can save is another life worth living ... of any species, so if you feel inclined please think about donating to any cause trying to save lives - Orangutan Outreach, included.
Mr. Zimmerman is the Director of Orangutan Outreach. And you can find out more about Orangutan Outreach at http://redapes.org Reach out and save the orangutans!
Facebook Cause: http://causes.com/redapes
Every life we can save is another life worth living ... of any species, so if you feel inclined please think about donating to any cause trying to save lives - Orangutan Outreach, included.
And I Quote
Man survives Niagara Falls
A man jumped into Niagara Falls on Wednesday and survived the 180-foot plunge, then resisted rescue attempts before he eventually was pulled from the icy water to safety, police said.
The man, believed to be in his late 30s, was semiconscious when he was taken to a hospital. He lapsed into unconsciousness and was listed in critical condition.
Niagara Parks Police Chief Doug Kane said the man "voluntarily entered into the water and refused medical assistance at the bottom."
He said the man was suffering from hypothermia and a head injury. Police were unable to get any information from the man because of the effects of the near-freezing water.
A witness called police shortly after 2 p.m. and told them a man had climbed over a retaining wall and jumped into the rapids above the Horseshoe Falls, one of Niagara Falls' three waterfalls. A short time later, the man was seen near the base of the falls.
Specially trained falls rescue crews tried to assist the man, but he swam away from them toward the middle of the river, Kane said.
A private helicopter was called in and got close enough to the victim so that wind from its blades forced him close enough to shore for rescuers to reach him.
"He wasn't cooperative," pilot Ruedi Hafen, owner of Niagara Falls Helicopter, told The Associated Press. "He didn't try to be helpful. We had a sling on him and he got out of it."
Rescue crews said the man was in the water for about 45 minutes and spent much of that time resisting attempts to help him.
Firefighter Todd Brunning and another rescue worker swam about 60 yards from shore, grabbed hold of him and hauled him in, Niagara Fire Capt. David Belme said.
Brunning said the man was floating on his back and got caught in an eddy, allowing Brunning to swim up behind him and wrap his arms around his chest.
"I was surprised he was still conscious when we got to him," Brunning said. "I guess he was lucky."
Brunning said the man was responsive to verbal commands but unable to talk.
"He was on a suicide mission, I assume," Hafen said. "I've never, in my career, seen someone so tough, swimming between the ice."
The last person known to survive a plunge over the falls was a Michigan man, Kirk Jones, who climbed down a small embankment and jumped into the Niagara River on October 20, 2003. Jones said he had been depressed and had been drinking.
At least 17 people — not including suicide attempts — are known to have gone over the falls.
Niagara Falls' three waterfalls are the American Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.
Karmapa Lama emerging as Tibet's new voice
Like his 16 previous incarnations, this Karmapa Lama has spent his life immersed in the Tibetan Buddhist arts of meditation, study and prayer. Unlike them, he likes to relax playing war games on his PlayStation.
This blend of ancient spiritual authority and modern-day tastes is fueling expectations that the 23-year-old monk, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the No. 3 lama in Tibetan Buddhism, will emerge as the public voice for the next generation of Tibetans in their struggle for freedom from China.
And I Quote
Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty.
~ Tacitus
~ Tacitus
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk-Gewest, Belgium
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Chandrigah, Chandrigah, India
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
London, England, United Kingdom
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Sandnes, Rogaland, Norway
Orebro, Orebro, Sweden
Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
as well as Romania, Poland, Philippines, Spain, Iran, Scotland, Germany, Wales and Greece
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk-Gewest, Belgium
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Chandrigah, Chandrigah, India
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
London, England, United Kingdom
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Sandnes, Rogaland, Norway
Orebro, Orebro, Sweden
Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
as well as Romania, Poland, Philippines, Spain, Iran, Scotland, Germany, Wales and Greece
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