Wait for it, wait for it ... in just two minutes it will be 2009.
Wait for it!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Top 10 Cryptozoology Stories of 2008
(4) Giant Manta Ray Discovery.
During 2008, Marine biologist Dr. Andrea Marshall confirmed that a larger and more elusive manta ray was, in fact, a distinct species. Until then, it was thought that there was only one manta ray species.
The newly-discovered species (above) leads a different lifestyle than its smaller cousin and is migratory rather than residential. The new giant manta ray has large triangular pectoral fins, which can span almost 26 feet or 8 meters in width and can weigh more than 4409 pounds or 2,000 kilograms.
See the rest of the 2008 Top Ten at Cryptomundo.Psychology News
Religion may have evolved because of its ability to help people exercise self-control
Self-control is critical for success in life, and a new study by University of Miami professor of Psychology Michael McCullough finds that religious people have more self-control than do their less religious counterparts. These findings imply that religious people may be better at pursuing and achieving long-term goals that are important to them and their religious groups. This, in turn, might help explain why religious people tend to have lower rates of substance abuse, better school achievement, less delinquency, better health behaviors, less depression, and longer lives.
Science News
Scientists plan to ignite tiny man-made star
While it has seemed an impossible goal for nearly 100 years, scientists now believe that they are on brink of cracking one of the biggest problems in physics by harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, the reaction that burns at the heart of the sun.
In the spring, a team will begin attempts to ignite a tiny man-made star inside a laboratory and trigger a thermonuclear reaction.
Its goal is to generate temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius and pressures billions of times higher than those found anywhere else on earth, from a speck of fuel little bigger than a pinhead. If successful, the experiment will mark the first step towards building a practical nuclear fusion power station and a source of almost limitless energy.
Pagan Party: New Year’s traditions that hail from the depths of antiquity
If your head really hurts on New Year's Day, you could point your finger at the Babylonians who started this new year revelry nonsense. Though the ancient Romans added the idea of alcoholic excess, or at least perfected it.
Julius Caesar fixed the start of the year on January 1st by letting the previous year run to 445 days rather than the traditional 365. The Roman citizenry made their winter festival Saturnalia a celebration without rules. So, let's blame the Romans.
Any way you slice it, New Year's is among the very oldest and most persistent of human celebrations.
Read the rest here.
Top Ten Green Architecture Projects Of 2008!
“As the holiday season winds to close we’re counting down the days to the new year with a look at some of Inhabitat’s most exciting stories of 2008! It’s been an outstanding year in green building and today we’re looking back at ten of the most impressive green architecture projects of 2008. From LEED platinum superstructures to innovative recycled and reclaimed buildings to ground-breaking monuments that integrate incredible new technologies, read on the year’s best and brightest developments!”
Read the rest at Inhabitat.
Medical News
A prototype of a therapeutic ultrasound device, developed by a Cornell graduate student, fits in the palm of a hand, is battery-powered and packs enough punch to stabilize a gunshot wound or deliver drugs to brain cancer patients. It is wired to a ceramic probe, called a transducer, and it creates sound waves so strong they instantly cause water to bubble, spray and turn into steam.
No Mug? Drug Makers Cut Out Goodies for Doctors
Remember that self-regulation thingy that worked so well in our financial industry?
Now it's being applied to our medical 'industry'.
Some skeptics deride the voluntary ban as a superficial measure that does nothing to curb the far larger amounts drug companies spend each year on various other efforts to influence physicians. But proponents welcome it as a step toward ending the barrage of drug brands and logos that surround, and may subliminally influence, doctors and patients.Now it's being applied to our medical 'industry'.
*****
OK, Kiddies, let's all raise our hands if we believe this 'self-regulation' thingy will work any better for the medical field than it did for the financial field ...
Hell yeah, that's just what Jesus would do.
A New Jersey church has evicted a homeless shelter because its operators didn't require guests to say grace before eating Christmas dinner.
So, now you know what the answer is to all those WWJD wristbands you've seen on the wrists of the relige-o-nuts.
So, now you know what the answer is to all those WWJD wristbands you've seen on the wrists of the relige-o-nuts.
Read the full story in the Wall Street Journal
Al Franken should avoid private planes
Al Franken (D) has inched ahead of Norm Coleman (r) in the very, very close Minnesota Senate race.
Next will be the loud complaints that everything's been unfair, and then there will be lawsuits from Coleman's camp.
Of course it goes without saying that Franken should avoid flying in private planes.
Next will be the loud complaints that everything's been unfair, and then there will be lawsuits from Coleman's camp.
Of course it goes without saying that Franken should avoid flying in private planes.
Read the rest at Talking Points Memo.
NTSB report on Michael Connell
Here's a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board on the wreck that killed repugican computer whiz Michael Connell.
The NTSB still doesn't know or isn't saying what caused the crash.
The NTSB still doesn't know or isn't saying what caused the crash.
From At Largely.
GMAC, which is now classified as a bank, gets its bailout billions.
OK, so now I wonder ... amid all the giant banks and Wall Street financiers being bailed out how many real banks - small-town banks and local banks with just a few branches that are struggling and destined to go under or be bought by one of the big banks will get any bailout cash.
Can the little banks get even a paltry hundred grand of the bottomless billions the big banks are tapping like a fifth avenue whore (and without having to pay her for 'it' either)?
Can the little banks get even a paltry hundred grand of the bottomless billions the big banks are tapping like a fifth avenue whore (and without having to pay her for 'it' either)?
See more in New York Times.
The US Justice Dept seeks to prosecute a President who authorized torture
The US Justice Dept seeks to prosecute a President (of Liberia) who authorized torture.
(Insert punchline here.)
(Insert punchline here.)
Full story at Salon.
Our Readers in Real Time
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the Netherlands, Iran, India, Brazil, Finland, Denmark, the United States, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Spain, Mexico, Indonesia and Venezuela
are enjoying Carolina Naturally.
I know this is the second listing for the day, but for whatever reason December 31, 22008 appears to be the day everyone is reading Carolina Naturally.
This is a good thing.
Police arrest Shiite cult leader in Iraq
Police in Iraq today announced the arrest of a leading figure in a messianic Shiite cult that has battled with Iraqi and U.S. forces, possibly thwarting plans by the group to carry out attacks against hundreds of thousands of pilgrims that will gather next week at one of Iraq's holiest shrines.
The arrest came as the Iraqi government made final preparations for what it considers a restoration of its full sovereignty when a new security agreement with the United States goes into effect on New Year's Day.
Under the agreement, Iraqi authorities will have oversight over U.S. military operations and formally assume control of the Green Zone in central Baghdad.
A top adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Sadiq al-Rikabi, described January 1, 2009, as a "historic day" during which "the symbols of sovereignty, which are highly cherished by Iraqis, will be restored."
The arrest came as the Iraqi government made final preparations for what it considers a restoration of its full sovereignty when a new security agreement with the United States goes into effect on New Year's Day.
Under the agreement, Iraqi authorities will have oversight over U.S. military operations and formally assume control of the Green Zone in central Baghdad.
A top adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Sadiq al-Rikabi, described January 1, 2009, as a "historic day" during which "the symbols of sovereignty, which are highly cherished by Iraqis, will be restored."
The Freegans
I posted a piece earlier this month about Survival by Dumpster Diving having to do with the Freegan Movement.
Today I found their website and you can take a look for yourself at what they are about here.
With the economy tanking as it is, we all may become 'freegans' and not by choice either!
Today I found their website and you can take a look for yourself at what they are about here.
*****
With the economy tanking as it is, we all may become 'freegans' and not by choice either!
Crazy English
Have you ever wondered why English is the hardest language on the face of the earth to learn?
Even if you have not, here is an example of just why English IS the hardest language to learn:
Crazy English
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
12. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
13. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
14. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
15. They were too close to the door to close it.
16. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
17. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
18. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
19. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
20. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
21. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
Even if you have not, here is an example of just why English IS the hardest language to learn:
Crazy English
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
12. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
13. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
14. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
15. They were too close to the door to close it.
16. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
17. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
18. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
19. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
20. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
21. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
*****
I found this at Beautiful Perth and it struck me as a good example of why English gives the devil to those trying to learn it - and American English is the hardest of the hardest to learn, to boot!
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Pawnshops going uptown
According to the Wall Street Journal ...
In another sure sign the economy's tanking - the 'well-to-do' are pawning their baubles. My oh, my what is the world coming to, when the wealthy have to live like everybody else!?!
Just think that mother had to buy all those private school uniforms rather than let her spawn attend classes with the unwashed masses - we can't have her precious rubbing elbows with the 'help' now can we?
People pulling up to pawnshops today are driving Cadillacs and Bmws...Lee Amberg, owner of AA Classic Windy City Jewelry & Loan in affluent Evanston, Illinois, said he's been seeing Cartier watches, two-carat diamonds, David Yurman jewelry and pieces from Tiffany's.
One client, he said, brought in a fur coat from Saks Fifth Avenue that retailed at $9,000. She told him she needed a loan to help buy private-school uniforms for her child.
Read more in the - Wall Street Journal
In another sure sign the economy's tanking - the 'well-to-do' are pawning their baubles. My oh, my what is the world coming to, when the wealthy have to live like everybody else!?!
Just think that mother had to buy all those private school uniforms rather than let her spawn attend classes with the unwashed masses - we can't have her precious rubbing elbows with the 'help' now can we?
Top 10 things Americans want
But Congress refuses to listen
10. Marijuana Decriminalization
9. Universal Health Care
8. Stricter Campaign Finance Laws
7. Equal Aid to Palestinians and Israelis
6. Reducing Military Spending.
5. Increased Social Spending
4. Acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol.
3. A Diplomatic Solution with Iran
2. Troops out of Iraq
1. Impeach that Bush bastard.
9. Universal Health Care
8. Stricter Campaign Finance Laws
7. Equal Aid to Palestinians and Israelis
6. Reducing Military Spending.
5. Increased Social Spending
4. Acceptance of the Kyoto Protocol.
3. A Diplomatic Solution with Iran
2. Troops out of Iraq
1. Impeach that Bush bastard.
Group moves people into foreclosed houses
Activists illegally place homeless in empty homes, say squatters help protect properties.
Max Rameau delivers his sales pitch like a pro. “All tile floor!” he says during a recent showing. “And the living room, wow! It has great blinds.”
But in nearly every other respect, he is unlike any real estate agent you've ever met. He is unshaven, drives a beat-up car and wears grungy cut-off sweat pants. He also breaks into the homes he shows. And his clients don't have a dime for a down payment.
Rameau is an activist who has been executing a bailout plan of his own around Miami's empty streets: He is helping homeless people illegally move into foreclosed homes.
“We're matching homeless people with peopleless homes,” he said with a grin.
Rameau and a group of like-minded advocates formed Take Back the Land, which also helps the new “tenants” with secondhand furniture, cleaning supplies and yard upkeep. So far, he has moved six families into foreclosed homes and has nine on a waiting list.
“I think everyone deserves a home,” said Rameau, who said he takes no money from his work with the homeless. “Homeless people across the country are squatting in empty homes. The question is: Is this going to be done out of desperation or with direction?”
Rameau, who makes his living as a computer consultant, said he is doing the owners a favor, saving the properties from drug dealers, vandals and thieves.
He said he is not scared of getting arrested.
“There's a real need here, and there's a disconnect between the need and the law,” he said. “Being arrested is just one of the potential factors in doing this.”
Miami spokeswoman Kelly Penton said city officials did not know Rameau was moving homeless into empty buildings – but they are also not stopping him.
“There are no actions on the city's part to stop this,” she said in an e-mail. “It is important to note that if people trespass into private property, it is up to the property owner to take action to remove those individuals.”
Tiny microhabitat for the study marine organisms
MIT researchers have built a tiny microhabitat to study the food chain of marine microbes. The microbial ecosystem is about the size of a piece of chewing gum, or microscope slide.From the MIT News Office:
The MIT study is one of the first detailed explorations of how sea creatures so small -- 500,000 can fit on the head of a pin -- find food in an ocean-size environment...
Depending on the organism being studied, nutrients or prey are injected with a syringe-based pump into the device's microfluidic channel, which is 45 mm long, 3 mm wide and 50 micrometers deep. "While relying on different swimming strategies, all three organisms exhibited behaviors which permitted efficient and rapid exploitation of resource patches," (professor Roman) Stocker said. It took bacteria less than 30 seconds, for example, to congregate within a patch of organic nutrients.
This new laboratory tool creates a microhabitat where tiny sea creatures live, swim, assimilate chemicals and eat each other. It provides the first methodological, sub-millimeter scale examination of a food web that includes single-celled phytoplankton, bacteria and protozoan predators in action.
The 2008 Stats
Carolina Naturally is ...
averaging about 400 readers a day
averaging around 12,000 readers a month
read in 158 countries
averaging about 400 readers a day
averaging around 12,000 readers a month
read in 158 countries
Not all that bad for a little ol'blog that is only a year and a half old and only advertised for the last few months. But has garnered a number of awards for 'best find' and 'hidden gem' as well as a few 'best of' awards in 2008. (Wish we had won all the ones we were up for, but you can't have everything ... it's the ones you didn't even know you were up for that are the most satisfying when you receive them, though).
Flavonoids improve performance
Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain Performance
All that chocolate might actually help finish the bumper Christmas crossword over the seasonal period. According to Oxford researchers working with colleagues in Norway, chocolate, wine and tea enhance cognitive performance.The team from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway examined the relation between cognitive performance and the intake of three common foodstuffs that contain flavonoids (chocolate, wine, and tea) in 2,031 older people (aged between 70 and 74).
Participants filled in information about their habitual food intake and underwent a battery of cognitive tests.Those who consumed chocolate, wine, or tea had significantly better mean test scores and lower prevalence of poor cognitive performance than those who did not. The team reported their findings in the Journal of Nutrition.
The role of micronutrients in age-related cognitive decline is being increasingly studied. Fruits and beverages such as tea, red wine, cocoa, and coffee are major dietary sources of polyphenols, micronutrients found in plant-derived foods. The largest subclass of dietary polyphenols is flavonoids, and it has been reported in the past that those who consume lots of flavonoids have a lower incidence of dementia.
Derinkuyu, the mysterious underground city of Turkey
In 1963, an inhabitant of Derinkuyu (in the region of Capadocia, central Anatolia, Turkey), demolishing a wall of his house-cave, discovered that behind the wall was a mysterious room that never had been seen; this room lead to another one, and this one to another one and another one. Thus by chance the underground city of Derinkuyu was rediscovered, whose first level was probably excavated by the Hittites around year 1400 a.C.
The archaeologists began to study this fascinating abandoned underground city.
At present 20 underground levels are explored. The upper eight levels only can be visited; the others partially are obstructed or reserved to the archaeologists and anthropologists who study Derinkuyu.
Read the rest here.
The Six Nations of 2010
See it is not only the wing-nuts here that are delusional ... it is wing-nuts everywhere. Delusions are their whole and entire existence.
In what sounds to be very obviously an act of wishful projection, a former KGB intelligence analyst turned public intellectual named Igor Panarin has explained to the Wall Street Journal that the United States only has about 18 months left to live. In the summer of 2010, it will "disintegrate" into six politically separate realms – and, conveniently for a thinker who clearly leans to the right, the borders of these realms will coincide with a new racial segregation. The fantasy of living amidst people who don't look like you will come to an end.
Best of all, from Panarin's perspective, Alaska – Sarah Palin included, looking out with alarm from her office window – will "revert" to Russian control.
Of course giving Sarah Palin back to the Russians would not be should a bad thing, now would it.
The Six Nations of 2010 
[Image: Professor Igor Panarin's six-fold vision of a disintegrated United States; I love how it will precisely follow today's existing state lines – and that Kentucky will join the European Union].
[Image: Professor Igor Panarin's six-fold vision of a disintegrated United States; I love how it will precisely follow today's existing state lines – and that Kentucky will join the European Union].In what sounds to be very obviously an act of wishful projection, a former KGB intelligence analyst turned public intellectual named Igor Panarin has explained to the Wall Street Journal that the United States only has about 18 months left to live. In the summer of 2010, it will "disintegrate" into six politically separate realms – and, conveniently for a thinker who clearly leans to the right, the borders of these realms will coincide with a new racial segregation. The fantasy of living amidst people who don't look like you will come to an end.
Best of all, from Panarin's perspective, Alaska – Sarah Palin included, looking out with alarm from her office window – will "revert" to Russian control.
Read the rest here.
Of course giving Sarah Palin back to the Russians would not be should a bad thing, now would it.
Very Bad Idea
The state of Oregon to pursue mileage tax
This is a very, very bad idea for so many reasons…
“As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.”
According to the policies he has outlined online, Kulongoski proposes to continue the work of the special task force that came up with and tested the idea of a mileage tax to replace the gas tax. […]
A GPS-based system kept track of the in-state mileage driven by the volunteers. When they bought fuel, a device in their vehicles was read, and they paid 1.2 cents a mile and got a refund of the state gas tax of 24 cents a gallon.
More than there should be
716,760 people are dead because of the shrub and the two wars he started if you use the lowest credible estimates.
Other credible estimates put it higher.
Since the total is not fully known until long after the war is over and wartime numbers tend to be low there are credible sources placing the number at 1.5 million dead now.
1.5 million many turn out to be low as well after all is said and done.
Even if the 716,760 number is correct - that is 716,760 more than there should be.
Other credible estimates put it higher.
Since the total is not fully known until long after the war is over and wartime numbers tend to be low there are credible sources placing the number at 1.5 million dead now.
1.5 million many turn out to be low as well after all is said and done.
Even if the 716,760 number is correct - that is 716,760 more than there should be.
Our readers in Real Time
Right now readers with taste are enjoying Carolina Naturally in:
The USA, Turkey, Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Poland, Romania, Kuwait, Russia, New Zealand, Chile, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and China.
The USA, Turkey, Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Poland, Romania, Kuwait, Russia, New Zealand, Chile, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and China.
Underground explosion rocks Savannah's downtown
Crews were waiting for an area to cool off under the streets of downtown Savannah before they could start determining what caused an electrical explosion Monday that blew off manhole covers and knocked out power for hours to many stores, restaurants and homes.
By late Monday, almost all streets had reopened, as did stores and restaurants evacuated after the blast, said police spokesman Gene Harley.
Also, crews had restored power to all the homes and all but a few businesses that had gone dark, said a Georgia Power spokeswoman.
No injuries were reported and there was only minimal property damage, officials said.
Police evacuated the historic downtown district after getting calls about the explosion around 8:49 a.m., Harley said.
"I didn't see it happen, but I heard an explosion and then black smoke started billowing out of the ground from the manhole covers," said city spokesman Bret Bell, who was about a block away at City Hall.
The fire department sprayed foam to cool down the affected areas, but the blast site was still too hot late Monday for crews to access the underground electrical cable network to determine the cause, said Georgia Power spokeswoman Swann Seiler.
In August, an underground electrical fire just blocks away also spewed smoke through manhole covers and cut off power downtown.
That problem, Seiler said, was caused by a fault in the underground network system.Georgia Power is in the second year of a $50 million five-year upgrade in the underground power network downtown, Seiler said.
"I think this will probably trigger some sort of larger public discussion," Bell said.
"I think the public will want to know exactly what Georgia Power is doing."
The affected area included River Street, the site of many of Savannah's tourist attractions, shops and restaurants.
"We are very fortunate that, in this high traffic area, with three manhole covers coming up, there were no injuries and relatively no property damage," Seiler said.
By late Monday, almost all streets had reopened, as did stores and restaurants evacuated after the blast, said police spokesman Gene Harley.
Also, crews had restored power to all the homes and all but a few businesses that had gone dark, said a Georgia Power spokeswoman.
No injuries were reported and there was only minimal property damage, officials said.
Police evacuated the historic downtown district after getting calls about the explosion around 8:49 a.m., Harley said.
"I didn't see it happen, but I heard an explosion and then black smoke started billowing out of the ground from the manhole covers," said city spokesman Bret Bell, who was about a block away at City Hall.
The fire department sprayed foam to cool down the affected areas, but the blast site was still too hot late Monday for crews to access the underground electrical cable network to determine the cause, said Georgia Power spokeswoman Swann Seiler.
In August, an underground electrical fire just blocks away also spewed smoke through manhole covers and cut off power downtown.
That problem, Seiler said, was caused by a fault in the underground network system.Georgia Power is in the second year of a $50 million five-year upgrade in the underground power network downtown, Seiler said.
"I think this will probably trigger some sort of larger public discussion," Bell said.
"I think the public will want to know exactly what Georgia Power is doing."
The affected area included River Street, the site of many of Savannah's tourist attractions, shops and restaurants.
"We are very fortunate that, in this high traffic area, with three manhole covers coming up, there were no injuries and relatively no property damage," Seiler said.
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says
You can make good profits in the coming year, even if times are tough.
Now, that's what I like to hear!
You can make good profits in the coming year, even if times are tough.
Now, that's what I like to hear!
Monday, December 29, 2008
SAY WHAT?!
From the "You've got to be kidding!" Department:
Damn, the sheer stupidity of some really does amaze one doesn't it?
Conservative professor: 'saddest part' of 9/11 attacks was impact on Bush
As the outgoing administration coasts toward a quickly approaching, inevitable end, its dwindling number of staunch supporters is waging a media offensive in an effort to polish the blood-soaked legacy of George W. Bush.
We've heard it echoed in every corner of the national media. Bush wants to be seen as a "liberator of millions." Rove insists that "history will be kind" to his former boss. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is sure that "this generation" will thank George W. Bush.
That remains to be seen. But even for Republican lackeys and apologists who seek to obscure Bush's monumental failures in the pages of history with obfuscations and outright lies, this one is low.
"For me, the saddest part about the terrorist attacks of 9-11 is the long-term impact on the presidency of George W. Bush," wrote Tony Campbell, an adjunct professor of political science with Maryland-based Towson University, on The Moderate Voice Monday.
Nevermind the 3,000+ Americans who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Or the resulting wars. Or that one of the countries Bush chose to invade had nothing to do with the attacks. Or even the lingering, unanswered questions as to just how exactly the 9/11 attacks were pulled off.
Read the rest at Raw Story.
Damn, the sheer stupidity of some really does amaze one doesn't it?
Shrub Presidential Library a laughingstock
Here's a London Times OpEd piece suggesting, (suggesting hell, outright saying), that the shrub's $300-million Presidential Library on the campus at Southern Methodist University is going to be repository of lies and a bit of a joke.
Oh, it will be a repository of lies all right - and some whoppers, too ... but a 'bit' of a joke? I mean come on it will be a laughingstock
Oh, it will be a repository of lies all right - and some whoppers, too ... but a 'bit' of a joke? I mean come on it will be a laughingstock
Read more in the London Times.
Worth a thousand words
GOP donor Robert Toussie - whose scammer son Isaac was pardoned and then un-pardoned by the shrub - poses with the shrub earlier this year.
The shrub posed for a smiley photo with Robert Toussie, the repugican donor and father of pardoned/no-you're-not real estate scammer Isaac Toussie.From the New York Daily News.
Faux News lying again
FDR pretty much saved capitalism and steered America out of the Great Depression.
But at Faux News the story is that Roosevelt prolonged the Great Depression.
(well if the truth be known - he did prolong the Great Depression of the repugicans from 1930 to 1981 ... for the rest of us he pretty much ended the Great Depression in the USA)
But at Faux News the story is that Roosevelt prolonged the Great Depression.
(well if the truth be known - he did prolong the Great Depression of the repugicans from 1930 to 1981 ... for the rest of us he pretty much ended the Great Depression in the USA)
Read more at Campaign for America's Future.
The war on terror is a trillion-dollar boondoggle
The war on terror is a trillion-dollar boondoggle, so far.
And it's not just money spent to line the pockets of cronies and crooks, like the Wall Street boondoggle, oh, no ... no sir, it's billions and billions and billions and ... spent just to make the problem worse.
And it's not just money spent to line the pockets of cronies and crooks, like the Wall Street boondoggle, oh, no ... no sir, it's billions and billions and billions and ... spent just to make the problem worse.
See the rest in Time Magazine.
Cops steal from Toys for Tots
The four District of Columbia police officers reportedly caught on tape stealing from Toys for Tots “tarnished” the department’s image, a police official said.
Police confirmed that the four officers had been put on desk jobs as internal affairs investigates them for stealing toys. Officials said if the officers did take the toys intended for the city’s youth, they will be prosecuted.
See more at the DC Examiner.
Makes you wonder
Alaska State Troopers delayed their execution of a search warrant for Bristol Palin's baby daddy's mother on Meth charges until after the election.
Think on that for a while.
Basically it is the opposite of a political railroading -- they stopped their police work for the election.
That is criminal in and of itself. Isn't it? Or, it should be!
Think on that for a while.
Basically it is the opposite of a political railroading -- they stopped their police work for the election.
That is criminal in and of itself. Isn't it? Or, it should be!
Read the rest in the Washington Post.
No Photography in Photography Contest
A photographer taking pictures for Amtrak's annual "Picture Our Trains" contest has been arrested by Amtrak Police for taking photos of the trains from a public platform in New York City's Penn Station.
See the full story at carlosmiller.com.
Not our best moment
In not one of our best moments ...
North Carolina, lawmakers are proposing a pittance pay-off to victims of the state's long-running eugenics program.
North Carolina, lawmakers are proposing a pittance pay-off to victims of the state's long-running eugenics program.
More from the Associated Press.
Did you know ...
Last week's coal ash disaster in Tennessee is already about three times the size that "officials" first said it was.
And did you know that coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste ...
And did you know that coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste ...
See more at ThinkProgess.
All hell breaks loose in the middle east ...
... and the shrub refuses to interrupt his vacation?!
While the shrub has been 'briefed' on the situation, he has opted not to interrupt his final vacation as president to make a public statement on the crisis.
For the idiot, who has enjoyed the most vacation days as sitting president — including days spent relaxing in comfort during hurricane Katrina and in the lead-up to 9/11 — it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the shrub prioritizes vacationing over crisis management.Read more at think progress
Ellie Nesler dies at 56
Ellie Nesler, who sparked a national debate about vigilantism after killing her son's accused molester in a courtroom in 1993, has died of cancer.
A spokeswoman for the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento says Nesler died there Friday morning.
The 56-year-old had battled breast cancer since 1994.
Nesler shot Daniel Driver five times in the head during a break in his preliminary hearing in a Tuolumne County courtroom.
Driver had been accused of molesting four boys, including her son Willy.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three years of a 10-year sentence before winning an appeal based on jury misconduct.
The case became a 1999 TV movie, "Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story."
A spokeswoman for the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento says Nesler died there Friday morning.
The 56-year-old had battled breast cancer since 1994.
Nesler shot Daniel Driver five times in the head during a break in his preliminary hearing in a Tuolumne County courtroom.
Driver had been accused of molesting four boys, including her son Willy.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three years of a 10-year sentence before winning an appeal based on jury misconduct.
The case became a 1999 TV movie, "Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story."
Chemistry student busted for Meth and bombs in error
Annalee Newitz at i09 writes about Lewis Casey, a Saskatchewan college student who built a home chemistry lab and was arrested by police who thought he was brewing Meth.
A few days later, the police realized that the chemistry major wasn't manufacturing drugs but kept him in stir anyway because the lab could allegedly be used for making bombs.
From i09:
A few days later, the police realized that the chemistry major wasn't manufacturing drugs but kept him in stir anyway because the lab could allegedly be used for making bombs.
From i09:
On December 24, Casey was finally released into his parents' custody, pending a trial to determine whether he was building what police called "improvised explosive devices."
Yesterday Casey's lawyer told local journalists:
My client is a very intelligent young man . . . he's very keen in chemistry, a very curious young person and very capable, very knowledgeable in the area and he was always curious with regard to chemistry, chemical compounds, chemical reactions, that kind of thing. So from my client's point of view, it's completely innocent insofar as he had no intention of creating any explosives or explosive devices. As people probably know, anything in your house can constitute or be used in chemical or explosive devices, including sugar and cleaning compounds, Mr. Clean, bleach, detergents, all those sorts of things.
Troubling trends
Black teenagers are killing each other in rising numbers but the troubling trend has been masked by a falling crime rate in the United States, according to a study released today by Northeastern University.
FBI crime statistics show overall decreases in murder and other violent crimes.
But a report by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt uncovers other disturbing trends within that data.
Among their findings: an increase of more than 39 percent in the number of black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed between 2000 and 2007, and an increase of 34 percent in the number of blacks that age group who committed homicide.
The increases for white male teens age 14-17 during that same period were nearly 17 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
FBI crime statistics show overall decreases in murder and other violent crimes.
But a report by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt uncovers other disturbing trends within that data.
Among their findings: an increase of more than 39 percent in the number of black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed between 2000 and 2007, and an increase of 34 percent in the number of blacks that age group who committed homicide.
The increases for white male teens age 14-17 during that same period were nearly 17 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Sneezing and sexual thoughts
Earlier this month over on our sister blog I posted a blurb about research showing that every time a man sneezes he is thinking about sex.
So myself and several male friends have been doing our own 'research' into the correlation between sneezing and thoughts of sex for the past few weeks.
I am able to report that preliminary findings indicate the initial study to be grossly flawed in that absolutely no instance of sexual thoughts occurred prior to,during or after any sneezes in the last few weeks from either myself or any of my friends participating in the highly scientific research.
So the premise that women could tell what is on a man's mind when he sneezes is debunked for now ... the 'research' will continue.
So myself and several male friends have been doing our own 'research' into the correlation between sneezing and thoughts of sex for the past few weeks.
I am able to report that preliminary findings indicate the initial study to be grossly flawed in that absolutely no instance of sexual thoughts occurred prior to,during or after any sneezes in the last few weeks from either myself or any of my friends participating in the highly scientific research.
So the premise that women could tell what is on a man's mind when he sneezes is debunked for now ... the 'research' will continue.
Did You Know ...
That in the United States it is illegal to boycott products from Israel or to even ask if a product is made in Israel or from Israeli materials!
You can boycott products from any other country or source of any product or ask about the country of origin or source of any other product until you are blue in the face if you want to ... but don't even think of boycotting junk from Israel!
You can boycott products from any other country or source of any product or ask about the country of origin or source of any other product until you are blue in the face if you want to ... but don't even think of boycotting junk from Israel!
Diabetic News: Thiamine 'reverses kidney damage'
 |
Doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, research shows.
Read the rest at the BBC.
Stalin - Greatest Ever, Not
 Stalin continues to be popular with many Russians |
Former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was beaten by medieval prince Alexander Nevsky in a poll held by a TV station to find the greatest Russian.
Stalin came third, despite being responsible for the deaths of millions of Soviets in labor camps and purges.
Alexander Nevsky fought off European invaders in the 13th century to preserve a united Russia.
In second place was reformist Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, who was assassinated in 1911.Read the rest at the BBC.
Still, he came in THIRD?! What does that say about the Russians and how they view things?
Duchess of Carnegie refuses to leave
From CNN:
Editta Sherman has marked more than half a century's worth of new years in her apartment above New York's Carnegie Hall. But it's unlikely she will be raising her glass there next year. Known as the Duchess of Carnegie, the 96-year-old came home a few days ago to find an eviction notice on her door. But she's not going without a fight. "They'll have to take me out of here with their bare hands," Sherman says.
Just in case you missed it ...
The Detroit Lions of the NFL have achieved what no other team has ever achieved ... a perfect season!
With a perfect 0 and 16 record the Lions are the only team in NFL history to loose all 16 games in a season.
With a perfect 0 and 16 record the Lions are the only team in NFL history to loose all 16 games in a season.
The head coach is already gone and the rest of the team should be packing their bags just to be prepared - the odds are most will not be with the team next season ... other coaches, trainers, players, etc.
There is a real possibility that none of the current team will be with the team next season - however small it is, it is there.
There is a real possibility that none of the current team will be with the team next season - however small it is, it is there.
US seeks 147-year sentence in Taylor torture case
Federal prosecutors in Miami are seeking 147 years in prison for the torture convictions against the son of ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor.
A judge is scheduled January 9, 2009 to sentence 31-year-old Charles McArthur Emmanuel, also known as Chuckie Taylor.
Emmanuel was convicted in October of committing torture and other abuses as head of a paramilitary force in his father's government.
It was the first use of a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture overseas.
Prosecutors say the lengthy sentence would send a worldwide message against torture. Emmanuel's court-appointed lawyer didn't immediately comment.
Charles Taylor is on trial before a United Nations tribunal for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone.
All right, when to the trails for the shrub and the cabal for committing torture to begin and are their sentences to be comparable?!
Or is the fact that they are white and Taylor is black have any bearing on the case?
Taylor should be locked away for his actions and the severity of them.
However the sentence of 147 years is a stretch.
Handing him that many years is nothing but a publicity stunt ... it sounds better than 'Life and a day', which is what it should be.
That implies the notion he will never leave prison except feet first in a pine box, whereas 147 years leaves the remote possibility of he's being released from prison prior to his death as a foul taste in the mouths of his victims.
The shrub and the rest of the cabal deserve no less.
A judge is scheduled January 9, 2009 to sentence 31-year-old Charles McArthur Emmanuel, also known as Chuckie Taylor.
Emmanuel was convicted in October of committing torture and other abuses as head of a paramilitary force in his father's government.
It was the first use of a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture overseas.
Prosecutors say the lengthy sentence would send a worldwide message against torture. Emmanuel's court-appointed lawyer didn't immediately comment.
Charles Taylor is on trial before a United Nations tribunal for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone.
*****
All right, when to the trails for the shrub and the cabal for committing torture to begin and are their sentences to be comparable?!
Or is the fact that they are white and Taylor is black have any bearing on the case?
Taylor should be locked away for his actions and the severity of them.
However the sentence of 147 years is a stretch.
Handing him that many years is nothing but a publicity stunt ... it sounds better than 'Life and a day', which is what it should be.
That implies the notion he will never leave prison except feet first in a pine box, whereas 147 years leaves the remote possibility of he's being released from prison prior to his death as a foul taste in the mouths of his victims.
The shrub and the rest of the cabal deserve no less.
Yes, Ohio, there is a Santa Claus!
And in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, about 50 miles southwest of Cleveland, Santa’s name is Lance.
Lance, inc., actually.
In a rarity in recent times, Lance inc. is in the news -- not for something negative like excessive executive pay in the face of shareholder losses and employee firings – but for compassion and kindness.
For no apparent business reason, the snack food corporation swept into Ashland and gave 274 unemployed bakery workers a reason to celebrate this year.
The story begins in October when the Archway cookie factory was closed by its owners, a private equity firm (read: tax dodge for repugicans and/or their cronies).
Despite assurances that the closing was temporary, within days, the locks were changed, bankruptcy was filed, and the almost 300 employees were left without jobs or benefits.
Even in Ashland, hard hit by the economy and losers of over 200,000 jobs during the shrub and cabal junta, the closing came as a blow.
Lance, inc., actually.
In a rarity in recent times, Lance inc. is in the news -- not for something negative like excessive executive pay in the face of shareholder losses and employee firings – but for compassion and kindness.
For no apparent business reason, the snack food corporation swept into Ashland and gave 274 unemployed bakery workers a reason to celebrate this year.
The story begins in October when the Archway cookie factory was closed by its owners, a private equity firm (read: tax dodge for repugicans and/or their cronies).
Despite assurances that the closing was temporary, within days, the locks were changed, bankruptcy was filed, and the almost 300 employees were left without jobs or benefits.
Even in Ashland, hard hit by the economy and losers of over 200,000 jobs during the shrub and cabal junta, the closing came as a blow.
...as of last week, 60 of the original 274 Archway employees were back to work, with their seniority, health benefits, and pay intact, as Lance re-opened the bakery with plans for full-capacity production by the end of 2009.Not satisfied with bringing good cheer to the 60 rehires, Lance gave each of the former archway employees a $1,500.00 gift card and the promise that bringing all of them back to work is the intention.
Full story at examiner.com
Blago Schmago
Read RS Janes take on the Blago persecution here.
In which he asks: Is Illinois’ F**king Golden Boy Merely the Stooge for a Partisan GOP Attack on Obama and the Dems?
It is a long editorial worth the read and he ends it thus:
In which he asks: Is Illinois’ F**king Golden Boy Merely the Stooge for a Partisan GOP Attack on Obama and the Dems?
It is a long editorial worth the read and he ends it thus:
This is not intended as a defense of Rod Blagojevich; he’s probably a typical political slime bucket in the ‘Hizzoner’ Chicago tradition but, nonetheless, he has some very powerful business forces that want him out of office, and he deserves to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Up to now, the BM and Fitzgerald have convicted him before a jury has even seen the evidence and, no matter if he’s cleared of all charges, his reputation and political career are permanently ruined.
My guess is Fitzgerald may even quietly drop most of the charges by March – without palpable irony, he’ll blame the firestorm of media coverage as the major reason, a conflagration he ignited, likely for his own political advancement.
That may well be the actual case of political corruption here.
Broom factory at Wyoming prison opening to visitors
The days were long, the work repetitive and the conditions rough.
But for prisoners, the opportunity to work in the Wyoming Territorial Prison's broom factory was probably better than passing time in a cell.
Now the operators of the historic site want visitors to get a taste of old-fashioned prison labor.
The state recently completed a two-year restoration of the wooden building, which sits next to the stone prison that housed Butch Cassidy.
Officials are building a hands-on exhibit inside the building, where visitors can make brooms using replicas of the original tools the prisoners toiled over.
They hope to debut the exhibit when the park opens for its summer season.
"This was a very functional building so we wanted to have that feel in here," site curator Teresa Sherwood said as she pointed out pieces of original equipment and recently purchased bales of broom corn.
But for prisoners, the opportunity to work in the Wyoming Territorial Prison's broom factory was probably better than passing time in a cell.
Now the operators of the historic site want visitors to get a taste of old-fashioned prison labor.
The state recently completed a two-year restoration of the wooden building, which sits next to the stone prison that housed Butch Cassidy.
Officials are building a hands-on exhibit inside the building, where visitors can make brooms using replicas of the original tools the prisoners toiled over.
They hope to debut the exhibit when the park opens for its summer season.
"This was a very functional building so we wanted to have that feel in here," site curator Teresa Sherwood said as she pointed out pieces of original equipment and recently purchased bales of broom corn.
Welcome new readers
Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers in our newest country: Ethiopia
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Use your wits to figure out how to bring more money in.
With the economy tanking, you better believe it!
Use your wits to figure out how to bring more money in.
With the economy tanking, you better believe it!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Lew Powell's 32nd annual Carolina Follies
2008: Misconduct! Manipulation! Money-grubbing!
... And that's just United Way
Worst new idea of the year:
Sam Massell, promoter of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, offered this advice to Charlotte: “The ‘South Park' cartoon out there … can leave a very negative impression for people. … Your leaders might want to consider changing the area's name. Doing that would make national news.”
And WMDs! I'm SURE there were WMDs!
In her supposed memoir, “The Last Dance for Grace,” Durham stripper Crystal Mangum wrote, “I want to assert, without equivocation, that I was assaulted.”
Worst new song of the year:
“Chapel on the Hill,” performed by the High and Mighties. Sample lyrics: “Hit Peppers Pizza for a slice walking down Franklin Street/ Pass a lady selling flowers, Hare Krishnas kick their beat.”
Worst new song of the year (runner-up):
“It's So Much Fun to Be This Good,” performed by the Bad Daddies for the Charlotte Chamber. Sample lyrics: “Pro-business attitude/Three-five-two-one latitude.”
Hey, don't let it stifle your opinions – there's always WBT:
An unidentified N.C. State student, apologizing for having spray-painted “Hang Obama by a Noose” in the Free Expression Tunnel, said, “My intentions were simply to express my views on the outcome of the election, but went too far.”
Worst new smell of the year:
“UNC for Women … a refreshing, airy and sparkling fragrance with soft base notes evoking the beauty, romance and Southern charm of Carolina's Old Well.” $60 for 3.4 ounces.
Worst old smell of the year:
Mac McCarley, Charlotte city attorney, likened the scent of Wallace Farm to “vomit heated in a frying pan.”
Pa would've rolled over in his grave – if he'd ever gotten there:
While serving an arrest warrant, New Hanover County sheriff's deputies plunged a funeral into chaos by Tasering the dead man's son, who was serving as pallbearer.
Understatement of the year:
Curiously out of touch with how United Way came to have a job opening, interim CEO Mac Everett speculated that “people maybe have a reason to be angry, I don't know.”
Blunderstatement of the year:
S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, attempting to explain to Wolf Blitzer how John McCain's economic policies differ from President Bush's: “Um, yeah. I mean for instance, take, you know, um, uh, take for instance the issue of, uh, of, um (drums fingers), I'm drawing a blank, and, I hate it when I do that, particularly on television.”
Blunderstatement understatement of the year:
“Sound bites,” press secretary Joel Sawyer acknowledged, “have never been the governor's strong suit.”
Overstatement of the year:
Impatient about the arrival of $80 million in incentives for not relocating his track, Bruton Smith complained to Concord City Council that “I'm being the victim all over again.”
Overstatement of the year (runner-up):
Two weeks after Bob Steel touted Wachovia's “great future as an independent company,” the bank announced it was selling itself.
Sports historians will note that by 2008 the supply of unused team names had become so depleted that a minor-league baseball franchise in North Carolina resorted to identifying itself with a punctuation mark:
The Winston-Salem Warthogs changed their name to the Dash. (Eat your heart out, Wilkes-Barre!)
Would you want your sister to marry a (North Carolina) legislator?
Barely two years after gutting an ethics bill that would've limited how quickly former legislators could hire on as lobbyists, Drew Saunders of Huntersville, House Utilities Committee chairman, resigned to hire on as a utilities lobbyist.
Would you want your sister to marry a (South Carolina) legislator?
Denying any connection between his political action committee's taking $16,500 from payday lenders and his House committee's killing a reform bill, Harry Cato of Greenville, S.C., insisted, “I know in my heart, when I look in the mirror each morning, that contributions don't influence me. I answer to myself and what I know is right.”
Metaphor of the year:
Explaining how the recession nudged his store for nursing mothers “more toward Main Street and away from Rodeo Drive,” Adam Schmitz said, “We had to look really hard in the mirror and say, ‘There are bags under those eyes, and they're Gucci bags and we've got to get rid of them.'”
Want that with or without angioplasty prep?
New this year at the N.C. State Fair: deep-fried macaroni and cheese.
As a backup offensive lineman, he had long envied the better-known players' boisterous end-zone celebrations. Then one night something … popped:
Panthers lineman Jeremy Bridges was arrested after an incident that started with his spraying other restaurant patrons with Dom Perignon.
Dear God, you know I really MEANT to study harder for that English lit midterm:
In an ill-conceived security exercise, a mock intruder burst into a classroom at Elizabeth City State University, pointed what appeared to be a handgun, ordered the terrified students to line up against a wall and threatened to kill the one with the lowest grade-point average.
*****
Lew's been at this for 32 years, wow! Has it been that long already ... seems like only yesterday.
Had a bad year? '08 memories get shredded in NYC
Should auld acquaintance be forgot? Or maybe shredded?
In an event that organizers hope will become a New Year's tradition, New Yorkers and tourists were invited to bring bad memories from 2008 to Times Square today and feed them to an industrial-strength shredder.
"This is the perfect way to move on from a bad year, from a bad experience," said Kathryn Bonn, of New York City, who shredded a printout of her boyfriend's e-mail breaking up with her.
The event, the second annual "Good Riddance Day," was sponsored by the Times Square Alliance, organizers of the New Year's Eve ball-dropping celebration.
Some participants wrote "the stock market" or "cancer" on a piece of paper and shredded it, while others shredded bags of bank statements and check stubs.
Kate Anello, a Yankees fan from New York City, destroyed a poster of the city's longtime rival, the Boston Red Sox.
"I hate them," she said. "It felt good."
City resident Jay Ballesteros won a $250 prize for the most creative object to be shredded: a sock representing all the socks that emerge from the laundry without their mates.
"I'm hoping to use the prize to buy some brand new socks," he said.
Man spent days unnoticed in family's attic
A Wilkes-Barre, family didn't realize they'd had an unexpected Christmas guest until a man who had been in their attic for days emerged wearing their clothes.
Stanley Carter surrendered Friday after police took a dog to search the home in Plains Township, a suburb of Wilkes-Barre about 100 miles north of Philadelphia. He was charged with several counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal trespass.
"When he came down from the attic, he was wearing my daughter's pants and my sweat shirt and sneakers," homeowner Stacy Ferrance said. "From what I gather, he was helping himself to my home, eating my food and stealing my clothes."
Police said the 21-year-old Carter had been staying with his friends, who are Ferrance's neighbors in a duplex. He apparently accessed the shared attic through a trap door in a bedroom ceiling.
Carter went missing on December 19th and the friends filed a missing person report a few days before Christmas.
Ferrance said she had heard noises but thought they were caused by her three children. She notified police on Christmas Day when cash, a laptop computer and an iPod disappeared, then called police again the next day when she found footprints in her bedroom closet, where the attic trap door is located.
Carter kept a list of everything he took, said Plains Township police Officer Michael Smith.
"When we were going through the inventory of what he did take, we found a note labeled 'Stanley's Christmas List' of all the items he had removed from the residence and donated to himself," Smith said.
Black bears lumber into surprising places
‘They’re everywhere’
Once confined to the mountains and remote coastal swamps, black bears are being spotted in parts of South Carolina for the first time in generations.
Wildlife managers and scientists say black bears not only are increasing their territory but are growing in numbers in the Palmetto State.
“They’re everywhere,” said Skip Still, a state biologist who keeps bear statistics.
Since 2004, people have encountered bears in 36 of the state’s 46 counties, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. In contrast, people in only a handful of counties reported seeing bears in 2004.
The number of black bears declined after European settlers arrived in South Carolina. The settlers cleared land and hunted the animals as pests.
Now, maturing forests provide better habitat for bears, which thrive in woodlands filled with nuts and berries, experts say.
The public’s increased sensitivity to protecting bears also may be contributing to the animals’ rebound.
In some cases, bears have wandered into backyards. Other times, they have ventured into commercial areas. Most of the counties around Columbia have had at least one report of a black bear since 2004, DNR statistics show.
SEEING THE NUMBERS RISE
The shy bruins have been spotted most often in Upstate counties just east and south of South Carolina’s mountains, historically a stronghold for bears in the state.
The Department of Natural Resources confirmed reports of a bear in a steak-house parking lot near Anderson about two years ago.
Reported bear sightings in Anderson County jumped from two in 2004 to 23 this year, DNR statistics show. In Spartanburg County, the number rose from none in 2004 to 57 so far this year, according to DNR statistics.
But bear sightings aren’t just confined to the Upstate. Earlier this year, Lexington County residents videotaped a small black bear near Gilbert.
Some of the sightings may be because people are encroaching on bear habitat or because some of the same bears are moving through multiple counties.
It’s also possible South Carolina has had more bears than originally thought and people are simply reporting them more frequently. Wildlife cameras, increasingly used by hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, have captured images of bears in counties where they weren’t known to live.
State and federal wildlife experts say all of the reported sightings they receive, plus recent research, suggests an increase in the bear population.
Two years ago, the DNR revised its population estimates of South Carolina bears to about 1,200 from several hundred. It based part of its revision on bear surveys.
Black bears, which can weigh up to 600 pounds in South Carolina, aren’t typically aggressive —no one has been injured in the state by a bear in recorded history — but people should be wary when they see one, agency officials say. Experts advise people who encounter a bear to back slowly away from the animal. More than likely, the bear will leave.
Because of the bears’ spread, the DNR developed guidelines this year telling its staff how to deal with bears that come in contact with people.
The agency prefers not to relocate bears, but to discourage the use of things, such as open garbage cans, that attract the animals to areas populated by humans. DNR officials also encourage people not to feed bears. Occasionally, the agency will kill bears that are considered dangerous.
“If you take away the enticements that attract black bears, such as garbage cans, bird feeders, pet food, barbecue grills, compost piles and similar things, then you will likely not have problems with black bears,” DNR wildlife biologist Deana Ruth said.
EXTENDING THEIR TERRITORY
Frank Van Manen, a highly regarded bear biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said the South’s once denuded landscape now contains mature forests with plenty of shelter, as well as nuts and fruits. Parts of the Southeast are seeing increases in black bear populations, he said. The population growth has been particularly steady in coastal North Carolina.
“If you look at the bigger picture, it is fair to say that for the last 20 years, and especially the last decade, we’ve seen a very definite increase in range and with it, also an increase in numbers,” Van Manen said.
Bears may be moving into new territory because their traditional home counties — Pickens, Oconee, Horry and Georgetown — are getting too crowded with bears, biologists say. When too many of the animals populate one area, younger ones will move away.
Recent evidence shows bears are reproducing in more counties, as well. At least nine counties now have reproducing populations, compared to about five a decade ago.
The DNR recently added Anderson, Spartanburg, Berkeley and Charleston counties to the list with reproducing bears. Horry, Georgetown, Pickens, Oconee and Greenville have had reproducing populations.
The DNR also documented a mother bear and cubs in Dorchester County for the first time this year, Ruth said.
South Carolina allows a two-week hunting season for black bears in the mountains at the end of October each year. That has been a lightning rod for arguments among sportsmen, environmentalists and animal welfare groups, which say the sport is cruel and unnecessary.
But Still said there appear to be enough bears to withstand hunting pressures. Since 2004, the number of confirmed bear sightings has risen in Oconee, Pickens and Greenville counties from about 40 to 212 this year.
This year, hunters killed 48 bears, just 10 off the state record set in 2007.
In the cooler months after hunting season, bears are less active in South Carolina. They don’t hibernate like bears in colder climates, but they do become more sluggish because there’s not as much food available.
To learn more about the bear population in South Carolina, Van Manen and researchers from the DNR have launched a study near Myrtle Beach. One study in the late 1990s predicted bears near the booming coastal resort would be wiped out by 2010. The current study involves taking the DNA of hair samples collected from bears as they move through coastal forest and bogs.
Since each animal’s DNA is unique, researchers will be able to tell how many different bears exist. They also can tell if the S.C. bears are related to those in North Carolina’s coastal plain.
Van Manen said results of the study are expected by spring.
Ruth said she’s sure the bear population is increasing because motorists killed dozens of bears last year near Myrtle Beach in vehicle collisions.
Preliminary results of the state and federal study show plenty of bears taking bait during field research. Researchers put out day-old Krispy Kreme donuts to attract bears this year.
“We have to learn to live with bears,” Ruth said. “They are here and they are not leaving.”
Oldest man in the US, dies at 112
The nation's oldest man has died at 112.
The son of George Francis says his father died Saturday of congestive heart failure at a nursing home in Sacramento.
The son, 81-year-old Anthony Francis, says his father was born on June 6, 1896 in New Orleans, and that his only wife, Josephine Johnson Francis, died at age 63 in 1964.
UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles, who maintains a list of the world's oldest people, says Francis was the oldest man living in the U.S., at 112 years and 204 days.
Coles says the oldest living person in the world is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who is 115 years and 109 days old.
The son of George Francis says his father died Saturday of congestive heart failure at a nursing home in Sacramento.
The son, 81-year-old Anthony Francis, says his father was born on June 6, 1896 in New Orleans, and that his only wife, Josephine Johnson Francis, died at age 63 in 1964.
UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles, who maintains a list of the world's oldest people, says Francis was the oldest man living in the U.S., at 112 years and 204 days.
Coles says the oldest living person in the world is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who is 115 years and 109 days old.
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
I went out and bought Nick's album after the VolksWagon commercial aired with this song in it - it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to ... and it was because of this song.
And I really mean it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to - before or since - advertisers hate me ...
And I really mean it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to - before or since - advertisers hate me ...
Ash spill deepens the safety debate
The deluge of coal ash sludge that broke through a dike at the TVA's Kingston power plant onto a 300-acre stretch of fields, homes and rivers has made the site ground zero in a fight over how "clean" burning coal to produce electricity can be.
Read more in the Nashville Tennessean
On the verge
Of an energy revolution that is!
New technologies will move the world economy away from coal and other fossil fuels much more rapidly than experts from the energy industry would have the public believe, according to a new study by the Worldwatch Institute.
Read more in the Charleston Gazette
Organic farms unknowingly used a synthetic fertilizer
For as many as seven years, California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer's dream.
But a state investigation caught the company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.
But a state investigation caught the company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.
Read more in the Sacramento Bee
How to Enforce New Marijuana Law
In what is going to be a headache for Massachusetts police and prosecutors ...
“Back in November, Massachusetts voters passed a ballot measure — called Question 2 — that, on Jan. 2, will turn possession of an ounce or less of marijuana into an offense on par with a traffic violation. Now police and prosecutors are wondering how the heck they’re going to enforce it.
Among the questions enforcers are trying to answer:
- What should police do with people caught with several joints who refuse to identify themselves?
- Will state-run laboratories that test drugs seized in criminal cases continue to do so for small quantities of marijuana?
- Will police chiefs discipline officers who spark up a spliff after work?
- Can a judge summarily revoke the probation of a convicted offender on the basis of a citation for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana?
“I’m not suggesting that officers are doing it,” David F. Capeless, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, told the Globe. “But what you’re doing, whether it’s officers or other public employees - transportation workers, bus drivers, teachers - you’re removing a disincentive by saying: ‘We won’t be able to do anything to you. You won’t get disciplined for this. It won’t mean your job. It may mean a $100 fine.’
Proponents of the change - including financier George Soros, who spent more than $400,000 in favor of decriminalizing marijuana - said it would ensure that those caught with small quantities would avoid the taint of a criminal record.”
The financial crisis may be as serious as the American Revolution
According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Benoit Mandelbrot, who have been spot on about it for a long time before the collapse started steamrolling.
Our readers
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Meanwhile, over at our sister blog, readers in ...
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are enjoying The Naked, The Nude and The Nekkid.
And I Quote
The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.
~ Marty Feldman.
~ Marty Feldman.
Stalin - Greatest Ever
Huh?! Come again ...
The former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin may have killed millions of his own people but this weekend he could be chosen by Russians as their greatest-ever countryman.
Inspired by the British competition 100 Greatest Britons, one of Russia's biggest television stations Rossiya has been conducting a nationwide poll for much of this year.
From an original list of 500 candidates now there are just 12 names left from which viewers can select their all-time hero.
The winner will be announced on Sunday.
More than 3.5 million people have already voted and Stalin - born an ethnic Georgian - has been riding high for many months.
In the summer he held the number one slot but was knocked down several places after the producer of the show appealed to viewers to vote for someone else.
Amongst the others on the list are Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Catherine the Great and Alexander Pushkin.
Read the rest at the BBC.
Worst person in the world
Keith shows you it's not only repugicans who are idiots as he rips Davis for her stupidity.
(Then again Davis has never been more than a corporate stooge anyway)
(Then again Davis has never been more than a corporate stooge anyway)
Suspect arrested in trunk case
Scottish police say a 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the abduction of a nurse found tied up in the trunk of her car.
They say she may have been there for up to 10 days.
Officers found Magdeline Makola on Friday in Airdrie, east of Glasgow.
Police say the 38-year-old nurse was dehydrated and had suffered from hypothermia.
The suspect is due to appear in court on Monday.
They say she may have been there for up to 10 days.
Officers found Magdeline Makola on Friday in Airdrie, east of Glasgow.
Police say the 38-year-old nurse was dehydrated and had suffered from hypothermia.
The suspect is due to appear in court on Monday.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
For Your Health
Sometimes simple changes can bring about big results. When it comes to losing weight, more often than not, it's all about numbers.
It takes 3,500 calories to build a pound. If you have a deficit of 100 calories every day for a year – either by eating less or exercising more – you can lose 10 pounds in a year.
Here are 25 ways to pull it off.
1. Switch from whole-milk products to skim milk products. If you consume three servings a day, you can save up to 200 calories a day. That's 20 pounds you can lose next year.
2. When you go to a restaurant, ask for half of your portion to be put in a doggie bag right away. If you go out twice a week, that will work.
3. Reduce the use of butter and margarine. Use applesauce in recipes instead of oil. Try fat-free, butter-flavored spreads or sprinkles (unless you're watching your salt). Just eliminating a pat of butter on your morning toast gets you there.
4. Chilling soups, gravies and stews and skimming the fat can save you up to 100 calories.
5. Use extra-lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey. Instead of bacon, use Canadian bacon.
6. Is a tall glass of juice your morning ritual? Swap that 20-ounce OJ for a real orange.
7. Meatless products, such as imitation hot dogs, bacon, burgers and sausage, often have half the calories.
8. Switch from a 16-ounce cappuccino to regular coffee with artificial sweetener.
9. Switch from fried potato chips to the baked ones.
10. Add 10 minutes of exercise a day. The goal is 30 minutes a day. If you walk for just 30 minutes – even just three 10-minute walks a day – you will lose 13 pounds.
11. Switch from sandwich bread with 100-plus calories to light whole-wheat bread.
12. Replace the 11/2 ounces of cheddar or American cheese on your sandwich with 1 ounce of nonfat mozzarella.
13. Switch to low-fat mayonnaise on sandwiches.
14. Cut back on egg yolks, which contain virtually all of the fat and cholesterol. Try using egg substitutes. In most recipes you can use two egg whites instead of one whole egg.
15. If you love microwave popcorn, switch to the light kind and save tons of fat and calories, enough to lose 10 pounds if you've been eating it every night.
16. Use sugar substitute instead of sugar in all your baking. If you use a couple of teaspoons in your iced tea and a couple on your cereal, you could lose 10 pounds by switching to a substitute.
17. Switch your afternoon soda to a diet soda to save 150 calories per 12-ounce can.
18. If you don't like diet soda, just downsize your soda portions. If you usually pick up a 44-ounce soda in the morning, switch to a 24-ounce size and save about 200 calories a day.
19. A portion of meat is 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards. Most people eat two to three times this.
20. Replace your regular beer with light beer and save about 50 calories per bottle.
21. Take the stairs every day at work. If you go up and down often enough (say up and down five flights three or four times a day) you've got your 100 calories.
22. Forgo regular bottled salad dressing (2 tablespoons, about 150 calories) for an equal portion of fat-free dressing (about 40 calories) or a spritz of lemon juice.
23. Don't supersize anything. Switching from the 6-ounce fries at McDonald's to the 2-ounce size saves you about 300 calories. Do that just twice a week and lose weight.
24. Remove the skin from a chicken breast after cooking and save 100 calories.
25. Instead of topping ice cream with crumbled cookies or hot fudge, top it with 2 tablespoons of fresh berries and save about 100 calories.
Carolina Naturally readers
Some of today's readers hail from:
Brisbane, Paris, Berlin, Halifax, Ljubljana, Gatineau, Venice, Lincoln, Mumbai, Toronto, Bangkok, Huntingdon, Seoul, Dehli, London, and Portsmouth.
Brisbane, Paris, Berlin, Halifax, Ljubljana, Gatineau, Venice, Lincoln, Mumbai, Toronto, Bangkok, Huntingdon, Seoul, Dehli, London, and Portsmouth.
Maria
Blondie proving it still has the chops to make it as a band twenty years after their debut and this was ten years ago!
And for the purists out there here is one from Blondie in the beginning - thirty years ago!
Dreaming
Dreaming
Blondie
Pennsylvania man shot for making noise during movie
It's time to get real people ...
A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son.
The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband.
Cialella faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault.
He remained in custody Saturday.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Vanore said the 31-year-old victim from suburban Yeadon was hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting.
Noisy people at the theater is annoying to be sure, but it is never cause for such stupidity as shooting someone because of it ... the thought may cross your mind - but you don't act on it, sheeesh.
A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son.
The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband.
Cialella faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault.
He remained in custody Saturday.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Vanore said the 31-year-old victim from suburban Yeadon was hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting.
*****
Noisy people at the theater is annoying to be sure, but it is never cause for such stupidity as shooting someone because of it ... the thought may cross your mind - but you don't act on it, sheeesh.
America Can't Handle the Truth; But it's Coming Anyway
Leonce Gaiter posted this on OpEd News on December 16, 2008:
Unemployment benefit payouts hit a 26-year high. Foreclosures up 30% from a year ago. Layoffs abound. 43 states face budget deficits, forcing them to cut jobs, programs, and funds for education and social services.
A major story on CNN.com is, "'Mad Men' star's hair is "-bane of my existence.'"- The Fox News front page promises Glenn Beck on the "Washington State Christmas Scandal."-
Economists fear deflation, and depression. Two of the Big Three automakers may not survive through the end of the year.
The Washington Post's Kathleen Parker writes about a 27 year-old, Facebook, and a Hillary Clinton cardboard cutout. Jackson Diehl luxuriates in a bubble bath of quid pro quo and self-congratulations for his attendance at a Bush photo-op.
Food stamp usage nears an all-time high with more than 31.5 million Americans using the program. Americans are losing their livelihoods and having trouble buying food to eat.
I sense a disconnect.
The country is in serious trouble and a significant segment of the mainstream press hasn't got a clue how to handle it. They appear tone-deaf and increasingly trivial. During the bubble years, the press learned to hawk self-promotion, triviality and political boosterism as "journalism."- They became insiders, members of a ruling court, not detached observers or, heaven forbid, muckrakers. They shed the ink-stained wretch image and became privileged, cosmetically altered insiders, intimate with power and happy to knead that intimacy into power of their own.
A lot of journalism became a gossipy exercise in snark and sniffy outrage during the Clinton years. With 9/11 and The Bush ascension, the profession morphed into a jingoistic orgy of access amplification--who knew the highest ranking who from whom to get the latest, probably deceptive administration spin.
The rest of us put up with it. During the Bubble Years, weren't we all destined to be rich? Just watch that high-tech 401k grow 27% a year; get that "liar"- loan and watch your home value double. We all identified with wealth and power; we dreamt we'd have it. We weaned a whole generation on that illusion. Politics reduced to celebrity gossip and international affairs to jingoistic sound bites--it suited us fine. We were untouchable.
Even 9/11, through which we might have examined our place in the world and our exercise of power within it, instead led us to pull further inward, to howl not only at the guilty, but at the whole world. We were like kings insulted by peasants, desperate to re-establish might. So we broke things.
Now, suddenly, the prospect of plenty disappears; government actions have actual consequences--and not just for anonymous foreigners in godforsaken deserts. One congressional bill might mean the difference between having a job and not--between keeping your house and homelessness. But much of the mainstream press--particularly the television press from which most of us get our news--don't adequately address this. They don't do the hard work of explaining why this is happening or how it might be stopped or where it might end. They shake and shimmy to the gossip and the spin. They are so obsessed with their roles as insiders and removed from the lives we lead that they continue to partner with the powerful as spin conduits (The Washington Post's Frank Ahrens rehashed the old right wing wish for Mitt Romney as "car czar"- because "he has autos in his DNA,"- since his father was chairman of American Motors. Obviously, it's his birthright, like a throne), or desperately clutch a sensational local story like the Blagojevich affair and construct hypothetical Rube Goldberg-like connections to the president-elect to justify their excessive, prurient interest.
The press doesn't know how to handle our descent into darkness; and neither do we. We're still in denial. Just as the financial kings Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson have attacked this crisis piecemeal---let's throw a little money here to handle this part, a little interest rate adjustment there to handle that part--we're not acknowledging the big picture. Our eyes have been so blinded by 20 years of bright and shiny things that we can't fathom an America generally re-cast in sepia and gray.
But yes, the next job on the chopping block might be mine or yours. Your credit cards might readjust to 26% for no reason. Next year's health insurance bill might rise 30%. The fire department might not come when you call due to crisis-induced layoffs. How many of us acknowledge that we might be sustaining ourselves with food stamps?
We haven't seen the worst of this. We hear that again and again. Obama keeps telling us, but gas prices fall and we convince ourselves that all will be well. Blagojevich kindly distracts us with sleaze. The Fox News dancing girls dazzle us with smiles and the pundits gossip and chatter at one another as if there's nothing more substantive to say or do.
Our dreams, along with our toys, are vanishing. The press and the public pretend not to notice. The first stage of grieving is denial. We're doing such a damned good job of it, I dread the day we get to anger.
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