Black is back

Vintage Lewis Black

Florida man accused of making boy drive on beer run

From the "Air or Granite because it sure isn't brains between the ears" Department:

Authorities in southwest Florida say an intoxicated man had his 9-year-old son take him on a beer run. Cape Coral police arrested the 27-year-old man last week, after seeing a pickup truck drive onto a median.

When officers stopped the truck, the man told them he was teaching his son to drive. Officers say the father's speech was slurred, his breath smelled of alcohol and he unable to stand without swaying. Police said an open case of Budweiser beer was in the backseat.

The man was charged with cruelty toward a child and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive. He was released from jail on $2,000 bond

Man uses candy cane to foil knife wielding attacker

A man using a candy cane lawn ornament fended off a knife-wielding neighbor who had been attacking holiday guests at a Sacramento home. Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the man used the two-foot-tall plastic ornament to subdue the attacker until officers arrived.

He said the 49-year-old suspect became intoxicated, went over to a neighbor's home on Thanksgiving and began waving a kitchen knife at people gathered on the lawn.

He cut several peoples' clothing before one of them decided to fight back.

Police said the man with the knife was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The guest who took up the candy cane was not arrested because police determined he acted in self-defense.

Harper is not right ... ahem, correct that is

To let you know ALL neo-cons be they homegrown crazies here in the USA or elsewhere are the same - exactly.

In Canada a banding together of the majority parties to oust the unresponsive and uncooperative minority party of the conservatives and Stephen Harper has been called 'undemocratic' by the same said Harper ranting against the majority for attempting to be democratic and let the majority rule.

One Canadian blogger puts it this way:

"The proposed coalition could be the most representative government of my lifetime, it could perhaps be the most democratic government in Canadian history."

It is painfully obvious that neo-cons don't deal well with reality (hell, they don't deal with it at all).
And in typical call it something other than what it is in hopes of distracting the mindless, Harper is crying foul trying to call the most democratic of means of governance undemocratic.
Pathetic really.

It is a good thing they are tossing him and his party out on their collective arses.

Prop 8 - The Musical

In answer to the nit-wits who pushed for Prop 8!

'Self-embedding disorder' among teens

A new study by radiologists reports on teenage girls embedding needles, glass, and other objects in their flesh. While sub-dermal implants are nothing new in the realm of extreme body modifications, the researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio suggest that the increasing number cases they've seen are actually a form of self-injury similar to cutting.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Personnel at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, report extracting 52 foreign objects that 10 teenage girls deliberately embedded in their arms, hands, feet, ankles and necks over the last three years, including needles, staples, wood, stone, glass, pencil lead and a crayon.

One patient had inserted 11 objects, including an unfolded metal paper clip more than 6 inches long...

The study, presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, is the first to report on this type of self-inflicted injury among teenagers, the researchers said. They call the behavior "self-embedding disorder."

Dr. William E. Shiels II, the study's principal investigator and the hospital's chief of radiology, said that uncovering the behavior was unexpected but that researchers are now hearing about cases in other cities. The hospital recently set up a national registry to track incidents and conduct research.

"Radiologists uncover, label new teen affliction"

Lots of eggs, but no babies for Galapagos tortoise

By this point in his long life, Lonesome George should be at least a grandfather.
But even fatherhood appears to be eluding the Galapagos tortoise, estimated to be between 75 and 80 years old and believed to be the last living member of the Geochelone abigdoni species.
Galapagos National Park officials announced Wednesday that eight eggs laid by the giant tortoise's two female companions are infertile.
The disappointing news came 130 days after conservationists placed the eggs in an artificial incubator - the first time any of George's mates had produced eggs after 36 years of attempts by park rangers.

Nosey Seas Confounding Whales and Dolphins

The songs that whales and dolphins use to communicate, orient themselves and find mates are being drowned out by human-made noises in the world's oceans, U.N. officials and environmental groups said today.

That sound pollution - everything from increasing commercial shipping and seismic surveys to a new generation of military sonar - is not only confounding the mammals, it also is further threatening the survival of these endangered animals.

Studies show that these cetaceans, which once communicated over thousands of miles (kilometers) to forage and mate, are losing touch with each other, the experts said on the sidelines of a U.N. wildlife conference in Rome.

"Call it a cocktail-party effect," said Mark Simmonds, director of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, a Britain-based NGO.
"You have to speak louder and louder until no one can hear each other anymore."

A further, indirect source of noise pollution may also be coming from climate change, which is changing the chemistry of the oceans and making sound travel farther through sea water, the experts said

States Flunk College Affordability

An independent report on American higher education flunks North Carolina and all but one other state when it comes to affordability -- an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out Fs for affordability to 49 states, up from 43 two years ago. Only California received a passing grade in the category, a C, thanks to its relatively inexpensive community colleges.

The report card uses a range of measurements to give states grades, from A to F, on the performance of their public and private colleges. The affordability grade is based on how much of the average family's income it costs to go to college.

In North Carolina, the study found that poor and working-class families must devote 32 percent of their income, even after financial aid, to pay for costs at two-year colleges.

The problem of affordability seems likely to worsen as the economy does, said Patrick Callan, the center's president.

Historically during downturns, "states make disproportionate cuts in higher education and, in return for the colleges taking them gracefully, allow them to raise tuition," Callan said. "If we handle this recession like we've handled others, we will see that this gets worse."

Callan said the United States is at best standing still while other countries pass it in areas like college enrollment and completion. And as higher education fails to keep up with population growth, the specter lurks of new generations less educated than their Baby Boomer predecessors.

"The educational strength of the American population is in the group that's about to retire," Callan said. "In the rest of the world it's the group that's gone to college since 1990."

See the full report is available at www.highereducation.org.

President Obama and governors tackle the economy

Obama speaking to an assembly of nearly all of the nation's governors

From Change.gov

Speaking to an assembly of nearly all of the nation's governors in Philadelphia on Tuesday, President-elect Obama called for innovation and collaboration, and invited dissenting opinions on how best to fix the economy.

"To solve this crisis and to ease the burden on our states, we're going to need action, and we're going to need action swiftly," he said. "[I]f we're listening to the governors, then the money that we spend is going to be well-spent. And it means that it's going to get working faster, and the people in your states are going to experience prosperity sooner."

Governors and governors-elect from nearly every state attended. President-elect Obama quoted Justice Louis Brandeis, who said "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory," and encouraged Democratic and Republican governors alike to seek creative solutions.

"We are not going to be hampered by ideology in trying to get this country back on track," he said. "We want to figure out what works."

Before the meeting began, President-elect Obama walked across the street to greet some schoolchildren who had assembled there.

DC wants Obama to back Congress vote with limo tag

The District of Columbia is urging President Barack Obama to use license plates on the presidential limousine that support the city's attempt to get a vote in Congress.

A letter sent from the city council this week asks Obama to use license tags that proclaim: "Taxation Without Representation."

Eight years ago, the city began printing license plates with the slogan.
Shortly before leaving office, President Bill Clinton had the tags on his presidential limousine.
The shrub quickly them removed.

Obama supported a bill last year that would have given D.C. a seat in the House.
His transition team said in an e-mail that they would respond later to the council's letter.

Humming right along

2600 posts and humming right along!

Costco says 'No' to Christmas...literally

In a letter sent to fellow low-brows Wildmon, the founder of that cluster-fuck of religo-loonys, the un-American Family-less ASS0ciation, implores his brethren morons to whine even more about their self deluded 'they declared war on xmas' fanatical lunacy they spout every year right about now.

To Wit:

Costco has 520 stores nationwide. But you will not find "Christmas" in a single store.

That's because Costco says it will not use the term "Christmas" on its website or in its stores.
Instead, Costco is telling customers it purposely chooses to use the generic "holiday" verbiage.
You know, they stock holiday gifts, not Christmas gifts.

Last week, a customer wrote to Costco and asked this direct question – "Does Costco use the word
'Christmas' in your store advertising or on any signs anywhere in your stores during the Christmas season?"
Kory Rosacrans, staff manager for Costco replied, "I guess the answer would be No."

Costco wants you to do your "Christmas" shopping with them,
while refusing to recognize that Christmas even exists.

Take Action!

Do what I'm doing. WRITE TO COSTCO and bitch like the religiously-insane wing-nut you are.
We have two wars going badly and our economy is dying but the only thing on my mind is punishing American businesses who fail to jump through my idiotic rhetorical hoops.

Sincerely, Donald E Wildmon,

Founder and Chairman, American "Hummer" Association

Do what they are doing?!

I am going to shop at Costco simply because they are standing up to these whack-jobs and so should everyone else with a pulse who wants to.

(Editors Note: OK, so the last paragraph of the letter was edited to properly and more accurately reflect the intent and purpose of the letter during the editorial process ... so what of it!?)

For these severely screwed-up individuals ... Go to hell!

For the rest of us ... Happy Holidays, be it xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Zippie-de-do-dah, or whatever.

By the way to all you not learned in the proper spelling of xmas ... it is just that x-m-a-s.

The Roman catholic church's liturgy of christ's mass is another whole ball game.

Alabama county sets 'Barack Obama Day' as new holiday

And you thought only ignorant rednecks lived in Alabama ...

A central Alabama county has created an annual holiday in honor of president Obama.

The Perry County commission voted to observe the second Monday in November as "The Barack Obama Day."

County offices will close and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid holiday.

The holiday is meant to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved by reflecting on Obama's victory.

Ihrer Referate, bitte.

UK government sneaking in mandatory ID cards

"The UK Government planning to sneak in a police power to make anyone who has ever entered the country, at any time, prove who they are. This would effectively cover any British citizen who has ever left the UK, even for a holiday, because they will have "entered" the UK on their return. It will mean that for the first time in more than half a century that the police will be able to demand your papers."

ID cards are not voluntary

American Folk Music Legend

Odetta
(December 31, 1930 - December 2, 2008)

Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century,
died yesterday.
She was 77

Did you get the Memo

By Order Of The Management.

Memo To the following staff:
Anyone, Someone, Everyone, No-one

Instructions for Job Delegation:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there is an important job to be done get Someone to do it.
If it isn’t so important, Anyone can do it.
If Everyone is out, No-one can do it.
And if No-one can do it, then Someone will pay for it.
If the job does not get done, Someone will still pay for it, but No-one can
blame Anyone if Everyone was responsible.
Furthermore, if Anyone has anything to say, don’t talk to Everyone about it
because Someone will get upset and No-one will like it, so come and see one
of us.

How companies are run

In the beginning management came up with a plan.

And the plan was based on assumptions
And the assumptions were without form
And the plan was completely without substance and was void
And darkness fell upon the faces of the workers
And they spoke unto their project leaders saying: “it’s a can of shit and it stinks”

And the project leader went unto the manager and said: “it is a pail of dung and none can stand the odor thereof’

And the manager went unto the senior manager and said unto him: “it is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none here may abide it”

And the senior manager went unto the department general manager and said unto him: “it contains that which aids plant growth and is very strong”

And the chief general manager went unto the chief executive officer and said unto him: “it promotes growth and is very powerful”

And the chief executive officer went to the board of directors and said unto them: “this powerful new plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of our new business.”

And the board of directors looked upon the plan
And saw that it was good
And the plan became policy.

And that is how companies are run!!

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Scottish Football Association confirmed Wednesday that it has held talks with Wales and Northern Ireland over the possibility of co-hosting the 2016 European Championship.

Scotland's hopes of staging the tournament alone ended when UEFA announced in September that the number of teams was increasing from 16 to 24 - leaving the Scots without enough suitable stadiums.

SFA chief executive Gordon Smith lobbied for the expansion because the change gives Scotland a much better chance of qualifying, even though the country would no longer be able to host future tournaments.

A joint bid by the three countries would open up the possibility of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and Northern Ireland's Windsor Park being used for matches alongside stadiums including Glasgow's Celtic Park, Ibrox and Hampden Park.

Woman sues over copyright infringement

Tyler Perry went to court to face allegations that he stole material from someone else for his blockbuster film "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."

Donna West is suing the actor-screenwriter for copyright infringement in U.S. District Court and wants a jury to award her family all profits made from the film.
"I can't put my play on because the stories are basically the same and nobody wants to see that again," she said.

West testified Tuesday that she developed a script titled "Fantasy of a Black Woman" based primarily on her own experiences. With her in the starring role, the play was performed in July 1991 at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center.
"The play was opened to the public. Anyone could have attended," West said.

Perry's movie, which earned some $50 million, came out in 2005.

Jurors on Tuesday watched the film and listened to a reading of the script from West's play.
In her opening remarks to the jury, Perry's attorney, Veronica Lewis, said her client is an "immensely talented" individual "who has no need whatsoever" to use the materials of others.
Lewis noted that Perry had experienced considerable success before and after the film, "so why would he need to copy Ms. West's script?"

*****

Somehow I think this is a case of 'let's see what I can get' and I think it will not end as the woman, Donna West is wanting it to

Just in case you missed it ...

It's official we are in a recession and have been since December of 2007.

Now, let's see how many times the repugicans try to blame Obama for it.

*****

Some of us here in the blogosphere (and in the real world) were arguing that we were in a recession even before that and the tin-foil hat crowd were denying it then as they are denying it now. Of course then they were blaming Liberals in general for anything bad for the economy and now that the truth is out they are still blaming everyone but themselves - the very ones who caused the economic meltdown of the world - for they mess they caused.

20 (More) Strange and Exotic Endangered Species

Kagu

(Image via tropical birding)

A rare New Zealand bird, not much is known about the enigmatic Kagu. It is flightless, though its wings are large; it is a forest-dweller, though its markings are oddly light in color. Very few remain and scientists know little about its preferences and habits. We do know that it possesses “nasal corns” unlike any other bird. For reasons unknown, the kagu also has one-third the red blood count of other birds. Scientists have had a difficult time classifying this rare and unusual bird.

Check out the rest on the list @ WebEcoist.