From the "See, this is why I don't karaoke" Department:
(You have to pay me and pay me well to sing)
Police say a Malaysian man has been stabbed to death by customers at a karaoke bar for singing too much and refusing to share the microphone.
A district police official says witnesses saw a group of men punch and stab 23-year-old Abdul Sani Doli with a knife at the bar late Wednesday in eastern Sandakan town on Borneo island.
The official says a brawl broke out because the men were furious that Abdul Sani was hogging the stage.
He says police detained two suspects after Abdul Sani was found dead outside the bar.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Is this a photo of world's oldest living animal?
This photo of a tortoise was taken around 1900 on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. The tortoise, named Jonathan, still lives there today. He may be the world's oldest living animal.
From The Telegraph:
From The Telegraph:
A spokesman for the island's tourist board said Jonathan is owned by the St Helena government and lives in the specially built plantation on the governor's land.
He said: "Jonathan is the sole survivor of three tortoises that arrived on St Helena Island in 1882.
"He was already mature when he arrived and was at least 50-years-old.
"Therefore his minimum age is 176-years-old. He is the oldest inhabitant on St Helena and is claimed to be the oldest living tortoise in the world.
Science News
From MIT News:
The simple razor clam has inspired a new MIT robot that could lead to a "smart" anchor that burrows through the ocean floor to reposition itself and could even reverse, making it easier to recover.
The so-called RoboClam is being developed to explore the performance capabilities of clam-inspired digging, as well as to shed light on the behavior of the real animal.
"Our original goal was to develop a lightweight anchor that you could set then easily unset, something that's not possible with conventional devices," said Anette "Peko" Hosoi, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering whose collaborators on the work are Amos Winter, a graduate student in her lab, and engineers at Bluefin Robotics Corp.
Such devices could be useful, for example, as tethers for small robotic submarines that are routinely repositioned to monitor variables such as currents and temperature. Further, a device that can burrow into the seabed and be directed to a specific location could also be useful as a detonator for buried underwater mines.
And I Quote
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
~ Mark Twain
America on Food Stamps
Food stamps, the main U.S. antihunger program which helps the needy buy food, set a record in September as more than 31.5 million Americans used the program -- up 17 percent from a year ago.The number of people using food stamps in September surpassed the previous peak of 29.85 million seen in November 2005 when victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma received emergency benefits, said Jean Daniel of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.
"It's a disturbing trend," said Ellen Vollinger, legal director with the Food Research and Action Center.
She expects more people will turn to food stamps as unemployment rises and the economy remains weak.
One in 10 Americans were participating in the food stamp program as of September.
Obama Reps, Retired Generals talk torture
A dozen retired generals met with President Barack Obama's top legal advisers Wednesday, pressing their case to overturn seven years of the shrub and the cabal's policies on detention, interrogation and rendition in the war on terror.
For those who have said or thought our military had no honor read the rest of this piece from Military.com here.
Suit claims Halliburton, KBR sickened base
From Army Times:
(Yes, we Marines do read and we read Army Times among many other things)
(Yes, we Marines do read and we read Army Times among many other things)
A Georgia man has filed a lawsuit against contractor KBR and its former parent company, Halliburton, saying the companies exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad in Iraq to unsafe water, food and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there.
Joshua Eller, who worked as a civilian computer-aided drafting technician with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, said military personnel, contractors and third-country nationals may have been sickened by contamination at the largest U.S. installation in Iraq, home to more than 30,000 service members, Defense Department civilians and contractors.
“Defendants promised the United States government that they would supply safe water for hygienic and recreational uses, safe food supplies and properly operate base incinerators to dispose of medical waste safely,” according to the lawsuit, filed Nov. 26 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. “Defendants utterly failed to perform their promised duties.”
Eller and his attorneys are seeking to have the lawsuit declared a class action.
Rest the rest at Army Times.
Military contractor in Iraq holds foreign workers in warehouses
From McClatchy Newspapers:
About 1,000 Asian men who were hired by a Kuwaiti subcontractor to the U.S. military have been confined for as long as three months in windowless warehouses near the Baghdad airport without money or a place to work.
Najlaa International Catering Services, a subcontractor to KBR, an engineering, construction and services company, hired the men, who're from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Read the rest of the piece and watch the video here.
And you thought slavery was illegal for Americans didn't you!?
And you thought slavery was illegal for Americans didn't you!?
Boot Knut: Berlin Stern Eisbär Gesichter Ausweisung
Knut the superstar polar bear turns 2 on Friday looking nothing like the button-eyed ball of white fluff who captured hearts around the world.
The star of the Berlin Zoo is a fully grown bear with yellowish fur who, at 440 pounds, has grown too big for his enclosure.
Worried fans are lobbying for him to stay, but zoo officials say he will have to move if they do not build a new enclosure, which appears virtually impossible due to lack of space.
Knut lives in a small section of the current enclosure, home to Knut's parents, Tosca and Lars, and two older females.
Bearkeeper Heiner Kloes said Knut, who will reach sexual maturity around the age of 6, urgently needs enough space for both him and a fertile mate.
The zoo's two eligible female bears will be too old to have cubs by the time Knut is ready to reproduce.
Scientists estimate that there are between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the species is listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Canada and Russia have listed polar bears as a species of concern, citing shrinking habitats.
The star of the Berlin Zoo is a fully grown bear with yellowish fur who, at 440 pounds, has grown too big for his enclosure.
Worried fans are lobbying for him to stay, but zoo officials say he will have to move if they do not build a new enclosure, which appears virtually impossible due to lack of space.
Knut lives in a small section of the current enclosure, home to Knut's parents, Tosca and Lars, and two older females.
Bearkeeper Heiner Kloes said Knut, who will reach sexual maturity around the age of 6, urgently needs enough space for both him and a fertile mate.
The zoo's two eligible female bears will be too old to have cubs by the time Knut is ready to reproduce.
Scientists estimate that there are between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the species is listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Canada and Russia have listed polar bears as a species of concern, citing shrinking habitats.
Brother, Could You Spare A Dime
Of course with the economic meltdown going global this song from the Great Depression has begun to see air time on many radio stations around the world. And while there are many versions of the song and videos for the song I (like many other bloggers) have found Tom Waits' version to be the grittiest so I am using his version here.
He can't sing worth a damn, but by damn, he can sing!
For some reason the first video is not working properly so here is another version with Tom singing as Depression Era pictures scroll on a slideshow.
For some reason the first video is not working properly so here is another version with Tom singing as Depression Era pictures scroll on a slideshow.
He still can't sing worth a damn, but damn it he can sing!
You want to talk about being undemocratic!
Canada's prime minister has asked that Parliament be suspended until next month in an effort to delay a vote that could bring down his new government.
A senior official in the office of Stephen Harper said the prime minister made the request, but did not say if the governor general had agreed to it.
And he is howling about those seeking his removal (the majority of Canadians via their parties) accusing the of being 'undemocratic'.
Suspending the government is the most UNDEMOCRATIC thing there is to do, there Harper ol' boy!
It would be a colossal mistake for the governor-general to even entertain the idea of suspending the government for a month in an effort by conservatives to hold on to undeserved and stolen power.
Harper must go!
If Canadians wish to see their nation not sink into the abysmal morass the US has because of the conservatives here - Harper must go!
We have kicked most of the troglodytes to the curb and the rest are heading that way come next trash pick-up day (excuse me ... election day) here in the US ... unfortunately we waited until it was all but too late to do so.
Don't make the same mistake and wait until it is almost too late, Canada - get rid of them now!
You deserve better.
ADDENDUM:
The governor-general not only made the colossal mistake of entertaining the idea of suspending the government, she actually made the humongous, monumental mistake of agreeing to it.
Canadians I fear are about to be butt-fucked in the worst way.
You want us to send you some Vaseline - we have a goodly stock ... we have had to for the past eight years ... now we need to shed ourselves of it (or at least most of it - government is government after all).
A senior official in the office of Stephen Harper said the prime minister made the request, but did not say if the governor general had agreed to it.
And he is howling about those seeking his removal (the majority of Canadians via their parties) accusing the of being 'undemocratic'.
Suspending the government is the most UNDEMOCRATIC thing there is to do, there Harper ol' boy!
It would be a colossal mistake for the governor-general to even entertain the idea of suspending the government for a month in an effort by conservatives to hold on to undeserved and stolen power.
Harper must go!
If Canadians wish to see their nation not sink into the abysmal morass the US has because of the conservatives here - Harper must go!
We have kicked most of the troglodytes to the curb and the rest are heading that way come next trash pick-up day (excuse me ... election day) here in the US ... unfortunately we waited until it was all but too late to do so.
Don't make the same mistake and wait until it is almost too late, Canada - get rid of them now!
You deserve better.
ADDENDUM:
The governor-general not only made the colossal mistake of entertaining the idea of suspending the government, she actually made the humongous, monumental mistake of agreeing to it.
Canadians I fear are about to be butt-fucked in the worst way.
You want us to send you some Vaseline - we have a goodly stock ... we have had to for the past eight years ... now we need to shed ourselves of it (or at least most of it - government is government after all).
Pearl of Wisdom
Skinny-dippers never have to worry where to put wet swimwear so it won't soak the car seats on the way home!
Obama calls Iraq's Prime Minister to discuss cooperation
President Barack Obama has called Iraq's prime minister and stressed his commitment to a responsible withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, the government said.
During Wednesday's call, Obama thanked Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government for their efforts in gaining parliament's approval of a security pact that sets out a three-year time-frame for a full withdrawal of U.S. troops, according to a statement.
Obama also gave assurances he's committed to respecting Iraq's sovereignty and to a responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces, al-Maliki's press office said.
During Wednesday's call, Obama thanked Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government for their efforts in gaining parliament's approval of a security pact that sets out a three-year time-frame for a full withdrawal of U.S. troops, according to a statement.
Obama also gave assurances he's committed to respecting Iraq's sovereignty and to a responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces, al-Maliki's press office said.
Quran in mass grave unlocks 30-year mystery
A small golden Quran helped Afghan authorities identify the body of a president killed in a coup three decades ago that led to 10 years of Soviet domination, officials said Thursday.
The body of President Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan was among dozens discovered at two mass graves in the Pul-e-Charkhi area, east of Kabul, six months ago, said Ahmad Farid Raaid, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
Daud Khan and 17 family members and associates were executed inside the presidential palace in Kabul during a communist-inspired coup in 1978, Raaid said.
Their bodies were taken to a secret location east of the capital and their whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly three decades until a former army general who was involved in the burial came forward earlier this year and identified the spot, Raaid said.
The killings ushered in an era of Soviet domination over the country that lasted for a decade.
Soviet troops rolled into Afghanistan in late December 1979.
They occupied the country for 10 years and were forced to leave as the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1989.
Following the discovery of the mass graves in July, current President Hamid Karzai formed a commission to determine whether some of the remains were those of Daud Khan and his family.
Teeth molds were used to identify the late president's body but the key was a small golden Quran that was found with his remains, Raaid said.
"This Quran was given to him as a gift by the king of Saudi Arabia when he went on a trip" to the kingdom, Raaid said.
The body of President Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan was among dozens discovered at two mass graves in the Pul-e-Charkhi area, east of Kabul, six months ago, said Ahmad Farid Raaid, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
Daud Khan and 17 family members and associates were executed inside the presidential palace in Kabul during a communist-inspired coup in 1978, Raaid said.
Their bodies were taken to a secret location east of the capital and their whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly three decades until a former army general who was involved in the burial came forward earlier this year and identified the spot, Raaid said.
The killings ushered in an era of Soviet domination over the country that lasted for a decade.
Soviet troops rolled into Afghanistan in late December 1979.
They occupied the country for 10 years and were forced to leave as the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1989.
Following the discovery of the mass graves in July, current President Hamid Karzai formed a commission to determine whether some of the remains were those of Daud Khan and his family.
Teeth molds were used to identify the late president's body but the key was a small golden Quran that was found with his remains, Raaid said.
"This Quran was given to him as a gift by the king of Saudi Arabia when he went on a trip" to the kingdom, Raaid said.
New Readers
And then there was 146 ...
Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers from our newest country:
Only 50 more to go and we will have reached every nation on the planet!
Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers from our newest country:
Marshall Islands |  |
Great minds really do think alike
Ain't it the truth, George ain't it the truth!
Few people think more than two or three times a year.
I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
~ George Bernard Shaw
I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
~ George Bernard Shaw
And I Quote
If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity.
~ Bill Vaughan
~ Bill Vaughan
You get it, now!
OK, one more time ...
For all of you raving lunatics out there who keep insisting Obama is not a citizen of the United States.
Let's see what the Constitution of the United States has to say on the matter, shall we!?!
For all of you raving lunatics out there who keep insisting Obama is not a citizen of the United States.
Let's see what the Constitution of the United States has to say on the matter, shall we!?!
Obama's mother was a citizen of the United States, having resided in the country from birth until well past her 14th year ... so no matter how you try to combine half-lies and outright lies, Obama is a natural born citizen of these United States. Where he was born or where his father was a citizen of is immaterial.14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
1) Jus soli: ANYBODY born on United States territory* is a US citizen and can run for President once they come of age (except for a few exceptions having to do with children born to diplomatic personnel of foreign powers).
The citizenship of the parents does not matter. Even if the parents are tourists. Even if the parents are illegal aliens. Even if the parents are extra-terrestrials. Even if the parents are a petri dish and an eyedropper their status as citizens or not, does not matter!
(*Those born in US "possessions" are accorded that status of "US Nationals", which is the equivalent of a permanent resident. The only US possessions which are not territories that automatically confer natural born citizen status are American Samoa and Swains Island.)
2) Jus sanguinis: The child of two American citizens born anywhere in the universe is an American citizen. Or, any universe for that matter.
3) Anyone born abroad prior to November 14, 1986 with one parent who is a US citizen, so long as that citizen parent has lived in the US a total of at least 5 years, 2 which were after the age of 14.
The one that didn't get away ...
The one that didn't get away held an unlikely surprise for a Texas man. The blue-stoned class ring of Joe Richardson, engraved with his name, turned up inside an 8-pound bass 21 years after he lost it while fishing on Lake Sam Rayburn.
"My first reaction was - you gotta be kidding," he said Wednesday.
The fisherman who discovered the tarnished ring inside his catch contacted Richardson on November 28th in Buna, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, after tracking him down with help from the Internet.
His fisherman hero asked to remain anonymous.
Richardson, 41, said he lost the ring about two weeks after his 1987 graduation from Universal Technical Institute in Houston. His mom had bought it for about $200 and wasn't pleased when it went missing.
As a mechanic, Richardson said he doesn't wear jewelry so he tucked the undamaged ring away.
"I have not cleaned it," he said. "I told my wife I don't want to clean it."
"My first reaction was - you gotta be kidding," he said Wednesday.
The fisherman who discovered the tarnished ring inside his catch contacted Richardson on November 28th in Buna, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, after tracking him down with help from the Internet.
His fisherman hero asked to remain anonymous.
Richardson, 41, said he lost the ring about two weeks after his 1987 graduation from Universal Technical Institute in Houston. His mom had bought it for about $200 and wasn't pleased when it went missing.
As a mechanic, Richardson said he doesn't wear jewelry so he tucked the undamaged ring away.
"I have not cleaned it," he said. "I told my wife I don't want to clean it."
Customer spots cook butchering deer in pizzeria
A Pennsylvania pizzeria insists venison is not on the menu - despite the impression a customer may have gotten when she saw one of the cooks butchering a deer in the shop's kitchen.
Mistakingly butcher a deer?! Oh, there is no mistake in butchering the deer unless he didn't now how to do it. The mistake was in where he did the job. I don't know about up there but around here ... you butcher any game animal in a restaurant - you are shut down. Heck you even butcher a domestic animal in a restaurant - you are shut down. Restaurants are not designed to be a butcher shop and contamination of foods is all but a certainty if you do.
The manager of Stromboli Pizza in Allentown says a customer saw one of the restaurant cooks carving up a deer Tuesday. But John Okumus says the venison was not intended for the store.
He says he shot a doe during a hunt and left the carcass in the store's kitchen for pickup by a friend. Okumus says a customer complained to the city health department after seeing a cook mistakenly butcher the deer.
The department investigated the incident but did not issue a citation.
*****
Mistakingly butcher a deer?! Oh, there is no mistake in butchering the deer unless he didn't now how to do it. The mistake was in where he did the job. I don't know about up there but around here ... you butcher any game animal in a restaurant - you are shut down. Heck you even butcher a domestic animal in a restaurant - you are shut down. Restaurants are not designed to be a butcher shop and contamination of foods is all but a certainty if you do.
Man pinched in NC for murder in Texas
A Texas fugitive has been arrested in North Carolina on capital murder charges in the 1989 deaths of two men who were shot while sitting at a bar.
Pedro Romero was appointed a public defender Wednesday during his first court appearance in Winston-Salem. He is being held without bond at the Forsyth County Jail. No future court date has been set.
Fort Worth, Texas, police and the U.S. Marshal's Service tracked Romero to North Carolina. It's unclear how long he had been in the state. Winston-Salem police said the 59-year-old was arrested without incident Tuesday during a traffic stop.
Authorities said Romero fled to Mexico after shooting Juan Pablo Chavez and Isidro Carbajal following an argument at the bar Romero ran with his brother.
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