Corpus Christi, Texas police didn't have to go far to examine the scene of one crime - the theft of guns from a police car.
Authorities said a semiautomatic rifle, handgun, Taser and ammunition were stolen Feb. 8 from the trunk of a car parked at the home of a SWAT team officer.
Then they discovered that fingerprints from the car matched a man who was already in custody.
Police said 27-year-old Jaime Jalomo had appeared in court the day after the car theft and pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance.
Jalomo was indicted Thursday on two counts of theft of a firearm.
Authorities in California say a man wanted for a store robbery was arrested when he showed up to take a test to become a police officer.
Chula Vista police spokesman Bernard Gonzales said investigators had identified Romeo Montillano as a suspect in a Dec. 8 robbery at a Kmart.
Gonzales says investigators learned that Montillano had signed up for the February Police Department entrance exam.
The 40-year-old man was arrested Wednesday when he arrived to take the test.
Gonzales said that when Montillano was taken into custody he asked if he would still be able to take the exam.
Police said Montillano was arrested for investigation of robbery, making criminal threats and grand theft. He remained in jail Saturday in lieu of $110,000 bail.
A man in Erwin, Tennessee was been arrested after police said he used counterfeit money to purchase fake OxyContin pills from an undercover officer. Unicoi County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 21-year-old man on Tuesday and charged him with criminal conspiracy with schedule II drugs, forgery and criminal simulation.
Investigator Frank Rogers said the officer met with several people at a mobile home park and arranged for the suspect and another man to come to Unicoi to buy 76 OxyContin pills for $4,875.
Officers said it was "obviously bad money" with some bills printed on just one side.
Authorities also tracked down the device believed used to make the counterfeit money.
The Johnson City Press reported officers expect to make more arrests in the case.
Fla. Authorities said two men were arrested after they threw an unopened 16-ounce can of Bud Light at an unmarked police vehicle. Tampa police Cpl. Richard Blasioli was on duty early Thursday morning, driving an unmarked 2001 Ford Expedition, when he saw a 1999 Toyota Solara cruising the wrong way down a road.
He said the driver, a 28-year-old man, swerved the car toward the police vehicle, and 24-year-old man leaned out of the passenger window and threw the can, hitting Blasioli's right front fender.
Officers arrested the pair within minutes.
Both men were charged with throwing a deadly missile at an occupied vehicle, and the passenger faces an additional drug possession charge.
They were later released on bail.
A southwest Missouri cattleman has been delivering calves at his farm for a long time, but a calf born this week sure was different.
This one had two heads.
Scott Clift said he delivered the chocolate-colored male calf Wednesday morning at his farm near Aldrich, in Polk County.
Clift said the calf had two fully-formed heads that appeared to be connected to its body just behind the skull.
Clift said late Thursday that the calf lived about a day and a half.
It was unable to walk, so Clift and his family bottle-fed the animal until it died at 6 p.m.
Clift said "We've never seen anything like it."
Few people have, said University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole.
Such births do happen - the condition is known as polycephaly - but Cole says "They're pretty darn rare."
Clerks at the Glynn County Sheriff's Office in Brunswick, Ga., recently found the warrant buried in a records storage room while cleaning and mailed it to Tennessee.
Current Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes told The Elizabethton Star he is still under a legal obligation to find Rowland.
How good of a cook is Clara Cannucciari, a 93-year-old great-grandmother and host of her own online cooking show?
Clara Cannucciari cooks the meals her mother made during the Great Depression.
She's so good, she claims to have gained weight during the Great Depression, according to her blog.
Cannucciari says it was her mother who taught her how to cook the meals she now recreates on her cooking show "Depression Cooking with Clara".
"My father had to have his pasta every day," she said. "And my mother insisted we always have a little meat too."
We're tempted by high-calorie foods, but they should always be an occasional treat, not everyday fare. Eating too many foods high in fat and sodium can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the United States.
The American Heart Association says a heart-healthy diet is rich in vegetables and fruits, with whole grains, high-fiber foods, lean meats and poultry, fish at least twice a week, and fat-free or 1 percent fat dairy products.
"Most of us want to keep our hearts healthy," registered dietitian Fran Williams said. "But the question remains, how do we do that?"
Williams, an outpatient dietitian at Central Baptist Hospital, said that with all the information out there, it can be difficult to be sure we are doing the right thing for our hearts. She gives us a guide by listing her top 10 heart-healthy super foods, and why they should play a major role in our diets.
--Fish, especially those high in omega-3 fatty acids. Those include salmon, tuna and sardines. "Your heart loves omega-3s. These healthy fats reduce incidents of cardiovascular disease, help lower blood pressure, triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and increase HDL (good) cholesterol."
--Beans -- black, white, red, kidney -- are loaded with soluble fiber, which lowers LDL cholesterol. Aim for 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day (you need 25 to 30 grams of total fiber a day).
--Soybeans. "I especially like edamames, young, immature soybeans, steamed in their pods," Williams said.
--Oats are another great source for soluble fiber.
--Skim milk and yogurt are low in fat and high in calcium. "We all know that we need calcium for our bones, but did you know that calcium helps with keeping our hearts beating regularly?" she said.
--Berries -- blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, lingonberries, raspberries -- are loaded with phytonutrients, anti-oxidants and fiber. "And, let's throw in a pomegranate, too," Williams said. "Think color."
--Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids. "They also are high in calories, so stop at a small handful," she said.
--Flaxseed is high in omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber. It is best to grind your flaxseed and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.
--Brussels sprouts are high in soluble fiber.
--Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat, but it's still fat, so go easy.
Virginia's high court said that a lower court did not err in its ruling in Adams' favor because Maine didn't prove the document was ever an official town record and that Adams had superior title to the print.
The fossil is the best-preserved cranium ever found of a pelagornithid, a family of large seabirds believed to have gone extinct some 3 million years ago, said Rodolfo Salas, head of vertebrate paleontology at Peru's National History Museum.
The museum said in a statement that the birds had wingspans of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and may have used the toothlike projections on their beaks to prey on slippery fish and squid. But studying members of the Pelagornithidae family has been difficult because their extremely thin bones — while helpful for keeping the avian giants aloft — tended not to survive as fossils.
"Its fossils are very strange, very rare and very hard to find," Salas said.
The cranium discovered in Peru is 16 inches long and is believed to be 8 million to 10 million years old, based on the age of the rock bed in which it was found.
"Rarely are any bones of these gigantic, marine birds found fossilized uncrushed, and to find an uncrushed skull of this size is very significant," said Ken Campbell, curator of vertebrate zoology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
Campbell, who examined photos of the find but was not involved in the dig, said he knows of "no specimen of comparable quality."
Dan Kepska, a paleontology researcher at North Carolina State University who also was not part of the project, agreed that the skull is the most complete ever reported.
He called the birds "one of the great enigmas of avian paleontology."
With fossils discovered in North America, North Africa and even Antarctica, Kepska said, the birds were ubiquitous only a few million years before humans evolved and scientists puzzle over why they died out. Some believe they are related to gannets and pelicans, while other say they are related to ducks.
Campbell said the Peru find "will undoubtedly be of great importance to our understanding of these gigantic birds, and it will help clarify the relationships of the other fossil pelagornithids found in the Pisco Formation."
The formation, a coastal rock bed south of the capital, Lima, is known for yielding fossils of whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine life dating as far back as 14 million years.
Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery
Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Friday, February 27, 2009
Good morning Marines. Good morning Camp Lejeune. Good morning Jacksonville. Thank you for that outstanding welcome. I want to thank Lieutenant General Hejlik for hosting me here today.
I also want to acknowledge all of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That includes the Camp Lejeune Marines now serving with - or soon joining - the Second Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq; those with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force in Afghanistan; and those among the 8,000 Marines who are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. We have you in our prayers. We pay tribute to your service. We thank you and your families for all that you do for America. And I want all of you to know that there is no higher honor or greater responsibility than serving as your Commander-in-Chief.
I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Ryan Crocker, who recently completed his service as our Ambassador to Iraq. Throughout his career, Ryan always took on the toughest assignments. He is an example of the very best that this nation has to offer, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. He carried on his work with an extraordinary degree of cooperation with two of our finest Generals - General David Petraeus, and General Ray Odierno - who will be critical in carrying forward the strategy that I will outline today.
Next month will mark the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq. By any measure, this has already been a long war. For the men and women of America's armed forces - and for your families - this war has been one of the most extraordinary chapters of service in the history of our nation. You have endured tour after tour after tour of duty. You have known the dangers of combat and the lonely distance of loved ones. You have fought against tyranny and disorder. You have bled for your best friends and for unknown Iraqis. And you have borne an enormous burden for your fellow citizens, while extending a precious opportunity to the people of Iraq. Under tough circumstances, the men and women of the United States military have served with honor, and succeeded beyond any expectation.
Today, I have come to speak to you about how the war in Iraq will end.
To understand where we need to go in Iraq, it is important for the American people to understand where we now stand. Thanks in great measure to your service, the situation in Iraq has improved. Violence has been reduced substantially from the horrific sectarian killing of 2006 and 2007. Al Qaeda in Iraq has been dealt a serious blow by our troops and Iraq's Security Forces, and through our partnership with Sunni Arabs. The capacity of Iraq's Security Forces has improved, and Iraq's leaders have taken steps toward political accommodation. The relative peace and strong participation in January's provincial elections sent a powerful message to the world about how far Iraqis have come in pursuing their aspirations through a peaceful political process.
But let there be no doubt: Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult days ahead. Violence will continue to be a part of life in Iraq. Too many fundamental political questions about Iraq's future remain unresolved. Too many Iraqis are still displaced or destitute. Declining oil revenues will put an added strain on a government that has had difficulty delivering basic services. Not all of Iraq's neighbors are contributing to its security. Some are working at times to undermine it. And even as Iraq's government is on a surer footing, it is not yet a full partner - politically and economically - in the region, or with the international community
In short, today there is a renewed cause for hope in Iraq, but that hope rests upon an emerging foundation.
On my first full day in office, I directed my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of our strategy in Iraq to determine the best way to strengthen that foundation, while strengthening American national security. I have listened to my Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and commanders on the ground. We have acted with careful consideration of events on the ground; with respect for the security agreements between the United States and Iraq; and with a critical recognition that the long-term solution in Iraq must be political - not military. Because the most important decisions that have to be made about Iraq's future must now be made by Iraqis.
We have also taken into account the simple reality that America can no longer afford to see Iraq in isolation from other priorities: we face the challenge of refocusing on Afghanistan and Pakistan; of relieving the burden on our military; and of rebuilding our struggling economy - and these are challenges that we will meet.
Today, I can announce that our review is complete, and that the United States will pursue a new strategy to end the war in Iraq through a transition to full Iraqi responsibility.
This strategy is grounded in a clear and achievable goal shared by the Iraqi people and the American people: an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists. We will help Iraq build new ties of trade and commerce with the world. And we will forge a partnership with the people and government of Iraq that contributes to the peace and security of the region.
What we will not do is let the pursuit of the perfect stand in the way of achievable goals. We cannot rid Iraq of all who oppose America or sympathize with our adversaries. We cannot police Iraq's streets until they are completely safe, nor stay until Iraq's union is perfected. We cannot sustain indefinitely a commitment that has put a strain on our military, and will cost the American people nearly a trillion dollars. America's men and women in uniform have fought block by block, province by province, year after year, to give the Iraqis this chance to choose a better future. Now, we must ask the Iraqi people to seize it.
The first part of this strategy is therefore the responsible removal of our combat brigades from Iraq.
As a candidate for President, I made clear my support for a timeline of 16 months to carry out this drawdown, while pledging to consult closely with our military commanders upon taking office to ensure that we preserve the gains we've made and protect our troops. Those consultations are now complete, and I have chosen a timeline that will remove our combat brigades over the next 18 months.
Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.
As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq. We will proceed carefully, and I will consult closely with my military commanders on the ground and with the Iraqi government. There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments. But our enemies should be left with no doubt: this plan gives our military the forces and the flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners, and to succeed.
After we remove our combat brigades, our mission will change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its Security Forces as they take the absolute lead in securing their country. As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force to carry out three distinct functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi Security Forces as long as they remain non-sectarian; conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilian and military efforts within Iraq. Initially, this force will likely be made up of 35-50,000 U.S. troops.
Through this period of transition, we will carry out further redeployments. And under the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. We will complete this transition to Iraqi responsibility, and we will bring our troops home with the honor that they have earned.
As we responsibly remove our combat brigades, we will pursue the second part of our strategy: sustained diplomacy on behalf of a more peaceful and prosperous Iraq.
The drawdown of our military should send a clear signal that Iraq's future is now its own responsibility. The long-term success of the Iraqi nation will depend upon decisions made by Iraq's leaders and the fortitude of the Iraqi people. Iraq is a sovereign country with legitimate institutions; America cannot - and should not - take their place. However, a strong political, diplomatic, and civilian effort on our part can advance progress and help lay a foundation for lasting peace and security.
This effort will be led by our new Ambassador to Iraq - Chris Hill. From his time in the Peace Corps, to his work in Kosovo and Korea, Ambassador Hill has been tested, and he has shown the pragmatism and skill that we need right now. He will be supported by the courageous and capable work of so many American diplomats and aid workers who are serving in Iraq.
Going forward, we can make a difference on several fronts. We will work with the United Nations to support national elections, while helping Iraqis improve local government. We can serve as an honest broker in pursuit of fair and durable agreements on issues that have divided Iraq's leaders. And just as we will support Iraq's Security Forces, we will help Iraqi institutions strengthen their capacity to protect the rule of law, confront corruption, and deliver basic services.
Diplomacy and assistance is also required to help the millions of displaced Iraqis. These men, women and children are a living consequence of this war and a challenge to stability in the region, and they must become a part of Iraq's reconciliation and recovery. America has a strategic interest - and a moral responsibility - to act. In the coming months, my administration will provide more assistance and take steps to increase international support for countries already hosting refugees; we'll cooperate with others to resettle Iraqis facing great personal risk; and we will work with the Iraqi government over time to resettle refugees and displaced Iraqis within Iraq - because there are few more powerful indicators of lasting peace than displaced citizens returning home.
Now, before I go any further, I want to take a moment to speak directly to the people of Iraq.
You are a great nation, rooted in the cradle of civilization. You are joined together by enduring accomplishments, and a history that connects you as surely as the two rivers carved into your land. In years past, you have persevered through tyranny and terror; through personal insecurity and sectarian violence. And instead of giving in to the forces of disunion, you stepped back from a descent into civil war, and showed a proud resilience that deserves respect.
Our nations have known difficult times together. But ours is a bond forged by shared bloodshed, and countless friendships among our people. We Americans have offered our most precious resource - our young men and women - to work with you to rebuild what was destroyed by despotism; to root out our common enemies; and to seek peace and prosperity for our children and grandchildren, and for yours.
There are those who will try to prevent that future for Iraq - who will insist that Iraq's differences cannot be reconciled without more killing. They represent the forces that destroy nations and lead only to despair, and they will test our will in the months and years to come. America, too, has known these forces. We endured the pain of Civil War, and bitter divisions of region and race. But hostility and hatred are no match for justice; they offer no pathway to peace; and they must not stand between the people of Iraq and a future of reconciliation and hope.
So to the Iraqi people, let me be clear about America's intentions. The United States pursues no claim on your territory or your resources. We respect your sovereignty and the tremendous sacrifices you have made for your country. We seek a full transition to Iraqi responsibility for the security of your country. And going forward, we can build a lasting relationship founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect as Iraq takes its rightful place in the community of nations.
That leads me to the third part of our strategy -comprehensive American engagement across the region.
The future of Iraq is inseparable from the future of the broader Middle East, so we must work with our friends and partners to establish a new framework that advances Iraq's security and the region's. It is time for Iraq to be a full partner in a regional dialogue, and for Iraq's neighbors to establish productive and normalized relations with Iraq. And going forward, the United States will pursue principled and sustained engagement with all of the nations in the region, and that will include Iran and Syria.
This reflects a fundamental truth: we can no longer deal with regional challenges in isolation - we need a smarter, more sustainable and comprehensive approach. That is why we are renewing our diplomacy, while relieving the burden on our military. That is why we are refocusing on al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing a strategy to use all elements of American power to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon; and actively seeking a lasting peace between Israel and the Arab world. And that is why we have named three of America's most accomplished diplomats - George Mitchell, Dennis Ross and Richard Holbrooke - to support Secretary Clinton and me as we carry forward this agenda.
Every nation and every group must know - whether you wish America good or ill - that the end of the war in Iraq will enable a new era of American leadership and engagement in the Middle East. And that era has just begun.
Finally, I want to be very clear that my strategy for ending the war in Iraq does not end with military plans or diplomatic agendas - it endures through our commitment to uphold our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served in Iraq.
You make up a fraction of the American population, but in an age when so many people and institutions have acted irresponsibly, you did the opposite - you volunteered to bear the heaviest burden. And for you and for your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who gave their lives. It endures in the wound that is slow to heal, the disability that isn't going away, the dream that wakes you at night, or the stiffening in your spine when a car backfires down the street.
You and your families have done your duty - now a grateful nation must do ours. That is why I am increasing the number of soldiers and Marines, so that we lessen the burden on those who are serving. And that is why I have committed to expanding our system of veterans health care to serve more patients, and to provide better care in more places. We will continue building new wounded warrior facilities across America, and invest in new ways of identifying and treating the signature wounds of this war: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other combat injuries.
We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with military families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned firsthand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know this: military families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration. We'll raise military pay, and continue providing quality child-care, job-training for spouses, and expanded counseling and outreach to families that have known the separation and stress of war. We will also heed the lesson of history - that those who fight in battle can form the backbone of our middle class - by implementing a 21st century GI Bill to help our veterans live their dreams.
As a nation, we have had our share of debates about the war in Iraq. It has, at times, divided us as a people. To this very day, there are some Americans who want to stay in Iraq longer, and some who want to leave faster. But there should be no disagreement on what the men and women of our military have achieved.
And so I want to be very clear: We sent our troops to Iraq to do away with Saddam Hussein's regime - and you got the job done. We kept our troops in Iraq to help establish a sovereign government - and you got the job done. And we will leave the Iraqi people with a hard-earned opportunity to live a better life - that is your achievement; that is the prospect that you have made possible.
There are many lessons to be learned from what we've experienced. We have learned that America must go to war with clearly defined goals, which is why I've ordered a review of our policy in Afghanistan. We have learned that we must always weigh the costs of action, and communicate those costs candidly to the American people, which is why I've put Iraq and Afghanistan into my budget. We have learned that in the 21st century, we must use all elements of American power to achieve our objectives, which is why I am committed to building our civilian national security capacity so that the burden is not continually pushed on to our military. We have learned that our political leaders must pursue the broad and bipartisan support that our national security policies depend upon, which is why I will consult with Congress and in carrying out my plans. And we have learned the importance of working closely with friends and allies, which is why we are launching a new era of engagement in the world.
The starting point for our policies must always be the safety of the American people. I know that you - the men and women of the finest fighting force in the history of the world - can meet any challenge, and defeat any foe. And as long as I am your Commander-in-Chief, I promise you that I will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary, and provide you with the equipment and support you need to get the job done. That is the most important lesson of all - for the consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable.
You know because you have seen those sacrifices. You have lived them. And we all honor them.
"Semper Fidelis" - it means always being faithful to Corps, and to country, and to the memory of fallen comrades like Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter. These young men enlisted in a time of war, knowing they would face great danger. They came here, to Camp Lejeune, as they trained for their mission. And last April, they were standing guard in Anbar. In an age when suicide is a weapon, they were suddenly faced with an oncoming truck filled with explosives. These two Marines stood their ground. These two Marines opened fire. And these two Marines stopped that truck. When the thousands of pounds of explosives detonated, they had saved fifty Marines and Iraqi police who would have been in the truck's path, but Corporal Yale and Lance Corporal Haerter lost their own lives. Jonathan was 21. Jordan was 19.
In the town where Jordan Haerter was from, a bridge was dedicated in his name. One Marine who traveled to the ceremony said: "We flew here from all over the country to pay tribute to our friend Jordan, who risked his life to save us. We wouldn't be here without him."
America's time in Iraq is filled with stories of men and women like this. Their names are written into bridges and town squares. They are etched into stones at Arlington, and in quiet places of rest across our land. They are spoken in schools and on city blocks. They live on in the memories of those who wear your uniform, in the hearts of those they loved, and in the freedom of the nation they served.
Each American who has served in Iraq has their own story. Each of you has your own story. And that story is now a part of the history of the United States of America - a nation that exists only because free men and women have bled for it from the beaches of Normandy to the deserts of Anbar; from the mountains of Korea to the streets of Kandahar. You teach us that the price of freedom is great. Your sacrifice should challenge all of us - every single American - to ask what we can do to be better citizens.
There will be more danger in the months ahead. We will face new tests and unforeseen trials. But thanks to the sacrifices of those who have served, we have forged hard-earned progress, we are leaving Iraq to its people, and we have begun the work of ending this war.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America. Semper Fi.
The Colorado good Samaritan who was seriously injured by a pickup truck won't have to pay a $22 jaywalking fine after all.
The Colorado State Patrol has withdrawn the ticket issued to Jim Moffett, who was hit by the pickup after he pushed three people out of its path.
The State Patrol says it dropped the citation after examining the circumstances and consulting with prosecutors.
The patrol initially said that despite Moffett's intentions, jaywalking contributed to the accident.
Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when the accident occurred.
The patrol also withdrew jaywalking citations against the other good Samaritan and one of the two women. A citation against the pickup driver for careless driving resulting in injury still stands.
Moffett remains hospitalized in serious condition.
*****
Or, in other words, they don't want any more publicity and are hoping it will now just dry up and blow away.
Which it most likely will do.
See for yourself how out of touch repugicans are with reality by taking a look at the chart above tracking the post WW2 recessions this country has endured. (Note that all -every single one of them - began under repugican 'leadership')
This fish - who looks like a bad acid trip - that has been confirmed as a new species and named, appropriately enough, Histiophryne psychedelica. Scuba divers discovered it off Indonesia and University of Washington researcher Ted Pietsch tested its DNA.Like other frogfish — a subset of anglerfish — H. psychedelica has leglike fins on both sides of its body."PSYCHEDELIC" FISH : New Species Bounces on Reef
But it has several traits not previously known among frogfish, wrote Pietsch, of the University of Washington.
Each time the fish strike the seabed, for instance, they push off with their fins and expel water from tiny gill openings to jet themselves forward. That and an off-centered tail cause them to bounce around in a bizarre, chaotic manner.
The fish, which has a gelatinous, fist-size body covered with thick folds of skin that protect it from sharp-edged corals, also has a flat face with eyes directed forward, like humans, and a huge, yawning mouth.
The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has consistently ignored advice from a host of technical experts saying the filters would slow the internet, block legitimate sites, be easily bypassed and fall short of capturing all of the nasty content available online.Despite this, he is pushing ahead with trials of the scheme using six ISPs - Primus, Tech 2U, Webshield, OMNIconnect, Netforce and Highway 1.
But even the trials have been heavily discredited, with experts saying the lack of involvement from the three largest ISPs, Telstra, Optus and iiNet, means the trials will not provide much useful data on the effects of internet filtering in the real-world.
Senator Conroy originally pitched the filters as a way to block child porn but - as ISPs, technical experts and many web users feared - the targets have been broadened significantly since then.
ACMA's secret blacklist, which will form the basis of the mandatory censorship regime, contains 1370 sites, only 674 of which relate to depictions of children under 18. A significant portion - 506 sites - would be classified R18+ and X18+, which is legal to view but would be blocked for everyone under the proposal.
Michael O'Leary: 'People might have to spend a pound to spend a penny'
Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it is considering charging passengers for using the toilet while flying.
Chief executive Michael O'Leary told the BBC that the Dublin-based carrier was looking at maybe installing a "coin slot on the toilet door".
Consumer group Which? said the airline was putting "profit before passengers".
Last week Ryanair confirmed it planned to close all of its airport check-in desks by the end of the year in a bid to reduce the cost of its flights.
'Fast buck'
Ryanair aims to offer low basic ticket prices, and then charge extra for items such as checking in at the airport or for additional luggage.
"One thing we have looked at in the past, and are looking at again, is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door, so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future," he told the BBC.
He added: "I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound."
But Rochelle Turner, head of research at Which? Holiday, said: "It seems Ryanair is prepared to plumb any depth to make a fast buck and, once again, is putting profit before the comfort of its customers.
"Charging people to go to the toilet might result in fewer people buying overpriced drinks on board, though - that would serve Ryanair right."
*****
Never thought I'd see an airline 'cheaper' or more callous toward their customers than USAir, But this latest in a string of errors on the part of Ryanair leaves no doubt they beat out USAir in callousness and 'cheapness' - and I am not talking about inexpensive flights here, either!
"'Unrestored' copy of first Superman comic book for sale
"Of the 100 existing copies, 80 percent have been restored, but people want an untouched copy," (Comic Connect owner Stephen) Fishler said. The book is listed in "fine" condition, a six on the 10-point rating scale...
Co-created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the comic book first appeared on newsstands for 10 cents a copy in June 1938.
Nearly 12 years later, a young boy on the West Coast found himself in a secondhand book store, where he persuaded his dad to loan him 35 cents to buy the comic book.
Until 1966, the owner forgot about the book, which was hidden in his mother's basement. Since then, he's been holding onto it, hoping to see it increase in value, Fishler said. He has not been disappointed.
Geologists, biologists and other scientists convened Thursday in Paris to discuss how to stop the spread of fungus stains — aggravated by global warming — that threaten France's prehistoric Lascaux cave drawings.
Black stains have spread across the cave's prehistoric murals of bulls, felines and other images, and scientists have been hard-pressed to halt the fungal creep.
Marc Gaulthier, who heads the Lascaux Caves International Scientific Committee, said the challenges facing the group are vast and global warming now poses an added problem.
"All of Lascaux's problems have always been linked to the cave's climatization, meaning the equilibrium of air inside the cave," Gaulthier told reporters at a news conference before the symposium. Now, rising temperatures have complicated matters by stopping air from circulating inside the caverns, he said.
"It's stagnating, immobile, frozen" inside the cave, he said.
This makes sending teams of scientists into the affected caverns risky, as their mere presence raises humidity levels and temperatures that could contribute to the growth of the different fungi, algae and bacteria that have attacked the cave over the years, he said.
Other factors behind the stains include the presence of naturally occurring microorganisms and the chemical makeup of the rock that forms the cavern walls, Gaulthier and other scientists at the news conference said.
For the moment, the cave is completely sealed in hopes that "it will heal itself," Gaulthier said.
Two possible solutions to be examined at the conference include the installation of a system to regulate the cave's temperature and the use of biocides, which kill the bacteria and have been used in the cave before, with mixed results.
Scientists from as far away as the United States, New Zealand and Japan were scheduled to attend the two-day symposium. The conclusions could also help preserve caves in Japan and Spain.
In 1963, Lascaux, a top tourist destination, was closed to the public after the appearance of green algae and other damage scientists linked to the visitors. A replica of the main Lascaux cavern was built nearby and has become a big tourist draw.
Carbon-dating suggests the murals were created between 15,000 and 17,500 years ago. Discovered in 1940, the cavern is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
FBI agents have arrested the chief investment officer of troubled Stanford Financial Group, accusing Laura Pendergest-Holt of obstructing a Securities and Exchange Commission fraud investigation.
The SEC has been investigating allegations of an $8 billion investment fraud involving Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford's financial group.
Pendergest-Holt was arrested Thursday in Houston. The FBI said she was taken to the federal detention center and will appear in court Friday morning.
The government alleges in a federal complaint that Pendergest-Holt obstructed the investigation with some of her answers to SEC investigators' questions.
*****
About, Bloody time, too!
Pay for health insurance or pay the mortgage. That's what it's come down to for one Charlotte family with a sick daughter.
Kayleigh Anne Freeman was born 12 weeks early.
"She's been through the ringer, I'll tell you that," said her father, Adam.
Doctors said Kayleigh, who weighed just 1 pound at birth, wouldn't survive.
"She was one of the smallest babies to ever undergo heart surgery, open heart surgery," Adam said.
But Kayleigh is still fighting for her place in this world. At 8 months old, she weighs a mere 7 pounds.
"In the last week she's grown 200 grams," Adam said.
Kayleigh has never seen beyond the walls of the pediatric intensive care unit at Levine Children's Hospital.
"We just started holding her again. It had been two months since we held her," said Aimee, Kayleigh's mother.
Now, Kayleigh may never see the room her parents prepared for her.
"Our foreclosure date is set for March 30. We don't see how we're going to get around it," Aimee said.
By the time Kayleigh goes home, the Freemans will have been forced to move. Both were successful real estate agents before home sales began to dry up.
They have to pay their own health insurance, which costs $1,000 a month. And it's either pay the insurance or pay the mortgage.
"We don't want to have to worry about if a doctor will see or do a surgery, or every time they come in to do an X-ray or change a diaper, how much is that going to cost us?" Aimee said.
With the medical bills, the stress at the hospital and foreclosure coming, the Freemans are overwhelmed.
"We don't really know in 30 days where we are going to go or how we're going to pay for it," Aimee said.
But they're trying to stay grounded, remembering what's truly important.
"Even though we are going through such a tough financial situation -- we're losing the house, we barely can pay the insurance, we lost one car already -- that's not the point," Adam said. "The point is we were given something that we can handle. God doesn't give you anything you can't handle."
The Freemans say Kayleigh could go home in a month if she continues to improve. Then, she will need a nurse at home to monitor her for at least one year.
To learn more about the Freemans and how you can help, visit www.kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com.
The remains of the palace of King Robert the Bruce (actually it is spelled Brus to we Scots - especially we Stuarts), widely considered one of Scotland’s greatest kings and warriors, could be among the artifacts and material dug up recently at a building site in Scotland, according to a British newspaper report.
Born to Scottish nobles in 1274, Robert the Bruce reigned as King of the Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. He led Scotland in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England, which resulted in Scotland retaining its sovereignty and in which the Scottish hero William Wallace (subject of the 1995 film "Braveheart") also fought.
Bruce's descendants founded the Stewart dynasty and include all later Scottish monarchs.
The stone foundations to a building believed to be Bruce's palace were uncovered when a building company began digging in a field for a housing project, The Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.
The foundation and various artifacts, found in an area to the west of Glasgow called the Pillanflatt, which means "pavilion of the great hero," match descriptions in ancient documents about the location of the king's home, according to historians.
"The 1362 charter states that Robert the Bruce resided between Kings Park of Cardross and the lands of Pillanflatt, bounding the lands of Dalquhurn," historian Stuart Smith, who has studied the Bruce family for 35 years, told the newspaper.
Sections of masonry, plasterwork and mortar have been sent to the Scottish Lime Centre, where tests confirmed that the stone dates from the 14th century and is of a type used in the construction of a cathedral or chapel.
The area of the palace is thought to include the king's manor house, which had a 100-foot grand hall, a queen's quarter and a chapel.
"We knew that Pillanflatt was where the king lived," Duncan Thomson, chairman of the Strathleven Artizans, a group set up to promote the area's links with Robert the Bruce, told the paper. "Before we found the foundations, we had to guess where the king's house was."
Once the authenticity of the site is confirmed, the group behind the discovery plans to petition Historic Scotland to designate the area as a site of special historic interest. If this happens, the site would join a list of famous Scottish monuments that includes Edinburgh Palace (a statue of Robert the Bruce sits at the entrance) and Holyrood Palace, the official residence of Scottish monarchs since the 15th century and now the Scottish residence of Queen Elizabeth II.
A game of Scrabble might not have been all that different in Stone Age times.
Using a computer simulation, a British researcher says he's examined the rate of change of words in languages to reveal the oldest English-sounding words, which would have been used by Stone Age humans 20,000 years ago.More here.
Among the Stone Age words that presumably would've sounded then much like they do now in the English language: I, we, two and three.
It has been a superb winter for viewing the queen of the planets, Venus. February marks the pinnacle of its evening visibility as it stands like a sequined showgirl nearly halfway up in the western sky at sunset.
You can't miss it. Just look west after sunset. In fact, you can see it during the day if you know where to look. Find it just after sunset one evening, then scan around the same spot just before sunset the next day.
Read the rest at LiveScience.
"We have found what we believe to be the mechanism by which caffeine is associated with decreased skin cancer," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Nghiem, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Read the rest here.
"We have one boat. It's pulled by two mules. On a good day they might go 2 miles per hour," said Sarah B. Hays, the park's director of operations.
The park's two-mile canal does not pass any military bases, nuclear power plants or other sensitive facilities. And, park officials say, the mules could be considered weapons of mass destruction only if they were aimed at something resembling food.
For two and a half years, beginning in April 2005, Mariano Lucas Domingo, along with several other men, was held as a slave at that address. At first, the deal must have seemed reasonable. Lucas, a Guatemalan in his thirties, had slipped across the border to make money to send home for the care of an ailing parent. He expected to earn about $200 a week in the fields. Cesar Navarrete, then a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, agreed to provide room and board at his family’s home on South Seventh Street and extend credit to cover the periods when there were no tomatoes to pick.Lucas’s “room” turned out to be the back of a box truck in the junk-strewn yard, shared with two or three other workers. It lacked running water and a toilet, so occupants urinated and defecated in a corner. For that, Navarrete docked Lucas’s pay by $20 a week. According to court papers, he also charged Lucas for two meager meals a day: eggs, beans, rice, tortillas, and, occasionally, some sort of meat. Cold showers from a garden hose in the backyard were $5 each. Everything had a price. Lucas was soon $300 in debt. After a month of ten-hour workdays, he figured he should have paid that debt off.
But when Lucas—slightly built and standing less than five and a half feet tall—inquired about the balance, Navarrete threatened to beat him should he ever try to leave. Instead of providing an accounting, Navarrete took Lucas’s paychecks, cashed them, and randomly doled out pocket money, $20 some weeks, other weeks $50. Over the years, Navarrete and members of his extended family deprived Lucas of $55,000.
Taking a day off was not an option. If Lucas became ill or was too exhausted to work, he was kicked in the head, beaten, and locked in the back of the truck. Other members of Navarrete’s dozen-man crew were slashed with knives, tied to posts, and shackled in chains. On November 18, 2007, Lucas was again locked inside the truck. As dawn broke, he noticed a faint light shining through a hole in the roof. Jumping up, he secured a hand hold and punched himself through. He was free.
A surveillance video of the incident, which had been posted to YouTube, was taken down after McDonald's charged copyright infringement (AKA, they wanted it pulled because of bad PR). However, TV station KARK has posted video that is not subject to copyright infringement. It's obvious from the video that Nigel Haskett, then aged 21, was a hero.
Read the rest at SNAFU'ed.
Stone tools found in Boulder, Colorado were used to butcher camels and horses 13,000 years ago, before the beasts became extinct in the region.
A new biochemical analysis of a rare Clovis-era stone tools was done at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It is the first study to identify protein residue from extinct camels on North American stone tools and only the second to identify horse protein residue on a Clovis-age tool, said CU-Boulder Anthropology Professor Douglas Bamforth, who led the work.
The Clovis culture is believed by many archaeologists to coincide with the time the first Americans arrived on the continent from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge, about 13,000 to 13,500 years ago.Police in Gastonia say the three people who stole clothing from a store Tuesday afternoon at Westfield Eastridge Mall managed to cause quite a ruckus before they fled.
The three became involved in a series of fights with employees at the Hollister Co. clothing store in the mall.
It happened about 3:45 p.m., police say.
A 26-year-old male employee of the store, which sells clothing aimed at teens and young adults, said two men and a woman entered Hollister Co., started a fight with him, and then grabbed 20 T-shirts.
Another employee, a 25-year-old man, saw what was happening and came to help. He got involved in a fight with one of the suspects. Police say that when a third employee, a 26-year-old woman, tried to call mall security, the female suspect jumped on her and began fighting.
Then a fourth employee, a 25-year-old woman, returned to the store after a break, spotted the ruckus, and also tried to call mall security. That woman told police that the female suspect then assaulted her.
The three suspects got away with clothing valued at $485, police say.
Fifteen suspected members and associates of the “Bloods” gang have been indicted on federal firearms, drug and robbery charges – the third time in two years that authorities have targeted gangs and their criminal activities in Charlotte.
The 41-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday, alleges that the gang members were selling cocaine, heroin and marijuana, operating a “crack house” on Dundeen Street in Charlotte, committing robberies and illegally using and possessing firearms.
Thirteen of the 15 suspects, with nick names like “Dawg,” “Wad,” “Brother Man,” “B-Dog” and “Monk,” were rounded up Wednesday morning and are in federal custody.
The indictment followed a six-month investigation by the FBI and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
“Today's indictment underscores our ongoing commitment to eradicate violent drug gangs,” U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert said. “Law enforcement partnerships are critical to our success.”
It's the third time since 2007 that federal prosecutors have sought similar indictments against gang members in Charlotte.
In March of 2007, members of the Hidden Valley Kings, Charlotte's most notorious home-grown gang, were indicted in federal court. The gang members were sentenced to long prison terms in December.
Last June, members of MS-13, a violent gang with roots in El Salvador, were indicted. The case is scheduled for trial in June.
“We have shown that when agencies work together, we have the power to bring down entire gangs,” Nathan Gray, who heads the FBI in North Carolina, said. “We will continue to do all we can to make sure people walk through their neighborhoods and not fear gang violence.”
The indictment identified the defendants as members or associates of the Bloods or narcotics suppliers of the gang.
The gang members are accused of conducting the bulk of their drug trafficking and other criminal activity in the area along Beatties Ford Road, between Capps Hill Mine Road and Brookshire Boulevard. They bought and sold narcotics in and around dwellings often referred to by the defendants as “the Spot,” “the Trap,” “Daddy's House,” and “the Dungeon,” according to the indictment.
Another source of the gang's income, the indictment alleges, came from robberies of other drug dealers where both drugs and drug proceeds were obtained by violence and intimidation.
“Today's operation impacts the entire city,” Policed Chief Rodney Monroe said. “The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and all of its law enforcement partners, will continue to work extremely hard to remove the fear and intimidation caused by gangs in our neighborhoods. Our strategy is to root out this type of criminal activity.”
