To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
More at Bloomberg News Service.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
BofA says, 'how's this for a hard up the whazoo'
Get this ...
To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
To get around all the bad publicity that comes with big bonuses, Bank of America is considering giving its investment bankers raises in base pay of up to 70%.
Be careful the truth is coming out
Something else the repugicans don't want you to know:
"Of the roughly $11 trillion in federal debt accumulated to date, more than 90 percent can be attributed to the tenure of three presidents: Ronald Reagan, who used to complain constantly about runaway spending; George Herbert Walker Bush, reputed to be one of those old-fashioned green-eyeshade Republicans; and his spendthrift son George "Dubya" Bush, whose trillion-dollar war and irresponsible tax cuts accounted for nearly half the entire burden. Only Bill Clinton temporarily reversed the trend with surpluses and started to pay down the debt (by raising rates on the wealthiest taxpayers)."
More here
Wall Street has best month in over 6 years
The repugican spin on this ought to be interesting.
Hilarious, but interesting.
Hilarious, but interesting.
Good news from a tech giant and a British bank give the S&P 500 its best month since October 2002.
Wall Street has best month in over 6 years
Israel's Netanyahu vows to seek peace with Arabs
It would be a good thing ...
Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israel's new leader Tuesday, promised to seek "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world, but refused to utter the words the world was waiting to hear: "Palestinian state." The well-spoken, U.S.-educated hawk took pains to portray himself as a pragmatist, telling a packed parliament that Israel does not want to rule the Palestinians.
Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israel's new leader Tuesday, promised to seek "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world, but refused to utter the words the world was waiting to hear: "Palestinian state." The well-spoken, U.S.-educated hawk took pains to portray himself as a pragmatist, telling a packed parliament that Israel does not want to rule the Palestinians.
Read the rest here.
Biden in North Carolina
Vice President Joe Biden will be in North Carolina this week to discuss how federal stimulus money will help rural Americans.
The White House released a statement Monday that said Biden and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will "make a major announcement regarding rural housing funding" when they visit the state Wednesday.
Biden and Vilsack are scheduled to visit Goshen Medical Center in Faison. The clinic serves rural residents and will receive funding from the federal Recovery Act.
They also are scheduled to be in Pikeville to visit the local fire department, which also will receive stimulus funding to help build a new facility.
Long necked dinosaurs didn't reach for the sky
A handout image from the University of Portsmouth in 2008 shows an artist's impression.
A fondly-held belief about long-necked sauropods, the giant four-footed dinosaurs beloved of monster movies and children, is most probably untrue, a dino expert said on Wednesday.
At the zenith of the dinosaurs' reign, some sauropods evolved necks of extraordinary length -- more than nine metres (29.25 feet) in the case of the Mamenchisaurus, a titan of the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago.
Prevailing wisdom has it that these leviathans used their necks like giraffes today. They reached up high into the trees, munching leisurely on forest canopy that was out of reach for rival herbivores.
Not so, says a paper appearing in Biology Letters, a journal published by Britain's prestigious Royal Society.
Read the rest here.
Lead Standard
Proud to be the leader in the Lead Standard of blogs!
What with the 'Gold Standard' blogs about 500,000 blogs in front of Carolina Naturally it seems like being the premier "lead standard" blog is a good thing - don't you think?
What with the 'Gold Standard' blogs about 500,000 blogs in front of Carolina Naturally it seems like being the premier "lead standard" blog is a good thing - don't you think?
Lawyer Joke
Do you know the problem with lawyer jokes?
Lawyers don't think they're funny, and the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
Lawyers don't think they're funny, and the rest of us don't think they're jokes!
And I Quote
We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again - and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.
Liars and Fools
Liars and Fools:
The Faux Lies Edition
Who is crazier -- Faux's Brick vs. Fox's O'Really
Damn, that's a hard one!
Faux's Brick says Obama, Democrats are vampires "going after the blood of our businesses," suggests "driving a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers"
An unstable mind that has seen one too many bad "B" movies.
Faux's Handjob lies claiming Obama has proposed UK-style nationalized health care
Lies, lies, lies
Faux's Handjob and discredited guest hysterically hype terrorism threat from Mexico
Insanity breeds upon itself.
Faux's Handjob on auto bailout: "The administration is on a mission to hijack capitalism in favor of collectivism... The Bolsheviks have already arrived"
Actually they were ousted in the last election, and are crying about it.
Faux's Handjob lies that National Intelligence Director plans to "release ... enemy combatants on American soil"
He means Amerikkkan soil or in reality the skidmarks in his repugican underdrawers
Handjob propaganda asks if Obama budget is "a way for the government to completely control our lives"
Like the Handjob propaganda machine, huh?
Faux's Handjob repeats lie that 61 former Guantanamo prisoners have "gone back to the battlefield"
Hey, it's Handjob, what do expect?
Faux's Henneberg lies claiming "reconciliation was last used in 2001"
Another day, another lie.
After UPS pulls advertising from O'Really Factor, O'Really advises Big Brown to "wise up"
They already did, numb-nuts.
Faux's O'Really identifies 'the far left blogs' as his #1 enemy
Actually, there his betters.
After Spanish court begins proceedings against shrub/cabal officials over torture, Faux's O'Really says he's boycotting Spain
Oh, I think Spain is in trouble now! Not!
Faux analysts: Obama is manipulating the liberal press in a 'historic' way
One last time ... there is no such thing as the 'liberal press' ... lying about it does not make it so.
Damn, that's a hard one!
Faux's Brick says Obama, Democrats are vampires "going after the blood of our businesses," suggests "driving a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers"
An unstable mind that has seen one too many bad "B" movies.
Faux's Handjob lies claiming Obama has proposed UK-style nationalized health care
Lies, lies, lies
Faux's Handjob and discredited guest hysterically hype terrorism threat from Mexico
Insanity breeds upon itself.
Faux's Handjob on auto bailout: "The administration is on a mission to hijack capitalism in favor of collectivism... The Bolsheviks have already arrived"
Actually they were ousted in the last election, and are crying about it.
Faux's Handjob lies that National Intelligence Director plans to "release ... enemy combatants on American soil"
He means Amerikkkan soil or in reality the skidmarks in his repugican underdrawers
Handjob propaganda asks if Obama budget is "a way for the government to completely control our lives"
Like the Handjob propaganda machine, huh?
Faux's Handjob repeats lie that 61 former Guantanamo prisoners have "gone back to the battlefield"
Hey, it's Handjob, what do expect?
Faux's Henneberg lies claiming "reconciliation was last used in 2001"
Another day, another lie.
After UPS pulls advertising from O'Really Factor, O'Really advises Big Brown to "wise up"
They already did, numb-nuts.
Faux's O'Really identifies 'the far left blogs' as his #1 enemy
Actually, there his betters.
After Spanish court begins proceedings against shrub/cabal officials over torture, Faux's O'Really says he's boycotting Spain
Oh, I think Spain is in trouble now! Not!
Faux analysts: Obama is manipulating the liberal press in a 'historic' way
One last time ... there is no such thing as the 'liberal press' ... lying about it does not make it so.
Arrested Man Patted Down Four Times, Still Has Gun
A man arrested on a drug charge was able to "survive" four pat-downs, and still keep his gun, showing an alarming security hole, and perhaps a lack of training.
Bernie Madoff Earns a Trading Card Spot
Baseball cards yes, but scammer cards?
That's apparently the idea behind trading card company Topps' latest set of cards, scheduled for release this summer, called the "World's Biggest hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles."
That's apparently the idea behind trading card company Topps' latest set of cards, scheduled for release this summer, called the "World's Biggest hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles."
And I Quote
The Republicans released their budget counter-proposal this week.
It plans to address the deficit, global warming, healthcare, energy, massive tax cuts for the rich.
I'm not kidding.
Also, there are no numbers in this budget.
It's a budget plan without math.
You know, Obama should have saved that Special Olympics joke for these retards.
~ Bill Maher
It plans to address the deficit, global warming, healthcare, energy, massive tax cuts for the rich.
I'm not kidding.
Also, there are no numbers in this budget.
It's a budget plan without math.
You know, Obama should have saved that Special Olympics joke for these retards.
~ Bill Maher
Pre-Foreclosure Scams
One of the biggest scams out there today during these economic difficulties is the 'take over the payments on pre-foreclosure homes with no credit check and no money down'.
What they conveniently forget to mention is the upfront 'registration fee' (fully refundable of course should you not get the home of your choice through their service), of between $85 to $300 dollars - depending on how much work you want to do or have them do to find you a house.
While there may be legitimate 'pre-foreclosure' companies out there, the odds are they aren't many. But there are many non-legitimate ones out there.
One of the most viral of these non-legitimate ones, is Anchor Housing Financial. They spam Craig's List and other web lists mercilessly - so don't be fooled by them ... all they want is your credit card number and become extremely rude when you won't give it to them.
If you get a call on your phone from the toll free number 877-712-4464 that is Anchor Housing calling so I wouldn't answer it if I were you, unless you want to give them $199.00 for nothing, then by all means answer the phone.
The best way to get in on the deals of a lifetime on houses on the cheap is to get a listing from your local tax office of houses that can be had for back taxes. There is a fee (and it will vary due to locality) but you will get the listing. (Note: if you get a listing of these houses you need not do an extra title search to find out if there are any liens on the property you desire - there is ... and you have the lien amount in your hand on the list - pay it and the house is yours)
What they conveniently forget to mention is the upfront 'registration fee' (fully refundable of course should you not get the home of your choice through their service), of between $85 to $300 dollars - depending on how much work you want to do or have them do to find you a house.
While there may be legitimate 'pre-foreclosure' companies out there, the odds are they aren't many. But there are many non-legitimate ones out there.
One of the most viral of these non-legitimate ones, is Anchor Housing Financial. They spam Craig's List and other web lists mercilessly - so don't be fooled by them ... all they want is your credit card number and become extremely rude when you won't give it to them.
If you get a call on your phone from the toll free number 877-712-4464 that is Anchor Housing calling so I wouldn't answer it if I were you, unless you want to give them $199.00 for nothing, then by all means answer the phone.
The best way to get in on the deals of a lifetime on houses on the cheap is to get a listing from your local tax office of houses that can be had for back taxes. There is a fee (and it will vary due to locality) but you will get the listing. (Note: if you get a listing of these houses you need not do an extra title search to find out if there are any liens on the property you desire - there is ... and you have the lien amount in your hand on the list - pay it and the house is yours)
Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on White House
The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the White House that would "amaze" the world.
Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S., said Monday's attack on the outskirts of the eastern city of Lahore was retaliation for U.S. missile strikes against militants.Video from Reuters:
'Halo effect' explains brightest patches of sky
Light bouncing off clouds and illuminating tiny particles in the atmosphere can brighten clear sky for miles – the finding could be bad news for climate models.
'Halo effect'
'Extinct' possum back from the dead
An Australian possum that was last year mistakenly declared extinct, actually survives in small pockets – it is, however, still endangered by the warming climate.
Early humans may have cared for disabled young
The part of the skull showing prematurely fused sutures: (A) The first segment is completely fused. (B) The second segment is fused, but still noticeable. (C) The lambdoid portion of the suture is completely open (Image: National Academy of Sciences, PNAS)
An ancient human skull shows signs of a disorder that might have caused mental retardation – and the child's age suggests it had been looked after for years.
Early humans may have cared for disabled young
Why Chimps Are Stronger Than Humans
The brutal attack last month by a pet chimpanzee on a Connecticut woman was a stark reminder that chimps are up to four times stronger than humans.
One reason, a new study suggests, is that we pay a price for our fine motor skills.
Read the rest at LiveScience.
Cypriot Temple 4000 years old
A triangular temple on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is thought to be a thousand years older than any other found there. The discovery, supposedly dating back 4,000 years, "confirms that religious worship in Cyprus began much earlier than previously believed," said researcher Maria Rosaria Belgiorno.
Other scientists are not sure its more than 2,000 years old, however.
Contrary to normal protocol in which scientists get their findings reviewed and published in journals, Belgiorno first gave the scoop to a weekly English language newspaper on the island.
Music's craziest hoaxes
Miley Cyrus, Phil Collins, and Paul McCartney are some of the stars who have been targets of bizarre rumors.The truth behind music's craziest hoaxes
Caffeine
Are you relying too much on that energy jolt to get you through the day?
Wean yourself with these simple steps.
6 ways to cut back on caffeine
Also Read: Problems from too much caffeine.
Stimulus cash for employees on the way
Most workers will soon find a bump in their paychecks as the president's tax credit kicks in.
Stimulus cash for employees on the way
Voters don't blame Obama for economy
Despite what the wing-nuts are howling, voters do not blame President Obama for the state of the economy.
President Obama benefits from a broadly held perception that others bear the bulk of responsibility for state of the U.S. economy, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today.
President Obama benefits from a broadly held perception that others bear the bulk of responsibility for state of the U.S. economy, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today.
Asked who was responsible for the economic meltdown, 80 percent in the poll blamed banks, financial institutions and corporations. Some 70 percent also blamed consumers for taking on too much debt and the former shrub cabal for lax regulation.
Bank pushing 120% APR loans
There is something fishy going on at a "large west coast bank, relatively well known including for some recent financial games with the Feds" -- tellers are pushing "direct deposit advances" that let you access deposited checks in real time for the low-low APR of :
Here is how one depositor describes it ...
Here is how one depositor describes it ...
This time, the nice lady at the counter asked me if I needed immediate access to the deposit? Huh? Said I. Looking at the payeee - "I think the check will clear..."Oh, it is not that, said she, it is just that some people need immediate access to their deposits, like same day, or tomorrow, and if you did we can expedite it.
Oh, that's nice, thought I, and said "no thanks, got enough balance to cover any outstanding transactions thanks, but been there..." so, I wandered off, and suddenly though - well was prompted by my better half to think - "expedited? at what price?"
So, I checked online - there is nothing about expedited access to deposits, rather a guarantee that deposits before 4pm are available same day... or next day. Unless: several reasons, none of which apply to me, nor, I sincerely hope, the payee.
But, there is "direct deposit advance". Interesting:
"The Finance Charge is a one-time transaction charge and is not dependent upon the length of time the advance is outstanding. The Finance Charge is $2.00 for every $20 that is advanced, which equates to an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 120%."
Unusual Celebrations and Holidays
The last day of March - March 31st to be exact - happens to be:
Bunsen Burner Day
and
National "She's Funny That Way" Day
(and she is, too!)
and
National "She's Funny That Way" Day
(and she is, too!)
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland
Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Kokkola, Western Finland, Finland
Toowoomba, British Columbia, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Perpignan, Languedoc-Rossillon, France
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland
Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Kokkola, Western Finland, Finland
Toowoomba, British Columbia, Canada
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Perpignan, Languedoc-Rossillon, France
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Sometimes your impressive intellectual strengths can be intimidating to lesser minds. But today, your brains will help you make good connections with and great impressions on people from all different walks of life. You are going to be exposing folks to an avalanche of new ideas, and they're going to get quite excited about the possibilities you are showing them. This level of power and influence feels new for you, but it is something you need to get used to.
I guess I'll just have to get used to it then.
Sometimes your impressive intellectual strengths can be intimidating to lesser minds. But today, your brains will help you make good connections with and great impressions on people from all different walks of life. You are going to be exposing folks to an avalanche of new ideas, and they're going to get quite excited about the possibilities you are showing them. This level of power and influence feels new for you, but it is something you need to get used to.
I guess I'll just have to get used to it then.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Core of the Sun on Earth?
From BBC-Science:
The US completes construction of a huge physics experiment that aims to recreate the blistering conditions at the Sun's core.
Liars and Fools
Liars and Fools for today are:
Armey (r-Texas ret'd): For the first time we have a President that scares me
Good - afraid all your ill gotten and other sundry items are going to disappear, huh?
Touting her currency conspiracy, Bachmann (lunatic-Minnesota) insists: 'This is not Michele Bachmann being a kook'
Yes, this IS Michelle Bachmann being a kook - a whacked out, raving lunatic type kook.
Bachmann (lunatic-Minnesota) calls for "an orderly revolution"
What is 'orderly' in the mind of a stark raving mad lunatic anyway?
Issa (r-California) introduces legislation that would prohibit First Lady from doing any substantive work
Blow it out your ear Issa.
McConnell (r-Kentucky) complains that Obama isn't being bipartisan enough
Come again? Who, isn't being bipartisan enough?
McConnell (r-Kentucky) says Obama is turning America into France
This from someone who's mother is his sister (he is from Kentucky after all)!
Paulson, the shrub's Treasury Secretary, laments not getting more 'kudos' for saving the economy
Saving what economy there bucko?
Shimkus (r-Illinois) says capping CO2 emissions will take away too much 'plant food from the atmosphere'
I see someone failed basic eight grade science class!
repugican Chair Steele says he's "done" reaching out to Obama
It's not called 'reaching out' when you keep your hands behind your back, lame-brain.
Los Angeles Times' Klavan claims he's "never heard" Dimbulb "utter a single racist, hateful or stupid word"
Klavan is deaf, then.
CNBC's Cramer gets it massively wrong, again
Are we surprised by this?
Wall Street Journal's Fund claims Obama administration wants "to micromanage the car industry towards the social engineering goals that they want"
Using all the buzz-words and still not getting through.
Kristol doesn't think he owes anyone an apology for hyping WMD lies on Iraq
How about several million Iraqis, then.
MSNBC's Matthews calls "very correct" McPain's flie that "firing" of Wagoner was "unprecedented in the history of this country"
With so many lies from McPain, this one isn't even unprecedented, much less the firing of Wagoner.
Bozell's Newsbusters plays the Jeff Gannon card; Falls flat nose first into the ground
After all the bloody noses you'd think they'd have learned, but no ...
Bozell of Media Research Center offers revisionist lies on Tomlinson and NPR
Need a bit of research there, buddy.
Coulter still smearing Soros as Nazi collaborator
So says the NAZI.
Dimbulb calls Obama "an extremist tyrannical president"
Wrong - we ousted the tyrant in the last election.
Dimbulb: IF GM and Obama fail, America is saved
He can't help it, it's a mental condition.
Dimbulb repeats the lie that Obama "voted for infanticide"
Habitual lying is a mental disorder that is brought about by syphilis you know.
Farrah's nutball Western Journalism Center springs back into action
Can't wait to see what these wing-nut freaks come up with - I need a good laugh.
Armey (r-Texas ret'd): For the first time we have a President that scares me
Good - afraid all your ill gotten and other sundry items are going to disappear, huh?
Touting her currency conspiracy, Bachmann (lunatic-Minnesota) insists: 'This is not Michele Bachmann being a kook'
Yes, this IS Michelle Bachmann being a kook - a whacked out, raving lunatic type kook.
Bachmann (lunatic-Minnesota) calls for "an orderly revolution"
What is 'orderly' in the mind of a stark raving mad lunatic anyway?
Issa (r-California) introduces legislation that would prohibit First Lady from doing any substantive work
Blow it out your ear Issa.
McConnell (r-Kentucky) complains that Obama isn't being bipartisan enough
Come again? Who, isn't being bipartisan enough?
McConnell (r-Kentucky) says Obama is turning America into France
This from someone who's mother is his sister (he is from Kentucky after all)!
Paulson, the shrub's Treasury Secretary, laments not getting more 'kudos' for saving the economy
Saving what economy there bucko?
Shimkus (r-Illinois) says capping CO2 emissions will take away too much 'plant food from the atmosphere'
I see someone failed basic eight grade science class!
repugican Chair Steele says he's "done" reaching out to Obama
It's not called 'reaching out' when you keep your hands behind your back, lame-brain.
Los Angeles Times' Klavan claims he's "never heard" Dimbulb "utter a single racist, hateful or stupid word"
Klavan is deaf, then.
CNBC's Cramer gets it massively wrong, again
Are we surprised by this?
Wall Street Journal's Fund claims Obama administration wants "to micromanage the car industry towards the social engineering goals that they want"
Using all the buzz-words and still not getting through.
Kristol doesn't think he owes anyone an apology for hyping WMD lies on Iraq
How about several million Iraqis, then.
MSNBC's Matthews calls "very correct" McPain's flie that "firing" of Wagoner was "unprecedented in the history of this country"
With so many lies from McPain, this one isn't even unprecedented, much less the firing of Wagoner.
Bozell's Newsbusters plays the Jeff Gannon card; Falls flat nose first into the ground
After all the bloody noses you'd think they'd have learned, but no ...
Bozell of Media Research Center offers revisionist lies on Tomlinson and NPR
Need a bit of research there, buddy.
Coulter still smearing Soros as Nazi collaborator
So says the NAZI.
Dimbulb calls Obama "an extremist tyrannical president"
Wrong - we ousted the tyrant in the last election.
Dimbulb: IF GM and Obama fail, America is saved
He can't help it, it's a mental condition.
Dimbulb repeats the lie that Obama "voted for infanticide"
Habitual lying is a mental disorder that is brought about by syphilis you know.
Farrah's nutball Western Journalism Center springs back into action
Can't wait to see what these wing-nut freaks come up with - I need a good laugh.
'Moonwalking' mice
The cause of a rare debilitating condition called cerebellar ataxia has eluded scientists, but mice that move backwards when they try to go forwards may provide the answer.
Ice on Mars
Several small space rocks that hit Mars in 2008 blasted away topsoil to reveal a layer of water ice lying just below the planet's surface.
Subsurface ice on Mars exposed by recent impacts
Rare animals on your PC
Fans of wildlife documentaries could soon catch up with the latest rare animal sightings from their computers.
Rare animals to feature on Google Earth
Find your home's costly water leaks
Get the clues and tips you need to find and fix what's draining your wallet.
Find your home's costly water leaks
Also of interest: Is your tap water safe?
Ryan Moats and his wife speak out
The tape of the incident between an officer and Ryan Moats, who was rushing to see his dying mother-in-law, sparked controversy nationwide.
NFL player, wife speak out on cop encounter
Cause of mysterious boom and flash in sky found
Officials have identified the source of the loud boom and streak of light in the sky that rattled Virginia residents.
Cause of mysterious boom and flash in sky found
Some witnesses' descriptions.
How 10 Classic Toys Were Invented
Did you know that Play-Doh was first sold as a wallpaper cleaner.
How’s that for weird?
You rolled it on the walls to remove coal dust.
Many classic toys were invented under unusual circumstances.
How’s that for weird?
You rolled it on the walls to remove coal dust.
Many classic toys were invented under unusual circumstances.
Speaking of Anniversaries
Today is the 151st anniversary of the pencil eraser.
Today in 1858, one H. L. Lipman was granted a patent for attaching a piece of rubber to the end of a pencil.
Turns out to have been a pretty good idea - but not that good.
Later the courts didn't think it was all that outstanding of an idea.
From Smithsonian:
Today in 1858, one H. L. Lipman was granted a patent for attaching a piece of rubber to the end of a pencil.
Turns out to have been a pretty good idea - but not that good.
Later the courts didn't think it was all that outstanding of an idea.
From Smithsonian:
Unfortunately for Lipman, the patent would later be revoked, when the U.S. Supreme Court rules in 1875 that a pencil with an eraser is just a pencil with an eraser and not a new invention.
Jerks are still jerks
Nothing ever changes ...
From TreeHugger:
An absolutely fascinating seven minute film of the streets of Barcelona in 1908, taken with a camera mounted on the front of a streetcar. The streets are dominated by bicyclists and pedestrians, many of whom appear to be in a non-stop game of chicken with the trolley. It is lovely to see a world without cars where streets are for people; not so lovely to see that riding habits haven't generally improved.
Article continues: Cyclists and Pedestrians Were Jerks In 1908 Too
A Fleet of UFOs in formation has been photographed ...
... On Google Street View.
A fleet of UFOs in formation has been photographed - on Google.
The nine silver spheres hover above a row of shops, including a Coral bookies, on the internet giant's new Street View service.
"I'm Smooth" - em, yeah, right
A retired police chief says he was robbed by "probably the dumbest criminal in Pennsylvania."
It happened Friday morning at police officers' convention near Harrisburg, where 300 narcotics officers from Pennsylvania and Ohio were gathered.
John Comparetto says as he came out of a stall in the men's room, a man pointed a gun in his face and demanded money.
Comparetto gave up his money and cell phone. But when the man fled, Comparetto and some colleagues chased him. They arrested 19-year-old Jerome Marquis Blanchett of Harrisburg as he was trying to leave in a taxi.
When a reporter asked Blanchett for comment as he was led out of court, he said, "I'm smooth."
Somehow the word, 'smooth' just doesn't come to mind.
It happened Friday morning at police officers' convention near Harrisburg, where 300 narcotics officers from Pennsylvania and Ohio were gathered.
John Comparetto says as he came out of a stall in the men's room, a man pointed a gun in his face and demanded money.
Comparetto gave up his money and cell phone. But when the man fled, Comparetto and some colleagues chased him. They arrested 19-year-old Jerome Marquis Blanchett of Harrisburg as he was trying to leave in a taxi.
When a reporter asked Blanchett for comment as he was led out of court, he said, "I'm smooth."
*****
Somehow the word, 'smooth' just doesn't come to mind.
Driver begs cops to shoot him
A police chase that exceeded speeds of more than 130 mph ended when the driver crashed and begged officers to shoot him.
Sleeping man gets locked inside I Don't Care Bar
A patron at the I Don't Care Bar & Grill evidently didn't care about leaving until it was way past closing time and the door was locked.
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Seoul, Seoul T'ukpyolsi, Korea
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine
Windhoek, Windhoek, Namibia
Quezon City, Quezon City, Philippines
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Copenhagen, Staden Kobenhaven, Denmark
as well as Germany and the United States
Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Seoul, Seoul T'ukpyolsi, Korea
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine
Windhoek, Windhoek, Namibia
Quezon City, Quezon City, Philippines
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Copenhagen, Staden Kobenhaven, Denmark
as well as Germany and the United States
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
You can't control another person's behavior, but you can show them how to behave!
That I can do.
You can't control another person's behavior, but you can show them how to behave!
That I can do.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Massachusetts Tragedy
A man fatally stabbed his 17-year-old sister, decapitated his 5-year-old sister in front of a police officer and then turned toward his 9-year-old sister with a knife in his hand before officers shot him dead in what their chief described as "a killing field."
Read the rest here.
What gives with all the violence?
Are you washing your hair too much?
Americans shampoo their hair about five times a week, but that could lead to dry and damaged strands.
Are you washing your hair too much?
Cows and methane
Cows break wind a lot, and their flatulence fills the air with methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Healthier Diet
Taking the first steps towards a new, healthier lifestyle are made simpler with these tips.
6 ways to start a healthier diet
Dish Soap Smuggling
A strict ban has driven many Spokane residents to cross state lines to buy dishwasher detergent.
Ban turns locals into dish soap 'smugglers'
North Carolina tragedy
Joining a sad list ...
A lone gunman burst into a Carthage, North Carolina nursing home Sunday morning and started "shooting everything," barging into the rooms of terrified patients, sparing some from his rampage without explanation while killing seven residents and a nurse caring for them.
Authorities said Robert Stewart also wounded three others, including the Carthage police officer who confronted him in a hallway of Pinelake Health and Rehab and stopped the brutal attack.
"He acted in nothing short of a heroic way today, and but for his actions, we certainly could have had a worse tragedy," said Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger. "We had an officer, a well-trained officer, who performed his job the way he was supposed to and prevented this from getting even worse than it is now."
By late Sunday afternoon, Krueger had charged Stewart, 45, of Moore County, with eight counts of first-degree murder and a single charge of felony assault of a law enforcement officer. Authorities offered few other details, allowing only that Stewart was not a patient or an employee at the nursing home and isn't believed to be related to any of the victims.
Read the rest here.
Ghost Net
GhostNet: Huge Chinese Spy System Infects Computers Worldwide
Canadian researchers have uncovered a huge Chinese spying operation which has infiltrated computers in hundreds of government and private offices around the world, including those of the Dalai Lama.
Health News
In Health News:
A deadly new form of mrsa is believed to be spreading from farm animals to human for the first time. The bacteria already has been found in hospitals abroad. Experts believe excessive use of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals may be behind its development.
Fabric softeners, disinfectants, shampoos and other household products are spreading drug-resistant bacteria around Britain, scientists have warned. Detergents used in factories and mills are also increasing the odds that some medicines will no longer be able to combat dangerous diseases.
A deadly new form of mrsa is believed to be spreading from farm animals to human for the first time. The bacteria already has been found in hospitals abroad. Experts believe excessive use of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals may be behind its development.
Fabric softeners, disinfectants, shampoos and other household products are spreading drug-resistant bacteria around Britain, scientists have warned. Detergents used in factories and mills are also increasing the odds that some medicines will no longer be able to combat dangerous diseases.
Tainted jewelry
Macy's department store has refused to give prosecutors the names of customers who purchased children's jewelry made with potentially toxic lead, according to an official with the Los Angeles district attorney's office.
Humpback Stranded in Hong Kong Waters
From TreeHugger:
Photo: El Cap'n via Flickr
A humpback whale, approximately ten meters in length, has been stranded in Hong Kong waters since March 18. Humpbacks are not native to the area. In fact, this is the first recorded instance of a humpback whale near Hong Kong. Scientists believe that the aquatic mammal is an inexperienced and confused juvenile who became lost during migration.
Article continues: Humpback Stranded in Hong Kong Waters
Clairvoyant wasn't he
- I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
- ~ President Thomas Jefferson
Gromia sphaerica and the evolutionary time line
Big Blobs Change View of Evolution
By Sarah Hoffman, Natural History Magazine (via LiveScience)
On a submersible dive off the Bahamas, Mikhail V. Matz of the University of Texas at Austin and several colleagues were seeking big-eyed, glowing animals adapted to darkness.
Yet as they cruised above the seafloor, the team was distracted by hundreds of bizarre, sediment-coated balls the size of grapes. Each sat at the end of a sinuous track in the seafloor ooze. Indeed, the balls appeared to have made the tracks; some even seemed to have rolled upslope.
The team collected specimens and identified the creatures as giant protozoans, Gromia sphaerica, each one a single large cell with an organic shell, or "test." When cleaned of sediment, the test feels like grape skin, but squishier, Matz says.
Surprisingly, the tracks on the Bahamian seafloor resemble grooves found in sedimentary rocks formed as long as 1.8 billion years ago. The ancient grooves, bisected by a low ridge, had constituted the only evidence that multicellular, bilaterally symmetrical animals, such as worms, might have evolved so early in Earth's history.
Matz's discovery [of modern tracks apparently left by G. sphaerica] suggests that protozoans could have made those fossil traces rather than more advanced animals, which probably appeared much later. The next earliest evidence of multicellularity and bilateralism in animals occurs in fossils 580 million and 542 million years old, respectively.
G. sphaerica are rhizopods, an ancient protozoan group. Matz is planning further studies of the species, about which little is known.
The findings were detailed in the journal Current Biology in November.
Vacuum Cleaner Senses Human Emotions
This is getting scary ...
A specially-equipped Roomba robot vacuum cleaner can now sense human emotional states. University of Calgary researchers published their results in a paper titled "Using Bio-electrical Signals to Influence the Social Behaviours of Domesticated Robots."
A specially-equipped Roomba robot vacuum cleaner can now sense human emotional states. University of Calgary researchers published their results in a paper titled "Using Bio-electrical Signals to Influence the Social Behaviours of Domesticated Robots."
"Two distinct robotic behaviours corresponding to two extreme emotional states, either relaxed or stressed, are triggered when the stress reading reach a threshold. Robot actions are then influenced by these stress readings. When a person shows high stress (~levels 3 & 4), the robot enters its cleaning mode but moves away from the user so as not annoy them. When a person is relaxed (~level 1), the robot (if cleaning) approaches the person and then stops, simulating a pet sitting next to its owner. If the reading is in between these two levels, the robot continues operating in its current mode until the stress reading reaches a threshold."
Read more at Vacuum Cleaner Senses Human Emotions.
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Ukraina, Donetska Oblast, Ukraine
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
London, England, United Kingdom
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Kochi, Kerala, India
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
and from the state of North Carolina the towns of Huntersville, Black Creek, Hendersonville, Harrisburg, Newport, Charlotte and Durham
Ukraina, Donetska Oblast, Ukraine
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand
London, England, United Kingdom
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Kochi, Kerala, India
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
and from the state of North Carolina the towns of Huntersville, Black Creek, Hendersonville, Harrisburg, Newport, Charlotte and Durham
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Be faithful to yourself and what's in your heart.
I always am.
Be faithful to yourself and what's in your heart.
I always am.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Now that's funny
I'd love to give you some good economic news, but here's what I got.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said that our current economic crisis is as bad as the attack on Pearl Harbor, but still not as bad as the movie 'Pearl Harbor.'
~ Jimmy Fallon
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said that our current economic crisis is as bad as the attack on Pearl Harbor, but still not as bad as the movie 'Pearl Harbor.'
~ Jimmy Fallon
Hard Times Require Play Time
Seriously
Now comes a psychiatrist, and the author of a new book about the rewards of play, who argues that when it comes to avoiding depression, play is every bit as necessary as work.
In this interview in USA Today, Stuart Brown, author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul, asserts that play is particularly important during periods that are stressful, like this very moment in history.
What exactly is play?
Brown warns readers that real play is not what many people believe it is.
It is not, for example, the special round of golf at a fancy club.
Neither is it a determined effort to achieve some impressive fitness goal. Play, says Brown, is that relaxing thing you did as a kid when you wanted to have fun .The psychiatrist tells USA Today that it is no coincidence that people who stay sharp as they age are those who keep working and playing. And couples who stay together also play together, he says, especially when they have different play personalities that might lead them in different directions. He tells readers who want to hear it that sex counts big time in the world of play. "When partners try to draw each other out," he says. "they are in effect freeing themselves and relaxing."
Read more in USA Today and free yourself.
Health News
In Health News today:
A puff of exhaled air could give an early warning of lung disease by morphing a liquid into gel.
Morphing liquid could lead to cancer breath test
Was the Tunguska Fireball a Comet Chemical Bomb?
Over a century ago, on June 30th, 1908 a huge explosion detonated over an unpopulated region of Russia called Tunguska. It is probably one of the most enduring mysteries of this planet. What could cause such a huge explosion in the atmosphere, with the energy of a thousand Hiroshima atomic bombs, flattening a forest the area of Luxembourg and yet leaving no crater? It is little wonder that the Tunguska event has become great material for science fiction writers; how could such a huge blast, that shook the Earth’s magnetic field and lit up the Northern Hemisphere skies for three days leave no crater and just a bunch of flattened, scorched trees?
Although there are many theories as to how the Tunguska event may have unfolded, scientists are still divided over what kind of object could have hit the Earth from space. Now a Russian scientist believes he has uncovered the best answer yet. The Earth was glanced by a large comet, that skipped off the upper atmosphere, dropping a chunk of comet material as it did so. As the comet chunk heated up as it dropped through the atmosphere, the material, packed with volatile chemicals, exploded as the biggest chemical explosion mankind had ever seen…
Fly Ash Used To Build Virginia Golf Course Threatens Private Wells
From TreeHugger:
Dominion Power, Chesapeake Energy Center
Image credit:Resource International, LLC
With existing fly ash lagoons filling up, the electric power utility, Dominion Virginia Power, helped a golf course developer "build" a course by selling it fly ash to use in the landscaping. The Virginian-Pilot reports this statement from a nearby resident: "They paid people to take it from them, dig up the sand, the good land that we had over there. The developers sold the sand, took the fly ash that Dominion was paying them for and put it in our backyard." Recent test results showed arsenic in groundwater samples taken from the course-area at eight times the municipal drinking water standard. Now, of course, there is talk of a class action law suit.
Article continues: Fly Ash Used To Build Virginia Golf Course Threatens Private Wells
Earth Hour
Corporate greed wins out, yet again!
From TreeHugger:
From TreeHugger:
image via dahlstroms.com
McDonald's is one of a few major corporations that have received extra green credit for its announcement of their one hour sacrifice to help the Earth. In the case of Mcdonald's, about 1.5% of its locations will dim their lights for .000114 % of the year.
Is Unemployment Near a Peak?
The headliner of this week in economic news is the Labor Department's employment report for March.
Three Mile Island, Thirty Years Later
On March 28th, 1979, beginning at 4 AM, the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania suffered a partial core meltdown.
The U.S. nuclear power industry has only recently begun to recover, based on concerns over global warming.
The U.S. nuclear power industry has only recently begun to recover, based on concerns over global warming.
Teaching assistant climbs 300 feet to rescue students
A teaching assistant scaled a 300ft cliff without climbing gear to get help for pupils stranded on rocks below.
Full Story
Cow gives birth to twins of different breeds
The farmer says he only has one bull, Eric, so it is not possible that another bull mated with Jemima
Photo: APEX
Photo: APEX
A cow has baffled experts after giving birth to twin calves of different breeds.
Cop rear-ends car while checking BlackBerry
A Washington police chief has issued a public apology for hitting another car while he was checking his BlackBerry.
Man dies trying to catch suicidal girlfriend as she jumps from 7th floor
Ain't it always the way ...
A Chinese man was killed last night after trying to catch his suicidal girlfriend as she jumped from the seventh floor of their Quanzhou apartment building in south-eastern China.
His girlfriend survived the fall. She was not in critical condition and expected to make a full recovery.The lost subway tunnel
Could an abandoned subway tunnel yield clues about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?
Mysteries remain in lost subway tunnel
Saturday Jam
We go International for today's Saturday Jam.
Edelweiß
Montovani
(Austria)
99 Luft Balloons
Nena
(Germany)
Santa Lucia
Enrico Caruso
(Italy)
Greensleeves
Gretchen Cornwall with the World Tree Music group
(England)
Rock With You
Inner Circle
(Jamaica)
On a Dark Night
Dixon Odom recalls that March 28, 1984, dawned as a “beautiful morning.”
“The sun was shining, it was warm,” says Odom, longtime fire chief in Bennettsville, S.C.
By the end of that day, Odom was helping oversee a recovery and rescue operation in what meteorologists consider the worst tornado outbreak in Carolinas history.
It happened 25 years ago today.
The National Weather Service says an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and possibly even tornadoes is expected somewhere in the Southeast today. The Charlotte metro region would be most at risk late this afternoon or this evening.
But forecasters say today's storm system pales in comparison to the one 25 years ago.
Charlotte escaped the fury of the 24 tornadoes that crushed the countryside that day on a path from the South Carolina-Georgia border, across the Palmetto State and then northward through the Sandhills and coastal plain of North Carolina.
By the time the last tornado moved into the Atlantic Ocean, 57 people were dead – 42 in North Carolina, 15 in South Carolina – and more than 800 injured.
“It was a classic major tornado outbreak,” says Lara Pagano, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Raleigh.
None of the two dozen twisters reached F5 level on the Fujita scale, the strongest classification of tornadoes. But there were seven F4 storms (winds of up to 260 mph), including a twister that rumbled through Bennettsville, where Odom was assistant fire chief at the time and on duty when the storms struck.
“We had been sounding our sirens since 2 in the afternoon, when they issued a tornado watch,” he recalls. “About 6:30 p.m., they issued a warning, so we started sounding a different siren alert.”
Odom says the storm was so loud that he couldn't hear the siren, which was a short distance up the street.
“A few minutes later, we started getting calls from the boys who live on the north side of town,” he says.
That is where the Northwoods Shopping Center stood. A milewide funnel cloud roared through the shopping center and a nearby apartment complex, leveling them in seconds. Most of the seven deaths and 100 injuries in the Bennettsville area happened there.
“We couldn't get to the scene from the center of town, because of the damage,” Odom recalls. “We got crews to arrive from the north, from Rockingham and Hamlet (in North Carolina's Richmond County).”
Odom called nearby Robeson County, across the border in North Carolina, and asked for help. But they were busy. Another F4 twister had hit there, damaging nearly every building in the Robeson County town of Red Springs.
“The downtown area was ripped apart,” recalls Martha Pearson, who works in the town's billing department. “It was absolutely amazing.”
That tornado killed four and injured 395.
Earlier, a tornado had roared across Interstate 77, flattening trees in a quarter-mile-wide path that motorists traveling between Charlotte and Columbia could see for years afterward.
Meteorologists say the tornado outbreak was the result of a familiar set of circumstances – a strong low-pressure system, and strong winds blowing from different directions at various levels of the atmosphere, creating a twisting motion.
Pagano says many newcomers to the Carolinas think of killer tornadoes as a Midwest phenomenon.
“But they can happen here – and they have,” she says.
*****
I remember that night well. And today's forecast (March 28th) is:
Heavy rain, thunderstorms and damaging winds are expected to move into the Charlotte area this afternoon.
A low-pressure system is forecast to bring widespread areas of moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight, according to the National Weather Service.
Some storms could produce damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes. Storms east of Interstate 85 may produce more than 3 inches of rain with possible flash flooding.
Once the rain gets here it will last through the rest of the day.
The heavier rain and the chance for severe weather will move into the Charlotte area around 4 p.m.
The highest risk for severe weather will be from Georgia through South Carolina and then into the eastern part of North Carolina mainly this afternoon.
Charlotte's on northern edge, our highest risk is going to be for gusty winds in some of these thunderstorms. Combine those gusty winds with all of the wet weather that we've had - the ground is saturated so we could see some trees knocked down.”
The forecast is better for Sunday. It's expected to be cloudy through mid-morning with gradual clearing and a high of 65.
Afghan, Pakistani leaders praise new US strategy
The leaders of Afghanistan and on Saturday praised the new U.S. strategy for dealing with growing violence in their countries, with the Afghan president saying it was "better than we were expecting" and his Pakistani counterpart calling it a "positive change."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai lauded increased civil and military aid to his country and highlighted a plan for reconciliation with moderate elements of the Taliban as the new strategy's most important initiative. He also welcomed President Barack Obama's focus on countering militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan in the plan, announced Friday.
"This is better than we were expecting as a matter of fact," Karzai told a news conference.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari promised his country would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism and said the billions of dollars in additional civilian aid for Pakistan under the new U.S. plan endorsed his strategy of fighting extremism with development."The U.S. presidency's new approach represents a positive change," Zardari said in a speech to Parliament.
Now I Know
I got a great compliment from one of the bellydancers I know yesterday.
She said I was the Sean Connery of the Renaissance Faire circuit and that all the ladies love my rugged good looks, deep voice, broad shoulders and they want to hang around me.
I have wondered why I was always surrounded by gaggles of women at any Faire I've been at - now I know.
She said I was the Sean Connery of the Renaissance Faire circuit and that all the ladies love my rugged good looks, deep voice, broad shoulders and they want to hang around me.
I have wondered why I was always surrounded by gaggles of women at any Faire I've been at - now I know.
President Obama's Weekly Address
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Washington, DC
Weekly Address
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Washington, DC
Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond – and respond urgently. For the people of North and South Dakota and Minnesota who live along rivers spilling over their banks, this is one such moment.
Rivers and streams throughout the region have flooded or are at risk of flooding. The cities of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead are vulnerable as the waters of the Red River have risen. Thousands of homes and businesses are threatened.
That is why, on Tuesday, I granted a major disaster declaration request for the State of North Dakota and ordered federal support into the region to help state and local officials respond to the flooding. This was followed by an emergency declaration for the State of Minnesota. And we are also keeping close watch on the situation in South Dakota as it develops.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to coordinate the federal response. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is helping to oversee federal efforts and she remains in close contact with state officials. Acting FEMA administrator Nancy Ward has been in the region since yesterday to meet with folks on the ground and survey the area herself.
In addition, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting in the emergency construction of levees. The Coast Guard is aiding in search and rescue efforts while the Department of Defense is helping to move people and supplies. Members of the National Guard have been activated and are on the scene as well.
Hospitals and nursing homes in the area are being evacuated and residents in poor health or with special needs are being transported to higher ground. Teams from the Department of Health and Human Services are aiding in this work. And the Red Cross is in place to provide shelter and supplies for folks in need.
It is also important for residents in these states to remain vigilant in monitoring reports on flood crests and to follow instructions from their state and local leaders in the event that evacuations become necessary.
My administration is working closely with Governors John Hoeven, Mike Rounds and Tim Pawlenty. And I’ve been meeting with Senators Byron Dorgan, Kent Conrad, and Amy Klobuchar, as well as Congressmen Earl Pomeroy and Collin Peterson, to pledge my support. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully. We will do what must be done to help in concert with state and local agencies and non-profit organizations – and volunteers who are doing so much to aid the response effort.
For at moments like these, we are reminded of the power of nature to disrupt lives and endanger communities. But we are also reminded of the power of individuals to make a difference.
In the Fargodome, thousands of people gathered not to watch a football game or a rodeo, but to fill sandbags. Volunteers filled 2.5 million of them in just five days, working against the clock, day and night, with tired arms and aching backs. Others braved freezing temperatures, gusting winds, and falling snow to build levees along the river’s banks to help protect against waters that have exceeded record levels.
College students have traveled by the busload from nearby campuses to lend a hand during their spring breaks. Students from local high schools asked if they could take time to participate. Young people have turned social networks into community networks, coordinating with one another online to figure out how best to help.
In the face of an incredible challenge, the people of these communities have rallied in support of one another. And their service isn’t just inspirational – it’s integral to our response.
It’s also a reminder of what we can achieve when Americans come together to serve their communities. All across the nation, there are men, women and young people who have answered that call, and millions of other who would like to. Whether it’s helping to reduce the energy we use, cleaning up a neighborhood park, tutoring in a local school, or volunteering in countless other ways, individual citizens can make a big difference.
That is why I’m so happy that legislation passed the Senate this week and the House last week to provide more opportunities for Americans to serve their communities and the country.
The bipartisan Senate bill was sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ted Kennedy, a leader who embodies the spirit of public service, and I am looking forward to signing this important measure into law.
In facing sudden crises or more stubborn challenges, the truth is we are all in this together – as neighbors and fellow citizens. That is what brought so many to help in North Dakota and Minnesota and other areas affected by this flooding. That is what draws people to volunteer in so many ways, serving our country here and on distant shores.
Our thanks go to them today, and to all who are working day and night to deal with the disaster. We send them our thoughts, our prayers, and our continued assistance in this difficult time.
Thank you.
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