Monty Python
If you do not 'get' British Humor ... so sorry.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
This is the year of the potato
This is the year of the potato.
In the wake of rising food prices around the world, the United Nations proclaimed the spud one super-nutritious value.
To hammer the point home, the U.S. Potato Board has launched the “Potatoes: Goodness Unearthed” campaign to remind consumers that despite the low-carb contempt of the Atkins era, a medium potato has only 110 calories, is naturally fat free, high in vitamin C and – when eaten with the skin on – packs more potassium than a banana.
Woman who kept boy's football, sues parents
From the "Damn this bitch is a pain!" Department:
An 89-year-old Cincinnati-area woman arrested for confiscating the neighbor kid's football is now suing the boy's parents.
Edna Jester filed a lawsuit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court claiming she has suffered emotional distress because footballs and other playthings belonging to her next-door neighbors keep landing in her yard.
In October, 2008, Jester refused to return a football, was taken to the Blue Ash police station and charged with petty theft.
The prosecutor later dropped the case.
The lawsuit against parents Paul and Kelly Tanis seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Kelly Tanis calls the suit "very silly" but says she and her husband also worry because they have five children and can't afford a lawyer.
*****
Obviously this woman is a bitch and vindictive.
Whomever the sleazoid calling themselves a lawyer who even contemplated this horse-hockey is, is nothing more than a money grubbing worm.
The prosecutors should have prosecuted the original case and taught this woman a lesson, instead she is making it miserable for everyone around her as she has always done.
Emotional distress my bloody boil covered arse (not really my arse is quite free of boils, but you get the idea) ... the one's suffering emotional distress are her neighbors and the children whose toys she has stolen.
Man says he shot car with paintballs to deter DUI
From the "I had good intentions, but I'm an idiot!" Department:
A man who reportedly told police he was trying to deter a friend from driving drunk by blasting the friend's windshield with paintballs wound up in jail.
According to Kennewick, Washington, police Sgt. Ken Lattin: "This is a very creative way to prevent someone from drinking and driving, but not legal or safe."
Responding Tuesday night to a nearby resident's report of a man shooting paintballs at a car, police found the 41-year-old man, who explained his rationale.
The man was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail for investigation of unlawfully discharging a weapon and an unrelated misdemeanor warrant.
Lattin suggested a designated driver would be a better approach.
Driver's test ends with bystander in hospital
Police in New Rochelle, New York, say a woman taking a driving test ended up pinning a bystander after losing control of the car on a snowy Westchester County road.
New Rochelle police said the 23-year-old driver rounded a corner Wednesday morning, lost traction and trapped a man cleaning snow off his car.
Lt. George Marshall says the examiner tried to use the test car's secondary set of brakes, but they failed.
The 33-year-old bystander has been taken to a hospital with leg and shoulder pain.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the accident was due to equipment failure, the driver's inexperience, speed or the snow.
Marshall says no citations have been issued.
It's unclear whether she will have to retake the test.
*****
All right, who was the genius who thought letting an inexperienced driver take their driving test in weather conditions such as the blurb describes was a good idea.
Also why was a vehicle in use as a test vehicle that had a faulty secondary braking system.
Unclear my arse - she will have to take the test over ... if not the state of New York needs to get out of the driver's liscence business. (like ... New Yorkers can drive anyway).
First baby of year
The first baby of the year born in Charlotte arrived at 12:02 a.m. today.
Gabrielle Kennedy Fulmore weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces, according to the hospital.
The parents are Leigh and Sylvester Fulmore of Charlotte.
Gabrielle will have lots of girls around her: she has four siblings, all girls, who range in age from 10 to 17.
Man is removed from Charlotte flight
Officials say a man has been removed from a U.S. Airways flight departing Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, delaying the flight for about 40 minutes.
U.S. Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr says the passenger became a disturbance Thursday after flight 1972, headed to Newark, N.J., left the gate and headed toward the runway.
Mohr says the man was not cooperating with the flight crew, forcing the plane to return to the gate.
Officials removed the man and his personal belongings.
The flight was then allowed to take off.
Airstrike kills a top Hamas leader
An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas' top five decision-makers Thursday, instantly killing him and 18 others, while the Israeli army said troops massed on the Gaza border were ready for any order to invade.
The airstrike on Nizar Rayan was the first that succeeded in killing a member of Hamas' highest echelon since Israel began its offensive Saturday.
The 49-year-old professor of Islamic law was known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a 2001 suicide mission that killed two Israelis.
Granted the Israeli response to the mortars lobbed into Israel is a bit over the top but when both sides of a disagreement have those on its faction as whacked as Rayan was (sending his own son to commit suicide - is proof enough of his mental instability) nothing will get accomplished and 'over the top' responses beget even 'more over the top' responses.
And the Israelis are not without their own whackos as well.
Why can not the stable and rational take the lead in the region? Letting the unstable and the irrational take the lead never works - just look at the mess the USA is in after 8 years of the unstable and irrational being 'in charge'.
The airstrike on Nizar Rayan was the first that succeeded in killing a member of Hamas' highest echelon since Israel began its offensive Saturday.
The 49-year-old professor of Islamic law was known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a 2001 suicide mission that killed two Israelis.
*****
Granted the Israeli response to the mortars lobbed into Israel is a bit over the top but when both sides of a disagreement have those on its faction as whacked as Rayan was (sending his own son to commit suicide - is proof enough of his mental instability) nothing will get accomplished and 'over the top' responses beget even 'more over the top' responses.
And the Israelis are not without their own whackos as well.
Why can not the stable and rational take the lead in the region? Letting the unstable and the irrational take the lead never works - just look at the mess the USA is in after 8 years of the unstable and irrational being 'in charge'.
Boy Scout earns all 121 merit badges
A Long Island teenager has earned all 121 merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America. Oceanside resident Shawn Goldsmith earned his final badge - for bugling - in time for his 18th birthday in November. He far surpassed the 21 badges required to achieve the elite rank of Eagle Scout.
He said he took about five years to earn his first 62 badges and then nearly doubled that number in a matter of months. He did it with the encouragement of his grandmother, who died shortly before he reached his goal.
The Binghamton University freshman was awarded his final badges on Dec. 19. He said he hopes to become a businessman and politician.
*****
Damn, after putting in the effort to earn all 121 badges you'd think he'd aspire to something better than being a businessman or a politician!
Man who aided bicycle theft plan has bike stolen
From the "Ain't Life a bitch sometime" Department:
A former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner who helped create a program to combat bicycle theft had his own bike stolen while trying to help people involved in a vehicle crash.
Tim Smith said he witnessed the traffic accident as he was cycling to the beach on Monday. He said he left his bike on the sidewalk to rush to the cars involved. But after finding both drivers uninjured, he went to retrieve his bike and discovered it was gone.
To add insult to injury, Smith - as a commissioner - had successfully pushed for a citywide bike registration program to help police track stolen bikes. But when he contacted police to report his own stolen bike, he had to admit it was not registered.
Drug dealer accepted gift cards
You can call it a case of creative drug-dealing.
Athens, Alabama, police have a 38-year-old man in custody for allegedly accepting gift cards for payment for crack cocaine and prescription drugs.
Police Captain Marty Bruce, a spokesman, said the man was arrested Monday night. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Bruce said officers executed a search warrant at the man's house and seized crack cocaine, Xanax pills, $899 cash and $175 in gift cards.
Police said the suspect could face additional charges. He remains in the Limestone County Jail.
Man tries to fool cops by calling 911 during stop traffic
Authorities said a Sarasota, Florida, man about to be pulled over by police tried to lure officers away by making a fake 911 call.
Officers said they were following a 28-year-old man's car Monday to make a traffic stop when they got a 911 call for an armed robbery happening several blocks away.
The man's plan seemed to work at first when the officers cut off their chase to answer the call. But then other officers in the area followed him into a parking lot and saw a gun in his car.
Officer's determined that the man was a felon and not allowed to possess a firearm. After the man was arrested, officers said they discovered that the bogus 911 call came from his cell phone.
He was being held on $11,490 bail for multiple charges.
Man accused of breaking into his own home
A 19-year-old Hutchinson, Minnesota man was arrested after allegedly breaking into his own home and stealing a car, jewelry, some money, and other items.
Police said he allegedly lured his other family members away Friday afternoon by making a dinner reservation for them in Chanhassen.
Then, while they were away, he broke into the garage and house, grabbed the booty, and took off in the car.
Police said he allegedly lured his other family members away Friday afternoon by making a dinner reservation for them in Chanhassen.
Then, while they were away, he broke into the garage and house, grabbed the booty, and took off in the car.
Police said their investigation revealed a connection to Duluth, so they notified St. Louis County authorities, and he was arrested later that night by police in Duluth.
He's was in the McLeod County jail, awaiting possible burglary and auto theft charges.
Baby born during trans-Atlantic flight to Boston
There were 124 passengers on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 when it left the Netherlands. There were 125 when it landed in Boston.
Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for Logan International Airport, says a woman went into labor and gave birth to an apparently healthy baby girl over the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday during the eight-hour flight from Amsterdam.
Orlandella said a doctor and a paramedic who were on the flight assisted in the birth. He said the plane landed without incident about 10:30 a.m., and the mother and baby were immediately taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
Orlandella said he did not know the nationality of the mother, but said for customs' purposes the baby was considered a Canadian citizen because she was born over Canada's airspace.
Man accused of stealing $625 in lobster, beef
A suspected grocery thief still has a taste for finer cuisine, even in the struggling economy.
Police in Racine, Wis., say 43-year-old Brian A. Rubenstein tried to steal $625 in groceries. The total included $365 in lobster and $213 in ribeye and beef roasts.
Workers told police they saw Rubenstein fill his cart with lobster tails and beef cuts, as well as a smoked ham, apple pie and fruit platter. He was arrested December 23, 2008.
Rubenstein was charged Friday with misdemeanor retail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of nine months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Police say he told investigators times are tough.
Eggs served cold on Detroit-area freeway
State troopers and road crews had to scramble when a tractor-trailer crashed and spilled its load of eggs on a Detroit-area freeway.
Trooper Jim Smiley says eastbound Interstate 94 in Washtenaw County's Ypsilanti Township reopened about 1 a.m. Thursday after being shut down for six hours.
Smiley says the driver fell asleep and his rig hit a guardrail and a bridge support beam that tore the trailer open and spilled hundreds of cartons of eggs along a 300-foot stretch of I-94.
Single-digit temperatures made for a frozen mess that Smiley says was scraped up by front-end loaders and put in dump trucks. Road workers then spread sand and salt on all three lanes.
Carolinas firms reflect a U.S. market in tatters
Family Dollar was one of 7 companies among the region's major 50 stocks to end '08 in the plus column.
- Carolinas Stocks
-
Name
2007 close
2008 close
Price change
Total return
Family Dollar Stores Inc.
$ 19.23
$ 26.07
$ 6.84
38.62%
Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Inc.
$ 26.16
$ 31.67
$ 5.51
25.49%
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.
$ 23.11
$ 28.46
$ 5.35
23.15%
Unifi Inc.
$ 2.42
$ 2.82
$ 0.40
16.53%
Lance Inc.
$ 20.42
$ 22.94
$ 2.52
16.21%
First Citizens Bancshares Inc.
$ 145.85
$ 152.80
$ 6.95
5.58%
The Cato Corp.
$ 15.66
$ 15.10
$ (0.56)
0.56%
Lowe's Cos. Inc.
$ 22.62
$ 21.52
$ (1.10)
-3.33%
BB&T Corp.
$ 30.67
$ 27.46
$ (3.21)
-4.31%
SCANA Corp.
$ 42.15
$ 35.60
$ (6.55)
-11.30%
Progress Energy Corp.
$ 48.43
$ 39.85
$ (8.58)
-12.93%
Laboratory Corp. of America
$ 75.53
$ 64.41
$ (11.12)
-14.72%
VF Corp.
$ 68.66
$ 54.77
$ (13.89)
-17.51%
Pantry Inc.
$ 26.13
$ 21.45
$ (4.68)
-17.91%
Ruddick Corp
$ 34.67
$ 27.65
$ (7.02)
-19.07%
Nucor Corp.
$ 58.65
$ 46.20
$ (12.45)
-19.31%
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
$ 58.88
$ 45.96
$ (12.92)
-20.21%
Duke Energy Corp.
$ 20.17
$ 15.01
$ (5.16)
-21.65%
Martin Marietta Materials Inc.
$ 132.60
$ 97.08
$ (35.52)
-25.74%
Sonoco Products Inc.
$ 32.68
$ 23.16
$ (9.52)
-26.43%
Pharmaceutical Product Development Corp.
$ 40.37
$ 29.01
$ (11.36)
-27.30%
Alliance One International Inc.
$ 4.07
$ 2.94
$ (1.13)
-27.76%
Ingles Markets Inc.
$ 25.39
$ 17.59
$ (7.80)
-28.73%
EnPro Industries Inc.
$ 30.65
$ 21.54
$ (9.11)
-29.72%
Reynolds American Inc.
$ 65.96
$ 40.31
$ (25.65)
-34.70%
AVX Corp
$ 13.42
$ 7.94
$ (5.48)
-39.95%
ScanSource Inc.
$ 32.35
$ 19.27
$ (13.08)
-40.43%
Carlisle Cos. Inc
$ 37.03
$ 20.70
$ (16.33)
-42.91%
Goodrich Corp.
$ 70.61
$ 37.02
$ (33.59)
-46.55%
Speedway Motorsports Inc.
$ 31.08
$ 16.11
$ (14.97)
-46.87%
Denny's Corp.
$ 3.75
$ 1.99
$ (1.76)
-46.93%
Hanesbrand Inc.
$ 27.17
$ 12.75
$ (14.42)
-53.07%
Medcath Corp.
$ 24.56
$ 10.44
$ (14.12)
-57.49%
SPX Corp.
$ 102.85
$ 40.55
$ (62.30)
-60.01%
Bank of America Corp.
$ 41.26
$ 14.08
$ (27.18)
-63.14%
Commscope Inc.
$ 49.21
$ 15.54
$ (33.67)
-68.42%
FairPoint Communications Inc
$ 13.02
$ 3.28
$ (9.74)
-69.42%
The South Financial Group Inc.
$ 15.63
$ 4.32
$ (11.31)
-71.39%
Polymer Group Inc.
$ 21.00
$ 5.50
$ (15.50)
-73.81%
Centerplate Inc.
$ 9.02
$ 1.71
$ (7.31)
-76.96%
Sealy Corp.
$ 11.19
$ 2.51
$ (8.68)
-77.39%
Sonic Automotive Inc.
$ 19.36
$ 3.98
$ (15.38)
-78.25%
Advance America, Cash Advance Centers Inc.
$ 10.16
$ 1.89
$ (8.27)
-79.42%
Horizon Lines Inc.
$ 18.64
$ 3.49
$ (15.15)
-80.28%
Wachovia Corp.
$ 38.03
$ 5.54
$ (32.49)
-84.73%
RF Micro Devices Inc.
$ 5.71
$ 0.78
$ (4.93)
-86.34%
Xerium Technologies Inc.
$ 5.20
$ 0.66
$ (4.54)
-87.31%
Kemet Corp.
$ 6.63
$ 0.27
$ (6.36)
-95.93%
International Textile Group Inc.
$ 3.00
$ 0.05
$ (2.95)
-98.33%
R.H. Donnelly Corp.
$ 36.48
$ 0.37
$ (36.11)
-98.99%
Bloomberg News
Family Dollar stock rebounded several times in 2008 to end with a total return of nearly 39 percent, one of just seven major Carolinas stocks ending a miserable year on an up note.
The Matthews-based discount retailer, with 6,600 stores in 44 states, has been a rare retail winner in a recession decimating consumer spending. The company, with 45,000 employees, expects to open about 200 stores this year.
“It's a good time for us,” said spokesman Joshua Braverman. “We're excited to be able to help people out.”
Nationwide, stock prices withered across all industries last year as mortgages failed, jobs and credit disappeared, home prices sagged and food costs rose.
Carolinas results mirrored the broader market. Stock in 50 of the states' largest companies registered a hefty average decline of 38 percent in total return, which includes price changes and dividends. That compares with 2007's loss of 7.35 percent for about the same roster.
Besides Family Dollar, four other companies in the Carolinas 50 had impressive double-digit gains.
Piedmont Natural Gas returned more than 25 percent as its base of more than 1 million customers grew. Charlotte snack maker Lance ended the year with a 16 percent return as increased capital spending, management changes and acquisitions paid off; budget-trimming consumers also boosted sales of the company's extensive private label brands. Old Dominion Freight Line and textile firm Unifi also were top gainers.
Three companies posted losses of more than 95 percent, including telephone directory publisher R.H. Donnelly in last place.
Among the Charlotte region's Fortune 500 companies, Family Dollar was the only gainer. Wachovia, the group's poorest performer, is leaving the roster of Carolinas companies following its sale to San Francisco's Wells Fargo. Bank of America, the nation's largest consumer bank and one of the relatively healthiest, saw its stock pummeled, too.
Home-improvement retailer Lowe's held its losses to a comparatively small 3 percent, a much better showing than rival Home Depot.
It’s a new year for state laws
Calendar flip brings changes – from freshening up the air in state vehicles to more protections for homebuyers
NO SMOKING
Another anti-smoking effort in the Tar Heel state – smoking is now banned in any vehicles owned, leased or controlled by the state. “No smoking” signs are to be posted. Local governments are given the authority to ban smoking in their vehicles, too.
INSURANCE
Health insurance companies are now required to provide insurance identification cards to their customers. The cards make it easier for health care providers to verify coverage. Vehicle insurers must notify customers that they can purchase coverage to protect them in accidents in which the other driver is uninsured or underinsured.
VEHICLE INSPECTIONS
Motorists now have up to 60 days to get a failed vehicle repaired and then reinspected at the same station without having to pay another fee. Previously, motorists had 30 days.
MORE JUDGES, PROSECUTORS
The judicial district for Alexander, Davidson, Davie and Iredell counties is now split in two, resulting in a few more judges and prosecutors. Alexander and Iredell are in one district with two Superior Court judges, five district court judges and 11 prosecutors; the district for Davidson and Davie gets two Superior Court judges, six district court judges and 11 prosecutors.
FEE INCREASES
The maximum monthly rate adult care homes can charge residents is increased by $34 to $1,207. The law also raises the rates the state pays for those raising children in adoption or foster care assistance programs. The monthly rate for taking care of a child age five or younger, for example, increases from $390 to $475. A nursing home assessment fee goes up $1. Fees are raised for commercial underground petroleum tanks to $420 per tank, regardless of size, while licensing fees for businesses providing in-home care services jump by $50 to $400.
ELECTIONS
New third-party candidates are now required to be registered with that political party.
FISHING
Charter fishing boat operators are allowed to purchase a block of 10, 10-day coastal recreational fishing licenses for their customers.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Interest charged for three scholarship loan programs for nursing and school administration is limited to no more than 10 percent.
MORTGAGE SERVICES
Mortgage services are required to be licensed and regulated by the N.C. Commissioner of Banks.
More laws effective today:
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Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
You're curiouser and curiouser.
Wow, what a why to start off 2009 ... with a paraphrase of Lewis Carroll.
Did you ever get the feeling the astrologers are looking through the glass darkly?
You're curiouser and curiouser.
Wow, what a why to start off 2009 ... with a paraphrase of Lewis Carroll.
Did you ever get the feeling the astrologers are looking through the glass darkly?
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