US cargo ship evades Somali pirate attack

Defiant Somali pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at another U.S. cargo ship on Tuesday but failed to hijack it, officials said, just days after Navy SEALs rescued an American hostage after an earlier unsuccessful hijacking.

The brazen midday attack on the Liberty Sun in international waters off the African coast is further evidence that Somali pirates were back to business as usual. Pirates have seized four other ships with 60 hostages since sharpshooters killed three gunmen holding American freighter captain Richard Phillips. "No one can deter us," one bandit boasted.

US cargo ship evades Somali pirate attack

"No one can deter us," no more famous last words have ever been spoken.

A very similar utterance was made by another group of pirates who had been stealing from the world and getting away with it until they tried to steal from a nation that had just formed a few years prior.

Haven't you ever wondered where the line in the USMC hymn, '... from the shores of Tripoli ...' came from?

The Barbary pirates based in Tripoli, Tunisia found out they very well could be deterred and 'completely' deterred at that.

The pirates in Somalia were getting away with stealing from the world until they tried stealing from that same nation ...

Parents learning to say 'no' in tight times

Kids are getting fewer toys and music lessons — and a smaller pillow payout from the tooth fairy.

Tight times

Also:

• 6 ways to save on groceries

Nurse called out of surgery and laid off

You want to talk about 'cold and uncaring'!

A Wisconsin nurse was called out of surgery so a health care manager could tell her she was being laid off.

Full Story

There are a few lawsuits waiting to happen over this - the least of which, would be the nurse's!

Man found dead in oven

A young man was found dead by his father in an industrial oven in a macabre incident that the police are treating as the first murder of the year.

Times of Malta

Taliban Executes Teens for Trying to Elope

More evidence that these fools need to be eradicated!

Taliban gunmen in the remote district of Khash Rod in southern Afghanistan executed a young couple for trying to elope, Hashim Noorzai, head of Khash Rud district of Nimroz province said Tuesday.

Full Story

Domino's employees fired over YouTube videos

In Local News:

Two local Domino's Pizza employees have been fired after videos were posted on YouTube showing them inappropriately handling food.

Domino's officials say the company is considering legal action against the employees, identified in the videos as Kristy and Michael.

The videos were quickly were removed from YouTube. One shows Michael putting cheese into his nose, then placing it onto a sandwich.

Kristy narrates the video, saying, "We all have our secret ingredients. ... In about five minutes they'll be sent out on deliveries and somebody will be eating these. ... And little did they know that cheese was in his nose. ... That's how we roll at Domino's."

The employees worked at the Domino's Pizza located on 10th Street in Conover, North Carolina.

Tim McIntyre, vice president of communications for Domino's, released the following statement:

"We are appalled by the actions of these individuals and they do not represent the 125,000 hard-working men and women of Domino's Pizza across the country and in 60 countries around the world. During our investigation last night, we were able to identify these individuals, who have confessed to a "prank" and claimed that they did not serve any food to customers. The franchise owner will be terminating the employment of these individuals today. We are also pursuing criminal and legal action against them."

*****

Normally, I am loath to censor anything, especially when it benefits a corporation over an individual to do so, but in this case I'll make an exception. I am just glad I do not order pizza from Domino's - never have and never will.

Ways to boost energy sapped by statins

Play Video

A drug taken by 13 million Americans to lower cholesterol may also drain energy levels.

5 ways to boost energy sapped by statins

Also:

• Other potential statin side effects
• Many Americans ignore food recalls

Faux News guest's on-air collapse causes stir

Play Video

Glenn Beck (that is pronounced 'Brick' as in 'thick as a ...') joked that the incident would boost ratings.

Faux News guest's on-air collapse

Tornadoes spotted as storms hammer South

Play Video

A strong line of storms spawned at least two tornadoes in Florida in the latest round of bad weather to pound Southern states.

Storms hammer South

Dolphins "Protect" Chinese Vessel From Pirates

From TreeHugger:

China Radio International

Thanks to Brian, we now know how overfishing landed Capt. Phillips (and a band of pirates) in hot water. According to Chinese state media, it seems that we have another feedback effect: marine life in the Gulf of Aden is joining the pirate fight.

The Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China's fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China's.

The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness befor the vast number of dolphins. The spectacular scene continued for a while.

Article continues: Dolphins "Protect" Chinese Vessel From Pirates

Science News

On the Sociology front: Personality decided at birth, say scientists.

Our Readers

Each day we list some the cities our readers are in from around the world.
But we do not want to forget our domestic readers.

Some of whom have been in these cities today:

Mobile, Alabama - Juneau, Alaska - Scottsdale, Arizona - Little Rock, Arkansas - Carlsbad, California - Pittsboro, North Carolina - Lexington, South Carolina - Fort Collins, Colorado - New Britain, Connecticut - Wilmington, Delaware - Fargo, North Dakota - Wounded Knee, South Dakota - Orange Park, Florida - Ringgold, Georgia - Pelham, New Hampshire - Honolulu, Hawaii - Boise, Idaho - Elmhurst, Illinois - Bloomington, Indiana - Iowa City, Iowa - Brandywine, New Jersey - Paducah, Kentucky - Leavenworth, Kansas - La Place, Louisiana - Bangor, Maine - Halethorpe, Maryland - Brockton, Massachusetts - Roswell, New Mexico - Saugatuck, Michigan - Zimmerman, Minnesota - Hattiesburg, Mississippi - Ballwin, Missouri - Billings, Montana - Omaha, Nebraska - Las Vegas, Nevada - Elkins Park, Pennsylvania - Portsmouth, Ohio - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Corvallis, Oregon - Providence, Rhode Island - Cordova, Tennessee - Duncanville, Texas - Provo, Utah - Montpelier, Vermont - Arlington, Virginia - Parkersburg, West Virginia - Summer, Washington - Ladysmith, Wisconsin - Worland, Wyoming - Bratavia, New York

Learn To Fly

Foo Fighters

Cry me a river, why don't you

Faux News's Swill O'Really is miffed at the Chicago Sun-Times, because that venerable paper dumped O'Really's syndicated column.

The Sun-Times' Roger Ebert is delighted to have his paper blasted by O'Really.

More here.

Cramer is a buffoon

See, we're not the only ones to say so ...
CNBC's Jim Cramer is "a buffoon", says economist Nouriel Roubini.

More here.

You believe this crap?

From the "Screw your religious sensibilities, asshole" Department:

Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols is suing for $4.5-million, over prison food that offends his religious sensibilities.

Find out more at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Beds Are Burning

Midnight Oil

Senator Franken wins again

Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) has pulled a little further ahead in the Minnesota Senate recount, and 'sore loser' Norm Coleman (r) has lost his court challenge, but plans to appeal.

How much longer will the people of Minnesota be denied their Senator?

More at ThinkProgess.

Boycott Faux Lies

Here's a new website that's doing some really good work: foxnewsboycott.com.

Don't boycott Faux News just by changing the channel -- you should boycott the companies that sponsor a network where all the news is slanted to favor the uber-rich and to con the brain-dead.
They've got a list of Faux News sponsors.
You know it would be immoral and downright un-American to give a dime to any of them.

Check out foxnewsboycott, for more details.

Health News

Health News today:

How to heal an infection that defies antibiotics? Another infection.

Too much protein, eaten along with fat, may lead to insulin resistance.

Kumar goes to Washington

Kal Penn has given up his rising career as a comic actor to become associate director in President Obama's White House Office of Public Liaison.

According to the Reuters article, staffers with similar job titles earn between $41,000 and $91,000.
A sizable pay cut for Penn, best known as Kumar from the Harold and Kumar movies.

You have got to respect integrity like that.

More from Reuters.

Honesty gets you arrested

In England it does ....

Paul Leicester, 18, played the Good Samaritan when he discovered the handset lying in the street.

He rang the last number dialled and told a friend of the owner he would leave the phone at a nearby police station. But officers arrested him for “theft by finding”, held him for four hours and took a DNA sample.

Yesterday Paul said: “I thought I was doing the right thing and had it thrown back in my face. I wouldn’t go to the police in future. All I was doing was the honest thing. It was a shocking experience.”

The A-level student at Southport College, Merseyside, had been out celebrating his 18th birthday last month when he found the phone.

Paul added: “Being arrested isn’t a good way to celebrate your birthday. What are you supposed to do when you find a phone?”

Merseyside Police dropped the case but Paul’s father Vinnie, 37, of Seaforth, Merseyside, is still angry over his arrest.

He said: “It should never have happened. Paul’s mum and I brought him up the right way. They should give him an apology.”

Chief Superintendent Ian Pilling said: “We are reviewing the circumstances of the arrest.”

Liars and Fools

Liars and Fools
The "Give me a break" edition:

"National Organization for Marriage" launches multi-million dollar ad campaign using actors to push lies claiming that marriage equality threatens personal freedoms
And bad actors at that!

"Morality in Media" claims there is connection between same-sex marriage and mass murder
No there isn't, but recent mass murders have shown a connection between "morality" pushers and mass murder.

Wing-nuts attack 'wealthy homosexual activists' for pushing the 'tyranny' of marriage equality
I see the situation in La La Land is normal. SNAFU - Situation Normal All Fowled Up (yeah, I know I could have used another acronym in place of the 'F' but the original from the 1940s works just as well)

Bolton, Kristol, Handjob, Dobbs hysterical over Obama's 'not at war with Islam' remarks
We are not at war with islam - the cabal was - but we are not, so no problem except in the degenerate minds of the four blowhards mentioned.

After smearing Obama, Dobbs, O'Really, Rove and Scarborough call him polarizing
The lunatic fringe is so far gone everyone else is 'polarizing' to them.

Aide to Inhofe (retard-Oklahoma) launches new global warming denial website
And this is new, how?

Wing-nuts in the media suggest Obama supports one-world government
No, that was the shrub and the cabal.

Wing-nuts warn of social-fasc- commun-Nazi-McCarthy-Marxism
And I am the Easter Bunny - now if you believe any of this I have some land about 10 miles east of Miami I am looking to sell cheap ...

Ultra wing-nut writer wants repugicans to acquire a second TV network in addition to Faux News
May the Gods spare us!

Dimbulb calls global warming a "hoax," claims world is "cooling"
Is he shutting his mouth, then? The world is warming and his hot air is contributing to that warming.

Dimbulb says Iowa ruling on gay marriage is evidence of "the values of a dictatorship"
In reality it is evidence of his syphilis taking its toll.

Dimbulb: "The Mullahs and Putin and Medvedev and Hu Jintao in China celebrated the day Obama got elected" because they know liberals believe old Soviet propaganda
Nope, only wing-nuts believe that old claptrap. Liberals didn't believe the horse-hockey coming from the Soviets back in the day when 'old' Soviet propaganda was new!

Dimbulb: Obama is Neville Chamberlain
Thus proving yet again what a stupid ass he really is.

In spewing about immigration, Dimbulb claims "Democrat Party way is to destroy the US culture in order to get votes"
Actually that's the repugican way of stealing votes.

Dimbulb says homeless veterans are "another myth"
There are a few hundred of those "myths" here in this town that would like to differ.

Dimbulb blames Gore for woman being mauled by polar bear after jumping into animal's enclosure at zoo
It's the syphilis again, I tell you.

Dimbulb roots against US Navy in pirate standoff
Ok, as a Marine even I wouldn't root for the Navy most of the time, but ...

Morris: "Those crazies in Montana who say, 'We're going to kill ATF agents because the UN's going to take over' -- well, they're beginning to have a case"
Wing-nuts over the edge!

To NewsMax, Obama's White House Easter egg hunt is "a pagan ceremony"
Technically it is a modern adaptaion of a pagan ceremony that was co-opted into the christian pantheon a ways back - nothing new here.

At least half a dozen times, Faux's O'Reilly has falsely stated as fact that Abu Zubaydah's torture worked
Torture has never worked and never will. Eventually you will 'get' what you want because the tortured will figure out how to end their torture - but it is never what you 'need'.

Prager thinks gay marriage is a bigger threat than a bad economy
Again with the new math - you know the one that uses no numbers!

Disney's Savage on Iowa same-sex marriage decision: "a victory for perversion"
This from a pervert, how refreshing ...

MSNBC's Scarborough lies about Obama: 'We have a President who has never received a paycheck'
Then somebody owes him an awlful lot of money.

MSNBC's Scarborough repeats lie about Obama's "pledge of bipartisanship"
Lies, Lies, Lies - wait that's a Thompson Twins song - sorry, had a flashback there.

Moonie-run Washington Times editor says Obama 'threw Christianity under the bus'
And this is a bad thing? He didn't, but again - is it a bad thing?

Washington Times warns readers Pelosi will "try to confiscate" guns
Speaking from the stance of a total lack of evidence (and since it's untrue they never will have any), the Times once again pulls things out of their ass.

World Net Daily: Obama's dystopian, socialist, tyrannical agenda has only just begun
Ok, really people - the National Enquirer is a better journalistic outlet than these wackjobs.
Heck, my great granddaughter's diaper deposits are a better journalistic outlet than these wackos.

World Net Daily is still pushing lies about Obama's birth certificate
See the note above, thank you.

The Wasilla Hillbilly strikes out again

Max Blumenthal reports that governor Sarah Palin's (r-Alaska) reputation has been damaged by her nomination of a wing-nut for state Attorney General.

Nominee Wayne Anthony Ross has called homosexuals 'degenerates,' leveled invective against an African-American student offended by a statue of a Klansman, vowed to undermine the sovereignty of Native American tribes, and allegedly defended men who rape their wives".

Can't see how any of that could damage her reputation among wing-nut crime/pervert rings, or further damage her brand among Democrats and other sane observers.

More here.

Stem cells free diabetics from insulin treatment

If this pans out it will be tremendous ...

A controversial stem cell treatment tested in Brazil has, for the first time, freed most recipients from dependence on insulin, some continuously and some temporarily.

Stem cells free diabetics from insulin treatment

Alcoholic 'medicines'

From BBC-Science:

Ancient medicines were alcoholic Bottles discovered in an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb test positive for traces of 5,000 year-old medicinal wine.

Big Pharma Caught

The international pharmaceutical company Merck made a hit list of doctors who had to be "neutralized" or discredited because they criticized the anti-arthritis drug the pharmaceutical giant produced.

Staff at US company Merck &Co emailed each other about the list of doctors -- mainly researchers and academics -- who had been negative about the drug Vioxx or Merck and a recommended course of action.

More here.

Wing-nut lies and hypocrisies

Wing-nut lies and hypocrisies:

Bachus (r-Alabama) says there are 17 socialists in Congress
Now, even if he only knew what a Socialist was, it still wouldn't be of any concern.

Boehner (r-Ohio) and other repugicans offer 'really crazy' MIT tax lie
Got me - this is so far out in looney-land that even light doesn't go that far.

Chambliss (pervert-Georgia): Spending isn't stimulus unless it's defense spending
Yeah, but it is his 'defense spending on upcoming sex crimes cases' he is talking about.

Cole (r-Oklahoma) derides Obama defense budget increase as a "cut" that will endanger the country
Got to be a 'new math' thing ... last time I checked an 'increase' meant to add something to something and a 'cut' meant to take something away from something.

Obama administration is 'anti-religious,' says Gingrich (you only thought he retired r-Georgia)
Oh, and he is one to talk? One who denounced all but 'southern baptists' as nonreligious a few years back.

Hoekstra (r-Michigan) introduces Constitutional amendment to protect parents' right to "administer reasonable spankings to their children"
No problem with a parent 'spanking' an unruly child - I've even offered my belt upon occasion. However what is being pushed here isn't 'reasonable spankings' but wholesale legitimacy for child abuse by those who beat their kids.

Inhofe (r-Oklahoma) lies that increased defense budget 'disarms America' and 'cuts funding for our troops in the field'
Here again, it has to be that 'new math'!

Perino: 'Where is the proof' that the shrub 'alienated' people around the world?
The question really is, 'Where ISN'T the proof that the shrub alienated people around the world?'

Santorum (ousted pervert r-Pennsylvania) says Obama has 'deep-seated antipathy toward American values'
This is too rich! From a diaper wearing, dog loving (and that is really dog loving) pervert!

Repugican chair-wimp Steele laughs off the recession: 'The malls are just as packed on Saturday' as they were before
Hasn't been to many Malls lately, I see.

Steele continues repugican mantra of lies about ACORN
That 'nut' won't grow no matter how much 'fertilizer' the wing-nuts pile on it.

Evangelical Warren lies on TV about his support for Prop 8
How many links do you need Warren, to what you actually said in supporting Prop 8?

Wells Fargo turned a profit so the banking crisis is over, says TIME columnist
Hell, I turned a profit, too so the economic crisis is most definitely over - and Lush Dimbulb is correct in every thing he spews as well - oh, for the love of Pete.

'Experts' who supported disastrous wing-nut policies remain go-to pundits for mainstream media
And the wing-nuts keep up with the lie that there is a Liberal Bias in the media?!

Washington Post's Will quotes non-existent "Arctic Climate Research Center"
This is nothing new. Will has been pulling things out of his ass for years.

CNBC's Kneale mocks Warren's TARP oversight, tells her to stop 'breathing down the necks of the banks'
Actually, she should be chopping more heads off at the neck ... and she will be.

Betterman

Pearl Jam

Spain to indict cabal members

Spanish prosecutors have announced that they will indict six former cabal officials for their role in the torture of Spaniards at Guantanamo.

The wanted sleazeballs are:
• Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff David Addington
• Federal Appeals Court Judge and former Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee
• former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith
• former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
• former Defense Department general counsel and current Chevron lawyer William J. Haynes II
• and University of California law professor and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo.

More here.

Spying on the spies

You couldn't make this up: Cameras are being turned on the people paid to watch CCTV streams, to note which bits of surveillance footage they didn't see.

The system developed in Turkey uses webcams to track a person's eye movements and can then produce an edited reel of footage that they didn't see at the end of their shift."

Privacy campaigners may enjoy the irony as the gaze-tracking system comes to be regarded as intrusive by CCTV operators - who could fear that employers will use it to dispense with their services if they consistently miss too much on-screen skulduggery.

Eyeball spy turns the tables on Big Brother

Five-year-old rides NYC subway alone for 34 stops

From the "Observant, aren't we" Department:

Authorities say a 5-year-old boy slipped onto a New York City subway alone and rode for 34 stops from one end of Manhattan to the other before anyone intercepted him.

Full Story

Offensive porcelain pig got man arrested

From the "Some people think it is all about them" Department:

A father was hauled out of bed and arrested for having an ornamental PIG in his garden - after his policeman neighbor claimed it was put there to poke fun at him.

Full Story

The 'neighbor' needs to be arrested and locked in a psych-ward for wasting the police's time and for being deluded.

Abducted manager forced to rob his own bank

From the "I don't know about you, but this one smells 'fishy' to me" Department:

A Gold Coast bank manager says he was carjacked at gunpoint, injected with a mystery substance and forced to rob his own branch.

Full Story

Dubai claims world's first cloned camel

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday claimed its own version of Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, after the birth of a cloned camel in Dubai this month.

Full Story

Nuevo Texican

Burger King Ad "Lost in Translation," Causes Furor

An advertisement for Burger King's Texican Whopper burger that has run in Spain has created a large problem for the company.

Burger King ad.

Two people die in mass food poisoning case in Singapore

Two people have died and more than 130 people have fallen ill in a mass food poisoning case in Singapore, officials said yesterday.

A health ministry spokesperson said a 59-year-old woman died yesterday in hospital after eating a popular Asian salad called "rojak" at a food stall last week. Another woman, aged 57, died this past Monday.

The case is described by local media as the worst mass food poisoning on record in the city-state, which is better known for strict rules on hygiene and bans the commercial sale of chewing gum to keep its pavements clean.

The health ministry said 37 people were hospitalized and 100 others received outpatient treatment when they experienced abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea after eating at the low-cost stall in a suburban food court.

It said two of the cases were traced to bacteria commonly found in raw or partially cooked seafood but stressed that investigations were ongoing.

In 2007, more than 150 people fell sick after eating cakes bought from a bakery chain but there were no reported deaths.

Advice for last-minute tax filers

About 10 million people are expected to miss the April 15 tax deadline, but there are steps to minimize the sting if you are among them.

Last-minute

Also:

• Tax tips not to overlook
• Poll: Taxpayers to be frugal with refunds

Marketing ploy lands game maker in trouble

Electronic Arts is in hot water after sending brass knuckles, which are illegal in many states, to journalists as part of a video game promotion.

Marketing ploy

Also:

• Accusations against GameStop stores
• Futuristic movies that got it wrong

Obama on economy: 'Glimmers of hope'

In a major speech on the economy, the president also warns, "by no means are we out of the woods just yet."

'Glimmers of hope'

Suicidal shrub

Heard a report that the shrub has been suicidal recently ...

But that would cheat justice.

And I Quote

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.

~ James A. Froude

Liars and Fools

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Seoul, Seoul T'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Quartucciu, Sardegna, Italy
Kingston Upon Hull, England, United Kingdom
Almeria, Andalucia, Spain
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
London, England, United Kingdom
Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
Gera, Thuringen, Germany
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Sevndborg, Fyn, Denmark
Sofia, Grad Sofia, Bulgaria
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Welland, Ontario, Canada

as well as Sri Lanka, Brazil and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Equip yourself with facts, and you'll always be able to state your case and back up your argument.
Things will go much more smoothly if you have logic and lots of information on your side.
After all, it's not who you know -- it's what you know.

Good thing I already do this.