The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
The full moon inspires romance.
It might not be scientifically proven, but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to argue that fact.
This one will be especially amorous for you and might even inspire you to say or do something that will leave you passionately connected (or reconnected) -- on a long-term basis.
What a great story this will make for the kids -- and the grandkids.
Oh, and the people who will introduce you and feel justified to gloat publicly.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

Bremen, Bremen, Germany

London, England, United Kingdom

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Manila, Manila, Philippines

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany

Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Moscow, Moskva, Russia

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Vienna, Wien, Austria

as well as Brazil, and the United States in such cities as Chesnee, McAllen, Yakima, San Carlos, Vacaville, Fond Du Lac, Vandergrift and more

Today is Tuesday, March 30, the 89th day of 2010.

There are 276 days left in the year.

Today In History March 30

Today's unusual holidays and celebrations are:

Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day

and

Pencil Day

As The World Turns

As The World Turns

Burma opposition to boycott elections

The junta forced the issue by banning the opposition party from running in the elections as long as Aung San Suu Kyi remained in the organization. They refused to expel her and instead, voted to boycott the elections. They already won years ago by a large majority but were not allowed to govern so the elections have been proven to be all about show for the regime.

Loud cheering broke out at a meeting of the leaders of Burma's main opposition party after they voted unanimously to boycott an upcoming election that has been widely condemned as unfair and undemocratic.

The decision will further undermine the credibility of the poll. All 113 delegates at yesterday's gathering of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) agreed not to register the party with the election commission, effectively preventing it from participation in the polls that are expected to be held in October

Australia criticized for proposed internet filter

What are they thinking? This plan sounds like it's going down a very bad path for Australia.

"Our primary concern is that the scope of content to be filtered is too wide," Google wrote in its submission to the Australian government, suggesting that the filter – which would be mandatory and state-controlled – would slow browsing speeds.

The company said it already had its own filter to block child pornography.

"Some limits, like child pornography, are obvious. No Australian wants that to be available and we agree," Google said. "But moving to a mandatory ISP-level filtering regime with a scope that goes well beyond such material is heavy-handed and can raise genuine questions about restrictions on access to information."

Lucinda Barlow of Google Australia told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the proposal raised the possibility of banning politically and socially controversial material and went beyond filters used in Germany, Canada and Italy. Other critics say the filtering would put Australia in the same censorship league as China.

10 People, Ages 8-21, Shot Dead in Mexico

Full Story

Children, youths and young adults between the ages of 8 and 21 were gunned down, presumably by drug traffickers, in the northern Mexican state of Durango.

Bodies of 21 Babies Found in China River

Full Story

The bodies of 21 babies, believed dumped by hospitals, have washed ashore a riverbank in eastern China, state media reported Tuesday.

Now something less harsh ...

Fools own all hotels in Indian town

It may sound like a foolish business but tourism chiefs in a remote Indian town are no dummies after renaming all the local hotels after idiots. Until a few years ago the town of Giridih in India's eastern Jharkhand state had little to recommend it on the tourism map - but now hotels such as "The Idiot's Hotel" and "The World's Biggest Idiot's Hotel" are often packed as people turn up to stay at the business run by fools.

"We love to call ourselves fools. It's a great way to attract business," says Ashok Singh, the owner of the Bewkoof Hotel that translates into Fool's Hotel. He added: "My father named the hotel as a joke and suddenly loads of people started coming by to stay the night, now all the hotels in the town are using the same name. It's kind of a nice name, funny and quirky. It works for us," said Singh.

Michael Topno, who owns Maha Bewkoof Hotel that translates into Bigger Fool's Hotel, said: "This city has had these hotels for some time now and I think there is no need to change the name. It works for me, it works for those who come here. I like the surprise element in the name." The tradition is now so popular that even restaurants are cashing in with the "Idiots Bar" and "Idiot's Restaurant" among the most popular.

Avdesh Singh, 65, a local tailor said: "The first hotel ended up with all the customers and so everybody else joined in and then the trend caught on. To be honest, everyone makes their money out of it so no one minds being called a fool here."

Ill-equipped Nigerians confront pirates

With rusty ammo and cheap sandals, boat patrols are the first line of defense against piracy.  

Navy outmatched 

Also: 

• Sailors held for ransom
• Piracy in the region
• Somali pirate raid

The State Of The Nation

The State Of The Nation

Twisters in South leave path of destruction

At least 9 tornadoes in several states tear through power lines and send debris flying.

Caught on home video 

Also: 

• Violent storms' damage
• Survive a tornado
• Winter warmer than usual

Heavy rains, flooding hit East Coast

The president frees up disaster funds as a major storm threatens to break rainfall records.  

1,000 Guard troops mobilized 

Also:

• Dad, son film tornado
• Hefty cost of 2010 storms
• Fix a leaky basement

FBI raids put militia group in spotlight

Even members of other militias view the Hutaree group as extreme religious fanatics.  

Pleas for help declined 

Also: 

• Who are the Hutaree?
• Members charged in plot
• Search: Militia movement

States in danger of Greece-like debt crisis

Many states have a potentially bigger problem beyond their recession-induced budget woes.  

Huge 'unstated debts' 

Also: 

• Spain tries to cut deficit
• New Greek finance woes
• State jobless rates

Local Hospitality

Local Hospitality

Two twisters hit in Davidson County, and one each in Guilford, Person, Gaston and Rowan Counties over the weekend. 

Weather Service Confirms Six Total NC Tornadoes

*****

Did you know ... 

North Carolina was the first state to establish a state museum of art?

The museum first opened in a renovated state office building in 1956.

The original Charlotte Coliseum (which still is in use by another name) was the largest free standing dome when it was built around the same time the state art museum opened... and still is one of the largest free standing domes [the 'AstroDome', MetroDome, et al are not free-standing domes]. 

Students accuse high school teacher of bizarre training methods

North Carolina police are investigating a high school teacher and former basketball coach accused of having male students over to his home for workouts that included hanging them by their wrists, punching them in the stomach, hitting them with a baseball bat, and dousing them with water.

Full story

Charlotte dad kills wife, 2 children, then himself

Police on scene investigating an apparent murder-suicide at the Berkshire Apartments on Providence Square Drive in south Charlotte.

A 33-year-old Charlotte man killed his wife and two children two weeks ago before turning the gun on himself Monday night at an apartment complex in southeast Charlotte, police say. The wife and two children may have been dead since mid-March.
Two other children escaped unharmed. Police said the 10-year-old girl may have continued to attend school and did not tell anyone about the killings because she was afraid her little brother, age 3, would be killed.
Police say the children who died were 12 years old and 13 months old. They had been shot to death.
The victims were discovered in two separate apartment complexes off Providence Road, according to police detectives. The husband and two children were found at the Berkshire Apartments, on Providence Square Drive. And the wife was discovered at an apartment on Via Romano Drive, about a half-mile from the other unit.
The woman and two children might have been dead for several days, police say.
Police have identified the victims as Nateesha Ward Chapman, 34, the mother; children Na'Jhae Parker, 12, and Nakyiah Jael Chapman, 13 months; and the husband, Kenneth Jermaine Chapman.
Authorities say the series of events started about 11:15 p.m. Monday, when an uncle of Nateesha Chapman called police and said he had not been able to contact his niece. Officers were sent to an apartment in the 6900 block of Providence Square Drive.
When they arrived, police say, they found the front door of Apartment 179 open, and they could see the husband standing inside. They called to him, and police say a few moments later, they heard two gunshots. About the same time, two young children ran out of the apartment, uninjured.
When officers went inside the apartment, they say, they discovered the man, later identified as Kenneth Chapman, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
Then officers searched the apartment and discovered the two dead children.
A short time later, Natessha Chapman’s family members asked police to search the apartment on Via Romano Drive. About 2:45 a.m., police say, they discovered the mother’s body.
Detectives said Tuesday they believe Nateesha Chapman had been killed about a day before the two children.
Police worked through the night at the two crime scenes. Small crowds of residents gathered under bright moonlight and watched quietly as officers searched for clues. Shortly before 6 a.m., the body of Nateesha Chapman was removed from the apartment on Via Romano Drive.
“There was no reason to hurt the children,” one female resident said as she watched the police investigation at the Providence Square Drive site.

White House confirms one aspect of Obama’s Charlotte visit

Charlotte officials were apparently still in the dark late today as far as details of President Obama’s visit Friday. But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs explained why the president chose the city.

Obama is scheduled to talk about the economy during his visit. Why Charlotte, Gibbs was asked at a news conference.

“North Carolina is one of the states in the country that has … seen fairly big unemployment in terms of their rate is north of 10 percent,” Gibbs said. “And we will highlight a company that is seeing, as a result of the investments that they've made in creating the jobs of the future, increases that they’ve made in their hiring rolls on Friday.”

Local Boy Does Good

Lunsford Richardson:
Born in 1854 on a farm near Selma North, Carolina is the enterprising pharmacist who invented Vicks VapoRub.

The youngest of five, Lunsford experienced the dreadful effects of the War of Northern Aggression firsthand. He dreamed of one day establishing a business that would help the state prosper again. After graduating from Davidson College with honors, he worked as a school principal but then fatefully switched careers.
Using his savings, he bought a drugstore in Selma and began concocting home remedies, then he sold the store in Selma and bought a drugstore in Greensboro.

His children inspired him to create Vicks VapoRub, after they came down with colds and he felt he could improve upon the traditional treatment of the day. He eventually came up with the medicine that combined menthol, camphor and oil of eucalyptus in a petroleum salve that made breathing easier. He named it Vicks because he had a brother-in-law by that name, and he though it would be easy to remember.

A little known fact about Lunsford is that in 1905 he convinced the postal service to allow him to mail his advertising circulars to "Boxholder," rather than individuals. Thus he was the first to use such mailings making him also known as the "Father of Junk Mail".

Catawba Falls trail opens to the public

Catawba Falls, in the headwaters of the Catawba River, has become publicly accessible as part of Pisgah National Forest.

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a regional land trust, said today it has sold to the U.S. Forest Service 88 acres that include a trail to the spectacular series of falls. The tract is in McDowell County near Old Fort.
The Forest Service paid $713,000 that Congress approved in December under legislation sponsored by U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and David Price, D-N.C. The money came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses federal royalties from oil and gas leases.
Foothills Conservancy sold the land at a $124,000 discount made possible by a gift of that amount from Salisbury philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback.
The falls have been part of the Pisgah forest since 1989 but didn’t have a trail that was open to the public, said Foothills land protection director Tom Kenney. The sale announced today includes a tract that allows public access.
Legislation to expand the Pisgah’s boundaries to include the new purchase, cosponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., is before the Senate. Similar legislation has already passed the House with bipartisan support.
“Acquiring this tract has been a priority for North Carolina’s national forests for more than a decade,” said Marisue Hilliard, supervisor of the state’s national forests.
Foothills Conservancy has protected another 1,384 acres in the Catawba headwaters, adjoining the Pisgah forest, since 2005.

Want to go?-AS181NKJ

The trail is open, but parking is very limited for now. Take Interstate 40 Exit 73 in Old Fort and go south on SR 1274 (Catawba Falls Road) and follow it about 3 miles to its end.

And I Quote

Hitch your wagon to a star. 

 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

 

Another typical repugican

There really isn't a Tea Party. 

The so called "Tea Party" is just an attempt to re-brand the repugican party as if changing the name will make people forget the shrub cabal.  

Tennessee man pleads guilty in plot against Obama

Nine alleged members of a radical christian militia group have been charged with conspiring to kill police officers and wage war against the US

  

Nine alleged members of a christian militia group that was girding for battle with the Antichrist were charged Monday with plotting to kill a police officer and slaughter scores more by bombing the funeral — all in hopes of touching off an uprising against the U.S. government.

Full Story 

Eight suspects were detained in a series of FBI raids across the Mid-West, while one remains at large. Prosecutors say the eight men and one woman belonged to the Hutaree group...
Here's a video made by these 'christians':

Repugicans spent $1,946 at topless club for 'meals' at Voyeur West Hollywood.

Now that it's out they want their money back!

That, and the religious wingnuts are upset with rnc over lesbian sex voyeur bondage club, etc.

It seems the 'men' at the Concerned Women for America have a problem with the RNC frequenting voyeur lesbian sex simulation bondage clubs. 

Liars and Fools 

Tony Blankley says that if health care reform stands, "then free America — including all that we have known and cared for — will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age".

He is just an ignorant asshole what do we care about what he says.

'Tea Party' founder denies Teabaggers called John Lewis a 'nigger.' 

Too bad 'Tea Party' founder used word last month on a protest sign.

Oopsie.

In other 'teabagger' news

Tennessee Tea Party Convention contributor sues movement leader

Internal strife continues to rile the group that hosted the National Tea Party Convention, headlined by that moronic idiot Sarah Palin, almost two months after the event came to Nashville.

Fallout from RNC nightclub scandal grows

The firing of a staffer may not quell the firestorm over an embarrassing Young Eagles outing.  

Lingering questions 

Also: 

• More on Michael Steele
• Redistricting fight ramps up
• repugican contenders face off

Michele Bachmann thinks Rep. John Lewis is a liar. 

Yes, the batshit crazy liar thinks the honest Civil rights leader is a liar

It is utterly amazing how liars always accuse honest people of being what the liars are themselves ... liars

From Steve Benen, who asks:

Oh, Michele Bachmann, is there anything you won't say out loud?

Benen adds:

So, Michele Bachmann would have us believe that John Lewis is a liar. John Lewis, who has demonstrated more integrity, honesty, and courage in his career than Bachmann's limited intellect can even fathom, is deserving of mistrust, because he heard racial slurs and talked about it. Got it.

It is possible that Michele Bachmann does not know about the civil rights struggle in America and the role John Lewis played in it. She probably has no idea that she serves in Congress with a living civil rights legend. And, if she did, she wouldn't care.

Frank Rich on the Teabaggers and repugican extremism throughout history

Frank Rich in the NYT:

In fact, the current surge of anger — and the accompanying rise in right-wing extremism — predates the entire health care debate. The first signs were the shrieks of “traitor” and “off with his head” at Palin rallies as Obama’s election became more likely in October 2008. Those passions have spiraled ever since — from Gov. Rick Perry’s kowtowing to secessionists at a Tea Party rally in Texas to the gratuitous brandishing of assault weapons at Obama health care rallies last summer to “You lie!” piercing the president’s address to Congress last fall like an ominous shot.

If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play. It’s not happenstance that Frank, Lewis and Cleaver — none of them major Democratic players in the health care push — received a major share of last weekend’s abuse. When you hear demonstrators chant the slogan “Take our country back!,” these are the people they want to take the country back from.

And they can’t pretend that we’re talking about “isolated incidents” or a “fringe” utterly divorced from the G.O.P. A Quinnipiac poll last week found that 74 percent of Tea Party members identify themselves as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, while only 16 percent are aligned with Democrats.

After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, some responsible leaders in both parties spoke out to try to put a lid on the resistance and violence. The arch-segregationist Russell of Georgia, concerned about what might happen in his own backyard, declared flatly that the law is “now on the books.” Yet no Republican or conservative leader of stature has taken on Palin, Perry, Boehner or any of the others who have been stoking these fires for a good 17 months now. Last week McCain even endorsed Palin’s “reload” rhetoric.

Are these politicians so frightened of offending anyone in the Tea Party-Glenn Beck base that they would rather fall silent than call out its extremist elements and their enablers? Seemingly so, and if G.O.P. leaders of all stripes, from Romney to Mitch McConnell to Olympia Snowe to Lindsey Graham, are afraid of these forces, that’s the strongest possible indicator that the rest of us have reason to fear them too.

$88 billion deposited in woman's bank account

She was expecting a deposit but there was far more than just a paycheck in Stephanie Hickman's account on Saturday morning. $88,888,888.88 more. Of course, the Hickman's were honest and contacted Suntrust bank. The problem is the bank can't help them.

When her husband called Suntrust to report the error, even the managers couldn't fix it. "My husband talked to three different people and they all told us they can't access the account and they can't fix the problem," Hickman says.

Now Hickman cannot use her account at all. "Everything's frozen, online banking, mobile banking," she says. "I'm not saying that the $88 billion is my money, but the $150 at least that we had in the account was my money and now I can't even access that."

Hickman says Suntrust is telling them to wait. Until then, she'll have to make due with whatever cash is in her wallet.

It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid                                                         

How to prevent debit-card fraud

These safeguards help thwart identity thieves who can drain your account instantly.   

Easy way to detect fraud 

Also: 

• Where not to use debit
• How to fine-tune finances
• What is phishing?

15 essential money lessons for kids

Rule No. 1 can go a long way toward helping children avoid debt pitfalls later in life.

Guidelines on allowance, saving 

Also: 

• Getting kids to tidy up
• Controversial nanny claim
• Kids and credit cards

Day traders making improbable comeback

A new breed of do-it-yourself investors is trying to beat the economic slump.

Risky 'dream job' can pay six figures 

Also: 

• 10 lessons for investors
• Consumer spending climbs
• What is short selling?

Analyst: Stocks headed for 'new highs'

Some investors believe that the stock market is looking shaky, but one expert says they're wrong.  

3 big reasons 

Also: 

• Worries over stock market
• Buy-and-hold is dead?
• More on James Altucher

When not working beats working a little

A twist in the law makes it risky for the long-term unemployed to pick up temp or part-time work.  

Reason 

Also: 

• Explaining HR's silence
• Options after COBRA
• Your jobless benefits

IRS warns of crooked tax preparers

The agency cracks down on small firms and practitioners that fudge returns.  

But taxpayers held liable  

 Also:

• Tax-filing mistakes
• Does filing late help?
• Find tax forms

Careers with flexibility and good pay

These five jobs offer perks like schedules you can set yourself, along with high salaries.  

Up to $74K a year 

Also: 

• Great jobs with no degree
• Telecommuting tips
• Downsides of trade school

In Matters Of Health

In Matters Of Health

The Influence Game: Lobbying pays off as drug industry hits jackpot with health overhaul

Chalk one up for the pharmaceutical lobby. 

The U.S. drug industry fended off price curbs and other hefty restrictions in President Barack Obama's health care law even as it prepares for plenty of new business when an estimated 32 million uninsured Americans gain health coverage.

Full Story

Ohio AG won't sue over new federal health care law

Ohio's attorney general says he won't join other states in a lawsuit challenging the federal government's sweeping new health care law.

Health Law Timeline: Closing The Medicare Drug Gap

Now that the health overhaul has passed Congress, Democratic lawmakers are hoping to highlight its most immediate benefits.

Foods that can fix (almost) anything

The antioxidant found in grapes can act as a bodyguard for your skin.

What to eat for better breath 

Also:

• Unhealthiest mall food
• What to eat at bedtime
• Vitamin C sources

A third of world's kids are couch potatoes

American children aren't the only ones whiling away their hours in front of TVs and computers.  

Study: global problem 

Also: 

• Teen blogging good?
• Exercise tips for kids
• 3D movie prices skyrocket

Medical misinformation spreads on Web

Turning to social networks to analyze your symptoms requires caution, a study shows. 

How to protect yourself 

Also: 

• Misuse of antibiotics
• Vitamin D and the flu
• The genomics debate

Five weight-loss myths debunked

Misconceptions about carbohydrates and eating late at night could hinder your weight loss.  

Truth about weight-lifting 

Also: 

• Spring-fresh eating
• The whole grain truth
• Quick and healthy lunch

Insurance companies trying to ban kids with pre-existing conditions anyway, in violation of new law

We should have nailed these assholes to the wall last year from the git-go.

HHS is hitting back.

Update: Insurance industry caves on effort to cheat kids with pre-existing conditions

That was quick. 

But it goes to show you that we'll need to keep an eagle eye on the insurance companies, as this won't be the last time they try to find a loophole in the legislation. 

Obama signs law finalizing health care, loan redo

Finalizing two major pieces of his agenda, President Barack Obama on Tuesday sealed his health care overhaul and made the government the primary lender to students by cutting banks out of the process.

Full Story

Complaints of food fraud rise in the U.S.

Complaints of food fraud rise in the U.S.

The food industry says the FDA isn't doing enough to combat deception.

Mislabeled items  

Also:

• How to read food labels
• Food claims to scrutinize
• Gene can boost tomatoes

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Scientific Minds Want To Know

Ancient 'door to afterlife' unearthed

The tomb of a powerful Egyptian official yields a 3,500-year-old relic covered in religious texts. 

Purpose of false door 

Also:

• Find: Karnak temple
• Mystery mummies in Calif.
• Smugglers' trade booming

$10 billion Big Bang machine smashes record

An ambitious bid to solve some of the biggest mysteries in science reaches a milestone.  

'Historic moment here' 

Also:

• Find: 'Big Bang machine'
• Genius may reject $1 mil
• New levitation study's goal

'Roadrunner' dinosaur discovered

One the smallest and most agile theropod dinosaurs yet discovered is unearthed by scientists in China.

Scans show that people who are better at having new ideas have brains that pass information around more slowly.

A slow mind may nurture more creative ideas

Computer-Controlled Swarm of Bacteria Builds Tiny Pyramid

Who needs nanobots when you can control a swarm of bacteria to do your bidding?

Researchers at the NanoRobotics Laboratory of the École Polytechnique de Montréal, in Canada, are putting swarms of bacteria to work, using them to perform micro-manipulations and even propel microrobots.
Led by Professor Sylvain Martel, the researchers want to use flagellated bacteria to carry drugs into tumors, act as sensing agents for detecting pathogens, and operate micro-factories that could perform pharmacological and genetic tests.
They also want to use the bacteria as micro-workers for building things. Things like a tiny step pyramid. [...]
The bacteria, of a type known as magnetotactic, contain structures called magnetosomes, which function as a compass. In the presence of a magnetic field, the magnetosomes induce a torque on the bacteria, making them swim according to the direction of the field. Place a magnetic field pointing right and the bacteria will move right. Switch the field to point left and the bacteria will follow suit.

 Computer-Controlled Swarm of Bacteria Builds Tiny Pyramid

Dubai Briton faces jail over 'middle finger salute'

A British expatriate in Dubai is facing jail and deportation after being accused of making a single-finger gesture in an argument. Simon Andrews, 56, has had his passport confiscated for almost eight months while waiting for his case to be heard.

He told Dubai Court of Misdemeanors he denies "flipping the finger" at Mahmoud Rasheed, an Iraqi aviation student, during an argument. He will appear in court on Sunday for a full hearing of the case.

Mr Andrews has said Mr Rasheed, who has not yet appeared in court to give evidence, is mistaken and no finger was raised. At a court hearing on Sunday, he asked for the passport put up as bail surety for him by a friend to be returned as the friend had to go abroad for work.

He was told to provide another passport in its place. His own passport has also been confiscated, preventing him leaving Dubai before the case is heard. Making insulting gestures is regarded as unacceptable, and carries with it the possibility of a jail sentence of up to six months and deportation.

Crime does not pay ...

Man fleeing police jumps fence - into prison

Police say a motorist fleeing officers in Cleveland abandoned his car and jumped a fence - landing in what turned out to be a prison yard.

Mass Grave Containing Rare Animals (Tigers, Lions, Leopards, etc) Discovered at Chinese Zoo

From Treehugger:

Photo: Wikipedia, CC

Not Again!

It was only a couple weeks ago that I wrote about a Chinese zoo accused of letting 11 rare siberian tigers starve to death. If that wasn't bad enough, a mass grave containing the remains of "more than 30 animals, including rare white tigers and lions" was discovered at a different Chinese zoo. The likely cause of death was, once again, malnutrition.

Article continues: Mass Grave Containing Rare Animals (Tigers, Lions, Leopards, etc) Discovered at Chinese Zoo

You Can't 'Patent' Genes

United States District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet has invalidated Myriad Genetics's infamous "breast cancer patent" -- a patent on genetic mutations that cause breast cancer, which Myriad has exercised in the form of a high lab-fee for analysis on samples (Myriad threatens to sue any independent lab that performs the analysis).
The suit was brought by the ACLU and the Public Patent Foundation, who argued that US Patent and Trademark Office was wrong to grant patents on genes, as these are not patentable subject matter. The judge agreed, saying that gene patents are patents on a "law of nature" and called the isolation of genes and filing patents on them "a lawyer's trick that circumvents the prohibition on the direct patenting of the DNA in our bodies but which, in practice, reaches the same result."
Which sounds to me like a precedent against all patents that rely on isolated genes. Of course, this isn't over: the pharma/biotech stalwarts interviewed in the linked NYT piece are talking appeal, and I'm sure they'll try to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
I think that the problem here is in the untested idea that imparting exclusive rights to the genome will incentivize more research than allowing anyone to build on discoveries in the genome. It's clear that some exclusive rights provide an incentive so some people to do work. But these exclusive rights also scare off people who have good ideas but are worried about being bankrupted by someone who beat them to the patent.
Combined with that is the natural abhorrence many of us feel at the thought that genes might be patented. Genes aren't a good subject for propertization. Your genes aren't even yours -- you didn't create them. Your parents didn't really create them, either. You're your genes' steward, as are we all, and so many of us have a strong intuition that when someone else claims to own something from our genome, they're being ridiculous, or evil, or both.

Myriad Genetics, the company that holds the patents with the University of Utah Research Foundation, asked the court to dismiss the case, claiming that the work of isolating the DNA from the body transforms it and makes it patentable. Such patents, it said, have been granted for decades; the Supreme Court upheld patents on living organisms in 1980. In fact, many in the patent field had predicted the courts would throw out the suit. Judge Sweet, however, ruled that the patents were "improperly granted" because they involved a "law of nature." He said that many critics of gene patents considered the idea that isolating a gene made it patentable "a 'lawyer's trick' that circumvents the prohibition on the direct patenting of the DNA in our bodies but which, in practice, reaches the same result."
The case could have far-reaching implications. About 20 percent of human genes have been patented, and multibillion-dollar industries have been built atop the intellectual property rights that the patents grant.

ACLU Challenges Patents On Breast Cancer Genes: BRCA Judge Invalidates Human Gene Patent

Interesting In General

Interesting In General

Seven simple dinners

Try serving a few new dishes out of these easy menus for every day of the week.

Get recipes 

Also:

• Healthier Mexican food
• Recipes for spring
• Last-minute dinner ideas

Men owe women for 'creating beer'

Full story

Between the eighth and tenth centuries AD the Vikings spread terror by rampaging through Europe, fueled by women-made ale.

Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods

In Cop News

New Jersey cops planted drugs on suspects; 185 prisoners released as officer pleads guilty

Tainted evidence at San Francisco police lab could quash upwards of 750 drug prosecutions

Lawsuit claims Illinois cops beat men at taco restaurant

Illinois deputy gets year in jail for one count of racketeering and four counts of mail fraud

Massachusetts police officer indicted in injury pay scam

California deputy accused of felony DUI had crashed half an hour earlier — and fellow deputies let him go

"I keep asking them ‘What did I do wrong?’ He keeps saying 'shut up'"

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J. Edgar Fooled Ya

A woman who posed as an FBI agent and hired two individuals to be her assistants was indicted last week for impersonating an employee of the United States.

Police impersonators are nothing new, but this suspect brings new meaning to the phrase "con job." An Arlington , Va., woman allegedly impersonated an FBI agent , then fooled her neighbors into taking jobs as her assistant.

In the 1960s, a group of psychedelic-loving misfits from Orange County called the Brotherhood of Eternal Love figured it could turn the entire world on to the mystical power of LSD.
It seemed like a reasonable idea at the time — the brotherhood had been founded on a shared belief in LSD’s transformative effects. But somewhere along the line, the spiritual message was squashed by thousands of kilos of smuggled marijuana and hashish.
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By decade’s end, the psychedelic messengers had sidetracked into a smuggling operation that made the group one of the largest drug cartels in America.
Instead of enlightenment, the members of the brotherhood wound up making their mark as narcotics trailblazers: They distributed Orange Sunshine, arguably the most popular “brand” of LSD in history; created the strain of pot known as Maui Wowie; and were the first to bring Afghan hash to the U.S.
For a while, they were America’s foremost counterculture outlaws, dubbed the “hippie mafia” by Rolling Stone. But the organization ultimately fell prey to greed, back-stabbing and legal heat. And when it was gone, it barely registered an acid flashback, even after biographers, documentarians and Madison Avenue began to strip mine the hippie era for material.
Yet in “Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World,” Nicholas Schou manages — amazingly — to penetrate four decades of silence.

Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World