Costco says 'No' to Christmas...literally

In a letter sent to fellow low-brows Wildmon, the founder of that cluster-fuck of religo-loonys, the un-American Family-less ASS0ciation, implores his brethren morons to whine even more about their self deluded 'they declared war on xmas' fanatical lunacy they spout every year right about now.

To Wit:

Costco has 520 stores nationwide. But you will not find "Christmas" in a single store.

That's because Costco says it will not use the term "Christmas" on its website or in its stores.
Instead, Costco is telling customers it purposely chooses to use the generic "holiday" verbiage.
You know, they stock holiday gifts, not Christmas gifts.

Last week, a customer wrote to Costco and asked this direct question – "Does Costco use the word
'Christmas' in your store advertising or on any signs anywhere in your stores during the Christmas season?"
Kory Rosacrans, staff manager for Costco replied, "I guess the answer would be No."

Costco wants you to do your "Christmas" shopping with them,
while refusing to recognize that Christmas even exists.

Take Action!

Do what I'm doing. WRITE TO COSTCO and bitch like the religiously-insane wing-nut you are.
We have two wars going badly and our economy is dying but the only thing on my mind is punishing American businesses who fail to jump through my idiotic rhetorical hoops.

Sincerely, Donald E Wildmon,

Founder and Chairman, American "Hummer" Association

Do what they are doing?!

I am going to shop at Costco simply because they are standing up to these whack-jobs and so should everyone else with a pulse who wants to.

(Editors Note: OK, so the last paragraph of the letter was edited to properly and more accurately reflect the intent and purpose of the letter during the editorial process ... so what of it!?)

For these severely screwed-up individuals ... Go to hell!

For the rest of us ... Happy Holidays, be it xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Zippie-de-do-dah, or whatever.

By the way to all you not learned in the proper spelling of xmas ... it is just that x-m-a-s.

The Roman catholic church's liturgy of christ's mass is another whole ball game.

Alabama county sets 'Barack Obama Day' as new holiday

And you thought only ignorant rednecks lived in Alabama ...

A central Alabama county has created an annual holiday in honor of president Obama.

The Perry County commission voted to observe the second Monday in November as "The Barack Obama Day."

County offices will close and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid holiday.

The holiday is meant to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved by reflecting on Obama's victory.

Ihrer Referate, bitte.

UK government sneaking in mandatory ID cards

"The UK Government planning to sneak in a police power to make anyone who has ever entered the country, at any time, prove who they are. This would effectively cover any British citizen who has ever left the UK, even for a holiday, because they will have "entered" the UK on their return. It will mean that for the first time in more than half a century that the police will be able to demand your papers."

ID cards are not voluntary

American Folk Music Legend

Odetta
(December 31, 1930 - December 2, 2008)

Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century,
died yesterday.
She was 77

Did you get the Memo

By Order Of The Management.

Memo To the following staff:
Anyone, Someone, Everyone, No-one

Instructions for Job Delegation:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there is an important job to be done get Someone to do it.
If it isn’t so important, Anyone can do it.
If Everyone is out, No-one can do it.
And if No-one can do it, then Someone will pay for it.
If the job does not get done, Someone will still pay for it, but No-one can
blame Anyone if Everyone was responsible.
Furthermore, if Anyone has anything to say, don’t talk to Everyone about it
because Someone will get upset and No-one will like it, so come and see one
of us.

How companies are run

In the beginning management came up with a plan.

And the plan was based on assumptions
And the assumptions were without form
And the plan was completely without substance and was void
And darkness fell upon the faces of the workers
And they spoke unto their project leaders saying: “it’s a can of shit and it stinks”

And the project leader went unto the manager and said: “it is a pail of dung and none can stand the odor thereof’

And the manager went unto the senior manager and said unto him: “it is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none here may abide it”

And the senior manager went unto the department general manager and said unto him: “it contains that which aids plant growth and is very strong”

And the chief general manager went unto the chief executive officer and said unto him: “it promotes growth and is very powerful”

And the chief executive officer went to the board of directors and said unto them: “this powerful new plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of our new business.”

And the board of directors looked upon the plan
And saw that it was good
And the plan became policy.

And that is how companies are run!!

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Scottish Football Association confirmed Wednesday that it has held talks with Wales and Northern Ireland over the possibility of co-hosting the 2016 European Championship.

Scotland's hopes of staging the tournament alone ended when UEFA announced in September that the number of teams was increasing from 16 to 24 - leaving the Scots without enough suitable stadiums.

SFA chief executive Gordon Smith lobbied for the expansion because the change gives Scotland a much better chance of qualifying, even though the country would no longer be able to host future tournaments.

A joint bid by the three countries would open up the possibility of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and Northern Ireland's Windsor Park being used for matches alongside stadiums including Glasgow's Celtic Park, Ibrox and Hampden Park.

Woman sues over copyright infringement

Tyler Perry went to court to face allegations that he stole material from someone else for his blockbuster film "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."

Donna West is suing the actor-screenwriter for copyright infringement in U.S. District Court and wants a jury to award her family all profits made from the film.
"I can't put my play on because the stories are basically the same and nobody wants to see that again," she said.

West testified Tuesday that she developed a script titled "Fantasy of a Black Woman" based primarily on her own experiences. With her in the starring role, the play was performed in July 1991 at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center.
"The play was opened to the public. Anyone could have attended," West said.

Perry's movie, which earned some $50 million, came out in 2005.

Jurors on Tuesday watched the film and listened to a reading of the script from West's play.
In her opening remarks to the jury, Perry's attorney, Veronica Lewis, said her client is an "immensely talented" individual "who has no need whatsoever" to use the materials of others.
Lewis noted that Perry had experienced considerable success before and after the film, "so why would he need to copy Ms. West's script?"

*****

Somehow I think this is a case of 'let's see what I can get' and I think it will not end as the woman, Donna West is wanting it to

Just in case you missed it ...

It's official we are in a recession and have been since December of 2007.

Now, let's see how many times the repugicans try to blame Obama for it.

*****

Some of us here in the blogosphere (and in the real world) were arguing that we were in a recession even before that and the tin-foil hat crowd were denying it then as they are denying it now. Of course then they were blaming Liberals in general for anything bad for the economy and now that the truth is out they are still blaming everyone but themselves - the very ones who caused the economic meltdown of the world - for they mess they caused.

20 (More) Strange and Exotic Endangered Species

Kagu

(Image via tropical birding)

A rare New Zealand bird, not much is known about the enigmatic Kagu. It is flightless, though its wings are large; it is a forest-dweller, though its markings are oddly light in color. Very few remain and scientists know little about its preferences and habits. We do know that it possesses “nasal corns” unlike any other bird. For reasons unknown, the kagu also has one-third the red blood count of other birds. Scientists have had a difficult time classifying this rare and unusual bird.

Check out the rest on the list @ WebEcoist.

Georgia screws the nation

Folks, the people in Georgia have fucked the nation over by re-electing Chambliss to the Senate.
And they wonder why people laugh when they say they are from Georgia!?

Chambliss has sworn to be a stonewall and a roadblock to any attempt at changing how things are done in Washington or changing how the nation is governed and the betterment of the poor and working people of the nation ... the very things the American people want.

So the 'do nothing' congress of the last two years - because of the repugican's record number of filibusters and outright opposition to any legislation introduced by anyone not of the wing-nut variety (including true conservatives) - will continue so they can use that 'do nothing' rally cry in the 2010 elections ... it did not work in 2008, but when has reality ever stood in the way of the wing-nuts.

We can thank the idiots in Georgia for this crap and the shit we will see until the next election when more repugicans will lose their seats.

To all the people in Georgia who supported Martin we thank you ... you prove that at least there are some signs of intelligence in the state, unfortunately there appears to be very little of it.

DUI suspect drives off with fuel hose in tank

The Nevada Highway Patrol says a drunken driving suspect in Reno was gassed in more ways than one. A 40-year-old Reno woman was arrested early Tuesday after an ambulance crew saw her driving on U.S. Highway 395 with a fuel hose and nozzle sticking out of her gas tank.

Patrol spokesman Chuck Allen said the crew tried to signal the woman after they spotted the unusual appendage to her green Subaru wagon about 4:30 a.m. but couldn't get her attention.

He said the crew eventually initiated a traffic stop and radioed the state troopers. Upon their arrival, the woman failed a sobriety test and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Allen said they are still trying to find the service station that is missing the nozzle and about 6 feet of fuel hose.

Man arrested for lighting grill inside apartment

From the "Duh, Which way did he go, George" Department:

Police in Ledyard, Connecticut, arrested a 44-year-old man who lit a small charcoal grill inside his apartment, endangering his neighbors. Police charged him with second-degree reckless endangerment after two people became ill.

Police said the grill created dangerous carbon monoxide levels in the apartment building. Two residents were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

The man has been released on a $500 bond.

*****

And to think he is not the only 'bright bulb' who has done this ...

Man jumps into cab of moving pickup to stop theft

A man who saw his pickup truck being stolen jumped into the bed of the moving vehicle, kicked out the back window and crawled into the cab to stop the thief. Police said the woman who stole the truck then jumped out and hopped into her boyfriend's car, which the truck owner chased until officers intervened.

The woman, 18 was booked into the Tulsa Jail at 3 a.m. Tuesday. She faces complaints of larceny of an automobile and leaving the scene of property damage.

Alonzo Johnson said his truck was stolen after he left it running while he was inside a QuikTrip store.

*****

How about next time you turn it off and take the keys?! At least make it so they have to 'work' at it to steal it.

Message in bottle tossed off NJ in '69 found in NC

A message in a bottle tossed into the ocean off Barnegat Bay has turned up in North Carolina - 39 years later. The note was sealed in a Schaefer beer bottle. It was dated Aug. 17, 1969 and read: "If found notify the North Haledon Fire Co. 2."

Mark Ciarmello and his 3-year-old daughter found the bottle along a beach in Corolla, N.C., in October. That's about 400 miles from where it was released.

The Downingtown, Pa., resident said he got on his cell phone, called North Haledon and e-mailed photos of the bottle to the firefighters.

No one is sure who tossed the bottle. But firefighters suspect it was during one of the many fishing trips that they used to take years ago.

Cat lost in Yellowstone returned to Texas family

Great story!

A cat lost in Yellowstone National Park in August has been returned to her family in Houston with the help of some West Yellowstone residents. Philip Wattenbarger and his family were camping in a trailer in the West Yellowstone area when their long-haired tabby, Fluffy, went missing on Aug. 1.

Elizabeth Ayers said the family figured the cat had been caught by a coyote. Her three young daughters, 6-year-old twins Tamara and Evelyn and 8-year-old Marisa, were sad about losing the cat.

"Tamara in particular had been very upset," Ayers said. "Every day she'd say, 'Mom, is Fluffy coming back?"

Fluffy somehow survived for about three months despite the coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, eagles and grizzly bears that frequent the West Yellowstone area.

"It's pretty amazing," said Rick Armstrong, a West Yellowstone school guidance counselor, whose family lives north of town. "There's plenty of predators that would want to eat a little cat."

Residents in the Horse Butte area, about a mile from the campground, noticed the stray cat and started leaving food out for her. She had a harness and tag, but wouldn't let anyone get close enough to her to read it, Armstrong said.

Fluffy was apparently finding shelter in a garage.

With cold weather approaching in mid-November, Armstrong's parents, Norval and Shirley Armstrong, borrowed a live trap and baited it with cat food. Fluffy took the bait on Nov. 15.

"Five minutes later, my mother called the people in Houston," Armstrong said. "They couldn't believe it."

Ayers says Fluffy "wasn't the smarter of our two cats, so we were quite surprised. She has more skills than we expected."

Anne Kinney, a Horse Butte-area resident and retired Delta Airlines flight attendant, volunteered to accompany Fluffy home.

On Nov. 18, Kinney and Fluffy flew to Houston and met Ayers, who paid the cat's vet bill and a $150 air fare.

"We were all thrilled when she got home," Ayers said. "She's my snuggle-bud. She loves to be held like a baby. She snuggles down and purrs."

Even though I am a dog person myself, this is a great story.

Two for the price of one

Police on Long Island say they've pulled two drunken drivers from one car.

Nassau County officers say they spotted a woman trying to make a three-point turn on a road in East Meadow. They say that when she couldn't complete the maneuver, she switched places with a male passenger, who took the steering wheel and completed the turn while not wearing a seat belt.

Police pulled them over and charged them with drunken driving.

As police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey put it, "We have two individuals arrested for driving the same car intoxicated."

The man and the woman were arraigned Friday on driving while intoxicated and other charges.

The woman was ordered held on $1,000 bail. The man was ordered held on $5,000 bail.

They're due back in court Tuesday.

Dimbulb wannbe sacked

In what is a growing trend among radio stations the local Dimbulb imitator Jeff Katz was canned by WBT.

Dismal ratings and sagging advertising revenue due to people just being sick and tired of them are leading many stations to jettison their wing-nut loudmouths faster than a fart dissipates in a wind storm.

Reactions to Jeff Katz's dismissal have been overwhelmingly positive with the majority of the comments along the lines of:

“I’m glad he’s gone, this guy, all he would do is the negative.” Or if you disagreed with Katz you were cut off the air during the call portion of the show.

As this trend continues we will regain our airwaves for sanity and civility and good ol' rock'n'roll!
And rapidly, too!

Science Film

Giant Squid Attacks Camera

Fractured Fairy Tales

Three Little Pigs

And I Quote

"$7,800,000,000,000 has now been spent bailing out Wall Street and banks, and Republicans attack labor unions.
This is like blaming the cancer victim for the tumor.
Give me a break.
It has been said, if you want to live like a Republican, vote for the Democrats.
It might be said, if you want to bankrupt the nation paying for the Great Bank Robbery of 2008, vote for the Republicans and blame the workers."

~ Brent Budowsky

Winter wonderland was a dump

Hundreds of people are furious because the Lapland New Forest, a winter wonderland theme park near Dorset, England , wasn't what they were promised when they bought tickets.

According to the BBC, the Lapland New Forest Web site (currently down) advertised the place as a "magical scene" featuring a snowy setting of log cabins, a nativity scene, huskies, and a "bustling" Christmas marketplace. Judging by the photos on the BBC News site, it was actually a dump.

From the BBC News:

April Chantler, of Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire, described the park as "hell".

"The huskies were chained up in a pen howling, yapping and generally looking thin and unhappy.

"The two reindeer were obviously not enjoying their surroundings and the 'log cabins' were a few green painted sheds with more or less nothing in them."

Grace Tyrrell, of Fareham, Hampshire, said there were many health and safety issues and that the toilets were "full to the seat" leaving her six-year-old daughter "disgusted".

"The entire day was a joke, and I know everyone else thought so," she said.

"The nativity scene (photo) was a picture on a painted wall which was viewed from a distance and which had everyone we met laughing."

"Hundreds slam Lapland Park 'scam'"

The shrub in Hell

George W. Bush dies and goes to Hell.

Satan says "you caused so much trouble on Earth I'm going to let you choose how you're tortured for all eternity" and shows him round Hell.

Bush sees people being flayed, scourged, having hot pokers inserted into various orifices, the pit where all the Popes are nine months pregnant with triplets and is scared by all of them.

Finally they come to a lake where the damned are standing thigh deep in evil smelling shit while drinking tea.

Bush thinks to himself that the shit may smell truly horrible and he can't stand tea but it looks like the best he's going to get so he chooses that.

Just then a demon walks up to the damned and says "All right then, tea break is over, another thousand years doing a handstand."

Life Explained

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or
walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'


The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years
and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you
a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long
time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under
the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For
this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty
years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you
twenty years.'

But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty,
the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten
the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy
ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our
family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the
grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and
bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information.
I'm doing it as a public service.

Administration was warned of economy's collapse

Who could have known, especially when they were told it would happen?!

The shrub and the cabal backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to a review of regulatory documents.

"Expect fallout, expect foreclosures, expect horror stories," California mortgage lender Paris Welch wrote to U.U. regulators in January of 2006, about one year before the housing implosion cost her a job.

seattle pi

Why do repugicans hate America?

In an interview with the conservative online publication newsmax, former Florida dictator shrubette (aka jeb bush) said the gop must broaden its appeal to avoid becoming “the old white-guy party,” and recommended that repugicans create a “shadow government” to work on its own agenda.

Clue for the clueless: It already is the 'OLD WHITE-GUY PARTY'

From Think Progress

Shave and a hot bath

Clint Eastwood in one of the best Psychological Thrillers of all time High Plains Drifter.
Yes, I know it is a Western ... but think about it ...

Neil Gaiman explains why he opposes laws banning speech he disagrees with

In response to a reader who asked him why he was sticking up for a manga collector whose comics included depictions of underage sex, Neil Gaiman responds with a reasoned, intelligent, and convincing article about the problems of legal limits on speech. First they came for the manga -- what's next?

So when Mike Diana was prosecuted -- and found guilty -- of obscenity for the comics in his Zine "Boiled Angel", and sentenced to a host of things, including (if memory serves) a three year suspended prison sentence, a three thousand dollar fine, not being allowed to be in the same room as anyone under eighteen, over a thousand hours of community service, and was forbidden to draw anything else obscene, with the local police ordered to make 24 hour unannounced spot checks to make sure Mike wasn't secretly committing Art in the small hours of the morning... that was the point I decided that I knew what was obscene, and it was prosecuting artists for having ideas and making lines on paper, and that I was going to do everything I could to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Whether I liked or approved of what Mike Diana did was utterly irrelevant. (For the record, I didn't like the text parts of Boiled Angel, but did like the comics, which were personal and had a raw power to them. And somewhere in the sprawling basement magazine collection I have Boiled Angel 7 and 8, which I read back then to find out what was being prosecuted, and for owning which I could, I assume, now be arrested...)

...You ask, What makes it worth defending? and the only answer I can give is this: Freedom to write, freedom to read, freedom to own material that you believe is worth defending means you're going to have to stand up for stuff you don't believe is worth defending, even stuff you find actively distasteful, because laws are big blunt instruments that do not differentiate between what you like and what you don't, because prosecutors are humans and bear grudges and fight for re-election, because one person's obscenity is another person's art.

Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost.

Why defend freedom of icky speech?

Canned Libraries: the 1936 version of "universal access to all human knowledge"

In this 1936 Modern Mechanix article, a fantasy about shrinking the Library of Congress to fit "in a few small filing cabinets" on microfiche/film. Once this is done, copies of the great library will be distributed to worthy institutions all over the world.

This is one of the Ur-dreams of librarianship, what Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive calls "universal access to all human knowledge." Today's Internet was shaped by people who share the dream. It's a beautiful one.

Each volume so reduced in size is housed in a sealed cartridge not much larger than a 12-gauge shotgun shell. When desired for reading, it is inserted in a small cabinet, the light turned on, and the copy is projected upon a screen, enlarged to comfortable reading size and unaccompanied by glare...

One of the greatest advantages of film books is that small schools and libraries with limited space and money can afford to have all the material which is now available only in the large cities. Files of perishable newspapers can be photographed and thus preserved indefinitely. The cost of making film books will be much below that of printing regular books and their small size also eliminates the storage problem.

Canned Libraries Open New Vistas To Readers (Aug, 1936)

Coffee stop leads police to cocaine arrest

From the "Why am I not surprised this happened in Arkansas" Department:

Arkansas sheriff's deputies said they arrested a man needing a little bit more of a boost to go with his morning coffee. Deputies said the man parked next to their unmarked cruiser Tuesday outside of a Starbucks in Bentonville.

Deputies said they saw the man take a sniff of a white substance off of a small spoon before going inside the coffee shop.

The deputies confronted the man, who initially denied the substance was cocaine. Later, deputies say he admitted to taking the drug and allowed deputies to search his car. The deputies say they found three grams of suspected cocaine in the vehicle and on him.

The man faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and was taken to the Benton County Jail.

He was later released from custody on a citation.

What can I say ... it was a perfect convergence of stereotypes: Cops at coffee shops - Coke-head searching for a jolt - Suspicious natures and behaviors ... you can't write this stuff this funny!

Man gets birthday card from former teacher

From the "Aw, ain't that sweet!" Department:

Hobart Anderson of New Ulm, Minnesota, turned 80 recently and with his birthday came a surprise. He got a birthday card signed by Collette Hartung. She was his teacher - 70 years ago. He says he was very, very surprised.

Here's how it happened. Anderson and his wife, Charlotte, were recently honored by the Wanda Gag House Association for his 20 years of involvement with the group and the house.

Hartung saw an article about the honor in The Journal of New Ulm and mailed the card. She said it was a wonderful opportunity to send a surprise.

Hartung is still living on her own in Hutchinson and is in her 90s. She was in her early 20s when she taught Anderson's third and fourth-grade class.

The association tends to the historic house of Wanda Hazel Gag, author of the classic children's book, "Millions of Cats."

Seriously ... this is a great story. The kind we all need more of in our life.

Man says God ordered him to ram vehicle at 100 mph

From the "Belevue called and said your rubber room is ready" Department:

A man who rammed his truck into a woman's vehicle on a highway early Friday told authorities he crashed into her while going more than 100 mph because God told him "she needed to be taken off the road."

The truck rear-ended the car on U.S. Highway 281, both vehicles spun across a median then came to a stop along a barrier in the opposite lanes. Both drivers suffered only minor injuries.

"He just said God said she wasn't driving right, and she needed to be taken off the road," Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kyle Coleman said in the online edition of the San Antonio Express-News. "God must have been with them, 'cause any other time, the severity of this crash, it would have been a fatal."

The pickup driver did not tell police how the woman was driving. Police could not find alcohol or drugs in either driver.

A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a man.

What is in the air in Texas these days?

Revenge, Deer Sweet Revenge

You know it had to be in Missouri ...

A hunter bagged a big buck on the second day of firearms season, but the kill caused him a lot of pain.
Randy Goodman, 49, said he thought two well-placed shots with his .270-caliber rifle had killed the buck on November 19th.
Goodman said the deer looked dead to him, but seconds later the nine-point, 240-pound animal came to life.

The buck rose up, knocked Goodman down and attacked him with his antlers in what the veteran hunter called "15 seconds of hell."
The deer ran a short distance and went down, and died after Goodman fired two more shots.

Soon Goodman started feeling dizzy and noticed his vest was soaked in blood.

So he reached his truck and drove to a hospital, where he received seven staples in his scalp and was treated for a slight concussion and bruises.

Daily Horoscope

My horoscope for the day says:

Find what you need in your own cupboards, garage, attic and basement.

Which will be easy, we just moved so I know where everything is and what it is.

Carolina Naturally is read in ...

Carolina Naturally is read in:

Mukilteo, Bolingbrook, Delano, Williamantic, and Miamisburg in the United States.

Rotterdam, Olsztyn, Mumbai, Copenhagen, and Linkoping internationally.

Plus a whole lot more places in 145 countries.

We would like to welcome our newest readers from our newest country:

Montenegro

Die rot anstecken Baum ist rauf.

As is tradition, the tree with the red lights is up on December first.

Now the frenzied decorating for the Holidays can commence!

Canadian opposition parties sign deal to oust Harper government

In a smart move ...

Canada's opposition parties signed an unprecedented agreement Monday to topple the Conservative government in a no-confidence vote next week and form a coalition government less than two months after national elections.

The three parties in the alliance, which together control a majority in Parliament, plan to vote against Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government December 8th, which would remove it from power.

If Harper loses the confidence vote, Governor General Michaelle Jean would either call another election or ask the opposition to form a government.

Constitutional experts say that Jean, who is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and whose position is mostly ceremonial, would likely allow the opposition to form a government since an election was held so recently.

Dream Weaver

Gary Wright

Interesting Fact:

The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name.

And I Quote

"Bush is bailing out CitiGroup, but not the auto companies.
That's not fair.
Our blue collar guys don't get the bailout.
But the white collar guys on Wall Street get the bailout.
I think they should work together.
I think the guys in Detroit should keep making the cars, and the guys on Wall Street should be making the license plates.
See what I'm saying?"

~ Jay Leno

Change.gov goes Creative Commons

Obama's Change.gov site has dropped its "All Rights Reserved" notice and switched to the Creative Commons Attribution license, the most liberal of the CC licenses.

There's a mystery afoot, my dear Watson

In some parts of the US, there's been reports that trees aren't bearing acorns this year. "We're talking zero. Not a single acorn. It's really bizarre," said Greg Zell, a naturalist at Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington.

Then calls started coming in about crazy squirrels. Starving, skinny squirrels eating garbage, inhaling bird feed, greedily demolishing pumpkins. Squirrels boldly scampering into the road. And a lot more calls about squirrel roadkill.

But [field botanist Rod] Simmons really got spooked when he was teaching a class on identifying oak and hickory trees late last month. For 2 1/2 miles, Simmons and other naturalists hiked through Northern Virginia oak and hickory forests. They sifted through leaves on the ground, dug in the dirt and peered into the tree canopies. Nothing.

Simmons thinks the reason could be that the unusually heavy rainfall in the spring washed the pollen out of the air before it had time to pollinate the acorn blossoms. But Ed Zimmer, a regional forester for the Virginia Department of Forestry, doesn't think that's possible. So far, no one knows for sure what's going on.

Where'd all the acorns go?

Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster (the dictionary people) have announced their 2008 "Word of the Year."

The winner?

"Bailout," which "received the highest intensity of lookups on Merriam-Webster Online over the shortest period of time."

And the next four in the Top Ten list:

2. vet
3. socialism
4. maverick
5. bipartisan

#1 Word of the Year for 2008

US justice and prison systems are flawed

Now that Lord Conrad Black (former Daily Telegraph proprietor) is in prison, he has come to the conclusion that the US justice and prison systems (and the "war on drugs") are flawed.

The system is based on the plea bargain: the barefaced exchange of incriminating testimony for immunity or a reduced sentence. It is intimidation and suborned or extorted perjury, an outright rape of any plausible definition of justice.

The US is now a carceral state that imprisons eight to 12 times more people (2.5m) per capita than the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany or Japan. US justice has become a command economy based on the avarice of private prison companies, a gigantic prison service industry and politically influential correctional officers’ unions that agitate for an unlimited increase in the number of prosecutions and the length of sentences. The entire “war on drugs”, by contrast, is a classic illustration of supply-side economics: a trillion taxpayers’ dollars squandered and 1m small fry imprisoned at a cost of $50 billion a year; as supply of and demand for illegal drugs have increased, prices have fallen and product quality has improved.

From my cell I scent the reeking soul of US justice

Yep, it was cold!

November was the coldest it's been in 32 years.

This weekend's raw, chilly weather brought an end to one of the coldest Novembers in the area's weather history.

The average temperature in November was 46.6 degrees, 6.2 degrees below normal.

The last time November was colder was 32 years ago.

This November, in fact, was the fifth-coldest since records started being kept around these parts in October of 1878.

The low on November 22nd at the Airport was 13 degrees, the earliest it ever has been that cold here.

As of this moment ...

4207 Brave men and women will not be returning from Iraq
Alive!

The Morons are still at it

Like a fly stuck to fly paper who knows it is dead but it keeps on trying to flap its wings the repugicans are still trying to say Obama is not a citizen of the United States and therefore cannot be president.

Wrong on every front or angle they trot out they even resort to calling Obama an usurper and will never be obeyed as president by 'honest Americans' in a document swirling the sewers around Chicago. (If you want you can see it here. Warning it is a PDF file.)

If anyone is the usurper it is the shrub who was never elected by popular or electoral vote to the office of president. Obama WAS elected both by popular and electoral vote and by the widest margin in history in both.

So the morons needs to get off the very, very dead horse of the 'Obama is not a citizen' crap. Not only is it patently wrong it is also stinking to high heaven about now.

Obama's mother WAS a citizen of the United States, born in the Heartland of America making any of her children regardless of their place of birth citizens as well.

Obama happened to be born in Hawaii which was a state before his birth and even if it was not a state it was a commonwealth territory before that and he would still be a citizen due to the fact his mother was a citizen despite it being a territory.

But what can we say a moron is a moron ...

A Pirate Braggart

No way to stop us, pirate leader says ...

I don't know about that ... the last time a pirate from the African continent expressed similar sentiments, the United States Marines did just that - stopped them.

From CNN:

Somalis are so desperate to survive that attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean will not stop, a pirate leader promises.

"The pirates are living between life and death," said the pirate leader, identified by only one name, Boyah. "Who can stop them? Americans and British all put together cannot do anything."

The interview with the pirate was conducted in late August by journalists employed by the Somali news organization Garowe.

Recorded on grainy video, the interview took place in the Somali port city of Eyl, now a center of pirate operations. Eyl is on the east coast of Somalia in the autonomous territory of Puntland. It is a largely lawless zone, considered extremely dangerous for Westerners to enter.

The Puntland government said two unidentified Western journalists were taken hostage Wednesday as they attempted to report on pirate activity.

Boyah said that the piracy began because traditional coastal fishing became difficult after foreign fishing trawlers depleted local fish stocks. Traditional fishermen started attacking the trawlers until the trawler crews fought back with heavy weapons. The fishermen then turned to softer targets.

"We went into the deep ocean and hijacked the unarmed cargo ships," Boyah said.

"For the past three years, we have not operated near the Somali coast. We have operated at least 80 miles [out], in international waters."

When merchant shipping started avoiding the Somali coast, Boyah said, "we went to ships traveling other routes."

Over the past year, the number of pirate attacks has increased dramatically. The International Maritime Bureau cites more than 90 pirate attacks off East Africa so far in 2008. When attacks are successful, the hijacked ships are taken to Somali waters, where the ships and crew are held until a ransom is paid.

Ships recently captured include a massive Saudi supertanker laden with crude oil valued at more than $100 million and a freighter carrying Russian-built tanks.

The hijackings have been profitable. Kenya's foreign minister, Moses Wetangula, estimates the pirates have been paid more than $150 million during the past year. One pirate gang wants $2 million dollars to release a Yemeni freighter and crew seized last week.

Facing increasing disruptions through one of the busiest sea lanes in the world, several countries have sent warships to patrol the area. There have been reports of skirmishes between pirates and naval forces, but the military presence does not concern pirate leader Boyah. He boasts the pirates literally sail in a vast ocean beneath the radar of the warships.

"No ship has the capability to see everything," he said. "A ship can see 80 miles or so [on radar]. It cannot see us at all. No one can do anything about it."

Boyah said it is unlikely the Puntland regional government would ever crack down on piracy because government officials are involved in financing the piracy and collect a cut of the ransoms.

"They motivate us. It's their money and their weapons," Boyah said. "Thirty percent belongs to them."

The Puntland foreign minister, Ali Abdi Aware, denied government involvement with the pirates, including taking bribes. The minister cited the arrest of six pirates earlier this year as evidence it is acting to stop piracy.

Pirate Boyah said he is unimpressed with the arrests by Puntland authorities.

"The pirates are at sea and Puntland does not approach them. The pirates are on land and Puntland does not approach them," Boyah said. "They arrest some small people and tell the world that they captured pirates, but they are liars."

While Boyah may have been outspoken about the government's ineffectiveness, he did not allow interviewers to show his face, an indication that even in this lawless country, pirates still have some fear.

That fear is that of the Marines will be coming to stop them so he didn't want to have his face known to them. Got a news flash for you there buddy - they already know

Historic center of Venice flooded

Meanwhile, we're in a drought ...

Water in Venice rose to its highest level in more than 20 years Monday, flooding much of the Italian city and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water.

City officials said the sea level topped 61 inches early Monday, well past the 40-inch flood mark, following heavy rains.
Alarms went off to alert citizens in the morning.
"There are very few streets that are water-free," said a city spokesman, Enzo Bon.

Among the spots affected was St. Mark's Square, the landmark piazza that is the lowest point in the city.

Workers were unable to install the raised wooden walkways used during flooding because the water rose too high and too quickly.
The floods forced many of the water taxis to suspend service, Bon said.

TV footage showed people rolling up their pants or wearing rubber boots as they walked through the water.
Some had plastic wrapped around their legs, while some tourists in St. Mark's walked on chairs left in the piazza.
The last time Venice registered such high waters was in 1986, city officials said. The all-time record was 76 inches in 1966.

... granted it is not as severe as it was but a drought is a drought.

Daily Horoscope

My daily horoscope for today says:

You are exceptionally cute and powerful this month, and getting even more so.

Yesterday's said:

You are especially cute now, so definitely ask for what you want.

Do you think they are trying to tell me something?!

Treating Depression

Cognitive Therapy is as effective as anti-depressants in chronic depression

A study published today in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology concludes that Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is as effective as anti-depressants in controlling long-term depression.

I've had personal experience with MBCT. About ten years ago, my personal life hit a very low point that left me more than sad -- I was paralyzed, weepy, unable to see the bright side of anything, listless, always tired. I recognized the symptoms of depression and spoke to a psychiatrist I knew. He recommended MBCT in the form of David D Burns's The Feeling Good Handbook. Despite its cheesy title, the book was just what I needed: a series of simple exercises that used empiricism (writing down what happened around you and how it made you feel, and what alternative explanations you could think of for others' behavior) to help change the habits of thought that led to the downward spiral. It wasn't long before the depression lifted, never to return (so far -- and if it does, I know what I'll do).

I've never spoken in public about this before, but I have quietly passed on the book to many of my friends when it seemed needed, always with good results. So I'm not surprised to hear that this research ("led by Professor Willem Kuyken at the Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, in collaboration with colleagues at the Centre for Economics of Mental Health (CEMH) at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, Peninsula Medical School, Devon Primary Care Trust and the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit") shows that MBCT works in cases of chronic, long-term depression. This is especially good news, since chronic depression (which runs in my family) is especially hard on the person experiencing it as well as those around her or him.

The holidays are prime-time for difficult emotions. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression, know that it's not a sign of weakness or personal inadequacy. Help is simple, widely available and effective.

Professor Willem Kuyken of the University of Exeter said: "Anti-depressants are widely used by people who suffer from depression and that's because they tend to work. But, while they're very effective in helping reduce the symptoms of depression, when people come off them they are particularly vulnerable to relapse. MBCT takes a different approach – it teaches people skills for life. What we have shown is that when people work at it, these skills for life help keep people well."

Professor Kuyken continues: "Our results suggest MBCT may be a viable alternative for some of the 3.5 million people in the UK known to be suffering from this debilitating condition. People who suffer depression have long asked for psychological approaches to help them recover in the long-term and MBCT is a very promising approach. I think we have the basis for offering patients and GPs an alternative to long-term anti-depressant medication. We are planning to conduct a larger trial to put these results to the test and to examine how MBCT works."

Depression Treatment: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy As Effective As Anti-depressant Medication, Study Suggests

It's December first ...

... and you know what that means.

It is only 30 days until 2009.

Oh, and Xmas is only 24 days away!

Alien-like Squid With "Elbows" Filmed at Drilling Site

From National Geographic News

A mile and a half (two and a half kilometers) underwater, a remote control submersible's camera has captured an eerie surprise: an alien-like, long-armed, and—strangest of all—"elbowed" Magnapinna squid.

See photos of Magnapinna.

See the video here.

Police raid 79-year-old woman for pot ...

They find ... tomato plants!

Police officers in Scotland were disappointed to learn that the people they intended to arrest for growing marijuana were growing an equally innocuous, but unfortunately legal, plant -- tomatoes.

Uniformed officers burst into Lulu Matheson's house in the village of Shieldaig, Wester Ross, kept her son Gus in his bedroom for two hours, handcuffed her grandson Stephen, and turned the house upside down.

The high-profile afternoon raid involved three squad cars, seven officers and sniffer dogs. They told the family they were looking for cannabis, but after searching for several hours had to concede the green plants visible in the window from the roadside were tomatoes.

Naturally, the cops didn't apologize. They were just doing their job.

Police raid 79-year-old woman for pot, find tomato plants

And I Quote

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.

~ Victor Borge

Hamas prevents Muslim pilgrims from leaving Gaza

Hamas police prevented Muslim pilgrims from leaving Gaza Sunday for the annual Islamic pilgrimage because of internal Palestinian squabbling, drawing rare rebukes from Arab countries.

Hamas, the militant Islamic group that rules Gaza, blocked the crossing into Egypt, stranding Palestinians on their way to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The reason - they got visas from the rival West Bank government led by moderate President Mahmoud Abbas.

The "hajj" pilgrimage is considered the crowning moment in a Muslim believer's life. This year's trek should be completed by Dec. 5, according to Muslim authorities.
But early Sunday morning, black-clad Hamas police blocked the only passenger crossing between Gaza and Egypt. A handful of people waited nearby.

"We are old, tired. We've been waiting all our lives (for the pilgrimage)," said Umm Jihad, an elderly woman."This is not a Hamas delegation or a Fatah delegation," fumed Ashraf Lafi, a young man with a full beard and Muslim-style clothes. "This is a delegation for God."

Saudi Arabia sets quotas to different regions for the number of pilgrims they can send to Mecca each year. Gaza is allowed to dispatch about 3,000.
Abbas' Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas rulers each submitted separate lists of Gaza pilgrims to the Saudi authorities for visa approvals, but so far Saudi Arabia has rejected the Hamas list.

Hamas officials were defiant on Sunday, saying nobody would leave until those who applied through the Gaza government are given visas by Saudi Arabia.
"The priority is for those who registered with us," said Hamas official Abdullah Abu Jarbou. "It is not for those who bypassed the legitimate government. They didn't go through the legal channels."

In a sign of a widening rift with regional Arab countries, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the ban damaged "the reputation of (the) Islamic movement."
Saudi Arabia also expressed its displeasure in indirect but rare criticism.

A Saudi foreign ministry official who said he was "shocked that a member of the Palestinian parliament," - referring to Hamas - "said that Saudi Arabia did not give visas to Gaza pilgrims."Saudi Arabia "gave its visas to the Palestinian Authority," in a statement released to the Saudi news agency.

Conservative Arab regimes are troubled by the Hamas takeover but usually refrain from open criticism in the name of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Star Dancing

Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.

A slender crescent moon, just 15 percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter.

Check out msnbc for more.

To see the event:

Look to the southwest after sunset on Dec. 1 for a close conjunction between three bright solar system objects: the moon, Venus and Jupiter. If you have binoculars, you might even be able to fit all three of them in the field of view.

Fractured Fairy Tales

Leaping Beauty

Science News

Ocean currents can power the world, say scientists

The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe.

Existing technologies which use water power, relying on the action of waves, tides or faster currents created by dams, are far more limited in where they can be used, and also cause greater obstructions when they are built in rivers or the sea. Turbines and water mills need an average current of five or six knots to operate efficiently, while most of the earth's currents are slower than three knots.

Read the rest in the Telegraph.

At the Last Minute, a Raft of Rules

In a burst of activity meant to leave a lasting stamp on the federal government, the Bush White House in the past month has approved 61 new regulations on environmental, security, social and commercial matters that by its own estimate will have an economic impact exceeding $1.9 billion annually.

Some of the rules benefit key industries that have long had the administration's ear, such as oil and gas companies, banks ...

Read the rest in the Washington Post.

Shrub Aides Rush to Enact a Rule Obama Opposes

The Labor Department is racing to complete a new rule, strenuously opposed by President-elect Barack Obama, that would make it much harder for the government to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed on the job.

The rule, which has strong support from business groups, says that in assessing the risk from a particular substance, federal agencies should gather and analyze “industry-by-industry evidence” of employees’ exposure to it during their working lives. The proposal would, in many cases, add a step to the lengthy process of developing standards to protect workers’ health.

Public health officials and labor unions said the rule would delay needed protections for workers, resulting in additional deaths and illnesses.

With the economy tumbling and American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush has promised to cooperate with Mr. Obama to make the transition “as smooth as possible.” But that has not stopped his administration from trying, in its final days, to cement in place a diverse array of new regulations.

Read the rest in the New York Times.

Oldest stash found!

2,700-year-old marijuana found in Chinese tomb

Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China.

The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly ``cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fiber for clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany.

The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near Turpan in northwestern China.

The extremely dry conditions and alkaline soil acted as preservatives, allowing a team of scientists to carefully analyze the stash, which still looked green though it had lost its distinctive odor.

"To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," says the newly published paper, whose lead author was American neurologist Dr. Ethan B. Russo.

Remnants of cannabis have been found in ancient Egypt and other sites, and the substance has been referred to by authors such as the Greek historian Herodotus. But the tomb stash is the oldest so far that could be thoroughly tested for its properties.

Read the rest in the Toronto Star.

Riot at Nerf factory in China

Associated Press story about a riot in the factory where Nerf toys were manufactured for Hasbro.

Tempers began flaring Tuesday when the plant's Hong Kong owner, Kader Holdings Company Ltd., prepared to lay off 216 migrant workers at the factory that employs 6,500. About 80 senior workers claimed they were getting shortchanged on their severance pay, and they mobilized a mob of 500 — mostly other unemployed workers and friends, Guo said.

The workers battled security guards, turned over a police car, smashed the headlights of police motorcycles and forced their way through the factory's front gate, Guo said. They went on a rampage in the plant's offices, damaging 10 computers, the company said.

The account was confirmed Wednesday by several of the 200 or so jobless laborers peacefully milling around the street in front of the four-story factory complex covered in soot-stained white and green tiles. Small groups of workers inside the factory pressed against glass windows and stared at the crowd below. When their shift ended, they flooded into the streets and mixed with the angry workers.

"The factory's management and the local officials really look down on the workers," said one laid-off worker who would only give his surname, Qiao, because he feared criticizing the company might jeopardize his chance of getting any compensation.

Workers riot at Chinese toy factory

India ends Mumbai rampage after 60 hours, 174 are dead

It took just 10 young men armed with rifles and grenades to terrorize this city of 18 million and turn its postcard-perfect icons into battlefields until security forces ended one of the deadliest attacks in India's history.

A previously unknown Muslim group called Deccan Mujahideen - a name suggesting origins inside India - has claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed more than 170 people

*****

All right then ... it's high time - way past time - we ended this. The hate bred by these groups and the hate that breeds these groups needs to stop. If non-violent means does not work then violent means will ... unfortunately this leads to more hate, but it may be necessary to end this cycle of idiocy.

Daily Horoscope

The daily horoscope today says:

You are especially cute now, so definitely ask for what you want.

Ain't it the truth, now!

I Want Candy

Bow Wow Wow

ESTP - The Doers

I just ran Carolina Naturally through the Typealyzer to see what type personality the writing this blog has on it and according to Typealyzer this blog is:

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Well, I'll be! Who knew a blog had a Meyers-Briggs personality classification.

Fresh new look

How do you like the new look?

I decided on a simpler look yet still have a bit of color to it rather than a stark white look punctuated by black typeface.

Not everything has to be multi-graphic maxed-out color extravaganzas.

Hellbender

Hellbender

Southern Expressions

We, Southerners are world renowned for our ability to turn a colorful phrase and from time to time I post some of them here.

Today's installment is:

He's like a dose of the clap.

(Meaning he is always unwelcome when he shows up and he is always irritating when he does.)

And you know you know someone just like that, don't you!?

Canadian government backs down

Canada's government said Saturday it was withdrawing a contentious political funding proposal, apparently hoping to thwart opposition efforts to drive the Conservatives from power.

But the opposition countered that the announcement won't change anything and talks will continue on toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government.

Opposition Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois have been discussing forming a coalition government, arguing Harper has no solid plan to deal with the global economic crisis.

*****

It would be a good thing to oust Harper and the conservatives before they can screw Canada over any more and before they can screw Canada over a la their idols the shrub and the cabal which we have voted to send packing - straight to a prison cell as the cosmos is properly in aligned again.

Daily Funny

Two guys, one old timer and one young, are pushing their carts around Kmart when they collide.

The old timer says to the young guy, 'Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.

'The young guy says, 'That's OK. It's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate.'

The old guy says, 'Well, maybe we can help each other. What does your wife look like?'

The young guy says, 'Well, she is 24 yrs old, tall, with blond hair, big blue eyes, long legs, big boobs, and she's wearing tight white shorts, a halter top and no bra. 'What does your wife look like?'

The old timer says....... 'Doesn't matter --- let's look for yours.'

Dumb Patrol

Bugs duels with Yosemite

How The Grinch Stole Health Care

From The Progressive Puppy in their piece How The Grinch Stole Health Care we learn that the shrub and the cabal have put the screw to the poor yet again. In effect saying 'just go ahead and die'.

Low-income Americans who depend on medicaid will soon face higher co-payments for doctors’ services, hospital care and prescription drugs, thanks to a new federal rule by the Bush administration. enacted as a money-saving measure, the rule will allow states to deny care or coverage to patients who can't afford their premiums or their share of the cost for a particular item or service. The administration concedes that this will cause our nation's poor to forgo medical treatment rather than pay the more expensive cost-sharing obligations. (which is, of course, the whole idea behind the rule.)

The gall never ends! We can hope this is fixed shortly after January 20th of 2009.

Secret tunnel in central London for sale

A stuffy, noisy mile-long secret Cold War tunnel is up for sale in London, asking price $7.4 million connecting up Chancery Lane with the Thames. It's only got two elevators, which means you couldn't possibly get fire-code approval to run it as a hotel or club, but there's all kinds of other possibilities for this much subterranean jewel-in-the-rough.

But it was not long before the documents had to be moved again to make room for a secure international telephone center that the government deemed necessary as relations between Washington and Moscow grew tense. During the cold war, the British government instructed its telephone department, which later became BT, to set up a secret communications system based on the latest technology that would be able to survive a nuclear attack.

It was the beginning of the busiest period for the tunnels, with almost 200 workers spending their days and nights underground to route up to two million calls a week across the 6,600 phone lines. In 1963, the hot line established between Moscow and Washington after the Cuban missile crisis ran through the London tunnels.

The buzzing complex soon became known as “underground town,” with its own recreation room complete with dartboards and billiard tables, a movie theater and two dining halls. Workers often spent the night in sleeping rooms.

Mile of London Tunnels for Sale, History Included

The new The Fireman album is out

The Fireman’s much anticipated third studio album Electric Arguments finally came out this week.

Listen to the album at http://myspace. com/thefiremanmusic or http://www. thefiremanmusic. com

To launch the album, earlier this week, Paul visited The Fire Station pub in London to chat to the world’s media about Electric Arguments.

Talking about the new album, Paul told the media, “ We had creative freedom to make this album any way we wanted. It could have been very carefully considered but that wouldn’t be The Fireman.” Talking about working with Youth he added, “I like working with someone. I like giving up control. It’s more fun than sitting in a room on your own all day. ”

On the decision to include vocals this time round, Paul commented, “The first two Fireman albums were instrumental. Youth suggested to me, ‘how about a bit of vocal?’ And I said, ‘well I haven’t got any songs, I’ve got no idea’. And because it’s The Fireman and anything goes, I said, ‘yeah sure’. So I just ad-libbed it and eventually a song came out of it. ”

Full-size cardboard figure causes bank standoff

A standoff at a New Jersey bank is over after police learned a "person" seen inside was actually a full-size cardboard figure.

Officers went to the PNC Bank in Montgomery Township on Thursday night after an alarm went off. They saw what they thought was at least one person through the windows of the bank, which had its blinds drawn.

The area was sealed off and three nearby apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Meanwhile, authorities used bullhorns and made telephone calls in a bid to make contact with whoever might be in the bank.

After repeatedly failing to get a response, a SWAT team entered the building and discovered the cardboard figure.

It was not immediately clear what set off the bank alarm.

Unable to see and unwilling to quit

Cracked ribs made it hard to breathe. A chipped bone in his hip ached as he walked. And 60-mph winds stabbed at him like icy needles.

But at that moment, Trevor Thomas of Charlotte could not imagine feeling better.

He was a third-of-a-mile from the rocky summit of Mount Katahdin, a granite giant that climbs skyward out of Maine's wilderness.

The peak marked the end of a 2,175-mile journey, the completion of a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. And for the first time in six months, Thomas knew for sure he was going to make it.

“Just keep moving,” he said to himself. “Whatever you do, don't stop.”

Hiking the entire Appalachian Trail is an accomplishment few people can claim. This year about 1,600 have tried and about 460 have finished.

Only one of them – Thomas – was blind.

Way to go!

Glued locks stalled the Black Friday sales

Glued locks stalled the Black Friday sales at a number of shops in downtown Charleston.

Vandals poured glue inside door locks on dozens of shops along King and Market streets on Friday.

A Charleston police officer estimated more than 20 merchants were affected.

A group of locksmiths were scrambling to open doors while shoppers waited outside.

Merchants didn't think the delayed opening would hurt much, since shoppers usually make it to downtown shops later in the day on Black Friday.

Wal-Mart Worker Crushed to Death on Black Friday

This is why we all should avoid retail stores on the day after Thanksgiving!

A worker at a New York Wal-Mart location was crushed to death this morning, "Black Friday," when hordes of shoppers overwhelmed him to get inside for bargain-hunting.

From the AP:

At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. ... I literally had to fight people off my back."

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, which represented the deceased worker, has called for a investigation by OSHA and the NY State labor department.

Director of Special Projects for Local 1500 Patrick Purcell called Wal-mart's comments in response to the incident both "cold and heartless." "If the safety of their customers and workers was a top priority, then this never would have happened," Purcell stated. "Wal-mart must step up to the plate and ensure that all those injured, as well as the family of the deceased, be financially compensated for their injuries and their losses. Their words are weak. The community demands action," Purcell concluded.

Purcell also suggested that people visit the website walmartcrimereport.com to review other incidents of Wal-mart not providing a safe work and shopping experience.

Thief is 'victim' of his own crime

This is why thieves aren't smart.
You got to know who your 'victims' are!

A quick seven

Things we all are thankful for this Thanksgiving

1. The shrub will soon be gone. Regardless of all of the dismal forecasts of martial law and suspended elections (and knowing that he still has 54 days left for this kind of mischief), the Reign of Error is nearly over and, as a parting gift, Our Worst President Ever has ruined the neo-con movement as a political force; proven Milton Friedman’s untrammeled free trade and Arthur Laffer’s supply-side ‘Trickle Down’ economic theories a bitter joke by implementation; soured the majority of America on the right-wing agenda; lessened the political influence of the christopugicans; eliminated the chance of any future spawn of the shrub's family holding national office for many generations if ever, and destroyed the repugican party as a bonus.

2. President Barack Obama – if he does nothing else, just by his election he has changed the way the world sees us, and the way we see ourselves. And it will be refreshing to have a president that we can be proud of for a change, and one who can even complete a full sentence in grammatical English.

3. Big Media influence is waning as ‘Citizen Journalists’ on the net and in the blogosphere present opinions not found in the corporately-owned mass media. Americans now read more of the foreign press online than ever before, meaning we are gradually becoming less parochial and xenophobic in our knowledge of the world.

4. The GOP might actually nominate Sarah Palin as its presidential nominee in 2012, thereby guaranteeing its decline into a minor regional party sure to lose national elections for many, many generations to come. Short that, the GOP will be wandering lost in the wilderness – they have to either go left, and lose their base, or stay to the same course and learn defeat.

5. Karl Rove and his minions are finished as a force in politics, and Rove himself will face indictments up the whazoo after January 20th. He will be frog-marched in handcuffs yet.

6. The Buzz is, that hundreds of federal employees, silenced by fear or fiat during the reign of cabal, will be blowing the whistle following Obama’s inauguration. Can investigations, indictments and convictions be far behind?

7. Science and the Rule of Law will be respected once again by our government, and decisions will be made by a president who uses his brain for the job.

UBS poised to name US tax dodgers

Boy, could this get interesting ...

Considering it came less than two months after the last occasion when thousands of UBS shareholders assembled to hear about the Swiss banking group’s woes, Thursday’s special meeting in Lucerne held more information than might have been expected.

The 2,395 investors gathered in a dingy suburban hall and heard for the first time that the world’s biggest wealth manager looked poised to bow to US pressure and release the names of an unspecified number of American customers who may have committed tax fraud in squirreling away their assets.

They'll have some explaining to do ... to say the least ... on why they fucked the country over and denied the basics to our soldiers, working people, the young, the elderly and the infirmed.

Read more at Financial Times.

This'll burn you a new one

From the "Give me the money and screw you!" Department:

theodp writes "Bank of America has taken steps to cover up the original we-don't-need-no-stinking-America sentiment of its patent application for Country Assessment, which described BofA's innovative way of dealing with the problems of 'a typical American employee [who] demands a high salary, good benefits, a good work environment, vacation time, and other job-related perks' -- relocating jobs to India or the Philippines.

BofA has instructed the USPTO to strike its remarks about why employing Americans is such a bad idea, and to replace references to India and the Philippines with 'Country X' and 'Country P'.

How clever.

By the way, BofA came under fire Tuesday as news broke that CEO Ken Lewis, who is currently preaching 'tough love' for the Big 3 automakers was quietly spending $7B of his spare cash to up BofA's stake in China Construction Bank after snagging a whopping $25B in U.S. bailout money."

See more of this at TechDirt.com

National Buy Nothing Day

Remember today is not only the one time only National Heritage Day for American Indians ... it is also ...

National Buy Nothing Day!

National Buy Nothing Day is a celebration of rejecting the consumerism of the retailers and sending them a message that we want better products for better prices and not just teasers of one item at a ridiculous price that they want thousands to fight over in the scheme of getting them in the stores and then gouging them on other items in want is aptly termed Black Friday.

Turkey Awards for 2008

Of course there can be no end of the year celebrations without remembering the 'Turkeys' that paraded themselves before us in 2008 ...

Bill O'Reilly
Sean Hanity
Rush Limbaugh
Ann Coulter
Michelle Milken
Joe 'The Plumber'

This is getting to be a pattern ... wing-nuts dominating the 'Turkey Awards'.

Top Political Turkeys of 2008

Yesterday was Turkey Day in the United States, but in the world of Politics everyday is 'Turkey Day'!

Here is a list of the Political Turkeys of 2008

Rudy Giuliani
Elizabeth Dole
Ted Stevens
John McCain
Karl Rove
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Robin Hayes
Pat McCrory

Hey, and they're all repugicans!
Now who would have thought that!

Daily Horoscope

The daily horoscope says:

You're starting to see how this could lead to a steady paycheck.

Interesting?!

Ten Worst Corporations of 2008

American Insurance Group (AIG)
Cargill
Chevron
Constellation Energy
Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)
Dole
General Electric (GE)
Imperial Sugar
Phillip Morris International
Roche

See why these corporations made the 2008 list here.

A Command of the Law

November 26,2008 New York Times Op-Ed by Roger Cohen:

"It’s Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for many things right now, despite the stock market, and first among them is the fact that the next U.S. commander in chief is a constitutional law expert and former law professor."

Read all of Roger Cohen's piece in the New York Times here.

He is spot on when he says ...

"Nothing has been more damaging to the United States than the violation of the legal principles at the heart of the American idea."

(In specific reference to Guantanamo Bay, but can be applied to everything the cabal has done for the last eight years.)

National Heritage Day

For the first time, federal legislation has set aside the day after Thanksgiving - for this year only - to honor the contributions American Indians have made to the United States.

American Indians are getting the shot shrift again I see!

They get a day ... finally ... to commemorate their contributions to our culture and society and it is only for a one time deal! Also it was only set aside about a month ago so planning any meaningful type of commemoration was impossible.

Way to go there shrub!

Arkansas man arrested after scratching out sentence

A man caught trying to scratch out a judicial decision sending him to jail faces a new charge.

Police said the 25-year-old man received a four-day jail sentence along with a $650 fine Monday from St. Francis County District Judge Steve Routon for driving on a suspended license and hazardous driving.

Officers said Routon told the man to turn in a notice listing his sentence to the clerk's office.

A clerk told police she saw the man scratch something off the notice.

When an officer looked at the notice, they saw the four-day sentence had been scratched through.

Police say the man is now charged with tampering with a public record.

Another Smelly Story

A federal judge says a Detroit city employee can proceed with a civil suit claiming she couldn't work because of a co-worker's strong perfume.

The Detroit News says U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff determined Susan McBride has a potential claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The city is asking to have the suit dismissed.

McBride says she's severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. She says the perfume worn by a co-worker in the city's Planning Department made it difficult for her to breathe.

She says the co-worker also used a plugged in room deodorizer.

The suit says the co-worker later agreed to stop using the room deodorizer but kept using perfume.

Obama's Thanksgiving Day message

Obama's Thanksgiving Day message.