And it's not just money spent to line the pockets of cronies and crooks, like the Wall Street boondoggle, oh, no ... no sir, it's billions and billions and billions and ... spent just to make the problem worse.
See the rest in Time Magazine.
Monday, December 29, 2008
The war on terror is a trillion-dollar boondoggle
The war on terror is a trillion-dollar boondoggle, so far.
And it's not just money spent to line the pockets of cronies and crooks, like the Wall Street boondoggle, oh, no ... no sir, it's billions and billions and billions and ... spent just to make the problem worse.
And it's not just money spent to line the pockets of cronies and crooks, like the Wall Street boondoggle, oh, no ... no sir, it's billions and billions and billions and ... spent just to make the problem worse.
Cops steal from Toys for Tots
The four District of Columbia police officers reportedly caught on tape stealing from Toys for Tots “tarnished” the department’s image, a police official said.
Police confirmed that the four officers had been put on desk jobs as internal affairs investigates them for stealing toys. Officials said if the officers did take the toys intended for the city’s youth, they will be prosecuted.
See more at the DC Examiner.
Makes you wonder
Alaska State Troopers delayed their execution of a search warrant for Bristol Palin's baby daddy's mother on Meth charges until after the election.
Think on that for a while.
Basically it is the opposite of a political railroading -- they stopped their police work for the election.
That is criminal in and of itself. Isn't it? Or, it should be!
Think on that for a while.
Basically it is the opposite of a political railroading -- they stopped their police work for the election.
That is criminal in and of itself. Isn't it? Or, it should be!
Read the rest in the Washington Post.
No Photography in Photography Contest
A photographer taking pictures for Amtrak's annual "Picture Our Trains" contest has been arrested by Amtrak Police for taking photos of the trains from a public platform in New York City's Penn Station.
See the full story at carlosmiller.com.
Not our best moment
In not one of our best moments ...
North Carolina, lawmakers are proposing a pittance pay-off to victims of the state's long-running eugenics program.
North Carolina, lawmakers are proposing a pittance pay-off to victims of the state's long-running eugenics program.
More from the Associated Press.
Did you know ...
Last week's coal ash disaster in Tennessee is already about three times the size that "officials" first said it was.
And did you know that coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste ...
And did you know that coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste ...
See more at ThinkProgess.
All hell breaks loose in the middle east ...
... and the shrub refuses to interrupt his vacation?!
While the shrub has been 'briefed' on the situation, he has opted not to interrupt his final vacation as president to make a public statement on the crisis.
For the idiot, who has enjoyed the most vacation days as sitting president — including days spent relaxing in comfort during hurricane Katrina and in the lead-up to 9/11 — it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the shrub prioritizes vacationing over crisis management.Read more at think progress
Ellie Nesler dies at 56
Ellie Nesler, who sparked a national debate about vigilantism after killing her son's accused molester in a courtroom in 1993, has died of cancer.
A spokeswoman for the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento says Nesler died there Friday morning.
The 56-year-old had battled breast cancer since 1994.
Nesler shot Daniel Driver five times in the head during a break in his preliminary hearing in a Tuolumne County courtroom.
Driver had been accused of molesting four boys, including her son Willy.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three years of a 10-year sentence before winning an appeal based on jury misconduct.
The case became a 1999 TV movie, "Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story."
A spokeswoman for the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento says Nesler died there Friday morning.
The 56-year-old had battled breast cancer since 1994.
Nesler shot Daniel Driver five times in the head during a break in his preliminary hearing in a Tuolumne County courtroom.
Driver had been accused of molesting four boys, including her son Willy.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three years of a 10-year sentence before winning an appeal based on jury misconduct.
The case became a 1999 TV movie, "Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story."
Chemistry student busted for Meth and bombs in error
Annalee Newitz at i09 writes about Lewis Casey, a Saskatchewan college student who built a home chemistry lab and was arrested by police who thought he was brewing Meth.
A few days later, the police realized that the chemistry major wasn't manufacturing drugs but kept him in stir anyway because the lab could allegedly be used for making bombs.
From i09:
A few days later, the police realized that the chemistry major wasn't manufacturing drugs but kept him in stir anyway because the lab could allegedly be used for making bombs.
From i09:
On December 24, Casey was finally released into his parents' custody, pending a trial to determine whether he was building what police called "improvised explosive devices."
Yesterday Casey's lawyer told local journalists:
My client is a very intelligent young man . . . he's very keen in chemistry, a very curious young person and very capable, very knowledgeable in the area and he was always curious with regard to chemistry, chemical compounds, chemical reactions, that kind of thing. So from my client's point of view, it's completely innocent insofar as he had no intention of creating any explosives or explosive devices. As people probably know, anything in your house can constitute or be used in chemical or explosive devices, including sugar and cleaning compounds, Mr. Clean, bleach, detergents, all those sorts of things.
Troubling trends
Black teenagers are killing each other in rising numbers but the troubling trend has been masked by a falling crime rate in the United States, according to a study released today by Northeastern University.
FBI crime statistics show overall decreases in murder and other violent crimes.
But a report by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt uncovers other disturbing trends within that data.
Among their findings: an increase of more than 39 percent in the number of black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed between 2000 and 2007, and an increase of 34 percent in the number of blacks that age group who committed homicide.
The increases for white male teens age 14-17 during that same period were nearly 17 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
FBI crime statistics show overall decreases in murder and other violent crimes.
But a report by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt uncovers other disturbing trends within that data.
Among their findings: an increase of more than 39 percent in the number of black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed between 2000 and 2007, and an increase of 34 percent in the number of blacks that age group who committed homicide.
The increases for white male teens age 14-17 during that same period were nearly 17 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Sneezing and sexual thoughts
Earlier this month over on our sister blog I posted a blurb about research showing that every time a man sneezes he is thinking about sex.
So myself and several male friends have been doing our own 'research' into the correlation between sneezing and thoughts of sex for the past few weeks.
I am able to report that preliminary findings indicate the initial study to be grossly flawed in that absolutely no instance of sexual thoughts occurred prior to,during or after any sneezes in the last few weeks from either myself or any of my friends participating in the highly scientific research.
So the premise that women could tell what is on a man's mind when he sneezes is debunked for now ... the 'research' will continue.
So myself and several male friends have been doing our own 'research' into the correlation between sneezing and thoughts of sex for the past few weeks.
I am able to report that preliminary findings indicate the initial study to be grossly flawed in that absolutely no instance of sexual thoughts occurred prior to,during or after any sneezes in the last few weeks from either myself or any of my friends participating in the highly scientific research.
So the premise that women could tell what is on a man's mind when he sneezes is debunked for now ... the 'research' will continue.
Did You Know ...
That in the United States it is illegal to boycott products from Israel or to even ask if a product is made in Israel or from Israeli materials!
You can boycott products from any other country or source of any product or ask about the country of origin or source of any other product until you are blue in the face if you want to ... but don't even think of boycotting junk from Israel!
You can boycott products from any other country or source of any product or ask about the country of origin or source of any other product until you are blue in the face if you want to ... but don't even think of boycotting junk from Israel!
Diabetic News: Thiamine 'reverses kidney damage'
 |
Doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, research shows.
Read the rest at the BBC.
Stalin - Greatest Ever, Not
 Stalin continues to be popular with many Russians |
Former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was beaten by medieval prince Alexander Nevsky in a poll held by a TV station to find the greatest Russian.
Stalin came third, despite being responsible for the deaths of millions of Soviets in labor camps and purges.
Alexander Nevsky fought off European invaders in the 13th century to preserve a united Russia.
In second place was reformist Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, who was assassinated in 1911.Read the rest at the BBC.
Still, he came in THIRD?! What does that say about the Russians and how they view things?
Duchess of Carnegie refuses to leave
From CNN:
Editta Sherman has marked more than half a century's worth of new years in her apartment above New York's Carnegie Hall. But it's unlikely she will be raising her glass there next year. Known as the Duchess of Carnegie, the 96-year-old came home a few days ago to find an eviction notice on her door. But she's not going without a fight. "They'll have to take me out of here with their bare hands," Sherman says.
Just in case you missed it ...
The Detroit Lions of the NFL have achieved what no other team has ever achieved ... a perfect season!
With a perfect 0 and 16 record the Lions are the only team in NFL history to loose all 16 games in a season.
With a perfect 0 and 16 record the Lions are the only team in NFL history to loose all 16 games in a season.
The head coach is already gone and the rest of the team should be packing their bags just to be prepared - the odds are most will not be with the team next season ... other coaches, trainers, players, etc.
There is a real possibility that none of the current team will be with the team next season - however small it is, it is there.
There is a real possibility that none of the current team will be with the team next season - however small it is, it is there.
US seeks 147-year sentence in Taylor torture case
Federal prosecutors in Miami are seeking 147 years in prison for the torture convictions against the son of ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor.
A judge is scheduled January 9, 2009 to sentence 31-year-old Charles McArthur Emmanuel, also known as Chuckie Taylor.
Emmanuel was convicted in October of committing torture and other abuses as head of a paramilitary force in his father's government.
It was the first use of a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture overseas.
Prosecutors say the lengthy sentence would send a worldwide message against torture. Emmanuel's court-appointed lawyer didn't immediately comment.
Charles Taylor is on trial before a United Nations tribunal for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone.
All right, when to the trails for the shrub and the cabal for committing torture to begin and are their sentences to be comparable?!
Or is the fact that they are white and Taylor is black have any bearing on the case?
Taylor should be locked away for his actions and the severity of them.
However the sentence of 147 years is a stretch.
Handing him that many years is nothing but a publicity stunt ... it sounds better than 'Life and a day', which is what it should be.
That implies the notion he will never leave prison except feet first in a pine box, whereas 147 years leaves the remote possibility of he's being released from prison prior to his death as a foul taste in the mouths of his victims.
The shrub and the rest of the cabal deserve no less.
A judge is scheduled January 9, 2009 to sentence 31-year-old Charles McArthur Emmanuel, also known as Chuckie Taylor.
Emmanuel was convicted in October of committing torture and other abuses as head of a paramilitary force in his father's government.
It was the first use of a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture overseas.
Prosecutors say the lengthy sentence would send a worldwide message against torture. Emmanuel's court-appointed lawyer didn't immediately comment.
Charles Taylor is on trial before a United Nations tribunal for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone.
*****
All right, when to the trails for the shrub and the cabal for committing torture to begin and are their sentences to be comparable?!
Or is the fact that they are white and Taylor is black have any bearing on the case?
Taylor should be locked away for his actions and the severity of them.
However the sentence of 147 years is a stretch.
Handing him that many years is nothing but a publicity stunt ... it sounds better than 'Life and a day', which is what it should be.
That implies the notion he will never leave prison except feet first in a pine box, whereas 147 years leaves the remote possibility of he's being released from prison prior to his death as a foul taste in the mouths of his victims.
The shrub and the rest of the cabal deserve no less.
Yes, Ohio, there is a Santa Claus!
And in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, about 50 miles southwest of Cleveland, Santa’s name is Lance.
Lance, inc., actually.
In a rarity in recent times, Lance inc. is in the news -- not for something negative like excessive executive pay in the face of shareholder losses and employee firings – but for compassion and kindness.
For no apparent business reason, the snack food corporation swept into Ashland and gave 274 unemployed bakery workers a reason to celebrate this year.
The story begins in October when the Archway cookie factory was closed by its owners, a private equity firm (read: tax dodge for repugicans and/or their cronies).
Despite assurances that the closing was temporary, within days, the locks were changed, bankruptcy was filed, and the almost 300 employees were left without jobs or benefits.
Even in Ashland, hard hit by the economy and losers of over 200,000 jobs during the shrub and cabal junta, the closing came as a blow.
Lance, inc., actually.
In a rarity in recent times, Lance inc. is in the news -- not for something negative like excessive executive pay in the face of shareholder losses and employee firings – but for compassion and kindness.
For no apparent business reason, the snack food corporation swept into Ashland and gave 274 unemployed bakery workers a reason to celebrate this year.
The story begins in October when the Archway cookie factory was closed by its owners, a private equity firm (read: tax dodge for repugicans and/or their cronies).
Despite assurances that the closing was temporary, within days, the locks were changed, bankruptcy was filed, and the almost 300 employees were left without jobs or benefits.
Even in Ashland, hard hit by the economy and losers of over 200,000 jobs during the shrub and cabal junta, the closing came as a blow.
...as of last week, 60 of the original 274 Archway employees were back to work, with their seniority, health benefits, and pay intact, as Lance re-opened the bakery with plans for full-capacity production by the end of 2009.Not satisfied with bringing good cheer to the 60 rehires, Lance gave each of the former archway employees a $1,500.00 gift card and the promise that bringing all of them back to work is the intention.
Full story at examiner.com
Blago Schmago
Read RS Janes take on the Blago persecution here.
In which he asks: Is Illinois’ F**king Golden Boy Merely the Stooge for a Partisan GOP Attack on Obama and the Dems?
It is a long editorial worth the read and he ends it thus:
In which he asks: Is Illinois’ F**king Golden Boy Merely the Stooge for a Partisan GOP Attack on Obama and the Dems?
It is a long editorial worth the read and he ends it thus:
This is not intended as a defense of Rod Blagojevich; he’s probably a typical political slime bucket in the ‘Hizzoner’ Chicago tradition but, nonetheless, he has some very powerful business forces that want him out of office, and he deserves to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Up to now, the BM and Fitzgerald have convicted him before a jury has even seen the evidence and, no matter if he’s cleared of all charges, his reputation and political career are permanently ruined.
My guess is Fitzgerald may even quietly drop most of the charges by March – without palpable irony, he’ll blame the firestorm of media coverage as the major reason, a conflagration he ignited, likely for his own political advancement.
That may well be the actual case of political corruption here.
Broom factory at Wyoming prison opening to visitors
The days were long, the work repetitive and the conditions rough.
But for prisoners, the opportunity to work in the Wyoming Territorial Prison's broom factory was probably better than passing time in a cell.
Now the operators of the historic site want visitors to get a taste of old-fashioned prison labor.
The state recently completed a two-year restoration of the wooden building, which sits next to the stone prison that housed Butch Cassidy.
Officials are building a hands-on exhibit inside the building, where visitors can make brooms using replicas of the original tools the prisoners toiled over.
They hope to debut the exhibit when the park opens for its summer season.
"This was a very functional building so we wanted to have that feel in here," site curator Teresa Sherwood said as she pointed out pieces of original equipment and recently purchased bales of broom corn.
But for prisoners, the opportunity to work in the Wyoming Territorial Prison's broom factory was probably better than passing time in a cell.
Now the operators of the historic site want visitors to get a taste of old-fashioned prison labor.
The state recently completed a two-year restoration of the wooden building, which sits next to the stone prison that housed Butch Cassidy.
Officials are building a hands-on exhibit inside the building, where visitors can make brooms using replicas of the original tools the prisoners toiled over.
They hope to debut the exhibit when the park opens for its summer season.
"This was a very functional building so we wanted to have that feel in here," site curator Teresa Sherwood said as she pointed out pieces of original equipment and recently purchased bales of broom corn.
Welcome new readers
Carolina Naturally would like to welcome our newest readers in our newest country: Ethiopia
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Use your wits to figure out how to bring more money in.
With the economy tanking, you better believe it!
Use your wits to figure out how to bring more money in.
With the economy tanking, you better believe it!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Lew Powell's 32nd annual Carolina Follies
2008: Misconduct! Manipulation! Money-grubbing!
... And that's just United Way
Worst new idea of the year:
Sam Massell, promoter of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, offered this advice to Charlotte: “The ‘South Park' cartoon out there … can leave a very negative impression for people. … Your leaders might want to consider changing the area's name. Doing that would make national news.”
And WMDs! I'm SURE there were WMDs!
In her supposed memoir, “The Last Dance for Grace,” Durham stripper Crystal Mangum wrote, “I want to assert, without equivocation, that I was assaulted.”
Worst new song of the year:
“Chapel on the Hill,” performed by the High and Mighties. Sample lyrics: “Hit Peppers Pizza for a slice walking down Franklin Street/ Pass a lady selling flowers, Hare Krishnas kick their beat.”
Worst new song of the year (runner-up):
“It's So Much Fun to Be This Good,” performed by the Bad Daddies for the Charlotte Chamber. Sample lyrics: “Pro-business attitude/Three-five-two-one latitude.”
Hey, don't let it stifle your opinions – there's always WBT:
An unidentified N.C. State student, apologizing for having spray-painted “Hang Obama by a Noose” in the Free Expression Tunnel, said, “My intentions were simply to express my views on the outcome of the election, but went too far.”
Worst new smell of the year:
“UNC for Women … a refreshing, airy and sparkling fragrance with soft base notes evoking the beauty, romance and Southern charm of Carolina's Old Well.” $60 for 3.4 ounces.
Worst old smell of the year:
Mac McCarley, Charlotte city attorney, likened the scent of Wallace Farm to “vomit heated in a frying pan.”
Pa would've rolled over in his grave – if he'd ever gotten there:
While serving an arrest warrant, New Hanover County sheriff's deputies plunged a funeral into chaos by Tasering the dead man's son, who was serving as pallbearer.
Understatement of the year:
Curiously out of touch with how United Way came to have a job opening, interim CEO Mac Everett speculated that “people maybe have a reason to be angry, I don't know.”
Blunderstatement of the year:
S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, attempting to explain to Wolf Blitzer how John McCain's economic policies differ from President Bush's: “Um, yeah. I mean for instance, take, you know, um, uh, take for instance the issue of, uh, of, um (drums fingers), I'm drawing a blank, and, I hate it when I do that, particularly on television.”
Blunderstatement understatement of the year:
“Sound bites,” press secretary Joel Sawyer acknowledged, “have never been the governor's strong suit.”
Overstatement of the year:
Impatient about the arrival of $80 million in incentives for not relocating his track, Bruton Smith complained to Concord City Council that “I'm being the victim all over again.”
Overstatement of the year (runner-up):
Two weeks after Bob Steel touted Wachovia's “great future as an independent company,” the bank announced it was selling itself.
Sports historians will note that by 2008 the supply of unused team names had become so depleted that a minor-league baseball franchise in North Carolina resorted to identifying itself with a punctuation mark:
The Winston-Salem Warthogs changed their name to the Dash. (Eat your heart out, Wilkes-Barre!)
Would you want your sister to marry a (North Carolina) legislator?
Barely two years after gutting an ethics bill that would've limited how quickly former legislators could hire on as lobbyists, Drew Saunders of Huntersville, House Utilities Committee chairman, resigned to hire on as a utilities lobbyist.
Would you want your sister to marry a (South Carolina) legislator?
Denying any connection between his political action committee's taking $16,500 from payday lenders and his House committee's killing a reform bill, Harry Cato of Greenville, S.C., insisted, “I know in my heart, when I look in the mirror each morning, that contributions don't influence me. I answer to myself and what I know is right.”
Metaphor of the year:
Explaining how the recession nudged his store for nursing mothers “more toward Main Street and away from Rodeo Drive,” Adam Schmitz said, “We had to look really hard in the mirror and say, ‘There are bags under those eyes, and they're Gucci bags and we've got to get rid of them.'”
Want that with or without angioplasty prep?
New this year at the N.C. State Fair: deep-fried macaroni and cheese.
As a backup offensive lineman, he had long envied the better-known players' boisterous end-zone celebrations. Then one night something … popped:
Panthers lineman Jeremy Bridges was arrested after an incident that started with his spraying other restaurant patrons with Dom Perignon.
Dear God, you know I really MEANT to study harder for that English lit midterm:
In an ill-conceived security exercise, a mock intruder burst into a classroom at Elizabeth City State University, pointed what appeared to be a handgun, ordered the terrified students to line up against a wall and threatened to kill the one with the lowest grade-point average.
*****
Lew's been at this for 32 years, wow! Has it been that long already ... seems like only yesterday.
Had a bad year? '08 memories get shredded in NYC
Should auld acquaintance be forgot? Or maybe shredded?
In an event that organizers hope will become a New Year's tradition, New Yorkers and tourists were invited to bring bad memories from 2008 to Times Square today and feed them to an industrial-strength shredder.
"This is the perfect way to move on from a bad year, from a bad experience," said Kathryn Bonn, of New York City, who shredded a printout of her boyfriend's e-mail breaking up with her.
The event, the second annual "Good Riddance Day," was sponsored by the Times Square Alliance, organizers of the New Year's Eve ball-dropping celebration.
Some participants wrote "the stock market" or "cancer" on a piece of paper and shredded it, while others shredded bags of bank statements and check stubs.
Kate Anello, a Yankees fan from New York City, destroyed a poster of the city's longtime rival, the Boston Red Sox.
"I hate them," she said. "It felt good."
City resident Jay Ballesteros won a $250 prize for the most creative object to be shredded: a sock representing all the socks that emerge from the laundry without their mates.
"I'm hoping to use the prize to buy some brand new socks," he said.
Man spent days unnoticed in family's attic
A Wilkes-Barre, family didn't realize they'd had an unexpected Christmas guest until a man who had been in their attic for days emerged wearing their clothes.
Stanley Carter surrendered Friday after police took a dog to search the home in Plains Township, a suburb of Wilkes-Barre about 100 miles north of Philadelphia. He was charged with several counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal trespass.
"When he came down from the attic, he was wearing my daughter's pants and my sweat shirt and sneakers," homeowner Stacy Ferrance said. "From what I gather, he was helping himself to my home, eating my food and stealing my clothes."
Police said the 21-year-old Carter had been staying with his friends, who are Ferrance's neighbors in a duplex. He apparently accessed the shared attic through a trap door in a bedroom ceiling.
Carter went missing on December 19th and the friends filed a missing person report a few days before Christmas.
Ferrance said she had heard noises but thought they were caused by her three children. She notified police on Christmas Day when cash, a laptop computer and an iPod disappeared, then called police again the next day when she found footprints in her bedroom closet, where the attic trap door is located.
Carter kept a list of everything he took, said Plains Township police Officer Michael Smith.
"When we were going through the inventory of what he did take, we found a note labeled 'Stanley's Christmas List' of all the items he had removed from the residence and donated to himself," Smith said.
Black bears lumber into surprising places
‘They’re everywhere’
Once confined to the mountains and remote coastal swamps, black bears are being spotted in parts of South Carolina for the first time in generations.
Wildlife managers and scientists say black bears not only are increasing their territory but are growing in numbers in the Palmetto State.
“They’re everywhere,” said Skip Still, a state biologist who keeps bear statistics.
Since 2004, people have encountered bears in 36 of the state’s 46 counties, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. In contrast, people in only a handful of counties reported seeing bears in 2004.
The number of black bears declined after European settlers arrived in South Carolina. The settlers cleared land and hunted the animals as pests.
Now, maturing forests provide better habitat for bears, which thrive in woodlands filled with nuts and berries, experts say.
The public’s increased sensitivity to protecting bears also may be contributing to the animals’ rebound.
In some cases, bears have wandered into backyards. Other times, they have ventured into commercial areas. Most of the counties around Columbia have had at least one report of a black bear since 2004, DNR statistics show.
SEEING THE NUMBERS RISE
The shy bruins have been spotted most often in Upstate counties just east and south of South Carolina’s mountains, historically a stronghold for bears in the state.
The Department of Natural Resources confirmed reports of a bear in a steak-house parking lot near Anderson about two years ago.
Reported bear sightings in Anderson County jumped from two in 2004 to 23 this year, DNR statistics show. In Spartanburg County, the number rose from none in 2004 to 57 so far this year, according to DNR statistics.
But bear sightings aren’t just confined to the Upstate. Earlier this year, Lexington County residents videotaped a small black bear near Gilbert.
Some of the sightings may be because people are encroaching on bear habitat or because some of the same bears are moving through multiple counties.
It’s also possible South Carolina has had more bears than originally thought and people are simply reporting them more frequently. Wildlife cameras, increasingly used by hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, have captured images of bears in counties where they weren’t known to live.
State and federal wildlife experts say all of the reported sightings they receive, plus recent research, suggests an increase in the bear population.
Two years ago, the DNR revised its population estimates of South Carolina bears to about 1,200 from several hundred. It based part of its revision on bear surveys.
Black bears, which can weigh up to 600 pounds in South Carolina, aren’t typically aggressive —no one has been injured in the state by a bear in recorded history — but people should be wary when they see one, agency officials say. Experts advise people who encounter a bear to back slowly away from the animal. More than likely, the bear will leave.
Because of the bears’ spread, the DNR developed guidelines this year telling its staff how to deal with bears that come in contact with people.
The agency prefers not to relocate bears, but to discourage the use of things, such as open garbage cans, that attract the animals to areas populated by humans. DNR officials also encourage people not to feed bears. Occasionally, the agency will kill bears that are considered dangerous.
“If you take away the enticements that attract black bears, such as garbage cans, bird feeders, pet food, barbecue grills, compost piles and similar things, then you will likely not have problems with black bears,” DNR wildlife biologist Deana Ruth said.
EXTENDING THEIR TERRITORY
Frank Van Manen, a highly regarded bear biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said the South’s once denuded landscape now contains mature forests with plenty of shelter, as well as nuts and fruits. Parts of the Southeast are seeing increases in black bear populations, he said. The population growth has been particularly steady in coastal North Carolina.
“If you look at the bigger picture, it is fair to say that for the last 20 years, and especially the last decade, we’ve seen a very definite increase in range and with it, also an increase in numbers,” Van Manen said.
Bears may be moving into new territory because their traditional home counties — Pickens, Oconee, Horry and Georgetown — are getting too crowded with bears, biologists say. When too many of the animals populate one area, younger ones will move away.
Recent evidence shows bears are reproducing in more counties, as well. At least nine counties now have reproducing populations, compared to about five a decade ago.
The DNR recently added Anderson, Spartanburg, Berkeley and Charleston counties to the list with reproducing bears. Horry, Georgetown, Pickens, Oconee and Greenville have had reproducing populations.
The DNR also documented a mother bear and cubs in Dorchester County for the first time this year, Ruth said.
South Carolina allows a two-week hunting season for black bears in the mountains at the end of October each year. That has been a lightning rod for arguments among sportsmen, environmentalists and animal welfare groups, which say the sport is cruel and unnecessary.
But Still said there appear to be enough bears to withstand hunting pressures. Since 2004, the number of confirmed bear sightings has risen in Oconee, Pickens and Greenville counties from about 40 to 212 this year.
This year, hunters killed 48 bears, just 10 off the state record set in 2007.
In the cooler months after hunting season, bears are less active in South Carolina. They don’t hibernate like bears in colder climates, but they do become more sluggish because there’s not as much food available.
To learn more about the bear population in South Carolina, Van Manen and researchers from the DNR have launched a study near Myrtle Beach. One study in the late 1990s predicted bears near the booming coastal resort would be wiped out by 2010. The current study involves taking the DNA of hair samples collected from bears as they move through coastal forest and bogs.
Since each animal’s DNA is unique, researchers will be able to tell how many different bears exist. They also can tell if the S.C. bears are related to those in North Carolina’s coastal plain.
Van Manen said results of the study are expected by spring.
Ruth said she’s sure the bear population is increasing because motorists killed dozens of bears last year near Myrtle Beach in vehicle collisions.
Preliminary results of the state and federal study show plenty of bears taking bait during field research. Researchers put out day-old Krispy Kreme donuts to attract bears this year.
“We have to learn to live with bears,” Ruth said. “They are here and they are not leaving.”
Oldest man in the US, dies at 112
The nation's oldest man has died at 112.
The son of George Francis says his father died Saturday of congestive heart failure at a nursing home in Sacramento.
The son, 81-year-old Anthony Francis, says his father was born on June 6, 1896 in New Orleans, and that his only wife, Josephine Johnson Francis, died at age 63 in 1964.
UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles, who maintains a list of the world's oldest people, says Francis was the oldest man living in the U.S., at 112 years and 204 days.
Coles says the oldest living person in the world is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who is 115 years and 109 days old.
The son of George Francis says his father died Saturday of congestive heart failure at a nursing home in Sacramento.
The son, 81-year-old Anthony Francis, says his father was born on June 6, 1896 in New Orleans, and that his only wife, Josephine Johnson Francis, died at age 63 in 1964.
UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles, who maintains a list of the world's oldest people, says Francis was the oldest man living in the U.S., at 112 years and 204 days.
Coles says the oldest living person in the world is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, who is 115 years and 109 days old.
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
I went out and bought Nick's album after the VolksWagon commercial aired with this song in it - it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to ... and it was because of this song.
And I really mean it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to - before or since - advertisers hate me ...
And I really mean it was the only commercial I have ever paid any attention to - before or since - advertisers hate me ...
Ash spill deepens the safety debate
The deluge of coal ash sludge that broke through a dike at the TVA's Kingston power plant onto a 300-acre stretch of fields, homes and rivers has made the site ground zero in a fight over how "clean" burning coal to produce electricity can be.
Read more in the Nashville Tennessean
On the verge
Of an energy revolution that is!
New technologies will move the world economy away from coal and other fossil fuels much more rapidly than experts from the energy industry would have the public believe, according to a new study by the Worldwatch Institute.
Read more in the Charleston Gazette
Organic farms unknowingly used a synthetic fertilizer
For as many as seven years, California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer's dream.
But a state investigation caught the company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.
But a state investigation caught the company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.
Read more in the Sacramento Bee
How to Enforce New Marijuana Law
In what is going to be a headache for Massachusetts police and prosecutors ...
“Back in November, Massachusetts voters passed a ballot measure — called Question 2 — that, on Jan. 2, will turn possession of an ounce or less of marijuana into an offense on par with a traffic violation. Now police and prosecutors are wondering how the heck they’re going to enforce it.
Among the questions enforcers are trying to answer:
- What should police do with people caught with several joints who refuse to identify themselves?
- Will state-run laboratories that test drugs seized in criminal cases continue to do so for small quantities of marijuana?
- Will police chiefs discipline officers who spark up a spliff after work?
- Can a judge summarily revoke the probation of a convicted offender on the basis of a citation for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana?
“I’m not suggesting that officers are doing it,” David F. Capeless, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, told the Globe. “But what you’re doing, whether it’s officers or other public employees - transportation workers, bus drivers, teachers - you’re removing a disincentive by saying: ‘We won’t be able to do anything to you. You won’t get disciplined for this. It won’t mean your job. It may mean a $100 fine.’
Proponents of the change - including financier George Soros, who spent more than $400,000 in favor of decriminalizing marijuana - said it would ensure that those caught with small quantities would avoid the taint of a criminal record.”
The financial crisis may be as serious as the American Revolution
According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Benoit Mandelbrot, who have been spot on about it for a long time before the collapse started steamrolling.
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And I Quote
The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.
~ Marty Feldman.
~ Marty Feldman.
Stalin - Greatest Ever
Huh?! Come again ...
The former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin may have killed millions of his own people but this weekend he could be chosen by Russians as their greatest-ever countryman.
Inspired by the British competition 100 Greatest Britons, one of Russia's biggest television stations Rossiya has been conducting a nationwide poll for much of this year.
From an original list of 500 candidates now there are just 12 names left from which viewers can select their all-time hero.
The winner will be announced on Sunday.
More than 3.5 million people have already voted and Stalin - born an ethnic Georgian - has been riding high for many months.
In the summer he held the number one slot but was knocked down several places after the producer of the show appealed to viewers to vote for someone else.
Amongst the others on the list are Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Catherine the Great and Alexander Pushkin.
Read the rest at the BBC.
Worst person in the world
Keith shows you it's not only repugicans who are idiots as he rips Davis for her stupidity.
(Then again Davis has never been more than a corporate stooge anyway)
(Then again Davis has never been more than a corporate stooge anyway)
Suspect arrested in trunk case
Scottish police say a 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the abduction of a nurse found tied up in the trunk of her car.
They say she may have been there for up to 10 days.
Officers found Magdeline Makola on Friday in Airdrie, east of Glasgow.
Police say the 38-year-old nurse was dehydrated and had suffered from hypothermia.
The suspect is due to appear in court on Monday.
They say she may have been there for up to 10 days.
Officers found Magdeline Makola on Friday in Airdrie, east of Glasgow.
Police say the 38-year-old nurse was dehydrated and had suffered from hypothermia.
The suspect is due to appear in court on Monday.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
For Your Health
Sometimes simple changes can bring about big results. When it comes to losing weight, more often than not, it's all about numbers.
It takes 3,500 calories to build a pound. If you have a deficit of 100 calories every day for a year – either by eating less or exercising more – you can lose 10 pounds in a year.
Here are 25 ways to pull it off.
1. Switch from whole-milk products to skim milk products. If you consume three servings a day, you can save up to 200 calories a day. That's 20 pounds you can lose next year.
2. When you go to a restaurant, ask for half of your portion to be put in a doggie bag right away. If you go out twice a week, that will work.
3. Reduce the use of butter and margarine. Use applesauce in recipes instead of oil. Try fat-free, butter-flavored spreads or sprinkles (unless you're watching your salt). Just eliminating a pat of butter on your morning toast gets you there.
4. Chilling soups, gravies and stews and skimming the fat can save you up to 100 calories.
5. Use extra-lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey. Instead of bacon, use Canadian bacon.
6. Is a tall glass of juice your morning ritual? Swap that 20-ounce OJ for a real orange.
7. Meatless products, such as imitation hot dogs, bacon, burgers and sausage, often have half the calories.
8. Switch from a 16-ounce cappuccino to regular coffee with artificial sweetener.
9. Switch from fried potato chips to the baked ones.
10. Add 10 minutes of exercise a day. The goal is 30 minutes a day. If you walk for just 30 minutes – even just three 10-minute walks a day – you will lose 13 pounds.
11. Switch from sandwich bread with 100-plus calories to light whole-wheat bread.
12. Replace the 11/2 ounces of cheddar or American cheese on your sandwich with 1 ounce of nonfat mozzarella.
13. Switch to low-fat mayonnaise on sandwiches.
14. Cut back on egg yolks, which contain virtually all of the fat and cholesterol. Try using egg substitutes. In most recipes you can use two egg whites instead of one whole egg.
15. If you love microwave popcorn, switch to the light kind and save tons of fat and calories, enough to lose 10 pounds if you've been eating it every night.
16. Use sugar substitute instead of sugar in all your baking. If you use a couple of teaspoons in your iced tea and a couple on your cereal, you could lose 10 pounds by switching to a substitute.
17. Switch your afternoon soda to a diet soda to save 150 calories per 12-ounce can.
18. If you don't like diet soda, just downsize your soda portions. If you usually pick up a 44-ounce soda in the morning, switch to a 24-ounce size and save about 200 calories a day.
19. A portion of meat is 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards. Most people eat two to three times this.
20. Replace your regular beer with light beer and save about 50 calories per bottle.
21. Take the stairs every day at work. If you go up and down often enough (say up and down five flights three or four times a day) you've got your 100 calories.
22. Forgo regular bottled salad dressing (2 tablespoons, about 150 calories) for an equal portion of fat-free dressing (about 40 calories) or a spritz of lemon juice.
23. Don't supersize anything. Switching from the 6-ounce fries at McDonald's to the 2-ounce size saves you about 300 calories. Do that just twice a week and lose weight.
24. Remove the skin from a chicken breast after cooking and save 100 calories.
25. Instead of topping ice cream with crumbled cookies or hot fudge, top it with 2 tablespoons of fresh berries and save about 100 calories.
Carolina Naturally readers
Some of today's readers hail from:
Brisbane, Paris, Berlin, Halifax, Ljubljana, Gatineau, Venice, Lincoln, Mumbai, Toronto, Bangkok, Huntingdon, Seoul, Dehli, London, and Portsmouth.
Brisbane, Paris, Berlin, Halifax, Ljubljana, Gatineau, Venice, Lincoln, Mumbai, Toronto, Bangkok, Huntingdon, Seoul, Dehli, London, and Portsmouth.
Maria
Blondie proving it still has the chops to make it as a band twenty years after their debut and this was ten years ago!
And for the purists out there here is one from Blondie in the beginning - thirty years ago!
Dreaming
Dreaming
Blondie
Pennsylvania man shot for making noise during movie
It's time to get real people ...
A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son.
The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband.
Cialella faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault.
He remained in custody Saturday.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Vanore said the 31-year-old victim from suburban Yeadon was hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting.
Noisy people at the theater is annoying to be sure, but it is never cause for such stupidity as shooting someone because of it ... the thought may cross your mind - but you don't act on it, sheeesh.
A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son.
The victim told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband.
Cialella faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault.
He remained in custody Saturday.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Vanore said the 31-year-old victim from suburban Yeadon was hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting.
*****
Noisy people at the theater is annoying to be sure, but it is never cause for such stupidity as shooting someone because of it ... the thought may cross your mind - but you don't act on it, sheeesh.
America Can't Handle the Truth; But it's Coming Anyway
Leonce Gaiter posted this on OpEd News on December 16, 2008:
Unemployment benefit payouts hit a 26-year high. Foreclosures up 30% from a year ago. Layoffs abound. 43 states face budget deficits, forcing them to cut jobs, programs, and funds for education and social services.
A major story on CNN.com is, "'Mad Men' star's hair is "-bane of my existence.'"- The Fox News front page promises Glenn Beck on the "Washington State Christmas Scandal."-
Economists fear deflation, and depression. Two of the Big Three automakers may not survive through the end of the year.
The Washington Post's Kathleen Parker writes about a 27 year-old, Facebook, and a Hillary Clinton cardboard cutout. Jackson Diehl luxuriates in a bubble bath of quid pro quo and self-congratulations for his attendance at a Bush photo-op.
Food stamp usage nears an all-time high with more than 31.5 million Americans using the program. Americans are losing their livelihoods and having trouble buying food to eat.
I sense a disconnect.
The country is in serious trouble and a significant segment of the mainstream press hasn't got a clue how to handle it. They appear tone-deaf and increasingly trivial. During the bubble years, the press learned to hawk self-promotion, triviality and political boosterism as "journalism."- They became insiders, members of a ruling court, not detached observers or, heaven forbid, muckrakers. They shed the ink-stained wretch image and became privileged, cosmetically altered insiders, intimate with power and happy to knead that intimacy into power of their own.
A lot of journalism became a gossipy exercise in snark and sniffy outrage during the Clinton years. With 9/11 and The Bush ascension, the profession morphed into a jingoistic orgy of access amplification--who knew the highest ranking who from whom to get the latest, probably deceptive administration spin.
The rest of us put up with it. During the Bubble Years, weren't we all destined to be rich? Just watch that high-tech 401k grow 27% a year; get that "liar"- loan and watch your home value double. We all identified with wealth and power; we dreamt we'd have it. We weaned a whole generation on that illusion. Politics reduced to celebrity gossip and international affairs to jingoistic sound bites--it suited us fine. We were untouchable.
Even 9/11, through which we might have examined our place in the world and our exercise of power within it, instead led us to pull further inward, to howl not only at the guilty, but at the whole world. We were like kings insulted by peasants, desperate to re-establish might. So we broke things.
Now, suddenly, the prospect of plenty disappears; government actions have actual consequences--and not just for anonymous foreigners in godforsaken deserts. One congressional bill might mean the difference between having a job and not--between keeping your house and homelessness. But much of the mainstream press--particularly the television press from which most of us get our news--don't adequately address this. They don't do the hard work of explaining why this is happening or how it might be stopped or where it might end. They shake and shimmy to the gossip and the spin. They are so obsessed with their roles as insiders and removed from the lives we lead that they continue to partner with the powerful as spin conduits (The Washington Post's Frank Ahrens rehashed the old right wing wish for Mitt Romney as "car czar"- because "he has autos in his DNA,"- since his father was chairman of American Motors. Obviously, it's his birthright, like a throne), or desperately clutch a sensational local story like the Blagojevich affair and construct hypothetical Rube Goldberg-like connections to the president-elect to justify their excessive, prurient interest.
The press doesn't know how to handle our descent into darkness; and neither do we. We're still in denial. Just as the financial kings Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson have attacked this crisis piecemeal---let's throw a little money here to handle this part, a little interest rate adjustment there to handle that part--we're not acknowledging the big picture. Our eyes have been so blinded by 20 years of bright and shiny things that we can't fathom an America generally re-cast in sepia and gray.
But yes, the next job on the chopping block might be mine or yours. Your credit cards might readjust to 26% for no reason. Next year's health insurance bill might rise 30%. The fire department might not come when you call due to crisis-induced layoffs. How many of us acknowledge that we might be sustaining ourselves with food stamps?
We haven't seen the worst of this. We hear that again and again. Obama keeps telling us, but gas prices fall and we convince ourselves that all will be well. Blagojevich kindly distracts us with sleaze. The Fox News dancing girls dazzle us with smiles and the pundits gossip and chatter at one another as if there's nothing more substantive to say or do.
Our dreams, along with our toys, are vanishing. The press and the public pretend not to notice. The first stage of grieving is denial. We're doing such a damned good job of it, I dread the day we get to anger.
As the economy collapses, expect the worst
Another one from the "Well, Duh!" Department:
As the economy collapses, expect the worst. "In the coming months, mental health experts expect a rise in theft, depression, drug use, anxiety and even violence as consumers confront a harsh new reality and must live within diminished means."
As the economy collapses, expect the worst. "In the coming months, mental health experts expect a rise in theft, depression, drug use, anxiety and even violence as consumers confront a harsh new reality and must live within diminished means."
More at CNBC News.
Have Silencers Will (not)Travel
A couple of British tourists are vowing never to return to America, after spending nearly a month in the custody of American officials.
Their crime was bringing a couple of 'silencers' in their luggage -- apparently a common and even required gun appliance in England, but illegal as hell in America.
These Brits, of course, have a right to their indignation -- there's no common sense reason they couldn't have been released almost instantly.
But let's look at the bright side: under cabal policies they're lucky they weren't tortured, and you can bet they would have been if they hadn't been white with charming British accents.
Their crime was bringing a couple of 'silencers' in their luggage -- apparently a common and even required gun appliance in England, but illegal as hell in America.
These Brits, of course, have a right to their indignation -- there's no common sense reason they couldn't have been released almost instantly.
But let's look at the bright side: under cabal policies they're lucky they weren't tortured, and you can bet they would have been if they hadn't been white with charming British accents.
More in the Associated Press.
Well, Duh!
From the "Well, Duh!" Department:
Reporters are starting to notice that the $700-billion bailout hasn't helped much of anyone except the giant finance institutions that are splitting the loot.
Reporters are starting to notice that the $700-billion bailout hasn't helped much of anyone except the giant finance institutions that are splitting the loot.
More at Salon.
Legal Schnauzer
Legal Schnauzer, suspects that the three-judge (and three repugican) panel considering former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's appeal will bend over backwards to avoid criticizing the corrupt judge who first heard the case.
Siegelman's prosecution, if you're catching up, was an obvious railroading for political purposes, and it would be outright criminal and downright embarrassing if the verdict is not overturned.
Siegelman's prosecution, if you're catching up, was an obvious railroading for political purposes, and it would be outright criminal and downright embarrassing if the verdict is not overturned.
Details at Legal Schnauzer.
Better late than never
Better late than never, more and more voices in mainstream media are calling for actual investigations and prosecutions of the shrub, the cabal, and their misanthropic troglodytes and sycophants .
Read more at Salon.
Panthers Running Back can catch Hall of Famer in long run
Carolina's DeAngelo Williams is one long touchdown away from tying a 50-year-old record set by the man still widely considered the greatest running back in NFL history.
Williams has six touchdown runs of 30 yards or longer this season, one shy of the record set in 1958 by Hall of Famer Jim Brown of the Cleveland BrownsWilliams' six touchdowns this season has him tied with Brown who achieved the same total in 1963 to hold the record most and the second most touchdowns of 30 yards or more in a season by himself ... well at least second most until now that is.
Israel demolishes Hamas compounds
Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing more than 200 people and wounding nearly 400 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.
Most of those killed were security men, but an unknown number of civilians were also among the dead. Hamas said all of its security installations were hit, threatened to resume suicide attacks, and sent at least 70 rockets and mortar shells crashing into Israeli border communities, according to the Israeli military. One Israeli was killed and at least six people were hurt.
Read the rest here.
Cash-strapped states weigh idea of selling roads, parks
Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize.
Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits.
Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.
Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits.
Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.
Mexico detains presidential guard in drug case
Mexico's drug corruption scandals reached into the presidential guard as authorities identified one officer as a possible spy for the country's violent drug cartels.
An official of the federal prosecutor's office who was not authorized to be quoted by name identified Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez today (Saturday, December 27, 2008) as an army major who was assigned to the unit that guards the president.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that Gonzalez Rodriguez had been placed under hour arrest for 40 days while he is investigated.
The prosecution official said there are allegations that the officer passed information to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in exchange for payments of as much as $100,000.
The official could not confirm what type of information the major purportedly passed to drug traffickers, but the newspaper El Universal cited testimony indicating that Gonzalez Rodriguez may have informed traffickers about the activities of President Felipe Calderon.
In 2007, Calderon said members of the federal government have received threats from traffickers.
"There have been a lot of threats - whether they have been false or real - but they won't stop us from taking action," Calderon said.
More than a dozen high-ranking police and prosecution officials have been detained on similar allegations of spying for cartels in recent months, but none has been linked so closely to the president's office.
Soon after Calderon took office two years ago, he launched a nationwide offensive to take back territory controlled by drug gangs, deploying more than 20,000 soldiers.
In recent months, his administration has also launched Operation Clean House, to combat corruption in the nation's law enforcement agencies.
An official of the federal prosecutor's office who was not authorized to be quoted by name identified Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez today (Saturday, December 27, 2008) as an army major who was assigned to the unit that guards the president.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that Gonzalez Rodriguez had been placed under hour arrest for 40 days while he is investigated.
The prosecution official said there are allegations that the officer passed information to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in exchange for payments of as much as $100,000.
The official could not confirm what type of information the major purportedly passed to drug traffickers, but the newspaper El Universal cited testimony indicating that Gonzalez Rodriguez may have informed traffickers about the activities of President Felipe Calderon.
In 2007, Calderon said members of the federal government have received threats from traffickers.
"There have been a lot of threats - whether they have been false or real - but they won't stop us from taking action," Calderon said.
More than a dozen high-ranking police and prosecution officials have been detained on similar allegations of spying for cartels in recent months, but none has been linked so closely to the president's office.
Soon after Calderon took office two years ago, he launched a nationwide offensive to take back territory controlled by drug gangs, deploying more than 20,000 soldiers.
In recent months, his administration has also launched Operation Clean House, to combat corruption in the nation's law enforcement agencies.
Ohio centenarian to celebrate 105th Birthday at inauguration
Ella Mae Johnson hasn't just paid attention to American history, she's lived it.
And come Jan. 20, she'll be part of the crowd to witness president Barack Obama make history.
At 104 years young, the black woman from Cleveland plans to celebrate her 105th birthday by attending Obama's inauguration a week later.
Johnson was invited by Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, at the suggestion of Johnson's retirement home.
"It is fitting that she should mark her 105th birthday this January by witnessing the swearing in of our nation's first African-American president," Brown said in a statement.
"I am honored to be part of her journey and humbled by her legacy."
Johnson, who was born in Dallas, experienced and overcame racial prejudice in America throughout the last century.
She graduated from Nashville's Fisk University in 1925 and went on to get a master's degree at Western Reserve University School of Applied Social Sciences in 1928.
The school is now known as Case Western Reserve University.
She said Wednesday that while she admired the incoming president, she was more impressed with Obama's young family, his willingness to show affection to wife Michelle and daughters, and with his roots to Kenya.
"This affects young people in a way that's different," Johnson said.
"I think it's good for us all. He's leading the country in the direction of taking care of each other."
The event will be the first inauguration for Johnson and for Iris Williams, her nurse at retirement home Judson at University Circle who is flying with her to Washington and staying with her at an assisted care facility in Georgetown.
"To know I'm going to see it with Mrs. Johnson, to see it through the eyes of a centenarian, is just fabulous," said Williams, 50.
"Her perspective on this is going to be very insightful for me."
Johnson, who raised about $3,000 in donations to aid organizations in Kenya for her 100th birthday, said she would like to see everyone benefit from Obama's rise to power.
"I don't mean just every American," she said. "There are other people, like those from whom he came in Africa."
And come Jan. 20, she'll be part of the crowd to witness president Barack Obama make history.
At 104 years young, the black woman from Cleveland plans to celebrate her 105th birthday by attending Obama's inauguration a week later.
Johnson was invited by Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, at the suggestion of Johnson's retirement home.
"It is fitting that she should mark her 105th birthday this January by witnessing the swearing in of our nation's first African-American president," Brown said in a statement.
"I am honored to be part of her journey and humbled by her legacy."
Johnson, who was born in Dallas, experienced and overcame racial prejudice in America throughout the last century.
She graduated from Nashville's Fisk University in 1925 and went on to get a master's degree at Western Reserve University School of Applied Social Sciences in 1928.
The school is now known as Case Western Reserve University.
She said Wednesday that while she admired the incoming president, she was more impressed with Obama's young family, his willingness to show affection to wife Michelle and daughters, and with his roots to Kenya.
"This affects young people in a way that's different," Johnson said.
"I think it's good for us all. He's leading the country in the direction of taking care of each other."
The event will be the first inauguration for Johnson and for Iris Williams, her nurse at retirement home Judson at University Circle who is flying with her to Washington and staying with her at an assisted care facility in Georgetown.
"To know I'm going to see it with Mrs. Johnson, to see it through the eyes of a centenarian, is just fabulous," said Williams, 50.
"Her perspective on this is going to be very insightful for me."
Johnson, who raised about $3,000 in donations to aid organizations in Kenya for her 100th birthday, said she would like to see everyone benefit from Obama's rise to power.
"I don't mean just every American," she said. "There are other people, like those from whom he came in Africa."
Just a reminder, mind you
Just a reminder to the repugicans out there:
The preamble
Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several states as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution. viz: Articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
The preamble
Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several states as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution. viz: Articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Can dolphins survive winter in Jersey?
A group of bottlenose dolphins have been confounding humans since they took up residence in two rivers near the Jersey shore six months ago.
Now that it's winter, some people are worried they'll never make it out.
Three dolphins have died out of the original group of about 15 that spent the summer and fall in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, waterways just north of Asbury Park.
Federal wildlife experts say the remaining dolphins are healthy, and should be able to make it through the winter if they choose to stay.
They cite the cases of dolphins that successfully spent winters in Massachusetts, Virginia and even northern Scotland.
But some animal advocates worry the dolphins will meet the same fate as four that drowned in the Shrewsbury River in 1993 when ice closed in on them, or the 26 dolphins killed by a sudden freeze in 1990 in Texas' Matagorda Bay.
A better question is ... Can anything survive winter in Jersey?! Or, even better yet ... Can anything survive in Jersey?!
Now that it's winter, some people are worried they'll never make it out.
Three dolphins have died out of the original group of about 15 that spent the summer and fall in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, waterways just north of Asbury Park.
Federal wildlife experts say the remaining dolphins are healthy, and should be able to make it through the winter if they choose to stay.
They cite the cases of dolphins that successfully spent winters in Massachusetts, Virginia and even northern Scotland.
But some animal advocates worry the dolphins will meet the same fate as four that drowned in the Shrewsbury River in 1993 when ice closed in on them, or the 26 dolphins killed by a sudden freeze in 1990 in Texas' Matagorda Bay.
*****
A better question is ... Can anything survive winter in Jersey?! Or, even better yet ... Can anything survive in Jersey?!
And it is no surprise that ...
Actually the numbers are higher, but the corporate media are trying to keep up appearances.
MP3 player lights rescuers' way
Swiss rescue officials say they have found two missing skiers after spotting the light from their MP3 music player.
The Swiss air rescue association Rega says it received a distress call from the French tourists late Friday but the skiers' phone battery went dead before they could be reached.
Rega spokesman Gery Baumann says the two men were eventually found after midnight in steep, wooded terrain by a helicopter crew that spotted the light from their digital music player.
Baumann said Saturday that the two 22-year-olds suffered only mild hypothermia despite enduring temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius).
The incident happened near the town of Savognin in southeastern Switzerland.
And they said Rock'n'Roll would would be the death of us all. As usual, they got it wrong - Rock'n'Roll saves lives!
The Swiss air rescue association Rega says it received a distress call from the French tourists late Friday but the skiers' phone battery went dead before they could be reached.
Rega spokesman Gery Baumann says the two men were eventually found after midnight in steep, wooded terrain by a helicopter crew that spotted the light from their digital music player.
Baumann said Saturday that the two 22-year-olds suffered only mild hypothermia despite enduring temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius).
The incident happened near the town of Savognin in southeastern Switzerland.
*****
And they said Rock'n'Roll would would be the death of us all. As usual, they got it wrong - Rock'n'Roll saves lives!
Married Life
Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really pissed.
She told him “Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!”
The next morning he got up early and left for work.
When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Bob has been missing since Friday.
Smile ... You're Under Arrest!
In Arizona, seeing Joe Arpaio on TV is nothing new.
But, now he has a national platform to pursue lawbreakers that stretches beyond the 5 o'clock news.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the state's most populous county, has a starring role in "Smile ... You're Under Arrest!," a new reality show debuting today on Fox Reality Channel.
A cross between "Punk'd" and "Cops," the program sets up elaborate sting operations to snare people wanted on outstanding warrants.
Actors and undercover deputies play along in faux scenarios where scofflaws are enticed to have a good time; the drama comes when cast members reveal the prank and waiting deputies slap on handcuffs.
But, now he has a national platform to pursue lawbreakers that stretches beyond the 5 o'clock news.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which oversees the state's most populous county, has a starring role in "Smile ... You're Under Arrest!," a new reality show debuting today on Fox Reality Channel.
A cross between "Punk'd" and "Cops," the program sets up elaborate sting operations to snare people wanted on outstanding warrants.
Actors and undercover deputies play along in faux scenarios where scofflaws are enticed to have a good time; the drama comes when cast members reveal the prank and waiting deputies slap on handcuffs.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Panthers Football
When the Carolina Panthers win Sunday at New Orleans, they'll accomplish something no other NFC South team has done this season – beat a division foe on the road.
Home teams are 11-0 in NFC South games this season, with only the Panthers-Saints match-up remaining.
“We'd love to buck that trend,” said Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme. “It'll be tough.”
The Panthers have a lot at stake. With a win, they can clinch the NFC South championship, the No.2 NFC seed in the playoffs, and a first-round bye followed by a second-round game at home.
Should the Panthers lose, they would need Atlanta to lose at home to the 2-13 St. Louis Rams to avoid slipping to the No.5 seed, making them a wild-card team and requiring a first-round game at Arizona.
*****
Historical Note:
Carolina is 6-0 playing on the road against the Saints since John Fox became coach in 2002.
Sheriff Medford Doing Federal Time In NC
The former Buncombe County sheriff convicted of taking bribes from gambling machine operators has been assigned to a federal prison in North Carolina.
The Web site of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons shows that Bobby Medford has been assigned to Butner Federal Correctional Complex, about 35 miles north of Raleigh. He is in the section that houses low-security inmates.
Medford was convicted in May after accusations that he accepted more than $300,000 in bribes from illegal gambling operators over a dozen years as sheriff. Two of his captains and two lieutenants also were convicted.
The 63-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Medford had been held in an Irwin County, Ga., as federal officials decided where to send him.
Knock, Knock
Andy Panda from 1940
The other day I posted the first Woody Woodpecker cartoon ... that is not exactly true - it was the first one to feature Woody as the 'star' ... this one however is the first one in which Woody makes an appearance.
Cash-strapped states cut juvenile justice programs
State budget cuts are forcing some of the nation's youngest criminals out of counseling programs and group homes and into juvenile prisons in what critics contend is a shortsighted move that will eventually lead to more crime and higher costs.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia are among states that have slashed juvenile justice spending - in some cases more than 20 percent - because of slumping tax collections. Youth advocates say they expect the recession will bring more cuts next year in other states, hitting programs that try to rehabilitate children rather than simply locking them up.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia are among states that have slashed juvenile justice spending - in some cases more than 20 percent - because of slumping tax collections. Youth advocates say they expect the recession will bring more cuts next year in other states, hitting programs that try to rehabilitate children rather than simply locking them up.
Cruise passenger reported overboard near Cancun
Three Mexican Navy boats and a helicopter were searching the waters off the Caribbean resort of Cancun on Friday for an American woman who reportedly fell from a cruise ship.
A U.S. Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew using a Falcon jet halted its efforts to find 36-year-old Jennifer Feitz late Friday, but will resume Saturday morning using a larger C-130 aircraft, said Petty Officer Third Class Nick Ameen.
Feitz's husband reported her missing from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship just before 5 a.m. Friday.
Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement that by late Friday it had found no sign of Feitz and was having to deal with "adverse conditions" and strong waves in the search taking place just over 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Cancun.
"The search is being carried out for an American woman who fell into the sea from a cruise ship east of Isla Mujeres," an island just off the coast from Cancun, the statement said.
Norwegian Cruise Line says the ship left Sunday from Miami for a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.
A U.S. Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew using a Falcon jet halted its efforts to find 36-year-old Jennifer Feitz late Friday, but will resume Saturday morning using a larger C-130 aircraft, said Petty Officer Third Class Nick Ameen.
Feitz's husband reported her missing from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship just before 5 a.m. Friday.
Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement that by late Friday it had found no sign of Feitz and was having to deal with "adverse conditions" and strong waves in the search taking place just over 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Cancun.
"The search is being carried out for an American woman who fell into the sea from a cruise ship east of Isla Mujeres," an island just off the coast from Cancun, the statement said.
Norwegian Cruise Line says the ship left Sunday from Miami for a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.
Lawmakers demand probe of Mexico beauty pageants
Mexican congressmen called for a federal investigation of potential drug cartel ties to the nation's beauty pageants Friday after a 23-year-old beauty queen was arrested on suspicion of drug and weapons violations.
Congressional leaders warned that cartels may have infiltrated contests to launder money, and said a full investigation was needed.
To many, former preschool teacher Laura Zuniga, named Miss Sinaloa in the drug-plagued northern state's annual beauty contest, symbolizes declining ethics in Mexico.
"It is very sad. What we are seeing is a loss of values among young people," said Representative Juan Francisco Rivera, who heads the congressional public safety committee.
"There should be an investigation to get to the bottom of this, and make sure it (the pageant) is not linked to some type of crime.
A little late don't you think, Amigos.
If the pageants in Mexico are anything like the ones in the USA they are already so rife with corruption that criminal ties are a given.
Congressional leaders warned that cartels may have infiltrated contests to launder money, and said a full investigation was needed.
To many, former preschool teacher Laura Zuniga, named Miss Sinaloa in the drug-plagued northern state's annual beauty contest, symbolizes declining ethics in Mexico.
"It is very sad. What we are seeing is a loss of values among young people," said Representative Juan Francisco Rivera, who heads the congressional public safety committee.
"There should be an investigation to get to the bottom of this, and make sure it (the pageant) is not linked to some type of crime.
*****
A little late don't you think, Amigos.
If the pageants in Mexico are anything like the ones in the USA they are already so rife with corruption that criminal ties are a given.
Gene Selection
A woman is to give birth this week to the first baby in Britain which has been selected to be free of a gene which greatly increases the risk of breast cancer, experts said.
The 27-year-old woman, who wants to remain anonymous, decided to take the step because several of her husband's close female relatives suffered from breast cancer.
The baby grew from an embryo screened to make sure it did not contain the faulty BRCA 1 gene, which would have given it a 50 to 80 percent change of developing breast cancer.
Drug Combinations You Need to Avoid
Note to seniors (and anyone else) mixing prescriptions with painkillers and/or their favorite dietary supplements: Don't do it until you check with your doctor to make sure they don't interact to cause you harm.
A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that 1 in 25 people in their late 50s and older is risking dangerous drug interactions by mixing, for example, the blood thinner warfarin with garlic pills.
That's right, garlic pills are drugs. So, too, are potassium and niacin supplements. At least you should think of them that way, says study coauthor Stacy Tessler Lindau, an assistant professor of medicine-geriatrics at the University of Chicago School of Medicine.Anti-Aging Herbs and Spices
Among other things, the holidays are a time of national dysnutrition: the disease of excess.
Dysnutrition happens even in the most developed countries when food is plentiful but the overall diet is based on eating all the wrong balance of foods.
Sound familiar?
The typical American diet that is high in simple carbohydrates -- white flour, white salt, and processed food -- is aging us.
We are getting all the bulk without the nutrients, plus adding to our propensity for developing real food cravings.
So whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you can start to reverse aging by simply choosing to eat the right foods to keep you full of vim, vigor, and vitality, especially over the holidays.
Dysnutrition happens even in the most developed countries when food is plentiful but the overall diet is based on eating all the wrong balance of foods.
Sound familiar?
The typical American diet that is high in simple carbohydrates -- white flour, white salt, and processed food -- is aging us.
We are getting all the bulk without the nutrients, plus adding to our propensity for developing real food cravings.
So whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you can start to reverse aging by simply choosing to eat the right foods to keep you full of vim, vigor, and vitality, especially over the holidays.
Diabetic Health News
A new report suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month.
Toussie or not Toussie
The shrub has rescinded a pardon issued to Isaac Toussie, after it came to light that Toussie's father was a big-bucks donor to the repugicans in 2008.
The announcement of the pardon apparently wasn't the pardon itself, and thus the perpetually-incompetent cabal can plausibly take it back, but this article by an associate professor of law at Michigan State University suggests that the answer is a little vague and that Toussie has grounds to press for the pardon he was proffered.
The implications are, of course, much larger than Toussie's case -- some people are expecting some pretty outrageous pardons from the shrub in his last days, and the power to revoke pardons would be a heck of a handy tool for any Obama-era investigations of the cabal's crimes.
But more realistically, there's precious little to suggest that Obama's people have any interest in justice for the cabal's criminal junta, so none of this means much unless you're friend or family of Isaac Toussie. (see details at Concurring Opinions)
As the Toussie matter unfolded, the New York Times had nothing to say about Toussie's father's contributions to the repugicans, until long after bloggers brought it to the Times' attention. (details at Raw Story)
The announcement of the pardon apparently wasn't the pardon itself, and thus the perpetually-incompetent cabal can plausibly take it back, but this article by an associate professor of law at Michigan State University suggests that the answer is a little vague and that Toussie has grounds to press for the pardon he was proffered.
The implications are, of course, much larger than Toussie's case -- some people are expecting some pretty outrageous pardons from the shrub in his last days, and the power to revoke pardons would be a heck of a handy tool for any Obama-era investigations of the cabal's crimes.
But more realistically, there's precious little to suggest that Obama's people have any interest in justice for the cabal's criminal junta, so none of this means much unless you're friend or family of Isaac Toussie. (see details at Concurring Opinions)
As the Toussie matter unfolded, the New York Times had nothing to say about Toussie's father's contributions to the repugicans, until long after bloggers brought it to the Times' attention. (details at Raw Story)
No end to the gall and the stupidity
As if the rest of the world looks askance at us anyway ...
At the United Nations, America was the only nation to vote against food as a human right.
"The Bush administration, speaking for the U.S.A., therefore must consider it tolerable that 6 million children die every day -- children who could be fed if we weren't wasting billions on stealth fighters, littoral combat boondoggles and non-effective defense against non-existent ballistic missiles from Iran."
At the United Nations, America was the only nation to vote against food as a human right.
"The Bush administration, speaking for the U.S.A., therefore must consider it tolerable that 6 million children die every day -- children who could be fed if we weren't wasting billions on stealth fighters, littoral combat boondoggles and non-effective defense against non-existent ballistic missiles from Iran."
Details at Crooks & Liars.
GMAC gets the government's OK to become a bank
The Federal Reserve gave General Motors a crucial boost yesterday by approving a request from GMAC, which provides funding for most of the automaker's dealers and many of its customers, to become a bank holding company.
The move gives GMAC access to new sources of funding, including a potential infusion of taxpayer dollars from the Treasury Department and loans from the Fed itself.
Read the rest in the Washington Post.
Neighborhood geothermal experiment
When Douglas Worts learned that the City of Toronto was going to fix the pavement on his street, he knew what he had to do: he called his councilor to get it stopped.Worts has nothing against good roads. But he looks at his street – Laurier Ave. in the Parliament-Wellesley area – as more than a roadway.
He thinks it has the potential to heat and cool his house and others, by providing the footings for a geothermal heating system.
Now the city is interested in the idea, and has given $25,000 to Worts and his neighbours, through the Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents Association, to carry out a feasibility study.
Worts had never thought much about geothermal heating and cooling until he happened to hear that it was being considered for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa.
He talked up the idea at the Laurier street party in 2007, and some neighbours expressed interest.
He explained that down past the frost line, the Earth keeps a temperature that’s warmer than winter air and cooler than summer air.
Geothermal systems take advantage of that by pumping fluid through underground pipes to carry the seasonal warmth or coolness to the surface.
Last shot to avoid infamy
Cornerback Travis Fisher said he won't fly back to Detroit from Green Bay if the Lions somehow manage to find a way to beat the Packers on Sunday.
"If we win, I ain't catching the plane back home," he said with a laugh. "I'll walk back to Detroit."
Chances are, Fisher won't have to worry about making the 482-mile trek.
A loss would install the Lions in their very own NFL Hall of Shame as the league's first team to go 0-16 in a season. They're already the first to go 0-15. A win, of course, would be better, allowing Detroit the dubious distinction of becoming the ninth franchise to finish a season 1-15.
The last team to finish the season winless was the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an expansion franchise that went 0-14.
DIY Genetic Engineering
The Apple computer was invented in a garage. Same with the Google search engine. Now, tinkerers are working at home with the basic building blocks of life itself.
Using homemade lab equipment and the wealth of scientific knowledge available online, these hobbyists are trying to create new life forms through genetic engineering — a field long dominated by Ph.D.s toiling in university and corporate laboratories.
In her San Francisco dining room lab, for example, 31-year-old computer programmer Meredith L. Patterson is trying to develop genetically altered yogurt bacteria that will glow green to signal the presence of melamine, the chemical that turned Chinese-made baby formula and pet food deadly. […]
Co-founder Mackenzie Cowell, a 24-year-old who majored in biology in college, said amateurs will probably pursue serious work such as new vaccines and super-efficient biofuels, but they might also try, for example, to use squid genes to create tattoos that glow.
Cowell said such unfettered creativity could produce important discoveries.
“We should try to make science more sexy and more fun and more like a game,” he said.
Frendship
Friendship between Women:
A woman didn’t come home one night The next morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend’s house. The man called his wife’s 10 best friends. None of them knew anything about it.
Friendship between Men:
A man didn’t come home one night. The next morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend’s house. The woman called her husband’s 10 best friends, eight of which confirmed that he had slept over, and two said that he was still there.
A woman didn’t come home one night The next morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend’s house. The man called his wife’s 10 best friends. None of them knew anything about it.
Friendship between Men:
A man didn’t come home one night. The next morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend’s house. The woman called her husband’s 10 best friends, eight of which confirmed that he had slept over, and two said that he was still there.
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
You might be inspired to get up early and go to the post-season sales
They've lost it!
I am inspired to sleep in late and avoid the post-season sales
Damn, they're trying to commercialize everything - even horoscopes!
You might be inspired to get up early and go to the post-season sales
They've lost it!
I am inspired to sleep in late and avoid the post-season sales
Damn, they're trying to commercialize everything - even horoscopes!
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