From the "Not a very good idea, there buddy" Department:
Comparing net worth has become an obsession for people like Joey Kincer.
Also: 
Friday, May 14, 2010
It's The Economy Stupid
It's The Economy Stupid
The worst frequent-flier program could fulfill just 10.7% of requests for award seats.
Also: 
Without improvements in these key areas, most Americans won't feel the economic recovery.
Also: 
How companies dodge $60 billion in taxes
Hundreds of U.S. companies have figured out how to avoid paying taxes on profits.
You'd never know the country was in a recession based on these nine-figure asking prices.
Also: On The Job
On The Job
A man who lived off frequent flier miles and hotel points for months lands an impressive new gig.
Also: Campaign ads stir up tension, controversy
A sly dig and an eerily familiar scene add intrigue to a key Senate showdown.
Also: Worst-Case Thinking
Worst-case thinking means generally bad decision making for several reasons. First, it’s only half of the cost-benefit equation. Every decision has costs and benefits, risks and rewards. By speculating about what can possibly go wrong, and then acting as if that is likely to happen, worst-case thinking focuses only on the extreme but improbable risks and does a poor job at assessing outcomes.The other extreme is militant positive thinking. The modern condition seems to be a constant fluctuation between these two extremes: irrational fear and irrational optimism.
Second, it’s based on flawed logic. It begs the question by assuming that a proponent of an action must prove that the nightmare scenario is impossible.
Third, it can be used to support any position or its opposite. If we build a nuclear power plant, it could melt down. If we don’t build it, we will run short of power and society will collapse into anarchy. If we allow flights near Iceland’s volcanic ash, planes will crash and people will die. If we don’t, organs won’t arrive in time for transplant operations and people will die. If we don’t invade Iraq, Saddam Hussein might use the nuclear weapons he might have. If we do, we might destabilize the Middle East, leading to widespread violence and death.
Of course, not all fears are equal. Those that we tend to exaggerate are more easily justified by worst-case thinking. So terrorism fears trump privacy fears, and almost everything else; technology is hard to understand and therefore scary; nuclear weapons are worse than conventional weapons; our children need to be protected at all costs; and annihilating the planet is bad. Basically, any fear that would make a good movie plot is amenable to worst-case thinking.
Suckers Continue to Be Born Every Minute as Pastor Ted Haggard Starts a New Church
Ted Haggard is back. The disgraced former pastor and his loyal wife Gayle (her new book is out on why she stayed with him) have incorporated a new church -- sort of.A new church incorporation in Colorado Springs tends to pass unnoticed. After all, there are some 500 churches in the area.
But an incorporation last week stands out because it was done by none other than Ted and Gayle Haggard.
The Haggards give their home address on Old Ranch Road as the site of their new church, which they call St. James. The name is a nod to the passage “faith without works is dead” in the Book of James.
Ted Haggard said Tuesday that St. James was incorporated “to keep the accounting in order” of the paid talks they’ve given for about a year and a half at evangelical churches across the country. The Haggards incur out-of-pocket expenses while on the road, so St. James is a way to be reimbursed for those costs in an orderly manner, he said.
But Haggard doesn’t rule out the possibility that St. James will become in the future a bona fide church with a members roll and choir.
“Sometime, somewhere we will do some type of ministry,” Haggard said.
Interest in Haggard’s ministry plans have been high ever since he and his family returned to Colorado Springs in June 2008.
The Haggards had been living for months in other states due to an agreement he reached with board members at New Life Church at the time of Haggard’s sex scandal in November 2006. Among the stipulations that Haggard agreed to were to resign as senior pastor of the church he founded 25 years ago and leave Colorado Springs, according to Haggard.
Haggard laid low about his Springs ministry plans until November 2009, when he held a prayer meeting at his home that he also referred to as a church gathering. A week later, he held another prayer meeting, this time in his barn.
Because of the crush of people attending, more than 100 people for each meeting, Haggard realized he would need to rent space to accommodate everyone, he said. But he wasn’t ready to do that. So he suspended gatherings through the holidays and focused again on his and Gayle’s weekly itinerant church talks.
Former New Life member Richard Tegtmeier said Tuesday that if the Haggards offer future St. James gatherings, he’ll be there.
“Ted is a very effective teacher,” Tegtmeier said. “The extreme difficulty he’s been through has deepened and enriched his life.”
It's Only The Environment After All
It's Only The Environment After All
It's been 3 weeks since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, but much of the oil still hasn't been seen on the coast.
Also: Tar balls wash up on Gulf shores
Blobs of tar as big as 8 inches across have some worried about the impact on beach tourism.
Also: Unexpected benefits of exercise
Being active can boost your immune system, improve your vocabulary, and even help your teeth.
Also: Controversy prevents teen sailing record
Jessica Watson's epic solo trip around the world is coming to a successful end.
Also: Original 'Law & Order' series canceled
The blockbuster show ends after 20 years, as another version of the franchise is announced.
Also:
Cop's name triggers legal nightmare
Igor Groysman says he's been hounded over a huge debt owed by a man with the same name.
Also: Chef hurls meat cleaver at fleeing thief, nails him in the back
A chef at a Stockholm restaurant rushed out of his kitchen on Thursday afternoon and threw a meat cleaver at a departing thief as his restaurant was robbed for the second time in a week.
Teacher sacked after being filmed beating student
Sherri Davis, a science teacher at Jamie's House Charter School in Houston, backed 13-year-old Isaiah Johnson into a corner and began beating him while his classmates watched. Janiqua Johnson, one of Isaiah's classmates, filmed the attack on her mobile phone. In the footage, Ms Davis cane be seen dragging Isaiah across the floor before kicking and slapping him.
The video shows that the children initially thought that Ms Davis was joking with the boy after he teased a female classmate. At the beginning of the video the children laugh and clap, but the laughter stops abruptly when Ms Davis starts hitting the boy.
Janiqua said that the teacher "snapped". "She just started beating him up," Janiqua Johnson said. "His behaviour may have been bad but he didn't deserve that," she said. Ms Davis was placed on administrative leave when school officials learned of the incident, but was fired when officials saw the video.
Isaiah's mother Alesha Johnson said the video was now in the hands of Harris County Sheriff's investigators and she has filed criminal charges. She said: "I'm horrified. I just can't believe something like that would happen to my child."
The video shows that the children initially thought that Ms Davis was joking with the boy after he teased a female classmate. At the beginning of the video the children laugh and clap, but the laughter stops abruptly when Ms Davis starts hitting the boy.
Janiqua said that the teacher "snapped". "She just started beating him up," Janiqua Johnson said. "His behaviour may have been bad but he didn't deserve that," she said. Ms Davis was placed on administrative leave when school officials learned of the incident, but was fired when officials saw the video.
Isaiah's mother Alesha Johnson said the video was now in the hands of Harris County Sheriff's investigators and she has filed criminal charges. She said: "I'm horrified. I just can't believe something like that would happen to my child."
Six-year-old handcuffed at school
A New Orleans elementary school is under fire after a 6-year-old student was handcuffed by an armed security guard on campus.
Ja'Brieil Weston, a first grader at Sarah T. Reed School, was handcuffed after getting into a fight in the lunchroom. His parents say Ja'Briel's feet were also cuffed.
The school district issued a statement stating they are investigating the incident.
The family said Ja-Briel was suspended after his father complained at a meeting last Friday.
Ja'Brieil Weston, a first grader at Sarah T. Reed School, was handcuffed after getting into a fight in the lunchroom. His parents say Ja'Briel's feet were also cuffed.
The school district issued a statement stating they are investigating the incident.
The family said Ja-Briel was suspended after his father complained at a meeting last Friday.
Woman arrested after taking toddler to jail in handcuffs
An Albuquerque mother was arrested for child abuse after police said she left a pair of toy handcuffs tightly attached to her son's leg for 24 hours. Monique Garcia, 19, and her baby boy went to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque to visit her husband on Sunday. Deputies said when she got there she asked a deputy if he had a key that would unlock some plastic handcuffs on her son's leg.
"The child's leg, foot was turning purple and losing circulation," Tommy Trujillo, Deputy Chief of Security at MDC, said. According to a criminal complaint, Garcia's friend, who was watching the child on Saturday, put the toy cuffs on the boy because he was being fussy. 24 hours later, when Garcia was at MDC for her visit, jail staff told her they did not have a key that worked on the cuffs. They advised Garcia to the hospital immediately to get her son examined.
Garcia did not go to the hospital and instead took a seat in the jail waiting room to visit her husband. "She was more concerned about getting the visit she came out here for instead of taking her child for emergency care," Trujillo said. Once deputies saw Garcia was not going to get help, she was arrested for child abuse while an ambulance came to remove the cuffs and check on the boy.
Emergency crews had to cut off the toy handcuffs, according to deputies. According to the criminal complain, Monique Garcia told police she did not call them on Saturday when she saw the cuffs on her son because, "she is not a police person". Garcia is still behind bars on a $100,000 bond.
"The child's leg, foot was turning purple and losing circulation," Tommy Trujillo, Deputy Chief of Security at MDC, said. According to a criminal complaint, Garcia's friend, who was watching the child on Saturday, put the toy cuffs on the boy because he was being fussy. 24 hours later, when Garcia was at MDC for her visit, jail staff told her they did not have a key that worked on the cuffs. They advised Garcia to the hospital immediately to get her son examined.
Garcia did not go to the hospital and instead took a seat in the jail waiting room to visit her husband. "She was more concerned about getting the visit she came out here for instead of taking her child for emergency care," Trujillo said. Once deputies saw Garcia was not going to get help, she was arrested for child abuse while an ambulance came to remove the cuffs and check on the boy.
Emergency crews had to cut off the toy handcuffs, according to deputies. According to the criminal complain, Monique Garcia told police she did not call them on Saturday when she saw the cuffs on her son because, "she is not a police person". Garcia is still behind bars on a $100,000 bond.
Odds and Sods
Odds and Sods
In Cop News
Philadelphia cop is charged with terrorist threats, stalking, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment
People take their ketchup very seriously, and for many only one brand will do, the one that was born in Pittsburgh more than 150 years ago.
A warring Welsh couple were given a court asbo order in a bid to stop them arguing in their own home, The Sun reported Thursday.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Cupid is sometimes too cautious for your liking.
You can't just strut up to him out of nowhere and demand that he shoots the object of your affections just to power up your love life!
For now, try just acting nonchalant and totally unconcerned with what happens next.
The more frantically you seem to want love, the less likely it is to come your way right now.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Milano, Lombardia, Italy
San Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
leicester, England, United Kingdom
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
London, England, United Kingdom
Karlskrona, Blekinge Lan, Sweden
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Vigo, Galicia, Spain
as well as the Czech Republic, and the United States in such cities as Bossier City, Fairpoint, Shrewsbury, South Bend, Twin Falls and more
Today is Thursday, May 13, the 133rd day of 2010.
There are 232 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:
Frog Jumping Day
and
Root Canal Appreciation Day
Frog Jumping Day
and
Root Canal Appreciation Day
As The World Turns
As The World Turns
Swedish Cartoonist Object of Attempted AttackThe Swedish cartoonist whose depiction of the prophet Mohammed as a dog has elicited death threats was the object of an attempted attack Tuesday at Sweden's Uppsala University, police said.
An eye-catching kiosk in the Emirates Palace turns cash into 24-carat gold bars and coins.
Also: 
The country's infamous poppy harvest is set for a drastic fall, but no one fully understands why.
Also: 
A rebel general who was shot while talking to a reporter becomes a symbol of the chaos.
Also: Indian minister says eunuch regiment needed to protect borders
A regiment of eunuchs should be established to guard India's borders and leading politicians, a state minister said on Tuesday, citing their "loyalty and integrity". "In my humble opinion, if eunuchs are engaged in policing or paramilitary forces they would do a better service to the nation," said Tako Dabi, home minister of the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Mr Dabi sent a letter to Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram to offer his idea for the improved defense of the country. "Why can't there be a separate regiment of eunuch community in our country?" he wrote in the letter. "This community would discharge their duties effectively on international borders if enough scope is created for them."
In India, the term "eunuch" is mostly used to refer to cross-dressers and pre- and post-operative transsexuals. Indian eunuchs are severely marginalised and, unable to gets jobs, rely on begging and the sex trade for income. They also attend weddings and births uninvited, as many people believe it is inauspicious to turn them away without giving them money.
Mr Dabi, speaking in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh - which has a long border with China - said that during the Mugal empire, castrated eunuchs had often been employed to guard harems. Eunuchs last year won the right to be recognised as "others", rather than male or female, on electoral rolls and voter identity cards. Mr Dabi is known for his original ideas. In March he defended policemen who consumed alcohol on duty, saying it gave them extra energy.
Family killed as home swallowed up by giant sinkhole in Quebec
A French-Canadian family were killed when their home fell into a giant sinkhole during a freak landslide in Quebec on Monday.
The four members of the Préfontaines family – including two children aged about 9 and 11 – were watching an ice hockey game on television when the earth suddenly gave way and engulfed their home, on a cliff overlooking the Yamaska River.
Authorities said that the family had been in the basement lounge area cheering on their favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens, when the accident occurred.
Rescuers frantically dug through the night to look for survivors, however the bodies of Richard Préfontaines, his wife and their children, were found late yesterday.
“They were found very close to one another, some of them lying on the couch in the family room in the basement,” said Michel Doré, Quebec’s emergency management co-ordinator.
The family’s pet dog was found earlier, alive and tied to a tree in the mud. The golden retriever, named Foxy, was so weak it was initially thought to be dead, however it is expected to fully recover.
Deadly plane crash leaves sole survivor
Dozens of people are reported dead after an airliner crashes in Libya, but a 10-year-old is found alive.
Also: 
When you need one
A hero isn't hard to find ...
But then, a customer from the back of the store, snuck up behind the suspect and smashed a beer bottle over his head. The suspect ran for it, but fired multiple times hitting the hero, who is in his 60s, four times causing injuries to his legs, shoulder and head.
People in the store say he's a real hero and saved their lives. "He is a hero. He didn't have to do that. He could have walked right out of the store," the clerk said. "He's a hero and I just want to hug and kiss him."
The man who was shot is believed to have been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Elderly have-a-go hero shot four times after smashing beer bottle over armed robber's head
A heroic act potentially saves the life of a store clerk but the hero is shot in exchange for his bravery and it's all caught on camera. A gunman was demanding money from a clerk at a gas station in Caroline County, Virginia, and even fired twice at the clerk's feet.But then, a customer from the back of the store, snuck up behind the suspect and smashed a beer bottle over his head. The suspect ran for it, but fired multiple times hitting the hero, who is in his 60s, four times causing injuries to his legs, shoulder and head.
People in the store say he's a real hero and saved their lives. "He is a hero. He didn't have to do that. He could have walked right out of the store," the clerk said. "He's a hero and I just want to hug and kiss him."
The man who was shot is believed to have been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Hemp isn't just for hippies anymore
It's durable.
It's versatile.
And when it's used in textiles, it's easier on the environment than, say, cotton.
Is it possible to dine out politely with kids?
Is there any hatred more vile and seething than that reserved for parents and young children by people not in the mood?
In cities, particularly, it becomes turf war: small spaces and bulky bourgeois baby-care accouterments really don't mix.
In cities, particularly, it becomes turf war: small spaces and bulky bourgeois baby-care accouterments really don't mix.
Family Butler Given $10 Million Inheritance
For 35 years Indra Tamang was a faithful servant to a family inside the venerable Dakota co-op.
When the owners passed away they left him two apartments and an art collection valued at $10 million.
When the owners passed away they left him two apartments and an art collection valued at $10 million.
Upping the cute factor
White otters born at aquarium
A pair of extremely rare white otter cubs seen scampering about at a tourist attraction are believed to be the first to be born in captivity in Britain. The creatures, noticeably paler than normal cubs, took keepers at the Blue Planet Aquarium by surprise. The pair are part of a litter of three baby Asian short-claw otters born at the Cheshire tourist attraction at the end of March. But it was only when they started appearing outside of their holt that keepers noticed their unusual coloring.
Exhibits manager Tom Cornwell said: ''Normally the cubs, like their parents, are dark brown in color so it came as a major surprise to see these two tiny white cubs running around. We've been doing some checking but it would appear that this is a very rare occurrence indeed.
''There were sightings of a wild albino otter up in Scotland last year, but this is the first time we've seen anything like this in captivity in the UK.'' The cubs are believed to have leucism, which is a rare condition in which the animal's fur develops without its natural pigment.
Baby reindeer is first to be born in England for 800 years
Staff at a country park have celebrated the arrival of this baby reindeer which became the first born in England – for 800 years.
The baby reindeer – nicknamed Blue – is the first born in the country since the animals were hunted to extinction in 13th century.
Blue is the first young born to a herd of one male and five females imported from Scandinavia to the Trevarno Estate near Helston, Cornwall.
Last Broadway Ziegfeld Follies Girl Dies At 106
Doris Travis was one of the legendary Ziegfeld Follies Girls.
Early 1900s in Color
Pagan police get right to take festivals as holiday
Police officers have been given the right to take days off to dance naked on the solstices, celebrate fertility rituals and burn Yule logs if they profess pagan beliefs.
The Pagan Police Association claimed yesterday that it had been recognized by the Home Office as a “diversity staff support association” — a status also enjoyed by groups representing female, black, gay, Muslim and disabled officers.
Endorsement would mean that chief constables could not refuse a pagan officer’s request to take feast days as part of his or her annual leave. The eight pagan festivals include Imbolc (the feast of lactating sheep), Lammas (the harvest festival) and the Summer Solstice (when mead drinking and naked dancing are the order of the day).
Problematically, the pagan festivals also include Samhain (known to non-pagans as Hallowe’en), a day when police leave is often canceled because of the high incidence of vandalism, violence and antisocial behavior.
The Pagan Police Association claimed yesterday that it had been recognized by the Home Office as a “diversity staff support association” — a status also enjoyed by groups representing female, black, gay, Muslim and disabled officers.
Endorsement would mean that chief constables could not refuse a pagan officer’s request to take feast days as part of his or her annual leave. The eight pagan festivals include Imbolc (the feast of lactating sheep), Lammas (the harvest festival) and the Summer Solstice (when mead drinking and naked dancing are the order of the day).
Problematically, the pagan festivals also include Samhain (known to non-pagans as Hallowe’en), a day when police leave is often canceled because of the high incidence of vandalism, violence and antisocial behavior.
Sobering reality of America's drug war
Sobering reality of America's drug war
After 40 years and $1 trillion, the U.S. war on drugs has met none of its goals.
Also: Thieves steal Ohio hearse, dump corpse, leave note
A corpse was taken for a ride in Cleveland, then dumped by thieves who stole a crematory's hearse and abandoned it with a note telling police where to find the body.
In Matters Of Health
In Matters Of Health
Because the viruses aren't known to cause disease in humans, the vaccine's benefits still outweigh its risks, say US regulators
Certain heartburn medicines can increase the risk of infections and bone fractures.
Also: On The Job
On The Job
Video resumés gain in popularity
Low-cost video tools are changing how people get hired or admitted to college.
Also: 
These under-the-radar issues may be preventing employers from taking you seriously.
Also: 
Millions of unemployed workers are unlikely to ever find positions in their fields, experts say.
Also: 
The Wizard of Id
Shoe
Things They Won't tell You
Things They Won't tell You
Some of these moves could leave you vulnerable to identity thieves, or even worse.
Also: 
The difference between certified financial planners and standard stockbrokers may surprise you.
Also: Oh, for the love of technology
Wayward satellite may black out cable TV
A communications satellite thousands of miles above Earth could spoil reception for some viewers.
Also:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
