Atlantic City's proposal is meant to remove squatters from its streets and public spaces.
Also: 
Monday, May 2, 2011
Gretzky's NHL rookie card auctioned for $94,163
Odds and Sods
A female German jogger was recovering with only minor injuries Monday after she managed to fight off a crazed deer by putting it into a headlock, daily newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reported.
Signs You May Be A Redneck
The most common phrase heard in your house is, "Somebody go jiggle the handle."Your best shoes have numbers on the heels.
Your dog passes gas and you claim it.
You see a sign that says "Just Say No To Crack!" and it reminds you to pull up your jeans.
You've ever asked a widow for her telephone number at the funeral home.
You come back from the dump with more than you took.
You consider a six pack of Pabst and a bug-zapper quality entertainment.
Your dog and your wallet are both on a chain.
You think "six to ten pounds" on the side of the Pampers box means how much the diaper will hold.
Your lawn furniture used to be your living room furniture.
You've ever "hit on" somebody in a V.D. clinic.
Windfarms paid extra cash to stop producing energy
Six Scottish windfarms were paid up to £300,000 to stop producing energy. The turbines, at a range of sites across Scotland, were stopped because the grid network could not absorb all the energy they generated. Details of the payments emerged following research by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF).
The REF said energy companies were paid £900,000 to halt the turbines for several hours between 5 and 6 April. According to the REF research, the payments made cost up to 20 times the value of the electricity that would have been generated if the turbines had kept running. Dr Lee Moroney, planning director for the REF, which has criticized subsidies to the renewable sector in the past, said:
"The variability of wind power poses grid management problems for which there are no cheap solutions. However, throwing the energy away, and paying wind farms handsomely for doing so, is not only costly but obviously very wasteful. Government must rethink the scale and pace of wind power development before the costs of managing it become intolerable and the scale of the waste scandalous."
The National Grid said the network had overloaded because high winds and heavy rain in Scotland overnight on 5 and 6 April produced more wind energy than it could use. A spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), described the incident as "unusual" and said more electrical storage was needed.
The REF said energy companies were paid £900,000 to halt the turbines for several hours between 5 and 6 April. According to the REF research, the payments made cost up to 20 times the value of the electricity that would have been generated if the turbines had kept running. Dr Lee Moroney, planning director for the REF, which has criticized subsidies to the renewable sector in the past, said:
"The variability of wind power poses grid management problems for which there are no cheap solutions. However, throwing the energy away, and paying wind farms handsomely for doing so, is not only costly but obviously very wasteful. Government must rethink the scale and pace of wind power development before the costs of managing it become intolerable and the scale of the waste scandalous."
The National Grid said the network had overloaded because high winds and heavy rain in Scotland overnight on 5 and 6 April produced more wind energy than it could use. A spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), described the incident as "unusual" and said more electrical storage was needed.
Pain and itch connected down deep
A new study of itch adds to growing evidence that the chemical signals that make us want to scratch are the same signals that make us wince in pain.
The interactions between itch and pain are only partly understood …
Tornado victims wary of aid
Despite suffering, some illegal immigrants are reluctant to seek help for fear of deportation.
Also: Bad Cops
Ohio chief deputy charged with rape, gross sexual imposition, endangering a child and kidnapping
Michigan deputy charged with forgery, theft
New York police officer pleads guilty to 100 armed robberies, stealing 250 kilograms of cocaine and $1M
Off duty New York cops guilty in attack on motorist
Denver deputy behind bars for sexual assault on a child
Georgia police officers accused of excessive force in melee at IHOP
Missouri city pays $130K to settle police brutality lawsuit
North Carolina sheriff's detective charged with molesting a child; fired by department
Ohio police detective arrested on felony charge
Florida police mistakenly raid judge's home and order family out of house at gunpoint during Easter dinner
Seattle police officer informs handcuffed suspect that "I'm going to beat the f*cking Mexican piss out of you, homey" and delivers as promised
Veteran Indiana police officer accused of stealing from drivers during traffic stops
Alleged illegal searches by NYPD may be increasing marijuana arrests
Former North Carolina local law enforcement officer arrested for sexually abusing his own child
California sheriff's deputy arrested on suspicion of having sex with an underage girl
Louisiana sheriff's deputy charged with assault, battery
California deputy charged with domestic violence
Justice Dept. probe of Seattle Police aided by self-incriminating SPD video, court evidence
Lunatic Fringe
Michele 'Batshit Crazy' Bachmann Implies The Holocaust, Taxation, Are Analogous to Each Other
Michele Bachmann has been accused of being off the deep end before, but her latest statement is bound to cause a lot of flak: on Sunday's she used the Holocaust as an analogy when speaking about taxes.
Even the Holocaust deniers are shaking their heads in disbelief at that one!
Texas repugicans approve tax cuts for yachts over $250,000
It's especially curious since most of those yachts are now built in China.
Why do Texas repugicans want to encourage new business in China as opposed to in the USA?
Obviously they hate America.
Why do Texas repugicans want to encourage new business in China as opposed to in the USA?
Obviously they hate America.
The Texas House Ways and Means Committee has approved a tax break for those who want to buy yachts costing $250,000 or more.
In a vote late Thursday, the committee approved a bill by Houston repugican John Davis. The proposed law would cap the maximum sales tax the state would collect on the sale of a personal boat.
Davis says the measure is needed because Florida has a similar law and boat buyers are going there to make their purchases. The measure passed on an 8-3 vote along party lines.
Why Is Damning New Evidence About Monsanto's Most Widely Used Herbicide Being Silenced?
Good question, that ...
It turns out that Monsanto's Roundup herbicide might not be nearly as safe as people have thought, but the media is staying mum on the revelation.
It turns out that Monsanto's Roundup herbicide might not be nearly as safe as people have thought, but the media is staying mum on the revelation.
Tech company's value explodes
Close to oblivion 14 years ago, this company is now the world's second most valuable.
Also: Ways to become a millionaire
Delaying retirement by just a couple of years could help you hit the mark.
Also: McDonalds Hires 62,000
Turns Away Over 938,000 Applicants For Minimum Wage, Part-Time Jobs
The "good" news: McDonald's hired 62,000 people at an employment event, which was 24 percent more than they planned. The bad news: More than more than one million people applied for the jobs, which means at least 938,000 applicants were turned down.
Rooftop Urban Farm Brings Fresh Local Produce To Montreal All Year Round
Image credit Lufa Farms
Lufa Farms founder Mohamed Hage was complaining about how hard it was to get decent fresh food in Montreal in winter, that it is "handled, packaged, shipped, stored, refrigerated and reshipped perhaps dozens of times before it could appear on our dinner plates." Especially in a Montreal winter. Now, after four years of work, he has built a 31,000 square foot farm under glass on a rooftop and is supplying fresh food within 24 hours of harvesting.I have been dismissive of vertical farms, but rooftop farms like this just might make sense.
Article continues: Rooftop Urban Farm Brings Fresh Local Produce To Montreal All Year Round
Morocco Timber Mafia Threatens Water Supply By Felling Cedars
photo: ankakay/Creative Commons
Echoes of what contributed to catastrophic flooding in Pakistan last summer: Illegal logging by a timber mafia ("a cedar mafia, an organized mafia") is felling so many of Morocco's iconic cedar trees that the nation's water supply is threatened due to erosion.The 6 Most Terrifying Historical Car Races
People love a race.They began to race cars before any of the kinks in such an undertaking were worked out.
Consider the 1903 Paris to Madrid road race:
As a result of the constant, unremitting horror that unfolded on the first day, the race officials just drew a new finish line in Bordeaux.
Given the nascence of car manufacturing, not many people understood yet the inherent danger of traveling that fast in a wood and steel shell filled with explosives. All day, cars crashed into trees, burst into flames, careened into groups of spectators or just straight up disintegrated. Out of all the hundreds of racers that started, more than half crashed out in that first day, at least eight people died including one of the founders of Renault.
But that was just one race.
Things got considerably worse in the next, when locals shot at passing vehicles!
Read all six stories at Cracked.
Ten spots that could disappear
Peru’s lush rainforests and the Maldives islands are some of the world's most unique sites.
Also: 
Cockfighting Ring Busted At Kid's Party
Police busted a cockfighting ring in Texas that was using a children's party as its front, officials said Sunday.Manul - The Cat That Time Forgot
Have you ever wanted to take a trip through time to see what animals looked like millions of years ago? When it comes to cats there is little or no need. This beautiful specimen is a Manul, otherwise known as Pallas's Cat.
About twelve million years ago it was one of the first two modern cats to evolve and it hasn't changed since. The other species, Martelli's Cat, is extinct so what you are looking at here is a unique window in to the past of modern cats.
Tourist's lucky escape from bear in China
A tourist looking for wildlife in China's northwestern Xinjiang Province got more than he bargained for when a brown bear charged at his car.
The man, Mr. Quan, had spotted the wild animal by the side of the road and started filming it when the bear suddenly rushed towards him, but he managed to close the window in time.
Quan said that he and his friends at first thought the bear was a Tibetan Mastiff dog wandering on the grassland.
Local officials in charge of wildlife protection in Emin County said that it was very unusual to see a bear wandering so close to the road in the daytime.
The man, Mr. Quan, had spotted the wild animal by the side of the road and started filming it when the bear suddenly rushed towards him, but he managed to close the window in time.
Quan said that he and his friends at first thought the bear was a Tibetan Mastiff dog wandering on the grassland.
Local officials in charge of wildlife protection in Emin County said that it was very unusual to see a bear wandering so close to the road in the daytime.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:How well do you know your ancestors?
Understanding where you came from will help you understand where you can go.
Try an Internet search to satisfy your curiosity.
Who knows?
You might discover that you have a knack for genealogy and may want to start working on a family tree.
Older members of your family are a great resource, so why not drop them a line to catch up?
Find out how they lived when they were your age.
You'll have a great time comparing notes.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Brescia, Lombardia, Itly
London, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Brescia, Lombardia, Itly
London, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland
and in cities across the United States such as Rio Rico, Gowrie, Virginia Beach, San Jose and more.
and in cities across the United States such as Rio Rico, Gowrie, Virginia Beach, San Jose and more.
Today is:
Today is Sunday, May 1, the 122nd day of 2011.
There are 233 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:
Lei Day
May Day
Penguin Day
World Laughter Day
and
Mother Goose Day.
It is also the Beltane Festival!
May Day
Penguin Day
World Laughter Day
and
Mother Goose Day.
It is also the Beltane Festival!
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
Did you know ...
Did Ye Know that on this day, May 1st, 1707, the Act of Union between Scotland and England came into force.
Scottish church bells played the tune "Why am I so Sad on my Wedding Day?" - the Union was brought about in spite of opposition by the majority of Scots.
Scottish church bells played the tune "Why am I so Sad on my Wedding Day?" - the Union was brought about in spite of opposition by the majority of Scots.
Can Psychedelic Politics Ride Out The Coming Storm?
Sudden storm.
Image credit:Flickr, allspice1, "...entry into the Leave It To Me Challenge #30."
The radical right has been fighting a successful culture war against all things 60's and 70's. Earth day and its legislative outcomes are under especially intense attack, for example. An hallucinatory contact high among these Warriors has them attempting to spin the clock back far enough to re-ignite a Cuyahoga River fire, thereby reconstituting 1969 unemployment levels (approximately 3.5%). Fabulous bit of magical thinking, eh? Article continues: Can Psychedelic Politics Ride Out The Coming Storm?
Buffett admits to 'big mistake'
The CEO shoulders some blame for the way his top lieutenant handled company business.
Also: President Obama keeps up push to end gas, oil tax breaks
President Barack Obama says oil companies are profiting from rising pump prices and he wants Congress to end $4 billion in annual tax breaks for the oil and gas industry. 
Three Ways To Save Medicare Paul Ryan Doesn't Want You To Know About
Across the country, Main Street Americans are speaking out against the repugican budget plan that would effectively end Medicare
Failure to raise debt ceiling "asinine"
Warren Buffett said he expects the Congress to raise the nation's debt ceiling before it expires in mid-May, and said it would be that body's "most asinine act" ever if it failed.
And with the most aisnine gaggle of lunatic fringe kooks ever in congress it's even money they'll do the most asinine thing possible.
PSN users see fraudulent credit card use, despite Sony assurances
Although admitting that personal information was stolen during the PlayStation Network (PSN) and Qriocity, Sony has said 1) that it is unsure if any credit card data was stolen, and 2) that even if they had been, the numbers were encrypted.
However, a number of PSN users are coming forward, saying they have seen fraudulent charges on the credit cards they have linked to their PSN accounts, damning evidence against Sony's statements.
However, a number of PSN users are coming forward, saying they have seen fraudulent charges on the credit cards they have linked to their PSN accounts, damning evidence against Sony's statements.
Credit Card Overuse Changes Consumer Expectations
Many consumers who are heavy spenders are more likely to believe that items they purchase will make them happier.
Family budget cuts off limits
One work-at-home mom believes her relationships are more important than trimming costs.
Also: 
Unusual causes of bad moods
Your bedroom lighting or anticipation of an upcoming party can leave you feeling edgy.
Also: Yemen dictator refusing to sign exit document
Dictators always have a hard time moving on. That's why they were dictators in the first place.
Al Jazeera:
Al Jazeera:
The Yemeni president has refused to sign a Gulf Arab-led agreement to give up power in exchange for legal immunity, sources say.
Saturday's development was a new blow to efforts to mediate the months-old crisis between Ali Abdullah Saleh and demonstrators inspired by protests sweeping through the Arab region to demand his overthrow.
Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani, secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which brokered the agreement, had flown to the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday to urge Saleh to sign the deal.
Instead, he met high-level leaders of Saleh's governing political party and parliamentary bloc, where he was informed that Saleh had some reservations over the deal.
Gadhafi's son killed by missle
Libyan officials say Seif al-Arab Gadhafi, Moammar's youngest son, was killed by a NATO missle.
Also: 
Police discover hidden arsenal in Ciudad Juarez
An arsenal containing grenades, grenade launchers, assault riffles and other high-powered weapons are stored inside a basement warehouse in the city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Friday April 29, 2011.Inmate injured trying to separate guards fighting over food
Well, now, that's a twist on the old prison fight story ...
The Erie County Sheriff's department is investigating what they admit is an embarrassing incident involving two correctional officers in the Yankee Building at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. Undersheriff Mark Wipperman confirmed that a fight between the two jailers took place last Thursday, and an inmate who tried to break up the fight was injured in the process.
Wipperman identifies the Corrections Officers as Lawrence Mule, a 26-year member of the force and James Conlin, for 29-years. Wipperman would only say the fight happened over food dissemination. "Quite frankly I don't care if it was a bag of chips, a candy bar, romaine noodles. This conduct should never of happened and will never be tolerated. Never," said Wipperman.
The Undersheriff describes the inmate who got involved as a "Trustee." The inmate told investigators the only reason why he intervened was because he didn't want to see either men lose their jobs.
Wipperman said: "I'm totally embarrassed. Quite frankly I'm very upset that I'm even having this conversation. I really feel bad for the men and women, the vast majority of them who come in the correctional facility and the holding center everyday and do a great job." Wipperman would not discuss the type of injury the inmate suffered, only to say that he was taken to the infirmary at the Corrections Facility, then to ECMC before returning back to jail.
The Erie County Sheriff's department is investigating what they admit is an embarrassing incident involving two correctional officers in the Yankee Building at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. Undersheriff Mark Wipperman confirmed that a fight between the two jailers took place last Thursday, and an inmate who tried to break up the fight was injured in the process.
Wipperman identifies the Corrections Officers as Lawrence Mule, a 26-year member of the force and James Conlin, for 29-years. Wipperman would only say the fight happened over food dissemination. "Quite frankly I don't care if it was a bag of chips, a candy bar, romaine noodles. This conduct should never of happened and will never be tolerated. Never," said Wipperman.
The Undersheriff describes the inmate who got involved as a "Trustee." The inmate told investigators the only reason why he intervened was because he didn't want to see either men lose their jobs.
Wipperman said: "I'm totally embarrassed. Quite frankly I'm very upset that I'm even having this conversation. I really feel bad for the men and women, the vast majority of them who come in the correctional facility and the holding center everyday and do a great job." Wipperman would not discuss the type of injury the inmate suffered, only to say that he was taken to the infirmary at the Corrections Facility, then to ECMC before returning back to jail.
Adverse changes in sleep duration are associated with lower cognitive scores in middle-aged adults
A study in the May 1 issue of the journal Sleep describes how changes in sleep that occur over a five-year period in late middle age affect cognitive function in later life.
Oregon woman wakes from surgery with British accent
When Karen Butler came out of sedation after oral surgery a year and a half ago, her mouth throbbed and her face was puffy.
Daring cliff-jump as skier saw it
A daring stunt in the Alps becomes even wilder viewed through the helmet camera of a jumper.
Also: Grandma Selling Suicide Kit on the Web
After watching her husband die a slow, painful death from colon cancer, a 91-year-old grandma named "Charlotte" is selling suicide kit on the Internet:Charlotte makes the kits -- which cost buyers $60 -- by taking large plastic bags and sewing soft elastic bands around the opening. There is a slot in the bag for a plastic tube carrying helium gas to be inserted. Helium -- when inhaled in its pure form -- is deadly. Kit users are responsible for securing their own helium gas.
"If heaven is so wonderful, you know you'd naturally want to go there, wouldn't you?" said Charlotte.
Charlotte's story came to light because of the recent death of 29-year-old Nick Klonoski.
The Oregon man ordered one of Charlotte's kits and took his life in December 2010. Since then, his family has spoken out against Charlotte's business and now an Oregon lawmaker has put forward a bill to make selling the kits a felony in the state.
Charlotte, however, said caring for people in great pain is what motivates her to do what she does.
Charlotte's business is legal in California, but people are questioning the ethics.
Charity shop sold little boy's scooter when he left it outside
A mix-up at a charity shop saw a child’s mini scooter get sold while he and his mother were still in the shop. Carine Siebert had left her son Gael's scooter outside while they browsed the Shaw Trust shop in Thame, Oxfordshire, only to come back and find it had been sold for just £3.
Shop staff admitted the error but still made Carine pay for the goods she was buying while the scooter was being sold. She said: “We went in as normal and left the little scooter outside, which costs about £50, but when we came out there was no scooter.
“The lady looked a bit worried and said to us - ‘I think I made a mistake’. They said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do to help me out. I went around town looking for it but I couldn’t see anyone walking about with a scooter.”
A poster has been put in the shop asking for the scooter to be returned for a refund and Carine is also appealing to whoever purchased it to bring it back. She said: “I just don’t really know what to do now, I hope the person who bought it will see the mistake and bring it back.”
Shop staff admitted the error but still made Carine pay for the goods she was buying while the scooter was being sold. She said: “We went in as normal and left the little scooter outside, which costs about £50, but when we came out there was no scooter.
“The lady looked a bit worried and said to us - ‘I think I made a mistake’. They said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do to help me out. I went around town looking for it but I couldn’t see anyone walking about with a scooter.”
A poster has been put in the shop asking for the scooter to be returned for a refund and Carine is also appealing to whoever purchased it to bring it back. She said: “I just don’t really know what to do now, I hope the person who bought it will see the mistake and bring it back.”
A Spanish Island's Quest to Be the Greenest Place on Earth
When its innovative wind-power system goes online at the end of the year, Spain's El Hierro island could be on its way to becoming the world's most sustainable inhabited landmass
Huge tornado relief effort
Volunteers step up efforts to get food and shelter to victims as the death toll rises.
Also: Strange Spring: Explaining This Year's Wild Weather
We've seen snow in the Midwest, wildfires in Texas and a surge of tornadoes across the country.
What's going on with the weather?
Ozone Hole A Surprise Rainmaker
A new climate change culprit in the Southern Hemisphere has been identified -- the ozone hole.
Super-Civilizations Might Live Off Black Holes
It's time to think far outside of the box regarding our preconceptions of how to find extraterrestrial civilizations.
Bizarre alien hoax exposed
The materials used to create this E.T. are as unexpected as something from outer space.
Also: Alien Life In The Andes?
There is something green and alien looking growing in South America.
On first inspection you might think that it is some extraterrestrial species, using the remote grasslands of the continent to establish a foothold on planet Earth.
Yet however alien this looks, this green mass of cells has its origins very much on this world.
This is Yareta.
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