So, do I call an electrician or a plumber?
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
NYPD officers beat homeless man to a pulp
Two officers from the 71st precinct, one male and one female, arrived and woke the man. Confused as to why he was being accosted by police, the man refused the officers’ attempts to escort him outside, insisting that he had permission to be there and asking that they allow him to prove it.Cops Beat Homeless Man
His pleas fell on deaf ears, and they proceeded to place him under arrest.
When he resisted arrest, the male officer flew into a rage and began to beat the defenseless man. As can be seen in the video below, the officer assumed a boxing stance and then lurched towards his victim, pummeling him from all sides.
Over the next couple of minutes the man is also pepper-sprayed and beaten with a truncheon by the female officer, all while posing no threat to the officers’ well-being whatsoever.
Man found with drugs in pocket claimed trousers weren't his
A neighborhood beat deputy patrolling an area in Grove City, Florida,
in which had recent burglaries had been committed stopped a man on a
bike, James Edwin White, whom he did not recognize, according to a news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
White’s hands were shaking; he was also trembling and stuttering, according to the deputy.
White gave the deputy permission to search him for any illegal weapons or drugs and denied having any contraband on his person. Twice. The deputy then reportedly found a cellophane wrapper with nine Oxycodone pills inside his right side pocket.
Just as the deputy discovered the pills, the 30-year-old Englewood man allegedly stated, “Oh, wait, these aren’t my pants!” explaining the pants belonged to his uncle and he had no knowledge of the pills. The deputy also found a blue straw, commonly used to snort drugs narcotics, which had a powdery residue inside.
White’s hands were shaking; he was also trembling and stuttering, according to the deputy.
White gave the deputy permission to search him for any illegal weapons or drugs and denied having any contraband on his person. Twice. The deputy then reportedly found a cellophane wrapper with nine Oxycodone pills inside his right side pocket.
Just as the deputy discovered the pills, the 30-year-old Englewood man allegedly stated, “Oh, wait, these aren’t my pants!” explaining the pants belonged to his uncle and he had no knowledge of the pills. The deputy also found a blue straw, commonly used to snort drugs narcotics, which had a powdery residue inside.
Bank robber caught after returning to complain he'd been shortchanged
A bank robber was quickly captured on Monday morning when he returned to
Alliance Bank, the scene of the crime, after discovering the teller had
not given him the full $20,000 he had demanded, Syracuse police said.
Arthur Bundrage, 28, of East Syracuse, New York, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center pending arraignment in Syracuse City Court.
Police say that at about 9 am, Bundrage entered the Alliance Bank at 1001 James St., walked up to a teller and demanded $20,000 in cash. The teller told him no. When Bundrage demanded again, the teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash. Bundrage then left and the bank immediately called 911.
As officers were responding, Bundrage discovered the teller had not given him the full $20,000 amount he had asked for. Officers found him standing at the front door attempting to get back in. He was taken into custody without incident.
Arthur Bundrage, 28, of East Syracuse, New York, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center pending arraignment in Syracuse City Court.
Police say that at about 9 am, Bundrage entered the Alliance Bank at 1001 James St., walked up to a teller and demanded $20,000 in cash. The teller told him no. When Bundrage demanded again, the teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash. Bundrage then left and the bank immediately called 911.
As officers were responding, Bundrage discovered the teller had not given him the full $20,000 amount he had asked for. Officers found him standing at the front door attempting to get back in. He was taken into custody without incident.
Woman burned down house because of attic noises
A Carlsbad, New Mexico, woman was arrested on Friday after a nearly
six-month investigation into an arson fire at her home. Carlsbad police
say Valerie Hernandez, 33, burned down her home on May 18. Hernandez
moved into the home in March and told police she never liked living
there because she believed someone was living in the attic, though a
police investigation earlier in the year revealed no such thing.
Hernandez said she felt like someone was constantly watching her and had
bugged the house to listen to all of her conversations. She repeatedly
asked Sgt. Blaine Rennie if the person in the attic had died during the
fire.
Police and fire officials say Hernandez gave them several stories about how her house caught on fire. She first told an officer she had walked to a convenience store not far from where she lived, to buy a soft drink. On her way back, she heard a loud explosion and saw smoke coming from her house. Sgt. Adrian Rodriguez attempted to confirm her story at the store, but receipt records showed she had purchased a bottle of lighter fluid instead of a soda. Hernandez then admitted that she indeed purchased the lighter fluid, but she said it was for a barbeque. She was on her way to her friend's house for a cookout when she heard the explosion and ran home to find her bedroom on fire. But Hernandez's neighbours denied hearing any type of explosion.
Hernandez's neighbour, Cody Grady, said he did not know her well, but he remembers some strange activity across the street during the weeks leading up to the fire. "She (Hernandez) would knock on my door five or six times a day and then just walk back to her house." According to the police report, the fire originated on a mattress near the southwest wall of the home. Maxwell said there was no heat source located near the area of origin, and therefore the fire had been caused by an accelerant. Police looked outside Hernandez's bedroom window to find several documents and clothes lying on the ground which appeared to have been purposely saved from the fire.
During a second meeting with police, Hernandez again admitted to buying the bottle of lighter fluid, but this time she said she returned home after buying it, staying in her room because she was scared of the person living her attic. When she gained courage, she ran out of the house and dropped the lighter fluid by the front door. Hernandez denied setting fire to her house, and she suggested that perhaps the old Christmas lights and ceiling fan in her closet could have started the fire. Hernandez's mother, Elia Hernandez, said she purchased the residence along with her daughter but moved to Clovis to get away from her. Hernandez will appear before a judge on Thursday. And as for her house, police say it is a total loss.
Police and fire officials say Hernandez gave them several stories about how her house caught on fire. She first told an officer she had walked to a convenience store not far from where she lived, to buy a soft drink. On her way back, she heard a loud explosion and saw smoke coming from her house. Sgt. Adrian Rodriguez attempted to confirm her story at the store, but receipt records showed she had purchased a bottle of lighter fluid instead of a soda. Hernandez then admitted that she indeed purchased the lighter fluid, but she said it was for a barbeque. She was on her way to her friend's house for a cookout when she heard the explosion and ran home to find her bedroom on fire. But Hernandez's neighbours denied hearing any type of explosion.
Hernandez's neighbour, Cody Grady, said he did not know her well, but he remembers some strange activity across the street during the weeks leading up to the fire. "She (Hernandez) would knock on my door five or six times a day and then just walk back to her house." According to the police report, the fire originated on a mattress near the southwest wall of the home. Maxwell said there was no heat source located near the area of origin, and therefore the fire had been caused by an accelerant. Police looked outside Hernandez's bedroom window to find several documents and clothes lying on the ground which appeared to have been purposely saved from the fire.
During a second meeting with police, Hernandez again admitted to buying the bottle of lighter fluid, but this time she said she returned home after buying it, staying in her room because she was scared of the person living her attic. When she gained courage, she ran out of the house and dropped the lighter fluid by the front door. Hernandez denied setting fire to her house, and she suggested that perhaps the old Christmas lights and ceiling fan in her closet could have started the fire. Hernandez's mother, Elia Hernandez, said she purchased the residence along with her daughter but moved to Clovis to get away from her. Hernandez will appear before a judge on Thursday. And as for her house, police say it is a total loss.
Superman Quits Newspaper Job to Become a Blogger
DC Comics is planning major changes for the life of Superman/Clark Kent. For example, he's going to quit writing for the Daily Planet and engage in independent journalism. Comic book writer Scott Lobdell explains:
"Rather than Clark be this clownish suit that Superman puts on, we're going to really see Clark come into his own in the next few years as far as being a guy who takes to the Internet and to the airwaves and starts speaking an unvarnished truth."Yeah, he'll make a fortune in the blogging business. Once again, DC is appealing to unrealistic fantasies.
Entertainment reporter Cat Grant also quits the Planet with him, and Lobdell says she'll be bringing "a whole other set of skills" to their next venture. It probably won't be at another media outlet in Metropolis, though.
"I don't think he's going to be filling out an application anywhere," the writer says. "He is more likely to start the next Huffington Post or the next Drudge Report than he is to go find someone else to get assignments or draw a paycheck from.
More
The Wheel of Urine
Feeling ill? Urine luck! Spin the Wheel of Morality Urine. Doctors in the Fifteenth Century used it to evaluate a patient's health:
The Urine Wheel was used for diagnosing diseases based on the color, smell, and taste of the patient’s urine in the early 16th century....Many diseases affect metabolism and many changes in metabolism can be detected in the urine. For example, diabetics will excrete sugar in their urine–sometimes enough sugar that it can be fermented into whisky. There are many other diseases that change the smell of a person’s urine, including the very descriptively named Maple Syrup Urine Disease or Sweaty Feet Syndrome, now much more likely to be diagnosed by electronic sensor arrays than actually tasting the urine.More
Amino acid necklace spells out "we are star-stuff"
Colette Taylor is a molecular biologist and crafter who makes some rather lovely pieces, including the amino-acid inspired necklace shown here (which I saw in person tonight), which reads "We are star-stuff."
There are certain phrases or ideas which sometimes need reminding. Just to keep us sane, to remind us what is important. This is We Are Star Stuff in Amino Acids. This is a big one for me, a reminder from Carl Sagan that we are all made of the same building blocks, and the same amazing pieces. Not only are we made of the same stuff, it is particles of the universe. This is a reminder of not just how insignificant an individual is, it’s a reminder that every individual is a beautiful and brilliant thing. It’s so awesome that a person, made of the same thing as everyone else, manages to carve out a unique and original existence. This is a reminder that being is pretty much the coolest thing ever, and should never be taken for granted.The Efforts of a Scientist and Compulsive Crafter
Exercise Your Brain
- Brains have a tendency to shrink as people get older, but regular exercise can help to prevent that from happening. Read more
Watermelon shown to boost heart health, control weight gain in mice
Eating an apple a day may keep the doctor away, but eating watermelon may just keep the cardiologist at bay. Hyenas and humans live in harmony
Hyenas and humans live in harmony
Large hyena populations are living alongside human communities in Africa without coming into conflict, a study finds. BBC Nature
US may soon become world's top oil producer
By JONATHAN FAHEY
Driven
by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and
other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an
average of 10.9 million barrels per day. This will be the fourth
straight year of crude increases and the biggest single-year gain since
1951.The boom has surprised even the experts.
"Five years ago, if I or anyone had predicted today's production growth, people would have thought we were crazy," says Jim Burkhard, head of oil markets research at IHS CERA, an energy consulting firm.
The Energy Department forecasts that U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons, which includes biofuels, will average 11.4 million barrels per day next year. That would be a record for the U.S. and just below Saudi Arabia's output of 11.6 million barrels. Citibank forecasts U.S. production could reach 13 million to 15 million barrels per day by 2020, helping to make North America "the new Middle East."
The last year the U.S. was the world's largest producer was 2002, after the Saudis drastically cut production because of low oil prices in the aftermath of 9/11. Since then, the Saudis and the Russians have been the world leaders.
The United States will still need to import lots of oil in the years ahead. Americans use 18.7 million barrels per day. But thanks to the growth in domestic production and the improving fuel efficiency of the nation's cars and trucks, imports could fall by half by the end of the decade.
The increase in production hasn't translated to cheaper gasoline at the pump, and prices are expected to stay relatively high for the next few years because of growing demand for oil in developing nations and political instability in the Middle East and North Africa.
Still, producing more oil domestically, and importing less, gives the economy a significant boost.
The companies profiting range from independent drillers to large international oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell, which increasingly see the U.S. as one of the most promising places to drill. ExxonMobil agreed last month to spend $1.6 billion to increase its U.S. oil holdings.
Increased drilling is driving economic growth in states such as North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana and Texas, all of which have unemployment rates far below the national average of 7.8 percent. North Dakota is at 3 percent; Oklahoma, 5.2.
Businesses that serve the oil industry, such as steel companies that supply drilling pipe and railroads that transport oil, aren't the only ones benefiting. Homebuilders, auto dealers and retailers in energy-producing states are also getting a lift.
IHS says the oil and gas drilling boom, which already supports 1.7 million jobs, will lead to the creation of 1.3 million jobs across the U.S. economy by the end of the decade.
"It's the most important change to the economy since the advent of personal computers pushed up productivity in the 1990s," says economist Philip Verleger, a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics.
The major factor driving domestic production higher is a newfound ability to squeeze oil out of rock once thought too difficult and expensive to tap. Drillers have learned to drill horizontally into long, thin seams of shale and other rock that holds oil, instead of searching for rare underground pools of hydrocarbons that have accumulated over millions of years.
To free the oil and gas from the rock, drillers crack it open by pumping water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, a process is known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."
While expanded use of the method has unlocked enormous reserves of oil and gas, it has also raised concerns that contaminated water produced in the process could leak into drinking water.
The surge in oil production has other roots, as well:
— A long period of high oil prices has given drillers the cash and the motivation to spend the large sums required to develop new techniques and search new places for oil. Over the past decade, oil has averaged $69 a barrel. During the previous decade, it averaged $21.
— Production in the Gulf of Mexico, which slowed after BP's 2010 well disaster and oil spill, has begun to climb again. Huge recent finds there are expected to help growth continue.
— A natural gas glut forced drillers to dramatically slow natural gas exploration beginning about a year ago. Drillers suddenly had plenty of equipment and workers to shift to oil.
The most prolific of the new shale formations are in North Dakota and Texas. Activity is also rising in Oklahoma, Colorado, Ohio and other states.
Production from shale formations is expected to grow from 1.6 million barrels per day this year to 4.2 million barrels per day by 2020, according to Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting firm. That means these new formations will yield more oil by 2020 than major oil suppliers such as Iran and Canada produce today.
U.S. oil and liquids production reached a peak of 11.2 million barrels per day in 1985, when Alaskan fields were producing enormous amounts of crude, then began a long decline. From 1986 through 2008, crude production fell every year but one, dropping by 44 percent over that period. The United States imported nearly 60 percent of the oil it burned in 2006.
By the end of this year, U.S. crude output will be at its highest level since 1998 and oil imports will be lower than at any time since 1992, at 41 percent of consumption.
"It's a stunning turnaround," Burkhard says.
Whether the U.S. supplants Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer will depend on the price of oil and Saudi production in the years ahead. Saudi Arabia sits on the world's largest reserves of oil, and it raises and lowers production to try to keep oil prices steady. Saudi output is expected to remain about flat between now and 2017, according to the International Energy Agency.
But Saudi oil is cheap to tap, while the methods needed to tap U.S. oil are very expensive. If the price of oil falls below $75 per barrel, drillers in the U.S. will almost certainly begin to cut back.
The International Energy Agency forecasts that global oil prices, which have averaged $107 per barrel this year, will slip to an average of $89 over the next five years — not a big enough drop to lead companies to cut back on exploration deeply.
Nor are they expected to fall enough to bring back the days of cheap gasoline. Still, more of the money that Americans spend at filling stations will flow to domestic drillers, which are then more likely to buy equipment here and hire more U.S. workers.
"Drivers will have to pay high prices, sure, but at least they'll have a job," Verleger says.
Hawaii Volcano's Lava Lake Threatens to Overflow
- The lava lake inside Halema'uma'u crater, at the top of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii, is closer than ever to spilling out over the crater floor. Read more
How The Octopus Got Its Rings
Instead of recognizing what is obviously the animal's colorful warning display and backing off, you move in to get a closer look, at which point the panicked animal promptly bites your outstretched hand. You've just been bitten by the blue-ringed octopus - one of the more venomous creatures in the Pacific Ocean.
Ancient Armored Fish Had The First Teeth
Now, using a particle-accelerator called a synchrotron, a UK-led team of researchers from the University of Bristol has discovered that these early jawed fish did indeed have pearly gnashers. And probably sharp ones at that.
Live shark found wriggling around on 12th tee of golf course
A 2-foot-long shark was spotted thrashing about on the 12th tee box of
at San Juan Hills Golf Club, California, on Monday. The shark was
discovered at around 4 pm by an on-duty course marshal, who immediately
called the clubhouse to report the displaced fish.
“It was just wriggling around,” Director of Club Operations Melissa McCormack said. “Honestly, this is the weirdest thing that’s happened here.” The marshal picked up the shark, placed it in the back of his golf cart and drove it back to the clubhouse.
There, staff placed the shark briefly in some fresh water before an employee drove it out to Dana Point, where it was released back into the ocean. McCormack believes the shark was picked out of the water by a predatory bird and was dropped onto the course, which is less than 4 miles away from the Pacific Ocean.
The shark was found bleeding from puncture wounds near its dorsal fin. “It had a little blood on it, but it was still alive,” McCormack said. “We didn’t want to waste any time. Poor guy, he got dropped onto a golf course.” McCormack said the shark was light brown in color with black spots and could have been a leopard shark.
“It was just wriggling around,” Director of Club Operations Melissa McCormack said. “Honestly, this is the weirdest thing that’s happened here.” The marshal picked up the shark, placed it in the back of his golf cart and drove it back to the clubhouse.
There, staff placed the shark briefly in some fresh water before an employee drove it out to Dana Point, where it was released back into the ocean. McCormack believes the shark was picked out of the water by a predatory bird and was dropped onto the course, which is less than 4 miles away from the Pacific Ocean.
The shark was found bleeding from puncture wounds near its dorsal fin. “It had a little blood on it, but it was still alive,” McCormack said. “We didn’t want to waste any time. Poor guy, he got dropped onto a golf course.” McCormack said the shark was light brown in color with black spots and could have been a leopard shark.
Animal News
The Great Chimp Tech Boom
Chimp tech isn't at the level of the iPad Mini, but some clever primates are innovating and spreading their methods. Read more
Why Dung Beetles Like to Chill on Poop Balls
Dung beetles use their balls of feces to protect their tootsies from the hot sands of the South African desert. Read more
Bigfoot Vandalizes a Winnebago
A long history of people have blamed the hairy humanoid for attacking personal property. Read more
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Daily Drift
Some of our readers today have been in:
Kiev, Ukraine
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Islamabad, Pakistan
Minsk, Belarus
Gdynia, Poland
St. Petersburg, Russia
George Town, Malaysia
Doha, Qatar
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Kingston, Jamaica
Hanoi, Vietnam
Cairo, Egypt
Bangkok, Thailand
Kota, Kinabalu, Malaysia
Krakow, Poland
Zagreb, Croatia
Makati, Philippines
Manama, Bahrain
Warsaw, Poland
Tirana, Albania
Ankara, Turkey
Sampaloc, Philippines
Tunis, Tunisia
Gdynia, Poland
Rabat, Morocco
Paris, France
Tallinn, Estonia
Carthage, Tunisia
Today in History
Dying man casts final vote
A photo of World War II veteran Frank Tanabe casting what will likely
be his final ballot in a presidential election has gone viral --and
captured the hearts of thousands.
Romney’s best debate moment was when he lied
The Apology Tour
A repugican cabal official tells us today what we already knew: repugicans are at their best when they lie. The truth, on the other hand, has a liberal bias.From Greg Sargent at the Washington Post:
Romney’s new ad features footage of him at yesterday’s debate attacking Obama for his … fictional apology tour.
In reprising these lines — that Obama apologized for America and has yet to visit Israel — the Romney camp is again attacking an Obama that mainly exists in the minds of the Obama-hating repugican base, and probably doesn’t really exist in the minds of undecided voters, who have watched this president for four years and don’t share the base’s suspicions about his commitment to America.
At least one rnc official is calling this Romney’s “best moment of the debate.” It’s a curious choice: With two weeks to go until the election, Romney’s best moment wasn’t an affirmative one where he laid out his own agenda vis a vis America’s role in the world; it’s one where he attacked Obama for an apology tour that never happened. The fact that a criticism of Obama that has been has been completely debunked is seen by the Romney camp as his shining triumph of last evening is fitting. It will be interesting to see if this is how the Romney campaign intends to close out the race. If so, it contrasts sharply with the Obama pivot to an affirmative case for a second term agenda that is now underway.
Romney Stands by a Lie That’s Already Been Debunked
People like to say that all politicians lie, but maybe the truth is closer to what the fictional TV character House alleges: “everyone lies.” The thing that’s so amazing about repugicans, and Mitt Romney exemplifies the problem, is that they continue to lie even when publicly called out on their lie, repeatedly. And the media tends to still let them get away with it.Sure, the fact checkers have yet again retooled the same old pieces confirming that President Obama never did an “apology tour” at any time during his presidency, or before.
You’ve got CNN’s fact checker:
Back in December, Michael Cohen, a columnist for Foreign Policy’s Election 2012 Channel, called the “apology tour” claim “a lie that has been reiterated so often that it has become conventional wisdom on the right. ”The Washington Post’s fact checker:
“The apology canard has been dis-proven practically as often as it has been made.”
Romney’s claim is false.
The claim that Obama repeatedly has apologized for the United States is not borne out by the facts….Politifact:
Note to repugican speechwriters and campaign ad makers: The apology tour never happened.
Four Pinocchios
It’s ridiculous to call Obama’s foreign visits and remarks “an apology tour.” We rate this statement Pants on Fire!So it’s conclusive that not only did Mitt Romney lie last night, but it’s a lie he’s been called out on repeatedly, yet still keeps telling, and today, after the lie has been repudiated again, Romney launches an ad based on it.
The Media’s Own Apology Tour
So how does the media treat Romney’s bizarre penchant for making a lie his central argument following the debate? Just look at Michael Finnegan writing in the LA Times. The LA Times does an entire story on the Romney accusation, and the first four grafs simply reiterate Romney’s false charge. Then, finally, in paragraph five – if the reader got that far – the LAT deigns to include an Obama quote saying it’s not true. Nowhere in the entire piece does the LAT notify their readers that the claim is actually false, and has been debunked by every fact checker, repeatedly, yet for some reason Mitt Romney keeps reiterating the lie.Nowhere.
The LA Times is playing Romney’s stenographer. They’re happy to repeat a lie, and then bury the denial, because in their minds, so long as they include a quote from the other side, it’s journalism!
What else should the LA Times have done?
1) Put the denial in the first graf.
2) Mention the fact, immediately, that every fact checker on the planet has found Romney’s statement to be an utter lie.
3) Note in the piece the question as to why Romney would insist on making a serial lie his central argument leaving the third and final debate.
Here, let me show you.
Original LA Times lede:
Mitt Romney touched off one of the most contentious exchanges of the final presidential debate between him and President Obama by accusing the incumbent of projecting weakness in the world and traveling across the Middle East on an “apology tour.”What the Times should have written:
Mitt Romney touched off one of the most contentious exchanges of the final presidential debate between him and President Obama by falsely accusing the incumbent of projecting weakness in the world and traveling across the Middle East on an “apology tour,” even though the allegation has been soundly refuted.By printing the lie, and giving it four paragraphs, and then only printing the President’s refutation, and doing so in the fifth paragraph, not earlier, the Times effectively makes this a he-said-she-said, legitimizing the lie in the public’s mind.
“The fact that Mitt Romney has decided to make a lie the center piece of his argument for the presidency, speaks volumes to what he has to offer, or not, as president,” said presidential historian Blah Blah blah.
Print No Lies
At some point, reporters need to get beyond Journalism 101 (he-said-she-said) and move on to Journalism 102 (don’t report a lie). The LA Times aided and abetted Romney’s lie last night.But what about the other reporters, the ones who dutifully mention the “fact checks”? They’re helping Romney too, and here’s why. The press shouldn’t simply be reporting that Mitt Romney’s statement last night about the apology tour was untrue, They should be asking the Romney campaign, incessantly, why they’re making a known lie the centerpiece of the candidate’s argument.
What does it say about Mitt Romney, about how he views himself and his qualifications to be president, about how he views the American voters, if he has decided that a lie, rather than the truth, is the more effective way for him to move into the Oval Office? A real journalist would ask that question by this point. It’s that failure to ask, the penchant to simply “report” the back and forth, even when reporters know that the strategy behind the lie is to simply get the back and forth in print so the public thinks some of the accusation must be true, that was behind the Swift-boating of John Kerry, death panels, and every other repugican lie.
The lies worked because the media let them work.
At some point, reporters needs to start asking the Republicans why they think the truth has a liberal bias, and why they think their candidate’s best argument for becoming president is a lie. At some point, reporters need to stay true to their own version of the Hippocratic Oath:
Print No Lies.
Romney/Ryan voters try to destroy “photo op” soup kitchen – Democrats stop them
Reminiscent of the time repugicans tried to destroy a pizza joint where President Obama got a bear hug
from its owner, repugicans have spent the last week harassing, and
trying to destroy, a soup kitchen where Paul Ryan held a now-infamous
photo opp.Huff Post’s Jason Cherkis reports:
that Romney/Ryan supporters would try to destroy a soup kitchen that feeds the poor and the homeless.
Brian J. Antal, president of the Mahoning County St. Vincent De Paul Society, confirmed that donors have begun an exodus in protest over Ryan’s embarrassment. The monetary losses have been big. “It appears to be a substantial amount,” Antal said. “You can rest assured there has been a substantial backlash.”
Ryan supporters have now targeted Antal and his soup kitchen, Antal said, including making hundreds of angry phone calls. Some members of Antal’s volunteer staff have had to endure the barrage as well, he said. “The sad part is a lot of [the callers] want to hide behind anonymity,” he said, adding that if someone leaves their name and number he has tried to return their call. In addition to phone calls, people have posted a few choice words on the charity’s Facebook wall, including statements like “I hope you lose your tax [sic] emempt status,” Anyone who is thinking about donations to you should think twice” and “Shame on you Brian Antal!”Thankfully, per Huff Post Hill, Democrats have risen to the challenge and saved the soup kitchen that Romney/Ryan supporters tried to put out of business.
”The soup kitchen facing a donor backlash in the wake of Paul Ryan’s embarrassing photo op has been rescued by the internet. The day after HuffPost broke the kitchen’s sad news, Corey Snow of Olympia Washington, organized an online fundraising drive on the charity’s behalf. In about 30 hours, Snow had raised $10,000. By Monday morning, donations had reached more than $12,600. Snow said that he was upset that the most needy would become pawns in presidential politics.‘People are hungry regardless of whether you vote Democrat or repugican,’ he said. ‘I thought it was not cool that they were pulling donations.’ Snow, who has talked with the charity’s director, plans on keeping the campaign going long past the election. He plans on turning in his donations to the soup kitchen by mid December. ‘The election will still be over but people will still be hungry,’ he said. The campaign site link is http://www.indiegogo.com/svdp-soupkitchen. There is also a direct donation site set up by the Mahoning County Society of Saint Vincent de Paul at http://mahoningsvdp.org, and of course the national site at http://svdpusa.org.It’s really kind of astounding, and speaks volumes to what the repugican cabal has become,
that Romney/Ryan supporters would try to destroy a soup kitchen that feeds the poor and the homeless.
The repugicans and the Facts
I caught this exchange in the comments on a repugican cultist website:
Sigh. A tale of two voters - one informed by the facts, the other apparently getting his "facts" from Faux News.
1st Commenter, October 22, 2012 - 9:48 pm:
"Presenting failure as success is an amazing talent.
"Our economy is rebounding, employment is up, oil is gushing, our enemies are in retreat and it will only take four more years in the White House for Obama to clear up Bush’s mess. Obama loves Israel, supports our military, is revered by our allies and feared by our enemies.
"I can’t imagine how anyone can even think of not giving this great President four more years."
2nd Commenter, October 23, 2012 - 2:32 am:
"It might be because everything you just said is untrue. The economy is stagnant, jobs are down, as is oil production on public land. Our enemies clearly don’t fear him, because they blatantly attacked us. Most of the people from other countries whom I’ve spoken to do not like Obama. They call him “weak” at best, and “insane” at worst.
"I don’t see how anyone who is thinking clearly and analyzing the actual record could possibly want to give this man another four years to do more damage.
"The only reason I see anyone voting for Obama is either confirmation bias (due to voting him in and not wanting to be wrong), or utter ignorance of the facts."
Sigh. A tale of two voters - one informed by the facts, the other apparently getting his "facts" from Faux News.
Voter fraud is a fraud
The New Yorker's "Voter-Fraud Myth" by Jane Mayer is a good,
fair, investigative piece tracking the rise of the repugican orthodoxy
that says that voter fraud is rampant, and that it favors Democrats.
Mayer makes a reasoned, factual case to show that there is no
substantial voter fraud problem (much-vaunted incidents like the scores
of dead voters in Georgia were later revealed to not have a single
verifiable instance of a dead person voting). Mayer also shows how
anti-fraud measures disproportionately target young people, poor people,
and visible minorities. This is a great piece to refer to when
discussing the subject with friends who've been convinced that voter ID
laws amount to anything other than partisan voter suppression.
Von Spakovsky offered me the names of two experts who, he said, would confirm that voter-impersonation fraud posed a significant peril: Robert Pastor, the director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management, at American University, and Larry Sabato, a political-science professor at the University of Virginia. Pastor, von Spakovsky noted, had spoken to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights about being a victim of election fraud: voting in Georgia, he discovered that someone else had already voted under his name.The Voter-Fraud Myth
When I reached Pastor, he clarified what had happened to him. “I think they just mistakenly checked my name when my son voted—it was just a mistake.” He added, “I don’t think that voter-impersonation fraud is a serious problem.” Pastor believes that, compared with other democracies, America is “somewhere near the bottom in election administration,” and thinks that voter I.D.s make sense—but only if they are free and easily available to all, which, he points out, is not what repugican legislatures have proposed. Sabato, who supports the use of voter I.D.s under the same basic conditions, says of the voter-impersonation question, “One fraudulent vote is one too many, but my sense is that it’s relatively rare today.”
Hasen says that, while researching “The Voting Wars,” he “tried to find a single case” since 1980 when “an election outcome could plausibly have turned on voter-impersonation fraud.” He couldn’t find one. News21, an investigative-journalism group, has reported that voter impersonation at the polls is a “virtually non-existent” problem. After conducting an exhaustive analysis of election-crime prosecutions since 2000, it identified only seven convictions for impersonation fraud. None of those cases involved conspiracy.
Kansas case puts face on 'total identity theft'
When Candida L. Gutierrez's identity was stolen, the
thief didn't limit herself to opening fraudulent credit and bank
accounts. She assumed Gutierrez's persona completely, using it to get a
job, a driver's license, a mortgage and even medical care for the birth
of two children.
Pussy Riot activists sent to secret harsh labor camps
Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova have been sent to regions known for hosting Russia's harshest hard-labor camps, places that once served as Soviet gulags. The 24 and 22 year old mothers -- who performed a song protesting the Russian Orthodox Church's connection to the Putin regime in a cathedral -- have been sentenced to two years of hard labor. Though the regions to which they've been dispatched is known, no one -- not even their families -- has been allowed to know exactly which prison-camps they are incarcerated in. The Guardian's Miriam Elder reports from Moscow:
"These are the harshest camps of all the possible choices," the band said via its Twitter account on Monday.Pussy Riot band members sent to remote prison camps
...Confusion reigned on Monday as relatives and lawyers tried to assess exactly where the women were sent. Both Perm and Mordovia host several prison camps, some of which comprised the Soviet-era gulag system. Prison authorities declined to comment on the women's whereabouts.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova had petitioned to serve their sentences in Moscow, arguing that they wanted to be close to their children. Alyokhina has a five-year-old son named Filipp, while Tolokonnikova has a four-year-old daughter named Gera.
Can your body sense future events without any external clue?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if our bodies prepared us for future events that could be very important to us, even ...Breakthrough In World's Oldest Undeciphered Writing
This device, part sci-fi, part-DIY, is providing the most detailed and high quality images ever taken of these elusive symbols cut into clay tablets. This is Indiana Jones with software. It's being used to help decode a writing system called proto-Elamite, used between around 3200BC and 2900BC in a region now in the south west of modern Iran.
The 10 Best Films of the 1890s
They're heavy on effects, light on dialogue, and all available thanks to YouTube. But seriously, here's how this list came about: last week, the A.V. Club posted a four-part post listing the best films of the 1990s (links available) that, of course, brought a firestorm of opinions.
As a lark, we started talking about a companion list covering the best films of the 1890s. But the more we talked about it, the more it seemed like a good idea to turn back the clock to the very beginnings of film. We selected 10 films we found artistically compelling and historically significant. And because they’re all in the public domain, available on YouTube, and short, you can easily watch them in their entirety as you read along.Not only that, but none of these films will cause a fight over which was the most important to readers' childhoods. Don't miss my favorite of the bunch, The X-Ray Fiend (1897). More
Unusual Ukrainian Model
Arizona ballot measure contests ownership of the Grand Canyon
By Tim Gaynor
A controversial ballot measure backed by repugicans in the state legislature is seeking sovereign control over millions of acres of federal land in the state, including the Grand Canyon.
Proposition 120
would amend the state's constitution to declare Arizona's sovereignty
and jurisdiction over the "air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife
and other natural resources
within the state's boundaries."
The measure is the
latest salvo in the so-called "sagebrush revolt" by Republicans in the
West aiming to take back control of major swaths of land owned by
various federal agencies, much of it by the Interior Department's Bureau
of Land Management.
State Senator Sylvia Allen,
one of the repugican backers of the measure, argues that federal
retention of the land hurts the economy of the Western states and leaves
them struggling to fund public education, nurture their economies, and
manage their forests and natural resources.
"We do not have the ability in rural Arizona to provide jobs for our citizens due to the fact that the federal government controls all the land," Allen told Reuters. "It leaves us at a great
disadvantage. We're not able to bring in industry and provide for the
jobs that we need," she added.
The exact area of
public land targeted by the measure - which excludes American Indian
reservations and federal installations such as arsenals - was not
immediately clear on the Arizona Secretary of State's website.
The Sierra Club
pegged the area at between 39,000 and 46,700 square miles (101,000 and
121,000 square km) - or 34 percent to 41 percent of the entire state.
BATTLE OVER LAND
The ballot measure is just the latest move in a decades-old federal-state skirmish over
control of a wide range of natural resources in Western states, often
pitting mining, drilling and logging companies against those seeking to
protect the environment.
The efforts have
had mixed success. In May, Arizona's repugican Governor Jan Brewer
vetoed a state bill calling on Washington to relinquish the title to
48,000 square miles (124,000 square km), arguing that it created
uncertainty for existing leaseholders on federal lands in difficult
economic times.
But similar
legislation was signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in neighboring
Utah in March, despite warnings from state attorneys that it was likely
unconstitutional and would trigger a costly and ultimately futile legal
battle.
Opponents of the
latest drive to assert Arizona's ownership say that, if successful, the
initiative could undermine protections provided by federal environmental
laws such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water
Act, and would saddle Arizona with lands for which it would be unable
to care.
"They can't even
fund and ensure that their (state) parks are protected, so how they
would take on an additional 25 to 30 million acres of land is a big
question mark," Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon
Chapter, told Reuters.
No polls have given
a sense of whether Prop 120 will prosper during the November 6
election. But Bahr cautioned that, should it pass, it would inevitably
trigger fresh litigation for Arizona, which recently fought a legal
battle over its tough 2010 crackdown on illegal immigrants all the way
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"This one is just blatantly unconstitutional," Bahr said of Prop 120. "Does Arizona really need another lawsuit?"
Underground Magic
Ruskealsky gap is a place in Karelia. It's a huge hole about ten
meters (33 ft) deep with water on its bottom. As locals say it formed in
the 1960s after strong explosions
in the neighboring quarry. The roof of the old waterlogged tunnels
broke and fell into the water. A huge hole 20 x 30 m (65x100 ft)
appeared on the surface.
More
Indonesia's Tri-Colored Lakes
Kelimutu
The three lakes all have different names and local people have for centuries believed that the lakes are the spiritual resting place of their ancestors. It is said the lakes change color according to the mood of the spirit - and if that is the case then the souls' moods are constantly restless.
Lady Gaga is namesake for new fern species
By April Bethea
Lady Gaga's outfit at the 2010 Grammys reminded researchers at Duke
of the gametophyte, bisexual reproductive stage of the ferns.
Fans of Lady Gaga are affectionately known around the world as “Little Monsters.”
Now, the name has been bestowed on a newly-discovered species of Fern.
Gaga monstraparva, or “monster-little” is one of 19 fern species being named after the pop music star, researchers at Duke University announced on Tuesday. The plants are found in Central and South America, Mexico, Arizona and Texas, according to a news release.
“We wanted to name this genus for Lady Gaga because of her fervent defense of equality and individual expression,” Kathleen Pryer, a Duke University biology professor and director of the Duke Herbarium, said in the release. “And as we started to consider it, the ferns themselves gave us more reasons why it was a good choice.”
Among the reasons cited by researchers: Part of the DNA sequence for the genus spells GAGA and a heart-shaped portion of Gaga’s Armani Prive’ costume at the 2010 Grammy Awards reminded Pryor of the bisexual reproductive stage of the ferns.
Learn more about the study at: http://today.duke.edu/2012/10/gagafern
Now, the name has been bestowed on a newly-discovered species of Fern.
Gaga monstraparva, or “monster-little” is one of 19 fern species being named after the pop music star, researchers at Duke University announced on Tuesday. The plants are found in Central and South America, Mexico, Arizona and Texas, according to a news release.
“We wanted to name this genus for Lady Gaga because of her fervent defense of equality and individual expression,” Kathleen Pryer, a Duke University biology professor and director of the Duke Herbarium, said in the release. “And as we started to consider it, the ferns themselves gave us more reasons why it was a good choice.”
Among the reasons cited by researchers: Part of the DNA sequence for the genus spells GAGA and a heart-shaped portion of Gaga’s Armani Prive’ costume at the 2010 Grammy Awards reminded Pryor of the bisexual reproductive stage of the ferns.
Learn more about the study at: http://today.duke.edu/2012/10/gagafern
Say Hello to Bacteria on Your Smartphone!
Think
of this the next time you fiddle with your smartphone: it's a nest of
germs! Caroline Porter of the Wall Street Journal explains why cell phones
are not only great for sharing photos - they're also great for sharing
bacteria:Even though computers, keys, pens and landline phones can harbor germs, many people's cellphones have become extra appendages—never far from the pillow, health club treadmill or restaurant table.
"We're feeding the little creatures," says Michael Schmidt, a professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina. "We've all seen that greasy smear [on the touch screen]. Where there is grease, there are bugs."
A lab tested eight randomly selected phones from a Chicago office for this article. The phones showed no signs of E. coli or staphylococci bacteria. But all phones showed abnormally high numbers of coliforms, a bacteria indicating fecal contamination. Of the eight phones tested by HML Labs of Muncie, Ind., there were between about 2,700 and 4,200 units of coliform bacteria. In drinking water, the limit is less than 1 unit per 100 ml of water.
The Best Wildlife Photography of 2012
There were more than 48,000 entries in the Veolia Environmental Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, but only 100 winners. Luciano Candisani won the category of Behaviour: Cold-Blooded Animals with his snap of a friendly fellow that he met while snorkeling. You can view all of the winners at the link.
More
Small Worlds Never Before Seen
- From bat embryos to blood-brain barriers, photographers capture images they claim are the first of their kind. Read more
Small World Under the Sea
- For 37 years the Nikon Small World photography competition showcases the beauty and extreme details captured using light microscopes. Read more
Unproven Chinese Medicine Killing Manta Rays
- The Australian government has taken steps to protect the giant manta ray, which has been widely hunted for its use in alternative medicines. Read more
Raised by Monkeys
A British housewife named Marina Chapman claims, after being kidnapped and subsequently abandoned at the age of five in the Columbian jungle, that she was raised by a colony of capuchin monkeys. She alleges that she spent five years with the monkeys learning to catch birds and rabbits with her bare hands.
Eventually she was discovered by hunters, captured, and sold to a brothel in Cucuta, Columbia. She escaped the brothel and after a few years of living on the streets, got work as a maid. From there she met a family that brought her to Bradford, England where she met a Mr. John Chapman at church service. They married in 1977.
"I got bedtime stories about the jungle, as did my sister. We didn't think it odd - it was just Mum telling her life. So in a way it was nothing special having a mother like that."Chapman says she is now coming forth with the story to raise awareness of human trafficking in South America. Vanessa is helping her write a book detailing her life, set to be published in April.
~Vanessa James, one of Chapman’s two daughters
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