Welcome to ...

The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Monday, September 14, 2009

Doctors prefer the Public Option

70% of American Doctors prefer the Public Option.

In this piece in The New England Journal of Medicine we find the overwhelming majority of Doctors are of the same mind as the overwhelming majority of Real Americans.

Nudists protest to keep their beach 'clothing-optional'

Joelle Budzynowski wants to preserve what she calls her "Eden before the apple."

"The water is like 70 degrees and the sun feels warm on my body," the 47-year-old said, wearing nothing but a straw hat. "The wind plays in my hair. The sea rocks me. Some of my happiest moments are here."

That's why the Escondido woman and her husband, Robert, felt compelled to make their voices heard at a rally Sunday at San Onofre's Trail 6.

"To not make my voice heard … it would be cowardly," she said.

The rally comes nearly a week after officials started enforcing a ban on nudity. For more than a year, the state Department of Parks and Recreation said they would start citing nude sunbathers after Labor Day weekend at the traditionally clothing-optional beach.

The state's move came after more than a year of legal wrangling and an appellate court ruling in its favor. The nudists have appealed to the state's Supreme Court, asking the court for a hearing.

More than a hundred people gathered on the beach Sunday with signs denouncing the state's crackdown on public nudity at Trail 6.

When asked whether the protest may make an impact, the group's leader answered.

"It shows the Parks Department that we're not willing to go away," said Allen Baylis, who is a Huntington Beach attorney.

Veronica Carlson, who enjoyed the beach with her husband, 3-year-old twins and 18-month old, said she sees nothing wrong with nudity at Trail 6.

She said her children are not fazed by the naked body.

"You're born that way. There's nothing wrong with it," the 35-year-old Lake Forest woman said.

Carlson said she goes nude at the beach but keeps her children's clothes on because she's afraid of the sun's toll on their sensitive skin.

"I think it's small-minded," she said of the nudity ban. "It doesn't hurt anyone and if it's something you don't want to see, don't come here. There are 4 miles of beach. … If we get a ticket, we get a ticket. We'll fight it."

State rangers didn't issue any citations last Tuesday – the first day of enforcement. While state parks spokesman Roy Stearns said officials have the authority to cite nudists at the 1,000-foot stretch of beach, some of the nudists at the beach Sunday said they hadn't heard of a ticket being issued all week.

The nudists' attorney Elva P. Kopacz contends the state would violate California law by issuing citations. She said a Superior Court ruling that sides with the naturists will stand until the state's Supreme Court decides to hear an appeal.

Stearns disagreed. The state Attorney General's office says rangers are within their rights to start writing citations, according to Stearns.

Still, he said, park rangers will attempt to seek voluntary compliance before handing out citations at the beach.

Health Care Winners

Who wins and loses in new health care plan

The latest draft may have the best shot yet — but not everyone is smiling.

No amesty for tax cheats

Tax evaders rush to get amnesty

U.S. citizens with assets hidden in tax havens must come forward soon or face prosecution.

What you need to know ...

What you need to know for flu season

Here are answers to questions about who's most at risk in the new flu season.

Self-erasing

Self-erasing paper created

The invention prevents photocopying and makes messages easier to share securely.

Let's just forget about it

Town's fiery way of forgetting

Santa Fe, NM, has a spectacular way of ridding itself of the memories of a bad year.

Tires to get more expensive

Just what the repugicans and their corporate handlers wanted:

Tires to get more expensive soon

Your next set of new tires could cost as much as 30% more in the next few months.

Hybrid car with attitude

BMW builds hybrid car with attitude

This hybrid gets 62 miles per gallon, has up-swing doors, and—oh, comes with night vision.

Looking for a good time?

Best cities to visit for a good time

New York ranks first for entertainment, but only because the runner-up city has one big drawback.

Top 5
Also:

Patrick Swayze dies

Actor Patrick Swayze dies at 57

Patrick Swayze, who starred in films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," has died of cancer.

Hey, we want out

The town that wants to disappear

The 140 people left in one Midwestern town beg the government to buy them out.

Health News

In Health News:

Master gene creates armies of natural-born killers

A gene has been discovered that allows the body to make cells which are the lynchpin of the immune system.

Plumbing Antartica

The first complete map of the lakes beneath Antarctica suggests the icy continent's secret water network is more active than we thought.

Antarctica's hidden plumbing revealed

Science News

From BBC-Science:
generic picture of sunset over sea Now you see it... has the Bermuda Triangle mystery been 'solved'?

Welcome Sign Delivers Unsettling Message

Members of the police union unveiled a new billboard along a Florida highway annoucing that crime is up because of layoffs.

Full Story

Snake with foot found in China

From the "Now, that is something you just don't see everyday" Department:

Dean Qiongxiu, 66, said she discovered the reptile clinging to the wall of her bedroom with its talons in the middle of the night.

Who else smells fish

The unarmed fire chief who was shot by a cop during a court appearance over tickets has been charged with battery.

He is shot in the back and he will be the one to see the inside of a holding cell!

Something is smelling awful fishy in Jericho, Arkansas!

Lehman Brothers on the inside

'Some really weird things were going on'

A top Lehman trader reveals the inside dynamics that led to the firm's collapse.

Jupiter's Moon

Jupiter's unusual temporary moon

Astronomers reveal that Jupiter snagged an enigmatic satellite, only to release it 12 years later. Rare event
Also: