ObamaCare will be poison pill in New York

The New York Post reports that the Democrat health care plan would impose a “terrifying tax” on highest wage earners in the state of New York.

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Congressional plans to fund a massive health-care overhaul could have a job-killing effect on New York, creating a tax rate of nearly 60 percent for the state's top earners and possibly pressuring small-business owners to shed workers.

In order to pay for the massive health coverage proposed by House Democrats this week, New York's top income bracket could reach as high as 57 percent!

The top rate in New York City, home to many of the state's wealthiest people, would be 58.68 percent, the Washington-based Tax Foundation said in a report yesterday.

That means New York's top earners, small-business owners and most dynamic entrepreneurs will be facing new fees and penalties.

It’s the small business owners and “dynamic entrepreneurs” that hire a large percent of the work force in most areas.

This will force many to lay off workers as they scale back their businesses.

Without huge new taxes the government could not possibly give uninsured Americans cheap or free healthcare.

A large number of the uninsured are illegal aliens. Another large group without health insurance are those age 20 to 40 who choose to buy expensive cars, plasma TV’s, boats and other toys rather than pay for health insurance.

And, lets not forget the tens of thousands of gang members in all but the smallest towns in America who would also be covered by ObamaCare.

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Darth Vader Lives!

A man dressed as Darth Vader arrives for the launch of an exhibition in Melbourne recently that showcased an array of costumes and props from the Star Wars movies.

Hillary back to foreign policy center stage?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured) is back at work after she was sidelined with a broken arm.

Excerpts from the article at the link below:

Her role so far has been more in the field of public relations than in policy formation.

It is not at all clear that she has an in-depth influence on foreign policy.

And this insult:

She needs to decide if she wants to be the administration's mascot or have an impact on actual policy.

The administration's mascot indeed.

That may sound like a low blow, but there may be more truth than poetry to that statement because the sad part (for her) is that is what she has probably become.

Wasn’t she warned that she'd have little power and influence as a member of the Obama administration?

Up until now Hillary’s cabinet post has been made largely irrelevant by Obama’s world tours and the appointment of three special envoys - Richard Holbrooke, George Mitchell and Dennis Ross - who have been given large portfolios that some believe have detracted from Clinton's clout.

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Hillary Clinton back in action

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Sotomayer: muddled confusing backtracking

Byron York wrote a brief report for the Washington Examiner based on Senator Jeff Sessions appraisal of Tuesday mornings Sotomayor confirmation hearings. A portion follows:

During a break in the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked whether Sotomayor has been "forthcoming" in her testimony, particularly in her explanations of several controversial speeches she has given.

"How forthcoming is she being," a reporter asked, "and is it any different from what Justices Roberts and Alito did during their hearings?"

"I don't think her testimony is close to the clarity and consistency of Judges Roberts and Alito," Sessions answered. "I just don't think it is. It's muddled, confusing, backtracking on issue after issue -- and these are things that many of us have spoken of on the floor over the past several weeks, so it's not as if they are surprise issues. So I frankly am a bit disappointed in the lack of clarity and consistency in her answers."

The good news (for left-wing Democrats): the “wise Latina woman” will probably be confirmed.

The bad news (for America): the “wise Latina woman” will probably be confirmed.

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Dog day afternoon

Fans dressed as cartoon dogs wait as a rain delay stops the first cricket Test match between England and Australia, which was in its third day in Cardiff, Wales. (AP Photo / July 10, 2009)

Bernie Madoff sent to country club prison

Notorious Ponzi scammer Bernie Madoff arrived yesterday at his new home in North Carolina - Butner prison (shown below).


An ABC report says Madoff “hit the inmate lottery” when he was sent to Butner prison to serve out his sentence. Butner's medium security lockup is said to be "one of the crown jewels of the federal prison system."

"It looks and feels like a college campus," said federal sentencing attorney Alan Ellis, who has clients currently serving time there and says it's a popular assignment request for many white collar criminals.

Madoff's former life of luxury will quickly turn into a life of routine at Butner.

Inmates start their day at 6 a.m. and are required to work 7.5 hours a day, as long as they're found medically fit, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Madoff will make between 12 cents and 40 cents an hour to be a groundskeeper, a food service employee or a commissary worker.

Dinner is at 5 p.m., with free time afterwards until 9 p.m., during which time he can partake in recreational, religious or educational programs.

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Madoff reveals his secret

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Yogi Berra: no it wasn’t and error!

An interviewer started to ask Yogi Berra (pictured) about his two hits from the previous night when Berra corrected him and said he had three hits.

The interviewer apologized. "I checked the paper and the box score said you had two hits. The third must have been a typographical error."

"Heck no," Berra replied. "It was clean single to left field."

Stimulus waste: $3.4 million turtle crossing

Before approving a second stimulus plan, Mr. Obama needs to make sure the first $787 billion has been spent responsibly - not on a $3.4 million turtle crossing.

"I don't think we need to have another stimulus bill. I think we need to change this one so that we spend the money right now," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who has been critical of the plan.”

Then there are the questionable projects:

For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation wants to spend $3.4 million in stimulus money for a turtle tunnel. That's right, $3.4 million to help turtles cross under a highway. Each year, 1,035 turtles are killed on a half-mile stretch of highway north of Tallahassee, according to The Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance, a group advocating for the tunnel. They are hoping to use the stimulus dough to save the turtles.

Another example:

Across the country in Montana, a border crossing that averages fewer than two passenger cars a day and two to three trucks a month is slated to get $15 million in stimulus funds for upgrades.

And then there is the Utah sheriff asking for $25,000 in stimulus money for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

It gets worse. A report at the link below says:

To keep track of all the spending, the government has created a Web site. But nothing in life is free.
The independent General Services Administration quietly put out a release Wednesday night saying the site would be redesigned -- for $9.5 million and, perhaps, as much as $18 million in the next five years!

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So sayeth a Wise Latina woman

Cartoon by Michael Ramirez

Famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign vandalized

The world famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip has been defaced by graffiti vandals.

The graffiti, which appeared to be written with a marker rather than spray paint, was spotted Monday.

Several letters were written on the sign, but no profanities.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (shown standing in front of the sign above) issued a statement saying, “off with their head!”

Even in permissive Las Vegas we doubt the punishment will be anywhere near that severe.

Built in 1959, the Las Vegas sign has become a symbol of the city, appearing in ad campaigns, films and even board games.

In May, the sign was officially welcomed onto the National Register of Historic Places.

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Bad hair day at Wimbledon

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves to Sorana Cirstea of Romania during their third round singles match on center court at Wimbledon.

Hearings day one: Sotomayor called prejudiced

Republicans took the gloves off Monday morning during confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor (pictured).

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, accused Sotomayor of being prejudiced.

Citing a controversial racial bias case in which a fire department discarded the results of a qualifying test when black firefighters scored too low, Sessions said Sotomayor was biased in favor of the minority employees.

"It seems to me that in [Ricci v. DeStefano], Judge Sotomayor's empathy for one group of firefighters turned out to be prejudice against the others," Sessions said.

Ricci v. DeStefano was just one of Judge Sotomayor's cases to be overturned by a higher court - in this case the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sotomayor's controversial attitudes towards race were first aired when it became clear that her comments about "wise Latinas" were a common refrain in her public speeches:

I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.

Link here and here.

Hearings to begin second day for the ‘wise Latina’

Barack Obama’s candidate for the Supreme Court is shown Monday prior to her confirmation hearing.

The self proclaimed 'wise Latina' appears to be showing us her best side.

Nancy Pelosi’s $16 million mouse fund

A tiny mouse has became a hotly disputed symbol of wasteful spending in the $787 billion economic stimulus bill.

The Obama administration revealed last week that as much as $16.1 million from the stimulus program is going to save the San Francisco Bay Area habitat of, among other things, the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.

The salt marsh harvest mouse in question happens to be in the San Francisco Bay Area backyard of House Speakers Nancy Pelosi (pictured).

That has revived Republican criticism that the pet project was an "invisible earmark" in the massive spending bill for Mrs. Pelosi, whose San Francisco district abuts the Bay, and epitomizes what Republicans say is the failure of stimulus spending so far to help an economy still shedding jobs.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner said, “Lo and behold, the government has announced that the mouse is getting its money after all,” standing beside a poster of the furry varmint adding, “Pelosi must be so proud.”

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Going in for the kill.

Spanish bullfighter David Fandila going after his bull with a pair of banderillas during a bullfight in Madrid.

Total ban on smoking for soldiers recommended

CNN reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs recommends a complete ban on tobacco, which would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform.


That would force everyone in the military to either quit smoking or smoke on the sly like their commander in chief does.

More on the possible military smoking ban here.

Are French tourists the most obnoxious?

Does Time Magazine disparage French tourists because they hate them or are they simply voicing what nearly everyone else already knows: French tourists are the most obnoxious.

It may be because the French are simply mirroring the haughty attitude of their former president Jacques Chirac (pictured) who is said to be the only man in Europe to need suntan lotion on the underside of his nose.

At the first link below, Time Magazine wastes no time going after the French:

Given their nation's long reign as the world's most visited country, you'd expect the French to know a thing or two about insufferable tourists.

It turns out they do — and are proving it to the rest of the world.

In a poll carried out by online travel site Expedia and released on Thursday, July 9, French tourists were viewed as the orneriest for the third year running.

Then Time Magazine really pours it on with this:

Affirmation-starved France usually loves global titles of any kind (one big reason French competitors tend to outnumber foreign rivals in quixotic contests like reverse round-the-world solo yachting races and France's annual international plumb-spitting tournaments).

Reverse round-the-world solo yachting races indeed.

Link here and here.

The Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination

Barack Hussein Obama is determined to push through the Supreme Court appointment of Sonia Sotomayor (pictured), a candidate who, in her own words, considers a 'wise Latina woman' smarter than white males, and who thinks the courts are supposed to make policy and law rather than interpret the law.

Conservatives should not worry about losing the Latino vote if they vigorously challenge the Sotomayor appointment. They don’t have the Latino vote now, at least not from Latinos with limited education (which is the majority of Latino voters) so why worry about losing votes they don’t have in the first place.

However, if the Republicans are successful in blocking her appointment in committee, Mr. Obama could appoint her during a congressional recess (a recess appointment) and put her on the Supreme Court without congressional approval.

A recess appointment, however, would be a limited victory for Obama because it would only be good until the end of the term rather than a lifetime appointment.

More here.

Geometry: finding x the easy way

This is a great cheat sheet short shirt for blondes.

Hmmm... saying that five times real fast would be good practice for Peter Piper picked a peck of... oh, never mind.

Michael Jackson sculpture in a Denver park

People in the Denver suburb of Lakewood have been walking past Michael Jackson and his pals for 15 years without knowing it.

The sculpture was commissioned by Michael Jackson 17 years ago and executed by Loveland Colorado artist Jane DeDecker and resides in Addenbrooke Park in Lakewood.



From left, the sculpture shows Gary Coleman, a friend of the sculptor's, Brandi Jackson, Janet Jackson, Macaulay Culkin, Michael Jackson and Brett Ratner.

Denver Post photo by Bill Husted.

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A scene from Rocky Mountain National Park

Time to relax after a long week

Ask a dumb question...

Alex Johnson, an outfielder who played for eight different teams in the 1960’s and 1970’s, was asked by a reporter:

“Last year you hit two homers and this year you hit seven. What is the difference?”

“Five,” Johnson replied.

The beauty who turned Obama’s head in Italy...

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The girl who Obama oogled in Italy is a 16-year-old Brazilian beauty from Rio de Janeiro.

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Escaping the Michael Jackson hoopla

Obama finds stimulus in Italy

Barack Obama talked of a second stimulus. In this photo he appears to be getting a stimulus of a different kind at the G8 summit as an amused Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, looks on.

Photo taken in L'Aquila, Italy July 9, 2009.

Rupert Murdoch: media cooling on Obama by year end

Rupert Murdoch (pictured), owner of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, says the world's most powerful media moguls are "very bearish" on the economy, but they don't seem to be blaming President Obama for the tough times.

Media mogul Murdoch also predicts opinion of Obama will swing by year's end.

Apart from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, both owned by News Corp., the media "remains very supportive of him, perhaps not of all of his policies," Murdoch told Stuart Varney of Fox Business Network.

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Graves in Chicago cemetery desecrated and stripped for profit

Authorities say that, over the last several years, more than 100 bodies at Burr Oak cemetery have been dumped "in a massive pile on cemetery grounds" so the plots could be resold.


The photo above shows broken vaults after bodies were disinterred

Burr Oak cemetery was Chicago's first African-American cemetery. It is located in the town of Alsip, 12 miles south of Chicago.

The four charged are shown below:


(Left to right) Former Burr Oak Cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, grounds foreman Keith Nicks, 45, dump truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59.

The Arizona-based owner of the cemetery, Perpetua Inc., said in a statement Thursday that the company is cooperating with investigators.

"We will make every attempt to insure and maintain the dignity of those that have been entrusted to our care," the company said.

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Ooops... White House spells Obama’s name wrong

Someone might want to look into whether an impostor took President Obama's place during his trip to Russia.

In a release touting an agreement between Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev over how to craft a follow-up to the START arms reduction treaty, the White House claimed the document had been signed by one "Barak Obama."

Perhaps the White House should become a little more aquatinted with its principle resident.

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A hair raising competition

Models display hair creations during the Europe Cup open 2009 competition in Athens, Greece last month.

Billions in aid to areas that backed Obama in 2008

The spin:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says, “There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery."

The reality:

Counties that supported Obama last year have reaped twice as much money per person from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package as those that voted for his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, a USA TODAY analysis of government disclosure and accounting records shows. That money includes aid to repair military bases, improve public housing and help students pay for college.

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Michelle Obama shows off her $6,000 purse

Back in April Michelle Obama wore a pair of $540 Lanvin sneakers at a Washington food bank. Earlier this week in Russia, she carried a sexy black clutch, which Italian luxury house VBH boasts is their shiny black alligator manila bag – with a retail sticker price of $5,950.


The $5,950 shiny black manila alligator clutch purse is part of VBH's Spring 2009 collection (a smaller version is shown above).

VBH stands for V. Bruce Hoeksema, a very successful Italian designer.

The White House denies the story and claims the purse she was carrying the $875 VBH patent leather clutch.

A $6,000 alligator clutch is just the thing to go with her tank tops.

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Scientists discover Easter Island fountain of youth drug

Articles at the links below reports that:

A miraculous 'elixir of youth' which could extend the human life span by more than a decade is being developed by scientists.

The anti-aging pill was created from a chemical found in the soil of Easter Island - one of the most remote and mysterious places on the planet.

The drug, rapamycin, takes its name from the Polynesian name of Easter Island, Rapa Nui.

The drug was originally identified in soil samples from Easter Island, is a powerful suppressor of the immune system, commonly given to patients to help to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, and its dangers to healthy people would far outweigh any potential benefit.

Unfortunately there are side effects, like you could end up looking like an Easter Island statue.

Uh, well...maybe not. However, there is one serious side effect that may prevent this drug from widespread availability to people seeking a magic ‘fountain of youth’ elixir - it suppresses the immune system.

More of the story here and here.

60 Democrat votes in the Senate? - Think again

An ABC News blog posting, found at the link below, deals with the myth that the Democrats have a 60 a filibuster proof 60 votes in the Senate.

It is true that there are 60 Democrats in the Senate, a majority they have not had since the 1970’s - enough votes to block Republican filibusters.

Not so fast - that number is more realistically 58, or even 57 on some occasions.

Two Democrat Senators haven’t voted in months.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who is suffering from brain cancer, hasn't cast a vote since March 26. And 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., hasn't voted since May 13.

On May 15th, Robert Byrd was hospitalized for what his Senate office called "a minor infection." A couple weeks later, his Senate office released a statement saying he had contracted an additional staph infection and would need to remain in the hospital. Byrd was finally released on June 30.

So when will Byrd return to the Senate?

It seems as if none of Byrd's colleagues have any idea about his true condition or when he will return to the Senate.

Kennedy's office also cannot say when he will return to the Senate.

And then there is Senator Joe Lieberman (pictured) who can’t always be counted on to vote with the Democrats.

In fact, he may not vote for a second stimulus or for Obamacare.

Also, there will surely be a few other moderate Democrats that will defy the majority.

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Michael Jackson memorial - not our proudest moment

There are numerous articles and YouTube videos of the Michael Jackson memorial at the Staples Center Tuesday.

Most of the reports didn’t bother to mention the sparse attendance.

Disappointed that the huge anticipated crowds did not materialize, tickets were handed out to any and all takers who happened to be near the Staples Center.

There were several Jackson family members and others on stage saying kind words and giving Michael Jackson (upper photo) a musical tribute. It surely must have been a fitting reverie.

It was the speech by Rev. Al Sharpton (lower photo) that was a bit puzzling as he spoke on about Michael Jackson’s "influence" as a black person and how he broke the race barrier in music.

There were literally hundreds of black musicians before Michael Jackson during the last 100 years. Most of them had more talent and morality.

It was not unexpected that Sharpton would inject "race" into the Jackson memorial. But you have to wonder about Sharpton’s complete lack of understanding the irony of his words and the actions of others on the stage at the Staples Center.

The only race barrier Jackson broke was the one he was born with. It was ironic to see all the black people lionizing a man who hated his blackness so much that he turned himself white and “aquired” white children.

He selected a white woman to be the mother of his children. Will the name of the white sperm donor ever be revealed?

At the second link below, Michael Jackson’s dermatologist says he is not sure but he doesn’t think he is the biological father of Michael Jackson’s children.

Link here and here.

Straight from the horses mouth

A man checks a horse's teeth during the "Rapa Das Bestas" event in Cedeira, Spain.

Throughout the summer, hundreds of wild horses are rounded up, trimmed and groomed in different villages around Galicia.

High jumping at a Fort Worth rodeo

Norwegian rider Andre Villa performs a jump during a rodeo at the Fort Worth Stock Yards.

Stuart Smalley goes to Washington

First of all, who is Stuart Smalley?

Stuart Smalley is the small-minded character played on Saturday Night Live by Al Franken (pictured) the newly seated Senator from Minnesota.

A report at the link below says:

As the Democrats in Congress – and in the mainstream media – celebrate leftist loon and tax cheat Al Franken’s stolen victory from incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, the rest of us are still recovering from nausea at the very thought of Franken as a "valid" U.S. senator.

After nearly eight tortuous months of refusing to concede defeat to Coleman, Franken’s bully tactics finally paid off – thanks mainly to George Soros and ACORN.

Minnesota voters must be very proud.

Link here and here.

Meet Al Franken the new Senator from Minnesota

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Senator Al Franken, Democrat from Minnesota

The Michael Jackson event: memorial service or requiem for a pedophile?

The event at the Staples Center on Tuesday is described as a memorial service for the King of Pop.

As a result of his child molestation accusations and subsequent trial some of his detractors claim the event is a requiem for a pedophile.

Others are calling it a circus and, as if right on cue, elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus began arriving. The circus will begin on Wednesday at the Staples Center - the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.


The Michael Jackson circus was held today.

The report at the first link below says:

The true extent of the media hype surrounding the death of Michael Jackson has been exposed.

Fox News reports on air that as the Michael Jackson memorial was starting, tickets were being handed out to bystanders, as embarrassingly empty seats inside the Staples Center signaled reality refusing to conform to media-generated expectations.

The report at the second link describes the arrival of the elephants for the circus that doesn’t begin until tomorrow.

Link here and here.

Mountain rescue dogs

Two Saint Bernard dogs sit in the snow on the Great St. Bernard Pass after returning from their winter quarters in Martigny, Switzerland. The dogs will spend the summer on the pass and return to Martigny towards the end of the year.

From Russia with love (with apologies to Ian Fleming and Sean Connery)

It didn’t take long for Barack Obama to misspeak during his appearance in Russia.

Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as president.

Putin surrendered the presidency to protege (and puppet) Dmitry Medvedev last May to take the lesser post of prime minister.

Until Obama’s visit, world leaders have been able to deal with the dual leadership in Russia with little difficulty.

At a news conference Obama gave a carefully worded reply about the effectiveness of the leadership tandem when a U.S. journalist bluntly asked "who is really in charge here in Russia?"

But minutes later, speaking about Medvedev's objections to a controversial missile defense system planned for central Europe, Obama slipped: "I suspect when I speak to President..eh.. Prime Minister Putin tomorrow, he will say the same thing."

Mr. Obama would be well advised to stick to the script written for him and projected on his teleprompters.

Mr. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to seek a new agreement on reducing their respective nuclear arsenals. While the American media will spin this as watershed diplomacy, reality reminds us that this is a repeat of what was done decades ago.

And the United States president also announced that he reads the poetry of Pushkin. Really? If he were in Athens would he say he reads Zorba the Greek?

Mr. Obama seems more and more to be a combination of Al Gore's grandiosity and Jimmy Carter's cluelessness.


We were given advance warning when the Temple of Obama (pictured) was set up in the Broncos football stadium for his victory speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Bright idea street lighting on demand in Germany

Street lights are just a call away in many German towns. They call it “Dial4Light.”

Every night at 11 p.m. the village of Dörentrup in central Germany is thrown into total darkness. For the past few years, the village's cash-strapped local council has been switching off all the streetlights in the village each evening until 6 a.m. the following morning.

No street lights would have residents stumbling around in the dark. But in Dörentrup they have seen the light (pun intended).

They have a program that allows residents to turn on streetlights on demand using their cell phones.

In the first project of its kind in Europe, the residents of Dörentrup can now switch on the lights on a specific street whenever they like.


All they have to do is register for the scheme online and provide a phone number. Then each time anyone needs to see in the dark, they call the Dial4Light number, enter the six-digit code that corresponds to the stretch of road they want lit, and within seconds the lights are on.

After a resident uses the Dial4Light scheme, the street lights in that area stay on for 15 minutes.

Link

A fragment of the Statue of Liberty is pictured in front of the Bodensee lake during a rehearsal for AIDA at the sea stage on June 17, 2009 in Bregenz, Austria.