Children warm themselves during their school's recess break in Jammu, India.
Jan 22, 2011
School children warm hands during recess
Children warm themselves during their school's recess break in Jammu, India.
The World is sinking back into the sea
The World is sinking back into the sea - really.
The World, in this case, is an exclusive island destination off the coast of Dubai as shown in the photos below:
The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai and now they are sinking back into the sea.
The World, in this case, is an exclusive island destination off the coast of Dubai as shown in the photos below:
The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai and now they are sinking back into the sea.
The islands were to be developed with tailor-made hotel complexes and luxury villas, and sold to millionaires.
They are off the coast of Dubai and accessible by yacht or motor boat.
Now their sands are eroding and the navigational channels between them are silting up.
What can they expect when the islands were nothing more than piles of sand to begin with.
A Bible verse comes to mind - Matthew 7:26-27.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Filipino tree nymph butterfly
A Filipino tree nymph butterfly feeds on a poinsettia at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida.
Jan 21, 2011
Keith Olbermann out at MSNBC - effective immediately!
From a report at the link below:
Keith Olbermann (pictured) and MSNBC are going their separate ways ... effective immediately.
MSNBC issued a statement saying they had ended its contract with Olbermann.
Friday January 21 was the last appearance for the liberal firebrand on his MSNBC program Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Lawrence O'Donnell, who hosts a show on the network at 10:00 PM, will fill Olbermann's 8:00 PM slot beginning Monday.
But can O'Donnell throw papers at the camera? Olbermann was pretty good at it.
Link
Which cities have the worst traffic?
A CNN article at the link below report:
Drivers in the Chicago and Washington, D.C., metro areas spend the most time stuck in traffic, according to an annual analysis of the nation’s traffic trends.
Commuters in those two cities spent an average of 70 hours stuck in traffic in 2009, according to the 2010 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University.
The top 10 cities for traffic delays in 2009:
1st - (tie) Chicago, Washington, D.C. – 70 hours
3rd - Southern California – 63 hours
4th - Houston – 58 hours
5th - San Francisco-Oakland – 49 hours
6th - (tie) Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston – 48 hours
8th - Atlanta, Seattle – 44 hours
10th - New York- Newark – 42 hours
Facing $1.6 Billion shortfall San Francisco pays out 170 Million in bonuses
As San Francisco struggles under ballooning pension and health care costs, the city’s retirees will receive unexpected cost-of-living bonuses totaling $170 million!
A political battle has raged over the city’s growing retirement obligations. In November, Proposition B, which would have required city workers to contribute more toward their pensions and benefits, was soundly defeated. The measure’s opponents — every major elected official and energetic public-employee unions — said fears about the pension fund were overblown.
Meanwhile, the fund’s fundamentals deteriorated as it gradually accounted for its huge losses in the stock market crash.
It took in $414 million in contributions in 2010 but paid out $819 million!
The leftist city on the left coast may be in dire need of Economics 101.
Link
The Birthplace of Inconvenient Truth
This photo shows Al Gore in his office. Looks a bit like my “cave” only much larger with room for a lot more clutter.
I love the cool frog hanging on the wall.
Google CEO Schmidt steps down search giant shake-up
Google Inc. co-founder Larry Page is taking over as CEO in an unexpected shake-up.Page, 37, is reclaiming the top job from Eric Schmidt (pictured), who had been brought in as CEO a decade ago because Google’s investors believed the company needed a more mature leader.
Schmidt, 55, will remain an adviser to Page and Google’s other co-founder, Sergey Brin, as Google’s executive chairman.
Framed by her racquet
Vania King of the U.S. is framed by her racquet as she makes a forehand return during a first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia
Hundreds of birds poisoned by USDA in South Dakota
It's happened in places like Louisiana, Arkansas and Kentucky. Hundreds of birds mysteriously found dead.
Folks in Yankton, South Dakota, thought they were being added to the list after hundreds of dead birds were found there on Monday.
Turns out the unpleasant feathered discovery has a solid explanation. They were poisoned.
Some had thought 200 starlings found dead in Yankton's Riverside park had frozen to death.
But they were actually poisoned on purpose, by the US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA said a local farmer had been having troubles with about 5,000 starlings soiling his feed meal.
UDSA officials say because of health concerns for the farmer's animals and staff they decided to kill the birds.
They used a bait laced with the poison DRC-1339. The USDA says the birds ate the bait then flew back to Yankton and died.
Link
Jan 20, 2011
50 year anniversary of JFK's "Ask Not" inauguration speech
Did JFK use the motto of his high school in his inauguration speech 50 years ago?
Thurston Clarke wrote a book called, “Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America.”
Mr. Clarke wrote later that "important and heretofore overlooked documentary evidence" proves that Kennedy was "the author of the most immortal and poetic passages of his inaugural address," including the famous line that gives the book its title, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
The photo above shows President John F. Kennedy delivering his inaugural address in 1961, whose memorable phrases are still the subject of conjecture.
John F. Kennedy graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall, a private high school in Wallingford, Connecticut.
From the second paragraph at the first link below:
Thurston Clarke wrote a book called, “Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America.”
Mr. Clarke wrote later that "important and heretofore overlooked documentary evidence" proves that Kennedy was "the author of the most immortal and poetic passages of his inaugural address," including the famous line that gives the book its title, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
The photo above shows President John F. Kennedy delivering his inaugural address in 1961, whose memorable phrases are still the subject of conjecture.John F. Kennedy graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall, a private high school in Wallingford, Connecticut.
From the second paragraph at the first link below:
John F. Kennedy was a 1935 graduate of the Choate school (who, incidentally, graduated 64th in a class of 112), was so inspired by Choate's motto, "Ask not what your school can do for you-- but what you can do for your school." that he paraphrased it in his eloquent inaugural address as: "Ask not what your country can do for you -- but what you can do for your country.”
Did Kennedy write the inauguration speech? Many think he had input into a speech that was prepared by Ted Sorensen.
The “Ask Not” part of the speech would have been added by Kennedy because Sorensen, who was from Lincoln Nebraska, likely would not have been aware of the Choate school motto.
Mr. Clarke insists that Kennedy was the main architect of the speech and the “ask not” words were his even though Ted Sorensen was not only Kennedy’s legal aid but was his chief speechwriter.
Does Mr. Clarke’s book have the definitive answer or, as reported above, are the memorable phrases still the subject of conjecture?
Link here and here.
127 Busted in Largest Mafia Roundup in FBI History
From a report at the link below:
Federal authorities today announced what they called the largest mob roundup in FBI history: the indictment of 127 people, including key Mafia figures from the New York, New Jersey and New England crime families, on charges ranging from murder and racketeering to gambling, extortion and loan-sharking.
About 800 law enforcement members from the FBI, Secret Service, the U.S. Labor Department and state and local law enforcement had arrested more than 110 people by late morning as part of 16 indictments filed in different jurisdictions.
The indictments were aimed at all five New York crime families -- the Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno and Luchese families -- along with the New England Patriarca family and the New Jersey Decavalcante family.
The higher-profile mob figures indicted included Luigi Manocchio, 83, the former boss of New England's Patriarca crime family; Andrew Russo, street boss of the Colombo family; Benjamin Castellazzo, 73, acting underboss of the Colombo family; Richard Fusco, 74, consigliere of the Colombo family; Joseph Corozzo, 69, the consigliere of the Gambino family; and Bartolomeo Vernace, 61, a member of the Gambino family administration.
Two Miami police officers killed serving federal warrant
Two Miami-Dade police officers were shot and killed in a gunfight with suspects as they tried to serve a warrant for a violent fugitive in a Miami home Thursday morning. It was the first time in decades two law enforcement officers had been killed in the line of duty.
The dead male officer was identified as Roger Castillo. The female officer was tentatively identified as Amanda Haworth.
One suspect was killed in the gun battle. Another suspect is in custody, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
Link
The dead male officer was identified as Roger Castillo. The female officer was tentatively identified as Amanda Haworth.
One suspect was killed in the gun battle. Another suspect is in custody, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
Link
Service
Maria Sharapova of Russia serves to Virginie Razzano of France during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia
Report: Save the planet: eat bugs
Dutch scientist Arnold van Huis says mealworm quiche, grasshopper springrolls and cuisine made from other creepy crawlies is the answer to the global food crisis.
Mealworm quiche? Really? Does it taste like chicken?
Judging by the reaction in the photo, eating bugs may not be an easy sell.
Mealworm quiche? Really? Does it taste like chicken?
Judging by the reaction in the photo, eating bugs may not be an easy sell.
Link
The professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands said insects have more protein than cattle per bite, cost less to raise, consume less water and don't have much of a carbon footprint.
He even has plans for a cookbook to make bug food a more appetising prospect for mature palates.
Van Huis has organized lectures, food tastings, and cookery classes with a master chef who demonstrates how to prepare a range of recipes using bugs, worms and grasshoppers, all bred - or raised - at a Dutch insect farm for consumption.
Senators Lieberman and Conrad to give GOP big boost in 2012
Senator Kent Conrad, a Democrat from North Dakota and Senator Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut, have dealt a blow to Democrats’ faint hopes of keeping the majority in the Senate after the 2012 election.
Conrad announced Tuesday he will not run for reelection, and Lieberman, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, is expected to announce the same Wednesday afternoon.
Democrats have to defend 23 Senate seats next year, while the GOP only has 10 up for grabs. Republicans need a net gain of at least three seats to take control of the upper chamber.
More here.
Global warmists: We can't win the game, so let's change the rules.
From a report at the link below:
Willis Eschenbach's recent guest post at Watts Up with That? on the current state of ‘Climate science’ should be made compulsory reading in every classroom, every university science department, every eco-charity, every environmental NGO and in every branch of government.
The theory linking man-made CO2 with dangerous global warming is dead. It has been falsified. It has run smack bang into a “null hypothesis.”
Man-made Global Warming has ceased to exist.
Link.
Jan 19, 2011
Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate!
The governor of Hawaii says he can't find Barack Obama's long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate and that it may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Oh, never mind …
Now they say it has been found.
Whew! That's a relief! We'd hate to think Democrat activists would have to fake one.
Now, when will they produce it?
Link
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie told the Honolulu Star Advertiser he was searching within the Hawaii Department of Health to find definitive vital records that would prove Obama was born in Hawaii, because the continuing eligibility controversy could hurt the president's chances of re-election in 2012.
So far, the only birth document available on Obama is a Hawaii Certification of Live Birth that first appeared on the Internet during the 2008 presidential campaign.
It was posted by two purportedly independent websites that have displayed a strong partisan bias for Obama.
Obama's grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, could have made an in-person report of a Hawaii birth even if the infant Barack Obama Jr. had been foreign-born.
Similarly, the newspaper announcements of Obama's birth do not prove he was born in Hawaii, since they could have been triggered by the grandparents registering the birth as Hawaiian, even if the baby was born elsewhere.
Oh, never mind …
Now they say it has been found.
Whew! That's a relief! We'd hate to think Democrat activists would have to fake one.
Now, when will they produce it?
Link
California may have highest electric vehicle charging costs
A new study says Californians may end up paying the highest electricity rates in the country to charge their electric vehicles.
The state's tiered rate system, in which customers are charged higher rates as they use more electricity, could make plug-in hybrid and battery-powered vehicles more costly to own, according to a Purdue University study.
The study was unveiled as the first of the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are reaching consumers. Two vehicles, the all-electric Nissan Leaf (shown recharging above) and the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, started being delivered to their first customers last month.
While the tiered electrical rate system was designed as an incentive to use less electricity, it will not help owners of plug in electric cars.
A plug-in hybrid Volt would increase the average household's electrical usage 60%, the study said. Although the study didn't explicitly examine all-electric vehicles such as the Leaf, "the same principle would apply."
More here.
Trafalgar Square graffiti removal
A workman uses a high pressure hose to clean graffiti from Trafalgar Square in London, England.
Report: Parents of Jared Lee Loughner emerge from seclusion
A New York Post report says the weight of the world is on their shoulders as the parents of Jared Lee Loughner appeared in public together for the first time since their only child killed six people and shot 13 others in Tucson Arizona last week. Randy and Amy Loughner (pictured) left their home and arrived at a downtown Tucson federal building that houses the offices of the federal defender, whose lawyers are representing their son against murder charges.
Link
Hackers can use smart keys to steal cars
From a report at the link below:
Seems like there should be a simple fix. How about a shielded bag to go over the key fob?
One commenter suggested with tongue-in-cheek that driving an old stick-shift car would completely throw off car thieves.
One look at a clutch pedal and a three-in-the tree gear shift lever and they wouldn't have a clue.
Link
Modern smart keys use radio frequencies to let drivers unlock and start a vehicle without fumbling with a key fob.
Now European researchers have found such systems can be hacked, letting thieves easily steal your car.
Seems like there should be a simple fix. How about a shielded bag to go over the key fob?
One commenter suggested with tongue-in-cheek that driving an old stick-shift car would completely throw off car thieves.
One look at a clutch pedal and a three-in-the tree gear shift lever and they wouldn't have a clue.
Link
Arizona statute could cause Giffords to lose House seat
An article at the link below reports that injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords could lose her House seat due to a little-known statutory provision in Arizona state law.
This provision could endanger the Democratic congresswoman's hold on her seat through what doctors say will be a protracted medical struggle.
The statute states that if a public officeholder ceases to "discharge the duties of office for the period of three consecutive months," the office shall be deemed vacant - at such time, a special election could be called to fill the vacancy.
More here.
This provision could endanger the Democratic congresswoman's hold on her seat through what doctors say will be a protracted medical struggle.
The statute states that if a public officeholder ceases to "discharge the duties of office for the period of three consecutive months," the office shall be deemed vacant - at such time, a special election could be called to fill the vacancy.
More here.
Jan 18, 2011
WWII grenades used as bookends blown up
The bomb squad was called early Tuesday morning after a man pulled the pin on a World War II-era grenade, according to Volusia County Florida sheriff's deputies.
The man told deputies his neighbor had a second grenade.
That woman told Local 6 the grenades belonged to her deceased husband, who fought in World War II, and were used as bookends for several years.
Deputies called in the bomb squad, who took both grenades to a nearby field and detonated the explosives.
When the grenades exploded a 2-foot crater was left in the ground!
Link
The man told deputies his neighbor had a second grenade.
That woman told Local 6 the grenades belonged to her deceased husband, who fought in World War II, and were used as bookends for several years.
Deputies called in the bomb squad, who took both grenades to a nearby field and detonated the explosives.
When the grenades exploded a 2-foot crater was left in the ground!
Link
Deposed dictator Baby Doc Duvalier taken to court on his return to Haiti
Haitian police led ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier out of his hotel and took him to court Tuesday without saying whether he was being charged with crimes committed under his brutal regime.
Was this truly an arrest? His longtime companion smiled and denied that he had been arrested.
Why did Duvalier return to Haiti anyway?
Haiti is a broken country drowning in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake followed by an equally devastating cholera outbreak.
Is this a perfect time for a hoodlum dictator to return to control? Will he bring civil war to Haiti?
Was the smell of the billions of dollars in relief money too much for Duvalier to resist?
Most of the relief money has not been spent. The sound of construction equipment is seldom heard.
Jean-Claude Duvalier "baby doc" is shown on left. His father the late Francois Duvalier "papa doc" is shown on the right.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The United States promised spirited "Baby Doc" Duvalier out of Haiti and promised the brutal dictator would never return - so what happened? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Was this truly an arrest? His longtime companion smiled and denied that he had been arrested.
Why did Duvalier return to Haiti anyway?
Haiti is a broken country drowning in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake followed by an equally devastating cholera outbreak.
Is this a perfect time for a hoodlum dictator to return to control? Will he bring civil war to Haiti?
Was the smell of the billions of dollars in relief money too much for Duvalier to resist?
Most of the relief money has not been spent. The sound of construction equipment is seldom heard.
Jean-Claude Duvalier "baby doc" is shown on left. His father the late Francois Duvalier "papa doc" is shown on the right.
The United States promised spirited "Baby Doc" Duvalier out of Haiti and promised the brutal dictator would never return - so what happened?
Shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 7, 1986, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, his gorgeous and glitzy wife Michele Bennet, their two young children, at least one mistress and about 20 close friends and servants got aboard a huge U.S. Air Force jet and headed for France.
Trunks of designer clothing, priceless art, jewels and a "hell of a lot of the gold" were loaded onto the C-141 jet in a light drizzle that morning at Francois Duvalier International Airport, as a military adviser assigned to the U.S. Embassy at the time described it.
Now that the United States has broken its promise and Duvalier is back in Haiti there are even more unanswered questions with few real answers.
Will we ever know what really happened to most of the Haiti relief money donated during 2010?
Link here, here and here.
CU student pays tuition with 33 pounds of $1 bills
Nic Ramos wanted to send a poignant message about the rising cost of tuition at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
So, the 20-year-old economics major paid his $14,300 tuition entirely in $1 bills.
"It's over $14,000 in one-dollar-bills!"
Ramos packed the 33 pounds of cash into a big duffle and was ready when the CU business office opened last Friday morning.
The teller looked in the bag and said, "0h my gosh!" said Ramos. "And then all the other tellers came over and they couldn't believe it."
Amassing that much cash in the credit-card age was no easy task.
Ramos said he spent a couple days trooping from bank to bank withdrawing cash. Often banks could only provide $100 or $20 bills, so he had to go to still more banks for change.
"We have got every sort of reaction," he said, ranging from "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard" to "You're crazy."
Link
So, the 20-year-old economics major paid his $14,300 tuition entirely in $1 bills.
"It's over $14,000 in one-dollar-bills!"
Ramos packed the 33 pounds of cash into a big duffle and was ready when the CU business office opened last Friday morning.
The teller looked in the bag and said, "0h my gosh!" said Ramos. "And then all the other tellers came over and they couldn't believe it."
Amassing that much cash in the credit-card age was no easy task.
Ramos said he spent a couple days trooping from bank to bank withdrawing cash. Often banks could only provide $100 or $20 bills, so he had to go to still more banks for change.
"We have got every sort of reaction," he said, ranging from "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard" to "You're crazy."
Link
Folding bicycle display
A man views Brompton folding bicycles on display at the London Bike Show at the ExCeL center in London earlier this month.
Poll: voters trust Republicans more on all 10 key issues
From a Rasmussen Reports article at the link below:
Republicans officially assumed control of the U.S. House of Representatives this month, and voters now trust the GOP more than Democrats on all 10 of the most important issues regularly surveyed by Rasmussen Reports including the economy, health care, taxes and national security.
Most voters continue to favor repeal of the health care bill and tend to think repeal will cause the federal budget deficit to go down.
Earth rotation changes zodiac signs
Change in earth's rotation adds new Zodiac sign - Ophiuchus.
Those who read a horoscope every day, may want to recheck what your Zodiac sign is.
The new list showing dates:
Link
(click on cartoon to enlarge)
Those who read a horoscope every day, may want to recheck what your Zodiac sign is.
The new list showing dates:
Where do I fit in to all this? For now I'm just trying to learn to spell and pronounce the name of the new sign.Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Jan. 20.
Link
Read your mind? There's an app for that
An iPhone app that lets you read your mind? Really?
The plastic headband, which costs around $100, has a sensor that presses against the user’s forehead and communicates with a free XWave iPhone application that then shows your brain waves graphically on the iPhone screen. As you focus your mind on a task the graphics are changed — a ball may move higher for instance, or your state of relaxation may be indicated by changes in a pulsating color, which moves towards blue as you become more relaxed.
Brainwave detection is powered by an NeuroSky eSense dry sensor, which provides a brain-computer interface (BCI) to sense even faint electrical impulses in the brain and convert them to digital signals that are sent to the iPhone. Previous applications of the NeuroSky technology include computer games and toys. In XWave an algorithm is applied to the brain rhythms to convert them to graphical representations of attention and meditation values.
Link
The plastic headband, which costs around $100, has a sensor that presses against the user’s forehead and communicates with a free XWave iPhone application that then shows your brain waves graphically on the iPhone screen. As you focus your mind on a task the graphics are changed — a ball may move higher for instance, or your state of relaxation may be indicated by changes in a pulsating color, which moves towards blue as you become more relaxed.
Brainwave detection is powered by an NeuroSky eSense dry sensor, which provides a brain-computer interface (BCI) to sense even faint electrical impulses in the brain and convert them to digital signals that are sent to the iPhone. Previous applications of the NeuroSky technology include computer games and toys. In XWave an algorithm is applied to the brain rhythms to convert them to graphical representations of attention and meditation values.
Link
Jan 17, 2011
Temporary shelter
A family from Bolivia sit inside a makeshift shelter in the Indoamericano Park at the Villa Soldati neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Clashes between squatters and residents who want them out the park, exploded last week killing at least 3 people and injuring dozens, according to local media and police.
AP photo
Tucson shooter trial to be in San Diego
Federal officials reportedly are planning to relocate the trial of the Arizona man accused of shooting and killing six people and injuring 14 others -- including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- from Arizona to California.
One of those fatally shot was the state's chief federal judge, John Roll, and a district court judge in Tucson ruled last week that all judges in the district had to recuse themselves from the case.
U.S. District Court Judge Larry A. Burns of the Southern District of California was named to oversee the case. Burns is a former prosecutor who was nominated to serve the federal court by George W. Bush in 2003.
New security threat for Facebook users
A new article in PC Magazine reports that Facebook apps are allowing access to phone numbers and addresses by developers.
One security expert said "could herald a new level of danger" for Facebook members.
More here.
One security expert said "could herald a new level of danger" for Facebook members.
More here.
Former dictator Jean-Claude "baby doc" Duvalier returns to Haiti
In the past 12 months, Haiti - already the western hemisphere's weakest link - has suffered a devastating earthquake that has killed more than 250,000 people and decimated the country's infrastructure.
That was followed by a cholera epidemic that has claimed thousands more lives and as if that wasn't enough the country was then hit by a political crisis tied to the fraud-tainted Nov. 28 presidential elections.
All the country needed now was the return of the brutal exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier!
Duvalier's returned to Haiti comes nearly 25 years after a popular uprising against his brutal dictatorship forced him into exile.
Jean-Claude Duvalier "baby doc" is shown on left. The late Francois Duvalier "papa doc" is on the right.
Jean-Claude Duvalier is part of a father-and-son dynasty that presided over one of the darkest chapters in Haitian history.
This will bring back horrible memories for older Haitian's who remember the feared machete wielding Tonton Macoutes, a Haitian militia force under the control of dictator Francois Duvalier "papa doc", father of Jean-Claude Duvalier.
What is the purpose of the Duvalier return? Certainly not to repay the millions of dollars he plundered from Haiti when he left nearly 25 years ago. Is there any money left in Haiti for Duvalier to plunder now?
Link here and here.
That was followed by a cholera epidemic that has claimed thousands more lives and as if that wasn't enough the country was then hit by a political crisis tied to the fraud-tainted Nov. 28 presidential elections.
All the country needed now was the return of the brutal exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier!
Duvalier's returned to Haiti comes nearly 25 years after a popular uprising against his brutal dictatorship forced him into exile.
Jean-Claude Duvalier "baby doc" is shown on left. The late Francois Duvalier "papa doc" is on the right.Jean-Claude Duvalier is part of a father-and-son dynasty that presided over one of the darkest chapters in Haitian history.
This will bring back horrible memories for older Haitian's who remember the feared machete wielding Tonton Macoutes, a Haitian militia force under the control of dictator Francois Duvalier "papa doc", father of Jean-Claude Duvalier.
What is the purpose of the Duvalier return? Certainly not to repay the millions of dollars he plundered from Haiti when he left nearly 25 years ago. Is there any money left in Haiti for Duvalier to plunder now?
Link here and here.
Elderly NJ woman charged 5800 after missing final mortgage payment
This appears to be an egregious attempt to fleece an elderly woman.
A New Jersey woman was billed $5,800 after missing the final payment on her 30-year mortgage.
A New Jersey woman was billed $5,800 after missing the final payment on her 30-year mortgage.
Lawyers for 85-year-old Dorothy Rhue Allen say the fees charged by two banks and a law firm violate consumer-protection laws.
The suit says LaSalle Bank and Cenlar Federal Savings Bank started foreclosure proceedings in 2007 after the hospitalized Allen missed the last $432 payment on her Deptford, N.J., home.
The banks advised her lawyers she could pay $5,800 to avoid foreclosure. But her lawyers instead sued over the fees, and the foreclosure action was dropped.
80-year-old international jewel thief nabbed in San Diego
Smartly dressed she would glide into a high-end jewelry store in Monte Carlo - or maybe Paris or Las Vegas - and smile at the clerk while asking to try on a ring or a watch. Oh, wait a minute, no not that one, the other one. How about this one?
After trying on and admiring several pieces, all the while chatting with the sales clerk, she decides that, no, she won’t be buying anything today.
She slips out as gracefully as she came in and the clerk goes back to work.
It will be hours before the clerk realizes one of the more expensive pieces - a ring that nice old lady had tried on - is missing.
That’s how Doris Payne, now 80, (pictured above) has been robbing jewelry stores for dozens of years.
The most time she ever served was in Colorado, where she did almost five years in prison for stealing a diamond ring from a Neiman Marcus store in 1998.
Link
After trying on and admiring several pieces, all the while chatting with the sales clerk, she decides that, no, she won’t be buying anything today. She slips out as gracefully as she came in and the clerk goes back to work.
It will be hours before the clerk realizes one of the more expensive pieces - a ring that nice old lady had tried on - is missing.
That’s how Doris Payne, now 80, (pictured above) has been robbing jewelry stores for dozens of years.
The most time she ever served was in Colorado, where she did almost five years in prison for stealing a diamond ring from a Neiman Marcus store in 1998.
Link
Jan 16, 2011
Interesting "Bye Bye Obama" clock
It's called the "Bye Bye Obama" Clock and costs about 25 bucks. 
This clock counts down the time until Mr. Obama's term expires. A Google search will find it.The clock's kinda' cool and sure looks better than the Bush Chia shown at right.
By the way, the Obama Chia was taken off store shelves because it was racial. Yea, that's right they said it was racial. Really.
Palm Springs police chief caught in sex sting
From a Los Angeles Times report at the link below:
The June 2009 gay sex sting netted 19 public indecent exposure arrests, and disbelief and outrage have festered in this desert haven ever since.
Palm Springs, California has been known as a sanctuary for gay men and lesbian women so why was there a sting in Palm Springs anyway?
This is Palm Springs, "the gayest city in America," a gay tourist destination governed by an openly gay mayor and home to the sexually charged White Party, a dance and music festival that attracts tens of thousands of gay men every year.
Robert Stone, co-founder of the Warm Sands neighborhood association called the sting "an egregious case of entrapment, a technique that has been used by law enforcement against gay people for decades."
"Gays move to Palm Springs to get away from that."
Gay men and lesbians, by some estimates, account for nearly half of the 47,000 residents.
That strength allows them to enjoy the benefits of mainstream power and prominence while leaving them free to cherish the city's playful and at times uninhibited social scene.
The gay community is credited for rescuing the desert town, which was slowly wasting away as it clung to its past heyday as Hollywood's playground.
They restored luster to aging homes and neighborhoods and replaced shuttered storefronts with scores of new businesses.
A local gay magazine ranks the resorts, most of which are well-kept inns, by "sexual temperature."
With one half of the population gay, why fight it? If you don't like it move out.
Link
Paramedics rescue boy after tongue stuck to pole
In a scene straight from the movie "A Christmas Story," an 8-year-old Oklahoma boy got his tongue stuck to a metal pole after he licked it on a dare.
Officials said when rescue crews arrived the boy was standing on his tiptoes trying get his tongue off the pole.
Paramedics were able to help the boy by pouring water on his tongue. Once free, the boy told officials he got stuck after his brother dared him to lick the pole.
The photo shows Flick putting his tongue on a frozen flagpole as Ralphie Parker watches in the movie A Christmas Story. Flick just had to do it - after all, he was triple-dog dared.
The incident brought back a vivid childhood memory of a winter day when I was in the first grade.
I tried to lick frost from the metal steering bar of a sled while playing in a farmyard near Hurley, South Dakota.
It's something a kid never does more than once.
Link
Officials said when rescue crews arrived the boy was standing on his tiptoes trying get his tongue off the pole.
Paramedics were able to help the boy by pouring water on his tongue. Once free, the boy told officials he got stuck after his brother dared him to lick the pole.
The photo shows Flick putting his tongue on a frozen flagpole as Ralphie Parker watches in the movie A Christmas Story. Flick just had to do it - after all, he was triple-dog dared.The incident brought back a vivid childhood memory of a winter day when I was in the first grade.
I tried to lick frost from the metal steering bar of a sled while playing in a farmyard near Hurley, South Dakota.
It's something a kid never does more than once.
Link
Time Magazine: defending the indefensible
Time Magazine has a report at the link below in their Swampland blog titled In Defense Of The Mainstream Media.
This is not an easy task for anyone -- especially for Time Magazine. Time is not as left leaning as Newsweek but that's not saying much when you consider that Newsweek is a little to the left of Attila the Hun.
How can a left leaning news source defend a media made up of mostly left leaning news sources? It can't.
For most columnists of the New York Times and other decidedly leftist newspapers there is no mystery about their political agendas.
On the network evening news programs it becomes a little blurry. For instance when Tom Borkaw was reading the news on NBC Nightly News he kept his liberalism mostly in check.
It came out in dramatic fashion on election night 2000 when the Florida results were in flux. When the lead in Florida appeared to go from Gore to Bush, Tom Brokaw (above left) told Tim Russert (above right), of Meet the Press who was with him in the booth that night, "I thought we had won Florida."
It was the personal pronoun we that first gave away his liberalism that he had tried hard to keep in the closet.
Now that Brokaw, the "news reader" from my home state of South Dakota, has retired he makes no pretense about his political preferences.
Other television "news readers" such as Brian Williams don't try to hide their political leanings.
Now that "news readers" on the evening news television programs are no longer hiding their liberalism, it makes Time Magazines attempt to defend the indefensible even more difficult.
The Time report is here.
This is not an easy task for anyone -- especially for Time Magazine. Time is not as left leaning as Newsweek but that's not saying much when you consider that Newsweek is a little to the left of Attila the Hun.
How can a left leaning news source defend a media made up of mostly left leaning news sources? It can't.
For most columnists of the New York Times and other decidedly leftist newspapers there is no mystery about their political agendas.
On the network evening news programs it becomes a little blurry. For instance when Tom Borkaw was reading the news on NBC Nightly News he kept his liberalism mostly in check.
It came out in dramatic fashion on election night 2000 when the Florida results were in flux. When the lead in Florida appeared to go from Gore to Bush, Tom Brokaw (above left) told Tim Russert (above right), of Meet the Press who was with him in the booth that night, "I thought we had won Florida."It was the personal pronoun we that first gave away his liberalism that he had tried hard to keep in the closet.
Now that Brokaw, the "news reader" from my home state of South Dakota, has retired he makes no pretense about his political preferences.
Other television "news readers" such as Brian Williams don't try to hide their political leanings.
Now that "news readers" on the evening news television programs are no longer hiding their liberalism, it makes Time Magazines attempt to defend the indefensible even more difficult.
The Time report is here.
Electric car from London to Edinburgh: stagecoach was faster
The score of this exercise: Practicality 1, Greenies 0.
The BBC's stunt of taking an electric Mini (pictured) to Edinburgh reveals just how impractical rechargeable cars are.
In its obsessive desire to promote the virtues of electric cars, the BBC proudly showed us last week how its reporter Brian Milligan was able to drive an electric Mini from London to Edinburgh in a mere four days – with nine stops of up to 10 hours to recharge the batteries (with electricity from fossil fuels).
The distance from London to Edinburgh is 484 miles (778 km) a comfortable days drive in a conventional vehicle.
What the BBC omitted to tell us was that in the 1830s, a stagecoach was able to make the same journey in half the time, with two days and nights of continuous driving. This did require 50 stops to change horses, but each of these took only two minutes, giving a total stopping time of just over an hour and a half.
180 years is a big leap backward!
Link
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
A picture of my cave
..
..
