Taiwanese chef Huang Mingbo shows off a motorcycle which made from five lobster shells in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
Picture: Feature China / Barcroft Media
Saturday, September 3, 2011
61 year-old Vietnam veteran to play football for Faulkner University
As one 61 year-old Vietnam veteran to another: Right on bro! Wish I was in the shape you are. Make sure to show those kids a few things…
At an age when many start thinking about retirement, Alan Moore (pictured right) is restarting his football career. Moore, a 61 year-old Vietnam veteran, will kick this fall for Faulkner University, a small Christian school in Montgomery, Ala., 43 years after his initial college career was cut short by Vietnam. When he takes the field against Ave Maria on Sept. 10, Moore will be the oldest player ever to take the field for a four-year university.
Moore was only able to play his freshman year at Jones County (Miss.) Junior College before heading off to Vietnam for 11 months [in 1968]. Watching a football game in 2009 inspired him to purchase footballs, build goal posts in his daughter's back yard, and practice kicking.
Last year Moore was turned away in an attempt to try out for Jones' team but did end up making the team at Holmes (Miss.) Community College after being referred by the head coach's aunt. Ironically, he made an appearance for Holmes against Jones County.
Moore is the first sexagenarian football player on record at any level. George Blanda was 48 when he retired from the NFL after his career as a quarterback and kicker. In 2004, 39-year-old Tim Frisby successfully walked on at South Carolina as a wide receiver. "Pops" Frisby was also a veteran, spending time as a U.S. Army Ranger in the first Gulf War. Even on television, Gerald "Major Dad" McRaney was only in his 40s when he guest-starred as a veteran giving college football one last shot in the old sitcom "Coach."
However, Moore still has 13 years to go to top Ken Mink, who was 73 when he played for the Roane State (Tenn.) basketball team in 2008 in the Tennessee Junior Community College Athletic Association. Has there ever been an official verdict on social security as an "improper benefit"?
End of an era, no Jerry on Labor Day, Russian rowers embrace nude statute banned by Stalin, Gadhafi & CIA have been pals for years
Good Morning Humboldt County!
Thanks for stopping by this Labor Day weekend. Grab a cup of Joe, get comfortable, and we’ll check out three stories from the headlines:
Jerry Lewis: MIA this Labor Day
Labor Day this year promises to be bland by comparison, with the 85-year-old Lewis now banished from the annual rite he built from scratch and molded in his image.
As if deflated by the absence of its larger-than-life host, "The 46th Annual MDA Labor Day Telethon" will fill just six hours (Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight in each time zone; check local listings for station), rather than the grueling 21½-hour endurance contest that Lewis used to churn through with his viewers in tow.
On Aug. 3, with no elaboration, MDA announced that Lewis had "completed his run" as national chairman, and that he would not be appearing on the telethon, as promised earlier.
Lewis has provided no insight into the matter. But it's hard to imagine how wronged he must feel after bonding with the telethon for so long. As Levy writes in "King of Comedy," Lewis "had conflated America's charitable instincts with love for himself as a public figure and even as one more lonely child."
Too sexy for Stalin: Russian rowers embrace oar girl statue
The artist may have been a favorite of Stalin, but Ivan Shadr's statue "Girl With an Oar" proved too sexy for the Soviet dictator.
The 23-foot nude statue, sculpted in 1934, was banished from pride of place in Moscow's Gorky Park to Ukraine in 1936 and replaced with a less sensual version, The Wall Street Journal reported.
However, a copy of the original was due to be unveiled Saturday on the bank of the Moskva River in the park at the finish line of an international regatta course, the paper said.
The model for the statue, Vera Voloshina, was captured and killed by German forces, the WSJ reported.
Documents reveal close CIA ties to Gadhafi spy unit
Documents found at the abandoned office of Libya’s former spymaster appear to provide new details of the close relations the Central Intelligence Agency shared with the Libyan intelligence service — most notably suggesting that the Americans sent terrorism suspects at least eight times for questioning in Libya despite that country’s reputation for torture.
Photo: CIA agent Edwin P. Wilson recruited Gadaffi in 1977, and the CIA shipped Libya over 2000 pounds of explosives," says former CIA agent Lester Coleman.
Time to walk on down the road…
Friday, September 2, 2011
How did 9000 pot plants avoid biggest fire in New Mexico history?
Fireproof pot? A new fire-resistant strain developed by locals? How did those 9000 plants survive the fiery holocaust? Even more interesting is how did they come up with a street value of $10 million for outdoor? So many questions.
This summer's Las Conchas fire in New Mexico scorched tribal lands, threatened one of the nation's premier nuclear facilities and pushed bears into nearby cities. But it somehow spared more than 9,000 marijuana plants in a remote area of Bandelier National Monument.
Did a higher power save those plants? Too bad the divine protection didn’t extend to cops in fatigues. They were all over that crop like stink on shit. It was a first big pot bust in the Bandelier National Monument. Or so the feds say. They claim they are going to destroy all but a little bit for evidence. Yeah right…I’ll bet some people are getting high tonight! photo
Guest Opinion: How To Honor the True Spirit of 9/11: First, Ignore Limbaugh
By Joe Conason
If volunteerism is suddenly unpatriotic and even "socialist," that will come as a nasty surprise to many of the Republicans and conservatives who always have supported such efforts, notably including both presidents named Bush.
And if stepping up to help our neighbors and community on 9/11 would somehow dishonor the Americans killed in those infamous attacks — as feverish critics of President Barack Obama now scream — then what do they think actually happened on that day 10 years ago?
The latest outbreak of phony outrage began when the president, following a tradition established by George W. Bush, announced that he and th
To Rush Limbaugh and assorted lesser cogs in the right-wing noise machine, that was a deeply controversial statement and an attempt to "politicize" the event — as if the White House had ordered everybody to put on blue caps, join a local Obama for America chapter and then build a solar house for the poor.
Yes, according to the furious wingers, Obama's attempt to inspire volunteerism was in fact
a barely disguised appeal to "serve the state," as well as an un-American distraction from what should be, in their minds, a more militaristic commemoration.
But leaving aside their usual bizarre theories about the president and his motives, this pseudo-controversy shows how little these so-called conservatives understand what really happened on 9/11, in New York and then across the country.
On that day and the days that followed, we saw a demonstration of the highest American values, which are apparently no longer comprehensible to the denizens of the right-wing swamp. Read More Here
7.1 Quake off Alaska, college professor accused of leading motorcycle gang, and federal agency set to sue U.S. banks
Good Morning Humboldt County!
Good to see you this Friday morning. Pull up a seat and have a cup of coffee with me and we’ll look at what’s happening in the world around us.
7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off Alaska
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Friday in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, prompting a brief tsunami warning for a portion of Alaska's coast. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck in the waters at about 6:55 a.m. ET. There were no reports of injuries or damage, according to Alaska's KTUU.com.
Professor allegedly led motorcycle gang and drug ring
A university professor suspected of leading a motorcycle gang and methamphetamine drug ring is wanted for arrest in California, authorities say. Steve Kinzey, 43, believed to be the president of the local chapter of the Devils Disciples motorcycle club, has been the target of a 6-month narcotics and weapons trafficking investigation, sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.
Authorities said the probe stemmed from a federal undercover operation of another biker gang, the Mongols, in which Kinzey was identified as being involved in criminal activity.
US set to sue big banks over bad mortgages
The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation.
Time to walk on down the road…
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Can’t get high enough – Bobcat leaps 50 feet to escape enemy
This bobcat leapt 50 feet up a prickly cactus and stayed there for six hours to escape from a mountain lion in the Sonoran Desert, Gold Canyon, Arizona, United States.
The terrified feline climbed to the top of the Giant Saguaro Cactus and was so scared it stayed on top of the cactus for several hours.
Picture: Curt Fonger/solent
The Bobcat’s situation reminded me of this song:
I know she wasn’t singing about terrified felines…was she?
Somewhere in the backround Diana Ross is singing to this lonely Bobcat…or the Bobcat is thinking there’s no mountain high enough so he had to get on top of this damn Giant Saguaro Cactus!
Glacier breaking up at ‘astonishing’ speed, purple potatoes good for blood pressure, and a man sneaks snakes in his pants
Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier
New photographs taken of a vast glacier in northern Greenland have revealed the astonishing rate of its breakup, with one scientist saying he was rendered "speechless."
In August 2010, part of the Petermann Glacier about four times the size of Manhattan island broke off , prompting a hearing in Congress.
Purple potatoes may help lower blood pressure
Pity the potato. It's widely blamed for the fattening of America . But a new study found that daily consumption of a certain type of potato -- purple ones, that is --- can help lower blood pressure, without causing weight gain.
While eating potatoes, most of the subjects -- even those on anti-hypertensive medications -- experienced lower blood pressure, and none of the subjects gained weight. The study, not yet published, was presented this week at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver.
Man nabbed at U.S. airport with snakes in his pants
Never mind ants in your pants, what about snakes and tortoises?
That's what authorities at Miami's international airport said they found inside the trousers of a passenger as he tried to board a flight for Brazil.The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said the man had seven exotic snakes and three tortoises wrapped in nylon bags that had been stuffed into his pants.
He was discovered as he went through a body scanner at one of the airport's security checkpoints on Thursday and arrested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials for violating animal trafficking laws. photo
Time to walk on down the road…
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Reflection: there’s little hope of compromise coming from Congress
Top congressional Republican John Boehner told the president to delay a planned jobs speech to a joint session of Congress by a day in order to avoid "impediments." Meaning the Republican presidential debate was set that day.
The House historian labeled Boehner's public rebuff as unprecedented. I guess this gives us all an idea what it’s going to be like when Congress is back in session. The partisanship will continue and Americans will once again be the losers.
Are we having fun yet? Snake fails to amuse children at park
Rich Shulman writes… “As a parent, I know that young children will cry about anything. But you have to wonder, isn't the natural fear of snakes a good thing?”
Arab Israeli children pose with a pet snake at an amusement park in the northern Israeli city of Acre on August 31 as Muslims celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Happy 37th Anniversary Shirley! ‘You’re still the one’…
You may be in Washington D.C. reading this, but we’re really not that far apart – because we’re in each others heart! You’ll always be my “Brown-Eyed Girl.” I love you, and here’s a few thoughts for the day:
“To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.”
Ogden Nash
Our wedding was many years ago.The celebration continues to this day. ~Gene Perret
A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney
It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner
An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~Author Unknown
Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik
A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.
- Anonymous
Marriage is a partnership in which each inspire the other, and brings fruition to both of you.
Millicent Carey McIntosh
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Believe it or not: some Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong
“Some people believe the world revolves around them — and their belief is born not of selfishness but of faith.
A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church's original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church's clash with Galileo Galilei four centuries ago.” source
(Photo - Brother Guy Consolmagno of the Vatican Observatory takes a modern view of Earth's place in the universe)
This subject is, as far as I can see, an embarrassment to the modern church because the world more or less looks upon geocentrism, or someone who believes it, in the same boat as the flat Earth.
“Those promoting geocentrism argue that heliocentrism, or the centuries-old consensus among scientists that Earth revolves around the sun, is a conspiracy to squelch the church's influence.” source
That figures. Science is the enemy of church extremists trying to refute reality in favor of their fevered interpretation of things. This is one reason, among many, that church and state need to be separated. This kind of thinking turns the clock back to 1200 A.D.
"Heliocentrism becomes dangerous if it is being propped up as the true system when, in fact, it is a false system," said Robert Sungenis, leader of a budding movement to get scientists to reconsider. "False information leads to false ideas, and false ideas lead to illicit and immoral actions — thus the state of the world today.… Prior to Galileo, the church was in full command of the world, and governments and academia were subservient to her." source
These statements sum up the longing for the church to once again rule most of the world. These “believers” see themselves as “enlightened” while in fact they are demonstrating just the opposite. In my opinion, the Bible is neither geocentric or heliocentric. It does not give any specific information about the structure of the solar system.
New Series Part I: Stupid Laws in the United States of America
Good Morning Humboldt County!
Good to see you. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this special edition of stupid laws in California. I’ve selected three cities for you. My favorite is the fine (in Chico) for setting off a nuclear devise in the town limits – only $500! Enjoy…
EUREKA
Persons may not sleep on a road.
Full text of the law. graphic source
One must seek written permission from the Director of Public Works before playing baseball in a city park.
Men who wear moustaches are forbidden from kissing women.
A man with a moustache may not kiss a woman.
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CHICO
It is illegal to own a green or smelly animal hide.
Bowling on the sidewalk is illegal.
Driving a herd of cattle down a street is against the law.
It is illegal to plant a garden in any public street.
Detonating a nuclear device within the city limits results in a $500 fine.
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INDIAN WELLS
It is illegal for a trumpet player to play his instrument with the intention of luring someone to a store.
Drinking intoxicating cement is prohibited.
Fortelling the future for donations is illegal.
Crushing rocks in the city limits is forbidden.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
The Dark Side Strikes Back! Darth Cheney book is Bunk Making Bank
He’s back…
A new book by former US Vice President Dick Cheney “In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir” is getting attention in the media…but it must be kinda embarrassing having former Ambassador Joe Wilson, outed-CIA agent Valeria Plame, and Secretary of State Colin Powell calling him out on his inaccuracies.
Actually, they’re saying his book is full of outright lies! No surprise. He just wants to make money, so he’s willing to say anything about anyone during his time as the de facto President pulling Dubya’s strings. Facts are in short supply for the Once and Future Darth Varder!!! But he’ll sell books as the people hiss…
I saw it in my email list today: We should draft guys over 60
This is funny and I suspect it was written by a former soldier...
New Direction for any war: send service vets over 60!
I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.
For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex
photo source every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.
Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for awhile.
An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 am. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell.. Besides, like I said, I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical son-of-a-bitch.
If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.
Boot camp would be easier for old guys.. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.
They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training.
Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.
An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.
These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.
Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them.
HEY!! How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!! You think MEN have attitudes??
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my God!!! If nothing else, put them on border patrol. They'll have it secured the first night!”
Dolphins eat fish using conch shells, town mints it’s own money, and the Pentagon pays $720 million in late fees for storage containers
Good Morning Humboldt County!
It’s that time again. Grab a chair and have a nice steaming cup of virtual coffee with me. I’m wondering if Hurricane Irene was overblown? What do you think? Meanwhile, let’s take a look at:
Fish-catching trick may be spreading among dolphins
Dolphins in one western Australian population have been observed holding a large conch shell in their beaks and using it to shake a fish into their mouths -- and the behavior may be spreading. photo source
Researchers from Murdoch University in Perth were not quite sure what they were seeing when they first photographed the activity, in 2007, in which dolphins would shake conch shells at the surface of the ocean.
Town mints own money to fight austerity
A small town in central Italy is trying to go independent and mint its own money in protest at government austerity cuts.
Filettino, set in rugged hill country around 100 km (65 miles) east of Rome, is rebelling against a proposal to merge the governments of towns with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants to save money.
Mayor Luca Sellari displays Filettino's own bank currency, the "Fiorito."
Filettino has only around 550 people.
Pentagon pays $720M in late fees for storage containers
The Pentagon has spent more than $720million since 2001 on fees for shipping containers that it fails to return on time, according to data and contracts obtained by USA TODAY.
The cost stems from the mistaken belief that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would be brief and late fees would be minimal, said John Pike executive director of Globalsecurity.org, a defense policy group.
"This is real money," Pike said. "And we've spent a lot of it on what amounts to fines for overdue library books."
Time to walk on down the road…
Sunday, August 28, 2011
As It Stands: We’ll be judged by our milestones some day
By Dave Stancliff
Life is a series of milestones on the road to your last breath. There are good and bad milestones. We remember both with equal passion.
I’m looking forward to Wednesday, when my wife and I celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary. It doesn’t seem that many years have passed since Shirley and I tied the knot in Fullerton, California. Where has the time gone?
Excuse me for a moment. Nostalgia clings like a cloak when I recall all the milestones we’ve experienced together. What a road! What a roller coaster! What a trip thus far! The road ahead, regardless of how bumpy, is something to look forward to with Shirley at my side.
I heartedly agree with author C.S. Lewis who said, “The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
I quit trying to rank milestones years ago. Our wedding was the standard until our first son was born. Then our second son was born. A couple of years later, our third son was born and all attempts at ranking milestones became null and void.
Then there were the progress milestones Shirley and I shared as each child learned to walk and talk. When that magic moment came and each one said, “ Mommy and Daddy” for the first time it was a moment forever inscribed in our hearts. And when that first step was taken, our hearts melted with the knowledge that our baby was growing up, no matter what we wanted.
Swedish ABBA singer, Agnetha Faltskog, who was born the same year I was (1950) said, “My path has not been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones.” I like the way she put that. A good positive outlook.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to dwell on your personal milestones too often. One day a year spent celebrating our first milestone, marriage, doesn’t seem too excessive to me. As Rose Kennedy once said, “Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments.”
Another thought about milestones is we sometimes aren’t aware of experiencing them until years later. A prominent American civil rights leader, Susan B. Anthony once said: “Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
My memories, when I allow them to march by, are a patchwork quilt of successes and failures that have become milestones with time. Some of those milestones bear the weight of bitter memories and loss of innocence during an unpopular war. They stand like black granite columns inscribed with the names of my dead comrades.
In everything, I’ve found there is a balance. Without bad we wouldn’t know good. Grief gives way to joy. Death follows birth. Knowledge comes when we learn how little we know.
I like the imagery in milestones. There’s a sense of permanence. Importance. A feather in the cap. A firm footprint in the sands of life. A neon sign for the world to see what you’ve done thus far.
What some people see as a major milestone in life, a career in whatever for example, may not be as important to you as other goals achieved through years of living and learning. As much a milestone as our 37th wedding anniversary is, it stands side-by-side with many others.
Falling in love ought to be a milestone, but who can date that revelation when it’s such a gradual process? Who can say for sure when their heart skipped that extra beat in excitement? What day? What hour? What minute?
In the end, milestones are markers of our making. People will judge us by how we treated them. We’ll be known by our public works. We’ll also be known by our personal relationships. Spouse, father or mother, daughter or son. Grandparent. Aunt or uncle. Cousin.
As It Stands, remembering good milestones, like wedding anniversaries, is strongly recommended to assure another good one next year!
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