Crack down: U.S. moves to make synthetic marijuana illegal

 

I’ve seen ads in magazines for these fake pot blends, but didn’t really think anyone was stupid enough to buy them. This article explains what’s involved and it’s not pretty. The synthetic crap they use is dangerous and can even be addicting. Here’s a wake-up call for those unaware of this problem:

Government is seeking to outlaw five chemicals used to make the fake pot

“Cracking down on fake pot, the government began emergency action Wednesday to outlaw five chemicals used in herbal blends to make synthetic marijuana. They're sold in drug paraphernalia shops and on the Internet to a burgeoning market of teens and young adults.”

AND…

“It was the fastest action the agency could take to get these products off the legal market. DEA spokeswoman Barbara Carreno said makers of fake pot blends like "Spice," "K2," "Blaze," and "Red X Dawn" label the mixtures as incense to try to hide their intended purpose.”

All new TSA Luggage Tags - hot off the tarmac & holiday travel news

 A friend sent me these luggage tags today and I thought I’d share since this is such a hot topic. Especially today.

America’s net pat down procedure isn’t going  over well, but at least it looks like there hasn’t been any major flight delays caused by a groundswell movement of pissed-off passenger types.

There’s always one in a crowd…

This whole subject of personal freedoms threatened by a need for enhanced national security is partly being pushed by the mainstream media looking for sensational headlines. 

According to a recent poll, 71% of frequent flyers aren’t protesting the enhanced past downs. The protests seem to be coming more from holiday infrequent flyers. 

Airports see few delays despite planned protests

National Opt-Out Day organizers urged travelers to not fly, boycott full-body scans

“Lines moved smoothly at airports around the country Wednesday despite a loosely organized campaign urging air travelers to boycott the controversial full-body scanners at security checkpoints.”

Hold the stuffing! Obama pardons Thanksgiving turkeys

The tradition of pardoning turkeys goes back to President Harry Truman in 1947. He pardoned a bird and when the press left, he sent it to the White House kitchen and ate it! Future presidents continued this silly little show of forgiveness in an effort to show  what nice guys they were. I have a hard time separating this custom from other presidential pardons where turkeys get out of jail, or trouble, because the president is in a forgiving mood, or is a lame duck that doesn’t care what people think.

image source - NBC News

Spotlight: Medusa – artists turn in their interpretations of mythical monster

  

             Art by Jsimeth                             Mark Winters                         

GO HERE TO SEE MORE EXAMPLES FROM THESE FINE ARTISTS

In honor of the shopping season here’s some vintage ad flyers for men in the 1970s

  

Men in the 1970s didn’t just automatically know how to look good. They had to see photos and ads of their fellow men wearing the trophies of their work…work that involved silently stalking the elusive jungle couch until it could be turned into pants. I’m not even going to share any photos of me wearing the pants of the day! One example was my brown-and-white checkered bell bottoms…I still can’t believe I actually wore them!

  

All image sources

Heaviest attack yet: North, South Korea exchange fire today

2 soldiers killed by North's rockets; Seoul vows 'enormous retaliation' if North opens fire again

“North Korea fired scores of artillery shells at a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing two soldiers, in one of the heaviest attacks on its neighbor since the Korean War ended in 1953.

The South fired back and sent a fighter jet to the area, which is close to a disputed maritime border on the west of the divided peninsula and the scene of deadly clashes in the past. South Korea was conducting military drills in the area at the time but said it had not been firing at the North.”

 

Dow drops below 11,000 amid Korea clash

Triple-digit slide amid ongoing worries about European debt

“Stocks fell early Tuesday after North Korea and South Korea exchanged artillery fire near their disputed sea border, killing at least two South Korean marines. Treasury prices, the dollar and gold all rose as investors sought safe places to park money.”

There’s snow in the hills today as I try to hold on to the Fall

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Marketing Missteps: 10 toys that likely won't be on holiday wish lists

What kind of moron thought the Harry Potter vibrating broom was a good idea?

The TSA action figures may get up close and personal with travelers (right).

Make sure you talk to it while its mouth is open (below).

 

Just give her the real thing and cut down on housework (right).

“'Tis the season when toys come front-and-center in our consciousness. In the drive to produce thousands of new toys each year, the industry occasionally missteps, producing toys that anger rather than amuse the buying audience.”

As It Stands: A look at the 'Toad in the Moon' and other lunar lore

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 11/21/2010 01:27:13 AM PST

There will be a full moon tonight. Most Humboldters probably won't be able to see it, but you never know. We can hope for an unusually clear night sky.

We do know that tides will shift strongly, animals and people may act weird and strange things will happen tonight. Anecdotal stories about animals' reactions to the effects of the full moon abound.

According to a July 2007 study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, full moon emergency room visits for pets increase compared to the rest of the month, to 23 percent higher for cats and 28 percent higher for dogs.

Why? No one really knows.

Animals are more sensitive than humans to the natural world. I think we can all agree on that. We shiver at tales of werewolves baying at the full moon. A full moon can be a great setting for a horror movie or a romance.

In China, the dark shadows on the moon are seen as “the toad in the moon,” not the “man in the moon” of Western culture. The toad is considered one of the five poisons of yin. It is believed eclipses occur when the “toad in the moon” tries to swallow the moon itself.

There's loads of evidence that full moons affect humans. Doctors report an increase in epileptic seizures and bleeding ulcers at the time of the full moon. A recent poll showed 86 percent of casualty nurses and 64 percent of doctors believe a full moon affects patient behavior.

Researchers at psychiatric hospitals in New York found a dramatic rise in admissions on the days of full moons. Law enforcement studies nationwide show motiveless crimes trebled around the time of full moons.

Experts tell us Earth is about four times the size of the moon. If you were to fly once around the moon (however unlikely that sounds) it would be the equivalent of a round trip from New York to London. If the moon were placed on the surface of the continental United States, it would extend from San Francisco to Cleveland (2,600 miles).

Here's more perfectly useless trivia about Luna (you don't have to be a Latin student to know that Luna means moon):

* Golfing enthusiasts may find it interesting that astronaut Alan Sheppard once hit a golf ball that went 2,400 feet (nearly one-half mile) while he walked on the moon. What a course, eh?

* With no competition in sight for the foreseeable future, it looks like the Apollo lunar rover will hold the surface speed record on the moon at an exhilarating 10.56 miles per hour.

* The U.S.S.R. captured the first photo of the moon taken from space in 1959, an image of the dark side of the moon. Fourteen years later the rock band Pink Floyd made an album by that name. If there's a connection, let me know.

* The footprints left by the Apollo astronauts will not erode since there is no wind or water on the Moon. Men and women sporting lab coats and degrees in science say the footprints should last at least 10 million years. I wonder how they know that?

* For all you lefties out there, astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot. Take that, you righties!

* Your desktop computer contains five to 10 times more computing power than was used to land a man on the moon. Think about that for a moment. OK, you're cleared for takeoff!

* Everyone knows who the first man on the moon was, but did you know that in 1972 Gene Cernan was the last man to step on the moon?

* NASA claims when the Apollo 12 astronauts landed on the moon, the impact caused the moon's surface to vibrate for 55 minutes. It appears we made quite an impact.

Quick! What was the name of the guy/gal who timed it? Now there's some serious trivia for you.

As It Stands, look out for lunatics and if you see the “Toad in the Moon,” would you please report your encounter to CNN, MSNBC or Fox News?

Perchlorate Poisoning: water emergency declared in Barstow California

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Barstow water supply shown to  be contaminated with perchlorate:

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Saturday in Barstow after samples of the city's water supply were found to be contaminated with a chemical used in rocket fuel and defense manufacturing.”

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Enhanced ‘pat-downs, full body scanners, and pissed-off travelers

UPDATE BELOW:

The new enhanced safety procedures at airports is being met with a lot of resistance from the flying public.

The problem is some people feel like their being sexually assaulted. But what are the airlines to do? Safety has to come first. Doesn’t it?

Obama: TSA pat-downs frustrating but necessary

“President says enhanced airport security measures necessary to guard against new terrorist techniques”

Fed-up fliers protest airport security measures

“Online campaign urging travelers not to fly Nov. 24, refuse full-body scan”

 

TSA forces cancer survivor to show prosthetic breast

“Some fliers with medical conditions call new airport security procedures 'humiliating'”

Government insists full-body scanners are safe

“Radiation exposure is vastly lower than a single dental X-ray, TSA says”

UPDATE:

TSA pat-down leaves traveler covered in urine

'I was absolutely humiliated,' said bladder cancer survivor

“A retired special education teacher on his way to a wedding in Orlando, Fla., said he was left humiliated, crying and covered with his own urine after an enhanced pat-down by TSA officers recently at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.”

 

image source

Wall Street Report: U.S. to lift lid on 'pervasive insider trading'

Executive tells clients he declined FBI's 'gracious offer to wear a wire and therefore ensnare you in their devious web'

“U.S. officials are preparing insider trading charges against a host of financial players, including investment bankers and hedge fund managers, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.

The charges could surpass any previous investigations on Wall Street, and examine whether certain players garnered tens of millions of dollars in illegal profits, according to the newspaper.

The three-year investigation could expose "a culture of pervasive insider trading in U.S. financial markets", especially in ways private information is transmitted to traders through connected insiders, the newspaper said, citing federal authorities.” More here.

Travel: Cats on a plane? Allergy sufferers can't escape

Some airlines allow 10 cats on a flight; all seats tested had traces of allergen

“Holiday travelers with cat allergies may find the best advice is beware in the air, according to a new study that says it’s nearly impossible to avoid feline fallout at 30,000 feet.

Whether it's residue from cats actually on board, or detritus carried by pet-loving passengers, the most common feline allergen was detected in 100 percent of aircraft seats tested — and in high enough amounts to trigger serious reactions in sensitive people, according to a report by Swiss scientists.”

Liberal Dutch marijuana policy taking another hit?

New proposal would block tourists from buying the drug

“The new conservative Dutch government wants to force the country's marijuana cafes to become "members only" clubs, a move that would effectively block foreigners from buying the drug.

If the idea ever becomes reality — it would be legally complicated and politically divisive — it would be the latest of the country's liberal policies to be scrapped or curtailed as the Dutch rethink the limits of their famed tolerance.” Full story.

Rangel Runs Scared: House of Rats Turn On One Of Their Own

Chief House ethics lawyer: Rangel should be censured

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Science Alert: 3 New Distinctive Frog Species Discovered

Conservation International just reported the discovery of three new amphibian species in Colombia. The three species include: “a mysterious toad with ruby-colored eyes, a diminutive long-nosed beaked toad which hides in dead leaves, and a gorgeous new rocket frog with flashes of red on its legs,” (shown here) according to CI. All three species are new to science. Scientists were actually in Colombia to search for the Mesopotamia beaked toad, which hasn’t been seen in decades, and is listed as critically endangered.

Read more here

Science: MIT researchers create super efficient 'origami' solar panels

Solar panels nowadays are flat, but folding them like origami could dramatically boost the amount of power they produce.

MIT researchers have created an origami-like solar structure that is much more efficient than current flat panels.

Weird News: Cops say fake doc carried out breast exams in bars

Okay. I’ve heard, and read jokes about guys trying to give free breast exams for kicks, but this has to be the first time I’ve heard of a woman doing it!

Apparently Kristina Ross was a man at some point ( Kristoffer Jon Ross) who now dresses up as a woman (her booking papers show “Male to female”),who has trouble getting dates or something.

My question is what woman would be stupid enough to get a breast exam in a bar? Really? Then again, if the women are drunk enough, anything could happen I suppose.

Female reportedly with criminal record as a man is held on $100,000 bond

“A woman posed as a physician and duped at least two other women into undergoing breast exams at her hands in Boise-area nightclubs, according to police.

Kristina Ross, 37, remains in the Ada County Jail on two felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. An Idaho judge set bond at $100,000 on Wednesday.”

Best time to see Leonid meteor shower is ... right now

Those with clear skies may see up to 20 meteors an hour on Nov. 17-18

The Leonard Meteor Shower of 2010 is peaking this week, and the best time to see the sky show is now.

The annual Leonids should be at their best through Thursday, according to skywatching experts. Avid skywatchers graced with clear skies may see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour.

Full+Story]">This sky map shows where to look to see " shooting stars" from the Leonids this week. The best time to try to see the Leonids are in the last two or three hours before sunrise, when the moon has set.

No place like home: amazing imaginations produce unique abodes

 Klima Hotel (Bella Vista) (left), the semi-submerged underground hotel in Bozen, Italy.

Peeking out from underneath bumpy layers of greenery, this Swiss estate looks more like something out of a fairy tale than real life. Designed by Vetsch Architektur, the structure was built using earth house construction, resulting in an insulating blanket that protects it from rain, low temperatures, wind and natural abrasion.
For more amazing underground abodes, view the entire list at Inhabitat.

Modern designs meets cave-dwelling with this eye-popping home (right) nestled inside of a 15,000-square foot sandstone cave in Festus, Missouri.

Built by Curt and Deborah Sleeper, the underground abode features smart examples of energy-efficient architecture like geothermal heating and passive design that keep the interior comfortable while completely eliminating the need for a furnace or air conditioning.