"Zombies" crash on Portland Hwy I-84 near Lloyd exit

The car flipped over and then the horrified onlookers saw them…ZOMBIES!

This shocking report just hit the mainstream media, as one news service after another follows the mayhem…

Do you know the differences between Ravens versus Crows?

A lady down the street from me feeds the local crows everyday. They hang around, those special few who’ve discovered her generosity, on the electrical lines in the front of her house. 
For some silly reason I always think of those two British speaking Crows, Heckel and Jeckel, in the cartoons.   

While on one of my daily walks with my pug, I had my 3-year-old granddaughter with me.
She was delighted with those black birdies, and I told her they were Crows.
I also told her that there were other black birdies bigger than Crows called Ravens.
In the delightful manner of a know-everything 3-year old, she nodded her head and said, “I know.” A snap shot moment.
For those who don’t know all the differences between these two intelligent birds, I’ve listed some differences below on the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and the common raven (Corvus corax).
Physical Differences: Crows average around 17 inches long, and ravens about 24-27.

• A raven weighs about four times that of a crow.
• Crows have a wing span around 2.5 ft., and ravens about 3.5-4 ft.
  • A raven's wing sometimes makes a prominent "swish, swish" sound, while a crow's wingbeat is usually silient.
• Ravens have pointed wings, while crows have a more blunt and splayed wing tip.
• Crows have a fan-shaped tail (squared-off), while raven tails are long and wege-shaped.
• Besides having a bigger, more powerful bill, a raven's bill is curved, while a crow has a more-or-less flat bill. Additionally, atop a raven's bill is a tuft of hairs absent on crows.
  • As a result of being larger and more powerful, ravens are the more efficient predator. (Predation is a very small percentage of crow and raven diets.)
  • Crows are more at home in the urban landscape, given their ability to be more socially inclined than ravens.
  • Diet: While both are commited to being vociferous omnivores, ravens are drawn to carrion (especially sheep), while crows may be less picky
  • Ravens probably find food faster in the wild, considering anecdotes from tappers about how fast ravens could find the carrion in their traps.
• Vocalizations: For the sake of basic reference, a crow's call is a "caw" and a raven's is a low and slow croak.
• Crows exhibit at least two dozen differnt calls, while ravens can express themselves with 20-100's of different vocalizations, depending on the expert cited.
• GO HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE TWO BIRDS.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Charlie Brown just wants some…

Have you heard about subliminal messages, and methods big companies (or authors) do to insert them into their products? They were quite popular few decades ago, and you can still see number of instances where hidden stuff is implemented in such a way that not everyone will notice. One of the spoofs that references these was made by Brad Pitt in Fight Club blockbuster (when they’ve inserted a photo of male genitalia as a single frame into family movie screening).

Theory says that people unconsciously notice the subliminal message, which triggers an action desired it would by its author. For example, there is a legend theaters used to insert short frames of food and drinks into their movie rolls, hoping to awaken hunger and thirst among audience, eventually resulting with higher sales of their fast-food products. One such subliminal thing is supposedly hidden in Charlie Brown’s portrait. I’m not exactly sure where this came from, or whether it’s just a coincidence, but if you spot it – it should perfectly fit with the title of this article. Happy hunting!

Consumer Reports won't recommend iPhone 4

'There is a problem with its reception,' publication says

The highly regarded publication said its engineers tested three iPhone 4s, and found that complaints by others about the phone's reception are valid. Apple, contacted for comment, did not respond.

As It Stands: Channeling Ian Fleming: Spy story perfect stuff for a thriller

Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 07/11/2010 01:30:21 AM PDT

Holy red scare in suburbia, Batman!

A network of Russian spies in America!

Tabloid editors are ecstatically churning out fascinating details, such as the photogenic quality of one of the spies, Anna Chapman. Newspapers across the country breathlessly follow the stunning story of the spies among us.

Eleven people, 10 in the U.S. and one last seen in Cyprus, have been charged with being unregistered foreign agents. The cops are still looking for the one who was arrested in Cyprus but disappeared after a Cypriot judge freed him on $32,500 bail and embarrassed the Cyprus government in the process. The man went by the name Christopher Metsos and allegedly supplied money to the spy ring in America.

Ian Fleming, British author and journalist best remembered for his character James Bond in 12 novels and nine short stories, would really have a jolly go with this story.

The setting:

Richard and Cynthia Murphy, with their two children, live on a quiet street in suburban New Jersey in a beautifully maintained colonial house with maroon shutters. Cynthia is vice president of a financial service firm and loves to tend the hydrangeas in the front of the house.

The children, Katie, 11, and Lisa, 7, can safely ride their bikes in the nearby cul-de-sac in this serene upper-middle-class neighborhood. But like any good spy novel, this family isn't what it appears to be.

Their home, on Marquette Road, is owned by the “Moscow Center,” an intelligence arm of the Russian government. These seemingly ordinary Americans are actually Russians reporting to their handlers in Moscow. Go here to read the rest.

RELATED POSTS:

Attorney general: Russian spies posed threat to US

Biden tells Leno US did fine in Russian spy swap

UPDATE:

A web site called News and More in Just In Cyprus picked up today’s column on spies.

And on Twitter Spy Guy is tweeting this column

In case you wondered – Study shows lobbyists sponsor 39 percent of Calif bills

When you think of lobbyists you generally think of their influence in Washington D.C. There’s thousands of lobbyists who, like locusts, descend upon both houses throughout the year.

We must not forget about the lobbyists at the state level who burrow into the political scene statewide, and exert an undue amount of influence on what bills get passed or rejected every year. How bad is it you ask?

Outside interests sponsored 39 percent of the bills introduced during a recent two-year session of the California Legislature, according to a published report today.

 

Spy swap mystery: The one that got away

I’m really disappointed at this whole spy story. We’re never going to know what those 10 Russians were spying on. How bogus is that?

There was so much potential, and then the U.S. and Russia suddenly made the biggest spy swap since the Cold War and in record time too!

But the story doesn’t have to end here. You can channel your inner Ian Fleming and come up with a much more interesting story line. See Sunday’s AS IT STANDS for more thoughts on spy stories.

Man vanished from Cyprus after being released on bail

The United States and Russia swapped 14 spies with precision, but one piece of the puzzle remains: The alleged spy who disappeared after posting bail in Cyprus.

Did he flee on his own? Get away with help from the Russians? Trick local residents into unwittingly aiding an escape? Meet some other fate

The spy suspect (shown here) who called himself Christopher Metsos vanished after handing over a Canadian passport that claimed he was 54 and got released on bail.

Iconic church brings New Mexico village together

 In Ranchos de Taos, preserving a church has become a rewarding rite of summer.

In the center of this northern New Mexico village stands a sun-baked adobe church made famous by the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe and the photographs of Ansel Adams and Paul Strand.

But if it weren't for an annual ritual that has been kept alive for nearly two centuries by the close-knit community of Ranchos de Taos, it's likely the iconic church wouldn't be standing at all.

Hundreds of parishioners gathered over two weeks under the summer sun to plaster the thick walls of the San Francisco de Asis Church with a fresh coat of mud, from the massive buttresses at the back of the fortress-like church to the courtyard walls and the tops of the bell towers.

Obama: More post-traumatic stress help for vets

The government is taking what President Barack Obama calls "a long overdue step" to aid veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, making it easier for them receive federal benefits.

The changes that Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will announce Monday fulfill "a solemn responsibility to provide our veterans and wounded warriors with the care and benefits they've earned when they come home," Obama said in his weekly radio and online address Saturday.

Photo:In this April 9, 2010, file photo Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki speaks at the Togus Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta. Shinseki will announce the changes Monday, July 11. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Greetings from the Gulf Coast – oil up and have fun!

Mike Lester, Rome News Tribune / Politicalcartoons.com

Today’s thought: You should be careful what you wish for

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.

The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $9.40 please." The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke.."

The ostrich says, "I'll have the same.."

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual?" asked the waitress.

"No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad," says the man. "Same," says the ostrich. Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62."

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table. The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me,sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress.. "Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!" "That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man

The waitress asks, "What's with the ostrich?"

The man sighs, pauses and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick

with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say.."