He was 98th on the list of 200 inmates set to escape, but only 76 got away
PHOTO: Jack Harrison, at right, the veteran thought to be the last survivor of the World War II prisoner-of-war breakout from Stalag Luft III, is seen with other prisoners-of-war in this undated file photo.
Technology is fine, up to a point. But despite what employers say about robots not totally taking over automated work and getting rid of humans…it’s happening. The future for human workers in manufacturing is bleak.
It’s advances like this new robot that will guarantee less work for humans. I wonder how this economy is ever going to recover when jobs are being automated?
Photo: Developed for the International Space Station, the Robonaut 2 300-pound prototype consists of a head and torso with two arms and two hands. GM plans to adapt the technology for use in future vehicles and in manufacturing plants.
A biologist in Germany has stirred up a fuss with comments suggesting it makes more sense to kill heavily oiled birds from the Gulf of Mexico oil-spill disaster than to clean them.
RED BLUFF- In a lawsuit supported by California NORML, Tehama County patients filed suit on June 4th against a county ordinance that limits their right to grow marijuana at home.
The lawsuit, by the law firm of Edie Lerman and J David Nick of Ukiah, asks for a writ of mandate to strike down the Tehama ordinance.
The plaintiffs claim that the ordinance makes it impossible for them to legally exercise their Proposition 215 right to cultivate medical marijuana for themselves.
The Tehama ordinance declares it a public nuisance to grow marijuana anywhere within 1,000 feet of a school, school bus stop, church, park, or youth-oriented facility; restricts gardens to no more than 12 mature or 24 total plants on parcels of 20 acres or less; requires outdoor gardens to be surrounded by an opaque fence at least six feet high and located 100 feet or more from the property boundaries; and requires every patient garden to be registered with the county health services agency for a fee to be determined.
"The ordinance is an affront to property rights as well as patients' rights," declares Jason Browne, one of the Tehama plaintiffs. "The patient community has attempted for months to work with the county. They have snubbed us at every turn. We had no alternative but to sue."
California NORML attorneys argue that local governments cannot legally declare activities that are protected by state law to be nuisances.
"They can't take everyone's rights away," says attorney Edie Lerman. California law states patients can have whatever they need for themselves and for collectives." Lerman warns patients to expect a long battle, as the case is likely to go to the appellate level.
Tehama's is the most restrictive of a number of anti-cultivation measures that have recently been proposed by local officials hostile to medical marijuana. In another lawsuit filed by Lerman and Nick, Mendocino County patients are challenging an ordinance that limits patient cultivation to 25 plants per parcel, regardless of the number of patients.
The ordinance was recently amended to let collectives apply for licenses for larger gardens of up to 99 plants under certain conditions.
"The right to cultivate is fundamental to Prop. 215's mandate that 'seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes,'" says California NORML Director Dale Gieringer, a co-author of Prop. 215.
CONTACTS: Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858; Edie Lerman (707) 937-1711
Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh had an unexpected wedding singer when he said "I do" for the fourth time yesterday to Kathryn Rogers at the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach: gay rights advocate Elton John, according to a wire report from the FOX-owned News Corporation.
The $1 million the Rocket Man reportedly took home for his trouble, however, may have smoothed over any conflicts of interest for the time being as Rush is homophobic. One million dollars has a way of loosening convictions.
Have you ever noticed how political campaigners wait until just before an election to release their “secret weapon/aka Smoking Gun” against opponents? It’s a time-honored practice in American politics, which has always been a messy process to say the least.
For example: The election of 1828 was significant as it heralded a profound change with the election of a man widely viewed as a champion of the common people. But that year's campaigning was also noteworthy for the intense personal attacks widely employed by the supporters of both candidates.
The most recent example of last minute attacks here in Humboldt is directed against 5th district supervisor candidate Ryan Sundberg’s DUI.
Decorum goes South in S.C. governor race
Nikki Haley is challenging the corrupt “Good Old Boy System” in the South and her opponents are trying their best to smear her bad enough to affect the election tomorrow. So far, it looks like their dirty tactics aren’t paying off.
PHOTO ABOVE: State Rep. Nikki Haley, 38, has been a state representative since 2004 — long enough, she says, to know the problems but not to be "part of the fraternity party."
Dirty tricks, local politics, and Elvis Costello
Writer Dan Ryan looks at five dirty campaign tactics at play in KC
With the June primary election just days away — next Tuesday — voters can expect a blitzkrieg of campaign mud smearing their TV screens and in their mailboxes over the weekend and early next week. The Democrat primary for the 35th Assembly District has generated the most contentious and over-the-top aspersions thus far, prompting the head of the Santa Barbara Democratic Central Committee to take both candidates — Santa Barbara City Councilmember Das Williams and coastal advocate Susan Jordan — to task for engaging in “cheap shots and character bashing.”
This month we have a new “Spotlight on Idiots” featuring Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.
It really cracks me up how these Republicans say they don’t want any part of Big Government, but the moment something like this massive oil spill happens they’re crying for help from the same reviled government.
Most revealing however, is the fact that here’s another Republican so friggin corrupt that he’s trying to downplay the worst ecological disaster in United States history because he’s worried the press is over blowing things and discouraging tourists! Unbelievable. But that’s a typical Republican stance. Big business first, the people last:
“The biggest problem facing Mississippi in the wake of a massive oil spill in the Gulf isn't tarred beaches or ecological waste, the state's governor Haley Barbour said on Sunday. It's the national press corps, which, he asserted, is inflating the disaster's current impact and, as a result, decimating the state's tourism industry.
In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, the Mississippi Republican veered as close as any elected politician could to insisting that the biggest oil spill in the history of this country had been overblown -- at least when it comes to his state.” Photo source
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 06/06/2010 01:47:59 AM PDT
”Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive ... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!” Henry Frankenstein (played by Colin Clive) announced to the world when his creation moved, in the 1931 movie “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff.
Now reality has met fiction, and the latter is not as scary as the first. No terrible storm with jagged shards of lightning shattered the sky when the research team led by J. Craig Venter, Hamilton Smith, Clyde Hutchinson, and Daniel Gibson at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockeville, Md., recently announced the creation of life from non-living parts.
Unlike the movie, they didn't piece together parts from dead bodies to craft what they call a “synthetic cell” from a set of genes they decoded, artificially combined and then stuck into the cored-out shell of another bacterial cell, according to an MSNBC.com article by Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.
Since the book “Frankenstein” by Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley came out 200 years ago, philosophers, scientists, and theologians have debated the merits of mankind creating life. Some saw the book's message as a warning of what would happen to men if they messed with the secret of life.
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From L.A. to Miami, find out which U.S. 30 cities need spring cleaning
Los Angeles is No. 3 on Travel + Leisure's list of America's dirtiest cities.
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“Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!” Henry Frankenstein (played by Colin Clive) announced to the world when his creation moved, in the 1931 movie “Frankenstein“ starring Boris Karloff.
Now reality has met fiction, and the latter is not as scary as the first.
See this Sunday’s As It Stands in The Times-Standard.
Is anyone surprised? Do people take notice of information like this anymore?
All Obama’s talk about getting rid of earmarks hasn’t done a thing. It’s just talk. The following link shows the money trail.
What say we actually go after these fat cats and either vote them out or at least change the way they do business?
House and Senate lawmakers have received nearly $2 million in campaign contributions this election cycle from organizations for which they had sponsored earmarks, according to a new report by two nonpartisan watchdogs.
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Chuck Campbell with Montana Buds talks with a new cardholder about the services he offers.
In Montana, roving cannabis caravans are makeshift clinics where patients can see a doctor, pay a fee, and leave with permission to use medical marijuana.
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Tirana has a typical Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot and dry summers and cool, wet winters.
The main cultural and artistic institutions of Tirana are the National Theater, the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania, the National Gallery of Figurative Arts of Albania (Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve), and the Ensemble of Folk Music and Dances. Another cultural event includes performances of renown world composers performed by the Symphonic Orchestra of the Albanian Radio and Television. The city has been a venue for the Tirana Biennale and Tirana Jazz Festival.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
It's every sweet tooth's dream. A steady stream of studies has linked chocolate to a variety of health benefits, including decreased blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease, even effects on mood.
Finally..after nearly two years, Blago is going to court. This ought to be real interesting. I understand the government has a lot of evidence against him. Actually, he’s probably no worse than most career politicians but he got caught unlike the others.
Let’s see what the squeekie wheels of Justice does. Did Blago hire a Big Enough Attorney to escape justice? Stay tuned:
He's pleaded not guilty to 24 counts including racketeering, wire fraud
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial starts today. It’s the end of an 18-month ordeal that began with his humiliating arrest on charges of scheming to profit from his power to fill President Barack Obama's former Senate seat.
How much money would it take to get you to lose some serious weight? $100? $500?
Many employers are betting they can find your price. At least a third of U.S. companies offer financial incentives, or are planning to introduce them, to get their employees to lose weight or get healthier in other ways.
BUT THERE’s ONE LITTLE CAVEAT…
"It's probably a waste of time," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
I’ve followed the case of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance from day one. My wife’s maiden name is Holloway, and we both wonder if she and Natalee are related.
I’m still convinced that Joran van der sloot was Natalee’s killer, and he literally got away with murder because of his Judge father’s influence.
Now I see the scumbag is wanted for another murder. I hope he gets caught and somebody fry’s his smart ass this time! Here’s the link to today’s news story:
Arrest warrant issued for van der Sloot after woman's death
UPDATE: THURSDAY 6/3/10
A Dutchman questioned in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway has been taken into custody in Chile for investigation in the killing of a woman in Peru, Chilean police said.Police announced Thursday that Joran van der Sloot, 23, was in custody in Santiago.
The researchers should try drinking the strong coffee my Dad and Sister make. It’s almost like syrup and your teeth chatter for a little awhile afterwards. I don’t care how long you’ve been drinking coffee, their brew methods makes it potent to everyone – including longtime Joe drinkers. I know this from experience.
I also know that I still NEED my morning cup of coffee and that it still has the desired effect of keeping my eyes open and encouraging speech after 45 years of drinking it. See what you think about this article on the subject:
Regular coffee drinkers develop tolerance to caffeine's effects
By Dave Stancliff/for ALL VOICES
Have you ever seen those old movies that ask you to “Follow the bouncing ball?” Using this analogy, let’s follow the bouncing ball that led to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.
Before we follow what led to this ecological disaster that took the lives of 11 workers on the oil rig, let’s take a quick look at the political climate regarding Big Oil. Ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a patriotic pal of the oil industry, told her followers the country still needs to “Drill, baby, drill” despite what happened in the Gulf.
Kentucky Republican Senate candidate, Rand Paul, wailed about Obama’s criticism of BP in the wake of the Gulf oil debacle and called it "really un-American." Then he told the press “accidents happen” to explain the catastrophic spill. A truly classic disingenuous statement.
Paul, already facing a backlash over remarks about civil rights legislation, defends Big Oil because he seeks financial support from the GOP to go along with his Tea Party backing. The GOP has been in bed with Big Oil since the first Bush took over the White House. That’s when the ball got rolling.
Read the rest at ALL VOICES online magazine.
Photo Above: Sperm whales like this one are one of two resident species near the leak area. Like dolphins, whales have no fur that can get oiled, but oil on their skin and eyes can cause irritation and infection.
Just in case you never heard the negative stereotype " Ugly American" here is a quick summary of where the term comes from. The...
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