So eternal, that some adults build them in honor of their childhood.
Some of them are restaurants and hotels with magnificent views and the twittering of birds instead of alarm clocks. Some are comfortable homes for the holidays and some are primary homes.
“Police in Alliance, Ohio, say a woman in labor robbed a Walmart with an accomplice, NewsNet5.com reported.
Katurah Petty and Staniel Petty were arrested Thursday and charged with theft and forgery.Police say the women stole $271 worth of computer software. The two women used computer-generated serial number adhesive labels to steal the merchandise, Fox19.com reported.Katurah Petty was in labor during the theft, and police transported her to the hospital after the arrest, according to Fox19.com. No information was available on the condition of mother or child.”
“Last year Mike Vahey returned from a four-year enlistment, including duty in Iraq and Kuwait, where he was a sergeant on an Army diving team inspecting ports for bombs. When he returned home he expected his job as an engineer at a General Motors plant in Newport, Del., would be waiting for him.
“There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my job would be there when I got back,” said Vahey, 40, who had worked for GM since 1997, most recently as a quality launch engineer. “I didn’t give much thought to it. I felt I was protected and had nothing to worry about.”
Unfortunately, instead of getting tickertape for serving his country Vahey got a pink slip. Soon after he got back, the plant where he worked was shuttered, leaving Vahey and hundreds of other civilian autoworkers jobless.” Read the rest here.
PHOTO: Soon after returning from service, a GM plant closure left Mike Vahey jobless.
“More than two hours a day spent watching television or playing computer games could put a child at greater risk for psychological problems suggests a new study. British researchers found the effect held regardless of how active kids were during the rest of the day.
"We know that physical activity is good for both physical and mental health in children and there is some evidence that screen viewing is associated with negative behaviors," lead researcher Dr. Angie Page of the University of Bristol told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "But it wasn't clear whether having high physical activity levels would 'compensate' for high levels of screen viewing in children."
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 10/10/2010 01:24:54 AM PDT
There are three possible outcomes for today's unique date, 10-10-10. Something good will happen, nothing special will happen or something bad will happen.
There's something special about dates: George Orwell's “1984”; the cannabis culture's call to action -- 420 -- and Proposition 19; the Y2K Bug in 2000; and the world coming to an end in 2012 are examples that seem to spark the imagination.
We respond to the date 9-11 with anger and sadness. We call 911 when we're in trouble and 10-4 is a common police, ham radio, and military term for “I hear you” or “yes.” Cats are reputed to have nine lives.
One national thing happening today is an environmental event titled “Global Climate Awareness Day.” The organizers ask the public to “Please leave your cars at home (can you imagine everyone walking to work on the freeways?) and consider your impact on the environment.”
An environmental group, www.350.org (named for the targeted number of CO2 particles per million in the earth atmosphere), is sponsoring a Global Work Party Day today. It's an Earth Day of sorts for companies and organizations -- a time-out for employees to work together on a green solution for their company or to go out into their community and participate in one of the thousands of events listed on the group's website.
I think it's a good idea to be as environmentally conscious as possible without joining groups. If we recycle and pay attention to other small things in our everyday life, we can make a difference. I'm all for getting rid of the “throw-away mentality.” Fix things instead of buying new ones.
Moving on, here's another interesting thing about today: Both a yin and Yang situation are incorporated into this date. For example, 10-10-10 (base two binary) equals 42 (base 10). Oddly enough, this is evenly divisible by the number of days in the week (the
In addition, the binary attribute of 101010 lends itself to use by the sciences of fractals (recursive geometric shapes) and chaos theory (the butterfly effect). When you think about it, this day sums up to be interesting.
The number 10 is considered special for many other reasons, but think how often we hear it nearly every day. For example, how about those ubiquitous Top 10 Lists? You know the ones I mean.
We have the Top 10 Musical Hits for the Year; Top 10 Jokes of the Year; Top 10 Dumb Things to Do; Top 10 Serial Killers; Top 10 Cake Designs; Top 10 Amusement Parks; and countless other Top 10 lists of activities involving animals, people and travel locations.
The only exception to the number 10 as something positive occurred when I was in Vietnam. The locals told us GIs our trading offer was “Numba 10” when they thought it was a bad offer. If they didn't like you, they'd say you were “Numba 10.” For whatever reasons, the Vietnamese thought the number 10 sucked.
Just because we have an unusual date doesn't mean something will happen. However, if something really fantastic happens today, we won't have any trouble recalling it years from now.
”Remember 10-10-10 when the Democrats and Republicans finally agreed on a law that actually meant good news for the average American?” Now, that would be something, don't you think?
I don't ask for miracles today. However, I allow my innate optimism to
I hope something good happens for you today, making it a day to remember. I heard somewhere a lot of weddings are planned for today.
I want to give a shout-out to my good friend, author/ editor Margaret Searles of McKinleyville, whose birthday is today!
As It Stands, more than likely, for me, it will be just another day in paradise -- Humboldt County.
UPDATE: web sites carrying this column:
Action News Now (Oct.10)
It seems like everyone is playing “Imagine” today so I thought a change of pace might be nice.
Take a minute and enjoy Lennon’s wizardry with words and musical beat.
While not as popular as “Imagine” - “Instant Karma” still rocks with a universal message.
“Come Together” is another iconic song that millions have listened to. Lennon’s main message was Peace.
That’s why his lyrics still resonate today.
I like to think he’s now “shining on” in a better place.
A group of Chinese scientists and explorers is looking for international help to mount a new search for the country's answer to Bigfoot, known locally as the "Yeren", or "wild man.
“Over the years, more than 400 people have claimed sightings of the half-man, half-ape Yeren in a remote, mountainous area of the central province of Hubei, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday.
Expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s yielded hair, a footprint, excrement and a sleeping nest suspected of belonging to the Yeren, but there has been no conclusive proof, the report added.
Witnesses describe a creature that walks upright, is more than 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall and with grey, red or black hair all over its body, Xinhua said.
Now the Hubei Wild Man Research Association is looking for volunteers from around the world to join them on another expedition to look for the Yeren.
"We want the team members to be devoted, as there will be a lot a hard work in the process," Luo Baosheng, vice president of the group, told Xinhua.
But the team will have to come up with about 10 million yuan ($1.50 million) first, and is talking to companies and other bodies to secure the funding, so there is no timetable yet for when they may start, the report added.
Like many people tomorrow, I’ll spend a few moments remembering John Lennon – the man, and his music.
This B&W photo was taken days before his murder.
Pictures: John Lennon
Pictures: Beatles Through the Years
I always thought Paul was the most talented of the group, but I liked John’s music,voice, and creativity nearly as much.
“Several days ago a 20-year-old student discovered a GPS tracking device hidden on his car.
After his friend posted a picture of it online, speculating about its ties to a secret FBI investigation, the feds themselves came a-knockin', according to Wired.com. They wanted their toy back.”
AND Something else to think about…
“What's impressive is how quickly Afifi got an identification of the gadget by crowdsourcing it on the Web.
On the flipside, that kind of exposure isn't good PR for the FBI. Surely the revelation of the magnetic tracker will cause many people to check under their own cars. Like many noble efforts to keep us safe from terrorism, this one may be turning out to not be so effective. After all, those who already know they're involved in illegal activity probably check their cars every day, rain or shine.”
Endorsing a woman because of her "tight little butt" may be the latest in a string of sexist things said about female politicians, but it is by far not the worst that has been heard.
With the help of the "Name It, Change It" campaign to bring more awareness to sexism when it comes to women in politics, The Stir has posted a list of the Top 50 Most Sexist Quotes Heard on the Campaign Trail.
Another example: "I think I'm going to send Sotomayor, and her club, a bunch of vacuum cleaners to help them clean up after their meetings." ~ Rush Limbaugh about Sonia Sotomayor
Animals (not just people) likely have spiritual experiences, according to a prominent neurologist who has analyzed the processes of spiritual sensation for over three decades.
Research suggests that spiritual experiences originate deep within primitive areas of the human brain — areas shared by other animals with brain structures like our own.
The trick, of course, lies in proving animals' experiences.
“A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice.
Proud grandpa, Carl Young, was Johnny-on-the-spot in documenting his granddaughter Emily Rose’s first experience with fingerpainting.
Spaghetti tacos. Like every good trend, this one started with the kids.
After the character Spencer on Nickelodeon's iCarly cooked up the unusual pairing--a beautiful marriage of two beloved cuisines--kids everywhere demanded it be on their dinner plates.
The New York Times reports it's the most requested dish for slumber parties and there is even a Facebook page with over 1,200 fans and climbing. The dish has had a re-occuring role on the sitcom, appearing in six episodes since 2007. Though the writer of the show Dan Schneider hasn't tested it out, he is married to the woman behind Hungry Girl. They plan to prepare the meal at home and post a video on YouTube.
This information comes as no surprise to many scientists who were involved with the clean-up and tracking of the spill. It’s probably news to the average American, who should be outraged.
The stinking mess from this spill is going to carry over into generations of fish and wildlife.
Interviews reveal that the White House denied a request to make discharge numbers public:
“The Obama administration blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and made other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis, according to a commission appointed by the president to investigate the disaster.”
Supreme Court justices Wednesday struggled with the free-speech question of whether fundamentalist church members have a right to picket funerals for dead soldiers.
See my column: Snyder vs Phelps: a case of free speech or harassment?
The justices heard arguments in the emotion-laden case of Albert Snyder of York, Pa. His son, a Marine, died in Iraq in 2006. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, protested the funeral to make their point that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for Americans' immorality, including tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.
Sources say that for the first time negotiators authorized to speak for Quetta Shura
Secret talks to end the war in Afghanistan have begun between representatives of the Taliban and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, The Washington Post reported on its website Tuesday night.
Scientists found at least 20 new species of katydids in Papua New Guinea's Muller Range, including this pink-eyed Caedicia. ;Click through a slideshow of new species found in Papua New Guinea.
“Alan Boyle writes: Conservationists are celebrating the discovery of more than 200 new species in the remote mountains of Papua New Guinea, ranging from flowers to frogs to mice.
The island of New Guinea and its surroundings have been a biological gold mine for more than a century, going back to the expeditions of Alfred Russel Wallace, a pioneer in evolutionary biology and contemporary of Charles Darwin who cataloged hundreds of species throughout the Malay Archipelago.”
The next time you’re in Santa Barbara stop by the Moreton Bay Fig Tree
There are a lot of giant trees in the world (like our beloved Redwoods) but this one in Santa Barbara is big in a novel way.
Just off Highway 101 you can see this fig tree, which was planted by a little girl in 1874, who got the seed from an Australian sailor. On the Mapquest aerial photos you can see it as a big dark round spot. The branch span is 170 feet and they claim that 16,000 people could stand under the tree.
You used to be able to climb up the buttresses, and see homeless people camped out in the hollows. Not sure if that’s still happening.The picture doesn’t do it justice. I’m just saying…
I looked into the situation and was pretty disgusted at what I found out. Just as I was preparing to write something about it someone emailed me this link which sums up the situation better than I could.
Excerpt:
Talk of limited government is appealing until you see what it actually means in practice: a society in which it's every man for himself.
“Thanks to 30 years of right-wing demagoguery about the evils of “collectivism” and the perfidy of “big government” -- and a bruising recession that’s devastated state and local budgets -- we’re getting a peek at a dystopian nightmare that may be in our not-too-distant future. It’s a picture of a society in which “rugged individualism” run amok means every man for himself.
Call it Ayn Rand’s stark, anti-governmental dream come true, a vision that last week turned into a nightmare for Gene Cranick, a rurual homeowner in Obion County, Tennessee. Cranick hadn’t forked over $75 for the subscription fire protection service offered to the county’s rural residents, so when firefighters came out to the scene, they just stood there, with their equipment on the trucks, while Cranick’s house burned to the ground.
According to the local NBC TV affiliate, Cranick “said he offered to pay whatever it would take for firefighters to put out the flames, but was told it was too late. They wouldn't do anything to stop his house from burning.”
The door to the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is open and we've all walked through it. Some grudgingly, some eagerly. Most of us unknowin...
