West Virginia Purple Mountain Sunset
unknown photographer
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Hole-y cow! Guts could lead to holy grail for cheap biofuels
Researchers report breakthrough in search for cleaner energy
“It may not be glamorous, but the holy grail for efficient biofuels — the kind that don't compete with our food supply — could end up being found inside the guts of cows.”
New projections show Social Security fund will be drained by 2037
Here’s a cheerful little item to contemplate.I’ll be 87 when the year 2037 rolls around. If I don’t die before then, I’ll be faced with a loss of a good part of my income to survive with
“Social Security's finances are getting worse as the economy struggles to recover and millions of baby boomers stand at the brink of retirement.
New congressional projections show Social Security running deficits every year until its trust funds are eventually drained in about 2037.”
STORY HERE
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
An end to military dictatorship? Will Egyptians get good alternative?
Things have been shaking in the Arab world since the Tunisian people toppled their oppressive regime. Countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have a lot of young, smart, and freedom-loving people who deserve to live in better conditions and their speaking out.
Here’s a brief world round-up on what’s happening today:
from The Times of India…
Egypt president's son, family flee to Britain
“Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's son, who is considered as his successor, has fled to Britain along with his family, a US-based Arabic website reported.
The plane with Gamal Mubarak, his wife and daughter on board left for London Tuesday from an airport in western Cairo, the website Akhbar al-Arab said.” STORY
from CBS World News…
Egypt Cracks Down Amid Deadly Protests
“Egyptian police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and beat protesters to clear thousands of people from a central Cairo square after the biggest demonstrations in years against President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian rule.” STORY
from FOX News…
Deadly Egyptian Protests
PHOTO TOP RIGHT - Jan. 26: Egyptian anti-riot police block the way leading to a journalists syndicate in downtown Cairo, Egypt. A small gathering of Egyptian anti-government activists tried to stage a second day of protests in Cairo Wednesday in defiance of a ban on any gatherings, but police quickly moved in and used force to disperse the group. STORY
from The Boston Herald
Officials: 860 protesters arrested in Egypt
“Egyptian security officials say 860 protesters have been arrested during two days of anti-government demonstrations. The officials say nearly 600 were detained in Cairo. The remainder were arrested in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria and elsewhere. They say not all protesters would be referred to prosecutors, suggesting some of them would be freed after questioning by police.” STORY
from NPR…
Harsh Police Crackdown Reported in Egypt
“CNN's Ben Wedeman just reported there has been a "harsh police crackdown" on protesters today in Egypt, where for the second day in a row people have taken to the streets in anti-government demonstrations.” STORY
'Godzilla-like creature' nabbed at Riverside condo complex
In my humble opinion, this monitor lizard is hardly Godzilla-like (heck…anyone knows Godzilla stood on two legs and breathed fire), but he is larger than any other type of lizard normally found wandering around in California.
Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia
The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter (right) could have imagined.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk." STORY HERE
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
It’s Fast Food Bashing Day: McDonald’s getting away with a crime
Why the Happy Meal is a crime—and not just a culinary one
“Ample science, along with statements by various professional organizations tells us that marketing to young children is both deceptive and unfair. Why? Because young children simply do not have the cognitive capacity to understand that they are being marketed to; they cannot comprehend "persuasive intent," the linchpin of advertising. Here's how the nation's trade group for kids' doctors puts it: "The American Academy of Pediatrics considers advertising directly to young children to be inherently deceptive, and exploits children under the age of 8 years."
So, if advertising to young children is inherently deceptive, and deceptive advertising is illegal under federal law and in most states, how is it even happening? And doesn't this mean that not just food, but all marketing to young children is currently illegal? The answer is yes.
GO HERE for the story.
Fox News can lie with impunity according to Florida Court Appeal
This story merely confirms what Fox news has been doing for years: lying to it’s viewers to pursue a political agenda. What do they do when their caught lying?
Fox News wins “right to lie.”
In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States.
Lawyers paid by Bill O'Reilly's bosses argued in court that Fox can lie with impunity.
It's their right under the 1st Amendment
FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media. They argued that, under the First Amendment, broadcasters have the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves.
Where’s the beef? Taco Bell’s under fire for false advertising
Alabama law firm to Taco Bell: That's not beef
“An Alabama law firm claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" in its products.
The meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as "beef," according to the legal complaint.
Attorney Dee Miles said attorneys had Taco Bell's "meat mixture" tested and found it contained less that 35 percent beef”
Monday, January 24, 2011
Bishop Castle: one man’s lifelong project continues to amaze
Have you ever gone here? Did you know it exists?
Located outside Colorado City in the San Isabel National Forest, Bishop Castle is the ongoing, lifelong project of a single man: Jim Bishop. The strange castle has been under construction since 1969, and now stands over 70 feet tall. Working alone, Bishop harvests the rocks from the national forest and has been building his own castle for 41 years. The multi-room castle boasts a tower, stained-glass windows, and a fire-breathing dragon, with future plans for a moat, drawbridge, and possible second castle. The exhibit is free and visitors are welcome to enter and explore the castle at their own risk after signing the guestbook (waiver of liability).
Fitness fanatic Jack LaLanne dies; pushed pumping iron and juicing fruit well into his 90s
“Jack LaLanne was prodding Americans to get off their couches and into the gym decades before it was cool. And he was still pumping iron and pushing fruits and vegetables decades past most Americans' retirement age.
The fitness fanatic ate well and exercised — and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same — right up to the end at age 96, friends and family said.
LaLanne died Sunday at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast, longtime agent Rick Hersh said. The cause was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.” Story here.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
As It Stands: Speed Kills -- so why is meth still scourging our society?
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 01/23/2011 01:21:42 AM PST
I was getting ready to go home when a sheriff's deputy walked into my office and asked if I'd like to have exclusive access to a major news story. It was the summer of 1982, and I was the editor of The Desert Trail Newspaper in 29 Palms, Calif. Of course, I jumped at the invitation.
It meant leaving immediately. I had just time to grab my camera and to tell my secretary to call my wife and say I'd be home late. The deputy drove me to the local sheriff's substation where other law enforcement types had gathered for the night's operations. They were putting on their SWAT gear and checking their assault weapons. A sign on the wall read, “Speed Kills.”
One of the men stepped forward and introduced himself as Floyd Tidwell, county sheriff. He was obviously excited and told me I would accompany him on a series of meth raids throughout the Morongo Basin. We boarded a 
We went to six other locations, ranging from bars to motel rooms, busting addicts and recovered lots of crystal meth. I got home at 3 a.m. and wrote the story. At the time, desert meth labs were more plentiful than red ants in San Bernardino County.
Flash forward. I'm retired and living in Humboldt County. It's 2004 and Humboldt has the highest rate of methamphetamine use of any county in the state. I wonder if the meth addicts migrated north? A strong effort on the part of the Humboldt County Health Department addressed the problem by organizing a community coalition to combat meth addiction.
A one-hour documentary called “Life After Meth” shown on KEET-TV in May 2006. It was the result of a project called “Community Voices for Meth Awareness.” Claire Reynolds, director of community relations and outreach for KEET-TV, spearheaded the project.
“The Methamphetamine Fact Book: A Community Handbook and Resource Guide” was produced and has been updated numerous times since. Tracking laws designed to catch profiteers who buy over-the-counter pills with pseudoephedrine in them and sell them to meth makers were e
According to an Associated Press analysis of federal data on the 2006 law's consequences, it's not slowing down the meth market. There was a small decline for two years until people figured a way around the new law.
”It's almost like a sub-criminal culture,” said Gary Boggs, an agent at the Drug Enforcement Agency in a recent AP interview. “You see them with a GPS unit set up in a van and a list of every single pharmacy or retail outlet. They'll spend the entire week going store to store and buying the limit.”
Last September, the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported a 60 percent one-year increase in the number of meth users. There's no doubt that meth use is on the rise in this country.
The only thing that can be done is to continue to educate people about the harm meth does to users and everyone around them. If you want to know if you live near a former meth lab go to www.homefacts.com and put in your address, state, or ZIP code in the search area. I came up with three addresses in Eureka.
To get help for meth addiction call the Humboldt County Health and Human Services Department at (707) 441-5400, or the Humboldt County Drug Addiction Treatment and Alcohol & other Drug Programs at (707) 476-4054. They offer guidance and information for addicts and their families.
I know when I first came up to Humboldt in 1979, meth was not a problem. As I left and came back twice over the years, I noticed meth addicts becoming more common. I like to think we've made some progress since the dubious notoriety we had in 2004, but when I see strung-out meth users in stores and on the streets, I have to wonder.
As It Stands, we've known “Speed kills” since the '60s, so it's discouraging to see that meth is still popular nearly a half-century later.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Keeping a sport alive: Sex sells – welcome to the 1st ever camel beauty pageant
Turkey's annual Selcuk camel fighting championship was hoping to draw spectators from an increasingly modern population and keep the struggling sport relevant with the addition of a beauty pageant, The Wall Street Journal reported today.
Chariot, a 1,500-pound, single-humped camel with spittle hanging from his lips and pompons in his tail, recently won the first-ever beauty contest at Turkey's prized camel fighting competition.
Recently, there was a popular trend for naming camels after political leaders. Four years ago at Selcuk, George Bush fought Saddam Hussein. They tied.
Neighborhood Chicken Manages to Escape Kidnappers - Insert fowl play joke here
Residents at one San Pedro apartment building say their beloved neighborhood chicken has miraculously returned after being birdnapped six months ago.The wild chicken, affectionately known as "Kwok Kwok," came to the apartment complex in the 1100 block of 9th Street about a year ago. No matter how she got back, Anastasiow says, the bird is currently in good spirits and is now laying eggs.
Building owner Jackie Anastasiow says the bird appeared shortly after her husband passed away.
"I think he's in Heaven and sent me this chicken to take care of," Anastasiow said.
This summer though, tragedy struck the neighborhood.
"I heard a commotion downstairs. The chicken's making noise ... I see a pickup truck with three guys in it, and they kidnap the chicken. They put the chicken in the truck and they drove off," said resident Sal Martinez.
Residents were sure "Kwok Kwok" was destined for a finger-licking-good demise.
"It was really strange. I don't know why they took the chicken away. I figured 'Kwok' was done. I thought they were going to make either chicken soup or chicken stew or something. They were going to eat the chicken," said Martinez.
Then, three months ago, the neighborhood got a poultry miracle.
"Kwok Kwok" returned home. Read More Here
Huge parking fines inspired parking watch app
Massive parking fines inspired one Australian man to create an iPhone app that lets users warn each other when parking officers are spotted lurking near their cars.
"The idea was pretty much born out of frustration," said Joseph Darling of "ParkPatrol," the app developed by his Sydney-based firm to help users avoid tickets that cost what he said was at least $82 Australian ($81) a shot -- and often more.
The app lets users "sign in" and report sightings of parking officers with a single push of a button. Cartoon faces wearing a police cap then appear plotted on a map of the area, along with a notice thanking them.
The app will also alert users if a parking officer is spotted in their area and how close. Notification options for 500 meters (1,640 ft), 200 meters and 100 meters are available.”
Friday, January 21, 2011
Author discovers vintage video of 1950s housewife tripping on LSD during medical experiment
A housewife was filmed tripping on LSD as part of a television program on mental health issues in 1956.
Don Lattin, an author of four books including "The Harvard Psychedelic Club," found the video during his research on British writer Aldous Huxley, philosopher Gerald Heard and Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, who were prominent thinkers and writers about the effects of hallucinogenics in the 1950s and '60s.
No Surprise Here Department: it’s not safe to drive with animals loose in the front seat
Who would have guessed? For years I’ve watched people driving around with animals on their laps, usually small dogs, and wondered what the hell were they were thinking?
Did they think “it was cute” and no harm would come from having a jacked-up Wire Haired terrier between them and the steering wheel? Or, was it a case of “separation anxiety” on the pet owner’s part? I never wave at these drivers (I figure they’re already distracted enough), but I admit that I often make a circular motion with my finger alongside my head.
Bad dog? Pets pose threat to safe driving
Author Stephen King suffered several broken bones and a collapsed lung in 1999 when he was hit by a driver who claimed he was distracted by his dog.
Plans being drawn up to let states declare bankruptcy
This is not good news for retired state workers. What happens to them when these states declare bankruptcy? What do you suppose that will do to the morale of current state workers?
Pensioners and investors in state bonds could lose out
“Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.”
PHOTO - Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has asked the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, about the possibility of drawing up a bill allowing states to go bankrupt
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