Sleepy people seek revenge, dog bites shark, and it’s not a good idea to throw doughnuts at a cop!

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Thanks for stopping by. Still kinda sleepy? Have a cup of coffee or tea with me while we search the headlines. Don’t start yawning now…it’s catchy!

Sleepy people blame others for everything

A new study shows that when people, in this case college students, are sleepy they are more likely to think about how events could have turned out differently and ponder how situations could have been better. Depending on the outcome, they may blame others and even seek revenge. Researchers call this sleepy thinking ‘counterfactual.’

Other cultures, such as Latin cultures, seem to understand what Americans don’t: Getting enough sleep is vital for a quality life. “They have siesta periods; in our culture we almost regard taking naps as childish,” David Mastin, associate professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said. “As psychologists, we want to understand the human condition, and we should know what’s going on when people are sleepy.”

Dog bites shark and goes viral

It's got a big yellow dog, sharks, a dead dugong, attracted millions of viewers on YouTube and you couldn't make it up.

Video footage of a dog attacking a shark under water on the Australian coast has "gone viral," becoming a top Internet hit. The footage shows two dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broome, about 1,650 km (1,025 miles) northeast of Perth.The dogs appear to be herding several sharks towards shore, when one suddenly ducks under the water and attacks a shark.

"The dog is biting the shark," said Russell Hood-Penn in the voice-over as he video-taped the incident. "That is unbelievable. I've seen it all now." Hood-Penn placed the footage on video-sharing website YouTube where it has been viewed more than 27 million times.

No, Taunting Cops By Throwing A Box Of Doughnuts At Them Is Never A Good Idea

Angered that police were investigating an assault that reportedly occurred inside his home Saturday night, a South Carolina man tossed a box of doughnuts at the cops and announced, “I brought you some fucking donuts, don’t y’all like donuts.”

Not surprisingly, an irate Timothy Everhart--who repeatedly cursed out cops and slammed his front door on them--was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct. Cops noted that Everhart, 30, appeared intoxicated when he “threw a box of donuts on the front porch area” as Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies approached his door. Everhart was released early this morning from the county jail after posting $262 bond.

Internet hacking group busted: FBI files major cyber crimes charges on 16 Anonymous group members

U.S. authorities today arrested 16 people on charges they were involved in major cyber attacks including attacks on eBay's PayPal website as retribution for dropping WikiLeaks' donation account.

The FBI arrests were made as part of a wide-ranging investigation of the Internet vigilante hacking group Anonymous, both the FBI and Department of Justice said, and followed claims by the group that it broke into Apple servers and launched attacks last year that shut down sites of MasterCard and Visa.

Anonymous, which law enforcement authorities believe is mostly made up of hackers believed to be in their teens and early 20s, also has released scores of private e-mails and other data from an Arizona police website. Those named in the indictment Today ranged in age from 20 to 42. The DOJ noted that "one individual’s name has been withheld by the court," possibly because he or she is a minor.The 20-year-old, Mercedes Renee Haefer, is a university student, and has a lawyer, Stanley L. Cohen of New York.

Fourteen arrests were made in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. The FBI executed more than 35 search warrants. An indictment charging those arrested was unsealed Tuesday in the Northern District of California in San Jose.

In June, the Hacker group LulzSec said it was done and was “sailing off into the horizon.” The group's disbandment came unexpectedly, and could have been a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations like the one that lead to today’s arrests. It would come as no surprise to me if some of the members were in both groups.

File under, ‘I’ll be Damned, who’d of Guessed?’ Man pays $16 to take over $330,000 House

The neighbors are outraged, but the Texas resident says his takeover is legal and will eventually give him title to the suburban Dallas home.

We all dream of scoring a great deal on a house.

But a $330,000 house for $16? (address: Waterford Drive, Flower Mound, TX - photo on right)

Kenneth Robinson of the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas, says he sealed just such a deal, taking over a vacant house by simply moving in and paying $16 to file documents with the court claiming ownership.

"This is not a normal process, but it is not a process that is not known," he told WFAA-TV in Dallas. "It's just not known to everybody."

Robinson said he invested months in research to find the house. The property had been in foreclosure for more than a year, and the owner walked away. In the meantime, the lender that held the mortgage went out of business.

• To squat or not: Can you take over the abandoned home next door?

Robinson says he can take legal title to the house after he lives there for three years through a provision in the law called "adverse possession." Exactly how that works varies state to state.

This is how WFAA explains the situation:

… Robinson said just by setting up camp in the living room, Texas law gives him exclusive negotiating rights with the original owner. If the owner wants him out, he would have to pay off his massive mortgage debt and the bank would have to file a complicated lawsuit.
Robinson believes because of the cost, neither is likely. The law says if he stays in the house, after three years he can ask the court for the title.

The neighbors are outraged that Robinson got a house on their suburban street for $16 and have tried to get the police to arrest him for trespassing or breaking and entering. But Robinson says he had a key to the house, and the police say it's a civil matter, not a criminal case

• Well-meaning renters turned into squatters

Candy Evans of the Dallas real-estate blog Candy's Dirt called a title attorney to ask if Robinson had a chance of holding on to the house. She wrote:

… he told me he seriously doubted that Robinson will get ownership of this home, but he may get a free place to live for several months. The owner of the home will be whoever acquires the assets of the defunct mortgage company, but that company will have to regroup and take legal action against Robinson. And that could take months.

Robinson isn't the first person who has tried to take over an abandoned home by just moving in and claiming adverse possession.

E-Mails from readers regarding the debt ceiling crisis in Congress

I’m going to share five interesting emails with you. I’ve agreed not to reveal the writers names and am assigning each a first name. They all responded to my “Random Thought: Fire everyone in Congress and start over” post on July 18th.  

Lee – “So who ARE the Republicans working for, if it's not the American people? Who is pulling their strings? Does Murdoch have that much power? Is it a foreign country? When a group of people strives this hard to bring down the greatest country in history, you have to wonder why. It doesn't seem possible that they're all just that stupid in Congress.”

cartoon source

Mary – “Political gamesmanship is all that Cantor is doing and personally I am sick to death of a congress that is all about games and not about results. Tea Party folks need not apply! Just when I thought Congress couldn't get worse, here comes the Tea Party to prove me wrong.”

Paul - “Can you please explain to the American public how much money was spent on creating this “Cut, Cap and Balance Act,”  bill that they are submitting for a vote whilst knowing it will not make it? This is exactly the kind of ridiculous spending that needs to be done with.  
People spend time on creating something only for political gain as the American Public continuously fund politicians political games. If they truly want to live to the standards they have set-out for all Americans and in accordance with their pledge, then please do us all a favor and stop this utter nonsense.”

Joan – “The Republicans are working for the Koch Bros, bankers,GE, Chrysler, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, GM, etc, etc, etc. It's large corporations that want their profits to increase without having to be responsible for the ruin perpetrated by their activities or maintain adequate worker pay and benefits. The Koch Bros. have contributed extraordinarily exorbitant amounts of money to the Tea Party (since Citizen United) than any other group under their many PAC's.” 

Frank -“The irresponsible right is destroying the American economy by engaging in thug tactics and ensuring that millions are tossed out of jobs with increased poverty for all - except of course - bloated plutocrats.”

Tar, Feathers,Rail,Politician graphic source

Pakistani gives illegal contributions to politicians – Republicans are main recipients according to FBI records

Pakistani accused of masking contributions to US politicians

The FBI has arrested a man investigators say was an agent of Pakistan's official state intelligence service, accusing him of making roughly $2 million in political contributions in the United States without disclosing his connections to the Pakistani government.

Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai will appear in federal court this afternoon in Alexandria, Va. He's not charged with being a spy. But he is charged with being an unregistered agent or lobbyist of the Pakistani government.

He's the executive director of a group called the Kashmiri American Council. Political contribution records show he has given tens of thousands of dollars to congressional candidates and party organizations. The FBI said in court documents released Tuesday that the council is effectively run by the Pakistani government.

According to the records, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., head of the Pakistani caucus within the House, Burton received more than $10,000, including $2,000 each, the maximum allowable under U.S. law, in the 2004, 2008 and 2010 congressional campaigns.

In addition, Fai gave the National Republican Senatorial Committee $3,500 in 2004, $5,000 in 2006 and $1,000 in 2008. Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Pa., also received $2,000 in 2004. The only Democrat to receive a significant amount of money was Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., who received $2,000 in 1998.

graphic source

Some things you should be aware of about Social Security

Andy Landis, a principal with Thinking Retirement and the author of "Social Security: The Inside Story."  advises against buying into any media-created Social Security "crisis.

" "Social Security is solvent for decades to come, and the glass is three-quarters full even after that," Landis said. "How many programs, public or private, can say that with confidence? Can you name one private company that can say the same?" Story

WalMart receipt with Jesus’s face on it, Grandma neck deep in mud for 3 days, and Michigan bride arrested after wedding ceremony

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Who would have guessed Jesus would show up on a WalMart receipt?

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Have you got your cup of Joe and ready to go? This morning we’re looking at a WalMart receipt with Jesus Christ’s face on it.

Here in Humboldt WalMart is in the news, but nothing supernatural about that. A lot of folks think the devil is moving in to the Mall…maybe they’ll change their mind if they get a holy receipt like this couple did?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Missing Grandma found neck deep in mud!

I’ll bet this woman never goes for a stroll in the middle of the night again. She ended up stuck in the mud up to her neck for three days!

When someone finally heard her faint calls for help they called 911 and said someone was stuck in the swamp and they knew for sure a big alligator lived there.

Asked what went through her mind afterwards, she laughed and said,”Imagine, people actually pay for mud baths in spas!” You go Grandma! You’re my hero!

Michigan bride arrested on felony warrant after taking vows

A Michigan bride still wearing her wedding dress was arrested on a felony warrant and briefly jailed after exchanging vows at a Jackson-area church, police said.

The 53-year-old woman, whose name wasn't immediately released, was wanted on a 3-year-old warrant for identity theft, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported.

Police believed the woman had moved to Florida, and they got two tips that she would be back in town for Saturday's wedding. She was arrested at City of Zion Ministries just after the ceremony, Blackman-Leoni Township Public Safety Officer Rick Gillespie said.

The woman was held for less than about 30 minutes before being booked, released on bond and picked up by her husband, Gillespie said. Officers gave her the chance to change clothes before she was taken to jail, but she declined, Gillespie said.

Officers had discussed whether to arrest her on her wedding day, and decided to do that because they had no other information about her whereabouts, Gillespie said. They let her pose for last-minute photographs before taking her to jail, he said.

Random Thought: fire everyone in Congress and start over

Random thought: The term "Congress" has several meanings, but first among them is "the act of coming together and meeting."

We have representatives who meet, but refuse to come together for reasons of perceived political gain. Since they are not doing what we elected them to do, that is be a "Congress", why can't we just fire them all?

I’ve heard the argument that the longer you're in Congress, the more effective you are.

Given the results of that effectiveness (as in current Congressional gridlock), wouldn't it be better to fire them all and start over in 2012?

The only people who seem to think that Congressman should have no term limits are Congressman and the people with their hands in their Congressman’s pockets. How the hell can we expect change when we have 85-year old Congressmen who have spent a major portion of their life holding down a Congressional seat? They cling to their old ways of thinking and resist any change that will dilute their power, or the power of their cronies.

 cartoon source for Senators running down steps -  cartoon source for Pig on Capitol Building

3-D printer makes anything real, BP Pipeline leak in Alaska, and a 77-year-old Congressman fights off intruder who broke into his home

This is definitely the most revolutionary video I have ever seen - it is sure to alter the way you think. The parameters of possibility have just overstepped the mark. This is literally amazing but they do not say anything about what it cost. It seems to me it would be quite useful for making parts for autos, boats, planes, space ships. What next?

Good Morning Humboldt County!

I’ve got a pot of virtual coffee on and your welcome to a cup.

A new week begins with some real Star Trek stuff as things are scanned and then replicated in a 3-D form.

This technology amazes me because I’ve never heard of it before. Have you?

 I must be more out-of-touch on modern technology than I expected.

BP pipeline leaks oily mixture onto Alaskan tundra

BP reported yet another pipeline leak at its Alaskan oilfields, frustrating the oil giant's attempts to rebuild its reputation after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

BP said on today that a pipeline at its 30,000 barrel per day Lisburne field, which is currently closed for maintenance, ruptured during testing and spilled a mixture of methanol and oily water onto the tundra.

Congressman, grandson fight off armed intruder

An eight-term congressman from Iowa helped fight off an armed man who invaded his farm house in Decatur County and attacked his daughter on Saturday night, according to a statement from his office.

The attack occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Saturday at a farm in Lamoni, where Rep. Leonard Boswell, a 77-year-old Democrat who represents Iowa's third congressional district, was spending the weekend with his wife, daughter and grandson.

"The intruder entered the front door of the farm house and physically assaulted Cindy while demanding money at gunpoint," read the statement from Boswell's office.

After hearing his daughter's screams, the congressman "entered the walkway of their house and immediately went for the guy's gun and was wrestling with him. They were both on the ground," Boswell's chief of staff Grant Woodard told local news station KCCI.While the two scuffled, Boswell's 22-year-old grandson Mitchell Brown grabbed a shotgun from a nearby room and confronted the intruder, who then fled into the surrounding field.

Time to walk on down the road…

As It Stands: Counting the many ways crime does pay

             By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
   Let’s get rid of that silly hackneyed phrase “crime doesn’t pay.” It’s not true.
I’m not sure if it ever was, but if it was, it must have been a long time ago in a long-forgotten land.

  Today, being notorious for committing a crime means people will offer money in the form of book deals, interviews, and movies. Maybe even a reality show for someone the public thinks got away with murder, like Casey Anthony.
  As odd as it sounds, crime is the basis of a legitimate industry that brings in billions of tourist dollars every year. True crime travel destinations vie with Caribbean cruises and trips to Disneyland.

    In Boston, where reputed crime boss and 16-year fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger is back in federal custody, tourists find mob-related tours an “offer they can’t refuse.”
“We’re definitely seeing more interest in our tours,” said David Aspro, who leads the Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour for New York-based On Location Tours.
   “We’ve sold out both the tours we’ve done since he was captured, and I think we’re on pace to do that again this upcoming weekend,” he told the Associated Press.
    The tour takes visitors to different locations ranging from Louisburg Square, the Beacon Hill park seen in “The Boston Strangler,” to the flower shop/headquarters of gang boss Fergus Colm (Pete Postelthwaite) in “The Town.”

     Not your cup of tea? Try a trip to “Sin City’s” Mob Experience Museum where criminal memorabilia from Nevada gangsters like Bugsy Seigel and Meyer Lansky is on display. They also have a new interactive  exhibit that takes visitors on a one-of-a-kind journey into Las Vegas’ crime riddled past. Amid extravagant realistic settings, the visitor becomes part of the exhibit. They’re given a name and a character of their choice to lead them on the historic virtual tour.
     Not interested in going to Las Vegas? No problem. Try the “Weird Chicago” tour.
You get to see the ghosts, gangsters, and the ghouls of the Windy City.
     Join Weird Chicago for a walk on the dark side of the city during this grisly and chilling tour. This is not an ordinary crime tour but a look at the most depraved murders in the city's history - and some of the darkest crimes ever committed. It’s a trip back in time to revisit some of the bloodiest crimes of Chicago's past.

 The tour includes death sites, crime scenes and haunts of Chicago's most notorious killers. Coming up soon; the Dillinger Death Anniversary Weekend on July 22 and 23rd.
    We must not forget Washington D.C. and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment. If you’re a serious crime fan, be prepared to roam three floors totaling 25,000 square feet and featuring over 100 interactive exhibits.
    This tour is a “Must See for CSI fans,” according to the Today Show. They now offer a history of the Casey Anthony case, along with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the controversial  O.J. Simpson case (once considered the crime of the century) and an exhibit on the “Freeway Sniper.”
    Fans of crime dramas like CSI are offered a new tour in Los Angeles that will surely appeal to their investigatory instincts. "Crime Scene Tours" will allow visitors to explore some of the city's most famous crime scenes. Organized by Starline Tours, the operator claims the tour will be "perfect for amateur sleuths and drama junkies who enjoy television's most popular crime shows," according to a recent LA Times article.
    At each stop, tourists will hear a re-telling of the infamous crime that occurred there. Crime scenes include the North Hollywood bank robbery, which resulted in a spectacular shootout between the robbers and the LAPD.
   Also covered is the Black Dahlia murder - the crime scene and circumstances surrounding the murder of 22-year-old waitress Elizabeth Short, dubbed the “Black Dahlia by the press.”
    Without a doubt, crime pays. I’ve offered some examples, and there are plenty more out there if you want to add to this list. I make no moral judgment about those who follow crime stories, serial killers, etc. Heck, I have to count myself in that group.
     No. I simply point out that crime does pay. Every day. Still, the irony of rewarding the bad men and women in our society and those who seek to profit from their crimes makes me uneasy. I realize I’m complicit when I buy a book like “The Green River Killer,” or “In Cold Blood.”
      As It Stands, the answer is to not buy, read, or listen to, any true stories about killers in our society. Not a likely scenario for most of us.

Websites that have picked up this column:

God's Vacation and Other Matters – 7/17 metaphysics, spirituality,kundalini, synchronicity, mystical experiences, personal para-normal experiences, politics, comparative religions, global warming, the future, you name it

 Las Vegas Crime 7/17 Crime, law and justice, and police blotter near Las Vegas, NV or anywhere in the US.

Interceder – 7/17 James Whitey Bulger - Interceder – 7/17 Suddenlink

Squidoo – 7/17 Under Google News Board

DAHLIA JAMES BLOG – 7/17 #2 item

Famous People – 7/17 from Nevada News

Los Angeles Crime – 7/17 Crime, law and justice and police blotter, or Los Angeles, CA.

Topic Hawk – 7/17 What people are saying…

Famous Serial Killers – 7/17 under “Recent Posts”

Green River Yellow Pages 7/17

 

Turnabouts fair play? Colorado woman gropes female TSA agent!

Lately all the news has been about TSA officials groping everything from babies to 95-year-olds with diapers. Here’s a rather odd case of the tables being turned: 

“Authorities say a Colorado woman who allegedly groped a female Transportation Security Administration agent at Phoenix's international airport is facing a felony count of sexual abuse.

Phoenix police say 61-year-old Yukari Mihamae is accused of grabbing the left breast of the unidentified TSA agent Thursday at an airport checkpoint.

TSA spokesperson Kawika Riley confirmed the altercation to msnbc.com in a statement: "On July 14 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, local law enforcement arrested a passenger for assaulting a TSA officer during the screening process." 

TSA staff say Mihamae refused to be go through passenger screening and became argumentative before she squeezed and twisted the agent's breast with both hands. Police were called and say Mihamae admitted grabbing the TSA agent and continued to argue with officers before she was arrested.”

And the victor in the great LA bike-vs.-plane race is ...

Faster than a jet plane — that would be the bicyclists of Wolfpack Hustle.

Six bicyclists from the group, a loose collective of L.A. cyclists, were trying to see if they could beat a passenger on a JetBlue flight from Burbank to Long Beach, and they succeeded by a wide margin,the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The "Carmageddon" challenge was born after JetBlue offered $4 plane rides from Burbank to Long Beach to get around the weekend closure of Interstate 405 in the northern part of the metropolitan area. An online article in Slate helped the challenge take shape.

The bicyclists and a blogger left a North Hollywood intersection at 10:50 a.m. The blogger had to drive to the airport for a 12:20 p.m. flight, then get a ride to the finish line at the Long Beach aquarium.

The cyclists took a route along the Los Angeles River, the Times reported, and made it in one hour and 34 minutes. They arrived at the finish just as the JetBlue flight was taking off — a victory for bicyclists trying to get fellow Los Angelenos to get out of the car once in a while to get some exercise on their commute.

Owl imprint on windshield, exorcists meet to tackle vampires, and say hello to the friendly ‘Fracosaurus’

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Grab a cup of Joe while we go through a few headlines this morning:

Ghostly Owl image left on car windshield

An imprint of an owl is left on a window pane after the bird crashed into the window. Sally Arnold returned home to Kendal, Cumbria, and found the huge imprint complete with eyes, beak and feathers on her bedroom window. The silhouette was left by the bird’s ‘powder down’ - a substance protecting growing feathers.

Picture: PA / RSPB

Exorcists meet in Poland, tackle vampires

Vampires, the devil's deceit and mental illness are among the hot topics for some 300 exorcists who flocked to Poland this week from as far away as Africa and India for a week-long congress.

Held at Poland's Roman Catholic Jasna Gora monastery, home to the venerated Black Madonna icon, this year's congress "examines the current fashion for vampirism in Europe and the world-over, schizophrenia and other mental disorders as well as the devil's deceit during exorcism," according to the monastery's radio station.

Gas driller dumps dino-themed coloring book

A natural gas drilling company says it's no longer distributing a children's coloring book featuring a hard hat-wearing dinosaur that's been criticized by a Massachusetts congressman and lampooned by Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert.

Talisman Energy says "Talisman Terry's Energy Adventure" is no longer being distributed following a barrage of criticism.

Critics called the coloring book's depiction of land before and after drilling overly rosy.

 The post-drilling image adds a rainbow and an eagle to the scene where the hydraulic fracturing drilling process took place. U.S. Rep. Ed Markey mocked the depiction of the "friendly Fracosaurus" in remarks last week on drilling safety. Colbert spoofed the book earlier this week.

Time to walk on down the road…

Lighthouse Keepers–a poem by Captain Stetson Turner

Lighthouse keepers have it easy
   All year long their homes are breezy;
Noises don’t disturb their labors,
   For they haven’t any neighbors.
They don’t need big wastebaskets
   For old papers, orange peels, or gaskets;
Just one careless motion
   And their trash drops in the ocean.

They don’t need nine holes or twenty,
   They get exercise aplenty;
One trip up the spiral stairway
   Equals three around the fairway.
Window shades are never needed,
   They can dress or strip unheeded;
Wakeful brats don’t have conniptions,
   Neighbors don’t give long descriptions.

When I’m old and don't need pity,
   I shall leave the sullied city,
Climb a lighthouse, bar the door,
   And trim my wicks forevermore.

                                                                                                                      Photo via Stumbleupon

No surprise to dog owners: study suggest canines/wolves adept at reading people's minds

To anyone who is familiar with the eerily human-like qualities of man's best friend, the news that dogs can read your mind shouldn't come as any surprise.

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I’ve suspected my pug Millie (shown here) has been able to read my feeble mind since she was a pup 8 years ago!

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The latest research adds to growing evidence that dogs can interpret both human body language and general behavior, and use it to their advantage.

"Dogs and [human-raised] wolves are capable of distinguishing between a person looking at them, someone who's paying attention and someone who's not," said Monique A.R. Udell, lead author of a study published recently in the journal Learning & Behavior. "They're more likely to beg [for food] from someone paying attention to them." More here

Marilyn Monroe statue unveiled on Chicago's Magnificent Mile

It's true, Chicago. The top half of the "mysterious" 26-foot sculpture on Michigan Avenue was unveiled Friday to be Marilyn Monroe.

Friday morning's unveiling of New Jersey-based artist Seward Johnson's new sculpture confirmed suspicions.

Marilyn will strike her closed-eye, classic pose until spring 2012, at which time the artist will put up a new statue.

What a nice salute for this icon of American beauty!

source

Bracing for ‘Carmageddon’, Shaq turns sports analyst, and watching giant crocodiles jump

Good Morning Humboldt County!

It’s time to check out a few headlines and to have a cup of coffee, or tea. Relax. You don’t have to face the traffic in LA this weekend.

City of Angels braces for its 'Carmageddon'

The City of Angels is on edge as the hours tick off until "Carmageddon" — the shutdown of a 10-mile stretch of one of the busiest highways in the United States, on one of the city's busiest summer weekends.Will it bring traffic to a standstill like a scene out of a summer disaster movie? Or fail to come to pass, like other apocalypse predictions?

Shaquille O’Neal joins Turner Sports as analyst

The calls came as soon as Shaquille O’Neal(notes) decided to retire, all wanting to hire one of the NBA’s greatest entertainers.TNT’s “Inside the NBA” studio show had been O’Neal’s favorite as a player, so the choice was easy.

Get ready for the Big Analyzer, Big Commentator, or whatever other nickname he takes in the next phase of his career. O’Neal agreed Thursday to a multiyear deal with Turner Sports to become an analyst on its NBA coverage, where he will fold his 7-foot-1 frame into the fourth chair on the TNT set alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This monster croc weighs about 2000 pounds and is 18 feet long!

 

 Jumping Crocs in Australia

The giant croc – his name is Brutus - shown in this video is said to be over 70 years old. He lost one of his front legs in a fight with a shark. He’s 18 feet long, but is not the dominant croc in the area. That honor belongs to the “Dominator” who is over 20 feet long! This is one tourist attraction I’d pass on.

 Time to head on down the road…

Don’t worry boss! I’m on that Foxes scent like flies on feces!

He’s behind you!

Meet the world’s worst hunting dog.

This beagle failed to spot the fox behind him.

The dog had strayed too close to a den containing four fox cubs, but their protective parents stood their ground.

Naturalist and photographer Mircea Costina captured the scene in a forest north of Montreal, Canada.

Picture: Mircea Costina / Rex Features

Somewhere under the Moonbow, down a Maui blowhole, and severe erosion along the West Coast

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Grab a cup of Joe and let’s go. There’s always something different like a moonbow:

Somewhere under the moonbow

Here’s something you don’t see every day — in fact, you can only experience it at night. It’s called a moonbow and if you’re at Yosemite National Park this weekend, you might want to consider staying up late to catch a glimpse.

As the lunar equivalent of rainbows, moonbows are created when moonlight shines on droplets of water. And with its abundant waterfalls and clear, artificial light-free skies, Yosemite is an ideal place to watch for moonbows, especially on July 15 during the next full moon.

Tourists saw Calif. man fall into Maui blow hole

Witnesses who watched a Northern California man get sucked into a Maui blow hole to his apparent death say that the tourist was dancing around and frolicking in the sprays of water moments before a wave knocked him down.

In this Saturday, July 9, 2011 photo provided and shot by Rocco Piganelli, Piper Piganelli, Marley Meyer, and Maddie Meyer, lower left, pose for a photo Piganelli says was taken moments before a man, in the spray at right, fell to his apparent death in a blow hole at Nakalele Point in Maui, Hawaii. Piganelli, of La Jolla, Calif., told The Associated Press that he watched the man spiral down the blowhole, pop up briefly before disappearing when the next wave hit. The 44-year-old man, identified as David Potts of San Anselmo, Calif., has not been found since Saturday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rocco Piganelli)

Battered West Coast a lesson on warming, study finds

Severe erosion along the West Coast during the winter of 2009-2010 offers a look at, and lessons for, a warming world with rising sea levels, a new study finds.

A natural El Nino cycle that warms the Pacific Ocean produced those severe conditions, but computer models suggest that similar damage could come from sea level rise tied to human-caused greenhouse gases.

"If these trends continue," U.S. government and academic experts wrote in their study, "the combination of large waves and higher water levels, particularly when enhanced by El Ninos, can be expected to be more frequent in the future, resulting in greater risk of coastal erosion, flooding, and cliff failures."

Lead author Patrick Barnard, a coastal geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told msnbc.com that the study serves as a platform "to understand the broad coastal impact of conditions we are likely to experience more frequently in the future."

Time to walk on down the road…

Comments on some of today’s headlines…

I read where a grief-stricken Hamid Karzai climbed into his assassinated brother's grave this morning. I have one observation to make, “Someone should have hurriedly filled it up when he was in there! 

I’m not thrilled with the Fed's new money policy: 'Wait and see'

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was on Capitol Hill today testifying on the central bank's latest strategies for getting the economy back on a stronger footing.

Is it just me, or does this sound like a scene out of “Fantasy Island” where everything magically works out by the end of the episode?

File me under, “Paranoid to fly these days.” When I see things like Scientists questioning cancer risks from exposure to full-body scanners, I add that to a growing list of concerns.

Budget talks between President Barack Obama and his GOP rivals are at a frustrating standstill, leading a top Republican to launch a long-shot proposal to give Obama sweeping new powers to muscle through an increase in the government's debt limit without the approval of a bitterly divided Congress. If that happens I’ll start believing in the Easter Bunny and The Great Pumpkin.

Watching the Murdoch empire crumble has been the highlight of the week thus far for me. Now investors are asking what might be the broader impact on Murdoch’s global News Corp. empire, which includes the Fox broadcast network, cable channels such as FX and Fox News, television stations, the 20th Century Fox movie studio and newspapers around the world, including The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Sun in the U.K.

"This is going to have ripple effects over in the U.S., too, but it may take a while for it to all play out," predicted newspaper analyst Ken Doctor of Outsell Inc. Republicans throughout the country are probably really concerned their going to lose their “Voice,” on national TV (Fox execs are hiding beneath their desks waiting for the outcome) under the guise of a real news affiliate.

Can you imagine what would happen if Justin tried putting a move on Cpl. De Santis when she wasn’t interested? She’d kick his ass all the way down the Halls of Montezuma!

Not to be outdone, a female Marine wants a date with Justin Timberlake

After Justin Timberlake nudged Mila Kunis into accepting a Marine's invitation to be his date for the Marine Corps Ball, another Marine had a similar idea: put Justin Timberlake on the spot, too. Cpl. Kelsey De Santis, currently serving as the only female at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence at Marine Corps Base Quantico, has made a YouTube video inviting Timberlake to be her date for the Ball, taking place Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C.

Can you imagine what would happen if Justin tried putting a move on Cpl. De Santis when she wasn’t interested? She’d kick his ass all the way down the Halls of Montezuma!