Monday, October 24, 2011

Tea Party Group Urges Small Businesses ‘Not To Hire A Single Person’ To Hurt Obama

Tea Party Group Urges Small Businesses ‘Not To Hire A Single Person’ To Hurt Obama

This article illustrates why people think Tea Party members are only interested in their ideology and extreme partisan politics. The people (the 99% ers) come in last with the Tea Party set.

Even for Tea Party standards, encouraging employers not to hire people in this terrible economy to make some vague and stupid point, is anti-American and shows their true colors.

As long as Congressional Republicans put off any chance for relief for unemployed citizens, the deeper the depression becomes. I prefer to to go by what Republicans do, rather than what they say, as the two are usually different. Here is a perfect example of what extremes these wackaloons will go: 

“Congressional Republicans have acted shocked and offended at Democrats’ suggestions that they are intentionally sabotaging the economy to try to win back the White House in 2012. Republicans have refused to pass President Obama’s jobs plan — which experts estimate will create at least 1.9 million jobs — and proposed an alternative plan that Moody’s says “will likely push the economy back into recession.”

Now influential Tea Party leaders are throwing caution to the wind and openly lobbying business owners to stop hiring in order to hurt Obama politically. This week, Right Wing Watch picked up on a message Tea Party Nation sent to their members from conservative activist Melissa Brookstone.

In a rambling letter titled “Call For A Strike of American Small Businesses Against The Movement for Global Socialism,” Brookstone urges businesses “not hire a single person” to protest “this new dictator”:

Resolved that: The current administration and Democrat majority in the Senate, in conjunction with Progressive socialists from all around the country, especially those from Hollywood and the left leaning news media (Indeed, most of the news media.) have worked in unison to advance an anti-business, an anti-free market, and an anti-capitalist (anti-individual rights and property ownership) agenda. [...]

I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

Brookstone cites Democrats’ support of the Occupy Wall Street movement as proof that Obama, media elites, and the like are “against business, private property ownership and capitalism.” Although she fails to explain how a freeze on hiring would send a bold pro-business message, given that such a boycott would further damage the economy and exacerbate high national unemployment.

But these Tea Partiers are only too happy to put politics ahead of the well-being of 14 million unemployed Americans, not to mention the businesses who are looking for qualified workers”"

This post was originally published by ThinkProgress.Written by Marie Diamond

Have a 338-pound burger, a preambulating potty, and kids would rather go to Chattanooga than Disneyland

Image: giant hamburger

             Good Morning Humboldt County!

Here we are going into a new week. I’ve got the coffee on and your invited to have a cup with me. I’ve got a trio of stories that I think will amuse you as you drink some brew. 

'Absolutely Ridiculous': Restaurant creates 338-pound burger

A U.S. restaurant famous for cooking up giant hamburgers has outdone itself.

The Detroit News reports that Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar made a 338-pound (153-kilogram) "Absolutely Ridiculous Burger" on Thursday. A crowd gathered to salivate over the unveiling of the $2,000 menu item. The sandwich packs 540,000 calories and takes 22 hours to cook. Manager Jason Jones says the burger, which has 15 pounds of lettuce, 30 pounds of bacon, 30 pounds of tomatoes and 36 pounds of cheese, comes with fries and a drink.

Perambulating potty? Wild ride for Teamster in a toilet

RICHLAND, Washington — What? No seat belt? A Teamster needed one when he took an unplanned ride in a portable toilet at a nuclear reactor site in Washington state.

The Tri-City Herald reported that on Oct. 5 a forklift operator picked up the chemical toilet to move it, not realizing it was occupied. The newspaper said that according to a Department of Energy report, the driver lifted the outhouse about a foot off the ground and moved about 15 feet across a gravel road.

The forklift blocked the door, trapping the Teamster. The driver set the toilet down, he heard the Teamster inside. The newspaper said the report didn't indicate exactly what the Teamster was saying about the whole affair.

Disney World? We want to go to Chattanooga!

Like many parents, Rina and Mike Zeller turned on a video camera to document the squeals of delight when they surprised their kids with news of a family trip to Disney World.But the kids didn’t jump for joy. Instead, much to the Zellers surprise, Sophia, 6, and Ian, 4, started crying and insisting that they’d rather spend their vacation in … Chattanooga.

“We live close enough to Chattanooga that we usually go there once a year for a long weekend trip,” said Rina Zeller. “The kids love the aquarium and children’s museum and stream running through the downtown area. And we’d been telling that we're going to take them to Chattanooga this year for fall break.” The Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau in Tennessee loved the tape and, of course, began sending it around. Since then the tape has shown up on TV stations nationwide and been viewed on YouTube more than 70,000 times. “It’s nice to know there are some kids that would rather visit Chattanooga instead of Disney World,” said Dave Santucci, vice president of marketing for the Chattanooga CVB. “Especially because most families can’t afford to go to Disney World every year. But they can afford to come back to Chattanooga.”

Time to walk on down the road…

Sunday, October 23, 2011

As It Stands: Up in smoke: Obama’s promise to medical marijuana users

 obama-fraud                                                 

                By Dave Stancliff/For The Times Standard
Remember how President Obama assured us he would work with the states who enacted medical marijuana laws when he campaigned for the presidency?
 He sure was blowing smoke on that one, wasn‘t he?
"The Obama administration really is more aggressive than the administration of his predecessor," said Americans for Safe Access (ASA) spokesman Kris Hermes in a  recent interview.
 The vast difference between Obama’s promises and what his administration is doing against medical marijuana has shocked many who voted for him. The “bringer of change” dangled some hope to states that approved medical marijuana, thereby snagging many votes. Obama clearly forgot what he had promised the states and the people living there after he got elected.  
  Obama’s war on medical marijuana is escalating and he’s blatantly trashing his promises. Incredible as it may seem, his administration has stated, “There are no medicinal properties in marijuana.” Not only is that a ridiculous thing to say, it’s a lie. 

  In the last twenty years, numerous independent studies and research done at universities across the country have revealed an ever-increasing number of medical applications for marijuana. Yet the Obama administration refuses to conduct any research on its own that might prove marijuana has medicinal properties.  
  Instead, they’ve chosen to conduct a search-and-destroy mission in California to eliminate state-approved pot dispensaries. A reign of terror intended to send a message.  It doesn’t matter that they take away people’s medicine and their way to get it safely.
 We're not at war with people in this country," Obama's drug czar Gil Kerlikowske told The Wall Street Journal in May. I beg to differ. The raids on medical marijuana dispensaries have actually increased under Obama’s watch.
  The DEA propaganda machine tells the public marijuana has no medical qualities and is as dangerous as heroin. These outright lies are easily disproved by current and past research.
  Over the past eight months Obama has become arguably the worst president in U.S. history regarding medical marijuana. The most recent example is what happened to Northstone Organics, a Mendocino collective. They are the perfect example of cooperating with state law enforcement. The non-profit has been featured on Frontline (The Pot Republic), and was a pioneer for Mendocino County’s “ziptie” program.
   The Feds raided them anyway. California NORML Coordinator, Dale Gieringer, denounced the raid as a “shameful and despicable” attack on California’s most successful legally regulated marijuana cultivation program.”

  Escalating the war, US Attorney Laura Duffy says she’ll go after any marijuana advertising in the media. On September 21, Obama's ATF issued an open letter saying gun shops cannot sell guns to medical marijuana patients -- or people who are known to be addicted to drugs other than alcohol or tobacco, ironically enough.
Despite a previous Department Of Justice memo that targeting medical marijuana is an inefficient use of time and resources, four California-based U.S. Attorneys and their staffs have vowed an aggressive new crackdown on medical marijuana operations throughout the state.
   After Obama's inauguration, Attorney General Eric Holder said federal prosecutors would not enforce action against patients or providers who adhered to state law. Six months later, the new policy was officially articulated in the landmark Ogden memo: "Prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources."
  What happened? Why the rabid all-out assault now? Either Obama has a short memory, or he’s been lying all along and waiting for an opportunity to step up the senseless war on marijuana. Also, look at the ties between Big Pharma (opposed to marijuana legislation for competition reasons) and the Obama administration.

 As Obama campaigns for his second term, one thing stands out to me: he’s an expert flip-flopper when it comes to political expediency.
 What you can do about this senseless war is to urge your Representative to co-sponsor HR1983, a bill forcing the Feds to stop their raids on state-approved medical marijuana programs.
  As It Stands, I suspect Obama (a former pot smoker) is going to have to answer to a large block of medical marijuana users who vote in 2012.

WEBSITES CARRYING THIS COLUMN: 

#1 http://newstweeters.com/2011/10/up-in-smoke-obama%E2%80%99s-promise-to-medical-marijuana-users-%E2%80%93-times/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=up-in-smoke-obama%25e2%2580%2599s-promise-to-medical-marijuana-users-%25e2%2580%2593-times
#2 Drug Sense

#3 http://www.brianccg.com/wp-content/plugins/FooterSpeed/display.php?dm=tw&k=Medical&t=search&baseurl=www.brianccg.com/wp-content/plugins/FooterSpeed/

#4 Hydrochronic Medical Marijuana Blog

#5 Social Toker – Where smokers socialize

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Meet 1 % er John Hammergen: Nation’s Top ‘Robber Baron’

John Hammergren © David Maxwell/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CEO: John Hammergren

Company: McKesson (MCK) Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Compensation: $131.2 million last year

Company net income (trailing 12 months): $1.2 billion

1-year shareholder return (as of Oct. 17): 17%

I thought I’d share this profile of greed as an example of what the 99% ers of Occupy Wall Street are protesting about. His salary is obscene. Especially when you consider he pays less in taxes than you do! Gee…I wonder how Hammergren feels about legalizing marijuana?

Big-rig chicken spill recalls famous Hollywood Freeway Chickens

Freeway chickens

A big rig that spilled 5,000 live chickens ruffled a few feathers Thursday morning when they shut down lanes of a Northern California interstate near Vacaville, but longtime Angelenos may recall a similar poultry accident on the Hollywood Freeway that became part of L.A. lore.

In that 1969 crash, a truck driver was taking 500 to 1,000 chickens from the Valley to an L.A. slaughterhouse. At least 200 chickens flew the coop, escaping into the brush near the Vineland Avenue on ramp in Studio City.

Former Times columnist Steve Harvey, recalling that accident in a column in 2009, reported that the chickens -– like any good L.A. story –- quickly became famous and even inspired a screenplay.

"Commuters caught in traffic jams passed the time observing the free-living fowl," The Times' T.W. McGarry wrote. "Chickens have a slim repertoire of amusing antics, but it doesn't take much to distract someone inching up Cahuenga Pass at 2.2 mph." The so-called Freeway Chickens were fed by locals and lived for decades along the freeway. "They were dubbed the New Freeway Chickens in honor of Hollywood's love for sequels," Harvey wrote.

Study: Global Warming is real, lawyer brings drugs to jailed client, and a new trio of earthquakes rumble under Berkeley

Image: Ice chunks float in the Arctic Ocean as the sun sets near Barrow, Alaska.

   Good Morning Humboldt County!

You’re just in time for a cup of coffee and a few short reads to start the day. The weekend is upon us. I hope yours is relaxing and fun.

 

Climate study confirms what skeptics scoffed at: global warming is real

A new climate study shows that since the mid-1950s, global average temperatures over land have risen by 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit), confirming previous studies that have found a climate that has been warming – in fits and starts – since around 1900. The new research, which has yet to be formally published but which appears in four papers posted on BerkeleyEarth.org, uses new analytical techniques and a much larger set of records than the previous studies did.

 

Attorney arrested on suspicion of bringing drugs to jailed client

Acting on jailhouse intelligence, Los Angeles sheriff's deputies Friday arrested an attorney they say tried to smuggle 26 balloons of heroin and methamphetamine to a gang member in custody at the downtown courthouse.
Attorney Kenneth Markman, 47, was arrested on the 11th floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center when he tried to meet with his client in lockup. Deputies used a drug-sniffing dog to locate the narcotics wrapped in tape, said Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker. In addition to the balloons, Parker said, deputies recovered small hypodermic needles and marijuana in a taped package.

Berkeley-quake-map

    New trio of earthquakes rumble under Berkeley

A trio of earthquakes rattled Berkeley just as Saturday began, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The aftershocks came just two days after a pair of quakes shook Berkeley, include one strong enough to knock items off  shelves.

The first quake Saturday was  magnitude 2.8 and hit at 12:06 a.m., with its epicenter less than 100 feet south of the Claremont Hotel Club and Spa. A 1.3 aftershock hit at 12:14 a.m.in the same neighborhood, followed by a 2.5 quake at 12:45 a.m.

On Twitter, Berkeley residents chatted about the latest quakes. "Much weaker than [Thursday's], but enough to put me back on edge for the night," tweeted @AChanceFind.

On Thursday, a pair of larger quakes rattled the region, a 3.8 in the afternoon and a 4.0 at night. The evening quake was large enough to cause some items to fall from shelves in some homes near the Berkeley epicenter, and some plaster fell from the ceiling of a business in Oakland, according to KRON-TV, KPIX-TV and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Time to walk on down the road…

Friday, October 21, 2011

GOP Chicken Hawks mad that the war in Iraq is ending

I’m not in the least surprised the “Just Say No Party” aka Republicans, are pissed that we’re pulling out of Iraq. Romney and the rest of the rabid right masquerading as senators and representatives for the people, don’t like the war machine to slow down.

Keeping at least one of his campaign promises, President Obama announced that all combat troops would be home for the holidays. Mind you, this pullout has been down on paper for two years, but now the Republicans are squealing like stuffed pigs that it’s too soon to pull out. In their beady little bird brains there is no good time to pull the talons of American’s military out of the oil-rich land they conquered nearly a decade ago.

My fondest wish would be to somehow gather up all of the GOP’s tough Chicken Hawks and put them in a special military unit. Then every dirty little war, or police action, this special unit would be the first to go into combat. What do you want to bet there’d be a world-wide pullout of American troops going back to the states?

graphic

 

Doomsday prediction fails, Wal-Mart cuts health care benefits, and a lawn full of zombie gnomes

           Good Morning Humboldt County!

The weather is getting cooler out and that first cup of hot coffee in the morning is a Zen-like experience. C’mon in and share a cup with me. You’ll be glad to learn that the world isn’t ending today, you’ll be disgusted with Wal-Mart, and amused by some zombie gnomes. Enjoy:

Preacher's doomsday forecast fizzles out ... again

Once again, the world failed to end, despite a high-profile prediction from a radio preacher in California.

Harold Camping, the 90-year-old leader of Family Radio International, stirred a global frenzy when he predicted that the Rapture would take 200 million Christians to heaven on May 21. When the Rapture didn't occur, Camping said he got his Bible-based calculations wrong and revised his prophecy to set the world's end on Friday, Oct. 21. But as the day wore on around the world, there was no sign that doomsday had dawned.

Wal-Mart rolls back health care benefits, NYT reports

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer and the nation's largest private employer, is slashing health benefits for part-time workers and raising premiums for many of its full-time staff, The New York Times reported Friday.

The newspaper said Wal-Mart announced to its workers this week that new part-time employees who work less than 24 hours per week on average would not be eligible for any of the company's health insurance plans. New employees who work 24 to 33 hours per week would not be allowed to add a spouse to their coverage, either, although children would still be covered.

    The night of the zombie gnomes
People like to dress up their lawns for Halloween with all kinds of scary things. I thought I’ve seen it all, but then I saw the zombie gnomes!

Looks like another garden gnome is about to get turned! Imagine a horde of these handmade zombie gnomes on your lawn this Halloween night.

Some wandering aimlessly (babbling incoherently in a British accent about travel plans, no doubt) while others feast on an unfortunate pink flamingo. $39 - Etsy via Nerd Approved

Time to walk on down the road…

 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Clueless Criminals: home raided after 'heroin for sale' fliers posted

This group of six brain-dead Portland, Oregon, drug dealers were so confident their neighborhood was safe to deal drugs that they passed out 8x10 fliers advertising “heroin for sale.”

Here’s what should really get them posted forever in a hall of fame for stupid criminals:  they put their names and the address of the drug house on the fliers.

No really… go here and check it out.

Photo: They had a lot more than heroin to offer. There was marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun, thousands of dollars in cash, and the materials for a methamphetamine lab inside the home.

NBA lockout talks have stopped, things looking extremely grim

Just when things were starting to look up — federal mediators! Marathon bargaining sessions! Small concessions from both sides! — it’s starting to look very, very grim for NBA fans once again.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, talks between the owners and the players have stopped, and the lockout has suffered what Wojnarowski calls a “huge setback”:Talks on a 50-50 BRI split broke down, and labor talks have ended, source tells Y! No new meetings scheduled. Huge setback in this lockout

Take a look at the 10 most secret societies in the world

No matter what their supposed purpose, there’s something inherently sinister about a secret society. Though most are formed with relatively realistic political and religious goals in mind, their focus on mystery and secrecy has made them the target of countless criticisms and conspiracy theories involving everything from aliens and the occult to world domination. Of course, the reality is usually much more innocuous, but that doesn’t mean that the groups don’t have some fascinatingly weird practices, or that they haven’t had an impact on world events.

With this in mind, the following are ten of the most famous and influential secret societies in history:

   Skull and Bones

        Famous Members
  George H.W. Bush, George W.Bush, John Kerry

Ivy League Colleges are known for their many secret societies and student organizations, and of these Yale’s Skull and Bones is probably the most famous. The society taps new students for membership every spring, and the only real prerequisite for membership is that the initiate be a campus leader. As such, athletes, members of the student council, and fraternity presidents are often considered. Skull and Bones counts among its membership U.S. Presidents, Senators, and Supreme Court Justices, which has lead many to argue that the group works as some kind of underground organization for the high-powered political elite. There is no denying that the club is well funded: an alumni organization called the Russell Trust Association bankrolls its activities, and the group supposedly owns an island in upstate New York.

Secret Practices
Skull and Bones’ membership is no longer kept secret, but their practices still are. The order meets twice a week, but just what goes on at their meetings has never been revealed. To the disappointment of conspiracy theorists, what rumors have come out are relatively innocuous. The group has supposedly taken part in a number of pranks, and was once even sued by chairman of the Apache tribe, who claimed the Bonesmen were in possession of the skeleton of Geronimo. Beyond this, the group is known for allegedly forcing new members to relate their sexual history to the rest of the society, and for giving out nicknames to each initiate. In a widely reported rumor, President George H.W. Bush was supposedly known as “Magog,” a name given to the Bonesman with the most sexual experience

Go here to read about the other nine secret societies

Gadhafi killed, thief uses crane to steal Jeep, and study reveals how gross public bathrooms are

           Good Morning Humboldt County!

It’s coffee time and all visitors are welcome. I’m serving up some hot Joe and stories to start your day. So c’mon in, pull up a seat, and join me. 

 

'We have been waiting for this moment': Libya confirms Gadhafi is dead

Deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been killed, the Libyan prime minister confirmed Thursday, following news of his capture and reports of his death.

The ousted dictator died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte, according to a senior National Transitional Council military official and a government minister. "He was killed in an attack by the fighters. There is footage of that," the NTC's information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, told Reuters.

The military official, Abdel Majid Mlegta, told Reuters that Gadhafi was taken at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy that NATO warplanes had attacked.

UPDATE:

This video just in around 11:00 PST…

Up... and away! Thief uses crane to steal jeep

A thief used a crane to lift a Jeep Wrangler off of a northern Indiana car lot over the weekend, local media reported. Surveillance camera footage at LaPorte Chrysler showed someone driving a truck carrying a crane onto the lot, then circling around to park next to the 2008 Wrangler, Chicago NBC station WMAQ reported. Then the thief hooked the Jeep with the crane and loaded it onto a trailer.The entire operation, which occurred at 6:40 a.m. Sunday, took all of six minutes, according to WMAQ.

Don't touch! Study confirms your worst fears about public potties

No. 1: A new study on the germ orgies going down in America’s public restrooms truly puts the “P” in repulsive, repugnant and “Hey, how awesome are my Depends?”

No. 2: If you can, maybe just hold it until you get home.

Yes, we’re talking about relieving those two basic bodily functions and doing so in some of most bacteria-bedecked spaces anywhere. As long suspected, bathroom surfaces in U.S. restaurants, airplanes, stores, hospitals and other busy locales are often heavily contaminated with illness-causing microbes – and, in some cases, the bug colonies are even too large to measure, according to a paper to be presented Friday to the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Boston.

Time to walk on down the road…

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Warning: 'Natural' diet pills tainted with banned prescription drug

Twenty brands of dietary supplements touted as so-called natural weight loss aids have been found to contain a prescription drug pulled from the market for safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration warned today.

Products marketed under names like “A-Slim 100% Natural Slimming Capsules,” “P57 Hoodia,” “PhentaBurn Slimming Capsules,” and “Dream Body Slimming Capsules,” were found to contain sibutramine. That's actually the medication more commonly known under the brand name Meridia -- a prescription weight-loss drug that was removed from the U.S. market last October  because it was linked to heart attacks and stroke.

According to the FDA warning, “the product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke.  This product may also interact in life-threatening ways with other medications a consumer may be taking."

Click here for a full list of products listed in the FDA warnings.

ICE officer arrested in pot smuggling

A deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led Arizona state police and federal agents on a high-speed desert chase in his government vehicle, throwing bundles of marijuana out of the window as he fled, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.

The deportation officer, identified as Jason Alistair Lowery, 34, had been under surveillance for more than month after a known smuggler who had been arrested gave authorities a tip about the officer in an effort to get lenient treatment, Department of Public Safety Officer Carrick Cook told The Associated Press. Lowery, who lives in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, does not yet have an attorney.

DPS and federal agents tried to pull Lowery over Tuesday after he picked up a load of marijuana in the desert with his unmarked ICE pickup truck, Cook said. The officer fled, leading agents on a 45-minute chase at speeds of up to 110 mph as he threw 10 of the 14 bundles of pot that he had in the truck out of the window, he said. "He got pretty desperate," Cook said.

The chase began in the Vekol Valley about 45 miles south of Phoenix and ended just south of Sacaton, about 20 miles as the crow flies northwest from where the chase began. It ended when Lowery's truck rolled over and he gave himself up. DPS believes Lowery was taking the marijuana to a man working for a drug cartel whose house served as the nexus of the drug distribution.

Lowery was booked into Pinal County jail on charges of smuggling and felony flight and was turned over to ICE custody Wednesday morning. The sheriff's office also booked the man who was to receive the marijuana, identified as 33-year-old Joshua Duane Powell of Arizona City.

At Powell's home, police found 14 rifles and guns in the trunk of his car, seven of which had been reported stolen, according to a DPS document. The document also said that Powell had been out on a $25,000 bond stemming from a separate investigation last month in which multiple bulletproof vests, weapons, stolen night-vision equipment, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and various drugs were found in his home.

"Since his release only a few weeks ago, (Powell) has amassed a small arsenal of weapons and has proven to continue involvement in the illicit drug trade," the document said. Powell does not yet have an attorney and he has declined interview requests from the news media.

ICE spokesman Vinnie Picard declined to say how long that Lowery had worked for the agency or other details about him or the case. "ICE is cooperating with federal and state authorities in this matter," Picard said in a statement. "We hold our officers and agents to the highest levels of responsibility and are committed to supporting the agencies investigating this incident."

By AMANDA LEE MYERS The Associated Press

Time for change: The New US Government Symbol

codom

The US government today announced that it is changing its symbol from an EAGLE to a CONDOM, because it more accurately reflects the government's political stance....

A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of dicks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually being screwed!

It just doesn't get more accurate than that!

Movie inspires splash-and-dash robberies, Ice cream vendor offers drugs with other goodies, and a woman survives a kangaroo attack

             Good Morning Humboldt County!

Coffee’s on. C’mon in and have a cup with me. It’s another day in paradise. After scanning headlines this morning, I came up with these three stories to share. Enjoy.

Silver-screen strategy nets New York robbers $217,000

Accused New York thieves have been using a Hollywood-born strategy to rob dozens of small stores, telling police they were inspired by the 2010 movie "The Town" to splash bleach on the crime scenes, according to the police.

In what were dubbed the "splash-and-dash" robberies, the suspects would throw bleach over cash machines and cash drawers in a bid to erase their DNA evidence, the New York Police Department said. They targeted dozens of corner stores, discount stores and pizzerias, netting $217,000 in the past year, police said.

 

Ice cream vendor gets prison for selling drugs with treats

An ice cream vendor who peddled prescription painkillers from the same truck he sold frozen treats to kids, was sentenced on Tuesday to three and a half years in prison.

The sentence was part of a plea deal struck by Louis Scala, 30, the head of a $1 million drug-trafficking ring run out of his Lickety Split truck, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Scala, 30, obtained the drugs with a prescription pad stolen by an accomplice from a Manhattan doctor's office. Through a network of more than two dozen runners, he was able to get nearly 43,000 oxycodone pills between July 2009 and June 2010, with a street value of $20 apiece, prosecutors said.

Scala drove his Lickety Split truck through neighborhoods in Staten Island, selling ice cream to children while inviting adults into the back to buy pills.

Australian woman survives attack by large kangaroo

An Australian woman said she thought she was about to die when a huge kangaroo attacked her while she was walking her dogs.

Janet Karson, of the southwestern Australian town of Deanmill, told The West Australian newspaper in a report published Wednesday that she was walking her dogs on Saturday when the kangaroo appeared. One of her dogs chased after it and she hurried to catch up. When she arrived, she said, the kangaroo had its claws locked onto her pet.

"I used a stick to lever its claws off my dog and then it reared up in front of me — it was huge," Karson told the newspaper. "All I can remember is its claws going to work on me and the smell of my own blood when my head fell on to its chest. I thought, 'That's it, I'm finished.' "It all happened so quickly — it was over in a few seconds."

Karson isn't sure if the dogs fought the kangaroo off her or if it decided to end the attack on its own. The mauling left her with cuts to her neck, ears and back. She said she needed 20 stitches to close the wounds to her ears. "I honestly believe it's a miracle I'm alive," she said.

Time to walk on down the road…

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

It’s not to early to think about Halloween costume ideas…

Nate Beeler / The Washington Examiner, Politicalcartoons.com

As It Stands Book Recommedation: ‘Unlikey Freindships’

Birds of a (different) feather…

An orphaned Madagascar teal duckling (left) snuggles under orphaned kookaburra (a predator to the former).

 

Jennifer Holland is a senior writer for National Geographic magazine, specializing in science and natural history. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her husband, two dogs, and dozens of snakes and geckos; none of whom, to her dismay, have crossed the species barrier to befriend the others. More Photos Here

Was van Gogh murdered? Mexican drug cartels recruit children in Texas, and McDonalds’s new TV channel

gty vincent van gogh self portrait thg 111017 wblog Vincent van Gogh Murdered? New Book Presents Different Account of Artists Death

   Good Morning Humboldt County!

This great weather we’re having is really spoiling me. Every day seems nicer than the last one. C’mon in and celebrate another day in paradise with me over a cup of hot coffee and a trio of stories to get. Enjoy:

 

Vincent van Gogh Murdered? New Book Presents Different Account of Artist’s Death

Experts have said for more than 100 years that post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh walked to a wheat field on July 27, 1890, shot himself in the chest with a pistol, then died two days later in his room at the age of 37. But a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith — who were honored in 1991 for a biography about American painter Jackson Pollockargues the troubled artist might have been murdered.

Mexican drug cartels recruiting Texas children

Texas law enforcement officials say several Mexican drug cartels are luring youngsters as young as 11 to work in their smuggling operations.

Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told Reuters the drug gangs have a chilling name for the young Texans lured into their operations. "They call them 'the expendables,'" he said.

McCraw said his investigators have evidence six Mexican drug gangs -- including the violent Zetas -- have "command and control centers" in Texas actively recruiting children for their operations, attracting them with what appears to be "easy money" for doing simple tasks.

McDonald's new TV channel: The wisecracks

The Golden Arches pairs fattening food and slothful entertainment with a new network just for burger-scarfing Americans

McDonald's has long tried to smooth the rough, garish plastic edges of its restaurants to make them nicer places to hang out. The burger giant's latest gambit to get customers to while the day away under the Golden Arches? A new television network that will be beamed to widescreen HD screens visible to almost all dine-in customers. Reality TV mogul Mark Burnett, BBC America, and ABC are on board to provide locally tailored news and entertainment programming. The McDonald's Channel is being tested in California, with a national rollout in the works. Of course, the idea of mixing unhealthy Big Macs and brain-numbing TV hasn't escaped the notice of the commentariat. Here, some of the best zingers:

First Oprah, now Ronald?
Between this and the Oprah Winfrey Network, "the reprogramming of America just keeps getting scarier," says Amy Scattergood at LA Weekly. "Maybe soon we can simultaneously watch television and eat fast food every single waking moment."

Speaking of odd bedfellows
McDonald's TV is the brainchild of "the man who brought us Survivor and the people responsible for the Chicken McNugget"? says Tim Kenneally at The Wrap. "I'm watchin' it"!

Call it suicidal synergy!
Arguably, "anyone who is in a McDonald's has already given up on life, so they might as well be forced to watch more company propaganda," says Chris O'Shea at Mediabistro. Maybe they'll have a show called Guess What? I'm Stupid! where contestants explain to their loved ones why "eating three Filet-O-Fishes for lunch is fine even if their hearts do stop beating 'sometimes.'"

What else will be on McTV?
"You know, besides Super Size Me"? says Aly Semigran at Entertainment Weekly. How about a crime-buster show starring the Hamburgler, or "campaign commercials with Mayor McCheese against Herman Cain. Pizza vs. cheeseburgers: Make your vote count!"

Time to walk on down the road….

Monday, October 17, 2011

Sign of the times: Support for legalizing pot hits all-time high

Coming Sunday: As It Stands takes a look at what President Obama has said about medical marijuana while campaigning for the presidency, and what he’s actually done since being in office. It isn’t pretty, but lies never are!

50 percent of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana, up from 46 percent last year, according to a new Gallup poll.

It was the first time in the survey that the number of people favoring legalization was higher than those opposed.

The support for legalized marijuana use has continued to climb since Gallup first began asking questions about it in 1969. Then, only 12 percent of Americans supported legalization, with 84 percent opposed.

Redistricting Threatens to be another Civil War

America has survived one civil war.  I'm not sure this nation will survive another.  It was the blue states against the gray states. N...