The Ku Klux Klan is Busy This Summer Hating on Minorities

One of the oldest hate groups in America – the Ku Klux Klan - has been active lately.

Members of the New Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) from three separate states announced plans to travel to Ferguson, Missouri, to guard “white businesses” near riots that have erupted after a police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

“With blacks out of control, we have our Missouri Realm going to areas near Ferguson,” wrote Charles Murray, the group’s Imperial Wizard. “We can’t have blacks robbing and murdering innocent whites.”

As of today, those cowardly Klan members that claimed they were going to Ferguson have kept a low profile. They could be holed up in a local bar singing “The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down,” but I doubt it.

Law enforcement officials monitoring the situation told VICE News that they have not encountered any known KKK members in the area, nor have they recorded any official incidents or clashes between the white supremacist group and Ferguson residents. A VICE News crew operating in and around Ferguson has also not seen any indication that the Klan is active in the area.

A Klan group based in South Carolina recently announced that its Missouri chapter would be holding a fundraiser this weekend for Darren Wilson, the police officer accused of shooting and killing Brown. The location is supposed to be somewhere in Sullivan, a town about an hour outside of Ferguson.

"All money will go to the cop who did his job against the negro criminal," the announcement said.

This is only latest from the Klan, which has sought to capitalize on the violence and discord in Ferguson when it announced that their members would travel to Sullivan, to prepare for a fundraiser for “a cop who shot a nigger criminal.”

Murray, who posted a picture of a masked man carrying an assault riffle (top photo) along with the announcement of the group’s intentions to travel to Ferguson, has already warned readers of the group’s blog that they “have guns (and more).” (Full story)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

A Longer Life Doesn’t Always Equate to a Better Life

Good Day World!

I’m not sold on the idea that living a longer life – beyond normal expectations - means a better life.

I’m probably in the minority on this subject as most Americans seem to focus on living longer lives. That focus comes in the form of aging creams, surgeries, and diets designed to extend life.

Throw in the fact that most people fear death and do whatever they can to dodge the Grim Reaper, and you have the stuff of a national fixation for extending life.

There’s always people who want to go the next step, and live forever. I don’t see that as happening so let’s stay focused on living longer.

“There are approximately 35 million people in the United States age 65 or older, accounting for about 13 percent of the total population. In 1900, the number of older Americans was about 3.1 million.

With the aging of baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, America’s older population will double by 2030, reaching some 70 million.

The study, “Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” compiles for the first time statistics from various agencies “to provide a unified picture of the overall health and well-being of older Americans (ABC News).”

The thing about us baby boomers is we tend to be more active – and to live longer than the generation before us. We also spend a lot of time and money looking for that famous fable – the Fountain of Youth.

“The Fountain of Youth is a spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus (5th century BC), the Alexander romance (3rd century CE), and the stories of Prester John (early Crusades, 11th/12th centuries CE).

Ponce de León was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513.” – (via Wikipedia)

The 21st century answer to Ponce de León, David Sinclair, thinks the secret to stopping the aging process is closer than we think. Sinclair, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, has spent the past 20 years looking for ways to help people live longer, healthier lives.

It was Sinclair's research on resveratrol, a molecule found in grapes, that made headlines a decade ago when it showed promising results in keeping overfed mice as healthy as lean mice.

Sinclair even chose to test resveratrol on himself, something he has been doing for the past 10 years, and he says he's feeling fit and healthy.

Likewise, his parents, who are in their 70s, report similar results from taking resveratrol.

While I think it would be nice to live longer, it doesn’t mean much unless I’m in good enough shape to enjoy it. There are no guarantees that’ll happen. I can’t see myself wheelchair-bound and dependent upon other people just for the sake of saying I made it to 150 years-old.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Violence in Ferguson and the Meaning of ‘Dog Days of Summer’

Summer is slowly receding, although it’s still scorching many states. We’re in what is called, the “dog days of summer.”

The “dog days” can be a time for violence and short tempers, or just long lazy days spent relaxing before school starts up.

Historically it’s been a time when riots occur. The infamous Watts riots in LA happened during the “dog days of summer” (Aug.11-17).

Most recently, criminals are inciting violence and hijacking peaceful protests in Ferguson, Missouri.The protests were peaceful during the day but bottles were later thrown and police came under "heavy gunfire” according to Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The trouble started in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson where Michael Brown was fatally shot by police on August 9. Since then the town has been in chaos. Add the fact that there’s a real high unemployment rate among young black men in the city, and you have additional fuel for the fires.

The dog days of summer aren’t always violent. It just seems to be a bad time of the year for some folks. The actual meaning of the historical term is has nothing to do with violence.

If you thought that the term “dog days of summer” was something your grandma made up, you'll be surprised to learn the phrase dates back to ancient Rome.

“Caniculares dies,” or days of the dogs, was what the Romans called the period from the first week of July to the second week of August.

Therefore, the dog days of summer only refer to the last part of the summer, not the whole season.

So that explains when and where the phrase comes from, but why dogs? The explanation is cool, especially if you like astronomy.

You might have heard of a constellation named Orion. Often referred to as "The Hunter," Orion is a prominent constellation visible throughout the world.

Nearby is the constellation Canis Major, which is Latin for "greater dog." According to constellation lore, Canis Major is one of Orion’s hunting dogs.

Because Sirius is so bright, it was easy to track even for early astronomers. During April and early May, Sirius was visible in the southwest after sunset.

But by the time mid-summer would come along, Sirius would rise and fall with the sun and get lost in the daytime light.

However, the ancients knew that the "Dog Star" was still there, up in the sky with the sun during the hottest time of the year.

They reasoned that since Sirius was so bright and up there with the sun, it must be adding to the heat to produce the hottest time of the year.

That’s about it. I hope you enjoyed this brief explanation of the term “dog days of summer,” and where it came from. Stay cool.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

A Degree in the Fundamentals of Chocolate? Why not?

           Try to imagine the sweetest job you could ever have.

Now imagine what it would be like to get paid big money for studying - wait for it – Chocolate! Oh yeah. It’s not just a pie-in-the-sky job either.

Cambridge University in England is seeking a doctoral student to pursue what sounds like the sweetest job in the world: studying the fundamentals of chocolate.

The research goal, according to the job description, is to identify ways of keeping chocolate-based food from melting in warm climates.

What nobler job could a person have? Making chocolate more accessible to people in the Mojave desert and other scorching corners of the world.

It’s a real challenge because even the best-quality chocolate starts going soft around 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit), below human body temperature.

But think of the rewards! A solution could fatten the profits of the world's top 10 chocolate companies, which last year posted confectionary sales exceeding $85 billion.

There’s just one problem with getting this job – well two, if you count having to have a doctoral degree: only European Union citizens can apply for the post!

How bogus is that? I’m not sure a duel citizenship is the answer either.

Wake up America! It’s obvious we need sweeter jobs to fatten up our depressed economy. We need Doctors of Chocolate, like Willy Wonka needed lots of milk to work his magic…

Time for me to walk on down the road…

If Solar Power is so Safe Why is it Turning Birds into Smoke Plumes?

Perhaps I’ve been naïve.

I always thought solar power was environmentally safe. I had no idea that it was killing thousands of birds (in one location) every year.

It’s a “birder’s” nightmare. The poor things get incinerated when they flew over mega solar plants like the one in the Mojave Desert.

It appears that we are conceding wildlife as collateral damage in our race to promote alternative energies. My take on the following article is that there’s really nothing to be done about it.

There’s talk about year-long studies and stuff, but the bottom line is, mega solar plants are here to stay: 

“Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant's concentrated sun rays — "streamers," for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair

Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one "streamer" every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator's application to build a still-bigger version.

The investigators want the halt until the full extent of the deaths can be assessed. Estimates per year now range from a low of about a thousand by BrightSource to 28,000 by an expert for the Center for Biological Diversity environmental group.

More than 300,000 mirrors, each the size of a garage door, reflect solar rays onto three boiler towers each looming up to 40 stories high. The water inside is heated to produce steam, which turns turbines that generate enough electricity for 140,000 homes.

Sun rays sent up by the field of mirrors are bright enough to dazzle pilots flying in and out of Las Vegas and Los Angeles.” (read the full story here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

The Bad Ship Perry is Floundering: Waiting for an ‘Oops’ Moment

Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s hopes for occupying the White House in 2016 are sinking fast.

Perhaps that’s because of his severe “take no prisoners attitude” towards everyone who disagrees with him. He’s been the governor/king for too long. He’s done everything but succeed from the Union. Not that he hasn’t thought about it though.

Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted Friday on charges of abuse of power—a first degree felony—and coercion—a third degree felony. The charges stem from a 2013 scandal that has been quietly rumbling in the Lone Star State as Perry has been floated as a viable contender for the Republican nomination in 2016.

Perry, as a means of intimidating the DA into resigning, publicly threatened to veto the Public Integrity Unit’s budget. And when she didn’t step down, he made good on his tough talk, gutting all of its funding ($8 million) for two years.

Perry has become the first sitting Texas governor to be indicted since 1917, and the fifth governor to be indicted in the 21st Century (the last was Illinois’ Rod Blagojevich, in 2008).

As this drama unfolds it’s going to get real ugly. I’m hoping that it’s televised and we all get to see it in real time. I’m looking forward to when Perry tells his side of the story.

I can just see it…he’ll be rattling on until that “oops” moment when he forgets certain facts.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

Scumbag Rush Limbaugh Gets Called Out By Lewis Black for Robin Williams Comments

Good Day World!

The politically outspoken comedian, Lewis Black, lashed out at Rush Limbaugh for Limbaugh's recent comments about the late Robin Williams.

Black posted on his own Facebook page:

Fuck You Rush Limbaugh. Your statements were beyond cruel and stupid. They were intolerable. Enough is enough from you. You are an idiot. Don't you ever demean the death of another human being. He was my friend. You disgust me."

Lewis Black is not alone in his sentiments. The 'Hate Radio' talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, disgusts the majority of people in and outside of the country.

He has been getting away with racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry, on our tax-paid public radio, for decades. Finally, the public is doing something about it. There are several ways to protest Rush Limbaugh.

Sign: Limbaugh Sponsor & Clear Channel Petition
Visit/Like: BoycottRush Facebook Group
Join: The Fight To Flush Rush
Visit: StopRush.net for a list of Limbaugh Sponsors

On Tuesday, Lewis Black reminisced, in a Time.com piece, about his friendship and collaboration with Robin Williams. They entertained troops together during two USO tours in the late 2000's.

Many stories of sorrow, love, and respect for Robin Williams continue to flood mainstream and social media. If there is a heaven, he is there, out of his pain. Millions around the world will love and miss him dearly.

H/T and special thanks to Kimberly A. Johnson/Liberals Unite and Kimberly A. Johnson on Facebook

Tags

• Dailykos
• Facebook
• Lewis Black
• Recommended
• Robin Williams
• Rush Limbaugh

(Load) (Load) (Load) (Load) (Load) (Load) (Load)

EMAIL TO A FRIEND X (This article originally ran in the Daily Kos)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Call it Destiny: When Love Ties Two Hearts Together Forever

Good Day World!

Two weeks from today, is my wife and I’s 40th anniversary.

Little did I suspect when I first met her – she was in 5th grade – and I was in high school – that we would end up falling in love and living together for the rest of our lives.

Her brother was my best friend in high school, and I considered her a pesky little sister. Years later, after I returned from serving in Vietnam (1970), things changed.

She was no longer this pesky little kid that wanted to follow me around. She was in high school and had bloomed into a beautiful woman. Three years later we got married on August 31st, 1974.

Three sons, and five grandchildren later, we’re more in love now then when we first got married. Love is like that. It grows stronger with time. 

Here’s another good example of two people meant for each other:

Married couple discovers they first met as preschoolers

Jason and Jessica Roth are coming up on their 10 year anniversary, but an old photo revealed that what they originally thought was a relationship that began as students at Florida State University in Tallahassee actually began much, much earlier - in preschool.

PHOTO-Jason Roth is in the Superman costume in the front right of this preschool photo, while Jessica is the genie in the dark red vest at the far left.

The couple now live in Jacksonville with their three children. Jessica says she’s always happy to talk about where this love story really began.

“It’s our story and that’s where it started," she said. "We just didn’t know it at the time. You never know what doors are going to open.”

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Are Your Children Using Synthetic Marijuana-Like Products? Are You?

Good Day World!

Today’s subject is a warning about “synthetic marijuana.”

You may, or may not have heard of it. If you want to know more about it, I’ve cobbled together a collection of news items to illustrate the dangers involved.

If you’re a parent of a teenager, you may want to read the following and gain a better understanding of what your children are being exposed to.

Synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “synthetic marijuana,” “K2,” or “Spice”, are often sold in legal retail outlets as “herbal incense” or “potpourri”, and synthetic cathinones are often sold as “bath salts” or “jewelry cleaner”.

They are labeled “not for human consumption” to mask their intended purpose and avoid Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory oversight of the manufacturing process.

New Hampshire Declares Emergency Over Synthetic Drug 'Smacked'

Gov. Maggie Hassan declared a state of emergency on Thursday in response to 44 reported overdoses linked to people smoking or ingesting "Smacked," a synthetic marijuana-like product sold in convenience stores as potpourri.

'This is not a game': After son's death, parents warn about synthetic pot

Connor Reid Eckhardt was just 19 when he died after using what scientists and doctors call a “synthetic cannabinoid,” but most everybody else calls “spice,” “Scooby Snax," "K2” or any of half a dozen other names.

After taking one hit of synthetic pot while with friends, Connor fell into a coma. He was kept on life support for four days, but there was nothing doctors could do. He was declared brain dead. 

Feds Launch Massive Crackdown on Synthetic Drug Dealers

The Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday broadened its national crackdown on synthetic drug manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers as federal agents served hundreds of search and arrest warrants in at least 25 states.

Agents served warrants at homes, warehouses and smoke shops beginning early morning, DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said. The largest single operation was a statewide effort in Alabama. Agents also were active in Florida and New Mexico, among other states.

Drug Agents Investigate Rash of Overdoses in Dallas

Dallas police are investigating a rash of overdoses attributed to a bad batch of synthetic marijuana that a hospital source says is causing people to become violent, hallucinate and suffer seizures. NBC 5 has learned there have been at least 40 overdoses in the last 48 hours, a number that is much higher than anything seen on an average day.

Synthetic Drug Seller Gets 17½ Years in Prison

The owner of a now-closed Minnesota head shop was sentenced to 17½ years in prison Thursday for selling synthetic drugs in a case that prosecutors said should remove any doubts that substances sold under such names as "incense," ''spice" and "bath salts" are illegal.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Gov. Perry Can Kiss Presidency Hopes Goodbye: He’s Indicted for Abuse of Power

A grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry today for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption.

A special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he promised publicly to nix $7.5 million over two years for the public integrity unit, which is run by Travis County Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg's office.

It's the same office that indicted U.S. Rep. Tom Delay as part of a finance probe.

Grand jurors indicted Perry on abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years. (Full story here at Yahoo News)

 

When to Tweet and When Not to Tweet Poses Free Speech Challenge

Good Day World!

When to tweet, and when not to tweet is today’s subject.

The question is “What if local law enforcement asked you to NOT TWEET an ongoing crime for the officer’s safety, and to avoid accidentally telling the bad guys what officers are doing?”

This issue may be one you’ll have to deal with someday if the “TweetSmart” campaign catches on in Washington State. Police are asking the public to stop tweeting during shootings and manhunts.

The "TweetSmart" campaign began in late July by a coalition of nine agencies, including the Washington state patrol and the Seattle police, and aims to raise awareness about social media's potential impact on law enforcement.

The next thing to consider is what direction will this “request” go? Will it lead to legislation that eventually makes it illegal (with accompanying fines) to tweet at certain times? They may just start with NO TWEETS during manhunts and shootings, but the door would be open to further restriction on what you can tweet and when.

To my knowledge, there has been no cases of a civilian tweeting, during a manhunt or shootout, that caused bodily harm to police officers.

There were reports that all the tweets coming from social media challenged Boston police during their search for the marathon bombers.

That’s all, however. Reports. No examples were brought forward.

Having said that, I think fleeing criminals probably have more pressing concerns than checking Twitter or Facebook. Censoring free speech is a slippery slope that we must avoid.

Hopefully the TweetSmart campaign will not take root in Washington state, or any of the other ones. I just don’t think it’s a smart idea.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Reflections on Moderation in Our Lives

Good Day World!

In my life experience, young people seldom seem to practice moderation. Politicians pull the concept apart like hyenas over a fresh kill.

I look at the stunts I pulled as a teenager – especially when it came to alcohol – and I have to shake my head in wonderment.

As the years slipped by like a thief in the night, I became more aware of the wisdom in moderation for all things.

Quick disclaimer; any age can go overboard on something, but experience usually teaches us our limits. I’m not talking about addictions right now. Obviously that’s a side-bar to consider. I’m talking about ordinary people who get carried away with issues or personal challenges. 

According to 1 Timothy 5:23, it's ok to drink a little wine. One of the reasons wine was so popular in his time was good drinking water was hard to find.(Source: New International Version “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”)

“Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl-chain of all virtues” Thomas Fuller wrote in “The Holy State and the Profane State (1642), Book III. Of Moderation.”

My favorite reflection on moderation comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson  who said, “Moderation in all things, especially moderation.” You can’t have too much fun!

Here’s a deadly case of no moderation: A teenager in Georgia consumed two gallons of water and two gallons of Gatorade after football practice, and was so over-hydrated that his body's electrolytes were thrown off-balance, causing massive swelling in his brain. Five days later, on Sunday night, he was taken off the ventilator.

True happiness springs from moderation Johann Wolfgang von Goethe claimed.

I’m not sure I would go that far, but moderation does makes sense to me. After comparing my drinking habits in my  youth (where I’d pound the booze down until I either got sick or passed out) to now, I feel like I learned something about moderation. 

When it comes to social issues, moderation is a political football kicked around the public arena. Age plays no part in how extreme people can be. In this context, moderation is not always looked upon as a good thing.

We live in an age of extremism. There seems to be no limit to what people will do to get attention. Examples abound throughout our society. One quick example:

Take TV shows on cooking. Julia Child has given away to “Kitchen Wars” and other reality shows that manage to take a serene activity like cooking and turn it into a violent experience where chef’s scream at their helpers.

I believe moderation has it’s place in our lives, depending upon the circumstances.

Throw some common sense into the mix, add a dash of experience, a tablespoon of good advise, and I think you have the map to a happy and safe life.

Time for me to walk on down the road….  

 

 

‘What Were They thinking?’ A Short Montage of Head-Shakers

Good Day World!

We’ve all seen stories where people pull stupid pranks or just do stupid things. Things that make you want to scratch your head and ask, why?

For example, did you hear the story about the Mom accused of helping record her teenage son set himself on fire after he doused his body with fingernail polish as part of a social media stunt?

When I read the story my first thought was, “What was that woman thinking?”

From stupid to sad, here’s another story that will make you ask “what were they thinking?” A couple 'taking a selfie' at a cliff edge at Cabo da Roca, a popular spot for tourists in Portugal, fell hundreds of feet to their death.

-------------------------------------------

Photo right: What was this family thinking???

---------------------------------------------------

I had two questions about the following story; what was the guy thinking, and two, how did he get into that cop car?

A Connecticut man charged with stealing a taxi cab stepped out of a Boston Police Department station house and into an empty patrol car for a nap, police said.

Shortly after being arrested on charges of stealing a car and released on bail, 33-year-old Nicholas Cunliffe of Stratford, Connecticut, was found asleep in the front seat of an empty police car outside the police station where he had been booked.

This next story asks the question, “Why would a criminal get into a public contest/event with police officers when he’d been avoiding them for 9 months? What was he thinking?”

The sweet victory for a North Carolina man who beat police officers in a doughnut-eating contest this week soured after a newspaper story about the win led to his arrest on breaking and entering charges.

Finally, I’ve got a real head-shaker for you. There’s no mention of the intruder in the following story being drunk. So what was he thinking?

A New Mexico man faces charges after authorities say a couple found him naked and sleeping in their bed. He told officers he thought he was at his girlfriend's house.

Time for me to walk on down the road….

 

 

Wow! A Million Views and the Years Not Over!

                                                     News Flash!

This blog has officially gone over a million views since January 1st, 2014, at 9:36 PST Today.

I can’t thank you all enough for visiting. I’m thrilled to say there’s been over 4 million views since this blog’s inception in July 2008. That’s great! I never guessed how popular this blog would become.

There’s ton’s of other blogs that get millions of views – some daily. I realize my blog is just a small fish in a sea of social media, but I have such a good time doing it that it doesn’t bother me. You don’t see ads here, nor will you ever.

I’m blogging out of a desire to share with other people, like I did in my newspaper days before retirement.

This blog is also my therapy. I have PTSD and it helps me stay connected to people – if only virtually.

So, thank you all for stopping by, and I sure hope you continue to do so. As always, I’ll do my best to entertain, and to provoke thought on issues in our society.

Dave Stancliff

How looting hurts legitimate social protests for justice

Good Day World!

It seems like every time there’s a beef with police in inner city neighborhoods people resort to looting in response.

How does a complaint turn into an illegal shopping trip by protesters victimizing innocent businesses? 

This last weekend an unarmed black teen was fatally shot by police in Ferguson, Mo. Riots and looting erupting almost immediately. The FBI stepped in and is also investigating the shooting death of Mike Brown (who was unarmed at the time).

About 32 people were arrested in connection with looting at 12 stores - including one which was nearly burned to the ground.

Why did people turn on the local businesses who had no part in the teens shooting? The incident triggered protests featuring chants of “kill the police.”  I understand the anger. Young African-Americans are all too often victims of trigger happy authorities.

Peaceful protests, like the march being put together by the Rev Al Sharpton, is the best way to redress a wrong. People will pay attention to that and will get the message.

When people mindlessly loot in retaliation for every grievance it takes away from the incident they’re protesting.

All people see on TV is the destruction and thievery. It becomes the main focus for the public which is usually appalled by the violence and senseless crimes.

The injustice/protest message gets lost in the chaos. Television viewers see people of color walking out of stores with whatever they can lay their hands on, and they get a bad impression. How could they not?

The looters are exploiting an opportunity to act unlawfully in a group in an attempt to avoid responsibility for their actions. They wait for an opportunity to loot stores and will exploit any social protest. Others just get caught up in the insanity of the moment and the opportunity to get something free.

If you think I’m being biased against people of color, consider history. From the Watts riots in the 60s, to the recent St. Louis riots, looting has been a component in the protests.

Not that blacks don’t have reasons to protest. They do. Unequal criminal justice for starters.

But that’s not a reason to victimize someone else. Stealing from others is a moral and physical crime. I don’t care how poor a person is, theft is wrong.

When the rest of the country looks on and sees wanton destruction by a mob of African-Americans, they quickly develop a bad stereotype.

Racism rears it’s ugly head at moments like this – feeding upon the negativity. I wish those looters could understand that.

How they’re hurting the majority of their race in the school of popular opinion, with such senseless destruction and thievery.

Was that free TV really worth it?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Become a Professional Line-Sitter – It Beats Baby-Sitting!

Good Day World!

Military veterans hate standing in line.

That’s because they’ve experienced the “hurry up and wait” lines all the services are known for.

Civilians don’t like lines because they’re always on the go. Society is too fast-paced to slow down and get in a line.

But what if you could make a living – or, at the very least extra money - by just standing around in lines? Would you do it?

No kidding.

Robert Samuel does.

The New York-based founder of Same Ole Line Dudes (SOLD Inc.), will wait for you because he’s a "professional line sitter."

He waits for anything, from sample sales to Saturday Night Live tickets. Samuel charges $25 for the first hour and $10 for each additional half hour.

In one week, he can make up to $1,000. That’s no joke.

Let’s face it, the Great Recession is only over for some folks – but the rest are still scrabbling about looking for jobs and making ends meet.

This could be better than standing in unemployment lines. At least you’ll get paid for your time in line.

If you’d like to know more about this unusual way to make money go to AOL Jobs

This method of generating money comes with the caveat that you have to promote the heck out of yourself if you go it alone. You can also see if there’s any openings at SOLD .Good luck!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Doc pulls tooth from odd spot, Study says ants could save world, & a Pokémon-playing fish

Good Day World!

In my ongoing search for interesting stories I’ve selected a trio today that might make your day.

You may even want to tweet these articles to start a conversation about odd news.

We live in an interesting world where mysteries abound and things strange things happen on a daily basis.

TODAY’S OFFERINGS: 

After suffering from nosebleeds once or twice a month for three years, the 22-year-old man in Saudi Arabia consulted a doctor, who found an ivory-white, bony mass, about half an inch (1 centimeter) long in the man's nose.

 The doctors then consulted with dentist colleagues, who concluded that the mass was actually an extra tooth that had somehow ended up growing in his nose, according to the report.

The doctors pulled out the extra tooth after putting the man under general anesthesia, and the patient completely healed, and had no more nosebleeds three months later, according to the report, published in July in the American Journal of Case Reports.

Can Ants Save the World from Climate Change?

Ants may be some of Earth's most powerful biological climate brokers, a provocative new study claims.

The average ant lives and dies in less than a year, but a long-term experiment tracking the insects' effects on soil suggests they cooled Earth's climate as their numbers grew.

(Photo: Some plants supply nectar to ants in return for protection from herbivores. Here a Dolichoderus ant feeds from nectar)

Related: Image Gallery: Ants of the World

Live-stream Shows Nothing But a Fish Playing Pokémon, and It's a Huge Hit

Behold, "Fish Plays Pokémon."

It pretty much works as the title advertises: A Siamese fighting fish named Grayson swims around in a tank, and its up, down, right, and left movements trigger commands for the main character in the first iteration of the Nintendo game, Pokémon Blue.

Two students, Catherine Moresco and Patrick Facheris, at the University of Chicago and Columbia University, respectively, put together the setup as part of the hackNY 2014 fellowship program.

The live-stream has a massive audience on Twitch, and it routinely has an audience of 20,000 or more viewers online. It's not the first time Twitch has been used in an innovative way. 'Twitch Plays Pokemon' is a collaborative stream that allows participants to enter commands into a chat box. (Full story here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Playing with Butterflies, Bombing Children, and a Weiner Turned Restaurateur

Good Day World!

What a crazy world it is.

One moment the media is talking about little Prince George playing with butterflies on his first birthday, and the next we see thousands of innocent children dying in Gaza during that dirty little war.

In the latest news, The World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency Friday over the Ebola outbreak in western Africa. Meanwhile, a girl thought to have died in the Indian Ocean tsunami has been reunited with her family after being found alive nearly a decade late.

Yin Yang. Positive and negative news.

What story interests you the most:

U.S. Navy Planes Drop Bombs on ISIS Forces

or

Clowning around: Airlines expand in-fight entertainment for kids

 

Photo: A clown is part of the cabin crew on select El Al flights from Tel Aviv to New York and other cities this summer. Courtesy El Al Airlines

----------------------------------------------------------

ON THE WRY SIDE:

WEINER TO TAKE HANDS-ON APPROACH TO RESTAURANT

Remember Anthony Weiner who resigned his seat in Congress in 2011 after admitting to sending explicit photos of his weiner to women who were not his wife?

He’s decided politics aren’t going that well (He ran for mayor last year and led the field before more sexting allegations sank his bid) and has decided to open a restaurant in Queens.

The eatery, which Weiner wants to open in the Rockaways, will be named The Rockaway Restoration Kitchen and will offer locally sourced food.

No word yet if they’ll be offering weiners. Stay tuned.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

How to Become an Instant Vegetarian

Good Day World!

I’ve been thinking about becoming a vegetarian for several years now.

One of the reasons is the high price of meat. There’s other reasons of course, but I can’t seem to summon the strength to eliminate meat from my diet.

Then I ran across the story below. I was astounded to find out that there’s a bug that can make a person a sudden vegetarian!

After reading this story however, I think I’ll just live with my meat-eating habit. Bugs creep me out.

HERE”S WHAT’S HAPPENING

Doctors across the nation are seeing a surge of sudden meat allergies in people bitten by a certain kind of tick.

This bizarre problem was only discovered a few years ago but is growing as the ticks spread from the Southwest and the East to more parts of the United States. In some cases, eating a burger or a steak has landed people in the hospital with severe allergic reactions.

Few patients seem aware of the risk, and even doctors are slow to recognize it. As one allergist who has seen 200 cases on New York's Long Island said, "Why would someone think they're allergic to meat when they've been eating it their whole life?"

The culprit is the Lone Star tick, named for Texas, a state famous for meaty barbecues. The tick is now found throughout the South and the eastern half of the United States.

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENS 

The bugs harbor a sugar that humans don't have, called alpha-gal. The sugar is also is found in red meat — beef, pork, venison, rabbit — and even some dairy products. It's usually fine when people encounter it through food that gets digested.

But a tick bite triggers an immune system response, and in that high-alert state, the body perceives the sugar the tick transmitted to the victim's bloodstream and skin as a foreign substance, and makes antibodies to it. That sets the stage for an allergic reaction the next time the person eats red meat and encounters the sugar. (Read full story here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

From a Roar to a Hum: The New Electric Harley-Davidson Will Take Time to Embrace

                                             Good Day World!

Have you ever ridden on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle?

I’ve only had an opportunity to do so twice in my life. A big and brawny Harley-Davidson Electric Glide was my first time on a Harley. It was a great experience. The Softail I later rode on was fun to cruise around town in. It’s loud guttural grumbling enthralled me.

But Harley-Davidson has decided it’s time for a change. A Big Quiet one that I’m not sure Harley  enthusiasts are going to embrace.

The new model sounds like an airplane starting up!

It’s a far cry from Harley’s classics, like the 1952 Harley-Davidson FL Hydra-Glide. (photo right) with it’s loud and proud purr!

Nevertheless, history was made when Harley-Davidson unveiled its first electric motorcycle on June 4th, 2014.

Harley showed handmade demonstration models at an invitation-only event in New York. The company took several dozen riders on a 30-city tour to test drive the bikes and provide feedback.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s a link to every motorcycle Harley has produced.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Harley will use the information gathered to refine the bike, which might not hit the market for several more years.

Predictions are they’ll sell based on performance, not environmental awareness.

With no need to shift gears, the slim, sporty bike can go from 0 to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. The engine is silent, but the meshing of gears emits a hum like a jet airplane taking off.

One hurdle the company has yet to address is the limited range offered by electric motorcycles. The batteries must be recharged after about 130 miles, and that can take 30 minutes to an hour. That kinda puts a crimp on hitting the open rode like in Easy Rider.

Time for me to walk on down the road…