Man shoots himself inside the Crystal Cathedral after handing notes to two ushers!

ACCORDING TO AN ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT THIS MORNING...

"A man shot himself to death in front of a cross inside televangelist Robert H. Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral on Wednesday as a group of visitors was being told about the church’s suicide - prevention program.
  The man entered about 9:45 a.m., handed a note and his driver’s license to two ushers, walked to the cross and then shot himself in the head as he appeared to be praying, said Senior Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz.
  The man used a semiauto­matic handgun, said police Lt. Dennis Ellsworth.
  The Orange County coro­ner’s office identified the man as Steve Smick, 48. No home­town was given."

THE IRONY OF THIS MAN'S SUICIDE TAKING PLACE IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF TOURISTS WHO WERE BEING TOLD ABOUT THE CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL'S SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM, IS ENORMOUS. WHY DID HE CHOOSE TO GO THERE AND KILL HIMSELF OF ALL PLACES? WE MAY NEVER KNOW.

Beck falsely claimed average UAW worker makes $154 per hour

What's Glenn Beck's reason for lying about how much UAW workers get paid?

Is he letting his anti-union sentiments come to the surface?

Is this his way of staying in good standing with the exclusive "Poor-Losers, Conservative/Republican Boy's & Girl's Club?" Media Matters for America has caught him being a liar... liar... liar again.

Read the whole article today here at Media Matters for America. 

Beck Image via Google Images

Cell phone texting gets student suspended from school

I never cease to be amazed at the misuse of texting with cell phones. The guy who wrecked that train in California - which resulted in 22 deaths - was busy texting.

I see people every day staring down at their lap while driving. I suspect most are texting or dialing a number. I really can't see the sense in texting. It's so much easier to just talk on the phone. But the younger generation seems enamored of punching in letters to send a misspelled message to someone.

A 14-year-old Wisconsin girl who refused to stop texting during a high school math class was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, according to police.

Check out this mornings Smoking Gun and read the rest of the story here.

image via Google Images

Racist attitudes still prevail as cartoonist goes over the top

This cartoon image provided by the New York Post appeared in the Post's Page Six Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.

The cartoon, which refers to Travis the chimp, who was shot to death by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner, drew criticism Wednesday on media Web sites and from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton.

(AP Photo/New York Post)

Scientists say humans are related to this stressed-out looking animal called an Aye Aye

   One of the most endangered in the world is the... Aye-Aye a large nocturnal primate from the Strepsirrhini family - the ones that have "wet noses".

Aye-ayes can be found only on the island of Madagascar. These rare animals may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans." They tap on trees with their long middle fingers and listen for the insects and bugs that might inhabit its depths.

top pic by Guardian UK Via - Other pics by Via

 

Conservative columnist exposed by Political Animal blogger

FROM POLITICAL ANIMAL this morning....

"WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S NO WAY.... George Will not only published an error-filled column on global warming, Brad Johnson notes that the conservative columnist "is also recycling his own work, republishing an extended passage from a 2006 column -- which Think Progress debunked -- almost word for word."

With this in mind, maybe now would be a good time to consider what George Will has written about bloggers.

As Jonathan Chait noted, "If by 'no reins,' Will means that bloggers can publish outright falsehoods without consequence, then he's correct. But he might not be the best person to make this point."

And speaking of writers and "reins," Jonathan Schwarz passes along a great anecdote from Noam Chomsky that seems especially relevant given the events of the last few days.

As far as I can tell, George Will's column, which ran on Sunday, still hasn't garnered a correction. Perhaps he's throwing a tantrum." - Steve Benen

Image via Sigrid Estrada

Move over Madoff: Stanford ripoff rivals your crimes!

FROM THE US SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION web site...

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Robert Allen Stanford yesterday and three of his companies for orchestrating a fraudulent, multi-billion dollar investment scheme centering on an $8 billion CD program.

---

Additional Materials

• Litigation Release No. 20901
• SEC Complaint
• Memorandum of Law

---

Stanford's companies include Antiguan-based Stanford International Bank (SIB), Houston-based broker-dealer and investment adviser Stanford Group Company (SGC), and investment adviser Stanford Capital Management. The SEC also charged SIB chief financial officer James Davis as well as Laura Pendergest-Holt, chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group (SFG), in the enforcement action.

For the entire article click here.

The Sun controls our lives from millions of miles away!

This awesome image is from NASA

Frank knew he shouldn't have eaten that grasshopper!

• 
• (image credit: dBond)

Poster Duck For Drunken Flying: Don forgot to put his landing rear down!

(image credit: Jiri Anderle)

Do you know about the man whose work has saved millions of lives? If not, you should!

Do you know this man? If you don't, then you join millions of other Americans who aren't aware of one of the greatest life-saver ever. He saved untold millions.

Yet, you've probably never heard of him. There have been no profiles about this amazing man -who is one of two living Nobel Laureates in America today - by any of the major networks. I ran across this great article by Gregg Easterbrook that was written in July of 2007.

Oh yeah. His name is Norman Borlaug. He was born in 1914 in Cresco, Iowa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 1970. He has been called the "Father of the Green Revolution" because of his ground-breaking work in developing high-yield wheat. Nations across the world owe this man who has helped feed the planet.

image via Google Images

California state workers face layoffs as budget bill fails

I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of these politicians arguing about their ideals and being unmoved by what's happening to the workers because of their hard-headedness!

All of California's politicians involved in this financial crisis should be locked up in a room and not allowed to come out until they do theur job and pass the budget!

Until that happens the not-so-merry game goes on. Here's today's article ,via the Associated Press, discussing all of the issues involved.

AP Photo – State Senator Jeff Dunham, R- Merced, lifts up a stack of paperwork concerning the stalled state budget …

Ever been Curious about America's 1st Comic and it's Creators?

This is the whole lowdown on America's 1st comic book and it's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster via Wikipedia.

Action Comics 1 is a comic book that was published in April 1938 (cover-dated June) by National Allied Publications, a corporate predecessor of DC Comics. Featuring the first appearance of the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation Superman, it is considered the first true superhero comic, and though today Action Comics is a monthly title devoted to Superman, it began, like many early comics, as an anthology.^[1]

Action Comics was started by publisher Jack Liebowitz. The first issue had a print run of 200,000 copies, although sales of the series would soon approach 1,000,000 a month. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were paid $10 per page, for a total of $130 for their work on this issue. They effectively signed away millions in future rights and royalties payments.

 Starting in 1978 Siegel and Shuster were provided with a $20,000 a month annuity which was later raised to $30,000. Liebowitz would later say that selecting Superman to run in Action Comics #1 was "pure accident" based on deadline pressure. He also selected the "thrilling" cover, depicting Superman lifting a car over his head.^[2] Christopher Knowles, author of Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, compared the cover to Hercules Clubs the Hydra by Antonio del Pollaiolo.^[3]

^{image via Wikipedia}

Do you want to live like an Ewok for your next vacation?

 Check out Free Spirit Spheres and find out how. If your the kind of person that wouldn't mind sleeping in a wooden ball located at the top of the forest then be sure to Click here for more information.

Not a UFO or flying space junk: Texas fireball is a meteor

It's not space junk. It's not a UFO. And it's sure not Superman!

USA TODAY has more information regarding this once-juicy tidbit: Read the whole story here.

Recent pot busts unrelated to house party attended by Olympian Phelps

The arrests triggered by the publication of the Michael Phelps bong photo have had nothing to do with the November house party attended by the Olympic champion, court documents show.

Instead, the Phelps photo clearly spurred South Carolina cops to target several young men who lived at two residences that allegedly were "identified as a location where marihuana is frequently stored and consumed."

Click here for the whole story at The Smoking Gun.

image via smokinggun.com

How your looks betray your personality:Are you Trusty-Worthy?

THE history of science could have been so different. When Charles Darwin applied to be the "energetic young man" that Robert Fitzroy, the Beagle's captain, sought as his gentleman companion, he was almost let down by a woeful shortcoming that was as plain as the nose on his face. Fitzroy believed in physiognomy - the idea that you can tell a person's character from their appearance. As Darwin's daughter Henrietta later recalled, Fitzroy had "made up his mind that no man with such a nose could have energy". Fortunately, the rest of Darwin's visage compensated for his sluggardly proboscis: "His brow saved him."

For the whole article click here which will also lead you to a video on the subject.

For related article: Fearful expressions evolved to mimic babies' faces

Find out how our experiment worked, and see the results

Did Roland Burris commit perjury to become Senator? State lawmakers are looking into the possibility after reading Chicago Sun-Times exclusive

Okay. Is anyone surprised? Roland Burris allegedly told some lies to the Blago state impeachment panel. I was suspicious the way he managed to get his way when Obama changed his mind about him as an appointee and did a reversal and told House Majority Leader Sen. Reid to "let him in" despite the controversy surrounding Burris.

 Is it any wonder the average American has complete disgust for politicians?

February 14, 2009
BY NATASHA KORECKI AND DAVE MCKINNEY
Chicago Sun-Times Staff Reporters

State lawmakers are calling for a criminal investigation into whether U.S. Sen. Roland Burris committed perjury before a state impeachment panel, in the wake of a Sun-Times exclusive story published online today.

The development comes after the Chicago Democrat failed to initially disclose under oath to a House panel that he was hit up for campaign cash by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother.

State Rep. James Durkin (R-Western Springs) said Saturday that the Sangamon County state prosecutor‚s office will be asked to review Burris‚ Jan. 8 sworn testimony before the House panel to determine whether Burris (D-Ill.) perjured himself.

To read the entire article click here.

image via Google Images

Psilocybin study shows promise in treating multiple psychological disorders

TODAY IN THE SUNDAY TIMES-STANDARD (Feb.15th) - As It Stands shares a study that has been helping people with the use of Magic Mushrooms - or to be more accurate: entheogen psilocybin -a  psychoactive substance found in mushrooms.

More psychedelic research is being conducted using other hallucinogens, like LSD, to treat a host of other disorders including PTSD.

To read the whole column click here

image via photobucket.com

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO MY BLOGGER PALS & READERS!

image via sonofthesouth.net

Refuting the latest pot scare: testicular cancer results

Well, all you male pot heads need not worry. Your balls aren't going to fall off because you smoke the ganja! As usual the mainstream media has it all wrong. 

According to Google News, more than 750 media outlets — that’s 7-5-0, folks — have now weighed in on this week’s pot scare story du jour: “Smoking marijuana causes testicular cancer.”

So is there any truth behind the provocative headline? Some, but hardly enough to justify the media’s feeding frenzy.

To read more click here

Smoker image via thespoof.com

Ripe bud image via Google Images

• 

NO JOKE! IT'S ACTUALLY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK!

Image via photobucket.com

Valentine's Day Online Dating Resistant to Recession - Cyberspace Romance Weathers Hard Times

WALKER SIMON of RUETERS has found a bright spot in this gloomy depression.

SIMON SAYS...

"It's crippling for businesses but the credit crisis is giving Cupid a boost ahead of Valentine's Day as more people hunt online for mates to weather the economic storm.

Unlike other companies where revenues are dropping and layoffs are climbing, online dating seems to be resistant to the recession.

Internet dating sites usually see a spike in would-be Romeos and Juliets in the build-up to Valentine's Day but hard times this year have driven it higher."

FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE Click here

image via Google Images

GOP is desperately searching for new identity!

A friend passed this on to me this morning while checking  AlterNet out:

This is a very well-written commentary titled:

IT'S FUN TO WATCH OBAMA DRIVING THESE REPUBLICANS SO CRAZY

Posted by Bob Cesca, Huffington Post

"They're screaming about fear-mongering, even though we had eight years of this.

They're screaming about fiscal responsibility, even though we had eight years of this.

They're screaming about free speech, even though we had eight years of this and this and this.

They're honest to God screaming about fascism, even though we had eight years of this and this and this.

Yes, the Republicans have claimed to have "found their voice." If this is true, then their "voice" sounds exactly like Limbaugh, Matt Drudge and Malkin, depending on the day.

So what are these voices saying exactly?"

TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK HERE

GOP image via Google Images

Another theory for why Friday the 13th is unlucky

The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition (Avalon, 2004), author Nathaniel Lachenmeyer argues that the commingling of "unlucky Friday" and "unlucky 13" took place in the pages of a specific literary work, a novel published in 1907 titled — what else? — Friday, the Thirteenth.

The book, all but forgotten now, concerned dirty dealings in the stock market and sold quite well in its day. Both the titular phrase and the phobic premise behind it — namely that superstitious people regard Friday the 13th as a supremely unlucky day — were instantly adopted and popularized by the press.

It seems unlikely that the novelist, Thomas W. Lawson, literally invented that premise himself — he treats it within the story, in fact, as a notion that already existed in the public consciousness — but he most certainly lent it gravitas and set it on a path to becoming the most widespread superstition in modern times.

cat image via Google Images

FRIDAY THE 13TH: One explanation for a bad luck day

The Knights Templar
One theory, recently offered up as historical fact in the novel The Da Vinci Code, holds that it came about not as the result of a convergence, but a catastrophe, a single historical event that happened nearly 700 years ago.

 The catastrophe was the decimation of the Knights Templar, the legendary order of "warrior monks" formed during the Christian Crusades to combat Islam. Renowned as a fighting force for 200 years, by the 1300s the order had grown so pervasive and powerful it was perceived as a political threat by kings and popes alike and brought down by a church-state conspiracy, as recounted by Katharine Kurtz in Tales of the Knights Templar (Warner Books, 1995):

    On October 13, 1307, a day so infamous that Friday the 13th would become a synonym for ill fortune, officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated dawn raid that left several thousand Templars — knights, sergeants, priests, and serving brethren — in chains, charged with heresy, blasphemy, various obscenities, and homosexual practices.

None of these charges was ever proven, even in France — and the Order was found innocent elsewhere — but in the seven years following the arrests, hundreds of Templars suffered excruciating tortures intended to force "confessions," and more than a hundred died under torture or were executed by burning at the stake.

Templar image via Google Images

Laugh and the world laughs with you!

If you missed the post at the NCJ Blogthing by Ryan Burns (Feb.9) satirizing my As It Stand column on Angels last week...check it out.
It's great satire. I'm flattered to be satirized. It's not the first time, and probably won't be the last.
We need more humor during these dark days for the economy, and this Winter's discontent.

Beauty in Reality: Photographs that transpose emotions

No matter how skillful you are as a painter, reality, and natural light is still the winner. Here is very evocative shot of moonlight at seaside, and (below) a riot of colors at sunset.

(images credit: Toby Keller)

See many other Toby Keller's light "paintings" here and on flickr.

Mattel’s Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Wins Worst Toy of the Year; CCFC Honors Doll with Inaugural TOADY Award

BOSTON – February 12- Barbie’s big year just got a little more exciting.  On the eve of the world’s most famous doll’s fiftieth birthday, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood announced that Mattel’s Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Doll won its inaugural TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for the worst toy of the year.  In an online vote by more than 6,000 CCFC members, Barbie handily beat four other nominees.

“The toys we give children reflect our values,” said CCFC’s Director Dr. Susan Linn, author of The Case for Make Believe. “And no one who cares about children’s wellbeing could produce a toy like the Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader doll. It embodies a host of harmful expectations about what girls are supposed to be like.”

Rated by Mattel as appropriate for children age six and up, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Doll comes with the shortest of short shorts, stiletto boots, and a revealing halter top.  The preposterously skimpy outfit allows children to get a better view of Barbie’s impossibly long legs and dangerously thin body. 

“When you combine two classic symbols of gendered stereotypes – the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader and Barbie – you get one terrible toy,” said CCFC Steering Committee member Joe Kelly, of www.dadsanddaughters.com. “Do we really want to teach our young daughters that they belong on the sidelines, not in the game, and the way to get noticed is to show a lot of skin?”

“The Bratz dolls get a lot of well-deserved negative attention,” said CCFC’s co-founder Dr. Diane Levin, co-author of So Sexy, So Soon. “But it’s important to recognize that Mattel is also all-too-happy to contribute to the sexualization of young children.  The Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Doll teaches girls to focus on their appearance, to aspire to an eating-disordered body, and to play at being sexy before they’re even capable of understanding what sexy means."

CCFC created the TOADY award in response to the Toy Industry of Association’s TOTY (Toy Of The Year) Awards, which celebrate the most popular brands and toys often with little regard for their impact on children’s wellbeing.  Each TOADY nominee was selected for epitomizing one or more of the troubling commercial trends of the toy industry, such as marketing sex and/or violence to young children, promoting brands and screen time at the expense of creative play, and encouraging excessive and conspicuous consumption. In addition to Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Doll, the 2008 TOADY nominees were Baby Alive Learns to Potty by Hasbro, the Lego Batman Video Game by Warner Brothers, the Power Wheels Cadillac Escalade by Fisher-Price, and the Smart Cycle by Fisher Price.  For more information on why these toys were nominated, please visit http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/toady.html

Location, location, location.. this dream home provides a great escape!

Seen in one Russian journal ..

This Boeing 727 is a work-in-progress home conversion, built by Bruce Campbell from Hillsboro, Oregon. He maintains that anybody can do it, given desire, luck (acquiring decommissioned plane) and determination. As he points out, this house gives
"A feeling of strength, security, capability and ergonomics that eclipses any other, almost as if you were in a home designed 50 years in the future. Imagine removing all the clutter, such as the seats, the overhead compartments... What's left is an open, ultra high tech home". Besides, he says, it's a great toy.
On his site (below) there is a million of pictures of the work-in-progress, both exterior and interior of jet-house, and FAQ, in which he elaborates on the cost of the project (it's possible to do it for under $100K) and a cool possibility to build a house out of wide-body 747 jet (you would need a bigger yard for that)

This is his website: www.airplanehome.com

Controversy surrounds Octuplets and their single Mom

Different views on Nadya Suleman's recent birth of octuplets are reflected in the following columns:

FROM THE NATIONAL LEDGER we have;

By Debra Saunders
Feb 10, 2009

This is not going to be a column that dumps on the misguided and clearly troubled Nadya Suleman -- the 33-year-old unemployed single Whittier mother of six who gave birth to octuplets last month. Of course, a single mother of six has absolutely no business having more children. Click here for Saunders full column.

From the Huffington Post this morning;

Octuplet Mom Nadya Suleman On Food Stamps, Three Kids Receive Disability

Photos of California octuplets released; mom receives death threats

By Shaya Tayefe Mohajer

Associated Press

Posted: 02/11/2009 10:43:12 PM PST

A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding the public furor in a state already billions of dollars in the red.

Click photo to enlarge

Homeless in America:students with no homes is on the rise!

Poynter Online has a story this morning reflecting another side to the homeless situation in America today.

Just read this heartbreaking lead from a Washington Post story about homeless students:

The economic plunge has generated a growing wave of children nationwide who are sleeping in shelters, motels, spare bedrooms or even the family van as their parents seek to keep them in school. Educators are scrambling to help, with extra tutoring, clothes, food and cab fare.

D.C. school officials have registered about 462 homeless students this school year, twice as many as the same time last year. Schools in Fairfax County, one of the country's most affluent areas, counted 1,314 homeless students early last month, up 20 percent from the same period last year. Prince George's, Montgomery, Loudoun and Arlington counties have also reported increases.

Read on for resources from the National Center on Family Homelessness and other organizations.

Read the Entire Post

Posted at 1:32 AM on Feb. 12, 2009

In Honor of Upcoming Valentine's Day: Lovers in Love

 

(images credit: Botinok)

KBR (formerly part of Halliburton) is at it again - Gets $35 million contract from Pentagon!

TIM FLEMING, writing for OP Ed News has this tidbit about more graft in high places...

"The news is as stunning as it is disturbing. KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root...until recently a part of Halliburton) was awarded a $35 million contract for major electrical work in Iraq, according to the Associated Press, "...even as it is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq."

FOR THE WHOLE ARTICLE CLICK HERE.

Retail gasoline goes up as wholesale gasoline goes down!

The last time I looked at the price of local gas here in Humboldt it was $2.49 a gallon. Listening to the news this morning, I saw that the price of a barrel of crude oil has gone down to $36 a barrel. So how does this justify the increase? It doesn't! When will we ever be free from the greedy oil barons?

cartoon via Multinational Monitor

Capitol Hill Police arrest a man with rifle who wanted to see President Obama!

According to Politico.com...

Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider says the man did not make an explicit threat against the president. -- (6:35 p.m.)
More details on Capitol Hill arrest: The man walked up to a “birdcage,” one of the Capitol Police guard shacks in the driveway. When challenged for identification, the man was "talking funny," according to a CP officer. Police asked whether he had any weapons, he told them that he had a .22 caliber rifle. -- John Bresnahan (5:56 p.m.)
Capitol police have arrested a man on the Hill who said he had a delivery for President Obama and a rifle. -- Josh Gerstein (5:30 p.m.)

 

Send your Valentine a Butterfly Message of Love!

Nature Speaks in English Sometimes...
Today I stumbled upon a really fascinating little site: Butterfly Alphabet.

Meticulously sought-out and collected there by scientists and amateurs alike are the LETTERS, NUMBERS and SYMBOLS found in everyday nature patterns and particularly in butterfly wings.
Here is the Butterfly Alphabet...(right)

What's more, on this site, you can write your name, or any text in the butterfly (or other nature pattern) letters and send the card to your romantic interest for this Valentine's Day!

     

  

Some of the endearing faces found on that site. They have heart pictures, too!

Just 20 more feet Gary! I think I see a water hole ahead!

Source unknown

Whose side is Geithner really on? He's making sure the wealthy come first in the Stimulus Bill!

A wolf in sheep's clothing?

Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, fought against putting severe limits on executive's pay for companies that are getting government aid.

He managed to prevail in his arguments with Obama's staff who wanted more accountability from the fat cats running banks, etc. I forget now, why did Obama appoint him despite his personal tax troubles?

If you have the answer to that question please tell me! Meanwhile for a comprehensive overview of the actions of Gaithner, and what he's said, click here and see what their saying over at the New York Times about all of this.

Geithner pic via Google images

 

Peanut Butter Peril: Just what type should we avoid?

The FBI is involved now. Our national peanut butter crisis is taking on the aspects of a criminal investigation.

Five people have died from salmonella poisoning and hundreds have been sickened from eating it. I love peanut butter but am afraid to eat it in any form right now, for fear that those jars of it are also tainted, regardless of what's being reported right now.

Authorities are saying the jars of peanut are okay. That's today. What about tomorrow?

The Chicago Tribune talks about the current FBI investigation here.  

Peanut pic from Google Images