Future holiday meals may feature 'miracle meat'

By Dave Stancliff /For the Times-Standard

Posted: 12/13/2009 01:27:15 AM PST

December 2014 -- A typical American family gathers around a table to enjoy their holiday meal.

They might be celebrating Bodhi Day (Dec. 8th), Hanukkah (Dec. 12th), Christmas Day (Dec. 25th), or Kwanzaa (Dec. 26th).

The amazing thing about this season is a new culinary delight with something for everyone. Scientists have developed a meat -- the press dubbed it “miracle meat” -- that satisfies all the dietary needs of the various religious holidays.

Go here to read the rest.

Image via flickr: goatopolis

Extraordinary Usage For Lots of Coins

Extraordinary usage for lots of coins - without glue or scaffolding.

 Just very carefully put one coin on another. A few hours a day months of practice and maybe you will be able to do something similar to these structures?

Amazing physical law showed in a different way.

Go here to see more photos.

Teeing off on a golfing legend…

Via tigersholes.com

World's First Novel (1007): Tale of Genji

More than a thousand years ago, on 1007, a Japanese court lady put the finishing touches on what is considered the world's first novel.

Spanning 75 years, more than 350 characters, and brimming with romantic poems, the "Tale of Genji" tells the story of an emperor's son, his quest for love, and the many women he meets along the way. It is attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu.

Art and text via Bezbrige

A bad Santa is Collared in Ohio

Cops: Costumed Ohio man tried to abduct 12-year-old girl

 An Ohio man dressed as Santa Claus and carrying a red sack brimming with candy canes was arrested this morning after he allegedly tried to abduct a 12-year-old girl.

“According to cops, Anthony Russo, 46, was hiding in the bushes adjacent to a Parma intersection when he asked the girl, who was walking to school, to come to him.

When the child continued walking, Russo twice grabbed her arm, though the girl broke free and eventually sought help from a business owner.”

 Read the rest at The Smoking Gun

World record: 0.01mm nano-snowman

You're looking at the tiniest snowman ever built. Well, it looks like a snowman, but this minuscule model — about a fifth the width of a human hair — is not made out of snow.

It's constructed of two tiny tin beads that are usually used to calibrate an electron microscope, and welded together with platinum.

It's built by David Cox, a nanotech expert at the Quantum Detection Group of Britain's National Physical Laboratory. He's accustomed to working with such astonishingly small objects, and used his nano-particle manipulation tools to demonstrate the astonishing accuracy of his work.

He bathed the snowman in blue light to give us this entertaining, snow-blown image. The remarkable flourish of his smiling snowman is its little happy face, carved into the top orb using a focused ion beam. That's no small feat.

Daily Mail, via Gizmo Watch

A life lesson we can all benefit from

Slurping my coffee happily this morning, I read this inspirational, and thought-provoking, story by a Native-American elder – Kent Nerburn.

The message is positive, despite some sad elements to it. In other words, it’s reality and not TV. 

Excerpt:

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.”

Continue reading here.

from The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget
by Kent Nerburn

Note: For more inspiring writing by Kent Nerburn, see his website: http://kentnerburn.com. The above story is taken from his book Make Me an Instrument of your Peace: Living in the Spirit of the Prayer of St. Francis, available here. The author has personally confirmed that this story is true

Pentagon asks party crashers for covert advice

Questions for the Crashers

By Daniel Kurtzman, About.com Guide

Financial investigative reporter who tackled the Fed dies suddenly at 52

You may never have heard of Mark Pittman, but if you have you know he was one of the old school reporters who fearlessly sought the truth.

He dared to challenge the Fed’s inner workings, and now he’s gone. They say he had a heart attack. Others suggest it might have been murder!

To see a one-minute video of a mind-blowing US Congressional testimony on a CIA dart gun which can easily cause a heart attack, click here.

The poison from this gun is undetectable during an autopsy. Could such a weapon be used by the rich and powerful bankers who might want to silence someone who threatens literally billions of dollars of profits, someone like Mark Pittman?

 Mark Pittman, Reporter who challenged Fed secrecy, dies at 52 

“He was one of the great financial journalists of our time,” said Joseph Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University in New York and the winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for economics. “His death is shocking.”

A former police-beat reporter who joined Bloomberg News in 1997, Pittman wrote stories in 2007 predicting the collapse of the banking system. That year, he won the Gerald Loeb Award from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the highest accolade in financial journalism, for “Wall Street’s Faustian Bargain,” a series of articles on the breakdown of the U.S. mortgage industry.”

Go here to read the rest at the Bloomberg.com

The Power of Determination - The Glenn Cunningham Story

Nothings better than to sip that first cup of coffee and to start your day with a positive story. Enjoy…

By Burt Dubin

“The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A eight-year-old boy named Glenn Cunningham had the job of coming to school early each day so that he could use kerosene to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived. One cold morning someone mistakenly filled the kerosene container he used with gasoline, and disaster struck.

The class and teacher arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in flames. Terrified on realizing that Glenn was inside, they rushed in and managed to drag the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.”

Go here to read the rest.

Photo via Google Images

The Power of Nightmares

This highly revealing BBC documentary digs deep into the roots of the war on terror, only to find that much of the widespread fear in the post-9/11 world has been fabricated by those in power for their own interests.

The intrepid BBC team presents highly informative interviews with experts and top officials in combating terrorism who raise serious questions about who is behind all of the fear-mongering. These experts and riveting footage also show how the media have been manipulated to support secret power agendas.

This eye-opening documentary shows that, especially after 9/11, fear has been used widely in the media to manipulate the public into giving up civil liberties and turning over power to elite groups with their own hidden agendas. The Power of Nightmares clearly demonstrates that the nightmare vision of a powerful, united terrorist organization waiting to strike our societies is largely an illusion. Wherever the BBC team looked for al-Qaeda, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the sleeper cells in America, they found that we are chasing a phantom enemy. For all citizens who care about the future of our world, this is a must-watch video.

View Free: All Three Parts of the BBC Documentary Power of Nightmares

Each episode is one hour. Part 3 is the most revealing. A 22-minute summary is also available.

For 22 minutes of the best excerpts from this three-hour documentary, click here
Click here to watch Power of Nightmares on Google Video.
Click here to watch and read reviews of Power of Nightmares on archive.org.
For the downloaded copy of an excellent review of Power of Nightmares in the Los Angeles Times, click here.
For a full written transcript of each part of Power of Nightmares: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
For transcripts, audio and video downloads, and other excellent information on the series, click here.
To order all three parts of Power of Nightmares on one DVD, click here.
Another excellent, highly revealing BBC/Adam Curtis documentary, Century of the Self, delves into the history of mass propaganda and its power to shape public perception. Click here to purchase. Click here to watch it free.

Why is Santa naked? kids want to know

“A Texas homeowner who adorned his front lawn with Michelangelo's "David" as a scantily clad Santa got more than just jolly laughs from his neighbors.

Barry Mcbee said he was aiming to make people chuckle by adding a Santa hat and white beard to the 5-foot-tall replica of the Renaissance statue with six-pack abs — an image at odds with usual depictions of a fat, jolly St. Nick.

Then, parents started calling Big Spring city officials saying their children were asking why Santa was naked.”

Go here to read the whole story.

An inspirational Christmas Story: The Christmas Truce

 I thought this story should be shared for the seasonal aspect, and the fact that a war “stood still” for Christmas in 1914 -

 By David G. Stratman

 From his book We Can Change the World

 “It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I.

 German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with "the enemy" along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, "Merry Christmas."

"You no shoot, we no shoot." Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man's land strewn with rotting corpses. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March 1915 the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the killing machine put back in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million would be slaughtered.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played "Christmas in the Trenches," a ballad about the Christmas Truce, several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. "Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction to the ballad afterward by callers who hadn't heard it before," said the radio host. "They telephone me deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, `What the hell did I just hear?' "

I think I know why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, "This really happened once." It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, out of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.”

WW I Photo via the Daily Mail

Peanut Butter Plan to feed the homeless spreads

The world is getting better, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time. It's called the Peanut Butter Plan.

Like many of the best plans, it's simple: Strangers get together, make peanut butter sandwiches and immediately pass them out to homeless people. No federal subsidy, no foundation, no vouchers.

No official sanction from anybody. Just strangers, good will and peanut butter. Jory John, a San Francisco children's book writer, got the idea for the PBJ stealth campaign this spring. John put forth the idea on Facebook and, over the past few months, PBJ handouts have taken place in Los Angeles; Berkeley; Phoenix; Little Rock, Ark.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Austin, Texas; and London.

"People are joining from all over the place," John said. "I thought it was about time to use a social networking site to do some good." The monthly gathering took place the other evening around a conference table inside a publishing house that had donated its office for the cause. Some sandwich-laden volunteers [went] to the Tenderloin and some others to the Haight and South of Market.

There was no shortage of people who found the idea of a complimentary peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to be just the thing. Outside the BART station at 16th and Mission streets, a dozen folks accepted sandwiches.

When the sandwiches were gone, [the] sandwich makers retired to a nearby tavern for a beer. The camaraderie of doing something nice, along with the beers, made everyone feel pretty good and some of the strangers exchanged phone numbers. "The smallest actions make the biggest difference," [John] said.

"There are some cynics who say it's not really curing hunger, and it isn't curing hunger. But it's curing one person's hunger. There's nothing wrong with that."

Note: Information on the Peanut Butter Plan and its operations in various cities around the U.S. is available at www.peanutbutterplan.org.

Photo of little girl by John Wollwerth | Dreamstime.com

Article from wanttoknow.info

Here’s another reason why I wrote today’s column on shoddy Chinese products

Today’s column has been picked up by a web site called “Made in China Product Recalls,” and it gives links to other stories about what else is happening with our major trade partner.

Here are some other articles dealing with this latest recall involving lead again. The irony of this particular product is that it was so popular that shoppers couldn’t find it on the shelves this weekend and have been bidding on eBay for it – with prices going up to $100! It retailed for about ten bucks!

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE:

Zhu Zhu Pets Recall Could Be Just Around The Corner.Toys Found To Be Toxic
IndyPosted (blog)
No surprise here, but the Zhu Zhu pets are made in China which has had many problems with unsafe levels of lead being used in the production of toys. ...
Zhu Zhu Hamsters May Pose Health RiskCBS News
Zhu Zhu Pets Have High Levels of Antimony, Risking the Health of Your ChildEverything PR
Toxic Zhu Zhu petsGather.com

It's as simple as ABC: 'You get what you pay for'

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 12/06/2009 01:27:13 AM PST

Once upon a time, Country A was a major trading partner of Country C and bought huge amounts of their shoddy products. Country B, a much smaller trading partner of Country A, exported quality products.

Country C's exports were cheap and often dangerous to the public health and the environment. Country B, on the other hand, turned out superior products and carefully monitored them for quality.

Who do you think was the better trading partner? Go to The Times-Standard for the rest of this column.

Amateur Comedians Have Field Day With Tiger Woods

“Did you hear the one about how Tiger Woods has a lot of expensive cars, but now he has a hole in one?

Did you hear Tiger changed his name to Cheetah? In this age of Twitter and time stamps, it's possible to trace the jokes around Woods' debacle down to their inception. And the early public domain jokes have something in common — they're puns.”

On All Things Considered

A matter of perspective…

Via jesusandmo.net

Build it and they will come: see the world’s largest swimming pool

At first,I thought the pool was going to be owned by a private party who went off the deep-end to show off.

But No! It’s a little South American country that knows how to draw the tourists.

From Oddity Central:

“This man-made wonder is 1013 meters long covers 80 acres, its deepest end reaches 115ft and it holds 66 million gallons of water. If you want to take a dip in the world’s largest swimming pool you’ll have to travel to San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo,Chile, where a computer-controlled suction and filtration system continuously pumps water from the ocean, keeping crystal clear.”

See more views here.

A cheerful bit of news for Friday

Holiday spirit?

A convenience store owner who showed mercy to a would-be robber says he's received an apology note and $50 in the mail.

The unsigned note said it was from the man who tried to rob Mohammad Sohail, who has a store on Long Island, near New York City. The note said the would-be robber has a new job, a new child, and is staying out of trouble.

Sohail told the newspaper Newsday that he is saving the $50 for charity.

The bat-wielding man tearfully told Sohail in May that he was trying to feed his family. The rifle-toting businessman gave him $40 and bread, and made him promise never to rob again.

Rubbed The Wrong Way

After my first cup of Joe this morning I ran across this little news item that I’ve decided to file under “Gullible People.”

 Seriously, who in their right mind would let a total stranger enter their house to give them a massage?

There was a guy in Florida last year claiming to be a doctor as he went door-to-door offering free breast exams. He was caught and convicted. Apparently the cops are still looking for the joker in this story.

From The Smoking Gun:

Cops: Woman had session with fake door-to-door "massage student"

 Read the story here.

Time to bail out the newspaper industry?

What a slippery slope!

Can you say BIG BROTHER? Only allowing “serious” journalism…hmmmmm…what might that constitute?

The government in any kind of association with newspapers is a recipe for pure propaganda. That’s not to say we don’t get plenty of propaganda now, but we can still pick and chose among sources offered.

There are some news agencies (NPR) that actually try to stick to the facts, but even they have an agenda – who doesn’t?

If newspapers can’t figure out a business model to survive and adapt to the times, they don’t deserve to be in business anyway. News is a business, just like all the other ones struggling in this recession/depression (depends on who you talk too).

Photo: US Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA).

From Breitbart this morning:

Struggling media will need government help: US congressman

“The newspaper industry is suffering "market failure" and the government will need to help preserve serious journalism essential to democracy, an influential US congressman said Wednesday.”

 

GM's Lutz sees limited share for electric cars

 I wrote a column about cars that run on air last year;

As It Stands: Vehicles that run on air are ready

 It’s nice to see all of this talk about electric cars, but an air-powered car holds more fascination for me.

The technology is there. Perhaps we’ll hear more about it in the coming years.

Meanwhile this from Reuters:

“GM unveiled the production version of the Chevy Volt at the show, a battery-powered car set to launch at the end of 2010 that has become a symbol for the automaker's effort to reinvent itself over the past four years.”

Go here to read this story.

Also, go to High Battery Powered Electric Cars For 2010 for a related story.

A summary of religions …

Via incredimazing

French hamster hotel lets guests live like rodents

During my caffeine infusion this morning I ran across this wacky story and decided it would be a good way to start a day…with a chuckle!

“It's a unique concept according to its creators. A hotel in the French city of Nantes is offering the chance for people to become a hamster.” Go here for the story.

Segway Inventor’s New Device Turns Sewage into Clean Water

The inventor of the Segway has come up with a revolutionary invention that could provide access to clean water for millions of people.

 Go to Gimundo News & Features for the story.

 Image via Gimundo

These babies are chilling out…

While slurping my first cup of coffee this morning I couldn’t help noticing all the news (NBC) was negative. There’s so much going on in our stressed-out world that I felt an image like this might make you smile!

“RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - Seven babies sit in tummy tubs filled with water to cool down after a baby massage class held for young mothers in IJmuiden March 24, 2009. The "cooling down" segment is to simulate a womb-like environment for the infants to experience the warmth and comfort.”

REUTERS/United Photos (NE RLANDS SOCIETY HEALTH IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

Who you know, and wealth, pave the way to elitism in the USA

It’s time for a look at our red, white, and blue class caste system.

  Earlier this year a hoax was perpetrated on the media by a middle-class family. Richard and his wife Mayumi, Heene faked out the world for a day claiming their son flew away...in a home-made flying saucer!
  When the “balloon boy” six-year-old Falcon slipped-up during a national TV interview, the Heene’s attempt to launch a reality show ended up in court where they both pleaded guilty to lying to the authorities.
   They’re getting two-years probation for part of their prank, but a hefty fine is hovering in the future after the FAA finish their report and turn the bean-counters loose after them.
    I think their also paying some other fines in relation to the search effort that was launched.
   Mr. Heene wanted to make a buck on the reality TV craze, but underestimated the consequences of his efforts. Someday the Heene’s may return with a TV show of their own investigating hoaxes or something, but they better get slicker in their efforts.
   Then we have the case of the “blue bloods” crashing the President’s party. Like the Heene’s, Michaele and Tareq Salahis, wanted to be in a reality show. In this case, “The Real Housewives of DC.” The wealthy socialite couple managed to get past secret service security and to shake hands with President Obama.
  Wow huh? Needless to say the Secret Service is not pleased that everyone is snickering at them. What a screw-up eh? Just think if the Salahis had been extremist Muslim moles? Serious stuff. Someone has to pay for this hoax.They were uninvited guests that just turned out to be a wealthy Washington socialite couple that liked to have attention focused on them. Kinda like the Heene’s.
    Do you think the justice department will go after them? I heard some vague muttering about getting them for lying about having an invitation. Actually they were more like grunts coming from embarrassed law enforcement officials.
    If you’re like me, you suspect the most the Salahis will ever have happen to them is they’ll get their own reality TV show. “Money makes money,” I heard someone once say. The Heene family could have used some more money to raise their kids. The Salahis (by all reports) see this kind of exposure as power. Their Face Book page is littered with gripe-and-grins with the nation’s power elite, and now they have the biggest coup of all...President Obama.
      Can you imagine if the Heene’s had tried a stunt like the Salahis’s pulled off? Richard Heene would still be in a dark cell being “water-boarded” until he confessed to being a Muslim terrorist. And just imagine if his name was Tareq Salahis! His muffled screams would ring throughout the holidays.
      CNN would be airing stories of terrorist suicide families that were willing to do anything to kill infidel Americans. Legislators would sacrifice little Falcon Heene on the White House steps during a solemn patriotic ceremony. His entrails would be scattered to the on-looking Senators who would take them back to their constituents.
     As It Stands, instead of dots on the forehead like India’s caste system, elite Americans have dollar signs tattooed over their hearts!  

America: an Empire at Risk

Is the sun setting upon the American Empire? We show a lot of the classic signs of a degenerating superpower, from crumbling infrastructure to our economic influence worldwide.

We won the cold war and weathered 9/11. But now economic weakness is endangering our global power.

“But if the United States succumbs to a fiscal crisis, as an increasing number of economic experts fear it may, then the entire balance of global economic power could shift. Military experts talk as if the president's decision about whether to send an additional 40,000 troops to Afghanistan is a make-or-break moment. In reality, his indecision about the deficit could matter much more for the country's long-term national security. Call the United States what you like—superpower, hegemon, or empire—but its ability to manage its finances is closely tied to its ability to remain the predominant global military power. Here's why:” Go to NewsWeek to read the rest.

AOA study says Americans practice poor eye care

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 11/29/2009 01:27:19 AM PST

”The eye is the jewel

of the body.”

-- Henry David Thoreau

My first clue that my vision was going came when I bought a new television set in 1985 and couldn't get the picture to come in clearly. My wife and three children assured me there was nothing wrong with the set and I should see an optometrist.

Go to the Times-Standard to read the whole column.

Innocents Betrayed: A Times Investigation

 What compounds this sad story is that we’re only talking about one county in America.

The reality is it’s happening nationwide in countless counties.In my opinion, this is one of the most devastating societal problems we have.

These children are our future. But our current priorities don’t reflect that. This may seem like a gloomy thing to be talking about during the holiday season, but it’s reality. For them Christmas is secondary to surviving!

Flawed county system lets children die invisibly

Miguel Padilla, mistreated and abandoned, killed himself at 17

Lazhanae Harris, 13 and on the run, was stabbed to death in L.A.

She had bounced from one stop to another in the welfare system.

County dithered, children died

When agencies fail to share details of abuse cases in L.A. County, tragedy can result. A good database remains elusive.

Files detail deaths of 14 children

The abuse cases came from families that had been under scrutiny by L.A. County child welfare officials.

Go here to see a video and more photos.

 

Secret Service breakdown blamed for White House gate-crashing

 It’s a miracle that Obama hasn’t been assassinated yet. This breakdown in security is unbelievable. Two uninvited guests to a State dinner? Wow!

 I’ve got a hunch someone is going to lose their job, or worse, get reassigned to Bush’s security detail in Crawford, Texas!

'Our procedure wasn't followed' at one security checkpoint at the gala, an agency spokesman says. The couple who attended uninvited had been auditioning earlier for a reality TV show.

Go to The LA Times for the story.

Skip the plane, take the train? More Americans looking for cheaper Thanksgiving travel options

 I pity the millions of Americans who have to travel long distances in this economy (and deal with the stress it causes) to be with loved ones.

I won’t be posting anything tomorrow as I will be enjoying the day with my ever-growing family.

I wish you a peaceful and fruitful day with your love ones. Here’s what millions of travels are facing:

“Millions of Americans got an early jump on their Thanksgiving travel Wednesday, with many opting to drive or take trains and buses instead of shelling out more money for flights amid a sour economy still hitting household budgets hard.”

Go to the Chicago Tribune to read this story and see a video.

Why we swing our arms when we walk

Haven’t you laid awake nights wondering why your arms swing back and forth when you walk?

I’ve pondered many mysteries in my life – but this was NOT ONE.

So why post about this swigging scientific revelation? Why not?

Who knew? My wife says I have “monkey arms” because (in her estimation) they are longer than normal. There is a reason we do it however. Read On:

“BOSTON: A new study explains why people swing their arms as they walk, a seemingly unnecessary movement for which researchers have tried to find an explanation.”

Go to Cosmos Magazine to read the whole story.

Photo via the University of Michigan

Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan

My only comment is, the sooner the better!

“Signaling he's decided on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.”

Go to this AP article to read the whole story.

Home sales rise to highest level in 2.5 years

Seems to me that this is a positive sign and things are getting a little better. However, before getting too excited it’s important to understand that these statistics are based upon an expiring tax credit.

Once the deadline passes we should get a better picture of what’s really going on in the real estate market. Check back in six months and survey the economy then.

Meanwhile…   

Only a 7-month supply of homes on market; bidding wars are erupting

From the Associated Press about an hour ago…

“Home sales surged for the second month in a row in October, climbing to the highest level in 2 1/2 years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit.”

Read the whole story here.

Patrons toke medical marijuana in Oregon cafe

 I’m not surprised someone has taken advantage of the positive vibes that have been going out on legalizing medical marijuana.

I am surprised that it was Oregon, and not California that got the first smoking lounge. This is the first, but I’m sure not the last.

So when are we going to get one in Humboldt County?

 “The Cannabis Cafe is the nation's first medical marijuana smoking lounge. It's all perfectly legal and, for cancer patient Albert Santistevan, it's about time.”

Go to USA Today to read the story and to see a video.

PHOTO: Madeline Martinez, executive director of the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, uses a "vaporizer," a device with a plastic bag that captures the potent vapors of heated marijuana, at the Cannabis Cafe. By Rick Bowmer, AP

 

Technorati Tags: medical marijuana,smoking lounges

Don't forget to toast the turkey this Thanksgiving

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 11/22/2009 01:27:20 AM PST

I think it's high time turkeys got more respect.

Most people don't think about this noble bird until Thanksgiving rolls around. Then, according to numerous surveys, 90 percent of American homes serve turkey as the main course in their holiday dinner.

Are turkeys stupid? This bad rap demonstrates the misinformation flying around about Meleagris Gallopavo (scientific genus and species). Just look at how turkeys got their name. I'll give you a hint; what does a country in the Middle East have in common with an American bird?

Go to The Times-Standard to read the rest of this column.

Technorati Tags: turkeys,thanksgiving

Ten Whatchamacallits And Their Real Names

You see these things around you all the time. Some of them, you even use. The least you could do is know their names!

1. Punt, or Kick

The small indentation at the bottom or a wine bottle, designed to give the bottle extra strength, and also, to make it look like it has more wine than it really does.

To see the rest go to ListVerse

Hacked emails add fuel to climate dispute

 Here’s more fuel for the “global warming” debate. Frankly I don’t know who to believe anymore. One scientist says there is global warming and another says there isn’t.

 What is a lay person, such as myself, suppose to do with this conflicting information?

Hackers steal, release electronic data from top climate research center

“Hackers broke into the electronic files of one of the world's foremost climate research centers this week and posted an array of e-mails in which prominent scientists engaged in a blunt discussion of global warming research and disparaged climate-change skeptics.”

Go to this Washington Post article via MSNBC

Technorati Tags: global warming research,computer hackers

Cartoons invade reality or vice versa?

 The 7-11 at the intersection of Olive and Verdugo in Burbank has temporarily been converted into a Kwik-E-Mart.

Eleven 7-11s in the United States and two in Canada have been converted into Kwik-E-Marts as part of the promotion.DCist has their very own Kwik-E-Mart in Bladensburg, MD.

 Go to what’s the crack? for more information and some more cool pictures.

  Warning: I’m not sure how old this news is.

Technorati Tags: The Simpsons,Kwik-E Marts

Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD

 I think this program has some merit, but I’m concerned it might take funds that could be used to treat the thousands of troops that need help right now.

While there is an awareness of PTSD (unlike when I was serving)it doesn’t change the fact the VA is overwhelmed with disability claims and doctors to treat the condition.

In my opinion you put the fire out first, then you go back and try to figure out a way to keep it from happening again.  

"Right now, we can't determine with certainty who will and who won't develop PTSD," said Paula Schnurr, deputy executive director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. "Perhaps with better measures, we can get closer."

Go to AP News Via Yahoo News to read the whole story.

Technorati Tags: PTSD

As It Stands steps up for turkeys this Sunday

  Have you ever met a Red, White, and Blue turkey?

I have, years ago. He was living with some pot belly pigs right here in McKinleyville.

But I digress.

Don’t miss this Sunday’s Opinion Page in the Times-Standard.

This is what they mean by surrealism

 shortlist via stumbleupon

Awesome paper art by Peter Callesen

Paper Art By Peter Callesen via web designer depot

Visit website to see more examples of this talented artists work.

Technorati Tags: paper art

Navy will use dolphins, sea lions for security

 

While slurping my first (or was it my second?) cup of Joe this morning I ran across this interesting tidbit about Sea Lions and Dolphins being used for security.

I have a few questions to ask the Navy about this arrangement.

1.Did you properly vet the Sea Lions and Dolphins to make sure they’re not terrorist sympathizers?

2.How much are you paying them? They better be getting combat pay!

3.Do they understand the rules of engagement? For example, are they going to attack ANY SWIMMER in their immediate area? Or are they just going to attack swimmers that wear turbans and have long beards?

4.Will they be volunteers or draftees?

5.How long will their tour of duty be? Will they be subject to repeated tours like the men and women in the military? And what about R&R?

I’m just saying…

“The Navy says it has decided to use teams of security officers and specially trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to help protect Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor.

The Navy said Wednesday the system is designed to counter threats from swimmers or divers, and will be implemented in 2010.

An environmental-impact statement evaluated the potential effects temperature, noise, water quality, toxins and the presence of other marine mammals might have on the dolphins and sea lions. It concluded that the creatures are not expected to be harmed by being transferred to and living at Bangor on Washington's Hood Canal.”

AP News

North Pole Santa project axed after sex offender scare

   A holiday tradition that started in 1954 has to stop because of concerns about pedophiles contacting children.

 How sad is that? What a sick society we live in now.

 “ Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.”

Read the whole story at USA Today. 

Technorati Tags: Christmas,letters to Santa,holiday tradition,pedophiles