Signs of the Apocalypse: Part One

Chill the VodKa and get out your Martini Glass: James Bond is back in a new novel

“My name is Bond. James Bond.”

He’s back! For all of you 007 Fans this is big news.

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With code name ‘Project X,’ the book set to be released in 2011.

Video of Daniel Craig, the most recent Bond actor.

Video of Roger Moore reflects on playing Bond.

Image source

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Ron Artest rescues the Lakers with last-second shot

Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a Laker fan (have been since they moved to LA and played at the old Sports Arena).

The Laker’s trip to the finals has been fascinating, frustrating, and it’s still not over. They have to beat the Sun’s in Phoenix. If they don’t, the seventh game will be at Staples Arena where the Lakers are unbeaten in the series.

Ron Artest pulled the Laker’s out of the fire at the last possible moment.

The forward's follow of Kobe Bryant's miss gives the Lakers a 103-101 victory over the Suns and puts them one victory from the NBA Finals.

Internet addicts guilty of starving baby to death

A South Korean couple were convicted Friday of abandoning their newborn daughter, who starved to death while they addictively played an online game raising a virtual child.

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Related story:

Chinese Teen Beaten To Death At Internet Addiction Camp

Internet addiction is a controversial topic, its very existence is debated, but that hasn't stopped China from classifying ten million teens (about 10 percent of all teenagers) as Internet addicts. Treatment camps for the affliction have sprung up in China, but the reported tactics and methods of the doctors are often questionable
Top image source                     Bottom image source

Arizona Sing-A-Long: Read Immigration Law!

Here’s another take on the controversial immigration law

SEE SUNDAY’S (5/30) “As It Stands” in The Times-Standard for my views on Arizona’s controversial immigration law.

LIVE COVERAGE of the oil spill in the Mexican Gulf Coast

Obama and experts are now saying this is the worst oil spill ever. Anywhere.

It’s a catastrophic event caused by numerous reasons, but the underlying reason was there was NO REGULATIONS in place to prevent it.

It’s blame game time. I’m disgusted with everyone involved. There should be criminal charges brought to everyone responsible for this massive spill. Today we have live coverage of an attempt to stop it. Go here for LIVE COVERAGE of the Deepwater Horizon spill

Post Card Memoriablia: from mundane to the outrageous

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I discovered this link this morning while surfing in Cyberspace. It has a list of categories that range from funny to shocking.

Each photo provides an interesting connection to a certain time period and culture.

Go to Bizarre Photographs to see a large assortment of thought-provoking postcards.

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Guest Opinion: How will YOU vote in November 2010?

(Please note you the taxpayer are paying members of Congress to play computer games and on Facebook)

By Jim Davis/Veterans For Change

Come this November 2010 there will be 30 members of the Senate and 435 members of the House up for re-election! Of the 435 in the House, 32 will be retiring (see below)!

Many Americans will sit back, complain, gripe and moan about the economy, world trade, gas prices, contamination by various chemical agents and molds, care and treatment of veterans, jobs, illegal aliens, amnesty, imported foreign workers, the ever growing national deficit, you name it.

Have you tracked how your elected members of Congress have voted and on which bills that you feel are important? Did they vote for any or all veteran bills? Do you know their attendance records in Congress?

These are all very important issues, and it’s the responsibility of every single American Citizen to pay attention, learn, and decide is the person in office doing the job they promised to fulfill? Are they meeting your expectations? Are they voting for, against, or abstaining from important issues?

I took the time for you, and I personally checked the voting records of all 535 members of Congress, and not one member voted for any veteran bill in 2009 that was passed and signed into law! NOT A SINGLE ONE in 2009!

Veteran’s one and all, I am asking you to please, think carefully before casting your vote this coming November, we need to rid ourselves of all career politicians, bring in fresh blood, fresh perspectives, and at the end of their term if they too cannot perform, vote them out too.

We voted them into office, we can vote them out of office! It’s that simple!

Veterans make up 8-9% of the voting population in any state or county, and that number, small as it is can mean the difference between winning or losing a re-election campaign, and it’s time we show those in office now that WE DO COUNT! WE the people are in control!

Please be wise, don’t just vote for name sake, or re-elect someone just because they’ve been there forever, be strong, be courageous, be bold!

When you cast your vote in November 2010 make it mean something, show those in Congress now WE ARE BACK IN CHARGE and put a new body in the seat who just might be the better person!

Below are two lists, one is of all members of the US Senate who are up for re-election this year, please note the number of years in office and that not a single one of these members voted for any veteran bills! (Updated 02/18/10 2:09pm PST)

This is a Country of the People, by the People and for the People! And in case you’d forgotten WE ARE THE PEOPLE! So I urge you to please vote smart, lets not have two more years of the same House members or six more years of the Senate members who have only disappointed us beyond belief!

As It Stands goes to school: class critiques my column

I got a pleasant surprise yesterday, when a friend told me that her son read my column “Why Humboldt County Will Survive Marijuana Legalization” in his class. I thought she just mentioned it, but as it turns out, she assigned it as a project.The teacher, Ms Wozny, gave the class an assignment to critique my column.

She’s going to share those critiques with me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what these students have to say. I’ll post their comments for you. Ms Wozny looks for a controversial topic every week and selected my column to share. I’m humbled by this, and appreciative of the opportunity to get input from the next generation of Humboldtians:

May 25, 2010 - email

Hi Dave,
I didn't just mention it, it was an assignment!  They had to read it and respond to it with their own essay.  If you'd like, I'll ask if they wouldn't mind and I could send you what they write.

They are in an English class equivalent to CR's 150, even though they are in high school, and they respond to editorial pieces/controversial pieces etc., once a week.  They are usually pretty good, if I do say so myself, and this is definitely a topic they had a lot of opinions on! Thanks for taking the time to email!
From Gini Wozny - Fortuna Union High School District-Academy of the Redwoods Campus
http://redwoods.edu/eureka/academy/  (707) 601-0966 Cell  (707) 476-4203 Office (707) 476-4439 Fax

image source

After Graduation Blues: College Students Face Reality

Bob Englehart / The Hartford (CT) Courant, Politicalcartoons.com

Divers Explore Sunken Ruins Of Cleopatra's Palace

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A recently excavated bronze cult statue found in the Temple of Isis sits in a bath of fresh water to desalinate it, onboard the Princess Duda research boat, anchored in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

An international team of archaeological divers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio is using advanced technology to explore the submerged ruins of a palace and temple complex from where Queen Cleopatra ruled, painstakingly excavating one of the richest underwater archaeological sites in the world and retrieving stunning artifacts from the last dynasty to rule over ancient Egypt before the Roman Empire annexed it in 30 B.C.

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No Surprise to me: Report says Drilling Regulators took Industry Gifts

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Inspector general: Agency staff used government computers to view porn

Staff members at an agency that oversees offshore drilling accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and used government computers to view pornography, according to an Interior Department report alleging a culture of cronyism between regulators and the industry.

 Photo source

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Spinning the News: email forward full of lies

I got an email (I won’t say from whom) that just shows you how far the extreme right will go to “spin” the news to stir up their paranoid patriots.

It was about a news story that ran in Reuters.U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade

THE FIRST LINE READ:

While you were watching the oil spill, the New York failed terrorist bombing and other critical crises,

Hillary Clinton signed the small arms treaty with the UN.

SECOND LINE:

OBAMA FINDS LEGAL WAY AROUND THE 2ND AMENDMENT AND USES IT

THIRD LINE:

IF THIS PASSES, THERE could BE WAR!

Really? Is that what the article is about? Is there a threat to the average American’s 2nd Amendment rights? Has Obama finally found a way to take the NRA’s guns away?

Hell no. Clinton didn’t sign anything yet. Read the link if you don’t believe me.

I think the people forwarding this story as proof of all of the above lies are hoping no one looks closely at the story.

Because if they did,they’d see it was a political spin job designed to further another agenda. Let’s take a look:

snip:

“The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales as long as the talks operated by consensus, a stance critics said gave every nation a veto.”

The U.S. agrees to go with a consensus decision reversing President Bush’s stance. Read on to see why Bush was opposed to the deal.

snip:

The proposed legally binding treaty would tighten regulation of, and set international standards for, the import, export and transfer of conventional weapons.

Does the above say anything about the citizens of the U.S. giving up their 2nd Amendment rights? Obviously not.

They’re talking about the international arms market. How does this morph into treason by Secretary of State Clinton? I’ll tell you how. They spin it around.

The agenda: the American gun industry doesn’t want to lose all the money it’s been making selling weapons to other countries. They want to maintain a strong financial position in the national arms market.

snip:

“Supporters say it would give worldwide coverage to close gaps in existing regional and national arms export control systems that allow weapons to pass onto the illicit market.”

The above reason is why the American gun lobby, the NRA, and other weapons-related industries don’t want to see this passed. It’s really quit simple. So they send out misleading forwards in cyberspace and hope to reap the profit of loyal followers who don’t ask too many questions. This is a sound byte society and we all know that.

snip:

“Nations would remain in charge of their arms export control arrangements but would be legally obliged to assess each export against criteria agreed under the treaty. Governments would have to authorize transfers in writing and in advance.

The main opponent of the treaty in the past was the U.S. Bush administration, which said national controls were better. Last year, the United States accounted for more than two-thirds of some $55.2 billion in global arms transfer deals.”

It says it all above; $55.2 billion in global arms sales. Not national sales in the USA. That’s apples and oranges and just what the people sending you these emails are counting on. They love throwing out false warnings that Americans 2nd Amendment Rights are under assault.

You have to stop, take a deep breath, and carefully read everything before clicking the forward button. That is, if you care about the truth. 

snip:

“The proposed treaty is opposed by conservative U.S. think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, which said last month that it would not restrict the access of "dictators and terrorists" to arms but would be used to reduce the ability of democracies such as Israel to defend their people.The U.S. lobbying group the National Rifle Association has also opposed the treaty.”

Above; this is the core of what’s going on. Bush opposed the treaty because he was in bed with the global gun industry. Big Buck’s  is what Bush (also think Big Oil) specialized in. When they say “it would reduce the ability of democracies such as Israel to defend their people” that’s a red herring.

It means that the US gun industry is blowing smoke up people’s asses, telling them that citizens will lose their rights when this treaty is passed. That’s a lie. It has nothing to do with the rights of American citizens to bear arms.  

I think it’s particularly sad that many people will be fooled by the intent of these misleading forwards.

They only work if you HATE OBAMA, HATE THE ADMINISTRATION, HATE DEMOCRATS, HATE LIBERALS, and IF YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE FACTS FOR FICTION.

You pick. The truth will set you free.

 

This kid knows his football – and I think he’s biased

Funny Two-Year Old Football Prodigy - Watch more Funny Videos

Remember this little football genius when he signs an NFL contract as a scout for the New Orleans Saints (see video for explanation) Now, if we could just get his age straight. I suspect he’s about three-years old. What do you think?

Talk of war in Korea escalates – South prepares for conflict

North Korea severing all ties with South Korea

Pyongyang reportedly says its troops are bracing for war

Reader input: California cops who support marijuana legalization

Dave,
Thanks so much for your interesting piece about possible implications of the California marijuana legalization initiative (As It Stands: Why Humboldt County will survive legalization) on November's ballot.
I hope you'll keep watching and covering this issue as the campaign heats up, and I thought you might be interested in hearing about a group of police, prosecutors and judges who are pushing in favor of legalization.
These members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) fought on the front lines of the war on drugs, witnessing how prohibition only serves to make substance abuse and market violence problems worse.  Now, they are actively working to change the debate on drug policy issues so that more voters understand that continuing to keep marijuana illegal harms public safety, not protects it.
Just to give you an idea of some of the perspectives our speakers bring to the debate in California:
* There's Judge James Gray, who retired last year from the Superior Court in Orange County and has been calling for legalization for more than a decade now. One of the main reasons he wants to end prohibition is so we can better keep marijuana away from young people by enacting age limits, which illegal drug dealers definitely don't do.  Judge Gray was profiled in the LA Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez29-2009mar29,0,88438.column and he can be seen debating legalization on Fox Business News at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6lzFoNaXQg
* We've got Norm Stamper, who was a police officer in San Diego for 28 years before being hired as chief of police in Seattle, WA. With a 34-year policing career, he's seen how prohibition can corrupt and endanger law enforcement from top to bottom. Chief Stamper was featured in this Nicholas D. Kristof column in NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/opinion/14kristof.html
* Just one more example would be Joe McNamara, who served as San Jose's chief of police for 15 of his 35 years in law enforcement. Currently a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institute, Joe knows that legalizing marijuana in California will deal a strong blow to the cartels and gangs that currently control its distribution through violent illegal networks.
We've also got prosecutors, narcotics detectives and corrections officials, and we're actively recruiting more criminal justice professionals across the state who agree that it's time to legalize marijuana. Beyond California, we have a robust network of pro-legalization law enforcers active across the globe.
Please let me know if you see a role for any of these provocative voices in any future pieces you are putting together about this issue.
Many thanks,
Tom

-- 
Tom Angell, Media Relations Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com
Washington, D.C.
phone: (202) 557-4979 // e-mail: tom@leap.cc
AIM: ThisIsTomAngell // GChat: tomangell

Videos of LEAP cops: http://YouTube.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs
LEAP on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CopsSayLegalize
LEAP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CopsSayLegalizeDrugs

Photo source

Despite moratorium, drilling projects continue

This news is simply unbelievable. While Obama publicly talked tough to BP - his people were granting permits and waivers for gulf drilling projects! 

Records show at least 7 new permits for drilling, and 5 environmental waivers.

I’m appalled at he gall it takes to continue on, as if nothing happened. This just tells you what a stranglehold Big Oil has on our government.

The records also indicate that since the April 20 explosion on the rig, federal regulators have granted at least 19 environmental waivers for gulf drilling projects and at least 17 drilling permits, most of which were for types of work like that on the Deepwater Horizon shortly before it exploded, pouring a ceaseless current of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

As It Stands: Why Humboldt County will survive marijuana legalization

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 05/23/2010 01:30:10 AM PDT

I doubt the first pot pioneers in Humboldt County, referred to as “back-to-the-landers” during the late 1960s, realized they might someday sow the seeds for an industry which could financially bail out the state of California.

In a delightful, ironic twist, those intrepid pioneers who fled the establishment to seek a simpler way of life must now re-establish contact with the “man” if they want to survive legalization and maintain their way of life.

Most fear legalization. They worry their profit margin will shrink so badly -- from taxes and competition -- they won't be able to make a living. Some ask if growing for medical marijuana dispensaries will be enough to keep them in business.

The good news is that growers, law enforcement officials, nonprofits and city governments are already holding public meetings to work out what happens here after legalization. One of the first meetings, held in Garberville (Southern Humboldt) in March, was covered nationwide.

What's After Pot (WAP) founder Anna Hamilton spoke during the Garberville meeting about the need to save the pot economy and prepare for legalization. She's attempting to bring local growers together so they can adapt to paying taxes and becoming part of the system they ran away from 40 years ago.

GO HERE TO READ THE REST

UPDATES: 25 Web sites carrying this column:

All Voices

The Survival Times

Drug Policy Central

Hempire/T.H.C. Magazine

Drug Sense

Cannabis Co-pilot News

The Media Awareness Project

 420 Magazine

Cannabis taxation and Regulation

Smoke-In

Marijuana

Smokkr

USA4MMJ

Zack.antville

Drug policy Central

777Cannabis

Mahalo

The Marijuana Blog

Weed News

Saskatchewan Marijuana Party

Oregon NORML

Salem NORML

Cannabis Liberty

THCpress

AmsterdamShops

News Now

The end of an era: Spaceships get day in the sun

Silhouettes of the shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station pass over
the sun's disk in a May 16 picture captured by astrophotographer Thierry Legault. 
Go to Legault's website, Astrophoto.fr. to get a better view.

Go here to read the whole story.

To get an idea of what will happen to Atlantis after it lands, check out this must-see video on the Air & Space website.

The space shuttle Atlantis' final mission is hitting new heights for fantastic pictures - in part because every flight brings improvements in NASA's capability to capture imagery, and in part because photographers are taking extra care to document the end of the shuttle era. For us earthbound spectators, it's the next best thing to being there.

DMV says woman’s from ‘Eat Ass’ Florida – where’s that?

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Apparently someone at the DMV office has a warped sense of humor, and changed Ashlee Lineberger’s city of residence from Englewood to Eat Ass!

When she and her husband took the license back to be corrected, they were greeted with laughter and told they’d have to pay another $48 to get it fixed!

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See what happened next here.

 

Big business bets on GOP with campaign cash

The swing in money from corporate PACs is unusual

“The change comes as top Republicans lawmakers appeal more directly to business leaders, putting them on notice that the GOP is keeping track of the corporate donations ledger and will remember who stood by the party. As part of an effort dubbed "Sell the Fight," House Republican leaders have met privately with corporate executives and lobbyists to argue that their giving has tilted too far toward Democrats and that they need to steer more money to industry-friendly GOP candidates in key races in 2010.”                                                                       Image source

Salmonella triggers nationwide sprout recall

Alfalfa sprouts were sold in at least 18 states; 23 sickened so far

Salmonella poisoning has triggered a nationwide recall of alfalfa sprouts, the Oregon TV station KMTR has reported.

The sprouts were sold in at least 18 states and 23 people, including a baby, in 10 states has been sickened, according to KMTR.

The sprouts were produced by the California company Caldwell Fresh Foods and were sold under various names at stores including Walmart, Trader Joe's and other locations.

News source and Photo source

With an ugly mug like mine I could be arrested!

Like many Americans, I’m not photogenic and my facial features are not fine enough to be considered handsome.

I’ve read numerous studies about “pretty people” having all kinds of advantages in life.

Now, it turns out having an ugly mug makes you more 22 percent more likely to be convicted of a crime, according to a Cornell University study.

And to make it even worse, convicted blockaways (you know, the ones who look better a block away) are more likely to get hit with a longer, harsher sentence than the average-looking defendants of the world.

Jersey! Since when did New Jersey get it’s own flag?

 The image on the right (forgive the poor quality) was taken from my stat counter this morning.

 A reader with no address, and the word  Jersey, stopped by a half hour ago. The viewer’s only form of ID was this flag and the word – Jersey. Jersey what? New Jersey?

Is there a country called Jersey? Maybe an island?

This is driving me crazy! I’ve had two cups of coffee so far this morning and I feel alert, but am I missing something? Do you recognize this flag? If so, please share with me where it’s from. I‘d sure appreciate it.

Rand Paul: Obama BP criticism 'un-American'

Even clinging to his Dad’s (Congressman Ron Paul’s) coat-tails won’t save Rand Paul when he makes stupid remarks like “accidents happen” regarding the Mexican Gulf oil spill. Or, when he spouts off that criticizing BP is “un-American”

His feelings about Big Oil is apparent. He’s defending a private company (and not even an American one) so the oil drilling crowd will coronate him as it’s next public defender. That should get a lot of votes from the “Drill, baby, drill” contingent, but it’ll be bad news for our environment. 

I admit that I like the idea that he’s not a career politician, but clueless is clueless. The more you hear him talk about civil rights and other controversial subjects like immigration, the more you realize this guy is riding in the Tea Party bus to a fantasyland where only radicals live.

Instead of actually having good, constructive ideas for our country, this guy is riding the wave of hatred towards the government and incumbent office holders. He’s no visionary. He’s a reactionary with no plans but to “take back the country” (a catch phrase extreme Conservatives love to use).

Where does he stand on hot-button issues? Paul, 47 is an eye surgeon with a political vision about as clear as mud when it comes to what he’ll actually do in office if elected. You can pretty much assume he’s following Daddy’s footsteps, with a brief detour through Tea Partyland for political expediency.   

GOP Senate candidate is under fire for comments about civil rights law

“Paul, already facing a backlash over remarks earlier this week about civil rights legislation, criticized the Obama administration for declaring it will put its "boot heel on the throat of BP." White House spokesman Robert Gibbs used similar language shortly after the spill.”

Stocks take biggest plunge in more than a year

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Growing fear that Europe’s debt crisis could spread around the world

Analysts said there was no big event to set off Thursday's selling. More investors seemed to be grasping the possibility that the U.S. recovery could be in jeopardy.

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Why would anyone need to lie about having been in Vietnam?

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“Of course, Blumenthal didn't get in trouble for confessing he had ducked Vietnam but for lying that he hadn't, for saying that he'd served there.

What demon haunts him and others like him? What inconsolable regret provoked these desperate lies?”

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Warning: Stop drinking your lotion, people!

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Here's a warning you probably thought you'd never need: The federal Food and Drug Administration is urging consumers not to swallow Benadryl Extra-Strength Itch-Stopping Gel after receiving reports of people chugging the lotion that’s meant to be used only on the skin. Duh…

photo source

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Notorious dinner crashers stopped near White House

How about those wacky wealthy party crashers the Salahis?

They have nothing better to do than crash other people’s parties. Even though they caused a stir by sneaking into the first state dinner, they were apparently ready to crash the second one. They had camera men and were filming some reality show that the two privileged party crashers were involved with.

The Salahis have been under investigation for attending Obama's first state dinner last November even though they were not on a guest list. If these were two homeless people who dressed up and got past security with no invitation, they’d still be in jail. Ahhhh…the privileges of wealth in America today! Read this: Their limo driver was ticketed for running a red light

Hold that celebration, Republicans…

Analysis: Special election throws some cold water on GOP's high hopes

Clowns Clash: Wall St. reform vote fails again in Senate

The Circus (our Senate) grinds to a halt as each party attempts to out-stupid the other. Democrats, GOP clowns continue to wrangle over amendments

photo source

Today’s Odd Byte: ‘Octomom’ paid $5K to tout pet birth control!

Really? To what depths will this woman go? For a mere $5,000. this time, she a strange, weird, and odd connection between humans and pets getting spayed or neutered! Remember that old phrase “Truth is stranger than fiction?”

Above: this sign will be in the front yard of octuplet mom’s home and it says, ‘Always spay or neuter’
Read more here.This image provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals shows a copy of a sign designed to be placed in Nadya Suleman's yard for a fee.

Reason 101 on why I’m glad to live in Humboldt

See this clown on the right? He, and like-minded Muslim wackaloons think New York City is the home of the Great Satan. So they gather in dirty little camps in places like Pakistan, where they plan to annihilate NYC. Why NYC?

Why not? It was the place of their greatest success; the cowardly 9/11 attack. These guys are hoping to duplicate (or outdo) 9/11. It’s old news, and these nut cases want to show the world they can committee mass murder in the name of Allah too.

Well, here’s the thing. I think people living in NYC are crazy. They must know by now that their home is a recruitment poster for every Muslim terrorist in the world. You notice this bonehead, Faisal Shahzad, only considered locations around New York City?

I guess New Yorkers like living on the edge. Me? I’m damn glad to be living behind the Redwood Curtain in Northern California, the last place in America a terrorist would attack. Right? They don’t have problems with Redwood trees. Right? 

Official: Bomb suspect looked at other targets

Rockefeller Center, World Financial Center and Grand Central among sites

Lakers vs Suns tonight: Pau sports a black eye from Game 1

The Lakers clobbered the Suns (metaphorically) 128-107, but Pau Gasol of the Lakers was the one with a black eye. It was a rough game. Wait till tonight. The Suns know their season will set in the western playoff picture if they can’t win Game 2. I look for a competitive game. The Lakers have the edge in my opinion.

Texas plans on rewriting history books to promote extreme conservative bias

There’s no legitimate excuse to change history to suit a political agenda. All the Republican school board members in Texas are pushing for this agenda. They are hypocrites and racists.

When someone rewrites our history to suit an ideology, for any reason, we’re in trouble. Look at what the Nazi’s did. They rewrote they’re history to suit the new patriotic nationalism Hitler was preaching. I see no difference here.

What’s happening in the Texas school system can lead to a generation of children with warped world views. They’ll be able to spew all kinds of jingoistic lies without a second thought. Nationalism can be dangerous when it leads people down the path to blind hatred of others and any other ideology.

I’ll be following this situation closely, hoping sense will prevail in the end. If it doesn’t, then the next generation of children from Texas will be spoon fed propaganda until the day they graduate. I really don’t want to think about what a person schooled in lies by the state will do when they grow up. It’s scary. And history (WWII) shows the results. Photo source

Texas ready for textbook showdown

Board to vote on curriculum changes some call ‘backward’

“Among the recommendations facing a final vote: adding language saying the country's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and including positive references to the Moral Majority, the National Rifle Association and the GOP’s Contract with America.

Other amendments to the state's curriculum standards for kindergarten through 12th grade would minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state; require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action; assert that "the right to keep and bear arms" is an important element of a democratic society; and rename the slave trade to the "Atlantic triangular trade.”

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Denial: A memoir of Terror’

To my readers;
I seldom do book reviews. This one is only my third in 18 months.

I’m not being paid to write it. My only reason is personal; the author Jessica Stern rang my bell. The subject of her new book - Denial: A Memoir of Terror -is one close to my heart.

I’m a Vietnam veteran who’s service-connected for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Stern is one of the world’s foremost experts on terrorists and PTSD. So this was a natural read for me:

                      By Dave Stancliff

Imagine writing down the most traumatic thing that ever happened to you in your life and sharing it with the world. Imagine that this thing that happened to you was so horrific that you somehow blotted it out of your mind. Then you locked it up in a secret room in your brain far from the light of conscious thought.
But your traumatic event throbs in it’s confinement, and you have to learn how to numb that throbbing. Then one day your traumatic event leaks out, unbidden, and your world tilts crazily.
What can you do? If, you’re brave enough, like Jessica Stern has been, then you can confront the issues regarding that event. You can wash them out and hang them up on a clothesline for the world to see. The result is a personal healing that translates to hope for others with PTSD.
Stern shares the most intimate of all traumas; rape at gunpoint. She was fifteen and her sister (who was also raped by the same man the same day) was only fourteen. What happened afterward, in the suburban town of Concord, Massachusetts, was almost as shocking as the rape.
The police thought she, and her sister, we’re lying about what happened. Her only answer to that terrible situation was to stuff it in. She moved on to overachieve in her life and has gathered many degrees and honors for her knowledge on subjects like terrorism and PTSD. It seemed Jessica had overcome her trauma.
That changed 30 years after the crime when a request from a police lieutenant re-opened the festering sore of the rape, and motivated her to investigate what happened. The result is stunning as she discovers who her rapist was, secrets about her own family, and how tricky the mind can be.
Be prepared to immerse yourself in a true life mystery that no fiction could surpass. You’ll learn about the human spirit, and the capacity for denial when terrible things happen in a person’s life. “Numbness and hyper vigilance can keep you alive,” Jessica tells us, “and it can “get in the way of normal life and of human relationships.”
I won’t giveaway who the rapist was, but I bet you’ll be surprised. There’s nothing predictable in this book, which makes it an absorbing read. The underlining message of Jessica’s story is how seductive denial can be.
I picked the book up one evening and read the entire thing. I didn’t mind staying up past my normal bedtime to. It was worth it.
I recommend this book as an easy and exciting read on a complex subject. Look for it in June 2010.   

I knew it was a tough market for realtors but this pushes the enevelope!

http://www.pigazette.com/Pigraphics/housingmk...

Political Scum Report: another ‘cheater’ slinks off into the shadows

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Rep. Souder says he'll resign over affair

The Indiana lawmaker won a bruising Republican primary on May 4

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A case of distortion? Or stolen valor? You decide…

Report: Conn. Dem misstated military record

Early favorite in Senate race never served in Vietnam, newspaper says

Richard Blumenthal (photo right)the early favorite to win retiring fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd's Senate seat from Connecticut, never served in the military in Vietnam despite his public comments indicating he had done so, the New York Times reported on Monday.

People are happier, less stressed after age 50

Those in their 50s are more satisfied than those in 20s, large study says

Life looks a little rosier after 50, a new study finds. Older people in their mid- to late-50s are generally happier, and experience less stress and worry than young adults in their 20s, the researchers say.

Photo: here’s “As It Stand’s” Dave at 59, and clowning around at the Dollar Store. My sense of humor has improved in the last decade. What do you think about this study? Is it true?

Motivated Lakers out for playoff vengeance

It’s that time again when the Lakers meet someone in the Western Conference. This year, it’s the Suns.

Nothing would make Kobe happier than beating old foes Suns, Celtics

Today’s photo: ‘A bad day in suburbia’ – see more below

A tow truck operator looks to tow a Jeep Liberty after the driver, who claims the accelerator stuck, drove it through the back wall of his garage on Monday, May 17, in Lancaster, Pa. The driver was not hurt. (Dan Marschka/Lancaster Newspapers via AP

For more interesting photos go here

Pesticides in kids linked to ADHD

I always suspected that the crap we spray on fruits and vegetables was dangerous to more than just insects.

This research confirms one of my fears: young children with developing nerve systems are at risk, and the connection between the pesticides and ADHD now prove that.

There’s one answer. Eat organic and locally grown products. I know that real organic food is more expensive but the trade-off is a no-brainer. 

Researcher advises parents to buy organic, wash produce

Excerpt:

“Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.”

Video: Pesticides linked to ADHD in kids?

As It Stands: How to get in trouble for telling the truth -- be a Whistleblower

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

They're average folk, but when they decide to step up and tell the truth about what's wrong in their work place, they become targets. Their lives are often ruined because they are honest.

They're Whistleblowers, who reveal wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those in positions of authority. In my opinion, they're heroes in an age when heroes are all too rare.

Remember Karen Silkwood? She was an American labor union activist and a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plant near Crescent, Okla., in 1974. A movie was based on her story.

Police suspicions about her mysterious death led to a federal investigation into nuclear plant security and safety. Silkwood exposed the hazards of nuclear energy and raised questions about corporate accountability and responsibility. She paid the ultimate price for revealing Kerr-McGee's dangerous practices.

More recently, Wendell Potter, a former vice president of Corporate Communications at CIGNA, one of the biggest health insurance organizations in the country, testified against the HMO industry in the U.S. Senate.

What motivated Potter to expose his employers? You might say he an epiphany when he saw a touring free clinic run by Remote Area Medical in rural Virginia. He was horrified by the hundreds of desperate people, most without medical insurance, who came from the hills for basic medical help.

GO HERE TO READ THE REST.

Pill-Popping Pitbull Needs Viagra to Live

A veterinarian suggested Viagra as a solution to keep the small pooch up and running.

And it appears to be working.

Read all about Ingrid’s (photo right) harrowing life and why Viagra is saving it.

Here’s a good read for a Saturday

Stupid is, stupid does: Palin still says ‘drill,baby,drill’

Sarah Palin will say anything such as Obama would ban guns if he could just to please her audience.

In this case, for the National Rifle Association members who’ve been waiting with baited breath for someone to dare introduce ANY anti-gun legislation.

It’s been 18 months since Obama took office and they’re still waiting. They’re still cleaning their semi-automatic weapons every night, dreaming of parading down streets with them on their backs in a “patriotic” protest. I kinda feel sorry for the fools, but if they want to live their lives fearing someone is going to take away their weapons…so be it. One of these days their parade will come. So don’t worry loyal NRA members, you’ll get your dues worth someday when CNN shows you trying to shoot skeet on the White House Lawn!

 In her usual clever way, Palin is encouraging “mama grizzlies” to vote all Democrats out of public offices in November. Her desire to see Alaska “drill, baby, drill” is still strong, and it makes you wonder about those articles regarding her and her Big Oil buddies while she was in office. You have to hand it to her though, at the end of the day she got PAID for(and folks that’s why she decided not to finish her term as governor, because it paid peanuts compared to what she could get for public speaking and writing -more like dictating to someone who could write- right-wing rhetoric.

Listen folks…Kagan is an average American Aaand …

 

Cartoon source: Mike Lester / The Rome (GA) News-Tribune, Politicalcartoons.com

High on pot initiative passing? Intrade has investment for you

Somehow I just knew Wall Street vultures would figure out a way to make money BEFORE marijuana became legal.

I call it the Goldman-Sachs effect.

The Intrade prediction market, an on-line trading network that enables investors to buy and sell shares based on forecasting events, is trying to cash in on curiosity over the outcome of California's November vote on legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Go here to read more.            Image Source

Friday Trivia Corner: World’s strangest vending machines

The world’s first vending machine apparently dates back to the first century, when Hero of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician, devised a coin-operated mechanism that would dispense holy water.

Perhaps because that was such a tough act to follow, vending machines didn’t really evolve again until the 19th century, when Industrial Age machines started selling postcards or gum.

From pizza to a bar of gold, the oddest items — instantly

PHOTO: ‘Let’s Pizza” machines, found in a few shopping malls and airports in Italy will make an individual pizza from scratch in just under three minutes for $5-$8.