How long can state governments stand plump pensions, double-dipping, boffo bonuses?

State and local government budgets are by all accounts in dire straits.

Last year, collectively, they faced a $100 billion budget shortfall.  After 12 months of belt tightening, emergency aid, layoffs and tax hikes, things are even worse. 

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a report this year that the gap could be $140 billion. And last week, respected analyst Meredith Whitney suggested that state governments will collapse unless the federal government offers a trillion-dollar bailout  that will rival the bank bailout of 2008.

 And yet, across America, many government workers are getting rich off taxpayer-funded salaries. City managers get free luxury cars, firefighters get half-million-dollar lump payments and, in California, one city worker is being paid $500,000 annually during retirement.  In New York state, $100,000 salaries can’t be called rich, but at a time when unemployment remains near 10 percent, there are 99,000 state and local workers bringing home six figure salaries.

1. Phoenix – double-dipping top cop

Two frequent causes of outsized government worker pay are so-called “double-dipping” and lump sum retirement payouts due to banked sick time, vacation and other benefits. In the case of Phoenix top cop Jack Harris (pictured above), we have both.

Go here to see more examples.

Say Goodbye to 10 Common Misconceptions

Sources:
1. Muscle does not turn to fat if you stop  exercising
2. The red juice in raw meat isn’t blood
3. Ostriches don’t hide their heads in the sand
4. Shaving does not affect hair growth
5. Sushi is not raw fish
6. The Sun isn’t yellow, it’s white
7. You actually use all of your brain, not 10%
8. Twinkies go bad after 25 days
9. The direction water spins down your drain has nothing to do with the hemisphere you are in
10. The tongue doesn’t have taste zones

Casino owner, 4 state senators, qualify for coveted ‘As It Stands’ Scum For October

This is an impressive case of corruption – buying and selling votes -and will be remembered for a long time in Alabama:

“The owner of Alabama's largest casino, four state senators and several lobbyists face federal charges of conspiring to buy and sell votes for millions of dollars to get electronic bingo legalized, according to an indictment released Monday.

One lobbying firm employee has pleaded guilty to offering $2 million for the vote of an indicted senator.”

Photo: VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor (waving like an idiot above) and four state senators and several top lobbyists have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of vote buying on a bill to legalize electronic bingo

Update on Sunday’s column about prescription drug disposal

I’ve been getting a lot of interesting feedback the last 24 hours about my column  Humboldt Officials miss drug disposal opportunity.

Perhaps the best bit of news I’ve heard thus far comes from Supervisor Jimmy Smith who emailed me this morning regarding the column.

In it, he admitted not knowing anything about the program, but he also got proactive real quick – and is checking with the Humboldt Health Department to see what they know about the prescription drug disposal program, and why our county didn’t get involved.

I want to thank Jimmy Smith both for his honesty and his proactive reaction. He’s always had my vote, since I first met him at the 1st Humboldt County Stand Down for veterans in Ferndale. Like all politicians, he has his critics. It’s part of the game. I’m really hard on most politicians because I don’t believe half of what comes out of their lips. Every now and then though a good one comes along like Jimmy Smith.

How did the rest of the nation do on that big prescription disposal drive? Here’s some links to very impressive results from the program:

Arizona residents dispose of over three tons of prescription drugs

Virginians turn over two tons of prescription drugs

Residents turn in 24 pounds of prescription drugs during 'take back' day

prescription drug take-back nets over 5 lbs.

6K lbs of Mich Take Back meds collected

DEA destroys 160 pounds of pills from Cowlitz County

Statewide 'take back' nets tons of prescription drugs

Statewide Prescription Drug Roundup Nets 389 Pounds of Medications

It’s down to this - parties' economic plans: blame the other guys

What can Americans expect from the upcoming Nov. 2 elections? Answer: the same old shit! Isn’t that encouraging?

As time before midterms draws short, lots of charges but few solutions

“If you don't like the economy, blame President Barack Obama and Democrats because they're making times tougher, Republicans are telling voters entering the four-week homestretch to an election the GOP hopes will return the party to power in Congress.

Look, Democrats say, it's the Republicans who caused the financial meltdown and recession. Do you want them to do it again? As bad as high unemployment, record home foreclosures and bankruptcies are, they'd be worse if the GOP had succeeded in blocking financial and auto industry bailouts and Obama's stimulus plan, Democrats claim.”

Image source

America is next: No joke! Illiterate clown triumphs in election

Like voters all over the world, I think most politicians are clowns. I’ve said so numerous times on this blog and will continue to. I fully expect more than one “clown” to be elected on Nov.2nd.

'What does a congressman do? The truth is I don't know, but vote for me and I'll tell you'

“Voters the world over complain about having clowns for politicians, but Brazilians embraced the idea on Sunday by sending a real one to Congress with more votes than any other candidate.

Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, better known by his clown name Tiririca, received more than 1.3 million votes in Sao Paulo state in Brazil's presidential and congressional elections. That was more than double the votes of the second-placed candidate in Brazil's most populous state.”

As It Stands: Humboldt officials miss drug disposal opportunity

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 10/03/2010 01:22:36 AM PDT

Humboldt County and city officials, along with local law enforcement let an important day pass without participation. Sept. 25th was National Prescription Medication Drop-Off Day, a program sponsored by the DEA in conjunction with states and cities nationwide.

I called around that day and checked with the sheriff's office to see if they knew anything about it. No one knew anything. I called the Eureka Police Department and spoke to a very courteous woman who informed me no one was working there that day, and I could try calling local pharmacies to see if they knew anything about the program.

I called a pharmacist at Walgreens. He told me he checked online and there were no prescription drug drop-off places set for Humboldt County that day (or any day). He did offer an alternative; the Crescent City Police Department was participating in some nationwide program, and I could go there to drop off old medications.

Say what? What happened here? Apparently a few people locally knew about this program because I checked out the blog, “Humboldt Online,” and it was mentioned there.

 A short blurb contained a couple of paragraphs about an upcoming prescription drug drop-off program available in Crescent City on Sept. 25th. The headline said, “Fighting prescription drug use” and attribution was given to the Daily Triplicate.

The blurb quoted Sheriff's Cmdr. Tim Athey as saying, “It's an open day where people can bring in and dispose of their outdated prescriptions.” What a good idea, don't you think? I can't understand why we didn't do that here.

What's wrong with this picture? Why didn't someone in this county care enough to get involved in this program? Don't they think we have a problem here? Perhaps local law enforcement already has prescription drug drop-off spots they've forgotten to share with us? I doubt it.

 Think about the pharmacies robbed at gunpoint in recent months by desperate criminals seeking OxyContin. Most local pharmacies have stopped carrying it to protect their employees.

Humboldt County has its share of prescription drug abuse. Ask any of our local law enforcement officials if they think it's a problem. Don't be surprised at the answer. I wonder why they didn't get involved?

Overall, 6.2 million Americans abuse medicine that is not prescribed for them. A 2008 national survey on drug use noted that more Americans currently abuse prescription medications than those who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined.

Health officials nationally have asked Americans not to flush unwanted medications down the toilet because they'll wind up in our waterways. They also strongly urge people not to throw them out in garbage that ends up in landfills.

There were 10 locations for drop-offs in San Francisco. Sgt. Ardraychak of the SFPD told the press, “Three quarters of prescription medicines that are abused in the United States actually come from family or friends and often times from family medicine cabinets.”

On average, Americans buy about $250 billion worth of medicines per year. When people stop taking their medication, for whatever reason, the remainder sits in the medicine cabinet until its safe date passes, or the wrong person takes it.

The city of New Orleans went to great lengths to make sure everyone got a chance to dispose of unwanted medications. It offered free rides to the disposal stations set up citywide on Sept. 25th. And so it went across the country, concerned cities trying to do something about a huge problem. But not here behind the Redwood Curtain.

About the only thing I think people can do locally is to call their doctor's office and see if they have the means (and desire) to safely dispose of outdated and unwanted prescriptions. I wish I could offer more help, but there must be qualified people in this county with answers ... somewhere.

As It Stands, I'm waiting to hear any explanation. Why didn't Humboldt County get involved?

Prescription Drug abuse: Go ask Alice when she’s 10-feet tall’

What’s the tie-in between Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and “As It Stands” Sunday column?

Two words:

Prescription drugs

Jefferson Airplane’s iconic “White Rabbit” was about prescription drugs, still legal LSD, and illegal drug use.

The DEA lists prescription drugs as the 2nd biggest drug problem in the country today. What happens to prescription drugs when people stop taking them and leave them in the medicine cabinet? You probably have a good idea of what could happen.

How can you safely get rid of them? Can’t just flush em down the john without polluting waterways. Throwing them in the garbage adds to toxic landfills. What to do then?

What if I told you Humboldt County had it’s chance to provide a public service by safely disposing of prescription drugs last Saturday…and didn’t? We have our share of prescription drug abuse behind the Redwood Curtain, and could have used this opportunity to take a proactive step towards fighting the problem.

“As It Stands” wants to know “Who dropped the ball?”

 

Oops! Celebrity's cereal box lists sex line instead of charity

From CHICAGO (Reuters)

“The telephone number pasted on boxes of cereal named for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was supposed to be for a charity -- but mistakenly directed callers to a sex line, the player's agent said on Thursday.

"The wrong number was given by the Feed the Children charity," Ochocinco's agent Robert Bailey said. "It's a shame because it's a good cause."

The outspoken Ochocinco said he was confident the mistake -- an 800 area code was substituted for 888 -- would be corrected by PBL Sports, the marketing company behind "Ochocincos" cereal.

A portion of the $5 price of each box goes to the Feed The Children organization, according to PBL's website.

In a tweet, the football player had directed fans to his own website and urged them to order his cereal, adding, "Start your day with a lil suga!!!"

(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

After mixing up the address to the Halloween Party, Bob was never seen again…

cartoon source

1925 – Popular Science Monthly looks at the future for 1950

It’s official: White House Opposes Legalizing Marijuana Use

I just thought I’d post this poster showing our supposedly “pot-friendly” president when he was courting votes from organizations such as NORML.

What happened since the election Mr. President?

All that talk about respecting the voters will looks like bullshit in the light of your special advisors comments:

The Obama administration “adamantly opposes legalizing marijuana”and views medical marijuana dubiously as well, a top White House drug policy adviser testified before the Montana Supreme Court Administrator’s annual drug court conference in Helena last night.

AND…what about this?

“Kevin Sabet, special adviser for policy at the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, said marijuana is a dangerous drug that causes documented health and social problems and should not be subject to voter-approval for its use.

OH REALLY?

‘Up In Smoke’: 22 people arrested in marijuana sting, some for illegally delivering pot

“In a sting named after a Cheech and Chong stoner movie, a South Bay narcotics task force busted close to two dozen people on charges that included illegally delivering marijuana.

The single-day "Up in Smoke" sting was conducted Thursday by the Santa Clara County Special Enforcement Team, the Attorney General's Office, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, along with several other law enforcement agencies, and resulted in the arrest of 22 adults, the seizure of over 25 pounds of marijuana, 9 firearms, and 223 marijuana plants.”

Image source

Peruvian fossil explains how the penguin changed its feathers

A 36 million-year-old fossil found in Peru suggests that the feathers of ancient giant penguins followed a different color scheme — and may not have been as hardy as they are today.

Instead of sporting the classic tuxedo look of modern penguins, the fossil species known as Inkayacu paracasensis ("Water King of Paracas" in the Quechua language) had reddish brown and gray feathers, paleontologists report in a research paper published online today by the journal Science.

The creature was nearly 5 feet tall, which outdoes the height of today's largest living penguin, the Emperor.

Update for 4 p.m. ET: As you can imagine, a lot of people are talking (and writing) about this story. Over at LiveScience, Stephanie Pappas quotes Gerald Mayr, a paleornithologist at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, as saying that the action of hydrodynamic forces on feathers may not totally explain why penguins evolved to have bigger melanosomes

Schwarzenegger signs pot bill SB 1449 into law

Sacramento, Sept 30th:  A bill to downgrade the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, SB 1449 by Sen. Mark Leno, will spare petty pot offenders  the necessity for a
court appearance and criminal arrest record while saving the state millions of dollars in court and prosecution expenses.The bill treats petty possession like a traffic ticket punishable by a  simple $100 fine and no arrest record.

"Gov. Schwarzenegger deserves credit for sparing the state's taxpayers the cost of prosecuting minor pot offenders,"  said California NORML director Dale Gieringer, "Californians increasingly recognize that the war on marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources."
 The new law, which takes effect on Jan 1, 2011, will have an effect even if Californians vote to legalize marijuana by passing Prop 19.   Prop 19 leaves misdemeanor possession penalties in place for public use and smoking in the presence of kids;  under SB 1449,
these offenses would be simple infractions.
In his signing statement, the Governor said he opposes decriminalization of recreational use of marijuana and opposes Prop 19, but "in this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend
limited resources" prosecuting petty pot offenses.
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Misdemeanor possession offenses have mounted  to new highs in recent years, reaching 61,164 in 2009  (see http://www.canorml.org/news/2009arrests.html).
California NORML  originally  called for making petty possession an infraction when the state passed its landmark decriminalization law in 1975, but the legislature made it a minor
misdemeanor punishable by a maximum $100 fine. This marks the first time in 35 years that penalties for non-medical use of marijuana have been reduced in California.
                                             Text of SB 1449:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_1401-1450/sb_1449_bill_20100405_amended_sen_v98.html

There’s no discounting the importance of a good stretch…

It’s important to remember to stretch every morning.

Laying on a sofa all day is all well and good, but without a proper stretch who knows what will happen if you later decide to jump from the top of the refrigerator onto a trash can?

Or if you take a power nap and contort yourself into a strange, unrecognizable position.

Without properly stretching first, it could be a disaster.

photo source

And we wonder why the US is lagging behind in education

By Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
From the Cartoonist Group.

By the light of the moon: Belgium experiments with mystical "full moon" beer

Now this is what I call a beer breakthrough! I wonder when it’ll be available here?

“Full moons are often associated with tides, insanity and creatures like werewolves, but it turns out they're also good for brewing beer.

In Peruwelz, a small, sleepy town in southern Belgium, a family-owned brewery has produced its first batch of specialist beer brewed by the light of a full autumnal moon.

It isn't so much a nod to mythology as a recognition of nature's impact on the science of brewing.

"We made several tests and noticed that the fermentation was more vigorous, more active," explained Roger Caulier, the owner of Brewery Caulier, which began in the 1930s when his grandfather started selling homemade beer from a handcart.

"The end product was completely different, stronger, with a taste lasting longer in the mouth," he said.”

Outsourcing safety: Airplane repairs move to unregulated foreign shops

'All the manuals are in English,' Spanish-speaking employee says through a translator

“In 1991, a mechanic at a Turkish repair shop overhauled an engine on a U.S. passenger jet and missed a crack in the engine.

Four years later, on a June afternoon, the 57 passengers on ValuJet Flight 597 heard a loud bang as the plane bolted down a runway in Atlanta. Shrapnel from the busted engine ripped through a fuel line. The engine and cabin caught on fire. One crew member suffered serious puncture wounds from the shrapnel, and another crew member and five passengers suffered minor injuries.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation  of the ValuJet accident concluded that if the Turkish repair station had required the same rigorous record-keeping as U.S. airplane maintenance facilities, the crack probably would have been discovered and the engine part replaced.”

PHOTO-On January 8, 2003, negligent repairs to the tail section of the plane caused the pilot flying Air Midwest Flight 5481 to lose control and careen into a hanger at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, killing 21 people. Air Midwest had outsourced the plane's maintenance checks to a West Virginia company, which in turn outsourced them to another company

Fisher-Price recalls 11 million items for infants, toddlers

Injuries to young children include genital bleeding from tricycle wounds

“In the wake of multiple child injuries in the United States and Canada, Fisher-Price Inc. announced that it will recall more than 11 million items geared toward infants and toddlers, including tricycles, high chairs and toys.”

The sweeping recall, announced Thursday, comes after 24 reported incidents of injuries to young children. Seven kids needed stitches after being cut by pegs on Fisher-Price high chairs, and at least six 2- to 3-year-old girls experienced genital bleeding when they sat or fell against protruding plastic ignition keys on Fisher-Price toddler tricycles.

PHOTO: The protruding ignition keys on these Fisher-Price toddler tricycles have caused serious injuries, including genital bleeding in 2- and 3-year-olds who fell against them.

20 light-years away: alien planet looks 'just right' for life

So when do we start sending spaceships there to claim it? 

Alan Boyle writes: “Astronomers say they've found the first planet beyond our solar system that could have the right size and setting to sustain life as we know it, only 20 light-years from Earth.

"My own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, an astrophysicist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, told reporters today. "I have almost no doubt about it."

The discovery, published online in The Astrophysical Journal, is the result of 11 years of observations at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Astronomers participating in the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey detected the planet by tracking the faint gravitational wobbles it produced in its parent star. Now they say there may well be many more planets out there like this one.

"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common," Vogt said in a news release.”

Guess what likable cartoon character is going to be 60 Saturday?

The great Charles M. Schulz character, Charlie Brown, turns 60 on October 2nd. I tell myself that 60 years wasn’t so long ago. Six decades isn’t that long. My reasoning is purely emotional as my 60th birthday looms near on November 7th.

I’ve always felt a kinship, of sorts, with Charlie Brown. He was nearly always misunderstood no matter how hard he tried to be like the rest of the gang.

But he never gives up. He’s still appearing in cartoon strips across the nation, and his TV specials are as popular as ever. Here’s an article about them:

 You’ve had some great TV specials, Charlie Brown - A look at the five best efforts from the 'Peanuts' gang.

Charlie Brown and his "Peanuts pals,” have had loyal readers for decades. Charles Schulz’s perennial elementary schoolers starred in more than 17,000 comic strips, four feature films, two musicals and a heck of a lot of television specials.The entire multimedia collection is worthy of repeated viewings from faithful fans, but for those who grew up in the glow of the small screen, the specials are the best of the bunch. They marked holidays, explained some universal ups and downs, and brought life to the kids from the funny pages.

Simian swat squads: India hires monkeys to guard Games venues

I have to wonder how far these Langurs can chase offending monkeys when I see the short lines these guys have on them. They sure look alert don’t they?

Official: Langurs are 'very effective way' to protect sites from other simians

“Security officials at the Commonwealth Games aren't monkeying around anymore, deploying langurs at several venues in New Delhi to keep smaller simians from causing any trouble.

Because they are large and fierce, langurs are often used in India to keep other monkeys in check in public places.”

A family affair: it’s harvest time down on the farm in Arcata

  My eldest son Richard, and his two boys, Haydin (left) and Roanin (right) take a break from harvesting squash at Warren Creek Farms.

Richard’s wife Jassmine also works there, making it a family affair.

Warren Creek Farm has been growing organically since 1987 and certified organic by CCOF since 1991.

They conserve water and soil through crop rotation, cover cropping and dry farming. Dry farmed plants are more nutritious, store better and conserve water.

At Warren Creek Farms they manage weeds, pests, and diseases by mechanical and manual cultivation, crop rotation, strip grazing, soil testing, fertilizer management and as a last resort, application of organic program approved materials and practices.

Soil fertility is considered after annual soil testing. Green manure crops, compost, micronutrients and fallow years are used to maintain fertility and plant health.

At Warren Creek Farms they have a box recycling program. They pay their customers to save their boxes and many of them are used several times over.

Blue Lake & Arcata Bottoms (0-4 miles from packaging facility) Warren Creek Farms is owned by Paul Giuntoli, a third generation Humboldt County Farmer.

He and his wife Carla farm two plots of certified organic land – one on Warren Creek Road (shown above) between Arcata and Blue Lake, and one in the Arcata Bottoms.

They have been supplying the co-op with potatoes and winter squash for more than 20 years, making them one of our oldest suppliers.

World's oldest man marks 114th birthday in Montana

Secret to long life: 'Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women — and a good sense of humor'

“A Montana resident believed to be the world's oldest man celebrated his 114th birthday Tuesday at a retirement home in Great Falls.

Walter Breuning was born on Sept. 21, 1896, in Melrose, Minn., and moved to Montana in 1918, where he worked as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway for 50 years.”

I discovered at least two of Mr. Breuning’s secrets to life fit into my world view – whiskey and humor. I’ll have to pass on the cigarettes (I quit smoking them in 2000 after 30 years of puffing) and the wild, wild women. I’m just not sure I would want to live as long as this guy. All of your friends would probably be long gone when you stick around as long as Mr. Breuning has.

Is It Skin Cancer? How to Tell a Harmless Mole from a Melanoma

Know Your ABCDEs

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer but it can be hard to identify. 
The ABCDE guide helps. If your mole fits the characteristics below, call your dermatologist pronto:
Asymmetry—if the mole could be folded in half, the two halves wouldn’t match
Border irregularities—the mole’s borders are uneven or blurred
Color variations—the mole has mixed shades of tan, brown, black or other hues
Diameter—the spot is bigger than a pencil eraser
Evolution—its appearance has changed in some way
“Skin cancer is highly curable when it’s found early,” says iVillage skin expert Doris Day, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University. 
“Keep an eye on your skin and look for changes.”
Still, not every mole or mark is dangerous. Here are some more tips to tell the difference.

A Serious Sign of Sun Damage

A mole is simply a cluster of pigmented cells, creating a spot that can be flesh-colored, pink or very dark brown. Some moles are raised off the skin’s surface, and some sprout hairs, but neither is a bad sign in itself. 

Moles can usually be left alone but should be monitored for changes. If a mole appears suspicious (based on the ABCDE characteristics) or it becomes easily irritated, your dermatologist can numb the skin and remove it by cutting or shaving it off, explains Dr. Day. It will often be sent for evaluation to make sure it’s normal.

An actinic keratosis (AK) is a rough, red or brown, flat, scaly patch on the skin’s top layer—and it’s considered precancerous. “These occur in sun-exposed areas and you can often feel them before you can see them,” Dr. Day says. 
If left untreated, it can turn into squamous cell carcinoma, another form of skin cancer that can also spread but isn’t as deadly as melanoma. Dermatologists typically recommend using a topical cream (like Aldara or Efudex) to destroy the precancerous cells, or treating AKs with other treatments like liquid nitrogen, laser or photodynamic therapy that can destroy abnormal cells on the surface.

Just a Mysterious Mark or Melanoma?

A seborrheic keratosis can be flesh-colored, light brown or tan, and it may have a waxy or scaly, wart-like appearance. “Sometimes a seborrheic keratosis can have variations in color and be confused with a melanoma,” Dr. Day says, so it’s important to get them checked out.
These common growths, which can range in size, are benign. However, if they become itchy, red, irritated or inflamed or if they’re unsightly, they can be gently scraped off the skin’s surface or frozen off with liquid nitrogen.

Nothing to Do With Your Liver

A lentigo (or liver spot) is a flat, brownish blotch caused by long-term sun damage. They may be unsightly, but they’re benign. “They only occur in sun-exposed areas—for some people it takes a lot of sun exposure; for others, very little,” Dr. Day says.
Lentigos can be left alone, but if they bother you for cosmetic reasons, your dermatologist may recommend applying a tretinoin cream (such as Retin-A) and a topical bleaching cream. You can also have them removed with a chemical peel, liquid nitrogen or zapped with a laser, Dr. Day says.
Wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to prevent more from developing (not to mention, to protect your skin).

Melasma, not Melanoma

As if pregnancy doesn’t bring enough changes, some women develop brown patches on their faces during the nine-month stretch, often called the mask of pregnancy (melasma). While its exact causes aren’t known, there are genetic, sun-related, and hormonal components so melasma can also happen if you’re taking oral contraceptives, Dr. Day says.
 “The longer you’re on the Pill, the greater your risk.” Fortunately, melasma is harmless. Sun exposure can darken the patches though, so wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every day, and stay in the shade as much as possible. 
Sometimes, melasma fades after childbirth or going off the Pill. If it doesn’t, a prescription-strength bleaching cream (such as hydroquinone), a chemical peel, or intense pulsed light treatment can help.
Source

Tomorrow is National Happy Hour - Make Sure to Get Your Free Beer

The good news: Budweiser is planning to give away at least half-a-million free beers at locations around the country beginning Wednesday.

Yes, the iconic American brewing company – which is now actually owned by a conglomerate from Belgium – is hoping its National Happy Hour will reacquaint American beer drinkers with a brand they’ve been steadily losing interest in for the past seven years. How do you take advantage of this deal? Simply be 21-years old or older, and show up on Sept. 29 where ever they happen to be giving away their beer.

Actually, once you hit 22, you’re eligible for yet another freebie: Bud and Facebook are, according to USA Today, teaming up so that Facebook members who turn 22 can get yet another free beer.

Despite the appeal of free suds, the ad campaign has been garnering a fair amount of ridicule from those who take their beer drinking veddy, veddy seriously. Hasn’t anyone who’s 21 or older already tried Budweiser, wondered Top Fermented, a blog offering “commentary on beer, brewing, and the craft brew industry.”

Vineyard theft ‘the viticultural equivalent of an art heist’

Thieves make off with 1 1/2 tons of wine grapes in soul-crushing heist

“Call it the great grape caper.

A thief or thieves with a taste for an unusual wine grape have made off with virtually an entire vineyard’s worth.

“It’s certainly an unusual caper, not unlike the viticultural equivalent of an art heist,” said Paul McBride, owner and partner of Grand Rêve Vintners of Kirkland, Wash., which owned the crop before the vineyard villains struck.

The theft of 1 ½ tons of mourvedre grapes occurred sometime between Sept. 15-20 at the Grand Rêve vineyard on the renowned Red Mountain region in eastern Washington, likely in the dead of night, McBride said. And the crooks targeted the mourvedre grapes, leaving behind less than 200 pounds of grapes in the half-acre experimental vineyard and ignoring other varietals growing nearby.”

photo source Grand Reve Vineyards

The Mother of All Headaches: Man Had Knife in His Head for 3 Years Before Removing It

I just love reading bizarre things like this. It’s so out of the norm, but it’s real. This story is about a guy who walked around with a knife in his skull for three years.

His headaches were so bad however (ya think?) that he decided to have risky surgery to remove it. I think I would have done the some thing; but a hell of a lot sooner!

“A man had a knife in his head for 3 years before he finally had it removed. The Brazilian man, (pictured above holding an X-ray) Edeilson Nascimento, 29, had the knife stuck in his head after a bar fight in 2007.  The Post Chronicle states that the man is currently recovering from an operation which removed a knife with a 4-inch blade from his head. After a bar fight, Nascimento left to go home but before he reached his house, the person he fought with at the bar attacked him, stabbing him in his head.The knife remained in his head for 3 years.”

MSNBC reports that doctors were unable to remove the blade of the knife from Edeilson’s head at that time. Doctors were worried about further brain damage if they took the entire blade out. They were able to remove the knife’s handle only.

ABC News states that Edeilson Nascimento suffered through intense migraines for the next three years and that it was because of his headaches that he opted for the risky surgery to remove the knife from his head. The surgery took place at the Hospital das Clinicas in Recife, Brazil, on September 23.

See X-ray photos of the knife in Edeilson Nascimento’s head via ABC News.

‘Hello operator? Would you send someone to arrest me please?’

If there's an emergency, who you gonna call?

 911, of course. But some 911 calls are made by people who forget that the crisis service is not a hot line to make complaints or wacky requests. These offenders face arrest and other penalties for using poor 911 judgment under the influence of drugs, alcohol or powerful emotions.

After reading the one below go here to see more.

A Wisconsin woman (picture on right) didn't wait for another motorist to call 911 to report her dangerous driving last fall. Mary Strey (photos) ratted on herself. What did the dispatcher advise her to do (video)?

Strey, who told police that she had knocked back some cocktails before getting behind the wheel, was charged with misdemeanor drunken driving. Her blood-alcohol level was extremely high.

Collecting war trophies: 12 American soldiers charged with keeping body parts

This is the first time I can recall military personnel in Afghanistan being charged with collecting grizzly war trophies.

As a veteran, I know stuff like this has been happening since we invaded that country a decade ago. It certainly happened in WW II and Vietnam, but let’s take a look at the charges in the following article first, then a brief history of the practice by modern American military forces.   

Body parts, photos part of charges against soldiers

“The first of 12 soldiers charged with crimes in Afghanistan that range from killing civilians to keeping body parts as war trophies faces a military tribunal on Monday that will decide whether his case proceeds to court-martial. Army Spc. Jeremy Morlock, 22, from Wasilla, Alaska, is charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, assaulting a fellow soldier and "wrongfully photographing and possessing visual images of human casualties."

This kind of thing is nothing new as far as what soldiers do in war.During World War II, some United States military personnel mutilated dead Japanese service personnel in the Pacific theater of operations.The mutilation of Japanese service personnel included the taking of body parts as “war souvenirs” and “war trophies”. Teeth and skulls were the most commonly taken "trophies", although other body parts were also collected.

The phenomenon of "trophy-taking" was widespread enough that discussion of it featured prominently in magazines and newspapers, and Franklin Roosevelt himself was reportedly gifted a letter-opener made of a man's arm (Roosevelt rejected the gift and called for its proper burial).

The behavior was officially prohibited by the U.S. military, which issued additional guidance as early as 1942 condemning it specifically. Nonetheless, the behavior continued throughout the war in the Pacific Theater, and has resulted in continued discoveries of "trophy skulls" of Japanese combatants in American possession, as well as American and Japanese efforts to repatriate the remains of the Japanese dead.

                           WHAT I OBSERVED IN VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA

 I served in Vietnam, and Cambodia, in 1970. As part of a demolition squad (31st Eng Battalion), Bravo Company, we were attached to numerous other units on various missions ranging from mine sweeping roads, to clearing out dense areas of forest to construct firebases.

The photo to the right were a common thing while I was there. One of the guys in my squad collected enemy fingers. Another proudly wore a necklace of ears taken from VC and NVA soldiers.

There is no excuse for this kind of thing in any war. But it happens. While I didn’t approve of it, I never turned anyone in for it because I didn’t trust officers and I knew someone would probably “cap my ass” if I did. I admit that I didn’t have much sympathy for the victims, but my brain was in a survival mode and they were – after all – people who would have killed me if they had the chance.

Then there was the civilian atrocities, like what these 12 soldiers from the 5th Stryker Unit are being accused of. I couldn’t possible do justice to portraying the horrors I saw committed on innocent civilian men, women, and children. As you read this you may be wondering how could people do these terrible things…unless you’ve been in combat. Then you know. No civilian could possibly understand the depths of depravity men will sink to in these situations.

In the madness of war civilians always suffer. It’s always been like this since the first armies clashed in ancient Mesopotamia.

As It Stands, it seems we’ll never learn, as a species, how to maintain peace throughout the world.    

As It Stands: CCC-CPR : You don't have to lock lips with a stranger to save them

Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 09/26/2010 01:26:18 AM PDT

I remember when I first got CPR certified in the early '80s my biggest concern was that I might have to actually use my new-found knowledge. I know that sounds pretty stupid, but let me explain.

The idea of locking lips with some stranger who was foaming at the mouth was repulsive, even if it was part of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation process I was taught to save lives.

I really hoped the day would never come. I had no trouble with “Resusci Anne,” the plastic torso that I knelt over on the firehouse floor while learning CPR. I saved her life numerous times to get my little American Red Cross CPR pin.

I knew my recently acquired knowledge wouldn't be so easy to apply in real life. You had to count, pinch a nose, blow, compress ... and stay cool while doing it. In a manner of minutes, I was sucking air with “Resusci Anne” in training but I knew if I stopped, no one would really die, as they might in the real world.

There was (and still is) another consideration involved in helping a person: being sued by grieving relatives looking for someone to blame. In some jurisdictions, good Samaritan laws only protect those who have completed basic first aid training and are certified by health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, American Red Cross or St. John Ambulance, provided they have acted within the scope of their training.

In these jurisdictions, a person who is neither trained in first aid nor certified, and who performs first aid incorrectly, can still be held legally liable for errors made. In other jurisdictions, any rescuer is protected from liability, so long as the responder acted rationally.

The last time I was CPR certified was in the early '90s. I let my certification expire for a host of reasons. The other day I read an article a friend sent me about Continuous Chest Compression-CPR (CCC-CPR). I don't know how up-to-date you are in life-saving methods, but this method, which had its beginnings in 2003 in Tucson, Ariz., is news to me.

It was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and designed to make it more likely that a bystander would stop to help a person in distress. Here's the really great part (to me): It doesn't require the mouth-to-mouth contact of the old method.

According to Gordon A. Ewy, M.D., director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and one of the research pioneers who developed CCC, “It's easy.” In 2008, the American Heart Association endorsed the improved bystander protocol for cardiac arrest, and it now advocates continuous chest compressions.

 The doctors who developed this procedure say there is enough oxygen in the blood to keep the brain supplied for 10 minutes, so breathing into the mouth is not required. Also, stopping compression to breathe into the mouth causes a cessation in the blood flow, so little new oxygen is added, anyway.

Now we're told to pump, pump, pump the chest. In a Feb. 12 presentation by the Mayo Clinic, researchers said, “We now know that even mildly excessive ventilation rates and incomplete chest-wall recoil during CPR can be lethal.

”This, quite simply, is the reason for improvement in CPR by eliminating the mouth-to-mouth ventilations and using 100 uninterrupted compressions per minute, a proven method of resuscitation that results in more efficient oxygen delivery to the heart and brain during cardiac arrest, more successful responses to electroshock and better neurological outcomes for the future.”

This method doubles the chance for survival over the old one, according to the Sarver Heart Center. For the record, CCC is not meant to replace CPR, it's just the safest way for a layman to help. I suppose it's time I get re-certified in case the need ever arises. It hasn't yet, thank goodness, and I hope it never will.

As It Stands, getting CCC-CPR certified may be easier now, but remember it still comes with a moral responsibility to use it.

No surprise: widespread fraud seen in latest Afghan vote

Here we go again – another Afghanistan fraudulent election while the U.S. stands around like clowns and tries to tell the world the “system” we put in place is working. When are we going to learn?

We’re like Br'er Rabbit trying to let go of the Tar Baby and getting more and more entangled as time goes by.

It could affect results in a third of provinces

“Evidence is mounting that fraud in last weekend’s parliamentary election was so widespread that it could affect the results in a third of provinces, calling into question the credibility of a vote that was an important test of the American and Afghan effort to build a stable and legitimate government.”

PHOTO -Workers unload ballot boxes at the Independent Election Commission warehouse in Kabul.

An ‘aw shucks’ moment for a Saturday morning

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals." Winston Churchill

"Confront a child, a puppy, and a kitten with a sudden danger; the child will turn instinctively for assistance, the puppy will grovel in abject submission, the kitten will brace its tiny body for a frantic resistance."

Photo sources

'If you're going to rob someone, get a real gun'

The weird story of the day involves two women trying to rob a porn store. That’s different isn’t it?

(AP) Police said two women who tried to rob a central Pennsylvania adult book store with a toy gun didn't fool a clerk, who told them to "get a real gun." Authorities said 28-year-old Shannon Cheripka, of Glasgow, and 26-year-old Angela Crook, of Coalport, attempted to rob the Adult World store in Duncansville around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Cheripka told police the clerk said, "First, if you're going to rob someone, get a real gun. Second off, you're not getting any money."

Authorities said the clerk grabbed a hammer from behind the counter and chased the women away before police in nearby Logan Township arrested them in a van the clerk had described.

The women remained in the Blair County Jail on Friday on robbery and other charges. It was unclear if they had lawyers.

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In an alternate universe the ‘Terminator’ is called upon to stop the oil spill

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