‘To Be or Not to Be’–who qualifies as a Humboldt Blogger?

After two-and-half years of blogging I found out that I may not be a Humboldt Blogger!

This recent news came from one of my favorite Humboldt County bloggers – Heraldo at the Humboldt Herald. The way I understand it (after emailing back and forth with Heraldo) is when he/she redesigned the blog he/she decided my blog “As It Stands” was NOT really a Humboldt Blog.

After being on the Humboldt Herald’s blog list since my first blogging experience in 2008, I was was surprised, and disappointed with this decision. It felt like I was being banned because I didn’t measure up to Humboldt Blogging standards. Nevertheless, Heraldo asked me if I wanted it to be listed again when I contacted him/her? I said yes. He/she graciously did and the links are back for As It Stands and As It Stands II. Meanwhile it looks like I should do some soul-searching.

Maybe I’m not a Humboldt Blogger. Perhaps I don’t deserve to be listed as a blogger behind the Redwood Curtain. Let’s see what you think. Do I deserve to be awarded that coveted (by me) moniker “Humboldt Blogger?” I better trot out some credentials and leave it to you, oh viewer, to decide:

HUMBOLDT BACKROUND –

* Attended HSU in 1979 and was the co-editor of the Osprey Magazine on campus, and editor of the Veteran’s Gazette.

* I was the publisher of the Arcata Union, The Triplicate, and the Redwood Record from 1987 – 1989. I also worked for “Redwoods United” in Humboldt County getting developmentally disabled adults jobs from 1989 -1991.

* I’ve lived in Humboldt County (off and on with the exception of a few years down in SoCal) since 1979.

* I was among a group of people who started the veteran’s Stand Down’s in Humboldt County in 2006. The event continues today, still serving veterans who could use a hand up-and not a hand-out.

* I’ve been writing a Sunday opinion column (As It Stands) in the county’s only daily newspaper – The Times-Standard since July 2008. Prior to that my column appeared in the now-defunct, Eureka Reporter, for nearly two years.

* I still have connections with people in Humboldt County who are movers and shakers. Most recently, County Supervisor Jimmy Smith (who read my column about not having prescription drug turn-in centers in Humboldt County) contacted me with the assurance that the county would rectify the problem. He encouraged the local agencies involved to put one together and they had a successful “Pick-up Day” last December. A first for the county. I’ve known Jimmy since the 1st Stand Down in 2006, when he supported our efforts to help veterans.

* I do write about local issues in my newspaper column and in this blog. Granted, not all the time, but they’re there in my blog archives, and the T-S archives, for your inspection.

Maybe the above is not enough to qualify as a Humboldt County blogger. After careful thought, I’m asking my readers if this blog is Humboldt worthy? Perhaps I’ve been living in a fool’s world and Heraldo woke me up to reality.

In the first place, he/she has every right NOT to put a link in for my blog. Just because he/she did at one point, it doesn’t lock him/her in for life. His/her blog is getting a make-over, and he/she’s been weeding out the chafe (as it were.) Nothing wrong with that. We all need change from time to time.

I thank Heraldo for showing me that I need to sharpen my focus on the world around me in Humboldt County, and have less national and international news if I want to be considered a “Humboldt Blogger” like him/her.

Up till now, I thought I was a Humboldt County Blogger, and maybe I am…but I’d really like to GET YOUR COMMENTS on this subject just to set me straight. 

Finally, if there’s certain local issues you’d like me to write about please don’t hesitate. My email address is richstan1@suddenlink.net or you can make comments at the end of this post.

Wife stops tiger attack on her husband with wooden soup ladle

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

In honor of today, I present a good wife and lover saving her husband from a tiger by hitting it with a cooking appliance. Now that’s what I call love! Go Cupid!

I like to think my mate would do the same thing if I was out hunting squirrels one day and was attacked by a pissed off striped kitty cat this big! 

“A woman in a jungle region of northern Malaysia rescued her husband from a tiger attack by clubbing the beast on its head with a large wooden soup ladle and chasing it away, police said Monday.” STORY HERE

As It Stands: A public menace: Smart phones in the hands of prisoners

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 02/13/2011 01:30:35 AM PST

If smart phones seem to be everywhere nowadays, that's because they are. Prisoners across the nation enjoy their benefits daily. They can call in a “hit” or request exotic foods delivered to their cell.

A convicted murderer can coordinate a robbery or an escape with equal ease. Prisoners can organize strikes, as seen last year when several strikes hit the Georgia prison system thanks to the networking ability of prisoners' smart phones.

Authorities discovered that they punched in text messages and assembled e-mail lists to coordinate simultaneous protests with inmates of other prisons. Using pseudonyms, they were able to share hour-by-hour updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Cell phones are prohibited in all state and federal prisons in the United States. Without going into all the ingenious ways cell phones are smuggled to prisoners, suffice to say they're a fact of life and an increasing problem for the nation's prison security.

Analysts for California's Senate Public Safety Committee flatly stated they believe employees are a big part of the problem. “All indications are that the primary source of cell phones smuggled into prisons is prison staff,” they wrote in a report last year.

Rebutting that accusation, guard union spokesman JeVaughn Baker told the Los Angeles Times, “Sure, there are instances where officers have brought them in. But to say that prison staff are the most likely smugglers of cell phones is simply inaccurate.”

“This kind of thing was bound to happen,” Martin F. Horn, a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections, told the New York Times on Jan. 2, referring to the accessibility of smart phones in prisons. Horn, who now teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said, “The physical boundaries that we thought protected us no longer work.”

Thus far, authorities are using various cell phone detection systems, with mixed results. Smart phones still find their way into prisoners' hands. Federal Bureau of Prisons workers confiscated 1,188 cell phones in the first four months of 2010, according to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office. An estimated 10,000 phones were discovered in California prisons last year, according to a Feb. 3 article in the Los Angeles Times.

So what's the answer? How do we fight this growing menace to society? One idea was to jam cell phones in prisons. Last year, prison officials from 30 states petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for permission to install technology that would solve the problem.

Chris Guttmann-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association, told the press the FCC action would be a violation of the Communications Act of 1934. He also argued that technology is not really advanced enough to stop transmissions in a prison and not affect the immediate area around it.

That's not the end of the story. There is hope. The Mississippi prison system recently installed a possible solution. This new system establishes a network around the prison that can detect every call and text. Called managed access, it tells callers they aren't on an approved list and the phone ceases to function. The cell phone industry thinks this system is a good idea and has been supportive of it.

 Several states are looking into managed access, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it catch on, if it works as advertised. I guess the other chink in prison authorities' armor is finding the actual cell phones. I read where Maryland and New Jersey are testing dogs to sniff out the ionization of cell phone batteries.

I think what concerns me most is no matter how notorious or high-profile inmates are, they manage to get their hands on cell phones. For example, Charles Manson, one of California's most notorious inmates, was recently found with one inside his cell at Corcoran State Prison for the second time in less than a year!

Ironically, the use of smart phones might not be a problem in prisons in a couple of years. According to a Jan. 8 article in the Washington Post, if things don't change soon, smart phones may contribute to the collapse of the country's 3G cellular network system. That would mean everyone, including prisoners, police, emergency services, and you and I wouldn't have any service. The article warns that technology has to catch up with rapidly increasing usage by 2013 or we face a world without smart phones.

As It Stands, experts agree that a reliable cell phone detection device in prisons is the only workable way to stop their illegal use. The question is, will smart phones even be around by the time detection devices are perfected?

Websites carrying this column:

CorrectionsOne -

MySmart Phone Info cell phone news from all over the net

Slash Phone

Cell Phone; shop online

Twitter

Federal Bureau of Prisons

AskInmates

Best cellular phones – News

Elexical Systems –Security and phone systems online

New Customer Survey cell info

Georgia Newswire – Topix

Google News – Cell phones

Prison NewsWire

You can bet Clarence Thomas will be there…

More from Cartoon Saturday

New Study: Everything you know about beating stress is wrong

But these 6 tried-and-true anxiety-busters can relieve your chronically fried nerves

“If deep breaths, weekly yoga classes, and venting to your friends aren't helping you relax, you have plenty of company—and it's not your fault. New studies show that these supposedly tried-and-true anxiety busters are often just... well, a bust. Read on for the surprising truth about what really helps—and what doesn't—when it comes to relieving chronically fried nerves.”

Eating a few pieces of dark chocolate can calm your nerves, a study has found. STORY HERE

Domestic Alert: Alaska oil pipeline 'integrity' at risk, U.S. warns

“A U.S. government investigation of the Trans Alaska Pipeline has found potentially major safety issues on the line that ships 12 percent of domestic oil supply, making its operation risky until repairs are made, according to a letter sent by regulators to the operator and viewed by Reuters on Friday.

The 800-mile line known as TAPS appears to have "multiple conditions" that "pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment," according to the Feb. 1 letter to operator Alyeska from the U.S. Department of Transportation's pipeline safety division.         The Trans Alaska Pipeline ends at this mooring station for oil tankers in Valdez, Alaska

The DOT investigation follows a Jan. 8 leak on the line that forced it to shut down for several days in precarious winter conditions. The closure shut in millions of barrels in production and caused U.S. oil futures to rise for days.” Story here

With Valentine’s Day coming up you may want to check into these Aphrodisiacs from around the globe

Durian: Why It's Provocative                Beware: the smell will gag you!

Famous for its odiferous smell, durian is nonetheless popular throughout Asian cultures because of its creamy texture and flavor. "Though the smell is putrid and you would think it's a turn-off," explains Rosofsky, it's often thought that eating the fruit promotes estrogen and increases fertility. Adventurous? You can find these at most Chinese grocers.

 FROM DELISH: “Oysters. Truffles. Chocolate. Whipped cream. Sounds like a night of passion! While those foods might set the mood, do they actually make your heart go a flutter? We talked to Dr. Meryl Rosofsky, noted aphrodisiac expert and leader of the of the popular culinary aphrodisiac walking tour at New York City's Institute of Culinary Education, to find out which foods increase attraction, fertility, and — let's just say — promote blood flow to all the right places”

Let’s look at a contoversial issue and come to a consensus…

I was visiting Tom Seaborn’s blog this morning and thought this post – 

"Why Does Clarence Thomas Get Away With Breaking the Law, As His Wife Shills for Wealthy Right-Wingers?"

was interesting and poised a lot of questions. Because I’m not up on all of this controversy, and don’t know much about the principals involved, I thought I’d throw this item out to my Conservative readers. Like Rose for example. I want to hear any rebuttals to all of the accusations in this article. By now, I know there’s ALWAYS two sides to any story. I suspect this account is slanted left (aren’t I a genius?).

 Journalist Brad Friedman, whose Brad Blog offers a detailed account of the Thomas fiasco, notes that this same set of circumstances would play out completely differently if the shoe were on the other foot. As Friedman told me, "If it were Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg not reporting a million dollars from working for ACORN, the right wing would be all over it and so would the press -- until someone from the Department of Justice agreed to prosecute. The right wing, and eventually the media, would say that Ginsburg should have known the rule of law; they'd be all over her for receiving 'special treatment,' and she'd be gone in a week."

So help me get a full picture and contribute whatever facts you’re aware of to counterpoint the accusations against Clarence Thomas and his wife. I look forward to hearing your comments.

Live video from Cario’s Tahrir Square: Mubarak steps down

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Suleiman came out for a few seconds and announced that Marbarak is resigning.

Raucous celebration greets news that Mubarak has resigned

“As word of Mubarak’s resignation spread through Cairo’s Tahrir Square, a raucous celebration erupted among the protesters who have made his departure from power their no. 1 goal.  Mohammed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who returned to Egypt to join the protests, said, "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated."

Crocodile tears don’t work: Study shows how to spot a fake apology

“Canadian scientists have discovered that there are ways to tell the difference between people who are sincerely remorseful and those who are just faking it -- but you have to be able to watch them while they’re saying they’re sorry.

The researchers, led by Leanne ten Brinke of the University of British Columbia, rounded up 31 college students who were videotaped while making sincere or insincere apologies, according to a new study published in the journal Law and Human Behavior.

The study volunteers were first asked to describe, while being videotaped, a non-criminal event that they felt intensely and genuinely remorseful about. They were then asked to describe an episode of cheating for which they felt no remorse, but to act as if they did.

When researchers compared the two sets of recordings, they saw major differences between the people who were truly sorry and those who were just faking it.”                           Read the rest here.

Noam Chomsky on ‘Why America can’t tackle Climate Change’

Noam Chomsky has a big ol' brain, and over the years, he's devoted it to revolutionizing linguistics, pushing the boundaries of analytic philosophy, formulating trenchant political theory, and pissing off establishment figures. Whether or not you agree with his politics, there's no denying that he's a sharp fella. Which is why it's well worth watching his take on why the United States has thus far failed to tackle climate change: (Video below)

Image: cloud2013, Flickr, CC

Yes, I know YouTube lists the running time as 20+ minutes, but to get the climate-related part, you only need to listen to the first few.

Much of this has been said before -- that vested interests have been successful in confusing the American public by bombarding them with misinformation from various sources, that the media's failure in covering the climate story is twofold, and that the interests that combat climate action have institutional prerogatives to do so -- but Chomsky pulls it together so well, it could serve as a crash course on the roots of climate denial.

There's a bunch of interesting commentary on labor, health care, and the outsourcing of jobs -- even green ones -- that fills the second chapter of the vid, so if you have some time, it's worth a peek as well.

Story, video, photo source 

More on America and Climate Change
33 US Generals & Admirals Say " Climate Change is Threatening National Security"
How Climate Change Could Destroy America

Sculpture on display in Milan: Imaginative portrait head by American filmmaker

A 15-feet-tall fiberglass sculpture by U.S. artist and filmmaker Philip Haas is on display in downtown Milan, Italy on February 10.

The sculpture is inspired by Italian Giuseppe Arcimboldo's painting. Source

Puppies for Parole: deaf dog gets sign language training

A dog who couldn't hear has learned some sign language thanks to inmates at a U.S. prison and children at a school for the deaf.

Inmates at a Missouri prison trained the deaf dachshund named Sparky in sign language and then asked the Missouri School for the Deaf in Fulton to take him in. Today, Sparky is right at home with the school's youngsters, who have taught him additional sign language. And a second deaf dog, a Boston Terrier named Petie, may be on his way to the school soon. STORY HERE

As It Stands selection for Scum of the Month: meet Christopher Lee

A married congressman from upstate New York resigned suddenly today after a scandal erupted over emails and a shirtless photo supposedly sent to a woman in response to a Craigslist dating ad.

Republican Christopher Lee had just begun his second term representing New York's 26th District. Just hours after the scandal broke on Gawker.com,announced he was quitting Congress, and a clerk read his letter of resignation on the House floor:

"It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness….” and so on.                                                   Story here.

From the ‘Money Talks Department’: Seven-year-old boy buys fighter jet on eBay

This was too good not to share with viewers of this blog. What do you think happened when Dad found out? (Story link at bottom)

The think is, I can see one of my grandchildren doing the same thing! I’m curious about how he planned to pay for it. A lemonade stand in London Square perhaps? And, where did he plan on keeping his Harrier jet? I know for sure his bedroom is out!

Thanks to eBay, a seven-year-old London boy managed to purchase a real-life Harrier fighter jet. It was easy: All he had to do was click on a bright "buy it now" button on the auction site, send a payment of about $113,000, and he'd be ready to live out every young man's fantasy. There was just one problem: He didn't have the money — and his dad found out about his shopping spree.

Story here

NRA, gun group, assure that cartels are well-supplied with AK-47s

There might have been a time when the NRA actually did some good…but that’s long past.

The NRAs efforts at keeping sales open for large purchases of long guns, especially AK-47s (the cartels weapon of choice), is going to keep the weapons flowing to Mexico. You can’t tell me an average American citizen needs to buy a dozen AK-47s for shooting practice.

No one should be naive enough on this subject to think the NRA is protecting anyone by stopping this flow of weapons into war torn Mexico.

While drug violence continues to spread in Mexico, White House officials have decided the  situation doesn’t rank as an “emergency” under federal rules, officials told NBC News. If that isn’t the biggest crock of shit I ever heard, I don’t know what is! No wonder Mexican authorities are sick of our apparent failure to stop supplying the cartels with AK-47s and other semi-automatic rifles.

“The decision scuttles — at least for now — a controversial proposal requiring gun stores in four Southwest border states to report multiple sales of semiautomatic assault rifles and other long guns to authorities.

The decision to delay the proposed federal rule, which comes amid fresh reports that rival cartels are waging murderous gun battles in the once peaceful city of Guadalajara, drew an unusually sharp rebuke from Mexico’s ambassador to the United States.

“It is certainly disappointing that politics trumps sound policy,” Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said in an email to NBC about the White House decision. “We can’t keep on fiddling while the issue of arms trafficking to Mexico continues to burn.” Story here.

Why doesn’t our government respond to Mexico’s pleas to cut back on sales of AK-47s in large quantities? The answer: because the NRA and a gun industry group lobbied their asses off with key senators to stop any legislation to curb the sale of these semi-automatic long guns in mass quantities.

“But after a ferocious lobbying campaign by the National Rifle Association and a gun industry group, including letters from pro-gun members of Congress, White House budget officials recently confirmed that the rule was being postponed for at least two months.”

So be sure to thank the NRA and all the special interest gun groups that are making these sales possible and fueling the cartels war in Mexico and across to our borders.That’s the spirit boys!   

PHOTO - U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke announces the indictment in Phoenix on Jan. 25 of 20 people who allegedly took part in a ring that sought to smuggle more than 700 guns into Mexico for use by a drug cartel.

More stories on The War Next Door

1. Countless Juarez residents flee 'dying city'
2. Violence, scandal mar governor's race in Mexico
3. Gang's terror felt far from drug war on border
4. 31 dead in 4 days in Mexico's Acapulco
5. Images from Mexico's drug war
6. NBC News: ‘War next door’ linked directly to U.S.

Man sues Disneyland after getting stuck on 'Small World'

Looks like the price of tickets will be going up again thanks to this sue happy guy.

A quadriplegic man is suing Disneyland in federal court, alleging the theme park left him on the "It's A Small World" ride for 40 minutes after it had stalled while staff evacuated other passengers.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, alleges Disneyland violated the Americans With Disabilities Act because it didn't have proper procedures in place for evacuating disabled passengers from the ride.

Jose Martinez is also suing for negligence, emotional distress and liability.

He alleges Disney employees did not summon paramedics when his blood-pressure spiked while he was trapped on the ride. Source/comments

PC Air - Pioneering airline hires 'Ladyboy' flight attendants

PHOTO - Transsexual flight attendants (from left to right): Nathatai Sukkaset, 26, Dissanai Chitpraphachin, 24, Chayathisa Nakmai, 24, and Phuntakarn Sringern, 24, pose for photographers at the PC Air office in Bangkok on Feb. 9.

The president of the first Thai airline to hire transsexuals as flight attendants yesterday said he was a "pioneer" and predicted other carriers would follow his lead.

Fledgling airline PC Air has already recruited six crew of the "third sex" and boss Peter Chan said recruitment, driven by a belief in equal rights, would continue.

More than 100 transsexual people applied for the first round of jobs. STORY HERE.

Meandering With Millie: adventures and good karma…

Every so often I like to check in with readers and share my “Meandering With Millie” musings…just because it’s fun.

Millie (left) and I, walk every day. If possible. We live in a very beautiful area adjacent to McKinleyville; Dow’s Prairie, where there’s large open fields, trees, and very little traffic. This is nice because cars can be distracting.

There’s great scenery, as we walk down our street and head up Baird Avenue toward the Blueberry Farm. Along the way we have our stops. We visit with the three Shetland ponies, and two donkeys that are on our route. There’s another yard where two big dogs bark playfully every time we walk by (I think they’re males and Millie’s strutting her stuff for them!). 

One of our neighbors hired a professional tree cutter yesterday, and as we walked by today we saw the two really large Coastal Oaks in their yard were gone. I don’t know why, but it made me feel kinda sad. I’m not a nutty “tree-hugger” so don’t get yourself worked up on that account. I do, however appreciate and love all the beautiful landscape around me.

Another one of our regular stops has been to see “Mogli” a male Pug. Lately he’s been acting weird and Millie just walks by him like he’s not there. I don’t know what little “doggie exchange” happened between them (not being a dog whisperer), but it looks like we’ll be scratching that stop off of our walk.

The neighbors are all really nice and wave when we walk by. Their probably thinking “There goes that big galoot with his little Pug...wave and hopefully he’ll keep walking!” But, I don’t know that for sure.

I always feel better after our walk. It’s such a pure and simple way to enjoy one’s self. Especially if you bring a friend along. Millie has been my companion for seven years now. It still amazes me how much I love her. There was a time….but we won’t go into that now gentle reader.

As for good Karma, look at what I found out today: 

“In healthy adults, the hippocampus — a part of the brain important to the formation of memories — begins to atrophy around 55 or 60. (PS – I’m 60!) Now psychologists are suggesting that the hippocampus can be modestly expanded, and memory improved, by nothing more than regular walking. That’s right. I’ve been doing something right all these years.

In a study published on Jan. 31 in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers randomly assigned 120 healthy but sedentary men and women (average age mid-60s) to one of two exercise groups.”

Games On! Look what’s getting popular again…Skee-ball!

While back in New York in the summer of 1969, my high school buddy and I ran across Skee-ball in a bar. To tell the truth, we weren’t very impressed. But I do remember noting how serious players were while competing at it.

Talk about lo-tech…

Now, after decades of decline…it’s BACK!

The game is simple. Players roll light wooden balls up a sloped ramp or lane and try to land them in a series of rubber pockets. The more challenging pockets offer more points.
It's easy entertainment, but the game's popularity peaked decades ago. As the boardwalk culture crumbled, skee-ball slipped out of fashion. Read the Story here.

Notorious Website–4chan - has another user busted by the FBI

I don’t know if you ever heard of this website, but it appears to attract dangerous nuts on missions. This is the latest controversy surrounding the popular site.

Another 4chan devotee, Ali Saad, 19 (left), has been arrested by the FBI, this time for downloading child porn from the notorious web site and posting threats to go on a shooting spree at his Michigan college that would result in dozens of fatalities, The Smoking Gun has learned.

The Saad probe is the latest federal case to involve 4chan and its enthusiasts. Last April, site founder Christopher “Moot” Poole testified as a government witness at the criminal trial of David Kernell, the 4chan user who hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account and then posted stolen material on 4chan. Last month, a 4chan user was sentenced for his role in a vicious cyberbullying campaign launched on the site’s “/b/” forum. And at least two ongoing cases involve Poole’s creation--one examining the downloading of child porn by a Navy sailor, and the other probing computer attacks launched against PayPal and other perceived corporate enemies of WikiLeaks. STORY HERE.

Weird Moments in TV History: The Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident

Not all pirates wear eye patches and talk funny. Some dress up as characters from TV shows, hijack broadcast signals and troll people who are just trying to watch the news.

This is what happened on November 22, 1987. Sports anchor Dan Roan was live on The Nine O’Clock News on WGN in Chicago, narrating video of the day’s football highlights. The picture on the station monitors, as well as any TV tuned to WGN, suddenly began twitching and flickering. Then the clips from the Bears game gave way to static.

From the snow emerged a clear picture of the grinning face of Max Headroom, the titular character of a TV show and pitchman for “New Coke.” More accurately, it was man in a Max Headroom mask, standing in front of a swaying sheet of corrugated metal, awash in the sound of a high, harsh buzz.

The airwave hijacking, known in the television business as broadcast signal intrusion, was stopped quickly when WGN on-site engineers switched the modulation of the studio link to an alternate transmitter and less than 30 seconds later, the Max impostor, having said nothing, having hardly moved, was gone. Viewers were brought back to a visibly flustered Dan Roan saying, “Well, if you’re wondering what happened, so am I.”

The weirdness had only begun. About two hours after the first incident, viewers of the local PBS affiliate WTTW were interrupted in the middle of an episode of Doctor Who. In the middle of a scene, the signal pirate made another intrusion. The picture danced for a second and Max was back in front of the twirling metal panel again. The pirate, this time transmitting with audio, launched into a bizarre diatribe. While his words were distorted, viewers clearly made out several bits, including New Coke’s slogan, “Catch the Wave” (while Max holds a Pepsi can); a remark about sports reporter and announcer Chuck Swirsky; “Your love is fading”; humming of the theme song to TV series Clutch Cargo; and as Max held up a glove, “My brother is wearing the other one.”

After the rant, the picture cut to a shot of the pirate’s exposed butt being spanked with a flyswatter by an accomplice wearing a dress, as he cries “They’re coming to get me!” The transmission then cut to black and returned viewers to Doctor Who with a flash of static.

The second intrusion lased about 90 seconds and WTTW was unable to stop it. Unlike WGN, WTTW had no engineers on location at the transmission tower, which sits at the top of what was then the Sears Tower. By the time technicians could begin to take corrective measures, the incident was over. READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

Playing by the same rules reduces the differences between humans, chimps and monkeys

You’ve been asked to compete against some of your friends in a game of skill, but you realize something is amiss. They’ve been given precise instructions and details about the game’s mechanics. You’ve been given a couple of pieces and left to figure things out on your own. On this uneven playing field, no one could fairly compare your performance with that of your friends. This seems obvious, but it’s a problem that plagues a lot of research into the behavior of humans and other animals. STORY HERE.

The Super Bowl was boring but I loved this Doritos commercial!

My pug Millie, and I rated this commercial #1! By the way, she things this star pug is a a “hunk.”

As It Stands: 'Ivory Wave' hit's America's shores with stealth and speed

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 02/06/2011 05:34:25 AM PST

Remember the good old days when you used bath salts in your bath to ease those tired muscles? There's a new designer drug now called "bath salts" that's raising concerns around the country. A synthetic amphetamine, these bath salts are a dangerous stimulant that has effects akin to cocaine or meth. At least four deaths have been blamed on the substance as local, state and federal agencies move to ban or control it, according to ConsumerAffairs.com.

The reports began to come in 2010. Little packages labeled bath salts trickled into St. Louis, Missouri, from Great Britain. They contained a new recreational drug that is legal and potentially lethal: "Ivory Wave."

KTVI-FOX2 News reported last October - after months of investigation - that emergency ward doctors were warning the public about a new drug that was poisoning people. "Ivory Wave" turned out to be the forerunner for dozens of brands that have flooded 33 American states. It's currently available at selected head shops and online websites.

 According to the Wall Street Journal (Jan. 22) these bath salts are an emerging menace in the United States." The small packages the bath salts come in are labeled "not for human consumption" - obviously a dodge to get around strict laws governing pharmaceuticals in Britain and America. The true purpose is no secret online. You can find reviews of all kinds of legal highs, including Ivory Wave, on dedicated Internet forums. The toxic stimulants in these so-called bath salts are already known to cause hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and increased heartbeats. The stimulants are mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

The controversial bath salts were outlawed in Louisiana by an emergency order on Jan. 6, after the state's poison center got more than 125 calls in the last three months of 2010 involving exposure to MDPV and mephedrone. Dr. Mark Ryan, director of Louisiana's poison-control center told the Wall Street Journal, "Cathinone, the parent substance of the drugs, comes from a plant grown in East Africa and is regulated." The plant is known as "khat."

Part of the reason why these bath salts have gone under the radar is because they're relatively new. In 2009, there were no reported cases to Poison Control Centers in this country. In 2010, that number jumped to 236. This year alone, we've ready surpassed that with 248 cases. Poison Control Centers in 33 states have reported bath salts poisoning thus far. There have been only a handful of reported cases of bath salt poisoning in California, according to Dr. Rick Gellar, medical director for the California Poison Control System.

Ivory Wave - and it's numerous counterparts - is similar to those designer drugs the DEA temporarily banned for a year last year; K2 and Spice. Designer stimulants are produced in underground laboratories. Other names include, Purple Wave, Vanilla Sky, Snow Leopard, Lunar Wave, Toxic Waste, Ivory Snow, Bliss and Cloud Nine, just to name some of them.

In December 2010, the National Drug Intelligence Center and the American Association of Poison Control centers issued alerts about synthetic stimulants marketed as bath salts. The alert noted how easy it is to get these dangerous designer drugs.

Authorities say their biggest concern is that young people will see designer drugs as safe because so far they aren't illegal. According to a Redwood Toxicology Laboratory report on Jan. 19, " these synthetic stimulants appear to affect users in ways similar to amphetamines and cocaine." The report also note aggression, tachycardia, paranoia and suicide as side effects. It summarizes by stating designer drugs may be acutely toxic.

Synthetic amphetamines are already banned in Europe where 39 deaths have been reportedly related to their usage. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is currently calling for a federal ban on them. Last month Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an emergency order banning the sale or possession of the controversial bath salts.

Despite these actions, I think banning them is a futile effort. We can't stop people from experimenting with new ways to get high. How many products are we willing to ban every time a new designer drug comes up? Continuing knee-jerk reactions in response to this growing threat to public health won't work. History tells us banning substances doesn't stop their use. Take meth for an example.

As It Stands, the answer lies in educating people, especially our youth, about the terrible risks of taking these dangerous new designer drugs.

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What do I wear? I’m now officially ordained to perform a 1950s Zombie Wedding in Las Vegas?

My niece asked me to marry her and her partner in Las Vegas this October. So I went online and got ordained by the Universal Life Church in order to comply with her request.

I received this:

“Congratulations! You are now legally ordained for life, though you may relinquish your credentials at any time. AS OF Saturday the 5th of February 2011 YOU HAVE BECOME A MEMBER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS CLERGY. You have earned a title worthy of admiration and respect.

Let it be known on this date that in accordance with the laws of the Universal Life Church Monastery, as ordaining officer, I, Brother Martin, do ordain you into our ministry. From this day forward, you are entitled to all of the rights of an ordained minister. You have the authority to perform marriages, baptisms, and all other ceremonies of the church. You are an independent minister of this church. This is a position that carries with it a burden of responsibility; please respect others and comply with the laws of the land.”

As a member of the Universal Life Church you are granted the ability to:

• Perform marriages, funerals, baptisms, ceremonial rites, and last rites.
• Start your own church, be it brick & mortar or online.
• Absolve others of their sins.
• Use the title Reverend, Minister, Healer, Educator, and more. More info

So…it’s going to be a 1950s Zombie Wedding in OCTOBER and I’m trying to figure out what to wear! Any ideas?

‘Dangerous schizophrenic’ escapee hired to teach at two schools

I think it’s interesting to note that the students didn’t have a problem with their new teacher. They certainly didn’t flick him any shit during his short stay.

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) – “A mentally ill man from Northern Ireland who once stabbed a work colleague in the neck was hired by a secondary school in France and taught German for nearly a month before his past caught up with him. Lewis Alexander Mawhinney, 26, escaped in November from a psychiatric ward where he had been interned indefinitely and labeled a "dangerous schizophrenic" after he attacked a fellow call center trainee with a knife three years earlier.” STORY HERE.

Sarah Palin trys to cast herself in Reagan mold during event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth

“During a banquet at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, Palin skewered Obama's recent State of the Union address. She suggested that his call to "win the future" through innovation and new investments in clean energy and other research was simply an attempt to increase government spending.” STORY HERE.

Great.  An idiot who wants to be president quoting a dead conservative icon.  Everybody knows she's a moron.  I hope that the Republicans nominate Palin.

What fun everyone will have watching her campaign.  Just to get primed I looked back at the Palin stats....She doesn't read the paper, she doesn't write any of her own material,  she quit her only elected position leaving her constituents in a lurch, she posted a map with gun sight crosshairs targeting Gabby Giffords...and stupidly declared "don't retreat, reload". She removed her gun sight targeting map after Giffords and friends were shot, but not before putting her foot in her mouth again. 

She works for the Fox News right wing propaganda machine owned and operated by some Australian super rich guy.  Why would anyone want this bumbling buffoon at the helm of America? What we need is a brilliant, dedicated-non-quitter who can rally fellow leaders and the people and take action for the betterment of us all. 

Slash the defense budget by at least half. Bring home 90% of military personnel stationed outside of US borders.  Stop wasting money on pointless space travel and focus on improving the water supply, delivering healthy food, developing green energy. and making ours the best educational system in the world.  On the other hand if gun toting is most important to you pick Palin.

Winter not bad enough? How about exploding manholes

“Record snowfall is turning the city's mean streets even meaner, with 65 manholes exploding or catching fire since New Years, a utility spokesman said on Friday.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On January 18, manhole fires forces evacuations of homes in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx

Record snowfall is turning the city's mean streets even meaner, with 65 manholes exploding or catching fire since New Years, a utility spokesman said on Friday.

With snow piled six feet high for the past month, huge ice chunks raining down on congested intersections and street corners turned into frigid wading pools, flying manhole covers are yet another symptom of winter's wrath.

Story here.

"Reverse Arctic Oscillation"- Frigid U.S., warm Arctic

Weird weather shows 'why we've got to realize the Arctic is important,' expert says

“While much of the U.S. is seeing a wicked winter, the Arctic is going through just the opposite: January saw the least amount of sea ice for that month on record, plus the region's air temperatures are way above normal. So experts are asking themselves: are these two events intertwined?

La Nina, the naturally occurring (i.e., not manmade) ocean cycle, is certainly a factor in terms of the precipitation coming off the Gulf of Mexico that's colliding with the cold Arctic air. But what's rare is the Arctic air moving so far south and in several rounds this winter.

It's well documented that the Arctic has been warming much faster than other parts of the world in recent years, and many experts tie that to manmade emissions of greenhouse gases that trap heat.” Story here.

This map by the National Snow and Ice Data Center shows the extent of Arctic sea ice in January, and how it compares to the 1979-2010 median (purple line).

Talk like your sweetie? What that says about your relationship

This study really strikes a true note for me. My wife and I would score well in the language-matching category. Sometimes it even goes beyond that, and one of us will say what the other was just about to! We like to kid around and say “great minds think alike!” Now, according to this study talking alike is another good indicator of compatibility.

Emily Taffel-Schaper and her husband, Fritz Schaper (left), say they often find themselves accidentally channeling the other when they speak. (And aside from a shared speaking style, the two clearly have a shared love for acting goofy for the camera.)

Study examines the grammatical structures of pairs' speech styles

“In one experiment, 40 men and 40 women (whose average age was 19) volunteered to take part in a speed-dating study. The volunteers went on as many as 12 four-minute speed dates, each of which was audio- and video-recorded. Researchers then transcribed the conversations, and ran it through a computerized text analysis program, which calculates the number of those "function words." Within a day after the speed dates, the participants were asked whether they would want to see each of their dates again — and those pairs who scored higher in the language-matching analysis were more likely to say they wanted to see each other again.”

And the definitive hangover cure is ... plain old coffee and aspirin, actually

Some people swear by bacon. Or Red Bull. Or a big bacon cheeseburger with fries -- the greasier the better. 

“Thanks to new research out of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, though, we now know the exact cause of the hangover headache and the Absolut … er … absolute best way to get rid of them. (And no, it’s not a hair of the dog that bit you.)

Turns out, the scientifically-proven best hangover cure may be plain old coffee and aspirin.” STORY HERE.

Australian researchers claim parrots tend to be "left handed"

It’s stories like this that make me wonder what researchers are thinking?

What earthly good is it for people to know why parrots tend to be left handed clawed?

Try as I might, I haven’t come up with the answer yet.

“Parrots, like humans, choose to use one side of their body more than the other, with more of them left handed -- or, more precisely, left footed than anything else.

Some species even try out both before deciding on one side.

Australian researchers found that virtually all the parrots they studied prefer to use either their left eye and left foot, or right eye and right foot.” Story here.

Tension builds as states seek to copy Arizona immigration law

Measures introduced in at least 15 states; some pose dilemma for high-profile Republicans

At least 15 state legislatures are considering measures modeled after provisions of SB1070 that made Arizona the first state to allow police to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. The list does not include Wyoming, where a House committee this week killed a bill that would have allowed police to check the immigration status of anyone who is stopped for another violation. (Includes measures that had formally been introduced as of Feb. 2.)

"It's a huge problem," said Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi, where the state Senate last month became the first state legislative chamber to pass a bill modeled on the Arizona measure.

• California
The Assembly is considering a measure that would require police to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.

• Colorado
The House is considering a measure that would allow police to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. The Senate is considering a measure that would require them to.

GO HERE TO READ THE REST

Something you should know: U.S. cities with the worst drinking water

If you live in Pensacola, Fla., you may want to invest in a water purifier

“In fact, some organizations and state environmental agencies that collect and analyze water data say the level of chemicals in some Americans' drinking water not only exceeds recommended health guideline but the pollutants even exceed the limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the national legal authority in these matters.” STORY

PHOTO - Texas conducted 22,083 water quality tests between 2004 and 2007 on Houston's water supply, and found 18 chemicals that exceeded federal and state health levels

Rewards for Rebellion: Tiny Nation and Crown for Life

You gotta love Casley’s spirit! This is my kind of guy.

“At 40 years, Hutt River is the oldest micronation in Australia, sprawling over 18,500 acres of farmland in this dusty, windswept slice of Western Australia. Back then, angered about a government quota on wheat, Leonard Casley, now 85 and still the leader, took his land and broke away from the rest of Australia. The apparent secession gave birth not only to this principality but, tapping into Australia’s convict history and an enduring popular disdain for central authority, also inspired a proliferation of new micronations across the country.” Full Story Here. 

PHOTO - Leonard Casley has been leading the oldest micronation in Australia, Hutt River, since its creation on 18,500 acres of farmland in 1970. Nori Onishi/The New York Times

Powerful Santa Ana winds overturn trucks; lanes of I-15 closed in Inland Empire

I’m reminded of the bad old days when I lived down in the Palm Springs area and had to drive on Interstate 10 every day. If it wasn’t dust storms, it was the high winds! Then there was the sheer volume of traffic…agghhhhh…I don’t know how I handled it for so long. Now I live in paradise (as far as I’m concerned).

Those dreaded and powerful Santa Ana winds were causing major problems in the Inland Empire on this morning, toppling big rigs and causing officials to close a portion of two freeways.
The California Highway Patrol reported that lanes of the Interstate 15 at Interstate 10 were closed because of overturned trucks. Story Here.

Punxsutawney Phil sees no shadow, predicts early spring

Prophetic groundhog has seen his shadow 98 times, hasn't seen it 16 times since 1887

The world's most famous groundhog predicted an early spring Wednesday, but wasn't willing to go out on a limb to forecast whether the nearby Pittsburgh Steelers will win Sunday's Super Bowl.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn on Groundhog Day to make his 125th annual weather forecast in front of a smaller-than-usual crowd who braved muddy, icy conditions to hear his handlers reveal that he had not seen his shadow.

There Goes Snail Mail: Thousands of Post Offices Might Close

Originally, the 'broader mission' of the post office was more than 'simply delivering letters—it was dedicated to spreading information as widely as possible.'

With that function handled increasingly by TV, radio, and, of course, the Internet, might the Postal Service one day become extinct?

As the January 24th Wall Street Journal reports, half of the US's post offices are operating at a deficit. In 2010, the postal service's losses were a record $8.5 billion

As It Stand’s Random Reader for February is from Bialystok, Poland

Here’s a shout out to one viewer who spent 42 minutes perusing this blog today. Thanks for stopping by. I hope the weather is as nice where you’re at, as it is here today! 

Here’s a little history about where you live for other readers: 

“Białystok, with a population of almost 300 000, is a city located in north-eastern Poland, serving the function of the capital of Podlaskie province. It is the administrative, economic, and academic centre of the region which, due to its exceptional environmental assets, has been termed the Green Lungs of Poland.

The location in the environmentally clean region, full of tourist attractions, as well as the rich infrastructure of Białystok, makes the city and surrounding area a great place for living, recreation and development of tourism.” Go here to read more.

Here’s a list of the 10 Best Places to Live for Escaping World Conflict

Where would you be the safest if World War 3 broke out tomorrow? Perhaps it’s a grim subject, but safety and distance from world conflict can be a motivating factor in your choice to expatriate.

At the very least, conflict around the world can weigh heavy on the soul, and it’s nice to know there are some places still left in the world where you might be left in peace.

10. Switzerland

Switzerland’s long history of neutrality and its tucked away location among the valleys of the Alps still make it a safe bet, even despite having a high number of bordering nations. It helps that neighboring Austria is also considered a neutral nation.

Read the rest here.