Oxycodone on Ice?: Ice cream seller accused of dealing drugs

Momma watch your babies…

“A New York man has been arrested for allegedly selling illegal prescription drugs from his ice cream truck, making more than $1 million in a year, prosecutors said.

Louis Scala sold ice cream to children from his "Lickity Split" truck and would allegedly make stops at prearranged spots where customers knew they could buy pills, according to the New York Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.

Scala, 40, is accused of selling more than 40,000 prescription oxycodone pills from his ice cream truck in the borough of Staten Island and heading up a 30-person drug ring that included more than two dozen runners to fill fake prescriptions, prosecutors said.

Another suspect, Nancy Wilkins, is accused of using her position as an assistant at a Manhattan orthopedic office to steal blank prescription pads and allegedly sell them for $100 a page, prosecutors said.

The phony prescriptions would be filled by runners who would be paid in cash or in pills, they said.

The ring earned more than $1 million in the past year, sometimes charging up to $20 for a single pill.”

Read the rest of the story here.

In Japan, the Mormon network gathers up the flock

The only thing that rivals the Mormon church’s ability to spread the word is its ability to cope with emergencies.

Within 36 hours of the earthquake striking off the coast of Sendai on March 11, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that all 638 of its missionaries in the country -- 342 Americans, 216 Japanese and 80 from other nations – were safe.

Within a few days, the church also had accounted for all but about 1,000 of its 125,000 members in Japan.

Photo - Fukuoka Japan Temple is the 88th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints        

Full Story

Experts say ‘Don’t worry’ as tiny amounts of Japan's radiation reachs California

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

First readings are 'about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening'

Call me paranoid, but I think our media is covering up some information about what’s really happening, while spoon-feeding us facts very slowly.

That part about “first readings” has sinister implications for the future. Maybe it’s just me, but I have an uneasy feeling that before this crisis is under control there will be health-threatening levels of radiation hitting up and down the entire West Coast.

Forget ‘Bad Moon rising’: It's a 'Supermoon' rising, the biggest in 18 years

It'll hit closest point to Earth of year Saturday, bigger and brighter than ever

“Thanks to a fluke of orbital mechanics that brings the moon closer to Earth than it has been in more than 18 years, the biggest full moon of 2011 will occur on Saturday, leading some observers to dub it a "supermoon."  Full Story

PHOTO - The dazzling full moon sets behind the Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert in this photo released June 7, 2010, by the European Southern Observatory. The moon appears larger than normal because of an optical illusion of perspective

Back in the USA: Nuclear industry lobbyists' clout felt on Hill

Nuke lobbyists clutter the halls of Congress like hyenas ready to spring into action if any legislation results from Japan’s Nuke crisis.

Twist this senator’s arm, pull that one’s finger. It’s shameful how some lawmakers are being lavished with thousands of dollars to turn their head the other way when it comes to the Nuke industry’s practices. 

                             Hoyer (left), Upton and Waxman have all accepted donations from the industry. AP Photos

“Facing its biggest crisis in 25 years, the U.S. nuclear power industry can count on plenty of Democratic and Republican friends in both high and low places.

During the past election cycle alone, the Nuclear Energy Institute and more than a dozen companies with big nuclear portfolios have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions to lawmakers in key leadership slots and across influential state delegations.

The donations and lobbying funds came at a critical moment for the nuclear industry as its largest trade group and major companies pushed for passage of a cap-and-trade bill.

While that effort failed, the money is sure to keep doors open on Capitol Hill as lawmakers consider any response to the safety issues highlighted by multiple nuclear reactor meltdowns in Japan in the aftermath of last week’s monster earthquake and tsunami.”   Full Story

Thoughts on Japan’s triple crisis, what other bloggers are saying about it, and how to maintain some normalcy in these trying times

I’m finding that Japan’s crisis is overshadowing everything else around me.

 Suddenly the rest of the news in the world and nation seems irrelevant. Everywhere I look on TV, and in the blogs, there’s something about what’s happening in Japan and anything remotely related to it.

That’s very understandable. We may be standing on the brink of a disaster that will make all other recorded disasters pale in comparison. The radioactivity levels escaping into the atmosphere, even as I write this, are spiking. No one knows for sure how high they are and we can’t trust the Japanese government or the company that owns the stricken reactors, or the world press – for 100% accurate information.

I remember the Cuban missile crisis and the run on supplies in stores. Even my normally unflappable father went to the nearest grocery story and stocked up on water and canned goods.

The atmosphere was a lot like it is now with the panic run on Iodine (for more information go here.) The same uncertainty. The same lack of accurate reporting. The same suspicions that we have now. The only exception is there’s more access to news sources worldwide to the average American today because of the Internet. (PHOTO - Empty shelves at a supermarket in Hiraizumi in Iwate prefecture.)

Humboldt bloggers who normally talk about all things Humboldt, are now covering the unfolding events in Japan as well as any news source you can go to. Here’s several good examples; Redheaded Blackbelt; Tom Seaborn Blog; and SoHum ParlanceII. I’ve been posting, off-and-on, about Japan’s triple crisis, but part of me has been thinking, “I need to get on with my life. I can’t do anything about what’s happening, so why stress myself out over it?”

The other part of me, the journalist, can’t get enough information on the subject and I’ve been reading headlines from around the world from the moment I wake up, till I retire at night.

Today, I’ve decided to ratchet my Japan crisis reading down. Just a few headlines and maybe an hour of news on the boob tube at 6:00 p.m. It would stress me out if I didn’t know what was going on. Not that I really have all the facts, but anything on the subject is better than nothing.

(PHOTO - An official checks a man at a radiation screening center in Koriyama, some 60 km away from the Fukushima nuclear facilities, on March 17)

Meanwhile, for those who have just been glued to the events in Japan, there’s some other pretty serious stuff going down regarding Libya! In shift, US now urges airstrikes on Libya (US urges UN to approve Libya airstrikes, no-fly zone) If we go though with the No-Fly Zone it’s an act of War!

 That’s right. The last thing in the world our nation needs is another OIL WAR!

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking to lawmakers in recent weeks, has cautioned a no-fly zone would be a risky operation requiring air strikes to cripple local air defenses. A draft U.N. Security Council resolution is going to be voted on today at 6 p.m. ET.

UPDATE 6:15 PST UN OKs 'all necessary measures,' no-fly zone to protect Libyans

This can’t be good. I’m not surprised however. Big Oil (draped in an American flag) will do anything to protect it’s worldwide assets. 

Last known photo of missing New York Times photographers

PHOTO - New York Times photographers Tyler Hicks (right, in glasses) and Lynsey Addario (far left), run for cover during a bombing run by Libyan government planes at a checkpoint near the oil refinery of Ras Lanuf on Friday, Mar. 11. The other photojournalists pictured, starting from second left are John Moore of Getty Images, Holly Pickett and Philip Poupin. Hicks and Addario, along with NYT correspondents Stephen Farrell and Anthony Shadid, were reported missing near lines of advancing Gadhafi forces two days ago, the NYT announced on Wednesday. Paul Conroy / Reuters

Does it make it easier reading or viewing the rest of the madness going on in this world? No. But it’s necessary (for people like me) in order to keep a perspective on what’s happening all over this planet.

In my overview, I try to balance the negative with the positive news – because both are always happening somewhere. With that in mind, here’s some stories that might even bring you a smile:

 This hapless sheep has become a real life ‘Ram-bo’ after inadvertently abseiling down a hill when its horn became snagged on an electricity wire.

I’m happy to report he wasn’t reduced to roast ram and walked away from this experience.

Read the whole story here. 

Ireland Exposed! St. Patrick Was Really French -

Erin say what?

St. Patrick may be the patron saint of Ireland... but he never even set foot on the Emerald Island until he was 16, and he was dragged there kicking and screaming.

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1. Sailor fighting U.S. Navy discharge after getting caught in bed with another male sailor says he's not gay -- they just fell asleep watching "The Vampire Diaries." Dude, you need to stop talking

2. Tennessee would like its own currency. But is meth a stable enough standard?

3. St Patrick's diet similar to today's health foods

4. Huge lobster saved from the pot

Why do hangovers seem so much worse as we get older?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!

We all know that means it’s a day for green beer and cabbage. There’ll be parties in bars and on the streets. Better wear green today or get pinched (where did this ritual get started?).

“Sometime tomorrow, around the time your alarm clock rings, you will hate yourself for trying to keep up with your college self this St. Patrick's Day. You used to be able to bounce right back from hangovers; now, if you have more than two pints of Guinness tonight you know you'll feel it in the morning. What happened?

It's not your imagination. Our bodies really do start to lose the capability to process booze as we get older, an alcohol expert explains.”  Full Story

EPA adds seven more monitors, boosts radiation-sniffing system

Federal agencies are beefing up their radiation-monitoring capabilities at home and abroad, even as they insist that significant amounts of fallout won’t waft from Japan onto U.S. territory.

At home, the Environmental Protection Agency said it's adding seven monitors in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam to its RadNet radiation-tracking system, which operates about 100 air-sniffing stations nationwide. Putting in those extra stations "allows us to gather data from a position closer to Japan," EPA said in an online question-and-answer guide.

Looking beyond America's borders, the U.S. Air Force is sending out a high-tech aircraft to sniff the air over Japan for radiation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration are also sending experts to Japan to help counter the growing crisis at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant complex.

The NRC and the NNSA have teams who track how hazardous materials spread through the atmosphere, based on computer modeling and other methods. It was the NRC's revised analysis that led to today's advisory telling Americans to evacuate the area within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Fukushima reactors, or stay indoors if they can't get out of the area.

White House spokesman Jay Carney acknowledged that the NRC's advice goes far beyond what the Japanese government is telling its own citizens — that is, to keep indoors within a 19-mile (30-kilometer) radius of the plant.

"The advice the Japanese government is giving — based on information it has — is different from the advice that we would be giving if this incident were happening in the United States of America," Carney said. "It is not about the quality of information. It is about the standards set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission here in the United States and the kind of advice it would be giving should this incident happen in the United States."

For what it's worth, the NRC calls for protective action when projected doses exceed 10 millisieverts (1 rem) or 50 millisieverts (5 rem) to the thyroid. Radiation levels at the damaged plants rose as high as 400 millisieverts per hour.

How the calculations are made and the rest of the story.

A weak Japanese government is out of the information loop –company controls media releases

Companies controlling the media. Sound familiar? BP basically tried to pull the same trick after the DeepWater Horizon disaster – and succeeded to a point.

Flaws in Japan’s leadership deepen sense of crisis

No strong political class has emerged to take the place of bureaucrats and corporations

Excerpts:

“Left-leaning news media outlets were long skeptical of nuclear power and its backers, and the mutual mistrust led power companies and their regulators to tightly control the flow of information about nuclear operations so as not to inflame a broad spectrum of opponents that include pacifists and environmentalists.

“It’s a Catch-22,” said Kuni Yogo, a nuclear power planner at Japan’s Science and Technology Agency.

He said that the government and Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, the operator of the troubled nuclear plant, “try to disclose only what they think is necessary, while the media, which has an antinuclear tendency, acts hysterically, which leads the government and Tepco to not offer more information.”

The wariness between the public and the nuclear industry and its regulators has proven to be costly during this nuclear emergency. As the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant unfolded, officials from Tepco and the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency have at times provided inconsistent figures or played down the risks to the reactors and the general public. No person from either side has become the face of the rescue effort.

Politicians, relying almost completely on Tepco for information, have been left to report what they are told, often in unconvincing fashion.”  Full Story

FULL STORY       Image source

Talk about Tsunamis: Lost city of Atlantis believed found off Spain

Archaeologists and geologists use imagery to find site ravaged by tsunami

With all the talk about tsunami’s right now, I thought this news story seemed appropriate to share.

The tsunami in this article went 60 miles inland!

Excerpt:

“A U.S.-led research team may have finally located the lost city of Atlantis, the legendary metropolis believed swamped by a tsunami thousands of years ago, in mud flats in southern Spain.

"This is the power of tsunamis," head researcher Richard Freund told Reuters.” FULL STORY HERE.

Conference on Future of Marijuana Reform in California set March 19

"Next Steps for Marijuana Reform in California," is a day-long gathering of marijuana reform advocates.

In the wake of Proposition 19's remarkably strong showing at the polls last year, this conference will address ongoing efforts to end failed marijuana prohibition in California, steps to reform the state's medical marijuana laws, and priorities for marijuana reform in the coming years.

The conference is presented by California NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, Americans for Safe Access, and VibeNation MultiMedia. Confirmed participants include leaders of the Proposition 19 campaign and other ballot initiative proponents, Latino Voters League, California NAACP, United Food and Commercial Workers, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and California Church Impact as well as political consultants, attorneys, medical marijuana advocates, and public officials.

The event is open to the public, and the audience will have the opportunity to comment and weigh in on competing proposals. A party and reception, featuring live music, other entertainment and refreshments, will be held at the Montalban Theater immediately following the conference until 10 pm.

The conference follows up the sold out "Next Steps" conference in Berkeley in January (http://www.canorml.org/nextsched.html).

What: "Next Steps for Marijuana Reform in California"

When: Saturday, March 19th, 9 am to 6 pm

Where: Ricardo Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood

Tickets: www.drugpolicy.org/nextsteps

Conference Schedule: www.canorml.org/LAConfSched_Online.html

Admission: $20 for the conference; $20 for the reception. A $30 discounted ticket for both events is available online in advance only.

Ask yourself – ‘Why is there no looting going on in Japan?’

I can’t help thinking about natural disasters in America and what usually follows in their wake. A lawless atmosphere that includes looting.

How has Japan managed to maintain order in the aftermath of last week's earthquake and tsunami?

The chaos and theft that have followed many earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis have been noticeably absent in the wake of Japan's 8.9-magnitude quake. Instead, people have formed long, orderly lines outside grocery stores, where employees try to fairly distribute limited supplies of food and water. "Looting simply does not take place in Japan," says Gregory Pflugfelder, an expert in Japanese culture at Columbia University, as quoted by CNN. "I'm not even sure if there's a word for it that is as clear in its implications as when we hear 'looting.'" How has Japan managed to avoid this common after-effect of disaster?

Flooded Streets in Ishimaki City (Kyodo Kyodo/Reuters)

PHOTO - People walk along a flooded street in Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in Northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area.

Japan isn't superior, just different: “Japanese people are "taught that conformity and consensus are virtues," says James Picht at The Washington Times. To Americans, who prize individualism, "those virtues sound almost offensive." In normal times, "concerns about appearance and obligation" may be stifling, but in adversity they may be what trumps "the urge to smash and grab." Japanese culture isn't "superior," it's just "well suited to maintaining public order immediately after a major disaster."   STORY HERE

New Study Says Gay Families More Accepted Than Single Moms

Pew study find Americans are split evenly overall on accepting 'non-traditional families' but disparage single moms

“When Steve Pougnet was sworn in as mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., in 2007, his husband, Christopher Green, was at his side. In Pougnet's arms was his then 2-year-old son, Beckham, while Green held the other twin, Julia.

It was a moment neither man could have imagined possible when they met 19 years ago. Even then, they knew they someday wanted to have children, but they didn’t know if it would be possible and couldn’t be sure how their family would be viewed if they did.”

PHOTO - Christopher Green, left, and Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, right, shown with their 5-year-old twins Beckham and Julia, say gay families have become more public in recent years. When they first began talking about having children 19 years ago, “we didn’t see any gay couples with kids on the streets,” Pougnet said.

GO HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY.

Bottled water largely unmonitored - flush your habit and turn the tap

Bottled water? That's so '80s.

The $14.4 billion bottled-water market has come under fire for being environmentally incorrect as those discarded plastic containers keep piling up in landfills.

Meanwhile, decades of marketing that touted costly bottled water as cleaner, healthier and better tasting than tap water turned out to be a lot of hype. Not only is most good-old-fashioned tap water safe and clean, experts say, but swearing off the bottle also saves you a bundle.

Here's how to turn on the tap and let the savings pour in — without sacrificing flavor: Full Story

‘Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day’ slated for March 30th

I’d like to remind my readers that March 30th is the 2nd Annual “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” for all Vietnam Veterans in California.

The following is a list of local cities that will be recognizing this law and honoring Vietnam veterans prior to March 30th:

The meetings will be held at each city hall, and the County Supervisor’s chambers.

The public is encouraged to attend and show their support for the men and women who served during a difficult time in our nation’s history:

   City of Arcata - March 16th at 6:00 p.m.

   City of Eureka - March 21st at 6;00 p.m.

   City of Fortuna - March 21st at 6:00 p.m.

   City of Rio Dell - TBA

   Humboldt County Board of Supervisors - March 22nd at 9:00 a.m.

After March 30th – The City of Ferndale will present a proclamation on April 7th.

On September 25, 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, joined by Assemblyman Paul Cook and WHVVD founder Jose G. Ramos, signed AB 717, making it a law.

  According to latest veteran census statistics, there are an estimated 3,300 Vietnam Era veterans living in Humboldt County. For more information, or updates, contact Carl Young at carlhandup@att.net

Nuclear industry vows that lessons from Japan will make reactors 'even safer'

“Two days after the earthquake and tsunami pushed Japan into a nuclear emergency, the leading trade and lobbying group for the worldwide nuclear power industry has outlined its position on the future of nuclear energy: “When we fully understand the facts surrounding the event in Japan, we will use those insights to make nuclear energy even safer.”

The Nuclear Energy Institute posted 19 questions and answers on Sunday, apparently intended to reassure the public, the financial markets and legislators that "public support for nuclear power should not decline dramatically.”   FULL STORY

As It Stands: Recognizing when not to 'die' over an issue

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 03/13/2011 01:27:28 AM PST

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It's not worth dying for?” Basically, it means there's no use getting stressed out over things when you're the one who will suffer.

Not that politician who angered you. Not that jerk who cut you off on the freeway. Not that clown who claimed to be pious but was actually a child molester. You're the one who will suffer the consequences of increased blood pressure or heart attack when your anger gets the best of you.

I had to remind myself of that when I heard the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) to continue picketing Army funerals. Watching that hate group taunt the families of dead American servicemen on TV practically sent me through the roof!

For days, I fumed over the decision, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was the only decision the justices could make. Free speech was challenged and had to be upheld, regardless of how hateful that speech was. It still hit me hard.

As a Vietnam veteran (Army) I looked at the decision with biased eyes. Gut reaction. Those fallen men and women were my brothers and sisters, and the WBC is allowed to mock their deaths. To disrupt a sacred ritual of comfort for the living over their loss. How wrong was that?

Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq in 2006 and his funeral was picketed by Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, Albert Snyder, Matthew's father, told Katie Couric on CBS News.

He also said, “When the government won't do anything about it, and the courts give us no remedy, then people are going to start taking matters into their own hands. And believe me, someone is going to get hurt. And when the blood starts flowing, let it be on the Supreme Court Justices' hands.”

I feel Albert Snyder's pain. I didn't lose a son but I felt like the whole world was turned upside down, and wrong was right. The bad guys won. Chaos was creeping nearer. Then I heard Tom Brokaw say something that really struck a chord with me. He mentioned the veteran groups that were attending military funerals to shield the families from Phelps and his minions.

If anything, the WBC has caused attendance to increase at military funerals across the nation. The fallen are actually getting more recognition for their sacrifices than before the WBC started their vile campaign against them.

For years, I've read about low attendance at military funerals. They even had a hard time finding people to play taps and used tape recordings instead. The services were generally confined to immediate family and friends, in spite of being open to the public.

Look at what's happening now. Hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of strangers are going to military funerals to show their respect and solidarity against those who would profane such a sacred event. I wouldn't be surprised to see even more dramatic increase in attendance after the WBC promised to “quadruple” their demonstrations after the court's decision.

The mistake Albert Snyder makes is he's prepared to “die over something” that's not wrong according to our Constitution. The WBC is morally wrong, without a doubt, but the court can't use that as factor in its decision for freedom of speech. Hopefully, Snyder can take some solace since his son's funeral brought about an awareness of military deaths. The public needs to be reminded that Americans are dying in our never-ending wars. Matthew Snyder's legacy is that he died fighting for his country and his funeral became a wake-up call for America.

Violence at military funerals, as Snyder suggested may happen, is not the answer. Violence is never the answer. The Supreme Court's decision was the right one. Threatening the WBC members will accomplish nothing and will only keep them in the spotlight they crave.

To put things in perspective, a small cult/church is spewing hateful messages and will do or say anything to get attention. Most of the country disagrees with them, and the end result is an awareness of military deaths and a reaffirmation of free speech.

As It Stands, few things in life are really worth “dying for,” and the ability to recognize that means a longer and happier life.

Think about it – no more need to worry about idiots who leave their turn signals on forever…

I was reading my good friend, Woody Woodburn’s column “Distraction on roads all the rage” at the Ventura Star and found out something that will help reduce my irritation at people who leave their turn signals on forever!

It sure made my day knowing that there was hope this distraction will disappear someday. This company (RLP Engineering) responded to Woody’s column and provided the following link:

Excerpt:

 “INTELLITURN is the first and only smart turn signal designed for all motor vehicles.  INTELLITURN is a system with no moving parts that precisely and intelligently controls right and left turn signals. 

By eliminating the steering column mechanism and using computer control to shut off the turn signal at a situation-appropriate point through the turn, a vast improvement in an old technology is born. The result is that the overall driving experience is enhanced and vehicle safety is improved.  The common shortcomings of today's mechanical turn signal control become a thing of the past.”

GO HERE to learn more about this new system.

As It Stands – a glance at blog readership …

I’m always amazed to see where readers are coming from, and what countries they hail from. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who stop by here and visit. One stat that constantly sticks out is how many students – from high schools to colleges – read this blog. I find it fascinating that high school students from Florida, to college students in the UK provide the majority of my readers. I’m still not sure why. It’s obvious when schools out though.

Period from Mar 5 12:00, 2011 – Mar 12 11:00, 2011

United States: 3,407 - United Kingdom: 220; – Canada: 169; – Japan: 129; – Germany: 121; – Australia: 80; – Philippines 59; – France: 57; – Thailand: 52; – and Russia: 51.

Page Views by Browsers

Internet Explorer: 3,073 (55%) – Firefox: 1,192 (21%) – Chrome: 573 (10%) – Safari: 515 (9%) – Opera: 78 (1%) -

Iceweasel: 32 (<1%) – SearchToolbar: 24 (<1%) – Chromeframe: 10 (<1%) – CometBird: 7 (<1%) – Flock: 6 (<1%)

 

Millionaires and billionaries can’t agree: the NFL lockout has officially begun…

“For the first time since 1987, the National League Football has officially entered a work stoppage.

It came with a whimper.

As of 12:33 a.m. ET, the league hasn’t released a statement on the matter.  (The collective bargaining agreement ran out at midnight.)  NFL Network did announce on air, however, that the owners have imposed a lockout on the players, and NFL.com also has a story on it.

The Associated Press also confirmed the move and teams received an email notifying them a lockout was imposed.

The start of the lockout will set off a number of legal maneuvers.  The players have gone to court in an effort to block the lockout.

They have filed an antitrust lawsuit — officially known as Brady et al vs. National Football League et al.   The owners are expected to try to prove that the NFLPA’s decertification is a sham.   That argument could have problems.”   Image source      FULL STORY

A thought before you drift off…

    "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
— Oscar Wilde

Is that a monkey in your bra, or ... oh, OK, it's a monkey

Woman shows up at Va. courthouse with tiny marmoset in her undergarment

“A woman turned a few heads when she walked into a rural Virginia courthouse with a tiny monkey clad in a pink-and-white dress tucked in her bra.”

Story Here 

Photo - Cara, a seven-week-old marmoset, sits on a desk at the Amherst County Courthouse in Amherst, Va., on Thursday.

North Coast Tsunami warning: “I have my floaties on!”

UPDATES BELOW

 

My wife and I were woke up at about 2:30 this morning by a call from our niece in Stockton, California.

She was in tears and thought we were going to be taken out to sea with the Tsunami that she heard was coming our way after it hit Japan.

In turn, my wife called our son and his family in Crescent City to warn them. They cleared out long before the sirens went off and went to higher ground.

After listening to the TV and following reports on local blogs, it’s becoming apparent to me that it’s highly unlikely there’s going to be any major damage anywhere on the West Coast – it’s 8: 28 a.m. right now.

Some boats and piers might get messed up, but I highly doubt places like Eureka are going to see monster waves. Authorities, in what I think was an overabundance of caution, shut down the power plant in Eureka leaving the entire city and the City of Fortuna without power! (Update – . 9:59 -  PG & E has established rolling outages for the next 2 hours to lighten their power load. This is all part of the Emergency plan up here, and shows you how little I knew about it!) 

Kids on the North Coast are delighted. My grandchildren in McKinleyville, Arcata, and Crescent City, are thrilled they’re getting the day off. In what has to be one of the most stupid reactions to all of this, the company my middle son works for insisted he go out and make beverage deliveries in Eureka – despite business’s shutting down! The last time we talked to him he was at the Co-Op – where employees didn’t want his delivery since the store’s power was off. I won’t name the company he works for, but I will say someone there has a screw loose!

For live views along the California Coast GO HERE

UPDATE NOON:  The most current information can be found here.

UPDATES:

1. Very little news coming out of our local Channel 3. Channel 7 has reporters in areas that no one else is showing describing the oceans movements live. That includes Crescent City.

2. 945 AM water reported receding for 3rd time in Humboldt Bay, 3rd wave pulse expected shortly.

3.I’m concerned about my middle son who is out there driving a big beverage truck and trying to make deliveries as ordered by his boss. Shirley has been in contact with him (via cell phone) as he describes what it’s like right now in Downtown Eureka. Looks like everything is going to be okay though.

4. Between 35 to 40 boats in the Crescent City Harbor are reportedly destroyed by a follow-up wave that also smashed pier. No casualties reported by Officers of Emergency Services in Eureka where the first reports are flooding in. Santa Cruz harbor also had boat damage.

5. Reports out of crescent City (11:37 PST): 4 people swept out to sea. One fatality confirmed!

6. MSNBC and other news organizations are reporting that the person who was killed was taking photos when it happened. Several news outlets report that two people in Crescent City who were swept out to sea were rescued. That still leaves one unaccounted for. Link here.

Crescent City harbor destroyed; 4 people swept into sea, 1 feared dead

From The LA Times:

“Eight-foot waves from the Japan tsunami destroyed much of Crescent City harbor, battered boats, closed the 101 Freeway and left one person missing.
KDRV-TV reported that four people were washed out to sea Friday. Three were hurt and one is feared dead.”

PHOTO - Crescent City residents reported that about three dozen boats were "crushed" in the harbor. (Jeff Barnard / Associated Press)

From KATU NEWS:

Tsunami waves ripple ashore, sparing Oregon coast

After their nine-hour trip across the vast Pacific Ocean, the waves that devastated parts of Japan spared the Oregon coast, while parts of California did receive some isolated damage. One person has been reported killed and three others washed out to sea in Crescent City, California, near the Oregon border, where waves over 7-feet tall have been reported.

Muslim 'radicalization' hearing revives ghost of Joseph McCarthy and his anti-Communist hearings

Please take a moment and look at Peter King (pictured here). You should know that he was once a terrorist who ran with the IRA back in the day when the group was on a world terrorist list and killing innocent civilians.

Look again. He’s back now as a crusading New York lawmaker on a mission. Do you see a hint of the fanatic? He recently admitted to being “obsessed” with the American Muslim community that he feared was fostering homegrown terrorists at alarming rates.

Peter King, the New York lawmaker at the center of the controversial hearing, says not to conduct the probe would be a 'craven surrender to political correctness.' Democrats compare the proceeding to Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist hearings. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca stresses the need to build trust between the police and Muslim Americans.                                   Full Story

The irony of King conducting witch hunts in America is almost too much. How does a man like this get to a position of power with the opportunity to pursue a segment of the American population (over 2 million Muslims) that he’s confessed he’s obsessed with? He’s not the only person trying to alienate the Muslim population in America.

Another man on a mission against Muslims is Pastor Terry Jones from Gainesville, Florida.Yep. He’s the same guy who was going to publicly burn piles of the Koran last year. Well, guess what? He’s back. On Sunday, March 20th he’s staging a “International Judge the Koran Day” and plans to expose the “so-called peaceful” book of the Koran. 

My column in the Times-Standard, on that Sunday, will look at Jones’s misguided mission to not only discredit an ancient religion, but to harass American Muslims in any way he can. Is he just another sicko, or is he part of a movement to stop the practice of Muslim worship in America? You decide on March 20th. See ya there.   

PHOTO - Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, arrives for the first in a series of hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community. Critics say the hearings will stigmatize Muslim Americans. (Olivier Douliery / Abaca Press / MCT / March 10, 2011)

Funniest E-mail from this morning…

Going through my e-mails this morning this gem appeared. When I stopped laughing, I knew it was time to share it with my readers:

Beginning in early 2011 gas stations will start showing PORN movies on the screens of the pumps so that you can watch someone else get screwed the same time that you do!

photo source

GOP Trampled Democracy to Appease Their Wealthy Backers

When Wisconsin's G.O.P. senators couldn't get what they wanted in an open process, they resorted to goon-squad democracy. You got a problem wi' dat?

Cartoon source

I’m not at all surprised by what the Wisconsin Republicans have done to get their way (hook or crook it doesn’t matter). No one else should be either.

“When Wisconsin Republicans did an end run around Democrats on Wednesday night in order to pass a bill that would strip public employees of most of their collective bargaining rights, they showed themselves to be liars. This was supposed to be about balancing Wisconsin's budget, remember? The collective bargaining rights revocation was all of a piece with an ironically named "Budget Repair Bill," and Gov. Scott Walker, darling of billionaire union-hater David Koch and his astroturf group, Americans For Prosperity, swore up and down that it was only the budget he cared about in this fight.”

That lie has been exposed by the GOP’s actions. People should know that the men behind this assault on unions don’t believe in democracy. They are elitists who only look out for their own. The Koch brother’s daddy Fred was the clown that started the John Birch Society – what does that tell you about the Koch boys? 

“This battle is about a few very wealthy men, and the politicians who seek their slice of power through them, wanting to steal the future from ordinary people and their children. They want to rob old people, who worked all their lives, of their Social Security and their pensions; they want to rob future generations of their inheritance, which, for regular people so blessed, usually comes in the form of the windfall from the sale of a deceased parent's home. If people can't afford to stay in their homes in their later years, there's no inheritance for their children. Why do David Koch, and his brother Charles, and their good friend, Rupert Murdoch, want to rip you off? To enrich their own heirs at your expense.

This is what the fight is partly about. The rest is about control.”

I have no doubt busting unions is only part of the Koch brother’s agenda. Just look what they’ve done so far to ensure they can override the will of the people in Wisconsin. They buy politicians like you and I buy socks – when they are no longer usable, they throw them away. 

“How much easier it would to be boss of all of us if there were no meaningful opposition to fulfilling one's self-inflating, heir-enriching agenda. Now that he's made the Republican Party over in his own image -- in Wisconsin alone, at least three congressmen, one U.S. senator and the governor won election in 2010 thanks to his efforts -- the only obstacle left is the opposition party, whose get-out-the-vote operation is rooted in the labor movement. Kill the unions and you cripple the Democratic Party. Game over.”

GO HERE to read the rest of the article.

‘Even-handed’ political columnist David S. Broder died today

 As a longtime loyal reader of David Broder, I’m sad to see his voice silenced. I’ve always admired his fairness when approaching any issue, regardless of how politically charged it was.

There’s few like him out there these days. It’s good to know he was so well-read, and hopefully his legacy will be to inspire others to be as even-handed in their political commentary.

I know that I have a long way to go to achieve his credibility in political commentary. All I can do is to strive to emulate the master. May he rest in peace.

David Broder, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post political columnist whose even-handed treatment of Democrats and Republicans set him apart from the ideological warriors on the nation's op-ed pages, died Wednesday. He was 81

Media Matters found that Broder was second among columnists only to George Will in the combined circulation of newspapers in which his column appeared.

Full Story

Will NPR lose it’s federal funding over latest flap?

It seems everyone is getting “pranked” these days. People haven’t stopped laughing at Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s candid conversation with (what he thought was) David Koch (Conservative agenda funder extraordinaire).

Now, on the heel’s of that embarrassment we have a an ex-NPR executive, Ron Schiller, on video saying the organization doesn’t need Federal funding. He too, was pranked (or whatever you want to call it) -this time by a Conservative gadfly, James O'Keefe, who secretly taped a conversation which was part of a “sting” operation to discredit NPR.

Vivian Schiller, NPR chief, resigns amid 'tea party' video fallout

“The resignation comes at a dicey time for NPR. On Tuesday, a video featuring former NPR executive Ron Schiller (no relation) came to light. In the video, the work of conservative activist James O'Keefe, Schiller is heard demeaning tea party supporters as racists and "gun-toting" Christian fundamentalists who had "hijacked" the Republican Party. Schiller also said that NPR would be "better off in the long run" without federal support.”

Talk about bad timing. Oh wait…there nothing accidental about this expose…so maybe I ought to say “good timing” on someone’s part. Can you guess who?

“NPR is embroiled in a battle on Capitol Hill with Republicans who want to eliminate all federal funding for the publicly supported media network. The Ron Schiller video gave new momentum to that effort, with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) saying Tuesday that the video "clearly highlights the fact that public broadcasting doesn't need taxpayer funding to thrive, and I hope that admission will lead to a bipartisan consensus to end these unnecessary federal subsidies."

Congressional Committee looks into 'Islamic radicalization' by American Muslims

Inquiry by congressional committee looks like inquisition to many Muslims

"By framing his hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors, co-workers or classmates solely on the basis of their religion," Rep. Michael Honda, D-Calif., wrote in a Feb. 28 op-ed piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.   FULL STORY 

PHOTO - Demonstrators attend the "Today, I Am A Muslim, Too" rally in New York City's Times Square on Sunday to show their opposition to congressional hearings on the danger posed by radical Muslims in the U.S

Hacker group vows 'cyberwar' on US government, business

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

Actions to retaliate for treatment of WikiLeaks, Manning, spokesman for Anonymous says

A leader of the computer hackers group known as Anonymous is threatening new attacks on major U.S. corporations and government officials as part of at an escalating “cyberwar” against the citadels of American power.

“It’s a guerilla cyberwar — that’s  what I call it,” said Barrett Brown, 29,  who calls himself a senior strategist and “propagandist” for Anonymous. He added: “It’s sort of an unconventional, asymmetrical act of warfare that we’ve involved in. And we didn’t necessarily start it. I mean, this fire has been burning.”

A defiant and cocky 29-year-old college dropout, Brown was cavalier about accusations that the group is violating federal laws. He insisted that Anonymous members are only policing corporate and governmental wrongdoing — as its members define it.

Breaking laws, but 'ethically'
“Our people break laws, just like all people break laws,” he added. “When we break laws, we do it in the service of civil disobedience. We do so ethically. We do it against targets that have asked for it.” 

And those targets are apparently only growing in number. Angered over the treatment of Bradley Manning, the Army private who is accused of leaking classified U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks and who is currently being held in solitary confinement at a military brig in Quantico, Va., Brown says the group is planning new computer attacks targeting government officials involved in his case.

FULL STORY

Kaspar the friendly robot teaches autistic kids about emotions

“Eden Sawczenko used to recoil when other little girls held her hand and turned stiff when they hugged her. This year, the 4-year-old autistic girl began playing with a robot that teaches about emotions and physical contact — and now she hugs everyone.

The girl attends a pre-school for autistic children in Stevenage, north of London, where researchers bring in a human-looking, child-sized robot once a week for a supervised session. The children, whose autism ranges from mild to severe, play with the robot for up to 10 minutes alongside a scientist who controls the robot with a remote control.” Full Story and More Photos

Is This Uncanny Valley-Scaling Robot Proof Of Our Impending Demise?

I don’t know why the inventor had to call his robot a Geminoid when anyone can see it’s an Humanoid!

Sweet merciful fates: this is a robot. Called a Geminoid, these things came into fame with an early version in 2005 by Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro of ATR. This new version seems completely revamped and updated and, more interesting, this is the first Geminoid from outside of Japan.

This new Geminoid comes from Aalborg University in Denmark and is considerably less complex – but much more realistic – than Ishiguro’s original model. This one, called Geminoid-DK, appears to really breathe and perform involuntary muscular reactions.

FULL STORY

After spending nearly 2,000 years apart, Lucius & Servilia finally reunited

Before Romeo and Juliet there was Lucius and Servilia…

“A married couple from Pompeii have been reunited with the recovery of a missing piece of a 2000-year-old marble puzzle made of several inscribed fragments.

Broken apart and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the pieces belonged to a tomb inscription.

Although there are some other small pieces missing, the inscription is now legible and reads: "Lucius Catilius Pamphilus, freedman of Lucius, member of the Collinian tribe, for his wife Servilia, in a loving spirit."                                                             Full Story

Bill Introduced to Benefit Blue Water Veterans

Rep. Bob Filner (Calif.), ranking of the House Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee, introduced a measure (H.R. 812) that would authorize VA medical care to veterans and retirees exposed to toxins during the Vietnam era.

If enacted, veterans who served in the surrounding waters off the coast of Vietnam and in the skies above will be allowed file claims for exposure to Agent Orange. (The VA currently only acknowledges service-connection for vets who served within the borders of Vietnam or on the inland waterways.) Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center to ask their representative to co-sponsor this important legislation.

Hot Topic: Were you exposed to Agent Orange during your tour as a member of the “blue water” Navy or Coast Guard? Click here to share your experiences.

Source

The Dead Soldiers Ignored by Our Celebrity Obsessed Media

Spc. Jason M. Weaver will not be appearing on the Howard Stern show…

Insurgents attacked Spc. Jason M. Weaver's unit in the Kandahar province on March 3. An improvised explosive device killed the 22-year-old, who had been deployed for the first time

Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt will not be interviewed on the Today Show…

Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, a gay Minnesota man who went back in the closet to join the military, died Sunday while on patrol in Afghanistan when an IED exploded during an attack on his unit. He was 31.

Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr., will not speak with Piers Morgan

Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr., 23, of Norwalk, Conn., died Feb. 28, in Kandahar Province from wounds suffered when his unit was hit by an improvised explosive device, according to the Defense Department.

Army Specialist Rudolph R. Hizon will not be featured in a segment on 20/20…

Army Specialist Rudolph R. Hizon, 21, of Los Angeles, was killed Monday when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan's Logar province.

Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould will not be on Dateline NBC…

Gould, 25, of Frankenlust Township, died in the Ghazni province of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Daren Hidalgo (pictured above) will not get more than 1 million Twitter followers in 24 hours.

Flags will be flown at half-staff on Wednesday in honor of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Daren Hidalgo, 24, a former Wisconsin resident who was killed in Afghanistan on Feb. 20.

Spc. Brian Tabada will not be a call-in guest on any radio shows…

The U.S. Army says 21-year-old Spc. Brian Tabada of Las Vegas, Nev., died Feb. 27 in Konar province

None of the dead U.S. soldiers above received a glance from the national media. A national media entranced by a celebrity drug-addict that abuses women. A national media that is stumbling over itself to allow Charlie Sheen to spout any type of trivial nonsense he so pleases to an eager citizenry.

None of the dead soldiers above made a sitcom. All these young men did was give their lives for their country. Which makes Sheen's new motto of "winning" seem all the more pathetic. And should make all of us feel as though we are losing our soul.

Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles

By William K. Wolfrum | Sourced from Dagblog

Posted at March 6, 2011, 9:19 am

 

Beware: Doing good at work can sometimes get you fired

There was public outrage recently when four employees at a Walmart store in Utah lost their jobs for safely disarming a gun-toting shoplifter.

Walmart could care less about what the public thinks, and adheres to strict rules that protect their liability (bottom line), but not their employees lives.

“What if, after following policy, the perpetrator doesn’t run off with the loot, but instead points a gun at someone back and continues to speak in a threatening tone? At what point may they aggressively defend their own lives? According to Walmart’s policy, never.” Full Story

As It Stands: Word struck? Don't let it bother you, there's probably a good reason

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 03/06/2011 01:30:25 AM PST

Have you ever been struck speechless? Momentarily stunned by a comment or something you saw? At a complete loss of words? Tongue-tied? I have. On my first date in junior high. It was really pathetic. I searched for words to impress my date and made croaking sounds that scared her instead!

The first time I had to stand up in front of a class to make a speech, I lost my voice. I stood, pointed at a chart and coughed. And coughed. Words barely discernible as human came out of my mouth, mocking my efforts at communication. The teacher took pity on me, pretended I made sense and gave me a passing grade.

I once saw a little Vietnamese boy carrying a lizard so big he had it wrapped around his neck. He held the writhing snout with a calm ease born from experience. The lizard looked like a miniature Godzilla to my inexperienced Western eyes.

There we stood in a rice field. The boy was in a hurry to get home but willing to stop and chat if he could “souvenir” something off me or one of the other guys in the platoon. I pointed at the squirming lizard and held my hands up in the universal gesture of a question. The boy smiled and said “Numba one chop chop!”

I smiled back and tried not to gag. I really didn't have a thing to say. I'd recently tried a local fish-head stew that smelled so bad I stuffed my nose with Vicks vapor rub in order to eat it.

 When I think about it, I've been wordless many times in my life:

 “Where have you been all night young man?”

No response.

“Who said you could take that last piece of pie?”

No response.

“What were you thinking?”

No response.

You get the idea. It's pretty common to be at a loss for words. I've given this a lot of deep thought (about five fully focused minutes), and I think it's a survival instinct. If you say nothing, it's better than saying the wrong thing. Think about it:

“Where have you been all night young man?”

“None of your business...” This is where harm comes in.

“Who said you could take that last piece of pie?”

“Grandma ... she appeared to me in a vision ... .” This is where you get to stare at the wall for the rest of the afternoon.

“What were you thinking?”

“That I wanted to get fall-down stupid drunk and tell you ... .” This is where your mate locks the front door and lets you sleep it off on the front step.

Sometimes silence is golden. Or better than a truthful alternative. Then there are times when words can't describe what you're seeing. For example, when I watched each of my three sons enter this world, I was without words. My world tilted each time but no fine speech sprang forth to honor the birth.

No mere words could describe those moments of new life I shared with my wife. I saw my past and my future. Life and death often leave us speechless. The passing of my sister and brother, both so young, left me mute with misery each time. Words were dust in my mouth.

I used to have a friend whose mother always said, “Well, hush my mouth!” He'd tell her he got an A in a test at school and she'd squeal, “Well, hush my mouth!” happily. He'd describe a fight we witnessed and she'd say, “Well, hush my mouth” in awe at the description of carnage. I never understood that expression.

After 60 years of experiencing times when words were worthless or needless, I'm still amazed at how quickly they flee in times of stress, pressure or pleasure. For example, when you get a back rub and are asked if it feels good, words seem unnecessary and a contented sigh says everything!

As It Stands, the next time someone asks you if the “cat got your tongue?” just smile like the Cheshire cat in Alice and Wonderland, and don't answer.

Public shaming: taking disipline to the streets when all else fails

I’d love to see this trend extend to politicians who lie, cheat, and otherwise discredit public service. I would make one a modification for their punishment; going “old school” with the stocks. Remember them?

“Time-outs, groundings and confiscated toys are so old-school.

Today's parents are getting more creative with their punishments. When their kids misbehave, some moms and dads are taking their discipline to the streets. Though public shaming of criminals has fallen out of fashion elsewhere in the world, it's still popular in the United States for misdeeds like reckless driving and shoplifting. See which kids — and a few adults — learned their lesson the public way.”

Full Story