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

Thanks to Eva for the support.  Currently taking "degree courses online,” she avoids buying bottled water to protect the environment and to save money.

Breaking Local News: landslide on 101 stops traffic both ways!

Update below (as of 2:48 p.m.)
I just got a call from my son who drives a big rig for Del Recca Beverages in Eureka. He was on his way down to Southern Humboldt to make deliveries when a mountain slide happened right before his eyes! A tree fell first, but then more of the mountain collapsed (he called us on his cell at 9:21 a.m. after calling the CHP first) and within minutes the road was impassable. (CHP reports say the slide happened at 9:22 a.m.)
My son, Nate, was able to stop his truck in plenty of time. He’s the first in what is rapidly becoming a long line of vehicles that are stuck! The slide happened just north of Redway. Nate reported that the road is splitting open (Go to KMUD link provided below for photos) and the earth is still moving. He’s pretty uncomfortable being stuck right now, but is perfectly safe.
The question now is “How are all those vehicles – on both sides of the slide – going to turn around? stay tuned, as Nate gives me updates. Right now, he said there’s lots of CHP on the scene.
  First reports are saying the slide happened a quarter mile north of the Dean Creek exit. 12-15 feet deep. via Redheaded Blackbelt Go here for more updates and photos.
More info on KMUD website:
UPDATE From CalTrans update
ROUTE 101 CLOSED NORTH OF GARBERVILLE DUE TO MUDSLIDE
Eureka  – Caltrans has announced that Route 101 in Southern Humboldt County
is  closed  due  to  a  large mudslide approximately one mile north of Dean
Creek.  Caltrans crews are currently onsite and assessing the situation.
No estimated time of opening is currently available.  Caltrans will issue
another update by 2:00 PM today.
Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.  For the most current road
information   on   all   State   highways,   please   call   1-800-427-7623
(1-800-GAS-ROAD) or visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/.

As of: 10:22 AM AND NB IS CLOSED TAKING PEOPLE OFF NB AT DEAN CRK

10:22AM
DOT HAS HARD CLOSURE SB 101 / DIVERTING AT SDALE

10:17AM
PER CO RDS DYERVILLE & ALDPT RDS CANT HANDLE LG RIGS, INCLUDING SCHOOL BUSES

10:13AM
1039 SCHOOL DIST

10:01AM
1039 CO RDS, THEY HAVE SOME WORKERS ENRT TO ATT TO PLOW

California Highway Patrol says highway may be closed for two weeks.
2:48 p.m. update:
Nate was able to turn his truck around and go back to the distribution plant in Eureka. He called to let his mother and I know everything was okay. He also told us this, “I forgot my clipboard this morning and had to turn around (after just going a block) and went back to get it. That’s never happened before. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!”
Me too.

Morning meanderings and joy that there’s no rain today!

Here we are… it’s Wednesday and it’s NOT RAINING! First order of business is the following interesting email:

Mr. Stancliff,
I hope this finds you well, thank you for your time.
I read your piece “AS IT STANDS: Collecting war trophies...” with interest and was curious where the photograph of the soldiers in Vietnam originated? Do you know? I’m assuming this is something you found on the internet, but I can’t discover the source.
Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks,

Patrick Witty
International Picture Editor
TIME

My reply to Mr. Witty was basically, “I know who took it – but the person doesn’t want his name associated with it.” That person is in the photograph (center) but he doesn’t exactly go around showing it off. I have to admit it’s kinda odd (to me) that he’s kept it (and other one) all these years. He said he keeps them to remind himself of what an animal he once was. We all (combat Vietnam veterans) have different ways of coping. Update:

Dave, I really appreciate you writing me back. Should we decide to publish the image on time.com, I will certainly not mention the source. I just wanted to certify it’s authenticity with someone who would know. Again, thank you very much.
Patrick

   

                                                 Magazine Covers from Time’s Archives

I read about an interesting Supreme Court ruling this morning - Court: Eagle feathers only for American Indians -  which upheld Native American’s rights to have eagle feathers (they’re part of religious ceremonies). Non-Indians filed a discrimination claim, but lost their case.

For the second time in less than a week of an air traffic supervisor working as a controller being suspended we have this: FAA suspends second air traffic controller in one week I already have this phobia of flying, and hearing this kind of stuff just reaffirms my fears.

I’m always on the lookout for odd news stories and found this one this morning: Police: Pa. trucker saved from choking by crash It’s a case of a bad thing happening that suddenly turns out to be a good thing! How about that?

I read a good Op-Ed piece in the Times-Standard this morning, and will go so far as to say I agree with the writer, Cedar Reuben. There’s Not much to celebrate in log export from Humboldt County. It was a well-written piece and made a strong argument for not shipping off our raw materials (wood).

Looking forward to going for a walk on the beach this afternoon with my honey Shirley. I’ll take my regular walk with Millie (our Pug) first, and then we’ll go. I’m reasonably confident that it won’t rain today (gee… I hope those aren’t famous last words!) You have a great day. Live it like it’s your last!

Researchers find a new way to fight fire using a magic wand!

Gotta love the new technology that incorporates the stuff of legends – a magic wand that snuffs fires. My boyhood hero, Buck Rogers, didn’t even have that in his arsenal of scientific stuff. Pretty cool, I’d say: 

“Researchers say they've found a new way to snuff out flames using an electric field-generating wand — and the seemingly magical technique just might be put to use in future fire rescues.

The technology sounds a bit like the fictional flame-freezing charm or the Aguamenti spell mentioned in J.K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter books, and the fact that it's done with a wand-like electrode makes the story even better.”

Story Here

Bomb threat closes buildings at Humboldt State University

From the Times-Standard/Posted: 03/28/2011 12:29:51 PM PDT

A suspected bomb threat prompted Humboldt State University to evacuate both Founders Hall and Van Matre Hall around 11 a.m. today.

HSU spokesman Jarad Petroske said that University Police Department personnel was on scene to investigate the bomb threat, and that classes in both buildings have been canceled through 2 p.m. Petroske could not provide any additional information as of 12:15 p.m., except that the buildings remained closed and all available UPD officers were on scene.

I’ll post updates as I hear them. GOOD NEWS – There was no bomb. Just a note in a hallway warning of one.

Sidebar story: March 23, 2011 - “Humboldt State University text message alert system has record sign-up” at least one commentator on the T-S noted the bomb threat is on the Emergency Broadcasting System. I don’t think this is the same system. I do wonder how this text message alert system worked however. Can anyone ring in on this?

Filthy London show digs up the dirt at new exhibition

“Filth, fecal matter and grime in all its forms are the subject of a new exhibition in London. "Dirt: the Filthy Reality of Everyday Life" features around 200 exhibits ranging from vials of urine to air samples and a floor pattern made from dust found in homes, all of which are used to examine humanity's ambivalent relationship with dirt through the ages.

"Dirt is everywhere and periodically we get very worried about it. But we have also discovered that we need bits of it and, guiltily, secretly, we are sometimes drawn to it," said Ken Arnold, Director of Public Program at the Wellcome Collection, where the exhibition is being held. The exhibition takes anthropologist Mary Douglas' view that dirt is "matter out of place" as a cue to investigate human attitudes toward cleanliness.”  Story Here.

Chamber Pot plays roll in exhibition – photo source

‘She hexed me!’ Whistle-blowing witch grounded by TSA

It sounds like Wicca believers need a good PR person. They don’t cast spells like traditional witches – or so they claim. The problem seems to be when they started calling themselves witches people associated them with Satanic stereotypes.

“Wiccan is fired after complaint about casting spells — and after she complained about lax security at the airport

“Here's a situation for all you aspiring managers: If you were the boss at a U.S. government agency and one of your employees complained that she was afraid of a co-worker's religious practices, what would you do?

Would it change your decision if the religion were Wicca, and the employee feared her co-worker because she thought she might cast a spell on her?

Here's how the Transportation Security Administration handled it:

It fired the witch.”   Story Here.

As It Stands: Gaming the system -- frivolous lawsuits flourish in our courts

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 03/27/2011 02:40:32 AM PDT
I'm always amused, and sometimes disgusted, to read about frivolous lawsuits that regularly pop up like jack-in-the-boxes in the news. The most recent that caught my eye was a mom who sued a preschool for not prepping her 4-year-old for Ivy League colleges.
No, I'm not kidding. The New York Daily News recently reported it. The plaintiff is Nicole Imprescia of Manhattan, who filed suit against New York Avenue Preschool for a refund of the $19,000-a-year tuition she had paid. Why? Are you sitting down for this?
Imprescia claims the school jeopardized her 4-year-old daughter Lucia's chances of getting into an elite private school by not preparing her for the admissions exam one has to take to get in. And here's the clincher: She claims the preschool ruined her daughter's chances of being a future Ivy Leaguer.

No joke. She contends her “very smart” daughter was put in a class with kids half her age and that the focus of the class was on shapes and colors. I wonder. The school's website indicates students do more than just learn shapes and colors.
One of the many things they learn is the alphabet. There's much more, of course. The preschool had never been sued before in its 20 years of existence.
Imprescia says it's more “one big playroom” than a preschool. Oh, my. How terrible is that? We're talking about 2- to 4-year-olds. If all they learned was shapes and colors, she might have a point. Maybe. That doesn't appear to be the case, based upon available information.
That's still not the final kicker to this story. Imprescia took her daughter out of school after a mere month, according to her lawyer, Mathew Paulose.
Her daughter might have had a chance to learn the letter “C” before she pulled the plug on the preschool. In all fairness, this was her daughter's second year there, and it seems she wasn't excelling. Whose fault was that? Apparently not the daughter's, according to Mom.
She's filed a lawsuit because she thinks her 4-year-old won't get into Harvard. Is this the American way of handling things? Sue the school rather than face up to her own responsibilities as a parent?

I understand that “lawyering” is a competitive profession, but I think many lawyers have been reduced to carnival barkers. They jump though frivolous lawsuits for money like trained sea lions jump through flaming hoops. As for you legitimate lawyers, you can exhale now, secure in the knowledge that you're doing the right thing. I'm not talking about you. OK?

Arguably the most notorious of frivolous lawsuits was Pearson v. Chung. This was the case of Roy Pearson, a judge in Washington, D.C., who sued a dry cleaning business for $67 million (later lowered to $54 million). According to Pearson, the dry cleaners lost his pants (which he brought in for a $10.50 alteration) and refused his demands for a large refund.
Pearson believed a “Satisfaction Guaranteed” sign in the window of the shop legally entitled him to a refund for the cost of the pants, estimated at $1,000. The $54 million total included $2 million in “mental distress” and $15,000 which he estimated to be the cost of renting a car every weekend to go to another dry cleaner.
As It Stands, Nicole Imprescia's beef with the preschool may seem pale in comparison to Pearson v. Chung, but it's another example of people gaming a system that probably needs an overhaul.

'Tricycle' can get up to 18.6 miles an hour — as you stare straight at the road

 If you’re a bicycle  enthusiast, this model ought to get your attention.

I was thinking of McKinleyville Press Publisher, Jack Durham, when I posted this. Jack rides bikes whenever he can and even has a collection of them. What do you think about this one Jack?

It's like something straight out of the mind of Tim "The Toolman" Taylor ... but German.

Dreamed up by four German design students and built like a cross between a Tron Light Cycle and our childhood tricycle, it accelerates to 18.6 miles per hour, powered by nothing but a pair of Bosch 18-volt screwdrivers. Story Here

Buy a truck, get a free Ak-47 – get cable TV and a shotgun for free!

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

Dealer offers free AK-47 for truck buyers

I can remember the days when gas stations passed out free plates, cups, and other household items to entice customers.

Welcome to the 21st century where free weapons are handed out to get your business. It’s a damning statement about the society we live in today.

Dealer offers free AK-47 for truck buyers

SANFORD, Fla. — “A Florida car dealership trying to drum up business is offering an unusual perk for potential used-truck buyers: A free AK-47 assault rifle.

General sales manager Nick Ginetta says that since the promotion was announced on Veterans Day, business has more than doubled at Nations Trucks in Sanford.”  Story here.

Buy a cable dish, get a free gun

“A Radio Shack in Montana is offering would-be satellite television customers a bit more bang for their buck.

The Ravalli Republic reports customers who sign up for some Dish Network packages at Radio Shack in Hamilton will be rewarded with a pistol or shotgun. Those not interested in the gun offer can pick a $50 Pizza Hut gift card.” Story here

True Americana: offbeat roadside attractions wow visitors

They're weird, they're the world's largest, and they're off the next exit.

How can you pass them up? Whether oddities from a time gone by or just a way get tourist dollars for a tiny town, you'll want a snapshot with these roadside attractions.

Skip ahead to read about:

Creepy dolls in Kentucky -- Cadillac Ranch --

Hunting Bigfoot in Virginia --

The Corn Palace --  World's Largest Pistachio Nut

Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum -–The Big Blue Bug

And more here

Congress Making Themselves and Friends Richer, While Everyone Else Struggles to Make Ends Meet

It’s my honor every Sunday, to share space in the Times-Standard Opinion section with Jim Hightower.

I haven’t seen this column in the T-S, so I’d like to share it with you:

The great majority of Americans make about $30K a year. Incoming lawmakers, however? Extensive personal investments in Wall St. banks, oil giants and drug makers.

“Change is not the same thing as progress. In fact, change can be the exact opposite. It can be regressive, as we're now learning from -- where else? -- Congress.

A flock of tea party-infused Republicans has certainly changed the political dynamic there, and exultant GOP leaders are claiming that they are now the voice of "The People." But most people won't find themselves represented by this change, much less see it as progress.

That's because the newcomers in Congress, whether Republican or Democrat, tend to live high up the economic ladder, way out of touch with the people they're representing. Indeed, 40 percent of newly elected house members are millionaires, as are 60 percent of new senators.

Their wealth and financial ties might help explain the rush by the new Republican House majority to coddle these very same corporate powers. From gutting EPA's anti-pollution restrictions on Big Oil to undoing the restraints on Wall Street greed, they're pushing for a return to the same laissez-fairyland ideology of the past 20 years that got our country in massive messes.

At the same time, they're out to kill a green-jobs program, bust unions, cut Social Security, defund Head Start and generally stomp on the fingers of working families trying to hold onto the middle class rungs of the economic ladder.

The change in Congress is taking America backward, not forward, for the new majority literally is the voice of millionaires. That's not progress.

So we see corporations and billionaires wallowing in fabulous new wealth, while productive workers fall out of the middle class. And our new congress-members are just fine with that, even pushing a program of more tax breaks and subsidies for the corporate elite, while vehemently opposing efforts to create jobs and advance the middle class. Making the richest people richer is not a recovery -- it's a robbery.”

Condensed column – see Full Article Here.

- Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the new book, "Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow." (Wiley, March 2008) He publishes the monthly "Hightower Lowdown," co-edited by Phillip Frazer

Crime gangs among first to deliver Japan earthquake aid

There’s a lot of reasons that I admire the Japanese. It’s inspirational watching the people stay orderly and not panic, despite the most devastating events that have hit their country since they were nuked in WWII.

What really blows my mind is how even the criminals in Japan pitch in and help when natural disasters happen.

“Tons of relief goods have been delivered to victims of Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami from a dark corner of society: the "yakuza" organized crime networks.

Yakuza groups have been sending trucks from the Tokyo and Kobe regions to deliver food, water, blankets and toiletries to evacuation centers in northeast Japan, the area devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which have left at least 27,000 dead and missing.”

Unlike here in America, where disasters like Katrina bring out the looters, the Yakuza have standards of conduct.

“Disasters bring out another side of yakuza, who move swiftly and quietly to provide aid to those most in need. The gangs' charity is rooted in their "ninkyo" code,which values justice and duty and forbids allowing others to suffer. In times such as earthquakes, they put their money where their mouths are.”

 Full Story

Skin cancer risk is higher for rich women than for poor women, study finds

The rich really are different from the rest of us – at least when it comes to skin cancer.

That’s the conclusion of a new study from Archives of Dermatology that examined the incidence of melanoma among younger women of various income levels. Not only were melanoma rates highest among those with the highest incomes, the number of new diagnoses also grew fastest in that group too. Full Story

The U.S. is engaged in Libya because of an abusive leader who is killing his own people, what about the Ivory Coast?

“While the world has been focused on airstrikes and dramatic developments on the ground in Libya, a string of Middle East uprisings and twin natural disasters and the fear of a nuclear meltdown in Japan, another serious crisis has been quietly brewing: a potential civil war in the Ivory Coast.”  Full Story

PHOTO - Charles Ble Goude, center, Ivory Coast's Minister of Youth and leader of the "Young Patriots" speaks as commander in chief of the army Phillipe Mangou, right, looks on in front of thousands of young supporters of Ivorian strongman Laurent Gbagbo on March 21 in Abidjan

Assault on American middle class continues–this time on seniors

Another Republican governor attacking the middle class – this time seniors. Have they no shame at all?

I realize they have to answer to the tea baggers who put them there, but this is an all-out war on the middle class by special interests and corporations.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is drawing recall threats and angry protests over his attempt to tax the pension and 401(k) incomes of millions of retirees. He also wants to eliminate a $2,300-per-person tax break for those 65 and over and reduce the credit seniors get for property tax payments.

Just another example of efforts by Republican governors like Wisconsin's Scott Walker to attack the middle class and help the businesses that donated to their campaigns. And like many in that state, people are ready to rise up and demand that Michigan's governor back down.

 Story “Michigan wants to end tax break for seniors”

Dorothy Young: Last surviving Houdini stage assistant dies at 103

Dorothy Young, the last surviving stage assistant of illusionist Harry Houdini and also an accomplished dancer, died Sunday at her home in a retirement community in Tinton Falls, N.J. She was 103.

Young's death was announced by Drew University, where she was a prominent donor and patron of the arts.

Young joined Houdini's company as a teenager after attending an open casting call during a family trip to New York.

 During her year with Houdini's stage show in the mid-1920s, she played the role of "Radio Girl of 1950," (photo right) emerging from a large mock-up of a radio and performing a dance routine.

Young went on to become a professional dancer, performing in several movies. She also published a novel inspired by her career.

Story Source 

Right Photo source     Left photo source

Guest Op-Ed: the fight over collective bargaining is not just a labor dispute in a Midwestern state

By Garret Keizer

For anyone who believes that the hard-won rights of organized labor constitute an American birthright, who would as soon see the flag burned as a picket line crossed (both acts disrespectful of blood shed in our "country's cause"), the decision of the Wisconsin Legislature to end most collective bargaining rights for public employees amounts to sacrilege. In effect, Wisconsin has become a pariah state. It ought to be treated as such.

The battle in Wisconsin, symbolically and in fact, is not a fight against a political party or a governor, much less against good people who made a horrendous electoral goof. It is a fight against what increasingly has come to feel like an American death wish, a mad potlatch of relinquishing every progressive gain of the last 100 years. We talk about "making cuts" in the tone of teenagers who cut themselves. A few billionaires and their proxies yell "jump," and we call it a sacrifice whose time has come. We need to start talking ourselves in from the ledge.”

The rest of the article is here

Medical marijuana sales surpass blockbuster drugs like Viagra

Annual sales near $2 billion and rising in states with tolerant laws

There is a noticeable aroma wafting around the medical marijuana industry. It’s the smell of money — with a strong hint of entrepreneurial opportunity.

“Medical marijuana is now a $1.7 billion market, according to a report released Wednesday by See Change Strategy, an independent financial analysis firm that specializes in new and unique markets. The figure represents estimated sales of marijuana through dispensaries in states with medical marijuana laws. It is the first time a definitive dollar figure has been given to the emerging medical cannabis industry.

To put that number in perspective, sales of medical marijuana rival annual revenue generated by Viagra, a $1.9 billion business for Pfizer.”  Full story here.

Top 10 Logical Fallacies in Politics in no particular order

#9 ARGUMENTUM AD METUM

The human brain is wired all wrong. Those not versed in logic are blissfully unaware of how much our brain messes up the most basic of arguments, leading to the mess of random thoughts, non-sequiturs, cognitive dissonance, white lies, misinformation, and syntax errors that we call consciousness. Luckily, there is one place where all of these logical missteps can be exemplified: politics. What follows is a crash course in some of the most prevalent fallacies we all make, as they appear in modern American politics. And though I consider these the "top 10" logical fallacies in politics, they are not in order, for reasons that should become clear rather quickly.

---

You aren't a communist, are you?

“Whenever a politician appeals to your fears, insecurities, or paranoia, he or she is demonstrating the logical fallacy of the Argumentum ad Metum. This one is a combination of a bunch of the above fallacies, as it can be an irrelevant thesis, an falsifiable hypothesis, an appeal to motive, and a slippery slope straw man argument, as in the example, "If we don't do X, the terrorists win."

This is a common tactic throughout politics. Republicans want you to be afraid of socialism, terrorism, and a world on the verge of World War III. Democrats want you to be afraid of a global warming apocalypse, racism run amok, and Republicans. While all of these fears can in one way or another be justified, there shouldn't be any need to appeal to them when making an argument. President Bush didn't have to invoke the image of a mushroom cloud on American soil to explain the invasion of Iraq, and President Obama didn't have to invoke the image of poor mothers dying of starvation in the streets to sell his healthcare initiative.

It's a particularly sleazy way to make a point, and it is fallacious in multiple ways. Still, it is dramatic and effective, and thus all politicians and pundits use the Argumentum ad Metum on a regular basis. It works because it is an "us vs. them" form of argument, and it bypasses a certain degree of critical thinking by playing to people's emotions. Whenever you allow an argument like this to work on you, you bring the country one step closer to a bloody civil war.

---

GO HERE TO READ THE REST

Illegal immigrants disguised as U.S. Marines fail to get through border checkpoint

I guess I would have been suspicious too if I saw ALL of their name tags said “Perez.”

The odds of one entire family of Perez’s in military uniforms are astronomical. I wonder if it was this little slip-up that got them caught?

“Thirteen illegal immigrants disguised themselves as U.S. Marines –- donning battle dress uniforms and caps -- in a failed attempt to get through a  U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint last week east of San Diego, authorities said.

The driver of the white van carrying the immigrants and another man, both U.S. citizens, were arrested  March 14 at the I-8 checkpoint near Campo and charged with alien smuggling, according to U.S. Border Patrol officials.”

Story Here

Pizza pugs, Gay cures, DUI checkpoint alerts, obnoxious apps

Animals doing people things equals comedy. This pug who really, really wants a slice of pizza proves the rule.

Apple finally pulled that "Gay Cure" app after 146,000 signed a petition protesting it.

Senators want Apple to pull DUI checkpoint alert apps, for the obvious reasons.

And Apple is threatening a legal smackdown on "adult" app store MiKandi for using the term "app store."

Meanwhile, radar detection is coming to Android.

Amazon is now OK with the Kindle-lending startup it stomped on yesterday.

The 2010 elections made your parents join Twitter and Facebook, apparently.

Still, Mom and Dad are no doubt psyched to hear that Zynga's rolling out the "English Countryside" FarmVille expansion.

Lady Gaga told Google about how she's always longed to be "searchable."

An Etsy artist so pleased to be included in Urlesque's awesome gallery of "Sad Etsy Boyfriends," showed her appreciation via a "LULZ" beanie.

Article & Photo source

Did President Obama violate the Constitution or federal law when he ordered the U.S. military to take part in coalition attacks on forces loyal to Moammar Khaddafy in Libya?

Congress raises and supports the military, but the president is the commander. Declaring war and making war are two different functions. There's no question President Obama has the authority to do what he did (via First Read):

Because…

“Mr. Obama's actions are consistent with the way every president since Richard Nixon has treated the War Powers Act, choosing to notify Congress only after a decision has been made to sign orders authorizing military operations.”

A point to consider…

“His actions do, however, appear to contradict the view he expressed as a candidate. In December 2007, he told Charlie Savage, then of the Boston Globe that a president "does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

What next?

“So who's right? Constitutional questions, and legal battles over violations of federal laws, are normally resolved by judges. But this is an area where the courts have been reluctant to tread, unwilling to referee what they see as disputes between the political branches of the government.”

So where does that leave us?

This has to be one of the coolest treehouses I’ve ever seen!

Go Here to see how this amazing

 Tree House

is delivered,

set up,

and what it looks like inside.

You’ll be surprised. Great photography too.

Enjoy.

Looking for a job? Are you annoying? Aflac needs new duck voice

Wow! Here’s a great chance for someone like me, whose been called annoying many times in my life!

But, can I hit a high note screech like Gilbert Gottfried? Might be a problem there.

“Aflac is opening the field to people who want to take a quack at doing the new voice of the insurer's ever-abrasive duck mascot.

Aflac Inc. will begin accepting submissions on Wednesday in the search for someone to replace Gilbert Gottfried, who was ousted last week after voicing the duck for more than 10 years because he made insensitive remarks on Twitter about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Rather than hire another celebrity voice right away, Aflac decided solicit submissions from the general public, said Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna.”  More Here.    photo source

Kucinich fundraising appeal takes aim at Obama on Libya

Gotta love these politicos who use anything to further their own career. Kucinich is looking ahead to 2012 – instead of focusing on the here and now.

I don’t care what side of the aisle they’re from, these pathetic politic animals always show their stripes when it comes to staying in office.

“Days after saying that President Obama’s authorization of U.S. intervention in Libya is an “impeachable offense,” Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is now using his criticism of the president in a fundraising appeal.”

Can you spare a dime for this guy?

Read story here.

CNN calls Fox's human shield accusation ‘nuts’, reporter admits lying about not covering the trip

A CNN correspondent has angrily denied a Fox News report that he and other journalists were used by the Libyan government as human shields against an attack on Moammar Gadhafi's compound.

“ Fox News' Jennifer Griffin reported Monday that the British military had to call off a mission on the Libyan ruler's  compound because journalists had been taken there on a trip to view earlier bomb damage. CNN's Nick Robertson, who was part of the CNN crew cited in the Fox story, shot back on the air Monday night, calling the allegation "outrageous and absolutely hypocritical."

"To say it was a human shield is nuts," Robertson said on Wolf Blitzer's primetime CNN show. "This allegation is outrageous and it's absolutely hypocritical. You know, when you come to somewhere like Libya, you expect lies and deceit from the dictatorship here. You don't expect it from the other journalists." In addition, Robertson said, Fox sent a security guard with a camera on the same trip — a detail that was omitted from the Fox report.”

Oops! Fox News filed a false report. That’s not the first time that’s happened, nor will it be the last.

“Fox reporter Griffin admitted later to incorrectly having written that no Fox News representatives had gone on the reporting trip.”

Fox’s war correspondent isn’t exactly making his presence known while covering the crisis.

“As for Harrigan, Fox's war correspondent in Libya, Robertson said he has rarely seen him leave his hotel room.

"I don't know who he's talking to here to pick up and find out what the story is," Robertson said. "I see him more times at breakfast than I see him out on trips with government officials here."

One last thought, it’s not the best arrangement to have the bad guys give you a tour, but it’s better than having them hand over a propaganda film and scripts to read. At least, the reporters can see what’s happening on the ground. Beats sitting in a motel room.

Go here for more on this story.  Image source

 

400 LB. Sumo wrestler finishes LA Marathon, sets world record

Kelly Gneiting, a 400-pound sumo wrestler, set a Guinness World Record as the heaviest man to complete a marathon, after finishing on Sunday in 9 hours 48 minutes 52 seconds.

 I’m in awe of this guy. I don’t know if I could have finished a 26.2-mile race in bad weather (it rained like hell throughout). I’m almost inspired enough to call my good friend, and long-distance runner, Woody Woodburn, and see if he’ll train me for a marathon!

On second thought, maybe I won’t. I’ll just stay in awe of Mr. Gneiting’s accomplishment and walk my mile a day! Go here for the full story. 

White supremacist threat overshadowed by Muslim paranoia perpetrated by chairman of Homeland Security committee

Rep. Peter King has chosen to be the America’s leading crusader against American Muslims. He claims not to be on a witch hunt, but his actions speak otherwise.

Right now he’s playing chief inquisitor of national profiling, and is throwing out mistruths about Muslims to make his feeble points. When you read below you’ll see what I mean.

Like the article points out, White Supremacists have been around for a lot longer than the Muslims in this country. Look at our history. Whose done the most damage? The answer is far and away – White Supremacists. (Please note that those who did the 911 bombing weren’t American Muslims) White Supremacists don’t even rate a glance in King’s book of terrorist profiling. It’s obvious he’s hoping to play on enough baseless fears against Muslims to make life miserable for them in the land of the free! Pathetic…look at his picture above. Can you say “Zealot?”

Excerpts:    

“The way they both happened together, at what felt like the same moment, seems like something out of a script: On March 9, Kevin William Harpham was arrested in the town of Addy, Wash., suspected of the attempted Jan. 17 bombing of a Martin Luther King unity rally in Spokane, 55 miles south of Addy. Harpham, a known white supremacist with past and possibly current ties to the neo-Nazi National Alliance, was charged by federal agents of building a "weapon of mass destruction" -- the bomb found in his backpack -- and planting it on the rally route hours before it started.

The next day, Rep. Peter King, the new chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, convened the first of his congressional hearings on the radicalization of Muslim Americans and the potential for domestic terrorism. In his opening statement, King stated that "not one terror-related case in the United States in the last two years involved neo-Nazis."

That disconnect between fact and assertion highlights a more troubling one: the congressman's high-profile attention to one form of American terrorism at the expense of exposing the dangers in another.”

AND…

“In a December 2010 op-ed in Newsday, King wrote that "Federal and local law enforcement officials throughout the country told me they received little or -- in most cases -- no cooperation from Muslim leaders and imams."

Yet when time came to walk the walk with that broad assertion last week, King couldn't produce a single member of law enforcement who would testify as to the validity of that claim.

Nowhere, it seems, is there room for a hearing that airs concerns about radicalization of Americans into the neo-Nazi, nativist, anti-government and white supremacist movements that have been more insidious and invisible in the national landscape, and for a lot longer than any Islamic threat.”

Read the whole article here

Smoking statistics Batman! How prevasive is pot in the USA today?

If legal, marijuana would be a $40-billion-a-year industry in the U.S.

Though not nearly as popular as alcohol or tobacco, marijuana has become part of the nation's social fabric.

 Some 30 million Americans consume cannabis in the average year.

Decriminalized in 11 states and legal for medical purposes in 14, marijuana is no longer considered an enemy of the people in many quarters.
GO HERE to see how marijuana stacks up across the country.
Source: Federal and state agencies.

Genius at work: 12-year-old Jacob is studying at IUPUI

“When Jacob Barnett first learned about the Schrödinger equation for quantum mechanics, he could hardly contain himself.

For three straight days, his little brain buzzed with mathematical functions.

From within his 12-year-old, mildly autistic mind, there gradually flowed long strings of pluses, minuses, funky letters and upside-down triangles -- a tapestry of complicated symbols that few can understand”"

HOW SMART IS JACOB?

“In fact, his work is so strong that he's being courted by a top-notch East Coast research center. IUPUI is interested in him moving from the classroom into a funded researcher's position.”

 To read more on this little genius go here.

3-D display for interaction: How to build a "magic" window

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

Microsoft Research is creating key components for the ultimate interactive display

Microsoft Research is working on the technologies necessary to create the ultimate 3-D display, one you gaze through to see and interact with people or locations on the other side of the planet that seem only just beyond your reach.

As It Stands: American pastor promotes 'International Judge the Koran Day' today

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 03/20/2011 01:27:26 AM PDT

Have you ever wondered how many people have died in the name of religion? How many were tortured by “God fearing” men? How many millions were demonized because they didn't practice certain religions? I have.

Before you decide I'm about to indulge in religion bashing, and the hair on your neck stands up, please read on. For the record, I believe all religions are right for those who choose to follow them. There are many positive things about religion that can't be ignored.

Some would argue that civilization bloomed because of religious influence upon governments. Religion is often the basis for laws and rules of behavior. Nearly all religions promote love, in one form or another. To each his own, I always say.

Now, I'll go right to my real bone of contention. That's the intolerance shown by some who claim to be peaceful followers of God. Case in point; the Christian extremists who are trying to sell the lie that Muslim “Sharia Law” is being forced upon people in the USA.

The poster boy for this attack on Islam is Pastor Terry Jones, the controversial Gainesville, Florida, pastor who made world headlines when he threatened to burn the Koran. He's at it again, folks.

He's promoting “International Judge the Koran Day,” today. Jones says the Koran will be judged, and he believes Muslims have to prove the book is a peaceful one.

Apparently Pastor Jones doesn't believe in the Christian admonition “Judge not, least ye be judged.” And who put him in charge of which religion is OK in America? Perhaps Pastor Jones should pay more attention to our Constitution. It guarantees freedom of religion.

During an appearance on CNN in July 2010, Pastor Jones was asked how he would feel if he was a Muslim, and there were plans to burn his holy text:

He said, “I would not like it, but it's our right. We live in America. It is time to stand up and speak out on what we believe in. We believe that Islam is of the devil and is causing millions of people to go to hell. It is a deceptive religion. It is a violent religion. That has been proven many times.”

His reply clearly shows how screwed up he is. His hateful rhetoric would be laughable, if it didn't have such deadly overtones. No one in America is forced to practice Sharia Law, regardless of his baseless claims.

“Their (Muslims) desire is to disobey the laws of the land and institute Sharia Law instead,” Pastor Jones says on his Facebook page.

What's Pastor Jones and his followers biggest beef with Islam? It's really quite simple; “The Koran does not accept a normal Christian doctrine as presented by the Bible. It denies the crucifixion, resurrection, the existence of the Holy Trinity and the fact that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected.” They believe this is totally wrong.

 Heavens! Can you imagine? Because another religion doesn't believe in your religion, they must be evil and out to destroy the world. Where do you think that kind of mindset will lead?

“We will be setting up a structured court session, including a judge, a jury, witnesses and representatives for both sides of the debate. We have issued pleas for Islam's best defense lawyers and attorneys to attend the event and make their case on behalf of all these so-called peaceful Muslims,” Pastor Jones told CNN last week.

Did you catch the part about “so-called peaceful Muslims” like such a thing is impossible? That tells you that no matter what argument is made for Islam, Pastor Jones and his prejudiced flock will find the religion guilty. Then what? Threaten to burn the Koran again and incite every devout Muslim in the world?

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this attack on Muslims is how many Americans are willing to believe the worst about Islam. I've heard people who normally don't strike me as extreme rant about the threat American Muslims present to our society. It's disheartening to say the least.

As It Stands, demonizing a religion out of mindless fear of a different doctrine will only lead to a societal breakdown and senseless prosecution of innocent people.

Early Feedback:

there’s been several positive emails, and this interesting one from the Council on American-Islamic Relations:  

“As-salaamu alaikum (peace be upon you),

Someone, possibly you or a friend, wanted to join our e-mail list to receive pertinent information regarding news and events in the Muslim community.

We have upgraded our e-mail system and would like to offer you a choice for how CAIR press releases, action alerts and news updates can best serve you.

• Daily News Briefs: A bulletin of important news and information concerning the American Muslim community.
• Weekly Newsletter: A once-a-week newsletter that highlights the most significant items in one convenient email.
• Action Alerts: Alerts on an as-needed basis to mobilize and unify the American Muslim voice to respond to critical issues.
• News Releases: News items about the American Muslim community designed for media professionals.

If you’re interested in what this group does go to info@cair.com.

WEBSITES THAT HAVE PICKED THIS COLUMN UP THUS FAR

World Focus News – The World’s latest news updates.

NEWSVINE.COM – Newsvine is continuously updated by citizens like you, NewsVine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.

TOPIX NEWS FORUM – Linked to the Times-Standard

Christian Books – online shopping site for all things Christian

Article Newsvine – a website that generates news items from around the world

Genesis Christian Book Store – another online shopping site for Christian material.  

 

The Pug Report: ‘What’s with Millie? We had to take a new route today!’

Okay. Something is up.

After two years of walking the same route every day, Millie refused to go that way today! Say What? She was fine with going in the opposite direction – and we did end up taking a good walk in new territory, but that’s not the point.

Why? Is that “Supermoon” today/tonight a Bad Moon rising?

 “Even more than a normal full Moon, this “super Moon” gets a bad reputation for triggering natural disasters thanks to stories posted on the Internet. NASA says the facts don’t back that accusation. They point to the “super Moon” of March 1983 and the “almost super Moon” of December 2008 that resulted in no natural disasters occurring. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  states that lunar gravity at perigee will only pull tide water nor more than an inch or so higher though local geography could result in a pull of up to six inches. That may be alarming if you’re an insect living on the beach, but it shouldn’t be to humans.” Source

I have to admit that I’m still mystified by her behavior. What was suddenly different today? Or, was it something simple like just being tired of the same old walk and she opted for a change? Maybe I’m wasting my time wondering what a pug is thinking. Especially a female pug! Like her human counterparts, she reserves the right to change her mind…anytime.

Now if it wasn’t for this guy’s prediction: “Earthquake forcaster Jim Berkland warns of a 'high risk' seismic window and potential for a massive quake poised to strike somewhere in North America in between the dates of March 19th and 26th,” I’d be fine and would think no more on the subject. Does Millie know something I don’t? I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

 

 

Humboldt Bloggers should thank Sal at Planet Tapperass for his clever introduction of their websites

Gotta hand it to Sal at Planet Tapperass

This is his second year of introducing Humboldt Blogs in a quasi-competition based on mystery methodologies. It’s a great way for outsiders to get glimpses of our Humboldt Blogisphere

If you haven’t already checked out Sal’s website, then please do. We need more humor in this world and it’s a lot of good fun.

Thanks again Sal, and maybe next year I’ll get in the finals!

image source

Utah Rep. Mike Lee: Federal Child Labor Laws Are "Unconstitutional"

First Missouri considers a bill that would repeal child labor laws in the state, calling it an interference with how parents choose to raise their kids. 

Now freshman Republican Congressman Mike Lee of Utah is lecturing that federal child labor laws are unconstitutional, and it really should be up to states to pass rules.

Via Raw Story:

"Congress decided it wanted to prohibit that practice, so it passed a law. No more child labor. The Supreme Court heard a challenge to that law, and the Supreme Court decided a case in 1918 called Hammer v. Dagenhardt," Lee said. "In that case, the Supreme Court acknowledged something very interesting -- that, as reprehensible as child labor is, and as much as it ought to be abandoned -- that's something that has to be done by state legislators, not by Members of Congress."

Lee's reasoning was that labor and manufacturing are "by their very nature, local activities" and not "interstate commercial transactions." He added: "This may sound harsh, but it was designed to be that way. It was designed to be a little bit harsh."

The key Congressional law that addresses child labor is the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which placed a series of restrictions against the employment of people under 18 in the public and private sectors.

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law in the 1941 United States v. Darby Lumber decision, overturning Hammer, on the basis of the constitutional authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce. It has hardly run into controversies since.”

Is Lee's lecture on giving child labor laws back to the states an opening for more states to consider repealing their own laws, and allow young children into the workforce?  Or is the GOP simply back to calling everything they don't like -- unemployment insurance, health care, public education, and apparently federal law -- unconstitutional?    VIA Care2

A Passion for Skateboarding: Creative Art Sculptures by Haroshi

If you have never heard about a Japanese wood sculptor named Haroshi, then read on:

“As a creator of amazingly beautiful wooden sculptures out of old, crashed and broken skateboard decks, Haroshi passed for a man of considerable resourcefulness.

His multicolored and meticulously sculpted art pieces simply astound with lifelike affinity, so in whichever way it’s even possible to mistake them for being real! In his works he stacks many layers with all piece elements being connected either in their original form or in shapes to form wooden mosaic, dots, and pixels. After that they’re cut down to size, shaven to get rid of the debris, and afterwards coated with a final glossy finish. And with a long-term passion for skateboarding, Haroshi even puts a broken metal skateboard piece in the center of each sculpture to give soul to the statue. You’d better see this bewildering craftsmanship and planning involved with the unrolling showcase:” GO HERE TO SEE MORE        Photo source

Enron whistleblower gets $1.1 million from IRS

Anonymous tipster alerted the feds to $600 million tax-evasion scheme. Yes, the bounty is taxable.

“A whistleblower who exposed a tax fraud scheme by Enron and Wall Street firms has been awarded a $1.1 million reward by the Internal Revenue Service.

The payout came from the new IRS Whistleblower Office, but was made under prior, less generous guidelines. Those older rules, which still apply in some instances, call for a reward of up to 15% of the money that the IRS recovers based on the information.

The whistleblower office was revamped in 2006. Now when whistleblower information about alleged tax cheating leads to IRS collection of unpaid taxes and the subsequent recovery amount exceeds $2 million, the whistleblower can pocket up to 30% of the recovered money.”  Rest of Story here

Expert explores possibilities: What was the Sphinx?

There has never been a satisfactory answer to what the Sphinx actually is or was.

“Anyone who goes to Giza can see for himself or herself that there is something ‘wrong’ with the Sphinx. It only takes an instant. The body is gigantic and the head is just a pimple. The Egyptians never did anything like that, they were always meticulous about proportions in their art. So how is it that we have this monster with a tiny head sitting there in the sand, then?”

There are several other things wrong with the Sphinx. They are: GO HERE

Corporations Versus Individuals: The End of the Left/Right Paradigm

Looks like the New World Order isn’t going to be a global Big Socialist Government (unless, perhaps, you count corporate socialism).

“This may not be a brilliant insight, but it is surely an overlooked one. It is now an Individual vs. Corporate debate – and the Humans are losing.

Consider:

• Many of the regulations that govern energy and banking sector were written by Corporations;

• The biggest influence on legislative votes is often Corporate Lobbying;

• Corporate ability to extend copyright far beyond what original protections amounts to a taking of public works for private corporate usage;

• PAC and campaign finance by Corporations has supplanted individual donations to elections;

• The individuals’ right to seek redress in court has been under attack for decades, limiting their options.

• DRM and content protection undercuts the individual’s ability to use purchased content as they see fit;

• Patent protections are continually weakened. Deep pocketed corporations can usurp inventions almost at will;

• The Supreme Court has ruled that Corporations have Free Speech rights equivalent to people; (So much for original intent!)

None of these are Democrat/Republican conflicts, but rather, are corporate vs. individual issues.

For those of you who are stuck in the old Left/Right debate, you are missing the bigger picture.”

Excerpts above from Barry Ritholtz at this website