Wine shipment worth $1 million dropped, 5 U.S. theme parks under $50, and a fake Apple store even fools staff!

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Glad you could join me this morning for a virtual cup of coffee or tea. It’s finally Friday, and a lot of people may wonder where they can find the best deal on an amusement park this weekend. I’ve got them for you here today.

Whatever you do today, do it with gusto. Life is too short not to! 

Oops! $1 million of wine lost after forklift drops it

More than $1 million of high-quality Australian wine destined for the United States was lost when a forklift dropped the consignment, according to a report Friday.Some 462 cases of 2010 Mollydooker Velvet Glove shiraz — worth 185 Australian dollars per bottle (nearly $200) — was lost when they were dropped about 20 feet while being loaded for export in the southern city of Adelaide, the Herald Sun newspaper reported.

"We just couldn't believe it. This wine is our pride and joy, so to see it accidentally destroyed, and not consumed, has left us all a bit numb," winemaker Sparky Marquis told the paper. He added that the lost wine represented a third of his yearly production, and the paper said he was "working with" insurance companies in an attempt to cover the cost. graphic source

Here’s 5 U.S. theme parks under $50

With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $85 for a single–park one day ticket — Universal Studios is just as bad — now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks where you can get your adrenaline fix for less. Here are five theme parks around the country where the daily price of adult admission is under $50.

                            The WindSeeker at Cedar Point spins riders nearly 30 stories above the Lake Erie shoreline.

 

Fake Apple Store even fools staff

Chinese counterfeiters have had a field-day pumping out knockoffs of Apple Inc's best-selling iPhones and iPads but one appears to have gone a step further -- a near flawless fake Apple Store that even employees believe is the real deal.

The store in Kunming was stumbled upon by a 27-year-old American blogger living in the city, the capital of China's mountainous southwestern Yunnan province.

Complete with the white Apple logo, wooden tables and cheery staff claiming they work for the iPhone maker, the store looks every bit like Apple Stores found all over the world, according to the blogger, who goes by the name "BirdAbroad."

"This was a total Apple store rip-off. A beautiful rip-off - a brilliant one - the best rip-off store we had ever seen," the anonymous blogger posted Wednesday. "Being the curious types that we are, we struck up some conversation with these salespeople who, hand to God, all genuinely think they work for Apple."

Time to walk on down the road…

I’m too poor to be a ‘greedy geezer’ but is it true a lot of my fellow Baby Boomers are setting up America for failure?

Baby boomers are greedy. It seems to be all I hear anymore. And what's worse, the wealthiest among them are reluctant to leave an inheritance to their children. Some of those polled say it's for fear that their adult children will squander the money it took a lifetime to earn. But in real life, the reason I've heard most often is "hey, you can't take it with you." The "it" being money.

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To be clear: I don't object to consumer spending, especially when it's done offline and in the real world. These days, spending money is good for the economy -- and a way we can all do our part to contribute to the recovery. What troubles me is the selfish and shortsighted mentality about not leaving any money behind. What happened to taking care of your children, to leaving a legacy?

To read Thomas L. Friedman's most recent column in the New York Times, the "greedy geezer" isn't just a way to describe a select few. It's an ethos that's infected our political culture and will quite possibly change the future of the U.S. In comparing our country to Greece, Freidman says:

Indeed, if there is one sentiment that unites the crises in Europe and America it is a powerful sense of "baby boomers behaving badly" -- a powerful sense that the generation that came of age in the last 50 years, my generation, will be remembered most for the incredible bounty and freedom it received from its parents and the incredible debt burden and constraints it left on its kids. […] There are Eric Cantors everywhere -- reckless baby boomer politicians for whom no crisis is too serious to set aside political ambition and ideology.

This corrosive mentality, combined with a punishing economic reality, can make it really hard for this 30-year-old to breathe sometimes. And no wonder. Friedman continues:

What happens is that both the American and European dreams hang in the balance. Either we both put our nations on more sustainable growth paths -- which requires cutting, taxing and investing for the future -- or we're looking at a world in which democracies are going to turn on themselves and fight over shrinking pies, with China having a growing say over how big the slices will be. Photo source

Is it only a matter of time until  European-style riots erupt in the U.S.?

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Meet the Bachmanns' "Ex-Lesbian" Friend and Gay Hating Ministry

It’s hard to believe that in this day and age, people are so ignorant about homosexuality. Or is it something worse?

They’ll say and do anything to discredit a all homosexuals, regardless of the facts involved. All we’re really talking about is intolerance here: 

Janet Boynes discusses her 14 "miserable" years as a lesbian

and her ministry to those who want to "leave the homosexual lifestyle."

“You can change from gay to straight—I'm a living example of that," Boynes, 53, said. Having renounced lesbianism 13 years ago, she now runs a Maple Grove, Minn. organization called Janet Boynes Ministries that proclaims to minister to those who don't want to be gay anymore. Over the course of our conversation, Boynes likened homosexuality to drug addiction and pointed to a variety of causes for it, from domineering mothers to hanging around too much with gay people. She voiced her fear that half the nation's families might one day be helmed by same-sex couples.

On her website, she boasts an old endorsement from the then-state senator ("Janet's life is a powerful testimony of the changes that Christ can bring"). In 2005, Marcus Bachmann gave a talk called "The Truth to the Homosexual Lifestyle" at the Minnesota Pastors' Summit, and, according to attendee Curt Prins, Boynes was part of the presentation.

Prins, a gay tech marketer who attended the conference to gather intelligence on "the other side," recalls Boynes, a long-haired woman with striking features, putting up a "before" photo of herself as a lesbian, with short hair and mannish clothes.

The contrast prompted gasps and laughter from the audience. More recently, in her 2008 memoir, Called Out: A Former Lesbian's Discovery of Freedom, Boynes thanked "Marcus and Michele," saying "you never left my side when things got tough."

For his part, Marcus Bachmann has since been selling the book in the lobby of his clinic alongside a typed placard saying "Janet is a friend," according to this photograph taken by an undercover gay activist.”

Justice Department caught in growing gun scandal, Nazi shrine is no more, and ‘Snore patrols’ assure a good night’s sleep

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Pull up a chair and tilt a cup of Java with me this morning as we take a look at what’s happening in this crazy world around us:

Justice Department trying to shield officials in guns scandal, ATF chief says

Kenneth Melson (left), the ATF's acting director, claims Justice Department officials refuse to release a telling internal report on the Fast and Furious operation.

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Look for my column in the Times-Standard this Sunday dealing with this Justice Department scandal.

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The Justice Department is trying to protect its political appointees from the Fast and Furious scandal by concealing an internal "smoking gun" report and other documents that acknowledge the role top officials played in the program that allowed firearms to flow illegally into Mexico, according to the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Shrine no more: Bones of Hitler aide exhumed

The remains of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess have been exhumed from a grave in Bavaria after it became a pilgrimage for thousands of right-wing extremists.

A church official in the southern town of Wunsiedel said Thursday the tomb had been razed and its headstone removed after consulting with Hess's family over how to handle the grave site.

"The bones were removed and brought to the crematorium, and the ashes are to be scattered at sea," Peter Seisser said.

An early, fervent member of the Nazi party, Hess spent time in prison with Hitler in the early 1920s and helped edit Mein Kampf -- the book in which the dictator outlined plans to destroy European Jewry and murder other groups he considered undesirable.

Extremist groups often portray him as a martyr figure, and some from as far away as Oregon and California have organized memorials for him in the past, including a number of outdoor 'white power' rock concerts.

The annual pilgrimage of neo-Nazis in Wunsiedel peaked in 2004, when authorities say some 5,000 people came from across Europe, including left-wing counter protesters.

"Now, hopefully we can put it all behind us," deputy mayor Roland Schoeffel said. "We hope the phantom has left."

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Light sleepers rejoice: Hotel chain drafts 'snore patrols' as shuteye sentries

Guests at an international hotel chain may sleep more soundly after the introduction of "snore patrols" and "snore absorption rooms" at a number of sites worldwide.

Crowne Plaza is testing the first "snore absorption" rooms at 10 hotels in Europe and the Middle East, whilst six branches in Britain have implemented "snore patrols" this month in a bid to combat noisy sleepers.

"Snore monitors" patrol corridors in the designated quiet zones of Crowne Plaza hotels in the cities of London, Leeds and Manchester. Their job is to listen out for offensive noises and knock on the door of guests who snore too loudly.

"We have quiet zones on two floors of the hotel. As Snore Monitor, I conduct floor walks to check for noise disruptions, paying particular attention to the quiet zone rooms," said Laura Simpson, Snore Monitor at Leeds Crowne Plaza hotel in northern England.

"Guests can ask to stay our quiet zone rooms if they are particularly light sleepers."

Look, Enough With The 'Shared Sacrifice' Talk. We've Already Had More Than Our Share, Time For The Wealthy To Feel The Pain

Guest Opinion:

                         By Susie Madrak

“I've been looking over the Gang of Six's bipartisan class war manifesto. Uh, politicians? Although it's unlikely, you may successfully shove these radical and undemocratic changes down our collective throat (if the House progressives let you), but you can't make us go along with your pretense. You all keep talking about "shared sacrifice" and "belt-tightening" when there's an 16% or so effective unemployment rate, wages are continuing their 30-year decline, jobs are non-existent and millions have lost their homes. For far too many of us, if we tighten our belts any more, we'll break our backs!

Meanwhile, Wall Street is doing better than ever.

In what universe is this "shared" sacrifice?

So here's my question to the gentlemen millionaires of the Senate, and their dear friend in the White House: When is it your turn? Where's your pain? We already had our turn. No more.

Economist Dean Baker says it's "striking" that the Gang of Six chose to respond to the crisis created by the collapse of the housing bubble by developing a plan that will give even more money to top Wall Street executives and traders - by taking it from little old ladies' Social Security.

And just to add insult to injury, there's an upcoming series of trade deal votes that amount to a series of setbacks for American workers and taxpayers, unions and public interest groups. But hey, it makes it easier for the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to offshore jobs -- and to keep their corporate tax havens.

Just a little historical deja vu....

It just makes me long for the days when we had actual, ass-kicking Democrats.”

Perverted Justice:NM state judge accused of sex assault on prostitute

A state judge in New Mexico is facing charges that he sexually assaulted a prostitute in his home, a crime that police say was videotaped by the victim out of concern for her safety.

State District Judge Albert S. “Pat” Murdoch, 59, was arrested Tuesday and charged with criminal sexual penetration and intimidation of a witness, NBC affiliate KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported Wednesday. He was released on a $50,000 bond overnight, it said.

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Sleepy people seek revenge, dog bites shark, and it’s not a good idea to throw doughnuts at a cop!

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Thanks for stopping by. Still kinda sleepy? Have a cup of coffee or tea with me while we search the headlines. Don’t start yawning now…it’s catchy!

Sleepy people blame others for everything

A new study shows that when people, in this case college students, are sleepy they are more likely to think about how events could have turned out differently and ponder how situations could have been better. Depending on the outcome, they may blame others and even seek revenge. Researchers call this sleepy thinking ‘counterfactual.’

Other cultures, such as Latin cultures, seem to understand what Americans don’t: Getting enough sleep is vital for a quality life. “They have siesta periods; in our culture we almost regard taking naps as childish,” David Mastin, associate professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said. “As psychologists, we want to understand the human condition, and we should know what’s going on when people are sleepy.”

Dog bites shark and goes viral

It's got a big yellow dog, sharks, a dead dugong, attracted millions of viewers on YouTube and you couldn't make it up.

Video footage of a dog attacking a shark under water on the Australian coast has "gone viral," becoming a top Internet hit. The footage shows two dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broome, about 1,650 km (1,025 miles) northeast of Perth.The dogs appear to be herding several sharks towards shore, when one suddenly ducks under the water and attacks a shark.

"The dog is biting the shark," said Russell Hood-Penn in the voice-over as he video-taped the incident. "That is unbelievable. I've seen it all now." Hood-Penn placed the footage on video-sharing website YouTube where it has been viewed more than 27 million times.

No, Taunting Cops By Throwing A Box Of Doughnuts At Them Is Never A Good Idea

Angered that police were investigating an assault that reportedly occurred inside his home Saturday night, a South Carolina man tossed a box of doughnuts at the cops and announced, “I brought you some fucking donuts, don’t y’all like donuts.”

Not surprisingly, an irate Timothy Everhart--who repeatedly cursed out cops and slammed his front door on them--was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct. Cops noted that Everhart, 30, appeared intoxicated when he “threw a box of donuts on the front porch area” as Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies approached his door. Everhart was released early this morning from the county jail after posting $262 bond.

Internet hacking group busted: FBI files major cyber crimes charges on 16 Anonymous group members

U.S. authorities today arrested 16 people on charges they were involved in major cyber attacks including attacks on eBay's PayPal website as retribution for dropping WikiLeaks' donation account.

The FBI arrests were made as part of a wide-ranging investigation of the Internet vigilante hacking group Anonymous, both the FBI and Department of Justice said, and followed claims by the group that it broke into Apple servers and launched attacks last year that shut down sites of MasterCard and Visa.

Anonymous, which law enforcement authorities believe is mostly made up of hackers believed to be in their teens and early 20s, also has released scores of private e-mails and other data from an Arizona police website. Those named in the indictment Today ranged in age from 20 to 42. The DOJ noted that "one individual’s name has been withheld by the court," possibly because he or she is a minor.The 20-year-old, Mercedes Renee Haefer, is a university student, and has a lawyer, Stanley L. Cohen of New York.

Fourteen arrests were made in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. The FBI executed more than 35 search warrants. An indictment charging those arrested was unsealed Tuesday in the Northern District of California in San Jose.

In June, the Hacker group LulzSec said it was done and was “sailing off into the horizon.” The group's disbandment came unexpectedly, and could have been a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations like the one that lead to today’s arrests. It would come as no surprise to me if some of the members were in both groups.

File under, ‘I’ll be Damned, who’d of Guessed?’ Man pays $16 to take over $330,000 House

The neighbors are outraged, but the Texas resident says his takeover is legal and will eventually give him title to the suburban Dallas home.

We all dream of scoring a great deal on a house.

But a $330,000 house for $16? (address: Waterford Drive, Flower Mound, TX - photo on right)

Kenneth Robinson of the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas, says he sealed just such a deal, taking over a vacant house by simply moving in and paying $16 to file documents with the court claiming ownership.

"This is not a normal process, but it is not a process that is not known," he told WFAA-TV in Dallas. "It's just not known to everybody."

Robinson said he invested months in research to find the house. The property had been in foreclosure for more than a year, and the owner walked away. In the meantime, the lender that held the mortgage went out of business.

• To squat or not: Can you take over the abandoned home next door?

Robinson says he can take legal title to the house after he lives there for three years through a provision in the law called "adverse possession." Exactly how that works varies state to state.

This is how WFAA explains the situation:

… Robinson said just by setting up camp in the living room, Texas law gives him exclusive negotiating rights with the original owner. If the owner wants him out, he would have to pay off his massive mortgage debt and the bank would have to file a complicated lawsuit.
Robinson believes because of the cost, neither is likely. The law says if he stays in the house, after three years he can ask the court for the title.

The neighbors are outraged that Robinson got a house on their suburban street for $16 and have tried to get the police to arrest him for trespassing or breaking and entering. But Robinson says he had a key to the house, and the police say it's a civil matter, not a criminal case

• Well-meaning renters turned into squatters

Candy Evans of the Dallas real-estate blog Candy's Dirt called a title attorney to ask if Robinson had a chance of holding on to the house. She wrote:

… he told me he seriously doubted that Robinson will get ownership of this home, but he may get a free place to live for several months. The owner of the home will be whoever acquires the assets of the defunct mortgage company, but that company will have to regroup and take legal action against Robinson. And that could take months.

Robinson isn't the first person who has tried to take over an abandoned home by just moving in and claiming adverse possession.

E-Mails from readers regarding the debt ceiling crisis in Congress

I’m going to share five interesting emails with you. I’ve agreed not to reveal the writers names and am assigning each a first name. They all responded to my “Random Thought: Fire everyone in Congress and start over” post on July 18th.  

Lee – “So who ARE the Republicans working for, if it's not the American people? Who is pulling their strings? Does Murdoch have that much power? Is it a foreign country? When a group of people strives this hard to bring down the greatest country in history, you have to wonder why. It doesn't seem possible that they're all just that stupid in Congress.”

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Mary – “Political gamesmanship is all that Cantor is doing and personally I am sick to death of a congress that is all about games and not about results. Tea Party folks need not apply! Just when I thought Congress couldn't get worse, here comes the Tea Party to prove me wrong.”

Paul - “Can you please explain to the American public how much money was spent on creating this “Cut, Cap and Balance Act,”  bill that they are submitting for a vote whilst knowing it will not make it? This is exactly the kind of ridiculous spending that needs to be done with.  
People spend time on creating something only for political gain as the American Public continuously fund politicians political games. If they truly want to live to the standards they have set-out for all Americans and in accordance with their pledge, then please do us all a favor and stop this utter nonsense.”

Joan – “The Republicans are working for the Koch Bros, bankers,GE, Chrysler, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, GM, etc, etc, etc. It's large corporations that want their profits to increase without having to be responsible for the ruin perpetrated by their activities or maintain adequate worker pay and benefits. The Koch Bros. have contributed extraordinarily exorbitant amounts of money to the Tea Party (since Citizen United) than any other group under their many PAC's.” 

Frank -“The irresponsible right is destroying the American economy by engaging in thug tactics and ensuring that millions are tossed out of jobs with increased poverty for all - except of course - bloated plutocrats.”

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Pakistani gives illegal contributions to politicians – Republicans are main recipients according to FBI records

Pakistani accused of masking contributions to US politicians

The FBI has arrested a man investigators say was an agent of Pakistan's official state intelligence service, accusing him of making roughly $2 million in political contributions in the United States without disclosing his connections to the Pakistani government.

Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai will appear in federal court this afternoon in Alexandria, Va. He's not charged with being a spy. But he is charged with being an unregistered agent or lobbyist of the Pakistani government.

He's the executive director of a group called the Kashmiri American Council. Political contribution records show he has given tens of thousands of dollars to congressional candidates and party organizations. The FBI said in court documents released Tuesday that the council is effectively run by the Pakistani government.

According to the records, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., head of the Pakistani caucus within the House, Burton received more than $10,000, including $2,000 each, the maximum allowable under U.S. law, in the 2004, 2008 and 2010 congressional campaigns.

In addition, Fai gave the National Republican Senatorial Committee $3,500 in 2004, $5,000 in 2006 and $1,000 in 2008. Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Pa., also received $2,000 in 2004. The only Democrat to receive a significant amount of money was Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., who received $2,000 in 1998.

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