I saw it in my email list today: We should draft guys over 60

This is funny and I suspect it was written by a former soldier...

New Direction for any war: send service vets over 60!
I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex

photo source                                         every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.
Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for awhile.
An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 am. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell.. Besides, like I said, I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical son-of-a-bitch.
If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.
Boot camp would be easier for old guys.. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.
They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training.
Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.
An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.
These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.
Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them.
HEY!! How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!! You think MEN have attitudes??
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my God!!! If nothing else, put them on border patrol. They'll have it secured the first night!”

Dolphins eat fish using conch shells, town mints it’s own money, and the Pentagon pays $720 million in late fees for storage containers

Good Morning Humboldt County!

It’s that time again. Grab a chair and have a nice steaming cup of virtual coffee with me. I’m wondering if Hurricane Irene was overblown? What do you think? Meanwhile, let’s take a look at: 

Fish-catching trick may be spreading among dolphins

Dolphins in one western Australian population have been observed holding a large conch shell in their beaks and using it to shake a fish into their mouths -- and the behavior may be spreading.                                                         photo source

Researchers from Murdoch University in Perth were not quite sure what they were seeing when they first photographed the activity, in 2007, in which dolphins would shake conch shells at the surface of the ocean.

Town mints own money to fight austerity

A small town in central Italy is trying to go independent and mint its own money in protest at government austerity cuts.

Filettino, set in rugged hill country around 100 km (65 miles) east of Rome, is rebelling against a proposal to merge the governments of towns with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants to save money.

Mayor Luca Sellari displays Filettino's own bank currency, the "Fiorito."

Filettino has only around 550 people.

Pentagon pays $720M in late fees for storage containers

The Pentagon has spent more than $720million since 2001 on fees for shipping containers that it fails to return on time, according to data and contracts obtained by USA TODAY.

The cost stems from the mistaken belief that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would be brief and late fees would be minimal, said John Pike executive director of Globalsecurity.org, a defense policy group.

"This is real money," Pike said. "And we've spent a lot of it on what amounts to fines for overdue library books."

Time to walk on down the road…

As It Stands: We’ll be judged by our milestones some day

 Editor’s Note: When I wrote this column I had no idea how many milestones would be created in a short time. When my wife,Shirley, had to go back to Maryland to be at her ill brother’s side it was the first time she’s ever been on the east coast. This Wednesday, which I was looking forward to when I wrote this column, will be the kind of milestone I could do without: it’ll be the first time in 37 years we haven’t been together to celebrate our marriage.                                         

                        By Dave Stancliff
Life is a series of milestones on the road to your last breath. There are good and bad milestones. We remember both with equal passion.
I’m looking forward to Wednesday, when my wife and I celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary. It doesn’t seem that many years have passed since Shirley and I tied the knot in Fullerton, California. Where has the time gone?
Excuse me for a moment. Nostalgia clings like a cloak when I recall all the milestones we’ve experienced together. What a road! What a roller coaster! What a trip thus far! The road ahead, regardless of how bumpy, is something to look forward to with Shirley at my side.
I heartedly agree with author C.S. Lewis who said, “The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”  
I quit trying to rank milestones years ago. Our wedding was the standard until our first son was born. Then our second son was born. A couple of years later,  our third son was born and all attempts at ranking milestones became null and void.
Then there were the progress milestones Shirley and I shared as each child learned to walk and talk. When that magic moment came and each one said, “ Mommy and Daddy” for the first time it was a moment forever inscribed in our hearts. And when that first step was taken, our hearts melted with the knowledge that our baby was growing up, no matter what we wanted.
Swedish ABBA singer, Agnetha Faltskog, who was born the same year I was (1950) said, “My path has not been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones.” I like the way she put that. A good positive outlook.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to dwell on your personal milestones too often. One day a year spent celebrating our first milestone, marriage, doesn’t seem too excessive to me. As Rose Kennedy once said, “Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments.”
Another thought about milestones is we sometimes aren’t aware of experiencing them until years later. A prominent American civil rights leader, Susan B. Anthony once said:   “Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
My memories, when I allow them to march by, are a patchwork quilt of successes and failures that have become milestones with time. Some of those milestones bear the weight of  bitter memories and loss of innocence during an unpopular war. They stand like black granite columns inscribed with the names of my dead comrades.
In everything, I’ve found there is a balance. Without bad we wouldn’t know good. Grief gives way to joy. Death follows birth. Knowledge comes when we learn how little we know.
I like the imagery in milestones. There’s a sense of permanence. Importance. A feather in the cap. A firm footprint in the sands of life. A neon sign for the world to see what you’ve done thus far.
What some people see as a major milestone in life, a career in whatever for example, may not be as important to you as other goals achieved through years of living and learning. As much a milestone as our 37th wedding anniversary is, it stands side-by-side with many others.
Falling in love ought to be a milestone, but who can date that revelation when it’s such a gradual process? Who can say for sure when their heart skipped that extra beat in excitement? What day? What hour? What minute?
In the end, milestones are markers of our making. People will judge us by how we treated them. We’ll be known by our public works. We’ll also be known by our personal relationships. Spouse, father or mother, daughter or son. Grandparent. Aunt or uncle. Cousin.
As It Stands, remembering good milestones, like wedding anniversaries, is strongly recommended to assure another good one next year!

Websites carrying this column:

#1 Topix – Fullerton news #2 One Stop Fullerton News Stand 

Nervous over Irene Day 2 - hurricane makes landfall in N.C.

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

So far it’s not been as bad as expected…

UPDATES BELOW

Good Morning Humboldt County!

I skipping my usual format to follow the course of Hurricane Irene. Note yesterday’s post.

My wife (who is in Baltimore, Maryland) is doing fine and is in good spirits. Because the storm hasn’t been more than a CAT 1 I have hope this supposedly “historic storm” will not be so bad.    Breaking News

11:15 PST:

Hurricane Irene batters N.C.; 3 confirmed dead

NYC closes transit system as Hurricane Irene nears

According to my wife, the weather is not bad in Baltimore. Just overcast.

photo source

2:55 PST

Six dead as Hurricane Irene edges into Virginia

Boy killed when tree slams into home; surfer dies in huge waves off Florida

6:05 PST

Eight dead as Irene churns to Virginia

Eight people, including two children and a surfer, were dead, a million people were without power and the East Coast was a solid wall of red hurricane warnings Saturday as Hurricane Irene lashed the Virginia coast. Forecasters and authorities warned that its run north could be catastrophic.

!0:30 PST

At 11 p.m. ET, about 450,000 homes and buildings were without electricity in Maryland where Shirley’s staying. Maryland emergency officials said a tree fell on a house in Queen Anne's County, killing one person.

Tropical storm conditions spread north into Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware. With Virginia, they make up the so-called DelMarVa peninsula, where tornadoes were reported.

Maryland Police also said they spotted a tornado in a wooded area of the lower eastern shore.

Nervously waiting for Irene: my wife is in the path of what may be an historic hurricane

UPDATE BELOW

Quick backround: my wife, Shirley, is in Baltimore, Maryland and is driving 100 miles a day (round trip) to a VA Hospital in Washington D.C. to be with her brother, Tom, who is enduring chemo treatments for leukemia.

When the quake hit the east coast she was in Washington D.C. at this hospital which is located four miles from the White House. The hospital sustained minor damage in the basement area. I know this because Shirley said they had to take her brother down to the basement for a cat scan and discovered water everywhere from burst pipes and ceiling tiles all over the floor.

Obama: All signs show Irene will be 'historic' storm

Talking with her last night, she said they expect Irene to hit them Sunday. Shirley, her sister-in-law, and niece, are planning on riding Irene out at the VA hospital with Tom. Throughout the bad weather she’s been experiencing, Shirley has maintained an amazing calm. I wish I could say the same! Listening to the news and wondering how hard D.C. is going to get hit is nerve-wracking.

She was greeted with rain on her first day in Maryland - nearly three weeks ago – and the weather has been weird since. Some of the hospital staffers kid her and say that she brought northern California weather with her. Rain and earthquakes.

At times, I feel like I’m in a surreal movie, helplessly watching an oncoming train and powerless to do anything about it. All I can do is stay tuned….

UPDATE at 11:18

Shirley just got back from shopping for supplies. Crazy people everywhere.Her plans have changed. Looks like they intend to ride out Irene in Baltimore. It’s raining now.

UPDATE at 5:55

2.5 million people ordered to safer areas as Irene nears

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

“It’s a monster storm”

Is it just me, or is Ron Paul trying to get some attention by displaying his stupidity?

After a lunch speech today, he slammed FEMA, and said that no national response to Hurricane Irene is necessary. Oh really?

I’m trying to process his statements, but the red idiot light keeps coming on…

Ron Artest changes name to Metta World Peace, wireless system works when disaster hits, and Mexican president berates U.S.

UPDATE:

 Ron Artest’s name change was to become official, that he was to become Metta World Peace. And he was excited about it.

But the wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly. As the Associated Press explains.

A Los Angeles court commissioner delayed ruling on a name change petition by the Lakers forward until Sept. 16. Superior Court spokeswoman Elizabeth Martinez says the court cited Artest’s outstanding traffic warrants as the reason for the delay. If we’ve all waited this long for World Peace, we can wait another few weeks, can’t we?

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Good to see you. Pull up a chair, ottoman, bean bag, rocker, or carpet, and let’s get the day started with a few stories making news today: 

Lakers player changes name to Metta World Peace

The Lakers flamboyant forward, Ron Artest, is officially changing his name today. It’s important to understand the guy’s a bit odd but is living life large. “You can call me Ron today and then it’s over. It’s a wrap,” Artest said. “It’s about love, world peace. Everybody can relate to that, whether it’s in the same community or the same state or the same country or whether it’s a country going to war. “It’s about world peace. You know what I mean? The kids need to know that, and they know that now.”

A wireless system that works when disasters hit

One of the first things to disappear in the wake of a major disaster is reliable communication. Without access to cell phone service or the Internet, it's difficult for first responders — or anyone who wants to help out — to speak with each other.

And while satellite phones work in these situations, they're too expensive for many first responder organizations to purchase en masse.

Mexico's Calderon berates U.S. after casino attack

President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.

Under intense pressure as violence soars, Calderon said he would send more federal security forces to the city of Monterrey, where gunmen set fire to an upmarket casino on Thursday in one of the worst attacks of Mexico's drugs war.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

‘To transform the emptiness of loneliness, to the fullness of aloneness. Ah, that is the secret of life’

quote by - Sunita Khosla   photo source

Rogue Panda rampage, newly weds arrested for stealing food, and Bull semen spill causes scare and closes highway

Good Afternoon Humboldt County!

I got a late start today. Friends in town. Grab a chair, a cool beverage, and let’s take a quick tour of the news today:

Hoax sign warns Arizona drivers of panda rampage

A wave of "panda-monium" has swept through a northern Arizona city thanks to a mischievous street sign hacker who warned motorists of a "ROGUE PANDA ON RAMPAGE." State transportation officials said Tuesday that a person was able to post the hoax warning by hacking into an electronic message board in Flagstaff, Arizona, over the weekend.

image

Bride, groom arrested for stealing food for wedding feast

The hot hors d'oeuvres for a wedding reception in central Pennsylvania were a little too hot, and landed the newlyweds in jail on theft charges, police said on Thursday.

Arthur Phillips, 31, and his bride Brittany Lurch, 22, were arrested on Saturday for stealing groceries valued at $1,049 for their wedding feast that evening, Patton Township Police Chief John Petrick said.

image

Bull semen spill causes scare, closes highway

A spill of frozen bull semen bound for a breeder in the state of Texas triggered a scare on Tuesday that temporarily shut down a U.S. interstate highway during the morning rush hour.

The incident began when the driver of a Greyhound bus carrying the freight alerted the fire department he had lost a part of his load while negotiating the ramp on a highway near Nashville.

"We didn't know what it was, but we were told (the canisters) were non-toxic," said Maggie Lawrence, a fire department spokeswoman.  image

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Study says moods and weather go together, East Coast quake sets tweet record, scientists say global warming causing extreme weather

Good Morning Humboldt County!

I’m looking forward to another beautiful day. Have a cup of coffee, or tea, with me while we check out the following weather-related stories:

Moods really are tied to the weather

According to popular belief (not to mention popular music), there's long been a link between mood and weather. Some of us can't stand the rain. Others aren't happy unless we can feel the warm glow of sunshine on our shoulders.

But does rain really make us blue? And does the sun really cheer us up? A new study in the journal Emotion explored this popular belief by surveying nearly 500 adolescents and their mothers and found that for some of us, weather does indeed have a direct affect on our mood.

According to popular belief (not to mention popular music), there's long been a link between mood and weather. Some of us can't stand the rain. Others aren't happy unless we can feel the warm glow of sunshine on our shoulders. But does rain really make us blue? And does the sun really cheer us up? A new study in the journal Emotion explored this popular belief by surveying nearly 500 adolescents and their mothers and found that for some of us, weather does indeed have a direct affect on our mood.

East coast earthquake beat bin Laden (in tweets per second)

Almost immediately after a moderate earthquake shook up the east coast yesterday, people rushed to Twitter — for news and humor. And in that process, they managed something notable: They tweeted more (per second) than they did when news of Osama bin Laden's death broke.

According to an initial statistic posted on the official @Twitter account, the earthquake tweets came in at a rate of 5,500 per second. The bin Laden news, on the other hand, peeked at 5,008 tweets per second (TPS).

Nation's weather extremes may be the new normal

A record-setting winter in much of the country has been followed by more records: tornadoes, flooding, drought and heat. Climate change is largely to blame, scientists say.

Oklahomans are accustomed to cruel climate. Frigid winters and searing summers are often made more unbearable by scouring winds. But even by Oklahoma standards, it's been a year of whipsaw weather.

Residents in Guthrie, Okla., salvage belongings after a tornado in May.… (Sean Mullins, Associated Press)

Time to walk on down the road…

Part IV : 60’s & 70s psychedelic posters on display

  

  

Google images

NEWS ALERT - D.C., N.Y. areas evacuate as quake felt across East

My wife, Shirley, was in a Washington D.C. VA hospital (just four miles from the White House) visiting her brother when the quake struck.

She said the whole building rolled and woke her brother up who had just had an infusion to treat his leukemia. Everything was back to normal pretty quickly she said (phones and such were down shortly). The hospital staff has been on alert since it hit. No injuries reported. A lot of scared people according to Shirley.

On the lighter side (yes there generally is one) some of the staff accused Shirley of bringing the rain (it’s rained since she got there every day) and now an earthquake!

Here’s some details from NBC News:

Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated buildings across the East Coast on Tuesday after a moderate earthquake in Virginia that was also felt as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. No tsunami warning was issued, but air and train traffic was disrupted across the East Coast.

Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were among the areas evacuated.

At the Pentagon in northern Virginia, a low rumbling built and built to the point that the building was shaking. People ran into the corridors of the government's biggest building and as the shaking continued there were shouts of "Evacuate! Evacuate!"The quake even broke a water main inside the Pentagon, flooding parts of two floors, NBC reported.

Centered some 90 miles south of the nation's capital, the quake was a magnitude 5.9, the U.S. Geological Survey said.