Man survives 4 days in desert with broken leg, new book about the mysteries of southpaws, and a woman who flies the Confederate flag in her neighborhood

           Good Morning Humboldt County!

Are you ready to start a new week? Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a seat, and prepare to meet a man with a broken leg who survived for four days in the desert. Then there’s a new book that tells us all about southpaws/lefties. The wrap up is about a southern woman who flies a Confederate flag despite her neighbors protests. I believe she has that right, even if her stance is unpopular. 

Man with broken leg survives 4 days in Utah desert

Salt Lake City - A North Carolina man crawled four days across the Utah desert after breaking his leg on a solo hike, inspired by a Hollywood movie about a man who cut off his own arm to save himself after being trapped by a boulder in the same canyon.

Canyonlands National Park rangers found Richards four days after he fell 10 feet in Little Blue John Canyon on Sept. 8. Along with the leg injury, he dislocated his shoulder but was able to work it back into place.

New book explores the mysteries of southpaws

How do we explain that through the centuries, all over the world, there has always been a consistent left-handed minority of people of around 10 percent? Author Rik Smits attempts to answer this question in his new book "The Puzzle of Left-handedness."

There’s no definitive reason why one person is a rightie and another is a leftie, argues Smits in his book. There are several theories, though, and plenty of left-handed lore.

Photo - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is among the nation's famous lefties. Mark Wilson / Getty Images file

S. Carolina neighbors wage battle over Confederate flag

 A year ago, dozens marched to protest the Confederate flag a white woman flew from her porch in a historically black Southern neighborhood.

Earlier this year, Annie Chambers Caddell's neighbors built two solid 8-foot high wooden fences on either side of her modest brick house to shield the Southern banner from view.

Video: Neighbors protest woman's Confederate Flag

Late this summer, Caddell raised a flagpole higher than the fences to display the flag. Then a similar pole with an American flag was placed across the fence in the yard of neighbor Patterson James, who is black.One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began about 20 miles away in Charleston Harbor, fights continue over the meaning of the Confederate flag.

Time to walk on down the road…

As It Stands: Entertainment is no excuse for sexualizing little girls

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

The models gyrate suggestively onstage in skimpy outfits. The audience  enthusiastically encourages them to strut their stuff as they perform skits dressed as prostitutes and divas. Just another fashion show? Just another beauty contest?
Not quite. The girls wearing full makeup and suggestive costumes on stage are only five years old. Not much more than babies, and their mothers are already sexualizing them. If that sounds like a harsh statement, it’s meant to be.
Why are so-called reality programs like “Toddlers & Tiaras’’ allowed to air? The series is about the controversial world of pint-size beauty pageants. There’s a sick culture of mothers in America who think it’s okay to display their daughters in sexually suggestive costumes. (The good news is “Toddlers & Tiaras” is in it’s last season after a five-year run.)
Their excuses for doing that range from “I was a model once and see nothing wrong with helping my daughter get an early start in the business,” to the model wannabe moms who live their fantasies through their daughters - but claim it was the daughter’s idea to model.

How far has this trend gone?  Perhaps you’ve heard of the latest fashion model featured in French Vogue. Her name is Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau. She’s a pre-pubescent 10-years old. Her career started at age four.
The fashion industry has long been known to have models as young as 13 parading down the catwalk in sexy swimwear and lingerie. We’ve become so immune to the sexy gazes of teen models in high fashion advertising campaigns that their age goes unnoticed. But what happens when the model is so young? Should we turn our heads and pretend what’s happening is okay?  
Considering the crime rate involving sexual images of children, it’s hard to believe these kiddie fashion shows and beauty contests have become so popular. Then again, maybe it’s not so hard to understand when you consider those young girl’s sexy outfits and attitudes are a reflection of a sexist society. These shows are also popular with pedophiles, but that should come as no surprise to anyone.  
Shows like "Toddlers and Tiaras" have spawned spin-offs such as a recent viral video of a children's dance team bumping and grinding. For parents looking for a primer on how not to raise your daughter go to http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/girl-single-ladies-dance-sparks-controversy-internet/story?id=10644648.
Why aren’t these sexual displays of children illegal? People worry about child sex trafficking and then tune into an episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras.” It doesn’t make sense.  In a recent conversation I was told that this is a free society and there shouldn’t be any form of censorship on controversial shows.
 My reply; there have to be limits to protect children from exploitation. What’s happening to these young girls who skip a normal childhood and step into an adult world as young as four years old? Go to http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/en/news/newsandfeatures/pages/sexy-babies-how-sexualization-hurts-girls.aspx  to see what the eventual effects are. I assure you they’re not pretty.
One example is a trend for an increase in parents condoning plastic surgery for their daughters. Since 2000, the number of invasive cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States on girls 18 or younger has increased 15%, to 77,000.

As a parent there are things you can do to help your daughter get through our sexually-charged society without becoming a victim. The American Psychological Association released this excellent report that offers advise to parents and daughters: http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report.aspx?item=3.
 We must not forget dad in the overall equation. The relationship between dads and daughters, particularly during the early adolescent years, can help boost self-esteem in girls and help prevent the development of body image dissatisfaction. A website devoted to dads and daughters ( www.dadsanddaughters.org. ) outlines ways in which fathers can lend their support.

If you see clothing companies, advertisers, TV, and movie producers encouraging young girls to focus too much on looking “hot,” you can write a letter to express your opinion. There are things we can do about this trend of sexualizing young girls.
 Girls face enough challenges in this society, where shock value trumps common sense, without being subjected to it from the moment they can walk.
 As It Stands, it’s not too late to reverse this trend of exploitation.

Websites carrying this column:

#1 Lifestyle Today  #2 Cosma 

As It Stands: NASA not sure where 6-ton satellite landed on earth

Scientists have been predicting where a spent 6-ton satellite (weighing an estimated 1,200 pounds upon re-entry) would land for weeks now.

 Looks like the whole pack of them were (and are) clueless as to the final destination. Nearly 24 hours after vague reports of impact “somewhere over the Pacific” NASA spokesman Steve Cole told the Associated Press “Officials really didn’t know for certain where the satellite hit.

Hold on there! That’s not okay. Since when do we lose track of a satellite as it enters our atmosphere? Was some NASA geek asleep at the switch during the critical re-entry?

More likely, NASA loses track of them all the time (see chart above via source) and it’s pure luck no one has been killed by one yet. Or have they? If you’re aware of people who have been killed by space debris please feel free to share on the comment section at the end of this post.

Because there hasn’t been any reports of injuries yet from this one, officials have been downplaying the importance of losing track of it. There’s been unconfirmed reports of it’s path and from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite over Alberta, Canada.

As It Stands, the bottom line – it’s only a matter of time before space debris makes more than a splash in the ocean and causalities are suffered by the unwanted return of our own technology.

Diplomats owe $17 million in NYC parking fines, Scores get sick and one dies fighting bedbugs, and new internet rules coming out

Diplomats owe $17 million in New York parking fines

New York City is owed nearly $17 million (10 million pounds) in parking tickets issued to diplomats, a hefty amount that may have grown this week as world leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly.

The city's Department of Finance said unpaid tickets totalled $16.7 million through the end of July. Egypt topped the list with $1.9 million in tickets, followed by Nigeria with about $1 million and Indonesia with about $725,000. U.S. congressmen Michael Grimm, Peter King and Edolphus Towns have introduced legislation that would impose sanctions on countries with diplomats who fail to pay parking fines in New York City.

Scores got sick, 1 died trying to kill bedbugs

Bedbugs don't make you sick. But the poisons used to kill them can. A government study released Thursday found that dozens of Americans have fallen ill from the insecticides, and a North Carolina woman died after using 18 cans of chemical fogger to attack the tiny blood suckers.

Because many of the cases, including the lone death, were do-it-yourselfers who misused the chemicals or applied the wrong product, federal health officials are warning consumers to be careful and urging them to call professionals. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 80 illnesses and one death linked to the insecticides over three years. Most of the cases were in New York City, the apparent epicenter of a recent U.S. bedbug comeback.

U.S. Internet rules to take effect November 20

Long-delayed U.S. Internet rules that tackle the controversial issue of balancing consumer and content provider interests against those who sell access to the Web will take effect November 20.

The Federal Communications Commission's "open Internet" order was published in the Federal Register on Friday, and immediately drew threats of court and congressional challenges. The rules were adopted by the FCC late last year after a lengthy debate, but only recently cleared a review by the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

Criticized by opponents as a legally shaky government intrusion into regulating the Internet, the new rules forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content but leave flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

Time to walk on down the road…

Copyrights and images from Marilyn Monroe's first photo shoot are hitting the auction block

A bankruptcy judge in Florida ruled earlier this week that photos taken in 1946 of Norma Jeane Dougherty — who went on to become the iconic Monroe — will be sold at auction to settle the debts of the photographer.

Joseph Jasgur's photos, negatives and image copyrights will be sold in December by Julien's Auctions. The collection also includes several model-release forms Dougherty signed for Jasgur in Hollywood.

Darren Julien, chief of Julien's Auctions, said the photos have not been widely distributed and the collection has been locked up in court battles for more than two decades. He said the sale is significant because "it's very rare to see something where you can buy a copyrighted image of (Monroe), especially of her first photo shoot."                                                           article source

Photo - Norma Jean Dougherty in 1946. Joseph Jasgur / Julien's Auctions via AP

Harper’s Story: She was in a trash bag but got a new lease on life

 I might as well admit that I’m a sucker for animal stories that end well. I’ve always loved animals, and as the years go by I’m constantly amazed at what they’re capable of.

Sometimes the only humane thing to do is to put a dog to sleep. Just three weeks ago, Erica Daniel steeled herself to take that difficult step with Harper, a small puppy in her care.

Daniel, 26, fosters dogs that need serious help, and Harper had come to her in the most desperate of circumstances. On Aug. 31, a woman in Sanford, Fla., first encountered the little dog when she spotted a squirming garbage bag.

Top Photo - This is how Harper looked when she was rescued. Born with a condition commonly called "swimmer puppy syndrome," Harper had a flattened chest wall and could not walk or hold her head up. Dolly's Foundation

“There was a man outside the Save-A-Lot selling pit-bull puppies for $50 a pop,” Daniel explained. “This woman approached him and noticed a noise coming from a garbage bag he was holding. She asked him, ‘What’s in the bag?’ and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ ”

The woman pressed the issue and the man opened — and gave her — the contents of the bag. Inside was a puppy so deformed that it couldn’t walk or hold up its head. Shelter workers and veterinarians grimaced when they saw the dog and came to the same conclusion: It really should be euthanized.

That’s when Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, stepped in. She decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of unabashed affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said. “I’d planned on taking her home that night, letting her sleep in bed with us, and having her humanely euthanized in the morning.”

Photo - Three weeks ago, Harper was so afflicted by a rigor-mortis-like condition that she could barely move. Today, she's walking almost like a normal dog. www.FlyinFurPetPhotography.com

What a difference a day can make. Today, Harper is not only alive — she’s thriving. The frisky gray puppy is gaining more and more mobility each day, to the astonishment of onlookers and medical professionals.

article source

Ban lifted on Mark Twain book, $1 million quest to embarrass Perry, and what would you name a new worm?

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Time to view something new while enjoying your first cup of coffee at Café Dave. I’ve got a trio of stories that will give you a few things to ponder going into the weekend.

Library lifts 1906 ban on Mark Twain book

A Mark Twain book with nude illustrations, added to a Massachusetts public library after a century-old ban was lifted, was plucked from the shelf within hours on Thursday.

Trustees of the Charlton Public Library lifted the 1906 ban earlier this week of "Eve's Diary," Twain's satirical version of the Adam and Eve story, said Cheryl Hansen, the library's director.

Porn magnate funds $1 million quest to embarrass Perry

Pornographic magazine publisher Larry Flynt offered $1 million on Thursday to anyone with proof of "an illicit sexual liaison" involving leading Republican presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry.

The offer by the politically left-leaning Flynt targeting Perry was similar to past efforts by the Hustler magazine founder to embarrass public figures he dislikes. Los Angeles-based Larry Flynt Productions, which publishes Hustler, said it bought full-page advertisements in the weekly editions of the U.S. satirical tabloid The Onion and the Austin Chronicle, a Texas alternative paper, seeking evidence of any Perry peccadilloes.

 

"What would you name a new worm?" asks museum

What name would you give to a species of Antarctic, sea-dwelling worm that spends its time 2,000 metres below the water's surface, wriggling in the rotting carcasses of whales?

The public will get to name five newly discovered species of this deep-sea worm, the Natural History Museum in London said on Friday, as it opens its doors to explain that taxonomy -- the practice of naming new species -- is not taxing, but fun.

"Our goal is to show that taxonomy, the scientific discipline of naming new species, is interesting, fun and crucial to the advancement of science," zoologist at the National History Museum, Adrian Glover, said.

Time to walk on down the road…

Solar-powered village rises in nation's capital

 

Hundreds of college students from around the U.S., and even a handful of other countries, have been busy this week building a village of solar-powered homes on a park at the nation's capital.

Story: GOP lawmaker: Solar panel industry could fail

Story: Salazar says solar push to continue

Reflections: here’s an example of what’s taking this country down

There’s a lot of things right and wrong in this country. Perhaps one of the most frustrating things  is how people legally scam the system. Here’s another example of a “good old boy” arrangement that happens everyday throughout the country:

“A retired Chicago labor leader secured a $158,000 public pension — roughly five times greater than what a typical retired public-service worker in the Windy City receives — after being rehired for just one day of active duty on the city payroll, local news reports said.

According to The Chicago Tribune, Dennis Gannon stands to collect approximately $5 million in city pension funds during his lifetime. He now draws the pension while working for a hedge fund, the Tribune reported.

Gannon’s pension is so high that it exceeds federal limits and required Chicago’s pension fund to file special paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service to give it to him, the Tribune reported.” source

Koalas need tunnels, kindergartener brings crack pipe and meth for show and tell, and $16 muffins and $8 coffee served in Justice audit

Good Morning Humboldt County!

C’mon in…bring your coffee mug and I’ll serve up some hot coffee and a few stories to start your day. I’m all about saving the Koalas and their story is about survival. Teachers never know what a child is going to bring for Show and Tell. To wrap up this morning’s trio of headlines we have a story on government waste. Need I say more?

Koalas need tunnels, speed limits say Australian politicians

Special koala tunnels and tougher road speed limits would help avoid one of the leading causes of death of Australia's iconic marsupial, lawmakers said on Thursday.

No-one knows how many koalas are left in the wild -- experts estimate anywhere between 43,000 to 300,000 -- but the numbers are slowly falling and road deaths are the second biggest cause. An inquiry by the upper house Senate urged national and state government to take action to nurture the much-loved furry marsupial.

Kindergartener brings crack pipe, meth for show-and-tell

A kindergartener in rural Sweet Springs, Missouri, brought a bag of crystal meth and a crack pipe to school for show-and-tell, but an alert teacher kept the boy from sharing his treasure with others at the school, an official said on Tuesday.

"He was very excited when he got to school," Superintendent Donna Wright said of the September 6 incident. "But I don't think he knew what he had." A teacher recognized the drugs and pipe and police were called to the elementary school. "It didn't ever get into the classroom," Wright added.

$16 muffins, $8 coffee served in Justice audit

As the U.S. government grapples to find ways to trim the bloated federal deficit, a new report suggests officials might start with cutting out $16 muffins and $10 cookies.

"We found the Department (of Justice) spent $16 on each of the 250 muffins served at an August 2009 legal conference in Washington," said a DOJ Office of Inspector General report recently released.

The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.

Time to walk on down the road…