Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?

The answer is…

Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud

If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

US calls for ban on in-car phone use ... even with Bluetooth

I think banning in-car phone use is a GREAT IDEA. There was actually a time in this country when people drove cars without having a phone in them. 

The government's transportation safety experts recommended Tuesday to ban all American drivers from using portable electronic devices — including cell phones, even if you use a hands-free device.

The recommendation, which isn't binding but which is likely to influence the decisions of Congress and state legislatures in writing  new safety laws, makes only two exceptions: You could still use GPS navigation devices, and you could use your cell phone in an emergency.

Besides calling for government action, the NTSB also urged consumer electronics manufacturers to figure out a way to "disable the functions of portable electronic devices within reach of the driver when a vehicle is in motion" while at the same time allowing the driver to make a call in an emergency.

Spokesmen for the Consumer Electronics Association and CTIA—The Wireless Association did not immediately return calls for comment on whether such a device is possible .

"No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life," Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference in Washington.

Safety advocates have long called for such a ban to reduce the phenomenon of distracted driving, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says killed 3,092 people in 2010.

The HTSA reported last week that about 20 percent of all drivers and 50 percent of drivers 21 to 24 years old admit to having texted while driving. Overall, more than three-quarters of drivers say they are willing to answer calls on all, most or some trips.

"People continue to make bad decisions about driving distracted — but what's clear from all of the information we have is that driver distraction continues to be a major problem," NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said last week in reporting the numbers.

But similar studies linking cellphone use to poor driving have been challenged, most recently by researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, who concluded last month that some earlier studies were seriously flawed.

The report, published in the journal Epidemiology, examined to earlier studies that examined crashes in which cellphone records showed that the driver had used a cellphone. Those studies "likely overestimated the relative risk for cell phone conversations," the researchers said, because they improperly assumed that the drivers were actually in motion when they were on the phone — in other words, they didn't factor in such so-called part-time driving.

Abstract: Cell Phone Use and Crash Risk: Evidence for Positive Bias

Only 10 states ban handheld devices right now, and 35 ban texting while driving.

The recommendation comes following the NTSB's investigation of an August 2010 accident in Gray's Summit, Mo., involving a pickup truck, two school buses and several other vehicles.

The accident was blamed on the 19-year-old driver of the pickup, who sent or received 11 texts in the 11 minutes before the pileup, which killed two people and injured 38 others.

"That finding raises a red flag to all of us on the highways," Hersman said.

Full NTSB report on 2010 Missouri crash

The NTSB recommendation wouldn't cover GPS devices, but — if it eventually becomes law — it would ban using your phone for any reason, even with a Bluetooth headset or speakers. The only exception would be to call 911 in an emergency.

(News source)

A $13 million dollar cat, psychedelic geckos among 200 new species discovered in Vietnam, and a stray dog saves an abandoned baby

      Good Morning Humboldt County! 

 It’s great to be back home. C’mon inside and have a cup of coffee with me. Grab a seat and let me start your day with a few animal stories.  

     Former stray cat inherits $13 million

It's hard to imagine an heir more indifferent to his huge inheritance than Tommaso. The 4-year-old Italian black cat -- a former stray on the streets of Rome -- is apparently now the richest cat in the world, according to the International Business Times. Tommaso inherited an estate worth $13 million when its owner, Maria Assunta, died two weeks ago at the age of 94, The Telegraph reported. Assunta was the widow of a property tycoon, and had no children or living relatives.

Other famously wealthy pets: Tommaso is the latest in a long line of pets that became millionaires upon the death of their wealthy owners.

Leona Helmsley's Maltese, Trouble, was probably the most famously wealthy pet when his owner died in 2007, leaving $12 million to the dog. The dog itself passed away in June, at the age of 12, and the money reverted to the Helmsley Charitable Trust, The Street reported.

Other rich animals include Alexander McQueen's dogs ($82,000) and Michael Jackson's chimp, Bubbles ($1 million). Oprah Winfrey's dogs are set to inherit $30 million, according to Woman's Day.

However, none are as wealthy as an Alsatian dog named Gunther IV, who inherited a fortune worth about $372 million from a German countess, according to The Guardian.

Psychedelic gecko one of 200 new species discovered in South East Asia

A psychedelic gecko (photo right) recently discovered in Hon Khoai island, Ca Mau province, in southern Vietnam.

HANOI, Vietnam — A psychedelic gecko and a monkey with an "Elvis" hairdo are among 208 new species described last year by scientists in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia, a conservation group announced Monday.

The animals were discovered in a biodiverse region that is threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and overdevelopment, the WWF said in a report.

The newly described species include a "psychedelic gecko" in southern Vietnam and a nose-less monkey in a remote province of Myanmar that looks like it wears a pompadour.

 Stray dog saves abandoned baby from death

A stray dog saved an abandoned baby from certain death in freezing temperatures in Romania. The hound stood guarding the child and barking and howling in a public park until it alerted passers-by to investigate.

They heard the child's cries and found the baby girl hidden in a plastic bag under a picnic table. The baby is recovering in hospital - and the maternity unit has adopted the stray dog. Doctors say the newborn would most likely have died from hypothermia very quickly unless the stray dog hadn't discovered her.The umbilical cord was still attached. She was taken to a hospital from Oradea in Arad county.

Dr. Gheorghe Tirla said: "It is a normal baby-girl of three kilos. She was lucky with that dog or she could have frozen to death. "She hadn't even had the umbilical cord severed but everything turned out fine and she is now recovering." The baby is going to be placed in an orphanage, reports the National newspaper. Police are trying to find the mother of the baby.

Time to walk on down the road…

As It Stands: PAB Award: What Congress deserves for Christmas

          

                 By Dave Stancliff/for the Times-Standard
  Welcome to the first annual As It Stands contest for Politicians Acting Badly (the PAB award). This year we have a lot of candidates to choose from. Based upon most Americans disgust with them, members of the current Congress, have to be considered the frontrunners for this special citation.
   Still, we can’t overlook the likes of ex- Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and his cell phone shannigans, or Rep. Spencer Bachus’s (R-AL) inside trading behavior which recently came under fire in a 60 Minutes report. 
   This year’s long shots for the award are: Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) who in the heat of a political debate in August crossed the line when he said being associated with President Obama would be similar to touching a “tar baby.”  Another contender is ex-Congressman David Wu who resigned amid allegations he engaged in "aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior." He also came under fire for possible mental health issues after he mailed a picture of himself in a tiger costume to his staff.
  Here we go. Are you ready? Pass the envelope please... (tense pause). This year’s winner of the PAB Award is…the 112th U.S. Congress!
  Santa will leave rocks for every member of Congress this Christmas. The normally jolly old elf is as sick of partisan politics as most Americans.
Congress' supercommittee conceded ignominious defeat in November, setting the stage for another new low. Even for them. Neither side shows the spirit of the season.
 Our lawmakers are a pack of Scrooges stealing holiday cheer. None of them are comfortable about automatic cuts going into place if they don‘t come up with a plan. Yet the no-compromise committee, formerly known as the supercommittee, threw up their hands in defeat in time for the holidays.
  Political divisions over taxes and spending have cast a cloud of uncertainty over the U.S. economy while Greece, Italy, Spain and other European countries are reeling from a spreading debt crisis and recession worries.
  Congress continues to act as if they don’t care if their approval rating in the polls is well below 20 percent. It’s amazing to me. It’s as if  our elected officials don’t understand there will be an accounting when they’re up for re-election.
   Based on accounts provided by officials familiar with the talks, it appears that weeks of private negotiations did nothing to alter a fundamental divide between the two political parties.
   "Despite our inability to bridge the committee's significant differences, we end this process united in our belief that the nation's fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve," the panel's two co-chairs, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Tex., said in a recent AP report.
  Don’t feel alone if this statement makes you want to vomit. Have you ever heard a bigger bunch of baloney? United in their belief? They’re not united enough to decide when to take a coffee break let alone solve problems for future generations!
  Has there ever been a worse Congress? I can see political historians comparing it with some in the 1880s, but unless someone proves otherwise, our current Congress must be considered the worst of the worst. Thus the PAB Award.
  I know what Americans want for Christmas. A Congress that can balance the budget. A Congress that is proactive about stimulating jobs in this down economy and passes bills with real teeth. A congress that doesn’t enrich its members with inside stock trading. A Congress committed to doing what the American people really want. A Congress that doesn’t appear to the rest of the world as a bunch of greedy partisan clowns.

  I don’t think those are unrealistic expectations. When our lawmakers took their oaths of office they promised to serve their constituents. That means they should represent the voters wishes and not those ideological demigods who demand partisan pledges that prevent compromise.
   The good news during these holidays is that things can change. Americans are rising up across the country demanding real change. I can’t wait until this time next year. I suspect we’ll elect a more responsive group of lawmakers who’d like to avoid getting my PAB award.
  As It Stands, for Christmas this year, members of Congress deserve a rock signifying their stubbornness, and they should also receive a pink slip from their constituents.  

This column has been picked up by the following websites:

#1 Politics Daily #2 Silobreaker #3 David Wu News #4 Global Associated News 

I’m heading down the road for a few days – see ya soon

Time for a holiday blog break. Places to go and people to see who live outside of Humboldt County.

Please feel free to go over the archives on the left side of the page to see past posts and columns.

Peace…

Cop found drunk in car, ‘Mockupy’ set flooded by protestors, and blinded by truck lights in Japan

          Good Morning Humboldt County!

Looks like another beautiful day in the neighborhood. C’mon inside on this chilly Fall morning and have a cup of hot coffee with me. I’ve selected several stories to jump start your day. Grab a seat, relax, and enjoy:

Florida cop found drunk in squad car

You know things are wacky in Florida when news of criminality continues to be about the cops rather than the robbers. The latest Keystone Kops-like episode came when an off-duty cop was discovered passed out and drunk in his patrol car, the Miami-Dade, Fla., police department told local media.

And it gets worse: Instead of being cuffed and booked, Fernando Villa, 32, was allowed to go home after signing a form promising he would appear in court, the Miami Herald reported. The DUI incident is the latest in a string of embarrassments to hit Miami-area law enforcement.

'Mockupy': Protesters flood into supposed TV set replicating Occupy camp

Dozens of protesters from Occupy Wall Street converged overnight Thursday on another park in New York City – where they say a television set for an upcoming “Law & Order” episode replicating their Occupy Wall Street camp has been set up, according to various reports on Twitter, a live video stream and a demonstrator.

“Light, camera, ACTION! Everybody head to Foley Square. Bring y(ou)r headshots and make y(ou)rself at home! See you at midnite! #Mockupy #D9,” read a tweet sent out from the OccupyWallSt Twitter account.

 

Japanese “light trucks” banned from highway for being too bright

These popular vehicles in Japan have given new meaning to the term, "blinded by the light." But Japanese authorities are putting the brakes on so-called "light trucks," citing the danger posed to other drivers.

There's huge competition amongst the "light truck" community in Japan's car culture. And if you've never heard of light trucks before, they're basically what they sound like: trucks decked out in intricate designs of brightly colored lights. Some light-truck enthusiasts spend hundreds of thousands of dollars decking out their vehicles. According to the Daily Mail, the trucks use up so much electricity that some are fitted with extra generators under the chassis and can only be powered up for about 20 minutes before overheating. You can check out a more extensive gallery of light truck photos by clicking here.

Time to walk on down the road…

Senate approves indefinite detention and torture of Americans

A sad day for Americans…

The terrifying legislation that allows for Americans to be arrested, detained indefinitely, tortured and interrogated — without charge or trial — passed through the Senate on Thursday with an overwhelming support from 93 percent of lawmakers.

The irony to me is the morons agreed to something finally, and when they did, it involved taking away Americans rights.

Only seven members of the US Senate voted against the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, despite urging from the ACLU and concerned citizens across the country that the affects of the legislation would be detrimental to the civil rights and liberties of everyone in America. Under the bill, Americans can be held by the US military for terrorism-related charges and detained without trial indefinitely.

Wake up America! We’re quietly losing more rights as these bastards slipped this bill through without any fanfare.

Additionally, another amendment within the text of the legislation reapproved waterboarding and other “advanced interrogation techniques” that are currently outlawed. "The bill is an historic threat to American citizens,” Christopher Anders of the ACLU tells the Associated Press. For the biggest supporters of the bill, however, history necessitates that Americans must sacrifice their security for freedom.

Why hasn’t someone made that nut Graham resign? He doesn’t believe in American ideals. He’s just another chick-hawk SOB that has a perverted streak when it comes to dealing with people.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a backer of the legislation, says current laws protecting Americans are too lax. Rather, says the senator, anyone suspected of terrorism "should not be read their Miranda Rights. They should not be given a lawyer."

Graham adds that suspected terrorists, “should be held humanely in military custody and interrogated about why they joined al-Qaeda and what they were going to do to all of us,” although other legislation in the bill isn’t exactly humane. Waterboarding, sleep-deprivation and other methods outlawed in the 2005 Anti-Torture Act will be added to a top-secret list of approved interrogation techniques that could be used on suspects, American or other.

I think we need to waterboard some some politicians until they start serving the people who put them in there!

Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte said last week that "terrorists shouldn't be able to view all of our interrogation practices online,” and Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) added during debate this week, "When a member of Al Qaeda or a similar associated terrorist group, I want . . . them to be terrified about what's going to happen to them in American custody.”

"I want them not to know what's going to happen,” added the senator and former presidential candidate. Not only won’t they know their gruesome future, but they wouldn’t know their own rights — that’s because they won’t have any. "We need the authority to hold those individuals in military custody so we aren't reading them Miranda rights," adds Kelly.

You just have to be someone suspected of supporting terrorists to lose all of your rights as an American. Does anyone recall the Salem Witch hunt trials? Seems history is repeating itself.

While lawmakers rallied with overwhelming support to approve the legislation against terrorists, it can also be applied to anyone, including American citizens, who are even suspected of terrorist-ties. President Barack Obama has pledged in the past that he would veto the legislation if it made through Congress, and a White House official told the AP on Thursday that that threat still stands.

Don’t hold out any hope that Obama will keep his word…he’s a proven political creature that does what’s best for himself and his cronies.

As Obama is faced with a country on the brink of economic collapse so close to Election Day, however, a change of heart couldn’t be out of the question — the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 comes at a price-tag of nearly $30 billion below what Obama had asked for. (source)

New ‘Hangover cure,’ An abandoned fiberglass cow, and Contortionist makes a flexible calendar

              Good Morning Humboldt County!

It’s another day in paradise and the coffees on. C’mon in and have a cup with me. Pick a seat and relax while I share several stories to start your day.

It’s a strange world out there with lots of unique people and products. Enjoy:

“Hangover cure” approved for sale by FDA

The FDA has approved a new "hangover cure" product that could be available on U.S. store shelves as early as next month.

The "Alka-Seltzer like tablet" is not an actual new ingredient, but rather a potent combination of caffeine, aspirin and an antacid. ABC News reports that the product, called "Blowfish," is already available at the Ricky's pharmaceutical chain in New York City and is scheduled to be introduced nationally in January. "It's the only over-the-counter drug that's specifically hangover related," Blowfish creator Brenna Haysom told ABC News. "The [Food and Drug Administration] has specifically said our formula is effective for treating hangover symptoms."

'Moo-ve' that trailer! St. Paul impounds fiberglass cow

It's quite the sight to see inside the St. Paul impound lot. A trailer carrying a large fiberglass cow has been sitting in the lot for the past couple of weeks.

The trailer and cow had been parked on the 1400 block of E. Como Boulevard for such a long period of time that police considered it abandoned. Police took it to the impound lot on November 18. Authorities say the trailer had no registration. Someone went to the lot to claim the trailer, but the person couldn't prove ownership. The person who can prove ownership will have to pay more than $600 in towing and storage fees.

 Want A More Flexible Schedule In 2012?

Then do I have the calendar for you.
25 year old Russian contortionist "Zlata" has just released a calendar featuring her in 12 of her most eye- (and spine-) popping poses. From cooking in the kitchen with one leg behind her head, to getting off a bus with, er, one leg behind her head, the spry former-gymnast has tied herself in knots to produce something to please her legions of fans.

More facts about Zlata, with many more examples of her art, can be found here, courtesy of the Daily Mail.

Time to walk on down the road…

A nostaligic look at some of the weirdest collectibles of the 1970s

Every generation has its own cultural icons that grow into collectibles over time. Yet the 1970s were a stranger time than most, and some of the artifacts of that decade are indeed bizarre.

There are, of course, the legions of Star Wars-related items that remain in demand. ... More

If you happen to have one of those Boba Fett dolls that came free with UPC symbols, you may be able to add an extra $2,000 to your bank account (especially if it's the version with a spring-loaded missile).

There were also fads a-plenty, such as the mood ring, a plastic, heat-activated bauble that would change colors, allegedly in sync with the wearer's emotions. The rings are still sold by various makers, but cognoscenti, we are told, have ways of telling an authentic '70s artifact.

Taste wasn't always an issue when it came to flash-in-the-pan fads of that decade. Amid the sexual revolution and a growing gay rights movement, advertising executive Harvey Rosenberg brought America Gay Bob, a doll that hit stores in 1977 and created buzz -- and denouncements -- as "the world's first openly gay doll."

Dressed in tight jeans and a flannel shirt, Bob differed from Barbie's pal Ken in one striking way: The doll was anatomically correct. Today, the dolls appear regularly on auction sites such as eBay. Remember Cowmumble? 

How about Trolls before they were associated with the internet!

source

Obama Invokes Cold-War Law to Unmask Chinese Telecom Spyware

The U.S. is invoking Cold War-era national-security powers to force telecommunication companies including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to divulge confidential information about their networks in a hunt for Chinese cyber-spying.

In a survey distributed in April, the U.S. Commerce Department asked for a detailed accounting of foreign-made hardware and software on the companies’ networks. It also asked about security-related incidents such as the discovery of “unauthorized electronic hardware” or suspicious equipment that can duplicate or redirect data, according to a copy of the survey reviewed by Bloomberg News.

The survey represents “very high-level” concern that China and other countries may be using their growing export sectors to develop built-in spying capabilities in U.S. networks, said a senior U.S. intelligence official who asked not to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter.

“This is beyond vague suspicions,” said Richard Falkenrath, a senior fellow in the Council on Foreign Relations Cyberconflict and Cybersecurity Initiative. “Congress is now looking at this as well, and they’re doing so based on very specific material provided them in a classified setting” by the National Security Agency, he said.

The survey went to dozens of telecommunications companies, software makers and information-security companies, including some foreign firms, according to James Lewis, a cyber-security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, in Washington. Lewis said AT&T and Verizon Communications were among the companies that received it.

Several of the companies were hesitant to cooperate because they had learned the Commerce Department unit handling the survey had itself been hacked by the Chinese in 2006, creating the possibility that company data provided might become known to the Chinese, according to a former government official familiar with the discussions.

The Commerce Department refused a request by the companies for specific protocols to protect the data, according to the former official, who declined to be identified because the discussions were confidential.

In July, Greg Schaffer of the Department of Homeland Security testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that the department knew of instances of foreign-made components seeded with cyber-spying technology. He declined to provide further details.

The Commerce Department survey also reflected U.S. intelligence community concerns over discounting and loan packages offered by foreign manufacturers.

It asks companies to list makers of telecommunications equipment that offer the steepest discounts. Other questions ask what information or other conditions manufacturers require in exchange for sales or leasing, including knowledge of physical access procedures for entering buildings.

Lewis of the CSIS said U.S. officials suspect the Chinese government is subsidizing the discounts to give U.S. companies incentives to buy Chinese-made network equipment.

“Huawei says they’re doing this and it’s completely legitimate, and it’s just us competing in the market,” Lewis said. “The other possibility is that they are doing it because they have an intelligence motive.”

--Editors: Andrew Dunn, Mary Romano

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Riley in Washington at michaelriley@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net