Join me a for live chat at #Learntalk about Bias in the Media

  Good Day World!

This is my last post until February 9th, but please feel free to explore past “As It Stands” columns, and more, at the right side of this page.

Coming up on Feb. 11th, I’ll be hosting my first #Learntalk at 5:00 p.m. pst - 8:00 p.m. eastern time. The topic is going to be Bias in the Media.

Note the Learnist board on the right - click the top and you’ll go to Part III of a 3-part series about Bias in the Media. The other two parts are available on my other Learnist boards. After reading all three boards you’re going to be somewhat of an expert on the subject! No kidding. Check them out.

Here’s the website where the chat will take place, so mark it on your calendar and we’ll talk then. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. If you have a Facebook account, or a Twitter account, you’ll be able to participate in the conversation.

Coming Sunday – Feb. 3rd, As It Stands takes a look at “Women in Combat” in the Times-Standard.

Coming Sunday – Feb. 10th, As It Stands has a “Note to GOP: Changing the rules isn’t going to help” in the Times-Standard. 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

     

 

 

Second takes: it’s incredible what some people do…

     Good Day World!

Sometimes when I go through the news I see stories that make me stop and shake my head at how incredibly stupid people can be.

Most people would not light up at a oil storage facility – those flammable signs would be enough warn them to keep their cigarettes in their pocket. Despite that two people (reportedly not employees but trespassers) were critically injured in an explosion and fire Tuesday morning after smoking on a catwalk over oil storage tanks, officials say.

This story about a female Texas trooper who performed a roadside cavity search on two Irving women really made me take a second-look. Excuse me? What was with that anyway? The trooper will be terminated according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The trooper cited them for littering - throwing cigarette butts out of the car – but ended up putting on latex gloves and doing a cavity search in front of the whole world! CLICK HERE TO VIEW DASHCAM VIDEO (WARNING VIDEO MAY BE DISTURBING)

Police in New Mexico found an 8-year-old girl locked in a cage in a darkened mobile home, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that they charged the girl's adoptive mother, who had gone to the movies, with child abuse. He said police, acting on a tip from the woman's estranged husband, found the girl in the corner of a bedroom locked inside the cage, about four feet high, slightly more than two feet wide and about five feet long.

This story about incompetent carjackers made me smile while wondering why they didn’t know how to drive a stick shift? Two men in an attempted stickup were confounded by a car’s stick shift.Neither of the would-be carjackers knew the basic mechanics behind a manual transmission! I guess people don’t get driver’s education anymore – unlike prior generations – and that’s why those two bozos were foiled in their attempt.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

See? I told you they’d bring back Twinkies one way or the other!

The indestructible Twinkie is ready for it’s comeback according to this source which hints that Hostess Brands has narrowed down the bidders for their brand to just two. 

I remember a lot of people rushing into stores to buy up Twinkies because they were sure their demise was imminent and forever. Tsk ! Tsk! I told you then they’d be back. That favorite American Icon for junk food (who can forget the famous “Twinkie Defense?) will be returning to market shelves sometime soon. Strap your feedbags on and be ready for a rush on the sweet treats! (image source)

Show Me the Monkey! Iran claims space flight successful

   Good Day World!

Iran better stop monkeying around with the world. Their leaders claim to have sent a monkey into space and brought it back safely. So where’s the monkey? No one is saying.

Folks in Washington couldn’t – or wouldn’t – confirm if Iran even launched a rocket. But the message was clear, If Iran did launch a rocket then they’re in more hot water with world powers.

It would be a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, whose text bars Iran from "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology."

In other words, the Iranians would probably be smart to NOT have a parade in the space-traveling simian’s honor. The U.S. won’t play that game and may send some drones over to ruin some fanatics day! So here’s the story:

“Iran said on Monday it had launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off missile systems that have alarmed the West because the technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.

The Defense Ministry announced the launch as world powers sought to agree a date and venue with Iran for resuming talks to resolve a standoff with the West over Tehran's contested nuclear program before it degenerates into a new Middle East war.

Efforts to nail down a new meeting have failed repeatedly and the powers fear Iran is exploiting the diplomatic vacuum to hone the means to produce nuclear weapons.

The Islamic Republic denies seeking weapons capability and says it seeks only electricity from its uranium enrichment so it can export more of its considerable oil wealth.

The powers have proposed new talks in February, a spokesman for the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday, hours after Russia urged all concerned to "stop behaving like children" and commit to a meeting.

Iran earlier in the day denied media reports of a major explosion at one of its most sensitive, underground enrichment plants, describing them as Western propaganda designed to influence the nuclear talks.

The Defense Ministry said the space launch of the monkey coincided "with the days of" the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, which was last week, but gave no date, according to a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.” Read the rest here

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday Maddness: a dancing baby and flying cars!

There’s a lot of versions of gangnam stylevideos, but this has to be the cutest!

 

Good Day World!

Thanks for stopping by. I’ve got a couple of inspiring videos to share today, starting with the baby on the left.

  This little tyke got me powered up and laughing at the same time. The second item, flying cars, is a real 21st Century-like thing to report on.

  I’ve got a lot of doubts about how many will be made and where they can fly safely, but only time will tell. Still, the video is worth listening to because it’s inspiring in a different way. A person’s dream come true is always a positive story.  

“Even if you’re over Psy and wish this craze would go the way of the Macarena, you’ll have a hard time not smiling at (or dancing along with) this adorable baby.

Uploaded on Jan. 18, “7 m.o baby dancing to gangnam style” already has more than one million views, and it’s not hard to figure out why. For a little tyke, this babe’s got some moves. Every so often you hear about someone who could dance before they could walk, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that were the case here. This baby's not just rockin’ out, he's doing it to the beat, with the whole routine down pat. The pure joy and delight on this kid’s face is priceless and the moves are… awesome. Admit it, if Psy brought this baby onstage, you’d totally go to his concert.

One commenter summed it up: “That awkward moment, when a 7 month old baby can dance better than you :(“    (source)-

________________

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

Keep an eye out for these babies in skies near you!

Your looking at the Skycar 200 (right) the culmination of one man’s lifetime dream.

Dr. Paul Moller has finally gotten all the financing – he’s been trying for years - he needs and told NBC News that his first one will roll off the assembly- line in one year.

The Skycar has been classified as a “Light Sports Aviation” vehicle. I can’t wait until these Jetson-like cars are on the market. Just think of all the problems their going to encounter with small aircraft, etc.? What fun!

It’s time for me to walk on down the road… 

As It Stands: Sounds of Fury: misophonia sufferers try to cope

By Dave Stancliff/For The Times Standard
Imagine that certain sounds sent you into a violent rage and you don’t know why. That you can’t stand the sound of your own mother’s voice or even hearing her breath. That you can’t eat in public because the sound of people eating could trigger an uncontrollable physical frenzy.
It really happens to people. The condition is called misophonia - literally "hatred of sound" - and occurs when a common noise, whether it's something like a person chewing loudly, water dripping or someone sighing, causes you to become anxious or angry.
People with the disorder are not bothered by loud sound - rather, it’s the softer, repetitive, common sounds that drive them up the wall, according to an article in the The New York Times (9/5/11).
Misophonia is often used interchangeably with the term Selective Sound Sensitivity. Sadly, there’s no known cure for it, Dr. Aage R. Moller, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in an interview with the New York Times.

Little is known about the anatomical location of the abnormality that causes these symptoms. People with misophonia may be diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
According to researchers, misophonia sufferers are most commonly annoyed, or even enraged, by such ordinary sounds as other people eating, breathing, or coughing; certain consonants; or repetitive sounds.
For unknown reasons, most people develop misophonia in late childhood, around the age of 10. Often there is a single initial trigger (such as a parent's or sibling's noises), after which the triggers expand over time to include both auditory or visual elements.
As they get older, the condition usually gets worse. They may also be annoyed by other people’s repetitive movements, such as leg-tapping, nail-biting, the rising and falling of the belly, and typing.
Some researchers have speculated there is a genetic base for this disorder, but no studies have been done to prove it. The prevalence of misophonia is currently unknown.  However, groups of people identifying with the condition suggest it is more common than previously recognized.
Among patients with tinnitus, which is prevalent in 4-5% of the general population, some surveys report prevalence as high as 60% while prevalence in a 2010 study was measured at 10%.

 With no cure in sight, what do people afflicted with this disorder do? They have to develop coping methods. There are no definitive books out detailing these. I expect that will change in time, as researchers continue to try to unlock the secrets of the brain.
Everyone with the condition is unique and has to personally develop coping methods to address their own challenges. Most simply avoid the offending sound by leaving the area, while some try to block it with earplugs or music.
I’m not sure why, but from everything I’ve read on the subject it appears that sensitivity to offending sounds is often far more severe when the sound comes from a person emotionally connected to the sufferer.
Misophonia is not a well-known diagnosis and few treatment options are available. As a matter of fact, there’s a good chance your doctor never heard of it. There are reports that suggest the use of cognitive behavioral therapy can be helpful in managing the anger (in response to a trigger sound) associated with misophonia.

Some doctors use a mindfulness based therapy, training, and treatment. It basically offers individuals ways to deal with and work out their issues with a treatment plan that is life long and provides them tools to handle and alleviate their issues.
I wish I could wrap this column up and say a cure is on the way. The first step is always to recognize a problem. That’s happened. There’s a huge learning-curve ahead for doctors and we can only hope they discover a cure for it soon.
  Perhaps with celebrities like Kelly Ripa of the Today Show sharing their own experiences with misophonia (she has a mild case), it will spark more research on the condition.
  As It Stands, I wonder if I’m a borderline case? It drives me to distraction to hear people chewing and clacking their gum!

Special military German unit populated with men who have big boobs from precision drills

   Hello World!

I’ve read where men who smoke pot a lot get big boobs, but was amazed to find out that there’s another way for men to get big boobs -without surgery of course.

All they have to do is smack a rifle against one side of their chest in countless precision military drills and the other side will sprout a boobie.

It’s important to note that the soldiers mentioned only end up with one big boob.

No really! I wouldn’t kid you…well maybe some times – but not this time. Fact: Over 70 percent of the German Wachbataillon Battalion's soldiers have been diagnosed with significant gynecomastia (big boobs).

I’m not really sure anyone – including the men affected – is too worried about this odd development. I suppose they still feel macho enough, but they do have to be careful beating their chest in a typical guy-like reaction when excited.

Meanwhile, German military officials have promised to keep an eye on the men's breasts. (That just doesn’t sound right you know?) Here’s the story ripped from today’s headlines:

“Like armies everywhere, the German military is filled with macho, chest-thumping rituals. But one battalion has found there's a downside to all that chest-thumping: The male soldiers are growing breasts — and only on their left sides.

The Wachbataillon unit performs precision military drills at official ceremonial functions, the German Herald reports. Many of their drills involve smacking their rifles against the left side of the soldiers' chests. And all that pounding on the same spot has stimulated the production of hormones that cause man boobs to grow.

"There is a very significant link between the activity in the … battalion and the development of the breast on the left side," Dr. Bjorn Krapohl, director of plastic surgery at the military's main hospital in Berlin, told the Herald. "They need to change the way they drill."

The growth of male breasts isn't altogether uncommon: The condition is known as gynecomastia, and it's caused by an imbalance in testosterone and estrogen levels. There have been cases where chest injury has caused gynecomastia, though it's rare. Plastic surgeons report that teenage boys — who are particularly prone to the condition — often have breast tissue removed when gynecomastia becomes a big psychosocial problem.

In a study of the German soldiers, published in January 2012, Krapohl and colleagues found significant differences between the guards with gynecomastia and a control group of healthy males without signs of gynecomastia. Those in the Guard Battalion in Berlin had lower testosterone levelsand higher body mass indexes (BMI), or a measure of body fatness. [ The 9 Most Bizarre Medical Conditions ]

While the researchers hypothesize the mechanical stress from daily drills may be the underlying cause, they are not sure exactly how the "chest thumping" causes the breast growth. "There are no experimental studies identifying possible mechanisms at the cellular level that might induce gynecomastia mechanically," they write in the journal article, adding that these findings may provide new impetus for such studies. The research is detailed in the journal GMS Interdisciplinary Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery DGPW. (Read the rest here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Optical illusions for a freaky Friday…

    Good Day World!

Today let’s look at changes of perspective and optical illusions just for fun.

The link here will take you to 40 interesting examples that speak for themselves. Over the years I’ve found that viewers really enjoy mind tricks.

This current crop of crazy but cool photos takes you to where your mind softly wraps around them and emerges fresh with new ideas and perspectives.

 

Guest Opinion: ‘The NRA Uses Uppity Obama Card to Sell More Guns’

     By Amanda Marcotte

“Boy, what’s it with the NRA and their disdain for the very real threat of assassination that black leaders face?

First they put Gun Appreciation Day on MLK weekend, because there’s no time like the public mourning of an important leader felled by a racist gunman to celebrate guns. Now they’re trying to drum up resentment about the first black family in the White House having the same security detail that all presidential families get.

Needless to say, the ass-cover to deny the obvious racism and general eliminationist bent of the NRA’s base is an argument so profoundly stupid that even the dumbest ass gun nuts won’t buy it. No one buys the notion that the President has security detail because he’s an “elitist” who is hoarding all the awesome guns for himself. Everyone knows that it’s a direct and necessary reaction to a society where political assassination is sadly common, in no small part because it’s ridiculously easy for any asshole with a vendetta to get a gun. Josh Marshall had the appropriate response:

There are so many vile things about this ad. But one thing to note is the ad is really only designed to appeal to people who have a deep — really deep — animosity toward the President. The sort of people who don’t think he and his daughters should be in the White House and wish him the sort of ill citizens should never wish upon a freely elected head of state.

Exactly. This ad isn’t making the case for guns—if anything, drawing attention to the ever-present danger that the President lives under of being shot is an argument for more gun control—but it’s just feeding off the not even subtly racist obsession right wingers have with telling each other that it’s obscene that the President and his family get to live the same lifestyle as all the white Presidents and their families. (Example!) You know, even though it’s more humble than that of their preferred candidate who lost and had to return home to his dressage horse.

This is what the NRA’s sole purpose is: To drum up racist resentments and gender anxieties so that their industry funders can sell more guns to their customers. This ad, which I’m not linking, might as well just come out and say it: “Mad that the President thinks he’s all that because he’s the President? Well, why not buy a gun? It won’t make you President, but it will give you the illusion of having more power.”

The NRA is an ad company pushing a marketing ploy that’s more transparent than Axe Body Spray’s. It’s time to start treating them like it.” (Source)

The LA Lakers Dream Team on Paper is Facing a lost season –making the playoffs is a long shot

    Good Day World!

Sigh…

The LA Lakers worst season was in 1957-58 when they went a pathetic 19-53 (.264). As a Laker fan for over 50 years, this one seems like the most painful season. I was only seven years old when they had their worst season. At 62, I’m concerned the Lakers are poised to post nearly as bad a record this season.

Being a fan isn’t easy. Not for a real fan when faced with their team racking up a lousy record when everyone had high expectations of them. You still have to root for them. No matter what. Through good times and bad.

As a Laker fan I realize I’ve been spoiled. They are the greatest basketball franchise on the planet. But right now they look like a disoriented group struggling to survive the season. Last nights blow out at Memphis put’s the Lakers down another rung in the Western rankings.

It’s been like watching Rome crumble from within. When Jim Buss decided he couldn’t put the team above his own stubborn ass and hire Phil Jackson, the Lakers were doomed. A pissed-off Kobe has been speaking out about his frustrations.

Dwight Howard has disappeared. Other teams are asking about him as trade fodder before the deadline. The return of Nash has been less than spectacular. He’s a step too slow and hasn’t been given a chance to bounce the ball more than three times on any offensive set before having to pass it to Kobe.

Forget about pick and rolls between Kobe and Howard. They don’t like each other. Pau Gasol has been benched, and is also the subject of trade talks. Jordan Brown, the backup center, was injured and is out for the season. I could go on…but it’s not necessary. You have the picture.

What started out as a Dream Team on paper in the pre-season, has ended up a nightmare, a train wreck, a lost season with everyone pointing the finger at each other. As a fan, all I can hope for is next season…maybe things will chance by then.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

‘Birther Queen’ Accuses President Obama of being involved in Sandy Hook Massacre

   Good Day World!

It’s the story that won’t go away…birthers in our society who hate the president and will literally blame every bad thing that happens on him.

 Some, like Donald Trump, enjoy the notoriety, and don’t mind being called a “birther,” a badge of honor for some and a term of derision by others. The Donald enjoys making crazy offers whenever the news cycle slows down.

But people like Orly Taitz have gone overboard into fantasyland when it comes to accusing Obama of mysterious crimes. She has reinserted the word idiot into the national dialogue when talking about “birthers.”

It’s hard to say what motivates a person, but Taitz appears to like the press she gets when she publically makes an ass out of herself. Skeptics resent being associated with the obviously brain-rattled Taitz.

And wait till you read what The Tea Party had to say about the murders. They blame the Sandy Hook tragedy on too many sex movies! No, really.

Meanwhile Taitz’s latest rant for the ages: 

“ Birther queen Orly Taitz blames President Barack Obama for the Sandy Hook school massacre, saying the president is "trying to show that some person can appear out of the blue and slaughter people" so he can ban guns and "gain an absolute power."

Taitz, an attorney and dentist from California, has been using her website in recent days to raise conspiracy theories about the school shooting, which left 28 people, including 20 children, the shooter and his mother. Taitz questioned whether Adam Lanza, 20, who police have identified as the killer, could have been under mind control or drugged to fulfill a political mission.

Taitz wrote on her website:

Where was Adam Lanza in the days leading to the massacre? Was he handled by someone? Was he drugged? Was he subjected to hypnosis?

The word assassin comes from the Arabic word “Hashish”, name for a drug, I believe correct translation is opium. For thousands of years, since ancient times assassins were drugged.

Was Adam Lanza drugged and hypnotised by his handlers to make him into a killing machine as an excuse as the regime is itching to take all means of self defense from the populace before the economic collapse?

In a separate post, Taitz questioned whether Obama was trying to ban all guns.

"Obama and his regime are trying to disarm all of us, in order to gain an absolute power," Taitz wrote. "They are trying to show that some person can appear out of the blue and slaughter people."

Some of Taitz' conspiracy theories are circulating on other websites. Talking Points Memo reported one conspiracy theory that involved Lanza's father, Peter, testifying before the Senate Banking Committee regarding the Libor scandal and needed to cancel the hearing. TPM said no hearing is scheduled.

Tea Party Nation accuses sex in the media, teachers' unions and the education bureaucracy for playing a role in the shooting. Tea Party Nation member Timothy Birdnow wrote that people are "overstimulated" by sex in the media and do have an outlet for it, which he said may have caused the shooting.” (Source)

Time for me to walk on down the road….