Following Entry Posted 4/30/2004 09:02:00 PM

Sterilization of Astronauts Proposed

According to this report, a British Interplanetary Society symposium addressed the problem of sexual urges of astronauts traveling on long journeys such as a three-year trip to Mars, where the six-person crew would probably include two females.

During a discussion, Dr. Rachel Armstrong stated, "NASA is talking about the chemical sterilisation of astronauts on longer journeys." However, there may be some mixed signals since a spokesman at NASA's Johnson Space Center responded yesterday "I haven't heard anything about that."

Dr. Joanna Wood, of NASA's National Space Biomedical Research Institute, noted that "Interpersonal relations is a big issue, but we leave sexual stuff to the discretion of the individuals."

Interestingly, there is no NASA ban on sex between crew members. "We depend and rely on the professionalism and good judgement of our astronauts," said a NASA spokesman in 2000. "There is nothing specifically or formally written down."

Over the years, there have been rumors and unconfirmed reports of astronauts having sex in space, called joining the 200-mile-high club. French author Pierre Kohler wrote about a "confidential NASA report" that claimed the agency required two astronauts to have sex as part of tests to see how long humans could survive in space. It's also been reported that the Soviet Union claimed a milestone in 1982 when Svetlana Savitskaya shared the Salyut 7 space station with two males and conducted experiments to try to conceive in outer space. Although tantalizing, there's no evidence to support either of these stories. Nonetheless, the delicate issue of sex in space continues to trouble the scientists. According to Douglas Powell, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University,

"Like anywhere, these are normal healthy people in their prime and they are sexually active so they are going to get involved with each other. So what's going to happen in space? It's a serious question and it needs to be confronted."

And, there are the tears, the broken hearts, and the euphoria of love.

. . . scientists such as Professor Powell are concerned that the emotional fallout from having a crew where some are happier than others, or where relationships are made and then fall apart, could be disastrous. He noted the comments of one Russian cosmonaut about time spent cooped up in the Mir space station that "when you have two people locked up in a very small environment for months at a time, all the conditions for murder are met." Mix in sex, and you almost have the script of Othello in space.

Other scientists have suggested that the best way to ensure there is no interplanetary interplay is to crew the mission with astronauts over the age of 50. "The idea is that they won't be worried about having families and concerned about getting exposed to radiation, because they're getting towards the end of their useful working lives," explained Peter Bond, a British expert on space matters.

If I read this correctly, Peter Bond is saying that people over 50 can't have "happy" times. Obviously, the spirit of Agent 007 is not with Peter Bond and continuing to make statements like that will probably meet one of the "conditions for murder" that's been mentioned.

In summary, expect the applicant pool for astronauts to be whittled down to people over 50 who don't object to sterilization before being rocketed into nothingness for a three year voyage of great danger. Apply within.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/30/2004 02:17:00 PM

Stars & Stripes in Classrooms

(Tallahassee, Florida) State Sen. Mike Fasano discovered that classrooms in the state did not have American flags so he initiated legislation to correct the condition.

"I was quite shocked that there were schools funded by public dollars that did not have a United States flag in their classrooms," said Fasano, a Republican and a bill sponsor.

The bill, which must be signed by the governor to become law, requires schools to solicit donations from businesses or nonprofit groups before asking for state money to buy the flags.

The bill (HB 1757) passed the Senate Thursday, and the House earlier in the week. Both chambers voted unanimously.

The legislation, called the Carey Baker Freedom Flag Act, targets August 2005 for placement of all flags.

I think this is great! The bill weathered the legislative process swimmingly and, with Gov. Bush's signature, flags will be in every classroom. It would be even better if the Ten Commandments could also be placed in the classroom.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/30/2004 12:48:00 PM

Teresa Heinz Kerry and the Tides Foundation

In a previous post, I attempted to address an issue concerning the philanthropy of Teresa Heinz Kerry. Specifically, she was quoted during an interview as stating that she possesses a poignant hatred for socialism and communism, however, I stated that this seems to be contrary to her giving of millions of dollars to socialist and communist front organizations through the Tides Foundation. I asked my readers to decide whether she was telling the truth about her hatred or was she being negligent in watching where her money goes.

Due to the complexities of the world of political writing, it can be expected that mistakes will be made and I made a critical one. I erroneously assumed that it was common knowledge that a majority of all money distributed by the Tides Foundation goes to radical leftist groups and socialist and communist front organizations. Rightfully, an astute reader noticed the error and wrote a rebuttal piece. With a title that purports to defend Teresa Heinz Kerry, the rebuttal piece actually defends the Tides Organization and a group called Adbusters which I had stated described themselves as a communist organization.

In all fairness to me, I think it's important to mention that many others have written extensively about the Tides Foundation's funding of radical leftist and socialist and communist fronts. A simple Internet search finds dozens of pieces in a diverse array of newspapers, magazines, and weblogs which describe the money trail from Tides to individual recipients. I've read a few, but none were involved with the formation of my opinion about Tides. My introduction came about a year ago when I was doing research on an organization called Pastors for Peace. I found that Pastors for Peace were nothing more than a communist front group doing shill services for Fidel Castro in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. When I looked at their funding, the money trail came straight from the Tides Foundation via the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), International A.N.S.W.E.R., and the International Action Center. By the way, my conclusions were derived from information published by the organizations themselves. And, subsequently, it seemed that any time the Tides Foundation came up in my research, I noticed that it was always tied to radical leftists and groups that advocate socialist and communist principles. It was on this basis that I erroneously assumed that the Tides Foundation's radical political agenda was common knowledge. I apologize for the error and thank the astute reader for making note of it.

Although not common knowledge, the widespread publicity tying Tides to a radical political agenda has been troubling enough that the foundation recently issued a news release to tell its side of the story. The Tides side is basically that all the allegations are without merit, consisting entirely of errors and innuendo. A supporting discussion paints Tides as predominantly an all-American, vanilla-brand accounting and bookkeeping firm that also helps environmental and education projects. Smiley faces would not have been out of place in their write-up.

In a nutshell, I don't buy it. Tides issues a news release stating that all allegations are wrong. That's it. Done deal. There is no attempt to present information to dispute any of the numerous allegations against them. For example, it's been contended that Tides provides funding for International A.N.S.W.E.R., an organization considered by many to be communist. Tides doesn't dispute that contention. Tides just states that everyone is wrong.

The Tides Foundation is not your run-of-the-mill financial services company and it is too easy to see. Tides has a radical leftist political agenda and all it takes is a few Google searches to realize it. The failure to acknowledge the leftist agenda in their news release indicates a certain level of disingenuousness on the part of Tides. Their reluctance to defend themselves against specific charges lends credence to the allegations. Also, without a significant amount of supporting data, I don't buy the contention that individual donations are specifically earmarked for and expended toward individual neighborhood projects. It would require considerable convincing to get me to believe that the money Tides receives is not fungible.

Moving on, in my original post, I made the statement that "Adbusters describes itself as a communist organization" to which my astute reader took exception, stating that they didn't call themselves communist. This is true, however, I didn't say they called themselves communist. I stated that their description of themselves indicated they were a communist organization. The Adbusters description is as follows:

We are a loose global network of artists, writers, environmentalists, ecological economists, media-literacy teachers, reborn Lefties, ecofeminists, downshifters, high school shit-disturbers, campus rabble-rousers, incorrigibles, malcontents and green entrepreneurs. We are idealists, anarchists, guerrilla tacticians, pranksters, neo-Luddites, poets, philosophers and punks. Our aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a major rethinking of the way we will live in the 21st century. We want to change the way information flows, the way institutions wield power, the way the world keeps the peace, the way the food, fashion, automobile, sports, music and culture industries set their agendas. Above all, we want to change the way we interact with the mass media and the way in which meaning is produced in our society.

The last portion I underlined to emphasize what this group wants to accomplish. First, they want to overthrow the government and the free market system and then control every aspect of life. I know of no secular political ideology other than communism that embraces those goals. Until I'm convinced otherwise, I'll stand by my contention that "Adbusters describes itself as a communist organization." And, for the sake of comparison, if a man walks into a bank for a loan and explains that he owns 400 acres of bottom land where he grows soybeans and corn, that he has a chicken house for eggs and a dozen dairy cattle, would it be incorrect to say that he described himself as a farmer? I don't think so. By the way, whether the man was liked by another person or not wouldn't make him more or less a farmer.

In summary, it is my contention that the Tides Foundation funds the radical left and socialist and communist front groups and they receive large donations from Teresa Heinz Kerry who has stated that she hates socialists and communists. The question remains on how to explain the apparent disparity between what she says and what she does.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/29/2004 11:59:00 PM

Microwave Ovens Health Warning

According to this report, microwave ovens need warning labels because a 9-year-old girl had an egg explode and damage her eye.

Update your home procedures accordingly.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/29/2004 11:49:00 PM

Senate Bans Internet Access Taxes

(Washington) By a vote of 93 to 3, the US Senate voted to restore a ban on state and local taxation of Internet connection services. A provision was included to allow some states already collecting the levies to continue, but these must be phased out within two years. Excluded from the ban was taxation of Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP, which allows consumers to make telephone calls over the Internet.

Voting against the bill were Democratic Sens. Jeff Bingaman, N.M.; Bob Graham, Fla.; and Frank Lautenberg, N.J. Four senators missed the vote: Bob Bennett, R-Utah; John Breaux, D-La.; Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; and John Kerry, D-Mass.

A Kerry spokeswoman said he would have voted for the bill.

No response was received to the question of whether Sen. Kerry would have voted for the bill before or after he voted against the bill.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/29/2004 11:48:00 PM

Internet Stalking Now Illegal in 30 States

There's a little good news and a little bad news in this report. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford signed into law a bill making it illegal to stalk, lure or otherwise entice a minor for the purposes of abduction or sexual assault. The good news is that this action means 30 states now have laws against sexual predation on the Internet.

The bad news is that only 30 states have laws against sexual predation on the Internet.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 03:49:00 PM

Mufsidoon

I found the following over at Grim's Hall and I think it's worth passing on.

Tip for Bloggers:

A contact of mine suggests that the correct word for referring to Islamist terrorists is "mufsidoon." This is the Arabic for "evildoer," and can be prefixed by "Saddam's" or "Osama's" as appropriate.

The idea is that Mujahedeen and Mahdi Army (Army of the Messiah) cast the enemy as soldiers of God. That makes Coalition forces the opponents of God, soldiers of the devil. Mufsidoon more correctly identifies them, and therefore, our forces likewise.

I'm encouraged to use the term "mufsidoon."
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 02:24:00 PM

More Jobs Outsourced

(Sao Paulo, Brazil) Presumptive Democratic nominee for president John Kerry has made outsourcing of US businesses to foreign countries a campaign issue because the practice is taking jobs away from hardworking Americans and, rightly or wrongly, he blames President Bush. Despite who is responsible for the outsourcing. this story indicates that it continues unabated.

American X-rated film directors are heading to Brazil in search of uninhibited women, exotic locations and cheap production costs. The going rate for a Brazilian X-rated actress is about $175 per sex scene -- a fraction of what talent in the Los Angeles area costs.

So, more Americans are losing their high-paying jobs to cheap foreign labor. I should note that, if Brazilian talent costs of $175 reflect a significant savings over the cost of Los Angeles talent, the LA talent must charge astronomical rates. What's befuddling is why the adult industry doesn't recruit in Cleveland. I've heard that talent is available 24/7 in the $20 to $50 range.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 06:21:00 AM

Thieves Try to Rob Suicide Bomber - Bad Idea

(Gaza Strip) A Hamas suicide bomber was on his way to infiltrate into Israel when he was stopped by two armed Palestinian thieves.

Rather than give up his explosives, the bomber detonated them, killing himself and the two robbers near the border fence between Gaza and Israel.

Palestinian security officials said the gunmen were criminals who were involved in a car theft ring that brought stolen vehicles from Israel to Gaza.

Despite the facts, a Hamas official said the two Palestinian thieves were agents of Israel because they tried "to stop a fighter from doing his work."

Absolute lunacy!
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 05:56:00 AM

Almost not worth mentioning, Interested-Participant started one year ago today. Congratulations to the staff and thanks to the regular visitors.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 04:57:00 AM

Child Support Agency Cover-up

(Dayton, OH) This report from the Dayton Daily News (free reg.) is troubling. It appears that the Montgomery County Child Support Enforcement Agency mistakenly collected and distributed $17,000 in child support payments. The overpayment occurred due to an unauthorized garnishment order in November 1997 and it wasn't detected until this month. Typically, when administrative errors are made, they are corrected. However, in this case,

[The agency] ordered the creation of a false document dating to Dec. 1, 1997, that eradicated the overpayment, agency officials confirmed. The figures in the computer system were then altered on April 16 to reflect the false order.

Instead of an overpayment, the altered figures showed the man owed $5,000 in back payments.

[ ... ]

When the error was finally discovered this month, agency employees created a phony adjustment order, on a form that was not available until 1999, and backdated it to Nov. 3, 1997. It was signed by an agency employee who would have been a teenager at the time.

Let's analyze this case. The child support agency showed a certain level of incompetence by allowing the problem to go unnoticed for over six years. Then, instead of correcting the problem, the agency decided to make everything worse with a cover-up, a cover-up that displayed absolute ineptitude.

Doug Thompson, Director of the Child Support Enforcement Agency, has responded to the situation with an apparent desire to continue the buffoonery.

"I wouldn't call it a cover up. There are technical and legal issues with that case where it went from an overpayment to an arrearage."

Okay, Mr. Thompson, it wasn't a cover-up. It was a conspiracy by government officials to intentionally falsify documents for the purpose of hiding gross organizational incompetence that was allowed to continue for over six years. Does that sound better?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/28/2004 02:41:00 AM

Relocation of Nuclear Carrier Strike Group

In order for the United States Navy to rapidly respond to a crisis in North Korea or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, it is considering moving the home port for a nuclear aircraft carrier strike group from the West Coast to either Hawaii or Guam. Already underway is a $1.8 million study to assess the feasibility of Pearl Harbor as a home port. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to consider Guam for the relocation. There are advantages and disadvantages to both locations, however, the decision may turn out to be primarily political.

Spearheading the contention of Hawaii as the best choice is Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye, a powerful member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. On the other side and with somewhat less political clout is Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo.

From a strategic perspective, Guam is clearly advantageous due to its proximity to the Asia-Pacific Rim. It also has Andersen Air Force Base and is preparing to base three nuclear attack submarines in Apra Harbor. However, there are concerns about whether Guam has pier space, maintenance facilities, housing, schools, stores and medical facilities sufficient to support a carrier strike group.

Alternatively, Hawaii has all necessary support services and facilities for the carrier and crew, but lacks Guam's capabilities in accommodating military flight and live-fire training.

My take is that the prudent choice has to be Guam due to its strategic location. It would require a long-term presence and the commitment should be made to protect American interests in East Asia.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/27/2004 04:42:00 PM

Praise the Lord and Hit Me Again

(Nashville, Tennessee) According to this story, there is a developing phenomenon of holding religious services in bars and restaurants. Loosely called "the emergent church movement," it consists of congregations of believers who don't feel comfortable in traditional churches. Robert Matheson, owner of the Lady Godiva Pub in Lebanon, TN, stated that, in England, where he's from, these types of gatherings are common, so he doesn't feel it's out of character for such a thing to take place at a pub. From a personal perspective, I think this idea is appealing. I have recollections from my younger years of numerous spiritual experiences when I traveled from bar to bar searching for the divine.

The movement has planned a convention next month in Nashville which is expected to draw more then 800 attendees. Amen and don't forget to tip the bartender.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/27/2004 03:18:00 PM

The Obesity Myth

In his book, The Obesity Myth, author Paul Campos debunks the contention of the major media health alarmists that there is a crisis of obesity in the United States. Here's an excerpt:

Annual Deaths Attributable To Obesity In The United States, which appeared in the Journal Of The American Medical Association (Jama) in 1999, is the source for the endlessly repeated statistic that overweight causes around 300,000 extra deaths in the US every year. (This "fact" has been cited in the major media more than 1,700 times in the past two years alone.) Look at these figures more closely. As Glenn Gaesser, a professor at the University of Virginia points out, studies have consistently failed to find any correlation between increasing BMI and higher mortality in people 65 and over, and 78% of the approximately 2.3 million annual deaths in the US occur among people who are at least 65. Thus, 78% of all deaths lack even the beginning of a statistical link with BMI. "That leaves 500,000 annual deaths in persons under 65 that might be related to BMI," Gaesser told me. "These include deaths from every possible cause: motor vehicle and other accidents, homicides, suicides, cigarettes, alcohol, microbial agents, toxic agents, drug abuse, etc, etc. To think that 60% [ie, 300,000] of these deaths are due to body fat is absolutely preposterous."

It seems a day is not allowed to go by without some sort of health alarm or emergency being reported. They are continuous and ubiquitous and, sometimes, contradictory. I'm sure that anyone who regularly follows the news has become jaded towards health alarms. They are no longer to be believed at face value.

Based upon Campos' book, the health alarms about fat are seemingly more the result of ignorance and politics than solid scientific data. The Obesity Myth is set to be published in the United States next month by Gotham Books.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/27/2004 06:21:00 AM

Free Scoop Night

Wednesday, April 28th, from 6 to 10pm, Baskin-Robbins will be giving away free scoops of ice cream as part of the First Book literacy campaign for young readers.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/27/2004 03:55:00 AM

MPAA Teaches Copyright Law to Middle School Students

The Boston Globe reports that the entertainment industry is now providing funding to teach copyright law in middle schools to encourage youngsters not to illegally download movies and music from the Internet. About $200,000 has been spent by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in their school program to combat digital piracy. Entertainment companies contend that billions of dollars are lost due to piracy, but no reliable evidence supports their claim. Nevertheless, to minimize the losses they do incur, the industry has opted to teach the intricacies of copyright law to middle schoolers.

I have a couple questions. Isn't the MPAA a member of that grand group of secular leftists that protest the loudest to have the Ten Commandments removed from schools? And, isn't "Thou shall not steal" a Commandment?

If the Ten Commandments were an integral part of a child's education, whereby they were taught not to steal, maybe the entertainment industry wouldn't have the impossible challenge of trying to teach the complexities of intellectual property ownership to 12-year-olds.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/26/2004 11:55:00 PM

More Cougar Sightings

(Lake County, Illinois) About a week or so ago, there were several reports of cougars in northwest suburban Chicago. Since then, there's this story.

Sheriff's department Lieutenant Tom Braze says a Lindenhurst resident on Thursday snapped a photo of what appears to be two cougars in the McDonald Woods Forest Preserve.

Braze says the photo showed the outline of two large animals that could have been cougars amid a tree line. But he also says he wouldn't call it "definitive proof."

I assume everybody realizes that the existence of two cougars may mean that Lake County soon could be announcing the birth of more cougars.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/26/2004 06:54:00 PM

Nader Petitions Indiana, Michigan Voters

(Dearborn, MI) Having decided to run for the presidency, Ralph Nader has begun the prerequisite efforts necessary to be listed on state ballots in November. This past weekend, Nader met with supporters to organize and kick off petition drives to collect sufficient signatures from voters in Indiana and Michigan. More than 100 volunteers gathered at the Al-Ameer Restaurant on Warren in Dearborn to hear Nader and start the drive.

Michigan law requires Nader to collect 31,000 signatures in Michigan by June 15 to make the November ballot. His team wants 40,000 -- a safeguard in case some are tossed out during the validation process.

"Michigan is one of the toughest states to get on the ballot," Nader said.

Nader discussed why he is running for president again and summed it up by stating, "I don't trust the Democrats to be able to win." In 2000, he garnered less than three percent of the vote. Surprisingly, national polls currently rate his popularity among voters between four and six percent, but Nader expresses no confidence that the numbers will hold up until the election. He may be undecided about whether the Democrats will win, but he seems pretty sure he won't.

And, the one thing that remains somewhat constant is his general political platform.

Nader takes no money from corporations. He favors taxing the richest Americans, raising the minimum wage and providing a public program to increase jobs. His central theme, though, is that voters are being misled into supporting an unconstitutional war in Iraq founded on deceit and fabrications.

Since Nader is presenting the same, tired leftist option to the voters that has been consistently defeated in national elections, and since Nader doesn't think he has a chance of winning, it's hard to assess exactly what he's trying to accomplish.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/26/2004 04:09:00 PM

Teresa Heinz Kerry

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette comes this story which presents a brief profile of John Kerry's wife. Born in Mozambique, schooled in South Africa and Europe, she is described as having an intense hatred for communism.

. . . Teresa Heinz had come to despise communism with a particular poignancy. The home on which she was raised in Mozambique, an idyllic, rambling place where she climbed trees and watched the Indian Ocean, was taken from the Simoes-Ferreira family by the Marxist regime that seized power after the Portuguese pulled out. Her father and mother, like thousands of others, simply fled.

"They lost everything," Heinz Kerry says. "I know how communists work. And you don't want to be there. I know how socialists think: they mean very well, but generally speaking, they squelch a lot of good competitive principles as well as market forces."

OK, if this is true and she hates communism and socialism, then why does she consistently give millions of dollars to communist and socialist front organizations through the Tides Foundation? A blatant example is Adbusters. Funded by the Tides Foundation (see here), Adbusters describes itself as a communist organization (see here).

The whole excerpt from the profile is either a lie or Teresa Heinz Kerry is not paying attention to where her contributions are actually going. You make the call.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/26/2004 06:22:00 AM

Getting High on Stings

Gary Cruse pointed me to this story from India which is worth passing on. It seems the latest mind altering craze in the country is to experience the effects of scorpion venom coursing through the blood system. The enzymes and toxins produce a feeling of euphoria for up to eight hours.

Although most scorpions are poisonous, their venom is not life-threatening for humans. Only about 20 out of more than 1,000 known species of scorpions are dangerous for human beings.

After the arachnid is set free on a hand or foot of the client - who pays 75 to 125 rupees [about $2.50] for a single 'shot' - the dealer hits the scorpion's back gently with a metal stick to irritate or frighten it, causing it to use its sting.[$ est. by ed.]

So, if you do the math, each dose costs no more than $2.50 and there's a low probability that a person will actually die from it, . . . uh, that's according to the article.

Interestingly, the primary consumers of recreational scorpion venom are said to be young urbanites and truck drivers. How often are those two segments of society in the same demographic group? To my knowledge, never.

Without some serious scientific research data, I'm more than skeptical about the reported danger. Nonetheless, given the propensity for certain members of society to experiment with any mind altering substance, I expect that we'll soon see a scorpion venom fad in the US. If the users follow the example of India, we can also probably expect a young urbanite truckdriver political advocacy group promoting scorpion venom. I guess they would be called the "YUTs."

I'll stick to cold beer, thank you.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/26/2004 02:39:00 AM

Linkfests - Week of April 26

Carnival of the Capitalists is posted at Venturpreneur.

The Best of Me Symphony #21 is posted at The Owner's Manual.

Bonfire of the Vanities is posted at On the Fritz.

Carnival of the Vanities #84 is posted at WOLves.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/25/2004 06:21:00 PM

Police Swimming Requirement Dropped So Blacks Can Apply

(North Miami, Florida) The local police department has eliminated the requirement that officers must be able to swim in order to allow blacks to apply for jobs on the force. Experts say that blacks in general are less likely than whites to be proficient swimmers and, therefore, they are discouraged from joining the police.

Mayor Joe Celestin, who is Haitian-American, stated that the force should reflect the population of the community which is 60% black. The swimming requirement prevented this from happening.

My take is that this action seems reasonable and warranted. Only if a policeman has a job responsibility which involves swimming should there be a prerequisite requirement. It has to be noted, however, that people can be taught how to swim. So, if it's important, teach them to swim.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/25/2004 05:31:00 PM

Teen Thief Sentenced to Humiliation

(Painesville, OH) Jeremy T. Sherwood, 18, of Chatham Drive, was caught stealing smut videos from the Popular and Adult Video store and charged with first degree misdemeanor theft. During sentencing, Judge Michael A. Cicconetti of Painesville Municipal Court offered Sherwood the option of 30 days in jail with 12 months' probation OR four hours wearing a blindfold and holding a sign reading "See No Evil" mere feet from a busy Route 20 and across the street from the store from which he was convicted of stealing. Sherwood chose the latter.

His eyes covered by a folded Rebel flag do-rag, Sherwood sat in a camp chair, wore a baseball cap and listened to Third Eye Blind and rap on his headphones.

[ ... ]

"This is a lot better than sitting in jail," Sherwood said. "You've got a nice comfortable chair, beautiful weather, music ... you just chill back."

In the past, Judge Cicconetti has garnered considerable publicity from his innovative alternative sentencing, so this episode is not unusual. However, it does appear to be quite lenient. Sherwood is an 18-year-old high school dropout and, now, a convicted thief who seems to enjoy his punishment.

I have the nagging feeling that a stint in a cold concrete cell would have been much less enjoyable and more likely to deter future criminal acts than humiliation. Humiliation tends to make a person angry, not law-abiding.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/24/2004 11:58:00 PM

Golf Ball Surgery on Dog

(Manchester, England) Mike Wardrop thought it was cute the way his German Shepherd, Libby, would retrieve golf balls and place them at his feet. He wasn't happy when Libby started coughing up blood from the golf balls she had been eating while retrieving. A veterinarian surgically removed 28 golf balls from Libby's stomach and needed 30 stitches to close the incision.

Libby is said to be considerably more bouncy now.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/24/2004 11:46:00 PM

Student Thrown Out Classroom Window

(Covington, GA) Named Teacher of the Year last year, Carrie Ann Peoples, 63, has resigned her teaching position at Sharp Learning Center as a result of allegations of having a 14-year-old girl thrown out the window of her classroom.

Peoples allegedly took a picture of the three 14-year-old students without their permission. When the victim questioned why she had taken her picture, Peoples allegedly responded by saying, "So I can show the world your ugly a----."

The victim allegedly became angry and started to use profanity toward Peoples. When the victim tried to push the office assist button on the classroom wall, Peoples allegedly ordered the two male students to pick her up and throw her out the window.

The girl suffered neck pains and cuts to her body.

I've heard of students being suspended and expelled, but this is the first time I've heard of a student being defenestrated.

Hat tip: Grey Biker
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       Following Entry Posted 4/24/2004 11:18:00 PM

Teens Practicing Homelessness

No link available right now, but local Cleveland broadcast television station, WKYC - Channel 3, just announced that a group of teens are practicing to be homeless behind a church in suburban Strongsville. They are spending the night in cardboard boxes.

There was no mention as to whether the teens would be supplied with cheap wine.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/24/2004 03:30:00 PM

Bias in Hiring

(Dayton, OH) As explained in this story, the Dayton Power and Light Co. has historically had a policy of not hiring people who do not pay nor make efforts to pay their own electric bills. The policy was implemented by performing a "customer inquiry credit status check" on job applicants and by screening out those that were not current on their utility payments. Interestingly, nobody complained about the policy. The company's position was that if a person were not responsible enough to pay his or her bills, then the person probably wouldn't be responsible in dealing with Dayton Power and Light customers.

It needs to be repeated that nobody complained, so it can be assumed that any person involved with the hiring policy thought it was reasonable. However, according to the US Department of Labor, the policy is not only NOT reasonable, it is racially discriminatory. It seems that Dayton Power and Light was on the Labor Department's list to have a soup-to-nuts administrative colonoscopy and, while doing a year-long review, they found that the people who didn't pay their bills were predominantly African-American. Therefore, by not hiring people who owed them money, DP & L was discriminating against black people.

"This administration is determined to provide equal access to good jobs for all workers," Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a press release Tuesday. "Employers need to take proactive steps to prevent this kind of workplace discrimination."

Because of the Labor Department findings, DP & L changed their hiring policy and committed to hiring a bunch of people who don't pay their bills and to distribute a cash settlement of $150,000 in back pay to 123 blacks who applied for part-time meter reader jobs in 2000 and 2001. [As an aside, it's unclear why someone who wasn't hired is entitled to "back pay."]

In summary, DP & L succumbed to federal pressure even though they feel that the policy was reasonable. According to DP & L Human Resources Director Bill Mercer,

DP & L wants responsible people because meter readers have contact with customers and sometimes enter their homes as part of their jobs. "We want the best employees we can get."

Frankly, I think the resolution to this problem created by the Labor Department is wrong. If racial discrimination is an overt bias in actions based on race, then DP & L did no such thing. They screened out applicants based on their credit history, despite what race they were.

Look at this from another perspective. What if the demographics of the job applicant pool were predominantly white and the same policy of not hiring poor bill payers was implemented, would that be racial discrimination? I don't think so.

One other thing, does anyone think that Donald Trump would hire somebody who refused to pay him what is owed? I don't think so.

Lastly, why is the Labor Department going out to create problems? Remember, there were NO COMPLAINTS. In my mind, it is not the function of government to go out and hunt for people to harass. That's what was done to DP & L.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/24/2004 01:58:00 AM

Do Americans Know Squat About Australia?

Ozguru at G'Day Mate! suggested that I write a piece for his site and I accepted. It's been published and an interesting comment thread is developing. At the urging of a couple folks, I've decided to reproduce the post here on Interested-Participant.

Do Americans Know Squat About Australia?
I've been a little under the weather for the past week and haven't had much energy. Consequently, I experienced a general lull in creativity. My brain was coming up with no ideas for a post to your site that I felt would be interesting to your readers. I expressed my frustration to the gang at the local coffee shop who offered no help. In fact, one guy threw up his hands and said "Hell, Americans don't know squat about Australia!"

Well, when I heard that, I figured I should conduct my own unscientific survey. I came up with three simple questions to ask the folks.
1) Name three things about the continent of Australia?
2) Name three things about the country of Australia?
3) Name three famous Australians?

Of note is that the coffee shop where I was asking the questions is just a local blue-collar place with an everyday middle class clientele. It isn't a ritzy and pretentious shoppe that serves double foamy cinnamon organic Guatemalan cappuccino latte yadda-dadda ... for $7.50. So, it's safe to assume that the people I queried are not sophisticated world travelers.

In conducting the survey, I questioned a total of 14 people. A compilation of the results is as follows:

1) Name three things about the continent of Australia?
a - Other side of the world
b - As large as the US
c - Has many weird animals

2) Name three things about the country of Australia?
a - People speak English
b - Used to be prison colony
c - Has aborigines

These first two questions produced skimpy results. Even with coaxing, I got little response. The last question, however, produced a rather interesting variety of answers.

3) Name three famous Australians?
a - Crocodile Hunter
b - Sir Edmund Hillary
c - Crocodile Dundee
d - Nicole Kidman
e - Wayne Newton
f - Andre Agassi
g - Olivia Newton-John
h - Bruce Willis
i - Mel Gibson
j - Norah Jones

And there were others, including somebody named Alan Bergland. One truck driver said he invented something but he couldn't remember what it was.

To summarize, my survey was intended to provide evidence to conclude whether Americans DO or DON'T know squat about Australia. Considering that the survey was conducted in a small town in Ohio on an unscientific random sample of normal working Americans, it's probably prudent to ignore it. However, I won't and thus conclude that Americans DO know squat about Australia.

Agreed, this was a frivolous exercise and should be viewed as such. It is, however, my contention that, as far as foreign countries are concerned, Americans probably know more about Australia than most other countries on that side of the world. Even so, based on the silly survey, Americans still don't know a lot about Australia.

It's been widely recognized that there is a general disregard for the teaching of geography in American schools. The natural result is a lack of knowledge. The survey results are just hints of supporting evidence.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 11:57:00 PM

Deanna Laney Gets 90 More Days

(Tyler, Texas) Last Mother's Day, Deanna Laney, 39, murdered her sons, Joshua, 8, and Luke, 6, by stoning them to death. She was tried for the killings and acquitted by reason of insanity. Laney also was found innocent by reason of insanity in the wounding of another son, Aaron, who was 14 months old when she fractured his skull. After the trial, she was sent to a state hospital.

It now appears that Laney is much better, however, State District Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent thinks she ought to stay at the hospital for at least the next 90 days. At the end of 90 days, she may be required to stay a little longer or be released, free to go unpunished.

It should be obvious that the "by reason of insanity" acquittal is a license to murder. The laws should be changed to specify "guilty and insane."
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 11:09:00 PM

Ronald Reagan Highway

(Baton Rouge, LA) Louisiana State Representative Michael Strain, R-Covington, sponsored House Bill 7 which names US Highway 190 from the Mississippi River to the Mississippi state line after Ronald Reagan. The bill passed the House 79-20 after vigorous opposition by Rep. Avon Honey, D-Baton Rouge. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Democrat Avon Honey must not like Ronald Reagan. U.S. 190 does not run through Honey's district.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 06:49:00 PM

Paint the Berg Red

From the Siku Circumpolar News Service comes this story (scroll to bottom of page) and I really have no idea how it should be classified. Danish artist Marco Evaristt, known for a preoccupation with blood and death, painted an iceberg red. That's right. A big freaking red iceberg! There's a picture. Take a look.

The article states:

According to the art critics, Evaristti wants to show evil that results in death.

What that has to do with a red iceberg is beyond me. Of course, this is my first attempt at interpreting iceberg art.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 06:00:00 PM

Boy Sells Dope at School

(Fairborn, Ohio) Police and school officials said Thursday that a 13-year-old Baker Junior High School student has admitted to selling marijuana near the school's entrance. The boy said he also smoked marijuana in the girl's bathroom with three girls. He faces possible expulsion and criminal charges.

Just think, if marijuana were legal, the boy would only face expulsion and not criminal charges. Unfortunately, if marijuana were legal, there's the likelihood that dozens of students would be selling and smoking it at school.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 04:59:00 PM

Canada Health Act

There are concerns regarding patient waiting times for health care under the Canada Health Act (CHA) and this story discusses that the government has decided not to do anything about the subject. Additionally, although the Canadian federal government provides funding for health care, an official stated that

[T]here is no requirement in the CHA for the same standards of care across the country.

"A national system doesn't mean it's identical. No one ever said it was identical from one province to another.

"You can't say a service that's provided a few months later in one province than another is a contravention of the CHA. We all agree that we should reduce wait times and that's part of the talk but that doesn't mean we impose an actual standard."

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but it seems that the establishment of minimum standards of health care would be a guiding principle for a national health care system.

Am I missing something?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 11:20:00 AM

The Church of the Eternally Challenged

(Jonesville, Virginia) During Easter service at the local Pentecostal church, Rev. Dwayne Long performed ritual serpent-handling to demonstrate obedience to the Almighty. Unfortunately, during the ritual, the rattlesnake he was holding sunk its fangs into his finger. According to Sheriff Gary Parsons, Rev. Long refused medical help and died.

"We don't anticipate any charges," he said. "That's their belief."

No one attending the service at the Pentecostal church sought medical help, Parsons said. Members believe when people die from a snakebite during a service, it is a sign that it was their time to go.

Amen to that.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/23/2004 07:32:00 AM

PETA Campaign Sparks Backlash

(Toronto) Due to outrage expressed by the public in Toronto, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), "a militant animal-rights group," has decided not to expand its current anti-meat campaign to other Canadian cities. The offensive advertising exploits a series of grisly murders of women in British Columbia by comparing the victims to pigs for market.

"The one unexpected aspect was hearing from the family members, who were and are not the target of the campaign," Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan campaigns, said from Washington, D.C."

Apparently, if people worry most about what is on a neighbor's dinner plate, they don't have room in their brains to consider what is in their neighbor's hearts and minds.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/22/2004 06:56:00 PM

National ID Card in Britain

According to this story, British Home Secretary David Blunkett will soon propose a bill to require all citizens to obtain and carry Government ID Cards. It is believed that the cards will help reduce illegal immigration, identity theft and benefit fraud. This action follows a recent poll which indicates that 83% of the population "would be happy to carry the card at all times." For those that wouldn't be happy carrying the ID cards, it's been rumored that a plan is being considered to tattoo the ID card number on their forearms.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/22/2004 01:33:00 PM

Weekly Linkfests

The April 19th edition of Carnival of the Capitalists is posted at Knowledge Problem.

Speakeasy's Joint presents this week's Best Of Me Symphony.

The Bonfire of the Vanities is up at d-42.com.

Southern Musings has the 83rd edition of the Carnival of the Vanities.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/22/2004 02:09:00 AM

Air America Radio Sputtering

An earlier post described some of the troubles Air America Radio was having with Multicultural News Radio, owner of the Los Angeles and Chicago radio stations from which the liberal network was broadcasting. Well, according to this story, the troubles continue.

Air America Radio, the recently launched liberal talk-radio network that became embroiled last week in a financial dispute with the owner of its Chicago and Los Angeles stations, will cease broadcasting over WNTD-950 AM in Chicago April 30, the network announced Tuesday.

The network also said it will remain off the air for the time being in Los Angeles, where it was yanked from KBLA-1580 AM last week by station owner Multicultural News Radio.

So, unless other arrangements are made, Air America will be broadcasting in neither Los Angeles nor Chicago.

It should be noted that the on-off-on-off format they network has adopted might be just the vehicle to portray John Kerry with a consistent message on the campaign issues. If they can just synchronize their on-air times when Kerry speaks on only one side of an issue and then go off-the-air when he waffles and espouses a contrary position, the network would be reporting consistent policies from their candidate. This may help alleviate confusion in some voters minds.

Companion post at eTALKINGHEAD.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/21/2004 05:39:00 PM

Remembering Ernie Pyle

(Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan) From the Stars and Stripes comes this story by David Allen.

About a hundred people gathered on this tiny island off the northwest coast of Okinawa on Sunday to remember a newsman who brought war home in the most personal terms.

Ernie Pyle, a reporter who eschewed the safety of command posts and made a niche for himself in the foxholes of the frontline troops during World War II, died 59 years ago on his way to another battle.

As he rode in a jeep to what passed as the front in a ferocious battle for the island's airstrip during the Battle of Okinawa, a Japanese machine gunner sprayed the vehicle. The jeep jammed to a stop and Pyle and the other passengers scrambled out, diving for ditches on either side of the dirt road.

When the shooting stopped, Pyle raised his head to ask a friend on the other side of the road if he was all right. A sniper's bullet caught him in the head.

Read by millions, Ernie Pyle reported on WWII from the front lines and was so beloved by the GIs that the soldiers in the unit he covered erected a monument at the place he was killed.

It says, simply: "On this spot the 77th Infantry Division lost a Buddy. Ernie Pyle, 18 April 1945."

According to Marine Brig. Gen. Frank A. Panter, commanding general of the 3rd Force Service Support Group, "Ernie Pyle was the gold standard for the other combat correspondents." Attributed to Gen. Omar Bradley is the statement that 'My men always fight better when Ernie's around.' And today's soldiers have benefited from Pyle's work also. It was largely due to his front line columns that Congress passed a bill granting them combat pay.

John Steinbeck once said that there are really two wars, one with armies and campaigns and

"Then there is the war of the homesick, weary, funny, violent, common men who wash their socks in their helmets, complain about the food, whistle at the Arab girls, or any girls for that matter, and bring themselves through as dirty a business as the world has ever seen and do it with humor and dignity and courage - and that is Ernie Pyle's war."

It's important to remember Ernie Pyle for his service to freedom, democracy, and America. And, it's important to remember the warmth he placed in the hearts of American families while their sons and daughters were fighting and dying. There were other fine American war correspondents during WWII, but Ernie Pyle set the standard.

Where are the American war correspondents in Iraq?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/21/2004 02:35:00 PM

John Kerry Skirts Tax for the Rich

It's difficult to figure out where John Kerry stands on many issues because of his tendency to argue for both sides. There's relative certainty, however, on how he feels about taxes. A constant drumbeat of his campaign is his plan to raise taxes on all Americans making more than $200,000 a year. Kerry's opinion is that the rich are not paying their "fair share." Except for himself.

The State of Massachusetts tax forms provide an option of paying a previously-mandated tax rate of 5.85%, rather than the currently-imposed 5.3%. This allows the rich to pay their "fair share." Well, guess what?

For two years now, John Kerry has had the opportunity to pay his "fair share." But like some Benedict Arnold CEO, the Democratic Party candidate for president has taken the money and ran.

So, it's necessary for rich Americans to pay more taxes with one exception, John Kerry. Also,

Of 2,104,326 Massachusetts state returns filed by April 15, exactly 624 taxpayers had opted to pay at the higher rate, a very small number indeed, considering that in a statewide referendum, 1,055,181 good liberals voted against cutting the income tax rate.

Think about those numbers.

Over a million Massachusetts voters said they wanted the tax rate to be maintained at 5.85% but, when it came time to pay, they opted for the lower 5.3% rate. This suggests that liberals in Massachusetts are in favor of higher taxes, but not for themselves. It's therefore reasonable for me to be leery of liberals in general. I firmly believe that their goal is to raise my taxes and they're not happy if they don't. Liberals have no interest in raising their own taxes.

Of course, there's also the possibility that liberals generally possess conflicted personalities. Testimony to that would be John "I-voted-for-it-before-I-voted-against-it" Kerry. If honesty were part of political campaigns, the Democrat slogan would be something like "Be Confused - Vote Democrat."

The Cracker Barrel Philosopher has more. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/20/2004 11:51:00 PM

Growing Coyote Problem in Cincinnati

(Cincinnati, OH) Here's another report of sightings of coyotes in residential backyards of Greater Cincinnati. This story couples nicely with the report of mountain lion or cougar sightings north of Chicago.

There doesn't seem to be much current public interest in stories about carnivores prowling neighborhoods. I predict the interest level will skyrocket after a child is taken and ravenously devoured.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/20/2004 05:42:00 PM

Speed Ditch Invented

(Lawrence TWP., Ohio) To deter speeders and enhance public safety, Scott W. VanDenberg, 42, used a machine to cut 6 to 8-inch ditch across a two-lane farm road which connects Manchester and Alabama Avenues. VanDenberg invented the speed ditch because someone driving along the road hit one of his dogs during the evening of March 28.

Unfortunately, instead of being praised for his creativity, he was arrested for criminal damaging. VanDenberg faces a possible six months jail sentence and a $5,000 fine.

No good deed goes unpunished.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/20/2004 02:48:00 PM

Polyamory

With the controversial issue of homosexual marriage getting tremendous attention and a smattering of acceptance, notably in San Francisco and Massachusetts, it's perfectly understandable that other cultural fringe groups would speak up. According to this story, the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness are endeavoring to gain acceptance for cluster marriages, which they believe are at least as ethical as other marriages.

"Polyamory is never having to say you've broken up,'' said Sally Amsbury of Oakland, whose sex and love life openly includes her husband and two "other significant others," known in polyamory parlance as "OSOs."

Amsbury serves on the national board of directors of the Unitarian Universalist organization, which defines polyamory as "the philosophy and practice of loving or relating intimately to more than one other person at a time with honesty and integrity.''

"Polyamory is not an alternative to monogamy. It's an alternative to cheating,'' said Jasmine Walston, who lives in Louisville, Ky., and is president of the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness.

This is straight out of the free-love-let's-all-live-together-in-communes philosophy of the 1960s which has been proven not to work very well. Except now, there's a difference. They want societal approval for unrestrained promiscuity.

Amsbury stated "she favors expanding the legal definition of marriage to include three or more people" which seems open ended. I wonder if there's an upper limit. Ten, 50, 500? It's probably a choice made by each intercourse cluster.

In the current cultural experimentation environment, the next proposed redefinitions of marriage will probably include children, pets, and farm animals.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/20/2004 05:34:00 AM

Goose Droppings in Lake Tahoe

(Reno, Nevada) Many property owners are convinced that the reason Lake Tahoe is losing its clarity is due to goose droppings. I believe it. I've seen what they can do to a golf course.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/20/2004 04:46:00 AM

Officials Want Condoms in Adult Films

After news last week of two porn industry actors with HIV, it's probably to be expected that the government would want to get its hands into the business.

State and Los Angeles County health officials said Monday they believed existing regulations gave them the authority to require adult-film actors to use condoms, and the state Division of Occupational Health and Safety plans to begin inspections this week, marking the first time Cal/OSHA has investigated the adult-film industry.

Officials have stated that condom use is a health and workplace concern and it's important that standards be set for the industry.

"You couldn't imagine a construction company sending a person to a work site without a hard hat, and nor should we think of someone in an adult-film industry production company working without a condom," said Peter Kerndt, director of the sexually transmitted disease program for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. "I look at this strictly as an employer-employee issue."

It's presently unclear as to precisely how the "hard hats" are to be inspected, but there apparently won't be a need to hire additional investigators. It's been reported that the department secretary has already compiled a long list of employees who have volunteered for inspection assignments.

It may be reasonable to assume that the city of Los Angeles and the State of California will see the porn industry move their production companies to a less regulated location.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/19/2004 11:51:00 PM

Key West - A New Image

Due to the mild climate and decisions by the city fathers, Key West broke into the top 5 of the Best Cities for the Homeless List. The plan to give generous benefits and facilities to the homeless was predicted to prompt an influx of new people wanting something for nothing. Well, the homeless communications network seems to have quickly passed the word and the city is seeing a stampede of vagrants.

The encampments at the Bridle Path along Key West's South Roosevelt Boulevard have enlarged almost to the point of creating a small city.

Homeless people laying out � or sitting out � at Smathers and Higgs beaches are keeping locals and tourists from comfortably relaxing and catching some rays.

Along U.S.1, next to the Key West Golf Club, on the sidewalks of Duval Street and its adjacent tributaries, homeless have homesteaded, claiming their spots for rest.

Meanwhile, the city of Key West goes into a bureaucracy mode, fiddling away while the homeless take over the island.

So, in a mere five weeks since the city announced their giveaway program, Key West has seen an explosion in the vagrant population which threatens to take over the island. Incidentally, it's quite understandable. Look at what's being offered.

The tent city will have air-conditioned tents, which already are in place, but construction of showers and sewers are still in the future. Residents, short-term but without other choices, also will be fed.

Once completed, city officials should be able to roust the homeless from other parts of the city.

The project, next to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and county jail, will cost $130,000 as a joint city-county venture, with the city also paying $188,000 in annual maintenance and operation costs. Security alone will cost $118,000.

Air conditioning, showers, regular meals, and security provided by the Sheriff's Department. Throw in the sunshine and the beaches and you've got paradise. What's not to like?

It is fully expected that Key West's ranking on the Best Cities for the Homeless List will improve upon next publication. If the local government can be a little more progressive and start paying the homeless, it's certain that Key West will take the top position away from San Francisco.

In addition to attracting vagrants from across the nation, a story about Big Ruby's from last week indicates that Key West is trending toward being a predominantly homosexual-only city. And, in another story, L.J. Cicero, general manager of Alexander's guesthouse, stated that visitors are screened for heterosexuality and told they aren't welcome. Cicero says "her primary focus is to ensure quality for the [homosexual] guests and limit any threats to their security or comfort."

For some odd reason, the vagrancy and homosexual issues are being reported concurrent with news of the establishment of the Key West Resident/Visitor Planning Committee charged with promoting business and tourism. It's probably safe to assume that the committee's effectiveness may be hindered by Key West being saturated with vagrants and being generally unfriendly toward heterosexuals.

On the issue of discriminating against heterosexuals, The Country Pundit has an analysis. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/19/2004 08:40:00 PM

Educational Maintenance Allowances

From the UK comes this story about how the British have decided to encourage 16 to 19-year-old students from dropping out of school. They will pay them. Or, more correctly, they'll pay some of them based upon a means test of family income.

The Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMA) scheme will be implemented as follows:

Any student aged from 16 to 19 who lives in a household with a combined income of less than [about $53,000] will be eligible for a means-tested weekly grant - those in a household with less than [about $36,000] income will get the full amount.

Those students who see their courses out will get a "bonus" of up to [about $180]. The payments will go directly imto (sic) students' bank accounts.

The "full amount" will be [about $53] per week, although there is continuing debate on the reasonableness of that figure. Recent successful pilot programs offered more. Interestingly, the success rate improves with increased amounts given out.

Paying students to go to class gets results but it leaves open the possibility of the teachers and students colluding. History provides many examples of teachers accepting bribes. In addition, it would probably be naive not to expect some friction from the practice of paying some students and not others.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/19/2004 05:26:00 AM

Illegals Won't Drive in Florida Soon

Not too long ago, Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, proposed a bill (SB 1630) in the Florida Legislature which would allow the state to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens. Although it was supported by Gov. Jeb Bush, law enforcement agencies expressed concern about being able to rely on criminal background checks conducted by foreign countries. As a result, Sen. Garcia has withdrawn support for the bill he proposed and asked the Senate Transportation Committee to put the bill on hold. There continues to be interest in the idea, however, no action is anticipated until next year at the earliest.

The status of SB 1630 should now be listed as "On Hold" on the legislative agenda, although "Oops!" might be more appropriate.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/18/2004 11:25:00 PM

Homosexuals Eject Heterosexuals From Hotel

(Key West, FL) Check out this story.

Three heterosexual couples said they were turned away from a hotel in this gay-friendly tourist destination because of their sexual orientation, which would violate city law.

The six were vacationing with a gay couple and had reservations at Big Ruby's in downtown Key West when the three straight couples were turned away.

"The manager literally said, 'We don't want you here,'" said Jim Pirih, who had vacationed at Big Ruby's last year with his partner, Jason Williams.

The group, most of whom are from San Diego, was already settled in their rooms Wednesday when the manager told the straight couples they would have to leave, citing a policy of not allowing heterosexuals on the property, Pirih said.

I guess they just want to protect themselves from bad influences.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/18/2004 09:19:00 PM

Riot at Iowa State University

(Ames, Iowa) There was a drunken riot in the streets of Campustown last night in Ames. The riot coincided with the annual Iowa State University student-run Veishea celebration. Around midnight, police responded to a call of several hundred or more than 1,000 rioters (Pick your favorite report).

"People from the crowd began throwing bottles and cans at the responding officers and at their vehicles," according to a police department press release. "People in the area began yelling and chanting 'riot riot."'

Police said crowds scattered from the area around the party, gathering closer to Campustown. People in the crowd began to commit acts of vandalism, including tearing down street lights and road signs, setting Trash bins on fire, rolling parked cars, breaking storefront windows and attacking cars that were driving by.

The crowd began throwing objects at officers on the scene, police said. Officers let off tear gas, but the crowd didn't fully disperse until around 5:30 a.m.

I spent some time living in Ames back in the 1970s and the Veishea celebrations during that period were boring flops. Boy, things must have livened up a bit. Nonetheless, I think the reporting on the extent of the riot is probably somewhat exaggerated. Ames is not a very big town.

By the way, the word Veishea is derived from the first letters of all the different schools that comprise the university.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/18/2004 02:16:00 PM

Constitutional Amendment to Hunt and Fish

(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) This story will probably get some media attention in the campaigns leading up to the November elections.

Louisiana residents should be guaranteed the right to hunt, fish and trap in the state's Constitution, a panel of lawmakers decided Thursday.

"This is to protect the rights of sportsmen in this state," Sen. Joe McPherson said of his constitutional amendment, which was approved unanimously by the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

In all likelihood, the proposed amendment will be approved by the legislature and, subsequently, placed on the November ballot for a vote by the people of Louisiana.

I cannot imagine that the anti-gun and animal rights extremists will allow the amendment to be passed without a vigorous battle. The idea that a person would have the constitutional right to use a high-powered rifle to blow a hole into the skull of cute, harmless Bambi has to be unfathomable.

The amendment would also set a precedent concerning limits on animal rights. It wouldn't matter what rights the activists imagine animals have if the citizens can trump all those imagined rights with a firearm.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/18/2004 12:16:00 PM

Bishop Sentenced for Criminal Sexual Conduct

(Traverse City, Michigan) Eastern Orthodox Bishop Demetri Khoury, 55, was sentenced by 13th Circuit Court Judge Philip Rodgers Jr. to 28 days in jail for attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The sentence resulted from charges of being drunk and groping a woman's breast at a slot machine at the Turtle Creek Casino last July.

Holy man, drunk, slot machines, casino, and groping a woman. What's not wrong with this picture.

Amen.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/17/2004 11:06:00 PM

Mountain Lion Sighted North of Chicago

In Lake County near Antioch, Illinois, there have been several sightings of a cougar or mountain lion.

Just great! They'll be in Ohio before too long. And, these animals don't frighten easily. Just great!
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       Following Entry Posted 4/17/2004 03:04:00 PM

Toronto Buying Storage Space in Michigan

Every day throughout the year, 125 trucks, each laden with more than 40,000 lbs. of garbage, travel more than 200 miles along Canadian Routes 401 and 402 to Michigan from Toronto. After dumping their load in a landfill, the trucks return to Toronto. So, a citizen in any of the multitude of municipalities along the route could sit by the highway and see a stinking truck go by about every six minutes, all day and all night long. If one assumes that the truck drivers slept at night, the stinking truck frequency would drop to one every three minutes. This project costs the taxpayers in Toronto $55,000,000 per year.

It should be mentioned that the numbers cited are best estimates by people who are criticized because of the numbers so there's an inclination to have them as small as possible. It also needs to be mentioned that, to date, there has been no comprehensive statistical assessment performed and reported concerning the garbage issue. Bits and pieces of the problem have been looked at, but the results usually conflict. For example, just concerning the number of truckloads daily, I've seen estimates as low as 100 and some, more than 200.

In one respect, the $55 million figure quoted is misleading since it only addresses landfill fees which are paid to the Michigan property owners. What's not included are the costs associated with buying and maintaining a fleet of trucks, fuel, oil, insurance, registration, tolls, driver's salaries, and wear and tear on the highways of Ontario. Including these expenses would undoubtedly add to the total cost of shipping garbage to Michigan. By the way, unquantifiable is the cost of having a continuous caravan of stinking garbage trucks marring the aesthetic beauty of the Ontario countryside. Call it an unfriendly to tourists feature.

Dealing strictly with the international trade aspect of the issue, the citizens of Ontario are paying the citizens of Michigan $55 million in exchange for a permanent storage space for their garbage. With such a large expenditure, it would be reasonable to assume that Canadian taxpayers must buy space in Michigan because they don't have enough space in Ontario. And, it would be a wrong assumption. Ontario is seven times the size of Michigan so there is more than enough space for Toronto's garbage right in the home province. That fact alone indicates there is some other reason for paying the $55 million and there is. It's the loud environmental activist groups.

Money is being paid to Michigan because, any time an effort is proposed to create a new landfill in Ontario, the environmental groups mobilize their supporters to protest. They protest long, loud, and forcefully. The politicians cower obsequiously. Mere mention of the Toronto Environmental Alliance and the Citizens for a Safe Environment, among others, and the city and provincial officials genuflect. The greenies squeal, the politicians kneel. That's a fact of life in Ontario.

In a nutshell, since it would be considerably cheaper to put the garbage in an Ontario landfill and it's not occurring, the reason the taxpayers of Toronto pay $55 million yearly to Michigan property owners is to avoid, at all costs, having to listen to the environmentalists.

More on the Canadian garbage issue can be found here.

Hat tip: Debbye S.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 10:46:00 PM

Felt Something Strange

I got this story from Doc at Far From Perfect. It's about a man whose penis exploded while he was making love to his girlfriend.

Ilarie Coroiu was taken to hospital in the Transylvanian town of Cluj after his girlfriend, Magdalena, 18, "felt something strange" and noticed that the bed was covered in blood.

Dr. Angela Domocos, head of the accident and emergency department at Cluj General Hospital, said: "It is very rare for this to happen. We call it an exploded penis because it happens when the blood cavities in the penis burst."

Bed covered with blood ... Transylvania ... Coincidence? You make the call.

In all seriousness, I've heard of this from a friend who works in the medical field. Granted, it's rare, but it does happen and I was told it's usually referred to as a broken penis. I understand it's also extremely painful.

Really?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 07:20:00 PM

The Topeka Shiner

Another environmentalist land grab is underway in six states to protect the Topeka shiner, a minnow. The Sierra Club has targeted private property in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri for designation as critical habitat which would impose federal regulations on the use and sale of the private land.

I'll reiterate my previous recommendation. Let the public decide which species to protect and not protect via the ballot box. Small special interest groups are making the determination (many times based on incomplete or disputed science) and it greatly impacts many property owners and businesses negatively. With respect to the Topeka shiner, I'd vote no protection and allow the citizens in the six states to do what they desire with their property. The minnow can fend for itself.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 05:40:00 PM

Teacher Assaults Female Student in Class

Here's a story (linked to a video) from Korea that's disturbing on several levels. It's about a high school teacher punching a 1st-year female student in class with the whole episode being captured on a video phone. When they appeared on the Internet, the images produced thousands of complaints, causing the teacher to be fired.

Jeff at Ruminations in Korea reports on the incident and has a comment thread where some readers state that Korean culture considers punching students to be acceptable. In fact, some people seem to think it's ethnocentric bigotry to criticize the Korean practice of violently pounding on students. Jeff and others disagree and rightly consider it as abuse. Nonetheless, the fact that some people are trying to justify and defend the practice indicates that, at least in one regard, Korean culture is warped and less ethical than cultures that don't abuse children. And, even if there is only a minority of Koreans who approve of teachers beating students, it still exists as a significant cultural difference between Korea and societies that believe child abuse is a crime. It should also be noted that this cultural disparity provides support for the contention that total multiculturalism is unachievable.

For some reason, a couple other important aspects of this story seem to be ignored. Not addressed is what prompted the beating. It would surely make a difference if the girl was chewing gum as opposed to having kicked the teacher in the groin. It's probably somewhere in between, but, whatever it is, it's not explained. Nor is it explained whether beating students is widespread and common or isolated and infrequent.

In summary, subjecting children to violence is criminal and no debate about ethnicity, culture, or geographic location is going to make it acceptable.

Hat tip: Marmot's Hole
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 05:43:00 AM

Ventura Floats Idea of Presidential Run

(Boston, MA) During an interview with the Associated Press, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hinted that he's toying with the idea of running as an Independent for the presidency in 2008.

"No party, no nothing," he told the news service, adding that his campaign message would be, "Elect someone who truly is not controlled by special-interest money. With me, you would get a true check and balance."

Opinion is divided on whether Ventura is serious. He's well known for audacious self-promotion and has floated the idea in the past, then nixing it. However, a recent stint as a visiting professor at Harvard University may have changed his mind. Although some insiders laugh at the idea of a President Jesse, former congressman Tim Penny thinks Ventura is serious.

"From what I can gather, I think he's serious. I don't think it's an idle thought," Penny said. "I don't discount the governor's ability to create a significant national following. Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor of California. That shows there's a lot of voters open to supporting a person who isn't a career politician."

At this time, Ventura's comments have to be considered nothing more than fodder for discussion in political circles. The 2008 elections are not going to be seriously contemplated until after this year. In the meantime, Ventura has given pundits and political junkies something light to talk about during lulls in the conversation. Coincidentally, the waters will be tested for potential supporters. After he's had time to gauge his backing, Ventura will decide and he'll be serious. Until then, his statements are just a titillating exercise in self-promotion.

Companion post at eTALKINGHEAD.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 04:20:00 AM

Owl Attacks, Carries Away Dog

(McCook, Nebraska) Mary Graves put her dogs into the back yard and watched as an owl swooped out of a tree and grabbed her little Snoopy dog.

"Snoopy put up a fight," Mary said, and the owl dropped him. Snoopy has spent many days at the veterinarian's, and although the 30-35 talon holes and a beak bite are draining, they're healing now and beginning to itch.

What! Nobody owns a shotgun in McCook?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/16/2004 02:27:00 AM

Patrolman Wins Doughnut Contest

(Rolling Meadows, Illinois) Wednesday's Dunkin' Donuts World Cop Donut Eating Championship was won by Officer Terry O'Brien of the Town of Geneva Police Department in Lake Geneva, Wis. O'Brien made 9 and 1/2 doughnuts disappear in three minutes. The contest was held as part of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) annual conference.

I think it's interesting that a group with the acronym ILEETA has a doughnut eating contest. ILEETA Doughnut Contest?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 11:57:00 PM

Smut Halted for HIV

(Los Angeles, CA) Adult movie producers shut down their operations after two performers tested positive for HIV.

At least 45 men and women were under voluntary quarantine because they had sex with the HIV-positive performers or their sex partners, said Sharon Mitchell of the nonprofit Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation.

It goes without saying that this is not the first time the smut industry has been troubled with HIV infections. What's surprising is that there's not a catalog of reports of infections. The smut business has got to be ground zero for sexually transmitted diseases.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 11:35:00 PM

Today's Health Alert - Beer Causes Gout

From the AP is breaking news of a study to be published this week in The Lancet medical journal that found:

...beer was the worst choice for gout, followed by spirits. It concluded that moderate wine drinking did not appear to be a problem, but experts said there were too few men in the study who drank a lot of wine to be sure that wine is a safer alternative.

In the study, conducted by scientists at Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard's medical and public health schools in Boston, researchers followed 47,150 men with no history of gout for 12 years.

When the study ended in 1998, 730 men, or nearly 2 percent, had developed gout.

Update your health alert response procedures accordingly.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 05:36:00 PM

Herman Kopke - Rest in Peace

The story of Herman Kopke caught my eye and seemed worthy of passing on. Prior to his death last week, Kopke was believed to be Nebraska's oldest living man. Born in 1895, he was 108 years old. In addition to hard work, good genes and an active mind, Kopke's longevity was also influenced by a lifetime of smoking tobacco and eating pork. According to his son-in-law, LaVerne Lamprecht of Fremont, Neb., "he'd eat pork chops and cut off the fat around them, and he'd smear (the fat) on the bread and eat it."

It's expected that the data associated with Mr. Kopke's longevity will be excluded from the annoying lifestyle studies performed to frighten the public into smoking and eating grass.

Services for Herman Kopke were held last Saturday in Elkhorn, Nebraska.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 03:33:00 PM

Stetson Hat Plant Closing

(St. Joseph, MO) According to this story, the Stetson hat manufacturing plant in St. Joseph is closing in June with a loss of 110 jobs. Officials for Hatco Inc. made the announcement. The reason for the closure is poor sales. People are just not wearing hats like they used to.

Since the loss of jobs cannot be attributed to outsourcing, the news was met without the usual glee by Democratic party operatives and labor union activists.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 07:00:00 AM

Liberal Talk Radio Silenced in LA & Chicago

From a report in the Chicago Tribune:

After just two weeks of broadcasting, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, was pulled off the air Wednesday morning in Chicago and Los Angeles in a payment dispute that shows no sign of quick resolution.

Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc., which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million. Air America and Multicultural had entered into an agreement in which the network essentially was renting Multicultural's airtime, Liu said.

"They bounced a check today," Liu said. "It's a default. They have paid only a very small portion of what they owe us."

It appears that the dispute between Multicultural and Air America includes some contractual considerations that may have to be resolved by the courts. If so, there could be a significant delay prior to final resolution, and, in the interim, the second and third largest radio markets in the nation will be without Air America.

I suspect that the problems Air America is having are the result of inadequate planning and preparation on the part of the backers and producers. In a cliche, "The hurrier we go, the behinder we get."
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 05:19:00 AM

Puppy Killer Gets Prison

(Santa Cruz, CA) Steven David Jackson, 39, was convicted of animal cruelty for killing a puppy with a golf club. As a result, Judge Art Danner sentenced him to one year in prison, three years probation, $2,000 restitution, mandatory anger management counseling, and 500 hours community service.

In his defense, Jackson contended that he didn't mean to harm the puppy, stating that he was only preventing the dog from biting his son. Prosecutor Gordon Isen disagreed, indicating that there was clear intent to kill.

"Not only is Mr. Jackson a continuing threat to our community, people across the world are watching what happens today," said Isen, who received hundreds of letters urging full prosecution of Jackson. "We need to tell others that Santa Cruz County won't accept this type of behavior."

Sheesh! "People across the world are watching what happens today" might be exaggerating the importance of the decision. I wasn't watching. In fact, I only found it when I was looking for something totally unrelated. Nonetheless, the County Prosecutor thinks the case is important world news and, as such, Steven Jackson is being punished harshly.

My take is in the form of advice. If you kick your dog or blend puppies, don't spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz. The "world is watching."
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       Following Entry Posted 4/15/2004 03:33:00 AM

Child Molester Free on Technicality

(Santa Ana, CA) Serial child molester Edward Harvey Stokes has been released from jail in California and is reported to have left the state.

Stokes was first arrested in 1974 and had been convicted at least five times in Washington and Oregon on rape, sodomy and kidnapping charges. In July 1995, he completed a three-year sentence in Oregon for sex abuse and sodomy.

According to police and court records, Stokes targeted runaways and other troubled youth because they typically did not tell authorities. He often gave his victims alcohol and drugs, with some victims waking up in handcuffs and leg shackles.

The 4th District Court of Appeals ruled that Stokes should be released from his life prison sentence because he never had a chance to confront his accuser, a teenager who committed suicide.

This makes me sick. Somewhere in the US, Edward Harvey Stokes, who has admitted to molesting over 200 children, is right now working on another victim, ruining another child's life.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/14/2004 05:30:00 PM

Chicago Hires Felon, Grants Leave to Serve Prison Term

According to this story, William Schneider, 34, was hired by the Public Building Commission of Chicago while under federal indictment for stealing more than $100,000 from his previous employer. Two months later, Schneider was convicted and sentenced to federal prison. To serve his time, he requested and was granted a leave of absence from his job in finance. Fortunately, he wasn't paid by the city while he was in prison.

Officials have pleaded ignorance and are trying to figure out how he was hired for key accounting positions despite a felony conviction for financial fraud. Oddly, some records seem to have been lost.

Does this episode surprise anyone?

Hat tip: The Chicago Report
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       Following Entry Posted 4/14/2004 03:59:00 PM

Weekly Linkfests

The April 12th Edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is up at The Chicago Report.

The Carnival of the Vanities is posted at BoiFromTroy along with a guided tour of West Hollywood, California.

Reverend Pixy is warming cockles with the Bonfire of the Vanities at Ambient Irony.

The BEST OF ME SYMPHONY is at Blogo Slovo by Dave.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/13/2004 11:37:00 PM

Illegals Being Arrested

(Montgomery, Alabama) Alabama State Troopers have been empowered by the Department of Homeland Security to arrest and detain illegal aliens. Using the "Immigration Law Handbook," troopers "have arrested 106 illegal immigrants, including a Mexican man driving 90 miles per hour and a Mexican mother of two who presented invalid documents while applying for a driver's license."

Alabama is the epicenter of a widening effort by the Department of Homeland Security to encourage states and localities to help enforce immigration laws in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Colorado, Idaho and Virginia are considering following the examples of Alabama, which began its partnership with the Department of Homeland Security in September, and Florida, which signed an agreement with federal officials in 2002. In Los Angeles County, the sheriff's office is close to an agreement to allow booking officers to identify illegal immigrants in county jails for deportation.

I happen to be in full support of arresting and prosecuting lawbreakers and illegal aliens are lawbreakers. Unfortunately, this action may be too little, too late and it won't have any substantive impact whatsoever as long as the borders remain porous. Nonetheless, when the leftists hear what's happening, I think we can expect a political firestorm.

Having said all that, I still applaud the action. It may be a baby step, but it's in the right direction.

Companion post at eTALKINGHEAD.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/13/2004 08:21:00 PM

University Blood Drive Controversy

(Columbia, MO) This type of stunt makes me angry. A University of Missouri sorority blood drive coordinator urged members to lie about their health to qualify as donors.

"I don't care if you got a tattoo last week - LIE," Gamma Phi Beta blood donation coordinator Christie Key said in a Tuesday e-mail to about 170 sorority sisters. "I don't care if you have a cold. Suck it up. We all do. LIE. Recent peircings (sic)? LIE. Even if you're going to use the 'Do Not Use My Blood' sticker, GIVE ANYWAY."

Citing the risk of spreading Hepatitis B, the Red Cross prohibits those who've had tattoos or piercings in the past year from donating blood. And it encourages people who are sick to avoid giving.

One recipient of the e-mail who is not a member of Gamma Phi Beta forwarded the message to the Columbia Missourian.

Authorities are considering disciplinary action against Christie Key. Hopefully, it will be more than a slap on the hand.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/13/2004 01:31:00 PM

Saving the Whales

Call me flummoxed. We've been saving the whales for so many years that I thought they were saved. But, noooo! Apparently, more saving is needed and Wal-Mart is being targeted to make it happen. According to this story, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Greenpeace are calling on Wal-Mart to influence the Japanese grocer Seiyu to not sell whale meat and stop the Japanese public from eating it.

Since the Japanese have been hunting whales and eating whale meat for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years, it's probably unrealistic to expect an American retailer to have any substantive impact.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/13/2004 09:03:00 AM

Greenies Targeting Cell Phones

It's probably because cell phones are not part of the "natural" world that various environmental groups are trying to get them banned on public lands. Or maybe, they're just an annoyance. Either way, the greenies want action. According to celebrity leftist, Jim Hightower,

"How many of you want to go to a National Park to hear cell phones in the wild? Confront your congress critters on this - write, call, or ask in person why Congress okayed this pollution of the people's parks."

The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has already accused the National Park Service (NPS) of malfeasance for not requiring an environmental assessment for the erection of cell towers in the wilderness. The apparent goal is to prevent any cell towers from being built in or around public lands. In a valid response, the NPS has stated that cell phones provide public safety communications during emergencies requiring life-saving assistance.

My take is that cell phones can truly be an annoyance. However, I don't think that freedoms in America should be taken away just because some people are annoyed. I also believe that the action by the environmentalists is only a small initiative in their overall campaign to outlaw everything that annoys them in society. I'm convinced that the greenies won't be satisfied until all people eat organic vegetables, the automobile is outlawed, all animals have rights, all electricity comes from the sun and wind, and everybody lives happily ever after frolicking among the wildflowers in the beautiful meadows of Mother Earth.

Stay tuned. You'll be hearing more about this in the future.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 11:35:00 PM

Total Ban on Plastic Bags Proposed

(Via NEWS.com.au) Correct me if I'm wrong, but, around twenty years ago, didn't the environmental crowd whoop and holler about the use of paper bags in society causing the destruction of "millions of tree?" There was a massive effort to get businesses, government and private citizens to switch to using plastic bags in lieu of the wasteful paper bags. And many did.

Well, times change and now some activists consider the plastic bags as causing significant harm to the environment because they are not being recycled and end up in landfills. Get ready for the Greenies to get a total ban on plastic bags in Australia.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 10:49:00 PM

World's Oldest Mouse

According to lifespan researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School, a dwarf mouse has lived the equivalent of 136 human years. It was accomplished through genetic engineering by specific modification of the pituitary and thyroid glands and reduced insulin production.

Hopefully, the research will lead to something other than old mice.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 08:48:00 PM

Radical Cheerleaders

This is news to me.

The Radical Cheerleaders, a loose network of young, mostly female activists, have put a new face on protest. Using the same moves performed by a high school pep squad, they've heckled for livable wages at an Alabama Taco Bell, chanted anti-war rhymes on Boston Common and marched in the Saskatchewan Pride Parade.

"We do for our fellow activists what cheerleaders do for sports players: we get people going," said Betsy Housten, 24, of the New York City Radical Cheerleaders.

My personal take is that I'm happy about this evolution in activism. As cheerleaders, these females more than likely will attempt to look like females which deviates from their normal gender-neutral personae. I welcome the change.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 05:50:00 PM

SUV Kills Baby

(Wenatchee, WA) Okay, guess what's wrong with this story from the Seattle Post-InsulterIntelligencer.

Baby dies after SUV swerves into river
A sport utility vehicle carrying a woman and her infant daughter ran off U.S. Route 2 into the Wenatchee River early yesterday. The mother swam to shore, but the child died.

Emergency medical workers tried for 3 1/2 hours to revive 6-week-old Kaya Sterner, who was in the cold water for about 48 minutes before being pulled out just after 7 a.m., State Patrol Trooper Rich Magnussen said.

The baby was pronounced dead in Central Washington Hospital.

Well hidden, a couple of paragraphs down, is the fact that somebody was driving the evil SUV. However, it should be quite apparent that the leftist newspaper wants its readers to be left with the impression that the SUV was at fault.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 04:46:00 PM

Drunk Job Applicant

(Orchards, Washington) Here's a bonehead report by John Branton from The Columbian. While drunk, Robert A. Gulley stopped by Washington State Patrol headquarters in Orchards to apply for a job as a trooper.

"I guarantee he's not going to get a job with us," Trooper Garvin March said after Gulley was stopped while driving away from the patrol office and ticketed for alleged drunken driving. "We've arrested drunks in unexpected ways and places before, but this one just blew me away," said March, a 26-year veteran.

Doofus!
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 02:40:00 PM

Kerry Gets Served

From a story in USAToday, bloggers have targeted Sen. John Waffles Kerry for google bombing.

The brains behind the waffles stunt is Ken Jacobson, a Duquesne University Law School student. He started the waffles campaign on April 3, when he first posted a blog he calls Esoteric*Diatribe (www .esoteric-diatribe.blogspot.com), which he writes on a personal computer in his Pittsburgh apartment.

"It's political fun and a bit sophomoric," says Jacobson, 23, a native of Canfield, Ohio. "But I believe George W. Bush is a man of conviction and a man of his word. I can't say the same for Sen. Kerry."

"Waffles," Jacobson says, "isn't as mean as 'miserable failure' but says something about what many people feel about Kerry," who Republicans say is a political chameleon. Jacobson says he has had no contact with the Bush campaign. The Kerry campaign had no comment about his effort.

It seems the Waffles campaign has achieved significant notoriety in a very short time. Congratulations to Ken Jacobson for being noticed by the major media.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/12/2004 01:30:00 PM

Ex-Convicts and Homelessness

(Cleveland, OH) Yesterday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer carried a story about a problem facing homeless shelters in the city. Specifically, due to growth in the homeless population, men have to be bussed to another location in the city at a cost of $200 per day. The service is provided using one bus making three trips to carry a total of 150 men. Most interesting about the story is the reason given for the increase in the homeless population.

Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the parole board to stop classifying prisoners based on their indicted offenses instead of the crimes for which they were convicted. Hundreds more men were released as a result.

Sara Simila, head of the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, said men released from prison need a place to go if they don't have a home.

Most halfway houses have a waiting list. Sending them to shelters for the homeless is a last resort.

"It's a statewide epidemic," Simila said.

It is rare to see a news report that reveals the fact that a significant percentage of the homeless are ex-convicts. Year after year, the media presents the public with pluck-your-heartstrings stories of homeless women with children and homeless wheelchair-bound veterans. However, contrary to the image generally portrayed by the media, the Plain Dealer exposes the fact that the homeless population has a significant nucleus of convicted felons on parole.

It's refreshing to see some honesty from the media.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 11:00:00 PM

Officer Wins Malicious Prosecution Case

(Virginia Beach, VA) A bicycle officer was accused of scratching Joseph F. Seeley's car while writing a ticket at the Oceanfront in August. Circuit Judge Stephen C. Mahan, ruling in a malicious prosecution lawsuit, disagreed and awarded Seeley to pay Officer Christopher T. Willis $25,000 in compensatory damages and $25,000 in punitive damages.

Bully!
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 10:19:00 PM

Dead Dogs Don't Bark

(Galesburg, IL) This story is from a recent press release.

Detective Carlson parked in the driveway of 1400 Lindsey Lane and exited his vehicle and began walking towards the door of the residence when his attention was drawn directly across the street to the sound of a barking dog. The dog was a large Pit Bull. The dog had emerged between a pine tree and 1401 Lindsey Lane and was running and barking towards Carlson. When the dog got to within 5 feet of Carlson, he was sure he was about to be bitten so Carlson turned so that his backside would be towards the dog. The dog then bit several times at the back of Carlson�s legs and then made contact with the back part of Carlson�s right knee, puncturing the skin. The dog then ran towards the street and charged at Carlson again. Detective Carlson then drew his service weapon, a Glock model 22, and began to talk calmly to the dog. The dog then approached the front of Carlson, and then ran back across the street. Carlson immediately called 911 from his cell phone and requested assistance from an animal control officer. A red pickup truck drove by and the dog ran after the truck, barking all the while. Carlson attempted to walk to the front door of 1400 Lindsey Lane and the dog focused his attention to Carlson and charged at him again. Carlson stood there in the front yard and took aim at the dog and when the dog was at point blank range Carlson fired one shot into the dog�s head at a downward angle to insure there would be no ricochet. The animal stopped instantly and fell onto his left side.

It seems to me that Detective Nick Carlson exercised appropriate restraint, more than many would.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 07:39:00 PM

Could Not Be Said Better

I found the following posted by Kim over at The G Spot.

"Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? Also they track her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. I think the solution is to give every illegal alien a cow."

As irony, this works. However, in application, we all know it wouldn't. Cows are property and there's an economic incentive to keeping accurate records of property. People are not property and over 600,000 Americans died in a war deciding that issue.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 12:01:00 PM

Victoria's Secret Nixes Fashion Show

(Columbus, OH) As a result of complaints, Victoria's Secret announced yesterday that it is dropping this year's nationally televised holiday fashion show. The groups complained about the nubile young women prancing to erotic music in stiletto heels while wearing skimpy thongs and uplifting bras made of sheer, shimmery material. For the sake of full disclosure, I'm not a member of any of these groups.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 11:30:00 AM

Guns Found in Schoolyard

(Flint, MI) According to this story, children hunting for Easter eggs yesterday found two loaded handguns on the grounds of Gundry Elementary School.

It would seem prudent for school administrators to conduct periodic walkthroughs of their schoolyards.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/11/2004 10:31:00 AM

Call Me Curious

For some reason, I've been unable to publish anything since about 4pm yesterday and I don't have any idea why. Does anybody know?

Also, the MuNu folks seem to be implementing some sort of targeted program of exclusivity which involves culling their blogrolls based on nonspecific criteria. I'm really in the dark as to the reason and purpose. A clear explanation would be nice.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/10/2004 06:48:00 PM

PETA Backs Down

The animal rights extremists at PETA planned on producing an ad that unintentionally upset Bruce Springsteen.

The ad is a send-up of the 1984 album Born in the USA with the famous cover image of Springsteen's denimed behind, but PETA's version shows a big bottom with what is unaffectionately known as repairman cleavage and the tag line: "Obese in the USA."

"The ad was intended to parody the sad shape a meat-addicted America has taken since this classic album came out two decades ago," PETA execs wrote in a memo. "But Mr. Springsteen's management felt that people might think we are spoofing Bruce himself, which was never the case."

Interesting. PETA has succeeded in being outrageous enough to anger one of its supporters. More people need to stand up to PETA, in particular, when they terrorize children.

It also should be noted that Bruce Springsteen appears to be pretty sensitive about his behind.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/10/2004 03:16:00 PM

Prepaid Gift Cards

For years, retailers have offered customers the ability to pay on account for their products and receive gift certificates or cards. This method of retailing has been widely popular and successful and hasn't gone unnoticed by major financial institutions. Since late 2002, major credit providers, VISA, Mastercard, American Express, and others have entered the prepaid gift card market with great results. Last year alone, according to one estimate, sales through gift cards were $30 billion, and this figure is expected to grow to $73 billion by 2007. Another estimate places last year's sales at $45 billion with a projection of $90 billion by 2007.

With new applications and new users, the market for stored value plastic cards is expected to continue at double-digit growth rates for the foreseeable future. Although it has a short history, the current realm of gift cards, re-loadable personal spending cards, prepaid gift cards, and travel cards appears to have an enduring future. Travel cards, for instance, are projected to make inroads into the $30 billion traveler check market.

However, the gift card story is not all positive. On the down side is the fact that not all prepaid gift cards are the same and there are major differences between retailer-issued and bank-issued gift cards.

When it comes to measuring bank gift cards against retail gift cards, possibly the greatest difference is that financial institutions have global acceptance at over 30 million merchants and that all the rights and protection afforded to credit cards are applicable to their prepaid products. These include chargeback rights, dispute management and "zero liability" protection if a card is lost or stolen. These are rights typically not afforded consumers purchasing or receiving retailer-issued gift cards. Furthermore, the residual value of bank issued cards never expires.

Since the phenomenon of gift cards is relatively new, many rights and protections are not clear. Therefore, it is the subject of proposed legislation in a number of jurisdictions. As examples, the issues of fees, devaluation, purchasers' rights, and expiration limits are under consideration in Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Georgia.

In summary, prepaid gift cards are a growing and dynamic influence in the economy and lawmakers across the nation are scurrying to produce adequate legislation. Stay tuned.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 05:03:00 PM

Medicare Card Scam

With the Medicare discount drug program going into effect in June, scam artists are taking advantage of ill-informed and gullible citizens by selling them phony Medicare discount cards.

"There have been reports across the country of people going either door-to-door or calling on the phone selling 'Medicare-approved' discount drug cards. Well, they're all scams. In fact it's illegal to sell any Medicare product over the phone or door-to-door," said Mandy Walker, Consumer Reports.

Caveat emptor. Tell others.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 03:26:00 PM

Another Animal Hoarder

(Popular Bluff, Missouri) According to a report by Lindsay Cummings in the Daily American Republic, the Butler County Sheriff's Department and the Humane Society of Missouri removed 50 to 70 dogs from the home of a female animal hoarder.

"She has been given numerous chances to rectify the situation," said Butler County Sheriff Deputy Cindy Bayer. "We talked to her last week and told her she would have to do something. Many of the dogs had no water, no food and were living in mud puddles. Her house is full of urine and feces from the dogs living there. It is so bad she is not even sure how many dogs are in there."

The dogs were chained to trees, cars and old gas tanks. Many were kept inside the woman's house, in what investigators with the humane society called deplorable conditions.

"The air in the house is thick to breath because of the pet dander and dust," said one investigator, who wished to remain anonymous. "The floor is covered with fur and the rooms are dark and damp from the amount of animals housed in there."

The woman has a history of animal hoarding in Missouri and Florida and may be charged with animal cruelty in this latest incident. For some unknown reason, the name of the woman was withheld from the report.

Sadly, just like pedophilia, rehabilitation of animal hoarders is rarely successful.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 12:35:00 PM

Cleveland Rates Condi's Testimony

(Cleveland, OH) The local powerhouse AM radio station WTAM conducted a poll of their listeners' and asked if they thought that Condileeza Rice's appearance before congressional investigators was a political witch-hunt. The station reported that an overwhelming 87 percent said it was.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 12:08:00 PM

Trojan Horse for Mac OS X

The existence of a Trojan Horse that attacks Mac OS X has been known since March 20th, but it wasn't reported until yesterday. Called MP3Concept or MP3Virus.gen, the Trojan masquerades as an MP3 file. It hides in ID tags and activates when the user clicks to play a song.

The Trojan appears to be the first malicious code for Mac OS X, which was launched in March 2001.

Until now, Mac users have prided themselves on running a system that has been largely virus-free. Few Mac OS X users run antivirus software, or are wary of double-clicking files they've downloaded or received in e-mail.

That could change quickly. Nearly half of the executable files downloaded through Kazaa contain malicious code like viruses and Trojan horses, according to a recent study by security firm TruSecure. Out of 4,778 files downloaded in one month for the study, nearly half contained various types of nefarious code.

Mac users are cautioned not to open email attachments unless they were expected. More malicious code is expected in the future to specifically target Mac machines.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 05:03:00 AM

Abstinence Stops HIV Spread

According to this story, leading HIV experts say that more effort needs to be devoted to encouraging committed relationships among HIV infected people to control spread of the disease. They believe that there would be no global AIDS pandemic without widespread promiscuity. To address the AIDS issue, the experts are promoting fewer sex partners, condom usage, and, very importantly, abstinence.

Of note is the importance placed on abstinence by the experts (which include officials from the Global Fund for Aids, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the US Agency for International Development). Oddly, it's considered necessary to push abstinence throughout the globe but the experts surely won't advocate the program in the United States. Promoting abstinence in America carries a guarantee of being ridiculed in a firestorm of controversy. The experts would be subjected to vicious personal attacks and labeled as a right-wing extremists.

What's most curious is that the people who advocate abstinence in other countries are generally the same people who vigilantly refuse to allow discussion of the subject in the United States. Consider it another dichotomy demonstrating the hypocrisy of the political left.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/09/2004 03:22:00 AM

Group Blogs

Regarding group blogs, there's an interesting post and an even more interesting comment thread over at The Spoons Experience. The general consensus seems to be that, with a few notable exceptions, group blogs customarily are less appealing to the reader than individual blogs. I personally believe that it's quite ambitious to make grand generalizations about any particular aspect of the blogosphere since there are an infinite number of things going on simultaneously. And, what's successful and appealing today may be the exact opposite tomorrow.

It's also important to consider the purpose of the group blog in any assessment. If the purpose is to attract the most readers, assessing the blog is simple. Look at the counter. However, if there are other important motivations for the group blog and traffic is a secondary consideration, it becomes more difficult to evaluate.

Since I'm a regular contributor to a group blog, eTALKINGHEAD, my comments probably reflect a some bias. Nevertheless, group blogs are popular and any discussion of relative strengths and weaknesses is worthwhile. To read or to join in, visit Spoons.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 11:11:00 PM

John Kerry - Waffle Maker

(Today's Google Bomb) When pressed, when official, when flippant, and when casual, it's virtually impossible to pinpoint exactly what John Kerry will say or do at any one time. The Democrat's waffles on issues are so frequent that waffles could be used as part of the description on a missing persons report.

Hat tip: Esoteric-Diatribe
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 10:12:00 PM

The Origin of Snakes

(State College, PA) Contrary to the widely held belief that the origin of snakes is closely related to the curriculum at law schools, two researchers at Penn State University, Professor Blair Hedges and postdoctoral scholar Nicolas Vidal, have found genetic evidence that strongly suggests snakes actually evolved from land-dwelling lizards.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 09:04:00 PM

Executive in Motor Vehicle Dept. Downloaded Porn

(Columbus, Ohio) According to a report by the Ohio State Inspector General, the Executive Director of the Ohio Board of Motor Vehicle Collision Repair Registration, Jack Lundberg, has allegedly subscribed to pornographic Web sites and downloaded more than 100 pornographic images and videos on his state computer.

Lundberg has to be extremely delusional if he thinks that his activities on a government computer network are private. What a bonehead. By the way, he just happens to be married to Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton. I'm sure she's absolutely thrilled about this news.

[UPDATE] Jack Lundberg resigned. Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton says she doesn't know anything because she doesn't live with her husband.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 08:16:00 PM

Frequent Sexual Intercourse Prevents Prostate Cancer

Recent medical research has found that eating garlic, scallions, onions, leeks, and chives on a daily basis provides significant protection against the development of prostate cancer.

More recently, a study by the National Cancer Institute has found that increasing the frequency of sexual intercourse decreases the risk of prostate cancer.

Therefore, the most prudent method of minimizing prostate cancer risk is to eat a lot of garlic and frequently have sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, those two things seem to be mutually exclusive.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 06:52:00 PM

Biker Gang Members Sentenced

In Montreal, Superior Court Justice Pierre Beliveau sentenced nine members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang to jail terms ranging from 10 to 22 years on charges of drug trafficking, gangsterism and conspiracy to commit murder.

Meanwhile, in Toledo, 14 members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club are on trial in U.S. District Court on a variety of charges including racketeering based on acts such as murder and drug dealing.

I'd write more, but these guys are known to carry a grudge forever.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 05:46:00 PM

Horse Rapist Walks Free

According to this story from the Netherlands, a man who raped horses was able to walk free because there is no specific law banning sexual intercourse with pets and livestock. Also, grounds were established that the horses had not physically suffered from the rapes. In response to complaints about the incident, Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman has proposed legislation to make all forms of bestiality illegal.

One would expect that the banning of bestiality in a civilized society would be based on ethical, moral, and medical reasons, however, in the Netherlands, this is not the case. The Dutch lawmakers believe sex with animals should be illegal because pets and livestock are unable to give or withhold their consent. Therefore, bestiality is nonconsensual sex.

As bizarre and troublesome as this story seems, it becomes more so when one considers that devices are being manufactured which allow people to communicate with their pets. A dog barking translator is already on the market and devices for other species are sure to follow. It's not inconceivable to imagine a person recording a conversation with his pretty French Poodle, Fifi, to provide evidence of consent to their sexual relations.

From an economic perspective, there also may be a noticeable increase in demand for doggie treats in the Netherlands.

Hat tip: Right ToThe Point
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 04:23:00 PM

Concealed Weapons Legal in Ohio

To obtain a concealed-carry permit, an Ohio resident (at least 45 days) must be 21 years old, be fingerprinted, undergo firearms training and a background check, and pay $45 to the county sheriff. The law is effective today and about 100,000 Ohioans are expected to apply for permits in the next six months.

Business owners have started to put up signs designating their establishments are gun-free zones. It's not clear which individuals the signs are intended to inform, the permit-holders or the criminals. A prudent criminal would probably target places he knew were unprotected.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 03:34:00 PM

Porn Website at Indiana University

(Bloomington, Indiana) An Indiana University freshman student named Keira is posting topless and semi-nude pictures on her website to earn money for college expenses. The adult website is reported to originate from her dormitory room on the school's Bloomington campus. According to this story, the Office of Student Ethics will meet with Dean of Students Richard McKaig to determine whether to pursue an investigation into unauthorized use of the University's name or space. Keira faces possible probation or expulsion.

In my research, I found the website's content to be fairly tame as pornography and it's probably overpriced at $25 per month. However, from a public image perspective, university officials would be wise find a way to put distance between the site of higher learning and the site of prurient pandering. Of course, since IU has been voted the "Best Party School" by the Princeton Review, maybe pornography is a welcome addition to their overall recruiting program.

[Update 4/16/04] Keira just now appeared on the Bill O'Reilly cable news program. It was revealed that her real name is September Harness and nobody has bothered her because she's been in the news recently. O'Reilly expressed a tsk, tsk attitude towards her.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 05:22:00 AM

Commercial Harp Seal Hunting

With an estimated 5.2 million harp seals in the North Atlantic being blamed for diminishing codfish stocks and with a renewed demand for harp seal fur, the Canadian government is allowing 1 million seals to be commercially harvested in the next three years. Naturally, animal rights groups from everywhere are outraged.

"This slaughter that everyone thinks has disappeared is back with a vengeance," said Rebecca Aldworth, an antihunt advocate with the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

A majority of the seals killed are under a month old, she said, and, "at that age, the seals haven't eaten their first solid foods and have not learned to swim so they have no escape from the hunters."

Aldworth and other animal activists also complain that the seals are not killed in a humane manner.

"We filmed and witnessed seals being skinned alive right in front of us," . . . .

"We saw live seals being dragged while conscious across the ice with boat hooks, we saw stockpiles of dead and dying seals, it was really horrific."

Pretty gruesome image, eh? Perhaps if they harvested the baby seals as they were being born, it would be more acceptable. A frequently used method is to wait for the baby seal's head to come out of the mother's body, then they crush the skull and suck the brains out using a vacuum. It seems that most liberal activists support this type of tissue extraction. Otherwise, the public will just have to get used to the media regularly inserting sensational news footage of those cute baby harp seals being clubbed to death.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/08/2004 03:40:00 AM

Shark Kills Surfer

(Maui, Hawaii) Yesterday, about 300 yards off Kahana Beach on Maui's western shore, surfer Willis McInnis, 57, was attacked by a shark and died.

In a somewhat related story, on Sunday, 22-year-old blond-haired, green-eyed, Courtney Marcher told friends she was going surfing on Oahu's North Shore and disappeared.

Everything I've read tells me that shark attacks are rare occurrences. Not rare enough for my liking.

[Update 4/9/04] The life of Willis "Will" McInnis may have been saved if a tourniquet had been applied expeditiously according to a newspaper report. The shark attacked more than once and severed the femoral artery which caused McInnis to bleed to death.

There's updated information on the disappearance of Courtney Marcher. Her surfboard was found in good condition by two fishermen about three miles off Kaena Point, 18 miles from where she was last seen. Current speculation is that she ran into trouble while in the water and she is not a victim of foul play.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/07/2004 05:42:00 PM

A Liberal Reviews Air America

San Antonio writer and activist Justin Felux provides some observations about Air America Radio in the Alternative Press Review. His take is that the programming is produced by white people for white people and it's trending towards being a complete turn-off to minorities. Other reviewers have used the words 'disappointing' and 'boring.' Here's an excerpt from Felux.

Sadly, it seems that nothing will be there to balance the utter whiteness of the network's format. Considering that the Democratic Party would be a political nonentity without the support of black voters, the fact that they are shut out and marginalized at every turn is beyond insulting. Air America Radio is just another episode in a long history of callous indifference and clueless misunderstanding the Democratic Party and white liberals in general have shown toward the black community. White liberals need to wake up and realize that this sort of business isn't going to cut it any longer, and black liberals need to speak up loudly and let them know it. Refusing to tune in to Air America Radio would be a good place to start. I know I won't be.

After only a week, Felux's and other initial reviews of Air America have to be an embarrassment for the liberal pundits who were ebullient with optimism prior to launch.

My perspective is that it seems the singular mannerism that is common among all the producers and players involved with Air America is anger at and hatred for conservatism. Historically, anger and hatred seldom contribute to entertainment value. And, without entertainment, Air America won't have an audience.

Hat tip: Instapundit
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       Following Entry Posted 4/07/2004 08:09:00 AM

Dumb Smugglers Stopped for Speeding

Mary Lou Herrera and Peter Valazquez of Tucson, AZ, were stopped for speeding on Interstate 80 by Illinois State Police and found to be carrying 155 pounds of marijuana in their U-Haul truck. They've been charged with unlawful possession with intent to deliver and face a possible 6 to 30-year prison term if convicted.

I wonder how many bonehead convicts complain that they're doing 30 years for speeding or a broken taillight.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/07/2004 07:31:00 AM

Eating Live Worms Treats Bowel Inflammation

Scientists at the University of Iowa have discovered that the introduction of live pig whipworms into the digestive system can be an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

"With our new impressive results, we can come out of the closet," said Dr. Joel Weinstock, a gastroenterologist at the University who has developed the treatment.

There used to be a time when finding worms in the closet meant it was time to clean it, not announce it.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/07/2004 06:29:00 AM

Wal-Mart Loses Ballot Issue in Inglewood, CA

Tally up a victory for the unions. The ballot measure which would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a shopping center in the center of town was defeated. Unfortunately, the promises of 1,200 jobs being created and millions of dollars added to the tax base has been snuffed. Organized labor enlisted the support of anti-business environmentalists and welfare-state advocates, Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters, to rally opposition to Wal-Mart.

Defeat of the ballot issue has to be considered an example of the hypocrisy of the leftists. They loudly complain about the lack of jobs while actively campaigning against creating any.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/07/2004 01:26:00 AM

Weekly Linkfests - 4/5/04

Soundfury presents the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Ross White has nominated all entries for Oscars in the Carnival of the Vanities #81.

WOLves has the BestOfMe Symphony.

The Crazy Pundit has the April 5th edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 11:56:00 PM

Child Porn Downloader Sentenced

(Cleveland, Ohio) According to this story, Robert Essex Jr. of Euclid admitted to using KaZaA, the online downloading system, to illegally transcribe music and child pornography onto compact discs. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Jane Boyle sentenced Essex to two years in prison. Judge Boyle also classified Essex as a sexually oriented offender requiring him to register with the police after he is released from prison.

This 2-year sentence is somewhat troubling. Essex possessed video files with girls aged 6 to 14, and, according to Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Brenden Sheehan,

"The videos showed minor children engaged in hard-core sexual activity with adult males with titles like 'Child Lovers,' and 'Daddy & Me at 6.'"

Essex was also heavily involved in music piracy and bootlegging. Euclid Police Detective Sgt. James Baird stated that,

"The Recording Industry Association of America said it cost them more than $25,000 in sales."

Maybe it's just me, but, after only two years in prison, I don't see Essex doing anything differently and it really seems that he's a threat to kids. I'd be nervous about having him in any neighborhood with children.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 11:45:00 PM

Elecia Battle - Lottery Scammer

(South Euclid, Ohio) Lottery scammer Elecia Battle (See here for previous reporting) has agreed to a plea changing her previous 'not guilty' plea to 'no contest' with the understanding that she would be found guilty. Accordingly, Municipal Court Judge Patricia Ann Kleri imposed a fine of $1,000, ordered her to perform 50 hours of community service, and put her on one year of probation.

"I just want to say that I'm not a loser, I'm a winner. I have not been defeated. I'm victorious," Battle said. "I'm a winner after all."

Sure you are, Elecia. Just like you say. You're a winner, a real nice winner. Ha-ha-ha-ha!
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 03:33:00 PM

Pothead Priest Richard Arko Pleads Guilty

(Summit County, Ohio) According to a story in the Akron Beacon Journal (reg. req'd), Richard Arko, former priest of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church, pleaded guilty today to cultivating marijuana and possession of criminal tools. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove sentenced him to two years in prison then suspended the sentence and placed him on probation with random drug testing for two years. Arko was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. (See here for previous reporting on Richard Arko.)

In his defense, Arko contended he was growing the marijuana for medicinal purposes and looks forward to the legalization of the drug. Unfortunately, in addition to displaying a sinful disregard for Commandment No. 9, his statements seemed more to rationalize his crimes than to be gestures of contrition.

Chalk Richard Arko up as another statistic on the list of people who have ruined their lives through illegal drug use. Amen.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 07:30:00 AM

Lesbian & Bisexual Girls Smoke More

(Boston, MA) A study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston indicates that lesbian and bisexual girls ages 12 to 17 were almost 10 times more likely to smoke compared to heterosexual girls of the same age. According to S. Bryn Austin, of Children's Hospital Boston,

"Antigay stigma and harassment, rejection from family, friends, peers and sometimes even physical violence can create a hostile environment for many young people coming to terms with their sexual orientation. This combined with the tobacco industry's targeted marketing to lesbian and gay communities is putting lesbian and bisexual girls in harm's way. We are concerned that these girls may be slipping under the radar screen when it comes to tobacco prevention efforts in schools and communities. More needs to be done to protect these girls and to address the social issues that may lead to their increased tobacco use."

So, the conclusion of the researchers is that the lesbian and bisexual girls are, in fact, doing the smoking, however, it's somebody else's fault. In this case, they blame social stigma and the tobacco companies.

Just for drill, using the same logic for assigning blame, isn't it possible to conclude that lesbianism causes smoking?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 06:56:00 AM

Soybeans Cure Baldness

Researchers are reporting that a molecule in soybeans may help cure baldness, prostate cancer and bad skin. But, there is a negative aspect. The molecule is a type of estrogen that is also believed to alleviate hot flashes, dry skin, fuzzy memory, and other annoying symptoms of menopause. The researchers specifically did not address the feminization of men nor the impact on their sexual function.

The good news is that men may now have a full, lustrous head of hair. The downside is that they may no longer care.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 01:59:00 AM

Chernobyl - 18 Years Later

Elena is a Ukrainian woman who lives about 130 kilometers from Chernobyl. She uses a camera, a notebook, and a motorcycle to collect information and photographs first-hand at the location of the world's worst nuclear reactor accident. Here's an excerpt from her photo journal website.

If I am in the Ghost Town just for a ride, then I go alone, but I never go alone inside of buildings. There are many places that not structurally safe, or have collected pockets of intense radiation. The other reason is wild boars, if you see one on the street, this is not a big deal, but to meet face to face inside of the building... I could become a dinner for a family of them.

When I explore buildings, I pick up a girl friend of mine who lives in Chernobyl, and is a professional guide for the dead zone. She is a native and highly literate in the field of atomic physics. She has a great personality and great taste in shoes. There are places where no one dares to go, not even scientists with protective gear. One such place is the Red Wood forest and another is the Ghost Town Cemetary. The relatives of the people who are buried there can not visit, because in addition to people, much of the radioctive graphite nuclear core is buried there. It is one of the most toxic places on earth. [sic, entire excerpt]

Elena's photographs are haunting. Her words are sobering. There are no people, nor barking dogs, in Ghost Town. Take a look.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/06/2004 01:17:00 AM

Porn Sites Total 1.6 Million

(San Diego, CA) According to a study by Websense Inc., pornography websites have grown from 88,000 in 2000 to about 1,600,000 in 2004, more than a 17-fold increase. A major reason has been the growth in technology and, according to Harold Kester, chief technology officer of Websense,

"Offering employees unlimited broadband connectivity and access to streaming video is the equivalent of installing an adult theater on each desktop."

It's estimated that 37 percent of Internet-enabled workers have visited porn websites. I'll go out on a limb and guess that not all those visits were work-related.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/05/2004 11:38:00 PM

Illegal Aliens Receive Rent Subsidies

(Washington, D.C.) Foreign nationals are flooding the United States illegally because they know they can find work and because they'll receive free health and education benefits immediately. And now, it seems they can also count on help with their rent. According to this story, in Arlington County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland, 2,500 rent-assistance grants worth more than $6 million are being doled out to illegal aliens every year.

The authorities say they check to see if everyone is a citizen by asking them. Well, guess what? They'll lie to you. They've already broken the law by entering illegally. What possible reason would there be for them to be honest to the stupid Americans? Am I wrong to view the actions of the illegals as theft from the American taxpayer?

With the recent ruling by the World Court which states that Mexicans charged with crimes in the US must have legal representation from Mexico, and the free health, free education, and now, rent subsidies, it sure seems like the illegals will soon have more rights and benefits than US citizens.

Companion post at eTALKINGHEAD.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/05/2004 05:35:00 PM

Environmental Terrorist Michael Scarpitti Captured

(Victoria, British Columbia) Michael James Scarpitti, who prefers to be called Tre Arrow because the trees told him to change his name, is in jail in Canada for shoplifting. Coincidentally, he is also under indictment for environmental terrorism in the United States and wanted by the FBI. Scarpitti says "he will fight deportation to the United States." In the meantime, he is on a hunger strike in a Canadian jail to protest the US legal system. Let me repeat, he is on a hunger strike in a Canadian jail to protest the US legal system. Excuse me for having a mental block, but I cannot understand what he expects to accomplish, except maybe self-induced hunger pains.

Anyway, with all the current security concerns in the US and internationally, we would all be better off if this nutso was put away for a couple dozen years. He would stop running around setting fires with the real potential for loss of life and, at the same time, through an intimate relationship with cold prison walls, maybe they would tell him to take his cranium out of his rectum.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/05/2004 03:59:00 PM

BBC Sunsets Cartoon Licensing to Snack Foods

(London, UK) The food police are celebrating another victory in Britain today with the announcement by the tax-funded BBC that it will no longer license its cartoon characters to snack food producers.

Teletubbies chocolate bars, Tweenies chocolate krispies and Fimbles shortcake are to be replaced with healthier products, like yoghurt with dried fruit and shaped pasta.

Oooh, yummy! Just wait, next they'll be forcing trail mix on everyone.

Mary Renouf of BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, said they tried to license unappealing snacks several years ago and it didn't work. So they've decided to stop licensing appealing snack food to force people into buying the cardboard flavored alternatives. The London-based Food Gestapo Commission applauded the BBC's action.

One has to wonder why socialism has to be forced on people if it's such a good deal.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/05/2004 07:40:00 AM

Dee Laney, Insane Killer, Not Guilty

(Tyler, Texas) Deanna "Dee" Laney killed two of her sons and seriously injured a third through bludgeoning. She's not guilty because the devil made her do it. Now, there's talk about how she needs to get well so she can be released from the state mental hospital.

Two little boys are dead and the person who killed the boys can't be blamed because she had a wacky day. So now, Deanna Laney will get taxpayer funded room, board, and medical care and, when she's no longer wacky, released to society with hope that she won't have another wacky day. How sad is that?

Isn't it time to change the laws to allow a verdict of guilty but insane?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/05/2004 06:33:00 AM

Wal-Mart Turns to Voters

(Inglewood, CA) After efforts by organized labor halted expansion plans, Wal-Mart sponsored a ballot initiative to have the citizens decide in Inglewood. Tomorrow, voters will determine if the company can build and operate a megastore and a number of chain shops in this city of 112,000. Interestingly, the ballot initiative will also exempt Wal-Mart from Inglewood's planning, zoning and environmental regulations. According to Peter Kanelos, of Wal-Mart's community affairs division,

"Organized labor is attempting to bully Wal-Mart and its customers."

Not so, says Madeline Janis-Aparicio, leader of a group formed to fight the Wal-Mart project.

"They are driving a Mack truck through California land use, planning and environmental law and trying to create a Wal-Mart government on this 60-acre site.

In a nutshell, it's environmental arguments against business expansion. Voters decide tomorrow.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/04/2004 07:08:00 PM

Dog Barking Translator

(Tokyo, Japan) According to this story, the Japanese continue to be a world leader in innovative technology. The Takara Co. Ltd., has made the world's first dog-human translation machine. It's called Bowlingual and it translates dog barks into feelings. Kimiko Fukuda, who lives outside Tokyo, likes the machine, however, she says Bowlingual's Japanese translation seems perfect sometimes - and other times is totally wrong.

Doesn't sound all that reliable to me and I'd really like to know how many people in society are now arguing with their dogs, or, should I say, willing to admit it. By the way, for the cat lovers, Meowlingual should be available soon.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/04/2004 06:07:00 PM

Fatherhood Crisis

It is well recognized that a fatherhood crisis exists in America and it is simplistically defined by the fact that millions of children are forced to grow up in fatherless households. I've been there, on both sides, as a child and as a noncustodial parent. My experience boils down to "Nobody wins!" Divorce in a family is pure devastation and the only hope is survival.

Via John Ray, I found an analysis of the fatherhood crisis prepared by Stephen Baskerville in The Independent Review. Here's the abstract:

Virtually every major social pathology has been linked to fatherless children: violent crime, drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, unwed pregnancy, suicide, and psychological disorders - all correlating more strongly with fatherlessness than with any other single factor. Tragically, however, government policies intended to deal with the "fatherhood crisis" have been ineffective at best because the root cause is not child abandonment by fathers but policies that give mothers an incentive to initiate marital separation and divorce.

I'm no longer a long distance dad since my children from my previous marriage are now adults. But I can easily recall the fifteen years of misery and heartache I experienced. Stephen Baskerville's piece is dead-on with respect to my experience and, I'm sure, many other dads.

The article is moderately long and necessarily so. The issues and complexities of a divorce with children involved are many and varied. However, take it from me, I would have felt a lot better having it available when I was going through the turmoil. At least, I would have understood all that was happening to me.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/04/2004 02:36:00 PM

Schroeder Calls Outsourcing 'Unpatriotic'

Jobs are being outsourced from Germany. This is due to high labor costs, taxes, and the expensive and unnecessary environmental policies. Examples include telecommunications, tire manufacturing, and automobile supply, and, according to the Financial Times Deutschland, 70,000 jobs in the information technology sector alone were lost in Germany over the past year.

As a result, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed his concern and called the transfer of jobs to cheaper foreign locations "unpatriotic." This is curious since he can take some direct responsibility for the exceedingly high cost of doing business in Germany. In fact, the costly environmental regulations were imposed through the efforts of Schroeder's close political allies, the Greens.

I think it's interesting to point out that prudent business managers are only trying to maintain competitiveness by achieving cost savings through outsourcing. The typical high tax, welfare state politician doesn't understand the fundamental fact that businesses must minimize cost of production. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder calls it "unpatriotic." John Kerry refers to the companies that outsource as "Benedict Arnolds."

Same-o, same-o.

Companion post at eTALKINGHEAD.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/04/2004 05:55:00 AM

Kyoto Protocol in Germany

With the CO2 emissions limits of the Kyoto Protocol becoming mandatory on the country of Germany next year, all segments of German society are jockeying for a preferential position. They apparently want to forego requiring reductions in the industrial sector and decided to put the burden on homes and motor vehicles.

"To make its Kyoto target, the government will have to introduce measures forcing private households and the transportation sector to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions," said Matthias Seiche from BUND, an environmental organization.

So, the belching smokestacks of industry are not going to be cleaned up. The average citizen is going to pay the price for Kyoto.

This is going to be a continuing story and it's bound to become more contentious as the general German population learns of the cost they'll be asked to pay. Expect grumbling in all the EU countries.

Also, let us not forget that Al Gore and John Kerry are big proponents of the Kyoto Protocols.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/04/2004 05:08:00 AM

Vampire Bats Kill 13 People

In Northeast Brazil, a record 13 people were killed last month by rabies-carrying bats. Approximately 300 attacks have been documented and several people remain hospitalized.

I'd like to think that the rabid bat problems can be corrected in Brazil. We surely don't need them to travel north like the Africanized killer bees did.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/03/2004 11:54:00 PM

LAWSUIT THREATENED by Goat Hoarder

In a previous post, I reported on a story of a man in Vermont who has 70 goats in his house. Apparently, he believes the reporting of his controversy with authorities has been inaccurate. According to an email I received from the man's son, unless there is "a short correction of the worst errors" in the story, a lawsuit is threatened. However, he may be willing to accept a load of hay. Since I can't afford a load of hay, I'll publish the entire email from Nic Weathersbee.

here is what my father sent to the AP...thought I would pass it on to you as well.


Dear Mr. DeSilva:

The subtended AP file, which brought a private person (me) widespread ridicule and adverse publicity, contains the following numerous errors (highlighted in red [ed. note - bolded & italicized instead]):

The only thing weird about our plight is that the state of Vermont should have spent three years trying to close down a legitimate goat farm, in which my mother invested some $500,000, for the sin of being a slaughter-free, cruelty-free operation. The state has denied us eligibility for loans that are routine for other Vermont farmers, on grounds that cannot be attempted to be believed.

Baaaaaad goat odor, apart from being a flabby effort at a pun (the flabbiest of wit), is a calumny against the goat, who is one of the cleanest, most fastidious, and least odourous of the human and non-human animals with which man associates.

Only the dominant buck (male) goat in rut develops a strong odour, which attracts does (females) and causes them to ovulate. We have about 80 intact males here, right next to a road down which daily pass more malicious busybodies than any little town like Corinth has a right to expect. Yet in almost eight years there has not been a single complaint about odour. About everything else, but not odour. Odour did not figure in the state raid at all.

This sort of easy gag helps to perpetuate a consumer reticence about goat products that the nascent American goat industry strives mightily to overcome.

Have collided. The goats haven't collided with my religious convictions at all. Rather, my seven-year observation of their complex society, their manifest ability to love one another, their demonstration of the whole spectrum of emotional and psychological phenomena than man likes to think peculiar to himself, are what engendered in me a profound spiritual awakening.

Lynn Margulis in Symbiotic Planet points out that all creatures on Earth today have evolved for exactly the same length of time, and thus are equally 'highly' evolved. Man places himself at the top of a ladder that does not exist. If this is so at the mundane level of physical organisation, it is doubly so, a million times so, before god. The Christian Bible says god loves all her creatures. True love is not graduated.

In a ... definitely stinky way. See above. Not stinky at all, let alone 'definitely.'

Three goats ... now there are 300. There has been no willy-nilly population explosion, as implied here. We started at this farm with about 40 goats, with the idea of building the two herds -- cashmere and dairy -- up to about 150 individuals each, through purchase and breeding. The present herd size was planned. What was not planned was who mated with whom. The bucks took this issue in their teeth, broke out, and had their way with the ladies two years running. We have now brought breeding under control and do not plan any more additions to the herds for several years.

Living in his house. The house was empty and unused when I moved the goats in. I live elsewhere.

I converted the house into kidding quarters and hospital because it could be kept warm in cold weather, because ill goats could be isolated and kept quiet in the smaller rooms, and because I could reclassify it as a non-taxable agricultural building, instead of as a taxable dwelling.

Your wire story was drawn from a well-done and complete feature in the Valley News that had even the humane-society people saying it was a smart move to bring the goats into the house during this past winter's brutal cold.

A mix of goat droppings and hay. The house became another barn. It is usual to bed goat barns with hay or straw in winter. It is usual for goat faecal pellets to fall down onto the hay when discharged, rather than, say, flying out the window. All of the implied or outright sarcasm and derision that your story engendered nationwide amongst smart-aleck city comedians is directed at farming practises that are commonplace. The only unusual step I took was to convert an empty, useless dwelling that costs me $350 per month in taxes into an agricultural facility that will cost me about $20 per month in taxes.

Seized 44 deemed unhealthy by a veterinarian. The veterinarian in question was the state vet whose office had launched the raid in the first place. He was working under a massive conflict of interest that must have coloured his judgement markedly, and he has no particular competence with goats.

The probable cause for the raid, according to the state trooper who headed it, was a letter that I had written to Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas asking for justice in getting a state loan. The trooper claimed that the letter stated I had 'starving animals' on the property. My letter said no such thing.

When the raiders found no starving goats, they seized 44 more or less at random for such things as hoof trimming, matted hair coats, and low body scores. The state vet declared these relatively trivial problems to be sufficient cause to seize these animals, presumably just to cover his derriere. How would it have looked if he had been honest and had said that after all the hoopla and expense of the raid, there were no animals that needed seizing?

They left behind a number of goats with more health problems than the ones they took, confirmation of the arbitrary nature of the seizures. They left behind babies crying for their seized mothers.

They took our aged Tasha. She was in the terminal stages of cancer. She was not in pain, she was eating well, and she could have made it to spring to die in the sun. But left in a strange place after a two-hour cattle-trailer ride, she gave up and quit eating. She died after six days in the state's 'care.'

These people, whom you presented around the world as the dispassionate 'authorities,' are stupid, ill-informed, narrow, arrogant, opinionated, self-righteous, rigid, malicious, base, cowardly, the clumsy killers of my beloved old friend Tasha. Tasha was the first milker in the herd. She might have died as she had lived, loved and caressed by me and everyone, and surrounded by the usual dozen or so kids who treated her as Auntie Tasha. Faugh! I didn't even see her off.

We maintain animals here who are skinny, obviously ill, handicapped, or aged. We are a no-slaughter, no-cruelty farm. On ordinary livestock farms, such animals are routinely culled (killed) whilst they still have some meat value. We are being castigated by people who promote slaughter, for the presence here of animals kept for reasons that most good folks would regard as humane.

'He has more goats than he can care for.' I agree with this statement if you add the word I am always careful to use, 'optimally,' to the end of the sentence. For the past three years, since the principals of what was to have been a commercial goat operation left, I have struggled simply to keep as many as possible of my friends alive, with almost no money.

It has been a lifeboat operation, sheer survival. No one in the herd, including me, is overweight -- I lost about 40 pounds over this winter. Grain for all goats was a luxury we could not afford. Hoof trimming, needed but not vital to survival, had to be ignored in favour of giving shots, begging hay, and other tasks that are vital. As for matted coats, no sane goatherder tries to groom non-show goats in a 300-strong herd. We'll shear them when the time comes, and there will be no talk of matted coats.

The State of Vermont, and now Gov. Jim Douglas's office too, owns a large share of the responsibility for our difficulties. Had we been granted the loans of public money we sought, for which we have been eligible and qualified all along, and which were our right as Vermont residents, we would have been in business more than three years ago, and the raid would never have been conceived. Instead, the state tried to starve us out for our agricultural unorthodoxy, then they charged us with starvation.

Weathersbee ... admits he cannot afford to give the herd sufficient care. Weathersbee admitted to no such thing, nor could he have, as it is not true. Given its very wide circulation, this false statement may easily prejudice my trial should I be charged with animal cruelty. The word I used, most deliberately, was 'optimal,' not 'sufficient.'

The latter can be the basis of a cruelty charge. The former merely states that we could be doing better, if we had the resources. As far as I am concerned, with the weight of a 40-year journalistic and editing career behind me, this statement libels and defames me, and could form the basis of a suit at law.

By hook or by crook, but mostly by the love of god, we have gone for three years without the goats' missing a day's hay or grass. At times the hay has not been what it should, or the pasture has been skimpy. These are the vicissitudes of all life forms, including humans.

In ordinary Christianity we are taught to take what god gives us each day, to accept god's will lovingly and without complaint, whether we think it pleasant or unpleasant. I think this applies equally to all god's creatures, goats too. We have had some hard times. But people in a lifeboat do not complain that they're being abused or treated cruelly. They are thankful they didn't drown when the ship sank.

He refuses to get rid of the animals. Another prejudicial misstatement. I have repeatedly told everyone that the goats are not mine. They are leased, under an iron-bound lease designed to protect them from human greed and abuse. The lease specifically forbids 'getting rid of' any non-human animal.

The lease aside, it should not be forgotten that we have spent years and many thousands of dollars to build the herd up to this level. Many of the 100 or so animals we purchased cost from $100 to $200 each. Some bucks born here are worth thousands as breeding stock. Why would I be anxious to 'get rid of' such valuable goats? They are my friends and family, and the basis for any business we might launch. Besides, the humane-society officer candidly acknowledged that she could not guarantee that adopters would not abuse or kill their charges. Of course I resist giving up the goats!

Under certain conditions, the entire lease may be transferred to a new lessee. At the present time I am negotiating just such a transfer, to protect the herd after my death. In that sense I am 'getting rid of' all the animals.

His Buddhist religious views. Though I hold many, many Buddhist teachings to be true and precious, particularly the teachings of universal compassion and the sanctity of all life, I am not a Buddhist. I follow a fairly conventional path based largely on core Christian teachings.

His only income is from monthly disability checks. Anyone with a calculator who cares to multiply $150 by 30 (=$4,500), will see that our costs far outstrip any disability cheque ever awarded. In fact my income is only part of what the farm receives, which comes from diverse and often charitable sources. My step-daughter Kirste, for example, punted a few bucks on the ponies at the track where she works, and won enough to send us $1,200 last month, an enormous help. As I tried to make clear already, we expect god's help if we are to do god's will, and for three long years the hay has always been there.

In exchange, he wants to remain with the goats, living in the barns and fields. Someone who read this accused me of just seeking a cushy nest. In fact I have offered to the organisations I have approached to work here for nothing, caring for the goats and supervising cheese making, until I drop dead. I have also offered to continue to pay the mortgage with my disability income, a contribution of about $800 per month, not pocket change.

Obviously I cannot expect AP to cram all the above niceties and details into such a short file. But I do expect your correspondents to be skilful enough at their professions not to libel people, and not to defame or deride private citizens with so little basis in fact. I have not yet been charged with a crime, I do not seek publicity. This damnable little squib has gone half around the world. I have had to endure burdensome feedback from it already. It has been published in on-line media such as Planet Ark that are accessed by the target consumers for our cheese, and thus may do us material harm. It was even published in Czechoslovakia!

I expect you to take seriously the potential for a lawsuit. I expect a short correction of the worst errors to be published on the same page that carried the original story, in every medium that published it (a Google search of +Weathersbee+goat+Vermont will tell you which they were).

If corrections are published as I ask, I will take no further action. If my expectations are unreasonable, then explain why in an e-mail, and tell me what would be a reasonable remedy. I will accept a load of hay from Barry Stryker, our hay guy. Ignoring me is your surest route to a letter from my nasty lawyer. After all the harm the state has done to us, compounded by the national ridicule stemming from your AP story, I have had it up to here with people refusing to behave like decent human beings.

With my kindest regards,

Chris Weathersbee
manager, Marymead Farm

Frankly, I think Mr. Weathersbee has said everything that needs to be said.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/03/2004 09:08:00 PM

Pigs Fly, 16 Die

(Bellfontaine, Ohio) Have you ever promised to do something when "pigs fly?" Well, according to this story, it's time to pay up. Derrick Selhorst, of Celina, was hauling 190 hogs to a slaughter when his tractor-trailer flipped over, sending the pigs flying. Sixteen died.

It should be noted that future occurrences of this nature will be avoided when the animal restraint laws are implemented across the nation.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/03/2004 08:45:00 PM

Madrid Bombing Suspects Blow Themselves Up

(Madrid, Spain) According to Interior Minister Angel Acebes, as the police approached the hideout, the railway bombing suspects spotted them and started shooting.

Over the next two hours, police evacuated as many people as they could from the building and surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the apartment, he said.

"The special police agents prepared to storm the building and when they started to execute the plan, the terrorists set off a powerful explosion, blowing themselves up," Acebes said.

"There are three that could have blown themselves up, but the possibility of more is not ruled out," he said.

This is quite an indicator of the level of fanaticism of the terrorists. They would rather blow themselves up then be taken into custody.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/03/2004 05:00:00 PM

Dirty Hands Detection

A technology company, eMerge Interactive Inc., in Sebastian, Florida, is now marketing a light-scanning device to detect dirty hands on hospital and restaurant workers. Woo-hoo! There'll be fewer filthy pigs giving out medication or serving up burgers through 21st Century technology.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/02/2004 11:30:00 PM

San Antonio

Cities within the US are constantly being evaluated and ranked based upon studies of many types of data. With regard to San Antonio, Texas, the following has been reported.

San Antonio is the community with the highest percentage of obese adults in the United States, over 31 percent.

San Antonio has the highest rate of binge drinking -- imbibing till drunkenness -- in the entire United States, 23.9 percent.

Maybe it's just me, but it sure seems odd that one city in the whole country would be ranked #1 in blimps AND #1 in boozers.

Something tells me to put a wager on the Spurs for the NBA Championship this year.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/02/2004 04:17:00 PM

Ruling: No Strip Club Regulation

U.S. District Judge Ann Aldrich ruled yesterday that the regulation of strip clubs as proposed by the Ohio Liquor Commission is unconstitutional. Proponents of the regulation claim there is a correlation between crime and strip clubs that serve alcohol, however, they were unable to support their contention.

I wonder if the Liquor Commission inspectors are in need of legal justification for spending a lot of time in strip clubs.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/02/2004 05:26:00 AM

2004 Polly Awards

(Wilmington, Delaware) The Collegiate Network was formed to focus public awareness on the politicization of American college classrooms. The methods used include Internet reports of declines in educational standards and the annual recognition of the most outrageous examples of campus politicization, called the Polly Awards.

Yesterday, the Collegiate Network announced the co-winners of the 2004 Polly Award identifying, for the seventh consecutive year, the most outrageous politicization and double standards in higher education. In a tie for first place, the winners are:

Sex-Week at Yale
Yale University student sponsors �Sex Week at Yale� using Yale funds, Yale facilities and with the support of Yale faculty and administrators. Several of the events were co-sponsored by Wicked Pictures, an adult film company that provided one of the keynote speakers�porn star Devinn Lane.

Multicultural Porn at the University of California Santa Barbara
A University of California, Santa Barbara student received acclaim from professors and administrators for his Chicano Studies thesis on �Gay Men of Color in Porn.� The project was presented as part of the UCSB Multicultural Center�s tax-payer funded �Race Matters Series� in an effort to legitimize pornography as an academic pursuit.

It's been demanded historically that institutions of higher learning provide intellectual and leadership skills, but, in these two cases, the co-winners have veered from tradition. Yale and UC Santa Barbara have decided to promote sexual promiscuity and deviance.

A safe assumption is that most Americans would probably rather not have their tax dollars used to fund these activities.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/02/2004 03:27:00 AM

Operation Blue Peacock

The British National Archives has released a secret 1957 Ministry of Defense document indicating that scientists considered using chickens to warm the casing of a plutonium land mine. The chickens body heat, about 1,000 BTU (British Thermal Units) per bird per day, would prevent the mine's mechanism from freezing.

Understandably, this information was received with great skepticism. Andy Oppenheimer, co-editor of Jane's World Armies, said, "I have a feeling that it's an April Fool." The Times of London wrote, "Is today the day to reveal the chicken-powered nuke?" However, Tom O'Leary, head of education at the National Archives, said he had no doubt that the document was authentic.

Officials decided in 1957 to acquire 10 "Blue Peacock" land mines, each weighing 16,000 pounds (7,250 kilograms), and to station them with the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. However, in 1958 the Ministry of Defense Weapons Policy Committee decided that work on "Blue Peacock" should stop, after reservations emerged about the fallout hazard.

The nuclear chicken proposal is detailed in the April 2-Oct. 30 exhibition entitled "The Secret State" at the National Archives.

I'm not convinced that this is on the up and up. Simple things are tripping up my thinking. For example, how were the chickens supposed to be fed and who in their right mind would go to a nuclear land mine on a daily basis to do it? I also find it hard to believe that the device, a sophisticated temperature-sensitive plutonium warhead surrounded by high explosives, would not quickly deteriorate in the environment of a chicken house.

Without more information, I'm not buying it. The story is just too implausible. Maybe someone is trying to pull the chain of the animal rights extremists.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/01/2004 11:49:00 PM

Guard and Bark

(Paradise Valley, AZ) I've always had an appreciation for the ability of dogs to be trained to perform specific valuable functions and this story caught my eye as being something new. Abbott, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, joined the Paradise Valley Police Department and

. . . is skilled at tracking, protecting his handler, and conducting building searches and "guard and bark."

The latter technique has the dog holding a criminal by barking until the handler arrives. If a perpetrator attempts to flee, the dog will bite him.

Officials are reluctant to discuss a little known pilot program that teaches dogs to read suspects their rights during apprehension. It's these unique capabilities that explains why specially trained dogs are worth tens of thousands of dollars.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/01/2004 11:05:00 PM

Who Let The Dogs Out?

(Kentville, Nova Scotia) This is a somewhat dated wrong place, wrong time story that's been edited for clarity.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police dogs from across the province were participating in training exercises at nearby Camp Aldershot when a car thief ditched a stolen car and fled into the woods. Kentville police informed the RCMP and Constable Fraser said two or three canine units took part in the chase - to the tune of Who Let the Dogs Out, which was playing in one of the dog handler's vehicles.

"He chose the wrong time and the wrong place to steal a vehicle," said RCMP Constable Gary Smith. "Because there was an exercise going on in the area, we were able to send several dogs."

Hearing several barking dogs AND the song must have made the car thief think he was dreaming.
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       Following Entry Posted 4/01/2004 09:03:00 PM

Many Teachers Fail Certification Exams

(Philadelphia, PA) As demonstrated by this story, the unacceptably high failure rate in American public schools doesn't just apply to the students.

The School District of Philadelphia released figures last week showing half of its seventh- and eighth-grade teachers who took the federally mandated exams in English, math, social studies and science failed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that excluding Philadelphia, 23 percent of middle school teachers statewide failed the tests.

The state won't release any details, stating it's up to each school district to provide results for their teachers. I think they'll be hesitant to release much information. Can you imagine the impact on a class if the students knew their teacher flunked certification?
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       Following Entry Posted 4/01/2004 12:57:00 AM

Carnival of the Consumers #1

It's more than a linkfest. Conceived by Jeff Doolittle, the Carnival of the Consumers promises to be useable, more or less, depending on participation. It provides a venue for bloggers to praise or complain about their experience with a product or service. The inaugural edition is posted. I think this is a good idea. Go visit.
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