The Bully Pulpit

Cops Believe North Carolina Inmate Hid 10-Inch Revolver In His Rectum. Luckily, It Was Unloaded. | The Smoking Gun

2012-01-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Cops Believe North Carolina Inmate Hid 10-Inch Revolver In His Rectum. Luckily, It Was Unloaded. | The Smoking Gun

I am truly sorry that I have apparently found it necessary to post a link to such a lowbrow story, but there it is. Somehow, the rare opportunity to forma triple entendre (hint: packing, packing, ten-inch) outweighed any shred of discretion or civility I have remaining. Again, I am sorry...but do read the piece...or at least check out the photo of the piece in full color near the story lead...

Seahawks | Seahawks, Lofa Tatupu cut ties | Seattle Times Newspaper

2011-08-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

Seahawks | Seahawks, Lofa Tatupu cut ties | Seattle Times Newspaper

It is a durn shame that this needed to happen, but it did. The Hawks were criticized for taking an undersized MLB too high in the draft, and though I think he showed the NFL his heart and brain in his first three seasons (3 Pro-Bowls), the injuries have really caught up with him the last couple years. Last year, there were entire games where we never heard his number called.

I think the original assessments of Lofa were right, but that his heart and work ethic game him three elite years in the NFL. And that, to me, is a more impressive achievement than players with size and talent stringing years of Pro Bowl seasons together. Best Wishes Lofa!

Press - News - 509 - Pain Management Research Yielding More Treatment Options

2011-07-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Press - News - 509 - Pain Management Research Yielding More Treatment Options

Some very encouraging things are in the pharmaceutical pipeline, giving all of us who spar daily with Spondyloarthropathy and other forms of chronic pain. Now if we can just afford to make use of them!

Crime-lab fire sprinkler douses DNA evidence | Seattle Times Newspaper

2011-06-15T16:47:00.001-07:00

I sure hope they don’t end up losing convictions for violent offenders because of this…

Local News | Crime-lab fire sprinkler douses DNA evidence | Seattle Times Newspaper

Technorati Tags: Crime,True Crime,DNA,Forensic Lab,Seattle,Seattle Times

The £400 test that tells you how long you'll live - Science, News - The Independent

2011-05-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Well, we've seen research moving in this direction for nearly ten years now, since the first observations that lead to research on ultra-low calorie diets extending life span. The theory was, at first, that perhaps humans only had a certain number of calories to burn over the course of a lifetime. The idea that flavinoids, and eventually, resveratrol, could serve as a way to simulate the life-extending benefits of a very low calorie diet was subsequently demonstrated in a number of studies.

And now, we have a safe and simple test to give an indication of the rate at which one is aging. Now, whether a person wants to know or not...

The £400 test that tells you how long you'll live - Science, News - The Independent

Technorati Tags: The Independent,Rate of Aging,Length of Life

Sources: Al-Qaida head bin Laden dead - seattlepi.com

2011-05-01T21:42:00.001-07:00

Bin Laden is

DEAD!!!

It doesn't matter to me in the least WHO made the announcement that we finally found and killed Bin Laden, what matters to me is that we now have done what President Bush said the United States would do with Bin Laden. Bush had said nearly ten years ago, "you can run, but you cannot hide!" Tonight, President Obama made the announcement I have been waiting for. Now if only we could get some famous medium who could interact with his spirit and let us know if his reward in heaven was great, as suicide bombers are trained to believe, or if he was given an overcooked hamburger and a shovel to stoke the fires of hell to fill his time in his new afterlife of suffering.

By the way, there ARE some unconfirmed sources out there who have posted pics purporting to be him in death. I can't say whether I've seen any authentic ones, but I'd bet that there are some decorations being awarded from Langley, the Pentagon, and the special forces who buttoned down this intelligence enough to convince the President to sign a finding and put an end to this murderous and vacant soul.

Sources: Al-Qaida head bin Laden dead - seattlepi.com

Technorati Tags: Bin Laden Dead,Queda dealt a blow,Special Forces

New Clues to Low-Calorie Diets and Longer Life

2011-04-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

There has been information available for years indicating that lower metabolic rates can extend lifespan - I've taken resveratrol for some years because it appears to mimic in the body the effects of low metabolic rate. This study adds another interesting piece to the picture, and discusses free radical creation as the main culprit of higher metabolic rates.

New Clues to Low-Calorie Diets and Longer Life

Technorati Tags: Low-Calorie longevity,longevity,reveratrol,low metabolism longevity

Parenting With Chronic Pain

2011-03-24T11:37:00.001-07:00

This is an excellent article about how to parent when you are in chronic pain.

Parenting With Chronic Pain

Technorati Tags: Chronic Pain,Parenting

One Man Cannot Change the World, Or Can He?

2011-03-19T19:32:00.001-07:00

There have been rumblings and debates, even books discussing the likelihood that the Middle East was a tinderbox needing only a spark to erupt into rebellion, civil war, and worse, large numbers of people protesting oppressive regimes that would be willing to open fire in the town square.

Mohammed Bouazizi became the spark, quite literally when, after being forced to pay high bribes and then having his fruit stand closed down arbitrarily, he found himself so frustrated with the corrupt and oppressive regime in Tunisia that he doused himself with gasoline and set himself ablaze in the city of Sidi Bouzid.

From this single act, by a frustrated man who simply wanted to feed his family and educate his sisters, set off the blaze that is yet burning out of control in the Middle East. Beginning in Tunisia, protests toppled a corrupt leader. Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, even Iran and more have seen protests, violence by governments against protestors and now a situation in Libya where a dictator and his mercenaries fully intend to "cleanse" the country.

One man, no vote. Simple goals: feed and educate his family. Constant theft, bribe demands equating to everything he earned on some days, and even closing his fruit stand or denying him a stall from which to sell on other days. An amazing, and likely world-changing act - setting himself afire - the rippling effects of which will spread outward steadily, bringing with it the desire for freedom. Even the smallest freedom, such as being left alone to sell his fruit, might well have satisfied him, This article is worth reading:

Tunisian-fruit-seller-Mohammed-Bouazizi and the rippling effect of his martyrdom

Technorati Tags: Middle East,Mohammed Bouazizi,martyr,revolutions

Interesting Short Documentary about Near Death Experiences

2011-03-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: Paranormal,Near Death Experiences,Spiritualism

Cost of Living Hits Record High - CNBC

2011-03-19T15:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42130406

Technorati Tags: Economic recovery,Economy,Cost of Living Inflation

Europe Baffled - Foreign Policy Magazine

2011-03-18T18:48:00.001-07:00

The President has joked about it twice now - at the annual big media Gridiron dinner (Gridiron dinner - Washington Post), and in response to a shouted question, which he almost always ignores. His Secretary of State has been so forcefully pushing the President to impose a no-fly zone in Libya, that it has lead to the President joking about the Secretary's persistent advocacy, even as the President and his inner circle thought about the matter and what to do. Ultimately, after thirty-one days of crisis, the US agreed to a French proposal for a no-fly zone. Rebels had taken much of the country until the President made his statement last week that he wanted Gad gone but then made no mention and took no action to assist the people trying to make that happen. Even in the face of an unprecedented agreement with military action of any sort by the Arab League, the White House pondered. And Uganda was unleashed, using air strikes and artillery to escalate his attacks. He began to kill indiscriminately - rebels, innocents, women, children and elderly people were killed if they were in the line of his advance.

A Hug for Gaddafi when the President met him gave many diplomatic and intelligence sources a very worrisome sign to the world.

European diplomats meeting with Secretary of State Clinton pressed her to clarify US policy on Libya, but the best she could do - and I am not being sarcastic - was to say 'There are difficulties'. The problem is that the President eschewed any leadership role in achieving his stated goal - getting Uganda out - while the dictator and his sons killed and bombed both rebel forces and civilians. The man even used the word "cleansing", a word with such evil context in political and diplomatic circles that it probably served as the catalyst that has lead to the "no-fly zone', which will initially be made up of British, French and Canadian fighter aircraft.

I'm not being partisan here. A lot of former Clinton and Bush advisors and commentators began to be concerned when the White House gave the world such mixed signals that the protestor group snubbed Secretary Clinton when she visited. People began to fear that with the US on the sidelines, and indicating that the White House was uncertain and ill-informed about the nature of the events unfolding in Egypt would create a frightening impression in an exploding Arab world: Mubarak did not order the army to fire upon the people and he was driven out of power; Uganda was killing rebels and civilians with no distinction, and it looked (and maybe still looks) like he would hang on to power.

Secretary Clinton has the experience of having been in the White House for eight years, and by virtue of being the First Lady AND an important advisor to President Clinton. I think her answers to Wolfe Blitzer earlier this week give a good indication of how difficult it really is to implement, or even explain the President's policy in crisis situations. When asked if she would continue as Secretary of State, should the President win re-election, Mrs. Clinton said, "No." When asked if she might serve in a different post in a second Obama administration, her answer was that same simple "No." She repeated the answer twice more and did not elucidate her meaning.

Foreign Policy Magazine - What does the US want in Libya?

I have been reading Brit newspapers a lot, and there are a lot of articles and opinion pieces about the perception that the President doesn't seem to want to engage on any issues except getting re-elected. From the right-leaning Daily Express: Barrack-Obama-The-Weakest-President-in-history? And even the sturdily left-leaning Guardian quotes a former staff member from the Reagan and George HW Bush White Houses and ends the piece saying that while the reasons are a bit more complicated than the presumably right-leaning blog writer has expressed them, but "I would like disagree with this post more than I do". It seems to me that the President is increasingly being seen overseas as weak, unwilling or unable to engage, with a staff that can't set or maintain an agenda. It seems that, as one Guardian article put it, he has lost his Mojo. He is in a tough spot, I think, because his liberal base is growing angry because he has been less "Yes we can!" seems to have become "Oops, can't do that (Guantanamo, tribunals)" and "Maybe we can do that later..."

And the worst thing of all: I saw dozens of similar references in the press, such as: "Those fabled Chicago enforcers around the president turned out to be feckless Chihuahuas, didn't they?"; but the kicker is a number of references to Obama's Illinois State Senator days and the 130 times he voted "Present" to avoid taking a stand on tough issues. Or maybe I should have said that the comparisons to Carter were the most troubling. In any event, it is clear to me that in many European Capitols the President is coming to be seen as ineffective, non-committal and impossible to rely upon.

With his re-election campaign already in motion, a House controlled by the opposition, unpopular stimulus bills, a punted budget that does not address the astounding level of US debt...I think they're going to need a really good new campaign slogan. Something like "Yes we Can!" but not that one, which has become a bit of an op-ed page one-liner. I can't come up with one just now, all I can think up is "Sure, we might"

I've always felt that winning the Presidency is really just a ticket to immediate gray hair, the most difficult on-the-job training in existence, and the built-in decline in job approval polls always shows up whether the President takes tough measures or chooses to sit back and simply see what the international community will drum up, and then maybe offer verbal support.

Newt Says Glad French Not Distracted by NCAA Tournament. The former Speaker went on to refer to the President as the "Spectator in Chief".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19policy.html?_r=3&hpw

Technorati Tags: Libya,Foreign Policy,Diplomacy,No-Fly Zone,Gaddafi,Barack Obama,Hillary Clinton

Events in Japan

2011-03-15T23:38:00.001-07:00

I lived in a small apartment in Roppongi - which a crossing sign announced as a "high touch town" - for the best part of two years. There were frequent quakes, and only one ever scared me. I noticed while reading one night in my apartment, that the floor lamp was descending slowly toward the ground. I simultaneously thought to grab it, and wondered what the hell would make a lamp fall that slowly? Then the lamp was restored to its' upright position and I realized that an earthquake had occurred, then seconds later I realized that the earthquake WAS STILL occurring. The building was older, with a long hallway to the stairs, and the doorways were a bit iffy so I stayed in my comfortable chair - it's not that I was either brave or indifferent - I thought that the building's corners might be the strongest place available. That earthquake was a 6.2, and there was virtually no damage in Tokyo, the most prepared city in the world for preventing damage from quakes.

Now, seeing the Great Sendai Quake, and the tsunami which followed, and now the probable meltdown of reactors damaged by the tsunami, I feel a bit sickened. Who doesn't? I can't quite fathom that the only nation which has dealt with nuclear war, has now got to face a war with nature at the same time as it deals with one of the greatest natural disasters in memory. I wonder about my friends in Japan, and the many people I met in office buildings all over the country.I fear for the consequences if the reactors meltdown and the plume reaches the area around Tokyo where over 39 million live. Can 39 million people be evacuated? I doubt it, which probably makes sup part off the reason that the Japanese are so prepared in their building codes, for earthquakes.

I hope that the radiation leaks are pushed out to sea by another, smaller divine wind, such as the one that drove the Chinese away many years ago (And I hope they settle quietly, neither reaching the winds aloft, of blowing as far as the US and Canada), and spare Tokyo dealing with radiation.

But, I must say as others have, that I cannot imagine another place on earth that the people would respond so brilliantly to Armageddon. There has been no looting, no shoplifting of scarce rations. Officials are being respected and though the lines are long, people are taking adversity calmly, and politely. I suspect that the culture = likely the most nuanced, high-context culture in the world, is benefiting greatly from the respect for authority, calm and polite interaction...really, the zeitgeist that seems to value the person as an important part of an enormous organism (society), and as a result the first thought is all helping one another, versus "I'm gettin' mine." Believe me, this trait can be very frustrating in business, But I hope it brings out the resiliency it will take to rebuild and clean up. I'm pretty sure it will.

Though it is not the New Year, I thought of the tradition, kadomatsu, consisting of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility. The latter, there have been many examples of already. The former two, in few words, I wish and hope for the people of Japan.

Technorati Tags: Japan,Japanese earthquake,Japanese tsunami,Japanese nuclear plant failure

UK Army Dog May Have Died From Broken Heart - FoxNews.com

2011-03-15T23:03:00.001-07:00

I find this sad, touching, and melancholy, and yet it really uplifted my heart. It is worth reading. Godspeed Theo and Liam. You've done your work brilliantly and I hope you now find rest.

UK Army Dog May Have Died From Broken Heart - FoxNews.com

Technorati Tags: UK,UK Army Dogs,UK war casulaties

Mystery Photo of 'English Loch Ness Monster' Taken in Bowness

2011-03-09T20:30:00.001-08:00

Interesting article and photo of something seen by two kayakers on England's largest lake - Lake Windermere. Interesting that the first reported sighting was just five years ago.

Mystery Photo of 'English Loch Ness Monster' Taken in Bowness

Technorati Tags: Weird news,photography,cryptozoology,England

If you Intercepted a Shipment of Rockets Bound for the Taliban, From Whence Would you Guess They Came ?

2011-03-09T17:55:00.001-08:00

Ok, maaaaybe you'd think Syria or maaaaybe you'd think North Korea. Nope.

No, I'm guessing that the "Buy Local" campaign, which has bumper stickers and window signs all over my neighborhood, has finally reached the Taliban and they in turn have reached out, mullah to mullah to buy good Iranian rockets rather going to the suburbs or even (gasp!) to the Walmarts of International arms sales.

So remember, be it rockets, tomatoes or shaving cream, Buy Local.

British Link Iran to Rockets Found in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com

Technorati Tags: Taliban,Iran,Afghanistan,arms sales,buy local,New York Times

Obama Misery Index hits a record high - BostonHerald.com

2011-03-08T17:34:00.001-08:00

This op/ed by Mitt Romney has the usual political rhetoric, but think that he has some very good points in talking about the debt, creating private sector jobs, and that only increasing the taxable income - NOT by increasing the tax rate, can we bring the deficit down and sustain an economic recovery.

You might or might not agree, but I hope that seeing the name of a GOP leader doesn't preclude anyone from reading through the points he makes about what he feels needs to be done. THAT is what we need today, the ability to talk civilly about what must be done to solve our serious financial problems.

Anyway, I found his suggestions very much worthwhile.

Obama Misery Index hits a record high - BostonHerald.com

Technorati Tags: Obama,Misery Index,Mitt Romney,Federal Debt,economic recovery

Dr. Hoover's "Very Simple Process"

2011-03-05T23:17:00.001-08:00

Longtime NASA scientist Dr. Richard Hoover has spent many years snooping about the Arctic, Siberia and Antarctic for a very special kind of extremely rare meteorite known as CI1 carbonaceous chondrites. How rare are theses meteorites? Up to this time, only nine such meteorites are known to exist on Earth. The meteorites contain fossils of large bacteria closely resembling bacteria found here on earth. The entire project suggests that life may be much more widely distributed than previously thought. Dr. Hoover's entire article is published in the March edition of the Journal of Cosmology

Exclusive: NASA Scientist Claims Evidence of Alien Life on Meteorite - FoxNews.com

Technorati Tags: Alien Life,Meteorite,Bactrerium

World's sixth mass extinction may be underway: study - Yahoo! News

2011-03-04T17:43:00.001-08:00

Don't worry, this is not another 2012 item! Somewhere between being the most successfully adapted species on the planet and being the wasteful, overpopulating,messy species we are, is the story of what is clearly shaping up to be the sixth mass extinction in Earth history. Mass extinction is the term used for periods when 75 percent or more of the species on the planet go extinct, and with loss of habitat due to increasing human population, over-fishing, non-native invasive species, pollution and other human and natural processes combining to cause the extinction of hundreds of species each year, it does appear that we are in the midst of a sixth such event.

World's sixth mass extinction may be underway: study - Yahoo! News

Technorati Tags: Mass extinction

My Way News - Egypt's top archaeologist warns of looting

2011-03-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

This is a tragic situation in my opinion. Dr. Hawass, the chief archeologist and the man in charge of all of Egypt's historic sites, digs, museums and galleries, has decided that with looting going on at such an extensive pace, and the military government failing to respond to his repeated requests to shore up security around the irreplaceable historical, artistic and archeological locations, he must resign his ministerial position to draw attention to the situation.

Indeed, the situation must be quite bad in terms of providing police protection or military protection because Dr. Hawass is now calling on the young people who started the revolt in Egypt to come together and protect the nation's treasures and legacy as one of the world's greatest and earliest civilizations. I wonder how the more militantly Islamic revolutionaries and the Islamic Brotherhood will view protecting the treasures of the past - will they see them as idols? Will they see the Pharaohs as despots like Mubarak was believed to be?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art joined Hawass in his concerns, issuing a statement today:

The Met and the entire museum community worldwide are increasingly concerned about what appear to be ongoing, grievous security breaches at Egypt's historic sites and archaeological digs," the museum's director, Thomas P. Campbell, said in a statement Thursday.

"The world cannot sit by and permit unchecked anarchy to jeopardize the cultural heritage of one of the world's oldest, greatest, and most inspiring civilizations. We echo the voices of all concerned citizens of the globe in imploring Egypt's new government authorities ... to protect its precious past. Action needs to be taken immediately."

Dr. Hawass has listed a number of disastrous crimes against the antiquities of Egypt in recent days on his personal website:

http://www.drhawass.com/blog/status-egyptian-antiquities-today-3-march-2011

My Way News - Egypt's top archaeologist warns of looting

Technorati Tags: Egypt,Archeology,Egyptology,Looting,Dr. Zawi Hawass

Cops find naked man 'growling like dog' and claiming to be devil

2011-03-04T10:08:00.001-08:00

You just never know....

Cops find naked man 'growling like dog' and claiming to be devil

Last US WWI veteran dies

2011-02-28T22:16:00.001-08:00

I hope to see flags at half-staff all over the country for this man. When we talk about those who have come before and protected our Nation it is important to remember that they all had names, family, friends, hopes. This man gives all of us a lot to live up to.

Last WWI veteran dies

Maryland Semen Attacker Sentenced to Probation: The Criminal Report Daily : Investigation Discovery

2011-02-28T18:15:00.001-08:00

I probably should have let this one alone too, as it is a really offensive subject, and in my opinion it is a sexual assault. It seems unbelievable to me that this guy gets probation for multiple - and there were way more than two - sexual assaults. He is connected by DNA, video surveillance, purchases made at the locations just prior to the assaults...

But here is what really bothers me. If you can stand it, skip down to the end of the article by David Lohr. I find his comment haunting when he says he's had a lot of time to think about this. Why does that bother me? Well, we're supposed to think, "Oh good, he has realized the error of his ways." What it makes me think is that he's thought a lot about how NOT to get caught in the future. It is common enough for behaviors like this to escalate into much worse behaviors, and I am not going to be surprised at all if in five years we find that there is a serial killer at work, or perhaps one caught.

Maryland Semen Attacker Sentenced to Probation: The Criminal Report Daily : Investigation Discovery

Funerals, Births and Earthquakes

2011-02-27T06:51:00.001-08:00

I remember where I was, just 10 years ago Monday. I had just left my Grandmother's funeral, which took place just a few days before her 91st birthday. She was the kindest person I have ever known, accepted life's ups and downs with the quiet confidence, compassion and understanding of the rhythms of life and death. She was pretty healthy until about two weeks before she died. She lived in her own home until her last day, and had accepted the subtle losses of capabilities that came with advanced years with grace and common sense that is often overwhelmed in people as we age by the frustration and pride that makes us deny even to ourselves that we are not quite up to doing some of the things we used to do.

It was an emotional day - my brother and I led the memorial service - and it was amazing to me that although I was very sad, and felt a keen sense of loss, I also felt a profound sense of gratitude and a feeling of having been uplifted by the hours of reflection I'd done as I thought about her and what I wanted to say about her. All the things we'd done together, the laughing; all those memories, happy memories of her. I was surprised to find myself feeling that I had been lucky enough to be a part of that rarest of all things: a life well lived. Even at the end of her life, we took care of her in her own bed. I think it was a comfort to her, and it was a deeply meaningful time for me as well. She was at peace with what was happening, and told me in the middle of one night "I didn't think it would take so long."

I have just one regret related to my Grandma. I wish my kids had been given the chance to know her. I was also struck by the feeling that as someone central to my life and who I am, was leaving this life just as I waited for someone to enter and become central to my life - my son. My parents have made my grandparents home their own, and my son and daughter love to go to visit them, the small farm and their uncle (actually great-uncle, who along with my Grandpa shaped so many of my memories and sense of self as a boy).

I had left Pocatello and was in an area of patchy cell coverage near the Utah border with Idaho, driving to Salt Lake to catch a flight home to Seattle. I heard the news of a big quake, and did what the emergency services people hate: I did my part to clog the phone lines and called my wife, who was then just over 7 months pregnant with our son. At first it wasn't clear how much damage there was, and I was 650 miles away, having trouble getting my call through. Finally I did, and learned that both mother and son were fine, and the house was fine, too.

Flights into Seattle were canceled that day, so I didn't get in until the next day. As I drove along the very empty Alaskan Way Viaduct. I noticed a bit of misalignment on the railings between sections of roadway, and wondered if the bridge was indeed safe to be driving on. It's easier to be paranoid when you're the only car in sight on a viaduct that everyone says won't survive a major quake. I guess it wasn't so safe after all, because the bridge was under inspection at the time, and the engineers noted it too. Not long after that it was closed until it could be repaired and retrofitted.

I was glad, but surprised that there hadn't been more damage, after hearing about areas of liquefaction and the collapse of some masonry structures. I remember a similar feeling on a more personal level: though I'd been hundreds of miles away, and could do nothing to help Caty if she needed it, things had turned out okay. I was so glad that she and the baby were unharmed; but I had such a helpless and anxious feeling that it was not until I was at home that I could relax.

I remember being glad that Seattle (and I) got a wake-up call that seems to have caused a lot of people to be much more aware of what could happen - what will happen in Seattle, but hopefully a more prepared and structurally sound version.

Local News | Dangerous ground: Hard lessons learned since the 2001 Nisqually quake | Seattle Times Newspaper

Cool or Fool? Is this a cool tat or a FAIL?

2011-02-27T06:17:00.001-08:00

This seems like a better Seattle tattoo, than, say, San Diego. You generally want cloudy days and layered shirts over this one, am I right? Take it to the beach, lose the shirts, and well, then you're not even the guy who brought a knife to a gunfight. You're the guy that brought a tat of a gun...

Maybe he has a silencer on it? And then there would be flying. Can you just hear the conversation with TSA as they lube a glove in the "special screening" area...

"Do you have any weapons, needles, anything I should know about?"

"Ummm..." Here's the part where the tat begins to cause our friend to question his choice...at the time it seemed so cool to use a pictogram to let everybody know he's packin'! For his sake I hope he's ugly, or the poor guy with the misguided tat might never get out of that special screening area!

I could never be this cool. Even when I carried a triple safety 45 like he seems to, I just never felt comfortable with carrying where this feller carries his "statement". I'd be nervous all the time that I might have an accidental discharge in a place you really don't even want contemplate. Then again, we can't see everything, so maybe he's integrated the bits I'd be a-stressin' over - like with the silencer and a couple of spare clips...

Well, enough of this silliness. Though if any of you know this guy ask him if it is a Colt or a Springfield Arms version. And hey: if he chunks up and becomes the unfortunate pear-shape, does this tat just stretch into a

Mac10?

Technorati Tags: Humor,funny Photos,funny,tatto

Smartphone app that helps doctors detect cancer

2011-02-26T13:34:00.001-08:00

This is AMAZING!

One Per Cent: Smartphone app that helps doctors detect cancer

Technorati Tags: Science,Cancer,Cancer Detection,Technology

Mortality in ankylosing spondylitis. - PubMed.gov

2011-02-25T21:26:00.001-08:00

I hesitate to put info like this out there because it can be demoralizing and cause fear. But, after thinking about it a fair bit, I believe that the tip-off that this study and many others reflecting similar information can help those of us with inflammatory illnesses such as AS understand the impact of the disease on more than just the skeletal, connective tissue systems. There is clear evidence that AS causes a reduction in life span without regard to treatment received. This is mainly due to the increased risk factors for heart disease, as well as the abnormal treatment of lipids in the body and many other common sense risks which can shorten our lives.

Knowing that AS brings with it an increased heart risk due to inflammatory changes, as well as many common effects of AS work to cause or accelerate heart disease (these include microvascualr changes, endocrine changes such as low testosterone and increased cholesterol as well as poor sleep habits and less exercise overall). Knowing that AS is an over-arching risk factor for heart-related mortality is a form of empowerment for those of us who have this disease - but only if we do as much as possible to treat and address all of the risks that AS ADDS to our personal cardiac risks. Below is the abstract from a study showing the many increased risk factors to increased mortality due to AS.

Mortality in ankylosing spondylitis.

Zochling J, Braun J.

Research Institute, Hobart, Australia.

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease which causes pain along with loss of physical function and quality of life over many years. It has also been shown to increase mortality compared to the general population, independent of treatment modalities. Cardiovascular deaths are increased, and recent studies suggest both an abnormality of lipid regulation and microvascualr changes. Increased rates of suicide, accidental death, and alcohol-related deaths have also been reported. This review examines rates and causes of increased mortality in AS and highlights a need to focus on cardiovascular risk factors and psychological health in addition to physical disability in patients with AS.

Increased Mortality Rates in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients. PubMed

Gary Ridgeway Back in Seattle

2011-02-18T16:51:00.001-08:00

Lines on maps. So much in life is determined by lines on maps. In 2003, lines on a map allowed a man who had killed dozens to avoid being executed for his crimes. At the same time, the plea deal Ridgeway's attorneys were able to work out with King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng spared the families of Ridgeway's victims both the pain of an extended trial and the unending distress of not knowing the fate of their loved one with any degree of certainty. The result of the plea deal and the lines of King County on the map have kept Ridgeway alive (though he doesn't look so good).

Because Ridgeway's habit of picking up and frequently murdering prostitutes along the Sea-Tac strip just south of Seattle took place in King County, he has been able to plead guilty and avoid execution.

This week Ridgeway was in King County Court to plead guilty to his forty-ninth murder - that of Becky Marrero in 1982. He received the required life without parole sentence as set out in the plea agreement. As he told the court in his original trial, "I killed so many women, I have a hard time keeping them straight."

I know that it is not a small number of people who feel as I do, hoping that at some point police will be able to make a case against Ridgeway in a jurisdiction across the King County line.

Technorati Tags: Green River Killer,Gary Ridgeway,serial killer,true crime,Seattle true crime

Low Testosterone - Serious Health and Mortality Risk

2011-02-18T12:47:00.001-08:00

As we learn more about the health effects that are associated with low testosterone (defined as less than 300 nanograms per deciliter of blood), it is apparent that the impacts upon the health of most men range from being asymptomatic, to serious health conditions such as congestive heart failure, or cumulative and serious vision impairments.

It is not clear yet, whether the low levels of testosterone in the blood are causing these issues, or whether they are effects of other health problems. I tend to agree with the hypothesis that low and ultra-low testosterone are causative , and left untreated, can cause serious disease processes.

In men of a certain age such as I (over 40), to an elderly man, low testosterone can result in fatigue, moodiness, depression, inefficient use of nutrients along with other issues. It is important to use a blood test to check on testosterone levels in any cases where a man has developed symptoms. Important enough that it can carry the weight of a life or death decision. Men with ultra low testosterone are just over 40% more likely to have a heart attack than men who have levels at, or well above the normal level.

The discovery of a blood testosterone level that is far below normal can also be a tipoff that the endocrine system is generally having problems. In my own case, the onset of Ankylosing Spondylitis (I wouldn't know that I had AS until nearly eight years later), both because it is the result of my immune system attacking healthy joints and connective tissue, and because it causes inflammation throughout the body, occurred at the same time, I began feeling a deep fatigue. This fatigue was not only feeling "tired". but was an indicator that something in my body was failing. I am fortunate to have a primary care physician named Warren Fein, a man who is not only very good at his job, but is an excellent listener. When he heard my description of the fatigue, he immediately checked for blood thyroid levels, and when they were low (well below the minimum threshold), he prescribed a synthetic thyroid replacement, then followed up to see if my fatigue had abated. It had not, and this caused us to set out on a mission to find the rest of the problems, if any, with my endocrine system.

In my case, not only had my thyroid been affected, but I also had low vitamin D levels, low testosterone, elevated cortisol, low human growth hormone, etc. In other words, we learned that there were so many areas of the endocrine system that were out of whack, both Dr. Fein and I believed that something was causing the pituitary system to fail. Even after beginning testosterone replacement therapy following an evaluation with Dr. Davies ( a top-notch endocrinologist), my blood levels continued to decline - at one point I had only 70 nanograms per deciliter of blood. finally, with larger doses every other week, we were able to get the testosterone level up to just over 300.

I encourage men over 40 to read up on the issue and if you are experiencing some symptoms which could be related to low T, discuss it with your doctor. You might just be saving your own life.

Low Testosterone Symptoms, Health Effects, and Testosterone Replacement

A Cry for Innocence - the WM3

2011-02-18T12:36:00.001-08:00

Beginning with the viewing of "Paradise Lost", the HBO documentary film which detailed the murder of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, as well as the arrest and trial of three teens in relation to the crimes. The whole subject is sad and sickening. The killings themselves, and the subsequent arrest and conviction of three other young men that I simply don't see a single piece of evidence - not one, not even the "confession" of one of the young men - that indicates guilt.

This link is to the CBS News special examining the case, as well as new information in the case. It's worth watching. I can also recommend the definitive resource on the case, this website:

http://www.wm3.org/

The documentary can be found at:

CBS News presentation on the WM3, as well as new evidence

Now just one more comment about this case: Not only do I believe that these three young men did not commit the crimes, but I am truly frightened by the fact that a man could be sent to death row without a single bit of evidence. If it can happen to him...

I hope you'll watch the video, check out the website, and truthfully, I hope that some of you will offer your support in whatever way you can (I have chosen to post this blog entry where thirty-five thousand readers will have the chance to access information and perhaps start down the road of becoming informed, a road that I can only believe to end at new trials and acquittals.

Technorati Tags: West Memphis Three,Robin Hood Hills murders,crime,true crime

Cairo Teen Finds Looted Pharaoh Akhenaton Statue

2011-02-17T17:08:00.001-08:00

Thank heavens they've returned at least one looted ancient treasure to the Museum. Hard to imagine laying your hands on a statue more than 3,000 years old, ripping it from its' base in the national museum, and then throwing it like garbage into a trash bin.

I wonder what would have become of the statue had not the 14 year old nephew of a professor found it and brought it to his uncle, who then made sure it was returned to the museum.

I have been struck still and silent many times in my life, when I stood in a place where history I knew had occurred. I can't imagine taking a priceless and irreplaceable statue like this.

I know people are starving, but I can't see that destroying or trashing this rare statue in a rare style will feed a single soul.

Cairo Teen Finds Looted Pharaoh Akhenaton Statue#

Technorati Tags: Akhenaton,Egypt,Looting

Biggest Solar Flare In Years Headed For Earth « CBS Los Angeles

2011-02-16T19:20:00.001-08:00

Maybe this is the first in the series that is supposed to cause the end of the world in December 2012? If you haven't heard that theory, the 10-15,000 year solar flare maximum intensity cycle will supposedly cause massive damage and trigger the disastrous end to the world. Of course, that assumes that the conclusion of the Mayan Long Count calendar leads to more than simply a new era, and the solar flares lead to more than some electrical grid and communications problems.

Biggest Solar Flare In Years Headed For Earth « CBS Los Angeles

Technorati Tags: 2012,Doomsday,End of the World

This Cracked Me Up

2011-02-14T14:57:00.001-08:00

Matt Rosemeir's Edible Dirt comic often cracks me up, and this comic is no exception.

Suicide by Cop

2011-02-14T14:51:00.001-08:00

I may be showing some insensitivity here, and if so, I am sorry. It is not my intent. Suicide is always hard on the people left behind, and I in no way wish to minimize the grief that friends and family are feeling.

In a study of 707 officer involved shootings between 1998 and 2006, conducted and published by Dr. Kris Mohandie, thirty-six percent of the incidents were incidents where the shooting was precipitated purposefully in order to force police officers to kill a person. But the person who wants the officer to shoot them because they wish to die, but cannot kill themselves is not the only victim in such situations. They put officers lives in danger, innocent bystanders lives in danger and with certainty they cause a great deal of emotional turmoil for the officers involved.

This morning Lakewood Police officers were dispatched to a domestic dispute. When they arrived, a woman with a knife in her hand emerged from the mobile home she shared with a domestic partner neighbors say she often fought with. Shouting for officers to shoot her, the woman pointed and waived the knife, but the officers held their fire. The woman then ran back into the trailer home and shortly afterward, returned with a gun. She continued to shout at the officers to shoot her, but it was not until she raised the gun and pointed it at officers, that they fired. Three officers fired, and thankfully, the only person their bullets struck was the woman with the gun.

I admit that my first sympathy when I heard of this case was toward the officers who were put in this position. It is a cruel and thoughtless act to force a police officer to shoot a person, and thereafter subject them to emotional turmoil. I was especially saddened that this act was forced upon three Lakewood Officers. As I see it, they have been subjected to so much.

I just want to say that though I am sorry that the woman who chose to end her life was successful, I am especially sorry that three of Lakewood's police officers will have to deal with this as well.

I have not forgotten the special burden Lakewood officers still carry, and I hope that these three officers will not be further burdened. And I am damn glad that in forcing police officers to shoot her, this woman did not cause any innocent bystanders or police officers to be hurt or worse.

Thank you for your service. I have not forgotten the sacrifice this department has made to protect the people of their community.

Sad News

2011-02-14T00:36:00.001-08:00

Amidst the heavy economic, social justice, political and even basic survival problems to be found in Egypt today, I noted with sadness an inventory of stolen artifacts from the Egyptian Museum. Dr. Zahi Hawass mentioned the sad news of theft (others have called the same events 'light-looting', which I might find humorous under other circumstances (Guard: "What are you doing here?" Looter: "Just a little light looting. Really, it's nothing worth interrupting your marching! I'll just take this item and get out of your hair!") Except that the loss of items like those on the list published by Dr. Hawass last night isn't funny. Victorious Armies and Revolutions have always been hard on museum pieces - especially gilded ones. Damn shame.

The losses, as reported to Dr. Hawass by museum staff, are not insignificant. And knowing of Hawass' well-known impatience with both suffering fools, and with anything which interferes with the preservation and restoration of the precious items he and his minions and colleagues collect.

The Army seems to be doing some collecting itself just now, though just what it is amassing is far more ephemeral: Power. By the end of the day today, generals tightened their grasp on power: suspending the constitution, dissolving Parliament. After all, the Parliament was the group elected in corrupt elections managed my former President Mubarak, would not the people be encouraged by the military rulers depriving the Parliament Mubarak had, after all, brought to power under cloudy, even shady elections. Even as the council of generals responsible for ousting Mubarak after the weird, street shell game atmosphere which followed the former President's confused and rambling speech, the protestors seemed to view the intercession of the Armed Forces as a positive act; a first step to whatever the jumbled masses saw as democratic self-government.

Today, however, there may be reason for these same people becoming more subdued last night and today, as the military took steps to consolidate power and, though the requests were very politely communicated, the men in Army uniforms (not the hated police) began telling protestors to go home, to work, and not so much to the banks. I am sure that as the bubbling Artesian well of joy at ousting former President Mubarak slowed to a trickle it must have occurred to at least some of the protestors that the generals who seized power from Hosni Mubarak were also men who had been promoted and assigned to their powerful positions by....indeed, by the former President of Egypt. The 'military council' seemed to indicate neither any plan for the "free and fair" elections most of the protestors felt they'd been promised.

Indeed, one may interpret the actions of the military council as a shot across the bow of those of any group that expected an interim government led by civilians, or of any group that expected free and fair elections soon, or even in a future time (such as the six month transitional period expected to end with elections). Instead, with the constitution suspended and the council of generals in charge, it was made clear that any necessary governing issues would be dealt with as necessary by the issuance of decrees.

We'll have to watch for the next steps, along with the world. But, at least the military council edicts will be coming from a comfortable, well-known source: Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi, one of Mubarak's closest associates, leading the council of generals who achieved their prominence under the former President. So, while the Parliament and constitution which had skewed power toward Mubarak, and even the cabinet has lost power, the military leadership will rule for an undetermined time, without constitution, civilian leadership or a time frame for elections.

And although it sounds like a scenario we would be quick to reject, I hope that we do not. The military is the only stable and moderate institution in Egypt. It is not a bad thing at this point to have the Armed Forces work to allow, facilitate and give time to put down roots other alternative organizations. Otherwise, I fear the Muslim Brotherhood will be over-represented simply by virtue of being well organized and well funded.

Technorati Tags: Mubarak,Egypt,King Tut,Looting

Mubarak slammed U.S. in phone call with Israeli Knesset Member

2011-02-12T22:39:00.001-08:00

Does it ever bother you who you find yourself in agreement with? Even if it is just one issue, it troubles me that I might find myself with the same fears for Egypt as the man who has in essence been a dictator for the past thirty years, If the telephone call this article discusses actually happened last Thursday night, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the sentiments attributed to Mubarak were accurate.

In recent days, we've seen radical Jihadist groups toppling regimes and rulers throughout the Middle East (Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia and now Egypt).

The problem is, that although I would be thrilled to see real democratic governments crop up throughout the Middle East, I am afraid the actual result will be much like it was in Iran in the Carter Presidency. The Shah was a dictator who was extremely brutal in his efforts at keeping himself in power. And taken by itself, how could a country like ours be anything but repulsed by his secret police and mistreatment of the people? And yet, when we chose to watch the Shah's regime topple, did the government become more democratic? More humane? No. In fact, the repression simply took a different form. No longer was there a royal ruler, now there was a clerical ruler. Democracy did not come, but a dictatorship friendly to the United States was toppled for a theocratic dictatorship that is openly hostile to the US. And this government has continued to fund terrorism from that day to this, has sought to destabilize the region, and now seek nuclear weapons.

So, as I fear will be the case in many Muslim countries who topple autocratic regimes that most all of us would find reprehensible, the crowds will not get their free and fair elections, their basic rights, their democracy. Instead, the best organized and funded group will be poised to make the most serious bid for power, and we may see a Middle East where even more regimes are replaced by extremist theocratic dictatorships. The main difference will be that each one that goes the way of the extremists, reduces the moderate Islamic states with which the United States can work to pursue our national security, and worse yet, with which we can work to exert influence to slow the extremist flames and moderate the rising (and possibly inescapable at this point) tide of autocratic theocracies virtually built on hatred for the 'decadent' West, and the most hated extremist target of all - The United States.

I am not so naive as to believe it possible for the US to support or ally with only regimes we approve of. Sometimes (maybe often) in world affairs, we must choose to live with much that we deplore, if only to have some ability to prevent even worse regimes from coming to power. And, in the case of the Middle East, as the list of countries and regimes with whom the United States can work continues to shrink, I am fearful, as it appears that Hosni Mubarak was, just what a Middle East region with almost no United States influence would be like. I cannot imagine it will be pretty.

And though I don't like to criticize the sitting President, who knows far more than I about what is really occurring, I was very much disturbed by the amateurish changing of of policy (9 different positions were stated last week, sometimes multiple contradictory positions in a single day). I was concerned at how casually the administration wrote off (and with a single statement early in the protests emboldened the crowds to seek nothing less than regime change NOW!) a man and government with which the US has been able to work over and over to moderate crises in the region. The simple statement that the world was watching transition did much to make it so, and I fear the outcome will eventually remind us all of the Iranian revolution. I hope that the Armed Forces are powerful enough, and respected enough to ensure that the country moves forward toward the democratic elections the people clamor for. Yet still I worry that the best funded and most well organized group will be the Muslim Brotherhood, and the elections less than free and fair, and the new regime yet another repressive theocracy headed by a dictatorial religious leader.

Should these things which Mubarak worried about come to pass, I think a great many people in the world will regret that the US did nothing to support the Mubarak administration until elections could be held. I think we may find a whole different level of swarming hatred for the United States and the West, severe impacts on our economy and ability to project power when and where needed, and an even lesser ability to work to seek a peaceful path in the region.

Of course, Mubarak could have simply been venting his personal loss at being abandoned by his most powerful ally in just a matter of days, and I am sure there was an element of this in his comments. But I can't say that I write off the rest of his statements when I recognize his potentially bitter feelings toward the US.

And please understand, I am not advocating that the US support autocracy around the globe. I am troubled by very much by oppressive, repressive, autocratic and theocratic regimes. But sometimes in this world, or at least in certain parts of it, way not find a single friend we would seek out purely because we like and admire them. Sometimes the devil you know IS better than the devil you don't. We allied with Stalin in the 40's, not because we wanted to, but because we shared a common enemy. This was also true in Egypt, and I hope that the confusing, abrupt abandonment of one of the few friends the United States had in the Middle East won't have similar consequences to the Iranian revolution.

Mubarak slammed U.S. in phone call with Israeli MK before resignation - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Technorati Tags: Haaretz Daily,Egypt,Politics,Revolution

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: Muslim Brotherhood "Largely Secular," "Has Eschewed Violence"

2011-02-10T13:25:00.001-08:00

It is really disturbing to me that the head of US Intelligence Organizations would describe the Muslim Brotherhood in these terms.

RealClearPolitics - Video - DNI James Clapper: Muslim Brotherhood "Largely Secular," "Has Eschewed Violence"

http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0211/DNI_Clapper_Egypts_Muslim_Brotherhood_largely_secular.html

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/02/director-of-national-intelligence-james-clapper-muslim-brotherhood-largely-secular.html

Taken together with his unawareness in this interview with Diane Sawyer, it is troubling to me to think that the man supposed to be most steeped in events and international groups can make these kinds of gaffes.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/12/after-early-administration-denials-director-of-national-intelligence-admits-he-hadnt-been-briefed-on.html

And it is not like he was asked a difficult question in either case - most people who read a daily newspaper would have had both a different take and a greater awareness on both these questions. It seems a bit spooky to me...

Technorati Tags: Intelligence,James Clapper

Dumbest Criminals Lists

2011-02-09T23:55:00.001-08:00

It occurred to me today that I almost constantly notice new lists, videos or blog entries pointing out the stupidest criminals in the world. You know, the guy in Tennessee who decided that pointing his pistol wasn't intimidating enough, so he shoved it forward toward the convenience store cashier. And the barrel fell off, leading to the intended armed robber being beat down with a Louisville Slugger (I always prefer real wood to aluminum in my beat-downs...) or the feller that slipped a hastily scribbled note to a teller, who calmly pointed to the clock and said that she was terribly sorry, but the bank was closed from 12 PM to 1 PM for lunch. The guy looked a little confused, so she asked him if he'd like to sit in the comfortable waiting area chairs and have a coffee.

I suspect that the most outrageous 'stupid criminal' stories are true, but there is a lot of research being done on recidivism and in particular, guys who need a structured environment, or three hots and a cot in order to get by.which brings me to the stupid little thought that I set out to record: Hard as it is for me to imagine, some guys get themselves caught just so the can go back to prison. Can you imagine trying to get caught? Well some do. Some do? Wow, Git 'er done, Here's your sign!

Technorati Tags: humor,fun,crime,criminals

American Way: Republicans tell Barack Obama 'You’re no Ronald Reagan' – Telegraph Blogs

2011-02-06T22:43:00.001-08:00

I don't want to be uncivil, nor do I wish to polarize. The thing I most hope for is a national leader willing to...my GOD I can hardly type the words...a national leader willing to speak his or her mind in a clear, civil way. I wish for that courage and frankness in our national political dialogue. Instead, I feel like I'm stuck in a constant cycle of shrunken sound bytes and partial quotes used as stand-alone comments rather than words spoken as part of of a larger statement.

All sides do it. Hell, I know I do it myself when I fail to catch it. The thing is, I really hate it when a member of one party invokes the name of a popular former President from the opposing party (usually after getting snookered in the mid-term elections). This is especially true when the person invoked had actually been dismissed out of hand by the politician who hopes to raise his own poll numbers by quoting a popular former President and quoting him.

So, it is nothing new to find President Obama bringing to mind Ronald Reagan as we near the 100th anniversary of the Gipper's birth. In fact, it makes sense: the President wants to pull off politically just what Reagan did once when, after a shellacking in the 1982 midterms, he managed personally to win by a landslide and his party managed to win the midterms.

I know that I will bring upon myself a volley of slings and arrows, but I do hope that those of you who have not been to the Reagan library will hold your arrows at least until you visit. It was the most powerful moment of my life (at least in the realms of politics, history, etc.), when I visited the newly opened Library and found myself standing before a REAL section of the wall the Soviets built to keep people from voting with their feet and going to the West. We wound our way to the massive section of chipped and graffiti - covered Wall. which had been a symbol as well as an actual physical barrier to freedom and peace. I felt that we had seen so many appeasers, so many that believed the Cold War would never end. And then a light came on above the wall -eight or ten feet of the Berlin wall itself - and with it came the voice of President Reagan saying, "Mr Gorbachev, Tear Down this wall!"

So, in me, this article from the Telegraph aligned pretty tidily with my own feelings. I had enormous respect for President Reagan, but as it clearly would need to be in any viable universe, my favorite Republican President was also the least electable, most liberal Republican President - a roiling ball of contradictions who both started a war and won the Nobel Peace Prize for virtually insisting that Russia and Japan stop their warfare. And, if you haven't guessed Theodore Roosevelt by now, there it is. I am most like the man that the party forced to accept the nomination for Vice President even after he declined and said he had no interest. After all, letting such a reformer as TR hold the office of Governor of New York? Well, that was just too powerful and important a role for a 'reformer'.

So, in this particular instance, with my memory of the Berlin Wall and the wonderful and powerful words of President Reagan permanently in my ears, along with the clear and certain knowledge that neither Party would want me, and therefore my opinions are only to be found here, as I blog to my faithful 25,000 or so readers, or perhaps by the neighbors in the apartment next door who overhear when I berate the TV for not getting it quite right. I'm harmless.

American Way: Republicans tell Barack Obama 'You’re no Ronald Reagan' – Telegraph Blogs

An Elderly Couple’s Defiant Stand Against Armed Robber « CBS Minnesota

2011-02-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

An Elderly Couple’s Defiant Stand Against Armed Robber « CBS Minnesota

First off, I am glad that this couple is okay and didn't get hurt. Second, I am thrilled for these two tough old birds that they were able to run off a greedy, criminal, good-for-nothing early twenties asshat. This is growing old with dignity! This couple, who celebrated their 63rd anniversary, stood up to some early-twenties turd, and though the man was 92 and the woman was 82, they ran the kid off.

What a brave, conquering hero that twenty-something was. Kick in the door and whack a 92 year old man with your shovel. Jump out on the 82 year old wife and yell at her to turn around to get her hands and feet bound. Can't you hear the bragging rights from this POS?

Well, not exactly, as it happened; The man got up, and put up his fists, with his wife at his side, and a couple minutes of struggling with this laughable idiot robber wannabe and ran him off.
“I’m damn near 92 years old. So, I’ve lived my life. He’s got his ahead of him, and it might not be too rosy, you know?” Wally said. "I’m just thankful that everything turned out OK,” said Betty.

An Elderly Couple’s Defiant Stand Against Armed Robber « CBS Minnesota

'Al-Qaida on brink of using nuclear bomb'

2011-02-01T18:12:00.001-08:00

This Vancouver Sun article, which draws heavily on reporting in the Daily Telegraph, based on diplomatic cables leaked through Wikileaks, is a headline I have been waiting in dread to hear for several years. With so many sources of 'dirty-bomb' materials, and worse, even some enriched, weaponized uranium which was lost as the former Soviet Union fell and the military lost control of some of the weapons locations, it has seemed to me at least, to be just a matter of time. It is worth a read:

'Al-Qaida on brink of using nuclear bomb'

Technorati Tags: Al-Quaida,Dirty Bomb,Nuclear Bomb,Wikileaks

The ODMP Blog: I Hope Every Officer in America Joins THIS Conspiracy!

2011-01-25T22:06:00.001-08:00

The ODMP Blog: Deadliest Januaries in Law Enforcement History

Technorati Tags: Law enforcement,Police Officer Safety,Police Deaths

FT.com: Could the US Really Default?

2011-01-14T19:43:00.001-08:00

This chart is a very eye-catching and jaw-dropping summary of the current financial status of the United States. I sure never thought I'd see this kind of mess in my lifetime, but here it is.

FT.com / Comment / Analysis - America: Paydown problems

Technorati Tags: Finance,Financial Times,Default,US Debt

Spondylitis Plus - Featured Article

2011-01-13T19:01:00.001-08:00

Worth a read if you or a loved one have AS or Scleroderma.

Spondylitis Plus - Featured Article

Technorati Tags: Arthritis,Ankylosing Spondylitis,Chronic Low Back Pain Syndrome

Getting off Matt

2011-01-12T20:22:00.001-08:00

I scared the holy crap out of my poor dog on Saturday. I mean, she thought the end of all things was at hand, and I was the instrument of this end. She'd been nervous all afternoon, because I'd been yelling. A lot. And, poor thing, she doesn't follow sports or watch TV much, so how could she know that I was yelling in excitement and sometimes pure joy that the Seahawks were playing so well, were competing hard, then that they were leading. The moment of Armageddon came in her perception at the same time as it came in reality for the New Orleans Saints, and it came not in the form of a Horseman of the Apocalypse but in the guise of a Beast. Or at least a man, in Beast mode.

I have been one of those dwindling few who felt that two years of mix-and-match offensive lines, countless hurries and knock-downs and sacks had nearly knocked an All-Pro quarterback out. He'd been hurt, hurried, and was stuck throwing forty-five passes a game because the running game was missing. My interpretation of the success Charlie Whitehurst enjoyed - though limited - against the Rams, was that he had played 'within himself, within the game plan', but moreover, he had played behind a line that suddenly was getting healthy and beginning to gel. And I admit that I was eager to see how Matt did behind an improved line that could give him time for his tempo routes and a running game to keep the Saints from blitzing his hand warmer into the turf. I have felt that if only the Hawks could get 100 yards a game rushing, and run the ball 25+ times a game, that would take enormous pressure off Matt (and Whitehurst too). With the O-line finally returning to health, and showing some good signs (rushing for 141 yards on 35 attempts; no sacks allowed and only 4 quarterback hits allowed), I did believe that Matt would play well - maybe even very well. I just never saw his skills tailing off, only his health and the root cause of both ill health and incomplete, intercepted or fumbled balls - lack of offensive line performance.

Against the Saints, Matt had time to throw, and he completed 22 of 35 passes (with four drops and a tip of a ball that was not thrown high, that works out to 27-35) for 272 yards and 4 touchdowns. Why did he have time to throw? The line. They were together again, and they were gelling better by the minute after the momentum from the Rams win. Rushing for 150 yards on 25 carries forced the Saints to honor the run, and even if you took out the long 67 yard run that scared my dog just short or ruining the carpet, the hawks were able to gain enough tough yards on first and second down that it kept the Saints honest. I still believe that Matt has another two or three seasons in him, and I was glad to see that the Hawks will work to re-sign him. If we can keep a healthy line, a Beast, and a veteran All-Pro who has won a Super Bowl (just a nudge to the Steelers fans), the Hawks might break the midpoint in offensive standing in the league next season. And with the defense getting some key takeaways and stops, there is reason for some optimism there, too.

I think perhaps my poor friend Nellie, the black lab, will not be quite so concerned this week when I yell, and I hope the tiny suspicion that niggles at the back of my small mind bears out to be true - that this team is getting healthy, coming together, and peaking at just the right time. The last two weeks sure seemed that way, and though it is a tough hill to climb to beat a Bears club that has also been peaking the past three or four weeks, I sure feel better about climbing hills than I did two weeks ago. At least as a metaphor for the Hawks playing well and perhaps winning as an underdog.

Thanks for the GREAT memory on Saturday, the 12th man induced deafness, the blocking and the throws that Brett Favre would love to have been making this year, but which were coming from Matt...This has been a great two weeks for a Seahawks, and I hope the ride lasts a bit longer!

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,Matt Hasselbeck,Marshawn Lynch,NFL Football

Striking prevalence of Axial Spondyloarthritis in primary care patients with chronic low back pain; a cross-sectional study

2011-01-12T19:32:00.001-08:00

Among the most common causes of chronic pain is low back pain. Recent study data indicates a "strikingly high" correlation between chronic low back pain and Ankylosing Spondylitis. In my case, I had unusual wear on the low back due to a severe knee injury which caused a limp for a number of years - a limp where the low back and hip took on the load bearing for the injured knee, as well as a shearing motion in doing so. This strain could have been a contributor to chronic low back pain. Then there was the osteoarthritis which was more advanced in me than typical in young people as a result of the injury and surgeries such as bone-grafting and other highly invasive interventions. Then there were episodes of lumbar disc herniation requiring surgery. All of these alone or as a group, as well as a chronic pain syndrome wherein the overstimulation of certain neural pathways causes perceived pain in the low back, could be responsible for chronic low back pain in my case (and at least some of these perhaps in your case). Since it on average requires 7-10 years to diagnose AS, and since AS is most successfully treated early in its' development, there is a new push to give primary care physicians better information so that that long period where AS is seldom diagnosed can be brought down to a shorter interval - and hopefully therefore, allow more effective treatment.

Not only does AS turn out to be present in over twenty percent of patients experiencing chronic low back pain, but that number may be significantly under-reported. This abstract, and the full article are worth reading if you, or someone you care about is experiencing chronic low back pain.

Remember this: Just because there is something that MIGHT be causing chronic low back pain (injury, prior surgery, wear and tear arthritis, etc.), don't rely on the fact that your chronic pain COULD be due to one of these other causes, get to an experienced rheumatologist who will carefully look at your status and make a diagnosis of AS if appropriate. In my own case, the first rheumatologist I saw, about four years into the progression of symptoms, noted that I had injury and osteoarthritis and made the assumption that these were the cause. My own outcome from treatment of AS would likely have been far more successful at early days in the development of the disease, than it has been since I saw an excellent rheumatologist about eight years into the situation. If you are referred to a rheumatologist, or have endocrine issues accompanying your chronic lower back pain, see the rheumatologist and by all means get a second opinion. Four or five years lost in fighting AS is a damn shame.

Press - News - 457 - Striking prevalence of Axial Spondyloarthritis in primary care patients with chronic low back pain; a cross-sectional study

Technorati Tags: AS,Ankylosing Spondylitis,Chronic Low Back Pain Syndrome,Arthritis

Community - CBSSports.com

2011-01-11T22:38:00.001-08:00

CBS Sports.com writer Any Benoit - certainly not the only person who predicted a Saints thrashing of Seattle, but isn't it fun to look at his rather snide and self-assured language and chuckle after the Seahawks beat the Saints. I guess the Hawks don't read Andy's column. Or much else. Thank God they don't! With an offensive line that is whole for the first time since week 1, and the defense finding ways to get half a dozen key stops, plus a reinvigorated (or should I simply say a less hurried, less battered) Matt Hasselbeck, the team looked great. What a win for the Hawks and for Carroll!

Here's some of Andy's best dismissive and bulletin board material:

The 2010 Saints essentially became the first wild card team in history to get a bye when they drew the matchup against the hapless/fruitless/pathetic/laughable/embarrassing NFC West Champion Seahawks. Seattle can obviously play the “nobody believes in us card”. It’s not even a card to play – it’s more just a fact. But it doesn’t matter because nobody believes in their ability to play the “nobody believes in us card” anyway. And nobody cares if the Seahawks have a chip on their shoulder or something to prove or are out for respect or whatever it is bad teams say before big games. So you say nobody thinks you deserve to be here, Seattle? You’re correct. And all the nobodies are correct, too.

Andy Benoit Blog - CBS Sportsline

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,NFL,Professional Football,NFL Playoffs,Seahawks

Medical News: House Passes One-Month SGR Patch - Avoids Cutting Medicare Physician Payment Rates by 23% for One Month.

2011-01-01T11:03:00.001-08:00

For anyone who is on Medicare and reading this post, this article is a good summary of an issue that should be of great concern. If the measure, just postponed for 31 days by the current and Lame Duck Congress, is allowed to take effect next month, a 23% cut will be made to fees Medicare will allow for both physician and facilities. The AMA - not without a horse in this race - has said that such a huge cut will cause a Medicare "meltdown". Less directly impacted people may not have concerns, but perhaps they should, as they will want to be on Medicare when they are older or if they become disabled. One issue is that many analysts believe that a significant number of physicians will stop taking Medicare. So, if you like your doctor, or your clinic for out-patient services, you may have to find another.

Personally, I worry about it because I have a complicated group of issues, and a fifteen year chronology - or history, if you prefer - and I could never replace the diagnostic history, the knowledge of the progression of the several issues I have, and the inputs from various specialists that my physician of fifteen years knows well. I also worry about keeping my rheumatologist - the second rheumatologist I've seen - who finally gave me a diagnosis for my health problems. The average time to diagnosis for people like me with Ankylosing Spondylitis is between 7-10 years, and it wasn't until I got real top-flight specialists that I was diagnosed and given treatment that helped with pain, inflammation, etc. Because I have had numerous injuries (which could cause some of my symptoms), and I have osteoarthritis (which could have caused some of the problems and pain in my joints), and I have developed a number of endocrine issues (low thyroid, ultra low testosterone, high cholesterol, low vitamin D, low HGH...), it has been a long, tough slog through tests and treatments and talking and doctor visits, blood work, PT, etc. Now that I know I have an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, I have a treatment plan. That's great, but I would dread trying to get a new Primary Physician, Specialist, etc., up to speed on what has happened over fifteen years. In fact, I doubt I could -even if they have my giant medical record, how would they have time to read it through and discuss it with me?

No, I don't want to have to get new docs now that I am at long last being treated for the root cause of the many problems I've experienced over the past fifteen years). I do understand that somehow we as a nation must reduce the cost of medical care, and that may mean some sacrifices for all of us. But on a personal level this possibility causes a fair bit of anxiety in me. And after reading this article, it may give everyone pause for thought.

Medical News: House Passes One-Month SGR Patch - in Washington-Watch, Washington Watch from MedPage Today

Technorati Tags: Health,Medicare,Medical Costs,AMA,Ankylosing Spondylitis

Sightline: Seattleites can expect to live a long time - Seattle Metro, WA Local News - Fwix

2010-12-13T21:36:00.001-08:00

This is a wonderful article to read if you're a Seattle resident. The amazing longevity numbers of Seattle would rank us #2 in the WORLD, just a month behind Japan, were Seattle a country.

Sightline: Seattleites can expect to live a long time - Seattle Metro, WA Local News - Fwix

Technorati Tags: Seattle,Longevity,Lifespan,Longest Lifespan,Seattle Longevity

Shop With A Cop in Pocatello | KIDK CBS 3

2010-12-05T19:37:00.001-08:00

This sure seems like a wonderful program to me. It gets needy children (economically disadvantaged kids that tend to have a higher risk of committing crime later in life) together with police officers in a great setting to facilitate not just a happier holiday season for both the kids and the officers, but to potentially setting the stage for a healthier, less adversarial interaction between the kids and the cops later in life.

Over forty Pocatello Police Officers and Bannock County Sheriff's Deputies took the kids shopping for gifts to give to their family members - something the young people would not otherwise have been able to afford. The officers were giving of their time, the kids were buying gifts to give to others. And the giving didn't stop there. The money to buy the gifts was donated by the local community, and the cheerleaders from Highland, Century and Pocatello High School were giving their time and effort to helping with the shopping, and with gift wrapping.

This program works in so many ways - building positive relationships between kids and police officers, providing gifts where otherwise there may not be gifts - or the joy that comes from giving gifts to loved ones, the chance for community members to give to needy families, the cheer squads to perform a community service and the law enforcement professionals the opportunity to not only help needy families and exert a positive influence on the kids, but probably to help prevent some crime that may have resulted in the future from at-risk kids who had not had positive interaction with police officers. A win-win-win-win-win-win deal.

I admire our law enforcement professionals so much, for the work they do day in and day out, and when they give of their personal time to serve their community even further, my admiration only grows. (For another excellent example of a police service program doing amazing things, check out http://sunshinedivision.org/)

Oh, and the cops let the kids run the lights and sirens, and even use the radios. Perfect. Thank you to the Poky police and Bannock County deputies. I may not live in Poky any more (though I was born there and enjoy visits every year), your efforts have even provided me with a benefit 600 miles away: you've encouraged me, and reminded me that there are some wonderful people in this world, and more than an average percent of these are our law enforcement officers. Thank you PPD and BCS, and the great community you serve.

Technorati Tags: police volunteer services,Pocatello,Shop with a Cop,Idaho,law enforcement,Christmas giving programs

Shop With A Cop in Pocatello | KIDK CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Idaho Falls - Pocatello - Blackfoot, ID - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot - Idaho | communities

Press - News - 455 - Both structural damage and inflammation of the spine contribute to impairment of spinal mobility in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

2010-11-30T21:20:00.001-08:00

Press - News - 455 - Both structural damage and inflammation of the spine contribute to impairment of spinal mobility in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Technorati Tags: AS,Ankylosing Spondylitis,Arthritis

Press - News - 454 - A strong familiality of ankylosing spondylitis through several generations

2010-11-30T21:16:00.001-08:00

Spondylitis Association of America

Posted on: 11/1/2010

It is known that ankylosing spondylitis has a large genetic component, making it more common among those of the same family when a disease history is present.

A study published in the "Annals of Rheumatology" reinforces the evidence of this, by concluding, "Patients with AS in Iceland are significantly more related to each other than to randomly sampled control subjects. This is in agreement with previous reports on the familiality of AS, but the present study has more power and extends over larger familiar cohorts than previously reported."

Other current research into spondylitis is seeking the genes that cause AS.

Click here to read the abstract >>>

Press - News - 454 - A strong familiality of ankylosing spondylitis through several generations

Technorati Tags: Ankylosing Spondylitis,AS,Spondylitis Association of America

The Blotter | Killer of celebrity dog trainer to be sentenced Tuesday | Seattle Times Newspaper

2010-11-29T16:38:00.001-08:00

Michiel Oakes, who was convicted of murdering Mark Stover, will be sentenced on Tuesday. He had claimed self defense, once enough evidence was presented to show that he was at Stover's home and was seen subsequently in several suspicious circumstances, concluding with comments to his former wife that if police found out what he'd just done he'd go away for life. The jury apparently did not believe his story of self-defense - which would probably have been more believable if he'd called police and an ambulance, filed a report with officers responding, and claimed self-defense from the beginning. Instead, he tried to bleach away the signs of blood, then disposed of the body in an estuary that he knew would likely carry the body out into deeper water, where it may not be found. Though the body was in fact, never found, prosecutors built a strong case building upon witness testimony, some physical evidence and Oakes own comments.

The Blotter | Killer of celebrity dog trainer to be sentenced Tuesday | Seattle Times Newspaper

Technorati Tags: Seattle True Crime,Stover murder,Crime,Seattle

Bwahahahahaha!

2010-11-22T23:13:00.001-08:00

Of course, the graph of who starts the argument probably shows that the man does in an inverse measure - maybe even maxing out over 50% :0

Technorati Tags: Jokes,Marriage Jokes,Humor,Funny,Cartoons,Comics

We Live in a New Age of Touchy/Feely

2010-11-20T23:19:00.001-08:00

OMG this is getting out of hand. Why in the hell don't we just get the top people from El Al and take notes? The most targeted airline in the world is also the safest? Maybe we should try some of their screening methods. No, that's crazy, what am I talking about? From the article below: "Anyone who sets off the metal detectors is required to go through a physical pat down, but the TSA says they use a less aggressive touch for children under 12."

Does it bother anyone else that a sentence like that is treated like a normal thing to say, given the actions described in the article - patting the genitals, running the hand between underwear and skin, etc.? Oh, and of course, we only do that to kids over 12. WHAAAAT?????? Would you let some uniformed screener dude or gal stick his or her hands down your 13 year old's pants? Isn't that what damn near bankrupted the Catholic Church? Doesn't that sort of behavior get you sentenced and called a "Registered Sex Offender"? Am I crazy? Sure, there was a guy who tried to make explosive underwear. Is groping every adolescent that wants to fly the only way to make sure he/she is not wearing a dangerous diaper?
Oh, and when did it become okay just because it is after age 12, to grope, pat, touch, etc. adolescent kids? It is just wrong. Oh, and much as I hate to mention it, what about past victims of sexual assault, trauma or rape - no matter what their age? Can you imagine having bad some horrific act done to you and then at some later point, if you want to fly, being forced to submit to what would WITHOUT ANY DOUBT be a SEXUAL ASSAULT were it not being done by TSA at an airport?

Since a guy tried to blow up a plane by putting a bomb in his shoes, will we soon be seeing foot fetishists not only relying on the removal and X-ray of the shoes, but requiring the person being screened to remove their socks and submit to a tongue inspection (to see if the foot tastes like explosives) of the foot?

I flew hundreds of thousands of miles for business and pleasure. I was always polite, and willing to do what was asked of me in the interest of security. I was waiting for a plane the morning of September 11, 2001, and I watched that day unfold convinced that I'd support whatever was needed to keep us safe in the skies and in the country. But now I am second-guessing my blind obedience. Why?
There are better, more effective, less personally intrusive ways to screen passengers and ensure safety than to commit battery and sexual assault. Plain and simple. When my daughter is 13 how can I take her to fly somewhere knowing what I know may very well happen? Will she be subjected to a virtually nude screening X-ray, visible to many? Will it be worse, where she's forced to get molested in order to fly? OMG! How did it come to this?

I think that there ought to be a hue and cry from sea to shining sea, insisting that the BEST and BRIGHTEST security experts available be immediately brought together to develop systems to keep us safe. Without having people putting their hands in people's underwear. Is that too much to ask? To fly without some guy or gal sticking their hand INSIDE your underwear, tapping and patting your junk?
It's time to examine who is making the decisions, writing and training the procedures, choosing the technology and bickering over whether the airlines, airports or TSA should pay for technology to make us safer in the air. All this virtually nude photography - will someone do a statistical analysis showing that a man is 12% more likely to be a terrorist if he "dresses right" (and by that I mean not that he buttons the right button with the right buttonhole, but that his junk rests naturally to the right side of the vertical midline of his body) - all this physical grabbing and groping...is this the best option we have for screening?

In a word: NO. It is not, and the people who can develop screening technology, use the currently available technology, and still keep us safe are out there, and they are willing and able. And it is a dirty secret that there are frequent breaches of the system we use now - both in tests and just when the person next to us says, "Oh man, I forgot to take this out of my briefcase!" and parts the top of the case to show a five or six inch knife.
We can do better, we can do better and be safe. And whether the person being screened is under 12, adolescent or adult, we can do it without battery, assault and sexual molestation. And we should. And though some of this post is amusing and meant to be so, the topic and the practices that caused me to write it are not funny. They are wrong. And a helluva lot of us better stand as tall as we have to and shout "NO! This is not acceptable, not in America."

http://www.kmov.com/news/mobile/Woman-says-her-Lambert-security-screening-was-sexual-assault--109114934.html

Technorati Tags: TSA Screening,Airport Safety,Passenger Screening,TSA

101 Pieces of evidence that prove O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole

2010-11-13T00:45:00.001-08:00

This is a good summary of the evidence against Simpson in the horrendous murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He doesn't mention the irregularities in collecting evidence, but in the end, it is damn near impossible to believe that OJ didn't commit the murders,

101 Pieces of evidence that prove O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole

Technorati Tags: OJ Simpson,Nicole Brown Simpson,Ronald Goldrman,Crime,True Crime,Murders,Domestic Violence

Dave Niehaus, 1935-2010

2010-11-12T10:32:00.001-08:00

Dave Niehaus, the lead announcer for Mariner radio and television broadcast for the entire history of the club, has passed away of a heart attack at his Bellevue home. He was 75, and is survived by his wife Marilyn, their three children: Andy, Matt and Greta and six grandchildren, Zach, Steven, Madeline, Alexa, Audrey and Spencer. He witnessed 5,284 of the 5,385 games played by the Mariners since their inception - only health issues or family weddings and funerals could keep Dave from the booth.

Photo from the Seattle PI

Clearly, God needed an announcer, and he drafted the best. I will never forget all the games I went to with a radio and earphones so I could listen to Mr. Niehaus tell me about the game I was watching. He wrote poetry on the fly, and made even the 100 loss seasons interesting. I was so happy for him when in 1995 Edgar doubled in the winning run in the division series, and he called the play. I was overjoyed as a fan, but I was even more overjoyed that this man, who'd called so many stinkers with good humor, was living a dream with the 95 team and he was calling playoff games at long last. I think that the man who loved calling games and teaching us about the game is the poster boy for life well-lived. He said he'd never worked a day, because if he hadn't been in the broadcast booth he'd have been in the stands. I will miss him every game - though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will always be aware that Mr. Niehaus' sonorous voice is now silent.

Indeed, baseball will never be the same for me. Mr. Niehaus was more than a great voice, more than a student of the game, more than a trusted figure in the clubhouse, he was a genuine and grounded man who valued each relationship in his life - even his relationship with the Mariners fans, most of whom he never met.

My memories of Mariner baseball all revolve around Dave, and when I was traveling in the car I'd know instantly when I'd found the Mariners game on the radio dial. From the lowest growl, "strike one", to the most ebullient "and this one will fly,fly, fly away...My, Oh My", Dave's manner and voice were unmistakable. I was at the last three games of Junior's consecutive game homer run, the playoff with California in '95, the playoff win over the Yankees. When Edgar nailed that double and the winning run crossed the plate, I wanted nothing more than to hear what Dave said. After so many years, so many bad teams, it was a moment that I felt was somehow especially his. He called blowout losses in a colorful and never beaten down way. He taught the game to an entire region of fans, play by play, situation by situation. We knew the look on the manager's face, the feel of a breeze when it kicked up, the excitement of every great play, and the greatness of some plays we might not have noticed were great (like the amazing movement on Jeff Nelson's slider when it was really biting, or an at-bat when Edgar fouled off ten or even fifteen pitches, fighting to get one he could drive).

I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when a centerfield seat was $1 and I'd be at the game 30-40 times a season when I was in high school. I went with whatever friends I could round up, and even alone sometimes. I'd have an earphone in one ear and sit at the end of the group of my friends just so I could hear Dave's call of the game and my friends both. Back then, I was a statistics freak, and it got to the point I could calculate batting averages on the fly during a game. I secretly hoped I could somehow be a stat guy for the broadcasts, so I could hear Dave every play of every game (and travel with the team for 162 plus spring training).

I heard Chuck Armstrong say that he wanted to have the number 162 on his headstone. I can't think of a better summation of what Dave was. He was there, almost every game the Mariner's ever played from the first pitch of the first spring training to the conclusion of last season. 35 years of excellence. I know that the first few games I hear next season, though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will feel a sadness that Dave's voice is missing. Though he was in the booth and I was in the car, or listening in bed, or listening at the game, I felt somehow that he was speaking to me from the next seat, like a friend I went to the game with. The fans loved him, and I think he returned the sentiment.

Rick will do a great job, and has done for 24 seasons now with the M's, and I am glad we have such a fine announcer to step in. When Pete Gross passed away, it took me a couple of years to get used to the new announcer, and I still miss the sound of Pete saying "Touchdown Seahawks". I know that I will miss Dave's "My, oh my!", too, and more deeply. But I'll miss so much more. It will be a bit like the Mariners will have a new personality, and I know Rick and whomever the team adds to the broadcast booth will do a great job. But it won't be Dave. I love the Mariners and have been at the ballpark hundreds of times since the Opening Day that launched the expansion team. And Dave was my shepherd through the sights, sounds, breezes, brawls, highs and lows of most of those games. Thank you Mr. Niehaus. I'll never forget all those hours we shared over baseball - Mariners baseball.

Godspeed Sir, and may your family be at peace.

Technorati Tags: Dave Niehaus,Mariners Baseball Announcer,Mariners,Seattle Mariners,Baseball Hall of Fame

Seahawks Pounded Again, Outscored 74-10 in Last Two Games; Fall to 4-4

2010-11-07T16:46:00.001-08:00

There isn't a lot to say in the last couple of weeks for the Seahawks, except that those clamoring for Matt Hasselbeck's demise might consider that with the offensive line injuries, retirements and poor play that we've seen these last three seasons, I don't think any big time QB would do much better. I recall being at the Kingdome for a game against the Vikings way back when, and seeing Fran Tarkenton scramble between 30-35 yards backwards and god knows how far laterally before eventually completing a pass. There are very few Fran Tarkentons, and very few quarterbacks who could survive, let alone consistently get points on the board with this line play. I'm not calling out the line, exactly, since it is tough enough to play well when there is unit cohesion and time in a system (this line has had more shuffling in the last three years than most decks at the Muckleshoot Casino, and three systems in the past three years. Matt Hasselbeck has done his best - which is still damn good - and better than most, but there's only so much a guy can do with no seven step drops possible, and two steps protection on a three step drop.

Another indication of O-line play is the half yard a game drop in average yards per carry for Marshawn Lynch since he's arrived from Buffalo. Yep, the Bills winless Buffalo Bills managed to block consistently better for this running back than the Hawks have (each over a four game period). And I have never seen a more ballsy, tough, inspiring run that one particular play Lynch had today. He broke several tackles and then pushed a scrum of at least seven defenders forward another four yards. It was as if he were saying to the rest of the team, and the O-line in particular, "Come ON, guys, let's go!".

When reserve Charlie Whitehurst - playing for the concussed Hasselbeck - made his throws, it is easy to see the arm strength and poise that made Carroll want him. He's reading defenses a little like a QB making his first start, but the man has an arm, and stays calm. There were drops, including the painful bobble but Mike Williams in the end zone that not only killed the touchdown opportunity, but gave the Giants the ball and deprived Seattle of any points. Especially when the QB is under such pressure, the receivers need to make big plays, and damn near every one of them let balls go through their hands, bobbled, dropped and tipped passes that were perfectly catchable.

And while the defense has been pounded, to their credit the Hawks defense has held strong early in games, but with time of possession ratios like sixteen minutes for the opponent and nine for the Hawks, they are bound to wear down.

Luckily, when you play in the NFC West, 4-4 puts you in a first-place tie, and the Vikes OT win over Arizona gives both the Rams and the Hawks a bit of a cushion.

So, halfway through the season, what do I think of the Pete Carroll stewardship? I think that he will build a consistent and tough winning team, given time. His enthusiasm, very good staff, excellent attention to both sides of the ball and the special teams, and most especially the willingness he's shown to let competition decide the starters, and even the roster, and to make as many transactions as it takes to get the best team he can on the field, I believe the Hawks will do very well over the next four or five years. I hope the owner gives him that sort of time. I hope that the QB coach is as good as Holmgren was, and Zorn became (as QB coach under Holmgren), because I'd love to see touch, reading defenses, check-down decision-making and great footwork added to the cannon of Whitehurst. I want Matt to get one more shot at the big one, and that won't happen without an O-line. And when Matt hangs 'em up finally, it would be great to see a guy groomed, practiced and ready to step in (Aaron Rogers style). I actually thought the Hawks would be more like 3-5 at this point, and a few things break right they could just make the playoffs, Even a first round loss would be a good step back toward the great teams the Hawk's have had in the past.

NFL Game Center: New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks - 2010 Week 9

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,Seahawks,NFL,Matt Hasselbeck,Charlie Whitehurst,Mike Holmgren,Jim Zorn,NFC West

NJ man gets jail for Phillies game vomit-assault - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

2010-11-05T18:28:00.003-07:00

Yep. You read it right.

NJ man gets jail for Phillies game vomit-assault - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

How would someone even think of this? He was avenging his friend, who had been ejected for spitting on the same family.

Technorati Tags: Assault,Vomit,Phillies assault

Be Grateful for what One has…

2010-11-05T18:28:00.001-07:00

By Derek Andrews

Imagine this scenario.

There are thirty-three of you. All miners, probably all male. And you are trapped after a tunnel collapse in your copper-mine. Your mine in the South American country of Chile.

Normally, and sadly, you would not survive despite frantic attempts by hundreds of people to rescue you, with many millions more praying and holding you in their thoughts.

This is different.

After 18 days rescuers have been able to make contact with you and seen some of your faces on their camera-probe. Those images are shown around the world.There is huge relief that you are all alive and in reasonably good shape. You have air supply from existing air ducts plus some food and fluids. You are in a shelter area the size of a small apartment.

You have been able to pass scribbled notes via the miniature camera-probe, back to the surface. Everyone is cheering and your President is almost in tears. There is no sense of panic and arrangements are being made to pass re-hydration gel tablets, food and basic medicines to you.

But, engineers say that it may take four months to reach you to extricate you and re-unite you with your families.

That's right. FOUR MONTHS. Hopefully you will be out for Christmas.

The moral of this story ?

Be grateful for what you have in life and please keep these brave and probably frightened miners in your thoughts and prayers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1305350/Chilean-miners-alive-trapped-rescue-months.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Technorati Tags: Derek Andrews,Chilean Miners,Gratitude

Technorati Tags: Derek Andrews

Accused murderer’s bullet-proof vest had a bullet hole in it.

2010-11-05T17:55:00.001-07:00

This is an interesting tidbit from the trial of Michiel Oakes for the murder of Anacortes dog trainer Mark Stover. Oakes was convicted, despite claiming first that he didn't kill Stover, and then that if he did, it was in self-defense.

Skagit County's News and Information Source | goskagit.com

Technorati Tags: Crime

Hauntings

2010-11-05T17:52:00.001-07:00

Some cool photos here...

Hauntings

Technorati Tags: Ghosts,Hauntings

Vancouver, WA Woman Admits to Throwing Acid on Herself | ThePortlander

2010-10-16T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sorry, all, I guess I was wrong about the woman who claimed to have had acid thrown at her face. It turns out that she faked the whole thing. Munchausen. Ugh!

Vancouver, WA Woman Admits to Throwing Acid on Herself | ThePortlander

Technorati Tags: Acid Attack,Portland

TheSpec - Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic

2010-10-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

What has long been dreamed is, apparently, being tested by Google. Wow!

TheSpec - Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic

Technorati Tags: Automobile,Car Tech,Google,AI,AI Driving

CNN Poll: Was Bush better president than Obama? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

2010-10-08T14:01:00.001-07:00

At the least, this tells me what we all ought to remember at election time: It is far easier to run for office that to run the office once you’ve won.

CNN Poll: Was Bush better president than Obama? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

Technorati Tags: Politics,Political Commentary,Polls,Bush,Obama

Pantagraph.com | Blogs & Columns

2010-10-04T20:40:00.001-07:00

This is a great story of a really happy ending to a home invasion 011 call.

Pantagraph.com | Blogs & Columns

Human-powered aircraft makes aviation history by becoming the first to fly using flapping wings | Mail Online

2010-09-23T17:37:00.001-07:00

“I just got in from Dallas, and Boy are my arms tired…” (It had to be said, didn’t it?)

Human-powered aircraft makes aviation history by becoming the first to fly using flapping wings | Mail Online

Technorati Tags: Flight,Experimental Planes,Human-powered flight

What to make of Seahawks' opener - NFC West Blog - ESPN

2010-09-15T16:50:00.001-07:00

This blog by Mike Sando of ESPN nailed several things, in my opinion, that were keys to the Seahawks drubbing of the 49ers. The biggest concern I had going into the game was pass protection. I thought that with Okung out, and the sudden resignation of the O line coach, Matt might be injured or at least a sack puppet. What happened was far different. The line held up, the receivers did a great job, and Hasselbeck was all the things he is: A PRO-BOWL quarterback who has been pounded, rushed, hit, hurried and unable to throw a route that took longer than one second to develop, check down to any further read than perhaps number two in his progressions.

I saw very good offense, very good defense, resilience and toughness when pressed. I saw a very good set of coaches adapt during the game, keep the team believing in what they were doing. Mike Singletary is a powerful NFL figure and in this case I thought he lost his team when the pig stuff started to fly. It made Pete Carroll’s feat of keeping his team on the rails just that much more impressive.

What to make of Seahawks' opener - NFC West Blog – ESPN

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,NFL Football,Pete Carroll,Mike Singletary,Matt Hasselback,San Francisco 49ers

On a slow, bluish day tending to gloom…

2010-09-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

On a slow, bluish day, tending to gloom,

Stumble Upon provided a view.

A view of a place looking nothing like here,

a place exotic, sun-drenched and clear.

I find it surprising, when I slow and take note,

that treating a mood may have a simple antidote.

Link to full-sized image

(Apologies, the “verse” is sadly my own)

Technorati Tags: Photos,landscape,photographs

The World YOU May Live to See – From Popular Science 1925 (Predicting Life in 1950)

2010-09-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: Popular Science,Futurism,World of the Future

Britain's Oldest Person Dies Aged 111

2010-09-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Derek Andrews

Annie Turnbull has died just twenty days short of her 112nd birthday in a care home in Scotland, with one of her two daughters by her side. She also had four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Born when Queen Victoria was on the throne, she lived through Two World Wars, twenty-six Prime Ministers and four Monarchs. She will have received a congratulatory birthday telegram from Her Majesty on thirteen occasions starting on her 100th birthday.

Annie spent most of her working life in "service" and met Rudyard Kipling.

She only moved into the care home at age 109, having lived in sheltered accommodation (independent living but with a warden available) since age 92. Until she moved to the sheltered housing she had not known running water. Now at this point I have to say that I do not know why that was the case unless she perhaps lived in a very remote area; a farm or something similar.

I thought it might be fun to see what was happening in the world every decade she celebrated her birthday, so here goes:

September 1898: The Spanish-American War was in full swing.
September 1908: Henry Ford produces the first Model T Ford.

September 1918: Boston Red Sox defeat the Chicago Cubs for the 1918 World Series championship, their last World Series win until 2004. First World War ends in November.
September 1928: Alexander Fleming invents penicillin.
September 1938: War looms again but meanwhile Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States.
September 1948: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is formally declared, with Kim Il-sung as Prime Minister. Earlier in the year Miranda, the innermost moon of Uranus, is discovered. (Eventually all U.S. police officers would need to read those arrested their rights whilst staring into the Heavens.)
September 1958: The U.S.S.R. performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya. Earlier in the year The first International House of Pancakes (IHOP) opens in Toluca Lake, California. In February a plane carrying the team and officials of Manchester United crashes on take-off at Munich's Riem airport. There were 23 fatalities and many more injured.

September 1968: In this month both CBS 60 Minutes and the first Boeing 747 airliner are rolled out. Earlier in the year Manchester United wins the European Cup Final, becoming the first English team to do so. They would go on to win it again in 1999 and 2008 but lose a further Final in 2009.
September 1978: Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of papacy. Earlier the body of assassinated Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro found in car trunk.
September 1988: The 1988 Summer Olympics are held in Seoul, South Korea. In November George H. W. Bush is elected the 41st President of the United States after defeating Michael Dukakis.
September 1998: What was to become the behemoth Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergei Brin.

September 2008: Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In November Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1310161/Britains-oldest-person-Annie-Turnbull-dies-weeks-112th-birthday.html

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Technorati Tags: Oldest Person,Oldest Woman in Britain,People

Animal-Based Low-Carbohydrate Diet Linked to Higher All-Cause Mortality

2010-09-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

Interesting reading for the all-protein diets…

Animal-Based Low-Carbohydrate Diet Linked to Higher All-Cause Mortality

Technorati Tags: Protein diets,low carbohydrate diets,diets,mortality Health,nutrition

B-17 Bomber's Last Resting Place

2010-09-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

Derek Andrews

Back in the early 1980's whilst living with a young family in the English county of Kent, we were driving around the countryside one Sunday afternoon when we came across a small group of men in a nearby field.

They seemed to be digging and examining something so we stopped and investigated. Kent is known as the Garden of England for its beautiful countryside dotted with farms, small villages, orchards and hop-fields. It has a coast-line that looks out over the English Channel to La Belle France just twenty or so miles away.

During World War Two, the Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over Kent as the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots based at the now iconic airfields such as Biggin Hill, Kenley and Hawkinge, duelled with their oppsoite numbers in their Messerschmitts.

USAAF aircrew at Snetterton Heath Airfield

What we had stumbled across were a group of enthusiasts who had Ministry of Defence permission to dig for the remains of a downed Spitfire. Usually there is a written record often backed up with the memories of locals who were there, of the approximate location.

At the time of the crash the vast bulk of the wreckage would have been salvaged for its undamaged parts and the very valuable aluminium of its fuselage. If the pilot had bailed out and parachuted to safety he would have been back in the air the next day if he was uninjured. Such was the shortage of trained pilots. If his body was with the wrekage it would of course have been reverently removed.

These aero-archaeologists had found some artefacts from the 'plane buried deep in the earth and we shared their thrill at their success. The bits and pieces they found were not that many but they very generously gave my ten year old son a carburettor which amazingly still smelled strongly of aviation fuel. It was covered in mud and his parents imagined that he would enjoy cleaning the mud off before displaying it in his bedroom. He preferred to keep it "as found" however !

Which is a very long introduction to a similar story which was reported in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo just a few days ago.

A similar group of researchers led by two enthusiasts who run the Sywell Aviation Museum near Northampton, and a chap who was 5 at the time, were trying to locate any remains of a B-17 USAAF Bomber which had crashed near Towcester in October 1944.

In fact it was a triple tragedy as three B-17's had taken off from their base in Norfolk, about 90 miles NE of Northampton on a mock-bombing/navigational exercise to Rugby, Warwickshire, another 25 miles NW. In heavy cloud the three planes had collided with each other. I believe all three crashed with no survivors but the article didn't make it clear. It is clear, however, that 11 crew from the three planes were confirmed to have been killed.

However these 21st century "treasure" seekers had found a few bullets, a piece of the windshield, a wheel, a pedal, some boots and most importantly an I.D. bracelet with the name of the pilot,

Lieutenant Nicholas Jorgensen engraved on it. I know that when anything personal is found in this way there would be a big effort made to locate the family and return it to them, so just out of interest I Googled the name. Really it was just to see if there were any other articles about the find.

I was quite surprised when I immediately found a military aviation forum where a Philip Jorgensen had, in 2005, asked for any information about his uncle, Nicholas Jorgensen. Several forum posters had sent him basic info on where, when and how his uncle had died but there was no mention of this latest development.

As he had provided his email address, I emailed him and sent a link to the article. Got a reply two days later and he had been contacted by quite a few people, not just me ! The power of the internet ! He didn't make it clear whether he had been contacted by the Museum regarding the bracelet so I told him I would contact them and see what was happpening. At this point I thought his uncle might be buried in Northamptonshire so I offered to photograph the grave after tidying it up if necessary.

He told me that the body had been buried in England but after the war ended it was returned to his family in the U.S. Philip told me that they only had the flag that had draped his casket; no personal mementoes. The family were also sad that as it was not a combat accident, no Purple Hearts were awarded.

The next day I spoke to people at the Museum who confirmed that they were in touch with family members in order to return the bracelet. They also hope to erect a small marker-memorial at the site of the crash. As they are not awash with cash, they do not know when this will be but definitely by October 2014 which will be the 70th anniversary.

The Chronicle & Echo had a follow-up story the next day, without much new information, though there was a photoof Lieutenant Jorgensen in his uniform.

The following links are to the two articles and also another that tells of a cache of Prisoner of War items found by someone in their back garden. Several dog-tags of Italian and German POW's were amongst them.

*********************************************************************

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Pilot39s-bracelet-found-66-years.6501201.jp

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Tragic-story-of-pilot-Nicholas.6508864.jp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1309440/WW2-prisoner-war-camp-unearthed-garden.html

http://www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk/museum.php

*********************************************************************

Technorati Tags: Battle of Britain,WWII,Military History,B-17

The Great Fire, 344 Years from Conflagration

2010-09-05T11:32:00.001-07:00

344 years ago today (actually from the start of the fire on September 2 right on into September 6) , the Great Fire of London literally ate nearly all of the medieval city built within the Roman walls. It changed the face of the Great City forever. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Paul's Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities.

It is estimated that it destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The fire started in a bakery, and spread quickly due to the tragic indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth. The main firefighting method of the day was to create firebreaks by pulling down buildings to create open spaces. The Mayor's waffling on this measure led to a firestorm, and the winds that fanned the flames drive them on relentlessly for over three days . The fire was finally stopped with a shift in wind direction and the clever use of gunpowder by the guards at the Tower to stop the fire – by creating firebreaks.

Many cities have experienced catastrophic fires –= Chicago (Mrs. O’Leary’s cow), San Francisco

(in the wake of the 1906 earthquake, which broke most water lines, rendering fire companies impotent – a potential which the fire chief had been warning city leaders about vehemently. Jack London wrote that no modern city had ever been so destroyed, “San Francisco is gone”, he wrote), Seattle in 1889 (started when a worker in a cabinet shop was heating glue over a fire and it bubbled over into the fire. Flame reached turpentine stores in the shop in seconds and then water only made the spreading of flames happen faster. Above the cabinet ship was a paint shop and a newspaper print shop, when the entire business district, from the waters of Elliott Bay, to some grand homes on Capitol Hill went up in a day) – Even my good friend Derek’s own Northampton saw itself three-quarters destroyed by a city fire that raged through the city in 11675.

I suppose that what is truly amazing to me is that in every one of these cases, the city rebuilt and again experienced growth. Oh, there were worse fires (Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to name a few) in time of war, but as we saw with New Orleans post-Katrina, the urge is strong to rebuild after these great destructive forces swept away everything people had. Amazing resiliency, shown throughout history, independent of nation,

Technorati Tags: The Great Fire of London,Great Fires,Seattle,San Francisco,Northampton

Seahawks | Houshmandzadeh officially gone | Seattle Times Newspaper

2010-09-05T02:17:00.001-07:00

I have to say that it has been fun to see Deon Butler and Mike Williams give Pete Carroll the chance to let TJ go elsewhere, both his talent and his ego/’tude.

They’ve already gone for a little more depth on the O line, and it seems a bit of a telegraphing of intents that #3 QB Losman has been released. Will we really have two QBs? Will desert disappointment Matt Leinert put up with the rain after eight years in sunny California and Arizona to see if his college coach can rehabilitate him? Anyway, I like very much what the Hawks are doing – trying to get anyone who may help, rewarding guys who have competed on the field and earned the right to keep on competing.

I may be proven wrong in this (as I so often am), but I love the story of Mike Williams getting in shape, getting another shot and absolutely shining; the emergence of Deon Butler, speed of Golden Tate, and gee whiz, even the now veteran experience of Ben Obamaanu (who really kicked ass with 5 receptions for 85 yards – a whopping 17 yard per catch). If Okung can get back and really protect Hasselbeck’s blind side, and the entire line can really get the

zone blocking scheme without the offensive line coach Pete Carroll brought in to implement it – he retired yesterday –Forsett might get on a roll, rrestore the offensive diversity and it all might add up to a pretty good year. I suppose I am leaning toward believing what Coach Carroll is doing – hopefully I’m not drinking the kool-aid! No, I must be seeing some improved defense and and an efficient offense, a good takeaway ratio…after all, I did say 10-6.

Here’s why you ought to listen to that 10-6 playoff team thinking: The last time a new coach came to a team that played way under .500, that team had a near-record for improvement in just one season! (Mariners, of course).

Yes, I know, I am a homer. But I’ve earned it as one of those who has a fan stripe on my sleeve for every season since the first. I might have let my homer stripes influence my point of view about the 2010 Pete Carroll Seahawks. But there are enough players –if we can finally stay a little healthy – to win those ten games. The fun is seeing if they really do.

Here’s the Seahawks Offensive Depth Chart at the moment:

WR1
Deion Branch
Mike Williams
Deon Butler

LT
Russell Okung
Mansfield Wrotto

LG
Ben Hamilton
Mansfield Wrotto
Chester Pitts

C
Chris Spencer
Steve Vallos

RG
Max Unger
Mike Gibson

RT
Sean Locklear

TE
John Carlson
Chris Baker
Cameron Morrah
Anthony McCoy

WR2
Golden Tate
Benjamin Obomanu

QB
Matt Hasselbeck
Charlie Whitehurst

FB
Owen Schmitt
Quinton Ganther

RB
Julius Jones
Justin Forsett
Leon Washington
Quinton Ganther

Seahawks | Houshmandzadeh officially gone | Seattle Times Newspaper

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,Houshmanfzadeh,NFL Football

Tested on Animals

2010-09-04T13:54:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: Funny Photos,Humor,Funny Pictures.

How Cops Really Want to Police - NYTimes.com

2010-09-04T13:43:00.001-07:00

From the Freakanomics column in the NYT:

Of course, there can be some problems with this, but God help me I sort of agree – in the hands of a good and honest cop, the idea can work.

That was probably the most controversial thing I have written on the Bully Pulpit since I began…

How Cops Really Want to Police - NYTimes.com

Technorati Tags: NY Times,Freakonomics,Crime,Crime Solutions

CBC News - World - Acid-throwing woman sought in Wash.

2010-09-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

You’re getting something out of your trunk outside a Starbucks store. You see a woman approaching with a cup. No reason for suspicion there, right? Well, for a particular woman in Vancouver there would be plenty to worry about. The woman with the cup walks closer and asks “Hey pretty girl, would you like to drink this?” and before she knew what was happening, the woman, 28 year old Bethany Storro – an attractive and well-liked Safeway clerk – saw the stranger throw the contents of the cup in her face. Instantly she began to burn, and felt her skin bubbling. Her clothes, where the contents of the cup touched them, began to disintegrate. Miss Storro fell to the ground screaming and her assailant ran off.

I hope that this beautiful and well-liked woman can be made whole again, and that her assailant, (perhaps tracked by the purchase of concentrated sulphuric acid?) is quickly apprehended. No one should have to fear or suffer such an assault and this assailant needs to be off the street.

CBC News - World - Acid-throwing woman sought in Wash.

Technorati Tags: Crime,Vancouver,Acid attack,True Crime,WTF?

Shooting on Admiral Way; One man shot by police | West Seattle Herald - Slideshow

2010-09-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

Police shot a man last night at a home near the west end of Admiral in West Seattle. The house, in the Alki area of West Seattle, became known to police when a woman called to report a disturbance and what sounded like a gunshot. The woman had called a friend living at the home, and she heard screaming followed by what sounded like a gunshot. The line went dead, and when the friend called back a man answered, He is said to have been very upset, and to have made suicidal threats.

Police responded and a man was shot by an officer. Police recovered a pistol and an AK-47, which the assailant leveled at three officers, who then fired. The man was wounded in the abdomen, and taken to Harborview, where his condition is stable.

When we lived in West Seattle (we loved it there), I never thought of Alki as being high crime area. And certainly not a violent area. Recent data shows that while there are some burglaries and thefts, with the exception of an occasional assault – to be found anywhere in the city from time to time – crimes there are mostly property crimes. See below:

• Assault on 29XX ALKI AVE SW

• Theft on 46XX SW WALKER ST

• Burglary on 54XX SW GENESEE ST

• Theft on 19XX SUNSET AVE SW

• Theft on 30XX 49TH AVE SW

• Theft on 16XX PALM AVE SW

• Theft on 17XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Burglary on 21XX HALLECK AVE SW

• Burglary on 49XX ERSKINE WAY SW

• Burglary on 26XX WALNUT SW

• Burglary on 30XX 60TH SW

• Vandalism on 38XX SW EDMUNDS ST

• Burglary on 56XX 30TH AVE SW

• Theft on 45XX 42ND AVE SW

• Vandalism on 65XX 40TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 47XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Theft on 80XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Burglary on 35XX 61ST AVE SW

• Arrest on 71XX 47TH AVE SW

• Theft on 38XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 30XX 60TH AVE SW

• Theft on 32XX 40TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 49XX ERSKINE WAY SW

• Theft on 27XX 53RD AVE SW

• Assault on 72XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Theft on 26XX MARINE AVE SW

• Burglary on 54XX 45TH AVE SW

• Theft on 56XX FAUNTLEROY WAY SW

• Vandalism on 59XX BEACH DR SW

• Vandalism on 54XX 29TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 47XX 48TH AVE SW

• Theft on 51XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 12XX HARBOR AVE SW

• Theft on 41XX 44TH AVE SW

• Theft on 26XX WALNUT AVE SW

• Theft on 47XX 48TH AVE SW

• Burglary on 32XX BELVIDERE AVE SW

• Theft on 40XX 23RD AVE SW

• Assault on 55XX SW ADMIRAL WAY

• Arrest on 43XX SW ADMIRAL WAY

• Burglary on 34XX 45TH AVE SW

• Theft on 65XX CALIFORNIA AVE SW

• Vandalism on 28XX SW YANCY ST

• Burglary on 30XX GARLOUGH AVE SW

• Vandalism on 26XX 60TH AVE SW

• Theft on 27XX 62ND AVE SW

• Burglary on 40XX 23RD AVE SW

• Theft on 54XX BEACH DR SW

• Theft on 50XX BEACH DR SW

• Theft on 45XX 42ND AVE SW

Neighbor Lance Knight told seattlepi.com he heard two shots, then five he thought would have been from handguns. He said he also heard tires screech. A woman thought to be at the home has not been located.

SLIDESHOW: Shooting on Admiral Way; One man shot by police | West Seattle Herald / White Center News

Technorati Tags: Seattle. West Seattle,Seattle True Crime,Crime,True Crime,Seattle Police

Tiger Woods -- The $100 Million Photo

2010-09-03T12:01:00.001-07:00

I kind of hate to link to TMZ here, but two thinks struck me about this exclusive photo: First, I think you have to be a pretty nice guy to pose for a photo and manage even the faintest of smiles just minutes after finalizing a divorce which cost $100 million. And second, unless the pattern on his tie (which is too small for me to see well) is swooshes, this is the first time in years I've seen Tiger without his Nike Swoosh on. The article says Woods and Nordgren did not speak to one ano0ther during the brief signing of papers in the judges chambers.

Tiger Woods -- The $100 Million Photo

Technorati Tags: TMZ,Tiger Woods,Tiger Woods divorce,Nike

Where Are The Prosecutions? SEC Lets Citi Execs Go Free After $40 Billion Subprime Lie

2010-09-03T11:49:00.001-07:00

Anyone think you or I would get a 1/2 of 1% fine for lying to investors? How about 1/2 of 1% on a one-year bonus of $19+ million?

Where Are The Prosecutions? SEC Lets Citi Execs Go Free After $40 Billion Subprime Lie « SpeakEasy

Technorati Tags: SEC,Citi Executives,Subprime crisis

Understanding Arthritis: What is inflammation?

2010-09-03T11:34:00.001-07:00

When the Immune System Turns Against You

Arthritis isn’t just “wear and tear”. It is inflammation, and understanding the causes of inflammation can help immeasurably in combating the debilitating and potentially life-altering effects of arthritis. The following article, from WebMD is a very straightforward discussion of the inflammatory process.

Understanding Arthritis: What is inflammation?

Technorati Tags: Arthritis,Inflammation,immune diseases

Admiral Lord Nelson's Nurse:

2010-09-02T21:51:00.001-07:00

Derek Andrews

Most countries with a varied and often turbulent history have people who are revered as heroes or heroines or icons and are remembered for their deeds and achievements to this day. If they're lucky they get featured on postage stamps and the back of a Pound note, a Euro, Rouble or Lira and Deutschmark. I believe the U.S. has a rather good image of Nicholas Cage on its Dollar Bills.

Trying not to go off topic too quickly but "Heroes and Heroines" is a great favorite of mine sung by the incomparable Mary Chapin Carpenter. I can't find a You Tube video of it but have given a link to the words.

Anyhow, America has any number, George Washington, Meriwether Lewis, President Lincoln to name just three. Italy has Garibaldi, France has Napoleon, Germany has Bach, Handel, Wagner ( and that's just the Bayern Munchen F.C. midfield !!).

Plenty too from England. Wellington, Queen Victoria, William Wilberforce and many more including Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson. He's the guy who stands proud on his towering column in London's Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar of course being the sea-battle he is best known for.

Much loved by his men and fellow officers, he fought many a battle. After The American War of Independence, he fought in the French Revolutionary Wars in the Mediterranean, then was wounded, losing an arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. By then he had already lost one eye.

He commanded the fleet when Britain secured arguably its greatest ever naval victory (the Armada of Phillip II of Spain being decimated by the Royal Navy and Mother Nature in 1588 was also a vital naval victoory, of course.) , when on October 21st 1805 he defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet from his flagship "Victory". Prior to the battle he had sent his signal "England expects every man to do his duty". Defeat of the enemy was soured by his death.

A musket bullet fired from the mizzentop of the French ship "Redoutable" struck Nelson in the left shoulder, passed through his spine at the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebrae, and lodged two inches below his right scapula in the muscles of his back. Nelson exclaimed, "They finally succeeded, I am dead." He was carried below decks.

He knew he was done for but as they carried him gently to his cabin, he was still passing on advice and orders, also covering his face with a handkerchief so his men would not see the pain he was suffering.

The loss of Nelson was a blow to two generations of Royal Navy Officers, cutting them to the quick as well as inspiring them for another century and a half, and in no small way helping to ensure that “Britannia Ruled the Waves” over that time. It was, and is, a source of tremendous national pride that Lord Nelson went to his grave in the manner of his own signal to the fleet as combat was joined at Trafalgar. He did his duty, and damn the cost.

His body was immersed in a vat of brandy for preservation and when the ship docked at Gibraltar, it was placed in a proper coffin and brought back to England where he was accorded a State Funeral.

These days "Victory" is in dry-dock at Portsmouth, England's major naval port and is a huge tourist attraction. A brass plaque on the deck marks where he fell just over 200 years ago.

(America was 29 years old at the time !)

Recently the diaries of a nurse Elizabeth Wynne who attended Lord Nelson many times throughout his career have been discovered and a grant has been given to a historian at Bath Spa University to enable a biography of her to be written.

She sounds an absolutely fascinating character as you can see from this linked article and I shall look forward to reading of her life. Damned sight more interesting than some politicians memoirs!!

Article links:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/diaries-tell-forgotten-story-of-nelsons-nurse-2066146.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Nelson

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Heroes-And-Heroines-lyrics-Mary-Chapin-Carpenter/5878A7C3EEB2AAA6482569380013EDE5

Technorati Tags: Heroes,Lord Nelson,Naval Battles,Trafalgar,Elizabeth Wynne,Royal Navy

Truth About Marriage: Conflicts, Compromises, and Working Together

2010-09-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

Six Things that Surprise Couples About Marriage

This is a really interesting article based on a very significant study. The one that caught my eye the most was “DO sweat the small stuff”. It’s worth a read, IMHO

Truth About Marriage: Conflicts, Compromises, and Working Together

Technorati Tags: WebMD,Marriage,Relationships

Seahawks So Far

2010-09-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

You know, I really didn’t know what to expect when Pete Carroll was selected to be the new head man at Seahawk World. Would his enthusiastic approach work with pro players? Especially veterans? I thought that his previous record as an NFL head coach was just fine, given that he got just one season, and two seasons at his two stops. That is just not enough time to put your program in place: not enough time to get the personnel you want for your system, not enough time to test that system (and yes, I feel this way about Jim Mora too. His career was capriciously damaged, and while the team has the right to go a different way if desired, it really was a Florida State-style mess to ignore Mike Holmgren’s likely desire to stay on and get the team back to a level he could feel good about leaving, name Mora coach in waiting, then give him just one year with poor personnel? Lame. Lame. Lame.).

So, back to Coach Carroll. I think he is likely to get much better defensive play out of this team and the new players added. I think that better line play and a solid receiving corps will show that if he isn’t being pounded into the turf and rushed on every play, Matt Hasselbeck is still a damn good quarterback. Perhaps seeing the impact Steve Sarkesian has had at the University of Washington and the immediate change in the players and program from moribund and impotent to on the move and expecting great things, has given me a positive feel for the way Coach Carroll’s upbeat ways will forge a new spirit in a team that has fallen like a rock from the elite to the effete the past two seasons.

A better group of players, the sense of meritocracy, the competitiveness at every position every week, the willingness to adapt to personnel, give players second chances, make quick decisions when the second chance ain’t going anywhere…what I am seeing is a team that is competitive, improved in personnel, willing to adapt, has chemistry and a sense of aggressiveness that has been missing of late. These are all good things, and I won’t be surprised to see this team finish first or second in the division (depending on how the Cardinals work out their offensive problems and the 49ers hold up over a season. Especially if the line can gel by the end of the bye week, there are some good playmakers (Housh, Forsett, Carlson, a rejuvenated Mike Williams, maybe Leon Washington and maybe Branch), and I am absolutely convinced that Matt can still get the offense as revved up as any QB in the league (if his line allows him some time, and makes some holes for the running game).

I can’t predict how the season will work out – too much is up in the air with Arizona, the 49ers and the Hawks to have a strong sense of how the long season will end, But I really do have the feeling now that the team is improved in all phases of the game, has chemistry that has been missing, and is lining up for seconds at the Pete Carroll enthusiasm and chemistry buffet. My guess:

Seattle Seahawks Schedule

Game (Result)	Record
SF at Seattle (Hawks)	1-0
Seattle at Denver (Broncos)	1-1
San Diego at Seattle (Hawks)	2-1
Seattle at St. Louis (Hawks)	3-1
Bye
Seattle at Chicago (Bears)	3-2
Arizona at Seattle (Hawks)	4-2
Seattle at Oakland (Hawks)	5-2
NY Giants at Seattle (Hawks)	6-2
Seattle at Arizona (Cardinals)	6-3
Seattle at New Orleans (Saints)	6-4
Kansas City at Seattle (Hawks)	7-4
Carolina at Seattle (Panthers)	7-5
Seattle at SF (Hawks)	8-5
Atlanta at Seattle (Hawks)	9-5
Seattle at Tampa Bay (Bucs)	9-6
St. Louis at Seattle (Hawks)	10-6

The great thing about this prediction is that it assumes the defense plays great, and helps the offense with takeaways and tough red zone play over the first few weeks. By the time of the bye, the O line should be gelling and healthy – good lord willing and the creek don’t rise – and the good start plus home field advantage helps the team get on a roll. The 12th man is valuable, but not if a team can’t win on the road, as has been the Hawks pattern recently. In my (hopeful?) prediction here, I am assuming a 3-5 record on the road (better, but not world-beating), and a 7-1 record at home. That may be tough with Atlanta, Carolina, SF, Arizona and the Giants, but I really think they’ll return to home form. We shall see. And luckily, for those of you who enjoy poking me when I am wrong, well, this may just give you the chance to do so four or five times.

I’m truly looking forward to seeing Coach Carroll’s approach and how it translates in the NFL. And whatever happens, he better get more than one season to “git ‘er done!”

Technorati Tags: Seattle Seahawks,NFL Football,Pete Carroll,Steve Sarkesian,University of Washington,Jim Mora,Mike Holmgren,Seahawks Schedule,Seahawk Season Prediction

YouTube - Funniest Thing Ever - Hilarious

2010-09-01T12:10:00.001-07:00

Bless her heart, the guy almost clobbers her in the crosswalk and she gives him a purse whack in just the right place!

Technorati Tags: Humor,Funny Video

Virus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2010-09-01T11:27:00.001-07:00

If you have CFS, or suspect it, this article is an excellent one discussing a very possible cause (not Epstein-Barr) for your condition.

Virus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Technorati Tags: CFS,Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,Medical Research

Ankylosing Spondylitis: All - Mayo Clinic.com

2010-09-01T11:13:00.001-07:00

When I was finally diagnosed with AS ion 2009, I believe that I was typical in terms of the amount of time it takes to diagnose AS. Recent studies indicate that it routinely takes between seven and ten years to diagnose the disease. I want to link to a very good article about the disease, progression and treatment options, and to encourage you to follow the advice in the article: write a careful, thoughtful, detailed summary of your symptoms, progression of symptoms, and any other conditions that may be present for you.

In my case, I was difficult to diagnose because as a result of significant joint injuries and a series of exceptionally invasive surgeries beginning when I was twelve or thirteen, I had osteoarthritis one would normally expect in a man seventy years old or more. I had symptoms in the hands, feet, shoulders, lumbar back, cervical spine, hips and knees. When I first saw a rheumatologist, the person found the history of surgeries, bone grafting, boring out of spine nerve openings, and combined with the x-rays that showed osteoarthritic changes, the rheumatologist stopped looking and told me that I would need joint replacement and that my problem was osteoarthritis.

Later on, as the fatigue and pain began to affect muscles and connective tissue like ligaments and tendons, I decided to see if perhaps the problem was metabolic. I have hypothyroidism, and when I saw an endocrinologist a complete workup showed that many of my pituitary systems were far outside normal ranges. After some evaluation and treatments, I was referred to a very experienced and exceptional rheumatologist named Steven Overman at the Seattle Arthritis Clinic. The endocrinologist believed I had an autoimmune connective tissue disease.

Dr. Overman did a complete workup, and after evaluating all the data, was able to tell me that yes, I had osteoarthritis, but the main problem, causing the connective tissue inflammation, fatigue, hip, sacroiliac pain and the pain from back injuries and arthritic changes (many of the facet openings were being filled in with arthritic material, causing the nerves to be compressed as they exited the spine). He also found osteophytes (arthritic bone spurs) at the point where ligaments and tendons attach to bone.

Finally, after ten years of declining health, chronic pain that seemed to get worse every year, fatigue that made the travel and long hours of my executive job more and more difficult, I had a diagnosis and could begin treating the root problem. The morning stiffness that lasted a couple of hours and sometimes more, the need to spend hours in a position that took the load off my spine and knees, the poor sleep and frequent interruptions, the increasing number of days when I was too fatigued and too sore, and somehow less able to concentrate…all could now begin to be treated.

I encourage you…don’t give up. Don’t assume you are just a wimp (I did!). Don’t give up when your first (luckily my Internist, Dr. Warren Fein, also saw the deterioration and was willing and helpful in pursuit of the cause(s) of my declining health and possible treatments – I’ll forever be grateful for such an exceptional GP to help me though my struggle to find a cause for truly life-changing health changes) or second or tenth doctor doesn’t get you some improvement. You have to be your own advocate and keep on working at researching your symptoms, finding possibilities and investigating them with whatever doctor you can at that time. The AVERAGE time to diagnosis for AS is 7-10 years. Don’t give up until you find some relief. Some AS patients are able to do amazing things after treatment – I know of one who ran a 5k. I am still very much in a place where I have trouble getting around, and have to conserve my energy every day, just to be able to do the most important things. But I have a path to a better quality of life, and I want that for myself, and for you, if you suffer from AS.

Please read the article below and start your own trek toward a better life.

Ankylosing spondylitis: All - MayoClinic.com

Technorati Tags: Ankylosing Spondylitis,AS,Mayo Clinic,Arthritis,Medical research,Arthtitis Research,Arthritis Experiences,Steven Overman MD,Seattle Arthritis Clinic

Pocatello Listed Among Nation's Best Places To Raise A Family - KPVI News 6 - Pocatello, ID

2010-08-31T17:59:00.001-07:00

Good news for the Gate City – where I was born, and my younger nephews are growing up now.

Pocatello Listed Among Nation's Best Places To Raise A Family - KPVI News 6 - Pocatello, ID

Technorati Tags: Pocatello,Idaho,Best Places to Raise a Family

Grandma Vidgame

2010-08-31T16:55:00.001-07:00

Don’t know who to credit for this cartoon, but it is pretty funny ~ at least I find it funny.

Technorati Tags: Funny,humor,comic,funny picture

New Bandages Latest in Healthcare Technology - High Tech Bandages and Band-Aids - Popular Mechanics

2010-08-31T16:35:00.001-07:00

This is fascinating. Here’s to the scientific advances in trauma treatment technology! And to the gecko…(you’ll see why)

New Bandages Latest in Healthcare Technology - High Tech Bandages and Band-Aids - Popular Mechanics

Chitosan gauze made from crab and shrimp exoskeletons.

Technorati Tags: Popular Mechanics,New Trauma Tech,Medical Advances

An American who flew for Britain in WW11

2010-08-31T16:25:00.001-07:00

Derek Andrews

"Under the Wire" is an excellent wartime memoir of a Spitfire pilot, legendary escaper and "cooler king" before Steve McQueen earned the sobriquet in the film "The Great Escape".

William Ash from Dallas TX was one of a relatively rare breed, an American who fought in World War Two before the United States became involved following the day that would live in infamy.

But here's the thing. Later there would be many Americans who flew for the Royal Air Force in their Eagle Squadron and a special arrangement was made with the U.S. government that their U.S. Citizenship would not be revoked because of their unusual entry-mode to the conflict.

But pre December 7th 1941, an American needed to go to Canada to "sign up" with us Brits and in "taking the King's shilling" his U.S. Citizenship would be taken from him, effectively making him a stateless person !

William Ash was shot down over France in 1942, survived, evaded capture for months thanks to the help of ordinary French men and women who would have been shot by the Nazis if they were caught. (Note to Americans who were critical of France and its lack of enthusiasm for a Middle-Eastern conflict and banned the French Fry. Never forget the enormous sacrifice their citizens made to help downed American and other Allied airmen during those years. There are instances far too numerous to list).

Eventually betrayed to the Gestapo, tortured and sentenced to death as a spy, he was saved from the firing-squad by the Luftwaffe and sent to Stalag Luft 111, the POW camp from where the real Great Escape took place.

He spent the next three years attempting to escape until ultimately being freed from his camp by the advancing American forces.

Stateless, he settled in England, studied at Oxford University, having been awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire), worked for the BBC's External Service in many foreign lands.

Sacked from the BBC because his extreme political leanings (which must have been very extreme as he was banned from the Communist Party of Great Britain!). Undaunted he founded the Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) and as far as I know, is still, at age 93, a Communist at heart.

Whatever his political persuasion, our thanks for his stance at an early stage of the war and his bravery and service during it.

The one thing I would like to know, and if anyone reading this can help I'd appreciate it, is whether people such as William Ash ever had their U.S. Citizenship re-instated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ash_(pilot)

Technorati Tags: WWII,World War II,Royal Air Force,American RAF Pilots,William Ash

Dangerous Occupations as defined by The U.S.Department of Labor

2010-08-31T13:58:00.001-07:00

Derek Andrews

*************************************************

According to the Dept of Labor you are most likely to die or sustain serious injury if you work in the Timber and Logging industries.

Followed by those jolly people on their fishing boats in the Bering Sea and elsewhere. (Don't bother guys, I HATE fish).

The remaining members of this exclusive Top Ten Band of Brothers are listed below. Visions of Roofers sliding down a steep roof into a toxic cess-pit or a Farmer jogging home with the refrain "Honey, I just chopped off both arms in the threshing machine" come hauntingly to mind.

Pilots and navigators
Structural metal workers
Drivers-sales workers
Roofers
Electrical power installers
Farm occupations
Construction laborers
Truck drivers

Perhaps at #11 ought to be occupants of English Victorian terraced houses with basements, considering that the writer fell down his basement steps a year ago.

However, the nicely laid out figures and graphs of insurance actuaries in Italy have taken a battering recently and they are now having to accept that GATHERING MUSHROOMS can be seriously detrimental to ones health, as the accompanying linked article shows.

At least 18 people have died in just 10 days as fungaioli, as this intrepid bunch are known (were known?) get up pre-dawn, camouflage themselves and trek off into wild countryside with a lamp secured to their head. Strangely they often forget to wear appropriate footwear for the tough terrain. This can cause problems. Trust me and cross-reference with writers mishap outlined earlier.

In trying to be first to get back to the markets and restaurant kitchens, where anxious owners and traders wait with zillions of Lira bills to swap for the prized specimens, they often fall down cliffs, get impaled on goat horns (well no, I made that last bit up but you get the idea) or just disappear. Failing to keep an optical prescription up to date may well be a contributing factor according to Herr Dirk Andrusz, a world expert on the subject.

So the moral is this mio amici italiani, stick to pasta, or just pop down to McDonalds for a mushroom burger and let someone else risk their life out there in the wild flora and fauna looking for the elusive fungi.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/29/italian-mountain-mushrooms-claim-lives

Technorati Tags: Italy,Mushrooms,Dangerous Occupations

Seattle Crime Blotter » SPD seeks public’s assistance in recent homicide; Taunting Letter-Writer Found

2010-08-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

Seattle Police are looking for anyone who can shed any light on the murder of a twenty year old man. Contact information and details can be found HERE.

Author of threatening letters discovered

From the Seattle PI and AP:

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives have cleared up one mystery in the 1987 slayings of a young Canadian couple, but they’re still looking for the killer.

For 23 years detectives have wondered if the person who sent rambling, taunting letters to the families of the couple was the killer.

The Herald reports investigators got their answer last week. The letters were sent by a mentally ill transient. He is not a suspect.

Detectives continue to look for the killer of the British Columbia couple — 20-year-old Jay Cook and 19-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg — who were on a trip to Seattle. His body was found near Monroe; hers near Alger in Skagit County.

Technorati Tags: Seattle Crime,Seattle True Crime,True Crime,Police Blotter

Honour the Few

2010-08-30T10:05:00.001-07:00

By Derek Andrews

Seventy years ago in the skies above Britain, some 2,900 young men repulsed a planned invasion by Hitler which would have seen the nation crushed into submission by the Nazi war machine.

The life expectancy of fighter pilots during the four months of the Battle of Britain, fought in the skies over southern England, was measured in mere days.

Yet the courage of these young men, average age just 21, prevailed.

As Winston Churchill so memorably said of them, "Never in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed, by so many, to so few".

To this day those brave men are known as the Few.

Thwarted, Hitler commenced the Blitz, constant bombing, most often at night, of London and many major cities.

"London can take it" and "More open than usual" (in a shop window despite the damage sustained to it) showed the stoicism of the British people.

Without the heroism and sacrifice of the Few, and the attitude of the Many, those who perished and those who made it through, the freedoms that we today take for granted would simply not exist.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307165/Battle-Britain-veterans-pride-commemorative-flight-marks-70th-anniversary.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307321/The-hell-beneath-inferno-As-bombs-fell-families-fled-underground-But-life-beneath-streets-squalid-nightmare-wasnt-safe.html

Technorati Tags: Battle of Britain,The Few,Britain

YouTube - Nerf Battle of the Ads: Snipers, Shooters and Clods

2010-08-29T21:52:00.001-07:00

Nerf, to the father of a nine year old boy, seems to represent approximately thirty percent of gross US GDP. Well, when this contest to submit a self-made ad for Nerf, my son Gus was all over the idea. We worked out some ideas, roped his sister in, and went to a wooded park to videotape. We think it is kinda funny, and I hope you’ll get a chuckle too. Don’t know if we’ll even register in the contest, but it was sure a fun thing to do with the kids.

Technorati Tags: Humor,Funny Ads,Nerf,Funny Video

Think you’ve been disappointed?

2010-08-29T05:45:00.001-07:00

This is another Edible Dirt cartoon. Matt Rosemier does a great job with his comic, and though I warn you some are pretty raw, his site is worth a look. So close…

Technorati Tags: Edible Dirt,humor,funny pictures. comics online

Weird Words in English

2010-08-29T05:22:00.001-07:00

by Derek Andrews

This is knowledge of the type I can virtually guarantee neither you, I or any of our countrymen and women will EVER need. But it is informative !!!

Q: What is a Rumbelow ?

A: Well Donald Rumbelow is a British Crime Historian who is a Jack the Ripper expert, having written books about him and

who also leads walking tours of the Ripper haunts in Whitechapel.

But perhaps even he doesn't realise that rumbelow is also a meaningless combination of syllables serving as a song or refrain sung by sailors while rowing a boat eg: Heave Ho or Hey-Ho. (14th century).

Having whetted your appetite for learning potential Scrabble point-scorers, have a go at this lot of never to be heard of again English words.

And no cheating !!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/quiz/2010/aug/17/weird-words-quiz-english

Technorati Tags: English words,Guardian,Oddities,Weird Words

Doughnut burger, fried butter, new foods at state fairs - USATODAY.com

2010-08-29T04:58:00.001-07:00

Man, I like junk food as much as the next guy, but FRIED BUTTER? This is an amusing offbeat story from USA Today. See if your local fair is “up to date” in culinary delights. I’ll stick to elephant ears, scones, onion burgers…

I guess those don’t exactly represent a healthier alternative, do they? But really, fried butter?!?!?!

Okay, it’s really frozen cubes (not the whole stick) of butter, fried in funnel cake batter and topped off with sugar and cinnamon. Still, imagine biting into a funnel cake with half a mouthful of melted butter inside…

Doughnut burger, fried butter, new foods at state fairs - USATODAY.com

Technorati Tags: Weird News,Humor,Food,Funny

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Spondyloarthritis: Abstract and Introduction

2010-08-27T13:48:00.001-07:00

This is a good source of information on how MRI technique can be very useful to SA sufferers – in fact, the study claims that MRI and TNF are the two greatest technological improvements in the treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Spondyloarthritis: Abstract and Introduction

Technorati Tags: Ankylosing Spondylitis,SA,MRI,Arthritis