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BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 09 Jan 08 - 06:57 PM 'I was dumbfounded. I thought I was dreaming,' updated 9:01 a.m. CT, Wed., Jan. 9, 2008 WARSAW, Poland - A Polish man got the shock of his life when he visited a brothel and spotted his wife among the establishment's employees. Polish tabloid Super Express said the woman had been making some extra money on the side while telling her husband she worked at a store in a nearby town. "I was dumbfounded. I thought I was dreaming," the husband told the newspaper on Wednesday. The couple, married for 14 years, are now divorcing, the newspaper reported. Copyright 2008 Reuters [A number of comments come to mind, but I guess I'll refrain.] John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Jan 08 - 07:05 PM Amos, your story about the check cashers fills in some gaps--thanks. I read a short version of that this morning. And the guy in the brothel--oy! |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:04 AM Glad to help. That poor Polish guy -- here he thought he was cheating on his wife, and blam!!. He's lucky it wasn't Random Draw night at the house or he might have ended up paying her double! :D A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 10 Jan 08 - 01:01 PM I guess you'd know about that. . . |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:22 PM No, ma'am, neither I nor my wife have ever entered such a place, upon my honor. But I know the costs and benefits of married life! :D A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:45 PM As a patron of a place of that kind, he's quite probably one who considers it "honest work." He was probably just put off by the obvious(?) conclusion that she was making more money than she was telling him about(?). [please note: extreme level of sarcastic content.] (and chalk one up in the "disappearing posts" column, as my first "Submit" for this comment vaporised completely. Trying again.) John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 11 Jan 08 - 01:18 PM A farmer in Kenya writes in the NY TImes: "The world knows of Kenya's vote-rigging scandal — of the rioting in Nairobi; the police assaults on the supporters of the opposition leader, Raila Odinga; the pogroms against traders and farmers of President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe. But we've watched it unfold in real time in our corner of central Kenya. When the Kikuyus fled the village up the road from us, local food supplies quickly dried up, hunger set in among the mob and rioting flared again. Then a Samburu witch doctor announced that it was time for his warriors, supporters of Mr. Odinga, to advance on the Pokot tribesmen, who had backed Mr. Kibaki. He said he had found a way to turn Pokot bullets into rain — a promise that evidently precipitated the clashes erupting around me. (EMphasis added.) Over the last two weeks, we've stuck to our daily routines, as if it somehow might make the nightmare of what was unfolding over the horizon recede. Still, I devised an evacuation plan for our workers who were from the "wrong" tribes. We dug up the lawn to plant extra vegetables, not knowing how much livestock we'll have down the road ..." I find it mind boggling that such a medieval stunt is still succeeding today. Oh, ye of little faith! A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 12 Jan 08 - 04:52 AM FBI wiretaps cut off due to unpaid bills Half of 990 FBI bills were not paid on time; one bill totaled $66,000 The Associated Press updated 12:16 p.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008 WASHINGTON - Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time. A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said. In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found. FISA wiretaps are used in the government's most sensitive and secretive criminal investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies. "We also found that late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence," according to the audit by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. More than half of 990 bills to pay for telecommunication surveillance in five unidentified FBI field offices were not paid on time, the report shows. In one office alone, unpaid costs for wiretaps from one phone company totaled $66,000. The FBI did not have an immediate comment. [End quote] There is a bit more at the link. My local rag added a comment not at the link, to the effect that the action by the phone companies raises questions about their conduct in releasing records to the FBI - to the effect of: "They're willing to believe the FBI that "The warrant's in the mail" but don't believe "The check's in the mail." John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 18 Jan 08 - 10:36 AM Puget Sound a rising threat, UW study says Water levels may rise as much as 4 feet this century, according to a climate change study. Friday, January 18, 2008 Much of the Snohomish and Stillaguamish river deltas could be awash in water and the coastline along western Snohomish County could shift inland slightly by the end of this century, according to a new University of Washington study. Climate change modeling by scientists at the university suggests the sea level in Puget Sound could rise by 4 feet by the year 2100, according to the study released on Thursday. The scientists put together a "worst case" model to help emergency responders and planners prepare for the potential impacts of climate change. A more moderate -- and likely -- scenario suggests sea levels will rise by about 2 feet by 2100. "Some people may want a worse case scenario for planning," said Philip Mote, a UW research scientist. "This is the worst-case scenario. We can't rule out higher rates of sea-level rise, but given what we know now, they seem improbable." Local emergency planners intend to review the new projections, especially along the Snohomish River, which is affected by the regular ebb and flow of tides all the way up to Snohomish. "We'll take a look at it and see if we can incorporate it into our own decision making process," said Steve Thomsen, the county's public works director. County officials will pass their findings along to the diking districts that manage levees along the Snohomish River. There's a possibility those levees would have to be raised, Thomsen said. Local emergency responders say they worry that higher sea levels could be a problem when flooding occurs at high tide. Snohomish County officials this year plan to figure out what they need to do to prepare for the effects of climate change. "The executive and the County Council set aside some money for a climate change vulnerability assessment," said Christopher Schwarzen, spokesman for County Executive Aaron Reardon. "We would use the UW report as one of our baselines of information to then go out and do this assessment." The report was put together by the UW's climate impact group and the state Department of Ecology. Looking at the near future -- 2050 -- the report suggests that sea levels could climb between 6 and 22 inches by 2050, and between 14 and 50 inches by 2100. Local leaders will have to sort out finer details of the effects of a rising sea, said Sascha Petersen, a costal research scientist at the UW Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Group. In Snohomish County, they might want to estimate how the shoreline would recede, whose property would be inundated and how much damage would be caused -- and what it would cost. The study found that "the middle of the road" climate change model, which is used by most around the world, suggests that sea levels will rise 23 inches by 2100, Mote said. The "most likely scenario" doesn't account for the possibility of things going as badly as possible, he said. The UW scientists got to their "50 inch" number by assuming that nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are blamed for trapping heat in the atmosphere. That, climate experts project, is contributing to a fast rise in global temperatures. The researchers also added in other factors that a commonly used international climate model left out, such as the continued melting of glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica and the geologic uplift of plate tectonics displacing ocean water, Mote said. And it's the worst-case scenario that emergency planners worry about. "If you have a high-value project and a low risk tolerance, then you want to plan for the worst-case scenario," he said. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 18 Jan 08 - 02:50 PM Here's another story about Fred Weisz. Looks like he ought to have a thread of his own. I published a long story about him (also from the Herald) some months ago. To friends, he's still the famous fiddler Street musician Fred Weisz relives his time in the spotlight Friday, January 18, 2008 link to the Herald (Everett) EVERETT -- Bluegrass fiddler and folk legend Fred Weisz bowed deeply to the standing ovation and roar of applause. "Welcome to a night to honor Fred Weisz! Let's hear it for Fred!" With that, longtime musician Flyin' Fred was airborne again. About 85 of his friends and fellow musicians from around the region packed Temple Beth Or. They all came to cheer Weisz and see him in two rare television clips from "Hootenanny" in 1964 and "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1970. People at Saturday's gathering were excited to see how famous Weisz had been long before he started playing for spare change outside the Snohomish County Courthouse. "Wow! That's our Fred," said Ron Green, head of membership at Temple Beth Or. Weisz was about 20 years old when he appeared with the Even Dozen Jug Band on "Hootenanny." A camera zoomed in for a black and white close-up of a fiddle solo played by Weisz. "He was so handsome!" a woman yelled. By 1970, Weisz was playing with Goose Creek Symphony, and they backed up country star Bobbie Gentry on Sullivan's show. In bib overalls, plaid shirt and black-rimmed glasses, Weisz played during a medley of songs with the long-legged, bare-midriffed Gentry. The Everett audience leapt to their feet after Weisz finished his fiddle solo, a challenging classic called "Fire on the Mountain." For years, Weisz, 63, yearned to see the old clip. He got his wish when amateur filmmaker Adam Martin of Athens, Tenn., last August read a story on Weisz on Heraldnet.com. Martin, a lifelong fan of Goose Creek Symphony, knew he could help. In October, Martin mailed a copy of "The Ed Sullivan Show" he had purchased for a documentary he's making about the band. Supporters at the Everett synagogue started work on a celebration and agreed to film Weisz's reaction for Martin's documentary. Weisz waited patiently for those months, promising not to peek at the 10 minutes of footage he'd long wanted to see. On Saturday, his satisfaction was clear. "It was great!" Weisz said after seeing the clip. "To me, it was the biggest accomplishment of my career as a musician, playing on the same stage as The Beatles." His memory of the event had clouded with the passage of time, he said. "I was so surprised when I saw that clip," Weisz said. After the show was recorded, Weisz and bandmate Charlie Gearhart ran into Ed Sullivan in a stairway. He told them "You boys are mighty fine," Weisz said. Martin has already received a call and thanks from Weisz. "He called me Sunday morning and he was on cloud nine," said Martin, who hopes to finish his documentary this summer. "I'm tickled to death to provide something that brings some happiness to his life." Weisz played fiddle, bass, banjo and guitar professionally starting in the 1960s. He's slowed down in recent years but still plays outside the courthouse when the weather is nice and travels to Burlington on Tuesdays for a regular bluegrass jam. Weisz takes medication for bipolar manic depression. A recent change in his dosage helped reduce the tremors that had slowed his playing. He says he's playing faster than he has in years. He also plays regular lunchtime gigs at Compass Health on Broadway. Weisz comes across as a regular guy who doesn't brag about his past, Green said. Everyone agreed Weisz deserves the praise. Old friends came into town to surprise him for the showing. "He's got such a great crowd of friends," said Les Peterson of Lake Stevens. "He taught me a lot about musicianship." Paul Vexler of Machias brought to the celebration a copy of the Even Dozen Jug Band album he bought in Freehold, NJ, in the 1960s. He was a fan of Fred decades before the two met at temple. "It's amazing how paths cross," he said. The event celebrated Weisz's contribution to the world of music and the local community, he said. For the celebration, Weisz traded his trademark jeans, suspenders and sneakers for a white dress shirt, sport coat and slacks. At Weisz's request, the crowd dined on cheesecake, pineapple and chocolate milk as part of a friendly potluck organized by Carolyn Wexler. "He's just a wonderful guy who has a wonderful talent," said Barb Ingrain of Edmonds. "It's nice to see him honored." After the accolades, more than a dozen bluegrass musicians from the Tuesday night jams pulled out their guitars, mandolins and a banjo and played in the temple for more than an hour. Fred's fiddle rang through on foot-stomping reels. Marc Daniel of Mount Vernon has known Weisz since about 1980, when he used to book concerts. "It's good to see him still playing," he said Saturday. "Everybody adores Fred," said Steve Stolpe of Mount Vernon, a friend of Weisz for 30 years. "They like Fred's authenticity. He's real down-home." Weisz basked in the adulation and said he was grateful. "I'm just delighted to see everyone," Weisz said. "All my friends are above average in a lot of ways. I value every friend I have." |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 19 Jan 08 - 01:09 PM A young woman heard burglars breaking in, ran and hid in the upstairs closet, and called 911 from her cellphone. When the cops started to close in, one of the burglars hid in the same closet within kissing distance of the frightened woman and never even saw her. When the cops entered the room she called out and told them he was in the closet, and the young thug was dumfounded to discover there had been someone in the closet with im!! The 911 operator who talked her through her ordeal was a champ. Details here. A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Jan 08 - 01:17 PM Now that's a close call! (pardon the pun. . .) |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 19 Jan 08 - 01:42 PM It looks like FOX is up to its old tricks. Since about 1030 this morning, PST, they have had a story posted asserting that Romney won the Nevada primaries on the Republican side. This while no other news source has predicted any win because the caucusing is still going on. This is rampantly unethical. Unless my facts are wrong it constitutes messing with the democratic process, blatantly and manipulatively by disseminating false information. Are my facts off here? WTF? Over. A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 19 Jan 08 - 03:22 PM The Congress of the United States could do us all a big favor and make it illegal for any media outlet to broadcast winner projections in any political contest or issue until all relevant voting has ended. Say with fines of $1,000,000 for each minute before the polls close for a first offense and loss of FCC license for the second one. Yeah, it would mean no presidential projections until Hawaiians had finished voting, So what? We're gonna have to put up with whomever wins for at least four years. We can't wait a few hours? Of course, there's no telling how many of the current congressional crop skated in to office by virtue of voters jumping on the bandwagon after having been projected winners. They aren't going to bite the hand that feeds 'em. (Damn, I'm feeling cynical today! Must be the rain.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: wysiwyg Date: 19 Jan 08 - 04:12 PM And she was complaining that her sister wouldn't LEAVE? Called cops for help, knowing she had outstanding warrants of her own, pending?[shaking head] :~) Alcohol MUST have been involved: Sister beaten with prosthetic leg, police say By Patti Dobranski (Pittsburgh) TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, January 19, 2008 A North Huntingdon woman is accused of taking the prosthetic leg of her older sister and beating her on the head with it at their township home. Donna Sturkie-Anthony, 41, of 13489 Route 30, Lincoln Mobile Home Trailer Park, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment for allegedly striking her 43-year-old sister, Sherrie Lynn Gibson, in the head and face several times early Wednesday morning. A township police dispatcher received a request for an ambulance at the suspect's mobile home at 12:36 a.m. Wednesday, but the caller refused to describe the emergency, according to the criminal complaint. Police said they found Sturkie-Anthony standing outside the home complaining about her sister and asking police to remove her. Sturkie-Anthony gave police permission to enter the mobile home. Police said they found blood on the floor and around a couch where Gibson was lying, still conscious and bleeding from wounds on her head and face. Gibson told police her sister had beaten her with her prosthetic leg, and police said Sturkie-Anthony then repeatedly admitted doing so. Police said Gibson was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment. A hospital spokesman said Friday there was no information about Gibson's condition because she may already have been released. Sturkie-Anthony was taken to the township police station and then transported by sheriff's deputies to Westmoreland County Prison on previous warrants. She was jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail and faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Douglas Weimer on Jan. 25. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 20 Jan 08 - 12:55 AM 6:51 18 January 2008 NewScientist.com news service Michael Day A "smart" dashboard that reduces the amount of information displayed to drivers during stressful periods on the road could be available in just five years, say German engineers. A team from the Technical University of Berlin found they could improve reaction times in real driving conditions by monitoring drivers' brains and reducing distractions during periods of high brain activity. They were able to speed up driver's reactions by as much as 100 milliseconds. It might not sound much, but this is enough to reduce breaking distance by nearly 3 metres when travelling at 100 kilometres per hour, says team leader Klaus-Robert MŸller. "In a real life situation this could be enough to prevent an accident or stop someone being injured, or worse," he says. "We now have the brain-interface technology to make this a reality." Squirrels 'fake it' to fool would-be thieves 19 January 2008 Magazine issue 2639 Squirrels seem to realise that the trees have eyes. To protect their food from would-be thieves, the rodents put on a great show of "hiding" non-existent nuts. When squirrels have spare morsels they bury them, digging a separate hole for each tasty titbit. But up to 20 per cent of the time they are merely faking it, says Michael Steele of Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The squirrels act as if they are thrusting something into the pit, and the deception even extends to covering the fake cache with soil and leaves (Animal Behaviour, DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.026). Squirrels show fake-cacheing behaviour when they are being watched, even by humans, so Steele recruited a group of undergraduates who did their best to see where the squirrels actually deposited their food. Fake burials increased after the squirrels saw team members raiding their caches, suggesting, Steele says, an understanding of the intention . |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 20 Jan 08 - 12:26 PM A Silicon Valley firm has developed a new nanotechnology process that permanently inscribes high-resolution photos on any diamond or other gemstone. The unique process used by Gemory LLC, does not harm the diamond in any way, preserving its original quality and customers' memories forever. Immortalize the treasured moments of your life - any event or occasion can be preserved forever with high-resolution photo inscription from Gemoryª. Events and the emotions tied to them are only temporary, but now you can maintain memories of them forever by inscribing photos on your diamond. Even inscribe family photos side by side in a perpetual family album. Future generations can add their own photos and create a lasting record of family lineage. Diamonds are forever, and now, with Gemoryª, so are memories. The patent-pending PureDiamondª process from Gemory uses nanotechnology to inscribe photos in high resolution on the surface of any diamond, pearl or other gem. Although microscopic and invisible to the naked eye, the photos can be viewed at any time using GemmaViewª, Gemory's proprietary portable viewing device. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 20 Jan 08 - 04:48 PM Three short articles from the same news blog: COMMENTARY By Brian Tracey Associate editor MSNBC updated 5:29 p.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 17, 2008 NUMBER 1: We've encountered the occasional mistake on our paychecks, but this really boggles the mind: A man was arrested this week after he allegedly received $469,000 in electronic payroll deposits from a company he never worked for. Anthony Armatys of Palatine, Ill., was arrested Wednesday on theft charges after officials at Avaya Inc., a telecommunications provider located in Basking Ridge, N.J., discovered checks had been mistakenly direct deposited into his account for nearly five years, according to the Somerset County prosecutor's office. Armatys, 34, had accepted a position with Avaya years ago, authorities said, but he rescinded the acceptance before he ever started working. However, a system error resulted in checks being deposited into Armatys' bank account from the fall of 2002 to March of 2007, when the company discovered the error, officials said. During that time, Armatys collected the more than nearly half million dollars in "pay" and even withdrew approximately $1,900 from an Avaya-sponsored retirement account administered by Fidelity Investments, authorities said. Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said it took investigators 11 months to do a thorough investigation, which resulted in the time gap between the discovery of the error and Armatys' arrest. NUMBER 2: Here's some more banking buffoonery: Britain's Barclays sheepishly admitted last week it had inadvertently issued a credit card to a con man posing as the lender's chairman of the board. Several British newspapers reported that an account held by the top executive, Marcus Agius, was pilfered of nearly $20,000 after a man called Barclays' customer service center claiming to be the banker after apparently finding some of his personal information online. Agius played down the theft and sought to reassure customers who may have been alarmed at the notion that a chairman of a bank could become prey to identity theft. "Credit card fraud is an issue which our industry continues to confront," he was quoted as saying. "Barclays is resolved to do everything possible on behalf of our customers, to minimize its impact." The bank added that every client, not just the chairman, are fully reimbursed if these types of thefts occur. NUMBER 3: Mmm, mouse foot A woman living in Slovenia who found a mouse foot in a jar of pickles was shocked to be told, in effect, that it was perfectly good to eat. Lenka Komparova contacted the Health Ministry as she prepared to sue the company producing the food, according to the Ananova Web portal. But instead of backing her claim, officials said she should consider the rodent appendage as a "special additive." Ministry spokeswoman Vivijan Potocnik said: "It is completely normal in big factories to have mice wandering around, and yes, every now and then they get caught amongst the machines and do get bottled, seasoned, preserved and even make it in one piece to consumers. "Although not very pleasant to see, however, they pose no health threat at all," Potocnik was quoted as saying. "During the preservation process, even traces of any salmonella bacteria are eliminated in food. A [mouse foot] therefore could be classified as a special additive to the pickles." Komparova said: "I couldn't believe it. I don't know what they eat at the ministry — but finding dead animals in jars of food isn't normal." Yes, it's a delicacy! Do we need a vote on which is the most ridiculous? John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 08 - 05:45 PM I heard that one about the man being paid all of that money. I wonder, if he had simply saved it in an otherwise unused account, could he have legally kept the interest? |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 20 Jan 08 - 07:13 PM She should be glad they didn't charge her extra for the specialty treat! :D A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 20 Jan 08 - 07:31 PM Stilly - A crime is committed if the accused derives undeserved "benefit" from something in which there's "participation." Withdrawing the interest would be a "participation" and any interest would be a "benefit." IF HE HAD all the money and the interest he might have significant "negotiating power" for a plea bargain or for a waiver of prosecution. He might even be able to say "I didn't know what to do with it. How much is the reward?" John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: GUEST Date: 22 Jan 08 - 06:13 PM Trust me, that lady lives two doors down from me. Alcohol may have been involved, but she's like that on a regular basis. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 22 Jan 08 - 07:37 PM Twins Unwittingly Got Married in Britain |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Bert Date: 23 Jan 08 - 09:57 AM Today's headline... "Study: Bush issued false statements" Or maybe this should be in the "jokes" thread. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 23 Jan 08 - 11:51 AM Airport security being what it is, you'd think someone was comparing the checked tag with the luggage tag. And this guy thought they might keep the cat--because it didn't have a home? Sheesh. Fort Worth schools have turned out at least one guy who isn't a deep thinker (even if he did finally do the right thing and call the owner). Cat Stowaway Makes It Home Again (AP) January 23, 2008 PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Some kitty math: How many lives did little tabby Gracie Mae use up when she crawled into her owner's suitcase, went through an airport X-ray machine, got loaded onto a plane, thrown onto a baggage belt and mistakenly picked up by a stranger far from home? "She's got to be at four or five now," Seth Levy said after his 10-month-old pet was returned Sunday night by a kind stranger who went home to Fort Worth, Texas, with the wrong bag and Gracie inside to boot. The last time Levy's wife, Kelly, saw Gracie was before she took her husband to the airport. The 24-year-old went back to her house in Palm Beach Gardens late Friday to find the bottom step, where Gracie would usually be waiting, empty. She tore the house apart looking for the cat, who had been spayed just days before. She and her dad took out bathroom tiles and part of a cabinet to check a crawl space and papered the neighborhood with "lost cat" signs. Then she got a phone call. "Hi, you're not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth, Texas, and I accidentally picked up your husband's luggage. And when I opened the luggage, a cat jumped out," Kelly Levy quoted the caller saying. Rob Carter said he made it home with the suitcase before realizing it wasn't his - and there was a big surprise inside. "I went to unpack and saw some of the clothes and saw it wasn't my suitcase," he said. "I was going to close it, and a kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl." Carter said that he eventually was able to get the cat to come out from under the bed. "In the morning, I got close enough to see its collar and the phone number on it," he said. "So I called the number and got a hold of the crying wife of the traveler." The tabby made the 1,300-mile trip home on an $80 plane ticket. Carter said he considered keeping the cat before he knew she had a home. "We were going to name it Suitcase," he said. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 23 Jan 08 - 01:00 PM Great!! LOL!!! Suitcase!!! This guy has a sense of humor. A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 24 Jan 08 - 07:16 AM Rogue trader to cost bank $7 billion Country's second-largest bank says it plans to seek $8 billion in new capital The Associated Press updated 5:03 a.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 24, 2008 PARIS - French bank Societe Generale said Thursday it has uncovered a $7.14 billion fraud — one of history's biggest — by a single futures trader who fooled investors and overstepped his authority. The fraud destabilized a major bank already exposed to the subprime crisis. France's second- largest bank by market value said it would be forced to seek $8.02 billion in new capital. Trading in Societe Generale's shares, which have lost nearly half their value over the past six months, was suspended on the Paris bourse. It was unclear when trading would resume. Single weekend of fraud The bank said it detected the fraud at its French markets division the weekend of Jan. 19-20. In a statement announcing the discovery, it called the fraud "exceptional in its size and nature." It said a trader at the futures desk had misled investors in 2007 and 2008 through a "scheme of elaborate fictitious transactions." The trader, who was not named, used his knowledge of the group's security systems to conceal his fraudulent positions, a statement from the bank said. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 24 Jan 08 - 09:27 PM The world's fastest street-legal car Boutique automaker unveils a 1,183-horsepower road rocket By Stuart Schwartzapfel Business Week updated 2:33 p.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 24, 2008 On Sept. 13, 2007, the Shelby SuperCars' Ultimate Aero became the fastest production car in the world. The event took place on a temporarily closed, two-lane stretch of public highway in Washington State. In accordance with Guinness World Records' strict policies, the car had to drive down the highway, turn around, and make a second pass in the opposite direction within one hour. The Ultimate Aero posted 257.41 mph on the first pass and 254.88 mph on the second for an average of 256.18 mph. Official data were collected via a GPS tracking system from Austrian data acquisition company Dewetron. Guinness World Records later verified data for an official top-speed announcement on Oct. 9, 2007. At that speed the Ultimate Aero broke the official record held by the Koenigsegg CCR (242 mph) and the unofficial record (253 mph) held by Volkswagen's $1.6 million Bugatti. A nice picture and some specs at the link. List price only $600,000 but the car used for the test is reportedly the only one (of 50 planned for this model) ready for sale to a customer. Get your order in now!!!! John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 25 Jan 08 - 09:23 AM Scientists Take New Step Toward Man-Made Life By ANDREW POLLACK Published: January 24, 2008 Taking a significant step toward the creation of man-made forms of life, researchers reported Thursday that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by painstakingly stitching together its chemical components. Complete Chemical Synthesis, Assembly, and Cloning of a Mycoplasma genitalium Genome (Science Express)While scientists had previously synthesized the complete DNA of viruses, this is the first time it has been done for bacteria, which are much more complex. The genome is more than 10 times as long as the longest piece of DNA ever previously synthesized. The feat is a watershed for the emerging field called synthetic biology, which involves the design of organisms to perform particular tasks, such as making biofuels. Synthetic biologists envision being able one day to design an organism on a computer, press the "print" button to have the necessary DNA made, and then put that DNA into a cell to produce a custom-made creature. "What we are doing with the synthetic chromosome is going to be the design process of the future," said Dr. J. Craig Venter, the boundary-pushing gene scientist. He assembled the team that made the bacterial genome as part of his well publicized quest to create the first synthetic organism. The work was published online Thursday by the journal Science. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 25 Jan 08 - 10:16 AM Posing As Girl, Retired Cop Nabs Prey January 25, 2008 DIAMOND, Mo. - No one will ever confuse Jim Murray with a teenager. His tall frame, broad shoulders and clipped gray hair give him away for the grandfather he is. But the 69-year-old retired police chief of this small Missouri town cuts a credible figure as a 13-year-old girl surfing the Web, looking for friends. He knows all the instant-messaging shorthand, the emoticons. Murray's retirement job from a rural home office has netted 20 arrests since he started in 2002. His latest catch was the biggest: four felony enticement charges against a town mayor, who after his arrest called Murray up and begged him to make the case go away. Nineteen other defendants have included a Missouri furniture company executive, an Arkansas professor and a Tulsa, Okla., school security guard. Ten of those men have been convicted and sent to prison. One was deported. The other cases are still pending. The defendants ranged in age from 24 to 62, with an average age of 39.4 years, and mainly come from Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, Diamond police said. Internet child safety experts say police officers like Murray are heroes who do good work at the cost of wading through the muck of online pedophile fantasies. "He's a trailblazer. 2002 was very early for smaller police departments to start doing this," said Parry Aftab, executive director of Wiredsafety.org, a children's Internet safety group. Murray, who taught elementary school for 27 years before switching to police work, is more humble. "This is really about the kids," he said. The first thing he hands a reporter at the start of an interview is a neat packet of newspaper stories about Kacie Woody, a 13-year-old girl in neighboring Arkansas who was abducted, raped and killed by a man she met online. It's not a case Murray worked on. Instead, he said, it's "a motivator." Murray said he manages to shake the online conversations out of his head after a while, but they can still make him angry. "There'll be times when you just want to reach through the screen and choke them or slap them," he said. "To think they could talk that way to a girl." The latest defendant is Allen Kauffman, 63, who resigned as mayor of Collins and pastor of Temple Lot Church after he was arrested Jan. 11 at home in his small town about 110 miles southeast of Kansas City. Kauffman declined Wednesday to discuss the specifics of his case, including how he plans to plea and his lawyer did not return a phone message. Kauffman did not propose an actual meeting in any of the exchanges listed in the charging documents. But according to court documents, prosecutors say Murray was logged into a Yahoo! chat room as a 13-year-old girl named "cindyndiamond" using the screen name "Cin" when he was first contacted Nov. 15 by "duke dukead," who prosecutors allege was Kauffman. Duke contacted Cindy again the next day and said he was 55 years old. The exchange included: Cin: i like to french kiss ... senior boy taught me. duke dukeadk: but it depends on where you want to be kissed at lol. In at least five instant-message sessions through mid-December, Duke allegedly went on to tell Cindy he wanted to have sex with her, asked for nude photos of her and suggested Cindy have sex with another girl in front of a Webcam so that Duke could watch. Murray has arrested other men arriving for trysts they believed they were setting up with the detective's teenage persona. Murray was chief of police in the farm town of Diamond from 1995 to 2000. He got a personal computer after retiring and discovered chat rooms and was angered when he was offered pictures of young girls. He contacted experts in the field of Internet sting operation and got training from the National White Collar Crime Center on basic computer data recovery. Now, Murray patrols the Web from a cramped home office divided between his police computer and a personal computer ringed with photos of his six grandchildren and three adult kids. Murray remains a detective on reserve status with the Diamond police but he donates his investigation time. He says he only spends about 30 minutes a week on average in chats but several hours more going over hard drives of arrested suspects looking for contacts with other potential victims. "Several people have stopped me at Wal-Mart and the filling station and said they appreciate what we're doing on the Internet stuff. And that's a good feeling." |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 27 Jan 08 - 05:10 PM WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS HEADLINE? Long Island-New England tunnel proposed A brief excerpt from the article: Drivers would pay $25 for shortcut, but towns worry about extra traffic The Associated Press updated 12:22 p.m. CT, Sun., Jan. 27, 2008 OYSTER BAY, N.Y. - It would be the world's longest highway tunnel, running more than 16 miles under the west end of Long Island Sound. The cost is estimated at $10 billion — and it wouldn't cost taxpayers a dime. A developer wants to build the tunnel with private money, recouping his costs by charging drivers $25 each way and by selling advertising. Comment: Whoever wrote the headline didn't read the article and/or is totally ignorant of US geography. An 18 mile long tunnel is proposed from Long Island, NY to Rye, NY. The closest "New England" town to New York City (that shows on a normal highway map) is Hopkinton, RI which is 138 miles from NYC. (And there's not really much reason anyone would want to go there.) The "developer" proposing this project states with fair accuracy: Developer Vincent Polimeni says the tunnel between Oyster Bay and Rye on the New York mainland would let travelers going between Long Island and New England avoid crowded New York City highways and help alleviate traffic congestion. Comment: The existing "preferred route" from Oyster Bay (Long Island) to Rye, NY is about 40 miles, so the 18 mile tunnel would be shorter. HOWEVER, Oyster Bay is now nearly 20 miles via "city streets" from the nearest "highway." (For the arithmetically lazy: 20 miles on back streets + 18 miles in the tunnel = 38 miles vs 40 miles on existing major arteries) So the developer is apparently expecting NY State to provide 20 miles of new "superhighways" to feed his tunnel on the Oyster Bay end. Infrastructure required to support feeding/dumping traffic at the other end would be somewhat less, but would still require significant "new roadwork" - from public funds and not included in the developer's "no cost to the public, privately funded project." Response from "public officialdom" reportedly has been "tepid" at best. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 27 Jan 08 - 06:24 PM Personally, I wouldn't travel that far in a tunnel like that. Gives me the creeps. There are several ferries that run from places on Long Island to places along the coast northeast of New York City. I've been on a couple of them myself. Orient Point (northwest of Montauk) to New London, near Mystic, CT, is a pleasant and very efficient trip. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 27 Jan 08 - 07:31 PM A standard question on freshman math tests when I was in college was "a real tunnel." A straight-line tunnel from Washington DC to Boston (430 miles) would of course be sloped down for the first half of the distance and then rise for the rest of the way to the end. A "train" starting at one end would thus accelerate going downhill for the first half of the distance and then coast uphill, losing speed to come to a stop at the other end. (Friction and wind resistance are generally ignored for freshman spot-tests. Sophomores get a tougher test.) The usual questions included calculating how deep the tunnel would be at the center, maximum speed at the half-way point, and how long it would take the train to make the trip. For extra credit sometimes one could calculate how much shorter the tunnel was than a "great circle" route on the surface. Recollection is that it would be about a half hour trip (a simple pendulum period calculation). Speed at the center was "very fast" but I don't recall just how many zeros were in the answer, and I'm too lazy to work it out again. That would be closer to a real New York to New England tunnel, although New York to Boston is only about half as long (210 miles?). John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 27 Jan 08 - 10:32 PM JiK: It may have escaped your attention that the New England states included the Nutmeg state, which borders New York State right up from Rye. A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 27 Jan 08 - 11:57 PM I thought nutmegs were tropical things. You're telling me they're from Connecticut? (Assuming that's what you mean--it connects to NY--I used to go there all the time when I lived in Brooklyn and my great aunt lived in Ansonia, near New Haven.) SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 28 Jan 08 - 12:59 AM Amos - I guess I was using the Boston definition for New England. I do vaguely recall one of the Boston locals admitting that CN was part of New England, but he sort of dismissed it as "but nobody ever goes there" so I forgot about it. (Of course if you had relatives, there might be a reason to go(?). It's still quite a ways past the end of the proposed tunnel, and still needs a bunch of public highway work to make a connecti(cut)on to anyplace. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 28 Jan 08 - 01:26 AM It was not named for growing them but for the wandering peddlars who used to sell them, I think. I have forgot. Or perhaps they used to counterfeit them -- carving imitations out of wood. One historical reference site says: "Nutmeg, the powder used for seasoning foods, is ground from the seed of the fruit of the Nutmeg Tree, Myristica fragans. A couple of stories exist as to the origin of this nickname. One story has it that this nickname came about as a comment on the ingenuity and shrewdness of the citizens of the state. In a story, perhaps originated by Sam Slick, it is claimed that the people of Connecticut were so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell "wooden" nutmegs to unsuspecting buyers. A variation on this story maintains that purchasers did not know that the seed must be ground to obtain the spice and may have accused yankee peddlars, unfairly, of selling worthless "wooden" nutmegs. It may be that these wooden nutmegs were whittled by idle sailors on ships coming from the spice island and sold as souvenirs." A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 28 Jan 08 - 01:53 PM It's CT, not CN. That story must have made quite a lot of headlines to "stick" in such a way that it became an identifier for the state. Seems a little shaky to me. The state library offers these two possibilities (maybe Amos was here already) The "Nutmeg State" According to the book State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols by George Earlie Shankle (New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1941): "The sobriquet, the Nutmeg State, is applied to Connecticut because its early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs. Sam Slick (Judge Halliburton) seems to be the originator of this story. Some claim that wooden nutmegs were actually sold, but they do not give either the time or the place." Yankee peddlers from Connecticut sold nutmegs, and an alternative story is that: "Unknowing buyers may have failed to grate nutmegs, thinking they had to be cracked like a walnut. Nutmegs are wood, and bounce when struck. If southern customers did not grate them, they may very well have accused the Yankees of selling useless "wooden" nutmegs, unaware that they wear down to a pungent powder to season pies and breads." Elizabeth Abbe, Librarian, the Connecticut Historical Society; Connecticut Magazine, April 1980. Hmmm. The name "Halliburton" creeps into it. Light is dawning. . . |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 28 Jan 08 - 02:11 PM IN any case, no Hahvahde smahty has any right to not include Connecticut in the collective of New England. We shall not have our place in history belittled, adulterated, lifted from us nor denied!!! A |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 28 Jan 08 - 07:12 PM I found the guy--his eBay id is Idd1863. Link to page (I don't know how long this will stick around. It is item number 290198663242.) I clicked on his name for listings and then selected "completed listings" to see that he has over $3000 in sales in the past 10 days. It's pretty scary when you let a fox guard the hen house. Man arrested in eBay sale of historic documents Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:21pm EST By Christopher Michaud NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state employee who had access to government-owned archives has been arrested on suspicion of stealing hundreds of historic documents, many of which he sold on eBay, authorities said on Monday. Among the missing documents were an 1823 letter by U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun and copies of the Davy Crockett Almanacs, pamphlets written by the frontiersman who died at the Alamo in Texas. Daniel Lorello, 54, of Rensselaer, New York, was charged with grand larceny, possession of stolen property and fraud. He pleaded innocent in Albany City Court on Monday. He was found out by an alert history buff who saw the items posted on the online auction site and alerted authorities, the state attorney general's office said in a statement. Lorello, a department of education archivist, pleaded not guilty to the charges although he previously admitted in a written statement to stealing documents and artifacts since 2002. The attorney general's office released a copy of his statement. In 2007 alone, Lorello stated he took 300 to 400 items, including the four-page Calhoun letter, which drew bids of more than $1,700 while investigators were monitoring the sale. Officials recovered some 400 items from his upstate New York home, which Lorello estimated was 90 percent of everything he had taken, but they have yet to determine how many items were sold online. The state library's extensive collection includes an original first draft of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and complete set of autographs from the signers of the Declaration of Independence. EBay auctions posted by Lorello included a Currier & Ives lithograph that he described as "in excellent condition." The Calhoun letter auction said "100 percent satisfaction is guaranteed." Other items Lorello admitted in his statement to stealing and selling included an 1835 Davey Crockett Almanac, which fetched $3,200, and a Poor Richard's Almanac which went for $1,001. EBay was cooperating with state officials in the probe. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Feb 08 - 11:56 AM Feds Nab Woman Accused of ID Thefts February 04, 2008 TINLEY PARK, Ill. - A woman suspected of stealing other people's identities and duping some of the country's top universities into admitting her and giving her student loans has been arrested in a Chicago suburb, federal investigators say. Esther Elizabeth Reed, 29, was arrested on a federal warrant Saturday in Tinley Park, said Malcolm Wiley, spokesman for the Secret Service. Reed, who had been one of the Secret Service's most wanted fugitives, was indicted in September by a federal grand jury in Greenville, S.C., on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, false identification documents and aggravated identity theft. Reed used sophisticated scams to steal identities she used to gain entrance to California State University at Fullerton, Harvard and Columbia University, where she studied criminology and psychology, investigators said. Reed also used the stolen identities to obtain more than $100,000 in student loans, according to the Secret Service. She attended Columbia for two years as a graduate student under the name Brooke Henson before investigators discovered her identity was false, the Secret Service said. The real Henson, of Travelers Rest, S.C., has been missing since 1999., but investigators have said they do not believe Reed had anything to do with Henson's disappearance. Wiley did not know when Reed would next appear in court. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 08 Feb 08 - 10:46 PM Half of U.K. men would swap sex for 50-inch TV LONDON - Nearly half of British men surveyed would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV, a survey — perhaps unsurprisingly carried out for a firm selling televisions — said on Friday. Electrical retailer Comet surveyed 2,000 Britons, asking them what they would give up for a large television, one of the latest consumer "must-haves." The firm found 47 percent of men would give up sex for half a year, compared to just over a third of women. "It seems that size really does matter more for men than women," the firm said. A quarter of people said they would give up ... ... chocolate. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: KB in Iowa Date: 12 Feb 08 - 02:26 PM BlackBerry out of service in North America Next Article in TechnologyNEW YORK (AP) -- An outage has disconnected BlackBerry smart phones across North America. AT&T Inc. says the disruption Monday is affecting all wireless carriers. AT&T first learned about the problem at about 3:30 p.m. ET. There's no word on the cause or when the problem might be fixed. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion did not immediately return a phone call. I love the last sentence. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 12 Feb 08 - 03:58 PM More on BlackBerry: Outages could damage BlackBerry's icon status: Two major service interruptions occur in less than a year Cause of BlackBerry outage still unknown: Disruption left subscribers in U.S., Canada without service on Monday The previous BlackBerry outages have prompted angry backlashes against RIM because of the company's lengthy silences about what caused them and the cryptic and jargon-laden explanations that eventually emerge. RIM waited two days after the April outage before telling customers what happened. The last major failures were nearly two years before that. The company angered users by waiting hours before confirming the problem, then issuing a confusing technological description of what happened. 'BlackBerry blackouts' aim for balance: Canadian government ministry urges employees to limit use of devices (This last one simply says that one Canadian ministry thinks BlackBerry users should "get a life.") John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Feb 08 - 03:17 PM Researchers: Why are thousands of hibernating bats dying in NY and Vermont? February 14, 2008 ROSENDALE, New York - Scientists in hazmat suits are crawling into dank caves to find out why bats in New York and Vermont are mysteriously dying off by the thousands, often with a white ring of fungus around their noses. "White nose syndrome," as the killer has been dubbed, is spreading at an alarming rate, with researchers calling it the gravest threat in memory to bats in the U.S. "This is definitely unprecedented," said Lori Pruitt, an endangered-species biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Bloomington, Indiana. "The hugest concern at this point is that we do not know what it is." A significant loss of bats is chilling in itself to wildlife experts. But - like the mysterious mass die-offs around the country of bees that pollinate all sorts of vital fruits and vegetables - the bat deaths could have economic implications. Bats feed on insects that can damage dozens of crops, including wheat and apples. "Without large populations of bats, there would certainly be an impact on agriculture," said Barbara French of Bat Conservation International of Austin, Texas. White nose syndrome has afflicted at least four species of hibernating bats, spreading from a cluster of four caves near Albany last winter to more than a dozen caverns up to 130 miles (210 kilometers) away. Alan Hicks, a wildlife biologist with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, said he fears a catastrophic collapse of the region's bat population and is urgently enlisting experts around the country to find the cause. It is not even clear if the fungus around the bats' noses - something scientists say they have never seen before - is a cause or a symptom. It may be a sign the bats are too sick to groom themselves, said Beth Buckles, a veterinary pathologist at Cornell University. The deaths could be caused by bacteria or a virus. Or the bats could be reacting to some toxin or other environmental factor. Whatever it is, afflicted bats are burning through their winter stores of fat before hibernation ends in the spring, and appear to be starving. The Northeast has generally had mild winters in recent years. But Hicks said he doubts that is the culprit in some way, since there are no reports of large die-offs in warmer states. Nor are there any known links between what is wiping out the bees and what is killing the bats. The cause of the bee deaths is still a mystery, though scientists are looking at pesticides, parasites and a virus not previously seen in the U.S. Researchers said there is no evidence the mysterious killer is any threat to humans. Scientists venturing into the caves wear hazardous-materials suits and breathing masks primarily to protect the bats, not themselves. Hicks said it is possible that a cave explorer introduced the problem in the Albany-area caves and that it spread from there. "It could have been some caver in Tanzania with a little mud on his boot and a week later he's in a cave in New York," he said. New York officials are asking people to stay out of bat caves in case humans are unwittingly spreading the problem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking people not to enter caves with gear or clothing used in any New York and Vermont cave within the past two years. The first inkling of trouble came in January 2007, when a cave explorer spotted an unusual number of bat carcasses around the mouth of a cave in the hills west of Albany. Within a month, people in the area were calling in with reports of bats flying outside in the middle of the day. "We didn't know anything other than bats were coming out and they were just dying on the landscape," Hicks said. "They were crashing into snow banks, crawling into wood piles and dying." By winter's end, 8,000 to 11,000 bats were presumed dead in the four caves. The mystery affliction has spread much farther this winter. Death counts are not in yet for this winter since affected bats die slowly. But Hicks said there are 200,000 or more bats hibernating in caves where white nose has been detected. Hicks recently led a team of scientists into an abandoned mine in this Hudson Valley town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of New York City. He directed his headlamp on a cluster of seven brown bats, smaller than mice, hanging high on the limestone wall. Four had the telltale white flecks on their muzzles. He tapped one of the afflicted bats with a long stick, and it fell, already dead. Another groggily spread its papery wings on Hicks' gloved hand. The sickly bat was put into a cardboard takeout-soup container to be put to death and studied, since it was doomed anyway. A group of Indiana bats, a federally protected endangered species, was spotted hanging lower down in the mine for cooler air, a common strategy for sick bats. Hicks whispered grimly: "These guys are toast." --- On the Net: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html http://www.batcon.org/home/contact.asp |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 14 Feb 08 - 03:41 PM Researchers have discovered two planets in a solar system 5,000 light-years away that appears to be structured in some important ways like our own. The planets are gas giants similar to but smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, and their relative sizes are also similar. In addition, they circle their star at a distance proportional to the distances of Jupiter and Saturn from the sun. "This is the first time we've found a Jupiter-like planet in the same system as a Saturn planet," said Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, lead investigator on the project. "There's reason now to believe there are probably many more solar systems like it." The discovery, published today in the online edition of the journal Science, lends support to the long-held belief of many astronomers that there are many planets orbiting their stars in ways similar to our solar system. Most of the more than 260 planets discovered so far have orbited their suns far more closely than theorized, and the planets have been larger than expected. Gaudi said that was most likely a result of the techniques used to search for the planets, techniques that work best at finding large planets that orbit close in. His group used a different method -- called gravitational micro-lensing -- that required collaboration with professional and amateur astronomers from around the world. |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: JohnInKansas Date: 14 Feb 08 - 07:35 PM AND YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT PROBLEMS WITH BOOKING AGENTS? Chinese acrobats stranded in shelter Stranded by circus promoter, 16 young performers get stuck in Dallas The Associated Press updated 9:59 a.m. CT, Thurs., Feb. 14, 2008 DALLAS - A team of 16 young Chinese acrobats arrived here ready to dazzle Americans with their backflips, cartwheels and human pyramids, but their U.S. tour began with two nights at a homeless shelter. A mysterious circus promoter from Wisconsin failed to meet the performers when they arrived Monday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Instead, he called Bill Thompson, executive director of the Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter. The promoter, who gave only his first name, Gary, told Thompson he had run out of money and needed someone to pick up the acrobats, who range in age from 13 to 20. "He sounded desperate, no doubt," Thompson said. "From what I know, it seems to be poor planning more than anything else." Thompson and other shelter workers arrived at the airport in three vans and no clue how to find the troupe. Thompson finally found a group of 18 people who fit the bill -- 16 acrobats and two adults -- and broke through the language barrier by saying "the one word we could all agree on: acrobat." The Shanghai-based Guanhua Acrobatic team spent two nights at the mission, but first, Thompson took them to a McDonald's. "They all ordered the No. 9: grilled chicken," Thompson said. The troupe put on an impromptu show for reporters Wednesday, tossing straw hats like boomerangs and performing acrobatic moves with ease. They also seemed remarkably sanguine about their situation, saying it was status quo for circus performers. The acrobats, who planned a 10-month U.S. tour, said through a translator that they were looking forward to possible performances in the Dallas area, Chicago, Wisconsin and Las Vegas. 'We're used to waiting' "I have a confidence we can find a tour in the U.S.," said Wenbin Gao, one of the adults traveling with the acrobats. "We're used to it. We're used to waiting." Contacted by The Associated Press, the circus promoter refused to give his last name during a telephone interview. He called the mistake "a little scheduling snafu," saying trailers he purchased for the group never arrived in Texas because of recent snowstorms in the Midwest. The promoter said he has lined up performances for the troupe, but refused to give specifics. "Nobody is trying to do anything shifty," he said. "I'm trying to do something nice, not something dastardly. It's already fixed." By Wednesday afternoon, the promoter said he arranged for the group to stay at a ranch near Dallas owned by another performer. Thompson confirmed they had left. "They are going to another performer's place and they are warm and getting fed," the promoter said. "We're going to get them performing and get them happy." Copyright 2008 The Associated Press John |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Feb 08 - 08:34 PM I just sent the link and a note to my boss. Maybe we should try to get a performance set up on my university campus (at Arlington, TX, about 30 miles from Dallas). SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: KB in Iowa Date: 15 Feb 08 - 02:36 PM Public: Faith trumps scienceProposed teaching standards are at odds with what most Floridians believe. By Ron Matus and Donna Winchester, Times Staff Writers Published February 15, 2008 Florida parents don't have much faith in evolution. Only 22 percent want public schools to teach an evolution-only curriculum, while 50 percent want only faith-based theories such as creationism or intelligent design, according to a new St. Petersburg Times survey. "I have a very firm religious background," said Betty Lininger of Lecanto, who is raising her 15-year-old niece and thinks public schools should teach intelligent design but not evolution. "I can't just shove it out the door." The survey findings stand in stark contrast to the state's proposed new science standards, which describe evolution as the pillar of modern biology and do not include alternative theories. If the state Board of Education approves them Tuesday, the new standards will guide what Florida students are taught and tested on. The Times survey - which included questions about evolution and a host of other education issues - was administered to 702 registered voters Feb. 6-10, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It revealed a huge gulf between scientists and the public. While the vast majority of scientists consider evolution to be backed by strong evidence, nearly two-thirds of those polled were skeptical. Twenty-nine percent said evolution is one of several valid theories. Another 16 percent said evolution is not backed up by enough evidence. And 19 percent said evolution is not valid because it is at odds with the Bible. "It just shows we have a lot of work to do," said Christopher D'Elia, a marine biologist who is an interim vice chancellor at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Fundamentalist Christians, often portrayed as the heart of the antievolution opposition, weren't the only ones who expressed doubt. While only 9 percent of respondents who described themselves as evangelicals or fundamentalists wanted an evolution-only curriculum, the numbers still weren't very high for Protestants overall 16 percent or Catholics (21 percent). |
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Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .') From: Amos Date: 15 Feb 08 - 02:46 PM That is so dumb. Why can't they have full-tilt education in CHristian traditions in the humanities department, or the religion department while they teach evidence-based reasoning in the science department? Folks YOU CAN HAVE BOTH!!! Jaysus. Makes me want to stamp my li'l foot. A |
