truly eye opening. i dont find it surprizing, however …
Quote
French game show stirs controversy by ‘torturing’ contestants
French documentary showing mock reality TV electrocutions probes TV’s power over minds
18 Thursday Mar 2010
Posted News and politics
intruly eye opening. i dont find it surprizing, however …
Quote
French game show stirs controversy by ‘torturing’ contestants
French documentary showing mock reality TV electrocutions probes TV’s power over minds
20 Saturday Feb 2010
Posted News and politics
inCatoosa Highway Reopens After Huge Hole Repaired
NewsOn6.com
TULSA, OK — All lanes of westbound Interstate 44 are now open at the 161st St. E. Ave. junction, following emergency bridge deck repairs, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced Saturday morning.
A huge pothole on the bridge caused trouble for drivers and created a mess on Friday, disabling at least 17 vehicles that fell victim to the large hole. ODOT estimated that the hole was 3 feet by at least 6 feet.
2/19/2010 Related Story: Vehicles Damaged By Huge Hole In I-44 Bridge In Catoosa
From below on 163rd East Avenue, drivers could see the sky through the hole.
The bridge started crumbling years ago, but without the money to replace it, ODOT hung nets underneath it to catch pieces that fall off.
According to NewsOn6.com’s Bridge Tracker database, the bridge was built in 1958. ODOT considers the bridge to be structurally deficient. It is inspected every two years, with the next inspection due in May of this year.
ODOT recently signed a $7 million contract to replace the bridge. Work started last month and is expected to take almost a year.
13 Saturday Dec 2008
Posted News and politics
inIce storm leaves 1.2 million waiting for power – Weather- msnbc.com
this time last year we were in the dark and cold. i think the whole state was iced over. i had heat from a gas fireplace, and hot water from a gas heated water tank, so we were better off than many. my granddaughter sienna was born today last year. i certainly feel blessed not to be in the throws of an ice storm this time. i can appreciate what those in new england are experiencing, having been through it myself now. there was such a storm one year in portland, when i was a child, but i wasnt so bothered by it, seeing it through a childs eyes. i remember the frozen drifts of snow that covered cars and buried the city, solid enough to walk on – and talking my little dog out in the back and sliding him all over the ice hills in the yard. im sure he laughed when i slipped and hit my chin on the same ice. he was more a little brother than a pet.
this time, all i see are leaves blowing madly along the street, across the dry yards, and in mindless circles in the air. as much as i love winter, it isnt pretty here. but then, it isnt ever pretty here to me. many of the trees still have broken limbs from last years ice, because they often arent cared for unless they pose a hazard. there is much litter, and because it is often very windy here, and the land is rolling but flattish, trash is always blowing around. as is dust. ah how i long for the evergreen forests that cover the coastal mountains. the wind blows there as well, but the trees provide cover, and the mountains break the straight lines. the people there are more likely to secure their trash cans, so that they and the trash they hold arent strewn about haphazardly. one drives down the street in ones own neighborhood here, and has to dodge the big green bins rolling around in the way.
can you tell im homesick?
30 Saturday Dec 2006
Posted News and politics
in24 Thursday Aug 2006
Posted News and politics
in24 Thursday Aug 2006
Posted News and politics
inLast update: August 16, 2006 – 7:40 AM
Troy Gentry
Yesterday’s news
The singing duo Montgomery Gentry made its name in country music with such hits as "Good Clean Fun."
But according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, there was nothing good or clean about the death of a tame bear named Cubby at the hands of Troy Lee Gentry.
Gentry, half of the singing pair, bought the "trophy-caliber" bear for $4,650 from Lee Marvin Greenly, owner of the Minnesota Wildlife Connection in Sandstone, according to the charges filed in federal court in Duluth.
Gentry, 39, and Greenly, 46, made their first court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Erickson in Duluth on Tuesday and were released on bond.
The charges said Gentry killed the bear with a bow and arrow in October 2004 while it was enclosed in a pen on Greenly’s property.
Greenly refused to comment on the incident Tuesday, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office said she didn’t know how large the pen was.
An adult black bear normally weighs 250 to 350 pounds. Cubby had been raised in captivity and was housed at the Wildlife Connection, a private preserve that bills itself as a place where animal lovers can photograph creatures in the wild.
After the kill, Gentry and Greenly allegedly tagged the bear with a Minnesota hunting license and registered it with the state Department of Natural Resources as if it had been killed in the wild.
The kill was videotaped and later edited to make it appear that Gentry had killed the bear in a "fair chase" hunting situation, the indictment said. The hide was sent to a taxidermist in Kentucky.
"I don’t know all the details on what has been said," Greenly said Tuesday. "You’re the first person who has really said anything about it to me."
A spokesman for Gentry, who lives in Franklin, Tenn., said he couldn’t comment.
Montgomery Gentry has been a top country act since the late ’90s, with two No. 1 singles and a string of gold albums.
Gentry was charged with conspiracy to falsely label the animal. Greenly also was charged with two unrelated crimes for allegedly setting up bear-baiting stations and hunting stands in the Sandstone National Wildlife Refuge, then guiding a client there to kill two black bears in 2005.
Fine or prison possible
The charges against the men carry a maximum fine of $20,000 and as long as five years in prison.
The black bear population in Minnesota is healthy, and the state encourages hunting as a way to control it, said DNR spokesman Mark LaBarbara. The department issued 13,670 bear licenses in 2004 and hunters killed 3,391 bears.
"But there’s no question that the state does not condone shooting a pen-raised bear," LaBarbara said.
20 Thursday Apr 2006
Posted News and politics
in
Quote
Woman found alive dumped in landfill – Peculiar Postings – MSNBC.com
ok FIRST, i wouldnt have driven ANTWHERE with this guy. i would have gotten out of the vehihicle.
‘well’, you say, ‘he had a gun’. so? if i go with the man in my car, im probably dead anyway. this woman is really lucky. if i run, i have a chance.
second, if for some reason i cant get out of the car, i wouldve wrecked the car LOOOONG before i got out of state. sheeeit, looong before i got one block.
never, and i mean NEVER, go with a car jacker or an abductor wannabe. if a man has a gun in my face, and he’s close anough to be in my face. i can knock the gun away from my face and run screaming. i can kick. i can hit. i have ELBOWS. right between the eyes.
i practice these things. i visualize them. i rehearse them in my mind, before they ever have a chance to happen.
and i drive wioth my car doors locked.
and i look behind my seat before i ever get into my car.
26 Monday Dec 2005
Posted News and politics
in11 Sunday Dec 2005
Posted News and politics
inDavid C. Stolinsky, M.D.
Monday, Dec. 23, 2002
This year it seems that fewer people wish one another "Merry Christmas." Instead, in an effort not to give offense, they say "Happy Holidays."
Obviously, Christmas means the most to Christians, who make up the large majority of Americans. Yet non-Christians can also enjoy the beauty of the season, and they can honor the holiday without observing it – unless they are eager to take offense.
I spent my early years in a small North Dakota town where my family were the only Jews. The Christmas lights and caroling at school didn’t bother me in the least. On the contrary, I enjoyed this happy time.
Later we moved to San Francisco, where my public high school had an annual Christmas program. Because it was organized by a Catholic priest, I came to love the Latin words to "Adeste Fideles." Although there were many non-Christian students like me, nobody complained. Those who did not wish to attend could go to the library, so there was no compulsion – only enjoyment of the beautiful program.
My parents explained that this wasn’t our holiday, but it was the holiday of most Americans, so I learned to honor it without observing it. My parents grounded me in my religion, so they had no fear that seeing a holly wreath or hearing "Silent Night" could cause me emotional distress. In fact, they would have found that idea laughable.
I learned that there is nothing wrong with being different – that going along with the group is not always required. That is, I learned that my worth derived from what I did as an individual, and not from mere membership in a group.
And I learned that being different didn’t mean I was better or worse than anyone else, just different. This lesson helped me avoid the pitfalls of the teen years. Perhaps it made me a bit of a loner, too, but at least I didn’t believe that belonging to some clique or "in" group would mean anything in the long run.
Equally important, I learned not to be easily offended. When someone wished me "Merry Christmas," I replied with the same words. It wasn’t my holiday – so what? A colleague wished that my day would be merry. How could that offend me? Why should people take offense at greetings or decorations for a holiday they don’t happen to celebrate? What could be offensive about pretty decorations and good wishes?
What really is offensive is objecting to these beneficial things. If I were in France, I would expect most people to celebrate Bastille Day. And if France were attacked, I would be amazed if many people did not display the French flag and voice patriotic feelings. I would be a fool to expect otherwise, and an ingrate to take offense.
Why is it that some Americans take offense when Christmas lights are hung, or when people display the flag after the worst terrorist attack in our history? What offends people often reveals more about them than about the event that offends them.
The ease with which people take offense today is a manifestation of childish narcissism and intolerance: Why should I adapt to all the people around me? No, I insist that they adapt to me.
When infants are hungry, they want to eat now. As children grow older, they learn to wait until the meal is ready. They realize, however reluctantly, that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They begin to accept that other people have needs and wants as strong and as legitimate as their own.
But narcissists remain in an emotionally infantile stage. They expect 288 million Americans to adapt to them. They don’t like colored lights? Go to court and have them extinguished. They don’t like Santa Claus? Have the school board kick him out.
They don’t like the word "Christmas" because it denotes the birth of Christ? Insist that "holiday" be substituted. But this year, Hanukkah and Ramadan occurred before Christmas. So what holiday is it? Millard Fillmore’s birthday?
Worse yet, for "Christmas" substitute "winter holiday." Instead of the birth of Jesus, celebrate the winter solstice. Of course, the position of the sun imposes no moral obligations on us – which may be the real reason for the change.
What about the "wall of separation" between church and state? Few know that Jefferson, the author of that phrase, felt it was his duty to attend Sunday religious services when he was president – which were held in the Capitol Building at public expense.
Advocates of the "wall of separation" were strangely silent when liberal clergy came to the White House and "laid hands" on President Clinton to empower him to resist impeachment. But imagine the uproar if conservative clergy came to the White House and prayed for President Bush to have power to resist the Democrats.
The advocates remain silent when schools teach kids about the "Holy" Koran and the "Prophet" Muhammad. But imagine the uproar if schools taught about the "Holy" Bible, the "Prophet" Moses, or the "Messiah" Jesus.
Require college freshmen to read the Koran? Use taxpayer money to fund a PBS program glorifying Islam? Teach school kids a radical environmentalist agenda that resembles pagan worship of trees and rocks? No problem. But the Ten Commandments in front of a courthouse? A Nativity scene on a city hall lawn? Santa Claus or carols in schools? Christmas vacation instead of "winter break"? Never!
Apparently the "wall" has a door that opens only to the left.
Similarly, some people feel uncomfortable when flags appear everywhere and signs proclaim "God bless America." They fob off their own feelings onto foreign visitors, who couldn’t care less. They demand greater "sensitivity" and "tolerance."
What about sensitivity and tolerance for the deepest beliefs and feelings of the majority? What about some appreciation for the charitable work done at this season, and for the Salvation Army Santas ringing their bells and collecting donations in their kettles?
And what about gratitude? Our country, whose freedom and abundance we enjoy, was founded by Christians who used the Bible as one of their principal guides. Instead of the eagle, Ben Franklin proposed for our Great Seal the following:
Moses standing on the shore, and extending his hand over the sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm Pharaoh who is sitting in an open chariot, a crown on his head and a sword in his hand. Rays from a pillar of fire in the clouds reaching to Moses, to express that he acts by command of the Deity. Motto, "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."
And what was Jefferson’s proposal for the Seal? "The Children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night." Are we to believe that Franklin and Jefferson didn’t understand the "wall," but the ACLU knows better?
Wisely, the Founders provided that no one sect would be allowed to predominate. They established a secular government for a religious people. But now, some would distort freedom of religion into freedom from religion. They take offense at anything that does not accord with their own beliefs – or lack of belief. They insist that the nation revolve around them.
Specifically, they believe that moral principles can be handed down from one generation to another without any Source for these principles. This belief requires a leap of faith just as much as does a religious belief.
There is no historical basis for the assumption that a purely secular society can retain its moral principles over the generations. In fact, Western Europe seems to be proving precisely the opposite. Yet we are betting everything we have that this assumption is correct. Is this a wise bet?
Is there too much happiness in the world? Is there a shortage of sadness and grief? Does hearing "Joy to the world" really cause a problem?
Is there too much friendship in the world? Is there a deficiency of hatred and strife? Does "Peace on earth, good will toward men" really sound oppressive?
Is there too much tolerance in the world? Is there a lack of egocentric intolerance masquerading as "tolerance"? Is there a lack of narcissistic insensitivity disguised as "sensitivity"? Do we really need more people insisting, "All of you must adapt to me"?
Is there too much moral courage in the world? Do we need more cowardice in the face of a noisy minority of ingrates?
Is there too much fellowship in the world? Is there a dearth of hostility and ill will? Does a hearty "Merry Christmas!" really give offense?
Is there too much light in the world? Is there a scarcity of darkness and gloom? Do pretty lights really cause distress?
A wise man said that it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. But what would he have thought of those who curse the candle?
Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. He may be contacted at dcstolinsky@prodigy.net
Editor’s note:
Now we know: "Why the Left Hates America"
found this article written on dec 23, 2002, on newsmax.com
11 Sunday Dec 2005
Posted News and politics
in
Quote
Ungrateful cat rescued after five days in tree – Other Pet News – MSNBC.com
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poor kitty was probably scared silly. funny how the whole community got in on this one, and the woman with the trapped pet had to pull a fast one to get her kitty rescued. go figure…