Far from the glazed urban canyons of Liberty Place, the Cira Centre and the Comcast building in Philadelphia, the basalt, limestone and granite chasms of Idaho's Hells Canyon epitomize the natural magnificence of the United States' Northwest ----- reason enough to undertake a summertime Journey of Discovery to Lewis and Clark's turnaround point.
While President Thomas Jefferson charged the intrepid duo to find the northwest passage, study the indigent flora and fauna, and ultimately lay claim to what would become Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, today's exploring tourist can leisurely enjoy those natural splendors near the Oregon Trail.
Montana
Glacier National Park's aggregate of serrated ridges, jutting peaks, dramactic hanging valleys, 50 glaciers, more than 200 lakes, waterfalls and thick forests encompasses nearly 1.2-million ice-carved, spectacular acres where northwestern Montana meets Candana. Considered the centerpiece of the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem," the park is home to six mountains with elevations eclipsing 10,000 feet. Mount Cleveland, at 10,466 feet, is the tallest. Throughout the park the the 52-mile long Going-to-the-Sun Road climbs 3,000 feet and provides inspiring views across the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass from June through September, weather permitting.
Yellowstone National Park is a geologic and geographic junction of four national forests, three states, several tectonic plates and the Continental Divide. Larger than the combined area of Delaware and Rhode Island, America's oldest national park is located in a volcanic caldera where vistors can futher marvel at rainbow colored thermal pools, mudspots, geysers and steam vents.
Flathead Lake anchors the Flathead Valley in northwest Montana. The largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, its depth surpasses 300 feet and length exceeds 28 miles. Ice-age glaciers gouged the lake's basin, which is now fed by the Swan and Flathead Rivers.
Located in Moiese in western Montana, the National Bison Range is 18,500 acres of open grassland preserved for the ungulate herds. Nearly 500 bison share the refuge with multitudes of wildlife including elk, deer pronghorn, black bear, coyote, ground squirrels, eagles, hawks and meadowlarks.
Idaho
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area emphatically asserts Idaho as a pristine, geologic marvel. Enccccccompassing more than 600,000 acres that include the deepest river chasm on the continent and three of North America's Wild and Scenic rivers, Hells Canyon remains true to its unspoiled origins. Hells Canyon itself, courses through the Idaho-Oregon perimeter for 120 miles with granite walls surpassing breath-taking heights of more than a mile. Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia River, is renowned for its pure beauty as well as its white water rafting opportunities.
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 618 square miles of "barren" volcanic cones, tubes and lakes in the Snake River Plain, is situated within Idaho's Great Rift Zone, a vast plain of volcanic anomalies. Contrary to its stark appearance, the site provides a rich habitat for various wildlife.
Washington
Mount Rainier, a Northwest icon standing at 14,410 feet, is Washington's highest peak and one of the region's most active volcanoes. Surrounded by old-growth forests and laced with numerous waterfalls, the mountain and national park are etched with 300 miles of trails.
Olympic National Park covers nearly a million acres scored by over 500 miles of trails that meander through its rain forest ecosystem and four other diverse land settings, the most prominent of which is Mount Olympus, 7,965 feet high.
Once part of a mountain range that connected Washington's mainland to Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands sit between the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With 83 of the islands designated as a wildlife refuge, seabirds, seals and sea lions abound. Also, 90 Orca whales live in the waters year round, captivating vistors.
Oregon
Granite walls tower 2,000 feet above the surface waters of Crater Lake whose depth, 1,943 feet, nearly matches the height. The deepest lake in the United States was formed eight millennia ago by the eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama. Volcanic Wizard Island, with a crater of its own, juts out of the lake's famously blue and clear water.
Mount Hood, Oregon's highest peak at 11, 245 feet and the fourth highest peak in the Cascades, sits a mere 47 miles southeast of Portland. Seismologists consider it a live volcano, even though its last eruption greeted Lewis and Clark in 1805. Annually, about 10,000 mountain climbers ascend to its summit. A similar amount of summertime hikers and backpackers populate the trail that rings the mountain.
For today's traveler, Northwest Passage describes a modern Journey of Discovery through the natural wonders of Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
EARTH IN SIXTH MAJOR EXTINCTION
As most kids probably know, dinosaurs came to a sudden end about 65 million years ago. Did you know that there have been four other super-big, or mass, extinctions of life on Earth?
Most scientists believe we are in the middle of a sixth mass extinction. But this time, the extinction isn't being caused by as asteroid or volcanoes. It's causes can be traced to us.
To find out more about this event, The newspaper talked with Michael Brett-Surman from the Smithsonian National Museum of National History.
What is a mass extinction?
When a species, or type of life, becomes extinct, it means there are no more members of that species alive.
Extinctions are normal. Usually, there is a steady rate of extinctions during every million years. Life-forms naturally appear and disappear over time.
In a mass extinction, at least one-fourth of all plants and animals on the planet might be wiped out very quickly, much faster than normal. Huge numbers of species die, and no new species appear in that time.
Scientists are seeing this happen now on Earth.
Climate change
Each time there has been a mass extinction, it was because something caused the climate to change. Many types of life could not adapt, or change, quickly enough, and they died.
During the current mass extinction, humans will be able to adapt, but our crops and animals might not. Life as we know it will keep changing.
The ages of Earth
Each time there is a mass extinction, a new age begins on Earth. As older species die out, other species suddenly have no competition. They begin to fill in the Earth's habitats.
Over millions of years, newer types of life develop. Diversity increases again. The makeup of the planet changes yet again.
Let's explore Earth's earlier mass extinctions.
End of the Ordovician
The Ordovician Period ended about 445 million years ago. Most life lived in the oceans at this time. Experts believe more than 50 percent of life was wiped out at the end of this age.
One reason for the extinctions might have been a drop in sea level. Huge glaciers might have formed, locking up much of the planet's water. This would have caused sea levels to drop. Life in shallower waters might not have been able to adapt quickly enough to survive.
Most scientists believe we are in the middle of a sixth mass extinction. But this time, the extinction isn't being caused by as asteroid or volcanoes. It's causes can be traced to us.
To find out more about this event, The newspaper talked with Michael Brett-Surman from the Smithsonian National Museum of National History.
What is a mass extinction?
When a species, or type of life, becomes extinct, it means there are no more members of that species alive.
Extinctions are normal. Usually, there is a steady rate of extinctions during every million years. Life-forms naturally appear and disappear over time.
In a mass extinction, at least one-fourth of all plants and animals on the planet might be wiped out very quickly, much faster than normal. Huge numbers of species die, and no new species appear in that time.
Scientists are seeing this happen now on Earth.
Climate change
Each time there has been a mass extinction, it was because something caused the climate to change. Many types of life could not adapt, or change, quickly enough, and they died.
During the current mass extinction, humans will be able to adapt, but our crops and animals might not. Life as we know it will keep changing.
The ages of Earth
Each time there is a mass extinction, a new age begins on Earth. As older species die out, other species suddenly have no competition. They begin to fill in the Earth's habitats.
Over millions of years, newer types of life develop. Diversity increases again. The makeup of the planet changes yet again.
Let's explore Earth's earlier mass extinctions.
End of the Ordovician
The Ordovician Period ended about 445 million years ago. Most life lived in the oceans at this time. Experts believe more than 50 percent of life was wiped out at the end of this age.
One reason for the extinctions might have been a drop in sea level. Huge glaciers might have formed, locking up much of the planet's water. This would have caused sea levels to drop. Life in shallower waters might not have been able to adapt quickly enough to survive.
EARTH TIMES
End of the Devonian
The Devonian Period ended about 370 million years ago. About half of all animals and plants were wiped out.
As with the Ordovician, many of the species that became exinct were from the oceans, especially the shallower areas. Sea levels may have been rising and falling, and many creatures could not adapt.
More plants had begun growing on land during this time. They were pulling in more carbon dioxide from the air. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, it warms the planet. When plants took carbon dioxide out of the air, the planet may have cooled. Glaciers probably grew during this time also.
End of the Permian
Life on Earth almost ended at the end of the Permian Period, about 250 million years ago. During this time, known as the Great Dying, more than 90 percent of all species became exinct.
Experts believe several things combined to kill almost all life. A string of volcanoes, known as the Siberian Traps, had been erupting for a million years. They poured out poisonous gases, as well as carbon dioxide, which warmed up the planet.
Global warming and volcano-caused acid rain probably changed the makeup of the ocean waters. There is evidence that an asteroid fell into the ocean, releasing methane gas from the bottom of the seas.
All land was joined into one big continent, Pangaea. Because of that, when conditions turned dangerous, animals could not escape.
End of the Triassic
When the Triassic Period ended about 200 million years ago, about half of all species disappeared. Volcanoes erupting under the Atlantic Ocean for centuries probably helped cause this extinction.
Again, harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, changed the climate. All land was still joined.
End of the Cretaceous
At the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago, most dinosaurs became extinct.* Unlike other extinctions, this one happened quickly, over hundreds of years instead of thousands. An asteroid the size of a mountain hit Earth, causing fast climate changes.
*Large theropod dinosaurs became extinct, while most small ones survived on as birds.
The Devonian Period ended about 370 million years ago. About half of all animals and plants were wiped out.
As with the Ordovician, many of the species that became exinct were from the oceans, especially the shallower areas. Sea levels may have been rising and falling, and many creatures could not adapt.
More plants had begun growing on land during this time. They were pulling in more carbon dioxide from the air. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, it warms the planet. When plants took carbon dioxide out of the air, the planet may have cooled. Glaciers probably grew during this time also.
End of the Permian
Life on Earth almost ended at the end of the Permian Period, about 250 million years ago. During this time, known as the Great Dying, more than 90 percent of all species became exinct.
Experts believe several things combined to kill almost all life. A string of volcanoes, known as the Siberian Traps, had been erupting for a million years. They poured out poisonous gases, as well as carbon dioxide, which warmed up the planet.
Global warming and volcano-caused acid rain probably changed the makeup of the ocean waters. There is evidence that an asteroid fell into the ocean, releasing methane gas from the bottom of the seas.
All land was joined into one big continent, Pangaea. Because of that, when conditions turned dangerous, animals could not escape.
End of the Triassic
When the Triassic Period ended about 200 million years ago, about half of all species disappeared. Volcanoes erupting under the Atlantic Ocean for centuries probably helped cause this extinction.
Again, harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, changed the climate. All land was still joined.
End of the Cretaceous
At the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago, most dinosaurs became extinct.* Unlike other extinctions, this one happened quickly, over hundreds of years instead of thousands. An asteroid the size of a mountain hit Earth, causing fast climate changes.
*Large theropod dinosaurs became extinct, while most small ones survived on as birds.
THE CURRENT EXTINCTION
A strange extinction
In the past 20,000 years, there has been a giant drop in the diversity, or variety, of life on Earth.
There have been few new species appearing.
The current rate of extinction is way higher than average. Many believe it is 1,000 times faster than normal.
The extinctions go together with the rise of humans. Even primitive hunters from thousands of years ago caused extinctions of animals such as the woolly mammoth and saber-toothed tiger. As technology grew and human numbers increased, extinctions also increased.
Most experts agree that this is the first time a mass extinction is not being caused by natural events. This time, it is being caused by people.
Human causes
People are causing mass extinctions in many ways ---- by pollution, changing the climate and overhunting. But the main way we are causing extinctions is by destroying habitat.
People are changing the Earth to suit their needs, cutting down forests and destroying natural areas to create farms, highways or buildings.
Population growth
Experts believe there will be 7 billion people on Earth by the end of this year. Many believe the population will jump to 10 billion in 100 years.
The more people there are, the more pressure this puts on the planet. The more people, the more there is a need for resources such as land, food and water.
As human numbers grow, other species' numbers fall ----- or the animals disappear completely. Danger signs are everywhere. For example, amphibians such as frogs have been dying all over the world. Bees, bats, Arctic animals and big wild animals are in serious trouble. Thousands of plant species are gone.
What we can do
It's hard to imagine how we fit into millions of years of Earth's history. But our time here is important. People don't just cause problems. We can fix them too. We can figure out the answers. We can work to save the environment.
In not too many years, the kids of today will be the ones in charge. You can start preparing now. Study about our Earth. Pay attention to science. The world needs your help.
In the past 20,000 years, there has been a giant drop in the diversity, or variety, of life on Earth.
There have been few new species appearing.
The current rate of extinction is way higher than average. Many believe it is 1,000 times faster than normal.
The extinctions go together with the rise of humans. Even primitive hunters from thousands of years ago caused extinctions of animals such as the woolly mammoth and saber-toothed tiger. As technology grew and human numbers increased, extinctions also increased.
Most experts agree that this is the first time a mass extinction is not being caused by natural events. This time, it is being caused by people.
Human causes
People are causing mass extinctions in many ways ---- by pollution, changing the climate and overhunting. But the main way we are causing extinctions is by destroying habitat.
People are changing the Earth to suit their needs, cutting down forests and destroying natural areas to create farms, highways or buildings.
Population growth
Experts believe there will be 7 billion people on Earth by the end of this year. Many believe the population will jump to 10 billion in 100 years.
The more people there are, the more pressure this puts on the planet. The more people, the more there is a need for resources such as land, food and water.
As human numbers grow, other species' numbers fall ----- or the animals disappear completely. Danger signs are everywhere. For example, amphibians such as frogs have been dying all over the world. Bees, bats, Arctic animals and big wild animals are in serious trouble. Thousands of plant species are gone.
What we can do
It's hard to imagine how we fit into millions of years of Earth's history. But our time here is important. People don't just cause problems. We can fix them too. We can figure out the answers. We can work to save the environment.
In not too many years, the kids of today will be the ones in charge. You can start preparing now. Study about our Earth. Pay attention to science. The world needs your help.
F. Y. I.
Back Then
In ancient Egypt, a shaved head was considered the ultimate feminine beauty.
Still on the Books
In Little Rock, Ark., it is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1 p.m. on Sunday.
State Stats
Hawaii, with an archipelago spanning a distance of 1,524 miles, is the longest island chain in the world.
In ancient Egypt, a shaved head was considered the ultimate feminine beauty.
Still on the Books
In Little Rock, Ark., it is unlawful to walk one's cow down Main Street after 1 p.m. on Sunday.
State Stats
Hawaii, with an archipelago spanning a distance of 1,524 miles, is the longest island chain in the world.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Elderly woman uses AIDS threat to rob Colorado bank: police
A woman robbed a Colorado bank by passing a note saying she would infect a teller with AIDS if the clerk didn't hand over money, police said on Friday. Jeff Satur, spokesman for the Longmont, Colorado police department, said detectives are searching for a pale woman between the ages of 55 and 75 with a "boney build."
Satur said a woman, who was wearing a train conductor's cap and a gray sweat shirt, walked into a Wells Fargo bank inside a Safeway grocery store on Thursday night and handed a note to a teller.
"She indicated she had AIDS and would give it to a teller if she didn't cooperate," Satur said.
The woman coughed frequently into a blue bandana during the robbery, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, Satur said.
Police and the FBI released still photographs of the robbery and are reviewing additional photographs and surveillance video from the bank's parking lot to try and identify the suspect.
She is described as about 5-feet 6 inches tall, and weighing between 130 and 150 pounds.
No weapon was displayed during the robbery and no one was injured, police said.
Satur said a woman, who was wearing a train conductor's cap and a gray sweat shirt, walked into a Wells Fargo bank inside a Safeway grocery store on Thursday night and handed a note to a teller.
"She indicated she had AIDS and would give it to a teller if she didn't cooperate," Satur said.
The woman coughed frequently into a blue bandana during the robbery, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, Satur said.
Police and the FBI released still photographs of the robbery and are reviewing additional photographs and surveillance video from the bank's parking lot to try and identify the suspect.
She is described as about 5-feet 6 inches tall, and weighing between 130 and 150 pounds.
No weapon was displayed during the robbery and no one was injured, police said.
Children's author ejected from plane for bad language
A New York children's author who used a curse word in exasperation during a plane delay at a U.S. airport was ejected from the aircraft for disruptive behavior.
Robert Sayegh, 37, said Atlantic Southeast Airlines overreacted to his salty language when it summoned police aboard to escort him off the Sunday evening flight at Detroit Metro Airport.
"The f-word is not a nice word to use," he acknowledged in a telephone interview, adding he was complaining to himself rather than snapping at anyone in particular.
"I really didn't think I was being that loud."
Sayegh, who is also a television producer, was catching a connecting flight home after attending a relative's wedding in Kansas City, Missouri.
He was, by his own account, feeling tired. The plane was not taking off. The explanation that there was a problem with the overhead compartments did little to soothe his irritation, he said. And so, to no one in particular, he wondered aloud, using coarse language, what was taking so long.
"I said the f-word," Sayegh said.
Perhaps, he recalled, he said it twice. A flight attendant seated near Sayegh took offense. Soon he was being led off the plane by police.
"I didn't direct it at him," Sayegh said, referring to the flight attendant. "The only reason he heard me was he was sitting in his seat behind me."
Atlantic Southeast Airlines said in a statement that it was investigating the incident aboard Flight 5136, and declined to offer further details.
The airline confirmed that a passenger was removed and then booked onto another flight back to New York a couple of hours later.
"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," the airline statement said.
Sayegh apologized for offending anyone with his language. "I asked the people around me if I was being rude and they said 'No.' If I was this loud disruptive passenger then I'm sure everyone would have been aware of it."
Sayegh said he would complain to the airline.
"The ironic part is I'm putting a children's book out in August so this wasn't the kind of press I was looking for," he added, saying there are no obscenities in the book.
Robert Sayegh, 37, said Atlantic Southeast Airlines overreacted to his salty language when it summoned police aboard to escort him off the Sunday evening flight at Detroit Metro Airport.
"The f-word is not a nice word to use," he acknowledged in a telephone interview, adding he was complaining to himself rather than snapping at anyone in particular.
"I really didn't think I was being that loud."
Sayegh, who is also a television producer, was catching a connecting flight home after attending a relative's wedding in Kansas City, Missouri.
He was, by his own account, feeling tired. The plane was not taking off. The explanation that there was a problem with the overhead compartments did little to soothe his irritation, he said. And so, to no one in particular, he wondered aloud, using coarse language, what was taking so long.
"I said the f-word," Sayegh said.
Perhaps, he recalled, he said it twice. A flight attendant seated near Sayegh took offense. Soon he was being led off the plane by police.
"I didn't direct it at him," Sayegh said, referring to the flight attendant. "The only reason he heard me was he was sitting in his seat behind me."
Atlantic Southeast Airlines said in a statement that it was investigating the incident aboard Flight 5136, and declined to offer further details.
The airline confirmed that a passenger was removed and then booked onto another flight back to New York a couple of hours later.
"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," the airline statement said.
Sayegh apologized for offending anyone with his language. "I asked the people around me if I was being rude and they said 'No.' If I was this loud disruptive passenger then I'm sure everyone would have been aware of it."
Sayegh said he would complain to the airline.
"The ironic part is I'm putting a children's book out in August so this wasn't the kind of press I was looking for," he added, saying there are no obscenities in the book.
Bald eagles attack post office at Alaska port
A pair of bald eagles nesting near the U.S. Post Office in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, has taken to dive-bombing customers, in one case drawing blood, authorities said on Tuesday.
The eagles are raising newly hatched chicks for the second consecutive year in a nest on a bluff by the post office.
And for the second consecutive year, they have been trying to chase off people -- apparently unaware that the U.S. Postal Service uses a stylized eagle as its logo.
Two people were attacked last week, and one of the eagles swooped down on a patron on Monday, Alaska State Wildlife Troopers spokesman Sergeant Robin Morrisett said.
One of the eagles managed to scratch up its victim, said Morrisett, who is based on Unalaska Island. "I guess it actually drew blood," he said.
Authorities have posted signs and advised people to be careful about their surroundings, but there are no plans to move the nests or fight back against the eagles, he said.
Bald eagles have a history of confronting people at the post office and elsewhere on the island, Morrisett said, adding that recently an eagle swooped very close to him before returning to its nest.
"It had a fish in its talons," he said.
Bald eagles have never been protected in Alaska under the Endangered Species Act because their populations here have been too healthy to warrant listing.
But, as the national bird of the United States, they are protected under special federal laws.
"It's extremely difficult, unless there's clear danger to human life, to move a nest while it's still occupied," said Bruce Woods, an Anchorage-based spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The behavior in Dutch Harbor is typical of the species, Woods said. Bald eagles tend to be very protective of their young until chicks are able to fly, a milestone generally accomplished at the end of the summer, he said.
There is not much that residents can do about overly bold bald eagles other than to post warning signs, take steps to avoid the fierce birds and wear hats, Woods said.
The eagles are raising newly hatched chicks for the second consecutive year in a nest on a bluff by the post office.
And for the second consecutive year, they have been trying to chase off people -- apparently unaware that the U.S. Postal Service uses a stylized eagle as its logo.
Two people were attacked last week, and one of the eagles swooped down on a patron on Monday, Alaska State Wildlife Troopers spokesman Sergeant Robin Morrisett said.
One of the eagles managed to scratch up its victim, said Morrisett, who is based on Unalaska Island. "I guess it actually drew blood," he said.
Authorities have posted signs and advised people to be careful about their surroundings, but there are no plans to move the nests or fight back against the eagles, he said.
Bald eagles have a history of confronting people at the post office and elsewhere on the island, Morrisett said, adding that recently an eagle swooped very close to him before returning to its nest.
"It had a fish in its talons," he said.
Bald eagles have never been protected in Alaska under the Endangered Species Act because their populations here have been too healthy to warrant listing.
But, as the national bird of the United States, they are protected under special federal laws.
"It's extremely difficult, unless there's clear danger to human life, to move a nest while it's still occupied," said Bruce Woods, an Anchorage-based spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The behavior in Dutch Harbor is typical of the species, Woods said. Bald eagles tend to be very protective of their young until chicks are able to fly, a milestone generally accomplished at the end of the summer, he said.
There is not much that residents can do about overly bold bald eagles other than to post warning signs, take steps to avoid the fierce birds and wear hats, Woods said.
Neighbors sign peace deal to stop feud
A handshake wasn't enough for two Malaysian neighbors embroiled in a lengthy and bitter feud sparked by complaints over barking dogs -- the two actually signed a peace treaty.
The three-year battle began when one of the men complained to the police in Malaysia's southern Johor state, where they lived, about his neighbor's noisy dogs, the Star newspaper reported.
The dog owner retaliated by playing loud music at night, throwing cans of paint into his neighbor's house and driving his car into the gate. His neighbor filed a counter complaint about the music.
When both men decided to end the feud recently, they opted for a signed peace deal or "Memorandum of Understanding" to keep each other in check.
One of the main points in the peace deal, brokered by a public complaints bureau, is that the dog owner has to find a way to minimize barking at night.
"If either of the two men decides to break the Memorandum of Understanding, the other can bring this document and present it either to the police or in court," said mediator Michael Tay.
"I hope both men can live in peace with each other.
The three-year battle began when one of the men complained to the police in Malaysia's southern Johor state, where they lived, about his neighbor's noisy dogs, the Star newspaper reported.
The dog owner retaliated by playing loud music at night, throwing cans of paint into his neighbor's house and driving his car into the gate. His neighbor filed a counter complaint about the music.
When both men decided to end the feud recently, they opted for a signed peace deal or "Memorandum of Understanding" to keep each other in check.
One of the main points in the peace deal, brokered by a public complaints bureau, is that the dog owner has to find a way to minimize barking at night.
"If either of the two men decides to break the Memorandum of Understanding, the other can bring this document and present it either to the police or in court," said mediator Michael Tay.
"I hope both men can live in peace with each other.
Cursed number "39" haunts Afghan car owners
Afghanistan's booming car sales industry has been thrown into chaos by a growing aversion to the number "39," which almost overnight has become an unlikely synonym for pimp and a mark of shame in this deeply conservative country.
Drivers of cars with number plates containing 39, bought before the once-harmless double digits took on their new meaning, are mocked and taunted across Kabul.
"Now even little kids say 'look, there goes the 39'. This car is a bad luck, I can't take my family out in it," said Mohammad Ashraf who works for a United Nations project.
Other "39" owners flew into a rage or refused to speak when asked whether their car was a burden.
No one is quite sure why the number became so contaminated so fast, but Kabul gossip blames a pimp in neighboring Iran, which shares a common language with much of Afghanistan.
His flashy car had a 39 in its number plate, the story goes, so he was nicknamed "39" and the tag spread.
The shunning of 39 comes just weeks after drivers raced to remove rainbow decorations that were spotted on imported cars and became fashionable until conservative Afghans learnt they were also gay pride symbols.
Dealers say thousands of dollars of stock is now sitting unwanted in their yards, with even a prime condition vehicle almost unsaleable if its plates bear the now-hated numerals.
Salesman Mohammad Jawed's concerns about a "39" Toyota corolla he bought months ago for $10,000 are typical.
"No one wants to buy this car anymore, even though I would sell it now for $6,000 now," he said despairingly.
COINCIDENCE OR GREED "39?"
The head of the union of car dealers in Kabul, Najibullah Amiri, blames corrupt police officers for fanning the trend.
The issue has gained prominence just as number plates for Afghan cars -- which carry five digits -- rolled over from the series that starts with 38, to a new series that starts with 39.
Amiri said officials at the police traffic department charge buyers between $200 and $500 to change a "39" number plate for a new car to something less offensive.
"It is a scheme by the police traffic department to earn money from buyers," he told Reuters in his office in a dusty car sales lot in the western outskirts of Kabul.
Akbar Khan, deputy chief executive of Kabul's Traffic Police rejects the charge of corruption and blames the capital's residents for taking something unimportant too seriously.
"This was stirred up by the residents of Herat and passed on to Kabul. I think it's nonsense," Khan told Reuters. Herat is a bustling city near the Iranian border, and an auto import hub.
He admitted however that the aversion to 39 has affected the registration of new cars, mandatory before imported vehicles can take to the crowded streets of Kabul.
"Before the 39 (series began), we issued 70 to 80 registration plates to customers each day, but nowadays there are only two or three coming in," Khan said.
One of those brave souls said he was pushing ahead in the hopes that the prejudice would be confined to Kabul.
"Despite warnings from my friends to avoid 39, I have to get my new car registered," said Mohammad Zaher, a man with a bushy beard who said he was unconcerned by Kabul prejudice.
"I drive this car in a different province and there people don't know what 39 is."
Drivers of cars with number plates containing 39, bought before the once-harmless double digits took on their new meaning, are mocked and taunted across Kabul.
"Now even little kids say 'look, there goes the 39'. This car is a bad luck, I can't take my family out in it," said Mohammad Ashraf who works for a United Nations project.
Other "39" owners flew into a rage or refused to speak when asked whether their car was a burden.
No one is quite sure why the number became so contaminated so fast, but Kabul gossip blames a pimp in neighboring Iran, which shares a common language with much of Afghanistan.
His flashy car had a 39 in its number plate, the story goes, so he was nicknamed "39" and the tag spread.
The shunning of 39 comes just weeks after drivers raced to remove rainbow decorations that were spotted on imported cars and became fashionable until conservative Afghans learnt they were also gay pride symbols.
Dealers say thousands of dollars of stock is now sitting unwanted in their yards, with even a prime condition vehicle almost unsaleable if its plates bear the now-hated numerals.
Salesman Mohammad Jawed's concerns about a "39" Toyota corolla he bought months ago for $10,000 are typical.
"No one wants to buy this car anymore, even though I would sell it now for $6,000 now," he said despairingly.
COINCIDENCE OR GREED "39?"
The head of the union of car dealers in Kabul, Najibullah Amiri, blames corrupt police officers for fanning the trend.
The issue has gained prominence just as number plates for Afghan cars -- which carry five digits -- rolled over from the series that starts with 38, to a new series that starts with 39.
Amiri said officials at the police traffic department charge buyers between $200 and $500 to change a "39" number plate for a new car to something less offensive.
"It is a scheme by the police traffic department to earn money from buyers," he told Reuters in his office in a dusty car sales lot in the western outskirts of Kabul.
Akbar Khan, deputy chief executive of Kabul's Traffic Police rejects the charge of corruption and blames the capital's residents for taking something unimportant too seriously.
"This was stirred up by the residents of Herat and passed on to Kabul. I think it's nonsense," Khan told Reuters. Herat is a bustling city near the Iranian border, and an auto import hub.
He admitted however that the aversion to 39 has affected the registration of new cars, mandatory before imported vehicles can take to the crowded streets of Kabul.
"Before the 39 (series began), we issued 70 to 80 registration plates to customers each day, but nowadays there are only two or three coming in," Khan said.
One of those brave souls said he was pushing ahead in the hopes that the prejudice would be confined to Kabul.
"Despite warnings from my friends to avoid 39, I have to get my new car registered," said Mohammad Zaher, a man with a bushy beard who said he was unconcerned by Kabul prejudice.
"I drive this car in a different province and there people don't know what 39 is."
Juror jailed for Facebook contempt
A juror who contacted a defendant through the Facebook social networking website, causing a multi-million pound trial to collapse, was jailed for eight months on Thursday in a British legal first.
Joanne Fraill, 40, was the first person in Britain to be convicted of contempt of court involving the internet, and the Solicitor General said her case should serve as a warning to other jurors.
"I hope it will act as a deterrent," Edward Garnier told reporters, saying it had been in the public interest to prosecute.
"It's important that the integrity of our justice system and the integrity of our jury system is maintained and preserved and seen to be so."
Fraill admitted at London's High Court to using Facebook to exchange messages with Jamie Sewart, 34, a female defendant who had been acquitted in an ongoing drug trial in the northern English city of Manchester last year.
She also admitted conducting an internet search into Sewart's boyfriend, Gary Knox, a co-defendant, while the jury was still deliberating.
Taxpayers were left picking up a bill of 6 million pounds ($10 million) after the judge was forced to discharge the jury when Fraill's actions came to light when Sewart told her lawyer.
Fraill, who the court heard had contacted Sewart because she empathized with her, put her head on the table and sobbed uncontrollably as her jail term was announced.
Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge, the head of the judiciary, said in a written ruling she was "a woman of good character" and had not been involved in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
But he said her actions had been flagrant breaches of orders made by the trial judge and also warned that a jail sentence for a juror committing similar contempt was "virtually inevitable."
Sewart was given a two-month sentence suspended for two years after being found guilty of contempt, the Press Association reported.
"I really feel for the woman," Sewart told reporters.
The use of the internet by jurors has already derailed several cases in countries including the United States.
A Reuters Legal analysis conducted last year found that jurors' forays on the internet had resulted in dozens of mistrials, appeals and overturned verdicts in the preceding two years alone. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/12/08/internet-jurors-idUSN0816547120101208)
Solicitor General Garnier said he did not think the internet made such cases more likely or jeopardize the jury system.
"One doesn't need to get too hung up about the magic of the internet. Jurors have been able to gossip with their neighbors, be influenced by their friends and go to the public library to look up things," he said.
"Whether you communicate by Facebook, whether you research on the internet, whether you talk over your garden fence ... you must understand when you take an oath as a member of a jury, when you disobey that oath ... and it is discovered, you may very well be held in contempt."
Joanne Fraill, 40, was the first person in Britain to be convicted of contempt of court involving the internet, and the Solicitor General said her case should serve as a warning to other jurors.
"I hope it will act as a deterrent," Edward Garnier told reporters, saying it had been in the public interest to prosecute.
"It's important that the integrity of our justice system and the integrity of our jury system is maintained and preserved and seen to be so."
Fraill admitted at London's High Court to using Facebook to exchange messages with Jamie Sewart, 34, a female defendant who had been acquitted in an ongoing drug trial in the northern English city of Manchester last year.
She also admitted conducting an internet search into Sewart's boyfriend, Gary Knox, a co-defendant, while the jury was still deliberating.
Taxpayers were left picking up a bill of 6 million pounds ($10 million) after the judge was forced to discharge the jury when Fraill's actions came to light when Sewart told her lawyer.
Fraill, who the court heard had contacted Sewart because she empathized with her, put her head on the table and sobbed uncontrollably as her jail term was announced.
Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge, the head of the judiciary, said in a written ruling she was "a woman of good character" and had not been involved in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
But he said her actions had been flagrant breaches of orders made by the trial judge and also warned that a jail sentence for a juror committing similar contempt was "virtually inevitable."
Sewart was given a two-month sentence suspended for two years after being found guilty of contempt, the Press Association reported.
"I really feel for the woman," Sewart told reporters.
The use of the internet by jurors has already derailed several cases in countries including the United States.
A Reuters Legal analysis conducted last year found that jurors' forays on the internet had resulted in dozens of mistrials, appeals and overturned verdicts in the preceding two years alone. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/12/08/internet-jurors-idUSN0816547120101208)
Solicitor General Garnier said he did not think the internet made such cases more likely or jeopardize the jury system.
"One doesn't need to get too hung up about the magic of the internet. Jurors have been able to gossip with their neighbors, be influenced by their friends and go to the public library to look up things," he said.
"Whether you communicate by Facebook, whether you research on the internet, whether you talk over your garden fence ... you must understand when you take an oath as a member of a jury, when you disobey that oath ... and it is discovered, you may very well be held in contempt."
Cows churn out "human breast milk"
Moo-ove over, Mum. Chinese scientists have produced a herd of genetically modified cows that make milk that could substitute for human breast milk -- a possible alternative to formula in a nation rocked by tainted milk powder scandals.
Researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology of the China Agricultural University introduced human genetic coding into the DNA of Holstein dairy cow embryos, then transferred the embryos into cow surrogates.
In 2003, after years of testing on mice, scientists managed to create the first cow that could produce milk with the same nutritional properties as human breast milk, but with a taste even stronger and sweeter.
"The genetically modified cow milk is 80 percent the same as human breast milk," said Li Ning, a professor and the project's director as well as lead researcher.
"Our modified cow milk contains several major properties of human milk, in particular proteins and antibodies which we believe are good for our health and able to improve our immune system."
Over 300 cloned cattle now live on an experimental farm in suburban Beijing, with new calves delivered every week.
Li's team, which is supported by a major Chinese biotechnology company, aims to have an affordable form of the milk on the market within three years.
Behind their efforts is a series of poisonings and toxin scandals that have shaken consumer trust in China's dairy sector and its products.
In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300,000 fell ill from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to low quality or diluted milk to fool inspectors checking for protein levels.
COMMERCIAL USE?
Before the milk can be marketed, for other people as well as babies, stricter safety tests are needed, Li said.
"In fact, we still need to conduct clinical trials on human beings with volunteers and finally prove that the cow milk is good and safe for the elderly, infants and the ill, especially those suffering from chronic diseases," Lid added.
"Only after these steps are completed can the government examine it and approve a certificate for its commercial use."
Despite the potential, the team's breakthrough has drawn criticism from opponents of genetically modified food who question the safety of the milk for humans. Others worry about the impact on the cows' health.
Greenpeace notes that China has been investing considerably in genetically modified food research in recent years, despite the lack of a credible, independent system of supervision and inspection.
It also insists that genetically modified products should not be allowed to enter the human food chain.
Chinese parents had a mixed response, with some wary but willing to give the milk a try while others were far more cautious.
"I won't try it. Even if it's similar to human breast milk, it's still genetically modified," said a woman who gave her family name as Lu, the mother of a 14-month-old girl.
"I think natural products are much better. I don't know what might happen if my daughter consumes genetically modified things."
Researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology of the China Agricultural University introduced human genetic coding into the DNA of Holstein dairy cow embryos, then transferred the embryos into cow surrogates.
In 2003, after years of testing on mice, scientists managed to create the first cow that could produce milk with the same nutritional properties as human breast milk, but with a taste even stronger and sweeter.
"The genetically modified cow milk is 80 percent the same as human breast milk," said Li Ning, a professor and the project's director as well as lead researcher.
"Our modified cow milk contains several major properties of human milk, in particular proteins and antibodies which we believe are good for our health and able to improve our immune system."
Over 300 cloned cattle now live on an experimental farm in suburban Beijing, with new calves delivered every week.
Li's team, which is supported by a major Chinese biotechnology company, aims to have an affordable form of the milk on the market within three years.
Behind their efforts is a series of poisonings and toxin scandals that have shaken consumer trust in China's dairy sector and its products.
In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300,000 fell ill from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to low quality or diluted milk to fool inspectors checking for protein levels.
COMMERCIAL USE?
Before the milk can be marketed, for other people as well as babies, stricter safety tests are needed, Li said.
"In fact, we still need to conduct clinical trials on human beings with volunteers and finally prove that the cow milk is good and safe for the elderly, infants and the ill, especially those suffering from chronic diseases," Lid added.
"Only after these steps are completed can the government examine it and approve a certificate for its commercial use."
Despite the potential, the team's breakthrough has drawn criticism from opponents of genetically modified food who question the safety of the milk for humans. Others worry about the impact on the cows' health.
Greenpeace notes that China has been investing considerably in genetically modified food research in recent years, despite the lack of a credible, independent system of supervision and inspection.
It also insists that genetically modified products should not be allowed to enter the human food chain.
Chinese parents had a mixed response, with some wary but willing to give the milk a try while others were far more cautious.
"I won't try it. Even if it's similar to human breast milk, it's still genetically modified," said a woman who gave her family name as Lu, the mother of a 14-month-old girl.
"I think natural products are much better. I don't know what might happen if my daughter consumes genetically modified things."
KIDS TODAY DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT HISTORY
U.S. students don't know much about American history, according to results of a national test released yesterday.
Just 13 percent of high-school seniors who took the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, called the Nation's Report Card, showed solid academic performance in American history. The two other grades didn't perform much better, with just 22 percent of fourth-grade students and 18 percent of eight-graders scoring proficient or better.
The test quizzed students on topics including colonization, the American Revolution and the Civil War, and the contemporary United States.
Education experts said a heavy focus on reading and math under the federal No Child Left Behind law in the last decade has led to lagging performance in other subjects, such as history and science.
More than 7,000 fourth-graders, 11,000 eight-graders and 12,000 high-school seniors from a national representative sample took the test last year. To be considered proficient, fourth-graders had to get 243 out of 500; eight-graders needed 294, and 12-graders had to get a 325.
"Overall the quality and success of our lives can only be enhanced by a study of our roots," said Stephen Paine, former state schools superintendent for West Virginia. "If you don't know your past, you will not have a future."
How do you stack up ?
Here's a sampling of questions from the 2010 Natiional Assessment of Educational Progress U.S. history test.
The answers at the end indicate what percentage of students got each question right:
1. An important result of the building of canals in the United States was that:
a) Salvery spread to the Western states
b) Railroad-building stopped
c) More people traveled to California to farm
d) Trade increased among the states
2. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Northern and Southern delegates debated whether or not slaves would be counted as part of the state's population. Disagreement led to bitter tensions among delegates. To resolve the question referred to in the passage, delegates agreed to:
a) Include all male salves in population totals
b) Include no slaves in population totals
c) Count each slave as three-fifths of a person in population totals
d) Count slaves in the Southern states but not in the Northern
3. During the Korean War, United Nations forces made up largely of troops from the United States and South Korea fought against troops from North Korea and:
a) The Soviet Union
b) Japan
c) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers :
Question 1: 44 percent of fourth-graders correctly chose D.
Question 2: 59 percent of eight-graders correctly chose C.
Question 3: 22 percent of 12-graders correctly chose C.
Just 13 percent of high-school seniors who took the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, called the Nation's Report Card, showed solid academic performance in American history. The two other grades didn't perform much better, with just 22 percent of fourth-grade students and 18 percent of eight-graders scoring proficient or better.
The test quizzed students on topics including colonization, the American Revolution and the Civil War, and the contemporary United States.
Education experts said a heavy focus on reading and math under the federal No Child Left Behind law in the last decade has led to lagging performance in other subjects, such as history and science.
More than 7,000 fourth-graders, 11,000 eight-graders and 12,000 high-school seniors from a national representative sample took the test last year. To be considered proficient, fourth-graders had to get 243 out of 500; eight-graders needed 294, and 12-graders had to get a 325.
"Overall the quality and success of our lives can only be enhanced by a study of our roots," said Stephen Paine, former state schools superintendent for West Virginia. "If you don't know your past, you will not have a future."
How do you stack up ?
Here's a sampling of questions from the 2010 Natiional Assessment of Educational Progress U.S. history test.
The answers at the end indicate what percentage of students got each question right:
1. An important result of the building of canals in the United States was that:
a) Salvery spread to the Western states
b) Railroad-building stopped
c) More people traveled to California to farm
d) Trade increased among the states
2. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Northern and Southern delegates debated whether or not slaves would be counted as part of the state's population. Disagreement led to bitter tensions among delegates. To resolve the question referred to in the passage, delegates agreed to:
a) Include all male salves in population totals
b) Include no slaves in population totals
c) Count each slave as three-fifths of a person in population totals
d) Count slaves in the Southern states but not in the Northern
3. During the Korean War, United Nations forces made up largely of troops from the United States and South Korea fought against troops from North Korea and:
a) The Soviet Union
b) Japan
c) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers :
Question 1: 44 percent of fourth-graders correctly chose D.
Question 2: 59 percent of eight-graders correctly chose C.
Question 3: 22 percent of 12-graders correctly chose C.
F. Y. I.
Flying the Flag
When the Second Continental Congress authorized a new flag to symbolize the United States of America in 1777, red was chosen for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice.
That - Away
Bats always turn left when existing a cave.
Back Then
The Tower of London once housed a zoo and also has served as an observatory, a mint, a prison and a royal palace.
Still on the Books
In Connecticut, in order for a pickel to officially be considered a pickel, it must bounce.
Quotable
by Gandhi
"Freedom is not worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes."
Did You Know?
Coca-Cola would be green if coloring weren't added to it.
When the Second Continental Congress authorized a new flag to symbolize the United States of America in 1777, red was chosen for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice.
That - Away
Bats always turn left when existing a cave.
Back Then
The Tower of London once housed a zoo and also has served as an observatory, a mint, a prison and a royal palace.
Still on the Books
In Connecticut, in order for a pickel to officially be considered a pickel, it must bounce.
Quotable
by Gandhi
"Freedom is not worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes."
Did You Know?
Coca-Cola would be green if coloring weren't added to it.
THANKS TO DAD (Father's Day is June 19th )
People in the United States have been honoring fathers with a June holiday for about 100 years. But Father's Day didn't become an official U.S. holiday until 1972, only 39 years ago! Other countries around the world also celebrate fatherhood with a special day.
What will you do to honor your dad, grandfather, uncle or another special man in your family?
This week, the newspaper offers some reminders of why we're thankful for our dads.
We also give you a few ideas about how to show your thanks.
Thanks.......
What will you do to honor your dad, grandfather, uncle or another special man in your family?
This week, the newspaper offers some reminders of why we're thankful for our dads.
We also give you a few ideas about how to show your thanks.
Thanks.......
- for teaching me how to fish.
- for taking care of me when I'm sick.
- for telling me jokes.
- for reading to me.
- for coming to my games and cheering me on.
- for taking me horseback riding.
- for carrying me on your shoulders.
- for letting me help you cook.
- for getting me a treat at the market.
- for serving our country and coming home.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Meowing senator touches off political row
A meowing Australian senator touched off a political row in Canberra on Wednesday after his cat imitation directed at Finance Minister Penny Wong sparked accusations that the opposition behaved like sexists and goons, and were feral. Liberal Tasmanian Senator David Bushby meowed at Wong at a hearing when Wong - Australia's first Malaysian-born and first openly gay cabinet member - fought constant interruptions.
A visibly livid Wong snapped, "Oh yes, why don't you meow when a woman does that? ... The blokes are allowed to yell, but if a woman stands her ground, you want to make that kind of comment.
"It's sort of schoolyard politics, mate."
Bushby initially refused to withdraw but issued an apology - on Twitter - after a barrage of attacks in Parliament during question time and comments by Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan that the opposition was sexist and behaved ferally.
For a video of the exchange between Wong and Bushby, click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeDD9tnFw4
A visibly livid Wong snapped, "Oh yes, why don't you meow when a woman does that? ... The blokes are allowed to yell, but if a woman stands her ground, you want to make that kind of comment.
"It's sort of schoolyard politics, mate."
Bushby initially refused to withdraw but issued an apology - on Twitter - after a barrage of attacks in Parliament during question time and comments by Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan that the opposition was sexist and behaved ferally.
For a video of the exchange between Wong and Bushby, click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeDD9tnFw4
Four suspected U.S. cases of E.coli linked to Germany
The number of suspected U.S. cases involving a deadly E.coli bacteria that has sickened thousands in Europe remained at four on Sunday, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman said.
"Right now there have been no reports of any additional suspected cases" in the United States, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell told Reuters.
All four U.S. patients recently visited Hamburg, Germany, officials said.
The rare strain of E.coli has infected people in 12 countries. It has killed 22 people and made more than 2,000 ill.
German-grown beansprouts and other sprouts could be the source of the deadly outbreak, German officials said.
There are no indications the U.S. food supply has been tainted by E.coli, U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesman Siobhan DeLancey told Reuters on Sunday.
However, as a safety precaution, the FDA said it was conducting increased surveillance of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and raw salads imported from areas of concern. But officials said countries in the European Union are not a significant source of fresh produce for the United States.
The CDC said three suspected cases of a type of kidney failure associated with E.coli infections -- hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) -- had been identified in Massachusetts, Michigan and Wisconsin.
A fourth suspected case of diarrhea caused by the E.coli is under investigation, the CDC said.
Symptoms of E.coli infections include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Symptoms of the HUS kidney failure, which usually develop a week after diarrhea begins, include decreased frequency of urination, fatigue and losing pink color to skin and membranes due to anemia, the CDC said.
"Right now there have been no reports of any additional suspected cases" in the United States, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell told Reuters.
All four U.S. patients recently visited Hamburg, Germany, officials said.
The rare strain of E.coli has infected people in 12 countries. It has killed 22 people and made more than 2,000 ill.
German-grown beansprouts and other sprouts could be the source of the deadly outbreak, German officials said.
There are no indications the U.S. food supply has been tainted by E.coli, U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesman Siobhan DeLancey told Reuters on Sunday.
However, as a safety precaution, the FDA said it was conducting increased surveillance of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and raw salads imported from areas of concern. But officials said countries in the European Union are not a significant source of fresh produce for the United States.
The CDC said three suspected cases of a type of kidney failure associated with E.coli infections -- hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) -- had been identified in Massachusetts, Michigan and Wisconsin.
A fourth suspected case of diarrhea caused by the E.coli is under investigation, the CDC said.
Symptoms of E.coli infections include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Symptoms of the HUS kidney failure, which usually develop a week after diarrhea begins, include decreased frequency of urination, fatigue and losing pink color to skin and membranes due to anemia, the CDC said.
Germany says beansprouts may be behind E.coli
German-grown beansprouts could be the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak that has killed 22 people, made more than 2,200 ill and led Russia to bar EU fruit and vegetable imports, officials said on Sunday.
The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference investigators had traced the rare, highly toxic strain of the bacteria to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 70 km (40 miles) south of Hamburg.
Health facilities in Hamburg, Germany's second city and the center of the outbreak that began three weeks ago, are struggling to cope with the flood of victims, Health Minister Daniel Bahr said.
Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears linked to the rare strain of E.coli, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims.
"We've got a really hot lead," Lindemann said, reporting on the investigation into a health scare that has strained ties
between two EU members and led Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to say he would not "poison" Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports.
Lindemann said that not only beansprouts, but also alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, radish sprouts and arugula sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. Raw sprouts are popular among Germans and often mixed in salads or added to sandwiches.
Officials have been warning consumers for weeks to avoid tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, and at one stage said Spanish cucumbers might be the source of the outbreak. The rare E.coli strain has killed 21 Germans and one Swede.
Spanish farmers say lost sales have cost them 200 million euros a week, and Spanish officials said they might claim compensation. The crisis could put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU.
According to FoodSafety.gov, a website for food safety information from U.S. government agencies, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to different types of raw and lightly cooked sprouts -- most of them caused by Salmonella and E.coli.
In Japan, at least 11 people died in 1996 in an outbreak linked to contaminated radish sprouts.
GERMAN FARM SHUT DOWN
Lindemann said the Uelzen farm had been shut down, its produce recalled and further test results were expected on Monday. He urged consumers in northern Germany to refrain from eating all types of beansprouts.
Officials said, however, they were not sure if the farm was the only source. Lindemann said it was possible the contaminated produce had found its way into a variety of foods.
"There was a very clear trail (to the farm) as the source of the infection," Lindemann said. "It is the most convincing ... source for the E.coli illnesses. This is for us the most plausible cause of the illness."
Authorities have been racing to track the source of the disease, which has infected people in 12 countries -- all of whom had been traveling in northern Germany. Many of those infected have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly complication attacking the kidneys.
The rare strain of E.coli can stick to intestinal walls where it pumps out toxins, sometimes causing severe bloody diarrhoea and kidney problems. Some patients have needed intensive care, including dialysis.
German officials said the produce from the farm was delivered to restaurants and food operations in five northern states: Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hesse and Lower Saxony.
Hospitals in Hamburg have been moving out patients with less serious illnesses to handle the surge of people stricken by the rare strain of bacteria.
"We're facing a tense situation with patient care," Bahr said, adding that hospitals outside Hamburg could be used to make up for "insufficient capacity."
At a news conference with Bahr in Hamburg, state health minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks said local officials were scrambling to relieve a looming shortage of doctors.
"We want to discuss with doctors whether those who recently retired can be reactivated," she said, adding that medical staff in Hamburg were battling exhaustion.
On Saturday officials identified a restaurant in the northern port of Luebeck as a place where the bug might have been passed to humans, saying at least 17 people infected with E.coli had eaten there and one later died from complications.
But the owner of the meat-and-potatoes restaurant told Reuters his kitchen had tested negative for the deadly E.coli strain and none of his staff had fallen ill.
The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference investigators had traced the rare, highly toxic strain of the bacteria to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 70 km (40 miles) south of Hamburg.
Health facilities in Hamburg, Germany's second city and the center of the outbreak that began three weeks ago, are struggling to cope with the flood of victims, Health Minister Daniel Bahr said.
Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears linked to the rare strain of E.coli, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims.
"We've got a really hot lead," Lindemann said, reporting on the investigation into a health scare that has strained ties
between two EU members and led Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to say he would not "poison" Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports.
Lindemann said that not only beansprouts, but also alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, radish sprouts and arugula sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. Raw sprouts are popular among Germans and often mixed in salads or added to sandwiches.
Officials have been warning consumers for weeks to avoid tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, and at one stage said Spanish cucumbers might be the source of the outbreak. The rare E.coli strain has killed 21 Germans and one Swede.
Spanish farmers say lost sales have cost them 200 million euros a week, and Spanish officials said they might claim compensation. The crisis could put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU.
According to FoodSafety.gov, a website for food safety information from U.S. government agencies, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to different types of raw and lightly cooked sprouts -- most of them caused by Salmonella and E.coli.
In Japan, at least 11 people died in 1996 in an outbreak linked to contaminated radish sprouts.
GERMAN FARM SHUT DOWN
Lindemann said the Uelzen farm had been shut down, its produce recalled and further test results were expected on Monday. He urged consumers in northern Germany to refrain from eating all types of beansprouts.
Officials said, however, they were not sure if the farm was the only source. Lindemann said it was possible the contaminated produce had found its way into a variety of foods.
"There was a very clear trail (to the farm) as the source of the infection," Lindemann said. "It is the most convincing ... source for the E.coli illnesses. This is for us the most plausible cause of the illness."
Authorities have been racing to track the source of the disease, which has infected people in 12 countries -- all of whom had been traveling in northern Germany. Many of those infected have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly complication attacking the kidneys.
The rare strain of E.coli can stick to intestinal walls where it pumps out toxins, sometimes causing severe bloody diarrhoea and kidney problems. Some patients have needed intensive care, including dialysis.
German officials said the produce from the farm was delivered to restaurants and food operations in five northern states: Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hesse and Lower Saxony.
Hospitals in Hamburg have been moving out patients with less serious illnesses to handle the surge of people stricken by the rare strain of bacteria.
"We're facing a tense situation with patient care," Bahr said, adding that hospitals outside Hamburg could be used to make up for "insufficient capacity."
At a news conference with Bahr in Hamburg, state health minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks said local officials were scrambling to relieve a looming shortage of doctors.
"We want to discuss with doctors whether those who recently retired can be reactivated," she said, adding that medical staff in Hamburg were battling exhaustion.
On Saturday officials identified a restaurant in the northern port of Luebeck as a place where the bug might have been passed to humans, saying at least 17 people infected with E.coli had eaten there and one later died from complications.
But the owner of the meat-and-potatoes restaurant told Reuters his kitchen had tested negative for the deadly E.coli strain and none of his staff had fallen ill.
U.S. police shoot fake alligator
Police in a suburb in the state of Missouri recently encountered one tough alligator -- or so they thought.
Officers in Independence, a Kansas City suburb, responded to a call on a Saturday evening about a large alligator lurking on the embankment of a pond, police spokesman Tom Gentry said Thursday.
An officer called a state conservation agent, who advised him to shoot the alligator because there was little that conservation officials could do at that time, Gentry said.
As instructed an officer shot the alligator, not once but twice, but both times the bullets bounced off -- because the alligator was made of cement.
The property owner told police later that he placed the ornamental gator by the pond to keep children away. But residents had little to fear.
"There are no alligators around here, we are too far north, it's too cold," said Bill Graham, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Gentry acknowledged the incident is drawing a lot of attention.
"In hindsight, it's humorous," he said. "But we have to take every call seriously."
Officers in Independence, a Kansas City suburb, responded to a call on a Saturday evening about a large alligator lurking on the embankment of a pond, police spokesman Tom Gentry said Thursday.
An officer called a state conservation agent, who advised him to shoot the alligator because there was little that conservation officials could do at that time, Gentry said.
As instructed an officer shot the alligator, not once but twice, but both times the bullets bounced off -- because the alligator was made of cement.
The property owner told police later that he placed the ornamental gator by the pond to keep children away. But residents had little to fear.
"There are no alligators around here, we are too far north, it's too cold," said Bill Graham, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Gentry acknowledged the incident is drawing a lot of attention.
"In hindsight, it's humorous," he said. "But we have to take every call seriously."
Saggy pants mean no ride on one Texas bus system
Don't get on the bus in Ft. Worth, Texas, if you're not properly dressed.
The Ft. Worth Transportation Authority, known as "The T," has implemented a new policy that prohibits any passenger from boarding a bus with "saggy" pants that expose the person's underwear or buttocks.
"Riders don't want to see a person dressed like that on a public bus," Joan Hunter, communications manager for The T, told Reuters on Thursday. "Our customers think it's disrespectful."
The saggy pants look has been around for more than a decade, tracing its roots to prison attire because inmates are not issued belts. It spread to the rap and hip-hop music community, and from there became a popular symbol of freedom and cultural awareness for many young people.
Hunter said the new saggy pants policy is simply an extension of the dress code that The T has had for years, which has long required shirts and shoes.
"A lot of different people ride the bus," she said. "And many of them told us it's not a good idea to have your pants below your buttocks."
So up went signs in city buses, reading "Pull 'em up or find another ride."
Hunter said a Ft. Worth City Council member is looking for a donor to pay for billboards that carry the same message.
She said the decision on whether a potential rider's pants are inappropriate is up to the discretion of the bus driver.
The first day the policy was in place about 50 people were removed for improper pants, Hunter said.
Some passengers have complained that The T is trying to dictate what they can and can't wear, Hunter said, but overall reaction has been positive. She pointed out that many Ft. Worth-area schools have a similar policy.
"Following this rule is actually easier than following any other clothing policy we have," she said.
"All you need to do is pull your pants up before you get onto the bus. You don't have to go home and get a shirt or get a pair of shoes. Then, after you get off the bus, you can dress however you want."
The Ft. Worth Transportation Authority, known as "The T," has implemented a new policy that prohibits any passenger from boarding a bus with "saggy" pants that expose the person's underwear or buttocks.
"Riders don't want to see a person dressed like that on a public bus," Joan Hunter, communications manager for The T, told Reuters on Thursday. "Our customers think it's disrespectful."
The saggy pants look has been around for more than a decade, tracing its roots to prison attire because inmates are not issued belts. It spread to the rap and hip-hop music community, and from there became a popular symbol of freedom and cultural awareness for many young people.
Hunter said the new saggy pants policy is simply an extension of the dress code that The T has had for years, which has long required shirts and shoes.
"A lot of different people ride the bus," she said. "And many of them told us it's not a good idea to have your pants below your buttocks."
So up went signs in city buses, reading "Pull 'em up or find another ride."
Hunter said a Ft. Worth City Council member is looking for a donor to pay for billboards that carry the same message.
She said the decision on whether a potential rider's pants are inappropriate is up to the discretion of the bus driver.
The first day the policy was in place about 50 people were removed for improper pants, Hunter said.
Some passengers have complained that The T is trying to dictate what they can and can't wear, Hunter said, but overall reaction has been positive. She pointed out that many Ft. Worth-area schools have a similar policy.
"Following this rule is actually easier than following any other clothing policy we have," she said.
"All you need to do is pull your pants up before you get onto the bus. You don't have to go home and get a shirt or get a pair of shoes. Then, after you get off the bus, you can dress however you want."
Medical marijuana superstore opens
Some local wags are calling it the "Wal-Mart of Weed" or "Home DePot."
Seeking to capitalize on Arizona's newly enacted medical marijuana law, a California-based company on Wednesday opened a superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix catering to those who want to grow their own cannabis.
"We sell everything but the plant itself," said Dhar Mann, founder of weGrow, the company that began franchising its big-box stores with outlets in Oakland and Sacramento, California. "We sell the products and the services for people to safely and responsibly cultivate their medicine."
The 21,000-square-foot store offers some 2,000 products, including soil, grow lights and irrigation trays, specially designed for effective marijuana growing, Mann told Reuters.
A doctor also is on site to furnish eligible patients the initial medical approval needed to apply to the state health department for cards authorizing them to legally grow and use marijuana as treatment for a variety of qualifying ailments.
Alluding to some of America's leading big-box chains, the company's own press materials describe the weGrow franchise as the "Wal-Mart of Weed," while various media reports have referred to it as "Home DePot."
The store's opening came on the same day that Arizona was to have begun accepting applications from individuals seeking one of 125 permits the state plans to grant for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. But that process was put on hold last week.
On Friday, the state went to federal court seeking to clarify whether its citizens were at risk of federal prosecution for participating in activities sanctioned under Arizona's medical marijuana act, passed by voters in November.
Arizona is the 16th state in the nation, plus the District of Columbia, to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, warned in a letter to state health officials last month that the cultivation, sale and distribution of cannabis, classified by the U.S. government as an illegal narcotic, remains a federal crime.
Since April, state officials have been accepting applications from patients and caregivers looking to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes.
Figures show that 3,696 people have obtained cards allowing them to possess and grow marijuana for a range of medical issues, chronic pain chief among them. Males account for more than 75 percent of those approved.
Mann said his Oakland-based company has big expansion plans for Arizona and nationwide as it looks to tap into what some have estimated to be a market worth billions of dollars.
He said the next franchise store will open in the District of Columbia in July, with additional outlets slated for Denver, Detroit and possibly Los Angeles by the end of August.
Seeking to capitalize on Arizona's newly enacted medical marijuana law, a California-based company on Wednesday opened a superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix catering to those who want to grow their own cannabis.
"We sell everything but the plant itself," said Dhar Mann, founder of weGrow, the company that began franchising its big-box stores with outlets in Oakland and Sacramento, California. "We sell the products and the services for people to safely and responsibly cultivate their medicine."
The 21,000-square-foot store offers some 2,000 products, including soil, grow lights and irrigation trays, specially designed for effective marijuana growing, Mann told Reuters.
A doctor also is on site to furnish eligible patients the initial medical approval needed to apply to the state health department for cards authorizing them to legally grow and use marijuana as treatment for a variety of qualifying ailments.
Alluding to some of America's leading big-box chains, the company's own press materials describe the weGrow franchise as the "Wal-Mart of Weed," while various media reports have referred to it as "Home DePot."
The store's opening came on the same day that Arizona was to have begun accepting applications from individuals seeking one of 125 permits the state plans to grant for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. But that process was put on hold last week.
On Friday, the state went to federal court seeking to clarify whether its citizens were at risk of federal prosecution for participating in activities sanctioned under Arizona's medical marijuana act, passed by voters in November.
Arizona is the 16th state in the nation, plus the District of Columbia, to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, warned in a letter to state health officials last month that the cultivation, sale and distribution of cannabis, classified by the U.S. government as an illegal narcotic, remains a federal crime.
Since April, state officials have been accepting applications from patients and caregivers looking to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes.
Figures show that 3,696 people have obtained cards allowing them to possess and grow marijuana for a range of medical issues, chronic pain chief among them. Males account for more than 75 percent of those approved.
Mann said his Oakland-based company has big expansion plans for Arizona and nationwide as it looks to tap into what some have estimated to be a market worth billions of dollars.
He said the next franchise store will open in the District of Columbia in July, with additional outlets slated for Denver, Detroit and possibly Los Angeles by the end of August.
New wildlife law spares beloved Pete the Moose
Pete, a popular, semi-tame moose who lives on a Vermont elk-hunting farm, was spared a death sentence but will need to find a new home under state wildlife regulations signed into law on Tuesday
Under the new law, all animals on the Big Rack Ridge preserve must be hunted and killed within three years except Pete, who has lived on the Irasburg farm since he was found as a calf, mauled by dogs, two years ago.
Controversy erupted when Vermont wildlife officials planned to have Pete killed because the law in 2009 banned keeping wild animals in captivity.
The elk on the preserve were imported and considered legal but Pete, being wild, was not.
Many Vermont residents launched a campaign, setting up web pages and social media sites to help save Pete.
The Wildlife Public Trust Act signed into law on Tuesday by Governor Peter Shumlin was, in part, an effort to save Pete that was included in final state budget negotiations this spring.
The law moves authority over so-called captive hunting to the state Fish and Wildlife Department from private hands.
"I want to thank our Legislature for passing this bill clearly stating that the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state for the benefit of the citizens of Vermont and that these resources shall not be reduced to private ownership," said Shumlin.
One concern about keeping animals on the preserve is the risk they could contract ailments such as chronic wasting disease from other animals or the feed, officials have said.
Pete will be relocated to another facility which has not been publicly identified, they said.
Big Back Ridge is owned by Doug Nelson, whose friend David Lawrence once served as Pete's caretaker and still comes to visit him at the 600 acres of gated woods nearly every day.
Earlier, legislators passed a law, which proved unpopular, that made the animals on the preserve the property of the owner and gave oversight authority to state agriculture officials.
Several conservation groups and hunters opposed that law, saying the public should have access to wildlife on open land for trapping, hunting, fishing, photography and observation.
Under the new law, all animals on the Big Rack Ridge preserve must be hunted and killed within three years except Pete, who has lived on the Irasburg farm since he was found as a calf, mauled by dogs, two years ago.
Controversy erupted when Vermont wildlife officials planned to have Pete killed because the law in 2009 banned keeping wild animals in captivity.
The elk on the preserve were imported and considered legal but Pete, being wild, was not.
Many Vermont residents launched a campaign, setting up web pages and social media sites to help save Pete.
The Wildlife Public Trust Act signed into law on Tuesday by Governor Peter Shumlin was, in part, an effort to save Pete that was included in final state budget negotiations this spring.
The law moves authority over so-called captive hunting to the state Fish and Wildlife Department from private hands.
"I want to thank our Legislature for passing this bill clearly stating that the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state for the benefit of the citizens of Vermont and that these resources shall not be reduced to private ownership," said Shumlin.
One concern about keeping animals on the preserve is the risk they could contract ailments such as chronic wasting disease from other animals or the feed, officials have said.
Pete will be relocated to another facility which has not been publicly identified, they said.
Big Back Ridge is owned by Doug Nelson, whose friend David Lawrence once served as Pete's caretaker and still comes to visit him at the 600 acres of gated woods nearly every day.
Earlier, legislators passed a law, which proved unpopular, that made the animals on the preserve the property of the owner and gave oversight authority to state agriculture officials.
Several conservation groups and hunters opposed that law, saying the public should have access to wildlife on open land for trapping, hunting, fishing, photography and observation.
Brooding men, smiling women seen as sexy?
Guys, want to look sexy and get the girl? Don't smile too much. Look brooding or show a bit of shame instead. Women, ignore that advice.
Women find happy men less sexually attractive than those with expressions that show pride or hint that they have done wrong and know it, according to Canadian researchers.
The study published online Tuesday in the American Psychological Association journal Emotion showed pictures of the opposite sex to both men and women. Participants were then asked for their initial reactions on sexual attractiveness based the expressions they saw.
"Men who smile were considered fairly unattractive by women," said Jessica Tracy, a University of British Columbia psychology professor who directed the study.
"So to the extent that men think that smiling is a good thing to do if they want to be found sexually attractive our findings suggest that's not the case," Tracy said.
The men's reaction was just the opposite.
"Women who smile are absolutely very attractive. That was by far the most attractive expression women showed," Tracy said in an interview.
The researchers admit they are not sure why men and women reacted differently to smiles. In a man, a big smile may make him appear too feminine or more desperate for sex.
The study also adds fuel to the notion that women are attracted to bad boys.
"Women are attracted to guys like James Dean, Edward the vampire. The guys who are flawed, but who know it and are tortured by it," Tracy said.
A slightly downcast expression of shame is an appeasement gesture that hints at a need for sympathy.
Men also found sexual attractiveness in women whose expressions and body language hinted at shame.
The researchers stressed they looked only at initial reactions of sexual attractiveness, and were not recommending men adopt a no-smile policy for a long-term relationship.
"When people want a long-term relationship they take much more into account than sexual attractiveness. How nice a person is, is a big thing," Tracy said.
"So we're not saying, don't be a nice guy," she said.
Women find happy men less sexually attractive than those with expressions that show pride or hint that they have done wrong and know it, according to Canadian researchers.
The study published online Tuesday in the American Psychological Association journal Emotion showed pictures of the opposite sex to both men and women. Participants were then asked for their initial reactions on sexual attractiveness based the expressions they saw.
"Men who smile were considered fairly unattractive by women," said Jessica Tracy, a University of British Columbia psychology professor who directed the study.
"So to the extent that men think that smiling is a good thing to do if they want to be found sexually attractive our findings suggest that's not the case," Tracy said.
The men's reaction was just the opposite.
"Women who smile are absolutely very attractive. That was by far the most attractive expression women showed," Tracy said in an interview.
The researchers admit they are not sure why men and women reacted differently to smiles. In a man, a big smile may make him appear too feminine or more desperate for sex.
The study also adds fuel to the notion that women are attracted to bad boys.
"Women are attracted to guys like James Dean, Edward the vampire. The guys who are flawed, but who know it and are tortured by it," Tracy said.
A slightly downcast expression of shame is an appeasement gesture that hints at a need for sympathy.
Men also found sexual attractiveness in women whose expressions and body language hinted at shame.
The researchers stressed they looked only at initial reactions of sexual attractiveness, and were not recommending men adopt a no-smile policy for a long-term relationship.
"When people want a long-term relationship they take much more into account than sexual attractiveness. How nice a person is, is a big thing," Tracy said.
"So we're not saying, don't be a nice guy," she said.
Customs seize 451 turtles in suitcases
Thai customs has found 451 turtles worth 1 million baht ($33,000) stashed in suitcases offloaded from a passenger flight from Bangladesh, the latest seizure of live creatures at Bangkok's bustling Suvarnabhumi airport. Turtles of varying sizes worth around 2,000 baht apiece in Thai markets, and seven false gavials, a type of freshwater crocodile worth 10,000 baht each, were found on Thursday in small bags packed into cases after authorities received a tip off that a known trafficker was on his way to Thailand.
The alleged trafficker, a Bangladeshi national, did not collect the luggage and fled on arrival in Bangkok, customs officials said.
The discovery was the biggest since September last year, when 1,140 turtles were found by customs on a single day. A further 218 were seized a month later.
Thailand, which borders four countries, has seen its fair share of illegal wildlife trafficking and customs officials at Suvarnabhumi often seize reptiles and small animals in luggage.
They found a two-month old tiger cub in a bag last August, which was concealed by stuffed tiger toys and bound for Iran.
Prasong Poontaneat, director-general of Thailand's customs department, said it was likely the turtles were destined for Bangkok's Chatujak Market, a sprawling mass of 11,000 stalls and shops that has a dedicated pet section where endangered species are sometimes sold.
The market, which operates on weekends only, generates as much as 1 billion baht ($33 million) a month from some 350,000 foreign and local shoppers, according to the State Railway of Thailand, which owns the land.
Although Thailand has been at the forefront of a regional effort to combat wildlife trafficking, the country's multiple airports, sea ports and road network make it a major transit point for other destinations.
The alleged trafficker, a Bangladeshi national, did not collect the luggage and fled on arrival in Bangkok, customs officials said.
The discovery was the biggest since September last year, when 1,140 turtles were found by customs on a single day. A further 218 were seized a month later.
Thailand, which borders four countries, has seen its fair share of illegal wildlife trafficking and customs officials at Suvarnabhumi often seize reptiles and small animals in luggage.
They found a two-month old tiger cub in a bag last August, which was concealed by stuffed tiger toys and bound for Iran.
Prasong Poontaneat, director-general of Thailand's customs department, said it was likely the turtles were destined for Bangkok's Chatujak Market, a sprawling mass of 11,000 stalls and shops that has a dedicated pet section where endangered species are sometimes sold.
The market, which operates on weekends only, generates as much as 1 billion baht ($33 million) a month from some 350,000 foreign and local shoppers, according to the State Railway of Thailand, which owns the land.
Although Thailand has been at the forefront of a regional effort to combat wildlife trafficking, the country's multiple airports, sea ports and road network make it a major transit point for other destinations.
Police hunt for "Goldilocks"
British police appealed for help Friday in tracing a suspected burglar they have dubbed "Goldilocks" because he breaks into houses, eats food and then has a sleep.
Essex detectives said they were trying to trace Jesse Dobinson who is suspected of carrying out two burglaries at a house in Wickford, northeast of London, in February and March.
"On both occasions beds in the property were slept in and food eaten before items, including electrical goods, were stolen," police said in a statement.
Unlike the fairytale character, Dobinson is also wanted in connection with an assault and a knifepoint robbery.
Essex detectives said they were trying to trace Jesse Dobinson who is suspected of carrying out two burglaries at a house in Wickford, northeast of London, in February and March.
"On both occasions beds in the property were slept in and food eaten before items, including electrical goods, were stolen," police said in a statement.
Unlike the fairytale character, Dobinson is also wanted in connection with an assault and a knifepoint robbery.
Phone app tells tales on murderer
It began with a simple phrase -- "brace yourself" -- sent by a university professor to his mistress via a South Korean messaging service app used by millions every day. But now the message has become key evidence in a murder investigation, with the professor arrested for killing his wife and his mistress sought as an accomplice, police said.
The professor, whose full name was not given, went to the head office of the "Kakao Talk" messenger service provider after the murder and asked them to delete the message. But the message was saved for a month and police were able to retrieve it as part of an investigation of his phone records.
Eventually the professor confessed to strangling his wife, using his mistress's car to transport the body, and dumping it into the sea. He and his wife were in the process of getting a divorce.
"The message helped us discover that the woman was his accomplice," a spokesman at a police station in the southern city of Busan said. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
"Kakao Talk" is a relatively new free smartphone app with over 14 million users that allows them to send messages, chat, take part in group chats, and send photos.
The professor, whose full name was not given, went to the head office of the "Kakao Talk" messenger service provider after the murder and asked them to delete the message. But the message was saved for a month and police were able to retrieve it as part of an investigation of his phone records.
Eventually the professor confessed to strangling his wife, using his mistress's car to transport the body, and dumping it into the sea. He and his wife were in the process of getting a divorce.
"The message helped us discover that the woman was his accomplice," a spokesman at a police station in the southern city of Busan said. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
"Kakao Talk" is a relatively new free smartphone app with over 14 million users that allows them to send messages, chat, take part in group chats, and send photos.
Homeowners use car to chase off suspected burglars
In what sheriff's deputies are calling an act of self-defense, two Tennessee homeowners ran their vehicle into one of three burglars they startled when they returned home early this morning.
Michael Harris and Sally Michello were greeted by gunfire from one of the trio of intruders when they arrived at their home in Rutherford County, just south of Nashville, according to Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni.
The burglars fled after one of them was struck by the car. No one was injured by the gunfire, but bullets did strike the door frame of the couple's vehicle, said Criminal Investigations Division Commander Preble Acton.
The victims were defending themselves by using their vehicle to ward off the intruders, said Cpl. Scott Martin. Police said no one was seriously injured.
After police arrived and began searching for the intruders, they stopped one car nearby and determined that the driver was one of the suspects. Another suspect was discovered by Becky, a police dog, and her partner Lt. Kenneth Barrett.
Antonio Jenkins and Rekardo Simmons, both 19, were charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and theft. They are being held in Rutherford County Adult Detention Center
The third suspect, believed to be the gunman, remains at large, according to authorities.
Michael Harris and Sally Michello were greeted by gunfire from one of the trio of intruders when they arrived at their home in Rutherford County, just south of Nashville, according to Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni.
The burglars fled after one of them was struck by the car. No one was injured by the gunfire, but bullets did strike the door frame of the couple's vehicle, said Criminal Investigations Division Commander Preble Acton.
The victims were defending themselves by using their vehicle to ward off the intruders, said Cpl. Scott Martin. Police said no one was seriously injured.
After police arrived and began searching for the intruders, they stopped one car nearby and determined that the driver was one of the suspects. Another suspect was discovered by Becky, a police dog, and her partner Lt. Kenneth Barrett.
Antonio Jenkins and Rekardo Simmons, both 19, were charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and theft. They are being held in Rutherford County Adult Detention Center
The third suspect, believed to be the gunman, remains at large, according to authorities.
Lightning strike lands 77 cadets in hospital
A lightning strike at a southern Mississippi military base sent 77 cadets to a hospital on Wednesday.
The cadets, enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, were admitted after a bolt struck during a severe thunderstorm about 2 p.m., a base spokeswoman said.
Two cadets were transported by ambulance and the rest by bus, and all were "very responsive and in stable condition," Mississippi Army National Guard Major Deidre Musgrave told Reuters.
She said they were taken to the hospital for precautionary evaluation, but could not give any information about the injuries sustained.
The cadets are stationed for two weeks at Camp Shelby, where a simulated forward operating base prepares them for the conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Musgrave said.
The cadets, enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, were admitted after a bolt struck during a severe thunderstorm about 2 p.m., a base spokeswoman said.
Two cadets were transported by ambulance and the rest by bus, and all were "very responsive and in stable condition," Mississippi Army National Guard Major Deidre Musgrave told Reuters.
She said they were taken to the hospital for precautionary evaluation, but could not give any information about the injuries sustained.
The cadets are stationed for two weeks at Camp Shelby, where a simulated forward operating base prepares them for the conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Musgrave said.
POP QUIZ (ANCHOR'S AWEIGH)
With a new anchor taking over the "CBS Evening News" Monday, let's take a trip down network-anchor-and-personality lane.
1. Who is the new CBS anchor?
a) Bob Schieffer.
b) Meredith Vieira.
c) Scott Pelley.
d) Lesley Stahl.
2. Whom is the new anchor replacing?
a) Meredith Vieira.
b) Barbara Walters.
c) Oprah Winfrey.
d) Katie Couric.
3. Who was the longest-serving CBS anchor?
a) Walter Cronkite.
b) Dan Rather.
c) Katie Couric.
d) Edward R. Murrow.
4. What anchor's sign-off was "And that's the way it is"?
a) Walter Cronkite.
b) Dan Rather.
c) Katie Couric.
d) Edward R. Murrow.
5. What year did Walter Cronkite take over as CBS anchor?
a) 1950.
b) 1957.
c) 1962.
d) 1969.
6. This NBC team, which started in 1956, was Cronkite's competition until 1970.
a) Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevaried.
b) Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.
c) Carl Berstein and Bob Woodward.
d) Mike Wallace and Morley Safer.
7. This still-working CBS News personality's career began at the Stars and Stripes newspaper during World War 2.
a) Mike Wallace.
b) Matt Lauer.
c) Barbara Walters.
d) Andy Rooney.
8. This person preceded Cronkite as CBS anchor, serving for 14 years.
a) Edward R. Murrow.
b) John Cameron Swayze.
c) Douglas Edwards.
d) Harry Smith.
9. She was the first woman on CBS to coanchor an evening news show.
a) Connie Chung.
b) Barbara Walters.
c) Jessica Savitch.
d) Jane Pauley.
10. CBS's latest anchor comes to the job after years on this program.
a) The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
b) 60 Minutes.
c) Nightline.
d) 48 Hours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS: 1. c ; 2. d ; 3. b ; 4. a ; 5. c ; 6. b ; 7. d ; 8. c ; 9. a ; 10. b
1. Who is the new CBS anchor?
a) Bob Schieffer.
b) Meredith Vieira.
c) Scott Pelley.
d) Lesley Stahl.
2. Whom is the new anchor replacing?
a) Meredith Vieira.
b) Barbara Walters.
c) Oprah Winfrey.
d) Katie Couric.
3. Who was the longest-serving CBS anchor?
a) Walter Cronkite.
b) Dan Rather.
c) Katie Couric.
d) Edward R. Murrow.
4. What anchor's sign-off was "And that's the way it is"?
a) Walter Cronkite.
b) Dan Rather.
c) Katie Couric.
d) Edward R. Murrow.
5. What year did Walter Cronkite take over as CBS anchor?
a) 1950.
b) 1957.
c) 1962.
d) 1969.
6. This NBC team, which started in 1956, was Cronkite's competition until 1970.
a) Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevaried.
b) Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.
c) Carl Berstein and Bob Woodward.
d) Mike Wallace and Morley Safer.
7. This still-working CBS News personality's career began at the Stars and Stripes newspaper during World War 2.
a) Mike Wallace.
b) Matt Lauer.
c) Barbara Walters.
d) Andy Rooney.
8. This person preceded Cronkite as CBS anchor, serving for 14 years.
a) Edward R. Murrow.
b) John Cameron Swayze.
c) Douglas Edwards.
d) Harry Smith.
9. She was the first woman on CBS to coanchor an evening news show.
a) Connie Chung.
b) Barbara Walters.
c) Jessica Savitch.
d) Jane Pauley.
10. CBS's latest anchor comes to the job after years on this program.
a) The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
b) 60 Minutes.
c) Nightline.
d) 48 Hours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS: 1. c ; 2. d ; 3. b ; 4. a ; 5. c ; 6. b ; 7. d ; 8. c ; 9. a ; 10. b
Saturday, June 11, 2011
HOW TO SPEAK TO THE DYING
A reader called to ask about how to talk to people who are dying. She'd read my story about caring for my husband as he was dying of brain cancer, and she had questions about her brother, who had kidney cancer and other serious health problems. She sat with him during the last two days of his life while he was at home in hospice. Like my husband in his last two days, her brother was unable to communicate.
She talked to him a little, but it felt strange, and she spent much more of her time talking with his nurse. Years later, she feels guilty that she didn't stop the conversation with the nurse and talk more with her brother. She wishes the nurse had urged her to do that and helped her figure out what to say.
I know what she means. I too felt uncomfortable having one-sided conversations with my husband at the end. I didn't know what to say and I didn't know if he could understand. I figured I'd already told him what I wanted to say and it was enough for me to be nearby, but I did envy people who could rattle on about the good times and how much they cared as their loved one lay dying.
I asked some experts on dying ----- Sister Mary Joan Smith, a hospital chaplain who starts this week as manager of spirtual care at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital; Gail Inderwies, who runs Keystone Hospice in Wyndmoor; and Lynn O'Brien, who is in charge of Abington Memorial Hospital's hospice ---- about how to talk to the dying.
Of course, there's no simple answer, but all said they belived that even people very near death could hear and appreciate knowing that people who loved them were nearby. They encourage family members to talk to the dying person, largely because it makes the families feel better. They added that holding a hand might offer as much comfort as a torrent of words. It's being there that really matters.
Smith said she routinely recommended that people reminisce about the good times. It's true that sobbing over a beloved person who's dying might make him feel worse, she said, but it also could make him more aware of how much he was loved.
"There isn't a right or wrong answer," Inderwies said. One of the hardest things is to sit in silence, but, she said, "If a person's not a talker, they may not want you talking a lot to them."
Even so, family members and friends often regret leaving important things unsaid. "It is really what's important to you, what's in your heart, and ---- if you don't say it, you're going to regret it the rest of your life," Inderwies said. "...Always leave like this may be the last time you may see them."
She believes it's valuable for families to surround the dying and talk about the good times. "You're going to have a lifetime to sit shivah," she said. "You only have now to share what you want."
O'Brien recommends using short phrases with the dying and says you don't need to talk all the time. Tell them when you enter or leave a room. Share a memory if one pops into your head. Or, you can say, "I'm here with you. I'm just going to read a book, but I'll be around."
It's normal for the bereaved to feel guilty, she said. "We all feel guilty about something after someone dies."
She and Inderwies said people who wished they had talked more to someone who died often felt better if they wrote down what they wanted to say. Some people then bury the words or light the paper afire and watch the ashes rise into the atmosphere. Some go to the grave and speak the words out loud.
"If it's heavy on your heart and something you need to express in some way-----do it," O'Brien said.
She talked to him a little, but it felt strange, and she spent much more of her time talking with his nurse. Years later, she feels guilty that she didn't stop the conversation with the nurse and talk more with her brother. She wishes the nurse had urged her to do that and helped her figure out what to say.
I know what she means. I too felt uncomfortable having one-sided conversations with my husband at the end. I didn't know what to say and I didn't know if he could understand. I figured I'd already told him what I wanted to say and it was enough for me to be nearby, but I did envy people who could rattle on about the good times and how much they cared as their loved one lay dying.
I asked some experts on dying ----- Sister Mary Joan Smith, a hospital chaplain who starts this week as manager of spirtual care at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital; Gail Inderwies, who runs Keystone Hospice in Wyndmoor; and Lynn O'Brien, who is in charge of Abington Memorial Hospital's hospice ---- about how to talk to the dying.
Of course, there's no simple answer, but all said they belived that even people very near death could hear and appreciate knowing that people who loved them were nearby. They encourage family members to talk to the dying person, largely because it makes the families feel better. They added that holding a hand might offer as much comfort as a torrent of words. It's being there that really matters.
Smith said she routinely recommended that people reminisce about the good times. It's true that sobbing over a beloved person who's dying might make him feel worse, she said, but it also could make him more aware of how much he was loved.
"There isn't a right or wrong answer," Inderwies said. One of the hardest things is to sit in silence, but, she said, "If a person's not a talker, they may not want you talking a lot to them."
Even so, family members and friends often regret leaving important things unsaid. "It is really what's important to you, what's in your heart, and ---- if you don't say it, you're going to regret it the rest of your life," Inderwies said. "...Always leave like this may be the last time you may see them."
She believes it's valuable for families to surround the dying and talk about the good times. "You're going to have a lifetime to sit shivah," she said. "You only have now to share what you want."
O'Brien recommends using short phrases with the dying and says you don't need to talk all the time. Tell them when you enter or leave a room. Share a memory if one pops into your head. Or, you can say, "I'm here with you. I'm just going to read a book, but I'll be around."
It's normal for the bereaved to feel guilty, she said. "We all feel guilty about something after someone dies."
She and Inderwies said people who wished they had talked more to someone who died often felt better if they wrote down what they wanted to say. Some people then bury the words or light the paper afire and watch the ashes rise into the atmosphere. Some go to the grave and speak the words out loud.
"If it's heavy on your heart and something you need to express in some way-----do it," O'Brien said.
LATEST TEEN CRAZE : PLANKING
The "activity" -----if you want to call it that -----consists of lying down in public places.
You're walking through a crowded mall one innocent Saturday night when suddenly you see a young teen lying face down on a bench.
Your heart leaps as you sprint over, calling for help and asking the victim if they can hear you.
As a crowd begins to gather, the "victim" turns over, glaring up at you with a mixture of anger and confusion.
Looking over your shoulder, you see another teen holding a camera, also shooting the evil eye your way.
"We're just planking, man," he says.
Planking. It's a sensation that's swept the Internet sites, news reports and bored teenage minds of the world in the past few weeks.
Essentially, there are three steps to planking.
One: Find a cool/interesting/obscure/well-known spot.
Two: Lay on your stomach with arms at your sides at the aforementioned spot.
Three: Have a buddy take a picture of you "planking" and post it on the web.
Many of you are probably experienceing the same reaction I experienced when I first learned of this bizarre activity: A moment of awe, closely followed by "What the [expletive of choice]!?"
Despite this, planking has become increasingly widespread, and a wealth of pictures can be found on YouTube, blogs and various websites dedicated solely to this activity.
According to CNN.com, an English pair is taking credit for the creation of planking, which has been around for almost 10 years.
Orginally called The Lying Down Game, one commenter on the official Planking Facebook page wrote: "Planking is an extreme sport which requires years of constant training to perfect the complex technique."
Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of this comment, planking does have its dangers. A 20-year-old Australian man fell to his death in May while planking on a seven-story balcony. Ironically, this news actually brought planking to the national consciousness and sparked the latest wave it has been riding.
Planking is an interesting social phenomenon that can be looked at from many angles.
On one hand, it can be seen as dangerous and menacing, encouraging people to risk their lives and trespass on private property. Dissenters have also stated that planking is a waste of time, with one California art student writing on Facebook: "Maybe we should start a craze about picking up litter."
However, those participating in the planking (plankers?) just see the activity as a harmless source of laughs and entertainment.
All in all, planking is just another ridiculous invention of the human mind. Sure, it's crazy. And maybe it is a waste of time. But the simple fun created by the activity is proof that no matter how much technology we have, life can always provide its own apps.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to plank on my bed.
You're walking through a crowded mall one innocent Saturday night when suddenly you see a young teen lying face down on a bench.
Your heart leaps as you sprint over, calling for help and asking the victim if they can hear you.
As a crowd begins to gather, the "victim" turns over, glaring up at you with a mixture of anger and confusion.
Looking over your shoulder, you see another teen holding a camera, also shooting the evil eye your way.
"We're just planking, man," he says.
Planking. It's a sensation that's swept the Internet sites, news reports and bored teenage minds of the world in the past few weeks.
Essentially, there are three steps to planking.
One: Find a cool/interesting/obscure/well-known spot.
Two: Lay on your stomach with arms at your sides at the aforementioned spot.
Three: Have a buddy take a picture of you "planking" and post it on the web.
Many of you are probably experienceing the same reaction I experienced when I first learned of this bizarre activity: A moment of awe, closely followed by "What the [expletive of choice]!?"
Despite this, planking has become increasingly widespread, and a wealth of pictures can be found on YouTube, blogs and various websites dedicated solely to this activity.
According to CNN.com, an English pair is taking credit for the creation of planking, which has been around for almost 10 years.
Orginally called The Lying Down Game, one commenter on the official Planking Facebook page wrote: "Planking is an extreme sport which requires years of constant training to perfect the complex technique."
Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of this comment, planking does have its dangers. A 20-year-old Australian man fell to his death in May while planking on a seven-story balcony. Ironically, this news actually brought planking to the national consciousness and sparked the latest wave it has been riding.
Planking is an interesting social phenomenon that can be looked at from many angles.
On one hand, it can be seen as dangerous and menacing, encouraging people to risk their lives and trespass on private property. Dissenters have also stated that planking is a waste of time, with one California art student writing on Facebook: "Maybe we should start a craze about picking up litter."
However, those participating in the planking (plankers?) just see the activity as a harmless source of laughs and entertainment.
All in all, planking is just another ridiculous invention of the human mind. Sure, it's crazy. And maybe it is a waste of time. But the simple fun created by the activity is proof that no matter how much technology we have, life can always provide its own apps.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to plank on my bed.
F. Y. I.
Still on the Books
In Alderson, W.Va., one may not walk a lion, tiger or leopard, even on a leash.
Busy Bee
A bee must visit 4,000 flowers to make one tablespoon of honey.
Actually Said
by Winston Bennett, former University of Kentucky basketball forward
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body.
On the Night Shift
A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night.
Body Wise
From birth to adolescence, selected bones in the human body fuse together. The last bone to do so is the collarbone----between the ages of 18 and 25.
In Alderson, W.Va., one may not walk a lion, tiger or leopard, even on a leash.
Busy Bee
A bee must visit 4,000 flowers to make one tablespoon of honey.
Actually Said
by Winston Bennett, former University of Kentucky basketball forward
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body.
On the Night Shift
A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night.
Body Wise
From birth to adolescence, selected bones in the human body fuse together. The last bone to do so is the collarbone----between the ages of 18 and 25.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Predictor of May 21 doomsday to watch it on TV
The U.S. evangelical Christian broadcaster predicting that Judgment Day will come on Saturday says he expects to stay close to a TV or radio to monitor the unfolding apocalypse.
Harold Camping, 89, previously made a failed prediction that Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.
The head of the Christian radio network Family Stations Inc says that he is sure an earthquake will shake the Earth on May 21, sweeping true believers to heaven and leaving others behind to be engulfed in the world's destruction over a few months.
"We know without any shadow of a doubt it is going to happen," Camping told Reuters.
His Family Radio has 66 U.S. stations and broadcasts in more than 30 languages through international affiliates.
His supporters have posted about 2,200 billboards around the United States about the coming apocalypse, and dozens of followers have driven across the country to spread the news.
Camping, a civil engineer who once ran his own construction business, plans to spend May 21 with his wife in Alameda, in northern California, and watch the doomsday unfold.
"I'll probably try to be very near a TV or a radio or something," he said. "I'll be interested in what's happening on the other side of the world as this begins."
Like his last prediction, Camping's doomsday date is based on his reading of the Bible and a timeline dating back to ancient events including the Biblical flood survived by Noah.
'IT MAKES US LOOK WORSE'
Camping's pronouncement of a specific date for the apocalypse puts him outside the Christian mainstream.
Jerry Jenkins, co-author with Tim LaHaye of the "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic novels that have sold millions of copies worldwide, has a problem with the prediction.
"As a believer, I'm already a kook compared to most people, so for someone to choose a date and get everyone excited about a certain time, my problem is it makes us look worse," said Jenkins, 61.
Stephen O'Leary, an expert in religious communication at the University of Southern California, said the idea of rapture espoused by Camping and some more mainstream Christians first appeared in Christian teaching in the 19th century.
"It is very appealing to people," said Barbara Rossing, professor of the New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago who describes a huge apocalyptic "prophecy industry" including video games, board games and books.
Atheists are reacting to Camping's pronouncement in their own way.
In Tacoma, Washington, atheists have organized a party for Saturday night at an arcade, under the banner "countdown to backpedaling," on the assumption that Camping and Family Radio will change their story if Judgment Day does not come.
At least 100 people are expected at the party, said Sam Mulvey, 33, an organizer of the event and the producer of a weekly atheist radio show in Tacoma.
"If the world still exists the next day, Family Radio is going to have to say something and most of the time they backpedal, and that's what we're counting down to," he said.
Harold Camping, 89, previously made a failed prediction that Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.
The head of the Christian radio network Family Stations Inc says that he is sure an earthquake will shake the Earth on May 21, sweeping true believers to heaven and leaving others behind to be engulfed in the world's destruction over a few months.
"We know without any shadow of a doubt it is going to happen," Camping told Reuters.
His Family Radio has 66 U.S. stations and broadcasts in more than 30 languages through international affiliates.
His supporters have posted about 2,200 billboards around the United States about the coming apocalypse, and dozens of followers have driven across the country to spread the news.
Camping, a civil engineer who once ran his own construction business, plans to spend May 21 with his wife in Alameda, in northern California, and watch the doomsday unfold.
"I'll probably try to be very near a TV or a radio or something," he said. "I'll be interested in what's happening on the other side of the world as this begins."
Like his last prediction, Camping's doomsday date is based on his reading of the Bible and a timeline dating back to ancient events including the Biblical flood survived by Noah.
'IT MAKES US LOOK WORSE'
Camping's pronouncement of a specific date for the apocalypse puts him outside the Christian mainstream.
Jerry Jenkins, co-author with Tim LaHaye of the "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic novels that have sold millions of copies worldwide, has a problem with the prediction.
"As a believer, I'm already a kook compared to most people, so for someone to choose a date and get everyone excited about a certain time, my problem is it makes us look worse," said Jenkins, 61.
Stephen O'Leary, an expert in religious communication at the University of Southern California, said the idea of rapture espoused by Camping and some more mainstream Christians first appeared in Christian teaching in the 19th century.
"It is very appealing to people," said Barbara Rossing, professor of the New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago who describes a huge apocalyptic "prophecy industry" including video games, board games and books.
Atheists are reacting to Camping's pronouncement in their own way.
In Tacoma, Washington, atheists have organized a party for Saturday night at an arcade, under the banner "countdown to backpedaling," on the assumption that Camping and Family Radio will change their story if Judgment Day does not come.
At least 100 people are expected at the party, said Sam Mulvey, 33, an organizer of the event and the producer of a weekly atheist radio show in Tacoma.
"If the world still exists the next day, Family Radio is going to have to say something and most of the time they backpedal, and that's what we're counting down to," he said.
Broadcaster silent as "Judgment Day" hours tick by
With no sign of Judgment Day arriving as he had forecast, the 89-year-old California evangelical broadcaster and former civil engineer behind the pronouncement seemed to have gone silent on Saturday. Family Radio, the Christian stations network headed by Harold Camping which had spread his message of an approaching doomsday, was playing recorded church music, devotionals and life advice unrelated to the apocalypse.
Camping previously made a failed prediction Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.
In his latest pronouncement, he had said doomsday would begin in Asia, but with midnight local time come and gone in Tokyo and Beijing and those cities already in the early hours of May 22, there was no indication of an apocalypse.
The Oakland, California, headquarters of the network of 66 U.S. stations was shuttered with a sign in the door that read "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
Family Radio officials, with the help of supporters, had posted over 2,000 billboards around the country warning of a May 21 Judgment Day.
The headquarters, which appears to be normally closed on Saturday, was also shuttered on Friday.
Camping, whose deep sonorous voice is frequently heard on his radio network expounding the Bible, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
The shades were drawn and no one answered the door at his house in Alameda, California.
Sheila Doan, 65, who has lived next door to Camping since 1971, said he is a good neighbor and that she is concerned about Camping and his wife, because of the attention his pronouncement has received.
"I'm concerned for them, that somebody would possibly do something stupid, you just don't know in this world what's going to happen," she said.
Atheists in different parts of the country were planning celebrations and get-togethers to mark the failure of Camping's May 21 prediction to come true.
In Oakland, the same city where Camping's network is based, over 200 people gathered at an atheist convention at a Masonic lodge where speakers jokingly took note of the Judgment Day pronouncement.
"It's kind of crazy, but there's actually a dark side to it too," said Stuart Bechman, national affiliate director of a group called American Atheists.
"There are a lot of silly and even unfounded beliefs that go on in the religious community that cause harm," he said.
Tom Evans, a spokesman for Camping, said earlier this week that at least several tens of thousands of people listen to Family Radio's message.
The network is heard in more than 30 languages through international affiliates, according to Family Radio.
In New York, at least one of Camping's followers continued to hold out hope Judgment Day would come.
Retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker Robert Fitzpatrick, 60, said he spent more than $140,000 of his savings on subway posters and bus shelter advertisements warning of the May 21 Judgment Day.
"God's people are commanded to sound the warning, to sound the trumpet so to speak so people know," Fitzpatrick said of his advertising blitz.
He said Camping led him to believe Judgment Day would be May 21, but added that he disagreed with the broadcaster's prediction it would begin in Asia.
In Fitzpatrick's view, from his reading of the Bible, Judgment Day would begin around 6 p.m. Eastern Time. He said on Saturday he still had no doubt Judgment Day would come this day.
"I wouldn't even entertain that question because there's too much proof from the Bible," he said.
Camping previously made a failed prediction Jesus Christ would return to Earth in 1994.
In his latest pronouncement, he had said doomsday would begin in Asia, but with midnight local time come and gone in Tokyo and Beijing and those cities already in the early hours of May 22, there was no indication of an apocalypse.
The Oakland, California, headquarters of the network of 66 U.S. stations was shuttered with a sign in the door that read "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
Family Radio officials, with the help of supporters, had posted over 2,000 billboards around the country warning of a May 21 Judgment Day.
The headquarters, which appears to be normally closed on Saturday, was also shuttered on Friday.
Camping, whose deep sonorous voice is frequently heard on his radio network expounding the Bible, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
The shades were drawn and no one answered the door at his house in Alameda, California.
Sheila Doan, 65, who has lived next door to Camping since 1971, said he is a good neighbor and that she is concerned about Camping and his wife, because of the attention his pronouncement has received.
"I'm concerned for them, that somebody would possibly do something stupid, you just don't know in this world what's going to happen," she said.
Atheists in different parts of the country were planning celebrations and get-togethers to mark the failure of Camping's May 21 prediction to come true.
In Oakland, the same city where Camping's network is based, over 200 people gathered at an atheist convention at a Masonic lodge where speakers jokingly took note of the Judgment Day pronouncement.
"It's kind of crazy, but there's actually a dark side to it too," said Stuart Bechman, national affiliate director of a group called American Atheists.
"There are a lot of silly and even unfounded beliefs that go on in the religious community that cause harm," he said.
Tom Evans, a spokesman for Camping, said earlier this week that at least several tens of thousands of people listen to Family Radio's message.
The network is heard in more than 30 languages through international affiliates, according to Family Radio.
In New York, at least one of Camping's followers continued to hold out hope Judgment Day would come.
Retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker Robert Fitzpatrick, 60, said he spent more than $140,000 of his savings on subway posters and bus shelter advertisements warning of the May 21 Judgment Day.
"God's people are commanded to sound the warning, to sound the trumpet so to speak so people know," Fitzpatrick said of his advertising blitz.
He said Camping led him to believe Judgment Day would be May 21, but added that he disagreed with the broadcaster's prediction it would begin in Asia.
In Fitzpatrick's view, from his reading of the Bible, Judgment Day would begin around 6 p.m. Eastern Time. He said on Saturday he still had no doubt Judgment Day would come this day.
"I wouldn't even entertain that question because there's too much proof from the Bible," he said.
Judgment Day forecaster points to new doomsday date
The evangelical Christian broadcaster whose much-ballyhooed Judgment Day prophecy went conspicuously unfulfilled on Saturday has a simple explanation for what went wrong -- he miscalculated.
Instead of the world physically coming to an end on May 21 with a great, cataclysmic earthquake, as he had predicted, Harold Camping, 89, said he now believes his forecast is playing out "spiritually," with the actual apocalypse set to occur five months later, on October 21.
Camping, who launched a doomsday countdown in which some followers spent their life's savings in anticipation of being swept into heaven, issued his correction during an appearance on his "Open Forum" radio show from Oakland, California.
The headquarters of Camping's Family Radio network of 66 U.S. stations had been shuttered over the weekend with a sign on the door that read, "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
During a sometimes rambling, 90-minute discourse that included a question-and-answer session with reporters, Camping said he felt bad that Saturday had come and gone without the Rapture he had felt so certain would take place.
Reflecting on scripture afterward, Camping said it "dawned" on him that a "merciful and compassionate God" would spare humanity from "hell on Earth for five months" by compressing the physical apocalypse into a shorter time frame.
But he insisted that October 21 has always been the end-point of his own End Times chronology, or at least, his latest chronology.
The tall, gaunt former civil engineer with a deep voice and prominent ears has been wrong before. More than two decades ago, he publicly acknowledged a failed 1994 prophecy of Christ's return to Earth.
To publicize his latest pronouncement, the Family Radio network posted over 2,000 billboards around the country declaring that Judgment Day was at hand, and believers carried the message on placards in shopping malls and street corners.
Asked what advice he would give to followers who gave up much or all of their worldly possessions in the belief that his Judgment Day forecast would come true, Camping drew a comparison to the nation's recent economic slump.
"We just had a great recession. There's lots of people who lost their jobs, lots of people who lost their houses ... and somehow they all survived," he said.
"People cope, he added. "We're not in the business of giving any financial advice. We're in the business of telling people maybe there is someone you can talk to, and that's God."
Instead of the world physically coming to an end on May 21 with a great, cataclysmic earthquake, as he had predicted, Harold Camping, 89, said he now believes his forecast is playing out "spiritually," with the actual apocalypse set to occur five months later, on October 21.
Camping, who launched a doomsday countdown in which some followers spent their life's savings in anticipation of being swept into heaven, issued his correction during an appearance on his "Open Forum" radio show from Oakland, California.
The headquarters of Camping's Family Radio network of 66 U.S. stations had been shuttered over the weekend with a sign on the door that read, "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
During a sometimes rambling, 90-minute discourse that included a question-and-answer session with reporters, Camping said he felt bad that Saturday had come and gone without the Rapture he had felt so certain would take place.
Reflecting on scripture afterward, Camping said it "dawned" on him that a "merciful and compassionate God" would spare humanity from "hell on Earth for five months" by compressing the physical apocalypse into a shorter time frame.
But he insisted that October 21 has always been the end-point of his own End Times chronology, or at least, his latest chronology.
The tall, gaunt former civil engineer with a deep voice and prominent ears has been wrong before. More than two decades ago, he publicly acknowledged a failed 1994 prophecy of Christ's return to Earth.
To publicize his latest pronouncement, the Family Radio network posted over 2,000 billboards around the country declaring that Judgment Day was at hand, and believers carried the message on placards in shopping malls and street corners.
Asked what advice he would give to followers who gave up much or all of their worldly possessions in the belief that his Judgment Day forecast would come true, Camping drew a comparison to the nation's recent economic slump.
"We just had a great recession. There's lots of people who lost their jobs, lots of people who lost their houses ... and somehow they all survived," he said.
"People cope, he added. "We're not in the business of giving any financial advice. We're in the business of telling people maybe there is someone you can talk to, and that's God."
Russia arrests man who ate human liver with potatoes
Russian police said on Tuesday they had detained a man who was caught eating an acquaintance's liver.
Police tracked down the suspect after a trail of severed body parts including limbs and a head were found across Moscow.
"When the police came to arrest the suspect, he was eating a human liver with potatoes," a police spokeswoman for the Moscow's western district said by telephone.
The rest of the human liver was found in a refrigerator in the suspect's flat. The police spokeswoman said the cause of the acquaintance's death was not clear.
The suspect "admitted his crime and that he had eaten part of his acquaintance's liver," the prosecutor general's main investigative unit said in a statement.
Police tracked down the suspect after a trail of severed body parts including limbs and a head were found across Moscow.
"When the police came to arrest the suspect, he was eating a human liver with potatoes," a police spokeswoman for the Moscow's western district said by telephone.
The rest of the human liver was found in a refrigerator in the suspect's flat. The police spokeswoman said the cause of the acquaintance's death was not clear.
The suspect "admitted his crime and that he had eaten part of his acquaintance's liver," the prosecutor general's main investigative unit said in a statement.
"Zombie Apocalypse" campaign crashes website
A blog post by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that mentions a "zombie apocalypse" as a lighthearted way to get Americans to read about preparing for hurricanes drove so much traffic that it crashed the website, the agency said on Thursday.
The Zombie Apocalypse campaign is a social media effort by the CDC's Public Health and Preparedness center to spread the word about the June 1 start of hurricane season.
The CDC is a U.S. federal government health agency based in Atlanta.
"There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for," the blog post begins. "Take a zombie apocalypse for example. ... You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."
The blog appeared just days before May 21, when an evangelical broadcaster in California has predicted "Judgment Day" will mark the end of the world.
"If you prepare for the zombie apocalypse, you'll be prepared for all hazards," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told Reuters on Thursday.
The word zombie comes from voodoo practice of spirit possession in which victims are stripped of consciousness.
Zombies became popular culture references after the success of George Romero's 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead" where flesh-eating zombies roam the eastern seaboard in the aftermath of radioactive contamination.
Daigle said that a typical CDC blog post might get between 1,000 and 3,000 hits. The most traffic on record had been a post that saw around 10,000 visits.
By the end of Wednesday, with servers down, the page had 60,000. By Thursday, it was a trending topic on Twitter.
The campaign was designed to reach a young, media-savvy demographic that the CDC had not been able to capture previously, Daigle said.
Increased traffic did not affect the main CDC website.
The website is: http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp
The Zombie Apocalypse campaign is a social media effort by the CDC's Public Health and Preparedness center to spread the word about the June 1 start of hurricane season.
The CDC is a U.S. federal government health agency based in Atlanta.
"There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for," the blog post begins. "Take a zombie apocalypse for example. ... You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."
The blog appeared just days before May 21, when an evangelical broadcaster in California has predicted "Judgment Day" will mark the end of the world.
"If you prepare for the zombie apocalypse, you'll be prepared for all hazards," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told Reuters on Thursday.
The word zombie comes from voodoo practice of spirit possession in which victims are stripped of consciousness.
Zombies became popular culture references after the success of George Romero's 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead" where flesh-eating zombies roam the eastern seaboard in the aftermath of radioactive contamination.
Daigle said that a typical CDC blog post might get between 1,000 and 3,000 hits. The most traffic on record had been a post that saw around 10,000 visits.
By the end of Wednesday, with servers down, the page had 60,000. By Thursday, it was a trending topic on Twitter.
The campaign was designed to reach a young, media-savvy demographic that the CDC had not been able to capture previously, Daigle said.
Increased traffic did not affect the main CDC website.
The website is: http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp
Princess's "toilet seat" hat sells for $131,000
The much-mocked hat worn by Princess Beatrice to Britain's royal wedding last month -- widely described as looking like a toilet seat -- sold for 81,100 pounds ($131,000) on eBay, charities which will benefit from the sale said.
The money will be equally split between UNICEF and Children in Crisis, which posted the auction results on their websites.
The fuss over the hat worn to the royal wedding of her cousin Prince William to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton seemed to have taken Beatrice -- who is the daughter of William's uncle Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -- by surprise.
"I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," Beatrice said on the auction site. "I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."
The hat, by milliner Philip Treacy, was given a starting price of 5,000 pounds.
Treacy said he was "delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess' Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity."
The money will be equally split between UNICEF and Children in Crisis, which posted the auction results on their websites.
The fuss over the hat worn to the royal wedding of her cousin Prince William to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton seemed to have taken Beatrice -- who is the daughter of William's uncle Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -- by surprise.
"I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," Beatrice said on the auction site. "I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."
The hat, by milliner Philip Treacy, was given a starting price of 5,000 pounds.
Treacy said he was "delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess' Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity."
Warning: Walking on a Florida street may be dangerous
Warning to pedestrians -- Walking down the street in Florida could be hazardous to your health.
Several major cities in the state -- Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale -- took the top spots on a list of the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians published by a U.S. transportation reform group on Tuesday.
The "Dangerous by Design" report, produced by Transportation for America, ranked cities with populations over a million people in terms of the danger to pedestrians relative to the amount of walking in a given area.
Riverside, California, Las Vegas, Memphis, Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas filled out the top ten in that order.
The author of the report emphasized the role of planning in the dangerous cities for pedestrians.
The common factor urban sprawl, low-density areas that are organized around wide, high-speed streets known as arterials.
Most of the over 47,700 pedestrian fatalities during the last decade were on these arterial roads, researcher Michelle Ernst said.
Racial minorities and seniors are more likely to be victims of pedestrian fatalities, the report also highlighted.
Transportation for America advocates for federal transportation reform that mandates the complete use of streets, that is a transportation system that facilitates use by pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, motorists, and those using public transportation.
The best cities for pedestrians according to the same list are Boston, Cleveland, New York, and Pittsburgh.
Several major cities in the state -- Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale -- took the top spots on a list of the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians published by a U.S. transportation reform group on Tuesday.
The "Dangerous by Design" report, produced by Transportation for America, ranked cities with populations over a million people in terms of the danger to pedestrians relative to the amount of walking in a given area.
Riverside, California, Las Vegas, Memphis, Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas filled out the top ten in that order.
The author of the report emphasized the role of planning in the dangerous cities for pedestrians.
The common factor urban sprawl, low-density areas that are organized around wide, high-speed streets known as arterials.
Most of the over 47,700 pedestrian fatalities during the last decade were on these arterial roads, researcher Michelle Ernst said.
Racial minorities and seniors are more likely to be victims of pedestrian fatalities, the report also highlighted.
Transportation for America advocates for federal transportation reform that mandates the complete use of streets, that is a transportation system that facilitates use by pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, motorists, and those using public transportation.
The best cities for pedestrians according to the same list are Boston, Cleveland, New York, and Pittsburgh.
NOW YOU KNOW
- On May 2, 1941, General Mills began shipping its new cereal, "Cheerioats," to six test markets. (The ceral was later renamed "Cheerios.")
- On May 3, 1911, Wisconsin Gov. Francis E. McGovern signed the first U.S. workers' compensation law to withstand constitutional scrutiny. (Previous attempts in Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana and New York were struck down.)
- On May 4, 1961, the first group of "Freedom Riders" left Washington, D.C., to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals. The Freedom Riders were repeatedly attacked by violent mobs, mostly in Alabama.
- On May 6, 1889, the Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.
- On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation asking Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers through the celebration of Mother's Day.
- On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
- On May 11, 1811, conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker were born in Siam (now Thailand), giving rise to the term "Siamese twins."
- On May 12, 1932, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was found in a wooded area near Hopewell, N.J.
- On May 13, 1861, Britain's Queen Victoria declared her country's neutrality in the American Civil War, but also acknowledged that the Confederacy had belligerent rights.
- On May 16, 1939, the government began its first food stamp program in Rochester, N.Y.
- On May 17, 1792, the New York Stok Exchange had its origins as a group of brokers met under a tree on Wall Street.
- On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead or missing.
- On May 19, 1967, the Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain banning nuclear and other weapons from outer space as well as celestial bodies such as the moon.
- On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, La.
- On May 24, 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message, "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America's first telegraph line.
- On May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention began meeting in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.
- On May 26, 1940, the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War 2.
- On May 27, 1896, 255 people were killed when a tornado struck St. Louis, Ill.
- On May 31, 1911, the hull of the British liner RMS Titanic was launched from its building berth at the Port of Belfast, less than a year before the ship's fateful maiden voyage.
A PHILLY QUIZ
Here are a few sample questions from the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides certification exam.
1. The largest bronze work in Philadelphia is the Washington Monument.
a) True
b) False
2. The American Philosophical Society is the nation's oldest learned society.
a) True
b False
3. What is the tallest building in Philadelphia?
4. Who founded Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church?
5. Who is known as the father of American surgery?
6. What was Arch Street originally called?
a) Sassafras Street
b) Cedar Street
c) Mulberry Street
d) High Street
7. What is the oldest continuously used Methodist Church building in America?
a) St. Paul's
b) Old Pine
c) St. George's
d) First Abury
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. b ; 2. a ; 3. Comcast Center ; 4. Richard Allen ; 5. Phillip Syng Physick ; 6. c ; 7. c
1. The largest bronze work in Philadelphia is the Washington Monument.
a) True
b) False
2. The American Philosophical Society is the nation's oldest learned society.
a) True
b False
3. What is the tallest building in Philadelphia?
4. Who founded Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church?
5. Who is known as the father of American surgery?
6. What was Arch Street originally called?
a) Sassafras Street
b) Cedar Street
c) Mulberry Street
d) High Street
7. What is the oldest continuously used Methodist Church building in America?
a) St. Paul's
b) Old Pine
c) St. George's
d) First Abury
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. b ; 2. a ; 3. Comcast Center ; 4. Richard Allen ; 5. Phillip Syng Physick ; 6. c ; 7. c
LIFE MUCH HAPPIER WHEN YOU EMBRACE YOUR INNER NERD
Trust me, there's a little Nerdfighter in all of us.
I'm a nerd. At verious times in my life I've tried to talk my way around it, but there it is: I am a nerd.
I like to read, I do well in school, I get overly excited about the little things. I'm Harry Potter crazy and I like to debate more than I should. I spend just a little too much time on the Internet.
For a while, all this made me self-conscious; as far as I knew, I was pretty much alone. So I tried to hide it. I tried to act "Chill" or "cool," but that didn't work out for me at all. The truth is that I find "chill" people pretty boring. What's so great about acting like you don't care about anything?
That's when I found Nerdfighters, and I realized that I was anything but alone. Here was a group of people who told me to celebrate my nerdiness, who might just be nerdier than I am. So I decided to do something really crazy and tried to just be myself, nerdiness included.
Let me just say that life in general got a lot better after that.
To me, and from what I've seen for a good portion of Nerdfighters as well, that's what the whole community is-----the motivation to accept yourself for what you really are. That's one of the many things that is so great about Nerdfighters; they're not trying to change you into something or mold you into some unattainable ideal. Not to mention the great discussions, hilarious inside jokes and the wonderful John and Hank Green who are, undeniably, my role models.
You don't even really need to be a nerd to become a Nerdfighter----you could just be someone with a desire to make the world a better place, or who would really like somewhere to go on ridiculous rants about the current situation in Pakistan, because you know, it really, really sucks.
What I'm trying to say is that from what I've found, anyone can be a Nerdfighter. If you like to laugh, cry, debate, discuss, be ridiculous, be nerdy or all of the above, you couldn't find a better place than http://www.nerdfighters.com/.
I'd recommend it to anyone.
I'm a nerd. At verious times in my life I've tried to talk my way around it, but there it is: I am a nerd.
I like to read, I do well in school, I get overly excited about the little things. I'm Harry Potter crazy and I like to debate more than I should. I spend just a little too much time on the Internet.
For a while, all this made me self-conscious; as far as I knew, I was pretty much alone. So I tried to hide it. I tried to act "Chill" or "cool," but that didn't work out for me at all. The truth is that I find "chill" people pretty boring. What's so great about acting like you don't care about anything?
That's when I found Nerdfighters, and I realized that I was anything but alone. Here was a group of people who told me to celebrate my nerdiness, who might just be nerdier than I am. So I decided to do something really crazy and tried to just be myself, nerdiness included.
Let me just say that life in general got a lot better after that.
To me, and from what I've seen for a good portion of Nerdfighters as well, that's what the whole community is-----the motivation to accept yourself for what you really are. That's one of the many things that is so great about Nerdfighters; they're not trying to change you into something or mold you into some unattainable ideal. Not to mention the great discussions, hilarious inside jokes and the wonderful John and Hank Green who are, undeniably, my role models.
You don't even really need to be a nerd to become a Nerdfighter----you could just be someone with a desire to make the world a better place, or who would really like somewhere to go on ridiculous rants about the current situation in Pakistan, because you know, it really, really sucks.
What I'm trying to say is that from what I've found, anyone can be a Nerdfighter. If you like to laugh, cry, debate, discuss, be ridiculous, be nerdy or all of the above, you couldn't find a better place than http://www.nerdfighters.com/.
I'd recommend it to anyone.
NERDS UNITE
An ever-expanding group called Nerdfighters is out to conquer "World Suck" ---- while still finding plenty of time to celebrate fantasyand sci-fi.
Puppy-sized elephants. The Yeti. In your pants. Decepticons. Giant Squids of Anger. French the Llama. Warner Chilcott. Peeps. Tiny chicken disease.
Most likely, those strange phrases mean absolutely nothing to you. They may just seem like vague plot elements of a nerdy comic book series----and you're wondering why I mentioned them at all.
However, it is possible that you're quietly laughing to yourself and thinking of other phrases I could have added to that list.
If so, you're a Nerdfighter, a member of a vast community that sprang up around what was originally just another YouTube video channel.
Before you ask, no, Nerdfighters do not "fight nerds." In fact, Nerdfighters actually celebrate all things nerdy and intelligent, and the only thing we fight against is "World Suck" (which is one of those rare things that means exactly what it sounds like).
We do this by raising money for charity, encouraging reading and knowledge and spreading awareness about the environment. Mainly, though, we just spend our time gushing over Harry Potter and "Star Trek" and talking about poetry.
Puppy-sized elephants. The Yeti. In your pants. Decepticons. Giant Squids of Anger. French the Llama. Warner Chilcott. Peeps. Tiny chicken disease.
Most likely, those strange phrases mean absolutely nothing to you. They may just seem like vague plot elements of a nerdy comic book series----and you're wondering why I mentioned them at all.
However, it is possible that you're quietly laughing to yourself and thinking of other phrases I could have added to that list.
If so, you're a Nerdfighter, a member of a vast community that sprang up around what was originally just another YouTube video channel.
Before you ask, no, Nerdfighters do not "fight nerds." In fact, Nerdfighters actually celebrate all things nerdy and intelligent, and the only thing we fight against is "World Suck" (which is one of those rare things that means exactly what it sounds like).
We do this by raising money for charity, encouraging reading and knowledge and spreading awareness about the environment. Mainly, though, we just spend our time gushing over Harry Potter and "Star Trek" and talking about poetry.
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