Bad Guy Reported Caught

Adam Gadahn, born Adam Pearlman,  the American al-Qaeda, an American, who is a senior operative, and spokesman for the terrorist group Al-Qaeda,  is in the news today (3/7/10). First, another of his obnoxious videos, the kind of crazy stuff that he's been making for the past six years, encouraging violent jihad, appeared -- in this one he urges  American Muslims to attack their own country. Second, and welcomed news, it was announced that he has been captured in Pakistan by Pakistani intelligence officers. Gadahn, (Pearlman), a former Californian, is a high value snatch. He is under indicted in the Central District of California for treason and material support to Al Qaeda. He is the first person in fifty years charged by a US court with treason. According to an US spokesman, Gadahn is being held in Pakistan for interrogation.(Associated Press)


News Source: (http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-al-qaeda-arrest8-2010...),(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8554707.stm).

The Congressman Exits

Today, Rep. Eric Massa,  a first-term  Congressman from New York, placed an announcement on his official Congressional web site  informing the world that he will resign from Congress at 5 PM on Monday the 8th of March.  Massa is leaving amid sexual harassment allegations from a male staffer.


However, according to the resignation letter posted on his web site, the Congressman is resigning for health reasons and so that he can spend time with his family.
-- "Two days ago as I sat reading my new annual CAT scan, having been told that the anomalies in the films may or may not be scar tissue, I decided to finally take the advice that my doctors have repeatedly given me, and that is to take care of my family and myself before my profession
(http://massa.house.gov/).



Of course, why else would an elected official leave his office, early, if not for reasons of health and to spend time with his family? The Congressman takes a familiar exit.

New Source:(http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/03/ny-rep-m...)

Pentagon Shooter: Man With Issues

John Patrick Bedell, who was 36, was from California, and was apparently a man with issues. Yesterday, (3/4/5) at 6:40 PM,  according  to authorities, he calmly walked up to the Pentagon checkpoint outside the Metro subway station, drew his gun and opened fire. (Associated Press)  He wounded two Pentagon police officers, and he was fatally shot. He died later at a hospital. The two injured policemen were treated and released from the hospital. Pentagon Chief Richard Keevill told the AP that, "One suffered a thigh wound and the other was hit in the shoulder."

Authorities report that Mr. Bedell  left behind writings expressing his resentment of the US government and suspicions over the 9/11 attacks. Chief Keevill said that authorities have found no immediate connection to domestic or foreign terrorism, and that it appeared  Bedell had acted alone.

For somewhat of a look into the mind of Mr. Bedell you can check out his YouTube video:

and YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/jpbedell2006).

New Sources: (http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20100305/NEWS01/100305003)

John Edwards Is Going Down?

The trouble just won't stop for John Edwards, who once had a promising political career. Well, nobody likes a jerk who kicks his sainted wife out for a mistress. The buzz is out that he is about to be  indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he violated campaign finance rules, by paying his mistress from campaign funds, a major no-no.

The National Enquirer. reports that a federal grand jury,   has been investigating since April, 2009, John "$400 hair-cut" Edwards, the former two-time presidential candidate, and  is set send down an indictment against him for possible misuse of campaign funds. Mr. Edwards had his mistress, Rielle Hunter, on his campaign  payroll!  That is a major no-no. To hype the drama of the pending indictment, the Enquirer reported that one of Mr. Edward's friends revealed to its reporters  that John was "terrified" -- And  "... he believes he's done nothing illegal in trying to hide his extramarital affair with Rielle (from his then wife) and their daughter, he thinks the Feds are going to make an example of him." (http://www.nationalenquirer.com/grand_jury_indictment_john_edwards_hunte...).

Betty White Is Hot!

Eighty-eight year-old Betty White's star is shining bright. She is hot on the Internet, where her fans are all a buzzing and tweeting her praises. In January, she won the Screen Actors Guild's Awards Life Achievement Award, and rocked the socks off of Hollywood. In February, she went viral  nova, was a big hit, in the best of the best Super Bowl Commercials. And hundreds of thousands of fans began a campaign on Facebook to get her to Host Saturday Night Live. 


Betty White is as hot  as  was/is her  character  Rose Nylund  from "The Golden Girls, " a show which originally ran from 1985-92,  and still runs strong in reruns. Thanks to the power of cable, a good  old show and  genuine talent, Betty White's career is zizzling.


She was called in to give Jay Leno a little boost. She made a cameo Monday night on Leno's first night back at the 'Tonight Show'. She is to appear in TV Land's  new original sitcom titled 'Hot in Cleveland' which stars Valerie Bertinelli. And as she said in her SAG acceptance speech, she is only eighty eight and has a lot more stuff to do.

Links: (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10062/1039716-67.stm),(http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/02/05/betty-white-saturday-night-live/),

Quake Caused Loss of Time

Ever had that feeling that time is moving faster? Or that feeling of sleepiness when you wake up in the morning, because the night seemed to have gone faster? Well, sleepy time is shorter, because time is shorter, but only by a few milliarcseconds.

Yesterday, a NASA scientist announced that the massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile on Feb. 27th, may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on the planet. Research scientist Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif,  announced that  NASA scientists, using a computer model to determine the effects of the Chile earthquake, found that (the quake) may have moved Earth on its axis by about 3 inches (8 cm or 27 milliarcseconds)  and may have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds.

 1.26!!! Now before we lose a lot of sleep over this axis shift and permanent time loss, and begin having nightmares about the planet's sliding into to Armageddon, this has happened before. "Strong earthquakes have altered Earth's days and its axis in the past." For example, "The 9.1 Sumatran earthquake in 2004, which set off a deadly tsunami, ... shortened Earth's days by 6.8 microseconds and shifted its axis by about 2.76 inches (7 cm, or 2.32 milliarcseconds).

Also NASA announced yesterday that it found evidence of more water on the moon, detected ice deposits near the moon's north pole.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Today, March 2, is .the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss.  Dr Seuss  (1904 –1991),  an American writer and cartoonist most widely honored for his children's  books, is being remembered worldwide as one of the best children literature author-illustrators of all time. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/mmagowan/detail??blogid=188&entry_id...).

Happy birthday Dr. Seuss.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss.


"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you." -Dr. Seuss.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." ~Dr. Seuss.

 
Folks long past their childhoods remember the joy of reading the good doctor.  Here is a link to a NOT for the kiddies,  mature rap video based on the rhyme scheme of Dr. Seuss's books, done in celebration of his 106th birthday, done for big, grownup folks who love Dr Seuss. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOh0-3_5H0g)

Link: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss).

Don't Blame The Whale

I watched the SeaWorld press conference this afternoon and saw Jim Atchison President & CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment as he stood before a backdrop of supposedly happy killer whales swimming in their tank.  I wasn't expecting him to announce that SeaWorld has seen the light and is going to free all of their whales from captivity. But I wasn't expecting to see such a callous man, who in so many words said,  sure the death  of a "trainer"  is a tragedy, but the Killer Whale Show Must Go On  -- and right away too -- profits must come  before people! And it is business as usual! SeaWorld is open for business! And by the way, Don't blame the whale!

  I don't blame the whale.

When asked by reporters what steps would be taken to avoid future accidents? How would Sea World handle the Killer Whale? Atchison's response in so many words was, I am not here to talk about that. I am here to announce that the gates are open and we are going to have a show right away. When some one hinted at SeaWorld's negligence in the death of the company's employee,  Atchison snapped back, and in so many words said, Shut up!

Later this afternoon it was announced that two federal agencies are investigating the death of the "trainer."  Her name was Dawn Brancheau. She left a family. She was a person. Yes, she seemed not to be as valuable to SeaWorld  as the whale that killed her and two others before her death.

No, I don't blame the whale. The whale did what killer whales do. The blame belongs on the management of SeaWorld.

New Source: (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/seaworld-restarts-killer-whale-show-tillikum-w... ),(http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2010/02/26/13040711-wenn-story.html).

Death Most Horrible: Dawn Brancheau

Death most horrible. Dawn Brancheau is dead. She was forty years old. She was  killed by a killer Whale yesterday, at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, during a show, while she worked as a "trainer".  As horrified Sea World customers looked on, the whale jumped up from the water, and with it mouth,  grabbed  Ms Brancheauby by the upper arm, and dived into the tank,  pulling her underwater, while shaking her violently.

Ms. Brancheau death is this whale third kill at Sea World. Who is to blame for this? Ms Brancheau?  No! Though acccording to early reports put out by Sea World,  "the 40-year-old female trainer slipped and fell into the tank and was then injured by a whale." The customers made clear that Ms Brancheau was pulled into the tank by the whale. So the whale is to blame? Why? The 12,000-pound killer whale did what killer whales do. Sea World is to blame?  Well, Sea World continued to promote a killer mammal for its own profit. Now with another death, a total of three dead,  with this whale's involvement, how many more deaths will it take before the common sense challenged Sea World management understand that an ocean whale should not be held in a small space?  Open memo to Sea World management: Prevent more deaths. Free that whale to the open sea.  Stop these deaths horrible -- These negligent murders most foul.

News Sources: (http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-seaworld-death25-2010...),(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBS7QGHO7oo).

Your Bank Wants Your Money

Yes, your friendly banker wants your money and he is plotting to keep taking it from you!

 This morning the New York Times has an interesting article on the high fees banks have been collecting  on debit cards,  an estimated $20 billion from overdraft and ATM transactions  fees in 2009! Banks have  routinely allowed customers so-called overdraft protection,  and have collected a  penalty fee of up to $35 or more for each overdraft item. New government regulations, which take effect this summer,  require that bank customers must opt in to overdraft protection. If a customer choose not to opt in and tries to spend more than the funds that are available in his account, his debit card simply will not work. 

With  television ads,  email, direct mailing, and telephone marketing, banks are in a planned frenzy to convince their customers of the necessity of keeping this very expensive and budget wrecking protection.

News Source: (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/23fe...).

Pages