A Festivus pole in Seattle? Truth is stranger than fiction!

Wow! Things have gotten ugly in Seattle. The sign that atheists put on display declaring there were no gods or heaven got stolen and was later found in a ditch. Now the Capitol will host protests, countersigns, and maybe even a Festivus pole (remember Seinfeld?). One republican lawmaker wants the sign removed and the governor of Washington to come up with some firmer guidlines on displays.There are requests for other displays as well. Someone applied to put up a "Festivus" pole in honor of the invented holiday featured in the 1990s sitcom "Seinfeld." Another person wants to create a religious-themed "balloon display."There was a protest Sunday afternoon against the atheists' sign.Kramer, where are you when we need you?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008475714_atheist06m.html

First a turkey, now a candy cane. The term "food fight" is taking on a whole new meaning!

For those of us old enough to remember Animal House, we probably rank the "food fight" scene as one of our favorites. Well, in the past couple of weeks, food is becoming a weapon of choice in self-defense.
The latest incident occured in Sacremento, where a man used a lawn ornament candy cane to fight off a man with a knife.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_candy_cane_defense


Apparently, the man's neighbor was intoxicated, and approached him and others waving a kitchen knife. Police say one of those being attacked picked up a two-foot tall plastic candy cane, and held of the suspect until police arrived. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The guest who took up the candy cane was not charged because police determined he acted in self-defense.

In another incident just a couple of weeks ago, a shopper used a frozen turkey to fight off a man trying to carjack a car from a woman in Garner, NC.
Police said 30-year-old Fred Louis Ervin of Raleigh stole money from a Garner BP gas station before running across the street to a Harris Teeter in Fuquay-Varina. There, he began beating Irene Moorman Bailey while trying to take her car. Other shoppers came to the woman's rescue, including one who hit Ervin with a frozen turkey.

Ervin managed to get away in Bailey's car, but was arrested a short time later.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27894830/


I don't know about you, but both of these sound like scenes that are destined to show up in some form in the next movie about disfunctional families at Christmas. I will be watching for it. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Atheists put anti-religious billboard next to Nativity in state Capitol

Another example of poltical correctness gone too far. An atheist group in the state of Washington has gotten permission to put a sign up in the state Capitol declaring there is no god, and that December is simply the Winter Solstice, not a month for a Christian holiday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDOVZA5zNc

The group got permission after a Christian group had to sue the state to allow a Nativity to be placed in the building. That lawsuit was the result of being told the Nativity was "too religious" after allowing a Jewish Menorah to be placed there two years ago.
The big question now is "how far will this go?" Will another group get permission to put up its anti-Christmas statement in the Capitol? Where will it stop?
I for one have had enough. A news report last month reported that atheists feel left out at Christmas. Well that's too bad. Leave my holiday alone, and go hug a tree for Mother Earth. Oh, speaking of trees, did I mention that the displays are next to the politically correct "holiday tree" in the Capitol. Looks like a Christmas tree to me!

Police considering charges in Wal-Mart death

Police are now reviewing videotapes from Friday's tragic incident where a 34-year old Wal-Mart worker was trampled by stampeding shoppers in Long Island. Jdimytai Damour of Queens was knocked to the ground as he opened the doors, for more than 2,000 impatient shoppers, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion. Damour was caught underneath and trampled by the crowd. Other employees were also trampled as they tried to come to his aid. Damour came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store, Wal-Mart said.
To make matters worse, the crowd got angry when the store announced it was closing because of the death. Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."
"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,"' she said. "They kept shopping."
Police are now reviewing security video to see if they can identify the people who trampled him.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459068,00.html
When a person's life becomes less important than that Black Friday sale item, we have a definite problem. Let's hope and pray that they find the self-centered people who caused this.
Let's also hope that the stores that fan the fires of the Black Friday frenzy learn a lesson from this. Encouraging shoppers to line up hours before a store opening to get a TV for $10 or a microwave for a dollar is irresponsible. When a person dies, its not fun anymore, nor is it worth it.

Over-correct school administrators robbings kids of holiday traditions

Wow! Some overly-correct school administrators just need to get a grip. Two stories in recent days illustrate how over-protective, overly politically correct parents are keeping their kids from enjoying some simple holiday traditions.
The first involves parents who are trying to keep candy and homemade treats out of the classroom for holiday parties in the Wake County North Carolina schools.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/health_science/story/1309923.html
It seems an advisory committee of school and community members, under the guise of wanting to fight obesity in kids, want to stop allowing "unhealthy foods" in the classroom. No pumpkin pies, no cupcakes, no candy. Oh, they can have "good food" as one member of the council is quoted as saying. "They can have pizzas and hamburgers," said Kathy Olevsky, a member of the advisory group. Wait a minute! Isn't that fast food? Isn't that what many are blaming childhood obsesity on?
It gets even more involved. In the Durham, NC schools, they are supposed to check with child nutrition specialist before holding classroom parties. Oh, among the foods that are forbidden: soda, jelly beans, candy corn, Skittles and Cracker Jacks.
The other issue involves the traditional Pilgrims/Indians Thanksgiving feast. Kindergartners at one California school have been banned from wearing the traditional costumes for their annual Thanksgiving feast.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6525441
The school board decided to continue holding the feast, but they are not allowing the students to dress up. The board is concerned the Indian costumes may have negative connotations.
Some parents ignored the ban and let their kids dress up anyway. That resulted in the little 5 and 6 year olds being confronted by protesters from a Native American group. Wow! Political correctness gone amuck for sure!
Here is my take: let kids be kids. Let them eat candy, dress like Pilgrims and Indians. For those of you who don't like it: Get a life!

eHarmony's decision to buckle under pressure is a threat to America's free enterprise system

Online dating service eHarmony's recent decision to cave under pressure and create a new website "Compatible Partners" bothers me. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,454904,00.html
It is not an issue of gay rights, but an issue of the rights of the American business communty to freely choose what services and products it offers. In this case, a gay man sued eHarmony because he was not given the option to search for male partners on the site. eHarmony settled the case by agreeing to set up the new site and by paying the man, Eric McKinley, $5,000 and giving him a complimentary free one-year subscription to the new site.
The issue here is that businesses should not feel pressured to offer specific services if they choose not to. Will Chick fil A be forced to sell hamburger because a beef lover feels discriminated against? What about stores that only sell clothes for men? Will they be forced to offer women's clothing? What if I want to buy a Ford at a Chevrolet dealer?
A business owner knows that if he or she doesn't offer a service or product and the competition does, there is a risk of losing business to the competition. That's how it works.There are already several sites that offer same-sex matches. Their gain, eHarmony's loss! That's a business decision pure and simple.
If Mr. McKinley felt there was a need for another site to cater to same-sex couples, the smart business decision would be to start a new site. "See a need and fill it" has been one of the basic rules of entrepreneurialism.
The courts and the government do not belong in the free enterprise system, pure and simple.

Would you be upset if your mail carrier didn't deliver junk mail?

What if your mail carrier decided to spare you the trouble and simply didn't deliver your junk mail? Well that is exactly what happened in Apex, North Carolina. Mailman Steve Padgett was discovered hoarding the junk mail addressed to homes on his route. He received a probationary sentence from a judge today for failing to deliver years of junk mail. The thing is, some of the people on his route weren't angry at all. The News & Observer (Raleigh) quoted one resident, Shelly Cole, as saying "We got all the mail that we needed to get."
In Padgett's case, it wasn't a personal stand against junk mail; he apparently just got overwhelmed and was battling some health problems. But no one reported missing mail, and the only way it was discovered was when a utility worker came to his home and noticed the buildup of mail at "Mailman Steve's" house. Postal inspectors found junk mail dating back to 1999 stacked up and buried in Padgett's yard.
So here is the question: would you be upset if your mail carrier took it upon himself to decide whether you get junk mail or not?
Here is the link to the full story: http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1301068.html

Bigfoot Hoax-who believed it anyway?

So now we know that the "Bigfoot" that was frozen in a block of ice and turned over to researchers for an "undisclosed sum of money" was nothing more than a gorilla suit.
Last week, two Bigfoot hunters held a news conference announcing they had found the remains of a bigfoot, and had frozen it. They posted it on YouTube and a website. The media ate it up, and apparently they were convincing enough to get someone to actually pay them for the "body."
After it thawed, of course the truth was known: rubber feet, mask, fake hair.
Wow! Are we that desperate for news that we fall for a poorly contrived hoax?
Needless to say, the two hunters who were so anxious to be in front of the cameras last week won't return reporters calls today. One, a police officer who has been out on medical leave, faces disciplinary action and firing for fraud.
What more can I say?
Here is the complete story:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080819/D92LKD300.html

Beijing Olympics: Faking scandal over girl who 'sang' in opening ceremony

Okay, yesterday I posted about the fake "footprints" in the opening ceremony. Well, thats not the only thing the Chinese faked.
Now they admit that the cute little girl singing the patriotic song called "Hymn to the Motherland" wasnt actually singing. The picture-perfect schoolgirl who sang as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was performing to another girl's voice.
The girl in the red dress with the pigtails, called Lin Miaoke, 9, and from a Beijing primary school, has become a national sensation since Friday night, giving interviews to all the most popular newspapers.
But the show's musical designer felt forced to set the record straight. He gave an interview to Beijing radio saying the real singer was a seven-year-old girl who had won a gruelling competition to perform the anthem.
At the last moment a member of the Chinese politburo who was watching a rehearsal pronounced that the winner, a girl called Yang Peiyi, might have a perfect voice but was unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth.
So, on the night, while a pre-recording of Yang Peiyi singing was played, Lin Miaoke, who has already featured in television advertisements, was seen but not heard.
See the full story here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2545387/Beijing-Olympics-Faking-scandal-over-girl-who-sang-in-opening-ceremony.html

Wow, who knows what else they will fake before its over.

Beijing Olympic 2008 opening ceremony giant firework footprints 'faked'

Were you amazed as I was at the Olympic opening ceremonies when the fireworks appeared to create giant footprints moved toward the stadium. You may have asked yourself "how did they do that?"
Well, now we know: they faked it!
It was all computer generated for the TV audience. It took them more than a year to create the sequence for the broadcast on Friday. They even worked to recreate the haze that the smog creates at night, and inserted a shaky helicopter shot.
A few weeks ago, Iran was caught "photoshopping" a picture of a missle launch, when one of the missles was a dud.
Don't believe everything you see, especially from countries such as China and Iran.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2534499/Beijing-Olympic-2008-opening-ceremony-giant-firework-footprints-faked.html

Parents Let Son Leave School to Pursue Guitar Hero "Career"

Okay, this story is a week or so old, but it still amazes me. The parents of 16 year old Blake Peebles of North Carolina took him out of private school so that he would have more time to practice Guitar Hero!
"We couldn't take the complaining anymore," says mother Hunter Peebles. "He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time."
Now they have hired tutors to come to their home instead of sending him to school.
The article goes on: "Gaming for him is serious business. It's his job.
Among the prizes he's won playing "Guitar Hero" tournaments: gift certificates, gaming equipment and chicken sandwiches."
Wow, what a budding career! It bothers me that parents would be so indulgent that they would cave in to the complaining of a 16 year old who wants to make a career out of video games. No wonder some of today's young people are so demanding.
Parents: you need to remember who is boss, and quit giving in to every child's demands.


http://www.newsobserver.com/2766/story/1155589.html

Comedian Bernie Mac Dies

Sad news on the showbiz front: Bernie Mac is dead from complications due to pneumonia. I wasn't one of his biggest fans, but enjoyed him in movies such as Oceans Eleven and Transformers. He had a larger than life presence on the screen, and will be missed. Gosh he was only 50!
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080809/D92EPRCG0.html

John Edwards Admits Affair

ABC News is reporting that John Edwards has admitted his affair with Rielle Hunter, but he denies being the father of her child.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/08/1256745.aspx

I cannot help but feel sorry for Elizabeth Edwards, who has stood by her husband while he put his interest above those of her and his family. We shouldn't really be surprised; while Edwards was out talking about the "two Americas" he was building a multi-million dollar, 20,000 square foot mansion.

Now the mainstream media has finally been forced to acknowledge a story that they ignored for weeks.

Think of what could have occurred if this didn't come out now and Edwards was named as Barrack Obama's running mate; or more important, what if he had gotten his party's Presidential nomination while lying about this relationship. His political career should be finished. I can't imagine any women or any men with character ever supporting him again. His owns words now coming back to haunt him, as reported by the News & Observer:
What was John Edwards thinking when the National Enquirer story broke?
ABC News has not yet aired its interview with the former Democratic presidential candidate, but a celebrated speech by Edwards during the impeachment of Bill Clinton is interesting to re-read.
Here is Edwards on Clinton on Feb. 12, 1999:
I think this President has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.
Later, Edwards debated whether Clinton intended to obstruct justice when he talked with a White House employee:
We have a man who has just been confronted with this problem, who is political by nature. And do we really believe that the first thing he thought about is, "I'm going to go protect myself legally'"? I suspect the first thing he thought about is "I'm going to protect myself politically.'' He was worried about his family finding out. He was worried about the rest of the staff finding out. He was worried about the press finding out.

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/john_edwards_in_1999

Maybe all of those people STILL driving around with "Kerry/Edwards" stickers on their cars will finally remove them.

Cheerleaders stuck in elevator

I came across this news item today http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/080708dntexcheerleaders.1d70ab35.html?npc

It seems that 26 cheerleaders from the University of Texas tried to all fit in an elevator that had a maximum capacity of 15 (and 3,000 pounds)! They apparently wanted to see how many cheerleaders they could fit into one elevator. I guess since there aren't any phone booths anymore, this is the next best thing! The best thing is the elevator got them from the fourth floor to the first floor safely, but the doors wouldn't open.
My thought is that when the Austin Police Department received the call, there was no shortage of officers ready to respond.
There was no mention the story on how many of the cheerleaders were blondes!