U.S. Navy Ship Mistakenly Fires on Polish Port

The U.S. Navy has egg on its face, but at least no blood, after an accidental firing incident in the Polish port of Gdynia on Wednesday. Three rounds were fired from an M240 machine gun into the town, but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said.

The reason for the mistake was an accidental discharge while the gun was being cleaned. The incident happened as the U.S. destroyer, the U.S.S. Ramage, was in port after retuning from an international exercise in the Baltic Sea. It was preparing to leave later that day. No injuries or damage were reported, the Navy said.

Polish military police boarded the ship to investigate. Navy officials said the crew of the U.S.S. Ramage cooperated fully, and that no U.S. sailors were taken into custody by Polish authorities. There was no immediate word of a U.S. Navy investigation into the incident.

The M240 is a belt-fed, gas-operated medium machine gun firing the 7.62 x 51mm NATO cartridge. The U.S.S. Ramage (shown) is an Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer.

Skywest Airlines Accused of Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples

Skywest Airlines gives spouses free fares, but a Skywest Airlines baggage agent who married his partner last year after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions, and before Prop. 8 banned them again, says the airline is refusing to recognize his legally sanctioned same-sex marriage.

While Prop. 8 amended the state Constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, those 18,000 or so same-sex couples who married before the November election are still legally recognized as married. The state Supreme Court upheld Prop. 8 this past May, it also ruled that couples who wed before the election could remain legally wed.

Gilbert Caldwell, 56, who has worked for SkyWest in Palm Springs since September 2004, married David Farrell, 72, his partner of 34 years, in June 2008. They had been registered domestic partners since 2002. Skywest says that "travel companion," entitled to fly at a discount but not for free, as spouses are.

Interestingly, even with same-sex marriage, California law entitles same-sex spouses and domestic partners to be treated the same as heterosexual married couples in employment, housing, insurance and commerce. As Caldwell and Farrell were already domestic partners, they should have been eligible for this free fare discount already.

Tara Borelli of the gay-rights organization Lambda Legal is Caldwell's attorney. She said Skywest's position for the last year has been that Delta Air Lines, its partner in regional flights in the West, insisted on denying equal benefits to same-sex couples. Howeever, Borelli added that SkyWest's explanation is hard to believe: Delta has a policy of treating its own gay and lesbian employees equally.

She said Caldwell would sue for damages unless SkyWest changed its policy.

Halloween "Lynching" Display Taken Down After Protest

A set of three dummies in a "lynching" display were taken down from their positions in a willow tree in a park in Frederick, MD. The local Parks and Recreation Department had hung the three dummies up as a Halloween display. One Frederick resident said:

“It instantly reminded me of the pictures of the lynchings that happened in the ’20s and ’30s in the United States. I found it very offensive as a white person.”

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger first said he would wait to hear from the Parks and Recreation department, but changed his mind after the story was picked up by national media and allegations were made that Frederick is a racially insensitive place.

There were also complaints from residents, as well as the NAACP. Some parents also complained that the dummies were positioned in too public a place where small children might be frightened.

Guy Djoken (pictured), president of the local branch of the NAACP, commended Holtzinger for his decision. The dummies will be made up even scarier and place throughout the part to frighten people, but not hung up.

Stephen Colbert Signs "Close Gitmo Now" Petition, On Air

Last night, Roseanne Cash promoted the cause of closing Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on The Colbert Report. Last week, a group of international musicians that included Trent Reznor, Jackson Browne, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, and others joined the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo.

The musicians also filed Freedom of Information Act (GOIA) requests seeking to declassify all secret government records pertaining to how music was used in detainee interrogations in Guantanamo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Rosanne Cash visited The Colbert Report last night, where she made her point: using music as torture is wrong. Thus, she successfully got the faux conservative host to sign a petition calling for the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Watch it:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
We Got the Beating - Rosanne Cash
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Religion

High School Football Player Charged With Assault for Head-Butting Helmetless Opponent

An Arlington Catholic High School football player has been charged with assault and battery after head-butting a helmet-less opposing player in a game on Sept. 19th. The head-butt was captured on video (below).

In the video, you can see 17-year old James LaShoto head-butting Dan Curtin, 16 (shown), whose helmet had come off. Curtin told local TV station WBZ:

"I didn't know what was happening... he pushed my helmet off, the next thing I knew I was covered in blood."

LaShoto is a team captain at Arlington Catholic and a member of the National Honor Society. Very little honor in that move, however.

"Act justly, love tenderly, walk humbly with God" is the motto of Arlington Catholic High School. It does not appear that LaShoto followed any of that.

Police Arrest Iraqi-American Father Who Ran Over Westernized Daughter

Georgia police have arrested Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, who is suspected of running down his daughter because she was becoming too "Westernized" and was not living according to their traditional Iraqi values. The incident actually occurred in Arizona on Oct. 20, and Almaleki had been on the run.

The father was upset that his daughter, Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, of Surprise, AZ, had become too "Westernized" and he aimed his car at her Oct. 20 in a Peoria, AZ parking lot. Noor Faleh Almaleki is currently hospitalized with serious injuries.

A second woman, 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, also of Surprise, suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police say the women are roommates; additional information indicates that Khalaf is the mother of Almaleki's boyfriend.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki was arrested at the Atlanta airport when he arrived on a flight. It's unclear where he is currently being held.

Halloween Candy Demonic: CBN

To be honest, it's true that many consider Halloween a pagan holiday, but come on. It's truly a darned excuse for children to go out and get some candy. In fact, do you know one of the reasons that the U.S. pushed back DST in the fall until after Halloween? It's because the candy manufacturers had been lobbying for years over it.

That said, a guest writer, Kimberly Daniels, wrote a blog post on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) site (since deleted) which stated that Christians needed to skip the Halloween celebration because it's evil. Although the post has been deleted, you can see from a screenshot (click the above image) that it was there.

Here's some of what Daniels said:

“Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” Daniels wrote. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

Here's what I say: fine. More candy for me.

South Carolina Asst. Attorney General Found in Graveyard With Call Girl

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is in the news again, but not over anything Craigslist-related. No, it's because he fired deputy assistant attorney general Roland Corning, 66, who was found in a cemetary with an apparent call girl.

Roland Corning, also a former state legislator (R-Richmond), was pulled over by officer Michael Wines at 3:15 PM Monday, according to a Columbia Police Department report. Earlier, Wines had witnessed the Ford Explorer driven by Corning pull into a secluded portion of Elmwood Cemetery that Wines had "received past complaints in ref. to illegal activity, i.e. sex acts and drug abuse," Wines wrote in his report.

When Corning beat a hasty retreat, Wines got on the radio and eventually Corning was stopped by another officer. When questioned by Wines, Corning and the woman, identified only as an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club, gave conflicting statements. Questioned further, Corning flashed his deputy asst. attorney general's badge.

That eventually got Corning out of an arrest, but not out of hot water. To verify his ID, Wines called his wife, who worked in the state attorney general's office. She verified his ID, but also reported the incident to Deputy Attorney General John McIntosh, who forwareded the information to Attorney General Henry McMaster. Two hours later, Corning was looking for a new job.

Interestingly, Corning gave Wines the OK to search his vehicle. When doing so, Wines found Viagra and several sex toys, items Corning said he always kept with him, "just in case," according to the police report.

eBay Refuses Auction to Benefit Abortion Doctor Slayer

Online auction house eBay has refused to run a "benefit auction" that was being organized to gather funds for Scott Roeder, the man accused of killing abortion doctor George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this year. The announcement came the same day that Tiller’s family begged eBay to halt the auction.

Lee Thompson, an attorney for the Tiller family, in a letter sent to eBay on Tuesday and approved by Tiller’s widow, Jeanne Tiller, said:

“These materials contain hate messages, glorify violence against abortion doctors who provide constitutionally protected medical services, and instruct on means of violence, including bombing, of abortion clinics. We urge you to deny access to the resources of eBay for this reprehensible and vile ‘auction.’"

The auction was intended to raise money for the defense of Scott Roeder. He is charged with first-degree murder in abortion doctor George Tiller's death and is scheduled to go on trial in January.

Items being auctioned would have included an Army of God manual, a prison cookbook compiled by a Shelley Shannon, the Oregon woman who shot and wounded Tiller in 1993 and was later convicted in a series of abortion clinic arsons and bombings, and several autographed drawings submitted by Roeder.

One of those drawings was of David and Goliath that depicted David holding the head of Goliath and the name “Tiller” on Goliath’s forehead, with the words "child-murdering industry" written on the corpse.

According to the Kansas City Star, eBay said:

“Based on the details we know about the anticipated listings, we believe these would violate our policy regarding offensive material. EBay will not permit the items in question to be posted to the eBay site, and they will be removed if they are posted.”

Supporters of Roeder plan alternative methods of fund-raising, and claim eBay is violating their civil rights.

Man Says He Was Fired for "Under God" Pin

A former Home Depot worker says he was fired for wearing a pin that said "Under God" on it. The lawyer for Trevor Keezer, 20, added that he intends to sue over religious discrimination.

Keezer said he'd been wearing an American flag button on his Home Depot apron since he began working as a cashier at the store in March 2008. The button read, "One nation under God, indivisible," a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Trevor Keezer had been working at the Home Depot store in the town of Okeechobee, about 140 miles north of Miami. He states all was well until he started to bring a bible to read at lunch. That is, according to his statements, when Home Depot management stepped in and told him to stop wearing the pin. He refused.

Home Depot management stated it is company policy to not allow wearing of pins or buttons that are not company-provided. They stated this is clearly outlined as part of the company dress code.

While Kara Skorupa, said she planned to sue the company, Michael Masinter, a civil rights and employment law professor at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale said that would be a tough lawsuit to win.

"Because it's a private business, not one that's owned and operated by the government, it doesn't have to operate under the free speech provisions of the First Amendment. But we're not talking about religious displays here," he said. "This sounds more like a political message ... Wearing a button of that sort would not easily be described as a traditional form of religious expression like wearing a cross or wearing a yarmulke."

Wayward Pilots Have Their Licenses Revoked

The wayward pilots who overshot their target of Minneapolis airport don't have to worry about doing that again anytime soon. That's because the FAA has revoked the licenses for both Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., the captain, and Richard Cole of Salem, Ore., the first officer.

The two pilots of Northwest Airlines Flight 188 had reportedly told National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators that rather than being in communication with air traffic controllers, they were on their laptops, working on crew schedules. At least, according to the two, they weren't napping.

However, they were still in violation of a number of federal aviation regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.

The revocations are effective immediately. The pilots have 10 days to appeal the emergency revocations to the NTSB.

RNC's Facebook Page Displays Racist Photos For Nearly a Week

The Facebook page of the Republican National Committee displayed some revolting, racist photos, one nearly for a week, before they were taken down after a liberal website publicized their existence.

The first picture brought to light was one of President Barack Obama eating fried chicken, captioned with the following: "Miscegenation is a CRIME against American Values. Repeal Loving v. Virginia."

Miscegenation refers to the "marriage or cohabitation between a man and woman of different races." Loving v. Virginia was the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down laws against interracial marriage. By the way, you can't actually repeal a Supreme Court decision. That photo was posted on Oct. 20th.

Another troubling photo was of Mother Teresa, in which she is shown feeding a child. The caption beneath read, "Enabling scab-eating mouth breathers will do them no good. How do we expect them to take care of themselves?"

While none of the photos in question appear to have been posted by the administrator of the GOP's Facebook site, it's interesting that the administrator did not remove them, and that there was no uproar among the Republicans visiting the site. Either they did not disagree, or did not care, or there were no visitors (doubtful).

Both of those photos were posted by a Facebook user named "Gee Dub," apparently in reference to President George W. Bush. They have both been removing, but it is still troubling that they were there in the first place.

Seriously, Kids Need Less TV: Disney Offers "Baby Einstein" Refunds

I was watching TV the other day (admittedly, lowering my IQ while doing so), and saw one of those "Your Child Can Read" commercials, which immediately suckered me in. Not so my wife, however, and that's where Baby Einstein refunds for their DVDs come in.

Walt Disney Company has admitted that no, watching TV really can't make your child into a genius, or at least, watching Baby Einstein DVDs can't. In order to avoid a lawsuit, Disney has agreed to refund the full purchase price to those who bought the videos between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009.

The Baby Einstein refunds were prompted by pressure from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which complained to the FTC about Disney's claims that the videos are educational.

You can get your Baby Einstein refund here. Alternatively, you can opt for One (1) Baby Einstein Book of your choice and One (1) Baby Einstein music CD of your choice, - Or - One (1) coupon for 25% off the purchase of one Little Einsteins product (redeemable with promotion code only at DisneyStore.com, which makes it less of a great deal). Disney was quick to state that the refund offer is not an admission that the company misled parents.

The best choice is probably the Baby Einstein refund. On Monday, Nielsen released new findings that said that children sit in front of TV for more than an entire day out of an average week. It makes sense. Remember the old, old days when Saturday morning cartoons were it, and the TV stations logged off at 1 AM or so? Those days are long gone, and kid programming is available 24 x 7 from multiple channels.

ESPN Confirms Brooke Hundley Fired, As Well As Steve Phillips

ESPN has confirmed that Brooke Hundley, 22, the production assistant was involved in a secret affair with former ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips, has been let go as well.

While acknowledging that Brooke Hundley was no longer with ESPN, and stating that she had been terminated, the sports network did not elaborate on the exact reason of the termination or the exact date. ESPN earlier fired Steve Phillips, saying "His ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably damaged."

The affair became grist for the mill when Phillips' wife Marni filed a police report in Wilton, CN. In the report, Marni Phillips said that Hundley had sent her a letter describing the affair, even detailing the former Mets' GM's birthmarks as proof. On August 19th, Marni Phillips came home to find Hundley in her driveway. It seems Steve Phillips had chosen an affair with a "fatal attraction" involved, and called police.

Meanwhile, Steve Lefkowitz, Phillips' agent, added in a statement that Phillips had entered an inpatient treatment facility "to address his personal issues." No reason was given, but sexual addiction is suspected. Lefkowitz said:

"Steve Phillips is not a sleazebag. He's a good guy who just fell off the wagon. Whatever he did wrong, it wasn't under his control or he wouldn't be checking himself in for help. He knows he needs help and wants a life with his family -- that is paramount to him above everything else."

In terms of falling off the wagon, it should be noted that when he was GM of the New York Mets, Phillips was forced to take a leave of absence in 1998 because of a series of affairs and an accusation of sexual harassment by a Mets employee. One of his mistresses, Rosa Rodriguez, surfaced late last week as well.

"Overshoot" Pilots Were on Their Laptops: NTSB

No, according to the pilots of the Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 that overshot their Minneapolis, Minn. destination by 150 miles, they weren't napping. Rather, they were on their laptops.

And no, they weren't browsing the web, and certainly not adult sites. Instead, they were, according to interviews conducted over the weekend with the NTSB, going over monthly flight crew scheduling on their laptops.

Nevertheless, that's a violation of company policy.

Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., the captain, and Richard Cole of Salem, Ore., the first officer, said in interviews conducted over the weekend that they were not fatigued and didn't fall asleep. Neither were they arguing. Instead, Cole and Cheney told investigators that they both had their laptops out while the first officer, who had more experience with scheduling, instructed Captain Cheney on monthly flight crew scheduling.

The pilots of Flight 188 were out of communication with air traffic controllers and their airline for more than an hour. Cheney and Cole have been suspended pending the NTSB investigation. Northwest Airlines is cooperating and doing its own internal investigation, as well.

It's All for Charity! Charlize Theron Kisses Woman For $140,000 (Video)

Charlize Theron, 34, took part in a live auction during a gala for the charity OneXOne in San Francisco Thurs. Oct. 22. Faced with ignominious defeat, or at least, not being able to raise as much money as previous presenter, Jeremy Piven did ($280,000), she offered a 7-second kiss for $130,000 to a male bidder.

"Swine flu is going around. This is high risk kissing!"

The bid was raised to $135,000, but then a woman upped the stakes to $140,000. With that winning bid, she ascended the stage for a 20-second kiss as the audience counted down the smooch.

Theron was initially selling a 2010 trip to South Africa that included World Cup tickets, a safari and a meet-and-greet with Nelson Mandela, but she raised the stakes when bidding stalled at $37,000.

"For f*** sake! You can do better," she said. "There is no way I am leaving here with Jeremy Piven getting a higher bid. I've got t**** for God's sake."

Unfortunately, it's hard to tell from the grainy video if any tongue was shared ...

McDonald's to Say Farewell to Iceland

If you travel to Iceland, don't think you can get a Big Mac there. No, you won't even be able to get a hot cup of joe at the McCafe: the two McDonald's restaurants in Iceland are being closed.

Chalk it up to the global recession. Because the Icelandic market is so small (too small for local production), McDonald's has to import everything for its Icelandic restaurants. That includes packaging, meat, vegetables, cheese.

The falling krona has made imports prohibitive. The restaurants are currently importing their supplies from Germany. "The decision was not taken lightly," Jon Gardar Ogmundsson, the owner of Lyst which runs the restaurants, told AFP.

Ogmundsson said Lyst plans to rebrand the restaurants so they can sell cheaper Icelandic food. He also added that the odds of McDonald's returning to Iceland are nil.

Hotel Tells Hispanic Workers to Change Their Names

Former Marine Larry Whitten, 63, after buying a run-down hotel in Taos, New Mexico, set up some new rules. The idea was to turn around the Paragon Inn (now renamed the Whitten Inn), as he had other distressed hotels he bought in recent years. Rule 1, requiring the Hispanic hotel workers to Anglicize their names, and forbidding them to speak Spanish in his presence, went over like you might expect in this liberal NM town: badly.

Examples or Anglicizing names include Marcos becoming Mark, and Martin (Mahr-TEEN) becoming Martin. In terms of forbidding them from speaking Spanish, after he arrived, Whitten met with the employees, noted they were hostile to his management style and worried they might start talking about him in Spanish. Aha.

He's fired some, who apparently couldn't adjust to his style (or perhaps wouldn't change their names to suit him). Besides workers, the town has not adjusted to his style, either, and they're not happy with what they perceive as racism.

Protester Juanito Burns Jr., who stated he is "prime minister" of an activist group called Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico said, "I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong."

After the firings, the New Mexico branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a national civil rights group, sent Whitten a letter. Whitten alleged that the group referred to him with a racial slur. LULAC denied the charge.

Whitten has also made critical statements in interviews with local media, further incensing residents. He referred to residents as "mountain people" and "potheads who escaped society."

HE was somewhat more apologetic, speaking with AP. "What kind of fool or idiot or poor businessman would I be to orchestrate this whole crazy thing that's costed (sic) me a lot of time, money and aggravation?"

ESPN Fires Steve Phillips Over Affair

Less than a week after the New York Post that ESPN analyst Steve Phillips had an affair with Brooke Hundley, a 22-year-old production assistant with the network, he was given a pink slip. The network announced on Sunday that:

“Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN. His ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably damaged, and it became evident it was time to part ways.”

Besides the news that Steve Phillips was fired, Steve Lefkowitz, Phillips' agent, said in a statement that Phillips had entered an inpatient treatment facility "to address his personal issues."

This isn't the first such incident for Steve Phillips. When he was GM of the New York Mets, he was forced to take a leave of absence in 1998 because of a series of affairs and an accusation of sexual harassment by a Mets employee. One of his mistresses, Rosa Rodriguez, surfaced late last week as well.

While ESPN first gave Steve Phillips a leave of absence, it became apparent that the affair was too embarrassing for the network, and that Steve Phillips had to be fired.

Steve Phillips had just been "promoted" this season. He had been elevated from work as a full-time studio analyst to the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan.

Brooke Hundley hasn't exactly enjoyed the "outing" herself. While reports indicate that she actually had a sort of "fatal attraction" affair with Steve Phillips, it's also created a firestorm of media --- and public --- interest in her, including people trolling Brooke Hundley's MySpace and Facebook pages.

Town Angry Over Canceled "Dead Rabbit Toss" Event

The town of Waiau, which has a population of about 400 people, has held a "Dead Rbbit Toss" for years, but town officials said this year's event has been dropped. The decision came after criticism from the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Of course, the town is outraged; not over the fact that the rabbit throw was taking place in the first place, but that it had been canceled. It's just another example of humans thinking that they have the right to do anything because they consider themselves at the top of the food chain.

Watch a video report. It should be noted that this is a morning "infotainment" show, not a news program.

Cellphone Video Shows Police Beating of Unarmed Student

A cellphone video, obtained and posted by the San Jose Mercury News late Saturday shows police officers repeatedly hitting an unarmed university student with batons and a Taser gun. The video has prompted a criminal investigation into the officers' conduct.

The video was taken during the incident by one of the student's roommates, Dimitri Masouris, without the knowledge of the police. The student, Phuong Ho, a 20-year-old math major, faces pending misdemeanor charges of exhibiting a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. While Ho admits picking up a knife as he argued with a roommate that evening, he was not armed when police arrived. The San Jose Mercury-News obtained the video last week from Ho's lawyers.

The video, though shaky and grainy as the San Jose Mercury-News admits, shows one officer hitting the 20-year-old student with a metal baton more than 10 times, including once while he is already handcuffed. Another officer apparently uses his Taser on Ho.

The San Jose Mercury-News showed the video to Daniel Katz, San Jose's assistant police chief. The police department is taking the matter very seriously, he said. The paper showed the video to other analysts as well.

Regarding the baton strike after Ho is handcuffed, Roger Clark, a certified policing expert and a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, where he served for 27 years, said "That's a felony."

Frank Jordan, former San Francisco police chief as well as former mayor said, "Once he is handcuffed, then he is helpless. If you can show that his hands are behind his back, and he is handcuffed, that is where you get brutality. That would be excessive force."

After the incident, the police report said, Ho was treated for a Taser burn as well as receiving staples to close several wounds, including a blow to his head.

Pitney: Fox News Basically "A 24-Hour Campaign Against The Obama Administration"

Appearing on CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday Morning, Huffington Post national editor Nico Pitney debated the White House "campaign" against Fox News. Pitney said:

"If the Republican National Committee had a television network, how would it be any different? And Fox admits it. [...]

The senior vice-president of programming, say in an interview that Fox News is the voice of the opposition. They parade as objective journalists, and some of them do good journalism, but by and large, the network is a 24-hour campaign against the Obama administration."

Jane Hall, a contributor to Fox News for over a decade, while saying isolating the network was a bad idea, and that Fox has both news and commentators (like O'Reilly and Hannity), freely admitted that Media Matters had exposed, via a video montage, that Fox News (or Faux News) had campaigned to paint President Obama as a socialist, racist, a communist, and that was both on news shows and commentary shows.

The problem is that there are many who don't do any vetting, simply watch Fox News, and take commentary as real news.

Watch the video:

"Mermaid Girl" Shiloh Pepin Has Died, At Age 10

Shiloh Pepin, the little girl born with the rare condition of "mermaid syndrome" or sirenomelia, has died. She was only 10.

Sirenomelia or mermaid syndrome, as it is commonly called, is the condition of having ones legs fused together. Shiloh Pepin had gained a wide following, via the Internet and national TV shows such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Doctors had predicted Shiloh Pepin would probably only survive only for a few days after her birth, but the girl defied the odds. She died at Maine Medical Center on Friday afternoon, hospital spokesman John Lamb said, after being been hospitalized in critical condition for nearly a week.

Earlier this month, her mother, Leslie Pepin, said Shiloh came down with a cold that turned into pneumonia. Shiloh rushed to Maine Medical Center on Oct. 10 and was placed on antibiotics.

Some children have survived sirenomelia by having had surgery to separate their legs. However, Shiloh Pepin could not because she had blood vessels crossing from side to side in her circulatory system. Because of her mermaid syndrome, Pepin had only one partially working kidney, no lower colon or genital organs and the aforementioned fused legs, fused from the waist down. She had received two kidney transplants, the last one in 2007.

Here is an earlier family video:

A condolence video has already been uploaded to YouTube.

"Overshoot" Pilot Denies Napping

The first officer of the Northwest Airlines flight that overshot its destination by 150 miles before reversing course has denied, among other things, napping on duty. Of course, since the flight overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles, it wouldn't have been just the pilot, but the co-pilot who napped, but that's obvious.

First officer / co-pilot Richard Cole would not say just what it was that led to the flight, Flight 188 from San Diego to Minneapolis, overshooting their mark. He indicated that there was no argument, and no napping, for neither he nor Captain Timothy B. Cheney.

Tbat doesn't explain why the flight was out of contact for more than an hour Wednesday night, as air traffic controllers and pilots tried to contact Cole and Cheney, using radio, cell phone and data messages. Meanwhile, as is SOP in this post-911 world, officials alerted National Guard jets to prepare to chase the airliner, though none of the fighters took off. However, air traffic controllers asked the crew to prove who they were by executing turns once contact was re-established.

Unfortunately, the cockpit voice recorder on Flight 188 may not help resolve the mystery. The older model aboard Northwest's Flight 188 includes just the last 30 minutes of Wednesday night's flight, that portion after the pilots realized their error over Wisconsin and headed back to Minneapolis. More modern cockpit voice recorders store as much as two hours of information.

Cheney and Cole have been suspended and are to be interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators. Northwest Airlines, acquired last year by Delta Air Lines, is also investigating.

Barack Obama's Most Annoying Habit? Winning at Tennis

Michelle Obama appeared on Jay Leno's new primetime show (via satellite feed from the White House) last night. When asked about the most annoying habit President Barack Obama has, the First Lady brought up his prowess at a sport: tennis.

"He has no annoying habits, right Jay? None, you know; he's perfect. But you know what, when he beats me at tennis, that gets to be pretty annoying. And he beats me quite often."

Michelle should take him on in bowling. As many probably recall, the President is quite bad at that sport.

Michelle Obama showed she shares the President's good sense of humor. When Leno told her she looked beautiful, she replied "You look beautiful, too," but then added "I can't see you."

Watch the video:

Dozens of Tickets Issued in Dallas for Not Speaking English

After it was revealed that a rookie officer, Gary Bromley, had issued a citation on Oct. 2nd to Ernestina Mondragon for being a non-English-speaking driver --- a bogus offense --- it has now been revealed that dozens of tickets have been written in Dallas for similar "crimes."

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said on Friday afternoon that officers have written at least 39 citations to people over the past three years for not speaking English. Kunkle said all officers and supervisors involved will be investigated for dereliction of duty. Meanwhile, all pending citations will be dismissed, and people who paid fines will be reimbursed.

In Bromley's case, Bromley had stopped the 48-year-old Mondragon for making an illegal U-turn in the 500 block of Easton Road, near East Northwest Highway, according to the citation. However, he added a citation for being a non-English speaking driver, as well as for driving without a license (which was simply because she had forgotten her license; that charge was later dropped).

Kunkle called it a rookie mistake: under the Dallas City Code, taxi drivers must be able to speak English. There is also a federal statute that says commercial drivers must speak English.

However, since Bromley was a trainee officer, why did his trainer on that date, Senior Cpl. Daniel Larkin, 53, not step in to correct things?

Breyer's Ice Cream Recalled Over Undisclosed Wheat

An undisclosed number of 1.5 quart tubs of Breyer's All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is being recalled due to a labeling error. The tubs actually contain All Natural Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, which would be a problem for anyone with a wheat allergy.

While the tubs are mislabeled, the lids are correct. The affected mispackaged ice cream was distributed in 1.5-quart tubs marked with UPC code 077567254245 located on the side of the tub. This is in combination with "Best If Used By" dates of FEB1711GH, FEB1811GH and FEB1911GH located on the bottom of the tub. No other Breyers ice cream products are affected.

Pilots Overshoot Destination Airport by 150 Miles

Their destination was the Minneapolis airport. However, two Northwest Airlines pilots, after failing to make radio contact with ground controllers for more than an hour, overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles before discovering the error and turning around.

Strangely, passengers seemed to have not noticed the error, despite what would seemingly have caused a late landing. The plane landed safely Wednesday evening. No one was hurt.

Flight 188, an a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320, was flying from San Diego to Minneapolis with 144 passengers and five crew. Controllers lost radio contact with the pilots just before 7 PM CDT, when they were at 37,000 feet. The jet flew over the Minneapolis airport just before 8 PM, overshooting it by 150 miles before radio communication was reestablished at 8:14 PM, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Once the plane overshot the airport, and typical in the post-911 world, the FAA notified the military, which put Air National Guard fighter jets on alert at two locations. However, one radio contact was re-established, the alert was canceled.

The flight crew told authorities they became distracted during an argument over airline policy and lost track of time, as well as their location. Despite this, the FAA is investigating to determine if pilot fatigue might have played a role.

The two pilots have been suspended by Delta Airlines, which acquired Northwest Airlines last year, until an internal investigation is completed. There has been speculation the pilots fell asleep.

Iraqi-American Father Runs Over Daughter For Being "Too Westernized"

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, is suspected of running down his daughter because she was becoming too "Westernized" and was not living according to their traditional Iraqi values. He was last seen fleeing the parking lot of the Department of Economic Development in Peoria, AZ, Tuesday after hitting Noor Faleh Almaleki, his 20-year-old daughter, and her boyfriend's mother, with his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Noor Faleh Almaleki of Surprise, AZ, remains hospitalized with critical injuries. 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, mother of her boyfriend, also of Surprise, suffered non-life threatening injuries, but remains hospitalized. Noor Almaleki was apparently living with Khalaf and her son.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki is still on the run. Police said he was last seen driving a gray or silver 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with license plate No. ADS-9192.

Rape Called a Pre-Existing Condition

This is a disturbing story. It's the story of a woman who made the choice, after being raped, of taking anti-AIDS medication for a month, as a precautionary step. Little did she know it would scar her for life, in the minds of insurance underwriters.

Consider that choice: HIV / AIDS or health insurance? Consider also, that in most industrialized nations, that choice does not have to be made. Why should the victim of a rape be made to suffer again?

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund has the story of Christina Turner, now 45. Slipped a "Mickey," and fearing she had been sexually assaulted outside a bar in Fort Lauderdale, FL, she took anti-HIV drugs as a precaution. Despite the fact that she never developed HIV, the mere taking of the drugs flagged her as too high a risk, and she has been rejected by many insurance companies.

Turner had let the men buy her drinks at a bar in Fort Lauderdale. The next thing she knew, she said, she was lying on a roadside with cuts and bruises that indicated she had been raped. She never developed an HIV infection. But months later, when she lost her health insurance and sought new coverage, she ran into a problem.

Turner, 45, who used to be a health insurance underwriter herself, said the insurance companies examined her health records. Even after she explained the assault, the insurers would not sell her a policy because the HIV medication raised too many health questions. They told her they might reconsider in three or more years if she could prove that she was still AIDS-free. [...]

Some women have contacted the Investigative Fund to say they were deemed ineligible for health insurance because they had a pre-existing condition as a result of a rape, such as post traumatic stress disorder or a sexually transmitted disease. Other patients and therapists wrote in with allegations that insurers are routinely denying long-term mental health care to women who have been sexually assaulted.

I recently ran a story about an underweight baby denied health insurance; there was also a recent story of a baby deemed overweight by an insurance company that was also denied health insurance.

His father, Bernie Lange, told a Colorado newspaper, "I could understand if we could control what he's eating. But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill. There is just something absurd about denying an infant."

After Election Results Announced, McCain Voters Saw Testosterone Drop: Study

A study published in the Public Library of Science (PLOS One) examined the results of the 2008 Presidential Election. In this case, however, the results were examined using a different metric than most: testosterone level.

The study, "Dominance, Politics, and Physiology: Voters' Testosterone Changes on the Night of the 2008 United States Presidential Election" examined the testosterone levels of 183 voters, who provided multiple saliva samples before and after the winner was announced on Election Night. The study noted:

Political elections are dominance competitions. When men win a dominance competition, their testosterone levels rise or remain stable to resist a circadian decline; and when they lose, their testosterone levels fall.

Voters for both candidates, McCain and Obama, had similar testosterone levels when polling stations closed on the East coast. Once Obama as declared the winner, however, the levels in McCain backers fell.

Since, as the study noted, men's testosterone levels follow a circadian cycle, and drop at night, since the levels among men who voted for Obama remained stable, the study said their level was actually equivalent to a rise.

"Cyber Graffiti" Threatens Va. Tech

As if the university has not suffered enough, a form of "cyber graffiti" has been used to threaten the campus of Virginia Tech (VT). VT sent out an on-campus advisory Thursday morning after threats were posted in a video on YouTube.

The mashup video includes threatening comments made on several videos of VT gunman Seung-Hui Cho. It was posted on the YouTube page of someone using the screen name "NextKillerVirgTech." That account has since been deleted.

According to the site, the page had been created on Oct. 21 by a 21-year-old living in the United States. It's unclear if any of that information is correct, but authorities currently believe it is likely the posting occurred overseas.

The message sent out by VT reads:

Virginia Tech Police have observed a You Tube posting making threats against the Virginia Tech community. We have received no direct threats at the university. The Virginia State Police and the FBI are assisting the university police. Currently,law enforcement believes the comments may have originated overseas. They are continuing their investigation. We will post again if new information emerges.

In April of 2007, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members on campus, before killing himself.

Newark Security Guard Arrested For Threats Against Obama

A private security guard at Newark Airport was arrested for making threats against President Barack Obama the night before Obama was to land there. A Continental Airlines employee had reported overhearing John Brek, 55, make threatening comments at an airport coffee cart Tuesday afternoon.

Hours later, Brek was arrested. Obama came to New Jersey on Wednesday to campaign for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Brek was arrested by Port Authority Police and charged under state law with making "terroristic threats" against the president. He has not been arrested on federal charges, and denied making the threats.

Brek allowed police to search his home, where they found 43 firearms. While still being processed, no illegal guns have been found as yet.

Bail has been set at $100,000 for Brek. He faces up to five years in prison for the state charge, which is a third-degree felony. Malcolm Wiley, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service, said:

"We take every threat very seriously. We don't have the luxury of ignoring even the allegation of a threat."

OnStar Halts Car Chase

OnStar, the General Motors service that most people equate with getting into a car you have been locked out of, has been used to end a high speed pursuit. OnStar only began offering remote disabling in this manner earlier this year.

Jose Ruiz's 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe was carjacked at gunpoint, but OnStar was used to both find the vehicle, and then disable the car's gas pedal. This was the first time the new disabling feature has been used to end a high-speed chase.

As the vehicle ground to a halt, the carjacker fled. However, he fell into a pool in a backyard while trying to escape and was captured. The 21-year-old suspect was jailed and faces preliminary charges of robbery, carjacking, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

Frequently, high-speed chases end badly, with a collision. Sometimes innocent people are hurt, as well as the criminal, or even police. Ending a chase in this manner is a far better option.

Of course, OnStar is only offered on GM vehicles, and not all of them have this new feature. Additionally, only the first year of OnStar is free; after that, owners must pay for the OnStar service.

Grayson Starts Website to Honor Those Dead From Health Insurance Denials

Rep. David Grayson (D-FL), has started a new web site, to honor the dead. However, not the dead from a war or other such calamity. Rather, Grayson's site, Names of the Dead, will honor those "more than 44,000 Americans who die simply because have no health insurance," annually.

Grayson has been hitting the GOP hard over health insurance reform, calling the GOP plan "Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly."

Since then, he's been making the rounds of talk shows and news shows. He's refused to apologize for the comment, and one might say he's upped the ante with this site.

Every year, more than 44,000 Americans die simply because have no health insurance.

I have created this project in their memory. I hope that honoring them will help us end this senseless loss of American lives. If you have lost a loved one, please share the story of that loved one with us. Help us ensure that their legacy is a more just America, where every life that can be saved will be saved.

A recent Harvard study showed as many as 45,000 deaths annually are tied to lack of health insurance. That's where Grayson got his statistics.

Watch Grayson unveiling his site on the floor of Congress Wednesday.

Miss California Pageant: Give Us Back Your Boob Job Money, Carrie

Miss California Pageant officials have decided that if former Miss California Carrie Prejean is going to sue them, they might as well get their breast implant investment back. Prejean filed suit in August, saying she was stripped of her crown for religious discrimination reasons. The pageant has asserted the Prejean missed event she was required to attend.

Carrie Prejean filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The filing accused Miss California USA officials Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, as well as publicist Roger Neal of religious discrimination, defamation, public disclosure of private facts, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

At the time, Carrie Prejean's attorney, Charles LiMandri, said in a news release, "We will make the case that her title was taken from her solely because of her support of traditional marriage."

A countersuit filed by K2 Publications, says that the former beauty queen still owes the organization $5,200 for the boob job. The suit indicates that Prejean asked for the augmentation to be more competitive, and agree to repay the loan.

The countersuit stated:

"She attempts to cast herself as a virtuous young woman and the victim in a supposed conspiracy against her/ Had she heeded the guidance of the Gospel of John, who admonished only those who are without sin to cast stones in judgment, she might have avoided this legal battle."

Pageant co-director Keith Lewis said in a statement Monday:

"We are saddened by the necessity to file a counterclaim today against Carrie Prejean. We are continuing to prepare for our upcoming telecast of the Miss California USA pageant on November 22, but the integrity of the Miss California USA organization and the values it represents requires us to respond and present the truth. Our claim is not about financial reward, and all profits awarded will be donated to a charity that promotes the values of our organization."

Carrie Prejean achieved her 5 minutes of fame when, in the Miss USA pageant, she responded to a question by Perez Hilton about same-sex marriage by saying:

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there, but that's how I was raised, and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."

As one of the runners-up in the Miss USA pageant, she would normally have disappeared off the map, but she followed that with appearances at anti-same-sex marriage events as well as an anti-same-sex marriage ad, keeping her visible in the public eye.

Paper Seeks Ganja Critic

As states like California consider legalization and taxation of marijuana, and as federal officials say that they will no longer pursue medical marijuana users as long as they conform to state laws, what next? Well, obviously, medical marijuana users would want to make sure their dispensaries are legit, right?

A Denver alternative newspaper, Westword, recently posted an ad for what some might consider a dope job: a reviewer of the Colorado's marijuana dispensaries and their products. It has already received more than 120 applicants.

The only catch: the reviewer must also qualify as a medical marijuana user. Yes, that means the person has to be ailing in one way or another, such that he has a medical need for ganja.

That would add a professional touch to something that already exists: sites such as marijuanareviews.com and weedmaps.com already offer reviews of both types of cannabis and clubs as well.

Baby Denied Health Insurance Because Underweight

People should ask why this doesn't happen to fashion models, as they are frequently underweight. Recently, a baby was denied insurance because it was overweight, according to the insurance company, anyway. Here's an example in the other direction: a baby denied insurance because it is underweight.

Aislin Bates weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces at birth, and now weighs 22 pounds at 2 years of age. However, she's become a "poster child" for insurance reform.

When Aislin's father, Rob, worked for another company, she was covered under the company’s group health insurance plan, but now he is self-employed and finding insurance coverage for Aislin hard to come by.

Aislin's mother, Rachel Bates said:

"She's perfectly healthy, yet she has become a statistic. There's no reason for her to be a statistic as a non-insured person."

The insurance company in question, United Healthcard's Golden Rule, sent the family a letter, which said, in part, "We are unable to provide coverage for Aislin because her height and weight do not meet our company standards."

The company added, however, that "When evaluating height and weight, we typically utilize other factors as well in making a decision, such as medical records that show evidence of treatment or any underlying medical conditions." In this case, Aislin is undergoing treatment for an active gag reflex. The family states she will only require therapy for a few more months.

In the prior case, a 4-month-old boy, Alex Lange, was denied health insurance coverage because, at 17 pounds, he was considered overweight. In that case, Rocky Mountain Health Plans changed its policy; it now says it won't consider obesity a pre-existing condition barring coverage for larger infants.

Pennsylvania GOP Replaces "O" in Obama With Hammer and Sickle

A recent ad on the the Pennsylvania Republican Party's website, since replaced, showed a message with the O in Obama replaced with the hammer and sickle from (guess where) the U.S.S.R.'s flag.

The ad asked: "Tired of Barack Obama, (Pennsylvania Governor) Ed Rendell and (Pennsylvania Senator and former GOP member) Arlen Specter ruining our nation? Hit them where it hurts. The voting booth!"

As you can see, the ad promotes Joan Orie-Melvin, a Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court in the November election. It appeared on the PA GrassRoots website late last week.

Unfortunately for those afraid of the "Red Menace," as noted by John Micek, "We looked pretty hard at Orie-Melvin's life story, and we couldn't find a single thing in there about her promising to fight the Red Menace if elected."

It's another example of hate-mongering and scare tactics among GOP candidates. The idea of equating liberals with the "Red Menace" isn't new, but isn't any truer than before, either.

Justice of Peace Who Refuses to Marry Interracial Couples Hated by All, He Says

The Justice of the Peace who refuses to marry interracial couples in Louisiana continues to be at the center of a firestorm. He now says that "everyone" hates him.

"Everybody hates me. Really. I don't know why. I treat people, I figure, equal. I have one problem with marrying mixed-race marriages and that is the offspring."

This story became public when Keith Bardwell refused to grant Beth and Terence McKay a marriage license. The couple eventually went to a different justice suggested by Bardwell's wife, and were married.

The Louisiana chapter of the ACLU has called Bardwell's decision "tragic and illegal," while Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has called for the justice's license to be revoked. However, Keith Bardwell is refusing to resign. Meanwhile the McKays are considering legal action to ensure Bardwell loses his license.

The couple appeared on CNN's this morning on Monday. Terence McKay said:

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but he's absolutely wrong on all aspects of this stance. He's saying the only reason he doesn't marry interracial couples is dealing with the ... because of the offspring of the marriages. But, if it wasn't for interracial couples today, we wouldn't have our president. So for him to take that outlook, that's like the 1800's."

Watch this video from CNN's American Morning, broadcast Oct. 19, 2009, via Raw Replay.

Copper Bracelets, Magnetic Wrist Straps Worthless for Arthritis: Study

A U.K. study shows what most of us already knew: that copper bracelets, aside from turning your skin green, aren't really any good for anything. Neither, said the study, are magnetic wrist straps.

Those "devices" have been said to be effective at relieving arthritis pain, but the new study, which appears in the British journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, found that the reported therapeutic benefits from them "are most likely attributable to non-specific placebo effects."

In other words, any curative effects are all in your mind!

Stewart Richmond, a research fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, led the study. He said:

"People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device. However, our findings suggest that such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper."

He added, however, that the devices don't harm anyone, and might give wearers some degree of hope.

Three Collapse, Die at Detroit Marathon

The race Marathon was named for the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger, who ran from Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that once he told the assembly, "We have won," he collapsed and died. Recreational marathons typically do not have that sort of result, but today in the Detroit marathon, there were three deaths.

Organizers stated that the Detroit marathon deaths involved a half-marathoner and two other runners, whose attempted distances could not be confirmed.

Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 AM between the 11- and 12-mile markers. Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed at 9:17 AM, close to where Langdon collapse. Finally, Jon Fenlon, 26, of Waterford collapsed at about 9:18 AM, just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37.

More than 19,000 people were registered to participate in the 32nd Detroit Free Press / Flagstar Marathon on Sunday. Despite the Detroit marathon deaths, the race went on. The last death at a Detroit marathon was in 1994; a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.

First place in the marathon was taken by Nicholas Stanko, of Haslett, Michigan, at 2:20:24. Sarah Plaxton, 41, of Highland, Michigan, was the top female finisher in the marathon with a time of 2:57:09.

Specter: GOP "A Party of Obstructionism"

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), longtime Republican who switched sides earlier this year, described his former party as a group of naysayers Sunday on Fox News, calling them a group of obstructionists.

On the Republican side, it’s no, no, no. A party of obstructionism. This is no longer the party of Jon Hymes and "Mac" Mathias and Lowell Weicker. You have responsible Republicans who had been in the Senate, like Howard Baker, Bob Dole, and Bill Frist, who say Republicans ought to cooperate. Well, they’re not cooperating. Bob Dole reportedly wouldn't return a telephone call from a Republican leader who wanted him to back off. Take a look at the absence of any Republican plan ...

Specter isn't the first to say this. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said recently that the GOP is against anything President Barack Obama is for, regardless of if it is good for Americans.

"They understand if Barack Obama were somehow able to cure hunger in the world, the Republicans would blame him for over-population.

They understand that if Barack obama could somehow bring about world peace, they'd blame him for destroying the defense industry.

In fact, they understand that if Barack Obama has a BLT sandwich tomorrow for lunch, they will try to ban bacon."

Watch it:

"Balloon Boy" Incident a Hoax: Sheriff

The Larimer County Sheriff has declared the "Balloon Boy" incident a hoax, that was designed in the hope of marketing the Heene Family for a reality television show sometime in the future. Charges have not yet been filed, but most likely will be.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said that among the charges being considered for Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi are three felonies: conspiracy between the husband and the wife to commit a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and an attempt to influence a public servant, the last of which carries a prison term of six years. They could also add filing a false report to the charges, which is a misdemeanor.

The nation stood transfixed on Thursday while authorities and media chased a flying saucer-shaped helium-filled balloon 50 miles from the Heenes' home to a soft landing. It was believed that six-year-old Falcon Heene was on the craft, but in reality he was not, and was later found hiding in a box in the attic of the family's garage.

After elation over the boy being safe died down, thoughts turned to a hoax. The Heene's case was not helped when, appearing on CNN, Falcon said the reason he did not respond to calls out to him, he said "You had said that we did this for the show," that's pretty telling. In fact, watch the video below, and see the evidence.

Additionally, more suspicions were raised when it became known the family had appeared twice on the ABC show "Wife Swap," and had pitched reality TV show ideas to TLC and the "Wife Swap" creators.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said at a news conference in Fort Collins, CO:

“It has been determined that this is a hoax, that it was a publicity stunt. We have evidence to indicate it was a publicity stunt done with the hope of marketing themselves to a realty television show sometime in the future.”

Authorities re-interviewed the family yesterday, as well as conduction searches of their computers, e-mail records and documents in their home. Alderden said the plan to launch a balloon and tell authorities that Falcon was aboard was made as long as two weeks ago.

Alderden added that child protective services would be reviewing the case and determining whether the Heene children are in any danger. Reportedly, all three children knew of the Thursday hoax.

Richard Heene added to the strangeness yesterday when, saying the family did not have cable to see what was being said about his family, he placed a box out in front of the house, telling reporters to place their questions in it.

George H. W. Bush: About My *ss Email

Former President George H.W. Bush got himself into a little trouble on Friday at Texas A.& M., while trying to plug a community service program. He said:

"Some of you may have gotten my *ss email. In reality, he meant to say "mass." Correcting himself, he insisted it was a "Freudian slip only."

What Bush meant to say was "Some of you may have gotten my mass email about today's event -- and if you did, please don't turn me in as an inveterate spammer."

Watch the verbal slip-up:

"Illegal Alien" Halloween Costume Draws Fire

Apparently, this is meant to be funny, but immigrants and immigrant rights groups are not finding it so. It's an illegal alien immigrant costume, and it was available at Target's website (click the above image to see a screenshot of their post), which has since taken it down. Many other retailers are still selling it.

The costume current still appears online at walgreens.com, amazon.com, meijer.com and buycostumes.com.

"We didn't mean to sell it!" is essentially what Target said, using the excuse that the costume was added to its website by mistake. You can expect that will be the answer offered by a number of online retailers as they try to explain why this offensive costume appeared on their sites. However, it's probably also true that you could find this costume at brick-and-mortar retailers, too.

Target spokesman Joshua Thomas said:

"This is not in keeping with our brand. This was inadvertently uploaded to Target.com. It was never intended to be part of our original assortment. This costume was never seen in our review process."

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said in an e-mail to Target that the costume was “distasteful, mean-spirited, and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform.”

Customers weren't so happy with the costume either. Prior to item being taken down from Target's site, you could have seen that reviews were not kind. One anonymous customer wrote: "The costume is a sick sign of the times we are living in this country where those who are not 'people like us' might as well be from another planet and are considered less than human."

Tipster Claims He Has Evidence "Balloon Boy" Was a Hoax

A tipster apparently has the goods on Richard Heene, and the balloon boy story, saying it was indeed a hoax. However, the evidence is not free; it's for sale.

The news comes from a Denver-area student who claims to have worked with Richard Heene, father of Falcon, the so-called "balloon boy," on a reality TV show proposal for ABC.

You will recall that yesterday, news media was in a frenzy as a flying saucer-shaped balloon supposedly carrying Falcon Heene, 6, was tracked for over 50 miles, with authorities trying to figure out how to rescue him. Turns out, he wasn't on the balloon at all.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, per se, as the initial report came from one of Falcon's brothers, who could have been mistaken. Falcon was found hiding in a box in the attic of his family's garage. Again, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, because it's something a kid might do when people are looking for him, if he feels he might be in trouble.

However, when Falcon went on CNN and said, when asked by his father why he didn't reply to calls for him, "You had said that we did this for the show," that's pretty telling. In fact, watch the video below, and see the evidence.

The aforementioned evidence-possessing student says the National Enquirer is considering buying it for between $5,000 and $8,000. He says he and Richard Heene worked together from March until May of this year to prepare "business plans and proposals" to pitch to ABC. You'll recall also that Heene and family were once featured on the show "Wife Swap."

Unfortunately, Heene never paid said student, who admits that he would love to get some cash for this evidence in order to "pay the rent." And sticking it to Heene would just be a bonus, of course.

"The show surrounds scientific experiments and controversial pranks, and one of the pranks within it — actually several of the things within this document — talks about very similar information to what is being debated on the air.

"When Mr. Heene is denying having any involvement with this being for a show — when the little kid, Falcon, says 'Dad, you said to go hide in the attic, we're doing this for the show' — and then he's adamantly denying that, that's when I started cracking up because I have proof that that's not true."

Certainly, if this was a hoax, the father would be charged with something, but it might be as small as a misdemeanor. On the other hand, you can bet they will bill him for the emergency services rendered.

Come on, Enquirer. Fork over the money, already.

Gasoline in Afghanistan Costs the U.S. $400 Per Gallon

Shades of those old stories of wasteful spending on nuts and bolts! A report by the Pentagon reveals that the U.S. spends $400 per gallon for gasoline in Afghanistan.

Those of us who suffered with $4 gasoline in the summer of 2008 can now realize we had nothing to complain about.

Why so much? It's not because the U.S. is being ripped off. It's because of the landlocked status of the country, which makes transporting gasoline to regions expensive.

The nearest port is in Karachi, Pakistan, where fuel for U.S. troops is shipped. Then, the fuel is transported through Pakistan and Afghanistan via truck, sometimes changing carriers. Worse, sometimes the transport includes a helicopter flight, which is obviously inefficient, because it uses up almost as much fuel as the chopper carries.

Note: this per gallon price is what the Pentagon calls the "fully burdened cost of fuel," which means it includes all expenses. Many have said that if Americans had to pay how much it really costs for gasoline, including all miscellaneous expenses, they would be shocked, and stop wasting so much of it.

Meghan McCain's Breasts in TwitPic Expose Rude, Hurtful Commenters

What seemed to be an innocent, snarky and she thought, interesting view of how boring her life was turned into a nightmare for Meghan McCain, thanks to a Twitter post. Or rather, thanks to a Twitter post and a rather skimpy top that showed off Meghan McCain's breasts (above).

It all started on Wednesday night, when Meghan McCain breasts were exposed to the world via Twitter and Twitpic. The original Twitter post linked to a now deleted image of her reading a book (Arthur Danto’s new biography of Andy Warhol, no less).

Admittedly, The Daily Beast columnist has admitted that her love life was killed by her father's 2008 Presidential campaign, but one could hardly imagine why that is so by looking at Meghan McCain's breasts in that mirror image. Seriously, though, the posting drew a number of rude ahd hateful comments, some of which called her a slut, or worse.

There were also a number of supporting comments, but the point of the post was not to show off Meghan McCain's breasts, but to show how mundane her life is. Despite that, people were all over it. It was reminiscent of the hate thrown at her because of her relative centrist right-wing views. You will recall Laura Ingraham called McCain fat, for example.

The supportive comments told Meghan McCain that a) she didn't need to apologize (which she did anyway), b) she was beautiful. Since then, rather than crass comments, it appears the chase is now on for images of Meghan McCain's breasts. It's not like she's going to show up in nude images like some b-list celebrity, though. In reality, she's never done anything like this before, and as she explained, it was all innocent. As she said on Twitter:

so I took a fun picture not thinking anything about what I was wearing but apparently anything other than a pantsuit I am a slut, this is why I have been considering deleting my twitter account, what once was fun now just seems like a vessel for harassment

I am going to take some more time to think about it but seriously I was just trying to be funny with the book and that I'm a dork staying in

when I am alone in my apartment, I wear tank tops and sweat pants, I had no idea this makes me a "slut", I can't even tell you how hurt I am

ok I am getting the f*** off twitter, promise not to delete my account until I sleep on it, thank you for the nice words supporters

Later, she thought better of it, and apologized on Twitter, though many told her not to.

do want to apologize to anyone that was offended by my twitpic, I have clearly made a huge mistake and am sorry 2 those that are offended.

zHoping to put a cap on the whole matter, Meghan McCain posted a new Daily Beast article today. The first comment on the post (unless it is flagged and removed)? It was one word: slut. One day later, there are still boobs around, but they are not Meghan McCain's breasts.

Nine-Year-Old Asks Obama: "Why Do People Hate You?"

Out of the mouths of babes, they say. At a town hall in Louisiana today, Barack Obama received a question that would have taken some people aback. Despite that, he acted with aplomb.

He was asked by Tyren Scott, of Paulina, LA, "I have to say, why do people hate you? And why ... they supposed to love you, and ... God is love." A good question. It should be asked thusly: why does the GOP hate you?

Obama's response:

"Hey, that's what I'm talking about. Tyren, I appreciate that. What grade are you in? (answer: 4) Well, now, first of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me now ... I got a whole lot of votes.

But, what is true is, if you were watching TV lately, it seems like everybody's just getting mad all the time. And you know, I think that you've got to take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is just what's called politics, where once one party wins then the other party feels it needs to poke you a little bit, to keep you on your toes. So you shouldn't take it too seriously.

"And as I said before, people, I think, they're worried about their own lives, a lot of people are losing their jobs right now, a lot of people are losing their health care or they've lost their homes to foreclosure, and they're feeling frustrated, and when you're President of the United States, you've got to deal with all of that; that's exactly right. And, you get some of the credit when things go good, and when things are going tough, you're going to get some of the blame, and that's part of the job.

But, I'm a pretty tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look like you're pretty tough. And so, you just gotta keep on going even when folks are criticizing you, as long as you know you're doing it for other people. Thank you; you're a fine young man. I appreciate you."

Tyren is a fine young man. Those who have participated in hate crimes against Obama or have made racist remarks should be looking pretty sheepish right now, compared to this young man.

Watch the video:

Louisiana Justice of the Peace Refuses to Marry Interracial Couple

A Louisiana justice of the peace refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple, despite knowing such a move is illegal. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, cited concerns over the biracial children that would result.

Bardwell said that in his experience shows neither black nor white society accepts such biracial children. He also stated that interracial marriages do not last long. Thus, he refuses to grant marriage license for any interracial couples. He said:

“I’m not a racist. I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.”

I would be interesting to find out what Bardwell thinks of interracial couples of other races. For example, in California, it's quite common for Japanese-Americans to marry Caucasians. And in California, at least, there is no such issue with acceptance.

It is in fact true that Bardwell's act is illegal. In 1963, in the case of Loving vs. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot prohibit marriages simply because of the race of the spouses. Thus, Bardwell's stance is over 50 years out of date.

Bardwell has been a justice of the peace for 34 years. This is his final term, though it does not end until 2014.

Beth Humphrey, 30, said she that and her fiance, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, intend to consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey called Bardwell on Oct. 6th to ask about getting a marriage license signed. It was Bardwell's wife who spoke to Humphrey on the phone and told her of his stance. She also told Humphrey to consult Justice of the Peace Terri Crosby of Tickfaw; Crosby agreed to sign the license.

American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzman said that the ACLU was preparing a letter for the Louisiana Supreme Court, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and see if they can remove him from office. She added:

"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009. The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry. He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it."

"Balloon Boy" Found Hiding at Home

Falcon Heene, the six-year-old boy that was believed to have taken off in a flying saucer shaped helium-filled balloon (above) earlier today, has been found. He was found at home, in a box, in the garage.

Originally, it was reported that Falcon Heene's brother told authorities his brother had both climbed into the balloon, he had also untied the tether of the balloon and took off of it. A lengthy search took place, with multiple media sources chasing the balloon.

While officials tried to figure out a way to safely bring down the craft, believing it was carrying the boy, the FAA tried to track the aircraft on radar. As reported on CNN, for some reason, the balloon was not visible on radar.

Denver International Airport, one of the nation's busiest, saw northbound departures from shutdown for a short time, as the balloon traveled northwest of the airport at that time.

The balloon eventually descended, on its own, in a field in Weld County, more than 40 miles away from its origin. Searchers crowded all around it, but no one was found in the balloon, and fears were that little Falcon had fallen off the balloon.

In fact, Falcon Heene did what a six-year-old might do when they find out the police or other authorities are looking for them: he hid. He was found in the attic of the garage in a box.

Falcon, 6, is the son of Richard and Mayumi Heene of Ft. Collins, CO. Richard Heene is a storm chaser and scientist. He often takes his family on storm chases with him. They apparently sleep in their clothes so they can leap from bed and chase a storm. Falcon has two older brothers, Bradford and Ryo.

Additionally, the parents were on "Wife Swap" and returned for a second appearance on the 100th episode of the show. It's good to see this story ended well. On the other hand, you can bet that people will be trying to figure out why it was reported Falcon was on the balloon.

After all the happiness dissipates, one might winder who is going to pay for the rescue effort, as well. That's all for another day. Right now, Falcon is safe.

Mitt Romney: Public Option is "Absolute Death"

The GOP has changed its message. No longer do they talk about "death panels," since the end-of-life counseling provisions have been removed. Now, they are using the term "absolute death."

Mitt Romney on Sean Hannity's Fox News show last night, said the following:

ROMNEY: The right way to have proceeded was to let each state create their own plan, to learn from the laboratories that the states were meant to be, and then adopted the very best in the federal system. But that hasn’t been done. And as a result, you’re seeing Democrats fighting Democrats. And the idea that we’d have — the government get into a — if you will, the public or government option is absolute death, I think, across this country.

Of course, the only ones facing death from a public option would be the insurance companies. And really, do we need them? Countries like Canada, the U.K. and more do just fine without them. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without some sort of universal health care. Since people in those aforementioned countries have longer lifespans than us, there's no "absolute death" involved.

Watch the video:

Warship Made of Twin Towers Steel Embarks on Maiden Voyage

The U.S.S. New York, the amphibious transport dock made with salvaged steel from the Twin Towers, embarked on its maiden voyage on Tuesday from Louisiana, where it was built. It is scheduled to arrive in New York harbor on November 2nd.

The U.S.S. New York is the the fifth amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio class. As described:

The ship will be used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies, by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft. USS New York will support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions throughout the first half of the 21st Century.

The U.S.S. New York arrive to a formal ceremony for those killed in the 9-11 attacks. The ship will be commissioned on November 7th, as the event ends. After commissioning, it will be stationed at the Naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.

The 208-meter-long ship can carry up to 800 Marines, and launch cargo and troop transport ships and launch helicopters from its deck. The U.S.S. New York cost $1.2 billion to build.

Rush Limbaugh to Be Dropped From Rams Bid: Report

At least three NFL sources tell ESPN that Rush Limbaugh will be dropped from a potential ownership group that is attempting to buy the St. Louis Rams. The inclusion of Limbaugh in the purchase group has caused a firestorm with many, including NFL Players union executive director DeMaurice Smith slamming the possibility of Limbaugh becoming an owner.

Additionally, this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed Limbaugh's "candidacy," saying "divisive comments are not what the NFL is all about. I've said many times before, we're all held to a high standard here. I would not want to see those comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL -- absolutely not."

Earlier on Wednesday, Limbaugh said on his radio show:

"I'm not even thinking of exiting. I'm not even thinking of caving. I am not a caver. None of us are. We have been betrayed by too many who have caved. Pioneers take the arrows. We are pioneers. It's a sad thing but our country over 200 years old now needs pioneers all over again, but we do."

Thing is, Limbaugh isn't the one who decides who stays in or leaves the ownership group. It's the point man, Dave Checketts, chairman of the NHL's St. Louis Blues. Three-quarters of the league's 32 owners would have to approve any sale to Limbaugh and his group. Checketts knows when he has no chance.
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Religion Immutable, Homosexuality Not: Boehner

Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) objected to House passage of a bill that would expand hate crime laws to cover sexual orientation. His reason, apparently, is that homosexuality is a choice. At the same time, Boehner feels that religion is immutable. In other words, your religion is set from birth.

In an email, Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith told CBS News that Boehner "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics."

CBS was quick to state that gender is not currently listed as covered among hate crimes. The GOP claims this legislation amounts to prosecuting "thought crimes."

Northeastern University professor Jack Levin said the following about Boehner's stance:

"[...] to use immutability as a criterion doesn't make any sense at all. Especially if he supports the current stand. Religion is clearly not ascribed. It's not built into the organism. People can change it at any time and people do.

"It sounds to me as though the criticism is focused on the addition of gays and lesbians to the list of protected categories at the federal level. That seems to be the problem."

While much research indicates that homsexuality is not a choice, but a biological condition, conservatives tend to ascribe to the belief that it is a choice. Nevertheless, it's hard to understand Boehner's contention that religion is immutable.

BNF to NFL: Rush Limbaugh is a Racist

As the issue of Rush Limbaugh possibly obtaining partial ownership of the St. Louis Rams gathers steam as a racial issue, Brave New Films has organized both a video and a petition aimed at telling the NFL what many people already believe: Rush Limbaugh is a racist.

At the very least, his rhetoric, which we all know is aimed at causing upset and anger among his "dittoheads," is racist.

In fact, recently, NFL Players union executive director DeMaurice Smith, slammed the possibility of Limbaugh becoming an owner.

Here's what BNF says on their petition site:

Professional sports has always served to unite Americans across class, creed and race. Now Rush Limbaugh, whose career is driven by dividing Americans precisely along those lines, wants to buy an NFL football team.

Limbaugh is a racist and a chauvinist. His values are diametrically opposed to the traditions the NFL stands for. Limbaugh will poison professional football as he has poisoned the culture of American political discourse.

We stand with former and current NFL players in urging the league to reject Limbaugh's ownership bid. Sports fans deserve better.

Watch the BNF video:

Teenagers Light 15-Year-Old on Fire Over $40

Jeremy Jarvis, 13 (L) and his brother Denver Colorado Jarvis, 15, via Miami Herald.

What has the world turned into? A group of five Broward County, FL teenagers lit another 15-year-old on fire, burning 80% of his body. The reason cited was revenge: money owed ($40) for a video game and the thwarted theft of the victim's father's bike.

The victim is Michael Brewer, 15. The accused, all about the same age as Brewer, are Michael Bent, 15; Denver Colorado Jarvis, 15; his brother Jeremy Jarvis, 13; Steven Shelton, 15; and Jesus Mendez, 15.

Brewer owed Bent the money for the video game. The attempted theft of Brewer's father's bicycle was in retaliation, but failed, and both boys were absent from school. Brewer feared retaliation; Bent stayed home after his stint in juvenile detention.

The incident took place at the Lime Street Apartments at 429 SE 13th Ct. where Brewer went to see a friend. All five of the other boys were there as well, and after opportunistically grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol that they found along a wall, Bent gave the order: "Pour it on him. Pour it on him."

Denver Jarvis poured the alcohol on Brewer, and Mendez used a lighter to set Brewer on fire. Because of his actions in the incident, Mendez has been charged with second degree attempted murder; all 5 boys are charged with aggravated battery.

What's worse is that Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) spokesperson Sgt. Steve Feeley said that remorse was not generally felt among the 5: "A couple of them last night were laughing about it," he said Tuesday.

A still unanswered question: why do kids resort to this type of behavior? While definitely not common, it's also not rare. Why not simply go to the parents of the person you felt "offended" you?

Laws Are Just For Little People: CA's First Lady Violates Hands-Free Law

California's first lady, Maria Shriver, has been caught violating California's hands-free cell phone law. It's apparently not the first time, and her husband, Gov. Arnold Schhwarzenneger, has vowed to crack down on it.

While it's unclear what that means, California's hands-free law, which went into effect last July, states that a driver can't make or receive calls while driving unless using a headset or other hands-free setup. A later law went into effect this January which banned texting and emailing while driving.

However, the fines for both of these are so low as to be ridiculous. Both laws require a $20 fine for the first infraction and $50 thereafter. Thus, it is easy to find cell phone miscreants if you look.

Listen to the video below, and you can hear the paparazzi shout "No more on the cell phone, Maria."

Feds Investigate Swastika, Anti-Obama Message on Golf Course

The Secret Service is investigating a swastika found carved into the grounds at the Lakeville Country Club in Massachusetts, next to the name of President Barack Obama.

The message was discovered Monday morning; officials believe it was carved sometime Sunday night. The message consists of a “I”, a swastika, and “Obama” and covers a 10-foot by 10-foot area on the 18th green.

Golf course owner Gary Mosca said:

“I said, ‘This is sick.’ They are going to do this stuff and cause a problem just to be anti-establishment or just to be tough guys. Their minds are probably demented enough to think of anything.”

Mosca's home is also at the 18th hole.

Whether intended as a prank or not, Lakeville Police Chief Mark Sorel said the vandalism likely constitutes a hate crime.

“It’s being investigated,” said Steven Ricciardi, the special agent in charge for the Secret Service’s Boston office. He declined further comment.

Oops: New Jackson Tune Not So New, After All

That new Michael Jackson song that was released on Monday? While advertised as new, it's really only new to Michael Jackson. Essentially, he just covered a song released in 1991.

It's true that Jackson co-wrote the song, but the song was written with Paul Anka, and the 68-year-old himself singer / songwriter was quick to correct things. Originally titled "I Never Heard," it was intended for inclusion on an Anka album. After a falling-out, Anka took back the song, and the song was eventually released in 1991 after Anka placed it with an unknown Latin singer named Sa-Fire.

The Jackson estate was quick to attribute the song to Anka, and has (rightly) agreed that Anka will receive 50% of the royalties. As he said in a video posted on TMZ:

"They realize it's a mistake, they realize it's my song, they realize it's my production of his vocal in my studio and I am getting 50 percent of the whole project, actually, which is fair."

Paul Anka was a 50's and 60's songwriter and singer, and became a teen idol in those days. He's known for hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," and wrote Tom Jones' big hit, "She's a Lady."

Listen to "This Is It" below:

Schwarzenegger Signs "Harvey Milk Day" Into Law

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law, creating an annual day of recognition for pioneering gay rights activist, the late Harvey Milk, officials said on Monday. May 22 will be designated as "Harvey Milk Day." It was Milk's birthday.

Harvey Milk was a San Francisco supervisor and California's first openly gay official. On November 27, 1978, Milk and San Francisoo Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a former city supervisor.

White was later convicted of manslaughter, and after service two years of a five-year sentence, returned to San Francisco and later committed suicide.

Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill last year, saying Milk's legacy "should continue to be recognized at the local level," so it's interesting that he signed his bill.

Harvey Milk's life was the subject of the Oscar-winning 2008 film "Milk." It won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Sean Penn), and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

Sperm Bank Offers Celebrity Look-Alike Donors

A Southern California sperm bank, Cryobank, has a new program to spur customers in this recession. It has started to match its donors with celebrities they resemble. This way customers could end up with a Ben Affleck-like or a George Clooney-like donor.

How do they determine the look-alikes? A facial-recognition program? No, there is a sort of discussion committee at the Cryobank that simply puts pictures of their existing roster of sperm donors up on a creen while they debate who the person most looks like.

And therein lies the rub: donors must remain anonymous. That means that pictures of the donors cannot be revealed to those utilizing their donations. However, that doesn't mean their celebrity look-alikes can't be revealed to the hopeful parents.

Honestly, though, genetics is far more complex than simply looking like someone. Particularly in sports; someone who looks like Warren Moon isn't going to necessarily produce an NFL QB.

Watch the video report, from the Today show last Friday:

Gaza Zoo Replaces Zebras with Painted Donkeys

The Gaza City zoo, whose zebras died of hunger earlier this year when they were neglected during the Israel-Hamas conflict, found a cheap way of replacing them. As the zoo could not afford to replace them with real zebras, zookeepers painted a pair of donkeys to match.

It would have cost $40,000 apiece for new zebras. The two female donkeys were striped using masking tape and women’s hair dye, applied with a paintbrush by a professional painter.

One reason for the high cost is the fact that zebras would have had to be smuggled in through tunnels. The reason is because of Israeli restrictions on the importation of animals. This is a creative solution, wouldn't you say?

Besides the two "zebras," the zoo also has an aging tiger, two monkeys, and an assortment of birds, rabbits and cats.

U.K. Veteran Receives Smoker's Lungs; Dies of Cancer

A report from the Daily Mail states that a British Iraq war veteran has died as a result of cancerous, smoker's lungs given to him as part of a transplant. Matthew Millington, 31, needed the transplant because he had an incurable lung condition.

He had been told in 2006 he would die in two years unless he had a transplant.

According to the report, the lungs Millington received came from someone who smoked 30 to 50 cigarettes a day. He died in February of last year.

Papworth Hospital in Cambridge carried out the transplant. They said X-rays on the organs did not find any sign of cancer. Typically, such organs would be checked before transplant. At the same time, one would not think it was a good idea to transplant smoker's lungs into a patient. Still, Papworth defended its policies.

Apparently, to make matters worse, anti-rejection drugs given to Millington actually sped up the cancer's spread.

Michael Jackson's New Song Debuts Online

As promised, Michael Jackson's "This Is It," the first song from his new posthumous documentary was released online at 12:00 AM Monday morning. The documentary carries the same name, and the song is played during the closing sequences of the the movie, which opens Oct. 28th for a limited two-week run.

The documentary was created using rehearsal footage for his London comeback tour. Jackson died on June 25th due to what the Los Angeles County coroner has said was acute propofol intoxication. Propofol is a powerful anesthetic not typically used outside hospitals.

An investigation into Jackson's death is still ongoing, but the coroner has already labeled it a homicide.

Listen to the song below. To be honest, it sounds very Michael Jackson-ish.

NFL Union Head Slams Rush Limbaugh Bid For Rams

In an e-mail to the union on Saturday, NFL Players union executive director DeMaurice Smith was clear in his opposition to a possible attempt by Rush Limbaugh, as part of a group, to purchase the St. Louis Rams. His email to the executive committee said (emphasis mine):

I’ve spoken to the Commissioner (Roger Goodell) and I understand that this ownership consideration is in the early stages. But sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends. Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred. [...]

I have asked our players to embrace their roles not only in the game of football but also as players and partners in the business of the NFL,” said Smith in the e-mail. “They risk everything to play this game, they understand that risk and they live with that risk and its consequences for the rest of their life. We also know that there is an ugly part of history and we will not risk going backwards, giving up, giving in or lying down to it.

Our men are strong and proud sons, fathers, spouses and I am proud when they stand up, understand this is their profession and speak with candor and blunt honesty about how they feel.

A number of African-American players have already come out as saying they would never play for Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh has made several racist statements in the past, including saying that Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama simply because of his race.

All transactions for team sales, when formally presented after a thorough background check, are decided by the 32 owners by vote. We'll see what happens. Of course, considering the Rams' record (0-5), it fits right in line with the GOP of late ... losers.

WH Communications Director: Fox News Operates As An "Arm of the Republican Party"

Fox News calls itself "fair and balanced," but many disput that, and call them "faux news," and opinion masquerading as journalism. Sunday on CNN’s Reliable Sources, White House communications director Anita Dunn defended the recent quote attributed to her by Time that said that Fox News is “opinion journalism masquerading as news.”

The reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it’s not ideological. I mean, obviously there are many commentators who are conservative, liberal, centrist, and everybody understands that. What I think is fair to say about Fox is, and certainly the way we view it, is that it really is more of a wing of the Republican Party. [...]

They’re widely viewed as, you know, a part of the Republican Party — take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news network they way CNN is.

When asked if President Barack Obama purposely "skipped" Fox News last month, when he appeared on five Sunday morning talk shows, including Univision’s Al Punto, because of their lack of true journalism, Dunn said, yes.

When he goes on Fox, he understands he's not going on it as a news network at this point; he's going on it to debate the opposition.

Watch the video:

Grayson: GOP in Running for Nobel Prizes For Fear, Hatred, Racism

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), who has been the most visible member of the House of late, what with his bombastic comments about the GOP's health care reform plan ("don't get sick and if you do, die quickly") as well as his refusal to apologize to the GOP, has his own theory of why the GOP is so angry about President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win: because they have no chance themselves.

On MSNBC's "The Ed Show" on Friday, Grayson told Ed Schultz (emphasis mine):

"I think I understand their disappointment. They're not going to be winning the Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon. They probably wish there was a Nobel prize for fear, a Nobel prize for hatred, a Nobel prize for racism. Then they'd be in the running."

It's true that many, on both sides of the aisle, have been critical of the Nobel Committee's choice of Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it should be remembered that the Nobel Committee consists of five people only, they are all of one country (Norway), and Norway is considered quite eclectic. Don't blame the president for something he did not campaign for.

Watch the video:

The Real Reason Obama Won the Nobel Prize: For Not Being Bush (SNL)

Following last week's opening sketch which mocked President Barack Obama's accomplishments so far (they said "none," but vetting by real news media showed that was sorely incorrect), Saturday Night Live skewered Obama's win of the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week:

"This prize bestowed by the Nobel committee in Norway is given annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to world peace. Jimmy Carter won it for decades of trying to find solutions to international conflicts, Al Gore won it for his years of education [the] U.S. about climate change, and us? Well, I won it for not being George Bush."

To be honest, while there is perhaps reason to be perplexed over Obama's nod, which is more about the promise of the future than the past, it's not as though the U.S. president campaigned for the award.

Also, as the Washington Post points out, the Nobel Prizes are picked by 5 Norwegians. 5 humans, only 5 (emphasis mine):

The Nobel Committee consists of five Norwegians, selected by the Norwegian parliament. In his will, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish dynamite tycoon who thought up this whole thing, specifically wanted Norwegians to choose the winner, apparently because Norwegians, being outside the European mainstream, would be less likely to be politically corrupt. The trouble is that Norwegians, being outside the European mainstream, are also more likely to be eccentric. Norway is a wonderful country and Norwegians have some of the highest living standards in the world -- thanks to their low population numbers and their large deposits of oil and gas – but the last time I was there, I got in an argument with someone over which country was more evil, the United States or North Korea. This being a few years ago, at the height of the Bush Terror, you can guess which side the Norwegian was on.

If you want to be angry at someone, don't target Obama. Target Norway. Oh, and don't, as Michael Steele seems to want us to believe, even think that it's about the "Democrats and their international leftist allies (who) want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control." Maybe Norwegian control.

At any rate, the SNL sketch was funny, which is what it is intended to be, although the part about not being Bush rings true, when you remember the blurb from the WaPo above.

Finally, according to SNL, Obama also had another run of luck: the Powerball.

"The funny thing is it's the first Powerball ticket I've ever bought. I was driving Sasha and Malia home from school and we stopped at a 7/11 for sodas. We all chose two numbers and there you have it: $70 million."

He can use that $70 million to pay down the national debt.

Watch the sketch:

New Michael Jackson Single to Be Released Online Monday Morning at Midnight

Sony has announced that at midnight EST on Monday, October 12th, a brand-new, never-before-released song from Michael Jackson, titled "This Is It," will be broadcast to the world at MichaelJackson.com.

The song plays during the end sequence of “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” documentary, and also has the last two tracks of CD one of the identically titled two-disc set. The new single features backup vocals by Michael’s brothers, The Jacksons.

On the CD set, disc one will end with both a vocal and orchestral version of the new song. The complete track listing is below:

THIS IS IT – COMPLETE TRACKLISTING

Disc 01

1. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
2. Jam
3. They Don’t Care About Us
4. Human Nature
5. Smooth Criminal
6. The Way You Make Me Feel
7. Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
8. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
9. Thriller
10. Beat It
11. Black Or White
12. Earth Song
13. Billie Jean
14. Man In The Mirror
15. This Is It
16. This Is It (Orchestra Version)

Disc 02

1. She’s Out Of My Life (Demo)
2. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (Demo)
3. Beat It (Demo)
4. Planet Earth (Poem)

The documentary will begin a limited, two-week run on Oct. 28th. Jackson died on June 25th. The documentary was created using rehearsal footage for Jackson’s planned London comeback concerts.

The "This Is It" CD features original album masters of Jackson’s biggest hits, including “Thriller” and “Billie Jean,” in the same sequence as they appear in the film. The CD is scheduled to release on Oct. 27th, a day before the film.

Wisconsin Mother Attempts Stripping to Avoid Arrest

A Wisconsin mother accused of shoplifting decided that by stripping, she could avoid arrest. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

Julia Laack, 36, of Sheboygan, not only shoplifted and then stripped as officers attempted to arrest her, her final tally of charges on Friday included felony battery of a police officer, resisting arrest, shoplifting and two counts of disorderly conduct.

It all started when Laack allegedly shoplifted a lighter and a bag of beef jerky at a convenience store Thursday afternoon. When Police went to her home, the police repor states that Laack refused to come to the door and began swearing at three children in her house, telling one that the incident was all his fault.

When police entered, Laack apparently stripped, in full view of the children, telling officers that they couldn't arrest her because she would be naked. One might wonder if Laack was a tad intoxicated, which in fact she was. Her BAC was .112; Wisconsin's legal limit is .08.

According to the complaint, despite her lack of clothing, Laack struggled with the officers as they tried to arrest her, spitting in one's mouth while kicking another in the groin. She also mooned the officers once she was placed in a squad car.

Hilariously, the theft itself would have just amounted to a ticket. The new charges could cost Laack six years in prison.

Watch a video report on the event:

Gingrich Awarded "Family Values Porn Fan of the Year, 2009" by Porn Company

Last month, Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions for Winning the Future (ASWF) group informed Allison Vivas of Pink Visual that she had been chosen for a 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year award by his Business Defense and Advisory Council. Unfortunately, Pink Visual is an adult DVD superstore, and the ASWF subsequently retracted the award.

Stunned by the loss of a free meal with Gingrich, Allison Vivas of Pink Visual decided to hold a grudge. Here's how she took her revenge, as she told the Washington City Paper:

I sat down with the executive team here and created a special honor to bestow upon Newt: “Family Values Porn Fan of the Year, 2009,” Vivas responded via e-mail. “We worked on the plaque design [seen above], an event schedule, a notification to fax to his office – and of course, a letter we’ll send rescinding the offer after he receives it.”

Vivas also prepared an excuse to give Gingrich when she retracts the Porn Fan of the Year trophy. She’ll say it was all a mistake, as he told her about the entrepreneur award, and add that the honor “was intended for members of our MilfSeeker.com Web site, and not for fans of our WifeSwitch DVD series.”

The website references above might be related to Gingrich's somewhat hypocritical marriage history:

Gingrich has been married three times. He married Jackie Battley, his former high school geometry teacher, when he was 19 years old. She was seven years his senior at 26 years old. They had two daughters and divorced in 1981. Numerous allegations that Gingrich was callous in the way he handled the divorce were made in a 1984 Mother Jones magazine article. In 1981, six months after his divorce was final, Gingrich wed Marianne Ginther. He remained married to Ginther until 2000, when they divorced. Shortly thereafter, Gingrich then married Callista Bisek, with whom he was conducting an extra-marital affair during the Congressional investigation into allegations that Bill Clinton lied under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

N-Word Used in Anti-Health Reform Sign

"N**** Rig It." That's the sign outside the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar in Paulding County, Georgia. It's been put up by restaurant owner Patrick Lanzo to protest health insurance reform.

As CBS Atlanta reported:

When you walk into the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar in Paulding County, you feel like you've walked into a different era.

First, the restaurant has a mannequin in a Klu Klux Klan costume standing behind the pool tables, but the sign outside is the real shocker. It says: "Obama's plan for health-care: N***** rig it."

According to the Urban Dictionary, that term means either:

• To put something together in a very poor manner, or
• To temporarily "fix" something using whatever materials are at hand. Perfectly acceptable in an emergency, but not as a general rule.

Hey, it says "perfectly acceptable in an emergency," which is what our health care system is in right now, is it not?

At any rate, Patrick Lasko claims he is not a racist, but that instead, he has simply "used that term all his life." He also says the sign is about a "substandard health care plan."

Now, if he means that in terms of a lack of a public option, I agree with him. If he means that in terms of any change at all, that's something different. At any rate, Lasko said “I stand by my president, but I also stand by my First Amendment right to criticize him if I feel he’s wrong."

It's not the first time Lasko has put up these sorts of seemingly racist signs. And that prompted the The West Metro NAACP to issue this statement:

"This latest ploy for attention by Mr. Lanzo is not surprising. What is of concern however, is the total lack of leadership and action from the elected officials of Paulding County, who repeatedly have allowed this type of toxic public display."

Watch a video report from CBS Atlanta, via Raw Replay:

Man Loses Arm to Golf Course Alligator

I can see a lawsuit coming on this one, as this was a private golf course. I can even see part of the paperwork, saying the "course should have taken care to make sure no 'gators were on the course." A 77-year-old golfer lost part of his arm when an alligator bit him as he leaned over to pick up his ball at a private South Carolina course.

The incident took place at Ocean Creek Golf Course. The man was retrieving his ball from a water hazard. The 10-foot alligator pulled him into the pond and performed a series of "death rolls," which is a technique crocodilians use to rip pieces off of their prey.

The victim was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina. Wildlife workers killed the alligator and performed removed the man's arm from the animal's digestive tract. Reports are that doctors attempted to re-attach the arm, but it is unclear if they managed to do so successfully.

The video below shows an example of a (small) alligator doing a death roll.

GOP Candidate Draws Fire for Shooting Effigy of Democratic Opponent

Since when did shooting at an effigy of your opponent become good clean fun, or a joke? Apparently, that's what it is in a Florida congressional race.

Robert Lowry, a Republican who is running against Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, opened fire at a target bearing the initials (DWS) of his opponent. The incident occurred at a local shooting range where a meeting of the Southeast Broward Republican Club took place.

At the same time, the club members took aim at cut-outs of a Muslim holding an RPG. As one reporter noted:

On what planet, exactly, is it considered a joke to shoot at a target representing a sitting U.S. Congresswoman who happens to be a mother of three and a breast cancer survivor? To what audience is that a knee slapper? Really?

Lowry initially tried to pass the event off as a "joke," but after answering several questions he said it "was a mistake" to use a target labeled "DWS." No, really?

"Kill Obama" Scrawled on AZ Campaign Signs

Photo via ABC15.com

The message "Kill Obama" was spray-painted in purple letters on campaign signs at two locations in Cave Creek, which is a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. Neither campaign sign is connected to national politics or connected to anything related to Obama or his policies.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, himself in the news of late, said "This is a complete disgrace and gross act towards our president. My deputies are looking into all avenues of the incident, and it is a top priority."

On of the two signs supports a school budget increase, aimed at lowering class sizes in the kindergarten through third grades. The other supports a measure that would allow Walmart to open a location in Cave Creek.

This is reminiscent of the hate-filled rhetoric and actions that were part of the 2008 Presidential campaign, and even now. Some examples include:

• Stein, Beck Compare Obama to Hitler, Mussolini --- Because of His Popularity?
• Racist "Obama Waffles" Appear at "Family Values Conference"
• Barack Obama Hung in Effigy at a Christian University
• Middle-School Teacher Uses N-Word to Describe Obama to Students
• Obama Signs Defaced With Swastikas, Stolen
• Cops' Racial Slurs Against Obama Investigated
• New York Post Cartoon Compares Obama to a Chimp
• Paper Runs Ad Calling for Obama's Assassination
• Grassley Constituent Compares Obama to Hitler
• Pastor Prays Barack Obama Dies of Brain Cancer

Speaking to a former AZ resident, Maricopa County and the Phoenix area are extremely conservative, and racially biased. Meanwhile the areas of Tucson and Bisbee are considered liberal.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) indicates that at this time, there are no known suspects or witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to call MCSO at (602) 876-1011.

Alan Grayson: No Apology to GOP; America Doesn't Care About Your Feelings

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), who earlier said the GOP health reform plan is "Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly," has refused to apologize since then. Today, he responded yet again, saying that America doesn't want an apology, they don't care about the feelings of the GOP, and that voters want results.

Here's the short form transcript. You can read the full text here.

What America wants is health care reform. America doesn't care if it gets fifty one votes in the Senate or sixty votes in the Senate, or eighty three votes in the Senate-- in fact America doesn't even care about that. It doesn't care about that at all.

What America cares about is this. There are over one million Americans who go broke every single year trying to pay their health care bills. America cares a lot about that. America cares about the fact that there are 44,780 Americans who die every single year on account of not having health care. That's 122 every day. America sure cares a lot about that.

America cares about the fact that if you have a pre-existing condition even if you have health insurance, it's not covered. America cares about that a lot. America cares about the fact that you can get all the health care you need as long as you don't need any. America cares about that a lot. [...]

That's an extra 44,789 Americans who die, whose lives could be saved-- and their response was to ask me for an apology... to ask me for an apology. That's right... to ask me for an apology. Well, I'm telling you this-- I will not apologize. I will not apologize.

I will not apologize for a simple reason. America doesn't care about your feelings. [...]

But America does care about health care in America and if you're against it, then get out of the way. Just get out of the way. You can lead. You can follow-- or you can get out of the way. And I'm telling you now to get out of the way.

America understands that there's one party in this country that's in favor of health care reform and one party that's against it and they know why.

They understand if Barack Obama were somehow able to cure hunger in the world, the Republicans would blame him for over-population.

They understand that if Barack obama could somehow bring about world peace, they'd blame him for destroying the defense industry.

In fact, they understand that if Barack Obama has a BLT sandwich tomorrow for lunch, they will try to ban bacon.

But that's what America wants. America wants solutions to its problems and that begins with health care.

Watch the video:

The Duggars Add Their First Grandchild

The "18 Kids and Counting" Duggars, who are expecting child 19 themselves, have announced the arrival of grandchild number one. The birth comes a slightly more than a year after eldest child Josh Duggar married his wife, Anna, on Sept. 26, 2008, at the Buford Grove Baptist Church in Hilliard, FL.

Here's a list of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 18 children, at least until now: Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, and Jordyn-Grace. There is an obvious trend toward J-named Duggars there. Child number 19 is expected next spring.

Josh and Anna failed to continue the J-naming trend, however, as daughter Mackynzie Renee Duggar was born weighing an even 8 pounds. Thus continues America's largest superfamily, trying to use as many resources in one household as possible.

Mackynzie Renee's name comes from a combination of the name of one of Josh’s cousins and Anna’s middle name. It is unclear if the pair will give all of their children names beginning with “M.” It's also unclear if they will try to have more than 19 children themselves. Ironically, the couple wasn't even allowed to kiss until the wedding.

The Duggars are devout Christians. They are part of the QuiverFull movement, which states that couples should have as many children “as God gives them.” TLC plans a special on the new Duggar addition on Tuesday, Oct. 13th, called "First Duggar."

The Today Show says that the family will visit them on Monday, and they had a short story today with exclusive footage of Mackynzie Renee Duggar. You can watch it below.

Pistol-Packin' (Soccer) Mama Found Dead in Murder - Suicide

Meleanie Hain, the woman who felt it was necessary to openly wear a handgun to her daughter's soccer game, has been found dead, shot to death by her husband in an apparent murder-suicide. The word ironic is simply insufficient.

While Hain had a carry permit, taking a gun to a children's soccer game was simply over-the-top to many. It is hard to visualize any reason to do so. In fact, her carry permit was revoked, and later restored by Lebanon County Sheriff Michael DeLeo.

Meleanie Hain later sued DeLeo in federal court, seeking reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and costs, emotional distress and lost wages. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence then offered to defend DeLeo for free.

At the time, Daniel Vice, a senior attorney for the Brady Center, said:

"It is a case that calls out for common sense. ... It’s ridiculous to bring a gun to a child’s soccer game."

Common sense is something lost on many of people who feel that the Second Amendment gives them the right to carry a gun anywhere. A hearing on Hain’s suit was postponed in May after one of the attorneys in the case was involved in an auto accident.

Recently, however, Meleanie Hain told her attorney, Matthew Weisberg, that she and her husband were separating and that she wanted to remove his name from the $1 million lawsuit. The irony was not lost on him, eihter, as Weisberg said "It's shocking. And sadly ironic."

CIGNA Employee Flips Off Mother Of Girl Who Died, Denied a Transplant

You may recall the case of Nataline Sarkisyan, 17, who was denied a liver transplant by CIGNA, on the grounds that the operation was "too experimental." Nine days later, following a number of protests, the company changed its mind, but it was too late: Nataline died hours later, on Dec. 20, 2007.

Ten months later, Hilda and Krikor Sarkisyan went to CIGNA's Philadelphia headquarters, along with members the California Nurses Association, who have long supported Medicare for All, to confront CIGNA CEO Edward Hanway over the death of their 17-year-old child.

Naturally, they were not allowed to talk to Hanway. Far worse, however, was the fact that a CIGNA employee flipped the group off from a balcony. That finger may cost CIGNA dearly, despite a later CIGNA apology.

The Sarkisyans filed a wrongful-death suit againt CIGNA, but a Los Angeles judge threw out the suit, saying it was barred by a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects employer-paid health care plans from damages with regards to their coverage decisions. That's the bad news.

The good news, from U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess, is that the Sarkisyans could pursue damages for any emotional distress caused by the Philadelphia incident. Indeed, that's where the finger comes into play.

Essentially, as Hilda Sarkisyan admitted herself, it's ludicrous. They cannot sue because CIGNA denied treatment, essentially killing their daughter, but flipping the bird, that they can sue for. Admittedly, it would seem a jury would be sympathetic to the family.

The family is not interested in the money. They are interested in change.

"If you don't sue, you can't make changes," Hilda Sarkisyan said. "It's not about the money. It's about the principle. They are just going to keep denying people care if we don't stop them."

Watch a video showing the Philadelphia "incident."

NASA Releases Moon Bombing Animation Video

If you ever watched the old series "Space: 1999," this is somewhat reminiscent of that corny science fiction show. NASA has planned for some time to slam two spacecraft into the moon in an attempt the find water, and they have released animation of what the "NASA moon bombing," scheduled for Friday, will look like.

The LCROSS lunar impacts will be broadcast live on NASA TV starting at 6:15 AM EDT / 3:15 AM PDT, Oct. 9, on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv. The 1 and 1/2 hour show will have live footage from spacecraft cameras, as well as real-time telemetry based animation, so viewers will be able to see the live video, in addition to the preview via the NASA Moon Bombing animation.

The NASA Moon Bombing idea has created quite a stir on the Web. Many are calling it a violation of "space law." Others are saying the true intent of the program is to bomb extraterrestrials that we secretly know exist on the moon.

There are those who are also concerned that the impact caused by the so-called NASA moon bombing will be such that the moon will be moved further away from the earth, causing cataclysmic results on the Earth. This is the sort of scenario posited in the aforementioned "Space: 1999" series, when a series of nuclear blasts on the moon pushed the moon out of orbit, to wander aimlessly.

Unfortunately, we were never shown what happened to the Earth. If such an event did happen, however, there would indeed be catastrophic results. So what are the chances that the NASA moon bombing would create a disaster?

The chances of such a disaster are very slim to none. In fact, it's probably the term "NASA moon bombing" that is causing much of the ruckus. NASA says the impact will be no greater than impacts that the moon receives all the time, from space debris.

Either way, the inhabitants of the Earth will find out tomorrow morning, if either extraterrestrials get really upset about NASA's moon bombing and shoot lasers or phasers at us, or if the moon is pushed out of orbit. Neither of those two scenarios are likely, but we will find out soon enough.

Intoxicated Couple Uses Thirteen-Year-Old as Designated Driver

A couple in Marin County, CA used a thirteen-year-old as a designated driver in an effort to to avoid another DUI. They managed to do so, but now face charges of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Heather Choulos, 32, and boyfriend Donald Hughes, 29, had dinner with Choulos thirteen-year-old son on Sunday night. The couple became intoxicated, and because they had several DUIs between them, asked the teen to be their designated driver. The boy stopped the vehicle after he drove a few blocks and realized he was going the wrong way. He then turned the car around and became scared and stopped.

Hughes faces a charge of public intoxication. Naturally, they could have called a taxi or an adult friend, but they apparently didn't think of it.

You Know Things Are Bad When People Start Stealing Lungs

It's not organ trafficking, but it sure seems just as disgusting. In Peru, a preseved lung was stolen from the exhibit "Bodies: The Exhibition." The exhibit has traveled the world, and of course, nothing like this has ever happened before.

"Bodies: The Exhibition" uses a special process that preserves cadavers by replacing water in biological tissues with polymers. The missing organ was taken from a portion of the exhibit where visitors can touch preserved cadavers.

In reality, it's probably a prank, not theft for any monetary gain, but it's still a crime, as these exhibits aren't cheap to make. Let's not forget also, that despite the preservation process, it's an actual human body part.

A $2,000 reward, no questions asked, was offered Tuesday for the return of the lung. Watch a video report on the theft:

NYC Investigation Exposes Gun Show Loopholes, Illegal Sales

It's known as the "gun show loophole." Federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers. The "loophole" allows individuals "not engaged in the business” of selling firearms to sell guns without background checks.

However, even though they are not required to perform background checks, private dealers cannot sell a firearm to someone they believe could not pass a background check. New York City ran an undercover investigation on private gun sales at gun shows and found that was not the case for many "dealers."

NYC created a website around the investigation. As they noted, investigators tried to purchase guns at a gun show after telling private sellers that they probably could not pass a background check. The result was that 19 of 30 private sellers, or 63%, broke the law by completing a sale to a buyer who they thought could not pass a background check.

Watch four different videos on these illegal sales:

Meanwhile, licensed dealers cannot allow a "straw sale," which is when someone acts as an intermediary in a purchase, filling out the paperwork and having their background checked, but in reality buying the weapon for someone else. This “straw sale” is a federal felony. 16 of 17, or 94%, of licensed dealers approached by investigators at gun shows were willing to sell to someone who appeared to be a straw purchaser.

Watch two videos showing examples of those felonies:




Additionally, these are not supposed to be people involved in the "business of selling guns." In fact, one private seller bragged of selling 348 guns in less than a year. That sounds like a business. It also sounds like the IRS would be interested in that activity and that, if he was reporting it as income, it would therefore necessarily be a business.

The report also notes that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has identified gun shows as the source of more than 30% of all illegally trafficked guns in the country. It would seem there needs to be some legislation, although you know it won't happen if the NRA has anything to say about it, in the area of guns shows, at the very least.

Tim Geithner to World: Get Used to Americans Spending Less

It's a conundrum. Americans have been told for years they need to save more, but America been a society of spendthrifts. In this global recession, many have said that a recovery will not occur, including job recovery, until America starts spending again, yet here we have Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary, saying that, as a matter of course, Americans will save more, and spend less in the future.

It's a confusing message. However, this is what U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was quoted as saying on Wednesday, in German weekly Die Zeit. The interview was conducted on Sunday in Istanbul, and is scheduled to appear on Oct. 8.

What Geithner was actually saying, was that not only do Americans need to save more, the global economy needs to get used to the fact that Americans are already saving more. Right now, those who are unemployed are definitely not spending, and that's a huge number of people. At the same time, those who are employed are also not spending, because not only have they lost a significant amount of their savings when the stock market declined, they fear for their jobs.

In the German translated text, Geithner said:

"Everyone is going to have to come to terms with the fact that we are going to save more in the United States. If the U.S. starts saving more, that changes the whole world's economic reality."

This is a stark reality for the world, and one that many have warned about for years. After all, even before the recession began, American jobs were being shipped overseas, and the question was who could pay the prices that Americans did? After all, you would be hard-pressed, even with China's accelerating economy, to find a Chinese citizen who could buy a $4,000 (or more) large-screen HDTV.

This is also why many have said that, despite the issue of deficit spending, the U.S. government needs to step up and spend, and worry about the deficits later, when the recovery is fully in place. As Robert Reich said in a recent op-ed piece:

So why is unemployment and underemployment so high, and why is it likely to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs or have no jobs, and who are also trying to get out from under a pile of debt, are not going do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don't have customers aren't going do a lot of new investing. And foreign nations also suffering high unemployment aren't going to buy a lot of our goods and services.

And without customers, companies won't hire. They'll cut payrolls instead.

Which brings us to the obvious question: Who's going to buy the stuff we make or the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There's only one buyer left: The government.

That is, of course, controversial. Geithner, however, noted that China is already moving to push domestic spending, and not rely on exports (to the U.S. and others), as significantly in the future.

"In China, the government is at the forefront of thinking about new ways to reduce the dependence of the economy on export and investments."

Not only China, but other nations need to realize this stark fact as well. The U.S. is going to buy a lot less in the future, and all have to get used to it.

Fox's Shepard Smith Schools GOP Senator on the Public Option

Wait, I don't hear much about Shepard Smith. Perhaps its because he doesn't toe the line with Fox News' conservative commentary. That doesn't make news. Maybe it should.

Earlier this afternoon, Fox News's Shepard Smith schooled Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) on why we need a public option. What just happened here?

SMITH: Why would we not want a public option?

BARRASSO: Well let’s take a look at what we do know. My concern is a public or what I consider a government take over of health care.

SMITH: Well I know, right.

BARRASSO: Is going to make it very challenging.

SMITH: It’s not a government take over Senator. That’s not fair and we both know it.

It’s not a government takeover because what it would be is a government option if you have insurance now and you like it you can keep it. If you want the government option, a government run, paid for by those who buy it, government-run option to try to keep costs down. That’s not a government take over if we’re being fair, is it Senator? [...]

SMITH: Over the last ten years, health care costs in America have skyrocketed. Regular folks cannot afford it. So they tax the system by not getting preventative medicine. They go to the emergency room and are at a last case and we all end up paying for it. As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry’s profits on average have gone up more than 350% and it’s the insurance companies which have paid and have contributed to Senators and congressman on both sides of the aisle to the point where now, we can’t get what all concerned on Capitol Hill seem to believe and what more than 60% of Americans say they support, is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health care industry. That is an unquestioned fact.

But I wonder, What happens for the American people when we come out with legislation now which requires everyone to have health care insurance, or many more people, but does not give a public option, therefore millions more people will have to buy insurance from the very corporations that are over charging us and whose profits have gone up 350% in the last ten years. It seems like ‘we the people’ are the ones getting the shaft here.

BARRASSO: And we’re not even allowing the people of America to read the bill or know what it costs. You’re absolutely right. I’m not going to defend the insurance companies. I’ve been fighting them for the last twenty-five years of practicing medicine.

SMITH: But with every vote against the public option, is a vote for the insurance companies, sir.

BARRASSO: No, it’s not, no I disagree with you.

SMITH: It is. How can you disagree with that? It is the public option that would keep costs in check, which would keep prices in check, which would stop the big corporations, which have made 350% improvements in their profits over the last ten years. A public option would stop it, what else would stop that?

BARRASSO: I don’t believe that — you know — I don’t believe that at all, and that’s why they can’t even get the sixty votes that Senator Baucus had for it. [...]

All of the studies in Washington show that Washington is incapable — incapable — of dealing with the waste and the fraud and the abuse in the system, and you’re going to see more of that. The more government take over you have of that the more that Washington runs the system, the worse it’s going to be for the American people.

SMITH: I want to make clear. This wouldn’t be Washington running the system Senator. It would be a government-run plan paid for by the people who sign up for the plan.

BARRASSO: Well, that’s a Washington-run plan.

SMITH: Yes. Paid for by the people that sign up for the plan. A not-for-profit to try to keep health care costs down. And that’s what in recent polls that more than sixty% of Americans say they favor

BARRASSO: 100% of Americans want to keep the cost down, and so do I, that’s what I’ve been working for by the medical director of something called the Wyoming health fairs, to give people positive incentives to get their costs down and stay healthy.

I'm thinking Smith needs to send his resume to MSNBC or CNN pretty quickly. During the health insurance reform debate, many continue to call the public option a government takeover. It's nice, though surprising to see a Fox News analyst say it like it is: not a takeover.

Even if it was, who cares? Americans pay so much more than other countries and yet our lifespans and health care outcomes trail other countries. We are the only industrialized country not to have some form of universal health care.

CNN Fact-Checks SNL's Obama Skewering

Perhaps SNL needs to leave political news to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. While the opening sketch of last Saturday's episode skewered President Barack Obama for what it said was doing "nothing" so far, CNN decided to fact check their assertions, and went to the non-partisan website Politifact.com.

Bill Adair, the editor of Politifact.com said that SNL was off the mark on a few of the failed initiatives on their checklist, including Afghanistan ("a promise kept"), Iraq ("not done, but they hadn't promised to be done by now") and health care ("incorrect, since it's stalled in Congress"). He did, however, say SNL was correct on closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, or the lack thereof.

"This is not a fair portrayal of how Obama's done, but it's comedy, it doesn't have to be fair."

Watch CNN's report:

AFA Says 500,000 Sign Petition to Boycott Pepsi

A firestorm has been brewing among conservatives with regards to soda. It's not because soda is bad for you, but because PepsiCo Company has been accused of advocating both same-sex marriage and homosexuality. The furor has become such that the American Family Association (AFA) says it has now secured over 500,000 signatures on a petition from those pledging to boycott PepsiCo.

AFA has been promoting a boycott of PepsiCo since January, 2009. The AFA says that PepsiCo has made contributions to organizations that foster the "homosexual agenda."

The organizations that the American Family Association notes are the Human Rights Campaign (HRC, $500,000) and the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG, $500,000). The AFA says that the $1,000,000 was used to help promote homosexuality in the workplace.

PepsiCo has confirmed its position on this issue, by saying "The grants were made in direct support of safety and respect in the workplace. They do not reflect political or public advocacy of any kind."

However, AFA said that PepsiCo is advocating a lifestyle that is extremely unhealthy and dangerous. President Tim Wildmon said "It's a medical fact that persons trapped in homosexuality are statistically higher to experience shortened life spans, clinical depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and life-ending diseases. Why can't PepsiCo understand that is not a good cause to be supporting?"

The AFA launched its boycott campaign in January. The campaign has reached some form of critical mass. For example, in September, a Brandon, FL church removed Pepsi products from its site.

It's interesting that, according to the blog LezGetReal, Coca Cola is actually far more gay-friendly. "Coca Cola has consistently scored higher on the Human Rights Campaign’s list of LGBT friendly businesses." Perhaps these churches simply like Coke better than Pepsi.

Switzerland Denies Polanski's Bid for Release

This is strike one in Roman Polanski's current legal battles. Swiss officials have denied his request for an immediate release on bail. They fear he will attempt to flee. Considering he fled the U.S. prior to sentencing in the crime of sex with a minor, this isn't a bad assumption.

Polanski was arrested on Sept. 26th as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Since fleeing in the late 1970s, authorities in Los Angeles have considered him a convicted felon and a fugitive. Switzerland said there has been an international warrant out on him since 2005.

Since his arrest, a who's who list of Hollywood dignitaries have come to the fore, asking for the 76-year-old director's release. This has led to much criticism over the perception that Hollywood, and celebrities in general, always expect a slap on the wrist, and nothing more, in these sorts of cases.

Polanski was accused of plying then 13-year-old Samantha Gaimer with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977, and raping her. He was indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but in a plea bargain, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

For this, he was sent to prison for 42 days for psychological evaluation. Lawyers agreed that would be his full sentence, but the judge tried to renege on the plea bargain, as shown in the 2008 film, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.

Samantha Geimer has repeated asked that charges against Polanski be dropped. However, it should be noted that Polanski and Geimer reached a $500,000 settlement in October 1993, according to documents recently released in Los Angeles.

Conservatives Aim to De-Liberalize the Bible

Those rascals at Conservapedia have started the Conservative Bible Project. The project aims to remove "liberal bias" from the Bible.

The project cites the following reasons for a liberal bias:

• lack of precision in the original language, such as terms underdeveloped to convey new concepts of Christianity
• lack of precision in modern language
• translation bias in converting the original language to the modern one.

The project believes that the last of the three causes the most "bias," and therefore wants to retranslate the King James Version (KJV).

The project also notes that there is no bible in existence that satisfies the following ten guidelines:As of 2009, there is no fully conservative translation of the Bible which satisfies the following ten guidelines:

1. Framework against Liberal Bias: providing a strong framework that enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias
2. Not Emasculated: avoiding unisex, "gender inclusive" language, and other modern emasculation of Christianity
3. Not Dumbed Down: not dumbing down the reading level, or diluting the intellectual force and logic of Christianity; the NIV is written at only the 7th grade level
4. Utilize Powerful Conservative Terms: using powerful new conservative terms as they develop; defective translations use the word "comrade" three times as often as "volunteer;" similarly, updating words which have a change in meaning, such as "word," "peace," and "miracle."
5. Combat Harmful Addiction: combating addiction by using modern terms for it, such as "gamble" rather than "cast lots;" using modern political terms, such as "register" rather than "enroll" for the census
6. Accept the Logic of Hell: applying logic with its full force and effect, as in not denying or downplaying the very real existence of Hell or the Devil.
7. Express Free Market Parables: explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning
8. Exclude Later-Inserted Liberal Passages: excluding the later-inserted liberal passages that are not authentic, such as the adulteress story
9. Credit Open-Mindedness of Disciples: crediting open-mindedness, often found in youngsters like the eyewitnesses Mark and John, the authors of two of the Gospels
10. Prefer Conciseness over Liberal Wordiness: preferring conciseness to the liberal style of high word-to-substance ratio; avoid compound negatives and unnecessary ambiguities; prefer concise, consistent use of the word "Lord" rather than "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" or "Lord God."

Interestingly, none other than BeliefNet took this group to task.

[...] the insane hubris of this really staggers the mind. These right-wing ideologues know better than the early church councils that canonized Scripture? They really think it's wise to force the word of God to conform to a 21st-century American idea of what constitutes conservatism? These jokers don't worship God. They worship ideology. [...]

You really need to read the whole Conservapedia entry to grasp how crazy this is. It's like what you'd get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'.

David Letterman Apologizes to His Wife on Tonight's Show

The audience didn't seem to be any less appreciative of David Letterman on tonight's "The Late Show," as noted by a video posted on CBS.com. Don't think for a second that Dave wasn't aware what's on most people's minds. Prior to his monologue, he said the following:

"I’ll be honest with you folks, right now, I would give anything to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I get into the car this morning and the navigation lady wasn’t speaking to me. Ouch."

If you haven't been under a rock, you're aware of what David Letterman is speaking of. He was the victim of an extortion attempt late last week, one which forced him to reveal his previous affairs with staffers on his show. One such staffer was identified as Stephanie Birkitt, 34, who also had a later relationship with the alleged blackmailer, Robert "Joe" Halderman.

From transcripts released by his production company, we can glean that David Letterman is apologetic, but the effects on his ratings and advertisers have yet to be determined. Here's what Dave said:

“I’m terribly sorry that I put the staff in that position. Inadvertently, I just wasn’t thinking ahead. And, moreover, the staff here has been wonderfully supportive to me, not just through this furor, but through all the years that we’ve been on television and especially all the years here at CBS, so, again, my thanks to the staff for, once again, putting up with something stupid I’ve gotten myself involved in.

“Now the other thing is my wife, Regina (Lasko). She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it’s your responsibility, you try to fix it. And at that point, there’s only two things that can happen: Either you’re going to make some progress and get it fixed, or you’re going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed, so let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me.”

Regina Lasko and David Letterman were married only this year, although they have a son, Harry, who was born in 2003. Indeed, David Letterman has his work cut out for him. He has not just hurt Lasko, he has embarrassed her publicly, and he will have to work to earn back her trust.

Watch his pre-monologue comments, below: