Flatulence Allegedly Sparks Jail Fight

quote[Brian Bruggeman caused a stink at the Lincoln County Jail earlier this month and will now have to answer for it in court. Another inmate, Jesse Dorris, alleges that Bruggeman's flatulence, passed in close proximity to Dorris, sparked a Dec. 14 fight between the two at the jail.

Now Bruggeman, 38, faces a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing on the state's complaint of assault by a confined person. It's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Bruggeman is accused of injuring Dorris, his cellmate, when he pushed him into cell bars. Dorris, 26, was not charged.

The two began scuffling, County Attorney Jeff Meyer said Tuesday, because Dorris was fed up with Bruggeman's flatulence.]

The real story here is prison overcrowding.

Top Ten Wierdest Science Stories Of 2006

quote[1. Scientists Create Cloak of Partial Invisibility
2. Amazon River Flowed Backwards in Ancient Times
3. A New Wave: Scientists Write on Water
4. Stingray Kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin
5. Rats Born to Mice in Bizarre Lab Work
6. Whales Found to Speak in Dialects
7. Spider Cries Out While Mating
8. The Red Sea Parts Again
9. Penis Transplant Removed After Two Weeks
10. Coins Don't Smell, You Do]

Interesting...More top ten lists to come...

Deaths in Iraq Now Exceed 9-11 Victims

quote[he latest deaths also brought the number of U.S. military members killed since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003 to at least 2,978 — five more than the number killed in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.]

Good thing we are fighting them "over there," huh?

Iraq court says Saddam should hang in 30 days

quote[An Iraqi appeals court on Tuesday upheld Saddam Hussein's death sentence for crimes against humanity and said he should hang within 30 days.

"The appeal court has approved the death sentence. They (the government) has the right to choose the date starting from tomorrow up to 30 days. After 30 days it will be an obligation to implement the sentence," the head of the Iraqi High Tribunal, Aref Abdul-Razzaq al-Shahin, told a news conference.]

Will this be the straw that breaks the camel's back and really thrusts the country into all out civil war?

Scarborough Sees The Light—Barnicle: “Bush is delusional”

quote[Scarborough has made a definite turn-around on Bush over the past year, but it hasn't been as evident as it was on Wednesday's Scarborough Country. Joe appears to be totally fed up with the non-stop spin and ignorance coming from the White House and Bush's press conference apparently put the final nail in that coffin. While discussing Bush's possible plan of increasing troop levels, regardless of what the generals say, Scarborough even mentioned how there would be impeachment talk if Clinton was President and saying he would ignore our top military commanders.]

It's about time...

Cheney to be witness in Libby CIA leak trial

quote[Vice President Dick Cheney will be called as a defense witness in the CIA leak case, of his former chief of staff, I Lewis "Scooter Libby, Libby's attorney told a federal judge today.

"We're calling the vice president," attorney Ted Wells said in a court hearing. After the hearing another attorney for Libby, William Jeffress said he does not expect the Vice President to resist testifying at the trial scheduled to begin in January. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, responded by saying, "That settles that." Fitzgerald had said that he did not expect to call Cheney as a witness.]

Interesting...I wonder if he'll somehow weasel out of this???

White House, Joint Chiefs At Odds on Adding Troops

quote[The Bush administration is split over the idea of a surge in troops to Iraq, with White House officials aggressively promoting the concept over the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate.

Sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops for a mission of possibly six to eight months is one of the central proposals on the table of the White House policy review to reverse the steady deterioration in Iraq. The option is being discussed as an element in a range of bigger packages, the officials said.]

Why the fuck was the Iraq Study Group even commissioned?? It is wholly obvious that there is no intention of taking any of their advice.

Senator's Son: Dad back at work 'sooner rather than later'

quote[The news media might spend time talking about successors to Sen. Tim Johnson, but a son of the South Dakota Democrat is confident his dad will go back to work.

"That's the easiest question for me to answer," said Brendan Johnson, the second-oldest child of Tim and Barbara Johnson. "From my conversations with the doctors and based on the progress he has been making, I feel very confident that he is going to be getting back to work sooner rather than later."

It was the first interview given by a Johnson family member since the senator was hospitalized Dec. 13 with stroke-like symptoms followed by brain surgery at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington.

Brendan Johnson says his conclusions come from talking with doctors and also seeing how his father has done in neurological exams.]

Scary. But I think he'll be okay.

Guitar Hero benches pro athlete

quote[Tigers' fireballer Joel Zumaya missed playoff games because of injuries sustained from playing RedOctane's guitar sim, not from launching 100mph-plus fastballs.]

This is too funny...

Castro Near Death

quote[Cuban President Fidel Castro is very ill and close to death, Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte said yesterday.

"Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer . . . months, not years," Negroponte told a meeting of Washington Post editors and reporters.]

It's Official: Sox Sign Dice-K

quote[Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has arrived at Fenway Park in advance of his 5 p.m. introductory press conference. He pulled up in an SUV driven by clubhouse man Tommy McLaughlin with agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore.

The only comment from the trio was Fiore complimenting me on my tie.

Stick with Boston.com for live coverage of today's press conference.

As a side note, Matsuzaka will also drop the puck at tonight’s Bruins-Devils game at the Garden.]

Now all we need is Clemens!

McCain: Deploy More Troops to Iraq

quote[Sen. John McCain said Thursday that America should deploy 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to Iraq to control its sectarian violence, and give moderate Iraqi politicians the stability they need to take the country in the right direction.
McCain made the remarks to reporters in Baghdad, where he and five other members of Congress were meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials.]

Someone's obviously not paying attention...

Fox News Speculates How Officials Could ‘Declare’ Sen. Johnson ‘Incapacitate

quote[Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) is at George Washington University hospital, recovering from brain surgery.

Meanwhile, Fox News is speculating how the balance of power could shift in the Senate, even if Sen. Johnson survived. Fox’s Steve Doocy said that although “the issue of incapacitation is not spelled out in the state law,” there “would be a precedent of the federal level.”

Another Fox anchor added, “We’ll have to see what happens in terms of what exactly his condition is and who’s going to weigh in on whether it’s an incapacitation or whether that’s just clear from the facts.” Watch it:]

These fucknuggets are shameless...

Soy Makes You Gay

quote[Sometimes you just have to marvel at the things published by WorldNetDaily – things such as this column by James Rutz of Megashift Ministries:

There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture ….

The dangerous food I'm speaking of is soy. Soybean products are feminizing, and they're all over the place. You can hardly escape them anymore.

…

Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!) Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them.

It is difficult to imagine just what WorldNetDaily’s standard is for rejecting a column or article – but whatever it is, it is apparently set so low that “soy makes you gay” manages to exceed the criteria.]

WTF???!!!

Phelps' Church Must Pay Marine's Family

quote[A Kansas church has been ordered to pay $3,150 for costs and fees associated with a summons and complaint filed by the father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the extremist group.

Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., is suing the Rev. Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church after church members demonstrated at the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, of Westminster, and posted pictures of the protest on their Web site.]

It's a small pittance, indeed. But, at least it's a step in the right direction.

David Duke Attends Holocaust Deniers' Meeting In Iran

quote[David Duke, an ex-Klan leader and former Louisiana state representative, was among those at the two-day conference. Although organizers touted it as a scholarly gathering, the meeting angered many in countries such as Austria, Germany and France, where it is illegal to deny aspects of the Nazi Holocaust.]

It amazes me that people can be so willfully stupid.

Bill would allow legally blind Texans to hunt

quote[A state lawmaker wants to make sure no Texan is left out when it comes to hunting, even if the hunter is legally blind.

Rep. Edmund Kuempel, a Seguin Republican, has filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session that would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument. The devices are forbidden for sighted hunters.]

WTF???!!!

Make Ed Schultz Live In CT Again

quote[We people of Connecticut want Big Eddie (Ed Schultz) to be carried live in his new time slot (12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern). We request that our local progressive talk affiliate (1300 AM from New Haven) carry his show AS IT HAPPENS, and move the Al Franken 'Best of' shows to a later time.

The Ed Schultz show is a successful format that relies on up to the minute information, interviews, and caller participation. It would be a waste to have that show pre-empted by a show that seemingly has no future, does not rely on timely information, and for the near future will be on repeat status.

Until WAVZ is willing to join the growing chorus of talk radio stations willing to make the switch, we will be streaming (on the internet) the Ed Schultz Show live from one of the stations that does.]

Please sign...

Babies in child seat death risk

quote[Babies should not be left alone to sleep in car safety seats, especially if they were born prematurely, New Zealand pediatricians report.

Their warning, published in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal, is based on a study of nine infants, aged 3 days to 6 months, who were referred to the Auckland Cot Monitoring Service by parents alarmed by what they described as infants who were "blue," "scrunched up" or "not breathing."

"All but one case occurred when the infants had been left in the car seats indoors, allowing them to fall asleep unrestrained in an upright position," said a report by the group, led by Dr. Alistair J. Gunn, an associate professor of physiology and pediatrics at the University of Auckland.]

Just thought I'd help spread the word...

Bush Admin: Air Needs More Lead

quote[The Bush administration is considering doing away with health standards that cut lead from gasoline, widely regarded as one of the nation's biggest clean-air accomplishments.

Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners all have lobbied the administration to do away with the Clean Air Act limits.]

When will they stop trying to fuck the world for profit???

Al's Said and Done at Air America?

quote[The future senator from Minnesota may finally be giving up on Air America Radio—or what's left of it. A knowledgeable radio source tells Radar that Al Franken is leaving "before the end of the year."

That's 23 days and counting. As it happens, Franken is set to leave on a USO tour of Iraq and Afghanistan next week, from which he will return on Christmas Eve. Asked if he has made a decision to give up on the bankrupt network he helped launch in 2003, Franken played coy. "I don't know what's happening," he tells Radar. "It's not set in stone—I need to see what they're talking about."]

Every indication I've seen is that he's going. I believe it'll be the best thing for the format, honestly.

Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week

quote["Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."]

Oh, cry me a fucking river. If it's such a hardship, get a real job!

Running water on Mars?

quote[A provocative new study of photographs taken from orbit suggests that liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars as recently as several years ago, raising the possibility that the Red Planet could harbour an environment favourable to life.

The crisp images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor do not directly show water. Rather, they show apparently recent changes in surface features that provide the strongest evidence yet that water even now sometimes flows on the dusty, frigid world. Water and a stable heat source are considered keys for life to emerge.

Until now, the question of liquid water has focused on ancient Mars, and on the Martian north pole, where water ice has been detected. Scientists have long noted Martian features that appear to have been scoured by water or look like shorelines, and have tried to prove that the Red Planet had liquid water eons ago.

"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past," said Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who had no role in the study. "It's one more reason to think that life could be there.'']

Cool! I can't wait to see the photos!

Running water on Mars?

quote[A provocative new study of photographs taken from orbit suggests that liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars as recently as several years ago, raising the possibility that the Red Planet could harbour an environment favourable to life.

The crisp images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor do not directly show water. Rather, they show apparently recent changes in surface features that provide the strongest evidence yet that water even now sometimes flows on the dusty, frigid world. Water and a stable heat source are considered keys for life to emerge.

Until now, the question of liquid water has focused on ancient Mars, and on the Martian north pole, where water ice has been detected. Scientists have long noted Martian features that appear to have been scoured by water or look like shorelines, and have tried to prove that the Red Planet had liquid water eons ago.

"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past," said Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who had no role in the study. "It's one more reason to think that life could be there.'']

Cool! I can't wait to see the photos!

Say Hello to the Goodbye Weapon

quote[The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running. To your surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is completely empty.

You've just been hit with a new nonlethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen effects.

According to documents obtained for Wired News under federal sunshine laws, the Air Force's Active Denial System, or ADS, has been certified safe after lengthy tests by military scientists in the lab and in war games.

The ADS shoots a beam of millimeters waves, which are longer in wavelength than x-rays but shorter than microwaves -- 94 GHz (= 3 mm wavelength) compared to 2.45 GHz (= 12 cm wavelength) in a standard microwave oven.]

I don't get why new BOMBS can be approved in a matter of weeks but NON-LETHAL weapons take years and years.

Bolton to step down

quote[The United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton has submitted his resignation to President Bush, effective when his recess appointment ends at the conclusion of the current session of Congress, the White House said Monday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush was "surprised" when Bolton submitted his letter of resignation on Friday and that the president "reluctantly accepted" it.

Bush used his "recess appointment" authority in August 2005 to place Bolton in the ambassador post, bypassing a difficult congressional confirmation process.

Congress was in its summer recess at the time. The legal authority expires when Congress adjourns, which is expected at the end of this week.]

YeeHaw!