Do the American people want a doctor operating on them who "crammed" for their final exam? Hello people!
From the New York Times: A month after Gov. Sarah Palin joined Senator John McCain’s ticket to a burst of excitement and anticipation among Republicans, she heads into a critical debate facing challenges from conservatives about her credentials, signs that her popularity is slipping and evidence that Republicans are worried about how much help she will be for Mr. McCain in November.
Ms. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, flew to Mr. McCain’s ranch in Sedona, Ariz., on Monday for three days of preparation with a team of his aides — a sharp contrast to the less structured preparation that led up to the senator’s first debate.
The amount of time and staff power being devoted to this was evidence of concern among Mr. McCain’s associates that Ms. Palin’s early triumphs — a well-received convention speech, her drawing of big crowds — has been overtaken by a series of setbacks, creating higher stakes for her in the debate Thursday with the Democratic nominee for vice president, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.
“I think she has pretty thoroughly — and probably irretrievably — proven that she is not up to the job of being president of the United States,” David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush who is now a conservative columnist, said in an interview. “If she doesn’t perform well, then people see it.
“And this is a moment of real high anxiety, a little bit like 9/11, when people look to Washington for comfort and leadership and want to know that people in charge know what they are doing.”
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
NYT: CONCERNS GROW ABOUT PALIN'S READINESS
MYSPACE ABOUT TO LOSE OUT TO FACEBOOK IN U.S.?
The team at Pingdom, a firm that focuses primarily on uptime and performance, has posted a new blog entry estimating that Facebook will overtake MySpace as the top social network in the U.S. within a month or two. That's largely because, according to the same numbers, Facebook has doubled in size in the past year.
Several months ago, traffic firm ComScore noted that Facebook--a year ago far smaller than the News Corp.-owned MySpace--was starting to pass its rival in worldwide traffic. But in the U.S., which still has the big ad dollars, MySpace remained bigger.
There's something to note, though: Pingdom used Google Trends to make its assessment. Google Trends traffic data is one of only many sources of statistics out there, and it's collected primarily from people who have installed the Google toolbar. Numbers from Compete.com, for example, show that MySpace is still ahead.
Even according to Pingdom's numbers, MySpace doesn't appear to be shrinking. The performance firm thinks that could be due to a number of factors: that MySpace is continuing to recruit new users to replace those who may have left for Facebook, that people are using both social networks, or that Facebook is recruiting members who haven't been prior users of either site.
VACCINES AND AUTISM, IS THERE A LINK?
Jenny McCarthy and Amanda Peet duke it out over childhood vaccines.
FUN WITH THE iMAC PHOTO BOOTH
Not feeling too well, have a cold again - WTF! Oh well, here are some moments of playfulness with the computer. It's tough to get a dog to pose huh?
ARE YOU A TREE HUGGER?
| Dear Chris, I'm writing to enlist your help right now to curb climate change and protect forests by sending a much-needed shockwave through the corporate-run magazine publishing industry—a backwards industry that refuses to use recycled paper! Support our work to save forests, today. Our goal is to convince one—just one—major magazine to shift to using recycled paper before year's end. Who better to target than Condé Nast publications, printers of The New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair—guilty of taking advantage of the public's growing environmental concerns by publishing 'green' issues—that aren't even on recycled paper. We are telling Condé Nast to put their money where their mouth is! Co-op America has made our voice heard loud and clear. Our PAPER project has helped to nearly double the number of magazines on recycled paper. With just 5% of magazines being printed on recycled paper and our planet's most sacred forests are being sacrificed, your support is needed more than ever. Donate today to help us get one major magazine to go recycled this year. For the forests ... for all the people, birds, and animals that depend on them ... for the crucial role forests play in protecting the climate, please give today. Please take a moment right now to say 'Save our forests! Please use recycled paper!' by donating to Co-op America Magazine PAPER project. It's great to be working with all of you, |
|
Monday, September 29, 2008
THE GOOGLE PHONE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
NEW YORK - A brief hands-on experience with the Google (GOOG) G1 phone gives the impression that after a slew of touchscreen duds from other telcos, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone finally has a worthy rival.
The highly-anticipated HTC phone for T-Mobile (DT) was unveiled in New York Tuesday, and kiosks with technical experts were set up so media people could run the first Android-powered phone through some tricks. T-Mobile will start selling the phone Oct. 22 for $179 with a two-year contract.
The G1 has a large touchscreen, nearly the same size as the iPhone. But unlike the iPhone, there is a physical keyboard under the slide-open screen. People familiar with the iPhone will find the G1 a little lighter and thicker. The G1, for you ultra-thin fans, is about 3/4 of an inch thick, downright portly compared to the svelte half-inch iPhone.
Navigating the screen is fairly easy and there are several ways to move around. The touchscreen has a swipe capability that allows you to flick up and down or side to side. There is also a small trackball-type button at the bottom of the phone for scrolling.
STARBUCKS + HOT CHOCOLATE = YUMMY
At any given time, Starbucks Corp.'s research and development team evaluates around 200 potential new products, from healthy to indulgent in hopes of luring as many customers as possible.
After focusing for two decades on building its espresso beverage lines, new revenue streams are becoming crucial for the Seattle coffee company as financial markets crumble and consumers tighten wallets.
"What got us to this place is no longer going to be exactly the model as we're going forward," said Michelle Gass, senior vice president of marketing. "We're not immune to what's happening in the world. We've got to be relevant. We can't just bury our head in the sand."
The latest indulgence is being unveiled Tuesday, when the company begins selling its "Starbucks signature hot chocolate" in North American stores.
Nostalgically reminiscent of a snow day, the product already has been available for two years in Europe and Asia, capitalizing on the growing popularity of premium chocolate products.
Chocolate has great power to detour people into a cafe, said Rachel Antalek, Starbucks' director of espresso. Her team saw that firsthand at Seattle headquarters.
FOUR CHRISTMASES TRAILER
Reese, I'm just not sure on this one! Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, are they the new odd couple?
Watch here.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
TINA FEY REPRISES SARAH PALIN ROLE FOR SNL ON 9/27/08
Tina Fey reprises her role as Sarah Palin during an interview with Katie Couric for last night's Saturday Night Live - it was very funny! Check it out below.
If you can't view the video above, click here.
GOOGLE SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE - STANDS AGAINST PROP 8
Thank you Google and Levi's, we appreciate your support.
Google has taken a public stand against Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage measure on the November ballot in California.
Co-founder Sergey Brin, who made the announcement in a blog Friday afternoon, acknowledged that it is unusual for his company to take stands on issues outside the tech realm. The company "especially" avoids taking stands on social issues, he said, because of the diversity of its workforce.
However, Brin said, "it is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8."
"We should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love," he said.
Brin did not mention whether Google will do anything else to oppose the measure, other than taking a stand.
The official site opposing the proposition includes a long list of backers. No companies are listed there. However, on Thursday, Levi Strauss & Co. and PG&E became co-chairs of the No On Prop 8 Equality Business Council. And in July, PG&E donated $250,000 to the campaign.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
LISTEN TO THIS: RACHAEL YAMAGATA "ELEPHANTS"
Quiet, tranquil, poignant - give it a listen. Just stunning.
You can buy the EP here.
SARAH PALIN TALKS RUSSIA WITH KATIE COURIC
She's interesting yet completely clueless. I find that fascinating, like a car crash.
Here's a link to her 1984 beauty pageant video, the Miss Alaska Pageant. The music is classic, I almost found myself dancing a little jig to it. A stripper jig, but minus the stripping cause that's how I roll.
JON STEWART ON THE BUSH BAILOUT SPEECH
Jon Stewart compares the Iraq WMD speech to the more recent Bush bailout speech. Genius!
MADONNA FUCK UP
You know someone got a new hole ripped for them after her chair didn't come up on time, and she had to start singing from below or behind the stage. And then they couldn't get her coat off, she shot them a quick glance of death at about the 1:32 mark. I'm surprised they didn't turn into stone right then and there! Later perhaps, maybe it's a time-delay death stare.
R.I.P. PAUL NEWMAN
Sadness. Paul Newman died at 83 at his home in CT. We'll miss you Paul.
The Newman Foundation issued this statement:
"Paul Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all. Paul had an abiding belief in the role that luck plays in one's life, and its randomness. He was quick to acknowledge the good fortune he had in his own life, beginning with being born in America, and was acutely aware of how unlucky so many others were. True to his character, he quietly devoted himself to helping offset this imbalance. An exceptional example is the legacy of Newman's Own. What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million dollar a year food company. And true to form, he shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million. While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago. He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back, and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be.
"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person."
NOKIA'S TOUCHSCREEN PHONE NEARS RELEASE!
Nokia tends to make a great product, might this be the true "iPhone Killer?" It's called The Tube and next week in London, this little gem will appear at a media event in London.
WEIRD NEBRASKA LAW YIELDS WEIRD RESULTS
A father left his 9 kids at a hospital because he couldn't care for them anymore. Under a new law in Nebraska, that's ok. Click here to read more.
'PROJECT RUNWAY' BLOCKED (FOR NOW) FROM MOVING TO LIFETIME
A New York judge grants a preliminary injunction sought by Bravo owner NBC Universal, which claims that producer Weinstein Co. had broken a promise to give it an option to renew.
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Last night Barack Obama and John McCain had their first debate in Mississippi, did anyone watch and if so, what are your thoughts?
WAMU FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION
According to Bloomberg: Washington Mutual Inc., a holding company for the savings and loan that became the biggest U.S. bank to fail, filed for bankruptcy protection along with its unit WMI Investment Corp.
WaMu, the 119-year-old Seattle-based thrift, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, according to a release from Business Wire. The Delaware bankruptcy Web site was closed for site maintenance. Ian Campbell, a spokesman for the bankrupt holding company with Abernathy MacGregor Group, said he couldn't provide further details.
Friday, September 26, 2008
THE TRUTH ABOUT SARAH PALIN
Check out this Rolling Stone slide show that separates fact from fiction about Sarah Palin.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
SIGH OF RELIEF...
Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co., the third- biggest U.S. bank by assets, agreed to acquire the deposits of Washington Mutual Inc. as the thrift was seized by regulators in the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.
JPMorgan will pay $1.9 billion, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said in a statement today. It won't acquire liabilities including claims by equity, subordinated and senior debt holders, the FDIC said.
WaMu, based in Seattle, collapsed after its credit rating was slashed to junk and potential suitors passed on making a bid. Facing $19 billion of losses on soured mortgage loans, the lender put itself up for sale last week. WaMu in March rebuffed a takeover offer from JPMorgan that WaMu valued at $4 a share.
``JPMorgan is getting a steal compared with what they were going to pay,'' said Scott Adams, a pension and investment analyst at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Oakland, California, which owns WaMu shares. ``It's very tragic.''
The lender is the latest victim of a credit crunch that forced Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. into bankruptcy, drove Merrill Lynch & Co. to sell itself to Bank of America Corp. and brought about the Federal Reserve-financed purchase of Bear Stearns Cos. by JPMorgan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's $700 billion plan to prop up the U.S. banking industry by buying distressed mortgages wasn't enough to save the company.
WaMu had about 2,300 branches and $182 billion of customer deposits at the end of June. Its $310 billion of assets dwarf those of Continental Illinois Corp., previously the largest failed bank, which had $40 billion ($83 billion in 2008 dollars) when it was taken over in 1984.
CLAY AIKEN TALKS ABOUT BEING GAY AND BEING A FATHER
Click here to watch the video.
Delta shareholders approve Northwest merger
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/09/22/daily25.html
Sent from a top-secret location.
WTF
I work in the finance world but I feel close to a nervous breakdown.
OK, not quite but I'm very stressed. Surely many others do too. Right?
Would your university get an "F" from animals?
Dear Christopher,
Dozens of university campuses across America deserve a resounding "F" from animals for the dark secret they're hiding behind campus walls. These schools house laboratories where animals are subjected to painful and outdated tests—often funded with your tax dollars. I will tell you in a moment exactly what we are doing to stop this mess, but first let me explain.If you donate to PETA today for our online "Stop Animal Testing" Challenge, your gift will be doubled, and you will help us teach universities that they must stop torturing and killing animals. For every dollar we raise from supporters like you, the donations will be doubled, up to $250,000, to help animals in laboratories!
Those resources will help PETA save more animals on campuses than ever before. Already, we've won crucial victories for animals at the University of Washington, the University of Connecticut, and other places. Our work is leading to federal fines, the revocation of research grants, the suspension of cruel experiments, and public outcry. No one else is doing so much in so many different ways to help these animals!
While we've accomplished much, millions of individual dogs, monkeys, mice, rabbits, and other animals are still suffering in university laboratories. Won't you please help us attack these experiments by making a gift to PETA today to have it matched dollar-for-dollar?
To show you the lifesaving difference your support makes, I want to update you on our Columbia University campaign. Some time ago, PETA was contacted by Dr. Catherine Dell'Orto, a veterinarian who worked in a laboratory at Columbia and was horrified to witness the "cruel and negligent" treatment of animals. Her accounts were sickening and enraging:
"What I saw at Columbia still gives me nightmares. I saw baboons whose left eyes had been cut out—so that major blood vessels could be clamped off through the empty sockets to induce strokes—and who had collapsed in their cages, unable to lift their heads, eat, or drink after this horrendous surgery. They were left in these dire conditions without any painkillers ?. In another experiment, in which baboon fetuses are infused with nicotine, I saw a pregnant baboon who had lost 40 percent of her bodyweight. It was a tragic sight, and resulted from nothing short of intentional neglect, as her condition had been documented on her chart for weeks."
Dr. Dell'Orto tried to improve the conditions in Columbia's laboratory but was stonewalled by university officials. Frustrated, she turned to PETA for help. Our investigators collected video footage and other documentation of the abuses in the laboratory, and PETA filed federal complaints. We held a news conference outside Columbia's gates and launched a vigorous campaign against the university's cruel primate experiments.
Thanks to PETA's hard work, the stroke experiments on baboons were canceled. Dr. Dell'Orto's supervisor, who had allowed the abuses to go unchecked, was fired. The U.S. government then cited and fined Columbia for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Columbia also had to create a full-time position to ensure that the animals in its laboratories receive environmental enrichment to ease the misery of life in a cage.
Your support for PETA helps end the torture of animals in laboratories. And by donating in this special online "Stop Animal Testing" challenge, your gift can have twice the impact.
Thank you for bringing hope to animals abused in university experiments.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
P.S. PETA's "Stop Animal Testing" Challenge is a vital opportunity to raise the funds we must have to protect more animals who are locked away in laboratories. Your special online gift today in this special Challenge this will help us expose these painful experiments and work aggressively to bring them to an end, once and for all. With the lives of so many vulnerable animals at stake, please be as generous as you can afford to be.
DON'T EFF WITH LETTERMAN!
John McCain cancels his interview with Letterman at the last minute, because he needs to "fly out to D.C. to handle the economy". Well, at least that's what he said. Little did Letterman know that McCain was just down the street getting his makeup did for a Katie Couric interview. Well, Letterman finds out, busts him, and comedy ensues for our viewing pleasure.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
RESCUE PLAN COULD COST HALF-TRILLION DOLLARS
From MSNBC:
The proposal to create a massive facility to buy mortgage-backed securities could cost as much as a half-trillion dollars and would involve the purchase of both private-label and government-guaranteed mortgages, according to an administration official.
The plan would have two parts. The largest part would be the purchase of private-label (those underwritten by Wall Street) mortgages by some as-yet unnamed vehicle. Financing would occur through the sale of treasuries, the official said. That part of the plan would require congressional approval. The idea is to hold the securities to maturity. The average mortgage has a life of about 7 years.
BILL GATES INVESTS IN ALGAE FUEL
Bill Gates' investment firm is funding Sapphire Energy, a company that intends to make auto fuel from algae.
The lowly algae is the renewable fuel industry's great green hope. Because algae is rich in oil and can grow in a wide range of conditions, many companies are betting that it can create fuels or other chemicals cheaper than existing feedstocks.
Feeling Cold? Maybe You're Lonely
Very interesting social experiment.
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20080916/feeling-cold-maybe-youre-lonely
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
DINNER WITH A VIEW
distraction from a stressful week.
Monday, September 15, 2008
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM...
* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive and next in line behind a man in his eighth decade.
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and then left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a true Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
OK, much clearer now.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
IN THE WORKPLACE, HIGH PERFORMERS WILL WALK UNLESS...
The ability to recruit and retain top performers is a key to any company's long-term success. One recent survey identified that almost half (47 percent) of high-performing employees are actively looking for new jobs, yet only 18 percent of the "low performers" are.
Consider what it would mean to your business to lose key contributors, who would exit with their critical company knowledge or account relationships.
High performers are attracted to companies that foster a culture where they can be successful -- one with like-minded people, leadership they admire, growth opportunities and meaningful recognition. Attracting and hiring talent is just the first step. The greater challenge is retaining them.
The top reasons performers leave companies: lack of leadership, recognition and engagement.
Frankly, it's often easier to "manage" the mediocre than to "lead" creative, clever and talented people. One thing I have continually confirmed in my executive coaching practice is that the old school command-and-control style isn't effective with most of today's high performers.
What will work? Here are some strategies:
- Engage hearts and minds. Performers need inspiration (a compelling vision); they want to contribute in a way that matters. They want "ownership" (and will often leave when they aren't given it) and opportunities to bring the best of what they have to offer.
- The best and the brightest resent being "micromanaged." In my experience, it makes them crazy. If you hired the right person (with commitment, skills, talent and experience to do the job), let them do it. Provide clear expectations, the resources they need and get out of their way. Trying to constantly rein in talent will lead them to stray.
- Block and tackle for them. Get rid of obstacles in their way. Do you want your best resource filling out forms, attending pointless meetings, or do you want them increasing business?
High performers value continual learning and development. They expect companies to provide ongoing training, coaching and mentoring by someone they aspire to be (or someone who has achieved what they want to achieve). If that person isn't you as their boss, you're likely in trouble.
Compensate, recognize and challenge them. Talented employees know their worth and they expect you to know it, too. Towers Perrin researchers found that high-performing employees earn bonuses on average of 1.5 to two times larger than average-performing employees. Top performers require challenge to be satisfied and engaged. They respond well to incentives, provided the criteria are clear, fair and reasonably achievable.
Coach's tip: Avoid incentives that are intangible ("Top 10 performers earn the right to participate in a drawing for ...").
Motivate your best by providing them something worthy of their sacrifice (like extra-long hours) to get to the finish line. Incentive programs that employees identify as a "joke" (the goals are unrealistic, criteria poorly explained, are unfair, etc.) do more damage than good.
While stretch goals provide healthy challenge, unreachable goals simply promote frustration and dissatisfaction.
Involve your talent in "big picture" strategy and problem-solving sessions. Top performers want, and need, access to senior leaders and for senior leaders to value their input. It deflates them when they aren't asked to the "seniors" dance.
Few things inspire talent more than the CEO asking for their opinion, "secrets to success" or input.
Be straightforward and transparent. Don't try to snow smart people and make any promises you can't keep. If you ask them to take risks and push the envelope, be prepared to support them when they encounter resistance.
SOME DRY PET FOODS RECALLED FOR SALMONELLA
It sounds like there's no immediate risk, but according to MSNBC, here are the brand names to watch out for:
Country Acres, Retriever, Doggy Bag, Members Mark, Natural, Ol' Roy, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Pedigree, Wegman's, Pet Pride, PMI Nutrition and Red Flannel.
ON MYSPACE OR FACEBOOK? BE CAREFUL IF YOU ARE SEEKING A JOB
According to this article, CareerBuilder found that 22 percent of the 3,100 employers it surveyed now use services like MySpace and Facebook to research candidates, up from just 11 percent in 2006. An additional nine percent of responders said they don't conduct such research but intend to start doing so. Of those managers who did screen potential employees, just over one-third of them—34 percent—said they had found information that led them to dismiss candidates from consideration. Listed reasons include:
- 41 percent of candidates disclosed incidents of drinking/drug use
- 40 percent posted provocative photos or information
- 29 percent had poor communication skills
- 28 percent badmouthed a previous company/employer
- 27 percent lied about qualifications
- 22 percent made offensive statements about gender, race, religion, race, etc.
- 22 percent used an unprofessional screen name
- 21 percent were linked to criminal behavior
- 19 percent shared confidential information from previous employers
DOG CALLS 911
PHOENIX -- "Man's best friend" doesn't go far enough for Buddy - a German shepherd who remembered his training and saved his owner's life by calling 911 when the man had a seizure.
And it's not the first time Buddy has been there for owner Joe Stalnaker, a police officer said Sunday.
On a recording of the 911 call Wednesday, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the dispatcher answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.
"Hello, this is 911. Hello ... Can you hear me? Is there somebody there you can give the phone to," says the dispatcher, Chris Trott.
Police were sent to Stalnaker's home, and after about three minutes Buddy is heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.
"It's pretty incredible," Clark said. "Even the veteran dispatchers - they haven't heard of anything like this."
Clark said police are dispatched whenever 911 is called, but that Stalnaker's address was flagged in Scottsdale's system with a notification that a trained assistance dog could call 911 when the owner was incapacitated.
Clark said Stalnaker adopted Buddy at the age of 8 weeks from Michigan-based Paws with a Cause, which trains assistance dogs, and trained him to get the phone if he began to have seizure symptoms. Buddy, now 18 months old, is able press programmed buttons until a 911 operator is on the line, Clark said.
Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Stalnaker was having seizures.
He said Stalnaker's seizures are the result of a head injury he suffered about 10 years ago during a military training exercise.
Stalnaker was not listed in the phone book, and he did not immediately respond to a request through police for an interview.
(Source)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
TINA FEY AS SARAH PALIN!
EVE ENSLER WRITING ABOUT SARAH PALIN
Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for “The Vagina Monologues”, wrote the following about Sarah Palin.
Drill Drill Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares.
I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears.
Maybe it’s their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one.
Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice.
Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don’t like raging at women.
I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them.
It is hard to write about Sarah Palin.
This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical.
The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story — connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover.
But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, this is not a joke.
In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the
presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution.
I take this as a metaphor.
In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves.
She does not believe in global warming.
The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God’s plan.
She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list.
The earth, in Palin’s view, is here to be taken and plundered.
The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered.
Iraq is here to be taken and plundered.
As she said herself of the Iraqi war, “It was a task from God.”
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion.
She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open
against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist’s baby or not.
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control.
I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking.
From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently.
She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference.
This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States.
She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah believes in guns.
She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle.
She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God.
That is of course her right, her private right.
But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God’s name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters.
I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands.
This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the
planet.
It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans.
It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack.
It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest
our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction.
It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing.
It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don’t move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, “Drill Drill Drill.” I think of teeth when I think of drills.
I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination.
I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent.
I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Eve Ensler
September 5, 2008
ED KOCH TALKS POLITICS
The former NYC Mayor Ed Koch speaks about the current political race and his support for Barack Obama. I love how he reacts to the "don't say that because she's a woman" statement from the interviewer.
FLASHBACK: KELLY CLARKSON "MAYBE" AND "SOBER"
Two of her best songs, from her last album, you know the one that was deemed "too dark" to be any good. I beg to differ, it's amazing.
Have a look/listen.
CASTING CALL FOR YOUTUBE PEEPS: $25K FOR GREEN IDEAS
The X Prize Foundation, the same organization behind the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize to send private vehicles to the moon, said Tuesday that it has put together an eco challenge for YouTubers called "What's your crazy green idea?" Dream up a world-changing idea to stop global warming, post a two-minute YouTube video about it, and it could be worth $25,000.
- What is the worldwide problem that you are trying to solve?
- What is the specific prize idea, with rules and judging criteria?
- How will it benefit humanity?
PORN ON A PLANE: BOW-CHIC-A-BOW-WOW
According to CNET, some flight attendants (some people call them Air Mattresses but that's not nice now is it?) are calling for strict filters on wireless service.
Coffee, tea or porn? "I don't think so," say American Airline flight attendants. Leaders of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents some 19,000 workers including American Airlines flight attendants, asked American Airline's management this week to consider adding filters to its in-flight Wi-Fi access to prevent passengers from viewing porn and other inappropriate Web sites while in-flight.
A union representative told Bloomberg News that attendants and passengers have raised "a lot of complaints" over the issue.
American Airlines is one of several airlines testing in-flight Internet access as a way to lure more passengers. American has been offering the service on a limited basis since August 20th on some flights between New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and between New York and Miami. The cost of the service on cross-country flights is $12.95, and it's $9.95 on the New York to Miami route.
The third comment down is hysterical:
by expatincebu September 12, 2008 4:00 PM PDT
While I do not consider nudity and sex (two natural and normal things) to be offensive in any way, I do consider all religious material to be inappropriate and offensive. Will American Airlines be blocking this as well?
Personally, I think the real problem is that the aging hags that pass as flight attendants don't like being reminded of their rapidly failing looks.
Me watching suggestive material is not going to make me wanna get down with someone (or myself) on a plane any more than watching a violent movie will make me want to shoot someone. Having said that, neither scenario is really my thing.
Friday, September 12, 2008
AMERICA'S MOST AFFORDABLE PLACES TO RETIRE
Maybe I'll end up in Dallas after all.
APPLE RELEASES iPHONE BUG SQUASHER
Apple Inc. updated the software that runs its iPhones on Friday in hopes of decreasing dropped calls, improving battery life and cutting the time it takes to synchronize the device with a computer.
Shortly after Apple made the new software available on its iTunes online service, some users offered positive feedback on Internet forums, saying it appeared the device was getting faster at handling key tasks. In contrast, an August update that was supposed to improve the iPhones' connectivity to high-speed data networks drew mainly negative responses claiming it didn't work.
Apple also said the new update "improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display" — meaning the phone would show more "bars" on the connection meter. However, the quality of the connection was not necessarily affected by the update.
Learn more here.
SHOTS OF THE "KIDS"
Olive (the littlest), Wilbur (the brindle Boston), and Edna (the seal-colored Boston).
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